It proved to be a critical and, at least for a time, commercial hit.Yet even then, neither he nor his fellow developers were satisfied.
![]() As revealed in a Gamespot QA with Goodman in March 2003, Stainless Steel began work on its next project in 2002, surveying customers who had played Empire Earth. More than just seeing what worked and what didnt, however, the input revealed a distinction between casual and hardcore gamers, as well as a demand for much more distinct civilizations, among other findings. On top of these, fans expressed how they liked playing from the Middle Ages to the Atomic-World War II Epochs, as opposed to earlier or more futuristic eras. Meeting those expectations, though, was a challenge, as it meant having to start practically from scratch. While this seemed easier said than down and the developers would never get a chance to make a proper sequel (entering a multiple-title publishing deal with Activision on December 2002), they nonetheless were able to finish a unique, proper spin-off to the franchise they kickstarted. That being Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, which was launched on October 21, 2003. At a glance, Empires can come across like Empire Earth 1.5. With the exception of the Civ Points and Civilization Builder, many of the features and gameplay mechanics are seemingly lifted wholesale; that theres a similar interface and even a populating mechanic for converting Settlements (which act like resource drop-off points) to full-fledged Town Centers dont help matters. In fact, theres not so much as a tutorial mode present, as though its assuming that youve either played the original game or are otherwise familiar with historical RTS titles. Compared to the original Empire Earth, the game really sticks to its title in terms of timeframe. About 1,000 years worth of history, from the Middle Ages to the Second World War, is covered thorough five Ages (as opposed to 14 Epochs). While this might seem like a step down compared to the ambitious scope of its predecessor, it more than makes up in depth. The proverbial Dawn of the Modern Worlds a time of tremendous change, which the game manages to convey rather faithfully as swords and arrows give way to muskets, machine guns and atomic weapons, making Aging up all the more vital. This also translates into a wide variety of action, with each era having enough of their own particular atmosphere to stand on their own. Whether youre into knights in armor charging valiantly into the fray, Napoleonic style naval battles, biplanes fighting overhead or reenacting Blitzkrieg battles, theres something for just about everyone. Empires features nine playable civilizations: England, the Franks, China, Korea, United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia and Germany. But unlike most historical RTS games at the time, every single one is made as distinct as possible in almost every aspect. While they share many buildings, each civ has its own aesthetic, very distinct unit rosters (with each sides workers even having different names and appearances) and divergent perks. The Franks and French, for instance, are heavy on defense (being able to build observation posts and eventually construct pillboxes), while the Chinese have wheeled City Centers and War Carts that highlight a penchant for mobility. Each civilization also has access to Abilities and Classified Projects that are researched through a University. A rather curious take on unique tech trees based on historical or cultural traits, these can range from simple upgrades and one-off boosts (such as new ore deposits or temporary attack buffs), to powerful if expensive economic power-ups, reinforcements (like the UKs Lend-Lease Ability) and even weaponized calamities (with Russia being able to research Tunguska Impacts) that can turn the tide of battle when used at the right time. And as an added twist, while only four are available from the very start the English, Franks, China and Korea they can transition into the remaining five upon aging up to World War I, depending on which one you choose; notably, only the EnglishUK and FranksFrance have any sense of continuity throughout the course of a full-fledged match. Granted, it means that each nation is, by Goodmans admission in the Gamespot QA, unbalanced on a unit-by-unit or economic basis.
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