Monday, February 18, 2008

Europa Universalis: Rome to be released April 2008


This game will encompass the years 280 BC through 27 BC. Producer Johan Andersson describes the games and its features:

"The Roman era depicts some of the greatest cultural and military civilizations that have ever existed. We felt there was so much more of this era to explore, and that the time period lends itself perfectly to the type of deep and challenging strategy we have specialized in. In addition, we are all fans of the era, which helps immensely, since we will be well familiar with every inch of it after finalizing this project....There will be more than 50 playable nations ranging from Rome itself to smaller Gallic tribes. Of course, we have nations like Carthage, Egypt, and Macedonia as well. We chose 280 BC as our starting point because there was a type of balance between several major nations at that time, and essentially any of those major nations could have created an empire similar to that of Rome. Players will have different resources, geographical locations, characters, and governments at their disposal, which will define their strengths and the capabilities of the nations.

Players can set up trade routes to get access to other resources, appoint characters to various positions in their nation, elect different national ideas depending on their government type...and [they'll have] many more options. The outcome of Europa Universalis: Rome will completely depend on players' strategic and tactical choices.

There are six different units available in the game: militia (standard peasant levy); heavy infantry (such as the legionary); archers (missile troops, such as slingers); cavalry; horse archers (Parthians); and elephant cavalry.

The 3D map and improved terrain adds substantially to the look and feel of the game, and in some instances it will play into [certain] strategies. It's more difficult to open trade routes if your nations are separated by mountains, or to wage war over sea, unless you have a strong fleet. What will be visible to players will depend greatly on the strategies applied.

We've found what we believe is the perfect balance between a game with great strategic depth and scope, as well as a certain degree of complexity type, and a game that is easier for players to get into. We've also seen the importance of an intuitive interface, as that means gameplay can be kept intelligent and challenging at the same time as it can be welcoming to new players."

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Fight with Alexander the Great in "Fate of Hellas"


JoWooD Productions announces a new title for 2008 and expands their strategy portfolio.

The RTS game "Fate of Hellas" combines economic development with tactical real time battles, all fully shown in 3D. In two campaigns with seven missions, each the player is able to take over control of the legendary people of Macedonia.

You will fight alongside Alexander The Great and bring peace to the city states of ancient Greece. Put together an army and fight with your soldiers for wealth and peace, becoming more successful than Alexander The Great has ever been. But beware: It will not be just your enemies that will envy you!

Features:

  • Thrilling realtime battles in ancient Greece - "Fate of Hellas" is an RTS game, which takes the player to ancient Greece: 2500 Years ago, before the rise of Rome, fierce battles between the Greeks and their enemies took place.
  • Build formations with your troops - 3 different formations for strategic fights!
  • Equip your troops with weapons from your defeated enemies - Pick up the weapons left behind by your enemies after you have killed them in combat
  • Besiege the citys of historic Greece! - The more cities you conquer, the greater your power on the battlefield
  • More than 60 different characters! - Different fighters, buildings, vehicles and many more
Fate of Hellas will be available in March 2008.