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Multiplayer & MP Demo
"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."
- Sir Winston Churchill, 1941 Radio Address
The promise of Churchill's speech seems especially fitting as I write about Mad Doc's Empire Earth II multiplayer - about the tools we've given you - to finish the job before you in this game of epic conquest. Your job, as I see it, is to kick some serious ass: to learn the art of team play -- while perfecting the skill of self preservation. Sounds easy enough, yet in a game of this size and scope, it's a massive undertaking. So let's look at what we've done with Empire Earth II's multiplayer to help you "finish the job."
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In Empire Earth II you'll mastermind your civilizations rise to power through 12,000 years of human history. The span of the game is divided into 15 epochs that span from the dawn of man into the near future. As you advance through the epochs, new and improved units and structures become available. Each month we'll unveil three epochs in this newsletter. This month's featured epochs are:
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Industrial
1800 AD – 1900 AD
The invention of the steam engine lead to significant changes in the quality of life for most people, for better and worse. Technology started to advance at a pace never before seen as people could witness changes in society in their own lifetime as opposed to the hundreds of years it had taken in the past. The Industrial sector and the military were the two most revolutionized during this period.
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Modern
1900 AD – 1940 AD
The Modern Age brings the results of the marriage between industrial innovation and military tradition – warfare on a scale never before witnessed. Steel, mechanized transport, aviation, and mass production all serve to facilitate massive carnage. Although the brutality of this period was everywhere, important advances in improving citizen’s quality of life through regulation and moderation of capitalistic practices were coming to light.
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Atomic
1940 AD – 1980 AD
The ability to manipulate the world at an atomic level, even if only in a destructive way, emphasizes the direction of technological progress in this age. Miniaturization allows for more technologically advanced goods and services to come to larger and larger numbers of citizens. Nuclear war hangs like a cloud over this era of unprecedented progress, however.
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Empire Earth II includes over 350 unique units and structures - 33% more than the original game. This month's featured units are:
Dragoon
The Dragoon is a fast mounted unit equipped with a firearm. RPS bonus against heavy artillery and heavy infantry.
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Machinegunner
The Machinegunner is a heavily armed soldier who wields lethal firepower. RPS bonus against light mounted and light artillery.
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Rifleman
The Rifleman is the backbone of any modern infantry. RPS bonus against light mounted and light artillery.
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We've added lots of new stuff in the game, yet there are a few features in particular that we added to pump up the multiplayer that I really love. Things like "Quick Start" (lets you start with a base and some units already built), the Game Pace settings (let you customize things like time to build units, damage dealt), a bunch of new game modes (Territory Control, for example), the great handicapping system we've put into play - things that I've been enjoying for some time now.
By now, you know the drill: we have the standard multiplayer modes for up to 10 players (Death Match, King of the Hill and straight Conquest), as well as Co-op and Observer modes. We've also added new multiplayer modes for the fresh features in the game (Crowns, Territories, etc.). We have "Hot Spots" (highlight specific areas on the map, the first person who controls most of them wins the game), Territory Control (control x% of the map), and Crowns (have a certain number of crowns, or hold crowns for a certain amount of time). But let's get to my favorites. . .
You Gotta Have Sole
From now on, when beginning a multiplayer match, keep this phrase in mind: "You Gotta Have Sole" - Sole Survivor that is. One of my favorite new game types, this gem is so utterly simple that it's shocking that nobody else has done it. An option which can be turned on or off (it's on by default) for a variety of different modes, it totally changes the dynamics of play.
In Sole Survivor, only one player can win. So, if one team wipes out another, that team is automatically broken up. For instance, in a Conquest game, if some allies clean the map of foes, their alliance automatically breaks when all the foes are killed off. This means that you are 100% sure you can't trust anyone, and it turns people who get ahead into big targets. It's like playing a game of hardcore Risk, where you might make an alliance with someone for a little while, but you're happily aware that eventually you'll have to annihilate them. This lets you take advantage of things which keep the game fresh like Timed Alliances (you select an alliance for a chosen amount of time). The dynamics are so much more exciting! So, while we all know that most games fall back to the old "join the team with the best player and win" scenario, you'd better get ready, because in Sole Survivor, you have to think long and hard about who you ally with. You may want to ally against the best players to take them out - or you'll face them later.
It's in Sole Survivor that the Diplomacy System gets a real workout. When you really start getting into how the Diplomacy works (you can propose an alliance to anyone at any time, demand or give a variety of tributes, including resources, units, or even territories), when you start getting into these tiny details, the fun really begins. And it's the options that keep things juicy here as well: the duration of alliances, line-of-sight sharing, resource tariffs, and border permissions. It all adds up to so much more suspense, fear, and thrill in the MP games, it keeps you on the edge of your seat up to the last minute. I can't imagine making an RTS game without Sole Survivor, it would just seem silly.
In A Hurry? Get A QuickStart!
OK, so we've all done it a zillion times: start a game, then spend the first x number of minutes going through the motions, gearing up for what seems an eternity to get to the heart of the matter. Every once in awhile, I don't want to wait to get down to business. I just want to jump right into a game and get started. That's why I think fans are going to be psyched about the "QuickStart" games, one of the most exciting new features in Empire Earth II. In this mode, you literally jump into a game starting with forces, units and buildings already on the map. We've made it easy: before the game starts, you get to "Choose Forces." You choose an 'Empire Type' (Military, Imperial, Economic, or Balanced {default}), and gameplay style (Standard, Aggressive, or Defensive). Basically, now you're set to just "jump in" and play a quick RTS game. Probably half of our MP games are QuickStart games -- if you haven't got lots of spare time, this is the way to play.
Every Great Leader Has A Plan
You're surrounded by enemies and friends alike, and with an unsure future before you, you need to keep one key thing in mind: every great leader has a plan. In Empire Earth II, for you, it's as easy as pulling up the War Planning screen. With the new War Planning feature, you can bring up a map of the entire level and create war plans for allied troops to use at the same time. As you might imagine, this works really well for team based multiplayer matches. With a simple paint program interface, you draw arrows in the team colors of the different players, drop Xs and Os, and attach text descriptions of the attack - all on top of a fullscreen version of the map. You send it out to team members, and any players who accept it automatically have it on their minimap until you cancel it, or they do.
I've often been asked if an "expert" player can do well in multiplayer matches without using the War Planner. My simple reply is this: every battle I've launched with a war plan, I've won. So, how does an expert player not using this feature fair against me using it? I'm betting on me!
And with the multiplayer demo coming in April, I wish you luck as you set out to conquer the world in Empire Earth II! We've given you the tools, the rest is up to you.
Until Next Time,
Ian Davis, Ph.D. "The Mad Doctor"
CEO & Founder, Mad Doc™ Software
Creative Director, Empire Earth® II
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