Category: Empire Earth

Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest and the journey into Space War

In the year 2002, Empire Earth got its only expansion pack, the Art of Conquest. The main addition to the maps in the game was the inclusion of space maps. The main issue with the maps is that it just didn’t fit with the engine of the game. Trying to graph a space geography onto what was a game ostensibly set on Earth throughout human history, was just going to be a satisfying product in my opinion. However, the developers made an effort, which is more than can be said for most games made in the current era.

In many ways, the Empire Earth engine also for a unique depiction of space combat here. There is no other game similar to this in the industry. Had Empire Earth continued as franchise, we would probably have had a more realistic looking space age. The developers’ efforts for an expansion done just a year after release is impressive. With more time, they could have smoothed out the gameplay even more and the game would have been even better.

There is one important aspect to Art of Conquest. It is an expansion that did not take years to make. The content in this game is comparable to many games now. While not the best quality, it shows that video games should not take a decade to make. I want games to come out more similar to Call of Duty not Grand Theft Auto VI. While GTA VI will be innovative, the amount of time passing to make such games is causing the video game industry to wrap around these titles.

What we see here is an ability to get projects done quickly and competently.

This is what the video game industry should be approaching making their games and maybe it will seem like it is not moving like molasses but having actual change and growth.

Empire Earth: The Nano Age and the Architecture of an Epoch

Starting in the Digital Age in Empire Earth, the architecture suddenly shifts to a futuristic style. The Capitol for instance, isn’t trying to replicate the St. Basil’s Cathedral in London now, but some theoretical capital in the future. Its architecture is rounded, like it belongs on some distant planet and not on Earth. The culture that it represents is one that worships efficiency over the idea of human culture. Compare that to the Colosseum wonder being built next to it.

The Colosseum was an expression of Roman culture using the technology they had in order to construct it. It also represented their many abstract ideas of how to organize their society. The Digital Age capital in Empire Earth is a representation of the technology overtaking the expression of human culture. What we see in the buildings in the future epochs is really a continuation of what saw beginning with the Modern Epochs; architecture is now functional. Now architecture is basically just housing technology within those structures.

Here is the great idea behind Cyber Labatory which is right behind the Colosseum; it isn’t about the structure which is mattering in here, its the technology which matters here. Gameplay wise, the Cyber Labatory is representing something new in military affairs in the game. These Cybers are made specifically to counter other Cybers not the remaining human units. This is Cyber on Cyber conflict not human.

This is the essence of the Nano Age.

Tech is more important than when we use it to make culture.

It is not surprising that the houses in the Nano Age do not have any distinctive cultural aspects to it. Art and Culture is subordinate to the interests of efficiency, or more specifically, how we use technology to interact with our epoch.

That is the essence of the Digital and more importantly, the Nano Ages in Empire Earth.