 |
| World Empire | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Viable Software Alternatives |
| Publisher(s) | Viable Software Alternatives |
| Designer(s) | Casey Butler |
| Platform(s) | IBM PC (DOS, Microsoft Windows) |
| Release | 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
World Empire is a turn-based strategy video game, published in 1991 by Viable Software Alternatives. Risk is similar to this game in that players compete to conquer the Earth country by country through military force.
World Empire was originally released for DOS. It featured 16-colour EGA graphics and a classical musical score played through the PC speaker. Later versions were released for Microsoft Windows and include full-colour graphics and MIDI music. All versions are shareware.
| Version | OS | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| World Empire | DOS | 1991 |
| World Empire II | Windows 3.x | 1992 |
| World Empire III | Windows 3.x | 1994 |
| World Empire IV | Windows 3.x | 1996 |
| World Empire V | Windows 95 | 2003 |
Each player is controlled by either a human or the computer; recent versions of the game have included the option of network play. At the beginning of the game, the players choose a unique political ideology, select or are assigned a flag and a home country, and are given the same number of armies. Each country on the map is assigned a political ideology. Players then take turns during which they attack neighbouring countries and, if successful, occupy them with some of their armies. If the occupied country's political ideology matches that of the player, then only one occupying army is needed; otherwise, the game informs the player how many more occupying armies are required. If the player fails to maintain the minimum number of occupying armies in a country, the country may revolt and switch allegiances to another player. Players can end their turns at any time, and usually do so when they have no further armies with which to attack. At the beginning of each turn other than the first, players receives a number of armies calculated from the number of countries they hold, plus a bonus if they control entire continents.
The game ends once one player has occupied all the opponents' countries, or when all the opponents have surrendered.
The game was favourably reviewed in PC Plus , Computer Shopper , Windows User , and Computer Gaming World .[ citation needed ]World Empire III won 1995's Best Shareware Strategy Game Award from Ziff-Davis and Computer Gaming World.[ citation needed ]
Exile is a series of role-playing video games created by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software. They were released as shareware titles for Macintosh and Windows systems. Exile III was also ported to Linux by a third party. There were four games released in the series. All of the games were later revived in the Avernum series. Common to all games in the Exile series are 2D graphics and basic sound. The graphics in the first versions of Exile I and II had simple textures, colours and outlines, which were then replaced in later versions with Exile III's graphics. The games are designed to be non-linear and long in gameplay length.
Risk is a strategy board game of diplomacy, conflict and conquest for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a political map of the world, divided into 42 territories, which are grouped into six continents. Turns rotate among players who control armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by dice rolls. Players may form and dissolve alliances during the course of the game. The goal of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and, in doing so, eliminate the other players. The game can be lengthy, requiring several hours to multiple days to finish. European versions are structured so that each player has a limited "secret mission" objective that shortens the game.
Scorched Earth is a shareware artillery video game. It was released for MS-DOS in 1991, originally written by Wendell Hicken using Borland C++ and Turbo Assembler. Players control tanks to do turn-based battle in two-dimensional terrain, adjusting the angle and power of each tank turret before each shot.
Stars! is a turn-based strategy, science fiction 4X video game, originally developed by Jeff Johnson and Jeff McBride with help from Jeffrey Krauss for personal use, initially released as shareware for Microsoft Windows in 1995. A retail version was later produced for, and published by Empire Interactive, with developer Jason Gaston added to the team for quality assurance testing, although the shareware version continued.
Warlords is a video game series created by Steve Fawkner, in which role-playing elements are combined with turn-based strategy in a fantasy setting. The series began with Warlords in 1990 and includes three other games, two expansion packs, and several spinoffs.
Civilization IV is a 4X turn-based strategy computer game and the fourth installment of the Civilization series, and designed by Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and his video game development studio Firaxis Games. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia, between October 25 and November 4, 2005, and followed by Civilization V.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing originally released for Microsoft Windows by The 3DO Company in 1999. Its ports to several computer and console systems followed in 1999–2000. It is the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares is a 4X turn-based strategy game set in space, designed by Steve Barcia and Ken Burd, and developed by Simtex, who developed its predecessor Master of Orion and Master of Magic. The PC version was published by MicroProse in 1996, and the Macintosh version a year later by MacSoft, in partnership with MicroProse. The game has retained a large fan base, and is still played online.
Terminal Velocity is a shooter video game originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by 3D Realms for DOS and Windows 95, and MacSoft for Mac OS. It is an arcade-style flight combat game, with simpler game controls and physics than flight simulators. It is known for its fast, high-energy action sequences, compared to flight simulators of the time.
Sacrifice is a real-time strategy video game published by Interplay Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows platform. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, the game features elements of action and other genres. Players control wizards who fight each other with spells and summoned creatures. The game was ported to Mac OS 9.2 in 2001.
Sports Car GT is a 1999 racing sim game based on GT racing. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by Image Space Incorporated for Microsoft Windows, and Point of View for PlayStation. Both editions of the game feature co-development by Westwood Studios. The PC version received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation version received "mixed" reviews.
Strategic Conquest is a turn-based strategy game based on the wargame Empire. It was written by Peter Merrill for the Apple Macintosh and released in 1984 by PBI Software, and later ported to the Apple II in 1986. Delta Tao Software took over distribution for later Classic Mac OS releases. It is sometimes shortened to Stratcon.
Seven Kingdoms is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Trevor Chan of Enlight Software. The game enables players to compete against up to six other kingdoms allowing players to conquer opponents by defeating them in war, capturing their buildings with spies, or offering opponents money for their kingdom. The Seven Kingdoms series went on to include a sequel, Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars. In 2007, Enlight released a further title in the Seven Kingdoms series, Seven Kingdoms: Conquest.
Risk II is a video game version of the board game Risk, developed by Deep Red Games and published by Hasbro Interactive under the MicroProse label. It's a sequel to the 1996 version of Risk.
Final Liberation is a turn-based tactics video game released for Microsoft Windows in 1997, and re-released on GOG.com in 2015. The game is best known as the first video game based on Epic, a table-top wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, in an attempt to recreate the table-top experience on a computer as opposed to using it as a backdrop for games in other genres. As a result, the game borrows heavily in terms of rules and style from the table-top game, demanding a combination of luck and tactics necessary to succeed in game warfare.
Empire is a 1977 turn-based wargame with simple rules. The game was conceived by Walter Bright starting in 1971, based on various war movies and board games, notably Battle of Britain and Risk. The game was ported to many platforms in the 1970s and 1980s. Several commercial versions were also released, often adding basic graphics to the originally text-based user interface. The basic gameplay is strongly reminiscent of several later games, notably Civilization, which was partly inspired by Empire.
Cyber Empires is a strategy/top-view fighting game produced by Silicon Knights. The game was produced in MS-DOS, Atari ST and Amiga versions, and was originally released in March 1992. The current copyright holder was Strategic Simulations, Inc., which later became part of Ubisoft.
Annals of Rome is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Personal Software Services. It was first released in the United Kingdom for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari ST in 1986. It was then released in Germany for the Commodore 64 and Amiga in 1987 and 1988, respectively. The game is set in the Late Roman Empire, with the objective being to survive for as long as possible against rebelling European states.
AV-8B Harrier Assault is a combat flight simulator/realtime strategy game developed by Simis and first published by Domark in 1992. An updated version using SVGA graphics was released later the same year, alternatively known as SVGA Harrier. In 1994, a modified version of the SVGA version was released for the classic Mac OS under the new name Flying Nightmares, which was later ported to 3D0.
Warlords III: Reign of Heroes is a computer wargame released in 1997, and the third release in the Warlords video game series. In 1998 it was followed by the expansion Warlords III: Darklords Rising.