For years gamers had only the lowly computer to play against in their quest to build an all-powerful civilization, but then MicroProse brought out CivNET. Yes, it brought multiplayer play to the classic Civilization, but was it enough? The folks at Impressions apparently didn't think so, and in response are producing Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires to fill the need. Rise and Rule is being designed from the ground up as a multi-player game (in either Windows 3.1 or Windows 95), bringing up to four players together over modem, serial, or network links for a fast and furious game of civilization growth and intercultural exchange (of either the peaceful or violent kind).
The basic idea behind Rise and Rule is to take a civilization from its humble beginnings and nurture it through thousands of years (from 5000 BC to 500 AD) of development. Along the way players can consult a detailed on-line historical reference for any of the five cultures: Greek/Roman, Indian/Chinese, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or the Northern Barbarians (somewhat ahistorical, but fun to play). The final graphics will be historically accurate--the architectural designs of cities and the clothing styles of its peoples will change between cultures and periods. Because the time scale can run beyond the life span of some of the cultures portrayed, the game will extrapolate from what level of development they had reached to what they might have gotten to if they hadn't disappeared (for example, the Egyptians may get catapults).
Rise and Rule will throw some innovative new twists into the civilization/empire building milieu. Instead of unrealistically researching specific technological items players, will allocate research into different knowledge areas like medicine, spiritual development, and engineering. The research model will tie research results to individual cities--no longer will a new research development be communicated instantly across the empire. Instead, players will have to share knowledge (between their own cities and other players) via "philosopher units" that move between cities. Units (especially combat units) will have terrain affinity; i.e., they will perform based on the terrain they were developed in (e.g., barbarians from the northern steppes may not do so well in India's jungles).
When a city is first established it will have a town hall, a workshop, a market and an academy. Each building will have its own function, and players can change a city's development by adjusting the settings for such things as resource gathering, research, and import/export. As cities grow players can add new buildings like a library, a temple, and a barracks, each of which will add to the city's capabilities.
While the game will have a computer opponent that Impressions says won't be a slouch, they are most proud of the multi-player aspects of the game. Unlike Civilization with its epic days-long gaming sessions, Rise and Rule is being designed for play in two to four hours (after all, only true die-hards could stay on-line for day after day just to finish one game). This scale should also please those who don't want to dedicate all their waking hours to one game.
Diplomacy between players will actually work (instead of being the usual prelude to duking it out). Diplomacy will include some kind of barter/negotiation (similar, perhaps, to Virgin's Monopoly?) and won't be the all-or-nothing "bow to me or die" of earlier empire building games. Philosopher units can pass knowledge and news, and merchants can engage in peaceful trade. Of course combat is an option, although it won't be a focus of the game. When it occurs the combat will be somewhat abstracted--more satisfying than that in Civilization but not as detailed as, say, Master of Magic. Putting combat into a more abstract strategic level should also help speed up those multiplayer games.
Rise and Rule will include both pre-defined and random world maps. The game will sport SVGA graphics that, even in their preliminary form, look very sharp. Impressions hopes to get this one out the door by the second quarter of '96; gamers looking for a different take on Civilization with much better multi-user playability may just find what they are looking for with Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires.
