Bandango
09-05-2009, 12:37 PM
dvPSQ_ToaFU
EMPIRES:
Three Brenodi soldiers secure a dry-land beachhead at the chokepoint beyond the Northern Faction’s western vehicle gate. Acting upon the orders of their commander, the Brenodi soldiers construct a tertiary barracks within that beachhead. A wave of reinforcements spawns from the barracks and begins a final push into the soft underbelly of the NF home base. Rocket turrets go up, demo grenades start flying, and NF structures begin to crumble. Unknown to the Brenodi forces assaulting those buildings, two NF NPCs full of gunners and grenadiers make a mad dash southeast towards the Brenodi HQ, leaving their own base undefended in the desperate gamble. The Brenodi commander recalls as many soldiers as possible to counter the Northern Faction’s brash attack. If the NF succeeds in destroying the Brenodi commander, they win. If they do not, their base is gone and all hope of victory is lost.
This is the multiplayer Source mod Empires, and this exact scenario played out at the end of a game the other night. It was exciting, unexpected, and the round that preceded this climax unfolded differently from the round before. It perfectly illustrates the versatility and freedom that makes Empires such a satisfying experience. Alternately, the following scenario happened during a different round earlier that same evening
The Brenodi commander is voted into his position by a slim margin. He has no idea how to play. The Brenodi forces wander out onto the battlefield with no direction. The commander builds the wrong buildings in the wrong order. Meanwhile, the Northern Faction sweeps across the map and secures all vital resource nodes. Soon they research heavy tank production, build heavy tanks, and use those tanks to pound the Brenodi HQ into mud. At the time I was playing as Brenodi. It was not exciting, the outcome was not at all unexpected, and the whole affair unfolded the same way it does whenever an incompetent commander takes the wheel of the all important com-vehicle. I bet the NF side had a hell of a time, though. There’s nothing like a good mud pounding to get the blood going.
THE PLOT:
Empires imagines, and puts into overwrought language, a struggle between two national identities that are diametrically opposed. After a long war fought for control over the ruins of an ancient capitol city, the Brenodi find themselves victorious and subsume the people of the Northern Faction into a mighty new empire. But wait! The disenfranchised Northerners rebel and a new war begins. That’s where Empires picks up. Nanotechnology and bioengineering are also involved, somehow, but none of that makes any difference anyhow. As we all know, story is irrelevant in multiplayer shooters.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/zemp_crossroads0015.jpg
If there is such a thing as plot in Empires, it goes something like this: Each team faces off on a large plot of real estate. Each team has its own command vehicle, driven by an elected commander. This commander must build bases, manage resources and command his troops. Players defend their commander and try to destroy the enemy’s. Battles can also be won through attrition, as each team has a set number of respawns pooled between all of its players. While this story doesn’t have much in the way of emotional clout, it is the context in which players interact with the gameworld. That and voice chat, which can become colorful at times.
THE TECH:
Empires first saw the light of day on the Battlefield 1942 engine over five years ago before migrating to Source. Though it is now firmly settled into its home at Steam, that’s not to say it’s retired. I played Empires fairly regularly around 6 months ago, and revisiting it now I can see how much of a work in progress it really is. In most every way it’s the same game I remember, but the many small gameplay tweaks and minor additions are welcome improvements that prove the team’s ongoing dedication to their product.
The comprehensiveness of the RTS element is quite impressive. An extensive tech tree allows for dozens of different team load-outs, vehicles combinations and strategies. The commander UI is fairly user friendly, and anyone who’s ever played an RTS should find the territory familiar. Glitches will happen when placing buildings, but rarely. The only truly hazardous flaws involved in the implementation of the commander role are flaws with the commanders themselves.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/zemp_crossroads0012.jpg
Empire’s visuals are easily its weakest link in the chain. Maps generally lean towards function over form, and often times look plain unnatural. Weapon models are passable and inconsistent; some are clunky and some are sleek. Vehicles models are decent, but characters are slightly janky and their animation is slightly awkward. Each team, though, has a look all their own. Almost all assets are unique for either faction, and I don’t think you’ll find it hard to develop an affinity for one or the other.
Most important is the sheer amount of stuff that can go on at once in a server. Games of 40+ players are the norm, and each of those players will be building stuff, driving vehicles, blowing shit up, or all of the above. Meanwhile the commander is doing even more, including updating his minions’ HUDs and mini-maps. Take into account a constantly changing battlefield, and you’re bound to ask, ‘what about lag?’ Well, don’t. Everything runs smoothly, even with a dozen tanks exchanging deadly salvoes of rockets, cannon, and artillery fire in the middle of densely populated base.
THE GAMEPLAY:
This is where Empires shines. I’ve been sampling mods since I was fourteen years old, and very few have approached the depth I’ve found here. True team work is an integral part of play; each vehicle produced is completely customizable by the person who produces it; almost endless variation is possible within the tech tree; each of the four player classes has its own indispensable role; an experience system unlocks special abilities that increase the potency of each class; and being the commander essentially opens up a whole new game within the game. And best of all, nothing is sloppy. Great ideas and a long list of features mean nothing in a shooter if the running and gunning is lame. But the running, and indeed the gunning, is most certainly not lame in Empires. It is precise, abrupt, and brutal. And in addition to the usual suspects, sniper rifles, assault rifles, etc, I would like to take special note of the grenadier’s mortar. It’s sweet, and it helps prevent deadlocks on the battlefield.
But be forewarned prospective players, this depth comes at a price. Empires has a steep learning curve. When you’re first dumped into a map, you’ll have little idea of what to do or how to do it. And most likely, if you ask politely for some guidance, your teammates will not so politely tell you to STFU noob. For instance, if you ask what button to press to join a squad the answer will likely be f10, the hotkey to quit the server. And if you’re harboring any dreams of commanding an army of real men right off the bat, think again. Getting voted in as a commander is not easy. And if you do get the chance to command, any sign of substantial suckiness will result in you being voted off the island. There are some beginner friendly servers where you’ll have the chance to learn, and joining one with less players will up your chances, but it’ll take some time before you’re ready to take charge.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/xemp_duststorm0013.jpg
That said, being the commander is awesome. There’s a frantic tension involved that you won’t get when you’re a simple ground pounder. Having a score of real people depending on you for success, asking you for direction, and demanding your support is a real thrill. All this pressure, though, can make the taste of defeat that much more bitter. But a commander is only as effective as the troops under him, and that can be an issue. The only thing that compels a player to follow orders is the fact that if he does not, he will most likely lose the match along with the rest of his team. Sometimes, though, that is not enough. And beyond the threat of a loss, there are no incentives. A commander cannot punish a player, and there are no bonuses for doing what the commander says. The only tool the commander has is his charisma and the power of his own personality. Oftentimes, though, issuing orders becomes a team effort, like everything else in Empires.
THE BOTTOMLINE:
… is that you should play Empires. It may not be pretty, but it’s one of the deepest shooters I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending too much time with. This game has the potential to kick your ass down the rabbit hole and get you saying, ‘one more game.’ And if you’d like to learn more about it, read on. I secured a brief interview with the current project leader, David Kraeutmann, and just before that, I’ve included a post from the Empires forum of what Empires is, but really is not. Enjoy.
An unedited sample from the Empires forum by FrickenHamster, offering an unsolicited summation of the game:
Empires in short:
~ Empires is a fun and relaxing game, where everyone has fun. If you are angry over something, or stressed at life, one game of empires, and you'll be calmer than you've ever been in your life.
~ Empires is one of the simplest games to learn, but once you get the hang of it, you have to spend a lot more time to master it. Nobody will make fun of you for being a noob or messing up, especially if you are the commander. Everyone treats the commander was respect and blames the loss on themselves instead of the commander.
~ Unlike many of the other mods, and some retail games, Empires has tons of different servers that a populated even numbers players all throughout the day. Big server monopolies do not exist (such as GT4C). A new server is just as likely to get players as a server that has been around forever.
~ Nobody makes a big deal of stacking. Because Empires is such a well balanced games, a group of noobs has an equal chance of winning over a team full of veterans. Noone ever abuses admin, or even switch people around just to make things more balanced.
~There is like no drama in Empires. Everyone is friendly with each other.
An interview with the Empires team leader, David Kraeutmann:
Immortal Machines:
Empires has been around for many years. Could you tell our readers where it’s going next?
David Kraeutmann:
Empires 2.25 is being released shortly. With this release, we'll retreat into development for a rather long time to create 3.0, which will incorporate helicopters and other long-awaited things and also other major changes. I don't really know what'll be in 3.0, but helicopters are one of the must-have things for 3.0.
Immortal Machines:
In a game with such a compact, dedicated player base, each new patch must cause quite a stir. How attuned is the Empires team to its players? How much influence do they have on the choices you make when shaping the game?
David Kraeutmann:
Most of our team is very community-open, we've got an unofficial art team (though it's rather unorganized), a lot of mappers and so on. We support these people by implementing changes they need, for example, various mapper entities. The last patches haven't had many controversial changes, thus, I can't tell how the community will react to 3.0. The community has quite a lot of influence as changes which nobody likes will cause people to turn away from Empires.
Immortal Machines:
The commander class in particular poses many tough questions from a design standpoint. For example: How do you encourage a player to follow orders? How do you ensure team balance when so much rests on the commander’s shoulders? How does a player learn the commander role when pressure from team mates allows zero room for error? What I’m really trying to ask is this: are these questions something that the Empires team is trying to answer, or are they issues that the players should sort out for themselves while playing?
David Kraeutmann:
While we provide various tools to encourage players to do stuff (e.g. attack orders or vf locking), we'll never provide an override for the commander to take control of the player's movement or similar. So, it's up to the commander how he persuades people to do stuff.
Immortal Machines:
If you were unencumbered by any technical difficulties, what feature would you most like to see incorporated into Empires, no matter how outlandish?
David Kraeutmann:
Aircraft with proper scaling, moving to another engine, and maybe some other stuff.
Immortal Machines:
Finally, why do all this hard work for free?
David Kraeutmann:
It's fun, you gain experience so after some time you can develop a game and go commercial, and you are more or less praised by the community.
EMPIRES:
Three Brenodi soldiers secure a dry-land beachhead at the chokepoint beyond the Northern Faction’s western vehicle gate. Acting upon the orders of their commander, the Brenodi soldiers construct a tertiary barracks within that beachhead. A wave of reinforcements spawns from the barracks and begins a final push into the soft underbelly of the NF home base. Rocket turrets go up, demo grenades start flying, and NF structures begin to crumble. Unknown to the Brenodi forces assaulting those buildings, two NF NPCs full of gunners and grenadiers make a mad dash southeast towards the Brenodi HQ, leaving their own base undefended in the desperate gamble. The Brenodi commander recalls as many soldiers as possible to counter the Northern Faction’s brash attack. If the NF succeeds in destroying the Brenodi commander, they win. If they do not, their base is gone and all hope of victory is lost.
This is the multiplayer Source mod Empires, and this exact scenario played out at the end of a game the other night. It was exciting, unexpected, and the round that preceded this climax unfolded differently from the round before. It perfectly illustrates the versatility and freedom that makes Empires such a satisfying experience. Alternately, the following scenario happened during a different round earlier that same evening
The Brenodi commander is voted into his position by a slim margin. He has no idea how to play. The Brenodi forces wander out onto the battlefield with no direction. The commander builds the wrong buildings in the wrong order. Meanwhile, the Northern Faction sweeps across the map and secures all vital resource nodes. Soon they research heavy tank production, build heavy tanks, and use those tanks to pound the Brenodi HQ into mud. At the time I was playing as Brenodi. It was not exciting, the outcome was not at all unexpected, and the whole affair unfolded the same way it does whenever an incompetent commander takes the wheel of the all important com-vehicle. I bet the NF side had a hell of a time, though. There’s nothing like a good mud pounding to get the blood going.
THE PLOT:
Empires imagines, and puts into overwrought language, a struggle between two national identities that are diametrically opposed. After a long war fought for control over the ruins of an ancient capitol city, the Brenodi find themselves victorious and subsume the people of the Northern Faction into a mighty new empire. But wait! The disenfranchised Northerners rebel and a new war begins. That’s where Empires picks up. Nanotechnology and bioengineering are also involved, somehow, but none of that makes any difference anyhow. As we all know, story is irrelevant in multiplayer shooters.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/zemp_crossroads0015.jpg
If there is such a thing as plot in Empires, it goes something like this: Each team faces off on a large plot of real estate. Each team has its own command vehicle, driven by an elected commander. This commander must build bases, manage resources and command his troops. Players defend their commander and try to destroy the enemy’s. Battles can also be won through attrition, as each team has a set number of respawns pooled between all of its players. While this story doesn’t have much in the way of emotional clout, it is the context in which players interact with the gameworld. That and voice chat, which can become colorful at times.
THE TECH:
Empires first saw the light of day on the Battlefield 1942 engine over five years ago before migrating to Source. Though it is now firmly settled into its home at Steam, that’s not to say it’s retired. I played Empires fairly regularly around 6 months ago, and revisiting it now I can see how much of a work in progress it really is. In most every way it’s the same game I remember, but the many small gameplay tweaks and minor additions are welcome improvements that prove the team’s ongoing dedication to their product.
The comprehensiveness of the RTS element is quite impressive. An extensive tech tree allows for dozens of different team load-outs, vehicles combinations and strategies. The commander UI is fairly user friendly, and anyone who’s ever played an RTS should find the territory familiar. Glitches will happen when placing buildings, but rarely. The only truly hazardous flaws involved in the implementation of the commander role are flaws with the commanders themselves.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/zemp_crossroads0012.jpg
Empire’s visuals are easily its weakest link in the chain. Maps generally lean towards function over form, and often times look plain unnatural. Weapon models are passable and inconsistent; some are clunky and some are sleek. Vehicles models are decent, but characters are slightly janky and their animation is slightly awkward. Each team, though, has a look all their own. Almost all assets are unique for either faction, and I don’t think you’ll find it hard to develop an affinity for one or the other.
Most important is the sheer amount of stuff that can go on at once in a server. Games of 40+ players are the norm, and each of those players will be building stuff, driving vehicles, blowing shit up, or all of the above. Meanwhile the commander is doing even more, including updating his minions’ HUDs and mini-maps. Take into account a constantly changing battlefield, and you’re bound to ask, ‘what about lag?’ Well, don’t. Everything runs smoothly, even with a dozen tanks exchanging deadly salvoes of rockets, cannon, and artillery fire in the middle of densely populated base.
THE GAMEPLAY:
This is where Empires shines. I’ve been sampling mods since I was fourteen years old, and very few have approached the depth I’ve found here. True team work is an integral part of play; each vehicle produced is completely customizable by the person who produces it; almost endless variation is possible within the tech tree; each of the four player classes has its own indispensable role; an experience system unlocks special abilities that increase the potency of each class; and being the commander essentially opens up a whole new game within the game. And best of all, nothing is sloppy. Great ideas and a long list of features mean nothing in a shooter if the running and gunning is lame. But the running, and indeed the gunning, is most certainly not lame in Empires. It is precise, abrupt, and brutal. And in addition to the usual suspects, sniper rifles, assault rifles, etc, I would like to take special note of the grenadier’s mortar. It’s sweet, and it helps prevent deadlocks on the battlefield.
But be forewarned prospective players, this depth comes at a price. Empires has a steep learning curve. When you’re first dumped into a map, you’ll have little idea of what to do or how to do it. And most likely, if you ask politely for some guidance, your teammates will not so politely tell you to STFU noob. For instance, if you ask what button to press to join a squad the answer will likely be f10, the hotkey to quit the server. And if you’re harboring any dreams of commanding an army of real men right off the bat, think again. Getting voted in as a commander is not easy. And if you do get the chance to command, any sign of substantial suckiness will result in you being voted off the island. There are some beginner friendly servers where you’ll have the chance to learn, and joining one with less players will up your chances, but it’ll take some time before you’re ready to take charge.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/xemp_duststorm0013.jpg
That said, being the commander is awesome. There’s a frantic tension involved that you won’t get when you’re a simple ground pounder. Having a score of real people depending on you for success, asking you for direction, and demanding your support is a real thrill. All this pressure, though, can make the taste of defeat that much more bitter. But a commander is only as effective as the troops under him, and that can be an issue. The only thing that compels a player to follow orders is the fact that if he does not, he will most likely lose the match along with the rest of his team. Sometimes, though, that is not enough. And beyond the threat of a loss, there are no incentives. A commander cannot punish a player, and there are no bonuses for doing what the commander says. The only tool the commander has is his charisma and the power of his own personality. Oftentimes, though, issuing orders becomes a team effort, like everything else in Empires.
THE BOTTOMLINE:
… is that you should play Empires. It may not be pretty, but it’s one of the deepest shooters I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending too much time with. This game has the potential to kick your ass down the rabbit hole and get you saying, ‘one more game.’ And if you’d like to learn more about it, read on. I secured a brief interview with the current project leader, David Kraeutmann, and just before that, I’ve included a post from the Empires forum of what Empires is, but really is not. Enjoy.
An unedited sample from the Empires forum by FrickenHamster, offering an unsolicited summation of the game:
Empires in short:
~ Empires is a fun and relaxing game, where everyone has fun. If you are angry over something, or stressed at life, one game of empires, and you'll be calmer than you've ever been in your life.
~ Empires is one of the simplest games to learn, but once you get the hang of it, you have to spend a lot more time to master it. Nobody will make fun of you for being a noob or messing up, especially if you are the commander. Everyone treats the commander was respect and blames the loss on themselves instead of the commander.
~ Unlike many of the other mods, and some retail games, Empires has tons of different servers that a populated even numbers players all throughout the day. Big server monopolies do not exist (such as GT4C). A new server is just as likely to get players as a server that has been around forever.
~ Nobody makes a big deal of stacking. Because Empires is such a well balanced games, a group of noobs has an equal chance of winning over a team full of veterans. Noone ever abuses admin, or even switch people around just to make things more balanced.
~There is like no drama in Empires. Everyone is friendly with each other.
An interview with the Empires team leader, David Kraeutmann:
Immortal Machines:
Empires has been around for many years. Could you tell our readers where it’s going next?
David Kraeutmann:
Empires 2.25 is being released shortly. With this release, we'll retreat into development for a rather long time to create 3.0, which will incorporate helicopters and other long-awaited things and also other major changes. I don't really know what'll be in 3.0, but helicopters are one of the must-have things for 3.0.
Immortal Machines:
In a game with such a compact, dedicated player base, each new patch must cause quite a stir. How attuned is the Empires team to its players? How much influence do they have on the choices you make when shaping the game?
David Kraeutmann:
Most of our team is very community-open, we've got an unofficial art team (though it's rather unorganized), a lot of mappers and so on. We support these people by implementing changes they need, for example, various mapper entities. The last patches haven't had many controversial changes, thus, I can't tell how the community will react to 3.0. The community has quite a lot of influence as changes which nobody likes will cause people to turn away from Empires.
Immortal Machines:
The commander class in particular poses many tough questions from a design standpoint. For example: How do you encourage a player to follow orders? How do you ensure team balance when so much rests on the commander’s shoulders? How does a player learn the commander role when pressure from team mates allows zero room for error? What I’m really trying to ask is this: are these questions something that the Empires team is trying to answer, or are they issues that the players should sort out for themselves while playing?
David Kraeutmann:
While we provide various tools to encourage players to do stuff (e.g. attack orders or vf locking), we'll never provide an override for the commander to take control of the player's movement or similar. So, it's up to the commander how he persuades people to do stuff.
Immortal Machines:
If you were unencumbered by any technical difficulties, what feature would you most like to see incorporated into Empires, no matter how outlandish?
David Kraeutmann:
Aircraft with proper scaling, moving to another engine, and maybe some other stuff.
Immortal Machines:
Finally, why do all this hard work for free?
David Kraeutmann:
It's fun, you gain experience so after some time you can develop a game and go commercial, and you are more or less praised by the community.