Did you ever want to make your own RTS game and lack the programming skills to do so? Well now is your chance with FireGlow’s new Sudden Strike Next7 engine!
Fireglow publishing today announced its plans to use Sudden Strike Next7, the engine behind the upcoming Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory title. This engine will allow a variety of products to be created. Some of them will be announced soon.
Sudden Strike Next7 is a generic RTS engine to be used in subsequent games in the Sudden Strike series and other games from Fireglow. Fireglow is also developing thorough documentation in order to license the engine to third parties. The public version of the editor is being prepared and will be released with add-ons.
Here is a trailer showing how microAI works in Sudden Strike Next 7. After the Player gives the units a single command to unload, they can be left on their own to defend, supply and fight without orders from humans and without having to be managed.
Highlights:
- The editor allows to process maps in range from 250 by 250 meters up to 2 by 2 kilometres. You can specify a level of detail for the landscape.
- The editor allows bending the landscape. Objects are adjusted by the landscape’s height, unless marked by a special flag. Landscape and objects on the ground have different passability. It is taken in account in pathfinding or when destroying an object upon collision. Each object also has it’s own transparency. Together with the height of the ground, the transparency limits the unit’s sight of view.
- The editor has a built-in splines processing mechanism. It allows creating a long twisted fences, roads and trenches. Any spline can be easily readjusted, and its size or elevation changed.
- Any object may be placed at any place of the map. If you wish, you can use the Automatic Placement feature, which helps optimizing the path finding grid.
- You can quickly place a number of objects, randomly taken from the list. You can change, store, and load the lists. Any group of objects may be rotated or moved.
- Any part of the map (landscape, objects, units, or all together) may be exported, and then inserted into the same or any other map, using an arbitrary angle.
- Current parameters of any unit (or a group of units) may be easily changed. Some of the parameters are: health, experience, fuel, primary and secondary ammo, crew and passengers inside (for guns & vehicles), broken parts (tracks, turret, hull etc).
- The editor allows to create and edit surf waves of different shapes. You can specify direction and force of the wind, which blows away smoke.
- The built-in visual scripting tool with an intuitive interface (you don’t have to be a programmer to handle them) and independent AI behavior templates allow trying various gameplay ideas within minutes.
- Any object or unit has special zones that receive damage. Damage in different zones cause different consequences. Damaged tracks immobilize tank, fire in the engine compartment causes tank to loose hit points for some time.
- In the editor, you can run your mission inside the editor and test the gameplay without further ado.
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Filed under PC News on October 23rd, 2007 Sierra announces that Empire Earth III is gold, and to expect the next installment in the real-time strategy series to show up in stores on November 6.
Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that Empire Earth III has gone gold and will be available on Windows PC November 6.
The pre-order campaign has already kicked-off at select retailers nationwide and features three exclusive unlockable units.
- Machine Mortar (Far East Region, Future Epoch) – A genetically engineered soldier that launches a devastating, area-affect salvo of shells
- Persian Mercenary (Middle East Region, Ancient Epoch) – An ambidextrous warrior armed with a pair of lethal blades
- Urban Special Forces (West Region, Modern Epoch) – A highly disciplined, well-armed Urban Special Operations soldier
Empire Earth III is a real-time strategy (RTS) videogame that places the entire globe at the touch of the fingertips making the earth a canvas for the strategy mind. Gamers will build and command an enduring global empire with the goal of World Domination. Empire Earth III is one of the few strategy games that offers players the scale and scope to take an empire from the ancient world to the far future.
Developed by Mad Doc Software, Empire Earth III is rated “T†for Teen. For more information, please visit the game’s official Web site at www.empireearth.com.
 The first in a new series of four “Producer in a Box†videos for the upcoming strategy title Panzer Tactics DS is now available for download. This first video in the series introduces viewers to the first authentic, turn-based WWII strategy game for the Nintendo DS. In the video, project manager Johanna Schober from Austrian development studio Sproing explains the game’s different play modes and starts one of the first missions.
Story
1939: The world stands on the brink of one of the greatest armed conflicts in the history of mankind: the Second World War. Players assume command of the most powerful armies of the time: The German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces. Experience the demanding strategic level of the conflict n three historically-based campaigns for the first time ever on a handheld platform.
Features
- Three exciting single-player campaigns on the side of the German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces
- 30 nerve-wracking, historical missions, including undercover missions behind enemy lines
 Over 150 different marine, land and air units as well as 20 different special attacks- 30 heroic officers who provide their units additional motivation
- Exceptional depth of play and complex computer opponent behaviour make the game playable again and again
- Multi-player mode for up to 4 players on 10 different multi-player maps (LAN, Wi-Fi, Hot Seat mode)
- Online ranking table
- Playable using stylus, buttons or a combination of both
- Optional bonus mission goals to unlock additional missions and tactical optimizations
- Wide variety of combat animations for all units and a wide range of special effects for explosion and weather depiction
Filed under PC News on October 1st, 2007  Paradox Interactive announces Europa Universalis: Rome an installment in the Europa Universalis strategy series set in the heyday of the Roman Empire, which was also the setting of Heart of Empire: Rome, a strategy/management game that was cancelled by Paradox early this year.
New York, USA (October 1, 2007) – Leading grand strategy publisher Paradox Interactive announced today their next title in development. Their critically acclaimed development team, behind successful franchises like Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron, is currently busy working on Europa Universalis: Rome.
“A truly challenging strategy game portraying the Roman Era has yet to be released and we believe strategy gamers have been kept waiting for long enough, said Fredrik Wester, Executive Vice President for Paradox Interactive. “Our successful development team has the knowledge, skills and genre expertise to create a strong strategy game to accurately represent the Roman Era and we are more than excited to introduce this game to the strategy gaming community. ”
Europa Universalis: Rome will cover the time period from the first Punic War to the start of the true Empire. Players will have thousand of gameplay choices ranging from country, culture, provincial and character options to name but a few, making each and every game infinitely customizable and truly unique.
“Europa Universalis: Rome combines the best of the Empire Building, Conquest and Warfare genres, wrapped into a title that contains all main characteristics of a typical Paradox Interactive game”, said Johan Andersson, Director of Development. “This project has the potential to become the most talked about grand strategy game to date.”
Europa Universalis: Rome is schedule for a worldwide release during Q2, 2008.
Filed under PC News on September 26th, 2007 New Warhammer 40,000: Darn of War – Soulstorm Standalone Expansion announced today.
THQ Inc. today announced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm, the next standalone chapter in internal studio Relic Entertainment’s award-winning Real-Time Strategy (RTS) franchise, is scheduled for release on Windows PC in spring 2008. Featuring an extensive interplanetary campaign spanning an entire star system in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm introduces two all-new factions for an unprecedented total of nine playable races.
“Relic Entertainment has set the standard for technical excellence and innovation in the RTS genre,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. “Dawn of War - Soulstorm continues that tradition as a standalone title featuring all-new, brutally addictive single and multiplayer game-play that will hook newcomers and skilled Dawn of War veterans alike.”
“In Dawn of War - Soulstorm, we’ve taken Games Workshop’s epic war from one planet to an entire star system,” said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. “Allowing gamers to play nine unique races, introducing air units and providing multiplayer achievements for the first time creates a tremendous amount of new and challenging strategic gameplay for all players.”
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm is set in Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe - a dark, futuristic, fantasy setting where armies of technologically advanced warriors, fighting machines and hordes of implacable aliens wage constant war - and is played by millions worldwide. Executive produced and co-developed by Relic Entertainment in association with Iron Lore Entertainment, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm is a complete standalone title and will feature two all-new armies, including the malicious Dark Eldar, for an unprecedented total of nine playable races. In addition to new units across each of the seven existing races, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm will incorporate air units for the first time and introduce multiplayer medals, adding a whole new level of depth to online battles. The revolutionary meta-game introduced in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade is further expanded to an interplanetary scale in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm, allowing players to battle across an entire star system.
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Saga a new Free Massively-Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy (MMORTS) today locked in December 11th as the start of their final Beta. Players who joined in the Phase 1 Beta test will be the first to gain entry; others will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis.
