News Archives: 2002 part 1

Eden Games Down

Just noticed I had a message from Nox. Looks like EE Eden is down right now:

As you could notice it, Empire Earth Eden is now unavalaible since last Sunday. The reasons are that we have some problems with our host. So, all the sites of the Eden Games network will be done for a long while, almost 2 or 3 weeks at least…

We are studying ways to solve this problem and you will be informed as soon as we will have decided the best thing to do.

Good luck to them on getting back up. Seems there’s a good number of these problems going around.


Forum Party Tomorrow! April 27

*Yawns* Eh, just got up from sleeping, can barely see. Anyways, enough about me. Tomorrow is our weekly forum party. Not even downed servers can stop us! We’ll just IP in like our heroic forumers did last week :D. So we’ll do it again this week!
Also, please remember (and try to remind me) that next week we’ll switch over to the East server. The West is getting a bit laggy for me (or it COULD just be my 56k… =\) and the East seems a bit better. East also has less people to interfere with our games :).
Check out the Full Details and rantings in the Forum Party Thread.


Ladder like Zone?

Pro Ladder, also called The Competitors Ladder was opened by biffy_boy last week Sunday:

    New Ladder. This is back to your favorite zone rating style of winner gets points and loser loses points. Pro Ladder is based on the ELO rating system similar to what the zone uses and almost an identical formula. The ladder is open for play, and will have an official kick-off party on sunday at 7pm EST in West Ladder Room 1. Pro Ladder is better than cases and already cases players are looking to play on Pro Ladder. More info can be found here

This ladder system is quite better than the Cases in my opinion. So if your interested in playing the best, be sure to join!


Win a signed copy of EE

If you didn’t know already, EE Place and EE Net Center are both running similiar contests with a signed copy of EE as their prize.

Basically, you must answer in less than 8 or 10 words (depends on the site) why Empire Earth is great. EEP has been doing it for a while, and today is actually the last day, so better sign up fast. Links to their rules and everything else is clearly displayed on their front pages.


Little hint on EE Expansion

Surfing around my old favorites when I noticed PC IGN did a small news piece on a possible Empire Earth Expansion:

According to online retailers, the much beloved strategy title of such immense proportions that it had to span a handful of epochs of human history, is getting an expansion. October will be the month of magic, according to sources.
Here’s the kicker, Sierra was unavailable for comment at time of publish (three minutes before you read this). Even without official verification, the likelihood of an expansion seems pretty high, as popular and apparently expandable as Empire Earth is.

I surely wouldn’t be surpised if there is an expansion, but I wonder if these ‘online retailers’ are the same ones like Amazon that currently have EE Expansion set on October 2. Personally, I wouldn’t 100% trust everything they say.


EE 19th Most Popular Multiplayer Game in March

Some may think Empire Earth is dying, or that the multiplayer is, but Gamespot says different. According to Gamespot, Empire Earth was the 19th most popular multiplayer game in March. You can see the complete list here.


EE Servers back up

For those that didn’t notice, the Empire Earth servers went down since around yesterday night or so. Looks like it is all fixed now so everyone can play once again. Thanks to Morstaf for posting in the forums.


Oracle Lives

Looks like EE Oracle is completely back on its feet. The site is now completely up and well they’re back πŸ™‚


Forum Party Tomorrow! April 19

Is it Saturday yet? Oh, it is! *hears “O’ Happy Day!” music* Saturday is the Holy Grail of gaming. No school, no work (for some ;)), no church. So if your not busy mowing your lawn or trimming hedges, then join us as we have our weekly Forum Party. It’s a great release of stress, if you lose, it’s a bit depressing. But hey, its still better than being stressed eh? Check the full detail in the Forum Party Thread. For those who are new, come join us! For those who’ve been around, I need revenge :).


Oracle came back from the mountain

Well EE Oracle has come back somewhat after some recent server/hosting problems. Currently, their forums are back up, but no doubt the rest of the site will be back up whenever Mithras and the rest of the gang get the time. You can visit the forums here…..snazzy forum logo they have up right now πŸ™‚


Return to Destiny Judging Delay

It was originally anticipated that the results of the Return to Destiny Scenario Design Contest would be announced today. However, due to some delays with the judging procedures, I regret to announce that the results have been somewhat delayed. We are working hard to bring them to you as soon as possible, and will attempt to provide updates as soon as information becomes available.

We would like to thank you for your patience and co-operation, and rest assured that we are doing our best to ensure that the judging reaches a swift and fair decision


Forum Party Today! April 13

Oops.. forgot to post the Forum Party in the news :P. Well, if you feel like playing a few games of Empire Earth today, then swing by to our forum party, starting at 1PM EST in the NA West Randommap 2. If your new, then surely join us! All are welcome in the palace of AzN :D. So check the Forum Party Thread for whatever pregame rantings you need. I will not be there til at least 2PM EST, so if you can hang on for about an extra hour, you will have me to kick around ;).


EE Poster

I was trying to look for a cheap copy of Dungeon Siege at Ebay (didn’t find it), but I did find this little gem. A user named Bombsheltercomics has an EE Poster.


This was resized 50% smaller from original

Not exactly sure how large it is, though it seems like a real steal. I’m still debating with myself whether to go through with it after my bad auction experience. But for those really interested, you can find it here. If anyone does bid and get it please tell me πŸ™‚


Forum Party Tomorrow! April 6

Argh, Spring Break is over. Monday is school for me, which means less gamming time :(. I still got this weekend off, which means for one big forum party. I hope more forumers will come, as we did have some great games last week.
The party is at the same time, same place. For those who are new, just check the Forum Party Thread. Come join our… erm, fun :D.


This Day in EE History

More on a personal fun note, but I just noticed this while surfing through the news archives trying to do a “This Day in History” type thing πŸ™‚
Last year on April 1, 2001, EEH played a little prank by changing some of the forumers and staff colors. I was demoted to cherub, Dimitrios became an Angel, and Chooch (an angel or cherub back than) got a orange color. Pretty freaky huh? Go click on this page if you don’t believe me.

Also, EE University was held in grand Boston in April 2001. It actually was held on my Spring Break (at least the first meet) which I’m actually having now. Got to say it isn’t as exciting as last year πŸ˜‰

Funny enough there actually was no news on April 4, 2001 at EEH therefore I can’t do my “This Day in History” but maybe next year.


Fansites go up and down

Myles from his new EE Battlefield home sent me a message that his site is now back and better than ever. It has a sleek new design, downloads, forums, and bunches of good stuff.

EE Center has now been closed by their host MGON. It seems that now you get a big message saying, “We are sorry but this site you are looking for is not inactive“. Best of luck to their staff, maybe we’ll see it again some day.

Also, I remember a bit back that EE Gamer announced that it won’t be coming back due to the lack of popularity and other reasons.


Return of the EE Mod Community

After about a week of down time, SCNNetwork’s Modding Discussion has moved to it’s new home at RTS Nexus. We have come a long way since our last forums. Enrique Orduno and myself refined much of the tutorials, totally rewrote some, and wrote more new ones. As before, we will be there to answer (or try to answer) any questions you modders need to know. We have lost many features our old forums had, but I should be getting them back within a week or so.

Also to celebrate our little reopening, I am selecting a few people who sign up in my thread to test my WWI-Modern Mod. It adds a few units that can only be enabled by Scenario into normal Random Map and also some new Heros you have never seen before, including the elusive Red Baron and Hauptmann Prophet (only Hauptmann Durer is available in Editor). Some more things are enabled, including what Rick Goodman wanted, the Missile Base.

Visit the new RTS Nexus Modding Community if your at all interested in modding. The EE Studio file is back up on the server for those who have not downloaded it yet.


Q&A with Rick Goodman: The Answers

The Black Prince over at Empire Earth Aeon has finish his Q&A with Rick Goodman, a.k.a. Mr. Grinch in the forums. So read the article here. It was a pretty good session. The Black Prince choose some real nice questions, especially since he asked two of mine! Can you guess the two?

    EEA: What removed feature/unit/building do you think you miss most?

    RG: It would have been nice for us to have kept the Modern Missile Base as part of the multiplayer game.


Oh Rick, we already done that! πŸ˜€


New Strategy Article, Achtung Baby

Ueriah has written yet another article for the strategy section. This article covers Germany during the Atomic ages. It’s a nice read, be sure to check it out:

  • Achtung Baby (By Ueriah)

  • Unlocked Units for RM Maps

    Enrique Orduno aka EO has found a way to unlock a number of “scenario-only” units such as the Command Cyber to be used in RM/DM games. Much like the recent 5K poplimit and Unlimited Resource scripts, it is pretty safe-proof against cheaters.

    Currenly EO is trying to figure out how to balance the new units/buildings and is asking the forumers on their opinion. If you’re interested check out this thread.


    Forum Party Tomorrow! March 30

    Yikes.. almost forgot today was Friday :(. These things happen though when its Spring Break! I have waaayy too much on my hands, hehe. So this week we’ll shoot for a long Forum Party, and hopefully more people will come (or less… if you guys are out of town). Who knows, maybe Eggman will drop by and you guys can beat up on him again. So stop by the Forum Party Thread and we’ll see who comes!

    And also, for those who are wondering when SCNNetwork’s Modding Discussion will return, it will be soon. We have moved off of the SCNNetwork, and moved to RTS Nexus. Our forums are up, but we have to rewrite all the tutorials. Watch the news Sunday or Monday for our official re-opening.


    Mr. Grinch Q&A at EEA

    Mr. Grinch (a.k.a. Rick Goodman) has agreed to a Q&A session with Black Prince over at Empire Earth Aeon. He needs some questions to ask, so post what you think we should know! See the complete thread here.
    We have not had one of these for awhile now. Its good someone stepped up ;).


    Small Talk

    I’m flipping through a gaming magazine right now, and can’t handle the voice in my head telling me to post this now. Seems like the guys at Maxis (what person with a computer hasn’t heard of them?) will be making another Sim City game named…well Sim City 4. It looks and sounds quite amazing from the small preview I’m reading.

    If I have any complains on the game, its that I cannot seem to find any sort of news on it anywhere. I guess CGW really scored big on that one. Go chat some more and post whatever you find over here.

    In related news, the top selling games of January included Empire Earth at number #9. I’d say thats better compared to its spot at #14 in December. Not so surpising was that 4/10 top games are all Sims.


    Whats next for Empire Earth?

    Adam Kahn, one of Sierra’s PR people, dropped by our forums this morning with some elusive information on where Empire Earth is heading. Straight from the horses mouth:

    Let me assure you all that we at Sierra are well aware of the places where Empire Earth needs some improvement. We’re all gamers here so we know what we need to do.

    We’re getting close to being able to tell you with certainty our plans for Empire Earth moving forward. The reason we haven’t been more clear before is that our plans were in flux, and the last thing I want to do is promise something that I can’t deliver.

    The Empire Earth saga at Sierra is just beginning. There are exciting things coming – things you probably wouldn’t expect.

    You can check out others responses in this thread, or comment on it yourself. Thanks Adam!


    SCNNetwork.com Down for Server Switch

    For those who are trying to access the SCNNetwork Modding Community, it is down for the time being. SCNNetwork is switching servers and hopefully everything will go smoothly and we will not have to redo the forums again. It is more likely though, that we will have to reinstall the forums because the paths will be messed up, we wont be able to run the boards to change them. But we will see in due time. Thanks to all those people who helped the Modding Community grow and you can be assured that we will be back better than ever. For now, you will just have to sit and wait. If your impatient, you can use my old forums: A-z-N.tk Forums
    You can still download EE Studio here
    Please note that my forums are only temporary will be torn down April 15th…

    UPDATE: It seems SCNNetwork.com will be down for at least a week. Sorry guys, thats the problem of the internet these days: so unstable


    Forum Party Tomorrow! March 23

    Spring Break is here! How great is it that we also have a Forum Party! :D. Its like getting free money… erm, kinda. Anyways, come down and join us in another great forum party. This week we will be playing normal so you don’t have to worry about mods and all. I was getting annoyed at all the install/uninstall precedures so no mods this week. Stop by in the Forum Party Thread for whatever rantings you need. The party starts at usual, so dont forget!
    Dont let Spring Break get over your heads now. Its not THAT long πŸ˜‰


    Second Improved EE Studio

    Enrique Orduno with the help of wolfie and others has released a new version of EE Studio. Here’re some of the new features:

    -The whole textures viewing/converting process was changed thanks to wolfie and how he figured out the format.

    Now, textures are saved as TGA instead of BMP and are now crystal-clear.

    -All of the viewing/decompressing will go faster and not lag like it used to do.

    -I fixed a couple of nasty bugs that I missed before.

    To download this new version and for more information check at this page.


    Daily Victim – #2

    Amazing what you can find during a boring computer aiding class. GameSpy did another funny piece on Empire Earth since its late one did so well.

    My new scenario? It’s like divinely inspired. When I hit the “load” button, this screen will fill with a heavenly light. That guy on the Internet was good. I wonder what he does for a living?

    You can go read the rest over here.


    EE Overview

    Ueriah, a regular article writer for the EEH strategy section, has written an overview on the basics of EE. It is a great introduction for beginners, and good for a brush up on the game for experienced players. Be sure to check it out:

  • EE Overview (By Ueriah)

  • Small Editor Bug

    Chris aka Eggman stopped by the Scenario Design forums to inform us of a small bug he found in the editor.

    The game breaks up land masses (any elevation at -1 or higher) separated by water (any elevation at -2 or less) into Continents. If you have a Continent that consists only of shallows (all tiles are -1), the game may crash when the computer player decides to send a naval Transport to that Continent to pick up/drop off units.

    Obviously doesn’t seem like it would occur too often so most of us probably won’t be seeing it on a weekly basis. Read more about this bug in this thread.


    EE Expansion?

    Well, I found this little gem over at EE Oracle. It seems that EB Games has already posted a page for EE Expansion and is allowing people to pre-order the game already. It is currently put down as a October 1, 2002 release, but that is highly unlikely. This isn’t the first time EB Games posted something very early especially before there’s any real official news on it.

    I would really hold off pre-ordering the game or spreading gossip so early πŸ™‚


    EEH Featured Scenario

    Well, I’ll be doing a new segment on the news. Basically I’ll be showing off some of the great scenarios and campaigns that’re here. This should let people go directly to the “must play” scenarios/campaigns. So, my first pick is… “Overworld Scenario One: The Path of Repentance by Shadows

    Tis a cold time, dreary and lifeless…with the opaque snow falling in harsh icy crystals. With each falling upon another spiral of suffering which to it falls to below. Life itself it effects, crushing the minds of any hope…happiness…or anything for that matter. Life itself is a struggle… a struggle simply to keep your eyelids open…for the cold often grows tiresome of the many souls it effects.
    Towns themselves are small and scarce. With little interaction with other towns. For cold travels are something not many do…not even on the warmest days which are still none the less cold.
    This winter seems to be no exception…the snow is floating downwards even more this year…at times blocking hunting routes…creating famine. Farming…is a joke…for little comes out of it in this weather.

    This scenario is no doubt one of my top best scenarios I’ve even played. Except for a small movie bug and instruction problem, pretty much anyone could play and enjoy this amazing scenario. Overworld Scenario One: The Path of Repentance is definely something all designers and fans should try out.


    Forum Party Tomorrow! March 16

    Okay, time for more of the gaming goodness known as Empire Earth. So join us this weekend as we have yet another forum party. We will finally be using the 5000 Pop Mod (though I think we will limit it to around 2400 pop). Check out the Forum Party Thread for full details and download the 5000 Pop Mod. Please follow all directions of the readme.txt before installing.


    Empire Earth Battlefield Moves!

    If you visit Empire Earth Battlefield, you might have noticed something… they have moved. EEB is being hosted by Strategy Gaming now, and thier new forums are up. You can check it out here. They are using Ikonboard now, which is a good improvement over thier older forums. Good luck Myles!


    Less then 48 hours remaining…

    In a bit less then 48 hours, the deadline for entries in the Return to Dynasty Scenario Design Contest shall be reached. If you are still working on polishing up your entry, make sure to have it in by the deadline!
    If you have already submitted an entry, yet did not recieve a confirmation email from myself within 24 hours from the time you submitted, please email me ASAP at rasher@heavengames.com.

    Entry Submission Form


    One week left for submissions…

    Well, the deadline for submissions in the Return to Destiny Scenario Design Contest is just about a week off, so you should be hard at work on polishing up those scenarios! If you are on the ball and are ready to submit your work already, head on over to the Submission Form and show us what you got!
    I’m looking forward to playing some great scenarios as a result of this contest… and I’m sure that the thousands of people reading the issue of PC Gamer with the winning scenarios in it will feel the same way πŸ˜‰


    Forum Party Tomorrow! March 9

    Hopefully this week’s forum party wont be ridden with disconnects (mainly me), and ISPs will be better. If so, then we might be able to play some really big games. We should try not to play too much water games, as it seems no one really attacks :P. So all land games, hopefully!
    Also, this week is the last week for the EEH Ladder Tournament. The breackets are up (and been up). So the winner gets a chance at Bane at the finals. This offer though, is only for the people who lost. Sorry, no new entries allowed.
    So check the Forum Party Thread for full details on the party and the EEH Ladder Tournament Thread for your brackets!
    Hehe… the DM Tournament seems to have slowed down. Come on, get with it! πŸ˜› We might be using the 5000 pop mod for next week;s fourm party, as soon as it is avaliable for download here at EEH!
    UPDATE: Its avaliable now, check the Downloads Section. We will be using it next week ;).


    Daily Victim – Hardest Scenario Ever

    Gamespy’s The Daily Victim has a nice little page on Empire Earth, and Fargo’s impossible scenario. Here’s just a piece of it:

    I’ve also taken some liberty with history, you know, for game balance — which is why Phillip II of Spain has lasers. Forget Carl from downstairs or even his “Wax you in the Industrial Age” roommate — nobody can defeat this scenario.

    Remember, this is suppose to be funny not real πŸ™‚ Check out the rest over here. Remember to vote at the end as well.


    Say Hi to Game Designers Gunz, Egos, and Methos

    Well, this little newspost over at EE Command Center definely caught my eye. Two of the play testers everyone knows as AgeofEgos, YoungGunz, and Methos have rejoined Stainless Steel Studios with a new title and probably a raise. Here’s the info. I got from EECC:

    Formerly playtesters for Stainless Steel during development of the Empire Earth, YoungGunZ and AgeOfEgos are now moving back to Boston, this time as assistant game designers. Methos has now become a full fledged game designer. These guys are very well known throughout the Age and EE community, as well as usuals on MFO forums. Who was it that said gaming took you no where?

    You have to say those three are some lucky (and damm good) RTS gamers…....now if I could just get some proof of which one is best at EE πŸ™‚


    New 5K Population Possible (even multi)

    Have you heard the cries of the people asking for higher population limits? Well, it seems that Azn, one of our good cherubs, has heard and has made a way to have higher population caps even in multiplayer games. This is possible with the ssa extractor that many great people (does EO or Zen ring a bell?) worked together with to create.

    Now, to raise the population cap, all you have to do is download a very small file and stick it in a special folder. And remember in multiplayer games everyone needs to have this file. For more details check out this thread. To download the file click here.


    Few more news tidbits

    Well, looks like I found two more news items to grace this page.

    The EEH Ladder Tournament is still happening while we wait for everyone to play their games. No doubt the local Heaven Earthlings* will watch with excitement as some of our best champions fight it out including some of our own cherubs.

    Also, RTS Nexus is having a Random Map Tournament next week and are waiting for sign-ups. More information can be found out in this thread or at this page.

    *What did we call ourselves long time ago in that old thread? Earthlings? Earthers?


    A Plague on News

    Well, there really seems to be not much news flying around the community these days. Fans should note that EEH’s Scenario Contest is coming to a close soon, EEB is currently giving out free calendars and games as long as they can, and EE Center is also hosting a scenario contest. Here’s some news I actually was able to find:

    EE Net Center is having a 2 on 2 tournament this weekend. To sign up you can visit here. Check out the site for more details.

    Also, EE Gamer is coming back to the scene in a two weeks according to the message they posted at their door. If you’re one of those extreme fans with too much time on their hands than perhaps you could find out their host two different ways.

    If anyone has some interesting EE news or general gaming news be sure to email me.


    Return to Destiny – Entry Submission Form

    Thanks to the hard work of Angel Zen, the Submission Form for the Return to Destiny Scenario Design Contest is now up and running! If you have already completed your masterpiece, head on over to the submission form and upload it!
    (Just make sure to read the submission procedures first)

    If you are not ready to submit your entry yet, don’t worry! You still have 11 days to polish it up and send it in.

    Entry Submission Form


    EEH Modpacks Clarification

    This post is to dispute & clarify the claim from the SCNPunk group about HeavenGame’s policies in regards to modpacks & trainers

    Modpacks Policy
    Modpacks which enhance graphics and appearance, sounds, models, music, movies, and unit names are welcome at HeavenGames.

    Modpacks which alter unit names, unit stats, game functionality (such as the recent “unlimited resources” modpack), and other areas of EE will only be allowed if they are submitted as part of a campaign or scenario that requires the alterations in EE, or submitted as a “total conversion”, where many aspects of EE are changed.

    Modpacks that give players an advantage in any type of games will only be approved after approval by the publisher and HeavenGames. If that modpack alter EE to give only select human players an advantage over other human players in any MP games without notifying the other human players before they join the game, that modpack will be rejected by HeavenGames, even with the publisher’s approval. Exceptions may be made by HeavenGames after review of the advantage was a part of a modpack that was required to play a certain custom-designed scenario or campaign.

    If you have any questions about our policies in regards to EE Modpacks, please direct them to Zen at zen@heavengames.com.


    A message about trainers
    We take a firm stand against trainers, as they will, especially in a multi-player or tournament environment, do more harm than good. For single play, they lead to people to be bad players as they come to depend on the cheats, such as the revealing of an entire map, the availability of unlimited resources, etc.

    Trainers are a major contributor to the destruction of ANY gaming community. As you know, one of the major functions of HeavenGames is to build communities for the games we have Heavens for. Clearly, trainers go against that goal of ours.

    So, if you want to mess up your gaming skills, by all means go ahead, but don’t expect help from us.

    We will not host trainers on our site and we will actually ban people that admit to use of trainers to cheat in multiplayer games.

    For more information regarding trainers, please visit
    http://ee.heavengames.com/gameinfo/cheats.shtml


    First-Ever EE Modding Utility Released

    Been hankering to do a bit of modding for Empire Earth? Well, thanks to the efforts of Enrique Orduno, you now can! Enrique has released the first EE Modding Utility, EE Studio. With this powerful utility, you have the power to modify many, many areas of Empire Earth.
    Happy Modding! You can read more about EE Studio in This Thread.
    I’m guessing we’ll start seeing some pretty wacky modpacks available shortly πŸ˜›


    Community News

    Darq_Apostate_ has organized a petiton for a new patch. He also put some stuff he thinks should be included with the patch. So if you agree with his views, or feel that a new patch is needed, then put your signature to the current list of 51: The Empire Earth Patch Petiton

    Empire Earth Aeon has finished thier site redesign. Its an good improvement from the last, as the color scheme is a bit less dark. The side menu is also much more simplified. Nice work!

    Should Sierra ban cheaters? Banning them will result in thier CD-Key in being unusable, but not banning them will result in more cheating. So should they ban or not? Post your views at EmpireEarth.cc in thier Discussion. Its six pages long, so it quite a discussion ;).

    Update:
    The ladder brackets are up. So look who your playing this weekend. From about my time, you have exactly 12 hours to get as much practice as you can ;). Good luck! Brackets in the EEH Ladder Tournament thread.


    EE Battlefield Contest

    Looks like Myles sent me a message straight from the Battlefield on his new contest. I’ll let him explain it himself:

    Empire Earth Battlefield is proud to announce the Napoleonic Wars Contest! The contest will consist of several random draws. Each week somebody will win a signed calendar, and every week somebody will win a signed copy of Empire Earth. We will keep on picking random people until we run out of prizes. So this contest will go on for about 2 months. That is a long time, and all you have to do it fill out a very short form. The prizes include:

    – 3 signed copies of Empire Earth!
    – 10 signed copies of the Empire Earth Calendar. The calendars are signed by: Rick Goodman, Jon Alenson – Lead Designer, Steve Ashley – Lead Artist, Scott Marison – Lead Programmer!

    You can find more information about this great contest at http://www.eeb.sphosting.com.

    Hey, how can you go wrong with free calendars and games? Just a mouse click away could be all you need to do to win.


    Custom Civ Design, A New Article

    Ueriah, a frequent article writer for EEH’s strategy section, has written a new article. It is a guide to how to make a custom civilization, going over how to determine what type of attributes one would give their custom civilization. It also includes an example, to allow the reader to better understand the article. It is a good read, be sure to check it out:

  • Custom Civ Design (By Ueriah)

  • Forum Party Tomorrow! March 2

    This weekend is also the EEH Ladder Tournamnt so you can wisely use this time to play your bracket. This brackets will be posted tonight, so keep on a look out! Of course though, we will play some normal team games. I already know who I am going to play… wont be too good for me, since I can never play my best near the first of the month. I guess its my curse :P. Anyways, come on out and join our games and friendly atmosphere. Might be one of your best games… check the Forum Party Thread for the full details!
    Ha! I didnt mess up the dates this time. πŸ˜›


    Empire Earth Multiplayer Game Hosting Update

    Morstaf posted in this thread on our forums this afternoon about the Sierra servers being updated with some fixes on hosting games.

    The lobby servers for Empire Earth have been updated to address hosting of games for users with LAN security (NAT, ICS, Firewalls, etc.). This change will allow many of you to host games of Empire Earth who have been unable to host in the past. Note that it will not address all hosting issues. We encourag everyone to try hosting again; feedback via the message boards (http://community.sierra.com) is welcome.
    A special thank you goes to EE Talon for his help in testing and debugging this update.

    Technical information: You must open the appropriate ports (33334, 33335) in order to host. In some cases, you may need to make your hosting machine the DMZ.

    Thanks for the update Morstaf!


    Last Night to Sign Up for Ladder Tourney!

    Okay guys, tonight is the last night to sign up for the EEH Ladder Tournament. The winner will obviously get bragging rights and known as the best at EEH, but also get 15 points to their ladder score. Second place gets 10. Theres some stiff competition, including Master Apple and Bane of Malaria, both beat me pretty bad before. So if you want to join in, goto the EEH Ladder Tournament Thread. If your not on the ladder, you wont get points, so join the EEH Ladder.
    See you there!


    New Stuff @ MFO

    Some cool new stuff happening over at Mr Fixit Online lately, heres the press release:

    MFO PRESS RELEASE – 2/27/02
    Been a while again since the last press release. Some fun stuff going on at MFO including:

    MFO GAINS WYSIWYG EDITOR
    When you post at MFO, you can now use a cool β€œwysiwyg” editor which makes adding HTML a snap. (Thats “What You See Is What You Get” for all you wondering ;))
    MFO’s RTS PIPELINE
    MFO has compiled a list of RTS games for 2002 – check out our lineup: http://www.rtscentral.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=728189
    EMPIRE EARTH REVIEW
    Check out our EE review here: http://www.rtscentral.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=724802
    WARCRAFT3 FORUM
    MFO just opened up a WarCraft3 forum at: http://www.rtscentral.com/getPostings.asp?ForumId=1433
    XBOX GAME REVIEWS
    MFO has been busy on the xbox including the following reviews:
    Bloodwake – http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=732173
    Genma Onimusha – http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=732744
    Nightcaster – http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=742113
    Simpsons: Road Rage – http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=746819
    Wreckless – http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=741303
    SWGB TOURNEY
    If you play Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, stop by our tournament this Friday, details: http://www.rtscentral.com/readPosting.asp?hdr=&PostingId=753992
    SWGB RECORDED GAMES
    MFO has been collecting good SWGB recorded games here: http://www.rtscentral.com/readPosting.asp?PostingId=705075


    Look closer…

    Cherub Izzy happen to notice that the 2 faces on the machine gunner looked a lot like 2 of Amercas big dogs. If you check out this thread in our forums, Eggman has confirmed that they are none other than George W. Bush and Al Gore!


    Return to Destiny Contest Update


    Things are rolling along nicely as the submissions deadline draws closer for the Return to Destiny Scenario Design Contest. For those of you who are ahead of the ball and have already completed your entry, a submission form will be available online on March 2nd.
    If you are still working on your entry, or even if you haven’t started yet (!!!), there is still 18 days left until the contest closes, so get working!
    Check out the Official Contest Page for a list of rules, regulations, and prizes.


    New Strategy Article

    Christian has written a new article for the strategy section, The Industrial Age. It is a brief overview of some of the units and strategies that can be used during that age. Though not the most comprehensive guide to the Industrial Age, it’s a good overview and introduction to it. Be sure to check it out:

  • The Industrial Age (By Christian)

  • “Have your empires last for epochs and epochs…”

    Computer Gaming World Magazine has published some Empire Earth stategies in their March 2002 issue. They fall under the headings of General Tips, Resource Gathering, Houses and Morale, Hospitals, and Raiders, Tanks, and Atomic Bombers.


    More Router support…

    Morstaf (Sierra) told Cherub Talon that “if you have a router with ports 33334 and 33335 forwarding to your computer, you might have good luck hosting in the North America East server this weekend.” So those who still have trouble with hosting, you might want to check it out. Sierra has been working on this for a long time, so you cant accuse them of doing nothing to fix the problem. Check the full thread here.

    EDIT: It seems Morstaf posted the entire article at MFO. So check out the entire article.


    EEC Map Design Contest

    EEC released their map design contest this afternoon. You can compete in one of these contests for some excellent prizes:

    Movie
    Create a movie using the fantastic cinematic capabilities of the editor. The movie can be based in any epoch and be of any subject.
    Why not give us your version of your favorite movie…

    Comedy
    Ever wanted to appear in your own comedy sketch ? Now’s your chance. Design a scenario full of laughs and surprises. It does not need to be an original idea, you can make your own version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail if that’s what makes you laugh…

    Evolution
    This is one to test your editor skills….
    A complete evolution. Show how the editor can enable you to “mimic” other games (Diablo, Sim City, Civilisation, etc) or perhaps you have an idea for a NEW game (first-shooter, etc) ? The only limits are your imagination…

    Head over to the EEC Contest Page for complete details. Good luck!


    Forum Party Tomorrow! February 23

    Uh huh.. I might actually make it to this forum party without some distraction :P. Last week we had a great game with bunch of people. I’m hoping that we’d have that this week. So, I’ll be hosting some 8 player games. Just hope my 56k can handle it hehe. So check the Forum Party Thread if your new or forgot the specifics. See ya there!
    Some people up for Islands Modern? And anyone know if EE works well with Roger Wilco or Team Speak?


    Best Selling Games: Jan

    As I was going through the daily gaming news at VE, I saw that Empire Earth has jumped back into the number 9 spot on the list! The monthly sales list can be viewed in its entirety here.
    …will anything ever dethrone The Sims!? … ; )


    Empire Earth Battle Field is back online!

    Im surprised I missed this. Apparently, mylesohowe posted in the forum 2 days ago that EEB was back online. How did I ever miss that? :P. Oh well, check EEB out here. Apparently, he got it fixed faster than he thought. Sorry I missed this myles.


    Empire Earth Post Mortem with Rick Goodman

    GameSpy has done an amazing article on Empire Earth and Stainless Steel Studios with Rick Goodman (for the 100th time Lead Designer of SSS) aka Mr. Grinch providing lots of the content.

    The article (titled Empire Earth Post Mortem) covers many many pages dealing with all kinds of topics from the AI to game testing. The whole thing is quite a read. If you’re too busy to read it at least look at the great SSS Staff Photo here.

    Remember the link again is http://www.gamespy.com/articles/february02/eepm/. Also, be sure to sent your comments and thoughts on the article in this forum thread afterward……....got to say that Fargo guy has to be Gamespy’s best man, and thanks to Rick for the link


    What ever happen to Elvis?

    I’m sure all the old fans can remember the various screenshots of Elvis doing some heroic deeds. Yet, somehow he was replaced/removed from the final game.

    Well, our prominent forumer, Enrique Orduno has figured out a way to get Elvis back into the game as well as Homer. He is still working out the details, but be sure to read this thread for more information.


    Little Community News

    I received two little news emails, but it seems I completely forgot about them. Sorry to the webmasters that sent them to me. Anyway back to the news:

    A new site called Hosting Nexus opened up a few days ago. The site actually is a game clan hosting site with many great features you usually don’t find for free. Here’s just a glimpse of what they offer:

    10 MB of webspace
    A MySQL database
    subdomain URL
    No Ads
    FTP Access
    CGI/Perl Support
    PHP Support

    As you can see, thats a pretty sweet deal. More sites are being added daily so don’t wait too long.

    Also, Empire Earth World is currently shut down because of server problems. Their staff is currently trying to fix all the problems, but for now they’re gone. Someone please email me when they get back up.


    EE Battlefield Temporarily Closed

    I received an email from the webmaster of EE Battlefield on their current status. Here’s the email:

    Empire Earth Battlefield is currently down. We will try our hardest to fix the problem with our server, and If that doesn’t work then you won’t see EEB for a while. We are going to move to a better server soon.

    Good luck to Myles in getting his site back up.


    Forum Party Tomorrow! February 16

    The good ole forum party on Saturdays… sorry I missed it last week. Unfortunately, I might miss this one. See theForum Party thread for the reason. But otherwise, I should be there. I hope some kind of scenario hosting comes soon, because I have no idea what to use as the Custom of the Day. Anyways… rant away. See you on the battlefield.
    Ugh.. I sound so, Thunder? =\


    Ogresnet EE Review

    Ogresnet, the host of EE Oracle has reviewed Empire Earth. Overall they gave it a “good” rating – you can check out the complete review here.


    PC Games Germany EE Survey

    Sorry for being a little slow on this one, but PC Games Magazine Germany has ran another survey about EE. You can check out the results here.


    EE Aeon: Guess the Object Contest

    Dastal over at Empire Earth Aeon is holding a small contest over a screenshot he got in his email. Basically guess what the big floating object is in the screenshot and you win. Note that the deadline is February 16 so be sure to send in your guess soon…....I actually thought it was a sub until I read the newspost above it


    Empire Earth Heaven Ladder Tournament

    Empire Earth Heaven is hosting a tournament. The games will be played on Saturday, March 2nd, and if the tournament is not finished on that day, it will continue into Sunday, March 3rd. Actually, there are two tournaments. One each for Random Map and Deathmatch. Both tournaments are double elimination. That is, you must LOSE two games before you are out of the tournament, not just play two. The winners of each tournament will receive points in the Empire Earth Heaven Forumer’s Ladder.

    You must register by February 28th to participate. More details are available in this thread.


    HG Launches DS Heaven

    Yet another member of the Heaven family. Great work guys and gals, the site looks spectacular!

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    HEAVENGAMES LAUNCHES DUNGEON SIEGE HEAVEN
    February 12, 2001 – HeavenGames LLC announced today that it has launched Dungeon Siege Heaven ( http://ds.heavengames.com ), the first in HeavenGame’s lineup of sites dedicated to Role-Playing Games.

    Due in store shelves across America in April 2002, “Dungeon Siege” combines the immersive elements of a role-playing game with over-the-top intensity and non-stop action. “Dungeon Siege” plunges you into a continuous 3-D fantasy world where you face off against an army of evil that has been unleashed. You begin as a humble farmer, and as you travel through the world and gain new skills, you can gather a party of up to eight characters to aid you.

    “Dungeon Siege” also features the Siege Editor. The editor gives you the freedom to rework nearly every aspect of the game, making “Dungeon Siege” not only a game, but also a role-playing platform for those who want to create their own characters, spells, dungeons – even entire worlds. You can post these user-created files to Dungeon Siege Heaven, making them available for anyone to download and explore, or play as a multiplayer game

    Dungeon Siege Heaven will be dedicated to featuring extensive coverage of Dungeon Siege as the game is being developed, and will bring you the latest news on the game, as well as chats with developers in the forums.

    ABOUT HEAVENGAMES, LLC
    HeavenGames LLC, based in Villa Park, Illinois, is a privately-owned web-content publisher geared towards the creation of special-interest sites for Real-Time Strategy and City-Builder games. Its sites, contents, vast amounts of resources, as well as a dedicated staff & management team make HeavenGame’s sites the premier destination for gamers worldwide.


    Ueriah’s Atomic Epochs Article

    Ueriah has written another article, this time covering the Atomic Epochs. It is rather long, including information on the economy, military, and strategies & tactics used in the atomic epochs. Definitely be sure to check it out:

  • The Atomic Epochs (By Ueriah)

  • MFO Goodies

    Gx_Farmer over at MFO let me know about a couple recent articles:

    • MFO Reviews EE – The game recieved an “Excellent” rating, as they go through the ups and downs of the “unofficial sequel” to AoE.
    • MFO Previews Upcoming RTS’s – Check out what 2002 holds for RTS gaming fans. From Warcraft 3 to Age of Mythology to about 20 games I’ve never heard of ( ;)) they have all the titles.

    Strategy Article, Guide to the Civilizations

    wes1763 has written a brief overview of the major premade civilizations included in Empire Earth, so that people will have a better idea on which to choose if they need to. Be sure to check it out.

  • Guide to the Civilizations (By wes1763)

  • Forum Party Tomorrow! February 9

    Sorry guys, I wont be there this week. I got some things to do at the mall, and have to goto find some Biographies for my English class. So I guess you guys decide what to play and stuff. Im sure someone else besides me can host ;). Anyways, check the Forum Party Thread for the usual ranting. I might be able to make the last hour of the party, if I can get home ontime. Otherwise, you’ll just have to play without me.
    Yes, I know, your missing me already… πŸ˜›


    The Vid. Card Wars Continue!

    Since the lack of Empire Earth news lately, I thought I would keep you updated on the next gen video cards :).

    GeForce/Nvidia
    While definitely not as popular a launch as its father, the GeForce 3 — mostly due to competition by ATi and thier Radeon 8500 series, its still a VERY powerful card and much improves over the GeForce 3. Theres no exceptionly new features for developers to mess with, as the GF4 looks to be strictly a speed jump, and a speed jump it was. It is (as stated by Nvidia) a 960 Billion to 1.23 Trillion leap in the Operations per Second catagory, 8GB to 10.4GB Memory Bandwidth, and 3.84 to 4.8 Billion AA Samples/Sec in Fill Rate. Pretty impressive on paper eh? Tom’s Hardware did a complete overview on the GeForce 4, view it here. And you can view Nvidia’s official page for the GF4, here. Also, thats no all from Nvidia. They are also planning to release thier Quadro4.

      New High-performance professional solutions based on NV25 architecture will retain the name β€œQuadro”, which will get a β€œ4” at the end, as usual. Quadro4 family will include two models: faster NVIDIA Quadro4 900XGL and slower NVIDIA Quadro4 750XGL

    Your wallet is going to feel a bit empty after this…

    Radeon 8500/ATi
    ATi has not release too much information on thier new card. Probably because its said to be WAY better than the GeForce 4 by miles. So is it? We’ll find out soon, when ATi releases a official press release about it. For now, you can listen to thier presentation here. For those without the wealth of broadband, heres some of what was said:

      “artficially keeping prices up by re-naming the same products…”
      “ultra high end: geforce 4 ti 4600 is just catching up to radeon 8500’s specs – and still isin’t quite there”
      “mainstream: geforce 4 mx 460 is not in the same category in performance or features verus the radeon 8500LE”

    Now, you can’t have a war without someone getting hurt right? ATi spills the guts on the GeForce. If you can read German (or know to use a Translater), click here.

    ATi did not say anything about a Mobile version. How do they expect to keep up with the GF4-Go? Also, word has it that Intel has developed a new processer that can handle about 5Ghz and will be cool (not hot… as in temperture). Will keep you updated…
    I wish I had the money to buy something even close to these! I hope they make the “brokeman” version ;).


    EE Civ Editor

    I just saw this killer EE Civ Editing tool over at EE Command Center. The tool allows you to create civs outside of the EE interface and automatically save them to your Empire Earth directory! Head over to this article at EECC for complete details and downloads!


    New Strategy Article, The Early Arsenal

    Master Apple has written a new strategy article for EEH, The Early Arsenal. It involves information on the 3 basic unit types in the prehistoric through copper ages; clubmen, spearmen, archers. Be sure to check it out:

  • The Early Arsenal (By Master Apple)

  • Pats > Rams!

    Since SSSI and I both live in Boston I couldn’t help but post this. GO PATS WOOOOHOOOOOO!!! They’ve won the 36th Superbowl and all the college students are out rioting in the streets of Boston. Congrats to them, and down with the Rams! πŸ˜‰


    The Empire Earth Heaven Ladder!

    Don’t know if you noticed, but Empire Earth has a Ladder. Its ran by Cherub Talon, one of our newest Cherubs. So if you want some people to play against online, join the ladder in the Ladder Thread. The point system is setup so you won’t lose points. So don’t worry about losing to Experts ;).
    Also, welcome our newest Cherub, Cherub Izzy. Congrats guys!
    Yes, I am on the ladder. Watch, I will be champ soon ;).


    German Campaign Walkthrough Completed

    For those who need help with the German Campaign, the walkthrough has been completley finished. You can view it here.
    Now I can finally finish the German Campaign…


    Forum Party Tomorrow! February 2

    Ah… long time no play games, period! I’d say we do something like super weird settings. How about a 50 pop 8 player free-for-all on Small? Or whatever… I dont feel like playing the normal games this week. Of course, this was no normal week for me either, but I’m not getting into that ;). We dont HAVE to play these settings. Some of you are scared already, I know it :D. Well, the party is at its usual time and place. Check the Forum Party Thread for some pre-game ranting. Lets play some good ones eh?
    mmm… minitures armies of clubbies running around… mmm, w00t!


    A Pair of New Articles

    Two more strategy articles have been added to the strategy section, Building a Civ and Understanding Morale. Both titles are fairly self explanatory, so I’ll get right to the links:

  • Building a Civ (Lord Hyzhenhok)
  • Understanding Morale (By TheShadowDawn)

  • Gamescope Newsletter

    I’ve recieved another press release today from Mike over at Gamescope about a great new feature they have added. Heres the dirt:

    Gamescope has announced a newsletter feature to keep you updated on the most popular player ideas. If you sign up, each week they’ll email you the Top 5 Ideas for any section you want. It’s a great way to stay in touch with the changing ideas and to make sure you always have a say in what’s popular. If you already have a Gamescope account, you can sign up for it on your preferences page.


    EE Survey 2

    Straight from Stainless Steel:

    Press Release
    Empire Earth Survey #2

    The first Empire Earth on-line survey was a fantastic success! We received a large number of responses and uncovered some very interesting results. Thanks to all of you who responded.

    Stainless Steel Studios has now posted its second survey. The survey can be found at <http://www.empireearthcenter.com> . This survey consists of 4 sections of 6 – 8 questions each. Feel free to respond to all sections, which apply to you.

    The design team and I are looking forward to reviewing the results. At Stainless Steel Studios, we don’t think there is anything more important than hearing directly from you. So, please respond to let us know exactly what you think!

    Rick Goodman

    If you head over to EEC the survey will come up in a popup when you enter the site. πŸ™‚


    New Empire Earth Review

    The Mushroom did a recent review on Empire Earth. A pretty quick review with an overall “You’ll like the game” feel to it. Here’s a quote:

    With a scope that huge, one must wonder if the game is balanced or even remotely playable. I mean, controlling legions of pike men, squads of marines (with artillery backup), and gigantic mecha would require vastly different interfaces, wouldn’t they? Amazingly enough, the simple and intuitive interface of EE gets the job done pretty well for all of the ages, though things can get pretty hairy in the later parts. As far as controls go, EE is one of the few games that get almost everything right.

    Well, overall EE received a 7.5/10 mushrooms. You can read the rest of the review by clicking here.


    Strategy Article Update

    Two new articles have been added to the strategy section, Squads and The Basic Startup. They involve information on Atomic Age infantry and the general startup in multiplayer random map games. Be sure to check them out:

  • Squads (By Ueriah)
  • The Basic Startup (By fissh_e)

  • MFO RM Tournament

    Just in from Mr Ed over at MFO: There will be an EE Random map tournament this Thursday at 8:00 PM EST. All are invited to come. Check out this page for details.


    Strategy Articles

    Well the strat articles keep on coming in, which will hopefully not stop any time soon. Enjoy and if whether you like it or dislike the article/s remember to rate them.

  • The Basics-Might give the newbies out there a little head start.
  • The French Connection-Learn more about the French civ’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • Remember to keep sending in those strategies!

    πŸ™‚


    Strategy Update

    2 new strategy articles have been added to the section, and it has undergone a couple developments due to the hard work of Sandamnit. It is now possible to rate articles, much like how it is done in the Downloads section. The strategy section has also been organized into 6 different subsections, so that visitors will have an easier time finding the articles that they’re looking for. The newly articles added are:

  • Various Unit-Move Techniques (By Cherub Azn)
  • Ueriah’s Strat Vault: Sniper Rush (By Ueriah)

  • Computer Games Magazine Review

    CG Online, website for Computer Games Magazine, did a review on Empire Earth a few days ago. Sadly, it’ld seem the reviewer didn’t enjoy it completely, but at least he knows his RTS games. Here’s a small quote:

    In fact, Empire Earth’s greatest strength is that the epochs play like different games. Pay a sum of resources and you can upgrade to the next epoch, unlocking new units and technologies. You can effectively limit games to one or two epochs by playing with standard rules, in which the cost of “epoching up” is so prohibitive you’ll only see two or three before the game ends. Alternately, you can play tournament rules, in which the epoch costs are reduced to encourage faster progression and more variety.

    Overall, the review gave Empire Earth a 3 out of 5 stars. You can read the rest at this page.


    New “I Love Clan” site

    A new interesting clan site has opened a website. The I Love Clan has a number of members you probably remember from the old EE Gamer fansite. In fact, here is part of the message I got from Djfudgebar:

    Hi! Djfudgebar here, as you may already know, the I LovE Clan has made a new website! We will have expert strategies, ladders, tournaments, and other cool stuff. ^_^ We are working together with EEG on this, the EEG site isn’t up yet… but thats because we are still trying to find a host.

    Looks like so far they’re doing pretty good with the site with forums, ladders, and other things. You can see the site here.


    New Strategy Articles for the New EEH…and the New Strategy Section

    Greetings,

    This is Angel Socrateius, and I’m the new strategy angel for EEH. I have previously written content for this site, and have also worked as Strategy Angel and as many other positions in several other HeavenGames sites. Following the reopening of EEH and the opening of her strategy section, five strategy articles have been submitted and added to the site. Those articles are:

    • The Use of Parabolic Weapons in Defense (By falcdragon)
    • Useful ideas in Strategy and Tactics (By falcdragon)
    • DM Dragoon Flood (By EE Talon)
    • Modern to Nano Aircraft Guide (By hotingzilla)
    • Ueriah’s Strat Vault: Raiding Parties (By Ueriah)

    If you have any question about the strategy section, writing strategy articles for EEH, or anything else similar, you can contact me at socrateius@eudoramail.com


    Forum Party Tomorrow! January 26

    Ack! I was late posting this… I didn’t realize that it was Friday until I was surfing Ebay and found out :P. Well then this means tomorrow is Saturday, so Saturday means Forum Party right? Yep… as per usual. Think we might get some custom RMS into some games. So grab them over at out Download section, under Random Map Scripts. This weeks theme is Nomad, if you remember that from AoK. So of course, I mean get the three NOmad type scripts: AzN-Final, Deadland, and NOmad–Also, get some of the other quality maps avaliable. We will have some normal games too… so don’t fret! I can understand if you cant handle NOmad ;). Check the Forum Party Thread for complete details and some pre-game trash talking. Okay… lets get out connections straight. Pleeeseeee dont disconnect, especially if your on my team… ehehe. BTW, I looooove this new design. And my posts looks nice in it. πŸ˜‰


    Russian Campaigns are now up!

    For those who need help on the Russian Campaign you can go here. All six scenario walkthroughs are now up, so enjoy!


    Stuck on the Greek Campaign?

    We now have the entire walkthrough for the Greek Campaign up in the Walkthroughs Section. If you are looking for some help with any of the scenarios take a peek and see if we can help you out. πŸ™‚ Good luck!


    Empire Earth Tips & Hints in CGW

    I was flipping through Computer Games World when I suddenly saw an article on Empire Earth. CGW did a 2 page basic strategy article. It won’t make you an expert, but might be nice if you get it monthly or see it at the store. My favorite part are the first few sentences, “..Empire Earth is a deep, sophisticated, and very rewarding game.”. The article is in the March 2002 issue near the end of the magazine…....magazine also has a great preview on Unreal 2


    The First Mod Ever

    The very first modpack (at least to me) has hit the scene. Enrique Orduno, well respected designer and forumer, created a small modpack called Space Terrains. It allows a designer to basically use 2 space terrains.

    It took a lot of time no doubt to figure out how to make this mod, but EO with the great help of a few others has been able to do it. You can check out the modpack here……..one small step for designers but one mile for modpack designers.


    EE Multiplayer Map Tool

    As seen on some other fansites around the net (thanks EEC) The Clever Group will be releasing a multiplayer scenario design tool which will allow 8 human players to play a multiplayer scenario.

    EE Multiplayer Map Tool v.1.0 is 99% complete and is in the process of bug testing. I’ll probably have it available for download within a week or so. It is a map generator and scenario files manager tool. With a click of a button, it generates a blank multiplayer seed map. A scenario file that can be edited via EE’s own scenario editor but with one big bonus; it opens all 8 human player slots! The one major feature that Stainless Steel Studios did not activate. It can also take that scenario file after you edited and saved it, with a click of another button, automatically convert and transfer the file to the saved game directory for use as a multiplayer saved game. Plus, you can manage both *.scn and *.ees files and folders on the fly. It’s a quicker and more efficient alternative to using windows explorer.

    If you are interested in helping us bug test the program or just have some comments and questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at ittcnst@go.com or post your toughts here at the forums. Check with our website at: The Clever Group within the next few days for more informaton regarding this tool.

    You can download the evaluation version from The Clever Group download page.


    Return to Destiny – An EEH Scenario Design Contest

    That’s right! Empire Earth Heaven is proud to present our first-ever Scenario Design Contest. In this Alternative History-themed contest, you have a chance to show your stuff to the world, win some great prizes, and have your scenario reviewed by some of the top scenario designers in the community!

    Head on over to the Return to Destiny Official Contest Page for all the latest rules & regulations, along with submission procedures and a list of all the great prizes you can win. We also have a special treat for you as well: we have made a deal with PC Gamer Magazine, in which all winning scenarios will be included in an upcoming edition of the mag, where they are sure to be seen and played by thousands of people!

    Head over to the Return to Destiny Official Contest Page and check out the guidelines, then fire up the editor… you have until March 15th to submit your entries, which gives you nearly two months to churn out your perfect masterpiece for the world to see. The submission form will be coming soon!

    Want to comment/rant/rejoice/complain about the contest? Visit this thread in our Scenario Design Forum and make your opinion known!

    I’m still in awe of the site redesign… I barely even recognize her any more with this fresh new coat of paint! πŸ˜‰


    Welcome to EEH =)

    Its been in the works for quite a while and here it is, the new EEH redesign! Along with the redesign we have updated much of the content on the site. Feel free to peruse through everything to your left. Some of the larger changes are:

    • New FAQ Section
    • New Strategy Database – Submit your own strategy articles!
    • Walkthroughs for some of the English Campaign and Russian Campaign!
    • Reworked download section – new search features and more!

    If you catch any bugs you can send them my way. Enjoy! πŸ™‚ …Rasher was mumbling something about scenarios the other day, we’ll have to wait and see what he has up his sleeve… ; )


    Results of Fan Survey Finished

    A recent survey done by a few fansites including EENC and other European fansites has come to a close. Around 2,500 people were part of the survey, no doubt they provided some helpful feedback. To learn more click here.


    EE Expansion pack?

    Apparently on www.amazon.com has put up a release date for the EE X-Pack. They have slated the release for October 2, 2002. That is about all we know right now, besides that SSSI_Eggman hasn’t denied it. Thanks to Mark_Aurel for pointing this out. Go to this thread and maybe the developers will drop us info.


    Forum Party Tomorrow! January 19

    Had a hard week with Finals and all. Time for some R&R with EE :). Come to the forum party this Saturday. I will be there hosting as per usual. Lets get some more 8 player games this time. Maybe some Shimo? Check the Forum Party Thread for complete details. Same place, same time.
    Ack… Finals Week is hard! Whatever… I got my Learner’s Driver License. Whos the best? I am of course.. πŸ˜‰


    Cheating: A Letter From Rick

    This press release was sent out to all the Empire Earth fansites, please read it carefully as it affects everyone who plays multiplayer EE:

    For: On-line Distribution
    Date: January 18, 2002
    From: Stainless Steel Studios, Inc.

    Stainless Steel Studios has verified that a new Empire Earth Trainer (developed in Russia) can be used to enable a player to cheat during a multiplayer game. Those who use it can successfully cheat.

    What is a β€œTrainer”? A Trainer is a small program which enables players to cheat during multiplayer games. These programs are usually run in the background, while the game is being played. These programs typically alter actual game code with the goal of allowing their users to win games by cheating.

    In kind of cheating or use of Trainers is a strict violation of the on-line code of conduct in the Empire Earth community. Any player caught cheating will have his/her Empire Earth CD-key permanently revoked.

    Here is how this Trainer works:
    β€’ A Cheater runs the Trainer, then loads Empire Earth.
    β€’ While the game is loading, the Trainer searches through the Empire Earth code as it is loaded into RAM
    β€’ The Trainer locates the in-memory Empire Earth code which disables the Cheat codes. It then inserts a new line of code which skips over this disable check.
    β€’ Once the game starts, the player types in a Cheat code such as “ATM” and gains extra resources.
    The player can then spend these extra resources. However, when the player spends these resources on new buildings and units the game will eventually go out of synch. In other words, as soon as the player creates a new building or unit which he could otherwise not have afforded, the game detects this and the player is immediately dropped from the game with the following message:

    “Player ” is out-of-synch and has been removed from the game. Game will continue.”

    When you see this message cheating is likely to have occurred.

    Many of you have reported seeing this out of synch message. And, this is the reason why. Therefore, in 1 v 1 games when Empire Earth detects cheating the Trainer will always be foiled, because the game will always go Out of Synch.

    However, players have found a way to bypass this level of security. We have seen teams of cheaters playing 2 v 2 games. Only one of the players uses the cheat codes, the other does not. This player then tributes his ill-be-gotten resources to his ally. Empire Earth will detect the out of synch and immediately drop the player who utilized the cheats, as soon as he overspends his resources. Once the cheater is dropped, his ally can continue the game normally utilizing all of the resources tributed to him without going out of synch. Therefore, in a 3+ player game, if any player is detected to be out of synch, then, you should not continue playing, because that player has cheated.

    It may even possible for allies to cheat and avoid going out of synch. As a result, in team play, you cannot be 100% certain that the game will always detect and drop a cheater. You can, however, use a manual method to detect cheating. After the game is finished review the statistics screen. If one player has tributed more resources than he has gathered, then he has cheated. Here is the simple equation:

    Tribute Sent <= Starting Resources + Resources Gathered + Tribute Received

    Tribute Sent must always be <= to Resources Gathered + Starting Resources. If this is not true, then cheating has occurred.

    We appreciate your patience, as we continue our on-going investigation into this issue. In the interim, please remember, 1 v 1 games are secure against cheating.

    Rick Goodman
    President, Stainless Steel Studios, Inc.


    Gamespy Arcade & Empire Earth Support?

    Several sites have reported (thanks EEA) that Empire Earth will be supported by Gamespy Arcade in the next EE Patch. Until then you can enter the GSA EE Lobby and chat with fellow EE fans and also setup IP games. If you would like to check out GSA, head over to their download page. Please note that Gamespy Arcade is a free application, but if you would like to register it would don’t have to put up with the ads. So if you are looking for an alternative to the Sierra.com servers, check out GSA.

    **Update 1/18** – Well it appears that this may be more of a rumor than fact, we’ll have to see what the future holds. πŸ™‚


    Game Surge EE Review

    Game Surge did a very long review of EE. They covered pretty much everything new in EE compared to past RTS games and some great screenshots. Here’s a little clip:

    Empire Earth has been designed with the strategy and history enthusiast in mind. Not only do the campaigns relive well-known historic events, with detailed storyline backgrounds added into each mission, but also the entire timeline of the game features units and weapons matching those available at each time period.

    The reviewer jumped a little from what he said was good and bad about the game, and in the end gave it a 81%. You can read the rest at this page.


    Empire Earth: Reader’s Choice @ IGN

    You voted. You were heard. IGN held the Readers Choice awards the past couple of weeks where fans could vote for thier favorite game in various catagories. Empire Earth, comming in First, winning the Readers Choice awards at IGN. The runner up surprisingly, was Civilization III.

    IGN though, also choose thier own game as the Editors Choice: Best Strategy of 2001 Award. Empire unfortunately, came in Second. First place was given to Europa Universalis II.
    Read the full article here.
    Nice! Great voting guys! Empire Earth gets yet another first place. Thats like… alot. VE, GS, and now IGN. Congrats SSSi!


    Gamespot’s Reader Choice Awards

    Gamespot has completed their 2001 Reader’s Choice Awards where fans could pick their favorite game in many many categories. Sadly, it seems that Empire Earth didn’t get any #1 or runner-up spots. EE did get 3rd place in Best Multiplayer Strategy Game and 5th in Best Singleplayer Strategy Game. Perhaps, I don’t know what I’m saying, but it is beyond me how Black & White won first place in Best Multiplayer Strategy game..

    Anyway, you can check out all the results at their front page. By the way, don’t forgot to vote for EE at PC IGN’s Reader Choice Awards over here…...too many awards this time of year πŸ™‚


    Another Review from SGO

    Looks like reviews are still coming in from random gaming sites. I found this review in one of my gaming newsletters.

    Strategy Gaming Online did a review on Empire Earth just two days ago. Kind of interesting that they actually have 8 fields that they put scores into. Here’s a glimpse:

    Empire Earth is a game real-time strategy fans and history buffs will want to pick up. Everyone else should definitely try the demo and see if it is to their liking.

    Overall, I think the reviewer liked the game seeing that it was given a 8.7. Though I feel he was wanting some elements (like many fans) that don’t fit the game, but everyone has their own views. You can read the rest at this page.


    New Poll

    A new poll has been put up asking, “Do you care that the computer cheats?” I suppose it changes from player to player. Personally, I could care less since the majority of RTS games I played, the computer would be too easy. But it is a very hot topic and has been for a long time.

    Last week’s poll showed that a majority of people were partying with friends and family on New Years Eve. You can see the results here…..p.s. finally changed the title graphic.


    Empire Earth Gamespy Multiplayer Service

    The talk around the virtual community is that fans can now play Empire Earth over Game Spy Arcade. Although it isn’t 100% supported right now, no doubt it’ll be finished in the future. Sadly though I only see 5 other players right now, hopefully thats because its new.


    IGN PC Best Strategy PC Game

    IGN PC is letting fans vote for their favorite strategy game of 2001. Included titles are Civilization III, Black and White, Empire Earth, and others. Be sure to vote for your favorite strategy game (course its EE right? :)). You can vote here.


    EE Reviews

    First off, I found a pretty old review that somehow was never
    posted before. Counter Glow did a review on Empire Earth. Overall he gave it a B+ because of computer cheating and other problems. Guess some people can’t stand the challenge. You can see it here.

    Strategy Informer gave EE a review with a final score of 8.7. Also included are 2 fan reviews, that I believe are from Chooch and DocD.

    A recent review done by Entertainment Depot gave EE a score of 8.5/10.

    This is a truly excellent game, though it’s certainly not for everyone, especially when it comes to the more impatient and twitchy gamers who enjoy a good round of Command & Conquer as opposed to hour-long campaigns against the computer and friends. Still, it was definitely for me, and I highly recommend it. It lived up to my lofty expectations and will no doubt provide me many more months of enjoyment.

    One thing that bothers me is that they say EE supports 16 players which may mislead people. The review can be found here.

    Gamers Depot has also reviewed EE. They liked it a lot and gave it their Drool Award. Their long review can be found here.

    Head to Head Gaming did a review on Empire Earth as well. Their style is quite unique with 2 reviewers commenting on the game. The two reviewers gave a 80% and 86%. Can see the review here.


    Forum Party Tomorrow! January 12

    Dont think I have to remind you, but incase you forgot (shame on you!!), its Saturday and another forum party. This time, the custom of the day will be two Civilzations of your choice, one for Land and one for Water. Lets game longer this time ;). Check the Forum Party Post for complete details. Sorry about the time mixups Europe. This time, I will let you European people figure it out yourselves :).
    No jumping me! hehe


    Vote Empire Earth at IGN (And some review news)

    IGN is now collecting votes for the Best Strategy Game of 2001. The nominees are:

      Battle Realms
      Black and White
      Civilization III
      Commandos 2
      Conquest: Frontier Wars
      Empire Earth
      Europa Universalis II
      Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns

    Check the full story and vote at IGN.
    So vote for Empire Earth… now!
    BTW, Empire Earth also made it on the IGN Editor’s Choice list.

    Strategy Informer has recently done a review on Empire Earth, giving it a 8.7. The vote score is currently at 7.4. Vote to change that! Read the full article here.
    Lets go for number one this time eh? πŸ˜‰


    Unit Cost: A New Approach

    As I surfed around some of the EE community forums this evening I came upon a link to this article posted by deadhorsebeats over at EECC. The article takes an in-depth look at unit costs, which should help out newbies and experts alike. Hop on over to EECC and check it out! Here is a bit to get ya started:

    The purpose of this article is to give a single answer to two questions: “How much does a unit cost?” and “How should a player equalize his resources?”. By looking at a unit’s cost in terms of how many villagers it takes to continuously produce that unit, this piece should, hopefully be of some use to players, from newbie to expert alike. It certainly can’t hurt.


    Gamers.com/CGW Magazine Reviews EE

    Found another review while floating around the internet. This one comes from Gamers.com. It is actually a review done by Computer Gaming World Magazine (I actually get this one monthly). Here’s a part of the pie:

    Although it starts out like an Age of Empires clone, it distinguishes itself admirably in the later stages of the game with a great variety of units and gameplay that is both fun and sophisticated. It might be frustrating and demanding at times, but if you have patience and love a challenge, Empire Earth can be a very rewarding experience.

    The reviewer seemed to have a mix of feelings at first but in the end looks like he sees EE is a great game. Sounds like a lot of people I know actually πŸ™‚
    Empire Earth was given an overall score of 8 although a number of fans have given their own “fan rating” which is currently at 9.1…..by the way the reviews page has been updated with the most recent ones as well as ones missed before..


    A New Review

    Screaming Midget did a review on Empire Earth today. It is pretty short and the reviewer seems a lot like a “down to Earth” fan. Here’s a quote:

    The game is definitely fun to play, even if the game plays very much like other RTS games. One interesting aspect that set this game apart from others is the “RPS” design of the units. RPS standing for Rock, Paper, Scissors, which means that each unit has a counter unit.

    If you want to read the rest than check it out here…….couldn’t help but post their bottom footnote: ScreamingMidget is a randomly updated publication funded by an elite cult of potato farmers who want nothing more than to fertilize the earth with your dead body. If you are tired of running and would like to turn yourself in…


    Gamers on TV?

    This is probably the best thing I could of ever put into a newspost. Surfing around the game sites I came upon X-Treme Gaming Radio, remember they had great voice chat with Rick using fan questions, which lead me to Cyplex. Here’s a little tidbit from the Cyplex site:

    Cyplex is bringing a new form of TV entertainment geared for this audience –

    – A show that’s inspired by the culture of gaming.

    – A tournament that offers the first-ever Unified Video Gaming World Championship title for both console and PC games.

    – A unique program that combines the exciting thrill of competition, the visuals of today’s latest games and the brilliant moments that make up the gaming experience.

    Cyplex is currently in production and slated for broadcast in mid-season 2002.

    Call me crazy, but this is one show I wouldn’t mind watching all the way through. Cyplex will/are taking contestants for pretty much any genre in consoles and pc games. Be sure to check it out the main site at http://www.cyplex.tv.


    3dfx’s Dying Wish

    How much does this have to do with Empire Earth? 0.01%. How much this can affect 3dfx (Voodoo) users? 110%. 3dfx, though long gone, is still kicking. The deal is, if you have a Voodoo 3d Accelerator (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5), buy a Verto 3d Accelerator from PNY and send your Voodoo card to 3dfx to get cash back and a free game disc (undisclosed game at this point).

      Got Voodoo? Get Verto! For a limited time, you can trade in your old 3dfx graphics card and upgrade to a new PNY Technologies VertoTM graphics card powered by NVIDIA. Buy an eligible Verto and get cash back and a FREE games CD! Act now and unleash the graphics power of a Verto graphics card! Currently, this promotion is valid for US domestic sales only.

    So if you happen to have a Voodoo 2 (which does not work well with Empire Earth, as you should of noticed), send it in and get a Verto. The Verto is based on the NVIDIA GeForce. The amount of cash back you get depends on which Verto card you get (getting a GeForce Ti 500 gives you 30 dollars back). There are various Vertos to choose from, ranging from a GeForce 2 MX400 to a GeForce 3 Ti 500. It does not matter how old your Voodoo card is.
    Check the full story at 3dfx.com


    Community Fansite News

    FOPT Clan has updated their ranking of EE fansites. You can check them out here.

    OVG Nox, from EE Eden emailed me about a Scenario Contest.
    At EE Eden, we are lauching our first Scenario Making Contest for French people only… Sorry πŸ˜‰
    You can find more informations here

    Empire Earth Command Center has changed their web address recently to better fit their sites. You can now access it using http://www.rtscentral.com/eehome.asp. The main address, www.mrfixitonline.com still works. EECC is also having a tournament that you can check out here.

    Been debating whether to post this or not, but what the heck. Swim, from Empire Earth France sent out an email about a farm bug in multiplayer games.

    By beginning in ages III or IV, build a mill. While building it, choose your civ (in my tests the bug works with the following: Assyrian Empire, Byzantine Rome, Kingdom of Italy, France, Novaya Russia and Rebel Forces).

    When your mill is built, your villagers automatically start building the farms all around, and it will not cost any wood!

    It works in Tournament and Standard modes.

    Sometimes it doesn’t completely work, I didn’t understand why (2 or 3 farms are free and then you have to pay…)

    Also in related news, EE France have posted the results of their recent tournament. You can see how it turned out here.

    Last but not least, a new fansite has joined the scene. The site name is Maxxx Torque (very unique), go check it out at http://www.maxxxtorque.com/ee

    Thats all for now, if you have anything you think should be in the news than be sure to email Chooch or me.


    TFH Review

    TFH Gaming has reviewed Emire Earth. They say a lot of good things about the game, and give it an 88% in the end. Here is a snippit from their review.

    Empire Earth suffers unfairly from the natural comparisons to Age of Empires, which is due to the virtually identical nature of the program graphics from the “Stone Age” through the “Middle Ages”. However, the game has significant differences and should be considered a unique stand-alone game in its own right for the “post-Middle Age” gaming. The game interface is intuitive, the AI is sophisticated enough to provide more than a challenge (in fact, it is damn hard to win this game without cheating), and the 3D graphics make this game a cutting-edge technology winner.


    EENC Tourney

    EENC is holding their second tournament for Empire Earth. The tournament is single elimination 1v1 and will be held next weekend. Head to the EENC Tourney Page for full details on the event. …on a completely unrelated note: *drools*… ; )


    Forum Party Tomorrow! January 5th

    Its going to be the first Fourm Party of the new year. I hope you guys have fun. I wont be there, since it just so happens my Power Supply fan broke, so I cant come on too long, or my system will go in total meltdown…
    But you guys have fun. Check the thread here for more details.

    Argh…. I fixed this before. Seems like my craftsmanship is not so good afterall ;).


    Happy New Year

    Hey all, just 10 mins ago for me it turned 2002. No doubt 2001 was an amazing as well as shocking one, lets all make 2002 a great one.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!! πŸ™‚