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{{short description|Wargame}}
{{dablink|There have been a number of computer games named Empire; please see ''[[Empire (computer game)]]'' for links to information on the games not relavent to this article.}}
{{For|other games with the name|Empire (disambiguation)#Gaming}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Empire
| image = EmpireDeluxe.png
| caption =
| developer = [[Walter Bright]] <br> Mark Baldwin (1987–1990s) <br> Bob Rakosky (1990s) <br> Mark Kinkead (2001–present)
| publisher = Interstel (1987) <br> [[New World Computing]] (1993) <br> Killer Bee Software (2002, 2004)
| designer = Walter Bright/Mark Baldwin (Deluxe) <br> Mark Kinkead (Enhanced)
| released = 1977, 1987–1988, 1993, 2002, 2004
| genre = [[Strategy video game|Strategy]], [[Wargame (video games)|wargame]], [[4x]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] or [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
|platforms= [[PDP-10]] (1977), ~1987 ([[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Apple II]], [[Macintosh]], [[MS-DOS]]), [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] (1993, 2002, 2004)
}}


'''Empire''' is a [[turn-based]] military game with simple rules and played at a single sitting. It was conceived by [[Walter Bright]] based on war movies and various board games. In the game, each player starts with one city in an unexplored world, and uses the city to build armies, aircraft, and various types of ships. Cities take a particular number of turns to produce the various units. As players expand from the first city, they use their units to find and capture additional cities and become able to produce a greater number of unit types. Players explore the world, capturing cities as they are found and using them to build more military units. Early versions were text-based, while later versions of the game added graphics.
'''''Empire''''' is a 1977 [[turn-based]] [[Computer wargame|wargame]] with simple rules. The game was conceived by [[Walter Bright]] starting in 1971, based on various war films and board games, notably ''[[Battle_of_Britain_(film)|Battle of Britain]]'' and ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''. The game was ported to many platforms in the 1970s and 1980s. Several commercial versions were also released such as ''[[Empire: Wargame of the Century]]'', often adding basic graphics to the originally text-based user interface.


==Gameplay==
This game inspired a number of other games, including ''[[Strategic Conquest]]'', ''Empire Master'', and ''[[Xconq]]''.
[[File:EmpireOriginal.png|thumb|left|Screenshot of ''Empire'' for the Amiga]]


At the start of a new game, a random game map is generated on a square grid basis. The map normally consists of numerous islands, although a variety of algorithms were used in different versions of the game, producing different styles of maps. Randomly distributed on the land are a number of cities. The players start the game controlling one of these cities each. The area immediately around the city is visible, but the rest of the world map is blacked out in a [[fog of war]].
== History and Development ==


The city can be set to build armies, aircraft, and various types of ships. Cities take a particular number of turns to produce the various units, with the armies typically being the most rapid. Players move these units on the map to explore the world, typically seeing the land within a one square radius around the unit. As they explore they will find other cities, initially independent, and can capture them with their armies. The captured cities are then set to produce new units as well.
Bright's first version was written around 1977 in the [[FORTRAN]] programming language for the [[PDP-10]] computer at [[Caltech]]. Later, Bright recoded this in [[assembly language]] on a [[Programmed Data Processor|Heathkit H-11]] and made it available commercially. He sold two copies.


As the player's collection of cities expands, they are able to set aside some to produce more time-consuming types, like [[battleship]]s. Ultimately they have to use these forces to take all the cities on the map, including those of the other players, who are often run by the computer's [[game engine]].
After this, Bright recoded the game in the [[C (programming language)|C]] programming langauge on an [[IBM PC]]. With low commercial expectations, he submitted an announcement to [[BYTE Magazine]]'s "New Programs" section, and received a flood of orders. He then licensed the game to a small software company named [[Interstel]], who hired [[Mark Baldwin]] to add a [[GUI|graphic user interface]]. Starting around 1987, a number of commercially successful versions were produced including:
⚫
*''Empire: Wargame of the Century'' on the [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]] and [[DOS]]
*''Empire Deluxe'' for [[MS-Windows|Windows]], released in the early 1990s.


=== The DECUS fork ===
== History and development ==
[[Walter Bright]] created ''Empire'' as a [[board wargame]] as a child, inspired by ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]'', ''[[Stratego]]'', and the film ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]''. He found [[gameplay]] tedious, but later realized that a computer could handle the gameplay and serve as [[CPU opponent]].<ref name="madned20211020">{{Cite interview |last=Bright |first=Walter |interviewer=Mad Ned |title=A Talk With Computer Gaming Pioneer Walter Bright About Empire |url=https://madned.substack.com/p/a-talk-with-computer-gaming-pioneer |date=2021-10-20}}</ref> The initial version of computer ''Empire'' was written in [[BASIC]],<ref name="Hacker News Comment">{{cite web |last1=Bright |first1=Walter |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22447269 |website=Hacker News |title=The Fortran I used for Empire was FORTRAN-10|publisher=Y Combinator |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> before being rewritten in 1977<ref name="katz198811">{{Cite magazine |last=Katz |first=Arnie |date=November 1988 |title=Empire |url=https://archive.org/details/Ahoys_AmigaUser_Issue_3_1988-11_Ion_International_US/page/n36/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Ahoy!'s AmigaUser |page=37}}</ref> in the [[Fortran|FORTRAN]] programming language for the [[PDP-10]] computer at [[Caltech]]. It was so compelling as to cause [[video game addiction]]; some students failed classes while playing. "One even threatened me because of this (incredible, hmm?)", Bright recalled. He ported ''Empire'' to [[assembly language]] on a [[Heathkit H11]] ("If I'd had a brain, I'd have bought an [[Apple II]]") and made it available commercially in 1983. Bright sold only two copies and, discouraged, returned to a "real job".<ref name="bright2000">{{Cite web |last=Bright |first=Walter |year=2000 |title=A Brief History of Empire |url=https://www.classicempire.com/history.html |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Walter Bright's Classic Empire}}</ref>


At some point, someone broke thru the security systems at Caltech, and took a copy of the [[source code]] for the FORTRAN/PDP-10 version of the game. This code was continually modified, being passed around from person to person. Eventually, it was apparently found on a computer in [[Massachusetts]] by two people named Jacobs and Mitton. They ported the code to the [[OpenVMS|VAX/VMS]] operating system and, under the alias of "DeNobili and Paulson" submitted the program to [[DECUS]], a large user's group. DECUS programs were often installed on new [[DEC]] computers at the time of delivery, and so Empire propagated further. Eventually, Bright heard of this, and in 1983 contacted DECUS, who subsequently credited Bright in the catalog description of the program and re-added his name to the source code.
At some point, someone broke through the security systems at Caltech, and took a copy of the [[source code]] for the FORTRAN/PDP-10 version of the game.<ref>[https://github.com/DigitalMars/Empire-for-PDP-10 Empire-for-PDP-10] on github</ref> This code was continually modified, being passed around from person to person. Eventually, it was found on a computer<ref>Actually, the main TOPS-10 operating system developers' machine in Marlboro, MA. Programmer Dave Lyons had downloaded it there from Caltech.</ref> in [[Massachusetts]] by Herb Jacobs and Dave Mitton.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.atari.st/tree/browse_frm/month/1987-11/904778d5991fb920?rnum=11&lnk=nl |title = ''Empire'' on comp.sys.atari.st |first = Walter |last = Bright |date = 1987-11-03}}</ref> They ported the code to the [[OpenVMS|VAX/VMS]] operating system and, under the alias of "DeNobili and Paulson", submitted the program to [[DECUS]]. [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] technicians routinely installed ''Empire'' with VMS. In 1983 Bright contacted DECUS, who credited him in the catalog description of the program and source code.{{r|bright2000}}


In 1984, Bob Norby from [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]], ported the DECUS version from the VAX to the PC as shareware. In 1987, Chuck Simmons re-implemented the game in C using the UNIX [[curses (programming library)|curses library]] in order to make use of its support for many different character-cell terminals. [[Eric S. Raymond]] maintains a copy of this version and shared some version with [[open-source software|open-source]] projects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=5011|title=VMS-empire 1.10 released – Armed and Dangerous|date=23 August 2013}}</ref>
== Description of Play (based on Empire Deluxe) ==


In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' declared the original ''Empire'' the 8th-best computer game ever released.<ref name=cgw150>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | title=150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | date=November 1996 | issue=148 | pages=63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98}}</ref> The magazine's wargame columnist Terry Coleman named it his pick for the second-best computer wargame released by late 1996, behind ''[[Panzer General]]''.<ref name=15wargames>{{cite magazine | author=Coleman, Terry | title=Command Decisions | issue=148 | date=November 1996 | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | pages=277, 280}}</ref>
Units have very different capabilities, as well as different strengths and weaknesses. Destroyers, move fast and are great for exploring, while battleships are very resiliant and can also attack land units. The central unit of conquest is transports, which can carry two troop types. Only Infantry and Armor can capture a city, and these two units must cross water in transports. The central unit of conquest has weak defences, so Empire strategy involves exploration in the context of providing safe passage for transports.


⚫
=== ''Empire: Wargame of the Century'' ===
Eventually, players expand their known worlds until the players find each other and fight until only one is left. This moment of discovery can happen quickly or not, especially when one allows the game to generate a randomly-populated world made of islands with cities, surrounded by a connected body of water. Units in Empire are aware of enemy who occupy grid squares around them only to a particular distance, and cities also are aware of enemy units adjacent to them. Otherwise, enemy units are not visible unless one moves close enough with one unit to see an enemy.
{{main|Empire: Wargame of the Century}}
Bright recoded the game in [[C (programming language)|C]] on an [[IBM PC]]. With low commercial expectations, he submitted an announcement to January 1984 ''[[BYTE Magazine]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s "Software Received" section, and received a flood of orders. After writing to many software companies (including [[Broderbund|Brøderbund]], [[Sirius Software]], [[Simon & Schuster]], [[subLOGIC]], [[Epyx]] and [[MicroProse]]), he licensed the game to a small software company named Interstel. Mark Baldwin was brought in to coauthor the game redesigning it for the commercial market. Starting around 1987, ''[[Empire: Wargame of the Century]]'' on the [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Apple II series|Apple II]], [[Macintosh]] and [[DOS]] was produced.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}


=== ''Empire Deluxe'' ===
Units fight by trying to take the grid location occupied by the enemy unit. In most cases, this is a fight to the death, and in most cases, the winner moves in to occupy the grid square after the combat. This combat is based on percentages rating one unit type against the others, so this is calculated, and an animated battle sequence is seen before the losing unit is removed. Empire is a strategy game, so the combat animation is minimal, and allows one to focus on the strategic consequences of the combat.
{{split-section|Empire Deluxe|date=July 2024}}
In the early 1990s, Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky rewrote the game, calling it ''Empire Deluxe''<ref>{{cite book | title=Empire Deluxe manual | publisher=New World Computing | year=1993 | place=Hollywood, California | pages=158–162}}</ref> for [[DOS]], [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]], and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], released in 1993 with [[New World Computing]] as the publisher. ''Empire Deluxe'' sustained the old game play of Interstel's version in a ''standard'' game, while adding a ''basic'' version for beginners, and ''advanced'' game with new units such as the Bomber and Armor and map sizes up to 200×200.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}


An [[expansion pack]], ''Empire Deluxe Scenarios'', was produced later in 1993, including a map and scenario statistics tool, a map randomiser tool (as random maps were present in the Interstel version, but lacking from ''Empire Deluxe''), upgrade patches for both DOS and Windows versions and a collection of 37 scenarios (with accompanying maps) from "celebrity" designers, many of them famous in the games industry including [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]], [[Jerry Pournelle]], [[Jim Dunnigan]], Johnny Wilson (''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' editor), [[Gordon Walton]], Don Gilman ([[Harpoon (series)|''Harpoon'' series]] architect), Trevor Sorensen ([[Star Fleet (game series)|''Star Fleet'' series]] designer), and the game's authors Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakosky.{{r|cgw199311}}
Many interesting starts get interrupted when one discovers enemy units next to cities which lack defences. A city loses a percentage of its production capacity when it is captured, and it also loses any units it contains, as well losing the unit under construction. Cities are sometimes fought over repeatedly, until the city itself has little production capacity, and is used simply as a base for aircraft and as a point to fight over. Cities that are not producing anything help a player's production value, and allow other, more efficient cities to produce units. Cities that are not producing will see their production efficiency increase as turns go by. The ability to remain unseen, even in adjacent grid squares, for example, submarines are not visible to battleships aircraft and transports, allows players to scout enemy areas.


''Computer Gaming World'' in 1993 called ''Empire Deluxe'' "a welcome addiction (sic) to the library of every serious strategy gamer".<ref name="jeffers199306">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107 | title=Megalomaniacs Succumb To Empire Deluxe Epidemic | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=June 1993 | access-date=7 July 2014 | author=Jeffers, Sean | pages=144}}</ref> A 1993 survey in the magazine of wargames gave the game four stars out of five, noting flaws but stating that "Yet, I keep on playing".<ref name="brooks199111">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=88 | title=Computer Strategy and Wargames: The 1900–1950 Epoch / Part I (A–L) of an Annotated Paiktography | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1991 | access-date=18 November 2013 | author=Brooks, M. Evan | pages=138}}</ref> It enjoyed great success, and was noted as one of ''Gamespy's Greatest Games of All Time''.<ref name=gspytop50>{{cite web | title = GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time | publisher = [[GameSpy]] | date = July 2001 | url = http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top505/ | access-date = 2009-04-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070108183511/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top505/ | archive-date = 2007-01-08 | url-status = dead}}</ref> ''Empire Deluxe'' was reviewed in 1993 in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #195 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.<ref name="Dragon195">{{cite journal
Mottled, computer-generated island-worlds are typical, but Empire also has a world-generator, and comes with pre-designed worlds such as Europe and North America. When one plays on the random worlds, the players are placed randomly in one city. There can be very different outcomes when one discovers an enemy city or unit very early compared with later. One is creating an empire, and the existing units in an army cost the player a percentage of overall production capacity. This means large armies (including ships, planes, and land units) can prevent a player from efficiently creating further troops types. Since the game is turn based, players experience this production capacity as a percentage. Units take a given number of turns depending on this percentage, and a low percentage can make certain units practically impossible to order. This is most important in the first part of the game, when one only has a small number of cities.
|title=The Role of Computers
|last1=Lesser|last2=Lesser|last3=Lesser|first1=Hartley|first2=Patricia|first3=Kirk
|journal=Dragon
|issue=195
|date=July 1993
|pages=57–64}}</ref> In 1994, ''[[PC Gamer US]]'' named ''Empire Deluxe'' the 35th best computer game ever. The editors called it and "elegant" and "adaptable" game system that allowed "almost endless" replayability.<ref name=pcgamerustop40>{{cite magazine | author=<!--Staff--> | magazine=[[PC Gamer US]] | title=''PC Gamer'' Top 40: The Best Games of All Time | date=August 1994 | issue=3 | pages=32–42}}</ref>


''Computer Gaming World'' in 1993 stated that ''Empire Deluxe Scenarios'' offered "a lot of value" to the game's fans.<ref name="cgw199311">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=112 | title=A 3.1-Run Homer | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1993 | access-date=28 March 2016 | last1=Carroll | first1=Mark | last2=Emrich | first2=Alan | pages=178}}</ref>
⚫
== External links ==
⚫
* [http://www.classicempire.com/ Classic Empire - downloads available]
* [http://www.killerbeesoftware.com/ Killer Bee Software - What's the Buzz? (has released two new versions of Empire Deluxe: v3.5 known as Empire Deluxe Internet Edition and v4.0 Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition)]


=== Killer Bee Software ===
In the Winter of 2002, Mark Kinkead of Killer Bee Software purchased the rights for ''Empire Deluxe'' from Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky, and in 2003 produced a new version called ''Empire Deluxe Internet Edition'' (''EDIE'') for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. This was essentially a port of the code Baldwin and Rakowsky produced in 1993, with few changes, such as a slightly increased map size (255×255), but did not add any new rules. A year later, Kinkead would create an "Enhanced" version with new units and rules, including artillery, engineers and orbital units. The company produced several other editions for Windows, [[Android (operating system)|Android]], and [[iOS]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.killerbeesoftware.com/kbsgames/edee/ | title=Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition}}</ref>

==Sequel==
{{main|Empire II: The Art of War}}
In 1995, New World Computing published a sequel named ''[[Empire II: The Art of War]]''. While the original had been a turn-based strategy, ''Empire II'' was shifted towards [[turn-based tactics]]: there was no more empire-building and production of units, but the complexity and realism of battles were enhanced with features such as morale rules and various degrees of damage. The playable campaigns consisted of a collection of diverse historical or fictional battles. The game editor feature was enhanced by allowing the user to design not only new maps and campaigns, but also new units with new graphics and sounds.

==Legacy==
There are ports and source code for modern PC operating systems available for free download at Walter Bright's Classic Empire webpage.<ref>[http://www.classicempire.com/ Walter Bright's Classic Empire]</ref> ''[[Strategic Conquest]]'', not associated with Bright, is based on ''Empire''.<ref name="pournelle198901">{{Cite magazine |last=Pournelle |first=Jerry |author-link=Jerry Pournelle |date=January 1989 |title=To the Stars |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1989-01/1989_01_BYTE_14-01_PC_Communications_and_Annual_Awards_and_Digitizing_Tablets#page/n137/mode/2up |magazine=BYTE |page=109}}</ref>

[[Sid Meier]] has stated that ''Empire'' inspired his [[Civilization (series)#History|''Civilization'' series]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-civilization|title=The History of Civilization |first=Benj |last=Edwards |work=Gamasutra<!--originally--> |date=July 18, 2007 |access-date=September 16, 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603085449/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-civilization |archive-date=2023-06-03}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

⚫
==External links==
⚫
* [http://www.classicempire.com/ Walter Bright's ''Empire'' website]
* [http://killerbeesoftware.com/ EDEE Publisher Page – Killer Bee Software]
* {{MobyGames|id=/empire-deluxe|name=''Empire Deluxe''}}
* {{Internet Archive game|id=msdos_Empire_Deluxe_1993|title=Empire Deluxe}}
* MS-DOS version of ''Empire'' at Abandon ware, ''Empire: Wargame of the Century'', port by Bob Norby. [https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-game.php?abandonware=Empire%3A+Wargame+of+the+Century&gid=1423]
* [https://github.com/DigitalMars/Empire-for-PDP-11/ ''Empire'' for the PDP-11 Source Code]

⚫
[[Category:1977 video games]]
[[Category:Computer wargames]]
[[Category:Computer wargames]]
⚫
[[Category:Turn-based strategy computer games]]
⚫
[[Category:1977 computer and video games]]
[[Category:Mainframe games]]
[[Category:Mainframe games]]
⚫
[[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]]
[[Category:Video games with textual graphics]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Amiga games]]
[[Category:Apple II games]]
[[Category:Atari ST games]]
[[Category:Commodore 64 games]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Linux games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Play-by-email video games]]
[[Category:Commercial video games with freely available source code]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 04:36, 10 September 2024

For other games with the name, see Empire (disambiguation) § Gaming.
Empire
Developer(s)Walter Bright
Mark Baldwin (1987–1990s)
Bob Rakosky (1990s)
Mark Kinkead (2001–present)
Publisher(s)Interstel (1987)
New World Computing (1993)
Killer Bee Software (2002, 2004)
Designer(s)Walter Bright/Mark Baldwin (Deluxe)
Mark Kinkead (Enhanced)
Platform(s)PDP-10 (1977), ~1987 (Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Apple II, Macintosh, MS-DOS), Windows (1993, 2002, 2004)
Release1977, 1987–1988, 1993, 2002, 2004
Genre(s)Strategy, wargame, 4x
Mode(s)Single-player or multiplayer

Empire is a 1977 turn-based wargame with simple rules. The game was conceived by Walter Bright starting in 1971, based on various war films and board games, notably Battle of Britain and Risk. The game was ported to many platforms in the 1970s and 1980s. Several commercial versions were also released such as Empire: Wargame of the Century, often adding basic graphics to the originally text-based user interface.

Gameplay

[edit]
Screenshot of Empire for the Amiga

At the start of a new game, a random game map is generated on a square grid basis. The map normally consists of numerous islands, although a variety of algorithms were used in different versions of the game, producing different styles of maps. Randomly distributed on the land are a number of cities. The players start the game controlling one of these cities each. The area immediately around the city is visible, but the rest of the world map is blacked out in a fog of war.

The city can be set to build armies, aircraft, and various types of ships. Cities take a particular number of turns to produce the various units, with the armies typically being the most rapid. Players move these units on the map to explore the world, typically seeing the land within a one square radius around the unit. As they explore they will find other cities, initially independent, and can capture them with their armies. The captured cities are then set to produce new units as well.

As the player's collection of cities expands, they are able to set aside some to produce more time-consuming types, like battleships. Ultimately they have to use these forces to take all the cities on the map, including those of the other players, who are often run by the computer's game engine.

History and development

[edit]

Walter Bright created Empire as a board wargame as a child, inspired by Risk, Stratego, and the film Battle of Britain. He found gameplay tedious, but later realized that a computer could handle the gameplay and serve as CPU opponent.[1] The initial version of computer Empire was written in BASIC,[2] before being rewritten in 1977[3] in the FORTRAN programming language for the PDP-10 computer at Caltech. It was so compelling as to cause video game addiction; some students failed classes while playing. "One even threatened me because of this (incredible, hmm?)", Bright recalled. He ported Empire to assembly language on a Heathkit H11 ("If I'd had a brain, I'd have bought an Apple II") and made it available commercially in 1983. Bright sold only two copies and, discouraged, returned to a "real job".[4]

At some point, someone broke through the security systems at Caltech, and took a copy of the source code for the FORTRAN/PDP-10 version of the game.[5] This code was continually modified, being passed around from person to person. Eventually, it was found on a computer[6] in Massachusetts by Herb Jacobs and Dave Mitton.[7] They ported the code to the VAX/VMS operating system and, under the alias of "DeNobili and Paulson", submitted the program to DECUS. DEC technicians routinely installed Empire with VMS. In 1983 Bright contacted DECUS, who credited him in the catalog description of the program and source code.[4]

In 1984, Bob Norby from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ported the DECUS version from the VAX to the PC as shareware. In 1987, Chuck Simmons re-implemented the game in C using the UNIX curses library in order to make use of its support for many different character-cell terminals. Eric S. Raymond maintains a copy of this version and shared some version with open-source projects.[8]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared the original Empire the 8th-best computer game ever released.[9] The magazine's wargame columnist Terry Coleman named it his pick for the second-best computer wargame released by late 1996, behind Panzer General.[10]

Empire: Wargame of the Century

[edit]
Main article: Empire: Wargame of the Century

Bright recoded the game in C on an IBM PC. With low commercial expectations, he submitted an announcement to January 1984 BYTE Magazine's "Software Received" section, and received a flood of orders. After writing to many software companies (including Brøderbund, Sirius Software, Simon & Schuster, subLOGIC, Epyx and MicroProse), he licensed the game to a small software company named Interstel. Mark Baldwin was brought in to coauthor the game redesigning it for the commercial market. Starting around 1987, Empire: Wargame of the Century on the Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, Apple II, Macintosh and DOS was produced.[citation needed]

Empire Deluxe

[edit]

In the early 1990s, Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky rewrote the game, calling it Empire Deluxe[11] for DOS, Mac OS, and Windows, released in 1993 with New World Computing as the publisher. Empire Deluxe sustained the old game play of Interstel's version in a standard game, while adding a basic version for beginners, and advanced game with new units such as the Bomber and Armor and map sizes up to 200×200.[citation needed]

An expansion pack, Empire Deluxe Scenarios, was produced later in 1993, including a map and scenario statistics tool, a map randomiser tool (as random maps were present in the Interstel version, but lacking from Empire Deluxe), upgrade patches for both DOS and Windows versions and a collection of 37 scenarios (with accompanying maps) from "celebrity" designers, many of them famous in the games industry including Will Wright, Jerry Pournelle, Jim Dunnigan, Johnny Wilson (Computer Gaming World editor), Gordon Walton, Don Gilman (Harpoon series architect), Trevor Sorensen (Star Fleet series designer), and the game's authors Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakosky.[12]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 called Empire Deluxe "a welcome addiction (sic) to the library of every serious strategy gamer".[13] A 1993 survey in the magazine of wargames gave the game four stars out of five, noting flaws but stating that "Yet, I keep on playing".[14] It enjoyed great success, and was noted as one of Gamespy's Greatest Games of All Time.[15] Empire Deluxe was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #195 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.[16] In 1994, PC Gamer US named Empire Deluxe the 35th best computer game ever. The editors called it and "elegant" and "adaptable" game system that allowed "almost endless" replayability.[17]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 stated that Empire Deluxe Scenarios offered "a lot of value" to the game's fans.[12]

Killer Bee Software

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In the Winter of 2002, Mark Kinkead of Killer Bee Software purchased the rights for Empire Deluxe from Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky, and in 2003 produced a new version called Empire Deluxe Internet Edition (EDIE) for Windows. This was essentially a port of the code Baldwin and Rakowsky produced in 1993, with few changes, such as a slightly increased map size (255×255), but did not add any new rules. A year later, Kinkead would create an "Enhanced" version with new units and rules, including artillery, engineers and orbital units. The company produced several other editions for Windows, Android, and iOS.[18]

Sequel

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Main article: Empire II: The Art of War

In 1995, New World Computing published a sequel named Empire II: The Art of War. While the original had been a turn-based strategy, Empire II was shifted towards turn-based tactics: there was no more empire-building and production of units, but the complexity and realism of battles were enhanced with features such as morale rules and various degrees of damage. The playable campaigns consisted of a collection of diverse historical or fictional battles. The game editor feature was enhanced by allowing the user to design not only new maps and campaigns, but also new units with new graphics and sounds.

Legacy

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There are ports and source code for modern PC operating systems available for free download at Walter Bright's Classic Empire webpage.[19] Strategic Conquest, not associated with Bright, is based on Empire.[20]

Sid Meier has stated that Empire inspired his Civilization series.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Bright, Walter (2021-10-20). "A Talk With Computer Gaming Pioneer Walter Bright About Empire" (Interview). Interviewed by Mad Ned.
  2. ^ Bright, Walter. "The Fortran I used for Empire was FORTRAN-10". Hacker News. Y Combinator. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  3. ^ Katz, Arnie (November 1988). "Empire". Ahoy!'s AmigaUser. p. 37.
  4. ^ a b Bright, Walter (2000). "A Brief History of Empire". Walter Bright's Classic Empire. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  5. ^ Empire-for-PDP-10 on github
  6. ^ Actually, the main TOPS-10 operating system developers' machine in Marlboro, MA. Programmer Dave Lyons had downloaded it there from Caltech.
  7. ^ Bright, Walter (1987-11-03). "Empire on comp.sys.atari.st".
  8. ^ "VMS-empire 1.10 released – Armed and Dangerous". 23 August 2013.
  9. ^ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World. No. 148. pp. 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98.
  10. ^ Coleman, Terry (November 1996). "Command Decisions". Computer Gaming World. No. 148. pp. 277, 280.
  11. ^ Empire Deluxe manual. Hollywood, California: New World Computing. 1993. pp. 158–162.
  12. ^ a b Carroll, Mark; Emrich, Alan (November 1993). "A 3.1-Run Homer". Computer Gaming World. p. 178. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  13. ^ Jeffers, Sean (June 1993). "Megalomaniacs Succumb To Empire Deluxe Epidemic". Computer Gaming World. p. 144. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  14. ^ Brooks, M. Evan (November 1991). "Computer Strategy and Wargames: The 1900–1950 Epoch / Part I (A–L) of an Annotated Paiktography". Computer Gaming World. p. 138. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  15. ^ "GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time". GameSpy. July 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  16. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (July 1993). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (195): 57–64.
  17. ^ "PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time". PC Gamer US. No. 3. August 1994. pp. 32–42.
  18. ^ "Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition".
  19. ^ Walter Bright's Classic Empire
  20. ^ Pournelle, Jerry (January 1989). "To the Stars". BYTE. p. 109.
  21. ^ Edwards, Benj (July 18, 2007). "The History of Civilization". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
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