Thunder was kind enough to pass on this delicious cyberbit. Not content with its current flock of games soaring the cyber heavens, MS is announcing 'Rise of Nations'. It is already being touted as the fastest fun fling from stones to nanoguns that'll be out there in 2003. Enough blabbing from me; let's see what Brian Reynolds (no less!) has to impart:
"This is the game I've always wanted to do," said Reynolds. "I'm excited to be creating an RTS experience that covers the breadth of history without getting bogged down in the minutia. Rise of Nations makes it easy for players to jump from the strategic to the tactical view while growing their empire. We expect this to be the start of a memorable new franchise."
Slated to hit stores in spring 2003, Rise of Nations starts players in the Stone Age with a single village. Players can then quickly advance to modern times by expanding their economy, taking over as much land as possible, building a giant military machine, and working their way up to more advanced technologies. In addition, multiplayer options give players the ability to negotiate with each other, build alliances or play a game of global domination.
Rise of Nations will incorporate units ranging from elephants to heavy tanks, from zeppelins to stealth bombers and from ballistas to howitzers. Civilizations include such diverse cultures as Bantu, French, and Korean.
Today I was finally able to pick up a big box at the post office. Inside were a small splitter and a little green flying saucer! Nope, I'm not teaching at Roswell High (there are days that I do wonder about that, actually). I've finally got my big bad broadband connection! As you can see I've been putting it to good use already. Now, if I can just find some wimps to play Stronghold with...er, I mean if I can just get my password on the HG forums sorted out I can browse and post to my little heart's content. Oh happy little green devil fish...
Today I was finally able to pick up a big box at the post office. Inside were a small splitter and a little green flying saucer! Nope, I'm not teaching at Roswell High (there are days that I do wonder about that, actually). I've finally got my big bad broadband connection! As you can see I've been putting it to good use already. Now, if I can just find some wimps to play Stronghold with...er, I mean if I can just get my password on the HG forums sorted out I can browse and post to my little heart's content. Oh happy little green devil fish...
Just a few days ago I was lucky enough to meet one of the hardest and coolest working members of the happy HeavenGames hearties: ar, Heavenmate Angel Jayhawk (really a savvy, sophisticated Seraph serving saucy sections at more sites than I can name). By the by Hawkie, remind this old seadog not to imbibe on a school night! (To the students at ASH with the 200-page essay assignment over the holidays: I’m sure you’ll use your common sense. :-))
Any-ar, seems that Stronghold has got a Hawkhold on good old AJ. Where does he find the time for yet another passion? Personally, I blame these recent cloning experiments. :-) He is totally enamored of Stronghold Heaven as befits true Seraphhood and he may just have passed the bug on to yours truly. Oh, should you be in the Netherlands, more precisely in the Leiden-The Hague area, I have bad news for you: I just picked up the last copy of Stronghold on Friday. All my guilt about having bought that game and, while I was spending borrowed money anyway, Empire Earth too, was banished to the realms of cavemen and castles once I started playing these games (yep, I have the next nine days off—one of the benefits of teaching). I can see what moves AJ and, to mention one more slavishly devoted Angel, Seraph Park to work wonders at their respective sites.
Empire Earth just gives you all of what you wanted Age II to be or, if you are like me, what you wanted Age I to be. As for Stronghold’s excuse: well, Firefly Studios just got up one day and decided that it was going to put the best of Sims, RTSs, role play and board games together to put a lock hold on the gaming community at large. Expect to gasp for a long time. Also, expect to see some production from me for a change—of course, not until I finish ‘testing’ these games thoroughly. :-) Speaking of which, my P3 Viao portable is not performing too well on these games. You know, someone told me that I can borrow money from my employer interest free, have the loan deducted from my salary over one year, nix the taxes on that part of my income and enjoy a new P4 now… . Ain’t debt a wonderful thing in Holland? Now I just have to wait for my DSL to be hooked up and then I’m really gaming…er, writing!
It’s been a busy week and I’m sure you’re all glad it’s weekend time. Now you might have time to peruse some of the sites more closely, I know I do. The staff are still getting a lot of questions in e-mails. That’s fine if you’ve tried other options to no avail but please do post your questions in the forums at the game site pertaining to the game you have a question about before you send off an e-mail to HeavenGames staff. It still is the fastest way to get a good response.
Have you noticed that our relatively new sites, like Star Wars and Stronghold have clocked nearly 200k and 50k visitors? Way to go site crews and visitors! We’re also happy to note that the software houses creating the games we all love are cooperating with HG to give you the coverage you deserve. Way to go developing community! I guess it’s just good news all around today.
At long last I am able to write to the many faithful fans of HeavenGames and the games it features! Where have I been all this time? Or, considering the absence, more appropriately: who am I? It’s Angel Alexander I! I started hanging out here alone at the portal to HG back in 1998, remember? Of course a lot changed in 2001 when we allowed just anyone to post happenings from HG’s constituent sites here. :-) I see that that was a good move because now a lot of you ride the portal before you slip off into your favourite site(s). In true ‘big bang’ style, I am now also released from giving you a daily digest of news. I can solely concentrate on highlighting aspects of the sites, you, our fans and, of course, our dedicated staff (yep, I have other things to do for the sites too). Thanks to all of you for being so loyal to HeavenGames.
So, be afraid, be very afraid: I’m back! Now, as to the first question above: it’s a long story but let’s start today by saying that I was an indirect victim of September 11th and a quickly worsening situation in Colombia. This bad combo forced me to seek employment in unusual places (no, the rumour about joining the circus is completely and blatantly untrue) and I got just that. I returned to Dutch terra firma and landed a job at no less than the American School of The Hague, my alma mater! It’s a strange world eh? If you are a student there and you’ve seen this distracted Dutch teacher wandering around and spending a lot of time on school computers, that would be me…maybe.
In any case, I’m back on the job to put things into the ‘AAI’ perspective and maybe even do some special stuff for you as I have done in the past. Oh, and just to show you that I wasn’t totally slacking off, I did manage to get that progress report on Age of Mythology and ES coverage out to you late last year. Ah, it’s so good to be in the right place at the right time and to have friends there. Here’s AAI signing off for today, quite thrilled to be back!
