Ensemble Studios was a game development studio that was created in Dallas in 1995. Two years later it released "Age of Empires" which turned into one of the best computer games of the decade. More importantly the studio created the benchmark of the Real-Time Strategy genre. Subsequently Ensemble went on to make Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology and Age of Empires 3. They recently finished "Halo Wars" a strategy game for XBox. Microsoft was the publisher that Ensemble had for all their productions. In March of this year Ensemble Studios was closed down.
Age of Empires- The original game focused on early civilizations of 3000 years ago in the Mediterranean and Middle east. By today's standards it is clumsy and chunky and everything seems like its on a hidden grid system.
Age of Empires 2 -The sequel game focused on the age of kings. The game time-frame was from the Dark Ages of 400 C.E. to 1500 C.E. and the age of Spanish exploration. Much better than the first, considered by some to be the best work Ensemble did. Graphics much improved but the game-play was still slow.
Age of Mythology- Back tracked on the time-line to ancient Greeks, Egypt, and Norse cultures. Mythological influence was heavy and made the series less historically accurate but interesting. A big step was faster paced game matches. Some fans were very critical of Ensemble basing a game on mythology instead of history. But a lot of human history has been influence by fantasy.
Age of Empires 3- The series returned and is set during Colonial times. European powers are bent on exploration and conquest of the New World. Huge leap in graphic visualizations and world physics. Light on innovation but large in presentation.
The best improvements made over the years is much greater visual detail and easier game-play and the ability to play games in 20 minutes or less. The early games had a slower pace to them and could be dragged out for hours, I had time in college to play that long. In Age of Mythology and Age 3 games are much better paced and are just as enjoyable with less free time invested. All of the above games had expansion packs or add-ons released later with additional content and improvements.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Age of Empires The Third:part 1
More recently, during some free time in the evenings, I have been going to virtual battle on the computer. Age of Empires, the entire series of computer games have intrigued me for over a decade. Most notably is the latest and last installment, Age of Empires 3 and it's expansions The Warchiefs and The Asian Dynasties.
What I love about this game is the strategy and thinking involved. While you could choose to passively play the game on an easy level, I choose to be challenged. With this, I have to apply lots of basic math skills to be successful and it makes the game rewarding and satisfying. Age 3 is not a new game. It was released in October of 2005, so I have tons of experience with it. A few years ago I played online frequently and I met a lot of interesting people. Surprisingly many were professionals. I met teachers, lawyers, dentists, drafters, artists, and even winemakers. I still have contact with some of them today. They live in locations from Kansas to Brazil to even Greece and New Zealand. In total I played over 1100 games online and held a rank of Major.Today I play casually offline. My wife will sometimes play along on the LAN, but I think she enjoys Titan Quest a touch more.
The basics of the game involve resource gathering and the construction of buildings and the training of units. Conquest is the basic idea, however there are other ways to win. Knowing the intricate system of balance multipliers that units ( musketeers, dragoons, swiss pikemen, samurai, highlanders, etc. ) have and the unique characteristics of Civilizations ( France, Spain, Japan, Sioux, Aztecs, Russians, Ottomans, etc. ) have creates interesting game play and strategy.
Honestly, I think everyone I know would find this game interesting and maybe even try if for themselves. If given an hour I could show how the game can ultimately be entertaining and yet give a sense of being educational. I play Age 3 on my self built computer so it's optimized for playing this. Being able to play this with full effects and physics on widescreen make it better than a cinematic movie. Below are 2 screens from recent play with my wife. Notice how her score is better than mine.
What I love about this game is the strategy and thinking involved. While you could choose to passively play the game on an easy level, I choose to be challenged. With this, I have to apply lots of basic math skills to be successful and it makes the game rewarding and satisfying. Age 3 is not a new game. It was released in October of 2005, so I have tons of experience with it. A few years ago I played online frequently and I met a lot of interesting people. Surprisingly many were professionals. I met teachers, lawyers, dentists, drafters, artists, and even winemakers. I still have contact with some of them today. They live in locations from Kansas to Brazil to even Greece and New Zealand. In total I played over 1100 games online and held a rank of Major.Today I play casually offline. My wife will sometimes play along on the LAN, but I think she enjoys Titan Quest a touch more.
The basics of the game involve resource gathering and the construction of buildings and the training of units. Conquest is the basic idea, however there are other ways to win. Knowing the intricate system of balance multipliers that units ( musketeers, dragoons, swiss pikemen, samurai, highlanders, etc. ) have and the unique characteristics of Civilizations ( France, Spain, Japan, Sioux, Aztecs, Russians, Ottomans, etc. ) have creates interesting game play and strategy.
Honestly, I think everyone I know would find this game interesting and maybe even try if for themselves. If given an hour I could show how the game can ultimately be entertaining and yet give a sense of being educational. I play Age 3 on my self built computer so it's optimized for playing this. Being able to play this with full effects and physics on widescreen make it better than a cinematic movie. Below are 2 screens from recent play with my wife. Notice how her score is better than mine.
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