FAQ and New Screenshots

[Gobalopper]

Coming straight from Westwood this time is an official FAQ and two brand new screenshots. The FAQ doesn't provide anything we didn't already know, just gives an official answer to some of the more common questions and expands on others. Below are three of the ten questions it answers:

Is the engine technology completely new? Regardless, what are some of its most notable new features?

We are using a completely new 3D engine, which is custom designed for Emperor. Many technical issues - like sand and rock visualization and camera movement - are specific to Emperor, and we came up with unique solutions for each of them. From the beginning, our main goal in using 3D technology was that it serve to enhance gameplay. We never want to use 3D for the sake of 3D. This technology not only adds beauty and depth to RTS games, but it's used in a way that will better allow the player to control the battle in front of him. The player will be able to control the camera to his or her benefit (zooming in and out, and rotating the battlefield), but the camera movements will never become cumbersome or difficult to manoeuvre.

Tell us about the AI in Emperor.

We designed the AI with the goal of making it feel like an online opponent. We wanted to capture the uncertainty, surprise factor, and various game strategies of a human player. Therefore, we developed a complex system that teaches the AI about map features and player strategies. When a mission starts, the AI knows nothing about the map it cannot see, and will usually start a scout mission to push back the shroud and keep the fog-of-war away. After that, it uses the war strategies of the house it is playing to defend its base and start an offense. The AI is aware of unit positions it can see and will plan accordingly. It's quite good at finding your weakest link and hitting it hard.

A recent trend in the RTS genre - especially 3D titles - has been a focus on tactical combat at the expense of building and managing bases. What kind of focus will Emperor have?

Emperor is focused around deep and involved strategy along with diverse tactics, but to answer your question, we are indeed using base building and resource collection. Also, we have added a whole new level of strategy in the campaign level of the game. Which territory do you attack next? How do you plan for defending your hard fought victories? Which alliances should you pursue? The battlefield, the diverse houses, the distinctive units, and ability to ally with sub-houses all contribute to generating unique combinations of armies and tactics.

The first screenshot is a battle on the sand with what looks to be a Carryall picking up a damaged Missile Tank, there is also some Infantry running around. The second is of an Ordos base, possibly on their homeplanet, with a few different units. I think the Ordos special "electrical attack" unit is shown just right of the Refinery but I can't be certain. Take a look and discuss these latest screenshots and FAQ in the forum.