Rise of Nationsis areal-time strategycomputer game, developed byBig Huge Gamesand pu

blished byMicrosoft Game Studioson May 20, 2003. The development of the game was l
ed by veteran game designerBrian Reynolds, ofCivilization IIandSid Meier's Alpha Cen
tauri. The game has taken several concepts fromturn-based strategygames such as te
rritories andattrition warfare.[1]Rise of Nationsfeatures 18civilizations, playable
through eight ages of world history. It is consistently ranked and considered to
be one of the greatest real-time strategy games of all time.[2]
Rise of Nations: Extended Editionis a re-release of the main game and its expansi
on onSteam, released on June 12, 2014. Graphical changes to the game include upda
ted textures, lighting and water. Other changes to the game includeSteamworksinteg
ration which addscloud saves, Steam Trading Cards,achievements,Twitchintegration and
multiplayer withEloranked matches to the game.Extended Editionis developed bySkyBox
Labs.[3][4][5]
Gameplay

A screenshot fromRise of Nations

The core ofRise of Nations's gameplay centers around the concept of "territory".
The area near the player's settlements is considered their territory, and player
s may only construct buildings within their territory or that of an ally. A nati
on's borders can be expanded by the creation and expansion of cities and forts,
atechnology tree, and obtaining access to certain rare resources. Other technolog
ies and resources cause enemy units within a nation's borders to sufferattritionov
er time, which can eventually destroy an unsupplied invasion force.
Citizens inRise of Nationsgather resources, or build or repair damaged buildings.
All of the six resource types inRise of Nationsare infinite in supply.
Any of the game's nations can be played during any age, regardless of that natio
n's fate throughout actual history. Each of the 18 civilizations inRise of Nation
shas 4 to 8 unique units. Some unique units are based on units that those nations
would have, if they were not destroyed in real-life. For example, the Native Am
erican nations (theAztecs,Maya, andInca) have unique units in the Modern and Inform
ation ages which resemble real-world Iberian-South American guerrillas. There ar
e 4 end conditions: capture, territorial superiority, wonder victory, or score v
ictory.
Gameplay focuses heavily on creating a balance between offense, defense, and eco
nomy. Generalship is also needed in this game like most RTS games; this includes
a knowledge of the troops and what they are good at fighting. For example,pikeme
nare better thancannonat killingcavalry. Terrain plays a major part in this game and
knowing the terrain is an important asset in battle. Generals can also be creat
ed from a fort to aid an army.
Fivetactical formationsare also available, including the ability to compress or ex
pand the line of battle. When a formation is chosen, the selected units automati
cally reposition themselves accordingly, typically with faster moving units in t
he front and slower moving, vulnerable units in the rear.
In a manner similar tochess, slightstrategicmistakes early in the game can turn int
o majortacticalproblems later on. For example, if a player starts with the nomad s
etting where no city is built at the start, it is wise to scout for an area that
has resources before building a city, for without resources there is no army an
d the player will lose.
A single-player campaign,Conquer the World, is included in the game. It is compar
able to theboard gameRisk, except that attacks are resolved with a real-time battl
e, which can last as long as 90 minutes depending upon the scenario. The player
can also purchase reinforcements or bonus cards and engage in diplomacy with oth
er nations. The campaign starts at the Ancient Age and progresses slowly over th
e course over the campaign to end at the Information Age (present day). During a
battle it may be possible to advance to the next available age and upgrade unit
s for the battle.
Rise of Nationsuses anElo rating systemto rank players.
Units
There are more than 100 different units inRise of Nations, ranging from the Ancie
nt AgeHopliteto the Information AgeStealth Bomber. Military units are created at ce
rtain structures: theBarracks,Stable/Auto Plant,Siege Factory/Factory,Dock/Shipyard/
Anchorage,Airbase,Missile silo, andFort/Castle/Fortress/Redoubt.
Most Infantry units operate in squads of three, and when a player builds an infa
ntry unit, three soldiers are produced, rather than just one soldier. Exceptions
to this rule are: Scout and Special Forces units, armed civilians, flamethrower
s, and machine gunners.
Unit types, such as Light Infantry, Heavy Infantry, and Ranged Cavalry, can be u
pgraded as the player advances through the ages. These upgrades usually represen
t revolutionary changes in their particular field. For example, theArquebusierof t
he Gunpowder Age becomes theMusketeerof the Enlightenment Age, representing the gr
eat advantage offlintlockmuskets over the earliermatchlockmuskets and showing increa
sed attack power and reload speed. Also, each nation gets its own set of unique
units. For example, theGreekscan buildCompanion cavalry; theRussianscan buildRed Guard
sinfantry andT-80tanks; theBritishcan buildLongbowmen,Highlanders, andAvro Lancaster
rs; and theGermansget theTigerandLeopardtanks. In theThrones and Patriotsexpansion pa
the Americans can build various Marine units.
Because of the wide variety of units in the game, players have the opportunity t
o create an army customized to their tastes. Most units have a cost that is roug
hly equal to that of their peers. Additionally, most units use only two resource
types, making the creation of diverse armies easier and almost required. Terrac
ed costs further contribute to the incentive for a diverse army, as each additio
nal unit a player creates of a single type will cost slightly more than the last
.
Wonders
Wonders are important buildings in the game. They are real-life structures rangi
ng from theColossusand thePyramidsto theSupercolliderandSpace Program. They provide va
ious benefits such as improving resource gathering or making units cheaper. Buil
ding wonders can also allow a player to win the game if 'wonder victory' is chos
en as a custom setting of the game, as each wonder is worth a preset amount of "
Wonder Points". Wonders can be built starting in the Classical Age. The only exc
eption is the Egyptians can make wonders an age earlier. As you progress in the
game the wonders become more expensive, but generate more points. For example, t
he Supercollider is worth eight times as much as the Pyramids in terms of Wonder
Points.
Multiplayer
GameSpywas originally used to host the game but currently does not host the game
on their servers. The LAN networking, implemented on both platforms, provides a
system for people on the same network to play together. There is also a Direct-I
P option, allowing non-networked players to connect without the use of GameSpy.
Cross-platform play is not supported between Windows and Mac users.
Game is currently available onSteam (software)that makes multiplayer games simple
to create.