Imperial Glory
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| Imperial Glory | |
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| Developer(s) | Pyro Studios(For Windows) Robosoft Technologies (For Mac) |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive, Feral Interactive (Mac) |
| Platform(s) | Mac OS X, Windows |
| Release date | 5/17/05, 12/5/06 (Mac) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen |
| Media | DVD |
| System requirements | Processor: 1 GHz, 1.67 GHz G4 (Mac)
Operating System: Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.4 RAM: 256 MB, 512 MB (Mac) Video Card: GeForce 3 / Radeon 8500 or above (integrated graphics are not supported) Hard Drive Space: 2.5 GB, 4 GB (Mac) |
Imperial Glory is a Napoleonic Era real-time tactics (RTT) game developed by Pyro Studios and published by Eidos that was released to the public in May 2005.
The game is set between 1789 and 1830 and allows the player to choose between the great empires of the age - Great Britain, France, Austria, Russia and Prussia to go conquer Europe, North Africa and the middle east. The game has 3D land and naval battles and has a strategic campaign similar to the one of Rome: Total War, but takes place on a parchment map similar to Medieval: Total War or games such as Risk.
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[edit] Units
Players can select the same basic units for all sides. Infantry consists of militia (except Great Britain), line infantry, light infantry, grenadiers, riflemen, and royal guard (or Black Watch, or other elite units depending on the country played). Although some names may differ for different countries, all the units have the same stats. Cavalry consist of dragoons, hussars, lancers, and guard cavalry. The player can choose from the following artillery: 6 pound cannons, Congreve rockets (Great Britain only), howitzers, 12 pound cannons, horse howitzers, and horse artillery. In the Campaign mode of the game units are moved around the map by assigning them to one of the types of commander - either a captain, colonel, general or marshal. Each can command a certain number of units.
In sea battles, players can choose to use several different kinds of sailing ship. Ships consist of sloops, frigates and ships of the line.
[edit] Politics
The game features a strategic game mode where you can command either the British, French, Austrian, Russian or Prussian empires and fight across a strategic map of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Armies and ships are moved around the map in different territories where battles can be fought. Players can also engage in complex politics including several alliance options. Many different kinds of buildings can be built that give certain advantages to the player or to allow them to recruit certain units. Research is used to develop new types of units to be recruited and different buildings to be built. Trade routes can be set up as well, either to trade with other nations or internally.
[edit] Reception and criticism
Imperial Glory was generally received as a fair though not great game with great potential but rough edges. Gamespy reported that the "system's biggest problem is that it doesn't model morale. This means that your men basically turn into mindless automatons, and not very smart ones, either" (battles to the last soldier rarely, if at all, occurred in that day and age) and rounded off the review with "[Imperial Glory] shows a lot of untapped promise and potential, but it also possesses raw edges and missed opportunities. This is still an enjoyable game, though, so long as you're willing to overlook the flaws." [1]
Jon Wilcox of Totalvidegames.com rated the game nine out of ten and summed it up: "with its many touches of depth and sophistication along with a handful of innovative features, Imperial Glory comes across as a unique experience even amongst the likes of Rome: Total War."
Eurogamer was less enthusiastic and noted that "it's a disjointed and ill-paced game. On the strategy map ... there's relatively little you can do in a single turn, except fiddle and press "next turn". ... More critically, on the actual tactical real-time maps you are unable to either speed up time when nothing is happening or pause to issue orders when things get too hectic."[2]
Most reviewers also commented on difficulties managing sea battles. Land battles have also been criticized as fairly untactical and repetitive, with simple numerical advantage and only very basic strategic competence necessary for victory.
