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Emperor Of The Fading Suns
''Emperor of the Fading Suns'' is a turn-based strategy 4X video game developed by Holistic Design, based on their in-house role-playing game setting '' Fading Suns''. It was released for Microsoft Windows in February 1997. The game had a wide array of units and a complex back-story but was rushed to market and released with numerous severe flaws and several features underdeveloped. In patched form, it survives as a popular abandonware title with numerous unofficial, fan-made mods. On October 19, 2020, it was made available on GOG.com. Gameplay The game is played on a galactic map and specific planet maps. Planet maps use a hexa-grid system for movement. Individual units and buildings take up a single grid space. Several menus handle diplomacy, chat, and documentation. In the game, the player controls a feudal lord of a noble house amongst the ruins of a galactic empire. The player must battle other noble houses and rally enough support to be crowned Emperor of the galaxy. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holistic Design
Holistic Design, Inc. (HDI), is an American game company. It was founded in 1992 as Several Dudes Holistic Gaming. The company has developed many computer games in its history, including ''Battles of Destiny'', ''Hammer of the Gods (video game), Hammer of the Gods'', ''Final Liberation'', ''Merchant Prince'' series, ''Emperor of the Fading Suns'', and ''Mall Tycoon''. HDI also has a number of miniatures games in its inventory, including ''Noble Armada'', ''Carnage'' and ''Combat Zone''. Their most famous product is perhaps its role-playing game ''Fading Suns'', but they also have a number of other RPGs to their credit, such as ''Rapture: The Second Coming'', and their Real-Life Roleplaying series covering Afghanistan, Colombia, Somalia, and the FBI. In 2011, the company entered into an arrangement with RedBrick to continue the creation and publication of Fading Suns as a tabletop RPG. The company also announced a tablet game called Noble Armada which has not yet been released. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jungle
A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' (), meaning rough and arid. It came into the English language via Hindi in the 18th century. ''Jāṅgala'' has also been variously transcribed in English as ''jangal'', ''jangla'', ''jungal'', and ''juṅgala''. Although the Sanskrit word refers to dry land, it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its connotation as a dense "tangled thicket", while others have argued that a cognate word in Urdu derived from Persian, جنگل (Jangal), did refer to forests. The term is prevalent in many languages of the Indian subcontinent, and the Iranian Plateau, where it is commonly used to refer to the plant growth replacing primeval forest or to the unkempt tropical vegetation that takes over abandoned areas. History ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4X Video Games
4X (abbreviation of ''Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate'') is a subgenre of strategy-based computer and board games, and include both turn-based and real-time strategy titles. The gameplay involves building an empire. Emphasis is placed upon economic and technological development, as well as a range of military and non-military routes to supremacy. The earliest 4X games borrowed ideas from board games and 1970s text-based computer games. The first 4X computer games were turn-based, but real-time 4X games are common. Many 4X computer games were published in the mid-1990s, but were later outsold by other types of strategy games. Sid Meier's ''Civilization'' is an important example from this formative era, and popularized the level of detail that later became a staple of the genre. In the new millennium, several 4X releases have become critically and commercially successful. In the board (and card) game domain, 4X is less of a distinct genre, in part because of the practica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Wargames
A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use and, in some cases, used for military purposes. History Computer wargames derived from tabletop wargames, which range from military wargaming to recreational wargaming. Wargames appeared on computers as early as ''Empire'' in 1972. The wargaming community saw the possibilities of computer gaming early and made attempts to break into the market, notably Avalon Hill's Microcomputer Games line, which began in 1980 and covered a variety of topics, including adaptations of some of their wargames. In February 1980 Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was the first to sell a serious, professionally packaged computer wargame, '' Computer Bismarck'', a turn-based game based on the last battle of the battleship ''Bismarck''. Wargame designer Gary Gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turn-based Strategy Video Games
In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based. Real-time Real-time games have game time progress continuously according to the game clock. One example of such a game is the sandbox game ''Terraria'', where one day-night cycle of 24 hours is equal to 24 minutes in real time. Players perform actions simultaneously as opposed to in sequential units or turns. Players must perform actions with the consideration that their opponents are actively working against them in real time, and may act at any moment. This introduces time management considerations and additional challenges (such as physical coordination in the case of video games). Real-time gameplay is the dominant form of time-keeping found in simulation video games, and has to a large degree supplanted turn-based systems in other video game genres as well (for instance real-time strateg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 Video Games
1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as '' Final Fantasy VII'', '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night'', '' GoldenEye 007'', ''Star Fox 64'', ''Tomb Raider II'', ''Ultima Online'', and ''Virtua Striker 2'', along with new titles such as '' Everybody's Golf'', '' I.Q.: Intelligent Qube'', ''PaRappa the Rapper'', '' Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee'', '' Gran Turismo'', '' Diablo'', ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Fallout''. Sony's PlayStation was the year's best-selling video game console worldwide for the second year in a row, while also being the annual best-selling console in Japan for the first time (overtaking the Game Boy and Sega Saturn). The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Squaresoft's ''Final Fantasy VII'' for the PlayStation, while the year's highest-grossing arcade games in Japan were Sega's ''Virtua Fighter 3'' and '' Print Club 2''. Events *March 6 - Sega opens Sega World Sydney in Australia. It is the second Sega World park to open outs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unofficial Patch
An unofficial patch is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alleviates bugs or shortcomings. Unofficial patches do not usually change the intended usage of the software, in contrast to other third-party software adaptions such as mods or cracks. Motivation A common motivation for the creation of unofficial patches is missing technical support by the original software developer or provider. Reasons may include: *the software product reached its defined end-of-life and/or was superseded by a successor product (planned obsolescence) * the software was originally designed to operate in a substantially different environment and may require improvement/optimization (porting) * the developer has gone out of business and is not available anymore (abandonware) *support is not economically viable (e.g. localization for small markets) *a fast solution for a t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
End-of-life (product)
An end-of-life product (EOL product) is a product at the end of the product lifecycle which prevents users from receiving updates, indicating that the product is at the end of its useful life (from the vendor's point of view). At this stage, a vendor stops the marketing, selling, or provisioning of parts, services, or software updates for the product. The vendor may simply intend to limit or end support for the product. In the specific case of product sales, a vendor may employ the more specific term "end-of-sale" ("EOS"). All users can continue to access discontinued products, but cannot receive security updates and technical support. The time-frame after the last production date depends on the product and relates to the expected product lifetime from a customer's point of view. Different lifetime examples include toys from fast food chains (weeks or months), mobile phones (3 years) and cars (10 years). Product support Product support during EOL varies by product. For hardware ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition to the information produced by ''GameSpot'' staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. It has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. In 2004, ''GameSpot'' won "Best Gaming Website" as chosen by the viewers in Spike TV's second ''Video Game Award Show'', and has won Webby Awards several times. The domain ''gamespot.com'' attracted at least 60 million visitors annually by October 2008 according to a Compete.com study. History In January 1996, Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein quit their positions at IDG and founded SpotMedia Communications. SpotMedia then launched ''GameSpot'' on May 1, 1996. Originally, ''GameSpot'' focused solely on personal computer games, so a sis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Future US
Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, the corporation has offices in: Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C. Future US is owned by parent company, Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England. History The company was established when Future plc acquired struggling Greensboro ( N.C.) video game magazine publisher GP Publications, publisher of ''Game Players'' magazine, in 1994. The company launched a number of titles including ''PC Gamer'', and relocated from North Carolina to the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. When Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc he retained GP, renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and operated it as h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Next Generation (magazine)
''Next Generation'' was a video game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (now Future US). It was affiliated to and shared editorial with the UK's ''Edge'' magazine. ''Next Generation'' ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West. Other editors included Chris Charla, Tom Russo, and Blake Fischer. ''Next Generation'' initially covered the 32-bit consoles including 3DO, Atari Jaguar, and the then-still unreleased Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Unlike competitors ''GamePro'' and ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', the magazine was directed towards a different readership by focusing on the industry itself rather than individual games. Publication history The magazine was first published by GP Publications up until May 1995 when the publisher rebranded as Imagine Media. In September 1999, ''Next Generation'' was redesigned, its cover name shortened to simply ''NextGen''. This would start what was known as "Lif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PC Gamer US
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries. The magazine features news on developments in the video game industry, previews of new games, and reviews of the latest popular PC games, along with other features relating to hardware, mods, "classic" games and various other topics. Review system ''PC Gamer'' reviews are written by the magazine's editors and freelance writers, and rate games on a percent scale. In the UK edition, no game has yet been awarded more than 96% (''Kerbal Space Program'', '' Civilization II'', ''Half-Life'', ''Half-Life 2'', ''Minecraft'', ''Spelunky'' and ''Quake II''). In the US edition, no game has yet received a rating higher than 98% (''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'', ''Half-Life 2'', and ''Crysis''). In the UK edition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
