Empire Earth — How to Play
What it is
A real-time strategy game from Stainless Steel Studios (2001) that covers all of human history in one game: from the Prehistoric age to the Nano Age of giant robots. The expansion The Art of Conquest (2002) adds a Space Age, civilization powers and new campaigns. The Gold Edition contains both.
The basics
- Citizens gather food, wood, stone, gold and iron.
- Advance through epochs (see Epochs); each brings new units and buildings and retires old ones.
- Combat is rock-paper-scissors: every unit type has counters, so a mixed army beats a large army of one type.
- Heroes lead and heal your troops; Prophets call down plagues, earthquakes and volcanoes; Priests convert enemy units.
- Each Wonder gives a special power to the civilization that builds it.
Starting out
- Play the tutorial and the first missions of a campaign.
- In skirmish, pick a start and end epoch: a short span keeps the first games simple.
- Read Install and Setup to get the game running and online.