Rise of Nations is a real-time strategy video game created by Big Huge Games and released by Microsoft Game Studios in May 2003. The game combines ideas from turn-based strategy games with real-time strategy gameplay. Brian Reynolds, who started Big Huge Games after working on turn-based games like Civilization II and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, led its development. Unlike earlier historical real-time strategy games, Rise of Nations covers history from ancient times to the modern era. Players can choose from eighteen civilizations across eight major periods of world history. The game introduced new features, such as territory management and attrition mechanics inspired by turn-based and 4X strategy genres.
At its release, Rise of Nations was praised for its unique gameplay elements and wide range of historical content. Many publications later listed it among the best strategy games of its time and all time. An expansion pack, Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots, was released in 2004, adding new monuments, civilizations, governments, and story campaigns. A fantasy-themed spin-off, Rise of Legends, came out in 2006. In 2009, Big Huge Games was bought by 38 Studios, which sold the rights to Rise of Nations to Microsoft in 2012. Microsoft later re-released the game digitally as Rise of Nations: Extended Edition in 2014 for Steam and 2017 for the Microsoft Store, developed by SkyBox Labs.
Gameplay
The main idea of Rise of Nations is building and managing territory. The land near a player’s settlements is their territory. Players can only build structures within their own territory or an ally’s territory, except for the Lakota. A nation’s borders grow by building cities, forts, using technology, and gaining access to rare resources. Some technologies and resources cause enemy units inside a nation’s borders to slowly weaken over time, which can eventually destroy an enemy force that lacks supplies.
Citizens in the game collect resources, build or repair structures. There are six types of resources in the game, and all are available in unlimited amounts.
Players can choose any of the 18 civilizations in the game during any historical age, even if that civilization did not exist in real life during that time. Each civilization has 4 to 8 unique units. Some units are based on real-world military units that those civilizations might have used if they had not been destroyed in history. For example, the Native American civilizations (Aztecs, Maya, and Inca) have unique units in the Modern and Information ages that resemble real-world Iberian-South American guerrilla fighters. The game has four ways to win: capturing an enemy’s capital, having more territory than the enemy, building a special structure called a wonder, or achieving the highest score.
The game requires players to balance offense, defense, and economy. Like many real-time strategy games, players must understand troop strengths and weaknesses. For example, pikemen are better than cannons at fighting cavalry. Terrain, such as mountains or forests, affects battles, and knowing how to use the land is important. Generals can be created from forts to help lead armies.
Five battle formations are available, such as compressing or expanding the line of soldiers. When a formation is chosen, units automatically rearrange themselves, usually placing faster units in the front and slower units in the back.
Small mistakes early in the game can lead to bigger problems later. For example, if a player starts as a nomad without building a city, they should scout for resources before building a city. Without resources, it is hard to build units or structures, which can lead to losing the game.
The game includes a single-player campaign called Conquer the World, which is similar to the board game Risk, but battles are played in real time and can last up to 90 minutes. Players can buy reinforcements or use bonus cards, and they can negotiate with other nations. Bonus and reinforcement cards are used from the Map screen. If a player attacks and captures another nation’s capital, they take control of all that nation’s territory and eliminate the nation. The campaign begins in the Ancient Age and ends in the Information Age. During battles, players may advance to the next age and upgrade units.
The game uses an Elo rating system to rank players based on skill.
There are more than 100 different units in the game, from ancient soldiers like Hoplites to modern units like Stealth Bombers. Units are built at specific structures, such as Barracks, Stables, Siege Factories, Docks, Airbases, Missile Silos, and Forts.
Most infantry units are made in groups of three soldiers. Exceptions include Scout units, Special Forces, armed civilians, flamethrowers, and machine gunners.
Units like Light Infantry, Heavy Infantry, and Ranged Cavalry can be upgraded as the game progresses through ages. Upgrades often represent major changes, such as the Arquebusier from the Gunpowder Age becoming the Musketeer in the Enlightenment Age, which has faster reloads and stronger attacks. Each civilization has unique units, such as the Greeks’ Companion Cavalry, the Russians’ Red Guards and T-80 tanks, the British’ Longbowmen and Avro Lancaster Bombers, and the Germans’ Tiger and Leopard tanks. In the Thrones and Patriots expansion, the Americans can build Marine units.
Because there are so many units, players can create armies tailored to their strategies. Most units cost about the same as others and use two resource types, making it easier to build diverse armies. Costs increase slightly for each additional unit of the same type, encouraging variety.
Wonders are special buildings based on real-life structures, such as the Colossus, Pyramids, and Supercollider. They provide benefits like faster resource gathering or cheaper unit costs. If "wonder victory" is chosen as a win condition, players can win by building enough wonders, as each wonder gives a set number of "wonder points." Wonders become more expensive but give more points as the game progresses. For example, the Supercollider gives eight times more points than the Pyramids.
The game was once hosted by GameSpy, but it is no longer supported. Players can use LAN networking to play with others on the same network. A Direct-IP option allows players to connect without GameSpy. However, the game does not support cross-platform play between Windows and Mac users.
The game is currently available on Steam, making it easy to set up multiplayer matches.
Development and release
Big Huge Games was founded in April 2000 by Brian Reynolds, the lead developer of Rise of Nations. Reynolds and other key developers had previously worked with Sid Meier at MicroProse and Firaxis Games, creating turn-based strategy games, including titles in the Civilization series. Doug Kaufman, a designer, explained that Reynolds decided to start an independent project because he believed turn-based strategy games were becoming less popular and because Firaxis Games did not support adding real-time gameplay elements to the Civilization series. Rise of Nations was developed by a team of 25 full-time staff and additional contractors, many of whom had previously worked at MicroProse and Firaxis Games.
In August 2000, Big Huge Games signed a publishing deal with Microsoft to create multiple games. Rise of Nations became the main project for Big Huge Games and was shown at the Microsoft International Games Festival in Las Vegas in February 2002. Microsoft also displayed previews of the game at events like Gen Con in August 2002 and E3 in May 2003. In February 2003, Microsoft released a public beta version of the game, offering 1,000 copies to participants in a competition. In March 2003, Microsoft delayed the game’s release from April 22 to May 20 to allow the team to improve the game. The final version of Rise of Nations was completed in April 2003 and released on May 20 in North America and May 23 in Europe.
The development of Rise of Nations focused on testing and refining new ideas for real-time strategy games. Brian Reynolds, the lead developer, said the team brainstormed 10 ideas for features in the game. Features that did not work were removed, while others, like attrition (loss of units over time), national borders, and city capture, were kept. One idea, including different government models, was later used in the Thrones and Patriots expansion. Other features, such as a complex technology tree, were simplified after being found too complicated.
The main goal of Rise of Nations was to allow players to complete games quickly. Brian Reynolds explained that Microsoft required the team to prove the game could be played in under an hour. This involved creating artwork for different historical eras and balancing gameplay across many unit types. Reynolds admitted that aircraft and offensive units were initially too powerful.
The Conquer the World campaign took over six months to develop. Designer Ike Ellis said the team abandoned a plan for a series of simple, linear scenarios because they were too boring. Instead, the campaign was inspired by the board game Diplomacy, using supply centers as a key mechanic. Producer Tim Train noted that combat in the game was designed to be large-scale and strategic, focusing on directing large armies rather than small groups of units.
The soundtrack of Rise of Nations was composed by Duane Decker, who had previously worked on the MechWarrior series. Decker combined world music with cinematic styles, using rare instruments like the Irish whistle, Russian balalaika, and Tuvan throat singing. The soundtrack was released on DVD in June 2003, featuring surround sound versions of the game’s opening cinematics and interviews. It was the first video game soundtrack released on DVD in surround sound.
Reception
Rise of Nations and its expansion pack, Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots, sold more than 1 million copies combined. In the United States, Rise of Nations sold 420,000 copies and earned $15.9 million by August 2006, after being released in May 2003. It was the 35th best-selling computer game in the country between January 2000 and August 2006. By August 2006, all Rise of Nations-related games released between January 2000 and that date had sold 700,000 copies in the United States.
Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews. Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews, reported that the game received "generally favorable reviews" with an average score of 89%. Many reviewers praised the game’s design, which combined elements of real-time strategy games with turn-based strategy features. Rob Fahey of Eurogamer called it "innovative and massively enjoyable," saying it combined the best parts of two popular game genres into one of the most accessible and deep strategy games ever made. Elliott Chin of GameSpot said the game’s mix of strategy styles made it "truly excellent," adding that the game introduced new ideas that made it more enjoyable than other real-time strategy games. PC Gamer noted that the game pushed the genre forward by using new gameplay features like national borders, alliances, and city capture mechanics.
The "Conquer the World" mode in the game received special attention. William Abner of GameSpy said the mode was "a great minigame" with "infinite replay value" for players. Rob Fahey of Eurogamer called it "an excellent substitute for a linear campaign mode" but noted the turn-based gameplay was "simple." GamePro said the mode was a "great twist" on traditional story modes but criticized it for feeling repetitive after multiple rounds. Elliott Chin of GameSpot said the mode was "enjoyable, if a bit simple," adding that it gave the game a strong single-player component, even though it was "not as developed" as the main real-time gameplay.
Some reviewers had mixed opinions about the game’s combat mechanics. IGN praised the game’s interface and unit management but said large battles could become "unwieldy," with multiplayer matches requiring "mindless clicking." Di Luo of Computer Gaming World said the game had too many mechanics, like attrition and spies, making it hard to manage during battles. Rob Fahey of Eurogamer noted that the game’s speed made it "too tricky" to perform tactical moves, requiring fast mouse clicks to control units.
Some critics said the game lacked depth in its variety of ages and nations. GameSpy said the game was "bloated" with too many features. Game Informer noted that while the game offered many nations, some had better abilities than others. IGN said the game had many races but they lacked unique personalities, as they used only three different graphic sets. However, John Dewhurst of PC PowerPlay said the game’s diversity was a strength, even if some critics thought it was too light to be fully immersive.
GameSpot named Rise of Nations the best computer game of May 2003. It won PC Gamer US’s 2003 "Best Real-Time Strategy Game" award and was a runner-up for "Best Game of 2003," which went to Knights of the Old Republic. The magazine called it "a blueprint for the genre’s future." Computer Games Magazine ranked it the fifth-best computer game of 2003 and gave it an award for "Best Interface." Computer Gaming World nominated it for "Strategy Game of the Year" but it lost to Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic.
At the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the game was nominated for four awards: "Game of the Year," "Computer Game of the Year," "Computer Strategy Game of the Year," and "Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming."
Over time, the game has been praised as one of the best strategy games ever made. PC Gamer said it successfully added elements from turn-based games like Civilization to real-time strategy. Rock Paper Shotgun called it "complex and rewarding," comparing it to a real-time version of Civilization. PC PowerPlay said the game was "cohesive and elegant," noting its ability to create a smooth progression from the Stone Age to the Information Age.
The game was included in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. Alec Meer praised its gameplay for being "tight" and said it combined turn-based strategy ideas with real-time action. Nate Crowley of Rock Paper Shotgun said the game was "underappreciated" but "well-balanced" and a great choice for fast-paced multiplayer games.
Legacy
In a 2003 review of the game Rise of Nations, Brian Reynolds said the developer was "very satisfied" with the final product. He praised the game's development team, design methods, and support from publisher Microsoft. Reynolds noted that early in development, the team struggled to define the game's purpose clearly and faced challenges designing straightforward scenarios, which led to the creation of the "Conquer The World" mode. These experiences were important lessons during the game's development. In a 2007 article for Rock Paper Shotgun, Reynolds expressed pride in the game's success, which he linked to its creative blending of two game genres. He also mentioned some areas for improvement, such as the city capture system, which was "interesting but not fully refined," and the possibility of creating "better graphics" for the game.
Rise of Nations influenced the development of Age of Empires 4. Shannon Loftis, the executive producer, stated that Rise of Nations served as a "spiritual successor" to the Age of Empires series. Lessons from its development helped shape the expectations for the content of Age of Empires 4.
Expansions and sequels
On April 28, 2004, Big Huge Games released an expansion pack called Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots. This version added new countries, military units, buildings, and story missions. It also introduced the ability to choose different types of governments, which changed how players could build and manage their civilizations. In October 2004, a special version called the Gold Edition was released for Windows and Macintosh computers. This edition combined the original game with the Thrones and Patriots expansion.
In May 2006, Big Huge Games launched Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, a new game with fantasy themes but similar gameplay to the original series.
In 2014, SkyBox Labs released Rise of Nations: Extended Edition, which was an improved version of the main game and its expansion. This version was available on Steam and the Windows 10 Store in 2017. It included updated graphics, such as better textures, lighting, and water effects. It also added features from Steam, like cloud storage for game saves, achievements, trading cards, and multiplayer matches with rankings.
After the release of the Extended Edition, Microsoft ended its partnership with Big Huge Games. This meant no more Rise of Nations games, including a planned sequel called Rise of Nations 2. Later, 38 Studios, which acquired Big Huge Games in 2009, worked on a game called Rise of Nations: Tactics. This game was completed but never released. It was found on 38 Studios’ servers after the company closed in 2012. A developer named Stuart Jeff described the game as a mobile strategy game for iOS devices, similar to Advance Wars, with multiplayer and social features. However, he left the project before it was finished. Another developer, Andy Johnson, said the game needed three months of work to be ready for release. In December 2013, the rights to the Rise of Nations games were sold to an unknown buyer.