Jeff Buccellato talks up Empire Earth III

The folks at 2404 were recently able to have a quick one-on-one with Jeff Buccellato, Senior Producer for Sierra’s upcoming RTS for the PC, Empire Earth III. The interview tackles loads of game aspects like the general setting, weapons, types of units, graphic engine, multiplayer, A.I., and tons more. But because we wanna make it easy on your eyes, join us as we rundown some of the important points made in the interview:

• graphic engine and visuals: the game supports Shader Model 3, and is integrated with normal mapping, physics, “ambient occlusion texture,” and a new particle system
• unit types: infantry, cavalry, naval, mortar, siege, spies, heroes, priests
• new mega weapons: Scorched Earth, Shock and Awe, Quantum Singularity Gun
• multiplayer options: skirmish with up to eight other players with customizable tech levels for both the players and the AI, ladders, anonymous matchmaking, and extensive stats tracking of game elements
• missions and campaigns: Buccellato says that the third installment of the Empire Earth series will move away from traditional mission and campaign approaches by placing more focus on the free-form environment interaction that players will be able to engage in

As mentioned, this is just a quick summary of the topics discussed. So if you wanna check out the full interview for yourself (and read up on musical score, AI setup, game production challenges,etc.), feel free to do so by clicking on the read link below. Empire Earth III is currently being developed by Mad Doc Software and is slated for release in U.S. this Spring, and Europe on December 31st.

The folks at 2404 were recently able to have a quick one-on-one with Jeff Buccellato, Senior Producer for Sierra’s upcoming RTS for the PC, Empire Earth III. The interview tackles loads of game aspects like the general setting, weapons, types of units, graphic engine, multiplayer, A.I., and tons more. But because we wanna make it easy on your eyes, join us as we rundown some of the important points made in the interview:

• graphic engine and visuals: the game supports Shader Model 3, and is integrated with normal mapping, physics, “ambient occlusion texture,” and a new particle system
• unit types: infantry, cavalry, naval, mortar, siege, spies, heroes, priests
• new mega weapons: Scorched Earth, Shock and Awe, Quantum Singularity Gun
• multiplayer options: skirmish with up to eight other players with customizable tech levels for both the players and the AI, ladders, anonymous matchmaking, and extensive stats tracking of game elements
• missions and campaigns: Buccellato says that the third installment of the Empire Earth series will move away from traditional mission and campaign approaches by placing more focus on the free-form environment interaction that players will be able to engage in

As mentioned, this is just a quick summary of the topics discussed. So if you wanna check out the full interview for yourself (and read up on musical score, AI setup, game production challenges,etc.), feel free to do so by clicking on the read link below. Empire Earth III is currently being developed by Mad Doc Software and is slated for release in U.S. this Spring, and Europe on December 31st.