19 min read

Empire Earth

Last updated: January 10, 2026

Overview

Empire Earth is an ambitious real-time strategy game that spans an unprecedented 500,000 years of human history, from the prehistoric age through a speculative nano age set in the distant future1. Released on November 13, 2001 in the United States, the game was developed by Stainless Steel Studios under the direction of Rick Goodman, who had previously served as lead designer on the groundbreaking Age of Empires2. The game features fourteen distinct historical epochs, over 200 unique combat units, and more than 21 predefined civilizations, making it one of the most expansive RTS games of its era3.

The game represented Stainless Steel Studios’ debut title and their ambitious goal to “become the industry’s premier developer in real-time strategy games”4. Building upon the foundation laid by Age of Empires, Empire Earth expanded the scope dramatically while retaining the accessible interface that made its predecessor successful5. Critics noted that anyone familiar with Age of Empires would “hit the ground running in Empire Earth” due to the similar economic model and interface design6.

Empire Earth achieved significant commercial success, selling over one million copies worldwide by 2002 and surpassing two million units by 20057. The game won GameSpy’s PC Game of the Year award in 2001 and spawned a franchise that would continue with multiple sequels and expansion packs8. Its influence on the RTS genre demonstrated that historical strategy games could successfully encompass the entirety of human civilization in a single playable experience.

Story Summary

Empire Earth presents its narrative through four distinct single-player campaigns that span different periods of human history, allowing players to experience pivotal moments from various civilizations10. The campaigns are designed not merely as tutorials but as complete narrative experiences that showcase the game’s historical scope and strategic depth.

The Greek Campaign serves as both an introduction and a compelling historical narrative, featuring scenarios about the founding of various Greek cities such as Argos and culminating in the conquests of Alexander the Great11. Players guide their civilization through the rise of ancient Greece, managing resources while building armies and engaging in the political and military struggles that defined the classical world.

The English Campaign focuses on the medieval period and the Hundred Years’ War, allowing players to participate in famous battles and historical moments from English history10. The campaign demonstrates the technological transitions that occurred during this tumultuous period of European history.

The German Campaign follows the military history of Germany through various epochs, while the Russian Campaign presents a unique fictional future scenario where Soviet Russia reunites under a single banner to conquer the world using advanced robotic technology12. This final campaign showcases the speculative future epochs of the game, featuring a tyrant named Grigor who attempts world domination13.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Empire Earth utilizes a familiar RTS interface that builds upon the Age of Empires template while introducing several innovations6. Players control their civilization from an isometric perspective using mouse-based unit selection and keyboard shortcuts for rapid command execution4. The interface supports group formations, though critics noted these controls were sometimes poorly implemented6.

The game features a fixed isometric camera with zoom functionality, though camera rotation is not available outside of cutscenes9. The 3D engine allows for rendering hundreds of units simultaneously on screen, an impressive technical achievement for the era given that the game was built using DirectX 7 without shader support14.

Structure and Progression

The core gameplay loop involves collecting resources, constructing buildings, training units, and advancing through technological epochs15. Players manage five primary resources: Food, Wood, Stone, Gold, and Iron, each becoming more or less important depending on the current epoch16.

The Fourteen Epochs:

  • Prehistoric Age (500,000 BC): The discovery of fire and primitive tools3
  • Stone Age: Early human settlements and hunting
  • Copper Age: First metalworking and organized warfare
  • Bronze Age: Advanced civilizations and chariots
  • Dark Age: Fall of empires and feudal beginnings
  • Middle Ages: Castles, knights, and siege warfare
  • Renaissance: Gunpowder revolution and exploration
  • Imperial Age: Colonial expansion and naval dominance
  • Industrial Age: Mechanized warfare and railroads
  • Atomic Age - World War I: Trench warfare and early aircraft
  • Atomic Age - World War II: Tanks, bombers, and naval carriers
  • Atomic Age - Modern: Cold War technology and jet aircraft
  • Digital Age: Computer-guided weapons and stealth technology
  • Nano Age (2200s): Futuristic robots called “cybers” and advanced weaponry4

Puzzles and Mechanics

Unlike traditional adventure games, Empire Earth’s challenges revolve around strategic decision-making and resource management. The game employs a rock-paper-scissors combat system where each unit type has specific strengths and weaknesses17. Sword units defeat archers, spearmen defeat swordsmen, and archers defeat spearmen, requiring players to maintain balanced armies.

The Hero System allows players to create powerful individual units that can turn the tide of battle and provide bonuses to nearby troops18. Heroes replenish the health of units around them, making them valuable tactical assets.

The Morale System affects unit performance based on battle conditions, with troops fighting better when winning and suffering penalties when losing or facing overwhelming odds10.

Prophets represent a unique unit type capable of casting devastating “Calamities” including Malaria, Firestorm, Earthquake, Volcano, Plague, and Hurricane19. These supernatural disasters can devastate enemy forces and structures, though areas protected by Temples are immune to such attacks.

The Civilization Customization System grants players 100 points to distribute among over 100 different attributes when creating custom civilizations, allowing for highly personalized playstyles6.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Empire Earth received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising its ambitious scope while noting some technical shortcomings. GameSpy awarded the game a score of 94/100, calling it one of the most impressive RTS titles of the year and later naming it their 2001 PC Game of the Year20. The publication noted that “each epoch feels fleshed out and playable, and every era has its own nuances, so it’s almost like getting 14 games in one”21.

IGN gave Empire Earth an 8.5/10 with an Editor’s Choice award, stating it was “ambitious, addictive and more than just a 3D Age of Empires II clone”6. Reviewer Steve Butts observed that “the game lives up to its own ambitions” while acknowledging it “sometimes paints with a very broad brush.”

GameSpot provided a more measured assessment with a 7.9/10, with Greg Kasavin noting that “Empire Earth is massive—more than most real-time strategy games would dare to be” but warning that “you can actually have too much of a good thing”4. The review emphasized that “Empire Earth has by far the broadest scope and the greatest breadth of content of any real-time strategy game to date.”

Game Informer offered a lower score of 6.25/10, with reviewer Kristian criticizing that “the game’s performance couldn’t equal its scope”22. A second opinion from Kato in the same publication gave the game a 7/10.

G4 TV scored the game 60/100, describing it as “the most ambitious and complicated real-time strategy game ever made,” noting this would “make it a joy to devout fans of the genre, but an overwhelming mess to everyone else”20.

Modern Assessment

Empire Earth has maintained a positive reputation among strategy gaming enthusiasts, though modern players often note the game’s technical limitations when running on contemporary systems. The game holds a Metacritic score of 81/100 based on 23 critic reviews, with a user score of 8.3/10 from 212 ratings20.

Aggregate Scores:

  • Metacritic: 81/100 (23 reviews)20
  • GameRankings: 82%2
  • MobyGames Critics: 83%8
  • IMDb: 7.9/10 (376 ratings)23
  • GOG.com Users: 4.3/5 (1,160 reviews)24

Modern retrospectives from sites like Hardcore Gaming 101 acknowledge that “the goal from the start was to combine the best of RTS gameplay with that of empire-building” and that the game successfully achieved this vision despite some pacing issues9. User reviews on GOG.com frequently compare the game favorably to modern strategy titles, with one reviewer stating “I swear this thing has me more addicted than WoW”24.

Development

Origins

Empire Earth’s development began in 1998 when Rick Goodman founded Stainless Steel Studios after departing Ensemble Studios, where he had co-created Age of Empires alongside his brother Tony Goodman5. The studio was founded in January 1998 with the explicit goal of creating “the next generation of real-time strategy games”25.

The concept for Empire Earth emerged from Goodman’s desire to expand upon the historical RTS formula he had helped pioneer. As Goodman explained in early interviews, “This is a real-time strategy game for the next millennium. It will set new standards in the genre, and offer gamers an experience that goes far beyond anything that strategy games released, thus far, have offered”5.

The game was formally announced via press release on May 28, 1998, revealing plans for a title covering 500,000 years of history from 500,000 BC to 2500 AD with 12 unique epochs (later expanded to 14)5.

Production

Development of Empire Earth required building an entirely new game engine, which Stainless Steel Studios named “Titan”9. Rick Goodman emphasized that “without compromising the easy-to-understand player interface that Age of Empires offered, or the mass market appeal of the game, Empire Earth will be a much bigger game in every aspect of the word. We’re designing an entirely new engine for this title, one that will offer features and design elements never seen in a real-time strategy game”5.

Goodman hand-picked talented designers, artists, and programmers for the development team5. A notable addition to the team was Damon “Stratus” Gauthier, a StarCraft tournament veteran who was brought in on January 18, 2001 specifically for multiplayer balancing2. The studio also enlisted a “strike team of 20 top Age of Empires players” to participate in the development process25.

The game appeared at E3 2000 and E3 2001, generating significant interest among RTS enthusiasts2. A beta test was released in August 2001, with the game entering its final QA phase shortly thereafter26.

One of Goodman’s most ambitious features was “interactive unpredictability,” which he described as including “earthquakes, plagues, tax revolts, religious persecution, famine, pollution, civil war, global warming and nuclear disasters, among other natural and manmade events” that would “impact a player’s empire both directly and indirectly”5.

Development Credits:27

  • President/Lead Designer: Rick Goodman
  • Game Designers: Jon Alenson, Christopher Theriault, Jason Dillman, Gordon Farrell, GJ Snyder III, Tim Mitchell, Stephen Ryan, Benjamin Schneider, Richard Bishop
  • Composers: Ed Lima, Steve Maitland
  • Voice Actors: Nikolle Doolan, Jeremy Gottlieb, David J. Fielding, Ken Letendre, Frank Mitchell, Doug Weeks
  • Video Production: Blur Studios
  • Archive Materials: The War Times Journal
  • Photos: Archive Photos (New York, NY)
  • Box Illustration: Mark Churms

Technical Achievements

The Titan engine represented a significant technical achievement for its time, rendering fully 3D environments and hundreds of units simultaneously using DirectX 7 technology without shader support14. The engine supported maps large enough that “a standard unit takes twenty minutes or half an hour to walk across”26.

The game utilized the Miles Sound System by RAD Game Tools for audio and Bink Video for cutscenes27. The engine was designed with photo-realistic graphics rendered from an isometric perspective5, though structures were not fully rendered except for walls and docks9.

Technical Specifications

Original Release:28

  • Minimum CPU: Pentium II 250 MHz (Pentium II 350 MHz recommended)25
  • RAM: 64 MB minimum
  • Hard Drive: 450 MB plus 100 MB swap space
  • Video: AGP (4MB) or PCI (8MB) 3D video card, DirectX 7 compatible
  • Audio: DirectX-compatible sound card required
  • Modem: 28.8 Kbps for multiplayer
  • Media: CD-ROM

Modern Requirements (GOG.com):24

  • OS: Windows 10/11
  • CPU: 1.8 GHz
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Graphics: DirectX 9.0c compatible 3D card
  • Storage: 636 MB

Cut Content

A Global Ranking System was originally planned and even described on the box of the European release, but was never implemented29. The game also notably lacks representation of approximately 1,300 years of history between the death of Alexander the Great and the Battle of Hastings, omitting Rome and Charlemagne entirely6.

Version History

VersionDatePlatformNotes
1.0November 13, 2001WindowsUS initial release2
1.0November 16, 2001WindowsWorldwide release2
1.0November 23, 2001WindowsPAL region release10
1.0April 12, 2002WindowsJapan release29
2.02002WindowsLast official patch7
Gold EditionMarch 6, 2003WindowsIncludes Art of Conquest29
GOG ReleaseJuly 16, 2009WindowsDigital distribution30
GOG v2.0November 29, 2018WindowsImproved compatibility31
GOG v3December 11, 2024WindowsFixed multiplayer lobby31

Technical Issues

The game has experienced various compatibility issues with modern operating systems. Known bugs include pathfinding problems where units take detours between destinations4, AI that “cheats extensively with free resources”8, screen jumping bugs when alt-selecting teams, poor plane AI that causes aircraft to fly in circles, and AA guns being ineffective against atomic bombers8.

The GOG.com release has addressed many compatibility issues through DirectX wrapper updates and stability validation for Windows 10 and 1131. Users may experience black blocks in The Art of Conquest main menu, which can be resolved by switching to Direct3D Hardware TnL renderer in video options31.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

Empire Earth includes numerous cheat codes accessible through the in-game chat window32:

  • “my name is methos” – All Resources & Reveal Map
  • “all your base are belong to us” – +100,000 of all resources (referencing the famous Zero Wing mistranslation)
  • “boston food sucks” – +1000 Food
  • “asus drivers” – Reveal Map
  • “somebody set up us the bomb” – Win Game
  • “brainstorm” – Fast Build
  • “coffee train” – Restores Health of Player Units

Prophet units yell different Latin phrases depending on the epoch: “Deus vult!” (God wills it) from Copper Age to Dark Age and Industrial Age onwards, while Dark Age to Industrial Age Prophets yell “Deus absconditus!” (the hidden God)19.

The game includes references to unused content in its files33, and voice work includes David J. Fielding, known for his work on Power Rangers9.

Voice Cast

Character/RoleVoice Actor
VariousNikolle Doolan
VariousJeremy Gottlieb
VariousDavid J. Fielding
VariousKen Letendre
VariousFrank Mitchell
VariousDoug Weeks

Voice recording was coordinated by Stainless Steel Studios with production support from Sierra27.

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

Empire Earth achieved remarkable commercial success for its era. The game sold over one million copies worldwide by early 2002, a figure that surpassed two million units by 20057. In the United States alone, the game sold 390,000 copies generating $16.7 million in revenue by August 2006, ranking as the 41st best-selling computer game in the US from January 2000 to August 20062.

The game earned a Silver award from ELSPA for sales exceeding 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom, a Gold prize in Spain for 40,000 sales in its first year, and sold 110,000 units in France by March 20052.

Collections

Empire Earth was released in several compilation editions:

  • Gold Edition (March 2003) – Original game plus The Art of Conquest expansion29
  • Platinum Edition (March 2003) – European equivalent of Gold Edition29
  • Ultimate Edition (December 2009) – Complete collection34

Expansion and Sequels

Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest (September 17, 2002) was developed by Mad Doc Software and added a 15th epoch (Space Age), new civilizations including Japan and Korea, and three new campaigns covering ancient Rome, the Pacific theater of World War II, and 22nd century Asia35. The expansion received mixed reviews with a Metacritic score of 66%, with GameSpot’s Tom Chick giving it just 5.2/10 and criticizing that it “doesn’t add enough to make much of a difference”36.

Empire Earth II (April 26, 2005) was developed by Mad Doc Software after Stainless Steel Studios departed the project to develop Empires: Dawn of the Modern World37. It received a 79% Metacritic score and introduced weather effects, seasonal cycles, and a Picture-in-Picture feature38.

Empire Earth III (November 6, 2007) was critically panned with a Metacritic score of just 50%39. The game was criticized for having “very little, if anything, from the original” Empire Earth40. German publication GameStar included it in their “10 Most Terrible Sequels” list40.

Fan Projects

Following the shutdown of official multiplayer servers on November 3, 20082, the fan community established NeoEE (neoee.net), which provides replacement multiplayer servers allowing players to continue enjoying online matches41. The NeoEE project supports Windows 7 through Windows 11 and offers multilingual patches.

The Empire Earth Community (empireearth.eu) maintains modified game versions with compatibility fixes and has released unofficial patches addressing various technical issues25. Community modders have created the “Refinement Patch” which combines multiple popular mods into a single package42.

An Unofficial Patch for Empire Earth II has received extensive development, with version 1.6 adding 4K resolution support, modern Windows compatibility, and even Tobii Eye Tracker device support43. The patch documentation notes it was originally started by “a 14-year-old non-native English speaker”43.

  • Empire Earth User’s Manual – 239-page manual included with the game44
  • Empire Earth: Prima’s Official Strategy Guide – Included with Gold Edition45
  • Empire Earth Technology Tree – Poster-size reference included with Gold Edition45

Critical Perspective

Empire Earth represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of the real-time strategy genre, demonstrating both the possibilities and limitations of ambitious scope in game design. While the game successfully delivered on its promise of spanning human history, critics and players alike noted that the sheer scale sometimes worked against the experience, with casual players finding the game overwhelming4.

The game’s legacy is complex: it proved that historical RTS games could successfully encompass the full sweep of human civilization, influencing later titles that attempted similar scope. However, the diminishing returns of its sequels—particularly the critically maligned Empire Earth III—suggest that bigger is not always better in strategy game design40.

Rick Goodman’s departure from Ensemble Studios and subsequent creation of Empire Earth also represents an interesting case study in how talented designers can build upon their previous work while trying to exceed it. The game shares clear DNA with Age of Empires while attempting to push beyond its boundaries, with mixed results that remain debated by strategy gaming enthusiasts to this day6.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

Community Resources

Manuals & Extras

Series Continuity

Empire Earth launched a franchise that would span multiple sequels and expansion packs over the following years. The original game established the core formula of epoch-spanning historical RTS gameplay that would define the series, though subsequent entries would meet with increasingly mixed reception.

The series IP changed hands following the merger of Activision and Vivendi into Activision Blizzard in 2008, with the intellectual property rights ultimately acquired by Rebellion Developments in 200934. The Titan engine developed for Empire Earth was later sold after Stainless Steel Studios closed37.

References

Footnotes

  1. MobyGames – Empire Earth – release date, developer, publisher information ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. Wikipedia – Empire Earth (video game) – release dates, sales figures, development history, awards ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  3. Internet Archive – Empire Earth Manual – epoch details, unit counts, game features ↩ ↩2

  4. GameSpot – Empire Earth Review – Greg Kasavin review, gameplay analysis, score ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  5. Artho.com – Rick Goodman Press Release – May 1998 announcement, developer quotes, early design concepts ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  6. IGN – Empire Earth Review – Steve Butts review, score, interface analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  7. Grokipedia – Empire Earth – sales figures, Metacritic score, version history ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. MobyGames – Empire Earth Credits and Info – awards, critical ratings, known bugs ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. Hardcore Gaming 101 – Empire Earth – engine details, developer history, technical analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  10. Empire Earth Fandom Wiki – Empire Earth – campaigns, release dates, gameplay features ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  11. Empire Earth Heaven – Gameinfo – Greek campaign details, civilizations ↩

  12. Speed Demos Archive – Empire Earth – Russian campaign description ↩

  13. Empire Earth Heaven – Epochs – epoch documentation, future scenario details ↩

  14. GameDev.net Forum Discussion – DirectX 7 technical details ↩ ↩2

  15. Empire Earth Fandom Wiki – Civilization – civilization mechanics, bonuses ↩

  16. GameFAQs – Empire Earth Strategy Guide – resource management, gameplay mechanics ↩

  17. GameFAQs – Empire Earth Unit Guide – combat system, unit relationships ↩

  18. IMDb – Empire Earth User Reviews – hero system details, gameplay impressions ↩

  19. Empire Earth Fandom Wiki – Prophet – Prophet unit, calamity abilities, trivia ↩ ↩2

  20. Metacritic – Empire Earth – aggregate scores, critic reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  21. Amazon UK – Empire Earth – GameSpy quote, customer reviews ↩

  22. Giant Bomb – Game Informer #105 Review – Game Informer scores, Kristian review ↩

  23. IMDb – Empire Earth – user ratings, series ratings ↩

  24. GOG.com – Empire Earth Gold Edition – user reviews, modern system requirements ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  25. Empire Earth Community – Overview – development history, technical specifications ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  26. IGN – Empire Earth Preview – Jon Alenson quotes, beta information ↩ ↩2

  27. MobyGames – Empire Earth Credits – full development credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  28. Internet Archive – Empire Earth – original system requirements ↩

  29. GameFAQs – Empire Earth Data – regional release dates, version information ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  30. GOGdb – Empire Earth Gold Edition – GOG release date, pricing history ↩

  31. GOGdb – Empire Earth Release Notes – patch notes, compatibility fixes ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  32. Eeggs.com – Empire Earth Cheats – cheat codes, user ratings ↩

  33. The Cutting Room Floor – unused content references ↩

  34. MobyGames – Empire Earth Search – series chronology, Rebellion acquisition ↩ ↩2

  35. GameFAQs – Art of Conquest – expansion features, civilizations ↩

  36. GameSpot – Art of Conquest Review – Tom Chick review, score ↩

  37. Empire Earth Fandom Wiki – Series – sequel development, studio history ↩ ↩2

  38. Hardcore Gaming 101 – Empire Earth II – EE2 details, Metacritic score ↩

  39. Metacritic – Empire Earth III Reviews – critic scores, review quotes ↩

  40. Hardcore Gaming 101 – Empire Earth III – EE3 criticism, lead designer quote ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  41. NeoEE.net – multiplayer revival project ↩

  42. ModDB – Empire Earth Refinement Patch – community mod details ↩

  43. EE2.eu – Unofficial Patch – patch documentation, features ↩ ↩2

  44. Internet Archive – Empire Earth Manual Metadata – manual page count ↩

  45. Amazon – Empire Earth Gold – Gold Edition contents ↩ ↩2

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