Sierra Studios: Empire Earth

We have been overwhelmed with requests from gamers to reveal more about the variety and characteristics of the historical aircraft in Empire Earth. As a result, we'd like to take a moment to provide you with some insight into one specific aspect of the game that is personally near and dear to my heart: WWII fighter combat. So, at the risk of spilling the beans, here is a brief update on fighter combat in Empire Earth.

First, I'd like to mention that I have been a board gamer since 1974 and although I don't play many PC flight simulators, I have played some excellent fighter combat board games over the years. The one that had the most significant impact on my gaming life was called Lou Zocci's Fighter Combat. We played this on the living room floor using six-inch cardboard cutouts of aircraft that we maneuvered in turn-based fashion across the carpet using rulers and string. Hehehe… I know this makes me sound like a dinosaur… Anyway, the point is that LZ Fighter Combat provided flight characteristics and formulas for every fighter attribute you could imagine, such as acceleration, wing loading, attack strength, hit points and stall characteristics. Detailed stuff. And to make sure Empire Earth delivers a realistic fighter combat model, I am relying heavily on the research and formulas presented in that fine game.

Of course, Empire Earth is not a flight simulator, so we are not modeling flight characteristics in detail. Nevertheless, if I were in your shoes and I purchased this game, I'd be "very miffed" if the game did not properly present well-known aircraft in a realistic fashion. So, that is exactly what we are going to do!

For WWI you will be able to build the Sopwith Camel, the Fokker triplane and the Albatross. The bomber we have chosen for WWII is the German Gotha. With the exception of the Gotha, these are some of the most recognizable aircraft of the war - and this is why they were selected.

For WWII you can build the following six fighters: ME109E, Spitfire Mk1, FW190A, ME262, P51D and P38J. The Corsair will also be available for carrier launch. Bombers include the German HE111 and the B-17. Again, these aircraft were selected for their historical preeminence and popularity.

The Empire Earth design team is very much aware that there were literally hundreds of different types of aircraft from a dozen different nations, all of which participated in WWII. We are, therefore, including only a fraction of the total that were available from that era in the game. It is important to remember that this game covers 500,000 years of human history. WWII represents just one-100,000th of this total timeframe. Nevertheless, we all agree that the era of WWII fighter aircraft be well represented.

Most maneuverable and least expensive of the WWII aircraft. Limited by its very underpowered machine guns. Remember this is the 1939 version Mk1, not the Mark XXI! The cool thing about the Spitfire is that once it gets on the tail of any other fighter in the game, it cannot be shaken off.

The ME109 gives you the most offensive firepower per dollar spent of any of the six fighters. This makes it the best choice against unescorted enemy bombers. It is second only to the Spitfire in maneuverability; it has pretty good firepower, but poor flight range, as was the case with most German fighters of the time. When a plane reaches its maximum flight time, it must turn back to base to refuel.

This is an all-around good aircraft, and has an average flight range, fairly good speed and the second-highest attack strength. The latter characteristic is somewhat offset by a rather poor maneuverability rating.

The ME262 has the highest firepower of any WWII-era fighter. With a top speed of over 500 MPH, it was also the fastest fighter of the war. Moreover, its hit points are second only to the P38J's. Its two significant drawbacks are its nonexistent maneuverability and its very short flight range, which is the lowest of all available aircraft. Flight range is significant, just as it was during the war. The ME262's poor flight range forces a player to construct his airports dangerously close to the front. There is no more vulnerable aircraft than an ME262 on return approach when it is low on fuel and completely at the mercy of hungry enemy aircraft.

Highest hit points of all of the fighters. For this reason it is very difficult to down a P38. Range and firepower are also good. This makes it the ideal choice for areas heavily defended by AA guns. Sporting six fifty-caliber machine guns, the P38J meant business. And, like the ME262, the P38J is not known for its flight handling in combat (so watch out for ME109s on your tail). The P38J is one of the more pricey aircraft. The P38 represented in the game does not carry drop tanks with additional fuel, so its flight range is not as extraordinary as that of some real-world P38s.

The P51D represented in the game is equipped with external drop tanks. As a result, this plane's flight range is second to none. If you must escort bombers deep into enemy territory, then this is the plane to choose. Of course, this aircraft's remarkable flight range does not come cheap....

In Empire Earth a player will easily be able to support an air force of fifty or more aircraft, so expect the skies to be "think as soup" with dogfights. And remember, these six aircraft represent a small fraction of the total number of the land, sea and air weapons at your command throughout the 12 epochs of Empire Earth.