PLATO Empire: Difference between revisions

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[[File:empire3_4428.png|frame]]''Empire'' is a series of games for the [[Mainframes and Minicomputers|PLATO network]], written beginning in 1973 by Iowa State University student John Daleske with assistance from [[Castle Wolfenstein|Silas Warner]]. Along with ''[[~~Maze War (Video Game)|~~Maze War]]'', they are among the first online multiplayer shooters.

[[File:empire3_4428.png|frame]]''Empire'' is a series of games for the [[Mainframes and Minicomputers|PLATO network]], written beginning in 1973 by Iowa State University student John Daleske with assistance from [[Castle Wolfenstein|Silas Warner]]. Along with ''[[Maze War]]'', they are among the first online multiplayer shooters.

''Empire I'' was a [[Turn Based Strategy]] game for up to eight players. Each player was the head of a planet's government, responsible for [[Command and Conquer Economy|economic development]], building spaceships for either trade or war, and if they want to, conquering the other planets. ''Empire I'' was erased to make room for ''Empire II'', but Silas Warner revived ''Empire I'' on the PLATO network as ''Conquest''.

''Empire I'' was a [[Turn-Based Strategy]] game for up to eight players. Each player was the head of a planet's government, responsible for [[Command and Conquer Economy|economic development]], building spaceships for either trade or war, and if they want to, conquering the other planets. ''Empire I'' was erased to make room for ''Empire II'', but Silas Warner revived ''Empire I'' on the PLATO network as ''Conquest''.

''Empire II'' removed all the strategy and was purely tactical. It was a [[Top Down View]] realtime 2D [[Shoot'Em Up]], for up to 50 players in eight teams. Each player controlled a ship, with a design from ''[[Star Trek]]'', moving around and shooting photon torpedoes. Different ship types had different capabilities; the Federation and Klingon-looking ships were [[The Mario|average]], the Vulcan-looking ships were [[Fragile Speedster|Fragile Speedsters]], and the Romulan-looking ships were [[Mighty Glacier|Mighty Glaciers]]. Any ship could be on any team, so an Identify Friend or Foe system told you who was who. Spaceships and torpedoes followed Newtonian physics. Ships were controlled with bow and aft thrusters and rotation thrusters. Space was an 8x8 grid of sectors, and ships moved from sector to sector using [[Flip Screen Scrolling]]. Since you couldn't see the other sectors, enemy ships and torpedoes could come into your sector at any time. If your ship reached the edge of space, it would [[Wrap Around]].

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* [[Player Versus Player]]

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: ''Conquest''.

* [[Turn Based Strategy]]

* [[Turn-Based Strategy]]

=== ''Empire II'' and ''III'' provide examples of: ===

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* [[Ray Gun]]: Phasers (''III'' only)

* [[Shoot'Em Up]]

* [[Shout Out]]: The spaceship designs were based on ''[[Star Trek]]'''s Federation, Klingon, Vulcan, and Romulan warships.

* [[Shout-Out]]: The spaceship designs were based on ''[[Star Trek]]'''s Federation, Klingon, Vulcan, and Romulan warships.

* [[Some Dexterity Required]]: All commands are given through the keyboard. In the heat of a dogfight, flying fingers would give you an edge.

* [[Splash Damage]]: Torpedoes.