Earthsiege
Encyclopedia
Metaltech: Earthsiege is a mecha
-style simulation
game developed by Dynamix
and released in 1994. Earthsiege is the first in a long line of games in the Earthsiege universe, which contains Earthsiege 2
(1994) and Battledrome (1995), as well as action game Hunter Hunted (1996), strategy games MissionForce: CyberStorm
(1997) and Cyberstorm 2: Corporate Wars
(1998), direct sequel mecha-simulation Starsiege
(1999), and first-person shooters Starsiege: Tribes
(1999), Tribes 2
(2001), and Tribes: Vengeance
(2004).
In Earthsiege, players are placed in the cockpit
of various massive bipedal war machines known as HERCULANs (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation) (or 'HERCs' for short). Set in the 25th or 26th century, Earthsiege is a technologically advanced setting with many futuristic weapons and vehicles. Earthsiege takes place across North America
, South America
, Antarctica, and Asia
.
ended when Sentinel Cybertronix activated Project: Prometheus. Prometheus was a prototype, the first cybernetic-hybrid machine, or Cybrid. It was incredibly intelligent, and its success quickly paved the way for mass-production of Cybrids. These new machines, free of human needs and exceedingly intelligent and efficient, proved invaluable in countless fields, including mining and space exploration.
Military minds saw another usage for Cybrids: incredibly fast-thinking pilots for the recently developed HERCULAN war machines, pilots that could not die. Militaries quickly took control of Cybrid production, and factories around the globe began churning out Hercs adapted for Cybrid use, at enormous expense. Those who didn't have the resources to build Cybrids began to wage small wars on those who did.
As these conflicts went on, more and more Cybrids entered combat, and their effectiveness became increasingly obvious. Whoever controlled the Cybrids would control the world. Conflict rose as desire for total control of Cybrid production grew, eventually escalating into a full-scale global war. Nuclear weapons were used, and in hours the population was devastated.
While the humans fought themselves for control of the Cybrids, the AI machines watched and calculated. Apparently they concluded that humans were not fit to control Cybrid destiny, for the Cybrid armies all rose up against humanity in a strike known as the Overthrow. Unprepared for this blow in the ashes of nuclear war, humanity was helpless as the Cybrids seized control of every military base, space port, and city.
The Cybrid siege was not complete. A single concealed military base was left unscathed. Hidden in the base, a number of survivors began to refit the obsolete pre-Cybrid Hercs in preparation for fighting.
The whole game has at minimum of 5 campaigns of about 7 missions each. Success and failure of the missions might trigger secondary missions and campaigns to rectify previous failures, all in all resulting in 45 missions in 8 campaigns.
Gameplay in Earthsiege consists of piloting the mecha-style Hercs in combat against opposing Hercs. The Herc can be steered with a keyboard or joystick, though some controls are only found on the keyboard. The mouse can be used to interact with the various buttons in the cockpit.
Hercs battle with various ranged and projectile weapons, including laser
s, missile
s, and autocannon
s. They offer rechargable shields and armor plating for defense. When the shields are depleted, armor begins taking damage; when armor is low, internal components can take damage, and weapons and even limbs can be destroyed. A Herc that has lost a leg is immediately incapacitated, leaving more salvage (in the form of scrap metal and weapons) for the player.
Outside of battle, the player manages his squad's Hercs and resources. The player selects the weapons mounted on each Herc, and can repair existing Hercs and weapons, as well as build new ones, with scrap metal. Additionally, the player can bring up to three squad mates along on missions. Squad mates can be assigned Hercs before the mission beings, and during a mission they can be issued basic orders. As squad mates complete more missions, their skills and rank rise.
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
-style simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
game developed by Dynamix
Dynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
and released in 1994. Earthsiege is the first in a long line of games in the Earthsiege universe, which contains Earthsiege 2
Earthsiege 2
Earthsiege 2 is a mecha-style vehicle simulation game developed by Dynamix, produced by Frank Evers , and released in 1995. Earthsiege 2 is set the Earthsiege universe, which contains its predecessors Earthsiege and Battledrome , as well as action game Hunter Hunted , strategy games MissionForce:...
(1994) and Battledrome (1995), as well as action game Hunter Hunted (1996), strategy games MissionForce: CyberStorm
MissionForce: CyberStorm
MissionForce: CyberStorm is a turn-based strategy game developed by Dynamix and published in 1996 by Sierra Entertainment...
(1997) and Cyberstorm 2: Corporate Wars
CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars
CyberStorm 2: Corporate Wars is a turn-based strategy game developed by Dynamix and released in 1998 as a sequel to MissionForce: CyberStorm...
(1998), direct sequel mecha-simulation Starsiege
Starsiege
Starsiege is a mecha-style vehicle simulation game developed by Dynamix and released in 1999. Starsiege is set in the Metaltech/Earthsiege universe, which contains its predecessors Earthsiege , Battledrome , and Earthsiege 2 , as well as action game Hunter Hunted , strategy games Mission Force:...
(1999), and first-person shooters Starsiege: Tribes
Starsiege: Tribes
Starsiege: Tribes is a sci-fi first-person shooter video game. It is the first of the Tribes video game series and follows the story from Earthsiege and Starsiege. It was developed by Dynamix and published by the company now known as Sierra Entertainment in 1998.-History:A sequel, Tribes 2, was...
(1999), Tribes 2
Tribes 2
-Legacy:On November 20, 2002, Sierra released an update for Tribes 2. This update contained two new game types, new maps and updates to address several issues. Sierra, which is now part of Vivendi SU, licensed the franchise to Irrational Games for a third installment; Tribes: Vengeance was...
(2001), and Tribes: Vengeance
Tribes: Vengeance
Tribes: Vengeance is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game of the Tribes video game series. It was developed by Irrational Games and released by Sierra Entertainment in October 2004...
(2004).
In Earthsiege, players are placed in the cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
of various massive bipedal war machines known as HERCULANs (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation) (or 'HERCs' for short). Set in the 25th or 26th century, Earthsiege is a technologically advanced setting with many futuristic weapons and vehicles. Earthsiege takes place across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Antarctica, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Background
On November 29, 2471, the race for true artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
ended when Sentinel Cybertronix activated Project: Prometheus. Prometheus was a prototype, the first cybernetic-hybrid machine, or Cybrid. It was incredibly intelligent, and its success quickly paved the way for mass-production of Cybrids. These new machines, free of human needs and exceedingly intelligent and efficient, proved invaluable in countless fields, including mining and space exploration.
Military minds saw another usage for Cybrids: incredibly fast-thinking pilots for the recently developed HERCULAN war machines, pilots that could not die. Militaries quickly took control of Cybrid production, and factories around the globe began churning out Hercs adapted for Cybrid use, at enormous expense. Those who didn't have the resources to build Cybrids began to wage small wars on those who did.
As these conflicts went on, more and more Cybrids entered combat, and their effectiveness became increasingly obvious. Whoever controlled the Cybrids would control the world. Conflict rose as desire for total control of Cybrid production grew, eventually escalating into a full-scale global war. Nuclear weapons were used, and in hours the population was devastated.
While the humans fought themselves for control of the Cybrids, the AI machines watched and calculated. Apparently they concluded that humans were not fit to control Cybrid destiny, for the Cybrid armies all rose up against humanity in a strike known as the Overthrow. Unprepared for this blow in the ashes of nuclear war, humanity was helpless as the Cybrids seized control of every military base, space port, and city.
The Cybrid siege was not complete. A single concealed military base was left unscathed. Hidden in the base, a number of survivors began to refit the obsolete pre-Cybrid Hercs in preparation for fighting.
Plot
Twenty years have passed since the Cybrid Overthrow. Humanity still lingers, and the Resistance is growing in strength. Using hit-and-run tactics against the machines, the survivors have managed to survive and even capture Cybrid weapons and equipment.The whole game has at minimum of 5 campaigns of about 7 missions each. Success and failure of the missions might trigger secondary missions and campaigns to rectify previous failures, all in all resulting in 45 missions in 8 campaigns.
Gameplay
Hercs battle with various ranged and projectile weapons, including laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s, missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s, and autocannon
Autocannon
An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
s. They offer rechargable shields and armor plating for defense. When the shields are depleted, armor begins taking damage; when armor is low, internal components can take damage, and weapons and even limbs can be destroyed. A Herc that has lost a leg is immediately incapacitated, leaving more salvage (in the form of scrap metal and weapons) for the player.
Outside of battle, the player manages his squad's Hercs and resources. The player selects the weapons mounted on each Herc, and can repair existing Hercs and weapons, as well as build new ones, with scrap metal. Additionally, the player can bring up to three squad mates along on missions. Squad mates can be assigned Hercs before the mission beings, and during a mission they can be issued basic orders. As squad mates complete more missions, their skills and rank rise.