EE2 also delivers more to the RTS features list in the form of the citizen
manager. The manager is a screen that acts like a huge mini-map but highlights
resources and citizen placements on those resources. There is also the option
of using the normal game interface, (the part that displays how many resources
you currently have), all you have to do is mouse over your resource list to
add and remove citizens that way (the best feature I’ve seen in a while).
It doesn’t really make the game play for itself because your citizen
won’t do a thing unless you make them do something, so it keeps you on
your toes the whole game. The way they handled resources and the need for new
resources is a solid feature as well, there are main resources like wood, gold,
stone and food, then there are additional resources that make unit production
possible such as tin, iron, and oil. This gives the resource junkies a lot
to do and it also adds that form of realism that many gamers look for (as a
note the special resources are not like Rise of Nation’s rare resources,
they need to be mined in the same way as other resources and provide no extra
bonuses to you if you possess them).
Of the many features in EE2 that are good additions to the RTS genre there
is one that I really have no use for, the “Picture in Picture” (PIP
for short) feature. Sure it’s cool to look at but it is less functional
in my opinion than the mini-map and takes up valuable space that could be used
to streamline the interface more. The picture in picture could theoretically
allow you to be in 2 places at once but how many eyes do you have? You have
to watch the game screen, the mini-map and now the PIP screen, not worth it
if you ask me, there’s 4 square inches of room that could have been used
to make the interface smaller while also allowing for units scale to be a bit
larger. You can turn off the picture in picture function to save processing
power but there is still that empty square there doing nothing for you at all.
In order to use the PIP you need to either use your “F keys” or
click tiny buttons that outline the PIP window, neither way saves you game
time or adds any piece of mind that the mini-map wouldn’t add anyway
if you ask me. Ian Davis showed off how well it helps him play but to be honest
I have children constantly running around my desk and barely have the concentration
to look at the actual game window. The PIP does allow things like to switch
between bookmarked sections of the map, it even allows you to book mark a unit
and have the PIP follow that unit where ever it goes, that is a cool part of
the PIP if I could only get the hang of it….
EE2 also gives us a battle planner, I played around for a while with it and
I have to say it’s interesting. You take a couple seconds (literally,
all you need to do is
draw the lines and send it) to organize a nice attack and then send it to
your ally who will in turn agree with it or not. If they do agree to it then
you follow it, or try to at least. Due to poor scouting I had troops walk headfirst
into a fortress already and also found that I had no way across a river once.
It was horrible, but it wasn’t anybody’s
fault but mine. Besides human error on my behalf, I found nothing “wrong” with
the warplanner and I seriously think it will add a lot to team games, especially
the coveted clan wars that are bound to take place.
