Rage of the Battlemage

Rage of the Battlemage is an upcoming 3D turn-based strategy game that lets players command a warrior, an archer, a cleric, and a necromancer. Unlike most real-time strategy games, though, Rage of the Battlemage takes place on a 3D battlefield, and it is designed to take advantage of the latest 3D graphics cards and Xboxes.

Like most 3D strategy games, Rage of the Battlemage will have two distinct modes of play. The campaign mode is a standard-level single-player campaign that will take players through the seven campaign levels. These levels, depending on their difficulty, will feature as well as a number of bonus objectives that will test players' skills. In addition, a skirmish mode will let players duke it out with other players in one-on-one matches, a party mode, and the ability to fight against computer-controlled characters.

Rage of the Battlemage is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2003.

GI.COM III: The Awakening of Nations, or U.S.H. as it's now known, is a stand-alone expansion to last year's Age of Empires II. In it, players will lead a nation to battle against the evil Horde and establish a base in an alternate version of England. The expansion will also include a number of new technologies, a new playable race, a new neutral faction, and an entirely new campaign.

In fact, there will be new features and improvements on the original game, including a new map editor, and the ability to use both AI and human players. Additionally, the expansion will include two new civilizations, the Americans and the Vikings, a new playable race, and a new unit, the "divine archer," a hero unit.

Diplomacy--the first of the three new civilizations added to the Age of Empires II expansion. Like other civilizations, players will have a choice to support or oppose the barbarians or the imperials. The nomads will be able to interact with other civs, such as the Nohr and the Iroquois, and they will receive a bonus for winning wars. However, the heroes and their allies will be controlled by other players. The faction will also gain a new resource--the Kronosian or the first kingdom of the New World--and it will become a gold mine. Also, there will be two new civilizations, the desert eagle and the half-man half-shade.

The expansion will include the three new technologies, all of which are also available in the base game. The desert eagle will be a fast-moving horse that can capture rival cities and buildings without issue. The half-man race is a new race that uses science to train scientists in trade, and the half-man race is a strong siege unit that can annihilate other civilizations in seconds. The half-man race is a powerful religious force that uses advanced technology to boost a city's power level. In addition, the half-man race uses iron to construct units, and it can also build a town on the map. The two new playable factions include the desert eagle and the half-shade.

The other new feature is wonder, a resource that can be used to research new technologies. Wonders can be constructed in different ways. For example, "the only way to make elephant towers is to build them," the developers said. You can build many wonders on the map, but you can't get the desired ones on a regular basis. "In order to build these wonders, you have to use special powers," the developers said. "You can research special abilities by constructing a city."

The landscape editor allows for players to modify the landscape to make a far more realistic appearance. For example, you can zoom in on buildings or zoom in on the landscapes. Other features include large mountains and lakes that are visible to buildings. There are even underwater tunnels and ocean streams that are truly game-changing.

There are also "many more buildings," which will be improved in the future. "So that when you're working on a unit, it'll move in the direction that the unit was meant to go. It's probably not going to move very well, but if you need to lay out some ships, then you can use the water pipes." So what about the water pumps? These are not only capable of doing more drastic things than others, but they can also cause fires to burn and toxic fumes to appear in nearby buildings.

The creatures can also be "even more menacing," according to Electronic Arts.

Although there is no multiplayer component to the game, there will be an option to play a free, ad-supported version of the game. EA said this option will be available to a limited number of people, but there is no word on how many people will be able to play with ad-supported versions.