Empire Deluxe Overview
Empire Deluxe is a strategic conquest game supporting one to six participants, who may be human or computer opponents with three distinct intelligence settings. Players utilize ground, air, and naval forces to achieve global domination, a concept with roots in earlier mainframe wargames.
Its design offers three distinct rule sets that progressively increase complexity. The basic version features a fully visible map and simplified unit types and production. For a challenging experience, the standard and advanced modes introduce fog of war, requiring map exploration, along with additional unit types, terrain effects on movement and visibility, and more intricate economic systems.
Beyond local multiplayer, the game facilitated remote competition through several methods, including postal mail, email, modem connections, and direct serial links. It also included tools for customization, featuring both pre-made scenarios and a built-in editor for creating original maps and campaigns.
A practical copy protection scheme was implemented, requiring manual verification only when configuring game options like screen resolution, not during every launch. Additional official content was released post-launch, including a scenario disk and a later Windows edition on CD-ROM that bundled these extras.
