The developers behind the massively multiplayer World War 2 shooter Foxhole, Siege Camp, have announced their next game: Anvil Empires. Like Foxhole, it is a persistent online world where thousands of players farm, hunt, build, and fight. However, instead of being set in World War 2, it is set in medieval times, with armies forging arrows and sieging castles.
Anvil Empires takes the same approach as Foxhole: everything in the game is done by players. Players work together to keep frontline armies fed and armed with battering rams and siege ladders, and then lead siege warfare against one another. This creates a logistical challenge that adds depth to the gameplay.
The game is set in a persistent online world, where players can farm, hunt, raise animals, build settlements and castles, and then lead siege warfare against one another. The game is designed to be played by thousands of players at once, with logistics playing a large role as players work together to keep their armies fed and armed.
Anvil Empires is similar to Foxhole in that it is an RTS where all the units are players. This game design has been attempted before, but Foxhole was the first game to do it successfully. Foxhole kept the from-on-high camera perspective and trusted players to self-organize, rather than making it a first-person shooter for all but one omnipotent 'commander' role. This resulted in a focused yet varied gameplay experience, much like EVE Online.
The translation of this game design to a medieval setting is a no-brainer, and tremendously exciting. Anvil Empires will support "an order of magnitude more players", according to its first devlog, as well as a greater emphasis on settlement building.
A free pre-alpha for the game will launch into testing next month, during which only a small number of features will be in place and features will be "added, removed, or drastically changed." You can volunteer to take part by heading to the Anvil Empires Discord. An early access Steam release will come later, with as yet no fixed release date.
Anvil Empires takes the same approach as Foxhole: everything in the game is done by players. Players work together to keep frontline armies fed and armed with battering rams and siege ladders, and then lead siege warfare against one another. This creates a logistical challenge that adds depth to the gameplay.
The game is set in a persistent online world, where players can farm, hunt, raise animals, build settlements and castles, and then lead siege warfare against one another. The game is designed to be played by thousands of players at once, with logistics playing a large role as players work together to keep their armies fed and armed.
Anvil Empires is similar to Foxhole in that it is an RTS where all the units are players. This game design has been attempted before, but Foxhole was the first game to do it successfully. Foxhole kept the from-on-high camera perspective and trusted players to self-organize, rather than making it a first-person shooter for all but one omnipotent 'commander' role. This resulted in a focused yet varied gameplay experience, much like EVE Online.
The translation of this game design to a medieval setting is a no-brainer, and tremendously exciting. Anvil Empires will support "an order of magnitude more players", according to its first devlog, as well as a greater emphasis on settlement building.
A free pre-alpha for the game will launch into testing next month, during which only a small number of features will be in place and features will be "added, removed, or drastically changed." You can volunteer to take part by heading to the Anvil Empires Discord. An early access Steam release will come later, with as yet no fixed release date.
Conclusion
The announcement of Anvil Empires, the next game from Siege Camp, has generated a lot of excitement. Foxhole was a successful game that took a unique approach to the RTS genre, and Anvil Empires promises to do the same. The translation of the game design to a medieval setting is a logical step, and the promise of a game that supports even more players and settlement building is tantalizing. The free pre-alpha release next month is sure to generate even more interest in the game, and players are eager to see what Siege Camp has in store for them.