Reviews - Empires mod for Half-Life 2

Empires mod is my favourite mod of all time. With a seamless combination of fps and rts, its definitly something that you should try out. It has always been highly rated, coming in the top 10 of moddb's mod of the year awards with the 2.0 release.

Since then there have been numerous additions and balances to make the gameplay refreshing while also updating the graphics.

Empires is a mod you should not pass up!

The mod is not very good looking, but is fun to play.
Lots of cool tricks, lots of stuff to become good at.
Don't get scared away by the community though.

I first came to Empires in January 2008. At first, I was a bit put off. It didn't look that fantastic, and I was never that sure what to do. But I had a friend who already played the mod, so I stuck with it to keep him company. Nearly 3 years later I'm still here, and can say without a doubt this is the best game I've ever played.

Empires is an RTS/FPS, but lets make this clear. 1 person on each team is in RTS "mode", the rest are in FPS. You fight over refinery points in a variety of vehicles, which also have a variety of armaments which can be added to them, as well as different engines and armour, all based off what your commander researches. It's unlike any other game for the simple scale of what you're playing. With games as large as 32v32, things can get incredibly hectic.

The infantry combat at first seems quite simplistic, as there isn't a huge variety of weaponry. But as you get further into playing the game, the sheer scale of the tactics you can use due to the engineer wall emplacements that he can drop, tank support, squad powers, and so much more, you realise just how different it is to every other game, and how much fun it can be. With Jeeps, APCs, Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Regular tanks, Heavy tanks and Artillery tanks, there's so much variety. And that's not to mention that some day, there may well be aircraft in this game, which are being added as we speak (Although don't expect them that soon).

There are problems, don't get me wrong. The game isn't the most intuitive for new players, and that's possibly the biggest drawback. A tutorial map is under development at the moment to fix just that. The GUI can be a bit complex, and there are still the odd bugs, many of which have been present for a long, long time. On top of that, it isn't the most pretty game you'll play, although every release updates the graphics of the game that little bit more.

But above all, the amount of teamwork in Empires is what sets it apart from every other game. Ever.

Awesome mod that combines FPS/RTS. 4 Classes: enginner, rifleman, granadier and scout. You can play as any of them or also as a commander. Each class requires some practice to master. Learning curve is steep though but once you learn it, it becomes extremely addictive.

If you like cooperative team play you need to download this game, right now.

It is true there is a steep learning curve but if you read the FAQ, get in a squad and listen to the more experienced players then you will find the community to be broadly supportive.

Easy to enjoy and hard to master, I love the depth of gameplay that simply isn't available in any other multiplayer game period.

Empires is an RTS/FPS mod that involves futuristic warfare.

PRO:
+With a lot of people, it's a hellzone (and that's a great thing to say).
+Different classes with advantages.
+Rank up and gain more advantages (passive or active)
+Vehicles are fun to shoot and drive.
+RTS (Commander) Mode is fun... (Continue to CONS)

CONS:
-At the same time though, RTS (Commander) is for people that know what they're doing.
-Weird Texture (I should of said bad, but it's Valve-Source...).
-Teamwork is a "need" here... but if none, you're going to have trouble.
-Vehicles can sometimes be a pain to drive.
-Laggy in some servers (Seriously)
-Might be confusing to first-time players to Empires.

This mod is awesome

My team hangs back - leaving a few soldiers on the frontline to feign an attack. Back at the Northern Faction base, we begin producing jeeps in bulk. Everyone changes to the grenadier class - soldiers focused on explosives. We assign drivers to the jeeps and jump in, filling the speedy vehicles with bristling rocket launchers.

We line up, and the commander says something on mic; "Go". With this, the jeep at the front drives at full speed towards the enemy base. Everyone else follows in formation. As the convoy reaches the centre of the map, however, someone notices in the distance, and to the left, an enemy jeep. A few seconds later, and it is clear that the enemy is attempting the same tactic, their command vehicle leading their brave rush. Chuckles erupt on voicechat as we follow their unknowing formation; driving back on ourselves.

As their troops spill out of their jeeps and begin firing on our base, they notice the absence of our command vehicle. One soldier turns around, noticing with a shriek our jeeps, subsequently pinning them in in their enemy's base. We destroy their commander, winning the match. Laughing, sweating and grinning at their keyboards, the players prepare for the next match.

I have experienced a lot of great moments in Empires, from turning the tide of a battle with just a single, skilled squad, to the jeep rush that went (amazingly) not according to plan. Finding the right group of people to play with is fantastic - the game can be tense, tactical and downright hilarious with a good crowd.
For the uninitiated, Empires is an FPS/RTS hybrid, with one player playing as the RTS commander, and the rest of the team playing as FPS soldiers. The gameplay is varied - one moment you will be sniping and sneaking, the next rolling around in a huge tank.

Empires is a truly classic Half Life 2 mod.

Best mod ever.

Quite simply, one of the best mods ever made.