Dark Reign: The Future of War

Dark Reign: The Future of War might as well have been named, the future of Real Time Strategy (RTS) games as it marked a significant step forward with the inclusion of functions found in modern RTS games. The shift was considerable, as while the game was released ten years ago, it took many years before features such as build queuing/stacking or building exit way-points would become standard features in modern Real Time Strategies.

I can remember in 1997; a time when gamers of the day would purchase magazines to ascertain whether a game was worthy of some green; Often being weary of magazines that would have commercial interests. PCPowerPlay, an Australian magazine was renowned for giving detailed reviews, and getting medieval on the asses of average games. However, Dark Reign was praised; later receiving game-of-the-year, typically reserved for the likes of Half-Life and Warcraft 2. It was now clear to the late 90s RTS gamer that they would forgo adhering to the latest 90s craze, and instead buy a copy of Dark Reign knowing that it would become a LAN party prerequisite for years to come.

So there you have it. 10 years ago Dark Reign reigned supreme. But where is it now? It’s actually hard to get a legit copy of the game. (or even semi legit via ebay). Simply checking the number one Dark Reign fan-page will bring you to a hacked version of the full game that allows the game to be run on Windows XP and even Vista.

I feel this is an ideal time to open the source on this one, or even release the game as freeware. At this point an active community still exists and I have already heard from a developer who is interested in porting Dark Reign to the GP2X handheld Linux console. Allowing the golden Dark Reign days to live on will ensure the franchise, owned by Activision is maintained.

I will write a letter to Activision and Auran expressing this and report back with the response.

S.W.I.N.E.

Swine is a unique game for being probably the first slow paced tactical real time strategy. Released by StormRegion in 2001, it was made freeware after only four year. This is despite receiving fine reviews and continuing support for the game.

The game in itself is rather simple and childish as you play either the Rabbits or the Pigs (French or Germans) in a World War 2 scenario. However, it stands out because of its focus on tactics which has a significant impact on combat. Many of these ideals were included in future StormRegion games, such as Codename: Panzers.
Another striking feature is the graphics which seemed very next generation at the time. Even today it looks like a well-made budget title and simple gorgeous at high resolutions such as 1600x1200.

As this game is freeware with no sign of a sequel, it seems like a perfect time to request the source to be released. If this were to happen, the game and engine could be ported to other devices and updated to support current operating system technology and libs. It could also allow the graphics to be improved. The time seems ideal indeed.

I have recently fired off an email to StormRegion and will soon report on the results.