Now It Is Done

The game is now out and available on itch! Kickstarter backers and itch purchasers should now have access to the game files and a Steam Key. The Steam keys you are receiving should give you access to the game on Steam right away, even though it is not officially released there until the 28^th .

State Of The Game

The game is ready to play, and it is a lot of fun for Empire fans. Since September, many of you have been trying it out, testing it, and giving input to make it better. I want to thank the testing group for their work and patience. They have contributed a great deal towards the final product.

While the game is not perfect, nor ever will be, I believe it is now ready for general use. So I plan on keeping it in an “Early Access” state for a while to iron out anything that surfaces. I intend on posting some items regarding what to do if you encounter issues, but essentially saved games often prove very useful in repeatable situations. Given the limited size of the testing group, multiplayer options may have issues. If you do encounter an issue, you can report it in the Bug section of either Steam or Itch, or send me an email to mok@killerbeesoftware.com.

Links Of Interest

Itch Page - https://killerbeesoftware.itch.io/empire-deluxe-combined-edition

Itch Bug Specific Forum - https://itch.io/t/166860/bug-reporting

Steam Store Page - http://store.steampowered.com/app/742700/Empire_Deluxe_Combined_Edition/

Steam Community Discussion Page - http://steamcommunity.com/app/742700/discussions/

Steam Bug Specific Page - http://steamcommunity.com/app/742700/discussions/1/

My Site For Stuff - http://killerbeesoftware.com/edce/code/

Reddit Thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/EmpireDeluxe/

My Email - mok@killerbeesoftware.com

Inspirational Speech

The Empire Series is now in its fifth decade. The future is really in the hands of those that want to enjoy and play the game. Though the game can be very solitary, I have been amazed over the years of the extremely creative elements players have produced. Unfortunately, a lot of this stays with the creator, and is not shared with everyone else.

If you make a map or scenario, please consider sharing the files. These files are text-based and platform independent. And when zipped will generally be very tiny. Unit Set modifications are also text based (though if you have additional graphics that is another matter), and if you have some fun ideas, please try to share them as well.

If you are a fan and would like to collect such files, send me an email and I will post up a link to your site. If you have created something but do not know where to share it, send it to me in an email zipped up with a read me file for those that will down load it, and I will drop it in my open section on my site.

Gaming has changed, certainly since the 1970's and very much so since the 1990's. I have been very encouraged by the reception of the concept of Empire Deluxe combined Edition presented in the Kickstarter. It shows that even after all this time, you cannot beat good solid game play. But in the high competition world of the game industry, with markets saturated with games and many of those games requiring massive budgets and marketing to barely survive, a game like EDCE can have a difficult time reaching out to those that might be interested. It is not a game for everyone, and I will not pretend it is. If it is not for you, there are so many other options for you to enjoy. But Empire Deluxe is a great game.

So I would like to encourage you to spread the word about the game to people you think may have an interest. If you like to stream or make videos, please consider doing one with the game. Show us your best strategy! If you do stream or have made a video, post it in one or more of the Empire related forums. If you give me some info I will try to give you a plug. Steam Allows you to post Screen Shots, write reviews, and do other community activities. Itch is a little more forum based, but I believe you can post images there as well.

When I started this all in the Winter of 2002, my goal was to keep people playing the game they love. I hope I have achieved that here. I am very pleased with what has been produced, and I am anticipating it eating up hours/days/years of your time in the very best of ways. Don't forget to eat, and please remember to shower! So stop reading this, and go enjoy Empire Deluxe Combined Edition.

--Mark