Gameplay
Featuring mainly RTS, but also third-person and—with a few heroes only—first-person shooter scenarios, the gameplay in Rise and Fall is unique. The goal of the game is to defeat the opponent(s), which is done by first micromanaging a base, and then training an army to destroy the enemy's position. Both land and sea units are available, allowing for different strategies, including amphibious warfare. As in most RTS games, units fight using a rock, paper, scissors method, meaning some soldiers are more capable of defeating a certain kind of enemy, while being defeated by another (ex. cavalry defeat archers, archers defeat spearmen, spearmen defeat cavalry).
Military units in Rise and Fall are grouped as infantry, cavalry, special, siege, or naval. Infantry, cavalry, and some special units automatically group themselves into formations—groups of soldiers that receive attack and defense bonuses—when at least eight of that kind of unit is present; the maximum number of units a formation may consist of is sixty-four. The unit's speed, attack, defensive capabilities, and range vary, depending on several factors; these include their civilization; unit type; the upgrades that have been purchased; whether or not they are in formation, and, if so, its size. Three resources—wood, gold, and glory—are used to build structures, train units, purchase upgrades; a fourth resource, stamina, is spent using "hero mode." Wood and gold are deposited in settlements, or one of their various upgrades, such as town centers. Glory and stamina are both earned: glory by building and fighting, and stamina when the hero unit kills an enemy. In several RTS games, upgrades—sometimes called "Ages"—are available that represent time periods or technological levels; Rise and Fall uses a similar concept. When upgrades to the hero—called "Levels" in this game—are purchased with glory, new technologies, upgrades, units, and advisors are unlocked. Advisors—paid for with glory as well—provide civilization-specific benefits and bonuses to the player's army and economy. Outposts, guarded by artificial intelligence soldiers,—soldiers who defend automatically—also play an important part in Rise and Fall. Conquering outposts increases the number of units trained from military buildings or ships, while not augmenting their price. The outpost guardians, however, protect it, and reappear until the outpost is taken by a player; once captured, they protect the outpost from attacks by the owner's enemies.
Another feature in Rise and Fall is "hero mode," which allows the player to temporarily take control of a hero, as if in a third-person shooter game; certain heroes—for instance, Cleopatra—can zoom in further than others with their bow, allowing the player to aim as if in a first-person shooter game. In hero mode, the hero unit becomes much more powerful, often allowing the player to destroy multiple enemy formations. Stamina is required to use this mode, however, and is lost quickly during its duration. The longest a player can spend in hero mode varies with stamina levels, which is increased with upgrades to the hero. To balance the game, hero mode can be used much less than RTS mode. Each civilization has two heroes from which to choose, usually a famous leader in history,—such as Julius Caesar—but sometimes pertaining to mythology—such as Achilles.
Rise and Fall may be played in both single-player and multiplayer. In single-player games, only one human player may play, against one through seven computer players. If more than two players will play, they may be grouped into teams, which can be chosen to be either permanent or manageable during the game using diplomacy. Other options available before beginning a game include the "population capacity";—the number of units that are trainable—which map of the twenty-four to play on; the difficulty setting; the number of resources given at the start; and the color and civilization of all players. Rise and Fall's multiplayer component is powered by GameSpy, and may be played by anyone who has updated his or her version of the game. Players may host or join matches through either the internet or LAN. The host of the game chooses the options, while the player(s) who join the game either agree to the conditions, or reject them; the match begins when all players agree with the host's terms. Each player may select his own civilization and color, and does not require the host to change them. The multiplayer was discussed on the forums of Rise and Fall Heaven, a popular strategy game fansite. It was said that it is not frequented by many players, and that matches are often difficult to begin due to indecisiveness. During a game, the rules previously agreed upon are often broken by one or more players, leading to unruliness. Despite these drawbacks, several players reported that they played multiplayer.
Read more about this topic: Rise And Fall: Civilizations At War