Supremacy 1914

Supremacy 1914
Official logo for the game
Developer(s)	Bytro Labs
Publisher(s)	Bigpoint Games
Release date(s)	September 6, 2009 (2009-09-06)
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy browser game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Supremacy 1914 is a multiplayer real-time strategy browser game created by Bytro Labs and published by Bigpoint Games^[1] in which the player manages one of the countries in the world during World War I.^[1][2] The player competes with countries controlled by other players playing the same game, and with countries controlled by the computer.^[3] Resource management, province upgrades, and alliances play key roles in the game, in addition to the conquest aspect. The main view of the game is a map that can be zoomed in and out, but there's also a province view, which lets you see the upgrades to that province in a more realistic view than the list format that many games of this type have.^[4]

The game is hosted in Germany where the majority of players are, but a substantial number of players also come from the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan, among many other nations.^[2] Over 4000 unique players come online each day.^[2] It was ranked the 2009 Browser Game of the Year by Game Genetics.^[1][5]

Game world

The game world is divided into provinces, each province is the town and the road connecting to other provinces, and (if the province is on the coast) to the bordering sea and oceans.^[3] The player observes the world as a map marked with the units and provinces where the color indicates the owner (each country has its own color that's constant throughout all the games).^[6] All countries that aren't player-controlled have a sophisticated AI making the decisions.^[3][7] A game takes place in the choice of the following parts of the world:

• Map 1 - Europe 1914 (10 players): The standard scenario: 10 evenly balanced nations with slightly different resource allocations grant a fair and interesting start for all players. Normal provinces all have the same resource production and no nation has a preset advantage.
• Map 2 - Europe 1910 historic (8 players): Map with the historically correct borders of 1910. Nations differ in size and population which is the key for a province’s production. This map is especially well suited for scenario team mode playing Entente (Britain, France, Italy, Russia) against the Central Powers (German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria).
• Map 3 - The Great War (Contains Eastern North America, North Africa and a part of the Middle east) (31 players): A large map with parts of North America, Africa, and Asia bordering the focal point of Europe. Nations are evenly balanced in production, strength, and resources. The key to survival and victory are strong alliances and logistical superiority in managing long supply lines.
• Map 4 - Battle for Western Europe (4 players): It contains 4 major countries; France, Germany, Austria and Great Britain, designed for fast-paced 2v2 games.
• Map 5 - Southeast Asia (15 players): An East Asian map with 15 evenly balanced nations, and a large proportion of islands.
• Map 6 - South America 1914 (10 players): A balanced map purely of the South American continent, where land warfare dominates.
• Map 7 - Middle East 1914 (30 players): This map contains all of North Africa, the Middle East, and European countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. Nations are evenly balanced in production, strength, and resources. The key to victory is diplomacy and clever resource management in a part of the world where some resources are abundant and others are very scarce.
• Map 8 - USA vs Mexico (2 players): A map, centred about the Gulf of Mexico, with the Southern United States and Mexico as the primary countries.

Games typically last for four to eight weeks, though this figure can vary widely based on the map, the choices made by individual players, and many other factors.^[6]

In-game features

Army

The army is mainly infantry, although there is the ability to build mechanized troops, such as artillery and tanks. All land units can be transported by sea in landing ships (no need to build, appear when the player reaches a coast). Later in the game the player can build railguns, which have a large range, and battleships, which can attack at sea.^[4] Troops receive their orders directly from the map view and carry them out immediately, although delays can be set.^[1]

Provinces

A different resource (grain, fish, iron, wood, coal, oil or gas) is produced in each province. These resources are split into food, materials and energy resources. Many different types of buildings can be built in each province.^[1][4] Recruiting offices and barracks are used for troop production, barracks requiring an upkeep of grain each day. Workshops and factories (Factories being an upgrade on the former) enable production of mechanized units. Fortresses allow for increased defense of troops inside the provincial town. Harbours (which can only be placed in coastal provinces), allow a decrease in embarkation/disembarkation times. Railways speed up troop movement within the province, and are required for railguns to move across the map. In addition, factories, harbours and railways allow an increased production of raw materials. Each province incurs a cost of 1000 food, materials and energy per day.

Morale

Morale plays an important role in the game. Provinces with low morale might rebel and join another country, troops with low morale are weaker, and more resources get produced the higher the morale is. Morale is influenced by a variety of factors, including the morale of surrounding provinces, how many upgrades are on that province, and how close it is to the capital.^[4][8]

Diplomacy and espionage

In the game, you can declare war, form alliances and to impose an embargo. You can also correspond with other players, and send spies who are trying to intercept communications of other countries. Spies can also track the movements and locations of troops and carry out sabotage.^[7]

The Daily European

The game has a daily newspaper which has generated articles in it about events in the world (including casualties on each side of current wars) as well as articles written by other players. Such articles can also be written anonymously. The newspaper also shows the current game rankings in certain attributes. In a roleplay, game players can make an article about ongoing fictitious events in their country depending on the roleplay type.

Image uploading only for premium members available,

Special Games

The S1914 community usually hosts its own games, but every now and then Bytro has a single player and alliance tournament. Other games made by players are quite popular in the community. Many roleplaying ideas are plausible due to Supremacy's diverse units and provinces. Roleplays can take place in real-life time periods, and also fictional worlds, and the game's events play out as such. Players can also set up private games and only allow specific people into it.^[7]

Payments

While the game itself is free, it can be purchased in special points called "Goldmarks" for which you can receive bonuses to give an advantage in the game.^[1] For example it can be used to speed up building build time, increase morale, purchase "master spies", etc. While the majority of goldmarks are purchased, the player can win goldmarks by finishing in games. Goldmarks are also used to enter special games, which have enhanced options, such as "Elite AI" and air and/or naval packs.^[3][4]

There is also a premium membership option, called "High Command", in which players are able to have added bonuses, such as build queues and rally spots for troops.

Alliances

Alliances can be formed in a single game (see Diplomacy and espionage above) and in an official alliance for all games entered. Alliances are groups of players (not agreements between the countries controlled by them) who want to play together. They organize the fight against other alliances as well as internal games within the alliance. An alliance may be established by any player.

Ranking

Another feature is a ranking system that tracks your progress throughout your entire career on the game. Points are calculated on nearly everything you do, from province upgrades to victory medals to certain diplomacy tasks. Some games have a minimum rank to join.^[1][4]

References

• Info from Supremacy1914's website.

External links

• Official game website