- Glest
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Glest 
In-game screenshotDeveloper(s) Glest Team Platform(s) Cross-platform Release date(s) December 25, 2004 Latest release 3.2.2 (April 2, 2009) Genre(s) Real-time strategy Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer Media/distribution Download System requirements Glest is a free and open source real-time strategy computer game developed by a team based in Spain.[1]
Contents
Development
Release of version 3.0 added online multiplayer LAN/Internet support. Glest is designed to be moddable, with game elements defined by editable XML files, and includes a map editor.
Since April 2009, development on the original game has ceased. However, two forks, MegaGlest[2] and the Glest Advanced Engine (GAE)[3] have continued developing the game and its engine further. While MegaGlest is focusses on stable releases which provide reliable cross platform multi-player games and deliver new game content out of the box, GAE is primarily oriented towards improving the game engine and providing more options for full conversions, and is more experimental in nature. It was suggested that the two forks should merge [4] but due to different philosophies and goals amongst the developers of both forks this effort was called off during the planning stage.[5]
Gameplay
Glest is set in a medieval fantasy world with two factions, Magic and Tech, each with their own set of units, buildings and upgrades. The Tech faction uses traditional human warriors and has medieval mechanical devices in its arsenal, and are strong in melee combat. The Magic faction is designed for advanced players with most of their units morphed from or summoned by others. It lacks the hand-to-hand combat strength of the Tech faction but features more versatile units. Tilesets are selected at the new game setup menu and determine the graphical nature of the Glest game world.[6]
Because of the moddability of the engine, Glest can play games from a variety of player-created mods. These range from modern military[7] to dark, fantasy-based monsters.[8]
Reception
- Acid Play: Rating: 9.2 "A totally awesome 3D strategy game based in the magic forests during medieval times."[9]
- CNET Download.com: Rating: 5 Stars (Glest 3.1) User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
- "For a freeware game, Glest stands out at an astonishing level. A real-time strategy game in the vein of Warcraft III or the Empire Earth games, it asks players to create workers, harvest resources, construct buildings, produce military units, and ultimately destroy enemy bases.
- Though its technology isn't quite as deep as the commercial games, we were quite surprised to find very well-rendered 3D textures, good music, detailed models, and a well-developed game system. The game pits two opposing factions, Magicians and Technicians, against one another, each having different structures and units. Players can choose either one, although novices might want to start with Technicians, which are similar to humans in Warcraft.
- Magicians are a bit more complicated, with the ability to conjure new monsters and fire magic projectiles. Given the game's solid gameplay, good design, a small size, and, above all, a price tag of zero, we highly recommend Glest to anyone with a soft spot for real-time strategy games."[10]
- happypenguin.org: Rating: 4.48 out of 5 stars[11]
- Casualty gamer: In october 2008 reviewed version 3.1.2.[12]
- About.com: Reviewed the game and highlighted the detailed 3D graphics in Glest, but criticized the underdeveloped gameplay and small number of maps in that version. [13]
External links
References
- ^ "Glest official site". http://glest.org/.
- ^ "MegaGlest website". http://megaglest.org/.
- ^ "Sourceforge page of Glest Advanced Engine". http://sourceforge.net/projects/glestae/.
- ^ "Glest forks to merge into one". http://freegamer.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-three-became-two-glests-uniting.html.
- ^ "Glest forks to join forces?". http://glest.org/glest_board/index.php?topic=6577.msg74071#msg74071.
- ^ "Glest Page on the Glest Wiki". http://glest.wikia.com/wiki/Glest.
- ^ "Military Glest mod". http://glest.wikia.com/wiki/Military.
- ^ "Malevolent Rising Glest mod". http://darkspectral.zxq.net/Games/MRiseMain.html.
- ^ "Acid Play review". http://www.acid-play.com/download/glest/.
- ^ "CNET review". http://download.cnet.com/Glest/3000-7483_4-10421123.html.
- ^ "Happy Penguin review". http://www.happypenguin.org/show?Glest.
- ^ "Casuality Gamer review". http://casualtygamer.com/2008/10/weekly-freebie-glest.
- ^ Haas, Juergen. "Linux Game: Glest". About.com. http://linux.about.com/od/softgame/fr/fr_Glest.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-23. "Glest is a game that would be an interesting try for all RTS lovers. If you can get the developers to continue working on this, I would be thankful. The graphics, as they are, may impress you. The audio music is also decent. The gameplay is just a few steps away from becoming fully developed. This review article is not dated, and therefore, it is not possible to see to which version of the game the review refers and whether the review is current"
Categories:- Free software programmed in C++
- Free, open source strategy games
- Windows games
- Linux games
- Free, open source video games
- AROS software
- Real-time strategy video games
- Lua-scriptable game engines
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