First look: American Conquest

GSC Game World, the studio that created Cossacks: European Wars, is developing American Conquest, a real-time strategy game that will focus on the exploration and settlement of the New World. The game will use an enhanced version of the Cossacks game engine that supports larger 3D map sizes, increased landscape and building detailing, and armies of up to 16,000 units.

American Conquest will cover more than 300 years, from the discovery of the New World in the late 15th century into the 18th century. It will include 12 playable factions: England, the Netherlands, Spain, France, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Maya, the Algonquins, the Hurons, the Delawares, the Pueblos, and the Iroquoian Confederacy. Each group will feature unique architecture, units, and economic and technological development, and many of the elements in the game will be based on historical data.

The game's single-player mode will include four campaigns, single missions, historical battles, and random maps, and the multiplayer mode will support up to seven players over a LAN or Internet connection. The game will focus on combat and diplomacy, although it will also include resource management and building.

For more information, visit the official GSC Game World Web site. American Conquest is scheduled for release in 2002.