GDC '08: Supreme Ruler 2020 Impressions - First Look

SAN FRANCISCO--The Game Developers Conference 2008 is in full swing in San Francisco, and we took the opportunity to see Supreme Ruler 2020, the upcoming strategy sequel from BattleGoat Studios and Paradox. This sequel will attempt to improve on the previous game by taking user feedback to heart, as well as by trying to make the complicated task of world domination a little more user-friendly.

For serious strategy fans, the game will ship with a full-on, open-ended campaign that will let you take on the role of a nation in a fictitious not-too-distant-future conflict that involves a series of plausible events that get world powers up in arms. However, the game will also ship with between 10 and 20 individual scenarios modeled loosely after real-world conflicts, as well as a brand-new "super sandbox" mode that will let you choose to play as a great nation or a single state in the American union and take on all comers.

In all cases, you'll benefit from a streamlined interface that will keep most of the important menus in the game at the bottom of the screen at all times (rather than requiring you to constantly open nested menus, like in the original game). The interface will show you, at a glance, your current approval rating in your home country and any of your conquered territories both from a military and populist point of view, as well as your current supply levels. You'll also be able to appoint a cabinet of advisors (who can be conservative, liberal, or moderate), which you can use to automate one or more tasks (such as managing your military or managing your trade routes). The advisors appear in the left-hand side of the screen in a static menu, but will also send over quickie email suggestions whenever they spot a particularly ripe opportunity, or a particularly egregious threat (such as your citizens taking umbrage at heavy taxation).

You'll want to keep an eye on your popularity in the territories you hold; certain policies may increase your popularity (such as taking a traditionally liberal stance of pouring money into social spending) but may also drain your coffers. Furthermore, your conquered territories may give rise to partisan opposition parties, or even guerilla armies, if you aren't careful. If your government model happens to be democracy, you can even be voted out of your own country!

Supreme Ruler 2020 seems like it should do a good job of building on the strengths of the original game while opening up the game for newer players. It's scheduled to ship this May.