7th Legion
Encyclopedia
7th Legion is a real-time strategy
computer game for Microsoft Windows
, developed by Vision Software
and Epic Games
and published by Microprose
in 1997. The game consists of two single-player campaigns and supports multiplayer online games.
and reckless consumption and pollution
of Earth
's precious natural resources, the many industrial phases of Humanity ravaging the planet's ecosystem to a critical point. As scientists broadcast dire warnings of impending doom, the governments of Earth enact the PEP - "Planetary Evacuation Program" - to safely get everyone off-world in vast colony ships, leaving the planet to heal.
Unfortunately, there was never going to be enough room for the entire population, and, even though a lottery was devised to see who would be fortunate enough to escape the mass famine and chaos that were to follow the exodus, slaughtering thousands, it quickly became apparent that only the most worthy specimens of the human race - the smart, powerful and rich - were chosen and allowed to get a berth on one of the ships, preparing their jump into Hyperspace
.
In the centuries following the evacuation, much of Earth's population perished, with the survivors, the scattered tribes of those left behind, forming themselves into 7 "Legions", all vying for control of what was left - and for a post-exodus civilization, their technology seems advanced enough to warrant walker mechs and "Priests" - cybernetic soldiers given "divine" power. Events of centuries ago and the PEP cloud into myth and legend - the most well-known one tells of the "Returning", a time of war, when the "Chosen" come back to claim the Earth, in three signs signalling their return: the Night without Darkness, the Day without Light and the Rain of Fire.
As the game begins, the 7th Generation of the Chosen - those descended from the evacuees - have indeed returned and are ready to make war on the descendants of those left behind who have united to face this most terrible foe and keep the Earth they have righteously inherited, all under the banner of the most powerful of all Legions: the 7th Legion (hence the game's title).
Each player could also collect special "power-ups" that would be found in boxes that randomly dotted the landscape. These would provide bonuses to the force who collected the box. These bonuses might include making the player's forces invisible to the enemy or more powerful and thus harder to defeat.
What made 7th Legion truly unique, however, was that the player (and his opponent) could take advantage of special "power cards." These cards, each being different from each other, had effects on the game in some way. Some cards would destroy the opponents soldiers, or at least badly damage them, whilst others would cause mechanical troops to behave in a way that wasn't intended, often leading the opponents' machines in the wrong direction or not doing what was required of them.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, developed by Vision Software
Vision Software
Vision Software is a computer and video game software distributor, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and founded in 1990. They were acquired by Electronic Arts on March 8, 1995. Vision was the leader of software sales in South Africa at the time of its purchase by EA...
and Epic Games
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
and published by Microprose
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
in 1997. The game consists of two single-player campaigns and supports multiplayer online games.
In-Game Background
The conflict in 7th Legion takes place in the future, stemming from rampant overpopulationOverpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
and reckless consumption and pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's precious natural resources, the many industrial phases of Humanity ravaging the planet's ecosystem to a critical point. As scientists broadcast dire warnings of impending doom, the governments of Earth enact the PEP - "Planetary Evacuation Program" - to safely get everyone off-world in vast colony ships, leaving the planet to heal.
Unfortunately, there was never going to be enough room for the entire population, and, even though a lottery was devised to see who would be fortunate enough to escape the mass famine and chaos that were to follow the exodus, slaughtering thousands, it quickly became apparent that only the most worthy specimens of the human race - the smart, powerful and rich - were chosen and allowed to get a berth on one of the ships, preparing their jump into Hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
.
In the centuries following the evacuation, much of Earth's population perished, with the survivors, the scattered tribes of those left behind, forming themselves into 7 "Legions", all vying for control of what was left - and for a post-exodus civilization, their technology seems advanced enough to warrant walker mechs and "Priests" - cybernetic soldiers given "divine" power. Events of centuries ago and the PEP cloud into myth and legend - the most well-known one tells of the "Returning", a time of war, when the "Chosen" come back to claim the Earth, in three signs signalling their return: the Night without Darkness, the Day without Light and the Rain of Fire.
As the game begins, the 7th Generation of the Chosen - those descended from the evacuees - have indeed returned and are ready to make war on the descendants of those left behind who have united to face this most terrible foe and keep the Earth they have righteously inherited, all under the banner of the most powerful of all Legions: the 7th Legion (hence the game's title).
Gameplay
The game keeps true to most other videogames of its genre, that is, putting the player in control of a number of soldiers. During the game the players would assume the role of a commander of either the Chosen or those that were left behind with the overall objective being to annihilate the other. To do so, the player would amass funds to construct various buildings and produce tanks and various war-machines whilst also recruiting foot-soldiers, all of which to combat the enemy.Each player could also collect special "power-ups" that would be found in boxes that randomly dotted the landscape. These would provide bonuses to the force who collected the box. These bonuses might include making the player's forces invisible to the enemy or more powerful and thus harder to defeat.
What made 7th Legion truly unique, however, was that the player (and his opponent) could take advantage of special "power cards." These cards, each being different from each other, had effects on the game in some way. Some cards would destroy the opponents soldiers, or at least badly damage them, whilst others would cause mechanical troops to behave in a way that wasn't intended, often leading the opponents' machines in the wrong direction or not doing what was required of them.