Express World - The Railroad Tycoon Resource

Interview with Firaxis' Barry Caudill

A very interesting interview with Barry Caudill of Firaxis has emerged at Hooked Gamers, its well worth a read! Click here to see it.

And here is an extract:

Firaxis has a history of 'springing' games on us. Sid Meier's Railroads! was announced in May and currently has a shipping date of October 2006. How -and why- do you do that? Most other games are known a year or longer in advance.

Barry: I’m not convinced that having a really long lead time in the marketplace is necessarily a good thing. There are so many games out there now and it’s too easy to get lost in the shuffle over a long period of time. I would rather see focused marketing and information that builds up interest right to the release. For the record, Railroads was in development for quite a while before it was announced.

After Railroads! was announced, most people wondered what happened with the Railroad Tycoon name. Why this change of name?

Barry: We felt the Tycoon name had been overused in the marketplace and didn’t carry the same meaning it did when Sid first invented the genre. For every solid game like Roller Coaster Tycoon or Monopoly Tycoon (a vastly underrated game), there are numerous stinkers like Mall Tycoon or heaven forbid, Prison and Hell Tycoons. Also, we didn’t want people to assume this was RRT4 because it is much more of a return to the train-focused gameplay of Sid’s original title... and Sid is designing this one.

Should we consider Railroads! a totally new game, or more like a remake of Railroad Tycoon, like Sid Meier's Pirates! has been updated some time ago?

Barry: It’s a little of both. It is definitely a spiritual successor to the original game, but it’s built around a new prototype from Sid which makes it a totally new game as well. It’s a return to what we thought was fun about the original title but there are also lots of new things like the introduction of great multiplayer.

Railroads! IGN Preview

IGN have published an in depth preview of Railroads. Check out the interview here.

Here is an extract from the preview:

In order to make money, players will have to create working railroads connecting resources to cities and run trains back and forth to deliver the goods. Natural resources are worth less money than manufactured goods like cars farther down the line. Players can make a lot of money delivering goods between different industries and finally where the final goods are demanded. Players can also eventually buy into industries and make a longer ranged profit that way.

Laying track in between destinations looks to be an easy task as the land and track will conform to any plans. The click and drag interface allows players to create paths anywhere on the map while the game adds tunnels, rises, and bridges where necessary. The trick is just laying track in a way that will be cost effective and help shipments get to new locations in a short amount of time.

Railroads! Trailer

The first trailer for Railroads has emerged on the web, and we have a version at Express World for you to download. Click here to download Official Trailer One

16th August 2006

Express World To Get A Makeover!

A radical redesign of Express World is in the works, in preparation for the forthcoming release of Sid Meier's Railroads, and the future of the Railroad Tycoon series. It will unveiled in stages this Autumn.

Railroads! Gamespot Preview

Gamespot has released an "updated impressions" preview for Railroads! Check it out here. Here is an extract:

Railroads! will offer multiple lengthy scenarios that will let you build up a railway empire by purchasing the fastest trains for the job of transporting mail, freight, and passengers; by being the first to lay out tracks into new territory; by controlling the flow of expensive goods throughout the land; and even by doing a little corporate raiding as you attempt to buy out your competitors in the stock market. The game's scenarios will take place in the four corners of the USA, as well as in Great Britain, France, and Germany. Each of them can be played during different time periods that can be adjusted easily at the start of each game with a slider. So, if you want to hunker down and carve a railway empire out of the American Northwest from 1831 all the way to 1970, you can, though you can just as easily play through only 30 years or so of a certain time period, which can take about 30 to 45 minutes of playing time.

Though all of the game's terrain has a colorful, pastoral look to it provided by completely separate rendering technology that the Firaxis team has developed for use with the GameBryo 3D engine (an engine that also powers Firaxis' outstanding 2005 strategy game, Civilization IV), each of the different territories has a different look and feel. The game's artists didn't attempt to painstakingly create exact replicas of real-world locations but instead created abstracted versions of each territory, taking the same approach as a hobbyist train modeler would to building out sandy deserts outside of Santa Fe or leagues of limpid ocean off the coast of Cornwall.

Railroads! New Movies

See the game in action! New movies featuring footage from the game have also just surfaced! (the files are archived in a .zip file, and should be extracted with a programme such as Winzip or WinRAR). The gameplay movies first appeared at Gamespot.

Gameplay Movie One

Gameplay Movie Two

Gameplay Movie Three

3rd June 2006

Railroads! Official Site Opens

2k Games has created a small official website for the forthcoming Railroads! game from Sid Meier & Firaxis Games. Click here to visit.

Railroads! Features List

Firaxis has issued a product feature list for Railroads!

Real-time action - lay track, route the trains, and the world comes to life. Cities and industries grow up around you as you service them, hauling raw materials to market and carrying manufactured goods away; Cargos are loaded onto train cars and passengers shuffle between cities.

Easy to get started - laying track is as easy as clicking and dragging. Bridges, tunnels, railroad stations and switches sprout up automatically where they're needed.

Challenging to master - with a new market system that tracks supply and demand and complex random events that can cause a boom or bust at any time, players must stay on their toes at all times or risk obsolescence, financial collapse, or hostile takeover.

It's all about the trains! - over 30 trains to use, from the primitive 0-4-0 Planet to the Super powerful 4-6-6-4 Challenger, from the classic diesels to ultra-modern bullet trains.

LocoBuilder - design your own steam engine from the ground up, and deploy it across your rail empire! Customize your train liveries, from colour schemes to custom logos.

We've got the goods - over 20 different goods to harvest, produce, and sell, and 30 unique industries, from lumber mills to war factories, each with detailed, unique animations.

Scenario and map editor support - enables user-created maps and scenarios. Want to create a race to complete a transcontinental railroad in 30 years using only steam engines? No problem!

Something for everyone - build your dream train layout in train table mode, or challenge historical giants like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, and others in single-player scenarios.

Multiplayer - Ruthless real-time LAN and Internet play. Buy out your rivals or cash in favours to sabotage their shipments! Whether you prefer heads-up competition or the camaraderie of cooperative team play, you'll find a fantastic multiplayer experience here.

Sounding good so far!

10th May 2006

Express World is 8 Years Old!

Express world turned 8 years old on 26th April 2006, so I just would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support! Heres to the next year!

Railroads! New Info

Things regarding the recently announced "Railroads!" have been quiet until now (as was expected), but the E3 event began today, and as expected further info about "Railroads" has been released. We will have new screenshots up tomorrow!

Here is the new press release:

Sid Meier's Railroads! marks the return of the watershed title in simulation/strategy gaming that launched the popular "tycoon" genre, and inspired a new generation of games. Sid Meier's Railroads! comes home to its original creator, the legendary Sid Meier, who, together with his team at Firaxis Games, will take this game to a whole new level of fun!

The greatest railroad building game of all time is back in a vibrant 3D world delivering exciting multiplayer options, in-game customization tools, streamlined interface and unmatched gameplay, that's easy to learn yet challenging to master. Combining the best of real-world and model railroads, Sid Meier's Railroads! puts you in charge of building the greatest rail empire in the nation - managing trains, cargo and your bottom line - while engaging in all-out corporate warfare against rival tycoons, slick entrepreneurs, and robber barons!

Features:

Easy to get started - laying track is as easy as clicking and dragging. Bridges, tunnels, railroad stations and switches sprout up automatically where they're needed.

It's all about the trains! - over 30 trains to use, from the primitive 0-4-0 Planet to the Super powerful 4-6-6-4 Challenger, from the classic diesels to ultra-modern bullet trains.

LocoBuilder - design your own steam engine from the ground up, and deploy it across your rail empire! Customize your train liveries, from colour schemes to custom logos.

We've got the goods - over 20 different goods to harvest, produce, and sell, and 30 unique industries, from lumber mills to war factories, each with detailed, unique animations.

Scenario and map editor support - enables user-created maps and scenarios. Want to create a race to complete a transcontinental railroad in 30 years using only steam engines? No problem!

Something for everyone - build your dream train layout in train table mode, or challenge historical giants like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, and others in single-player scenarios.

Multiplayer - Ruthless real-time LAN and Internet play. Buy out your rivals or cash in favors to sabotage their shipments! Whether you prefer heads-up competition or the camaraderie of cooperative team play, you'll find a fantastic multiplayer experience here.

Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PC
Release Date: October 2006

16th March 2006

MAJOR NEWS! Poptop Closes, Next Railroad Tycoon Announced!

There has been some major news developments over the past 7 days.

- The first point is that Poptop Software no longer exists. Last week Take 2 Interactive (owner of Poptop) announced an in-voluntary merger between Poptop and their other studio, Firaxis Games. The new development studio will operate under the Firaxis name, with Sid Meier leading the studio. No information about redundancies at Poptop have been disclosed.

- The new combined studio, Firaxis is working on a new Railroad Tycoon game, which will carry the title Sid Meier's Railroads, and is due for release at the end of the year.

More details on each of these topics follows below. Imagine the possibilities of the original creator of Railroad Tycoon leading development on the next title in the series. I'd just like to re-iterate, that even though Poptop software has closed, Express World will continue to operate following the games from the new combined studio.

The new Firaxis games studio has also announced development on an expansion pack to Civilization IV & a new CIV spin off series called CIVCITY: Rome.

Sid Meier's Railroads! Announced

The next game in the Railroad Tycoon series, has been announced as "Sid Meier's Railroads!" due for release in Autumn 2006. The game is in development at the Firaxis Games studio, which now incorporates some elements of Poptop Software. The game appears to be developed with the GameBryo graphics engine that powered Civ4 & Pirates.

Quick Links for Railroads!

First Information - an archive of the initial information released about the game
Messageboard - The Express World forum for Sid Meier's Railroads!
Screenshots - An archive of Screenshots for Railroads!
Railroads! Wishlists - Post your wishes, hopes & desires for the game!

Here is the official press release (from http://ve3d.ign.com )

2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and the Company's world-renowned development studio Firaxis Games, today announced the next edition of the award-winning Railroad Tycoon franchise, Sid Meier's Railroads! for the PC.
The Golden Age of railroading is back with Sid Meier's Railroads! Combining the best of real-world and model railroads, Sid Meier's Railroads! puts you in charge of building your own railroad empire, running everything from steam-powered locomotives to more modern diesel and electric trains, managing cargo and your bottom line, all while engaging in corporate warfare against rival tycoons, slick entrepreneurs and robber barons.

"In addition to winning countless awards, the Railroad Tycoon franchise pioneered the simulation and strategy genres by introducing limitless gameplay," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director of 2K Games. "Building on the franchise, Sid Meier's Railroads! will deliver a simulation experience that caters to both strategy gamers and locomotive fans alike."

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this game back home," said Sid Meier, Director of Creative Development for Firaxis Games. "Railroads is near and dear to our hearts and we're looking forward to delivering the endlessly fun gameplay experience fans of our games have come to expect."

Cities and industries grow up around you as Sid Meier's Railroads! enables players to lay track and route trains, haul raw materials to market and carry manufactured goods throughout the land. Sid Meier's Railroads! introduces a large number of different single-player game scenarios and a variety of play modes including the "sand-box" modeling mode, real-time LAN and Internet play.

Sid Meier's Railroads! will be released for the PC this fall.

The following is an article from www.gamespot.com

Sid Meier is set to be inducted into the Walk of Game tonight for a career's worth of highly regarded PC strategy games including Civilization, Pirates!, and Alpha Centauri. He doesn't seem content to rest on his laurels; this morning, 2K Games announced that it would be publishing the next game in the developer's body of work, Sid Meier's Railroads! for the PC.

Currently in development at Firaxis Games (Take-Two Interactive's recently acquired studio, of which Meier is director of creative development), Railroads! is the next installment in the Railroad Tycoon PC strategy game series.

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this game back home," Meier said in a statement. "Railroads is near and dear to our hearts, and we're looking forward to delivering the endlessly fun gameplay experience fans of our games have come to expect."

Sid Meier's Railroads! will challenge players to create their own railroad empires and keep them up to date with the times. Working with trains ranging from steam-powered locomotives to modern diesel and electric trains, players will not only have to worry about getting cargo to its destination on time, but will also have to worry about business rivals and robber barons, among other things. 2K is promising a variety of gameplay options for Railroads! (including real-time LAN and Internet play), as well as a "sand-box" modeling mode.

Sid Meier's Railroads! has not yet been rated. It is scheduled for release this fall.

Here are some screenshots: Click to enlarge:

6th February 2006

File Uploads Are Here!

I'd like to announce that you can now upload your game related files directly to Express World. You will no longer have to email them to us to get them hosted here (you can however email them if you wish to). The system works through Express World's Messageboards, where you can upload files in a specific forum for each game we cover.

This service is open to registered forum members only, guests can not upload (but can download). Uploaded files will then be linked to from the main site.

Only compressed files in the .zip format are permitted, the system is programmed only to accept these file extensions. Anyone who uploads a none game file will see the file removed and receive an immediate ban. The service is being launched for a three month trial period, at which it will be reviewed!

To attach a file to a post:

- Either start a new topic OR make a post on an existing thread. (a thread for each file is recommended).

- Create a subject line relevant to identify the file, and include in the body of the post information about the file.

- At the bottom of the post creation screen, click the link (its in black) "Additional Options." This will open a small menu with further options, including adding a file.

- Find the word "Attach" and an address bar. Just use the "browse" button to locate your file and select it.

- Check everything. Make sure the file location path is correct, then press the button "POST" at the bottom of the screen. Please note it will take time (possibly minutes, depending on your connection speed) to make the post, as the file will be uploading to our server. Please be patient.

- You can see an example of the RT2 file I posted here

So lets get uploading:

Shattered Union Game File Uploads

Tropico Game File Uploads

Railroad Tycoon II Game File Uploads

Railroad Tycoon 3 Game File Uploads

Tropico 2: Pirate's Cove Game File Uploads

22nd January 2006

Shattered Union: Game Crashes

A few people have experienced crashes with the game as it tries to load into the actual battle maps. I haven't personally encountered this fault, but I've read in certain places that Take 2 / 2K Games are not providing any support over this issue. While I can by no means guarantee the following information will provide a fix, I've read that some people have fixed this fault by this method. Here is some information I posted on the messageboards:

I've read in other places of some people beating this problem by changing your computer's audio settings from something other than "Creative EAX"

Also, I have this quote from another place "Changing audio to Dolby Surround and lowering my hardware acceleration on my video card one click made the game work fine for me"

Hope that helps you

Shattered Union: Quick Reference Sheet

Messageboards member "Wizz" has created an amazing reference sheet for SU! It is very useful for the active players of the game. To view the reference sheet, click here. (to save a local copy, right click the link and save the file)

There hasn't been a great deal happening related to Poptop's games or Shattered Union since our last update. This is just a quick update to wish you all a happy new year! I hope you will stick with us through 2006, as I'm sure it will be an exciting year. We've got some great content coming up for you soon. And further plans to expand the site.

On the Shattered Union front, Poptop recently confirmed on their messageboards that a PC demo of Shattered Union will be released in the near future, but no timescale of when to expect this was provided. As soon as I know more, I'll post it here for you (and I'll post the demo file too).

Also, remember to keep posting to the RT4 wishlists about what you wish to see in the next generation of the Railroad Tycoon series. The Express World Forums are also open for your posting.

22nd November 2005

Shattered Union / Site News

There haven't been many updates regarding Shattered Union here for you, unfortunately that's because I've not found a great deal of content to report to you. The apparent lack of a map editor hasn't helped. Anyways, if you have any Shattered Union content to contribute, please send it to expressworld@hotmail.com.

- Until we are able to bring you news on Shattered Union, or any developments in Poptop related news, we will focus on bringing content for the other games we cover. To begin this, we have a repost of a very important file (see next article).

I find it very interesting that Firaxis has now been bought by Take 2 Interactive (who also own all the rights to the Railroad Tycoon series). Wouldn't it be interesting if Firaxis & Sid Meier were to be involved in developing the next Railroad Tycoon game?

Railroad Tycoon 3: Express World Download Links Repost for Coast To Coast Expansion & Final Patch

This seems to be our most popular download file that we host here on Express World. I've recieved many emails thanking me for hosting it, but I realised the download link had been quite well hidden into the older news in the RT3 section. So until the new RT3 section is revised, I'm reposting the link for ease of access!

Click here to download RT3 Coast to Coast Expansion Pack (119mb) (from EW)

... and another important file to use with Coast to Coast is the final patch Poptop released! Remember though, this file is for ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSIONS ONLY!

Click here to download RT3 Patch v1.05 (From Express World)

Patch info:

This latest patch updates Railroad Tycoon 3 to version 1.05. This patch does NOT require you to have any prior patches installed. Whether or not you have installed patches 1.01 to 1.04, the RT3 - Coast to Coast expansion, or none of the above, this patch will work fine in any of these scenarios. If you have already downloaded and installed the RT3 Coast to Coast expansion, all you need is the stand-alone 1.05 patch.

Version 1.05 Changes

Fixed a multiplayer crash bug inadvertently introduced in patch 1.04.
Resolved the bug that could cause trains to slow to 1 m.p.h. sometimes when approaching stations and/or service towers.
Fixed a bug that would cause industries with 2 possible inputs i.e. textile mill), to produce at only half of their targeted rate, even when supplied with both inputs.

***PLEASE NOTE***
This patch should only be applied to English (UK/US/OZ) versions of Railroad Tycoon 3.

4th November 2005

Poptop launches Developer SU Site

Poptop has launched it's own developer's Shattered Union site! It will soon feature a Messageboard too. Access the site here

Shattered Union: First PC Review

The first PC review of Shattered Union is up at Gamespy, you can catch it here. Gamespy awarded the game a 3.5 Star (Good) rating!

Here is an extract:

The real meat and potatoes of the game are the tactical battles that take place on hex-based maps that represent regions of America. It's here that the game really shines. Play begins with each player placing up to 42 military units down on "deployment hexes." Once that's done, they can move their units a certain number of hexes each turn, occupying cities or attacking enemy units. When battles occur, the combat is resolved using attack and defense ratings in various categories. When the player has finished his or her moves, their opponent (human or AI) gets to go. The winner is the player who has destroys all enemy units or manages to occupy a certain number of "victory points" -- hexes representing valuable cities. The Campaign adds an extra layer of strategy on top by stringing together these battles, with the winner conquering one of 24 regions of the country which will provide money, bonuses, or new units. The Campaign winner must take over all 24 zones. That's really all there is to it.

Except, of course, that that's not all there is to it. Underneath this simple surface is a very enjoyable strategic challenge. Player units are divided into 10 different categories, including heavy, medium and light armor, artillery, air and anti-air, and infantry. Within each category, players have two or three choices of units, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each faction also has a "special" unit. The Great Plains Federation, for example, has a killer piece of artillery that's incredibly powerful but slow and fragile. Figuring out how to best use your assets, which ones work well together, and which carry the most bang for the buck in a particular situation is the kind of enjoyable problem solving strategy game junkies live for and there's a lot to chew on in Shattered Union.

Shattered Union: French Review

Continuing with the review theme of this update, I've found a French review of the game for PC! Click here to access (a score of 6/20)

- If you want to read the review in English (or indeed another language), there is always the helpful (and free!) text translation tool from Altavista - access it here

22nd October 2005

Shattered Union: First Review!

A quick update to inform you, I've found the first review of Shattered Union! Its over at team xbox, where the game scores 8.2/10 (review for xbox version). No PC reviews so far. Read it here. Here is an extract:

- I have now received my copy of the game, and I've had a quick play - so far, so good! I will post an article with some impressions on it after I've played a bit further. I don't know if I will write a full review, but I will post some comments.

Any review sites out there, just let me know you've reviewed the game and I'll post the info! See the Contact Us page for details.

18th October 2005

Shattered Union: Section Revised

I have revised our Shattered Union section, ready for the new content that will come as a result of the games release. Although there are some pages with no content so far, our new "story" & downloads archive pages are active! The new SH Download Archive also contains new movies of the game. Head to the SH section here

Shattered Union: New Screenshots

Some links to new screenshots:

Team Xbox: single player info, more screenshots

IGN: Image archive

Poptop Updates

As described earlier, Poptop has finally updated their site after a long absence. Here is the latest update:

As a great man once said, reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, we are still alive and kicking here at Poptop, we've just been so busy the thought of one of us sitting down to type up an update had been little more than a pipe dream for quite some time. Things are finally coming together now, and we'd like to let everyone know that our latest game, Shattered Union, has shipped out to stores! You can read the full press release here. For those of you that are sitting there wondering what Shattered Union is, there's an official 2K Games Shattered Union site that will hopefully shed some light on our latest project. We're currently hard at work putting together a little site of our own here that we hope to have up for everyone later today. Starting today you'll see more regular updates here again, and we will try to make this place the place to be for any and all news related to Shattered Union! As a little thank you for your patience and support, we'll be putting up some brand new wallpapers here shortly that showcase the 7 different factions from our new game. Thanks for sticking with us, and we hope everyone enjoys our new title!

I'd like to congratulate everyone at Poptop on the release of their latest game! I sure am looking forward to the arrival of the copy I pre-ordered!

Shattered Union Released...

After a little confusion over the release date of Shattered Union (and the lack of any gold announcements), 2K Games has finally confirmed that the game has shipped for both PC & Xbox today, in North America. The game should appear in European stores from Friday! (Press release to follow shortly)

In another news, Poptop has updated their site for the first time since early April, with a new design to coincide with the launch of Shattered Union. Though, at the time of writing, it seems not all content has yet been implemented.

As soon as we have reviews, we will put them up! AS you know, the press / marketing for this game has been a little thin, so it will be interesting to see how the game is received! I'll post some thoughts when I get my copy.

Here is the press release:

2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc, today announced that Shattered Union is now available in retail stores in North America. Developed by veteran strategy game creators Pop Top Software, a Take-Two studio, Shattered Union is available for the PC and Xbox video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

In Shattered Union, following an increase in terrorism, internal strife and ultimately, the nuclear destruction of Washington, D.C, the United States shatters into a half-dozen nation-states that become embroiled in a civil war. Gamers take the helm of one of these newfound sovereignties or control European peacekeepers as they struggle to reunify America by force, in either a dynamic and non-linear single player campaign or in one-on-one multiplayer skirmishes with friends.

"Shattered Union has a unique and exciting storyline," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director of 2K Games. "With its non-linear missions, fully destructible environments and addictive gameplay, Shattered Union is a highly anticipated strategy game."

Battles can be fought on a hex-grid -- popular among tried-and-true turn-based strategy gamers and military strategy gamers -- allowing for full six-way movement across the detailed landscapes of the United States.

Key Features:

Modern 3D, "hex-grid", turn-based, war strategy game.
Non-linear mission progression with changes based on player-made decisions.
Real-time resolution of turned-based moves. Take your time while you decide your move, but once you have selected your action, see the results all play out in full animation models, exploding vehicles, and burning cities and forests!
Fully destructible terrain/environment. As the battle proceeds, everything from explosions and destroyed buildings permanently mark the terrain. At the end, very little will look the same.
Fight your way across the United States! Had enough of the windy city? Then go ahead and bomb Chicago! Invade across the Rockies into California, capture the tank factories in Ohio, and lay siege to New York City! You decide - the fate of the nation is in your hands!
Choose to play as one of seven different factions: California Commonwealth, Pacifica, Republic of Texas, Great Plains Federation, The Confederacy, New England Alliance and the European Expeditionary Force.
Call up National Guard forces equipped with M1 Abrams battle tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, Apache helicopters and stealth bombers. Or utilize the unique Future Combat Systems (FCS) of each nation-state and mow your enemies down with futuristic weaponry.
Online and offline multiplayer support.

28th September 2005

Site Upgrade News

The Shattered Union & Railroad Tycoon 4 sections of the site have now been converted to the new look! The Tropico sections are the next phases of this operation. Thanks for your patience.

Shattered Union: Trailer

We now have a copy of the trailer for SH hosted on Express World. Its around 15mb, and you'll need windows media player to view it! Click here to download

Shattered Union: Official Site Goes Live

The official site for Shattered Union has now gone live. To access it click here

Shattered Union: New Features List

The launch of the official site has brought an updated features list from 2K Games.

Story:

Following a great increase in terrorism, internal strife, and ultimately, the nuclear destruction of Washington, D.C., the United States shatters into a half-dozen nation-states that descend into war. Take the helm of one of these newfound sovereignties (or the "peacekeeping" European Expeditionary Force) and struggle to reunify America...by any means necessary!

Features:

Modern 3D tactical war game viewed from a "bird's-eye" overhead camera.
Non-linear mission progression with changes based on player-made decisions.
Real-time resolution of turned-based moves. Take your time while you decide your move, but once you have selected your action, see the results all play out in full animation models, exploding vehicles, and burning cities and forests!
Fully destructible terrain/environment. As the battle proceeds, everything from explosions and destroyed buildings permanently mark the terrain. Moving tanks will leave tread marks that stay for the duration of the mission. At the end, very little will look the same.
Fight your way across the United States! Had enough of the windy city? Then go ahead and bomb Chicago! Invade across the Rockies into California, capture the tank factories in Ohio, and lay siege to New York City! You decide - the fate of the nation is in your hands!
Choose to play as one of seven different factions: California Commonwealth, Pacifica, Republic of Texas, Great Plains Federation, The Confederacy, New England Alliance and the European Union.
Call up National Guard forces equipped with M1 Abrams battle tanks, Apache helicopters and stealth bombers. Or make a deal with the Russians and equip your boys with MiG fighters and T-95 Heavy Tanks.
Online and offline multiplayer on all platforms.

25th September 2005

Welcome To Express World Seven

We are proud to finally unveil the new look of Express World to you, named Express World Seven. The site is still under re-construction, and the new look is being introduced in phases of the next week or so. So far the new look has been applied to the main site pages section. Please note the new "Contact Us" page, and the altered methods for contacting the site. Also, the old links page where you could upload your own links to the site has been discontinued. We have a new links page here.

The Express World Shop has also been revamped, and a North American version is in the works! The Shattered Union and Tropico sections are the next phase of the implementation of Express World Seven. Please bare with us through these changes.

Shattered Union Release Date Nears?

Though not officially confirmed, many British retailers, including Amazon UK, are listing the release date as October 7th 2005 - not long now. Hopefully we can get this confirmed soon.

RT3 Cheats

There have been requests for this, so here is a re-postage of the RT3 cheats!

Press the '.' (fullstop) key to activate the cheat dialogue window. Enter the cheat, then press enter:

trains are in my blood : All locomotive types available for purchase
double shift : Buildings produce cargo at double normal rates

we have a winner gold : Win the game (Gold Medal)

all is lost : Lose the game
big dog : Give your player $10 million
fat cat : Give your player $1 million
bailout : Give your company $10 million
we have a winner bronze : Win the game (Bronze Medal)
safety first : Trains never crash

subsidy : Give your company $1 million
passport : Give your company access to all territories
go go go : All trains go double speed
oops : All trains crash
we have a winner silver : Win the game (Silver Medal)

upgrade : All trains upgraded to HST 125 (A nice diesel)
orca : Get the Orca engine

23rd September 2005

Under Re-Construction

I'm posting this notice to inform you that Express World is now under reconstruction. The process has begun of implementing the new layout of the site, so for the next week or so, you may find a few errors etc as we role out the new look in phases. Please bare with us, the end result should be good!

The first phases was completed earlier this month with the launch of the new messageboards. To enter them click here. The next phase, will be the new frontpage for the site, which will be very soon.

10th September 2005

New Forums Open!

The new Express World Forums are open, to access them click here.

Please update all links and bookmarks to our forums to the new address of http://www.expressworldforum.com/forum/index.php

All memberships and messages have been copied across to the new boards, so you can still login as normal and post! We still welcome guest posting as well. I hope to launch the file upload service for the forums in the next few days.

The new forums run on the simple machines PHP forum software! Enjoy!!

3rd September 2005

Progression

The work on the new look for Express World is progressing well, and I hope to have it up in the near future. And hopefully the new PHP message boards will be an interesting step forward for the site! More on this as it develops.

A fair amount of Shattered Union news for you today!

Tomorrow is my birthday, I'm 22 (I'm getting old now!), so a well deserved break for partying is in order :P

Shattered Union: Gamespy Hands on

Another preview for you, this time the Xbox version from Gamespy. Grab this one here

Shattered Union: Team Xbox Interview

Team Xbox has conducted an interview with Poptop's art director, Franz Felsl. Take a peek here. An extract for you:

In this era of real-time strategy games why did you decide to do a turn-based strategy game?

Franz Felsl: Because, it’s the era of real-time strategy games. Really, it’s because we felt it was a niche we could scratch. PopTop’s been a strategy game maker since its inception so it was a natural move for us. The fact that we believe there is an actual market for such games gave us the impetus and the fact that there are so few turn-based strategy games make us feel like were blazing a new trail…so to speak.

PopTop has developed two popular, top-selling franchises: the