Glest
Encyclopedia
Glest is a free and open source real-time strategy
computer game developed by a team based in Spain.
/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 and the Glest Advanced Engine (GAE) 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 but due to different philosophies and goals amongst the developers of both forks this effort was called off during the planning stage.
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.
Because of the moddability of the engine, Glest can play games from a variety of player-created mods
. These range from modern military to dark, fantasy
-based monsters.
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 developed by a team based in Spain.
Development
Release of version 3.0 added online multiplayer LANLän
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
/Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
support. Glest is designed to be moddable
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
, with game elements defined by editable XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
files, and includes a map
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
editor.
Since April 2009, development on the original game has ceased. However, two forks, MegaGlest and the Glest Advanced Engine (GAE) 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 but due to different philosophies and goals amongst the developers of both forks this effort was called off during the planning stage.
Gameplay
Glest is set in a medieval fantasyMedieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
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.
Because of the moddability of the engine, Glest can play games from a variety of player-created mods
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
. These range from modern military to dark, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
-based monsters.
Reception
- Acid Play: Rating: 9.2 "A totally awesome 3D strategy game based in the magic forests during medieval times."
- 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."
- happypenguin.org: Rating: 4.48 out of 5 stars
- Casualty gamer: In october 2008 reviewed version 3.1.2.
- 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.