Does Anyone Remember...?

[BentonGrey]

So, there's this game, the memory of which has haunted me for years and years.  I want to say it came out back in the 90's, probably the late 90's.  It was a real time strategy game of sort, where you were in this stylized world dotted with little cities.  The cities were small, compact places, and there were multiple cultures in this world, like Persians, Greeks, and others.  The cities would fill up with soldiers of varying skill and culture, and you could then recruit them.  You had to conquer other towns.  I don't remember enough about it to track it down, but I remember looking at the cities, and seeing rows of portraits, the Greek guys had Grecian helmets, and I think the Persian guys may have had curly hair.  It's been driving me crazy for years not being able to remember what this was.  Does the tiny bit that I recall ring a bell with anyone else?

[Talavar]

It sounds vaguely like Age of Empires, but that's only a guess.

[Previsionary]

Civilization?

[BentonGrey]

Thanks for the responses guys, but I suppose I should have specified, it's not any of the big games like those two.  It was something less widespread.  I played and remember the big-named RTS titles from those days, but this one I can't quite place.

[GogglesPizanno]

Thats good, I was gonna mock you mercilessly if you couldn't put your finger on the Age of Empires games....

[BentonGrey]

Haha, and I'd deserve it too!  No, we played AoE like crazy in college, and I played Civilization back in the day.

[detourne_me]

There was Empire Earth... it was VERY similar to Age of Empires

[BentonGrey]

Hmm, it wasn't Empire Earth.  I don't think there was as much building as that type of game, and there wasn't a sea element that I remember.  It didn't move time periods like AoE and its ilk did.  This mystery game was just ancient, not multiple eras.

[detourne_me]

Now you a starting to remind me of a strategy game like that I played in the nineties.
It wasn't ancient time though... Only set in feudal England, and maybe a feudal Japan one too.

Like Civ you had to choose crops and farmers.  Raise and lower taxes and if needed turn the farmers into a militia for defence.

[BentonGrey]

Now you a starting to remind me of a strategy game like that I played in the nineties.
It wasn't ancient time though... Only set in feudal England, and maybe a feudal Japan one too.

Like Civ you had to choose crops and farmers.  Raise and lower taxes and if needed turn the farmers into a militia for defence.

That sounds....fairly similar.  I think most management was done through the little cities, but I don't remember it well enough to be sure.  I remember that it was ridiculously hard.

[detourne_me]

Ah ok,  so the one based in England was Lords of the Realm,  and I don't think the Japanese one was Nobunga's Ambition... I can't seem to find it.   Maybe Shogun? It for sure had more of a turn based strategy though.

[GogglesPizanno]

Was it one of the Settlers series?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers

[BentonGrey]

Ahh DM, I was thinking you meant that was one game.  Nope, it's not either of those.  It had multiple cultures in one world, so it had Greeks, Persians, maybe Romans or Japanese, but lots of cultures.  The ones I remember distinctly are the Greeks. 

Goggles, it wasn't one of the Settlers series, methinks.  An important distinction is that you didn't necessarily play AS one of the cultures, but there were people from the different cultures who would move through the various cities.  In this city there might be three Greeks and ten Persians, and they could be recruited.  Eventually, they'd move on, and a different mix of guys would show up.

[UnfluffyBunny]

just throwing some extra games out here, the only other RTS games of a somewhat historical genre I can remember from around the 90's would be populous, powermonger and empire earth, tho the first 2 were more like divine intervention games and EE was playing as a single civilization from what I can remember :/ (and quite possibly later than the 90's, but I'm not sure)

[BentonGrey]

Hmm, it wasn't any of those three. 

:EDIT: Okay, I'm not sure what to think.  I know this thing existed, but I just went through the entire catalog of RTS games on Gamespot, even going as far as 2003, and I can't find it...this is going to drive me crazy.

[Epimethee]

The thing is, there were quite a few RTS with limited distribution in the 90's. You might have better chance on a forum dedicated to older games (not counting FF!) – maybe gog.com?

(And what do you mean, "this is going to drive me crazy"? Are we to understand that you aren't already? Flee, everyone, flee! Benton is saaaaane!)

[GogglesPizanno]

This is almost like a game unto itself....

Rise of Nations?
http://www.mobygames.com/game/rise-of-nations

Empires - Dawn of the Modern World?
http://www.mobygames.com/game/empires-dawn-of-the-modern-world

Seven Kingdoms?
http://www.mobygames.com/game/seven-kingdoms-ii-the-fryhtan-wars

[captmorgan72]

I think I saw a really blurry picture of this game once. My cousin even swears he heard it.

[BentonGrey]

Haha, y'all crack me up.   I suppose I should have said 'crazier.'  I know, I've gotten to enjoy checking this thread.  It is like a game unto itself.  It's actually just been cool checking out the classic RTS titles y'all have mentioned.  But...guess what?

Goggles....you've found it!     Rise of Nations is an awesome game, as is Empires, which I actually own.  However, Seven Kingdoms is the game I was looking for!  I knew I hadn't imagined it!  It was actually the first one that I played, and I had no clue there was a sequel.  Apparently they've taken the original one open source, so I'm totally going to download it and try it again.  It's funny, I glanced at Goggles link, and I thought, this sounds vaguely familiar.  So, I looked up screenshots, and it wasn't until I came to the specific image I remember that I was sure. 

So awesome!  Thanks guys!

[Epimethee]

Now that you mention it... I played this game a bit (and Rise of Nations, a little more). I probably still have the CD.