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Sid Meier's Gettysburg!

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Sid Meier's Gettysburg!
Developer(s)Firaxis Games
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseOctober 14, 1997[1]
Genre(s)Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single/Multiplayer

Sid Meier's Gettysburg! is a real-time tactical[2] computer game designed by Sid Meier, the co-founder of Firaxis Games, that was released in 1997 by Electronic Arts. In 1998, Gettysburg won the Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game of 1997. It was followed by Sid Meier's Antietam! in 1998.

The game allows the player to control either the Confederate or Union troops during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. It can be played as single scenarios, or as a campaign of linked scenarios, either recounting the original history or exploring alternative possibilities.

The engine was also used for the Napoleonic game Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle (as was a modified version for Austerlitz: Napoleon's Greatest Victory), both by BreakAway Games.

Mods

Gettysburg had a large modification ("mod") community. Players can customize uniforms, maps, sounds, and units. This aspect of tweaking the game proved vital to Civil War aficionados looking for historically accurate models. This ultimately led to the creation of other famous battles such as the Battle of Fredericksburg, the First Battle of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, and more.[3]

Online play

There was a large online following when the game was being hosted on Mplayer (a multi-player game network bought by GameSpy industries). Since moving to GameSpy the game has dwindled in popularity for online players; however a few players can still be challenged to online play at the GameSpy lobby.

Online play is for the most part, impossible due to the shutdown of GameSpy's servers.

At the pinnacle of online play there were many groups of players. A competitive ladder (league) was also a fixture of this time, where the hall of fame can still be viewed. "Case's Ladder"

References

  1. ^ "Electronic Arts and Firaxis Ship Sid Meier's Gettysburg!; Legendary Game Designer Sets New Benchmark in Real-Time Action Strategy". Business Wire. 1997.
  2. ^ Electronic Arts. "Press Release".
  3. ^ smgettysburg. "Sid Meier's Gettysburg - Downloads".
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