Globulation 2

Globulation 2 is a RTS game with an unusual gameplay design. The source and media are licensed under the GPL. The latest release of the game is 0.9.4.1 released on March 25, 2009. It is programmed in C++. It uses the SDL and Boost libraries.

Gameplay
Players can play multiplayer games via LAN or via the Internet through the Ysagoon Online Gaming service. In single-player mode, they can play against different AIs or in campaign mode.

In Globulation 2, unlike other games in its genre, players cannot control units directly. Influencing the unit's behaviour is done by creating zones and flags on the map, which affect a certain type and amount of units, ordering them to harvest resources, scout a region, avoid places or search for enemies to attack.

Units

 * Warriors' their main function is to attack the enemy and defend the buildings and workers. They fight in close combat. They can gain experience in combat, thus leveling makes them more powerful and destructive. Training facilities can enhance the fighting ability of these warriors significantly.
 * Workers gather food and the resources needed for building. They build, repair, and upgrade buildings and automatically work on constructing, repairing, or harvesting resources.
 * Explorers are flying units that automatically scout the map in a circular movement. These flying creatures can only be attacked by enemy explorers and towers. They can be upgraded to bomb units. Since they cannot be attacked by globs, they are especially devastating when there are no other enemy scouts and towers in the area.

Buildings
Globulation 2 features some buildings that give units special abilities like swimming, the ability to build higher-level buildings, or faster movement, and upgraded versions of those buildings improve those abilities.

For each building site, the number of workers working on the construction can be set. Units will automatically build. Not all of the buildings need to be maintained by workers after the building is completed. For repair, the player has to manually order the repair to be done on the building.


 * Inns are perhaps the most important building in the game. They provide food storage for your globs, which is necessary for them to go to work, fight, and do other things. In some cases, they can be used to convert enemy globs to your side. Upgraded versions provide increased capacity to store food and feed your globs.
 * Towers are defence structures that are used to attack aggressors. They are useful for protecting territory and making it difficult for globs to conquer that land. However, they require units to supply them with ammunition.
 * Walls are useful for slowing down and keeping out enemy globs. They also have the highest defence strength in the game. Since they cannot be upgraded, they become less useful as the games progress to later stages.
 * Swimming pools teaches globs how to swim. Upgraded versions can train more globs and as well train them to be faster.
 * Racetracks increases the globs' land speed. This is especially useful in combat, as warriors take less time to get there.
 * Markets are used for trading resources with other glob colonies.
 * Barracks increase a warrior's combat ability dramatically. The more upgraded the barracks is, the more globs the player can train and the more the player gains from training them.
 * Swarm is the only unit production building in the entire game. It produces all three types of units. Unlike other buildings, it can repair itself over time. Wheat is required for the production of unit.
 * Schools teach the player's globs how to upgrade buildings. The final upgrade can teach scouts how to bomb units.
 * Hospitals heal the player's globs and the scouts' health. The upgraded version has a greater capacity to heal more units.

Resources
Like other games, Globulation 2 requires resources. However, unlike other games, the resources are either unlimited or renewable. Unmanaged growths can enclose colonies. However, there are tools for managing them such as the destroy resource flag. You can also permanently deplete some resource by over harvesting it. Wheat and wood are resources that can be depleted.
 * Wheat is the most important resource in the entire game. They are used for the production of units, buildings and food for the globs as well.
 * Wood is the primary construction material of the game.
 * Stone is used to build walls, supply towers, and is a construction material for some buildings.

AIs
The Globulation 2 team has developed several different AIs, each suiting different needs and with their own strength and weakness.
 * AINicowars is the most difficult AI in the entire game, designed to close the gap between the players and Glob2 AIs.
 * AIWarrush is a war AI, designed to continuously send warriors to the enemies. Often, they built hospitals and other facilities to shorten the time needed to get back into combat.
 * AINone is an AI that does nothing. It is used primary for campaigns.
 * Reach to Infinity is an AI designed for economic expansion. It doesn't fight but it can convert globs to its team very efficiently.
 * AICastor is a much more difficult AI than AINumbi.

Development
Although most of the contribution to Globulation 2 is done by volunteers, a developer by the pseudonym genixpro is paid to work on the Globulation project fulltime. There are also other bounties that the development community is willing to pay for.

History

 * See Globulation 2 release history for more information.

Receptions

 * About.com released a review of Globulation 2, pointing out its innovative features.