What is Enigma: Rising Tide?
It is a massively multiplayer, cinematic, online, alternate-history World War II naval combat vehicular shooter between surface ships, submarines, and airplanes. You could call it a MMCOAHNCS, but that sounds pretty scary. Try Massively Multiplayer Online Vehicular Shooter, or MMOVS, for less of a tongue-twister.

What are the minimum system requirements?

  • Microsoft Windows 98/2000/XP
  • PIII 750Mhz
  • 256MB RAM
  • 3D Video Card w/32MB
  • 700MB HD Space

How does it work?
Enigma: Rising Tide has a singleplayer version and coming this Chrismas, a multiplayer version. If you purchase a copy of the singleplayer game you will receive a free 30 day subscription to ERT: LIVE (multiplayer). ENIGMA: RISING TIDE multiplayer is a subscription based persistent universe game. There will be a free downloadable multiplayer client for those who don't wish to purchase a copy of the singleplayer game.

Gameplay in multiplayer is very similar to singleplayer. As players complete missions, they gain rank points which allow them to rise in rank within their faction and gain access to new vessels, weapons, command capabilities, and (eventually) strategic influence over the larger war. Eventually, we intend direction of the war to come wholly under player control.

What features will you include in the initial release?

  • An intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
  • A vast, realistic ocean.
  • Ships include tankers, merchantmen, corvettes, submarines, destroyer escorts, and destroyers.
  • Weapons include torpedoes, depth charges, K-guns, deck guns, various machine guns, and hedgehogs.
  • There will be aircraft, but they will not be available to pilot at initial release.
  • Players ARE their vehicles; there are no human beings visible to be killed or injured.
  • A deep, alternate history background.

What do you mean by "alternate history"?
Enigma: Rising Tide begins in 1936, but in a world as it might have been had Germany won World War I. Our point of departure, or POD, is that the Lusitania is not sunk by German U-boat in May of 1915. Thereafter, the events that unfold develop a different history. For example, the Nazis never come to power. Germany remains an Imperial monarchy under the Kaiser and dominates Europe.

Is Enigma: Rising Tide a naval simulation?
Yes and no. Enigma is a COMMAND SIMULATION.

On the one hand, we are using historical models of the ships, and we are striving to ground our alternate history assumptions in real research and real history. The world of Enigma: Rising Tide will feature weather, realistic-looking seas, and dramatic skies. Our weapons and ships will feel reasonably accurate.

On the other hand, we are first and foremost designing a thrilling cinematic game rather than a detailed historical recreation. We'd rather sacrifice exhaustive accuracy for good, entertaining gameplay. Also, we cannot correspond exactly with real world history, since in Enigma's world, things happened very differently. Thus, you may see certain vehicles appear at another time or in the forces of another faction. Some flags may be different. Torpedoes will be reloaded far more quickly than in real life.

What do you mean by "cinematic"?
"Cinematic" means excitement and immersion, adrenaline and romance. All the pacing and suspense you might expect from a movie, but without the tedious aspects of reality that disrupt fun gameplay. Enigma: Rising Tide will offer strategic depth and tactical challenge while remaining intuitive and easy-to-learn. It will include cool camera angles so you can watch your vessel in action, a stirring soundtrack to accompany you into battle, awesome sound effects, and an action-oriented feel that falls somewhere between "simulation" and "arcade."

Can you describe the three factions?
The United States of America has built a formidable navy and is currently in an expansionist phase, sending its troops to the Philippines, Singapore, Morocco, Iceland, and Ireland. American technology has made great leaps in recent years, and the U.S. is considered to have the most advanced weapons of all the powers. Of particular quality are American aircraft and destroyers.

Imperial Germany is the dominant world power. Germany won World War I and forced the surrender of Great Britain after a year of unrestricted submarine warfare cut off food supplies and war materiel. In the 1936 of Enigma: Rising Tide, the German "Weltreich" controls most of Europe and Africa, and is expanding into Asia. The Imperials still use their U-boats as the backbone of their fighting Navy.

The League of Free Nations is an unusual, albiet historical, alliance of Imperial Japan and the Royal Navy in Exile. The RNE makes its headquarters in Hong Kong, where it guards the British Government in Exile and plans the reconquest of Britain. The League has a strong grip in Asia, and swift League vessels harass the Germans in the Atlantic and the Americans in the Pacific. RNE raiders sail from Gibraltar, the Azores, and the numerous fjords of neutral Norway.

How does the subscription work?
We give our multiplayer software away at no charge. If you purchase a copy of the singleplayer game, you will receive a free 30 day subscription to the multiplayer game. After a free exposure to the game, users must subscribe to play online in return for a monthly fee.

In effect, the game functions like a cable service; we provide the game, subscribers pay to play. Every three months during the projected life of the game, we roll out expansions that add vehicles, features, and new gameplay, also at no charge beyond the usual monthly subscription.

Because to play our game against other players is only possible using our servers (no LAN model), we will be in daily contact with the player community. Such close contact lets us adjust the content of our expansions to meet demands articulated by player feedback.

How do I sign up?
When multiplayer goes live, you can download the free stand-alone multiplayer Enigma: Rising Tide software, or purchase the upcoming Christmas-edition single player with included multiplayer client. Log in, create an account, then joing the online action!

If you can't wait, you may pre-register via the REGISTER link below.