Earth 2140

Reality Pump Studios

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1997
Headquarters	Poland
Products	Earth 2140

Earth 2140 is a two-dimensional real-time strategy title created in 1997 by the Polish developer Reality Pump Studios and released by TopWare Interactive, which was later taken over by Zuxxez Entertainment. This game led to the development of two follow-up installments: Earth 2150 and Earth 2160.

Plot

The narrative unfolds in the year 2140, following a catastrophic global nuclear holocaust in 2048 that rendered Earth's surface uninhabitable and forced humanity to seek refuge underground. Two dominant factions—the Eurasian Dynasty (ED) and the United Civilized States (UCS)—vie for limited resources. Hostilities escalate when the UCS launches an assault on an ED installation, triggering widespread warfare with combat zones spanning Mexico, Scandinavia, Great Britain, France, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Factions

The United Civilized States (UCS) holds dominion over North and South America, Western Europe, North Africa, and Australia. Their society heavily depends on automation, utilizing machines for governance and military operations. A malfunction within their war processor GOLAN caused UCS to initially underestimate ED's capabilities, igniting the conflict. Although initially suffering losses in Mexico, UCS rapidly adjusted tactics and employed cutting-edge technologies such as robotic infantry units and automated mechs to reclaim ground in Europe.

In contrast, the Eurasian Dynasty (ED) rules Eastern Europe and Asia under a centralized Khan Dynasty. With technology lagging behind UCS, ED relies on cyborg soldiers, conventional tanks, and armed helicopters. Typically adopting a defensive stance due to this technological gap, ED’s military approach differs markedly from UCS’s machine-centered warfare.

Gameplay

Players in Earth 2140 undertake missions focused on objectives like eliminating or seizing enemy units and structures. Failure occurs if all player-controlled units are destroyed or critical goals remain unfulfilled. Construction involves deploying mobile vehicles onto appropriate terrain to erect buildings. Mines serve as sources of funding for unit creation but can only be placed where ore deposits exist. Resources valued at 1000 credits each are transported by BANTHA trucks or Heavy Lifters to Refineries where they are converted into usable credits. Once ore is fully mined out, the mine becomes depleted.

Each faction provides four categories of units, allowing players to queue up to five different units simultaneously with no limit on identical unit production queues. Unlike many strategy games, credits spent on recruitment are non-refundable if canceled, and buildings cannot be sold once constructed. Reinforcements may be limited to a single use per mission. Buildings require power supplied by power plants; inadequate power results in reduced building efficiency. Destroyed power plants leave hazardous terrain damage that harms nearby units. Certain structures must be built to unlock advanced units and technologies—most notably the Research Center. Capturing enemy buildings requires overpowering their garrison forces and grants access to their technological advancements based on research status. However, guard towers and superweapon launchers remain uncapturable. While most units fulfill typical combat roles, some specialize in tasks such as laying mines or transporting cargo. Not all vehicles operate solely on land. A distinctive mechanic allows players to capture disabled enemy vehicles—often incapacitated through ion weaponry—by repairing and reprogramming them using HMCR repair units.

Expansion Packs

The game received two additional content releases:

• Earth 2140: Mission Pack 1
• Earth 2140: Mission Pack 2 - Final Conflict

Reception

GameSpot awarded the title a score of 6.3 out of 10. Brendan Caldwell from Rock, Paper, Shotgun characterized it as a derivative work resembling Command & Conquer.

External links

• InsideEarth - Earth 21xx Community
• Earth 2140 on Steam