The Lord of the Rings : the Battle for Middle - earth - wikipedia The Lord of the Rings : the Battle for Middle - earth The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth Developer ( s ) EA Los Angeles Publisher ( s ) EA Games Designer ( s ) Dustin Browder Engine SAGE Platform ( s ) Microsoft Windows Release NA : December 6, 2004 EU : December 9, 2004 Genre ( s ) Real - time strategy Mode ( s ) Single - player, multiplayer The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth is a real - time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles for Microsoft Windows. It was released in December 6, 2004 and is based on Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, in turn based on J.R.R. Tolkien 's original novel. The game uses short video clips from the movies and a number of the voice actors, including the hobbits and wizards. It uses the SAGE engine. The sequel, The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth II, was released on March 2, 2006. The online servers of The Battle for Middle - earth were permanently closed on December 31, 2010 by EA Games, due to the expiration of The Lord of the Rings video game license. Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Campaign 3 Development 3.1 Music 3.2 Working Conditions 4 Reception 4.1 Awards 5 References 6 External links Gameplay The Battle for Middle - earth is a real - time strategy game. Warring factions gather resources, then use them to construct military bases and armies on - site. In The Battle for Middle - earth, buildings may only be constructed on the building slots of predefined plots. Plots range from farmhouses to full - fledged castles, with different slot arrangements and available buildings, and plots can be purchased when they 're in the sole presence of a side 's forces. The only resource are the nebulous `` resources, '' which are produced inexhaustibly in dedicated buildings. Four factions on two sides wage the War of the Ring : Representing the Free Peoples are the horse - lords of Rohan, and Gondor with its forges and battlements. The Forces of Darkness are the fighting Uruk - hai of Isengard, and Mordor 's orc hordes, bolstered by Haradrim, Mûmakil and Trolls. Keeping with the trends of contemporary RTS titles, basic units operate in groups, significant characters are represented by `` hero units '', and the destruction of units gathers points for the purchase of special abilities. There is also a unit limit. Unit strengths and weaknesses form a sort of rock - paper - scissors system. Cavalry beats archers as they do not have a lot of time to fire and are then forced to close quarters fighting, Pikemen beat cavalry, swordsmen beat pikemen and archers beat swordsmen. Fire beats Ents, Mumakil, and Trolls. Units gain experience and levels, becoming hardier and more dangerous. Squads replace lost members when rank 2 or higher without losing experience. Most normal units have purchaseable upgrades and may also have abilities such as changing formation, changing weapons, combining with other squad types, Ranger stealth and orc cannibalism. Heroes are unique, far more potent units ( and Hobbits and Gollum ) that lack upgrades but do have multiple, elaborate abilities, and can be purchased back if killed. Most hero abilities require certain experience levels. Good has the advantage in the quantity and quality of heroes ; Gandalf at the peak of his strength is an anti-army device. Buildings also gain experience and may become able to build new units, research new upgrades, or bestow better passive bonuses such as a reduction in cavalry build costs. The player 's special powers are purchased from a small tree. They can be utilitarian ( Vision of the Palantír, reveals an area ), supportive ( Healing ), or able to call in temporary units ( Summon Eagles, Summon Balrog ). They are usable indefinitely once acquired, with recharge times but no cost. Both factions on a side share the same powers, and the tree is much larger ( and slower to climb ) in campaign mode than it is in skirmishes. Good has some powers that boost the ability of a single hero ( Power of the Istari, Andúril ). Evil receives aid in resource harvesting ( Industry, Fuel the Fires ). The Heroes for Gondor are Pippin, Faramir, Boromir, and Gandalf. Rohan 's heroes are Merry, Eowyn, Eomer, Theoden, Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, and Treebeard ( he is bought at an Entmoot ). Isengard 's heroes are Lurtz and Saruman. Mordor 's heroes are Gollum, two Nazgûl, and the Witch King of Angmar. Frodo, Sam and Shelob are playable at various stages of the good and evil campaigns, but can not be used in skirmish battles. Catapults firing on the walls of Minas Tirith Campaign The good and evil forces of Middle - earth each have a campaign. They take place on an animated map of western Middle - earth, where each battle represents the defense / sacking of a territory. Armies and characters move on the map, and moving the cursor over them shows snippets of the movies ( whereas battle cutscenes use the game engine ). Some mandatory missions represent important events. Between these the player must take enough nearby territories in skirmish battles, variations on the theme of building a base and killing everyone. Each territory provides a permanent increase of power points, the unit limit, and / or a multiplier for acquired resources. Units, their upgrades and purchased powers also persist between battles. The good campaign follows the story of the Lord of the Rings movies with an emphasis of traditional, scripted missions, from Moria to Lórien, the fight at Amon Hen, the Battle of the Hornburg, the Ents ' conquest of Isengard, the siege of Osgiliath, Sam 's search for Frodo in Shelob 's lair, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Black Gate. The evil campaign begins with Isengard 's betrayal and then continues with Saruman 's conquest of Rohan signified by the fall of Helm 's Deep and the deaths of Theoden and Eomer. It then switches to Mordor 's assault on Gondor and concludes with the successful destruction of Minas Tirith and total victory for Sauron. It provides an alternative storyline to the book and film. Development Music The Battle for Middle - earth features score from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy composed by Howard Shore, as well as original music in Shore 's image by Jamie Christopherson and Bill Brown. The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth ( Soundtrack from the Video Game ) was released via digital sellers on August 28, 2006, featuring 22 tracks of cues from the game by Christopherson & Brown spanning 44 minutes Working conditions The development environment and `` extreme crunch time '' for The Battle for Middle - earth led to a high profile labor lawsuit by programmers that was settled by Electronic Arts for US $14.9 million in 2006. Reception In the United States, the computer version of The Battle for Middle - earth sold 230,000 copies and earned $9.4 million by August 2006, after its release in December 2004. It was the country 's 89th best - selling computer game during this period. It received a `` Gold '' sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association ( ELSPA ), indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The critical response to The Battle for Middle - earth was fairly positive. The video game review aggregator GameRankings displays an average critic score of 82.5 %, with about two - thirds of the reviews in the 80 % s. IGN praised the game for its visual flair and impressive audio, but pointed out its lack of depth in gameplay, giving out a score of 8.3 to the `` decent, if not spectacular, game. '' GameSpot, with a score of 8.4, also commented on the visuals and sound effects as well as its focus on large - scale battles that `` befits the source material ''. Gamespy gave 4 stars out of 5, calling the game `` a perfect example of a license enhancing the final product. '' Awards The Battle for Middle - earth won three awards : the E3 2004 Game Critics Awards award for Best Strategy Game, the 2005 GIGA Games award for Best Strategy Game, and the GameSpy award for Best of E3 2004 Editors Choice. The staff of X-Play nominated The Battle for Middle - earth for their 2004 `` Best Strategy Game '' award, which ultimately went to Rome : Total War. References Jump up ^ EA Games : The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth Online Server Shutdown Announcement EA Games, Dec. 1, 2010, retrieved on Dec. 31, 2010. Jump up ^ iTunes - Music - The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth ( Soundtrack from the Video Game ) by EA Games Soundtrack, Bill Brown & Jamie Christopherson Jump up ^ Gamasutra : Programmers Win EA Overtime Settlement, EA_Spouse Revealed Jump up ^ Edge Staff ( August 25, 2006 ). `` The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century ''. Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Jump up ^ `` ELSPA Sales Awards : Gold ''. Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Jump up ^ Caoili, Eric ( November 26, 2008 ). `` ELSPA : Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK ''. Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Jump up ^ The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle - earth Reviews Game Rankings, retrieved on Jun. 7, 2008. Jump up ^ The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth Review IGN PC, Dec. 3, 2004, retrieved on Jun. 7, 2008. Jump up ^ The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle - earth for PC Review Gamespot, Dec. 7, 2004, retrieved on Jun. 7, 2008. Jump up ^ Gamespy : The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth Review Gamespy, Dec. 3, 2004, retrieved on Jun. 7, 2008. Jump up ^ X-Play Staff ( January 18, 2005 ). `` X-Play 's Best of 2004 Nominees ''. X-Play. Archived from the original on November 7, 2005. Jump up ^ X-Play Staff ( January 27, 2005 ). `` X-Play 's Best of 2004 Winners Announced ! ''. X-Play. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. External links The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth on IMDb The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series The Lord of the Rings Films The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King Music The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King `` Aníron '' `` Concerning Hobbits '' `` Into the West '' `` May It Be '' `` A Walking Song '' Production Original characters ( Figwit ) Production design Principal photography Special effects Accolades The Exhibition Gollum : How We Made Movie Magic The Long and Short of It The Hobbit Films An Unexpected Journey The Desolation of Smaug The Battle of the Five Armies Production Original characters Tauriel Music `` I See Fire '' Accolades Video games The Two Towers The Return of the King The Third Age The Third Age ( GBA ) Tactics The Battle for Middle - earth The Battle for Middle - earth II The Battle for Middle - earth II : The Rise of the Witch - king Conquest Aragorn 's Quest War in the North Lego The Lord of the Rings Guardians of Middle - earth Lego The Hobbit Middle - earth : Shadow of Mordor J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring film soundtrack game The Two Towers film soundtrack game The Return of the King film soundtrack game Production and reception Composition Themes Influences Translations Reception Fandom Study Related works The Hobbit The Adventures of Tom Bombadil The Road Goes Ever On The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales The History of Middle - earth The History of The Lord of the Rings Bilbo 's Last Song The Children of Húrin The History of The Hobbit The Tale of Beren and Lúthien Characters Aragorn Arwen Bilbo Boromir Butterbur Celeborn Ceorl Denethor Elladan and Elrohir Elrond Éomer Éowyn Faramir Frodo Galadriel Gandalf Gildor Gimli Glorfindel Gollum Legolas Merry Mouth of Sauron Old Man Willow Pippin Radagast Sam Saruman Sauron Shelob Théoden Tom Bombadil Treebeard Witch - king Wormtongue Adaptations and other derivative works Books Bored of the Rings ( 1969 ) The Last Ringbearer ( 1999 ) Muddle Earth ( 2003 ) Theatre Fellowship ! ( 2005 ) Lord of the Rings ( 2006 ) Radio The Lord of the Rings ( 1955 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1979 ) Hordes of the Things ( 1980 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1981 ) Der Herr der Ringe ( 1992 ) Film Animated The Lord of the Rings ( 1978 ) The Return of the King ( 1980 ) Peter Jackson trilogy The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) Fan - made The Hunt for Gollum ( 2009 ) Born of Hope ( 2009 ) Video games Journey to Rivendell Game One Game Two : Shadows of Mordor War in Middle Earth Vol. I ( 1990 ) Vol. I ( SNES ) Riders of Rohan Elendor Volume II Kingdom O ' Magic The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King War of the Ring The Third Age The Battle for Middle - earth Tactics The Battle for Middle - earth II The Rise of the Witch - king The Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria Siege of Mirkwood Rise of Isengard Riders of Rohan Helm 's Deep Conquest Aragorn 's Quest War in the North Lego The Lord of the Rings Guardians of Middle - earth Middle - earth : Shadow of Mordor Middle - earth : Shadow of War Tabletop role - playing games The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Middle - earth Role Playing The One Ring Roleplaying Game Board games Middle Earth Lord of the Rings Risk : The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition War of the Ring Other games The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game The Lord of the Rings : The Card Game The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game Middle - earth Collectible Card Game Toys Middle - earth Lego sets Games using W3D / SAGE C&C1 engine Command & Conquer ( 1995 video game ) Command & Conquer : Red Alert Dune 2000 C&C2 Voxel engine Command & Conquer : Tiberian Sun Command & Conquer : Red Alert 2 W3D engine Emperor : Battle for Dune Earth & Beyond Command & Conquer : Renegade SAGE engine Command & Conquer : Generals ( Zero Hour ) The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth II ( The Rise of the Witch - king ) Command & Conquer 3 : Tiberium Wars ( Kane 's Wrath ) SAGE 2.0 engine Command & Conquer : Red Alert 3 ( Uprising ) Command & Conquer 4 : Tiberian Twilight Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Battle_for_Middle-earth&oldid=806921290 '' Categories : Electronic Arts games Real - time strategy video games 2004 video games Multiplayer online games Windows games The Lord of the Rings ( film series ) video games SAGE ( game engine ) games Inactive multiplayer online games Hidden categories : Articles using Infobox video game using locally defined parameters Articles using Wikidata infoboxes with locally defined images Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Català Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français Galego Italiano Magyar Nederlands Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2017, at 23 : 26. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: lord of the rings battle for middle earth origin
Answer: The Lord of the Rings film trilogy