A closer comparison when it comes to gameplay would be the Railroad Tycoon series, with the player building a merchant house and pitting it against other houses over a period of time. TE is the first RTS to emphasize the effects of technological change over thousands of years upon the story. The most in-depth example of advancement is the Industrial Revolution, where the player has to be careful of production rates and skyrocketing demand. Victory in the game varies from episode to episode. Sometimes money is the sole criterion-other times, the goal is more specific.
Victory is based on the technological, monetary and geographical challenges built into the game.
The scenarios themselves are categorized into difficulty settings-instead of forcing the player to move chronologically through the game, he or she may choose which episode they wish to play. This style of campaign selection is similar to Heroes of Might and Magic. The fifteen episodes boast a wide range of operational and design choices. The player will start the game knowing to buy low and sell high, but will leave it with an idea of supply and demand chains, growth and customer satisfaction. Roads that need to be built vary from dirt to rail, and the outcome of the episode hinges on every choice the player makes.