Ahhh the memories.
I came up with the concept, designed and programmed Battle Wrath way back in 1995. I *think* I deserve some points for stepping up when the game gets such nasty reviews. LOL
At one time there were about 10 of us working on the game from artists to developers to storyboarders. If you will indulge me, I would like to share the story of the game as someone may find it interesting.
Our original concept for Battle Wrath was to distribute a free engine with a couple of characters to let people taste the game. If it was for you, you could purchase additional characters off of the internet for about $8. The goal was to reduce the cost to 'allowance money' that a kid would have vs. receiving a $50 game that required a parent's income. We also were intrigued by the idea that you could purchase characters to make the game into what you wanted it to be. No interest in Sci-Fi? Great, buy the fantasy characters... or follow a particular artist or game mechanic or whatever YOU wanted to do with the game.
I stand by the game engine which allowed for amazing flexibility for characters (shape shifting, ANY size, amazing AI that is hard to beat at the top levels, etc.). On a technical level, I was always proud that we put out the first fast action fighting game that utilized SVGA (640x480, 256 colors). In the end, the engine did lack some capabilities that it really should have had - see previous review for at least one of them.
So, our plan was downloadable characters to expand the game universe back in 1995. Alas, the idea was (in my opinion) ahead of its time and the '95 internet could not support 8mb downloads so we had to reverse course to mailed disks containing characters as they were purchased. This worked okay, but not great. As the development of Battle Wrath was progressing, we were approached by various companies about entering into a distribution relationship. Ultimately, we decided on Magicomm.
The item we missed about Magicomm is that they were a very siloed company. Our primary contact was the only person who knew anything about the game, or their relationship to us. Sadly, he was gravely injured in a car accident shortly before release and our game was shelved for 6 months despite efforts to get it back on the table. As you all know, 6 months is an eternity and we missed out window. This, combined with a personal situation that had me relocate from Raleigh, NC to Denver, CO (where I remain to this day), signaled the end of any aspirations for the game.
In an interesting twist, we worked for a while with (the old) Avalon Hill before they went belly up to do a remake of the game Diplomacy using some of the AI innovations of Battle Wrath (odd that some of it applied to both games). In the end, they were embroiled in their financial issues, though out primary contact at AH, Bill Levay, went on to direct the AH Diplomacy release that they ultimately put out.
So, did the game fail? In most regards, absolutely. However, as a creative endeavor it was very rewarding and financially, it paid for itself, but not much more.
This is the first time I have shared my thoughts on the game to any audience and I hope that at least one of you found it an interesting read.