Supremacy: Your Will Be Done

Gameplay

In Supremacy: Your Will Be Done, the player’s objective is to build and defend a collection of colonized planets while overcoming a computer-controlled rival with the same goal. Four difficulty levels exist, each tied to a different alien race, with opponents growing tougher at each step. More developed systems grant greater flexibility in choosing spacecraft, and higher difficulty settings alter how many planets appear in a given system.

The game relies on mouse-based controls, with a message box at the bottom of most screens showing key details. After the opening screen, the player picks a planetary system to enter. These systems vary in the ships and gear available for purchase, the number of planets present, and the strength and aggression of the AI. The first system holds eight worlds and offers only the most rudimentary equipment. The second contains sixteen planets and somewhat improved gear. The remaining systems follow a similar pattern of increasing size and capability.

At the start, both the player and the opponent control just one colonized planet each in the chosen system. All other planets are empty and available for claiming. Success requires establishing and maintaining productive colonies on as many worlds as possible, while also building industry and a military strong enough to repel attacks. Because each system’s initial layout is random, the sequence in which planets are settled significantly shapes the rest of the game.

Before a colony can be built, a planet must first be terraformed using an atmospheric processor. As a colony’s population grows, it can send more tax revenue to the player’s home starbase. But colonies need food and energy to survive. Food can be provided by purchasing and placing farming stations on the colony or by shipping it as cargo aboard starships. Energy comes from buying orbiting solar satellites, though it can also be transported as cargo. Transporting cargo consumes fuel, so mining stations must be purchased to keep ships running. Juggling these and related demands forms the core challenge of the game.

Differences between versions

The NES version of the game was adapted from earlier home computer releases, but it differs in several key ways. It features fewer screens, a reduced number of sounds, and significantly simpler controls. The original game allowed players to upgrade platoons of soldiers, whereas the NES version simplifies combat to missiles and hover tanks fighting ground defenses, with no upgrade options. The message display is larger in the home computer versions and sits on the right side of the screen, while the NES version places it at the bottom center. Save file capacity is also limited: the NES version stores only one saved game, compared to four on home computers. Purchasing craft in the NES version requires only credits, but the original versions demand money, minerals, fuel, and energy, though this varies by difficulty level. Docking bay mechanics are more complex in the home computer versions, which also include an image of the enemy’s face that becomes clearer as the player nears the end of the game.

Reception

The original computer releases of this strategy game were met with strong critical acclaim. On the Amiga, it scored 90% in Amiga Format, 93% in CU Amiga, and 80% in CVG Magazine, while the Atari ST version earned 90% in ST Format and 84% in ST Action. Reviewers praised its playability and accessibility for a strategy title, along with the variety of approaches it offered players. The PC version also fared well, with Zero Magazine awarding it 91% and highlighting its graphics, animation, and approachable gameplay. In 1991, Computer Gaming World called it "easy to learn and a delight to play," noting that "Overlord conquered this reviewer's taste." However, a 1992 survey of science fiction games in the same magazine criticized the PC version for failing to run correctly on faster machines, giving it a score of one and a half stars out of five. The later NES port received a more mixed response. Gamepro rated it quite highly, but the four reviewers at EGM were split: two gave it a respectable 7 out of 10, while the other two rated it a below-average 4 out of 10, arguing that this type of strategy gameplay was ill-suited to consoles. The main theme, composed by Jeroen Tel, is widely regarded as one of the finest SID musical compositions ever created, ranking 52nd among nearly 30,000 entries in the High Voltage SID Collection.