PC/CD Gamer UK 31/PCGAMER31.bin/win31/ancient/readme.txt

Text File | 1996-03-29 | 12KB | 265 lines

Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires - beta demo
Copyright 1996 Sierra On-Line, Inc.
03/22/96
-----------------------------------

Welcome to this demo version of Rise and Rule of Ancient Empires!

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEMO
WINDOWS 3.1 or
Windows 95

486DX33
8 MB RAM
2X CD-ROM
Sound Card W/DAC
SVGA 640X480X256 colors
Mouse

HOW TO START THE GAME
Windows 3.1
In File Manager, locate the directory in which you downloaded this demo.
Once in the directory, find the file that is named DEMO31.EXE.  Double click
on this file, and enjoy the game.

Windows 95
Right click on the start button, click on Explore.  Locate the folde in which
you downloaded this demo.  Once in the folde, find the file that is named
DEMO95.EXE.  Double click on this file, and enjoy the game.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDOWS 3.1:
Windows 3.1 users need to have both the WIN-G and Win32s system
extensions installed to run the demo.  If you are recieving error messages
while trying to play this demo your system may be missing these utilities.
You can download WIN32s from the Sierra Web page at WWW.SIERRA.COM, or
Sierra's forum at AOL and Compuserve.  Please download version 1.3 of Win32s
that is named OLE32s13.  WinG is named WinG on all the sites.  You can locate
the files in the software demos areas on the above On-line sites.

Sorry, but the multiplayer features will not work in the Windows 3.1
version.  The Win95 demo supports 2 player modem and network play.


TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDOWS 95:
Windows 95 users need to have the DirectPlay (DPLAY.DLL) portion of
DirectX installed to run DEMO95.EXE. (See "Multiplayer Game," below,
for more information.).  If you have any Windows95 specific games,
you probably already have an installation for DirectX on that game CD.
If not, download DirectX from where you downloaded this demo from, the
Sierra Web page at WWW.SIERRA.COM, or Sierra's forum on AOL or Compuserve.

Both the Windows 95 and the Windows 3.1 versions of the game need
the WIN-G windows system extension installed, WinG is named WinG on all
the sites mentioned in the paragraph above.  You can locate files in
the software Demos areas at these sites.


OVERVIEW:
Rise and Rule is an empire building strategy game designed from the
ground up for multiplayer gaming.  It should be playable in
2-30 hours, offering satisfying play in single or multiple sittings,
depending on the size of the map chosen.

This demo includes the Egyptian and Greek cultures and allows a two
player game.  The commercial version will include six total cultures,
with up to four players allowed in a single game.  The demo is limited
to 100 turns for each player.


MULTIPLAYER GAME:
Choosing the multiplayer game option allows two players with Win95,
the DirectPlay portion of Directx (which, if not installed by a
previous game, should have been loaded during the installation)
and a properly installed network, to create or join a multiplayer
game. (Sorry, but just two players are allowed in this demo).

For network play, start the game and choose IPX network (at this
time TCP/IP is not supported).  One player should CREATE a game,
and the other should JOIN it.  You will need to name your machine
and also specify a name to go with your portrait in the game.

Modem play requires that modems be properly installed for Windows 95
on both machines.  Initiate a multi-machine game and choose Modem Play.
One player should Create a game, putting his machine into call-answering
mode, while the other should choose "Dial".  Enter the first player's
number in the dialog box that appears and accept to set up the connection.

During a multiplayer game, messages are sent between players by clicking
on your opponent's picture in the upper right corner of the screen, then
choosing a message button from the list below.  You can customize the
each of these message buttons by right-clicking on them, which lets you
edit the text sent with each message.



PLAYING THE GAME:
When playing, the player:
* explores a hidden map,
* builds cities and units,
* and expands his influence.

The main game screen is the scrolling map, where the player controls
his armies and cities.  Left clicking on an army icon SELECTS it.  Left
clicking nearby MOVES the unit toward that point.

To enter a city, left click on a unit near a city, hold down the left mouse
button and drag the mouse onto the city.  Left clicking and dragging can also
be used to combine armies, or just to move.

Moving the cursor near the edge of the map window changes the cursor
to a yellow arrow;  right clicking the mouse when the arrow is yellow
changes the arrow green and scrolls the map in that direction.

Function buttons at screen bottom allow the army to order a "Patrol", "Move
to" a distant location and (for Merchants and Philosophers) set up a
"Route" between two cities.  For example, choose an army, click on
the "Walking" icon and left click somewhere on the map;  the army will
continue to move, through subsequent turns, until he reaches that
destination.


SETTLERS, CITIES, POPULATION AND PRODUCTION:
The player starts with a single settler unit, which allows for the creation
of a city.  Select "Found City" from among the buttons on the bottom of the
screen to create a settlement on the unit's current location.  After a moment,
this will take you to the City Screen for this new village.

The city screen lets you allocate the city population between four
main tasks --

* food gathering,
* education,
* building,
* and resource gathering,

 -- through the SLIDING BAR in the top center of the screen. Click
on and drag the little "man" markers between the colored sections to
reallocate labor between tasks.

Moving the slider updates the Displays surrounding the Slider Bar to
indicate the expected food, building and resource-gathering the city
will achieve in the next turn.  Focusing on food production tends
to increase population (indicated by a row of PEOPLE above the Slider
Bar) until the city reaches a state of equilibrium. CULTIVATION and
ROAD BUILDING will (in the final game) increase the population level
at which a city achieves equilibrium.

At any point, the city can be assigned to build ONE specific unit
(i.e. moving figure on the scrolling map) OR city structure (which
in the final version of the game will affect a city's capabilities)
AT A TIME.  The display below the Slider bar indicates which unit or
structure is currently selected; click on its icon to select a new
choice from a list of possible units and structures.  The PROGRESS BAR
to the right of the display shows how much progress has been achieved
on the selected item (in one color), and how much more will be done
this turn (in another color).

Building units and city structures takes WORK (indicated by the
Building task on the bar) and RESOURCES (indicated by the Resource
Gathering task on the bar. Once a healthy population has been reached
(around 8-10 guys) try using the slider controls to remove people from
producing EXCESS FOOD, and then balance them between Building and
Resource Production.  Watch how these changes affect the PROGRESS BAR.

Not all units and structures are available at the start of a game;
to build them, your city must gain KNOWLEDGE (see below) of how they
are made.  The same applies for structures which can be built to
multiple LEVELS.


CITY BUILDINGS, RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE:
Left-clicking on certain buildings in the city will let you control
additional tasks that the city can accomplish. For example, clicking on
the Academy building allows the player to set the research FOCUS for
the particular city.

Research can be performed in five areas:

- General Knowledge
- Spiritual Knowledge
- Engineering Knowledge
- Medical Knowledge
- Martial Knowledge

A percentage of the city's population is assigned to researching from the main
worker allocation slider bar.  You use the academy panel slider bar
to shift the city's focus away from certain areas of
knowledge, and towards others.

Research in the five areas gains the KNOWLEDGE that is required to
build the various unit and building types and levels that are not
available at the start of the game.  Different units and buildings
require certain levels of knowledge in MULTIPLE areas before they
can be built.  This knowledge also offers medical and spiritual
benefits to cities and armies.

Each city must perform its OWN research; given the distances
involved, the knowledge gained in one city does NOT automatically
become known in your other ones.  However, you can spread knowledge
among your cities through use of PHILOSOPHERS.


SPECIAL UNITS:
In addition to military and settler units, there are two special
units used in the game to link your cities into an empire:

Communication of knowledge is carried out by setting PHILOSOPHER
units on ROUTES (see "Playing the Game," above) between cities.
A philosopher unit currently requires about 15% in each of the
areas of research. As it travels, the philosopher will "learn" from
cities with more knowledge than it has, and then "teach" what it
knows to less knowledgeable cities.

Setting MERCHANT units to routes between cities has two benefits.
First, it creates trade between the cities (which can increase
each city's resources).  Second, it raises each city's GOOD WILL
towards the player who sent the Merchant.  Currently, enemies will
attack any unit they encounter, including merchants; but in the
final game, players will be able to spread this good will to enemy
cities, to increase the chances that they might break from their
current empire and switch allegiances.


COMING SOON:
The demo version of the game will be updated as the release version
of the game is updated.  Check out our web page at http:\\\www.sierra.com
for updates.

To order call 1-800-757-7707 or see your local retailer.

Have Fun!





Legal Stuff:

BY USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND
BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE.

Sierra On-Line End User License Agreement

This software is copyrighted.  This software and documentation
is licensed to you by Sierra On-Line.  You may copy it onto a
computer for your own personal use and you may make back up
copies of the software to protect your software against loss.
This software may be used by more than one person, and may be
freely moved from one computer location to another provided that
there is no possibility of the software being used at one
location or on one computer while it is being used at another.
The software can not legally be used by two different people
in different places at the same time.  You may not modify, network,
rent, lease, loan, distribute the software or create derivative
works based upon the software in whole or in part, and you may
not electronically transmit the software from one computer to
another or over a network.

This End User License Agreement grants you a limited license to
use the Redistributable Code licensed to Sierra On-Line, Inc.
by Microsoft Corporation, Inc. together with Microsoft operating
system products.  All intellectual property rights in MicrosoftÆs
Redistributable Code contained in this product belong exclusively
to Microsoft Corporation, Inc.