The shareware version of the game can be distributes freely. No modification is authorised.
If you want to know the advantages for complete version, and payment method, see paragraph "Shareware" at the end of this file, and the Text file "Shareware" which is given with the game.
Principle and goal of the game
This game is a simple strategic game. The map is composed by earth, mountains and water. The player must build cities with the aim of producing pieces such as tanks, destroyers, planes, etc.
Every player must expand himself for building new cities. However, it is not the number of cities which determines who wins, but the number of cities we have destroyed, and the number of our cities which has been destroyed. Then the goal is to destroy enemies cities and to protect our own cities.
Rules of the game and use
Note : The text in italics are options which can not be used completely without to pay the shareware.
Start :
At start, you can choose following things :
- Number of players (2 for shareware version, or 4 with paid version).
- Adding a player which is controlled by the computer.
- Size of the map (The number of lines and columns of the map).
- The number of cities for each player at start
In the window "Options", your can choose more :
- If the map is known at start, or if unknown parts are in black (by default).
- If the map contains mountains (by default) or not.
- If the cities are destroyed (default), or if they simply change of owner.
- The number of turns until you can build the next city (default: 10 turns).
- The number of Victory-points which determine the end of the game (default : 3).
When you click on the button "OK", the computer build the map.
For beginning the game, I rate you to take a look in the part "Mains pieces characteristics" of the help. This will help you to determine which piece you must produce for specific missions.
Automatic positions of the cities :
The number of cities you selected at start is placed automatically by the computer. It place the two first cities at seashore, and the others to chance.
There are more an armoured car and a Patrol boat around the two first cities (a armoured car and a carrier for the computer). The other cities have only an armoured car.
Two cities at start have a minimum distance which depend of the map size, the number of players, and the number of cities.
Select a piece
To select a piece, there is two ways :
- Use the key "Tab" to select the next piece which has not been already played in the map, from left to right, and from top to bottom.
- Use shortcut ctrl-tab which select the unplayed piece which is the nearest.
- Click directly on the piece in the window "Detailed map"
Changing the view in the window "Detailed map"
- If you don't see the piece you want to select, you just need to click in the area where your piece is in the window "General map" (the small window).
City's production
- Every city can produce any type of pieces. If you want to know basic characteristics of every piece, see paragraph "Basic characteristics of the pieces".
- To select production, you must first select the city. Then you have three possibilities :
- Select "City production" in the menu "Player"
- Use the shortcut "comand-P"
- Simply the key defined in preferences (default : P)
- Then you just need to select the piece you want and click OK.
Be sure not to produce pieces which can not go on earth with a city which is not at seashore, and which has no convoy !!
Information on a piece :
- Select a piece on which you want to obtain information.
- Then you have three possibilities
- Select "Infos selection"
- The shortcut "Comand-I"
- Simply the key defined in preferences (Default : "I").
As you can load several pieces (Landing boats, Transport aircrafts, Motor launch, and Conveyors), you have a maximum of 6 pieces at the same point. A carrier will then load up to 5 pieces.
- You can select any pieces with radio buttons. It will be the selected piece which will move when you will move with the numerical keys after having closed the window.
If you want to avoid the window "Information on a piece", and you will simply select a piece on a carrier, see the paragraph "Direct selection of a loaded piece" (underneath).
Direct selection of a loaded piece :
- You can avoid the window "Information on a piece" if you use the keys 1 to 6 of the main keyboard. This keys are corresponding at the level you can see in the window "Information on a piece".
If you select a level in which no piece is present, the menu bar will flash, and the previous selection won't be modified.
Note : If you change your piece with the mouse or the key Tab, the default piece will always be the first one (This which is displayed on the screen), except for the cities.
Moving a piece :
- If you want to move a piece, your must first select it.
- Then use the numerical key at right of the keyboard to move (the number 5 doesn't move the piece). If you selected "Additional moving keys" in the preferences, you can use these keys too.
The number of moving of every piece by turn is limited. You can always see in the window "Infos" the number of moving your can still do.
Visibility :
Most of pieces see only 1 square around it (so 8 squares and itself).
Only the Fighter sees 2 squares around.
It is then not easy to control completely an island.
How to attack a piece :
To attack a piece, it's really easy. You just need to go against it.
The result of the fight is displayed in the window "Infos".
You must know that :
- The piece which attack has an advantage due to surprise effect (+ 2 attack-points).
- Generally, you need more than 1 attack to destroy an enemy.
- Attack is not moving. It doesn't cost as a movement (You can still attack when you can't move).
- The two pieces are never destroyed at the same time, there is inevitably a winner.
If two pieces are not allowed to fight, nothing happened, and nothing appear in the window "Infos".
Note : Some pieces can fight form water to earth (and opposite), but not all. If you want to know which piece can attack on earth or water, see the paragraph "Basic characteristics of the pieces.
Win life-points :
At start of every turn, every piece which has lost life-points will win one more. And then until it will have the maximum points this type of pieces can have.
Basic characteristics of the pieces
To obtain basic characteristics of all pieces, you just need to select "Infos on basic characteristics..." in the menu "Infos".
Then select the piece you want, and the information on it will appear in the frame. The name of the selected piece appear at the top of the window.
Fuel for planes :
The planes are the only pieces which need to be refuelled. The jet and the Cargo-aircraft have then a reserve of fuel which decrease of 1 by movement.
And the fuel decrease of 1 by turn too.
A plane which reaches 0 of fuel, without to have a piece which can refuel it will be automatically removed at the end of the turn.
- To refuel a plane, you must let it at the end of the turn just around of one of the next pieces :
- Supply ships
- Tanks (not armoured troops)
- Towns.
Attention : If your piece which should refuel a plane is destroyed after you have played, the plane won't be refuelled.
How to build a city :
- To build a city, you need 10 turns of the game for the first city, and then it depends of the number of turns you have chosen in "Options" at the start of the game (8 by default).
You can easily verify if you can build a city. You just need to verify if the menu "Build City" in the menu "Player" is activated.
Note : If you don't build a city at once, it isn't a problem, you will be able to build it when you want. You have no risk to loose a city if you haven't build it.
Criterions for building a city :
- You must be allowed to build a city (menu is active).
- You must be at X squares minimum (high, width, and diagonal) of all your other cities. X is number of squares you have chosen in the window "Options" at startup. By default : 8.
This X squares is a distance between your cities. So you must in facts be at X+1 squares of your others cities.
- You must select a tank or an armoured car (the city will replace it).
- You must have at least 2 pieces around this tank or armoured car. This two pieces can be :
- A tank
- Armoured troops
- Paratroops
- A battleship
- A Supply ship.
If this criterions are not respected, the city will not be built, and the reason for that will be given in the window "Infos".
Test to build a city (town) :
- You can when you want test if you will be allowed to build a city at a certain point. For that, you must select a piece where you will want to build your city.
- Then select the menu "Test building of a city...". A window appear which remind you the conditions for building a city.
When you click on the button "Test", the computer test all criterions, and tell you if they are respected or not.
How to use mines :
The mines have a particular thing : When they are set, they are not visible from enemies. Si one enemy goes over one of your mine, his vehicule will be destroyed (of course, not for planes), and the mine is suppressed.
When a city produce a mine, it produce in fact a mine-carrier. This vehicule can be moved, but it goes very slow, and it is very weak.
When you arrive at the point where you want to put a mine, select "Set mine" in the menu "Player".
You can't go over your own mines with your pieces.
Saving to disk and file format :
For macintosh users : You can save the file either in mac format, or in pc format. The mac format is only readable on mac, and the pc format can be read on both platforms.
Note that at this time (when this file is written), the PC version does not yet exist.
Unfortunately, the PC format is three times longer to save.
End of the turn :
When you finish your turn, you can :
- Select "End of the turn" in the menu "Player"
- Use the shortcut "Comand-F"
- The key defined in preferences (Default : "F").
Save automatically :
You will need, as soon as the map is build, to save your game. So the saving will be automatic at the end of the turn unless you add the mark "Do not save automatically".
- You can't save your game in the middle of your turn. You must absolutely finish it.
Open a game :
You can open either a mac file, or a pc file (of course if the PC version exists). The computer select automatically the good format to read it.
- If you open anything (a file which has not been created by Colonisation), a warning message will appear. If you still continue, it can freeze the computer.
Preferences :
In the preferences, you can choose options which below to application (there are not saved in the file, but in a preference file in the system folder).
The options you have follow :
- Displaying the frame in the general window : Display or not the frame of the view of the detailed window in the window "General Window". It's practical, but it needs more time to be displayed every time you move a piece.
- Size of the window "Detailed map" : It determines the number of squares that can display the window "Detailed window", it is useful for example if you have a high resolution on screen. But the size of the window can't be bigger than the size of the map. And the number of displayed squares is always odd. If you select a number of lines of columns higher than the size of the map, the computer will automatically reduce the size without to modify preferences.
- Automatic presentation of Window "Enter password" : If the box is checked, the window "Enter password" will be automatically displayed after the confirmation "Turn's end". With this system, you must cancel the window for doing things such as "Save as".
If the box is checked, you will have to select yourself "Enter password" in the menu "Player" after the end of every turn.
- Save automatically (Macintosh only) : When the computer saves automatically (at the end of each turn), the computer doesn't ask you which file format you want. You can here force the computer to save with format mac or pc, or to keep the same format as the original file.
- Additional moving keys activated : You can define additional moving keys, for exemple if you play on a portable which hasn't numerical keyboard. If you activate this option, the moving keys defined under "Select shortcuts" (the button is in the same window) will works as moving keys.
- Select shortcuts :
If you click on this button, you can modify the direct keys which launch some functions. You can select new moving keys too.
Play by mail :
This game has been designed to be played by mail too. I tried to reduce the size of the file to minimum.
If you choose to play by mail, I advise you to begin with a lot of cities (5 or 6 if you play with 2 or 3 players), so that the start of the game won't be too long.
Summary of pieces with main characteristics :
Pieces which are on earth :
Tank : - Moves fast (7)
- Can attack planes.
Armoured troops : - Stronger than the armoured car
- Moves slower (4) and can't attack planes.
Paratroops : - Weak piece and slow, but need only one turn of production.
- Can be transported by a Cargo-aircraft.
Conveyor : - Piece which can transport on earth all pieces which go only on water.
- Transported pieces must be empty (Example : Empty carrier)
- It moves very slow (2) and can transport only one piece.
City : - It can't move, and has 20 life-points.
Land mine : - Small vehicule which transport a mine.
- The mine can be set by the menu "Set the mine" at any time.
Pieces which are on water :
Battleship : - It's a good ship, it is the stronger ship.
- It can't attack planes.
Supply ship : - Weaker than the battleship
- Refuel jets and Cargo-aircrafts.
- Can attack pieces at seashore.
Motor launch : - It is a ship which is design to explore the map. It is fast (10), but weak.
- It can transport paratroops, but only 2 at the same time.
Gunboat : - It is the single boat which can attack a city.
- It moves fast, but is weak when it defends himself.
Landing boat : - It allows you to go from island to island with pieces which go on earth.
- It moves slowly (5).
- It can carry up to 5 pieces of :
- Armoured troops
- Tank.
Floating mine : - Small vehicule which transport a mine on water.
- The mine can be set by the menu "Set the mine" at any time.
Planes :
Fighter : - Moves very fast (10), and has a good tank for the fuel.
- It is the only piece to see 2 squares around.
Transport aircraft : - It can carry up to 5 paratroops at the same time.
- it moves slowly, and has less fuel than the Fighter.
Summary of keys and shortcuts :
The next keys are active when a game is running, and when a player has entered his password. This are default keys. Most of them can be modified in the preferences.
- 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9 of numerical keyboard : Moves the selected piece.
- 5 of numerical keyboard : Centres the selected piece, and refresh the infos.
- If you selected the option "Additional moving keys" in the preferences, the moving keys defined under "Select shortcuts" have the same function than the keys 1-9 from numerical keyboard. This option allow you to play on a portable, which doesn't have any numerical keyboard.
- 1,2,3,4,5, 6 of standard keyboard : Select the asked level (1-6) of the selected piece.
- j : Put the flag of the selected piece to "Played", so it won't be selected more by the tab.
- Tab : Select the next piece which has not been played in the map.
- Ctrl-tab : Select the next piece not played in the map. It goes over the map in circles from the selected piece.
- p : Makes appear the window "Production of a city" if a city was selected.
- i : Makes appear the window "Information on selection".
- f : Makes appear the window "Turn's end".
- The four arrows : allow you to move the map in the detailed window.
Shareware
The price is very low : 10$.
You can by directly the licence for version 2 for mac & pc for 15$. But the PC version 2.0 exists only in french, and version 3 PC doesn't yet exist.
If you pay the shareware, you will have the next advantages :
- No more boring windows
- You will be allowed to choose the size of the map
- You will be allowed to choose a map without mountains.
- You will be allowed to choose if the map will be known at start, or if unknown parts will be in black.
- You will have the possibility to play up to 4 players.
- You will be allowed to choose the number of city at start with no limits.
- You will have the choice if a beat city is destroyed, or if it becomes yours.
- You will be able to select the number of turns between the building of two cities.
- You will be able to choose the number of Victory-points which determine the end of the game.
- If you give your e-mail, you will be informed of new versions.
- The next version after this you paid will be offered to you free.
- You will have reduced price on future versions.
Payment method : see the file "Shareware".
Address :
Alain Paschoud
Ch. Lande 5
1008 Prilly
Switzerland
e-mail : aalain@writeme.com
Home page : http://dmtwww.epfl.ch/~apaschou/
Home page for Colonisation : http://www.multimania.com/apaschou/page_commune/
Note : If the page has moved, search "Alain Paschoud" with Altavista.
Postal account : 10-124812-4 in Switzerland
Don't hesitate to inform me on bugs, and I will be very happy to receive propositions to improve the game. Don't hesitate too to ask me if you have questions.
