User manual GAMES PC AGE OF EMPIRES

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X03-57514 1297 Contents Chapter 1: Playing the game......................................................... 1 About Age of Empires ..................................................................................... 2 Installing Age of Empires ............................................................................. 3 Starting Age of Empires ................................................................................ 4 Getting started .............................................................................................. 4 Choosing a game .............................................................................................. 7 Winning a game ................................................................................................ 8 Choosing a civilization ................................................................................ 12 Playing a random map, death match, or scenario .................................... 12 Playing a campaign ....................................................................................... 14 Playing a saved game ................................................................................... 15 Playing a multiplayer game ........................................................................ 15 Using the interface ..................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2: Exploring the map ..................................................... 23 Exploring ....................................................................................................... 24 Grouping villagers, military units, and boats ......................................... 24 Moving villagers, military units, and boats ............................................. 25 Transporting units across water .............................................................. 26 Terrain ........................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3: Building your civilization ....................................... 27 Gathering resources ................................................................................... 28 Villager tasks .............................................................................................. 30 Creating villagers, military units, and boats ......................................... 31 Constructing buildings ............................................................................... 32 Repairing buildings and boats .................................................................... 33 Trading ........................................................................................................... 34 Chapter 4: Researching Technology ......................................... 35 About technology ......................................................................................... 36 Advancing through the ages ....................................................................... 37 Researching technology ............................................................................. 39 Upgrading military units, boats, walls, and towers ............................... 40 Chapter 5: Engaging in combat ................................................... 41 Engaging in combat....................................................................................... 42 Diplomacy ....................................................................................................... 43 Allied victory ............................................................................................... 43 Tribute ........................................................................................................... 44 Healing villagers and military units ........................................................ 45 Converting enemy units ............................................................................... 45 Unit attributes ............................................................................................. 46 Chapter 6: Creating and customizing scenarios and campaigns .......... 47 Using the scenario builder ......................................................................... 48 Using the campaign editor ........................................................................... 62 Chapter 7: Ancient Cultures ...................................................... 63 Assyrian culture (1800 to 600 BC) ............................................................ 64 Babylonian culture (1900 to 539 BC) ....................................................... 67 Ancient Choson culture (2333 to 108 BC) ................................................ 71 Egyptian culture (5000 to 30 BC) .............................................................. 74 Greek culture (2100 to 146 BC) ................................................................. 77 Hittite culture (2000 to 1200 BC) ............................................................. 82 Minoan culture (2200 to 1200 BC) ............................................................. 85 Persian culture (700 to 332 BC) ................................................................ 88 Phoenician culture (1200 to 146 BC) ........................................................ 92 Shang culture (1800 to 1000 BC) ............................................................... 95 Sumerian culture (5000 to 2230 BC) ......................................................... 99 Yamato culture (300 to 800 AD) ............................................................... 103 Appendix ....................................................................................... 107 Unit Attributes Table ................................................................................ 108 Technology Costs & Benefits Table ......................................................... 109 Building Attributes Tables ....................................................................... 110 Assyrian Technology Tree ........................................................................ 111 Babylonian Technology Tree .................................................................... 112 Ancient Choson Technology Tree ............................................................ 113 Egyptian Technology Tree ......................................................................... 114 Greek Technology Tree ............................................................................. 115 Hittite Technology Tree ............................................................................ 116 Minoan Technology Tree............................................................................ 117 Persian Technology Tree .......................................................................... 118 Phoenician Technology Tree ..................................................................... 119 Shang Technology Tree ............................................................................. 120 Sumerian Technology Tree ........................................................................ 121 Yamato Technology Tree ........................................................................... 122 Index ............................................................................................. 123 Credits ......................................................................................... 126 To play the learning campaign 1 2 3 4 5 On the Age of Empires menu, click Single Player. Click Campaign. Type your player name, or click a player name in the Name list. Click OK to display the list of campaigns. Select the Ascent of Egypt Learning Campaign. Only the first scenario is displayed. After you complete a scenario, the next scenario in the campaign appears at the end of the list. Select the Difficulty Level (the skill of civilizations controlled by the computer). The levels range from easy to hardest. Click OK to start the scenario. After the cinematic plays, the scenario instructions are revealed. To display the scenario instructions while you are playing the game, click the Menu button on the menu bar, and then click Scenario Instructions. 6 7 Setting up a game Before you start a game, you must choose which type of game to play--single player or multiplayer, and random map, scenario, or campaign, as explained in "Choosing a game" in this chapter. The type of game you choose determines what you must do to win the game, as explained in "Winning a game" in this chapter. You can play one of twelve mighty civilizations, each with different strengths and weaknesses, as explained in "Choosing a civilization" in this chapter. Starting on an unexplored map You start the game with a few villagers and a Town Center on an unexplored (black) map. Moving a villager into the black area reveals the map terrain. To move a villager, click the villager, and then right-click the location to move to. Enemy buildings and walls are not visible until you explore the area of the map where they are located. For more information, see "Exploring," and "Moving villagers, military units, and boats" in Chapter 2. As you explore the map, you discover resources to increase your stockpile of food, wood, stone, and gold. Villagers can chop trees for wood, forage berry bushes, hunt animals, and fish for food, as well as mine for stone and gold. To assign a The slow gradual process of human evolution and technological advance brought our human ancestors safely to the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. As the ice receded, the land reentered a cycle of gradually increasing plant and wildlife abundance. Humans by this point had spread around the world and were sufficiently advanced to begin dominating instead of just surviving. 5 villager a task, click a villager, and then right-click a work site, such as a tree, animal, or stone mine. For more information, see "Villager tasks" in Chapter 3. You can also increase your stockpile by trading with or receiving tribute from other civilizations, as explained in "Trading" in Chapter 3 and "Tribute" in Chapter 5. Building your civilization You use the resources (food, wood, stone, gold) in your stockpile to construct buildings, as explained in "Constructing buildings" in Chapter 3. You must build enough Houses to support the population of your civilization. Each House supports four villagers, boats, or military units. Each civilization can create a maximum of 50 villagers, military units, and boats, as explained in "Creating villagers, military units, and boats" in Chapter 3. The first archaeological evidence of human culture is stone tools. The oldest discovered so far date back 2.5 million years and initiate the period called the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic). Advancing through the ages The resources in your stockpile are also used to advance your civilization through the different ages. There are four ages: Stone Age, Tool Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. You typically start the game in the Stone Age and strive to advance to the Iron Age. To advance to the next age, you must have a Town Center and build two different buildings from the current age. Then click the Town Center, and click the Advance to Next Age button. For more information, see "Advancing through the ages" in Chapter 4. As you advance through the ages, you can build new buildings and military units and research new technologies that benefit your civilization. For example, researching Leather Armor decreases the damage your military units receive in combat. The buildings, military units, and technologies that are available depend on which civilization you are playing. The technology trees for each civilization are in the Appendix. Engaging in combat Military units and villagers can engage in combat on land. War ships can engage in combat at sea. To win a game by military conquest, your civilization (or team) must destroy all enemy villagers, military units, war ships, and buildings. You do not need to destroy trade vessels, transport vessels, fishing vessels, Artifacts, Ruins, or walls. You can pursue an allied victory with other civilizations as explained in "Allied victory" in Chapter 5. Wounded villagers and military units can be healed by a Priest as explained in "Healing villagers and military units" in Chapter 5. Enemy villagers, military units, buildings, and boats can be converted by a Priest, as explained in "Converting enemy units" in Chapter 5. Damaged buildings and boats can be repaired by a villager as explained in "Repairing buildings and boats" in Chapter 3. 6 Chapter 1: Playing the Game Choosing a game You can play single player and multiplayer games based on randomly generated maps, scenarios, or campaigns. · Campaign ­ Single player ­ A predesigned series of related scenarios that chronicle the rise of one of the mighty civilizations of antiquity. New players should play the Ascent of Egypt learning campaign to learn the basics of Age of Empires. For information about campaigns, see "Playing a campaign" in this chapter. Scenario ­ Single player or multiplayer ­ A predesigned game that is not part of a campaign. For information about single player scenarios, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. For information about multiplayer scenarios, see "Playing a multiplayer game" in this chapter. Random map ­ Single player or multiplayer ­ A game based on a randomly generated world map. You can change the game settings and the victory condition. For information about random maps, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. Random map (death match) ­ Single player or multiplayer ­ A variation of a random map in which players start with stockpiles of 20,000 food, wood, stone, and 10,000 gold and then fight to the death. For information about death matches, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. · Random map (score) ­ Single player or multiplayer ­ A variation of a random map in which the victory condition is based on the players' scores. For information about random maps, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. · Random map (time limit) ­ Single player or multiplayer ­ A variation of a random map in which the victory condition is based on who earns the highest score within the time limit. For information about random maps, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. · Cooperative game ­ Multiplayer ­ A random map, death match, or scenario in which two or more human players share control of a single civilization. Each player can give unrestricted (and even conflicting) orders to all units. For information about cooperative games, see "Playing a multiplayer game" in this chapter. · · · Although the oldest surviving tools are made of stone, it is possible that tools of organic materials were in use earlier and have not survived. Animal bones, feather quills, claws, and objects of wood or fiber could have all been used as tools before stone. 7 Winning a game In a random map or death match, you can win the game by achieving any one of the standard victory conditions: Artifacts (the first player to control and hold all Artifacts wins), Ruins (the first player to control and hold all Ruins wins), Wonders (the first player to build and hold a Wonder wins), or Conquest (the first player to conquer all enemies). Players can pursue any of the standard victory conditions to win. For example, player 1 might try to control all Artifacts, player 2 might try to build a Wonder, and player 3 might try to achieve military conquest. The first player to be successful wins the game. Or, if you do not want to use the standard victory conditions, you can choose your own victory condition: Conquest (all players must try to achieve military conquest), Score (all players compete to achieve the specified score) or Time Limit (all players compete to achieve the highest score within the time limit). To change the victory condition in a single player game, see "Playing a random map, death match, or scenario" in this chapter. To change the victory condition in a multiplayer game, see "Playing a multiplayer game" in this chapter. Weapons are technology. They can be the difference between survival and extinction for an individual, a tribe, or a culture. Human predecessors were clearly advanced and competing well before they developed the first tools, but the growing technological sophistication of humans has been the means of our dominance over all other species, at least so far. Artifacts Artifacts are objects akin to the Ark of the Covenant that were crafted by now-lost cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that possesses them. They can be captured from other civilizations in a game and carried away. Control of Artifacts counts toward your score. A random map contains five Artifacts or none. In a random map with standard victory conditions, the first civilization (or team) to control all Artifacts for 2000 years wins the game. An Artifact is controlled by the last civilization to move a villager, military unit, or boat nearby. The color of an Artifact indicates which civilization controls it. The owner of the Artifact can move it on land or on a transport vessel. Artifacts cannot be destroyed. For example, if a transport vessel sinks with an Artifact on board, the Artifact appears on a nearby shore. When a civilization controls all Artifacts, the other civilizations are notified and a countdown clock appears in the upper-right corner of the game screen. The color of the clock indicates which civilization controls the Artifacts. The first civilization to control all Artifacts for 2000 years (until the clock reaches zero, approximately 15 minutes), wins the game. If an Artifact changes ownership before 2000 years have passed, the countdown is terminated. Ruins Ruins are ancient structures resembling Stonehenge that were built by now-lost cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that controls them. Ruins cannot be moved. Ownership may be taken away by another civilization. Control of Ruins counts toward your score. A random map contains five Ruins or none. 8 Chapter 1: Playing the Game In a random map with standard victory conditions, the first civilization (or team) to control all Ruins for 2000 years wins the game. Ruins are controlled by the last civilization to move a villager, military unit, or boat nearby. The color of a Ruin indicates which civilization controls it. Ruins cannot be destroyed. When a civilization controls all Ruins, the other civilizations are notified and a countdown clock appears in the upper-right corner of the game screen. The color of the clock indicates which civilization controls the Ruins. The first civilization to control all Ruins for 2000 years (until the clock reaches zero, approximately 15 minutes), wins the game. If a Ruin changes ownership before 2000 years have passed, the countdown is terminated. Wonders A Wonder is the crowning achievement of civilizations who build one. Examples of historic ancient Wonders that have become icons for their civilization are the Egyptian Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, and the Athenian Acropolis. A civilization can build a Wonder after advancing to the Iron Age. In a random map with standard victory conditions, the first civilization to build a Wonder that stands for 2000 years wins the game. When a civilization begins to build a Wonder, the other civilizations are notified and shown its location on the diamond-shaped map in the lower-right corner of the game screen. When the Wonder is completed, the other civilizations are again notified and a countdown clock appears in the upper-right corner of the game screen. The color of the clock indicates which civilization owns the Wonder. The first civilization to build a Wonder that stands for 2000 years (until the clock reaches zero, approximately 15 minutes), wins the game. If a Wonder is destroyed before 2000 years have passed, the countdown is terminated. A civilization can build more than one Wonder. Wonders standing at the end of the game (even if they were not the first Wonder to stand for 2000 years) provide the owning civilization with points, as explained in the Score section in this chapter. The earliest preserved human tools are finegrained stones that have been struck apart to create sharp edges. 9 The pace of technological change has gradually accelerated over time, although there have been periods of relative quickness and slowness, or even decline, and a few junctures where the rate of acceleration shifted into a higher gear. There have been at least two dark ages in the West where technology and knowledge declined or was lost the first beginning around 1200 BC and the second around 400 AD. The destruction of the great library in Alexandria in 391 AD by religious zealots may alone have set back our knowledge by several hundred years. Conquest In a random map with standard victory conditions, you can win the game by achieving military conquest even if the other players are pursuing one of the other standard victory conditions (Artifacts, Ruins, or Wonders). If you do not want to play the standard victory conditions, you can set the victory condition to Conquest. To win a game by military conquest, your civilization (or team) must destroy all enemy villagers, military units, war ships, and buildings. You do not need to destroy trade vessels, transport vessels, fishing vessels, Artifacts, Ruins, or walls. Time Limit If you do not want to play the standard victory conditions, you can set the victory condition to Time Limit. In a time limit game, you select the time limit after which the game automatically ends. A countdown clock is displayed in the upper-right corner of the game screen. The civilization (or team) with the highest score when the clock reaches zero wins the game. The team score is the average of all team members scores. Score If you do not want to play the standard victory conditions, you can set the victory condition to Score. In a score game, the game creator chooses the score to achieve. The first civilization (or team) to achieve the score or military conquest wins the game. In a score game, constructing Wonders and owning Artifacts and Ruins provides points but does not automatically end the game. The team score is the average of all team members scores. Score can be set as a victory condition or used simply as a measure of achievement. 10 Chapter 1: Playing the Game The great civilizations of antiquity were those that achieved a high level of cultural and technological development. Greatness was also measured by influence over distance and over time. The Sumerian civilization, for example, was never particularly large but the importance of the wheel and writing, for which they are credited, was enormous. The Greeks, more than any other ancient culture, had the greatest impact on the modern world. Greatness was somewhat dependent on military prowess. Most of the important ancient civilizations were military powers at one time and spread their culture by conquest. Those cultures that did not develop a strong military did not usually last long enough to have a significant impact on world events. A strong military ensured longevity and the opportunity to become great. Great civilizations left a lasting legacy of architecture, literature, language, ideas, and technological innovation that influenced those that followed. Age of Empires encompasses this definition of civilization with its score system. The greatness of your civilization is measured by the points you earn for a variety of achievements during the play of a game. The civilization score for your civilization can be compared to that of others in your game during play and at game end. Civilization scores are calculated for all players (human and computer) as the game progresses. The first stone tools may have allowed humans to butcher fresh kills instead of searching for carrion. To display civilization scores The civilization scores are shown in the lower-right corner of the game screen. ® To turn the display on or off, click the S button above the diamondshaped map in the lower-right corner of the game screen. The scores are shown as civilization score/team score. The list of players is ranked by team score and then by civilization score. The team score is the average of all team members scores. ® To display the details of your score, click the Menu button on the menu bar, and then click Achievements. For information about how scores are calculated, refer to the Technology Tree Foldout. The bonus points (such as most military units) can change ownership throughout the game. For example, if player 1 has 30 military units and player 2 has 35 military units, player 2 receives the 25-point bonus. However, if player 1 builds 6 more military units (or kills 6 of player 2s military units), player 1 receives the 25point bonus. 11 Choosing a civilization Play one of historys twelve mightiest civilizations! Command the Greek phalanx, the worlds best infantry for hundreds of years. Lead the chariots of the Hittites, or Assyrians. Build up the vast agricultural empire of Egypt, Babylon, or Sumeria. Guide the Persians from their small enclave to prominence as a world power. Guide the Shang (China), Ancient Choson (Korea), or Yamato (Japan) for control of Asia. Dominate world sea trade as the Phoenicians or Minoans. Each civilization has strengths and weaknesses and can research different technologies. For information about the special attributes of each civilization, refer to the Technology Tree Foldout. The technology trees for each civilization are in the Appendix and in the Docs folder on the Age of Empires disc. The civilization you choose to play depends on the victory conditions of the game and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. For example, if a world has extensive seas, choose to play a civilization with advantages in ship building or speed (Yamato, Phoenician, Minoan). If you are competing with the Persians, prepare for eventual clashes with War Elephants. More than one player can choose the same civilization. In a multiplayer cooperative game, two or more players can choose the same player number and share control of a single civilization. Huntergatherers were probably not unsettled wanderers taking what came their way. Their existence and survival depended on systematically exploiting the resources around them according to what has been called an optimal foraging strategy. They moved to the seashore to harvest oysters in season, near the nut trees in the fall, and elsewhere to be present when fruits were ripe. Playing a random map, death match, or scenario A random map is a single player or multiplayer game based on a randomly generated world map. You can win the game by achieving any one of the standard victory conditions, or you can set the victory condition to Conquest, Score, or Time Limit. A death match is a random map in which players start with stockpiles of 20,000 food, wood, stone, and 10,000 gold. You can win the game by achieving a military conquest, building a Wonder, or achieving the highest score. A scenario is a predesigned game that is not part of a campaign. The victory conditions are revealed when you start the scenario. You can create custom scenarios using the scenario builder and share them with other players. For information about playing a multiplayer random map, death match, or scenario see Playing a multiplayer game in this chapter. 12 Chapter 1: Playing the Game To play a random map, death match, or scenario 1 2 3 On the Age of Empires menu, click Single Player. Click Random Map, Death Match, or Scenario. If you are playing a scenario, select the scenario to play, and then click OK. Select the player settings: · Civ Each civilization has special skills and can research different technologies, as explained in Choosing a civilization in this chapter. More than one player can choose the same civilization. · Player Starting position on the game map. To change the setting, click the player number. The color of the player number corresponds to the color of the civilization. Team Players who want to start the game as allies can select a team by clicking the Team number. A dash () in the Team box indicates no team. Players on the same team automatically have their diplomatic stance set to Ally and Allied Victory set. To change these settings during the game, click Diplomacy on the menu bar. Number of Players In a single player game, your opponents are computer players. Metal tools were first made from raw copper found on the Earths surface and hammered into useful or artistic shapes. · · 4 If you want to change the scenario settings, click Settings. You can change the following settings: · · · Map Size (random map and death match only) The size of the map. The larger the map, the longer the game. Map Type (random map and death match only) The distribution of land and water on the map. Victory Condition The first civilization (or team) to achieve the victory condition wins the game. For information about the victory conditions, see Winning a game in this chapter. Some scenarios contain individual victory conditions, which cannot be changed. Starting Age The age at which the game begins. For example, if the game begins in the Bronze Age, the Bronze Age has just begun and all Stone Age and Tool Age technology has been completed. Nomad starts in the Stone Age and lets you choose where to build your Town Center. The default setting for a random map is Stone Age. To use the starting age a scenario was designed with, select Default. · 13 · · Difficulty Level The skill of civilizations controlled by the computer. The levels range from easy to hardest. Resources Determines the quantity of resources (food, wood, stone, gold) in each players stockpile. The default setting for a random map is the lowest level of resources. To use the resource setting a scenario was designed with, select Default. Fixed Positions Determines whether civilizations in a random map game begin the game in random positions on the map or in fixed (clockwise) positions based on their player number. Team members with consecutive player numbers are located adjacent to each other if you select Fixed Positions. Full Tech Tree Allows all civilizations to research all technologies in the game. The special attributes usually associated with each civilization are removed. Reveal Map Determines whether the map terrain is visible at the beginning of the game or revealed as you explore it. · · · The creation of writing was one of those junctures after which the increase of knowledge was permanently and rapidly accelerated. Writing greatly expanded the preservation, spread, and pass-through of information. Computers have increased the rate of acceleration in a similar manner. 5 Click Start Game. Playing a campaign A campaign is a predesigned series of related scenarios that chronicle the rise of one of the mighty civilizations of antiquity. You must play the scenarios in a campaign in sequence, using the settings and victory conditions with which each scenario was designed. New players should play the Ascent of Egypt learning campaign to learn the basics of Age of Empires. You can create your own campaigns using the campaign editor, as explained in Using the campaign editor in Chapter 6. To play a campaign 1 2 3 On the Age of Empires menu, click Single Player. Click Campaign. Type your player name, or click a player name in the Name list. To add a new name to the list, click New, and then type a name. To delete a name from the list, click the name to delete, and then click Remove. 4 Click OK to display the list of campaigns. 14 Chapter 1: Playing the Game 5 Select the campaign to play. The scenarios in the campaign are displayed in the Select Scenario list. If you have not previously played the campaign using your current player name, only the first scenario is displayed. After you complete a scenario, the next scenario in the campaign appears in the list. If more than one scenario is listed, select the scenario you want to play. Select the Difficulty Level (the skill of civilizations controlled by the computer). The levels range from easy to hardest. Click OK to start the scenario. 6 7 8 After the cinematic plays, the scenario instructions are revealed. To display the scenario instructions while you are playing the game, click the Menu button on the menu bar, and then click Scenario Instructions. The map that appears before a campaign scenario shows the area where the current scenario takes place and the area(s) where previous scenarios in the campaign have taken place. Playing a saved game To play a saved game 1 On the Age of Empires menu, click Single Player, and then click Saved Game. -orFrom within the game, click the Menu button on the menu bar, and then click Load. 2 Select the saved game to play, and then click OK. Playing a multiplayer game You can play a random map or scenario with up to eight players connected across a network or the Internet and two players across a modem or serial connection. For information about sharing Age of Empires discs in a multiplayer game, see Starting Age of Empires in this chapter. The player with the most powerful computer should host the game. Two or more players can play a cooperative game in which they share control of a single civilization. Each player can give unrestricted (and even conflicting) orders to all units. To play a cooperative game, players must select the same player number before starting a multiplayer game. If a players connection is lost during a multiplayer game, the player cannot rejoin the game. 15 To select a multiplayer connection 1 2 3 On the Age of Empires menu, click Multiplayer. Type your player Name. Select the Connection Type. The connection types listed depend on the hardware, software, and services you are using. Common connection types include: · IPX Connection for DirectPlay Connect using a network that uses the IPX protocol. If you do not know which protocol your network uses, check with your network administrator. · Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay Connect using the Internet or a network that uses the TCP/IP protocol. If you do not know which protocol your network uses, check with your network administrator. Modem Connection for DirectPlay Connect two computers using a modem. Age of Empires requires a modem speed of 28.8 Kbps or faster. Serial Connection for DirectPlay Connect two computers using a null-modem cable. Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone Selecting this option exits Age of Empires, launches your Web browser, and connects to Microsofts Internet Gaming Zone. The Internet Gaming Zone is a quick and easy way to find other Age of Empires players. For information about creating and joining games on the Internet Gaming Zone, see the documentation provided on the Internet Gaming Zone. The conversion by our predecessors from huntergatherer to herder-farmer, circa 8000 BC, is the great dichotomy of the human experience. From that point on, the dominance of our species, at least to the present, was assured. · · · 4 Click OK, and then join or create a multiplayer game as explained in the following sections. Joining a multiplayer game To join a multiplayer game 1 2 3 Select a multiplayer connection, as explained in the previous section. Click Show Games to update the list of multiplayer games. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen for the connection type you are using. If you are making a TCP/IP connection across a Local Area Network, in most cases you can click OK instead of entering an IP address. 4 Select the game to join, and then click Join. 16 Chapter 1: Playing the Game 5 Select the player settings: · Civ Each civilization has special skills and can research different technologies, as explained in Choosing a civilization in this chapter. More than one player can choose the same civilization. · Player Starting position on the map and color of civilization. To change the setting, click the player number. To play a cooperative game, two or more players can select the same player number and share control of a single civilization. Each player can give unrestricted (and even conflicting) orders to all units. · Team Players who want to start the game as allies can select a team by clicking the Team number. A dash () in the Team box indicates no team. Players on the same team automatically have their diplomatic stance set to Ally and Allied Victory set. To change these settings during the game, click Diplomacy on the menu bar. 17 6 7 Agriculture removed much of the uncertainty in obtaining food. People no longer had to search it out over large areas they found places where it could be produced in abundant quantities year after year and fixed themselves there. The game creator controls the other game settings shown on the screen. You can discuss the game settings with the game creator and other players by typing in the Chat box. To send your message, press ENTER. To chat with other players during a game, press ENTER or click the Chat button on the menu bar. For information about chatting, see Using the interface in this chapter. When you are ready to begin the game, click Im Ready! The names of players who are ready are shown in green. If you change your mind before the game starts, click the button again. The game does not begin until all players are ready and the creator starts it. Creating a multiplayer game To create a multiplayer game 1 2 3 4 5 Select a multiplayer connection, as explained at the beginning of this section. Click Create. Type a name for the game. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen for the connection type you are using. Select the player settings: · Name If you want to limit the number of players that can join the game, close some of the positions. Closing a position that is filled by a player ejects the player from the game. Open indicates that the position is available for a human player. Computer indicates that the position is played by the computer. Closed indicates that position is not available. Civ Select a civilization for yourself and each computer player. Human players choose their own civilization. Each civilization has special skills and can research different technologies, as explained in Choosing a civilization in this chapter. More than one player can choose the same civilization. Player Starting position on the map and color of civilization. To change the setting, click the player number. To play a cooperative game, two or more players can select the same player number and share control of a single civilization. Each player can give unrestricted (and even conflicting) orders to all units. Team Players who want to start the game as allies can select a team by clicking the Team number. A dash (-) in the Team box indicates no team. Players on the same team automatically have their diplomatic stance set to Ally and Allied Victory set. To change these settings during the game, click Diplomacy on the menu bar. · · · 18 Chapter 1: Playing the Game 6 To display your IP address, click the IP button. Other players can type in your IP address to connect to your game. Click Settings to select a game to play (random map, death match, or scenario). A list of scenarios appears showing the name and number of players for each scenario. Select the scenario to play. A description of the scenario appears in the Scenario Instructions window. You can change the following settings: · Map Size (random map and death match only) The size of the map. The larger the map, the longer the game. Map Type (random map and death match only) The distribution of land and water on the map. Victory Condition The first civilization (or team) to achieve the victory condition wins the game. For information about the victory conditions, see Winning a game in this chapter. Some scenarios contain individual victory conditions, which cannot be changed. Starting Age The age at which the game begins. For example, if the game begins in the Bronze Age, the Bronze Age has just begun and all Stone Age and Tool Age technology has been completed. Nomad starts in the Stone Age and lets you choose where to build your Town Center. The default setting for a random map is Stone Age. To use the starting age a scenario was designed with, select Default. Difficulty Level The skill of civilizations controlled by the computer. The levels range from easy to hardest. Resources The quantity of resources (food, wood, stone, gold) in each players stockpile. The default setting for a random map is the lowest level of resources. To use the resource setting a scenario was designed with, select Default. Enable Cheating Determines whether players can use the cheat codes. Fixed Positions Determines whether civilizations in a random map game begin the game in random positions on the map or in fixed (clockwise) positions based on their player number. Team members with consecutive player numbers are located adjacent to each other if you select Fixed Positions. Full Tech Tree Allows all civilizations to research all technologies in the game. The special attributes usually associated with each civilization are removed. Reveal Map Determines whether the map terrain is visible at the beginning of the game or revealed as you explore it. 7 · · · · · · · · · 8 The first domesticated grain is believed to have been a wild wheat that grew in southern Turkey. To make the step of domesticating this plant, the early gatherers had to learn how to harvest the grain seeds, extract the wheat kernel, grind it, and bake it, all before they learned how to grow the plant and select it so that it increased in kernel size. When you are finished changing the settings, click Im Ready! so players know the game settings will not change. All players must click the Im Ready! button before you can click Start Game. The names of players who are ready are shown in green. 19 Using the interface Diplomacy button Displays the Diplomacy dialog box so you can choose your diplomatic stance toward other players. Menu button Displays the game menu so you can save a game, change game settings, display online Help, display your achievements, etc. Age indicator Displays the current age (Stone Age, Tool Age, Bronze Age, or Iron Age). Stockpile counters Display the quantity of resources (wood, food, gold, stone) in your stockpile. Game map To scroll the map, move the pointer to the edge of the game screen in the direction you want to scroll, or use the arrow keys. Chat button Displays the Chat interface so you can send messages to other players. Next button Displays more buildings that you can construct. S button Displays player scores. Status line Displays label for buttons with hot key, cost, and benefit (if applicable). Also displays roll-over Help for items on the screen. Status box Displays hit points, attack, armor, piercing armor, and range of the selected unit. Also displays Priest rejuvenation percentage. Command/Build/ Upgrade/Research Buttons Displays commands, buildings you can construct, units you can upgrade, and technologies you can research. ? button Displays popup Help for items on the game screen. Diamond-shaped map Displays the game map in smaller scale. Click a location, or drag the white box to display a location on the game map. 20 Chapter 1: Playing the Game