Conquest of the New World Demonstration Version 1.00 Installation and Gameplay Notes December 5, 1995 THREE DEMONSTRATION VERSIONS There are three different demonstration versions of Conquest of the New World, all available as self-extracting ZIP files (each with a ".EXE" extension): 1) Gameplay demo: 4.8 megabytes compressed, 9 megabytes on disk Compact version with minimal sounds and no movies. Includes main game with Tutorial scenario, Island exploration scenario, and two-player network/modem/serial mode. Also includes head-to-head combat with standalone combat demo. 2) Extra Audio demo: 9.5 megabytes compressed, 14 megabytes on disk Same features as Gameplay demo plus many more sound effects and background sounds for some terrain features. Adds greater variety to sound effects in Combat mode. No movies. 3) CD demo: 27 megabytes compressed, 37 megabytes on disk Same features as Extra Audio demo plus introductory movie and even more sound effects. Intended primarily for delivery on CD-ROM, but also available on the Web site for those with T1 connections or lots of time to burn. Each of these demo ZIP files contains three files: INSTALL.EXE, INSTALL.CFG, and CNWDEMO.INS. The first two are the installer and its configuration file, and the last is the compacted version of the game and all of its data files. These versions show off many of the major features of the game and include a detailed tutorial plus on-line help. Use the right-hand mouse button to find out about every menu, window, and building that you see. Some features have been disabled in this release; after all, it's only a beta copy of the final game. In particular, trade and diplomacy between players are not allowed, and there are only two European players. You can't play as the Native high civilization in this version. Also, the computer players have been adjusted to play very passively. Their colonies will stay small, and they will tend not to attack you. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS This demonstration version requires the following minimum system configuration: - 486DX2/66 or higher (Pentium(TM) processor recommended) - 8 megabytes RAM - Mouse - 8-bit or 16-bit sound card (optional) - 10 to 40 megabytes free hard disk space, depending on demo type - VESA-compatible Super VGA video adapter with at least 512K video RAM - DOS 5.0 or higher, or Windows 95 - Network card with IPX drivers for network play - Serial port with modem for serial or modem play INSTALLING THE DEMO This demo of Conquest of the New World can be installed one of several ways. First, if you have downloaded the file over a network or using a modem, you will need to decompress it. Just type the name of the file or double-click on it in Windows and it will extract all of its files into the same directory. You may then proceed with installation. 1) In DOS, type INSTALL from the directory that contains the Conquest of the New World installer. 2) In Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, use the File Manager or the Explorer and double-click on Install.exe. 3) In Windows (any version) you can also use the MS-DOS prompt and type INSTALL to begin installing. After installation is complete, you may delete the original three files which were in the ZIP file. ** Note: We suggest that you install Conquest of the New World from DOS rather than Windows. The Install will most likely work under Windows, but if you wish to make changes (i.e. you have a different soundcard) in the Setup configuration, we recommend that you do it from DOS only. IN THE INSTALLER The installer will automatically detect which hard drives are available and how much space is available on each. After selecting the Target hard drive, you will be able to choose the destination path. If you wish to use the default directory, just press the key, or you choose whatever directory name that you wish. The next step will be the Soundcard configuration. If you do not know the setting on the soundcard, auto-detection will scan the computer for any soundcard that you may have installed. It is recommended that you choose your own settings (if you know them), because of the potential of a computer locking up while it is being scanned. A lock-up will likely occur if you try to scan a computer for a soundcard and the computer does not have one. The next thing the computer will ask you is if the settings are correct. If so, then you are ready to play the game. If not, make the proper changes, and save the configuration. You are now ready to play the Demo for Conquest of the New World. If you need to make changes later, you can go into the Directory where you placed the demo, and type SETUP to get you back into the Configuration screen. Another way to would be to use the DOS EDIT command and change the CONQUEST.CFG file to the proper setting. To play Conquest of the New World, just type CNWDEMO in the directory that contains the demo, and you are ready! TIPS When playing Conquest of the New World for the first time, select New Solitaire Game from the main menu screen and then choose the Tutorial scenario. The Tutorial will challenge you with a series of missions, each more difficult than the last. Along the way, you will learn how to explore, build colonies, raise armies, and fight battles. At the conclusion of the Tutorial, you'll know everything you need to play solitaire or against a human opponent. Once you've completed the Tutorial, try the Island scenario. Here you'll have a chance to explore the same island that you saw in the Tutorial without being told what to do or when to do it. You'll have 15 turns to get as far as you can. Or, go up against a friend by modem, serial cable, or IPX network in the two-player scenario. Explore, build colonies, and fight head-to-head combat against one another. In the full version of the game, up to six people can play at once. This is a turn-based game. Each player makes moves, builds colonies, and attempts to engage the enemy in combat. Then each player clicks the End Turn button in the main menu to signal that all moves are complete. When every player is done (just you and the computer player for the Tutorial), the game will calculate the results of each player's move. If any attacks take place, players will join in combat against one another. Then the next turn will begin. CAVEATS (THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW) This is only a demonstration version of Conquest of the New World. Not all of the features of the full version are available in this limited release. In the final product, you'll see many additional features, including: - Random worlds: different maps every time you play - Up to six players at a time, playing as Britain, France, Spain Portugal, Holland, and the high Native civilization (these natives represent what the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, and other non-European civilizations might have become in a different world) - Four levels of each building, with graphics and animations to match - Combat graphics for all six nationalities - More sophisticated and more aggressive computer players - Additional options for trade and diplomacy - A wide variety of victory conditions: number of turns, number of points, or a combination of the two - Seven different solitaire scenarios - Many more 16-bit stereo sound effects and background sounds - User-configurable standalone combat game Please remember that this is only a beta release of the game. You may find bugs or even crashes in the game. If you do have a problem (especially if it is repeatable), please send a note to us at support@interplay.com so we can investigate and solve it. Give us as much detail as possible about your hardware, your operating system, and the actions that led up to the problem. Likewise, if you see a feature that you really like or really hate, please tell us. We design our games for you -- the dedicated gamer -- and we want to hear what you have to say, good or bad. Our goal is to bring you a satisfying and challenging gaming experience. Send comments to cnw@interplay.com. This release of the game includes a scaled-back version of the computer players. They are not aggressive and do not build their colonies in the best fashion. Don't be surprised if they seem to be slow-witted: that's intentional. Some testers have reported that the computer player in the combat subgame plays too well and must be cheating. Actually, it just has a very clear understanding of the rules and knows which attacks are likely to be the most effective. In combat, remember to combine your forces and use flanking attacks to get the most out of your forces. This has a very strong effect on the amount of damage that you can do. That's how the computer player works. Even so, the computer player can be beaten regularly if you search out its weak points. We're working now to make it even better for the final release. Finally, a reminder: we want to hear your comments. Please send us a note if you think of a feature you'd like to see in the game. We can't guarantee that we'll make use of your suggestion, but we will read all of our mail and consider every idea. TROUBLESHOOTING If you cannot hear sound in the game, exit and run the SETUP program and make sure that you can hear sound there using the Test Sound Card function. This game requires a Super VGA VESA-compatible video card with at least 512K of video RAM. Some older SVGA boards may not support VESA. In this case, you will need to obtain updated driver software from the video board vendor or use a third-party VESA library such as UniVBE. When attempting an IPX network connection between a Windows 3.1 machine and a Windows 95 machine, you need to make a change to the Network control panel in Windows 95, because the default IPX protocol is different than the one expected by Windows 3.1. Windows 95 defaults its IPX Frame Type to "Auto". Changing it to "802.3" may make it possible to communicate with machines running other system software. Conquest of the New World runs best in a DOS environment. It has been tested and does run under Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, but you may notice some degradation of sound effects and a slight reduction in overall performance. WHERE TO GET CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD Interplay support sites: Internet E-mail: support@interplay.com Web Site: http://www.interplay.com American On-Line: Keyword INTERPLAY or E-mail IPTECH Compuserve: GO GAMEPUB or E-mail 76702,1342 Genie: Type M805;1 or go to the Bulletin Board in Scorpia's area Prodigy: Use the Web browser to our Web Site or E-mail PLAY99B FTP Site: ftp.interplay.com Interplay's phone: (714) 553-6678 Interplay's Fax: (714) 252-2820 Attn: Customer Service Please let us know what you think! We love feed-back, and it helps us make the games that you want to play! Gameplay comments and suggestions: cnw@interplay.com Quicksilver Software, Inc. Web Site: http://www.quicksilver.com Thanks for taking the time to check out this demo version of Conquest of the New World. Now for the legal stuff... SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE This special preview version of Conquest of the New World (the "Software") is intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use. You may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software, except as permitted by law. Interplay Productions retains all rights and title in the Software including all intellectual property rights embodied therein and derivatives thereof. You are granted a revocable, nonassignable limited license to create derivative works of this Software solely for your own personal noncommercial home entertainment use and may publicly display such derivative works to the extent specifically authorized by Interplay in writing. A copy of this authorization, if any, will be provided on Interplay's World Wide Web site, and may also be obtained by contacting the legal department at Interplay at (714) 553-6655. The Software, including, without limitation, all code, data structures, characters, images, sounds, text, screens, game play, derivative works and all other elements of the Software may not be copied (except as provided below), resold, rented, leased, distributed (electronically or otherwise), used on pay-per-play, coin-op or other for-charge basis, or for any commercial purpose. You may make copies of the Software for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use and to give to friends and acquaintances on a no cost noncommercial basis. This limited right to copy the Software expressly excludes any copying or distribution of the Software on a commercial basis, including, without limitation, bundling the product with any other product or service and any give away of the Software in connection with another product or service. Any permissions granted herein are provided on a temporary basis and can be withdrawn by Interplay Productions at any time. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. Copyright (c) 1995 Interplay Productions. All rights reserved. This file may be distributed openly provided that it is not altered in any manner.