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-
- [Do not use proportional fonts to see this file.]
-
- Stone Towers gameplay rules are very, very simple.
- Don't think chess rules are simple. Don't think
- tennis rules are simple. Stone Towers are simple
- as Thromulus was. And even more. Why?
- There is only one think to remember, other is
- the business of your computer. And the think is
-
- STRONGEST WINS!
-
- **********************************************************************
-
- STONE TOWERS - Rules of gameplay:
-
-
- 1) Stone Towers is a two player game.
- -------------------------------------
-
- It means there should be two persons
- to play it, like tennis or chess.
- If you play chess, then you can be
- white or black. If you play Stone Towers,
- than you can be red or blue.
-
- Of course, if you are alone, computer
- can be used as second player. Two player
- mode is much better because computer is
- not very strong opponent.
-
-
- 2) Stone Towers is a turn-based game.
- -------------------------------------
-
- It means first player makes first turn,
- then second player (human or computer)
- makes his turn, then again first player...
-
- Game ends after selected number of turns.
-
-
- 3) Who wins the game?
- ---------------------
-
- After selected number of turns game ends.
- Then the number of squares each player
- occupied is calculated and the winner is...
-
- THE PLAYER WITH GREATER EMPIRE
-
- It means player who occupied more squares.
- At this point you should ask HOW to occupy
- some squares, but there is one important
- think to know first. The castles.
-
-
- 4) Do you wish to build a castle?
- ---------------------------------
-
- 4.1 Building new castle
-
- If it's your turn and you wish to build
- new castle, simply move the mouse pointer
- to empty square and click it. New castle
- will be there!
-
- Each castle has 4 neigbourhood squares (of
- course if it does not stay on the border
- of the playfield). To the north, to the south,
- to the west and to the east. If these squares
- are empty, then they become your land.
- Single flag marks your land.
-
- If you wish to build new castle, then you can
- do it on the empty square OR on your flag marked
- empty square. You are not allowed to build
- castles on enemy teritory.
-
-
- 4.2 Fortifying the castle
-
- Small castle can be fortified. If it's your turn,
- simply move mouse pointer to castle you wish
- to fortify and click it. Each castle upgrade is
- marked with one more flag.
-
- Strongest castle has three flags. There is no
- possibility to fortify it more.
-
-
- 5) Each castle has zones of influence
- -------------------------------------
-
- Adjacent squares (west,east,nort,south) are
- influenced by castle. Stronger castle makes
- stronger influence.
-
- Two flag castle has two times stronger influence
- on adjacent squares. Three flag castle has three
- times stronger influence on adjacent squares.
-
- Each square is under influence of adjacent
- squares. Influences of adjacent squares are
- counted after each turn and square is given to
- the player with greater influence on it.
-
- If both players have equal influence on the
- square, then this square remains in hands of
- player who had it before.
-
-
- How the influence counts?
- -------------------------
-
- Influence points:
- Empty square 0
- Empty square & flag 0 (opponent may not build here)
- Castle (1 flag ) 1
- Castle (2 flags) 2
- Castle (3 flags) 3
-
-
- Let's try to count influence on central field:
-
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square A | Square B | Square C |
- | | | |
- | Blue castle 1 flag | Red castle 1 flags | Red castle 1 flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square D | Square E | Square F |
- | | | |
- | Blue flag | Red flag | Red castle 1 flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square G | Square H | Square I |
- | | | |
- | Blue castle 1 flag | Blue castle 2 flags | Blue flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
-
- We are counting influence on square E:
-
- Adjacent squares to square E are squares B,F,H,D. Other
- squares have no influence on square E.
-
-
- RED PLAYER INFLUENCE on square E:
-
- from square E: 0 points
- from square B: 1 point
- from square F: 1 point
- ------------------------
- total: 2 points
-
-
- BLUE PLAYER INFLUENCE on square E:
-
- from square H: 2 points
- from square D: 0 points
- ------------------------
- total: 2 points
-
-
- Both players have equal influence on square E.
- Square E was owned by red player, so the square
- is in red player ownership.
-
- ====================================================
-
- Let us consider now is blue turn.
- If the Blue will build new castle on square D,
- OR if the Blue will fortify the square H, then
- Blue makes one point more influence on square E
- and gains this square. Red installations are removed
- and square is marked with blue flag.
-
-
- How to destroy enemy castle:
-
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square A | Square B | Square C |
- | | | |
- | Blue castle 1 flag | Red castle 1 flags | Red castle 1 flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square D | Square E | Square F |
- | | | |
- | Blue castle 1 flag | Red castle 1 flag | Red castle 1 flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
- | Square G | Square H | Square I |
- | | | |
- | Blue castle 1 flag | Blue castle 2 flags | Blue flag |
- +---------------------+---------------------+--------------------+
-
- We are counting influence on square E:
-
- Adjacent squares to square E are squares B,F,H,D. Other
- squares have no influence on square E.
-
-
- RED PLAYER INFLUENCE on square E:
- from square E: 1 point
- from square B: 1 point
- from square F: 1 point
- ------------------------
- total: 3 points
-
-
- BLUE PLAYER INFLUENCE on square E:
- from square H: 2 points
- from square D: 1 points
- ------------------------
- total: 3 points
-
-
- Both players have equal influence on square E.
- Square E was owned by red player, so the square
- is in red player ownership.
-
- ====================================================
-
- Let us consider now is blue turn.
- If the Blue will fortify castle on square D,
- OR if the Blue will fortify the square H, then
- Blue makes one point more influence on square E
- and gains this square. Red installations are removed
- and square is marked with blue flag.
-
- Red castle may not be on the blue square, so it is
- destroyed.
-
- Keep in mind that castles influences one another.
- Destroying one of them could break the balance of
- power and some other castles may fall down. If your
- opponent is not very handy, it is possible to do
- something like "domino effect" and to ruin two,
- three (and even more) his castles in single turn!
-
-
- 6) ENJOY!
- ---------
-
- All the boring influence math makes computer for you,
- so here it is only to understand rules. You and your
- friend (if any) enjoy the game and have lot of fun.
-
- Try different strategies, depending on number of
- turns. Number of turns is affecting not only time
- spent with one game. Number of turns is important
- factor you should consider planning your strategy.
-
- a) Short game, low number of turns
-
- You should try to occupy as much squares as
- possible, and do it as soon as possible. There
- is no reason to build some defence barriers
- because there almost will not be time to fortify
- and attack enemy positions.
-
- b) Long game, high number of turns
-
- This game requests new strategy. If you want to
- win, then you MUST build large empire with weakly
- guarded interior, but heavily fortified borders.
-
- Weak castles in interior lowers the time to build
- large empire. Remember that enemy is not allowed
- to build his castles on your land, so weakly defended
- interior of empire is OK, if you are guarding borders.
- The best borders for your empire are natural borders
- (borders and edges of the playfield), because you
- need not to guard them.
-
- Build strong castles on unnatural borders of your empire.
- Specially pay attention to any edge in your borders,
- you should build there groups of castles supporting
- one another to avoid destroying it by enemy
- as shown in section 5.
-
- **********************************************************************
-
- The game is freeware. Make as much copies as you want,
- give it to anybody you want. You have permission to
- upload it or send it anywhere you want. Someone makes
- freeware or shareware collections on CDs to sell it and
- I say YES, do it as long as people want to buy it!
-
-
- Roman 'Virgo' Zezulak
- zezulak@student.fsid.cvut.cz
-
-