Night Owl 6

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Night Owl 6 / Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso / 034a / warshare.zip / WARLORD.HLP < prev

Wrap

Text File | 1991-07-23 | 15KB | 390 lines

Warlords, The Quest for the Iridian Throne, The EXPERT Edition Written by: Mark D. Manes (C) Copyright 1989-1991 Mark D. Manes Support BBS: (804) 428-5423 Internet Mail Address: manes@vger.nsu.edu ------------------------------------------ Introduction ============ Do you feel brave? Do you feel strong? Do you feel as though only you can solve the universe's problems? Well, you know the only way to do this is to claim the Iridian Throne. The Iridian Throne is the position that most seek. It is not easy, as you are given a scant amount of planets and a few credits to build with. You must at all times keep your people happy or failure is the result. How you get there is easier said than done! All you have to do is gain the most points by having the strongest empire! The SysOp will set the minimum point value required to become the Space Lord, and will be the ultimate judge of who won the game. SysOps often times require a player to hold the Space Lord position for several days. You should check with your SysOp for his/her policy on this. You are given several turns per day to play. A turn is the equivalant of a year, and the number of turns allowd per day is set by the SysOp. How is this game different from earlier versions of the software? ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Expert Edition is a major departure from the earlier game, its major thrust was to bring a level of sophistication to the game that never existed before. These changes include planet registration, development of planets and overall handling of expenditures. Although on the surface these changes seem minor, they are really significant considering the overall influence each of these changes has made to the game. What is Warlords? ----------------- Warlords is a game of conquest. It is your job to manage a limited amount of resources to build an empire that ultimately will rule the galaxy. You will be competing with other would be emperors in the galaxy. Warlords is a moderator of the game rules, it is not a game. This program is designed to implement a set of rules on each of the individual players, not have you play against the computer. It is important to understand this, as the rules are 'do what you want...how you want... when you want.' You will have a certain amount of turns in order to do this in a single day. The number of turns a day is set by the System Operator. It is advised _not_ to allow more than 5 turns a day, since it would allow to much to happen at once. In the beginning you are given several planets. These planets will be your only source of income. You will find that the Ore planets directly generate revenue, while your agriculture planets generate food. What you have been given is no where near enough to rule the universe, let alone feed the people you have. You will need to immediately register some planets and begin to build! New players are advised to use the Automate turn function from the menu, that way you will not forget to do anything important. Long time players will find the new menu system to be very fast and convient! General View of the Game ------------------------ Alliance Management ------------------- Defensive Alliances can be created between 2 or more emperors. Alliances can provide a 'backbone' of support between players who wish to work together militarily. Alliances are expensive to maintain. Empire Statistics for the Current Year -------------------------------------- This report monitors the morale of the people and tells you how many credits you have brought in from the sale of ORE. This is is where all your 'forced' expenditures take place. Selling of Excess Food to the Star Traders ------------------------------------------ There is a group of individuals who buy and sell food between the different star systems. These people are generally known to be selfish and often hard to deal with. When you have exceeded your production requirements you may indeed be visited by these traders. Barter wisely! Civilian Food Distribution -------------------------- Since you are a hardened dictator and you want to have the maximum control over your people, you (the emperor) will control how much food to distribute to the people. Military Pay ------------ A paid military is a happy military! You must decide how much they deserve to be paid. Be warned, if you are selfish with paychecks you may find that your military is going to ignore your orders. In time they may even desert! Planet Registry --------------- It was long ago been decided that planets that are not 'claimed' by any particular empire should be distributed in 'lots of planets' to all the known emperors. A Inter-Galactic Registry has been created to distribute these planets. These planet have an obligation attached to them. The obligation is that you must develop these planets to their respective full potentials. If you allow planets to remain undeveloped, you will not be allowed to accumulate more planets to develop, until the planets that you have are developed. It should be noted that the people who have pledged their allegiance to serve you require food even if their planet is not developed! While you can't control how many of a particular planet type you are offered, you can control whether you take these particular planets. This is an important decision, as taking everything could easily overextend a young empire. It has also been decided that you will be able to collect taxes from these planets. Of course, you will also be responsible for feeding these people. Planet Development ------------------ In order to continue to collect planets from the Registry and in order for these planets to provide you with important items such as food and ore, you must 'develop' these planets. Developing a planet requires funds to be spent on the creation of factories, agricultural processing centers and governmental offices. Your population will be happy to work in these facilities as long as they are fed well and proper maintenance contracts are awarded every year (this is handled in the mandatory payments in the statistics display). Government Banking ------------------ A independent banking institution has been created that will allow you to save and borrow money. This bank has a rather nasty habit of charging a bit too much for their services, however. It should be noted that a loan default can be _very_ expensive! The banking services that are available are loans and savings. It is recommended that you check the loan rate at various times, as it does change, sometimes to your advantage. Government Allocation of Budget ------------------------------- Every government has a budget. Each government must decide how much it wishes to pay for planet development, military buildup and covert operations. In this phase you must decide how much money you are going to send to your factories to produce military hardware and to recruit new battalions and spies. Covert Activities ----------------- This phase allows the emperors to learn about their enemies, by sending spies to gather military and governmental intelligence. You can use the investigative techniques of your spies to learn about the overall government and military situation. Remember as with any intelligence it can be faulty. Military Conflicts ------------------ You want to expand, right? Well, there are other emperors who are going to fight against your expansionist ideas! In this phase you send your military to their ultimate victories or their ultimate defeats! You have the following military hardware at your command: - Battalions - Fighters - Cruisers - Carriers - Transports - Defense Pods A Word about Military Strength ------------------------------ Military strength is defined as a number that represents the amount of damage a military component can create. Military defense is defined as a number that shows the believed military defensive capability of a military component. These numbers do not reflect the morale of people, or the consequences that a particular battle could have. In general, these figures can be used to get an _idea_ of how a military unit might respond with a given capability. Battalion --------- These people represent your human fighting force. This force has the responsibility for taking and holding planets, and further providing a complete 'offensive' weapon that can be used to cause severe damage to your enemy. Battalions must be delivered to their target in order to be used. Transports are the main vehicle for this movement. Battalion Strike Information: ----------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 5-7 Points Defensive Point Value: 4-5 Points NOTE: Military and Civilian morale affect these point values! Fighters -------- Fighters are used as an offensive/defensive weapon. This type of military craft is unmanned and computer controlled. It is primarily used to defend a convoy of transports and to provide military support for any offensive/defensive operation. Fighter Strike Information: --------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 7-9 Points Defensive Point Value: 2-6 Points Cruisers -------- Cruisers are used as a secondary defense to military fighter carriers, (with fighters being a primary defense). Cruisers provide planetary bombardment and overall protection for landing operations. Cruisers are manned and are under the control of the emperor. Cruiser Strike Information: --------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 10-12 Points Defensive Point Value: 6- 9 Points Carriers -------- Carriers are primary offensive weapons providing a vehicle for the transport of fighters to the front. Each Carrier can carry 100 fighters. Carrier Strike Infomration: --------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 2-3 Points Defensive Point Value: 1-2 Points Transports ---------- Transports provide the vehicle for troops to arrive at the battle. Each Transport can carry up 100 battalions. Transport Strike Information: ----------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 0 Points Defensive Point Value: 0 Points Defense Pods ------------ Defense Pods are devices that are designed to provide a ring of defense around a given empire. These devices have the capability to destroy incoming carriers, cruisers, fighters, battalions and transports. Defense Pods Strike Information ------------------------------- Offensive Point Value: 0 Points Defensive Point Value 9-12 Points Population Report ----------------- You will be given a report by one of your advisors as to the overall attitude of the people. Pay close attention to this report as it will indicate the direction your empire is heading. An unhappy populace can result in your execution. General Information ------------------- This simulation is designed to provide a 'medium' between players. The computer only assumes the role of 'enforcing' the rules of the universe. If methods are found to go around these rules, this is not considered to be a valid play strategy by this author. Since this is a medium and not just a board game with you pitted against the computer, you can form your own player rules that you enforce by use of military action. It is well advised to not try to gain control of the universe by yourself; it is not possible in the real world, and certainly not likely in a simulated universe that Warlords create. Part of the game is clearly developing a working balance between economic stability and military capability. Developing these skills is not simple and sometimes the reward for your efforts is your complete destruction. Other times you may discover certain political strategies that do work and you will be placed on the throne by the work of others. It is ultimately in your hands. The game is designed ultimately for the best in playability with realism a secondary consideration. Realism has and is important to me as long as it does not destroy playability. General Game Hints ------------------ Hint #1 ------- Stay in Protection!! Leaving Protection too early can cause you to fail as you become bait for the larger empires already in existence. Hint #2 ------- Develop A Combination of Agriculture Planets and Mining Planets. By doing this you will find that you can build your economic system. A solid economy is the *key* to victory. Hint #3 ------- Know your enemy! Use spies to check out your enemy, especially before attacking! This will give you a solid feel for the military strength of your empire in comparison to another. Hint #4 ------- Make Alliances! Even the largest empire will crumble if enough little guys attack! Use the transfer abilities and email to conduct these activities. Hint #5 ------- Read/Publish in the Galactic Newspaper Read the Galactic Paper! This paper will give you vital information on empires that are rising and falling. Write articles for the Galactic News that will assist your alliance. Hint #6 ------- Feed the People! The more food you feed the happier your people are. Hungry people generate hate and discontent and the possible loss of your head. Hint #7 ------ Pay your military! Your soldiers only work for you as long as the military campaigns are successful and you continue to pay them. Sometimes a bonus can make the difference between winning/losing a battle. Hint #8 ------- Government Planets-- unfortunately you need them. In order to maintain your military establishment you must have Government Planets that maintain the strength of your empire. The general rule of thumb is, 1 Government planet per 25 planets. Hint #9 ------- Protection does not protect you from Coup d'etat! That's right! Keep your people happy, or it might mean an early end to your empire! Hint #10 -------- Don't just take anything the registrar offers you in the planet registration phase! Since you must feed these individuals even if the planet is not developed, it is highly important you have enough DEVELOPED agriculture planets to do this!