Copyright: Imperial Conquest v0.99


New

Start a new game.

Click in the HUMAN check box for each nation which is to be lead by a human player.  Players may enter their leader's name by clicking in the space provided and typing the desired name.  When finished click OK.


Open

Loads a previously saved game.


Save

Saves the current game.

Back-ups are not made, if a file is re-saved with its name unchanged the old file is over-written.


Save as

Saves the current game after prompting for a new file name.


Close

Quit the game.


End turn

Ends the current player's turn.  The following nations will then take their turns until the next (or only) human player's turn.

The order of play is set at random at the beginning of every game.


New player

Lets a new player enter the game.  Upto 16 players can play (or as many players as countries remain).


New nation

Allows a leader to desert their nation in favour of another.


Abdicate

Resign the leadership of your nation.

If only 1 person is playing then this ends the current game.


News

Shows a list of the most important events in the region over the past 2 years or so.

(Short cut key   Shift+W)


International relations

This produces the dialog where a nation's international relations is set. There are only 4 different political relations that may exist between 2 nations;

PEACE  -  no diplomatic relations.
TRADE  -  two nations trade with each other.  Nations can have up to 3 trading partners.
ALLY   -  two nations are allies, which means that they trade with each other, and if one is attacked the other will declare war on the aggressor.
WAR    -  two nations at war.  Wars are easy to start but can be difficult to end.  If you declare war on a nation you also declare war on any allies it may have.

On opening the politics dialog a nation's current political relations are shown.  To change any relationship click on the relevant radio buttons.  If the other nation agrees the new relationship will be shown by the corresponding button.  If you change your mind exit the dialog using CANCEL.


Taxation
Tax

Lets the leader alter the tax rate that their nation pays, between 0 and 40%.  The quarterly income from different tax levels is dependent more on the wealth of a nations's cities than its total population.  10% is an average level of taxation, more than this will harm your popularity, a lower figure will improve your nation's unity.


Balance sheet

Shows the leader the main sources of income and expenditure for their nation each quarter.  The army recruits total is the money new army units that have not yet been mobilised are payed.  The regular units cost is for all the regular units in a nation's armies.  The mercenary units cost is for all the mercenary units, this last figure is not deducted from the nation's funds but from the relevant army's money, if it has enough.

The debt limit is the maximum level of debt your nation can sustain, if you go above this there is a serious chance of not being able to pay your troops, resulting in their revolt and your downfall.

(Short cut key   Shift+B)


Recruit unit

This is where a leader gathers recruits from the population into units for training and eventual transfer to armies.  The troops already recruited are shown along with their quality in the UNITS list box.  Each unit takes 16 weeks to train before they are ready for combat, but it takes a little longer, 24 weeks, before they reach full effectiveness (they will not progress above average quality in training).

To recruit a new unit select the type, then increase/decrease the size of the unit using the +/- buttons, then click the RECRUIT button.

New units can be recruited at your capital or any city which has a fortification level of at least 75%.  To see which cities have recruits based there click on the relevant city in the list box.  When you click RECRUIT the new unit will be placed in the city currently selected.  If you select ALL CITIES you will be shown all your currently recruited units, and any new recruits will be based in your capital.

To mobilize a unit select it by clicking on the one desired in the CURRENT RECRUITS list box, then click the MOBILIZE button.  If you have an army near the recruiting city the unit will be added to it, otherwise it will become the first unit of a new army placed near the city.

If your nation is very short of money you can disband a unit by selecting it and clicking the DISBAND button.  This will reduce future quarterly wage bills but will waste the money already invested in the unit.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit details

Unit type v type


Build fleet

If sufficient resources are available this starts the building of a new fleet and takes 24 weeks.  A new fleet can only be constructed if your nation has at least one coastal city.  You can check on a new fleet's progress by choosing BUILD FLEET from the menu then clicking CANCEL in the dialog box.


Nations

This menu or set of speed buttons are used to select which nation's details are shown on the map when options from the AREA MAP menu are selected.  Each time a new nation is chosen that nation's details are shown in the Information window, if it is not your nation some details will be omitted.  For your nation the details shown are the nation's degree of unity, population size, number of cities controlled, treasury balance, tribute payed, trade earned, tax rate, and percentage mobilisation.  The nation's international relations are also shown in full.

Tribute is money paid to the government by the cities it controls, it is different from taxation and is a good sign of a nation's wealth.  Trade income is derived from all trading relationships and alliances, the richer the trading partner the greater the amount earned.

 (the short cut key to see the current nation's details is  Shift+N)
 (the short cut key to see your nation's details is  Ctrl+N)


Toggle colour

The TOGGLE COLOUR speed button on the area map switches between mono and terrain modes.  The mono mode makes it easier to see the information displayed on the map, the terrain mode shows the kinds of terrain.


Show cities

Shows the position of cities belonging to the nation selected in the NATIONS menu.

(Short cut key   Shift+C)

(Short cut key   Ctrl+C   for the leader's nation)


Show capital

Shows the position of the capital city of the nation selected in the NATIONS menu.

(Short cut key   Shift+P)

(Short cut key   Ctrl+P   for the leader's nation)


Show armies

Shows the position of armies belonging to the nation selected in the NATIONS menu.

(Short cut key   Shift+A)

(Short cut key   Ctrl+A   for the leader's nation)


Show fleets

Shows the position of fleets belonging to the nation selected in the NATIONS menu.

(Short cut key   Shift+F)

(Short cut key   Ctrl+F   for the leader's nation)


Show all

Shows the position of cities, armies, fleets and the capital of the nation selected in the NATIONS menu.

(Short cut key   Shift+L)

(Short cut key   Ctrl+L   for the leader's nation)


Find city

Brings up a dialog which lets the user select a city from the list of a particular nation's cities, so the geographical position of this city can be shown on the area map.  Click on a  nation button to produce that nation's list of cities, then click on the cities whose postions you want to see.

Capital cities are denoted by upper case.

(Short cut key   Shift+D)


Show mercenaries

Shows the position on the area map of cities at which mercenary units of the selected type are available.   ALL TYPES shows all the cities where any type of mercenary unit is available.

(Short cut key   Shift+1  for light infantry)

(Short cut key   Shift+2  for heavy infantry)

(Short cut key   Shift+3  for archers)

(Short cut key   Shift+4  for light cavalry)

(Short cut key   Shift+5  for heavy cavalry)

(Short cut key   Shift+M  for all types)


Supply army

To supply an army it must be adjacent to a city or one of your fleets or armies.  Select the army, then choose SUPPLY ARMY from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button, and a dialog will appear.  If the city is one of yours you can transfer supplies from the city, if it has any, and up to 1000 talents of money.  If the city is a foreign one then you can only transfer supply if the army has sufficient funds to pay for it.

If you have an army on a fleet you can supply it at coastal cities by moving the fleet up to the city, you do not have to disembark the army.

You cannot supply an army at a city with which your nation is at war.

If your army is adjacent to one of your fleets you can transfer supply and money between the two.  If you wish to transfer supply from one army to another use the TRANSFER UNITS option in the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Recruit mercenaries

To recruit a mercenary unit an army must be adjacent to the city where the mercenaries are situated, the army must have at least 15% of supplies, and the army must have enough money to pay this unit for at least one quarter.  Select the army, then choose RECRUIT MERCENARIES from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button, and a dialog will appear.

If you have an army on a fleet you can recruit units from coastal cities by moving the fleet up to the city, you do not have to disembark the army.

You cannot recruit mercenaries at a city with which your nation is at war.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit details

Unit type v type


Transfer units

This option is used to transfer units, supply, or money between 2 adjacent armies.  Move the 2 armies together, select one, then choose TRANSFER UNITS from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button and the dialog will appear.  To transfer a unit click on one in the list box then click on TRANSFER.  Use the same method to disband a unit.

You can also transfer units/supply/money between armies on or off fleets providing they are adjacent.


Split army

This lets you split an army into 2 smaller armies, or to disband certain units from the army.  Select the army by clicking on it, then choose SPLIT ARMY from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.  On the dialog, to transfer units to the new army (or to disband them), click on the relevant unit in the list box, then click on TRANSFER (or DISBAND).


Join armies

To join 2 armies they must be adjacent, their combined total of units must be 20 or lower, their combined number of troops must be less than 100,000, and neither must be on a fleet.  Select one of the armies then choose JOIN ARMIES from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Change units

Certain details of regular units can be altered, and all units can be disbanded.  Regular units can be renamed, split (if they are large enough), or combined with other regular units (if their combined size is small enough).  Regular units can be disbanded if the army is near one of its own cities, and merceneary units can be disbanded wherever the army is situated.

Select the army then choose CHANGE UNIT from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Disband army

For an army to disband it must be next to one of its own cities.  When an army disbands all its units are lost (regular units return to civilian life), the army's money is returned to its government and its supply is left with the nearby city.  Select the army then choose DISBAND ARMY from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Supply fleet

To supply a fleet it must be adjacent to a city or one of your fleets or armies.  Select the fleet, then choose SUPPLY FLEET from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button, and a dialog will appear.  If the city is one of yours you can transfer supplies from the city, if it has any, and up to 1000 talents of money.  If the city is a foreign one then you can only transfer supply if the fleet has sufficient funds to pay for it.

You cannot supply a fleet at a city with which your nation is at war.

If your fleet is adjacent to one of your armies you can transfer supply and money between the two, but to do so you must select SUPPLY ARMY.  If you wish to transfer supply from one fleet to another use the TRANSFER SHIPS option in the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Repair fleet

For a fleet to be repaired it must be next to one of its cities and it must not be carrying an army.  Select the fleet then choose REPAIR FLEET from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.  The dialog will show how much the repairs will cost.  The repairs will be done immediately but the fleet will be unable to move again this turn.


Transfer ships

This option is used to transfer ships, supply, or money between 2 adjacent fleets.  Move the 2 fleets together, select one, then choose TRANSFER SHIPS from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button, and the dialog will appear.


Split fleet

This lets you split a fleet into 2 smaller fleets.  To be split a fleet must contain at least 20 ships and must not be carrying an army.  To split a fleet select it then choose SPLIT FLEET from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Join fleets

To combine 2 fleets into 1 larger fleet they must be adjacent, the total number of ships must not be larger than 100, and only one (or neither) fleet must be carrying an army.  To join 2 fleets move them together, select one, then choose JOIN FLEETS from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.


Scuttle fleet

If your nation cannot afford a fleet, or one of your fleets is too small to be useful you may scuttle it.  To scuttle a fleet it must be near one of your cities and it must not be carrying an army. Select the fleet then choose SCUTTLE FLEET from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button, any money the fleet is carrying is returned to its government and its supply is left with the nearby city.


Fortify city

A city cannot be fortified while it is besieged, ie if there is an enemy army standing next to it.  To fortify a city select it then choose FORTIFY CITY from the UNIT MAP menu or click the speed button.  The dialog will show how much various levels of strengthening will cost, the larger a city's population the more it costs to fortify.  The fortification will be carried out at the end of your turn, however a city's level of fortification can only rise 10% per turn so larger increases will be automatically constructed over several turns.

A city's level of fortification can be important because you can only recruit new army units at your capital and at cities with fortification levels of at least 75%.  If your nation covers a large area you can fortify cities on the edges of your empire so armies can then be created on the spot rather than travel all the way from their capital.


Cancel selection

This menu option and speed button cancels the currently selected object on the unit map.  This is only needed when an army or fleet is selected and you want to ensure that it is not moved by mistake or performs an unwanted attack.

(Short cut key   Shift+X)


Army move

To move an army first select it by clicking on it.  Now either click on every square on the path you want the army to take, or click on the destination square and the computer will try to move the army there in the smallest number of moves.  The computer will sometimes make mistakes in the path it chooses for the army so if you want to guarantee the army moving as far as possible select the path yourself.

To make an army board a fleet simply move the army to a square adjacent to the fleet, then while the army is still selected click on the fleet (move the army upto the fleet, then onto the fleet).  However the fleet must be large enough to take a particular army, each ship in a fleet can only carry 500 troops.

To make an army disembark from a fleet move the fleet to a square of sea adjacent to the land then click on the square of land (move the fleet upto the land then onto the land).


Army attack

An army can attack another army or a city, the procedure for both is the same, providing it is adjacent to the target and it has at least one move left.  First move the army to a square adjacent to the target, and while it is still selected click on the target.  By attacking an army or city you automatically declare war on the controlling nation and any of its allies.

If you confirm your army's attack on another army you will be taken to the Battle screen.  The victorious army will capture the money and supply, if any, of the losing army.

If the target is a city and the attack is successful the city will fall under your control.  If the city you are attacking is the capital of a country it will be far harder to capture.


Fleet move

To move a fleet first select it by clicking on it.  Now either click on every square on the path you want the fleet to take, or click on the destination square and the computer will try to move the fleet there in the smallest number of moves.  The computer will sometimes make mistakes in the path it chooses for the fleet so if you want to guarantee the fleet moving as far as possible select the path yourself.

To make an army disembark from a fleet move the fleet to a square of sea adjacent to the land then click on the square of land (move the fleet upto the land then onto the land).


Fleet attack

A fleet can only attack another fleet.  To do so move the fleet to a square adjacent to the target, and while it is still selected click on the target.  By attacking a fleet you automatically declare war on the controlling nation and any of its allies.

A fleet cannot be attacked if it is docked at one of its own cities.

The outcome of a naval battle is decided by the relative strengths of the 2 fleets and a small amount of luck.  A fleet's strength is a combination of the number of ships, their level of repair, and whether the fleet is carrying an army.  Even a moderate sized army will make a major difference to a fleet's strength, especially if the army contains many archers.


Introduction

Imperial Conquest 2 is based in the ancient Mediterranean, starting in 270 BC.  There are 16 nations to be lead by human or computer players.  The 5 major powers; Rome, Carthage, the Seleucid Empire, the Ptolemaic Empire, and Macedonia, have certain qualities or advantages that gives them a realistic chance of conquering the whole of the Mediterranean area.

There are 11 other nations; Numidia, Gaul, Greece, Celtiberia, Illyria, Dacia, Bithynia, Galatia, Armenia, Media, and Thracia.  Some of these have a chance of acquiring a substantial empire given efficient leadership.  The smallest nations will need an ingenious and lucky leader to merely survive.

See also;

Improvements

Ordering


Improvements

The main changes between Imperial Conquest (for Windows 3) and Imperial Conquest 2 (for Windows 95) are listed below.

The computer thinking is substantially better in terms of political relations, army/fleet movement, and battlefield tactics.

The interface is simplified by the use of several button bars.

Cities/armies/fleets on the unit map can be differentiated in terms of their size.

There are now simple sounds to clarify the user's actions and events occurring elsewhere.

Each nation can now have 40 conscript units (up from 20) and they can be trained at other cities, not just the capital.

Regular army units have distinctive names which can be changed, and regular units can be split or joined together.

Income from trade has been greatly increased so that trade is now far more important.

The position of the unit map is shown on the area map.

The units on the battlefield are now in their national colours and can be distinguished by their size.

During a battle a player can now see all the enemy and their own units' details in one list, as well as all their own units' moves/attacks.

Sea storms occur so sea travel is more problematic.

Players are warned if their armies/fleets need supplies etc.

The populations of cities gradually recover after they have been attacked.


Ordering

This is the shareware version of Imperial Conquest 2.  You are free to use it for as long as you want and to copy and distribute it.  The difference between the shareware and registered versions of IC2 is that the former has had the save-load facilities disabled.

The full (registered) version costs £10.00 (including P&P) and is available only by mail order from;

Serious Games

32A Albert Street

Seaham

County Durham

SR7 7LJ

Britain

Payment should be by cheque or (British) postal order, crossed and made payable to Serious Games.  Foreign (outside of Britain and Ireland) orders should add £3.00 to cover P&P, and payment must be by EuroCheque or a cheque drawn on a British bank. All cheques must be in British pounds.

As a last resort foreign orders may be paid for using cash but these orders should be sent by registered or recorded delivery.  We would prefer payment to be in British pounds but if these are unobtainable we will accept payment in US dollars (definitely no other currencies) in which case the cost is $25.00 (including P&P).

Users who have registered the original Imperial Conquest (for Windows 3) can upgrade to Imperial Conquest 2 for £5.00 (British pounds) including P&P to all countries. (Payment should be as above, and for those sending cash in US dollars the upgrade cost is $10.00).

To upgrade simply send your name and address and we will check our records to ensure that you registered the original version.  If your address has changed since ordering please also include the original address.


Fonts

The font most used by Imperial Conquest 2 is BOOK ANTIQUA, which is a standard Windows 95 font.  If you have removed this font from your hard disk the game will load the next font it finds, this may be readable or it may not.

If you have Windows 95 set to use LARGE FONTS the layout of many of the screens in Imperial Conquest will be corrupted, although they may still be useable.  For best results you will have to select SMALL FONTS, if you find the text etc. too small to read comfortably you can easily reduce the resolution of your monitor.


Speed buttons
Speed butons

Many of the most frequently used menu commands are available by clicking on various speed buttons.  There are sets of speed buttons on the main game window, the area map window, and the unit map window.  There are also speed buttons on the Battlefield window.

See -

Main speed buttons

Area map speed buttons

Unit map speed buttons

Battle speed buttons


Main speed buttons
Main speed butons

On the main game window the speed buttons available are;

Open

Save

End turn

News

International relations

Taxation

Balance sheet

Recruit unit

Build fleet

It is also possible to change the currently selected nation by clicking one of the coloured nation speed buttons.


Area map speed buttons
Area map speed butons

All of the commands in the AREA MAP menu are available via the speed buttons just above the area map, these are;

Toggle colour

Show cities

Show capital

Show armies

Show fleets

Show all

Light infantry

Heavy infantry

Archers

Light cavalry

Heavy cavalry

All types

Find city


Unit map speed buttons
Unit map speed butons

All of the commands in the UNIT MAP menu are available via the speed buttons just above the unit map.  Only those buttons needed are shown depending on whether an army, fleet or city is selected.

The army options are;

Supply army

Recruit mercenaries

Transfer units

Split army

Join armies

Change units

Disband army

The fleet options are;

Supply fleet

Repair fleet

Transfer ships

Split fleet

Join fleets

Scuttle fleet

The only city action available is

Fortify city


Area map

The area map window shows the entire playing area included in Imperial Conquest.  If you click the TOGGLE COLOUR button on the area map the map will switch between mono and terrain modes.  The mono mode makes it easier to see the information displayed on the map, the terrain mode shows the kinds of terrain.  The Area map options can be accessed from either the speed buttons just above the map or from the AREA MAP menu (they show the positions of armies, cities etc.)

If the area map becomes cluttered it can be cleared by clicking TOGGLE COLOUR twice.

If you click with the left mouse button on the area map the position on the unit map will be adjusted accordingly.  The differently coloured rectangle on the area map shows the current position of the unit map (this shows up best in mono mode).


Unit map

The unit map window shows a section of the Mediterranean region shown in the area map, magnified many times.  You can move the unit map to different places by means of the window's scroll controls or by left-clicking on the area map.

The unit map is where leaders interact with their armies, fleets, and cities. This interaction is done by first selecting a unit (army, fleet, or city) by left-clicking on it, and then choosing one of the options by means of the speed buttons just above the map or from the UNIT MAP menu.

If you left-click an army/fleet/city you will be shown certain details about it.  If it is one of your armies/fleets/cities you will see more information and the unit will be selected.

If you right-click one of your armies (or fleets carrying an army) you will be shown a list of the units in that army.  If you right-click any city you will be shown which mercenary units, if any, are available at that city.

See also;

Terrain

City symbols

Army symbols

Fleet symbols

National colours


Terrain

     sea calm 	fleet moves -1

     sea rough 	fleet moves -3

     plain 	army moves - 1

     desert 	army moves - 1

     forest 	army moves - 2

     river 	army moves - 4

     mountains 	army moves - 4


City symbols

 	city of population 0..25,000

 	city of population 25,000..50,000

 	city of population 50,000..100,000

 	city of population 100,000+

 	capital


Army symbols

 	0..25,000 troops

 	25,000..50,000 troops

 	50,000..100,000 troops


Fleet symbols

 	10..25 ships

 	26..50 ships

 	51..100 ships


National colours

   Rome 	   Carthage

   Seleucid 	   Ptolemaic

   Macedonia 	   Numidia

   Gaul 	   Greece

   Celtiberia 	   Illyria

   Dacia 	   Bithynia

   Galatia 	   Armenia

   Media 	   Thracia


Short cut keys

 News 	Shift+W

 Balance sheet 	Shift+B

 Show cities 	Shift+C

 Show capital 	Shift+P

 Show armies 	Shift+A

 Show fleets 	Shift+F

 Show all 	Shift+L

 Find city 	Shift+D

 Light infantry 	Shift+1

 Heavy infantry 	Shift+2

 Archers 	Shift+3

 Light cavalry 	Shift+4

 Heavy cavalry 	Shift+5

 All types 	Shift+M

 Cancel selection 	Shift+X

Show status of current nation 	Shift+N

Show status of leader's nation 	Ctrl+N

Show leader's cities 	Ctrl+C

Show leader's capital 	Ctrl+P

Show leader's armies 	Ctrl+A

Show leader's fleets 	Ctrl+F

Show all leader's possessions 	Ctrl+L


Cities

Cities are primarily what determine a nation's power and wealth.  Cities provide the population which are mobilised into armies and pay tax to the government, and they provide the bulk of most nations' incomes in the form of their tribute.

When you left-click on one of your cities on the unit map you will be shown a list of details about that city.  A city's allegiance is the nation that city preferred to be governed by in the past.  If a city's allegiance is different from the controlling nation then the city will be more likely to defect to another power in times of trouble, and if it is attacked its resistance will be weaker.

The number after the population figure is the percentage of a city's maximum population size, if the number in brackets is under 100% then this city's population will increase under favourable circumstances.  A city's population only falls when it is attacked, and it will eventually recover if the city is not besieged by an enemy army and the governing nation's tax and mobilisation levels are not too great.

A city's resistance to attack is determined by the size of its population, its degree of fortification, the number of conscripts being trained there, and its level of loyalty.  If there is a number in brackets after a city's fortification level this is the number of conscripts currently being trained at that city.

City loyalty is likely to fall if the tax rate is over 10%, or if the city is left with no supply in winter.  City loyalty will usually rise if the tax rate is under 10%.

See also;

Fortify city


Armies

Armies are the only means for a nation to conquer new territory and to defend its existing territory against aggressors.  To be fully effective an army must maintain a reasonable level of supply.  When an army's supply falls below 10% its morale starts to drop, so that if it is involved in a battle all its units will start the battle with lower levels of morale, and its number of moves is reduced.  A large army will also have fewer moves than a small army, small means fewer than 20,000 troops.   An army can not contain more than 20 units or 100,000 troops.

(See  Army move  and  Army attack)

To create an army a leader must recruit and then mobilise regular units.  Regular units are those units recruited from a nation's own population and must be trained before they can be mobilised. (Regular units can be recognised because they are initially all called Battalions, although you can rename them if you want.)  In comparison mercenary units may be of any nationality and can be used as soon as they have been hired.

There are only 5 types of unit in Imperial Conquest; light infantry, heavy infantry, archers, light cavalry, and heavy cavalry.  As can be seen from the tables below, in battle heavy infantry and heavy cavalry are by far the most powerfull types.  However when it comes to attacking cities or being used on fleets archers are 3 times as useful per man as any other unit type, all the other types are equally effective against cities and fleets.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit details

Unit type v type


Unit costs

    initial cost 	    quarterly costs
   per 200 men 	     per 200 men
light infantry 	 2 	1
heavy infantry 	20 	2
archers 	 4 	1
light cavalry 	15 	3
heavy cavalry 	30 	4

This table shows the initial cost of recruiting regular units, and the quarterly cost of regular units.  For mercenary units the quarterly cost for average quality mercenary units is the same as for regular units, mercenary units of lower than average quality are cheaper than regular units while mercenary units of better than average quality are more expensive.

See also;

Unit details

Unit type v type


Unit details

 no of   no of    shot      shot       max
moves  shots  range   damage    size
light infantry 	   4         7         1         18        15,000
heavy infantry 	   2         0         0          2          6,000
archers        	   4        25        2         18         3,500
light cavalry  	   6         9         1         15         7,000
heavy cavalry  	   5         0         0          4          2,500

This table shows the strengths and weaknesses of the different unit types.  The shot damage column shows how much damage each unit type suffers from missiles, the higher the worse.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit type v type


Unit type v type

  light     heavy   archers  light     heavy
infantry  infantry            cavalry  cavalry
light infantry 	   15          4         20        5          3
heavy infantry 	   60          5         65       15         8
archers        	   10          3         18        5          3
light cavalry  	   25          8         28       15         8
heavy cavalry  	   18         12        20       12         8

This table shows how well the different unit types do in actual combat against each other during a battle.  To see how much damage the units inflict on other units read across the table, to see how much damage they suffer read down the table.  The higher the number the greater the damage inflicted (across) or sufffered (down).

For example a light infantry unit inflicts damage of 4 on a heavy infantry unit, whereas a heavy infantry inflicts damage of 60 on a light infantry unit.  These figures take no account of the other unit attributes; unit size, quality and morale, which have a significant effect on conflict resolution.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit details


Fleets

Any leader who has plans to create a substantial empire is going to need at least one fleet.  Not only can an army on a fleet cover large distances far quicker than an army travelling over land, but to get from Europe to Africa or Asia (or from Africa and Asia to Europe) then a fleet is essential.  Without a fleet many mercenaries are unreachable, and this may greatly reduce a leader's options over building armies.

Fleets can carry up to 500 men per ship in the fleet, and up to 8 tons of supply per ship.  The smaller the fleet the more moves it has each turn, the smallest fleet possible is 10 ships while the largest is 100 ships.  A fleet's moves will be reduced if it is carrying an army, especially if the army's size is close to the fleet's troop capacity.  The moves per turn wiil also be reduced for any fleet which has absolutely no supply.

Fleets with no supply will suffer more wear and tear, that is their level of repair will drop.  Fleets are much more likely to be damaged by the weather in winter, especially on the open seas.  So it is safer to 'park' a fleet near one of its own cities at the end of every turn.  Fleets do not suffer damage when passing over rough sea squares, but if a fleet is left on a square of rough sea at the end of your turn it will be damaged.

A fleet's number of moves will be cut if its level of supply falls below 70%, and the lower the repair the greater the chance of the fleet being seriously damaged or sunk.

(See Fleet move and Fleet attack)


Battle

The battle section of Imperial Conquest takes place when a human player attacks another army, or when a human player's army is itself attacked.  This part of the game starts with the placing of the army units on the battle field.  Initially the units are placed at random, the leaders may then position their units as they wish.  The attacking army always starts at the top of the screen while the defending army's units start at the bottom of the screen.

See also

Battle unit symbols

Battle speed buttons

The attacking army starts with a slight advantage as its leader places its units on the battle-field last but moves first.  The defender must first position their units within the bottom three rows of the battle field, the attacker can then position their units within the top three rows.  To place a unit select it by clicking on it, then click on the square you want it to occupy.  After placing your units click on the END TURN speed button so that the battle turns can begin.

It is the turn of the attacking army to move its units first, followed by the defender.  In each battle turn units may move, attack, and shoot.

Move
Moving units is exactly the same as moving armies.  First select the unit by clicking on it.  Now either click on every square on the path you want the unit to take, or click on the destination square and the computer will try to move the army there in the smallest number of moves.

Attack
To set one unit to attack another, the attacking unit must be adjacent to the target unit and must have at least one move remaining.  Select the attacking unit by left-clicking on it, then left-click on the target unit.  If a unit is moved or used to shoot after it has had its attack set the attack will be cancelled.  All the attacks set for an army's units are performed at the end of its turn.

Shoot
A unit can only shoot at an enemy unit if it is a missile firing type, it has at least one move and one shot remaining, and the target is within shooting distance.  Select the firing unit by left-clicking on it, then right-click on the target unit.  The shots are fired immediately, multiple shots can be fired by right-clicking on any target within range.  Light infantry and light cavalry units can only shoot at enemy units adjacent to them, while archer units can shoot at enemy units two squares away.  The shot damage inflicted by light infantry and light cavalry are equal to that inflicted by archers at two squares range, when an archers unit is adjacent to the target the shot damage is doubled.

The difference between attacking a unit and shooting at it is that the former inflicts losses on both sides, while shooting inflicts losses only on the defending unit.  If multiple units are used to attack a single unit in one turn the losses of the defending unit will be increased while the losses of the attacking units will be reduced.  Losses are determined by the size, type, quality, and morale of the opposing units, but there is also a small random element involved.

Perhaps the most important factor in deciding the outcome of battles is morale.  Units are not only destroyed by having all their men killed, they will fall if their morale falls too low.  When a unit falls it will cause the morale of its fellow units to drop and the morale of the enemy units to rise.  A unit's morale also falls every time it comes out worse after an attack (regardless of who initiated the attack), and rises each time it destroys proportionately more of the opposing unit than it loses.

When a battle is finished you will be shown how many troops were lost on each side.  Whether or not you won the enemy may offer you peace terms, but often they will want to continue the war.


Battle unit symbols

      Light infantry

      Heavy infantry

      Archers

      Light cavalry

      Heavy cavalry

These symbols distinguish between the number of troops in units.  The first symbol is for units containing upto 1/3 of the maximum number of troops for that unit type, the second symbol upto 2/3 capacity, and the final symbol is for units containing more than 2/3 of their troop limit.

For a light infantry unit the maximum number of troops is 15,000.  Therefore the  first symbol is for units with less than 5,000 troops, the second symbol denotes a unit with between 5,000 and 10,000 troops, and the third symbol is for a unit containing more than 10,000 troops.

See also;

Unit costs

Unit details

Unit type v type


Battle speed buttons

During a battle there are 5 extra speed buttons available just above the battle field map.

UNIT MOVES - shows the remaining moves and shots for all your units, and which units have been selected to attack enemy units.  You can use this to check that all your units have been moved.

FRIENDLY UNITS - shows the details of all your units.

ENEMY UNITS - shows the basic details of all enemy units.

CANCEL SELECTION - cancels the currently selected unit.

END TURN - ends the current player's turn so the next player or the computer can move their battle units.

CHANGE DELAYS - alters the delays after units shoot or attack each other, while the messages about units/losses are displayed.

COMPUTER GENERAL - is used to make the computer fight the battle for a human player.  After this option is chosen the computer makes the human player's remaining moves and then continues to take the human player's turns as they come round.  To cancel Computer General click with the left mouse button on the Information window and at the start of your next turn you will regain control over your units.

SURRENDER - accept defeat in the battle.  All your army units are lost and any money or supplies your army was carrying will be captured by the victorious army.


Time

Imperial Conquest starts in 270 BC and must end by 250 BC when the leaders die of old age.  A year in Imperial Conquest consists of four seasons, and each season lasts six turns.  With regards to timing the training of mobilised troops or the building of a fleet, one turn lasts two weeks so that one season lasts twelve weeks.

The main effect of the different seasons is on the rate armies, fleets, and cities use supply and the speed at which cities gain supply.  Armies are nearly self-sufficient in summer and autumn, getting most of their supplies from the land.  Their supply level will drop by about 20% every turn in spring and by about 50% every turn in winter.  An army's supplies will also drop by about 50% per turn when it is aboard a fleet, regardless of the time of year, because troops cannot forage while on ships.  Fleets use the same amount of supply per turn regardless of the season.  Cities gain small amounts of supply in spring, a lot in the summer and autumn, but none in winter.

Storms at sea are most common and more likely to cover a larger area in winter, they become rarer and smaller the closer it is to summer.


Victory

There is only one certain way of winning Imperial Conquest, by building an empire that totally dominates the Mediterranean.  This is obviously easier to do with some countries than with others, for example the Seleucid leader can mobilise enormous numbers of troops while the Dacian leader will struggle to make one small army.  There is no difficulty level in Imperial Conquest but the widely different starting strengths of the nations will allow players to set themselves various targets as to how much territory they conquer and how quickly they do it.  Of course for the very smallest nations conquering any territory at all may be impossible, and for these nations survival must be the aim.

Some players may prefer to set themselves the target of leading their nations in a more civilised way, only fighting defensive wars and relying on diplomacy and peace to build up their nation's wealth.  For these the ultimate goal is obviously not one of conquering the Mediterranean but of maintaining the security and wealth of their nation.

Which ever target the player aims for there are several ways of losing Imperial Conquest.  The most obvious is for the player's nation to be conquered by another.  This occurs if their capital city is captured by an enemy army and a site for another capital cannot be found, or if all their cities defect.  Players may also lose by being overthrown by an army coup.  A leader's own army will turn against them if their leadership becomes extremely unpopular with the people, or if they bankrupt the treasury and are unable to pay the troops.