PCPP Game Guide 2

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Text File | 1998-06-02 | 36KB | 800 lines

Realms Dox In a moment that lasted forever, a bolt of living energy shot from the heavens, spanning the great divide of eternity. As the king's funeral ship sailed west, the young heir reflected on the sad events that had recently overtaken his people. Once again, famine, poverty and war thrive in a world that is now divided. Once again, each realm vies to become the ultimate power...he mused. In a fit of rage, the heir raised his fist to the skies, swearing vengeance. His mind in turmoil, he appealed to the nordic gods for justice, as if in answer to his cry, the growing storm clouds replied with a deafening clash of thunder. Blinded by grief, the heir failed to notice the clouds billow and gradually change their shape to the form of the great god Wotan. In a moment that lasted forever, a bolt of living energy shot from the heavens, spanning the great divide of eternity. All sound was lost as the divine messenger cut an electric path towards oblivion. The heir stared in awe as the pure force silenced by its speed hurtled towards him. A billion volts burned into his wrist and flowed over and through his body, and yet he felt no pain...only the unprecedented power of the heavenly serpent. For an instant he stood between 2 worlds overwhelmed by visions of ages past and every possible future, the reality superimposed on the image of the present ...then it faded leaving only what was and what shall be. With a final burst of cosmic force, the symbol of the serpent materialised and the heir understood. His divine mandate to rule firmly in his grasp, the high king turned to face his cowering people.... There can only be one. Summary of the objects ---------------------- Running realms. Gameplay flow. The eight worlds of realms. Controls. Running realms. --------------- Realms is a simulation of a mythical world where cities strive for dominance at any cost. The player controls an empire. A realm with the immediate goal of survival and the ultimate objective of ruling the known world and its multi-racial population of elves, dwarfes, orcs, amazons and humans. The means of domination may be fair or foul, just make sure that the only realm ramaining to rule supreme is yours... Gameplay flow. ---------------- Realms is represented through 6 types of display from which key functions are activated. The following diagram shows how the displays interact... ---------------- [ battle ] [ screen ] [ ] ---------------- [ ---------------- ---------------- ---------------- [ inside ] [ playfield ] [ army screen ] [ fortress ]----[ ]---[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] ---------------- ---------------- ---------------- [ [ ---------------- ---------------- [ disk ] [ city screens ] [ operation ]----[ ] [ ] [ ] ---------------- ---------------- The 8 worlds of realms. ----------------------- Realms offers 8 wildly different scenarios to play. When Realms is first loaded, an introductory scenario is automatically included. Only 2 races are present here; elves and orcs To access the 7 increasingly difficult scenarios, simply make use of the load facility found on the disk operations screen. (see disk operations) The 3 kingdoms. --------------- There is only one thing orcs hate more than dwarves - and that's elves. All three races are found in this scenario. Island realms. -------------- This introduces the essential use of ships. Amazons, humans and vikings are the races found here. The great divide. ----------------- An island sea divides 2 continents populated by barbarians, orcs, dwarves and elves. The isles of chaos. ------------------- The isle of chaos is a seafaring realm, dwarves, barbarians, orcs and elves fight it out in this land. The northlands. --------------- Scandinavia is revisited with amazons, dwarves, barbarians and vikings. The eastern isles. ------------------ A string of islands inhabited by vikings, amazons, orcs, elves and dwarves. Realms of the west. ------------------- Mind your back - some cities are a little too close together for comfort! Make the most of the orcs, elves, dwarves, barbarians and amazons. Controls. --------- Mouse......make sure that a compatible mouse is plugged in. Amiga joystick 1 port. The atari st port marked one or the pc-compatibles relevant interface. Joystick. --------- Not available on the amiga or atari st. Keyboard. --------- Not available on the amiga and atari st. Convenience keys. ----------------- Pause.........F1 Quit......... F10 Quit to dos...Esc There are 2 ways of activating functions in realms, both of them via a pointer which usually looks like this ---> The select pointer. ------------------- The select pointer is for selecting functions. (note that the pointer changes shape when certain functions are active...see pointers for further details) The first method of activating a function is the most `traditional` and that is the use of icons, or small pictures representing the functions in question. The other method of activating a function is more direct. Simply point to a character or object on the playfield (see the playfield) and press mousebutton. Pointers. --------- Pointer 1 (-->) the select pointer, select a function Pointer 2 ( o ) the focus circle pointer. View an area in more detail Pointer 3 ( x ) the target pointer. select a target Inside the fortress. -------------------- Develop an overall strategy and monitor its progress from here. Bottom of screen left to right.... Icon 1 - disk - disk access Icon 2 - face - armies Icon 3 - diamond - tax access Icon 4 - ok - focus Icon 5 - cross on up down cursor- tax alteration Icon 6 - money icon 1 - tax rate Icon 7 - money icon 2/3/4 - treasury Top of screen far right Icon 1 - scales - The world map (screen to the right of inside the fortress screen) ----------------------------------------------------------------- The known world is shown in relief form. Any realms in existence are also shown here but as circular markers. The largest marker represents the Realm's capital city. The cities comprising the players realm are yellow and are always shown on this map as are the capital cities of the other realms. Friendly cities are shown as blue markers while enemy cities are red. The cities of the realm are displayed on the map by pointing the arrow at a capital city and pressing either mouse button. The landscape area last viewed by the player is shown by a white marker Disk operations (bottom left) no 1 icon - is access to the disk operations -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Armies (bottom left) no. 2 icon - displays on the world map the whereabouts of each Realm's armies. Only the armies of the chosen realm will be shown. Simply select the capital city of a realm to see the position of its armies. (note that the chosen realm's cities are automatically shown when a capital city is selected). A second press of the mouse button while pointing to this icon turns off the display. Tax routes (bottom left) no. 3 icon - a realm comprises of at least one city and has a capital to which flows all taxes acquired from other cities within the realm. Selecting this icon will show on the map the tax flow from city to city and ultimately to the capital city of a the realm currently selected. Taxes from cities not connected to the capital city do not reach it and cannot be spent. If a tax route is severed, the cities will attempt to divert taxes, but may not take the best route. The empire can be streamlined by changing the tax flow routes. With the tax route indicator active, point to the player's capital city and press a mouse button. Point to any city within the player's realm and press a mouse button - the tax route will change to the next available route but only if an alternative is available. No change means no alternative route is possible. A city may be completely cut off and so be incapable of forming any routes at all, in which case the player should conquer adjacent cities to relink the stranded one. Focus (bottom left) no. 4 icon - the player is not a deity and so lacks omniscience. The player does however have the gift of 'far sight' - the ability to view anywhere within the known world. Press a mouse button while the arrow points to this icon - the arrow will change into a focus circle pointer. The focus circle pointer (O) ------------------------------------------------- Move the focus circle pointer to any position on the map and press a mouse button to view in greater detail the desired area (see the playfield) To turn off the focus circle pointer, simply click on the focus icon. Tax rate alteration (bottom left) icon 5 - increase or decrease the tax rate. The pile of coins to the immediate right of this icon will grow or shrink by one coin every alteration. The scales to the top right of the screen (icon 1) of this display will alter too, to show the predicted tax effect achieved. Tax rate (bottom left) number 6 icon - shows the current rate of tax. The greater the quantity of coins, the higher the tax rate. Each coin represents 10 per cent of a city's total production. Treasury (bottom left) icon 7 - these 4 piles of coins represent the treasury of the player's realm. This comprises the balance of all taxes and other monies and grain which have reached the capital city. A single coin represents the pay of one thousand men for a year at the lowest possible pay, or it could feed 4 thousand people for a year depending on grain prices. Treasury (again) these show whether the tax accrued from the player's realm can support its armies. The tax is represented by the coins on the left hand side, while the armies are represented are represented by the soldier in the right hand scale. When the scale holding the soldier is lower than that holding the coins, the realm's total income is not large enough to support the armies, and money is lost each season. When the scale holding the coins is lower, the realm's income is large enough to support armies and so the treasury will grow. The predicted tax change which determines the status of these scales is based on the amount collected in the previous season. Note that if cities are won or lost or their links severed from the tax route, this may not be the amount of tax actually received. **** The playfield **** ----------------------- Time runs and events occur only when this view is employed. Activity in the world is halted when any other view is in use. A brief description of this screen... This screen has a smaller screen inserted in it on the top left hand corner. This is the world map. Under this are 2 sets of icons... we'll describe these as the 3 middle icons and the 2 bottom icons. Middle icon 1...(on left) exit to map Middle icon 2...(middle ) select unit last used Middle icon 3...(right ) message crystal ball Bottom icon 1...(on left) focus Bottom icon 2...(middle ) view units Underneath these the length of the screen is the message scroll. Playfield icons. ---------------- Tower icon................ a city Tower icon with a flag.... there is an army unit barracked inside the walls of the city in question. Such an army unit cannot be attacked directly without the city being sieged first, but it can be selected by the player. Man icon.................. a single man represents an army of up to 1000 men Man on horse icon......... a cavalry unit of up to 1000 men Tent icon................. an army camping out in the open An anchor icon............ a port Ship icon................. a fleet of troops travelling on water. If there are no sails showing, then the ship is anchored. Shield icon............... an army besieging a city Viewing the landscape. ---------------------- There are 2 means to this end. To move over the landscape for short distances, point to one of the 4 surrounding edges of display. The second method is best used to move greater distances at speed. Point to the desired location on the small map in the top left hand corner of the display and press the mouse button. The main landscape display will show the position marked by the white square in the small map. Press and hold down a mouse button then move the mouse to `pull` the white square around the small map and move around the main landscape accordingly. The land types... 6 distinctive types of land comprise the playfield. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Grassland....... is smooth and green Forest.......... is more contoured than the grassland Desert.......... is barren and brown Rock............ is barren and brown Cultivated land. is brown with visible plow furrow marks Snow............ is white World map (inserted at top left) of playfield ----------------------------------------------- This half size map of the known world shows only cities. Remember that tax routes and armies are viewed via the main map inside the castle/fortress. The small white square indicates the area of land shown in isometric form to the right. Message crystal ball. (middle icon no.3 - playfield) ------------------------------------------------- The player's Realm and subjects communicate via this crystal ball. The player will be informed of the outbreak of plague, famine and so on through these messages. These messages are ignored at the player's peril. When a message is waiting to be read, the crystal ball will sparkle. To view a message in the scroll at the bottom of the screen, point to the sparkling crystal ball and press a mouse button. The landscape view is immediately positioned to the sender so immediate action can be taken. Beware that messages are queued but may be lost if unread for too long. Messages regarding battles are shown inside the crystal ball as a pair of swords. Note that battle related messages take priority over all others. Simply point to the swords and press a mouse button to go straight to the battle (see the battle screen). The player may wish to avoid the battle with a penalty of not receiving any other messages until the fight is over. Message scroll. (full length at the bottom of the playfield screen) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Information displayed here concerns the state of play and items on the playfield. Point an arrow to an object on the playfield and a description is given on this scroll. Any messages from units or cities are displayed in preference. A message read from the ball disappears from the scroll after approximately 5 seconds. Alternatively, point the arrow to the scroll and press a mouse button to remove a message from the scroll. Exit to map. (middle icon no. 1 - playfield) --------------------------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to return inside the castle/fortress Select last unit used. (middle icon no. 2 - playfield) ------------------------------------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to view the last commanded unit. This is useful for checking on the progress of a unit or to see if it has obeyed its orders, especially when a target is situated in another part of the world. Focus. (bottom icon no. 1 - playfield) ------------------------------------- The players far sight extends further. Point here and press a mouse button to change the arrow into a focus circle pointer. Now touch any unit or city on the main playfield and press a mouse button to view in greater detail. View units. (bottom icon no. 2 - playfield) ------------------------------------------- Point to either arrow and press a mouse button to view in turn each lead unit (the one followed by other units) the arrow pointing up searches in one direction, the arrow pointing down in the other. Unit functions. --------------- A unit can be ordered and thus moved when the pointer is an arrow. Point to the unit to be moved and press a mouse button. The arrow will change to a target pointer thus...( x ) To show the unit has been selected it will be highlighted. Point to the target be it a map location, city, or another unit, and press a mouse button. The pointer will change back to an arrow to show that the order has successfuly been executed. The target will not be selected until the mouse button is pressed, so movement around the landscape can be achieved as previously detailed. The other screens are also accessible. To cancel the operation simply point to the chosen unit and press a mouse button. All followers also obey new orders unless they are disloyal. Ships. ------ A man can be targeted on anything but sea. A ship, on the other hand, can only be targeted on sea, beach or port. If a man is ordered to move to a travelling ship or an impossible target he will try his best to reach it before giving up and attempting to return home. Any unit of men can travel by sea if it first enters a port. Ports are represented by a castle with an anchor. Point to the flag outside the port and press a mouse button. Then select the destination in the same manner. The men will walk to the sea where they are replaced by a ship. The ship will then sail to the selected destination. Note that navigation is poor and the ships will follow the coastline, if ships are required to sail large distances or awkward routes they may get lost and further assistance will be needed. When a ship reaches a port it is replaced by a unit of men. Note that you can target these men on the port from which they came, but any other sea operation requires the possession of and entry to a port city. Note also, that fleets which meet other fleets on their own journey may fight independently of the player. Armies. ------- Large armies can be built by ordering troops to follow each other. It is favorable to build up large armies to invade enemy territory, especially since it is easier to control a few large armies rather than dozens of individual units. The positioning of large armies will be strategic. The easiest way to build an army is to target units on a city. All units in the city will form a single army which can be ordered out of the city by selecting any flag. By targeting the leader onto an opposing army the trail of troops will close for battle. When enemy units collide and only a few units are involved a skirmish results. Casualties are immediately calculated and one side may retreat. If many units are involved in battle then the battle screen is presented so the player can act as general and control individual units. (see the battle screen) Targets. -------- Own unit. The men will form a larger army. From then on, only the leader has to be targetted. The army will split if units are forced to retreat by an enemy. Enemy unit. The men will intercept the enemy, laying siege if they are inside a city. Siegers. The men will attack the siegers City. The men will enter their own city, merging with any other units already there. During its stay, the army gains morale and recruits. If the city belongs to another realm, the men will lay siege. If the men were already sieging a city they will storm the walls. This can prove costly if the city is well defended, but it is a quick means of winning a city. Selecting a man and selecting a target will cause that man to become a leader of troops following him in the chain. The army screen. . (we`ll give a description again) There are 3 sets of 2 icons to the bottom right of the screen...we`ll call them top icons 1/2 - middle icons 1/2 and bottom icons 1/2) with descriptions given left to right (icon 1 left of screen) Right here goes. . army screen; Scroll at top of the screen...unit description. Icon at middle right of screen (just above the 3 sets of 2 icons) adjust units pay. Top icon 1......buy armor Top icon 2......buy weapon Middle icon 1...buy missile Middle icon 2...buy shield Bottom icon 1...disband unit Bottom icon 2...exit screen This screen is shown when an army is formed or selected. The text accompanying the picture of the warrior type details the units size, capability and morale. Equipment is bought from the stores to the far right, and the pay and recruitment details are adjusted. It is up to the player to decide whether the unit is to be highly paid elite or rough and ready but cheap and disposable or somewhere in between. Note that enemy forces can be viewed but not tampered with. The different races have different skills with different weapons. Note that some weapons conflict. For example, a bowman is encumbered by a shield. When it comes to equipping troops, it is not merely a matter of buying the most expensive equipment. The best armies will have specialized units, some fast and light, others slow and deadly, and so on... Treasury. (bottom left of the army screen) ------------------------------------------ Reveals the quantity of cash currently available to the player. Equipment price. (left of screen next to the bottom 2 icons right of screen) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The current price of new equipment, in tens and single units. As equipment is bought, the picture of the warrior is altered accordingly. Buy armor. (helmet armor is top icon 1) --------------------------------------- Helmets and body armor are available. Point here and press a mouse button. The possible combinations are helmet/body armor, helmet and body armor, no armor. Note that an armored unit moves slower in battle but has a better defense. Buy weapon. (top icon 2) ------------------------ Point here and press a mouse button to view the available weapons... short sword, long sword, axe, or warhammer. Short sword - standard light weapon, effective in close combat. Long sword - favorite hand weapon of the elves, heavier hitting power. Axe - deadly weapon in the hands of a dwarf, has great effect against armored opponent. Warhammer - favored by both the dwarves and orcs, cumbersome but deadly against armour. Buy missile. (middle icon 1) ---------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to view the available missiles - bows and arrows, javelin or spear. Bows and arrows - ten shots, long range. Javelin - 2 shots, destroy enemy shields, medium range. Spear - single shot, destroy enemy shields, low range but cause the most damage. Buy shield. (middle icon 2) --------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to view the available shield types - wicker, wooden and bronze. Wicker - light and effective against armor. Wooden - heavy, but provides reasonable defensive cover. Bronze - heavy, but provides the best cover. Disband unit. (bottom icon 1) ----------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to disband a unit. Bear in mind that the men will join a city`s population. The operation is cancelled with a second press of a mouse button while pointing here. Exit screen. (bottom icon 2) ---------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to return to the previous screen. At this point all purchases are made and the price deducted from the treasury. Note - you cannot exit if the treasury cannot support the purchases and some items will have to be discarded. Adjust unit's pay. (icon on its own above top icons 1/2) ------------------------------------------------------- Point to either arrow and press a mouse button to raise or lower a unit's pay. Between 0-5 coins. The pay is shown in the palm of the hand between the 2 arrows. Note - low paid units have a low morale and replacements are not easily recruited. A gem represents payment from looting cities instead of wages. The unit will come to expect regular looting sessions so beware. City screen. ------------ Again we`ll try describe this screen) Bottom left of screen - treasury (shown as pile of coins) Bottom 2nd left - select option Bottom middle of screen - current option Bottom middle right (next to current option) - option cost (another pile of coins) Bottom right 2nd from end - 2 cursors icon/view option Bottom of screen far right - exit icon There are 2 ways of viewing a city in detail. Either use the gift of far sight (see main display) or simply point to a city on the main landscape and press a mouse button. Remember that a brief description of the city will be given in the panel at the bottom of the screen when the arrow points to it. The unique picture of the city shows its size, which changes accordingly as the city grows and declines. A small city may comprise little more than a few mud huts. As it grows, walls and larger more solid buildings will appear. Eventually the city will expand to encompass public buildings, temples and even palaces. The text at the top of the screen details the state of the city shown. Note that the text changes to reflect the option shown at the bottom of the screen. With a city viewed in detail there are many options available. Treasury. (bottom left corner) ------------------------------ Reveals the amount of cash currently available to the player. Current option. (bottom of the screen/middle) --------------------------------------------- Reveals the option currently selected by the player and is complemented by the options cost screen (next to it on the screen). View option. (2nd from the end bottom right of screen) ------------------------------------------------------ Point to either of the arrows and press the mouse button to view all available options. Not all options detailed below will always be available. Only those which can be used are shown, and this is not cost dependent. The options depend on whose city is being viewed and change accordingly to the situation. Select option. (2nd on the left next to treasury option) -------------------------------------------------------- This arrow head shows the direction of the cash flow - either to or from the treasury. Point to this arrow head (the text option or cost display) and press a mouse button to select the option displayed. The cost of the option is deducted from the treasury. If the option costs too much a message to that effect is displayed in place of the option description. Once an option is bought, it may not be immediately available again. Option cost. ------------ This varies depending on the nature of the option. Taking over a city, for example, costs nothing - initially, at least - but the player then has an extra city to manage. Exit. ----- Point here and press the left hand mouse button to return to the previous screen. Alternatively, point anywhere else on the screen and press the right hand mouse button. Big arrows. (right hand side of the screen) ------------------------------------------- Neighboring cities are indicated by silver or gold colored arrows on either side of the screen, with the name of the city shown beneath the arrow. The silver arrows belong to the cities that are not part of the players realm. The gold arrows are for cities within the players realm. This provides a useful shortcut to check on several cities without returning to the main display. Simply point to the relevant titled arrow and press a mouse button. The buy options. ---------------- Grain. The price of a year's worth of seeds for the current population is shown. Beware of price fluctuations. Remember if a population is increasing, the grain may not last as long as expected. Land. Allows growth to continue. Whenever this option is chosen an area of land is cleared and planted. Eventually a city will reach its maximum size and there will be no more land. Land automatically falls out of production if the population falls and will have to be recultivated. Cultivated land can be seen on the main display. Health. The cost of cleaning up the city and caring for the sick is shown. This option may have to be used several times if a plague has struck the city. Note that plague quickly affects crowded cities and spreads along the trade routes. Build city. A standard cost is shown for encouraging new citizens to the city. Wooden walls. The full cost is shown, but they take time to build. Stone walls. These are expensive and take longer to complete than wooden walls but they provide the best protection against looters. The erection of stone walls can be begun before the wooden walls are complete. Pay tribute. A besieging army may demand a tribute to leave. The size of the tribute depends on the relationship between their realm and the players. Payment may relieve the siege but they may soon be back for more. Recruit army. The text at the top of the screen details the quality of the next 1000 troops available. The recruitment cost shown is the basic cost for basic training and the cheapest equipment. When the option is chosen the army screen is displayed. (see the army screen) Recruit cavalry. This is similar to the army option except a horse regiment is formed. Note that some races make better horsemen than others. The Take options. The amount of tax that can be raised is shown. This is taken directly from the people and never proves popular so use the citizen levy only for instant cash in emergencies. Take tribute. When sieging an enemy city, the player may be offered a tribute to end the siege. Accepting this tribute automatically sends the player's troops home. Surrender options. If a city surrenders following a siege, the following options are available. - Loot city. The city is left untouched but its wealth is taken in a civilised manner. - Ravage city. The army is given freedom to pillage the city. This works wonders for the army`s morale but enrages the enemy. - Raze city. The ultimate sanction. The city`s people are sold, the buildings are burned and all the wealth taken. The enemy will take time to recover and will more often than not desire vengeance!!! - Annex city. The best option of all for reducing the enemy`s strength and improving the player's - provided the money and men are available. This costly exercise enrages the enemy but the people may be more appreciative depending on how they have been treated in the past. Battle screen (again we`ll try to describe it) ----------------------------------------------------- Top of screen is the armies morale. There are 5 icons at the bottom of the screen, from left to right and number them icons 1 - 5. Icon 1 - order attack Icon 2 - change formation Icon 3 - rotate unit Icon 4 - rotate unit Icon 5 - fire missile In the right hand corner is the troop type. Also right hand corner just above troop type is your troop factors. Shown as in line 1 (swords) - attack factor Shown as in line 2 (shields) - defense factor Shown as in line 3 (arrows) - missile quantity Shown as in line 4 (helmets) - troop quantity Full scale battle takes place against a backdrop similar to that used for the main landscape display. Army units are shown as groups of men which move realistically over the contours. Before the fighting takes place, the units from both sides march one at a time onto the field and take up position. The units are positioned in either a center or flank position depending on their strengths. The faster (missile bearing troops) will take flanks and the heaviest troops the center. The outcome of the battle depends on tactical elements and not just the size of the armies. Terrain position is also a factor - units on high ground have an advantage. The proper battle will not begin until the command is issued. This gives the player time to view troops on both sides and form a strategy. Note that extra units may enter the battle after it has begun. A unit is selected by pointing to its flag bearer leader and pressing a mouse button. Information about enemy enemy units is shown to the left of the screen, while information about the player's units is shown to the right. Morale. ------- Flags represent morale of each side and change as the battle progresses. The lower the flag, the lower the army`s morale. Units will take the initiative of routing or retreating if their morale is broken. Routing units may cause other units to rout also. Order attack. (icon 1/bottom left) ---------------------------------- Point here and press a mouse button to order the attack to begin. The order charge will change to a bugle. Point to (icon 2) and press a mouse button to sound the retreat. Note that if a player's morale is significantly low, they may well take the intiative to retreat before the fighting begins. The decision to retreat can be reversed by re-ordering an attack. However the units which have already left the battlefield will not return. Fire missile. (icon 5) ---------------------- First point to the unit armed with missiles then press a mouse button. The icon will highlight. Now point to the target and press a mouse button. The chosen unit will unleash a missile attack in the target's direction. Note that is is possible to kill the player's own troops. Rotate unit. (icon/s 3 and 4) ----------------------------- First, point at the unit and press a mouse button. Now point to the required direction of turn and press a mouse button until the unit faces the correct way. Change formation. (icon 2) -------------------------- First, point to a unit and press a mouse button. Now point here and press a mouse button to change the formation. Wedge - the best attack formation. Phalanx - a good all round formation. Line - useful for plugging gaps to hold the enemy. Square - the best defensive formation. Ordering troops. ---------------- Once initiated, the battle takes place in real time. Casualties are calculated to reflect combat skills, armor and weapon types and races of the troops. The direction the troops face and their relative heights are also taken into account. Troops are ordered to move in much the same way as they are on the main landscape display. Point to the unit leader and press a mouse button - the arrow will change into a movement pointer. Point this at the target, be it on land or a unit and press a mouse button. The unit will then move. Note that friendly units pass through each other but move slower. Disk operations. ---------------- This screen gives you the saving/loading situations and is pretty self explanatory.