Game PC Rise of Nations User Manual
1
Rise of Nations™ is a real-time strategy game that spans all history. Start with
a single city in the Ancient Age; gather resources; build an infrastructure;
research technologies; construct Wonders of the World such as the Pyramids
and the Eiffel Tower; and expand your military might across the world,
conquering hostile nations with bombers, battleships, and tanks—all over
your lunch hour!
In Rise of Nations there are:
18 Nations—each with special abilities and unique military units.
Over a hundred military units operating on the ground, sea, and air—
Over two dozen buildings with upgrades and technologies that will take
14 Wonders of the World—the Terra Cotta Army, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel
More than a dozen map types, ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to
Conquer the World campaign—a linked series of dozens of scenarios.
Safety Warning
About Photosensitive Seizures
A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain
visual images, including ashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even
people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition
that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.
These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered
vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confu-
sion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness
or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.
Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.
Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and
teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.
The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following
precautions:
• Play in a well-lit room.
• Do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued.
If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor
before playing.
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change
without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, people and
events depicted herein are ctitious and no association with any real company, organization, product,
person or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the
responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
© 2003 Big Huge Games, Inc. Portions © & 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Big Huge
Games and the Big Huge Games logo are the exclusive trademarks of Big Huge Games, Inc. Microsoft,
Windows, DirectDraw, DirectPlay, DirectSound, DirectX, the Microsoft Games Studios logo, MSN, and Rise of
Nations are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries.
Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property
rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license
agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents,
trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.
This product contains software technology licensed from GameSpy Industries, Inc. © 1999–2003 GameSpy
Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
1
Rise of Nations™ is a real-time strategy game that spans all history. Start with
a single city in the Ancient Age; gather resources; build an infrastructure;
research technologies; construct Wonders of the World such as the Pyramids
and the Eiffel Tower; and expand your military might across the world,
conquering hostile nations with bombers, battleships, and tanks—all over
your lunch hour!
In Rise of Nations there are:
18 Nations—each with special abilities and unique military units.
Over a hundred military units operating on the ground, sea, and air—
from Hoplites to Frigates to Helicopters.
Over two dozen buildings with upgrades and technologies that will take
your nation from a small City to an Information Age society.
14 Wonders of the World—the Terra Cotta Army, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel
Tower. Each gives your nation special bonuses.
More than a dozen map types, ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to
the Himalayas to the Nile Delta.
Conquer the World campaign—a linked series of dozens of scenarios.
2
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GAME INSTALLATION...................................................................................... 3
GETTING HELP............................................................................................... 3
GAME INTERFACE........................................................................................... 4
Command Palette....................................................................................................6
UNITS........................................................................................................... 9
Creating Units .........................................................................................................9
Selecting Units.........................................................................................................9
Moving Units......................................................................................................... 10
Unit Waypoints...................................................................................................... 10
Attacking .............................................................................................................. 10
Health Bar............................................................................................................. 10
RESOURCES.................................................................................................. 11
Common Resources ...............................................................................................11
Rare Resources ......................................................................................................14
Ruins ....................................................................................................................14
BUILDINGS...................................................................................................15
City ......................................................................................................................15
Library ................................................................................................................. 16
Market...................................................................................................................17
Temple................................................................................................................. 18
Resource Enhancement Buildings...........................................................................18
Military Buildings..................................................................................................20
Forti cations .........................................................................................................24
Wonders of the World............................................................................................ 25
GAME CONCEPTS ......................................................................................... 26
Visibility ............................................................................................................... 26
National Border.....................................................................................................26
City Capture.......................................................................................................... 27
Attrition Damage ...................................................................................................27
MULTIPLAYER GAMES...................................................................................28
Multiplayer Connections ........................................................................................28
Multiplayer Game Setup.........................................................................................29
CONQUER THE WORLD ................................................................................. 30
How to Play Conquer the World..............................................................................30
CONQUER THE WORLD STRATEGIC MAP..........................................................32
Tribute ................................................................................................................. 34
Supply Centers...................................................................................................... 34
Support Armies..................................................................................................... 34
The Overrun Attack................................................................................................ 34
RISE OF NATIONS STRATEGIC OVERVIEW ........................................................35
CREDITS ..................................................................................................... 36
TECHNICAL SUPPORT ....................................................................................37
GAME INSTALLATION
Insert your Microsoft® Rise of Nations CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
On the Setup screen, click Express Install for a default installation without
further prompting. Or if you want to install the game to a location other than
the default, click Install and follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: Throughout this manual, “click” refers to using the left button on your
mouse. If you need to use the right mouse button, it will be speci cally called
out as “right-click.”
GETTING HELP
Rollover Help
Rise of Nations has extensive in-game rollover Help. Move the pointer over
any object and Help text appears in the lower-left portion of the screen. Help
text can be cycled between low, medium, and high levels of detail.
Tutorial
To begin the tutorials, click Learn to Play on the Main Menu. Beginning
players should start with “Boadicea.” Experienced real-time strategy players
may start with the “Quick Learn” tutorial.
Key Commands
Refer to the Quick Reference Card for a list of the basic key commands. To
see a full list of Key Commands and customize your key commands, select
Hotkeys in the Options & Pro les menu.
Help on the Web
To learn more about Rise of Nations, visit www.riseofnationsinsider.com.
3
GAME INSTALLATION
Insert your Microsoft® Rise of Nations CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
On the Setup screen, click Express Install for a default installation without
further prompting. Or if you want to install the game to a location other than
the default, click Install and follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: Throughout this manual, “click” refers to using the left button on your
mouse. If you need to use the right mouse button, it will be speci cally called
out as “right-click.”
GETTING HELP
Rollover Help
Rise of Nations has extensive in-game rollover Help. Move the pointer over
any object and Help text appears in the lower-left portion of the screen. Help
text can be cycled between low, medium, and high levels of detail.
Tutorial
To begin the tutorials, click Learn to Play on the Main Menu. Beginning
players should start with “Boadicea.” Experienced real-time strategy players
may start with the “Quick Learn” tutorial.
Key Commands
Refer to the Quick Reference Card for a list of the basic key commands. To
see a full list of Key Commands and customize your key commands, select
Hotkeys in the Options & Pro les menu.
Help on the Web
To learn more about Rise of Nations, visit www.riseofnationsinsider.com.
4
5
GAME INTERFACE
Minimap — Diagram of the main game map, showing the
locations of all known buildings, units, and rare resources.
Advanced Options — Click to toggle advanced controls
in Command Palette on/off.
Next Military — Click to nd the next military unit.
Command Palette —Depending
on the unit or building selected,
commands may be issued and
technologies/upgrades researched
here. See page 6.
Resource Display —
The amount and gather
rate of your resources.
Pause — Click to pause game.
Game Clock — Displays the
elapsed game time.
Help Text
Resource Infrastructure
Controlled Rare Resources
Game Events/Chat
Nation/Age
Commerce Limit —
The maximum resource
gather rate.
5
Unit/Building Display — Shows attributes of a
selected unit or building.
Objectives — Game Objectives/ Victory Conditions.
Population Limit — Current and maximum
number of unit
s.
City Limit Indicator — Current and
maximum number of Cities.
Help Text Detail — Click to cycle low,
medium, and high Help text le
vels.
Game Menu — Change game
options, save and load games,
or quit.
Data Display
Signal O
ther Player —
Sends a ashing signal to
other play
ers.
Diplomacy — Click
to access the pop-up
Diplomacy Panel.
Chat — Click or press
ENTER to chat with other
play
ers.
Data Display Button —
Click to cycle through game
dat
a that appears in the
lower-right game screen.
Idle Citizen — If button is lit, click to nd idle Citizen.
Current Research/
Building Progress
6
7
Command Palette
Orders are issued from this palette to your Citizens, military, and other units.
If a building is selected, upgrades or new technologies may also be
researched here.
Citizen Command Palette
Citizens gather resources as well as create and repair buildings. Click a Citizen
to access the Citizen Command Palette in the lower-left corner.
Move
Moves Citizen to location indicated by clicking the main game
map or minimap
. If another unit is clicked, that unit will follow
the rst unit ordered to Move.
Attack
Citizen will attack next enemy unit/building clicked.
Note: Cit
izens have limited attack capabilities.
Alarm
Click to garrison selected Citizens in the nearest City or
Forti cation.
7
Buildings
Click to access the menu that lets your Citizen build resource-
g
athering and other commerce structures such as Farms
and Mines. Note: The more Citizens you have constructing
a building, the faster it is built.
Military Buildings
Click to access the menu that allows your Citizen to build
milit
ary structures such as Barracks and Forts.
Wonders
Click to access the menu that allows your Citizen to build
Wonders of the World such as the Pyramids.
Repair
Select a Citizen, click this button, and then click a damaged
building that requires rep
air.
Auto Explore
Click to have a unit randomly search unexplored regions.
Auto Transport
Selected units automatically cross water by building transport
ships. Click to cycle on or off. This ability requires sufcient
Science technology and the construction of a Dock.
Halt
Selected Citizens stop their current task.
Garrison
Select a Citizen(s), click this button, and then click a City, Tower,
or Fort to mov
e them inside for greater defense. Garrisoned
units increase the attack strength of these structures.
8
9
Military Unit Command Palette
Military units defend your nation and may attack enemy nations’ units and
buildings. Click a military unit to access the Military Unit Command Palette in
the lower-left corner of the game screen.
Move
Moves unit to location indicated by clicking main game map or
the minimap. If another unit is clicked, that unit will follow the
rst unit ordered to Move.
Attack
Unit will attack next enemy unit/building clicked. If a location
is clicked on the map instead, the unit will perform an Attack
Move, engaging any enemies encountered along the way.
Note: Military units are effective against speci c types of
opposing military units (see back cover for details).
Garrison
Select a military unit(s), click this button, and then click a City,
Tower, or Fort to move them inside for greater defense and
healing/repair rates. Garrisoned units increase the attack
strength of these structures. Units may also garrison inside the
buildings that created them to heal, but they cannot attack until
they emerge and reengage an enemy.
UNITS
There are three basic unit types in Rise of Nations: Citizen, military, and
special. Citizens (see also Scholars and Caravans, page 13) gather resources,
construct and repair buildings, and in a limited fashion defend your nation
and attack enemies. Military units attack enemy units and buildings and
defend your nation. Depending on the type of military unit, they may operate
on land, sea, or air. Special units are those with additional powers; they are
Generals, Spies, Scouts, and Supply Wagons.
To view a unit’s properties, click it. The unit’s strength, armor and, if
applicable, range, appear in the Unit/Building Display.
Creating Units
Units are created by selecting a unit-producing building and then clicking a
unit button that appears in the Command Palette. Several units may be
queued for production by clicking their button multiple times.
Selecting Units
To select a single unit, click it.
To select a group of units, click and drag the pointer over multiple units or
hold SHIFT and click individual units. If you select a group containing military
and non-military units, only the military units will be selected.
To select all of one type of unit on the map, double-click that unit.
Groups
To create a group of units, select the units you want to include in the group,
and then press CTRL+0–9 or CTRL+F1–F8. The units in the group can then be
selected by pressing their associated number or F key.
9
UNITS
There are three basic unit types in Rise of Nations: Citizen, military, and
special. Citizens (see also Scholars and Caravans, page 13) gather resources,
construct and repair buildings, and in a limited fashion defend your nation
and attack enemies. Military units attack enemy units and buildings and
defend your nation. Depending on the type of military unit, they may operate
on land, sea, or air. Special units are those with additional powers; they are
Generals, Spies, Scouts, and Supply Wagons.
To view a unit’s properties, click it. The unit’s strength, armor and, if
applicable, range, appear in the Unit/Building Display.
Creating Units
Units are created by selecting a unit-producing building and then clicking a
unit button that appears in the Command Palette. Several units may be
queued for production by clicking their button multiple times.
Selecting Units
To select a single unit, click it.
To select a group of units, click and drag the pointer over multiple units or
hold SHIFT and click individual units. If you select a group containing military
and non-military units, only the military units will be selected.
To select all of one type of unit on the map, double-click that unit.
Groups
To create a group of units, select the units you want to include in the group,
and then press CTRL+0–9 or CTRL+F1–F8. The units in the group can then be
selected by pressing their associated number or F key.
10
11
Moving Units
To move a unit or group of units, select the unit or group of units, and then
right-click the location on the map where you want them to move. You may
also right-click a location on the minimap to move selected units.
Unit Waypoints
You may move selected units along a de ned pathway through waypoints.
Set this path by selecting a unit or group of units and then holding SHIFT as
you right-click destinations on the map.
Attacking
To attack an enemy building or unit, select a unit or group of units, and then
right-click the opponent’s units or building you want attacked.
An Attack Move may also be issued when units move to a location, attacking
any enemies encountered along the way. To order an Attack Move, select a
unit or group of units, click the Attack button in the Command Palette, and
then click a location on the map or minimap.
All units have strengths against some units and weaknesses against others.
For more information, see the back cover.
Health Bar
The health of a selected unit or building is
indicated by a bar directly above the unit or
building. As a unit or building sustains damage,
the bar will shrink and change color from green
to yellow to red.
RESOURCES
Resources let you construct buildings and units as well as research upgrades
and technologies. Every City in your nation brings in a small xed income of
Food and Timber, but there are many other ways to increase resource
accumulation.
Common Resources
Common resources are gathered by Citizens in resource-gathering
structures, such as Farms and Mines. Each resource-gathering structure
can hold a certain number of workers. If the resource building still has room,
select a Citizen, and then right-click the building. The Citizen will move to that
building and gather its resource. To determine if a resource-gathering
building can support more workers, move the pointer over the building and
the number of remaining openings will be displayed.
Food
The Citizen will move to that location, build the Farm, and tend it. When
constructed, a Farm produces a one-time bonus of Food. Food may also
be gathered by Fishermen, who are created at a Dock (see page 21). Farm
productivity within a City is boosted by building a Granary in that City
(see page 18).
Loading...