Games PC SID MEIER S-COLONIZATION User Manual

Sid Meier’s

Create A New Nation

™

TECHNICAL SUPPLEMENT

HARDWARE & SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

To play Colonization, your computer must have:

• a 386SX processor or better (For best play, we recommend at least
a full 386 with a system speed of 33MHz or more),

• at least 575,000 bytes (approx. 565 Kb) of free conventional
memory,

• VGA graphics or better, and

• DOS version 5.0 or higher.

For ease of play and convenience, we strongly recommend that your

computer system include a mouse.

1

SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY ISSUES

Please note that this list includes only the known conflicts and
incompatibilities. Since no test procedure can ever be totally
comprehensive, you may run into undiscovered problems. Please
consult with Customer Service if you do.

This game has not been tested under Microsoft Windows; therefore we
suggest you do not use it with Windows. Chances are very good that the
two will not work together.

We strongly recommend that you not have any Terminate-and-Stay­Resident programs (TSRs) other than disk caching programs (SMARTDRV,
for example) loaded into memory when playing Colonization. Not only
will they decrease the amount of free memory available (thus slowing the
game), but there may be unpredictable interactions.

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

All the features of Colonization are available through keyboard control
except Trade Routes. If you do not have a mouse attached to your
system, or if you prefer using the keyboard, the control system
described here is for you.

THE MAP

All the commands available on the map are included in the pull-down
menus at the top of the screen. To open one of these menus, hold down
[Alt] and press the letter that is highlighted in the menu name. (For
example, to open the game menu, you would press [Alt]-[G].)

Once the menu is open, there are two ways to select one of the
listed features. You can use the arrow keys to scroll the highlight bar to
the feature you want, then press [Enter] to select it. If there is a shortcut
key (a “hot key”) listed alongside the feature, you can simply press that
key instead.

2

Advisers Shortcuts

Rather than going through the menu, you can consult your advisers at
any time (even when not on the map) using the following shortcuts:

Religious Adviser . . . . . . . . .[F2]

Continental Congress

Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[F3]

Labor Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . .[F4]

Economic Adviser . . . . . . . . .[F5]

Colony Adviser . . . . . . . . . . .[F6]

Naval Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . .[F7]

Foreign Affairs Adviser . . . . .[F8]

Indian Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . .[F9]

Current Colonization Score . .[F10]

Map Commands

The command keystrokes for the map view are listed below. Most of
these keys give commands to the active unit (the flashing one) or
whichever unit the highlight box currently surrounds.

Move active unit . . . .Arrow Keys

Activate unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A

Wait for next unit . . . . . . . . . . .W

Active unit, do nothing

this turn . . . . . . . . . . .[Spacebar]

Fortify active unit . . . . . . . . . . .F

Put active unit on Sentry . . . . . .S

Build colony with active unit . . .B

Active unit, join colony . . . . . . .B

Clear forest with

active Pioneer unit . . . . . . . . . .P

Plow field with

active Pioneer unit . . . . . . . . . .P

Build Road with

active Pioneer unit . . . . . . . . . .R

Active unit, Go

to a named place . . . . . . . . . . .G

Active ship, dump

cargo Overboard . . . . . . . . . . .O

Active ship/wagon, Load

most valuable cargo . . . . . . . . .L

Active ship/wagon, Unload

most valuable cargo . . . . . . . . .U

Disband (delete)

active unit . . . . . . . . . . . .[Shift]-D

Put display in View mode . . . . .V

Put display in Move mode . . . .M

Got to the Europe screen . . . . .E

Zoom in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Z

Zoom out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .X

Show Hidden terrain . . . . . . . . .H

Center view on cursor

or active unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C

Get terrain information . . . . . .[F1]

Exit game . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[ESC]

THE COLONY DISPLAY

Rather than menus, the colony display has colonists and units. If any

are present in the colony, one is highlighted. To select the highlighted
unit, tap [Tab]. The [Tab] key moves the highlight between the different
views, while the arrow keys move the highlight within the active view.

3

Key Commands

The following key commands are available on the colony display:

Move highlight from view to view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Tab]

Move highlight within a view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arrow keys

Open Jobs menu for a colonist/unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Enter]

Load most valuable cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L

Load all of selected cargo onto selected ship/wagon . . . . . . . [=]

Load some of selected cargo onto selected ship/wagon . . . . . [+]

Unload cargo from ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .U

Unload all of selected cargo from ship/wagon . . . . . . . . . . . . . [-]

Unload some of selected cargo from ship/wagon . . . . . . . . . . [_]

Toggle between views in Multi-function display . . . . . . . . . . . . M

Show Production view in Multi-function display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Show Units view in Multi-function display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Show Construction view in Multi-function display . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Toggle production Numbers on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N

Open Construction menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C

Buy the current construction project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B

Get information about the selected item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [F1]

Exit and return to the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ESC]

SOME EXAMPLES

To change the orders of a unit: [Tab] to select the unit, press [Enter] to

call up the orders menu, then highlight the item you want on the
menu and press [Enter] again.

Load cargo onto ship or wagon: [Tab] to select the ship you want to

load (move the cursor to a different ship, if you have to, using the
arrow keys), [Tab] to select the warehouse strip at the bottom of the
screen; move the cursor to the cargo you wish to load, then press [=]
to load all of that cargo (up to 100) or [+] ([Shift]-[=]) to load some of it.

Load all of the most valuable cargo: Tap the load key ([L]) to load the

most valuable cargo currently available.

Move a colonist to a different square in the area view: Use [Tab] and

the arrow keys to select the colonist you want to move (the highlight
box flashes when the colonist is selected), then move the white
cursor to the square to which you wish to move that colonist. Press
[Enter] to command the colonist to move.

4

EUROPE DISPLAY

The Europe display functions much like the colony display. [Tab]
moves the highlight from area to area, and the arrow keys move it within
each area. [Enter] selects the highlighted item or opens a menu related to
the highlighted item. The menus themselves function exactly like those
on the map.

The key commands available at the Europe display are:

Move highlight from view to view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Tab]

Move highlight within a view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arrow keys

Open dock options menu for a Colonist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Enter]

Open harbor options menu for a Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Enter]

Buy full load of selected cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L

Buy full load of selected cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [=]

Buy some of selected cargo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [+]

Sell cargo from ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U

Sell all of selected cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [-]

Sell some of selected cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_]

Open recruit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R or 1

Open purchase menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P or 2

Open train menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T or 3

Get information about the selected item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Exit and return to the map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESC or E

ALSO:

Special thanks to Murray Taylor for “debabelizing” and to Errol Roberts
for the “dog’s teeth”.

5

Sid Meier’s

Create A New Nation

™

Instruction
Manual

®

STRATEGY

INTRODUCTION

1

BACKGROUND

Colonization puts you in the role of Viceroy of the New World. You

are sent by your King and country to establish colonies in the newly­discovered Americas that lie to the west. You face many of the same
challenges that faced colonial organizers of the time—competition
from other Old World powers, strange native cultures, the problems
of establishing profitable trade programs, and the problems of
organizing an army from a rag-tag band of colonists.

The game begins with the European discovery of the Americas
(1500) and continues until approximately the time of the American
Revolution (1800). In the beginning of the game you are given a
trading/exploration ship and a small group of colonists. You have no
knowledge of what lies ahead of your ship, so you must explore until
you find a suitable spot to lay down your first colony. As your
colonies grow larger and larger, you inevitably encounter native
populations and are confronted with competing imperial powers
from the Old World.

To be successful in Colonization, you must balance your need for
military might with your need for essentials. You must decide early
what your strategy is and pursue it relentlessly, but be flexible
enough to adjust to a changing situation. It is very important to have
a consistent policy with the natives, because your handling of
those relationships are critical. Finally, you must build a colonial
society that has the infrastructure to survive a test by fire—
the War of Independence.

In Colonization, you have the chance to change history. As a
colonial power, you decide the policies, you make the plans, you
choose what is important and what is insignificant. Finally, you will
be called upon to decide when to declare independence from your
mother country.

The French, British, Spanish, and Dutch competed in the New
World for dominance. But only the British and Spanish remained
when the dust settled.

What happened to the Dutch; what did they do wrong?

And the French… there are still French-speaking peoples in
Canada and Louisiana, but they do not predominate.

Why?

2

COLONIES AND COLONISTS

The major problem the real colonists had upon arrival in the
New World was survival. They could bring very limited food
supplies and tools across the Atlantic on their initial voyage, so
colonists had to quickly establish a steady source of nutrition to
enable them to live. Many colonial enterprises, such as those at
Roanoke Island and countless others in the Caribbean, vanished
soon after they arrived, and starvation was probably the cause.
Others, like the English settlements in Virginia, were just barely
able to scrape by for the first several years—and without the aid of
native tribes they very likely would have perished.

The colonists of New England in Massachusetts were lucky
enough to settle in an area with exceptionally friendly, helpful
natives. They established and maintained with the Indians a
peace that lasted for many generations, to the great benefit of the
colonies. Without this forbearance and compassion from the
natives, this colony, too, would have vanished.

Resources: One thing the New World had in abundance was
resources. Colonists had to learn the best ways to cultivate these
new foods and staples like corn, tobacco, cotton, and so on, to
establish a viable economy. Of course in Mesoamerica, the
Spanish were after different resources—gold and silver. The
Spanish sought to exploit the existing cultures to enrich their royal
coffers. Frenchman found a different sort of wealth in the pelts of
beaver and otter along the waterways of North America, and in
the fisheries off the Great Northern Banks. The Dutch were
interested in a vast global trading empire that would dominate the
world market, and beaver was at the center of their North
American enterprise. Whatever their approach to the exploitation
of the New World, the natural resources of the largely
undeveloped Americas were the catalyst that kept the Europeans
coming to the New World in hopes of riches.

Colonies: Your colonies act as processing centers for the
resources found in the countryside. The people in a colony work
the area surrounding their settlement to grow food, to harvest
cash crops (cotton, tobacco, sugar cane), to mine ore and silver,
and to trap the elusive beaver. Inside each colony is a small
cottage industry capable of turning out a meager supply of
processed goods like cloth, rum, or cigars.

Some colonists can act as lumberjacks to provide timber
needed for internal building. As the population of a colony
increases, it can erect more and more buildings. A carpenter's
shop allows colonists to add improvements such as a stockade
for protection from angry natives, docks which allow the
development of a fishing enterprise, or larger processing facilities
to improve the output of the colonial industries.

3

Skills: Possibly the most important resource you have at your

disposal is the skills of your people. Many of your colonists arrive
in the New World as unskilled, indentured servants or petty
criminals. Others arrive as free colonists ready to work. Still others
bring skills learned and practiced for many generations in Europe.
These skilled workers can be very valuable because their output
is far superior to that of ordinary, unskilled workers.

Education: Your colonies can construct schools so that the

skilled can teach the unskilled what they know. Education is a vital
aspect of creating a viable society. Petty criminals can learn to be
servants, and servants can earn their freedom through education.
Free colonists can become masters of their new trade—capable of
teaching others.

Indian Lore: Expertise in some areas, such as tobacco planting,

fur trapping, and wood lore, can be learned from natives, so
maintaining friendly relations with the Indians is important. As your
presence in the New World increases, they become uneasy,
restless, angry and somewhat unpredictable, unless you trade
with them and succumb to their demands. You must maintain
friendly relations in order to learn what they have to teach.

Trade: Once your colonists have a thriving cottage industry, are

producing enough food to sustain colonial life, and have learned
to grow cash crops, you can begin to build an economy. To do
this, you must trade with your home country. The market sets the
prices of goods and commodities, and if you flood the market
you’ll see prices fall. You must be careful, therefore, to create a
balanced economy. As your colonial treasury grows and your
people learn more and more skills, you can convert your cottage
industry into a much larger production machine.

Taxation: Your king sees your colonies as a mere extension of

his personal domain and as a source of revenues to support his
international activities. From time to time, he increases your tax
rate, enabling him to take more profit from your trade. He may
also increase taxes whenever his government intervenes upon
your behalf.

Ships: In order to maintain your trade, and protect your

commerce from privateers and other unfriendly sea forces, you’ll
need to establish a naval presence in coastal waters. You can
purchase cargo ships and warships from the Crown (your king’s
government) or you can build them yourself. The latter strategy
requires a coastal colony with a shipyard and plenty of lumber.
There are three types of cargo ships (caravels, merchantmen, and
galleons) and two warships (privateers and frigates). Sooner or
later your European rivals will ply the coastal waters with their
own frigates and privateers, and blockade your main harbors—
you must be ready for this. A third type of warship, the man-o-war,
does not appear in American waters until the War of
Independence begins.

4

Ore: In the long term, one of the most important resources
found in the New World is an abundance of metal ores. Your
blacksmiths can process this ore to create tools and other metal
products. Gunsmiths can then use the tools to fashion muskets.
As European competition heats up, you’ll find it more and more
necessary to stockpile muskets.

Founding Fathers: From the time your people build their first
colony, great issues are debated in the Town Halls. There are five
categories of discussion: trade, politics, military, religion, and
exploration. As the discussions continue, great ideas are formed—
ideas that fundamentally affect the course of history. As your
colonies grow, these ideas—embodied in the men who articulate
them—increase the potential inherent in your colonies as an
independent nation.

Independence: Ultimately, if your colonies grow and become
self-sufficient, your people will desire independence. When you
feel ready to take on the Royal Expeditionary Force, which you
can see growing throughout the game, you can declare
independence. If you successfully defend your colonial empire,
you win the game.

TO PLAYERS OF CIVILIZATION

One of the main goals in the design of Colonization was to
provide a rewarding experience to those who loved Civilization.
This meant maintaining a lot of the same features that were used
so successfully in Civilization. For this reason, if you played
Civilization, you’ll find a lot that is familiar—particularly in the user
interface. Many of the same game mechanics have found a life
here, as well.

If you’ve played Civilization a lot, probably the best way to learn
this game is to jump right in and start to experiment; if you are
unfamiliar with Civilization, read on, and have fun.

Even if you are familiar with Civilization, we strongly encourage
you to play one game at the Discoverer level and take advantage
of the tutorial.

5

BEFORE YOU START

This manual contains details and tips on playing Colonization. It

also provides background material about the topic and suggestions
for further reading on the Age of Discovery. The manual applies to all
computer systems, except where indicated.

Components: The game includes three 3.5" disks, this manual,

a player-aid card, and a short technical supplement that provides
technical information not included in the manual. If your copy of
Colonization does not include all these components, contact our
customer service department for help: [phone].

Installation: To install Colonization onto your hard drive: Insert

Disk A into your floppy drive, and type INSTALL. Follow the
instructions that appear on the screen thereafter.

Learning the Game: There are essentially two ways to approach

learning this game: you can study the manual first (Chapters I
through VII), or you can just begin playing, referring to the manual
when you have questions. The table of contents and the index will
help you pinpoint information about a particular aspect of the game.
Whichever method you prefer, we recommend you read the

introduction of this manual first to get an idea of your goals.

INTERFACE

This section is for players using an IBM-compatible machine. If

you’re playing a different version of the game, refer to the
technical supplement for details about the interface.

Colonization is designed to be fully operational using a variety

of controllers. It can be operated using the mouse only, the
keyboard only, or with a combination of both. The easiest way to
control the game is by using both mouse and keyboard. This
manual is written along these lines.

A description of how to operate the game with keyboard only

appears in the technical supplement.

6

Using the Mouse: We assume here that the user understands
basic mouse functionality, like clicking and dragging. Since your
mouse has two buttons, the interface distinguishes between them.
The following definitions refer to their usage in this manual.

• A “click” refers to placing the pointer over an area of the

screen and clicking with the left mouse button.

• A “click-and-hold” refers to holding the left mouse button down

until the cursor changes to a direction arrow.

• A “right-click” is a click with the right mouse button.

• A “drag” means holding the left button down while moving the
mouse.

• A “Shift-drag” is dragging while holding down the Shift key.

• “Opening a menu” requires a “click” on the name of the menu
in the menu bar.

• “Selecting” means clicking on something.

• “Pressing a button” with the mouse means “clicking” on the
screen button.

Right Mouse Button: In general, the right mouse button provides

the user with information about whatever he has right-clicked on.
Not everything responds to a right-click, but it’s almost always
worth a try.

Menu Bar: Along the top of the main display (see Map Display),

is the menu bar. The game can be played exclusively using menu
bar commands accessed by mouse.

Short Cut Keys: Most menu items have a short-cut key

associated with them: this key is indicated on the menu by a
highlighted letter that corresponds to the key that can be used
instead of the mouse and menus.

PRE-GAME OPTIONS

When you start Colonization, you are required to make a

number of choices about the game you wish to play. To start the
game, follow the instructions in the technical supplement. After
the title and credits animation, you are asked some questions.

Game/World Options

In Colonization you have a variety of choices concerning the

world in which you wish to play.

Start Game in NEW WORLD: If you choose this option, the

computer creates an “undiscovered America” (randomly
generated), so you can get the sense of what it might have been
like to actually discover and explore a “New World.”

Start Game in AMERICA: This option causes the computer to

create a world in which the Americas are accurately mapped
according to real-world geography.

7

Customize New World: Choose this option if you want to have

some control over the world that is created. You can adjust the
average size of land masses, the amount of moisture in the world,
whether you want the climate to be temperate, cold, or tropical,
and so on. All of these choices have a dramatic effect upon the
final geography of the New World.

Load Game: Use this option to continue a game that you have

previously saved. There are 10 slots for saving games during play
(see Save/Load Game). The next-to-last and last slots of the saved
game menu contain autosaved games from the most recently
played game, if the autosave feature was on (see Game Options).
Other slots contain games that you have previously saved.

View Hall of Fame: This option shows the Hall of Fame screen

– all the top scoring games you’ve played.

Difficulty Levels

The next set of options allows you to select the difficulty level
at which you wish to play. A number of factors are adjusted at
each level to make the game more or less difficult to win.

Discoverer: This is the easiest level and is recommended for
novice players.

Explorer: Your opponents are now a little stronger and smarter,
and the natives, a little less friendly. This level is recommended for
the occasional player who wants an interesting game, but doesn’t
want too difficult a challenge.

Conquistador: This level is recommended for those who are
experienced with Colonization and who like a challenging game
experience. The enemy powers are substantially more aggressive
and cunning, but still probably somewhat below your level.

Governor: At this level, your opponents are evenly matched
with you. Skilled players will generally like this level the best; it is
a strong challenge, and victory is never guaranteed.

Viceroy: This is the most difficult level at which to play. You can
win if you are very skilled, have lots of experience, and make few
mistakes. This level can be won, but not consistently.

Choose Your Nationality

Here you select the nationality you wish to represent in the
game. Each nationality has a special power or condition that
differentiates it from the other three. These powers and conditions
can fundamentally affect the strategy you use to play the game.

English Power: During the Age of Discovery, England was
steeped in religious strife and dissension. The colonies became a
safe haven for religious groups looking for freedom from
persecution.

• Accordingly, the English produce a greater number of
immigrants than the other nations.

8

French Power: The primary strength of the French colonial

endeavor lay in their ability to cooperate with the native
population. Alliances and trade agreements were made and
maintained between French colonists and native tribes for many
years. While these relationships were not without violent incident,
they were largely successful.

• The French have the ability to live among the natives more
peacefully than other nations.

Spanish Power: Spain had recently completed a centuries-long

war of re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and had an abundance
of military-minded young men spoiling for further conquest. The
Native American population offered a good target for just such
adventures. The Spanish ruthlessly destroyed countless
Amerindian civilizations in their relentless search for gold, silver,
and other plunder.

• Accordingly, the Spaniards receive a 50% attack bonus when
attacking Indian villages and towns.

Dutch Power: During the Age of Expansion, the Dutch gained

their independence from Spain, and quickly began to extend their
economic influence globally. They established the Dutch East
India Company, which dominated trade in the East Indies. They
subsequently attempted to do the same in the west by
establishing the Dutch West India Company. These large-scale
trading concerns were made possible by the rulers of the
Netherlands, who were primarily of the merchant class.

• Accordingly, the Dutch economy is more stable than the other
European powers. This is reflected by the consistency of
prices in Amsterdam. Also, the Dutch start the game with a
trading vessel.

Your Name

Type in the name by which you wish to be known. Enter it by
pressing the Enter key. The game suggests a name if you can’t
think of one.

9

THE GAME TURN

Colonization is played in a series of game turns, each following a

strict sequence of actions. Each of your opponents (including the
natives) has a segment of the turn (called player turn) in which to
move units and manage affairs. During your segment, you direct the
movement of colonists, ships, and wagons, make decisions about
the jobs each of your people is doing, attack enemy units, make
naval attacks, and so on.

Date

At the beginning of each game turn the date advances.

Player Turns

Each game turn is divided into a series of player turns. The
natives go first in every game turn, then each nationality goes in
order (England, France, Spain, Netherlands).

European Issues: During each player turn, events in Europe are
assessed first (like changes in market prices and the tax rate, the
arrival of new immigrants to the docks, and various other items).

Colonial Issues: Next, events and issues in each of the nation’s
colonies are assessed and reported if necessary (food shortages
and spoilage, lack of this or that resource to complete this or that
project, and completion of construction projects).

Movement and Combat: Finally, each unit may now move and
attack according to the rules of movement and combat (see
Moving Units and Combat in the New World). Each unit is activated
one after the next, until all have had the opportunity to move (see
Giving Orders for details).

During the movement phase, you may perform all other
management tasks for your colonies, like examining the map and
your colonies (see The Map Display), checking European status
(see The Europe Display), consulting any of your advisors for
reports (see Other Menus), and so on. When all active units have
been moved or have had the chance to move, your player turn
ends and the next player's begins.

End of Game Turn

At the end of each game turn, you see an “End of Turn”
message flashing (if the “End of Turn” option is turned on under
Game Options). Otherwise, “End of Turn” is only displayed at the
end of a turn in which you haven’t yet had a chance to move a
unit. Pressing the Space Bar, Enter key, or clicking on the
information sidebar (see Information Sidebar) causes the next
game turn to begin. Before invoking the next turn—while the “End
of Turn” message is still flashing—you may continue to perform
management functions as described above.

10

ENDING THE GAME AND WINNING

A game of Colonization may be ended in several different ways.

You may quit or retire at any time, attempt a revolution (which you
can either win or lose), or play until the game ends automatically.

ENDING PLAY

Quitting: You may quit during your turn by choosing “Exit” from

the game menu on the map display (see Game Menu). When you
quit you are given a chance to change your mind before the
decision is irrevocable. Your score will not be calculated, and you
will not be entered into the Hall of Fame if you quit.

Retiring: You may retire from play during any turn by choosing

“Retire” from the game menu. Again, you are given a chance to
change your mind. If you proceed, your score is calculated and
shown, and you may be entered into the Hall of Fame if you qualify.

The Revolution: If you declare your nation’s independence,

then back up that claim with a convincing show of military
strength that results in victory, the game ends with a celebration,
and you receive a hefty bonus to your score. If you fail to
establish your sovereignty, you do not receive a bonus.

Automatic Ending: The game ends for scoring purposes in the

year 1800 if you’re not fighting the War of Independence. At this
time, your score is calculated and the end of game sequence is
shown. You may continue to play after 1800, but no further
scoring will occur. The game ends automatically in 1850 if you’re
fighting the War of Independence in 1800 and you don’t win the
war first. It also ends if you lose your last colony (for any reason)
and it is the year 1600 or later.

WINNING

You win by successfully gaining independence from your
mother country. Any other result is considered inferior. While you
may receive a good score, you will never achieve true greatness
without declaring and winning independence.

SCORING

Your Colonization score is a sum of the following points:

Colonization scoring

Population Score: You score points for the colonists in your nation

at game’s end according to the following schedule:
+1 for each petty criminal or indentured servant (see Colonists and Skills).
+2 for each free colonist (see Colonists and Skills).
+4 for each skilled colonist (see Colonists and Skills).
Continental Congress Score: +5 for each Founding Father in your

Continental Congress (see Continental Congress).

Treasury Score: +1 for every 1000 gold in your treasury.
Rebel Sentiment Score: +1 for each point of rebel sentiment (see

Liberty Bells).

Indian Destruction Penalty: -(difficulty +1) for each native
settlement you destroyed.

11

Revolution Bonus

If your people achieve their independence before any other

European powers do, your Colonization score is doubled. If one
other power declares before you, your bonus is 50%, and if two
other colonial powers become independent ahead of you, your
bonus is 25%. In addition, you get one point per liberty bell
produced after foreign intervention (see Liberty Bells During
the Revolution).

Additionally, if you’ve declared your independence before 1780,
your score is increased; the sooner you declare, the better
your Bonus.

YOUR EPITAPH

At the end of every game, the people of the world remember
you for your accomplishments—great or small. They will give your
name to some item for which you will forever be remembered.

HALL OF FAME

The Hall of Fame records the best colonial empires you have
built, listed in order of ranking. The ranking is derived from the
Colonization score modified by a difficulty factor (derived from the
Level of Difficulty you chose when starting the game).

You can examine the Hall of Fame when starting a new game
from the pre-game options menu. When you retire or reach the
end of a game, you are shown the Hall of Fame even if you don’t
qualify to carve your name there.

12

THE NEW WORLD

13

The New World in which you establish your colonies is the newly-

discovered Americas. If you chose “Start a Game in America” from
the world menu, it is the “real” Americas—geographically accurate. If
you chose “Start a Game in New World,” it is an imaginary world—
historically plausible, but imaginary. If you wish to experiment and, to
some extent, customize the New World, you can choose “Customize
New World” from the world menu.

Regardless of the setting you chose, the eastern and western

edges of the New World map connect to your home country, so a
ship can reach your home port by sailing off either the eastern or
western edge of the known ocean (although it takes longer to reach
Europe from the western edge). The northern and southern map
edges are bounded by polar ice which cannot be penetrated.

When the game starts, you have no knowledge of what lies over

the horizon; you only recognize the area immediately surrounding
your ship. The Native American tribes and other European powers
remain hidden until you encounter them directly. As you move and
explore, you discover more and more of the New World. Once
revealed, an area remains visible for the remainder of the game.

The map is divided into squares, which are illustrated according

to terrain type. Each terrain has its own economic usefulness, effect
upon movement, and effect upon combat (see the Terrain Chart).

The economic usefulness of underlying terrain is important when

considering where to build a new colony, since the area surrounding
a colony can be worked by the colonists to produce commodities
such as food, tobacco, cotton, fur, and so on. The inhabitants of the
colony need to grow food to eat and to increase their population;
other commodities can be sold or processed to produce goods for
sale (see Working the Colony). Most terrain on the map may be
“improved” by clearing the forest, plowing, and building roads to
make it more productive (see Other Orders and the orders menu).

14

THE MAP DISPLAY

The most important display in the game is the map display. This

is the screen most commonly used during play. From here you
control the movement of your people around the New World,
observe the development of other European powers, and examine
reports from your various advisors.

Menu Bar

Area shown
in Map View

New World
View

Information
Sidebar

Map View

The map display consists of several different parts: the map

view, New World view, information sidebar, and the menu bar.

MAP VIEW

The largest area of the map display is the map view. It shows

a part of the New World in detail. Here you can get as close to the
surface of the planet as possible, so you can examine the terrain,
move your colonists, and observe the activities of your neighbors.

At the beginning of the game, when the New World is largely

unexplored, the map view appears to be one large ocean—as far
as you know, there is no New World. But as you travel farther
westward, you encounter islands and continents. As you explore,
more and more areas appear until you have "recorded" an
entire map.

It is sometimes advantageous to explore the world as quickly
as possible so you can discover important resources, good
defensible areas, and exotic tribes.

15

Changing the Map View: You can quickly and easily move the

map view (scroll) to a different area of the New World in a variety

of ways. If you click anywhere on the map, the view centers on
your click. Use the Center key (C) to center on the currently-active
(flashing) unit. You can select “Find Colony” from the view menu,
and type the name of a known colony into the dialogue box. The
view centers on the chosen colony. Finally, you can click in the

New World view (see below), and the map view centers.

Movement or View Mode: The map view can be in either of

two modes at any time. Move mode is the “normal” mode—that is,
the mode in which you normally play the game. View mode
allows you to check out any square on the map to see what type
of terrain is there. The display may be put into view mode in one
of two ways.

To examine a terrain square, right-click on the square (or put the
display into view mode [V]), causing a square cursor to appear.
Use arrow keys, number pad, or mouse to move the square
cursor around on the map. As you do so, information about the
currently-selected square appears in the information sidebar to the
right (see Information Sidebar). Press the move mode key (M) or
click in the information sidebar to return to movement mode.

Zooming in and out: If you want to see a wider area of the map
for some reason, you can zoom and unzoom the view. Press the
zoom key (Z) to zoom in, and the unzoom key (X) to zoom out.

Showing Hidden Terrain: To get a clearer picture of what terrain
lies under forests, colony icons, and so on, press the hidden terrain
key (H), and the map automatically clears the land of all obscuring
terrain. Terrain returns to normal when you do anything else.

Alternatively, right-clicking on any square causes information
about that square to appear in the information sidebar (see below)
and switches to view mode automatically. To return to move
mode, either press the move mode key (M) or click in the sidebar.

Terrain Types

The following is a brief description of each terrain type.

Prairie (Cotton Land): This is relatively flat, open land, ideal for
producing cotton; you can also grow food crops here.

Grasslands (Tobacco Land): Fertile soil in temperate areas, this
is perfect for tobacco growing; you can also harvest food here.

Savannah (Sugar Land): Rich, moist soil specially suited for
growing sugar; this land is good for food production, as well.

Plains (Food Land): This area is good for growing a wide variety
of food stuffs. You can grow a little cotton here as well.

16

Tundra: This rather cold, open land can produce a minimal

amount of food, but little other agriculture; however, you often find
ore here.

Marsh: A cool, wet, briny area where the sea meets the land.

You can grow some foodstuffs, and find ore in abundance.

Swamp: Low, tropical wetlands that often harbor bog deposits

of ore. You can grow a little food and some sugar cane here.

Desert: A dry, sparse area difficult to grow food in (although it is

possible). You can sometimes mine ore here.

Arctic: Cold and icy, the arctic is almost incapable of supporting life.
Forested Terrain: Each of the above types of terrain may also

be forested. When forested, the agricultural potential of the terrain
is severely limited. However, wooded terrain can produce lumber,
and trappers can find beaver and deer pelts in the forests. Note
that forests in the colder terrain types produce the most fur
and lumber.

Mountains: There are large areas of mountainous terrain,

difficult for travel, but likely sources of ore and silver. Colonies
cannot be established in mountain terrain.

Hills: A gently rolling area that offers easy access to ore; you

can also develop some agriculture here.

Rivers: You can find rivers in any of the above terrain types as

well. In general, the presence of a river, with its nourishing water
and sedimentary soil, enhances the production of whatever can
normally be produced in a terrain type (major Rivers are even
more productive). Fur trapping is more lucrative along rivers
because of the many beaver dams found in such places.
Additionally, rivers function much like roadways in the wilderness.
Colonists and wagons moving along a river are assumed to be
using canoes or other types of boats to hasten travel.

Lakes: These are bodies of fresh water—good for fishing.
Ocean: This is the wide open water of the sea. It is somewhat

useful for fishing, especially along the coasts.

Sea Lane: This is open ocean that leads to standard sea routes

from the New World to Europe, and vice-versa. To return to
Europe, a ship only has to enter a sea lane, then move toward the
east (if exiting east) or west (if exiting west) map edge.

17

Special Resources

Aside from the intrinsic terrain in a square, some squares also
contain special resources, represented by icons superimposed
over the normal terrain. These icons indicate a particularly
abundant source of produce. They are as follows:

Silver Deposits: Usually found in the mountains, these are
particularly abundant sources of silver, like the incredible veins the
Spanish found near Potosi. Silver deposits, if mined, become
depleted after a while, depending upon the extent of the deposit.

Ore Deposits: Found in hilly areas, these are abundant sources
of iron and other metals used in making tools and weapons. Ore
deposits, if mined, also become depleted after a while.

Mineral Deposits: These are generally rich metal deposits that
yield both ore and silver. They are not as productive as other
deposits, but have the benefit of diversity. These too may deplete
after extensive mining.

Trapping Areas: These are areas in which particularly large
numbers of fur-bearing mammals—beaver, otter, raccoon, and so
on—are found. This can be especially productive terrain if a river
runs through it.

Game Areas: The presence of game indicates abundant food.
Trapping is also worthwhile in these areas.

Oasis: An oasis is a fertile area with water reserves and
nutrients, found in dry, arid terrain like deserts. These areas are
capable of producing a surprising quantity of food, and a few
other resources.

Prime Cotton Land: This is an area extremely well suited for
cultivation of cotton.

Prime Tobacco Land: This is an area particularly well suited for
cultivation of tobacco.

Prime Sugar Land: This is an area especially well suited for
cultivation of sugar cane.

Prime Timber Land: This is an area of tall pine and straight oak
that produces lumber perfectly suited for construction.

Prime Food Land: This is an area ideal for agriculture involving
food—corn, squash, beans, and wheat.

18

Fishery: Underwater banks, reefs, and nutrients make these

excellent fishing grounds.

Rumors of Lost Cities: There may be something of value if you

enter this square, or there may be nothing; it may be very
dangerous to enter, or benign; there may be a Fountain of Youth,
or an abandoned burial ground. You’re always taking a chance
entering these squares, but it may be worth it.

Indian Villages, Towns and Cities: These are centers of Indian

culture and commerce. There are three different sizes of
settlement: the group of teepees is a camp of the nomadic tribes
(Sioux, Apache, or Tupi). The long house represents a village of
the woods-dwellers (Iroquois, Cherokee, and Arawak). The
pyramids are Aztec cities and the terraced stone dwellings,
Inca cities.

NEW WORLD VIEW

In the upper right hand corner of the map display is a smaller

view. This is the New World view and is an extremely “zoomed
out” view of the entire New World. The small white box inside this
view shows the portion of the New World that is currently visible
in the map view. The currently-active unit (if any) appears in the
New World view as a flashing dot.

During the early years of exploration and discovery, the New

World view is of little use because it is almost totally dark. But as
you map larger areas, it becomes very useful in showing where
your current view is located in relation to the rest of the New
World. Also, you’ll be able to locate at a glance the positions of
your rivals and judge how close they are to you.

Map Scrolling: You can click anywhere in the New World view

to cause the map view to center on your click. This is a very
convenient, high-speed way to move the view from place to
widely-separated place on the map.

19

INFORMATION SIDEBAR

Along the right side of the map display is an area called the
information sidebar. The following information appears here.

Date and Treasury:

Information Sidebar

Date &
Treasury

Terrain Type
& Other
Features

Cargo
present

Units
present

Colonies and Cargoes: If there is a colony in the square, some
information is given about it as well—its name, and the contents
of its storage area. The order in which the cargo is listed depends
upon the current market value of that cargo and the amount
currently stored at the colony. In essence, the most valuable cargo
is always listed first, the next most valuable second, and so on.

Immediately beneath the New
World view is the current
game date and the amount of
gold you currently control in
your colonial treasury.

Active Unit: When the display
is in movement mode (M),
information about the
currently active unit appears
at the top—a picture of the
unit, its name, how many
moves it has remaining and
its current location (given in
x,y coordinates).

Terrain Type and Other
Features: A brief description

of the type of terrain appears
as well—the underlying
ground, whether it’s forested,
whether or not there are
improvements such as roads
and plowed fields, special
resources, and so on.

20

MENU BAR

Across the top of the display is the menu bar. From here, you

can access all the various options, displays, reports, and so on in
the game. All game functions such as passing orders to units and
buying and selling cargo may be accomplished using the menu bar.

GAME MENU

The game menu includes the following:

Game Options

From here you can adjust various game features. A standard

toggle switch turns features on and off.

Show Indian Moves: When this switch is on, you can watch the

motion of bands of natives as they move near your people.

Show Foreign Moves: When this switch is on, you can watch

the movement of other Europeans in the New World—but only
when they are near one of your people.

Fast Piece Slide: This option makes your game pieces move

faster on the map.

End of Turn: The end of turn option causes a message

announcing the end of each turn to appear.

Autosave: The autosave option causes versions of the current

game to be saved at the end of each turn and at the end of each
decade. The most recently saved game is always available in the
last slot of the save game menu; the previous decade saved
game is always in the next-to-last slot.

Combat Analysis: The combat analysis option causes a special

screen to appear explaining the combat parameters before each
combat situation is resolved.

Water Color Cycling: You can toggle water color cycling on/off

to speed the game’s performance.

Tutorial Help: If you want advice while you play, turn this on.

Colony Report Options

These options allow you to turn on or off certain types of

reports that appear automatically during the game.

Sound Options

This allows you to turn music and sound effects on and off.

Pick Music

Because we know you’ll love the music in this game (especially
if you have a wave table synthesis sound card), we give you the
option to listen to any of the compositions at any time. Note that
music must be “ON” under sound options for this to work.

21

Save/Load Game

This allows you to save the game you’re currently playing, or
load a previously saved game. There are 10 slots for saving games
during play. The last two are special, “autosave” slots. The next-to­last slot always contains a version of the most recent game from
last turn; every ten years, a copy of the game is saved and placed
in the last slot.

Declare Independence

Also included on this menu is the option to declare your
independence. Do this only when you are sure your colonial

empire is ready to withstand a prolonged conflict with your home
country (see Declaring and Winning Your Independence).

Retire

This ends the current game and calculates your score. Note that
your colonial empire will be lost if it’s not already saved.

Exit

This ends the game without calculating a score; your colonial
empire is lost if not already saved.

OTHER MENUS

The views menu contains options for switching the map display
from view to move modes, for viewing the Europe screen, and
other helpful commands.

The orders menu lists any special commands that can be given
to the currently-active unit, in addition to normal movement
commands (see Giving Orders for details).

The reports menu contains special reports that you can request
from your various advisors. The reports are described in the
appropriate sections of the manual.

The trade menu contains items related to automating various
aspects of trade in the game (see Automating Trade).

The Colonizopedia gives you access to the on-line
encyclopedia of Colonization. Use it to obtain information quickly
about a variety of game-related topics. Right-clicking on units,
terrain, and other stuff also accesses the Colonizopedia.

22

THE COLONISTS

23

As Viceroy of the New World, you control the activities of all the
colonists from your nation. You decide where they move, what they
explore, where they build settlements, what they build inside the
settlements, and so on. Each of your people has a skill—or the
potential to gain a skill—that can be valuable to you and your
empire, if you use it wisely. Deciding whom to give what skills, and
where to employ them is a major part of Colonization.

Not only do you decide where your people work, you also
determine what job they do. It is usually wise to let skilled people do
what they do best, although sometimes this is not possible, and
sometimes it is not advisable. You must decide year-to-year how
best to utilize your people resources.

Also, by combining your people's skills with other resources like
horses, tools, and muskets, you can create colonists with special
abilities and powers. Mounting a colonist on horseback creates a
scout who can range far and wide gathering information about the
New World and carrying news of your arrival. Giving a colonist tools
creates a pioneer unit that can build roads, clear woods, and plow the
land to make it yield its produce more efficiently. If you give your
people muskets they become soldiers that can defend your hard-won
foothold in the New World, expand the might of your new nation, and
break free from tyranny.

Icon: Each colonist is represented by a small icon of a person.
Each type of colonist wears clothes or carries implements that reflect
his skill or status. For example, the carpenter stands in front of a
sawhorse, the petty criminal has his head and hands in stocks, and
the lumberjack wears a red shirt and holds a saw (see the
Colonizopedia or Skills Chart for details).

Orders Box: In addition, each colonist who moves around the
map carries an “orders box.” This box has two functions: the color of
the box indicates the colonist’s nationality (red for English, blue for
French, yellow for Spanish, and orange for Dutch); and a letter inside
the box indicates the orders the colonist is currently carrying out.

24