Sega PC GAMES ROME: TOTAL WAR GOLD (2 OF 2) User Manual
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• You can review all movement orders by holding down the spacebar.
Chevrons show all unit destinations as long as the spacebar is held.
To issue an attack order:
•
Left-click
on a
unit
on the battlefield or a
unit card
in the Control Panel
to select the unit.
Right-click
on the enemy unit you want to attack and the unit marches
into combat. The cursor will look like this when the unit’s primary attack is in
hand-to-hand combat.
•
Double right-click
on an enemy unit if you want your unit to
charge
into the attack. Again be careful—charging from too far away will tire your
men before the fight has begun.
This cursor is displayed when a unit’s primary attack is with javelins or
throwing spears and if the unit has ammunition remaining.
This cursor is displayed when a unit’s primary attack is with bows
or other missiles (such as sling bullets) and if the unit has
ammunition left.
• For all missile units:
I
Right-click
on an enemy unit you want to attack.
I
If the arrow on the cursor is
red
, your unit will march forward until in
range and then throw its spears.
I
If the arrow on the cursor is
green
, your unit is already in range and
will begin its missile attack immediately.
•
Double right-clicking
when a missile-armed unit is selected causes the
unit to run fo rward until within attack range.
• Animated
red
movement arrows confirm the attack order.
Click on the
stop
button on the control panel or press the backspace key
to cancel a movement or attack order at any time.
Some units can attack in more than one way. For example, many javelin-armed
troops also carry swords (or knives for use in self-defense). You can order a unit to
attack with a secondary weapon:
ground and hold down the left or right arrow keys to pan the camera rapidly.
• The numeric keypad also changes the camera view. Check the key settings
by pressing
F1
during battle for the camera controls.
Double left-click
on a unit card to make the camera move to a position
directly behind that unit. Pressing the
End
key with a unit selected also
has the same affect.
• Click on the general’s portrait in the control panel to move the camera to a
position directly behind the general’s bodyguard unit. Click on the faction
banner to move to a point directly behind the captain’s unit if no general is
present.
• The blue lines on the mini-map showing the visible area of the battlefield
change as the camera position alters.
• The camera view can be changed when the game is paused.
Press
Esc
and go to game options to change camera mode. This will be familiar to
players of earlier
Total War
titles. Virtually all camera controls are the same,
with one important exception:
• The
up
and
down
cursor arrow keys on the keyboard
track
the camera
view for ward and back without changing the viewing angle.
• The
left
and
right
cursor arrow keys on the keyboard
pan
the camera
(spin on its vertical axis) without changing its position.
• The mouse wheel adjusts height but does not change camera angle.
How toMove and Attack
Moving and attacking with units in
Rome: Total War
use the same basic
controls:
left-click
to select,
right-click
on the battlefield for a destination or
target. To issue a move order:
•
Left-click
on a
unit
on the battlefield or a
unit card
in the control
panel to select the unit.
Right-click
on the battlefield location where you want the unit to move.
The unit will march to this spot.
•
Double right-click
on a battlefield location if you want the unit to
run to its destination.
• Animated
green
movement arrows confirm the move order.
If a unit cannot move to a given location for any reason, the cursor
changes. The terrain may be impassable or the location out of bounds, for
example.
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To set a waypoint for a unit, hold down the
shift
key and
right-click
on
the spot you want as a waypoint. Repeat this process to add another
waypoint to the unit’s marching route.
• No more than a dozen waypoints for a route are advisable.
• You can remind yourself of waypoints later. With the unit selected, hold
down the
shift
key to show the waypoints that have been set.
• Holding down the
spacebar
(without the shift key) still shows the final
destination and facing of the unit.
Unit Activity
Move the cursor over any unit on the battlefield or unit card and a
tool tip
appears, giving you details of the
unit’s status
.
The unit cards in the Control Panel also give you a way of monitoring what your
units are doing. Each unit card can have a symbol as a notification of what’s
happening to the unit. It’s quite possible for more than one of these symbols to apply
at any one time. If this is the case, the symbols that apply are displayed in turn:
A single arrowhead at the top of the card shows the unit is moving at a
steady
march
toward its ordered destination.
A double arrowhead at the top of the card shows that the unit is moving
toward its ordered destination at a
run
or is
charging
an enemy unit and
has yet to ma ke contact.
Crossed swords show the unit is in
hand-to-hand combat.
A bow and arrow symbol shows that the unit is
firing missiles
.
(This symbol is used even if the unit is actually throwing spears or firing
sling bullets).
Arrows show the unit is
under fire
. It may be worth moving the unit out
of range or ordering it to attack its tormentors!
This symbol shows that the unit is currently
hiding
and may not be
spotted by enemy forces. Most units can hide in woods (allowing them
to spring tactical ambushes), but there are some types of soldiers who
can hide almost anywhere!
The
white flag
symbol shows the unit has suffered a morale crisis and is
now
routing
, that is, running from the enemy. The unit banner also
changes to white on the battlefield. It may be possible for a general to rally
troops who are routing.
If a unit is surrounded and unable to rout, the fight to the death icon will
be displayed on the unit card.
• Hold down the
Alt
key and
right-click
on an enemy unit to order a
secondary attack by a unit.
• If the cursor shows a sword,
double right-click
to order the unit to run
and then charge home into melee.
Secondary attacks can be useful with many of the Roman Legionary units, as this
forces them to fight hand-to-hand. Most Legionary units follow Roman tactics of
throwing a volley of pila (special heavy javelins) and then attacking hand-to-hand with
swords. This is why their primary attack is usually shown as a spear. They
automatically charge home as the enemy attempts to recover from the missile attack.
Changing Unit Fo rmation
It’s possible to change the frontage and depth of a unit. The frontage is the number
of men who can fight at the same time. The depth shows the ranks who can be fed
into the meat grinder as casualties are taken:
• Select a unit by left-clicking.
Right-click
and drag to change the unit frontage. During this process, the
cursor changes and the layout of the unit is shown with chevrons on the
ground. The large arrow shows the facing of the unit.
Changing Unit Facing
All units have a
facing
. All attacks are carried out to the front of a unit, and units
can be vulnerable when attacked in the flanks (sides) or from behind. It’s possible to
alter a unit’s facing—to meet an oncoming threat, perhaps—without having it move.
• Select the unit by left-clicking on it on the battlefield or its unit card in the
Control Panel.
• Use the
<
and>keys (the same keys as comma and period on many
keyboards) to rotate the unit’s facing without changing its position.
• The new layout of the unit is shown with chevrons on the ground. The large
arrow shows the unit facing.
When multiple units are selected (see
How to Use More Than One Unit
),
changing unit facing creates a battle line and then rotates it.
Waypoints
When a unit is issued a movement order, i t normally marches straight toward its
destination. However, units are sensible and watch for barriers such as walls and
rivers and follow a route that takes them over a river crossing (a ford or bridge), or
through a gap in the walls.
It’s possible to issue detailed marching orders to a selected unit and set up waypoints
for it to follow to its final destination:
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Right-click and drag
on a destination to make the selected units form
a line. As you drag the cursor sideways, a set of yellow chevrons appears
showing the frontage and depth of the selected units. Release the mouse
button when you’re happy with the line’s position.
•
Right-click
on a target
unit
for an
attack
order.
•
Double right-click
on a target
unit
for a
charge
order.
• Use the < and > (comma and period) keys to form a line of units and
change its facing. Yellow chevrons appear to show the units’ final
destinations. The line forms at a point that’s the shortest march for the
selected units.
Use the
stop
button on the control panel or press the
backspace
key
to cancel the units’ collective orders.
Once multiple units have been selected, they can be
grouped
together, as well as
put under
AI assistance
.
Grouping Units
Groups can be a ver y useful way of managing a large force.
With a collection of units selected, click on this button to
group
them
together. You c an also press the
G
key. The relevant unit cards in the
control panel will be collected together into one numbered group.
Grouped units don’t have to be of the same type. When grouped like this,
the new group has the lowest group number that’s currently available.
• Alternatively, with a collection of units selected, hold down the
Ctrl
key and press one of the number keys on the main keyboard—not
the numeric keypad—to create a numbered group.
• A grouped unit is displayed like this in the Control Panel.
•
Left-click
on the numbered group tab to select all the units
instantly or press the number key that corresponds to the group
number (shown in Roman numerals in the tab).
Groups can be split or modified at any time:
• Select two or more groups of units and then
group
them again using one
of the above methods to create a new, la rger group that includes all the
units of the old selected groups.
• Select a single group and click on the
group
button in the Control Panel (or
use a keyboard shortcut) to
break up
the group. The units become single
units once again, though they remain selected.
These symbols only appear on unit cards during sieges.
See
How to Assault a Settlement or Fort
.
Orders for Artillery Units
Artillery units work in exactly the same fashion as other units. However,
artillery pieces are heavy, and even with large crews it can take time to
execute an order. D on’t expect artillerymen to dash or charge anywhere!
• Remember that the number on the unit card is not the number of artillery
pieces, but the number of crewmen. As crewmen are killed, the number of
pieces that can fire (and rate of fire) drops.
• Just like other missile units, the bar shows the ammunition supply for the
unit. When this is gone, the unit can no longer fire.
When attacked by missiles or in hand-to-hand combat, crews may abandon
their pieces. This cursor appears when the selected unit has abandoned its
weapons. If the crew can move back to their pieces and resume firing, the
hand symbol appears when the cursor is moved over an artillery piece.
Right-clicking
orders the crew to resume working their weapons.
How ToUse More Than One Un it
It’s possible to issue orders to multiple units at the same time. The units will move
to the same location or attack the same target. There are various ways of selecting
more than one unit to receive orders:
Hold down the
Ctrl
key and
left-click
on more than one unit on
the battlefield.
•
Left-click and drag
on the battlefield away from a unit, creating a
highlighted box. All the units within the box will be selected.
• Hold down the
Ctrl
key and
left-click
on more than one unit card in the
Control Panel.
• Hold down the
Ctrl
key and
double left-click
on a unit card in the
Control Panel. All units of the same type will be selected.
• A combination of the above methods also works. For instance, selecting
some units on the battlefield and some through the Control Panel.
• Holding down the
Ctrl
key and
left-clicking
on a
selected
unit or its
unit card will toggle the selection, allowing you to remove a unit from a
collection before issuing orders.
Once multiple units are selected, orders are issued in the usual fashion:
•
Right-click
on a
destination
for a
march
order.
•
Double right-click
on a
destination
for a
run
order.
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How to Get the Most from Unit Abilities
Many units have a special ability that makes them more useful in battle. Select the
unit, then click on the special ability button (or press the F key). Most special abilities
can be toggled, but a few are “one use”:
The
Cantabrian Circle
formation is used by light, missile-armed cavalr y
to keep up a barrage on an enemy unit. Rather than firing a mass volley
against an opponent and then retreating to reload, a unit executing a
Cantabrian Circle gallops around with each soldier firing before dropping
back to prepare a new missile. The effect is a steady—and demoralizing—
rain of missiles on a target unit, rather than a single volley.
Many archer and artiller y units can fire
flaming
projectiles instead of their
normal missiles. These can set men and buildings on fire.
Many spearmen, hoplites and pikemen, particularly those schooled in Greek
ways of warfare, can form a
phalanx
. This is a solid mass of infantry who
rely on mass and discipline to punch into an enemy line.
A general can
rally
nearby routing units, recalling them to the fight by
sheer force of personality. If this works, the unit re-forms, ready to fight on
(for a while, at least).
The later types of Roman Legionaries can form a
testudo
or tortoise
formation by closing up and interlocking their shields. Snug inside an
armoured shell, the Legionaries can then advance through missile fire
and survive.
A
warcry
gives a temporar y boost to the combat power of the unit as it
enters combat.
Some cavalry units can form a
wedge
, a f o rmation that aids them when
charging into other units by increasing their shock value on attack. The
mass of cavalr y is concentrated against a small portion of the enemy’s line,
and then the enemy unit is split apart (if the wedge charge works).
Some barbarian units can
chant
or let forth fearsome keens and
screeches. This increases the morale of nearby friendly units and
decreases the morale of nearby enemy units.
Should an elephant unit panic and run amok, the drivers can be ordered to
kill their beasts. This is very useful if the elephants are running amok
through your own troops!
• Select one or more units within a group and click on the
group
button on
the control panel. The selected units will be removed from the current group
and create their own group. At least two units must remain in the group,
otherwise it will be completely broken up .
Groups can be put into
group formations
:
Click on this button to show the group formations buttons.
• Eight group formations can be selected. Each one
has its own strengths and weaknesses. If you move
the cursor over the buttons, tool tips appear
describing the formations.
• Click on the relevant button to select the formation you want the selected
group to use.
• Alternatively, hold down the
Shift key
and press numbers 1 through 8 on
the main keyboard—not the numeric keypad—to select a group formation.
• You can select more than one group before deciding on a formation. Your
selected groups will collectively adopt the group formation you choose.
Groups can be placed under
AI assistance
:
With a group selected, click on this button to toggle
AI assistance
of
the group on and off. A group under
AI assistance
has a red outline
on the control panel.
• Units within an
AI assisted
group will ignore your combat orders in favour
of those of their commanding officer.
• However, you can order the group to move to a location, and the computer
will handle the detailed movement orders for units.
• Units in an
AI assisted
group will stay in formation.
• You can cancel
AI assistance
at any time by clicking on the Control Panel
button to toggle it off.
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Unit Characteristics
There are a couple of other unit abilities that are worth remembering:
• Some units are rated as
hardyorvery hardy
. They don’t tire quickly when
running or charging—they’re not supermen, just fitter and tougher than average
soldiers.
•
Impetuousorberserker
units may charge into combat without orders.
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Hiding
Many units can hide in forests. Hiding is automatic when a unit moves into terrain
where its men can hide. A few highly specialized units can hide in less promising terrain,
or even in relatively open terrain. On the battlefield, hidden units are shown with their
soldiers crouching down.
• Enemy forces cannot see hidden units until they’re very close. This makes it
possible to stage tactical ambushes with hidden units.
• The same holds true for enemy forces, of course. It’s possible for an enemy unit
to hide and not be visible to you on the battlefield!
• Generals cannot hide, nor can captains.
I
Using a General in Combat
A general is the most important unit in an army:
• In a campaign battle, the general’s abilities and personality traits can have effects
on army morale, unit performance and the combat power of his bodyguard unit.
An army lead by a 7-star general, for example, will perform with greater
effectiveness than one under the command of a 1-star general.
• Man for man, a general and his bodyguard are among the most powerful forces
at your disposal. As a reserve to be thrown into battle at the critical point, they
can ma ke the difference between victory and defeat!
• A general is the only unit that can
rally
routing troops.
• The death of a general can have catastrophic effects on the morale of every unit
in his arm y.
• In the campaign game, the death of a general is also the death of a family
member. When the ruling family is dead, the faction is destroyed!
How to Assault a Settlement or Fort
Sieges can occur when an army assaults a settlement or attempts to break into a fort.
They have much in common with field battles, but with the important qualification that
one side is “safely” behind a set of defenses. All the normal rules of the battlefield apply
to sieges; orders for attacks and movement are issued in the normal fashion.
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Unit Morale
Morale is the willingness of a unit to fight on while taking casualties. As long as a
unit’s morale remains good, it will fight. But sooner or later, even the bravest of
men will realize that their lives are in more danger if they stay than run. Morale,
therefore, is more noticeable when it’s lacking: a unit with no morale will run away.
Not all units are equally blessed with good morale. For example, peasants aren’t
keen on going to war. Professional Legionaries, on the other hand, are likely to stay
and fight against great odds.
Some units in the game have morale effects in addition to their combat value:
• Generals (usually) and captains boost the morale of nearby troops.
• There are some traits, such as personal cowardice, that reduce the morale of
warriors under a general’s command.
• The death of a general or captain is usually a severe blow to the morale of his
whole arm y.
• Some units
frighten
nearby enemy units, either because of their terrible
appearance and fearsome reputation or because they’re armed with cru e l
and unusual weaponry. Enemies are more likely to run when faced with
frightening units.
•
Routing units
can cause other friendly units to rout: if lots of other people
are running from the enemy, soldiers tend to think it might be a good idea to
run, too!
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Routing Units and Pursuit
As has been noted, generals can
rally
routing units. This won’t work if enemy
forces are too close to the routing unit. They will ignore the general and
concentrate on escaping death!
Therefore, it can be a good idea to keep some speedy forces available to pursue
fleeing foes to prevent them from rallying. There’s also a good chance of killing
some enemies as they run, saving you the trouble of having to fight against them
on another battlefield. Tr ad it ion al ly, light cavalry were used for this task. Units in
guard mode will not pursue enemies.
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Romans and Legionary Eagles
Some types of Roman units carry
Legionary Eagles
. These appear in the
campaign game after the reforms o f Gaius Marius have occurred, but they’re always
available in custom battles.
A First Cohort unit carries a Legionary Eagle. This battle standard is regarded as the
soul of a Roman Legion, and is an inspiration for any Roman units nearby. I ts
presence raises the morale of friendly Roman units. Losing a Roman Legionary Eagle
is the height of disgrace, and a terrible blow to the battlefield morale of an army
that loses one.
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Most types of units can be ordered into a
sap
in front of a
stone wall
.
Progress in digging a tunnel toward the defenses is shown by a line of disturbed
earth between the sap and the wall. When the diggers reach the wall, there will
be a pause while they undermine the walls and set fire to the sap; this brings
the walls crashing to the ground, opening a hole in the defenses. The sapping
unit(s) will then emerge from the tunnel.
• While any or all of these attacks are happening, the defenders will not be idle. As
an attacker, you should expect missile fire from defenders within a settlement and
on top of the larger walls. Towers will also fire missiles at your troops.
When a
breach
in the defenses is caused (either a gateway is broken or walls
are knocked down), the camera view switches to show the breach.
Units can be ordered to drop siege equipment by clicking on this button in the
Control Pan e l .
A unit that’s not currently equipped with siege gear can be ordered to pick some
up. The siege equipment has to have been abandoned by its previous users.
I
Sieges and Artillery
Artillery units can fire at walls and buildings in settlements, as well as other units on the
battlefield:
This cursor appears whenever it’s possible to target walls or defenses with a
selected artillery unit. The artillery unit will continue to fire until its target is
destroyed or it runs out of ammunition. Note that it can take a very long time
for artillery to batter a hole in a stone wall.
This cursor appears whenever it’s possible to target a building with an artiller y
unit. The artiller y will fire as long as the target is standing or until there’s no
more ammunition.
Click on this button in the Control Panel to toggle flaming missiles on and off.
Flaming missiles can set buildings on fire, and the fires can spread through a
settlement.
• Artillery f ire can be a li ttle inaccurate. Large stones, for example, are rarely very
aerodynamic and it’s possible for shots to scatter instead of landing exactly on
target. Flaming missiles are also inaccurate. Experienced artillery crews are better
at consistent targeting, but don’t be surprised if there’s an occasional missile that
goes astray!
There are, however, extra conditions that apply during sieges, and new weapons and
tactics for both the attacker and defender.
I
Sieges and Victory
Victor y in a siege is very simple: the side that controls the centre of the
settlement wins! You can also win by killing or routing the entire enemy army off th e
field.
I
Siege Equipment
Siege equipment is constructed in the campaign game when an army is besieging a
settlement. In Custom Battles, siege equipment can be obtained during setup.
• In either case, suitable siege equipment is automatically assigned to units when
battle deployment begins.
• Without siege equipment or suitable artillery, it’s almost impossible for attackers
to break into a settlement.
Rams, ladders
and
siege towers
are assigned to individual
units. The unit cards of relevant units are marked with one of
these symbols to show they have siege gear. Unit s wi th l adde rs,
towers and rams cannot charge.
Saps
(or sapping points) are placed on the battlefield in front of suitable
sections of wall. They cannot be moved during deployment.
Once the battle starts, units with siege equipment can be ordered to advance against
city walls:
A unit equipped with a
ram
can be sent against a
gateway
or wooden wall.
The cursor changes to show a suitable target gate or wall section for the ram.
The unit will push the ram toward the gate or wooden defense and then attempt
to smash a way through. If it’s successful, it will haul the ram out of the broken
gateway so a clear path is available into the settlement.
• Elephants can be ordered to attack gateways or wooden walls without siege
equipment. They just batter a hole!
• A unit equipped with
ladders
can be sent to scale a suitable stretch of
wall
(not a tower). The cursor changes to show a suitable wall to assault. The unit will
march toward the walls, raise their ladders and climb up. They’ll have to fight any
defenders on the walls!
• A unit equipped with a
siege tower
can be sent to assault a suitable wall (not
a tower in the defenses). The cursor changes to show a suitable wall to attack.
The unit will push the siege tower toward the wall, then clamber up before
launching an assault directly over the battlements. Units in siege towers can fire
arrows, and they’ll have to fight any defenders on the wall.
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How to Deal with Ambushes
Ambushes—when you’re the ambusher—are much like any other battle, but hopefully
rather one-sided in your favour! When you’re ambushed, however, things can very
rapidly get out of hand:
• The
ambusher
gets the chance to deploy units before the battle as normal.
Unlike a normal battle, the deployment zone nearly surrounds the enemy, rather
than being a section of the battlefield.
• The
ambushed army
is always deployed in a column formation because it’s
on the march, not prepared for battle. The general (or captain) is always at the
head of the column. There’s no chance to alter the deployment of the army.
The first ru l e when ambushed is the simplest:
Don’t Panic
! It takes the enemy some
time to get into combat formation, and those moments can be used to form your
army into battle lines for the coming assault.
Ambushes may feel like harsh and uncompromising battles, but they’re intended to
be! A skilled leader will make use of all the weapons at his command, and this
includes not fighting fairly!
I
Failed Ambushes
It’s possible that an ambushing army will not “get the drop” on an enemy. In such
cases, a battle will still take place. Thus, each side must make the best of the day that
it can!
How to Use Reinforcements and Allies
Battles that are part of campaign games can sometimes involve more than one army
for both the attackers and defenders:
• When you’re attacking, the army that makes the attack on the campaign map
is always the one you control directly.
• When you’re defending on the campaign map, the army that’s attacked is
always the one you control.
• Other adjacent armies on the campaign map can appear on the battlefield as
reinforcements
and/or
allies.Friendly
reinforcements are armies or
units belonging to the same faction;
allies
are friendly troops that belong to
another faction.
• Reinforcements always arrive on the battlefield from the direction that
corresponds to their position on the campaign game map. A supporting army
on the campaign map to the north of the current battlefield will always appear
on the northern edge of the battlefield.
I
Capturing Walls
Wooden walls serve only as a barrier to keep out attackers. Stone walls, on the
other hand, can be actively fought over by the attackers and defenders:
• Any infantry (i.e. non-mounted) unit can be ordered to move to the top of a
wall, or ordered to attack defenders on a wall.
• If an attacking unit is in sole possession of a wall, gatehouse or tower, it will
capture the structure.
• The defenders can recapture walls.
I
Within the W alls
Once inside a settlement or fort, the attackers need to capture the central plaza
area to take the settlement. Naturally, the defenders need to keep control of this
area. This may involve fighting through every street if the defenders are feeling
particularly bloody-minded and obstinate.
• The longer street fighting takes, the more damage done to the settlement.
This damage needs to be repaired, as explained in the Campaigns section of
this manual.
• If the fighting takes a long time, it’s possible that fires will break out in the
settlement. The fires will spread unchecked until the battle is resolved.
I
Sally Battles
Sally battles occur when a settlement garrison emerges from behind their walls to
drive off their besiegers. The
garrison
is always treated as the battle
attackers
and the
besiegers
as the battle
defenders
even though, in strategic terms , the
situation is the other way around.
The besiegers appear on the battlefield outside the settlement with any siege
equipment they have constructed. Attacking the unit to which it is attached can
destroy siege equipment. This can be a good way of thwarting the progress of a
besieging army that might be about to assault the town.
It’s also possible to time sallies out of a besieged settlement so reinforcements
from a relief force are also present on the battlefield. See
How to Use
Reinforcements and Allies
on page 68 for more information.
One point to remember: it’s possible for sally battles to go horribly wrong if the
besiegers get into the settlement during the battle. The settlement defenders can
all be committed to taking the fight to the enemy, leaving their town or city
vulnerable to a sneaky incursion!
For the attackers (sallying out) to win, they must kill or drive off all the defenders
(the besieging army).
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I
Going to the Aid of Allies
When one of your armies is adjacent (on the campaign map) to a battle involving one of
your allies, you’ll be given the option of going to your ally’ s aid. You’ll be in control of
your army during the battle.
I
Settlement Assaults and Allies
If you and an ally are assaulting an enemy settlement and conquer it, the new owner of
the settlement is the faction that initiated the assault. If you attacked the settlement on
the campaign map during a siege, you become the new owner. If your forces go to the
aid of your ally, then you have the satisfaction of having helped your friends gain some
new lands!
CUSTOM BATTLES
A custom battle gives you the opportunity to command any army you want in battle.
This is a “
sandbox
mode” that allows you to try any kind of combination of terrain,
armies, units, allies and enemies you want. Custom battles are an excellent way of
learning the battle game and an ideal way to hone your skills before trying your
command abilities online!
• Select
Custom Battle
from the
Single Player
menu to begin the process of
setting up and fighting your own battle. You’ll be given the option of saving away
your custom battle setup during the creation process.
Choosing Conditions
Initially, this screen appears in the express
setup version that only allows you to select
a limited number of variables for your
custom battle:
•
Game type
determines the victory
conditions for the battle. For example,
Last Man Standing is a fight to
the death.
•
Difficulty
sets the behaviour of your opponents. At easier difficulty levels,
you’ll find that enemies tend to have lower morale, for instance, while high
difficulty levels present you with a greater threat.
•
T errain
allows you to choose the landscape for your battle. As you might
expect, troops tire more quickly in hot, dry conditions such as a desert. Some
armies are not at their best in some terrain—usually an army fights best on its
home ground.
• While your camera view onto the battlefield can be in any direction, the mini-map
is always oriented with north at the top. This can be useful in working out where
reinforcements are likely to appear.
• Reinforcement units won’t necessarily arrive on the battlefield at the start of a
battle. They can be delayed by intervening terrain, weather and sheer bad luck.
You may also notice that cavalry and light forces arrive at a battle before heavier
units.
Direct control of reinforcing units depends on the following:
•
Allies
are always controlled by their own leaders, and are never placed under
foreign command—in this case, your command. You wo n’t be able to issue orders
to allied units. An allied army will arrive on the battlefield as a single force.
•A
friendly army
that’s led by a
general
will be independent and under
computer AI control during the battle. You won’t be able to issue orders to units
in that arm y. An independent army l i ke this arrives on the battlefield as a group,
all at the same time.
•A
friendly army
under the command of a
captain
appears as reinforcements
under your command. There are restrictions on when reinforcement units become
available to you:
I
Armies can have a maximum of 20 units. A unit with only one man still
counts as a unit, and occupies one of the 20 slots that exist within an
army.
I
Unless a spare slot exists, a reinforcement unit cannot enter battle. The
unit will wait in the out-of-bounds area until a spare slot opens to receive
it. This may be because one of your original units has been eliminated in
combat, you ordered it to withdraw or it has routed off the battlefield.
I
A reinforcement’s unit card is transparent when it’s out of bounds and
about to come into battle. When it enters battle, the unit card becomes
opaque; it can then be selected and given orders like any other unit.
I
Once a reinforcing unit is on the battlefield and under your control, it’s
treated as being part of your arm y.
I
A reinforcing captain’s unit has its unit card marked with a silver star, in
the same fashion as a subsidiary general.
Once a battle is over, an y su r viving reinforcements and allies return to their original
position on the campaign map.
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Customize Battle
This screen allows you to select the faction
armies you want in the battle, and
assign them to different sides for the
coming struggle:
• Team Denarii allows you to set a
purchasing budget for each team (side)
in the battle. This money is used to
purchase individual units. It’s also used
to purchase equipment and experience upgrades for units. If there’s more than
one army on a team, the money is split equally between the whole team; each
army does not get the full budget! Indirectly, the amount of money sets the
maximum size for each army in the battle (there’s still the option to have lots of
cheap units or a few expensive ones).
• The first arm y in the central list is always controlled by a
human player
—you!
All other armies are shown as “
CPU player
” and are controlled by the game or
are
empty
and not in use.
• The list in the centre of the screen shows the armies that have been selected.
There are a couple of methods for choosing an army for each slot on this list:
I
Left-click
on the name box, and then left-click on any of the
faction
shields
on the right of the screen. Duplicated factions are not allowed in
custom battles, so any faction that’s already been chosen has its shield
greyed out.
I
Left-click
on either arrow to cycle through the full collection of
available factions. A faction that’s already been used is not available.
Each large faction shield is highlighted in turn.
I
If you want to clear one of the armies from the list,
left-click
on
the deselect shield icon on the right hand side of the screen.
Alternately, you can click on the arrows on either side of the small
shield icons until the small version of the deselect faction shield
appears.
There can be up to eight teams (I through VIII in Roman numerals) in
any battle. Click on the arrows to change the team number for an arm y.
Armies with the same team number are automatically allied. Any force
with a different team number is fair game!
• The check box for
Arcade Style Battles
turns
off
many of the realistic
features of the battle system. The emphasis in arcade battles is on action and
excitement, not on clever tactics and command skill.
• The
Show Advanced Conditions
tick box brings up more options so you
can precisely tailor the battlefield and the conditions you’ll face. As you’ll see,
these can let you practice sieges, face different weather conditions and even
practice fighting at night!
I
Season
allows you to choose the time of year for your battle. This has
an influence on how much (if at all) the weather changes during the
course of battle. Fighting in the depths of winter can affect how tired
your troops become.
I
Weather
allows you to set the initial weather for the battle (but you
probably guessed that!). Rain and snow have negative effects on bow-
armed troops.
I
Time of Day
sets the starting light conditions for the battle.
I
Time Limit
sets the timer for the battle. It’s entirely possible to ru n ou t
of time before achieving victory when attacking, or deliberately run out
the clock to achieve a defensive victory.
I
Advice Level
determines how active Centurion Marcus (your battlefield
advisor) will be in giving you information and tactical hints during the
battle.
I
Settlement Level
runs from none to Huge City. If you want to fight a
siege or sally battle, you’ll need to include a settlement on
the map.
I
Settlement Culture
only applies if there’s a settlement present. This
allows you to choose the look and layout of the settlement from the six
cultures in the game. Barbarian settlements can be no larger than a minor
city.
I
Settlement Defenses
only applies if a settlement is present. This
allows you to choose the type and size of the walls around a settlement.
A settlement without walls is pretty unlikely in the ancient world, and not
much of a challenge to any besieging army.
• When you’re happy with your choices, click on the
continue arrow
. Return to
the Single Player menu at any time by clicking on the U-shaped arrow.
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