Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition

Game Manual

There are many aspects of Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition for you to read about, so let's dive right in!

Manual Chapters:

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• Credits
• Patch Notes
• Game Rules And Concepts
• The User Interface and User's Guide
• Notes On The Enhanced Unit Set
• Notes On The Terrain Set
• Notes On Network Play
• The Map and Scenario Editor
• Watching A Playback Or Computer Only Game
• Using The Unit Database Editor
• Using The Terrain Database Editor
• Notes On AI Opponents
• Notes On World Building And Unit Placement
• Common Questions

Foreword

December, 2004

Welcome to the latest version of the Empire Series,  Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition.  It has been a tremendous experience to write this game. I personally do not remember when I became an Empire fan specifically, but it was at some point with Interstel's release of Empire, Wargame Of The Century that I became hooked. I can remember countless nights staying up way too late playing the game.

With the advent of Empire Deluxe in 1993, I became even more hooked.  To satisfy my thirst for the infinite supply of maps and scenarios, I started the Empire Deluxe Scenario and Map page on the Internet, which would run for ten years. I found email play with others a great challenge, and participated in many of the PBEM and "Live" tourneys that took place over the Internet. When I would go on business travel around the country, I would meet up with people I had never met, but had played numerous games with, and we would talk for hours about the most nerdly thing: this wonderful little computer game.

Like many of you out there, I was a junkie, an addict, and never had desired rehabilitation.

But a few years after the release of Empire Deluxe, the game entered a state of suspended animation, preserved and kept live by the community that had grown playing it on the Internet. The community slowly shrank as game companies pursued more lucrative markets or went bankrupt (or both), and by the new millennium, the Empire Series, games that at one time were rated as the best out there in the gaming magazines, had slipped into virtual extinction.

When I was eventually cast out onto the streets due to the corporate scandals of Enron, I found myself with the desire to work for myself, and work on something I love. I became very interested in acquiring the rights to Empire Deluxe and the Perfect General. In December 2002, with the copyrights in hand, I let the world know that Empire Deluxe was coming back, and, Killer Bee Software was born.

 I loved Empire Deluxe, and had played it for so long, I wanted to make sure that the classic game would be preserved. So I restored the original Empire Deluxe source code and released Empire Deluxe Internet Edition in 2003. But, I have always remembered countless conversations with friends and the Empire Deluxe community about "wouldn't it be neat if..." situations, and I knew Empire Deluxe needed more. After a dozen years, it needed to grow...to evolve.

And that is where we find the latest game in the Empire Series. With Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition, the game now has the capability to grow. Not just because some new units have been added to the game, or a few new rules, but because the players now have some freedom to stretch and adjust the game in ways they had only thought about before. It is a very exciting time, and this is a very exciting game.

Please take some time to review the manual, and learn the interface. There are many ways to do the same thing, and you might find one way more to your liking than another. Also, if you are a fellow junkie already, there will be some re-learning required. But soon I suspect you will find some of the new aspects of the game as second nature as you have for the past decade...or two...or three.

Please read the credits to see all of those who helped make this possible. And thank you for your purchase and support of this wonderful game.

--Mark

Introduction

The Empire Series has a 30 year history. If you have purchased the game and previous history is any indicator, this game is likely to outlast the machine you placed it on.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR LICENSE KEY...DO NOT JUST LEAVE IT ON YOUR HARD DRIVE!
 

Also please backup the installation software.

This manual has a great deal of information in it about how to play the game itself, and how to use the game's interface. It has been separated in to various "chapters", or subject areas for you to review. Some of the sections in those chapters can be quickly accessed through the game itself, but those mostly deal with the game interface.  But for an in depth examination of the game concepts and rules, as well as the opportunities to change or customize the game, please review the index or the table of contents.

Table Of Contents

Game Manual

Forward

Introduction

Table Of Contents

Credits

Game Rules And Concepts

• Unit Classifications and Unit Types

• World Levels

• Unit Movement and Terrain Effects

• Roads

• Orbital Units and Re-Entry

• Take-Off / Landing / Diving / Rising

• Unit Changing / Morphing

• Unit Transportation: Loading, Unloading, Dropping, Picking Up

• Unit Combat

  • Combat By Movement

  • Combat By Range Fire

  • Combat By Defensive (Ranged) Fire

  • Combat By Detonation

• Combat Modifiers

• Crippled Units and Repair

• Dug-In Units

• Combat / Production / Neutral Handicaps

• Unit Combat Effectiveness and Experience

• Game Exploration Modes

• Units and Spotting

• Unit Production

  • Unit Production Specialization

  • Production Efficiency

  • Production Supply Opportunities

  • Resource Drain and the "Units Before Resource Drain" Value

• Resources and Exploitation

• Unit Construction

• Wasteland

• Mines

• Unit Gifting

• Treaties

• Weather

• City Selection

• Buy Points and Unit Placement

• Victory Conditions And Game Type Details

• Ending The Game

• Combat Mechanics

User's Guide (User Interface)

• Main Menu Page

• Installing New Files Into The Game
• Play Menu Option
• Editors Menu Option
• Preferences Menu Option
• Players Menu Option
• Game Version Number and Program Type
• Main Menu Option Details

• Game Setup Interface

• Game Setup Overview
• Game Setup Menus
• Game Configurations
• Game Setup Tabs
  • General Info Tab
  • Rules Options
  • Victory Conditions Tab
  • Map Info Tab
  • Units Tab
  • Players Tab
  • Connections Tab
  • Advertise Tab
• Game Setup Errors
• Restarting Games
• PBM Play

• Game Play Interface

• Game Play Screen Overview
• Game Play Menu Options
• Status Bar Features
• Map Window Features
• The Information Window
• Chat Window Features
• General Unit Movement
• Hot Keys
• Watching A Playback Or Computer Only Game
• City Selection Dialog
• Buy Points Dialog
• Unit Placement Dialog
• Auto Production Dialog
• First Turn Production Dialog
• Order Points Dialog
• Unit Group Orders
• Report Dialogs
• Battle Odds Calculator

• Unit Processing, Queue and Control

• The Active Unit Queue
• Units Waiting For Orders
• Starting Automatic Processing
• When And How The Queue Is Built,
• Sorting The Queue

• Hot Key Settings

• Hot Key Overview
• Control Keys
• Action Hot Keys
• Tab Action Keys
• Display Keys
• Report Display
• Group Actions
• Game Viewer Keys
• Map Editor Keys
• Chat Keys

• Unit Actions

• List Of Actions
• Miscellaneous Action Topics
  • Loading and Unloading
  • The Difference Between Orders and Actions
  • Forced Overflight
  • Group Actions

• Unit Orders and the Command Queue

• Orders Overview
• The Unit's Command Queue And The Current Order
• Giving A Unit Orders
• Available Unit Orders List

• The Information Window

• Information Window Overview
• Attaching/Detaching/Showing/Hiding
• The Information Window And Map Window Focus
• Changing Data in the Information Window
• Terrain Tab
• Weather Tab
• Unit Tree Tab
• Unit Tab
• The Other Tab
• The Production and Construction Tabs
• The Orders Tab (a.k.a. Commands Tab)
• The Actions Tab

• Network Play

• Network Play Overview
  • Client Server Architecture
  • What is a Port? What Is an IP Address?
  • Firewall Notes
• Starting A Network Game
  • The Server Player's Setup
  • The Remote Player's Connection
• The "Connection Service"
  • Running A Connection Service
  • Adding Connection Service Servers For the Game To See
• Disconnecting From A Game And Coming Back
  • In-Game Advertising
• Restarting A Network Game
• Chatting During A Game
• Post Game Activity

• Game Customization Notes

• Game Customization Overview
• Enhancing The Computer Player
  • Editing Computer Player Scripts
  • AI Player Source Code
  • Adding AI Player DLLs
• Altering The World Build Process
  • Using External World Build DLL's
  • World Building Source Code
• Changing The Graphics In The Game
• The Properties File
• Adding Tutorials

• Common Questions

• Questions Overview
• Empire Deluxe Internet Edition Related
• Common Unit Questions
• Orders and Actions
• Unit Editing Questions
• Game Setup Questions
• User Interface Questions

Notes On The Enhanced Unit Set

• Unit Attributes
• Land Units
  • Infantry
  • Armor
  • Light Artillery
  • Heavy Artillery
  • Anti Aircraft
  • Truck
  • Airbase
  • Engineer
  • Flag
  • The General
  • Fort
  • Supply Unit
• Sea Units
  • Transport
  • Destroyer
  • Aircraft Carrier
  • Cruiser
  • Battleship
• Submarine Units
  • Surfaced Submarine
  • Submerged Submarine
  • Deep Submarine
• Surface Units
  • Patrol Boat
  • Sea Bees
  • Port
  • Oil Facility
  • City
• Air Units
  • Fighter
  • Bomber
  • Air Transport
  • Helicopter
• Orbital Units
  • Scout Satellite
  • Armed Satellite
• Missiles
  • Short Range Missile
  • Long Range Missile
  • Short Range Nuclear Missile
  • Long Range Nuclear Missile

Notes On Network Play

• Network Play Overview
  • Client Server Architecture
  • What is a Port? What Is an IP Address?
  • Firewall Notes
• Starting A Network Game
  • The Server Player's Setup
  • The Remote Player's Connection
• The "Connection Service"
  • Running A Connection Service
  • Adding Connection Service Servers For the Game To See
• Disconnecting From A Game And Coming Back
  • In-Game Advertising
• Restarting A Network Game
• Chatting During A Game
• Post Game Activity

The Map And Scenario Editor

• Map And Scenario Editor Overview
• The Map Editor Front Dialog and Menu Options
• The Map Making Dialog
• Editing A Map
  • Dark Red Tab - Terrain And Neutral Painting
  • Light Red Tab - Player / Scenario Configuration
• Area Operations
  • Dark Yellow Tab - Terrain Area Operations
  • Light Yellow Tab - Unit Area Operations
  • Group Editing Dialog

Using The Unit Database Editor

• Unit Database Editor Overview
• The Unit Database Concept
  • Relationship With The Terrain Database
  • Intra-Unit Type Relationships
  • Unit Type Attributes, The Game Engine, and The Game Play Client
  • Unit Database Composition
• Using The Editor Interface
  • Editor Menu Options
  • Editing The Basic Data
  • Editing The Icon Data Sets
  • Icon Data Set Editor
  • Unit Type Information Editor
  • The Editor Pad
  • Terrain Database Reference Window
• Unit icon Notes
• Unit Type Editing Notes
  • Files Associated With The Database

Using The Terrain Database Editor

• Terrain Database Overview
• The Terrain Database Concept
• Terrain Editor Menu Options
• Editing Terrain Categories
• Terrain Category Editor
• Terrain Icon Notes
• Notes On The Terrain Set

Notes On AI Opponents

• Enhancing The Computer Player
  • Editing Computer Player Scripts
  • AI Player Source Code
  • Adding AI Player DLLs

Notes On World Building And Unit Placement

• Altering The World Build Process
  • Using External World Build DLL's
  • World Building Source Code

Common Questions

• Questions Overview
• Empire Deluxe Internet Edition Related
• Common Unit Questions
• Orders and Actions
• Unit Editing Questions
• Game Setup Questions
• User Interface Questions

Patch Notes

Credits

Killer Bee Software Presents

Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition

Written, Produced, Directed, and Programmed By

Mark Kinkead

killerbeesoftware.com

Artwork By

Anthony Affrunti, a.k.a. Wydraz

home.nycap.rr.com/wydraz/

"Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition", (C) 2004, Mark Kinkead, Killer Bee Software

Version 4.0

Based on Walter Bright's Original Game

"Empire, Wargame of the Century", (C) 1978 - 1986 by Walter Bright

Versions 2.0 and 1.0

"Empire Deluxe", By Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakosky, 1993

Version 3.0

"Empire Deluxe Internet Edition", (C) 2003, Mark Kinkead, Killer Bee Software

Version 3.5

The Mersenne Twister 

The Game's Random Number Generator

Provided by

Makoto Matsumoto

www.math.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/%7Em-mat/MT/emt.html

New Music Produced By

Lars Christian Lundholm

www.game-music.net

Play Testers

Steven Woodcock

Anthony Affrunti

Matthew Shelton

Tom Candela

David Munson

Mike Kent

Beta Testers

Andrew Peiman

Andy Young

A. John Tsoukalas

Cruzan Wallis

George Parthesis

Pete Valdon

Andrew Platfoot  (Known to all as "A")

Jon MacDonald

Antrine Kasalar

William Bird

Randy Hintz

Mark Harmer

Eric Wilson

Steven Goodenough

Skip Franklin

Philip Billington

Kevin Glaubitz

Eric "Whiney Wright" Scantlebury

Paul Archibald

Jeff Hollifield

Jim Mahar

Reggie Skupny

David Sinn

Jason Klopf

Paul Boggs

Michael Santo

Neil Wyllie

Greg Cagle

Robert Neugebauer

Special Thanks To

Mark Baldwin

Bob Rakosky

Extra Thanks To

The Beta Group For Their Tenacity And Love Of The Game