User manual GAMES PC IRONCLAD

[. . . ] TRAINING MANUAL 1 INTRODUCTION The Trader Emergency Coalition (TEC) The Advent The Vasari Empire 4 4 5 6 GETTING STARTED Installing the Game Obtaining Updates Single-Player Games Multiplayer Games Ironclad Online (ICO) LAN Games Game Types Scenarios Random Maps Map Designer Your Galaxy and You The Main Interface The Empire Tree Camera Control & Zooming Report Dialogs Quick Stats Scuttling Auto-Placement Pinging and Ally Requests The Action Grid InfoCards Fleet Logistics Resources & Economy Tax Income 2 7 8 8 STARTING A NEW GAME 9 10 10 13 13 13 14 14 16 17 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 22 25 25 26 26 8 GAMEPLAY 16 Trade The Black Market Planets Planet Management Building a Solar Empire Diplomacy Faction Disposition Missions Gifts Treaties Research The Criminal Underground Orbital Structures Ships Essential Stats TEC Frigates TEC ­ Cruisers TEC ­ Capital Ships Advent ­ Frigates Advent ­ Cruisers Advent ­ Capital Ships Vasari Empire ­ Frigates Vasari Empire ­ Cruisers Vasari Empire ­ Capital Ships 26 27 27 28 29 29 30 31 31 31 32 37 39 44 44 46 49 51 54 57 59 62 65 67 GAME STATISTICS OPTIONS GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE GAME CREDITS TECHNICAL SUPPORT LICENSE 3 70 70 71 72 74 75 INTRODUCTION Welcome to Sins of a Solar Empire, an RT4X game that combines the best elements from the turn-based strategy genre with its real-time cousin. You will become the ruler of one of three unique races and lead your people to victory over your competitors by any means necessary. As you expand to new worlds, you will gain access to vital resources and unique artifacts, construct shipyards to build mighty fleets, establish trade with neighbors, and assimilate rival cultures. Each of the races in Sins of a Solar Empire has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. [. . . ] As with cease fires, neither side may attack the other and to do so will require formally breaking the Peace Treaty ­ an act not viewed well by your partner. If you and your treaty partner are on very good terms, you may be able to coordinate assaults on enemies (using Ping). After breaking a Peace Treaty, neither nation will be able to attack one another for some time. Trade Alliance ­ There`s an old saying that credits make the galaxy go around and trade alliances are key to that purpose. Empires in a Trade Alliance will consider each other`s planets for optimal trade routes by their respective trade ships. Trade ships are immune to enemy fire when a Trade Alliance is in place. Ship Vision ­ This is an intelligence treaty that will give each empire sensor information from one another`s ships. Planet Vision ­ This is another intelligence treaty, but instead of granting the sensor data from ships, it does so for planet`s. With a Planet Vision pact, each faction will have complete views of one another territory. RESEARCH Research is a key aspect for any empire during wartime, providing boosts to existing systems and access to new technologies. Each race in Sins of a Solar Empire features its own unique military and civic technology trees. Additionally, there are two common trees which all races have access to. In order to research new technologies, you must first have the requisite number of military and civic research labs and the resources to pay for the new technology. The InfoCard for each research subject indicates the cost in credits, metal and crystal that you will need to pay, plus the number of labs required to complete the technology. Higher level topics are substantially more expensive to research than those that preceded them. 32 COMBAT RESEARCH This technology tree features all of the military technologies for each race and is divided into three sub-categories per race. TEC ­ Military Tree Structural Subsystems: Provides technologies related to improving armor plating, hull strength, shielding, power systems and engines. Ballistics & Rocketry: Provides improvements related to defensive structures, shipto-ship weapons, and planetary bombardment. Experimental Design: Gives access to the latest wartime technologies including new planetary defenses, ships designs, weapons technologies, and special abilities. 33 Advent ­ Hostility Tree Energy: Provides access to refined weapons, antimatter regeneration, and shield technologies. Ascension: Includes new and improved defensive structures, ship designs, and special psionic attacks. Substance: Contains research designed to improve hull integrity, armor strength, and the power of Advent kinetic weapons. Vasari Empire ­ Warfare Tree Prototypes: Gives lines of research into new ship designs, defensive structures, antimatter tampering and phase space manipulation. Assault: Includes improvements to Vasari pulse weapons, phase missiles, plasma wave technology, and planetary bombardment weapons. Support: Provides new insights into ship skeletal reinforcements, automated healing nanites, armor strength, shield improvements and next-generation power systems. CIVIC RESEARCH The civic technology tree provides new technologies designed to improve your worlds and resource generation. [. . . ] Include "mods" in any commercial products intended for manufacture, distribution, or sale. ACTIVATION FOR UPDATES Updated versions of the SOFTWARE made available after the release will require Internet access to activate the update. Alternatively, users may send an email with a special code to be sent back the file needed to activate the Registered Version on a machine without direct Internet access. Please see http://www. stardock. com/StardockActivationInfo. asp for more information. [. . . ]