DISCOVERY-IN THE STEPS OF COLUMBUS FULL MANUAL PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION ------------------- DISCOVERY THE STEPS OF COLUMBUS is a huge game of expolration and conquest set at the end of the 15th century. travel of any sort in this era was exciting dangerous and unpredictable,a fact beautifully recreated in this simulation First and foremost,your aim is to explore-to send ships out into the unknown seas and discover new lands. Then you must settle this lands,and nurture yuor fledgling outposts until you have a thriving and powerful network of territories how you finance this growth is up to you. Trading, cultivating or stealing-the choice is yours....... OBJECTIVES ---------- The general aims of the game are to discover and settle new land,and to outdo the other exploring nations in terms of money and power,However , you can tailor the specifiec emphasis yourself at the start of the game you can choose between four objectives......... A FREE FOR ALL game continues until all the competitors but one have been forced to withdraw from exploration,due to lack of funds ... ELDORADO option discovering that fabled city of gold is the aim...... LAND RACE the power wich owns the most land in the new world after 50 years wins .......... CASH RACE the criterionis profit......... PAGE 2 INTERFACE INTRODUCTION _____________________________ The display you will see most of the time shows a picture of a small section of the world and a scroll apon which iare several icons.... The game uses a simple point and click interface there are two basic modes in which the game can be:selecting and scrolling....... SELECTING MODE,the mouse pointer appears as an arrow generally moving it over an icon and clicking the left mouse button will cause a particular action to be perfofmed.............. SCROLLING MODEis used to move your current viewpoint around the world the mouse pointer appears as a magnifying glass.Trying to move the glass of the edge of the map display will scroll the screen in that direction as far as you are allowed to go .The main display starts off showing you your home territory-the area from which European ships will set sail initially you can scroll the main screen display around a very limited area. At the end of every mounth you will be able to move into whichever parts of the globe have been explored by your ships.............. The large arrows marked with flags which appear on the main display represent the starting points of the ships of the nations competing in the game. Clicking on the right hand bottom on the generally terminates the current mode or function-for example it will switch you between scrolling and selecting, or return you to the main screen... PAGE 3 PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME --------------------------------- The first time you play the game choose world 1 to explore straight away you will need to buy some ships preferably adventures. 2 or 3 is a good number to start with. Select each ship for orders. And send them off (not all in the same direction) to discover what they can. practice finding them all using the binoculars next to the ship icon.... After a while some of your intrepid explores should give the (LAND AHOY) cry. You will be able to watch them piling out of the ship and staring to build a new home for themselves.The port building is the fist thing they will create.Even if you dont direct them, they will start to clear the area,thus creating timber. You can see how much there is by using port.Cargo command you need 3 units of wood to build something. As soon as this is available use it if you see the natives or a rival port nearby build a fort otherwise warehouses are a useful investment followed quickly by farms.If lots of your men keep sinking in the swamps send somebody to dig the troubled area... The settlers will automatically start a to farm cleared land and you will start to see the produce appearing around your port.Collect in your warehouses... Now you need to sell these goods for that you need a ship-a trader this time get one under construction at the port when it is ready and there is cargo to carry instruct it to trade later when you have lots to trade, build factories to create finished goods you are on your way to economic domination of the world! PAGE 4 HOW TO PLAY THE GAME --------------------------- THESE ARE SEVERAL THINGS YOU SHOULD KEEP TRACK OF DURING THE GAME:::::::::::::::: 1. The state of the world :what has been discoverd and by whom. 2. How well you are doing financially. 3. Your fleet. 4. Yuor ports throughout the world. 5. What the settlers in and arond these ports are up to. 6. The goods which your settlers produce. 7. Your competitors. THE STATE OF THE WORLD ---------------------- ACTIVITY REVIEW(top left corner) Selecting the scroll icon at the top left of the main panel brings up a current affairs report every significant event is recorded here from ships sinking to ports expanding as the scroll turns, However old data disappears from view it is possible to see the last 50 reports by clicking on the up/down arrows.......... MAPS (below the activity review) Below the scroll icon is the map. this brings up a display of the new world by clicking on the small maps to the right you can change between this ,and information on:population density ,an ancient understanding of how the world looks and political control However at the start of the game all that three of the maps will show grey fog indicting that the world beyond the European region(the new world!) is unknown. The fog clears were your ships or settlers have explored. Even when you hit an Island you will not know initialy whether you are on the tip of a great land mass or a small island.When other nations make discoveries you will eventully hear about them too. A delay of two years is inpossed to reflect the speed of the 15th century communication.......... PAGE 5 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY ------------------------- The first map will once the fog has been cleared give you an idea of the type of terrain that you have discoverd it is a genuine topo- graphical map with differnt colours denoting different land heights it is important to build colonies where they can expand easily and where there are plenty of forests which will provide timber for building your first huts.......... POPULATION ---------- Whilst looking for somewhere to settle your people it may be important to see where everyone else has set up camps. This coupled with the other maps should tell you where the best or most important land lies........... PAGE 6 POPULATION(cont) ----------------------- Ancient chart this is the only map which is fully available from the start it shows what people though the land over the hoizon might be like it is only a rough guide so beware if ships get lost they can loose morale mutiny and become pirates THE POLITICAL SCENE ------------------- Inthe race for discovery it is useful to have a map that shows the exact extent of the unknown world an dwhat has been found by which country if one is getting too far ahead you may deem it wise to attack either its colonies or its ships................. COMPETITORS ----------- Cling on the inn icon will show you relative success as compared with that of your opponents each figure in the scene represents one of 5 active competitors the coin in front of them represents 100 gold pieces each a full pile is made up of 10 coins by clicking on a figure you get your spies report on that nation this can tell you the oppents nationality number of ships annual sales last year and even the number of ports..... PAGE 7 LOANS ------------ Capital can be gained through canny trading or by taking out a loan from the bank be careful with loans though even if the interst rates look attractive now a downswing in the ecomony may change rates and you could find yourself disgraced in the debtors PRISON interest is charged mounthly and automatically deducted from your account...... ACCOUNTS -------- The top left of the bank icons allows you to see how effective your trading and general business has been over the years first it displays profit and loss data for the preceding year sales against purchases overheads and interest it also keeps a running total of your profit /loss since the start of the game in the year 1490..... OUTGOINGS --------- This icon is the arrow pointing away from the money pile it lists the ships of your fleet and their costs for upkeep it also displays the buildings in existance in all your ports and what thier maintance costs amount too.............. PRICES ------ The ship & goods icon shows the current market prices of raw materials and finished goods around the world on this display each major trade centre is represented by white circle click on one to have the prices displayed also include is the price that would be fetched by each of the goods if they were sold locally this is accessed with the circle at the extreme left of the screen for more details on how to use this see below PAGE 8 SHIPYARD --------------- This is chosenfrom within the bank the icon displays a ship under construction and a workman with an axe it brings up a selection of of ships of varying size and abilities which may be purchased details of the class of vessel which the pointer is currently on appears at the bottom of the screen clicking on the ship type buys the ship... SHIPS ----- Unsurprisingly these are crucial to the game new land is discoverd by sending out ships(go way never) and trade goods are transported by them there are 8 ships on the market divied into 3 classes each ship is rated in terms of purchase price annual maintance costs gunnery power tonnage and cargo carryable and speed......... TYPE COST UPKEEP GUNS TONNAGE SPEED --------------------------------------------- ADDVENTURER 40 1 2 8 4 60 2 4 12 3 TRADER 30 1 1 20 2 50 2 2 40 2 80 2 4 60 1 100 3 6 80 1 MAN O WAR 150 3 10 15 4 200 4 15 20 3 when you buy a ship it will be allocated a suitable name? PAGE 9 KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR FLEET(the little ship) --------------------------------------------------- It is possible to see all times what any particular ship is doing on the main screen scroll is picture of a ship below is it name of tour currently selected craft and below that this is action the vessel is performing ......... Clicking on the ship gives you more details on the craft and allows you to give it new orders,you can select a new craft for inspection or command in two ways clicking on the two arrows next to the ship icon will step through your fleet one-by-one clicking directly on a ship on the sea or in the port will select it and display its details using the binoculars icon(next to arrows)homes in the currently selected vessel this is a fast way of moving around the discovered world and of locating your fleet......... SHIP COMMANDS ------------- The ship icon gives you a choice of seven actions that you can set your currently vessel to perform... DISCOVER -------- When ships are sent out on a mission of discovery you must specify a direction for them to travel in they do this until an undiscovered land mass of reasonable size is sighted a message will appear informingyou of this event aport is then founded automatically and a settlement can start to grow....... PAGE 10 SHIP COMMANDS(cont) --------------------------- CARGO this icon shows what the craft is carrying it can raw materials finished goods timber or even people........ TRADE this is used to set up a regular trading route for a vvessel it brings up the trading map clicking on city displays its detaials at the bottom of the screen when you find a suitable destination for your vessel right click to escape the trade screen the city you last chose becomes the ships destination to cancel left click over the compass your ship will automatically load up with cargo and sail for the chosen destination it will take cargo that has a high price at the target point the goods are sold in major markets of the old world not at other new settlements so the ship wiil head for Europe you will be able to follow it as far as the aarow/flag indicating the European starting point for your ships it will then continue its journey out of your view. after a time the ship will complete its journey the return ANCHORAGE --------- Once you have clicked on this option you must click again on the port or place that you wish to ship to stop at if anchor at one of your ports a ship refit is automaticaly carried out this repairs damage replaces cannon lostin battle and restores morale. PAGE 11 SHIP COMMANDS(cont) --------------------------- PATROL if there are many traders playing a particular route piates will surely follow this may be the time to protect your ships with a man o war on set patrol route having selected this option you have to click on the main display up to 4 times and exit with a right click the current ship will sail around these points indefinitely... ROUTE ----- By placing markers at certain points in the same way as a patrol is set up it is possible to direct your ships ruote very precisely this may be to avoid the haunts of pirates or just to call in at differant ports along the coastline unlike a patroling craft a ship will stop when it has completed its route.... ATTACK when funds are low you may like raiding a few ships in order to bring in some revenue select this option click on your intended target then sit back and watch as your vessel homes in sea-battles are described in the combat section..... HOSTILE VESSILS the high seas of the 15th century were on place for the faint hearted even when countries were not at war with there neighbours there were always pirates around on the lookout for a heavy laden trading ship these traders were usually lightly armed vessels that could not put up much of a fight.......... MORALE the spirits of a ship crew/settlers must be kept high or trouble will occur if the ship morale dros to 0% then the crew will mutiny take over the ship and raise the jolly roger then they will attack other vessels... PORTS when land is discoverd a port will automatically be established and people off-loaded from your ship the settlers are moved to the port building they emerg from here slowly there is 2 purposes 1. the cleared land is automaticaly turned over to agriculture so supplies of food should soon start to appear...... 2. produce wood which you will need to make buildings ........ PAGE 12 EXAMING YOUR PORTS -------------------------- You can find out exacly is associated with each port by clicking on the port building all the assets will be replaced by flags representing the ports allegiance if you click on an individual building it will be shown as a flag for a short while the port icon appears below the ship icon on the main screen scroll orders and inspection work just as with that section the commands you give the port are differnt to the commands you give to the ship......... CARGO this shows what goods have been produced in the settlement there will only be goods warehouses have been built and have not been sacked by raiders a warehouse con hold up to 32 units of cargo differnt types of goods will be displayed if a fatory has been used to turn the raw materials into finished products you will often get a better price for finished goods than raw materials so it may be worth investing in factories.......... SETTLE this option lets determine the direction in which you would like the settlers from that port to progress by choosing a previously unknown area you can spread up both the development and the exploration......... PUT-MAN this will send a man from the port building outside ready for work if there are no-settlers in the building nothing will happen it is generally used when you need some-one for a specific mission and vthere is no-one out side you can spare......... BUILD there are several types of building which you can construct each brings differnt advantages to the settlement so it useful a good mix of each type these advantages are explained seperatly......... DEMOLISH this can be used to move any object from a church to a port the upkeep of the building is then obviously no longer paid if funds are low and the resources could be better used elsewhere it may be sometimes be necessary to up-root entire settlements and move on.... SHIPYARD when th eoption is chosen a ship type is selection and a vessel built at the port each ship requires 3 units of wood when it is ready you can load up with goods and sail off to start trading........... SELL GOODS this will sell cargo from port locally,local prices tend to be very poor but the cash comes in immediately....... BUILDING a building requires 3 units of wood to create . When you choose the port command build you are given a list of possible buildings having chosen one you must click on the side of the construction after a while a man will appear with a log go to the designated plot of land and after digging the foundations will will use the wood to construct a building........... WAREHOUSE these allow you to store and collected produce if you have no warehouse space the goods cannot be stored so obviosly as your number of warehouses increase the amount of goods that can be stored there does too goodws produced when there is no storage space for them are lost......... FACTORY once you have grown or harvested any produce and stored in the warehouse it is possible to transfer it to a factory where it can be turned into finished goods........ FARM these are vital to long term survivalon the colony..... FORT the construction of a fort should be one of the first jobs for the colonist when the fort is finished it will produce soldiers they prtect the colony from the natives .......... End......................