Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!gatech!linus!mbunix!eachus
From: eachus@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Robert Eachus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: "Empire" game reviewed
Summary: Waking up units on sentry duty.
Keywords: game review conquest wargame
Message-ID: <36334@linus.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jul 88 05:05:03 GMT
References: <5828@xanth.cs.odu.edu>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: eachus@mbunix (Eachus)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Mass.
Lines: 34


     It is possible to "wake-up" units  that are on  sentry duty, even
in cities.   Just enter survey mode,  move the cursor  to the units or
city in  question,  and  type  O.  The  propt  line will say   "Orders
cleared" for far too long, and you are  off  and running.  Remember to
move the cursor  off any of  your pieces (with  the arrow keys) before
clicking on the location you want to clear orders for, since sometimes
the program reads your intent as moving the unit to that destination.

     The  program is burning up  incredible amounts of CPU time around
here, since the kids are out of school,  but the logic in  the machine
opponents   needs lots  of work.   For   example,  it will send  troop
transports out empty,  and use them  to attack enemy   cities.  At the
beginning of  a game  you  get to  choose  the relative production and
cobat efficiencies of  the various opponents.   I   suggest giving the
machine players an  advantage in production  capacity to make  up  for
their  incompetence.   (You  can   go ahead  and  give  them  a combat
advantage if you want, but for me that spoils the game.)

     Human vs. human (with or without a machine opponent) works pretty
well, but I would avoid three person games, as it becomes difficult to
get everyone  together and interested.  My son, daughter,   and myself
have a game which is at turn  150 or so,  and about  25 hours, with no
end in sight.

     All in all  a very good game,  even if it  takes as  much time to
play as Bard's Tale.


					Robert I. Eachus

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