User manual SEGA PC GAMES ROME: TOTAL WAR (3 OF 3)

[. . . ] RTW_PC_rv7_60toEnd. qxd 12/13/05 7:06 PM Page 59 Activision CLIENT Rome Total War PC Manual PROJECT TITLE 08. 09. 04 DATE 100% % OF SIZE SHOWN RTW_PC FILE NAME ACT-ROME-MN1 JOB CODE 4. 5" x 6. 875" SIZE R7 section 3 FINAL CONCEPT NUMBER IGNITED MINDS 4499 Glencoe Avenue Marina del Rey, California 90292 T 310. 754. 3210 F 310. 754. 3204 www. ignitedminds. com 59 RTW_PC_rv7_60toEnd. qxd 12/13/05 7:06 PM Page 60 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. · Use the < and > (comma and period) keys to form a line of units and change its facing. [. . . ] 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). 66 67 RTW_PC_rv7_60toEnd. qxd 12/13/05 7:06 PM Page 68 How to Deal with Ambushes Ambushes--when you're the ambusher--are much like any other battle, but hopefully rather one-sided in your favor!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. 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! · 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. · A friendly army that's led by a general will be independent and under computer AI control during the battle. An independent army like 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: Failed Ambushes It's possible that an ambushing army will not "get the drop" on an enemy. 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. [. . . ] Or join a game that's ready to play. Joining a Game Once you`ve decided to join an existing game, you're committed to the setup selected by the hosting player. Once you've made your choice on each screen, click on the continue button in the lower right-hand corner. Until all players have completed their choices, you'll see a "Waiting for. . . " message on-screen. When all players are ready, the multiplayer game moves on to the next part of setup or into battle itself! After a Battle When a battle is concluded, you'll see a report on how well or badly you fared, and then be returned to the Lobby. Chat At the bottom of all multiplayer screens is the chat area. [. . . ]