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Centurion "Defender of Rome" by Electronic Arts 1990
Your goal in Centurion is to rule the world and keep the people happy. While
there's no single way to conquer the world, you may want to start by occupying
Alpes.
Special Loading Features
E EGA mode
V VGA mode
M MCGA mode
TANDY Tandy graphics mode
NOSND Disconnect sound driver
PC Play music using the PC speaker
TN Play music using the Tandy speaker
ROLAND Play music using the Roland sound driver
LAPC Play music using the internal Roland sound driver
MT Play music using the Roland MT32 sound driver
AD Play music using the Adlib or SoundBlaster sound driver
ADLIB Play music using the Adlib or SoundBlaster sound driver
K Ignore mouse and use the keyboard only
Example: typing "centurion e mt" would run the game using EGA graphics and
Roland sound.
Selecting Items:
Mouse Users - Use the mouse to move the arrow cursor to an item.
Press a mouse button to select the item. Note: On the Map screen,
the right mouse button is used to move legions.
Keyboard Users - Use the numeric keypad or the cursor keys to move
the arrow cursor to an item. Press ENTER or the SPACEBAR to select
the item. Note: On the Map screen, ENTER is used to move legions.
Special Key Commands on the MAP
While viewing a map:
E End Turn
F Complete fleet list
L Complete legion list
P Complete province list
Q Quit
Music On/Off toggle = Ctrl-S
Enter a Roman Province by moving the cursor to a Roman province and
press the left mouse button or the SPACEBAR.
Moving Legions From the Map
Mouse Users - Move the cursor to a legion and press the right mouse
button. The "ghost" legion icons indicate the provinces you can move
into and the fleets you can board. Point to the province you want
to move into or the fleet you want to board and press a mouse button.
Keyboard Users - Move the cursor to a legion and press ENTER. The "ghost"
legion icons indicate the provinces you can move
into and the fleets you can board. Point to the province you want
to move into or the fleet you want to board and press ENTER
Moving Fleets
Mouse Users - Move the cursor to a fleet and press the left mouse
button. The "ghost" fleet icons indicate the bodies of water you
can move into. Point to the body of water you want to move into and
press a mouse button.
Keyboard Users - Move the cursor to a fleet and press the SPACEBAR .
The "ghost" fleet icons indicate the bodies of water you
can move into. Point to the body of water you want to move into and
press ENTER.
Land Battle
Once you've selected a formation and a tactic, the battle begins.
Directing Individual Units
To give orders to individual units on the battlefield, pause the game by
clicking a mouse button or pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. Now you can direct
any troops within your general's sphere of influence. To select a unit, place
the cursor on the unit and click a mouse button or press ENTER. A small dot
appears on the lower corner of the unit icon and the Unit Status Box appears.
Mouse users - Move the cursor to the small dot, hold down a mouse button, and
drag the movement line in the direction you want the unit to travel.
Once you've determined the direction and distance you want the unit to
travel, release the mouse button.
Keyboard users - Use the numeric keypad to direct the movement line in the
direction you want the unit to move. Once you've determined the
distance you want the unit to travel, press ENTER.
Naval Battle
Once you've slected a flagship, the splash screen appears. Click a mouse button
or press ENTER or the SPACEBAR to begin the battle between your flagships. You
can only fight naval battles using the keyboard. To control your flagship, use
the following keys:
Speed Up
8
Turn left 4 6 Turn right
2
Slow Down
ENTER = Board enemy ship
SPACEBAR or INSERT = Fire catapult
Retreating
To flee a naval battle, move your flagship toward any edge of the screen, or
simply press R. A message will appear asking you if you want to reengage the
battle. Select Yes to continue the battle or No to retreat. If you escape the
enemy, a message will appear telling you which sea you retreated to. Your fleet
automatically retreats with your flagship.
Racing Chariots
Once you've selected Race Now, the charioteers line up at the starting line.
Click a mouse button or press ENTER or the SPACEBAR to begin the race.
Controlling Your Chariot with the Mouse.
Move the mose to the right to steer your chariot toward the outside of teh
track; move the mouse to the left to steer your chariot toward the inside of the
track. Pull back on the mouse to slow donw. To whip your horses, press a mouse
button. If an opponent is off to your left, press the left mouse button to whip
your oppeonent. if he's to your right, press the right mouse button to whip him.
Controlling Your Chariot with the Keyboard
Use the numeric keypad to control your chariot:
Whip Horses
Whip opponent on left 7 8 9 Whip opponent on right
Move left 4 6 Move right
2
Slow Down
PS/2 model 25 and 30 users - Press the up cursor key to whip your horses and the
down cursor key to slow down. Press the left cursor key to move toward
the inside of the track; press the right cursor key to move toward the
outside of the track.
Gladiator Show
Once you've chosen your gladiator and his oppoent, you see the Colosseum. Click
a mouse button or press ENTER or the SPACEBAR to begin combat. You can only
control your gladiator using the keyboard. To control your gladiator, use the
following keys:
High Bock
High Strike 7 8
Move Forward 4 6 Move Back
Low Strike 3 2
Low Block
PS/2 model 25 and 30 users - Use the cursor keys to control your gladiator. To
strike your opponent, you'll have to press two keys at the same time
Right = Move back
Left = Move forward
Up = High block
Down = Low Block
Up + Left = High strike
Down+Left = Low strike
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Italia - The Beginning of an Empire
When the game begins you only control the province of Italia. The
legionnaire standing in Italia marks the single legion you command.
To go to Rome, you must enter the province of Italia.
You start at the rank of Officer. At this rank, you can't raise
more legions or build fleets. And there's little you can do with
the twenty talents in the tresury. The good news is that you can
raise your rank and increase your wealth by adding - and holding
onto - provinces.
FORM ALLIANCES
Winning allies with your tongue is less costly than subduing them
with the sword. When you first move your legion into a province,
you can try to negotiate alliances with your neighbors.
CIVILIZE THROUGH CONQUEST
If the barbarians ignore your diplomats, they may listen to the
legion you brought w/ya. When you go to war, you choose a formation
and a tactic, and then start the fight. During the battle, you can
stop the action and direct individual units or cohorts (groups of
legionnares or cavalry).
FIGHT MARAUDING SCUM
Rome has no lack of enemies. Barbarian tribes from the north invade
Italia looking for easy plunder. from the south, cities like
Carthago send out organized armies in hope of stemming Rome's rise
to power. As a soldier, you're obligated to protect Rome and her
allies from foreign attack.
SMASH ENEMY FLEETS
Once you're high enough rank and you have enough money, you can
build fleets to move legions overseas and fight foreign navies.
RACE THE FAMOUS CIRCUS MAXIMUS
With enought talents you can participate in chariot races in Rome.
Winning can earn you more talents and improve your reputation.
SPILL BLOOD IN THE COLOSSEUM
W/O a doubt, the masses are happier when they're entertained, and
the blood that flows during gladiatorial events is guaranteed to
increase your popularity.
The Game Turn
The game progresses in single year increments or turns. The turn
limits the actions you can take in a year. For example, you can
move or strengthen an individual legion only once per turn. Fleets
can be moved only once per turn, too. To go to the next turn,
select End Turn from the Map.
RANK
You begin at the rank of officer. As you climb in rank, you can
command more legions and the senate grants you new powers.
RANK LEGIONS FLEETS NEW POWERS
---- ------- ------ ----------
Officer 1 0 --
Centurion 2 0 --
Tribune 3 1 Command cavalry legions, fleets
Legatus 4 1 --
General 6 2 --
Praetor 8 2 --
Consul 10 3 Command consular armies
Proconsul 12 3 --
Caesar 12 3 --
INCREASING RANK
In Rome, your reputation determines your success. Your rank in the
military depends on deeds and acts that distinguish you from the
rest of the Roman nobility. As your social status increases, you'll
receive promotions. Doing any of the following increases your
social status:
Adding Provinces - Adding provinces (through conquest or
negotiations) increases your status. Adding provinces that are rich
in resources - Aegyptus, Carthago, Macedonia, Parthia, or Gaul -
brings more honors than adding poorer provinces.
Strengthening Treaties - Your reputation as a trustworthy
administrator also affects your status. Every time an alliance is
strengthened, your reputation improves.
Winning Chariot Races - Backing the right horse makes you look
good. When your team wins a race, you win the people's admiration.
Building an Amphitheater - All levels of Roman society benefit from
an amphitheater. This is a good way to win popular support.
Holding Gladiator Events - Lavish spectacles can increase your
popularity, but only when you fairly judge who should live and who
should die.
Maintaining Rome's Honor - It's your duty to uphold Rome's reputation as a
strong power, reliable ally, and fair administrator. Rome's honor is
tarnished whenever the people in a province become so dissatisfied with
Roman rule that they revolt. Plundering a province also tarnishes the
honor of the empire. You can only plunder a province one. Note: You
can not plunder Italia. While plundering is a quick way to fill up your
coffers, the people you just robbed don't appreciate it. And once other
countries witness Roman exploitation, they may be less willing to roll
out the welcome mat when your diplomats come knocking.
Losing Social Status
Your reputation suffers whenever you lose a battle, fail at a game,
weaken an alliance, or fail to protect an ally from foreign attack.
But though your social status can weaken, you can never be demoted
to a lower rank.
Becoming Caesar
Conquering all the provinces in the world is not enough to achieve
the ultimate rank of Caesar - after all, Roman emperors were
worshipped as gods. To become Caesar, you must also win the respect
and love of the people by sponsoring games and races, strengthening
alliances, and maintaining Rome's honor.
Strengthen Legion - Recruiting soldiers to strengthen a legion requires talents.
The cost is proportionate to raising a legion. For example, let's say 20% of
your infantry legion (840 solidiers) was lost in battle. To strengthen the
legion back to its max, you'd pay 20% of the cost of raising an entirely new
legion (.2x20 talents = 4 talents). However, the no. of soldiers you actually
recruit may be limited by the man power in the province.
LEGION SPECIFICATIONS
You can command 3 types of armies depending upon your rank: infantry legions,
cavalry legions, and consular armies.
TYPE MAX Infantry MAX Cavalry
---- ------------ -----------
Infantry 4200 ---
Cavalry 4200 300
Consular 6000 600
Difficulty Levels
The difficutly level set under the Game Options menu affects how the soldiers
are divided into cohorts. At the lowest difficulty level, there are more
soldiers per cohort. While this gives you fewer cohorts on the field, it
actually works to your advantage - the more soldiers you have per unit, the less
likely they are to panic under attack. Higher difficulty levels give you cohorts
that are less resistant to direct assaults, which places a greater emphasis on
wise tactical use of our units. The following table shows you the max no. of
soldiers per unit at each difficulty level:
Diffuculty Level Infantry Cohorts Cavalry Cohorts
---------------- ---------------- ---------------
Galley Slave 500/cohort 150/cohort
Legionnaire 400/cohort* 150/cohort
Senator 350/cohort* 150/cohort
Emperor 350/cohort* 150/cohort
* At all difficulty levels, consular armies at full strength have
500 soldiers/infantry cohort.
The difficulty level also affects your enemies' courage - the harder the level,
the more courageous your enemies will be.
Cohorts
Infantry Cohorts Elephant Cohorts Cavalry Cohorts
---------------- ---------------- ---------------
Speed: slow Speed: Good Speed: Fast
Size: 1-500 soldiers Size: 20 elephants Size: 1-150 equestrians
GENERALS
The general directs and motivates his army. Each general has leadership
qualities that effect his ability to command: voice, charisma, and sphere
of influence. To see a general's leadership qualities, select his unit.
Voice - The range of the general's control over his cohorts. Voice is the
numeric equivalent of teh general's sphere of influence. A
general's voice can range from 8 (small range) to 18 (great range).
Charisma - As a leader, the general inspires his troops and increases their
courage. Units w/in the general's sphere of influence won't panic
as easily as units outside of his direct control. If a general
falls in battle, many troops may panic and leave the field - a
disaster for any army.
Sphere of Influence - The general can only direct units w/in his sphere of
influence. Troops outside his sphere of influence act only on the
Tactic orders chosen before the battle, or on any Melee or Retreat
command you've given them since the battle started (however, they
will attack enemy units in their path and defend themselves when
necessary.)
LAND BATTLE
When you fight the soldiers of a province, you're actually reducing the
available manpower of the province. You may want to kill as few enemy
soldiers as possible so that, once you add the province to your empire,
there will be more soldiers to recruit. On the other hand, if you're
worried about a rebellion in the province, you may wnat to kill as many
soldiers as possible to decrease the number of soldiers the rebels can
field.
Choose a Formation and Tactic
Once you've chosen to go to war, you must meet the enemy on the field. At
the prompts, select a formation and tactic for your legion. These are the
preliminary orders for your cohorts. Once you've chosen a tactic, the
battle begins.
Pausing the Battle
You can pause the battle in order to direct individual units or review the
courage status of any unit on the field.
Checking Unit Status
Once the battle is paused you can check the status of each unit on the
field. To check a unit's status, select the unit. The unit status box
appears, giving you critical info about the unit's current strength and
courage.
You can check the status of an enemy unit (or a friendly unit outside your
general's sphere of influence) by moving the cursor to the unit and holding
down the action button.
Reviewing Orders
If you want to review the current orders for the whole army, pause the
battle and select 'Select Roman Unit'.
Melee
To order a unit to move and attack the nearest enemy, select a unit, and
then select Melee. If you want all units to eelee (even those outside your
general's sphere of influence), select Melee w/o specifying any particular
unit. This "releases the Roman legion" - every unit in your will move to
the nearest enemy unit and attack.
Note: When you release the legion, the army will proceed to slaughter with
reckless abandon. Melee doesn't produce a very systematic defeat of the
enemy and can very well lead to your defeat if initiated too early. On the
other hand, melee is a handy way to get units outside of your general's
sphere of influence to move and attack. Note: You can give new orders to
a unit in melee; but once you give it new orders, the unit is no longer in
melee mode.
Retreat
To order a unit to retreat, select the unit, and then select Retreat. A unit
will continue retreating until it's off the field or until you give it new
orders. If you want all units to retreat (even those outside your general's
sphere of influence), select Retreat w/o specifying any particular unit. Note:
If you're protecting a Roman province from a marauding army and you order your
entire army off the field, the people of the region will rise up and annihilate
your army.
SCIPIO'S BATTLE NOTES
Flanking
A cohort marches w/shields and weapons forward, making its flanks (sides)
and rear vulnerable to attack. Flanking is attacking a unit at one of
these vulnerable points. Whenever possible, you want to move your units
into positions to flank enemy units.
Doubling Up
When two cohorts are attacking, their combined strength is thrown at the
enemy. "Double Up" on enemy units wherever you can.
Routing
From a purely tactical standpoint, routing an enemy unit( making it flee
the battle field) is just as good as destroying it; after all, a panicked
enemy unit poses no threat to you. Once you rout an enemy unit, you may
turn your attacking cohort(s) on another enemy unit.
Defense vs. Offense
Defense is easier than offense. Units that are set ( that is, not moving)
having an advantage over units that are moving - the defending unit can
inflict damage just before an approaching enemy unit closes in. If there
isn't a tactical advantage to moving a unit forward to meet the enemy, let
it stand where it is.
Calalry
Because of their speed and power, cavalry cohorts are the most effective
units on the field. A flank attack from a calalry unit is deadly.
Elephants
The Romans discovered that the sheer size and strangeness of elephants were
enough to set ranks of men and horses in disorder. Troops are more likely
to panic the 1st time they face elephants. Once a legion has soldiers who
are veterans of battles w/elephants, their courage when facing these beasts
goes up. Elephants are well-armored toward the fromt but can be
effectively attacked from the flanks and rear. A panicked elephant unit
will behave erratically, often turning on its own troops in its attempt to
flee the field.
Generals
A cohort's courage may drop when its general falls in battle. If the
cohort's courage drops to Panicked, the cohort will flee the field. To
keep your army's courage up, don't let your general move into a position
where the enemy can attack him. At the same time, take advantage of any
opportunity to destroy the enemy's general.
SHIPS
The Romans armed their warships with catapults and ballistae or large arrow
launchers. In addition, each ship had a large ram fixed to the prow of the
ship which could be used to punch a hole in the enemy's hull just below the
surface of the water. In Centurion, there are three types of warships that
vary in speed, size, and durability:
Triremes Quinquereme Galleon
Speed: Fast Speed: Good Speed: Slow
Durability: Weak Durability: Good Durability: Strong
Size: Holds 50 Size: Holds 100 Size: Holds 200
foot soldiers foot soldiers foot soldiers
You need to place soldiers on your ships in order to make your
fleet an effective weapon. To man your ships with legionnaires,
move a legion or army onto the fleet. Your ships can carry cavalry
units, too (although cavalry units don't give you any advantages
when fighting naval battles). Cavalry units take up more room
onboard - one equestrain requires the room of four foot soldiers.
Though the size of your fleet is important, the kinds of ships you
have is critical.
The Flagship
If you have more than one type of ship in your fleet, you must select a
flagship before the battle begins. Each type of ship has it's advantages
and disadvantages when acting as your flagship.
If no legion is aboard your fleet, your flagship will be manned by a
skeleton crew of one-half the maximum ship capacity; with a legion, your
flagship will have the maximum number of soldiers it can carry.
SEA BATTLE
When you fight a sea battle, you actually controll only your flagship. As
you fight the enemy's flagship, your fleet's morale rises or falls w/your
progress. There are two things to watch during a sea battle - your
progress against the enemy flagship, and how well your fleet is fighting.
Here's the scoop on the Sea Battle status line:
/-> 7 ships 9 <- \
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> / 100 men 100 \ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
Strength of / / \ \ Strength of
enemy flagship / / \ \ your flagship
/ / \ \
/ / | \
# of enemy # of men aboard | # of your
ships left enemy ships left | ships left
not counting | not counting
the flagship | the flagship
|
# of men aboard
your ships left
Catapults and Arrows
The catapult only fires in a straight line from the bow of the ship. The
soldiers on board your ship automatically launch arrow whenever your ship
comes in range of the enemy. If all the men on your ship die, arrows will
no longer be launced - the catapult crew, however, will continue to fire
when ordered to.
Ramming
To ram, simply steer the ram on the prow of the ship into the enemy's ship.
The heavier your ship and the faster you're going, the more damage you'll
do.
Boarding
You can lower the boarding ramp anytime during combat. If the ramp makes
contact w/the enemy flagship, your legions automatically board and hand-to
hand combat ensues. If the ramp doesn't make contact, it will automatically
be raised.
Chariot Races
Skulduggery
Select an option to bribe an opponent, hire a physician, or invoke
the help of the gods (to cheat).
Bet
Select an option to increase or decrease the amount of your bet.
The max bet is 100 talents. The betting odds are always a min. of
1-1. Medium and heavy chariots are more difficult to master, so the
odds are increased to 2-1 for medium and 3-1 for heavy chariots.
Note: Every time you win, the odds go down, and every time you lose
badly (3rd or 4th), the odds go up - max. odds are 5-1.
You must circle the track 3 times to complete the race. Whenever
you finish a lap, one of the fish on the lap counter flips up. The
finish line appears when one chariot completes two circles around
the track.
Watch out for the turns. The red speed limit line marks the max
speed you can be going when you enter the turn. If you're going too
fast, your chariot will break apart. The closer you are to the
outside track, the higher your speed limit and the faster you can
take the turn. Note, however, that the inside of the turn is
shorter - even though you can't go fast on the inside of the turn,
you may get around the bend quicker.
H = Horse's energy
C = Chariot durability
GLADIATOR SHOWS
Select Gladiators
Select the gladiator you want to control, and then select how much
you want to pay for training. Now select the gladiator you want to
compete against and his level of training. once you've chosen your
combatants, the fight begins.
In the Arena
As you fight, the crowd's pleasure will rise and fall with the
blood, gore, and action in the arena. The more wild swinging and
good blocks, the more the crowd likes it. The spectators don't like
to feel cheated, so drag out the carnage as long as you can but
avoid moments where there's no action. When a gladiator falls, you
get to judge whether he live or dies. Select "thumbs up" if the
gladiator gave the people a decent fight; select "thumbs down" if
the worthless dog dropped too quickly.
If the crowd agreed with your ruling, the pleasure bar will rise.
If they thought you judged poorly, the pleasure bar will fall.
Painstakedly typed in by
Scorpion <20>
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