Celestial Caesarism
Object:
To explore as much of the grid as possible.
To gain control of as many planets as possible.
Winner:
The player with the largest score.
To Begin:
Press the N or R keys to start a New game or Restore an old one. If you
select the restore game option you will return to your game at the point
it was saved.
Enter the number of players (1-4).
Enter the name of each player.
Your name will be used to inform you of your turn.
If there is only one player the ST will enter its name and be your opponent.
If there is more than one player and fewer than four you have the option of
letting the ST play as an opponent.
Press the Y or N keys to display enemy ships in your territory.
Press the Y or N keys to limit ship production on neutral planets.
If you limit ship production, no unowned planet will be able to produce more
than 30 ships.
Enter the number of turns you wish to play.
2 players - 10 turns - approximately 1 hour.
4 players - 10 turns - approximately 2 hours.
2 players - 20 turns - approximately 2 hours.
4 players - 20 turns - approximately 4 hours.
After all information is entered, a grid will be displayed with a player's name at the top.
All other players must leave the area.
To Play:
1. To begin your turn, place the mouse finger within the name box and press the left mouse
button. The grid will open to display the area known by you. Planets are color-coded in the
following manner:
Green - Controlled by you.
Yellow - Neutral planet.
Red - Controlled by an opponent.
If you have a fleet exploring a grid area, it is represented as a small green triangle.
If you selected yes to show enemy ships, they are represented by a small red triangle.
at the top of the screen will be displayed the number of ships you have, the number of
planets you control and your current score. Your score is determined as follows:
Planets controlled - 500 points each.
Area of grid explored - 50 points each.
Ships you have - 10 points each.
2. To explore or conquer an area, place the mouse cross-hair on the square you wish to
send ships from and press the left mouse button. A message will be displayed in the lower bar,
informing you of the number of ships available in that area. If there are no ships available or
that area is not controlled by you a message to that effect will be displayed.
3. Assign a destination to the ships by pointing the mouse cross-hair to a grid square and
press the left mouse button. The number of turns (ETA) required to reach that grid square
will be displayed on the right of the bar.
If you choose the same destination square as the source square, the move will be cancelled.
This feature can be used to determine how many ships you have in each area that is under
your control.
4. Once a destination square is chosen you must decide how many ships to send. To increase
the number of ships sent, point the finger to the up arrow and press the left mouse button -
to decrease the number, point to the down arrow and press the mouse button. After the
number of ships you wish to send has been decided, point the finger to the SEND SHIPS
square and press the left mouse button. Sending zero ships will cancel the move.
5. Repeat steps 2 thru 4 as often as you wish or until all possible ships are sent. If you
send all of the ships available in an area, the ship symbol is still displayed until your next
turn.
6. To end your turn press the right mouse button. You will be asked to confirm that you wish
to end your turn. You can do so by pressing the right mouse button again. At the end of your
turn the next player's name will be displayed, call for that player to return and then that player
can enter his secret orders.
Movement-Battle Phase:
After all players have entered their orders the movement - battle phase will begin.
Call all players into the area and place the mouse finger in the top bar and press the left mouse
button.
As each order is executed the player's name and an order message is displayed. When a planet or
enemy fleet is encountered the attacking player's name is displayed along with the number of
attacking and defending ships. Also the efficency rating of each fleet is displayed.
if the player wishes to proceed with the battle, he presses the left mouse button and the
battle ensues. The results of each hitting shot are displayed on the screen. The attacking
player can retreat at any time from the battle by PRESSING AND HOLDING the right mouse button.
If the attacker retreats he loses 10% of his forces and the ships disappear from play for one to
four turns. When they reappear it will be at the point from which they were first sent.
After movement and battle orders are completed you are allowed to save the game in progress
or to continue play. If you continue, each planet builds its allotted number of ships. Every
player's home planet builds 15 ships. Neutral and captured planets build 3 to 6 ships. After
the building phase, the players are again able to enter new secret orders for the ships
available.
At the end of each 5 turns a status report is displayed for all players to see so they can
compare their performances.
Hints - Tips:
Do not leave your home planet unprotected. Because of its high ship production it would be a
great prize for an opponent.
If you attack a fleet of an opponent it has 1 1/2 times the fire power as the number of ships
in the fleet. (A fleet of 20 ships fires 30 times.) If you attack an opponent's planet, the fire
power is twice the number of ships currently on that planet. A force field is also present and
two hits are required to eliminate one ship. Therefore, you must have a fleet twice the size
of an opponent's to have a somewhat even chance of success in conquering his planet.
Use one or two ship fleets to explore areas. Explore as much of the grid as early in the game
as possible. Find all of the planets close to your home planet and send fleets to conquer them
as soon as possible. Neutral planets also build ships on each turn making them very hard to
conquer later in the game.
Ships can travel up to 3 squares in any direction in one turn. This will allow for exploration
of a rather large area on each turn. Try to avoid sending ships on long expeditions which
require 3 or more turns as this ties up your ships for long periods of time with no assurance
of the results.
Watch the grid during movement phases to get an idea of the location of your opponents.