ERGON
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Ergon is a futuristic strategy game
for two players. The playing area
represents a new planet on which each
player is trying to establish a
colony, and the objective is to ensure
that your colony survives by
destroying your opponent's
headquarters.
The game can be played using either
one or two joysticks. To use one
joystick, press the fire button on the
stick in the joystick port. To use
two, press fire on the stick in the
mouse port.
You start the game with a headquarters
and three units. New units can be
built if you have sufficient energy
and resources. Your headquarters
produces 1 resource and 2 energy each
turn, and installations can be built
to produce more.
All options are selected using the
joystick. At the beginning of the turn
you will have up to three options.
PASS is always available. USE UNIT is
available as long as you have at least
one unit. BUILD UNIT is available if
you have an unoccupied factory (your
headquarters counts as a factory) and
enough energy and resources to build
at least the cheapest unit. Once you
select an option you will be asked to
choose an appropriate unit or
installation on the board.
USE UNIT: All units can move, so the
MOVE option will always be available.
Units which have ranged fire will also
have a FIRE option. Other options are
available for certain units.
Movement: Movement is controlled by
the joystick. Units cannot move
through squares occcupied by friendly
units. If you move onto an enemy unit,
an assault will take place - whichever
unit loses will be destroyed. If you
move onto an enemy installation, you
will attack the installation. If you
lose, your unit will retreat; if you
win you take over the installation.
Both units and installations get a
defence bonus from their terrain.
Woods and hills have good defence and
rivers have some defence - plain
squares have none.
Firing: When you choose FIRE, the unit
will fire in the direction it is
facing. The first unit within range
(friendly or enemy) will take damage.
The Bombard fires a special shot which
ignores units and affects instal-
lations instead.
Build Bridge: The Spider will have
this option if it is on a river
square. Only Spiders, Gorgons and
Goliaths can cross the river without a
bridge.
Clear Woods: Also the Spider, this
option is available when the unit is
on a wooded square. There's not much
reason to remove woods in your own
half of the board, but it's very
useful for annoying your opponent if
you can get into his half.
Lay Mine: The Gorgon can lay mines on
any square except those occupied by
bridges or installations. Any unit
(except another Gorgon) which moves
onto the mines will be destroyed. If a
Gorgon moves onto mines, they will be
removed and the Gorgon will end its
move.
Build Installations: The Goliath can
build three types of installation:
Energy Plants, Resource Centres and
Factories. The Goliath is used up in
building the installation. Energy
plants produce energy, and are best
placed on hills or rivers. Resource
centres produce resources but use 1
unit of energy each - if you don't
have enough energy, they will not
produce. They are best placed in
forests or on hills. Factories are
used to build new units and give you
two advantages. One is that you don't
have to leave your headquarters
unguarded. the other is that if you
can build a factory near the river,
slow units can get into the battle
that much quicker.
BUILD UNIT: Each unit costs a certain
amount of energy and resources to
build. When you choose this option you
will first be asked to select which
factory you want to use, then you will
see a display of all 12 unit types. As
you move over each unit type its cost
is shown, in white if you can afford
it or red if you can't.
UNIT TYPES:
TANKS: There are three sizes of tank,
and while the all have different
stats, they all have a good balance of
gun, movement, armour and assault.
TANK KILLERS: Each of these has a
better gun than the equivalent tank,
but lower armour and assault.
MOSQUITO: This scout car has the
highest movement in the game and also
has a reasonable assault, but is light
and unarmed.
JUGGERNAUT: This assault vehicle has
the same gun as a light tank but the
same assault as a heavy tank.
SPIDER: The Spider is used to build
bridges and clear woods. It is unarmed
but has average move, armour and
assault.
GORGON: The Gorgon is used to lay and
remove mines. The Gorgon is unarmed
but has good assault.
GOLIATH: The Goliath is used to build
intallations and is not much good for
anything else. Don't let enemy units
get close enough to assault it!
However, it is quite large and can
survive a couple of shots if
necessary.
BOMBARD: As mentioned in the firing
section, the Bombard fires a special
shell for destroying intstallations.
Again, this is a very specialised
vehicle and will need protection if
you send it into enemy territory.
ENDING THE GAME: By the time you've
read all this you've probably
forgotten the objective of the game! A
player wins by either destroying or
capturing the opponent's headquarters.