___ ___ - ---___- ,, - -_, , (' || || ( ~/|| ' || (( || ||/\\ _-_ ( / || \\/\\ _-_ \\ _-_ \\/\\ =||= (( || || || || \\ \/==|| || || || || || \\ || || || (( // || || ||/ /_ _|| || || || || ||/ || || || -____- \\ |/ \\,/ ( - \\, \\ \\ \\,/ \\ \\,/ \\ \\ \\, _/ ___ _ - -_, , /\ - - /, /, ( ~/|| || || )/ )/ ) _ ( / || ,._-_ =||= /'\\ =||= )__)__) < \, ,._-_ \/==|| || || || || || ~)__)__) /-|| || /_ _|| || || || || || ) ) ) (( || || ( - \\, \\, \\, \\,/ \\, /-_/-_/ \/\\ \\, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Strategy Guide ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revision : v1.09 Last Updated : May 25, 2008 Written by : John Lahmy (the-ancient-art-of-war@googlegroups.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- __________ DISCLAIMER The aim of this FAQ is to inform the public about "The ancient art or war". It is purely for informational purposes and the author of the FAQ accepts no responsibility for any harm or damage caused to anyone or anything because of the content of this FAQ. _________ COPYRIGHT This article is copyright 2001, by John Lahmy. All rights reserved. You are granted the following rights : I. To make copies of this work in original form, so long as the copies are exact, include the copyright notice and give obvious credit to the author. II. To distribute this work in any form, as long as you do not charge a fee for copying or for distribution and you request permission of the authors if you wish to distribute it within a magazine, piece of computer software or other commercial media. ________ CONTENTS .1. - Chapter 1 - (Introduction) .1-1. - Introduction .1-2. - About the FAQ .1-3. - Revision History .1-4. - Getting the FAQ .1-5. - Submissions to the FAQ .1-6. - Acknowledgments .2. - Chapter 2 - (About "The ancient art of war") .2-1. - What is "The ancient art of war" ? .2-2. - Is "The ancient art of war" available on any other platforms ? .2-3. - Who are Evryware ? .2-4. - Has Evryware written any other games ? .2-5. - Does Evryware have an official FTP site or web page ? .3. - Chapter 3 - (The different releases of "The ancient art of war") .3-1. - How many different releases of "The ancient art of war" have there been ? .3-2. - What's the difference between them ? .3-3. - Where can I find the latest patch ? .3-4. - Where can I get the playable demo ? .3-5. - Are there any editors ? .3-6. - Are there any places to download additional campaigns ? .3-7. - Are there any utilities ? 3-8. - What are the copy protection type for PC version ? .4. - Chapter 4 - (Hints, tips, cheats) .4-1. - Built-in cheat codes in "The ancient art of war" .4-2. - What are the differences between the black and the white ? .4-3. - General information .4-4. - Soldier type and status .4-5. - How to get started ? .4-6. - Tips from the players .5. - Chapter 5 - (Campaign by campaign walkthrough) .5-1. - The race for the flags .5-2. - The battle of Pharsalus .5-3. - The contest of the gods .5-4. - Sherwood forest .5-5. - The elusive spy .5-6. - Custer's last stand .5-7. - The rivalry .5-8. - A tale of three island .5-9. - Wu -vs- Ch'u .5-10. - War in the mountains .5-11. - Islands of doom .6. - Chapter 6 - (Bugs, problems, troubleshooting) .6-1. - List .6-2. - How do I slow down the game on my computer ? .7. - Chapter 7 - (Additional material) .7-1. - Where can I get Sun Tzu's art of war ? .7-2. - Where can I find some screenshots ? -+-------------+- ++ Chapter One ++ (Introduction) -+-------------+- # -=1-1=- Introduction Welcome to "The ancient art of war" Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Strategy guide. Back in 1985, in a university, the IT teacher was upset of seeing his students playing "Space Invader" or "Sopwith Camel" during its lessons break on the brand new IBM PC the university just bought. One day, he came with a 5 1/4 disk and said : "you 'd better look at this game instead of wasting your time, this is something else ...". This is how he created a computer game addict and a great fan of this game... With this FAQ, I would like to thank this teacher, this university, the abandonware community and the game designers Dave and Barry Murry. I would also like to find other fans of this game, and exchange campaigns. The aim of this FAQ is to tell you as much as possible about AAOW, anything from the various releases and the add-ons available to the cheat codes and tips on playing. # -=1-2=- About the FAQ This FAQ is written and edited by John Lahmy. Most material in it, has been written and/or compiled by me. Any information that I have not written is by one of the people listed in section 1-6 : acknowledgements. # -=1-3=- Revision History v0.50 December 20, 2000 - first draft v1.00 February 07, 2001 - first internet posting v1.01 February 13, 2001 - credits added and presentation improved v1.02 March 15, 2001 - Macintosh and misc. information added v1.03 May 19, 2001 - More Mac and apple 2 information added v1.04 July 12, 2001 - Some more precise info about the spy v1.05 July 28, 2001 - Keyboard trick for PC version under Windows v1.06 September 9, 2001 - Copy protection type for PC versions v1.07 March 6, 2002 - Speed + credits v1.08 July 26, 2003 - Game bugs v1.09 May 25, 2008 - Re-edited for gamefaqs 80 char width # -=1-4=- Getting the FAQ "The ancient art of war" FAQ is available at : "The ancient art of war" fan page (http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow) # -=1-5=- Submissions to the FAQ If you have any information you wish to add to the FAQ then please send it to the-ancient-art-of-war@googlegroups.com. Please note that any text sent to me for use in the FAQ becomes my property to change and edit as I wish. Full credit will be given to the writer in the acknowledgements section (1-6). If you have written a program to enhance AAOW in some way or campaigns, then please send it via e-mail. # -=1-6=- Acknowledgements Thanks to all these people without whom this FAQ wouldn't have been possible : The Murry brothers - for being precursors and giving us such a different game in those times. Broderbund - for publishing such a good game. Claude Martins - for the ASCII logo and additional campaigns. Freek Dijkstra - for some hints and cheats. Jeff Kang - for the FAQ layout. Chang Farn Wai - for additional info concerning the spy. Sarinee - the webmaster of the Home Of The Underdogs for his great site and dedication to bringing good games back to life. Anders/Thegreenmac - the webmaster of the Macintosh garden site for bringing the mac version on line. Serotonin - for the keyboard trick for PC version under Windows. John Stevens - for the non copy protected VGA version and the manuals. The people who write about AAOW in the news. The Mobygames web site. ** If anyone was left out then let me know and you'll be put on the list. -+-------------+- ++ Chapter Two ++ (About "The ancient art of war") -+-------------+- # -=2-1=- What is "The ancient art of war" ? Before "Age of empires" in 1997 ..., before "Warcraft" in 1994 ...,before "Dune 2" in 1992 ..., was "The ancient art of war" in 1984. "The ancient art of war" is arguably the first computer real time strategy game. It was written by Dave and Barry Murry from Evryware and published by Broderbund. As the webmaster of the Home Of The Underdogs puts it : Before Dave Murry and Barry Murry designed "The ancient art of war", best-selling war games like SSI's "Kampfgruppe" bear no resemblance to best-selling strategy games like "M.U.L.E.". "The ancient art of war" united the two camps in one masterful stroke. Here, at last, is a war game that war gamers would enjoy for the excellent engine. Implementing tactics based on Sun Tzu's words becomes the key to victory. Strategy gamers were drawn to the game for its colorful graphics and intuitive command interface. The game, like chess, is simple to learn, yet hard to master. In 1989 Broderbund released the EGA/VGA version of the original classic, leaving the engine intact. See for yourself why I think good games never die. You can read on MobyGames : "The ancient art of war" is a breakthrough product that introduced several forward-thinking game elements that still exist in today's products. As a real-time strategy game, you couldn't just sit on your laurels and think for hours; the enemy was moving and thinking at the same time you were. As a result, the faster you moved at thinking and manipulating your battalions, the better a chance you stood against the computer. "The ancient art of war" also included a play field editor. This extended the playability infinitely, since you could introduce new battlefields to the computer opponents if you'd mastered them all. You can even write a description of your scenario -- which is printed on on-screen parchment -- and give your scenarios to friends. The graphics in "The ancient art of war" are effective, and there are a lot of them. Zooming in on a battle to control your troops reveals several nicely drawn backgrounds. Finally, there are eight computer opponents. Each has a different style of playing. Absorbing, simple to understand, clever, and engaging, "The ancient art of war" is a must have experience for any serious war gamers. What would you like me to add after all this ? ;-) For such an old and apparently simple game, it has a numerous tactical components that I have not seen in many current strategy games. Br›derbund has been a company that has always released good software, and this one may be the ancestor of all real time strategy (RTS) games. # -=2-2=- Is "The ancient art of war" available on any other platforms ? "The ancient art of war" was available for the PC, Macintosh and apple 2. # -=2-3=- Who is Evryware ? Evryware was created by three siblings. Dave Murry focuses on the programming aspects, Barry Murry creates the music and some art, and Dee Dee Murry creates most of the artwork. Currently the group is working on other "non game related" projects. # -=2-4=- Has Evryware written any other games ? Evryware has produced sequels to "The ancient art of war". Those are "The ancient art of war in the seas" and "The ancient art of war" in the skies. Other games includes "Manhunter : New York" and "Manhunter : San Fransisco". More recently you will find "Pyrosaurus", "Spacekids" and "Spacedude". Their first one was "Sierra Championship Boxing". # -=2-5=- Does Evryware have an official FTP site or web page ? They have one at www.evryware.com. -+---------------+- ++ Chapter Three ++ (The different releases) -+---------------+-. # -=3-1=- How many different releases of "The ancient art of war" have there been on the market ? For the PC there are two different versions publicly released : the CGA version in 1984, the VGA version in 1989. The game has also been released for the apple 2 and the Macintosh. Having now all the different versions, I have seen that the CGA PC version indicates 1984 on the screen. The Macintosh goes for 1985. The apple 2 mentions 1989. This last date is still a question for me. What was the logic of releasing an apple 2 version in 1989 ? # -=3-2=- What are the differences between them ? The PC and apple2 versions are very similar. You have a better graphic resolution with the PC CGA (320*200 pixels with 4 colors), but the apple 2 (280*192 pixels 6 colors) has more realistic colors. The Macintosh classic has a resolution of 512 *342 pixels but black and white colors only. The mouse did not existed in those times for the apple 2 and the PC. So you can expect some difference with the Mac. In my opinion, the Mac version could have been way better. I have not noticed any AI difference. # -=3-3=- Where can I find the latest patch ? There is none. # -=3-4=- Where can I get "The ancient art of war" playable demo ? There is none. The game is now considered abandonware. You can download the PC versions at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow http://www.theunderdogs.org You can download the apple 2 version at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/games/ You can download the Macintosh version at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow http://mac.theunderdogs.org/ # -=3-5=- Are there any editors ? A campaign editor is included in the game. # -=3-6=- Are there any places to download additional campaigns ? For the PC, you can download some at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow For the Mac, you can download some at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow http://www.jagshouse.com/system6_games.html Yes, you can play a campaign disk with DOSBox ! # -=3-7=- Are there any utilities ? There is "TitleEdit" for the Mac. This small utility from Bruce E. Jacobs enables you to rename your campaign title. It is included in the campaign 3 disk for Mac in the *.DSK file at http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow. # -=3-8=- What are the copy protection type for PC version ? For the CGA version, it was a disk protection format. Nolock from Central Point software needed to be used. Then came the patch ... For the VGA version, it was a manual protection based. -+--------------+- ++ Chapter Four ++ (Hints, tips, cheats) -+--------------+- # -=4-1=- Cheat codes in "The ancient art of war" There is no "built in" cheats. # -=4-2=- What are the differences between the black and the white ? None. As a player you will always be the white army against the computer black army. # -=4-3=- General information We will start with the different ground types. They influence how quick you can move and battle's conditions. Grass This is the easiest place to be in. No risk of losing soldiers if they are in good condition. This is of course here than you move the fastest. Forest This is a good place for archers to attack and escape. The risk of losing soldiers depends on the rules (spare/dense). Soldiers move faster than in mountains. Water The place to avoid. The risk of losing soldiers depends on the rules (shallow and calm/deep but calm/deep and dangerous). Most of the time this is not the shortest way to go. Hill The place to be on when defending. You have to be strong when attacking opponents on a hill or use archers. Otherwise is like grass. Mountain A place to avoid as much as possible for knights. The risk of losing soldiers depends on the rules (low and safe/high but safe/high and risky). Movement too. It is not the always the shortest way to go. We will now take a look at the different construction types. Village The strategic interest of a village depends on the rules you chose : - village supply food or not (if not, the village has no tactical interest at all) - fort supply food or not (the village is not such a big importance if forts supply food too) - food supply is long medium or short (the shorter the supply is, the most tactical interest a village has, unless you are a blitzkrieg guy) This food management is, I think, what makes this game different from war games and the precursor of the RTS games. Food supply is based on the distance from a friendly village. If a squad's supply line is cut off by the enemy, that squad's food-supply status will begin to decline, and its condition will begin to deteriorate as a result. I have never been able to figure out if there was any difference in having a battle in a village or the on grass. Fort Forts are important. The strategic interest of a fort depends on the rules you chose : - village supply food or not (if yes then lesser tactical interest) - fort supply food or not (big importance if village don't supply food) - food supply is long medium or short (the shorter the supply is, the most tactical importance it has, unless you are a blitzkrieg guy). You need to "own" one fort minimum because you only receive additional soldiers in forts. You get reinforcements, but you can't choose what kind of. I think it is random, but it seems that when I have no archer in the fort that is supplying the reinforcement, there are then good chances that I will get archers. Attacking a fort without archers in the attacking group is useless ... (unless there are no enemy archer in the fort). Symmetrically, you should always have archers in a fort ; otherwise you are not protected by the walls. Bridge They are usually a bottleneck, and as such, should be controlled. The best way to do it is to place archers just after the bridge. They are deadly against their opponents coming on the bridge. # -=4-4=- Soldier type and status Let's see the different soldier types and status. Soldier type You have some barbarians, archers, knights and spy. At equal condition, equal grounds and adequate formation : archers are better than knights, knights are better than barbarians and barbarians are better than archers. Soldiers in formation They are represented in the formation windows as follows : A = archer ; K = knight ; B = barbarian. Spies don't show up in the formation window if there is one in the group. You should put your group of soldier in the right formation before any encounter. This strongly affects the battle results. Squad condition and terrain are also key factors. I have not been able to find if any formation type affect the speed at which the group is moving. Spy I have not really been able to figure what is so special with the spy. He moves as quickly as an archer or a barbarian. Never wins a battle. It doesn't seems to me that he is hiding better than the other soldiers... According to the game's glossary (thanks Chang), the spy is : "One of four types of soldiers, spies are defenceless but useful for locating the enemy because they can see twice as far as other soldiers. Spies are replaced by barbarians if the rules setting before the game indicates that the enemy is seen always. Spies never fight, and if a squad with spies in it is defeated, the spies will be captured. A squad with only spies in it will look different from other squads." Still standing soldiers This is how a group of soldier looks like when they are not moving. Be careful, sometimes you only see one group but they can be more than one at the same place. The only way you can check is to move the cursor on the group and listen to the number of beep you hear. That gives you the number of group. By the way, these sprites make you think that the soldiers have spears, but you will not see any during the game ! The only weapons used are bows and swords. Moving soldiers in good condition A group of soldier looks ok when they are moving and in average or good condition. If you make the squad march fast, its condition will decline faster than if it marches slowly. As you could expect, barbarians are the quickest people, then archers and finally knights. When you have a mixed group, it moves to the speed of the slowest member. Moving soldiers in bad condition A group of soldier looks differently, when they are moving and in bad condition. Condition is affected by : movement, combat, and food supply. Encounter This is how you know there is a battle going on. First, the computer warns you with "warning - encounter" message. This is time to rush with your cursor where that encounter takes place. By putting your cursor on the encounter, you can then access the battle mode. After a certain time (...), the computer manages the battle automatically. You then get the "alert - fighting" message. You can not then access the battle mode any more for this battle. Small view of the whole battlefield This window represents the repartition of your men on the battlefield. What you can see of the enemy depends on what you decided concerning the rule on how to see them (always, when far, when close). It also counts the number of men for both sides. This is also interesting, because this is how you can know that a new soldier has arrived in a fort. # -=4-5=- How to get started ? Define the difficulty level The difficulty level increases more or less with each campaign. For an easy start choose the rules forts and villages supply food. Supply range is long. Your men will be in prime shape. Enemy will always be seen. Water will be shallow and clam. Mountains will be low and safe. Forest will be sparse. Compared to all the opponents ... well, Crazy Yvan is definitely not a good leader (for the sense of humor, I have not found it yet !). Explore the map Use + and - keys to move up and down. Find where flags, forts, villages, only path are. Find where your soldiers are, what is their shape, their formation. Position the cursor on a group to get information or give orders. Find where are your opponents, what is their shape. For the non-US folks, be aware that keystroke are the one of a US keyboard. Emergency (re)action Depending on the scenario and the rules you choose, there may be some emergency moves to be made. Secure a fort, a village, a flag, a hill, a bridge ... Position your group for a soon to come encounter ... Establish strategy and tactics It is about thinking what to do and how to do it. Fortunately there is no just only one way to win. And the same scenario with different rules (and opponent to a certain extend) will usually have a totally different strategy. This is what is great about this game. Follow the encounters You can let the computer play the encounter. But there is a real value in conducting your own men. Deciding what kind of soldiers attack and retreat and when they do it, is key to victory. Unfortunately the computer doesn't wait very long before starting battle in automatic mode, so you have to be quick to jump to the right spot. Study opponent moves As much as you can, depending on the rules (and the opponent) you choose. It will allow you to react quickly to unexpected situations. Watch your troop's condition Make sure your men are in an as good condition as possible. It does help a lot when it comes to winning battles. Take a brake If you need to stop the game for a moment, select surrender and don't answer the question. When you want to get back to the game just answer that you don't want to surrender. # -=4-6=- Tips from the players It will help you to win if you are stopped somewhere. But don't look at this first, as it will for sure reduce the pleasure you would have playing that game. Trying to understand how the game logic works, is for me, a big part and a fun part of the game too. Keeping the enemy from multiplying In this game, only 20 squads can be on the war map at any one time. You can keep your opponent from training more men by detaching squads (preferably in your fort) until the 20-squad limit is reached. Whenever one of your squads is wiped out, detach another one to retain the 20-squad limit. Fort attack hint Send two squads against forts using archers alone to overrun a fort can inflict a lot of casualties on your army. Instead, send two or more groups with a few men each just to occupy the enemy archers on the wall. Then, send in your regular units. They'll be able to sneak over the wall while the enemy is already engaged, and then the battle will take place in the courtyard, where you have better odds of winning. The hit and run tactic If your archer is outnumbered while fighting another squad, fire a barrage of arrows and then retreat. The arrows still move even after your men are safely off-screen, so you can whittle down enemy forces without taking any casualties of your own. Don't zoom in when non-archer enemy squads attack forts Armies can't retreat unless you press the zoom button during the battle. So, if an enemy squad is dumb enough to attack your fort without any archers, don't zoom in to see the battle. The attackers won't be able to retreat, so they'll eventually all be killed. You don't need a whole squad to capture a flag You can capture a flag without tying up an entire squad. Just detach one man into a new squad, and then just send him to the flag. As long as there is no enemy lurking nearby, one soldier works as well as a full squad. Condition and food improvement When you join two groups, the group that receive, gives its condition and food level to the incoming group. This happens whatever the number of people in each group. Game save (PC version) Alt + S allows you to save a game on a disk. You can only save one game at a time. -+--------------+- ++ Chapter Five ++ (Campaign by campaign walkthrough) -+--------------+- One good thing more about this game, is that you can chose any campaign to play. You don't need to follow a specific path like later "Dune 2", "Warcraft" or "Age of empires". As already stated above changing campaign rules and or computer opponent affect the kind of strategy and or tactics you will have to use. Usually a strategy that beats Sun Tzu, will beat any other computer opponents. # -=5-1=- The race for the flags The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn (which is not a bad one). The enemy has nearly three times as many men as you. As the flags are in the same place, this campaign is "just" a race. But is not that easy. The goal will be then to detach a.s.a.p. a fast moving soldier (barbarian or archer) from a group in good condition. Then drive him up to the fort without being disturbed by the enemy. To that effect you will use the rest of your men to lure him. # -=5-2=- The battle of Pharsalus The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn (which is not a bad one). The enemy has a few more men than you. In a way, it is a "simple" campaign. There are no villages, no fort, no bridges, no mountain, no forest. You can always see the enemy. Supply range is long. In fact, though it may look like an introduction campaign, it is quite hard. The opponents are so close, that you don't have a lot of time to react. You have to move quick. The way to go is to adopt the right combat formation a.s.a.p. with your men on the main front of the battle, and wait for the opponents to attack. Then re concentrate your second line of men (marching slow) nearer of the with flag. That way you will counter the second wave of attack. Then detach a barbarian from the south group and send him (marching fast) to get the flags. Use the remaining barbarians and knights from the south group to lure the southern opponent so that your single barbarian is not attacked. # -=5-3=- The contest of the gods The computer opponent is Sun Tzu (which is the best one). The enemy has two men and you have two. This one is easy. Supply range is long. Enemy is seen always. Your men are in prime shape. Once you know that a group composed of knights and archers moves at the speed of the knights. Detach the archer, and as forest is dense, just find the shortest way (marching fast) to the black flag without having to cross the forest. # -=5-4=- Sherwood forest The computer opponent is Alexander the great. The enemy has nearly three times as many men as you. This campaign is about time management. Fort don't supply food and supply range is medium. Your enemy is in the fort. He gets additional soldiers but as more time goes by in increasingly worse shape. The strategy is to secure all villages so that the enemy doesn't get additional food. Once he is in poor condition, send your men to defeat the enemy outside the fort then to the fort's assault. From a tactical point of view, as forest is dense, any group trying to cross will be weakened, so don't try it. Use the hills at your advantage. That is you should be on the hill waiting for the enemy to come and attack you. # -=5-5=- The elusive spy The computer opponent is Athena. The enemy has 100 men and you are alone as a spy. You only see the enemy when he is close. Mountain is high and risky, so don't try it ! Forest is sparse. So there again, it is about finding the right path and racing to the fort. What would be the best path ? Obviously not the shortest one ! # -=5-6=- Custer's last stand The computer opponent is Geronimo. The enemy has nearly three times as many men as you. Water, forest, mountain are easy and safe. You have a fort, so for the first time, you will be able to get additional supply in men. This is not an easy campaign. You must first react quickly to organize the defense of the white flag. Then organize the re conquest. The strategy is to protect your white flag as long as you can. Then counter attack the Indian villages in the middle with your men that are not on around that white flag hill. This to get a food supply and remove the Indian food supply and their flag. From there you will then re conquer the lost flag. From the tactical standpoint, you want to have men on all the hills around the white flag in order to protect it from the opponents. Having multiple small groups of archers helps. Make sure archers formation is the right one. Keep the knight in fort, that way, you should get much needed additional archers. # -=5-7=- The rivalry The computer opponent is Caesar. The enemy has two times as many men as you. Villages supply food but not forts. Water and mountains are dangerous and forest is dense so keep out ! Forts train man rarely, so attacking them is easy. Supply range is medium. You only see your enemy when he his close. The strategy is to conquer all the villages (one by one) using the reinforcement you will get from your fort. That way the enemy will be short of food and then its condition will be low. Once this is done, the remaining opponents in the fort will be very easy to tackle. First, you may want to protect your island bridge with two groups of archers (for the enemy that will come from behind the mountains). Send the rest of your men on the first hill near the village on the main land. With three small mixed groups of archers and knights standing on a hill and waiting for the enemy to come, you should be fine. Then go from hill to hill. # -=5-8=- A tale of three island The computer opponent is Napoleon Bonaparte. The enemy has nearly two times as many men as you. Villages supply food and forts don't, but supply range is long. Water and mountains are dangerous and forest is dense so keep out ! Forts train man very often, and if they have food, they become very difficult to attack. You can only see your enemy when far ? The strategy is to occupy a fort so that you can get reinforcement then the village of the middle so that you cut the enemy supply. Then go after the enemy middle island fort to cut enemy reinforcement. After this you can go for the northern island. Tactically, you need a.s.a.p. to rush (march fast) four archers to the eastern fort of the middle island, while sending (march slow) the rest (of your island northern group) to the same destination. Put spies near the bridges to see your opponent moves. You will defend best your island's village by putting troops (mixed groups of archers and knights) on the hill at the east. Don't go for your opponent when they attack your village, stay on your hill ! As long as you can hold the bridge connecting the northern and the middle island, you have a good chance to win. # -=5-9=- Wu -vs- Ch'u The computer opponent is Sun Tzu. The enemy has 30% more men than you. Villages supply food and forts don't, but supply range is long. Water and mountains are dangerous and forest is dense so keep out ! Forts train man very often, and if they have food, they become very difficult to attack. Fortunately, you can always see your enemy ? Bridges will be the first areas will try to secure. When you wait your opponent, with more than one group of archers, behind a bridge standing on a hill, you can do great damages. Then, secure the villages on your side of the river. I then go for the most southern village on the other side of the river. That way, after a while (supply range is long), the nearby enemy fort become very weak and not my guys. I then go for the most western village for the same effect on the nearby enemy fort. By then, I can attack the southern enemy fort, then the western one. The rest comes along ? # -=5-10=- War in the mountains The computer opponent is Geronimo. The enemy has 10% more men than you. Villages and forts supply food and supply range is long. Mountains are dangerous so keep out ! Forts train man often, and as they supply food too they become the key element. You can only see your enemy when close ? As food is not the prime issue, the strategy will aim at getting a steady reinforcement supply. Once you have the right number of men at the right locations, you will then be able launch attacks against villages then forts. But as you don't have a soldier in any fort (the only way to get some reinforcement), you need to conquer a.s.a.p. (and hold !) the second most northeastern fort. Then send a soldier in the most southeast fort. The way to hold is to have multiple small groups of archers in the same fort. That way you can better exhaust the opponent and by joining and detaching group keep a good condition for all your groups. When time has come to start the conquest, I begin with the northern forts as they are near from my stronghold. Then go south. # -=5-11=- Islands of doom The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn. The enemy has a few more men than you. Villages supply food and forts don't, and supply range is medium. Water is dangerous so keep out ! Your men are in bad shape and you only see the enemy when far. The key is to conquer a.s.a.p. (two groups minimum of archers, march slow) the most north eastern enemy fort, then the village at the west to weaken the remaining enemy western fort. From this base, you will then go from bridges to hills to the next village. Once you have sufficient troops then go after a fort. You should only attack a fort if there is no village left to control. Use hills and bridges to your advantage. -+-------------+- ++ Chapter Six ++ (Bugs, problems, troubleshooting) -+-------------+- # -=6-1=- Bug list Thanks to Krulic, we know there is a bug in the VGA version game. It won't save modified formation that you would create within the make change menu. The Mac version game that is on the internet doesn't have the campaign creator. # -=6-2=- How do I slow down the game on my computer ? I don't think a Windows beginner can really play with this game. He needs to know about DOS, especially for the PC versions. First, I suggest you run the game from a floppy disk (best is the A drive). It slows the game and you can save or load campaigns. Moslo is the utility you should use in order to decrease the speed of the game. By the way, there is also an option in the game that makes is slow, medium or fast speed. Another trick is also to slow down the keyboard using Windows configuration panel. See explanation from "serotonin" : you mentioned that even with moslo, some pc's are too fast and you loose your cursor after typing "M". The solution is to open the windows control panel and select the Keyboard control. Then lower the keyboard repeat rate to a small value. You'll have to play with different settings to get acceptable control. To make it final : if you want less trouble with the PC just play the VGA version, you will not have any keyboard issues. You should only play with the CGA version only if you have a vintage (less or equal to a 486) PC. To add one more word : for 2003's PC you can use freeware DOS emulators like DOSBox. -+---------------+- ++ Chapter Seven ++ (Additional material) -+---------------+- # -=7-1=- Where can I get Sun Tzu's art of war ? I have found many places on the web where the name given to Sun Tzu's treaty is "The ancient art of war" instead of "The art of war". Ignorance and/or (to be more optimistic) a tribute to this game ? You can try the following web sites : http://www.kimsoft.com/polwar.htm http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/suntzu.htm # -=7-2=- Where can I find some screenshots ? Screenshots for the box cover and back can be found at : http://www.mobygames.com Screenshots for the PC version game can be found at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow http://www.theunderdogs.org Screenshots for the Macintosh version can be found at : http://www.dgweb.com/~moro/macshots1.html http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow Screenshots for the Apple 2 version can be found at : http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow /-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\ That's it people, this is The End of the FAQ. You can all go back to playing "The ancient art of war" now. :-) Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the game. All corrections, criticism, questions and additions are welcome. John Lahmy (the-ancient-art-of-war@googlegroups.com) All images and content (c) by the respective owner(s). All rights reserved.