What is Empire? The Overview will give you the general idea behind the game. What is the History of Empire? and what are the different versions? Look at the Old-empire, Empire2, Empire3, Empire4 , the Changes by Chainsaw and Wolfpack
The first thing you will need to start playing is one of the Clients. A variety of Clients are available from http://empire.idlpaper.com or ftp://empire.idlpaper.com/pub/empire/ If you are using Windows 9x, there is a 3rd party client available with a nice graphical interface called WinACE v1.31 (zip file size 8,531). WinACE comes with a tutorial and could make it easier for beguiners to get into the game. It is recommanded to first practice playing on one of the "blitz" games such as "Changeling". A blitz game has an update every 10 minutes or so (as oppose to the long term games which update once a day). You will next want to register to the Wolfpack mailing list to be kept up to date with the available games.
Later on, very experienced players can become a God and Deity and are able to run their own games their own server.
Read the Basics of playing Empire. Have a look at the Quick-ref card and print it out. It shows a short form of the Sector-types and Products. You will also need to be aware of the Syntax for commands typed manually.There is also more info for Novice, Expert and some Hints for improving your play.
When starting playing Empire for the first time you are confronted by quite a lot of tasks and commands, apropos shows the available info on the list of commands. After you break sanctuary, your original 2 sectors become 2 capital cities. Have a look at your nation . Then a power report to get a first glimpse at the competition.
You can finish your session by saying bye
A number of commands are used for Communication with the rest of the world. You can announce your views to all other players, and read the wire. All actions in Empire appear in the newspaper and headlines. You can also communicate directly with the other players with telegram and read theirs or if they are online with flash. Other countries can accept or reject communications. The Message of the day (motd) is set by your deity. And you can pray to get extra help. (maybe ;+)
Diplomacy is an important part of any Empire game. You can find the relations or declare yours, and a treaty is possible.
Next you will have to explore the world around your capital. A variety of Maps are available. You can see your country map and update your client bmap. New sectors nmap, planes pmap, land units lmap or ships smap. Your maps can also be sharebmap with other players. More information on your sectors can be found with census and the various dump, ndump, pdump, sdump and ldump. Your country can be subdivided by realm.
Citizens and Commodities will be available in your capital city. It will be a good idea to designate the wilderness around into highways to improve the mobility of those sectors. Capital cities produce BTU. Your citizens will need food beware of starvation. Keep up the Happiness and Education of the Populace. and increase the efficiency (neweff) of your newly designated sectors. Production of goods starts and stops .
You will need to move the commodity following a path ( bestpath & bestdistpath) and get a route report. Set up a good Distribution network which will distribute commodities with a level for each threshold sector. It is also possible to deliver goods to a neighbouring sector with a cutoff point. Do test your Move and wipe the setup in your territory.
Your efficient sector will have a specific production of goods. You will collect Taxes but keep an eye on your budget and financial ledger. If you need more money you can ask for Loans which you can offer or collect. Beware of sharks.
There is also a Market to sell and buy goods at a set price.Other Sectors related commands. Selector swapsector strength grind Nation Infrastructure repay Maintenance cede consider resource report survey market trade Moving show harden Hitchance newcap zdone Update Update-sequence wall mobupdate version Time turn Suggestions toggle lost Server work
Technology .Medical Research will avoid the Plague.
Land warfare consists of Combat to achieve Sector-ownership .To capture sectors you first enlist military or demobilize them (when cost runs too high). You are able to build military units and load (lload) your LandUnits before they march to Attack or perform Missions. After Occupation of a sector there can be a Guerrilla unless you convert the civilians or run an anti campaign.
Land-units retreat fortify land spy Damage Bridges order payoff Detection radar shoot
Ships related commands.Trade-ships unsail navigate Autonav Ship-types lookout mquota mission mine upgrade torpedo
tend add name sstat assault attack board cargo coastwatcht sail scuttle qorder sonar sorder supply sinfrastructure improve fire fleetadd ship follow scrap
Unit-types commands morale march unload lunload ltend lstat lretreat lrange Spies lradar lmine llookout
Planes related commands. plane wingadd transport sweep Plane-types bomb skywatch Flak paradrop pstat drop Interception fly fuel range recon
You can launch missiles with different Nuke-types or satellite. There is Fallout with nuke if you arm them (better disarm )
Playing shutdown Obsolete hidden Options players Autofeed Bugs Hidden execute echo Introduction edit setresource setsector give mult origin bdes offset change quit Merc Kill Guide enable force disable reset Innards dissolve