Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Version 1.

0 Readme File July 16, 2002 [ To view this file, enable the Word Wrap option (Edit menu -> Word Wrap) ] *********************************************************************** About This Document: Thank you for purchasing Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom (EmperorRotMK). This document contains last-minute information about Emperor and other informati on about the program not found in the Help Files. This README file includes inf ormation that pertains to general problems and questions you may have concerning the game or your computer. Should you experience any problems with Emperor, ple ase refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties. Please visit our website at http://www.sierra.com/games/emperor for additional i nformation about Emperor. ***********************************************************************

TABLE OF CONTENTS I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES GENERAL GAME ISSUES MULTIPLAYER CAMPAIGN CREATOR UPDATES TO THE GAME MANUAL CONTACTING SIERRA

I. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ---------------------Minimum: Pentium II, 400 MHz or equivalent 64 MB RAM Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP DirectX 6.1 or higher -The installer will install DirectX 8.1 if necessary. To reinstall, run \DIREC TX\Dxsetup.exe from the EmperorRotMK CD. 900 MB Hard Drive Space 256 MB Swap file on your Windows drive. 4X CD-ROM Video card with at least 4MB of Memory capable of 800x600 resolution at 16 bit ( High color) color depth Online play requires 56K or faster Internet connection Recommended: Pentium III, 800 MHz or equivalent 128 MB RAM for Windows 98/ME, 256 MB RAM for Windows 2000/XP

DirectX 8.1 1.2GB Hard Drive Space II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES ----------------------------Installation problems: If you are having problems installing the game, first make sure that the hard dr ive you're installing to has sufficient free space. Deleting the contents of yo ur TEMP folder will help as well. It is also recommended to disable any kind of Anti-Virus or Crash Guard programs that may be running in the background of Win dows. Users installing on Windows 2000 or Windows XP systems should have administrator access. Sound issues: Problems with stuttering sound have been reported on the Diamond Monster Sound M X400 sound card. For any sound issues, we first recommend updating your sound c ard drivers. This is especially pertinent if you recently upgraded your version of DirectX. For good measure, update your video drivers as well (Emperor uses Di rectSound, which is part of Microsoft's DirectX.) Reinstall DirectX, either from your EmperorRotMK CD or from Microsoft's website. On Windows 98/ME be sure to close all programs other than Explorer & Systray (especially any MP3 players suc h as Winamp or Realplayer) before starting the game. Windowed screen mode: If you wish to run the game in a window, you must have your desktop set to at le ast one notch higher than your desired game resolution. For example, if you wis h to run the game in 800x600 windowed mode, your desktop will need to be set to 1024x768 or higher. For 1024x768 windowed mode, the minimum desktop resolution setting is 1152x864. It is also recommened to set your desktop color depth to 1 6-bit. A desktop color depth setting higher than 16-bit color will result in pe rformance loss. Athlon Processors and Windows XP: We have seen degraded performance of Emperor on Windows XP systems with Athlon p rocessors. We recommend running in full-screen mode, preferably at 800x600 reso lution, to boost game performance on those systems. III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES ------------------------"Maximum Building Capacity Reached": Emperor has limits on how many buildings, walkers and walker routes it can handl e. Though these limits are quite high, you might reach them if you build a city of 8,000 or more people. If you do see this message, your only recourse is to resculpt your city for greater efficiency. Even higher populations are possible if you build very efficiently. Game speed in single player: Occasionally, after playing Emperor in a multiplayer session and then starting a single player session, the game speed will reset to 0 percent. Press the ] key to increase game speed in your single player session. Ctrl and Alt keys: Sometimes, if you have pressed the Ctrl or Alt keys while in play, the game will pause. Simply press the Ctrl or Alt key again to continue. This is not a substi

tute for the hotkey P to pause the game! Turning intro movie off: To set the Intro Movie so it doesn't play every time you load the program, locat e Emperor.ini in your game directory, open it in Notepad, and change the line th at reads PlayIntroMovie=yes to PlayIntroMovie=no. Tip for building Great Wall: Place your laborers' camps and guilds near where the gate will be in the great w all. This is usually a central location, and the workers will travel along the w all to reach their work site. You don't need to build a road for them along the length of the wall. Tip for protecting your city against predator animals: A predator loose in your city can wreak as much havoc as a mugger. Hunters and g uards may save you from some predators, but towers, soldiers and some heroes are more effective. IV. MULTIPLAYER ---------------If you want to try the new multiplayer feature of EmperorRotMK, we highly recomm end you start with the ahistorical "Eight Kingdoms" multiplayer scenario. Altho ugh it is not a "tutorial," it was designed especially for first-time players, w ith relatively simple victory conditions for quick play. Multiplayer game speed: During a multiplayer game, you may find that the "Game speed" setting in the opt ions menu will change throughout the course of the scenario. This is due to the fact that the game tries to keep everyone close to the same game month. Player s who manage to get ahead of the others will find their game speed reduced, whil e those who are behind will be sped up. This is normal. Furthermore, you cannot increase your game speed using the bracket hotkey during a multiplayer game. Saved games for multiplayer play: The multiplayer software saves a copy of each player's city periodically. It al so saves a copy of each player's city when the host clicks the "Save Game (All p layers)" button on the Players panel, which is opened through the File Menu. The se save files are named <Player Name>_X.sav where x varies from 0 to 9. If you want to restart from a save, the host should first determine (by file time) the most recent save that all players have present on their machine. The host then loads that game in. As each player connects, the software automatically finds t he corresponding file on each player's machine to reestablish the game session. If you have problems, we suggest the host try the previous save. It may have b een the case that one of the players was a month behind the others and did not g et the most recent saved game. Multiplayer connectivity issues: For firewall or other multiplayer problems, please see the in-game help section of the multiplayer lobby. You can find this on the "Help" tab once you have ent ered the lobby. Trading with other players tip: When trading with another player, both of you must have a staffed trade building for the respective city. You should agree through chat or private message what you are willing to trade, then set your trade building imports and exports accor dingly. If you have inventory in a trade building that's not moving, or you are not receiving the good you want to buy, confer with the other player to discover what the bottleneck is. Your trade partner may not be nearly as adept as you at

trading and could need some advice. Chat history tip: It is easy to miss a chat message during play when your attention is elsewhere o r you spent a length of time on the empire map. Therefore, remember to periodica lly check your "Chat History" button on the messages dialog to see if you missed something important. Also, if you turned off multiplayer messages in the option s menu, you'll certainly miss some important messages, so keep it turned on or c heck the messages dialog and chat history frequently. Long multiplayer games and game slowdown: Some of the multiplayer games may take a large amount of time to complete. Remem ber to have the host save the game for continuation later. Also, after extended periods of play, the game may slow slightly. If this occurs, the players should stop the session and reload from the last save. The game pace should then pick u p. Multiplayer lobby and screen resolution: If your Windows desktop is set to 800 x 600 resolution, but you play Emperor at 1024x768, you may experience problems in the multiplayer lobby. Specifically, i f you go into the Multiplayer lobby and click a web link, and then returns to th e lobby, the lobby size will be too large. We recommend always setting your des ktop resolution to 1024x768 or higher if you are going to play Emperor at the 10 24x768 resolution. V. CAMPAIGN CREATOR -------------------Please see the campaign creator documentation, "EmperorCampaignCreator.pdf", (av ailable in the main game directory) for the very latest information on creating your own Emperor campaign. NOTE: During installation, the game installer attempts to find and update a copy of Adobe Acrobat READER on your computer (you must have Acrobat Reader in order to read this file). If, however, problems arise when trying to read this manual , please check out Adobe's website to download the latest reader (http://www.adobe.com/pr oducts/acrobat/readermain.html). Ancestor Worship: When designing a mission, it is strongly recommended that at l east one Ancestor Worship hero be available (all three are available by default) . CAVEAT: Please note that the campaign/map editor is a development tool and not a part of the game. This external application is not supported by Sierra, nor is Sierra responsible for any technical or customer service issues that may arise a s a result of using this separate program. VI. UPDATES TO THE GAME MANUAL ------------------------------Please see the electronic manual, "EmperorManual.pdf", (available in the main ga me directory or from the Emperor program group icon) for the very latest game in formation. MANUAL INFORMATION UPDATES (1) On the Empire Map, if you have trouble selecting an Emissary, Spy or Army ic on because it is too close to a city icon, press the Ctrl key while clicking on

the figure icon and this should select it. (2) If you have the hero Huang Di in your city, he satisfies any tribute payment of ceramics. (3) If you have the hero Bodhidharma in your city, he satisfies any tribute paym ent of tea. (4) The clock tower monument needs deliveries of stone, wood and steel during co nstruction (the manual mistakenly says wood and bronze). VII. CONTACTING SIERRA ----------------------A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales B) Technical Support C) Sierra Warranty and Legal Information A) CUSTOMER SERVICE, SUPPORT AND SALES United States U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7707 Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 5 PM PST International Sales: 310-649-8000 Hours: Monday-Friday 8 AM to 5 PM PST Fax: (310)-258-0744 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. 6060 Center Drive 6th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90045 (800-757-7707) Fax: (310) 258-0744 http://www.sierra.com United Kingdom Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd. Main: (0118) 920-9111 Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Fax: (0118) 987-5603 Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are 6.00, or 7.00 outside the UK. Add "ATTN.: Returns." 2 Beacontree Plaza, Gillette Way, Reading, Berkshire RG2 0BS United Kingdom France Tlphone : 01 30 67 90 53 Du lundi au jeudi, de 9h00 18h00 Le vendredi, de 9h00 17h00 Fax: 01 30 67 90 94 Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing France Vente par Correspondance 32, Av de l'Europe Bt Energy 1 (2e tage) 78 941 VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY CEDEX France

Germany Mo-Fr von 10.00 bis 19.00 Uhr Tel.: +49 (0) 6103-99 40 106* Fax: +49 (0) 6103-99 40 155* *innerhalb Deutschlands zum normalen Telefontarif Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Deutschland GmbH DIREKTKUNDENSERVICE Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 1 D-63225 Langen Deutschland Online-informationen und Webshop: http://www.sierra.de On-Line Sales CompuServe United Kingdom: GO UKSIERRA CompuServe France: GO FRSIERRA Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk Internet France: http://www.sierra.fr Internet Germany: http://www.sierra.de Disk and/or Manual Replacement: Product Returns*: Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International Sierra Warranty Returns 4247 South Minnewawa Ave. Fresno, CA 93725 Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International Sierra CD/Doco Replacement 4247 South Minnewawa Ave. Fresno, CA 93725 NOTE: To replace your CD(s) please send only the damaged CD and a copy of your d ated receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a $10.00 handl ing fee along with the CD(s). For Documentation replacement, please include a $ 5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of either your disk or CD. Payment shoul d be made at the time of your request. Sorry, no credit cards. * Returns to this address valid in North America only. B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT North America Sierra Entertainment offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with reco rded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this s ervice, call (310) 649-8033, and follow the recorded instructions to find your s pecific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you ma y still write or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Web site - ht tp://support.vugames.com Sierra Entertainment

Technical Support 4247 South Minnewawa Avenue Fresno, CA 93725 Main: (310) 649-8033 Monday-Friday, 8:00 A.M.- 4:45 P.M. PST Fax: (310) 258-0755 http://support.vugames.com United Kingdom Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd. offers a 24-hour Automated Tech nical Support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails t o solve your problem, you may still write or fax us with your questions, or cont act us via the Internet. Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing UK Ltd. 2 Beacontree Plaza, Gillette Way, Reading, Berkshire RG2 0BS United Kingdom Main: (0118) 920-9111 Monday-Friday, 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Fax: (0118) 987-5603 http://www.sierra-online.co.uk France Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing France Support Technique 32, Av de l'Europe Bt Energy 1 78 941 VELIZY VILLACOUBLAY CDEX France Tlphone : 0 891 670 800 (0,22 euro/mn) Serveur vocal 24H/24 et 7J/7 Techniciens du Lundi au Vendredi de 8H00 21H00 Samedi, Dimanche et jours fris de 10H00 18H00 Fax : 01 30 67 90 65 Courrier lectronique : support@sierra.fr http://www.sierra.fr Germany Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Deutschland GmbH Technischer Support Paul-Ehrlich-Strae 1 D-63225 Langen Deutschland Montag bis Freitag von 10 - 19Uhr Tech Support Tel: +49 (0) 6103-99-40-940 Fax: +49 (0) 6103-99-40-188

Weitere Hilfen, Patches etc. finden Sie im Internet unter: http://www.sierra.de http://www.sierra.de/support Spain Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing Espaa NUESTRA SEORA DE VALVERDE N 23 28034 MADRID Spain Telfono de Soporte Tcnico: 91 735 34 37 Soporte tcnico de lunes a viernes de 09:30 a 15:00 y de 16:00 a 18:30 www.vup-interactive.es Soporte Tecnico: soporte@vup-interactive.es Comercial: comercial@vup-interactive.es Italy Contattare il vostro distributore. C) SIERRA WARRANTY AND LEGAL INFORMATION You are entitled to use this product for your own use, but may not copy, reprodu ce, translate, publicly perform, display, or reduce to any electronic medium or machine- readable form, reproductions of the software or manual to other parties in any way, nor sell, rent or lease the product to others without prior written permission of Sierra. You may use one copy of the product on a single computer . YOU MAY NOT NETWORK THE PRODUCT OR OTHERWISE INSTALL IT OR USE IT ON MORE THA N ONE COMPUTER AT THE SAME TIME. UNAUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIONS: SIERRA WARRANTS ONLY THAT THE PROGRAM WILL PERFORM AS DESCRIBED IN THE USER DOCUMENTATION. NO OTHER ADVERTISING, DESCRIPTION, OR R EPRESENTATION, WHETHER MADE BY A SIERRA DEALER, DISTRIBUTOR, AGENT, OR EMPLOYEE, SHALL BE BINDING UPON SIERRA OR SHALL CHANGE THE TERMS OF THIS WARRANTY. IMPLIED WARRANTIES LIMITED: EXCEPT AS STATED ABOVE, SIERRA MAKES NO WARRANTY, EX PRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS PRODUCT. SIERRA DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SOFTWARE IS FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTA BILITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE NINETY (90) DAY DURATION OF THIS LIMITED EXPRESS WARRANTY AND IS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITA TION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. NO CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES: SIERRA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CO NSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES, EVEN IF SIERRA IS ADVISED OF OR AWARE OF THE POSSI BILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS MEANS THAT SIERRA SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABL E FOR LOST PROFITS OR REVENUES, OR FOR DAMAGES OR COSTS INCURRED AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF TIME, DATA OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, OR FROM ANY OTHER CAUSE EXCEPT THE AC TUAL COST OF THE PRODUCT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHA SE PRICE OF THIS PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION O F INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. Copyright ((c)2002 Sierra Entertainment) (c)1998-2002 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. Sierra is a trademark of Sierra Entertainment.