Defender of the Crown
strategy game for Commodore 64, 1987
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How To Play:
To cycle through the four knights on the character selection
screen, move the joystick in any direction. Press the FIRE BUTTON
to make your selection.
Wilfred of Ivanhoe is recommended for first-time players.
For added difficulty choose Wolfric the Wild.
Use the joystick to choose actions from menus by moving the arrow
over your choice and pressing the FIRE BUTTON.
Note the following actions end your turn:
HOLD TOURNAMENT, GO RAIDING, BUY ARMY, PASS and attacking
territory...
Use of all other actions is unlimited.
To see your income and armies, point and click away from the menu.
To continue playing, press the FIRE BUTTON again.
To return to previous menu at any time during the game, point
and click away from the current menu.
TOURNAMENTS
You need at least five gold to play for holding a tournament.
When other lords hold tournaments, the code of chivalry requires
you to attend (but for free).
Joust for FAME to increase your leaderships; joust for LAND to
win territory...
Controls:
In the joust your lance appears at the bottom of the screen.
Use the joystick to aim the tip of your lance at the center of
your opponent's screen. When you opponent comes close, press the
button. If you press the button too early, a buzzer will sound.
If you press too late, you'll fail to knock the enemy knight from
his horse. Your opponent may also miss you (especially if he has
a low joust rating), giving you another chance.
CONQUEST
Your army is represented on the map by the mounted knight in your
home territory. When at home, the army helps defend the castle.
To transfer forces BETWEEN your army and castle garrisons, select
CONQUEST from the main menu. From the next menu, select TRANSFER.
Click on soldiers, knights, or caratapults and move the joystick
to make transfers. Select MOVE ARMY to capture hostile
territories or to move through friendly territories.
To get Robin's help before attacking, click on Sherwood Forest
after the "SELECT A TERRITORY" prompt appears.
RAIDING
In the swordfight, push the joystick LEFT AND RIGHT to move. Push
the joystick UP to parry. Press the FIRE BUTTON to thrust. Thrust
at your opponent when his sword is pointed upwards; this is when
he is most vulnerable. Defend yourself by parrying. Watch your
strength bar at the bottom of the screen. Escape to the left if
your strength is low. If you win, go through the door on the
right. Once inside, try to enter the door lit by torches.
To get Robin's help on a raid, click on Sherwood Forest after the
"CHOOSE A CASTLE" prompt.
CATAPULTS
You must buy a catapult and transfer it to your campaign army
before you can attack a territory occupied by a castle. When the
siege begins, choose the ammunition for your catapult by clicking
on the words GREEK FIRE, DISEASE or BOULDERS. You must knock a
hole in the wall of the castle with a boulder before you can fire
DISEASE or GREEK FIRE into the castle. Move the joystick DOWN to
pull back the catapult arm; release the stick to fire. Try to hit
the top of the castle wall first, then lower your aim to destroy
it piece by piece. An undamaged castle nearly doubles the
defending army's effectiveness in the battle that follows the
siege. The advantage decreases proportionally with each hit to
the wall.
Launch GREEK FIRE and DISEASE over the wall to reduce the
garrison. DISEASE is more effective the earlier it is used in the
seige. Select CEASE FIRING if you want to end the siege early.
BATTLES
Animated pictures on the screen represent the armies. Each soldier
equals 25 men, and each horseman represents 10 knights.
Move the joystick to change the tactics during the battle.
Your tactic determines how both armies fight according to the
chart below. For example, you might choose OUTFLANK if your
leadership rating is higher than that of your opponents'.
Knights outlast soldiers and provide an army's striking power--
avoid losing them at all costs.
SOLDIERS KNIGHTS CATAPULTS
Ferocious
attack 1 8 0
Bombard 1 6 16
Stab & Fight 1 6 0
Outflank* 1 6 0
* Outflank doubles with the effect of leadership.
* Leadership can turn the tide in battle, a strong leader
increases an army's effectiveness by 50%, while a weak leader
has no effect. To increase your chances in battle, joust for
fame to improve your leadership rating.
* Raiding is a good way to weaken a stronger opponent, especially
in the later stages of a game. Steal his gold with a raid --
immediatlely after he attacks you.
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Some useful keyboard shortcuts
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[PAUSE] - stop/continue game
[F9] - quick load game state
[F12] - quick save game state (still stored after leaving the site)
[F11] - toggle fullscreen mode
[ScrollLock] - quick switch control ports
[PageDown] - make a screenshot (320x200)