Post by Boaster on Dec 11, 2020 7:10:43 GMT -6
This Readme File may provide some insight about LOM to our visitors. More often than not, readme files were pretty well ignored or skipped by players (I was one of them... I was 12-13 years old back then).
Maybe not all of these points apply to unmodded LOMSE v3.00, but some if not most do.
Maybe not all of these points apply to unmodded LOMSE v3.00, but some if not most do.
LORDS OF MAGIC
Update Version 2.02
Readme File
March 31, 1998
***********************************************************************
Since promising that "We will continue to work on Lords of Magic until our customers are playing the game as we intended," Impressions Software has put more than three person-years of effort into this radical update. We are proud of our game, and regret that the original product fell short of its potential.
We appreciate your patience and support, and your contributions and suggestions. We reviewed more than 1,000 online messages and incorporated about 100 of your
suggestions and tweaks. So much is new, in fact, that this is more of a new release than a patch - hence the 2.02 version number.
Among the good ideas you gave us are:
* Autocalc now appears on all encounter dialogs;
* Overland and combat artificial intelligence are improved;
* You can rename your champions and cities;
* Game speed can be altered on the Option Panel;
* The Editor allows you to place and move Capitals;
* A new Army Roster screen enhances your control over your parties;
* A Move All Parties button simplifies large-scale movement;
* Buttons enable you to go to the next party with movement remaining;
* Buildings give additional feedback on experience;
* A Post-Combat Report summarizes your characters' increases in level;
* You can access all of your own buildings, even when empty;
* Individual party members may be healed in the temple;
* You can create peer-to-peer multiplayer games over WON.net;
* Spawning is supported for multiplay, including LAN games;
* New controls refine your combat capabilities;
* Lots of Spells and Artifacts have been refined.
Keep reading for a more comprehensive list, and detailed instruction for using the new features. There's also a Frequently Asked Questions section (FAQ), and some juicy hints and tips near the end.
Thanks again to everyone who gave us feedback, both good and bad. The result is a faster, easier Lords of Magic. We hope that our commitment to our customers comes through. More importantly, we hope that Urak's spell is not broken until you reluctantly turn off your computer.
Lords of Magic Team
Impressions Software
***********************************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE RULE CHANGES
I. NEW FEATURES FOR VERSION 2.02
a. INTERFACE CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS
b. MISC. CLARIFICATIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS
c. MULTIPLAYER IMPROVEMENTS
II. HOW TO INSTALL THE PATCH
a. MAKING SURE THE PATCH INSTALLED
b. MINIMUM & RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
c. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
III. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND HINTS & TIPS
IV. CONTACTING SIERRA FOR SUPPORT
PREFACE - RULE CHANGES
======================================
You no longer need to have party members in your buildings to select that building.
"Active" computer players now begin with their Great Temple in possession. Active players will not swear fealty to you regardless of their political attitude.
The following chart shows which faiths will be "Active" in a given game.
Note that all eight faiths are always present in any game of LOM, "Active" faiths are those which will attempt to further their own interests and win
the game.
If you are
Playing: --------/Difficulty Level & Active Faiths\----------
_\|/_ EASY MEDIUM HARD
LIFE Death Fire, Chaos Fire, Earth, Water
DEATH Life Life, Order, Chaos, Earth ALL ACTIVE
ORDER Chaos Chaos, Fire Chaos, Earth, Air
CHAOS Order Order, Air Order, Air, Fire
WATER Fire Fire, Earth Fire, Chaos, Life
FIRE Water Water, Order Water, Life, Earth
EARTH Air Air, Order Air, Water, Fire
AIR Earth Earth, Fire Earth, Chaos, Order
SWEARING FEALTY now grants a percentage of spell knowledge and resources to the player conquering the Great Temple. This percentage varies based on the diplomatic state between the two faiths and the current difficulty level. The better your relationship with a faith when you free its Great Temple, the greater your reward if they swear fealty.
GREAT TEMPLES do not grow more difficult with time. Only the game's difficulty setting affects the strength of resistance in the Great Temple.
PRISONERS OF WAR will be executed if their Lord is killed. If your Lord dies, any prisoners you were holding are set free. You can't mix Prisoners of War of different faiths.
I. NEW FEATURES FOR VERSION 2.02
a. NEW GAME CONTROL ENHANCEMENTS
1. AUTOCALC OPTION ON ENCOUNTER DIALOGS
2. CHANGE NAMES OF CHAMPIONS AND CITIES
3. OPTIONS PANEL ENHANCEMENTS
4. ARMY ROSTER
5. INTELLIGENCE REPORT BUTTON
6. NEXT PARTY WITH MOVEMENT BUTTON
7. MOVE ALL PARTIES BUTTON
8. ELIMINATED FAITH INDICATOR ON TURN CRYSTAL
9. HEALING INDIVIDUAL UNITS WITHIN A PARTY AT THE TEMPLE
10. EDITOR ALLOWS CAPITAL PLACEMENT
11. CASTING OVERLAND SPELLS ON INDIVIDUAL PARTY MEMBERS
12. CONTINUE BUTTON IF BALKOTH IS DEFEATED
1. AUTOCALC OPTION ON ENCOUNTER DIALOGS
You may now Autocalc a combat encounter BEFORE entering combat, from any encounter dialog, or even from Barter.
Autocalc results have changed to encourage human players to fight close battles, rather than Autocalc. You should only Autocalc when the outcome is certain and you don't want to spend the time to go into and out of combat. NOTE that choosing to Autocalc a combat does NOT generate a Lastsave file.
2. CHANGE NAMES OF CHAMPIONS AND CITIES
To rename any Champion, right-click on his/her portrait on the interface panel,
then type a new name.
On the city management screen, simply right-click on the default city name at the top of the screen, then type in a new name.
3. OPTIONS PANEL ENHANCEMENTS
Open the options panel by clicking the diskette icon on the left side of the
interface, or press the "ESC" key. You will find these enhancements:
A. Game/Combat Speed: Click on the up and down arrows to set the desired speed, ranging from 0 (slowest) to 30 (fastest).
B. Last Save: Reload the game to one turn prior to the last combat, or to the last point at which you saved the game yourself (whichever is later). You no longer need to return to Main Game screen to reload the last battle. Note that Autocalc'd combats do not generate a Last Save file. (Saved games are now sorted in chronological order.)
C. Building Speech Off: Click the Sound button to access the Building Speech Off button if you don't want voices when entering a building or opening the building panel.
4. ARMY ROSTER
To access your Army Roster screen, click on the button with three men standing side by side to the left of your turn indicator. You can access economic, unit and party information through this report. Examine individual units and see the current activity of each party. The number of turns before new followers arrive is shown in the lower right corner.
Left-click on any member of a party to select that party. Then left-click an individual's portrait again for details on that member. To "browse" your individuals without moving the mouse, click the next party member button at the bottom of the screen. When you have more parties than fit on one screen, scroll up/dn and page up/dn buttons will appear to the left.
You can't dismiss units from this screen. To dismiss a unit, select the party or unit and hit the GOTO button. This screen closes, and your view centers on the party you selected.
An icon to each party's right shows what activity that party is doing. The icons represent:
* House with ZZZ's: Resting party;
* House with Tr: Party is training (When that party no longer affects a building's training, this symbol will change to a resting symbol);
* House with R: Researching party;
* Footprints: Party moving on Overland map. If the footprints are grayed out, the party has no movement left this turn;
* Footprints with number: Party with long movement order. The number shows how many turns remain to the destination;
5. INTELLIGENCE REPORT BUTTON
Click the eye icon to the left of the Turn Crystal to open your Intelligence Report, or press "i" on your keyboard.
6. NEXT ARMY WITH MOVEMENT BUTTON (ONLY FOR PARTIES OUTSIDE OF STRUCTURES)
The two arrows located back-to-back on the right side (next to the "Move All Parties" button) let you cycle forward and back through parties that have movement points remaining in the current turn AND are outside their building.
7. MOVE ALL PARTIES BUTTON
This button to the left of the fame indicator moves all parties with long move orders to their destinations, or to the extent of their movement points.
8. ELIMINATED FAITH INDICATOR ON TURN CRYSTAL
Faiths which have had their Lord KILLED(not sworn fealty to another player,) now have a skull and crossbones on their respective crystals.
9. HEALING INDIVIDUAL UNITS WITHIN A PARTY AT THE TEMPLE
When you visit the Temple in your Stronghold, you can now choose to heal the entire party, or selected units. The Temple panel will tell you how many crystals each option costs. To heal individual members, click their portraits at the city management screen. Click the temple, and you will see that the number of crystals applies only to the party member(s) selected.
Removing curses at the temple now costs a fraction of what it did before.
10. EDITOR ALLOWS CAPITAL PLACEMENT
In the Editor, click the sprite icon toggle (the tree). Click on the small construction icon (hammer/saw) near the right side of the interface to display the Capitals, Leaders and Great Temples. Left-click on one of these graphics to select it for placement, then left click on the map to place it. Military buildings are placed automatically, based on the location of each faith's Capital, when the game is loaded. Dungeon placement is also automatic and based on Capital locations. Use this option carefully, and experiment with the consequences. (MAP BUILDING HINT: Start by loading Roadworld and modifying it, rather than beginning with a blank map. Enjoy, and don't forget to share your best new maps.)
11. CASTING OVERLAND SPELLS ON INDIVIDUAL PARTY MEMBERS
To cast Overland spells (like Heal) on party members, target their icons on the interface panel below.
12. CONTINUE BUTTON IF BALKOTH IS DEFEATED
If Balkoth is defeated, you can continue playing until all Lords in the game have either sworn fealty to you, or have been killed.
I. NEW FEATURES (CONTINUED)
B. MISCELLANEOUS CLARIFICATIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS
1. PARTY MEMBER EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK
2. COMBAT ENHANCEMENTS
3. MOUSE ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT
4. BARTER AND INTELLIGENCE REPORT
5. MESSAGE FOR DESTROYED BUILDINGS
6. YES/NO PROMPT UPON ENTERING BUILDINGS/MINES
7. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCEMENTS
8. CHANGES TO SPELLS AND ARTIFACTS
9. COMPREHENSIVE PARTY MEMBER PLACEMENT UPON HIRE OR TRAINING
10. PROPER TRAINING EXPERIENCE CONVEYED TO MILITARY BUILDINGS
1. PARTY MEMBER EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK
Military buildings now show three new numbers for experience conferred on new party members. The top (yellow) number shows how much experience a new adventurer produced this turn will have; the middle (green) number shows the experience an adventurer produced next turn will have (provided the residing champion remains inside); and the bottom (blue) number shows the maximum experience a new adventurer can have, based upon the current training Champion and level of the barracks, provided the champion remains inside until his conferable experience is 'maxed out' (usually several turns).
When you click on a particular type of unit, the Train/Hire panel uses the same color-coded display within the level temperature bar. Any adventurer whose experience level, if produced on subsequent turns, would exceed the current range of the temperature bar will show the appropriate color-coded numbers preceded by a '+' plus signs, for Next Turn (green) and Maximum Experience (blue) to the right of the color-coded bar.
2. COMBAT ENHANCEMENTS
Party members can get on top of walls in cities much more easily.
FLEE POINT MARKERS: All combat maps have two waving flags to mark the exit points for each combatant. They're usually quite close to one another, to discourage human players from attacking and fleeing excessively.
UNIT HOT KEYS AND GROUPING: Parties in combat are now automatically assigned to a group selected by the 1, 2 or 3 number keys. Units on the left-hand third of the party portrait panel are in group 1; units in the middle third are in group 2; and units on the right are in group 3.
To reassign groups, press "Ctrl" and any number key and the currently selected units will be assigned to this group. Press that number key to select the group, or press "Alt" plus the number key to select and center on the group. Group numbers now appear above party members' health bars.
Holding down "Shift" while selecting units and/or groups (using either the number keys or the mouse) will add groups/units to the current selection without deselecting those already selected.
AFTER-COMBAT REPORT: The After Combat Report now shows "+LEVEL" under units that went up an experience level.
NEW COMBAT MAPS: All Great Temple, Cave, Brewery, Crystal Mine, Gold Mine, and Capital City maps were revised to improve maneuverability and tactical control.
RANGED VS. MELEE ATTACKS: Creatures with ranged attacks may be toggled to fight hand-to-hand instead.
3. MOUSE ACTIVITY & MOVEMENT
The "interact with building" cursor now lets you give build orders by selecting the building, if empty, or by selecting the party in the building and then clicking on the building again (i.e. "double clicking" on a building with a party inside). You no longer have to select the party and then move the mouse below to the "interact with building" button.
Mouse help now shows the level of caves that you visited, but didn't clear.
Units with movement points remaining can split from a party and continue moving on their own after the rest of the party runs out of movement.
Parties can now re-enter buildings they are standing on by clicking the structure.
Parties automatically enter villages that they have just conquered.
4. BARTER & INTELLIGENCE REPORT
The Intelligence and Barter reports are better integrated. The AI barters more effectively for items and party members that it needs.
Remember that if you have scant information about another player's economic status, you are likely to see zeroes for resources when bartering. To get better intelligence, spy on enemy players or barter frequently with friends. When your political state is Pact or Devotion with another faith, you can see what artifacts and what spell knowledge they have, and can trade more effectively.
5. MESSAGE WHEN A BUILDING IS DESTROYED
When another player destroys a building that you control, you now receive a message informing you of the building type and its demise. If another player enters a resource-producing building (gold mine, brewery, crystal mine statue or Great Temple) that you control, you now receive a message informing you that the building has been so occupied.
6. YES/NO PROMPT PRIOR TO ENTERING A BUILDING/MINE
Before you enter another player's Building/Mine/Stronghold/Great Temple, a
pop-up message asks you to confirm that you want to enter and suffer a diplomatic penalty. This prevents accidental war with an ally when a party on a long move into the darkness would otherwise violate their territory.
7. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCEMENTS
Overland AI now knows a few tricks based on strategies that human players have been using, including better use of mercenaries and clandestine activity. Overland parties better assess which structures to protect, and are more likely to garrison them. The AI is less apt to start fights that it can't possibly win (unless it's in vengeance mode). AI players upgrade their buildings and train parties more effectively. You will also notice increased nautical activity, as the AI knows when it should use ships.
Combat AI now weighs threats better, and uses spellcasting as a support mechanism for greater challenge in combat.
8. CHANGES TO SPELLS AND ARTIFACTS
The Library now tells you if more mages will help in research, or if you have over-assigned them. Remember, the Library can only support a number of researchers equal to the level of the Mage tower.
All Potions now display their effect when examined.
All units now display all artifacts they are carrying. Remember, only Champions can wield artifacts, but all units can carry them.
Teleport Artifact: When cast, all artifacts that this mage is carrying (but not wielding) will teleport to the first member of the destination party. Click the spell button, scroll around the map to find the desired recipient, then click on the destination party. (Arrow keys work well to jump around the map.)
Rocca's Chalice: This artifact now changes a random statistic for that turn, as
well as supplying you with Ale.
Chalice of life: When you wield this artifact, it provides ample Ale for the party. If the composition of your party changes, the Chalice still produces the
amount of Ale set at the time of wielding.
Possession, Summon Spirit Warrior, Raise Shade, Raise Skeleton: All of these spells can increase your party beyond the normal 12-member maximum during combat. In this case, you will usually lose the portrait of one party member down below, but the unit on the combat map responds normally. When combat ends, all will return to normal.
Ring Of Anything: Used to cast a random spell, it now triggers a random effect when used in combat.
Polymorph Self: The affected Mage now blinks several times before resuming their original form.
9. COMPREHENSIVE PARTY MEMBER PLACEMENT WHEN HIRED OR TRAINED
Party members will never be constructed on illegal terrain for that unit type. (Even if you edit the world map, and place a barracks out in the ocean, infantry constructed in that building will appear on a nearby legal terrain.)
10. PROPER EXPERIENCE FOR TRAINING CONVEYED TO MILITARY BUILDINGS
Military buildings were not giving experience to units based on the upgrade level of the structure. Your Champions will never have to sit in a level 2 or 3 structure for more than 10 turns to convey maximum benefit for that "Champion and building level" combination. (This makes upgraded buildings MUCH more valuable, and increases the pace of the game.) Example: In a level 2 barracks, 2 percent of a Warrior's experience points are conveyed to that structure each turn, up to 20 percent. If the building is upgraded to level 3, 3 percent of a Warrior's experience goes to that structure each turn, maximum 30 percent.
C. MULTIPLAYER
IMPORTANT: All players in a multiplayer game must have the same version of Lords of Magic. See the section on Installing the Patch to make sure your installation was successful.
SETTING UP A MULTIPLAYER GAME
Each faith can be played in a given game by one person. Any class of Lord can be played. If you see a leader standing in the middle of the "Pick your Faith" screen, that faith is no longer available for selection.
MODEM GAMES (TWO PLAYERS)
First, agree on who will be the Master and who will be the Slave. The player with the faster computer should be the Master.
After choosing Modem play, you will see a screen with Dial and Create buttons. The Master creates the game, then waits for the other player to join on the Multi-player Game Options screen. The Slave may dial at any time after the Master clicks Create.
LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) (UP TO FOUR PLAYERS)
The player with the fastest computer should act as the Master. After the Master clicks the Create button and names the game, up to three Slaves may choose Join, then select the game by name.
DIRECT CONNECTION (TWO PLAYERS)
The player with the fastest computer should be the Master. After the Master clicks the Create button and names the game, the Slave clicks Join, then selects the game by name.
WON.NET (INTERNET PLAY, UP TO FOUR PLAYERS)
IMPORTANT: You must connect to your Internet Service Provider before clicking on the WON.net option. The game temporarily minimizes while WON.net launches.
Due to the variability of individual ISPs and the unsteady aspects of Internet connections, you should save the game frequently. Any player can restore a saved game, and can even pass a saved game to a person who was not originally involved in the game. Thus, if one player loses his ISP for the rest of the evening, you can invite another player to replace the one missing. The saved game will pass to the new player in about one minute. We recommend that players use "ICQ" to contact each other should they be disconnected. You can get ICQ at the website http://www.icq.net. (ICQ Copyright (c)1996 Mirabilis LTD. All Rights Reserved)
After clicking on WON.net, your browser will open and you will be asked to log on to WON.net. After logging on, you are taken to the Lords of Magic Lobby. Here, you can either join a room or create your own room. (See the help text available at WON.net for details about creating custom rooms, creating games, joining games, inviting users, etc.)
ONCE ALL PLAYERS ARE AT THE MULTI-PLAYER GAME OPTIONS SCREEN
Regardless of your connection method, you will arrive at the Player Names and Portraits screen. Here, you may chat with one another, and the Master player chooses the game's starting conditions. Players' characters and names appear at the top of the screen, in the order in which they joined the game. You will see blank spaces while the game waits for all players to arrive.
CHAT: The Chat Dialog box, where player messages are displayed, is below the portrait windows. To communicate with your opponents, simply left-click on the empty dialog line in the middle of the page, type your message, and press ENTER.
To send private messages ("whisper"), use the F5-F8 keys rather than ENTER. F5 sends your message only to Player 1, F6 to Player 2, and so on.
PLAY WHICH MAP OR GAME? The Master chooses to either load a saved game or start a new game with a custom map on the panel to the right of the chat box. If no custom map is selected, the game starts with a default map. Only the Master machine needs to have a custom map on its hard drive; the map information will be transmitted to Slave players who do not have it. Loading a saved game overrides all information appearing on the screen, and conditions of the saved game are used and restored. The name of the map or saved game is displayed in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
PLAY OPTIONS: The bottom portion of the screen contains the start conditions that the Master must set.
Shroud: Checking this box turns on the overland shroud, which limits the players' visibility to only the terrain and non-stealth parties in the players' sight radius. Leaving the box unchecked lets players see all terrain and non-stealth parties on the overland map.
Resources (Gold, Crystals and Ale): Enter the desired amount of beginning resources for all players, ranging from 0 to 1000, in increments of 50.
Time Limit: This determines the time that players have, outside of combat, to perform actions. Choices are Unlimited, 5 Minutes, 3 Minutes, 1 Minute and 30 Seconds. Choosing "Unlimited" lets all players take as much time as they want for every turn. Selecting a time limit imposes a countdown timer during the last 30 seconds of each player's turn. Time spent in combat is not counted against a player. Remember, routine management tasks can be done during other players' turns.
AI Players: Choose how many active AI players will be in the game. Regardless of the number chosen, all faiths exist in every game. However, only the number of AI players chosen will begin with their own Great Temples and seek the destruction of their enemies. Active AI players will NOT swear fealty to any other players, as they are already in control of their Great Temple.
Spells Known: Players can start with zero to 20 spells. The actual spells that are given, dependant on the number chosen, are listed below regardless of Lord class chosen. Note that this list is cumulative with the normal starting conditions for a faith, so gamers playing as Mages will have more starting spells than those playing Warriors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIFE DEATH CHAOS ORDER
01 Purify Wounds Purge Wounds Tourniquet First Aid
02 Spirit Arrow Curse Hand of Fate Righteous Bolt
03 Invigorate Funeral March Wanderlust Forced March
04 Holy Enchantment Unholy Word Invoke Fate Inspire
05 Commune/Nature Detect Life Blind Rage Falcon's Eye
06 Protect Balkoth's Word Crash Watch Tower
07 Create Plains Primal Fear Wheel of Fortune Survey
08 Cure Wounds Visage of Horror Blades of Fury Righteous Cause
09 Blessing Embrace/Golgotha Winds of Change Teleport Artifact
10 Sanctuary Raise Skeleton Blink Dispel Magic
11 Teleport Artifact Walk Among Us Teleport Artifact Detect Chaos
12 Dispel Magic Golgotha's Gift Detect Order Seer
13 Detect Death Dispel Magic Lesser Fate Leadership
14 Bless Teleport Artifact Dispel Magic Protection
15 Turn Undead Spawn Cave Shimmering Veil Reflection Shield
16 Heal Decay Confusion Justice
17 Regeneration Locust Polymorph Self Heroic Demise
18 Holy Visit Dark Shadows Vortex Crusade
19 Ray of Hope Pestilence Reincarnation Sum.Spirit Warrior
20 Resurrection Lost Soul Polymorph Other Possession
Raise Shade*
*If you are playing as Death take note; Balkoth actually has 21 spells, selecting 20 Spells Known will give you all 21 of Death's spells.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIR EARTH FIRE WATER
01 Ether Gauze Poultice Cauterize Wounds Purify Wounds
02 Lightning Rocksling Firedart Ice Bolt
03 Windwalk Trail Blaze Wildfire Riptide
04 Wind Mills Gold Rush Fireworks Light Rain
05 Swiftness Earthbind Immolation Quicksilver
06 Essence//Wisp Ranger's Vision Frenzy Fog
07 Ice Clay Earth Lava Flow Blood Lust
08 Headwind Slow Fury Fire Make Land
09 Teleport Artifact Stone Hands Flame Sword Teleport Artifact
10 Dispel Magic Stone Skin Heat Shield Dispel Magic
11 Seer Teleport Artifact Teleport Artifact Detect Fire
12 Detect Earth Dispel Magic Dispel Magic Seer
13 Guardian Winds Detect Air Detect Water Whisper of the Waves
14 Cloud of War Detect Cave Heat Metal Heal self
15 Poison Cloud Entanglement Firestorm Gift of Life
16 Stun Earthmeld Fireball Rust
17 Sand Storm Earthquake Burning Skin Guardian Waves
18 Cone of Cold Create rocks Meteor Swarm Cloud of Steam
19 Lightning Charge Turn to stone Flame Arrows Freeze
20 Chain Lightning Sleep Inferno Healing Waters
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Stronghold: Checking this box gives all players control of their stronghold at the start of the game. Your stronghold includes three beginning followers. You don't have to reclaim your Great Temple to gain access to your stronghold and surrounding buildings, but you still need to take over your Great Temple to attract additional followers over the free follower that you recieve for every level of the stronghold. This lets you train units at the beginning of the game, and station Champions in military buildings to convey experience.
Combat: Select which battles will be seen by all players. Selecting "Observe All Combat" will show every battle that is played out, including both player and AI combat. Selecting "Only Observe Player Combat" will show battles engaged by the players, but not any by the AI. Selecting "Always Autocalc Combat" will autocalc every battle that takes place; you will not see or interact with the inside of any dungeons.
MISCELLANEOUS MULTIPLAYER COMMENTS
It is still a good idea to save your game every fifteen minutes or so.
You CAN manage your cities and examine your parties during other players' turns.
Once all players are at the multiplayer option screen, the Master can select the Saved game button underneath the map selection. This toggles the maps to a list of multiplayer saved games that the Master can restore. Click on the saved game you wish to load and then click on play.
II. HOW TO INSTALL THE PATCH
NOTE: FOR THE PATCH TO INSTALL, YOU MUST HAVE 100 MB FREE ON THE HARD DRIVE WITH YOUR VIRTUAL MEMORY SETTINGS (usually C:\, unless you have changed it).
A. MAKING SURE THE PATCH INSTALLED. Once you have downloaded the patch, double-click and run lom202.exe. A dialog will ask you for the path to your Sierra\Lom directory. Verify the path, then follow the on-screen instructions to continue. If you wish to make sure that you have been patched correctly, please check the following files:
In your \LOM folder, check
Filename Date
PIC MPQ 03-24-98
IMP MPQ 03-24-98
LOM EXE 03-31-98
DPSTUB EXE 03-31-98
GS MPQ 03-31-98
In the ..\lom\map directory
File Name Date of FIle
AIGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
AITOWE SMP 03-24-98
AIMINA SMP 03-24-98
FICAVE SMP 03-24-98
LIGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
LITOWE SMP 03-24-98
LIMINA SMP 03-24-98
AISTAT SMP 03-24-98
CHCAVE SMP 03-24-98
CHGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
WAMINA SMP 03-24-98
LIDUNG SMP 03-24-98
DECAVE SMP 03-24-98
WATOWE SMP 03-24-98
ORGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
DEMINC SMP 03-24-98
DEMING SMP 03-24-98
DESTAT SMP 03-24-98
EACAVE SMP 03-24-98
ORTOWE SMP 03-24-98
ORMINA SMP 03-24-98
ORCAVE SMP 03-24-98
CHDUNG SMP 03-24-98
CHTOWE SMP 03-24-98
EATOWE SMP 03-24-98
ORDUNG SMP 03-24-98
EADUNG SMP 03-24-98
FIMINA SMP 03-24-98
FIMINC SMP 03-24-98
FIMING SMP 03-24-98
FISTAT SMP 03-24-98
LICAVE SMP 03-24-98
ORMINC SMP 03-24-98
ORMING SMP 03-24-98
ORSTAT SMP 03-24-98
DEMINA SMP 03-24-98
LIMINC SMP 03-24-98
WADUNG SMP 03-24-98
WACAVE SMP 03-24-98
WAGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
WORLDOFQ SCN 03-24-98
DEFAULT SCN 03-24-98
ROADWORL SCN 03-24-98
AICAVE SMP 03-24-98
AIMINC SMP 03-24-98
AIMING SMP 03-24-98
CHMINA SMP 03-24-98
CHMINC SMP 03-24-98
WAMINC SMP 03-24-98
WAMING SMP 03-24-98
WASTAT SMP 03-24-98
AIDUNG SMP 03-24-98
CHSTAT SMP 03-24-98
DEGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
DETOWE SMP 03-24-98
EAGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
EAMINA SMP 03-24-98
EAMINC SMP 03-24-98
EAMING SMP 03-24-98
EASTAT SMP 03-24-98
CHMING SMP 03-24-98
FIDUNG SMP 03-24-98
FIGTEM1 SMP 03-24-98
FITOWE SMP 03-24-98
LIMING SMP 03-24-98
LISTAT SMP 03-24-98
DEDUNG SMP 03-24-98
B. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. The required and recommended computers for playing Lords of Magic have not changed. They are still as follows:
MINIMUM SYSTEM: You can play Lords of Magic on the following computer, but performance will be marginally acceptable.
Pentium 100
16 MB RAM
135 MB hard drive space
4x CD-ROM drive
Windows 95
SVGA video card supporting 32,000 colors at 640x480 resolution
Windows supported sound card with DAC
100 MB of virtual memory (free hard disk space)
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM: You will enjoy the game to its fullest with at least the following computer:
Pentium 133
32 MB RAM
360 MB hard drive space
12x CD-ROM drive
Windows 95
SVGA video card supporting 32,000 colors at 640x480 resolution
Windows supported sound card with DAC
200+ MB of virtual memory (free hard disk space)
C. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
The 2.02 upgrade to LOM does not raise any new technical issues, but for your convenience we are repeating previous advice here.
We strongly recommend defragmenting your hard disk before installing the game. As a rule, you should defrag on a regular basis, or whenever installing new software. You should free as much drive space as possible for Windows 95 virtual memory.
If problems persist after installing the patch, uninstall Lords of Magic, defrag your hard drive, reinstall Lords of Magic, and the run the patch. Make sure you have at least 100 MB of free space on the hard drive with your virtual memory settings before you run the patch.
Users with low-end computers may increase game speed by turning off Ambient Sound and Music from the Options panel, accessed by clicking the disk icon in the lower left corner of the game screen.
===============================================================================
III. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
NOTE: Most of these questions are answered by help panels that pop up during gameplay. If you want to reset the help, hit the reset help option from the option panel.
A. OVERALL GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS & LONG-TERM STRATEGIES
B. INTERFACE AND GAME MECHANIC QUESTIONS
01 GENERAL
02 COMBAT
03 SPELLS
04 BARTER
05 CAPITALS
06 INTELLIGENCE REPORT
07 SUBDUING WITH THIEVES AND OTHER CLANDESTINE ACTIVITY
C. HINTS & TIPS
A. OVERALL GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS & LONG-TERM STRATEGIES
Lords of Magic is unlike any Strategy or Fantasy Role Playing game you have played before. Do not assume because you are an expert at other classic empire building games, or role playing games, that you should play this product like them, or win your first time on the EASY setting.
It is quite possible that "non-gamers" will find the game more 'intuitive' that
hard-core gamers.
Why was Lords of Magic designed to be so different from other games, and
how does this affect how I should play?
Lords of Magic was conceived from two fundamental concepts: Lords of the
Realm II and high fantasy literature. In designing Lords of Magic, we asked
ourselves the following questions. What if Lords of the Realm II had
originally been designed to play in a traditional fantasy setting? What
elements of character creation would people expect from this game? How much
Role-Playing would people expect? How much empire building would people
expect vs. real time combat? How complex can we make the Economic and Combat
Models? What should the resource elements for this be? What can we take
from classic fantasy literature that will help us answer these questions?
You hold the answer in your hands. The following section will help you
understand how all of these pieces fit together in answer to the above
questions.
Background Story
Golgoth, the terrible God of Death, places evil hoards in the Great Temples
throughout Urak and resurrects the long dead Necromancer Balkoth to take Urak
by force. Many Lords throughout the land are paralyzed by fear, and shun
their own Great Temples that are now defiled by Golgoth's minions. Some Lords raise an army in protest, and seek to cleanse their region of the Evil taint and destroy Balkoth, some hope to ally with Balkoth and share in his victory, others simply brace for a period of hardship and hope that someone else will rid URAK of the Evil.
This is the world that your fledgling Lord and his followers find themselves
in. The region in which you begin the game has lost all hope, and desperately
awaits a hero to rid its place of worship of the evil that now resides there.
By defeating small groups of bandits that have taken shelter in your region,
you can gain the resources to hire temporary help from nearby the military buildings and then defeat the force in the Great Temple.
Once you clear the evil seed from the Great Temple, your people will hold you in
high esteem and build you a stronghold to serve as a base in the capital. In this stronghold you can acquire followers to work for you and generate income for your cause. Followers can also be trained into effective fighting troops if the proper investment is made. What you do now is up to you... The fate of Urak is in your hands.
B. INTERFACE AND GAME MECHANIC QUESTIONS
1. GENERAL
How do I cast a spell from inside a building without leaving the building?
Select the structure containing the party, or the party by using the next party arrows. Once the party is selected, click on the individual party member who will cast the spell. Click ONCE on the overland map. That party member's available spell buttons will come up, and the character will APPEAR to have left the structure. In fact, the character is still considered a member of the party and will automatically rejoin his party inside the building if nothing else is done. You can manually replace him inside the building, graphically, by clicking twice on the structure he is standing on.
Scrolling around the world seems too slow, can I do this faster?
Scrolling speed is based on your machine, and can't be modified. However, we did include hot keys for MUCH faster navigation around the world. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to jump half a screen in any cardinal direction.
Why can't I stay in the Capital, or civilian buildings to do research or rest?
Until you own a stronghold, you are just a potential customer, and
not a house guest. Once you free your Great Temple, the owners of
the buildings happily greet you and you can remain inside.
Fame does not attract mercenaries or other heroes. Why?
Because this game is Lords of Magic and not some other game. Like
Happiness in LOTR II, FAME attracts workers to come work for you.
What you do with those workers will win or loose the game for you.
How can I tell who is a mercenary, and how do I dismiss them?
You should try to be aware of what you do with mercenaries. It is
not a good idea to use them for static duty, but better to hire them
and hurl them into battle. When you double click on any party member's
icon in the interface panel, you bring up a unit information panel
about that party member. At the top right of this panel is the upkeep
cost for the unit. Mercenaries have much higher upkeep costs than
trained units do. Next to the cost icons is the dismiss button.
How do I know who is carrying what artifact and what a particular artifact does?
First, only Champions or Lords can wield (equip) an artifact. Any party member can carry unlimited artifacts. Thus, if a dog is the sole survivor of a massive combat, this dog will carry ALL of the artifacts from that battle. The first time that dog joins a party with a Champion, ALL of the artifacts will be transferred to that Champion. To see what an individual artifact can do, double click on the small thumbnail square that represents the artifact. This will bring up a larger picture and a text description of the artifact. To equip an artifact, drag it into a hand.
You can wield a total of two artifacts at a time, and only one weapon, mana potion, or piece of armor may be wielded at any time. Note: maximum strength of potions is 12.
How do I summon a "Legendary Creature" in the game?
These creatures are summoned from the Great Temple itself, not the
Mage Tower. The knowledge required to summon one of these fantastic
creatures is obtained once your Mage Tower reaches the third level of
upgrade. Thus, by upgrading your Mage Tower to third level and placing
a party member in the Great Temple, you can select the party member
in the Great Temple and call forth a Legendary Creature. (Provided
that you can afford it!)
How do I combine parties, or just move around the map?
Please go to the option panels and 'reset' your help. These help dialogs
will explain a more detailed version of the following. To deselect a
party, right click; to select a party left click on it with your mouse.
To order a destination, left click on the desired destination. Depending on the destination, the mouse cursor will change to one of
the following indicators: Valid movement location, invalid movement location, valid interact with other party or join, valid enter building, valid board ship, and valid enter dungeon. Once you left click on a valid destination, left click on the "x" to confirm or the move party button below. If you set a destination that is longer than one turn, you can now use the "move all parties" button to move your parties to their final destination without having to cycle through all of your parties.
I can't get my Village to build anything for me, why?
Once the renegade party inside a village has been defeated, you must
enter the village. If your party contains a Champion you will be
offered to build a Military building of either bordering faith that
is relevant to that Champion type. This is a key strategy for acquiring
party members of other faiths without having to go to war with them
and conquering them. However, villages can only support ONE military
building. (The manual states that a village can be destroyed and the
military building will continue to function. This is not the case.
So don't destroy your villages that have military buildings attached to
them: currently the village supports the structure.)
The graphics are really compelling to me. Do you have any bitmaps I can use?
Yes, feel free to take the bitmaps off of the root of the CD in the
Directory called Wallpaper. The Order Library bitmap makes a great
desktop because you always feel like you are getting a lot of work done!
Are there any good LOM web sites around? How can I contact the Designers for LOM?
(Internet addresses change frequently, but as of March 23, 1998, the following were valid):
<http://www.sierra.com/titles/magic/index2.html> is the official site for LOM, and <http://www.conquest.net/lom> is a good site as well. The Designers regularly monitor the Usenet newsgroup comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic, as well as the Lords board at Sierra's website. To get to the Sierra board, point your browser at <http://www.sierra.com>, click on the interact button at the top of your screen, click on the message board hotlink, scroll down to the community message boards, and select the heading "Lords." You can send us comments directly via E-Mail at magic@sierra.com as well.
I have too many saved games, how can I delete them?
Your saved games are saved to the LOM\SAVEGAME directory. Use WIN 95
Explorer to delete these saves.
I freed somebody else's Great Temple, and nobody swore fealty to me! OR I freed somebody else's Great Temple and now they hate me!?
Great Temples are a source of worship in Urak for the people's faith
of that region. Conquering the original group of Golgoth's minions
will always give you 100 fame. Whether a region swears fealty to you
or not depends on those people's opinion of you to begin with. If
they have an attitude of neutral or better, they will swear fealty to you.
If they have distaste towards you, you might want to offer them a gift prior to clearing the Temple. Pay careful attention to the color and size of the flag that is flying above the Great Temple. If a large Faith Colored banner is flying, that Great Temple is controlled by the corresponding faith. If you set foot in that temple, it is an act of WAR! (This goes for Mines and military buildings as well.)
2. COMBAT
In combat, I cast one spell and then I couldn't cast more, why?
Your mages begin YOUR turn with a set amount of mana. Each spell
that is cast on the overland map, or during combat reduces this mana.
If you have less mana than the spell you wish to cast requires, your spell
button will go gray. In addition, each spell takes a certain amount of
time to recover from. If you find yourself pausing frequently, your
mage may become unresponsive while recovering. The more powerful
the spell, the longer this recovery time will be.
I find combat confusing and out of control, what can I do?
(See the new features section of this readme, as well as the text below.)
Combat has many tools that you can use to make it work for you. Most importantly is that all orders can be given to units while paused, and
that the space bar will toggle the pause on and off. You may slow combat to a crawl if you wish using the "<" key, while the ">" key will speed it back up. As far as slowing combat down, don't knock it until you have tried it! Depending on your style of play it will make a huge difference.
The action buttons that are available are a huge help when used right. If you are tired of retargeting your units after an enemy dies, use the "defend location" method. Select a large group of your party members that you wish to attack with, click on the defend button or shield icon, then click on a location next to the enemy, or on a chokepoint, or on a location in which the battle will take place. This party will now attack anyone who comes within a few tiles of this location! You will not have to retarget anyone in combat again if the battle occurred close to this location.
If you want to select a unit in the middle of a massive crowd, left-click on its portrait below. If you wish to select and center on a unit, right-click on its portrait. If you want give separate orders to one member of a military party, hold down the "CTRL" key and left click on that unit on the combat map.
See the section labeled I.B.2, "UNIT HOT KEYS AND GROUPINGS" on page 6 of this file for instructions on assigning combat units to groups that you can select with number keys.
Remember, combat can be paused with the space bar. Even when your combat is going very slowly, you should pause the combat on occasion to take a breather or to ready a new spell. All orders can be given in pause mode.
Giving the same order multiple times does not help, but paying
attention to the voice responses does. Listen carefully when ordering
spell attacks or ordering missile units to fire. You can hear if you accidentally clicked on the wrong location and inadvertently gave a move order adjacent to the enemy.
Why does Autocalc always do better than me? (THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE FOR MOST PLAYERS.)
Try using the above methods to help you in combat. Gang up on units.
Take out Mages and missile units first. Whenever you can, surround units, as units get advantages from flank and rear attacks. Units like the Chaos
stick-throwers are very valuable, as they throw their sticks so quickly that they can actually pin down slower units because their targets spend so much time blocking the sticks. You can now move in with powerful
axe-wielding cavalry and chop 'em up.
Why does the Computer always do X or Y when it should do Z?
The reason why X, Y and Z are here is because everybody thinks the
computer should do something different in the same circumstance. You
need to tell your party members what you wish them to do in order for them
to do it. If your play style favors your units selecting targets on their
own more frequently, or you do not wish to give your units new orders when an old target is dead, use the "Defend Location" tactic as described above. Archers seek new targets that are in range automatically. Mages won't engage in Hand to Hand combat unless a target moves adjacent.
3. SPELLS
What Spells do I know?
Check your intelligence report by hitting the eye button next to your end
turn indicator, or the "I" key on your keyboard. This will show you all spells that mages of the appropriate faith and that you control can cast. No matter what the start conditions of the game, you begin the game with some spell knowledge appropriate to your faith and class of Lord. Obviously, selecting the MAGE Lord starts you out with the most knowledge.
How do I research & cast spells in general?
Only Mages & some Artifacts can cast spells. For Mages, spells are
divided into four categories or "Spell Books" which determine how spells
are researched and when they can be cast. Spells must be researched in proper order within their individual book-hierarchy by your mages researching in the library. You can only station a mage in a library if you own a stronghold in the associated capital. Libraries are automatically upgraded when the corresponding Mage tower is upgraded. The number of desks in a library reflects the number of Mages that can work in it. Mages must be of the same faith as the library to conduct research.
Two books of spells are accessible during combat; these are the Combat Offensive spell book and the Combat Defensive spell book. On the Overland map both the Overland spell book and the General Knowledge spell book are available.
To cast a spell, select your mage by left clicking on the icon of the mage below the action buttons. This activates any spells that are available. (Selecting the Mage in this manner is not necessary if the Mage is alone.) If no buttons come up, then no spells are possible at this time.
How do I switch spells?
By right clicking on any spell button, in combat or on the overland map, a flyout of spell choices pops up. Leave your mouse over an icon to see a description of what the spell does and how much Mana it costs. To choose which spell you want to have "ready to cast," left click on the icon of your choice and it will "ready" that spell as well as select it.
When casting an overland spell on an individual, why can't I cast on the specific portrait down below instead of on the tiny graphic on the scrolling map?
This feature was added in version 1.02. It will also work during combat, but in combat it only allows you to cast on icons that represent one individual (a Champion or a military unit with one living member.)
In combat, I cast one spell and then I couldn't cast more, why?
(See below)
When I have finished researching a spell, will I get a message?
Yes. The screen will center on the library as well. The exception to this is if you find a scroll of the spell that you are currently researching, and you read the scroll, you will instantly be granted this spell's knowledge.
Sometimes I cast a spell on someone, and I hear a "Wooop- wooo/tingling" sound, and my spell does nothing. What happened?
You either targeted an illegal target, and the spell fizzled, or your target was more than 12 tiles away. Overland spells can't be cast more than about a "screen" from your Mage. An example of an illegal target in range would be a movement spell cast on a party that is already under the influence of the SAME movement spell. No, you do not lose any mana for either of these exercises in futility.
EXCEPTION: The Teleport Artifact can be cast over any distance.
4. BARTER
The Computer attacks me when I renegotiate. Why?
Pay attention to the barter state from which he is offering you a deal. If it is Demand, or Threat, attempting to renegotiate might land you in combat.
I gave my enemy lots of stuff, and he still hates me, why?
Your definition of lots of stuff might be different than his, and just not enough. The worse your political state is, the harder it will become to re-gain a state of neutrality. A gift of 100 gold to a player with whom you are at war might be perceived as only being worth 15 gold. A gift of 100 gold to a player who has distaste toward you might very well make them neutral, or even have empathy to you, and be worth 80-110 gold depending on that player's economy.
Why did the other player refuse my gift?
If he accepts it, he will be obligated to like you more, and maybe he would just prefer to hate you! More likely, you offered something that was not valuable enough for him to accept just then. The number of turns in a game determine a set level of expectation in value for any gift.
Does refusing a Barter by either side affect the Political State?
NO. However, refusing a THREAT, or DEMAND, might land you in combat, and combat most certainly does affect the political state.
I ran through his territory and then tried to trade for his Gold Mine, but it did not show up in the barter dialog, why?
Only buildings that are in your current visible range can be bartered for. This is to ensure that he still owns it.
The information that I get about the other player in Barter always seems really wrong, what is happening?
Information about the other player is based on your intelligence report on this player. See below how to increase this information as well as read the intelligence report correctly. This is necessary, otherwise spying would serve little purpose.
I am bartering at another player's Capital or Great Temple, and I can't ask for one of the party members that I am looking at, what's going on?
Units that are on guard duty for that Capital or Great Temple can never be traded to you, so if we had allowed you to select them and put them on the negotiation table it would have confused you even more when no amount of money would let you get them! The same is true for Lords, in that they will never appear in barter.
I am at a state of devotion or pact with another player, and I have very little information about that player. What can I do to improve my Intelligence, and not harm our relationship?
Once you reach either of these political states you automatically share information with this player. Every seven turns or so, check your intelligence report or enter barter with the player. You will start to see spell knowledge as well as artifacts being available to trade. The simple act of Bartering with a player increases the accuracy of your economic information about that player as well. (Very small increase).
5. CAPITALS
Besides assigning Followers to produce resources for me, what else can the buildings in a Capital do for me?
Please re-read the section of the manual for a more detailed version of the following:
Marketplace- Trade Ale or Crystal for Gold.
Temple- Heal units, Remove curses (Purple Cloud & Polymorph), purchase magic crystals.
Tavern- purchase Ale, Hold festival (This is akin to throwing a party. It converts your Ale into Fame. Your current Fame determines how many people show up to your celebration, limiting the size or amount of Fame that can be increased each turn by this method.) (LOTR II fans- remember the ale?)
Magistrate- Allows you to "pass the hat" to solicit gold for your cause, but causes your Fame to drop.
Stronghold- clicking on the stronghold will bring up the Intelligence report, as will hitting the "I" key, or the new eye button.
How many Followers can be assigned to work in each building?
Depending on the level of your stronghold, 8,16, and 32 followers can be assigned.
You can now rename your capital by right clicking on the name.
7. INTELLIGENCE REPORT
How do I access my report?
Click on the new button that looks like an eye, or hit the "I" key on your keyboard, or click on your stronghold if in your city. If you can get one of your thieves into an enemy city undetected, they can spy on that Faiths' Intelligence report.
What does "poor guess" in the left corner mean?
This indicates how accurate your economic information is about this faith.
This will improve all the way to accurate, if you actually spy on their capital! This information does not stay current for long, but frequent barter can keep information pretty fresh, and questioning thief prisoners can improve this as well.
What do the little vertical lines on the military strength bar mean?
This represents the high and low extremes of your guess regarding this player's total strength relative to the other players in the game. Don't extrapolate to the middle and assume that this is the true measure of the overall military strength.
8. SUBDUING WITH THIEVES AND OTHER CLANDESTINE ACTIVITY
Occasionally during the computer's turn I jump into combat with a thief who I have detected. What is happening here?
If you try to sneak up on another player to interact with them in stealth mode, and are detected before reaching that player, you will jump into combat. The same thing is true for the computer. He just tried to steal or spy on you! What are you going to do about that? This means War, if you ask me!
Sometimes I sneak up on a player fine, and then when I hit the spy button I get captured or killed or jump into combat. Is this right?
Yes it is. You managed to get up next to them undetected but when you finally went poking about, you were killed from behind or captured or even given the chance to run for your life.
I subdued a Champion during combat and I did not get them as a prisoner!?
If you successfully subdue a renegade Champion or another player's Lord, that Champion is automatically killed at the end of combat.
I am in a building, and I selected my POW and none of the POW buttons seem to work?
Move your escorting party away from civilization to conduct your
questioning.
C. HINTS & TIPS
(New Hints & Tips 3/20/98)
* Take advantage of not having to station your parties in buildings, but don't abuse it. Renegade parties like easy victories and undefended buildings are just that.
* The new and improved Teleport Artifact is an excellent way to move potions to all your parties. Potions in general are the best buy for your magic crystal in the game.
* Get in the habit of giving recon units extended move orders, and then prior to ending your turn, hit the move all parties button.
* Check your party roster every once in a while to see if any Champions are
done Training a building, or to make sure one of your parties is not resting for no reason.
* Pay attention to the new table at the top of this document in rule changes, as it affects who will swear fealty to you.
* Renegade parties do not have political motives other than pillaging, so you can't spy, steal or kidnap them.
* When going to attack an enemy Capital, it might be a good idea to have reinforcements to absorb some losses.
* To recover hitpoints, rest in shelter. If a Champion is wounded use the temple, or at least rest in the appropriate military building to train the building.
(PREVIOUS HINTS & TIPS)
* This game plays very differently depending on the Faith, Leader and Easy, Medium and Hard settings. If you want even more replayablity, follow instructions in the appendix on using the editor to create a new world map. Obviously the map has great impact on the strategy of the game. Be careful or you will make the wrong Faith too powerful.
* GAME TIP: There is a huge difference in how the game plays between Easy and Medium, not to mention the "expert only"- Hard.
* When playing faiths with high hitpoints and low armor, such as Chaos and Fire, don't forget about the ability to heal units in your capital. Sometimes your biggest enemy is time, and the 100 crystals that you get from a Great Temple can heal the party right then. (Rule of thumb- don't heal mercenaries.)
* Plan your trips back to your Military buildings for training carefully, particularly with Mages. The new rules (v1.02) regarding experience conveyed is three times faster with a third level structure.
* Be nice to Balkoth at the beginning. Some humorous events may transpire down the road as a result.
* The life Pegasus recovers all hit points at the end of combat, and all magic creatures have some magic resistance. (When playing as the fire mage, the Inferno spell is great as long as your mage can survive & she has magic creatures with her. They are all quite resistant to fire magic and can survive
the blast easily.)
* Always carry potions of mana for your mage!
* Healing waters from the Water Faith heals an entire party to their maximum hitpoints, and their boats can land a party in death's back door in a couple of turns!
* It is not necessary to keep large parties in your strongholds as long as you have a good active sight radius around your stronghold and you have resources available. At the later states of the game, mercenaries and summoned creatures make a great temporary security detail that curtail the need of
maintaining a party on guard duty.
* There are several resources in the game, but your Champions' experience is the most important. This and a high fame will increase your ability to recover from losing large numbers of party members, as you can train more and they will be high level right out of training.