# Game manual

Contents

- 1. Introduction
- 2. Tutorial
  - 2.1 Chapter 1 tutorial
  - 2.2 Chapter 2 tutorial
  - 2.3 Hints and tips
- 3. Reference guide
  - 3.1 Commands list
    - Moving on the map
    - Choosing a unit to control
    - Giving an order: main method
    - Giving an order: alternate, faster method
    - Examining the situation
    - Giving an order without cancelling the previous ones (queuing commands)
    - Giving an imperative order
    - Attacking a friendly unit
    - Other commands
  - 3.2 Units
    - peasant
    - footman
    - archer
    - flying machine
    - knight
    - dark archer
    - priest
    - catapult
    - dragon
    - mage
    - necromancer
    - offensive flying machine
    - skeleton
    - zombie
  - 3.3 Buildings
    - scout tower
    - farm
    - guard tower
    - lumber mill
    - barracks
    - blacksmith
    - cannon tower
    - stables
    - workshop
    - town hall
    - dragons lair
    - mages tower
    - necropolis
    - temple
    - keep
    - castle
  - 3.4 Abilities
    - conversion
    - deadly fog
    - exorcism
    - holy vision
    - meteors
    - raise dead
    - recall
    - resurrection
    - summon dragon
  - 3.5 Upgrades and research
    - archer armor upgrade
    - archer range upgrade
    - archer weapon upgrade
    - melee armor upgrade
    - melee weapon upgrade
    - horse speed upgrade
    - conversion research
    - deadly fog research
    - exorcism research
    - meteors research
    - recall research
    - resurrection research
    - summon dragon research
    - super healer upgrade
- 4. Multiplayer games
  - 4.1 Starting a multiplayer game
  - 4.2 Chatting
  - 4.3 Team play
  - 4.4 How to make your server accessible to other players
  - 4.5 How to download a map from a server
- 5. Game elements
  - Food
  - Tech upgrades
  - Flying units
  - Invisible units and detectors
- 6. More details for customization
  - SoundRTS.ini
  - Sound pack
  - Recorded speech
  - Windows srapi parameter
  - Windows srapi_wait parameter
  - Temporary folder
  - User folder
  - How to create a portable version of SoundRTS
  - How to change the default speed in single player games
  - Changing some key bindings
  - Creating an app for Mac
  - Using the Windows installer with a limited account (Windows XP)
  - What makes a map an official multiplayer map?
  - How to select a different language?
- 7. Credits

# 1. Introduction

Welcome to SoundRTS!

SoundRTS is a realtime strategy game inspired by Warcraft and Starcraft, but an audiogame, so adapted for the blind. In this game, you will explore the surroundings, exploit goldmines and woods, build, recruit peasants and soldiers, and fight the enemy!

The game is by default in map mode : you are heading north, and you can select all the object without rotating. But you can also play in first person mode, nice for exploration and attack.

Windows uses SAPI 5 (or a screen reader). Linux uses Speech Dispatcher. Mac OS X uses NS Speech Synthesis. Recorded speech is still possible, but the files are no longer included in the main packages.

# 2. Tutorial

This tutorial will help you learn the main controls of the game.

## 2.1 Chapter 1 tutorial

If you use Jaws or another screen review, you may have to unactivate it to access to the keyboard.

When the game starts, you'll hear the name of the square where you are: "A1". The presence of a goldmine in A1 is also told. To examine this square, press Tab many times. You will notice that this square has only one exit (a path), a gold mine, a wood, town hall 1 (it's your base), and the peasant 1.

Then press "Page Down" to know if another square can be examined. You'll hear "C1", which contains (press Tab to know that) a farm, a path, a wood and footman 1.

If you press "Page down" again, you will be again in "A1". It means that only 2 squares can be examined now.

Another way of moving in the map is to use the Arrow Keys. This way you can fly over the unknown squares to give the order to go to an unknown square.

The objective of this map is to build 1 farm and 1 barracks. Only the peasant can build. But he needs gold and wood, and a free space (a meadow). To know how much gold, wood, food you have, press Z, X and C.

Let's order the peasant to gather gold. First, to control him, press Q until you hear "peasant 1, awaiting your orders!". Then, press A until you select "exploit" ; then press Tab until you select the gold mine ; then press Enter to confirm. The peasant will start gathering gold.

To go faster you will need more peasants. Press Q until you control the townhall. Then, press A until you select "recruit peasant" then press Enter. After some seconds, a new peasant, peasant 2, will appear.

To ask peasant 2 to gather wood, do like the first one, or, to go faster, press A until you control peasant 2, then press Tab to select the gold mine, then press "Backspace". This key launches the default action on the selected target : here, the default action is "exploit a gold mine".

Before recruiting a third peasant, let's tell the townhall 1 that the newly recruited peasants will have to exploit this gold mine. To do that, press Q until you control townhall 1. Then press Tab until you select the gold mine. Finally, press "Backspace" to give the default order to the townhall : "rally to a gold mine". Then press A to choose "recruit peasant", then press Enter to confirm.

When you have enough gold or when the gold mine is exhausted, press D to control all the peasants then press Tab until you select the wood. Then press "Backspace" to launch the exploitation of the gold mine.

The rest is not difficult.

## 2.2 Chapter 2 tutorial

Hint : group your combat units. To do this, control them (with the S key) and make them patrol between the squares you want to protect.

## 2.3 Hints and tips

- Keep your forces focused.
- Make you soldiers patrol. Patrolling soldiers can protect a larger zone while keeping the forces focused.
- Use rally points for buildings. The buildings that can recruit units can define a rally point. The new units will target this rally point. For example a new peasant will exploit a gold mine.
- Use the defensive mode to scout. A unit in defensive mode will flee if it encouters strongers enemies. This way you can know how many enemies are in a square without sacrificing the scouting unit. The peasants are in defensive mode by default but the soldiers can be put in this mode too.
- A fleeing unit forgets its orders. For example, a peasant who is gathering gold won't go back to work after fleeing, while if he fought and survived he would have went on gathering gold.

# 3. Reference guide

## 3.1 Commands list

The game consists in giving orders to your units and buildings. To give an order to a unit, you must control it first. If you press F10 during the game, you will go to the game menu. If you use Jaws or another screen review, you may have to unactivate it to access to the keyboard.

### Moving on the map

The arrow keys make you move from a square to another square in the map. If a direct path exists between the current square and the new square, you will hear a noise depending on the type of the path (path or bridge). If no direct path exists, you will hear a collision noise and you will stay at the same square (press control + arrow keys to fly above an obstacle). If you don't know yet if a path exists (unknown square) then no noise will be heard.

Another way to move on the map is to press Page Up, which will lead you to the next interesting square without passing by empty squares. Since SoundRTS 1.1 alpha 3, some variants are available:

- press Alt + PageUp/PageDown to select the previous/next unknown square
- press Shift + PageUp/PageDown to select the Previous/Next Square containing resources

When you control a unit and you press Space, you will automatically follow it when it moves from one square to another one.

### Choosing a unit to control

To control the next local unit, press Q.

To control the next building, press W. To control the next peasant, press E. To control all the local peasants, press D. To control the next idle peasant, press Alt E. To control all the local idle peasants, press Alt D. To control the next footman, press R. To control all the local footmen, press F. To control the next archer, press T. To control all the local archers, press G. To control the next knight, press Y. To control all the local knights, press H. To control the next catapult, press U. To control all the local catapults, press J. To control the next dragon, press I. To control all the local dragons, press K. To control the next mage, press O. To control all the local mages, press L.

When a key makes you control the next unit, the same key combined with Shift makes you control the previous unit. For example, to control the previous peasant, press Shift + E.

To control all the units of the same type and in the same square than the current unit, press 1. To control only half or third, press 2 or 3. To stop controlling a group, press 0.

To control all the local soldiers, press S. To control all the soldiers and the pesants, press Alt + S.

When a key makes you control a group of local units, the same key combined with control makes you control a group from all the map. For example, to control all the footment, press Control + R or Control + F.

### Giving an order: main method

To give an order to a controlled unit, the main method consists in choosing the order in a list and selecting the target if the action requires it.

To choose the order in a list, press A (and Shift A) to select the order.

If you must select a target, press Tab (and Shift Tab) to select the target. To select a remote square as a target, use the arrow keys.

Press Enter to confirm your choice.

### Giving an order: alternate, faster method

A second method to give an order consists in selecting the target with Tab (or the arrow keys) and then pressing Backspace. The default order will be given. For example, a peasant targetting a gold mine will exploit it if you press Backspace.

### Examining the situation

To check the controlled unit (or the controlled group), press Space. Moreover, you will move to the square occupied by the unit (or the group leader).

To know how much gold you have, press Z. Press X for wood, press C for food.

To know the health of the current unit press V.

To examine again an object selected with Tab, press Control.

### Giving an order without cancelling the previous ones (queuing commands)

Hold down Shift before pressing Enter to confirm the order.

It also works for default orders: hold down Shift before pressing Backspace.

Press Space to check if the unit have several orders to execute.

Here are some situations where queuing commands would be useful:

- Example 1: you want a peasant to scout every starting square in the map (to know where the enemy is). Control the peasant, move the cursor to a starting square, then press Shift + Backspace. Repeat for each starting square.
- Example 2: you want a peasant to exploit several resources. Target a resource, press Shift + Backspace. Repeat. When a resource is exhausted, the peasant will exploit the next one.

### Giving an imperative order

If you hold down Control before pressing Enter or Backspace, the order will be imperative.

Units with an imperative order will tend to ignore anything not directly related to the order. If they have to go somewhere and they come across enemy units, they will simply ignore them. This is dangerous most of the time but can be useful in some cases, for example to focus on a very important target.

Here are some situations where an imperative command would be useful:

- Example 1: you want your units to attack a specific enemy building or unit and ignore the rest. Select the target and press Control + Backspace.
- Example 2: you want your units to retreat from a place and ignore the enemy units. Select another square and press Control + Backspace.

You can queue imperative commands too. Hold down Control + Shift instead of Shift.

### Attacking a friendly unit

Target the unit and press Shift Backspace: the units will attack the target.

Exception: if the target is a damaged building (or a repairable unit like a catapult) and you are controlling workers, they will repair the target.

### Other commands

F5 and F6: previous/next message in the history. Alt: interrupt the current sentence.

To quit a game or access to the game menu, press F10. Alt F4 and Control C do the same.

Control + Space: make the game go in first person mode. Escape: go back to map mode.

Home/End, +/- of the numeric keyboard: increase/decrease the general sound volume. Control Home/End, control +/- of the numeric keyboard: increase/decrease the voice relative volume.

In the menus, the arrow keys work too : Up and Down to select, Right to confirm, Left to cancel.

F3: say time Control F3: minute bell on/off (off by default)

Control + Tab selects only woods, gold mines, meadows, and repairable or buildable targets (damaged buildings, building sites, damaged catapults...).

Alt + R reselects the previously given order. Useful to train the same unit or build the same type of building several times. Alt + G reselects the previously given order and validate it if no additional parameter is required. For example, to train 5 additional archers, press Alt + G 5 times. Since SoundRTS 1.1 alpha 3, Alt + A is the same than Alt + G.

## 3.2 Units

### peasant

The peasant is important but fragile. The peasant collects gold or wood, builds and repairs buildings. Many peasants can help building or repairing a building to go faster. When a peasant can build a new type of building, this new option is added at the end of the list.

The peasant can fight, and can join a total attack with the command Control + Alt + S.

- trained by: town hall, keep, castle
- total cost: 4 gold
- total food cost: 1 ration
- total time cost: 10 seconds
- health: 4 hit points
- attack: 1.5 hit points every 1 second
- attack range: 0.8 meter
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- can build: farm, barracks, lumber mill, blacksmith, scout tower, town hall, stables, workshop, dragons lair, mages tower, temple, necropolis

### footman

The footman fights with his sword. He must be close to the target to hit it.

- trained by: barracks
- total cost: 6 gold
- total food cost: 1 ration
- total time cost: 12 seconds
- health: 15 hit points
- armor: 0.5 hit point
- armor upgrade bonus: 1 hit point
- attack: 3.5 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack upgrade bonus: 2.5 hit points
- attack range: 1 meter
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- potential improvements: melee armor upgrade, melee weapon upgrade

### archer

The archer fights with a bow (ranged attack). If the archers are numerous enough, the enemy footmen die before even reaching them.

- trained by: barracks
- requires: lumber mill
- total cost: 5 gold, 1 wood
- total food cost: 1 ration
- total time cost: 15 seconds
- health: 10 hit points
- attack: 2.5 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 3 meters
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- can upgrade to: dark archer
- potential improvements: archer armor upgrade, archer range upgrade, archer weapon upgrade

### flying machine

This new version of the flying machine have the ability to transport units and to detect invisible units but cannot defend itself. Transported units can't attack from a flying machine. If the transport is destroyed, the units inside are destroyed too.

To load units:

- Method 1: control the unit(s) to carry, target the flying machine and press backspace.
- Method 2: control the flying machine(s), target the unit to carry and press backspace.
- Method 3: control the flying machine(s), target the square where the units are, select in the menu "load all the units from...", and press Enter.

To unload units: control the flying machine(s), select the "unload" action in the menu, target the destination and press Enter.

- trained by: workshop
- total cost: 5 gold, 5 wood
- total food cost: 1 ration
- total time cost: 10 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- can see the adjacent squares
- detects invisible units

### knight

The knight fights with his sword and moves fast.

- trained by: barracks
- requires: stables
- total cost: 15 gold
- total food cost: 2 rations
- total time cost: 20 seconds
- health: 45 hit points
- armor: 1 hit point
- armor upgrade bonus: 1.5 hit points
- attack: 6 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack upgrade bonus: 6 hit points
- attack range: 1 meter
- speed: 2.5 meters per second
- potential improvements: melee armor upgrade, melee weapon upgrade, horse speed upgrade

### dark archer

Any archer can become a dark archer.

- requires: lumber mill, mages tower
- total cost: 10 gold, 5 wood
- total food cost: 1 ration
- total time cost: 75 seconds
- health: 12 hit points
- attack: 10 hit points every 3 seconds
- attack range: 5 meters
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- is invisible
- potential improvements: archer armor upgrade, archer range upgrade, archer weapon upgrade

### priest

The priest heals automatically all the friendly units located in the same square (0.13 hit point per second initially, and 1.33 hit points per second after the "super healer" upgrade). The priest cannot directly attack though.

- trained by: temple
- total cost: 15 gold, 7 wood
- total food cost: 2 rations
- total time cost: 20 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- speed: 1 meter per second
- healing power: 1
- special abilities: conversion, exorcism, holy vision, resurrection
- potential improvements: super healer upgrade

### catapult

The catapult can strike units and buildings located in an adjacent square. The catapult can also damage several enemies at a time.

On the other hand, the catapult is very fragile and cannot even defend itself against a unit in the same square. It moves very slowly too.

- trained by: workshop
- total cost: 15 gold, 10 wood
- total food cost: 2 rations
- total time cost: 30 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- attack: 8 hit points every 4 seconds
- damage radius (area of effect): 0.25 meter
- speed: 0.75 meter per second
- can see the adjacent squares

### dragon

The dragon, flying creature, cannot be reached by peasants or footmen or knights or catapults. It flies directly to its destination, without having to follow the ground paths.

- trained by: dragons lair
- total cost: 15 gold, 10 wood
- total food cost: 3 rations
- total time cost: 15 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- attack: 4 hit points every 4 seconds
- damage radius (area of effect): 1 meter
- attack range: 3 meters
- speed: 1.75 meters per second
- can see the adjacent squares

### mage

- trained by: mages tower
- total cost: 20 gold, 10 wood
- total food cost: 3 rations
- total time cost: 30 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- attack: 8 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 4.5 meters
- speed: 1 meter per second
- special abilities: meteors, recall, summon dragon

### necromancer

Necromancers raise armies of animated corpses.

- trained by: necropolis
- total cost: 20 gold, 10 wood
- total food cost: 3 rations
- total time cost: 30 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- attack: 8 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 4.5 meters
- speed: 1 meter per second
- special abilities: deadly fog, raise dead

### offensive flying machine

- trained by: workshop
- requires: mages tower
- total cost: 20 gold, 10 wood
- total food cost: 3 rations
- total time cost: 30 seconds
- health: 30 hit points
- attack: 8 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 4.5 meters
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- can see the adjacent squares

### skeleton

- health: 15 hit points
- attack: 2.5 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 3 meters
- speed: 1.5 meters per second
- potential improvements: archer armor upgrade, archer range upgrade, archer weapon upgrade

### zombie

- health: 23 hit points
- armor: 0.5 hit point
- armor upgrade bonus: 1 hit point
- attack: 5 hit points every 3 seconds
- attack upgrade bonus: 2.5 hit points
- attack range: 1 meter
- speed: 1 meter per second
- potential improvements: melee armor upgrade, melee weapon upgrade

## 3.3 Buildings

### scout tower

The scout tower can't defend itself, but it can quickly evolve to a guard tower (requires a sawmill) or a cannon tower (requires a blacksmith). In the early game, the scout tower is sometimes built "just in case" of a rushed attack, with a smaller investment than the cost of a fully equipped tower. A tower doesn't require food and can be built anywhere (not only on a meadow).

- total cost: 6 gold, 2 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- health: 33 hit points
- can upgrade to: guard tower, cannon tower
- can see the adjacent squares

### farm

Farms provide food rations.

- requires: town hall
- total cost: 5 gold, 5 wood
- total time cost: 45 seconds
- health: 133.3 hit points
- food provided: 8 rations

### guard tower

The guard tower shoots arrows, like an archer.

- requires: lumber mill
- total cost: 11 gold, 4 wood
- total time cost: 140 seconds
- health: 43 hit points
- armor: 1 hit point
- attack: 6 hit points every 1.5 seconds
- attack range: 5 meters
- can see the adjacent squares
- potential improvements: archer range upgrade, archer weapon upgrade

### lumber mill

The lumber mill can store wood. If a lumber mill is nearer than the townhall, the peasant can bring back the wood there to save time. Moreover, having at least one lumber mill gives a 25 % bonus for the wood production.

- requires: town hall
- total cost: 6 gold, 9 wood
- total time cost: 68 seconds
- health: 200 hit points
- can store: wood
- can research: archer weapon upgrade, archer armor upgrade, archer range upgrade

### barracks

- requires: town hall
- total cost: 7 gold, 9 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can train: footman, archer, knight

### blacksmith

- requires: town hall
- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can research: melee weapon upgrade, melee armor upgrade

### cannon tower

The cannon tower only attacks ground units.

- requires: blacksmith
- total cost: 16 gold, 5 wood
- total time cost: 190 seconds
- health: 53 hit points
- armor: 1 hit point
- attack: 8 hit points every 4 seconds
- damage radius (area of effect): 1 meter
- attack range: 6 meters
- can see the adjacent squares

### stables

- requires: keep
- total cost: 10 gold, 15 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can research: horse speed upgrade

### workshop

- requires: keep
- total cost: 10 gold, 15 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can train: catapult, flying machine, offensive flying machine

### town hall

- total cost: 12 gold, 16 wood
- total time cost: 135 seconds
- health: 400 hit points
- food provided: 1 ration
- healing power: 1
- can store: gold, wood
- can train: peasant
- can upgrade to: keep

### dragons lair

- requires: castle
- total cost: 15 gold, 20 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can train: dragon

### mages tower

- requires: castle
- total cost: 15 gold, 20 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 266.7 hit points
- can train: mage
- can research: recall research, summon dragon research, meteors research

### necropolis

- requires: castle
- total cost: 10 gold, 30 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 300 hit points
- can train: necromancer
- can research: deadly fog research

### temple

- requires: keep
- total cost: 10 gold, 30 wood
- total time cost: 90 seconds
- health: 300 hit points
- can train: priest
- can research: super healer upgrade, exorcism research, conversion research, resurrection research

### keep

- requires: barracks
- total cost: 22 gold, 31 wood
- total time cost: 315 seconds
- health: 800 hit points
- food provided: 1 ration
- healing power: 2
- can store: gold, wood
- can train: peasant
- can upgrade to: castle

### castle

- requires: barracks, lumber mill, blacksmith, stables
- total cost: 42 gold, 61 wood
- total time cost: 675 seconds
- health: 1600 hit points
- food provided: 1 ration
- healing power: 4
- can store: gold, wood
- can train: peasant

## 3.4 Abilities

### conversion

Conversion is a way to take control of an enemy unit. The unit will be one of your units. Buildings can be converted too.

To convert an enemy unit:

1. select the caster for orders
2. select the conversion order
3. select an enemy unit or building as a target (warning: if you are selecting a mobile unit in a currently unobserved square, the unit might be actually elsewhere and the order will be canceled when the caster arrives in the square)
4. validate the order

- requires: conversion research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### deadly fog

The deadly fog damages any healable unit in the targeted square.

- duration: 15 seconds
- damage: 0.13 hit point per second
- requires: deadly fog research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### exorcism

Exorcism damages any undead unit in the same square.

- duration: 15 seconds
- damage: 0.27 hit point per second
- requires: exorcism research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### holy vision

Reveals any square for 10 seconds. Detects invisible units.

- mana cost: 30 mana points

### meteors

Meteors damage all the units and buildings in the targeted square.

- duration: 15 seconds
- damage: 0.13 hit point per second
- requires: meteors research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### raise dead

Animates up to 10 corpses in the same square. An animated corpse is either a zombie or a skeleton. After 10 minutes, the animated corpses will crumble to dust.

- mana cost: 50 mana points

### recall

Recall is the ability to instantly move units to the caster's place. The affected units are the friendly units in the targeted square.

- requires: recall research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### resurrection

Resurrects up to 6 nearby units, with 33 percent of their hit points. Affects only your units.

- requires: resurrection research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

### summon dragon

Summons 2 dragons for 2 minutes. See dragon .

- requires: summon dragon research
- mana cost: 150 mana points

## 3.5 Upgrades and research

### archer armor upgrade

- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: armor + 0.5

### archer range upgrade

- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: range + 1

### archer weapon upgrade

- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: damage + 1.5

### melee armor upgrade

- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: applies the armor upgrade bonus of the unit

### melee weapon upgrade

- total cost: 8 gold, 10 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: applies the damage upgrade bonus of the unit

### horse speed upgrade

- total cost: 15 gold, 5 wood
- total time cost: 60 seconds
- effect: speed + 2.5

### conversion research

- requires: castle
- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### deadly fog research

- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### exorcism research

- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### meteors research

- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### recall research

- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### resurrection research

- requires: castle
- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### summon dragon research

- total cost: 50 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds

### super healer upgrade

- requires: castle
- total cost: 80 gold
- total time cost: 120 seconds
- effect: heal_level + 9

# 4. Multiplayer games

## 4.1 Starting a multiplayer game

Select "multiplayer game", then "choose a server in a list".

In a public server, you will be able to organize a game.

Tip: when you are waiting for players online, you can launch SoundRTS a second time and play locally in single player mode. When a player shows up, press F10 to pause your local game and start playing online.

## 4.2 Chatting

You can chat only in the server lobby and in the pre-game room. The organizer of the game is temporarily unavailable during the selection of the map and of the game speed though.

To say something to everybody in the same room, press S, type your message, and press enter. If text-to-speech isn't enabled, the message will be spelled, one character at a time.

Another option is to use Skype (or any similar software) if you know the other players.

## 4.3 Team play

The teams must be created before the game starts. They can't be changed during the game.

Allied players share the knowledge of the map, the victory, and their units can help each other. A worker can use an allied warehouse to store a resource (the resource will still be added to the worker's army).

In a server game, the computers are not allied by default.

Note: In a single player game from the "single player" menu, the computers are allied.

Tip: to play a single player game with a computer as an ally, launch a private server.

## 4.4 How to make your server accessible to other players

Here are some hints if nobody can connect to your server.

If you are behind a firewall you must allow the port 2500 (in TCP).

Moreover, if you use a router, you must add a virtual server for the port 2500 to the IP address of your server. Without that, the router won't know to which machine it will forward the packets. In the case of a virtual server, you may need to give a fixed IP to your server with DHCP.

## 4.5 How to download a map from a server

Play a game with the map that you wish to download. Just before the game starts, the map will appear in the temporary folder and will stay there until another map overwrites it. Depending on the map format, it will be a text file called recent_map.txt or a folder called recent_map.

# 5. Game elements

## Food

The training of a new unit can only happen if the player have enough food rations. If some farms are destroyed or new units are obtained without training, and the food rations become insufficient, the current units will be kept without any problem. No further training will be allowed though.

## Tech upgrades

The upgrades apply to all the player's units, current and future.

## Flying units

Since SoundRTS 1.1, flying units fly straight to the objective, ignoring the land path.

## Invisible units and detectors

To defend against an invisible unit, there are at least 3 ways:

- bring a detector unit (or use a detector spell) and attack the unit
- use an area of effect destruction spell on the square containing the unit
- ignore the invisible unit and destroy all the enemy buildings quickly enough

# 6. More details for customization

## SoundRTS.ini

This file is located in the User folder . It contains various parameters about how the game works. When SoundRTS starts, if SoundRTS.ini contains an error, a new file will be generated with as many parameters as possible recovered from the corrupted file.

## Sound pack

SoundRTS comes with a mod called "soundpack" containing alternative sounds. To activate this mod, in SoundRTS.ini replace the "mods =" line with "mods = soundpack". Then restart the game.

## Recorded speech

In Soundrts.ini, make sure that "recorded_speech = 1" to use recorded speech. You'll probably need to copy the recorded files (and maybe a customized numbers.txt) to res/ui. You can also install the files as a mod from http://jlpo.free.fr/soundrts/contribs . Most mods contain a readme.txt file for instructions.

## Windows srapi parameter

In Soundrts.ini, use "srapi = 1" to use a screen reader (through ScreenReaderAPI).

## Windows srapi_wait parameter

Since I couldn't find a way to know when a screen reader stops talking on Windows, I had to evaluate the duration of a message. An additional parameter called "srapi_wait" determines how long SoundRTS will wait before sending the next message. With "srapi_wait = .1" and a message of 10 characters, SoundRTS will wait for .1 * 10 = 1 second.

Increase the value of srapi_wait if some messages are interrupted by the next one. Decrease the value of srapi_wait if the silence between two messages is too long.

## Temporary folder

The temporary folder contains the logs and the previously played map.

The temporary folder is located in the user folder as a folder called "tmp".

## User folder

The user folder contains the game settings, the custom maps and mods, and the temporary folder.

If the main folder contains a folder called "user", this folder will be the user folder. If the "user" folder doesn't exist, the user folder will be located depending on the operating system:

- Windows XP: "C:\Documents and settings\your_user_name\Application data\SoundRTS unstable"
- Linux: "home/your_user_name/.SoundRTS unstable"

## How to create a portable version of SoundRTS

Since SoundRTS 1.0 beta 10 p, it's possible to have all the game files (log, configuration, custom maps...) stored in the game folder. Here is how to proceed:

- install SoundRTS
- Windows: copy the game folder from "Program files" to a writable folder (the desktop, a USB drive, etc)
- In the new SoundRTS folder, create a folder called "user". "user" can be a copy of an existing user folder (the version must be the same, though).
- Windows: to launch the program, execute "soundrts.exe".

## How to change the default speed in single player games

Find SoundRTS.ini in the user folder and modify the "speed = ..." line. Use an integer number.

## Changing some key bindings

Since SoundRTS 1.1, the keyboard layout is defined in a file called bindings.txt located in the game folder.

## Creating an app for Mac

If you have managed to install the multiplatform version for the Mac, maybe you can create an app to ease the installation for other players. Here are some hints. Use py2app. You don't need the source. For example, create a file called soundrts_launcher.py containing this only line: "import soundrts". You can also create a file called server_launcher.py with the line: "import server". Make sure that running "python soundrts_launcher.py" actually works.

## Using the Windows installer with a limited account (Windows XP)

You can use a limited Windows XP account to install SoundRTS. Just choose another folder than the "program files" folder.

Even if you install SoundRTS with an administrator account, you can play using a limited account.

## What makes a map an official multiplayer map?

Official multiplayer maps don't have any sound played before their title. The official multiplayer maps are listed in cfg/official_maps.txt with checksums to make sure that they haven't been modified.

## How to select a different language?

If cfg/language.txt is empty, the program will select automatically the system's language. To select a specific language, enter the language code in cfg/language.txt, for example "en", "fr-ca", "pt" or "pt-BR". Check the res folder to find which language codes are provided.

# 7. Credits

Note: the following list is not exhaustive. Thanks to all who helped!

This game was written by SoundMUD (soundmud@gmail.com).

Discovery of the French-speaking community of the audio accessible games, and starting ideas: Sabine Gorecki. Numerous tests and encouragings during the first period of SoundMUD: Alex. First test of SoundMUD with Linux: Miguel. Relaunch of SoundMUD project, encouragings during the second period of SoundMUD to bring the strategy game to completion, and very numerous tests: Louis-Rock Lampron et Martin Morin.

English translation: SoundMUD. German translation: Alexander Westphal from Gameport. Italian translation: Gabriel Battaglia. Spanish translation: Alan.

Improvement of the English voice and sounds: Bryan Smart.

Multiplayer map 101 - frontier: Bryan Smart.