1503 A.D..

[Mario]

Here is the official 1503 A.D. readme file.

1503 A.D. - Readme Version 1.0

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Table Of Contents
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1. Minimum PC Configuration
2. DirectX
3. Uninstall
4. Troubleshooting Video / 3D cards
5. Peripherals
6. Game FAQ
7. Trouble Shooting
8. Last Minute Changes
9. Help
10. Legal

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1. Minimum PC Configuration
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Minimum Configuration

Operating System Windows(r) 98/2000/ME/XP
Processor Pentium III(tm) 500 MHz or comparable
Memory 128 MB RAM
Videocard Direct 3D video card (16 MB) with DirectX 8.1 (or higher) compatible drivers
HDD Space A minimum of 930 MB hard drive space
CD ROM Speed 8x CD-ROM drive
Soundcard DirectX compatible sound card with DirectX 8.1 (or higher) compatible drivers
DirectX DirectX 8.1 or higher

Caution! Users of Windows XP & 2000 must have administrator rights to play the game.

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2. DirectX
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For your convenience, we have included DirectX8.1 on the 1503 A.D. CD.

a) Installing DirectX 8.1 directly from CD (if you skipped it during game install)

1503 A.D. comes with DirectX 8.1 and may prompt you to install it during installation. If you would like to install it manually, make sure the 1503 A.D. CD1 is in the CD-ROM drive and browse to the following folder.

"\Directx"

and click on DXSETUP.EXE

b) DirectX 8.1 and supported hardware

We recommend that 1503 A.D. be run with DirectX compatible sound cards and video cards. While there is a chance that 1503 A.D. will run with non-DirectX compatible hardware, you may find that:

i) Sound quality suffers.
ii) The game runs slower.
iii) The game does not run at all.

If your sound card or video card does not support DirectX, please contact your vendor.

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3. Uninstall
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To uninstall 1503 A.D. go to Programs/1503 A.D. in the Start menu. Click on Uninstall 1503 A.D. to proceed. Alternatively, click on the Start menu, select Settings and then Control Panel. Now find Add/Remove Programs and click to run. Scroll down the list until you see 1503 A.D., select it and click on Add/Remove to uninstall.

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4. Troubleshooting Video / 3D cards
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Video cards that use the 3DFX chip (Voodoo brand etc.) no longer have support for DirectX libraries 8 and above. As ANNO 1503 requires DirectX 8.1 or higher these video cards are no longer supported.

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5. Peripherals
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1503 A.D. supports Microsoft Windows-compatible keyboards and mice.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

ESC - Deactivate various cursor modes

F1 - Open Help index
F2 - Zoom 3 (far)
F3 - Zoom 2
F4 - Zoom 1 (close)
F5 - Normal game speed
F6 - Double game speed
F7 - Quadruple game speed
F8 - Half game speed
F9 - Quick Load (only works after F10 has been used once)
F10 - Quick Save

x - Rotate map right
y - Rotate map left
. - Rotate building right
, - Rotate object left
j - Jump to previous active object
Spacebar- Jump to previous event
h - Cycle through your cities
w - Hoist/lower white flag (ship)
p - Pause: on/off
Ctrl+w - Throw all cargo overboard
Ctrl+d - Open all gates of a city
Alt+d - Close all gates of a city

Ctrl+0-9- Save soldiers/ships as group
0-9 - Select saves groups of soldiers/ships
m - Toggle coat of arms above soldiers

View:
o - Options menu
d - Diplomacy status menu
b - Construction menu
s - Ship list
c - City list
q - View ratings list
Shift+h - View high scores

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6. Game FAQ
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Q:
How can I take over buildings or cities belonging to other players?

A:
Taking over a city
To achieve a total takeover of someone else's city, you have to take over all warehouses and main market buildings on the foreign island and construct your own warehouses/main market buildings on top of them. Use your scout for building new main market buildings, and your ship for constructing new warehouses.

Taking over a warehouse
If you want to take over someone else's warehouse, you first have to sail your ship (with sufficient building materials on board) to its vicinity and almost destroy it. You can take over the warehouse and the buildings in its service area by building your own warehouse on top of the almost destroyed one.

Taking over a main market building
Load your scout with building materials, then almost destroy the main market building. While the building is still standing, use your scout to build a new main market building on top of the old one. This will allow you to take control of all buildings in the main market's service area.


Q:
How do I assign a crew to a war machine?

A:
Select a crew and right-click on the war machine to be used. The unit is then linked to the machine.


Q:
How can I remove a crew from war machines?

A:
If you want to remove a crew from its war machine, select the crew while the info mode is active and then click on the Cancel formation icon.


Q:
How can I load soldiers and war machines on ships, and how do I unload them?

A:
Load soldiers on/unload from ship
To load one of your soldiers on a ship, you must first click on him while the info mode is active. Then you right-click on the ship, which must not be too far from the coast, The soldier moves towards the ship and gets on board. If you want to load several soldiers on board, mark a group by drawing a frame around them. To unload the soldiers, click on the figure of the soldier in the Ship status category of the ship menu. He is then placed on land.

Load war machines on/unload from ship
Before loading the war machines, you have to assign them a crew so that you are able to move them. Afterwards, right-click on the ship (be sure your ship is very close to the coast). Your war machine then starts moving and is loaded on board. A war machine with crew only uses one personnel slot in the hold of the ship. To unload war machines from a ship, sail the ship close to a coast. In the ship status category of the ship menu, click on the fields of the units to be placed on land. The war machines and crews are then put ashore.


Q:
After I settled my first island; I sent my ship to another island. I cannot build warehouse, there. Why?

A:
Check the stores of your ship to see whether you have enough building materials on board. Note that you cannot build the warehouse over your ship (move the ship a little bit to the side). Try to build at another spot on the coast.


Q:
How can I station units in watchtowers and cannon towers?

A:
To station units in a watchtower or cannon tower, select them and then right-click on the appropriate tower.


Q:
How can I withdraw units from watchtowers and cannon towers?

A:
To withdraw units from watchtowers or cannon towers, click on the building while the info mode is active, left-click on the fields of the units, and then use a right-click to assign them a reachable destination. The units will then leave the tower.


Q:
My units disappear when I select the fortress!

A:
Your units are probably inside the fortress. You station units in the fortress by selecting one or several units and then right-clicking on the fortress. The Fortress status submenu in the right-hand menu area shows a number of fields equal to the number of soldiers that can be stationed in the fortress.


Q:
I built my fortress in a densely wooded area. Will my trained soldiers get through the underbrush?

A:
Buildings that train or produce units (castles, cannon foundries, war machine builders) need some free space in front of their exits. If these buildings are placed inside a forest, with trees blocking the exit, it may happen that trained soldiers cannot leave this place.


Q:
Why can I train or produce a different number of units in some game modes?

A:
The unit limit differs among the game modes. Each unit type (Soldiers, ships and war machines) is counted separately. Note that the production of war machines always involves training their crews. A war machine and its crews always act as a unit, but are counted separately.


Q:
Can I also build coastal buildings near a river?

A:
No, that is not possible. Coastal buildings, such as shipyards or the fisherman's hut, can only be built on the sea coast.


Q:
Will palm trees create the same amount of wood as conifers and deciduous trees?

A:
These types of trees are equivalent and therefore produce the same amounts of wood.


Q:
Can I plant forest in the entire service area of the forester's hut, or will that stop the woodcutters from getting through?

A:
Woodcutters can walk between trees; therefore planting forest in the entire service area causes no problem. You should, however, ensure that your forester's hut is connected to a street.


Q:
I would like to build a building or field, but I cannot place it.

A:
Check whether the location where you want to build is located within the service area of your city and whether the land is flat and appropriate for this type of building. Ensure that you have enough money and building materials available.


Q:
My small ore mine no longer produces any iron ore!

A:
Once a certain quantity of iron ore has been mined, you have to place a deeper ore mine on top of the small ore mine in order to continue mining.


Q:
The plague and a fire have broken out in my city, but I cannot yet build the doctor's house or the fire brigade!

A:
The fire brigade and the doctor's house must be researched at a school or university. If you are not yet able to do research when one of these catastrophes strikes, you have to demolish the affected buildings in order to contain the plague or the fire.

Q:
A player demands a tribute of goods from me. When I want to take it to him, though, he fires at my ship!

A:
The ship delivering the tribute must be unarmed and may have no soldiers on board; furthermore, it must hoist the white flag.


Q:
I hoisted the white flag on my ship. As soon as I move the ship, it is always lowered.

A:
There are ship cannons on board of your ship. Only unarmed ships can sail with a hoisted white flag.


Q:
Why are my ships so slow?

A:
If ships are damaged in combat or are fully loaded, their speed is reduced.


Q:
Can I repair damaged ships?

A:
Yes. You can repair a ship by left-clicking it while being in info mode, and then sending it to one of your shipyards. Near the shipyard, the Repair ship option appears in the ship menu. Click on this icon, and the ship will be repaired. Note that the repair will cost you raw materials.


Q:
I prepared the construction of a ship at my shipyard, but nothing is happening!

A:
If a ship is in the construction field of the shipyard menu, you have to click on the Commission icon to start the construction. This icon is to the bottom right of the construction field.


Q:
Can I heal wounded soldiers?

A:
Yes, but you have to train a medic in a fortress to do that. Training a Medic is only available after researching the Doctor in a School or University. You have to select the medic for the wounded soldier to be healed. When you right-click on the unit to be healed, the medic starts his treatment. If there are any wounded units in the medic's service area, he will automatically heal them. A medic may heal other medics, but not himself.


Q:
Can I repair damaged war machines?

A:
No.


Q:
Can I pause the game?

A:
Press the P key to pause the game.

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7. Trouble Shooting
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TUTORIAL HINTS

Tutorial No 1: Discover & Settle - If you dump your cargo overboard, you will need to restart the tutorial.

Tutorial No 2: Trade & Diplomacy - If you erase your warehouse, you will need to restart the tutorial. If you sign a trade agreement and subsequently declare war on the NPC, you will not be able to sign further trade agreements, even if you declare peace and pay a tribute.

Tutorial No 3: Battle training - if you 'discharge' the Archer, or the Soldier, you will need to restart the tutorial. Furthermore, do not place your Pikemen in the Cannon Tower.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q:
I cannot start 1503 A.D.!

A:
Be sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements for the game. Download the latest drivers for your sound and video card. Use the DirectX program DxDiag to check whether your computer fulfils the requirements (start menu/Run/enter 'dxdiag' in the open box).

Q:
When I try and run 1503 A.D. I get a message saying 'You must have administrator rights to play this game' What does this mean?

A:
If you are using Windows XP, you must have administrator rights to install and run 1503 A.D.. If you have administrator rights, and wish to give a "limited user" administrator rights, you can do this in "Users" section of the Windows XP Control Panel. Please ask the main user of the computer you are using if you do not have administrator rights.

Q:
Why does 1503 A.D. run so slowly on my computer?

A:
Check the game's system requirements. If your computer fulfils these requirements, start 1503 A.D. and select Options in the start menu. There, change the resolution to 800 x 600 pixels. Select a slower game speed (shortcut key: F8 for half speed, F5 back to normal speed) have once you started the game.

Q:
Could the screen saver, the energy-saving mode of my operating system, or other running programs affect the game performance of 1503 A.D.?

A:
We recommend closing all programs before starting to play 1503 A.D.. We particularly advise against using Instant Messenger software while running 1503 A.D.. They may cause program errors or crashes. If you take long pauses during gameplay, the screen saver of your operating system (if activated) might start. Normally, this should not cause any problems. However, if there are problems, change the display properties and turn off the screen saver, if needed. Do the same with any occurring problems related to the energy-saving mode of your operating system.

CTRL+ALT+DEL

We recommend you do not ever CTRL+ALT+DEL while running the game. This may cause the game to be unstable and render it unplayable.

Fast User Switching

Windows XP has a feature called Fast User Switching; this allows multiple users sharing the same computer to have individual profiles and to swap their current work spaces without logging off. 1503 A.D. does not fully support this feature and you may encounter problems if you choose to use it whilst in game.

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8. Last Minute Changes
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- The feature Protecting a ship was not put in the game.

- Quick Load (shortcut key: F9) is only available in the game after the first Quick Save (shortcut key: F10).


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9. Help
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If the above does not resolve your problem then please use the EA Technical Help file situated in Start Menu/Programs/ 1503 A.D. / EA Technical Support.

To see the latest changes and patches, please visit our website at:

http://www.1503ad.com

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10. Legal
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ELECTRONIC ARTS and all associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

Software and Documentation Copyright Sunflowers GmbH 2003(c) & 2003 Electronic Arts Inc.

Documentation Copyright (c) 2003 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.

DIRECTX is either trademark or registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.