Kom el-Hisn Pass: Introduction

Welcome to the contest pages for Contest 17: Kom el-Hisn Pass. This contest is for Cleopatra; it can only be played with Cleopatra.

Use the links below to download the starting positions:

The Pass (Easy Difficulty)
The Pass (Hard Difficulty)

To download the mission, simply click the appropriate link. The file you receive will be in a zipped format. After downloading, decompress the file (using, e.g. PowerArchiver or Winzip). You can get Winzip free from their website at www.winzip.com.

Then place the unzipped file in your family save directory (in the Cleopatra root directory, Save, [YourFamilyName]; by default C:\Sierra\Cleopatra\Save\[YourFamilyName]\).

To play the game, start Cleopatra, go to your family, and select "Load Saved Game". You will find The Pass Easy or The Pass Hard as a saved game. It should be preset at the appropriate difficulty level.

Please make sure you play the game from the start at the correct level of difficulty. Select Options, Difficulty and check it. If necessary adjust the difficulty, select new game and reselect the Pass saved game. Now you can play.

The Pass was created by Granite Q. The beta-testers were Merepatra, JuliaSet, and Aditya; their input to the development of the game was invaluable. Also thanks are due to Menmaatre for putting the game into its historical context.

This contest closes at 11pm EDT on May 31, 2002

Kom el-Hisn Pass: Story

These are troubled times for Egypt. We are now being heavily pressured on our western borders. For several years, the Libyans have been trying to make inroads into the Nile Delta; their power grows daily and they look poised for further military action in the near future.

Today, the Libyans are a formidable foe.

Thanks to careful analysis by our great Pharaoh Merneptah, we have discovered an area of weakness in our military strategy. Although the Libyans would have to cross the fearsome desert to reach this location, we are extremely vulnerable if we were to be attacked from the west via the Kom el-Hisn Pass, which runs through the rock strewn area bordering the Wadi an-Natrun, near Saqqara.

King Merneptah has ordered that the previously strong military town be rebuilt in the pass to complete our western defenses. Food and water are available from the fertile valley below. An abandoned Recruitment Office still remains there from our previous occupation. The desert, of course, is notorious for its shifting sands, so we may only build a small distance out from the Pass into it. Fortunately, our soldiers are a rough bunch and will require only the minimum of entertainment.

Having fought the Libyans for many years, we know their tactics. Once they realize we are fortifying the pass they are sure to send out small groups of soldiers to test our strength, gradually increasing the ferocity of their attacks before mounting an all-out assault. This knowledge should prove useful to you in defending this strategic position.

King Merneptah is determined to maintain the treaty signed with the Hittite Empire during the reign of his father, Rameses II, and has already sent considerable amounts of grain to their starving people. We have no more grain to spare them, so Pharaoh may well request you to send military support. He trusts you will comply.

Pharaoh's greatest wish then, is that you defend the pass for 8 years and increase our country's military resources with an army approaching the maximum size possible. Then we will be ready for the final confrontation with this age-old foe and we can wipe the Libyans from history, and you will have succeeded.

Kom el-Hisn Pass: Contest Rules

First, competitors are reminded that the normal CBC Contest Rules apply to this contest. Competitors are also advised to peruse the list of Pharaoh/Cleopatra game features.

Please note the special rule for this contest: You may not have more than 5 police stations at any time in this game .

The game you submit must be saved in December of the eighth year (1203 BC), when the countdown shows one month remaining.

The mission goals (minimum values) are:
Culture: 10
Prosperity: 28
Monument: Zero
Kingdom: 50
The city must not be in debt at completion.

The valid entries will then be ranked according to the following winning criteria:
1: Highest number of soldiers (only infantry are allowed in the game) in your city, at the time of your save, as recorded by the Overseer of the Military

2: Highest number of weapons in storage yards, at the time of your save, as recorded by the Overseer of Commerce (this does not include weapons at a recruiter or in transit)

3: Highest amount of money in the city vaults

The second and third winning criteria are tiebreakers should the first one not produce a clear winner. For example, the following cities would be ranked in this order:

City 1) 80 Soldiers, 18 Weapons, 6426 db
City 2) 80 Soldiers, 17 Weapons, 7223 db
City 3) 70 Soldiers, 30 Weapons, 8247 db
City 4) 70 Soldiers, 30 Weapons, 6723 db

Both City 1 and City 2 have the same number of soldiers, but City 1 is placed ahead of City 2 since it has a higher number of weapons in store. City 3 has a lower number of soldiers than 1 or 2, has the same number of weapons as City 4, but has more money and is therefore placed third.

Designer's advice:

This is a Cleopatra game; it can only be played with Cleopatra. The start date is 1210 BC. It is a military survival mission of 8 years duration; expect substantial attacks later in this game.

The Recruiter's Office button has been disabled, if the building collapses or is demolished, it cannot be replaced.

The submitted game must be saved in December of the eighth year (1203 BC) when the countdown shows one month remaining. Please ensure we have enough time to view the submitted save before the month rolls over.

You are required to make an annual save every December. You will get a message informing you of an increase in the price of granite (which plays no part in the game) as a reminder to make this save. You should not submit these annual saves with your entry, but should make them available upon request.

You must play the game at the given level of difficulty. There are some differences in the landscape in the easy version of the game, including one extra copper mine location, and the start up money is greater.

Granite Q

This contest closes at 11pm EST on 31st, May 2002

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