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Contest 19, Initiation: Introduction


Welcome to the contest pages for Contest 19: Initiation.
This is a Pharaoh game; it can be played with Pharaoh or Cleopatra.

This month's CBC Pharaoh game is a bit different to our normal games. This game is restricted to players who have never played in a CBC Pharaoh/Cleopatra competition before. There is only one version of the game; that is set at the 'easy' level of difficulty.

The game is called Initiation and it has been designed quite deliberately to be at a similar level as Meidum in the Pharaoh career. If you are at, or have gone beyond this level, the game should not present any huge problems to you.


Use the link below to download the starting position:
Initiation (Easy Difficulty)

To download the mission, simply click the 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 Pharaoh root directory, Save, [YourFamilyName]; by default C:\Sierra\Pharaoh\Save\[YourFamilyName]\).

To play the game, start Pharaoh/Cleopatra, go to your family, and select "Load Saved Game". You will find Initiation Easy as a saved game. It should be preset at the Easy 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 Initiation saved game. Now you can play.

All players are advised to peruse the remainder of the contest pages (links to which can be found at the foot of the page), as well as the General Rules and Pharaoh/Cleopatra game features.

Initiation was created by Granite Q. The beta-testers were Merepatra and JuliaSet; their help is much appreciated.

This contest closes at 11 PM EST, June 30 2002


Initiation: The Story


Some residents are tired of the cramped and overcrowded nature of the cities in Egypt and wish to build themselves a new city to live in. They have sent out architects along the Nile to find a suitable location that is rich in raw materials and has plentiful food supplies.

These residents wish to initiate you as their leader and for you to supervise the city's construction.

They have approached Pharaoh for permission to build this city. Pharaoh was so impressed with this idea that he has asked that you construct a pyramid so that he may one day rest in peace there.

There is no time to spare; you should begin your mission immediately.


Initiation: Contest Rules & Designer's Advice


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

Players are also reminded that this game is restricted to players who have never played in a CBC competition before.

The game you submit for your entry must be saved in December of the twelfth year (11 AD), when the countdown in the top left corner of the screen shows one month remaining.

The mission goals (minimum values) to be met in your entry are:

1: Culture Rating 35
2: Prosperity Rating 40
3: Kingdom Rating 45
4: Population 3000

Please note that, on the Overseer of Ratings screen, one Palatial Estate is shown as a winning requirement. It is not possible to evolve housing to Palatial Estates in this game. The requirement is put in to block premature winning when the ratings are achieved. You should ignore this requirement.

The valid entries will then be ranked according to the following winning criteria:

1: The highest percentage completion of the pyramid (as recorded by The Overseer of Monuments)
2: The highest amount of money in the city vaults at completion

The second criterion is only applicable if the first criterion produces a tie.


Designer's advice:


This is a Pharaoh game; it can be played with Pharaoh or Cleopatra.

This mission has been created for players who have never played in a competition before. Below you will find specific hints to help you during the game. Normally you would not have these, but this is a special mission!

The mission lasts for twelve years. The game you submit must be saved in December of the twelfth year (11 AD), when the countdown in the top left corner of the screen shows one month remaining.

You are also 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 give each of these a unique name, for example Dec-1 or Dec-5, so that you can identify them if required.

You do not have to submit these annual saves with your entry, but should make them available upon request.

You are strongly advised to make regular manual saves of the game, so that you can go back to one of them if you decide to do something differently, or something unexpected turns up.

You must play the mission at the easy level of difficulty.


Designer's special advice:


You must meet all the Mission Goals (as a minimum) for your entry to be valid.
Remember the apparent requirement for one Palatial Estate is only there to block premature winning of the game. You should ignore this.

Next there are the ranking or winning criteria. There are two; the amount (percentage) of the pyramid you have been able to complete and the amount of money in your city at the time of your submitted save.

So your first target is to try and get as much of the pyramid built as you can in the twelve years (hopefully all of it).

A small pyramid contains 4800 bricks and 192 blocks of limestone. In this game you will make the bricks yourself in the city, but you have to import the limestone.

At the start there is only one trade partner who will sell you limestone, that's Dahshur. It sells 25 blocks per year.

The first request you get is for 800 wood immediately at the start of 2 AD (the third year) from Bahariya Oasis. If you meet this request, a trade route to that city will become available and you can buy a further 25 blocks of limestone per year.

If you arrange the imports to your city to get the full annual quota, therefore, you will get 50 limestone blocks per year, or the full amount needed for the pyramid in about four years. Adding about a year for preparation of the base and a further year for polishing, completion of the pyramid is achievable in year 8 or 9.

When you have completed the pyramid (there are no burial provisions in this game) your second priority should be to concentrate on maximizing the amount of money you have in your city. You can do this by exporting as much as you can and by taxing your city dwellers.

After the request for wood in 2 AD, there is one request each year (up to 8 AD) for goods that are made, or raw materials that can be collected, within your city.


Granite Q

This contest closes at 11 PM EST, June 30 2002

Walkthrough available here.

General Rules | Introduction | Story | Contest Rules & Advice | Results

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