___                            ___
    -   ---___- ,,                 -   -_,                             ,
       (' ||    ||                (  ~/||              '              ||
      ((  ||    ||/\\  _-_        (  / ||  \\/\\  _-_ \\  _-_  \\/\\ =||=
     ((   ||    || || || \\        \/==||  || || ||   || || \\ || ||  ||
      (( //     || || ||/          /_ _||  || || ||   || ||/   || ||  ||
        -____-  \\ |/ \\,/        (  - \\, \\ \\ \\,/ \\ \\,/  \\ \\  \\,
                  _/

        ___                                       _
       -   -_,         ,                /\       - - /, /,
      (  ~/||         ||               ||          )/ )/ )   _
      (  / ||  ,._-_ =||=        /'\\ =||=         )__)__)  < \, ,._-_
       \/==||   ||    ||        || ||  ||         ~)__)__)  /-||  ||
       /_ _||   ||    ||        || ||  ||          )  )  ) (( ||  ||
      (  - \\,  \\,   \\,       \\,/   \\,        /-_/-_/   \/\\  \\,



                        Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
                              and Strategy Guide


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Revision :       v1.09
      Last Updated :   May 25, 2008
      Written by :     John Lahmy   ([email protected])

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

__________
DISCLAIMER

The aim of this FAQ is to inform the public about "The ancient art or war". It
is purely for informational purposes and the author of the FAQ accepts no
responsibility for any harm or damage caused to anyone or
anything because of the content of this FAQ.

_________
COPYRIGHT

This article is copyright 2001, by John Lahmy. All rights reserved. You are
granted the following rights :

I.  To make copies of this work in original form, so long as the copies are
   exact, include the copyright notice and give obvious credit to the
   author.

II. To distribute this work in any form, as long as you do not charge a fee
   for copying or for distribution and you request permission of the
   authors if you wish to distribute it within a magazine, piece of
   computer software or other commercial media.

________
CONTENTS

.1. - Chapter 1 - (Introduction)
    .1-1. - Introduction
    .1-2. - About the FAQ
    .1-3. - Revision History
    .1-4. - Getting the FAQ
    .1-5. - Submissions to the FAQ
    .1-6. - Acknowledgments

.2. - Chapter 2 - (About "The ancient art of war")
    .2-1. - What is "The ancient art of war" ?
    .2-2. - Is "The ancient art of war" available on any other platforms ?
    .2-3. - Who are Evryware ?
    .2-4. - Has Evryware written any other games ?
    .2-5. - Does Evryware have an official FTP site or web page ?

.3. - Chapter 3 - (The different releases of "The ancient art of war")
    .3-1. - How many different releases of "The ancient art of war" have
            there been ?
    .3-2. - What's the difference between them ?
    .3-3. - Where can I find the latest patch ?
    .3-4. - Where can I get the playable demo ?
    .3-5. - Are there any editors ?
    .3-6. - Are there any places to download additional campaigns ?
    .3-7. - Are there any utilities ?
     3-8. - What are the copy protection type for PC version ?

.4. - Chapter 4 - (Hints, tips, cheats)
    .4-1. - Built-in cheat codes in "The ancient art of war"
    .4-2. - What are the differences between the black and the white ?
    .4-3. - General information
    .4-4. - Soldier type and status
    .4-5. - How to get started ?
    .4-6. - Tips from the players

.5. - Chapter 5 - (Campaign by campaign walkthrough)
    .5-1. - The race for the flags
    .5-2. - The battle of Pharsalus
    .5-3. - The contest of the gods
    .5-4. - Sherwood forest
    .5-5. - The elusive spy
    .5-6. - Custer's last stand
    .5-7. - The rivalry
    .5-8. - A tale of three island
    .5-9. - Wu -vs- Ch'u
    .5-10. - War in the mountains
    .5-11. - Islands of doom

.6. - Chapter 6 - (Bugs, problems, troubleshooting)
    .6-1. - List
    .6-2. - How do I slow down the game on my computer ?

.7. - Chapter 7 - (Additional material)
    .7-1. - Where can I get Sun Tzu's art of war ?
    .7-2. - Where can I find some screenshots ?



-+-------------+-
++ Chapter One ++   (Introduction)
-+-------------+-

#   -=1-1=-  Introduction

Welcome to "The ancient art of war" Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and
Strategy guide.

Back in 1985, in a university, the IT teacher was upset of seeing his students
playing "Space Invader" or "Sopwith Camel" during its lessons break on the
brand new IBM PC the university just bought. One day, he came with a 5 1/4 disk
and said : "you 'd better look at this game instead of wasting your time, this
is something else ...". This is how he created a computer game addict and a
great fan of this game...

With this FAQ, I would like to thank this teacher, this university, the
abandonware community and the game designers Dave and Barry Murry. I would also
like to find other fans of this game, and exchange campaigns.

The aim of this FAQ is to tell you as much as possible about AAOW, anything
from the various releases and the add-ons available to the cheat codes and tips
on playing.


#   -=1-2=-  About the FAQ

This FAQ is written and edited by John Lahmy. Most material in it, has been
written and/or compiled by me. Any information that I have not written is by
one of the people listed in section 1-6 : acknowledgements.


#   -=1-3=-  Revision History

v0.50 December 20, 2000 - first draft
v1.00 February 07, 2001 - first internet posting
v1.01 February 13, 2001 - credits added and presentation improved
v1.02 March 15, 2001 - Macintosh and misc. information added
v1.03 May 19, 2001 - More Mac and apple 2 information added
v1.04 July 12, 2001 - Some more precise info about the spy
v1.05 July 28, 2001 - Keyboard trick for PC version under Windows
v1.06 September 9, 2001 - Copy protection type for PC versions
v1.07 March 6, 2002 - Speed + credits
v1.08 July 26, 2003 - Game bugs
v1.09 May 25, 2008 - Re-edited for gamefaqs 80 char width


#   -=1-4=-  Getting the FAQ

"The ancient art of war" FAQ is available at :

"The ancient art of war" fan page (http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow)


#   -=1-5=-  Submissions to the FAQ

If you have any information you wish to add to the FAQ then please send it to
[email protected]. Please note that any text sent to me
for use in the FAQ becomes my property to change and edit as I wish. Full
credit will be given to the writer in the acknowledgements section (1-6).

If you have written a program to enhance AAOW in some way or campaigns, then
please send it via e-mail.


#   -=1-6=- Acknowledgements

   Thanks to all these people without whom
   this FAQ wouldn't have been possible :

The Murry brothers - for being precursors and giving us such a different game
in those times.

Broderbund - for publishing such a good game.

Claude Martins - for the ASCII logo and additional campaigns.

Freek Dijkstra - for some hints and cheats.

Jeff Kang - for the FAQ layout.

Chang Farn Wai - for additional info concerning the spy.

Sarinee - the webmaster of the Home Of The Underdogs for his great site and
dedication to bringing good games back to life.

Anders/Thegreenmac - the webmaster of the Macintosh garden site for bringing
the mac version on line.

Serotonin - for the keyboard trick for PC version under Windows.

John Stevens - for the non copy protected VGA version and the manuals.

The people who write about AAOW in the news.

The Mobygames web site.

** If anyone was left out then let me know and you'll be put on the list.



-+-------------+-
++ Chapter Two ++   (About "The ancient art of war")
-+-------------+-

#   -=2-1=-  What is "The ancient art of war" ?

Before "Age of empires" in 1997 ..., before "Warcraft" in 1994 ...,before
"Dune 2" in 1992 ..., was "The ancient art of war" in 1984.

"The ancient art of war" is arguably the first computer real time strategy game.

It was written by Dave and Barry Murry from Evryware and published by
Broderbund.

As the webmaster of the Home Of The Underdogs puts it : Before Dave Murry and
Barry Murry designed "The ancient art of war", best-selling war games like
SSI's "Kampfgruppe" bear no resemblance to best-selling strategy games like
"M.U.L.E.".
"The ancient art of war" united the two camps in one masterful stroke. Here, at
last, is a war game that war gamers would enjoy for the excellent engine.
Implementing tactics based on Sun Tzu's words becomes the key to victory.
Strategy gamers were drawn to the game for its colorful graphics and intuitive
command interface. The game, like chess, is simple to learn, yet hard to
master. In 1989 Broderbund released the EGA/VGA version of the original
classic, leaving the engine intact. See for yourself why I think good games
never die.

You can read on MobyGames : "The ancient art of war" is a breakthrough product
that introduced several forward-thinking game elements that still exist in
today's products. As a real-time strategy game, you couldn't just sit on your
laurels and think for hours; the enemy was moving and thinking at the same time
you were. As a result, the faster you moved at thinking and manipulating your
battalions, the better a chance you stood against the computer.
"The ancient art of war" also included a play field editor. This extended the
playability infinitely, since you could introduce new battlefields to the
computer opponents if you'd mastered them all. You can even write a description
of your scenario -- which is printed on on-screen parchment -- and give your
scenarios to friends.
The graphics in "The ancient art of war" are effective, and there are a lot of
them. Zooming in on a battle to control your troops reveals several nicely
drawn backgrounds.
Finally, there are eight computer opponents. Each has a different style of
playing.
Absorbing, simple to understand, clever, and engaging, "The ancient art of war"
is a must have experience for any serious war gamers.

What would you like me to add after all this ? ;-)
For such an old and apparently simple game, it has a numerous tactical
components that I have not seen in many current strategy games.
Br›derbund has been a company that has always released good software, and
this one may be the ancestor of all real time strategy (RTS) games.


#   -=2-2=-  Is "The ancient art of war" available on any other platforms ?

"The ancient art of war" was available for the PC, Macintosh and apple 2.


#   -=2-3=-  Who is Evryware ?

Evryware was created by three siblings. Dave Murry focuses on the programming
aspects, Barry Murry creates the music and some art, and Dee Dee Murry creates
most of the artwork.

Currently the group is working on other "non game related" projects.


#   -=2-4=-  Has Evryware written any other games ?

Evryware has produced sequels to "The ancient art of war". Those are "The
ancient art of war in the seas" and "The ancient art of war" in the skies.

Other games includes "Manhunter : New York" and "Manhunter : San Fransisco".
More recently you will find "Pyrosaurus", "Spacekids" and "Spacedude".

Their first one was "Sierra Championship Boxing".


#   -=2-5=-  Does Evryware have an official FTP site or web page ?

They have one at www.evryware.com.



-+---------------+-
++ Chapter Three ++   (The different releases)
-+---------------+-.

#   -=3-1=-  How many different releases of "The ancient art of war" have there
been on the market ?

For the PC there are two different versions publicly released : the CGA version
in 1984, the VGA version in 1989.

The game has also been released for the apple 2 and the Macintosh.

Having now all the different versions, I have seen that the CGA PC version
indicates 1984 on the screen. The Macintosh goes for 1985. The apple 2 mentions
1989.

This last date is still a question for me. What was the logic of releasing an
apple 2 version in 1989 ?


#   -=3-2=-  What are the differences between them ?

The PC and apple2 versions are very similar. You have a better graphic
resolution with the PC CGA (320*200 pixels with 4 colors), but the apple 2
(280*192 pixels 6 colors) has more realistic colors.
The Macintosh classic has a resolution of 512 *342 pixels but black and white
colors only.

The mouse did not existed in those times for the apple 2 and the PC. So you can
expect some difference with the Mac. In my opinion, the Mac version could have
been way better.

I have not noticed any AI difference.


#   -=3-3=-  Where can I find the latest patch ?

There is none.


#   -=3-4=-  Where can I get "The ancient art of war" playable demo ?

There is none. The game is now considered abandonware.

You can download the PC versions at :
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow
http://www.theunderdogs.org

You can download the apple 2 version at :
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/games/

You can download the Macintosh version at :
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow
http://mac.theunderdogs.org/


#   -=3-5=-  Are there any editors ?

A campaign editor is included in the game.


#   -=3-6=-  Are there any places to download additional campaigns ?

For the PC, you can download some at :

http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow

For the Mac, you can download some at :

http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow
http://www.jagshouse.com/system6_games.html

Yes, you can play a campaign disk with DOSBox !

#   -=3-7=-  Are there any utilities ?

There is "TitleEdit" for the Mac. This small utility from Bruce E. Jacobs
enables you to rename your campaign title. It is included in the campaign 3
disk for Mac in the *.DSK file at http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow.

#   -=3-8=-  What are the copy protection type for PC version ?

For the CGA version, it was a disk protection format. Nolock from Central Point
software needed to be used. Then came the patch ...

For the VGA version, it was a manual protection based.



-+--------------+-
++ Chapter Four ++   (Hints, tips, cheats)
-+--------------+-

#   -=4-1=-  Cheat codes in "The ancient art of war"

There is no "built in" cheats.


#   -=4-2=-  What are the differences between the black and the white ?

None. As a player you will always be the white army against the computer black
army.


#   -=4-3=-  General information

We will start with the different ground types. They influence how quick you can
move and battle's conditions.

Grass
This is the easiest place to be in. No risk of losing soldiers if they are in
good condition. This is of course here than you move the fastest.

Forest
This is a good place for archers to attack and escape. The risk of losing
soldiers depends on the rules (spare/dense). Soldiers move faster than in
mountains.

Water
The place to avoid. The risk of losing soldiers depends on the rules (shallow
and calm/deep but calm/deep and dangerous). Most of the time this is not the
shortest way to go.

Hill
The place to be on when defending. You have to be strong when attacking
opponents on a hill or use archers. Otherwise is like grass.

Mountain
A place to avoid as much as possible for knights. The risk of losing soldiers
depends on the rules (low and safe/high but safe/high and risky). Movement too.
It is not the always the shortest way to go.
We will now take a look at the different construction types.

Village
The strategic interest of a village depends on the rules you chose :
- village supply food or not (if not, the village has no tactical interest at
all)
- fort supply food or not (the village is not such a big importance if forts
supply food too)
- food supply is long medium or short (the shorter the supply is, the most
tactical interest a village has, unless you are a blitzkrieg guy)
This food management is, I think, what makes this game different from war games
and the precursor of the RTS games. Food supply is based on the distance from a
friendly village. If a squad's supply line is cut off by the enemy, that squad's
food-supply status will begin to decline, and its condition will begin to
deteriorate as a result.
I have never been able to figure out if there was any difference in having a
battle in a village or the on grass.

Fort
Forts are important. The strategic interest of a fort depends on the rules you
chose :
- village supply food or not (if yes then lesser tactical interest)
- fort supply food or not (big importance if village don't supply food)
- food supply is long medium or short (the shorter the supply is, the most
tactical importance it has, unless you are a blitzkrieg guy).
You need to "own" one fort minimum because you only receive additional soldiers
in forts.
You get reinforcements, but you can't choose what kind of. I think it is
random, but it seems that when I have no archer in the fort that is supplying
the reinforcement, there are then good chances that I will get archers.
Attacking a fort without archers in the attacking group is useless ...
(unless there are no enemy archer in the fort).
Symmetrically, you should always have archers in a fort ; otherwise you are not
protected by the walls.

Bridge
They are usually a bottleneck, and as such, should be controlled. The best way
to do it is to place archers just after the bridge. They are deadly against
their opponents coming on the bridge.


#   -=4-4=-  Soldier type and status

Let's see the different soldier types and status.

Soldier type
You have some barbarians, archers, knights and spy. At equal condition, equal
grounds and adequate formation : archers are better than knights, knights are
better than barbarians and barbarians are better than archers.

Soldiers in formation
They are represented in the formation windows as follows : A = archer ;
K = knight ; B = barbarian.
Spies don't show up in the formation window if there is one in the group.

You should put your group of soldier in the right formation before any
encounter. This strongly affects the battle results. Squad condition and
terrain are also key factors.
I have not been able to find if any formation type affect the speed at which
the group is moving.

Spy
I have not really been able to figure what is so special with the spy. He moves
as quickly as an archer or a barbarian. Never wins a battle. It doesn't seems
to me that he is hiding better than the other soldiers...
According to the game's glossary (thanks Chang), the spy is : "One of four
types of soldiers, spies are defenceless but useful for locating the enemy
because they can see twice as far as other soldiers. Spies are replaced by
barbarians if the rules setting before the game indicates that the enemy is
seen always.
Spies never fight, and if a squad with spies in it is defeated, the spies will
be captured. A squad with only spies in it will look different from other
squads."

Still standing soldiers
This is how a group of soldier looks like when they are not moving.
Be careful, sometimes you only see one group but they can be more than one at
the same place. The only way you can check is to move the cursor on the group
and listen to the number of beep you hear. That gives you the number of group.
By the way, these sprites make you think that the soldiers have spears, but you
will not see any during the game ! The only weapons used are bows and swords.

Moving soldiers in good condition
A group of soldier looks ok when they are moving and in average or good
condition. If you make the squad march fast, its condition will decline faster
than if it marches slowly.
As you could expect, barbarians are the quickest people, then archers and
finally knights. When you have a mixed group, it moves to the speed of the
slowest member.

Moving soldiers in bad condition
A group of soldier looks differently, when they are moving and in bad
condition. Condition is affected by : movement, combat, and food supply.

Encounter
This is how you know there is a battle going on. First, the computer warns you
with "warning - encounter" message. This is time to rush with your cursor where
that encounter takes place. By putting your cursor on the encounter, you can
then access the battle mode. After a certain time (...), the computer manages
the battle automatically. You then get the "alert - fighting" message. You can
not then access the battle mode any more for this battle.

Small view of the whole battlefield
This window represents the repartition of your men on the battlefield. What you
can see of the enemy depends on what you decided concerning the rule on how to
see them (always, when far, when close).
It also counts the number of men for both sides. This is also interesting,
because this is how you can know that a new soldier has arrived in a fort.


#   -=4-5=- How to get started ?

Define the difficulty level
The difficulty level increases more or less with each campaign.
For an easy start choose the rules forts and villages supply food. Supply range
is long. Your men will be in prime shape. Enemy will always be seen. Water will
be shallow and clam. Mountains will be low and safe. Forest will be sparse.
Compared to all the opponents ... well, Crazy Yvan is definitely not a good
leader (for the sense of humor, I have not found it yet !).

Explore the map
Use + and - keys to move up and down. Find where flags, forts, villages, only
path are.
Find where your soldiers are, what is their shape, their formation. Position
the cursor on a group to get information or give orders.
Find where are your opponents, what is their shape.
For the non-US folks, be aware that keystroke are the one of a US keyboard.

Emergency (re)action
Depending on the scenario and the rules you choose, there may be some emergency
moves to be made.
Secure a fort, a village, a flag, a hill, a bridge ...
Position your group for a soon to come encounter ...

Establish strategy and tactics
It is about thinking what to do and how to do it.
Fortunately there is no just only one way to win. And the same scenario with
different rules (and opponent to a certain extend) will usually have a totally
different strategy. This is what is great about this game.

Follow the encounters
You can let the computer play the encounter. But there is a real value in
conducting your own men. Deciding what kind of soldiers attack and retreat and
when they do it, is key to victory.
Unfortunately the computer doesn't wait very long before starting battle in
automatic mode, so you have to be quick to jump to the right spot.

Study opponent moves
As much as you can, depending on the rules (and the opponent) you choose.
It will allow you to react quickly to unexpected situations.

Watch your troop's condition
Make sure your men are in an as good condition as possible.
It does help a lot when it comes to winning battles.

Take a brake
If you need to stop the game for a moment, select surrender and don't answer
the question. When you want to get back to the game just answer that you don't
want to surrender.


#   -=4-6=-  Tips from the players

It will help you to win if you are stopped somewhere. But don't look at this
first, as it will for sure reduce the pleasure you would have playing that game.

Trying to understand how the game logic works, is for me, a big part and a fun
part of the game too.

Keeping the enemy from multiplying
In this game, only 20 squads can be on the war map at any one time. You can
keep your opponent from training more men by detaching squads (preferably in
your fort) until the 20-squad limit is reached. Whenever one of your squads is
wiped out, detach another one to retain the 20-squad limit.

Fort attack hint
Send two squads against forts using archers alone to overrun a fort can inflict
a lot of casualties on your army. Instead, send two or more groups with a few
men each just to occupy the enemy archers on the wall.
Then, send in your regular units. They'll be able to sneak over the wall while
the enemy is already engaged, and then the battle will take place in the
courtyard, where you have better odds of winning.

The hit and run tactic
If your archer is outnumbered while fighting another squad, fire a barrage of
arrows and then retreat. The arrows still move even after your men are safely
off-screen, so you can whittle down enemy forces without taking any casualties
of your own.

Don't zoom in when non-archer enemy squads attack forts
Armies can't retreat unless you press the zoom button during the battle. So,
if an enemy squad is dumb enough to attack your fort without any archers, don't
zoom in to see the battle. The attackers won't be able to retreat, so they'll
eventually all be killed.

You don't need a whole squad to capture a flag
You can capture a flag without tying up an entire squad. Just detach one man
into a new squad, and then just send him to the flag. As long as there is no
enemy lurking nearby, one soldier works as well as a full squad.

Condition and food improvement
When you join two groups, the group that receive, gives its condition and food
level to the incoming group. This happens whatever the number of people in each
group.

Game save (PC version)
Alt + S allows you to save a game on a disk. You can only save one game at a
time.



-+--------------+-
++ Chapter Five ++   (Campaign by campaign walkthrough)
-+--------------+-

One good thing more about this game, is that you can chose any campaign to
play. You don't need to follow a specific path like later "Dune 2", "Warcraft"
or "Age of empires".

As already stated above changing campaign rules and or computer opponent affect
the kind of strategy and or tactics you will have to use. Usually a strategy
that beats Sun Tzu, will beat any other computer opponents.


#   -=5-1=- The race for the flags

The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn (which is not a bad one). The enemy has
nearly three times as many men as you.

As the flags are in the same place, this campaign is "just" a race. But is not
that easy.

The goal will be then to detach a.s.a.p. a fast moving soldier (barbarian or
archer) from a group in good condition.
Then drive him up to the fort without being disturbed by the enemy. To that
effect you will use the rest of your men to lure him.


#   -=5-2=- The battle of Pharsalus

The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn (which is not a bad one). The enemy has a
few more men than you.

In a way, it is a "simple" campaign. There are no villages, no fort, no
bridges, no mountain, no forest. You can always see the enemy. Supply range is
long.

In fact, though it may look like an introduction campaign, it is quite hard.
The opponents are so close, that you don't have a lot of time to react. You
have to move quick.

The way to go is to adopt the right combat formation a.s.a.p. with your men on
the main front of the battle, and wait for the opponents to attack.

Then re concentrate your second line of men (marching slow) nearer of the with
flag. That way you will counter the second wave of attack.

Then detach a barbarian from the south group and send him (marching fast) to
get the flags. Use the remaining barbarians and knights from the south group to
lure the southern opponent so that your single barbarian is not attacked.


#   -=5-3=- The contest of the gods

The computer opponent is Sun Tzu (which is the best one). The enemy has two men
and you have two.

This one is easy. Supply range is long. Enemy is seen always. Your men are in
prime shape.
Once you know that a group composed of knights and archers moves at the speed
of the knights.
Detach the archer, and as forest is dense, just find the shortest way (marching
fast) to the black flag without having to cross the forest.


#   -=5-4=- Sherwood forest

The computer opponent is Alexander the great. The enemy has nearly three times
as many men as you.

This campaign is about time management. Fort don't supply food and supply range
is medium. Your enemy is in the fort. He gets additional soldiers but as more
time goes by in increasingly worse shape.

The strategy is to secure all villages so that the enemy doesn't get additional
food. Once he is in poor condition, send your men to defeat the enemy outside
the fort then to the fort's assault.

From a tactical point of view, as forest is dense, any group trying to cross
will be weakened, so don't try it. Use the hills at your advantage. That is you
should be on the hill waiting for the enemy to come and attack you.


#   -=5-5=- The elusive spy

The computer opponent is Athena. The enemy has 100 men and you are alone as a
spy.
You only see the enemy when he is close. Mountain is high and risky, so don't
try it ! Forest is sparse.

So there again, it is about finding the right path and racing to the fort.

What would be the best path ? Obviously not the shortest one !


#   -=5-6=- Custer's last stand

The computer opponent is Geronimo. The enemy has nearly three times as many men
as you.
Water, forest, mountain are easy and safe. You have a fort, so for the first
time, you will be able to get additional supply in men.
This is not an easy campaign. You must first react quickly to organize the
defense of the white flag. Then organize the re conquest.

The strategy is to protect your white flag as long as you can. Then counter
attack the Indian villages in the middle with your men that are not on around
that white flag hill. This to get a food supply and remove the Indian food
supply and their flag. From there you will then re conquer the lost flag.

From the tactical standpoint, you want to have men on all the hills around the
white flag in order to protect it from the opponents. Having multiple small
groups of archers helps. Make sure archers formation is the right one.
Keep the knight in fort, that way, you should get much needed additional
archers.


#   -=5-7=- The rivalry

The computer opponent is Caesar. The enemy has two times as many men as you.
Villages supply food but not forts. Water and mountains are dangerous and
forest is dense so keep out !
Forts train man rarely, so attacking them is easy. Supply range is medium. You
only see your enemy when he his close.

The strategy is to conquer all the villages (one by one) using the
reinforcement you will get from your fort. That way the enemy will be short of
food and then its condition will be low. Once this is done, the remaining
opponents in the fort will be very easy to tackle.

First, you may want to protect your island bridge with two groups of archers
(for the enemy that will come from behind the mountains). Send the rest of your
men on the first hill near the village on the main land. With three small mixed
groups of archers and knights standing on a hill and waiting for the enemy to
come, you should be fine. Then go from hill to hill.


#   -=5-8=- A tale of three island

The computer opponent is Napoleon Bonaparte. The enemy has nearly two times as
many men as you.
Villages supply food and forts don't, but supply range is long. Water and
mountains are dangerous and forest is dense so keep out !
Forts train man very often, and if they have food, they become very difficult
to attack. You can only see your enemy when far ?

The strategy is to occupy a fort so that you can get reinforcement then the
village of the middle so that you cut the enemy supply. Then go after the enemy
middle island fort to cut enemy reinforcement. After this you can go for the
northern island.

Tactically, you need a.s.a.p. to rush (march fast) four archers to the eastern
fort of the middle island, while sending (march slow) the rest (of your island
northern group) to the same destination.
Put spies near the bridges to see your opponent moves.
You will defend best your island's village by putting troops (mixed groups of
archers and knights) on the hill at the east. Don't go for your opponent when
they attack your village, stay on your hill !
As long as you can hold the bridge connecting the northern and the middle
island, you have a good chance to win.


#   -=5-9=- Wu -vs- Ch'u

The computer opponent is Sun Tzu. The enemy has 30% more men than you.
Villages supply food and forts don't, but supply range is long. Water and
mountains are dangerous and forest is dense so keep out !
Forts train man very often, and if they have food, they become very difficult
to attack. Fortunately, you can always see your enemy ?

Bridges will be the first areas will try to secure. When you wait your
opponent, with more than one group of archers, behind a bridge standing on a
hill, you can do great damages.
Then, secure the villages on your side of the river.
I then go for the most southern village on the other side of the river. That
way, after a while (supply range is long), the nearby enemy fort become very
weak and not my guys.
I then go for the most western village for the same effect on the nearby enemy
fort.
By then, I can attack the southern enemy fort, then the western one. The rest
comes along ?


#   -=5-10=- War in the mountains

The computer opponent is Geronimo. The enemy has 10% more men than you.
Villages and forts supply food and supply range is long. Mountains are
dangerous so keep out !
Forts train man often, and as they supply food too they become the key element.
You can only see your enemy when close ?

As food is not the prime issue, the strategy will aim at getting a steady
reinforcement supply. Once you have the right number of men at the right
locations, you will then be able launch attacks against villages then forts.

But as you don't have a soldier in any fort (the only way to get some
reinforcement), you need to conquer a.s.a.p. (and hold !) the second most
northeastern fort.
Then send a soldier in the most southeast fort.
The way to hold is to have multiple small groups of archers in the same fort.
That way you can better exhaust the opponent and by joining and detaching
group keep a good condition for all your groups.
When time has come to start the conquest, I begin with the northern forts as
they are near from my stronghold. Then go south.


#   -=5-11=- Islands of doom

The computer opponent is Genghis Kahn. The enemy has a few more men than you.

Villages supply food and forts don't, and supply range is medium. Water is
dangerous so keep out !
Your men are in bad shape and you only see the enemy when far.

The key is to conquer a.s.a.p. (two groups minimum of archers, march slow) the
most north eastern enemy fort, then the village at the west to weaken the
remaining enemy western fort.
From this base, you will then go from bridges to hills to the next village.
Once you have sufficient troops then go after a fort.

You should only attack a fort if there is no village left to control. Use hills
and bridges to your advantage.



-+-------------+-
++ Chapter Six ++   (Bugs, problems, troubleshooting)
-+-------------+-

#   -=6-1=- Bug list

Thanks to Krulic, we know there is a bug in the VGA version game.
It won't save modified formation that you would create within the make change
menu.

The Mac version game that is on the internet doesn't have the campaign creator.


#   -=6-2=- How do I slow down the game on my computer ?

I don't think a Windows beginner can really play with this game. He needs to
know about DOS, especially for the PC versions.
First, I suggest you run the game from a floppy disk (best is the A drive). It
slows the game and you can save or load campaigns.

Moslo is the utility you should use in order to decrease the speed of the game.

By the way, there is also an option in the game that makes is slow, medium or
fast speed.

Another trick is also to slow down the keyboard using Windows configuration
panel. See explanation from "serotonin" : you mentioned that even with moslo,
some pc's are too fast and you loose your cursor after typing "M".  The
solution is to open the windows control panel and select the Keyboard control.
Then lower the keyboard repeat rate to a small value. You'll have to play with
different settings to get acceptable control.

To make it final : if you want less trouble with the PC just play the VGA
version, you will not have any keyboard issues. You should only play with the
CGA version only if you have a vintage (less or equal to a 486) PC.

To add one more word : for 2003's PC you can use freeware DOS emulators like
DOSBox.



-+---------------+-
++ Chapter Seven ++   (Additional material)
-+---------------+-

#   -=7-1=- Where can I get Sun Tzu's art of war ?

I have found many places on the web where the name given to Sun Tzu's treaty is
"The ancient art of war" instead of "The art of war". Ignorance and/or
(to be more optimistic) a tribute to this game ?

You can try the following web sites :

http://www.kimsoft.com/polwar.htm
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/suntzu.htm


#   -=7-2=-  Where can I find some screenshots ?

Screenshots for the box cover and back can be found at :
http://www.mobygames.com

Screenshots for the PC version game can be found at :
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow
http://www.theunderdogs.org

Screenshots for the Macintosh version can be found at :
http://www.dgweb.com/~moro/macshots1.html
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow

Screenshots for the Apple 2 version can be found at :
http://purl.oclc.org/net/aaow


/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\

That's it people, this is The End of the FAQ. You can all go back to playing
"The ancient art of war" now. :-) Hopefully, you now have a better
understanding of the game.
All corrections, criticism, questions and additions are welcome.

John Lahmy ([email protected])

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