"The Odyssey", v1.0 (10/00)

by Athena

(For easier viewing, please select <Edit> , <Wordwrap>)

**** THE SCENARIO ****

The Odyssey is an adventure scenario based upon Homer's epic Bronze Age tale. The scenario opens as the final events of the Trojan War unfold. Among the Greek besiegers is Odysseus of Ithaca, and this is the story of his incredible, adventure-filled journey home.

You are Odysseus, and as such will encounter many friends and enemies during your long voyage. There are Gods and Goddeses, mythical creatures, and men both evil and good. One of the strong beliefs at this time was that a man's fate controls his destiny. The power of the individual is severely limited, and you will find that to be very true in this scenario. As Odysseus you will be tested time and again, both physically and morally, and you must pay close attention to the Messages from the Gods. Therein lie clues to the solution of every dilemma. Failure to heed this advice, an unwillingness to parse its meaning, will result in your total destruction. As an added challenge almost every conceivable civ unit capability is represented, and you must use ALL your extensive Civ2 skills in order to pass these tests. Some are simple while others are deviously complex. And should you somehow survive and complete the first two chapters, well, prepare yourself for something never before seen in a Civ2 scenario!

Odysseus was renowned among the ancients for his keen mind and wily ways. To successfully complete "The Odyssey", you must BE that man!


**** INSTALLATION ****

This scenario is playable with either the "Fantastic Worlds" (FW) or "Multiplayer Gold Edition" (MGE) versions of Civ II. 

Assuming you have installed FW or MGE, follow this simple procedure:
Make a new folder in the "scenario" folder (which is inside your "civ2" folder).  Name the folder "Odyssey". Put all the non-.wav files you downloaded into this folder. Create a subfolder within "Odyssey", call it "Sound", and place all the .wav files in this folder.


**** PLAYING THE SCENARIO ****

The Odyssey is a 3-part scenario which relies upon multiple event, rules, unit, and terrain files. Consequently you MUST run the included Batch file before every chapter, beginning with the first. If you haven't played multi-part scenarios before, you'll find it's very simple:

1) In the Odyssey folder, you'll see a file called Odyssey.bat.
2) Double-click it.
3) For opening play, press <1> (the numeral "one" key)
4) At the end of Chapters 1 and 2, you'll be prompted to save the game as "Ody1.sav"
5) Immediately after saving, quit the game and run the Batch file. This is important because several files remain in use and will NOT be replaced if the game is still running.
6) Press <2> or <3> (depends on the chapter you're about to enter).
7) Repeat as necessary.

Couldn't be simpler!


**** THE PLAYERS ****
 
There is only one protagonist civilization, the Ithacans. All the others represent various friends and enemies of Odysseus, and are completely unplayable.


**** GAME PLAY ****

It's an adventure scenario, and that means it's highly scripted. You are NOT trying to build a large civilization, research new technologies, build various units, or reach Alpha Centauri! Any deviation into that typical Civ2 mindset will either end your quest immediately or reduce your chances for success. At the same time, this IS Civ2. That means the units have known capabilities (although sometimes in unexpected combinations), and you must utilize these to the fullest. You MUST pay close attention to the Messages you receive. Some are purely there for atmosphere, others are almost step-by-step instructions, and many contain little more than vague hints. At several junctures you will be faced with Messages which offer you two push-button choices. Think VERY carefully before making your selection!
 
One last Note. Unlike most scenarios, you can actually start and finish "The Odyssey" in a single sitting. A smart player could conceivably play it through in less than 2 hours. But please don't rush. It's much more interesting if you take your time and savor the atmosphere.


**** OBJECTIVES ****

Odysseus must return to Ithaca and then reunite with his wife Penelope. Do not be sidetracked by "typical" Civ thinking as ownership of cities and conquest of enemies is only marginally related to your final goal.


**** WONDERS, IMPROVEMENTS, & TECH TREE ****

Most have no meaning or use whatsoever, and are only there to further the plot. I "borrowed" almost all of them from Kull's "End of the Bronze Age" scenario so that at least the ones in use would be appropriate to this time period.


**** TERRAIN ****

This too has beem largely lifted from other scenarios, although you'll notice a few surprises along the way. :-)


**** CHEATING ****

Please do NOT examine the Events files, as that clearly constitutes cheating.


**** HINTS ****

There will be times when you must consult the Rules.txt file, but most of the important unit statistics are contained in the on-line Civilopedia. If a unit isn't listed, there's probably a good reason why you shouldn't know about it!

Included with the scenario is a file titled "The Odyssey.tx". This is the COMPLETE translation of Homer's epic! It's fairly long, but very educational and will certainly clue you in to the major events in The Odyssey. One caveat. In a few cases, I've deviated from the storyline to enhance gameplay, so don't expect the scenario to exactly parallel the book. That said, it's still 90% faithful to Homer.


**** THANKS ****

	The cities come courtesy of Leons "St. Leo" Petrazickis and most of the human units are the work of Alex "the Magnificent" Mor. Several others were borrowed from Mike Daumen's "Heroes of Olympus" while many of the women are the work of Erwan. When I most needed a goat and a gate, Prometeus was quick to provide each. Thanks! Undoubtedly there are bits and pieces from others I haven't named. If your work is included, please let me know so you can be credited in future releases. I have to thank Dusty for his wonderful new Mapcopy utility. Without this program, it would have been well nigh impossible to make the vast alterations required for Chapter 3. Very serendipitous!

	The musical score (which unfortunately isn't complete due to contest size restrictions) was taken from the movie, "The Rock". If you like the scenario as it is, believe me, the full set of themes REALLY adds to the atmosphere!