v1.01, 15 January 2004
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Praetorians Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ/Strategy Guide)
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CONTENTS
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1. Preface
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- 1.1 Notes
- 1.2 Credits and Legal
- 1.3 Version
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2. Introduction
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- 2.1 What is Praetorians?
- 2.2 Who developed the game?
- 2.3 What are the minimum requirements?
- 2.4 Where can I get demos and patches?
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3. Gameplay
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3.1 Setup and Interface
- 3.1.1 Can I play as Barbarians or Egyptians?
- 3.1.2 What do the difficulty settings change?
- 3.1.3 Is there a list of keyboard shortcuts?
- 3.1.4 Can the map view be zoomed or rotated?
- 3.1.5 Can the game speed be changed?
- 3.1.6 How do I group troops?
- 3.1.7 How do I change the width of formations?
3.2 Unit Training
- 3.2.1 How can I replenish loses?
- 3.2.2 What is the difference between a village and barracks, and how do I
use them?
- 3.2.3 How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer?
- 3.2.4 What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control
Points?
- 3.2.5 What limits troop recruitment? Why can't I train a certain unit?
- 3.2.6 How do I gain Honour points?
3.3 Unit Usage
- 3.3.1 How do Stamina and Health work?
- 3.3.2 How do I treat poison?
- 3.3.3 What is the advantage of commanders?
- 3.3.4 Can I kill my own troops?
- 3.3.5 Can I stop my troops 'doing their own thing'?
- 3.3.6 Why don't troops retreat from battle?
- 3.3.7 Can I set multi-point patrols?
- 3.3.8 Does weather make a difference?
- 3.3.9 How does the hunters' ambush work?
- 3.3.10 Why won't my catapults attack?
- 3.3.11 Can I extinguish fires on war machines?
3.4 Buildings and Structures
- 3.4.1 Can I destroy bridges?
- 3.4.2 How do I rebuild bridges without infantry?
- 3.4.3 How do I move troops into towers?
- 3.4.4 Can the fortress's gate be repaired?
- 3.4.5 Can I build a fortress or village?
- 3.4.6 Can the protect command be used for buildings or areas of ground?
3.5 Multiplayer
- 3.5.1 How do I chat in multiplayer games?
- 3.5.2 Do any multiplayer maps feature fortifications and castles?
- 3.5.3 What's inferiority?
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4. Strategies
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4.1 Introduction
- 4.1.1 Tactics
- 4.1.2 Campaign vs Skirmish
4.2 General Tactics
- 4.2.1 Movement and formations
- 4.2.2 Leaders and heroes
- 4.2.3 Healers
- 4.2.4 Spearmen
- 4.2.5 Luring
- 4.2.6 Towers
- 4.2.7 War machines
- 4.2.8 Sieges
- 4.2.9 Bridges
4.3 Romans
- 4.3.1 General
- 4.3.2 Formations and tactics
- 4.3.3 Turtle formation
- 4.3.4 Praetorians
4.4 Barbarians
- 4.4.1 General
- 4.4.2 Melee Infantry
- 4.4.3 Cavalry
- 4.4.4 Hunters
4.5 Egyptians
- 4.5.1 General
- 4.5.2 Slut Rape
4.6 Skirmish and Multiplayer
- 4.6.1 Skirmish
- 4.6.2 Online
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5. Campaign
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5.1 Tutorial I
- 5.1.1 Overview
- 5.1.2 Strategy
5.2 Tutorial II
- 5.2.1 Overview
- 5.2.2 Strategy
5.3 Tutorial III
- 5.3.1 Overview
- 5.3.2 Strategy
5.4 Tutorial IV
- 5.4.1 Overview
- 5.4.2 Strategy
5.5 Crossing the River Arar
- 5.5.1 Overview
- 5.5.2 Strategy
5.6 Escort to Bibracte
- 5.6.1 Overview
- 5.6.2 Strategy
5.7 Of All the Gallic Tribes
- 5.7.1 Overview
- 5.7.2 Strategy
5.8 Divide and Conquer
- 5.8.1 Overview
- 5.8.2 Strategy
- 5.8.3 Why does the mission not finish?
5.9 The Everlasting Frontier
- 5.9.1 Overview
- 5.9.2 Resist the German Onslaught
- 5.9.3 Capture Mainz
5.10 A Land Lost in the Mist
- 5.10.1 Overview
- 5.10.2 Bridgehead
- 5.10.3 Alliance strategy
- 5.10.4 Independent strategy
- 5.10.5 Rescue
5.11 Greed
- 5.11.1 Overview
- 5.11.2 Strategy
5.12 Fear the Eagles
- 5.12.1 Overview
- 5.12.2 Strategy
5.13 Cold Treason
- 5.13.1 Overview
- 5.13.2 Relieve the siege
- 5.13.3 Defend the fortress
- 5.13.4 Conquer enemy villages
5.14 When All Hell Breaks Loose
- 5.14.1 Overview
- 5.14.2 Strategy
5.15 He Who Dares...
- 5.15.1 Overview
- 5.15.2 Introduction
- 5.15.3 Gathering an army
- 5.15.4 Defeating the horde
- 5.15.5 Dealing with villages
- 5.15.6 When I get attacked by Hunters my troops freeze. Why?
5.16 Homecoming
- 5.16.1 Overview
- 5.16.2 Strategy
5.17 War of Attrition
- 5.17.1 Overview
- 5.17.2 Strategy
5.18 Alea Iacta Est
- 5.18.1 Overview
- 5.18.2 Crossing the southern river
- 5.18.3 Pisaurus and Fanum
- 5.18.4 Ancona
5.19 War Within the Mountains
- 5.19.1 Overview
- 5.19.2 Introduction
- 5.19.3 Defense
- 5.19.4 Offense
5.20 Let the Hunt Begin
- 5.20.1 Overview
- 5.20.2 Defend the fortress
- 5.20.3 Reinforcements
5.21 The End of the Republic
- 5.21.1 Overview
- 5.21.2 Strategy
5.22 The Battle for Alexandria
- 5.22.1 Overview
- 5.22.2 Defend the fortress
- 5.22.3 Port and boats
5.23 Friends and Allies
- 5.23.1 Overview
- 5.23.2 Strategy
5.24 Just One... More... Fight
- 5.24.1 Overview
- 5.24.2 Mercenaries
- 5.24.3 River, Osuna and fortress
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6. Editing and Technical Issues
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- 6.1 Are there any cheats or trainers? Can I skip a level?
- 6.2 Where are game save files stored?
- 6.3 Can the resolution be changed?
- 6.4 How can I take screenshots?
- 6.5 Are there any custom or multiplayer siege maps?
- 6.6 Can I play as Greeks?
- 6.7 Is there a map editor?
- 6.8 Are there any guides to modifying the game?
- 6.9 Can I open .pak files?
- 6.10 Can I extract music from the game?
- 6.11 I can't connect to an online game. Any suggestions?
- 6.12 I have video/display problems. Any suggestions?
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Appendices
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- A. Unit Abilities
- B. Unit Training
- C. Terrain
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1. PREFACE
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1.1 Notes
This FAQ/guide is based on the United Kingdom release of Praetorians, patched
to v1.04. It contains comments and strategies based on other versions. I am
not aware of any differences between versions released in different countries.
Parts of the FAQ will be appropriate to demo versions, although I believe
certain balancing changes occurred between the demo and release version, so
use with caution. Praetorians was one of those games that tried to break out
of an established real time strategy formula (resource gathering - production
- battle), was received quite favourably by many that played it, but
ultimately sunk without trace soon after it was released - particularly in the
English speaking world.
Praetorians is a relatively easy game to start playing but includes many tough
missions likely to send players looking for a walkthrough or hints. It also
has scope for various different strategies, not all of which are immediately
apparent. Prima have published an official strategy guide (
http://www.primagames.com/strategy/book/5682/ ) - it has not been used
directly in the creation of this document. Praetorians is not well documented
in English on the internet, with only one fan-site of note, and only one
regularly used English forum. The later, http://forums.eidosgames.com/ ,
contains a wealth of strategies and mission tips, which I have edited down and
integrated into this guide. This guide also draws on material originally
written in Spanish or German.
This document is aimed at newer players, not multiplayer veterans. Both
multiplayer and singleplayer strategies have been included, but this text is
biased towards singleplayer, specifically the campaign. This reflects my
personal experience of the game, the overall level of forum discussion, and
what I think is needed most in a guide such as this. This FAQ was awarded the
title "FAQ of the Month" for August 2003 by GameFAQs. Cool.
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1.2 Credits and Legal
This FAQ was written by Tim Howgego (also known as timski), copyright 2003-
2004, unless otherwise stated. Errors and suggestions should be reported to
tim (at) capsu (dot) org. Please put "Praetorians" somewhere in the email
subject field. This FAQ includes ideas and strategies posted on forums,
primarily http://forums.eidosgames.com/ , and fan sites including
http://www.geocities.com/nitroace30/ , http://praetorianzone.gamigo.de/ (in
German) and http://www.geocities.com/vent40k/ (in Spanish) - contributors are
noted with the relevant text.
You may save and print this document for your own personal use only. You may
copy and repost this FAQ, but the content of the document, including the
credits, must remain unchanged. You must not charge for it, sell, rent, or
otherwise profit from it. Informing the author that you are hosting it is
appreciated, but not mandatory. Ensuring you host the most recent version is
also appreciated, but not mandatory. Praetorians copyright Pyro Studios SL
2003. Praetorians is a registered trademark of Pyro Studios 99 SL. Eidos and
Eidos Interactive are trademarks of the Eidos Group of companies. All rights
reserved. Other trademarks and copyright are owned by their respective
trademark and copyright holders. This is not an official FAQ. It is not
endorsed by the game's developer or publisher. The author is not affiliated to
the game's developer or publisher.
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1.3 Version
This is version 1.01, 15 January 2004. Added playing as Greeks, fixed some
dead URLs, and made various small changes.
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2. INTRODUCTION
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2.1 What is Praetorians?
Praetorians is a real time strategy game for PC/Windows, set in Roman Europe
around the time of Julius Caesar. The game involves almost no resource
management and is focused on tactical battle with a ability to capture
villages and recruit additional troops. Praetorians includes three
civilizations - Romans, Barbarians and Egyptians - the later often take the
role of other 'Arab' tribes. The main campaign is based on Romans. The game's
name is inspired by the Praetoriani (Praetoriae Cohortes), an elite cohort
formed to protect the general of the Roman army. Units in the game reflect
those that existed, but there are many concessions to gameplay balance, such
as the equal availability of war machines to all civilizations. Similarly,
while the storyline is set against a backdrop of events circa 50BC, the actual
missions and battles are somewhat contrived. Praetorians is not intended to be
a perfect historical re-creation. It should be regarded as a Roman themed real
time strategy game, rather than a traditional historical war-game. A summary
of the game's features can be found at http://www.praetoriansgame.com/ .
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2.2 Who developed the game?
Pyro Studios ( http://www.pyrostudios.com/ ), based in Madrid, Spain, wrote
the game. They are better known for developing the Commandos series of games.
Praetorians was published by Eidos Interactive. Originally intended to be
released in 2002, the game finally appeared in February/March 2003.
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2.3 What are the minimum requirements?
The absolute minimums are: Pentium III 500MHz, 128MB RAM (256MB for Windows
2000/XP), 16MB graphics card (DirectX 8.1 compatible, 32MB recommended),
display resolution 1024x768, 600MB free hard drive space, Windows 98/2000/XP,
quad-speed CD-ROM drive, keyboard and mouse. Multiplayer requires a slightly
faster processor (at least 700MHz) with at least a 56k modem connection
(broadband recommended).
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2.4 Where can I get demos and patches?
Two demo versions are available - a single player version (which I believe
features the campaign mission Crossing the River Arar) and a multiplayer
version (which features a single multiplayer/skirmish map). Demos can be found
at http://www.eidosinteractive.com/downloads/search.html?gmid=124 and several
other gaming sites. Installing both the demo and the full game on the same
machine may cause to video glitches.
The most recent patch at the time of writing is v1.04, 24 April 2003. It can
be found at several locations, including
http://ftp.eidos.com/pub/patches/praetorians/patchinstaller.exe ,
http://www.fileplanet.com/section.aspx?s=93629 and
http://www.pyrostudios.com/english/download/download.htm . The patch is 2.7MB.
The current version number is displayed in the bottom left corner of game's
main menu screen.
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3. GAMEPLAY
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This section contains answers to commonly asked gameplay questions. It does
not specifically replace the manual. The manual explains the basic interface,
concepts and abilities. To be honest, even if you do not have the manual it is
possible to learn most of the game's features from a combination of the
tutorials and the readme file on the CD.
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3.1 Setup and Interface
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3.1.1 Can I play as Barbarians or Egyptians?
You can in multiplayer/skirmish mode. There is only one campaign, which is
based on Romans. There are a few opportunities during the campaign to use or
train non-Roman troops, however there are no missions that use entirely non-
Roman forces.
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3.1.2 What do the difficulty settings change?
Difficulty influences the size and makeup of your initial forces. For example,
the first non-tutorial mission, Crossing the River Arar (see below), includes
two units of Auxiliary Infantry and three Legionaries on "easy", one less
Auxiliary Infantry on "Normal", and one less unit of Legionaries on "Hard".
The enemy generally has additional units on harder settings. RogueImpaler
notes: "Enemy villages will produce lots more troops on hard also." Less
obviously, on harder settings the enemy's AI (Artificial Intelligence) is
better. Centurion, on harder difficulties: "The AI was employing better
tactics such as flanking my archers by moving through woods, but the blatant
change was that I had less troops starting and there seemed to be more enemy
troops. I thought arrows from enemy archers/mounted archers inflicted a little
more damage."
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3.1.3 Is there a list of keyboard shortcuts?
Yes. Such a list may be found in section 3.2 of the game's readme.htm file.
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3.1.4 Can the map view be zoomed or rotated?
The camera height can be changed _slightly_ by altering the slider found under
game options. This can also be achieved by rolling the mouse wheel or pressing
Page-Up/Page-Down. The map cannot be rotated. It is not clear why the
developers decided to lock the camera.
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3.1.5 Can the game speed be changed?
No, although you can pause single player games by pressing Esc to bring up the
game menu.
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3.1.6 How do I group troops?
Select the required units, assign a group by pressing CRTL+1-9, then 1-9 to
recall the group, and 1-9 again to jump to them. Rufus adds: "You can add
units to an already existing group by selecting the new troops, then holding
shift and pressing the number of your existing group and finally once again
assign a group number. It is possible to have troops belong to several groups.
To activate this you need to go to the Game Options panel and click the
'Troops in Multiple Groups' button."
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3.1.7 How do I change the width of formations?
The width of individual units cannot be changed, except by changing the facing
or (for certain units) adopting a special formation. Facing can be changed by
selecting the unit, then either: (1) right clicking at the destination,
holding down with the mouse and moving it in the direction desired to face, or
(2) by selecting the 'facing' icon from actions menu in the bottom right of
the screen, and then clicking at a point you wish the unit to face. Multiple
units can be set into a formation of variable width. Gaius Julius writes:
"After you've selected your troops, right-click where you want them to go;
don't let go of the right mouse button yet, then either use the mouse's scroll
wheel to set the width of the formation, or you can use the Page up, or Page
down buttons on the keyboard." There is no direct way of ensuring certain
units take certain positions in the formation. However, Shamaani writes: "In
order to get spearmen in the front, standard army corps in the middle, and
archer behind I do like this: Select army corps and set them to 'Defend' the
pikemen. Select archers and set them to 'Defend' the army corps. For moving
the whole army, just move the pikemen." Alternatively assign groups to
different sets of units and order them separately.
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3.2 Unit Training
______________________________________________________________________________
3.2.1 How can I replenish loses?
New squads can be trained using a village or barracks. Sometimes during
campaign missions additional reinforcements will join your army during the
mission. Injured troops can be healed with a healer such as a Physician. The
Physician can be ordered to heal a specific unit. Alternatively units within
the Physician's area of influence will slowly be healed. Where an existing
squad is missing men, squads can be joined. Select the units to be joined and
press the join button (or J). For example, two half-strength (15 man) legions
can be joined to form one full strength (30 man) legion. No one squad can ever
exceed full strength.
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3.2.2 What is the difference between a village and barracks, and how do I use
them?
Villages must first be captured by destroying any existing garrison, building
your own garrison next to the village using infantry, and then assigning a
commander (Centurion or similar) to recruit at the village. Barracks have
fixed ownership and cannot be captured, only destroyed. Barracks do not
require a commander. Barracks are only ever found inside fortresses. Both
barracks and villages can be destroyed. Destroyed villages or barracks cannot
be rebuilt or captured; they are permanently removed from the map for the rest
of the mission.
Both villages and barracks function in the same way: Assuming you have
completed the steps above, left-click on the building, then select units to
train from the menu in the bottom-right of the screen. Up to seven units may
be queued for training. Training will automatically stop if there is
insufficient population, honour points or unit control points (see below).
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3.2.3 How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer?
You don't. Instead commanders are promoted from other units. Select a unit and
then press Promote on the actions menu in the bottom right of the screen. A
small tent will appear momentarily. One member of the unit will become a level
0 commander and the remainder of the unit will be unchanged. The civilization
of the commander is determined by the civilization of the promoted unit. For
example, if you want a Chieftain rather than a Centurion, you must promote a
Barbarian unit (in most circumstances you will only control one civilization,
and so will not have this choice). Prior combat experience or unit type is not
transferred to the promoted unit: There is no advantage to promoting battle-
hardened Praetorians instead of Auxiliary Infantry. Commanders instead gain
experience from combat within their area of influence. Any regular or special
unit can be promoted. Characters, single man units such as scouts, and siege
engines cannot be promoted.
There is a limit to the number of commanders you may promote. This limit is
not entirely understood. It seems that you may have one commander per 1-100
troops. For example if you have 30 troops, one commander; 190 troops, two
commanders; 210 troops three commanders. You may never have more than five
commanders in total. There are some oddities, particularly in campaign
missions where this may not hold true. For example, certain named character
commanders may not count towards the five-commander limit. If you are already
at the limit and additional commanders join your army, you automatically keep
all the commanders and exceed the limit.
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3.2.4 What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control Points?
Overall army size is limited by Unit Control Points (UCPs) and Troop Control
Points (TCPs). These are specified by the mission and cannot be changed.
Typically UCPs range from 500 to 1000, TCPs from 50 to 75. To display the
current values, press and hold down Shift to show the Battle Status Panel.
Gaius Julius adds: "If you enabled it in the 'Game Options' section, it should
be visible on screen." Unit Control Points refer to the total number of men
you may command, so a unit of Legionaries might count as 30 men, a scout as
one man. Troop Control Points refer to the total number of units that may be
commanded as separate entities (yes I know that sounds the wrong way round),
for example a unit of Legionaries counts as one TCP, as does a scout.
Commanders, healers and scouts are exceptions to this rule. Commanders are
described above (see How do I train a Centurion or commanding officer? above).
Healers are restricted to two. Scouts are restricted to five. These levels can
sometimes be exceeded during the campaign when additional troops join your
army. For example, if the UCP limit is 500, your starting army accounts for
400, and 200 points worth of reinforcements join you, you can still keep the
total 600 points worth. You will not however be able to train any new units at
a village or barracks until the total drops below 500.
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3.2.5 What limits troop recruitment? Why can't I train a certain unit?
The village or barracks recruiting the unit must have the pre-requisite
population available. Most villages grow population slowly over time, although
there are occasional campaign reports of villages where population does not
re-grow. Any honour point requirement must be met (see How do I gain Honour
points? below). There must be enough space remaining in your army for the
units (see What limits the number of units? What are Unit and Troop Control
Points? above). Full troop requirements are shown in the Unit Training
appendix. Not all units are immediately available in the campaign. This varies
by mission and is listed at the start of the walkthrough for each mission.
Generally, special units are not freely available until later in the campaign.
The only mission where absolutely every unit from every civilization is
available is the final mission, Just One... M
