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Made by Ironfist 2002
Questions & Answers about MK |
| What is Metal Knights? |
| Metal Knights is a turn based strategy wargame played on a computer. You can either play against your friends taking turns on the same computer (called local mode) or against other players all over the world via the internet. |
| Is it hard to play? |
| No, it is easy to learn how to play but it is hard to master. Think in terms of playing chess, you can have a lot of fun playing someone of an equivalent standard but a top player will quickly beat you before you realise how he or she did it. |
| What is the basic idea of the game? |
| You start off with $200 with which you have to build an empire, which eventually becomes strong enough to take over the other players’ empires. The last empire that is left wins the game. Since $200 is not a lot of cash, the first few turns are used to expand your empire and generate more income. Initially you can buy a few basic units, but as your empire gets richer, you can invest in universities which “discover” more advanced units (all the way up to nuclear missiles). |
| How many can play in one game? |
| Up to 10 players can play in each game, but in local mode games it is best with only 2 players because otherwise there is a lot of waiting around as all the players take their turns. |
| What’s an “opening”? |
| An opening refers to where you place your base on the map and how you play your first turn (the first turn is called turn0). A good opening can give you an empire after turn0 that is many times bigger than a poor opening. Since a bigger empire will generate a larger income for the next turn, this cash can be used for expanding your empire on turn1 and moving even further ahead of the competition. At the highest level of competition, a slight mistake with your opening on turn0 will lose you the game! |
| How long does a game take? |
| A local mode game between 2 people could take 4-5 hours, as with all things computer, remember to save the game regularly (preferably after each turn). An internet game could take anything from a day to a month or more, depending on the game settings selected. |
| How do I connect to the internet? |
| Select the “connect to internet” option on the splash screen when you start the programme, or choose “connect” from the internet menu. The game client will try to connect using the settings already entered from a previous use of the programme or prompt you to enter new settings. You can change settings before connecting by choosing “settings” from the internet menu. |
| The first time you log on the MK servers you will need to choose a CODENAME and a password. Fill in the other information as prompted and other should be automatically connected to the server that you selected. |
| There are 2 different servers, which should I play on? |
| It doesn’t really matter which you play on, you can of course play games on all two but I recommend that initially you stick to just one. The ttwo servers are referred to as MK and KS. |
| MK is the original server, but KS is the default server for new players so I suggest that you start there and possibly move across to the MK server when you are more experienced. |
| How do I set up an internet game? |
| When you have logged on to the internet, you are presented with the Games panel. Select the create game button and choose a name for your game and the map you wish to play. All the other settings can be left as they are but I suggest that you do select the settings with care. |
| Game style: leave these at the default settings for most games. |
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Game type: this is how you control the maximum time between turns. Classic; the game turns are exactly 24 hours long, that means you have to play your turn within a 24 hour period, the game turn “flips” after 24 hours even if not all players have played their turns. Quick; with this option you can choose the maximum length of time for each turn, from 8 to 72 hours. The game turn flips when either all players have played or after the selected time period if not all players have yet played. Double; like a classic but turns flip every 12 hours. |
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Advanced settings: General; most experienced players disable nukes and peace in their games and decide about wrecks depending on the map. Who can join this game; the settings here are self-explanatory. |
| What game type should I select? |
| That depends on how much free time you have. A Q8 game means that you have to play 3 turns a day, not possible for most people, and you are likely to miss one turn while you are in bed! Most experienced players tend to play Q48 or Q72, which means that they only have to play one turn every 2 or 3 days. This is important to consider if you play more than one game at a time. |
| How long does each turn take? |
| That depends on how many units you have to move and also how much you want to think about your turn. Early on in the game, turn will not take very long, maybe 10 minutes, but as your empire gets much larger, turns take longer to play as you have many more units, and you options for both attack and defence become more varied. In most cases even late on in games, turns rarely take more than one hour, although some players are famous for ridiculously long turns lasting many hours. The length of turns means that it is only really sensible to play internet games if you do not have to pay for your internet connection on a per minute basis. |
| How many turns does a game last for? |
| This can vary depending on the size of the map and the number of players. Usually though, most games are over before turn 12. |
| Where can I learn more about playing well? |
| In time I will prepare a guide to better play, but until then try the following. |
| The game has a help file which is useful for absolute beginners, also there are FAQs on the MetalKnights website (www.metalknights.com). |