Star Lords F.A.Q.

What System do I need to play Star Lords?

Star Lords requires Windows 95, 98, ME, or XP with at least Direct X 6.0 installed (Win 98/ME/XP has the required Direct X version, for other windows versions you can download Direct X from Microsoft's Direct X Site).

The minimum system requirements to play this game are a Pentium 166 MHz with 32Mb RAM and a 1 Mb Video Card that support 800x600 16 bit.  You can play the game even on a slower machine but the battle playback may be very choppy.  

We recommend a Pent II 300 MHz or better processor with 64 Mb RAM in order to have good results playing back larger battles. 

Do I need a 3D Video Card to play Star Lords?
No,  Star Lords is a 2D game and all alpha blending and effects are done in 2D.

What kind of game is Star Lords Imperial Order?
Star Lords is a turn based strategy game.  It is similar to Civilization, Masters of Orion, and Alpha Centauri.  However, it is different because all the turn are processed simultaneously.

What does simultaneous turns mean?
 In classic strategy games, one player take a turn, while the other players wait for them to complete their turn.  While this style of play is fine for single player games, it tends to slow down multi-player games as each player has to wait for all the others before taking a turn.  Simultaneous turns means each player takes their turn at the same time, planning their strategy and commanding their forces.  Then the computer processes all the commands and sends the results to the players.

How many players can play in one game?
Star Lords support up to 32 players.

Does Star Lords support single player game play?
Yes,  while Star Lords was designed for multiple players, there is a single player mode.

What are the differences between single player and multi-player games?
The AI players always help each other and team up against human players, and so covert operations and diplomacy only affect other human players. So in a single player game, covert operations and diplomacy are not really used.  Other than that, the two are the same.

Can I have AI players in a multiple player game?
Yes, but as in the single player game, the AI will ally with each other to fight against the human players.  You can have a game of players versus AI.  But there is still a maximum of 32 players.  Each AI player will take a human player slots.

Do you have to be connected to each other to play multiple player game?
No, Star Lords multiple player mode is accomplished by file transfer.  You can e-mail the turn files, place them on a network drive, or upload and download them from an FTP or web site.  The most common way to play will be via e-mail as it is the simplest method of passing the turn file around.  The primary benefit from this method is that the players can play at their convenience, and don't have to have all 32 players connected at the same time.

How many races can I choose from?
Four, there are four unique race in Star Lords.

Can I create my own race?
No, there is no customized race in Star Lords.

Can I design my own ships?
Yes, one of the most versatile features of the game is Starship design.

Do I have to design my Starship?
No you don't have to design your own Starships, while we give you the power of designing your own Starships, we have designed over 200 Starships and Star Bases that utilize the technology of each race.

Is the Star map a static map or is it randomly generated?
The Star map is randomly generated.  You can set the size of the universe to play in and the resource levels, and the map is randomly generated.  In the multi-player games, the host has more control and can customize the size and number of planets in the universe.

What is the difference between a system and a planet?
In Star Lords, solar systems are not shown, only the primary planet in each system.  Because of this, the terms system and planet are often used to refer to the same thing:  a planet on the star map.

Where can I get a copy of Star Lords?
Star Lords is being marketed as a shareware game, this means you can download Star Lords from this web page, and if you like it can then register it..

How much will it cost?
The full version of Star Lords is $30.00 US dollars.

What is the difference between the shareware version and the full version?
The Shareware version only allows you to research any technology to Tech level 5.  Additionally, you can not research in an area of technology that you race does not start with.  The shareware version also disables single player mode after 15 days, but you can continue to play in multiple player games.

If I am using the shareware version, can I join a game that has registered players?
Yes, however you will still be limited by you technology levels.

Can more than one person use the same registration code to play in a multiple player game?
No, each registration code is unique and given only to the person who purchased the game.  Each player wishing to play as a registered user must purchase their own registration code.  Anyone can play the shareware version, but only one person may use a particular registration code in any game.

Can I have more than one Starship in a battle?
Yes, the Star Lords game is fleet based, and each fleet may have many different ships.  Additionally, if you have more than one fleet at a battle location, all the fleets will join in the battle.  If there are fleets belonging to several players at a battle location, the fleets from all the players will be in the battle.  While it is nearly impossible to arrange, it is possible you could have 32 players and hundreds of ships in a single, massive battle.