Contest 100: Maritis Merites: A Cleopatra Contest

Welcome to the contest page for Contest 100: Maritis Merites!

The first part of the contest is closed. For the Second stage of the contest, click HERE!

This is a Cleopatra game, and should only be played with Pharaoh V2.1.0.0.

Use the link below to download the starting position for the first part of the game:

Maritis Merites (normal difficulty)
file is in zip format

To download the mission, simply click the appropriate link. The file you receive will be in a zipped format. After downloading, decompress the file (using, e.g. PowerArchiver or Winzip). You can get Winzip free from their website at www.winzip.com.

To play the game, start Pharoah/Cleopatra, go to your family, and select "Load Saved Game". You will find Maritis Merites as a saved game.

There is only a map to be played at Normal difficulty. Please make sure you play the game from the start at the correct level of difficulty. If a map is played at a lower difficulty level, it becomes invalid. Select Options>Difficulty and check it. If necessary adjust the difficulty, select new game and reselect the Maritis Merites saved game. Now you can play.

All players are advised to peruse the remainder of the contest pages (links to which can be found at the foot of the page), as well as the General Rules and Pharaoh/Cleopatra game features.

The Story

Pharaoh Nebka is gravely concerned. While his enormous tomb at his capital Menat Khufu continues to proceed, the unfortunate death of his chief vizier, who had been directing the supply of resources to this massive project, has meant that the flow of stone and wood to the immense and sprawling construction site is drying up.

At the same time, Pharaoh is alarmed by the reports that the Libyans are redoubling their attacks on the caravans from the African interior, which supply Egypt with much of her luxury goods. It is with these things in mind that Pharaoh has set you this task.

Pharaoh has decreed that the Libyans must be crushed, and crushed with all possible speed. To this end, he wishes you to establish a colony at Selima Oasis, where your army can both safeguard the African trade routes and support the advance of Nebka's foremost general, Maritis, as he advances up the Nile towards Nekhen and beyond. Although Selima Oasis has sparse natural resources of its own, the few that it does feature are exactly what Pharaoh needs, notably extensive deposits of fine limestone and a not-inconsiderable grove of acacia trees.

Although your trading options will initially be limited, Nebka has confidence that once your settlement's reputation becomes established, new opportunities will open up. Also, Pharaoh has decreed that you be supplied with the finest potters in the land, and all the clay you can handle, to help maintain the site's profitability during the early years.

Pharaoh's plan is simple. You will serve as a forward supply post for Maritis' forces as they advance up the Nile towards Nekhen, Abu and Dunqul Oasis. Maritis has the authority of the Pharaoh to requisition all the military resources he needs from you, be they soldiers, weapons or other martial supplies. To this end, he has directed me, his chief vizier, to gather together all the finest armourers in the land, and direct them to your city. This is a tedious process - you would not believe how much effort is involved in moving an armourer's workshop! - and so these artists will not arrive at your city for some while. When they do, you will be provided with supplies of copper, with which to manufacture the finest weapons to support Maritis in his implacable advance up the Nile. Protect these craftsmen well, for they are an irreplaceable national asset to our country. Pharaoh would be most… displeased… if they were to be slaughtered by the barbarians.
At the same time, you will support and protect the precious caravan routes into Egypt from Iken and Pwenet; and you will also be called upon to provide some supplies to Nebka's pyramid at Menat Khufu in the early stages of your colony's existence.

"This will be a difficult mission. But Pharaoh also has one last task for you; and the true nature of this must be kept quite secret, my friend. Maritis himself, Nebka's finest general, does not approve of our beloved Pharaoh's considerable… how shall we say… ambition as far as the afterlife is concerned, and threatens to rebel. Should this man turn against Nebka, the results could be catastrophic - Maritis has the loyalty of much of the Egyptian army, and a civil war at this critical juncture in our history would be too terrible to contemplate. The Bedouin of the Eastern Desert have their eye upon our crucial colony at Timna, and the Libyans seek to capture the oases won at such cost in the west. We cannot afford any sign of weakness at this time - the enemies on either side of us would tear us apart!

In a bid to placate Maritis at least until the Libyans have been pushed back in the south and west, Pharaoh has decreed that Maritis should receive a mud brick pyramid of his own as a tomb, an honour almost unheard of for one outside the royal family. Pharaoh requires that you construct this tomb for him, that Maritis might spend his eternal sleep close to the battlefields where he is winning the greatest victories of his career. While Pharaoh knows that such an undertaking will be hugely difficult in an area without any local supplies of clay, he will endeavour to send you as much support as possible without drawing undue attention to the new construction project.

Pharaoh knows that this will not be an easy mission. But he has the greatest confidence in you. Do not fail him.

Rules

Completion Criteria:
none

Winning Criteria:
Each map will be scored according to the following formula:

Score =
  Culture Rating  +  2*Prosperity Rating  +  3*Monument Rating  +  Kingdom Rating  +
  Treasury/1000  +  #People/100  +  #Weapons/3  +
  #Infantry  +  2*#Archers  +  #Stately Manors  +
  %Pyramid  +  %Obelisk  +  3*(360 - #Months Pyramid)  +  10*(360 - #Months Obelisk)

All score elements will be checked with the appropriate overseer and taken from the submitted save in the final stage. The number of months it took to complete the obelisk and the pyramid will be derived from the message list. For instance if the obelisk is finished in Jan AD3, 36 months are taken for the completion. If a monument is not finished the number of months is set to 360.

Notes

This contest map consists of three distinct parts, each lasting ten game years. Players can download the starting position, and play the first part or stage. Annual saves should be made each December, signalled by a price change of sandstone by the end of November. This serves as a reminder only, sandstone plays no role in this scenario. In November AD9 there is also an attack by a single mummy.

The mummy will appear at a temple, a temple complex, or a monument. The player has to find out how to deal with the mummy. The appearance of the mummy also serves as a reminder to make a final save. At the end of AD9 a series of catastrophes will be triggered, that makes further game play (virtually) impossible. Though the player is invited to sit back and watch the show, it is not allowed to try to survive for a prolonged period. Defeat should occur within at most six months, and provide an effective blocking of future events.

The final save of the first stage dated from December AD9 must be submitted. Once this stage is closed, the design team will modify the submitted files, move the blocking events a decade beyond, and make the modified files available for download.

Players can download any of the modified save files from the first stage, and continue play, with the exception of the one they submitted themselves. Players can of course continue with their own modified save if they want to, but these will not provide a valid entry. In the second stage it is no longer possible to build archer forts, but weapon smiths are available. Further changes are subject to the normal events occurring in the game. Again price changes of sandstone act as a reminder for the required annual saves. The attack of another mummy at the end of November AD19 signals the end of the second stage. Again the catastrophes beginning at the end of AD19 are meant to disable the scenario to continue. Some of the events in early AD20 can be observed. Players can submit their final save dated from December AD19. Before saving the players should delete any tax collector offices present on the map. The design team will again modify the submitted files, move the blocking events another decade beyond, and make the save available for download.

Again players may choose to continue from any of the modified saves, with the exception of those to which they already contributed in either the first or the second stage. In the third stage tax collectors offices are disabled, but the festival square is available. Annual saves are still required, the mummy in November AD29 signals the end of the third stage. The blocking by the catastrophes serves no other purpose than to provide the player with the option to see their precious city go to waste. Enjoy! Final saves made in December AD29 are rated by the judges using the scoring formula given above.

Players may submit as many entries as they prefer. In the first and second stage only the last entry will be made available for download by others. In the third stage only the highest rated entry will be considered. If a player wants a different entry to be selected, the design team should be notified clearly and timely.

Designer's Notes and Advice

A contest map 'with a difference' was WinterPharaoh’s introduction in the HeavenGames Pharaoh forum to the idea of having a relay contest. Others have played with that idea too; we have, with more than a little trouble, managed to produce what we think to be a playable, and more importantly, enjoyable map. We are honoured that it may serve now as contest #100 here at Ancient Maps.

It is different from other contests not only in the sense that you are part of a team, be it that you do not know who your team mates will be, but also because you do not know what is ahead in the scenario itself. If you want to have a successful team effort, make sure your entry is playable by whomever will play it, and whatever will be the upcoming events. The event tree, the way the different events in this scenario are linked, is rather complicated for a contest map. That was WP's original idea of balance and counterbalance, as phrased in the mission briefing text above. In a normal map a player would strive to comply immediately with any request, and never give in to extortion. In a contest map the standard strategy may not always be the optimal one, in this map in particular the player is invited to investigate the alternatives. Specifically if the effect of your action extends beyond a stage boundary, you may want to provide your unknown successor with all the options. Sometimes that is not possible, and you have to make a choice. A map with a difference indeed.

Maritis Merites was designed and tested by WinterPharaoh, Civilis, and Joshofet.

Competitors are reminded that the normal AM General Rules apply to this contest. Competitors are also advised to peruse the list of Pharaoh/Cleopatra game features.


This contest will close at 11PM EST (US), on Sunday, December 10th. Please note the date!!!!

This contest has ended.

General Rules|Pharaoh/Cleopatra game features|Results

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