How to Play

Abaria is a relatively simple game. However it is complex enough that it may not be immediately obvious how to play to start with.

Getting Started

To play Abaria, you need the client for the Red Corona Online Game Client, which you can get from here. You will also need the latest version of the Abaria client plugin, which the game client should download for you when you attempt to join the game.

You will also need a username and password on our server. Because the game is currently in an early testing phase, there is not yet a general signup; you need to be invited by the development team. If you do not have signin credentials, please be patient while the core testing team prepare the game for public release! If you do, enter your username and password in the Game Client, enter 'live.redcorona.com:2073' as the server and connect. To enter the Abaria world, select the appropriate game in the list at the left (it should be called Abaria Closed Beta, and its gametype will be http://www.redcorona.com/GameType/Abaria) and press Join.

The First Sign-in

Once the client has downloaded the world parameters, you will see a black window apart from a view of the world and some descriptive text. Double click on the world to enter it. You will be asked to create or join a nation; you probably want to create one, so enter a name and a password and press Create. This step will be skipped in future, and when double clicking on the world you are immediately taken to the last nation and location you were viewing.

The Main Screen

Once you have successfully logged in, you will see the main screen.

The main screen

In the middle is the map, which is the main interface for the game. Below that are the map tools:

• Move allows you to move around the world. Clicking on a tile with this tool will centre it in the view.
• Using the Attack tool on a tile will use your forces to invade it and, if possible, take it over. To attack you must have at least one tile adjacent to the target tile which has a standing defence or a brigade present. You can find out more about attacks by reading about the military.
• The Evacuate tool withdraws from a tile that you own, and leaves it with no owner.
• Improve allows you to build improvements. Each tile can only contain a single improvement, although you can destroy what you have built if you change your mind about the best improvement. You can also activate or deactivate an improvement with this tool.
• Manage lets you manage the tile in more detail.

To the right of the map is the tile information panel, which updates as you move the mouse and gives you a summary of the tile you are pointing at. The most important information is the tile type, as areas which ice over in winter or are too hot in summer may be lost and some tiles are not inhabitable at all to begin with. The production is a measure of how hospitable the tile is; a higher value means a higher population and more income. Warm equatorial tiles are the most valuable. You can also see what resources are present for you to obtain (via an improvement), and a summary of the nation that currently owns that tile.

At the bottom is a chat panel, which allows you to talk to other players in the game. (There is a chat panel on the main game client too but that is global to everyone logged in, not just people playing Abaria.) You can use /msg to send chat to an individual player.

In the upper left is a satellite view of the globe, centred on the area your main map is viewing. You can use the slider below it to zoom. This view helps you see where you might wish to expand your nation, and it shows the procession of the days and seasons.

To the left of the map is a short summary of your nation, giving your ranking and the amount of money you have. There are also several more tools, for things that do not depend on an individual tile.

• The Nation Manager shows you a summary of your nation's achievements and current statistics. You also use this to research technologies. If you are a member of more than one nation, you can switch between them from this panel.
• The Messages panel allows you to leave messages for other players in your own nation, or other nations, when they are offline. Some game events will also send you a message via this panel. The button will light up when you have unread messages.
• With Trades and Markets you can exchange goods and money with other nations, on an individual basis or through the global exchange. However, you need to research Trade and Marketplace respectively to use them. Both these panels also allow you to view your stockpile.

First Steps for a New Nation

When you first log in and create a nation, you will have a single tile on temperate land. More tiles mean more population and more income, so you should settle as many tiles as you can. The flag icon represents your capital, and you can only settle tiles a short distance from your capital; to start with, settle every tile that you can within the small radius. If your capital is in an inconvenient location, you can move it to any tile you have settled from the Tile Manager – at a cost of 5% of your net worth, so don't be too indecisive. (If your nation is in a really tight spot, you can Migrate, which results in a loss of all your tiles and units but gives you a new tile in a random location worldwide.)

To build most improvements, you need Wood, and as you can not buy it from the global market or other nations until you are more advanced, you need to collect it. Find a tile which has Forests (you can see what resources a tile has on the Tile panel), and settle it. (Your initial tile may well have Forests, they are very common.) Then use the Improve tool on that tile to 'build' a Resource Collection – a special sort of improvement that you can use to gather raw materials where they appear at the surface, which is free. An icon of a hand collecting an object will appear on the tile; icons indicate which improvement is built on that tile. You can place multiple Resource Collection improvements on different tiles, but each tile with an improvement on it receives a production penalty (as some of the citizens are working in the improvement).

The next step for most nations is to direct your research towards Marketplace, which allows you access to the open market. Go into the Nation Manager and research technologies which are necessary prerequisites to Marketplace. You won't get there immediately; you'll need to wait for your scientists to earn you Research Points. As you research, your Influence will increase and you will be able to occupy more land.