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Description[]

Heroes and Combat Skills is the eighth and final scenario of the Learning Campaign in Empire Earth. This scenario introduces the player to the functions of Warrior and Strategist Heroes and upgrades of units to their more powerful variants.

Briefing[]

The Glory of the Byzantine Age: 536 - 800 AD

(Unit Improvements, Unit Upgrades, Heroes)

The recent Byzantine campaign in North Africa went well. A large strip of the African coast has been restored to imperial control. And the success has emboldened the Emperor Justinian to continue working towards his dream: the reconquest of Rome, and restoration of the Empire.

Controlled by the Germans since 476, Italy is now under the control of a craven and incompetent ruler, King Theodahad the Ostrogoth. The Byzantine general, Belisarius, has been ordered to land with his army in southern Italy and drive this feeble pretender out of Rome once and for all. But it won't be easy. His troops will have to be improved and heroic efforts will be required.

History[]

Historians have debated for centuries whether it was genius or folly that drove Justinian to attempt the reconquest of the Western Empire. Although the initial capture of Carthage had been an easy matter, holding onto North Africa was far more complicated. The Vandal threat had practically evaporated when faced with Belisarius' imperial invasion force, but a fierce, more tenacious enemy remained: the Berber tribes.

When Belisarius was ordered into war against the Ostrogoths in 535, he himself invaded and conquered Sicily, while another general, Mundus, seized Dalmatia on the west coast of the Balkans. As soon as this was accomplished, however, a Berber uprising in Carthage required Belisarius to return across the Mediterranean.

Theodahad, the German king in Italy, had been on the verge of surrender, but the uprising in Africa gave him hope.

Until 536, that is, when Belisarius returned. This time Belisarius seized southern Italy easily and marched into Rome facing little or no resistance. There, the citizens received him as a liberator.

Unlike the Vandals, however, the Goths retained their fighting mettle. They deposed Theodahad and chose a resourceful, energetic general to replace him, a young warrior by the name of Witigis. Witigis at once marshalled all the Gothic armies and invested Rome with a massive siege that lasted a year.

Justinian, meanwhile, dispatched reinforcements from Constantinople. Belisarius was able to hold out against the German's far superior numbers and the siege was finally lifted. Justinian's generals pressed on with the conquest of Italy, and by 555 the entire peninsula had been absorbed into the Byzantine Empire.

It was no doubt the greatest moment of Byzantine civilization, but the cost of sustaining such a vast realm proved to be deadly. For one thing, twenty years of war, pillage and famine had reduced Italy to little more than a desert. And the Italians, once pleased to see the imperial presence in their land, soon learned that the price was oppressive taxation and complete loss of self-governance.

Consequently, it was only a matter of time until a new empire, centered in the rich and fertile north, would arise to supplant the Byzantines in western Europe. That new empire would be led by the warrior kings of France, under a dynasty founded by Charles Martel in 717.

And it would be brought to fruition by his brilliant grandson, Charlemagne.

Objectives[]

- Take command of Belisarius' army and prepare to march on Rome.

- Defeat the Ostrogothic Armies defending Rome.

- Select 1 Short Sword man.

- Purchase 1 improvement in shcok armor for your Short Sword men, by clicking on the helmet icon button in the unit information area.

- Purchase the 2nd improvement in shock armor for your Short Sword men.

- Continue your advance on Rome.

- Belisarius must survive.

- Defeat the new Ostrogothic Army to the north of Rome.

- Advance to the next Epoch: the Dark Age.

- Create the Hero Charlemagne in your Town Center. Normally, you will be able to build only one Hero at a time.

- Defeat the Lombard Army attacking from the south of Rome.

Gameplay Conditions[]

This scenario is completely about military strategy and improvements. There is no need for resource gathering, building etc that is needed for economic advancement. You will have all the resources you need for all that comes in this scenario.

Civilizations[]

Belisarius (blue) (friendly) (Bronze Age)
Belisarius falls under this civilization up until he changes into a Warrior Hero.

Rome (grey) (friendly) (Bronze Age)
Rome controls the city up until you liberate it from the Ostrogoths. After that, you control its military buildings, Houses, Town Center, Hospitals, Coliseums and Universities. Rome retains control of the the Roman Forum (Capitol buildings), the Walls and the Temple of Zeus.

Ostrogoths (yellow) (enemy) (Bronze Age)
They are the first primary enemy to defeat in this scenario, having taken control of Rome in Belisarius' absence. Their first wave will come down to meet Belisarius' troops at Calabria. The second will be after Belisarius' upgrade into a Hero, where they will patrol outside the northen gates of the city. They normally use Huskarls, Javelins, and have a Stone Thrower in the second wave.

Byzantium (blue) (you) (Dark Age)
This is the civilization you control.

Lombards (red) (enemy) (Dark Age)
They are the secondary enemy, who will attack from the first gate a little after Charlemagne is trained. They use Pikemen, Long Swords and Long Bows. Be careful not to underestimate them.

Calabria (yellow) (friendly) (Bronze Age)
Belisarius' army is dropped of at their place. They have a Hospital available where you can heal your troops after the first battle with the Ostrogoths.

Storyline[]

Imperial Advisor: The voyage from Carthage went well and the Byzantine troops under Belisarius have disembarked in Italy. It is time to prepare to meet the Ostrogoths in battle!

Imperial Advisor: The Ostrogoths have launched a suprise attack! Beware the axes of their deadly Huskarls!

Imperial Advisor: The Huskarls carry shock weapons. You can improve the shock armor of your troops so that they are better protected for the next battle.

To purchase improvements for your Short Sword men, select any one of them. At lower-left, in the unit information area, you can see the attributes that Short Sword men possesss. Pass the mouse pointer over the different button icons to see what each attribute is.

The helmet icon represents shock armor. Click on it to improve the shock armor of all your short Sword Men. Note that improvements cost you resources. When the research for the improvement is complete, the number after the plus-sign is for shock armor increases to show by how mcuh it has improved.

The Short Swords' shock armor is improved by one point.

Imperial Advisor: Good. Now, to beter prepare your troops to fight the enemy shock units, purchase at least one more improvement in shock armor for you Short Sword men. Each attribute has a maximum amount that it can be improved by. For some units, some attributes cannot be improved at all.

The Short Swords' shock armor is improved by one more point.

Select a unit for which you bought improvements. Notice the large white number on its unit portrait. This is the step number. Armor improvements count as 1 step and all other improvements count as 2. When the maximum number of total improvements for that type of unit. So purchase improvements wisely!

If you wish, you can also purchase Unit Improvements for your other troops. Improvements you can purchase include attack, different types of armor, hit points, speed and range. The available attributes and improvements vary according to what type of unit it is.

Imperial Advisor: When you are satisfied with your purchases, or run out of resources, it is time to advance on the city of Rome!

Imperial Advisor: Excellent! We have defeated the barbarian army defending Rome. Let us enter the city in triumph!

The army enters the city along with Belisarius.

Imperial Advisor: Belisarius is being greeted as the saviour of Rome! The Citizens have paid a tribute in Gold, Wood and Food! And all of the buildings have been surrendered to you, except for the sacred walls of Rome, the ancient Roman Forum, and the Temple of Zeus. These must be left under the control of the local populace.

Belisarius comes up to and enters the Capitols in the center of the city. He exits as a Hero.

Imperial Advisor: Hailed as the liberator of Rome, Belisarius has become a Hero! Heroes have special capabilites in battle, and soon you will learn about them.

Reports indicate that an army of Ostrogoths has come down from the north and is threatening to cut off access to our vital northern roads.

The new Ostrogothic attack must be crushed! It is time for the new Hero, Belisarius, to be put into action.

There are two different types of Heroes, "Warriors" and "Strategists." Belisarius has become a Warrior Hero. When you bring him near friendly units, you'll see a Morale indicator appear at the feet of the nearby units. This Morale works the same way as the Morale produced by Houses around a Capitol.

For each point of Morale felt by a unit, the unit takes less damage in battle and thus can survive longer.

Warrior heroes are strong fighters and they even heal their own wounds.

The Ostrogoths appear just outside the north gates, where they patrol in wait.

Imperial Advisor: The city workmen have repaired the Aurelian gates, leading to the north. Bring your troops out of Rome to fight the new Gothic army now. Then you can see your Hero's new abilities at work in combat.

The troops come out and destroy the enemy army, with a significant decrease in losses due to Belisarius' new Hero abilities.

Imperial Advisor: The new Ostrogothic invasion has been repulsed! Well done! Now it is time to move Rome into a new Epoch of opportunity.

Imperial Advisor: Select your Town Center in Rome and you'll see that the Epoch research button has become available. Click the Epoch V button to begin the research for Epoch advancement.

The advancement into the new epoch begins.

Imperial Advisor: Select each of your military buildings now and take note of the units that are available to you. When you enter the next Epoch, you will have new options.

The epoch advancement is completed, with visible changes to the city.

Imperial Advisor: Rome has entered a new age, but enemies from abroad still threaten the city.

Camera pans to each of the military buildings in turn.

Imperial Advisor: Look at the three military buildings in Rome by selecting each of them in turn.

In the Stable, your Horsmen can be upgraded to more modern Cataphracts.

Select the Archery Range. In the Archery Range, Crossbows have become available, Javelins can be upgraded to Pilum, and Simple Bowmen can be upgraded to Composite Bowmen.

In the Barracks there are currnetly no upgrades available. Some units are unavailable, but for now return to the Archery Range.

At the Archery Range, upgrade your Javelins into Pilum by clicking on the appropriate upgrade button. Notice that the upgrade button disappears and the Pilum button replaces the Javelin button once research for the upgrade is complete.

The Javelins are upgraded into Pilums.

Imperial Advisor: Good. The upgrade is complete. Now look at your units on the map. The ones that were formerly Javelins have become the more advanced Pilum unit! Upgrades allow you to keep your units up-to-date, which will help you defend Rome. And upgrades carry over the improvements of their predecessors.

Camera pans in onto Belisarius.

Imperial Advisor: You have brought the glory of the Byzantine Age to Rome, and you have provided for the defense of the city. Belisaruis' work in Italy is now done and he has been summoned back to Constantinople.

Although the Ostrogoths fought courageously to hold onto Italy, much of the peninsula remained under Byzantine control until 774. In that year, Frankish armies finally succeeded in conquering northern Italy.

Belisarius has long departed the shores of Italy. Now a new hero has arisen to defend Rome. Select your Town Center now and you'll see that you can create a Hero there.

The new Hero available to you is Charlemagne. Click on the Charlemagne button to commence his training.

The training for Charlemagne begins.

Imperial Advisor: While you are waiting for Charlemagne to be trained, it would be a good opportunity to build up your army. Rome has many enemies, and a good mix of different unit types will be needed to defend her in this dangerous time. Consider improving your units, too.

Charlemagne appears at the Town Center.

Imperial Advisor: Charlemagne is a Strategist Hero. His special ability is called the "Battlecry." Select him now and you'll see the Battlecry button at the bottom of the screen.

Charlemagne is selected.

Imperial Advisor: Click on the Battlecry button and your mouse pointer will become a bolt of lightning.

If you click with the lightning bolt pointer near enemy units, they will receive a temporary decrease in Morale. This causes them to take more damage from your attacking units.

For now, if your pointer is a lightning bolt, click on the Cancel Action button at the bottom of the screen, and the normal pointer will be restored to you. Save that Battlecry for an actual combat situation!

The Hero must have a full charge of Power to produce a Battlecry. Power slowly recharges itself over time and is measured by the blue bar above the Hero's head when he's selected.

Strategist Heroes also have the ability to increase the stamina of friendly units that are near him. Strategists restore most of a unit's hit points if they've suffered damage in battle.

Like the Warrior, Strategist can self-heal, but they are not as strong in actual combat.

Right now, the Lombards are threatening Rome. Bring Charlemagne out of the city along with the rest of your army. His new abilites will help you greatly, but by themselves they aren't enough to defeat your enemies! You will need to use everything you have learned about tactics and unit improvements to prevail. Good luck! The future of Western Europe depends on you.

Charlemagne leads his troops outside where the Lombards are attacking the main gates. They fight, and the Lombards are destroyed.

Imperial Advisor: Well done! The Lombards have been soundly defeated. Charlemagne has been enthroned as the first Holy Roman Emperor. His influence over Europe is now sure to be felt for many centuries to come.

Gallery[]


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