Emperor - Rise of the Middle Kingdom Info from www.emperor.sierra.fr/en/ Control trade, levy taxes, employ new technologies, cement alliances, raise armies, and build monuments to your everlasting glory. Vie with neighboring kingdoms for wealth and power. And take your city online to see if you are truly the world's mightiest monarch. Farmers, laborers, merchants, soldiers, craftsmen and philosophers - it takes all these and more to build an empire that will endure and prosper! Beginning with a plot of land along the Yangtze, you can build an empire that rivals the wealthiest and most powerful the world has known. See if you are destined to occupy the Dragon Throne and rule the land of China. The Fate of a Dynasty is in your Hands -------------------------------------- Under your enlightened rule, a small settlement will expand to become the capital of a grand and glorious empire. From humble beginnings your city will develop into an imperial capital worthy of your greatness. In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom , you are transported back in time to when emperors reigned and China was the greatest and most resplendent power on earth. Epic in scope, Emperor spans seven dynasties and more than 3,000 years of Chinese history - from China's pre-imperial Xia dynasty circa 2100 BCE to the Mongol invasion of the Middle Kingdom under Genghis Khan in 1211 CE. As Emperor, you will build housing to attract immigrants to your new city. Then the city's workers and farmers, administrators and soldiers will be yours to command, and you will have the work force you need to build a provincial city into a great metropolis. At your bidding, legions of workers will toil to erect walls strong enough to keep the barbarians at bay. Under your banner, armies will march forth to do battle with the enemy. Trade and commerce will flourish and an army of tax collectors will collect the taxes that are due. Schools and clinics, palaces and gardens will embellish the city you have built and proclaim your benevolence to the world. Defending your city and prosecuting military operations abroad can spell the difference between victory and defeat. Your infantry, cavalry, and cadre of spies are your bulwark against the enemies of China. Defend against Invaders, Beseige Walled Cities ---------------------------------------------- Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom offers city builders an exotic locale and a host of different ways to play. Stunning graphics combine with state-of-the art technology for an immersive gaming experience. And new online features make the game more challenging and enjoyable for both single players and online gamers. Revolutionary New Features -------------------------- Compete or cooperate online with up to seven other players: collaborate on a monumental building project like the Great Wall or wage war to gain supreme power over China. See graphics with up to 25% more detail than in previous city- builder games. Keep the horde at bay with new combat features and controls. Choose from more than 40 engaging single-player missions. Converse with your subjects as they go about their daily tasks. Construct engineering marvels like the Grand Canal and the Great Wall. Besiege walled cities using catapults and battering rams, defend against invaders, and hold off barbarians. Conduct seven historical campaigns, each representing one or more Chinese dynasties: Xia, Sang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui/Tang, and Song/Jin. The Chinese are an inventive and Industrious People --------------------------------------------------- Your city bustles with activity as citizens from every walk of life go about their daily routines. The lifeblood of the city, they distribute goods, collect taxes, work on construction projects, ply trades, buy and sell goods, dispense wisdom, and perform the myriad tasks that make a city flourish. By paying homage to deities and culture heroes, citizens can summon their assistance. Each of them possesses special abilities and bestows unique blessings on the community. Bodhidharma, China's first patriarch, arrived in China circa 520 CE. He is credited with training the Shaolin monastery monks the art of kung fu. Legend has it that Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids so he could meditate longer, and from them the tea plant was created. Bodhidharma facilitates the construction of tea- curing sheds, teashops, and watchtowers, and fights domestic enemies. Sun Tzu, a famous military leader of the Zhou dynasty, is the author of The Art of War. This classic Chinese text advocates preparedness, speed, and surprise in battle. Sun Tzu facilitates the construction of military forts, and city walls, gates, and towers. He fights enemies at home and abroad, raises the morale of the infantry, and recruits spies. Xi Wang Mu, the source of immortality, dwells in a spectacular jade palace and cultivates magical peaches that ripen every 3,000 years. The highest goddess in the Daoist pantheon, she is the embodiment of yin. Xi Wang Mu blesses the city by halving the cost of carpenters, masons, ceramists, and jade carvers, and reducing the time needed to construct monuments. - o -