5 I saw in these pages somewhere that turns could last up to a 4 days! That seems like a long time. I want the game to go faster.

6 Somewhere in these pages was mentioned paying on a turn based system, like the Play By Mail games I have played. Is this true?

7 I want to play but I live in Australia, will this be a problem ?

8 I like Real Time strategy games that I have played like Diablo and Tribes and Unreal Tournament. Why would I like a Turn based strategy game?

9 We are a company of 500 people and would like to play privately. Will you allow us to "host" our own games or run private games for us?

1 Can I play in more than one game at a time? Yes, with an Active IWars account you can play in simultaneous universes but there are some restrictions. The restrictions are not that we don't want you to play in a lot of universes but that you may not realize the commitment one of these games takes. Almost universally, the beta testing community took on too many games to play and were reluctantly forced to drop out of games that they wanted to stay in. That is bad for the balance of these universes and for gameplay in general. So what we ask you to do is, complete 10 consecutive turns and then, when you have a glimmering of an idea of what is involved you can start a second game. When you actually finish a game, then you can add a third simultaneous game if you think you have time for it. You can also sub into games that have lost players as well. The limit for sub games is four. (back)

2 I signed up for a game but a game hasn't started yet. How long will I have to wait? There are several potential configuration of character types that will make a successful game. There must be at least 2 but no more than 3 of each character type except Houris. There only has to be one of those. As soon as the gameserver sees that there are enough of the right kind of characters to start a universe it will create one from scratch so that each Universe is unique. So be patient while your fellow Starlords get into the queue and watch your mailbox, you'll be notified when a game starts. (back)

3 Will Imperial Wars be available in retail software stores? There is a likely possibility that IWars will be packaged and sold in retail stores or direct Internet marketing in the future. However, IWars will always be strictly for on-line Internet play and you will not need a high speed Internet connection to play . Initially, we will be available only by download. You do not need to register the game client until you are actually ready to play. (back)

4 Is Imperial Wars like Everquest...? Imperial Wars is a persistent-world game. It's immersive and it features role-playing. Though IWars and the MMOGs share a common wargaming ancestry, Imperial Wars developed from different roots. There is an immediate game to be played that has a beginning, middle and end. This is accomplished with a turn-based strategy play mechanic embedded in a persistent player environment. Because the game Universes end, they have a beginning where everyone is equal so you can start over again. IWars allows players time to "breathe" and to enjoy the game experience and to fit it within his or her lifestyles rather than demanding more and more online time. It creates anticipation and suspense with a storyline that almost automatically plays itself out. IWars is a game that is truly made for the Internet, for communication and for bringing people together, coming full circle from the social games of a time before electronic gaming separated us from one another. It is based on time-tested game concepts that bring back much more delicious complexity of playing between humans and, because it is built for the Internet, it often feels more real than the RTS, real time games. You can read more about Episodic Metagames here. (back)

5 I saw in these pages somewhere that turns could last up to a week! We understand your point. If you haven't experienced this kind of game mechanic before, it might seem slow. However, if you have a little patience you will soon find that you'll need time to work out all your plans though it may not seems so in the first few turns. Remember also, that the game actually moves as fast as the players let it. Quicker moves bring quicker turns, although there are deadlines to make sure that the game is constantly moving. As the game progresses, there are a lot of things going on in between moves, what we call the Metagame. You may find that you are still playing IWars even when you are not online. You want to remember that it is not how fast the game moves; it's about how much fun you are having playing it. Have you ever watched that movies you hoped would never end? Or read that book you hoped would never end? Players need time to make diplomatic decisions among allies, reach new contacts in the game and threaten enemies and frankly, to savor the experience. Strategies, logistics and plans need to be made. While the game is easy to play the strategies can become complex .  And you might want to have some kind of life beyond Imperial Wars. Soon, however, there will be a variety of ways to play, among them, lightening games, played much faster. Possibly even weekend games. Players in slower games will likely rack up more points since they will have more time to maximize their turn potential with their allies and to work against their enemies and that will effect overall player standings. There will also be levels. When you have completed your first game you will become a Veteran Citizen and qualify to play in Veteran games only, if you wish, where many of the parameters of the standard game can change. You can also qualify for Master and Grand Master games, though these are not yet available. (back)

6 Somewhere in these pages was mentioned paying on a turn based system... There have been people who see a sort of Play-by-mail feeling to Imperial Wars and they are correct in one sense. There is a sense of anticipation and suspense. Imperial Wars has been influenced by this genre. However, IWars is played by moving objects in space that are stored in an industrial strength database (OpenBase). The movement of Worlds and Fleets get revealed at the end of each player episode. We think this game represents the convergence of several successful game styles coupled with the cutting communication technology of the Internet will bring people together to play games in the best way possible. We call these games EPMG, episodic metagames because of the simultaneous moves that players make and how the communication between players takes place not only in the game but above and beyond the game.

At the moment, IWars is completely free to all players. We hope to offer an opportunity for players to donate the project, however, very soon. For more information you can contact us at GALACTIC EFFECTUATOR. We're happy to respond. (back)

7 I want to play but I live in Australia... Absolutely not! Players are welcome from all over the solar system (if they have an Internet connection). Imperial Wars is located on search engines throughout the world and our responses come from every continent. Since we opened up our beta to the public, 50% of our player base is outside of the US borders. Our turn-based Episodic Metagames are not affected by things like computer or server latency, it won't make any difference where you are. Also, time zone differences are not be a factor. The turns will run whenever each player completes their moves and everyone has an equal chance to compete. And, within reason, the type of personal computer you own will probably not make a difference. To experience everything in the game, a fast processor and fast connection, great video and lots of memory are always going to be best but 90% of the machines who can connect will be able to play IWars. (back)

8 I like Real Time strategy games... Real Time strategy games are great fun.  But they don't reflect the real world despite the name 'Real Time'. Campaigns are not won in an hour but over enough time to provide consequences for play action and true negotiation among players. Imperial Wars is a campaign-style, deeply engrossing game experience full of subtleties that need time and space to germinate and grow. Imperial Wars feels more "real" than the real-time strategy games because there is the anticipation and suspense as your worlds and fleets report. Also, it is up to you as a player how fast it runs, as it actually runs at the pace of real life, in the background as a part of your life experience. Imperial Wars will provide a much deeper, much richer and longer lasting game experience. Just give it a try, be a little patient, and we think you'll see exactly what we mean. (back)

9 We are a company of 500 people and would like to play privately... We will be able to "host" games privately or to allow Veteran players to set game parameters and invite players into it. We are still in the process of setting this up but the Episodic Metagame system is built for it. Your server host will run on our server but you will be able to setup all the parameters. This isn't quite available yet so if you want to have private games and have groups of 16 people, or even teams of 8 or four teams of 4, we would be pleased to set up universes for you now. Contact ge@intelgames.com. (back)

10 Will you support fan websites...? We are very excited about fansites and welcome them! That is the point of the Metagame, for the players to drive play and expression in any way they choose (positive ways of course). Those who show the initiative to develop websites of their own with an IWars theme and who are within the guidelines of IWars policies will be given resources and links from the IWars site. We are working on special prizes for those citizens who most influence the Imperial Wars community. Mail to the GALACTIC EFFECTUATOR for access to the official Imperial Wars graphics for your fan site. (back)

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