FreeCol Documentation
User Guide for Version v0.8.0

The FreeCol Team

June 29, 2009

Contents

1 Introduction
 1.1 About FreeCol
 1.2 The Original Colonization
2 Installation
 2.1 System Requirements
 2.2 Compiling FreeCol
3 Interface
 3.1 Starting the game
  3.1.1 Command line options
  3.1.2 Game setup
  3.1.3 Game options
 3.2 Client options
  3.2.1 Display Options
  3.2.2 Message Options
  3.2.3 Audio Options
  3.2.4 Savegame Options
  3.2.5 Warehouse Options
  3.2.6 Keyboard Accelerators
  3.2.7 Other Options
 3.3 The main screen
  3.3.1 The Menubar
  3.3.2 The Info Panel
  3.3.3 The Minimap
  3.3.4 The Unit Buttons
  3.3.5 The Compass Rose
  3.3.6 The Main Map
 3.4 The Europe Panel
 3.5 The Colony panel
  3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog
4 The New World
 4.1 Terrain Types
 4.2 Goods
  4.2.1 Trade Routes
 4.3 Special Resources
 4.4 Native Settlements
 4.5 Lost City Rumours
 4.6 Exploration
5 Colonies
 5.1 Picking a suitable site
  5.1.1 The colony tile
  5.1.2 The adjacent tiles
  5.1.3 No Reforestation
  5.1.4 Government Efficiency
 5.2 Colony Buildings
 5.3 Using Buildings
 5.4 Building Units and Buildings
6 Your Home Country
 6.1 Your Home Port
 6.2 Your Monarch
7 Units
 7.1 Equipment
 7.2 Skills and Education
 7.3 Combat
  7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties
8 The Continental Congress
9 The Birth of a Nation
 9.1 Sons of Liberty
 9.2 The Declaration of Independence
10 Changing the Rules
 10.1 Modifiers and Abilities
11 Known bugs
12 Copyright Notice

Chapter 1
Introduction

Welcome to FreeCol! If you’re interested in development of this program, please see the FreeCol web site. This is a draft version of the user’s guide. You can find the latest version at the FreeCol homepage.

1.1 About FreeCol

The FreeCol team aims to create an Open Source version of Colonization (released under the GPL). At first we’ll try to make an exact clone of Colonization. The visuals will be brought up to date with more recent standards but will remain clean, simple and functional. Certain new ’features’ will be implemented but the gameplay and the rules will be exactly the same as the original game. Examples of modern features are: an isometric map and multiplayer support.

This clone will be developed incrementally and result in FreeCol 1.0.0 which will be an almost exact Colonization clone. Incremental development basically means that we’ll add features one at a time. This allows us to have a running program at all times and also to release an unfinished but working game once in a while.

Once FreeCol 1.0.0 is finished we’ll start working towards FreeCol 2.0.0. FreeCol 2 will go beyond the original Colonization and will have many new features, it will be an implementation of our (and our users’) image of what Colonization 2 would have been.

1.2 The Original Colonization

The original ColonizationPIC was released in 1994 by Microprose. Colonization is heavily based on Civilization which some consider to be the best turn-based strategy game for the PC in the history of mankind.

In Civilization the object of the game was to build a nation that could stand the test of times and that could also do one of the following: conquer the world or be the first to launch a spaceship. In Colonization things are bit different...

A Colonization game starts in 1492 and the object of the game is to colonize America. You begin the game with one vessel and two colonists.

As in Civilization you need to build a powerful nation, but fortunately in the early part of the game you’ll be able to send ships back to Europe in order to sell the goods you’ve produced or to bring back some colonists. Getting colonists into the new world is a very important aspect of the game as one game turn takes one year and later on even one season and as a result colonies don’t grow as rapidly as they do in Civilization. You can pay colonists to come to the new world or you can show off with the religious freedom of your people in which case they will hop on your vessels for no money at all.

Another important aspect is trade: the source of all income (apart from Inca and Aztec gold). In a land filled with precious resources it is important to build your colonies at the right location and to place craftsmen where they belong. This is not only to have an income but also to be able to live off the land when you can no longer count on the support of Europe.

Through all this you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to live next to the native americans peacefully. They can teach your colonists new skills that cannot be tought anywhere else and they will offer you goods in case you choose to treat them as your friends. On the other hand, their villages can be attacked and their valuable goods can be taken from them and sold in Europe.

Other European forces are also busy occupying their piece of the new world. Should their borders go too far then take over some of their colonies by force because they wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing to you.

The object of Colonization is to declare your independence and survive an attack of the King’s forces. Before declaring your independence you need to have the majority of the people behind you. This can be done by promoting free speech and by providing a strong governmental system.

Chapter 2
Installation

You can download a system independent installer, which should install FreeCol and set up the required shortcuts on your desktop. If everything works as planned, you will only need to double click the icon in order to start the game. If this is not the case, then please read the following paragraphs.

2.1 System Requirements

FreeCol is written in Java. In order to run, it requires a Java Virtual Machine. In theory, FreeCol should run on any platform on which a Java Virtual Machine compatible with Sun Java 5 or higher is available. In practice, however, things are less clear cut.

FreeCol is known to work with Sun’s Java 5 and 6 (which you can get here. FreeCol also works with OpenJDK, although some problems and graphics glitches remain. FreeCol is known to run on recent versions of Windows and Linux, and on MacOSX to some extent. If you are using Linux, using Java 6 is recommended, as its font rendering is much better. If you are using FreeCol on a different platform, we would like to hear about it.

FreeCol requires at least 128 MB memory and works best with a screen resolution of at least 1024x768 pixels. You can still use the game with a smaller screen, but some dialogs will not be completely displayed.

2.2 Compiling FreeCol

In order to compile FreeCol you will need Java and the Ant build system. When these are installed, go to the root directory of FreeCol and type ant to build a JAR file containing the game. This process requires the native2ascii task, which is an optional ant task. Some Linux distributions place optional tasks in a different package, so make sure you have installed all necessary packages if you are a Linux user. The game is started using the command java -Xmx128M -jar FreeCol.jar.

If something goes wrong, please open a bug report at the SourceForge page of FreeCol. Use the command ant -projecthelp to find out about other kinds of things you can build (this manual, for example). Note that you will require additional software to build the manual, however.

Chapter 3
Interface

This section will provide information about various interface elements, as well as the keyboard shortcuts and the different actions that can be used in the game.

3.1 Starting the game

If you installed FreeCol with the system independent installer, or the Windows installer, there should be a shortcut on your desktop. Double click the icon in order to start the game. If that does not work, or if you prefer using the command line, then please read the following paragraphs.

3.1.1 Command line options

If you are in the directory in which FreeCol is installed, you can start the game with the command java -Xmx128M -jar FreeCol.jar. This will tell the Virtual Machine to load the game and to set the maximum heap size to 128 MB. Refer to the manual of your Java Virtual Machine for details.

There are many other Java options, but you probably won’t need to change the default settings. FreeCol is developed in English, but it includes translations into several other languages, some of which are not very complete, however. Java will automatically select the translation for your locale, if available, and English otherwise. If you should wish to select a different language, or if language selection fails, you can choose a different language from the preferences menu.

FreeCol also provides several application-specific command line options:

There are several other options that you will probably only be interested in if you are a developer:

3.1.2 Game setup

If you start FreeCol without command line options, the game will first open a dialog that allows you to start a new game, to open a saved game, to open the map editor, to set various options, and to quit.

If you decide to start a new game, you will be presented with another dialog, which enables you to start a single-player game, to retrieve a list of servers from meta.freecol.org, to join a multi-player game, or to start a new multi-player game.

If you start a single-player game, you must decide on the number of European players (1–8) and whether to allow additional nations (which were not available in the original game) and whether to allow national advantages to be selectable (in the original game, national advantages were fixed). Of course, if you wish to have more than four European players, you must also enable additional nations, since the original game only made four European nations available.

If you choose to retrieve a list of running games from the metaserver, your computer will attempt to establish a connection to meta.freecol.org, port 3540. You will be presented with a list of games, from which you can select one to connect to. Please note that the list will frequently be empty, since not that many public multi-player games are being run.

If you wish to join a multi-player game, you must enter the IP address of a server that is running a FreeCol game as well as the port it is running on. The default port is 3541.

If you wish to start a multi-player game, then the IP address of the server will be that of your computer, but you must still select a port to run the server on. Again, the default port is 3541. You must also decide whether you want to run a public server or a private server. By default, you start a private game, which means that the game will not be available on the metaserver. Furthermore, you must decide on the number of European players (see above), and whether to use national advantages. A multi-player game may be more balanced if you do not use them, so that all players start with the same units and abilities.

FreeCol is a client-server game. The game server takes care of the game logic, and the client provides the graphical user interface. One or several clients can connect to the game server via the network. In the case of a single-player game, all other players are handled by the game server. At the moment, however, your client uses a network connection even if the server is running on the same computer.

This means that you can only run FreeCol if you have the necessary privileges to bind an unprivileged port. If you use a personal firewall that blocks the port you wish to use, you will need to configure your firewall accordingly. If you wish to retrieve a list of games from the metaserver, you also need to configure your firewall to permit connections to that server, port 3540. In order to connect to a server, your client also needs to bind a port. Which port depends on the operating system you use.

If you are running a public game server, then your firewall must also permit the clients to connect to the port of the game server.

3.1.3 Game options

If you decide to start a single-player game or a game server, you will be able to choose which nation to play and which colour to use. If you join a multi-player game, you can also choose a nation and colour, but another players might already have selected your preferred nation. See the chapter on your Home Country for further information on the national advantages of various European nations.

The map generator options allow you to import a map, and to set several parameters that influence the size and terrain of a randomly generated map. FreeCol includes several hand-made maps, which can be selected by clicking on the map icon.

To import a map, either select one of the maps in the shortcut panel, enter the name of a file in the import field, or click on the browser button in order to select a file via a file browser. You have the choice to import terrain, bonuses, rumors and settlements. At the moment, the map editor does not provide all these options, however.

The map generator tab allows you to select the size of the map, as well as the amount and the general shape of the land on the map. The terrain generator tab allows you to select the number of rivers, mountains, lost city rumors, native settlements, forests, and bonus tiles on the map, as well as the humidity and temperature of the map. The latter settings will influence the terrain.

The game options proper allow you to select several parameters that influence game play, such as non-standard rules, victory conditions and the difficulty of the game. The initial values tab allows you to set the amount of gold available to the players at the start of the game. This is zero by default.

The map tab allows you to select whether to use the Fog of War, whether to hide enemy units in settlements and carriers, and whether to award exploration points for regions discovered by the players. By default, exploration points are only awarded for the discovery of the Pacific Ocean.

The colony tab allows you to enable custom houses to ignore boycotts. This means that custom houses will be able to export boycotted goods. This does not apply to carriers, however, and does not prevent further boycotts by the Crown. This feature of the original game is considered a bug by the FreeCol team and is therefore disabled by default. You can also allow experts to “have connections”, which means that experts working in factory-level buildings will be able to produce a small amount of goods even if the necessary raw materials are not generally available. This alleged feature of the original game is also disabled by default. Finally, you have the choice to save production overflow, which means that new buildings, for example, will not use up all available hammers, but only the exact number required. The remaining hammers will remain available for the next building project.

The victory conditions tab allows you to choose among three possible victory conditions. The game will be won by the first player to achieve independence, the player to eliminate all other European players, or the player to eliminate all other human players.

Finally, the difficulty tab enables you to select a difficulty level between very easy and very hard. The difficulty level influences various prices and probabilites in the game, such as amount of gold required to buy Indian land, and the probability of converting natives.

3.2 Client options

The client options panel allows you to customize how your client displays the game objects and how it handles some tasks such as auto-saving.

3.2.1 Display Options

3.2.2 Message Options

You can choose whether to group messages by type, by source, or not at all. The source of the message is a game object, typically a colony or unit, and the type of the message is either the default type, which is always displayed, or one of the following types, which can be turned off:

3.2.3 Audio Options

FreeCol comes with a limited selection of music and special sound effects. The audio options enable you to select the output device, which you should probably leave to be automatically detected, as well as the volume of the music and special effects.

3.2.4 Savegame Options

3.2.5 Warehouse Options

3.2.6 Keyboard Accelerators

Many but not all of the actions available via the game menu or via orders buttons are also available as keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can be configured.

3.2.7 Other Options

3.3 The main screen

The figure 3.1 represents the main screen.


PIC

Figure 3.1: The main screen.


The main screen consists of up to six different areas: the menu bar at the top, the minimap in the lower left corner, the info panel in the lower right corner, the order buttons between the minimap and the info panel, the compass rose in the top right corner, and the main map in the background. The units, colonies, and so forth can be seen on the main map. They are also represented as coloured dots on the minimap. The preferences menu allows you to disable some of these controls if you wish to do so.

3.3.1 The Menubar

The menubar contains the Game, View, Orders, Report and Colopedia submenus at the left hand of the screen, as well as a status area at the right hand of the screen. The status area displays your score, the amount of gold you possess, your current tax rate and the current turn.

The Game Menu allows you to:

The View Menu allows you to:

The Orders Menu enables you to give orders to the currently selected unit:

Note that not all orders are available at all times. The build colony order is only available if the unit is able to build colonies and the tile it is on will support a colony, for example. The unload order is only available if the unit is carrying goods. You can unload the goods anywhere, but if you are not in Europe or in a colony, the goods will be lost. You can use this feature to dump unwanted cargo in order to avoid the cargo penalty.

The Reports Menu provides access to various reports on the current state of your colonies. In these reports, icons as well as text strings of a greyish-brown colour link to the places they refer to. If you click on the name of a colony, for example, the Colony Panel will be opened.

The Colopedia Menu provides access to the online game help, which is divided into eight sections:

3.3.2 The Info Panel

If you are in unit view mode (the default), the info panel in the lower right corner of the screen either shows information about the currently selected unit, or contains a button to end the current turn if no unit is selected. If a unit is selected, then the info panel shows an image of the unit, as well as its name and the moves it has left. If the unit is a carrier unit, such as a ship or wagon train, the info panel also shows the units or goods on board of the carrier. If the unit is a pioneer, the info panel shows the number of tools the unit carries.

If a unit is displayed, you can click on the info panel in order to centre the map on this unit.

If you are in terrain view mode, then the info panel displays the name, owner, defense bonus, movement cost and potential production of the selected tile. You can switch between view modes by pressing Shift-Ctrl-V, or by using the view menu.

3.3.3 The Minimap

The minimap in the lower left corner of the screen shows you a more abstract view of the map than the main map. Different types of terrain are distinguished by colour, and units and settlements are also represented by dots in the colour of the nation that owns them. You can use the minimap to navigate around the map quickly. Either click on the minimap to center the view on a certain point, or drag the white frame around. Zoom buttons to the left and to the right of the minimap allow you to zoom into and out of the view.

3.3.4 The Unit Buttons

The unit buttons displayed between the minimap and the info panel allow you to give order to your units. Note that not all buttons are always active. A ship can not plow a tile, for example, so the plow button is never active if the selected unit is a ship. The eight buttons have the following functions:

All these actions are also available from the Orders Menu of the menu bar, and as keyboard shortcuts.

3.3.5 The Compass Rose

The compass rose can be displayed in the top right corner and allows you to give your units movement orders by clicking on the corresponding direction. It is primarily intended for users who do not wish to (or are unable to) use the keyboard shortcuts.

3.3.6 The Main Map

The main map shows you the New World in greater detail. You can see the different types of terrain, forested and otherwise, hills, mountains, rivers, and, of course, the various units and settlements of the native and European players. Left click on a tile in order to center the main map, or on a unit in order to select it (a display option allows you to decide whether the map should always centre on the selected unit, or not).

Your colonies as well as those of your opponents are displayed on the map. You can see their names as well as their sizes, which are displayed as a number and also influence the image used to represent them. The color of the colony’s name is always the color of its owner, but the color of the colony size indicates whether any production bonuses or penalties apply (at normal difficulty):

ColourBonus/PenaltyRequirements



Red -2more than eight tories
Orange -1four to seven tories
White 0less than four tories and less than 50% SoL
Green +150% SoL or more
Blue +2100% SoL

Left click on a colony in order to open the colony panel. If there is an active unit outside of the colony on the same tile, then a single left click will select the unit instead. In this case, a double click will still open the colony panel.

Right clicking on an empty tile, will either display some information on that tile if no unit is selected, or open a pop-up menu that additionally allows you to send the selected unit to this tile. If the tile contains some of your units, the menu will also enable you to select each of these units. If the tile contains a native settlement, the menu will also provide you with an item that will bring up some information on that settlement. If the tile contains one of your own colonies, the menu will also allow you to open the colony panel.

You can also activate the map scroll by moving the cursor towards the edges of the main map. Scrolling with the minimap is faster, however.

If a unit is selected, further information about that unit is displayed in the info panel, and you can move the unit using the numeric keypad or the compass rose. If you select a unit with the left mouse button and drag the mouse, the main map will display the best path from the unit’s current position to the tile the mouse is hovering over.

The tiles the path consists of will be marked with boots if the unit is on foot, with horseshoes if the unit is mounted, with wheels if the unit is a wagon train, or with sextants if the unit is a naval unit. Full-colour symbols mark tiles that can be reached in the same turn, whereas shaded symbols mark tiles that can be reached only in subsequent turns. A number indicates how many turns later the unit will arrive on this tile. You can see this on the main screen.

PIC PIC PIC PIC

Once you release the mouse button, the selected unit will begin to follow this path. It will awake once it has arrived at its destination or if it can no longer follow the path (if a unit belonging to a different player is in the way, for instance). You can also press the middle mouse button, or both mouse buttons if your mouse only has two buttons, in order to give the selected unit a movement order.

In the original Colonization game, a unit always used up all movement points when entering a colony. In FreeCol, this is not the case — a unit can enter a colony just like any other tile. If the unit is placed in a building, or on a colony tile, or if a carrier is loaded or unloaded, however, it will lose all its movement points.

Units are marked with small coloured shields, which may or may not display a letter. The background colour indicates the nation this unit belongs to. The Dutch units, for example, are usually marked with orange shields. The letter indicates the current state of the unit:

If the unit is a foreign naval unit, the shield will display a number instead. This is the number of holds this unit is using.

Indian Settlements display at least two shields: The colour of the first shield indicates the nation this settlement belongs to. A on this shield indicates that this settlement is the nation’s capital, a that it is not. The second shield, which bears an exclamation mark (!) if you have visited the settlement, and a question mark (?) if you have not, indicates the current relations between the nation and your colonists. Its background may be green, blue, yellow, orange or red, depending on whether your relations are good, mediocre or bad.

A Settlement with a European mission displays a third shield bearing a cross on a black or grey background. The colour of the cross indicates the European nation that established the mission. The background of the shield is black if the mission was established by a Jesuit Missionary, and grey otherwise.

The order buttons represent some of the orders you can give to your units. You can move your mouse over the buttons to see their respective orders. If a unit is unable to perform a certain action, the corresponding order button will be disabled. The orders are also available from the Orders Menu, and you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:

You can customize these settings in the preferences dialog.

3.4 The Europe Panel

The figure 3.2 represents the Europe panel.


PIC

Figure 3.2: The Europe Panel


In this panel, you can control the ships sailing between America and Europe, as well as the ships currently docked in Europe. You can also buy goods, recruit, purchase and train units. Units recruited, purchased or trained are in the Docks Area in the Europe panel.

If a ship has set sail for Europe or America, you can change its direction by dragging it from the Going to America box to the Going to Europe box (or vice versa).

If a ship has docked at the European port you can drag and drop units between the Docks and Cargo panel. You drag and drop goods between the Cargo panel and the Market panel. If you want to buy or sell less than 100 units of goods, press the shift key while dragging. This will allow you to specify how many units you wish to transfer. If you press the “Unload” button, all goods will be unloaded.

If any of the goods are displayed in grey, this means they are being boycotted by the Crown because you refused a tax raise. You must pay your tax arrears before you can trade these goods. You can do this by dragging the goods as usual, in which case you will be given the chance to pay your tax arrears (provided you have enough money). A small area at the top right of the screen will keep track of how much money you made or spent and how much taxes you paid.

From time to time, new colonists eager to join you in the New World will appear on the European Docks. If you are unwilling to wait, you can also recruit new colonists by paying for their journey to the New World. Alternatively, you can train expert units at the Royal University. Paying for their education is expensive, however, and not all types of experts are available in Europe.

Units present in Europe can also be armed, mounted, equipped with tools or blessed as missionaries in Europe. In order to select one of these actions, you need to right click on the unit. Note that you will have to pay for the arms, horses or tools required to equip your units.

In order to send a ship back to the New World, you must drag it to the Going to America section of the Europe panel, or press the “Set sail” button.

3.5 The Colony panel

The figure 3.3 represents the Colony panel.


PIC

Figure 3.3: The Colony Panel


To view a colony’s panel, left click on it from the main screen. In this panel, colonists can be assigned to cultivate tiles surrounding the colony, to work in buildings, defend the colony against attackers or wait outside of the colony.

The colony panel consists of several panels and control elements with different functions. At the top of the panel, you can see a select box displaying the name of the colony, which can be used to select a different colony.

Below this select box, you can see the area surrounding the colony to the left and a scroll pane displaying the buildings of the colony to the right. You can drag and drop a unit on a tile or a building. The tiles surrounding the colony can produce several kinds of goods, however. If the unit is not producing the right kind of goods, you can right click on the unit to select a different kind of work. If a tile has a red border, then it is being used by another colony or settlement. Please note that you can not use water tiles until you have built docks.

As buildings can produce only one type of goods, the unit will automatically do the right kind of work. Nonetheless, you can also right click a unit in a building in order to assign it to a different building.

Below the surrounding area, you can see the production panel, which shows how much food, horses, bells and crosses your colony is producing. It also tells you how many colonists support the Sons of Liberty and how many support the crown.

Below the list of buildings, you can see four elements related to the production of buildings and units. At the top left, a select box allows you to select the building or unit you wish to build. The button at the bottom left allows you to buy the selected building or unit instead of building it. The two progress bars to the right show you how many hammers and tools are required to finish the selected building or unit, how many hammers and tools you have already produced, how many will be produced in the next turn, and how long it will take until all necessary goods have been produced.

Yet further below, two panels show you the ships or wagon trains in your colony’s port. If there is at least one unit present, the cargo panel to the right will show you the cargo of the selected carrier. Below these two panels, you can see the colony’s warehouse area. You can drag and drop goods from the warehouse to the cargo panel and vice versa in order to load and unload your ships or wagon trains. Press the shift key while selecting goods if you do not wish to select all the goods present, or less than one hundred units.

You can also drag and drop units from one of the other areas to the cargo panel of a ship.

The Warehouse can only hold a certain amount of goods of each type. Its initial capacity is limited to 100 units of each type of goods, but it can be increased to 300 by building two Warehouse Expansions. If the current limit of the warehouse is exceeded, the number of goods is printed in red. If you do not store the excess units elsewhere, they will be lost at the end of the turn.

If you have already built a Custom House in the colony, you can export goods to Europe automatically. Goods marked to be exported are printed in green. Open the warehouse dialog (see below) in order to change export settings.

To the right of these panels you can see the units outside of your colony. These can be fortified units defending your colony, or units just passing through, or waiting for passage elsewhere. Right clicking on one of these units once again allows you to give them orders. You can also drag and drop units from and to this area.

At the bottom of the Colony Screen, you will see a row of buttons, not all of which are always active. From left to right, these buttons will allow you to

3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog

The warehouse dialog allows you to set the warning levels for all types of goods. If you have turned on the warnings about goods levels, you will receive a warning if the number of goods drops below the lower level or rises above the higher level. In a warehouse with a capacity of 100 units of each type of goods, the lower level is set to 10 and the higher level is set to 90 by default.

The export level allows you to specify how many goods should be kept in reserve if goods are automatically exported from this colony, either through the Custom House, or by a carrier following a Trade Route. A checkbox indicates whether this type of goods should be exported through the Custom House or not. If you have not yet built a Custom House in this colony, the checkbox is disabled.

Chapter 4
The New World

At the beginning of the game, you will start with a naval vessel and two colonists. Your first task will be to discover the New World, which should lie due West, although sailing North West or South West may prove quicker. As soon as you have discovered land, you can establish your colonies and produce goods to send home to Europe.

4.1 Terrain Types

There are many different types of terrain in the New World, each with its own peculiar advantages. At the beginning of the game you will probably arrive at a High Seas tile (or at the edge of the map). High Seas tiles (and the map edge) allow you to sail between Europe and the New World. As you approach land, the High Seas will be replaced by Ocean tiles, which produce Fish.

In the New World, you will also discover Plains, which produce a great deal of Grain, a lesser amount of Cotton, and some Ore; Grassland, on which Grain and Tobacco can be cultivated; Prairie, which are suitable for growing Grain and Cotton; Savannah, which produces Grain and Sugar; Marsh, where Grain can be cultivated and some Ore can be mined; Swamp, which yields some Grain, and small amounts of Sugar, Tobacco and Ore; Desert, which produce some Food, Cotton and Ore; as well as Tundra, where Grain can be grown, and some Ore can be mined.

Large parts of the New World are covered in forests, all of which yield varying amounts of Grain, Lumber and Furs. The Boreal Forest also produces Ore, the Mixed Forest Cotton, the Conifer Forest Tobacco, the Tropical Forest Sugar, the Rain Forest produces small amounts of Ore, Sugar and Tobacco, the Wetland Forest and the Scrub Forest yield some Ore, and the Broadleaf Forest Cotton.

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies.

Clearing or plowing a tile, and building a road require spending 20 tools. Therefore, these actions can only be carried out by units carrying at least 20 tools. You can equip your units in your colonies or in Europe.

4.2 Goods

The New World produces many goods, which can be traded in Europe. In order to this, you must use your ships to transport them to your Home Port. As soon as the ship arrives in Europe, you can sell the goods, and buy others, in the Europe Panel. Later in the game, after you have built Custom Houses, goods can be exported automatically. Until then, you can partially automate this process by establishing Trade Routes.

Exporting these goods to Europe will be one of your most important sources of income. At the beginning of the game, you will probably want to export raw materials, such as Sugar and Tobacco, but as prices drop, you should concentrate on luxury products, such as Rum and Cigars, which command higher prices.

Food is the single most important good, since all your colonists consume two units of food each turn. If this demand can not be met, some of your colonists will starve to death. On the other hand, a colony that has accumulated 200 units of food will produce a new Free Colonist. Unfortunately, buying food in Europe is always expensive, and colonial foodstuffs fetch only poor prices.

Food comes in two varieties, Grain, which can be cultivated on nearly all land tiles, and Fish, which is produced by ocean and lake tiles. In order to harvest the bounty of the sea, you will need a Dock, however.

Breeding new Horses also requires food, but the horses you already have are content to eat grass and consume no more of your precious food. In order to breed horses, you need at least two horses in your colony (for obvious reasons). Breeding horses does not require Stables, but Stables do speed things up.

Four raw materials are typical for the New World. They will initially generate a good income, but prices will inevitably drop. These goods are Sugar, which is best cultivated on Savannah tiles, Tobacco, best cultivated on Grassland, Cotton, which is most abundant on Prairie tiles, and Furs, which are available on all forested tiles, but most abundantly on Boreal Forest and Mixed Forest tiles.

These four materials can be used to produce corresponding luxury goods, which will fetch much higher prices in Europe. In a distillery, Rum is produced from Sugar. Tobacco is used to make Cigars in the Tobacconist’s House. The Weaver weaves Cloth from Cotton in his house, and the Fur Trader turns Furs into Coats in his house.

Initially, the resource which fetches the highest prices in Europe is Silver, which can be mined in Hills and Mountains. As prices drop, Silver will become less and less useful, however. On the other hand, Hills and Mountains also produce Ore, which is not in great demand in Europe, but which can be refined to produce Tools in the Blacksmith’s House. Tools are required for clearing forests and plowing fields, as well as for constructing advanced buildings and units. Furthermore, Muskets can be produced from Tools in the Armory.

Lumber also fetches poor prices in Europe, but can be used to produce Hammers in the Carpenter’s House. Hammers are required for constructing all buildings, as well as naval units and Wagon Trains. Hammers are “abstract” goods that can neither be transported nor traded. They represent the work required to finish a building rather than some tangible material.

The two other “abstract” goods are Liberty Bells, which are produced in the Town Hall, and Crosses, which are generated by the Church. They represent the concepts of liberty and of religious freedom. Liberty Bells are needed to convince your colonists of your policies, and to elect Founding Fathers to the Continental Congress, whereas Crosses attract further colonists.

Trade Goods, on the other hand, can be transported and traded, but they can not be produced in your colonies. They are only available in Europe and are useful for trading with native settlements, which generally demand Trade Goods.

4.2.1 Trade Routes

The orders menu allows you to assign a Trade Route to a ship or wagon train. If you select this order, the trade route dialog, which enables you to select a trade route or create a new trade route, will open. If you have not created a trade route, you must use the edit trade route dialog to do so first.

A trade route consists of two or more stops, which may either be the Home Port, or one of your colonies. Select a destination from the select box and press the add new stop button. If you select the special destination all colonies, then your Home Port and all your colonies will be added to the list of stops.

If you have selected a destination, you can drag and drop goods from the goods panel to the cargo panel. These are the goods your ship or wagon train should have on board when leaving this stop. If the ship or wagon train arrives at the destination with other goods on board, these goods will be unloaded.

Note that the ships and wagon trains will take the capacity and settings of the warehouses in your colonies into account. They will not unload cargo that would be wasted and they will only load goods that should not be kept in reserve. This means that they may wait for a long time until a sufficient number of goods becomes available.

As soon as a ship or wagon train reaches the last destination of the trade route, it will continue at the first destination.

4.3 Special Resources

Some types of terrain can also have special resources, which increase the production of a particular type of goods. These resources look just like the goods they will produce. These tiles are particularly valuable.

4.4 Native Settlements

The New World is by no means an uninhabited country. Various tribes of Indians already live there, and make use of the land. When your colonists arrive, you will have to decide whether you will attempt to peacefully coexist with the natives, or to wipe them out. The French player has the advantage of generating only half the alarm among the natives. The Spanish player has the advantage of greater military efficiency against the natives. Your choice of Home Country may influence your strategy — or vice versa.

Small Native Settlements use the tile they are built on as well as all adjacent tiles, just like your Colonies do. Large Native Settlements also use tiles that are two moves away. Your colonists can not use tiles that are already used by natives. If they attempt to do so, the natives will demand some gold for the land. You must then decide whether to pay their price, take the land away from the by force, or to leave the land alone. Naturally, the natives will not be pleased if you take the land away from them. As soon as Peter Minuit has joined the Continental Congress, however, the natives no longer demand payment for their land.

Colonies and armed units near their settlements will alarm the natives and poison your relations. If the natives are happy, they will come to your colonies offering gifts. If they are unhappy, they will come and make demands instead. If they get really angry, they may attack your units or colonies. After a few turns, however, they will usually calm down again.

Some types of units may enter Native Settlements. Units that carry goods, such as Wagon Trains and Ships, can enter the settlements and trade with them. Trade always improves your relations with the natives. If you offer your goods as a gift, this will improve your relations even more.

Scouts can either ask to speak with the chief of the tribe, or demand tribute, which is obviously not good for your relations with the natives. If your scout speaks with the chief, you will learn which skill this settlement teaches and which goods the natives would prefer to acquire. Furthermore, the chief may offer you some gold, or tell you about nearby lands. If your Scout is not a Seasoned Scout already, he may become so.

Free Colonists and Indentured Servants may enter a settlement in order to learn the skills of the natives.

Missionaries, which may be either Jesuit Missionaries or ordinary colonists blessed as missionaries in the Home Port or any colony with a Church, are able to establish a Mission or to incite the natives against another European nation. If a Jesuit Missionary, or an ordinary colonist blessed as a missionary is equipped with tools, muskets or horses, he loses his missionary status and is no longer able to establish a mission.

The presence of a Mission will reduce tension between the natives and your colonists. In time, some of the natives may also convert and join your colonies as Indian Converts. If the settlement already contains the mission of another European country, your missionary may denounce the teachings of that mission as a heresy. If he is successful, the natives will burn down the old mission and your missionary establishes a new one.

Note that the missionary will always remain in the settlement. He is effectively lost to you.

4.5 Lost City Rumours

In the New World, there are also rumours about Lost Cities, such as El Dorado, or Cíbola. You may send your colonists to explore these rumours, and you might indeed discover one of the Seven Cities of Gold, and a Treasure Train. Other outcomes, however, are also possible.

Mostly, the rumour proves to be nothing but a rumour. Occasionally, you might disturb the burial grounds of a native tribe, which will cause the tribe to declare war on you. It is also possible that your expedition simply vanishes without a trace. On the other hand, you might also discover a small tribe and a few trinkets. Your colonist might become a Seasoned Scout if he has no other skill, or you might discover the sole survivor of a lost colony.

Possibly the best outcome is the discovery of the Fountain of Youth, which will cause numerous colonists to appear on the docks in your Home Port.

As soon as Hernando de Soto has joined the Continental Congress, Lost City Rumours always yield positive results.

4.6 Exploration

The original Colonization game awarded exploration points only for the discovery of the Pacific Ocean. This is also the default behaviour for FreeCol. However, you may choose to play with exploration points, in which case you will be awarded exploration points for the discovery of a new region of the New World.

A region may be either a large area of land, a mountain range, or a river valley. If you discover a region, you will be asked to name it, and you will be awarded a number of exploration points depending on the size of the region discovered.

Chapter 5
Colonies

5.1 Picking a suitable site

Your colonies are your most important assets in the new world. Therefore, it is very important to build them in the right place. There are several aspects to consider:

5.1.1 The colony tile

Some terrain types are more suitable for establishing a colony than others. Colonies can not be built on Arctic tiles, nor on Mountains, because these terrain types produce no Grain. Hills and Deserts are less suitable than other tiles because they produce less food, which is very important in the long run. Tiles with forest generally produce less food than tiles without, but Pioneers are able to cut down the forest and plow the tile, which will increase food production. The presence of a river will also increase food production.

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies.

The New World is also irrigated by minor and major rivers. The production of most types of Goods is increased by the presence of rivers and roads, which your Pioneers can build. All terrain types which produce Grain (except the Hills) can also be cleared or plowed by your Pioneers. In the case of open land, plowing increases the production of Grain and most other types of goods. In the case of forests, clearing removes the forest and transforms the tile into open land: Boreal Forest is transformed into Tundra, Mixed Forest into Plains, Conifer Forest into Grassland, Tropical Forest into Savannah, Wetland Forest into Marsh, Rain Forest into Swamp, Scrub Forest into Desert, and Broadleaf Forest into Prairie.

5.1.2 The adjacent tiles

In the early stages of the game, you will need to generate cash by selling products from the New World in your Home Port. Thus, many of your early colonies should probably be situated next to bonus tiles, which greatly increase production. Rivers also increase production, though not as much as a bonus resource. On the other hand, they increase the production of many different kinds of goods, unlike a bonus resource.

In order to improve your colony, you will have to construct various buildings. This will require large amounts of lumber. For this reason, you should make sure that at least one tile adjacent to your colony site can produce sufficient amounts of lumber. You will also need tools to construct advanced buildings. Therefore, it is an advantage if the colony can also produce ore, which can be refined to produce tools. However, ore is not as important as lumber.

Some of the tiles may be owned by other European powers, or claimed by Indians. Building a colony too close to other settlements is not a good idea, unless you plan to conquer or destroy these settlements. Keeping your own colonies close together is a good strategy, however, as long as you avoid sharing tiles between several colonies as far as possible.

5.1.3 No Reforestation

You can order your pioneers to cut down forests by plowing a tile. This will increase the food produced on these tiles, and the lumber will be delivered to your colonies. However, you can not plant new forests later. Once cleared, a tile will never produce lumber again.

5.1.4 Government Efficiency

The efficiency of the local governments of your colonies depends on the colonists’ support for the Sons of Liberty. If more than 50% of the colonists support the Sons of Liberty, they all produce one additional unit of goods, and if support for the Sons of Liberty increases to 100 %, they even produce two additional units.

On the other hand, if the number of Tories exceeds a certain number which depends on the difficulty of the game (4 colonists by default), their production decreases by one unit, and if it exceeds this limit by four colonists, their production is decreased by two units. This waste may well destroy your colony and should be avoided at all costs.

In order to prevent this kind of mismanagement, you need to increase the support for the Sons of Liberty. You can do this by producing Freedom Bells in the Town Hall.

5.2 Colony Buildings

A newly established colony already includes several buildings, namely a town hall, a carpenter’s house, a blacksmith’s house, a tobacconist’s house, a weaver’s house, a distiller’s house, a fur trader’s house, and a warehouse. You can improve your colonies by upgrading all of these buildings except the town hall, and by constructing various new buildings. However, many buildings can only be constructed in colonies of a certain size, or after certain Founding Fathers have joined the Continental Congress.

The craftsmen’s houses can be upgraded to workshops, which produce more manufactured goods. After Adam Smith has joined the Continental Congress, workshops can be upgraded to factories, which produce one and a half units of manufactured goods from each unit of raw material. While the town hall itself can not be upgraded, the production of Liberty Bells can be boosted by constructing a printing press and then a newspaper.

The following buildings are all present in every newly established colony:

The following eight buildings are not part of your basic colony and have to be constructed later:

5.3 Using Buildings

Some buildings have an immediate effect. The Stockade, for example, provides protection for your colony, and the Docks enable your colonists to go fishing. The effects of these buildings can not be increased by workers. In the building box at the top right of the colony panel, these buildings are shown in parentheses, like this: “(Stockade)”.

Most buildings do nothing if they are unoccupied, but provide workers with a place to produce manufactured goods. The Tobacconist’s House, for example, allows colonists to make Cigars from Tobacco. Place one or more colonists in a building in order to convert raw materials to manufactured goods, which can be sold for higher prices. For each building, there are expert units that work more effectively than Free Colonists. Other units may work less effectively.

5.4 Building Units and Buildings

In order to upgrade buildings, and to construct new buildings and certain kinds of units, such as Artillery and ships, you will need to produce Hammers, which represent work being done. Hammers are made from Lumber, so you need to produce lumber, either by cutting down forests, or by placing a colonist on a forested tile next to your colony and ordering him to work as a lumberjack (right click on the unit to give it orders). Then you can place a colonist in the Carpenter’s House in order to convert the lumber to Hammers.

Units and advanced buildings also require Tools, which are made from Ore. So you need to place an ore miner on a tile that produces ore (Hills, for example) and another in the Blacksmith’s House, in order to convert the ore into tools.

Chapter 6
Your Home Country

Your Home Country is a European monarchy and colonial power. The original game featured four playable nations, namely Spain, France, England and the Netherlands. FreeCol optionally adds Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Russia.

Virtually all players agree that the addition of Portugal corrects a glaring omission of the original game, but the other three European nations are controversial. Sweden, Denmark and Russia all had colonies or territories in the Americas, but were either minor colonial powers or arrived very late. However, as we wished to make multi-player games with up to eight human players possible, we had to add further nations. We might well change the selection at some later date, and you can change the selection by editing the rules yourself.

Each of these countries may have special abilities and different starting units. In the original game, these abilities and units were tied to particular nations. FreeCol, however, optionally allows you to select your national advantage.

At the moment, FreeCol defines the following six advantages, and also allows you to select no advantage at all:

In the original game, the Dutch had the trade advantage, the French had the cooperation advantage, the English had the immigration advantage and the Spanish had the conquest advantage. In FreeCol, this is also the default, although you can optionally select different advantages. By default, the Portuguese have the naval advantage, the Swedish have the building advantage, the Danish have the agriculture advantage and the Russians have the fur trapping advantage. This is likely to change in the future, however.

6.1 Your Home Port

The Home Port is a port city in your home country, where you can trade Goods, and train, recruit and buy Units. If you have not built a Drydock in any of your colonies, your damaged ships will also return to the Home Port for repairs.

As you generate Crosses in your colonies, colonists will appear at the docks of the Home Port. Unless William Brewster has joined the Continental Congress, many of these colonists will be Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals. Once William Brewster has been elected, these units will no longer appear at the docks, and you will be able to select the next colonist to emigrate from the recruitment list.

The recruitment list is a list of three colonists who are thinking about emigrating to the New World, but have not yet reached a decision. You can recruit them by offering gold as an incentive. At the beginning of the game, this is a good way of increasing the population of your colonies. However, the amount of gold required will greatly increase during the game.

If you have enough gold, you can also train colonists at the Royal Academy. In exchange for the education you provide, they will also emigrate to the New World. Not all types of colonists can be trained at the Royal Academy, however.

Ships and Artillery can also be purchased in the Home Port. You can also build these units in your colonies, as soon as you have built a Shipyard and an Armory, respectively.

6.2 Your Monarch

Your Home Country is ruled by a Monarch whose actions can have a profound influence on your colonies and your relations to other nations present in the New World.

From time to time, the Monarch may decide to raise the Taxes you pay on all goods you sell in the Home Port. You may refuse to accept these taxes, however, in which case your colonists will stage a protest similar to the Boston Tea Party and throw some goods into the harbour. The Monarch will not be amused and will boycott this type of goods. This means that you will no longer be able to trade these goods in the Home Port until the Boycott is lifted.

You can end a Boycott by paying the outstanding tax arrears. As soon as Jacob Fugger II joins the Continental Congress, all Boycotts will be lifted, but the Monarch may declare further Boycotts later on. As soon as Peter Stuyvesant joins the Continental Congress, you will be able to build Custom Houses in your colonies. The original Colonization game contained a bug which made the Custom House ignore all Boycotts, and this behaviour is available as a rule variant.

Naturally, the Monarch does not trust your colonists, some of which are nothing but Petty Criminals, and some of which even support the infamous Sons of Liberty. For this reason, the crown maintains the Royal Expeditionary Force, which is to put an end to insurrections in the New World. From time to time the Monarch may inform you that further units have been added to the Royal Expeditionary Force, just so that you don’t get any ideas.

The Monarch may also declare war on any nation present in the New World, both European and native. This will also affect your relations with this nation, unless Benjamin Franklin has already been elected to the Continental Congress. In this case, the Monarch’s wars do not affect you anymore.

If you are already at war with some nation, either due to the Monarch’s actions, or your own, the crown may offer you some cheap Mercenaries. If you agree to their price, these units will appear at the docks in your Home Port, ready to set sail for the New World.

Chapter 7
Units

Several dozen different units are available in FreeCol, but not all units are available to all players. Some units are available only to Indian Players, some units are only available to European Players, and other units are available only to the Royal Expeditionary Force.

The most basic unit of the European Players (including you) is the Free Colonist. The Free Colonist is quite good at any task, but has no special skills. At the beginning of the game, many of the colonists will not be volunteers, but Indentured Servant, or Petty Criminal, who are deported to the New World. Indentured Servants are pretty bad at all jobs within the colony, but just like Free Colonists, they can be sent to native villages to learn a skill from the natives. Petty Criminals are very bad at all jobs within the colony and can not learn anything from the natives. However, both Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals can become Free Colonists through Education.

Many early colonies failed due to a lack of food. In order to avoid a similar fate, you must ensure adequate food production from the very beginning. All your colonists can produce some amount of food, especially on the more fertile terrain types, but the Expert Farmer and the Expert Fisherman will greatly increase your food production. But note that the Expert Fisherman requires a Dock to moor his boat to, and that this requires at least one ocean tile adjacent to your colony.

Four types of units are not available in Europe because they posses skills that can only be learned from the native population. These are the Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master Tobacco Planter, and the Expert Fur Trapper. These units are able to greatly increase your production of Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, and Furs, respectively.

In the beginning of the game, you will most likely export a great deal of these goods to Europe, but beware, prices will drop! However, all the raw materials of the New World can be used to produce luxury goods that will sell for higher prices in Europe. Sugar can be used to distill Rum, Cotton can be used to produce Cloth, Cigars are made from Tobacco, and Coats are made from Furs. All your colonists can do this, but the Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the Master Tobacconist, and the Master Fur Trader are the experts who will really rev up your production.

The New World also has two mineral resources, Ore and Silver, to offer. Again, all your colonists are able to mine these resources to a certain extent, but you will need the Expert Ore Miner and the Expert SilverMiner to make the most of them.

Lumber can be produced in all forested tiles, and can also be exported to Europe, although prices are low. However, you will need vast amounts of lumber in order to upgrade your colonies, and no colonist is more skilled at cutting down forests than the Expert LumberJack. Nor is any colonist more skilled at turning the lumber into buildings than the Master Carpenter.

The more advanced buildings you can construct in the your colonies require not only lumber but also Tools, which are produced from Ore. This is the job the Master Blacksmith excels in. Tools are also used by your Pioneer to clear forests and plow fields, but none of your other colonists can match the outdoors skills of your Hardy Pioneer. And finally, Tools are required for the production of Muskets, a demanding task best left to the Master Gunsmith.

All your units are able to explore the New World, but the colonist most suited to this dangerous endeavour is the Scout, a mounted colonist. A Scout may become a Seasoned Scout through experience, either by visiting native settlements, or by investigating Lost City Rumours. The Seasoned Scout is much more skillful at these jobs, but beware, they are dangerous!

Another colonist able to visit native settlements is the Missionary. Any colonist can be converted to a Missionary by blessing him in a colony with a Church, or in the Home Port, which is sure to have several churches and maybe even a Cathedral. Missionaries are able to establish a Mission in the native settlement, and to convert the natives. The Jesuit Missionary, however, is much more accomplished at the job.

The converted natives may join your colonies as Indian Convert. They are unskilled at all jobs within the colony, but more skilled than your Free Colonists at all outdoor jobs. Indian Converts can not be upgraded through Education, but they become Free Colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental Congress.

Many colonists come to the New World in search of religious freedom. Thus, they desire a Church in which to preach and pray. This religious freedom, which attracts more European colonists, is represented by Crosses. Naturally, some colonists are more eloquent and inspired than others, and the most famous of these are known as Firebrand Preacher.

While the preachers are concerned with the spiritual welfare of the colonists, the colonists concerned with the secular welfare of their fellow citizens meet in the Town Hall, which generates Liberty Bells. The most dignified and influential of these citizens are considered Elder Statesman.

Any colonist can be equipped with Muskets, which makes him a Soldier, or a Dragoon if he is mounted. However, combat-hardened Veteran Soldier and Veteran Dragoon are much more effective. A dragoon that is beaten in battle is downgraded to a soldier. A beaten soldier becomes an unarmed colonist.

On the other hand, any soldier or dragoon that wins a battle may be upgraded. A Petty Criminal will be upgraded to an Indentured Servant, an Indentured Servant will be upgraded to a Free Colonist, and a Free Colonist to a veteran unit. Veteran units may be further upgraded to Colonial Regular or Colonial Cavalry, but only after the Declaration of Independence.

Artillery is most effective at attacking and defending colonies and fortified units, but is also very vulnerable in the open. Artillery may become damaged, which decreases its efficiency. Damaged Artillery is still quite powerful, but it can not be repaired, and further damage will destroy it.

The Wagon Train, which has to be built in one of your colonies, can be used to transport up to 200 units of goods over land and to trade with native settlements, and foreign colonies if Jan de Witt has joined the Continental Congress.

The Treasure Train is similar to the Wagon Train, but is used only to transport treasures. You can find these treasures in Lost Cities, or in the ruins of native settlements you have destroyed. If you move your Treasure Trains into a colony with access to the sea, your Monarch will offer to ship it to Europe for a “reasonable fee”, unless Hernán Cortés has joined the Continental Congress, in which case it will be shipped free of charge. If you have a Galleon, however, you can take the Treasure Train to Europe yourself.

The Caravel, the Merchantman and the Galleon are unarmed naval units, with two, four or six cargo holds, respectively. A cargo hold may contain up to 100 units of goods, or any land unit except the Treasure Train, which takes up six cargo holds all by itself, and the Wagon Train, which can not be transported by sea at all.

The Privateer and the Frigate are armed naval vessel with two or four cargo holds, respectively. The Privateer is unique in that it does not fly the flag of your country and can attack the vessels of other countries with impunity. It becomes even more deadly when Francis Drake joins the Continental Congress.

The Man of War is the most powerful naval vessel, and has six cargo holds. At the beginning of the game, only the Monarch has these powerful ships, but when you gain independence you can also construct them in your colonies.

The Monarch has two types of units that you can never command, however. These are the King’s Regular and King’s Cavalry, which are roughly as powerful as your Colonial Regulars and Colonial Cavalry.

The natives also have two types of units that you can not recruit, namely the Indian Brave and the Indian Dragoon. These are strong fighting units that can also carry up to 100 units of goods each.

7.1 Equipment

Most units can be equipped with tools, horses, muskets, or a bible. This equipment grants them certain abilities, which they do not possess without that equipment. Certain units are particularly skilled with that equipment, but without it they have no special abilities:

Of course, units that do not represent people, such as ships, wagon trains and treasure trains, can not be equipped. The Indian Convert is another unit that can not be equipped.

7.2 Skills and Education

In FreeCol, your colonists come from all walks of life. Some are unskilled Petty Criminals, who are deported to the colonies. Others are Indentured Servants, or Free Colonists with moderate skills. Still others are masters of their craft, experts at their trade or profession, who were educated at the Royal College in Europe. If you have enough gold, you can recruit units directly from the Royal College.

Not all skills, however, can be learned in Europe. Sugar, Cotton and Tobacco, as well as Furs are apparently unknown in Europe. Thus, Master Sugar Planters, Master Cotton Planters, Master Tobacco Planters, as well as the Expert Fur Trappers, can not be recruited in Europe.

At the beginning of the game, these skills can only be learned at Indian Settlements, or through experience. If you put a Free Colonist to work outside of the colony for a long time without changing his work assignment, he may learn the necessary skill and become an expert. This does not work for the more complicated jobs within the colony, however.

The Schoolhouse and its upgrades, the College and the University, allow you to train your units yourself by placing a skilled unit in one of these buildings. If a suitable student exists in the colony it will automatically appear below the teacher in the building, as well as continuing to perform its current task. Note that the Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master Tobacco Planter, the Expert Fur Trapper, the Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the Master Tobacconist, the Master Blacksmith and the Master Gunsmith all require at least a College, while the Elder Statesman, the Firebrand Preacher and the Jesuit Missionary even require a University to teach their profession.

A Free Colonist can learn any skill or profession in this manner, but Petty Criminals and Indentured Servants can not. However, a Petty Criminal may become an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may become a Free Colonist through education. Any colonist placed in a schoolhouse, college or university is able to provide this kind of education.

Petty Criminals may also become Indentured Servants, and Indentured Servants may also become Free Colonists by winning a battle and being promoted. Free Colonists can be promoted to Veteran Soldiers, and after the Declaration of Independence, these may be promoted to Colonial Regulars.

Indian units are more productive than free colonists when working outside of the colony, and less productive when working inside a building. Indian units can not become free colonists through education, but all Indian units become free colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental Congress.

Scouts can explore the New World and enter Indian Settlements in order to speak with the tribal chiefs. A scout entering an Indian Settlement may become a Seasoned Scout through experience. A colonist investigating a Lost City Rumours may also be upgraded to a Seasoned Scout, unless that unit already has another skill.

7.3 Combat

A tile can only be occupied by units of a single Player. If a unit of another Player attempts to enter that tile, combat ensues. The combat mechanism of FreeCol is very simple: Each unit has an attack strength and a defence strength. Attack bonuses and defence bonuses granted by terrain, fortifications or Founding Fathers are added to the base values of the units. If the attack value of the attacker is greater than the defence value of the defender, the attacker wins. Otherwise the defender wins. If a tile is occupied by more than one unit, the attacker will fight against the defender with the strongest defence.

Most units that win a battle may be promoted, and all units that lose a battle will always be captured, demoted, damaged or destroyed. A Petty Criminal may be promoted to an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may be promoted to a Free Colonist. A Free Colonist may be promoted to a Veteran Soldier, which in turn may be promoted to a Colonial Regular, but only after the Declaration of Independence.

A Dragoon that loses a battle will be demoted to a Soldier, and a Soldier that loses a battle will be demoted to an unarmed colonist. An unarmed colonist that loses a battle is either captured, if the attacker is a European Player, or slaughtered, if the attacker is a Native Player. Wagon Trains and Treasure Trains may also be captured by a European Player and destroyed by a Native Player. Native units that lose a battle are always slaughtered.

Naval units and Artillery can not be promoted. A beaten artillery unit becomes a Damaged Artillery, which can not be repaired and will be destroyed if it loses another battle. Ships are either sunk or damaged when they lose a battle. In either case all units and cargo aboard the ship are lost, and the ship automatically returns to the nearest repair location. This may be one of your colonies with a Drydock or the Home Port.

The Frigate, the Man of War and the Privateer have the ability to capture the goods aboard an enemy ship they have bested in battle. Naturally, they can not take more cargo than their holds will allow.

Naval units can also attack colonies on coastal tiles, although their chance of success is not very high. And colonies with a Fort or Fortress will automatically fire at enemy ships on adjacent ocean tiles.

7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties

Bonuses and penalties for naval units:

Bonuses and penalties for land units:

Chapter 8
The Continental Congress

As the player generates Liberty Bells, Founding Fathers are elected to the Continental Congress. The Founding Fathers are historical figures who played a more or less important part in the conquest of the New World. Each Founding Father grants the player a new bonus or ability, or causes a certain event to occur, much like the “Wonders of the World” in the Civilization series. At the beginning of the game, you will need only a few Liberty Bells to elect a Founding Father to the Continental Congress, but as the game progresses this number may increase to many hundred Bells.

Adam Smith (1723–1790), better known as the Father of Modern Economics, penned several texts pertaining to Economic theory, including, “The Wealth of Nations” his most famous text. As soon as Adam Smith joins the Continental Congress, the player is allowed to build factories, which produce 1.5 units of manufactured goods for each unit of raw material consumed. PIC

Jacob Fugger II (1459–1525) was an extremely wealthy German merchant and banker who amassed a fortune with family partnerships and stock holdings in the mining industries. As soon as Jacob Fugger joins the Continental Congress, all Boycotts currently in effect are dropped. PIC

Peter Minuit (1580–1638) bought what later became known as Manhattan Island from Native Americans for about 60 Dutch guilders. He later colonized the Delware Bay area as well. As soon as Peter Minuit is elected to the Continental Congress, the Indians no longer demand payment for their land. PIC

Peter Stuyvesant (1592–1672) was appointed Governor General of the New Netherlands, which, after a British invasion he could not stop, became New York. With the election of Peter Stuyvesant, the construction of custom houses becomes possible. PIC

Jan de Witt (1625–1672) was a great Dutch statesmen. He represented the merchants and a encouraged industry and commerce. He also negotiated several important treaties for the Dutch to end wars with England. As soon as Jan de Witt is a member of the Continental Congress, trade with foreign colonies becomes possible. PIC

Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521) was one of the greatest explorers to navigate the globe. Magellan was first to circumnavigate the globe and cross the Pacific Ocean. Magellan’s election to the Continental Congress increases the movement of all naval vessels by one, and the time to sail between Europe and the New World is reduced. PIC

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554) was the first European explorer to see the Grand Canyon. Though he never found the golden cities he searched for, his mapping of the area now called the Southwestern US was important to further exploration. As soon as Francisco de Coronado joins the Continental Congress, all existing colonies become visible on the map. PIC

Hernando de Soto (1496–1542) was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern US. He also held a prominent role in conquests of Central America. If Hernando de Soto is a member of the Continental Congress, the exploration of Lost City Rumours always yields a positive result, and all land units have an extended sight radius. PIC

Henry Hudson (1565–1611) was an English navigator who explored and mapped a large area of the northeastern North American continent. Many waterways in that region are named in his honour. His original goal was to find the famed Northwest Passage. The election of Henry Hudson to the Continental Congress doubles the output of all Fur Trappers. PIC

Robert La Salle (1643–1687) was the first European to travel the length of the Mississippi river, while on a mission to set up numerous trading posts along its banks. He later claimed the whole basin as Louisiana in honor of the French King. Later, he explored several of the Great Lakes. If Robert La Salle is a member of the Continental Congress, all colonies gain a stockade as soon as their population reaches three colonists. PIC

Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) was a famed Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain. As soon as Hernán Cortés joins the Continental Congress, conquered native settlements always yield treasure (and in greater abundance) and the King’s galleons transport it free of charge. PIC

George Washington (1732–1799) was the general who lead the colonial army to victory over the British to gain independence for the colonies. This victory and his leadership led to his being named the new nation’s first President. If George Washington is a member of the Continental Congress, any soldier or dragoon who wins a combat is automatically upgraded to the next possible level. PIC

Paul Revere (1734–1818) was the famed rider of colonial America who mounted his horse and rode through the countryside alerting colonists that British soldiers were coming. He was captured during the ride and later released when his captors believed they were in grave danger and their prisoner might slow them down. With Paul Revere a member of the Continental Congress, a colonist automatically takes up any stockpiled muskets and defends an otherwise undefended colony if it is attacked. PIC

Francis Drake (1542–1596) was a great English sea captain, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and a hero in the fights against the Spanish Armada. The presence of Francis Drake in the Continental Congress increases the combat strength of all Privateers by 50%. PIC

John Paul Jones (1741–1792) was hailed as a great sea captain in America, and uttered the famous words "Sir, I have not yet begun to fight" while fighting the British at sea. He later watched his ship sink to the bottom of the ocean from the deck of a British vessel. As soon as John Paul Jones is elected to the Continental Congress, a Frigate is added to your colonial navy for free. PIC

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), a powerful voice of patriotism, was credited with writing the Declaration of Independence. He later became the 3rd President of the US. The election of Thomas Jefferson to the Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in colonies by 50%. PIC

Pocahontas (1595–1617) was a peacemaker between early Jamestown settlers and the Native Americans. She is credited with sending food and other supplies to starving colonists there during harsh times. She later converted to Christianity and married an Englishman. When Pocahontas joins the Continental Congress, all tension levels between you and natives are removed and Indian alarm is generated half as fast. PIC

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) inspired colonists with his pen at the urging of Benjamin Franklin. He published a pamphlet, "Common Sense", guiding the thoughts of patriots all over the colonies. The election of Thomas Paine to the Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in all your colonies by the value of the current tax rate. PIC

Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) is remembered as a great leader in the struggle for South American independence from Spain. Bolívar freed what is now Venezuela and later became its first President. When Simón Bolívar joins the Continental Congress, the Sons of Liberty membership in all existing colonies is increased by 20%. PIC

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), a heavy contributor to the Declaration of Independence, was one of the voices of the Revolution. He traveled extensively between Europe and the colonies, and gained the support of the French in the war. As soon as Benjamin Franklin is elected to the Continental Congress, the King’s foreign wars no longer have effect on relationships in the New World, and Europeans in the New World always offer peace in negotiations. PIC

William Brewster (1567–1644) was the Puritan leader of the Plymouth colony in New England. As soon as William Brewster joins the Continental Congress, criminals or indentured servants no longer appear on the docks and you can select which immigrant in the recruitment pool to move to the docks. PIC

William Penn (1644–1718), a close friend of the Duke of York, was granted the land that is mostly Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. He governed the Quaker colony for several years to provide a haven to fellow Quakers. The election of William Penn increases cross production in all colonies by 50%. PIC

Father Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) befriended the Huron Indians and converted many to Christianity. He died at the hands of the Iroquois who had finally defeated their enemy, the Hurons. With Jean de Brebeuf a member of the Continental Congress, all missionaries function as experts. PIC

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1781–1872) was a Spanish theologian who spoke out for the conquest of Indian lands and forced evangelization of the natives. The election of Juan de Sepulveda to the Continental Congress increases the chance that a subjugated Indian settlement will “convert” and join a colony. PIC

Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566) was a Catholic Priest who traveled the Indies converting Indians and chastising Spain for their treatment of the Natives. When Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental Congress, all existing Indian converts become free colonists. PIC

Chapter 9
The Birth of a Nation

9.1 Sons of Liberty

At the beginning of the game, all your colonists will be Tory Loyalists, who support your Monarch and are opposed to your policies. For this reason, colonies with more than a certain number of tories (which depends on the difficulty setting and defaults to four colonists) suffer a production penalty of one unit. If the limit is exceeded by four colonists, the penalty increases to two units and may well threaten the survival of the colony.

Liberty Bells, however, will turn these Tories into Sons of Liberty, who support your policies. Colonies in which more than 50% of the population are Sons of Liberty enjoy a production bonus of one unit, which is increased to two units as soon as 100% of the population become Sons of Liberty.

9.2 The Declaration of Independence

As soon as 50% of your entire population support the Sons of Liberty, you can declare the independence of your colonies. Your Monarch will not be amused and will send the Royal Expeditionary Force to quell the insurrection. In order to gain independence, you must defeat the Royal Expeditionary Force by capturing or destroying nearly all of their land forces and by taking back any colonies they might have captured. You do not need to destroy the fleet.

At the declaration, colonies with strong support for the Sons of Liberty sometimes promote veteran soldiers at work there to Colonial Regular in preparation for the coming war. In the future, the European enemies of your Monarch may support your effort if you generate a sufficient number of Liberty Bells after the War of Independence has begun.

Chapter 10
Changing the Rules

We would like to make FreeCol configurable, so that the game engine becomes capable of emulating many similar games. For this purpose, we have made many of the game’s features configurable.

At some point in the future, we will probably add a special rule set editor, but at the moment, your only option is to edit the file specification.xml directly. This file defines the abilities of units, founding fathers, buildings, terrain types, goods and equipment, for example. You can find this file in the data/freecol directory.

This is still work in progress, however, and the schema for the rule set certain to change again in the future. If you wish to develop your own rule set, you will have to monitor FreeCol development closely.

This having been said, we are particularly interested in hearing about problems caused by your changes to the rule set. Some dialogs might be unable to display more types of goods than are currently defined, for example. Or other dialogs might not recognize your new Minuteman unit as an armed unit. Please help us improve FreeCol by telling us about such problems.

If you have a working rule set that adds a new flavour to the game, we will gladly distribute it along with our default rule set. If you have ideas that can not currently be implemented, we will probably try to remove these limitations.

If you try to modify the rule set, you are strongly encouraged to check whether the result is still valid. You can do this by validating the result with the command ant validate.

10.1 Modifiers and Abilities

Most of the objects defined by the rule set can be customized via modifiers and abilities. Abilities are boolean values (“true” or “false”). If the value is not explicitly stated, it defaults to true. If an ability is not present, it defaults to false. Modifiers define a bonus or penalty to be applied to a numeric value, such as the number of goods produced by a unit. The modifier may be an additive, multiplicative or a percentage modifier. Modifiers default to “identity”, which means they have no effect.

The code also checks that all abilities and modifiers it uses are defined by the specification. Therefore, you must define all of them, even if you do not use them. You can do this by setting their value to the default value, e.g. “false” in the case of an ability, or “0” in the case of an additive modifier.

model.ability.addTaxToBells
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player adds the current tax rate as a bonus to bells production. The bonus is modified every time the tax increases or decreases.

model.ability.alwaysOfferedPeace
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player is always offered peace in negotiations with AI players.

model.ability.ambushBonus
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is granted an ambush bonus equal to the terrain’s defence value.

model.ability.ambushPenalty
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit suffers an ambush penalty equal to the terrain’s defence value.

model.ability.autoProduction
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building needs no units to produce goods, and will never produce more goods than can be stored in the colony.

model.ability.automaticEquipment
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit automatically picks up equipment if attacked.

model.ability.automaticPromotion
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

A unit that can be promoted will always be promoted when successful in battle.

model.ability.betterForeignAffairsReport
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player is provided with more information about foreign powers.

model.ability.bombard
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is able to bombard other units.

model.ability.bombardShips
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building has the ability to bombard enemy ships on adjacent tiles.

model.ability.bornInColony
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can be born in a colony, provided that enough food is available.

model.ability.bornInIndianSettlement
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can be born in an Indian settlement, provided that enough food is available.

model.ability.build
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building can build units or equipment.

model.ability.buildCustomHouse
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can build custom houses.

model.ability.buildFactory
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can build factories.

model.ability.canBeCaptured
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can be captured. Land units that can not be captured are destroyed, naval units that can not be captured are either sunk or damaged.

model.ability.canBeEquipped
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can be equipped.

model.ability.canNotRecruitUnit
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can not recruit specified units.

model.ability.captureEquipment
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can capture equipment from another unit.

model.ability.captureGoods
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can capture goods from another unit.

model.ability.captureUnits
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can capture enemy units.

model.ability.carryGoods
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can transport goods.

model.ability.carryTreasure
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can transport treasures, not treasure trains.

model.ability.carryUnits
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can transport other units.

model.ability.convert
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is a native convert.

model.ability.dressMissionary
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building can commission missionaries.

model.ability.electFoundingFather
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can elect Founding Fathers.

model.ability.expertMissionary
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is an expert missionary, but not necessarily commissioned.

model.ability.expertPioneer
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is an expert pioneer, but not necessarily equipped with tools.

model.ability.expertScout
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is an expert scout, but not necessarily equipped with horses.

model.ability.expertSoldier
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is an expert soldier, but not necessarily equipped with muskets.

model.ability.expertsUseConnections
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

Experts working in factories can produce a small amount of goods even if the raw materials are not available in the colony.

model.ability.export
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building can export goods to Europe directly.

model.ability.foundColony
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can found new colonies.

model.ability.foundInLostCity
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit may be generated as the result of exploring a Lost City Rumour.

model.ability.hasPort
Affects: Colony
Provided by: Map

The colony has access to at least one water tile. This ability can not be set by the specification, but it can be used as a required ability.

model.ability.ignoreEuropeanWars
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player will not be affected by the Monarch’s declarations of war.

model.ability.improveTerrain
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is able to improve terrain.

model.ability.independenceDeclared
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player has declared independence.

model.ability.mercenaryUnit
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit may be offered as a mercenary unit.

model.ability.missionary
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is able to establish missions and incite unrest in native settlements.

model.ability.moveToEurope
Affects: Tile
Provided by: Tile Type

Units on the tile are able to move to Europe.

model.ability.multipleAttacks
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can attack more than once.

model.ability.native
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is a native unit.

model.ability.navalUnit
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is a naval unit.

model.ability.pillageUnprotectedColony
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is able to steal goods from and destroy buildings in an unprotected colony.

model.ability.piracy
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is a privateer.

model.ability.produceInWater
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building enables units to produce on water tiles.

model.ability.refUnit
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can be part of the Royal Expeditionary Force.

model.ability.repairUnits
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building can repair units.

model.ability.royalExpeditionaryForce
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player is a Royal Expeditionary Force.

model.ability.rumoursAlwaysPositive
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player will always get positive results from exploring Lost City Rumours.

model.ability.scoutForeignColony
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can scout out foreign colonies.

model.ability.scoutIndianSettlement
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit can scout out native settlements.

model.ability.selectRecruit
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can select a unit to recruit in Europe. This also applies to units generated as a result of finding a Fountain of Youth.

model.ability.teach
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building enables experts to teach other units. However, the building may place limits on the experience level of teachers.

model.ability.tradeWithForeignColonies
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player may trade goods in foreign colonies.

model.ability.undead
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit is an undead unit (used only in revenge mode).

model.modifier.bombardBonus
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player’s units are granted a bombard bonus when attacking.

model.modifier.buildingPriceBonus
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can build or buy buildings at a reduced price.

model.modifier.defence
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit has a defence bonus or penalty.

model.modifier.landPaymentModifier
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player can buy Indian land at a reduced price.

model.modifier.lineOfSightBonus
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit has an increased line of sight.

model.modifier.minimumColonySize
Affects: Colony
Provided by: Building Type, Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The population of the colony can not be voluntarily reduced below this number. The modifier does not in any way affect a population reduction due to starvation or other events.

model.modifier.movementBonus
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit has an increased movement range.

model.modifier.nativeAlarmModifier
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player generates less native alarm.

model.modifier.nativeConvertBonus
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player has a greater chance of converting natives.

model.modifier.nativeTreasureModifier
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player generates greater treasures when destroying native settlements.

model.modifier.offence
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit has an offence bonus or penalty.

model.modifier.religiousUnrestBonus
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player generates greater religious unrest in Europe.

model.modifier.sailHighSeas
Affects: Unit
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father, Unit Type, Equipment Type

The unit’s travel time between Europe and the New World is reduced.

model.modifier.tradeBonus
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

Prices in the player’s market remain stable for longer.

model.modifier.treasureTransportFee
Affects: Player
Provided by: Nation, Nation Type, Founding Father

The player pays a smaller fee for transporting treasures to Europe.

model.modifier.warehouseStorage
Affects: Building
Provided by: Building Type

The building increases the capacity of the warehouse.

Chapter 11
Known bugs

FreeCol is still alpha software. In plain English, this means that it is full of bugs. Some of these bugs have already been reported, but have not been fixed yet. You can find a list of these bugs, and report new bugs by using our SourceForge bug tracker.

Even in single player mode, FreeCol is a client-server game. The communication between client and server can fall out of step. If this happens, the server often tries to recover by requesting a reconnect. If this occurs, please accept in order to continue playing. In some cases, the game may come to a halt during the turn of a computer opponent. If this happens to you, you can generally reconnect to the server by using the reconnect option in the game menu or by pressing ctrl-r.

Chapter 12
Copyright Notice

Copyright ©2008 The FreeCol Team.

This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version.

This is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

A copy of the GNU General Public License is available on the World Wide Web at the GNU General Public Licence. You can also obtain it by writing to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111–1307, USA.

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file under the terms of the Creative Commons Attributive Share-Alike license (CC-BY-SA).

Index

Ability
    model.ability.addTaxToBells, 1
    model.ability.alwaysOfferedPeace, 2
    model.ability.ambushBonus, 3
    model.ability.ambushPenalty, 4
    model.ability.automaticEquipment, 5
    model.ability.automaticPromotion, 6
    model.ability.autoProduction, 7
    model.ability.betterForeignAffairsReport, 8
    model.ability.bombard, 9
    model.ability.bombardShips, 10
    model.ability.bornInColony, 11
    model.ability.bornInIndianSettlement, 12
    model.ability.build, 13
    model.ability.buildCustomHouse, 14
    model.ability.buildFactory, 15
    model.ability.canBeCaptured, 16
    model.ability.canBeEquipped, 17
    model.ability.canNotRecruitUnit, 18
    model.ability.captureEquipment, 19
    model.ability.captureGoods, 20
    model.ability.captureUnits, 21
    model.ability.carryGoods, 22
    model.ability.carryTreasure, 23
    model.ability.carryUnits, 24
    model.ability.convert, 25
    model.ability.dressMissionary, 26
    model.ability.electFoundingFather, 27
    model.ability.expertMissionary, 28
    model.ability.expertPioneer, 29
    model.ability.expertScout, 30
    model.ability.expertSoldier, 31
    model.ability.expertsUseConnections, 32
    model.ability.export, 33
    model.ability.foundColony, 34
    model.ability.foundInLostCity, 35
    model.ability.hasPort, 36
    model.ability.ignoreEuropeanWars, 37
    model.ability.improveTerrain, 38
    model.ability.independenceDeclared, 39
    model.ability.mercenaryUnit, 40
    model.ability.missionary, 41
    model.ability.moveToEurope, 42
    model.ability.multipleAttacks, 43
    model.ability.native, 44
    model.ability.navalUnit, 45
    model.ability.pillageUnprotectedColony, 46
    model.ability.piracy, 47
    model.ability.produceInWater, 48
    model.ability.refUnit, 49
    model.ability.repairUnits, 50
    model.ability.royalExpeditionaryForce, 51
    model.ability.rumoursAlwaysPositive, 52
    model.ability.scoutForeignColony, 53
    model.ability.scoutIndianSettlement, 54
    model.ability.selectRecruit, 55
    model.ability.teach, 56
    model.ability.tradeWithForeignColonies, 57
    model.ability.undead, 58
Adam Smith, 59
Arctic, 60
Armory, 61
Arsenal, 62
Artillery, 63

Bartolomé de las Casas, 64
Benjamin Franklin, 65
Blacksmith’s House, 66
Blacksmith’s Workshop, 67
Boreal Forest, 68
Boston Tea Party, 69
Boycotts, 70
Broadleaf Forest, 71
Buildings
    Armory, 72
    Arsenal, 73
    Blacksmith’s House, 74
    Blacksmith’s Workshop, 75
    Carpenter’s House, 76
    Cathedral, 77
    Chapel, 78
    Church, 79
    Cigar Factory, 80
    College, 81
    Custom House, 82
    Depot, 83
    Distiller’s House, 84
    Dock, 85
    Drydock, 86
    Fort, 87
    Fortress, 88
    Fur Factory, 89
    Fur Trader’s House, 90
    Fur Trader’s Post, 91
    Iron Works, 92
    Magazine, 93
    Newspaper, 94
    Pasture, 95
    Printing Press, 96
    Rum Distillery, 97
    Rum Factory, 98
    Schoolhouse, 99
    Shipyard, 100
    Stables, 101
    Stockade, 102
    Textile Mill, 103
    Tobacconist’s House, 104
    Tobacconist’s Shop, 105
    Town Hall, 106
    University, 107
    Warehouse, 108
    Warehouse Expansion, 109
    Weaver’s House, 110
    Weaver’s Shop, 111

Caravel, 112
Carpenter’s House, 113
Cathedral, 114
Chapel, 115
Church, 116
Cigar Factory, 117
Cigars, 118
Cloth, 119
Coats, 120
College, 121
Colonial Cavalry, 122
Colonial Regular, 123
Colony Advisor, 124
Conifer Forest, 125
Continental Congress Advisor, 126
Cotton, 127
Crosses, 128
Custom House, 129

Damaged Artillery, 130
Denmark, 131
Depot, 132
Desert, 133
Distiller’s House, 134
Dock, 135
Dragoon, 136
Drydock, 137
dump cargo, 138
Dutch, 139

Elder Statesman, 140
England, 141
Expert Farmer, 142
Expert Fisherman, 143
Expert Fur Trapper, 144
Expert LumberJack, 145
Expert Ore Miner, 146
Expert SilverMiner, 147
Exploration Report, 148

Father Jean de Brébeuf, 149
Ferdinand Magellan, 150
Firebrand Preacher, 151
Fish, 152
Food, 153
Foreign Affairs Advisor, 154
Fort, 155
Fortress, 156
Founding Fathers
    Adam Smith, 157
    Bartolomé de las Casas, 158
    Benjamin Franklin, 159
    Father Jean de Brébeuf, 160
    Ferdinand Magellan, 161
    Francis Drake, 162
    Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, 163
    George Washington, 164
    Henry Hudson, 165
    Hernán Cortés, 166
    Hernando de Soto, 167
    Jacob Fugger II, 168
    Jan de Witt, 169
    John Paul Jones, 170
    Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, 171
    Paul Revere, 172
    Peter Minuit, 173
    Peter Stuyvesant, 174
    Pocahontas, 175
    Robert La Salle, 176
    Simón Bolívar, 177
    Thomas Jefferson, 178
    Thomas Paine, 179
    William Brewster, 180
    William Penn, 181
Fountain of Youth, 182
France, 183
Francis Drake, 184
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, 185
Free Colonist, 186
Frigate, 187
Fur Factory, 188
Fur Trader’s House, 189
Fur Trader’s Post, 190
Furs, 191

Galleon, 192
George Washington, 193
Goods
    Cigars, 194
    Cloth, 195
    Coats, 196
    Cotton, 197
    Crosses, 198
    Fish, 199
    Food, 200
    Furs, 201
    Grain, 202
    Hammers, 203
    Horses, 204
    Liberty Bells, 205
    Lumber, 206
    Muskets, 207
    Ore, 208
    Rum, 209
    Silver, 210
    Sugar, 211
    Tobacco, 212
    Tools, 213
    Trade Goods, 214
Grain, 215
Grassland, 216

Hammers, 217
Hardy Pioneer, 218
Henry Hudson, 219
Hernán Cortés, 220
Hernando de Soto, 221
High Seas, 222
Hills, 223
History Report, 224
Horses, 225

Indentured Servant, 226
Indian Advisor, 227
Indian Brave, 228
Indian Convert, 229
Indian Dragoon, 230
IP address, 231
Iron Works, 232

Jacob Fugger II, 233
Jan de Witt, 234
Jesuit Missionary, 235
John Paul Jones, 236
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, 237

King’s Cavalry, 238
King’s Regular, 239

Labour Advisor, 240
language, 241
Liberty Bells, 242
Lost Cities, 243
Lumber, 244

Magazine, 245
Man of War, 246
Marsh, 247
Master Blacksmith, 248
Master Carpenter, 249
Master Cotton Planter, 250
Master Distiller, 251
Master Fur Trader, 252
Master Gunsmith, 253
Master Sugar Planter, 254
Master Tobacco Planter, 255
Master Tobacconist, 256
Master Weaver, 257
Mercenaries, 258
Merchantman, 259
meta.freecol.org, 260
Military Advisor, 261
Mission, 262
Missionary, 263
Mixed Forest, 264
model.ability.addTaxToBells, 265
model.ability.alwaysOfferedPeace, 266
model.ability.ambushBonus, 267
model.ability.ambushPenalty, 268
model.ability.automaticEquipment, 269
model.ability.automaticPromotion, 270
model.ability.autoProduction, 271
model.ability.betterForeignAffairsReport, 272
model.ability.bombard, 273
model.ability.bombardShips, 274
model.ability.bornInColony, 275
model.ability.bornInIndianSettlement, 276
model.ability.build, 277
model.ability.buildCustomHouse, 278
model.ability.buildFactory, 279
model.ability.canBeCaptured, 280
model.ability.canBeEquipped, 281
model.ability.canNotRecruitUnit, 282
model.ability.captureEquipment, 283
model.ability.captureGoods, 284
model.ability.captureUnits, 285
model.ability.carryGoods, 286
model.ability.carryTreasure, 287
model.ability.carryUnits, 288
model.ability.convert, 289
model.ability.dressMissionary, 290
model.ability.electFoundingFather, 291
model.ability.expertMissionary, 292
model.ability.expertPioneer, 293
model.ability.expertScout, 294
model.ability.expertSoldier, 295
model.ability.expertsUseConnections, 296
model.ability.export, 297
model.ability.foundColony, 298
model.ability.foundInLostCity, 299
model.ability.hasPort, 300
model.ability.ignoreEuropeanWars, 301
model.ability.improveTerrain, 302
model.ability.independenceDeclared, 303
model.ability.mercenaryUnit, 304
model.ability.missionary, 305
model.ability.moveToEurope, 306
model.ability.multipleAttacks, 307
model.ability.native, 308
model.ability.navalUnit, 309
model.ability.pillageUnprotectedColony, 310
model.ability.piracy, 311
model.ability.produceInWater, 312
model.ability.refUnit, 313
model.ability.repairUnits, 314
model.ability.royalExpeditionaryForce, 315
model.ability.rumoursAlwaysPositive, 316
model.ability.scoutForeignColony, 317
model.ability.scoutIndianSettlement, 318
model.ability.selectRecruit, 319
model.ability.teach, 320
model.ability.tradeWithForeignColonies, 321
model.ability.undead, 322
model.modifier.bombardBonus, 323
model.modifier.buildingPriceBonus, 324
model.modifier.defence, 325
model.modifier.landPaymentModifier, 326
model.modifier.lineOfSightBonus, 327
model.modifier.minimumColonySize, 328
model.modifier.movementBonus, 329
model.modifier.nativeAlarmModifier, 330
model.modifier.nativeConvertBonus, 331
model.modifier.nativeTreasureModifier, 332
model.modifier.offence, 333
model.modifier.religiousUnrestBonus, 334
model.modifier.sailHighSeas, 335
model.modifier.tradeBonus, 336
model.modifier.treasureTransportFee, 337
model.modifier.warehouseStorage, 338
Modifier
    model.modifier.bombardBonus, 339
    model.modifier.buildingPriceBonus, 340
    model.modifier.defence, 341
    model.modifier.landPaymentModifier, 342
    model.modifier.lineOfSightBonus, 343
    model.modifier.minimumColonySize, 344
    model.modifier.movementBonus, 345
    model.modifier.nativeAlarmModifier, 346
    model.modifier.nativeConvertBonus, 347
    model.modifier.nativeTreasureModifier, 348
    model.modifier.offence, 349
    model.modifier.religiousUnrestBonus, 350
    model.modifier.sailHighSeas, 351
    model.modifier.tradeBonus, 352
    model.modifier.treasureTransportFee, 353
    model.modifier.warehouseStorage, 354
Mountains, 355
multi-player game, 356
Muskets, 357

native2ascii, 358
Naval Advisor, 359
Netherlands, 360
Newspaper, 361

Ocean, 362
Ore, 363

Pasture, 364
Paul Revere, 365
personal firewall, 366
Peter Minuit, 367
Peter Stuyvesant, 368
Petty Criminal, 369
Pioneer, 370
Plains, 371
Pocahontas, 372
Port 3540, 373
Port 3541, 374
Portugal, 375
Prairie, 376
Printing Press, 377
Privateer, 378

Rain Forest, 379
Religious Advisor, 380
Reports
    Colony Advisor, 381
    Continental Congress Advisor, 382
    Exploration Report, 383
    Foreign Affairs Advisor, 384
    History Report, 385
    Indian Advisor, 386
    Labour Advisor, 387
    Military Advisor, 388
    Naval Advisor, 389
    Religious Advisor, 390
    Requirements Report, 391
    Trade Advisor, 392
    Turn Report, 393
Requirements Report, 394
Robert La Salle, 395
Royal Expeditionary Force, 396
Rum, 397
Rum Distillery, 398
Rum Factory, 399
Russia, 400

Savannah, 401
Schoolhouse, 402
Scout, 403
Scrub Forest, 404
Seasoned Scout, 405
Shipyard, 406
Silver, 407
Simón Bolívar, 408
Soldier, 409
Spain, 410
Stables, 411
Stockade, 412
Sugar, 413
Swamp, 414
Sweden, 415

Taxes, 416
Terrain
    Arctic, 417
    Boreal Forest, 418
    Broadleaf Forest, 419
    Conifer Forest, 420
    Desert, 421
    Grassland, 422
    High Seas, 423
    Hills, 424
    Marsh, 425
    Mixed Forest, 426
    Mountains, 427
    Ocean, 428
    Plains, 429
    Prairie, 430
    Rain Forest, 431
    Savannah, 432
    Scrub Forest, 433
    Swamp, 434
    Tropical Forest, 435
    Tundra, 436
    Wetland Forest, 437
Textile Mill, 438
Thomas Jefferson, 439
Thomas Paine, 440
Tobacco, 441
Tobacconist’s House, 442
Tobacconist’s Shop, 443
Tools, 444
Town Hall, 445
Trade Advisor, 446
Trade Goods, 447
Treasure Train, 448
Tropical Forest, 449
Tundra, 450
Turn Report, 451

unit movement, 452
Units
    Artillery, 453
    Caravel, 454
    Colonial Cavalry, 455
    Colonial Regular, 456
    Damaged Artillery, 457
    Dragoon, 458
    Elder Statesman, 459
    Expert Farmer, 460
    Expert Fisherman, 461
    Expert Fur Trapper, 462
    Expert LumberJack, 463
    Expert Ore Miner, 464
    Expert SilverMiner, 465
    Firebrand Preacher, 466
    Free Colonist, 467
    Frigate, 468
    Galleon, 469
    Hardy Pioneer, 470
    Indentured Servant, 471
    Indian Brave, 472
    Indian Convert, 473
    Indian Dragoon, 474
    Jesuit Missionary, 475
    King’s Cavalry, 476
    King’s Regular, 477
    Man of War, 478
    Master Blacksmith, 479
    Master Carpenter, 480
    Master Cotton Planter, 481
    Master Distiller, 482
    Master Fur Trader, 483
    Master Gunsmith, 484
    Master Sugar Planter, 485
    Master Tobacco Planter, 486
    Master Tobacconist, 487
    Master Weaver, 488
    Merchantman, 489
    Missionary, 490
    Petty Criminal, 491
    Pioneer, 492
    Privateer, 493
    Scout, 494
    Seasoned Scout, 495
    Soldier, 496
    Treasure Train, 497
    Veteran Dragoon, 498
    Veteran Soldier, 499
    Wagon Train, 500
University, 501

Veteran Dragoon, 502
Veteran Soldier, 503

Wagon Train, 504
Warehouse, 505
Warehouse Expansion, 506
Weaver’s House, 507
Weaver’s Shop, 508
Wetland Forest, 509
William Brewster, 510
William Penn, 511