=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- B AT T L E R E A L M S : S E R P E N T C L A N =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Battle Realms: Serpent Clan Strategy Guide Version 2 Author: "ACamelo" Email me at: acamelo217@hotmail.com Date created: February 28, 2002 Date of Last Update: April 20, 2002 (Version 2) Best Viewed as a Microsoft Word Document Approx. Pages: 25 pages ^Don't Plagiarize it's bad^ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Introduction =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Hey! ACamelo here! It's my second time sending an In-Depth guide to GameFaqs but don't worry I do know how to make one so it won't be much of a problem. I already got one up... the Wolf Clan guide and here's another one. Since most e-mails have asked me to make another one up for the Lotus and Serpent, and I've descided to put a Serpent Guide up. Battle Realms is a Real Time Strategy Game in an odd land but not that odd. Like most strategy, you simply harvest resources, build structures for training military units, build up an army and eliminate the enemies. Remember RA2 or the other series where you're free to build dozens and dozens of units for your disposal? Well, in Battle Realms your limited to 20 units, 30 units, 40 units or 50 units. Winning could either be very hard or very easy depending on the strategy that you'll be using. Of course, Strategies are very crucial to every gamers some of these can either even the odds and some can even over power somebody. This Guide is made only for the purpose of those who wish on using the Serpent Clan. I'll write down some basic to advance game tactics/strategies. I'll even try to explain how to make the best use of a serpent unit. You can contribute tricks, strategies, tactics, tips etc. or comments, suggestions on something. I've experimented no human vs. human players which most of you would love to see. So enough of the introduction and continue on with the guide just be sure that you've read the E-Mail Policy. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Disclaimer =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This Walkthrough/FAQ/Strategy Guide is created for personal use only. This guide mustn't be used for anything that gains any profit specifically Magazine, Game Guides, Commercial Web Sites etc. You're not allowed to rip off part(s) of this Game Guide and put it in your own Walkthrough/FAQ/Strategy Guide Whatever. Anyone doing this evil stuff is guilty of plagiarism, an act of stealing and passing off ideas and words of another as one's own without giving the proper credit to the source. You can put this Guide on your non-commercial, non-profit web site provided that you will not change/erase/edit a single character in this document. Though you must have my permission first before you can have it up on your site. ============ CONTENTS ============ i. Updates ii. Email Policy I. History of the Serpent Clan II. Shinja, leader of the Serpent Clan III. Serpent Clan Buildings - Serpent Peasant Hut - Tavern - Sharpshooters Guild - Alchemist Lab - Bathhouse - Metal Shop - Thieves Guild - Watch Tower - Stable - Town Square - Well - Keep - Necromancer's Throne IV. Serpent Clan Units - Serpent Clan's Peasants - Swordsman - Musketeer - Crossbowman - Fan Geisha - Necromance - Bandit - Raider - Cannoneer - Ronin V. Serpent Clan Zen Masters - Shinja - Budo - Utara - Vetkin - Ninjas VI. Serpent Units Ability VII. Serpent Units Battle Gear List VIII. Battle Reference Chart IX. Battle Strategy Chart X. Serpent Clan Strategies/Tactics XI. An Almost Cheating Trick XII. Serpent Rushing Guide XIIII. Credits =-=-=-=-=-= Updates -=-=-=-=-=- (February 28, 2002) version 1.02 -------------------------------- Version 1.02 is what your currently viewing. Expect much work and changes on the next version. (April 20, 2002) version 2 -------------------------- Whew! After getting my PC fixed I can finally update this guide. There's some new titles up in the table of content like the rushing build order steps, Battle Gear commands and I finally able to put up the Serpent Tech Tree and much more. Also some new strategies and a separate topic for the "Almost Cheating Trick" -=-=-=-=-=-=-= Email Policy =-=-=-=-=-=-=- I've put up an Email Policy section only after experiencing the problems I got with some of the E-Mails I've been receiving for the past days after having a guide posted up. So I've decided to put this section up so please read these parts first before trying to email me. Do's ---- 1. Send me questions that you can't find on my guide. I'll be happier to help you. 2. Be more specific when asking so I can answer your questions easily. 3. Try checking for the latest version of this guide before sending questions, contributing, pointing something etc. 4. When E-mailing me is sure to label the topic with Battle Realms so I'll know what are you asking me about. 5. If I happen to forget you, e-mail me again NICELY and I'll respond to it ASAP. 6. If I happen to not answer your e-mail it only means that the answer can be found in my guide. Don'ts ------ 1. Don't send me questions that can be answered/found in my guide. 2. Don't send me e-mails that don't have anything to do with the game. 3. No death treats, Bad Words, Chain letters etc. Please 4. Don't be persistent when mailing. 6. No spamming, please avoid it! Doing anything that's on the Don'ts list will mean that your email will less likely to be ignored. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= History of the Serpent Clan =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Tarrant and his sons forged the Serpent Clan out of those who fled south to escape the ravages of the Horde. Since then, for four generations the Serpent Clan has dominated through force and cunning, until the death of Lord Oja and the treachery of the Lotus Clan created a dangerous struggle for power among the three Clans on the island. Like their Totem, the Serpent Clan knows the value of stealthy approach and a sudden, lethal strike. Their soldiers tend to be tricksters and thieves as well as deadly fighters, skilled in techniques to baffle mounted pursuit and lure opponents into ambush. The Serpent Clan also possesses the secret of gunpowder, and has adapted it to many offensive purposes. The Serpent rules through strength and fear, knowing that other clans are waiting to take over should they show weakness. Kenji may restore the Serpent Clan to dominance, if he chooses to rule through strength and pragmatic cunning, rather than the conventions of honor. If Kenji proves to be his father's true son, he can re-forge the stability that is now in doubt, and the Serpent may rule again. Unfettered by high- flown morals, all ways are open to them. -=-=-=-=-=-= Shinja =-=-=-=-=-=- The former captain of Lord Oja's Serpent Guard, once charged with protecting the Serpent Orb, Shinja is a powerful warrior well-versed in the ways of the battlefield. Fueled by his lust for war, Shinja never holds back in battle - anything else would make him weak. While some would call his military enthusiasm reckless, Shinja's record on the battlefield is virtually spotless. Honing his skills to be like those of the Serpent, Shinja's attacks are quick and deadly. Contracting enchantments from the Lotus wizard of summoning, Laikor, Shinja's twin swords can summon swarms of snakes to bite at the heels of his foes and inject deadly poison. The most "Serpent Clan" in ideology of all the heroes, Shinja has assembled a handful of his former master's provinces for himself and rules them through fear. Employing a ragged and uncouth collection of rogues to do his dirty work, Shinja sits in his keep and lavishes himself in the taxes he sucks from the peasants. While his few provinces keep him fed, he harkens back to his battle days under Lord Oja. His only present-day joy is quelling the occasional and pathetic uprisings of his peasants. After his defeat at the hands of Kenji, Shinja takes the opportunity to join this powerful new military force, hoping to feel the adrenalin high of years past and claim a larger piece of the island for himself. ========================== Serpent Clan's Buildings ========================== To begin with, you can access the building tech tree by pressing the "T" key in the keyboard in the game. According to some the building limit is set to 50 after building enough building up to the limit your peasants cannot build any more buildings. I won't post the building tech tree here because you can access it anyway. Okay, here's the Serpent Tech Tree on buildings to those who are lazy enough, like me, to even bother going to the menu and all. It's contains the abbreviation of the structure's name so just base of the legend for more details. Sorry if it's a bit unorganized but it'll do fine. So here it is: LEGENDS: Tavern - Tavern S. Guild - Sharpshooter's Guild A. Hut - Alchemist Hut B. House - Bath House W. Tower - Watch Tower Stable - Stable M. Shop - Metal Shop T. Guild - Thieves Guild T. Square - Town Square Well - Well N.Throne - Necromancer's Throne Keep - Keep P.Hut | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | | | | | Tavern S.Guild A.Hut B.House +1 W.Tower | | | | | Stable M.Shop T.Guild T.Square +2 W.Tower | | | | Well N.Throne T.Guild+Tsquare | Keep - - - - - +1 W.Tower Serpent Peasant Hut ------------------- Bolted together from leftover wood and metal scraps, the Serpent Peasant Hut houses the ill-mannered peasants that do the Clan's chores. These huts are unkempt, as their occupants are too often slaving away in the rice fields to pay them any attention. While some complain they are worked too hard, it beats dying on the battlefield. This is the Structure that you should build continuously. The more peasant hut you have the faster the peasants generates but the more units you have the slower the peasants come out form the hut. Build these structures near the resources for faster resources accumulation. Tavern ------ This is where you train peasants to swordsman. Swordsman are the serpents only 1st-tier melee unit. This structure allows you to train peasants to Swordsman and can also upgrade units. Peasant - Swordsman Crossbowman - Bandit Musketeer - Raider Cannoneer - Ronin Sharpshooters Guild ------------------- In these stone buildings, ranged fighters of all kinds drill, study, and compete for prizes. Musket balls, cannon balls, even thrown torches fly through the air amid praise, instruction, curses, and shouts to "Hold fire, you dogs!" Serpent lords hold annual marksmanship competitions with generous prizes and commissions. Instructors tend to be those few gunners who survive to old age, marked by deafness, powder burns, and missing fingers. This structure allows you to train peasants to Crossbowman and can also upgrade units. Peasant - Crossbowman Swordsman - Bandit Musketeer - Cannoneer Raider - Ronin Alchemist Lab ------------- No Serpent alchemist ever seems entirely satisfied with their formula for explosives. Although the basic ingredients -- charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate) -- remain the same, stability and explosive yield can always be improved. Therefore, these laboratories are always slightly ragged from internal explosions, with holes unevenly patched and boarded-up. Each alchemist jealously guards his personal arsenal of proportions and recipes, and is always looking for ways to improve it and diversify its applications. This structure allows you to train peasants to Musketeer and can also upgrade units. Peasant - Musketeer Swordsman - Raider Crossbowman - Cannoneer Bandit - Ronin Bathhouse --------- Once the baths were a place for contemplating beauty in its most sublime forms. In these times, Serpent Clan bathhouses have degenerated to what was perhaps their original function as brothels. Although an elderly woman still plucks out music on the koto and tattered calligraphy still hangs on the walls, the cultured atmosphere has faded -- the atmosphere is now sleazy and men come here for only one purpose. The geisha who emerge from this environment are more worldly-wise, and have learned to defend themselves in this rough environment. Fortunately the geisha healing skills are still taught, although much knowledge has been lost. Serpent Clan bathhouses are administrated by the elder geisha, a cynical and power-hungry council. This structures allows you to train peasants to Fan Geisha. Peasant - Fan Geisha Metal Shop ---------- When the Serpent Clan was formed, the result was a renaissance for the alchemists and tinkerers who work in the Metal Shop. First, private tricks and techniques from dozen or so refugee clans could be learned and tested. Second, there was a general relaxation of the Dragon Clan's overly rigid code of battlefield conduct. Now, any new gadget or device was fair game as long as it worked, and the Serpent Lords would pay for them -- even the Thieves' Guild could be a source of ideas. Night and day, hammering and explosions and laughter ring from the metal shops as new modes of mayhem are invented. Much like the Thieves Guild only the different thing is that the Metal Shop are more on the offensive side. They give your units new Battle Gear to be used. I suggest studying the Battle Gears of each unit learn their usefulness. Thieves Guild ------------- Not long after the death of Tarrant the Younger, rumors began circulating of a shadowy organization holding meetings in secret in isolated groves and derelict buildings. This was the Thieves' Guild, a group of enterprising criminals who began to meet in order to share skills, exchange information, and, above all, take a share from lesser thieves in return for training. For a long time, the Serpent lords were unable even to discover whether the guild existed. However, rumor has it that Lord Shinja finally managed to subvert the Thieves' Guild, allowing them to operate in exchange for a tenth of their take and use of their training facilities for his men. The Thieves Guild offers your units unique Battle Gears that could either be useful when defending or on the offensive side. It's a good idea to have most of your units with a handy Battle Gear which could be of great help to them and could either boost their power up. Watch Tower ----------- No soldiering duty is less prized than spending a night in one of these rickety wood and bamboo constructions that adorn the borders of Serpent Clan land. With only lantern and a gong for company, the luckless occupant must simultaneously stave off sleep, and keep himself from panicking at the night sounds of the forest or mountain. In the barracks, stories are told of undetectable ninja attacks, soldiers found dead still in postures of watchful attention. When dawn comes, the guards can descend, wiping dew from their weapons, whispering silent prayers to their totem spirit. Watchtower duty on the Lotus Clan border is held to be the worst of all. Watch Towers are very important when defending. Every watchtower has its unique watch tower charge that helps on defending your town. Serpent's Watch Tower blinds the enemy much like Kabuki's Flash Powder but it simply just blinds the enemy. Stable ------ When the Serpent Clan was formed from the peoples who fled the Horde, different styles of horsemanship merged -- Heron showmanship, Eagle stamina, and Dragon techniques of fighting from horseback. Much later, when Lord Garrin began distinguishing himself with brilliant cavalry exploits, this began a new emphasis on mounted units, and horse trainers became a standard part of every keep's complement. This structure allows you to catch horses for your disposal. Horses could be mounted by light units (This means that Cannoneers can't mount one). Peasants can also get pack horses that doubles the amount they harvest. Building this is again your call. Town Square ----------- The Town Square increases the storage capacity of your resources. It is also very essential to build this up to enable 2 more Towers and allows you to build the Keep. You should build this when you think your economy is stable enough. I suggest build a Town Square up as early as possible to ensure a safe defence from possible attacks. Well ---- Well is quite effective when the rice source is far from the water source. Just build a well beside a peasant hut and you'll be able to save much time from walking back and forth and you'll accumulate water faster. Sometimes I strategically place wells near watchtower in case of someone tries to burn it down it's good to have this around though the high price tag but overall it has its own pros and cons so your call. Keep ---- This structure allows you to summon Zen Masters with the price of rice, water and yang. Zen Masters are good addition to your army, they have good innate ability that when used properly gives a devastating result. Necromancer's Throne -------------------- The Necromancer's Throne allows you to summon a deadly Necromancer by sacrificing 4 Ronins. It's quite a good bargain for some who considers quality better than quantity. ===================== Serpent Clan's Unit ===================== Serpent Clan's Peasants ----------------------- Serpent Clan peasants are superficially similar to Dragon peasants, but looking closer one can see the difference in their ragged garments, dirty faces, and greasy, unkempt hair. Serpent peasants are tireless workers...for their own advantage. Although not particularly happy with their lot in life, they know that laziness and disobedience mean a whipping, whereas diligent work could mean promotion, even a chance to raid and loot enemy valuables. Given the proper advantages these peasants to learn, whether through formal training or just brawling at the local tavern. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Nothing really special for the Serpent's Peasants except it deals Blunt Damage. Swordsman --------- Swordsmen are the lowest footsoldiers in the Serpent Clan ranks. They are tough street-fighters drawn from the most promising young men of the peasantry. Each has been issued a simple longsword, with only a few motley scraps of armor tied on for protection. Unkempt and lacking soldierly polish, they are nevertheless obedient and effective fighters. Swordsman are great 1st-tiers unit. If not for their mugging and glass sword ability it can compete for a great assist unit and for a great finisher. Though they got an not so good resistance stats that could be fixed with the proper upgrade for them. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Ever tortured by those Kabuki abuser or some Zen Master's annoying battle gear? well then the swordsmans the man for the job. It instantly steals all nearby enemy Battle Gear turning them back to normal. Ever tried killing enemies with a hit? Then 2 words Glass Sword! This is way even better than Wolf's Zen Counter Punch. With this you can get a laugh out of their Zen Masters dying out in a hit with this swordsmen even their pilfer battle gear can leave those Kabuki's powerless againts them. Musketeer --------- In the wars that threaten to engulf the realm, gunpowder and traditional archery both come into play. The musketeer carries a long smooth-bore flintlock whose butt can be used as a club at close quarters. While archers can outrange them, musketeers have complementary strengths, relying on high impact and penetration. do enormous damage when they hit. Musketeers are one of the tools by which the Serpent Clan has enforced its borders in the southland, and they can frequently be seen manning watch and striding through the misty hills. Musketeers are good missile units. They never missed their target and always get their job done. Though I don't use them that much their Sniper Scope as well as their Explosive shot Battle Gear are simply the best. They're good defensive units as well as an offensive. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: So Koril users thought that their Koril is indestructible againts missile units well thnk again. This guys never misses their Sniper Scope just powers them up making them even better than archers and has an average resistance. Crossbowman ----------- Serpent Crossbowmen are cunning snipers with keen eyesight and basic mechanical abilities. Armed with homespun semi-automatic crossbows and sight-enhancing eyewear, the Crossbowman makes up for the weakness of his projectiles with his rapid firing rate and increased accuracy. Confident in his own abilities on the battlefield, the crossbowman's smug countenance belies his desire to rise to the top of the Serpent ranks and become a Ronin. This guys can be trained quite fast and is even made powerful with the weaken shot though with some test I've noticed that the weaken shot Battle Gear from this bowmen mixed with the melee skill of a swordsman then you have a perfect duo. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: 2 words, Weaken Shot. They make their target enemy loose some armor resistance. Combine Ronins with them and watch them tear wipe enemies easily much like the dynamic Shack and Kobee duo. Fan Geisha ---------- Long ago when the Dragon Clan still existed, geisha were healers, courtesans, and sophisticates who studied all the most refined arts of that culture. Fan geisha are their cultural descendants, who have learned to live in a rougher environment less concerned with high aesthetic matters. While they could not openly arm themselves, they learned to fight by modifying their traditional accessory, the fan. They were already skilled in flirting and dancing with these fans, so by sharpening their curved edges and modifying traditional movements, they became dangerous fighters at close range. Girl Power?! I love them, they're even better than geishas and a lot more powerful. Totally upgrade them and you have a mean unit. They can not only heal themselves but can support their constituents when fighting a pretty big threat to their enemies though most don't favor using them maybe because the of the impressions they got on dragon's geishas. Necromancer ----------- Who said that Necromancers are some weak units? Well the Necromancer itself will prove them wrong. Not only they have the greatest resistance in the game almost better than Kenji's only lacking on the Fire resistance department. If I remember correctly I've tried to make a single Necromancer with some Fan Geisha (3 to be exact) guard my whole base and the results are surprising. Believe it or not this little force was able to beat 2 AI forces one after another(though I know that AIs are stupid). The Necromancers hardly get killed because of its hight resistance and accompanying him with some F.Geishas. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Why are Necromancers that powerful? There are several reasons, First you have to sacrifice 4 Ronins to summon a Necromancer which must be a good bargain sacrificing 4 Ronins for just a single unit. Second, Its armor resistance are way excellent only lacking on the fire part which is not a problem because most Battle Realms players tends to stick to piercing missile units than a fire one. Third is that it can summon 3 extra units to heed your needs. Fourth, it can summon Zombies from dead corpes for another extra unit. Try Blood Bonding a Ronin to this unit and see how long it takes to get that Ronin killed. Bandit ------ I don't really use this units except when I find his force impenetrable. There's nothing like seeing a large number of Bandits mysteriously popping in some parts of his base and start to wreak havoc. I don't really use their other Battle Gear except for the Invisibility BG. Upgrade them up and see them match up some 4th level units. Though they aren't that dependable they can sure make a fool out of your enemy and can tunr the tides on them just by doing a couple of surprise attacks and then turning to invisible again. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: I love this guys only because of their Invisibility BG and their piercing attacks. If you don't find their invisibility gear that useful then just switch to Ronins Blood Bonded on some Fan Geishas. Raider ------ Raiders aren't really that powerful but mixing them with your main attack force can you see them ni their fullest potential. Raiders aren't good when attacking all by themselves they're just useful when some pesky watchtowers started to bug you or with them you can easily turn your enemy base in a blaze or slow down you enemy's rice production. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Raiders aren't really useful only considering their power against buildings which made them quite effective. Their main purpose is to light up and start some fire and cause some chaos on your enemy's base. Cannoneer --------- Serpent Clan cannoneers carry a powerful, enormously heavy cannon, a weapon capable of damaging enemy soldiers and buildings alike. Their training requires a special kind of courage -- a tolerance for violent explosions, and the nerve to enter battle with a weapon too heavy to run with, making it almost impossible for them to retreat effectively if the conflict turns against them. Although very dependent on other kinds of units for escort in battle, cannoneers are a proud, eccentric group who name and decorate their cannons, and spend their time in jargon-laced discussions of different gunpowder mixes and projectile weights. They are also among the most feared of the Serpent warriors - fierce fighters who enter combat expecting to fight to the death. Equiped with a cannon cannoneers proved to be the counterpart of the Dragon's Powder Keg/Sumo Cannoneer. Their Battle Gear are both useful on the defensive part and on the offensive part. They're powerful against building specially when upgraded. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: I use this guys a lot. Accompany them with Fan Geishas and you have a mean attacking force. Their attacks passes from one enemy then to another and when grouped together results are very devastating. Ronin ----- Ronins are serpent's Samurai counterpart. Though only equiped with a twin blade and no missile/projectile attacks their Battle Gear works out for what is missing. The Yin Blade is only good when you want to acquire extra Yin points for upgrading or summoning Zen masters. The Blood Bond BG gives them even a better chance to last in battles. Overall I think they can be much better than Samurais. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Ronins much similar to Samurais only the difference is they have no long-ranged attack but the Ronin's Twin Long Swords makes up for it specially their Battle Gears. Blood Bond them to a group of Fan Geishas or on a Necromancer and they can last longer than any other units giving them a better edge in combat though the Yin Blade doesn't work like the yang Blade which become stronger when the Yang Points are higher they still are a great units. ============================ Serpent Clan's Zen Masters ============================ Shinja ------- Being the Leader of the Serpent Clan He automatically makes himself as a great warrior/fighter. He attacks like a serpent, poisoning his enemies and runs fast like a serpent. His Battle Gear is great that it makes your units last longer than your enemy. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: He is one of the best melee fighter in their clan. Poisoning his enemies and delivering powerful blows to them. Shinja works well with some Ronins and Crossbowmen backing him up his attacks works well on any enemy making him as deadly as the Serpent he calls himself. Budo ---- I love this guy he works in two ways first a peasant taskmaster and a guard for any teleporting/invisible units. He hastens the production speed of the peasants but hurts them badly. If you make him as an attacking unit he works best on Structures than on units. Pretty odd isn't it?! ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: This fat guy is something. He can be either an economic guy or an attacking guy. He works well in anyways only the problem is that he's another one of the slowest unit in the game. Considering that he's fat and all but he's damn powerful. I have him join my attacking force and he can beat the hell out of structures himself but nobody takes down building/structures Utara ----- An evil Geisha? She has a cool innate ability that can work best on the offensive side. Her BG is great when you've racked up a lot of Yin points for causing a great area of effect damage. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Serpent's female Zen Master. She's a lite Geisha that uses her song to damage nearby enemis (Maybe the song is too horrible that it can damage enemies too much). Her innate ability works best when she's being damaged and all other nearby units can finish her enemies off. Vetkin ------ I would say that Verkin is another great scouting tool because of his innate ability that he never losses stamina when running. He can look for the nearest enemy and can take care of himself by disabling his enemies from running by his Battle Gear or by running away by himself. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Yet the Fastest unit in the game well maybe I could say that because of his amazing innate ability that he never runs out of stamina when running. Try making Shinja and Vetkin race you'll notice that Shinja won't be left behind not unless that he has lose all his stamina. He's the coolest unit in the game maybe because of his cool looks and of course again the running part. At close range he attacks by piercing damage from his Twin Daggers. Ninja ----- Ninja's are better than Monks mainly because of their stealthiness and cool attacks(the Shurikens!!). They walk as fast as Vetkins and losses less stamina when their battle gear is on. Probably one of the coolest Unit in the game. ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ comments: Ninjas are great scouting units. They losses little stamina when their BG is on and moving and recovers it fast like a wolf unit. Though when compared to Monks I would then go for the Monks mainly becuase they're better melee units. ======================= Serpent Units Ability ======================= Maybe you've already noticed that aside from most unit's simple attack or defending skills/powers, most units possess their own unique and special ability that makes them even different from the other units. Notice how Gaihla spreads flowers when the Rice Source starts to run low? or Koril is almost imposible to be hit by projectile attakcs? These are their innate ability so let's continue to find out. Swordsman - Evasion: Projectiles are much less likely to hit the swordsman when he is running. Crossbowman - Full Recovery: The Crossbowman can regenerate health up to 100%. Musketeer - Instant Hit: His normal missile attack never misses. Raider - Ambush: The Raider gets no line-of-sight reduction in forests. Bandit - Looting (targetable): The player will get a "pick-up" cursor over fresh corpses. Clicking on the corpse, the player will gain a percentage of the cost of that unit. Cannoneer - Pass-through Damage: The Cannoneer's shots go through enemies and buildings, damaging all it passes through. Ronin - Cursed Swords: When the Ronin loses all his hit points, he thrusts his swords into the ground, leaving them behind for a short time. The swords cause nearby allies to do more damage, while nearby enemy damage is reduced. Fan Geisha - Healing: The Fan Geisha can sacrifice stamina to heal another unit or herself. Shinja - Ye of Little Faith: Takes very little magical damage. Utara - Pleasure and Pain: When Utara takes damage, nearby enemies get momentarily stunned. Vetkin - Sprinting: He loses no stamina when he runs. Zombie - Deterioration: Zombies will slowly deteriorate health until they die, unless healed. ================================ Serpent Units Battle Gear List ================================ Here's the list of all the Battle Gears that are given to the Serpent Clan. I'll break it down to where you can acquire it. I won't explain Much about the battle gear because the explanation with it explains it All. ================= * Thieves Guild * ================= Swordsman - Mugging: Pilfer Battle Gear from all nearby enemies but does no damage. Crossbowman - Weakness Bolts: Weakens your opponent's armor, making them more susceptible to attack. Musketeer - Sniper Scope: Stops the Musketeer, adding range and damage to shots: effective against mounted units. Fan Geisha - Dark Pact: Nearby allies gave up health to gain better damage resistance at the cost of stamina. Bandit - Stealth: Move about invisibly: broken by attacks or attacking: drains stamina Cannoneer - Smoke Bomb: Temporarily blinds enemies in an area, weakening their attacks: Limit four. Raider - Brush Fire: Burns any rice or trees near the Raider at the cost of stamina. Ronin - Blood Bond: Bonds with an allied soldier and he will take damage in your place. ================ * Metal Shop * ================ Swordsman - Glass Sword: A powerful one-time attack that instantly kills a single non-her opponent but damages the user. Crossbowman - Phosphorus Bolts: Reveals line of sight where it lands: up to 3 per unit may be active. Musketeer - Blast Shot: Fires explosive, area-of-effect projectiles. Fan Geisha - Razor Fan: Nearby allies gain health with each attack: continuously drains stamina. Bandit - Paralysis Darts: Toxin-tipped darts stun enemies: limit six. Cannoneer - Mines: Hide a bomb that explodes when enemies get near. Unit can carry 3, and up to 20 per team can be activated. Raider - Caltrops: The Raider drops sharp spikes behind him as he runs: limit 10 per unit, 30 per team. Ronin - Yin Blade: Damage from magical blade drains enemy stamina to create Yin. Continuously drains stamina. ================= * Others * ================= Shinja - Intimidation: Reduce the amount of damage nearby enemies can inflict: cost stamina Budo - Slave Driver: Whip crack "encourages" nearby peasants to work faster at the cost of stamina. Utara - Song of Sorrow: Nearby enemies are hurt by a magical dirge: cost stamina. Vetkin - Bravado: Drains all stamina from nearby enemy: cost stamina. Ninja - Shadow Skills: Move about invisibly: Broken by attack or attacking. Necromancer - Spirit Warriors: Expend stamina to summon ancient warrior to your side: Up to 3 can be active at a time. ======================== Battle Reference Chart ======================== The Battle Reference Chart can be freely viewed/obtained from the official Battle Realms website. I don't claim any copyright from the chart because I just copied it from the site. This chart will be very useful so you can fight the odds better. References: Weapon Damage: Me - Melee Mi - Missile Armor Rating: e - excellent ave - average g - good min - minimum pr - poor Damage Type: (Armor Vs.) P - Piercing B - Blunt Ex - Explosion C - Cutting M - Magic Pw - Pack Wolf F - Fire _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | NAME | WEAPON DMG | ARMOR VS. | | | Me Mi | C P B Ex M F | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Bandit | P P | g |min|min| e |min| e | | Cannoneer | B B |min |min|pr | e | g | e | | Crossbowman | p P |min |min| g |min | e | e | | Fan Geisha | C n/a |min | g |min| g | e | e | | Musketeer | B Ex | g |ave| g |min |min| e | | Necromancer | M n/a | e | e | e | e |ave|pr | | S. Peasant | B n/a |min |min|min|min |min| e | | Raider | F F | pr |min| e |ave | e | e | | Ronin | C n/a | e |ave| g |pr |min|min | | Spirit Warrior| M n/a |min | g |min| e | e | e | | Swordsman | C n/a | g |min|min| g |min| e | | Zombie | C n/a |min | g | g |min | e |pr | | Budo | B n/a |pr | g | e |ave | g |min | | Shinja | C n/a | g | g | g | pr | e |pr | | Utara | P n/a |min |pr |min|min | e |ave | | Vetkin | P n/a | g | e |pr | e |min|pr | ----------------------------------------------------------- ======================= Battle Strategy Chart ======================= The Battle Strategy Chart can be freely viewed/obtained from the official Battle Realms website. I don't claim any copyright from the chart because I just copied it from the site. This chart will be very useful so you can fight the odds better. The following are the possible enemies you could encounter and listed below are the units you can use to counter them. Some match-up requires the use of Battle Gears and some tactics to gain the maximum effect. Dragon Enemy Counter With -------------------------------------------------------------- Archer - Musketeer, Fan Geisha Chemist - Swordsman, Cannoneer Dragon Warrior - Swordsman, Ronin Geisha - any unit Kabuki Warrior - Crossbowman,Cannoneer Dragon Peasant - any unit Sumo Cannoneer - Swordsman, Bandit Samurai - Musketeer, Necromancer Spearman - Cannoneer Arah (Zen Master) - Musketeer, Ronin Garrin (Zen Master) - Necromancer, Spirit Warrior Kazan (Zen Master) - Ronin (Metal Shop BG) Otomo (Zen Master) - Raider Tao (Zen Master) - Bandit (Metal Shop BG) Serpent Enemy Counter With -------------------------------------------------------------- Bandit - Cannoneer, Spirit Warrior Cannoneer - Crossbowman, Ronin Crossbowman - Musketeer, Ronin Fan Geisha - Swordsman, Ronin Musketeer - S Warrior, Crossbowman Necromancer - Raider Serpent Peasant - any unit Raider - Crossbowman, Bandit Ronin - Musketeer, Necromancer Spirit - Cannoneer, Fan Geisha Swordsman - Bandit, Necromancer Zombie - Musketeer, Bandit Budo (Zen Master) - Raider, Ronin Shinja (Zen Master) - Bandit (Metal Shop BG) Utara (Zen Master) - Crossbowman,Cannoneer Vetkin (Zen Master) - Spirit Warrior, Cannoneer Wolf Enemy Counter With -------------------------------------------------------------- Ballistaman - Ronin, Fan Geisha Berserker - Cannoneer, Spirit Warrior Brawler - Musketeer, Bandit Druidess - Fan Geisha Hurler - Ronin, Swordsman Mauler - Crossbowman,Musketeer Pack Master - Musketeer Pack Wolf - Fan Geisha, Ronin Wolf Peasant - any unit Pitch Slinger - Cannoneer, Spirit Warrior Sledger - Crossbowman, Necro Werewolf - Musketeer, Spirit Warrior Gaihla (Zen Master) - Swordsman, Ronin Grayback (Zen Master) - Musketeer, Spirit Warrior Longtooth (Zen Master) - Raider The Shale Lord (Zen Master) - Musketeer, Necromancer Lotus Enemy Counter With -------------------------------------------------------------- Blade Acolyte - Bandit, Necromancer Brother Lythis (blades) - Swordsman, Bandit Brother Sehk (staff) - Crossbowman, Raider Brother Tausil (leaf daggers) - Cannoneer, Ronin Channeler - any unit Diseased One - Spirit Warrior, Musketeer Infested One - Musketeer, Fan Geisha Leaf Disciple - Cannoneer, Fan Geisha Master Warlock - Bandit, Raider Lotus Peasant - any unit Staff Adept - Musketeer, Raider Unclean One - Crossbowman,Cannoneer Warlock - Swordsman, Fan Geisha Issyl (Zen Master) - Cannoneer Koril (Zen Master) - Ronin Soban (Zen Master) - Cannoneer, Ronin Zymeth (Zen Master) - Raider, Bandit Miscellaneous Enemy Counter With -------------------------------------------------------------- Horse - Crossbowman Lotus Shadow Steed - Crossbowman Monk - Crossbowman, Necro Ninja - Cannoneer, Spirit Warrior ================================== Serpent Clan Strategies/Tactics ================================== Note: That some of the following Strategies/Tactics listed bellows are contributed by the readers of the guide if you wish to contribute like they did just follow the E-Mail Policy. Some of the strategies aren't set in default mode meaning some are probably made with the setting of a high population or maybe the game speed is altered to the fastest. Surprise Attack - The surprise attack works this way. Train as much Bandits as you wish and give them the Battle Gear that leaves them invisible like the Ninja's Battle Gear. Take them near the enemy base and turn their BG on. Take them deep into your enemies' rice field and turn them off. It'll surprise your enemy and slow his rice production down. - Ezreal Empire Crossbow Rush! - Early in the game train an army of 3 to 5 crossbowmen and if possible with the weaken shot BG. Accompany them with a Fan Geisha or two and rush them to your enemy. The Crossbowmen's Weaken Shot can easily take any early game units out this rush tactic can slow down your enemy or if possible it could force him to loose the game. - ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ Musketeer Rush! - The strat is much like the X-bow Rush. After training 3 to 5 Musketeers rush them to your enemies right away. Continuously train Musketeers and keep them coming to your enemy base. - ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^ All-for-one and one-for-all Musketeer Strategy - This is a fairly simple strategy but could give a very devastating result. Train 10 or so Musketeers and give them the Sniper Scope Battle Gear. Then, Train 4-8 swordsmen 3/4 have the glass sword Battle Gear and the remaining 1/4 have the mugging BG. This' fairly simple, the activate the Musketeers Sniper Scope for dealing long range attacks at the back line while the swordsmen take care of the melee battle. The mugging BG is for those pesky heroes/kabukis/over-powered battle gears and the glass sword's for easily dealing with melee units. - Amugaba Empires Defensive Strategy 101 - Having problems with those pesky enemy units that has been attacking you from different directions forcing you to split the 4 watch towers in to groups of two? All you have to do is train Cannoneers with their mine laying Battle Gear. Lay mines on every parts of the possible attacking side of the enemy and man it down with atleast A group of Ronnin Blood Bonded on Fan Geishas and leave at least 4 or so Cannoneers as a defense with that your base will becoma an impenetrable Fortress. Your enemy should find your Ronins almost indestructable being blood bonded on fan geishas and the fan geisha healing them. - (-)ad3$ Empire Girl Power - If you play Battle Realms just to have fun then you could try this one out! Train Only Fan Geisha and as much as possible upgrade their 3 upgrades the health, damage and the stamina use when healing. A horde of 20 Fan Geisha can be indestructable and if possible give them the Razor Fan BG that can help them out. As they engage on melee combat they can wipe any units or heroes up since they're in hordes they'll be healing each other as soon as they can. Imagine this : 10 Fan Geisha engaging in melee combat that can heal themselves and the other 10 healing their team mates just be sure to add in a Fan Geisha with a Dark Pact BG. - Ezreal Empire The strategies found below are taken from www.battlerealms.ubi.com. I claim no copyright with the strategies below. Vetkin's "Bravado" - The Vetkin's Bravado Battle Gear robs stamina from all nearby units, so it is especially useful for disabling the life- giving abilities of the Geisha for a short time. It is also useful for robbing melee units of their running ability. If Vetkin does this and leads them back to nearby missile units, they'll get extra shots off before the enemy can close in. Hit & Run - Develop a force of about 10 Musketeers with Sniper Scope, 3 Cannoneers with Mines, and 3 Raiders with Caltrops, then get a few Ronin and a few Fan Geisha to use as your primary offensive force. Park your force away from your enemy's main base. Lay down a minefield leading from you to the edge of their line of sight. Then take your Caltrop- Raiders and run them to the base (going through the mine-field, of course). Hit the first building you see a few times, to get their troops rallied against you. Immediately switch on the Caltrops and dart to your main force, through the minefield. Switch on the Musketeer Sniper Scopes. As the enemy approaches you, they're faced with Caltrops and Mines. Ff they get through all that, they still need to get past the Snipers, which should blow them to pieces. Once this force is dispatched, send in your Raiders to burn everything down. Necromancer Safe Haven - Put a Necromancer in a watchtower and he'll raise zombies from the dead corpses around him while still maintaining a safe distance from enemy units that can directly attack him. The Power of the Raider - This isn't a killer combo but more of an informative strategy on how to most effectively use a Raider. The Raider, at first glance, seems like weak unit. He is fast, even for a Serpent Clan warrior, and has the ability to burn down buildings. A Raider's ability to perform hit-and-run tactics is second to none. They are most efficient when used with the Brushfire Battle Gear or the Caltrop Battle Gear. By using the Raider to simply attack one building until its gone and moving onto the next simply doesn't utilize the unit to its fullest potential. Move your Raider(s) to a new target as soon as the building has caught fire. The building will fall on its own and you'll still have time to light up other buildings as well. Burning buildings will hurt nearby enemy units and other buildings so hitting multiple structures can create have devastating results. A Raider with Brushfire has numerous good uses. You can clear out forests, thus preventing surprise attacks, and you can also destroy enemy rice fields. This is particularly effective since it slows down the peasants' ability to harvest rice. So while your running around the enemy town burning things, take some time hinder resources as well. Caltrops are also quite effective, if used properly. They can damage objects that are behind the Raider as he moves from a location. Used in conjunction with hit-and-run tactic, this style of attack can put a good hurt on your enemy. You can light a few buildings on fire, and when you see the enemy coming to get you, run away and leave caltrops behind. If the enemy attempts to follow, they will likely be wounded by the caltrops. This would be a good time to have melee units ready to help fend off anyone that chases after the Raider. (This can be quite fun when you set up a minefield of deadly caltrops and lead the enemy into them). ========================== An Almost Cheating Trick ========================== This is a keep out part to those who wishes not to ruin their game with cheats and only intended to those who wishes to just have a simply have fun playing the game or to even up with somebody who's using another cheat. An almost Cheating Trick - Instant Yin Point Trick - You can easily earn Yin points just by attacking trees with a Ronin with a Yin Blade Battle Gear. Just force attack the tree and turn on his Battle Gear and you'll get easy Yin Points. An almost Cheating Trick - Instant Yin Point Trick - You can also earn extra Yin Points by force attacking the water/river/pond/water source with a Ronin with a Yin Blade Battle Gear. You'll earn extra Yin Points but not that fast like the other trick. An almost Cheating Trick - Unlimited Necromancer Trick - You can duplicate, triplicate or quadruplicate your Necromancer with this trick. This trick requires a long time due to the things you have to do. First, build a Necromancer Throne and summon your first Necromancer. Train a Ronin with the Blood Bond Battle Gear and Blood Bond it to the Necromancer. Take your Necromancer on a watchtower and load the Necromancer's Throne with another batch of Ronins. Now, take the Blood Bonded Ronin to an enemy base and have him get killed. You'll notice that it won't be easy because he blood bonded to a Necromancer so you won't just get another Necromancer but you can also inflict a bit damage to the enemy with your Ronin. Ones the Blood Bonded Ronin dies another Necromancer will be summoned automatically in the Necromancer's Throne. Repeat and Rinse. An almost Cheating Trick - The Invisible Horse - You can bring up an invisible horse and make a military unit floating in mid-air. All you have to do is this. Go take 3 or so units far away from the stable. Make a peasant get a horse as a pack horse. Dismount it and have all 3 units you selected earlier to run to ride the horse before they could even go near the horse make the same Peasant take the horse back to the stable. This may require quite a practice to master and may take much time than the regular taming horse and stuff but it's useable when there are few horses or the number of your horse is minimum. *Unsure but tested* An almost Cheating Trick - ?Duplicating Hero? - Do the Necromancer trick but instead have a hero take the place of the Necromancer after going over the usual steps you'll notice the picture of the hero turn white which is click-able but when you try clicking on it the same hero won't same out of the keep. You'll also notice that when the Hero died up on the Watch Tower using the Necromancer trick the status of the hero in the keep will be "recovering hero's spirit" pretty weird huh? But nonetheless a good step for those who discover cheats and stuffs. This maybe the first step into it. ======================= Serpent Rushing Guide ======================= To begin with why do we use Rush Tactic? Well, to simply gain the upper hand during a battle and to simply weaken the opponent or completely beat him/her right away. Rushing is a good idea to diminish/drain resources of your enemy and slow him/her down and possibly lead to your early victory. Mainly, Serpent Clan is good at both rushing and long term battle which other clans are good at only one aspect. Of course there are another clan who is a good rusher as well and that is the wolf clan. Rushing could set the tide in your side and may cause your opponent to defend the whole time in the game. After Rushing What's next? After rushing it may either affect the game a lot and maybe a positive effect to you or a negative one. If the rush fails then here comes the so called "turtling" which maybe famous for most players uses this tactic and waste hours and hours defending. Okay, enough of it so what are possible rushes? Every 1st-tier units are rush units. Like Lord Eric in the BR Forum said "Every unit is capable of being a rusher or a rushing unit only the effectiveness of it differs" meaning let say a chemist can be a rusher or maybe a swordsman can be a rusher only the effectiveness rushing with the said units differs. Here's a basic build order for any possible rush tactics: * Start of with 2 peasants * Build 2 Peasants hut (1 near the water source, 1 near the rice field) * Waypoint the Peasant Hut to the rice field and toggle off the other peasant hut that's far away from the rice field. *Assign only 2 Peasant to gather water and the rest on rice. *Take 2 peasants and start building any military buildings (e.i. Tavern, Alcehemist Hut or Sharpshooter's Guild) There! That's the basic build order. Practicing this basic strat before going further would be a good idea. After building the first military structure keep on training and training 1st-tier units until you have a decent number of it like 4 or 5 then rush them away. Note that this basic strat (strat or strategy by the way) can lead you into making your own rushing strategy. I'll be writing down some of the possible effective rushing methods and their build order, if possible, as well. Musketeers Rush a.k.a. Musks Rush --------------------------------- Very effective against the Dragon Clan but beware when using this against a Lotus Clan. Leaf Disciples owns Musketeers but with proper micro managing this would shine out. Same problem when fighting a good Wolf User, Maulers will take full advantage of Musks but with enough hit and running the Musks will stand out victorious. *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Water Source |-> Peasant 1 and 2 will now be the only water gatherer throughout the game |-> Toggle the Peasant Creation after the 2nd P.Hut is built. *Take 1 Peasant to build a P.Hut near the Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Take 2 Peasants to build an Alchemist Hut |-> After Building rally 1 of the P.Hut to it |-> Keep training Musketeers *Build another Alchemist Hut |-> Rally the other P.Hut to it |-> Keep on training Musks |-> There must be at least 2 Peasants to keep gathering rice *Rush a group of 4 to 5 musketeer to your opponent |-> Now rally both Alchemist to your opponent *Upgrade all possible upgrade for Musks |-> Start with the Musks damage Swordsman Rush a.k.a. Swords Rush --------------------------------- Swordsman is much faster than Musketeers but their resistance is low. Pumping out Swordsman is much faster than pumping out Musketeers. They're good against Lotus Units but the effectiveness isn't as high as Musks or Crossbowman's Rush. Possibly the most Basic yet an average rated rush. *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Water Source |-> Peasant 1 and 2 will now be the only water gatherer throughout the game |-> Toggle the Peasant Creation after the 2nd P.Hut is built. *Take 1 Peasant to build a P.Hut near the Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Take 2 Peasants to build a Tavern |-> After Building rally 1 of the P.Hut to it |-> Keep training Swordsman *Build another Tavern |-> Rally the other P.Hut to it |-> Keep on training Swordsman |-> There must be at least 2 Peasants to keep gathering rice *Rush a group of 5-7 Swordsman to your opponent |-> Now rally both Tavern to your opponent *Upgrade all possible upgrade for Swords |-> Start with it's damage and if possible with it's health Crossbowman Rush a.k.a. X-Bow Rush ----------------------------------- The X-Bow Rush's effectiveness is as high as the Musks they pump our faster like the swordsman but not as powerful as the Musks though not that good resistance but they could pummel any Clans better. Probably a 2nd rushing try if the Musk rush doesn't work on your first battle. They're weak on structures but you won't be needing them to deal with it anyway not until he/she is completely beaten. A good hit and run unit. *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Peasant 1 and 2 builds Peasant Hut near Water Source |-> Peasant 1 and 2 will now be the only water gatherer throughout the game |-> Toggle the Peasant Creation after the 2nd P.Hut is built. *Take 1 Peasant to build a P.Hut near the Rice Source |-> Rally the P.Hut to the Rice Field *Take 2 Peasants to build a Sharpshooter's Guild |-> After Building rally 1 of the P.Hut to it |-> Keep training X-Bowman 1**OR**1Build another Sharpshooter's Guild |-> Rally the other P.Hut to it |-> Keep on training X-Bowman |-> There must be at least 2 Peasants to keep gathering rice Evaluation: Fast yet effective with a little risk against early units. Very effective against a good opponent. 2**OR**2Build a Thieves Guild |-> Bestow your X-Bowman with Weaken Bolts |-> Rally the Sharpshooter's Guild to it Evaluation: Not as Fast as Building two S.Guild but the risk is lesser when encountering early units. Consider this path if you know your opponent a lot. *Rush a group of 3 to 5 X-Bow to your opponent |-> Now rally either the T.Guild or the S.Guild to your opponent *Upgrade all possible upgrade for X-Bowman |-> You need 4 Yin points so don't bother Ugrading any of it save it for your Cannoneers or other units. =-=-=-=-=-=-= YET TO COME =-=-=-=-=-=-= * Mounted Swords/Musks/X-Bow Rush * The Swords and Musks Rush * F.Geisha's safe Swords/Musks/X-Bow Rush * Contributor's Rush =========== Credits =========== o Major Thanks to Liquid for designing the game and to Ubi Soft for releasing this great game same goes to Crave Entertaiment. o Thanks to the viewers/readers of this guide. This won't be called a guide without anyone being guided/helped. o Major thanks to the Battle Realms Official Website where I found most of what you could see like the units ability, battle reference guide etc... o Major Gratitude to those guys in the Battle Realms Forum they've helped me a lot!! Thanks... o Thanks to my friends who contributed in the strategy section they're ^Evil^Tyrant^Gyl^, ^Ezreal Empire^, (-)ad3$ Empire, Amugaba Empire Thanks guys. o Thanks to "ATadeo" I got this whole Layout thingy from his guides. o And last but not the least, thanks to GameFaqs for hosting over a million game guides and for being the best site in the world. "CJayC" deserves every single credit given to him. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= (c) Copyright February 2002 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=