Белиарх, что не так с интерфейсом, что именно стало убогим?

Отличная новость!

Вопрос - стоит ли ставить патч 1.6 или играть лучше со стабильным 1.54?

У меня сейчас стоит скачанная с этого сайта версия 1.54 + там длл файлик для вин 7 с этого же сайта, больше ничего не ставил.

Beware of Obsession
(Epilepsy Warning 1200 A.D.)

Woe to the brave knights of the kingdom. Sit not too long before the moving illusions of Laterna Magica. Terrible inhabitants of the darkest corners of hell wait to seize you with the falling sickness and will plague you with red hot pokers.

Moderation is every warrior’s duty. That you never miss the hours of prayer and the vespers, so that body and soul are ready for the rigors of war and government.

For king and country
Be ready with heart and hands

Lay your sword and shield aside, turn on your computer and start Windows. Place the CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive. «Вторая Корона» uses the AutoRun feature of Windows and therefore a start menu with several options appears automatically. Please click on the «Установить игру» button. This starts the installation wizard.

First of all, you must choose in which directory «Вторая Корона» is to be installed. If you agree with the pre-set default directory, «C:\Program Files\Вторая Корона», click on «Далее», otherwise click on «Обзор». Clicking on «Обзор» gives you the option to enter the target path and hard disk manually, or you can select an already existing directory from the list of sub directories. The installation hard disk can be changed from the drop down list below. Notice that «Вторая Корона» requires approximately 450 MB of free space on your hard disk. When you have chosen an appropriate directory, click on «OK» and then on «Далее».

Now the choice of the desired directory for the Windows Start Menu follows. A new directory with the name «Вторая Корона» will be created as default. If you want to use another name for the directory, change the default setting in the corresponding window or select an already existing directory from the drop down list. Click on «Далее» to start copying the installation data. By clicking on the «Отмена» button you can stop the installation at any time. After the installation is complete, click on «Готово».

It is also necessary to have DirectX 8.0 or higher installed. If you have installed a new game recently you probably already have it and this will not be necessary. If you are unsure whether DirectX is present on your computer, please click on «DirectX 8.0» button in the AutoRun menu and follow the directions on the screen.

«Ah, the king’s new herald honors me with his presence. Please take a seat good sir. I have an excellent brandy in my desk which has just been waiting for such an auspicious occasion. The war has lasted many years and until now the rebels have always been victorious. Sadly, the first born son of our monarch is the leader of these scoundrels.

„How can it have come to this?“, you may well ask. It is along story...

King Karolus had reigned unchallenged and uncontested for many years and was loved as much by his subject as by his vassals. His judgments were fair and his rule was wise. Hardly a soul in his regency suffered from hunger or was plagued by worries. Of course, in the beginning, there were some who were discontent and some baron would rise up and reach for the crown, but King Karolus would quash every attempt in the bud, the rebels learned that Karolus could also rule with an iron fist when the need arose.

He stood against his adversaries with fire and sword and did not rest until none, who would dare to contend his right to rule were left alive. The county was at peace so that trade and crafts could blossom and grow to unimaginable success.

Then, as an heir to the throne was born, everything seemed to be at its very best. The hour of Prince Lothar’s birth was over shadowed by some bad omens, which is why His Majesty hurriedly had the horoscope of the young prince made up. None less than the renowned master, Johann von Moorbach consulted the stars about the destiny of the heir to the throne.

The wise man prophesized that the young prince had a glowing future, no one would be his equal, a tower in battle and would become a victorious commander. His name alone as a battle cry would suffice in filling the hearts of his enemies with unconfined fear and horror.

Prince Lothar had the cleverest minds in the entire kingdom as his tutors and mentors and he was for them a very attentive student. He was especially talented in the crafts of war, whether with bare fists or with the sword but also proved to be a born leader. He demonstrated his tactical skills for the first time in his campaign against the wild, uncivilized inhabitants of the high north, who descended onto the borders of our realm.

The breach between father and son came gradually. At that time no one could see the dark clouds gathering over the king’s palace. Prince Lothar had always been an obedient son, the pride of his family and an honorable knight, flawless and fearless. The young prince was hardly out of his boyhood when his Majesty decreed he should rule as governor in a small province. At the time I also spoke in all modesty for the king’s decision. The king was of the opinion that it would be possible for the heir to the throne to learn how to govern not only from his tutors and books. No one was surprised as the crown prince mastered this task with ease.

In only two years, the sleepy province became a flourishing town and the most important regional market. Through excessive harvests and the intensive exploitation of new sources of raw materials the seat of the prince became wealthy and was in the position of being able to support a large militia to keep up law and order.

The prince also had a palace built in which he accommodated dozens of young knights. Every meal was served on gold crockery, the finest wines from the south were brought to their tables and jugglers minstrels and dancing girls entertained the prince‘s noble followers, while they enjoyed the very best food.

Because at that time peace ruled overall in the country the prince and his subjects began to get bored, and although, hunts, tournaments and military maneuvers were organized for their motivation, conflicts arose between the knights and country people in the neighboring provinces. During one such conflict a man was killed and a mill was burned down. There were a lot of witnesses who could state that it was followers of the prince who were responsible for this dastardly deed, and Baron Gottfried, whose subjects were involved, went to the king to bring charges against Prince Lothar's dastardly knights.

With a heavy heart, but without hesitation King Karolus passed his judgment over the dishonorable brigands. „Death by hanging!“ a mounted messenger was sent to bring the prince the judgment with the royal seal. The messenger never again saw the capital city and my inquiries revealed that the courier apparently never reached Lothar’s province. Royal messengers are under the personal protection of the king, and Karolus was terribly angry at the loss of his loyal subject.

The king ordered your predecessor, Herald Hilpert von Rodgau to bring the prince a second document and ordered half of his life guards to accompany the herald to ensure that this time justice was done.

Prince Lothar did not treat the king’s herald with appropriate respect and left him waiting for days for an audience until the good natured Herald Hilpert had had enough and forced a discussion, flanked on either side by the king’s guard. Lothar was annoyed at the disturbance of peace in his home and refused to carry out his father’s instructions.

The composure and prudence of the old herald has in the meantime become a legend in the kingdom, with all his energy he tried to persuade the young prince to reconsider his disobedience. The prince did not listen to the herald's pleadings, but increased the gravity of the matter by even insulting that worthy old man, whereupon the king's retinue departed for the capital to carry to the king the sorry tidings of his son's scorn for the royal oath of duty and faith the crown.

Upon hearing the news, our king likened a man struck down. He consulted with the herald and my own humble self for many hours, until at last, he was convinced. He judged that his son should be removed from his position of governor. Yet again, an emissary was dispatched to the prince, only to return a few days later with the answer; Prince Lothar refused to give up his privileges and would never leave his new home! Verily, now was the king beside himself with rage, and dispatched an army against his rebel son, to force the prince through military might to adhere to his oath of allegiance.

The prince, had in the meantime built up a large army of his own, which indeed taught the king's troops a lesson in military tactics. The king’s general, defeated by a provincial army, returned to the capital. With countenance reddened with anger and trembling voice, the king declared his son an outcast and forthwith an enemy of the realm.

With the first blow of the sword all the land was plunged into civil war, and many barons joined forces with the traitor prince, hoping to gain rich rewards and new lands.

The following years were full of sadness and suffering for those who remained loyal to the king. The prophecies of the master, Johann von Moorbach, had indeed proven to be true, but it was Prince Lothar's own countrymen who fell into a state of terror and panic at the mere mention of his name. Those who have not been destroyed through the cruelties of war or mercenary plundering were killed by plague or starvation.

Good herald, you have before you a task of eminent importance. This is our last place of refuge, no further retreat can be made, and we can expect no mercy from our enemies.

But do not be too impetuous in your haste to confront the enemy, noble herald! Before going headlong into battle, I would suggest a ride through the lands remaining to us would be a great benefit to you. Certainly, it would interest you greatly to learn more about the trading practices and ways of our simple folk.»

After starting the game and watching the introduction videos, the main menu screen appears.

Here you can choose in which way you want to play the game, whether it is against the computer (campaign) or against a friend (multiplayer).

Учебник — Starts the training mode. Before you move into real battles, you should play the tutorial to learn how to defeat your opponents.
Кампания «Война и Мир» — Starts the campaign «Война и Мир».
Кампания «Вторая Корона» — Starts the campaign «Вторая Корона».
Одиночная миссия — Starts a game allowing you to play network scenarios in single player.
Загрузить игру — Continues an old campaign.
Сетевая игра — Starts a game for several players (network).
Авторы — A list of the people who worked together to develop this game.
Выйти из игры — Exits the game.
Разрешение — Here you can adjust the screen resolution (possible settings: 800х600, 1024х768, 1280х960 and 1280х1024).

In this game mode you can train before you send your noble warriors into battle. Choose one of the desired missions from the seven listed below and then start the game.

Generally speaking, when you are in the multiplayer mode, clicking «Выйти» returns you to the previous menu.

The game in this mode is identical to single player mode and differs only in respect of the messages and alliance functions.