Empire Master allows two people on two computers to play against each other over an Appletalk‚Ñ¢ network, provided both computers have System 7 or higher installed and program linking is enabled.
To set up a network game, one player should start up Empire Master and just wait. The other player (on another computer) must select Person vs. Person in the game parameters dialog and start a game. When it is time for each player to move the game will ask if the player is “here” or on “Appletalk”. Decide which player should use which machine and answer those questions. When you indicate that a player is on Appletalk you will use a browser dialog similar to the standard file dialog to locate the other computer.
Once the connection is established you play the game normally, except you must wait for the other player to move. Restarting a saved two player game works similarly. Either player may save the game and initiate a restart.
There are, unfortunately, some problems with network play. Both machines must be using system 7 or higher because earlier versions of the system software don’t have enough appletalk support built in. The “simultaneous” option is ignored (but should be off) when you play over a network. You must alternate turns. This is a limitation in the game, and might be fixed in the future. Finally, you may get messages indicating that a “Timeout” has occured, with the option to Quit or Keep Waiting. This seems to be caused by the system software. It is annoying, but if you Keep Waiting it seems to eventually sort things out correctly.
