ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Seven Cities of Gold, the classic adventure that has spanned the history of the
computer game era, was reincarnated for the PC at Interactive Designs in
1992. The fledgling company was founded by Rod and Nancy Nakamoto and
was selected by Electronic Arts to develop Seven Cities because of their
groundbreaking graphical designs on previous projects throughout the
industry. The Nakamotos, both veteran programmers and designers, began
working out of their home – like so many of the pioneers of computer games
– and with the help of programmers like Chris Warner and Robert Morgan
quickly gained the reputation that allowed them to establish Interactive
Designs in Diamond Bar, California in 1990. Having begun the groundwork
on Seven Cities themselves, Rod and Nancy brought in the programming
talents of Jim Tomasko and Mike Terlecki to write the code and set loose their
innovative team of artists, Maureen Kringen, Mira Ross, Ann Pickard and
Rachel Coleman to create the world. Composers Paul Gadbois and Dave Delia
then brought that world to live with music and sound. Project Manager Mark
Nausha looked upon the world and saw that it was good and so Seven Cities of
Gold was reborn for a whole new generation of armchair adventurers.
 PLEASE PAY TO PLAY
OR SOON YOU’LL HAVE NO
NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER

Developers of computer simulations use the money they make from the sale
of their products to stay in business. If potential customers steal their goods
and services, prices must be raised to compensate for the losses. Soon
legitimate customers can’t afford to pay the higher prices, and everyone loses.

SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD was produced for your enjoyment through the
combined efforts of a dedicated team at Electronic Arts. We – designers,
artists, programmers, and other committed professionals – depend on you to
pay a fair price for our software so we can afford to create and develop new
and better games. We encourage you to play and enjoy SEVEN CITIES OF
GOLD with your friends, but please don’t make illegal copies of the program
for them.

Electronic Arts supports the industry’s effort to fight against illegally copying
personal computer software. Thank you for helping us in our effort to control
software costs by eliminating software theft. And please remember, copying
computer software for any other reason than to make a backup is a violation
of federal law. Individuals who make illegal copies of this software are subject
to civil and criminal penalties.

1
 Table of Contents
Installing the Game on a Hard Drive ....................4
Starting A Game......................................................7
Selecting Options .....................................................7
Getting Started: The Main Menu ..........................8
Object of the Game...................................................9
Game Levels .............................................................9
Winning the Game .................................................9
The Game Options Menu........................................10
Saved Games ............................................................11
In Spain ....................................................................12
Movement.............................................................12
The King and Queen ............................................13
The Commissioner ...............................................13
The Harbor Master ..............................................16
Ships...................................................................17
Men ....................................................................17
Equipment.........................................................18
Shove Off...............................................................19
Under Sail.................................................................19
Movement.............................................................19
The Overhead View .............................................20
The Sea Exploration Options Screen .................21
The New World.......................................................23
Landfall .................................................................23
The Overhead View .............................................23

2
 Overland Speed ....................................................23
The Land Exploration Options Screen...............23
Mapping................................................................26
Settlements ...........................................................27
Equipment Caches ...............................................28
Exploring & Trading ...........................................29
Native Villages ..................................................29
Native Encounter Menu ..................................30
Talking to a Chief..............................................31
Trading with a Chief........................................32
Native Guides ....................................................33
Ambushes ..........................................................34
Gold.....................................................................34
Burial Grounds..................................................35
Returning to the Ship.......................................36
A Note About Food Consumption...........................36
Back to the Old World.............................................36
Credits .......................................................................37

3
 Installing the Game on a Hard
Drive
1. There is only one disk for Seven Cities of Gold (hereafter called 7COG in
the installation instructions.) Insert the disk in your floppy drive, type A:
and press Enter. (This assumes that you are using drive A. If you are using
a different drive, type the correct drive letter and press Enter.)

2. Type INSTALL and press Enter.

3. Once the install program loads, the installation screen will appear.

There are a number of options listed at the bottom of the installation

screen that are available prior to installation. Press the appropriate
FUNCTION key to use an option:

F1 Help: This gives you EA’s customer support phone number .

F2 Visit DOS: Go to a DOS shell. Type EXIT to return to the install

program.

F3 System Summary: This will give you a hardware summary of your

computer.

F9 Exit: Quit the installation program and return to DOS.

4
 If you do not want to use any of the FUNCTION key options, you can
begin to install 7COG onto your hard drive. The installation menu lists
these three options:

Install Seven Cities of Gold – Commemorative Edition

Configure Sound
Exit

To leave the installation program and return to the DOS screen, highlight
“Exit” and press Enter. To begin installation, highlight “Install Seven Cities
of Gold – Commemorative Edition” and press Enter. You’ll then be asked
what subdirectory you’d like to install the game to, and you’ll see a list of
available hard drive partitions. Highlight the drive you want and press
Enter.

4. Next, enter a name for the 7COG subdirectory. The default name is
7CITIES. If you accept this name, press Enter to begin installing the game.
If you want to rename the subdirectory, press backspace over the default
name and type in a name of your choice. Remember to use a valid 8-
character DOS name for the subdirectory.

5. Once the installation is complete, you can set up the game to run properly
with your sound board.

Highlight CONFIGURE SOUND and press Enter. If you have the SET
BLASTER variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the installation will detect
this and prompt you that it has been found. You can then run a test to
verify that the game will run properly with the current sound settings. If
you hear the digitized sound effect when you run the test, then everything
will be fine when you play Seven Cities.
5
 If the SET BLASTER variable isn’t set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you will
have to manually select and configure the game for your sound card,
using the following steps:

• Highlight the sound board installed in your computer.

and press Enter.

• Enter the Digital Audio Port that your sound card is set to and press
Enter. In most cases, this will be 220, the default setting. If you have
changed this setting, please highlight and select the correct port address
and press Enter.

• Enter the IRQ number that your sound card is set to and press Enter. In
most cases, this will be 7, the default setting. If you have changed this
setting, please highlight and select the correct IRQ number and press
Enter.

• Finally, you can test the settings you have selected. Press Y to execute
the sound test. If you hear a digitized sound effect, then everything is set
up correctly and the game will run properly with your sound card. If there
is a problem, a message will be displayed. You should then re-enter the
port and IRQ settings and run the test again. Refer to the manual that
came with your sound card for assistance.

6) Once you have completed installation and sound configuration, the

program will return to the main menu. You can now quit the installation
and start a game. See the Starting A Game section of this manual
(immediately following) for information.

6
Starting A Game
To run the game:

1. Type C: and press Enter. (This assumes that your hard drive letter is C. If
it isn’t, type the appropriate letter and press Enter.)

2. Type CD\7CITIES and press Enter. If you gave the subdirectory a name
other than 7CITIES, type the directory name after CD\ and press Enter.

3. Type 7COG and then press Enter to start playing Seven Cities of Gold.

Selecting Options
In most cases, you select Options as described below. Any exceptions to this
are noted. (NOTE: There is no mouse support in Seven Cities of Gold.)

With the Keyboard

The Ctrl key is the main action key in the game.

Use the up/down arrow keys, or 8 and 2 keys on the numeric key pad to
highlight Options. To select a highlighted option, press Ctrl.

Press Alt to execute the last Exploration option you selected. For instance, if
you recently highlighted and selected See Map, press Alt to See Map again.

With the Joystick

Press the joystick up/down to highlight the Options. To select a highlighted
Option, press joystick button 1.

7
 Press joystick button 2 to execute the last Exploration option you selected. For
instance, if you recently highlighted and selected See Map, press joystick
button 2 to See Map again.

Getting Started: The Main Menu

There are five options from which to choose at the beginning of the game.

Start New Historical Game

Begins the historical Seven Cities scenario. This scenario takes place in North &
South America.

Start New Random World Game

Sets up and begins a random game. Your computer will generate land masses,
populate them with Natives, and stock them with Resources.

Restore Saved Game

Restarts a previously saved game. This option appears only if you have a
saved game.

Use Joystick
Switch from keyboard controls to joystick controls. After you select this option,
press button 1 on your joystick to activate it, or press Esc to cancel the option.

Use Keyboard
Toggle keyboard controls on/off. This selection will appear only if you select
Use Joystick.

Quit to DOS
Return to the DOS screen and quit playing Seven Cities of Gold.
8
Object of the Game
The object of Seven Cities of Gold is to explore a New World, find and gather
resources, trade with Native peoples, and establish Missions, Forts, and
Settlements to spread the rule of the King & Queen you serve.

Game Levels
There are 3 difficulty levels in Seven Cities of Gold: Novice, Journeyman, and
Expert. The Level Selection requester will appear immediately after you select
the kind of game you want, Historical or Random. Select the Game Level you
want at this time.

Game Level determines the amount of gold you have at the beginning of the
game:

Novice 2500 gold

Journeyman 2000 gold
Expert 1500 gold

You need gold to buy and equip your ships at the beginning. The less gold you
begin with, the more challenging it is to successfully begin the game. See the
Harbor Master section of this manual for more information.

Winning The Game

To win Seven Cities of Gold, you must establish the following Settlements in
the New World:

1 Colony
1 Mission
3 Forts

9
 You have 10 voyages to establish these settlements. On your return visits to
the Royal Court, you will be granted promotions based on your progress. If
you establish the required settlements within the allotted time, you will be
appointed Viceroy of the New World and are free to continue your
explorations. If you do not meet the victory conditions within 10 voyages, you
can continue to explore the New World for as long as you wish, but without
royal patronage. You will no longer be granted audiences with the King &
Queen and no longer be awarded promotions.

You can continue to explore the New World even after you’ve won – there is
likely to be a lot of territory left to explore after you’ve made 10 voyages
and established the required settlements.

The Game Options Menu

Press Esc to call up the Game Options Menu. You can use this menu while in
Spain, at sea, or exploring the New World.

Use Joystick
Toggle joystick controls on/off.

Use Keyboard
Toggle keyboard controls on/off. This selection will appear only if you select
Use Joystick.

Save Game
Save the current game. See the Saved Games section of this manual for more
information.

10
Main Menu
Go to the Main Menu. A requester box offering the options Cancel or Main
Menu will appear. Select cancel to leave the Game Options Menu, or select
Main Menu if you are sure you want to go to the Main Menu. Note: Going to
the Main Menu during gameplay will quit the current game without saving.
Consider whether you want to Save your current game before going to the
Main Menu.

Cancel
Leave the Game Options Menu and continue playing.

Saved Games
You can save up to five games in Seven Cities of Gold

Saving A Game
1. Press Esc to call up the Game Options Menu. Highlight and select Save
Game.

2. Highlight & select the slot in which you want to save the game.
(Remember, there are 5 Saved Game slots.)

3. When the name requester box appears, type in a name for the game you
are saving. Default names for saved games are Game 1 through Game 5.
If you are satisfied with these names, press Enter to save the game and
return to gameplay. If you want to name the saved game something else,
press Back Space until you have erased the default name, enter the
name you want, and press Enter.

11
 Loading A Saved Game
1. If you are loading a Saved Game immediately after Seven Cities of Gold
starts, highlight and select Restore Saved Game from the Main Menu. Then
highlight and select the game you want to load.

2. If you want to load a Saved Game while another game is in progress, press
Esc to call up the Game Options Menu. Highlight and select Main Menu,
and when the requester box appears, highlight and select Main Menu
again. (Note: If you do not save a game in progress before going to the
Main Menu, that game will be lost.) Select Restore Saved Game from the
Main Menu; then highlight and select the game you want to load.

3. Note: If you have only one Saved Game, it will automatically load if you
select Restore Saved Game.

In Spain
Movement
Walking
Keyboard
When you’re using the Keyboard, the Arrow Keys control where you walk. To
walk faster, press the Arrow Keys and Alt at the same time.

Joystick
Push the joystick in the direction you want to go. Press joystick button 2 at the
same time to walk faster.

Opening Doors
To open a door, walk into it.

12
The King & Queen

THE KING AND QUEEN

Your voyage of discovery begins at the Spanish court. First, see the King &
Queen. They will give you your general orders and ask your name. Press Ctrl
to scroll through the King’s message. When the name requester box appears,
type in your name or the name of your adventurous sea captain, and then
press Enter.

After you select a name, you will leave the royal presence and begin
provisioning your expedition. (Note that you will not be granted another royal
audience until you’ve made a voyage to the New World.)

The King & Queen are kept informed on the course of your expedition in the
New World. If your progress has been especially great, they will bestow
promotions upon you during audiences. These promotions are honorary titles,
adding to your prestige but not to your wealth.

The Commissioner
Next, go see the Commissioner. He is the record keeper of your expedition.
There are several options to choose from in his office :
13
 Return to Harbor: Leave the Commissioner’s office.

View New World: Look at the map of your discoveries in the New World.
Before your first voyage, the map will be blank. Press Ctrl to leave this map.

New World
Lands
Discovered

CAPTAIN’S MAP

View Log Book: Look at a written record of your voyages, called the
Captain’s Log.

LOG BOOK
The first page of the Captain’s Log contains an overall record of your journeys
that includes:
14
 Title: Your current rank and name, such as Captain Smith.

New World Discovered : The amount of the land mass of the New World
you’ve discovered plus the ocean surface you’ve explored, given as a
percentage.

Gold Mines Discovered : The number of gold mines you’ve discovered in the
New World, given as a percentage.

Colonies: The number of Colonies you’ve established.

Missions: The number of Missions you’ve founded.

Forts: The number of Forts you’ve built.

Profit To Date: The total profits earned by all your expeditions, given in
gold pieces. If you haven’t earned more gold than you’ve spent, this will
be given as a negative number.

Profit Last Voyage: The total profits earned on your last expedition, given
in gold pieces. If you didn’t earn more gold than you spent, this will be
given as a negative number.

Each subsequent page in the Captain’s Log gives information about a specific
voyage. This information includes:

New World Discovered: The total land mass of the New World discovered
during a voyage, given as a percentage.

Voyage Profit: The profit turned by a voyage, given in gold pieces.

15
 Ships Sunk: The number of ships lost on your last voyage.

Men Lost : The number of Men lost on your last voyage from Native
attacks, starvation, Ships lost, etc.

Forts, Colonies, Missions Established : The number of each of these you’ve

established in the New World.

The Harbor Master

The Harbor Master is the man to see for Ships, Men, and Equipment; the first
of three Provision menus will automatically appear when you walk up to the
Master himself. The amount of gold you’ll have to spend depends on the
Game Level you chose.

There are three Provision Menus: Ships, Men, and Equipment. To page through
them, highlight the category at the top of the screen and press the Left or
Right Arrow Key or push the Joystick left/right to move or browse through
them.

To buy something, highlight it and then press the left arrow key, or press the
joystick left. If you change your mind, use the Right Arrow key or move the
joystick right to take it out of your inventory. When buying, stock up on Food
(or you’ll starve) and Equipment (or you’ll have nothing to trade with the
Native Chiefs).

Keep an eye on the Ship Record in the upper left of the screen. This will tell
you how full your ships are, how much gold you have left, and how many
days of food you have.

16
Ships
Buy as many ships as you think you’ll need for your Expedition. The more
ships you have, the more Men & Equipment you be able to transport to the
New World, and the more riches you’ll be able to bring back to Europe.

Men

MEN

You need Men both to explore the New World and establish the settlements
required to win the game. There are three types of Men available at the
Harbor Master’s: Explorers, Soldiers, and Clergy. Each type has their own
purpose in the New World.

• Explorers
You can’t explore effectively without Explorers. You can’t map what you
explore, nor can you even set sail for the New World, without at least one
Explorer among your men.

• Soldiers
To build Forts, or bigger settlements, in the New World, you have to station
Soldiers in the settlements you establish. They also give an edge in combat.
17
 • Clergy
You need to put Clergy in New World settlements in order for the
settlements to become Missions.

• Horses
Horses are not Men, of course, but they are almost as important, and you
buy them at the same time you sign on Explorers, Soldiers, and Clergy.
Horses can carry a great deal more equipment than Men can. And Men
riding Horses consume food at a slower rate than Men on foot do.

Equipment

On In Harbor
Board Master’s

EQUIPMENT
• Food
The most necessary item is Food. Without Food, your men will starve and
your expedition will fail. And you not only need to buy enough food to
supply your Men while at sea, you must also adequately provision any
settlements you establish. Expeditions that explore the lands of the New
World can often find local Food during their explorations, but you should
make sure they have enough food from your ship’s stores as well. Food
can also be used as trade goods.
18
• Old World Plants
Old World Plants are used to trade with Natives in the New World. It does
not take the place of Food. If your Men have no Food but are well stocked
with New World Plants, they’ll still starve.

• Animals
Like Old World Plants, Animals are also used to trade with New World
Natives and cannot be used as Food.

• Arms
If you are attacked by Natives, you’ll need Arms to protect yourself. Arms
can also be traded with Natives.

To leave the Harbor Master, press Ctrl.

Shove Off
Once you’re stocked up, go to your ship (walk left and you can’t miss it),
move toward the ladder, and you will embark and head out to sea.

Under Sail
Movement
Use the Arrow Keys or Joystick to control the movement of your ship. Look
out for Storms and Reefs as both will severely damage even the stoutest ship.
Storms can occur anywhere, but Reefs are always near the shore.

19
 The Overhead View
Season Landscape/Seascape Date

Weapons Movement
Mode Mode

SEA MAP Men

Food

The Overhead View will always be on screen unless you call up the Sea
Exploration Options Screen (see below). No matter how many ships you have,
only one ship will appear on the Overhead Map. The Overhead View provides
a great deal of vital information:

Season: The current season appears in a box in the upper left of the screen.
The box changes as the seasons do: Snowflakes indicate winter, falling leaves
indicate autumn, a field of flowers means spring, and a sunny pasture means
summer.

Landscape: The type of terrain you’re in appears in a box at the top center
of the screen. While you are at sea, this box will display only water, of course.
But it will change as you approach land.

Date: The current date appears in the upper right of the screen.

Food: Your Days of Food appears in the lower left of the screen.
20
Manpower: The number of Men in your expedition is in the lower right of
the screen. Explorers, Clergy, and Soldiers are combined in the upper number
in this box; the number of Natives appears as the lower number.

The Sea Exploration Options Screen

SEA EXPLORATION OPTIONS SCREEN

There are several options available while sailing. Press Ctrl to call up the
Sailing Options screen. To use an Option, highlight it and press Ctrl or joystick
button 1. To recall the last Option you used, press Alt or joystick button 2. To
leave an option, press Ctrl or joystick button 2 again, or move your ship:

See Map: Look at the map of your explorations. This is a map of nearby
areas, not an all-inclusive New World map.

See Inventory: Look at your current supply levels and number of Men.

Inspect Ship: Check the integrity of your ship’s hull. Integrity is measured
by a line of “ticks”– 50 ticks indicates a perfect hull. As a ship’s hull is
damaged by storms and reefs, its integrity and its number of ticks decreases.

21
 When all a ship’s ticks are gone, the ship will sink. You have 1 line of ticks for
every ship in your fleet.

HULL INTEGRITY SCREEN

Drop Off Men/Equipment: Drop off some of your Men & Equipment when
you reach land to explore the area. You cannot drop off Men or Equipment
while at sea.

Change Weapon Stance: Toggle between weapons equipped and weapons

unequipped. You don’t need to use this option while at sea.

Change Movement Mode: Change from Walking to Riding Horseback.

There must be at least one Horse for every Man in the expedition. Usable only
on land.

Resume Movement: Leave the Options Screen and begin exploring again.

22
The New World
Land Exploration
Landfall
To begin to explore the New World, you need to make landfall. When you
land you want to explore, sail right up to it and press Ctrl to call up the
Options Screen.

Overhead View
The Overhead View in the New World is identical to the Overhead View at sea.
You see the short range surroundings of your Expedition in the middle of the
screen; the Season, Landscape, and Date at the top of the screen; and your
Days of food and Manpower at the bottom of the screen.

Overland Speed
Once you are ashore, your movement rate will be affected by the local
terrain. You’ll walk quickest over open plains, desert of beach; less quickly
through forests/jungles; and most slowly when you’re crossing mountains.

The Land Exploration Options Screen

See Map: Bring up the map of the immediate vicinity. Areas you have not
explored will appear grayish-brown on the map. See the Mapping The New
World section of this manual for more information.

See Inventory: Bring up an inventory of your Expedition’s current

personnel and equipment.

23
 Drop Off Men/Equipment: Leave Men and Equipment to start a
settlement, or leave Equipment only in a Cache. See the Settlements and
Caches sections of this manual for more information.

Change Weapon Stance: Take out swords, or put them away. The Weapon
Stance Indicator is on lower left side of the screen. When the indicator shows a
sword, the Expedition has its weapons at the ready; when the indicator shows
a sheathed sword, weapons are put away.

Change Movement Mode: Change back and forth from travel on foot to
travel on horseback. The Movement Mode Indicator is on the lower right side
of the screen. When the indicator shows a rider on horseback, the Expedition
is riding; when it shows a standing man, the Expedition is on foot.

Resume Movement: Leave the Land Exploration Menu.

When you reach land in the New World, press Ctrl to call up the Exploration
Menu. Then highlight and select Drop Off Men/Equipment to call up the
Expedition Menus. Now you can begin to set up an Expedition. (To leave the
Exploration Menus at any time, press Ctrl again.)

1. The Men Menu will appear first. Highlight the type of Men you want in
your Expedition. Men aboard ship appear on the right side of the Menu,
and Men in your Expedition appear on the left side.

Use the left/right arrow keys to transfer Men back and forth if you’re
using keyboard controls; if you’re using a joystick, press the joystick
left/right to transfer men. You also transfer Horses from this Menu, the
same way you transfer men.

24
 Highlight Men and press the right arrow key, or press the joystick right, to
go to the Equipment Menu.

2. From the Equipment Menu, transfer Food, Old World Plants, Animals, and
Arms from aboard ship to your Expedition the same way you transferred
men. Make sure you take plenty of Food, especially if you plan to establish
any settlements.

Keep an eye on “% Full” indicator in the upper left side of the screen. This
shows how full your expedition is. An expedition is completely full and can
carry nothing more when % Full reaches 100.

3. There is also a New World Items Menu among the Expedition Menus. You
will not need to use the New World Items Menu to set up an Expedition.

If you plan to start a settlement, be sure to keep on an eye on the Ship Record
in the upper right and Party Record in the upper left to make sure everyone
has enough Food. And remember, including Horses in your expedition can
increase its carry capacity and overland speed.

After you’ve set out on land, keep an eye on your Days’ supply of Food by the
Food icon in the lower left hand side of the screen. If you run out of Food,
your Men will immediately begin to starve.

25
 Mapping

Location

Expedition

Explorer’s
Map
DETAIL MAP

Your Expedition will map the area they explore if there is at least one
Explorer along. The Map will show all the different type of terrain and bodies
of water you encounter, as well as your current latitude and longitude. It will
also show Settlements, Native Villages, and other important locations. Each
type of location will be marked by a specific icon:

Ships Red and Gold flag with anchor

Settlements & Caches Red and Gold flag
Native Villages Red dot
Gold Mines Red X

An Expedition will appear on the map as a flashing blue dot in a square white
border.

NOTE: If, for some reason, all the Explorers in an expedition die, not only will
you not be able to map more territory, you will not able to see the territory
previously mapped.
26
Settlements
There are several different kinds of settlement. The nature of a Settlement is
determined by how many and what kind of Men you put there. Soldiers build
Forts and Clergy found Missions; large numbers of any kind of Men turn a
Fort or Mission into a Colony. You usually need some Explorers to round out
most settlements.

There are six classifications of settlement:

Camp
Garrison (only if Soldiers are present)
Station
Fort (only if Soldiers are present)
Mission (only if Clergy are present)
Colony

To create a Settlement:

1. First create an Expedition (see previous section).

2. Include the sort of Men you want in the Expedition (depending on the sort
of Settlement you want to start) and take a long a lot of Food.

3. Find a likely spot for the Settlement. The location of the Settlement is up
to you. Things you might consider when selecting a Settlement site are
proximity to the coast or the nearness of Gold Mines.

4. Press Ctrl to call up the Land Exploration Menu. Select Drop Off
Men/Equipment.

5. When the Men and Equipment Menus appear, you can begin to transfer
27
 them to the Settlement you have created. Transfer Men & Equipment to the
Settlement the same way you transfer them to and from Ships.

6. The upper right-hand side of the screen will show you the type of
Settlement you’ve created and the Days of Food you’ve given it. Again,
make sure you leave plenty of Food; settlers won’t go out to forage the
way Expeditions do.

7. Most importantly, make a careful note of the latitude and longitude of

every settlement you create. It makes them much easier to find on return
voyages.

Resupplying A Settlement
You can resupply a Settlement with Food the same way you supply it when
you first establish it, by transferring Food from an Expedition to the
Settlement.

Equipment Caches
You can leave Equipment behind in a Cache during your explorations on land
and it will still be there when you return. There are several possible reasons
for leaving a Cache, such as leaving behind less valuable items to pick up
more valuable items, to establish landmarks in the wilderness, etc.

To create a Cache:
1. Press Ctrl to call up the Exploration Menu, highlight Drop Off
Men/Equipment, and press Ctrl again. The Men and Equipment Menus will
appear.

2. Transfer items from the Expedition to the cache in the usual way. If you
are leaving Food, keep an eye on your Expedition’s food indicator to make
28
 sure you don’t leave too much. Caches don’t have a maximum capacity, so
you can leave as much in a Cache as you want to. (Note: If you leave Men,
you will create a Settlement and not a Cache.)

3. To retrieve items from a Cache, walk or ride up to it. When the Men and
Equipment Menus appear, transfer the items from the Cache back to your
Expedition in the usual way.

4. On the Overhead View, Caches appear as rounded mounds of earth. On the

map, they appear as flag Icons. When a Cache has been emptied, it will no
longer appear on the Overhead View or Map.

Exploration & Trading

Native Villages
There are several different kinds of Native villages: Hunting, Farming,
Warrior, Advanced, and Cultured. Each type of village has a distinct
appearance on the map.

Chief

Explorer

NATIVE VILLAGE

Walk into a village to make contact with its inhabitants. As soon as possible,
find the village Chief (he has a spear and stands near the center of the 29
 settlement) and try to avoid bumping into anyone else since this sometimes
makes them hostile.

Some settlements react in a hostile manner from the moment you enter: The
inhabitants will attack you on sight. The flash of clashing weapons will tell you
combat has begun. Other natives are curious and will gather around you to
gawk. And some are actually friendly. But even friendly Natives don’t like it if
you bump into them repeatedly; it can even make them hostile. If you bump
into them with your weapons drawn, they will become hostile even more
quickly.

Native Encounter Menu

When you are in a Native Village, press Ctrl or joystick button 1 to call up the
Native Encounter Menu. To select an option on this menu, use the up/down
Arrow Keys or Joystick to highlight it, and press Ctrl or joystick button 1 to
select it.

Change Weapon Stance: Toggle between weapons equipped and weapons

unequipped. Equip your weapons if you’re going to fight. Drawing your
weapons after you’ve entered a Native Village can sometimes antagonize the
inhabitants.

Drop Gift: Drop some equipment to distract or placate the hostiles. You can
drop 1 of any equipment type you’re carrying (1 Animal, 1 Arm, etc.) each
time you use this option. So if you had 30 Animals and highlighted Animals
when you chose Drop Gift, you’d have 29 left afterwards. An inventory list
will appear when you select this option; use the up/down Arrow Keys or
Joystick to highlight the type if equipment you want to drop and then press
Ctrl or the Joystick button 1 to drop it.

30
Amaze the Natives: Use a scientific trick to amaze the Natives. This will
make them scatter (usually).

Cancel: Leave the Native Encounter Menu.

Talking To A Chief
Walk up to the Chief to begin a conversation. Pay attention to the Chief’s
expression and the description of his attitude. These factors can be important
clues about how to approach him.

TALKING TO A CHIEF

If the Chief feels like talking, you’ll have several options:

Want Trade: Open Hand Icon. Offer to trade with the Chief. You will
typically need to give a Chief gifts before you can Trade with him.

Threaten: Hand With Sword Icon. Try to intimidate the Chief. His reaction can
be unpredictable: He may give in, he may threaten you in return, or he may
angrily throw you out of the village. (If a Chief decides to expel you, there is
nothing you can do to stop it; you’ll find yourself outside his village almost
immediately.) If your Threat is successful, you can trade with the Chief.
31
 Give Gift: Hand Holding Objects. Try to get on the Chief’s good side by
offering him gifts. Then choose what to give him by highlighting an item with
the cursor keys or joystick, and press Ctrl or the joystick button 1. The goal is
to make him agreeable to Trading. Different Chiefs want different things;
something one Chief likes might disgust another. The type of village a Chief
controls might give you a hint what to offer him. Experiment to find out what
they want. Keep in mind that a Chief might not want to Trade with you no
matter what you give him.

Amaze Chief: Hands Holding Fire. Astound, impress, and possibly intimidate
the Chief with the wonders of 15th Century science. But keep in mind that
some Chiefs are more sophisticated than others and may react angrily if they
see through your trickery, or you might just bore them.

Beg: Clasped Hands. Beg the Chief for help; he may feel sorry for you and
offer you Food. Or he may not.

Leaving: Waving Hand. Leave encounter with Chief.

Trading With A Chief

Trading with a Chief is similar to acquiring goods from a Harbor Master.
Different Chiefs have different trade goods available, depending on the type
of village they control and their villages’ relative wealth.

Once a Chief responds positively to a Want Trade command, press Ctrl or the
Joystick button 1 to go to the Trading menu.

To move between the 3 categories – Men (Natives), Food, and New World
Items – in the Chief’s inventory, highlight the category and press the
left/right Arrow Key or push the Joystick left/right.
32
To take something, use the Up/Down Arrow Keys or Joystick to highlight it;
then Use the Left Arrow key or push the Joystick left to indicate the amount or
number of that item you want to acquire. If you change your mind, use the
Right Arrow key or move the Joystick right to take it out of your inventory.
Note that New World Items – New World Plants, Spice, Artifacts, and Gold –

Type of
Village

NEW WORLD ITEMS

can be very valuable (especially the Gold). Take as much of it as you can
carry without stinting on food.

When you are through trading, press Ctrl or the Joystick button 2 to leave
the trading menu.

Native Guides
You can also get information from the Natives you have added to your party
through Trading. They can give you important information about local points
of interest, such as where there are food sources, mines, bison, etc. To get
information from a Guide, call up the Exploration option screen by pressing
Ctrl or the Joystick button 1 and select Talk to Native Guide. He will either
say “I see nothing” if there’s nothing around, or let you know if you’re near
or very near something. They can also warn you about places where you
shouldn’t go.
33
 If you have Native Guides in your party, they will automatically help you
forage for food. This will decrease your food consumption.

When you return to Europe with Natives, they will leave your party as soon as
you land.

Ambushes
Sometimes you’ll run into hostile natives away from settlements who will try
to Ambush you. Again, flashing weapons will let you know you’re in a fight.
You can try to run in these situations, but that is not always possible. If you
can’t escape, press Ctrl or the Joystick button 1 to call up the Native
Encounter Menu.

Gold
You can find gold in mines or creeks as well as in Native Villages.

Mines
Sometimes Native Guides will tell you about nearby gold mines, and
sometimes you’ll have to stumble upon gold mines on your own. They are
always associated with mountain ranges. There will usually be some gold in a
mine when you find it, and you can set up a mining operation to get more.
(However, any mine will eventually run out of gold.)

When you find a mine, the Equipment Requester will come up. To pick up the
gold in a mine, highlight Gold on the right side of the screen and transfer it to
the Expedition with the left arrow key or by pressing your joystick left.

To work a mine, you must leave Men (Explorers, Soldiers, Clergy, or Native)
there. Make sure you leave them plenty of food, too. To transfer Men to a
mine, highlight them with the up/down arrow keys or joystick, and transfer
34
them to the mine using the right arrow key or by pressing your joystick right.
Mines don’t have a maximum capacity for Men or Equipment so you can leave
as many there as you want.

Rivers
You can also find gold in rivers. If your Native Guides tell you about “yellow
rocks” nearby, they mean gold. When the Gold requester box appears on
screen, eureka, you’ve struck it rich. To pick up this Gold, press the left Arrow
key or push the Joystick left.

When you find gold in a certain spot in a river, that’s it. You shouldn’t post
Men to “mine” for more, because they won’t find any.

Burial Grounds
Burial Grounds are scattered throughout the New World. Native Guides will
always give you strong warnings to stay away from these “Sacred Grounds”.
And local Natives will get very angry if you disturb nearby Burial Grounds and
will thereafter usually attack you on sight. However, the Artifacts that Burial
Mounds contain are quite valuable.

When you find a Burial Mound, you’ll be asked if you want to examine it,
Y/N? Select Y if you do want to examine it, or select N if you want to leave it
alone. If you select N, you’ll immediately leave the Burial Mound screen.

If you select Y, you can transfer Artifacts from the Burial Mound to your
Expedition. Press the left arrow key, or press the joystick left, to pick up Burial
Mound Artifacts.

Returning to the Ship

To re-embark, walk your party directly up to your Ship. The Men & Equipment
Menus will automatically appear. 35
 Transfer Men & Equipment back on board ship the same way you took them
off: Highlight who or what you want to go back on ship and use the right
arrow keys or press the joystick right to transfer them from the Expedition to
the Ship. You can transfer all Men and Equipment back onboard ship and
return to sea, or you can transfer trade goods you’ve acquired from the
Natives from the Expedition

Keep in mind that Horses carry Equipment and Men. You’ll need to transfer
Equipment onto the ship first, and change your Men’s movement mode from
horseback to walking, before the Horses can go back on your ships.

At least one Explorer will remain on shore to supervise loading all Equipment
and other Men. IT IS IMPORTANT that you don’t forget to put him on board,
too, after everything else is loaded.

Note About Food Consumption

Food Consumption varies. It is slower when you are on board ship than when
you are traveling overland. Terrain and weather can also make it slower or
faster.

Back To The Old World

When you return to Spain (sail East and you’ll find it almost without trying),
you must see the King & Queen first. They will assess your progress, decide if
you deserve to be promoted to a higher rank, and give you suggestions about
what you should do next.

Your goods are automatically cashed in when you return to Spain, so go see
the Harbor Master to buy more stuff for your next voyage.

36
Credits
Original Design: Bill Bunten, Dan Bunten
Additional Design: Michael Kosaka
Programming: Jim Tomasko, Mike Terlecki
Sound & Music: Paul Gadbois, Dave Delia
Graphics: Maureen Kringen, Mira Ross, Ann Pickard, Rachel Wong
Coleman, Isabel Przytarski
Technical Director: Tim Brengle
Project Manager: Mark Nausha
Producer: Chris Wilson
Assistant Producer: Jeff Glazier
Product Testing: Steve Imes, Ken Rogers, Hideki Ikeda
Product Manager: Lisa Higgins
Marketing Art Director: Nancy Waisanen
Documentation: Michael Humes
Documentation Layout: Emily Favors
Quality Assurance: Michael Yasko, Paul “Spanish” Armatta
PROBLEMS WITH THE GAME?
If you are having a problem installing or playing the game, we want to help.
First, please make sure you have read the installation and start-up section of
your manual thoroughly, and make sure you have at least 3.5 megabytes
free on your hard disk. If you have followed the directions in the
documentation, and are still having trouble installing or operating the
software, here are some hints that might help solve the problem. Before
attempting any of the following suggestions, please make sure you are
familiar with the DOS commands being used. Consult your DOS manual for
more information.
TSRs/Device Drivers/DOS shells
TSR stands for Terminate Stay Resident. A TSR is a program that automatically
executes itself when you start up your computer from a hard drive. They are
generally installed in your autoexec.bat file. Device Drivers and DOS shells also 37
are loaded automatically. They are usually installed in your config.sys file.
 These TSRs or Device drivers sometimes interfere with games, or take up
valuable memory the game may need, and it is generally recommended that
you not run any such programs, device drivers, or shells when attempting to
install or play a game.
DOS Boot Disk
If you are having trouble installing your program, experiencing lockups, or
other problems, we suggest you try starting up your system with a DOS boot
disk. Here are the steps for creating a DOS boot disk. Please follow these steps
exactly.
IMPORTANT: To create a DOS boot disk you need a blank disk the same
size as your A: drive.
1. Type C: and press <ENTER>
2. Insert a blank disk into drive A:.
3. Type Format a:/s and press <ENTER>
Note: If you are formatting low density disks on a high density drive, use
the following commands in place of Step 2:
5.25” low density disk: Type Format a: /s /n:9 /t:40 and press
<ENTER>.
3.5” low density disk: Type Format a: /s /n:9 /t:80 and press
<ENTER>.
4. You are prompted to insert a blank disk into drive A:. DO so if you haven’t
already, and press <ENTER>.
5. Once the disk is finished formatting, you are asked to label (name) the
disk. Type in a label or press <ENTER> for no label.
6. You are now asked whether you wish to format another disk. Type N and
press <ENTER>.
7. You now have a DOS boot disk.
Freeing Up Additional Memory Using the DOS Boot Disk
Users with MS DOS 5 or higher: Rather than change your permanent system
software configuration, you can use the Boot Disk and the EMM386 memory
38 manager software included with MS DOS 5.0 or higher to temporarily free up
available memory.
Note: If you are NOT using the EMM386 memory manager, consult your
manufacturers manual for more information on the proper way to load the
program through the CONFIG.SYS file.
Read This Section Completely Before You Begin
1. Back up your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files before editing them so
that you can return to the originals if you have any problems. To back up the
files type “COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS C:\CONFIG.BAK” and press the ENTER key,
then type “COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAK” and press the ENTER
key.
2. Copy the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from the root directory (C:\)
on your hard drive to the root directory (A:\) on the Boot Disk that you have
just created.
Example: At the C:> prompt, type “COPY C:\CONFIG.SYS A:\” and then press
the ENTER key. To copy the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, type “COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
A:\” and then press the ENTER key.
3. Open the copy of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file using the EDIT program from MS
DOS 5.0 or higher:
i. Type “CD\DOS” and then press the ENTER key.
ii. Type “EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT” and press the ENTER key.
4. From the Boot Disk copy of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, delete all lines, except the
following:
PROMPT $P$G
If you have a line that begins, “Path=C:\ ...” then you can leave it also.
5. Save the edited AUTOEXEC.BAT file and open the Boot Disk copy of the
CONFIG.SYS file from within EDIT.
To save, press Alt-F to bring down the File menu and press the “S” key.
To open, press Alt-F, press the “O” key and then type “A:\CONFIG.SYS” and
press the ENTER key.
39
 6. While still in EDIT, delete all lines from the Boot Disk copy of the
CONFIG.SYS file EXCEPT the following:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
If you do not have these lines, enter them now. If the HIMEM.SYS and
memory manager file are not located in the DOS directory, replace DOS
with the name of that directory in the first two lines of the above example.
If you have not moved these files, then they will be located in the DOS
directory and your file should look identical to the three lines above.
MS-DOS 6.0 USERS: If you are using the Doublespace utility provided with
DOS 6.0, you will need to load the DBLSPACE.SYS device driver into high
memory in order to free up additional base memory. This can be done by
adding an additional line to the CONFIG.SYS file you have just created on
your boot disk. The CONFIG.SYS file should contain the following lines:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
DOS=UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE .SYS/MOVE
DOS=HIGH
7. Save the edited CONFIG.SYS file and Exit the EDIT program.
To save, press Alt-F and then press the “S” key.
To Exit the Edit program, press Alt-F and then press the “X” key.
8. You now have a boot disk which will free up enough base memory and set
up Expanded Memory (EMS). You can start your computer from this disk
by inserting it into the A: drive and restarting your machine. Your
computer will boot up to the A:> prompt. Type “C:” and then press the
ENTER key to return to the hard drive.
For more information on editing your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, or
on changing your startup configuration, consult your DOS manual.
40
Technical Support
If you have questions about the program, our Technical Support Department can help.
If your question isn’t urgent, please write to us at:
Electronic Arts Technical Support
P.O. Box 7578
San Mateo, CA 94403-7578
Please be sure to include the following information in your letter:
• Product name
• Type of computer you own
• Any additional system information (like type and make of monitor, video card,
printer, modem etc.)
• Type of operating system or DOS version number
• Description of the problem you’re having
If you need to talk to someone immediately, call us at (415) 572-ARTS Monday though
Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Pacific Time. Please have the above
information ready when you call. This will help us answer your question in the shortest
possible time.
If you live outside of the United States, you can contact one of our other offices.
In the United Kingdom, contact: Electronic Arts Limited, P.O. Box 835, Slough SL3 8XU,
UK. Phone (753) 546465.
In Australia and New Zealand contact:
Electronic Arts, P.O. Box 432, Southport Qld 4215, Australia.
Within Australia call: Phone: (075) 711 811
Within New Zealand call: Phone: +61 75 711 811
between 9am – 5pm Eastern Standard Time

41
Seven Cities of Gold is a trademark of Electronic Arts.
Unless indicated otherwise, all software and documentation is
© 1993 Electronic Arts. All Rights Reserved.
NOTICE
ELECTRONIC ARTS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCT DESCRIBED IN
THIS MANUAL AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT NOTICE.
THIS MANUAL, AND THE SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN THIS MANUAL, IS COPYRIGHTED. ALL RIGHTS
ARE RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS MANUAL OR THE DESCRIBED SOFTWARE MAY BE COPIED,
REPRODUCED, TRANSLATED, OR REDUCED TO ANY ELECTRONIC MEDIUM OR MACHINE-READABLE
FORM WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF ELECTRONIC ARTS, P. O. BOX 7578, SAN
MATEO, CALIFORNIA 94403-7578, ATTN: CUSTOMER SUPPORT.
SOFTWARE © 1993 OZARK SOFTSCAPE AND ELECTRONIC ARTS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
© 1993 ELECTRONIC ARTS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 NOTE
This manual and the software described in it are copyrighted, with all
rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual or the software may
not be copied, in whole or part, without written consent of Electronic
Arts, except in the normal use of the software or to make a backup copy
of the software. The same proprietary and copyright notices must be
affixed to any permitted copies as were affixed to the original. This excep-
tion does not allow copies to be made for others, whether or not sold, but
all of the material purchased (with all backup copies) may be sold, given,
or loaned to another person. Under the law, copying includes translating
into another language or format.

You may use the software on any computer owned by you, but extra
copies cannot be made for this purpose.