Every match draws a brand-new map of oddly shaped regions, and up to four colors fight over it. You win by holding the most land when the turn limit ends. Compact Conflict unblocked packs a full strategy game into a tiny file, since Jakub Wasilewski wrote it for the 2014 js13kGames contest with a 13 KB size cap.
Matches stay brisk. A dozen turns of three moves each is enough for a real plan, a few close fights and a tense final count.
How to play Compact Conflict
On the setup screen, set each color to Human, AI or Off, pick a computer level from Nice through Rude and Mean up to Evil, and choose 9, 12 or 15 turns or an endless game. Reroll the map if you dislike the layout.
Each turn gives you three moves. Select one of your regions, tap it again to change how many soldiers go, then pick a neighbor. Empty land is claimed at once. Enemy land triggers a fight, and the region changes hands only when no defender survives. Troops that just conquered must wait for the next turn.
Temples are the engine of the game. Each one you hold adds a soldier at the end of your turn, and you also earn faith from your regions and from soldiers standing on temples. Spend that faith at a temple on extra troops or on one of four elemental upgrades.
Controls
| To… | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Select an army to move | Click a region you own that still has soldiers able to move | Tap the region |
| Change how many soldiers go | Click the selected region again to cycle the count | Tap the selected region again |
| Move or attack | Click a neighboring region | Tap a neighboring region |
| Buy a soldier or an upgrade | Click one of your temples, then a button in the side panel | Tap the temple, then a panel button |
| Undo, end turn, sound, rules, restart | Buttons in the side panel and the round icons at the bottom right | Tap the same buttons |
Tips
- Plan the last two turns around land. Soldiers do not score, regions do. Near the end, split stacks up and fill every empty space you can reach.
- Use undo to scout. You can take back a plain move as long as no dice were rolled, so it is safe to test where an army fits best.
- Pick fights you clearly win. A big stack against a small one usually rolls through. Even trades just weaken both sides and help the third player.
- Know your elements. Water boosts faith income, Fire protects attackers, Air grants extra moves and Earth hurts invaders before a fight starts.
- Guard temples you upgraded. If a temple falls, its upgrade is lost too, so a blessed temple on the border needs a solid garrison.
Compact Conflict questions
Can two people play on one computer?
Yes. Set two or more colors to Human and pass the mouse or device between turns. You can mix in computer players for the remaining colors.
Which computer level should I start with?
Nice is the gentlest, and it ignores threats when it plans. Mean and Evil look further ahead, so move up once you win comfortably.
What happens if regions are tied at the end?
Whoever controls the largest number of regions takes the match, and an even split between the leaders counts as a draw. A match can also end early when only one player has land left.
