895 lines
42 KiB
Groff
895 lines
42 KiB
Groff
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------t ANCIENT ART OF WAR AT SEA DOCS
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brought to you by the Gauntlet of C0Dfish
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a Circle of Dickz file
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ware cracked by Coast to Coast
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C0Dfish is in no way affiliated with Coast to Coast, or with it's releases.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyone who d/l'ed this ware should know how to boot it up, so I'll skip that.
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NOTE: This is the main section of the documentation. All the specific
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definitions for terms found throughout are contained in the glossary, a separate file being sent out with the doc file #1 (this).
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---------------------
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: JOYSTICK CONTROLS :
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---------------------
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Button 1 - same as the Enter Key
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Up and Down with
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button 1 pressed - scrolls the map
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Button 2 - moves between Screen and Command Line
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Button 1 - selects a command
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Button 2 - same as the space bar
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. The keyboard can still be used when the joystick is activated /
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----------------
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: MAP FEATURES : Repair Port: looks like a fort. Increases the condition
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---------------- of a ships sails and hull.
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Supply Port: looks like a town. Provides supplies to ships.
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Crown: A crown provides both supllies and repairs to ships of the same color
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and represents the heart of a sides homeland. When either side's crown is
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captured the game ends.
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Rough Water: represented by dark water areas. Dangerous for Frigates, Safe
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for Ships-of-the-line, Flagships and Merchantships.
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Shallow Water: represented by light water areas. Dangerous for Ships-of-the-
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line and Flagships. Safe for Frigates and Merchantships.
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SHIPS:
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Squadrons: a group of between 1 and 3 ships
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Fleet: all of the squadrons of the same color form a fleet.
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Flagship: This is a ship-of-the-line with an Admiral aboard. It is
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the most powerful ship on the high seas.
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Ship-of-the-line: a mighty warship, nearly as strong as a flagship.
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Frigate: a small and fast warship.
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Merchantship: brings supplies to ports.
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HINTS:
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x To receive supplies or repairs from a port or a crown, you must
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anchor where there is a flat shore across the entire length of
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the port. Check a squadron's "Info" to see if it is "in port".
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x The cannons can only fire out of the sides of the ship and the crew
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can only be on one side of the ship at a time.
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HOW THE CAMPAIGN ENDS:
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[1] When the last ship on either side is captured or sunk, or
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[2] When the last flagship on either side is captured or sunk, or
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[3] When one side captures the other side's crown or,
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[4] When either side surrenders.
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:-------------------------------:
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: TO LEAVE THE GAME :---------------------------------------------:
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:-------------------------------: :
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: :
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: From the TITLE PAGE: Press + or - until "Quit" appears on the banner, :
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: then press Enter. :
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: :
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: During a CAMPAIGN: If you want to continue a game later, you can save :
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: it by pressing Alt S (be sure to have a blank :
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: disk or data disk handy). If you don't want to :
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: continue later, press S to Surrender. :
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: :
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: Quick EXIT: At any point in the game, press Ctrl, Alt and Del :
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: keys all at the same time. This will :
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: immediately exit the program and leave you with :
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: the A> prompt. :
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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TRAINING SESSION : Prepare for WAR !
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-----------------------
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: CHOOSING A CAMPAIGN : Campaign: A series of military operations that form
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----------------------- a war.
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Start at the title page. "GO TO WAR" should be displayed on the sail. If
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not, press + or - until it is. Press ENTER. The sea scroll will open,
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revealing the titles of a variety of campaigns. Most of the scrolls in the
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game are about two screens long, so use the + or - keys to see all of the
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information.
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From this point, until you press ENTER after choosing your opponnent, you
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can go back (all the way to the title screen, if you wish) by pressing ESC.
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Following the directions at the bottom of the screen, make sure the sabre
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is pointing to "The Bane of Oldain" and ENTER. The sea scroll will close,
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and when it reopens, will reveal the story behind this campaign. After you
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read through the story, press ENTER. The scroll will close and reopen again,
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this time showing you the rules. The rules have been individually preset for
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each campaign, but you can adjust them. However, it's a good idea not to
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make any changes until you are more familiar with the game. After you have
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read the rules, press ENTER.
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Now you will meet your opponent.
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CHOOSING AN OPPONENT
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You can fight any of the enemy leaders portrayed on the screen. Each has
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a different fighting style, as well as different strengths and weaknesses. At
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the top of the screen, you will see the enemy's name and a brief description
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of his fighting style. Use the + or - keys to move the cursor box through the
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opponents. (HINT: the easiest opponent is Thor Foote.)
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When the cursor frame is on the enemy you want, press Enter.
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VIEWING THE WAR MAP
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As the campaign begins, you have a sea gull's eye view of the war map.
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At the bottom of the map are two ports. The port on the left side of the
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screen is a Repair Port. To improve the condition of a squadron's sails and
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hulls, anchor it at a Repair Port. The port at the right side is a Supply
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Port. To increase a squdron's supplies, anchor it at a Supply Port.
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Between your ports are two white crowns. If an enemy ship reaches a
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white crown and defeats any white squadrons at that crown, you will have lost
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the campaign (the enemy's crown is at the top of the map). Crowns will also
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repair and supply ships.
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Dark ocean areas represent rough water, and are dangerous for frigates to
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sail through. Light colored ocean areas represent shallow water, and are
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dangerous for ships-of-the-line and flagships to sail through. The Wind
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Cherubs at the top center and bottom center of the map indicate which
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direction the wind is blowing only if the wind is set to "realistic" in YeOlde
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Options Shoppe. The wind direction will occasionally change during a
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campaign.
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The white cross-shaped object near the center of the screen is the marker
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which lets you scout out the enemy squadrons and command your own.
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The ship and anchor symbols represent squadrons of ships. You control
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the white squadrons, and the enemy controls the black ones. Asquadron symbol
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with a flag on it means there is a flagship in that squadron.
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To scroll the map, use the - key to scroll up (+ key to scroll back
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down). You can jump quickly to the top or bottom of the map by pressing the
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Shift key and the + or - key at the same time. You can use Ctrl in place of
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+,and Tab in place of -. This is especially helpful if you are left handed.
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If you are using the joystick, hold down button #1 and move the joystick to
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scroll the map.
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You will recieve messages during the campagin indicating enemy ship
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sightings, imminent encounters and other events. These messages will appear
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at the bottom of the screen, just above the command line.
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YOUR MISSION
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Win by capturing or sinking all of the enemy's flagships while protecting
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your own. You can also win by capturing a black crown. In the Ancient Art of
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War at Sea, the most skillful player does what it takes to win the campaign
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with a minimum of fighting.
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COMMAND OPTIONS
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At the bottom of the current screen are several command options.
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Throughout the AAoWaS, command options will appear, usually at the bottom of
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the screen. To select an option, pess the letter key that corresponds to the
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first letter of the command. In this example, the commands are as follows:
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(T)ime -- You can alter the speed of the campaign at any point when Time
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appears on the command line by pressing T. Four different settings are
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possible. (You may want to use a slower time when you're making your plans,
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then speed up time when you've got everything set.)
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(F)leet -- Press F and the size of both fleets will be displayed. You will
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see the types and total number of ships on both sides. The game will freeze
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while you are doing this. Press End(or any other key) when you are done.
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(C)lear -- Use Clear to remove old messages from the bottom of the screen.
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Clear will not appear when there are no messages displayed.
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(P)ause -- Use Pause to freeze the game. To get things going again, press
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any key. Clear will sometimes take the place of Pause on the command line,
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but pause will still work.
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(S)urrender -- You can surrender at any time during the game when Surrender
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appears on the command line by pressing S.
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Saving the Game -- Press Alt S if you want to save the game so you can
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resume playing where you left off at a later time. The computer will prompt
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you to insert a data (or blank) disk -- just follow the instructions on the
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screen; the program takes care of the rest.
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There are command options available when you have the marker positioned
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over one of your own squadrons.
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(M)ove -- To "move" a squadron, press M(notice that the marker changes its
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shape to an open box). Move the marker,using the keyboard or joystick, to
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trace the path you want the squadron to follow, and press M again to mark the
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destination ( a small white mark will appear here). The squadron will follow
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the exact same route that the marker took. Collisions between squadrons will
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not occur.
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Occasionally, while you are tracing a squadron's path, the computer will mark
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a destination before you press M. This means the computer's memory for
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keeping track of squadron paths is temporarily full. Once the squadron
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reaches the marked destination, you will usually be able to move it ahead to
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the final destination. This shouldn't happen very often though.
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(I)nfo -- Press I to see what ships are in a squadron. It will show you
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their names, type, the condition of their hulls, supplies on board and sailing
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speed. While you are in Info, you can change the squadron's sailing speed by
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pressing S. A frigate at half sails will move at the same speed as the
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larger ships will full sails. Press E when you are done.
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You can gather limited information about an enemy squadron by placing the
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marker over it, and pressing I for info.
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(D)etach -- To detach part of a squadron, press D. Use the + or - keys to
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select a ship and then press S to switch it to the new squadron. When you are
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done, press E.
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(J)oin -- If two squadrons are close enough, you can Join them (up to a max
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of 3 ships in a squad). Press J and then join them in the same way you
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detached a squadron. If Join is not shown at the bottom of the screen, you
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can use the Move to bring the squadrons closer together.
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(Z)oom -- This option appears on the command line when you place the marker
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over a squadron that has encountered an enemy squadron and changed into the
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battle symbol of crossed sabres. Zomm gives you an exciting, animated close-
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up view of the battle where you can give tactical commands to your ships.
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(P)ractice -- Use this option to familiarize yourself with tactical
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operations. Practice is the same as Zoom except it is used when the enemy is
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not present. When you are done practicing press E.
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TACTICAL OPERATIONS
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Tactical operations begin after choosing either Zoom or Practice. During
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this phase, movement on the war map will stop. You can choose between two
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views, a long view of the entire tactical battle area, or a closer view of a
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portion of the battle area. The white ships on the screen are yours and if
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the enemy ships are present, they will be black.
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The long view lets you see the relative positions of all the ships involved.
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This is useful for setting up your tactical plan and watching the enemy's plan
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of attack. Time will move faster when using close view.
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During a long view, you will see the view fram over the water. The ship in
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the center of the frame is the selected ship and info about it is displayed at
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the top of the screen. You are "on board" the selected ship and can give it
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orders. If there is more than one ship in your squadron, use + or - to select
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another ship. The selected ship will blink and be centered in the view frame.
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(S)peed: Adjust the sails to control the speed of the ship.
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(G)un : Change broadsides to fire from the other side of the ship.
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(A)im : Change the barrel eleveation to adjust the range.
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(F)ire : Shoot the cannon.
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(O)rders:Change the ship's orders
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(T)ime : Adjust the speed of the game.
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(V)iew : Switch between close-view and long-view of the battle
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(P)ause: Freeze the action temporarily.
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(L)eave: Lave the battle, return to the battle map.
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The view frame will follow that ship until you use the keypad to move the
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view frame around the battle area. When you press the Space bar, the view
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frame will center on the selected ship and begin following it again.
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The view frame can also be used like a magnifying glass by pressing View.
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This gives you a close view, causing the area inside the view frame to fill
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the whole screen. You can also move within this close view by using the
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keypad. For example, press 7 to move Northwest, 6 to move East, etc. The
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close view is usefull for precision maneuvering and combat. Holes in damaged
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sails and hulls can also be seen during a close view. In long view, a
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disabled ship will show damage marks. To return to a long view, press View.
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If enemy ships are present, try moving the view frame so that enemy ships are
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within it's boundaries and press View to see the condition of their sails and
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hull.
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If two ships are close enough where part of one is being covered by the other,
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the nearest ship will become partially transparent so you can see the hidden
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ship.
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If a ship goes far enough off the edge of the battle area, it has retreated
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and you can no longer use it during this battle.
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If a ship is stopped, it will drift in the direction of the wind.
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If the battle takes place near a shore, avoid the hidden coral reefs and
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shoals that occur near land.
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Time moves a little slower when you are using close view than during long
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view. But even the slowest time setting in the game is considerably faster
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than the pace real sailing ships moved at during actual battles.
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Time, View and Pause can be used almost always in tactical battle mode, even
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if they are not displayed on the screen.
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If you decide you want to leave a tactical battle before it is over, press
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Leave. You will return to the strategy level and the battle will continue and
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resolve on it's own.
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COMMANDING A SHIP
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When you have selected a ship in a tactical battle, you are responsible for
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the ship's speed, course, orders and cannons. When using a command, it will
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be highlighted. When appropriate, additional instructions will be shown on
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the command line at the bottom of the screen. To leave a command and clear
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the command line, press Enter.
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If you are using a paticular command you can usually go directly to another
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command without having to formally leave the first command. Just type the
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first letter of the new command.
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SAILING SPEED
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The speed of the ship is determined by the condition and trim of the sails and
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the direction of the wind.
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The trim of the sails is represented at the top left corner by the Sail
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Indicator. Press S and then use + or - to adjust the trim. The more sail
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that is put to the wind, the faster the ship will move. If no sail is shown,
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the ship will come to a halt. Press Enter when you are done. To quickly go
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to full sails, press S twice. If the sails are already full when you do this,
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they will switch to no sails. As a ship's sails become damaged the Sail
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Indicator will start to turn blue, indicating decreased effectiveness of the
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sails.
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The wind direction Indicator is to the upper left of the Sail Indicator. The
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wind can blow from any of the 4 primary compass points. The Wind Direction
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Indicator will only appear if wind is set to "realistic" in the Options Shop.
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Momentum is a factor when moving a ship through the water. A stopped ship
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will take a few moments to get up to speed after giving it full sails, and a
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moving ship will take a few moments to stop after cutting the sails all the
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way back. A ship that loses momentum will drift in the direction of the wind.
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To the right of the Sail Indicator is the Speed Bar. It works like a
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speedometer. The Spped Bar will be full when a ship is in perfect condition,
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using full sails and on a course that takes full advantage of the wind.
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Trimming the sails, sail damage and beating into the wind contribute to
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reducing your speed and are reflected in the Speed Bar. If the wind is set to
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"not realistic" in the Options Shoppe, it will not affect the Speed Bar.
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CANNONS
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To the right of the Sail Indicator are the controls for the ship's cannons.
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You decide which side of the ship the men will be on and when to fire.
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If ship is not selected, it will automatically shoot at enemy ships.
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GUN
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Your crew can man only one side of the ship at a time. If the crew is at the
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cannon on the right, the ship will fire out of the right starboard side. To
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change broadsides, press G for Gun and your crew will move to the left cannon.
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To help you visualize which direction your cannons will fire, look at the
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gauge at the top right of the screen. Your ship is in the center and the red
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square shows the direction that your cannons will fire.
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AIM
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Aim is available to the player only when "Manual Aim" is selected in the
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Options Shoppe. If Manual Aim is not selected, the crew will automatically
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aim the cannons for you, and this option will no be available.
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You cannot aim or fire a cannon unless your crew is on that side of the ship
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and in firing position (standing behind the cannon with the firing punk ready)
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To aim your cannons, press A. Use + or - to raise or lower the aim.
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FIRE
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On the top of the cannon barrel is a small hole with a bit of gunpowder in it.
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When you order "Fire!", a slow burning punk is touched to this hole. The
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flame from this flash runs down to the base of the charge and the cannon
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fires. Your crew will quickly reload and you'll be ready to fire again.
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When realistic reload is selected in the Options Shoppe your crewman go
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through a longer procedure. The crew may skip some of the loading procedures
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depending on the reload time seeting in your Options Shoppe.
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You will see a flash on the target ship when a cannonball hits. Damage from
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sail hits is evident as the ship's sails become increasingly tattered. A hit
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on the hull will destory cannon and crew and leave holes. Damage to sails and
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hull can be seen most clearly when the side of the ship is facing you.
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ORDERS
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Battle orders are given to ships in your squadron individually. To change a
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ship's orders, press O, then use + or - to rotate through the available
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orders. You can also press O again if you prefer, since it works the same as
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+. Some of the orders are not always available. While Orders is selected,
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time stops. (Orders is selected ?? Shouldn't that be are selected ??)
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General Chase: Make your best speed and course to individually attack the
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enemy.
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Follow Ship in front: Try to maintain a single-file line if it is behind
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another ship.
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Mimic Ship in front: Copy the maneuvers of the ship ahead.
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Avoid Battle: Stay away from the action.
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Course: Player controls the heading of the ship. When you select this
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order, a box will appear on the perimeter of the gauge at the
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top right of the screen. Use + or - to move the box around
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the gauge, and the ship will turn to the heading indicated by
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the box. A quick way to change a ships orders to Course is
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simply to press C (you don't need to press Orders first).
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Board: Grapple a disabled ship.
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At the upper right of the screen is the compass. At the center of
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the compass is the "heading Indicator" which shows the active ship's current
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heading. The red square is the "Gun Indicator." It shows which broadside
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will shoot when you press Fire. When a ship's orders are "Course", the white
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"Course Box" will appear showing the current course assigned to the active
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ship. The "Heading Indicator" will always point at the "Course Box" except
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when the active ship is turning to that course.
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BOARD
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If two ships come together, side by side, they will grapple. If neither ship
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is disabled or extremely overmatched, you will have the opportunity to command
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the battle yourself. When you receive the message that two ships have
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grappled, select Zomm to take command and meet the enemy man to man.
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There are two types of fighters, sailors and marines. Marines shoot rifles
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and their orders are to take their station and fire at will. Sailors fight
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with swords and will respond to your commands.
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Two ways to win when boarding.
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1. Capture the enemys flag.
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2. Defeat the enemy sailors and marines.
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The Four Zones: The raised deck at the stern of your ship is the Poopdeck.
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(don't look at me). The lower deck is the Quarterdeck, except for the area by
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the enemy ship, which is called the Railing. The foruth zone is the area
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around the flag.
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Commands: You command your sailors by assigning them to a new zone to fight
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in. To do this, press the first letter of the zone the sailor is in, followed
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by the first letter of the zone you want him to move to. For example, to move
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a sailor from the Poopdeck to the Flag, press P and then F. To repeat a
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command, press (A)gain. If you select a zone to move from and then change
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your mind, you can cancel it by pressing Backspace or Esc. From the Poopdeck
|
|
to the Railing you can command a sailor to (C)ross. A sailor with this
|
|
command will try to fight his way across the enemy ship and try to reach their
|
|
flag. Once a sailor is told to Cross, he will be dedicated to that mission
|
|
and you will not be able to recall him.
|
|
|
|
To begin the battle, press (A)ttack. If you would rather leave and let them
|
|
fight it out for themselves, press (L)eave.
|
|
|
|
SAILING TO WAR
|
|
|
|
Now you've learned how to command squadrons, gather information on a strategic
|
|
level and command battleships on a tactical level ! Remember - the enemy
|
|
squadrons are on the move while you're getting ready to meet them, so act
|
|
quickly !!
|
|
|
|
The campaign can end in any of four ways:
|
|
|
|
[1] When the last ship on either side is captured or sunk.
|
|
[2] When the last flagship on either side is captured or sunk.
|
|
[3] When one side captures the other side's crown.
|
|
[4] When either side surrenders.
|
|
|
|
After the campaign is finished, you will see the results of the battle. A
|
|
chart will show how many warships on each side were sunk or captured and the
|
|
number of flagships that were sunk or captured.
|
|
|
|
END OF TRAINING SESSION
|
|
|
|
The purpose of this training session was to show you how to use the program.
|
|
|
|
*** NOTE `O' FRIENDS OF SVEN ***
|
|
|
|
There isn't anything you can do in this part of the program that will have
|
|
a permanent effect, so feel free to "cut loose!". You can change any or all
|
|
of the rules and choose a different opponent if you wish. Each campaign can
|
|
be very different, depending on the rules and the enemy, but the next time you
|
|
play the game, everything will return to the way it was before you started.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHIP DISCRIPTIONS
|
|
|
|
The warships in The Ancient Art of War at Sea are of the late 18th century
|
|
variety. You will encounter four types of ships in The Ancient Art of War at
|
|
Sea.
|
|
|
|
* MERCHANTSHIPS *
|
|
|
|
Merchantships supply ports with food, provisions and various nautical
|
|
equipment. They are lightly armed and built for carrying supplies, not
|
|
fighting. Merchantships have their own orders and you have no control over
|
|
them. You can intercept enemy merchantships to capture their supplies.
|
|
|
|
* FRIGATE *
|
|
|
|
Frigates are small warships. They usually had one gundeck in addition to
|
|
cannons on the quarterdeck and forecastle. The classic frigates carried
|
|
between 30 and 44 guns. Fast and maneuverable, they could escape a ship-of-
|
|
the-line and were powerful enough to handle any other vessel.
|
|
|
|
A frigate in the AAoWaS is a sleek, fast, two-decker with 44 guns and a crew
|
|
of 250.
|
|
|
|
* SHIP-OF-THE-LINE *
|
|
|
|
A ship-of-the-line in the AAoWaS is of the classic type: a four deck, 74-gun
|
|
warship, including 10 carronades, and a crew of more than 600.
|
|
|
|
* FLAGSHIP *
|
|
|
|
A flagship in the AAoWaS contains an Admiral and is of the classic type: a
|
|
massive four deck, 130 gun warship, including 22 carronades and a crew of
|
|
875... the most fearsome sight on the high seas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
------------
|
|
: STRATEGY :
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
Concentrate your Power.
|
|
|
|
When facing an enemy fleet of equal or greater size, isolate small groups
|
|
of enemy ships. Attack partial fleets with full fleets. Isolate one ship and
|
|
fight it with two or three ships. This is the way to defeat an enemy both
|
|
strategically and tactically.
|
|
|
|
Usually try to keep squadrons full with three ships instead of splitting
|
|
them into smaller squadrons. If you split them up, you'll end up with two or
|
|
three weak squadrons instead of one powerfull squadron.
|
|
|
|
Before deciding to battle, compare the strength of your squadron to the
|
|
strength of the enemy squadron and determine your chances of victory.
|
|
(Strength is determined by the number of ships on each side, the type of ships
|
|
on each side and their condition.) Then, try to engage in battle only from a
|
|
position of strength. The condition of the ships involved can have a major
|
|
effect on the odds of winning.
|
|
|
|
Focus your attention on enemy flagships (where their Admirals are).
|
|
Since a fleet cannot function without any Admirals, eliminate their flagships
|
|
and they will be defeated. Cut off the head and the body will die.
|
|
|
|
Use your crown or supply ports to keep your ships stocked. A well fed
|
|
crew is an efficient crew. Use your Crown or Repair ports to keep your ships
|
|
in good condition. One fresh ship is better than two badly damaged ships. If
|
|
a squadron's supplies decrease below 20%, the condition of the ships in the
|
|
squadron will start to deteriorate. This is because the crew has to ration
|
|
food and can't work as hard to keep the ship in good condition.
|
|
|
|
Anchor near a food port to increase supplies. Anchor near a repair port
|
|
to improve condition. To be sure your ship is receiving supplies or repairs
|
|
from a port, check its Info after it is anchored. Instead of indicating
|
|
speed, it should say "In Port". A Crown will increase both the supplies and
|
|
the condition of any ship in its harbor. A ship cannot be repaired unless its
|
|
supplies are above 20%. Another way to increase a squadron's supplies is to
|
|
capture enemy merchantships or intercept friendly merchantships.
|
|
|
|
Frigates are the fastest ships on the high seas. But a squadron can only
|
|
sail as fast as its slowest ship. If you need speed, make sure your squadron
|
|
is made up exclusively of frigates.
|
|
|
|
Merchantships and Ports
|
|
-----------------------
|
|
|
|
Ports supply or repair any squadrons that are anchored in their harbor as
|
|
long as the port has supplies. When a port's supplies get low, it will send
|
|
for a merchantship to replenish its depleted stock. If a merchantship is
|
|
captured before reaching port, the port will send for another merchantship but
|
|
may soon run out of supplies. When a port changes colors, it is out of
|
|
supplies and closed to any squadrons in its harbor.
|
|
|
|
To blockade a port, use a squadron to intercept merchantships enroute to
|
|
that port. The enemy will lose supplies and your squadron will gain supplies.
|
|
Frigates are effective interceptors since they are the fastest ships on the
|
|
sea.
|
|
|
|
You can also intercept your own merchantships at sea to increase a
|
|
squadron's supplies. If the squad's supplies are below 50%, the white
|
|
merchantship's supplies will be used up and it will disappear. You cannot
|
|
capture a merchantship after it reaches a port's harbor.
|
|
|
|
You may want to send warships to escort friendly merchantships if the
|
|
enemy presents a threat to your supply line.
|
|
|
|
Rough Water/ Shallow Water
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
|
|
Larger ships (flagships and ships-of-the-line) can sail through rough
|
|
water without fear or damage, but frigate will often sink, depending on how
|
|
rough the water is. This factor can be adjusted in the Rules scroll just
|
|
before starting a campaign.
|
|
|
|
It is very dangerous to try to sail large ships through shallow water.
|
|
When a flagship is lost in shallow water, the Admiral will board another ship-
|
|
of-the-line that is in the same squadron. If there is none, the Admiral will
|
|
go down with his ship. Frigates have no troulbe in shallow water.
|
|
Merchantships can sail through rough or shallow water without fear or damage.
|
|
|
|
Wind
|
|
----
|
|
|
|
A major factor in the speed of sailing ships. If wind is set to
|
|
realistic in Ye Olde Options Shoppe, look for the Wind Cherub on the map to
|
|
see which way the wind is blowing. Generally, the more you try to sail into
|
|
the wind, the slower your squadron will move. The wind may change during a
|
|
campaign. Wind speed varies from 5 to 15 knots.
|
|
|
|
If you plan to attack an enemy squadron, try to gain the wind advantage
|
|
by meeting him with the wind at your back. The position of the crossed sabre
|
|
symbols in relation to the wind on the strategic level determines the two
|
|
squadron's position in relation to the wind after you zoom to the tactical
|
|
level.
|
|
|
|
-----------
|
|
: TACTICS : Note: Due to difficulties and lack of time I've had to skip
|
|
----------- MOST parts of this chapter.
|
|
|
|
ORDERS - Each ship in your squadron will be given individual orders. The
|
|
orders that you can give will vary dependin on the situation.
|
|
|
|
Course: This is used when you want to take charge of a ship's naviagation.
|
|
|
|
General Chase: Make your best speed and course to attack the enemy.
|
|
|
|
Follow Ship in Front: You can use this order to try to maintain a line.
|
|
|
|
Mimic Ship in Front: A ship with this order will turn the same amount as the
|
|
ship in front of it even if they are on different headings.
|
|
|
|
Avoid Battle: If your ship gets hurt badly you may want to use this.
|
|
|
|
Boarding: A ship with this command will sail to and board a disabled enemy
|
|
ship. It can also board a friendly ship and make enough repairs to put it
|
|
back into action.
|
|
|
|
--------------------
|
|
: ENEMY COMMANDERS : If you know the enemy, and know yourself, you need
|
|
-------------------- not fear the results of 100 battles. -- Sun Tzu
|
|
|
|
THE PLAYER
|
|
|
|
Strategy: Your strategy is up to you
|
|
Tactics : Your coannon range is surpassed only by Jones and Nelson.
|
|
The accuracy of your shots can be increased (or decreased)
|
|
by taking charge of firing the cannons yourself. (manual)
|
|
When grappling, 75% of your crew will be sailors, 25% marines.
|
|
(Sailors are swordsmen, and maries are riflemen).
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ******
|
|
Reload Speed ****
|
|
Accuracy *******
|
|
Seamanship *********
|
|
|
|
Crew Quality adjustable in rules (green= 1 *, average= 4 *'s, crack= 7 *'s)
|
|
|
|
THOR FOOTE 871
|
|
Strategy: If Thor thinks too hard, it makes his head hurt. So, he will
|
|
will not put alot of thought into his strategic plans.
|
|
Tactics : His short-range cannons are manned by poorly trained crews.
|
|
Neither his sailors, or marines are skillfull fighters.
|
|
When grappling, 95% of his crew will be sailors and 5% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ****
|
|
Reload Speed ****
|
|
Accuracy ***
|
|
Seamanship ****
|
|
Crew Quality *
|
|
|
|
DUKE OF MEDINA SIDONIA 1588
|
|
|
|
Strategy: Sidonia tends to pick an objective and then move towards it
|
|
enmasse.
|
|
Tactics : Sidonia's cannons can only shoot a short distance so his
|
|
ships will try to fight at close range. His Spanish
|
|
galleons are slow and bulky ships that were built to carry
|
|
marines. His goul is to bound your ships where he can use
|
|
his superior marksmen to defeat you. His sailors are not
|
|
skilled in the art of fencing.
|
|
When grappling, 25% of his crew will be sailors and 75% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ****
|
|
Reload Speed ***
|
|
Accuracy *****
|
|
Seamanship ********
|
|
Crew Quality ****
|
|
|
|
BLACKBEARD 1718
|
|
|
|
Strategy: Blackbeard will fight anyone in sight, regardless of
|
|
strength, and will never surrender.
|
|
Tactics : Beware of Blackbeard's bloodthirsty pirate crew: they are the
|
|
most deadly swordsmen on the high seas ! He will try to
|
|
close with your ships where he can board and fight man to
|
|
man. Motivated by greed, the pirates can reload their
|
|
cannons faster than any other crew.
|
|
When grappling, 95% of his crew will be sailors and 5% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ****
|
|
Reload Speed **********
|
|
Accuracy *****
|
|
Seamanship ***
|
|
Crew Quality *******
|
|
|
|
MARTEN TROMP 1639
|
|
|
|
Strategy: Tromp is a conservative strategist and will patiently wait
|
|
for an opening or weakness in his enemy's forces.
|
|
Tactics : His cannons are more accurate and will shoot farther than any
|
|
enemy leader that came before him. The skill level of his
|
|
marines and sailors are average. The maximum range of his
|
|
cannons is equal to yours.
|
|
When grappling, 80% of his crew will be sailors and 20% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ******
|
|
Reload Speed ****
|
|
Accuracy *******
|
|
Seamanship *********
|
|
Crew Quality *****
|
|
|
|
JOHN PAUL JONES 1779
|
|
|
|
Strategy: The "Yankee Pirate" does not back out of a fight and will
|
|
never give up.
|
|
Tactics : His cannons shoot farther than any other leader's except
|
|
Nelson's. The fighting skills of his sailors and marines
|
|
are above average.
|
|
When grappling, 80% of his crew will be sailors and 20% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range ********
|
|
Reload Speed ******
|
|
Accuracy *****
|
|
Seamanship *******
|
|
Crew Quality *****
|
|
|
|
HORATIO NELSO 1805
|
|
|
|
Strategy: The finest strategic thinker in the age of the fighting sail,
|
|
Nelson puts great emphasis on training. His crews are
|
|
very efficient, and won't tire easily.
|
|
Tactics : Nelson will try to fight your ships from a distance to take
|
|
advantage of his destructive, long-range cannons.
|
|
When grappling, 75% of his crew will be sailors and 25% marines.
|
|
|
|
Cannon Range **********
|
|
Reload Speed ********
|
|
Accuracy *******
|
|
Seamanship **********
|
|
Crew Quality *******
|
|
|
|
|
|
[ CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTIONS ]
|
|
|
|
The Ancient art of War at Sea contains eleven campaigns, each
|
|
offering a unique challenge.
|
|
A brief description of each campaign follows. Difficulty is rated
|
|
on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most difficult. time is also on a
|
|
scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the lengthiest. (Of course, if your
|
|
opponent is much craftier than you, it might make a long game very
|
|
short.) Time and difficulty will vary if you change the rules or the
|
|
enemy leader.
|
|
|
|
THE BANE OF OLDAIN
|
|
The massive enemy fleet is setting sail in the north. Your fleet
|
|
is harbored in the sout. This may be the first campaign, but that
|
|
doesn't mean it's going to be easy ! A balanced offense and defense
|
|
could be the key to victory.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 3
|
|
Time: 5
|
|
|
|
THE RACE FOR THE CROWN
|
|
You have 3 warships, the pirates have 26 warships. They are
|
|
between you and your crown. What could be more fair !? The emphasis
|
|
in this campaign is on strategy.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 2
|
|
Time: 3
|
|
|
|
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
|
|
Again, you find yourself cut off from your crown by a huge enemy
|
|
fleet. It will take an understanding of many aspects of the art of war
|
|
to be standing victorious when this campaign is over!
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 4
|
|
Time: 4
|
|
|
|
THE LAST CROWN
|
|
You've managed to corner your enemy at his crown. You've also
|
|
managed to lose most of your once powerful fleet in the process. To
|
|
clinch a victory will require a clever game of cat and mouse.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 5
|
|
Time: 6
|
|
|
|
ATTACK OF THE SUPERPOWER
|
|
Anticipate the enmey's strategy and strike where he is weakest
|
|
(Aiken Drum)
|
|
Difficulty: 5
|
|
Time: 5
|
|
|
|
1588 THE SPANISH ARMADA
|
|
You command the British defense fleet that is standing between the
|
|
Armada and its traget, London (the white crown). To stop their advance
|
|
you will need to rapidly deploy your squadrons to where they will be
|
|
most effective. During combat, take advantage of your technologically
|
|
superior ships and cannons.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 7
|
|
Time: 10
|
|
|
|
1676 SICILY, 1798 THE NILE
|
|
You are thrust into the middle of a pair of famous battles that
|
|
occurred a century apart. it will require strategic brilliance against
|
|
the French on two fronts to avoid a visit to Davey Jone's Locker !
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 6
|
|
Time: 5
|
|
|
|
1759 QUIBERON BAY
|
|
This time, you are placed in command of a French fleet that is
|
|
being hard pressed by a strong British presence. to take a bold,
|
|
offensive position or a more cautious defensive position, that is the
|
|
question.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 4
|
|
Time: 4
|
|
|
|
1805 TRAFALGAR
|
|
This battle was Admiral Horatio Nelson's most brilliant victory,
|
|
But what if you were in charge of the British sea force instaed of
|
|
Nelson ? Can you find the weak link in the French chain ?
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 8
|
|
Time: 8
|
|
|
|
1941 BISMARCK
|
|
What if the battle of the Bismarck had taken place 200 years
|
|
earlier ? You command the mighty Bismarck but the British are sending
|
|
every available ship on a single mission: to sink you !
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 8
|
|
Time: 4
|
|
|
|
YOU ONLY LIVE THRICE
|
|
We saved this one for last. Some players swear that this one is
|
|
impossible to beat. They're wrong.
|
|
|
|
Difficulty: 10
|
|
Time: 9
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
[[ DATA DISKS ]]
|
|
|
|
A data disk is used when you want to make your own campaigns, play a
|
|
campaign that you make, or resume a campaign that was previously saved.
|
|
You can make as many data disks as you want. Each data disk can hold
|
|
up to 11 new campaigns and 1 saved game.
|
|
|
|
PREPARING A DATA DISK
|
|
|
|
Before you start, you will need to have a blank or expendable disk to use as
|
|
your Data Disk. The program will tell you when you need to insert your disk.
|
|
If your disk is not formatted, the program will do this for you. Just follow
|
|
the prompts to swap disks when necessary, and the computer will do the rest.
|
|
Make sure the Data Disk option is set properly in the "Options Shoppe.".
|
|
|
|
PLAYING A CAMPAIGN
|
|
To play a campaign that you created and saved on a Data Disk, select "Go To
|
|
War" at the title page and then choose the last selection on the titles
|
|
scroll, "Data Disk"
|
|
If you are using the Data Disk and you want to play a campaign on your War
|
|
Disk, choose the first selection "(WAR DISK)", on the data disk titles scroll.
|
|
|
|
SAVING A GAME IN PROGRESS
|
|
A game can be saved only on a Data Disk. If there already is a saved game
|
|
on the Data Disk, taht game will be ERASED when you save the new game.
|
|
You can save a game in progress when the war map is on the screen and the
|
|
pointer is not over a squad (any time "View" is on the command line).
|
|
When you are ready to save the game, hold the Alt key down and press S. The
|
|
program will tell you when to insert your Data Disk. You will automatically
|
|
exit the game after it is saved.
|
|
|
|
RESUMING A SAVED GAME
|
|
Select "Go to War" at the title page. Select the last title on the first
|
|
scroll, "(DATA DISK)". The program will tell you wehn to insert the Data Disk
|
|
with the Saved Game.
|
|
When the program asks if you want to continue with the saved game, press 'Y'.
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------,OTE: These are not the full docs, but is a summary of all the important info..
|
|
|
|
Call this excellent system...
|
|
|
|
Ethereal Dimension Exclusive...9600HST/104megs...................[301] 529-6418
|
|
|
|
the Gauntlet - C0Dfish text files (c) 1988
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------h |