200 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
200 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
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Ogre Docs Part I
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typed up by
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Digital Monk
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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:
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The tank-type vehicle, considered obsolete by the end of the 20th
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century, ruled the battlefields of the 21st.
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Several factors led to the reappearance of mechanized warfare. The first
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was the development of biphase carbide armor (BPC). Stronger than any
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steel, it was also so light that even an air-cushion vehicle could carry
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several centimeters of protection. The equivalent of a megaton of TNT
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was needed to breach even that much BPC armor - which meant that, in
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practice, nothing less than a tactical nuclear device was likely to be
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effective.
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Infantry, which had for a time eclipsed the tank, declined in
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importance. Although an infantryman could carry and direct a tactical
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nuclear missile, he had to be extensively (and expensively) protected to
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survive the nuclear battlefield. Thus, the "powered suit" was developed.
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Four cm of BPC, jet equipped, it could guard a man for about a week (in
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increasing discomfort) from shrapnel, background radiation, and biochem
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agents. However, the cost of equipping infantry reduced their value.
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They were still more flexible and maneuverable than armor, and now they
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were almost as fast - but they were no longer cheaper.
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Long-range nuclear missiles, which had been expected to make a mockery
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of "conventional" operations, likewise declined in value as jamming
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technology and laser countermeasures improved. Without satellite
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guidance, no missile could hit a less-than-city-sized target at more
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than 30 km - and no combatant could keep a spy satellite operational for
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over an hour. Missiles big enough to carry jam-proof guidance systems
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were sitting ducks for the big laser batteries - for, although lasers
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had proved too temperamental and fragile for battlefield use, they were
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fine as permanent antiaircraft units.
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Thus, the tank-type vehicle - fast, heavily armed and armored, able to
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break through enemy positions and exploit disorganization - returned to
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wide use. And once again, planners fretted over priorities. More guns?
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More armor? More speed? Increase one and lose on the others? Increase
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all and build fewer units?
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Some interesting compromises appeared. The 21st-century infantryman,
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especially with the later "heavy powered suit", was a tank in his own
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right, at least by 20th-century standards. The armed hovercraft or
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ground effect vehicle (GEV), equipped with multi-leaf spring skirts for
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broken ground, could attain speeeds of 120 kph on any decent terrain,
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and 150 on desert or water. Conventional tanks were slower but tougher.
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All fired tactical nuclear shells.
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The ultimate development of the tank-type weapon, though, was the
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cybernetic attack vehicle. The original tanks had terrorized
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unsophisticated infanty. The cybertanks terrorized "everyone", and with
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good reason. They were bigger (up to 50 meters), faster (hovercraft
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models proved to vulnerable, but atomic-powered treads moved standard
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units at 45 kph or better), and more heavily armed (some had firepower
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equal to an armor company). And two to three meters oof BPC armor made
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them nearly unstoppable. What made the cybertank horrifying, though was
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its literal inhumanity. No crew was carried; each unit was wholly
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computer-controlled. Although true mechanical intelligence had existed
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as early as 2010, and fully automated factories and military
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installations were in wide use by the middle of the century, the
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cybertanks were the earliest independent mobile units - the first true
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war "robots".
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Once the first cybertanks had proved their worth, development was rapid.
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The great war machines aroused a terrified sort of facination. Human
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warriors devoutly hoped never to confrount them, and preferred to keep a
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respectful distance - like several kilometers - even from friendly
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ones. They were just too big.
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One fact, more than anything, points up the feeling that developed
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toward the cybertank. Unlike other war vehicles, they were never called
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"she". Friendly units of the speaker's aquaintance were "he"; otheres
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were "it". And the term "cybertank" was rarely used. People had another
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name for the big war machines - one drawn from the early Combine units
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and, before that, from dark myth. They called them Ogres...
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THE GAME:
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Ogre is a game of mechanized tank warfare set in the 21st century. A
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cybernetic fighting unit - the Ogre - has been sent to destroy the
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opponent's strategic Command Post, which is guarded by an armor
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battalion. The Ogre's primary objective is to destroy the Command Post;
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destruction of all other units is its secondary objective. The armor
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battalion has but one objective: Defend the Command Post. To do so, they
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must destroy the Ogre.
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Making Choices: Choices are made in OGRE through the use of the pointer,
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a black, triangular object that can be moved around with a mouse
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joystick, or keyboard.
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Clicking: Some selections in OGRE are made by first moving the pointer
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to the desired object or option, then pressing and quickly releasing the
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button. This is referred to as clicking.
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Dragging: Another method of designating choices is by dragging. Dragging
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is accomplished by placing the pointer over the desired object then
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pressing and holding the button while moving the pointer to another
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location. Releasing the button completes the drag.
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Pulling Down the Menu: In the upper right corner of the screen are two
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menus that can be pulled down. The first is titled "Menu" and the second
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is "OSI". To pull down either menu place the pointer over the desired
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title and press and hold the button. The selected menu title will become
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highlighted and a list of commands will appear beneath the title.
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Releasing the button without moving the pointer will cause the menu to
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disappear.
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Choosing Menu Commands: Menu commands are chosen by using the dragging
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technique. Position the pointer over the selected menu title and pull
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down the menu by pressing the button. While holding the button down,
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drag the pointer to the desired menu command. As the pointer moves
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through the menu, each command is highlighted releasing the button
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selects it. If you change your mind about choosing a command, move the
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pointer off the menu, or back up to the title, then release the button.
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Nothing is chosen unless you release the button while one of the
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commands is highlighted.6
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Using the Keyboard: A mouse (if available) or joystick is highly
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recommended for playing OGRE. OGRE can be played using the keyboard to
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move the pointer and to simulate clicking or pressing a button, or it
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can be played entirely with pointing, clicking, and dragging without
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reference to the various input devices.
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Dimmed Commands: When "Menu" is pulled down, some of the commands are
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less distinct than others. These less distinct commands are referred to
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as dimmed. Dimmed options are ones that cannot be used at that time.
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Dialogue Boxes: Whenever additional info is required to complete a
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command, a dialogue box appears. Dialogue boxes usually have special
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areas called buttons to click, such as "ok" or "cancel". Sometimes they
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present further options for selection. Dialogue boxes are also used to
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warn you if you're about to do something that is irreversable. For an
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example of a dialogue box with general information, select "About Ogre"
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from the OSI menu. Clicking the "ok" button removes the dialogue box.
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THE BATTLEFIELD:
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General: The defender's Command Post has been located in the most
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defensible terrain available - a battered strech of land 22.5 kilometers
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wide by 33 kilometers long (14 miles by 20.5 miles). It is bounded on
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three sides by impassable swamp and on the fourth by a very deep wide
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river. A map representing the standard battlefield is displayed on your
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computer screen. The map is divided into hexes, each representing an
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area 1500 meters (0.93 miles) across.
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Viewing the Map: Only half of the map can be viewed at one time. The map
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can be moved vertically by clicking on one of the arrows positioned at
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the four corners of the map. At the upper left and lower left corners of
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the map are arrows with horizontal bars at their tips. These arrows are
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used to display the top or bottom half of the map. Clicking on arrows in
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th upper right and lower right corners moves the map up or down one hex
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at a time.
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Craters: The battlefield is scarred with craters from past nuclear
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detonations. Craters are represented on the map by solid circles.
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Nothing may move into or over a crater. It is possible, however, to fire
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across craters.
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Rubble: The battlefield is further obstructed by great piles of earth
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and rubble. These piles of rubble are represented on the map by solid
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black lines along the edges of hexes. Only the Ogre and infanry are
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capable of moving across this rubble. Other armor units cannot cross.
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Any unit can fire across the rubble.
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Areas: The standard battlefield is divided into two basic areas. The
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majority of the map (the top 16 rows of hexes) is referred to as the
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"obtructed" area. This is the area containing all of the craters and
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rubble. The bottom 6 rows of hexes, free of craters and rubble, are
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referred to as the "clear" area. both the left-most and right-most
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column of hexes contain only one crater. These craters are located in
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the 7th hex down from the top. A line drawn between these two crater
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hexes is referred to as the "crater line". The obstructed area, clear
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area, and crater line are referred to during the initial deployment of
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defensive forces.
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THE COMBATANTS:
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The combatants are rated by Combat Factors. The main combat factors are
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a weapon's Attack Strength, Attack Range, and Defense Strength. Attack
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Strength reflects a weapon's destructive power. The effective distance a
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weapon can reach is its Attack Range, and a unit's capability to
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withstand an attack is referred to as it's Defense Strength. These
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factors will be further expanded upon when discussing combat.
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