AGE OF SAIL Demo Readme Installing the AGE OF SAIL Demo ------------------------------- 1. From Windows, select the File menu (or the Win 95 Start button) and the Run menu item. 2. Enter: d:\aos_demo\setup Note: If your CD-ROM is different from d:, enter the appropriate letter. Getting Started --------------- To see a fully automated demo, do the following. First launch the demo, using the Age of Sail program item. When prompted, select Automatic A/I for both sides. This will play the demo Computer vs. Computer. To try a battle against the computer, select Automatic A/I for one side and Manual for the side you wish to play. Choose Novice as the difficulty level and Normal for the ammo reload rate. Note: If you do not hear cannon-fire sound effects when a ship fires, open the Options Menu and select the Use Eight-Bit Sound Files item. To exit the game, select the Exit item from the File Menu. The Basics of Play ------------------ * How to select a ship: Click on the ship with the left mouse button. * How to fire on another ship: Click on the target ship with the right mouse button. Note that the target must be on the left (port) or right (starboard) side of the firing ship and within range of the ammunition being fired (choose Gun Range in the Display Menu to show the selected ship's field of fire). To have the computer fire your ship for you, select Fire at Will in the Ship Menu. * How to turn a ship: After selecting the ship, click on the Right or Left Turn icon in the toolbar. Alternatively, select Turn to Port or Turn to Starboard in the Ship Menu. Note that turning does not occur immediately. An arrow will indicate the direction of turn until the turn is actually made. * How to change the gun load of a ship: After selecting the ship, left-click on the Round, Chain, Grape or Double Shot icon in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can select the new ammunition type from the Ship Menu. Note: the selected type will not be reloaded until the next time the ship fires. To have it apply immediately, left-click on one of the toolbar icons that show a left-facing cannon, a right-facing cannon, or two cannons facing in opposite directions, immediately after selecting the load; doing so will start the reloading procedure for the left (port) side, right (starboard) side or both sides of the ship respectively. * How to change the sails of a ship: After selecting the ship, click on the Full, Battle (i.e., partial) or Furled Sails icon in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can select the sail change order in the Ship Menu. * How to board an enemy ship and engage in melee: Select a friendly ship, left-click on the Grapple icon in the toolbar, then try to collide with an enemy ship. If grappling is successful (this may take a bit of time), a Melee Report will be displayed to report both ships' crew casualties. * How to scroll the map: Use the arrow keys to scroll the map. To scroll more rapidly, hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the arrow key. Squadron Orders --------------- Turn, Reload Ammo, Fire at Will, and Change Sail orders can be issued to an entire squadron by selecting a ship in the squadron and then issuing the order while holding down the Ctrl key. Ships flying the same color pennant are in the same squadron. The Toolbar ----------- These are the toolbar buttons in order from left to right (those marked with an * do not appear if screen resolution is set to 640 x 480): New File* - open a new scenario file Open File* - open an existing battle file Save File* - save a battle file Pause - pause the game (click again to restart) Speed Up - increase speed of selected ship without changing sail setting Slow Down - decrease speed of selected ship without changing sail setting Sync Speeds - set all ships in squadron to same speed as selected ship Turn to Port - turn selected ship to port Turn to Starboard - turn selected ship to starboard Clear Squadron Turns - cancel Squadron Turn order for selected ship's squadron Full Sail - set full sails on selected ship Battle Sail - set battle (i.e., partial) sails on selected ship Furled Sail - set furled sails on selected ship Fire at Will - let the computer fire the selected ship's guns Round Shot - reload guns with Round Shot after next shot Chain Shot - reload guns with Chain Shot after next shot Grape Shot - reload guns with Grape Shot after next shot Double Shot - reload guns with Double Shot after next shot Reload Port (Left) Side - reload port side with preselected ammo type Reload Both Sides - reload both sides of selected ship with preselected ammo type Reload Starboard (Right) Side - reload starboard side with preselected ammo type Grapple - attempt to grapple with (or ungrapple from) another ship Next Ship - select the next ship on your side Grid* - display/hide map grid Can Fire - display/hide icon showing which side of ship is ready to fire Full Screen - display/hide full screen mode Magnify - zoom map view in Shrink - zoom map view out Turning Arrows* - display/hide turning arrows on map Gun Range - display/hide range indicator on map for selected ship Help* - invoke general Age-of-Sail help The Unit List ------------- The Unit List at the bottom of the screen shows the ship data for the recently selected ships; e.g., current speed and heading, sail and hull integrity, number of functioning cannons on each side of the ship, etc. Right-clicking on a ship's data area will reveal even more information on the ship. What the Full Version of AGE OF SAIL Offers ------------------------------------------- * Over 100 historical scenarios, ranging from single ship-vs.-ship encounters to great engagements like the Battle of Trafalgar. * Head-to-head modem and null-modem play. * A full-function scenario editor to let you design your own scenarios using any of 2000 different ships from eleven nations. * An easy-to-use front-end interface. * Full 16-bit sound effects and background music. * A complete hardcopy manual plus foldout quick-start instructions. * Four campaign games, covering: - The American Revolution (1775-1783) - The Rise of the British Navy (1784-1795) - The Napoleonic Wars (1796-1820) - The Age of Sail (1775-1820, encompassing the three other campaign games) For more information, contact TalonSoft at 410-933-9191 or visit our Web site at http://www.talonsoft.com. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This demo incorporates the v1.02 upgrade to Age of Sail.