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Text File | 1994-01-10 | 23KB | 748 lines

Iron Clads ========== The Game Of Surface Naval Combat 1901-1945 ------------------------------------------ By T A Sear Placed in the Public Domain 16.05.1992 All rights reserved by the author.This Program may be freely copied and distributed. Programmed using HiSoft Basic and Extend Copyright Hisoft and Sunsmile Software. What you should have in this package to start with Two disks contents as follows- Iron Clads: Ironclads iff/introscreen.iff iff/abandon.sam iff/cripple.sam iff/sunk.sam iff/torpedo.sam iff/gunfire.sam iff/background.sam ppmore Shipdata: security battles/riverplate fleets/riverplate shipdata/ab,ad,ah,al,au bb,bd,bh,bl,bu fb,fd,fh,fl,fu gb,gd,gh,gl,gu ib,id,ih,il,iu jb,jd,jh,jl,ju rb,rd,rh,rl,ru Backup Both Disks Now As Shipdata: may be written to during the game For The Poke'N'Hope Brigade --------------------------- One batle and one fleet have been included to start you off both on disk 1 and named RiverPlate. General Information ******************* Introduction ------------ The purpose of this game is to simulate surface naval warfare in the early part of the 20th century,ending with the conclusion of World War II. System Requirements ------------------- The program requires 1Mb to run,a single disk drive and any version of the Commodore Amiga (TM).The game is for two players or may be played solitaire. There is no computer opponent. Menus ----- The game uses menus for selecting all actions, 1. Press the right mouse button and hold it down. 2. Move the mouse until the pointer is at the top of the screen. 3. Keeping the pointer at the top of the screen move the mouse left or right until the desired menu appears. 4. Keeping the pointer on the now visible menu-list move the pointer down until the desired option is highlighted,by moving the mouse and release the mouse button. Some menus and some items are disabled until other options have been selected for example the gunnery and movement menus are disabled until a battle has been started Booting The Program ------------------- The program autoboots and starts with a title screen while various files are loaded.You will then be asked to insert the data disk which contains the files which you may alter.This is required whenever you are using any stored data,or storing data.Do NOT write protect the data disk if you are to use Save Fleet,Save Battle,or Create Ship Classes. Method ------ The Game is split into 'turns' or 'bounds' during which time the players may invoke a variety of options,using some of which may cause other options to be inappropriate or invalid for the rest of that bound. Game Size And Design -------------------- The game will allow two opposing fleets to be used ,each fleet is limited to 11 ships of all types.The playing area has been designed to be limitless, although only 50000x50000 yards are visible through the map window at any time.All ships must start in this grid,although they may subsequently sail out of the currently selected visible area.Also only 50 smoke shells may be in existance at any time.(A smoke shell exists for 10 bounds),and only 50 torpedo tracks may exist.(A torpedo track consists of any number of torpedoes fired from the same ship,at the same target simultaneously and lasts until the torpedoes should have arrived at the target. Ship Design ----------- The following notes are a rough guide to designing your own ships for use in Iron Clads program.A good naval reference book is essential to do this although the information required has been minimised.If you do not have this type of book available I have supplied about 10 ships of each class for each nation covered by this program. Centre-line gun batteries have a 280 degree firing arc. Side mounted main/secondary batteries have a 50 degree fore/aft firing arc. Side mounted tertiary batteries have a 50 degree forward,and 15 degree aft firing arc. Trainable torpedo mounts have an 80 degree firing arc. Fixed torpedo mounts are restricted to a 40 degree firing arc. All ships are fitted with searchlights. Any ship with aircraft is fitted with only one launching catapault. Port side guns obtain ammunition from the forward magazine only. Starboard side guns obtain ammunition from the aft magazine only. RADAR may be fitted to ships re-fitted after 1937 (depending on nationality). As can be seen there are very many simplifications in ship design built into these rules,and not knowing a great deal about the subject I don't think they substantially affect the game play or accuracy.There is little cross-checking of your ship design data performed by the program. Game Bound ---------- The game is split into bounds and it is for the players to control the action within each bound.The steps within the bound are as follows: 1 Movement 2 Shipboard Systems Control 3 First Player Firing 4 Second Player Firing At the end of each bound the first and second player swap over the firing order.The game is primarily menu and mouse driven,the menu contents and action are outlined in the following pages. Entering Data ------------- When the program requests information it will do so in one of two ways,either by using a list of optional entries eg: 1 No 2 Yes or requesting typed information eg: Enter Year Of Last Refit (01-45)? Option Lists ------------ The format of the list below will be used throughout the program when information is requested. 1 Option 1 2 Option 2 3 Option 3 etc To select an option simply press the number key indicated to the left of the option,there is no need to press the 'RETURN' or 'ENTER' key. Typed Information ----------------- The information is typed in at the keyboard and then press the 'RETURN' or 'ENTER' key.Your information will then be checked for validity,if it fails the test you will be given a message why and after pressing 'SPACE BAR' have to repeat the process The Menus ********* Game Control ============ This is the main menu heading for items which control the overall running of the game. Start Game ---------- This option clears the decks for action and sets up the menus for use.The item is disabled until either a previously stored battle has been loaded ('Load Battle'),a pair of fleets has been set up ('Setup Fleet'),or a previously stored pair of fleets has been loaded ('Load Fleet'). Setup Fleet ----------- This is used to create your opposing fleets and includes the ability to design your own ships,if you choose not to use one of the previously designed ships. On first entering this menu if no fleet has been loaded ('Load Fleet' or 'Load Battle') you will be prompted for the name of your two fleets,if however the fleets have already been named then this stage will be by-passed.You are now presented with the fleet names or the option to quit this routine.On deciding to continue and the program will ask you for the ship name,which must be unique within the fleet you are entering,if your fleet is full (11 ships) you will be told so.Assuming your fleet is not full,you will now be asked if you wish to use a pre-defined ship class,this enables you to define up to 10 ships of any class ie:Battleship for each of the navies applicable to the game.If you opt for a pre-defined class you will be prompted for the nationality and ship class required (this allows you to import ships made in other countries), after the file is loaded only the current course and speed need be entered. The final stage is to position your ship within the available 50000x50000 yard visible screen by clicking on the desired position (move the pointer to position and press then release the left mouse button).If no pre-defined ships exist,or the file is absent (wrong disk,faulty copying?) the ship class will be ignored and you will proceed as if no pred-defined ship was required. If you elect not to use a pre-defined class of ship then you will be required to enter the following information. Naionality Country Of Origin Class Type of ship eg:Light Cruiser Ship Displacement Weight in tons Ship Length Length at waterline in feet Maximum Speed Absolute top speed Morale Confidence rating for crew Training Crew competency Type Of Armour Armour plating material eg:Mild Steel Thickness of Armour Armour thickness in inches either average or Superstructure /Deck /Turret Calibre of Guns Diameter of shells fired in inches Range Of Guns Maximum range in yards Location of Guns Number and position of all guns Ammunition for Guns Number and position for shells Rate Of Fire Maximum rounds per minute fired Calibre of Torpedoes Diameter of torpedoes fired in inches Range Of Torpedoes Maximum range in yards Location of Tubes Number and position of all launch tubes Ammunition for Torpedoes Number and position for torpedoes Number of Anti-Aircraft Guns Number guns available for AA use Current Speed Speed Current Course Course RADAR Does ship have surface-search RADAR Smoke Can ship make a chemical smoke screen Year of Last Refit Year of last modification to ships equipment The final step in adding a ship to your fleet is to place it within the 50000 square yard visible map by clicking the left mouse button over the desired position.After each ship is entered you will be given the choice to exit this section of the program,if you do exit you may resume entering ships at a later time. Load Fleet ---------- If you already have a pair of fleets set up you may load them into the program with this option,by specifying the filename when requested.The filename must not include the drive or directory name as this is preset as shipdata:fleets. The data will be read from the shipdata: disk and automatically routed via the /fleets directory which must already exist.If no filename is specified the load is aborted and no information loaded.If no file is found the program will report this and you may re-enter the filename or abort as desired.The file consists of two fleets (0 and 1),each fleet consists of eleven ships (0 to 10) with 150 items of data (quite a sizeable datafile).No information pertaining to a battle is saved ie:no torpedoes fired but not yet arrived at targets,no smoke screens or shells. Save Fleet ---------- As may be expected this is the reverse of the above and saves a pair of fleetsto disk.This routine operates under the same criteria as the 'Load Fleet' item,however the item is only valid when these additional restrictions have been met either- 'Setup Fleets' has been successfully used 'Load Fleets' has been successfully used 'Load Battle' has been successfully used Load Battle ----------- This routine performs and operates identically to 'Load Fleet' but includes smoke shell,smoke screen and torpedo records,the weather factors are NOT saved.If sucessfully completed this routine automatically performs a 'Start Game' option.The battle datafile is even larger than the fleets data and resides in the /battle directory on the shipdata: disk. Save Battle ----------- As may be expected this is the reverse of the above and saves a battle to disk.This routine operates under the same criteria as the 'Load Battle' item,however the item is only valid when these additional restrictions have been met- 'Load Battle' has been successfully used followed by a 'Start Game'. Delete Ship ----------- To allow the user to amend or update the fleets or pre-defined ships it may be desirable to delete a ship,to allow this to be done a routine has been included.To permanantly delete a ship supply the fleet and ship name using this option.Once a ship is deleted it may be replaced and the name re-used. Create Ship Classes ------------------- This option allows a user to update the supplied pre-defined ships,it operates along similar lines to the 'Setup Fleet' option and saves automatically on completion to the shipdata: disk and the /shipdata directory. Weather ------- Certain weather conditions may affect your ship at times.Weather factors may be altered using this option,the affect is immediate.The weather for any chosen scenario is NOT saved. Next Bound ---------- The last item in the 'Game Control' list is used solely to proceed to the next turn after each bound.Once this option is selected certain bound dependant functions are interpreted eg:decay of a smoke screen.A brief report on each ship is provided showing shipboard system losses. Intelligence ============ The routines in this section are all relevant to handling the map and data gathering/reconnaisance.Information provided here is very much more detailed than that provided between bounds. Centre Map On Point ------------------- As the playing area within the program is limitless a method is required for moving the visible area of 50000 sq yards around at your discretion,there are two routines providing this facility and this is the first to be discussed. On selecting the option you will be required to click the mouse over the new point around which the map is to be centered.The title bar of the map shows the current map centre point.Off map movement continues as would be expected. Centre Map On Ship ------------------ The second of the map movement routines allows the user to place a chosen ship at the centre of the viewing area.On selecting this option you will be prompted for the fleet,the program will supply the available shipnames and after your choice is made the map will be re-displayed centered on the selected ship. Inter-visibility ---------------- The map displays a 50000 yard square but this does not mean all ships visible on the map can actually see or detect each other.This menu item will calculate whether a ship can see any other selected ship on RADAR,visually,or not.Upon entering the option you simply click on the ship that is looking,then on the ship being looked for.If the ship is detected the range and bearing will be output,along with the ship class.If conditions permit,normally within 60% of maximum visual detection range the ship name will also be reported.If the searching ship has RADAR on and operative then the program will report on RADAR contacts. Ship Details ------------ This is the primary data-gathering routine,and should only be used on friendly ships as the information provided is of such a nature it will only be known by the ships captain and crew.Simply click on the ship once the routine is entered and you will be provided with- Speed Course Armament Ammunition Damage Fires Searchlight Status RADAR Status Aircraft Status Gunnery Targets (Negative=No target) Turns Guns Assigned To Current Target Morale plus all the information you may need to decide on your strategy. Ship Control ============ The primary shipboard systems are accessed from this menu. Searchlights ------------ All ships are fitted with searchlights which improve accuracy of guns after dark.This menu item simply switches the searchlights on or off and acts as a conventiaonal toggle switch,as with all systems searchlights are liable to battle damage. Launch Aircraft --------------- When a ship is created it may be designed to have aircraft,if so it will be provided with a launch catapault.The launch catapault is prone to failure when being used,it may also suffer battle damage.If the catapault is unservicable then aircraft cannot be launched.A ship will be designed to have a certain number of aircraft which take 10 turns each to be readied for launch and can only stay aloft for 8 moves (less if shot down by enemy AA fire).Only 1 aircraft from each ship can be aloft at any time whereupon the gunnery accuracy of that ship will improve.Aircraft cannot be launched while you are firing any weapon from the launching ship but are unnaffected by smoke as they can fly around or above any shell or screen.To launch an aircraft select this option and click the mouse on the launching ship. Stack Smoke ----------- The least effective of the smoke systems,all ships are capable of emitting smoke from the engines via the funnel.Smoke is an effective method of reducing damage during escape or tactical moves.The visual effect of stack smoke lasts for 5 moves but is continually produced until turned off.This menu item acts as a toggle switching smoke on or off. Chemical Smoke --------------- A more effective smoke system than stack smoke,only ships properly equiped during design are capable of emitting smoke from the special dispensers.Smoke is an effective method of reducing damage during escape or tactical moves.The visual effect of smoke lasts for 5 moves but is continually produced until turned off.This menu item acts as a toggle switching smoke on or off.As a special system chemical smoke dispensers may suffer battle damage. Smoke Shells ------------ The most controlable smoke system only ships capable of gunfire are capable of using smoke shells.Smoke is an effective method of reducing damage during escape or tactical moves.The visual effect of smoke shells lasts for 10 moves, during 5 of which the area covered is growing followed by 5 moves of decay. This menu item requires a gun battery to be nominated,and a spot for the shell to fall. RADAR ----- Ships refitted in 1938 or later may be fitted with RADAR,if the owning nation has the technology.The affect of RADAR is to increase gunnery accuracy and detection range.The range of RADAR is dependant upon nationality of ship.This item acts as a toggle switching RADAR on or off.As a special system RADAR may suffer battle damage. Movement -------- To use this item click mouse on the ship to affect,then input the new course and speed.Ships take time to accelerate decelerate or turn depending on size and weight. Evasive Manoeuvre ----------------- To make a more difficult target ships capable of over 15 knots speed may elect to use this option,it reduces effective speed by 25% and the ship executes random course changes around the base course set in normal movement section. Eratic movement affects hostile and your own gunfire.This menu switches EM on or off. Combat ====== All target acquisition,and gunnery control is performed by this menu. Open Fire --------- To open fire on a ship use this item,you will be prompted to click on both the firing and target ship.Once the ships are identified the range and bearing are calculated as for the inter-visibility menu and you are required to acknowledge this information.At this stage you select the armamament to fire or quit,and if you select quit the gunfire is aborted.Providing the gun battery causes the program to calculate ammunition expenditure,guns able to bear,gunnery affect,hit probability,location of hits,defensive affect of armour,damage inflicted,major system damage,fires started-as you can see a great deal of information is handled so it is a little bit slow at times. Affect of fire is instantaneous,and as minor damage is inflicted major systems will start to fail on the damaged ship.Accuracy is increased by using aircraft for spotting and for the length of time the target has been held in your sights,see next item. Target Gun Director ------------------- Your gun directors are the 'sights' over which you fire,the directors are of varying quality depending upon nationality,year,and type.The lowest accuracy is from optical sights (a man standing by the gun and sighting it like a rifle).An improvement over optical is the local director where a simple calculation is done in the gun position or a nearby location.The best affects are achieved by the main director where a dedicated armoured room is purpose equiped to control all the guns.Torpedoes have a different main director called a TDC (Tracking Deviation Computer). Sound Effects ------------- The last menu controls the sound-you may want to scream if this is on all the time. Background Music ---------------- The short background instrumental may be toggled on or off with this item. Sound Effects ------------- Within the program several short sound effects come into operation at odd times,these may be toggled on or off with this item. Round Up ******** I hope you enjoy this program,if you have any comments please take the time to write to me-it is only by you writing that I can get inspiration for the several months of programming a project like this takes.If you have a program related problem and require a reply please enclose a stamped address envelope and be patient I WILL REPLY,it may just take a few days.I strongly believe in the concept of PD and intend to try and make any PD program I write of commercial quality,yet keep it PD.Support me in my beliefs,this program took me 6 months to write and you got for the price of a disk (or therabouts) SPARE THE TIME AND STAMP TO WRITE! AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT- CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO FUTURE VERSIONS (my Napoleonic program is currently on version 6!) This program has been play-tested by several people over a period of three months.Although the testers reported no problems,some bugs may still be present,if you let me know I will try to fix them. I am.... Ashley Sear 26 Denham Road Canvey Island Essex SS8 9HB ENGLAND You may be interested to know I have also written a Napoleonic land battles program which will be available via the PD library where you bought this one. Ashley Sear 16.05.92