Bolo is a networked graphical real-time multi-player tank battle game.
Bolo is "Shareware" for non-commercial use. That means that you can try it out before you decide whether you are going to delete it from your disk, or keep it and pay for it. You can also give copies to your friends, but you mustn't charge them money for it. Bolo may not be distributed commercially or bundled with any commercial product without the written permission of the author, Stuart Cheshire.
Do not be put off by the number of files in this package. Bolo has attracted something of a cult following, and there are now alternative maps, map editors, AI brains, cyborgs, tactical displays, Internet game trackers etc.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO LEARN ABOUT ALL OF THESE TO PLAY BOLO.
Follow the simple instructions below to play Bolo. If you get hooked, then you can delve into the "More information" folder later, but don't start there first or you'll get bored before you even play your first game.
Quick Start for First Time Players
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1. Double-click the Bolo application icon to run Bolo.
2. In the "Network Selection" dialog box, accept the default choice — Tutorial — by clicking the “OK” button.
3. Bolo will give you instructions on the screen explaining how to drive the tank, what the different kinds of terrain are, and the basic goals of the game.
Network Game Quick Start
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1. Double-click the Bolo application icon to run Bolo.
2. In the "Network Selection" dialog box, select AppleTalk and click the “OK” button.
3. In the "AppleTalk Setup" dialog box, enter a name for your tank and click “New” to begin a new game.
4. In the Game Setup dialog box, accept the default choices by clicking the “OK” button.
You are now running a network game of Bolo. Other players can join in by following steps 1 and 2, and then in the "AppleTalk Setup" dialog box, instead of clicking “New”, they should select your name on the players list and click “Join” to enter your game.
Select "Set Keys…" on the "Bolo" menu to view the keys used to drive the tank. You can change the keys if you prefer something different.
Click with the mouse to farm trees and build things.
The round things with pointy red bits sticking out are pillboxes. You can shoot them, but if you do they will shoot back.
Next Stop
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You can simply explore the game to discover how everything works, or for more information, read the Bolo Manual in the same folder as this file. Remember, don't get lost in the "More information" folder until you have at least played one game and enjoyed it. It will be much more fun if you can get three or more people together to play, since there will not be a lot to do if you are the only player in the game. Bolo is not a traditional single player computer game with a multi-player option added as a cute marketing feature. Every aspect of Bolo is designed for multiple players, which makes a single player game of Bolo about as much fun as playing Monopoly on your own. I make no apology for this -- if you want a single player game, there are plenty to choose from.
Known problems in Bolo 0.99.6
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Occasionally Bolo may get a PPC (Program-To-Program Communication) Toolbox error at game start, particularly when playing by modem. If you have MacsBug installed, you can simply hit Command-G (for "Go") and Bolo will continue. This will be fixed in the next release. (If you don't have MacsBug installed, it will just say "Unimplemented Trap" and you will have to restart.)
The "New Game" menu command is not very reliable. Sometimes it seems to not quite fully reset the game to the initial state properly. If it causes you problems you may wish to avoid using the "New Game" menu command and instead quit and restart Bolo between games.
