Gambler 29 B/GAMBLERCD29B.BIN/README.TXT

Text File | 1996-11-05 | 24KB | 402 lines

HARPOON CLASSIC 97 README

ADDITIONAL CREDITS:

    Beta testing:    Jim Pedicord

    Photos:        copyright, U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD


ONLINE MANUALS AND ADOBE ACROBAT:

    Along with the printed manual, Harpoon Classic 97 comes with several online
manuals. To view these files, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your system. Adobe
Acrobat is included on the Harpoon Classis 97 CD in the \manuals\Windows\ directory.
To install Adobe Acrobat, use the Run... option off of the Win95 Start menu to run
X:\manuals\Windows\acroread.exe (where X is the designation of your CD drive).

    The first manual, the Tactical Operations manual, can be accessed from within the
game's Help menu and is installed on your hard drive into the Harpoon Classic 97 directory.
The other three manuals:

    The Scenario Editor manual - instruction manual for using the Harpoon Classic
        scenario editor
    Harpoon Designer Series I manual - detailed overview of the Designer Series I
        Battlesets
    Harpoon Designer Series II manual - detailed overview of the Designer Series II
        Battlesets

can be found on the CD, in the \manuals directory.


BEARINGS:

    During the game, a left click on any point in the group window followed by another
left click in a different area of the window, will cause the distance and bearing
between the two points to be displayed on the status bar in the lower left corner.
The bearing indicated here takes into account the curvature of the earth and therefore
may result in slightly different bearings than expected. For example, clicking on a point
and then another point directly to the right will result in a bearing greater than the 90
degrees that might be expected. Turning on the grid will help to illustrate this point.


AUTOSAVE:

    Autosave may be enabled in the Game Options of the Settings menu. If Autosave is
enabled before your game has been saved to any other name, it will automatically save to
a file named autosave.XXX (where XXX differs depending on the Battleset). Once you have
manually saved the game to another filename, autosave will automatically use this new name
as the default to save to. Autosave will always use the last filename to which the game
was manually saved.


REFUELLING:

    Refueling is abstracted as actual refueling operations are quite complicated.
In Harpoon Classic 97 refueling & tankers work as follows:

    1) Tankers carry as their fuel load an amount equal to their initial load.
    2) The tankers in a group can only refuel one group of planes.
    3) Tankers split the fuel equally among the planes being refueled, and if
        they cannot refuel all the planes to the top, then they
        give each plane a lessor, equal amount.
    4) The automatic refueling only occurs when the planes are launched with the
        tankers.
    5) All joined groups must be manually refueled with the alt-R command.

BINGO FUEL
    Bingo fuel percentage is an indication of how much fuel you have remaining above
and beyond the minimal amount required to return to base from your current location. Take
for example an aircraft which can carry 15000 lbs. of fuel which is flying a mission and
currently has 9000 lbs. of fuel remaining. If it will take this plane 3000 lbs. of fuel
from its current point to return to base, then it has 6000 lbs. of fuel (of a possible
12000 lbs.) remaining above the amount required to return home - i.e. it is at 50% Bingo
Fuel. If it would take the plane 6000 lbs. of fuel to return to base, then it is currently
at 33% Bingo Fuel (3000 lbs. remaining 'extra' fuel / 9000 lbs. if the tank were full).

Expressed as a formula:
    Bingo Fuel = (CF - MF) / (TF - MF)
where:
    CF = current fuel
    MF = minimal fuel required to return to base
    TF = total fuel capacity of the aircraft.




HARPOON CLASSIC 97 - BEGINNER'S SCENARIO
WALKTHROUGH

Introduction

Welcome to Harpoon Classic 97. This walkthrough is designed to help you familiarize yourself with the
game commands while participating in an actual (albeit simple) scenario. This walkthrough is
not intended to teach tactics for playing Harpoon Classic 97 successfully. It is simply to
familiarize players with the game interface. There are a couple of things to take note of:

Missed contacts

Throughout the walkthrough you will be encountering enemy ships. Because of the
unpredictability of the computer A.I., there is a chance that enemy ships will not appear where
expected. If this happens to you, explore the expected meeting area (by setting your course with
the Course button as explained in the walkthrough) at a slow speed. If you are still unable to make
the enemy contact, either start over or skip to the next section.

SOSUS contacts

Occasionally, while playing this walkthrough, you may detect enemy units located far away from
yours, via SOSUS (as indicated in the staff message that you receive). SOSUS are large fields of
seabed sensors located in the North Sea which track enemy vessels through advanced passive
sonar techniques. If you receive this type of contact, ignore it by simply clicking the "Continue"
button on the `Staff Message' dialog. You will quickly lose contact with the enemy ship.

Pausing the game

This walkthrough is best played by reading ahead a section at a time. While doing so, you may
pause the game by pressing CTRL-P. This will ensure that no game time passes while you are
reading the text.


1.  Starting the Scenario

Start the Harpoon '97 game. In the `Select a Battleset' dialog, select the 'GIUK - Greenland -
Iceland - United Kingdom Gap' and click the "OK" button. On the `Select Game Options' dialog,
click the "OK" button. On the `Select Scenario' dialog, highlight the "1.0 BLUE SIDE ONLY:
Beginners Walk-Thru Scenario". Click the "New Game" button.

2.  Movement

2.1  The Report window

Select the NATO Submarine Group, AAU, located off of the coast of Norway by left clicking on
the icon in the Group window. Notice that the details of the group are displayed in the Report
window. This group consists of two submarines at shallow depth.

2.2  The Unit Window

Right click on the submarine group icon in the Group window. A closeup of the group appears in
the Unit window. Click the "2x" button at the top of the Unit window. This zooms in on the
vessels. Left click on the uppermost submarine in the Unit window. Notice that the information in
the Report window has changed to display information about this particular submarine, the
`Miami', an Improved Los Angeles class sub. Notice that it is not currently moving.

2.3  Setting a Course

Left click on the sub group AAU again in the Group window. Notice that this changes the
command buttons which are available across the top of the screen. Click on the "Course" button.
The `Set Orders' dialog appears. Most of the buttons here are greyed since the sub currently has
no orders. Click on the "Enter New Legs" checkbox. Checking this option allows you to give the
group a course to follow. Click on the Group map on a point just north of the northeast corner of
Iceland. Notice that a line appears from your group to the point selected. This is the course that the
sub will follow. More legs could be added to this course by clicking more points on the Group
window. Click the "OK" button in the `Set Orders' dialog.

2.4  Setting Speed

In the Report window you can see that although you have set a course, the speed of the group is
still 0. Click on the "Speed" button along the top of the screen. The `Set Speed and Depth' dialog
appears. Click on "Cruise". The speed displayed in the dialog changes to 15 kts. Let's also move
the sub to periscope depth by clicking on "Peri". Click "OK". Notice that the speed in the Report
window is now 15 kts. and a small arrow has appeared next to the icons in the Unit window
indicating that they are moving.


2.5 Range Circles

Notice the circles around the subs in both the Group and Unit windows. These indicate ranges for
such things as sonar, radar, and weapons. Click on the Settings menu and then the "Show Range
Circles." menu item. The `Show Range Circles' dialog appears. Using this dialog, you can
toggle the range circles so that only those in which you are interested are displayed. For now, let's
only worry about sonar ranges. Uncheck all of the boxes except "Best Active Sonar" and "Best
Passive Sonar" for the Blue side. Click "OK". Notice that only green circles remain on the Unit
window. These are the ranges for the passive sonar which we are currently using.

2.6  Setting the Sensors

Click on the "Sensors" button on the top of the screen. The `Set Group Sensors' dialog appears.
Currently the sonar and radar (which is useable only because we are at periscope depth or less) are
both off, or passive. Set both to "Active" and click "OK". Now the range circles have changed to
smaller yellow circles indicating the range of our active sonar. Since it is typically better to run
with passive sonar and radar until an enemy is found, use the `Set Group Sensors' dialog to turn
off both your sonar and radar.

3.  Sub to surface missile attacks

3.1  Time Compression

Okay, let's go hunting for an enemy. First, let's speed up the time compression so that things
happen a little more quickly. Click on the "+ Fast" button on the top of the screen. Notice that the
text next to the button changes to "5 sec.". This indicates that 5 seconds of game time are passing
for each second of real time. Continue clicking the "+ Fast" button until you are at "1 min.". Your
subs are now visibly moving in the Unit window.

3.2  Mission time & orders

The time remaining indicator is in the lower right hand corner of the screen. This show the time
remaining to complete the current mission. It looks like we have plenty of time, more than 9 days.
Click on the "Reports" menu and then the "Show Orders." menu item. This brings up the
`Scenario Description' dialog which you can use to review the mission orders. Click on the
"Close" button. Click on the "+ Fast" button until the text next to the button reads "30 min.". Your
subs are now visibly moving in both the Unit and Group windows.

3.3  Encountering the Enemy

Soon, you will receive a `Staff Message' indicating that your subs have made a contact. Click on
the "1:1 time" button. This sets your time compression back to 1 sec. = 1 sec. so that you have
more time to react to the threat. Click on the red ship icon which has appeared in the Group
window (using the backspace key to toggle between the groups may be helpful if your sub group
is difficult to select). The Report window indicates that this group, USSR Surface Group ZZS,
contains one ship. Scroll the Unit window until the red ship icon appears there as well. Select the
Russian ship in this window. This allows you to get information on individual enemy ships. In this
case, there is not much more information than what the Group window told us.


3.4  Getting a fix on the enemy

There may be an elongated red diamond visible around the enemy ship. This indicates that the
exact location of the enemy is unknown. We only know that is lies somewhere within the area of
the diamond. Don't worry if you lose contact with the enemy. If this happens, slow your speed to
"Creep" (5 kts.) and continue moving in the same direction. You will soon pick up the enemy
again. Notice that as your subs approach the enemy, the size of the diamond gets smaller and may
disappear altogether, indicating that you have an exact fix.

3.5  Launching missiles

When the enemy is detected, select your sub group in the Group window. Now click on the
"Attack" button on the top of the screen. The `Select Enemy Target' dialog appears. In this case
there is only one enemy, so click the "OK" button. The `Sub vs. Ship Attack' dialog now appears.
For this battle we will use missiles, so choose "Missile Attack" and click the "OK" button. Now
the `Attack Allocation' dialog will appear. In the upper left window your two subs are listed and
in the lower left is a list of the enemy targets. In the lower right are the current number of missiles
allocated to be fired in this attack, in this case 4 Tomahawk missiles from the Miami. The upper
right window indicates the weaponry which remains onboard, in this case 5 Tomahawk missiles
and 6 Harpoon missiles. Click on the "Execute" button to launch your Tomahawks. You will see a
graphic of the missiles being fired from the sub and a missile icon will appear in both the Unit and
Group windows. Watch until the missiles reach the enemy unit. You may want to increase the
time compression slightly to speed the action. The enemy ship may attempt to down the incoming
missiles as indicated by a graphic of the enemy ship firing and small explosions occurring on the
missile icon. Once the missiles reach the enemy, another graphic will appear showing their
explosions on or near the enemy. If the missiles are destroyed or miss, continue attacking until the
enemy ship has been sunk. Once it is sunk, you will see a dialog with a graphic of the sinking ship
to let you know that the enemy has been destroyed. Click the "Close" button.

4.  Sub to surface torpedo attacks

4.1  Encountering the enemy

Bring your submarine group to the surface by using the `Set Speed and Depth' dialog, and if the
speed is not set to "Cruise", set it now. Set the time compression to 1 sec. = 30 min. and continue
on your way towards Iceland. Make sure your sonar and radar are off. You will soon encounter
another single enemy ship, USSR Surface Group ZVS.


4.2  Using torpedoes

Lower the time compression to 1 sec. = 1 sec. Set your course directly towards the enemy by
bring up the `Set Orders' dialog, click the "Clear" button to clear the previous course you had set,
and entering a new course directly towards the enemy. Attack this ship exactly as you did the
previous one. When the `Sub vs. Ship Attack' dialog appears, choose "Torpedo Attack" and click
"OK". You have allocated 1 Mk 48 torpedo to fire at the enemy. Increase this to 3 torpedoes by
selecting the Mk 48 line in the `Unit Weapons Loaded' window (notice that you have 21 more
onboard), and pressing the "Allocate" button twice. Select the Sturgeon class `Sea Devil' in the
`Attacking Units' window. Notice that it has 17 torpedoes on board. Allocate three of this sub's
torpedoes to fire as well by using the "Allocate" button. Each sub should now be firing three
torpedoes. Click the "Execute" button to begin the attack which now proceeds exactly as before.
Note that it is sometimes difficult to attack enemy ships with torpedoes without having an exact
fix. If you have trouble scoring a hit, try turning on your radar and sonar to get an exact fix or use
a missile attack. Continue the attack until the enemy vessel is destroyed. Once this is
accomplished, set the speed of your sub group to 0 by using the "Stop" setting in the `Set Speed
and Depth' dialog.

5.  Attacking from an airbase

5.1  Viewing your aircraft

Select the NATO Port & Airfield, ACb, located at Oslo, Norway in the Group window. Click the
"Ready Air" button near the top of the screen. The `Ready Aircraft' dialog appears. This dialog
shows you the available aircraft at this airbase and the mission type for which they are currently
ready. At the moment you have 2 EA-6B Prowlers available for patrol and a squadron of 4 A-6E
bombers. This is fine so click the "Cancel" button to close this dialog.

5.2  Setting patrols

Select the "Launch" button. In the dialog that appears, select "Patrol" and click "OK". Another
dialog appears asking you to choose a patrol destination on the Group map. Left click on a point
just to the west of the two small islands off of the Soviet coast in the Baltic Sea (due east of the
airbase) and click "OK". The `Launch Aircraft' dialog appears. Select the row which contains the
EA-6B Prowler aircraft and click the "Move >>" button. Another dialog appears asking you how
many aircraft you wish to move. Since this is a patrol, enter `1' and click "OK". Now click
"Launch". The aircraft launches and begins moving toward its patrol point. Increase the time
compression to 1 sec. = 1 min. Set the radar on your patrol to `Active' by selecting it in the Group
window and using the "Sensors" button. If a `Staff Message' appears to inform you that your
patrol is nearing Bingo fuel, launch your other EA-6B Prowler to patrol near the same point.
When the next `Staff Message' appears to inform you that your Air Group has reached Bingo fuel,
order them back to the base by clicking "Yes". Continue patrolling in this way until you detect an
enemy ship, USSR Surface Group ZWS, near the patrol point. You may wish to increase the time
compression to speed things along. Remember to keep your radar active on your patrol aircraft.
Be careful not to let your patrol approach the enemy ship too closely or it may be shot down. If
this happens, remember the location of the enemy ship and quickly launch another patrol.


5.3  Launching an attack

Once you've detected the enemy ship, launch your 4 bombers from the base on an `Attack'
mission against the enemy group. Center the enemy ship in the Unit window. Once they arrive,
attack the enemy using your Harpoon missiles according to the defaults suggested. Continue
flying patrols and attack missions until you have sunk the enemy ship. Note that the enemy ship
may try to shoot down your aircraft when they approach too closely. Send your aircraft units
home by selecting them in the Group window and then selecting the "Land Air" button at the top
of the screen and clicking "OK" on the resulting dialog.

6.  Surface to sub attacks

6.1  The formation editor

Set your time compression to 1 sec. = 1 sec. Select the NATO Surface Group ABs located north of
the British Isles in the Group window. Notice in the Report window that these 4 ships have 5
helicopters landed. Let's use the helicopters to set patrols around the ship. Select the "Formation"
button at the top of the screen. The Unit window disappears, the Group window zooms to 64x,
and the `Formation Editor' dialog appears. Select the `1 SH-2F Seasprite' line and click on "Set
Air Patrol". Left click on the lowest left sector of the outer ring displayed in the Group window. A
helicopter icon appears and this sector's outline turns to yellow. In the dialog, you now have `1
ASW Patrol' listed. Set another patrol to the left of your ship and another above it. Now click
"Execute" which causes the patrols to be set. Zoom the Group window back out to 2x. Notice that
the Unit window reappears. The Unit window is only available when the Group window is set to
8x zoom or less.

6.2  Searching for the enemy

Set the course for the ship group to move it just north of the Scottish coast and then add another
leg to move it west (or left) until it is away from the coast. Click "OK" to set the course. Set the
speed of the group to "Cruise" (19 kts.). Center the group in the Unit window. Now increase the
time compression and notice that your helicopters are now flying patrols and dropping sonar
buoys (small black squares) near your fleet.


6.3  Attacking a submarine

Somewhere north or Scotland, you will detect an enemy group, USSR Submarine group ZYU, a
single submarine. If you reach the end of your course without finding the enemy sub, set a course
to backtrack along the northern Scottish coast at a speed of 5 kts. until you find it. When you find
the sub, select your surface group in the Group window. Click on the "Launch" button at the top
of the screen, allowing you to launch airborne attacks from the ship against the sub. The `Select
Destination Type' dialog appears. Choose "Attack" and click "OK". Select the sub group and
click "OK" in the `Select Enemy target' dialog. You have one, possibly two, Seasprite helicopters
ready to go. Select the aircraft and move it to the `Launching Group' window by clicking the
"Move >>" button. Click "Launch" to launch the aircraft. A helicopter icon appears in the Unit
and Group windows moving towards the sub. Select the enemy sub in the group window. Notice
that an "Intercept" button has appeared near the top of the screen. This is another method for
attacking enemies if you have qualified aircraft in the air. Click "Intercept" and select one of the
listed aircraft. Click the "Intercept button" and then the "Execute" button to divert these aircraft to
an attack on the enemy sub. Repeat this for any other aircraft that were listed in the Intercept
dialog. If there are no qualified aircraft in the air, a dialog will inform you of this fact. When an
aircraft gets within range of the enemy, the `Attack' dialog will appear. Accept the default of
firing 1 Mk 46 torpedo by clicking the "Execute" button. Shortly thereafter, the `Attack' dialog
will appear again. Fire the helicopter's second torpedo. The helicopter will now return to the ship
to reload. Continue attacking with the helicopters until the enemy sub is sunk. You may also wish,
if you are within range, to attack the sub directly from the ship by using the "Attack" button with
the ship group selected in the Group window.


7.  Surface to surface attacks

7.1  Searching for the enemy

Once the enemy sub has been destroyed, set the course of your ship group south along with
western coast of Ireland and set its speed to "Cruise". Note that you may have to clear the
previous course by clicking "Clear" from the `Set Orders' dialog before entering your new course.
This new course may require multiple legs to navigate around the coast of Ireland. Soon, you will
encounter another enemy ship, USSR Surface Group ZXS. If you are unable to find this enemy,
explore the waters to the west of Ireland and Scotland. You may also wish to move your
submarine group, AAU, into the area to aid with the search.

7.2  Launching a missile attack

Select "1:1 Time" from the `Staff Message' dialog. Choose "Attack" from the buttons near the top
of the screen. Your helicopters are useless in this attack since they are equipped for anti-
submarine warfare. Select the enemy unit and click "OK". The `Ship vs. Ship' dialog appears.
Choose "Missile" (most likely the only type of attack available) and click "OK". Allocate some
missiles from your fleet to fire and click "Execute". If this is a bearing only attack (i.e. you don't
have an exact fix), the `Bearing Only Attack' dialog appears. Select the default settings by
clicking "OK" and continue to approach and attack the enemy ship until it is sunk.

8.  Conclusion

If you were able to sink all of the enemy craft, a victory dialog will soon appear, indicating to you
that you have accomplished the mission objectives. Congratulations! You have just successfully
completed your first Harpoon Classic 97 scenario and learned the fundementals of movement and attack.
Now you have more than 250 more scenarios to challenging your growing strategic naval warfare
skills.


CUSTOMER SERVICE:

If you have questions or need additional assistance with this or any
other Interactive Magic product, feel free to call our Customer Service
Department at [phone], between 9AM - 9PM EST.

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