PC Gamer 3.6/1997-09_Disc_3.6.iso/pacdemo/first.z/ReadMe.txt

Text File | 1997-06-17 | 12KB | 251 lines

                         PACIFIC GENERAL
                       ------------------
                        Demo 1.1 Release
                             6/17/97



Background
----------

The Japanese war machine began in direct response to Western
influences in the Asian theater.  Seeing the Europeans and Americans
loot their backyard generated a fear that their own island would face
a similar fate.  Thus was born the goal of a greater "Asian Unity"
and the death of isolationism.  The Russians were first dealt a
humiliating loss before the Great War; then, Manchuko fell under
Japan's thumb.  China, disorganized and wracked by internal conflict,
lie open and waiting for leadership.

The United States entered the 20th century with a great deal of zeal,
but not much foresight.  The American role in WWI solidified their
position as one of the worldÆs great powers.  Isolationism and a lack
of planning followed this new position, shrinking US vision over
the next two decades.  The British influence continued to decline
throughout the region, as the Germany's aggression in Europe diverted
attention and resources from the Orient.  This left Hong Kong,
Australia, and India with little protection in the face of an
expansive enemy.  America, fat on its laurels, has been attacked by
the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.  The US has taken the lead in the war to
fight the Japanese and push them back to their island once and for all.

Pacific General is a simulation game set in the Pacific theater of
conflict in World War II, pitting the Japanese Empire against the
combined might of the Allied forces.  In this game, it is possible
to take either side in the conflict, which can be played from the dawn
of combat in 1937 to the historical or hypothetical outcome(s) of the
war.  Land, air, and naval operations play a key role in the battles
to be fought.

Pacific General is based on the 5-Star General engine first seen in
Panzer General.  PacG creates a unique naval combat system and AI
to handle the all important sea war, secondary to games such as Panzer
and Allied General.  This unique system, coupled with other
enhancements as outlined below, makes PacG an interesting addition to
the 5-Star Line.



Pacific General Demo
--------------------
Welcome to the Pacific General Demo.  The Pacific General Demo has
a single scenario, pitting the American forces against Japanese
forces in a fight for Rabaul.  This demo was created to provide you
with an opportunity to experience the general look and feel of Pacific
General.

To Start the demo, click on the "Start" button in Win 95, click on
Programs, and select the "Pacific General Demo" icon.



What can I do in this demo?
---------------------------
On the Main Menu, you will see 8 buttons.  When you move your
cursor over any of the buttons, hot text describing the button's
functions will appear in the box below the buttons.  In this demo,
there are only two active buttons, "Play Scenario" and "Quit".

To start the demo scenario, just click on the "Play Scenario" button.

The scenario that is provided for you is an island scenario.  You play
the Americans against the Japanese forces in an attempt to take the
city hexes of Rabaul.  There are two groups of forces that you control,
one on the land and the other in the ocean.


Features not provided in the demonstration version but will be
included in the release version of Pacific General:

╖ Head-to-Head play (TCP/IP, IPX, Modem)
╖ Unique gameplay when playing as either the Japanese or Allies, two
    separate campaigns
╖ Campaigns based on the side of the conflict you opt to play,
    campaigns have a user-directed path
╖ Combat handled traditionally for land scenarios, but modified and
    enhanced from the current model used for naval situations
    (including the addition of new unit types) and island scenarios
╖ Each scenario has a victory condition based on a final point tally:
    these points are based on any objective hexes, losses to your own
    forces, and casualties inflicted on the enemy
╖ Additional enhancements seen in other 5-Star products such as a unit
    glossary feature further enhance the game experience
╖ Enhanced gameplay screens and interface representing the campaign/
    scenario side the player has chosen to play
╖ Naval units are oversized, overlapping the sides of the hex they
    reside to represent their immense size
╖ Some scenarios have night turns incorporated to reflect the tendency
    of the Japanese to surprise attack at night
╖ Battle Generator lets the player create their own scenarios with
    maps provided in the game.  The maps will include areas in Europe,
    Africa, the Americas, and Asia
╖ Complete Music Score
╖ Cinematic Sequences


Menu System
-----------
When you first start the demo, you will notice that there are no menus
active.  The default setup is with the menus "up".  You can pull
"down" the menus in one of two ways.  If you press the Space Bar,
the menus will lock down on both sides of the screen.  If you prefer
to leave the menus "up", you can pull down the menus as you need them
by moving the cursor to the bottom of the information menu (at the top
of the screen), along the bottom bar, on the left or right edge.  The
menu for the side you are on will pull down.  To select a button on a
menu, just move your cursor over the button and left click on it.  All
of the buttons in the game are accompanied by hot text to describe its
function.

The menu on the left side of the screen is the Main Menu and has
functions such as saving and loading a game, the audio controls, end
turn, etc.  If you have a unit active (see below), the left menu changes
to the Unit Menu.  The unit menu contains all the commands for the
units in the game.

The menu on the right side of the screen is the Options Menu.
Functions such as turning hidden units on or off, viewing the
strategic map, or turning the hexsides on or off are on this menu.


Controls
--------
To scroll the map, just move the mouse cursor to the edges of the map.

To select a unit, left click on the unit to activate it.  The area
that the unit can move is highlighted.  To move the unit, just left
click on the hex where you want the unit to move.  To attack an
enemy unit, activate a unit, and move the mouse cursor over the enemy
unit.  The cursor will change to a cross-hair, if you can attack the
unit.  To attack the unit, just left click on the enemy unit.  On the
cross-hair are a set of flags, each with a number below it.  The flag
represents the side of each unit (your units have the American flag).
The numbers below the flags represent the expected results of the
combat.  To deactivate a unit, just right click.

To view the statistics of the enemy units, right click on the unit.
You can view the statistics of your units in one of two ways.  You
can click on the Go To Unit button on the Options menu, and scroll to
the unit.  Or, you can just right click on a unit, but make sure that
you do not have a unit active ... otherwise the active unit will be
deactivated (see previous paragraph).

You can also bring up the Unit Menu by activating a unit, and left
clicking on the unit a second time.


Hints & Strategies
------------------
In the demo, there is a carrier in the gulf in the middle of the map.
To open the carrier's hanger, activate the carrier, left click on the
carrier to bring up the Unit Menu, and select the Special button.

Aircraft carriers can carry up to 8 planes. The carrier hangar bay
window can be viewed using the Special button from the Unit
Controls. The hangar window displays the carrier's hangar capacity as
slots for the number of planes that the carrier can hold. Planes are
launched by selecting them and left-clicking on the Launch Plane
button. Aircraft carriers with planes stored in hangar bays are
indicated by a blue dot symbol next the unit's strength indicator.

If a plane ends movement over a carrier, the plane lands and is placed
in the carrier's hangar. Planes can land on a carrier at night, but
have a chance to crash into the sea or into the carrier (automatic
critical hit). The percentage chance to land safely is influenced by
the plane's experience.

Aircraft carriers with planes stored in hangar bays have a blue dot
symbol to the right of their strength indicator.  Clicking on the
Special button while an aircraft carrier is selected opens the Hangar
display which shows any aircraft on board the carrier.  Left-clicking
on an aircraft displays its status and makes it available for launch
by clicking on the Launch button.  After launch, the aircraft is
deployed over the carrier it can be moved normally this turn and
must be moved if more aircraft are to be launched.

Fighters in a naval scenario may be assigned to a Combat Air Patrol
(CAP).  A CAP of up to seven fighters may be assigned to any aircraft
carrier, or battleship.  A fighter on CAP moves with the assigned
ship, and is removed off CAP only after intercepting an enemy unit.
All of the units on CAP move as fast as the slowest moving unit, in
most all cases, the naval unit.  The CAP fighters move along with the
naval unit it escorts at the same time that the naval unit moves.  CAP
is represented on the plane by a small blue dot.  Fighters on CAP are
refueled automatically.

Fighters can be assigned to act as combat air patrol for aircraft
carriers they are adjacent to using the Special button.  When a fighter
is on CAP, there is a blue dot next to the right side of its strength
indicator.  Up to seven fighters can be placed on CAP for any carrier,
one in each hex surrounding the carrier and one over the carrier.  If
a fighter is on CAP over a carrier, no planes may land or launch from
the carrier.  Each fighter on CAP attacks the first enemy plane that
tries to attack the carrier, if it has not already attacked during that
turn.  Once it has attacked, the fighter is removed from CAP status,
but can be placed back on CAP the following turn.


-----------------

We hope you have as much playing the Pacific General demo as much as we
have had making the game.  There has been a lot of "extra polish" to
this game, and we know it shows.  The full product will ship in early
July, 1997.

Enjoy playing PacGen.

- John Eberhardt


"...it's looking better than it should."
            - Chuck Kroegel,
              President, SSI

-----------------


Credits
-------

Producer        John Eberhardt
Associate Producer    Glen Cureton
Game Design        SSI Special Projects Group
Lead Programmer        Mike Coustier
Game Programmers    Paul Murray, Reggie Seagraves, Ben Cooley
Audio Programming    Ralph Thomas
Lead Artist        Mike Filippoff
Artists            Ryan Paul, Grisha Grigoriev
Scripting        James Young, Dave Merrick, Richard Wagenet
Audio Design        Steven Lam, Lance Page
Multimedia Design    Lee Crawford, Maurice Jackson
Main Title Theme,
    Japanese Music    Danny Pelfry and Rick Rhodes
American Music        Steve Lucky and the Rumba Bums
Data Manager        Caron White
Lead Product Tester    Bill White
SSI Test Team        Garrett Graham, Kelly Calabro,
            Dion Burgoyne, Daniel Rivera, Jason Bredice,
            Dave Wallick, Jeremy Dang, George Chastain,
            Chris Lanka, Mark Schmidt, Forrest Elam,
             Nile Sabbagh, Chris Smith
Executive Producer    Dan Cermak