CyberStratege 4/CyberStratege_CD_04.iso/patch/readme2.txt

Text File | 1983-12-22 | 36KB | 748 lines

STEEL PANTHERS II:  MODERN BATTLES READ ME FILE V1.01  03/05/97
(c) 1997 Strategic Simulations, Inc.

Contents:
1.  Installation Instructions.
2.  The 'buglist' and specific fixes.
3.  Frequently asked questions (FAQ).
4.  Some notes on definitions in the game.
5.  Credits and thank-you list.

1.  Installation Instructions for the V1.01 Patch

a.  Extract the SP2V101.EXE file by placing it in the installed Steel Panthers II directory
that currently contains the STEEL2.EXE file.
b.  Run the SP2V101.EXE file using the -d & -o switches.  This will extract the patch files
to their correct directories and replace older files.  Example:  SP2V101 -d -o
c.  Run Steel Panthers II:  Modern Battles as before by executing the STEEL2.EXE program.

2.  The 'buglist and specific fixes.  Many more changes were made than are listed here.  This is a highlights
list.

#1 - Aircraft leave after one pass.

    Fix #1 - Aircraft now remain "on station" after delivering their main armament.  They do not re-
arm,  but will be available to make more passes with any remaining armament until:

        Winchester (out of ordnance)
        Destroyed
        Damaged
        Severely suppressed by Anti-aircraft fire

#2 - The bombardment screen displays inappropriate units.

    Fix #2 - Only your own air and indirect firing artillery units will display in the indirect fire screen.

#3 - Unit I.D. tags appear and disappear or won't display for A.I. units.

    Partial Fix #3 - This is better,  but still occasionally happens.  Some reports of changing zoom
levels fixing this problem have been received,  but this only works sporadic ally.

#4 - Invisible buildings appear and large buildings vanish suddenly.

    Partial Fix #4 - The invisible buildings is fixed.  Large buildings are somewhat out of scale,  and
the fact that you can 'drive on top' of them at points is intentional.  They are scaled to the unit icons,  which
are also larger than exact scale so that vehicle types are immediately distinguishable.  In order to put in
these large buildings,  a programming trick was used that results in the top left corner of the building being
a 'key hex' that,  if destroyed,  becomes rubble.  The rest of the building then is not displayed - "vanishing".

#5 - I was winning a battle in the 'Long Campaign' 'made by the Campaign Generator,  or a pre-generated
campaign,  and suddenly I lost,  the game quit etc.

    Fix #5 - there is a file that seems to have commonly gone missing in the SCEN directory called
spec99.txt.  When playing in a campaign, if your Headquarters unit is lost,  you the player are "killed" - the
spec99.txt file notifies you of this.

#6 - My West German artillery has no icon,  is invisible etc.

    Fix #6 - The art is now linked to the unit.  If you have other graphic oddities,  please make sure to
check the notes on bug #4 and the REALLY important installation note.

#7 - My units spill off the map,  do not display when I buy a lot of them,  etc.

    Fix #7 - Maximum unit purchases are now fixed at 133 units of all types per player.  This game
doesn't reward numbers over quality,  so this should be plenty,  and won't overwhelm the deployment
routines.

#8 - In an e-mail game there was a way to see the other player's side using an incorrect password.

    Fix #8 - Not any more.

#9 - The F-8 Crusader displays in the buy screen and encyclopedia when a bunker is selected.

    Fix #9 - A black box is displayed now.

#10 - Little gray dots in the strategic map showed me where the enemy was moving.  Right clicking in
unspotted hexes would reveal the presence of enemy units.

    Fix #10 - Both have been fixed.

#11 - Helicopter movement inspired a number of objections.

    Fix #11 - There is now a cost for the altitude changes and the helicopter status becomes 'moved'
when height changes.  Some terrain type would not allow helicopters.  All terrain now permits helicopter
movement.  One note:  a helicopter always moves above the terrain on the map - there is not as a few
people asked a way to move 'among' trees and buildings other than the selection of NOE (nap-of-earth)
movement height.  This fix includes helicopters' "unwillingness" to enter hexes with friendly wreck
markers.  Helos can not stop in a hex with two units in it, but can pass over such hex.

#12 - Escape should allow you to abort an unwanted save.

    Fix #12 - And it does.

#13 - Mines cannot be seen by the owning player.  Mines sometimes change ownership.

    Fix #13 - Both fixed.

#14 - This one will get mixed reviews,  but here we go...  After consulting with real live tankers,  we found
out (to our surprise!) that a helicopter can sometimes be in real danger from the main tank gun of a modern
Main Battle Tank (MBT).  After considerable discussion we went with the following formula:  If the tank
has a Fire control rating of 25 or higher,  a Stabilization rating of 3 or higher and the helicopter is NOE or
landed then the tank can fire its main gun at the helicopter.  Note that the original setting we wanted,  based
on advice from actual practitioners,  was a stabilization of 4,  but that eliminates all the Russian,  Pact and
non-Western equipment.  The western forces do not really need a lot more advantages...

#15 - My tanks are using up the sabot rounds on light armor.

    Fix #15 - The problem is a complicated one.  Simply put,  what moves gets shot at.  When the AI
tries to scout you with its fast,  light armored vehicles,  the opportunity fire routines are invoked.  That part
remains unchanged,  but the choice of rounds is now weighted toward HEAT for vehicles with thinner
armor.

#16 - My tank or other turreted vehicle spots based on the position of the hull,  rather than the turret.  I
can't spot adjacent units with my immobilized vehicle etc.

    Fix #16 - The visible hexes 'front facing' is now based on the turret in a turreted vehicle.

#17 - My infantry pop smoke,  but stay in the hex and die.

    Fix #17 - A special movement allowance has been included to allow more frequent movement by
infantry under fire when they pop smoke.  There are still cases where the infantry have moved their full
allowance,  already run once and similar where they are stuck.  As most of these situations are rare and
represent tactical nightmares,  they are fair enough.  Sometimes,  no run,  no hide is the truth.

#18 - AA units are not getting credit for their kills.

    Fix #18 - They do now.  The marker is a tank like any kill.

#19 - Immobilized vehicles can be turned.

    Fix #19 - Not any more.

#20 - When units target an enemy but cannot fire due to range,  ammo limitations etc.  they are treated as
firing for opportunity fire purposes.

    Fix #20 - The actual fire event or movement is required to invoke the op fire routines.

#21 - Evading helicopters reveal hidden units.

    Fix #21 - Now they do not.

#22 - The AI attacks with the HQ forward,  and gets it killed.

    Fix #22 - Oh well.  They are very brave,  but somewhat less so now.  The chief problem arises
when the HQ is mounted on a fast vehicle.  This should be much less frequent now.

#23 - I set the range to max,  but my missiles do not engage,  my range settings do not seem to work etc.

    Fix #23 - Range settings used to base on the #1 weapon,  now the program looks for the longest
weapon range.  Makes ultramodern Infantry and Cavalry fighting vehicles more flexible and dangerous.

#24 - I can do an undo and gain some benefit.

    Fix #24 - A variety of little bugs like this have been fixed.  Any change in unit status now disables
undo.

#25 - I was playing the 'Long Campaign' and got a message giving me a chance to "prove myself against
the fleeing enemy" but no Yes/No dialog  appeared and the game locked up.

    Fix #25 - This should work now.

#26 - Why can't I select the number of points in games.  This was the single most frequent request of all.
First,  we did it.  Secondly,  we left in the default settings.  The reason for putting in these settings is that
you can play how you want.  If you are looking for a serious challenge to your modern armored tactics,  try
the Germany 1980 campaign unmodified.  If it stomps you,  try doubling the starting points,  and give it
right back!  Note that forces in the pre made campaigns are fixed in the code and cannot be modified - the
AI does not 'buy' anything,  the forces are fixed.  In the long campaign you can set both sides'  point levels.
And if you play the unmodified German 1980 campaign, use smoke and terrain and you'll have much more
success.  Several reviews of the game in magazines and online have stated that this campaign is
unwinnable but the authors of these reviews failed to use smoke and terrain driving; standards learned at
Fort Knox.

Note also that due to requests by our external beta testers,  we have made the number of 'air sorties'
configurable.  This determines the number of times you can buy either Attack Helicopter units - two helos
per buy, usually - or Strike Elements.  If you leave it set at "XXX" the random settings will kick in.  This
will let you play with air units on both sides.  Be wary of too many helicopters,  they can dominate the
game.

#27 - My AH-64 or similar helicopters can carry infantry.  What's up,  are the soldiers clinging to the
pylons?

    Fix #27 - Amusing as the image may be, it was wrong and has been fixed.  A number of the carry
capacities have been changed.  This leads to an unfortunate situation in the PRE MADE scenarios,  detailed
next.

#28 - My tank in a PRE MADE scenario began with infantry loaded,  but when the infantry got off,  and I
tried to reload them,  the message said "Infantry squad (or whatever) too heavy".

    Fix #28 - This is due to changes in the carrying capacity of certain unit types in the .mob files.
We got some feedback from folks who had served in U.S. and foreign military about this subject.  Some
represent actual improvements in our specific information about the vehicles.  In the case of MBT's the
change is sometimes due to information that doctrine (the rules of tactical behavior) does not allow the
carrying of these various unit types on a tank,  for example.

#29 - The Egyptian and Syrian flags are reversed.  Also, why is the Soviet flag used for post-USSR
scenarios?

    Fix #29 - Ooops.  No offense intended.  The Egyptian and Syrian flags are correct now.  We'll put
in a Russian flag in another upgrade.

#30 - I clicked on my HQ unit in the buy screen and deleted it and the game froze.

    Fix #30 - The HQ unit is 'gold-plated' now and cannot be deleted.

#31 - I can do some strange tricks and fire my Self Propelled Artillery over and over etc.

    #31 - We liked this one,  because you could win the game in the first half of the first turn,
denying your opponent even the chance to move.<g>  But we took it out anyway.

#32 - Many people,  including one really rude guy on the Internet,  wanted the moving,  moving fast and
such status lines put back in.  For all of you except the 'flamer' we did it.<g>  There is even a bit that shows
the speed you move.

#33 - Some sounds are wrong when airplanes crash,  certain units move, etc.

    #33 - This one did not make it into this patch.  Sometimes the sounds will be wrong (jets sound
like props, explosions sound like machine-guns, etc.).   We'll fix it in V1.02 or greater.

#34 - I was playing in Korea (1950's decade,  basically) and some more modern weapons showed up and
slaughtered me.

    Fix #34 - The 'time traveling' Bradley's and such are gone now.  Big surprise wasn't it!?<g>

#35 - My AA units are too inaccurate.  My AA units attack at low percentages and reveal themselves
unwisely,  etc.

    Fix #35 - AA fire has been re-worked.  Anti Aircraft Artillery (AAA) units are now more
effective.  Airplanes and helicopters are definitely at greater risk from well planned air defenses.  Check
the tactical notes for more on air attack and defense.

#36 - (Weapon X) is too weak/too strong etc.

    We have reviewed a number of the weapons systems as some very helpful volunteers with actual
experience on these weapon systems contacted us.  See the thank you section.  In most cases the changes
are small.  If we weren't sure about whether to make a change we were pretty conservative about changes.

The main areas changed were AAA and aircraft weapons.  Both are now more effective.

#37 - My infantry cannot seem to effect tanks. I always lose close assaults,  etc.

    Fix #37 - The routines for infantry assaults have been completely reworked.   Simply put,  the
infantry want to attack targets on which they can penetrate the armor,  while stationary,  from hiding.
Open topped and soft targets are more vulnerable.

#38 - My troops will not remain their equipment after being routed.

    Fix #38 - They will now,  once morale is recovered,  if they have not lost too many men.

#39 - The artillery chases me around the board,  shoots more accurately,  hunts my HQ, etc.

    Fix #39 - Not any more.  The famous 'arty cheat' for the AI has been removed.   This was one of
the most requested fixes.  We listened.

#40 - I win a campaign but the message says I lost.

    Fix #40 - The pointers have been fixed.

#41 - Non-stabilized ATGM's are getting the benefit of the main gun's stabilization.

    Fix #41 - Not exactly,  but the rate at which shots decline for externally mounted ATGM's on
vehicles is greater now.

#42 - No Vision Rating information is displayed.

Fix #42 - We added the Vision rating to the Unit information screen,  which is what comes up when you
right-click on a selected unit.

#43 - No Vision Rating information on the Purchase screen.

Fix #43 - We added the Vision rating to the Purchase screen.

#44 - My priority artillery targets persist between scenarios in a campaign.

    Fix #44 - This was intentional but the 'mail' ran about 3 to 2 against,  so it resets now.  Note that
the other persistent setting,  unit ranges still persists.  That is intentional too.

#45 - My 'Wild Weasel' aircraft (planes armed with anti-radar missiles like HARM, ARM, Standard ARM,
SADARM) come in after the radar equipped stuff is dead.

    To give your WW aircraft priority in when they attack during a turn,  purchase them before any
other aircraft.


3. Frequently Asked Questions

When the random (default) setting is used for air sorties,  the routine used is as follows (Random #1) is
'rolled' by the computer then (Random #2).  The lower (Random #) is subtracted from the greater (Random
#). This yields the # of Air Sorties (purchases) the player with the larger number can make.

The (Random #) for any given player is dependent on the nationality and the decade.  The chart below is
arranged like this:

    {1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's}

So the Egyptian player would roll a (Random #) in a scenario set in the 1970's ranging from 0 to 3.

A couple of examples:

U.S. Marines vs. North Korea, 1963.  The Marines roll from 0 to 8.  Fortune favors the Marines (Oooh-
Rah!) and they roll a 7.  The North Korean players maxs out at 3.  Eight minus three yields five - the
Marines can buy any combination of 5 Strike Elements and/or Attack Helicopters.

For some reason of whimsy the PLO is facing off with the Mujehadeen.  Both have 1 for all decades,  both
roll 0.  Neither side gets any helos or airstrikes.

{1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's}

{2,3,5,5,6},  //GERMAN
{2,2,3,3,3},  //EGYPT
{2,3,3,3,2},  //WARSAW PACT
{2,2,2,2,2},  //SYRIA
{6,7,7,7,6},  //ISRAEL
{2,2,3,4,6},  //JAPAN
{4,4,4,4,4},  //FRANCE
{4,4,4,4,4},  //UNITED KINGDOM
{1,1,1,1,1},  //PLO
{2,2,2,2,2},  //JORDAN
{2,2,3,2,3},  //IRAN
{7,7,8,7,6},  //RUSSIA
{9,9,8,9,9},  //USA
{8,8,8,8,8},  //USMC
{3,3,3,3,3},  //CHIN
{3,3,3,3,3},  //NATO
{1,1,2,2,2},  //GULF STATES
{1,2,4,4,3},  //IRAQ
{2,3,4,3,3},  //INDIA
{3,3,3,3,3},  //N. KOREA
{2,4,4,4,4},  //S. KOREA
{3,3,3,3,3},  //TAIWAN
{1,1,1,1,1},  //MUJEHADEEN
{1,2,2,2,2},  //N. VIETNAMESE ARMY
{2,2,3,1,1},  //S. VIETNAMESE ARMY
{1,2,2,3,3},  //PAKISTAN
{1,1,1,2,2},  //AFGHANISTAN
{2,3,3,4,3},  //BELGIUM
{2,3,3,4,3},  //NETHERLANDS
{2,3,3,3,3},  //NORWAY
{2,3,3,4,4},  //CANADA
{2,3,3,3,4},  //GREECE
{2,3,3,3,4},  //TURKEY
{2,2,3,3,4},  //SPAIN
{2,3,3,3,4},  //ITALY
{2,2,2,3,3},  //DENMARK
{2,3,4,4,1},  //E. GERMANY
{2,3,3,3,3},  //CZECHOSLOVAKIA
{2,2,3,3,2},  //HUNGARY
{2,2,3,3,2},  //RUMANIA
{2,2,3,3,3},  //LIBYA
{2,2,2,2,2},  //YUGOSLAVIA
{2,2,2,2,2},  //GREEN
{2,2,2,2,2},  //RED

The following FAQ list was assembled by Mario Kroll, with the dedicated assistance of the Steel Panthers
Testing Team.  Be sure to visit Mario's outstanding Web Site  (http://www.wargamer.com)

1.  What do FIST units do?

    FIre Support Teams are specialist units that provide improved accuracy for artillery that is firing
indirectly.  To use them in SP2:

    Select the FIST by left clicking.
    Go to the Indirect Fire Menu.
    Select your target hex and firing units normally.
    The message at the bottom of the Indirect Fire Menu will
    indicate that the spotting unit is the selected FIST team.

2.  How does counter-battery fire work?

    If you have OFF-BOARD tubes (guns) that are not firing, and the enemy is firing off-board
artillery,  the
counter-battery routine is applied.  Notification is by a message in the bar at the bottom of the screen in the
phase between player turns when artillery fires.

3.  How do I set priority targets?

    In the deployment screen select the Pre-planned bombardment.  Select a hex and click on the
priority button.  Indirect fire that is sent to this location is not delayed as the coordinates are already
'known' to the crew.  Note that the 4-way arrow on each artillery unit that moves fire can be used after the
priority locations,  resulting in a 900 yard circle with minimal delay for indirect fire.

4.  What is the difference between cluster and all the other munitions types?

    This is rightly a topic for 'further reading',  but here is a brief look at the subject.  HE (high
explosive) rounds are big bombs,  one per shot.  They suppress infantry and soft vehicles,  but have little
effect on tanks.  Cluster munitions are groups of smaller bombs that spread out at the impact point,
increasing the probability of actually <hitting> a target.  In the game these are quite deadly to unprotected
infantry and soft targets,  dangerous to light armor,  and can immobilize even the best tanks.  There is a
special munition called FASCAM (FAmily of SCAtterable Mines) that puts down mine markers in the
hexes it hits.  The term MLRS (this was in the game incorrectly as MRLS) stands for Multiple Launch
Rocket System,  a very scary U.S. weapon that shoots lots of big rockets a long way in a short time.  You
may see posts on the net about 'Copperhead' - this is a guided artillery shell that releases a shot that goes
down through the top of tanks.  This is not in the game at all.

5.  What do all the data ratings mean in the ENCYCLOPEDIA?

    In the Abbreviations and definitions section is an explanation of many of these ratings.  Unless
you have some particular interest in the numbers for their own sake,  you can ignore this.

6.  How do I simulate 'hull-down' status?

    'Hull down' is a tankers term for taking cover in a tank.  Big as they are,  skilled tank crews can
work with only a few feet of turret visible by angling themselves behind obstacles,  rises,  ridges and such.
To do this in the game,  be stationary behind a hill (on a slope hex with the hill top between you and the
bad guys) and higher than your opponent; or in rough terrain.  You will receive a bonus to your defense
and only turret hits will occur.  The other time you count as hull-down is if you are 'dug-in'.

7.  What is the difference between Nap of the Earth and High Altitude for my helicopters?

    Your helos are higher up when High Altitude is set.  They can see over most all terrain,  though
smoke still blocks line-of-sight (LOS).  By changing altitude you can 'pop-up' on enemy tanks and often
shoot,  then descend and take little or no AA fire in the process.  Note that helo height is calculated above
the terrain of the hex the chopper is in,  so you can draw unwanted attention passing over hilltops. There is
no additional fire advantage for being at high altitude.

8.  My helicopter showed no suppression,  but wouldn't rally.  What gives?

    When a helicopter takes damage there is a chance that the pilot will abort the mission and leave.
Some armored attack helicopters can take a very small amount of damage and remain (1-2 points) but most
other helos will leave once damaged.

9.  How do I use those ammo trucks?

    They need to be adjacent,  both not moving and unsuppressed for a turn.  They will then load
ammo on starting with weapon #1.  The bigger the ammo,  the less gets loaded.

10. What is the limit on troop numbers in Steel 2?

    133 units per side.

11.  How is maximum load capacity determined for such units as APC's and helicopters?

    Each vehicle has a rating for carriable weight,  each potential passenger has a rating for what it
weighs.  This is abstract and many disputes have arisen over what should be carriable by what vehicle.  We
have done our best on this.

12.  Why doesn't SP 2 include:  (insert favorite country here)?

    Time and money.  We took the nations with the most <armored> combat time.  Swedish 'S' tanks
are cool,  but who have they fought?

13.  What the heck are APDS/APDFS/HVAP/HEAT/Sabot rounds?

    These are described in the manual,  except for Sabot.  Sabot is French for shoe,  and is a kind of
armor-killing round that puts a pointed dart that is smaller than the bore of the gun into a holder that drops
away during flight (the shoe) leaving the fast-moving and highly accurate rod that looks like a dart.  This
dart is made of very hard metal (and in some cases, depleted uranium),  and can punch through a lot of
armor with just the kinetic energy of the rod.  If you like long e-mail discussions,  there are a number of
people with considerable expertise on this subject on any number of wargaming websites.  For the game,
Sabot is used mostly against heavy tanks.  HEAT is used against lighter targets - for the most part.  The
game automatically calculates the best choice for each shot.  The other terms,  APDS/APDFS are Armor
Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot.

14.  How do the ammo slots work?

    Main armament in the AP slot.  Special rounds - Sabot and similar - in the Sabot slot.

15.  How do I fire one weapon at a time?

    Right click on a selected unit,  and the Unit Info screen will pop up.  You will see a list of all the
weapons on your vehicle.  They are probably all green now.  If you click on one of the lines it will turn red.
When you click continue,  you will see that that weapon has an asterisk in the info line on the bottom of the
screen.  If you fire the vehicle now you will get only the enabled weapons firing.

    Alternatively,  you can press 'w' and then the number of the weapon from the list that pops up.
Only that weapon fires.

16.  How does Auto Deploy work?

    The most important facet of auto-deploy is that you can move any unit within the deployment area
defined by the row of 'grayed-out' hexes.  Left-click on the unit you wish to move,  place the cursor over an
empty hex within the deployment area,  and left-click again.  When the computer auto deploys it will place
units in ways that you as a player cannot.  The computer has no 'stacking limit' for its deployment.  There
may be many units in a hex.  The AI will move these units freely on its turn - no penalty accrues.

Besides roughly centering the units it deploys the auto-deploy will place armor and infantry units forward,
artillery and AA units toward the rear.  Air units and some artillery are deployed off the map.

17.  What triggers the end of a game?  Why do some games go past the time limit?

    If some victory hexes are controlled by both sides,  and both sides' morale is still above the point
of collapse,  the game will keep running.  This helps avoid some of the artificial play that strict time limits
can cause,  and leads to more decisive victories.

    When a single player controls all the victory hexes,  the game will end if the non-controlling
player has two thirds of their units at retreating, routing or destroyed.

16.  What units command and control in my force?

    Units with a 0 in their designator are command units, e.g. A0, G0,  j0 etc.  The first unit in a letter
series does not have command capability if its number is greater than 0,  e.g. c4,  T2 etc.

    If a units 'letter group' has a 0 unit then that is the immediate command unit.  If not,  then the first
unit of the formation is the command unit.

17.  Do my command units still exercise their influence when in vehicles?

    Yes.

18.  How does the Long Campaign (Campaign Generator) work?

    There are two important settings in the Preferences screen that need to be set before you begin a
Long Campaign (LC).  These are Battle Points and Air Sorties.  If you set either of these to a number,  that
player will get that many starting points - human player for the initial purchase,  computer player for each
scenario.  You can change the computer's points in between scenarios,  as well.  There have been three
'play models' people asked about,  here is how to do each:

    A.  I want to set my points at a level that lets me buy a minimum of (insert favorite units here),
but have the AI              scale my opposition normally.

    To do this,  set your Battle Points to the desired number, but leave the computer's points on {xxx}.

    B.  I want to have the points set automatically and play the way the game was originally designed.

    To do this,  set both Battle Points to {xxx}.

    C.  I want to set the points of the computer to (whatever) or set up a fixed ratio of points.

    To do this,  set the Battle Points to the desired numerical value.  One interesting trick is to set both
to maximum,      but buy less yourself.  This will give huge numerical advantages to the AI,  and let you
feel the joy of running out     of ammo.

One note - when you let the computer calculate the relative points,  the calculation is made against the
<current> value of the forces you have.  As you get more experienced troops their cost rises.

19.  What is the best way to find/remove mines?

    Mine clearing vehicles - those tanks with the dozer blades - are the champ here.  Engineer teams
are good too,  but not as well protected.

20.  What are the Red and Green forces.

    These are generic Warsaw Pact type (Red) and Western/NATO type forces.  These are also useful
for modeling some multinational forces and U.N. troops.

21.  What exactly do all those preferences buttons do?

General Preferences:

    Music - turns music on and off.

    Sound FX - turns the shooting and moving etc. sounds on/off.

    Hex Grid - turns the black hexgrid on/off.

    Animation - turns the animated explosions,  missile flights on/off.

    Objective flags - shows or hides the objective flags.

    ID tags - turns the little ID flags on the units on/off.

    Auto Rally - turns the routine that automatically rallies all your units at the end of your turn
    on/off.

    Move radius - turns the highlighted area showing where you can move with the selected unit
    on/off.

    User Preferences - this turns the settings in the Player.

    Preferences on/off - except for the Troop Quality setting which is turned on/off by the Country
    training button in the Realism area.

    Fast Artillery - shows all the hit positions of a single battery at once,  instead of one at a time.

    Hidden Fire - When On,  makes it harder for any unit to be spotted.  When Off,  units are spotted
    if they move or     fire and any enemy unit has LOS.

    Sound volume - raises/lowers the sound effects volume.

    Animation level - raises/lowers the frequency and detail of animation routines.

    Message Delay - the higher this is set,  the longer messages remain in the screen.

Realism Preferences:

    Breakdowns - turns the possibility of vehicles being immobilized when they drive through
    buildings on/off.  Also, with this switch on units can become immobilized when crossing streams.

    Ammo Limit - When on,  units can run out of ammo.

    Command - turns the effects of command units on/off.

    Morale - turns morale effects on/off

    Spotters - when on only (X)0 units - command units - can spot for indirect fire. When off any unit
    can spot.

    Move & Shoot - when on shots are lost for movement.  When off moving has no cost in shots.

    Mines - when on,  mines work.  When off,  mines do not work.

    Country Training - Each country has a range of experience for their troops used as a default.
    When this switch is on,  that default is used.  When this switch is off, the Troop Quality section of
    the Player Preferences is active and the experience level is set there.

Player Preferences:

    Searching,  Hitting,  Rout/Rally,  Tank Toughness,  Infantry Toughness,  all these raise/lower the
    <base> number for their category by the displayed percentage.  Thus,  if Tank Toughness was set
    at 50% for Player 1 and 200% for Player 2 then an identical tank under both players settings
    would be four times as 'tough' for Player 2 as for Player 1.

    Troop Quality - when the Realism Preferences switch "Country Training" is off,  the base
    experience for all of each     side's troops can be set here manually.

    Battle Points - this sets the number of points that each player has to spend.  Selection is by
    intervals of 200     points.  Note that this effects everything except pre-made scenarios and the AI
    side in pre-made Campaigns.

    Air Sorties - This sets the number of purchases of Strike Elements and Attack Helicopters each
    side can buy.  If the {xxx} setting is left intact,  the player on that side will receive sorties by the
    normal random process.  It is possible, for example,  to set one player to random while manually
    fixing the number of air sorties for the other     player.

    Troop types - this sets the type of transport used by infantry units for the selected player.  This has
    three variants - 'leg' infantry,  with no transport but 'shanks mare'.  Motorized units get vehicles
    depending on the unit type,  nation,  and year selected for the scenario.  Note,  please that if you
    have Motorized/Mechanized infantry - which show vehicles on their purchase list - the program
    will also buy them trucks.  The last option,  Airmobile will provide transport Helo's if such are
    available.

3.  Abbreviations and definitions.

If you right click on a selected unit,  the Unit Info Screen pops up.  The terms used on that screen are
defined here.

Size: This is the size of the unit. It ranges from 0 to 6. 0 is snipers and 6
is large vehicles. This is used in calculating to-hit and spotting.

Men: Number of men in the unit.

Speed: The maximum speed of the unit on a road (in hexes).

Cost: The number of purchase points needed to buy this unit (can be modified
by experience and morale)

Armor: The number of centimeters for protection for each side of the vehicle.  The first is the kinetic
weapons rating, the second group (in the encyclopedia) is the heat rating (0 means no special protection,
the first set of numbers are used in this case) and the last set is the reactive armor rating. T stands for top
armor.

Survivability: This is a number from 0 to 20. This number is used when a
weapon penetrates the armor of a vehicle (to see if it blows up in a catastrophic fashion) or when the crew
attempts to bail out from a destroyed vehicle. Higher numbers are better.

Rate of Fire: Only use for indirect artillery, this is how many shots the
artillery will fire in a turn.

EW: Electronic warfare rating of the unit. When attacking an aircraft with
Radar controlled weapons or missiles this number is compared to the aircraft's ew rating. If the aircraft has
an ew rating greater or equal to the attacking unit the attacking units suffers accuracy penalties (the bigger
the difference the greater the penalty).

Vision:  This is the minimum vision rating of the unit in hexes.
Units with ratings of >=40 have thermal sights which can see through smoke.

Stabilizer: Ranges from 0 to 5. Ratings of >=4 reduces the number of
shots lost from moving. This number also reduces the penalty to accuracy while moving.

Fire Control: This rates the optics and computers of a unit ,  which greatly effect
the accuracy of the units weapons. Numbers >=100 are radar based systems. The effective number is
number%100 (i.e. the hundreds digit is just a flag). Ratings in the 40s will yield weapons that almost never
miss.

Lift Capacity: 200+ can carry vehicles, 100+ can carry guns, The lift number
is again Carry%100 (0-99 rating). This is compared to the load cost of the units attempting to be loaded.

Load Cost:  Used when attempting to be a passenger.  See above.

Range Finder: Used to offset 'first shot' penalties to weapon accuracy. Also
has an effect on long range fire.


Weapon data:

ACC or accuracy: This is the range at which the unit has a 50% chance to hit
(barring other modifiers). Ranges closer than this increase the chance,  greater ranges than this number
decrease the chance.  These are numbered in hexes.

Kill : This is the power of the weapon to kill men (soft targets). the n:n is
HE:AP (In the encyclopedia).

Pen: n:n (HE:AP), this is the number of centimeters of penetration this weapon
has. (In the encyclopedia).

HEAT: The number of centimeters of penetration of this weapon, used against
armored targets. This is used when HEAT ammo is fired.

Sabot: The number of centimeters of penetration of this weapon, used against
armored targets. This is used when Sabot ammo is fired.

Range: Max:Min, max is maximum range of the weapon, min is the minimum range
of the weapon (if the numbers are equal the minimum range is 0 or identical when a main tank gun.

4.  Appreciation.

We are greatful for the input, suggestions, and feedback from those of you online
who were patient and constructive.  We hope you like what we have done with Steel
Panthers II.  Many of the modifications were based upon user feedback.  While we
did not get a chance to appease everyone (how could we?) we did our best to deal
with the most widely requested features and corrections.

The Producer would like to thank the following folks for conduct above and beyond
the call of duty:

Mike Simpson
Keith Brors
Jim Wirth
Dale Hight
Arnaud Bouis
Mario Kroll
John Waters
Jim Bello
James Young

Much credit and gratitude goes to the outstanding group of troops that are the Steel Panthers Testing Team.
This group of online supporters have made a big difference in making an already enjoyable product much
better.   They devoted hundreds of hours testing new versions, coordinating with the SSI staff, and
interacting with the public.   We are very fortunate to have had an outstanding group to help us on Steel
Panthers II.    When you see one of the names below online, please thank them for their efforts:

Richard Allen
Michael Bell
Jim Bello
John Bendel
Arnaud Bouis
Ed Cetron
Hayden Dawson
Gordon Fox
Rodney Harper
Dale Hight
Delwin Hinkle
Kelly Jones
Ed Ketter
Mario Kroll
Trey Marshall
Jay Martino
Bret McKee
Gary "Mo" Morgan
Douglas Olin
Mike Robel
Gordon Shenkle
Bill Waldheim
John Waters
Judy Weller
Steve Winslow
Jim Wirth
Michael Wood
Chuck Woodfield