Copyright: Tactix copyright ® 1995 Mark Summerfield


 Tactix

Tactix is an easy to learn tactical game which requires skill and practice to win consistently.

You play by starting the game and then directing your pieces towards opposing pieces and Energy Pods. Winning is achieved by eliminating all opposing pieces.

Tactix games are never drawn: there is always a winner eventually.

How To Play

> The Board

> The Pieces

> Playing

> Moving

> Pause-Target-Resume Method

> Continuous Method

> Status Information

> Options

> Using the Keyboard

   Installing and Deinstalling

> Licence

Tactix  Version 1.0  27 August 95


The Board

The board consists of 30 x 25 squares, each of which is one of the following:

 Empty

Pieces can move freely over Empty squares. (You can change the background colour, see Options.)

 Wall

Pieces cannot move over Walls. Walls eventually transmute into Energy Pods.

 Energy Pod

Pieces which move over Energy Pods add the Energy Pod's energy to their own, and leave the square occupied by the Energy Pod they've moved over Empty.


The Pieces

  ZigZags

ZigZags move diagonally, (North West, North East, South West, South East). They start with the lowest energy and are the most numerous pieces.

  Quads

Quads move in straight lines, (North, South, West, East). They start with more energy than ZigZags and less than Stars. They are less numerous than ZigZags, but more numerous than Stars.

  Stars

Stars move diagonally and in straight lines. They start with the highest energy and are the least numerous pieces.


Playing

The pieces are divided into two teams, Reds and Blues. By default the computer controls the Red pieces and you control the Blue pieces. (This can be changed, see Options).

The computer will move the pieces which it controls.

The pieces which you control will move automatically, initially in random directions. You can set each of your pieces to move in any legal direction you wish.

To destroy an opposing piece you must collide one of your pieces with it: the outcome is dependent on the Energy contained in each piece and a random factor which grows larger as the Difficulty level increases.


Moving

Whenever you left click a piece, its name, direction and energy level are displayed in the Status Line. When you change a piece's direction, the change is reflected in the Status Line.

  To change the direction of a ZigZag:

1. Left click the ZigZag which you are interested in.

2. Left click a diagonally adjoining square.

  To change the direction of a Quad:

1. Left click the Quad which you are interested in.

2. Left click an adjoining square which is above, below, left or right of the Quad.

  To change the direction of a Star:

1. Left click the Star which you are interested in.

2. Left click any adjoining square.

(Note: You can of course only change the direction of your own pieces; if you left click computer-controlled pieces their name, direction and energy level will be shown, but their direction will not change.)


Pause-Target-Resume Method

This method provides most scope for planning.

1. When you want to start a game press [image] and then [image] straight away. (This can be achieved by pressing the [SPACEBAR] twice or by right-clicking the board twice.) Note that by checking the Auto-Pause check box, whenever a game is started it will be paused automatically.

2. For each piece you wish to move, left click it and then left click on the adjoining square which is in the direction you wish to move it.

3. Press [image]. (This can be achieved by pressing the [SPACEBAR] or by right clicking the board.)

4. Repeatedly:

Press [image] or right click the board.

For each piece you wish to move, left click it and then left click on the adjoining square which is in the direction you wish to move it.

Press [image] or right click the board.

Until a victor emerges.


Continuous Method

This method leads to a very fast game. (You will almost certainly have to reduce the Speed setting to play.)

1. When you want to start a game press [image] or right click the board.

2. Repeatedly:

For each piece you wish to move, left click it and then left click on the square which is in the direction you wish to move it.

Until a victor emerges.

(If the Speed setting is too high you will find it difficult to do the two left clicks before the piece has already moved.)


Status Information

Tactix shows the total Energy levels for each side in figures and rendered in a proportional coloured bar.

To see the energy level and direction of a particular piece, left click it.

Energy levels fluctuate because:

When two opposing pieces collide the victorious piece gains some of the destroyed piece's energy.

When a piece moves onto an Energy Pod it gains energy.

When a piece moves it expends a tiny amount of energy.


Options

Press [image] to view and change Tactix's option settings.

If you enter this dialogue during a game the settings will come into effect in the next game, (except where stated otherwise).

Play As You may choose to control either the Blue pieces or the Red pieces. Click "Blue" or press [ALT]+[B] to play blue; click "Red" or press [ALT]+[R] to play Red.

Walls When a new game begins the Walls percentage affects how many squares have Walls: the higher the percentage, the more Walls will appear. Click in the Wall's edit box or press [ALT]+[W]; then enter a number between 1 and 100.

Energy Pods When a new game begins the Energy Pods percentage affects how many squares have Energy Pods: the higher the percentage, the more Energy Pods will appear. Click in the Energy Pod's edit box or press [ALT]+[E]; then enter a number between 1 and 100.

Difficulty When a new game begins the Difficulty percentage affects various internal settings: the higher the Difficulty percentage, the harder the game is to win. Click in the Difficulty's edit box or press [ALT]+[D]; then enter a number between 1 and 100.

Speed The Speed percentage affects how quickly moves are made. This setting can be changed in the middle of a game and takes immediate effect. Click in the Speed's edit box or press [ALT]+[S]; then enter a number between 1 and 100. (The speed is proportional to the speed of your computer.)

Background The background colour may be changed to one of those listed in this list box. This setting can be changed in the middle of a game and takes immediate effect. Click in the list box or press [ALT]+[A]; then use the [UP ARROW] and [DOWN ARROW] keys to select the desired colour.

Enable Sounds If this check box is checked Tactix will make a sound whenever a game is won or cancelled. This setting can be changed in the middle of a game and takes immediate effect. Click on the check box or press [ALT]+[N] to check or uncheck the check box.

Auto-Pause on Start If this check box is checked Tactix will pause a game immediately after starting. This provides an opportunity to set the direction of your pieces and to check the strength of opposing pieces before a move has been made. Click on the check box or press [ALT]+[P] to check or uncheck the check box.

Keyboard

Click this button or press [RETURN] to save the current settings and return to the game screen. (If there is a paused game it will be resumed.)

Click this button or press [ESC] to return to the game screen without saving the settings. (If there is a paused game it will be resumed.)

Click this button or press [ALT]+[T] to restore the default settings. (You will still have to press [image] to make them take effect.)

Click this button or press [F1] to invoke this Windows help file at this topic.


Using the Keyboard

Although only the mouse can be used to change each piece's direction, you can use keypresses or mouse clicks to press the buttons on the main game screen:

Left click this button or press [SPACEBAR] or right click the board to create a new game and start it going.

Left click this button or press [SPACEBAR] or right click the board to pause a playing game.

Left click this button or press [SPACEBAR] or right click the board to resume a paused game.

Left click this button or press [ESC] to cancel the playing game.

Left click this button or press [F1] to invok this Windows help file. (If a game is being played it will be paused.)

Left click this button or press [O], (oh, not zero), to invoke the Options dialogue. (If a game is being played it will be paused; it will be resumed when you leave the dialogue.)

Left click this button or press [A] to invoke the About dialogue. (If a game is being played it will be paused; it will be resumed when you leave the dialogue.)

Left click this button or press [X] to exit the program. If a game is being played it is cancelled.


This shows the version and author of the program.


Installing and Deinstalling

Installing

1. Copy the files, TACTIX.EXE and TACTIX.HLP to any directory on your disk. (They must be placed in the same directory.)

2. Create a new item in Program Manager in the Group of your choice Browsing to wherever you have placed the above files to select TACTIX.EXE.

Note 1: Tactix is designed to work at all screen resolutions from 640 x 480 and up. Although it uses colour, it is playable on grey-scaled VGA monitors and LCD's.

Note 2: Tactix does not change any of your files when it is installed. The only file it ever changes is the PASTIMES.INI file which it creates automatically if necessary.

Deinstalling

1. Delete the files, TACTIX.EXE and TACTIX.HLP.

2. Delete the Tactix item from the Program Manager Group.

3. If this is the only game you use from this author, delete the file, PASTIMES.INI, from your \WINDOWS directory. (All the author's games use the same PASTIMES.INI file, so do not delete this file if you have any of his other games.)


Licence

You are free to use Tactix for as long as you wish free of charge.

You may copy Tactix freely and give the copies away.

You may not sell Tactix, nor include it with software which is sold, nor place it on a magazine's cover disk or cover CD, without the written permission of the author.

If you are a shareware vendor you may charge a small fee for media, copying and postage, but nothing for the software itself.

The software is not supported, but if you have any suggestions, problems (or solutions!), the author would be glad to hear from you.

Tactix is written in Delphi.

Thanks for useful suggestions to: Lee Gibbons, Bob Mycroft.

Tactix is copyright © Mark Summerfield 1995. All rights reserved.

You can contact the author by email: msummerf@fdgroup.co.uk