Contents of The game

The game

The screen is divided into four windows:
1. The largest window, at the top left, is the view window. This is where the action happens.
2. Directly below this is the message window. Always keep half an eye on this for reports and updates.
3. At the top left is the status window. Here you can see the stats of the current unit.
4. The final window at the bottom right is the mini-map window. Apart from giving you an idea of the overall shape of the map, you can keep track of your units here via the flashing dots which show their positions.
Player 1 always moves first. You begin the game fully armed and ready.
There are several ways of moving around the map. You can use the cursor keys or the joystick to move the cursor around. You can click with the left mouse button on the view window to place the cursor directly onto a square. You can click on the mini-map to jump directly to another area.
To select a character, press the joystick fire button or the space key when the cursor is over a unit. You can also click the right button on a unit to select it. You are now in move mode, where believe it or not you get to move the unit around.
To move a unit, use either the cursor keys, the keypad or the joystick. The keypad allows movement in 8 directions, using the keys:

7 8 9

4 6

1 2 3
To deselect a character, use the space key, the joystick fire button or the right mouse button at any time.
If you are playing on Easy level, you'll be able to see all the enemy units as you look around the map. This takes a lot of the fun out of the game, so the default difficulty level is Medium. Here, you can only see an enemy if they are in a direct line-of-sight. This allows them to hide around corners and jump out at you, wait behind doors etc. Remember, you can see through windows.
If you find a scenario too tough on Medium, or you don't like the hidden movement, go to Easy. Otherwise, I'd recommend you stay on Medium or Hard.

So now you know how to move around the map, and select characters (by the way - I use the words ``character" and ``unit" interchangeably, they both mean the same). Now things get a little bit more complicated!

Nearly every action in the game can be carried out by the mouse or the keyboard. If you prefer to use a keyboard, you can play the whole game without having to take your hands away from it. However, I prefer a mix of the mouse and keyboard. It's up to you though.

You'll have noticed (assuming you've actually played the game yet) six buttons by the mini-map window. I'll go through these and any sub-menus that they lead to.

First, a word about actions. Everything you do in the game requires a certain amount of actions to carry out, and you have a set number of actions per unit, per turn. For instance, moving across a normal square uses 2 actions, but moving over rubble and debris takes 3. Picking something up takes 5 actions, teleporting takes 20. As I explain each option, the number of actions it needs is shown alongside.

If a character's health is reduced to 1/3 of his (or her!) maximum, they are said to be injured and their actions are reduced by half. You can tell when a character is injured - their health and actions show up red in the status window.

MOVE

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: SPACE\footnotemark }$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

The first button, with the four outwardly-pointing arrows, is the MOVE button. When a unit is in FIRE mode, this button exits and returns it to the default MOVE mode.

FIRE

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: F}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

The gunsight icon begins FIRE mode if a unit is selected. This changes the cursor to a gunsight, and brings up a sub-menu in the mini-map window (all the sub-menus appear here).

The cursor can be moved in the same way that characters are moved around. When you've moved it over a target, select a type of shot from the menu, using the mouse, or one of the keyboard short-cuts:

Aimed shot

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: A}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil varies\hfil}$

Fires an aimed shot towards the gunsight. The number of action points needed is shown.

Fast shot

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: F}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil varies\hfil}$

Fires a fast shot towards the gunsight. Actions needed vary according to the weapon you're using.

A Fast shot requires only 2/3 of the action points needed for an Aimed shot, but has only 2/3 the chance of being accurate. This doesn't sound very inaccurate, but in practice you'll find it's more than enough to miss rather a lot!

Throw Grenade

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: G}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 6\hfil}$

If a character has a grenade, throw one toward the cursor. The cost is always 6 actions.

Grenades have several special properties. Naturally, they are explosive, but where a shot will be stopped by a window, a grenade will continue through it. Where a shot will hit a desk or other piece of furniture, a grenade can be chucked over it. Where a shot will hit a character between you and your target, a grenade can be thrown past them. Grenades will always head towards where you threw them - there is no such thing as an off-target grenade.

There is a downside to this. Grenades are not the Ultimate Weapon! A grenade can only be thrown a finite distance, unlike the other weapons which have no maximum range. A very strong character, such as a Battle Droid, can throw one maybe 15 squares (think of this as about 30 metres). An average human can manage about 10 squares. They are also expensive for a one shot weapon.

Load Weapon

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: L}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil varies\hfil}$

Assuming you have any ammo, this loads your current weapon. Actions needed vary according to the weapon you have.

Weapons are divided into 2 basic categories: explosive and non-explosive. Explosive weapons kill outright, unless the target is incredibly tough. They also affect the environment around the target, eg. walls may be knocked down, windows smashed, other units injured, volatile substances ignited etc. They are very powerful, and you'll probably find that they're priced accordingly!

Non-explosive weapons, the majority, simply damage characters. Armour worn by a character affects how much damage they sustain. Beware of firing any type of weapon near things like oil drums, petrol tanks, ammo crates etc. Even non-explosive weapons set them off! Windows, too, can be smashed by any type of weapon.

Hand-to-hand weapons are also available, though the only one available in the three included scenarios is the Laser Knife. These are used purely for hand-to-hand combat.

This type of combat is initiated during a character's movement, by walking into an enemy unit. The attacker always has the advantage, but if the enemy is strong and skilful, it is possible for the aggressor to be injured rather than his target. You always have to be careful during hand-to-hand combat! If possible, make sure your enemy is less suited to it than you.

CENTRE VIEW

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: C}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

This button centres the view screen on the square currently occupied by the cursor. You can recognise it by its four inwardly-pointing arrows.

OPTIONS MENU

Brings up a sub-menu in the mini-map screen.

Which menu you get depends on whether you have a character currently selected or not. If you don't, you get the standard menu:

Next Unit

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: N}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Moves the view to the next selectable unit.

Success Rate

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: P}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Each game is won on the destruction of all enemy units, or the accumulation of success points. You are always told when your success rating goes up, and in the documentation for each individual mission you should be told exactly what gets your success up. It can be reaching a particular place, or blowing it up, or killing a particular enemy. The game is won when you or your opponent has a 100 Anyway! This option shows your current rate in the message window.

Turns Left

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: T}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Some missions have a time limit. Selecting this option shows you how long you've got left, or tells you ``Unlimited time available".

Save Game

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: Shift-S}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

This brings up a file selector. Choose the name you want to save the game as, and press RETURN or choose OK with the mouse. Each save game is approximately 10-12k long.

A few notes on the AMOS file requestor: at first glance, it appears to have no buttons for ``Parent" or to bring up a list of active drives and assigns. Actually, it can do both things, in its own cute but slightly eccentric way.

To get to the parent of a directory, click on the tiny circle icon in the top-leftish corner, above the two microscopic arrows. To get a list of active drives, use the right mouse button.

Load Game

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: Shift-L}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Loads a game, via the same requestor as above.

Quit Game

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: Shift-Q}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Quits a game. There's no ``Sure?" type warning, so make sure you really want to quit before you choose this!

The other menu is called up when you have a character selected. It is from this menu that most of the interesting actions in the game can be accessed from.

Inventory

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: I}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Brings up a display of the items in your inventory. Space or selecting CANCEL quits (note: you can't select CANCEL if you called the inventory up via the keyboard. If you start an option with the keyboard, you can't use the mouse with it. This applies to all the options).

Success Rate

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: P}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil---\hfil}$

Shows your current success rate in the message window.

Pick Up

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: G}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 4\hfil}$

Pick up something from the ground.

When you've shot and killed an enemy, you can, if you like, stand over his body and unashamedly loot it. This is often an essential tactic! All's fair in love and war (although it's often considered rude if you kill someone and loot the corpse if love is concerned).

Objects can also be lying around - they are usually well marked on the map by a chest, locker, load of objects scattered around etc. Just seeing what is in a square costs nothing. It's only if you actually get something that your actions are lowered.

Drop

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: D}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 4\hfil}$

Lets you drop an object from your inventory.

Note: any weapon you drop will have its ammo reduced to 0. This is NOT a bug, it is a ``feature". Although I admit, it's a pretty bloody stupid feature.

Load Weapon

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: L}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil varies\hfil}$

Loads your weapon, if you have any spare ammo.

Change Weapon

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: W}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 5\hfil}$

If you have a weapon, this swaps your current weapon for one in your inventory (you choose it, of course). If you have no weapon, you choose one to use.

Note: grenades and plastic explosives don't need to be held as weapons to be used, they just need to be in your inventory.

Next

Flips to the next option screen.

Open Door

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: O}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 2\hfil}$

Opens a door adjacent to you. If there is more than one, you can choose the correct one by clicking on the arrow pointing to the door.

If you have to click on an arrow, you can use the keyboard instead: the keypad keys work like this:

7 8 9

4 6

1 2 3

If you have an A600 without the keypad, you can use the normal number keys with the same effect.

This technique works with all the menus with arrows to click on, such as Shut Door and Use Explosive (see later).

If you're going to walk through a door, there's no need to open it first. Just walk into it, it'll open for you.

Shut Door

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: S}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 2\hfil}$

Operates identically to ``Open Door", except in one vital respect (it closes them).

Teleport

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: T}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 20\hfil}$

If you stand on a teleport, this option operates it. It uses a large amount of actions, as it's a bit draining to be split up into your component molecules and stuck back together several hundred metres away. Or so I've been told.

Use Medikit

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: M}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 8\hfil}$

Medikits restore a unit to full health. If a character is injured, the injury is healed also.

Of course, you need to possess a medikit to be able to use one.

Prime Explosive

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: X}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 6\hfil}$

If you have any plastic explosive, this option allows you to set the timer on it. 1 turn means detonation at the end of this turn, 2 means at the end of the enemies' turn, 3 means at the end of your next turn, 4 means at the end of the enemies' next turn but one etc.

Click on Increase or use the ``+" key to increase, Decrease or the ``–" key to reduce the time. The SPACE key or selecting OK finishes.

Make sure you have enough actions to get rid of the explosive once you've set it!

Use Explosive

$\textstyle \parbox{4.5cm}{Keyboard: U}$ $\textstyle \parbox{4 cm}{Action needed:\hfil 6\hfil}$

Plants one bit of explosive you have primed. Click on an arrow to place it. Placing more explosive in one area does not increase the size of the explosion.

Previous

Click on this to go back to the first option screen.

REDRAW MAP

After you've finished with the Options menu, you may want to see the map again. This button carries this out.

END TURN

The final button ends your turn, allowing the computer or Player 2 to have their go.

That's the basic gameplay. There's room for a decent amount of strategy in there, and of course lots of explosions. I mean, let's get our priorities right.