Ultimate Game Collection/XULTI.ISO/470/readme.txt

Text File | 1996-10-19 | 41KB | 840 lines

Readme.txt for Admiral - Sea Battles (tm)*
 *****************************************

    Contents.

    System requirements
    Installing Admiral - Sea Battles (tm)
    Rules of the game
    Starting the game
    Game control
    Controlling objects
    Information windows
    Transitions from mission to mission
    Saving and loading game
    How to record your own demo
    Story of Admiral
    Strategical hints
    Troubleshooting


System requirements*
 *******************

    The mimimum system requirements required to run this game are:

    486 DX2/66 or higher PC compatible
    MS Windows 95
    8 MB RAM
    18 MB of free hard disk space
    2x CD-ROM drive (4x is highly recommended for viewing the cut-scenes)
    An SVGA video card and monitor


Installing Admiral - Sea Battles (tm)*
 *************************************

     Installation  of  Admiral - Sea Battles (tm) is accomplished with the
program SETUP.EXE program that is placed in the root directory of the game
CD. In  case Admiral - Sea Battles (tm) has not been installed on your PC,
SETUP.EXE  will run automatically after you insert CD into the CD-drive of
your computer.
     The SETUP.EXE program consists of some dialog pages on which controls
of  installation  settings  (parametres)  are  placed  (situated). To move
between  the  pages use the buttons Next and Back, to run the installation
program press Finish.
     You can choose a destination directory with the help of the directory
browser  which  you  can  call by pressing the Browse button. You can also
edit the destination path. SETUP.EXE program may prohibit the continuation
of installation in the following cases:
    - entered destination directory is not correct;
    - destination drive is not present (is absent);
    - destination drive is not a hard drive;
    - there  is  not enough of free hard disk space for the chosen type of
installation.
     You can choose between the following types of SETUP:
    - Small;
    - Medium;
    - Large;
    - Full.
     If  you choose the Small type of installation only the most essential
files  would be copied on your drive. Hence the game requires the CD to do
the following:
    - start a new game;
    - load a game;
    - view Introductions;
    - view Cut Scenes;
    - view logos and credits.
     Be  aware that when starting or loading the game from the CD the game
will  unpack  the  necessary  files on the hard drive and you will need an
additional 4 MB of free hard disk space.
     We recommend you choose the Medium type of installation. In this case
the  game does not need the CD when loading or starting a new game. But to
view  Cut Scenes, Introductions, logos and credits you will still need the
CD inserted in the drive.
     If  you  have enough of free hard disk space you can choose the Large
type  of installation. In this case the CD will be needed only for viewing
Introductions, logos and credits.
     If you choose Full type of installation all files of the game will be
installed on your hard drive.
     You  can choose a Folder for Short Cuts to Admiral - Sea Battles (tm)
from  the  suggested  list  of  Folders  which  are placed in Programs. We
recommend you to choose Admiral.


Rules of the game*
 *****************

     CONTROL. The  mouse  is  the  main  interface  and  access all of the
functions and screens within the game.

     PLAYING  FIELD. The  playing  field  in this game is a map with seas,
islands, reefs and shallows.

     OBJECTS  IN  THE  GAME. The  objects that you can control in the game
are: ships, forts and ports.

     WEATHER. While  playing  the  game,  ships  are influenced by weather
conditions  which  are  determined by wind strength and direction. Weather
changes  every  cycle  of  the  game  (when  both players have ended their
turns).
     There  may be a calm, wind and storm. In calm only steamers and ships
with  oars  can move. In a storm all ships are moved in the wind direction
except  those which are standing in the cells that are neighbouring ports.
You cannot build objects, move or board ships in storm.

Rules of the game - Movement*
 ****************************

     Ships  movement  is  dependent  on  the  weather  conditions  and the
movement  ability  of  that ship. The maximum distance is covered when you
move  a  ship  in  the direction of the wind. In all other directions this
distance  is reduced in proportion to the angle between the wind direction
and the direction of ship movement. While in a storm ships cannot be moved
normally - they  are moved a distance determined by the class of the ship.
While  in a calm 3-decked and 2-decked battle-ships, galleons and frigates
can not move.

Rules of the game - Firing*
 **************************

     Only  ships  and  forts can fire. Fire strength and range depend upon
the class of the firing object and its current life level. Hitting targets
is  determined  by  the  experience  of the firing object, distance to the
target,  and the size of the target. Objects cannot fire over two cells of
land.

Rules of the game - Boarding*
 ****************************

     If  an enemy ship is in the cell as one of your ships you may attempt
to  board  it. The  succes  of the boarding is determined by the number of
boarding  crew  (it  depends  upon the class of the boarding ship) and the
experience  level  of  the  boarding ship. When boarding is successful the
boarded ship joins the navy effectives of the boarding side. Boarding crew
reduces  on  and  experience  increases  depending  on  the success of the
boarding. When  the  boarding  is  not successful the quantity of boarding
crew  reduces  to  zero  or  decreases  for  25% of the maximum quality of
boarding  crew  for  ships  of that class in the game. After attempting to
board,  a  ship  cannot  make any other actions (moving, firing) until the
next turn.

Rules of the game - Repairing*
 *****************************

     All  objects  can  be  repaired. When repairing all other actions are
unavailable  to  that object. If the object has made any actions it cannot
be repaired during that turn. For one turn an object can be repaired for a
total of 33% of its total life level. Repairing requires money. The sum of
money  required for repair depends upon the class of the object and on how
much  it  is  repaired. Ships  can  be repaired only in the cells that are
neighbouring  your port. A Fort can be repaired when your ships are in its
neighboring cells. A Port repairs itself.

Rules of the game - Building*
 ****************************

     Ships  can  build  forts  and  ports. Ports can build ships. Building
requires  money. The  sum of it depends upon the class of the object being
built. Ships  can  build  a  fort  or a port only when there are 3 or more
ships  in  the cells neighboring the building site and which have not made
any other actions during the turn. Those ships would not be able to do any
other  actions  during the turn. A Port can build ships if there is a free
place  in  the  neighboring  cells. If  there  are  shallows  in  the free
neighboring cells then only ships that can pass over shallows can be built
there.


Starting the game*
 *****************

     Once you have started the game, the game will show a logo screen. You
can stop the animation by pressing the ESC key.
     In  the  Main  Menu you can choose from the following variants of the
game:  start  a  new game against the computer, start a new game against a
human  opponent, start a saved game. You can also view the introduction of
the game.

Starting the game - Introduction*
 ********************************

     If you want to see the introduction, press the INTRODUCTION button.

Starting the game - Start a New Game Against the Computer*
 *********************************************************

     If  you  want  to start playing a new game against the computer press
the  MISSIONS  button. After pressing that button a new screen will pop up
where  you  can  choose  one  of  3 episodes. After clicking on one of the
episode's  button you can see an introduction for that episode by pressing
the INTRO button. After you have choosen an episode confirm your choice by
pressing  either  OK  to  accept,  or  CANCEL  to reject and return to the
previous Menu.

Starting the game - Start a New Game Against a Human*
 ****************************************************

     If  you  want  to  play the game against your friend (or foe), in the
Main  Menu  press  the HEAD-TO-HEAD button. A new screen will pop up which
will offer you a choice of the type of game you wish to play.

     THE SAME COMPUTER - two human on the same computer.

     ON-LINE GAME - two human on two different computers connected through
any  of the following: local network, modem, or null-modem. The flag under
which  you  will  fight  is can be chosen at the botton left corner of the
window.
     After  you  have  choosen  an  ON-LINE game you are given a choice of
connection types. After you have chosen the appropriate type of connection
and  if  you  are playing under the Yellow flag then you will need to wait
until  your  partner's  computer connects to yours. If you have chosen the
Green  flag,  then  after  you have chosen the type of connection you will
need  to  choose  the name of the game out of the suggested list. To avoid
problems, it is best to arrange the name of the game before you start.

     OFF-LINE  GAME - in  this mode you save the game in a special file at
the  end  of  your turn and then send it to your rival usually via e-mail.
These  files  are  saved in the directory \OFFLINE\SEND. The file that you
receive should be placed into the \OFFLINE\RECEIVE directory.

     After  you  have  chosen  any of these modes, you can choose a map on
which  to  fight,  the amount of money each player has at the beginning of
the  game,  and  the name of the game. If you are playing the ON-LINE mode
then  these  settings  can  only be chosen by the player playing under the
Yellow  flag. The  player  playing under the Green flag will receive these
settings after the computers are connected.

Starting the game - Loading a Game*
 **********************************

     If  you  want  to  play a saved game, in the Main Menu press the LOAD
button. Having  pressed  it  you  will see the list of saved games. In the
lower left corner there are buttons showing each type of game. These types
are  arranged  as follows: MISSIONS, THE SAME COMPUTER, ON-LINE, OFF-LINE.
Choose  the  type  of  game you wish to load by pressing the corresponding
button then choose the name of the saved game and press OK.


Game control - Playing field*
 ****************************

     The  playing  field  is  a two dimensional sea map on which different
geographical objects are situated (such as islands, reefs, and shallows).

Game control - Conventional signs on the playing field*
 ******************************************************

     Near the active object on the playing field, depending on the control
button  your  press, there will be conventional signs showing that objects
ability to act. Such as:
    cell in which a ship can be placed
    enemy object that can be fired upon
    cell in which you may build a port or a fort
    cell in which you must build a port or a fort (in certain missions)

Game control - Informational string*
 ***********************************

     In  the  bottom  of  the  screen there is the informational string in
which  information  about  objects  of  the  game  and user's interface is
represented when you point the cursor at them.
     Information  about  a game object is represented in the same order as
in the Control Bar, e.g.
    Galeon (100-80-50-80-50) means that:
    class of object - galeon
    life level - 100%
    ability to move - 80%
    fire strength - 50%
    boarding crew strength - 80%
    experience of ship crew - 50%


Game control - Controlling Objects*
 **********************************

     Control  of objects is accomplished with the help of the Control Bar.
The  Control  Bar is divised into two parts. In the upper part information
about  the  currently active object is given in the form of horizontal bar
graphs which show:
    its class and image;
    1 - life level
    2 - ability to move
    3 - fire strength
    4 - boarding crew strength
    5 - experience

    In the lower part are the object control buttons which are:
    1 - move ship
    2 - fire a salvo
    3 - board enemy vessel
    4 - choose next object
    5 - repair object
    6 - build an object
    7 - end your turn
     Near  every button there are indicators that show the availability of
the  corresponding  actions:  red  light  indicates that the action is not
available,   green - available,  and  light  green - action  is  currently
selected.

Game control - Moving ships*
 ***************************
     MOVING  SHIPS. To  move a ship, point the cursor at it, click the the
left  mouse  button, then in the Control Bar press the button MOVE SHIP or
press  "m"  on the keyboard. After that, cells that you can move that ship
to  will  be  marked  with  a  special  sign  and the word "MOVE" in them.
Choose a cell and click the left mouse button on it.

Game control - Firing*
 *********************
     FIRING. To  fire  an enemy object using your current (active) object,
click  on the FIRE A SALVO button or press "f" on the keyboard. After that
all  the  enemy  objects  within  the  range of your object will be marked
with  a  special  sign  and the word "FIRE" below it. Choose an object and
click the left mouse button on it to fire.

Game control - Boarding*
 ***********************
     BOARDING. You  can  board an enemy vessel if your ship is in the same
cell  with  it. To  board  a  foe's  ship  click  on  the  BOARD button or
press "b" on the keyboard.

Game control - Repairing*
 ************************
     REPAIRING. To  repair a ship (if the operation is available) click on
the REPAIR button or press "r" on the keyboard.

Game control - Building*
 ***********************
     BUILDING. To build an object (if the operation is available) click on
the  BUILD  button or press "u" on the keyboard. After doing that you will
get  the  Build  Window  in  which  you  can choose the object you want to
build. Cells  in  which  you  can build a new object will be marked with a
special  sign. Choose  the  cell in which you want to build the object and
click the left mouse button.

Game control - Choosing the next object*
 ***************************************
     CHOOSING  THE  NEXT  OBJECT. To  go  to  the next object that has the
possibility to take an action click on the NEXT button or press "n" on the
keyboard. You  can  also choose the next object by clicking the left mouse
button  on  the  object  you wish to make active. This second way does not
work  while  you  are  trying to move the current object. In this case you
should  cancel moving the first step by pressing any button in the Control
Bar and only then choose the object you need.

Game control - Ending your turn*
 *******************************
     ENDING  YOUR  TURN. When  you  have  finished  your turn click on END
button of the Control Bar.

Game control - Mass move*
 ************************

     MASS MOVE. You can unite your ships in groups and then move, fire and
repair them if these actions are allowed.
     To  unite  your  objects  in a group, press the left mouse button and
without  releasing  it  draw a rectangular area. All your objects that are
situated  within  the  restricted  area  will be included in the group. To
exclude  or to add an object to the group, press the Shift key and without
releasing it click the left mouse button the necessary object.
     Be  aware that while moving a group ships they choose the optimum way
to  the  destination  point  which  sometimes  does  not coincide with the
shortest one.


Information windows*
 *******************

     While  playing  the  game you can receive various bits of information
with  the  help  of information windows. You control of these windows with
the  help of the Information Control Bar (the smaller of the two permanent
windows). In the window you can get the following information:
 1 - weather forecast
 2 - mission task (when playing against the computer)
 3 - tactical map
 4 - information about objects in a certain cell
 5 - information about enemy targets within range
 6 - information about navy effectives
 7 - comparative descriptions of objects in the game
 8 - information about the costs of building and repairing of objects
and the number of credits you posses.
 9 - information about current settings
 10 - save game
 11 - quick help
 12 - quit current game
     To  receive  any  piece  of  information just press the corresponding
button  in  the Information Control Bar. You can have only one information
window   open  at  a  time. To  close  an  information  window  press  the
corresponding button in the Information Control Bar once again.

Information windows - Weather*
 *****************************
     WEATHER  FORECAST - (Alt+W):  With  the  help  of this window you can
learn  information  about  the  direction and strength of the wind for the
current turn and the next turn.

Information windows - Mission Task*
 **********************************
     MISSION  TASK - (Alt+T):  In  this  window  you  can see your mission
task. To   close   this   window,  press  the  corresponding  key  on  the
Informational Control Bar or Esc on the keyboard.

Information windows - Tactical Map*
 **********************************
     TACTICAL  MAP - (Tab):  In this window you can see the whole map with
all  the  objects  in  it. The red rectangle on the map indicates the zone
that you can see in the normal map. You can move this zone by clicking the
left  mouse button on the necessary zone in the Tactical Map. To return to
the normal map double-click the left mouse button on the necessary zone.

Information windows - Cell Information Window*
 *********************************************
     CELL INFORMATION WINDOW - (Alt+V): In this window you can get all the
information  about  the  objects in a certain cell. To choose a cell click
the  on it. After that you will see the class of the object and all of its
vital  information. In case there are two objects in the same cell you can
choose  either  of  them  by  clicking  on  the up- and down-arrows in the
window.

Information windows - Target Window*
 ***********************************
     TARGET WINDOW - (Alt+F): If the current object has any targets within
range  you  can  open the Target Window. In this window all targets within
range  are  displayed. Here  you  can  learn all the information about the
targets. You  can  also  fire at the one you prefer by clicking the FIRE A
SALVO button in this window.

Information windows - Navy Effectives Window*
 ********************************************
     NAVY  EFFECTIVES  WINDOW - (Alt+E):  In  this  window  you  can  find
information about the effectives of your and your enemy's fleets. The flag
in  the upper part of the window indicates which navy is represented in it
at the moment. To get information about the other navy click the NAVY INFO
button  in  this  window. The number of "alive" (not destroyed) objects is
placed  under  the  header  AVAILABLE,  the number of destroyed objects is
placed  under  DESTROYED. You  can  also get information about all objects
of a certain class. To do this just click on the button above the image of
the  class  you  want  to  view  and then in a special window you can view
information  about each object of that chosen class by clicking on the up-
and  down-arrow  buttons. To return to the Navy Effectives Window click on
the NAVY EFFECTIVES button.

Information windows - Comparative Description Window*
 ****************************************************

     COMPARATIVE  DESCRIPTION WINDOW - (Alt+C): In this window you can get
relative information about objects based on the following:
     Strength - ability to stand bombarding.
     Maximum  distance  of one move: with a Tail Wind, in a Calm, and in a
Storm.
     Fire Power and Firing Range.
     Boarding ability.
     Ability of vessels to pass over shallows.

Information windows - Object Pricing Window*
 *******************************************
     OBJECT  PRICING  WINDOW - (Alt+R):  In  this  window  you  can obtain
information  about the prices of building an object (button BUILDING INFO)
and  the  cost  of  1%  of repair job (button REPAIR INFO). In this window
there is also shown the amount of money you currently possess.

Information windows - Settings Control Window*
 *********************************************
     SETTINGS  CONTROL WINDOW - (Alt+A): Inthis window you can change some
settings  in  the game to make it more comfortable for you. You can switch
on/off the grid, sound, cut scenes and music.

Information windows - Quick Help*
 ********************************
     QUICK  HELP  WINDOW - (F1):  In  this  window you can get information
about game control. You can change "pages" of it by pressing buttons above
arrows up- and down-arrow.



Transitions from mission to mission*
 ***********************************

     When playing against the computer first you need to form your navy. A
navy  is  formed  with  the  help  of  a  special  window. In  this window
information  about available ships and each ship chosen for the mission is
given. Available  classes  of ships are indicated by green text. To choose
ships  for the mission, first click the mouse on the image of an available
class of ship, then you choose certain ships of this class by clicking the
up- and  down-arrow buttons and confirm your choice by clicking on the ADD
bytton. You  can  exclude  a chosen ship by clicking the REMOVE button. If
you want to exclude all chosen ships of current class click the REMOVE ALL
button.
     The  Total  on  Mission counter indicates the total quantity of ships
chosen  for  the  mission  at  the moment. When the number of chosen ships
exceed the limit the background color of this counter turn red.
     Before  choosing ships we recommend that you look at the task for the
mission by clicking on the TASK button.



Saving and loading game*
 ***********************

     While  playing the game you can save it. For that you should click on
the  button  with  a  disk  on  it in the Information Control Bar or press
Ctrl+S  on the keyboard. When the SAVE WINDOW appears choose one of the 10
given positions. If you want, you can edit the name of the saved game.



How to record your own demo*
 ***************************

     If you want you can record your own demonstration. To start recording
your demo you must press Ctrl+Shift+D on the keyboard. After that all your
actions  and  all  actions  of your enemy will be saved in a special demo-
file. To stop recording of the demonstration you must press Alt+Shift+D on
the  keyboard. Be aware that the old version of the demo-file will be lost
when you start recording a new one.


Story of Admiral*
 ****************
                            ---------
                            ---------
     ...The war on the seas began long before its official declaration. It
began  with  separate local conflicts in the area of a vast archipelago in
the south latitudes. The first battle happened when our navy was convoying
ally  transports  that  carried materials for building a fortified port in
the  eastern part of the archipelago. Afterwards this operation was called
'Outpost'...
                               excerpts from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
    I  have  received orders from  the Court of Admiralty to convoy allied
transports  carrying  building  materials  for a port and a fort in a well
protected part of the archipelago.
    Quite  unexpectedly  our  convoy  ran  into  enemy  forts  and a small
squadron  of  battleships. Evidently,  not only we were interested in this
area.
    Skillfully  using  the  wind and  the pecularities of the coastline we
managed  not only to destroy all forts, ships and a port of the enemy, but
also to board one of its big ships.
    Later  on allies helped  us to reapir and resupply our ships which had
been seriously damaged in that operation.

                            ---------
    ...Evidently  the  enemy  realized  that they were doomed and tried to
run  away  with all their treasure. We cannot afford him to escape because
it would let the Green Cross order to buy new ships with it...
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
    Some  days were spent on repairing and resupplying our ships.  Then we
received a new order to capture or to destroy escaping enemy transports.
    The Court of Admiralty sent some  high-speed ships to help us and that
was the deciding factor of our success: the overwhelming majority of enemy
transports were destroyed, some of them were captured.

                            ---------
    ...Our  navy  acting  as  a  concentrated force, managed  to clear the
archipelago  area  from  enemy  forts, ports and ships. Ships of the Green
Cross  order  made  an attempt to seize our port but our galleys and forts
smashed its squadron without serious damages from our side.
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
    The  success  of the last operation allowed our Admiralty to reinforce
our  navy  with  new powerful battleships. In my opinion, the tactics of a
concentrated force determined our victory in "Citadels" operation.

                            ---------
    In  early  autumn our allies sustained a resounding defeat on the sea.
They  had lost almost all their navy effectives in the eastern part of the
archipelago. Some  ally  ships  that escaped destruction took shelter in a
well protected bay. We had to save our allies.
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
    ...This  operation  allowed  us  not only to help our brothers in arms
but also to torment the navy of the Green Croos order.

                            ---------
    History  of  human civilization proves that it is  made by outstanding
personalities. One  of them was Herman Tor, the Admiral of the Green Cross
navy.
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
    In  the  beginning,  our  task - to  capture  or  to destroy the enemy
flagship - seemed  to  me  impossible. But  I  found  that  the experience
acquired by our crews in the previous battles made it possible.

                            ---------
    Our  navy  continued  clearing  the  archipelago of the enemy.  In the
southern  part of it the Green Cross Order created a powerful base for its
navy. We  had to dislodge the enemy and to destroy 2 forts and a port that
occupied very important strategical position.
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"

                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     As  it  turned  out in consequence, intelligence service of the enemy
constantly  informed  General  Headquarters of the Green Cross order about
current  effectives  of our navy. When we built a new ship they built two.
But  their  mistake was that they recruited unexperienced dregs of society
for  their  crews. The experience and courage of our crews on one side and
inexperience and cowardice on the other allowed our navy to accomplish our
mission.
     It should be noted that the tactics of concentrated force that I used
in previous battles was unfit for that operation.

                            ----------
                            ----------
     Pirates  felt themselves as masters of trade shipping routes while we
were  fighting  for  the  archipelago with the Green Cross order. They had
robbed  a  large amount of treasure and that was the main reason for a new
military campaign.
     Pirates  having  learned  that  we  were  preparing  for the military
campaign  against  them  asked  our sworn enemy, the Green Cross order, to
help  them  in  the  approaching  battles against us and promised them two
thirds  of  their  treasure. The  greedy order could not pass money by and
send Admiral Eric Gordon's squadron to help pirates...
     ...We  achieved  a  signal  victory  in  that campaign and completely
eradicated piracy on the seas.
                                        from, "History of the Sea Battles"
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     I  received  orders  to forestall the enemy navy that was heading for
the  pirates'  treasure. The  first task was to pass my squadron through a
narrow dangerous strait called the Storming Gates.
     A large enemy squadron was moving with parallel course on the north.
     Admiral  Gordon  sent  two groups of fast ships to build forts in our
way. One of those groups we managed to destroy.

                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     Right after our squadron arrived at the port and started repairing we
were twice attacked by pirates' ships.
     Eric  Gordon's squadron was rushing with the same aim as we did - the
corsars'  gold. Sometimes  our courses crossed and we skirmished with each
other. But pirate raids were the main danger for us.
     The  basic  forces  of the buccaneers were concentrated in a secluded
bay and attacked us when we were fighting with pirates' powerful forts and
ships.
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...Sometimes we did not attack enemy forts because they were not very
important for us.
     ...There  was a powerfully fortified island whose outline resembled a
turtle that prevented our squadron from moving further.

                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...And again we were attacked by pirates in a port. Having beaten the
attack off we headed to the west...
     ...Our  squadron  was  approaching  the  aim  of  our campaign - fort
Roger,   where  pirates  were  keeping  the  robbed  treasures. Before  we
approached  the  fort  we  crushed a big squadron of pirates' ships to the
south from it...
     After we had captured fort Roger with its treasures we were raided by
pirates and ships of the Green Cross order.

                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     Allied  navy  gave  transports  at  our  disposal  for  carrying  the
corsars'  gold. Pirates had not abandoned the idea to return the treasures
back  and  made some attempts to attack us while we were moving to the bay
in the south-east, our intermediate destination. There awaited pirates. We
left  the  transports  in  a safe place and gave battle to the buccaneers,
coastal  fortifications  and  ships  to  let  our transports enter the bay
safely afterwards...
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     Our  port in the north-east was the final destination of our squadron
with  the transports of gold. On that last part of our campaign we crushed
the last remnants of pirates' navy and forts.

                            ---------
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     It was supposed that the buccaneers' treasures which we had won would
satisfy  the  hunger  for money of our bureaucracy... There were found new
lands that promised new profits to the high ranked officials. Our navy was
ordered to take the islands under our control.
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     Our  brave seamen and officers had not managed to take their deserved
rest  because  we received orders to take over a newly discovered group of
islands.
     ...Two  of  our squadrons were sparated by a large enemy squadron and
complete defeat threatened us then. Luckily we managed to unite and to win
in that battle...
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...We  had to build temporary port buildings to repair our ships that
were  damaged  in  the  previous  battle. Later  on  our  task was kind of
monotonous. We  crushed  enemy  squadrons and forts and then built our own
ports and forts.
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...Two of our squadrons were separated by shoals and islands and were
obliged to perform a common task independently. Only when we destroyed all
of the enemy ships in the north did we manage to reunite. We then attacked
the southern group of enemy ships...

                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...We  continued  our  expansion  and  this  time we faced an immense
armada  of  the  enemy. We  had  to build coastal buildings to win in that
fierce battle of naval titans...

                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...The  more  we struggled the more resistance from the enemy we met.
The  new  lands  were a real titbit for the enemy if he fought for them so
fiercely with us...
                            ---------
                       From Admiral's memoirs:
     ...And  here  came  the  last-ditch  fight for the dominance over the
discovered  islands. It  was  like  a Judgement Day on which fortune would
smile on the chosen one.



Strategical hints*
 *****************

     Each of the 10 classes of ships has its own merits and flaws. That is
why you must know their strong and weak points to achieve victory.

     1. Heavy  ships  (2-Decked  Battle  Ships,  3-Decked Battle Ships and
Galeons) are the most expensive to build, but they are most effective when
attacking  forts. The Galleon is the slowest ship, but its firing range is
the  longest. It  is  of  vital  necessity when you are attacking forts or
heavy ships.
     2. Ships  of  the  middle  classes  (Frigate,  Clipper)  cannot stand
against  heavy  ships,  but  because  of  their speed they can be used for
breaking  through  battle  lines and building forts and ports. The Frigate
has  the  optimal  combination of fire power, sailing ability and building
price. That is why is useful for boarding attacks and defense. The Clipper
is  the best for pursuing enemy of middle and smaller classes. It can move
in a calm and excellently resists storms.
     3. Smaller  ships  (Brig, Steam-Corvette, Paddle Steamer, Tender, and
Galley)  have  the  lowest  life  level  and fire power. Their merits are:
ability  to  pass  over  shallows  and  low  building  cost. Brigs, Steam-
Corvettes  and Paddle Steamers are very effective for pursuing enemy ships
and  building  forts and ports in strategically important places. The high
boarding  ability of Galleys, Tenders, and Brigs makes them very dangerous
to heavy ships. They can also move in a calm.
     4. Forts  of  the  1-st  and  2-nd line are characterized by big fire
power, long fire range and effectiveness of fire. Any port may be attacked
by  the  enemy and should be protected by at least on fort. Ports have the
ability  to  repair  themselves. The  very  high  cost  of  their building
requires  them  to  be protected by ships. No fort can resist an attack of
more  then  3 heavy ships. A fort, especially two forts, when supported by
ships  are  able  to prevent enemy ships from passing straits and entering
bays.
     5. Do not hesitate spending money on building ports, but do not build
them  too  closely  to each other - it is not useful. If you have ports at
strategically  important  areas  it  will  be  very  difficult for enemies
to "squeeze" you out of those areas. Ports build and repair ships and give
shelter  for  ships  in a storm. Ships in cells neighboring a port are not
moved by storms.
     6. Keep an eye on the weather -it is changeable! A storm is dangerous
not  only because it can throw your ships onto reefs or into shallows, but
it can also take them into the range of enemy forts and heavy ships.
     7. A  calm  is  dangerous  when  your ships are within range of enemy
forts. That  is why you need look at the weather forecast before attacking
enemy forts.
     8. Shallows  may be dangerous for heavy ships: a storm can strand you
ships  on  the  shallows  and  if a second storm occurs and your ships are
still there they will be destroyed.
     9. Do not be afraid if the number of navy effectives of your enemy is
larger  than  yours. When  you  are attacking forts which are supported by
ships, use the following tactics: damage the supporting ships so that they
can  be  easily  boarded  and  board them. After that the enemy forts will
attack  those damaged ships first leaving your regular navy free to attack
the forts.
     10. Do  not  abuse  the  boarding  attack - remember  that in case of
failure  your  ship  will always be captured by the enemy. If boarding was
successful  move  the  captured ship away from the enemy because it can be
easily  taken  back. Move to your port and repair it to raise its boarding
ability.
     11. Fire at enemy ships before boarding it.
     12. If  your  enemy has a lot of money do not try to destroy his navy
all  at  once. Ships  are  built  faster  than they are destroyed. You are
better  off  building  ports  defended  by  forts near the expected battle
positions. Build  forts  at  strategically important places (at capes) and
build  ships  of  different  classes  (because  sometimes a Galley is more
effective than a heavy ship).
     13. Economize  money,  because you can earn it only when a mission is
completed.
     14. Mind  that  the  less  distance  to the target the more effective
firing  at it is. To prevent enemies from boarding you ships, place two of
your ships in one cell.
     15. Do  not  forget  to  repair your objects. Remember that to repair
objects is easier than replacing them (especially forts and ports).
     16. It  is  not  effective  to  build  slow ships far from the battle
area. It is better to build a port near the battle.
     17. Build  a  port  in the place where there is a maximum quantity of
neighboring  sea-cells - that  will  allow you to repair more ships at the
same time. Avoid building ports near shallows.


Troubleshooting*
 ***************

     1. To disable AutoPlay
      a)   Double-click the My Computer icon.
      b)   On the View menu, click Options, and then click the
File Types tab.
      c)   Click the AudioCD type, and then click Edit.
      d)   In the Actions list, click Play, and then
click Set Default.

     2. While sound effects animations 'mortify' on the playing field
     Try to set a lower priority to the sound driver and in case that does
not  work  set  another  sound  driver in the program. To change the sound
driver  and priority of the driver run config.exe and set Sound Driver and
Priority to needed values.
    DirectX Primary - plays through DirectX and uses the DirectX driver.
    DirectX Secondary - plays through DirectX but uses the Windows driver.
    MCI - plays through the standart MCI interface.

     3. Very bad connection or cannot connect through COM-ports
     Check  the  settings  for  COM-ports  in  the  Control  Panel on both
computers.

     4. When  you  try repeat connection through modem you receive message
that line is busy.
     Restart the program.

     5. In  case  you  get  a  message  that  DLL libraries are not found,
install  WinG  and  DirectX  notwithstanding  recommendations of the SETUP
program.


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