Falcon 030 Power 2/F030_POWER2.iso/ST_STE/GAMES/SHAREWAR.E/TROOPERS.ARJ/troopers/TROOPERS.DOC

Text File | 1997-10-22 | 19KB | 396 lines

STAR TROOPERS
=============
(c)1996/97 by Ross McNaughton.
1Mb ST/STe, 2 players, mouse controlled.


INTRODUCTION
------------
Star Troopers is a tactical science-fiction wargame for two players. It
is based on a computer-generated map with armies chosen from pre-defined
divisions, so set-up is very quick and a game can be completed within a
couple of hours. The objective of each game is to reach a total of 80
victory poins, which are gained for destroying enemy units and occupying
marked objectives.


TITLE SCREEN
------------
On the title screen you have a choice of starting a new game or
loading a previously-saved game.


PRE-BATTLE SEQUENCE
-------------------
The first screen of the game contains sybmols for the four armies in the
game: Federation, Empire, Alliance and Outer Worlds. The strengths and
weaknesses of each army are discussed later. On this screen, each player
decides which army to use.

After the initial army selection, the computer will generate the map and
display an overview so that each player can plan a strategy and decide how
to design their army. Once you are both happy with the overview, press SPACE
to move on to the army design section. After this point, only the active
player should look at the screen.


ARMY SELECTION SCREENS
----------------------
The armies are chosen from a list of divisions. Each army includes a command
division, which is always the same, and six divisions chosen from the list.
The screen is divided into three main areas: The list of divisions (top
left), a display representing the current division under the cursor (top
right), and a list of divisions already in the army (bottom centre). As you
move the cursor over the list of divisions, the display on the right will
change to show the units in each division. Allies (see below) are shown by
their army symbol. Clicking on a division will add it to your army. Clicking
on an 'allies' line will update the list of divisions to reflect the allied
army.

The game moves on once you have chosen six divisions. You can't cancel your
choices, so plan which divisions you are going to take before you click on
anything!

Allies
------
Each army can take one division of allies from an army which is not taking
part in the battle, allowing you to fill any gaps or support a basic army
with some more exotic units. The Outer Worlds can take up to two allied
divisions, one from each of the non-involved armies.


The Armies
----------

Federation
----------
The Federation was originally formed by the second generation of Earth's
colonies, who considered themselves too far from the centre of power, and
too different, for Earth's Empire to rule them effectively. When power in
the Empire passed away from the homeworld, Earth petitioned to join the
Federation and was accepted.
The Federation armies are good all-rounders, with a balance of light and
heavy units and a fair proportion of aircraft.

Empire
------
Originally ruled by Earth, the Empire is now in the hands of some of the
first colonies. While not actually at war with the Federation, the two often
have disputes over territory.
The Empire likes large, impressive hardware so Empire units tend to be tough
and well-armed, but the downside is that they're not very manoeuvreable.
Using an Empire army is a case of taking the objectives that are easy to
reach and then battening down the hatches and holding on to them.

Alliance
--------
The Alliance is a group of alien races with advanced technology. Their
populations are small, so although they are ahead of the humans in
technologies such as anti-gravity and force fields, the armies they can
afford to field are well-matched with the more primitive human armies.
Alliance armies are primarily airborne, which makes them very manouvreable
and able to redeploy easily and use hit-and-run tactics. However, they have
only a limited number of ground units, so these must be used to best effect
to occupy objectives. They also have a few unusual weapons and vehicles,
which can turn the battle if used properly but can also sometimes sit around
for the whole battle doing very little.

Outer Worlds
------------
The Outer Worlds represent the areas where new colonisation is taking place.
New colonies may belong nominally to the Federation or Empire, but while
they are becoming established they effectively rule themselves.
The Outer Worlds are high on manpower but low on technology, so their armies
contain lots of infantry and light vehicles. As a result, their armies tend
to contain more units than anyone else, so a good tactic is to simply try to
swamp their opponents.
As producers of raw materials, the Outer Worlds trade a lot with the other
groups and occasionally buy some of the more exotic vehicles, so Outer
Worlds armies can have two allied divisions rather than just one. They also
have a few unique units of their own, such as the Whirlwind which is a
standard all-terrain tractor fitted with a rocket launcher.


The Divisions
-------------
The following units are contained in each division:

Federation
----------
Command Division: 2 heavy infantry, 2 light carriers, 2 medium tanks.
Light Armoured: 3 light tanks, 3 light tank-killers, 3 medium tanks.
Armoured Division: 2 medium tanks, 2 medium tank-killers, 2 heavy tanks.
Tactical Division: 4 light infantry, 2 heavy infantry, 2 engineers, 4 bikes.
Assault Division: 4 heavy infantry, 4 battle robots, 4 powered armour.
Transport Pool: 6 light carriers, 6 heavy carriers.
Skimmer Company: 5 skimmers, 5 cargo skimmers.
Airborne: 2 gunships, 2 grav-tanks.
Titan Group: 1 scout titan, 1 assault titan.
Support Battery: 2 light artillery, 2 heavy artillery, 1 missile launcher, 1
 plasma gun.

Empire
------
Command Division: 2 heavy infantry, 2 heavy carriers, 1 heavy tank.
Armoured Division: 2 medium tanks, 2 medium tank-killers, 2 heavy tanks.
Heavy Armoured: 2 superheavy tanks, 2 heavy tank-killers.
Assault Division: 6 heavy infantry, 6 powered armour.
Robot Company: 5 battle robots, 5 defence robots.
Transport Pool: 4 heavy carriers, 2 assault vehicles, 2 AEVs.
Walker Group: 2 scout walkers, 2 scout titans.
Titan Group: 1 assault titan, 1 support titan.
Airborne: 4 drones, 2 gunships.
Artillery Battery: 3 heavy artillery, 2 missile launchers.

Alliance
--------
Command Division: 4 light infantry, 2 wave riders, 2 powered armour.
Armoured Wing: 2 grav-tanks, 2 heavy grav-tanks.
Defence Wing: 3 flaming death, 3 prism cannon.
Support Wing: 2 grav-mortars, 2 deathwings.
Tactical Division: 6 light infantry, 2 jet-bikes, 2 wave riders.
Assault Division: 4 powered armour, 3 jet-bikes.
Walker Group: 2 war walkers, 2 scout titans.
Gun Battery: 4 light infantry, 4 warp cannon.
Spotters: 4 drones, 2 gunships.

Outer Worlds
------------
Command Division: 2 light infantry, 2 light carriers, 2 whirlwinds.
Light Armoured: 3 light tanks, 3 light tank-killers, 3 medium tanks.
Infantry Division: 4 light infantry, 4 heavy infantry, 4 light carriers, 2
 powered armour.
Scout Division: 4 light infantry, 4 engineers, 4 bikes.
Mechanised Division: 4 light infantry, 4 anti-tank guns, 6 light carriers.
Titan Group: 2 scout titans, 2 powered armour.
Support Battery: 4 light artillery, 4 whirlwinds.
Airborne: 3 skimmers, 3 hovertanks, 3 cargo skimmers.


DEPLOYMENT SCREENS
------------------
Once the armies have been chosen, each player gets a deployment screen. The
deployment zone (the bottom of the map for player 1 and the top for player
2) is divided into 10 sections; each of the seven divisions can be deployed
in one of these sections, so you can spread them fairly evenly or
concentrate on one flank.

Each division is shown in turn, starting with the command division and
steeping through the others in the order they were chosen. Click in an
unoccupied section to deploy the division in that section. The arrangement
of units in each section will be done automatically, and dots will appear on
the map to show the units.

After the deployment screen, you move into the main battle which continues
until you abort the game or one player wins by reaching 80 victory points.


GAME PHASES
-----------
Each round of the game is divided into a number of phases which follow the
order:

PLAYER 1 ORDERS PHASE (1st round only)
PLAYER 2 ORDERS PHASE
PLAYER 1 FIRE PHASE
PLAYER 1 MOVEMENT PHASE
PLAYER 2 FIRE PHASE
PLAYER 1 FIRE PHASE
PLAYER 1 ORDERS PHASE
PLAYER 2 FIRE PHASE
PLAYER 2 MOVEMENT PHASE
PLAYER 1 FIRE PHASE
PLAYER 2 FIRE PHASE
REPORT PHASE

The extra orders phase in the first round is just to make sure that player
1's units don't get into combat without any orders.


ORDERS PHASE
------------
The orders phase starts with an overview of the battlefield. The overview
map shows your units, the objectives, all enemy units which are visible and
any visible mines. Units and objects (objectives and mines) can be turned
off to show the terrain underneath.

When you exit the overview, you will step through each of your units in turn
with the opportunity to change its orders. This is the first time you will
see the main game screen. On the right is the close-up map, centred on the
unit and showing 5 squares in each direction. All visible units are shown,
with a small red arrow indicating which way they are facing. Top left are
some of the unit's statistics, and bottom left are the controls. In this
phase, the controls are buttons for the five types of orders. The other
phases have similar displays but with different stats and controls.

The orders for a unit determine which actions it can perform during the
turn, and how effective it will be in close combat. Some units can only be
given certain orders. The orders are:
MANOEUVRE: Units on manoeuvre get their full movement and can fire normally,
though with reduced accuracy. They have no combat bonuses.
ADVANCE: Units on advance have their movement reduced by a third but have a
small combat bonus.
DEFEND: Defending units cannot move, although they can fire normally. They
get a large combat bonus.
RESERVE: Units in reserve will recover strength and morale. They cannot move
or fire, and have no combat bonus.
SNAP FIRE: Units on snap fire get extra shots during the enemy movement
phase. They will automatically fire at any unit which assaults them, and
will also fire at one other enemy unit if it moves. The target unit is
chosen by the computer according to its position and cover, the idea being
to pin units so that they are fired upon if they emerge from cover. Units on
snap fire cannot move and have no combat bonus.
LAY MINES: This command replaces SNAP FIRE for engineer units. The unit will
lay a minefield on its current square, which will be visible to the
controlling player but not the opponent. Units laying mines cannot move and
have no combat bonus.

Units with BROKEN morale are restricted to manoeuvre or reserve orders. When
a unit's morale changes to BROKEN, it will automatically be placed on
manoeuvre.

When you've selected the orders you want, click on NEXT to step to the next
unit. If you've given all the orders you want to before reaching the last
unit, click on EXIT.


FIRE PHASE
----------
During the fire phase, the game will step through each of the units which
can fire. Different units have different rates of fire, so they won't all be
available in the same phase. Those with a ROF of 1 fire in the phase before
your movement phase, those with ROF 2 fire in the other two phases, and
those with ROF 3 fire in all three.

Click on the direction arrows to scroll the map. The unit which is firing is
marked with a red frame, so that if you scroll too far and get lost you can
find it again.

When you move the pointer over the map, it will turn into a crosshair. Move
it over the unit you want to shoot and press the left mouse button. WARNING:
Friendly fire is possible! If you target one of your own units, the computer
won't stop you. The message line at the bottom of the map will report the
success of your shot: hit, miss or deflected by armour. If you hit, a second
message will appear if the unit is destroyed.

Firing accuracy is affected by terrain; it is increased if your unit is on
high elevation, and decreased if the target unit is in cover.

When the unit has fired, the game will automatically step to the next unit.
If you want to skip a unit, click on the NEXT button. If you want to end the
phase before all your units have fired, click on EXIT.


MOVEMENT PHASE
--------------
The movement phase control panel is similar to that for the fire phase, but
with a few additions. Under the statistics list is a line which shows
whether a unit is a transporter or transportable. If it is a transporter and
is carrying another unit, the icon for that unit is also shown.

Similar to the fire phase, there are 8 direction arrows, but for the
movement phase there are three other icons next to them. These are explained
below. Also, a copy of the unit icon and its facing arrow are shown in the
centre of the direction buttons.

The three icons on the left select the MODE: Observation (eye symbol),
Change Facing (8 small arrows, like a chaos symbol) and Move (large arrow).
The mode determines the effect of the direction buttons. Whenever you change
mode, the map will be re-centred on the current unit. The mode setting
remains as last set when you change to a new unit.

In Observation mode, the direction arrows scroll the map freely, without
affecting the current unit. You can plan your route, check on the positions
of supporting units and look for the enemy.

In Change Facing mode, clicking on a direction arrow will turn the unit to
face in that direction. This costs points (one point for turning up to 90
degrees and two points for more than 90 degress), and should only be used
after the unit has finished moving, since facing changes automatically when
a unit moves.

In Move mode, the direction arrows move the unit. Movement is points based
and the number of points remaining is one of the stats shown in the top
left. Provided the unit is able to move onto the target terrain type, and
has enough points, the unit will move, otherwise a message will appear
telling you why movement is impossible.

If the target square contains mines, they will react depending on the type
of unit. Normal units set off the mines, taking damage and making the mines
visible to both sides. Airborne units will spot the mines, making them
visible only to the side which owns the unit. Engineers will remove the
mines. Engineers will also repair damaged bridges or roads if moved onto
them, but all of these actions require extra movement points.

You cannot move on top of one of your own units except to load a
transportable unit into a transport. This will end its move, but it will
appear in the next movement phase. Move the unit if you wish to unload it,
leave it alone if you wish to leave it in the transport. Units in transport
cannot fire, and do not appear in the orders phase; they are automatically
on manoeuvre orders.

If you attempt to move onto an enemy unit, an assault will take place. If
your unit loses, it will stay where it is. If it wins, the enemy unit will
retreat and your unit will take its place. A unit that cannot retreat (all
directions are blocked by units or impassable terrain) will be overrun and
destroyed.

As well as the assault values of the two units, the following stats have an
effect on assault: Morale, relative elevation (eg attacking from hillside to
flat ground), and facing (rear attacks are most effective, frontal attacks
least effective). A unit on less than 50% of its original strength will also
have its assault reduced.

As well as both sides taking the appropriate damage, the winning unit will
increase in morale and the losing unit will decrease in morale. One
exception to this is that a unit on less than a quarter of its original
strength cannot increase its morale, either by winning assaults or
reserving. For the unit to increase in morale, it must be left in reserve
until it is back above a quarter strength.

The movement phase will step through all units which still have movement
points available. Unlike the other phases, the movement phase will 'wrap
around', going back to the first unit after you click NEXT on the last unit.
It will only exit automatically if all your units have used all their
movement. Otherwise, it will keep going until you click on EXIT.


REPORT PHASE
------------
The report phase presents a screen of statistics on the two armies. The
initial and current army sizes are given both in terms of number of units
and total strength. The last column of each row gives the current value as a
percentage of the initial values.

The final line in each player's report shows the number of objectives held
at the end of the turn, and the victory points. If one or both players have
broken 80 victory points, the result of the battle will be shown at the
bottom of the screen. Otherwise, there are three options along the bottom of
the screen. SAVE saves the current position to be reloaded and resumed
later. Orders are not saved, but as when starting a new game, each player
will have an orders phase at the beginning. CONTINUE begins the next round.
Finally, QUIT terminates the game. There is no confirmation in the current
version, as soon as you click on QUIT you will return to the desktop, so be
careful not to click on it accidentally.

If both players break 80 victory points by the same amount, the game will
continue for another round to allow a winner to be decided.


CONTACT DETAILS
---------------
The main routines in Star Troopers are taken from my shareware wargaming
system, War, which lets you create and play your own 2-player wargames. The
Shareware version of War is available from Floppyshop on disk GAM.5530C, or
you can get the registered version direct from me for £5. The address is
below and you're also welcome to write if you have any comments on Star
Troopers or any of my other games.

Ross McNaughton
29a Vachel Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 1NY