Published by Red Orb Entertainment(TM), a division of Br°derbund Software
WINDOWS(R) 95
December 1, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. About WarBreeds
2. System Requirements for the Demo Version
3. Demo Walkthru
4. The Four Clans
5. Summary of Keyboard Commands
6. Troubleshooting
7. Technical Support
8. Copyright Information
1. About WarBreeds
Welcome to WarBreeds, an innovative real-time strategy game of genetic conquest. The demo allows you to view the gene lab, device lab, and complete the training campaign. The full version, due out in March, includes more campaigns that expand on the customization of units, resource management, and a larger scope of battle. Also in the final version, you can play the unique cooperative multiplayer mode that allows allied players to share resources, base structures, and troops.
In WarBreeds, you command one of four different alien Clans, each vying for supremacy on an alien planet. In order to win, you must successfully manage and harvest special plant-like energy pods. These pods collect energy allowing you to create various bio-mechanical devices and creatures. You can also customize the creatures in your army through genetic research. Genetic material is won when enemy creatures are defeated.
Be sure to check out the WarBreeds Web site at www.warbreeds.com for up-to-the minute news on the full retail version that's releasing in early 1998.
2. System Requirements
90MHz Pentium(R) or faster
16MB RAM
23MB of hard disk space
640x480 display, 256 colors
DirectX 5.xx (not installed as part of the WarBreeds Demo)
Sound Blaster 16 or 100% Sound Blaster 16 bit compatible sound card
Video and Sound cards compatible with DirectX 5.xx
If you experience problems with your video or sound card please insure that
the newest available drivers for those devices are installed properly on your machine.
*System Configuration: May require minor adjustments to the configuration of your operating system and/or updates to the hardware component drivers.
**If you experience problems with the installation or compatibility of DirectX on your machine, please consult the hardware manufacturers of your video or sound card. You may also want to check Microsoft's Web page www.microsoft.com for more information.
3. Demo Walkthru
The WarBreeds demo contains a training campaign where you will learn three key elements of the game: combat, base building, and gene collecting. In addition to the single-player campaign, this demo also includes access to the Device Lab and Gene Lab screens, which are accessible from the main screen.
Starting the game:
Once WarBreeds has been installed, begin at the Window 95 desktop. Click the Start Button, point to Programs, and then Red Orb Entertainment. Click the WarBreeds Demo menu item to start the program. Click on Campaigns at the Main Menu and then Basic Training.
Mission: Combat
Given a squad of creatures find and destroy the enemy. Play through a few times with the keyboard commands below to try various formations and techniques for they can be the difference between winning and having your gene's sucked out by the enemy.
Mission: Base Building
Move your shamans to the blue covered ground areas, otherwise known as crop land. Select your shaman and choose the plant option. In the following menu, select pods. These provide the sources of power for your buildings. Once the pods are growing in number, select your shaman and choose the build button. Have them build a refinery near the crop land. An outline will appear as you determine where to place the refinery. It will glow green if the refinery can be built there, or red if it is not acceptable. Once placed, the refinery will draw power from the pods.
Now that the refinery is built, you are about ready to make some creatures, but first you need to have your shamans build a PSI Tower. PSI towers basically give you enough brainwave control to command 7 creatures at once. Finally, have your shamans build a Gene Lab, and you are ready to populate the planet.
Click on the Gene Lab, and you will see a menu with two choices: Tanu and Scout. These are the creatures you can build at the moment. Select the Scout icon and another panel will appear. This displays the weapons that can be mounted on the Scout. Click on the Hammer button twice to give the Scout two Hammers. Finally, click on build and it will start building Scouts. Instead of having to go to your Gene Lab each time a creature is made, You can select a number to the right of the creature. This will build that many of those units in succession.
Now that you have an army, go find the enemy and show them who rules the planet!
Mission: Gene Collecting
This mission is essentially the same as the BUILDING scenario with the exception that your Shamans will be able to build a Gene Collector. Shamans with a Gene Collector can collect genetic material from dead enemy creatures. As you collect new material, the Gene Collector will research that material and you will be able to use new weapons and structures.
Once the Gene Collector is built and you have enemy corpses nearby, select a Shaman and click on the Get Genes button. Move the cursor over the dead body, and click. The Shaman will walk over and gather material if there is any to collect. When enough genetic information is gathered, a new weapon will become available in the Gene Lab.
Armed with this new structure, and the capability of arming your creatures with more weapons, explore this campaign, and see the endless possibilities that await you in WarBreeds!
4. The Four Clans
The Tanu
The Tanu were the first race to be engineered by the Yedda. The original Tanu were lizardlike bipeds, whose sandy skin and lightning speed gave them excellent defenses from predators in the deserts they called home.
In latter years, the Tanu have become a fiercely strong and proud race. Their swiftness has become an excellent tactical advantage as it allows them to begin and end battles without fear of effective pursuit.
The Sen-Soth
The Sen-Soth are mostly regarded as bizarre and unintelligible by the other races. Although small and physically weak, the Sen-Soth grow to maturity quickly, and the sensory organs developed over millennia of subterranean life provide them with excellent perception. The Sen-Soth fidget incessantly.
The Sen-Soth have designed a variety of descendants, but all are designed to grow very quickly and effectively swarm their enemies.
The Kelika
The Kelika are amiable swamp creatures that evolved near the coldest northern glacial swamps. They are slow and cumbersome beasts, but when their anger is aroused, their sheer size and strength makes them among the most fearsome of enemies.
After the Downfall, the Kelika have become devoutly religious, and have devoted themselves to the resurrection of the Yedda Shamanic Orders. They can often be seen to bow in prayer, even in the midst of battle. Though slow, their creatures are enormously strong, and can take massive amounts of damage before they fall in battle.
The Magha
Although they appear physically lean and weak, the Magha are among the cleverest and most deadly of foes. Their brilliant and carefully organized tactics of stealth and sabotage have allowed the Magha to retain a superior position over all of the other Clans since the Downfall.
The advanced technological research of the Magha has allowed them to develop creatures which can remain invisible to their enemies so long as their skins remain cool. This is an invaluable asset, allowing the Magha to wipe out small armies when the armies are caught unprepared.
5. Summary of Keyboard Commands
ESC toggle main menu on/off
SHIFT fast scroll, or add units to current selection
Space Bar when held down while moving units, will keep them in their current formation
A autotarget closest enemy creature
Z zoom in or out
E select all creatures in the current-view rectangle
S issue stop command to current selection
N select next friendly creature
L toggle follow-lock mode on or off
O toggle power zone viewing mode on or off
HOME center on the current selection
A hold down while issuing a move command to tell the selected creatures to move in parallel line formation
TAB set way points for currently selected creatures (creatures move when you let up the Tab key)
TAB + (close the start and end points) sets up a patrol path. If enemy units are encountered during a patrol, the creature should engage the enemy and then resume its patrol (assuming it survived).
TAB (held down when planting) allows Shaman to autoplant multiple Pods
Ctrl 0-9 set selected creatures into the numbered hot key
0-9 select all creatures of the numbered hot key
Alt 0-9 select and center on all creatures of the numbered hot key
Ctrl-X tell current selection to explore the map
Ctrl+Alt+K tell current selection to die a painful death
H set the current selection into a horizontal line formation
V set the current selection into a vertical line formation
/ or \ set the current selection into a diagonal line formation
] rotate the current selection 90 degrees clockwise
[ rotate the current selection 90 degrees counterclockwise
Ctrl + F1-F8 save a preset creature formation
F1-F8 set the current selection into a saved creature formation
Alt + F1-F8 same as above, but center on selection
Y opens game speed and resolution options dialog box
+/- resize the minimap, if available
6. Troubleshooting
If you install to a directory other than the default, you may experience problems when selecting functions not supported in this demo.
If you get an error while installing WarBreeds, make sure that you have enough free hard drive space on the target drive.
If you get a "File not found error: dplayx.dll" error message at start up, make sure that DirectX Version 5.xx has been properly installed on your machine. If you do not have DirectX 5.xx installed on your machine, you can download from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/directx.
If you get a "QuickTime would not load" error message, just click through the error message. QuickTime is not needed for this demo, since there are no movies to be viewed.
There is a known problem associated with tasking out and then back into the WarBreeds Demo. If the Windows 95 Taskbar remains on screen after tasking out of the WarBreeds Demo and then tasking back in, check to make sure that the Taskbar Options setting "Always on top" is not selected. To do this (from the Windows 95 desktop) right-click the Taskbar, and select Properties, this will bring up the Taskbar Properties dialog box. Select the Taskbar Options tab, uncheck the "Always on top" option. (Note: This problem will addressed in the final game.)
7. Technical Support
If you have worked through these troubleshooting suggestions and still need assistance, you can contact Red Orb Entertainment Technical Support by using the options listed below. It will be very helpful if you can tell us your computer make and model, and the brand names of both the video card and sound card you are using. If possible, have the computer both positioned near your phone and turned on. Please also be prepared to give us a detailed description of what happens when you try to run the program.
You can contact us in any of the following ways:
Internet - Online support is available through our World Wide Web site at
http://www.redorb.com/
America Online - Use the Keyword: RED ORB to find our Product Support Boards, or address your
questions to BBund Tec1 or BBund Tec2 using AOL's electronic mail.
Mail - Send your questions to Red Orb Entertainment Technical Correspondence, P.O. Box 6125,
Novato, CA 94948-6125.
Phone - Call us at (415) 382-4777 from Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:00 a.m.
and 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time.
8. Copyright Information
Copyright (c), 1997 Red Orb Entertainment. All rights reserved.
WarBreeds is a trademark of Broderbund Software. Red Orb Entertainment, and Br°derbund
are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Br°derbund Software, Inc. Red Orb Entertainment is a division of Br°derbund Software, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.
