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U - B O A T
Version 1.00 - Apr 03, 1992
User Documentation
by Michael W. Bayley - Feb 1, 1992
Mycroft Systems BBS - Version B.01
Copyright (c) 1992 Mycroft Systems
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page i
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2.0 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.0 Object of the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4.0 Using the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5.0 Main Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1 Start new game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.2 Resume game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.3 Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.4 Change language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.5 Change graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.6 Change delays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.7 View scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.8 Exit to BBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6.0 Game Selection Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.0 Documentation Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.1 Review Docs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.2 Capture Docs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.3 Download Docs (ASCII). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7.4 Download Docs (HP+ PCL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7.5 Return to Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8.0 Language Setting Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9.0 Graphics Setting Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9.1 ASCII graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9.2 IBM extended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9.3 IBM color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10.0 Message Delays Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.1 Very fast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.2 Fast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.3 Moderate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.4 Slow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.5 Very slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
10.6 Wait for ENTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
11.0 View Scores Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11.1 Player Ratings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11.2 Game High Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11.3 Personal Highs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11.4 Return to Main. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page ii
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12.0 Playing the game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
12.1 The map and its symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
12.2 The game sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
12.3 Issuing orders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
12.4 Using sonar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
12.5 Firing depth charges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
12.6 Refueling & resupply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.7 The scoring system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.8 Ending the game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
13.0 Notes from the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
APPENDICES
A.0 Limitations in Unregistered Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . A1
B.0 Game Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1
C.0 Menu Keyboard Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1
C.1 Game Keyboard Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2
C.2 Depth Charge Attack Keyboard Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3
D.0 Bug Report Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1
E.0 Comment & Suggestions Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0 Introduction
================
U-Boat is an on-line game designed to run under a number of popular
BBS operating systems. The game is a challenging game of planning,
skill, and a touch of luck.
The time is World War II. Your assignment is to safeguard the voyages
of transport ships from our supply base to a port near the front.
Your problem is U-Boats. The enemy is constantly building more and
more of these menacing threats from below.
Plan your moves wisely commander. Make use of all of your tools and
you may be able to eliminate the enemy and help our forces who
desperately need more supplies.
-----
Please note that this manual is primarily intended as a reference.
All that you will really need to know to play the game, is to
print out the keyboard reference charts and a bit of practice and
experimentation.
The bulk of this manual is a detailed description of each of the
various commands. You should at some time review especially the
chapter on 'Playing the Game' as it contains information that will
help you build a solid strategy for play.
==================================
by Michael W. Bayley - Feb 1, 1992
Mycroft Systems BBS - version 1.00
Copyright (c) 1992 Mycroft Systems
==================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 2
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2.0 System Requirements
=======================
To play U-Boat, you need a modem, a terminal or a personal computer
with terminal software, and ANSI or VT100 emulation. The game
screens are painted on your display using the ANSI/VT100 cursor
positioning and other control sequences.
Color is not required, but it is an option. You will find that color
will greatly enhance your ability to read the informtion presented to
you on the screen. The IBM character set is also an option. Although
the game is primarily designed for IBM based machines, making the IBM
character set an option allows those with other computer types to
still enjoy the game.
Your display must support 80 columns and at least 24 lines.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.0 Object of the Game
======================
The object of the game is straight and simple. You MUST protect
the transport ships during their voyage from the home base to a
port close to the front.
What do you protect them from??? You protect them form the
invisible enemy from below. The U-Boats! You may protect the
transports in two ways. First and most straight forward is to
locate the enemy and blow him out of the water. The second way
is to shadow the enemy's moves and to only destroy him when he
becomes a threat to the transports.
The second method you will find is the preferred method when
possible. The reason is that almost as soon as you destroy the
U-Boat, another will come to take it's place. The problem then
is where will the threat come from. You will have to expend
valuable fuel in tracking down the new foe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.0 Using the Menus
===================
You will interface to U-Boat through a series of ANSI based menus.
For the most part, you will be using your numeric keypad to accomplish
this task. Since many terminal programs use the arrow keys as well as
keys such as PgUp and PgDn, U-Boat expects you to set your NumLock
toggle so that these keys transmit ASCII numeric characters instead
of the extended keycodes. The following is a list of the keys used
in U-Boat menus:
[7] [Home] This key will move the menu cursor to the first
menu entry.
[1] [End] This key will move the menu cursor to the last
menu entry.
[8] [Up] The up arrow key will move the menu cursor to the
previous menu entry (ie. up one line).
[2] [Down] The down arrow key will move the menu cursor to
the next menu entry (ie. down one line).
[9] [PgUp] This key will rotate the menu to the previous
menu page (only applies to multi page menus).
[3] [PgDn] This key will rotate the menu to the next menu
page (only applies to multi page menus).
[ENTER] The ENTER key will select/execute the current menu
entry.
[SPACE] The SPACE bar will select/execute the current menu
entry.
[*] [REPAINT] The * key may be used in any menu to cause the
entire screen to be repainted. This is meant to
be used in the event the screen contents are
corrupted due to line noise.
[?] [HELP] The ? key may be used at any time to jump into
the games online help system. This manuel is
effectively reproduced in the online help system.
Other keys will be assigned functions for certain menus. These will
be described in the appropriate section of this documentation. This
keyboard chart is reproduced in appendix C.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 5
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5.0 Main Menu Commands
======================
The Main Menu is the hub of control to all of the game settings and
to entering the game itself. Here are the Main Menu commands in
detail:
5.1 Start New Game
------------------
This command is used to begin a fresh game. It will take you
to the Game Selection menu where you may select from up to 25
scenarios to play.
5.2 Resume Game
---------------
This command is used to continue a previously started game.
While playing U-Boat you may exit at any time to change any
of your settings or even exit the program all together. Your
game in progress will be stored and you can pick up where
you left off.
You do not want to abandon a game in progress. This will have
a bad effect on your player rating (see Scoring System later
in this document).
5.3 Documentation
-----------------
This command will take you to the documentation menu. From
there you can review this documentation, capture it, or
even download it using a popular file transfer protocol.
5.4 Change Language
-------------------
U-Boat was programmed so as to be language independant. If
your SysOp has aquired any other language sets, then this
command will take you to a menu from which you can select
the language that suits you best. If he has not aquired
a language you prefer, you might ask him to aquire the set
which are available to him free of charge.
As of version 1.00 there is only the English language set.
It is hoped that by the release of version 1.00 there will
be several language sets to select from such as French,
Italian, German, Spanish, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 6
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5.5 Change Graphics
-------------------
This command will take you to the Graphics Setting Menu.
From there you may select the graphics setting most suited
to your computer display hardware.
5.6 Change Delays
-----------------
This command will take you to the Message Delay Setting Menu.
From there you can select a delay value that you are comfortable
with. When first learning the game you may want a long delay
to allow you time to read the status messages that are displayed
in the bottom section of the display. Once familiar with the
game you may want to set the game for short delays thus allowing
you to proceed through the game more rapidly.
5.7 View Scores
---------------
This command will take you to the View Scores Menu. From
there you can view the top rated players, the top two high
scores for each of the various scenarios, or to view your
personal high scores.
5.8 Exit to BBS
---------------
This command will exit the program and return you to the
BBS system. If you have a game in progress, it will be
stored for the next time you play.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0 Game Selection Menu
=======================
This menu is used to select the scenario you wish to play. The
default game comes with 5 built in scenarios. Your SysOp, if he
has registered the software, can add an additional 20 scenarios.
The Game Selection Menu may consist of more than just a single menu
page. When this is true, you will see the tag '...more...' at the
top of the menu to indicate that there are more scenarios in previous
pages, or at the bottom to indicate that there are more scenarios
in the following menu pages. Use the [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys to
move between pages.
Once you have made your choice, enter the game by pressing either
[Enter] or [Space]. Note that once you have started a scenario,
you must finish it completely. This may be done over several BBS
sessions, as the game will keep track of games in progress.
Abandoning a game in progress will have the same effect as if you
finished the game with the score you have. This will have adverse
effects on your player rating (see Scoring System later in this
document) for details.
The exception to this rule is if you have not yet completed your
first game. Until you have done so, you may abandon games in
progress as long as you like.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.0 Documentation Menu
======================
The documentation menu is designed to allow you to review, capture,
or download the user documentation for U-Boat. The downloads can
be in ASCII, or a popular file transfer protocol selected by your
SysOp. Downloads may be done in either standard form or if your
SysOp has configured the system, may include a popular compressed
file format.
7.1 Review Docs
---------------
This command will display this documentation file to your
display at a rate of apx. 24 lines per page. You will be
prompted after each screenful as to where you want to continue,
continue with no more pauses, or to abort.
7.2 Capture Docs
----------------
This command is quite similar to the previous command except
that you are prompted once only, before the text is displayed,
and then the text will be displayed continuously until the
end of file is reached. This method will support both a
standard capture as well as an ASCII download. Full support
for XON/XOFF (^S/^Q) protocol is supported for controlling the
flow of the download. Once started, the display can be aborted
by pressing [ESC].
7.3 D/L Docs
------------
This command will only be available if your SysOp has
configured the game to support an external file transfer
protocol. If it is available, you will be told which
protocol is to be used. You may also have a selection of
whether to download the document in either compressed or
uncompressed formats. This again depends on how the SysOp
has configured the game.
The document downloaded under this command is in standard
ASCII text and may be printed on any printer, or reviewed
with any popular editor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.4 D/L Docs (HP+)
------------------
This command will only be available if your SysOp has
configured the game to support an external file transfer
protocol. If it is available, you will be told which
protocol is to be used. You may also have a selection of
whether to download the document in either compressed or
uncompressed formats. This again depends on how the SysOp
has configured the game.
The document downloaded under this command will be in PCL4
format and may only be printed on a printer supporting the
HP+ format.
This document format may not be available on your system.
7.5 Return to Main
------------------
This command will return you to the the game Main Menu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.0 Language Selection Menu
===========================
The Language Setting Menu is designed to allow users to play U-Boat
in whatever language is most suited to them. In most instances this
menu will only have 1 selection and will therefore do nothing.
SysOps in areas where multiple languages are common can aquire
additional language sets for this program. These are provided at
no cost other than the phone call to download the language set.
If you are interested in having a different language set available
to you, please contact your SysOp.
If the SysOp has setup the program with more than one language sets,
then you will be presented with a menu of selections. The menu
may consist of more than one page. You will see the indicators
'...more...' at the top and/or bottom of the menu notifying you
that additional pages are available.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 11
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.0 Graphics Setting Menu
=========================
This menu will allow you to change your graphics setting to suit
your display hardware. Please note that ALL graphics formats
require the use of the following ANSI/VT100 emulation support:
* Clear screen & home cursor.
* Erase to end of line.
* Position cursor at Y, X location.
* Set standard character set.
* Set highlighted character set.
Note that if you are going to support color, you will also need the
support of the ANSI/VT100 emulation sequences for color.
9.1 ASCII Graphics
------------------
This graphics setting will present the user with a white on
black display. It also makes use of the standard and highlighted
character sets. Only the stadard ASCII characters in the range
of 20H through 7FH are used.
9.2 IBM Extended
----------------
This graphics setting will also present the user with a white
on black display. It does use the entire IBM character set,
00H through 7FH, as well as the extended character set 80H
through FFH is used additionally. These are primarily the
line and box characters to make the display much more readable.
9.3 IBM Color
-------------
This graphics setting makes use of the full 16 color range of
the IBM CGA Display Adaptor. It also uses the full range of
IMB standard and extended graphics characters. This will be
the setting of choice as despite being slightly slower, the
display is much easier to read.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.0 Message Delays Menu
========================
This menu gives you access to one of the nicer features of U-Boat.
From this menu you can select how long messages will be displayed
on the screen. These messages, status and error messages, will
appear across the bottom portion of the screen. The following is
a list of setting and their apx. time of delay. Please note that
the delay is not started until the last charater has been trasmitted
over the modem.
10.1 Very Fast
--------------
This provides a delay of apx. 2.0 seconds.
10.2 Fast
---------
This provides a delay of apx. 3.5 seconds.
10.3 Moderate
-------------
This provides a delay of apx. 4.5 seconds.
10.4 Slow
---------
This provides a delay of apx. 6.0 seconds.
10.5 Very Slow
--------------
This provides a delay of apx. 7.5 seconds.
10.6 Wait for ENTER
-------------------
Instead of providing a delay, this setting will wait for the
user to press the [Enter] key after the message is displayed
before it continues. The symbol '...' is appended to the
message to indicate that it is waiting. A timeout will
automatically take place if [Enter] is not pressed within
three minutes.
After you have made your selection, a sample message will be
displayed in the error/status section of the screen. You may use
this message to decide if you are content with your selection.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.0 View Scores Menu
=====================
This menu will allow the user to see how he/she is performing
compared to other players. This menu breaks down the performances
into the following 3 catagories:
11.1 Player Ratings
-------------------
This command will display the bulletin that is generated to
show the top 5 rated players. A player receives a rating once
he/she has completed the first 5 (built in) scenarios at least
once each. The players rating is computed as follows:
PlayerRating = TotalPointsScored / TotalGamesPlayed
Thus the rating represents an average of how a player is
performing.
11.2 Game High Scores
---------------------
This command will display the bulletin that is generated to
show the top 2 player high scores for each of the scenarios
that are active. Note that since this a limited list, if
a single player holds both of the two high scores, that only
his highest score will be displayed thus allowing another
players score to be shown.
11.3 Personal Highs
-------------------
This command will display the highest players rating as well
as the player with the best score for each scenario. In addition,
the players current, all time, and all time best values will
also be displayed giving the player the ability to see how
he/she compares to the top players.
Note that the all time values reflect a players performance
since the first game he completed. The current ratings and
high scores reflect those since the last time the SysOp reset
each of these perspectively.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 14
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.0 Playing the Game
=====================
This section will provide players will all the information they need
to play U-Boat. You will find that playing the game takes a fair
amount of skill, planning, and good observation skills, as well as
a touch of luck.
You will also find that an average game will take between 200 and
350 days (turns). Due to this factor, the game is designed so
that you may exit at any time and play a scenario over a period of
one or more days.
12.1 The Map and its Symbols
----------------------------
The scenario map is located in the upper left portion of the
display and is labeled 'Navigation Chart'. At the bottom left
of the chart you will find the name of the scenario you are
playing. At the bottom right of the chart you will find your
current score for the scenario.
At the top right of the display, you will find the amount of
time you have remaining in the game. This is updated once
every 5 seconds. Once there is less than two minutes of play
time remaining, it is updated every second.
The map assumes standard cartography principles. The top of
the map is north, the bottom is south, the left edge is west,
and the right edge is east.
The 0 degree lattitude and longitude lines are delimited by
the hash marks at the center of each of the edges.
The following is a table of the map symbols used in U-Boat:
U-BOAT MAP SYMBOLS
------------------------------------------------------------
Item | ASCII | IBM | B/W | CGA
Name | Char. | Extnd | Colors | Colors
------------------------------------------------------------
Seas | ' ' | ' ' | Black | Blue
Land | '#' | '░' | Grey / Black | Green / Brown
Cargo Base | '@' | '■' | White / Black| White / Blue
Cargo Port | '$' | 'Θ' | White / Black| White / Blue
Destr Base | '*' | 'Ω' | White / Black| White / Blue
Cargo Ship | '==' | '╚╝' | White / Black| White / Blue
Destroyer | '{}' | '╩╩' | White / Black| White / Blue
------------------------------------------------------------
You will note that at the right top is to 'Sonar' display.
Whenever you run a sonar sweep and a U-Boat is in close
proximity, his location relative to yours will be displayed
in this area.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below the 'Sonar' display, you will find the destroyers supply
display. Each time the destroyer attempts to move, the supply
of fuel will drop by one. Each time a depth charge attack is
carried out, the supply of depth charge barrages will drop by
one. These supplies are replenished by returning to a
destroyer base.
Below the 'Supplies' display is the 'Navigation' display. This
display is use to show your current map location, as well as
a place for you to issue orders to the helmsman.
12.2 The Game Sequence
----------------------
U-Boat is played in a sequence of turns. As stated previously,
each turn represents 1 day and the game will take beween 200
and 350 turns on average to complete. Once again, the game may
be played over several sessions.
Each turn consists of the following sequence of events:
12.2.1 Destroyer Orders
-----------------------
During this section, the player issues the navigation and
duty orders for the day. Navigation orders are Move North,
Move South, Move West, and Move East. Duty orders are
Sonar Sweeps and Depth Charge Attacks.
During normal course of play, the destroyer will have fuel.
In this condition, the player may issue up to 4 orders
maximum per day with a maximum of 3 maneuver orders and 2
duty orders.
Once out of fuel though, the player may only issue a maximum
of 2 orders per day limited to 1 maneuver order and 1 duty
order.
Please refer to appendix C for keyboard charts showing the
keys used when issuing orders.
12.2.2 Transport Launches
-------------------------
During the course of play, up to four transports may be at
sea at any one time. After a tranport completes its voyage
or is sunk, a new transport will be launched in three days.
There are a total of 16 transport missions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105
U-Boat version 1.00 Page 16
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12.2.3 Transport Maneuvers
--------------------------
Transports are limited to 1 maneuver per day. These are
limited to Move North, Move South, and Move East. If the
maneuver selected is not possible due to land, other transports
or the destroyer or bases, then the transport will not move.
Due to the heavy losses of transports caused by the U-Boats,
it has become almost impossible to find qualified sailors
to pilot these vessels. Therefore, you will find that the
transports are captained by a bunch of imbiciles and morons
who could barely navigate their wait out of a bathtub.
Due to this fact you will find that the maneuvering of the
transports is often time erratic to say the least. In
order to help these captains along, the transports were
constructed without the ability to reverse their engines.
Therefore, no transport will ever move West. There also
a series of hidden sea lanes (or shipping lanes) that help
guide these captains. With careful observation, you may
be able to spot these and help urge the transports into
them.
Transports will continue their course until they either
reach a port or until they aree sunk.
12.2.4 U-Boat Maneuvers
-----------------------
U-Boats captains are also hard to come by. The enemy's
commitment to land forces has left a minimal supply of
men to pilot these ships. Their schooling in navigation
was quite short, and they were taught always to move
toward the closest target. If the direction to target
is blocked then a random direction will be chosen.
U-Boats do have two advantages though. One is that they
are almost invisible (only detected by sonar). The
second is that they are much more maneuverable. A
U-Boat will execute only a single maneuver per turn. It
may however select from: Move North, Move NorthWest, Move
NorthEast, Move West, Most East, Move South, Move SouthWest,
or Move SouthEast.
Due again to the enemy's limited supply of men, only 1
U-Boat will be on station at a time.
If a U-Boat ends its maneuver on a location containing
a transport, then the U-Boat will launch it's torpedoes
and sink the transport. Enemy torpedoes NEVER miss.
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12.2.6 Destroyer Maneuvers
--------------------------
The next phase is the destroyer maneuvers. At this point,
the command you issued at the beginning of the turn will
be executed in order. If at any time a command may not
be executed (ie. the ships path is blocked), then all
remaining orders are aborted.
12.2.7 End Game Testing
-----------------------
The last thing to occur in a turn is for the game to
check for game completion. If all transports have either
completed their trips or have been sunk then the game is
over.
At this point, the game statistics are analized. The
ratings and high score bulltins are updated as necessary.
Once completed, the player is returned to the Main Menu.
12.3 Issuing Orders
===================
As described above, the player issues his orders at the
beginning of each day. Depending upon his fuel status he
may issue up to 2 or 4 orders. The following keys are
used to issue orders:
[8] [Up] This key issues the order to move North.
[2] [Down] This key issues the order to move South.
[4] [Left] This key issues the order to move West.
[6] [Right] This key issues the order to move East.
[5] [ ] This key issues the order to not move.
[0] [Ins] This key issues the order to run a radar sweap.
[.] [Del] This key issues the order to drop depth charges.
[BackSp] This key will erase the previous command letter.
It is used to allow corrections.
[Enter] This key is used to terminate your orders for
the current game turn.
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[Ctrl X] This key is used to exit the game before you
have completed the scenario. Note that games
in progress are preserved and a single game may
be played over a series of days.
[*] [Repaint] This key will cause the screen to be cleared and
the entire display will be redrawn. This key is
intended to be used when you experience line
noise which disrupts the display.
[?] [Help] This key is used to enter the online help system.
12.4 Using Sonar
----------------
Sonar is a players greatest tool. Other than a transport being
sunk, it is the players sole method of tracking down U-Boats.
Your sonar is equiped with two stages of tracking.
The first stage is the long range sonar. This sonar will
detect the presence of U-Boats in the general area at quite
a substantial distance. It's limitations are that it is
only capable of detecting the U-Boats bearing, and not it's
distance.
The second stage is the short range sonar. Any U-Boats picked
up in this manner will be displayed on the sonar screen itself.
Please note that the center of the sonar screen reflects the
right half of the destroyers location.
12.5 Firing Depth Charges
-------------------------
The firing of depth charges is a players sole offensive
capability. In other words, this is the only way you may destroy
a U-Boat.
When firing depth charges, you will be prompted as to which
pattern you wish to launch them. The following disgram shows
the patterns available and the keys used to select them:
[7] [North West] [8] [North] [9] [North East]
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
| * | * | | | | | * | * | | | | | * | * |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| * | * | | | | * * | | | | * | * |
+---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
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[1] [South West] [2] [South] [3] [South East]
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+
| * | * | | | | * * | | | | * | * |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| * | * | | | | | * | * | | | | | * | * |
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
The following keys are also active when selecting a depth charge
attack pattern:
[BackSp] This key will erase the previous attack pattern.
It is used to allow corrections.
[Enter] This key is used to terminate your orders for
the current attack pattern.
[*] [Repaint] This key will cause the screen to be cleared and
the entire display will be redrawn. This key is
intended to be used when you experience line
noise which disrupts the display.
[?] [Help] This key is used to enter the online help system.
12.6 Refueling & Resupply
-------------------------
Players must be weary of their supplies at all time. Running
out of fuel far from a base or running out of depth charges
can have terrible effects on the transports they are supposed
to guide and guard.
Resupply automatically takes place whenever the destroyer
enters a destroyer base. All remaining commands for that
turn are aborted.
12.7 The Scoring System
-----------------------
U-Boat supports a two tier scoring system. The first applies
to scoring during the play of a scenario.
As mentioned in the intoduction, your primary objective is to
protect the transports. The scenario scoring reflects this.
Players receive 250 points for the first transport to successfully
complete it's journey. After that, the points awarded per
transport are increased by 50 points per completed mission.
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Players will also receive 50 points for each U-Boat destroyed.
Finally, a 3000 point bonus is awarded if the player has
protected all 16 transport missions safely to their ports.
The second tier is primarily used to measure a players overall
skill as compared to other players. This is the rating system.
Once a player has successfully completed each of the first 5
scenarios at least once each, then the player is given a
rating. The formula for calculating a players rating is as
follows:
PlayerRating = TotalPointsScored / TotalGamesPlayed
A bulletin for each of the two scoring tiers is automatically
generated, and may be viewed from the 'View High Scores' Menu.
12.8 Ending the Game
--------------------
The game ends at the completion of the turn whereas all
transports have either completed their trips or have been
sunk.
Player stats are then automatically updated and new bulletins
printed as required.
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13.0 Authors Notes
==================
Well let me start out by giving you the history of this game. I
first wrote it in Cassette Basic on an Altair 8080 back in 1976.
It was distributed to a few friends who also had 8080 and Z80
based S100 computers. It has been shelved ever since.
After chatting with quite a few SysOps, I found there were
several classes of door players out there. The first wanted
features and strategy. These however can become quite large
and quite complicated to play. The second group enjoyed simple
easy to learn (ie. no manual required) games where they primarily
competed against themselves.
U-Boat has been revived and rewritten to attempt to generate a
door that allows for strategy, but is also easy to learn and
play. It also allows players to compete against each other
without the desparing fealing of being wiped out of a game
by a more experienced player and thus not really have a chance
to play.
I know the game takes a long time to play. As I have mentioned
throughout this document, games are preserved when you exit
before finishing a game. I hope this will not be a big bother
to you.
-----
As for strategy, all I can say is that your greates tool is
your sonar. You must track, although not always destroy, the
U-Boats as quickly as possible. You will find that in many
cases that a U-Boat will trap itself behind an island simply
because he tries to take the most direct route (ie a straight
line) to its target. Trapped U-Boats are your best friends.
Only destroy them when it becomes necessary, as while you track it,
you seldom expend fuel, and don't have to track it down all
over again and give it a better chance to sink more transports.
Secondly, plan your maneuvers very carefully. Many of the
scenarios have narrow channels and you may find your own
transports actually blocking you from reaching a U-Boat. Also,
when maneuvering, plan a route. This route should take you through
the area where your transports are and back to another base for
refueling. Running out of fuel will most times end in the loss
of many transports as it cuts your ability to catch up to those
nasty U-Boats.
As a final word, I hope you enjoy the door. If you have suggestions
or locate what you think is a bug, forms are supplied at the end
of this manual to serve that purpose.
Michael W. Bayley
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A.0 Limitations in Unregistered Version
=======================================
The unregistered version of this door has some limitations. For one,
the SysOp does not have access to any of the editors. These
limitations are to encourage the registration of the door. If you
enjoy the door and your SysOp has not yet registered his copy, then
please let him know you enjoy the door and encourage him to register
it. The following is a list of restrictions in the unregistered
version:
* No access to editors by the SysOp
* Limited to only 5 scenarios
* Unregistered version banner with delay
* Occasional unregistered version messages
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B.0 Game Terminology
====================
The following section explains some of the terminology used in U-Boat
and in this documentation.
ANSI/VT100 ANSI and VT100 are two types of standards used in
display based communications. Both of these
standards share many sequences in common and either
of these standards may be used when playing U-Boat.
Make sure your terminal emulation mode is set
to one of these before attempting to play.
ASCII ASCII stands for the American Standard for
Communications Information Interchange. As to
relating to this game, this encompases the standard
control characters as well as the standard
printable characters used in most display devices.
BASE The location from which operations begin. In
relating to U-Boat, there are three base types.
A Transport Base is where all transports begin
their voyages. There will always only be a
single Transport Base in U-Boat. The second
is a Destroyer Base. There may be up to four
of these in any given scenario. Whenever the
destroyer enters one of these bases, his supply
of fuel and depth charges are completely
refilled. The last base type is the U-Boat
Base. There may be up to 32 of these in any
scenario. There locations are never shown.
CARGO SHIP Cargo Ships, often referred to as transports
and freighters, are used to carry goods and
supplies from one location to another. In U-Boat
you will find 16 of these vessels. A maximum
of 4 will be at sea at any one time. Your
prime objective is to protect these ships.
COMMAND KEY The Command Key is a key used to signal that you
want to execute a command. In U-Boat, either
the [SPACE BAR] or the [ENTER] keys may be used.
DEPTH CHARGE An anti-submarine weapon. These are canisters
filled with high explosives and launched into
the water. They sink until they reach a preset
detph at which point they explode. Their effect
is seldomly a direct hit with explosive damage
to the submarine. Instead they do their damage
primarily by percussion. The shock waves
generated by the explosion are often enough to
cause the hull of a submarine to rupture.
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DESTROYER A class of naval military vessel designed to be
quick, maneuverable, and heavily armed. Unlike
the massive batteships, most destroyers were
shallow running. This made them less suseptible
to torpedo attack and also able to maneuver in
shallow waters. In U-Boat, a single destroyer
is the players role in the game.
DOWNLOAD Downloading is the act of transferring a file from
the host (ie BBS) computer to your local computer.
In U-Boat, downloading is strictly used for
aquiring the docmentation using a controlled
file transfer protocol. The protocol is selected
by the SysOp.
GRAPHICS MODE Your Graphics Mode controls the environment in
which U-Boat presents information on your
display. There are three graphic modes available
in the game. ASCII mode provides you with the
standard ASCII character set. IBM mode provides
you with the IBM extended character set. COLOR
mode provides you with the IBM extended character
set and includes ANSI color sequences. Regardless
of mode, players need to support ANSI/VT100
terminal emulation in order to play.
MANEUVER To maneuver is the act of making a series of
changes of direction and position for a specific
purpose. In U-Boat this is accomplished by
issuing maneuvering orders which are a series
of one or more movement commands.
NUM LOCK The NumLock is a special key on the IBM keyboard.
In U-Boat, players should set their NumLock
toggle so that the numeric pad will issue numbers.
This prevents any conflict between terminal
programs as well as preventing any conflict with
local SysOp control keys. Once the NumLock toggle
is set, then a player may use the numeric keypad
when in U-Boat menus.
PORT A place of naval embarcation and debarcation
often at sites adjacent to cities. In U-Boat,
there are up to 4 ports. These ports are the
destination of all of the transports.
SCENARIO A synopsis or projected course of action or events.
In U-Boat, scenario is used to represent a game
selected by title with a map that presents the
player with a variety of challenges.
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SEA LANES Sea Lanes, also referred to as Shipping Lanes
are established routes followed by naval vessels
to best take advantage of weather and current
conditions. In U-Boat, there are sea lanes
defined in each scenario. Once a transport
enters a sea lane it will automatically follow
a pre-determined course. These lanes are not
displayed, but may be detected by careful
observation.
SHIPPING LANES See SEA LANES above.
SONAR SOund NAvigation Ranging. A device that is
capable of locating ships in water based on
bouncing sound waves off of them and timing
the amount of time before the echo comes back.
SONAR SWEEP In U-Boat, a 'Sonar Sweep' is the command
issued in order to run a sonar scan of the
area. The results may be just a bearing or
the ship may actually show on the Sonar
display.
TRANPORT See CARGO SHIP above.
U-BOAT A type of submercible vessel used by the
German navy in WWII. These ships were a great
menace to shipping through the early years of the
war.
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C.0 Game Keyboard Chart
=======================
The following keys are defined when in menus:
[7] [Home] This key will move the menu cursor to the first
menu entry.
[1] [End] This key will move the menu cursor to the last
menu entry.
[8] [Up] The up arrow key will move the menu cursor to the
previous menu entry (ie. up one line).
[2] [Down] The down arrow key will move the menu cursor to
the next menu entry (ie. down one line).
[9] [PgUp] This key will rotate the menu to the previous
menu page (only applies to multi page menus).
[3] [PgDn] This key will rotate the menu to the next menu
page (only applies to multi page menus).
[ENTER] The ENTER key will select/execute the current menu
entry.
[SPACE] The SPACE bar will select/execute the current menu
entry.
[*] [REPAINT] The * key may be used in any menu to cause the
entire screen to be repainted. This is meant to be
used in the event the screen contents are corrupted
due to line noise.
[?] [Help] This key is used to enter the online help system.
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C.1 Maneuver Keyboard Chart
===========================
The following keys are defined when playing U-Boat:
[8] [Up] This key issues the order to move North.
[2] [Down] This key issues the order to move South.
[4] [Left] This key issues the order to move West.
[6] [Right] This key issues the order to move East.
[5] [ ] This key issues the order to not move.
[0] [Ins] This key issues the order to run a sonar sweap.
[.] [Del] This key issues the order to drop depth charges.
[BackSp] This key will erase the previous command letter.
It is used to allow corrections.
[Enter] This key is used to terminate your orders for
the current game turn.
[Ctrl X] This key is used to exit the game before you
have completed the scenario. Note that games
in progress are preserved and a single game may
be played over a series of days.
[*] [Repaint] This key will cause the screen to be cleared and
the entire display will be redrawn. This key is
intended to be used when you experience line
noise which disrupts the display.
[?] [Help] This key is used to enter the online help system.
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C.3 Depth Charge Attack Keyboard Chart
======================================
The following diagrams show the attack patterns for depth charge
attacks:
[7] [North West] [8] [North] [9] [North East]
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
| * | * | | | | | * | * | | | | | * | * |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| * | * | | | | * * | | | | * | * |
+---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
[1] [South West] [2] [South] [3] [South East]
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+ +---+ SHIP! +---+
| * | * | | | | * * | | | | * | * |
+---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+ +---+===+===+---+
| * | * | | | | | * | * | | | | | * | * |
+---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+ +---+---+---+---+
The following keys are also active when selecting a depth charge
attack pattern:
[BackSp] This key will erase the previous command letter.
It is used to allow corrections.
[Enter] This key is used to terminate your orders for
the current game turn.
[*] [Repaint] This key will cause the screen to be cleared and
the entire display will be redrawn. This key is
intended to be used when you experience line
noise which disrupts the display.
[?] [Help] This key is used to enter the online help system.
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U-Boat version 1.00 Page D1
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D.0 Bug Report Forms
====================
Please use this form to report any bugs you find in the program.
======================================================================
PLAYER INFO BBS INFO
======================================================================
Player Name : ___________________ BBS Name : ___________________
Player Address: ___________________ BBS Phone #: ___________________
___________________ SysOp Name : ___________________
Player Phone #: ___________________ BBS Login : ___________________
======================================================================
U-BOAT BUG INFORMATION
======================================================================
Game Menu: ___________________ Menu Command: ___________________
Please describe the bug:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
======================================================================
Mycroft Systems
P.O. Box 7672
San Jose, CA. 95150
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E.0 Comment & Suggestions Form
===============================
Please use this form to send any comments or suggestions you have.
======================================================================
PLAYER INFO BBS INFO
======================================================================
Player Name : ___________________ BBS Name : ___________________
Player Address: ___________________ BBS Phone #: ___________________
___________________ SysOp Name : ___________________
Player Phone #: ___________________ BBS Login : ___________________
======================================================================
U-BOAT COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
======================================================================
Please enter any comments or suggestiopns you have and mail to the
address below.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
======================================================================
Mycroft Systems
P.O. Box 7672
San Jose, CA. 95150
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Mycroft Systems, P.O. Box 7672, San Jose, CA. 95150 BBS: (408)927-0105