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C O N T E N T S 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Description 1 1.2 Hardware Requirements 1 1.3 Files 1 2 CIVILWAR - MAIN MENU & GAME PARAMETERS 2 2.1 Game Parameters 3 3 MAIN BATTLE SCREEN 6 3.1 Main Battle Screen 6 3.2 Battle Map 6 3.3 Armies Summary Data 7 3.4 Active Unit Data 7 3.5 Message Window 7 4 UNIT TYPES & ATTRIBUTES 7 4.1 Unit Types 7 4.2 Unit Attributes 8 4.3 Generals 9 4.4 Cancel Orders 9 4.5 Inspire Units 9 4.6 Group Move-to-Location Orders 10 5 VISIBILITY & MOVEMENT 10 5.1 Visibility 10 5.2 Movement 10 5.3 Single Hex Movement 10 5.4 Move-to-Location Orders 11 5.5 Group Move-to-Location Orders 12 5.6 Charge 12 5.7 Rest 12 5.8 Wait 13 5.9 Stacking 13 6 COMBAT 13 6.1 Normal Combat 13 6.2 Artillery 14 6.3 Line of Sight 15 6.4 Limbering Artillery 15 6.5 Cannonade 16 6.6 Cavalry Charge 16 6.7 Resolving Combat 16 6.8 Combat Results 16 6.9 Retreat 17 6.10 Killed Leaders 17 6.11 Eliminated Units 17 6.12 Capturing Artillery 18 7 HOT KEY COMMANDS 18 7.1 Hot Keys 18 8 OTHER COMMANDS - MENUS 19 8.1 Unit Command Menu 19 8.2 Move to Location 19 8.3 Intelligence 19 8.4 Rest 19 8.5 Game Options 19 8.6 (special options) 20 8.7 Game Options 20 8.8 Order of Battle ('O') 20 8.9 Game Score ('G') 20 8.10 Screen Redraw ('S') 20 8.11 Briefing 20 9 NOTES 21 9.1 Realism 21 9.2 Time 21 9.3 Distance & Other Factors 21 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 21 CIVILWAR BATTLE SET Documentation EGA CIVILWAR BATTLE SET American Civil War Version 2.21 1-Player War Game (c) 1993 W. R. Hutsell =========================================================== 1 INTRODUCTION =========================================================== 1.1 Description ---------------- CIVILWAR BATTLESET Version 2.2 is an EGA tactical level war game based on battles from the American Civil War. It represents many hours or research, programming, and play testing. It is an evolution of the prize-winning ASCII game which has earned accolades from wargamers across the country. The game is easy to play, yet difficult to master, and provides an almost endless set of variations and challenges. "Winning" the battles depends on relative casualties, number of units eliminated, and controlling a key location on the battlefield (the 'objective'). There are several types of units and varying terrain situations, all of which affect the battle outcome. With this game , you can create, customize, and reconstruct Civil War battles. As much as possible, the game allows you freedom to not only play the scenarios, but also adjust the armies, and even modify most of the important aspects of the game itself. If you are not a registered user, you should become one and receive the latest version of the game, more scenarios, along with technical support. For details on how to register, see the file REGISTER.DOC. If that file is missing, you may contact me: W. R. Hutsell 2021 Hutchinson Drive Kingsport, TN 37660 1.2 Hardware Requirements -------------------------- This version requires EGA graphics or better. It is written in Microsoft Basic 7.1 and requires DOS 2.1 or higher. The program is provided in complied form, and all required files are included. 1.3 Files ----------- There are 2 main program files, 2 utility files, and several supporting data files: CW22.EXE - the main CIVILWAR EGA game program CS22.EXE - the CIVILSET EGA scenario editor xxx.CIV - EGA battle data files, each representing a battle scenario. Ones with a '$AVE' prefix are used to save games in progress - 2 - PREFER.CFG - configuration file to save your customized game parameter preferences UNION.LDR - file of 15 Union leaders and ratings REBEL.LDR - file of 15 Rebel leaders and ratings TERRAIN.EGA | STDICON.EGA |- EGA icon files (MUST HAVE!) MISC.EGA | ALTICON.EGA | GENERALZ - history file of games played and scores, by player name MAXSKORS - high scores achieved for each scenario played NEWHI.SCR - high scores for each scenario completed MONTHS.DAT | PNAMES1.DAT | PNAMES2.DAT |- supplemental files for CS Editor RNAMES.DAT | YNAMES.DAT | =========================================================== 2 CIVILWAR - MAIN MENU & GAME PARAMETERS =========================================================== 2.1 Main Menu -------------- The main menu appears as shown below. Additional information is provided in the following paragraphs. ╔======================+ | MAIN MENU | +======================+ | Player : UNION | | Load File | | Save File | | Fight | | Parameters | | Directory C:\CIVIL21 | | Scenario Editor | | Quit | +======================+ Menu options are selected by moving the highlighted bar over the desired choice (using up/down arrow keys) and pressing the 'Enter' key. The choices are: a. Select player (shows the current side selected and allows you to toggle between Union or Confederate side) b. Load File (load EGA 'xxx.CIV' scenario file on current directory). A menu window will then appear listing the scenario files available on the current directory. c. Save file (save in-progress battle) Most scenarios will play quickly enough that you will not need this option. You will need to use F10 to return to the MAIN MENU to save a game once it has Provision for up to 5 saved games (named $AVE1.CIV through $AVE5.CIV). The date and time of - 3 - the games is stamped when the file is saved to help in identifying the files. NOTE: If you save over another saved game, the older one will be overwritten. d. Fight (run a loaded battle file). Selecting this option will display the main battle screen (Section 3). Once the battle is begun, you may return to the main menu by pressing the F10 key when it is your turn to move. e. Adjust various game parameters. This gives you access to customize the game itself to meet your needs. See 2.2 below. f. Directory allows you to enter a new drive and directory. Press "Enter" after you have typed the desired drive and directory. When the main menu reappears, the new directory information will be displayed. If there is an error, the directory will not be changed. g. Option to go directly to the scenario editor, without having to exit to DOS. Be sure to save your game if you have one in progress. h. Quit option (allows you to exit the program). NOTE: All menus may be used by selecting desired option with arrow keys (up/down, 'Home' for top, 'End' for bottom) and pressing 'Enter'. A short cut is to enter the first letter of the desired command. 'Escape' cancels the menu. 2.1 Game Parameters ===================== CIVILWAR BATTLESET was designed for flexibility to allow you, the user, to customize many of the most important game features to suit your personal preference. Most of the important game parameters are available to you to customize as you wish. If you select the game parameter option, a sub menu will appear (as shown below) which allows you to select and adjust the parameters desired. Unless you save them in PREFER.CFG, they are set only for the duration of the game. Until they are adjusted, they will remain at a "normal" setting as specified by the current PREFER.CFG file. +=======================+ | Set Game Parameters | +=======================+ | Difficulty 3 | | Adjust Start Position | | Visibility 16 | | Enemy Aggression 3 | | Message Display 3 | | SOUND | | Scoring Factors | | Unit Reliability 3 | | Computer vs. Computer | | Stack Limit 500 | | Limber: ON | | Line of Sight : ON | | Capture Artil: ON | | History : ON | | SAVE Settings | +=======================+ - 4 - a. DIFFICULTY : Difficulty level makes your opponent either easier or harder to fight. If difficulty is low, the enemy takes proportionately more losses, and is more likely to retreat. If difficulty level is high, the enemy takes fewer losses, and will tenaciously hold his ground. Difficulty ranges from 1 (very easy) to 5 (very hard) and is maintained in PREFER.CFG. b. ADJUST START POSITION : Adjusting the starting position randomizes the initial position of units slightly to provide variety in scenarios. Adjusting the start position will randomly shift unit locations slightly (both yours and the enemy's). This has no effect on the scenario file; only the game currently being played is affected. This is NOT maintained in the configuration file. c. VISIBILITY : Visibility affects the range at which units can see other units and fire on them with artillery. This is normally set at 18 spaces (a hex is 2 spaces). (See Section 5 on Visibility and Movement). d. ENEMY AGGRESSION : The enemy is preset with an 'aggression level' from 1 (very timid) to 5 (recklessly aggressive), which controls his likelihood of moving to engage and attack, and the intensity of his attacks. This can be adjusted to make the enemy either more or less aggressive. A more aggressive enemy will shift to the offensive and launch more and stronger attacks. A timid enemy will seek cover, launch weaker attacks, and play a more defensive-minded battle. Increased aggressiveness does not necessarily make the enemy harder to defeat, nor does more timidity mean he will be easier to defeat. Good defensive terrain, coupled with a less aggressive strategy, can be very effective. e. MESSAGE DISPLAY : Option to let you set how long messages are displayed. Previously if the sound option was turned off, some messages went by too fast for some users to read. Now you can play without the noises and still see what just happened. This can be set in 5 graduations from very fast (1) to very slow (5). The default setting is 3. NOTE: Anytime a message is being displayed in the game and you want to go on, simply hit a key. This works regardless of how long message are set to be displayed. f. SOUND : Option to let you toggle between SOUND and QUIET. This is mainly for the purpose of saving in your PREFER.CFG since the game has another toggle that is easier to access when it is in progress. (See GAME OPTIONS menu). g. SCORING FACTORS : You can adjust the some of the factors used in scoring the game. These factors are: - 5 - Number of enemy casualties caused...... 1 point Number of enemy units eliminated....... x points Number of turns Objective controlled... y points Bonus: Objective held on last turn..... z points Bonus: Annihilating All Enemy Units.. 250 points (fixed) Initially x is 5 points, y is 10 points, and z is 100 points. You should be careful not to vary these values too much from the initial values. Very large scoring factors may result in numbers too large to compute, causing an overflow error. h. UNIT RELIABILITY : Leaders in the Civil War often acted on local initiative rather than following the original plan. This is simulated through unit reliability. A very reliable unit will always follow your orders exactly. A very unreliable unit will be difficult to control, and will often charge in directions and engage in fights you didn't intend. This tendency can be somewhat frustrating (although realistic) and can be adjusted from (100% reliable) to 5 (maverick). The default is 3, which provides some of the challenge of controlling the units without being reduced to the role of spectator. A fix has been made to provide a truly 'absolutely reliable' setting. Previously there were a few circumstances in which an "absolutely reliable" unit would initiate its own action (such as being fired on by an enemy artillery unit). However, this override prevents issuing "move to location" orders when units are set on maximum reliability. The override essentially clears ALL move orders a unit might have prior to its turn. i. A computer vs. computer option has been provided to help in evaluating playability/balance of scenarios you design. You must first load a scenario, then select the "Computer vs. Computer" option. Sound is automatically turned OFF and message delays are set at minimum level to make this play as fast as possible. The RECON option is turned ON to allow you to view all units in play. (Note that units that have not yet arrived will NOT be shown until their time of arrival). The elapsed time used (real time) is displayed as the game progresses. Play should proceed very rapidly. Although the computer plays both sides using the same logic rules, it displays the score from the point of view of the side you have chosen (in your preference file). To interrupt the computer vs. computer game in progress, press AND HOLD F10 until the opening menu appears. (Control-Break will not interrupt the game). However, once the automatic computer vs. computer mode is begun, you CANNOT toggle to the normal fight mode from the opening menu. If you wish to play a game normally after you have used this option, you should restart the program. j. The STACK LIMIT can be adjusted in increments of 500 - 6 - from a stack limit of 0 (no stacking permitted) to 2000. The default is 500. k. Artillery LIMBER toggle : The default setting is ON, which means that artillery must be limbered to move and unlimbered to fire. (See unit information for instructions on limbering/unlimbering artillery). l. Artillery LINE OF SIGHT toggle : The default setting is ON, which means that artillery must have a clear line of sight to target an enemy. (See unit information for more detail on how line of sight is determined). m. Artillery CAPTURE option toggle : The default setting is ON, which means that some portion of eliminated artillery units may be captured. (See section 6.10.1 for a more complete explanation). n. HISTORY toggle : The default setting is ON, which means that game high scores will be reported and saved (file MAXSKORS), as well as the cumulative performance of each commander (file GENERALZ). o. SAVE SETTINGS : Option to create a new PREFER.CFG file. The setting will be displayed on the title screen when the game is started. =========================================================== 3 MAIN BATTLE SCREEN =========================================================== 3.1 Main Battle Screen ======================== The battle screens is divided into 4 zones as shown: +==========================================================+ | | | | | 2 - Armies | | | Summary | | | Data | | | | | 1- Battle Map +===============+ | | 3 - Active | | | Unit | | | Data | | | | | | | +==========================================================+ 4 - Message Window 3.2 Battle Map ================ The battle map is based on a hexagonal layout, 27 hexes wide by 20 hexes high, with terrain features shown by EGA graphic icons. More complete information is provided on-line via the F1 help key. - 7 - DESCRIPTION MOVEMENT EFFECT ------------------------- --------------------- forest/wooded terrain slow road fast bridge fast clear or open terrain normal swamp/small stream very slow hill/elevation slow river/lake/water prohibited mountain very slow fortification normal objective normal village/house normal 3.3 Armies Summary Data ========================= The number of turns remaining in the battle is shown in the top section of this zone. A summary is given of the total losses incurred by each army and the number of turns each side has controlled the objective. The side you are playing is indicated by a '' character. The side currently controlling the objective is indicated by a '' character. 3.4 Active Unit Data ====================== A summary is given for the player-controlled unit that is active, showing unit number, unit name, unit type, current strength, terrain, leadership, and morale. In addition, the time the unit will next be available for movement is shown. If the unit is under 'orders', the message "ORDERS" will appear next to the unit number. The message "DUG IN" appears for entrenched units. The unit displayed is available for moving, is attacking, is being attacked, or is being 'scanned' by the cursor. 3.5 Message Window ==================== The message window provides comments on battle maneuvers and outcomes as they occur. It also shows when the enemy (computer) is taking its turn. At the very beginning of the game, the enemy will take a longer turn as he sets his overall strategy. Afterwards, enemy turns will be quicker. =========================================================== 4 UNIT TYPES & ATTRIBUTES =========================================================== 4.1 Unit Types ================ There are 4 basic unit types, Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, and Generals. Artillery has 4 main subtypes: Rifled Artillery, Napoleons (smoothbore), Horse Artillery, and Emplaced Guns (stationary). In addition. there are Boat units (representing gunboats) which are a special form of artillery. They are shown on the display by distinctive "standard" military icons, in gray for Confederate units and blue for Union units. (Press 'F1' to get a full display of icons, terrain features and effects, and hot key commands). Melee Type Movement Combat Special Abilities ------- ------- -------- ----------------------------- Infantry average average may 'charge' on open - 8 - ground if morale is 60 or greater Cavalry fast good very good ATTACK on open terrain; movement very slow if not on roads or open/clear terrain Artillery slow poor may fire on units at a distance; (rifled) more accurate than smooth bores Napoleon slow poor may fire on units at a (smooth distance; distance; less bores) range and accuracy than rifled artillery, but more effective at close range targets due to use of canister shot Horse average poor may fire on units at a Artillery distance distance; more mobile than other artillery but causes less damage Emplaced NONE poor may fire on units at a Guns distance; large caliber & powerful guns; can not move even if attacked General average poor increased combat effect on adjacent friendly units; can cancel orders of other units; can inspire units into action Boat average (only acts as artillery unit in vs. water hexes; will sink if other receives severe hit boats) 4.2 Unit Attributes ===================== Each unit has the following attributes: Attribute Limits Influences --------- ------- ------------ Unit number 1-80 Identifier only Name 16 characters max Identifier only Unit Type I,Φ,A,N,H,C,G,B Combat, move, & other Strength depends on type Combat Leadership 10-110 Combat, move, & other Morale 10-110 Combat, move, & other Units which have leadership lower than about 50-60 are poorly led, and will have difficulty in movement and combat. Likewise, units with morale less than about 50-60 will not be very effective, and should be rested if possible. Units with morale lower than 60 cannot use the 'charge' option. - 9 - During the heat of battle, morale and leadership may briefly go outside the ranges shown. 4.3 Generals ============== A General unit greatly improves the fighting abilities of adjacent units. However, you must be careful in actually engaging General unit itself, since it is usually relatively weak (which reduces combat effectiveness). 4.4 Cancel Orders =================== Sometimes in the thick of battle you will have units engaged in combat (and not moving) or with movement orders which you need to redirect. To cancel existing orders for all friendly units, type 'X' when a General unit has its turn. As described earlier, this is not 100% effective (some units will ignore it) and may cause morale and leadership to suffer in units that do comply. Friendly units that are "under orders" are indicated on the map as units WITHOUT a contrasting color border. For instance, Union units normally have a light blue border, but Union units currently under orders do not have the border. When a General cancels orders, a message indicates how many units obeyed out of the total currently 'under orders'. This allows you to see whether you need to issue additional commands to cancel orders. The "cancel orders" option shows how many units FAILED to obey orders and thus are still on local command. Using this in conjunction with the intelligence option change allows more control over units. 4.5 Inspire Units =================== General units may issue an iNspire command to rally another individual unit. The hot key for this command is 'N' (for iNspire). Using this command, a General unit may activate another unit nearby IF the target unit meets all these conditions: (a) unit is close enough - maximum distance is .5 of the visibility limit set for the game (b) the sum of the General's leadership and morale factors is greater than the sum of the target unit's leadership and morale. (c) unit's next move will occur within 10 turns The General unit does not move when iNspiring another unit. The target unit has its time of next action set to the current turn. The General unit has its time of next action set to the time the target unit WOULD HAVE moved. The target unit gains 5 morale points; the General unit loses 7 morale points. If the target unit is too far to communicate, there is no penalty. - 10 - If the General unit has insufficient leadership and morale, the General loses 7 morale points AND 5 leadership points due to the loss of respect. If the target unit's time of next action is more than 10 turns away, the General unit suffers the loss of 7 morale points. The "iNspired" unit normally will activate and be ready to move within the same turn. In effect, the General unit has passed its movement turn to another unit (by exhorting and inspiring them into action). This allows you to rally worn-out troops for one last action (e.g., to seize the objective). 4.6 Group Move-to-Location Orders =================================== General units may order several nearby units to move to a destination by issuing a group move-to-location order. The hot key for this command is F6. More information on this command is given in the visibility & movement section. =========================================================== 5 VISIBILITY & MOVEMENT =========================================================== 5.1 Visibility ================ All your friendly units are visible, but enemy units are not always visible. Enemy units do not become visible until they are within a certain visibility range from friendly units. The visibility range is calculated from a base visibility range (set in the battle data file), and adjusted based on the terrain occupied by both the friendly unit and the enemy unit. If your unit occupies a mountain or hill it has increased ability to see enemy units; while occupying a forest or swamp, it has decreased ability to see enemy units. If the enemy is in a forest, he is much more difficult to see, and your unit must be closer. Enemies that move into forests may disappear from view. The base visibility range may be altered (see 'Game Parameters'). 5.2 Movement ============== When one of your units is ready to move, it will be highlighted and a short tone will sound. At that point, you have several command options as described in the paragraphs below. If the unit is entrenched, you will be prompted to confirm that you want it to move. If you do not confirm the move, the unit automatically is Rested (see 5.6). 5.3 Single Hex Movement ========================= You may move the unit to an adjacent unoccupied hex by using the appropriate arrow key (numeric key pad). Since the unit may not move directly up or down on the hexagonal map, the 'up' or 'down' keys are reinterpreted as diagonal 'up' or 'down' moves. You cannot control whether these reinterpreted diagonal moves are right or left (done randomly), so you should generally avoid using the 'up' and 'down' keys for single hex movement. If you attempt to move into a prohibited hex (occupied or - 11 - water), a tone will sound. There is no movement penalty. After the unit moves, it may reveal enemy units that were previously hidden. Any units that were entrenched at the beginning of the scenario (using the scenario editor) may be reluctant to move from the safety of their trenches. Occasionally such units will not respond to move orders (a message to that effect is displayed). Units that are low on morale or that are poorly led are more likely to do this. 5.4 Move-to-Location Orders ============================= Single hex movement may be tedious. You may wish to give your units orders to move to a particular location instead. To do this, press 'M' when the unit is highlighted and a cursor will appear on top of the unit. Move this cursor with the arrow keys to the desired destination, and press 'Enter'. When the "move to" order is issued, the destination is will be indicated by a small white circle and a line will connect the unit with its intended target. On its next turn, your unit will then begin to move to the selected destination, following the most direct path. (It will not necessarily follow the same path you used in moving the cursor to the destination). If it is blocked by a friendly unit or by prohibited terrain (water or edge of map screen), or if the unit is attacked in any way, the movement order will be cancelled, and the unit will wait for new instructions. Artillery units must be LIMBERED (or the limber option must be turned off) to respond to move-to-location orders. Orders can be issued to unlimbered artillery, but the orders are ignored, and the unit will not move. This applies to the special group move-to-location orders issued by General units as well. Emplaced artillery can not receive move-to-location orders. For destinations that are far away, moving the cursor may be speeded by holding down 'Shift' before pressing the desired arrow key. The cursor will then move to the indicated map edge. Pressing the '5' key at the center of the key pad will center the cursor on the screen. Once a unit has reached its assigned destination, it will flash and a tone will sound, along with a message that it has arrived at its destination. At that point its orders are cancelled, and it will await further instructions. While units are 'under orders' to move you will not normally be able to access them, even if you change your mind about what they should do. The only way you can overcome this is having one of your General units cancel the unit orders using the 'X' command. (See 'hot keys' section). This is not 100% effective (due to communication breakdowns and stubborn subordinate officers). Even if the orders are actually cancelled, morale and leadership may be reduced in units affected due to the conflicts between unit commanders and General unit. Thus, the 'cancel orders' option should be - 12 - used only as needed to free units that have become locked in combat. Since the General units are your only means to cancel orders, you should usually not give them movement orders. That way, you will be able to access them more frequently. Though your units will normally wait for your commands, on occasion they will decide to move on their own initiative (generally in an attempt to engage an enemy unit which they have sighted). Such units issue their own orders to move to the chosen destination. You can choose to adjust the tendency of your troops to do act on their own by setting the 'Reliability' level in the 'Game Parameters' menu. 5.5 Group Move-to-Location Orders =================================== A General unit ONLY may order a group of nearby units to move to a destination. To activate this feature, press F6 when a General unit is highlighted and awaiting your command. A cursor will appear as described in the Move-to-Location section above. Move the cursor to the target destination and press 'Enter'. The number of nearby units that plan to obey the order is given in the screen message. Units must be no further away than half the visibility limit to receive the order. Likewise, in order to obey the order, the unit must not be 'under orders'. Note that the General unit himself does not go 'under orders', only those OTHER UNITS that comply with his orders. 5.6 Charge ============ Infantry units ONLY may double their speed for short distances on OPEN TERRAIN OR ROADS only with a 'C' (CHARGE) command. Units in 'charge' mode will be shown with a distinctive icon. While in 'charge' mode they will move twice as fast as normal infantry. If charging units become involved in combat, or are attacked by artillery, or move into any other than open or roads terrain, they will switch out of 'charge' mode. In addition, each time a unit in 'charge' mode is moved, there is a chance that the unit will simply become too tired to continue the charge. Units that are moved until they are too tired will be delayed in their action for a time while they rest. The 'charge' option affects both movement and combat (increases 'shock' effect of attacks). Units with too low morale will not be able to charge at all until their morale improves. Note that switching to 'charge' mode requires one turn. Then the unit may be moved a single hex or given orders. 5.7 Rest ========== You may not wish to move a unit on its turn. By pressing the space bar you can skip the unit and allow it to rest for a few turns. If the unit's morale is low, it will improve - 13 - slightly after resting. 5.8 Wait ========== To avoid having to repeatedly issue a 'Rest' order, an option is provided whereby units may 'Wait'. Press 'W' when the unit has its turn. The unit icon will change to a solid colored block. The unit will become inactive, automatically resting to regain morale. The unit will reactivate if attacked (either melee or cannonade). Waiting units suffer no penalty if attacked. In addition, you may activate the WAITing unit at any time another friendly unit has a turn. Press 'I' for the intelligence cursor and pass it over the inactive unit you wish to wake. The icon will change to the normal icon. Now press 'esc' and the first unit can take whatever action you wish. 5.9 Stacking ============== Normally, units cannot move onto other friendly units (stack). However, units can now be stacked under certain conditions: (a) TOTAL unit strength resulting from stacking must be stack limit or less (stack limit default is 500) (b) If dissimilar units are stacked, an INFANTRY unit will result, unless one of the units is a GENERAL, in which case a GENERAL will result The leadership value for the stacked unit will usually be the higher of the two units that are being combined. An exception is if one of the units is a General and the other is not; in that case, the resulting leadership value is always that of the General unit. Morale will generally INCREASE slightly if LIKE units are stacked. It will generally DECREASE slightly if UNLIKE units are stacked. Stacking results in a time delay for the unit to get reorganized. The reorganization delay is reduced if leadership is high. =========================================================== 6 COMBAT =========================================================== 6.1 Normal Combat =================== Units can attack enemy units in an adjacent hex. To do so, attempt to move the selected unit on top of the enemy. A menu will appear in the 'Armies Summary Data' zone of the screen showing the attack options. Four different intensities of attack are permitted: Option Relative Intensity -------------- ------------------ Light Skirmish 1 Medium Fight 2 - 14 - Heavy Attack 3 All-Out Assault 8 Note the 'All-Out Assault' is just that, and that it should be used relatively sparingly, since it will result in heavy casualties for BOTH sides. If you do not wish to attack at all, you may cancel the attack by pressing the 'escape' key; however, that will forfeit the unit's turn for the current round (the price paid for indecision). Normally your units will wait for you to issue an attack order. However, they may occasionally attack on their own initiative. When this happens, you will receive a message in the 'Message Window' zone, and the attack intensity menu will appear for you to select the intensity, as described above. Pressing 'Esc' will abort the attack for now, but the unit will miss its turn. When units become engaged in combat, they are somewhat 'locked in place', and their ability to respond to orders is reduced. They also are more likely to act on their own initiative, to renew the combat without any orders to do so. 6.2 Artillery =============== Artillery ('A','B','E', 'H', or 'N') units may bombard visible enemy units some distance away, rather than melee adjacent units (which they do very poorly anyway). To fire the cannons, press 'F' (for 'FIRE') when the artillery unit is given its turn to move. (If LIMBER option is ON, you will be prompted to unlimber first - see section 6.3 below). When you fire artillery, a cursor will appear. Also, the range of the cannon and the current distance to target is displayed in the 'Message Window'. If the cursor is moved out of range of the cannon, the distance will be highlighted (to remind you it is out of range). You may move the cursor using the key pad (as described earlier for unit movement) to the selected target, then press 'Enter'. Both the firing cannon battery and the defending unit are highlighted until the results are displayed in the 'Message Window' and in the 'Armies Summary'. Range of the artillery depends on the same factors as visibility (elevation and cover). Rifled artillery ('A' and 'E') is more effective at longer ranges than smoothbore napoleons ('N'). Horse artillery ('H') is lighter and more mobile than either and causes less damage. A new 'EMPLACED GUN' unit type has been added to allow for fixed, fortified gun positions. These are treated as very heavy rifled artillery for the purpose of range and damage. For a given artillery unit strength, EMPLACED GUNS will do more damage than any other artillery type. They fire at a slightly slower rate than other rifled cannons, however. EMPLACED GUNS can not retreat or otherwise move. They can be captured if the 'artillery capture' option is activated. Enemy artillery will concentrate more fire on units that threaten the artillery unit (especially those immediately - 15 - adjacent). Damage from canister fire at close range is often devastating. This makes artillery units tough to overrun, if they have a chance to fire. There is a (low) probability of artillery exploding and killing members of the firing battery. 6.3 Line of Sight =================== A new line of sight option has been added, which when active restricts artillery units to fire only at enemy units not blocked by obstructing terrain features. Line of sight is considered by tracing an approximate straight line path from the firing unit to the enemy (while keeping to the map hexes). Line of sight is traced until an obstruction is encountered. If there are no obstructions, the line of sight is reported as clear. Otherwise, the artillery unit cannot see the enemy and is prohibited from firing at that target. Trees, villages, hills and mountains are considered obstructions. Army units are NOT considered as obstructions. A firing unit on a hill may see over ONE obstructed hex with a forest or village (but not any additional obstructed hexes). A firing unit on a hill cannot see over a hill or mountain. A firing unit on a mountain may see over TWO obstructed forest or village hexes. A firing unit on a mountain can see over ONE hill, but never over another mountain. The line of sight option can be toggled on or off as desired in the game parameter menu. Because gunboats will generally have a more unobstructed view, they have an increased line of sight ability vs. land based artillery. 6.4 Limbering Artillery ========================= A 'limber' feature is provided to add realism by requiring all land-based artillery units (Artillery-Rifled, Napoleon, and Horse Artillery) to limber before being moved and to unlimber before being fired. The 'L' hot key will toggle land-based artillery units between limbered and unlimbered states. A LIMBERED unit is represented on the map by an open circle (think of it as a "wheel") and its unit description has an 'L' in front of the name (e.g. LNapoleon). Unlimbered units are represented by icons as in the regular game. Changing between limbered/unlimbered requires 5 additional turns. In addition, units with morale less than 60 require an additional 5 turns to change. The feature is activated via a toggle in the 'Game Parameters' and-based artillery units (Artillery-Rifled, Napoleon, and Horse Artillery) to limber before being moved and to unlimber before being fired. When the limber feature is ON, you cannot move unlimbered artillery units nor fire limbered units. Limbered artillery is extremely vulnerable to attack, either melee or artillery fire. Limbered artillery is very - 16 - ineffective in melee attack. 6.5 Cannonade =============== Attacks by artillery (cannonades) are a special type of combat. The outcome depends on the strength of the attacking unit, the strength of the defending unit, the terrain, and luck. Given the more uncertain nature of this form of combat, the outcomes are more variable. However, in the long run cannonades will cause considerable damage. Cannonades against units immediately next to the artillery unit will cause twice the normal damage, as the defenders receive canister fire at pointblank range. Napoleon units are even more effective in pointblank attacks due to their use of canister (grapeshot). 6.6 Cavalry Charge ==================== When cavalry in a CLEAR or ROAD hex attacks an enemy also in a CLEAR of ROAD hex, the cavalry may 'charge' (receive an attack bonus). The charge option is automatically put into effect and a special message will announce it. Note that bridge hexes do not allow charges due to the constricted space. 6.7 Resolving Combat ====================== In resolving the combat, the attacker goes first, then the defender. While the attacker is attacking, the defender's terrain is used in determining defender casualties. When the defender returns fire, the attacker's terrain is used in determining extent of attacker casualties. Attacking is risky business, since the attacker must expose himself, while the defender can take advantage of whatever cover is available. Thus, attackers will generally take proportionally more casualties. The results will be displayed as the battle progresses in the 'Armies Summary' area and in the 'Message Window'. Morale of both armies under fire will decrease. 6.8 Combat Results ==================== The primary factors affecting combat results are shown below: Factor Relative Effect ----- --------------------- Intensity Major Unit Strength Major Unit Leadership Moderate (major if very low) Unit Morale Moderate (major if very low) Terrain Moderate (major for some (see note) conditions, such as cavalry in swamps) Unit Type Moderate (major if Artillery or General units directly involved in combat) Adjacent Friendly Moderate - 17 - General LUCK Slight-Moderate Adjacent Friendly Unit Slight NOTE: The terrain occupied by EACH unit is considered in adjusting combat outcome. A unit is at a disadvantage in swamps, but is at an advantage in forest or hill hexes. A unit is at a considerable advantage on mountains or in fort hexes. Cavalry and Artillery units (all types) are particularly disadvantaged in swamps, and somewhat disadvantaged in forests. Entrenchment (if any) is also considered. Entrenched units gain a bonus in addition to any terrain effect. 6.9 Retreat ============= If a unit takes particularly heavy casualties, and leadership and morale are sufficiently low, it will decide to retreat. When this happens, the unit attempts to move to one of the 3 hexes furthest from the attacker. The selected hex must be an unoccupied hex. When a unit attempts to pull back, a message will appear and the unit will appear in purple. When an army retreats, its morale suffers, and it takes a few additional casualties as wounded men are captured. Since pulling back means exposure to enemy fire, units will take additional casualties when they decide to retreat. Units that are cut off and unable to retreat will take particularly heavy additional losses in the confusion. Botched retreats will also reduce effectiveness of unit leadership. Sometimes the enemy unit will have to retreat as well, if it has taken heavy losses. In some instances, one unit in combat will have to retreat while the victor has not taken much damage. The victorious unit may advance to pursue the fleeing unit. Morale increases for the pursuing unit; leadership may also improve, as the commander hones his skills. The human attacker is given the option to pursue if reliability setting is normal or better (instead of automatically pursuing). 6.10 Killed Leaders ==================== Occasionally, the unit commander himself will be killed in the combat. When this happens, a message to that effect will appear in the 'Message Window'. The leadership ability of the new leader will be displayed. It will usually (but not always) be lower than the deceased commander. 6.11 Eliminated Units ====================== Occasionally units will be eliminated from the battle. This is announced in the message window and an "death's head" icon will appear in the hex the eliminated unit occupied. When this happens, the opponent is awarded additional - 18 - victory points (as established in the scoring factors) for eliminating the unit. If one side is completely annihilated by having ALL of its units eliminated, the game will end. A bonus of 250 points is awards to the victor in this case. 6.12 Capturing Artillery ========================= In the case of eliminated artillery, some portion of the eliminated unit may be captured by the attacker. This will occur if: (a) The "artillery capture" option is ON (b) There is an unused unit number for the attacking side for the new artillery unit that will be formed. (c) The attacker chooses to pursue into the hex where the eliminated unit had been. The option to capture occurs only when the artillery unit is eliminated. Otherwise, the unit is permanently removed from the remainder of the game. =========================================================== 7 HOT KEY COMMANDS =========================================================== 7.1 Hot Keys ============== In addition to the movement and combat commands, there are several commands available during the battle. Some of these are accessed through the menus described later. Most can be reached using 'hot keys' as described below. Command Use -----------+---------------------------------------- (space bar)| Rest the unit - skip a turn G | Game score O | Order of battle summary Q | Toggle between SOUND and QUIET R | RECON Mode Toggle * S | Screen redraw -----------+---------------------------------------- I | Intelligence on visible units | and Activate WAITed units M | Move to destination - give move orders W | Wait (All Units) -----------+---------------------------------------- N | iNspire Unit (General units only) X | Cancel orders (General units only) F6 | Group Move to Destination (General units only) -----------+---------------------------------------- C | Charge (Infantry units only) -----------+---------------------------------------- F | Fire (Artillery, Napoleon, Horse Artillery only) -----------+---------------------------------------- (F1) | On line Help (F2) | Unit Command Menu (F3) | Game Options Menu (F10) | Return to main menu from game level -------------┼---------------------------------------- * When RECON is activated, ALL enemy units currently in the battle will become visible, even if they are out of visibility range. Eliminated units and units that are delayed and have not yet appeared in the battle will NOT be revealed. - 19 - =========================================================== 8 OTHER COMMANDS - MENUS =========================================================== 8.1 Unit Command Menu ======================= This menu is accessed by pressing the F2 key when one of your units is waiting for orders (is highlighted). Menu Hot key Equivalent +==================+ | UNIT COMMAND | +==================+ | Move to location | M | Intelligence | I | Rest | (space bar) | Game Options | --- | (special options)| X,C,or F depending on unit type +==================+ 8.2 Move to Location ====================== This option is described in section 5.4. Note that the group move to location option is not available from the Unit Command menu. 8.3 Intelligence ================== This option causes cursor to appear on your highlighted unit. The cursor may be moved to get strength and terrain information on any unit that is currently visible. Press 'esc' when done. Placing the cursor over a friendly unit will display that unit's current status in the 'active unit data' window. If the friendly unit under the cursor is WAITed, it will activate on its next time of action. (Note that this may not be immediately). Intelligence is useful to identify units that are weak or are bogged down by terrain or combat and not likely to move very soon. When doing an intelligence scan of friendly units that are 'under orders' to go to a specific location, that location is shown on the map and with a line connected to the unit. Use of the Intelligence command does not cost a turn. This gives the human player more information in selecting units to attack. 8.4 Rest ========== This option is described in section 5.6. The Wait option allows units to repeatedly rest. 8.5 Game Options ================== This is another way to the game menu option described in - 20 - section 8.7 below. 8.6 (special options) ======================= This option will appear only if a General, Artillery, or Infantry type unit is waiting for orders. It will give these options: Cancel Orders (General) Fire (Artillery) Charge (Infantry) Note that all of these may be directly accessed using the appropriate 'hot key'. In addition, the 'W', 'N', and 'F6' commands may ONLY be accessed by hot keys. 8.7 Game Options ================== This menu is displayed by pressing the F3 key, or via the unit command menu. Menu Hot key Equivalent +====================+ | GAME OPTIONS | +====================+ | Order of Battle | O | Game Score | G | Screen Redraw | S | Briefing | --- +====================+ 8.8 Order of Battle ('O') =========================== This option gives a detailed listing of all your units and their status, as well as listings of known (visible) enemy units. While the information for your own units is accurate, it is only approximately correct for enemy units. Units in trouble will be shown in red. This option can also be used to end games where the enemy has been completely annihilated. 8.9 Game Score ('G') ====================== This option gives the current game score. The score depends on the scoring factors and the current game status. Scoring depends on relative casualties, number of units eliminated, and number of turns of control of the objective. (A '' character will appear in the 'Armies Summary Data' zone next to the word 'Objective' for the army controlling the objective). The objective is 'controlled' by moving a friendly unit onto the 'Θ' character on the battle map. ONCE OCCUPIED, THE OBJECTIVE REMAINS UNDER CONTROL UNTIL AN ENEMY MOVES ONTO IT - you do not have to CONTINUE to occupy the objective to get further credit for control. 8.10 Screen Redraw ('S') ========================= This option redraws the screen. 8.11 Briefing ============== - 21 - Information on the battle (background, objectives, commanders, special problems, significance, etc.) will be provided if it is available in the scenario. =========================================================== 9 NOTES =========================================================== 9.1 Realism ============= Liberties have been taken with time, distance, movement, and unit attributes in the scenarios provided, in the interest of simplicity and game playability. However, the historical scenarios have been researched and play tested for correspondence to actual results. 9.2 Time ========== You cannot give orders to every unit on every turn as the game progresses. This is unlike some other war games, where each unit can move each turn, but units move different numbers of spaces. In this game, movement is always one space, but the different unit movements take different amounts of time due to unit type, terrain, leadership and morale factors. In my mind this more closely simulates the confusion of battles at a tactical level, and still allows the game to be easily played. Fast moving units will still move fast (they get MORE TURNS!) but cannot dash 5 hexes to the objective on a single turn while all other units are in suspended animation. In the included scenarios, a time unit may be considered about 3-5 minutes. 9.3 Distance & Other Factors ============================== Hexes are about 150 yards each, making game map about 2 miles (high) by 5 miles (wide). An infantry unit can travel at a normal pace 10 hexes (1 mile) in about 40 turns (1/2 - 1 hour). In 'Charge' mode an infantry unit can travel at twice the normal pace (for short distances only). Civil war artillery pieces were quite varied, but a range of about a mile (20 spaces or 10 hexes) is not unreasonable. Most of the effective firing will done at targets that are closer. Unit strengths are intended to be relative approximations only. All these factors can be modified as desired, either in the design of the scenario, or through the game parameters. =========================================================== 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY =========================================================== Angle, Paul M. A Pictorial History of the Civil War Years. ------------------------------------------ - 22 - Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1967. Churchill, Winston S. The American Civil War. ----------------------- New York:Fairfax Press, 1958. Clark, Champ. Gettysburg : The Confederate High Tide. -------------------------------------- Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1985. Davis, William C. Gettysburg, The Story Behind the Scenery. ---------------------------------------- Las Vegas, Nevada: K.C. Publications, 1983. Dunnigan, James F. How to Make War. --------------- New York: Quill, 1983. Flato, Charles. The Golden Book of the Civil War. -------------------------------- New York: Western Publishing Company, 1961. Horn, Stanley F. The Battle of Stones River. --------------------------- Harrisburg, PA: Historical Times, 1972. Jordan, Robert Paul. The Civil War ------------- Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1969. Kennedy, Frances H. ed., The Civil War Battlefield Guide ------------------------------- The Conservation Fund, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1990. Stevenson, Paul. Wargaming in History: The American Civil War -------------------------------------------- New York. Sterling Publishing, 1990. Sword, Wiley. The Battle of Shiloh -------------------- Harrisburg, PA: Historical Times (National Parks Service), 1978.