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- The It's A Crime! Utility
- User's Manual
- Version 1.5 - August 1989
- By Bruce H. Graw
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
- The IAC! Utility is a program designed to help the general
- It's A Crime! gang leader plan his strategies and enter his turns
- from week to week. It keeps track of the last reported statis-
- tics of blocks, makes suggestions of which blocks to perform
- actions on, and automatically calculates how many men and guns
- are being sent on each order and how many points of strength you
- are attacking with. What's more, the program is so easy to use
- that even an inexperienced computer user can use it to make his
- life as a gang leader easier.
- Before reading this manual, you should be familiar with the
- It's a Crime! game itself. If you don't already know how to
- play, print out the IAC! Rules (IACRULES.TXT), found on the
- program disk, and read through them. You might also want to
- print one or more of the sample gang files (.TXT files that begin
- with GANG followed by a number) and the TURNCARD.TXT file. These
- are all you need to have to get started with It's A Crime!
-
- STARTING THE PROGRAM
-
- The program (IAC.EXE), this help file (IACMAN.TXT), and all
- gang data files (which end in the extension .IAC) must be on the
- current drive of your computer. I recommend you copy them (and
- all files on the IAC! Utility disk) to a hard disk in a specific
- directory, to make access time faster. However, they will work
- from a floppy drive without any problems. Remember, if you use a
- hard drive, you must be in the directory with your gang data
- files in order to use them properly.
- To start the IAC! Utility, type IAC followed by a space and
- your game number. For example, if you are running a gang in game
- number 35, enter IAC 35 and hit Return. This accesses the data
- files for game number 35. These files are named MAP, GANGS, and
- CARD, each followed by the game number and the .IAC extension.
- For example, the map data file for game #35 would be MAP35.IAC.
- Note that you are not required to use a game number. If you
- don't, a null (blank) game number is assumed. However, I recom-
- mend you use the number in case you should ever start a second
- game while the first is still going. This will avoid confusion,
- since you will need two separate sets of data files for these
- different games.
- If you have two or more gangs in the same game, you can
- store the information for each under the same game number. There
- is no need to use different numbers when loading the program,
- unless your gangs are in different games. This is to your advan-
- tage, as it enables gangs in the same game to cooperate, and
- helps you avoid any duplication of effort.
-
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- THE DATA FILES
-
- The Utility will start by reading in information on your
- gang from the data files MAP.IAC, GANGS.IAC, and CARD.IAC.
- (Remember that the game number you used when activating the
- program will precede the .IAC extension, as previously described,
- as in MAP35.IAC.) The MAP file holds all the data on the map of
- the city as you have entered it so far. The GANGS file stores
- the names and numbers of all gangs you have met during the course
- of the game. Finally, the CARD file keeps a copy of the last
- turn card and gang statistics you entered for this game. That
- way, if you have to quit while filling in a turn card, you can
- come back to it later and not have to re-enter the information
- again.
- IMPORTANT: The IAC! Utility saves changes to your data only
- when you quit the program or use the "V" command. If you just
- turn the computer off, or hit Control-Break, the data will NOT be
- saved and you'll have to re-enter it. Of course, sometimes you
- may want this to happen, if you've made a terrible mistake some-
- where, but aborting like that should be used with caution.
- If any of the data files do not exist, the information they
- normally store will be blank. Thus, if you are starting a new
- game, the map, gang list, and turn card will contain no informa-
- tion. The same thing will happen if you delete these files, so
- be careful. All Utility data files end in the suffix .IAC for
- easy copying.
-
- USING THE PROGRAM
-
- Once you've started the program, you will see a map on the
- screen. This map is a 5x5 view of the city, as though you were
- on a helicopter flying above the buildings, looking down on
- glorious New York. The next question you'll have is, "What do I
- do now?"
- At this point the IAC! Utility is waiting for you to enter
- commands. To enter a command, press a single key on the keypad.
- For example, pressing "?" will display the Utility's Help, an
- online list of commands. "?" should be used whenever you need
- your memory refreshed as to what keys perform what actions.
- The IAC Utility's commands are further described in the
- following sections.
-
- MOVING AROUND IN THE CITY
-
- Every square you see on the screen is a block of the city.
- The numbers on the right and bottom are the X- and Y-coordinates
- of these blocks. You read across the bottom for the first two
- numbers (the X-coordinate) of any block, then up along the side
- for the second number pair, the Y-coordinate.
- To view any block, you first have to get to it by moving
- around in your "helicopter." You can go directly to any block by
- using the "G" command. This will prompt you for a block number
- to go to. Enter the 4-digit number (no commas) and press Return.
- The map will shift to a view of the correct block, which will be
- in the center of the screen. The block in the middle of the
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- 2
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- screen, which will also be highlighted if it contains any infor-
- mation, is the one all later operations will affect.
- Another way to get to a block is to use the arrow keys on
- your computer's keypad. This will move up, down, left or right
- in the city depending on which arrow you pressed. Note that you
- cannot move outside the edges of the city, even though you can
- see squares in those directions. If you don't have a keypad on
- your computer, use "H" to move left, "J" to move down, "K" to
- move up, and "L" to move right.
-
- BLOCK EDITING
-
- Once you're at the block you want, you can press "E" to edit
- it. You will be asked several questions about the contents of
- the block, described in the following paragraphs.
-
- OWNER: Enter the NUMBER of the gang who owns the block and
- press Return. If it's uncontrolled, enter "-" instead of a
- number. If the police own it, enter "Police".
- If you enter a gang number the computer doesn't know about,
- it will prompt you to enter the name of the gang. Type in the
- name and hit Return. Now the computer knows the name of that
- gang and won't ask you for it any more, and it will appear next
- to the owner number in the block on the map.
- Note: You can enter any information you want in this space
- (not necessarily a number), but if you don't use a gang number,
- the block will not work properly with the control or ambush
- selection commands, and it won't count the block when determining
- gang statistics such as block income.
-
- DEFENSE LEVEL: Enter the NUMERIC code for the defense level
- of the block. These are listed on the Map/House Rules card you
- received with your IAC! Rulebook. So you don't have to look
- these up, they are shown in a box in the upper right corner of
- the screen when this question is being asked. Remember that the
- lower a defense level, the better chance you will have at suc-
- ceeding in any action you attempt on that block.
-
- BUILDING INFORMATION: When asked, enter the percentage of
- each set of buildings on the block and hit Return, followed by a
- NUMERIC code for the type of building. Numeric codes will be
- listed in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Note that
- there is no need to type in the dollar value of the block, as the
- IAC! Utility automatically calculates and displays this for you!
-
- FIREBOMB/ROB/MUG: This is a set of three "flags" you can
- use to note whether or not you have performed any of these ac-
- tions on a block recently. If you enter "F" here, for example,
- it will toggle the firebombing flag so that an F will appear on
- the block to remind you not to bomb it again for a while. You
- can enter any combination of "F", "R", and "M" as an answer to
- this question; for example, "FM" will turn on both the firebomb
- and mugging flags.
- If you just hit Return here, the current set of flags will
- remain unchanged. To clear the flags, enter a "-" by itself.
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- After you've entered all the answers to these questions, the
- editing function is complete and the Utility will display the new
- block information on the map. The owner of the block appears
- first, followed by the buildings, defense level, and F/R/M flags
- (if set). You will also see the value of the block in the lower
- right corner, as calculated automatically by the computer.
- If something on a block has changed, you can use the "E"
- command again to modify it. When editing, if you just hit Return
- to answer any question (without entering any information), the
- current info for that question will not be changed.
- You can also edit a specific part of a block without having
- to answer all the questions by using any of these commands:
-
- "C" - Edit block owner
- "D" - Edit block defense level
- "P" - Edit building percentages
- "F" - Edit F/R/M flags
-
- SUGGESTIONS
-
- If you are looking around for a block to perform a specific
- action on, the IAC! Utility can help you out. Built into the
- program are several commands that suggest possible blocks to use.
- These commands are all used by holding down on the control key
- while pressing the required letter. To remind you of this they
- are designated with a caret, for example, "^F".
-
- ROBBERY: To suggest a block to rob, use the "^R" command.
- The Utility will look for any block with a low defense level that
- contains office or financial buildings. It won't suggest any
- blocks more than 25 away from any block you own, or that you have
- noted with the R flag as having recently robbed.
- By the way, before any of these commands you may be asked
- what gang you are. This is because the program has to know where
- your blocks are located so it won't suggest blocks farther than
- 25 away from your turf. Enter the NUMBER of your gang and hit
- Return. The Utility won't ask you this if you've previously
- entered it, and it can be changed at any time with the "I" com-
- mand.
-
- ARSON: You can find a block to firebomb by using the "^F"
- command. Blocks suggested will always have industrial, ware-
- house, religious, school, or police buildings, and will have a
- defense level of 4 or less. They will also be within 25 blocks
- of your turf and mustn't have an F flag turned on.
- Note: You get money from bombing warehouses and industrial
- buildings, and notoriety for the others mentioned above. The
- larger percentage of block you can use, the better, but make sure
- you have enough bombs!
- Note also that it isn't easy to find a police block with a
- defense level less than Invulnerable, but it can be done! Figur-
- ing out how to accomplish this feat (and what to do with it when
- you have) is one of the more interesting side attractions of this
- game.
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- MUGGING: Blocks that the Utility will suggest for muggings
- (when you use the "^G" command) contain restaurants, entertain-
- ment, retail, or apartments, and have a low defense level. As
- you might expect, they also won't be selected if they are too far
- away or have been recently mugged. You never get much from a
- mugging, but it's good for gang promotions.
-
- CONTROL: The IAC! Utility is capable of suggesting blocks
- for you to control whenever you press "^C". These will always be
- adjacent to one of your blocks, but there is no defense level
- requirement, plus they can be owned by anyone.
-
- AMBUSH: If you use the "^A" command, the Utility will look
- for a block controlled by a gang you specify (it will actually
- ask you which gang to ambush, and you can get a list of known
- gangs by entering a "?"). If there is no such block within 25
- blocks of your turf, the suggest command will fail. Defense
- levels have no effect on which block is selected.
-
- NICE: The Utility can choose blocks to be nice to if you
- use the "^N" command. These will always be blocks you own and
- will contain either firebombable or robbable buildings. They
- will always have a high defense level (at least 6) to make being
- nice worthwhile. If you ever manage to control a police block
- (which is possible, by the way), these may also be selected.
- The Utility does not keep track of which game week you are
- currently on, as this has very little effect on play. Be aware,
- however, that Nice orders (and certain others) do not work before
- week 5 or after Boss Level has started.
-
- Note that the IAC! Utility does not attempt to suggest the
- BEST block, only an ACCEPTABLE block to use with the above or-
- ders. Thus, some of your own judgment will be required. For
- example, you will get more money by firebombing a larger percent-
- age of buildings, so if it suggests several blocks, you should
- pick the one with the larger percentage of industrial or ware-
- houses on it.
- The IAC! Utility knows only the basic parameters of block
- percentages and defense levels, and cannot know other attributes
- of the database used by IAC!. Thus, on occasion an order will
- fail on a block this program suggests. The author takes no
- responsibility for such failures. Determining which of the
- suggested blocks to use, and why, is YOUR decision.
-
- OTHER COMMANDS
-
- The following miscellaneous commands are also available:
-
- GANG STATS: You can enter the statistics for your gang
- (amount of pros, punks, 'cruits, shotguns, submachine guns, small
- bombs, streetdope, walkie-talkies, and morale) using the "S"
- command. After entering the correct stats, the program tells you
- your total gang strength, calculated as the attack factors of all
- men and weapons added together. (Walkie-talkies are special
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- 5
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-
- items not available until around game week 15.)
- Note that while asking you these questions, you will see a
- number in brackets, such as [0]. This is the "default value" for
- that statistic and indicates its current value. If you just hit
- Return without entering a new value, this amount will not be
- changed (the old value, between the brackets, will be retained).
-
- IDENTIFY YOURSELF: This command, "I", is used to let the
- computer know which gang you are playing. Type the NUMBER of
- your gang, not the name! This information is required for var-
- ious actions such as block suggestion commands. Normally you
- will only have to tell the computer who you are one time (the
- first time you run the IAC! Utility), unless you are starting a
- new game, or are playing more than one gang in the same game and
- switching between them. In this latter case, be sure to change
- your gang stats as well before trying to create a Turn Card.
- After you enter your gang number, you will be shown a page
- of statistics on your gang. This includes the normal statistics
- entered with the "S" command, as well as a breakdown of your gang
- strength, the last gang you were suggested to ambush, how many
- blocks you own, your total block income and gang expenses, and
- how many blocks are entered in the computer's memory. Be sure to
- check these stats, especially the number of blocks and block
- income, as they are a handy way of locating errors in your data
- entry, as well as turf changes that occurred between turns.
- You might notice that on this page the Gang Expenses may not
- match the similar stat shown on your Results Sheet. This is
- because on the Results Sheet, the amount is calculated BEFORE the
- gang promotions have been added in. The number the computer
- calculates is the amount from AFTER the promotions.
- Note that there are a maximum number of blocks that your
- computer can have in memory. If you try to add more blocks, you
- will not be allowed to do so, and commands such as "E" will fail.
- This is not likely to happen unless you control a LOT of gangs,
- so it isn't something you should have to worry about.
-
- NAME GANG: If you've met another gang recently, you can
- enter its name using the "N" command. If you ever attempt to
- perform an action on another gang (such as find a block to am-
- bush) that doesn't have a name yet, this same command will be
- executed automatically so no confusion results.
- You can also use this command to change a gang's name if
- you've mis-entered it, or if the gang splits and you wish to name
- each one separately (such as Bad Guys #1 and Bad Guys #2). The
- "N" command also works equally well with Mob Boss names.
- While being asked for the gang name to change, you may enter
- a ? to see a list of all the gang names entered so far. This
- will help you find the correct gang. This list may cover several
- screen pages, so press any key when asked to do so until you have
- returned to the gang name entry line.
-
- SAVE DATA: To force the Utility to save all changes you've
- made so far, use the "V" command. This writes the new files to
- disk. Use this command if you want to be absolutely sure you
- don't lose a lot of changes by accidentally hitting Control-Break
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-
- 6
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-
-
- or turning the computer off. It's also useful if you're working
- on your computer during a thunderstorm....
-
- ERASE BLOCK: You can erase the information in any block by
- using the "X" command. This will completely blank out the cur-
- rent block shown in the center of the screen. BE SURE you are
- looking at the correct block or you'll have to retype all the
- information in again.
-
- SET HOME BLOCK: The "Y" command will identify the current
- block as your "home" block. All this means is that when you
- start the IAC! Utility, this will be the block you see first.
-
- ERASE MAP: To completely erase the entire map, use the "^Z"
- (Zap) command. This will delete all block information, but won't
- affect the gang names or gang stats you may have previously
- entered, nor will it affect your current turn card. It has the
- same effect as deleting the MAP.IAC file for your game.
-
- BLOCK BORDERS: To set a border around a block, use the "B"
- command followed by the direction to place the border. If you do
- this, a thick line will appear in that direction from the current
- block. This is commonly used to easily show the edge of your
- turf, or to identify police blocks.
- Blocks with an Invulnerable defense level (11) are automati-
- cally surrounded by borders after editing is complete. Addition-
- ally, a block on the edge of the city automatically gets a border
- in the appropriate direction. However, placing and updating your
- turf borders are your responsibility!
-
- NOTE MOB BUSINESS: The IAC Utility does not (as yet) per-
- form Mob Boss functions, but it does have the ability to note the
- positions of mob businesses. To do this, press the "*" key.
- This toggles the mob business flag on or off for the current
- block. The flag appears as a "*" on the map, indicating that
- there is a business there. The presence of this flag does not
- affect block suggestions or any other action, although as a
- player you should be wary of performing any actions there as they
- may have a reduced chance of success.
-
- ZOOM MODE: When you press "Z", your "helicopter" rises
- higher into the sky, and you get a long-range view of the city
- from farther away. When in zoom mode, you see an 11x11 map
- instead of a 5x5 one. Obviously, at this range you can't see the
- intricate details of each block, so only the owner, defense
- levels, and mob businesses are displayed. You can still move
- around in zoom mode or do anything else you normally could in the
- regular mode. Use "Z" again to return to the normal 5x5 view.
-
- MOVE BLOCK: The "M" command is used when you wish to move a
- given block to another location. Typically, when you start a new
- game, your initial block and surrounding 4 blocks will be relo-
- cated by Adventures By Mail, so that they can adequately fill up
- the city with gangs. Thus, when you get back your first Results
- Sheet, you may have to move your initial blocks.
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-
-
-
- To do this, simply go to the block you wish to move and use
- the "M" command. You will be asked where you want to relocate
- the block, so type in the new location. The block will be in-
- stantly moved (in its entirety) to that spot, retaining all its
- borders, flags, and other attributes. In addition, if another
- block is already at that location, it will trade places with the
- other one, effectively swapping block positions.
-
- QUITTING THE PROGRAM: Use the "Q" command when you are done
- with the IAC! Utility. After you confirm that this is really
- what you want to do, all your changes (if any) will be saved on
- disk for later use. If you don't want these changes saved, hit
- Control-Break instead of using "Q".
-
- THE TURN CARD
-
- Now it's time to learn how to use the second major feature
- of the IAC! Utility, the Turn Card Editor (TCE). The "T" command
- gets you into the Editor, from which you are able to fill out a
- normal IAC! turn card, but with a few advantages over the paper
- version.
- Note: If you try to enter the Editor without having previ-
- ously used the "S" Gang Stats command, that command will be
- automatically executed beforehand. Fill in the required data as
- requested, and the TCE will then appear. Accurate entry of these
- values is essential to the TCE's accuracy, as you will see.
- The Turn Card Editor shows 10 orders at the top of the
- screen (these will be blank on a new turn card) and asks you
- which one you wish to edit. To modify a given order, press the
- number of that order (note that order #10 is accessed by pressing
- the "0" key).
- You will then be asked for the order type. Press the single
- letter of that order, such as "A" for Ambush, "B" for Buy, etc.
- The TCE will then proceed to the next question, unless you
- pressed an illegal key, in which case it will abort and go back
- to asking you which order you wish to edit.
- Now, depending on which order you entered above, the TCE
- will ask up to three additional questions, enabling you to fill
- in the rest of the order parameters as described in the It's A
- Crime! Rulebook. These questions are explained below.
-
- BLOCK NUMBER: Many orders, such a Rob and Firebomb, require
- a block number. Enter the block number you've decided to use,
- "?" for a suggestion, or "*" for the current block (your location
- on the map before you entered the TCE). Hit Return after enter-
- ing either of these options. Note that the suggestion order
- works exactly like the appropriate command does at the map. For
- example, if you're entering a Control order and type "?", it
- works just like the "^C" command does.
- After you enter a block number or get a suggestion, it will
- appear on the screen next to the appropriate order, and a de-
- scription of that block will appear. At this point the Turn Card
- is waiting for you to confirm this choice, so press Return again
- to accept it, or try a different block. The Editor will not
- proceed from this point until you press Return by itself.
-
-
- 8
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-
-
-
-
- %GANG: A good number of orders require a %Gang as described
- in the IAC! Rulebook. As with the block number, you can directly
- enter a value here or use "?" for a suggestion. Again, the TCE
- will wait until you press Return on a line by itself before
- moving to the next question.
- Sometimes the suggested value will not meet your specifica-
- tions. In this case, you can enter "+" to increment the %Gang
- parameter to the next value which adds a new pro, punk, or
- 'cruit. Occasionally, it is wise to do this once or twice to
- send extra 'cruits or punks as "padding" in case you get caught
- (but not always!). Note that because of the suggestion and
- increment feature, you should never have to look at a %Gang chart
- again!
-
- BUILDING NUMBER: This question is asked for Rob and Fire-
- bomb orders, and requests a building to "hit." If you just press
- Return, enter an illegal number, or the block has no building
- information entered, a "1" is assumed. The building type you
- enter will be highlighted for easy reference.
-
- OTHER QUESTIONS: The Editor may also ask you for an amount
- of money to spend, a gang number to spy on or defend against, or
- similar things. Answer these questions with your best judgment;
- there is no suggestion capability here.
- If you are being asked for a gang number (such as in the Spy
- or Defend order types), you can use ? to get a list of previously
- entered gang names. This works exactly as the ? query does when
- changing a gang name with the "N" command.
-
- Notice that in the middle of the screen there is a list of
- the current amount of your gang's people and items remaining
- unused. As you enter orders on the turn card, this will decrease
- appropriately. The number of men and guns you send on any order
- will be displayed to the right of that order, along with any
- other relevant comments.
- Items you Buy as an order on the turn card are NOT added to
- your gang's statistics. This intentionally pessimistic attitude
- is meant as a warning to you: if you utilize items you assume
- you are going to acquire, you are taking a risk that you won't
- get them as you expect to. For example, if you Buy drugs and
- then try to Push them later, you are taking the chance that your
- Buy order will fail (for whatever reason), and then the Push
- order will fail as a result. Because of this possibility, the
- Turn Card Editor will not show the drugs you bought being Pushed.
- You can edit any of the orders you've previously entered.
- Simply choose the appropriate order number and make the changes
- you need. Pressing Return at any question will leave the exist-
- ing value unchanged. Note that you can enter orders in any
- order; you don't have to start from number 1. Many players put
- an "E 99" as their last order; this might be the first thing you
- enter, so you won't forget to do it!
- Street actions, with the W, X, and Y orders, sometimes
- require different parameters than the Editor will ask. This is
- because it is impossible to prepare for all the different actions
-
-
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-
-
-
-
- you might receive as part of IAC! In these situations use your
- best judgment.
- Block scouting is implemented in a very simple way in the
- TCE. Simply type "S" when asked for an order number, and then
- type in the scouting slot (there are eight such slots, as shown
- on the IAC turn card). Then enter the block to be scouted (or
- "*" for your current location on the map before you entered the
- TCE); the block information will be shown on the screen to verify
- that you entered the correct number. No suggestion feature is
- implemented here; only YOU can know what blocks are best for you
- to scout. This limited function is intended only as a handy way
- for you to record the blocks you scouted along with the rest of
- your turn card for the current game week.
- When you're done with your turn card, you should copy it
- onto the IAC! official card and mail it in. I suggest that you
- also use the Shift-PrtSc key combination to dump the turn card to
- your printer, just to be sure the Adventures by Mail people don't
- mis-enter any of your moves. (This is very rare, but it can
- happen.) Alternately, after you quit the program, this turn card
- will be saved in the appropriate CARD file, which you could then
- copy elsewhere as an archive.
- To clear the Turn Card, use "Z" when you are being asked to
- select an order to edit. This is known as "zapping" your turn
- card. It does not clear your gang statistics.
- To exit the Turn Card Editor, press "Q" when you are being
- asked to choose an order. This will return you to the normal map
- "helicopter" view.
-
- CONCLUSION
-
- You now know everything you need to use the IAC! Utility.
- This program is Shareware, so if you enjoy using it, send $12 (10
- pounds in the U.K.) to the following address:
-
- LZ Software, Inc.
- Bruce H. Graw
- 1003 Courtney Drive, Suite C
- Dayton, OH 45431
-
- Your payment will make you eligible to receive any later
- upgrades or additional software, such as a possible Boss Level
- Utility, or similar products. If you have any suggestions or
- comments, or discover any errors, let me know by mail.
- The IAC! Utility Version 1.5 was completed in August 1989.
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- 10
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