Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM/CAM_CD_1.iso/files/030.lha/Ogre/Instruc

Text File | 1986-11-10 | 15KB | 339 lines

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From: [e-mail] (Hobie Orris)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Amiga Ogre (Part 1/2)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 22 Feb 87 17:11:02 GMT
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# Amiga Ogre Part 1: The object
# This file contains the following:
#     Instructions - How to play
#    ogre.info.uue - uuencoded icon for the game
#    ogre.uue - uuencoded game object code
#
# Note:  To use the help option in the game menu, the file
#     `instructions' should be in the volume `Ogre:'
#
: To unbundle, sh this file
echo x - instructions 1>&2
cat >instructions <<'@@@End of instructions'

                              OGRE 2086
                              ---------

   Introduction
   ------------

   Ogre is a game of tactical ground combat in the year 2086.  In this
advanced age, the Ogres are giant cybernetic tanks, each prodigiously armed
and possessing a limited self-awareness, allowing them to do their own
tactical planning.  Their weaponry includes long-range missiles, heavy main
batteries (`hellbores'), smaller, secondary batteries (`infinite repeaters'),
and short-range anti-personnel weapons.  The actual configuration of these
weapons depends on the type of Ogre.  In the game, Ogres Mark III and Mark V
are represented.

   The other combatants on this future battlefield include rapid-fire
howitzers, heavy tanks, mobile missile launchers, GEVs, and infantry wearing
powered armor.  The GEVS (short for Ground Effects Vehicle) are armed and
armored hovercraft which can strike their targets and retreat before the
enemy has a chance to retaliate.

   The game pits an Amiga-controlled Ogre (naturally) against a human
opponent who has control of a mixed force.  The goal of the Ogre is to
destroy the human command post by fire or by stomping on it.  The goal of
the human (this means you!) is to prevent this by immobilizing the Ogre.
I say `immobilize' because there is no way to actually destroy the Ogre;
even when all of its individual weapons systems are destroyed, it can still
move and can still crush things, including command posts.  Therefore, all of
the Ogre's treads must be eliminated.


   Starting the Game
   -----------------

   To start the game, type `ogre' (assuming it's in your current directory.)
or click the Ogre icon from Workbench.  At this point, the game loads and
sets up the playfield. The map key is as follows:

                              7 - clear terrain
                              * - crater

Craters are impassable to everything. Clear terrain is, well, clear.


   Sequence of Play
   ----------------

   A.  Human Deployment

   B.  Ogre Movement
   C.  Ogre Combat

   D.  Human Movement
   E.  Human Combat

   F.  Repeat steps B-E until someone wins.

   These items will be presented in order:


   A.  Human Deployment
   --------------------

   After the map is displayed, the cursor is left sitting in the middle of
the map and a message is displayed indicating how many armor and infantry
units are left to place, as well as the command post (CP).  To place your
units, move the cursor to the desired location and press the key for the
type of unit you wish to put there.  Only one unit may be placed in a single
location.  The operative keys are:

   Cursor movement:

                              w    e
                                \ /
                             a - s - d
                                / \
                               z   x

   The `s' key is for `sit', which is not used for deployment, but is used
later in the movement phase.

   The gadgets in the lower right of the screen perform the same function
as these keys.

   Unit Placement:

   To place a unit, press the letters used for displaying the unit type or
select from the Deploy menu. The following notation is used to indicate the
capabilities of the units:

                        a/b Mc Dd

where `a' is the unit's attack strength, `b' is the range, in spaces, of the
unit's weapon, `c' is its movement, in spaces per turn, and `d' is its
defensive strength.

         Unit  Abilities    Description
         ------------------------------------------------------------------
          C   (0/0 M0 D0) - Command Post. Only one of these can be placed
                            per game.  It is suggested that it be placed
                            well to the rear (the right side of the map.)

          H   (6/8 M0 D1) - Howitzer.  This is the most powerful offensive
                            unit but very vulnerable to attack, due to its
                            immobility and weak defence.  Note that a
                            howitzer is worth TWO armor units for deployment
                            purposes.

          T   (4/2 M3 D3) - Heavy Tank.  This is a well-rounded unit, except
                            that, the range of its gun requires it to get
                            pretty close to an Ogre in order to fire.  Ogres
                            tend to stomp on heavy tanks that get too close.

          M   (3/4 M2 D2) - Missile Tank.  Although slow-moving, the missile
                            tank can outrange all but the Ogre's most
                            powerful weapons and still keep out of the way
                            of the Ogre's crushing treads if the Ogre has
                            been slowed down by damage.

          G (2/2 M4-3 D2) - GEV. The GEV is built for speed.  It has light
                            armor and armament, but moves TWICE per turn;
                            once before combat, and once afterwards,allowing
                            it to move in, fire, and get out of harm's way.
                            A pack of GEVs can surround an Ogre, concentrate
                            their fire and then scatter, leaving the Ogre
                            with few targets of opportunity.

          I   (*/1 M2 D*) - Infantry.  Unlike armor units, infantry can with-
                            stand losses and still function as a unit. The *
                            indicates the current strength of the unit. A
                            full squad has a strength of 3, but squads of 2
                            or 1 are allowed.  To select a full squad, hit
                            `I' or `3'; for a lesser squad, `2' or `1'. The
                            menu selection for infantry is for a full squad.
                            As the squad sustains losses, it will be reduced.

          O   several     - The Ogre.  The Ogre has many different weapon
                            systems, each of which has its own attack, range
                            and defence.  Its movement is 3 at the beginning
                            of the game but can be reduced to 0 by tread
                            damage.

   As you select units, the count at the bottom of the screen is reduced.
You must deploy your full complement of units before play can begin. At this
point, a display of the Ogre's weapons and treads is printed on the bottom
of the screen.  Each line has the format,

            Main Batteries:      1  (4/3 D4)

where `1' is the current number of functioning batteries, 4/3 is the attack
strength and range of the weapon, and D4 indicates it has a defense strength
of four.  As the Ogre sustains losses, the number is reduced, until there
are none left, at which point the line will no longer be displayed.


   B. Ogre Movement
   ----------------

   The Ogre enters on the left side of the map as soon as deployment is com-
plete.  Its initial movement allowance is three spaces, but on the first
turn it moves only one.  If there are units within range of its movement,
the Ogre will run them over, with a fifty percent chance that the unit will
be destroyed.  This type of overrun attack is resolved immediately and does
not require that the Ogre fire any of its weapons.


   C. Ogre Combat
   --------------

   After moving, the Ogre will fire some or all of its weapons at whatever
targets are in range.  It will attack a target more than once if the first
attack fails to destroy the target.  The Ogre comes equiped with missiles
which can be fired only once.  After being fired, they are removed from the
Ogre's status display.  The Ogre's anti-personnel weapons can only be fired
at infantry type units.

   There are three possible results of Ogre combat: no effect, disable, and
destroy.  A no effect result means that the target can fire and move
normally in the human turn.  Disablement has different effects on infantry
and armor units:  a disable result against an armor  unit causes the unit
to be re-displayed in lower case and it can neither fire nor move for the
next turn; an infantry unit has its combat strength reduced by 1 and the new
value is displayed.  On a destroy result the target is eliminated and removed
from the display.


   D. Human Movement
   -----------------

   When all Ogre attacks have been resolved the cursor is positioned on each
movable (non-CP and non-howitzer) unit in turn, the message, "Move ..." is
displayed and the player is free to move that unit up to the limit of its
movement allowance.  The movement keys are described above; `s' is used to
indicate that the unit is not to be moved.  Again, the arrow gadgets let you
move units and the `S' gadget is for `sit'. If you do not wish to move a unit
its full movement, press `s' or click the `S' gadget when you are done.  Note
that the map simulates a hexagonal grid, so that there are six possible
directions of movement. The following example illustrates an important fact
for calculating ranges:

                      7    7   7   7   7   7
                     7   7   7   T   7   7
                       7   7   7   G   7   7
                     7   7   7   O   7   7
                       7   7   7   7   7   7

The GEV is adjacent to the Ogre, so the range between them is one space; the
heavy tank, however, is two spaces away (one to the GEV and one to the Ogre).
In other words, horizontal and diagonal spaces are adjacent and vertical ones
are not.

   When all eligible units have been moved and there are units close
enough to fire on the Ogre, the combat phase begins.


   E. Human Combat
   ---------------

   The cursor is automatically positioned to each unit eligible to fire and
the player is required to select a target at which to fire.  Each weapon
system of the Ogre and its treads are targets.  As units are allocated for
firing at a particular target (eg. the main batteries), the odds of the
attack are displayed next to the line describing the target. For example, if
a missile tank (attack 3) is allocated to fire at a secondary battery
(defense 3) the odds 1-1 are displayed.  If a howitzer (attack 6) is then
allocated, the odds are updated to 3-1 (3 + 6 = 9 versus defence 3). You can
allocate as many units as are within range to attack a single weapon system,
or you can type `r' (for resolve) to carry out the attack immediately.

    Attacking the Ogre's treads is a different process.  All attacks
against treads are automatically at 1-1 odds and are resolved immediately
as each unit is allocated.  If the attacker scores a hit on the treads, a
number of tread points equal to the attacker's strength are destroyed,
whereas other targets are attacked individually (eg. if the above-mentioned
3-1 attack on the secondary batteries is successful then one battery is
destroyed).  The number of treads an Ogre has affects its movement.  All Ogre
types start with a number of treads (45 for Mark III, 60 for Mark V) and a
movement allowance of three.  When 1/3 of these treads are destroyed the
Ogre's movement drops to two.  When 2/3 are destroyed it drops to one.  When
all are destroyed, the Ogre is immobile and you win.

   Needless to say, the more attacking strength used against a target, the
better your chances for destroying it.  However, odds in excess of 4-1 are
treated as 4-1, so allocating 20 attack points against a secondary battery
(6-1) is no better than allocating 12 attack points (4-1).

   The keys used for allocating an attack are:

           Key  Specs      Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
            m   (6/5 D3) - Missile.  Remember, Ogre missiles are one-shot
                           only.

            b   (4/3 D4) - Main Battery

            s   (3/2 D3) - Secondary Battery

            a   (1/1 D1) - Anti-personnel weapons. Can only be fired at
                           infantry.

            t   (-/- D1) - Treads.  These are weapons only to the extent that
                           a mobile Ogre can overrun enemy units.

            r            - Resolve. All attacks currently allocated are
                           carried out.

            p            - Pass.  Save this unit to fire later on in the
                           phase.  This is useful if you want to combine
                           the fire of two units which do not fire in
                           sequence.


   The Target menu allows you to select targets as in the above table.


   Self-Destruct
   -------------

   This is an optional rule included in the Steve Jackson Microgame, but not
in the original Unix version of Ogre.  I put it in just to be mean.

   If the Ogre has its treads reduced to zero but is within four spaces of
the human command post, it will detonate its atomic pile, eliminating itself
and everything within four spaces.  All armor units five spaces away are
disabled by this blast.  An Ogre self-destruction results in a drawn game
since it will only self-destruct if it is within 4 hexes to the command
post.


   Credits
   -------

   The concept of the Ogre-style war machine originated in the Bolo stories
by Keith Laumer.  These ripping good stories are available in the anthologies
"Bolo", published by Berkeley, and "Rogue Bolo", published by Baen Books.

   The game Ogre was originally published as a paper board game in 1977 by
Steve Jackson Games.  It is widely regarded as a classic war game and spawned
a series of expansion games by Steve Jackson called GEV, ShockWave, and
Battlesuit.

   The computer game Ogre was written for Unix by Michael Caplinger of Rice
University in 1982 and released to the public domain over Usenet.  The game
was ported to the Amiga by Hobie Orris (me) in 1986 and distributed to
anybody who wants it.

   Comments, criticisms or enhancements are welcome.

   Hobie Orris
   9 Ferrier Ave.            uucp: utzoo!sq!hobie
   Toronto, Ont.            ci$:  73657,1573
   Canada
   M4K 3H5