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Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM
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605b.lha
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Diplomacy_v2.0
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diplomacy.doc
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1992-02-10
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467 lines
/*****************************************\
*> <*
*> Diplomacy for the Amiga <*
*> Version 2.0 <*
*> Copyright (c) 1991 by Steve Douthat <*
*> <*
\*****************************************/
This document must accompany the program.
The following files should be included:
Diplomacy.doc (this file)
Diplomacy.doc.info
Diplomacy
Diplomacy.info
Data.info
Data(dir)
default.map
default.provdata
default.game
lace1.map
lace1.provdata
lace2.map
lace2.provdata
This program is an original implementation of the classic board game,
DIPLOMACY, for the Amiga. It is being distributed as shareware and may
be copied and distributed freely as long as the files listed above are
kept together as a set. If you keep and use this program, please send a
minimum of $10 to the author:
Steve Douthat
10661 Escobar Drive
San Diego, CA 92124
Comments, suggestions and bug reports are also appreciated. Persons who
donate $20 or more will automatically receive the 'C' source code and
any subsequent revisions of this program.
Please note that this program requires at least version 1.2 of AmigaDOS
(Workbench) and 512K RAM.
HOW TO START
The game can be started from CLI or from Workbench in the standard
fashion. Type "diplomacy<return>" at the CLI prompt or double-click the
workbench icon. The only requirement is that the program expects the
current directory to contain the "Data" directory with the three
"default" files. The program supports multitasking assuming sufficient
memory is available.
The program will display the title screen as it reads in the data and
sets up the game. Click the left mouse button when prompted to reveal
the diplomacy campaign map and start the game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND
The game DIPLOMACY is a conquer-the-map type game which is published by
Avalon Hill. It is designed for seven players with variations for as
few as two players. This software is designed to enhance this game by
keeping track of the various parameters, resolving the orders and
controlling the flow. This documentation describes the use of this
software only. Please refer to the rule book included in Avalon Hill's
game for the complete set of game instructions.
The game of diplomacy is played in years consisting of three seasons:
Spring, Fall and Winter. The Spring and Fall turns are when the players
issue orders for movement of their existing units (armies and fleets).
In the Winter turn, supply center ownership is adjusted and units are
built or disbanded accordingly. The game starts in Spring of the year
1901.
ISSUING ORDERS (Spring and Fall turns)
There are three possible orders for each unit on the board: hold, move
or support. In addition, fleets have a fourth option, "convoy" of an
army from one coast to another. In general, orders are issued by
selecting the provinces involved. This is done by moving the mouse
pointer to the name of the province and clicking the left mouse button.
Each order requires 3 provinces:
the province containing the unit being ordered,
the province containing the unit that is moving,
and the destination province.
Clicking on these three provinces is usually enough to fully describe
the order.
HOLD: click three times on the province containing the unit.
(remember to click on the NAME of the province)
MOVE: click twice on the province containing the unit to move;
click the province where the unit is going. If the destination
province is multi-coast and the unit moving is a fleet, a
requester may appear asking which coast.
SUPPORT: click the province containing the unit providing the support;
click the province containing the unit receiving the support;
click the province where the supported unit is going/staying.
if the supporting unit is a fleet in the water and the
supported unit is an army on the coast, then a requester may
ask you to select between "support" or "convoy"; select
"support".
CONVOY: same as SUPPORT but select "convoy" at requester. Note that a
convoy order is not valid unless the army being convoyed is
also ordered to move to the same province.
A text representation of the order will be constructed at the top of the
screen as each order is input. The entire list of orders can be viewed
on-screen or printed out at any time during order entry by selecting the
proper item on the STATUS menu (see menu commands below). Any order
which is incorrect can be changed by simply entering the correct order.
Note that virtually all orders, even those which are obviously invalid,
are accepted by the computer during order entry. It is important to
verify that the orders have been entered as intended prior to ending the
order input phase. Orders which are invalid will be flagged as such in
the results of the order resolution and the order will be treated as a
HOLD order.
When all orders have been entered correctly, a click on the end gadget
in the lower right corner will signal the computer to resolve the
orders.
ISSUING RETREAT ORDERS (Spring and Fall turns)
Some units may be dislodged as a result of order resolution. If this is
true, the computer will wait for retreat orders to be issued. These are
entered similar to regular orders but are simpler: The default order is
to disband a dislodged unit. To command a unit to retreat, click the
province from which the unit is being dislodged and then click the
destination province. To change the order back to a disband order,
click twice on the unit's province. The list of retreat orders can be
displayed similar to regular orders using the menu. Click the end
gadget when all orders have been entered correctly.
ADJUSTING UNITS (Winter turn)
At the end of the Fall turn, the computer will automatically adjust
supply ownership. Then the numbers of supplies owned will be compared
to the number of units deployed for each power. If appropriate, the
computer will wait for build/disband orders to be issued. These are
issued by simply clicking on the appropriate province and, if building
on a coastal province, selecting the type of unit to be built. A power
will not be allowed to issue more builds/disbands than the supply count
calls for. The list of adjustment orders can be displayed similar to
regular orders using the menu. An order can be cancelled by clicking on
the province again. Click the end gadget when all orders have been
entered correctly.
If insufficient units are selected for disbanding, additional units will
be disbanded based on location as though the power were in civil
disorder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FILES
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAP FILES
"Default.map" is an IFF picture of the map background which is loaded
when the program is started. It is HIRES (640x200 pixel) resolution and
has 8 colors. It was drawn by Ken Edwards, a user/artist in Texas.
"Lace1.map" is the same map converted to INTERLACE (640x400 pixel)
resolution. "Lace2.map" is slightly larger.
You can use a paint program (e.g. Deluxe Paint) to modify these maps or
to create your own. The names of the provinces are part of the provdata
file and should not be drawn on the picture. The resolution you select,
the size of the map, and the number of colors greatly affects the memory
required to run Diplomacy. The colors you choose will be all that's
available for the color of each power. Also, the first four colors in
your palette will be used as follows:
COLOR 0 - province names and background for the text display areas
COLOR 1 - text in display areas
COLOR 6 - assumes land is this color
COLOR 7 - assumes water is this color
You can change the map that the program starts with by simply replacing
the "default.map".
PROVDATA FILES
"Default.provdata" contains the locations and types (land or water) for
all the provinces. This data corresponds to the default (HIRES) map.
"Lace.provdata" is for use with "lace.map".
You can modify province data using the ADJUST menu or "Prov Edit Mode"
under the PREFS menu. When you open a map the provdata is cleared and
provdata corresponding to the new map must be opened or created.
GAME FILES
"Default.game" holds the starting configuration (Spring 1901) for a
standard Diplomacy game with seven human players. Since the names of
the provinces in the "lace.provdata" file is the same as the default,
this game file will work with either map resolution.
Game information changes as the game is played. It can also be modified
using the ADJUST menu.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MENU
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROJECT MENU
These commands affect the entire game and can be used anytime.
To Back - sends game screen behind workbench, etc to allow
multitasking control
Default Map - opens the "Data/default.map" IFF picture adjusting
the screen resolution and colors to match. This
operation erases all province data and game
information.
Open Map - same as DEFAULT MAP but provides a requester so you
can select which picture file to open. Any IFF
picture can be used as a background but keep in mind
that the screen will take on the characteristics of
the picture used and memory requirements could vary
greatly.
Default ProvData - opens the "Data/default.provdata" file. This file
must correspond to the map currently being used for
the province gadgets to line up properly with the
background.
Open ProvData - same as DEFAULT PROVDATA but provides a requester so
you can select which provdata file to open.
Save ProvData - overwrites last saved provdata file with current
province data. This option is identical to "SAVE
PROVDATA AS" if the data has not been previously
saved.
Save ProvData As - saves current province data in file on disk for later
retrieval using OPEN command.
New Game - restarts game at Spring 1901 (or whatever
configuration is specified in "Data/default.game"
file).
Open Game - loads previously saved game (requires entry of name
of game file).
Save Game - overwrites last saved game file with current
configuration. This option is identical to "SAVE
GAME AS" if the game has been previously saved.
Save Game As - saves current game configuration in file on disk for
later retrieval using OPEN command.
Quit - closes game screen and returns to workbench/CLI.
About - shows revision number and credits.
STATUS MENU
These commands provide data output to the desired device.
Display Orders - shows list on screen of all units by power and their
current order. This option is useful to allow order
entry to be double-checked prior to clicking "end"
for results.
Display Supplies - shows list of powers and the supply centers each
currently owns on screen.
Print Orders - outputs list of orders to printer.
Print Status - outputs current status info to printer; includes list
of units for each power; this is handy to produce a
worksheet for writing orders during the diplomacy
period.
Save Orders - stores list of orders as text file on disk.
Save Status - stores current status info as text file on disk.
PREFS MENU
This menu allows selection of various display and output modes. A
check is displayed in the menu next to each option selected. Any
combination is acceptable including no output (no check marks).
Display Results - shows list on screen of units, their orders and the
end result after each turn. This option is selected
by default.
Print Results - outputs to printer. This is useful in providing a
hard copy of results for reference during game play.
Save Results - outputs to a history file on disk. This will
preserve a history of the game useful for analysis
and other future reference.
Make Sounds - makes a beep sound whenever an error message is
displayed. This is the only sound this game can
produce.
Auto Save Game - automatically saves game to a new disk file after
each turn is completed. Files are named using the
root name specified in the requester and adding an
extension indicating the date of the game turn. This
option is highly recommended in that it protects you
against computer resets and lets you revert back to a
previous turn at will.
Show Borders - displays lines between the province name gadgets
which show which provinces are bordering each other.
The lines are color-coded to indicate which type of
unit can traverse the border. Black and brown lines
are for armies only, black and aqua are for fleets,
and brown and aqua means both armies and fleets can
traverse. (Note: colors depend on the palette of the
map being used. This option would typically be used
only if creating or modifying the province data.
Prov Edit Mode - suspends game play and allows easy access to the map-
editing features. Click in open space to add a
province. Click a province gadget to pick it up to
move (delete it by clicking the end gadget while
holding it).
ADJUST MENU
These commands give the user raw power to adjust the game to any
configuration. Although the game has been play-tested and is
believed tofollow the rules accurately in resolving orders,
gamemasters can choose to over-ride the decisions and adjust the map
to what they believe is correct. This menu also includes the map
editing commands which can be used to modify the province data.
Season - change season.
Year - change year.
Players - brings up a requester which allows player data to be
modified. This includes names of players, the
power(s) each player controls and whether the player
is to be controlled by the computer (AI) or not. If
computer control is selected, the computer will issue
all orders for the powers controlled by that player.
Any number of players can be computer-controlled and
each player will act independently. To place a power
in civil disorder, simply leave it under human (i.e.,
not computer) control and don't issue any orders for
it. The default civil disorder rules will be
followed in resolving orders.
Powers - brings up a requester which allows power data to be
modified. This includes names of powers and color
used to represent each power on the map.
Unit - build/change/disband a unit. Any unit in the
province selected is replaced by the unit built.
Current Supply - change/eliminate current ownership of a supply
province.
Home Supply - change/eliminate home ownership of a home supply
province.
Add Province - creates a new province name gadget on the map with
the name you provide. You are then prompted to
establish borders with existing provinces. Use the
"end" gadget to indicatewhen all the borders have
been selected. If the province being added has more
than one coast, use "Adjust Borders" to add the
additional border information.
Move Province - click on province gadget to pick it up and click
again to drop in new location. Drop the province
gadget on the "end" gadget to delete it.
Rename Province - select province and type new name in requester
gadget.
Change Prov Type - change water to land and vice versa. Also to modify
supply centers.
Adjust Borders - select province to modify, then select the bordering
provinces for armies and for each of the four
possible coasts. Use Show Borders mode (Prefs Menu)
so you can see what you're doing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
KNOWN BUGS/LIMITATIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The computer opponent is extremely limited in ability and this option
has not been thoroughly debugged. Teaching a computer to actually play
this game is more challenging than originally anticipated.
Otherwise, there are no known bugs. Please let me know if you have any
problems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW TO REVISION 1.1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The program now sports a more elaborate file requester for saving and
retrieving files. This is the "FileIO Requester" designed by RJ Mical
and included in his Amiga Programmer's Suite Book 1.01. It lists files
in current directory and allows movement through directories. Thanks
RJ!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW TO REVISION 1.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now you can save results and game status to a disk file. Output is
controlled with its own menu and you can now have the game maintain a
history file on disk for future reference.
Also, the map has been greatly enhanced by Ken Edwards, a user/artist in
Texas. Thanks Ken!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW TO REVISION 2.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New features have been added to the menu to greatly assist those who
wish to modify the game board or create new worlds to conquer. The menu
has been reorganized to accommodate these additions.
The map now expands to fit the entire screen area available. This won't
mean anything to most users, but those who have squeezed extra pixels
out of their monitors will be able to take advantage of them.
Interlace versions of the default map and provdata are provided. These
can be loaded from the project menu (load the map first) or they can
replace the defaults by changing their names.
Orders for retreats, builds and disbands are now handled similar to
regular orders in that printing, saving and map viewing are all
permitted while issuing these orders.
Fixed bug which caused Guru if diplomacy was quit while top edge of map
is displayed.
Fixed bug in adjudicating orders which previously allowed supported move
into province occupied by friendly unit which does not successfully move
out.
A warning has been added to the quit sequence to provide one last chance
to save files before the program quits.
A computer opponent will play any country or countries independently or
as a team (see "known bugs/limitations"). This allows for a one-player
game of World War I or variant thereof.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLANNED REVISIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port to Macintosh.
Fix/improve computer opponent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diplomacy is Copyright (c) 1976 Avalon Hill Game Company
Diplomacy for Amiga is Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1991 Steve Douthat
Amiga and AmigaDOS are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------