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Text File | 1994-11-27 | 12.7 KB | 444 lines

Bravo Romeo Delta From Free Spirit Software DOCUMENTATION by Wolverine/NEMESIS The Introduction Bravo Romeo Delta is a real-time, menu-driven, global scale simulation of strategic nuclear war as seen from the command/control perspective. In this simulation, the player assumes the role of either the Chief Target Planner at the Strategic Air Command (U.S.) or the Commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces. The Computer will play the role of the U.S. or Commonwealth President and evaluate your progress. For clarity, we will use the phrases 'Soviet' and 'Commonwealth' interchangeably. The Scenario During a major Soviet naval exercise, 50% of the ballistic missile subs are deployed to sea and a limited nuclear strike is launched on American targets. All other Soviet and American forces are on day-to-day alert. Soviet Player: Respond to possible American counterstrike with restraint, but maintain now favorable balance of power while the Kremlin negotiates a ceasefire. American Player: Launch a limited second strike against targets that are selected to demonstrate the resolve of your political leadership while avoiding escalation. Victory (?) conditions: At various points in the conflict, your political leader will analyze the course of the war from a remote location with a sperate communication link. Based on the picture that your leader is given, your success in applying the nation's strategy to accomplish your assigned task will be judged. The political leader will take into account such factors as casualties inflicted and taken, the shift in the CoF (for the Soviet player), target kills versus losses, and the effectiveness of the communication network. Consult the Designer's Notes for a comprehensive discussion of national targeting strategy. Game Play The game is broken into three areas of play; Command Control, Tactical Warning and Attack assesment, and the Nuclear Strike Plan Generator. Part of the enjoyment of this game is deciding how to handle these three areas in relation to one another, as well as in the context of your county's military philosphy. The importance of each of these areas of play can be roughly summarized as follows: Command/Control Menu: Used to evaluate the current alert levels and readiness of your strategic forces, and to issue commands alerting those levels. Your communications network effeciency is tracked here as well. Tactical Warning and Attack Assesment Menu: Used to recieve messages from all NORAD units (PVO-Strany for the Soviet Union.) Casuality figures are here as well. Nuclear Strike Plan Generator Menu: Used to choose targets and payloads to meet your nations objectives. The Main Menu: The Main Menu allows access to the three menus, as well as allowing you to accelerate game time, and save games in progress. The screen is divided into four quarters. The top left quarter is where the current game-time and game-day is displayed, along with the game save, and acclerate icons. The upper right quarter will take you to the Command/Control Menu, the lower left quarter will take you to the Nuclear Strike Plan Generator and the lower right quarter will take you to the Tactical Warning and Attack Assesment Menu. Clicking the mouse pointer over the desired are will activate the display Accelerate Icon - Clicking on this icon once will accelerate time approximately 2x. A second click will accelerate time approximately 5x. The rate of acceleration of time will depend on your computer processor speed. Normal Time Icon - Clicking this icon will turn off all time acceleration. Game Save and Exit Icon - Clicking this icon will exit the game with an aption to save the game in progress. This procedure will create a save game file on your game disk. Up & Down Arrows - Used to move through choices within many aspects of the game. Main Menu Icon - Clicking this icon will take you back to the main menu from each of the sub menus. The Command/Control Menu: Launch Control Center Icon - By clicking this icon, a player can receive the number, type and alert level of ICBMs at a given command center. Alert levels for an ICBM include normal readiness (which allows a missle launch within minutes of recieving an order - at least seven minutes for a mobile ICMB.) At the next level, there is a slight difference in launch readiness since the ICBM unit is considered to be in launch-under attack/impact mode. This gives the Lcc crew full authority to select targets and launch missiles if early waning radar relays notice of incomming warheads or if a nuclear weapon detinates nearby. SSBN Icon - There are four levels for ballistic missile submarines. The lowest level is a state that exists when the sub is docked and bringing its reactor on-line. Docked submarines will be responsive to commands until the reactors are on-line. At the next level, "bastion mode", the sub is docked but has its reactor running. The next level is non-alert-at-sea. In this state submarines are in maximum concealment and can launch weapons within 1-2 hours of recieving an order. The fourth state is "alert-at-sea". In this state an SSBN travels near the surface for ease of communications but at the expense of survivability. Firing weapons, in this state, can be done within minutes. Bomber Base Icon - There are 3 alert levels for a primary bomber base. at the lowest level, bombers on base require 1-2 hours to get airborne upon receipt of nuclear strike instructions. At the next alert level,strip alert, the aircraft are taxied onto the runway and are ready for takeoff if a strike is ordered or if ther is a warning or incoming warheads. Strategic bomers at the highest alert level are place in the air. Alert Icon - The readiness of nuclear forces can be increased on level by clicking this icon. However, it may take units up to one hour to their alert posture. Combat Support Icon - Through this icon, the player can examine the status of nuclear combat support units. This includes the network of spy satellites and other intelligence collection assets. In addition to spy satellites, the intelligence collection assets include listening posts, airborne moving target indicators,optical, infared and radar surveillance from space or high altitude aircraft, radio direction finding from satellites, aircraft and fixed ground sites, surveillance from ships and submarines, seismic detectors and nuclear burst sensors and reconnaisance obtained from bombers that have penetrated air defenses. The Tactical Warning & Assessment Menu A flashing border on the screen indicates a message from the tactical warning and attack assessment units. This is the responsibility of NORAD in the U.S. or PVO-Strany in the Soviet Union. Anti-Submarine Icon - The sinking of an enemy ballistic missile submarine will generate a report specifying the type of submarine and weapons associates with it. Nuclear Burst Icon - A nuclear detonation will be detected by an array of burst sensors and then combined with navagational and weather inputs. By determining the direction of arrival of the nuclear flash to the sensor network, the number of bursts and intensity of explosions, a report will be created estimating the size of the explosion, number of detonations, location and whether there was an airburst, surface burst, or space burst. global winds will spread fallout from destroyed nuclear reactors in an easterly direction. ABM Icon - If a targeted area is defended by an anti-ballistic missile system (ABM), the crews will atempt to intercept any incoming warheads. This will be reported as a launch or interception. Early Warning Icon - Incoming nuclear warheads are tracked by early warning radars of varying sophistication. This icon can also be used to obtain reports of missile launches that are tarcked by satellite. Air Defense Icon - This channel will report enemy aircraft or cruise missiles by air defenses. The Nuclear Strike Plan Generator: This menu will display the maximum number of warheads that your political leadership has sanctioned for use. Based on a political evaluation of the crisis, the number of warheads recommended in proportion to the scale of the enemy attack/counterattack may increase, decrease, or remain constant. If trends indicate a favorable campaign, your leadership will decrease the level of violence; whereas unfavorable trends may cause the leadership to either continue to conflict at an escalated level or opt for a conditional surrender. Mixed results may produce either a sustained or slightly higher level of violence being authorized. Target Class Icons - A target database lists all areas that meet the political goals and objectives in a given scenario as well as those areas which could be subjected to collateral damage (damage in surrounding populated areas). To change a target class, simply click over one icon in the column on the right of the screen. There are three types of nuclear strikes: * A blunting (or Bravo) strike is an attack directed against enemy nuclear forces in an effort to disarm. * A retardation (or Romeo) strike is an attack aimed at destroying or temporarily disabling enemy communications, early warning systems, and electronic intelligence assests. * A disruptive (or Delta) strike is an attack focussing on enemy urban/industrial assests with the intent of delaying post-war recovery. There are eight steps required to select a target and launch a nuclear strike. 1) Select a target class from the column of icons along the right edge of the screen. 2) Use the up and down arrow icons to locate a specific target. 3) Click in the Target Display box to confirm your target selection. 4) Use the up and down arrow icons to locate a specific delivery vehicle. 5) Click on the Delivery Vehicle Icon to confirm your vehicle selection. 6) Use the up and down icons to select the number of warheads to deliver. 7) Click on the Target Display box to finalize your delivery vehicle selections. 8) Click on the Launch Icon to initiate the strike. Target Data Box - Once a target clas is determined, the targeting computer will automatically select the first target on the list of priorities by analyzing available reconnaissance and resources for a strike. Assuming the recent intelligence has been collected in the target area, the following information will be displayed: * Target class (i.e. mobile ICBM sites, urban/industrial assets) * Status - active/destroyed (destroyed silos for ICBM units) * Weather * Forces deployed (ICBM silos may be empty), surviving population (neither injured nor killed), or capacity (for nuclear power plants) * Hardness (pounds per square inch) or * Mobility (meters per second) * Latitude and Longitude * ABM defenses in area * Radioactive contamination present Abort Icon - This icon can abort the current strike plan anytime after the target box is clicked. Delivery Vehicle Icon - Once a suitable target has been selected, the computer will recommend the LEAST CAPABLE delivery vehicle that can accomplish the task. Clicking this icon will confirm the choice of delivery vehicle. The following will be displayed: * Type (Ii.e. Bomber, ICBM) * Hard target kill effeciency * Component reliability (Pr) * Speed (meters/second) * Range (kilometers) * Payload (i.e. air-launched missle, multiple warhead) Payload Display Icon - Clicking on this icon will allow bombers to attack with alternative weapons, such as bombs instead of cruise missiles Launch Icon - Once the bomb damage computer has finished these calculations. the strike plan can be submitted to your battle staff to handle all of the operational details by clicking this icon. Abbreviations and Acronyms: ABM Antiballistic Missils ASAT Antisaytellite ASW Antisubmarine Warfare BMEWS Baallistic Missle Early Warning System C3I Command, Control, Commujications, and Intelligence. DEW Distant Early Warning EAW Emergency Action Message EHF Extremely High Frequency ELF Extremely Low Frequency EMP Electromagentic Pulse HF High Frequency ICBM Intercontinental Ballistic Missile IRBM Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile LF Low Frequency MF Medium Frequency MIRV Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle MRBM Medium-Range Ballistic Missile NDS Nuclear Detection System OTH-B Over-The-Horizon Backscatter RVSN Strategic Rocket Forces (Soviet acronym) SAC Strategic Air Command SSBN Nuclear ballistic missile submarine SSN Nuclear attack submarine TVD Theater of military action (Soviet) VLF Very Low Frequency VPVO Air Defense Forces (Soviet) end.