Most Wanted 2

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W E L C O M E T O R U S S I A N F R O N T I I "The Kursk campaign" (C) 1990 by Henrik Hoexbroe RUSSIAN FRONT II is a tactical wargame for one or two players. This DOC-file will give you some important starter-information, if you are not familiar to wargaming. The game is based freely on Avalon Hill & Co.'s boardgame: "Panzerblitz". If you know this game, or any similar game, you will immediately recognize the style of this game, and should have no trouble understanding the rules. This program is ShareWare (SW). That means you are allowed to copy and distribute this game freely, as long as it is not modified in any way. You may also try out the game, to see if you really like it, before paying. BUT: if you use this program on a regular basis, you must register and pay! (Please see how to register, in part IIX of this DOC-file.) ________________________________________________________________________________ Contents of this file: ---------------------- Getting started....................................................I Keys used in game.................................................II Playing the game.................................................III Giving orders.....................................................IV Choosing a target to fire at.......................................V The terrain and map...............................................VI Additional notes to RUSSIAN FRONT II.............................VII How to register..................................................IIX Disclaimer and copyrights.........................................IX About Henrik Hoexbroe's games......................................X ________________________________________________________________________________ I: Getting started. --------------------- You shold have all these files on the same disk and in the same directory; RUSSIAN FRONT II is complete with: R2.EXE The main program. R2.DOC This information! R2BILD.DTA Various datafiles. R2UNITS.DTA R2SAVE.DTA R2GAME1.DTA R2GAME2.DTA R2GAME3.DTA R2MAP1.DTA R2MAP2.DTA R2MAP3.DTA R2SAVE1.NR1 27 save-games. . (Created by RUSSIAN FRONT II) . R2SAVE3.NR9 To start RUSSIAN FRONT II simply type R2 and press ENTER. (When you are in the right directory and disk, of course.) The program starts off initiating. This may take some time if you're not using a harddisk. If you have any trouble running the program, please note the following: This program needs a VGA, or an EGA that supports 640*480*16, and uses about 450 KB RAM. Furthermore; As this game uses a lot of graphics, you will probably need to run the game on -at least- a 10 MHz 286 PC-AT. Otherwise the game will probably work too slow. If you follow the instructions on the screen, you will be asked for one of these options: G: Start a new game. R: Restore a game. S: Sound ON/OFF. M: Mouse ON/OFF. I: Program information. F1: Game information. F10: EXIT to DOS. These are the options: G: You may select one of the three scenarios, to play from the beginning. R: You may restore one of the nine saved games from each of the three scenarioes. S: Turns weapon-sounds and beep's ON or OFF. M: Turns MOUSE-control ON or OFF. (The program detects the presence of a mouse, so you should not bother to do this.) NOTE: You must load your mousedriver before playing RUSSIAN FRONT II. I: Lists some general information about PD and the author of this program. F1: Gives a (very) short listing of keys used in the game, plus some additional information from this DOC-file. F10: Quits RUSSIAN FRONT II and returns to DOS. If you follow the on-screen instructions, you should be able to start a game, and PLAY! ________________________________________________________________________________ II: Keys used in game. ----------------------- Whenever an input is required, the appropriate keys will be listed on the screen. There are, however, some special functions which applies almost at all times: Arrow-keys/Mouse-movement: Cursor-control. F1: Display a special HELP-screen. Can be used almost any time, and displays information useful to whatever you are about to do! (When computer is giving orders, it might take a few seconds before your keystroke is detected.) F10: Quits the program at any time. HOME: Returns the cursor to the active unit. (If you "lost contact" during order-giving.) SPACE: Used mainly as a POINTER, i.e. to switch between several options, but not selecting any. This corresponds to the RIGHT button on the mouse. ENTER: Used mainly as a SELECTOR, i.e. to select an action found using the POINTER. This lets you choose a specific order. This corresponds to the LEFT button on the mouse. Y or N: Whenever prompted for a YES or NO answer, you may press either the RIGHT mouse-button (NO) or the LEFT mouse-button (YES). ________________________________________________________________________________ III: Playing the game. ---------------------- There are three scenarios to play: 1) Battle of Minsk. -German delaying action. 68 units. 10 turns. Victory conditions: Germany: Prevent the Russians from moving north. Russia: Destroy as many German units as possible. 2) Action west of Dnieper. -German mobile defence. 63 units. 10 turns. Victory conditions: Germany: Destroy as many Russian units as possible. Russia: Move as much to the north as possible. 3) The Kursk Campaign. -Last line of Russian defence. 105 units. 12 turns. Victory conditions: Germany: Destroy as many Russian units as possible. Russia: Prevent the Germans from moving north. During the game there are several rules to follow, but in most cases the computer does all the work, thus allowing the player(s) to fully concentrate on the tactics. There are, however, certain rules that must be noted, in order to understand the game properly: Hexagons: The entire map is divided in HEXAGONS rather than squares. This makes it easier to move diagonally. Stacking: Stacking is to have more than one unit on each location (hexagon). The stacking limits are: RUSSIAN units: Max. two units / hexagon. GERMAN units: Max. three units / hexagon. Carrying: All vehicles are able to carry any non-vehicular unit, but only as many as ONE at the time. The unit being carried does NOT count against the stacking limits! Overrun: The OVERRUN attack from the original Avalon Hill game has NOT been implemented in RUSSIAN FRONT II. Here's a scematic picture of the screen during play: ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╦════╦════════════════════════════╗ ║ Current turn no. and max. no. of turns. ║ ║ Terrain and units under ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ cursor position. ║ ║ ║ ╠════════════════════════════╣ ║ ║View║ ║ ║ ║ of ║ Orders to select from. ║ ║ ║map.║ ║ ║ 11 x 13 hexagons view of the map. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╠════╩════════════════════════════╣ ║ (Total map size: 11 x 100 hexagons) ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Data for active unit. ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╠═════════════════════════════════╣ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ Name and historical data ║ ║ Message and prompting area for input. ║ for active unit. ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════╩═════════════════════════════════╝ NOTE: In the window "View of map", a red line will mark the territorial goal for the offensive player. The defensive player must try to keep the opponent from crossing this line. ________________________________________________________________________________ IV: Giving orders. ------------------- When giving orders, the computer will seek out a unit to be ordered, and ask you if you want to give order to that unit NOW. If you answer NO to that question, you will be allowed to give orders to your other units, before the computer returns to the same unit again. You will have the possibility to give orders to EVERY unit ONE time each turn. A unit can ONLY be given ONE order each turn, so you must decide whether to FIRE or MOVE, -or something else. Use SPACE to choose between the different orders, and then press ENTER to select one. Possible orders are: FIRE: Fires the units weapons. You will then have to select a target to fire at. (See also part V: Choosing a target...) MOVE: You may move as long as the unit has "Movement" points left. If you move the cursor more than ONE hexagon in a move, the computer will start calculating the best way to get there, through the terrain. If this takes too long to calculate, you can always cancel the calculating by pressing SPACE or the right mouse-button. If you press ENTER or the left mouse-button, you will accept whatever route the computer had time to calculate. DROP TRANSPORT: When you want to drop a transported unit. The vehicular unit may MOVE before dropping the transport, if so desired! ENTER TRANSPORT: Picks up a non-vehicular unit on the same hexagon. Enters a unit into a vehicular unit. Note, that NONE of the units in question may have been ordered before, during that turn! CLOSE ASSAULT: Using Close Assault Tactics. (CAT) Only used by Infantry units. Close Assault Tactics may only be used against adjacent units. The units may MOVE before using CAT, if so desired. This is the only way in which infantry units may attack armored vehicles. END UNIT: Used when there are no more orders to give. Special rules are: Moving: At the end of every Infantry movement, there is the possibility to use Close Assault Tactics (CAT). This is the only case in which Movement AND firing is allowed. At the end of every Vehicular movement, there is the possibility to Drop a unit being transported. (The dropped unit may not do anything else during that turn.) Dispersed: Unit may NOT do anything at all, during that turn. ________________________________________________________________________________ V: Choosing a target to fire at. ---------------------------------- When selecting a target to attack, certain things must be noted: Line of Sight: A unit must be able to "see" the enemy, i.e. track a direct "Line of Sight" whithout any intervening objects. If that is not possible, the computer will try to find a "Spotting" unit, i.e. another friendly unit, who can track a direct line of sight, and "radio" the enemy position to the attacking unit. Objects that block the view is woods, hillstops, slopes and towns. Other units does NOT block the view. Units can "hide" in towns and woods. (To "hide" means that the enemy is not seen clearly, even though you can trace a clear line of sight to it.) If it is impossible to either see or have the enemy spotted, the computer will display; "Unit not seen clearly. Fire anyway? ( Y / N )" If you answer Yes, the attack will not be 100% effective, because the enemy is hidden. Two adjacent units can always see each other, regardless of the terrain. Line of Fire: Any unit using either Infantry- or Armour-piercing weapons will have to be able to track a direct "Line of Fire" between the enemy and itself. (See also "Line of Sight".) Units using either Mortars or Howitzers have no problem firing over any obstacles. Weapon effectiveness: It is important to use the right weapons agains the right enemy. There are four different weapon types: I: Infantry weapons. (direct-fire) A: Armour-piercing weapons. (direct-fire) H: Howitzers. M: Mortars. There are two types of target: Armoured vehicles. (including halftracks) All others. (including trucks) Here is a scematic view of the weapons effectiveness: ┌─────────╥───────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ║ Type of target │ │ ╟────────────────────────────────┬──────────┤ │ Weapons ║ Armoured vehicles │ All │ │ class ╟────────────────┬───────────────┤ others │ │ ║ When close │ When far │ │ ╞═════════╬════════════════╪═══════════════╪══════════╡ │ I ║ Not allowed │ Not allowed │ Normal │ ├─────────╫────────────────┼───────────────┼──────────┤ │ A ║ Double │ Normal │ Half │ ├─────────╫────────────────┼───────────────┼──────────┤ │ H and M ║ Normal │ Half │ Normal │ └─────────╨────────────────┴───────────────┴──────────┘ Exceptions: Halftracks may attack armoured units at all ranges. Units in towns are always treated as armoured units. Close assault: Close Assault Tactics (CAT) is the only way any infantry unit may attack an armoured unit. To use CAT the units must be adjacent. When using CAT certain benefits are given to the attacker. Only infantry units may use CAT. Dispersed: When attacking a dispersed enemy, certain benefits are given to the attacker. Wrecks: Any armoured unit that has been eliminated, is made into a "WRECK", and stays on the map. Wrecks DOES count against stacking limits. Carrying: Any unit carried, when fired upon, will also suffer from the attack. Adjacent: Two Adjacent units may ALWAYS attack each other. ________________________________________________________________________________ VI: The terrain and map. ------------------------- The terrain is important to both movement and defence. Here's a chart showing it all: ┌───────────────╥──────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┐ │ Terrain ║ Effect on movement │ Effect on defence │ ╞═══════════════╬══════════════════════════════╪════════════════════════╡ │ Clear ║ Costs 2 to enter. │ None. │ │ ║ (4 for trucks) │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Road ║ Costs 1 to enter from other │ None. │ │ ║ road-hexagon. │ │ │ ║ Otherwise: see other ter- │ │ │ ║ rain on hexagon. │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Town ║ Treat as road. │ Unit is treated like │ │ ║ │ armored target. │ │ ║ │ Gives shelter. │ │ ║ │ Unit can "hide". │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Wood ║ Treat as clear. │ Gives shelter. │ │ ║ Vehicles may NOT cross │ Unit can "hide". │ │ ║ wood-sides on hexagons. │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Swamp ║ Treat as clear. │ Gives shelter. │ │ ║ Vehicles may NOT enter │ │ │ ║ swamp hexagons. │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Gully and ║ Treat as clear for entry │ Gullies represent │ │ Streambed ║ and movement along gullies. │ depressions in the │ │ ║ Costs vehicles 6 to LEAVE! │ terrain, and units can│ │ ║ Costs trucks 10 to LEAVE! │ be difficult to see. │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Stream ford ║ Treat as clear terrain. │ None. │ │ and Bridge ║ (No LEAVING costs!) │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Pond ║ Treat as clear. │ None. │ │ ║ No units may enter the │ │ │ ║ full pond hexagon. │ │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Slope ║ Costs vehicles 6 to enter. │ Attackers strength is │ │ ║ Costs trucks 8 to enter. │ halved! │ ├───────────────╫──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ Hilltop ║ Treat as clear. │ Attackers strength is │ │ ║ │ halved! │ └───────────────╨──────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┘ Infantry movement: Infantry units may ALWAYS move at least one hexagon, regardless of the terrain. ________________________________________________________________________________ VII: Additional notes to RUSSIAN FRONT II. ------------------------------------------ Using SAVE-games: You may SAVE the game at the end of each players turn. That allows the game to played by mail! Either by copying the save-game to another disk, or uploading via modem connctions. The name of the SAVE-game is: R2SAVEx.NRy -x being the scenario number (1-3). -y being the SAVE-game number (1-9). Notes to RUSSIAN FRONT II versions: # 1.0 No bugs or changes, -yet! ________________________________________________________________________________ IIX: How to register. --------------------- This program was written by Henrik Hoexbroe, in 1990. I am 23 years old, live in Denmark, and study to become an engineer. If you like this game, and would like to encourage me to write more programs of this sort, please consider spending about $20, or whatever you think appropriate, to register and to support my efforts. For your $20, you will get a new and registered version of this game, plus some information on my other games, and programs to come. (On request, unregistered copies of my other programs can be supplied for one fourth of the registration fee.) International registration fees are; US: $ 20. GB: £ 12. D: DM 40. DK: KR 150. Please send your registration to: Henrik Hoexbroe Brunnichesvej 6 3100 Hornbaek D E N M A R K You can also NETmail me your comments at Fidonet 2:231/15.17 ________________________________________________________________________________ IX: Disclaimer and copyrights. ------------------------------ RUSSIAN FRONT II is provided "as is", with NO warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. As RUSSIAN FRONT II is a ShareWare program, you are allowed to freely copy and distribute this package, -provided NO changes are made to the contents. The author can in NO event be held responsible for any damages of any kind, -incidential or consequential, arising from the use of this program. RUSSIAN FRONT II is copyright by Henrik Hoexbroe. Avalon Hill, RUSSIAN FRONT and PANZERBLITZ are names and trademarks by The Avalon Hill Game Company. ________________________________________________________________________________ X: About Henrik Hoexbroe's games. --------------------------------- If you like this game, you might as well try my other games: RUSSIAN FRONT I Strategic game of the whole operation BARBAROSSA. (Hitlers invasion of Russia in WW II) The game covers the period from June 1941 to December 1944. Based freely on Avalon Hill's "RUSSIAN FRONT". The game runs in EGA-hi: 640*350*16. *** Up until now (1/10-1990) the game is ONLY *** available in Danish. -so far... Sorry. *** Contact me for details on the English version. TITANMAN A PACMAN-clone. Features 6 different mazes, four ghosts and lots of bonus-things-to-eat. The game runs in VGA-hi: 640*480*16. Games to come: DESERT FRONT Covers the North-African campaign in WW II, and starts off when Rommel first enters Africa, and ends when he is driven out of Egypt, by Montgomery. Based on hisorical research. The game runs in MCGA/VGA: 320*200*256. Planned release date: Around spring 1991. RUNAWAY TANK A wargame adventure, based on the novel by Colin Forbes: "The Runaway Tank". Featuring 3D-screens using "LANDSCAPING"-technique. Guide a british MATILDA tank and its crew to Dunkirk, moving behind enemy lines. Planned release date: Summer 1991. ___________________________________THE_END______________________________________