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╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ╒══════════════════════════════════════════════╕ │ ARM OF THE DRAGON, Third Edition │ │ Volume I of the Wars for Domination in 3045+ │ ╞══════════════════════════════════════════════╧═════════════╕ │ By Steven H. Lin │ │ Original Program Concept by DevPalProj Team #1 │ │ BattleTech(tm) Concept by FASA Corporation │ │ Copyright 1990, 1991 by Steven H. Lin. All Rights Reserved │ ╞════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╧══════════════╕ │ Arm of the Dragon(tm) and AotD(tm) are trademarks of Merchant Prince Pro- │ │ ductions, Inc., registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. │ ╞═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡ │ BattleTech(tm) is a trademark of FASA Corporation, registered in the U.S. │ │ Patent and Trademark Office. │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ A GENERAL PLAYER'S GUIDE for AotD/3 Release 2 Document Revision 2.22 Your head is rattling with brain sand pebbles, stuck to the sides of your pineal, you can just feel it. Strange, that it would manifest itself now, of all times. Then again, why not? When has travel by JumpShip ever felt good to you? "Good point," you mutter aloud, to no one in particular, although bodies were all around you, crowded into that cramped crew stateroom. Stateroom? Ha! More like a cattle freezer; you feel just like another slab of meat, waiting to be led to the slaughter. You look around. Mercenaries. All mercenaries, every single person here is a mercenary, according to the DCMS. Not that it's a bad living: not at all. It's just that the disdain, the scorn, that you see in the eyes of even the lowliest Draconis Combine citizen against you makes you sick to your stomach. Why the disgust? Just because you don't really hold any allegiance to the Coordinator or his family? What's the hoopla? "What's the hoopla?" you repeat aloud. This time, several heads near you, previously focused on their attached bodies' discomfitures, swivel to face you. You smile back weakly and look in another direction, hoping that the men would ignore you. Some turn away, others gaze a bit too intensely at you, so much that you can feel their glaring eyes boring through your skull, before also turning away. You were a commander of a relatively successful mercenary unit operating in the Federated Commonwealth. Your sojourns into enemy territories and successful completions of missions earned you moderate fame and fortune. You were a devoted military man, putting your resources back into your unit, your surrogate children, your warriors. When you received that mission from your last employers, supposedly of Davion nobility, it seemed almost too easy. A simple raid: land of a Liao world, make off with some research information, and cause some general havoc. Your intelligence officers reported no problems with these employers-to-be, so you accepted the mission in good faith; although, to you, the fellows appeared suspiciously loathsome and conniving. Nevertheless, you went ahead with the job... Things started to go awry, almost from the beginning. Getting field reports from your forward scouts came in too slowly, and you got the feeling things were being weeded out of the documentation. Then, when you tried to ╘╡ 1 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ contact those scouts, you learned from your intelligence men that somehow your valuable recon servicemen were not reachable. Something was up. But the mission was being constructed too smoothly otherwise: other intelligence info came in and seemed to fit the usual picture of a low population research planet in the boonies of Liao space. When the raid was mounted, half of your DropShips never made it to the planet surface: excessively destructive explosives fragmented your carriers, and their precious fighting cargo, into smithereens. Sabotage. When your DropShip made planetfall, you discovered no research facilities. Just LOTS of unmarked BattleMechs blasting away about you and your remaining troops. You called a quick retreat and returned to orbit, preparing to rendezvous with your JumpShips so you could escape and think over what went wrong. Obviously someone in your organization was a spy, a saboteur, and a killer of your friends and compatriots. Your DropShip was the only one able to make it back to a JumpShip: the rest were ruthlessly destroyed by unidentified enemy DropShips hiding behind another planet in the star system. You had no choice but to flee. When you returned to Davion space, you were apprehended and charged with war crimes by a Davion court, crimes you never even gave thought to, much less committed. Your assets were taken by the state, and while you were in court, several of your surviving men, including your most valued advisors and officers, were systematically hunted down and killed. Many of your contacts were also killed, many loyal folk who only wished to support a military unit willing to defend them when no Successor State felt like helping the common man against the encroachments of the other Houses. At first opportunity, you fled from the Federated Commonwealth with the aid of a friend. You joined the crew of a tramp freighter headed deep into the Draconis Combine. Your goal: to hide from those who wish you dead and to prepare for your revenge. You were able to meet with a high-ranking DCMS officer who knew of your exploits and who professed innocence to the events which tore apart your unit. You were given a new identity among the mercenaries residing in the Combine. You chose to travel to a Draconis Combine world to help build a defense for that planet against enemy Houses. Getting shipped to Schwartz, a world on the outreaches of the Inner Sphere, almost into the Periphery, begins your tour of duty. Despite the distance away from Luthien, you have become a member of the ARM OF THE DRAGON ╘╡ 2 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Contents_________________________________________________________________ "What? This thing is in order?" Chapter III .............................................. 1 Contents ................................................. 3 Disclaimer to Players .................................... 4 Introduction ............................................. 5 Abstract ................................................. 6 Recommended Reading ...................................... 7 Caution .................................................. 9 Nomenclature: Use of Mnemonic Codes ...................... 11 Ironmongery: Available Weaponry in the Inner Sphere ...... 14 Ironmongery: Other Gear .................................. 16 Composition: Available Vehicles & Cohorts ................ 17 Tour of Duty on Schwartz ................................. 25 Warning to New Merc Commanders ...................... 26 The Garrison: Unit Inspection ............................ 28 The Garrison: Inner Sphere News Reports .................. 32 The Garrison: The Bank ................................... 33 The Garrison: The Cantina ................................ 34 Talking with People ................................. 34 The Garrison: Quartermaster Command ...................... 36 The Garrison: Vehicle Repair Depot ....................... 37 The Garrison: Vehicle Procurement Department ............. 39 The Garrison: The Recruiting Hall ........................ 40 Patrol Duty .............................................. 41 Planned Advancements for Registered and Future Versions .. 42 Endnote .................................................. 43 ╘╡ 3 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Disclaimer to Players____________________________________________________ To all of the following groups of people: People who play wildly simple games all the time; people who still think Trade Wars is a neat thing (sorry, John!); folks who think Tetris is the most complicated game around; people who don't read instructions; people who don't understand chess or draughts; individuals who have trouble completing third-grade story readers; people who still have trouble figuring out why English has diphthongs; persons who don't know any homonyms; guitarists who know only one chord; pianists who don't play music; folks who watch MTV twenty-four hours of the day; people who spend their lives dancing at S&M bars; sex deviants; apartheid supporters; belchmasters; kids who actively hunt out XXX-rated GIF files on various BBS's; closet terrorists; people who smoke road asphalt and enjoy it for its ultimate kick; members of the Starry Wisdom Cult; Elvis worshipers; folks in the Moral Majority/Minority; PMRC freaks; booger-balancing ball-shaped peaceniks; anarchists who don't understand anarchy; Brian Davis-ites; Al Gittelson-ites; members of the Flat Earth Society; hairy little green things from the planet Xenon; people who truly believe in the hairy little green things from the planet Xenon; BBS users who are looking to waste a few precious minutes of their online time on any BBS; and people who refuse to learn new things. To all the people mentioned above: Don't play _Arm_of_the_Dragon_! You run the terrible risk of having your brain explode out of your cranium, like a frag grenade out of its shrap sleeve. To the rest of us: Enjoy. Admittedly, AotD/3 was designed with the diehard BattleTech player in mind. But, still, real people can certainly continue to learn new things. And what better to learn than BattleTech? ╘╡ 4 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Introduction_____________________________________________________________ There are basically three main concepts related to rulership and the right of succession, and these are based upon very different human interactions. The first, and the weakest, is the right of succession due to birth; this is determined by the grace of sexual appetite. The second, and almost as flimsy, is the right of succession due to election or common choice; this is determined by the grace of human intellect and emotional pre- dilection. The third, and by far the most potent, is the right of succession due to conquest; this is determined by the grace of God. - S. Lin, _The_Power_Wielders_of_Ashur_, 1989 _Arm_of_the_Dragon_, Third Edition, is a game based on FASA Corporation's BattleTech(tm) wargaming system. What makes AotD/3 so special? Frankly, although no one can pinpoint the "specialness" involved, there surely must be something because of the tremendous popularity of the game. It may be something so intangible that only the sharpest of wargamers have even an inkling of it. But they don't seem to want to divulge it. AotD/3 Release 2 sports a wide array of 'Mech weapons available in BattleTech (actually, the complete arsenal specified by FASA's BattleTech rulebooks, and an even greater spectrum of new weapons), a wide selection of 'Mechs (ac- tually, all 'Mechs with specs in the various Technical Readouts, from 2750 to 3050, and all listed variants in those same Technical Readouts, and on top of all that, all known NVI 'Mechs), and some other nifty things. It is our sincere hope that you enjoy AotD/3 and, if the copy you're playing on is not registered, please urge the sysop to register the game so that you will be able to access the growing base of accessories for AotD! ╘╡ 5 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Abstract_________________________________________________________________ The objective of the player's documentation is to provide the necessary information to the player so that he can properly interface with the _Arm_of_the_Dragon_ online game. Although the Second Edition documentation was supposed to be as comprehensive as possible, many players still found it very difficult to understand. Consequently, some of them had trouble playing the game. Therefore, for this Third Edition documentation, there are other documents besides this one which will elaborate upon certain aspects of BattleTech gaming as it applies to AotD/3. Nevertheless, this particular document has a specific course of action, as follows: First, a list of recommended readings will be provided. Next will follow the building blocks of AotD/3 that the player must be relatively comfortable with, so that play becomes as smooth and as effortless as possible. Next will follow descriptions and mappings of most of the various options available in AotD/3, including combat. Finally will come information concerning future improvements and the concluding statements. It is hoped that through this regimen of information, the prospective AotD/3 player will become relatively proficient in the workings of both AotD/3 and the BattleTech(tm) gaming environment as a whole. The ultimate goal, beyond learning how to function well in AotD/3, is to engender in the player the true spirit of wargaming, regardless of whether it is online or live, so that the Art is never lost. ╘╡ 6 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Recommended Reading______________________________________by M. Stewart___ "Hey, look: a book a day will keep the nasty professor's pop quizzes away!" Recommended BattleTech Compendium (1) Readings Technical Readout: 2750 Technical Readout: 3025 (1) Technical Readout: 3026 Technical Readout: 3050 (2) House Kurita Contrary to some persons' beliefs, the recommended readings are NOT text files that can be picked up anywhere (even here)! The recommended readings are texts published by FASA Corporation as the basis for its BattleTech(tm) wargame. We cannot stress the importance of reading the "1st priority" items marked above (indicated by the "(1)" after the title). Also, the "2nd pri- ority" item is excellent for helping you to understand the advancements in technology by the year 3052 (after the appearance of the 'Clans). However, ALL of the recommended readings are extremely important in helping you to build a solid foundation for yourself in helping your users to play AotD/3 and BattleTech in general and in understanding future improvements on AotD/3; the 1st priority and 2nd priority items are so marked to help you in de- termining which texts to obtain in sequence (the unmarked items can be ob- tained in any order, at any time). Optional MechWarrior, The Role-Playing Game, 2nd Edition Readings House Davion House Marik House Steiner House Liao The Periphery Star League The Mercenary's Handbook Wolf's Dragoons Wolf Clan Sourcebook Like the recommended readings, the optional readings are materials from FASA Corporation. However, these items are not as important in helping you to understand AotD/3 itself, although they WILL totally complete your understanding of the BattleTech(tm) universe. Therefore, although they are marked as optional for the sole purpose of AotD/3, any self-respecting gamer would obtain these items to enrich themselves for a deeper under- standing of BattleTech(tm). Steve Lin naturally has a rather extensive collection of BattleTech(tm) literature and gaming materials, accumulated over the past few years. If you need help in determining which specific text you should get, please contact Steve and he will walk you through the process of prioritizing. What, no quality gaming shop near where you live? What an unforgivable atrocity! Well... nobody here (Steve & Co.) receives ANY money (revenues, kickbacks, etc.) for promoting FASA products, BUT we do firmly believe in the high quality of these products, which is partly the reason why we developed AotD/3 as a tribute to one of FASA's games. If you wish to correspond directly with a FASA officer or representative... lessee... okay, Steve just handed me a Rolodex card... oh, I see, it's a mailing address. What? Okay, I'll stick it in the text: ╘╡ 7 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ FASA Corporation P.O. Box 6930 Chicago, IL 60680 Anything else to say? Yeah: the whole world of gaming is pretty much indebted to FASA Corporation for BattleTech(tm). Their efforts have given us a fabulous combat system from which to build our own adventures in the far future. As a player of AotD/3, you're entitled to some support, too, especially if your sysop can't help you with certain questions. Feel free to contact Steve Lin at his FidoNet address (1:135/105.0), his EchoNet address (50:5305/505.0), his WWIVnet address (1@3519), or his voice number (305/899-0957). - Michael Stewart, M.S. ╘╡ 8 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Caution_______________________________________________by F. Maximilien___ Just a quick moment of reflection by me before we embark on the bulk of this document. The reception that AotD/3 has gotten from the modeming community has been pretty phenomenal, extending beyond the mere confines of gaming-oriented BBS's and metronets to reach the "user-friendly" BBS's. What does this signify? To me, as one of the alpha testers for AotD/3, it is a remarkable indication of how a good product becomes better by the support of those who use it. I've talked with Steve about what he planned to do with AotD/MS-DOS originally and what has come to pass as a result of what has been released, and it's quite amazing to find out what has happened... 1. LOTS of sysops running AotD/2 or AotD/3 have called in to tell Steve about "bugs" and things they'd like to see in the game. Now, the sysops still running AotD/2 aside, this points to some heavy usage of the game, and even if only one out of every 1000 sysops running AotD/3 ever registers the game (as the case may be, who knows?), that's still lots of sysops who are actively supporting the game and encouraging further development. For what it's worth, Steve receives at least three calls a day from NEW sysops (ie. sysops who haven't contacted him before) about AotD/3, in addition to calls he receives daily from registered sysops, beta testers, us alpha testers, and other sysops who say they're trying the game and want to know more about running the game. 2. These sysops that have been calling in have been telling about some pretty fantastic events... several of the registered sysops have dropped ALL OTHER online games from their systems in order to give AotD/3 maximum exposure. Many sysops, registered or otherwise, have gone out on BattleTech(tm) material hunting expeditions, buying up copies for themselves and for some of their users. This may be why BattleTech(tm) products are still selling very strongly in the U.S. If you count, out of the hundreds of systems running AotD/3, there's at least one person buying BattleTech(tm) products, then you can imagine the kind of sales volumes that FASA is experiencing. Although FASA probably doesn't know it, AotD/3 is most likely the SINGLE greatest reason for continued sales of BattleTech(tm) products, with the exception of perhaps all gaming clubs taken collectively. Whew... quite an accomplishment! 3. There have been some calls from end users playing AotD/3 on various boards in the U.S. and beyond (even as far as Singapore and Italy!) to Steve, telling him about the enjoyment and frustration that they've had in playing the game and the extents to which they've gone to procure various BattleTech(tm) gaming materials (a lot of them go for the Technical Readouts, so they can scribble their own notes in the margins and read about the different vehicles, particularly 'Mechs). This shows commitment on the parts of PLAYERS (not just SYSOPS!) in the game, something which isn't always reflected in the online gaming community, in which there may be fervent players of some games but those players don't have any real impetus to find out more about the product beyond just how to run the game until their time limit runs up. 4. A couple of sysops have called Steve with LONG lists of "improvements" they want to see in the game. Alas, neither of the sysops have registered the product, but the furor that the game raised on those sysops' boards also means something: that the users are certainly willing to see something new and exciting. Perhaps those sysops didn't know that many of those very ╘╡ 9 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ improvements they wanted are already in the recent registered versions, but then, that's the story of sysops who don't want to register products: they're always at the tail-end of things. But the very fact that Steve is willing to accomodate unregistered sysops also lends strength to the AotD/3 movement, and those sysops will probably never register AotD/3, but there will be lots of registered sysops who will benefit from those suggestions, and the gaming community will ultimately become better for it. 5. Steve has decided to continue supporting AotD/3 above and beyond what most online game authors would... he's devoted so many man-hours of hard work and testing on his own part that, frankly, IMHO, other games would be put to shame by comparison. Which is as it should be... BattleTech(tm) is an excellent gaming system, and anything which is developed to enhance its play should be as much of a masterpiece as the original work on which it's based. If you don't know already: AotD/3 is by no means a replacement for BattleTech(tm), as many sysops and players can certainly attest to. If you wish to really enjoy AotD/3, you need to be able to enjoy BattleTech(tm). And in order to do that, you have to invest in some of the BattleTech(tm) gaming books (there's a list somewhere). By having the BattleTech(tm) rules and supplements at your side, you can become the complete merc commander in AotD/3! Good luck, commanders. I was on the AotD/UNIX team, and my mercenary force was one of several opponents of Steve's, and although our two private armies locked horns on many occasions, I'd like to see Steve's backstabber brought to justice more than anyone else... so, good hunting! - Frederic K. Maximilien, M.D., M.S. ╘╡ 10 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Nomenclature: Use of Mnemonic Codes______________________________________ "I'm all right, you're all right. Uh... you ARE all right, right?" In this game, mnemonic codes are the "quickie" shortenings of words from whatever they originally are into a limited-length structure so that 1) the online game is not packed with so much full-blown terminology that the game is slowed down and 2) players can quickly, by seeing these almost-iconic codes, understand in a flash what they refer to. For instance, if you were drifting around the game, and chanced upon a reference in a gear roster for one of your 'Mechs (perhaps you wished to replenish some ammunition) to something abbreviated with the mnemonic "sSRM6" that was low on ammunition. What would you think? What is a "sSRM6", anyway? Well, if you had learned the mnemonics, you'd figure out or just outright know that "sSRM6" stands for "Streak SRM-6", a certain type of short-range missile launcher. Seems like you have more things to learn, in your already-complex life? Too hard for you? Well, actually, like many other things that you've already learned or will learn, these mnemonic codes become much easier to understand once you've been exposed to them through usage. Don't be discouraged by how many there are. Where are mnemonic codes used? They are used to describe armor positions (see later), weapons, and other gear that vehicles and troops can carry. Essentially, mnemonic codes are used to symbolize the basic building blocks of this game: the components which congregate together to individualize every different fighting unit in this game, whether the unit is a BattleMech or an infantry platoon. Here is a roster of mnemonic codes which you will find useful during AotD/3 play: [Gear]: xLLas Extended Range Large Laser xMLas Extended Range Medium Laser xSLas Extended Range Small Laser pLLas Large Pulse Laser pMLas Medium Pulse Laser pSLas Small Pulse Laser LLas Large Laser MLas Medium Laser SLas Small Laser ERPPC Extended Range Particle Projector Cannon PPC Particle Projector Cannon Flamr Flamer AMSys Anti-Missile System G-Rfl Gauss Rifle LB2X LB-X Autocannon/2 LB5X LB-X Autocannon/5 ╘╡ 11 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ LB10X LB-X Autocannon/10 LB20X LB-X Autocannon/20 AC2 Autocannon/2 AC5 Autocannon/5 AC10 Autocannon/10 AC20 Autocannon/20 uAC2 Ultra Autocannon/2 uAC5 Ultra Autocannon/5 uAC10 Ultra Autocannon/10 uAC20 Ultra Autocannon/20 MG Machine Gun Narc Narc Missile Beacon LRM5 Long Range Missile Rack x5 LRM10 Long Range Missile Rack x10 LRM15 Long Range Missile Rack x15 LRM20 Long Range Missile Rack x20 SRM2 Short Range Missile Rack x2 SRM4 Short Range Missile Rack x4 SRM6 Short Range Missile Rack x6 sSRM2 Streak Short Range Missile Rack x2 sSRM4 Streak Short Range Missile Rack x4 sSRM6 Streak Short Range Missile Rack x6 Arrow Arrow IV Missile Artillery System TAG Target Acquisition Gear for Arrow IV Systems L-Tom Long Tom Artillery Piece Snipr Sniper Artillery Piece Thump Thumper Artillery Piece B-AP Beagle Active Probe ActP (Unknown Type) Active Probe A-Pod Anti-Personnel Pod Art4 Artemis IV Fire-Control System CASE Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment C^3Ms Command/Control/Communications Master Computer C^3Sv Command/Control/Communications Slave Computer DD Double Heat Sink G-ECM Guardian ECM Suite ECM (Unknown Type) ECM Suite MASC Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry Hatch Hatchet ╘╡ 12 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ TComp Targeting Computer JJ Jump Jet ????? Unknown Item [Armor Positions for 'Mechs]: H Head CT Center Torso LT Left Torso RT Right Torso LA Left Arm RA Right Arm LL Left Leg RL Right Leg /r (denotes consideration of a Rear portion of the armor: ie. CT/r indicates consideration for the Front Center Torso and the Rear Center Torso.) [Armor Positions for AeroSpace Fighters and other fixed-wing aircraft]: Nose or Ns Nose Ckpt or Cp Cockpit LWing or LW Left Wing RWing or RW Right Wing Fusel or Fl Fuselage Engn or Eg Engine Rear or Rr Rear [Armor Positions for Other Vehicles]: Front or Fr Front Side Left or LS Left Side Rght or RS Right Side Rear or Rr Rear Trrt or Tt Turret Rotr or Rt Rotor or Propellor Body or Bd Body ╘╡ 13 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Ironmongery: Available Weaponry in the Inner Sphere______________________ "It's better to know how to use all the things you have than to have all the things use you." This is not meant to be a comprehensive manual on the the weapon types seen in the BattleTech(tm) game and their capabilities. Rather, it's a listing of the weapons that can be found used within the Inner Sphere, whether by Successor State forces, mercenaries, or even the Warrior Clans. All ranges and damage values are as per the rules in the _BattleTech_Compendium_. [Lasers]: Large Laser ┐ Medium Laser ┤ Small Laser ┴─ These are the standard laser weapons found in the Inner Sphere. They are the most plentiful and the least expensive to repair, as well as the least damaging when compared to their cousins of same size category. Large Pulse Laser ┐ Medium Pulse Laser ┤ Small Pulse Laser ┴─ These lasers utilize a quick-cycling pulse generating mechanism to cause multiple laser beams (or bolts), simulating MG fire. Shorter range, better hit probability, greater heat generation. Extended Range Large Laser ┐ Extended Range Medium Laser ┤ Extended Range Small Laser ┴─ Just as the name says... [Other Energy Weapons]: PPC ── Standard particle weapon. ERPPC ── An extended-range version of the PPC. Flamer ── A flamethrower. [Autocannon]: AC/2 ┐ AC/5 ┤ AC/10 ┤ AC/20 ┴─ These are standard types of AC. The numbers in the designations indicate the size of the volley (comparable to the amount of damage done). Ultra AC/2 ┐ <RAPID-FIRE NOT FUNCTIONAL> Ultra AC/5 ┤ Ultra AC/10 ┤ Ultra AC/20 ┴─ AC capable of double-rate fire. LB 2-X AC ┐ LB 5-X AC ┤ LB 10-X AC ┤ ╘╡ 14 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ LB 20-X AC ┴─ AC constructed from lighter alloys, allowing for better heat dissipation and less bulk. Also improves range. [Other Ballistic Weapons]: Anti-Missile System ── A point-defense mechanism employing rapid-fire <NOT FUNCTIONAL> technology and tracking systems to function against incoming missiles. Sort of a, well, ballistic form of the Patriot AM System. Gauss Rifle ── Often described as a "NMR turned inside out"... Machine Gun ── The good ol' stand-by. Great against infantry, not so good against "real" opponents. [Missile Weapons]: Narc Missile Beacon - This fires special homing pods onto enemy vehicles <NOT FUNCTIONAL> (usually enemy 'Mechs) in order that the firing vehicle can increase the hit probability of weapon systems attuned to the Narc pods. LRM-5 ┐ LRM-10 ┤ LRM-15 ┤ LRM-20 ┴─ These are standard long-range missile racks, firing the in- dicated number of missiles (ie. 5, 10, 15, or 20). SRM-2 ┐ SRM-4 ┤ SRM-6 ┴─ These are standard short-range missile racks, firing the in- dicated number of missiles (ie. 2, 4, or 6). Streak SRM-2 ┐ Streak SRM-4 ┤ Streak SRM-6 ┴─ These SRM systems require a "lock-on" upon their target <LOCK-ON NOT prior to actual missile launch. Without a confirmed FUNCTIONAL> lock-on, the missiles will not be fired. However, once a lock-on is confirmed, the SRM missiles are guaran- teed to hit their target. [Artillery]: Arrow IV Missile System ── As stated. TAG ── Target spotting/synchronization device for Arrow IV systems. <NOT FUNCTIONAL> Long Tom ┐ Sniper ┤ Thumper ┴─ Hulking artillery pieces. There are several items marked "<NOT FUNCTIONAL>"; the reasons being that code presently does not account for the idiosyncracies of those weapon systems. However, the proper code is being developed now... won't be long! [NOTE TO REGISTERED SYSOPS: Feel free to get a copy of the AotD Weapons Systems Guide from DevPalMiami! It is available only to registered sysops!] ╘╡ 15 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Ironmongery: Other Gear__________________________________________________ "Please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em!" The following items are available in the present version's vehicles, but the actual code to drive their features is not yet incorporated into this version... These are the "frills of the frills": Beagle Active Probe (Unknown Type) Active Probe Anti-Personnel Pod Artemis IV FCS CASE C^3 Computer Master C^3 Computer Slave Double Heat Sink Guardian ECM Suite (Unknown Type) ECM Suite MASC Hatchet Targeting Computer Jump Jet ╘╡ 16 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Composition: Available Vehicles & Cohorts________________________________ Although AotD/3 is currently configured to handle a gigantic mixed bag of vehicles and troops, the present version has the data activated for only a small fraction of these. Nevertheless, even with this small selection of units available, an almost infinite number of combinations is possible. The quantities available and the rate of availability for each of the items below is variable. The following items are just SOME of the possible playing pieces you may find and use in this game of chess: Annihilator ── ANH-2A Archer ─┬ ARC-2R ├ ARC-2K ├ ARC-2W ├ ARC-2S ├ ARC-4M ├ ARC-5R ├ ARC-5S └ ARC-5W Assassin ─┬ ASN-21 ├ ASN-101 ├ ASN-23 └ ASN-88NV Atlas ─┬ AS7-D ├ AS7-K └ AS7-S Awesome ─┬ AWS-8Q └ AWS-9M Axman ── AXM-1N Banshee ─┬ BNC-3E ├ BNC-3S └ BNC-5S Bard Barracuda BattleMaster ─┬ BLR-1G ├ BLR-2D ├ BLR-2S ├ BLR-3M ├ BLR-3S ├ BLR-2C └ BLR-3NV Blackjack ─┬ BJ-1 ├ BJ-1A ├ BJ-1B └ BJ-2 ╘╡ 17 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ Black Hawk Black Knight ── BL6-KNT Bombardier ── BMB-12D Caesar ── CES-3R Cataphract ─┬ CTF-3D └ CTF-3L Catapult ─┬ CPLT-C1 ├ CPLT-C2 ├ CPLT-C1K └ CPLT-C3 Centurion ─┬ CN9-A ├ CN9-AH ├ CN9-S └ CN9-D Champion ── CHP-1N Charger ─┬ CGR-1A1 └ CGR-3K Cicada ─┬ CDA-2A ├ CDA-2B ├ CDA-2C ├ CDA-3M └ CDA-3NV Clint ─┬ CLNT-2-3T └ CLNT-2-3U Commando ─┬ COM-2D ├ COM-3A └ COM-5S Crab ─┬ CRB-27 └ CRB-28 Crockett ─┬ CRK 5003-1 └ CRK 5003-2 (Katana) Crocodile Crusader ─┬ CRD-3R ├ CRD-3D ├ CRD-3K ├ CRD-3L ├ CRD-5M ├ CRD-5S ├ CRD-5D └ CRD-5L Cyclops ─┬ CP 10-Z ├ CP 10-ZC ├ CP 10-ZL ╘╡ 18 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ├ CP 11-A └ CP 11-AC Daishi Dasher Dervish ─┬ DV-6M └ DV-7D Dragon ── DRG-1N Dragonfly Enforcer ─┬ ENF-4R └ ENF-5D Exterminator ── EXT-4D Falcon ── FLC-4P Fenris Firefly ─┬ FFL-4A └ FFL-4B Firestarter ─┬ FS9-H ├ FS9-M (Mirage) └ FS9-S Flashman ── FLS-8K Flea ── HNT-151 Gladiator Goliath ─┬ GOL-1H └ GOL-3M Grand Dragon ─┬ DRG-2K └ DRG-5K Grasshopper ─┬ GHR-5H └ GHR-5J Griffin ─┬ GRF-1N ├ GRF-1S ├ GRF-3M └ GRF-1DS Guillotine ─┬ GLT-3N └ GLT-5M Hacker Hatamoto... ─┬ HTO-11K1 (Hatamoto-Chi) ├ HTO-11K2 (Hatamoto-Hi) ├ HTO-11K3 (Hatamoto-Kaze) ├ HTO-11K4 (Hatamoto-Ku) ╘╡ 19 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ └ HTO-11K5 (Hatamoto-Mizo) Hatchetman ─┬ HCT-3F └ HCT-5S Hermes ─┬ HER-1S └ HER-3S Hermes II ─┬ HER-2S ├ HER-2DS (Mercury) └ HER-5S Highlander ── HGN-732 Hoplite ─┬ HOP-3D └ HOP-4D Hornet ─┬ HNT-151 ├ HNT-171 └ HNT-172 Hunchback ─┬ HBK-4G └ HBK-5M Hussar ── HSR 200-D Imp ── IMP-3E JagerMech ─┬ JM6-S ├ JM6-A └ JM6-DD Janus Javelin ─┬ JVN-10N ├ JVN-10O └ JVN-10P Jenner ─┬ JR7-C ├ JR7-D └ JR7-K Katana King Crab ── KGC-000 Kintaro ─┬ KTO-19 ├ KTO-20 └ KTO-21 Koshi Lancelot ── LNC 25-01 Locust ─┬ LCT-1V ├ LCT-1S ├ LCT-1M ├ LCT-1E ├ LCT-3M ╘╡ 20 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ├ LCT-3D ├ LCT-3S └ LCT-3NV Loki Mad Cat Man o' War Marauder ─┬ MAD-3R ├ MAD-3D ├ MAD-3M ├ MAD-3L ├ MAD-5D ├ MAD-5S ├ MAD-5M └ MAD-6NV Marauder II ── MAD-5A Masakari Mauler ── MAL-1R Mercury ─┬ MCY-97 └ MCY-99 Mongoose ── MON-66 Myrmidon Orion ─┬ ON1-K ├ ON1-V ├ ON1-VA └ ON1-M Ostroc ─┬ OSR-2C └ OSR-2D Ostscout ─┬ OTT-7J └ OTT-7K Ostsol ─┬ OTL-4D └ OTL-5M Panther ─┬ PNT-8Z ├ PNT-9R └ PNT-10K Phoenix Hawk ─┬ PXH-1A ├ PXH-1D ├ PXH-1K ├ PXH-3M ├ PXH-3D ├ PXH-3S └ PXH-3K Puma ╘╡ 21 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ Quickdraw ─┬ QKD-4G ├ QKD-4H ├ QKD-4I ├ QKD-5M └ QKD-5K Raven ── RVN-3L Rifleman ─┬ RFL-3N ├ RFL-3D1 ├ RFL-3D2 ├ RFL-5M ├ RFL-5S └ RFL-5NV Ryoken Scorpion ─┬ SCP-1N └ SCP-1O Sentinel ─┬ STN-3L ├ STN-3M └ STN-3N Shadow Hawk ─┬ SHD-2H ├ SHD-2D ├ SHD-2K ├ SHD-2S └ SHD-5M Shogun ── SHG-2F Slasher Smasher Spider ─┬ SDR-5V ├ SDR-5D ├ SDR-5K └ SDR-7M Stalker ─┬ STK-3F ├ STK-5M └ STK-5S Stinger ─┬ STG-3R └ STG-5M Thor Thorn ── THE-N Thug ── THG-11E Thunderbolt ─┬ TDR-5S ├ TDR-5SS ├ TDR-5E ├ TDR-7M ╘╡ 22 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ├ TDR-9S └ TDR-7E Trebuchet ─┬ TBT-5N ├ TBT-5S ├ TBT-5J └ TBT-7M Trojan Uller UrbanMech ─┬ UM-R60 ├ UM-R61 └ UM-R63 Valkyrie ─┬ VLK-QA └ VLK-QD Victor ─┬ VTR-9A ├ VTR-9B ├ VTR-9S └ VTR-9K Vindicator ─┬ VND-1R └ VND-3L Vulcan ─┬ VL-2T ├ VL-5T ├ VL-5M └ VL-5S Vulture Wakizashi Warhammer ─┬ WHM-6R ├ WHM-6K ├ WHM-6D ├ WHM-6L (Hot Hammer) ├ WHM-7M ├ WHM-7S ├ WHM-7NV └ WHM-8NV Wasp ─┬ WSP-1A ├ WSP-1D ├ WSP-1K ├ WSP-1L ├ WSP-1W ├ WSP-3M ├ WSP-1S └ WSP-3W Whitworth ─┬ WTH-1 └ WTH-2 Wolfhound ─┬ WLF-1 └ WLF-2 ╘╡ 23 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ Wolf Trap ── WFT-1 Wolverine ─┬ WVR-6R ├ WVR-6K ├ WVR-6M ├ WVR-7D ├ WVR-7K └ WVR-7M Wyvern ── WVE-5N Zeus ─┬ ZEU-6S └ ZEU-9S Zipporah This is far from a comprehensive list, but it does contain the more "common" of BattleMechs that may appear on AotD/3. If you are maintaining a private list of 'Mechs for your own edification, feel free to add in any 'Mechs that are not listed in the above roster but that you encounter and/or purchase in AotD/3! [TO REGISTERED SYSOPS: Feel free to get a copy of the NVI Products Guide (a more detailed text discussing various vehicles available from NightVeil Industries and other companies and agencies in the AotD environment) from DevPalMiami! It is available only to registered sysops!] [ANOTHER NOTE TO REGISTERED SYSOPS: Feel free to get a copy of the Twilight Depot (a special supplementary DOOR for AotD that allows players to make vehicle purchases from a gigantic selection of vehicles in the AotD environment) from DevPalMiami! It is available only to registered sysops!] ╘╡ 24 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Tour of Duty on Schwartz_________________________________________________ "What a junkheap!" One remarkable point about AotD/3 is that a LOT of it is menu-driven. And it's in English! (Sorry, but non-English versions of AotD/3 haven't been designed yet...) Not only that, but the options are pretty easy to follow, too! Let's go through the garrison, shall we? ╒╡GARRISON BASE╞═════════════════════════╕ │ 1 View/examine your forces. │ │ 2 Inner Sphere news reports. │ │ 3 Visit the garrison bank. │ │ 4 Visit the garrison cantina. │ │ 5 Enter the quartermaster center. │ │ 6 Enter the vehicle repair facility. │ │ 7 Purchase/sell vehicles. │ │ 8 Visit the recruiting hall. │ │ 9 PATROL DUTY! │ │ ? Quick help summary. │ │ [Q]UIT _Arm_of_the_Dragon_ │ ╘════════════════════════════════════════╛ See? It's pretty easy to understand! =(:->) The "quick help summary" command is virtually useless because the menu is SO easy to understand. In any event, each of the nine major features (listed above in the Garrison Menu) will be discussed separately in their own sections later. Anyway, let us join the game as a new player. What do you need to do? 1. Assess your available funds. 2. Purchase equipment. 3. Hire crew. 4. Purchase food. 5. Prepare for patrol duty... To assess your available funds, there are two ways: access the Unit Inspection #1 and view the initial screen, or access the Garrison Bank #3 and view the balance. Once you are sure of exactly how much money you have, you must consider exactly what kind of investments you would like to engage in: how you wish to configure your fighting force, how many food units do you want to maintain, and how much money do you want to keep to repair any damaged vehicles. Once you have considered the forces you wish to marshal, access the DCMS Procurement Center #7 (the command option is actually labelled "Purchase/sell vehicles"). Once there, select the [B]uy option and view the choices, then (if you feel comfortable with the selection available) make a purchase. If you don't like the choices, return to the previous level, and then try to [B]uy again. You can keep on returning to the previous level and reaccessing the [B]uy option, but every attempt you made will cause a deduction from your available funds (sort of a "purchasing privilege fee", according to the DCMS Procurement Department). Once you have purchased your 'Mechs, you still need pilots! And so, return ╘╡ 25 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ back to the Garrison Menu and then access the Recruiting Hall #8 to hire as many pilot as you need. NOTE: you can actually hire more pilots than you have 'Mechs, and that's fine because if you decide to purchase another 'Mech later, you will already have a pilot in place. Food considerations are important when on patrol duty: troops eat food. If you have too many troops (or think you do), you may wish to supplement the initial 1000 food units by accessing the Quartermaster Center #5 and then selecting the [F]ood restocking command. The last thing to do is cross your fingers and try out for patrol duty! Okay, let's continue on the following text sections, where you will eventually encounter the commands needed to operate in combat. QUICK NOTE: A LOT of the screen displays purposefully appear very similar. This is primarily to allow for players to become acquainted with the mass of information presented within the game: there's no reason why a player should become hopelessly mired down by wildly varying screens that have to impart pretty much the same information at different parts of the game. With AotD/3's game structure, many screens have the SAME screen display sections at the SAME positions on the screen. ----- WARNING TO NEW MERC COMMANDERS ----- As a new merc commander, you should be aware that you have ONE particular 'Mech pilot already in your employ: this pilot is the BEST that you will most likely ever have, unless you work your hired pilots hard enough so they can gain enough experience to rise in level. This first pilot you do not have to hire at the recruiting hall; in fact, you would never be able to find such a high-caliber pilot at the recruiting hall. This pilot occupies the slot #0 in your vehicle array, just waiting for his 'Mech. This pilot is designated as your unit commander in the field. Since this is a wargame, there is no need to designate the unit commander to be YOU, per se. However, if it makes you feel better, then by all means, go ahead and consider pilot #0 as your own persona in AotD. Important points about this particular pilot #0: √ He has a skill level of above 6. This makes him the most skilled 'Mech pilot you will have for quite some time. √ He is irreplaceable, unless you restart the game as a new player or with a cleared player record (whichever comes first). √ He is a LOYAL member of your merc group. He will not desert your unit. √ He will always listen to your commands. Now, if you DO lose this initial pilot #0, you may hire another pilot at the recruiting hall to replace him. In _general_, here are some reasons why you need to have a living pilot #0: √ There must be a unit commander (pilot #0) in order to engage in Patrol Duty. √ There must be a unit commander (pilot #0) to rearrange units in the Battle ╘╡ 26 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ Formation area. ╘╡ 27 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: Unit Inspection____________________________________________ "But-- they're so dumb-looking!" CURRENT FUNCTION: To allow the player to view various aspects of his merc unit, such as unit composition, gear built into the vehicles, weaponry carried by troops, skills levels, provisions, wealth presently carried by the unit (not including monies stored in financial storage facilities), etc. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): To allow the player the ability to order his troops in various formations, in preparation for various military actions. ╒╡Unit Information: Troop Review╞════════════════════╕ │Player name │ │ │Group name │ │ │Commanding officer │ │ │ │ │ │Current food units │ │ │Current C-bills │ │ ╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ The above screen display is shown when a player accesses the Unit Inspec- tion feature from the Garrison Menu. Player name - That is the name of the USER (not the character that the real life human calling in remotely (or playing the game locally) is controlling)... ie. YOU who are reading this! Group name - When you first logged into the game, you were asked a few questions. One of them was for you to input a name for your mercenary organization or group. That is what is displayed here. Commanding officer - THIS is the name of the character that you control in the game. Note that the CO is not necessarily the pilot in the first 'Mech that is purchased for the merc group; rather, the CO is the ambiguous, invisible hand guiding the actions of the merc group. After seeing the above screen, you are prompted to hit <RETURN>, at which point you are tossed straight into the Unit Inspection screen. In AotD/2, there were a bunch of different screen displays that pertained to the different possible combat units that every merc group could have: 'Mechs, ASF's, conventional aircraft, ground vehicles, infantry, etc. Now, however, things have been streamlined so that there is a generic template, with only small alterations made to the template to conform to these different units. In other words, there's one main screen display, and every different unit may have some stuff laid over the main display to fill in data that is unique to that unit. Well, you'll see what's going on below: ╒╡Command Summary╞════╕╒╡Damage Control╞══╕ │ + Advance 1 unit ││ │ │ - Reverse 1 unit ││ │ │ * Jump to certain ││ │ │ unit ││ │ │ / Return to prev. ││ │ │ level/menu ││ │ ├─────────────────────┤│ │ │(> │╘══════════════════╛ │ │╒╡Gear Roster╞══════════════════════════════╕ ╘═════════════════════╛│0 / / 7 / / 14 / / │ ╘╡ 28 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ╒╡Identification╞═════╕│1 / / 8 / / 15 / / │ │ ││2 / / 9 / / 16 / / │ │ Tons # ││3 / / 10 / / 17 / / │ │Crew ││4 / / 11 / / 18 / / │ │HS HL ││5 / / 12 / / 19 / / │ │Skill ││6 / / 13 / / 20 / / │ │ │╘═══════════════════════════════════════════╛ │Pos ( , , ) │ ╘═════════════════════╛ Above is the generic screen display that was mentioned in the previous paragraph. The command summary pretty much describes how to "flip through" the statistics of all of the combat units owned by the player. NOTE: even blank vehicle allocations (ie. no combat unit stats, just a pilot's stats) will be shown here. Why? Because it is possible for the player to hire pilots for vehicles even before actually buying a vehicle to fill the slot! (And vice versa...) Notice a very important omission: the Damage Control box appears to be BLANK! But when you are actually in AotD/3 and go to do a Unit Inspection, you will notice that it ISN'T blank at all. Instead, you will see a bunch of statistics arranged in tabular fashion in the Damage Control box, after all. What has happened? Well, remember those "small screen alterations" mentioned earlier? Well, that's what has happened: a screen overlay is dropped into the Damage Control box to match the specific combat unit type that you inspect. The following combat units have their own Damage Control box screen overlay: 1. BattleMechs 2. AeroSpace Fighters and conventional aircraft 3. Infantry and BattleArmor 4. Ground vehicles and hovercraft IMPORTANT NOTE: Since Release 1 of AotD/3 only supports BattleMechs, only the 'Mech screens are going to be discussed below. Release 2 (and Release 3) will contain the other combat units and will allow functionality for those units, so at that time, the documentation will contain information concerning the screen displays that pertain to those units. But, to alleviate further confusion at this point, the screens will only reflect 'Mech units. For BattleMechs, the Damage Control box contains information that is arranged in a fashion that should be VERY familiar to BattleTech players: the layout strongly resembles the standard BattleTech spec listings for 'Mechs, as given in the various Technical Readouts. Let's dissect the Damage Control box for 'Mechs below: 1. There are three "main columns" of importance here, (a) the description column (b) the internal structure column (c) the (external) armor column (a) (b) (c) Damage is deducted FIRST │ │ │ from the armor, then it ┴ ┴ ┴ passes through to the in- ╒╡Damage Control╞══╕ ternal structure and the │ Int.S. Armor│ vital parts of the 'Mech, │H │ such as weapons systems, │CT/r / │ life support, engine, etc. │LT/r / │ ╘╡ 29 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ │RT/r / │ NOTE: the virgulae in the │LA/RA / / │ Damage Control box indicate │LL/RL / / │ separation of data, as in- ╘══════════════════╛ dicated by the description column: either a division between front armor and rear armor (as in the case of "CT/r", "LT/r", and "RT/r"), or between left and right sides (as in the case of "LA/RA" and "LL/RL"). Next, the Gear Roster box. What is it for? Simply put, it lists the available weapons systems and other systems that the 'Mech carries on some part of it. What is the business with the virgulae? The structure of what goes where is as follows: 2. There are three spaces of noteworthy information, separated by the virgulae: (a) the mnemonic description of the system (b) the mnemonic description of the location of the system on the 'Mech (c) quantity of ammunition carried by the 'Mech for a particular (weapon/other) system (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ╒╡Gear Roster╞══════════════════════════════╕ NOTE: Not all weapons re- │0 / / 7 / / 14 / / │ quire ammunition to fire... │1 / / 8 / / 15 / / │ energy weapons, specifically, │2 / / 9 / / 16 / / │ generate their volleys from │3 / / 10 / / 17 / / │ the motor piles of the 'Mechs │4 / / 11 / / 18 / / │ and not from a preset stack │5 / / 12 / / 19 / / │ of munitions within the │6 / / 13 / / 20 / / │ fighting vehicle. Their ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════╛ ammunition spaces are marked with a "0", but they fire NOTE: All weapons are ranged. Take care without a hitch. Weapons re- in what you fire and how far you expect quiring ammunition, however the system to fire... (ie. ballistic and missile weapons systems), DO need ammo, and they can no longer fire when their supply is depleted. What is the Identification box used for? It yields other useful information about the 'Mech that may interest the player. However, this is probably the most cryptic of all of the boxes without any of the data filled in (just look below at the blanked box if you don't believe it): ╒╡Identification╞═════╕ │ │ │ Tons # │ │Crew │ │HS HL │ │Skill │ │ │ ╘╡ 30 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ │Pos ( , , ) │ ╘═════════════════════╛ To try to make sense of the Identification box, let's fill in some data for a fictitious 'Mech and then explain the statistics: ╒╡Identification╞═════╕ │YAK-1A Yakuza │<── This line is for the 'Mech type │95 Tons #0 │<── This gives the 'Mech tonnage and unit number │Crew 1 │<── This gives the crew size │HS 20 HL 10 │<── This tells the number of heat sinks & heat level │Skill 5 │<── This describes the pilot's skill │W 2/R 3/J 2 │<── "W"=walk distance, "R"=run distance, "J"=jump! │Pos (35 ,35 ,0 ) │<── Position on battlefield ╘═════════════════════╛ Some of the statistics that are presented in the Identification box are not actually relevant during the Unit Inspection, but they are important during combat... For instance, the position on the battlefield is only important when the 'Mech is currently on the battlefield (however, a future addition to the game will allow the player to preset, in this section, in exactly which location on the battlefield the 'Mech will be!). Also of no present value is the heat level... however, in combat, the heat level will determine exactly how much activity the player will be able to squeeze out of the 'Mech in question: every weapon generates heat, running generates heat, and even jumping generates heat; however, a heat level beyond the capacity of the heat sinks on the 'Mech will temporarily incapacitate the 'Mech... and a temporary overabundance of heat will negatively modify the capabilities of the 'Mech in question (especially when it comes to hitting the target!). And that's pretty much it for the displays in the Unit Inspection option! Remember the information in this section for combat! ╘╡ 31 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: Inner Sphere News Reports__________________________________ "News is what you make of it." CURRENT FUNCTION: To keep the player informed of minor and major events in the Inner Sphere and beyond. Some of the items related in this section are somehow related to the game itself. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): Players may leave to other players and read such messages... ╘╡ 32 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: The Bank___________________________________________________ "Alright, gimme all yer muneee!" CURRENT FUNCTION: To allow the player to keep their wealth in storage. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): Interest accruement and loan capabilities. Also, at- tempts at bank robbery will be allowed... ╒╡GARRISON BANK╞════════════════════════╕ This section is pretty self- │ B Display bank balance information. │ explanatory. │ D Deposit funds. │ │ W Withdraw funds. │ │ [R]ETURN to previous level/menu │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════╛ Why stick your money into the garrison bank? You always seem to have money deducted every time you use certain services while in the garrison. And you don't seem to have any of your money stolen while in combat... Well, as stated above, future capabilities to be built into the banks will be interest accruement through stock investments and just plain depositing. The more you leave in the banks, the more money you get back. Good deal, eh? CAUTION: Currently, when the player is destroyed in combat, the monies stored in a financial storage facility are absorbed by that facility. This may be changed in the future. ╘╡ 33 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: The Cantina________________________________________________ "Let's rock!" CURRENT FUNCTION: A diversion for the player. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): Source of various rumors and useful information, as well as possibly digestible "game food". The command options are pretty self-explanatory. ╒╡GARRISON CANTINA╞═══════════════╕ │ B Approach the bar. │ │ T Get a dining table. │ │ G Enter the "game room". │ │ [R]ETURN to previous level/menu │ ╘═════════════════════════════════╛ ╒╡AT THE BAR╞════════════════════════╕ │ D Order a drink. │ │ B Try to talk with bartender. │ │ P Talk to person sitting at bar. │ │ [Q]UIT to previous level/menu │ ╘════════════════════════════════════╛ ╒╡AT YOUR CANTINA DINING TABLE╞═════════════════╕ │ M Order a meal. │ │ W Try to talk with waiter. │ │ C Look around for contacts at other tables. │ │ [Q]UIT to previous level/menu │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ╒╡IN GAME ROOM╞═════════════════════════════════╕ │ P Go watch a porn flick. │ │ [Q]UIT to previous level/menu │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ----- TALKING WITH PEOPLE ----- Many items in this game and many interesting tidbits of information are obtainable only by talking with the people who visit the Cantina. There are FOUR different types of persons you may choose to talk with, as shown in the menus displayed above: √ A bartender (at the Bar) √ Another person sitting at the Bar √ A waiter (at a Table) √ Another person sitting at another Table near yours Once you've actually decided to speak with someone and go ahead and type in the menu option to do so, you will be confronted with a screen display that has certain areas partitioned off. What does all of this mean? Let's look at the actual screen setup: ╘╡ 34 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ╒╡Contact╞══════════════════════╕ │ │<── This identifies the person you are ╘═══════════════════════════════╛ talking with, by name or job. ╒╡Contact's Statement╞══════════════════════════════╕ │ │<── This displays what │ │ the person says... │ │ Simple statements, │ │ long explanations, │ │ and even questions │ │ directed at YOU │ │ will be shown in │ │ here. ╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════╛ ╒╡Contact's Fee╞╕╒╡Whaddya Say?╞═════════════╕ │ ││(> │<── This is where you have the ╘═══════════════╛╘═══════════════════════════╛ opportunity to make any └──────┬──────┘ statements of your own in │ order to elicit some sort └ This is where the person will flash of response from the other to you some sort of amount that person, as well as to you must pay in order to continue answer any questions that your line of inquiry. The displaying the other person may ask of an amount (or just 0) will often YOU. More on this below. be accompanied by a question shown in the Contact's Statement box. This whole chatting process involves a simple word association mechanism, very reminiscent of the Ultima(tm) series of graphic gaming adventures, and many other online games have attempted to emulate AotD's technique in handling this method of conversation, although not to the level of complexity that AotD manages. At the heart of this word association scheme is a parser which searches for the words or phrases which the player (that's you) places in the Whaddya Say? box (shown above). You can put ANY word you feel may help advance the conversation with the individual into the box. Think about terms that the other person may be familiar with; try to play around with terms that such a person may be familiar with. There are some SPECIAL WORDS which you should be familiar with: BYE - This will terminate the conversation with the individual! JOB - This will often (but not always) elicit some sort of response concerning the person's profession or job. You may also obtain items, and special passes or permission to obtain items, from certain persons in the Cantina. You must speak to them and "ask" the right questions via entering certain trigger words (as mentioned above) to elicit certain responses. You won't be totally in the dark: other persons may refer to a single individual who may possess the item/pass/permission that will enable you to meet the objective that you may have. The individual's own name or profession may also help you along with good lines of inquiry. It's all up to you to incorporate things you have seen in AotD and in BattleTech(tm) literature into a good body of parseable statements that you can try to pass to the person you are engaged in conversation with. Good luck. ╘╡ 35 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: Quartermaster Command______________________________________ "Let zem eat cake!" CURRENT FUNCTION: To allow the player to restock exhaustibles. ╒╡QUARTERMASTER COMMAND DEPOT╞════╕ Again, this is pretty self-explana- │ F Restock food. │ tory! │ A Replenish ammunition. │ │ [R]ETURN to previous level/menu │ ╘═════════════════════════════════╛ ╘╡ 36 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: Vehicle Repair Depot_______________________________________ "If it ain't busted, don't fix it!" CURRENT FUNCTION: To provide the player with adequate facilities to repair or replace 'Mech components in order to allow for continued success(?) on the battlefield. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): Temperamental mechanics and engineers who'll have varying opinions on repair techniques... and different repair prices! Also, all vehicles will be supported; not just BattleMechs. ╒╡GARRISON REPAIR DEPOT╞════════════╕ Although the Garrison Repair Menu has │ A BattleMech repair. │ listed for repair the whole gamut of │ B AeroSpace Fighter repair. │ vehicle types, the only one currently │ C Conventional aircraft repair. │ supported is that of the 'Mech. │ D Ground vehicle repair. │ │ [R]ETURN to previous level/menu │ ╘═══════════════════════════════════╛ The following is the BattleMech Repair Menu, accessed by typing "A" in the menu above... ╒╡BATTLEMECH REPAIR╞═════════════╕ This menu is pretty self-explanatory, │ A Armor patchwork. │ too... │ G 'Mech gear replacement. │ │ M Movement apparatus repair. │ │ [Q]UIT to previous level/menu │ ╘════════════════════════════════╛ The Armor Patchwork screen display below is reminiscent of the Unit In- spection screens, is it not? =(:->) However, it is only truly concerned with the Damage Control values. Accordingly, the only actual data-revealing box is the Damage Control box, as shown below. The other two major boxes explain what to do and what options are possible: ╒╡Command Summary╞════╕╒╡Damage Control╞══╕ │Check the damage con-││ Int.S. Armor│ │trol chart to the ││H │ │right, then select 1 ││CT/r / │ │of the options in the││LT/r / │ │chart below to patch ││RT/r / │ │an armor position! ││LA/RA / / │ ├─────────────────────┤│LL/RL / / │ │(> │╘══════════════════╛ ╘═════════════════════╛ ╒══════════════════════════════╤══════════════════╤═════════════════════╕ │ 0 Head internal structure. │ 8 Head armor. │ │ │ 1 CT internal structure. │ 9 CT armor. │ 10 CT rear armor. │ │ 2 LT internal structure. │ 11 LT armor. │ 12 LT rear armor. │ │ 3 RT internal structure. │ 13 RT armor. │ 14 RT rear armor. │ │ 4 LA internal structure. │ 15 LA armor. │ │ │ 5 RA internal structure. │ 16 RA armor. │ │ │ 6 LL internal structure. │ 17 LL armor. │ │ │ 7 RL internal structure. │ 18 RL armor. │ │ ╞══════════════════════════════╧════╤═════════════╧═════════════════════╛ │ [R]ETURN to previous level/menu │ ╘╡ 37 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ╘═══════════════════════════════════╛ The following is the 'Mech Gear Replacement Menu. It is also reminiscent of the Unit Inspection menus, and it is basically geared (ha ha!) toward showing the necessary information in order for the player to select which piece of equipment (if any) to repair. What happens is that the player types a response in the oblong box (in the lower part of the Command Summary box), following the instructions posted in the upper part of the same box. Then the selected system will appear to the right of the Command Summary box, right after the "Item:" term. And then the player is asked whether or not he'd like to have that system fixed in the preset question below the "Item:" term... ╒╡Command Summary╞════╕ │ Select the number │ │ of the item in the │ Item: │ Gear Roster that │ │ you wish to repair: │ Repair this? [y/n]: │ [0-24] │ │ [R]ETURN │ ├─────────────────────┤ │(> │ │ │╒╡Gear Roster╞══════════════════════════════╕ ╘═════════════════════╛│0 / / 9 / / 18 / / │ ╒╡Identification╞═════╕│1 / / 10 / / 19 / / │ │ ││2 / / 11 / / 20 / / │ │Tons ││3 / / 12 / / 21 / / │ │Heat Sinks ││4 / / 13 / / 22 / / │ │Heat Level ││5 / / 14 / / 23 / / │ │Pilot Skill ││6 / / 15 / / 24 / / │ │W /R /J ││7 / / 16 / / 25 / / │ │Position ( , ) ││8 / / 17 / / 26 / / │ ╘═════════════════════╛╘═══════════════════════════════════════════╛ ╘╡ 38 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: Vehicle Procurement Department_____________________________ CURRENT FUNCTION: To allow the player to both purchase and sell 'Mechs. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): Purchasing and selling of all types of vehicles. This section is easily understood. Just follow the posted instructions in the game! ╘╡ 39 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___The Garrison: The Recruiting Hall________________________________________ CURRENT FUNCTION: To allow the player to hire 'Mech pilots to control any 'Mechs he owns or will purchase in the future. PROPOSED FEATURE(S): The player will be able to hire all types of pilots troops. Like the Vehicle Procurement Department section, this section is pretty self-explanatory. ╘╡ 40 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Patrol Duty______________________________________________________________ As you have probably figured out by now, most of AotD/3 is menu-driven. How- ever, one of the most crucial parts of the game, going on patrol duty (AKA accessing the combat simulator) requires some explanation Instead, the combat screens have been optimized for maximum visibility of important statistics (well, as much as possible in this current version). There are some problems with slow BBS's and slow modems: the screen refreshes are excruciatingly sluggish. Fighting occurs in turns: first you, then the raiding enemy. AotD/3 introduces a few more commands beyond the simple set allowed in AotD/2. This was intentional, to expand upon players' repertoire. The commands are as follows: <SPACE> Fire weapon at a TARGETED enemy target </> Retreat from the field of battle <0> Advance to your next unit <5> Movement Control Subsystem (MCS) Mode <S> Battlefield scan <T> TARGETING (lock onto an enemy unit) <I> Fire weapon at ANY enemy target <?> Display a command summary for combat! In addition, you need to activate your numeric keypad (or you can use your normal number keys) to take advantage of movement: <7>-NW <8>-N <9>-NE <4>-W <6>-E <1>-SW <2>-S <3>-SE A forthcoming document discussing in detail the commands available for combat will be released soon. Please be patient. Meanwhile, the commands can actually be intuitively figured out as to function. Feel free to experiment with the commands. =(:->) ╘╡ 41 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Planned Advancements for Registered and Future Versions__________________ √ Addition of infantry units, AeroSpace Fighters, conventional aircraft, even more 'Mechs, and ground and hover vehicles. √ More control during combat. √ Combat in different terrain, sometimes not even homogeneous. √ Dogfight dueling between two or more AeroSpace Fighters and/or con- ventional aircraft. √ Shrewder, and sometimes double-dealing, DCMS procurement clerks meddling in buying and selling ordnance for mercs. √ More complete NVI arsenal available to mercs for use in the field. √ And much, much more! (coming in AotP!) -*-*-*- FOR REGISTERED SYSOPS: The following is a list of products available only to registered AotD sysops, on DevPalMiami... The latest version of AotD/3 The Twilight Depot - a special vehicle purchasing DOOR AotD/3 RLL Player Data Editor - for editing certain parts of a record NVI Product Guide - a text detailing vehicle types AotD Weapons Systems Guide - a text detailing gear on vehicles AotD Action Packs - for variety in combat opponents! AotD Q&A Packs - for more and more hints while talking! Vehicle Data Manager - for editing vehicle data records! Other proposed, upcoming products for registered AotD sysops include: Combat arena for two or more 'Mechs A complete player data editor (TrueEdit) A terrain data editor (TerrEdit) An editor to customize enemy units for patrol duty encounters An editor to customize the Q&A Packs Online NVI Product Guide built into the Twilight Depot Vehicle construction DOOR (Mithras) ╘╡ 42 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛ ╒╡Arm of the Dragon, Third Edition╞═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ___Endnote__________________________________________________________________ The need for thought-provoking and, frankly, fun online games has been around for almost the entire fourteen-year duration since the first online games appeared for microcomputer-based BBS's. There have been many products that have appeared and disappeared that have tried to fill this void, some more successful than others. _Arm_of_the_Dragon_, UNIX Version, was a private attempt among a bunch of dedicated biochemists, chemists, system designers, computer engineers, electrical engineers,an English major, historians and their ilk, a mathematician, a mechanical engineer, physicists, system engineers, and a weapons expert to create a microcosm of excitement, playability, and realism unparalleled at the time (1985-1989) in online gaming via uucp and LAN. Although AotD/UNIX was never distributed to a general audience, those lucky(?) enough to have experienced the maddening thrill of playing it had all expressed their amazement in the existence of, finally, something which could truly be considered THE authoritative online wargaming/RPG experience to which everything else should be compared. AotD/UNIX had a lot of things going for it: up to 18 different UNIX sites supporting huge chunks of the known universe (over 30,000,000 planets at the end), several thousands of different vehicles and weapons, virtually millions of variables and decisions, detail down to even the effects of temperature, illnesses, and politics upon warfare. Alas, nothing lasts forever: DevPalProj disbanded, and development of AotD/UNIX ground to a halt. Source and execs were recalled, and everything was mothballed. In a sense, AotD programming development follows its own plot line! And, with AotD/3, the revival of some of the magic that was AotD has begun... The UNIX players will recognize many differences and simplifications, but the goal of providing an exciting online game still remains. - Steven V.S.H.R. Lin, Ph.D., M.S. ╘╡ 43 ╞═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╡Player's Guide╞╛