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StratSys v2.0 "Strategy-System" (C) Dec 1991, Jan 1992 Ed T. Toton III OVERVIEW: Before starting, please note that you must have a microsoft compatable mouse and a VGA in order to play this game. StratSys (pronounced "Strat' siss") is a game of strategy (imagine that). The game is designed to allow a wide variety of games. The possibilities are endless!! Each game scenario is contained in a file with a SCN extension (ex- "MYGAME.SCN"). This file tell the program where to place the units and what type they are. It also instructs the program to load 3 different data files. One ontains the images for the background, another contains the images for the units, and the other has the map. Anything you can imagine is possible. The game comes with a few scenarios to get you started. At a later date I will distribute a map and icon editor for this game. Right now this game comes with an editor that can be used for that purpose, but a nicer one will be around someday. You will be able to make your own scenarios! Extension packs are also be available! These packs contain more data files and scenarios. Ideas in the works right now (or are in library packs) are as follows: 1) Bug War!! Bug colony vs Bug colony!! 2) Space conflict Ship to ship warfare!! 3) The middle east A modern scenario.. 4) Computer war! Viruses and programs fight in a computer! 5) Fantasy Land! Dragons and wizards fight to the death! 6) Chess world!! Chess peices battle it out!! If you have any ideas for more, or you have made a scenario that you think is worth a bit, then send them to me and they may appear in a future release of this game, or a Library Set (expansion pack)!! Here's a list of what's in this package: OCEAN1 1) Naval Conquest! Battle it out with carriers and destroyers! CYBER1 2) CyberWar! Robots fight in a futuristic landscape! CIVWAR1 3) Civil War! A historical concept! Enjoy the cannons! MED1 4) The middle ages! I can hear the sound of swords and armor! ^^ filenames. RULES: The game has one basic idea that must always be kept in mind. It is: "Kill the enemy leader, while protecting your own." Each team will get at least one unit with a rank of 1 (leader). You must have one of those at all times to remain in existance. You lose if you have no leaaders! You will have several commanders (rank 2). The more of these you have, the more move-points you'll get each turn. More commanders means you can do more commanding right? Everything else will be rank 3 or worse. These are your main combat force. Every unit has five basic statistics. They are: 1) Attack strength (Take this, subtract enemy defense 2) Defensive strength rating, divide by 20, prob. of hit) 3) Speed (4-speed is cost per move) 4) Range (distance you can shoot) 5) Rank (Leader? Commander? Soldier?) On the title screen you will be shown these statistics, but you need not memorize them. You should click on a few units when the game begins to familiarize yourself with your units. When you click on a unit it will show you it's stats, and you can hit 'cancel' to avoid doing something with that unit. Don't try to memorize their stats, simply keep in mind which ones are tough and slow, or fast and week, or whatever. Each turn you get 10 move-points (or MP's). You have those just for being alive with at least one leader. For every unit you have of rank 2 you will get an additional 5 MP's per turn. MP's are used for moving and attacking. A unit of speed 3 will use 1 MP every time it moves, whereas a unit of speed 1 will use up 3 (hence the equation 4-speed=cost). Attacking always requires 2 MP's. Watch how you use them! They go FAST! You will want to note that the computer beeps when you try to do something illegal (such as try to keep moving without enough MP's, or try attacking without enough MP's, or try moving over impassible terrain, etc..). Each unit may only make 2 attacks per turn. Also, even if your range is greater than 1, you must still get within a distance of 1 to attack a unit of rank 1. You will also want to note that rough terrain causes the cost of movement to double. If you can't move a unit to the desired location, it is due to lack of MP's, or there is something in the way (such as another unit, or impassible terrain). There are some simple on-screen instructions in the upper-right corner. A lot can be done with the mouse, but movement will always be done using the cursor-keys. Most commands can be selected by either pressing the key of the first letter of the word, or by clicking on it with the mouse. "Quit" and "Skip" are an exception. They must be done from the keyboard. They will work in most places. Occasionally those two commands won't work (like if you are presently moving a unit), but most of the time they will work. QUIT quits the game, and SKIP ends your turn. Occasionally you may be confused by what the computer won't allow you to do. Sometimes you will try to move and it won't let you. Well, it all falls under the rules, it's simply a matter of figuring out which one. If you can't move, it's because you are either trying to move where you can't (impassible terrain, or there is another unit there, be it enemy or friendly), or you don't have enough MP's. Remember, the cost of moving double if you are presently moving from a place that is rough terriain. So if you try to move a cannon through woods it will cost 6 MP's for each move! USING THE GAME: The game is run with the following syntax: STRATEGY <scenario file-name> There will often be batch-files included with the various scenarios for your convenience. Just type the name of the batch file at the DOS prompt, and the game will automatically load. To see a list of the batch files just type "DIR *.BAT", likewise you can type "DIR *.SCN" to see a list of the scenarios. To make a new scenario, you should probably only edit the old ones but save them under new file names (so as not to lose the old ones). You can change the file names listed in the scenario to load a new map or new icons. As far as the locations of the units, well, here goes... In the scenario pack there is a section that begins with the number 4, and ends with a 0. This is where all the units are defined. Each unit takes up two lines. The first line is the type of the unit (for instance, if you are using the ships from the naval thing, and put a 1, you get an aircraft carrier). The second line has the locations for the units. Here is the format: X1 Y1 X2 Y2 Where x1,y1 is the location for that unit for player 1, and x2,y2 is the location for that unit for player 2. Here is a sample: 4 (to start the unit definitions) 1 (unit type one) 1 20 40 20 (units are at center of left and right sides) 0 (to end the unit definitions) In such a scenario, each player would only have one unit. And if that unit is not a leader, that means (of course) they don't have ANY leaders, and the game is over. You must make sure both players have at least one leader each. If you were to use this with the naval scenario, each player would have one aircraft carrier. All of the scenario file segments are discussed in detail in appendix A. In the scenario files, it should be pretty easy to discover which parts of it load the map and icon files. Note that if the game seems to not want to run, and there is a file called STRATEGY.REG, delete it. It may start working. But only do that if you are sure it's not the scenario that you're trying to run that's causing it. Also, if worst comes to worst you can always delete everything and re-unzip the original zip-package. The data files and so forth that come with version 2.0 and forward are different than the ones that came in pre-2.0 packs. You must use EITHER ALL the new ones OR ALL the old ones. They cannot be mixed. NOTICE: This program is being distributed on the "shareware" concept. It is by no means completely free. If you think the program is of use to you, or you use it somewhat regularly, or you use it over a decent period of time, then please send a registration fee of $8 (price is dropping). If you think that is rediculous, then send less (or more for that matter). If you hate the program or found too many bugs, write me and tell me, and include a graphic explanation (but don't be too harsh!! Heheheh). In any event, write to: Ed T. Toton III 7101 Talisman Lane Columbia Md 21045 And WHY should you register it? 1. To support my continuing efforts to bring you some level of functional programs. If I get no cash, you get no improvements in these programs, and I won't be encouraged to make new and better software! 2. To get that warm glow for knowing that you supported the author of at least one of the many shareware programs you probably use. 3. To find out if there is a newer version. All you need to do is ask! But letters with money take priority! 4. You could be sick and demented and thus register everything you get your hands on. 5. You can save your games!! 6. To stop your Num-lock, Scroll-lock, and Caps-lock from blinking throughout your game! (it's a little reminder while you play). 7. It's a copyright infringement not to if you use this program with any level of regularity, or over a period of time greater than a week! (but that's only a law, right? I hate guilt tactics) DISCLAIMER: This program is provided "AS IS" and I make no gauruntees about it's performance. I will not be and can not be held responsible for any damages incurred during it's use. It's on a "use at your own risk" basis. Nothing at all should happen, the program is harmless, but I have to say it anyway. This program is not here to support the concept of war. It simply provides war as a topic for a fun strategic game. COPYRIGHT: This program may be freely distributed (which is actually encouraged) AS IS. No one may modify this program in ANY way. ESPECIALLY where names and credit is given, and INCLUDING all the documentation and data files. It may NOT be used for comercial or profit-turning ventures of any kind, including sale by disk vendors, without the written consent by ME, with ONE exception. Disk vendors MAY sell it without my written consent ONLY if they charge no more than $5 higher then the cost of the disk, AND they register it first. NOTHING may be added to it either. NO BBS ads are allowed EXCEPT as zip comments, or as a single SEPERATE text file. CHANGES: v1.1 -Now the file contains the BGI file needed to initialize graphics! Thank goodness only one copy of version 1.0 got out. v1.2 -You can save your games (if you are a registered user of this game). -Also, there are some added features such as you can toggle the sound, and it prompts you with "Are you sure?" when you try to quit the game or skip your turn. -Several miscellanious bugs that probably no one noticed, but never the less needed to be fixed. -On some systems the mouse wouldn't initialize properly and thus wouldn't be able to move over the entire screen. Fixed. v1.3 -Some odd bugs were fixed. Again, mostly unnoticeable. Major ones however; older versions would occasionally use up memory until there was no more to use, which would lock up the system. It all depended upon how often you used things that called up the 'windows', such as saving the game. Fixed. -New chart added. That chart you see on the title screen can now be accessed during the game, to registered users of StratSys only. -That annoying little beep that you would hear everytime you exited one of those 'windows' from the main menu ("select a unit" thing) has been removed. I never intended for it to do it in the firstplace, and it is now gone. v1.4 -A REALLY stupid error has been corrected. If the game was unregistered and you attempted to view the chart, after you exited the window that told you that you couldn't do it, the window would remain on the screen (and thus blocking your view to the map). That has been fixed. v1.5 -Due to a silly mistake, v1.4 would not allow you to click on anything on some systems. This has been fixed. v2.0 -Apparently not all sound was shut off when you would turn the sound off. You would still hear the attack sound effects. Fixed. -Some more minor bugs have been cleaned up. (including removing more of those annoying little beeps that would occur when you close a window). -Some of the file formats have been changed. You can still use the old ones, but the new ones will be the standard from now on. The DAT files for background and units used to be incompatable with one-another. This is no longer true. They can be interchanged. But now a UNT file is used in the scenarios. -I have now included an image-editor you can use to edit or create icons and maps. -As I have done several times before, more felxibility has been added to the scenario options, Including keyboard blinkies, palette changing, window colors, seperate file loads for UNT and DAT files for the two seperate teams, and of course UNT files. -Documentaion (this file!) now includes appendices with which you can understand and make scenario files!! -Game files (MAP & DAT files to be specific) have been saved in a more compact way. They are still in the same format and can be used by previous versions of this game, but only take 3 to 5 kilobytes now as opposed to the 9 used previously. -New keyboard blinkies for you unregistered people!! (of course it doesn't do much if you don't have keyboard LED's). FINAL NOTE: If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, criticisms, donations, remarks, praise, or opinions, please write! I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!! (the address is listed above). Also, PLEASE write me if you spot any bugs. It might still have a few. I fixed all the ones I could find, but I may have overlooked something. Also, if you think you can write better documentation (it's not one of my strong points), please go ahead and do it, then send it to me. If I like it I'll put it in and give you the credit and free registration! And also- please feel free to distribute any scenarios, icons, or utilities you come up with that are designed for use with this program. If you are to design utilities (best of luck to ya!), I require that you send me a copy, but that is all. If you design something for use with this game, and you send it to me (be it scenario or whatever), and I like it, I may give you free registration (the keyword being 'may', for I make no garauntees, and it will only happen if somebody out there DOES register. however, if it's a utility that I think is worth it, you WILL get free registration). But at anyrate, enjoy! Ed T. Toton III "Necromancer" -1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- APPENDIX A: Scenario file formats. Scenario files are like scripts. The program reads along through the scenario file and does what the file tells it to. The instrictions are given in numerical format. It will read a line, and depending on what number it is, it will do whatever it is supposed to (which may include reading the next few lines to get some data). This appendix explains what each number code does, and what data must be given with it. If you include the wrong number of lines in the file, or leave out something, or put extra data, the game will crash. It's VERY picky about the scenario files, so a great deal of care is necessary to create a scenario. There should be no blank lines in the SCN (scenario) file. IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!- The first line of ANY scenario MUST be the name of that scenario!!! No exceptions!!! The code descriptions will be in the following format: # [function] description, data, example. Anything in angle brackets (<,>) represents putting what the words inside imply (whatever).. and stuff in square brackets ([,]) are comments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Read in map file. This code tells StratSys to read it's map from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones will not hurt, but whichever one came last is the one used. format: 1 <filename> example: 1 mymap.map - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 Read in background icon file. This code tells StratSys to read it's background icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. format: 2 <filename> example: 2 mystuff.dat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 Read in unit icon file. (old format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. format: 3 <filename> example: 3 myguys.dat Note that the files that came in this zip package will not work with this command. The only files in existance at the time of this writing with which this command will work are the files that came with pre-2.0 StratSys and with Library Set 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 Read in unit placement. This code tells StratSys to read in the unit placement. For every listing given, a unit will be added to both teams. After the '4' is read, StratSys will keep reading in units until a 0 is encountered. There is no problem with having multiples of these. But keep in mind that the limit is 100 units per team. format: 4 <unit #1> . . . <unit #N> 0 unit format: <unit type number (1-6)> x1 y1 x2 y2 [x1,y1 is location for player 1 unit, x2,y2 is location for player 2 unit] example: 4 [start reading ] 1 [add a type 1 unit ] 1 1 40 40 [player 1: 1,1 player 2: 40,40 ] 5 [add a type 5 unit ] 1 20 40 20 [player 1: 1,20 player 2: 40,20 ] 3 [add a type 3 unit ] 13 13 20 20 [player 1: 13,13 player 2: 20,20 ] 0 [end reading ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 Read in player 2 unit placement. This code tells StratSys to read in the unit placement. For every listing given, a unit will be added to both teams. After the '5' is read, StratSys will keep reading in units until a 0 is encountered. There is no problem with having multiples of these. But keep in mind that the limit is 100 units per team. format: 5 <unit #1> . . . <unit #N> 0 unit format: <unit type number (1-6)> x y example: 5 [start reading ] 1 [add a type 1 unit ] 1 1 [player 2: 1,1 ] 5 [add a type 5 unit ] 1 20 [player 2: 1,20 ] 3 [add a type 3 unit ] 13 13 [player 2: 13,13 ] 0 [end reading ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 Read in player 1 unit placement. This code tells StratSys to read in the unit placement. For every listing given, a unit will be added to both teams. After the '6' is read, StratSys will keep reading in units until a 0 is encountered. There is no problem with having multiples of these. But keep in mind that the limit is 100 units per team. format: 6 <unit #1> . . . <unit #N> 0 unit format: <unit type number (1-6)> x y example: 5 [start reading ] 1 [add a type 1 unit ] 1 1 [player 1: 1,1 ] 5 [add a type 5 unit ] 1 20 [player 1: 1,20 ] 3 [add a type 3 unit ] 13 13 [player 1: 13,13 ] 0 [end reading ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 Change unit icon colors. This code tells StratSys to change the colors in the unit icons. You can define up to 20 of these. Note that they will only have an effect if they are found in the SCN file BEFORE the code 3 (to load the icons). Also note that if you DO do that, they WILL take effect if you save your game and then re-load the save-game. To see a list of the color codes, see appendix B. Also note that it will change them in the order you specify them. If you tell it to change blue to green, then tell it to change whit to blue, you will have both green and blue, however if you do it in the other order, what used to be white will become blue and then in turn be turned to green. format: 7 <old color> <new color> example: 7 1 [take dark blue,] 15 [change to white] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 Read in unit icon file. (new format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. format: 8 <filename> example: 8 myguys.dat The files that came in this zip package, and all that will be created for Library Sets after set 1 will be in this format. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 Toggle flip. This code tells StratSys to toggle it's present setting for the flip-option. Most scenarios are set up to have player one's icons facing right, and player two's facing left. Thus the flip option (which flips the icons around for player 2) defaults to ON. Whenever StratSys reads a '9', it toggles this setting. The chess games in Library Set 1 are a good example of the use of this command. format: 9 example: 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Read in unit stats file. (StratSys 2.0+ format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit stats from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can't hurt. But as with maps, if multiple ones are specified, it will use the last one. format: 10 <filename> example: 10 myguys.unt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 Change palette. This code tells StratSys to change the palette for the whole game. You can define up to 20 of these. Note that they will have an effect wherever they are found in the SCN file. Everything will be changed. Foreground, background, menus, windows, etc. Each change is independant of each other, and order of declaration has no specific effect. A change in color is dependant upon the original color, not the present one (as in code 7). format: 11 <old color code> <red> <green> <blue> The new color is made up of components of the three primary colors, red green, and blue. Each component can be in the range of 0 (off) to 63 (full). Please note that not all the colors can be changed on some systems (including mine). I have no idea why, but I just thought I'd inform you. example: 11 1 63 63 63 [Take what used to be dark blue and make it white] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 Turn-on Keyboard-Blinkies. This code tells StratSys to make the Caps-Lock, Num-lock, and Scroll-lock blink even if you have the game registered. Don't ask why this is here.. format: 12 example: 12 [real hard to use, ain't it?] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 Define window-colors. This code will instruct StratSys to read in three numbers for colors for pop-up windows. For a list of the color codes see appendix B. format: 13 <Foreground color (text)> <Background color> <Border color> example: 13 [start color definitions, the following are the default values] 15 [white text ] 1 [blue background ] 4 [red border ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 Read in unit icon file for team 1. (new format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. Note- it loads Icons for team 1 only... if you use this you will need a code 15 or 19 in the file as well. format: 14 <filename> example: 14 myguys.dat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 Read in unit icon file for team 2. (new format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. Note- it loads Icons for team 2 only... if you use this you will need a code 14 or 18 in the file as well. format: 15 <filename> example: 15 myguys.dat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 Read in unit stats file for player 1. (StratSys 2.0+ format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit stats from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can't hurt. But as with maps, if multiple ones are specified, it will use the last one. If you combine this with code 10, and then you save your game, it may come out different (in other words use the one from code 10), although it will probably use this one. Note- it loads unit stats for team 1 only... if you use this you will need a code 17 in the file as well. format: 16 <filename> example: 16 myguys.unt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17 Read in unit stats file for player 2. (StratSys 2.0+ format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit stats from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can't hurt. But as with maps, if multiple ones are specified, it will use the last one. If you combine this with code 10, and then you save your game, it may come out different (in other words use the one from code 10), although it will probably use this one. Note- it loads unit stats for team 2 only... if you use this you will need a code 16 in the file as well. format: 17 <filename> example: 17 myguys.unt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 Read in unit icon file for team 1 with flip. (new format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. Note- it loads Icons for team 1 only... if you use this you will need a code 15 or 19 in the file as well. Also note that this flips the images as a code 8 would automatically do for player two. This means the images will become their own mirror-images, and the green colors will be changed to the reds. format: 18 <filename> example: 18 myguys.dat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19 Read in unit icon file for team 2 with flip. (new format) This code tells StratSys to read it's unit icons from the file-name given. There should only be one of these in the SCN file. Multiple ones can theoretically eat up memory and lock up the system. Note- it loads Icons for team 2 only... if you use this you will need a code 14 or 18 in the file as well. Also note that this flips the images as a code 8 would automatically do for player two. This means the images will become their own mirror-images, and the green colors will be changed to the reds. format: 19 <filename> example: 19 myguys.dat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- APPENDIX B: Color codes: code name 0 black 1 dk blue 2 dk green 3 dk cyan 4 dk red 5 dk magenta 6 brown 7 lt grey 8 dk grey 9 lt blue 10 lt green 11 lt cyan 12 lt red 13 lt magenta 14 yellow 15 white