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-
- TIGERS ON THE PROWL VERSION 1.26 DISK/UPGRADE
-
- This file contains the complete set of TOP files. As such, it may be used
- to upgrade ANY previous revision of TOP to version 1.26. The Errata
- section likewise list ALL changes made since the initial release version.
- However, almost all of the changes occured in version 1.2 and before.
- Versions after 1.2 are primarily maintenance releases which correct problems
- as they were reported.
-
- To install this version, type "INSTALL" at the A:> or B:> prompt.
-
-
-
- TIGERS ON THE PROWL VERSION 1.26 ERRATA
-
- The changes will be broken down into two main categories: Interface and
- game mechanics - just as in the manual. To better help players "jump right
- in" with the new changes, however, a short summary of all the changes will
- be presented before the individual modifications are covered in detail.
-
-
- I. MAJOR CHANGES, INTERFACE:
-
- 1.) NEW ORDERS ROUTINE. (Mouse only) Now you can click on a unit with
- the flashing map cursor and have a new orders menu pop up on the screen.
-
- 2.) NEW ORDERS MENU. (Mouse only) A new orders menu that allows units to
- be given any applicable command from a single menu, after clicking on the
- unit (above). Orders shown in gray may not be selected for that unit.
-
- 3.) NEW ARTILLERY MENU. (Mouse only) A new menu showing all aspects of
- an artillery mission on a single window. This menu pops up when
- "ARTILLERY" is selected from the new orders menu (above). Where ammo
- quantities are shown, "t" represents the total on-hand quantity, and "a"
- indicates the number of rounds allocated to other missions (for that specific
- ammo type).
-
- 4.) CLICK TO SCROLL. Clicking the LMB on an empty edge hex scrolls the
- map in that direction.
-
- 5.) RMB TO ZOOM. Clicking the RMB with the flashing map cursor over an
- unoccupied hex brings up the Zoom menu.
-
- 6.) CMB TO CHECK LOS. Clicking the CMB with the flashing map cursor
- brings up the LOS menu.
-
- 7.) TARGET HEXES FOR DF. Hexes (without a sighted enemy unit) may be
- sighted for DF (area) fire from the normal targeting routines.
-
- 8.) LOOK AT MAP. From the map selection screen (new game), hitting [L] or
- the RMB displays the highlighted map.
-
- 9.) BACK-UP MOVEMENT. Vehicle units may be given orders to back up one
- hex in reverse gear (keeping their facing unchanged). The back-up command
- is only accessible from "HEX BY HEX" movement routine. When a unit (which
- must not be towing another unit) is given orders to back-up, the command delay
- is zero and all existing movement commands for that unit are erased.
-
- 10.) EXIT/PAUSE COMBAT REPLAY. When viewing the combat replay, hit [Q],
- [Esc], or the RMB to QUIT viewing, or [P]/CMB to PAUSE.
-
- 12.) VIEW HQ CHAIN OF COMMAND. Select "HQs" from the new orders menu
- (above) for a display and summary of all the HQ units in the current unit's
- chain of command (including substitute HQ's). Values shown in red
- indicate that an additional delay penalty is being added at that step.
-
- 13.) [ESC] OR RMB TO QUIT MENU. Most menus can be exited by hitting [Esc]
- or the RMB in addition to [F1] or selecting the "DONE" option.
-
- 14.) NEW LOS CROSS SECTION DISPLAY. Whenever a single LOS is determined
- ("Point to Point" LOS check, or when selecting a target), a cross section
- of the LOS will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. The base ground
- elevation along the LOS is shown in brown, with trees, buildings, and other
- obstacles shown as scale "blocks" above the ground level. The vertical
- elevation scale is variably expanded by a factor of 100 or more to the
- horizontal.
-
- 15.) MODIFIED ARTILLERY/AIR QUEUE INFO. The artillery queue info box now
- displays more information concerning the mission status and delay for out of
- the ordinary situations. When a mission is waiting for the end of friendly
- airstrikes, "AIR DELAY" will be displayed. Other messages indicate if the
- artillery unit is firing at a DF target, reloading, or moving (all which
- prevent the unit from firing an IF mission). Likewise, the in the airstrike
- box, "+ATM" appears after the delay value when additional delays are likely to
- be caused by bad atmospheric conditions.
-
- 16.) NEW FORCE CHARACTERISTICS. Force TRAINING/SKILLS, BUTTONED-UP and DUD
- RATE levels have been added, and may be set normally in the Advanced game.
-
- 17.) EXPANDED FORCE SUMMARY. The force summary displayed at the start of
- each turn now includes unit weapon types, HQ units, and highlights units that
- are broken.
-
- 18.) SHOW ALL MOVES. This is a new option in the QUEUE INFO menu that allows
- players to view the objectives and/or movement paths of all their units.
-
-
- II. MAJOR CHANGES, GAME MECHANICS
-
- 1.) SILHOUETTED TARGETS. The LOS routines now determine when targets are
- silhouetted (against the sky). Normally, this occurs for units on
- hilltops or ridge lines, although it can occur in other terrain configurations
- as well. Silhouetted targets are much easier to spot and target with DF.
-
- 2.) CHAIN OF COMMAND. The chain of command has been modified along more
- rigid lines. The 1st Battalion now controls A, B, and C Companies; 2nd Bn has
- D, E, and F Co's, and the 3rd Bn gets G, H, and I Co's. Only unbroken units
- may act as HQ's. The computer will automatically assign "acting" HQ's as
- necessary as units break or are destroyed.
-
- 3.) IF ADJUSTMENT. IF missions may be adjusted ("walked") in any direction
- by one hex (100m) per turn. The adjustment is automatically handled by the
- computer each turn, starting with the initial target hex.
-
- 4.) IF DISPERSION. IF missions may be dispersed around the target hex by one
- or two hexes. When dispersed by one hex (+/- 100m) it is known as AREA fire,
- when by 2 hexes (+/- 200m) it is called WIDE fire. Rounds will generally land
- randomly within the dispersion area, with an adjustment for the wind.
-
- 5.) MINIMUM IF RANGE. The minimum IF range is determined as 1/10th of the
- maximum weapon range for rockets; 1/15th maximum range for mortars (or 100
- meters, whichever is greater), and 1/20th the maximum range for other weapons.
- Off-map units add 1000 meters to the range to the target.
-
- 6.) ROCKET RESTRICTIONS. Rocket missions may only be assigned and fired as
- unspotted, unadjusted, WIDE (+/- 200m) fire.
-
- 7.) TRAINING LEVEL. The new force Training Level is used in a wide number of
- routines, including those that determine the probability of spotting enemy
- units, DF and IF accuracy, actual ROF's, overrun efficiency, quantity of PPD
- targets, airstrike "awry" probability, and CB fire.
-
- 8.) DUD RATE. The dud rate is used to determine if a round misfires ("in the
- chamber") or when an explosive type round impacts on the target but does not
- detonate. The dud rate is also used to ascertain if an artillery round goes
- "wild" - under or over shooting the target by a large margin (normally under).
-
- 9.) BUTTONED-UP DEFAULT. If this value is set to yes, all AFV's for that
- force remain buttoned-up at all times during the game. In game terms, this
- means each AFV maintains 30 suppression points, and suffers all of the effects
- caused by this suppression level. Morale losses from IF/DF are halved for
- buttoned-up units, and the risk of losing TC's (tank commanders) is zero.
-
- 10.) RECON UNITS. Recon type units receive a 30% bonus when attempting to
- sight enemy units. Additionally, recon units assigned to D/S (reporting
- directly to the TF HQ) enjoy a special delay of zero at all times.
-
- 11.) SPECIAL COMBAT MOVE. Units NEAR a unit under fire, but not themselves
- under fire, may now be eligible for the special combat move. For a unit to be
- eligible, either the unit under fire must be in the same company, and within
- 475 meters, or within 250 meters and in LOS of the first unit. Eligible units
- will have a black (instead of red) target displayed in the upper right corner
- of their unit info box. The combat move delay is always zero, and the maximum
- path length will be between 3 and 6 hexes - depending on the force training
- level.
-
- 12.) INCREASED SPOTTING PROB/FIRING UNITS. Units that fire have their
- spotting probability increased over the values outlined in the manual: 15%
- for Personnel; 30% for Guns; 50% for Vehicles; 100% for Aircraft
-
- 13.) INCREASED VP ON OBJECTIVE. Units on/adjacent to an on-map objective get
- 5 times the normal VP points, if there are no enemy units within 475 meters of
- the objective (was 4 times normal).
-
- 14.) INCREASED MAXIMUM ARTILLERY UNITS. A maximum of 20 artillery units may
- appear in the IF mission selection menu. If a force contains more than 20
- artillery units, only the first 20 (in company order, starting with A Co) may
- be selected to fire IF. The others will never appear in the selection menu,
- so they can not be assigned IF missions. However, the "extra" units perform
- all other combat functions normally.
-
-
-
- III. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF CHANGES
-
- The detailed descriptions use the same numbering system as the manual, and the
- conventions used in previous errata.
-
-
- T.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRAINING LEVEL. (Addition)
- A large number of changes were caused by the inclusion of the training level
- throughout the entire program. To increase clarity, the changes will
- be discussed in this single section rather than in many small pieces through
- the errata.
-
-
- In the following calculations, the average of the force morale and training
- level is used (instead of only the morale level as described in the manual):
- 1.) Spotting enemy units and enemy IP's, mines, and other field works.
- 2.) Accuracy increase for spotted IF missions.
- 3.) Number of rounds per hex per turn in a barrage.
- 4.) Artillery accuracy.
- 5.) Airstrike going "awry" probability.
- 6.) DF accuracy.
- 7.) Overrun combat factors.
-
- In the following calculations, the force training level replaces the morale
- level completely:
- 1.) Quantity of PPD targets available to the force.
-
- In the following calculations, the training level is added as indicated:
- 1.) The number of CB points is reduced (multiplied) by the training
- level percentage after the other calculations are complete.
- 2.) The actual number of rounds that are fired by a unit in DF and IF is
- multiplied by the training level (proportional).
- 3.) A low training level (less than 60) makes it easier to spot that
- force's units.
- 4.) One-fifth of the training level is added to the defending overrun
- factor calculation.
- 5.) The training level is the probability that a sighted IF mission
- which loses its LOS will be fired unspotted instead of cancelled.
- 6.) In the special combat move, the number of commands that may be given
- to the unit is 3 plus the training level divided by 30 (fractions
- rounded down).
-
-
- D.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DUD LEVEL. (Addition)
- The dud level is a measure of the reliability of a force's ammunition.
- Because the dud rate can have serious consequences on play, players should be
- careful when changing the default values. However, players should be aware
- that in real life the dud rate was often influenced by weather, temperature,
- and other conditions. So, some player modifications may be necessary to
- accurately portray a historical battle or situation.
-
- D.1 MISFIRES
- Misfires occur when a round does not expend from the firing weapon. In
- soldier's terms, you've got a "hot round in the chamber". With automatic
- weapons, a meaningful misfire is caused by a jam in the weapon feed. For
- other weapon types, the round in the chamber just doesn't go off.
- For non-automatic projectile weapons, the probability of a misfire is 1/2
- the standard dud rate. For example, if the dud rate is 3% the probability of
- a misfire is 1-1/2%, or about one round in 67. Automatic weapons have a
- misfire rate of between one tenth and one thirtieth the non-automatic rate.
- Flame weapons have a misfire rate of 3 times the normal force dud rate.
- When a misfire occurs, that particular round is not fired and some (or all)
- of that weapon's remaining rounds to be fired in the turn are not fired
- either. The misfire affects only the ROF of specific weapon in which it
- occurred. It does not cause other weapons in the same unit to have a lower
- ROF as well.
- In the case of automatic and flame weapons, a misfire may cause the weapon
- to be put out of action for the remainder of the game. However, the
- probability of this happening is very small.
-
- D.2 PARTIAL MISFIRES
- A partial misfire occurs when a round expends improperly or in a non-
- standard manner from the firing weapon. For example, when a self-contained
- round has less propellent than it should, or the propellent is contaminated,
- or the projectile is damaged, or the quality control of the ammunition is
- substandard.
- In the case of a partial misfire, the round is fired at the target but the
- accuracy is greatly reduced. In the case of IF fire, the round will most
- likely under shoot the target (and often by a considerable distance).
- Partial misfires occur only to rounds 40mm or larger. The probability of a
- partial misfire is 10 times the dud rate squared. Using the above example
- with a dud rate of 3%, about 9 rounds in a thousand will be partial misfires
- (10 times (.03 times .03)).
-
- D.3 DUDS
- Duds are rounds that expend normally from the firing weapon, but do not
- react as expected upon reaching the target. In most cases this means that the
- shell fails to explode, generate smoke, or ignite as an incendiary. As such,
- being a "dud" round does not affect AP, APC, small arms, beehive, or flame
- round types.
- When a round is determined to be a dud, it will have no effect on the
- target.
-
-
- BU.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF BUTTONED-UP DOCTRINE (Addition)
- Most of the national forces in World War II fought "unbuttoned" to a large
- degree, in that their vehicle commanders exposed themselves outside of the
- vehicle to better see the battlefield. Only at the last minute would the
- commander "button up" by withdrawing into the vehicle and closing the hatch.
- The primary exception were the Soviets (especially in the first few years of
- the war), who normally fought an entire engagement "buttoned-up" from the very
- beginning.
- The primary trade off between being buttoned-up vs. open was increased crew
- protection and lower leader losses vs. reduced combat effectiveness.
- TOP uses the suppression game mechanism to handicap a buttoned-up force by
- allocating 30 suppression points (the maximum) to each AFV each turn. The
- suppression has all of the standard effects just as if it was caused by enemy
- fire. The "suppressed" units will move slower, suffer reduced DF accuracy and
- sighting abilities, and have a somewhat greater morale loss every turn they
- move than if they were "unsuppressed".
- However, under fire the "buttoned-up" units suffer only 50% of the normal
- morale losses, and the risk of having the vehicle commander killed is zero.
-
-
- SECTION 8.2.9 (Addition)
- To look at a map before selecting it, from the map selection screen hit the
- <L> key or the RMB. Once the map has been drawn on the screen, hit any key to
- return to the map selection screen. Note that in the map preview it is only
- possible to view the map at zoom level 1. None of the other commands are
- active.
-
-
- SECTION 8.4 (Addition)
- Three new force characteristics have been added: TRAINING LEVEL, DUD RATE,
- and BUTTONED-UP. The first two are percent values between 0 and 100%, while
- BUTTONED-UP is either "YES" or "NO".
- The TRAINING level is separate from the morale level, and reflects the
- training and experience of the force as opposed to its "willingness to
- fight". The DUD RATE is simply a measure of ammunition quality, and is the
- percentage of rounds that can be expected to malfunction in some way.
- BUTTONED-UP reflects doctrine or SOP in which a force's AFV's keep their
- personnel inside the vehicle and the hatches closed for the duration of the
- game.
-
-
-
- SECTION 4.1.5 (Clarification)
- Streams are shown as thin blue lines, rivers as thick blue lines, and
- gullies are solid dark brown lines.
-
-
- SECTION 5.3 (Addition)
- Once at least one game has been started, the Main Menu will have a
- fourth choice: CONTINUE LAST GAME. If this option is selected, the last
- game being played will be automatically loaded in. The game will start
- at the point at which it was last ended - WHETHER OR NOT THE GAME WAS
- MANUALLY SAVED.
- This option makes it convenient to pick up where you left off,
- especially in cases where a system failure occurs in the middle of a
- turn, or a player forgets to save the game.
-
- Saved game files may now be deleted. First, select LOAD SAVED GAME from
- the Main Menu. From the list of saved game files that will appear,
- highlight the game to delete and hit the <D> key. A confirmation window
- pops up as a double check before the file is actually deleted.
-
-
- SECTION 8.2.10 (Addition)
- The game length may be set by selecting "GAME LENGTH" menu choice. The
- game length may be set from 20 to 220 turns where each turn is 1 minute.
-
-
- SECTION 8.5 (Addition)
- An option for the computer to pick the human player's force has been
- added.
-
- When this option is selected, the computer will select the entire force
- for the human player. Before the selection begins, however, the human
- player is given the option of setting the aggressiveness level of the
- computer when selecting the formations.
-
- Human players are always able to change the computer's selections once
- they have been completed.
-
-
- SECTION 8.6 (Addition)
- A "running" Victory Point total for the units currently selected has been
- added at the upper right corner of the FORCE SELECTION screen.
-
-
- SECTION 8.6.2 (Addition)
- A new feature has been added to change an entire company's weapon type at
- once. This feature is especially useful when the majority of the force
- has one type of weapon, but a few companies contain another. For example,
- a German tank force may contain 6 companies of Pz IV tanks, and one
- company each of Tigers and Panthers.
-
- To change a company's weapon type, select the company box at the far left.
- From the pop-up menu, select CHANGE WEAPON TYPE, which usually appears
- near the bottom of the menu, just below the last formation line.
- Note that the company MUST EXIST before using this command. So, in the
- above example, a player would first create 8 Pz IV tank companies, and
- then go back and change the weapon type of two of them to Tigers and
- Panthers.
-
-
- SECTION 8.6.4 (Addition)
- When selecting a weapon type from the SELECT WEAPON pop-up menu, the
- <Page Up> <Page Down>, <Home>, and <End> keys can now be used to scroll
- the list up a page, down a page, to the first page, and to the end,
- respectively.
-
-
- SECTION 8.9 (Addition)
- An additional feature has been added to TOP that allows players to modify
- the execution delays for each player. When used, the new value overrides
- the standard delay in all circumstances. The override value also entirely
- eliminates the use of the chain of command routines, including the
- considerations concerning a unit's distance from a HQ.
-
- The TF HQ delay is not affected by the override. It remains zero. Also,
- the override value really does not affect detachments, since they may
- never be given movement orders.
-
- This option is provided in the interests of "getting to the action"
- quickly. The overrides are not historical, and may drastically affect the
- balance of play. Players are also cautioned that the initial VP's were
- determined before the overrides were set, based on the standard
- (historical) delays. These values are not recalculated when the override
- is set.
-
-
- SECTION 8.9 (Addition)
- An additional "Free Set-up" option has been added which lets players
- dispense with the normal start line placement restrictions. When a side
- uses Free Set-up, that player's units, detachments, IP's, wire, and mines
- may be placed ANYWHERE on the map.
-
- Free Set-up is not suggested for computer controlled forces. The
- placement AI routines have not been modified to accommodate the increased
- flexibility. Note also that by using Free Set-up, units from the opposing
- forces may inadvertently start the game in the same hex (because unit
- locations are NEVER disclosed to the other side before the start of the
- game).
-
- Barrages will not be fired against a force that used Free Set-up (since
- there is no start line hex column on which to begin the barrage fire).
-
-
- SECTION 9 (Addition)
- In an PBM/PBeM game, player #1 (red) always sets up and moves first,
- irrespective of the mission.
-
- Version 1.14 allows players the option of selecting on-map objectives for
- the attacking force.
-
- This option can only be used when a HUMAN player is attacking. The
- defending player may be either human or computer controlled. This option
- may not be used in a meeting engagement.
-
- The objective selection menu will appear on the screen just after the
- "READY FOR SETUP" message. Normally, the first player to set up will
- select from this menu. However, in games against a computer defender,
- the human player always makes the selection.
-
- The menu choices are: FAR MAP EDGE: The default objective from the
- original version; COMPUTER ASSIGNS OBJECTIVE: The computer picks 3
- "possible" objectives, and then selects 1 as the actual objective;
- ATTACKER SELECTS (ONE OF 3): The computer chooses 3 "possible"
- objectives, and the attacking (human) player picks which is the actual;
- CURRENT PLAYER PICKS A HEX: The current player (whether attacking or
- defending) chooses any hex on the map as the actual objective of the
- attacking force.
-
- Normally, players should select one of the first two options - to maintain
- play balance and "fog of war".
-
-
- SECTION 9.1 (Addition)
- Whenever the flashing map cursor is displayed (both in the setup phase and
- during game turns), the following mouse actions are available:
- a.) Click the LMB to ZOOM in or out.
- b.) Click the CMB to check LOS's.
- c.) Click on an unoccupied edge hex to scroll the map.
-
- To show the attacking force's objective, select the "V" (for Victory
- objective) box in the lower right corner of the screen or hit the <V> key.
-
- If the current player is the attacking player, the actual objective will
- be highlighted on the map (or a message stating the objective is the
- opposite map edge will be displayed).
-
- The defender, however, is not shown the actual objective. In cases where
- the computer picked 3 "possible" objectives (and one was selected by
- either the computer or attacker as the actual objective), these 3 hexes
- will be highlighted. But, no indication will be given as to which is the
- actual objective. Or, in cases where the attacker picked a specific hex,
- the location is not shown.
-
-
- SECTION 9.3.4 (Clarification)
- Off-map artillery is assumed to be placed 1000 meters behind the map edge.
- When firing IF onto the map, the range for off-map artillery units is
- calculated as the range from the center (top to bottom) edge hex on the
- friendly side of the map to the target hex, plus 1000 meters.
-
-
- SECTION 9.10 (Addition)
- At the conclusion of the set-up phases, players are given an option to
- "cycle" back through the set-up procedure. When this option is selected,
- the sequence will return to the unit placement sub-phase, and will proceed
- normally through the other set-up sub-phases.
- Current set-up values (unit locations, mine placements, etc.) are NOT
- reset - they remain as initially positioned.
-
- After both sides are set up, the game may be saved as a normal game file
- ("xx.OPS"). The current turn of the saved set-up will be 1. To "reload"
- the saved set-up, follow the standard saved game procedure.
-
-
- SECTION 10.2 (Clarification)
- In the unit strength summary, original unit strength values are equal to
- quantities before detachments are released. So, whenever a unit provides
- one or more detachments, the unit will appear under strength from the very
- first turn.
-
- The FORCE STRENGTH REPORT now displays statistics for HQ and D/S units, as
- well as showing the weapon type for each unit. Additionally, broken units are
- highlighted in yellow.
-
-
- SECTION 10.3 (Addition)
- When viewing the COMBAT REPLY, click the RMB or hit the <Esc> or <Q> keys to
- quit viewing the replay and return to the orders phase. To pause the replay,
- click the CMB or hit the <P> key. To un-pause hit or click any key or button.
-
-
- SECTION 10.5 (Addition)
- The <Tab> key is now used to cycle through the seven Command Line options.
- The four arrow keys scroll the map.
-
-
- SECTION 10.7 (Addition)
- A new "AREA" LOS feature has been added, which highlights hexes NOT in
- sight over an area of the map as seen from a single spotting hex. To use
- this new feature, select LOS CHECK from the main menu, and then AREA from
- the LOS type menu (POINT TO POINT is the "normal" method described in the
- user manual). Select the spotting hex, and the general direction of the
- LOS (to the RIGHT, LEFT, UP, OR DOWN). The area shown will be limited by
- the direction, and the portion of the map shown on the screen.
-
- The results of the AREA check are:
- Hexes NOT in LOS are darkened in.
- Hexes in LOS are unchanged.
- Hexes on the LOS area border are outlined in red (if in LOS).
-
- The AREA check NEVER shows LOS percent degradation values. If an LOS has
- less than 10 blocking points, the AREA check shows the LOS to the hex as
- valid. Otherwise the LOS is completely blocked and the hex is darkened.
- So, even though a hex has a "good" LOS, friendly units may not be able to
- actually spot an enemy unit in the hex, or effectively target it.
-
-
- SECTION 10.7.1 LOS Cross Section Display. (Addition)
- Whenever a single LOS is sighted between two hexes (point to point LOS
- check, targeting DF, or sighting IF), a cross section of the LOS will be
- displayed at the bottom of the screen. This display shows the relationships
- between the ground level, blocking terrain, and actual LOS. The intent is to
- better help players visualize the "lay of the land", and determine why LOS's
- are blocked or degraded in complicated situations.
- The ground level (to the closest meter) along the LOS is shown in brown.
- Ground level values are computed to the nearest meter at 10 meter (horizontal)
- intervals. The vertical scale is exaggerated between 30 and 100 times to
- better bring out features and elevation changes.
- Blocking terrain types are displayed as colored "blocks" above the ground
- level. A key identifying which terrain types are represented by which colors
- is shown to the right of the cross section. The height of a terrain "block"
- corresponds to its actual height (with the exaggeration factored in).
- The actual LOS path is normally shown by a red line between the spotting and
- target locations. However, if the LOS involves an aircraft unit the LOS line
- will not be drawn, and "AIR/GROUND" will appear to the left of the cross
- section display. This limitation is necessary due to the vertical scale
- exaggeration, which would place the aircraft end of the LOS up in the map
- area.
- The LOS calculations are more exact than the resolution allows for on the
- display. This means that in certain instances, the LOS my look open or closed
- on the display, but in reality may be the opposite. Players also need to
- remember blocking points are added from things not shown on the display -
- namely: range; smoke; and dust.
-
- If a unit in the LOS's target hex would be silhouetted, a message to that
- effect will be shown to the left of the cross section display. Silhouetted
- units are on average twice as easy to spot, and have the accuracy of DF
- directed against them increased 50%.
- Targets are considered silhouetted if, after reaching the target hex, the
- sighting LOS does not pass through the ground or any blocking terrain for at
- least 1500 meters beyond the hex (or until the LOS goes off the edge of the
- map).
-
- SPECIAL NOTE: The TOP maps are basically identical to 10 meter interval
- topographic maps. The main difference is that where a topographic map keeps
- the basic terrain color the same between contour lines, TOP shades each
- interval a different color and does not display the constant elevation
- (contour) line. If contour lines were drawn on the TOP map, they would run
- along all of the intersections between different elevation levels. The
- elevation of each contour line would be the elevation level value of the
- higher hex at the intersection. For example, at the intersection of a level 3
- (30 meter) and level 4 (40 meter) hex, the contour line would be 40 meters.
- Only at these edges, as along a contour line, is the exact ground elevation
- known from the map. This is an important consideration, because the "lay of
- the land" is almost never a series of flat steps, except perhaps in the case
- of cliffs. Instead, the ground surface slopes relatively evenly between the
- higher and lower elevations. With the elevation resolution of both the TOP
- and topographic presentation methods limited to 10 meters, it is impossible to
- tell the EXACT elevation of any point between contour lines closer than this -
- except as a "seat of the pants" guess somewhere between the elevations of the
- bracketing contour line values. This even holds true "inside" a TOP hex -
- since elevation changes are calculated horizontally every 10 meters across the
- hex's entire width.
- The key thing to remember is that a TOP "elevation" means only that all
- points within that hex will be within a given 10 meter interval (except at
- cliffs). So, under normal conditions a level 5 hex could contain locations
- with elevations anywhere from 50 to 59 meters. The only way to see the actual
- elevations for sure is to run a LOS check and view the cross section display.
-
-
- SECTION 10.8 (Addition)
- A "+" after the delay value in the QUEUE INFO box indicates that the
- displayed mission is "on hold" because it is behind another mission in the
- queue for the firing unit. Once the priority (first) mission has been
- completed, the delay countdown will resume normally for the second one.
- Note that there is always a 2 turn delay imposed on a firing unit between
- missions to realign the guns and set up the fire. So, the delay on all but
- priority missions will be at least 2.
-
- In certain cases, messages may appear in the QUEUE INFO box in place of
- the mission delay. When the conditions of these messages occur, the mission
- delay is not decreased in that turn.
-
- FIRING DF! - The firing unit is currently engaging a target by DF.
- UNIT MOVING - The firing unit is currently moving.
- AIR DELAY! - A friendly airstrike has put all fire missions on "hold".
- UNIT BROKEN - The firing unit is broken.
-
- Once the conditions are removed, the delay countdown (or fire mission)
- resumes normally.
-
-
- SECTION 10.8.2 (Addition)
- In cases where an airstrike is likely to experience additional delays due to
- atmosphere (weather) conditions, "+ATM" will appear after the delay value in
- the queue box.
-
-
- SECTION 10.8.3 Show All Moves. (Addition)
- The SHOW ALL MOVEMENT ORDERS selection allows players to see the movement
- objectives and/or movement paths for all of their units. This routine
- automatically cycles through all of the force's units, beginning with unit A0,
- and proceeds in numerical sequence through the line companies, D/S units and
- TF/Bn HQ's.
- There are two options for this command: SHOW ONLY OBJECTIVES and SHOW ALL
- PATH HEXES. If the SHOW ONLY OBJECTIVES option is chosen the current unit's
- location will flash a couple of time in white on the screen, followed by its
- ultimate movement objective hex in red. If the SHOW ALL PATH HEXES option is
- selected, the current unit will flash in white, followed by having each hex in
- the movement path highlighted, and finally the objective will be shown in red.
- In either case, the standard UNIT INFO BOX for the current unit will be shown
- at the bottom of the screen just as the unit location begins flashing.
- At any time, players may pause or exit the display, or issue orders to the
- current unit. To pause, hit the <P> key or click the CMB. To exit, hit the
- <E> key or click the RMB. To give the current unit orders, hit the <O> key,
- or click the LMB.
- Units selected for "Orders" may be given any and all orders normally. When
- the player is done issuing orders, the movement display will continue cycling
- from where it left off.
-
-
- SECTION 10.10.5 (Note)
- If the FOUR UNIT SYMBOLS PER HEX display option is used, unit symbols may
- overflow into adjacent hexes. Often, when the hex is redrawn/highlighted/
- un-highlighted, outlines of the symbols will remain in the adjoining hexes.
- To remove these outlines, use the "R" (redraw) feature to refresh the map
- screen.
-
-
- SECTION 11 (Addition)
- This addition is probably one of the biggest changes in version 1.2, at
- least in terms of making the game easier to use. In addition to issuing
- orders by the method described in the manual (select the order first - THEN
- the unit), orders may now be given by selecting the unit first directly from
- the map. To do this, just click the LMB when the flashing map cursor is over
- the desired unit(s).
- A pop up menu will appear that shows all of the unit's current orders and
- settings, and allows for additional orders to be given to the unit. Only
- those orders displayed in blue may be selected, the others are not applicable
- to or for the unit.
- In most cases, once an order has been selected the sequence will be the same
- as in the previous versions, and discussed in the manual. The menu's
- functional area groupings are:
- MOVE ORDERS. From this area units may be given movement and loading
- orders. Click LMB to select highlighted order.
- SPEED. This sets the speed as a percent of the unit maximum speed.
- Move slide to the desired value and click the LMB to change.
- FACING. The unit's current facing is shown in red. Move the mouse
- cursor to the desired new facing and click the LMB to change.
- TARGET. The unit's current target will be shown, either an enemy unit
- or a hex number (for area fire). Click the LMB to change.
- DEFAULTS. The unit's current engagement range is shown by the slide on
- top. The unit's maximum weapon range is determined automatically by the
- computer for either the main weapon "(M)", or a secondary one "(S)" -
- depending on gun ranges and ammo availability. Move the slide as desired
- and click the LMB to change. To change the other targeting defaults,
- highlight the value and click the LMB.
- WEAPON. The current weapon to fire is shown on top ("M"=Main,
- "S"=Secondary). The ammo to fire is shown below. Click the LMB to
- change.
- FIRE SUPPORT. These choices are used to call in artillery and
- airstrikes. Click the LMB to select.
- DETAILED INFO. The first three selections call up the detailed weapon
- information charts - "GEN" for Weapon Technical Data, "WPN" for the Ammo
- Characteristics, and "PEN" for the Penetration. "HQ's" displays the
- chain of command. Click the LMB to select.
-
- To exit the orders menu, click the RMB or select DONE from the bottom of the
- menu.
-
- An option has been added which allows players to cycle through their units
- one at a time while giving most orders. If this option is available for
- a given order, a pop up menu will appear. Select YES to auto-cycle
- through the force, or NO to select units individually.
-
- The unit cycle always begins at unit "A0", and proceeds sequentially to
- "A1", "A2", etc., through all the on-map (only) units.
-
-
- SECTION 11.1 (Note)
- It is always a good idea to use intermediate unit movement objectives when
- moving units by the COMPANY ROUTE or UNIT OBJECTIVE methods. Intermediate
- objectives are used by merely selecting 3 objectives each 600 meters apart
- rather than a single objective 1800 meters away.
- There is no additional penalty for using intermediate objectives other
- than the little bit of extra time it takes to issue multiple orders
- instead of a single one. But, the benefit is much greater control over
- the movement path.
-
- Since the computer tends to spread units out to avoid presenting a
- attractive concentration to the enemy, intermediate objectives are
- especially appropriate if you want your units to follow a fairly limited
- route. Intermediate objectives are also a good idea on areas of the map
- with a lot of roads, elevation changes and/or cover terrain, since the
- computer will often devise roundabout routes to take advantage of these
- features.
-
-
- SECTION 11.1.3 (Addition)
- A "B" in the movement command display box at the bottom of the screen
- indicates the unit is backing-up in reverse gear.
-
-
- SECTION 11.1.5 (Addition)
- Units not directly under fire may also be eligible for the special combat
- move. In particular, units not under fire could often be in a position to
- know that friendly units nearby WERE under fire, and could adjust plans
- accordingly.
- For a unit not under fire to be eligible for the special combat move, the
- unit under fire must not be an aircraft, and one of the following two
- conditions must be met:
- 1.) The unit not under fire is in the same company as the unit under
- fire, and the units are within 475 meters (4 hexes) of each other.
- 2.) The unit not under fire is from a different company than the unit
- under fire (or either/both of the units is a D/S or Bn/TF HQ unit), and
- the units are within 250 meters of each other, and the unit not under
- fire has a valid LOS to the unit under fire.
- Units eligible for this move when not under fire will have a black (instead
- of red) target symbol in the upper right corner of their unit info box.
-
- The maximum path length of the special combat move is no longer fixed at
- three hexes. Instead, it may be anywhere from 3 to 6 hexes - calculated as 3
- hexes plus the force training level divided by 30 (fractions rounded down).
-
-
- SECTION 11.1.6. Back-up Movement (Addition)
- Backing up in reverse gear is frequently used by vehicles to get out of an
- unexpected situation. Such situations include taking unanticipated or
- unusually heavy enemy fire, sighting a previously hidden threat, or having the
- forward movement path blocked by combat action. By backing up, the vehicle
- can react to the situation while keeping the more protective front armor
- towards the enemy.
- The drawbacks to backing up are that the reverse gears are much slower than
- the forward ones and more prone to mechanical failure, and that normally it is
- much harder to see where you are going in reverse. As such, movement in
- reverse was normally only used for short distances and in critical situations
- and only just long enough to get out of trouble.
-
- Vehicle units may be given orders to back-up in reverse gear one hex. When
- this command is issued, any existing movement commands for the unit are
- erased. The facing of the unit at the time the order is issued determines in
- which direction the back-up movement will take place.
- The delay for back-up movement is always zero, so the unit will begin
- backing up on the next movement phase. Units will back up only one hex at a
- time. If you want unit to continue to back-up, you will need to issue new
- back up orders each turn.
- Carrier units towing another unit and non-vehicular unit types may not be
- given orders to back up.
-
- To issue a unit with back-up orders, select the "HEX BY HEX" movement
- routines. Then, instead of issuing orders, hit the <B> key, or use the mouse
- to click on the "B" which appears in the lower right corner info box (with the
- arrows). The unit's path will be cleared, and the back-up order shown.
-
- NOTE: Because the unit's current path is erased when it is given a back-up
- order, there is no way to "undo" the back-up order once it is issued, unless
- the unit's command delay is zero. So be careful. Once you issue the back-up
- order - you're stuck with it.
-
-
- SECTION 11.2.2 (Addition)
- Hexes may be selected as DF targets even if they do not contain a sighted
- enemy unit. Selecting a hex for DF instead of an enemy unit is a technique
- generally known as "recon by fire", or more properly "area fire".
- Whenever a target hex is chosen by hand, the computer first looks for a
- sighted enemy unit in the hex. If this condition is met, then the fire is
- targeted at that unit. If there is more than one such unit in the hex, the
- player selects the specific target. However, if this condition is not met,
- the computer targets the hex with area fire.
- Area fire may be directed at any hex on the map within range of the firing
- unit - including hexes with friendly units. Of course, it may also be
- directed against hexes with UNSPOTTED enemy units as well.
-
-
- SECTION 11.3 (Addition)
- Version 1.2 includes a new artillery mission menu that allows all facets of
- a mission to be set and changed from a single screen. This new menu is
- accessed by clicking on "ARTILLERY" on the new unit orders menu.
- The new menu MUST be used in order to set the mission dispersion or
- adjustment. The old method (from the command line pull-down orders menu) have
- not been modified to offer an opportunity to change these values.
-
- The major functional areas of the menu are:
- TARGET. Identified as HEX, PPD or UNIT. Click LMB to change.
- SPOTTER. If spotted, the LOS efficiency is shown. Otherwise NONE. The
- spotting unit is always the calling unit. Click LMB to change.
- CALLING UNIT. Click LMB to change.
- DISPERSION. NONE, AREA, or WIDE. Click LMB to change.
- ADJUSTMENT. NONE, or direction (arrow). Click LMB to change.
- FIRING UNIT. Defaults to first unit without a mission. LMB to change.
- AMMO TYPE. Defaults to first available for firing unit. LMB to change.
- FFE QUANTITY. Shows number of rounds allocated to mission (defaults to
- 25% of available), total rounds (t), and number of rounds allocated to
- other missions (a). Click LMB to change.
- ROF. Shows the rate of fire in rounds per tube/weapon. LMB to change.
- IN QUEUE. Shows number of missions already assigned to firing unit.
- Click LMB to cycle through these missions - displaying them on screen.
- ACCEPT MISSION. This line displays the delay (in turns) before the
- mission is fired as currently configured. Click the LMB to accept the
- IF mission as shown and enter it into the FDC queue.
- CANCEL MISSION. Cancel mission and return to the unit orders menu.
-
- Clicking the RMB/<Esc> key at any time will cancel the mission and return to
- the orders menu.
-
-
- SECTION 11.3.4 (Clarification)
- A maximum of 20 IF-capable units can be shown and selected from the "PICK
- FIRING UNIT" menu. The units are displayed in company order, beginning with A
- Co and ending with the D/S units. If a force has more than 20 IF-capable
- units, some of the units will not be shown on this menu and thus may never be
- selected to fire IF.
- Players should keep this limitation in mind when selecting their force,
- remembering also that light mortar units (often a component of the line
- companies) are IF-capable.
-
-
- SECTION 11.3.7 IF Mission Dispersion. ( [1.2] Addition)
- Artillery missions may now be fired with varying degrees of planned
- dispersion. This feature is useful to saturate area targets, or when firing
- smoke to cover a wide zone. The dispersion pattern is handled automatically
- by the computer at the time of firing, so players select only the "center"
- target hex. There are two levels of dispersion: AREA and WIDE.
- AREA dispersion (+/- 100 meters) increases the target area one hex in each
- direction from center target hex (7 hexes total). WIDE dispersion ( +/- 200
- meters) increases the area to two hexes in each direction (19 hexes total).
- Rounds (that do not misfire in some fashion) land randomly within the entire
- target area, with a slight preference based upon the wind direction and speed.
- Therefore, as an example, a mission should fire at least 20-25 rounds per turn
- if the player desires to put at least one round per turn into each hex in a
- WIDE target area.
- Rocket missions are always fired with WIDE target areas.
-
-
- SECTION 11.3.8 IF Mission Adjustment. ( [1.2] Addition)
- The artillery mission adjustment option allows the target to be shifted each
- turn in a specific direction. This is also known as "shifting" or "walking"
- the fire.
- When an adjustment direction is set for a mission, the target will be
- automatically moved one hex (100 meters) in that direction at the conclusion
- of each IF fire phase in which the mission fired FFE. This automatic
- adjustment is handled by the computer, and is completely outside the control
- of the owning player.
- Any of the six hex directions may be used for the adjustment direction - N,
- NE, SE, S, SW, and NW. If the adjustment direction is not set (NONE), then
- the mission will fire the entire FFE quantity at the primary target hex or
- area.
- Adjustment can not be used for missions against UNIT targets, or missions
- fired by rocket artillery.
-
-
- SECTION 11.3.9 IF Minimum Ranges. ( [1.2] Addition/Clarification)
- IF targets must be farther the firing unit's minimum range. Minimum range
- is determined depending on the firing weapon type as follows:
- Rockets: 1/10 th maximum range
- Mortars: 1/15 th maximum range
- Others: 1/20 th maximum range
-
-
- SECTION 11.3.10 Off-map Unit IF Range. ( [1.2] Clarification)
- Ranges for off-map units are calculated as the range from the middle hex (on
- the vertical axis) along the friendly map edge to the target hex, plus 1000
- meters.
-
-
- SECTION 11.7 ( [1.1] Addition)
- After setting a unit's weapon defaults, the same settings can be given to
- all other units (of the same type) in the company formation. This option
- applies only the line companies (A-I), and only to units of the same type
- as the unit initially given the order. For example, if TANK unit "A1" is
- given the default order, and the company option is selected, then all
- other TANK units in "A" company (including the CO HQ) will have their
- weapon defaults set to the same values as "A1".
-
-
- SECTION 11.7.4 ( [1.14] Addition)
- Non-turreted vehicles (Assault Guns, Tank Destroyers, SP Artillery),
- mortars, rockets, and AT Guns can not fire while moving. Note that to be
- moving, the unit's current speed must be greater than zero. If a unit is
- paused, or merely "waiting" to execute movement commands, it is stopped
- and may fire normally.
-
- If one of these unit types is currently moving and then assigned a target,
- the PAUSE TO ENGAGE should be set to "YES", or the unit's speed should be
- set to zero. In either of these cases, the unit will halt at it's current
- position, and engage the desired target. Otherwise, the unit will continue
- to move and will not fire until it reaches a pause in the movement commands
- or completes it's entire movement path.
-
- Likewise, if a stationary unit is given movement orders, the unit will
- cease firing in the turn it begins to move. Again, unless the unit's
- speed is set to zero, or the PAUSE TO ENGAGE is "YES".
-
- The default PAUSE TO ENGAGE setting for these types of units is "YES".
-
-
- SECTION 11.10 Display Chain Of Command. ( [1.2] Addition)
- The "HQ's" command from the new unit orders menu displays information about
- the current chain of command for the unit. Each HQ in the chain will be
- highlighted on the map, and a summary will be displayed at the bottom of the
- screen.
- The summary shows each step in the unit's chain of command individually.
- For each step, the following information is provided: the higher HQ unit ID,
- the distance to the next higher HQ, and the delay assessed at that step.
- Values shown in red signify that an additional penalty is being added for some
- reason due to that value. Examples of red values might be an acting HQ
- replacing the normal HQ, or an excess range to the next higher HQ.
- When an additional delay penalty is added at a given step, the penalty
- amount is shown to the far right after a "+" sign. This overview helps
- players to decide if it is worth trying to rearrange units to lower the
- penalty for a given unit.
-
-
- SECTION 12.3 ( [1.2] Clarification)
- In cases where a spotting unit loses the LOS to the target, the mission may
- be cancelled or fired unspotted at the current target hex. The probability of
- cancellation vs. firing the mission unspotted is the force training level.
- The higher the training level, the higher the probability that the mission
- will be fired unspotted.
-
-
- SECTION 12.7 (Addition)
- In games where both sides are controlled by the computer, unit moves may
- be shown (hex by hex) during the activity phase. Just set the message
- detail level to 3 or 4. Otherwise, the computer units will not be shown
- except when firing (or being fired at).
-
- In one-player games, the human player's units' movement may also be shown
- during the movement phase. Select OPTIONS from the Command Line Menu, and
- SHOW MOVEMENT to toggle this setting on and off as desired.
-
-
- SECTION 14.2 (Addition)
- When scrolling around the map, the mouse buttons may be used to bring up
- unit information for unit(s) in the current hex. For single units,
- clicking the RMB calls up the detailed WEAPON TECHNICAL DATA box. Clicking
- the LMB or CMB will cause the UNIT INFORMATION window to page up or down.
- For hexes with multiple units, clicking the LMB identifies the units. To
- get the detailed weapon information about a particular unit, highlight the
- unit and click the RMB. To remove the unit display, click the LMB on any
- unit line or the DONE (F1).
-
-
- SECTION 14.2.1 (Addition)
- In the UNIT INFORMATION BOX, a speed value of "0P" indicates that the unit
- has paused to fire at an enemy target. The unit will begin moving again
- automatically once it ceases firing. Alternately, setting the PAUSE TO
- ENGAGE value to NO or clearing the target will also cause the unit to
- begin moving.
-
- Broken units have their morale shown as either "BRO" for BROKEN or "BER"
- for BERSERK, instead of the normal numeric value.
-
- (Note)
- The unit speed reflected in the UNIT INFORMATION box is determined using
- current values at the time the box is displayed. Thus, the speed shown may
- not correspond to how fast the unit is actually going to travel in the
- Movement Phase. In particular, the unit may take suppression and/or other
- effects in the Combat Phase which will affect its speed in the subsequent
- Movement Phase.
-
- If you have units that show a speed greater than zero, but never seem to
- move, this could be what is happening (since suppression is adjusted AFTER
- the Movement Phase, but before the next Orders Phase).
-
-
- SECTION 14.2.2 ( [1.2] Addition)
- When a unit has lost the LOS to its DF target, "LOST LOS" will be displayed
- in the second page of the UNIT INFO BOX instead of the acquisition level
- (which reverts to zero).
- If an "0L" appears as the unit speed, it means the unit is stopped and is
- loading or unloading another unit. If a "B" appears after the speed value, it
- indicates that the unit is backing up in reverse gear.
-
-
- SECTION 14.3 (Addition)
- The WEAPON TECHNICAL DATA and AMMO CHARACTERISTICS displays are not
- described in the manual, although they are shown on page 1-9. The WEAPON
- TECHNICAL DATA box is self-explanatory, and lists all of the primary
- combat related values for the weapon system.
-
- The AMMO CHARACTERISTICS box is brought up by pressing the RMB or <F3>
- while the WEAPON TECHNICAL DATA box is displayed. This box gives the
- general characteristics for the ammunition types that may be used by the
- weapon's primary and secondary armaments. Note that the primary weapon
- may have up to 4 ammunition types, while the secondary and tertiary have
- only one each.
-
- At the top of the box, the main weapon system name is shown (in black),
- with the primary armament to the right (in red). The secondary gun is
- listed below the system name (in blue), and the tertiary gun is under the
- primary (in black).
-
- The ammunition types are listed underneath the armament names. "MV" is
- the muzzle velocity in meters per second, "WGT" is the projectile weight
- in grams, and "APF" is the shell's Anti-Personnel Factor. For HEAT rounds
- (only), the "APF" value is the normal armor penetration in mm. All HEAT
- warheads have an actual Anti-Personnel value of 5.
-
- These displays can also be displayed during the unit selection process,
- either while over an existing unit box, or when selecting a weapon type.
-
- A new PENETRATION display has been added to the other data tables
- discussed above. This is one of the most interesting new features in TOP,
- and I encourage all players to use the PENETRATION charts to get a feel
- for how well the various weapons perform, and the advantages of each
- ammunition type.
-
- The chart uses colored bars to indicate the penetration of each ammunition
- type at several different ranges. Each ammunition type is represented by
- a different color. The height of the colored bars correspond to the
- penetration in mm (read against the left side of the graph). Some ammo
- types may have constant penetration at all ranges (HEAT and some HE),
- while others may have no penetration at all (ILLUM).
- To access the PENETRATION display, hit the <F3> key or RMB while the AMMO
- CHARACTERISTICS chart is displayed.
-
-
- SECTION 16.5 (Correction)
- The manual gives an incorrect DOS command to create the file "MIKE_1.IN".
- The command should be: "COPY PBMFILE.OPS MIKE_1.IN <ENTER>".
-
-
- SECTION 17.4 ( [1.2] Addition)
- Recon units should normally be assigned as D/S units, so they can benefit
- from the zero turn delay bonus.
-
-
- SECTION 17.10 ( [1.2] Addition)
- Rocket missions are always fired unspotted and impact in a wide area.
-
-
- SECTION 18.5 ( [1.11] Addition)
- Generally, units will not surrender unless they took direct fire in the
- previous turn. This is not to say that they will never surrender from
- mine or artillery attacks alone, just that the chance is much less.
- Units surrender only to KNOWN (sighted) enemy units. If a unit would
- surrender but there are no sighted enemy units nearby, it will break
- instead.
-
-
- SECTION 19.2.1 ( [1.14] Change)
- The battalion Chain of Command is structured along historical lines.
- Except for two special cases, the chain of command appears:
- 1st battalion (*1) HQ: A, B, C Companies
- 2nd battalion (*2) HQ: D, E, F Companies
- 3rd battalion (*3) HQ: G, H, I Companies
-
- The first exception is if the force contains 4 companies. In this case
- A and B company are under the 1st Bn, while C and D are assigned to the 2nd
- Battalion.
-
- The other exception is for a force of 7 companies, where A, B, and C
- are 1st Battalion, D and E are 2nd Battalion, and F and G are 3rd
- Battalion.
- Players should remember these arrangements during the initial force
- selection phase.
-
- The chain of command delay for a unit is calculated as a series of
- individual steps back to the TF HQ. Each step has a "standard" delay time,
- which is then adjusted depending on circumstances. For example, from the line
- platoon "A1", the delay would be calculated as the sum of three steps: from
- "A1" back to "A0" (it's company HQ), from "A0" back to "*1" (1st Bn HQ), and
- from "*1" to the TF HQ.
- A unit may hold multiple HQ functions. As an example, a company HQ may also
- be an acting Bn HQ. However, in these cases additional delay penalties as
- mentioned below will be applied.
-
-
- SECTION 19.2.1 TF to Bn ( [1.2] Change/Clarification)
- The command delay from the battalion HQ to the TF HQ is the standard force
- delay. If the TF HQ has been replaced by an acting HQ, the delay is twice
- normal.
-
-
- SECTION 19.2.2 Bn to Co ( [1.2] Change/Clarification)
- If a company HQ is acting as the battalion HQ, one turn is added to the
- delay for this step. If a line unit (#1-9) is acting as the Battalion HQ, two
- turns are added.
-
-
- SECTION 19.2.3 Co to unit ( [1.2] Change/Clarification)
- If a line unit is acting as the company HQ, two turns are added to the delay
- for this step.
-
-
- SECTION 19.2.4 Acting HQ's. ( [1.2] Clarification)
- When HQ units in the chain of command break or are destroyed, they are
- replaced by an "acting HQ". The acting HQ is selected in the following order
- of precedence:
-
- 1 Bn, 2 Bn, 3 Bn; A0, B0, C0, ... ; A1, A2, A3, ... , B1, B2, B3, ...
-
- An acting HQ must belong to the same formation as the HQ is taking over for.
- For example, when a Battalion HQ is being replaced the acting HQ must be in
- one of the companies assigned to that battalion. Likewise, only units from
- the same company may replace a company HQ.
-
- D/S units will never be assigned as an acting HQ under any circumstances.
-
-
- SECTION 19.3 ( [1.2] Addition)
- Recon type units assigned directly to the task force HQ (as a D/S unit),
- receive the same delay reduction bonus as aircraft, for the same reasons.
- Recon units assigned to a lettered line company do not receive any bonus, and
- use the standard delay for the company.
-
-
- SECTION 19.4 ( [1.14] Clarification)
- Mission delays are reduced by 1 each turn, unless the scheduled
- artillery unit is moving, broken, or firing DF. In these cases, the
- mission delay remains unchanged until the artillery unit's status changes.
- At that point, the delay countdown resumes normally.
-
-
- SECTION 21.2.2 ( [1.2] Change)
- Blocking terrain in a spotting hex adds 60% of the normal terrain block
- point value to the LOS (increased from 40%).
- When determining if an LOS passes through blocking terrain, the terrain
- "heights" above ground level have been modified as follows:
- Woods +15 meters
- Lt. Woods +10 meters
- Bldgs 2/3 +10 meters
- Bldgs 1 +5 meters
- Rubble +2 meters
- Crops +2 meters
-
-
- SECTION 22.4.9 ( [1.2] Addition)
- In addition to having their sighting probability doubled, units that fired
- in the preceding turn have their sighting probability increased further as
- follows:
- Personnel +15%
- Guns +30%
- Vehicles +50%
- Aircraft x 2
-
-
- SECTION 22.4.10 Target Silhouetted. ( [1.2] Addition)
- On average, if the target is silhouetted the sighting probability is
- doubled. However, this effect is greatly reduced for units in level 1 and
- level 2 IP's.
-
-
- SECTION 22.5.6 Recon Units.
- Recon units were as a rule better trained and equipped to sight the enemy
- than other combat units. As such, they receive a special spotting bonus of
- 30% whenever they attempt to sight an enemy unit. This proportional bonus to
- the sighting probability is applied after ALL other applicable modifications
- have been made.
-
-
- SECTION 23.1 (Omission)
- Suppression reduces a unit's actual speed. The amount of the speed
- reduction is equal to the suppression level. For example, a unit with a
- suppression level of 25 will have its speed reduced 25%, after all other
- factors are taken into account. Units having a suppression level greater
- than 100% will not move at all.
-
- Armored vehicles may never have their speed reduced by more than 30%
- (their maximum suppression level). Semi-armored vehicles with a
- suppression level between 30 and 100 suffer a "standard" speed reduction
- of 30%. If the suppression level of a semi-armored vehicle is greater than
- 100, the speed reduction is calculated as one half the suppression level.
-
-
- SECTION 23.1.1 ( [1.1] Change)
- The stacking limits have been increased from those shown in the manual.
- The new stacking limits are:
-
- NORMAL ABSOLUTE
-
- AIR 3 3 (per hex)
- VEHICLE 8 14
- TROOPS 47 60
- GUNS 8 12
-
-
-
- SECTION 23.14.3 Special Close Support ( [1.2] Addition)
- By the second half of 1944, the German Nahvertidigungswaffe (literally
- translated as "close support weapon") was a standard armament of many common
- AFV models. The weapon itself resembled a flare gun, mounted into a small
- cupola on the roof of the tank turret. The weapon fired 26mm smoke, flare,
- and HE rounds out a distance of 7-10 meters. At the scale of TOP, the primary
- impact of the weapon was as close defense protection for the tanks against
- enemy infantry using the HE/FRAG rounds.
- The following AFV's may be issued with the Nahvertidigungswaffe:
- Pz V G Panther
- JPz V JgPanther
- Pz VI E Tiger
- Pz VI B K Tiger
- JPz VI JgTiger
- StG III G
- StH 42 G
-
- These vehicles will automatically be issued with the Nahvertidigungswaffe in
- 1945. In 1944, the weapon availability is based upon the wind direction.
- Before going any further, understand that the wind direction actually has
- nothing to do with the weapon or its use. In this case, the wind direction is
- used only as a "flag" (that players may set, or leave random) which indicates
- whether or not the Nahvertidigungswaffe will be issued. If the wind direction
- is to the South (SW, S, or SE), the Nahvertidigungswaffe will be issued. If
- the wind direction is to the North (NW, N, NE), it will not.
- The Nahvertidigungswaffe is used only in close combat against enemy
- personnel. Its use is automatic, and the weapon can not be selected by the
- owning player. The Nahvertidigungswaffe attack is conducted immediately after
- the German AFV's standard overrun fire (either in attack or defense), and is
- separate from it. The Nahvertidigungswaffe attack is expressed in factors,
- like the standard attack, but these factors are applied as if an artillery
- HE/FRAG round of that size hit the hex. Losses from the weapon are applied to
- the enemy units immediately.
-
-
- SECTION 23.9 ( [1.14] Clarification)
- Units that have their speed set above 50% suffer a marked increase in
- their breakdown probability. Compared to the breakdown probability at
- 50%, the chance of being disabled doubles at 75% and triples at 90%.
-
-
- SECTION 23.15 (Clarification)
- Many armored vehicles are given the capability to tow other units.
- Normally, tanks and other combat AFV's did not tow artillery pieces, rocket
- trailers, etc. However, in certain cases of extreme need they were used
- in this capacity. Players may voluntarily limit AFV carrying capacities to
- historical values, if so desired.
-
-
- SECTION 23.16 (Addition)
- Mud and Heavy mud ground conditions eliminate dust trails. Frozen ground
- reduces dusts levels by 50%. Snow and heavy snow reduce dust levels by
- 70%.
-
-
- SECTION 23.17 PAUSE TO FIRE ( [1.15 Clarification)
- If a unit has orders to "PAUSE TO FIRE" (as selected from the unit DEFAULT
- menu), it will normally stop moving to engage a target. Assault guns,
- self-propelled artillery, and tank destroyers will ALWAYS stop to fire if
- the PAUSE TO FIRE setting is YES (otherwise they will NOT fire at all).
-
- However, if the unit is firing a machine gun or other small arms weapon
- type the probability of halting to fire may be reduced. This reduction
- does not apply to assault guns, self-propelled artillery, or tank
- destroyers, which will always halt to fire. Otherwise, if the unit is a
- vehicle the probability of stopping to fire a small arms weapon is only
- approximately 25%. For types other than vehicles it is about 50%.
-
- If the unit has orders NOT to halt to fire (fire on the move), it will
- continue to move normally in all cases. However, sometimes the unit's
- movement will prevent proper sighting or targeting of the enemy unit. In
- these cases the unit will hold fire.
-
-
- SECTION 23.18 Towing Another Unit. ( [1.2] Addition)
- A carrier unit towing another unit has its forward speed reduced by 50% from
- normal (using the current speed setting). The breakdown probability, however,
- remains as if the unit's was moving at its designated speed setting.
- Carrier/towed unit combinations can not use back-up movement.
-
-
- SECTION 23.19 Backing-up. ( [1.2] Addition)
- Units that are backing up always move at 1/5 the maximum weapon system
- speed, regardless of the unit's actual speed setting. The breakdown
- probability is taken as if the unit was moving at the maximum forward speed.
- All terrain modifiers and suppression effects are applied normally.
- Units backing-up do not change their facing.
-
-
- SECTION 24.4 MOVEMENT INTO KNOWN MINEFIELDS ( [1.14] Addition)
- Aside from very specific (and normally infrequent) cases, units were not
- ordered to move through known minefields. And, even in cases where they
- were, the higher command normally had to make special arrangements to see
- that these orders were carried out. Further, in cases where a minefield
- was discovered by a leading ("point") unit, the trailing units would stop
- before becoming caught in the obstacle.
-
- In TOP, units with speed settings of less than 100% will never enter known
- minefields. Instead, their movement command path will be cleared, and the
- unit will hold fast until given new orders. Units with their speed set to
- 100% will enter minefields normally. The speed setting is determined at
- the instant the unit attempts to move into the minefield, so this value
- may be adjusted by the player in any friendly orders phase up to and
- including the one immediately preceding the unit's movement into the
- minefield hex.
-
- Note that the game scale of TOP does not allow for deliberate minefield
- clearance efforts by individual units (which can take an hour or more per
- 100 meters in real life). Instead, these rules are designed around normal
- movement.
-
-
- SECTION 25.5.6 NON-TURRETED VEHICLES ( [1.14] Addition)
- Assault Guns, Tank Destroyers, and SP Artillery vehicles suffer a 50%
- reduction in their base sighting probability while moving. Stationary
- units sight normally.
-
-
- SECTION 26 (Addition)
- Vehicles moving through wire obstacles may cause the wire to be
- eliminated. The probability of removing wire (per vehicle passing through
- the hex) depends on the vehicle type: TRACKED 30%; HALFTRACKED 20%;
- WHEELED 10%. Note that the wire is not reduced by one or two levels from
- the vehicle movement. It is either completely eliminated from the hex, or
- remains unaffected.
-
-
- SECTION 27.1.12 Target Silhouetted. ( [1.2] Addition)
- If a target is silhouetted, the DF accuracy is normally increased by 50%.
- The only exceptions are if the unit is in a level 1 or level 2 IP, in which
- case the accuracy increases are reduced to 10% and 30%, respectively.
-
-
- SECTION 27.1.13 Area Fire. ( [1.2] Addition)
- Area fire uses the standard accuracy adjustments outlined above for DF
- against unit targets. However, by its very nature area fire is more dispersed
- than targeted fire. To better reflect this, area fire may often "spill over"
- into adjacent hexes. The probability that a given round will impact in an
- adjacent hex increases for cover terrain in the target hex, and for
- increasingly degraded firing unit LOS to the target.
-
-
- SECTION 27.8 ( [1.14] Addition) SPECIAL DF EFFECTS
- Non-turreted vehicles (Tank Destroyers, SP Artillery, Assault Guns) and
- towed guns always must face their targets. If, at the beginning of the
- Activity Phase, one of these unit types has targeted an enemy unit for the
- upcoming DF phase it will be automatically rotated to face that target.
- This facing adjustment is automatic, and is accomplished even if for some
- reason no rounds are eventually actually fired at the target. The
- adjustment imposes no other penalty or effect on the unit.
-
-
- SECTION 28.5.1 (Correction)
- The "near miss" footprint is calculated incorrectly, in that the "direct
- hit" area was not subtracted from the value. Instead of 77 square meters,
- the actual area is only 56 square meters (77 minus 21).
-
-
- SECTION 29.4.1 ( [1.2] Clarification)
- AA fire may not be directed against aircraft in the same hex as the firing
- unit (straight up).
-
-
- SECTION 29.7 Other Delays. ( [1.2] Clarification)
- The airstrike delay may be prolonged by bad weather or reduced light
- conditions. This extra delay represents the increased difficulty for the
- pilots in performing the mission, taking into account such things as locating
- a break in the clouds and picking out a suitable target in limited light.
- The probability of the strike being delayed is determined on a turn by turn
- basis, so the friendly player will never be able to tell in advance exactly
- when (or even if) the strike will occur. The probability of a strike being
- delayed increases exponentially with decreasing light, and is decreased
- further for overcast or light rain/snow conditions. Dawn and dusk conditions
- also greatly increase the delay probability (due to shadow and color effects).
- Strikes are prohibited in fog, heavy rain, and heavy snow conditions, and at
- night.
-
-
- SECTION 34.1.1 (Correction)
- The VP cost of vehicles is increased from the value shown in the table by
- one point (per vehicle) for each 10mm of main gun caliber.
- (Note) Improved Position and Mine points are not affected by supply or
- morale considerations. For VP calculations, lanes count as mines.
-
-
- SECTION 34.2.1 ( [1.14] Addition)
- The game ends automatically when either side has no maneuver units left
- on the map (detachments do not count as maneuver units).
-
- If the attacker has eliminated all of the defending units, then the
- victory locations may be modified. If the objective is the map edge, then
- the "objective area" is increased from the standard 5 hexes along the edge
- by one hex for each 3 turns remaining in the game (fractions rounded down).
- For example, if the attacker eliminates the last defending unit at a point
- with 13 turns remaining in the game, the attacker will get VP's for all
- units within 9 hexes of the map edge ( 5+(13/3) = 5+4 = 9 ).
-
- If the attacker has an on-map objective, the distances used for VP
- calculations are increased by 100 meters for each 3 turns remaining. For
- the above example, a unit would be considered "on the objective" if is it
- was within 500 meters of the objective when the game ended (Normally 100
- meters, and add 400 meters). Also, in this case, the "secondary zone" would
- be extended from 350 meters to 750 meters. The final distance values may
- never exceed 1/2 the width of the map.
-
-
- SECTION 34.2.2 ( [1.14] Addition)
- When on-map objectives are used (instead of the map edge), Victory Point
- totals are calculated as follows:
-
- * If the DEFENDER has at least one unit ON or NEXT TO the objective:
- -The Attacker gets 25% of the normal VP value for any units on or next
- to the objective. No points are received for the remaining units.
- -The Defender gets 4 times the normal VP value for units on or next to
- the objective, 2 times normal VP for units within 350 meters of the
- objective, and normal VP for all other units.
-
- *If the DEFENDER has at least ONE unit within 350 m of the objective
- -The Attacker receives the normal VP value for units on or next to the
- objective, and 1/2 normal for units within 350 meters of the objective.
- -The Defender receives 2 times normal points for units within 350 meters
- of the objective, normal value for all other units.
-
- *If the DEFENDER has NO units within 350 m of the objective
- -The Attacker receives 5 times the normal VP value for units on or next
- to the objective, and 2 times normal for units within 350 meters of
- the objective.
- -The Defender receives normal VP value for all units.
-
- Only unbroken, non-detachment units count towards these conditions.
-
-
- SECTION 35.2 (Correction)
- The second quote was incorrectly attributed to Erwin Rommel. Instead, it
- is more correctly associated with von Moltke (the elder).
-
-
- APPENDIX A.8 (Addition)
- At the conclusion of each turn, the game is automatically saved to the
- file 'QZRTL.OPS'. If for some reason you need to access this file (the
- program locks up, the power is knocked out, etc.), copy QZRTL.OPS to
- ZZ.OPS (in DOS use the command: "copy qzrtl.ops zz.ops <ENTER>").
- Rebooting your computer (in the case of a lock-up) will have no effects on
- the QZRTL.OPS file.
-
- After copying the file, run TOP normally. Select SAVED GAME from the
- menu. Your saved game (ZZ.OPS) will normally be the last one displayed,
- and will show the current turn number. Of course, it's always a good idea
- to save games every so often - just in case.
-
-
- APPENDIX B.4.3 (Clarification)
- Maps made with ADC for TOP may be less than 80 x 50 hexes (8 Km x 5 Km).
- However, all maps MUST measure AT LEAST 16 x 8 (16 hexes left to right and
- 8 top to bottom). Maps smaller than this will produce a TOP error
- message, and the game will exit automatically.
-
-
-
- ************************ SCENARIO INFORMATION ************************
-
- The TOP scenarios are for the most part historically correct. In some
- cases, slight modifications have been made to the force structures in the
- interests of improving play. All named TOP maps (including the scenario
- maps) are entered directly from the German General Staff maps of the Eastern
- Front published 1941-44. The scenario forces and situations were taken
- from a variety of sources, including several regimental histories, official
- military reports, and war memoirs.
-
- I'd like to thank my wife, Elisa, for her time and efforts entering all of
- the TOP maps in from the originals (using ADC).
-
- In order to maintain some mystery surrounding the forces involved in each
- scenario, exact strength and size values will not be used. Instead, only a
- very general description will be given for each side.
-
- The scenarios begin with the units of both forces already deployed on the
- map. Players are always given an opportunity to modify these set-ups at the
- start of a game. Units are NOT always loaded at the start of the game, even
- if they are located in the same hex as a carrier unit. When issuing
- movement commands during the first orders phase, always check if the
- passenger units are loaded before giving movement commands to the carrier.
-
- LOWICZ, Poland. 1939.
- In this scenario, elements of the Polish Poznan Army, surrounded West of
- the Bzura River, are attempting to break out in the direction of Warsaw.
- The attack is being launched from a Polish bridgehead at Lowicz on the
- east bank of the Bzura. Defending against the attack are elements of the
- German 30th Infantry Division.
-
- At the time, the Polish attack caught the German command almost completely
- by surprise. In fact, the drive on Warsaw was temporarily halted to
- release forces to contain the Polish breakthroughs. In the scenario, the
- German player will be hard pressed to stop the Polish advance. The key
- for both sides is in the effective use of fire support and mobile reserves.
- Orienting the TOP map, North is towards the upper right corner. The
- Polish force is attacking left to right (west to east).
-
-
- ADAMOW, Poland. 1939.
- At Adamow, southeast of Warsaw, the tables were turned. In this case the
- German 13th Motorized Division found itself cut off and made an attempt to
- break through to the west to link up with the 29th Division. Standing in
- the way were elements of the Polish "Brzoza" Division.
-
- This scenario is a hard-fought infantry battle. It is very unlikely that
- the German forces will be able to reach the left map edge within the game
- limit of 90 turns. In real life, the Germans did reach the west edge, but
- just barely and only after a half-day battle. By then, the Poles had
- brought up reinforcements in the form of the "Kmicica" Brigade. The German
- attack ground to a halt, and eventually the Poles managed to regain some
- of the lost ground.
-
- Because this scenario contains very few mobile units, the game play is
- fairly slow. New players should probably skip it in favor of one of the
- more "exciting" scenarios.
-
- On the map, north is at the top. The German forces are attacking right to
- left (east to west).
-
-
- DOROGOBUSH, Russia, USSR. 1941.
- Dorogobush was the site of the last significant Soviet delaying action in
- front of Smolensk. With orders to hold at all costs, elements of the
- Soviet Sixteenth Army vainly tried to halt the advance of the German 29th
- Motorized Division.
-
- While this scenario is primarily an infantry battle, the motorized German
- force possesses a high degree of mobility. Because of this, the Soviet
- player probably can not block the German advance completely. Even so, the
- German player must be careful - the Soviet force does have the ability to
- inflict significant losses.
-
- On the map, north is at the top. The Germans are attacking from left to
- right (west to east).
-
-
- W. BIRJUKOFF, Ukraine, USSR. 1942.
- In late December, 1942, the Soviets launched an offensive against the
- sector held by the Italian Eighth Army. This offensive was designed in
- conjunction operation "URANUS", the encirclement of Stalingrad to the
- south, with the objective of destroying the German Southern flank.
- For the most part, the Italian units were overwhelmed and quickly
- disintegrated under the onslaught of the superior Soviet forces. However,
- at isolated locations some Italian units managed to make a stand - if only
- for a short time. This scenario represents one of those stands, made by
- part of the Celere Division against the advance elements of the Soviet
- 197th Guards Rifle Division in the broken terrain east of Meshkoff.
- This scenario is an almost exclusively infantry battle. However, the
- Soviet force includes some good fire support. If used effectively, the
- Italian player will have his hands full. Normally, this game can hang in
- the balance until the very end.
-
- On the map, North is towards the top. The Soviets are attacking from
- right to left (east to west).
-
-
- GERESHENOWKA, Ukraine, USSR. 1944.
- A battle in the general "mud offensive" in the Spring of 1944, this
- scenario recreates the last ditch effort of the Germans to keep the Soviets
- from capturing the critical supply base at Uman. Unfortunately for the
- Germans, the defending force of stragglers and rear echelon troops (mostly
- from the VII Corps) was no match against the advancing Soviet XVI Tank
- Corps. This battle took place on 9 March. The Soviets captured Uman the
- next day.
-
- This scenario is notable for the fact that it takes place during the mud
- season. In a large measure, the mud reduces the Soviet edge in mobility,
- at least for off road movement.
-
- Historical note: The German armor in this scenario is comprised of small
- "ad-hoc" units. These units were hastily improvised from vehicles in the
- Uman maintenance shops and men returning from leave or on duty in Uman.
- North is at the top of the map. The Soviets are attacking from right to
- left (east to west).
-
-
- BUKRIN, Ukraine, USSR. 1943.
- In the late summer of 1943, the German forces in the Ukraine pulled back
- behind the Dnieper River. Even though the German forces prevented the
- Soviets from using any the five major bridges across the river, the
- Soviets managed to push units onto the west bank none the less. As the
- Germans soon learned, if these small bridgeheads were not eliminated
- immediately the Soviets would continue to pour in troops and equipment.
- Within the space of only a few days, or at most a week, the bridgehead
- became impregnable. Soon after that, the force would be strong enough to
- break out, and thereby in most cases force the Germans off the entire
- river line. With the stakes high for both sides, the "battles for the
- bridgeheads" were exceptionally fierce actions, but conducted with only
- what forces could be scraped together quickly.
-
- The Bukrin bridgehead over the Dnieper (south of Kiev) was established on
- the 23rd of September by the 8th Guards Rifle and 69th Mechanized Brigades.
- This scenario represents the action on 28 September. The 69th Mech
- Brigade was attacking to expand the bridgehead to the south, and ran into
- the 19th Panzer Division attacking to the north.
-
- North is towards the left side of the map. The Soviets are attacking
- from left to right (north to south), and the Germans from right to left
- (south to north). The river along the east edge (top) is the Dnieper.
-
- Playability Note: This scenario is set up as a meeting engagement. As
- such, it may take 20 or more turns for the respective forces to come into
- contact. Players looking for a quick game should either play another
- scenario, or use the FAST TURN MODE option.
-
-
- RYMANOW, Poland. 1944.
- This action is part of the initial Soviet offensive to capture the Dukla
- Pass at the Czech-Polish border. On 10 September the IV Guards Tank Corps
- and the I Czech Corps attacked south on both sides of the German 208th
- Infantry Division. On the 12th, the pincers met south of Rymanow, trapping
- part of the German force, and setting the stage for a further advance.
- This scenario takes place on the far right of the 208th Division's lines
- along the Wistok River. The Soviet attack is being delivered by parts of
- the IV Guards Tank Corps.
-
- North is towards the right. The Soviet forces are attacking from right to
- left (north to south).
-
-
- PROKHORVKA, Russia, USSR. 1943.
- The best has been saved for last. With clearly more tanks engaged than
- at any other time in the battle of Kursk, the meeting engagement around
- Prokhorvka was the greatest tank battle in history. On 12 July 1943, the
- II SS Panzer Corps and the Fifth Guards Tank Army simultaneously attacked
- (the Germans to the north, and the Soviets to the south). The resulting
- head-on collision initiated a wild melee, the likes of which has never been
- seen before or since. When the smoke and dust cleared, both sides had
- suffered huge losses and were exhausted. But, the German attack had been
- stopped in its tracks. The failure of this attack sealed the fate of
- Citadele, and along with it, ultimately doomed the Third Reich.
- This scenario recreates the meeting engagement between the Liebstandarte
- Adolph Hitler (1st SS Panzer Division) and the 18th and 29th Soviet Tank
- Corps. Like the battle, this scenario is enormous - with over 400 tanks
- and vehicles on the map at the start!
-
- Because of the large number of tanks and units compressed into such a
- relatively small area, a number of historical and mechanical modifications
- have been made to this scenario. First, infantry forces are basically not
- included. While infantry units were present on the battlefield, during
- this very deadly and mobile engagement their importance was much less
- than the tanks and AFV's.
-
- Secondly, the normal TOP force structures have been changed to accommodate
- almost the entire LAH and 29th Tank Corps. For the most part, this was
- accomplished by making what would normally be a company (HQ + 3 platoons)
- into a battalion (9 platoons + HQ).
-
- While perhaps not completely historical, this scenario provides a very
- good "feel" for the intensity and destruction of that day's unique action.
- On the map, North is to the upper right corner. The Germans are attacking
- left to right (southwest to northeast), and the Soviets right to left
- (northeast to southwest).
-
- Playability note: This scenario, Because of its size, takes quite a long
- time to get going and complete. Once the action starts, the game speed may
- be increased by reducing the message detail levels and delay. Even so, if
- you're looking for a quick game THIS IS NOT IT!
-
-
-
- ********************* GENERAL MAP DESCRIPTIONS ********************
-
- Note: The named maps included with TOP all measure 80 hexes by 50 hexes.
- They were entered directly from the German General Staff and Stavka
- maps, and within this context are completely and historically accurate.
- The numbered maps are smaller than 80 x 50, and in most cases are not
- translated from actual topography. The numbered map sizes are shown
- in parenthesis, with the first number being the horizontal measurement,
- and the second the vertical (north-south).
-
- The smaller numbered maps are provided to facilitate quick games, or
- those with limited forces. To keep a manageable force ratio, generally
- allow AT LEAST 10 hexes (1 Km) of north-south frontage for each
- battalion (of the larger force). Otherwise, there will not be
- enough room to maneuver without the units becoming hopelessly
- entangled.
-
- LOWICZ (AA.MAP) West Central Poland:
- Terrain is very flat. Some woods and crop cover terrain, about 10%.
- Good east-west roads along the top half of the map.
-
- ADAMOW (AB.MAP) East Central Poland:
- Terrain is hilly, with heavy woods (50%) on west side. The east side
- is flat and clear, with a small built up area.
-
- DOROGOBUSH (AC.MAP) West of Smolensk:
- Fairly hilly terrain links forms an east-west ridge across the map.
- The map includes quite a bit of cover (75%), and a fair number of
- roads, which are mostly north-south.
-
- RYSHKOWO (AD.MAP) East of Veliki Luki:
- Two parallel north-south ridges are the primary map features. Cover is
- light, 10% or so. One road and one railroad run east-west across the
- map.
-
- W. BIRJUKOFF (AE.MAP) South of Voronezh (along the Don):
- Rolling hills on each side of an east-west stream. Very little cover, less
- than 10%.
-
- GERESHENOWKA (AF.MAP) Just east of Uman:
- Several ridges meet in the middle of the map, each coming in from a
- different angle. In between the ridges run 2 streams (one west to east
- and one north to south) which meet in the lower center of the map, and
- continue off to the southeast. There is one east-west road. Cover is
- light, about 10%.
-
- BUKRIN (AG.MAP) South of Kiev (along the Dnieper):
- Very rugged terrain including several hilltops of maximum elevation,
- and steep cliffs and ravines. The map is traversed by a few east-west
- roads and trails. Cover is light, about 10%.
-
- RYMANOW (AH.MAP) Southern Poland:
- Very rugged topography, with ravines and cliffs. Very little cover,
- less than 10%. The road net is mostly north-south, but is connected by
- a number of secondary east-west trails.
-
- PERKJARWI (AI.MAP) North of Leningrad:
- Mostly flat, but very heavily wooded (75%). One east west railroad,
- which runs along an alternating series of east-west roads and trails.
-
- PROKHOROVKA (AJ.MAP) South of Kursk:
- Hilly terrain broken by a series of ravines. Very little cover, less
- than 10%. No east-west roads or trails.
-
- OBERNDORF (AK.MAP) Austria (near Salzburg):
- A river flood plain cuts the map in half diagonally (northwest to
- southeast), with hills to the southwest and northeast. The river is
- crossed by one bridge and one ford. Cover is moderate, about 20%.
-
- S. ROSSOSCHKA (AL.MAP) West of Stalingrad:
- Sloping terrain with almost no cover (less than 10%). There is only a
- single east-west trail.
-
- MAP #1 (40 x 20) (BA.MAP):
- Are includes a gentle north-south slope across the entire map. There
- is a good east-west trial network, but virtually no cover (less than
- 10%).
-
- MAP #2 (40 x 20) (BB.MAP):
- Flat terrain, with a single east-west trail. Cover is moderate, about
- 30%.
-
- MAP #3 (40 x 20) (BC.MAP):
- This map includes a large hill mass that begins near the western edge,
- and increases in elevation to the east. There is light cover, of
- about 10%, and a single east-west road runs along the bottom of the map.
-
- MAP #4 (65 x 15) (BD.MAP):
- This map includes several parallel low ridges running north-south
- across the grain. A small stream runs north-south down the middle of
- the map, in between two of the ridge lines. A single road runs
- perpendicular to these features in an east-west direction, and crosses
- the stream at a bridge. Cover is very light, less than 10%.
-
- MAP #5 (25 x 35) (BE.MAP):
- Very flat map, divided by an east-west stream. A single north-south
- road and an east-west trail meet in the center of the map inside a
- village. The map contains a good deal of crop cover, about 30%.
-
- MAP #6 (20 x 20) (BF.MAP):
- Perfect for small infantry battles, this map is a small segment of a
- north-south ridge line. The map contains no cover or roads.
-
-
-
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-