Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 3 manual
- Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 3
- manual
DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR
Strategic Studies Group (SSG)
TUTORIAL (VOL III)
LEARNING TO PLAY THE GAME
After the fall of Atlanta, Confederate General John Bell
Hood obtained permission to march his army into Tennessee
and harass the Union forces and Sherman's supply lines. He
chased Union General John M. Schofield north across the
State as Schofield tried desperately to link up with the
main force under Thomas at Nashville.
At Franklin, Schofield found the bridge across the Harpeth
River was down so he was obliged to dig in while he repaired
it. Hood arrived before he could complete the bridge and
attempted an immediate assault to try and take Schofield's
force before it escaped.
John Schofield was in a stronger position than he realised,
however, and his men managed to withstand Hood's fury,
despite some initial penetration of their lines.
You are invited, in this tutorial, to take on the role of
John B. Hood. You will command the Army of Tennessee and see
if you can do better than this aggressive Confederate
leader. Your computer will command the Union Forces.
As well as this manual, you'll need to have the data card in
front of you.
(a). Starting Up
Start up your computer using the procedure given on the
start side of the menu card. Menu A (Start Up Menu) appears
to the right of the title page. As is the case with every
menu in the game, you use the arrow keys to locate your
choice from the menu and then type (RET) to select it. IBM
users may alternatively use a function key to locate and
select a menu item. The line in Menu A is the third
line in the menu; therefore f3 will select it. Similarly, f4
will select the line.
If you select the wrong menu, don't worry. Apple II and IBM
users type (ESC) to go back to the previous menu; C-64/128
users type (f1). IBM and Apple II users should note that the
(DEL) key will serve as the (ESC) key in most situations.
IBM users can turn the sound on/off through Menu 12 of the
Game Routines. Apple II and C-64 users should type Cntl (S)
to turn on/off the sound. Apple II and C-64 users with a B&W
monitor should type Cntl (B).
(b). Selecting the Franklin Scenario
Before we can start play, we have to select the Franklin
scenario, tell the computer that we will control the South
forces and decide which game options we wish to use.
Use either arrow key to locate the line and type
(RET) to go to Menu B (Location Select). At this point, IBM
owners using 5.25" floppy disks should remove Disk One from
the drive and replace it with Disk Two. Apple II owners with
one disk drive should remove the game disk, turn it over and
put it back in the drive.
Use an arrow key to locate the line and type
(RET) to go to Menu C (Scenario Menu).
Use an arrow key to locate the line and type
(RET) to go to Menu E (Edit Utility). The scenario briefing
screen is displayed to the left of the menu window. IBM
users must select the line and then position the
cursor over the line and type (RET).
Use an arrow key to locate the line and type (RET) to
go to Menu N (Game Options). There are two (IBM) or three
(Apple II and C-64) options available when you play the
game.
(i). Exposed. When the exposed flag is set, all units on the
map will be visible at all times. If the exposed flag is not
set, only currently sighted units will be visible on the
battlefield.
(ii). Enhanced (Apple II and C-64 Only). When the enhanced
flag is set, computer controlled forces will be given
certain bonuses. For example, unit size, leadership and
staff ratings may be increased.
(iii). Radio. When the radio flag is set, you will have
automatic communications with every unit in your command. If
the radio flag is not set, only those units directly
attached to the army HQ and within communications range can
be given orders.
For tutorial purposes, we will choose to set the exposed and
radio flags but leave the enhanced flag alone. Position the
cursor on the line and type (RET). The cursor will
return automatically to the line. Select
in the same way. Select to go to Menu F (Handicap
Utility). An Options in Effect box has appeared below the
menu window showing that the exposed and radio flags have
been set.
Since this is only a tutorial, we will give ourselves a
break. The handicaps below the line benefit the
South, those above benefit the North. The effect of a
handicap is to modify the victory point awards, it does not
affect the artificial intelligence nor the composition of
the forces. Note that the handicap structure for IBM users
asks you to select a veteran, normal or novice opponent.
Select a novice. AII/C64 users select the south
line.
You have been processed through to Menu G (Player Select).
Locate the line and type (RET). The cursor has been
thrown into the briefing screen and you have the opportunity
to change the commanders' names. Do this if you wish,
otherwise type (RET) until you get back to Menu E (Edit
Utility).
Have a last look at the briefing screen and you'll see the
South has a major handicap advantage (IBM users will be
opposed by a novice computer general), the North forces will
be run by the computer and the exposed and radio flags are
set.
At this time, if you wish, you can observe the computer
playing against itself. This will give you an idea of the
flow of the game and how the combat and movement mechanics
work. Use the line of Menu E to return to Menu G
(Player Select) and select .
Use an arrow key to locate the line and type (RET)
to go to Menu H (Game Master).
That's the preliminaries over with. We're just about ready
to play.
Turn your menu card over to the game side.
(c). The First Turn
This tutorial is a brief introduction as to how the game
plays. It is not intended to be a description of everything
that can happen. The Game Manual describes in detail the
full use of each menu. Once you have some experience with
the game menus, we recommend you read Chapter 5 in the Game
Manual for an explanation of the major game systems
controlled by the computer.
Back to Menu H. A current turn briefing appears above the
menu window. The date is 30th November 1864, it is 11 am and
this is the first of the eleven turns in the game. Below the
menu window you can see it is daylight and the weather is
clear.
The map shows two Union units towards the top of the screen
and a single Confederate unit at the bottom. Don't panic!
More units are on their way.
The and lines in the menu have been
overprinted with a solid bar to show that you cannot access
them. The solid bar will disappear from the line
after the line has been accessed. This is to guard
against accidentally selecting before issuing your
orders. The line will always be overprinted during
the game. The computer does not want you to see what it is
doing!
Locate the line and type (RET). This brings up Menu
2 (Operations Master). Your choices here are ,
, , or ,