                 WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET III:

                        AGE OF RIFLES
                         1846 - 1905


Age of Rifles, Version 1.4

* Players can now name pbem files.

* "Paging buttons" have been added to the commands display to allow full use of all possible (120) commands available in the game. These buttons appear only if necessary.

* Bodyguard units are now disbanded between turns if they no longer have leaders assigned to them.

* Players who have seen improper exit behavior, such as system freezes immediately on exiting the game or corrupted game.cfg (configuration) files, should no longer experience the problems.

* Players of the English version may choose whether or not to have skirmishers deployed when they order a change of formation. This option is only available when the "oldrules+" command line switch is active. There is no cost for changes in skirmisher deployment if it is requested in connection with a formation change.

* Units with mounts (horses, camels) now show up as "mounted" on the OOB editor screen regardless of actual mount status.

* Tactical formations may now be changed in the deployment editor regardless of the setting of the automatic formations function in the game.

Age of Rifles, Version 1.3

This document describes the changes in Age of Rifles since version 1.01.

                              FIXES

Fixed: A bug which could turn control of an enemy unit over to a player
at the beginning of a turn. Part of this fix is special code to
terminate the game if 1) player 0 is not capable of moving any units in
the current turn and 2) pbem is in effect. This will prevent confusion
in file swaps at some cost of playability in some scenarios.

Fixed: A bug which could cause a crash if certain unit information was
accessed after selecting an empty hex during the scenario post mortem.
I have also re-enabled cursors during the post mortem.

Fixed: A VCR data handling bug which could cause memory related crashes
has been corrected.

Fixed: Crash in the Load File Manager selecting the down scroll arrow
if the only save present is AUTO.sav.
     
Fixed: Crash in the Game Options screen before the scenario if selecting
the simple/rich graphics in the Game Play Options menu and then OK.
     
Fixed: Crash (mostly) at the end of scenario play if one side has no
units left on the map and the swap sides function is selected.
     
Fixed: In the Game Options screen if the Commander and Automatic
Formations toggles in the Game Rules Options menu are off, then the
scenario will end before it can be played.

Fixed: A bug in commander action reporting which could result in the
following strings "prevents a rout!" or "watches helplessly!", has been
fixed.

Small map miniature uniform graphics have been fixed.

The microview is now properly updated at the beginning of a turn, and has
been extended to improve functionality during computer player turns.

Memory use has been "fortified" to reduce the chance of page faults on
some machines.

The unit info panel is now properly updated when tactical formation is
changed by hotkey.

Inconsistencies in defensive order selection logic have been corrected.

Problems with the 100 yard / 10 minute scale clock have been corrected.

Deployment related errors in the OOB editor copy unit and delete unit
routines have been corrected.

Fixed: A logic error which could cause the program to lock
if a computer controlled enemy exits the map.

Fixed: A logic error which could interfere with an
undercrewed artillery unit's ability to change facing.

Environmental effects are now turned off (clear weather,
firm ground and calm conditions are assumed) properly
when the "Full environment effects" game rules option is
turned off.

Fixed: A bug which had the potential to crash the game
if more than one assaulting unit succesfully advanced into
a hex previously occupied by an enemy artillery unit which
left weapons behind, and the _second_ unit attempted to
salvage the weapons.

Mounted units may no longer enter defensive order.

                           IMPROVEMENTS

Reports+ command line switch has been extended to replace additional
verbal descriptions with numerical equivalents. Units with attached
leaders show up in the microview as blinking red lights rather than
blinking yellow lights. In the overview, units with leaders are
hilighted with a blinking red cursor. There is an additional  menu item
listing the status of all game options.  (This display can also be
called up by use of the "?" hotkey.)

Ship fire animations have been improved.

Ships are now easier to sink. Towns, villages, walled compounds etc now
rubble more frequently.

Random Orders of Battle may now be created in the OOB editor. Click on
the small "random" button at lower right and follow the prompts.

Random Scenarios may now be created. Click on the "random scenario" button
in the main screen and follow the prompts. The randomly created scenario
is saved with the name random.sce, and any previous random.sce will be
overwritten. If you wish to save a random scenario permanently, load it
into the editor to rename it there. DO NOT RENAME THE SCENARIO FILE
OUTSIDE OF THE EDITOR, if you do: the game will not properly update high
scores, loads and saves may act strangely, and the scenario will be
useless for campaigns. The only "safe" renaming which can be done
outside of the editor is *.sce to *.sci or *.sci to *.sce.

Quality and movement indicators no longer show up on enemy units during
game play (advanced intel rules).

Fire cursor colors are now modified to reflect time of fire effects on
lethality of fire.

Variable wallop bar: Whenever the mouse cursor is passed over a valid
target for the active unit, the current effective fire strength of the
active unit vs. the target is displayed under the target unit. If the
active unit has less than the full 4 pulses of fire available, a minus
sign is displayed next to the strength number.

There is additional feedback now regarding wallop bar display option
selection.

VCR playback has been slowed down a bit.

Melee and fire losses have been adjusted. Advanced interactions have
been added between mounted cavalry units and infantry in square
formation.

Units in march column now suffer significant morale penalties.

There have been several minor graphics improvements.

Prize crews now train by a random amount from 1% to 10%
per turn until they reach their national average. Prize crews
are also now able to receive stragglers as replacements.

A new VCR replay button has been added. The new button
resets the VCR to the start of the other player's previous
turn.

Map place names are now available when fields of view are
being shown.

Unit experience gains between battles in campaigns are
now tied to the unit's participation in combat during the
scenario. Units not significantly participating in a battle
(no participation in melee or fire combat) will not gain
experience.

Quality indicators ("condition icons") in the active unit panel
now show up only if you have full info on the unit being displayed.

           Experimental Command Line Switch: "oldrules".

oldrules+: Decreases killed and wounded and replaces them with
stragglers and unit cohesion losses. Turns on long reaction ranges and
advanced reporting options. Increases severity of fire combat, but
additional losses are channeled as stragglers and loss of unit cohesion.
Morale rules are strengthened. Artillery units tend to abandon
their guns if overrun rather retreating from melee. Units are eligible
for frantic fire in response to fire attacks by adjacent enemy units.
Note: It is extremely difficult to move units in the face of enemy fire
when this switch is on. Assaults are much more difficult to launch, and
due to the stronger morale rules overall casualties for battles are
significantly reduced. If you set oldrules+ and wish to return to the
default rules, set "oldrules-" on your command line.


Age of Rifles, Version 1.2

This document describes the changes in Age of Rifles since version 1.01.
Special thanks to all those involved with reporting and  finding bugs in 
the field, as well as those who have been *patiently*
awaiting the update.

                              FIXES

Fixed: A bug which could turn control of an enemy unit over to a player
at the beginning of a turn. Part of this fix is special code to
terminate the game if 1) player 0 is not capable of moving any units in
the current turn and 2) pbem is in effect. This will prevent confusion
in file swaps at some cost of playability in some scenarios.

Fixed: A bug which could cause a crash if certain unit information was
accessed after selecting an empty hex during the scenario post mortem.
I have also re-enabled cursors during the post mortem.

Fixed: A VCR data handling bug which could cause memory related crashes
has been corrected.

Fixed: Crash in the Load File Manager selecting the down scroll arrow
if the only save present is AUTO.sav.
     
Fixed: Crash in the Game Options screen before the scenario if selecting
the simple/rich graphics in the Game Play Options menu and then OK.
     
Fixed: Crash (mostly) at the end of scenario play if one side has no
units left on the map and the swap sides function is selected.
     
Fixed: In the Game Options screen if the Commander and Automatic
Formations toggles in the Game Rules Options menu are off, then the
scenario will end before it can be played.

Fixed: A bug in commander action reporting which could result in the
following strings "prevents a rout!" or "watches helplessly!", has been
fixed.

Small map miniature uniform graphics have been fixed.

The microview is now properly updated at the beginning of a turn, and has
been extended to improve functionality during computer player turns.

Memory use has been "fortified" to reduce the chance of page faults on
some machines.

The unit info panel is now properly updated when tactical formation is
changed by hotkey.

Inconsistencies in defensive order selection logic have been corrected.

Problems with the 100 yard / 10 minute scale clock have been corrected.

Deployment related errors in the OOB editor copy unit and delete unit
routines have been corrected.

                           IMPROVEMENTS

Ship fire animations have been improved.

Ships are now easier to sink. Towns, villages, walled compounds etc. now
rubble more frequently.

Random Scenarios may now be created. Click on the "random scenario" button
in the main screen and follow the prompts. The randomly created scenario
is saved with the name random.sce, and any previous random.sce will be
overwritten. If you wish to save a random scenario permanently, load it
into the editor to rename it there. DO NOT RENAME THE SCENARIO FILE
OUTSIDE OF THE EDITOR, if you do: the game will not properly update high
scores, loads and saves may act strangely, and the scenario will be
useless for campaigns. The only "safe" renaming which can be done
outside of the editor is *.sce to *.sci or *.sci to *.sce.

Quality and movement indicators no longer show up on enemy units during
game play (advanced intel rules).

Fire cursor colors are now modified to reflect time of fire effects on
lethality of fire.

Variable wallop bar: Whenever the mouse cursor is passed over a valid
target for the active unit, the current effective fire strength of the
active unit vs. the target is displayed under the target unit. If the
active unit has less than the full 4 pulses of fire available, a minus
sign is displayed next to the strength number.

There is additional feedback now regarding wallop bar display option
selection.

VCR playback has been slowed down a bit.

Melee and fire losses have been adjusted. Advanced interactions have
been added between mounted cavalry units and infantry in square
formation.

Units in march column now suffer significant morale penalties.

There have been several minor graphics improvements.

Prize crews now train by a random amount from 1% to 10%
per turn until they reach their national average. Prize crews
are also now able to receive stragglers as replacements.

Version 1.01u - Begin changes for second update

          Fixed: A bug which could turn control of an enemy unit
        over to a player at the beginning of a turn. Part of this
        fix is special code to terminate the game if 1) player 0 is
        not capable of moving any units in the current turn and
        2) pbem is in effect. This will prevent confusion in file
        swaps at some cost of playability in some scenarios.

          Fixed: A bug which could cause a crash if certain unit
        information was accessed after selecting an empty hex during
        the scenario post mortem. I have also re-enabled cursors
        during the post mortem.

Version 1.01.01

          Except for the version string info (v1.01a), this version
        is identical to v1.01u.

          Sub version numbers are now displayed in debug mode.

Version 1.01.02

          Reports+ command line switch has been extended to replace
        additional verbal descriptions with numerical equivalents.

          Small map miniature uniform graphics have been fixed.

          Memory requirements have been reduced by 3K.

          Memory use has been "fortified" to reduce the chance of
        page faults on some machines.

Version 1.01.03

          A VCR data handling bug which could cause memory related
        crashes has been corrected.

          A VCR display bug has been corrected.

          VCR records corrupted by earlier versions are
        automatically cleared.

          Ship fire animations have been improved.

          Ships are now easier to sink.

          Towns, villages, walled compounds etc now rubble more
        frequently.

Version 1.01.04 - 1.01.09

          These were interrim localized french and german builds.
        There were no significant features added or bugs addressed.

          A special case of help string now allows display of strings
        of lengths up to 68 characters with 7 pixel spacing. This new
        spacing only affects strings longer than 60 characters.

          There have been a few string length related memory
        fortifications.

Version 1.01.10

          The microview is now properly updated at the beginning of a
        turn.

          The "reports+" command line option now returns the debug
        version substring in the credits screen.

          A VCR data handling bug which could cause memory related
        crashes has been corrected.

Version 1.01.11

          The microview is now properly updated at the beginning of a
        turn, correcting a bug introduced in v1.10.10 and extending
        microview functionality during computer player turns.

Version 1.01.12 - 1.01.16

          These were interrim localized french and german builds.
        There were no significant features added or bugs addressed.

        
Version 1.01.17

          Random Orders of Battle may now be created in the OOB editor.
        Click on the small "random" button at lower right and follow
        the prompts.

          Random Scenarios may now be created. Click on the "random
        scenario" button in the main screen and follow the prompts.
        The randomly created scenario is saved with the name
        random.sce, and any previous random.sce will be overwritten.
        If you wish to save a random scenario permanently, load it
        into the editor to rename it there. DO NOT RENAME THE SCENARIO
        FILE OUTSIDE OF THE EDITOR, if you do: the game will not
        properly update high scores, loads and saves may act strangely,
        and the scenario will be useless for campaigns. The only "safe"
        renaming which can be done outside of the editor is *.sce to
        *.sci or *.sci to *.sce.

Version 1.01.18

          If the reports+ command line option has been set: units with
        attached leaders show up in the microview as blinking red lights
        rather than blinking yellow lights. In the overview, units with
        leaders are hilighted with a blinking red cursor.

          Quality and movement indicators no longer show up on enemy
        units during game play (advanced intel rules).

          The unit info panel is now properly updated when tactical
        formation is changed by hotkey.

          Inconsistencies in defensive order selection logic have been
        corrected.

          Problems with the 100 yard / 10 minute scale clock have been
        corrected.

          Deployment related errors in the OOB editor copy unit and
        delete unit routines have been corrected.

          VCR playback has been slowed down a bit.

The following were fixed in versions previous to v1.01.18:

          CRASH In the Load File Manager selecting the down scroll arrow
        if the only save present is AUTO.sav. - Fixed in previous version
     
          CRASH In the Game Options screen before the scenario if
        selecting the simple/rich graphics in the Game Play Options menu
        and then OK.
     
          CRASH (mostly) At the end of scenario play if one side has no
        units left on the map and the swap sides function is selected.
     
          PLAYABILITY In the Game Options screen if the Commander and 
        Automatic Formations toggles in the Game Rules Options menu are
        off, then the scenario will end before it can be played.

Version 1.01.19

          Leader selections, defender prepared positions, and attacker
        initial tactical formations logic in random scenarios have all
        been improved.

          A bug in attacker / defender role logic has been eliminated.

Version 1.01.20

          A bug in commander action reporting which could result in the
        following strings "prevents a rout!" or "watches helplessly!", has
        been fixed.

          All retreat and rout related losses are taken as cohesion
        losses rather than as killed, wounded, stragglers, etc.
        (Not in effect if oldrules+ option is selected.)

          Squares suffer 1/2 casualties in melee combat. This is
        slightly better than the 2/3 casualties suffered by units
        in defensive order.

          Units now suffer a cohesion loss in melee proportional to
        troops lost.

          All melee combats now last at least two rounds as long as
        each side has units left. (Not in effect if the oldrules+ option
        is selected.)

          If the reports+ command line option has been set there is an
        additional  menu item listing the status of all game options.        

Version 1.01.21

          Melee combats involving defending artillery units can now
        end after only one round. If this occurs, artillery units will
        "rout" away from their position if the enemy forces succesfully
        assault.

          There is additional feedback now regarding wallop bar
        display option selection.

          Fire cursor colors are now modified to reflect time of fire
        effects on lethality of fire.

Version 1.01.22

          This was a rebuild of the level 16 German executable, and
        did not include fixes since build 16.

          The unit report plaque has been enlarged in the German version
        to avoid string overwrites at the edges.        

Version 1.01.23

          Variable wallop bar: Whenever the mouse cursor is passed
        over a valid target for the active unit, the current effective
        fire strength of the active unit vs. the target is displayed
        under the target unit. If the active unit has less than the full
        4 pulses of fire available, a minus sign is displayed next to
        the strength number.

Version 1.01.24

          The attack bias in random scenarios has been decreased.

          Supply points are now included in random deployments.
          
          Random deployments have been refined, with improved
        balance and use of redoubts, breastworks, and tactical
        formations.          

          Randomly created units now have slightly more randomized
        troop strengths.

          Melee attrition per round of combat has been reduced by
        33%.

          In assaults involving defending units in square and mounted
        attackers, defenders will suffer fewer casualties and attackers
        will suffer greater casualties.

          Units in march column now suffer significant morale penalties.

Version 1.20.00

          Obscure reserved DOS system filenames are no longer
        allowed.

Version 1.20.01

          An assault lockup bug has been fixed.

          A new hotkey has been added. If the "?" is pressed,
        the active game options list pops up.

Version 1.20.02

          A memory optimization (deleting a development option)
        in v1.01.17 caused a casualty reporting bug. This affected
        a number of items, and combat reporting should generally
        look better now.

Version 1.20.03

          The new random scenario / random OOB interface has
        been implemented.

Note:

          It would be best if I were to rewrite this file for inclusion
        in the publicly distributed v1.2. Some of the reported bug
        fixes affected bugs that were never released publicly, and
        the current document would give a false impression of
        "bugginess'.

Experimental:

          oldrules+: Decreases killed and wounded and replaces them with
        stragglers and unit cohesion losses. Turns on long reaction
        ranges and advanced reporting options. Increases severity of
        fire combat, but additional losses are channeled as stragglers
        and loss of unit cohesion. Morale rules are strengthened.
        Artillery units tend to abandon their guns if overrun rather
        retreating from melee. Units are eligible for frantic fire in
        response to fire attacks by adjacent enemy units.


        

v. 1.10 PATCH RELEASE NOTES
------------------------------

Welcome to the Age of Rifles v.1.10.  

The patched version of AOR addresses those bugs found immediately
prior to shipping as well at those (unfortunately) found in the 
field.  Special thanks to all those involved with reporting and 
finding bugs in the field, as well as those who have been *patiently*
awaiting the patch.

This patch fixes all of the known bugs and outstanding issues:

GAMEPLAY
---------
     * All issues surrounding PBEM games have been corrected.
     * The game no longer looks for a sound init file, enabling a 
       true "no sound" option.
     * When playing campaigns, sides will no longer switch through 
       the course of a campaign - once Union, always Union (etc.).
     * Notification is now given at the end of a scenario within a 
       campaign to pull down the continue option from the File menu.
     * A palette related bug in command displays has been corrected.
     * A bug in commander assignments during reinforcements has been 
       corrected.
     * Commander replacement logic has been improved, eliminating a 
       bug that could have left formations without commanders in long 
       battles.
     * Melee problems have been corrected.
     * Replaying a scenario in the VCR with ships no longer causes 
       the game to crash.
     * Selecting UNDO will now remove any graphic casualties from 
       the game field.
     * Problems associated with viewing the battlefield at the end 
       of a scenario has been corrected.

EDITOR
-------
     * When "show field of view" is on (set in the game), the editor 
       no longer displays a gray overlay over the entire map.
     * Selecting "move unit" in the oob editor no longer crashes 
       the editor when fewer than 2 units are defined.
     * The title bar at the top of the screen is now updated when 
       a map file is loaded in the editor.

MISC.
------
     * This patch contains the MSCDEX.EXE version 2.23, necessary 
       to identify the WGCSIII disc in your CD-ROM drive.
     * A problem with the Crimea text file has been corrected.


Enjoy the Age of Rifles v.1.10!


John Eberhardt
9/18/96

-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
------------------

Remember that Age of Rifles is a DOS product.  Using the task
switch feature available through Microsoft Windows 95 to 
transfer in and out of a DOS box while the game is in play
may cause bugs to be introduced to the program.  Any such 
problem can be remedied by quitting Rifles and relaunching in
an un-interrupted DOS session.  

This also applies to any screen savers that may be active. It 
is recommended that when playing Rifles under any Windows 
environment that all screen savers are disabled.


CD-ROM PROBLEMS
----------------
Compatibility problems with CD-ROM drivers associated with
Windows 95 may stop your Age of Rifles disc from being
accessed.  An up-to-date version of the MSCDEX.EXE program
can be found in the root of your Rifles directory. If you experience
any problems running your game, follow the below information
to remedy the problem(s).

***REMEMBER TO MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR ORIGINAL FILES BEFORE MODIFYING 
YOUR AUTOEXEC.BAT OR CONFIG.SYS!!!***


CAN'T ACCESS DRIVE:
--------------------
	
When you try to access your CD-ROM drive in Windows 95, you may 
experience one of the following symptoms: 

	 - You cannot run executable (.exe) files.
	 - You cannot view complete directory listings.
	 - You receive the error message "Device not found."

These problems can occur if you are using an older version of 
Mscdex.exe that is not compatible with Windows 95. 

When you install certain real-mode CD-ROM drivers, an older version
of Mscdex.exe is copied to the hard disk and a reference to the older 
version of Mscdex.exe is placed in the Autoexec.bat file. 

SOLUTION 
---------------
Modify the Autoexec.bat file to reference the correct 
version of Mscdex.exe. To do so, follow these steps: 

1. Make a backup copy of the Autoexec.bat file.

2. Use any text editor (such as Notepad) to open the 
Autoexec.bat file.

3. Modify the line containing Mscdex.exe to read:

<drive>:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE<parameter>

	where <drive> is the drive containing Windows 95 and 
        <parameters> are the parameters from the original line 
        containing Mscdex.exe.

	   NOTE: To maintain compatibility with the installed 
	   CD-ROM driver, make sure to use all the parameters 
	   exactly as they are used in the original line.

4. Save and then close the Autoexec.bat file.

5. Shut down and restart your computer.


PROBLEMS WITH MULTIPLE CD-ROM SYSTEMS
--------------------------------------

Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX) can control multiple CD-ROM 
drives, but must be configured to do so.

SOLUTION 
---------------
To configure your system, you must make some adjustments 
to the parameters on your CD-ROM driver in the CONFIG.SYS 
file and to the MSCDEX command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 

MSCDEX uses the /D:MSCDxxx parameter to differentiate 
between the drives. For example, the following commands 
assign the Creative Labs CD-ROM driver (SBPCD.SYS) to 
drive m and the external CD-ROM (TSLCDR.SYS) to drive n: 

	   CONFIG.SYS File
	   ---------------
	   device=c:\sbpro\sbpcd.sys /d:mscd001 /p:220
	   device=c:\scsi\tslcdr.sys /d:mscd000

	   AUTOEXEC.BAT File
	   ---------------------
	   mscdex /d:mscd001 /l:m /d:mscd000 /l:n


	NOTE: Because MS-DOS treats CD-ROM drives like network 
	drives, they are assigned sequentially to available 
	drive letters (for example, three CD-ROM drives could 
	be assigned to G:, H:, and I:). 

==================================================================

TACTICAL NOTES
---------------

The name is no mistake!  This is a period where defense 
steadily gained the edge over offense.  Few units can stand 
up long to steady fire.  If you are on the attack,  be aware 
of your time limit.  Within the bounds of the turns allowed 
be patient.  It is a rare scenario where pre-assault 
bombardment with your artillery does not pay off.  When 
approaching enemy,  remember to use line formation and 
deploy skirmishers.  Skirmishers dramatically reduce the 
number of casualties you take from small arms fire,  while 
line formation provides some protection from artillery fire.  
Outflank your opponents and use cover as much as possible.

When attacking artillery,  try to assault it from the flank 
or rear.  Cavalry are very vulnerable to fire,  so don't 
waste them on frontal assaults.  If you are overmatched by 
heavier or more numerous guns,  don't shoot it out with them - 
withdraw to cover or a position where you can assist other 
units' attacks.  If you must play counter battery games with 
enemy artillery,  try to get off the first shot.  This will 
give you an edge in the wearing of morale and firepower that 
can be decisive.

When defending,  don't forget to set up overlapping lanes of 
fire.  Vary the responses of your units to enemy approach and 
fire - the Free Fire and Counter Fire options can be mixed 
with good effect with Wait fire,  so that enemy assaults meet 
a rising crescendo of fire as they close,  with one big bang 
at the end.  Remember that artillery gets half as many 
defensive shots as infantry,  so make them count.  Do not 
let 'out of sight' be 'out of mind'.  Enemy units can rally 
and recover quickly,  offering a new threat where you thought 
victory was sealed.

Assault by fire is often a good tactic,  as the follow-up 
moves of close assault can expose your units to new fire.  To 
deliver the most firepower,  use line or supported line formation,  
but turn the skirmishers off - they protect you but limit your 
firepower.  Note that although artillery cannot be moved adjacent 
to enemy units by prolong (pushed by hand) they can get adjacent 
when limbered.  This is an attack that has a built in delay of a 
turn,  but is usually worth it!  When using artillery close to 
enemy keep an infantry unit stacked with the artillery - gunners 
respond poorly to assaults and will often leave suddenly...

Check all the objectives,  they have different values.  


MOVE COSTS & TERRAIN EFFECTS
-----------------------------

Road movement
        
Road movement costs take precedence if allowed. Units must be
disordered or in march column, and movement must be along the
road from one road hex to another. Road movement is not allowed
if abatis are present in the hex.

March column....................................................1
Disorder........................................................2

Road movement cost modifiers

Other unit in hex..............................................+1        
Soft ground condition (road)...................................+1
Soft ground condition (improved or sunken road).................0
Dismounted unit under fire or taking cover.....................+1

Off road movement 

Standard cost (by formation)

March column....................................................1
Disorder........................................................2
Attack column...................................................2
Supported line..................................................3
Line............................................................3
Square..........................................................5

Off road movement cost modifiers:

Town or village - always use the standard cost, following will not 
apply.
        
Each line of modifiers is cumulative with all other modifiers. The
modifier for each line is only charged once, thus (example) a unit 
which is under fire and skirmishing will only pay +1 to move.        
        
Soft ground or heavy rain.......................................+1
Dismounted unit under fire,
        taking cover,or skirmishing.............................+1
Night...........................................................+1
Heavy equipment in unit.........................................+1
Marsh...........................................................+2
Berm............................................................+1
Hex on fire............................................not allowed
Fence, wall, or trench (mounted)..........................1/3 full
Fence, wall, or trench (not mounted)............................+1
Crewed weapons in unit..........................................+1
Escarpment (no elevation change).........................no effect
Escarpment (elevation change)..........................not allowed
Bridged stream..................................................+2
Unbridged fordable stream or gully (no heavy equipment).........+2
Unbridged fordable stream or gully (heavy equipment)...not allowed
Unbridged Non fordable stream..........................not allowed
Woods...........................................................+1
Abatis, redoubt, or walled compound (mounted)...................+2
Abatis, redoubt, or walled compound (not mounted)...............+1
Rocks, mud, sand, any field (mounted)...........................+2
Rocks, mud, sand, any field (not mounted).......................+1
Change in elevation (mounted)...................................+2
Change in elevation (not mounted)...............................+1

Note: "Heavy equipment" is a characteristic of some types of crewed
weapons. See weapons database to determine whether any particular
weapon is considered "heavy equipment".
          
Naval Movement / Naval Units

River or lake (deep water).....................1
River or lake (small vessels, shallow water)...2 (may run aground)
Otherwise......................................not allowed

Note: A river lake hex which shows even the smallest amount of
land is considered shallow.
        
Water Movement / Non-Naval Units

River or lake (non frozen).....................Not allowed
River or lake (frozen).........................Normal movement costs



SPECIAL CASES:
          
Artillery may not be pushed (moved while unlimbered) into any hex
adjacent to an enemy unit.

Units may always move one hex per turn regardless of cost, as long as
the movement would not otherwise be prohibited.

Depending upon unit's level of training, the following formations may 
be allowed:

Tactical        Fire            Melee 
Formation       Efficacy        Efficacy       Mobility
----------      --------        --------       --------
Disordered       Poor           Poor           Good
March Column     Poor           Very Poor      Excellent
Attack Column    Poor           Good           Fair
Supported Line   Fair           Fair           Fair
Line             Good           Poor           Poor
Defensive        Excellent      Excellent      Zero
Square           Poor           Excellent      Poor
Engineering*     Poor           Poor           Good

Note on Engineering: Units can stop to create breastworks or remove 
abatis if this button is available. Abatis are improvised barricades 
with little defensive value, but slow movement across them. 

Left-clicking this button causes a unit ending its movement in a hex
with an abatis and movement points left to destroy the abatis as soon 
as it passes a capability check.

This process uses all remaining movement. Breastworks are hasty
defensive works constructed from any available material. Left-clicking 
this button causes a unit ending its movement in an appropriate hex 
with movement points left to throw up a breastwork as soon as it 
passes a capability check. 

====================================================================

SCENARIO CONSTRUCTION
----------------------
     
As anyone who has designed historical scenarios can tell you, a
battle sometimes isn't as interesting when you finish a scenario as
when you conceptualized it. Just because a situation has already
been modeled in an existing scenario doesn't mean someone else
can't tackle it again. You might be able to do a better job than
the other fellow.
    
Orders and Objectives

Definition: All objectives except for the final (highest numbered)
assigned to any particular command are referred to as intermediate
objectives. Intermediate objectives are useful for refining the
action of the programmed opponent, but have no direct effect upon play.
     
Units assigned to "attacking" commands will attempt to pass 
through lowest  numbered to highest numbered objectives while 
advancing on their final objective. In many cases it is not
necessary to specify a particular path for an attacking command,
since the programmed opponent does a pretty good job of  "channelling"
the command. There are two exceptions though: 1) If there is a 
significant obstacle, such as a river, it can be helpful to place 
intermediate objectives in such a way as to create a "path" for advance.  
2) If many commands will be advancing on the same objective it can 
be helpful to use intermediate objectives for each command to avoid 
traffic jams. Otherwise, since the programmed opponent will tend to 
take the easiest path when moving its units, you may find your 
commands bunching up near roads or passing through dense terrain. 
     
Defending commands will stay in place unless an enemy unit 
occupies one of their objectives. In many cases this is what you want. 
But you can also use intermediate objectives to set up "tripwires." For 
example, a cavalry command can be placed behind a hill out of enemy 
view. Its final objective might be in a village located behind the 
it. This ensures that the village will be defended if approached 
by the enemy. But you could also set an intermediate objective on one  
side of a bridge in front of the hill. When the enemy advances across 
the bridge your cavalry would ride out to attack, but if other enemy 
forces threatened your command's final objective they would return to 
defend the village. By clever use of intermediate objectives you can set 
up a very active defense. 
     
To begin with, set all of your command orders to "normal" emphasis.
You can adjust up (all costs) or down (cautious) when you start
testing for historical accuracy and play balance.
     
Leaders have a very strong effect on game play. It is easy to forget
to set leaders away from national defaults, but the results can be
worth it. Private soldiers in many 19th century armies were quite 
professional, but their officers were sometimes political appointees.
In some cases, the better leaders have become legendary figures. You
can reflect this by setting commander values as appropriate.
     
Unit names are limited to 16 characters, but you can get additional
mileage out of unit names in many game displays by using the
following abbreviations (spaces are significant). This also gets
around spelling problems:
     
          " Hsr" >>> " Hussar" 
          " Fslr" >>> " Fusilier" 
          " Drgn" >>> " Dragoon" 
          " Gndr" >>> " Grenadier" 
          " Jgrs" >>> " Jaegers" 
          "Hlndr" >>> "Highlander" 
          " Arty" >>> " Artillery" 
          " Bn" >>> " Battalion" 
          " dA" >>> " d'Afrique" 
          "Hvy" >>> "Heavy" 
          "Lt" >>> "Light" 
          " Rgt" >>> " Regiment" 
          " Bde" >>> " Brigade" 
          "Mtd" >>> "Mounted" 
          "Gren " >>> "Grenadier " 
          "Gd" >>> "Guard" 
          "Irsh" >>> "Irish" 
          "Fld" >>> "Field" 
          " Bodygd" >>> " Bodyguard" 
          " Div " >>> " Division " 
          "W'phln" >>> "Westphalian" 
          "B'burg" >>> "Brandenburg" 
          "Lwr " >>> "Lower " 
          "E.Pru" >>> "East Pru" 
          "Sfrth" >>> " Seaforth " 
          "Camrn" >>> " Cameron " 
          "Ryl" >>> "Royal" 
          "Bty" >>> "Battery" 
          " Tex." >>> " Texas" 
          " Ark." >>> " Arkansas" 
          " Lou." >>> " Louisiana" 
          " Miss." >>> " Mississippi" 
          " Tenn." >>> " Tennessee" 
          " Ala." >>> " Alabama" 
          " Fla." >>> " Florida" 
          " Ga." >>> " Georgia" 
          " S.C." >>> " South Carolina" 
          " N.C." >>> " North Carolina" 
          " Ky." >>> " Kentucky" 
          " Va." >>> " Virginia" 
          " Md." >>> " Maryland" 
          " Penn." >>> " Pennsylvania" 
          " Del." >>> " Delaware" 
          " Ia." >>> " Indiana" 
          " Ill." >>> " Illinois" 
          " N.J." >>> " New Jersey" 
          " N.Y." >>> " New York" 
          " Conn." >>> " Connecticut" 
          " Mass." >>> " Massachusetts" 
          " Vt." >>> " Vermont" 
          " N.H." >>> " New Hampshire" 
          " Me." >>> " Maine" 
          " W." >>> " West" 
          " Vol." >>> " Volunteer" 
          " Vols." >>> " Volunteers"             
          " S.S." >>> " Sharpshooters"
     
        Example: If you name a unit "1st B'burg Jgrs", it will display 
        in the game as "1st Brandenburg Jaegers" if space allows. 
     
You can do interesting things with some unit and command parameters.
For example, if you look closely at Buena Vista you will find that
the Mexican army arrives on the map in an exhausted state. This
strongly encourages the Mexican player to do what Santa Anna did
historically - probe the pass then set up camp for the night. You
can also set the ammo levels of individual units very low while setting
their parent command supply ratings much higher. The units would  
start off with very little ammo but would rapidly resupply. Or you can 
do the reverse, if you want to recreate the legendary "quartermaster 
effect" at Isandlwana. 
     
If you are designing an historical scenario, try to get historical
results by selecting objectives and command orders. Don't worry
about play balance until you are satisfied with the feel of the
scenario. Once you have done this, you can manually modify the 
values of the objectives to achieve play balance. 
     
The best way to test for rough balance in your scenarios is to  
launch them in a computer vs. computer play mode. You can speed 
this up by using the "quick" command line parameter. The 
"quick" parameter will cut all delays to a minimum, which will allow 
for the most rapid possible test of the scenario. It comes with a cost 
though: The game will play so rapidly that you won't easily be
able to follow the action. 
    

CAMPAIGN CONSTRUCTION
----------------------

Building campaigns that allow units to carry over experience from
scenario to scenario is best accomplished by building your Order
Of Battle (OOB) for the first scenario listing all of the units
that will be used in a campaign and saving the OOB separately in
the Unit editor.  Any units that are not used in a particular
scenario should be given deployment orders to arrive after the
scenario is scheduled to end.  This keeps their modifications
from any previous scenarios for the campaign but prevents them
from appearing in a scenario in which you don't want them
available.  In addition, if you start with the same OOB, you
assure that the unit names are consistent.  When building the
next scenario in the campaign, use the OOB from the previous
scenario modifying the deployment orders.

When saving any scenario, you are presented with two options.
The first asks whether the scenario is part of a campaign; if
you answer yes, a second option allows you to save the file as
the first scenario in a campaign.  The former file is saved as
an ".SCI" (invisible) file, while the latter is saved as an 
".SCC" (campaign) file.

".SCI" files are not seen from the Scenario Menu, and cannot
be played in any way outside of their campaign.  This allows
a scenario to be saved multiple times for use in multiple
campaigns, allowing the default, or stand-alone scenario to
remain intact.  

".SCC" files denote the beginning file of a campaign.  These
files and their names appear on the Campaign Menu, and cannot
be played outside of their campaign.

Both ".SCI" and ".SCC" files can be viewed from the File 
Manager screen.

When a standard scenario is saved, it is saved as an ".SCE"
file, available from the Scenario Menu.

It is important that when creating your campaigns you link to 
the correct file, both in name and in its extension.  

====================================================================

COMMAND PROMPTS
----------------
Command line prompts (commands entered on the same line as the game
start command before executing the program) can modify gameplay and
game setup.

Single Session Options
-----------------------
        These options must be toggled every time you start the
        game to be in effect.

        "quiet": play with no sound (this session only).
 
        "fastexit": Allows you to exit the game directly
          from the menu, without  having to pass through
          the "main" screen (this session only).
 
        "mono": Monaural sound (this session only). 

Persistent Options
-------------------
        These options set a flag in a configuration file which
        can only be reset by running the reverse toggle, ie.
        "reactions+" can only be reset by starting a game
        using "reactions-."

        "reactions+": Allows longer ranges for automatic
          reaction orders.

        "reactions-": (Default) Sets the documented ranges
          for reaction orders.

        "reports+": Gives additional numerical information in
          some game report screens.

        "reports-": (Default) Replaces some numerical information
          in game report screens with verbal descriptions.

        "showmovecost+": When movement paths are shown, the
          projected cost to enter each hex along the path is shown
          in the hex.

        "showmovecost-": (Default) Do not show movement cost
          information in movement path displays.

====================================================================

CREDITS
--------

Developed by            Norm Koger, Jr. and 
                        SSI Special Projects Group 
Producer                John Eberhardt
Associate Producer      Brandon Chamberlain 
Art Director            Steve Burke
Lead Artist             Gennady Krakovsky
Artists                 Maurie Manning, Ben Rush, Mike Filippoff, 
                        Dave Jensen, John Xu, Donald Wang, Sean Tsai
Additional Art          Miki Morris, Strategy First, Inc. 
Programming             Norm Koger, Jr. 
Lead Scenario Designer  Mike Simpson
Additional Scenarios    James Young, Dick Wagenet, Dave Merrick,
                        Novastar, Inc. 
Audio Director          Ralph Thomas 
Audio Technician        Ron Calonje
Multimedia Production   Maurice Jackson
Music Composed & 
        Performed by    Rick Rhodes and Danny Pelfrey
American Theme Music    Tom Carns
Manual Author           Mark Whisler 
Manual Editor           Jonathan Kromrey
Data Manager            Caron White
Install Programmer      Ben Cooley
Test Manager            Glen Cureton 
Test Supervisor         Jason Ray
Lead Tester             John Cloud 
SSI Testers             Bill White, Lance Page, Osiris Roman,
                        Mike Hawkins, Kelly Calabro, Sean Wyman, 
                        Jason Loney, Jeff Powell, Dan Rivera
Beta Testers            Paul Winner, Bill Lott, Lee Jordan, Greg
                        Doyle, Vince Alonso, Judith Weller, John
                        Taylor, Jim Fink
Executive Producer      Bret Berry

Special Thanks To       Kevin Klemme, Jan Lindner, Joel Billings,
                        Chuck Kroegel, Dan Cermak, Lee Crawford,
                        Carl Norman, John Hudson, John Ross,
                        Tom Wahl, Bob Burke, Al Revere and
                        Andrew Preziosi





 

