
TANKS
======

INTRODUCTION
------------

HOW TO START THE GAME
---------------------
Insert the disc into the drive as normal. TANKS is supplied on a
special 40/80 track disc format, so it does not matter which
type of drive you have, the correct version is automatically
selected. The game is started by a SHIFT-BREAK. Press SHIFT, tap
BREAK and wait until the drive starts, then release the SHIFT
key, mush as you would in a normal SHIFT operation.

NB: At certain points in the game, the program writes data to
the disc. Hence it is essential that you do not fit a
writeprotect sticker to the disc.

SELECTING YOUR FORCES
---------------------
TANKS has been written to allow you to play any type of game you
wish. You may select both your forces, and those of the computer
against which you play. There is scope here for CHEATING, but
you will find cheated games boring and unfulfilling. It is your
responsibility to pick balanced sides. For those who are not
quite au fait with tank warfare, a table of the characteristics
of each tank, and suggested lists of units for a balanced game,
is given at the end of this manual. First you will be selected
with three possible scenarios:

Western Europe 1944
North Africa 1942
Russian Front Winter 1943

To make your choice move the highlight bar to the chosen name,
then confirm the choice;

  CURSOR UP  =  Highlight bar up  
  CURSOR DOWN  =  Highlight bar down
  RETURN  =  Confirm

Next you will be asked to choose which side you wish to play.
The computer will automatically play the opposing team. Use the
same keys as above.

Now you will be presented with a list of the units available for
you to use. Each type of tank is 'worth' a given number of
'points', depending on how powerful it is - the more powerful it
is, the more points it is worth. The value of each tank is
displayed to the right of its name. As you begin your selection,
you are given an alloted number of 'points' (in this case 1000).
As you choose your tanks, you 'spend' the points, and the number
remaining decreases. Once you have used all your points, you
cannot have any more tanks. You are also limited to 16 units in
all (including Support Units), though depending on how you use
your points, you may never reach this limit.

The keys are as before, with one addition;

ESCAPE  =  End selection

Pressing ESCAPE ends your selection, when you have chosen all
the pieces you need, or do not have anough points remaining to
choose another unit. After selecting your own forces, you will
next be asked to choose the computers' side. The selection
procedure is much as for your own, except you will only be
allowed to choose tanks, as the computer automatically picks the
support units it requires. See the section later on 'Support
Units'.

Once this choice is over, you will be asked to wait a few
seconds while the computer sets up the scenario, positions your
pieces and those of the computer, and initialises various other
'nasties' for you to deal with. Now, the main game will load....

THE MAIN SHEET
--------------
The main sheet presents you with a small scale map, showing
roads, rivers, trees and so on. (See 'The Scale and Scope of the
Game).

The Objective
The objective is marked somewhere on the map as a small solid
square in white (or cyan on the Russian scenario). It is your
aim in the game to move a unit into this square to capture it -
though of course the computer will try to stop you. The
objective is placed randomly on the board, so in some games it
will be quite close to the starting position of your forces, and
during others it will be across the board. Hence some games will
be more difficult and drawn out than others - and some will be
almost impossible!

Moving your forces
Your units are marked as small circles; the computers' pieces
are hidden from view until they attack you! Tou control your
units you are presented with a square cursor. This starts at the
bottom left hand corner of the screen. The keys to control the
cursor are;

             Z  =  Cursor Left              X  =  Cursor Right

             *  =  Cursor Up                ?  =  Cursor Down

      SPACEBAR  =  Select Unit              S  =  End game


You will find that these keys are used for most of the
operations involved in playing the game, so you don't have to
keep moving your hands around the keyboard. The end game option
allows you to exit from the main sheet to a program which
analyses your performance. This should be used if, for example,
all your pieces are immobilised or out of fuel.

As you move the cursor off the side of the displayed area, the
screen will scroll sideways to reveal more of the map. The
entire map covers three screens arranged horizontally. Try
moving the cursor over a unit and selecting it. You will now be
presented with a larger scale map, centred on the selected unit.
This represents the extent of its' vision, and in the case of
some tanks, the maximum range of the most powerful guns (though
not all tanks can reach that far). At the top is a status line;

MOVEMENT              Sherman
Distance: 0/6         Fuel: 100

or similar. This informs you of the type of tank, the quantity
of fuel it has, and how much of its movement it has used. Each
type of tank could travel at different speed, generally the
heavier and more powerful the tank, the slower it could travel
(though there were some notable exceptions to this rule). To
simulate this in TANKS, each type of tank is given a quota of
'move units', in the case of the Sherman above, three. As well
as having different speeds, tanks also travelled at varying
rates across differing terrain. Obviously it is easier to drive
along a road than across a ploughed field, through a forest or a
river. To simulate this, for every square you move the unit,
TANKS deducts a different number of 'move units', depending of
which type of terrain you are moving on; the more difficult the
terrain, the more 'move units' used in traversing the square.
The following table is used;

Terrain                   Move Units Used
-------                   ---------------
Road/bridges                     1
Normal ground                    2
Forest                           2
*Ford a river                    3
*Soft ground                     3
Move through bomb crater         3

Thus the Sherman above could move 6 squares along the road, 3 on
normal ground or forest, and 2 squares on soft ground or through
a river.

* Rivers on the map are shown in two tones. The lighter blue is
shallow, fordable river, whereas the darker tone is too deep to
ford, and moving a unit onto these could have undesirable
consequences.

* Moving onto soft ground could also cause problems.

As you press a button for each movement, the computer performs
several tasks;

1. A check is made to establish whether you are moving onto a
mine. If so, you are informed (audibly), and the damage is
assessed.

2. If you move too close to a fortified position, there is a
chance that it will attack you (but by no means every time).
Again you will be informed.

If either of these two occur, you will be returned to the small
scale map, and the unit you have just used will forfeit the rest
of its' move units (to give the crew time to recover).

Next the computer scans the vicinity to calculate whether you
can see any if its' tanks. If not, you continue as normal. If
contact is established, the enemy tank will be displayed on the
large scale map, with a line at the top of the screen to inform
you of its' identity. The program will pause (to allow you to
compose yourself).

Then the combat sheet will load....

THE COMBAT SHEET
----------------
The combat program deals with the action between two fighting
tanks. To avoid confusion, only the two relevant tanks are
displayed, and your tank is always in the centre. At the top of
the screen are damage report boxes, for both tanks. Below, the
area around your tank is translated into isometric 3D. The
control keys are thus;

       Z  = Traverse Anticlockwise      X  =  Traverse Clockwise
  RETURN  =  Fire                       S  =  Skip

As display on the left of the screen informs you of the number
of shots you have in the move, with a similar display for the
computer on the righthand side of the screen. When you fire, the
path of your shot will be shown. You must try simply to hit the
enemy tank (which will also be returning fire). After both shots
have expended themselves (either hitting its target, missing or
falling short), the damage will be assessed and printed in the
relevant box. Damage inflicted on your tank appears in the box
marked 'Player'.

The tanks will then reload (a 'Ready' message will appear below
your ammo stock), and you may fire again. Play continues like
this until either tank is destroyed, or both have used all their
alloted shots. If, for example you destroy the enemy tank with
your third shot and still have five left, these will be stored
for use later, should you have to fight another tank in the same
move.

You are also allowed to exit from the sheet for some extra
manoeuvring, for instance to move toward or away from the enemy
vehicle, but only if you still have some 'move units' remaining
(otherwise you could be trying to cheat!)

A 'FINISH' message will be printed on the right of the screen,
and after a pause the main program will load again.

SOFT-SKINNED VEHICLES
---------------------
Soft-skinned vehicles (the Petrol Bauser, Mortar Unit and
Engineer Corps) are very vulnerable to fire from tanks, hence it
is very likely that if fired on and hit, they would be
destroyed. As they also could not fire back, TANKS deals with
them in a different way from armoured-fighting vehicles. Instead
of wasting time loading the combat sheet, the conflict is
resolved within the main sheet. The attacking tank is displayed
on the large-scale map with the soft-skinned vehicle, and a
report on the outcome of the fight is given at the top of the
screen.

AIRCRAFT
--------
During your move, you may hear the distant buzz of an
approaching aircraft. These unfortunately are invariably
bombers, and enemy bombers at that. It is advisable to hide your
tanks in the forest when this happens, as one hit from a bomb
will destroy any tank. The trees protect tanks from bombs, and
although bombs may appear to land on tanks, they will do no
damage.

SUPPORT UNITS
-------------
At the selection stage you have option to choose three types of
Support Unit along with your tanks. Each of these has different
uses. It is left to you to judge whether they are necessary. The
computer automatically selects a Petrol Bauser and Engineer
Corps for itself.

The Petrol Bauser As has been mentioned, each tank can only
carry a certain amount of fuel (100 fuel units max.) As the tank
is moved, the fuel is consumed at the rate of one fuel unit per
square. Obviously once the fuel runs out, the tank is
immobilised. Hence it is advisable to keep your tanks topped up
with petrol. Refuelling is accomplished by moving the petrol
bauser against the tank concerned (as if trying to move onto the
tank).

The Engineer Corps (or Sappers)
The job of the Engineer Corps is to clear a path through a
minefield. When this unit is moved onto a mine, it is defused
safely. Hence the Engineer Corps are useful for clearing a road
of mines for the tanks to move down. The Engineer Corps can also
be used for building pontoon bridges. Such bridges are build at
the rate of one square per move and are built automatically when
the Engineer Corps move onto water.

The Mortar Unit
The mortar unit is one solution to the tactical problem of the
numerous heavily defended positions on the board. When a mortar
unit into range of a defended position, the program will pause,
and then the mortar sheet will be loaded.

THE MORTAR SHEET
----------------
The mortar sheet will display a map similar to the combat sheet,
but instead of two tanks, the fortified position is shown in the
centre of the map, with your mortar at its relevant position. At
the top of the screen is a horizontal bar graph, displaying the
number of remaining structure points for the fortified position.
Also on the left of the scren is a display of the number of
mortar shells remaining in the move. A mortar can fire 8 shells
in a move. The keys you must use are just as before;

      Z  =  Rotate Anticlockwise       X  =  Rotate Clockwise
      *  =  Increase Elevation         ?  =  Decrease Elevation
 RETURN  =  Fire

As you fire, the path of your mortar shell will be plotted. You
may find hitting the fortified position quite hard - but that is
the idea! If you destroy the bazooka nest, or run out of sheels,
you will be returned to the main sheet. You might find you need
more than one move to completely destroy the fortified
positions.

ARTILLERY
---------
The alternative to using mortars against defended positions is
to use artillery. Artillery is available to only once every
three moves. A barrage is brought down by pressing F1. The aim
point is the current cursor position, so move your cursor to the
point you want bombarded and call for the artillery. A warning
though - it is not bery accurate, and your own tanks may be
caught in the barrage if yo are not careful. A fortified
position may not be completely neutralised by an artillery
barrage - it may take several tries before it is rendered -
completely impotent.

FORTIFIED POSITIONS
-------------------
At various points on the board are defendable positions, marked
by a small pillbox shape. Some of these positions are defended
by bazookas, which will attack your tank if it moves within
range. However, not all of the positions are occupied during a
game, so if you gamble at passing close, this may pay off. At
the beginning of the game each position is given a random number
of 'structure points'. As you attack the positions with your
mortars and artillery, these structure points will be eroded
(assuming that you hit of course).

THE COMPUTERS' MOVE
-------------------
After you have moved all your units to your satisfaction, you
must now let the computer know this. This is accomplished by
pressing the F0 key. This will cause the computer to move its'
pieces - this will be almost instantaneous, so you need not
wait. It is at this point that the aircraft attacks take place.
you will then have control for your move.

THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE GAME
-------------------------------
The main playing area is a map of 96 x 32 squares, each of which
represents a 200m x 200m square of contryside. The screen
display reveals a 32 x 32 grid, and scrolls sideways to reveal
more of the map. The display is arranged on two scales. The
small scale is as described above. The large scale displays a 15
x 15 grid around a given point (usually a tank or some other
unit). Each move represents 1 minute of real-time.

TYPICAL FORCES:
---------------
WESTERN EUROPE 1944
GERMAN: 1 Tiger I, 2 Panthers, 6 Panzer IV
BRITISH: 1 Firefly, 9 Shermans

DESERT 1942
GERMAN: 4 Panzer IV, 9 Panzer III
BRITISH: 5 Churchill, 10 Matilda II

RUSSIA 1943
GERMAN: 1 Tiger I, 4 Panthers, 3 Panzer IV
RUSSIAN: 4 T-34/76, 4 T-34/85

The number of Support Units is up to you.

ABOUT THE TANKS
---------------
The following table gives some indication to those not very
experienced in tank wargaming a general idea of the relative
values of each tank in order of increasing strength;

GERMAN            BRITISH                 RUSSIAN
PANZER III        STUART                  T-38             Light
PANZER IV         MATILDA II*             T-70
PANTHER           CHURCHILL*              T-34/76          Medium
TIGER I           SHERMAN                 T-34/85
TIGER II          FIREFLY                 KV 1             Heavy 
                                          
                                          


*The Matilda and Churchill were actually heavy tanks, with quite
thick armour, but they are classed as weak here because they
were outgunned by most German tanks.

Also, here is a list of the values used by the program. The
'Armour Factor' given is an average value for the strngths of
the armour around the tank - the higher the number the stronger
the armour.

GERMAN             Points       Armour        Speed        Gun
Panzer III           40           12            6         50mm
Panzer IV            70           13            6         75mm
Panther             100           23            7         76mm
Tiger I             120           26            6         88mm
Tiger II            150           32            6         88mm
BRITISH           Points        Armour        Speed        Gun
Matilda II           40           24            4         37mm
Churchill            70           25            4         57mm
Stuart               30           13            7         37mm
Sherman              70           16            6         75mm
Firefly              90           16            6         76mm
RUSSIAN           Points        Armour        Speed        Gun
T-38                 10            6            6         37mm
T-70                 30           11            7         47mm
T-34/76              90           20            7         76mm
T-34/85             110           26            7         85mm
KV1                 100           27            4         76mm
GENERAL           Points        Speed
Petrol Bauser       100            7
Mortar Unit         100            7
Engineer Corps      100            7


