RED LIGHTNING
Typed in by SHAIHULUD. Edited by PARASITE.
INTRODUCTION
Red Lightning is a game for one or two players. Players will assume
the roles of commanders of NATO and Warsaw Pact military forces during
a hypothetical general war in central Europe in the early 1990's. Each
game turn represents twelve hours of action. The military units
represented in the game are regiments, brigades, divisions, corps, and
corps or army headquarters. Units and air forces may be examined to
the level of individual vehicles, squads, and heavy weapons. Almost
every tank, gun, and tactical aircraft deployed in central Europe is
available for inspection.
1.0 STARTUP
Before beginning play, you should make a back-up copy of your Red
Lightning disks and place your masters in a safe place. You should
always play off copies of your masters, thus providing for a backup in
case of damage to your play disks.
1.3 The Map
The map shows central Europe for northern Denmark to central Austria
and from central Belgium to central Poland / Czechoslovakia. Military
units (when detected) will be displayed on the map as standard NATO
military symbols (see appendix A), Hex scale is twenty five
kilometers. The primary display shows an area fourteen hexes wide and
seven high (about 40% of the total map area). Scrolling is accomplished
by selecting any of the top six buttons at the right of the screen.
Holding down the mouse button or number key will repeat the scroll in
the selected direction. The other three buttons shown on the map
screen perform the following functions:
* Enable/Disable display of unit icons. This allows you to remove
the units from the map to allow unobstructed viewing of the map.
Pressing the key again will return the units to the map.
* Enable/Disable display of hex possession and para / amphibious
target hex information. This function shows which side controls a
given hex by putting a colored dot in the lower left corner of all
hexes on the map. When enabled, Warsaw Pact hexes will be shown with a
red dot, neutral hexes (Austria) with a white dot, and NATO owned
hexes with a blue dot. If displayed area, it will be indicated by an
outlined "check" mark.
* Invoke the strategic overview display. The unit and possession
selections described above remain in effect. the entire game map will
be displayed at a greatly reduced scale. To exit, you must select a
location on the overview display. The standard map display will
reappear centered on the selected area.
You may also select any hex on the standard map display for additional
information (displayed below the map) on terrain and units in the hex.
This is accomplished by pressing the left mouse button while the map
cursor is in the desired hex. If a hex containing a unit is selected,
that unit and any other units belonging to its corps (NATO) or army
(Pact) will be marked with a small rectangle in the lower left corner
of the unit icon. Full unit information will only be available for
friendly and neutral hexes.
1.4 Saving a Game
At the beginning of each turn, you will be given the chance to save
the game in progress. A formatted disk, hard disk, or ramdisk (on
machines with RAm in excess of the game requirements) is required. You
need only to follow the prompts in order to save the game. Saved games
may be restored at the saved point whenever the game is booted.
1.5 The README File
Your game disk may include a README file. If so, then there have been
important changes or additions to these rules. Please exaine any
README file on your game disk before beginning play.
2.0 PLAYING THE GAME
Each game of Red Lightning consists of 20 or 60 turns representing the
first 10 or 30 days of WWIII in Central Europe. Each turn represents
12 hours (either AM or PM) of time.
Before each turn is resolved, both players may move all of their units
(or give attack orders), plot all their air missions, assign special
forces teams to targets, and even allocate a paratroop or marine unit
to land somewhere. Then, after all these functions have been completed
by both players, the turn is resolved with a combat phase. The players
watch as the combat unfolds, and the casualties are counted. Score is
then calculated and displayed indicating that another turn is about to
begin.
Before beginning a game of Red Lightning, it is strongly recommended
that you carefully read section 3.24(movement) and 4.0(combat). These
two sections will let you know the basics of how to play.
There are two players in a game of Red Lightning and either (but not
both) can be controlled by the computer. Thus, the options are:
*NATO Solitaire: A human player controls the forces of NATO against a
Warsaw Pact computer player.
*Pact Solitaire: A human player controls the forces of the Warsaw Pact
against a NATO computer player.
*Two Player: Human players control both sides.
2.1 Pre-Game Selections
Before starting a game of Red Lightning, you will be asked if you wish
to load a previously saved game. If you do wish to load a saved game,
the program will display a standard selector box. Simply select the
saved game file as indicated to begin play.
If you have not loaded a saved game, you will be presented with the
following menu:
Scenerio Selection
Scenerio:
Red Lightning
"Lions & Tigers & Bears..."
A Gathering of Hosts
Scenerio Length: Long or Short
General Selection
Chemical Weapons : Yes or No
Season: Summer, Autumn, Winter, or Spring
Pact Competence Level: Pushover, Moderate, challenging, Hairy,
Hideous, or Random
Play Mode: NATO Solitaire, Pact Solitaire, or Two Players
Control Levels
North Atlantic/Special ops: On or Off
Air Campaign: On or Off
Sub Divisional Deployments: On or Off
Limited Intelligence: On or Off
2.11 Effects of Menu Selections
Under the Scenerio Selection section of the menu, you may choose which
of the three scenerios you will play and what scenerio length you
want. If you choose the long scenerio, you will play for 60 turns or
until one side is declared victorious (by knocking the other side out
of the war). The short scenerio lasts only 20 turns.
General Selections control the following items:
Chemical weapons: If "yes", then chemical warfare is assumed to be in
effect. Warsaw Pact, US, and French artillery factors will be modified
(generally increased in effectiveness) depending upon current weather
conditions (see section 4.2). Units will also fatique more rapidly in
combat under these conditions. Warsaw Pact SSM attacks on NATO
airfields and depots will tend to be more effective. Setting this
selection to "no" will strongly tilt play balance to favor NATO.
Season: The time of year may be selected. This will have a significant
effect on the game. Airpower and chemical weapons are very much
affected by weather conditions.
Pact Competence Level: This sets the following:
1. Rate of recovery from combat fatique for Pact ground and air units
forces (see section 5.3)
2. Combat modifier for Pact ground units. (See section 4.2)
3. Intelligence of the computer player in solitaire games. At higher
levels, the Warsaw Pact computer player plays a "smarter" and more
aggressive game and at lower levels a NATO computer player plays a
"smarter" and more careful defensive game.
*Play Mode: This selects for two player or solitaire (human vs.
computer) modes of play.
Control Levels are ON/OFF that either enable or disable certain
features of the game. A "historical" game will be with all four
selections set to "on". However, it is suggested that you learn the
game with the Air Campaign and North Atlantic/Special Ops levels set
to "off".
*North Atlantic/Special Ops: This selects whether you will have any
input into the conduct of the North Atlantic campaign or use of
special forces and SSM's (see sections 3.22 and 5.1). If "on", you
will have full access to theater reserve units, special forces, and
SSM forces. If governing these functions, and these functions will be
ignored by the program. The North Atlantic campaign will still be
resolved assuming only the deployment of default units (USMC,
Canadian, Norwegian, and other NATO forces, Soviet 6th Army and
Northern Fleet marine forces) to Norway. There will be no Iceland
invasion (see section 5.1). Since the warsaw Pact has significant
advantaged in these areas, setting this selection to "off" will
strongly upset play balance to favor NATO.
*Air Campaign: This selects whether you will have access to the menus
controlling air operations. If "on", you will have full control of
your air forces. If "off", the program will control both players' air
forces. This function doesn't favor either player, and turning it off
will simplify the game.
*Sub Divisional deployments: This selects whether you will have
control over the deployments of individual regiments and brigades
within larger units(see section 3.13). It should be noted that turning
this function "off" can actually make the game more difficult as you
can not force units in critical spots into a desired deployment mode.
If set to "off", the computer will control the deployments of both
players' subordinate (part of a larger unit) regiments and brigades.
The computer will set sub unit deplyments immediately before the
combat phase. Units adjacent to enemy units will have a large
proportion of their units scheduled to attack will be almost entirely
set to forward deployments. Units in "safe" areas will tend to be set
to rest and reserve deployments. The sub unit screen (see section
3.13) will be those selected by the computer before the last turn's
combat phase. If set to "on", you have full control over these
deployments.
*Limited intelligence: This selects how much information is available
to you on the location of enemy forces. If "on", you will only know of
any units spotted by electronic, airborne, and satellite recce, and
any information gained from special and regular forces during their
normal duties. If "off", both players will be completely informed fof
the location of all enemy forces at all times. The computer players
always function in a limited intelligence mode, so setting this
selection "off" will upset play balance to favor human players.
Exit Selections allows you to terminate the selection prcess and begin
playing the game.
2.2 Turn Sequence
Each game turn will proceed in the following order:
A. Game Save Opportunity (section 1.4)
B. Warsaw Pact Orders Phase (section 3.0)
C. NATO Orders Phase (section 3.0)
D. Joint Air Combat Phase (section 4.1)
E. Joint Ground Combat & Movement Phase (section 4.2)
F. General Resolutions Phase (section 5.0)
3.0 THE ORDERS PHASE
Orders will be issued to the military and air forces of both alliances
by use of the Orders menu (see section 3.2). At the beginning of each
turn, Warsaw Pact player will be given the option to invading Austria.
Warsaw Pact units may not enter Austria unless an invasion is
declared. NATO units may not enter Austria unless Austria request NATO
aid.
3.1 The Info Menu
The Info Menu gives you access to the following game functions:
3.11 Strategic Report 3.14 Weather Report
3.12 Political Report 3.15 Supply Net Map
3.13 Full Hex Report
3.11 Strategic Report
Selection of Strategic report will present you with a display of the
overall strategic situation. Territory held by both players is listed,
and the progress of the North Atlantic campaign is detailed. The
Central Europe box list s territory held by each alliance as well as
the current supply stockpile levels of both alliances. The North
Atlantic box gives the status of Norway, Iceland, and the naval
situation at sea. The three possibilities for the status of each are
are "Control Contested", "NATO Control", or "Campaign Conluded:Pact
(or) NATO Victory". "Control Contested" means that fighting is still
going on while "Campaign Concluded" means that the battle is over and
the listed side has been victorious. "Nato Control" indicates that the
area has not been attacked yet.
Control of Norway or Iceland will effect the outcome of the naval
campaign. The status of the naval campaign ("at sea") has a
significant impact on the attrition of convoys carrying supplies and
reinforcements, in turn, can have a definite effect on the outcome of
the conflict in Central Europe.
The Recent News Reports box displays a list of significant events
affecting the outcome of the war.
3.12 Political Report
Selection of Political Report will present you with a list of public
morale and political allignment (NATO, Warsaw Pact, or neutral) for
all of the countries in the area. When a country reaches zero morale,
it may (50% chance per turn) engotiate a separate peace and withdraw
from the war. Calculation of morale levels is explained in section
5.5.
3.13 Full Hex Report
When this function is selected, you will be asked to select a friendly
hex for examination. This is accomplished by clicking the mouse on any
displayed friendly map hex. Only friendly hexes may be chosen for this
function.
The hex information and orders screen gives a geographic description
and list of combat modifiers for the selected hex as well as a list of
military units present in the hex. You may either examine any units in
the hex (see below) or exit back to the main map screen.
If a unit is selected for examination, you will be presented with a
detailed list of equipment for each of the sub units of the selected
unit (i.e. regiments for a selected Motorized Rifle Division). Also
displayed will be the deployment and readiness information for all sub
units of the unit. The effects of deployment and readiness of sub
units on combat capabilities of a unit are detailed in section 4.0. If
sub unit deployments are under player control (see section 2.1), they
may be changed by clicking on the deployment buttons associated with
the sub units. Any changes in the combat strength of the unit will be
shown immediately.
The ability to change the deployment of each brigade within a division
gives you maximum control of your forces. If you really have to hold
deployment and hope for the best. Units that are on "forward"
deployment are not going to recover lost efficiency very quickly and
will quickly dwindle in combat power if moved around much. If you
don't expect to fight with a unit, the brigades on "rest" status to
enable fast recovery of efficiency.
The strengths of the units are displayed at the bottom of the screen
with lethality (the ability to damage enemy units) on the left of a
slash, and survivability (the ability to resist damage) on the right.
Artillery strength is a measure of the unit's ability to conduct
artillery bombardments on enemy units. The displayed strengths are
fully modified current strengths; they include the effects of terrain,
sub unit deployments, and readiness. Mobile strengths will be used
during combat if the unit has moved at any time during the turn or has
an average sub unit readiness of less that 75. Static strengths will be
used for combats if the unit has not moved in a given turn. This
reflects the effects of prepared defensive positions.
A previous/subsequent unit selection allows you to examine other
units. This allows you to select each units in play for your side one
at a time to insure that none were missed.
3.14 Weather Report
Current conditions and a condesed summary of their effects on air
operations, unit readiness in combat operations, and effectiveness of
chemical weapons will be displayed.
Weather forecasts are also available. A 12 hour (next turn) forecast
is 90% accurate. The 24 hour forecast (turn after next) is 80%
acurate, and the 36 hour forecast is 70% accurate.
See section 5.6 for an explanation of weather determination and
effects.
3.15 Supply Net Map
This calls for a calculation and display of current NATO and Warsaw
Pact supply nets. A theater level map (same scale as the Strategic
Overview map) showing the current supplied areas will be displayed.
This is a complicated calculation and will take a few seconds to
process. Area shown as dots are unsupplied while solid areas are
supplied.
3.2 THE ORDERS MENU
The Orders Menu gives you access to the following gamefunctions:
3.21 Air Operations 3.24 Unit Movement
3.22 Special Operations 3.25 End Player Turn
3.23 Para/Amphibious Hex
3.21 Air Operations
Selection of Air Operations agives you access to the Air Oeprations planning
screen. At the screen left is a list of aircraft types. One of these types is
highlighted. Details on the highlighted type are currently displayed in the
Mission Allotment Orders and Aircraft Description boxes. The displayed
aircraft may be changed by selecting any other type on the list. Recce aircraft
may not be selected if the limited intelligence control selection is "off".
The Aircraft Description shows a drawing of the most numerous or distinctive
aircraft in the selected type. Below the drawing is a list of characteristics
for the type (these are an average if multiple or distinctive aircraft models
are bumped together). Characteristics include air superiority, strike
capability, close air support capability, avionics capability, and
survivability. Additionally, the readiness of the force and the number of
aircraft of that type available are shown.
Air superiority strike capability, and close air support capability display he
aircraft's ability to accomplish these missions. Avionics capability indicates
the ability of the aircraft type to operate in less than ideal conditions.
Survivability is a measure of the ability to resist attrition while on a
mission. Force readiness, like the readiness level of a ground sub unit, is a
modifier to the ability of the force to carry out its mission. The total
aircraft listing gives the total number of aircraft in the selected
(highlighted) category.
Allocations of aircraft to various missions is accomplished by selecting
buttons in the Mission Allotment Orders box. Selecting "All rest" will assign
all aircraft of the selected type to rest for the turn. This should be done
when the readiness falls below an acceptable level or when environmental
conditions would prevent effective accomplishment of assigned missions (i.e.
Mig-21's flying on a PM/Storm turn).
At the bottom of the Mission Allotment Orders box is a flight conditions
indicator. Aircraft effectiveness for each condition is:
Very Good ----- 100%
Good ---------- 20% * avionics
Poor ---------- 15% * avionics
Very Poor ----- 10% * avionics
This is essentially a force multiplier. Example: 100 Su-24 aircraft (avionics
= 4) operating under "poor" flight conditions will function with the
effectiveness of 60 (15% * 4 * 100) Su-24 operating under "very good" flight
conditions. Survivability is not affected by flight conditions.
Flight conditions are based on weather and time of day as follows:
Fair weather/AM ------------ very good
Fair weather/PM or
Cloudy weather/AM ---------- good
CLoudy weather/PM or
Storms/AM ------------------ poor
Storms/PM ------------------ very poor
Whenever any part of a force is flown (assigned a mission), that force will
have its readiness decreased by 10% * fraction of force flown. Example: if 65
aircraft of a 120 aircraft force are assigned missions on a given turn, then
the loss of readiness experienced by that force would be : 10% * 65/120 = 5%.
Air forces recover abou 5% readiness on any given turn, and there are no
attacks on airbases (which also affects force readiness), force readiness will
remain constant.
3.22 Special Operations
Special Operations include all uses of airborne and marine forces, special
forces teams, and Surface-to-Surface Battlefield Missiles (SSMs)- (Pact player
nly). These functions are handled through the Special Operations Menu Option.
If selected, this option will present you with the main special operations
screen, From this screen you may exit back to the map, examine theater level
airborne & marine forces, examine special forces & SSM's, or examine Norway
and Iceland deployments of theater reserve units.
3.221 Theater Level Airborne and Marine Forces
If you examine theater level airborne and marine forces, you will get a new
screen with a list of all currently available theater level airborne and
marine units and their unit strengths. Any unit may be selected for deployment
by selecting the button to the left of a unit name. Pressing the button again
"deselects" the unit. Only one unit may be selected for deployment on any
given turn. The selected unit will be deployed to the area indicated at the
bottom of the screen. Selecting the "Unit deployment area" button will toggle
deployments sites for selected units from a map hex on the central front (see
below) to/from Norway or Iceland. (iceland may only be selected as a deployment
area once either the "at sea" or Norway campaigns have been concluded with a
Warsaw Pact victory.)
3.222 Special Forces Teams and SSMs
Examining the Special Forces and SSMs will lead you to another screen where
you may assign special forces teams and SSMs to specific missions. The missions
will be accomplished at the end of the turn. These missions represent actions
by company size teams or small salvos of tactical battefield missiles (SSMs).
Allowed missions are:
* Airfield suppresion... each airfield suppresion mission will have the
following effect: One enemy aircraft type is selected. From 1 to 10 of the
selected type are destroyed, and the force readiness is decreased by 5%. (This
is the same effect as an airstrike on an airfield)
* Port/POMCUS/railway suppression... Each such mission will attack one enemy
reinforcement unit as it enters the map. The entering unit will suffer a 20
point reduction in readiness of all sub units. If no enemy units enter the map
this turn, the mission is cancelled without loss to the special forces team.
* Rear area harassment... Each such mission will have a stockpile / 1000
chance of reducing the enemy supply stockpile by one.
* Intelligence gathering... Each such mission will add a 10% chance to spot
enemy forces during recce resolution at the end of the turn. (See section 5.4)
This option may not be chosen if the limited intelligence control selection is
"off".
For each mission accomplished, one special forces team is expended and removed
from the game. Selected actions may be cancelled by selecting the "Cancel all
actions" button.
the SSM menu is sued to assign fire missions to Warsaw Pact SSM's. NATO has no
similiar capability. Each fire mission represents the launch of 12 missiles.
Missions are the same as for special forces with teh exception that SSM's also
have the further limitation that if chemical warfare is not in effect, each
fire mission has only a 50% chance of being efective.
3.223 Norway and Iceland Deployments
A list of all units deployed frome ach player's theater reserve to Norway and
Iceland is displayed. Note that the Warsaw Pact player need not deploy units
to Norway in order to have a chance of victory as there are units assumed to be
deployed there automatically. However, there will be no Iceland campaign
unless the Warsaw Pact player deploys at least one theater reserve unit to
Iceland.(There are assumed to be no Pact default forces sent to Iceland. The
decision to initiate an Iceland invasion is up to the Warsaw Pact player once
he controls Norway or wins the campaign "at sea".)
3.23 Para/Amphibious Hex
Any unit selected for deployment to the central front(the are covered by the
game map) will be deployed to the hex shown in the special operations screens
(see section 3.221). The target hex for an airborne or amphibious deployment
of a theater reserve unit may be changed using the Para/Amphibious Hex menu
option. After selecting a hex on the main map display. This hex will become
the new target hex. Only hexes adjacent to ocean hexes may be selected for
amphibious operations. Marine units targeted to inland hexes will abort their
assigned missions. Only airborne units may be dropped into inland hexes.
3.24 Unit Movement
When you select the Unit Movement item, you will be asked to select a hex
containing a friendly unit. Once a hex is chosen, you will choose which unit
to move (if more than one is in the hex), and which type of movement you wish
to order for the unit. There are two movement modes for units:
3.241 Travel Movement
Travel Movement allows you to move a unit freely across the map the the limit
of the unit's movement capability. This is accomplished by selecting any hex
adjacent to the moving unit. If the unit has enough remaining movement
allowance to enter the hx, it will do so. A list of movement costs follows.
Units may not be moved into an enemy occupied hex. Movement need not be
completed for a unit in a single operation. You may exit and then return to
units and continue moving them until they are out of movement points. Since
knowledge of enemy positions may be gained immediately during travel movement,
you may not retract a travel move order once it has been executed. This is
very important to remember as you can cause difficult traffic jams if you are
not paying attention.
A special case of travel movement applies to the Danish ferry and Dutch
highway routes. In order to transit these routes, your alliance must own (have
possession of both ends of the route and there may be no units in the
destination hex of the route. The moving unit must have at least 10 movement
points remaining. All remaining movement allowance for the unit is expended in
the move. Since the entire movement allowance of a unit is expended in
transiting the route, this effectively imposes a one unit per turn rate of
movement across each route. The moving unit must be in one of the end hexes of
the route. When you select the enarest hex of the route, the unit will be
moved from the start hex to the destination hex of the route.
Example: The Sjaelland ferry route connects hexes 24,17 and 26,15. In order to
move a unit from 24,17 to 26,15, you would select hex 25,17 (the nearest hex
of the route). Moving a unit from 26,15 to 24,17 would require that you select
movement for the unit into hex 26,16.
TRAVEL MODE MOVEMENT COSTS
(Cost to enter hex unless otherwiese specified)
cost
Terrain (in movement points)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Open ------------------------------------------------- 3
Road(all terrain except rough) ----------------------- 1
Road(rough terrain) ---------------------------------- 2
Urban ------------------------------------------------ 2
Marsh ------------------------------------------------ 4
Forest ----------------------------------------------- 3
Rough ------------------------------------------------ 4
Mountain --------------------------------------------- N/A
Sea/Lake --------------------------------------------- N/A
Ferry ------------------------------------------------ 10-12
Dutch Highway ---------------------------------------- 10-12
Exit River hex to a non friendly, non road hex ------- +3
Entering friendly hex which already contains
another unit ---------------------------------- +1
Entering non friendly hex ---------------------------- +1
PM turn (per hex) ------------------------------------ +1
Exiting from a hex adjacent to an enemy unit --------- +4
Road(non rough) hex on cold/storm turn --------------- +1
Road(non rough) hex (NATO only): --------------------- +1
Red Lightning scenerio (turn 1-6)
"Lion & Tigers & Bears..." scenerio (turn 1-5)
Sub unit readiness will decline by one for each movement point expended by the
parent unit. All units in supplied areas begin each turn with 10 or 12
movement points (see section 5.3). Note that road hexes will give their
movement benefits even if entered from non road hex. This means that the road
net on the map is more extensive than it first appears.
3.242 Maneuver Movement
Maneuver Movement allows you to plan movement for units to execute during the
joint movement and combat resolution phase. This is accomplished by selecting
any adjacent hex(an arrow will be drawn into the selected hex). A second
maneuver move may be selected for any hex adjacent to the first plotted
hex(again, an arrow will be drawn into the plotted hex). Each hex pf plotted
maneuver movement costs 6 movement points and will fatique the plotted units
by 6 points(when the move is executed later in the turn). Since no knowledge of
enemy positions may be gained by the simple act of plotting maneuver movement,
you may freely re-plot such movement or cancel maneuver movement without
penalty(regaining the expended movement points).
The main purpose of Maneuver Movement is to attack enemy units. If you are
simply trying to move your unit, you will usually use Travel Movement. Don't
forget that units will not advance after combat unless one of the sub units is
deployed in "reserve" mode (see section 3.13)
3.243 General Movement and Stacking Rules
Travel and Maneuver movement may be combined to the limit of available
movement points although plots for maneuver movement must be made after travel
movement. Any travel move made with a unit will cancell any previously plotted
Maneuver movement for the unit. It is also very important to remember that
units may take back Maneuver moves but not Travel moves.
Because of the general superiority of NATO command, control, and
communications, NATO executes all travel movement and plots all maneuver
movement after the Pact player has finished his movement. This allows the NATO
player to effectively "watch" the Pact player move and then respond to his
movement. If the Pact player masses for an attack, the NATO player may simply
withdraw rather than let the Pact player smash him. Of course, this means that
the NATO player can simply avoid combat by retreating in travel movement
before the combat phase. The side effect of this is the loss of the hexes.
Winning the game as the NATO player requires the holding of terrain, so flight
is the answer only when the alternative is loss of the units in question as
well as the hex.
Unit stacking restriction: The presence of two units in the same hex is
traditionally referred to as stacking. At no time may more than two units
occupy(be stacked in) the same hex.
3.25 End Player Turn
You use this selection to end your player turn and turn control over to the
other player or to following phases. When playing against the computer, this
option ends the turn and leads to te Combat Phase.
3.3 The General Menu
The Geenral menu allows access to a number of functions:
* Quit Game allows you to stop playing the game and return to the desktop in a
controlled manner. You will be asked again if this is the option you wish to
choose, preventing accidental exiting of the program.
* Erase Screen is a way to immediately clear the screen in case your opponent
walks into the room.
* Draw Screen is a function for the ST that will immediately restore the
screen to the primary mapd isplay. This is useful for recovery from Erase Map.
The program should recover automatically from accessory induced graphics
difficulties.
* End Game gives you an opportunity to end the game with a count of current
victory levels. The general Resolutions Phase and certain menu selections are
disabled, and the game is placed in a limited two player mode for ease of
inspection of the computer player's situation after a solitaire game.
4.0 COMBAT PHASE
Each turn, after both sides have moved(or plotted moved for) all desired
units, the game proceeds into teh combat phase to resolve all air and ground
combats. Air combat consists of Air Superiority Ground Support, and Air Strike
mission. Ground combat occurs whenever units belonging to one side attempt to
enter a hex occupied by the other side's units.
4.1 Joint Air Combat Phase
Once into the combat phase, all Air Combat is resolved first(as air combat may
heavily affect ground combat and then all ground combat is resolved. The air
combat resolution starts with Air Superiority missions and then proceeds to
Ground Support and Strike missions. The results of the Joint Air Combat Phase
are listed in the information window at the bottom of the screen.
NATO and Warsaw pact aircraft with Air Superiority missions will add their
combat capability to a base value capability(due to anti aircraft fire) of
their respective alliance. This capability number translates to a loss ratio
that causes casualties among enemy aircraft flying that turn. The number of
claimed kills will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. (Displayed kills
will approximate actuall kills by a factor of 1.2 to 2.0). The actual
algorithm used in calculating the umber of aircraft destoryed is listed in
appendix E.
Ground Support missions create additional artillery points at rate based on
the capability of the assigned aircraft. The number of points created are
listed during the Joint Air Combat Phase on the "Close Air Support" line. The
artillery points created by a given force is listed in appendix E. The
artillery points created are added to all units on the friendly side.
Airstrikes are assigned by the appropriate player to attack airbases, supply
blines, or troop concentrations. Each strike on an airbase will
select(randomly) one enemy aircraft type, destroy 1-10 of the type, and
decrease the readiness of the type by 5%. Every supply line strike, on the
other hand, has a stockpile/1000 chance of reducing the enemy supply level by
one. Each strike against troop concentraitons will have a 1% chance of
striking each enemy sub unit(unit subordinate to a larger unit). Each piece of
equipment in the inventory of the sub unit has a chance of surviving the
attack. In addition tot eh loss of equipment, the sub unit will have its
readiness decreased by 1 to 20 points. Any units so affected will be listed
below the map.
4.2 Joint Ground Combat & Movement Phase
All amneuver movements plotted during the orders phase are executed in a
random order with one corps/army moving all of its units before units of the
next corps/army move its units. Movement alternates between NATO and Warsaw
Pact with one Pact army moving, then one NATO corps. ALl units of each player's
theater reserve are considered to belong to one corps for this purpose.
If a unit attempts to enter a hex already occupied by an enemy unit, combat
will occur. If the defending unit began the turn with an average sub unit
readiness of at least 75 and did not expend any movement points during the
turn, the attack is treated as an assault, and the defending unit expended any
movement points this turn, a meeting engagement is assumed, and the defending
units defend with mobile strengths.
4.21 Ground Combat Strength Modifiers
The numbers that are displayed during a full hex report(see section 3.13) are
the strengths of the units. They will be modified by terrain and chemical
warfare(see charts below). In addition, the pact competence level selection
will modify the combat ability of Pact units:
Pact Competence Strength Multiplier:
Pushover ------------- 0.8
Moderate ------------- 0.9
Challenging ---------- 1.0
Hairy ---------------- 1.1
Hideous -------------- 1.2
Terrain Effects On Unit Combat Strengths:
Terrain Type Lethality Light Units Survivability
-----------------------------------------------------------
Open 1.0 1.0 1.0
Forest 1.0 2.0 1.5
Rough 1.0 2.0 1.5
Marsh 1.0 2.0 1.0
Urban 1.0 3.0 2.0
River 0.75 1.0 1.0
The light units modifier applies only to units listed as having a survivability
of one or two in Appendix B. Survivability modifiers are cumulative, thus
increasing the survivability of light units in urban terrain six-fold.
Weather Effects on Chemical Weapons:
Additional
Weather Artillery Mod Readiness Loss
-----------------------------------------------------------
fair/warm 1.1 4
fair/mild 1.2 2
fair/cold 1.2 2
cloudy/warm 1.3 4
cloudy/mild 1.3 2
cloudy/cold 1.0 2
storms 1.0 (no effect)
Thus all artillery factors are multiplied by 1.1 on a fair/warm day and all
combats result in an additional 4 points of readiness being lost.
4.22 Ground Combat Resolution
Ground combat is resolved in a three-step process that ends up displaying the
battle results in a Battle Result Display. This display shows the % of the
attacking and defending forces that must check for elimination. Note that this
percentage does not necessarily match the percentage of equipment that had to
check for loss. The steps are the Artillery Combat Step, the Ground COmbat
Step, and the Elimination/Retreat/Advance Step.
Artillery Combat
All units attempting to enter or hold the hex will sum their artillery values.
If the corps/army headquarters or any corps/army artillery units belonging to
the involoved corps/army are within two hexes of the combat hex, they will
contribute 1/2 of their combined artillery and non-artillery factors as
artillery strength in support of the combat. Only units not scheduled to
perform their own maneuver combats will be available for ranged artillery
support. Artillery units scheduled for manuever combats will be treated as
normal combat units and will contribute their entire artillery values to their
plotted combat. When chemical weapons are in use, the total artillery value
may
be multiplied by a factor of 1.1 to 1.3 depending upon the weather. Only Warsaw
Pact, US, and French units receive a chemical warfare advantage. Finally, close
air support is added to the attacking player's artillery value. This gives a
final "Artillery Value", which is then converted into a "Loss Ratio". This
"Loss Ratio" is applied to enemy forces and causes losses that are calculated
from the survivability of forces are in static or mobile modes(mobile forces
suffer greater losses from artillery combat).
Ground Combat
After artillery combat, ground combat is resolved. Ground combat is ver
similiar to artillery combat except that the non-artillery lethality of the
forces involved is used instead of the artillery factors, and there is no
contribution to the combat from air support or artillery units. Remember that
the lethality of static units is higher than that of mobile units, and that the
lethality of units attacking from river terrain is multiplied by .75.
Eliminations, Retreats, and Advances After Combat
After losses are applied to both sides, a check is made to determine whether
any units have been eliminated. If so, those units are removed from the map.
Surviving defending units are then checked to see of they will retreat. The
chance that a unit will retreat is equal to the loss ratio from non-artillery
combat. This number is shown in the Battle Result Display during the combat
resolution phase and will range from 2% to 100%. NATO units will only retreat
north, northwest, southwest, or south. Warsaw Pact units will only retreat
north, northeast, southeast or south. Units will retreat into a random
friendly hex if one is available. If a unit attempts to retreat and no retreat
route is available, teh unit will stay in place and suffer an additional 5%
equipment loss and readiness decrease.
If all defending units retreat from the hex, attacking units may advance into
the hex. The chance for a unit to advance is equal to the average readiness of
the unit's sub units divided by 100%. A unit with a low average readiness level
is unlikely to advance after combat. Also, a unit can only advance after combat
if at least one of its sub units has a "reserve" deployment.
4.23 Combat Summary
The combat strength of a unit is based upon the type of equipment assigned to
the unit, the readiness of its sub units, and the deployments of those sub
units. Large quantities of lethal, survivable weapon systems will lead to
lethal, survivable units. High readiness rates lead to high combat strengths.
Poor equipment and readiness rates lead to weak units. Forward deployments will
maximize your unit strength (at the expense of limiting the rate at which the
unit can recover from combat). A unit will only advance after a successful
combat if at least one sub unit assigned to it has a reserve deployment.
Units will cause fewer casualties to your opponent if they are forced to fight
from open terrain. You can maximize the combat power of your units by defending
in rough, urban, or forested terrain. Non artillery units will launch weaker
attacks than normal formal river hexes.
Units will defend better after they have been in a hex for at least a turn.
Atillery and HQ units will contribute strength to any combats within two hexes
of their location. Close air support contributes to the strength of your units
in both attacks and defences.
4.3 Airborne & Amphibious Operations
Airborne and amphibious landings of theater reserve units will proceed without
difficulty if the target hex is not occupied by enemy units, and if the hex is
not already occupied by two friendly units. The unit being deployed will
however suffer some losses in the process. (If the hex is already occupied by
two friendly units, the drop will be aborted without losses.) Units will lose
more equipment during AM drops due to increased chance for interception, but
night drops impose a greater loss of readiness. The losses are also affected by
the size of the enemy air force and the X coordinate of the airdrop target
hex.
If the target hex is occupied by enemy units, a standard combat (as described
in section 4.1) will occur. On the turn of a drop, the airborne or marine
unit's lethalities and any friendly close air support which applies to the
combat drop will be multiplied by 1.66. If the defending unit is not forced to
retreat from the hex, the dropped theater reserve will be destroyed. If the
defending unit does retreat, the dropped theater reserve unit will be placed in
the target hex as planned.
Airborne and marine units may not be deployed to the central front during the
last 10 turns of any game. They may still be deployed "out of theater".
5.0 GENERAL RESOLUTION PHASE
After all movement and combat is resolved, the computer will resolve the
current turn's actions in the following areas:
5.1 The North Atlantic Campaign
5.2 Reinforcements
5.3 Resupply Operations
5.4 Intelligence Gathering
5.5 National Morale Determination
5.6 Weather Determination
5.7 End of Game Test
5.1 The North Atlantic Campaign
The North Atlantic Campaign is divided into three parts: Norway, Iceland and
the naval campaign "At Sea". Players may deploy units from their theater
reserve forces in attempts to influence the outcome of the campaign. The
results of the campaign will in turn influence the outcome of the "big show" on
the central front. When checking for victory in the three areas, the conputer
always checks for a Warsaw Pact victory first. If the Warsaw Pact fails to win
in an area, then NATO player is checked to see if he wins.
* Norway: Most of the forces involved in this area are invisible to players.
Warsaw Pact (default) forces include the Soviet 6th Army, with support from
Northern Fleet naval infantry, and air units based near Norway. NATO (default)
forces include Norwegian army and air force, as well as contingents of USMC,
(British) Royal Marines, and Canadian army troops. The Warsaw Pact has an
advantage here that can only be countered by NATO reserve units. If the NATO
player commits nothing, the Warsaw Pact has a base 3.33% chance of victory each
turn compared with a 0-2% chance for NATO.
*Iceland: An Iceland invasion can only occur if Warsaw Pact player deploys an
airborne or the marine unit to Iceland. This can only happen if the Warsaw Pact
player wins either "At Sea" or in Norway. The Warsaw Pact have no default
forces for this campaign while the NATO defenses on Iceland are the NATO
defaults. The Chance of victory for the Warsaw Pact is based on the lethality
of the forces both players commit to the campaign while the NATO chance of
victory is 0-10% (depending on the current status of the "At Sea" campaign).
Any enemy forces adjacent to friendly units at any time will be spotted.
Orbital, airborne and special forces recce are cummulative:
Chance of Spotting units in an enemy controlled hex:
Orbital recce(fair weather) ------------- 20%
Orbital recce(cloudy weather) ----------- 10%
Orbital recce(storms) ------------------- 0%
Special forces recce -------------------- +10% * number of missions
Airborne recce -------------------------- see below
Airborne recce for each side is divided into three geograhic regions:
Region NATO WARSAW PACT
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tactical recce: hexrows 0-28 hexrows 23-54
Deep recce: hexrows 28-42 hexrows 12-22
Strategic recce: hexrows 43-54 hexrows 0-11
Airborne recce will occur in each region for which aircraft were assigned
missions earlier in the turn. Airborne recce is the primary method of gaining
information on enemy deployments. The percentage effectiveness of such recce is
based on the effectiveness of the aircraft, the capability of the aircraft, the
readiness of the aircraft, and the number of recce aircraft committed.
"Maskirovka": The Soviet military devotes considerable resources to deceptive
counter-intelligence. Each turn, several(generally from oen to 10) false Soviet
units may appear on NATO's map display. As these units aren't erally there at
all, any NATO unit moving next to such a ghost unit will remove it from the
map. False units have no direct effect on play.
5.5 National Morale Determination & Effects
All countries except the Soviet Union will be affected to some extent by troop
losses. Each sub unit lost in combat will decrease national morale for the
owning nation by (1/starting number of sub units). Each unit lost by a small
army will have a large effect on the owner's national morale.
For every 30 non urban or 6 urban hexes lost or gained by an alliance, all
member of the alliance will lose or gain 1% national morale. In addition, loss
of the following cities to enemy occupation will subtract 20% from the national
morale of losing nation. This morale is regained if the city is re-taken.
Major City Morale Losses:
City(Hex) Owner
-------------------------------------
Vienna(43,46) ----------------- Austria
Brussels(0,30) ---------------- Belgium
Prague(36,37) ----------------- Czechoslovakia
Copenhagen(29,10) ------------- Denmark
Strasbourg(12,44) ------------- France
Berlin(33,26) ----------------- GDR (East Germany)
Bonn(10,33) ------------------- FRG(West Germany)
Lodz(53,29)-------------------- Poland
For each country which concludes a separate peace(surrender), all countries in
the original alliance will lose 5% of national morale.
Finally, national morale is affected by the outcome of the North Atlantic
Campaign(see section 5.1).
If the national morale of a country reaches 0, there is a 50% chance each turn
that the country will conclude a separate peace with the enemy alliance. When
this happens, all of that country's military units will be removed from the
map. Some countries will also withdraw air forces. If the US, West Germany or
Soviet Union conclude a separate peace, the war(and the game) ends
immediately.
Air Force Withdrawals by Country:
*Czechoslovakia:
20% of Pact MiG-21 force
*German Democratic Republic:
20% of Pact MiG-21 force
*Poland:
30% of Pact MiG-21 force
*Belgium:
10% of NATO F-16/F-18/Mirage F1 force
*France:
10% of NATO Jaguar/A-7/Harrier force
40% of NATO F-15/Mirage 2000 force
*Netherland:
10% of NATO F-16/F-18/Mirage F1 force
*Great Britain:
20% of NATO Jaguar/A-7/Harrier force
30% of NATO F-4/Tornado Force
5.6 Weather Determination & Effects
Weather conditions are updated each turn. Forecasts are also updated to prohect
weather three turns in advance. Weather is dependent upon the season:
Weather Probability by Season:
Season Cold/Mild/Warm Fair/Cloudy/Storms
---------------------------------------------------------------
Winter: 60%/40%/0% 30%/60%/10%
Spring: 30%/60%/10% 40%/50%/10%
Summer: 0%/60%/20% 50%/40%/10%
Autumn: 20%/60%/20% 30%/60%/10%
Weather has significant effects on air operations(see section 3.21) chemical
weapons(see section 4.2) and intelligence gathering (see section 5.4)
5.7 End of Game Test
The computer tests to see if either alliance has collapsed, or if the final
turn of a scenerio has been reached. If so, the game ends and victory is
awarded; otherwise, the game continues.
Most short scenerio are concluded at the end of the day 10(pm) turn. Most long
scenerios will continue until the end of the day 30(pm) turn. The Lions &
Tigers & Bears scenerio will end day 11(am) or day 31(am) turn.
6.0 SOLITAIRE AND TWO PLAYER PLAY
In two player mode, the game will pause and display an alert box before
beginning the next player/s phase. This allows the players to exchange places
at the computer without either player seeing any information he shouldn't see.
All unit location information etc, is erased before the alert box is displayed,
and the next player's information is not displayed until the alert box(begin)
button is selected.
When a saved game is resumed, it will continue with all play selections as they
were made when the game was begun. Solitaire games will be restarted in a
solitaire mode while two player games will restart in a two player mode.
7.0 SCENERIOS AND VICTORY CONDITIONS
Scenerios may be either short or long. Long scenerios last for 60 turns(30
days), and short scenerios last for 20 turns(10 days). Victory is determined
solely by relative alliance morale level. Victory level = Pact average morale -
NATO average morale.
7.1 Red Lightning
Mobilization during hostilities. This situation assumes no prior mobilization
by either side and complete strategic surprise by the Warsaw Pact. NATO wakes
up just in time to put up air defenses and order troops out of barracks as the
Warsaw Pact units cross the borders into Norway and West Germany.
Convoys will arrive on the following turns: day 8(am), day 15(am), day 22(am),
day 29(am).
Short Scenerio Victory Levels:
Victory level < 20 NATO victory
Victory level > 30 Pact victory
Any other result is a stalemate(draw)
7.2 "LIONS & TIGERS & BEARS..."
Some mobilization has occurred. Most of NATO's European forces are mobilized,
although US army reinforcements from North America are just beginning to
arrive. While western leadership realizes that there is a high probability of a
Pact invasion, most NATO units remain garrison positions in an "unprovocative"
deployment. Pact units from the western USSR are beginning to arrive. Most Pact
"first echolon" units have moved to invasion staging areas.
Convoys will arrive on the following turns: day 4(am), day 11(am), day 18(am),
day 25(am).
Short Secenerio Victory Levels:
Victory level < 12 NATO victory
Victory level > 22 Pact victory
Any other result is a stalemate(draw)
Long Scenerio Victory Levels:
Victory level < 15 NATO victory
Victory level > 45 Pact victory
Any other result is a stalemate(draw)
7.3 A GATHERING OF HOSTS
All of the forces of both alliance are fully mobilized and in wartime
deployments. A few Pact units have not yet arrived, but almost everything each
side has that can be committed to central Europe is "in the shop window".
Convoys will arrive on the following turns: day 3(am), day 10(am), day 17(am),
day 24(am).
Short Scenerio Victory Levels:
Victory level < 4 NATO victory
Victory level > 14 Pact victory
Any other result is a stalemate(draw)
Long Scenerio Victory Levels:
Victory level < 10 NATO victory
Victory level > 40 Pact victory
Any other result is a stalemate(draw).
8.0 TACTICS TIPS
You should probably play your first few games with the Air Campaign control
selection set to "off". You will lose a bit of flexibility this way, but the
game will be much easier to play. The Limited intelligence option is a matter
of personal taset. Playing with limited intel is only a little more difficult
than with unlimited intel, and it gives a more accurate and interesting game.
The ability to painlessly stimulate "fog of war" is one of the great strengths
of computer wargames. The North Atlantic/Special Ops control selection should
probably be set to "off" for your first game, and "on" thereafter. This option
adds relatively little complexity to game, but it does add a great deal of
realism.
Each scenerio presents different prblems for both players. The first order of
business is creating a coherent defense or attack out of chaotic garrison
deployments. This will generally be more of a problem for NATO than for the
Pact. Don't try to confront an organized enemy force with mixed and incomplete
corps or armies. Give up ground if necessary in order to gain time to organize
your forces. Corps HQ and artillery support, movement coordination, and
stacking restrictions will combine to give a strong advantage to the player who
keeps his corps or armies intact.
In a general sense, most Warsaw Pact formations are similiar in capability.
This is not true of NATO's units. You should not expect a French or Belgian
division to do the work of a British, German or American division. Examine your
units in detail before committing them.
If one of the countries in your alliance is heading for zero morale, pull that
country's units out of the line as much as possible. Remember that when a
country leaves the war, it takes its army and air force with it. The units are
going to go away anyway if the country goes neutral. At least if they're still
on the map, you can use them as a last ditch reserve.
The most effective way to kill large numbers of enemy aircraft(assuming that
they come out to play) is t o commit large forces to air superiority missions.
This is not the best way to reduce the overall effectiveness of the enemy air
force. Aircraft lost in air superiority combat tend to be older, less
survivable types. Airfield strikes will affect all types equally, regardless of
survivability. Also, strikes on airfields will keep enemy aircraft grounded due
to decreased readiness. It doesn't matter how many aircraft the other guy has
if he can't fly them. Flying low readiness forces is a losing proposition. You
won't accomplish much, but you will generally lose a minimum of 2.5% of your
committed force even if the other player doesn't fly a single air superiority
mission. The air over central Europe will be filled with surface to air
missiles.
The Warsaw Pact:
The Pact player should concentrate his forces and follow Pact doctrine. Keep up
the tempo of the attack. Remember that unless you are facing fresh units,
NATO's outfits are as badly fatiqued as your own. Ignore losses if you have a
second echelon army ready to take up the advance. Reinforce success, not
failure. Unless a tremendous hole opens up in your front, NATO does not have
the units to exploit breakthroughs into your rear ares. On the other hand, if
you manage to break through NATO lines, head west at top speed. Don't lose any
sleep over a lack of defense for you flanks. This is particulary true if NATO
has already committed his entire force. Head for the concentration of urban
hexes near the Dutch/West German border. Occupation of this area will almost
certainly force West Germany and the Nertherlands out of the war, resluting in
a political collapse of NATO.
Be sure to take out the Berlin garrison as soon as possible. If you dedicate a
large enough force, this can be done with a minimum of casualities. The Berlin
garrison is not a threat, but it does lie directly in the center of your main
road net.
Don't use all of your reserve forces in Norway. Thet are very useful in
Denmark, and along NATO's lines of communications in Germany. If you have an
opportunity, drop at least an airborne division on Iceland. Nothing will ruin
NATO's day as quickly as the loss of all three phases of the North Atlantic
campaign. Try to keep at least a couple of reserve units uncommitted until the
very end of the game. The NATO player will be forced to keep reserves behind
the lines to counter surprise airborne or amphibious operations.
Use your tremendous special operations capability to keep the NATO air force
from getting out of hand. NATO air is a real threat to your advance on the
ground.
NATO:
The NATO player should be very careful to defend only in favorable terrain
wherever possible. Trade tanks one for one in open terrain is not a good idea.
Set up your defenses as far east as possible, but be sure to give your units at
least a turn to "dig in" before the bad guys get there.
Use your theater reserve units only in urban and rough terrain. Keep Copenhagen
stacked with two units. Most of your reserve force should be used in the North
Atlantic. If you like being supplied, and if you want to get all of your US III
corps reinforcements, you don't want to lose the North Atlantic.
Be sure to keep as large an uncommitted reserve as possible. In the initial
stages of all scenerios, keep the French units lined up on the roads in West
Germany. The French won't be much good on the line against full strength Pact
units, but a rested, intact French corps makes a dandy offensive stopper
against an understrength or heavily fatique Pact army. On the local level, keep
a few units near but not in the front line. Whenever possible, rotate tired
units out and replace them with fresh ones.
Use the bulk of your air force for air superiority and airbase strike missions
early on, then switch to hitting troop concentrations. Proper use of the NATO
air force will severely damage the Pact.
9.0 DESIGNER'S NOTES
(This part is omitted as it does not contain any information relevant to the
game)
NOTE: Finally, all other data including the APPENDIXES have been omitted due
to the fact that it will take a lot of times just to type down all the
information data concerning the aircraft info, forces info, etc. Some of the
informations have been included in the README file in your disk that comes from
SSI.