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MultiWar
version 1.01
I. Introduction
MultiWar is shareware. This means that if you use
MultiWar for more than 14 days, you are expected to pay for
it. The reigstration fee for MultiWar is $20. Registration
details are given at the end of this document.
MultiWar is a multi-player user-configurable boardgame.
It features:
1. Up to five teams in one scenario
2. Scrolling board of up to 50x50 squares
3. Points achieved by occupying "victory squares"
4. Mouse Support
5. Automatic AI shortest-path movemnt
6. Included scenario editor
7. Included terrain/unit statistic and image editor
If you are upgrading from an earlier version of
MultiWar, read "WhatsNew.101" to see what's changed.
MultiWar requires MCGA or VGA, at least 512K of memory,
and an 8086 or higher. A mouse is optional but highly
recommended.
II. Using MultiWar
At the MS-DOS prompt, type "MultiWar" <ENTER>. You
should see an opening screen, which includes the version
number. Read the instructions or continue as instructed at
the bottom of the screen. You will next see the Scenario
Selection Screen. Enter the number of (or click on) the
scenario you want to play. Once the scenario loads, the
scenario description will be displayed. Finally, once you
hit a key or click the left mouse button, the primary command
screen should appear.
This is the screen from which the rest of the game is
conducted. The game proceeds in order determined randomly
during the initiative phase by the computer. Each team
conducts a movement phase followed by a combat phase. One
round consists of movement and combat sequences for all of
the teams. Thus the sequence of phases in one round of a
game with three teams would be as follows:
(Initiative--computer determines the order will be Team
2, Team 3, Team 1)
1. Movement Phase for Team 2
2. Combat Phase for Team 2
3. Movement Phase for Team 3
4. Combat Phase for Team 3
5. Movement Phase for Team 1
6. Combat Phase for Team 1
During Movement Phase, pieces can be moved in any order.
The player moves a unit about the board until it has run out
of movement points. Different types of terrain have
different movement costs. The active keys during movement
are the numeric keypad directional keys (including Home, End,
PgUp, and PgDn), Tab, Space, Escape, lowercase I (i),
lowercase K (k), lowercase J (j), lowercase L (l), lowercase
C (c), Alt-s, Alt-m, Alt-x, F1, and F2.
The directional keys move you in the specified
direction, if you have enough movement points to do so and
there are no other units in the way.
Tab goes to the next unit without ending the phase for
the current unit.
Space goes to the next unit and ignores the current unit
for the rest of the current phase.
Escape skips the rest of the current phase completely.
Lowercase I (i) moves the view up.
Lowercase K (k) moves the view down.
Lowercase J (j) moves the view left.
Lowercase L (l) moves the view right.
Lowercase C (c) centers the view about the current
piece.
Alt-s toggles sound on/off (default:on).
Alt-m toggles informational messages on/off
(default:on).
Alt-x exits the current scenario.
F1 displays help.
F2 displays a piece and terrain listing. (See a
description in section VI)
At any time the mouse can be used to move the view. By
clicking the right mouse button on the board, the view is
centered about the square clicked upon.
The mouse can be used to select and move units. To
select a unit, click on it. To move the selected unit to a
location, click on the location. If the location is more
than one square distant the artificial intelligence movement
algorithm will find the shortest available route. Be aware
that on slower machines finding a route to a distant point
may take several seconds. Note: Artificial Intelligence
movement is available only in the registered version, not the
shareware version.
During movement, movement statistics for the current
unit are displayed on the left hand of the screen.
During Combat Phase, units can attack in any order. The
player attacks with a unit until it has run out of attack
opportunities. The active keys during combat are the same as
during movement.
The directional keys attack in the specified direction
if there is an enemy unit there to attack.
The remaining keys behave in a manner similar to that
during movement.
The mouse can be used to select units and initiate
attacks. To select a unit, click on it. To attack a unit
adjacent to the currently selected unit, click on it.
During combat, combat statistics for the current unit
are displayed on the left-hand side of the screen.
At the end of a side's combat phase, victory point
squares held by that side generate new units. Each victory
square generates one new unit of the same type as the unit
holding the square. New units are always generated
undamaged. They are generated in the first available
adjacent square checking clockwise from the upper left. A
square is considered available if no unit is in the square
and the square's movement point value is less than or equal
to the number of movement points of the unit being generated.
The game terminates when only one side is remaining, or
when the round limit for the scenario is reached. At the end
of a game, a victory point tally is displayed. Hit a
key/Click a button to continue. Then you will be asked if
you want to play again. If you respond no, the game exits.
If you respond yes, you are prompted if you want to play the
same scenario again. If you respond yes, the scenario is
reloaded. If you respond no, you are allowed to choose a
different scenario.
III. Using MultiWar Scenario Editor
At the MS-DOS prompt, type "MWEdit" <ENTER>. You should
see an opening screen. Strike any key/Click a button, and
you will see the Scenario Selection Screen. Enter the number
of (or click on) the Scenario you want to edit.
At this point, you are asked if you want to create a new
scenario based upon the scenario you selected. If you wish
to edit the scenario you selected, respond "no". If you wish
to create a new scenario that is originally identical to the
scenario you seelcted, pick "yes".
If you pick "yes", you should be asked to choose a four-
character ID for your scenario. The ID will complete the
question marks in the name 'SCEN????.INF'. Then you will be
asked to choose a name for your scenario.
The current convention for four-letter IDs is as
follows. The first two characters should be the author's
initials. The second two characters should be a unique
scenario number. For example, one of the included scenarios
is "SCENAO01". "AO" is short for Andrew Oliver, and "01"
indicates it is the first such scenario.
At this point you will be asked if you wish to use the
terrain and piece data and pictures from the old scenario.
This is an important decision. Each scenario (.INF file)
specifies where its terrain and piece information are stored.
Many scenarios can share the same terrain and piece
datafiles. This allows you to save disk space if you have
many scenarios with similar terrain and units. However, when
you edit the terrain and pieces for one scenario, all
scenarios using the same terrain and pieces have their
terrain and pieces change as well. So if you are expecting
to make changes to the terrain and pieces, respond "no",
which will create new copies of the terrain and piece
datafiles. If you wish to share terrain and pieces with the
original scenario, respond "yes".
The primary editing screen should appear.
You should see two boards, one without units on the left
and one with units on the right. The board on the left is
used to edit the terrain, change the size of the board, and
change victory square placement, while the one on the right
is used to change piece placement and the number of teams.
You can only be working on one of the two boards at a time.
The F10 key witches between them. You can also switch boards
using the mouse by clicking on the currently inactive board.
On both boards the following keys are active:
F1 displays help.
F2 displays a piece and terrain listing. (See a
description in section VI)
Alt-s toggles the sound on/off.
Uppercase E (E) allows editing of the general scenario
information, including scenario name, number of rounds, and
the value of combat victories.
Uppercase D (D) allows editing of the scenario
description. A minimal text editor is invoked, allowing the
editing of the twenty-three line scenario description.
Ctrl-z allows the user to specify whether the Zone Of
Control rule is used or not. (See section V for a
description of the rules)
Ctrl-h allows the user to specify whether the Half
Damage rule is used or not. (See section V for a description
of the rules)
Ctrl-t allows the user to specify whether the Terrain
Modifies Defense rule is used or not. (See section V for a
description of the rules)
Ctrl-c allows the user to specify whether the Combat
Victory Generates Victory Points rule is used or not. (See
section V for a description of the rules)
Uppercase V (V) toggles the victory point display mode
between scenario and built-in. Scenario display mode
displays victory squares as they are shown in the image file
for the scenario. Built-in mode displays victory squares as
a white circle.
Alt-x exits the editor.
On the board without pieces (the board on the left), the
following keys are acitve:
The directional keys move the cursor.
Lowercase Q (q) changes the current terrain type up by
one.
Lowercase A (a) changes the current terrain type down by
one.
Enter toggles the terrain pen between the raised and
lowered states.
Ctrl-q changes the type of the terrain under the cursor
up by one.
Ctrl-a changes the type of the terrain under the cursor
down by one.
Shift-Up arrow reduces the height of the board by one.
Shift-Down arrow increases the height of the board by
one.
Shift-Left arrow reduces the width of the board by one.
Shift-Right arrow increases the width of the board by
one.
Uppercase E (E) edits the general scenario information.
Lowercase E (e) edits the value of the victory square
under the cursor, if there is one.
Uppercase S (S) saves the scenario.
Lowercase V (v) adds a victory square underneath the
cursor, or removes an existing one.
F10 switches to the Terrain Editing Board.
The mouse can be used to draw the terrain. To select
the terrain type, click on the terrain square in the status
bar. The left mouse button will change the current terrain
type up, while the right mouse button will change the terrain
type down. Clicking on the pen toggles the pen state up or
down, bu this really isn't necessary. Simply click and drag
on the board without pieces and the chosen terrain type will
be drawn.
On the board with pieces (the board on the right), the
following keys are active:
The directional keys move the cursor.
Uppercase Q (Q) changes the side of the unit under the
cursor up. If the unit is already of the highest side, or
there is no unit under the cursor, then this key has no
effect.
Uppercase A (A) changes the side of the unit under the
cursor down. If the unit is already of the lowest side, or
there is no unit under the cursor, then this key has no
effect.
Lowercase Q (q) changes the current piece type up.
Lowercase A (a) changes the current piece type down.
Control-q increases the current side up by one.
Control-a decreases the current side down by one.
Enter toggles the piece pen between the raised and
lowered states.
Lowercase W (w) changes the type of the unit under the
cursor up. If there is no unit under the cursor, one is
created on the current side.
Lowercase S (s) changes the type of the unit under the
cursor down. If the unit under the cursor is of type 1
(infantry in most of the included scenarios) it is removed.
Tab grabs/drops the piece under the cursor. Once
grabbed, a piece can be moved around the board with the
cursor.
- decreases the number of sides by one. There is a
minimum of two sides.
+ increases the number of sides by one. There is
(currently) a maximum of five sides.
Insert places a new unit of the current team and piece
type under the cursor.
Delete removes the unit under the cursor, if there is
one.
Uppercase E (E) edits the general scenario information.
Entering nothing for the scenario title keeps the same title.
Lowercase E (e) edits the name of the current side.
Uppercase S (s) saves the scenario.
F10 switches to the Terrain Editing Board.
The mouse can also be used to edit the piece placement.
Selecting the piece type and side is done by clicking on the
piece and side squares in the status bar with either the left
or right mouse button. The pen can also be raised and
lowered, but placing new peices can be done using the mouse
simply by clicking and dragging on the baord with pieces.
IV. Using MultiWar Terrain and Piece Editor
At the MS-DOS prompt, type "MWTAPE" <ENTER>. You should
see an opening screen. Strike any key/Click a button, and
you will see the Scenario Selection Screen. Enter the number
of (click on) the Scenario with the terrain and/or units you
want to edit. The first terrain square should appear,
enlarged on the left and at its normal size on the right. A
status bar should be at the bottom of the screen.
The following keys are active:
The directional keys move the cursor within the current
bitmap.
F1 displays help.
F2 displays a piece and terrain listing. (See a
description in section VI)
Lowercase Q (q) increases the current color.
Lowercase A (a) decreases the current color.
Tab makes the current color the color under the cursor.
- raises the pen.
+ lowers the pen.
Ctrl-Left arrow moves to the previous terrain/unit.
Ctrl-Right arrow moves to the next terrain/unit,
creating a new, blank one if at the last one.
Ctrl-q changes the current color by 128 up the palette.
Ctrl-a changes the current color by 128 down the
palette.
Lowercase R (r) removes the last terrain/unit square and
associated information.
Lowercase S (s) saves the bitmaps and associated
information for the terrain and the units.
Lowercase E (e) edits the information for the current
terrain/unit.
Ctrl-c copies the current square.
Ctrl-v pastes the square in the clipboard to the current
bitmap.
Lowercase I (i) moves the palette cursor up
Lowercase K (k) moves the palette cursor down
Lowercase J (j) moves the palette cursor left
Lowercase L (l) moves the palette cursor right
Shift combined with a directional key shifts the image
one pizel in that direction. Thus shift-right arrow shifts
the image right by one pixel.
Lowercase F (f) fills with the current color starting
under the cursor.
F10 toggles between editing modes, including terrain,
units, and special squares.
Alt-x exits the Terrain and Piece editor.
The mouse can be used to edit bitmaps. Select a color
from the palette on the right. Draw on the bitmap by
dragging with the left mouse button down. Clicking with the
right mouse button on the bitmap changes the current color to
the color under the cursor.
The current color isn't changed when you switch to a
different bitmap. This allows you to copy colors from one
bitmap to another.
While you are editing units, color 255, which shows up
as gray on the displayed bitmaps and the color box in the
status bar, is transparent. The board and colored border
indicating the side show through where the unit bitmap is
transparent.
The special editing mode is the third mode available in
MWTAPE. The first block in special mode is the block which
is displayed for victory squares in MultiWar. The second
block is the bitmap denoting damaged units. In both bitmaps,
color 255 is considered transparent.
V. The Rules in MultiWar
The rules in MultiWar are four toggles which are used to
add variety to scenarios. They are:
* Zone of Control
* Half Damage
* Terrain Modifies Defense Values
* Combat Victories Generate Victory Points
When the Zone of Contorl rule is used in a scenario, a
unit's movement phase ends the first time it moves into a
square adjacent to an enemy square. Otherwise a unit can
move freely around enemy units.
The Half Damage rule causes units to be damaged once
before they die. Thus with the half damage rule on it takes
two successful attacks to destroy a unit. Otherwise the
first successful attack destroys a unit.
When the Terrain Modifies Defense Values rule is in use,
a defending unit has the defense value of the square in which
it is located added to its defense bonus. The Defense Value
can be negative, and is specified in MWTAPE.
The Combat Victories Generate Victory Points rule
enables the victorious side in a battle resulting in the
elimination of a piece to collect victory points. The amount
of victory points collected is specified in MWEdit.
VI. Piece and Terrain List
The piece and terrain list allows you to view the unit
types and terrain types available in a scenario, as well as
read their statistics. The piece and terrain list is
available from MultiWar, MWEdit, and MWTAPE by hitting "F2".
After hitting F2, the piece list will appear. You can scroll
up and down through the list using Page Up and Page Down.
Space bar toggles between pieces and terrain. The Escape key
exits the piece and terrain list.
VII. Disclaimer
This program and its accompanying files are provided "AS
IS" and without any warranty of fitness or merchantability
for any particular purpose. The author accepts no
responsibility for damages resulting from the use of this
program, and the user assumes all risk when using it.
VIII. Planned changes/improvements
The following modifications are planned for future versions:
1. Movement restricted by the terrain--i.e. have ground
and water units restricted to ground and water, respectively.
2. Fill command in the Scenario Editor
3. Modem play.
4. Improved mouse support.
5. A Windows version
6. Internet play using Windows Sockets.
IX. How to contact the author
I am reachable by both electronic and U.S. mail. My
addresses are as follows:
EMail: Andrew_Oliver@hmc.edu
U.S. Mail: Andrew Oliver
HC 67, Box 2410
Dryden, ME 04225
U.S.A.
Please contact me with bug reports and suggestions, as well
as your registration payment. If you design a scenario for
MultiWar, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me
a copy. I'm always interested in seeing what others have
created with MultiWar.
To register MultiWar, please send $20 to the above U.S.
Mail address. Please include your address so I can mail you
a disk containing the latest version of MultiWar, which
includes Artificial Intelligence shortest-path movement.
