Secret Service 56b/SSERVCD_56B.bin/Sinclair/Games/information/Stonkers.txt

Text File | 1998-02-02 | 10KB | 250 lines

THE SPECTRUM GAME DATABASE

STONKERS

PUBLISHER
Imagine (Before Ocean)

AUTHOR
Game design: D.H. Lawson & John Gibson.
Programming: John Gibson.
Screen graphics: Paul Lindale.

YEAR
1983

DESCRIPTION
Stonkers is a real-time strategic wargame.

CONTROLS
You can either use keyboard or joystick.

LEFT - CAPS, X, V, N, or SYMBOL SHIFT.
RIGHT - Z, C, B, M, or SPACE.
DOWN - A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, or L.
UP - Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, OR P.
FIRE - Any key on the top row.


INSTRUCTIONS
The idea of the game is to defeat the computer controlled
opponent in a strategic land battle.  Both sides can control foot
infantry, artillery, tanks and supply trucks.  When play begins,
you are presented with a map of the full playing area.  The areas
of the map with the "BRIGHT" attribute set are were units of your
army are located.  You can zoom in for more detail anywhere on
the map using the fire key.  This will expand the area under the
cursor. (The cursor is the cross-hatched, rectangle that responds
to the movement keys).  In this expanded view you can scroll the
map, and see individual units of yours, or the enemies army.  If
you move the cursor on this screen (This is a cross-hair cursor)
onto one of your units, statistics will be displayed for that
particular unit.  If you then move the cursor, and press fire
again, this will issue orders for that particular unit to move
to the new location.  It is by this method that you advance.  If
opposing units move close together, a battle will commence, the
outcome being decided by the statistics of each unit at that
time.  The game is over when one of the teams has lost all it's
units, or advanced into the enemy HQ (Top right of map for yours,
bottom left for computer).  Whilst moving, units use up energy
and the way to replace this is via the supply units - they need
to be ordered to the same location.  Supply units are then
replenished every time a ship enters the port (There is a port
for each team).  Throughout the game, an update of events is
shown in a message bar beneath the map.  There are 2 skill
levels, Easy Game and Difficult Game, and these dictate how
stategic the computer player is.


CHEATS


SEQUELS/PREQUELS


INLAY CARD TEXT

                                  STONKERS

You are poised on the very brink of battle.  Your forces are
marshalled to overcome the enemy bastion.  As Commanding General
it is now up to you to out think, out manoeuvre and out fight the
enemy.

Your army has had the enemy port and H.Q. under siege for weeks,
now is the time for battle to commence.

It is you and you alone who must decide the strategy to adopt in
order to defeat your formidable foe.

As you scan your battle map and endeavour to deploy the tanks,
infantry and artillery under your command skillfully enough to
capture your objectives, you can't help but feel apprehension as
to the outcome of this decisive engagement.

Suddenly you are locked in mortal combat; problems and decisions
are heaped upon your shoulders; ammo and supplies are running
low, can you spare another tank division in the eastern sector?
The enemy are thrusting forward on your left flank, will you find
that vulnerable spot? Will victory be yours......


LOADING: Place the cassette into your tape recorder with the
printed side facing upward. Ensure that a lead goes from the EAR
socket on the SPECTRUM to the EAR socket on the recorder and that
the MIC socket is disconnected.  Rewind the tape to the
beginning. Type one of the following:-

LOAD "stonkers" ENTER.

The word LOAD is obtained by depressing the J key, and the quotes
by depressing the SYMBOL SHIFT and P keys simultaneously. ENTER
means to press the key marked ENTER. Also note that there is no
space between the two quotes in this method. Press play on the
recorder. If loading is successful a flashing message will appear
on the screen in several seconds. The process is entirely
automatic from there on.

If problems are experienced adjust your volume control and try
again or re-read chapter six of your introductory manual.

Stonkers will only work with a 48K ZX Spectrum.

A map of the total war zone will appear on the screen: the two
purple shaded areas on the left are the enemy Port and H.Q.; the
two purple shaded areas on the right are your Port and H.Q.

The strength of both armies is also shown: each armoured division
is depicted by a tank; each artillery division by a gun and each
infantry division by a man.  Your four supply units are depicted
by trucks. The enemy forces are coloured blue, yours are black.

Also on the screen will be a diagonally striped cursor which can
be moved over the battle zone by using your Joystick or -

  LEFT - CAPS, X, V, N, or SYMBOL SHIFT.
  RIGHT - Z, C, B, M, or SPACE.
  DOWN - A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, or L.
  UP - Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, OR P.

CHOICE OF BATTLES: Stonkers can be played on two levels, one more
difficult than the other.

On pressing joystick fire button, or any key on the top row, the
area immediately below the cursor is magnified 64 times; it is
on this scale map that the battle is fought.  Press fire button
again (or any top row key) and you are back on the small scale
total war zone map. The bright areas of the small scale map show
the displacement of your divisions, and the small black dots the
position of your two supply ships.

On the larger scale map you have an X shaped cursor, which is
moved in the same way as the diagonally shaped cursor on the
total war zone map.

INFORMATION: Whilst the battle is in progress you will be kept
up to date with constant news flashes on your 'ticker tape'. You
are also reminded on regular intervals how long you have been
engaged in combat.

DEPLOYMENT: To deploy your divisions place your X cursor directly
over the division required and press 'fire', the cursor will then
adopt that division's shape and your strength status will be
displayed below.

Move cursor to the position you want your division to occupy,
press 'fire' again; and your division will deploy to that
position.

As you deploy your forces the large scale map will automatically
scroll over the entire battle zone.

Remember, as your forces are advancing on the enemy strongholds
their forces are advancing on yours.

Whilst playing the more difficult version you can only see the
enemy divisions when one of your divisions is in the same
vicinity. You must be constantly on your guard.

COMBAT: When opposing forces meet, whether by accident or design
they will engage in combat; and remember, an armoured division
is superior in strength to an artillery division which in turn
is superior to an infantry division.

Whilst engaged in combat your forces turn yellow and the enemy
a light blue.

The forces remain in combat until one of the divisions is either
destroyed or retreats. To retreat from combat use the same method
as deployment.

SUPPLIES: Your four supply units are non combatant and are used
to keep your combat troops supplied with food and ammo; to do
this you must deploy your supply unit to the same location as a
battle division.  Once your supply unit arrives the battle
divisions supply strength will increase.  You must not allow any
divisions supply strength to drop to zero or that division will
be lost for good.

A depleted supply unit will be replenished when your supply ship
docks.

Capturing enemy supply units will be to your advantage; but don't
let yours fall into enemy hands.

MOBILITY: The speed at which a division or unit moves is
determined by the terrain it is travelling over; fast on the
plain and slower by varying degrees in the mountains, woods and
marshes.

PAUSE:  Whilst your X cursor is directly above one of your
divisions or in the process of 'issuing orders' the game is
suspended.

OBJECTIVE: To gain victory you must destroy all the enemy combat
divisions or occupy the enemy port and H.Q.

SURPRISES: Yes there are quite a few; but it's up to you to find
them.

Good luck, and good hunting!

GAME DESIGN: D.H. Lawson & John Gibson.
PROGRAMMING: John Gibson.
SCREEN GRAPHICS: Paul Lindale.
ILLUSTRATION: Gordon Brooks.


HINTS/CHEATS
The easiest way to win this game is to organise your whole army
around the port, as close as possible, but spread about enough
to enable you to supply specific units without them accidently
supplying other ones.

Each time you get a round of supply units, send each of them
immediately towards a group of units of the same type, so that
you know which ones have been supplied and which ones not, since
it is easy to lose track.  If you manage to supply a unit before
the ship has left, the supply unit will immediately be replaced
for you to supply another type of unit.  Sometimes you may be
able to supply up to three units with one supply unit if you can
do it quickly.

Simply keep doing this until the enemy arrives (it may take some
time, so speed up your emulator).  Then simply attack the enemy
in force as they come to you.  You will be able to easily
resupply your units, and eventually the enemy will be overcome
through lack of supplies.

SCORES RECEIVED

URL
ftp://ftp.dcc.uchile.cl/pub/OS/sinclair/snapshots/s/stonkers.zip

GENERAL FACTS

NOTES
This game although 48k, was allegedly coded on paper, and entered
via a hex-editor.  If you have ever typed in a magazine program
in this manner, then you will appreciate it is no mean feat.