A.C.E. 3/ACE CD 3.iso/files/docs/brdusacd.lha/BravoRomeoDelta.doc

Text File | 1994-11-27 | 13KB | 444 lines

                Bravo Romeo Delta

                From Free Spirit Software



                DOCUMENTATION  by Wolverine/NEMESIS



The Introduction



Bravo Romeo Delta is a real-time, menu-driven, global scale simulation of
strategic nuclear war as seen from the command/control perspective.  In this
simulation, the player assumes the role of either the Chief Target Planner at
the Strategic Air Command (U.S.) or the Commander of the Strategic Rocket
Forces.  The Computer will play the role of the U.S. or Commonwealth President
and evaluate your progress.  For clarity, we will use the phrases 'Soviet'
and 'Commonwealth' interchangeably.



The Scenario



During a major Soviet naval exercise, 50% of the ballistic missile subs are
deployed to sea and a limited nuclear strike is launched on American targets.
All other Soviet and American forces are on day-to-day alert.



Soviet Player:  Respond to possible American counterstrike with restraint, but
maintain now favorable balance of power while the Kremlin negotiates a
ceasefire.



American Player:  Launch a limited second strike against targets that are
selected to demonstrate the resolve of your political leadership while
avoiding escalation.



Victory (?) conditions: At various points in the conflict, your political
leader will analyze the course of the war from a remote location with a
sperate communication link.  Based on the picture that your leader is given,
your success in applying the nation's strategy to accomplish your assigned
task will be judged.  The political leader will take into account such
factors as casualties inflicted and taken, the shift in the CoF (for the
Soviet player), target kills versus losses, and the effectiveness of the
communication network.  Consult the Designer's Notes for a comprehensive
discussion of national targeting strategy.



Game Play



The game is broken into three areas of play; Command Control, Tactical
Warning and Attack assesment, and the Nuclear Strike Plan Generator.  Part of
the enjoyment of this game is deciding how to handle these three areas in
relation to one another, as well as in the context of your county's military
philosphy.  The importance of each of these areas of play can be roughly
summarized as follows:



Command/Control Menu:  Used to evaluate the current alert levels and readiness
of your strategic forces, and to issue commands alerting those levels.  Your
communications network effeciency is tracked here as well.



Tactical Warning and Attack Assesment Menu:  Used to recieve messages from all
NORAD units (PVO-Strany for the Soviet Union.)  Casuality figures are here
as well.



Nuclear Strike Plan Generator Menu:  Used to choose targets and payloads to
meet your nations objectives.



The Main Menu:



The Main Menu allows access to the three menus, as well as allowing you to
accelerate game time, and save games in progress.



The screen is divided into four quarters.  The top left quarter is where the
current game-time and game-day is displayed, along with the game save, and
acclerate icons.  The upper right quarter will take you to the Command/Control
Menu, the lower left quarter will take you to the Nuclear Strike Plan
Generator and the lower right quarter will take you to the Tactical Warning
and Attack Assesment Menu.  Clicking the mouse pointer over the desired are
will activate the display



    Accelerate Icon - Clicking on this icon once will accelerate time
    approximately 2x. A second click will accelerate time approximately
    5x.  The rate of acceleration of time will depend on your computer
    processor speed.



    Normal Time Icon - Clicking this icon will turn off all time
    acceleration.



    Game Save and Exit Icon - Clicking this icon will exit the game with
    an aption to save the game in progress.  This procedure will create
    a save game file on your game disk.



    Up & Down Arrows - Used to move through choices within many aspects
    of the game.



    Main Menu Icon - Clicking this icon will take you back to the main
    menu from each of the sub menus.



The Command/Control Menu:



    Launch Control Center Icon - By clicking this icon, a player can
    receive the number, type and alert level of ICBMs at a given command
    center.  Alert levels for an ICBM include normal readiness (which
    allows a missle launch within minutes of recieving an order - at
    least seven minutes for a mobile ICMB.)  At the next level, there is
    a slight difference in launch readiness since the ICBM unit is
    considered to be in launch-under attack/impact mode.  This gives the
    Lcc crew full authority to select targets and launch missiles if
    early waning radar relays notice of incomming warheads or if a
    nuclear weapon detinates nearby.



    SSBN Icon - There are four levels for ballistic missile submarines.
    The lowest level is a state that exists when the sub is docked and
    bringing its reactor on-line.

    Docked submarines will be responsive to commands until the reactors
    are on-line.  At the next level, "bastion mode", the sub is docked
    but has its reactor running. The next level is non-alert-at-sea.  In
    this state submarines are in maximum concealment and can launch
    weapons within 1-2 hours of recieving an order.  The fourth state is
    "alert-at-sea".  In this state an SSBN travels near the surface for
    ease of communications but at the expense of survivability.  Firing
    weapons, in this state, can be done within minutes.



    Bomber Base Icon - There are 3 alert levels for a primary bomber
    base.  at the lowest level, bombers on base require 1-2 hours to
    get airborne upon receipt of nuclear strike instructions.  At the
    next alert level,strip alert, the aircraft are taxied onto the runway
    and are ready for takeoff if a strike is ordered or if ther is a
    warning or incoming warheads.  Strategic bomers at the highest alert
    level are place in the air.



    Alert Icon - The readiness of nuclear forces can be increased on level
    by clicking this icon.  However, it may take units up to one hour to
    their alert posture.



    Combat Support Icon - Through this icon, the player can examine the
    status of nuclear combat support units.  This includes the network of
    spy satellites and other intelligence collection assets.  In addition
    to spy satellites, the intelligence collection assets include
    listening posts, airborne moving target indicators,optical, infared
    and radar surveillance from space or high altitude aircraft, radio
    direction finding from satellites, aircraft and fixed ground sites,
    surveillance from ships and submarines, seismic detectors and nuclear
    burst sensors and reconnaisance obtained from bombers that have
    penetrated air defenses.



The Tactical Warning & Assessment Menu



A flashing border on the screen indicates a message from the tactical warning
and attack assessment units.  This is the responsibility of NORAD in the U.S.
or PVO-Strany in the Soviet Union.



    Anti-Submarine Icon - The sinking of an enemy ballistic missile
    submarine will generate a report specifying the type of submarine
    and weapons associates with it.



    Nuclear Burst Icon - A nuclear detonation will be detected by an array
    of burst sensors and then combined with navagational and weather
    inputs.  By determining the direction of arrival of the nuclear flash
    to the sensor network, the number of bursts and intensity of
    explosions, a report will be created estimating the size of the
    explosion, number of detonations, location and whether there was
    an airburst, surface burst, or space burst.  global winds will spread
    fallout from destroyed nuclear reactors in an easterly direction.



    ABM Icon - If a targeted area is defended by an anti-ballistic missile
    system (ABM), the crews will atempt to intercept any incoming
    warheads.  This will be reported as a launch or interception.



    Early Warning Icon - Incoming nuclear warheads are tracked by early
    warning radars of varying sophistication.  This icon can also be
    used to obtain reports of missile launches that are tarcked by
    satellite.



    Air Defense Icon - This channel will report enemy aircraft or cruise
    missiles by air defenses.



The Nuclear Strike Plan Generator:



This menu will display the maximum number of warheads that your political
leadership has sanctioned for use.  Based on a political evaluation of the
crisis, the number of warheads recommended in proportion to the scale of the
enemy attack/counterattack may increase, decrease, or remain constant.  If
trends indicate a favorable campaign, your leadership will decrease the level
of violence; whereas unfavorable trends may cause the leadership to either
continue to conflict at an escalated level or opt for a conditional surrender.



Mixed results may produce either a sustained or slightly higher level of
violence being authorized.



Target Class Icons - A target database lists all areas that meet the political
goals and objectives in a given scenario as well as those areas which could
be subjected to collateral damage (damage in surrounding populated areas).
To change a target class, simply click over one icon in the column on the
right of the screen.



There are three types of nuclear strikes:

    * A blunting (or Bravo) strike is an attack directed against enemy
      nuclear forces in an effort to disarm.



    * A retardation (or Romeo) strike is an attack aimed at destroying or
      temporarily disabling enemy communications, early warning systems,
      and electronic intelligence assests.



    * A disruptive (or Delta) strike is an attack focussing on enemy
      urban/industrial assests with the intent of delaying post-war
      recovery.



There are eight steps required to select a target and launch a nuclear strike.

    1) Select a target class from the column of icons along the right
       edge of the screen.

    2)  Use the up and down arrow icons to locate a specific target.

    3)  Click in the Target Display box to confirm your target selection.

    4)  Use the up and down arrow icons to locate a specific delivery
        vehicle.

    5)  Click on the Delivery Vehicle Icon to confirm your vehicle
        selection.

    6)  Use the up and down icons to select the number of warheads to
        deliver.

    7)  Click on the Target Display box to finalize your delivery vehicle
        selections.

    8)  Click on the Launch Icon to initiate the strike.



Target Data Box - Once a target clas is determined, the targeting computer
will automatically select the first target on the list of priorities by
analyzing available reconnaissance and resources for a strike.  Assuming the
recent intelligence has been collected in the target area, the following
information will be displayed:



    * Target class (i.e. mobile ICBM sites, urban/industrial assets)

    * Status - active/destroyed (destroyed silos for ICBM units)

    * Weather

    * Forces deployed (ICBM silos may be empty), surviving population
     (neither injured nor killed), or capacity (for nuclear power plants)

    * Hardness (pounds per square inch)

    or

    * Mobility (meters per second)

    * Latitude and Longitude

    * ABM defenses in area

    * Radioactive contamination present



    Abort Icon - This icon can abort the current strike plan anytime
    after the target box is clicked.



    Delivery Vehicle Icon - Once a suitable target has been selected, the
    computer will recommend the LEAST CAPABLE delivery vehicle that can
    accomplish the task.  Clicking this icon will confirm the choice of
    delivery vehicle. The following will be displayed:



        * Type (Ii.e. Bomber, ICBM)

        * Hard target kill effeciency

        * Component reliability (Pr)

        * Speed (meters/second)

        * Range (kilometers)

        * Payload (i.e. air-launched missle, multiple warhead)



    Payload Display Icon - Clicking on this icon will allow bombers to
    attack with alternative weapons, such as bombs instead of cruise
    missiles



    Launch Icon - Once the bomb damage computer has finished these
    calculations.

    the strike plan can be submitted to your battle staff to handle all
    of the operational details by clicking this icon.



Abbreviations and Acronyms:



ABM        Antiballistic Missils

ASAT        Antisaytellite

ASW        Antisubmarine Warfare

BMEWS        Baallistic Missle Early Warning System

C3I        Command, Control, Commujications, and Intelligence.

DEW        Distant Early Warning

EAW        Emergency Action Message

EHF        Extremely High Frequency

ELF        Extremely Low Frequency

EMP        Electromagentic Pulse

HF        High Frequency

ICBM        Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

IRBM        Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile

LF        Low Frequency

MF         Medium Frequency

MIRV        Multiple Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle

MRBM        Medium-Range Ballistic Missile

NDS        Nuclear Detection System

OTH-B        Over-The-Horizon Backscatter

RVSN        Strategic Rocket Forces (Soviet acronym)

SAC        Strategic Air Command

SSBN         Nuclear ballistic missile submarine

SSN         Nuclear attack submarine

TVD          Theater of military action (Soviet)

VLF        Very Low Frequency

VPVO        Air Defense Forces (Soviet)

end.