Aztec Shareware Collection/STRATEGY.ISO/warships/warships.doc

Text File | 1993-08-26 | 23KB | 455 lines

          /------------\
          |    TAG     |  Presents
          |  SOFTWARE  |     . . . . WARSHIPS 2.5
          \------------/

     WARSHIPS 2.5 is a computerized version of the "Classic"
     Battleship(TM) game.  One player competes with the computer
     in a race to see which fleet of ships is sunk first.  While
     there are many versions of a battleship-type game available
     in the shareware market, WARSHIPS 2.5 has some quality
     features which set it apart from the rest.  First, WARSHIPS
     2.5 was written for the "Battleship" purist who wants to play
     the game as it was originally conceived.  The player and the
     PC opponent each have a fleet of five different ships.  The
     object is simply to locate and sink the opponent's fleet
     while you are still afloat.  If you prefer a game with
     additional obstacles or traps, WARSHIPS 2.5 is not for you.

     Second, WARSHIPS 2.5 is the only battleship-type game
     currently available which offers a SALVO mode of play.  In
     salvo mode, the number of shots that you and the PC have per
     turn is determined by the number of ships you have afloat.
     Your shots decrease as the PC sinks your fleet and vice
     versa.

     Third, WARSHIPS 2.5 features EGA/VGA graphics, providing a
     clearer, more distinct display than is possible with CGA
     graphics.

     Fourth, WARSHIPS 2.5 plays introductory and victory music
     through the PC speaker as well as producing sound effects
     during game play.

     Fifth, WARSHIPS 2.5 features a mouse-like interface unique
     to TAG SOFTWARE products.  Three input devices (mouse,
     joystick, and keyboard) are supported, yet each uses the
     "point and click" style of a mouse.  You don't need to waste
     time typing "A1" or "B7", just move the pointer to the
     target and click.  This simplicity of operation makes the
     game enjoyable for everyone aged 3 to 100.

     Finally, WARSHIPS 2.5 requires an IBM PC or compatible, an
     EGA/VGA graphics card, and only 256K of available RAM.

     WARSHIPS 2.5 is distributed as Shareware: if you like the
     program, please become a registered user.  Print or list the
     file REGISTER.DOC for registration benefits and more
     information.  Distribution of this shareware program is
     encouraged.

     The WARSHIPS 2.5 source code, object code, executables and
     manuals on paper or on disk, are (C) COPYRIGHT 1991,1992,1993
     by Carole & Allen Grider.

     DISCLAIMER

     This program is provided "AS IS" and it is WITHOUT warranty
     of any kind that it will work correctly in any or all
     situations.  No liability shall be assumed for direct or
     consequential damage caused by the use of this software.
     The only claim TAG SOFTWARE makes is that there are no
     intentional bugs or fatal errors in any original copy of
     the program that you receive directly from TAG SOFTWARE.

     MANIFEST

         WARSHIPS.DOC . . . Text, Documentation (This file)
         WARSHIPS.EXE . . . Warships Game
         WARSHIPS.OPT . . . Options file
         WARSHIPS.IDB . . . Graphics file
         README.DOC . . . . Text, Last minute information
         REGISTER.DOC . . . Text, Registration order form
         CATALOG.DOC. . . . Text, Catalog of TAG SOFTWARE products
         INSTALL.COM  . . . Installation from floppy disk

     DISTRIBUTION

     Distribution of this program is encouraged as long as the
     following Shareware principles are observed:

          All of the above-mentioned 8 files should be
          included in the distributed disk and should not be
          altered in any way.  TAG SOFTWARE authorizes the
          distribution ONLY of the 8 above-mentioned files.

     If archiving this program for BBS use or library use,
     please include all files and use the name: WARSHP25, ( ie:
     WARSHP25.ARC or WARSHP25.ZIP ).  This will provide
     consistency for future updates.

     Note Disk and Rack Vendors: Please contact TAG SOFTWARE for
     the latest version of this and all our programs.  Disk and
     Rack Vendors are allowed to replace INSTALL.COM with their
     own installation package.  Also contact us if you require
     customization.  We will consider non-exclusive registration
     handling agreements.

     SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS

     COMPUTERS:   IBM/PC/XT/AT or compatibles.  256K free memory.
     DISPLAY:     EGA(128K), EGA(256K), VGA.
                  A Mouse is recommended but not required.

     OPERATION

     The program will detect your display card and if it is
     unacceptable, will display an appropriate message and exit.
     It will also sense if there is a mouse, joystick or keyboard
     attached by checking for and with the mouse driver, polling
     the joystick, and defaulting to a keyboard.  If you wish to
     use a mouse with WARSHIPS 2.5, you must install your mouse
     driver before running WARSHIPS 2.5.

     WARSHIPS 2.5 stores your options in WARSHIPS.OPT.  WARSHIPS's
     graphics are stored in the WARSHIPS.IDB file.  It finds
     these files using your PATH environment variable.  Therefore,
     you can place WARSHIPS 2.5 (with the WARSHIPS.OPT and
     WARSHIPS.IDB files) in any directory in your PATH environment
     variable and WARSHIPS 2.5 will find them.

     When the program finds your display card acceptable, it will
     begin.  You will see a title screen and possibly a menu of
     input devices.  You will get this menu of input devices on
     the first usage of WARSHIPS 2.5.  Select the input device you
     want to use to play the game by typing the number of the
     device.  If WARSHIPS is unable to initialize the device, an
     error message will be displayed and you will be presented
     with the menu of input devices again.  When the selected input
     device (either by menu selection or by Option specification)
     initializes, you will be requested to hit a button (for
     mouses and joysticks) or a space (for keyboards).

     Then you will be presented with the play screen.  From this
     point on (until you exit the game), input will only be
     accepted from the selected input device.  For mouses, either
     the LEFT or RIGHT mouse buttons can be used on all clickable
     areas.  We wanted no left- or right-handed mouse bias in this
     program.  For joysticks, either button can be used on all
     clickable areas.  Finally, for keyboard usage, the SPACE,
     ENTER, and the 5 key can be used on all clickable areas.

     We standardized on a mouse type interface for all three
     supported input devices.  This means that you will be
     presented with an arrow on the screen (called a pointer) and
     you use the input device to move the pointer around.  For a
     mouse this type of operation is obvious.  For joystick usage,
     the operation is very similar to a mouse and if you
     calibrate your joystick properly during initialization you
     will have a good amount of proportional control of both
     speed and direction of the pointer.

     Keyboard operation is slightly different.  Hitting a
     direction key will cause the pointer to move in that
     direction.  Hitting the same direction key again will cause
     the arrow to stop.  There are eight direction keys.  Keys 8,
     4, 6, and 2 are the Up, Left, Right, and Down arrow keys.
     Note that the extra arrow keys on Extended-101 keyboards
     work properly also.  The 7, 9, 1, and 3 keys move you on
     diagonals.  The 7 key (HOME) moves you up and left.  The 9
     key (PGUP) moves you up and right.  The 1 key (END) moves you
     down and left.  The 3 key (PGDN) moves you down and right.
     As mentioned above, the 5, SPACE, and ENTER keys are the
     button keys.  These are to be used to select a clickable
     area.  The whole idea of this setup is that you can place
     your hand on the numeric keypad and totally control the
     game.

     Whether you use a mouse, joystick, or keyboard, the
     operation of the game is similar.  There will be areas of
     the screen that are clickable.  In the following
     documentation, we will refer to buttons.  Buttons are well
     defined clickable areas that somehow affect the operation of
     the program.  Basic operation requires you to move the
     pointer to the button and hit a mouse button, joystick
     button, or a button key to invoke its operation.

     When the play screen is displayed, you will see four buttons
     across the top of the screen.  These buttons are labeled
     INFO, PLAY, OPTIONS, and QUIT.  The INFO button gives you
     information about the program and how to register.  The PLAY
     button allows you to start a game.  The OPTIONS button
     allows you to set the game options to your preferences.
     Finally, the QUIT button allows you to exit the program.

     /------\
     | INFO |
     \------/

     Clicking on the INFO button will cause an informative window
     to be displayed.  Clicking on the OK button within this
     window will cause the window to be removed (and play resumed).

     /------\
     | PLAY |
     \------/

     There are two modes of play in WARSHIPS 2.5, the standard
     "single-shot" game and the alternate "salvo" or "multi-shot"
     game.  You can select the mode of play in the OPTIONS window
     (see the OPTIONS button below).

     Regardless of the play mode that you select, the object of
     the game is to find and sink all of the computer's ships
     before it sinks yours.  There are five types of ships -- each
     player starts with one of each.  These ships include a
     Carrier (5 shots), a Battleship (4 shots), a Submarine (3 shots),
     a Destroyer (3 shots), and a PT Boat (2 shots).

     Starting a new game is the same for either mode of play.
     Clicking on the PLAY button will start a game of WARSHIPS
     2.5 with your current option settings (see the OPTIONS
     button below).  Your ship board will be displayed on the left
     and your hit board will be displayed on the right.  (Your
     ship board shows the locations of your fleet of ships, while
     your hit board shows the results of your shots.)

     If you have selected MANUAL ship placement, you will be
     presented with a menu of ships to be placed on your ship
     board.  First, click on a ship in the menu.  Then click on a
     ship board location.  Finally, indicate the direction (up,
     down, left, or right) by clicking on one of the squares
     immediately surrounding that location.  Once a ship is
     placed, it cannot be moved.

     At any time during this placement process, you can click on
     the RANDOM button to place any remaining ships randomly.  If
     you generally prefer to have all of your ships placed
     randomly, you may want to set the placement option to random
     (see the OPTIONS button below).

     It is important to note that the DISPERSAL option (discussed
     under the OPTIONS button below) will effect the placement of
     ships.  If DISPERSAL is set to ANY, your only restrictions
     are that ships do not overlap and that each ship fits
     completely on the playing board.  If DISPERSAL is set to
     DISPERSED, an additional restriction is enforced -- ships may
     not occupy adjacent squares.  This prevents the PC from
     finding a second ship accidentally while zeroing in on a hit.
     If DISPERSAL is set to DISPERSED, this restriction will be
     enforced whether you place your ships randomly or manually.
     (For more information, read about the DISPERSAL option under
     the OPTIONS button below.)

     Once all of your ships have been placed, the game begins.
     Whether the player or the computer starts first is
     determined by the setting of the FIRST option (see the
     OPTIONS button below).  When it is your turn, you indicate
     your shot(s) by clicking on a square(s) on your hit board
     (the right board).  A red peg indicates a hit.  A white peg
     indicates a miss.  When you hit all of a ship it will
     appear.  You can also keep track of your progress by
     regularly glancing at the status window.  This window tracks
     which ships have been sunk by each player and the number of
     games won/lost in this session.

     If you are playing a single-shot game, you and the PC each get
     one shot per turn.  In the salvo game, each player has a
     varying number of shots based on the number of ships in his
     own fleet that are afloat at the beginning of each turn.
     Both players start with 5 ships and 5 shots.  When it is the
     player's turn, a pop-up "targeting" screen with a number of
     gray dots will appear, one dot for each available shot
     alloted to you.  As you select positions on your hit board,
     the dots will turn red.  If you change your mind about a
     square that you have targeted, click on that space again and
     the question mark symbol (which indicates a targeted area)
     will disappear and you can make another selection.  Once you
     have selected targets for all of your shots, your weapons
     will be armed.  Click on the FIRE button to release your
     shots and learn the results of your turn.  The pop-up
     targeting screen will disappear when you fire your shots so
     you can watch the PC take shots at your ship board.

     Remember, the main strategy of the salvo game is to sink your
     PC opponent's ships as quickly as possible to reduce it's
     number of shots at you.  The more successful you are at
     finding the PC's ships quickly, the greater your chances of
     winning.

     The first player to sink all 5 of his opponent's ships is the
     winner of the game.  At this point, all hidden ships are
     revealed, the status box is updated, and a game "statistics"
     box is displayed.  This box shows the number of shots, hits,
     misses, and the overall effectiveness for the PC and the
     player.  Click on the OK button to remove the box from the
     screen.  At this point, you can reset any of the options as
     you wish.  To start a new game, click on the PLAY button.  To
     exit the program, click on the QUIT button.

     /---------\
     | OPTIONS |
     \---------/

     Clicking on the OPTIONS button will cause the options menu
     to be displayed.  Clicking on an option will cause its value
     to change.  Keep clicking until you get the value you want.

     There are two buttons on this menu, OK and CANCEL.  Clicking
     on the CANCEL button will cancel the options menu with no
     changes to your game options.  Clicking on the OK button
     will cause the options currently displayed to be updated to
     disk and affect the operation of the game.  These options
     will carry over from one invocation to another, until
     changed.

     There are currently seven options.  They are SOUND, LEVEL,
     FIRST, PLACE, DEVICE, MODE, and DISPERSAL.  The SOUND option
     has two values, ON or OFF.  When set to ON, there will be
     interesting sound effects and background music.  When set to
     OFF the game will be silent.  The default is ON.

     The LEVEL option has three values, NOVICE, ADVANCED, or
     EXPERT.  A setting of NOVICE uses a very simple strategy to
     find ships.  A setting of ADVANCED uses a modified version
     of the strategy used in WARSHIPS 1.0.  A setting of
     EXPERT uses a highly optimized strategy (which has been
     further refined since WARSHIPS 2.1).  The default value is
     EXPERT.

     The FIRST option has six possible values, COMPUTER, PLAYER,
     RANDOM, WINNER, LOSER, and ALTERNATE.  This option controls
     who shoots first when a game is started.  This option is
     especially important in the salvo game, because it can mean
     the difference between victory and defeat.  A setting of
     PLAYER means you always shoot first.  A setting of COMPUTER
     indicates that the PC will always shoot first.  The RANDOM
     setting means that the person to shoot first will be picked
     randomly.  If WINNER is selected, the winner of the last game
     shoots first.  If LOSER is specified, the loser of the last
     game shoots first.  ALTERNATE (the most fair) means that the
     PC and you will alternate who shoots first.  For settings of
     WINNER, LOSER, and ALTERNATE, who shoots first in the first
     game of a session is chosen randomly.  The default is
     ALTERNATE.

     The option PLACE has two values, MANUAL or RANDOM.  A value
     of MANUAL allows the player to place his ships at the
     beginning of a game.  A value of RANDOM causes the player's
     ships to be randomly placed at the beginning of a game.
     The default value is RANDOM.

     The DEVICE option allows the user to select the preferred
     input device.  The settings are MOUSE, JOYSTICK, KEYBOARD, or
     SELECT.  A setting of MOUSE, JOYSTICK, or KEYBOARD will cause
     that device to be used to play the game if one can be
     initialized.  If the device cannot be initialized or if this
     option is set to SELECT, a menu of input devices will be
     presented upon startup of the game.  However, changes to this
     option will only take effect when the program is restarted.
     The default value is SELECT.

     The MODE option has two values, SINGLE or SALVO.  Choosing
     SINGLE will start the standard single shot game.  Selecting
     SALVO will start the multi-shot game, where each player gets
     a certain number of shots based on the number of ships in his
     fleet that are still afloat at the beginning of each turn.
     The default setting for MODE is SALVO.

     Finally, the DISPERSAL option has two values, ANY or
     DISPERSED.  As discussed under the PLAY button above,
     DISPERSAL affects ship placement.  If DISPERSED is set to
     ANY, you are free to place your ships (or have them randomly
     placed) anywhere on the board as long as the ships fit
     completely on the playing grid and do not overlap.  If
     DISPERSAL is set to DISPERSED, an additional restriction is
     enforced on ship placement.  This restriction does not allow
     two ships to occupy adjacent squares.  Keeping DISPERSAL set
     to DISPERSED will eliminate the possibility that the PC will
     accidentally find a second ship while zeroing in on a hit.

     It should be noted that if DISPERSAL is set to DISPERSED, both
     RANDOM and MANUAL ship placement will be affected.  In other
     words, you cannot manually place two ships so that they are
     touching.  If you want to do this, set DISPERSAL to ANY and
     you will not have the additional restriction on ship
     placement.  Remember that the PC will have the same
     restrictions on its ship placement as you do.  The default
     value is DISPERSED.

     Please note that any and all of these options can be changed
     as often as you like.  If you are currently playing a game,
     the new settings will not take effect until the next game is
     started.

     /------\
     | QUIT |
     \------/

     Finally, clicking on the QUIT button allows you to exit the
     game.  There are two buttons in this window.  The CANCEL
     button allows you to resume the game.  The OK button will
     exit the program and return you to DOS.

     DOCUMENTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

     If you have a printer, please print out and read the
     documentation file WARSHIPS.DOC.

     There are many people who have helped us in one way or
     another.  First, to our children, Douglas and Christopher,
     thank you for acting as testers and for being willing to
     let Daddy use the computer when they wanted to play games.

     Second, thanks to our friends for their many suggestions and
     comments.  In particular, we would like to thank Paul
     Barbieri for his time and patience.  Thanks also to Alan Dowd
     for acting as a tester and for his many suggestions.

     Third, a big thankyou to Paul McClenon for his encouragement
     and help in adding salvo mode to this game.  It was his
     letter that started us thinking about how to add a salvo
     mode.  In addition, he has made a number of suggestions for
     improvements which will be incorporated in future updates of
     WARSHIPS.

     Finally, we owe many thanks to Christopher Schmitt, son of
     our chiropractor, Dr. Richard Schmitt.  Christopher helped us
     find a "bug" in WARSHIPS while his dad is fixing the "bugs" in
     our backs.  Thanks to both of them.

     FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS

     We have been working on Adlib/SoundBlaster/Disney Sound
     Source support but it is not ready for this release.  Expect
     it in future versions.  Our digital sounds engine is written
     (see our line of digital sound products in the file
     CATALOG.DOC).  We are still working on our FM music engine.

     There are other optimizations that can still be implemented.
     The first suggested by Paul Barbieri (and independently by
     Paul McClenon) is to use a two shot strategy to find ship
     direction instead of the current four shot strategy.  Another
     optimization concerns the search strategy after the PT Boat
     has been sunk; it has a few glitches.

     REGISTRATION BENEFITS

     WARSHIPS 2.5 is distributed as Shareware: if you like the
     program, please become a registered user by sending $15 to
     TAG SOFTWARE.  List or print the file REGISTER.DOC for more
     information.

      - You will receive the latest registered version of this
          program.

      - A printed manual and strategy guide.

      - Technical Support.  Please write TAG SOFTWARE.  Or you
          can contact us through the Programmer's Corner BBS
    301-596-7692 or 410-995-6873.

      - Registered users receive more free shareware from
        TAG SOFTWARE.