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S I N C E
1 9 8 5
ðð=- P R E S E N T S -=ðð
HISTORY LINES 1914-1918 DOCUMENTS
-*- Release Information -*- -*- Game Information -*-
Cracker ---------------- Publisher BLUEBYTES
Protection Type ---------------- GFX & Sound ---
Supplier Razor Blade Release Date 19 Feb. 1993
Notes: Well Razor bought you the game earlier today so now enjoy the docs
so that you can get the most from this kewl follow up to the classic
Battle Isle.
Greets: Sector9, Wizz, The Renegade Chemist, Randall Flagg,
~~~~~~~ Rambone, Dr. No, Butcher, Ginnie, Black Spyrit,
Black Spyrit, Baal, HAL9000, Excessive Knight,
The Unknown, Black Knight, DEViL, and Hoppermania
Enjoy! Rbú RAZOR 1911
02/19/93
========================================================================
NOTE: THESE DOCS ALSO APPLY TO FAIRLIGHT'S AMIGA CRACK OF HISTORY LINES!
========================================================================
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IBM PC and Compatibles
Historyline 1914-1918 can be run on all PCs/ATs which have at least ar
80286 or compatible processor. In addition you will need a
VGA-Graphics Card and 7 Megabytes of free memory on the hard disk on
which you are going to install Historyline 1914-1918. You can use
MS-DOS 3.3 or higher for the operating system. A compatible
operating system (e.g. DR-DOS) will meet the software requirements.
When starting Historyline 1914-1918 you must have at least 580 Kilobytes
free DOS memory available. If you do not have this amount of free
memory, you should remove all resident programs and drivers which
are normally already loaded by your configuration systems
"CONFIG.SYS" and "AUTOEXEC.BAT" when you start your computer. For
details of how to increase your work memory, please consult your
system's manual.
Historyline 1914-1918 does not require any other specifications such as
add-on memory.
Amiga
Historyline 1914-1918 has been carefully developed to match all
technical specifications and will run on all Kickstart versions from
1.2 upwards, and on all Amigas. You will also need at least 1
Megabyte of memory (at least 512 K Chip Ram, 512 K Fast Ram) to play
Historyline 1914-1918. The program recognises additional memory
automatically and if nece.ssary makes use of it and additional disk
drives. Since at least 400 Kilobytes Chip Ram must be available to
start Historyline 1914-1918, you should observe the following points
if your Amiga has only 512 K of built-in Chip Ram:
1. Additiona] disk drives may require Chip Ram (approx. 25
Kilobytes each). If you have problems starting the program you
should turn off all additional disk drives.
2. Each open window or loaded program may require Chip Ram.
Closing all windows and programs before starting Historyline
1914-1918 should erase any problems.
3. If you are working with Kickstart 2.0 or higher, the size of the
Workbench screen may use up some memory. Reducing the picture size
or using fewer colours can save a great deal of Chip Ram.
4. If 400 Kilobytes of Chip Ram are available and Historyline
1914-1918 does not start, it is possible that the free memory is
only available in small amounts. If so, you will have to start the
Amiga again.
As with Battle Isle, there is a special program version for owners
of Turbo Cards (68020/030/040). In addition to having a faster
program speed, this version will be usable on any new Amigas or
processors developed in the future.
LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PCs and Compatibles
PLEASE NOTE! ! ! Before attempting to install Historyline
1914-1918, you must make a backup copy of the original disks.
Historyline 1914-1918 disks have no copying protection and can be
copied on any PC; the best way is from your command interface. Your
MS-DOS manual explains in detail how to copy discs.
As Historyline 1914-1918 requires a large amount of data, it must
first be installed on your hard disk. To make the installation as
easy as possible, you will find an installation program on the first
disk. Please observe the following instructions exactly to ensure
that the installation is carried out without any problems:
Hard Disk Installation
Step 1.
Turn your computer on and boot it as normal.
Step 2.
When booting is complete, insert the first disk of Historyline 1914-1918
into one of your disk drives.
Step 3.
Enter the letter appropriate to this drive followed by a colon, and
press the "Return" key. For your internal drive you will use the
letter "A". If you connected to a second drive, this usually has
the letter "B".
Step 4.
Enter the name of the installation program (INSTALL) and confirm
pressing the "Return" key.
Step 5.
After the program has started, you must enter the installation path.
If you do not want to use the pre-defined path, alter it as you
wish. Confirm the path with the "Return" key and the program will
begin installation. If you want to leave the installation program
before installing, press the Escape key.
Step 6.
As soon as the program has been completely installed, you can start
it by entering "HL14-18" followed by "Return". Historyline
1914-1918 will recognise your PC's configuration automatically and
will adjust to it.
After an incorrect command, Historyline 1914-1918 will return to the
command interface.
a) If the message "Not enough memory" appears at the start, check
the memory configuration of your computer. If you have been working
with resident or other memory-intensive programs, they must be
removed.
b) If the message "File not found" appears at the start or during
the program, you should carry out the whole installation again. It
is probable that a file has been incorrectly installed owing to an
internal error.
c) If a message appears which is not explained here, please consult
your dealer.
Amiga
Before attempting to load Historylinel914-1918, please ensure you
have made a backup copy of the original disks. Historyline
1914-1918 disks have no copying protection and can be copied on any
Amiga. The backup copy should be made from the Workbench; your
Amiga manual explains in detail how to copy disks. To store scores
you will need a disk with the name "HLS"; simply format the disk
from your Workbench and give it the name "HLS".
If you own an Amiga 1000, you will have to load your Kickstart after
turning on your computer. Historyline 1914-1918 can be run on all
system versions from Kickstart 1.2 upwards.
As soon as the instruction to insert the Workbench disk appears,
insert your own Workbench disk into the internal drive. When you
are on the Workbenc insert the first Historyline 1914-1918 disk into
the internal drive or one your external drives. As soon as the disk
symbol "HL1" appears, you c open the disk by double clicking on the
disk icon. The window contains thr symbols representing the
following:
1. Introduction - this is the Introduction to Historyline
1914-1918, whi tells you how the First World War came about.
Following this, the main program of Historyline 1914-1918 will be
loaded directly.
2. HL 1914-1918 - by double clicking on this symbol you can enter
the main program without going through the Introduction.
3. Install - is the symbol of the Installation Program on your hard
disk. The next section tells you more about hard disk installation.
Hard Disk Installation
Historyline 1914-1918 can be easily installed on your hard disk. It
also offers an additional feature. When you install the program on
your hard disk, the Installation Program automatically makes
available a so-called Turbo Card from which a faster processor of
the type 68020/68030/68040 can be accessed. There is a special
version of the program on the disks for these "accelerators" which
makes use of the additional capacity offered by these processors.
If you already have a Turbo Card but do not have a hard disk, you
will still be able to enjoy the increased speed, as Historyline
1914-1918 will run without trouble on these computers too. However,
the ultimate speed can only be obtained on the hard disk.
To avoid problems while installing, please observe the following
instruction carefully:
Step 1.
Boot your Amiga as normal from your hard disk. As soon as the
Workbench symbol appears, you can insert the first
Historyline 1914-1918 disk in one of your disk drives.
Step 2.
Open the disk by giving double clicking on its symbol. After a
short time, several data symbols, so-called icons, will appear in
the open window. One of these icons has the name "install" and
represents the Installation Program of Blue Byte games.
Step 3.
Start your Installation Program by double clicking on the icon.
Step 4.
In the Installation Window you will see two ways of entering
information. In the upper box you should enter the name of the disk
drive which contains the Historylinel914-1918 disk. Normally this
will be the "DFO" drive, and the box is already marked "DFO".
Should the source disk be in one of your external drives, then enter
the appropriate label (DF1-DF3). Confirm the entry with the
"Return" key.
The lower box is intended for the target drive. As the hard disk is
usually labelled "DHO", the box has already been labelled
accordingly. If you should wish to install Historyline 1914-1918 on
another partition, enter the name which corresponds to your
configuration. As you are no doubt a tidy- minded person and will
want to keep Historyline 1914-1918 in a drawer or sub-directory, you
can enter the name of a drawer after the name of your drive. If
this drawer already exists, Historyline 1914-1918 will simply be
installed in that drawer. If the directory does not exist, the
installation program will create a directory with this name and will
create the appropriate icon. You can also enter nested
sub-directories by entering their names one after the other; the
names must simply be separated by "/".
When you are satisfied that your entries are correct, you can begin
installation. You will see three buttons in the bottom row of the
Installation Program. The button marked "Packed" tells the program
to copy the data for Historyline 1914-1918 directly from the floppy
disk onto the hard disk. This saves valuable storage space on the
hard disk, but results in slightly longer loading times. The second
button marked "Unpacked" tells the Installation Program that you
wish to copy the data in their original form onto the hard disk.
This shortens loading times, but you will need at least 8 Megaytes
free memc on your hard disk. The third button is used to quit the
program.
Step 5.
The installation program will now copy all the necessary data from
the floppy disk onto your hard drive, displaying the file names and
the tir elapsed. You may be instructed to insert further disks. If
you do not hav second drive, replace the first disk with the second
one. The installati program will realise that you have inserted the
second floppy disk and continue with the installation. After a
short time the program will inform y by means of a text message that
installation has been successfully completed. If an error is
indicated please check the following before trying again:
a) You may have made a wrong entry in one of the two boxes. Correct
tl error by making a new entry as described in Step 4.
b) You cannot write on the hard disk: your hard disk may contain
defective data from other programs. Consult your hard disk manual to
correct this fault and begin again from Step 1 after restoring all the
data.
c) You cannot write on the hard disk: your hard disk may not have
sufficient space to contain all the data from Historyline 1914-1918.
Delete the data you no longer require from the hard drive.
Altogether, installation of Historyline 1914-1918 requires approx. 5
Megaytes in its packed form or 8 Megayte unpacked.
d) Data cannot be read from the Historyline 1914-1918 disk. Your
disk has probably been damaged. Consult your dealer to correct
this.
Step 6.
When the program has been successfully installed, you can start a
test run In the installation file you will see two program symbols.
If you press th icon marked "Introduction", Historyline 1914-1918,
including the Introduction, will start. By double clicking on the
"HL 1914-1918" icon you will start only the main program. Any the
personal data which you then enter into your installed
Historyline 1914-1918 will be written on the hard disk.
PLEASE NOTE!!! In the past it has often happened that the installed
program did not start from the hard disk because the memory was
insufficient. This is usually caused by having too little Chip-RAM
available. Whenever you start Historyline 1914-1918 no other
program requiring Chip RAM (e.g. art programs) should be running in
the background. If you have installed only 512 Megabytes Chip RAM
in your Amiga, then a second drive will also require a considerable
amount of memory. If possible, turn off your second drive. Remove
the drive completely by disconnecting it from the computer as
described in your manual.
If you still have no sucess, close all windows before starting
Historyline 1914-l918. Open the file in which Historyline 1914-1918
is installed. Place the Historyline 1914-1918 program icon on the
Workbench screen and close all windows.Start Historyline
1914-1918 by double clicking on the program icon .
PHILOSOPHY OF THE GAME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Battle Isle we succeeded in making a distinction between a brutal
war game and a complex strategic simulation, in which intellectual
prowess is the most important element. It may be assumed that a
strategy game based on one of the greatest and bloodiest wars in
history would be bound to contain elements glorifying war, and
superficially this might seem to be true. However, the interested
player will realise that this attitude ignores the most important
aspects of HISTORYLINE:
The historical background.
--------------------------
Basing a game of strategy on the terrible First World War is a
daring enterprise. However, the most important features of the game
are not warlike acts but tactical reasoning and entertainment value.
All the people involved in developing the game abhor violence and
its dreadful consequences in war. However, pacifism should not be
used as an excuse to distort reality or conceal facts. Never before
has entertainment software been so consciously designed to present
knowledge and facts to the player in a graphic manner. We have put
a lot of effort into presenting the facts in an easily understood
manner so as to guarantee historical accuracy. To those who insist
that computer games are not a suitable medium for transmitting
educational knowledge, we would simply point out the parallels to
film and comics. A few decades ago, films and comics were
invariably called "trash", "nonsense" and "idiotic rubbish"- today
thev are central to education and are regarded as art.
We would like "Historyline 1914-1918" to become the foundation of a
similar development in computer games and to meet Blue Byte
customers' demands for high quality. If you like - or dislike - the
concept and design of this first Historyline program, we would be
happy to receive any constructive criticism.
HISTORY LINE VERSUS BATTLE ISLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those who know Battle Isle will ask what is the difference between
it and Historyline 1914-1918. To save you having to read the manual
from cove to cover, the differences are listed and explained below:
1. The hexagons showing the range of a unit or its targets in
action have been dropped to make way for an important improvement.
The landscape is now simply darkened, making controlling the game
considerably easier.
2. Units which have already been used are no longer covered with a
pattern. making them practically unrecognisable, but instead are
shown in a "mouse- grey" colour.
3. The general map has been doubled in size, making geographical
features more easily recognisable.
4. In calculating the results of battles, the distance from the
target is significant. In general, accuracy decreases as the
distance increases. This was necessary because of the number of
different artillery weapons.
5. In addition to units used to build depots, there are also sapper
units which dig trenches. These defences were of enormous
importance in the First World War in protecting the infantrymen from
artillery fire. The same units are also able to fill in trenches
again to enable other units to advance more easily. You should pay
particular attention to these units, and should not be afraid to dig
or fill in trenches.
6. In Battle Isle, the provision of energy plays a complex role.
Whereas, in Battle Isle, each building contained a certain amount of
energy which could be used, here the buildings themselves are used
to supply energy. Each building delivers a certain amount of energy
in each game cycle to a shared "account", which can be drawn on from
any building. This method of distributing resources also replaces
the "Aldinium" energy crystal of Battl Isle.
7. Historyline 1914-1918 contains approximately twice as many types
of unit as Battle Isle. Although few of them are to be seen on the
first maps, you will be come across a huge number of units in the
course of your campaign (shit grammer I know but their Fuck up not
mine! Rb). Since the capabilities of each unit are closely matched
to authentic events, the units are generally more specialised than
those used in Battle Isle. The Weapons Manual gives details of some
areas of specialisation.
8. The landscape reflects geological peculiarities, and the range
of the units is therefore difficult to predict. This is made even
more difficult as a result of the limited mobility of the First
World War units. Always try to make use of fast transport vehicles
and do not forget to keep them protected!
PRINCIPLES OF THE GAME
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As in chess, you move a number of figures with various properties
over board. Your only aim is to make your opponent incapable of
doing battle. You can do this either by capturing the enemy's
Headquarters (similar to Checkmate), or by beating all the enemy
figures. However, the properties of the figures are not as easily
described as in chess. Instead of differel movements, the units in
Historyline 1914-1918 have varying ranges and a] sensitive to
certain features of the terrain. In chess, any figure can capture
any other. Since Historyline 1914-1918 contains all kinds of units,
from simple infantrymen to heavy battle cruisers, such a rule would
not reflect the reality of the situation. Whether a unit is
victorious in a battle is determine by its type, strength and
experience. The surrounding units and theirpositio in relation to
enemy units are important factors in deciding the outcome a battle.
In chess, as in other board games, certain tactical options are
sacrificed i order to make the rules more straightforward. Because
computer technolog can today incorporate complex inter-relationships
into an easy to play game Historyline 1914-1918 has adopted a
different philosophy. For example, does not split the game into
moves; both players can move their figure simultaneously, since they
give their units orders which the troops then carr out
independently. This would be difficult to do in a board game, b
Historyline 1914-1918 was specially developed with the computer in
mind.
Historyline 1914-1918 can be played with two players, this makes the
game even more enjoyable. So that one player does not have to wait
for the othel the game has been divided into so-called command
cycles. While one playe is only able to move his units, the other
can carry out operations with h troops. An operation can consist of
attacking an enemy unit, or diggin trenches or similar tasks. Thus
both players in the two-player mode can be "active" simultaneously
and neither must waste time waiting for the other.
As soon as a player has completed all the moves he wants to make, he
indicates this on the computer. Only when both players are ready to
change their command cycle will the computer change the possible
moves, this means that the player who was only able to move his
troops is now able to send them into action, and the other player
can immediately move his unit. You can only plan all the moves,
whether the unit is going into action or can only move. That is to
say, you can deploy all the units and can see most of their
operations. However, the moves are only carried out when both
players are ready to change the command mode. This is particularly
true for the player who is in the operation cycle; all the planned
attacks will be carried out after the cycle has been changed.
After a short loading time you will find yourself in the menu
sectior Historyline 1914-1918. Here you can perform a number of
actions which important in the game. You can control the menu by
using the keyboard, mouse or a joystick. When the cursor is on one
of the menu items, explanatory text will appear at the bottom edge.
Next to the text is an exit symbol, this will enable you to return to
the current menu. The Escape and the right mouse key have the same
effect.
The various option menus are:
Main Menu
You will see six items in the Main Menu. Three of these take you
into other menus, in which you can take decisions important to the
game.
Start
This enables you to enter the game with the options described in the
menu. When you have entered the password for the first one-player
map you will be asked before the game begins which side you want to
represent. Germany represents the Central European Powers, and
France represents the Allies.
Map
This allows you to enter the password by means of the keyboard, wh
means you can choose the various landscapes directly. The password
to next area of countryside is automatically entered when you have
successfi completed a battle. You will find the passwords for all
the two-player m in the Appendix.
In the one-player mode, the next password depends on the side you
choose before the first map appears. If you are on the side of the
Central European Powers you will therefore receive different maps to
the one on the Allied side.
Game Values
-----------
Here you can take decisiolls which among other things affect the
difficulty level.
Control
-------
The playing side selection screen
As there are a number of ways in which you can control Historyline
1914-1918, you can enter the relevant information here.
Extras
------
From this sub-menu you can see the best Historyline players or load a score
which has been saved.
Game Values Menu
----------------
Battle on/off
In Historyline 1914-1918, considerable calculations are necessary tQ
show the outcome of battles. As some computers can take quite a
long time to show all the battle sequences, you can reduce this time
by using a simpler method. If you have a fast computer or prefer a
more spectacular style of presentation, select "Battle on".
Player A
This allows you to see if the player who is playing on the left of
the screen is to be controlled by the computer or manually.
Player B
This allows you to see if the player who is playing on the right of
the screen is to be controlled by the computer or manually.
Depot View
Usually you can see into all the enemy's transporters and buildings
to which units they contain. Historyline 1914-1918 can be made more
difficult if you are only able to see into your own
buildings/transporters or into neu ones. You will also be credited
with extra points.
Move Limit
Whichever command cycle you are in, you can make as many moves as
wish. The game becomes more difficult if the number of moves you
make is limited. An experienced player can thus precisely determine
level of difficulty. The smaller the number of moves, the higher
the score the end of a map.
Operating Menu
--------------
Palette
This allows you to choose the colour range for the game. In the
"Normal Palette" the first player's units are coloured beige and the
second player's are coloured green. Unfortunately, many people
suffer from a kind of colour-blindness which means that they cannot
distinguish these colours very well. To help tht players
distinguish the units, there is a "Bright Palette" in which the
units; coloured blue and yellow. For those who do not suffer from
this colour blindness, it is simply a matter of taste which palette
you choose. There is another palette for PC owners who have a
monochrome monitor or a portal PC with a monochrome display. This
"Monochrome Palette" should help you to distinguish the "Goodies" from
the "Baddies".
Mouse
This allows you to decide which player will be using the mouse.
Player A has the left-hand side of the screen, Player B the
right-hand side.
Mouse Sensitivity
The sensitivity of a mouse depends on its "guts", i.e. the
hardware; you can determine the speed with which the mouse can be
operated.
Extras Menu
-----------
Show List
Shows you the five highest scores stored on the map in the main
menu.
Load Game
When you want to continue with a game you have saved, you can do so
by pressing the appropriate key from The extras menu 0-9. Once the
saved position has been loaded, the game will resume from that
point.
CAMPAIGN MODE
-------------
As you have already discovered in the description of the menu,
Historyline 1914-1918 is played in a kind of campaign mode. After
you have chosen the first map for one of the opposing forces, the
maps represent intervals of the months. As you will gather from the
title of the game, the First World War lasted for four years, which
means that you will have 24 maps in front of you before you receive
the final pieces of information relating to the outcome the War.
The strategic prerequisites for a successful campaign are very
different, depending which side, Central European Powers or Allies,
y have chosen. If, for example, you have successfully completed
Historyline 1914-1918 on the German side, it is interesting to find
out if you are able develop your strategic talents on the other side
as well.
The chronological sequence of the maps is of vital importance.
During the First World War a large number of weapons were invented
or improving thus, the new units which you will find on each map are
presented in detail.
After each battle you will be informed of various important - and
sometime not so important - events which have occurred in the
intervening two months In the case of some extraordinarily important
events you can look forwar to film-style animation. You are then
returned to the main menu and, if you have won the battle, you will
find the access code for the next map in the password enter box.
THE PLAYING FIELD
-----------------
Each player possesses a so-called tactical display. The left-hand
display shows Player A's section of the map, the right-hand side
show's Player B's section. Directly underneath is the status line
which provides you with mportant information about your own or the
enemy's operations which are relevant to you. Any errors, e.g.
incorrect entries etc., are also shown here. as soon as the cursor
is above a unit, you can read in the status line the current troop
strength, the troops' experience and the name of the unit.
Apart from these, the screen does not contain any important details,
so that your overview is not unnecessarily restricted.
THE CONTROLS.
-------------
Experienced players of games of strategy will notice that certain
symbc used to control the game are absent from the screen. In
Historyline 1914-1918, all movements are integrated into the cursor,
allowing an optima overview of the map sections. At the beginning
of the game, you will see the cursor in both tactical displays in the
form of the perimeter of a six-side figure. You can move this
cursor along the figure with the joystick. The direction of the
joystick corresponds to the direction of the cursor. When the cursor
reaches the edge of the display, the map moves a small distance in
tl desired direction. When the cursor reaches the edge of the whole
map you will not be able to move the cursor any further.
When you press the fire button, the cursor will change into an "X".
The "X" in the cursor indicates that you will exit the function as
soon as you release the fire button and the joystick returns to its
normal position. You will then return to the normal operation mode an
the cursor will revert to its normal shape.
If you hold the fire button and move the joystick in one of the four
possible directions, the cursor will assume other shapes. The new
shape will depend on various factors.
A symbol will only appear in the cursor if the resulting action is
possible. Don't be surprised, therefore, if the same symbol does
not always appear when you move the joystick in a certain direction.
This means that the computer has taken over part of the choice in
order to prevent controlling errors.
1. The map represents the view of the whole map over the whole
playing area. You can not only move the section of the tactical
display quickly and accurately, but can also gain a quick view of
the general state of play . In addition to a rough depiction of the
geographical features you will also see all the units and the
position of depots, factories and Headquarters.
2. The chest is the symbol for looking inside a building or a
vehicle. This symbol can only be obtained when the cursor is
positioned above a building (Headquarters, factory, depot) or above
a transporter. You can then look into the interior of the building
or vehicle and can carry out further actions; more about this later.
3. The question mark represents information, and you will receive
important data relating to the box under the cursor. If the cursor
is not on either a unit or part of a building, you will be given
general information.
If the cursor is on a unit, you will be given its important
Information symbol
4. The movement symbol can only be obtained when your cursor is on
a unit. You must also be in the movement cycle of the game. If you
choose this symbol, inform the unit under the cursor that you wish
to move it. Your tactical display will then indicate the range of
the unit.
5. The fist is similar to the movement symbol. Here too your
cursor must be on a unit and you must be in the so-called action
mode. It informs the unit that you wish to deploy it. In most
cases, this means an attack on an enemy unit. As is the case when
you move a unit, the tactical display will show you all the ways in
which you can carry out an attack.
6. The double arrow indicates that you have executed all your moves
and that you wish to change your current playing cycle.
7. The spanner will only appear when you look at the inventory of a
building. It indicates that you wish to repair the unit under the
cursor.
8. Like the spanner, the hammer can only be us inside a building.
It indicates that you wish a unit to created.
THE GENERAL MAP
---------------
The General Map contains a number of important pieces of information
which require some explanation. All roads are coloured light grey,
tracks over fields are coloured beige, and railway tracks are shown
in brown. This gives you an instant overview of the road and rail
network and the quickest communication routes. The units are
normally shown in the colour appropriate to your side; however, they
turn into a grey dot when they receive an order from you. You can
therefore see at once whether you have already deployed all your
units. Buildings are shown in the colour of the occupier,
except for neutral buildings, which are white. "H" indicates the
headquarters, "D" a depot and "F" a factory.
By using the General Map you can rapidly move to other points in the
area; simply move the square cursor onto the place you wish to
go to and press the fire button.
When you are looking at a map for the first time, it is advisable to
study the situation thoroughly with the help of the General Map. Be
sure to look into all the buildings and transport vehicles before
planning your first moves. Reaching a building can itself be an
important preliminary decision.
MOVING THE UNITS
----------------
To move a unit, place the cursor in your tactical display on one of
your troops. As soon as you press the fire button, you will see the
exit symbol as a cursor. If you now move the joystick upwards while
pressing the fire button, you will see the movement cursor. To see
the range of the unit, release the fire button. All the areas to
which you can move the unit are now shown in normal brightness .
When you move the cursor onto the desired destination and press the
fire button, you will see the route which the unit will take to
reach that destination. Press the fire button again and the unit
will move to its destination. Remember, when you press the fire
button the second time, the cursor must still be at the desired
destination, otherwise you will be shown the complete range again so
that you can choose another destination. If you want to interrupt
the move, place the cursor on an area which is not within your
range, and press the fire button twice in close succession. When
you have moved the unit, the computer will prevent the unit from
being moved again; you will recognise this by the fact that the unit
will turn "mouse-grey".
You can also take units out of buildings and transporters. First,
call up the Inventory of the building or vehicle. The units can
then be taken out of the building as normal. However, the range of
the units will be limited, so as to prevent them from proceeding
directly to the Front. As soon as you have moved a unit, it will
appear again in the Inventory. You can leave the building again by
selecting the cursor's exit symbol. Units can also be moved into
buildings or transporters. Buildings and transport vehicles are
shown as possible destinations, provided they are within your range.
Simply choose the area as your destination and the unit will move
into the building or vehicle.
It is advisable to move units with limited range by employing
transport units. First move the unit to a transport unit which has
not yet been moved, and then move the transport unit itself. You
can not move the transport unit first and then put the other unit
into the vehicle, since the transport unit will only have received
the order to move towards the destination, but is not yet at that
destination.
Don't forget that you only plan your moves, so your unit will not
reach the destination until the next change in the command
cycle.However, it may be that the unit will never reach the
destination, as it may be destroyed by the enemy.
CARRYING OUT THE OPERATION.
---------------------------
Move the cursor to one of your units and press the fire button.
When you see the exit symbol in the cursor, move the joystick up
while pressing the fire button. You will now see the fist in the
cursor. Release the fire button, and all the destinations which you
can reach will be shown. These areas will appeal lighter than the
areas outside your range. Select your destination by moving the
cursor to the appropriate hexagon and pressing the fire button.
Your unit has now memorised the destination and cannot take part in
any other operation. An enemy unit must normally be attacked several
times before it can be destroyed. However, in a large-scale battle
it is difficult to identify the units which are already attacking
the enemy. If you move the cursor onto one of the units which have
already been used, you will see the unit which is to be attacked.
Not all units can actively take part in an attack. Depot builders
can not attack the enemy, but can only construct depots. This is
done in the same way as an attack on a unit. However, the hexagons
do not show the available destinations but indicate all the hexagons
on which depots can be constructed. Each depot builder constructs
only half of a depot; the other half must either be built in the next
move, or by another builder.
The sapper units are used to dig and fill in trenches, and are
controlled in exactly the same way as the depot builders. Do not
underestimate the effectiveness of trenches; in the First World War,
many battles were decided by means of so-called "static warfare",
which occurred between the lines of trenches.
REPAIR OF UNITS
---------------
During the action cycle you can use any of the buildings to repair
those units which have been damaged. To do this,place the cursor on
the building in which the damaged unit is located, and hold down the
fire button. If you move the joystick to the left, you will see a
chest in the cursor; now release the fire button, and you will see
all the units in the building. Move the cursor to a damaged unit,
hold down the fire button, move the joystick downwards and release
the fire button again. The unit will immediately turn grey, showing
that the unit cannot be used because it is being repaired.
Of course, repairing units consumes energy. Irrespective of how
badly a unit has been damaged or what kind of unit it is, you will
require 15 units of energy to repair it. The exception to this is
the depot builder, who requires 50 units of energy. If there is
insufficient energy available in the building, you will be told you
have made an error.
The repair of units is very important. Strong units should be
repaired constantly so that they can gain more battle experience.
Only then will your units be able to hold their own in battle and
withstand debilitating skirmishes.
CONSTRUCTING UNITS
------------------
Units can be built in factories during the action cycle as
reinforcements for the Front. First select the Inventory of the
factory, as you do when repairing a unit. Move the cursor to an
empty space for units. If you move the joystick to the left while
pressing the fire button, you will see the construction symbol, a
hammer, in the cursor. Release the firing button, and all the units
will be shown which can be built with the available energy. On many
of the maps not every kind of unit can be built, so don't be
surprised if you cannot build a unit even when you have enough
energy available.
When you have chosen a suitable unit, select it with the cursor,
hold the fire button down, move the joystick to the left, and
release the fire button. The unit, coloured grey, will now appear
in the space you have selected. During the next movement cycle you
will be able to take the unit out of the factory.
CHANGE OF MODE
--------------
When you have carefully entered all your planned moves, you will
want to change the cycle. First, move the cursor to an area which
is not occupied by a building or a transport vehicle. If you press
the fire button on this "empty" square and hold the joystick to the
left, you will see a double arrow in the cursor. This is the symbol
for a change of cycle. By releasing the fire button, you can tell
the computer that you have entered all your moves and now wish to
change the mode. If you forget an important move, you can interrupt
the process by pressing the fire button; you can then enter more
moves. The computer will not allow the cycle to be changed until
your opponent has also confirmed that he has made all his moves.
To confirm the change of cycle, use the keyboard. The computer will
tell you to press "F1" to confirm that you wish to change the cycle.
After the cycle has changed, all attacks and any buildings captured
will be shown.
Selecting the symbol for the change of cycle has another important
function:
The computer must carry out a large number of calculations if it is
to come anywhere near being on a par with a human opponent.
However, whilst you are entering your moves it has very little
calculation time; only when you have confirmed that you want to
change the mode, does the computer gain more time. You should
therefore always select the symbol for a change of mode as soon as
you have issued all your orders.
LOADING AND SAVING A GAME
-------------------------
As many of the maps in Historyline 1914-1918 take several hours to
play, you can save the game at almost any point and continue it
later by loading the state of play.
Loading
Loading the state of play is done through the Main Menu. Go from
the Main Menu into the sub-menu "EXTRAS" and from there to the
option "LOAD GAME". You will then be asked to choose a number
between 0 and 9. Simply press the appropriate key on your keyboard.
Historyline 1914-1918 will then give you further instructions to
reconstruct the state of play. After a short loading time, you will
find yourself back in the game with the data you have saved.
Saving
To save the state of play, you must actually be playing the game.
When both players are ready toichange mode, do not press "F1" as
normal to confirm this, but "D" for "disk". Historyline 1914-1918
will then ask you to enter a number between 0 and 9, using the
keyboard. When you have pressed one of the keys, you may be asked
to insert your state of play disk. When you have inserted the
correct disk, it will automatically be recognised and the game saved
onto it.
BUILDINGS
---------
In addition to the Headquarters, Historyline 1914-1918 contains two
other types of buildings which are vital to the game. The first of
these are the depots, which are either already situated on the map
or can be built by a specialist unit. The others are the factories,
which are similar in shape to the depots, but are able to produce
new units. All three types of building must be provided with energy
to be able to carry out their task of repairing or producing units.
The energy represents raw materials of various kinds, and is
supplied by the buildings themselves. During each command cycle you
will be credited with amounts of energy for each of the buildings in
your possession. Because of this, and because they can act as
bases, they are important strategic targets which you should try to
gain possession of as soon as possible. Even if a building already
belongs to your opponent, you should try to capture it for yourself.
In Historyline 1914-1918, all infantrymen and cavalrymen can capture
buildings. When you want to capture one of your opponent's
factories or depots, you should plan your attack as carefully as
possible. In most cases, the defender enjoys a considerable
advantage because he can have his units repaired. An attack will be
most likely to be successful if you have a vastly larger number of
troops. When choosing your troops for the attack, you should also
consider their experience; a small number of experienced units is
likely to carry out an attack more easily than a larger number of
"rookies".You should be particularly careful when planning an attack
on a building which, because of its geographical position, cannot be
approached from all sides.
The Headquarters
The Headquarters building is the most important strategic target for
your opponent. The colour of the barrier in the topmost hexagon
indicates which player the Headquarters belongs to. The aim is to
win the game by occupying this hexagon.
On large maps, you should always leave at least two units at your
Headquarters to prevent your opponent from transporting troops to
the building and occupying it. On the other hand, if you move
towards your opponent's Headquarters, this may make him withdraw
troops from a battle in order to defend it. In this way you may
sacrifice some units, but your task will be easier on the battle
ground.
The Factory
Like the Headquarters, the factories are already situated on the
map. A barrier in the right-hand hexagon indicates which player
currently occupies the factory. A factory can be occupied by moving
infantry or cavalry troops to the right-hand hexagon. All the units
which are in the factory at the time will become the property of the
occupier.
If the barrier is white, the factory is neutral. Units can be moved
into the factory by moving them to the appropriate hexagon.
The Depot
Depots are not already located on the map, since they must be built
by a specialist unit. To do this, you will need sufficient empty
space. As a depot occupies four hexagons and can only be built on
flat ground, maps which contain a lot of rugged terrain only have a
few places where depots can be built. To build a depot, activate
the unit of depot builders, just as you would if attacking an enemy
unit. The computer will then indicate all the places where a depot
can be built. Since a unit can only build half a depot in one move,
you will either need two units to build the depot in one move, or
use one unit over two moves. After building the depot, the unit
will not have enough energy to build more depots. However, you can
provide the unit with more materials by having it repaired in a
factory or at Headquarters.
A depot built by you belongs to you immediately, without having to be
captured. It is supplied with energy from the common energy
"account" while being built, so that you can repair units at once.
The depot can not manufacture units. Some of the maps already
contain depot which have to be captured. You can also capture the
enemy's depots by occupying them with suitable troops.
As land units can not proceed past a depot, they can also act as
barriers. I] this case, you should consider their positioning very
carefully, as they ma hamper your freedom to move.
ENERGY SUPPLY
--------------
As already pointed out, repairing and manufacturing units requires energy.
This energy is a type of raw material which allows you to manufacture all
parts of a unit. Every building, whether Headquarters, factory or depot,
supplies an amount of energy each command cycle. The amount of energy
which a particular base produces depends on the size and position of the
building. When you view the contents of a building, you can also see the
amount of energy which it will contribute to your "energy budget" in each
cycle.
The General Instructions give some information about the energy supply.
THE TERRAIN
-----------
Geographical features are an important feature of Historyline
1914-1918. When moving units, the various types of terrain can
increase or diminish the units' range.
Many land units can move quickly over firm terrain, such as roads,
while forests or mountains can prove insurmountable obstacles. The
basic rule is: the heavier a unit, the smaller its range and the
less likely it is to be able to travel across mountains.
To naval units, the depth of the water is vital. As a rule of
thumb, the heavier a ship is, the more slowly it moves in shallow
water; the lighter it is, the smaller its range in deep water. This
means, for example, that no heavy naval units can travel over
shallow water. Light units on the other hand cannot travel on the
open sea, the swell and the lack of navigational aids would make
their task too difficult.
The trains can, of course, only travel on rails. All units should
take particular care when they are involved in battles in winter.
The terrainis also important when you are attacking the enemy.
Units on the road are much easier targets than those in a forest.
The difference in elevation between units is also an important
consideration in the outcome of a battle. The unit on the higher
level usually has the advantage. Experience will show you how the
various units move on each type of terrain and in battle.
THE SEASONS
-----------
In the one-player mode, you will play a map every two months over
the four years of the War, so that some of the maps are set in
winter. This affects the area covered by the map, which in turn
affects range and battle power. Only experience will show, how well
your strategy can deal with these more difficult circumstances.
COMBAT POSITION
---------------
Although a large number of tactical measures play an important role
in Historyline 1914-1918, the most important aspect is the outcome
of battle between opposing units. The successful or unsuccessful
outcome of a battle depends largeIy on the combat position. In the
following explanation, the unit carrying out the action is referred
to as the "attacker", whose target is the "defender".
The combat position is important both to the attacker and the
defender. Basically, the position of the attacker will have an
effect on his attack values and that of the defender will affect his
defence values.
Pincer Movement
For the attacker, this means that every additional unit positioned
around that defender would also be capable of attacking him, is
added to the attack values. Such a position is described as a
pincer movement. Thus, the pincer movement increases the attack
value of the attacking unit. A unit which is positioned directly
behind the defender doubles the attack capability of the attacker;
units at the sides increase the value by a smaller amount. However,
pincer movements have no effect on the attacking sffength of
long-range weapons. The pincer movement will only be effective if
the attack proceeds from one hexagon to the next; it would be unfair
to add 50% orlOO% to tht already high attack values of units such as
the heavy artillery.
Remember that a pincer movement will not transform a weak unit into
some sort of wonder weapon; a transport unit, for example, will
seldom be able to inflict significant damage on a tank. Even when
you have completely surrounded the defender, you will need to use a
strong unit to carry out the attack.
Blocking
How can the defender avoid being hemmed in? For one thing, it will
not be easy for the attacker to move his units near to or behind his
opponent. Also, every additional one of the defender's units which
are positioned next to the defender and the attacker increase his
defence value. This tactic is referred to as blocking. Like the
pincer movement, blocking can not prevent attacks with long-range
weapons. The basic defence value of the defender is again
increased. Each "blocking" unit increases the defence capacity by
one quarter.
Distance
The various artillery weapons played a very important role in the
First World War. However, in general the guns' accuracy decreased
as their distance from the target increased, and this is also true
in Historyline 1914-1918. Experience will show you the optimum
distance from the target.
EXPERIENCE
----------
The quality of a unit is dependent not only on its fire power, range
and armour, but also the unit's battle experience. When one of your
units is involved in a battle and inflicts damage on the enemy, the
unit will receive one experience point. If your unit manages to
destroy completely a whole enemy unit, you will receive two
additional points. The battle experience is shown in the status
line. The more experience points a unit has gathered, the more
dangerous it is to the enemy, as experience has a decisive effect on
the outcome of a battle. In addition to the "accuracy" of the unit
being enhanced, its "skill" in avoiding enemy fire is also
increased.
Try to ensure that all your units gain sufficient experience ! In
the early stages of the game you should not attack heavily armoured
enemy units with units of your own which possess less fire power, as
your unit will not be able to destroy a single vehicle. If you are
attacking one of the enemy's units which has already been weakened,
you should attack with a unit which is capable of destroying the
enemy unit completely. Your unit will then immediately receive two
experience points.
When you select the question mark above a unit, you will access an
information display which gives you details of all the units. Under
the large picture of the unit is some important technical
information. Reading from the top, this shows:
1. Fire power and range against airborne targets.
2. Fire power and range against ground targets.
3. Fire power and range against naval targets.
4. Armour of unit.
5. Range of unit over ideal terrain.
6. Weight of unit (vital when loading on a transporter).
7. Maximum group strength.
You can not obtain any information about your opponents' units.
GENERAL INFORMATION
-------------------
An example of some general information
To obtain precise information abol the current state of play, seIect
th question mark when the cursor above a unit. You will then obtain
a large amount of numeric information, as follows:
1. "Round" gives the number of previous command cycles which have
already been used in the current game.
2. "Level" is the program ' s internal level number.
3. "Mode" shows which mode your command centre is currently in. If it
shows "Move", you can ord- your troops to move; otherwis you can
plan your attacks and other manoeuvres.
4. "Best" is the abbreviation for "Best Score", which shows the
highest score achieved on this map.
5. "Present" is the currrent score.
6. The large information box provides information about the relativ
position of the players. You can see how many units, depots and
factorie shown in the third column of the box, belong to the two
players and whic~ can still be captured. Units, depots or factories
which appear in the thi column of the box do not belong to either
player, but may be captured.
7. "Total energy" tells you how much energy is currently available
to bui and repair units.
8. "Energy credits" shows the amount of energy which will be credited to
your account in each command cycle.
9. "Moves" shows the number of moves which you have already made.
10 "Limit" gives you information about the limitation on moves contained
in the main menu.
SCORING
-------
After a playing for a long time, you need to know more than simply
who won or lost; so each of the maps has a list of the
highest-scoring winners. If you want to play to gain the highest
score, you must of course understand the scoring system.
The defence values of all the units on the map added together are
the starting point from which the score is calculated. The current
score can be seen in General Information. As soon as a unit
disappear$, whether friend or foe, the score decreases. This means
that your final score will be reduced when you destroy enemy troops,
but if you win the game by totally destroying all the enemy's units,
you will gain extra points to compensate. In addition, the options
contained in the Score Menu also have a positive effect on the final
score.
The points which can be gained are;
- All units destroyed: + 500 points
- With concealed inventories: + 100 points
- Limit of 4 moves: + points * 4
- Limit of 8 moves: + points * 8
- Limit of 16 moves: + points * 16
- Maximum possible score: 32,500 points
GENERAL STRATEGY
----------------
Two important factors determine whether you win or lose: one is
your "global strategy", the other is your behaviour on the battle
ground itself. "global strategy" means the sequence of capturing
buildings. To determine how this is to be done, you must evaluate
when and with what losses the buildings can be captured. These
factors will be affected by the contents and the tactical position
of the building. If, for example, a well-equipped factory can be
occupied by you before the enemy, and you will incur acceptable
losses, you should capture it first. In evaluating depots you
should consider not only the units it contains but also its energy
supply.
Despite the importance of buildings, success in small-scale battles
is always decisive to the outcome of the game. Your superiority is
dependent on the position of your units. Both the offensive and
defensive capabilities of your units can be greatly enhanced by
making use of geographical features. Some basic rules are:
1. Avoid roads and flat, open countryside. Such terrain increases
your offensive power to some extent, but it also greatly reduces
your defensive capability.
2. Always try to have difficult terrain near the battle line and at
your rear, so as to avoid being hemmed in.
3 . Buildings which can be used to repair units should always be
close at hand.
4. At the front line you should always have heavy defensive weapons
or units which can defend themselves against an enemy attack. You
should always ensure to have anti-aircraft guns are available when
being attacked from the air.
5. Your second line should comprise units with long-range weapons.
If you do not have enough units of this sort, use units which have a
long range or can travel over difficult terrain.
6. Your third line should comprise of long-range weapons (e.g.
artillery or armed trains). -
7. You should always keep some long-range, large-capacity transport
vehicles in reserve. If it becomes clear that your units cannot
hold out, you can then quickly withdraw with the units you have
left.
APPENDIX
Use of keyboard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cursor control: Player A:
Cursor up = Joystick up
Cursor down = " down
Cursor left = " left
Cursor right= " right
Space bar = Fire Button
Cursor control: Player B:
D =Joystick up
C =Joystick down
X =Joystick left
V =Joystick right
Strg or Ctrl=Fire button
The following additional options can be accessed by using
the function keys:
Fl = Confirrnation of mode change
F2 = Music on/off
F3 = Sounds on/off
F4 = Displays Program Version Number
F5 = Joystick 1 on/off
F6 = Joystick 2 on/off
F7 = Mouse on/off
F8 = Mouse speed
F9 = Battle on/off
Keys F5/F6 can be used specifically to switch a joystick on or off,
if the program's automatic joystick recognition does not function
(the cursor cannot be steered). This may happen if your Hardware
does not keep within certain tolerances. Two-playe~ cards
The passwords to the two-player cards contained in Historyline 1914-1918
are:
TRACK, HUSAR, BEAST, PLATE, LIGHT, SCROL, VIRUS, BISON,
DRUCK, TROLL, UBOOT, DROID, GRAND, ROYAL, WATER, SKILL,
SKULL, AUDIO, SPELL, CAMEL, FLAGS, STORY, SCOUT, GREEN
GIossary
Action Mode
In this mode a player can only order his units to attack. He can
also have units repaired and produced.
Movement Mode
In this mode a player can only order his units to move.
Blocking
A defensive position which increases the defensive values of units during
battle.
Cursor
Normally, the cursor shows the position on your computer at which
the next letter appears. In Historyline 1914-1918 the cursor is
the means by which all the functions are carried out. It is similar
to a mouse pointer, but is controlled not by a mouse but by the
keyboard or joystick.
Depot
A type of supply base where units can be repaired.
Unit
A group of up to six identical vehicles which are shown collectively on the
tactical map.
Factory
A building in which units can be repaired or produced.
Battle
In Historyline 1914-1918 a battle is a clash of several enemy units which
results in fighting.
Headquarters
A large building for each player. Units can be repaired at the Headquarers.
Inventory
Indicates the contents of a building or transporter.
Pincer
An attacking manoeuvre which considerably increases the offensive values
of the units in battle.
Score
At the end of the game the winner is given a score which reflects the quality
of his playing. The highest scores on each map are stored.
Range
The maximum distance which a unit can travel over ideal terrain.
Firing Range
The distance over which a unit can attack.
Shop
See Inventory.
Tactical Overview
The Tactical Overview shows a section of the whole map on which all
tbe units and geographical features are displayed. Each of the
six-sided figures represents an area with particular features.
-=- THE END ! -=-
