********* Welcome to Project 64! The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8- bit computers on the part of the general population. If you would like to help by converting C64 related hardcopy documents to electronic texts please contact the manager of Project 64, Cris Berneburg, at 74171.2136@compuserve.com. Extensive efforts were made to preserve the contents of the original document. However, certain portions, such as diagrams, program listings, and indexes may have been either altered or sacrificed due to the limitations of plain vanilla text. Diagrams may have been eliminated where ASCII-art was not feasible. Program listings may be missing display codes where substitutions were not possible. Tables of contents and indexes may have been changed from page number references to section number references. 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Neither the author(s) nor the members of Project 64 will assume liability for damages either from the direct or indirect use of this etext or from the distribution of or modification to this etext. ********* The Project 64 etext of the Modem Wars manual. Converted to etext by Willard Baker . MODWAR10.TXT, October 1996, etext #92. ********* The History of Modem Wars As the decades of the twenty-first century passed, football changed. Violence (which had been banned worldwide with the signing of the Global Peace Agreement) found a new and comfortable home on the football field. Pads and helmets evolved into armor and bionics. Penalties for personal fouls were erased from the rulebooks. Knocking out the quarterback (QB) became a method of winning. In response to this trend towards violence, the Global Football League made a radical move and replaced all the players - except for the quarterback - with armed robots and renamed the game to the Sport of War. Spectator interest in Sport of War exploded. More people came to watch this display of raw aggression than all the other sports combined. The newly-formed Global War League (GWL) invested billions of dollars to make sure these attendance figures remained high. Stadiums were enlarged to house bigger battlefields. "Modi-form" turf made it possible to have terrain that could be changed between battles. Elite QBs recieved hugh salaries to direct the battles from inside hi-tech mobile command centers. Before long, the GWL funded the development of a home computer version of the game. Called Modem Wars, this game is identical to it's parent, except that the plane of play has moved from the stadium to the phone lines. Every detail of the battlefield, every action of the robots, ever feature of the QB's comcen have been captured on disk. Anybody with a home computer and a holophone can experience what only pro QBs have before experienced. If you turn out to be a bad QB, you'll diappear unceremoniously into the phone line or a junction box. If you're good, you may win a place in the Strategists' Hall of Fame in Little Rock. Take it from Ted Aldirt, 2025 Modem War's QB of the year: "All you need is a little concentration, a little dedication, and a lot of desire to pound your opponent into a cube steak." Your goal is to win. There are two ways to do this: 1. Knock out your opponent's command center (comcen), which is the brains of the operation. No brains, no operation. A comcen is knocked out when its energy level goes to zero as a result of enemy attack. You'll use your robots and comcen weapons to accomplish this. 2. Score more points that your opponent before time runs out. There are three ways to score points. Cross the center line with any of your robots; cross your opponent's back line with any of your robots; or hit your opponent's command center (comcen). Time is measured in clicks; 10 clicks equals a minute. Playing Scrimmage This section introduces you to Scrimmage, the ideal scenario for the new QB (quarterback) to try. Based on the popluar twentieth century game of NFL football, this was the first scenario developed for Modem Wars by the top QBs. The walk through that follows is a simple presentation of Scrimmage. It's meant to familiarize you with the game. You'll see how Modem Wars is set up, what robots you'll get to use, what the terrain is like, and so on. Don't sweat the details about strategy yet; that will come the more you play. Once you're familiar with the mechanics of the game and you're ready for more in depth play, read the section Getting Into Strategy. Load the game, and with a joystick in port #2, select Practice With Solo Trainer from the Games Options menu. Select Scrimmage from the Game Type menu. Press the activate button (F1) to start the battle. The size of the playing field is 40 spaces by 40 spaces. A space is the area a robot occupies. Each space can accommodate only one robot at a time and each space can be made up of only one type of terrain. The five types of terrain are; Plain - Conatins on obstacles. Forest - Slows movement and hides robots. Reduces range of fire in most cases. Stream - Slows movement. Robots hit while in stream take extra damage. Slope (lines on the hill) - Angled part of the hill. Slows movement. Plateau (area in between lines on hill) - Level part of the hill. Gives robots a better view; lets them shoot harder and farther. Your battle console shows the entire battlefield. You'll spend most of your time on this console, maneuvering your forces and keeping your eye on the "big picture." Here's a complete list of robots you'll use in Modem Wars. Their availability and head count depends on the scenario you pick. Scrimmage uses only grunts, riders, and a comcen. NOTE: You can't make robots shoot; they pick and shoot at the enemy when they're in range. GRUNT - Your basic foot soldier. RIDER - Your cavalry. They work like grunts, but they're speedier. BOOMER - Your big guns; slow but strong. Tilted cannons let them fire farther than grunts and riders can. SPY - Your reconnaissance unit. Finds the enemy and reports their locations back to your comcen. Invisible to enemy robots except for the enemy spies. COMCEN - Your headquarters. You lose the game if this gets knocked out. Look for the console rattling when your comcen comes under attack. Move your robots. Using your joystick, put the cursor (the blinking box) on top of the robot and press the activate button (joystick fire button). When you move the cursor, you'll see SETTING DESTINATION, which means your robot is ready to go to a new location. Position the cursor anywhere on the map and press the activate button to start the robot moving or the Space Bar to cancel this action. Go to the Multi Console (F7) to check your resources. Look at the Stats, Repairs, or Misc screen, using your joystick to toggle between the choices. STATS - Shows statistics for both players. REPAIR - Shows how much energy your comcen has left. If it runs down to zero, you're knocked out. MISC - Gives option to end your current game and return to the Game Options menu. Go for the win. Get as many of your robots over the enemy's back line before time runs out and avoid having your comcen discovered. Or, if you happened to spot the enemy comcen, send your robots after it and knock it out for an immediate victory (your robots will automatically shoot when the enemy is in range). Battle over. Hope your debut was a winning game. Go to the Multiconsole, select MISC with your joystick, and then select WATCH GAME FILM to review your game. Go on to the next section, Playing Full War, when you're ready to play Full War. Playing Full War Full War offers you a number of new items and commands to humble your opponent with. Although it's a big jump from a simple game of Scrimmage to the total challenge of Full War, a quick practice round can acquant you with all the features of Modem Wars. After this round, you can try all the other scenarios. Select FULL WAR from the Game Type menu. Press the button when ready. Position your recycler. The recycler sends in replacements for destroyed robots (more on recyclers under "Individual Customization Commands" in the Customizing Your Game section). You must place your recycler on open terrain (not on hills, in water, or in forests) and in your territory. Set up your robots before battle begins. Position them anywhere on your territory where you think it'll give you an advantage when the game starts. You'll notice that robots are now in groups. Put the cursor on a robot and press the activate button twice to call up the Group Options menu. You can choose from any of the following commands (see Advanced Commands section for complete descriptions). ADVANCED COMMANDS for GROUP of ROBOTS Cloaking On - Electronic camouflaging. Dig In - Instructs troops to entrench. (Only available when not moving.) Set Blitz - Tells troops to move extra fast. (Only available while your troops are moving to a destination previously set.) Membership - Adds or removes a robot from the group. Formation - Changes the positioning of your group. Direct Unit - Gives a single robot its own command or a separate destination. ADVANCED COMMANDS for INDIVIDUAL ROBOTS Cloaking On, Dig In, and Set Blitz are same as the above. Join Group - lets the robot join another group. Set Target - Tells an individual Boomer which target to shoot at. (Not available if the boomer is in a group.) The Battle Begins! You can still use the advanced commands listed above any time during the game. A robot automatically picks a target and shoots at that enemy when it's within a designated range (see "Robot Weapon Range" in the Technical Information section for exact ranges). However, you do have some offensive control. You can instruct your boomers to shoot at certain targets (see the "See Target" command in the Advanced Commands section) and your comcen can now fire missiles and drones. Develop your strategy. Cross your robots over the center line and the enemy's back line to earn as many terrain points as possible or try to surround the enemy comcen so your robots can blast away at it and score a knockout. One asterisk on a robot's profile screen means the robot has earned points for crossing the center line; two asterisks means it has earned points for crossing the center line and the back line. Press the right cursor key to see the current score and time left. If you want to go for the knockout, surround the enemy comcen so your robots can blast away faster than he can repair. Even if you don't score a knockout, you'll get points for hitting the enemy comcen. As the game develops, you can decide which offers a better road to success. Go to the Radar console (F3). Use the Radar console to scout the area around your comcen, make an offensive attack with missiles, or shoot down an oponent's drone with missiles. To shoot a missile, line up the crosshair on your target and press the activate button. The main window of the Radar console is a scan area (17 x 21 spaces) updated once a second. As the scan bar cycles through the display area surrounding your comcen, your robots and the background terrain show brightly as the scan passes over them and then fade to black once the scan has passed. Enemy robots that your units have sighted "persist"; that is, they won't fade after a scan (see "Robot Sighting" in the Technical Information section for more details on sighting enemy robots). Enemy robots that your units haven't spotted won't persist; they will appear as flickering figures in the background terrain. Using this console see if there's a spy snooping in your comcen's neighborhood. The upper righthand corner will flash when an enemy drone is incoming. Go to the Drone console (F5). Drones are your main offensive air power. Press the activate button; the drone will launch and the console window (11 x 13 spaces) will fill with the drone's infrared camera view of the battlefield below the drone (as with radar, your robots and spotted enemy robots show clearly, while unseen enemy robots appear as flickerin figures.) When you press the activate button again to detonate the drone, the drone moves one more step and then dives down to explode over an area of four squares. Any robots in the target area are stunned - they can't move, shoot, or repair for 15 clicks (1.5 minutes) and lose half their energy (except comcens, who lose 24 percent of their energy). Once you launch a drone, you can't exit this console until the drone is detonated or runs out of fuel (it starts with 100 units). At 20 units, your fuel monitor will flash to warn you of the critical fuel situation. Go to the Multi console (F7) to perform any necessary repairs. If you'd received any damage, you'll get the Repair screen instead of the Stats screen. Press the activate button and you'll see the parts of the comcen that you can repair. Use your joystick to highlight the section of the comcen you want to repair and press the activate button. You'll hear a sound - much like an engine trying to turn over - which means it's attempting to repair. When the sound stops, press again. Repeat this process until you've fixed it or until you're tired of trying and want to move on to other QB business. The comcen can't repair and move at the same time, so prepare to come to a dead halt when you have to repair. If you're stunned, you have to overcome the stun before you can repair. To do this, keep pressing the activate button. Check the Stats screen. You'll see a comparison between you and the Solo Trainer on soldiers, drones, and missiles remaining, your comcen speeds, terrain points you get for each robot crossing the center line (except for the comcen which earns more [see Terrain Points in the Technical Information section for exact amounts]), your recycler settings (more on recyclers in the Customizing Your Game section), and the map's ID (this falls in the column of the player who chose the map and game; in this case it's you.) Return to the Battle console. Move, dig in, blitz, cloak - do whatever it takes to win. Go for the crushing attack or rack up your terrain points while keeping the enemy at bay. Game's over. Go to the Multi console and select the Misc screen. Select WATCH GAME FILM to review your game. While you're watching the game film, you can set the speed of the reply by pressing a number from 1 (slow) to 9 (fast). If you want to save the game, select SAVE GAME FILM, enter a name up to 16 characters, and press the activate button. GAME SCENARIOS Scrimmage and Full War are only two of seven scenarios. Here's the rest of them. The scenarios become progressively more challenging as you move down the list. SCRIMMAGE - Players: Each side gets 5 riders, 5 grunts, and 1 comcen (speed 2). Time Limit: 63 clicks. Setup: No setup time; game starts immediately. Damage: No comsen systems can be damaged; no comcen repair possible. The Game: The sweet and simple scrimmage. Go for your terrain points and then try to attack their comcen if you've got the time and energy. QB SNEAK - Players: The quarterback has 3 riders and 1 comcen (speed 3) with 8 missiles. The defense player gets 5 riders, 5 grunts, and 1 comcen (speed 2) with 8 missiles. Defense gets no terrain points, but gets a 20 point lead. Whoever picks the game is the quarterback; the roles will alternate if you play another game of QB Sneak. Time Limit: 63 clicks. Setup: Both players must end setup to start the game. Damage: No comcen systems can be damaged; no comcen repair possible. The Game: In QB Sneak, the QB should try to avoid opposing riders and collect his or her terrain points with daring end runs. The defense should scour the map, looking to sack the QB's comcen while avoiding sneak attacks on his or her own comcen. THE BOMB - Players: Each side gets 1 comcen (speed 2) with 4 drones and 12 missiles. Setup: No setup time; game starts immediately. Damage: No comcen systems can be damaged; no comcen repair possible. The Game: The Bomb offers prime training ground for your air combat game. Practice controlling your drones and missiles as you try to knock out the opponent's comcen. FACE OFF - Players: Each side gets 28 riders, 3 spies, and 1 comcen (speed 2). Each comcen gets 3 drones and 12 missiles. Timit Limit: 127 clicks. Setup: Either player can end setup. GWL has a "quick pitch rule" which states that you do not have to wait for the other QB to be ready in order to start the game. If you're a QB who's fast on the setup, you can start the game while your opponent is still scratching his head over where to put his robots. Damage: Comcen systems can be damaged; comcen repair is possible. The Game: Here's an excellent exercise in lightning warfare. Devoid of the slower grunts and boomers, this rider-intensive game lets you practice the fast attack. SLUGGERS - Players: Each side gets 12 riders, 12 grunts, 4 boomers, 3 spies, and 1 comcen (speed 2). Each comcen gets 3 drones and 12 missiles. Time Limit: 127 clicks. Setup: Either player can end setup. Damage: Comcen systems can be damaged; comcen repair is possible. The Game: Slugger adds a new dimension to warfare with boomers, your heavy artillery unit. As the name suggests, you can expect to slug it out in this one. This scenario uses all the robot types. FULL WAR - Players: Each side gets 28 grunts, 12 riders, 6 boomers, 3 spies, and 1 comcen (speed 1). Each comcen has 5 drones and 20 missiles. Time Limit: 254 clicks. Setup: Either player can end setup. The Game: Full War is full war. It's the game that the pros play. You can move your robots as groups or individuals and you get new advanced commands like cloaking, blitzing, and digging in. You'll also get to recycle robots, so as they're scrunched, new ones come in to take their place. Be sure to eat a big breakfast because at 254 clicks, this could be your longest battle. DEFENDER - Players: Each side gets 28 grunts, 12 riders, 6 boomers, 3 spies, and 1 comcen. The attacker's comcen travels at speed 1 while the defender's comcen (player who picked the map) can't move. The defender gets 2 drones, 20 missiles, and a 200 point lead, but gets no terrain points and no robots recycled. The attaker gets 5 drones, 8 missiles, standard terrain points and robot recycling. Whoever picks the map is the defender; the roles will alternate if you play another game of Defender. Time Limit: 254 clicks. Setup: Setup is over whenever the defender starts the game. Damage: Comcen systems can be damaged; comcen repair is possible. The Game: As the defender, you have to protect your comcen and bide your time, a task that's harder than it seems. You can take the offensive, but that's a risky proposition you can only consider as the game develops. As the attacker, you'll want to rack up points or knock out the opponent's comcen. As in Full War, you can move your robots as groups or as individuals and you get all the advanced commands. Questions and Answers - BATTLE CONSOLE Q: How do I remember where I told my robots to go? A: If you've forgotten where you ordered a robot to move, put your cursor on top of that robot. The grey box emanating from the robot shows the path the robot will follow to the destination you've set. If it has no box, it has no desitnation. Q: Why can't I see my opponent's robots on the Battle console? A: They're too far away. You can only see the enemy robots when they're within a certain range of your robots (the exact ranges are listed under "Robot Sighting" in the Technical Information section) or when they're firing on you. And remember that during set up, you just plain don't get to see your opponent's forces. Standard Display shows on the screen your forces and those enemy robots which your troops have spotted; this is the default setting. Whenever you practice with the Solo Trainer, you can choose between STANDARD DISPLAY or BEGINNER DISPLAY. Beginner Display shows your forces and the Solo Trainer's forces on the screen, which is nice if you want to see every step your computer opponent takes. When you play against a modem opponent, you only get the Standard Display. Q: Why can't I see any robots on the Battle console? A: Your battle map was damaged during battle. Go to the Multi console and then select REPAIR to try to fix it, or you can use the magnified window (upper left corner) to view the battlefield. Q: How do I make my robots shoot? A: You can't. Robots pick their own enemy targets to shoot at. The two exceptions are: 1) You can select a target for an individual boomer in Full War and Defender (see "Set Target" in the Advanced Commands section). 2)In most of the scenarios, your comcen can shoot missiles and drones. Radar Console Q: Why are there no missiles? A: You're either playing Scrimmage, a scenario that doesn't have missiles or else you used them all up. Check your Radar console or Stats screen to see how many you have left. Q: Why won't the missile fire when I tell it to? A: The Radar unit in your comcen has hit. You have three choices: 1) Go to the Multi console and the select REPAIR to try to fix it. 2) Keep trying to fire; sometimes all it takes a couple of tries and a little luck. 3) If your comcen is cloaked (a feature normally available only in Full War and Defender), the Radar console is completely inoperable; you'll have to uncloak. Q: Why is the radar console malfunctioning? A: Same reasons as above. Q: Why am I missing the enemy drone? A: Since there's a lag time between when you fire the missile and when it reaches its destination and explodes, you'll have to lead the moving target a little. The Bomb is a great training scenario for learning how to use missiles. It takes a little practice to guide one, so don't be surprised if nobody calls you "Ace" for a while. Drone Console Q: Why are there no drones? A: You're either playing Scrimmage or QB Sneak, scenarios that don't have drones, or you used them all up. Check your Drone console or Stats screen to see how many you have left. Q: Why won't the drone launch when I tell it to? A: The drone unit in you comcen was hit. You have three choices: 1) Select REPAIR to try to fix it. 2) Keep trying to launch the drone; persistence may pay off. 3) If your comcen is cloaked (a feature normally available only in Full War and Defender), the Drone console is completely inoperable; you'll have to uncloak. Q: Why is the drone console malfunctioning? A: Same reasons as above. Q: Why is it so hard to control a drone? A: When you push the control stick in any direction, you're telling the drone to make that its new heading. If that heading happens to be in the opposite direction it's now flying, the drone will have to sweep 180 degrees (a bit of a task since drones don't cut back and forth like kites). For best control, use the compass to check the drone's current direction and make small turns rather than wide arcs. Q: What's the drawback to launching a drone? A: There's a small price to pay for launching a drone. When you launch a drone, your comcen becomes visible on the enemy's Radar Screen for several clicks. This gives your opponent the chance to find and nail you. Repair Console Q: Why doesn't the repair option work? A: The more damage you suffer, the worse things look for a successful and speedy repair. There's no guarantee that this will work, but, for all its time-consuming inconvenience, many a QB has rued the day when he chose not to attempt repairs. Q: What's energy about? A: Energy is your comcen's life blood. Once the comcen is completely drained of energy, it won't even have the strength to spit out a white flag. Keep an eye on your energy and recharge it if you're getting low. And be sure to do it before you wind up just "bailing water," a situation where you're repairing as fast as the enemy keeps pouring it on. Q: Why is the repair screen all red? A: Your comcen is stunned when this screen goes red. During the stun, two things happen: 1) You can't move; it's paralysis for 15 clicks. You can still use this down time to examine the battlefield or give orders to your robots. 2) Your systems become faulty. You can attempt to overcome the stun by repeatedly pressing the activate button. Clearing the stun is vital if your comcen needs to run away or repair other systems. ADVANCED COMMANDS The Advanced Commands listed below are available in Full War and Defender. Advanced Commands for Groups of Robots. CLOAKING ON - Cloaking is electronic camouflaging. Cloaked robots cannot see or shoot. Normal robots see cloaked robots from 2 spaces away, while spies can see them 3 spaces away. A cloaked comcen can't use the Radar and Drone consoles and can give no orders until it uncloaks. DIG IN - Digging in gives you both a defensive and offensive advantage. If the shooter is dug in, two points are added to the damage inflicted on the target. If the target is dug in, the damage it receives is reduced by one quarter, but only for basic- and blitz-type damage. You can't dig in while under enemy fire or when your group is moving. To move again you have to dig out, which takes a click to do. SET BLITZ - This option is only available while your troops are moving to a destination previously set. On the up side of having your robots blitz, they move at spy speed and add 15 extra points to any damage the inflict (except for boomers, which add 5). On the down side, they lose energy for moving faster and it costs them one and a half times the amount of energy for each extra point of damage they inflict. A robot that causes 15 points of extra damage pays 22 points itself. Although they can blitz themselves to zero energy, robots survive until they're hit by enemy fire, missiles, or drones. Your robots can't cloak and blitz at the same time. MEMBERSHIP - This adds or removes a robot from the group. Select Membership and you'll see SETTING MEMBERSHIP and then the robot's profile. Click to remove or add. If you remove a robot from a group, it becomes an individual (See Advanced Commands for Individual Robots, below, for its new commands). When you're done, move the cursor to a neutral area (any spot where there isn't a robot) and click the activate button or press the space bar. The comcen can never be part of a group. FORMATION - Formation lets you quickly change the direction of your group. The highlighted robot is the point on which the group pivots. SWEEP LEFT rotates your group 90 degrees left. SWEEP RIGHT rotates your group 90 degress to the right. REVERSE turns the group 180 degrees. CUSTOM lets you position individual robots anywhere. When you're done, move the cursor to a neutral area (any spot where there isn't a robot) and click or press the space bar. DIRECT UNIT - Use this to give a single robot its own command or a seperate destination. When you select this option, you'll see the unit cursor. If you move the cursor and give the robot a destination, it will resign from the group and move there. If you press the activate button without moving the cursor, you will get the Unit Options menu for that robot (see below). A robot can execute any command except for JOIN GROUP and still remain a part of that group. For instance, in a group of cloaked robots, you can tell one robot to uncloak and be the "look out". Advanced Commands for Individual Robots. An individual robot can choose from CLOAKING ON, DIG IN (or SET BLITZ), JOIN GROUP, and SET TARGET (for boomers only). The first three choices are covered above. JOIN GROUP - If you choose JOIN GROUP, you're shown a list of all the groups; select the one you want it to join. If a group is too far away, the robot can't join it. Note that the robot doesn't physically join up with the new group; it adopts whatever movement the group is performing and accepts all commands from it's new group. The comcen can never be part of a group. Groups cannot be spread over more than 10 spaces. SET TARGET - this option lets you tell an individual boomer which target within range to shoot at. When you select this option, you're given a cursor whose movement is limited to the current range of that boomer (including bonus for hills). Press the activate button when the cursor in on an enemy unit to set that as the target. As long as that robot is visible and within range, the boomer will continue to fire exclusively at it. (Note: You never need to set the enemy comcen as the target; any robot who can shoot at it always will.) Select CLEAR TARGET to let a boomer return to picking its own targets. CUSTOMIZING YOUR GAME Feeling your oats as a commander and ready to play a game on your terms? There's a lot you can customize in Modem Wars, from map type to robot speed to handicap points. Here's what you do to customize: 1. Toggle the customization option by pressing the wildcard key (*) when you see the Game Type menu on the screen. If you change your mind about customizing, press the wildcard key again to toggle it off. 2. Pick the scenario you want to play. 3. Set the custom settings described under Global Customization Commands, below. Only one of you can set these commands - the honor goes to whoever pressed the space bar first when you connected your computers (this option alternates; whoever doesn't set the commands this time gets to do it next time). The settings will be the same for both you and your opponent. 4. Set the custom settings described under the Individual Customization Commands, below. Both you and your opponent can set these commands and they don't have to be the same. to check the values that you've both set, go to the Multi console and look at the Stats Screen. Global Customization Commands UNIT MENUS - When Unit Menus are on, you get to choose from the wide variety of advanced commands like cloaking, blitzing, and digging in; when they're off, you can't. You get a much simpler game when you turn the Unit Menus off. DAMAGE - You can choose to have the comcen systems subject to damage or immune to it. If you choose on, a drone hit will disable all of your systems and enemy robot hits have a chance of damaging any of the systems. However, you can still attempt to repair. If damage is off, the comcen cannot restore its energy nor can it repair. MAP TYPE - If you choose standard, the computer will generate a random map and give it a name. If you choose custom, you can choose from RANDOM (which generates an asymmetrical random map) or SYM/RND (which generates a symmetrical random map). The computer assigns the map a name. Press the activate button to accept the map. Another way of generating an asymmetrical random map is to type in any five-letter name; the computer will generate a map for that name. Another way of generating a symmetrical random map is to type in any four-letter name and an equal sign (for example: PUTT=). All map names ending with the equal sign (=) are symmetrical maps. Press the activate button to accept the map. Valid characters for map names include A through Z, Space, + - = / *. If you use an asymmetrical map, you should play with the map twice so each player gets to play each side of the map (F1 flips the map). If you use a symmetrical map, you only need to play it once since each player faces an identical battlefield. Individual Customization Commands CUSTOM/STANDARD SCENARIO - You can now play the game with the setup you've designed so far, or you can further customize it (the Solo Trainer never customizes; it always choose the standard settings). COMCEN SPEED - Choose 0 (no movement), 1 (grunt speed), 2 (rider speed), or 3 (spy speed). TERRAIN POINTS - Choose 0 (no points); 1 (robot crossing center line=1 point, back line=2; comcen crossing center line=16 points, back line=32); or 2 (double the values of setting 1). Robots can only collect for crossing each line once. Asterisk(s) in the upper left of the status window of each robot tell what points a robot has collected: one asterisk for the center line, two for the back line. DRONES - Choose from 0 to 9. MISSILES - Choose from 0 to 36. The GWL handbook recommends that you have 4 missiles for every enemy drone. RECYCLER - A recycler is the location where replacement robots arrive on the battlefield according to the rate you select. You can choose from NONE (no replacements), HALF (one replacement for every two of the same type eliminated on the field of play), or FULL (one replacement for every robot eliminated). If you choose to recycle, you're asked to pick a place where you want your replacement robots to come in. You can choose any spot, as long as it's open terrain (not on hills, in water, or in forests) and on your side of the battlefield. HANDICAP - There are two types of handicaps: point lead or robot advantage. You can give your opponent a point lead from 0 to 500. You can also give the other player a robot advantage by removing as many of your robots as you want. (This option is available whether you're playing a standard or custom scenario.) To do this, press the wildcard key to toggle DESTROY ON during robot setup (press it again if you change your mind). Put the cursor on a robot or - if you're so bold - a group of robots and press the activate button. The robot or robot group is instantly vacuumed off the field by the Hoovamax machine. (The only robot you can't get rid of is the comcen.) CALLING UP A MODEM OPPONENT You can play against anybody who owns a modem and Modem Wars. If you belong to a computer bulletin board service, find out who else is looking for an opponent, or offer yourself as one. Once you find a challenger, load the game and select COMPETE WITH MODEM OPPONENT. You will be instructed that one player press A and the other press O. When ready both press their space bars and hang up when CONNENT is displayed. The player who presses his or her space bar first gets to select the game type and pick the map. When you're playing a modem opponent, you get the VOICE/PAUSE option on the Misc screen. This lets you pick up the phone and talk with your opponent. During your conversion, the game will pause. For rewarding challenges (in other words, games where nobody gets skunked), find an opponent whose skills are equal to yours. How do you compare skill levels? By comparing your batting averages. Keep track of the points you earn for each game you play - win, lose, or draw - and the number of games you play. Divide the total points by the number of games you've played and you'll get your batting average. Here's the points you get: winner by knockout=500; winner by terrain points=number of terrain points earned divided by two and added to 300; loser by knockout=150; loser by terrain points=200; draw=250. An average player's batting average is about .300, while a good player's is about .375. If you can't find an opponent whose skills are equal to yours, the less experienced QB can take a point lead or have a robot advantage. See "Handicap" in the Customizing Your Game section for more details. MESSAGES to YOUR ENEMY To send a message anytime your're connected to a modem opponent, press RETURN, type your message, and then press RETURN again to end transmission. There are no rules of etiquette when it comes to using the message ticker board. Some QBs, like Golf Winston (GWL Rookie of the Year, 2024), were gracious players who always sent a congratulatory message to the winner and a message of encouragement to the loser. Others, like T.C.Steeple (Most Offensive QB, 2023) peppered his game with remarks like "Is that your diaper I smell?", "Even my dog wouldn't do that" and "That's a maggot move if ever there was one!" TECHNICAL INFORMATION This section contains technical information. If you want the winning edge, this is recommended reading. It can make the difference between getting your face on the cover of the Modem Wars Weekly of The Nobody Dispatch. ROBOT ENERGY Robots start the game fully charged (energy=100%). They lose energy whenever they're shot, missled, or droned. When energy drops to zero as a result of an attack, they're out of the game and zapped off the battlefield. Robots can repair their energy during the game. If a robot (other than the comcen) is not shooting or moving, it automatically repairs at a rate of 2 percent per click. When the comcen loses all its energy it's "knocked out." In Scrimmage, QB Sneak, and The Bomb, the comcen can't restore energy; all you can do is hope that energy doesn't hit zero before the battle's over. However, in the other scenarios, you can manually replace lost comcen energy. ROBOT SPEED There are three speed categories. The Space Per Click figures are for robots moving through open terrain; the only exception is the spy, who moves at the same speed through all terrain. See Effects of Terrain for details on how certain terrain slow your robot's movements. Robot Type Speed Space per Click ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grunt 1 1/2 (base rate) Boomer 1 1/2 Rider 2 1 Spy 3 1 through all terrain Comcen Depends on scenario EFFECTS OF TERRAIN Terrain can affect the movement, sighting and combat capabilities of your robots. Terrain type Effect on Movement Effect on Sighting Effect on Combat --------------------------------------------------------------------- Plain None None None Stream Move at 1/3 speed. None Target in stream recieves 10 points extra damage. Forest Move at 2/3 speed. Can be spotted Grunts and riders only by adjacent only fire at robots enemy; remains adjacent to them. spotted up to two spaces. Plateau None Robots on plateau Weapon range is can see one space increased by one extra for each level space for each level of elevation. Robots of elevation. Damage can't be seen is increased by two through hills. points for each difference of level the shooter is above the target and decreased by two for each level the level the shooter is below the target. Slope Move at 1/2 speed. Same as plateau. Weapon range is increased by one space for each level of elevation. Damage effect for difference of level is reduced by one. Target on slope receives two points extra damage. ROBOT MOVEMENT Robot groups and individuals can "move through" friendly groups and individuals; cloaked enemy robots can move through each other; spies can move through anyone. As a result, groups can get spread out, but they will retain their group formation and will return to it as soon as they are able to. However, if you select MEMBERSHIP or CUSTOM FORMATION, all the robots in the group will halt where they are and consider their arrangement to be their new formation. ROBOT FACING Robots face the direction they were last moving unless there's an enemy robot within range. In that case, they will turn and face that direction until they move or another enemy shows up. When a robot is selecting a target from multiple options, it will shoot at enemy comcen first (if possible), and then at the nearest unit. Once a robot selects a target in a certain direction, it will only turn towards a new target in a different direction if the new target is more than on space closer. ROBOT SIGHTING Robots sight other robots when they come within a designated range. In Standard Display mode, enemy robots won't show up on the Battle screen until they're sighted. A robot can't shoot at an enemy robot until it has sighted that enemy. Observer Observee Range ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grunt, rider, Uncloaked grunt, rider, boomer or comcen. 3 spaces. boomer or comcen. Grunt, rider, Cloaked grunt, rider, boomer or comcen. 2 spaces. boomer or comcen. Spy Uncloaked grunt, rider, boomer or comcen. 5 spaces. Spy Cloaked grunt, rider, boomer or comcen. 3 spaces. Spy Spy 4 spaces. ROBOT WEAPON RANGE Except for the spy, each robot has a weapon they'll shoot when the enemy's close enough. Terrain can effect a robot's shooting range, so be sure to refer to Effects of Terrain in this section of details. Robot Type Weapon Range ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grunt Laser 3 spaces Rider Laser 3 spaces Boomer Projectile Cannon 6 spaces Spy No Weapon Comcen Drone No range limit. Missile Radar scan area. Laser fire is also known as "line of sight" fire. Projectile cannon fire is also known as "indirect fire." Grunts and riders can't shoot if there is a friendly robot in their line of fire. However, robots on any slope or hill never have their shots blocked since they shoot over any robots in their line of fire. Boomers have cannons that fire at an angle, so their shots are never blocked. Cloaked robots cannot fire. It takes a robot one click to reload after each shot. EFFECTS of FLANKING ATTACK Grunts and riders cause the most damage when they hit the target in the back or sides. A shot in the side adds 10 extra points of damage, while a shot in the back adds 20 extra points of damage. Boomer shots aren't affected by the angle of the attack since they fire from cannons; their shots arc and hit the target from above. DAMAGE from ENEMY FIRE Damage that your robot takes depends on who's giving and who's getting. This table shows the percentage of damage a robot inflicts when it hits its target. For example, a rider must hit a boomer 5 times (at 20% damage per shot) to eliminate it. The numbers under the Comcen column Target represent both the damage a robot inflicts and the number of points you get for hitting the Comcen. For instance, when a boomer hits a comcen once, it inflicts 10% dammage and you get ten points. If the boomer hits a comcen 9 times, it inflicts 90% damage and you get 90 points. One more boomer hit, and you'll knock out the comcen. Damage Table (by percent) Shooter Target ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grunt Rider Boomer Spy Comcen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grunt 4 5 25 8 6 Rider 3 4 20 6 4 Boomer 12 16 8 8 10 Comcen Drone 50 50 50 50 24 Missile 28 28 28 28 6 Activatie button = fire button on joystick ********* End of the Project 64 etext of the Modem Wars manual. *********