HISTORY LINE 1914-1918 FROM BLUEBYTES - DOCS.
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
Headquarters.
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 ! -=-