Copyright: ® 1994 Nate Hammond/Jabberwocky


Help Contents
Contents

Overview

INTRODUCTION

QUICK START

Movement and Terrain

THE GLOBAL MAP

MOVEMENT

EFFECTS OF TERRAIN

NAVIGATION COMMANDS

AFV CONSTRUCTION

HULL

ARMOR

CHASSIS

WEAPON SYSTEMS

DIRECT FIRE WEAPONS

INDIRECT/GUIDED WEAPONS

DEFENSE SYSTEMS

THE FIRE CONTROL COMPUTER

CONSTRUCTION COMMANDS

AFV Combat

OFFENSIVE

DEFENSIVE

Other

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

PROVINCE ADMINISTRATION

SUPERPOWERS

PROVINCIAL COMMANDS

THE GLOBAL BANK

MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS

SCORE

THE MECHANOIDS

Appendix

How to order a bound player's manual

Credits

REVISION HISTORY


INTRODUCTION

The first completely automated Cybertank rolled off the assembly line in 2107. Equipped with the latest in pyschotronic circuitry, Exterminator, quickly proved it's worth being able to target, hunt, and destroy it's target with little human guidance. After this, development was rapid. 3 years later came the first self-aware battletank. And by the time of the creation of the HAL 2000 synthoid brain, human strategic thinking was no longer required.  Nor was it desired.

Welcome to the battlefield of the future.  The tank-type vehicle considered obsolete by the end of the 20th century, rules the battlefields of the 21st.  New classes of weapons and sensors have given entirely new types of capabilities to mechanized warfare. Armor so strong that nearly a ton of TNT is needed to breach it.Cybernetic warriors the size of buildings replace the common soldier.

Upon this battleground stand the mechanoids, robots without pain, without fear, without pity.  Self-aware automatons, first created to protect and serve, whose intellect untempered by wisdom has given them one purpose - to destroy it's creator.

But it is also a world of hope. Awaiting you is a vast continental landscape, where terrain provides strategic passage for the wise, and surreptitious ambush for the crafty. A place where a wise ruler can build a great nation, even to become a superpower.  Perhaps this ruler is you...


QUICK START

The game will automatically guide you through the initial steps. First you will need an Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) to enter the playing field. For your first time we recommend you choose a floor model from the stock showroom.  After you have selected your vehicle and given it a name, choose "1" to play.  You are now ready to begin your conquest.

Type "MAP" to see your surroundings. The symbols you see represent various terrain types.  Letters (A-Z,a-z) represent the position of yourself as well as the other players in the game.

You move your AFV using standard (North,South,East,West) commands (you can shorten these to just N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, and SW), but you'll first need to give it some gas with the "VEL" command.

Try these other commands:

DISPLAY       	- Displays the current configuration of your AFV.

SCAN <letter> 	- Displays detailed information of another AFV.
 	The <letter> is the same as appears in the MAP.

SURVEY        	- Displays information of the "province" you're in.

HELM          	- Navigation information.

SRS           	- Short range scan.

To attack another AFV you simply TARGET them and FIRE. For example, if the MAP displayed another person as the letter "B" you can aim your weapons on him by typing "TARGET B".  Each weapon on your AFV is identified by number, so to fire weapon 7 you would type "FIRE 7".

You can type "?" or "HELP" at any time for detailed help.  You can also ask the other players currently in the game questions by using the radio on your AFV - the SEND command. To send a message out for all players to hear, type:

SEND Hello out there!


THE GLOBAL MAP

The continental landscape is divided into equal sections called "Provinces".  Each province is further subdivided into smaller units called "zones".  A province is identified by a unique X-Y coordinate on the global map as follows:

            0     1     2     3     4
         +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--
      0  | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-4 |
         +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--
      1  | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-4 |
         +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--
      2  | 2-0 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 2-4 |
         +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--
      3  | 3-0 | 3-1 | 3-2 | 3-3 | 3-4 |
         +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--
         |     |     |     |     |     |

It is control of the Provinces that is key to winning this game. They provide you resources to build weapons and factories, people to generate revenue from taxes, and troops to defend against enemy

attack. To reach the status of a superpower, you'll need to know how to effectively manage them.


MOVEMENT

You move your unit (AFV) with the standard N,S,E,W direction system. Keep in mind that terrain plays a key role in this game.  What terrains you can move through depend on the chassis type of your vehicle. For example, a tracked vehicle cannot move through water, but one with an air cushion suspension (a hovercraft) can.

                 N
             NW  |  NE       Enter these letter combinations
               \ | /         to move in that direction.
            W --   -- E
               / | \
             SW  |  SE
                 S

Set your AFV's speed with the VELOCITY command (VEL for short). To stop, simply set your velocity to 0.  Moving into a terrain you cannot travel through will stop you as well.


EFFECTS OF TERRAIN

Use the MAP command to display the terrain of the province you are in.

The various terrain types are:

     Type    Terrain    Cover
     ----   ----------  -----
      *         forest   -10%
            grasslands
      .         desert   +10%
      "         swamps
      -    brokenlands
      ^      mountains   -05%
      ~          water   -20%

Terrain provides cover from enemy fire, giving you a lesser (or greater if you happen to be completely out in the open) chance of being hit.  You can see what cover bonus you may have at the moment with the HELM command.  You can see the cover bonus your target may have with the FCR command.  Certain vehicles which skim above the ground (hovercraft, et al.) are not effected by terrain and consequently receive no bonus or penalty for it.

Terrain also establishes strategic passes and routes. If there's only 1 passage through a group of mountains, you know which way a majority of players are going to go.  Plan accordingly. It also plays an important factor in where you place your capital. A wise ruler would build in an area that would make it more difficult to reach you - such as a mountain surrounded by water.


NAVIGATION COMMANDS

VELOCITY <speed>

MAP

HELM


VELOCITY <speed>

 Where <speed> is between 0 and the maximum velocity of your vehicle.


MAP

This will display the terrain of the province you are in.  Terrain plays an important factor as to what areas you can move through as well as the cover it offers from enemy fire.

Other player's armored fighting vehicles (afv's) will be indicated by letters (A-Z). Capitol cities are represented by an @. Weapons factories (for repairing vehicles or building nukes) are displayed as #.

                          Province 3 - 7

       ________________________________

       ..............................   a - your AFV

       ..............................   D - another AFV

       ..............................   @ - Provincial Capital

       ......a.......................   # - Factory

       ^........................^^...

       ^........................#....   . - desert

       ^^^...........................   ^ - mountains

       ^^.........^^....D ...........   * - forest

       ^^..........^^^....       ^^

       ^^^^^.......^^^^^^

       ^^^^^...^^^^^....            *

       ^^^^......^^^^         **   **

       ^^^^....^^^^  @   ^^^^*****  *

       ^^^^....^^^^^    ^^^^^*******

       ^^^^^^           ^^^^^^*******

       ———————————————————


HELM

 Helm reports your current navigation information as well as any defensive cover bonus you might receive for the terrain you are in.

Heading:   N                 You are facing north.
Velocity:  0                 You are not moving.
Province:  3, 7              You're in province 3 - 7.
Zone:      7,17              Zone within this province.
Cover: mountains (10%)       You're in the mountains
                             which is providing 10% cover.


AFV CONSTRUCTION

This game allows you to design and construct your own AFV (Armored fighting vehicle).  The Cyberdine store will take you through each phase of AFV construction.  Then when you're done you can pit your designs against other players on the battlefield.

You build you AFV from any legal mix of the following systems:

1. Hull size

2. Armor type

3. Chassis/suspension system

4. Weapon systems

5. Defense systems

6. Fire Control Computer


HULL

The size of an AFV gives a general indication of it's intended role in combat, as well as determine the vehicle's damage and cargo capacity.  The larger the hull the more weapons and defense systems you can add to it.  Weapons have a modular design and are fit into "slots" on the hull.  Defensive system, by their nature, cover the ship and add to it's weight.

Heavier vehicles may require specific suspension types to be able to move.  All weights are given in metric tons.

Due to their immense size, "very" and "super" heavy vehicles require air-cushion or anti-gravity suspension systems.  Any "heavy" or above cannot rest on Wheels.


ARMOR

Armor helps protect the internal structure and critical components. When combined with the hull size it determines how much damage the unit can take.  The weight of armor also effects the maximum speed.

Related Topics:

Reactive armor

Reflec

Ferro-fibrous

Endo-steel


Reactive armor

Developed by the Bolo units in 2301 to use "the enemy's strength against him", reactive armor uses the very force of a kinetic energy concussion to blow the direction away from the unit. All kinetic (cannons/rifles/particle projectors) weaponry cannot effect this armor.


Reflec

Lazer/Energy weapons simply reflect off it's surface.


Ferro-fibrous

Using a complex weave of ferro-steel and titanium it protects against the deadly effects of plasma.


Endo-steel

The strongest synthetic metal known, only it can afford protection against Fusion weapons.


CHASSIS

Each chassis is rated by the maximum speed it can travel and the  terrains it can cross. Heavier vehicles may require specific chassis to be able to move at all.

As terrain plays an important factor as to what areas you can move through as well as the cover it offers from enemy fire, you should consider carefully what chassis to select.

Wheels:	cheap transport for flat open spaces, but can't move through swamps, mountains or water.

Tracks:	like wheels but also affords transport through swamps.

Legs:	can cross all terrain but water, slow speed however.

Air cushion:	can cross all terrain but water at high speeds.  It's main draw back is that being above terrain it receives no bonus for ground cover.

Anti-gravity:	can cross any terrain at extremely high speed.  Like above, being above terrain affords it no bonus for defensive ground cover.


WEAPON SYSTEMS

To provide quick installation and repair, weapons have a modular design and are fit into "slots" on the hull. The maximum number of weapon slots available is based on the size of the hull. Some systems may require 2 or more slots.

AMMO	= # rounds ammunition. For energy weapons this indicates the lifetime of internal parts before it requires repairs.

RANGE	= distance in zones

ROF	= rate of fire (0 = no re-load time required)

AOF	= area of effect in zones (damages other vehicles in blast area)

TYPE	= type of damage delivered (i.e. energy, fusion, ect) some armors are immune to specific types.

DAMAGE = L=Light,M=medium,MH=medium heavy,H=heavy,VH=veryheavy,VVH

PRICE  = cost to install


DIRECT FIRE WEAPONS

                 ammo  range  rof   aof  type     damage     price

                 ----  -----  ---   ---  -------  ------     -----

LB Autocannon    500,    2,    0,     0, BALLISTA,    L,      5000

LB-X Autocannon  500,    4,    0,     0, BALLISTA,    L,     15000

Guass Rifle      300,    8,    2,     0, BALLISTA,    H,     25000

Laser            700,   15,    3,     0, ENERGY,      M,     10000

Gatling laser    300,    8,    1,     0, ENERGY,     MH,     25000

Pulse Laser      200,   20,    5,     0, ENERGY,     VH,     55000

Fusion Gun        10,    6,    5,     0, FUSION,     VH,     75000

Mauler             5,    3,   20,     0, PLASMA,    VVH,     95000


INDIRECT/GUIDED WEAPONS

                 ammo  range  rof   aof  type     damage     price

                 ----  -----  ---   ---  -------  ------     -----

LRM              300,   25,    5,     5, BALLISTA,   VH,      5000

Swarm LRM        500,   30,    0,     1, BALLISTA,    M,     10000

Streak LRM       200,   30,    5,     3, BALLISTA,    H,     10000

FASCAM LRM (n/a) 100,   20,   20,     8, BALLISTA,   VH,     15000

Inferno LRM      200,   30,    5,    10, PLASMA,    VVH,     95000

LRM (HARM)       300,   25,    5,     5, BALLISTA,  VVH,     10000

Streak LRM (HARM)200,   30,    5,     3, BALLISTA,    H,     20000

Nuclear Warhead    1,   60,   20,    50, FUSION,   lots,   1000000

HARM (High-speed anti-radar) missiles lock on ECM disturbances.

NOTE: you cannot buy nuclear weapons, you must build them.


DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Defensive systems, by their nature, cover the ship and add to it's weight. Each defense system has it's own unique properties and they are covered in detail under the COMBAT portion of this manual.


THE FIRE CONTROL COMPUTER

The most important piece of equipment is the Fire Control Computer. The chance you can lock your weapons onto another is dictated by it.

Mark I:   bargain basement FCC's only have an accuracy of 50%, limited scanning range, and reliability of 75%

Mark II:  a more efficient Mark unit provides greatly improved scan and accuracy. 70% accurate and reliable up to 80%

Mark III: the top of the line Mark unit provides a huge sensor radius (up to 60 zones active and 120 passive), as well as being 90% accurate and reliable.

Artemis V: equipped with the latest Psychotronic circuitry, Artemis V uses it's semi-sentient state to target at 95% with a reliability of 95%.  It's active sensors outreach even the MARK III at 100 zones, with passive stretching to 300.

HAL 2000: the quintessential fire control solution, HAL runs the gauntlet of only the best sensor and scan media (reaching an incredible 1000 zones active and 1000 passive). HAL is a self-aware, fully sentient computer.  With this he can target at 100% with 100% reliability. (Rumors have it that HAL has taken over a unit's command but these as of now are unsubstantiated).


CONSTRUCTION COMMANDS

You construct your original AFV from the Cyberdine construction yards. You can modify it during the game while in any of your own factories or capital using the following commands.

Related Topics:

DISPLAY

REPAIR

LIST

ADD

DROP <bank number>


DISPLAY

Description of the current configuration of your AFV.

Thor
Registered to yourname with 2 kills
Type: Ogre
Size: super heavy
Armr: endo-steel
Chas: tracks
fctl: HAL 2000      <- fire control computer

Weapon Systems
Bank  1: Guass Rifle
Bank  2: Pulse Laser
Bank  3: Fusion Gun
Bank  4: Mauler
Bank  5: Streak LRM (HARM)
Bank  6: Inferno LRM
Bank  7: Swarm LRM
Bank  8: Streak LRM

Defense Systems
SCR : Screen                  (use the 3 character code to
AMS : Anti-missile system      activate each system.)
ECM : Electronic Counter Measures


REPAIR

Execute this command while you are in a zone with a factory or capital you own. It will instruct your people to begin work on your AFV, repairing hull damage, loading weapons, and stocking ammo.

Factory repairs are much faster than field repairs normally handled by your AFV crew. The factory is the only place you can repair Hull damage.

While you are in your factory getting repairs you won't be able to fire weapons or use your defense systems (after all they're being worked on). You will however be able to add new weapons and defenses, replace your chassis, upgrade your hull type, ect. See the LIST and ADD commands for details on how to upgrade your AFV.


LIST

LIST  W	- to list the various Weapon systems available.

LIST  D	- to list the various Defense systems available.

LIST  H	- to list the various Hulls available.

LIST  A	- to list the various Armor types available.

LIST  C	- to list the various Chassis available.

LIST  F	- to list the various Fire control systems available.

When you are repairing your vehicle in a factory, you may also upgrade the various systems on your unit.  Use the LIST command to see what's available and then the ADD command to instruct your factory workers to install/upgrade that system.


ADD

ADD W <#>	- add Weapon system number to your unit.

ADD D <#>	- add Defense system number to your unit.

ADD H <#>	- replace Hull on your unit.

ADD A <#>	- replace Armor on your unit.

ADD C <#>	- replace Chassis on your unit.

ADD F <#>	- replace Fire Control on your unit.

Where <#> is the number that appears by the items in the LIST command.

When you are repairing your vehicle in a factory, you may also upgrade the various systems on your unit.  Use the LIST command to see what's available and then the ADD command to instruct your factory workers to install/upgrade that system.

Due to construction requirements the ADD command is only available when you are REPAIRing in a factory.


DROP <bank number>

Use the DROP command along with the LIST and ADD commands to upgrade weapons systems on your vehicle. If you have a weapon installed in the given bank number, it will be removed. This frees up the weapon bank in which you can ADD another weapon.

The DROP command is only available when you are REPAIRing in a factory.


OFFENSIVE

To attack another AFV you simply TARGET them and FIRE. For example, if the MAP displayed another person as the letter "B" you can aim your weapons on him by typing "TARGET B".  Each weapon on your AFV is identified by number, so to fire weapon 7 you would type "FIRE 7".

You can also direct your AFV to attack a factory or Capital. Woe to those brave souls who defend against such an attack.

Related Topics:

TARGET

FIRE <Bank #> <optional parameters>

SIGHT <afv>

SCAN <afv>

SHI

SCR

SRS <magnification>       _Short Range Scan.

LRS                      __Long Range Scan.

ICR  __Incoming ordinance Control Report.

FCR___Fire Control Report.


TARGET

The format for the TARGET command is :

TARGET <afv letter> 	to target weapons at a particular person
 	(this is case sensitive, so "a" is not "A")

TARGET <direction>   	to target weapons in a particular direction

TARGET TROOPS       	to attack a factory or capital.

TARGET RESOURCES 	to begin a "scorched earth" attack.

Once you have successfully targeted another afv or direction, your fire control computer will direct all your weapon banks to them.

In navigation, directions and bearing to other AFVs are given in polar coordinates - measuring from absolute North. The sign of the angle will indicate a bearing to the east or west from the north-south line.

A player directly north                        0

of you would have a                            |              N

bearing of 0. If he was                 -90  --+--  90      W + E

to the east: 90,                               |              S

the west: -90.                                180


FIRE <Bank #> <optional parameters>

This fires/launches/activates the current weapon installed in that bank.


SIGHT <afv>

Sighting gives you a passive scan of a potential contact.  It will NOT alert the other person of your scan.

A passive sensor (like SIGHT) is one that detects energy, it will give direction, but not distance.  An active sensor (like SCAN) radiates energy, which is then reflected back to the sensor.  Active sensors give direction and range, but at a price.  Since the sensor is giving off energy, you will be detected.


SCAN <afv>

Where <afv> is the letter of an opponent (as appears in the MAP or SRS displays). Remember the letter is case sensitive, so you'll need to differentiate between upper and lower case.

Scanning gives you complete details of a potential contact.  It WILL alert the other person of your scan.

---------------------------------------

TERMINATOR (a)

Commanded by MECHANOID with 100 kills

Type: TERMINATOR               Bearing: 153

Size: Heavy                   Velocity:   2

Armr: Advanced armor sloping   Heading:   N

Chas: Legs                       Range:   4

Damage: 37%

---------------------------------------


SHI

Activates your shields.


SCR

Activates defense screens.

The difference between Shields and Screens is that shields will NOT

allow you to fire through them. Screens will.


SRS <magnification>       	Short Range Scan.

Display position of other AFV's in the area. Terrain is not shown. SRS will default to a magnification of 1 (your current province). You may specify a magnification range from 1 to 10.


LRS                      	Long Range Scan.

Provides general direction and distance to all units on the globe.


ICR  	Incoming ordinance Control Report.

Your fire control computer keeps track of all incoming missiles.


FCR	Fire Control Report.

FCR tells you where or who your Fire Control Computer is directing your weapons too.  It will also indicate if that target is behind any cover and the percentage of fire error expected as a result of that cover.  The current weapon status and ammo/lifetime of each bank is also displayed.

Current Target:A  Cover:Water Acquisition enhancement: -10%

                                                 AMMO

Bank  1: Guass Rifle          READY             (300)

Bank  2: Pulse Laser          READY             (200)

Bank  3: Fusion Gun           READY             (10)

Bank  4: Mauler               READY             (5)

Bank  5: Streak LRM (HARM)    READY             (200)

Bank  6: Inferno LRM          READY             (200)

Bank  7: Swarm LRM            READY             (500)

Bank  8: Streak LRM           READY             (200)


DEFENSIVE

DCR___Damage/Defense Control Report.

AMS___Anti-missile system.

ECM___Electronic Counter Measures.

HOLO___Holographic generator.

SELF___SELF DESTRUCTION


DCR	Damage/Defense Control Report.

DCR reports the Damage and Defense status of your afv.  Hull integrity is the amount of damage you can take before being destroyed.  Each defense system and it's current status is listed.

Damage Control Report

Defense Systems

    SCR : READY

    AMS : READY          Ammo bins remaining: 50

    ECM : READY

HAL 2000: OK

Tracks:   OK

Hull Integrity: 100%


AMS	Anti-missile system.

The anti-missile system is a rapid fire, point-defense machine gun capable if tracking, engaging, and destroying incoming missiles.  While very effective, the system's primary drawback is its high ammunition consumption.  Because the system works by flooding the area with flechette munition, creating a virtual wall of defense, it consumes ammunition at an extraordinary rate.

To activate it type "AMS", turn it off by typing AMS again.

•	Keep in mind that it will consume ammunition EACH second it is on.

•	Due to it's tremendous rate of fire the AMS will overheat if it's kept active for very long. It's a good idea to let it cool down when you are not using it.

•	You can track the status of your AMS with DCR.


ECM	Electronic Counter Measures.

The ECM suite is a broad-spectrum jamming and electronic countermeasure device designed to reduce the effectiveness of enemy scanning and surveillance equipment.

To activate it type "ECM", turn it off by typing ECM again.

ECM nullifies scanning (even your own) and weapons targeting by flooding the area with intense radar, overpowering return signal.

Exception: Missiles with HARM (high speed anti-radar) guidance do not require targeting; they home in on the energy given off by the ECM signal. These missiles do not recognize friend or foe, the simply lock on the first available ECM source.


HOLO	Holographic generator.

The Holographic generator is designed to reduce the effectiveness of enemy surveillance equipment by projecting an image of your AFV at a different location. Anyone attempting passive scanning (SIGHT) will see the hologram. Active scanning (SCAN), however, will disrupt the image. In addition, use of your ECM will also disrupt your own hologram (but not other's).

To activate it type "HOLO", turn it off by typing HOLO again.

Due to power consumption, the image will only last so long until the Holographic Projector needs to recharge.

A holographic image is a great way to prevent someone from sneaking up on you.


SELF	SELF DESTRUCTION

SELF START	- Initiate self destruction sequence.

SELF STOP	- Abort self destruction sequence.

Anyone in the immediate area when your vehicle goes will receive damage. The larger your vehicle, the larger the blast area and damage.


NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Strategic Nuclear weapons are by far the most powerful weapon in the AFV arsenal.  Not only will they deliver tremendous damage when used against an opposing AFV, they will permanently alter the landscape -reducing hundreds of miles of mountain, water, and forest to desert.

You must first purchase the Nuclear Silo for your AFV. This will be an empty housing unit that you will later populate with the LOAD command.  Then you must build your actual nuclear warhead from the minerals in the provinces you control. The amount of resources you dedicate to MINING control this production rate.

Strikes against terrain (TARGET ZONE) forever alter that landscape. With enough of them you could reduce a healthy province to ashen radioactive desert.  Even limited use is risky, each nuclear strike has a % chance of permanently reducing the amount of naturally occurring resources.

Only superpowers can harness the power of nuclear arms. If superpower status is lost, so is this ability (until it is regained).

Related Topics:

LOAD


LOAD

To load a nuclear warhead into it's silo on your AFV type:

LOAD NUKE <bank #>

where <bank #> is an installed weapon bank (nuclear ready). You must be on a factory you own in order to do this. This will load 1 nuclear warhead from your provincial supply into that bank. Remember, you must first build your nuclear weapons in factories before you can load them.


PROVINCE ADMINISTRATION

It is control of the Provinces that is key to winning this game. They provide you resources to build weapons and factories, people to generate revenue from taxes, and troops to defend against enemy attack. To reach the status of a superpower, you'll need to know how to effectively manage provinces.

A province is made up of people, industries and resources.

PEOPLE.  The more under your control, the more money you can make through taxes. Take care, though; the greedy ruler sows seeds of rebellion with a great tax burden.

RESOURCES.  Each province has it's own unique set of natural resources.

GRAIN	- used to feed your people and troops

OIL 	- used to maintain your troops

MINERALS 	- used to develop nuclear technology (making The Bomb)

INDUSTRIES. Each province has 3 industries to exploit it's resources.

FARMING	- creates grain

REFINING	- creates oil

MINING	- creates minerals

Related Topics:

INDUSTRIES

RESOURCES

PEOPLE

TROOPS


INDUSTRIES

Each province has 3 industries and you control the % of your people assigned to work in each industry.  Each industry will convert a certain naturally occurring resource found in your province to a usable commodity.  The amount produced (in MUs) is determined by the labor devoted to it and the amount that naturally occurs in the area. It would take a tremendous amount of labor to produce much minerals inan area where it's resource was just ADEQUATE.  But finding a SUPERIOR resource of minerals is a treasure indeed to a nuclear hungry superpower.

The industries are:

FARMING - produces Grain. 1 MU (mega-unit) of grain is consumed by every 1 million inhabitants of the province. If there is not enough food, people starve, lowering loyalty and increasing the chance for rebellion.

REFINING - produces Oil. Used throughout the province for basic industry, and troop maintenance. Every 1 million in troops consume 1 mu of Oil.

MINING - produces Minerals. Minerals are solely used to build Nuclear weapons. If you have a weapons factory established, then each night all the minerals you have produced that day are spent on development.


RESOURCES

Each province has it's own unique set of naturally occurring resources.

GRAIN	- used to feed your people and troops.

OIL	- used to maintain your troops.

MINERALS	- used to develop high-tech weapons (nukes).

The abundance of each type is indicated in the SURVEY command.

To produce useful commodities out of resources you must allocate labor to the industry specific to that resource. For example, to produce food from GRAIN, you must assign labor to the FARMING industry. The % you assign each industry determines how many units will be produced each night.  Resources which are scarce in a province will require a greater % of labor to produce the same amount.


PEOPLE

Loyalty to the throne effects industry production, troop effectiveness, and the chance for open rebellion.  Taxes always effect loyalty, the lower the better.  A tax-happy rich monarch ruler may find find his entire province has rebelled against him.

Aggression indicates the general nature of the people.  A highly aggressive and loyalty force is powerful defensive army.  However, should loyalty drop on an aggressive bunch, be prepared for the consequences.  The more troops you have the more aggressive your people become.  They also become more aggressive when grain is low.

Education allows you to produce at lower cost.


TROOPS

Troops, consisting of heavy infantry armed with the latest combat weaponry, defend your province, Capital, and factories from attack. Should troops lose a battle defending a factory, the factory is destroyed. Should they lose an attack upon your Capital, the entire province (and all it's holdings) become the property of the attacker. The battle will not be troops versus troops, but an attacking player's SINGLE AFV against the host of defending provincial troops. It's an even match.  Use the SET command to control how your troops should respond to attacks by an AFV.

FORMATION:  "Fortified" formation allows you to take advantage of hardened bunkers. You will do more damage, but lose mobility (attacks). "Open Field" battle provides mobility (more attacks) but less damage.

ATTACK MODE: "Normal" attacks simply pound the AFV with devastating fire power. "Strategic" mode concentrates firepower on sensitive areas on the AFV. Much less damage but 3 times chance for internal damage.

GUARD: You assign a % of your troops as "Imperial Guard" the rest become Provincial army. The Provincial army are the only ones which defend your factories. The Imperial Guard remains in reserve and only responds (along with the provincial army) to attacks on your capital.


SUPERPOWERS

Players become Superpowers when they develop an empire population greater than a certain size (see your sysop).  Once a superpower, you'll be displayed as such in the Top Players roster.  As a superpower you'll be to able to harness the power of nuclear weapons.


PROVINCIAL COMMANDS

SET

RPT

SURVEY

BUILD

REMOVE


SET

Use the SET command to allocate labor to Industries, control population, dictate tax and troop levies, and issue provincial defense orders.

Labor Allocation Commands.  Assign production to each industry.

SET FARM <%>	- assigns this percentage of population to farming.

SET REF  <%>	- assigns this percentage of population to refining.

SET MINE <%>	- assigns this percentage of population to mining.

Province Operation Commands.  Sets the province parameters.

SET POP <%>	- sets population growth to this percentage.

SET TAX <%>	- sets tax rate.

SET LEVY <%>	- sets troop conscription rate (% of people drafted).

SET TROOPMAX <amount>  - ceiling on amt of troops in this province.

                   	(note: you won't produce troops while this is 0)

Province Defense Commands.  See also TROOPS

SET FORMATION <type>	- 1=FORTIFIED, 2=OPEN FIELD.

SET ATTACK <type> 	- 1=NORMAL, 2=STRATEGIC.

SET GUARD <%>	- Assign percentage of total troops to Imperial Guard

                         	the remaining troops are put in provincial armies.


RPT

The format for the REPORT command is:

RPT  NATION	- status of your nation

RPT  PROVINCES	- lists provinces still under your control

The NATION parameter tells the status of your nation, it's treasury, your score, and other items about your nation.

You generate cash by defeating other units in combat and through taxes in the provinces you control. You increaseyour score the same way.

Status will indicate when your nation has become a SuperPower.

Use the PROVINCE parameter to list the provinces that you control.


SURVEY

The format for the SURVEY command is :

SURVEY

This will give you details about the current province you are in. Economic conditions, resources, and contentment of the masses. If you own the province it will also list industrial settings and population


BUILD

The format for the BUILD command is :

BUILD CAPITAL

BUILD FACTORY

You control a province by establishing a Capital in it, providing someone else has not already built a capital in it. Factories product goods as well as provide a place for you to get repairs.

To remove it, use REMOVE.


REMOVE

The format for the REMOVE command is :

REMOVE

This dismantles a Factory or Capital in a province that you control. You must be in the same zone that your factory or capital is in when you enter this command.  If you dismantle your Capital you will no longer control that province.


THE GLOBAL BANK

If you run low on cash you can always borrow from the Global Bank. Their interest rate can be high. You can see the current rate with the BANK ACCOUNT command. It is calculated nightly and the finance charges are applied directly to the unpaid balance.

If your debt gets high enough, you will be considered to be "defaulted" on your loan.  You will not be able to buy or sell until you make payments that reduce his debt below the default limit. Note: even though you are in arrears, interest is still accruing on your unpaid balance.

The Global Bank can be quite ruthless in it's efforts to extort, umm, collect, on your loans.

Related Topics:

BANK


BANK

The format of the BANK command is

BANK ACCOUNT	- Your current debt and interest rate

BANK BORROW <Amount>	- To borrow money from the Global Bank

BANK REPAY  <Amount>	- To pay off your debt


MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS

To get a list of available help topics type HELP by itself. Help can be shortened to "?".

Related Topics:

SEND

ENCRYPT

SILENCE

GIVE

TOP

NAME

WHO


SEND

SEND

The format for the SEND command is :

SEND <message>                 to send a broadcast message

 	SEND X <message>               to send an encrypted message


ENCRYPT

The format for the ENCRYPT command is :

ENCRYPT <key>

Where <key> is between 0 and 36500. This will encode messages you SEND


SILENCE

The format for the Radio SILENCE command is :

SILENCE

You will no longer receive any broadcast messages. You will, however; still be able to receive encrypted messages sent on your encryption key.


GIVE

The format of the GIVE command is

GIVE <Amount> <User ID>

Give allows you to transfer cash to another player. Quite useful to pay for confidential information, funds between allies, wagers, ransoms, bounties, and even highway robbery. The other player must currently be on-line and playing to receive your Gift.


TOP

The format for the TOP command is :

TOP

Displays top players and Superpowers.


NAME

The format for the NAME command is :

NAME AFV <name>

NAME PROVINCE <name>

NAME NATION <name>

Where <name> can be any text string up to 30 characters long.

AFV will assign the given name to your current Armored Fighting Vehicle.

PROVINCE assigns a name to an individual province you own.

NATION will let you assign yourself a national name. You can also use this as an alliance name to indicate members of a team.


WHO

To see who else is currently in the game, type

WHO


SCORE

Your score is based on your ability as a Ruler and skill as a General. That is, it's a combination on how well you manage your provinces and how well you do in combat.

When you defeat another player or mechanoid in battle, you receive score points commensurate with your opponent's skill level and type of AFV he was using.

When the system goes down each night your rulership score is recomputed based on the population in provinces under your control - providing they don't revolt against you. This is adjusted against the contentment of the masses (the "happiness" factor). Being a tyrannical ruler over a vast empire where loyalty is low won't improve your score much.

Players become Superpowers when they have exceeded a certain size of population or provinces under their control.


THE MECHANOIDS

Intellect, untempered by wisdom, will soon regress to it's baser instincts.  Such is the case with the mechaniods.  First created to to protect and serve, these self-aware automatons now have

one purpose - to destroy it's creator.

Related Topics:

SEEKER

HUNTER KILLER

TERMINATOR

BRAIN

OVERLORD


SEEKER

The least powerful of the mechanoids. Designed as a scout to seek organic life, Report it, and destroy it.


HUNTER KILLER

The main arm of the mechanoid empire, the Hunter-Killer is a massed-produced killing machine.


TERMINATOR

The deadliest of the mech predators. It commands all lower level mechs, answering only to Brains, and Overlord. They are extremely intelligent, but without mercy or conscience.

They feel no pain. No pity. No fear. And they absolutely will not stop...


BRAIN

Answering only to the Overlords, Brains are the chief military strategists.


OVERLORD

Overlords are the masters of the mechanoid empire. All mechs answer to them and will come to their aid if and overlord is attacked.


How to order a bound player's manual

Cybertank Player's Manual order form

Name:
Address:

BBS name/number used to play Cybertank:
Your comments/suggestion on the game:

Fill out the above form and mail it to:

Nathan Hammond
P.O. Box 1241
Laurel, MD. 20725

Enclose $5 per manual plus $1.50 for shipping and handling


Credits

This game was designed and programmed by Nathan Hammond of Jabberwocky.

Many thanks to those who gave an extra effort with suggestions and ideas:

Clay Perkins   (BlackBart)

Steve Geller   (GreyWolf)

Michael Holt   (Demented)

You can contact Nate via the Infinetwork BBS at:

InfiNetwork	(301) 498-6352 Voice

P.O. Box 1241	(301) 498-6183 BBS

Laurel, MD 20725

or

Jabberwocky	(410) WIL-GUGL  Voice

5119 Edmondson Ave.	(301) 498-6183 BBS

Baltimore, MD. 21229


REVISION HISTORY

10/93   Release 1.0

•	First official release of Cybertank


Glossary of Terms

AFV

Aggression

Air cushion

AMS

Anti-gravity

Artemis V

ECM

Education

Endo-steel

Ferro-fibrous

GRAIN

HAL 2000

HARM

INDUSTRIES

Legs

Loyalty

Mark I

Mark II

Mark III

mechanoids

MINERALS

OIL

province

Reactive armor

Reflec

RESOURCES

Tracks

TROOPS

Wheels


AFV

This game allows you to design and construct your own AFV (Armored fighting vehicle).  The Cyberdine store will take you through each phase of AFV construction.  Then when you're done you can pit your designs against other players on the battlefield.


Aggression

Indicates the general nature of the people


Air cushion

can cross all terrain but water at high speeds.  It's main draw back is that being above terrain it receives no bonus for ground cover


AMS

Anti-missile system


Anti-gravity

can cross any terrain at extremely high speed.  Like above, being above terrain affords it no bonus for defensive ground cover


Artemis V

equipped with the latest Psychotronic circuitry, Artemis V uses it's semi-sentient state to target at 95% with a reliability of 95%.  It's active sensors outreach even the MARK III at 100 zones, with passive stretching to 300


ECM

Electronic Counter Measures


Education

allows you to produce at lower cost.


Endo-steel

The strongest synthetic metal known, only it can afford protection against Fusion weapons.


Ferro-fibrous

Using a complex weave of ferro-steel and titanium it protects against the deadly effects of plasma.


GRAIN

used to feed your people and troops


HAL 2000

the quintessential fire control solution, HAL runs the gauntlet of only the best sensor and scan media (reaching an incredible 1000 zones active and 1000 passive). HAL is a self-aware, fully sentient computer.  With this he can target at 100% with 100% reliability. (Rumors have it that HAL has taken over a unit's command but these as of now are unsubstantiated)


HARM

high speed anti-radar


INDUSTRIES

Each province has 3 industries and you control the % of your people assigned to work in each industry.  Each industry will convert a certain naturally occurring resource found in your province to a usable commodity.  The amount produced (in MUs) is determined by the labor devoted to it and the amount that naturally occurs in the area. It would take a tremendous amount of labor to produce much minerals inan area where it's resource was just ADEQUATE.  But finding a SUPERIOR resource of minerals is a treasure indeed to a nuclear hungry superpower.


Legs

can cross all terrain but water, slow speed however


Loyalty

Loyalty to the throne effects industry production, troop effectiveness, and the chance for open rebellion.


Mark I

bargain basement FCC's only have an accuracy of 50%, limited scanning range, and reliability of 75%


Mark II

a more efficient Mark unit provides greatly improved scan and accuracy. 70% accurate and reliable up to 80%


Mark III

the top of the line Mark unit provides a huge sensor radius (up to 60 zones active and 120 passive), as well as being 90% accurate and reliable


mechanoids

First created by man to protect and serve, these self-aware automatons now have one purpose - to destroy it's creator.  Robots without fear, without pain, without pity. And they will not stop...


MINERALS

used to develop high-tech weapons (nukes)


OIL

used to maintain your troops


province

A unit of land. They provide you resources to build weapons and factories, people to generate revenue from taxes, and troops to defend against enemy attack. To reach the status of a superpower, you'll need to know how to effectively manage provinces.

A province is made up of people, industries and resources.


Reactive armor

Developed by the Bolo units in 2301 to use "the enemy's strength against him", reactive armor uses the very force of a kinetic energy concussion to blow the direction away from the unit. All kinetic (cannons/rifles/particle projectors) weaponry cannot effect this armor.


Reflec

Lazer/Energy weapons simply reflect off it's surface.


RESOURCES

Each province has it's own unique set of naturally occurring resources.


Tracks

like wheels but also affords transport through swamps


TROOPS

Troops, consisting of heavy infantry armed with the latest combat weaponry, defend your province, Capital, and factories from attack.


Wheels

cheap transport for flat open spaces, but can't move through swamps, mountains or water.