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                        P!    
                        ascii by mr. popeil <vital>

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   1  Introduction
   2  Game Statistics
   3  Reviewed on 
   4  Ratings
   5  Starting the game
   6  Main screen   
   7  Bases menu
   8  Intercepting an alien craft
   9  Intercepting a crash site
  10  Greets

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1  Introduction

   Title: XCOM - Terror of the Deep
   Producer: Microprose
   Released by: Tyranny
   Typed by: Sdk 

   This game is basically the same as it's predecessor, with the addition 
   of new graphics, sounds, aliens and weapons. Watch the introduction of 
   the game to see what has happened since last.

2  Game Statistics

   This game comes on four 1.44's and takes up approximately 15 megs when 
   installed. In terms of sound it supports: Soundblaster, Soundblaster Pro, 
   Soundblaster 16, Soundman Wave, Gravis Ultrasound, Pro Audio Spectrum, 
   Pro Audio Spectrum 16 and also has an option for no sound.

3  Reviewed on 

   This game was reviewed on a Pentium 75 with 16 megs of RAM, PCI bus, 
   Gravis Ultrasound and a Cardex Power Pro 64 S3 864 2MB VRAM video card. 

4  Ratings

   Sound:
   
   The musical score is quite good and suits the atmosphere of the game. The 
   in game music's volume can be adjusted by using the + and - keys. Digital 
   effects are also very well done, and with a Gravis Ultrasound there can 
   be upto eight digital sounds played simultaneously.

   Graphics: 
   
   The graphics aren't anything flash, but the game play certainly makes up 
   for it. However there are some nice trademark XCOM effects such as the 
   vapor trials after a weapon has been fired, and underwater air bubbles 
   and smoke.

   Speed:

   No one should really have troubles in this department unless they have a 
   slow CPU or video card. This game isn't really that processor or video 
   intensive compared to some of the current day releases.

   Playability:

   Well as with all Microprose games, the game play kicks ass. Enuff said.

5  Starting the game

   This game is pretty easy to get into since it has informative structured 
   menus, and an in game UFOpedia which supplies you with information about 
   all the craft, weapon, alien etc types.

   You play XCOM, an organization who has been funded by various countries 
   around the globe to stop the alien scourge. 
   
   Firstly after selecting to start a new game, you must choose the level of 
   difficulty. There are five levels of difficulty: beginner, experienced, 
   veteran, genius and superhuman. If you didn't play the first XCOM, 
   definitely choose beginner. 
   
   Secondly, you must select where to build your first base. It is advisable 
   that you should build several bases now, as it takes a long time to 
   complete the building of XCOM facilities. Good places to establish bases 
   are in the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Ocean. Establishing 
   bases in these three areas will give you a wide area of operation.

   The first base you established has the basic facilities already built, 
   two Barracuda crafts, one Triton craft, eight Aquanauts, ten technicians 
   and ten scientists.

6  Main screen   

   After you have established your first base, you will be presented with 
   the main screen. There are six options:

   Intercept:

   Intercept displays all of your crafts, which are used to intercept aliens 
   or crash sites. This option is used to deploy a craft simply by clicking 
   on the craft you want, and then it's destination on the globe. Look at 
   the status column to make sure that a craft is ready for deployment. If 
   a craft is refueling, refitting or rearming, it cannot be deployed until 
   that task has been completed. Also look at the weapons/crew/sws column 
   to make sure a craft is armed. 

   Bases:

   This option takes you to the bases menu, which is discussed in section 
   seven.

   Graphs:

   This option gives you graphs of alien activity in seas, alien activity 
   in zones, XCOM activity in seas, XCOM activity in zones, income and 
   finance. 
   
   UFOpedia:

   This option gives you information about all the craft, weapon, alien etc 
   types. This is a definite must look at option so you can become familiar 
   with the game and know what equipment to purchase depending on your 
   situation.

   Options:

   This option allows you to load, save or abandon the current game.

   Funding:

   This option gives you a detailed list of the countries and organizations 
   who are funding you, including the amount which they give you in funds. 
   You should start the game with approximately four million dollars in 
   funds. The amount which they give you in funds throughout the game 
   depends on how well you perform. If you perform well in a certain region, 
   those countries and organizations that are closest to that region of the 
   world will increase your funding. However if you perform poorly, they will 
   decrease or withdraw your funding.

   The main menu also has other options. You can increase the rate at which 
   time passes. At default, this is set to five seconds. This can however be 
   change to five minutes, thirty minutes, one hour or one day by clicking 
   on the appropriate icon at the right hand side of the screen.

   The picture of the earth is used to view the location of your bases and 
   craft, as well as that of alien craft, crash sites and areas under alien 
   attack. The picture of the earth can be rotated by clicking on the 
   appropriate icon at the bottom of the screen on the right hand side. 
   Clicking on one of your bases is the same as selecting the intercept 
   option, except that it only lists the craft which belong to that base. 
   Clicking on one of your craft while it is out from base allows you to 
   give it new orders. Clicking on an alien craft, alien crash site or area 
   under alien attack allows you to center the picture of the earth on that 
   location.

7  Bases menu

   There are eleven options in the base menu:
   
   Build new base:

   This option allows you to build a new base. This process usually costs
   between five hundred thousand and one million dollars. You basically
   just repeat the same steps you did when you built your first base.
   
   Base info:

   This option shows useful statistics like personnel available, defense 
   strength, transfers, monthly costs, percentage of laboratory/workshop 
   space used etc.
   
   Aquanauts:

   This option lists all of your Aquanauts, displaying their name, rank and 
   the craft they are currently assigned to.
   
   Equip sub:

   This option allows you to arm and man your crafts with items that you 
   have purchased, recruited or manufactured. With your first base, your 
   three crafts are already armed and manned. With the Triton craft
   which is provided with the first base, it's recommended that you sell 
   all it's staff weaponry and reequip it with more potent arsenal. Goto
   the purchase/recruit option and buy six hydro jet cannons with twelve 
   hydro jet phosphorous rounds, two torpedo launchers with eight phosphorus
   torpedoes, sixteen magna pack explosives, eight dye grenades and a
   coelacanth/aquajet submersible weapons system with as many aquajet
   rounds as you have space for. 

   Build facilities:

   This option allows you to build facilities at your bases. With your
   first base, your basic facilities will already be built. At the start 
   of the game be sure to add alien containment, wide array sonar and 
   torpedo defense facilities. It is also important to establish more 
   laboratories and workshops, as well as living spaces so you can recruit 
   more scientists and technicians to work in these facilities. A facility 
   is built by simply selecting which facility you want to build, and then 
   by placing exactly where you want it established on the picture of your 
   base on the left hand side of the screen. Remember that some facilities 
   take upto thirty days or more to build, so plan for that. With secondary 
   bases, plan their structure so that it's similar to your first base, or 
   if you are more experienced you can design it around your specialist 
   needs. New defense facilities will be discovered throughout the game, so 
   be sure to employ them. To remove a facility such as an old defense 
   structure, simply click on it in the picture of your base and select 
   ok at the prompt.
   
   Research:

   This option allows you to research new technology, and is extremely
   important to how well you will do in the game. You need to discover new
   technology as quickly as possible so you reach the same level as the
   aliens current superiority. New technology is gained by researching
   aliens and alien corpses, alien crafts, alien weapons and alien artifacts
   which have been collected after successful missions. It is extremely
   important to research alien weapons and resources so that your own staff
   can use them. Besides the fact that alien weapons are more powerful and
   advanced than XCOM's, having research on them allows you to manufacture
   and use them with your own staff during battle. It also allows staff to
   pick up and use a dead alien's weapon and or ammunition during battle,
   which is very handy indeed. You can also research XCOM Gauss technology,
   which is discussed in the manufacturing option below. Research also
   allows you to get a better understanding about your alien enemies, and
   their origins. Researching alien origins allows you to gradually locate
   the 12 alien strongholds which must be destroyed to win the game.
   Researching requires scientists which can be recruited through the
   purchase/recruit option. Remember that for every fifty scientists you
   will require one laboratory facility and one living space facility.
   You can assign as many scientists as you like to each program of new
   technology that you are researching, and the more scientists you have
   working on a program: the quicker it will be completed.

   Manufacture:

   This option allows you to manufacture your own weapons and items, which
   can only commence after you have researched them. Construction of
   alien weapons and technology requires alien resource materials known
   as Zrbite and Aqua Plastics. These are collected from successful 
   missions and are required in the manufacturing process. If you have
   run out of these materials, look at manufacturing XCOM Gauss technology.
   Although these weapons aren't as powerful as the alien ones, they don't
   require any resource materials to produce, allowing them to be 
   manufactured at will. Manufacturing requires technicians which can be 
   recruited through the purchase/recruit option. Remember that for every 
   fifty technicians you will require one workshop facility and one living 
   space facility.
   
   Transfer:

   This option allows you to transfer items or staff in between your bases.
   
   Purchase/Recruit:

   This option allows you to purchase items or recruit staff. Items and 
   staff must be delivered to your base from the mainland and can take 
   anywhere from 1 hour to several days to be delivered. Make sure that 
   you refer to the UFOpedia so you know what you are purchasing. Also, 
   the amount that you can purchase depends on the amount of space you have 
   in your general store(s). If you run out of space, sell off unwanted 
   items or build new general store facilities. The same goes for recruiting 
   staff, except for the fact that it's dependent on how much living space 
   you have free. Upto fifty staff can live in one living space.
   
   Sell/Sack:

   This option allows you to sell or sack unwanted items. 

   Geoscape:

   Returns you to the main screen.

8  Intercepting an alien craft

   Alien crafts are picked up by your sonar device at any one of your bases.
   Standard sonar has a range of four hundred and fifty kilometers at most
   depths and wide array sonar has a range of seven hundred kilometers at
   all depths. When an alien craft is detected, center the picture of the
   earth on it's position. Then look at the earth and see which one of
   your bases is closest to that position. Then click on that base and
   then click on the Barracuda craft that you want to intercept it, and then 
   finally click on the alien craft. The Barracuda craft will then try and
   intercept and make contact with the alien craft. A Barracuda cannot
   attack the alien craft in the air, and must wait until it's submerged in
   the water. The Barracuda won't always make contact with the alien craft,
   and if this happens select the goto last known alien craft location
   option. If it relocates the alien craft, click on the Barracuda and click
   on select new target and then on the alien craft. The Barracuda will then
   reengage. When the Barracuda is attacking the alien craft, you will be
   presented with these various options:

   Standoff:

   This option will make the Barracuda follow the alien craft without 
   attacking.

   Cautious:

   This option will make the Barracuda launch a cautious attack on the
   alien craft.
   
   Standard:

   This option will make the Barracuda launch a standard attack on the
   alien craft. This is usually the one to select, since it doesn't
   waste off all you missiles like in an aggressive attack.

   Aggressive: 
   
   This option will make the Barracuda launch an aggressive attack on the
   alien craft. This option tends to waste off all of your missiles, but
   is useful for when you are facing tough opposition.

   Disengage:

   This option will make the Barracuda disengage the attack.

   Also, remember to refer to the Barracuda's energy level which is
   displayed in the form of a ship outline. If the ship is nearly 
   completely red, immediately disengage unless you want to lose your ship. 
   A successful attack however, will result in the downing of the alien 
   craft in which you will then have to launch a Triton to intercept the 
   crash site.

9  Intercepting a crash site

   After having shot down the alien craft, you will need to click on your 
   nearest base and select a Triton craft to intercept the crash site. Make
   sure that the craft is fully manned and armed. The crash site will be
   marked on the picture of the earth with a cross. When you have 
   intercepted the crash site, you will be presented with each individual
   staff member aboard your craft and the items that they are carrying. If
   you wish for a staff member to drop an item, simply click on the item
   and drag it from the persons body to the section of the screen marked
   as ground. If you wish for a staff member to pick up an item, do the
   opposite. Once you are happy with the way that each individual is
   armed, select ok. Battle is taken in turns, first you then the aliens.
   Within each turn, each member of your staff has a certain amount of
   time units. Each action that the individual makes within the turn
   takes a certain amount of time and this is subtracted from the players
   total amount of time units that has been allocated for that turn. The
   amount of time units is displayed in the green bar graph at the bottom
   of the screen. The orange bar graph represents the individuals energy,
   the red bar graph represents the individuals health and purple bar
   graph represents the individuals moral. Moral is important, as when a
   individuals moral is low they can panic or go berserk. When they panic,
   they usually drop their weapons and run away, wasting their time units
   for that turn and the next. You then have to spend the turn after that
   making the individual go and pick up their weapons again. When they go
   berserk they start firing whatever weapon they have in their hands
   anywhere. For this reason, don't let individuals hold primed grenades 
   over several turns. Only prime the grenade when you are going to throw 
   it in the same turn. If a wounded individuals moral is low, use the
   pain killer option on the medi-kit (be sure to equip staff with these
   once you have the technology to produce them) to restore morale. The
   medi-kit can also be used for healing: which restores health and heals
   one fatal found and stimulant: which restores energy. Looking at the
   layout of the screen, there are several icons down the bottom. The
   ones which you will need to use regularly are:

   Black boxes:

   The black boxes on either side of the screen show what weapon or item 
   the individual is holding in their hands. To fire a weapon, simply click 
   on the weapon, choose the level of accuracy (less accuracy, the less time 
   it takes to fire the shot), and then aim at the target and click. To prime 
   a grenade, click on the grenade and select prime, then select the number
   of turns you wish the explosion to delay (you normally set this to zero
   so that it explodes at the end of the current round), and then click on
   the grenade again and select throw, then select your target and click.
   Make sure the thrower is some distance away from the target of the
   grenade otherwise that individual will be hit by the explosion.

   Grid and square:

   This option presents you with an overall map of the area, giving you an 
   overhead view. It also allows you to view the different levels of the 
   landscape. Use this to plan routes of attack and ambush.

   Single person:

   This option allows you to change the inventory of the individual,
   allowing you to reload weapons by clicking on the ammunition and then 
   on the empty weapon, it allows you to pick up items that are on the 
   ground which you are standing over and it also allows you to drop items 
   which you are currently carrying. It's exactly the same layout as at
   the start of the mission when you are arming your staff.

   Single person/Squatting person:

   This option allows you to make the individual squat or stand up. Either
   action takes four time units. You should always make the character squat
   at the end of their turn, as it reduces their chance of being hit.

   Single person with arrows either side:

   This option allows you to center the screen on the current individual.

   Individuals name:

   Clicking on the individuals name will give you a detailed bar graph
   of the current individuals statistics.

   Square with number:

   This option allows you to change the level at which the landscape is
   shown.

   Craft with arrow:

   This option aborts the mission. If you are going to abort the mission,
   make sure that all of your staff are inside of the craft, otherwise
   they will be left missing in action (in other words killed by the aliens).

   Circle with line through it:

   This option ends the current turn.

   To use an individual character, simply click on them. A yellow arrow
   will appear over their head to signify that they are the current
   individual that you are controlling. To move a individual, simply
   move the red box to the destination and click (make sure the correct
   individual has been selected before doing this). To pick an item up
   off of the ground, make sure that you are standing directly over it,
   and then click on the single person icon. When you are using the medi-kit
   for healing a character, you must be standing directly on top of them as 
   well. To complete the mission you must kill all of the surviving aliens,
   and once that has been accomplished, the mission will end with you
   automatically collecting the spoils of war, such as alien weapons and
   artifacts etc. When you have armed all of your staff and you start the
   mission, you must deploy your staff from your craft. Don't deploy every
   one at once, just deploy your SWS and about four crew. With this, keep
   individuals spread out. Bunched up individuals are just asking for an
   alien to throw a sonic pulsar at them, and their goes half your team.
   Use your SWS to locate the alien craft. This will allow you to locate 
   where the aliens are, as there are always at least one to two aliens
   still inside their craft. Keep one to two staff members in direct support
   of the SWS, so they can protect it as SWS's make an easy target and
   aliens seem to try and take them out first. Don't bunch them up with the
   SWS, just keep them in range so they can take out any aliens who decide
   to confront the SWS. When the alien craft has been located, either look
   for a door or opening and lob a magna pack explosive or sonic pulsar in
   there. That usually takes care of the inhabitants inside. Or 
   alternatively, fire a shot in there with the SWS, as this will take out 
   soft skinned targets. In general, it is very important to watch when the
   aliens have their turn. This often gives away their location in ground
   your haven't explored, so that next round you can chuck a grenade in
   their general direction. In the earlier missions when you don't have
   sonic pulsars, use magna pack explosives as grenades, as magna blast
   grenades don't really do anything. However, magna pack explosives do
   have a wide kill area, so make sure your thrower and or individuals are
   standing well back. Basically, you should pick up basic tactics in the
   first few missions, and experiment with them to find out what works
   best for you.

10 Greets

   Greetings to all my IRC friends...you know who you are :)

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                        P!    
                        ascii by mr. popeil <vital>

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