A World at War [VIC-730x] - English (c) Handic Software AB Instructions BEFORE GAME ----------- Read through the instructions carefully. Ensure (with VIC turned off!) that VIC is correctly connected and the game cartridge is properly inserted. Then you can turn on the power, adjust sound and light on your TV and start the game. BACKGROUND ---------- You rule one of two superpowers, a peace-loving people whose biggest wish is to live in freedom and safety. The other superpower is controlled by a cold-heartedly scheming computer without emotions, programmed to keep its subjects in an iron grip and annihilate all resistance and every attempt at opposition both within and outside the country. Based on mutual suspicions about the neighbour is planning dangerous operations, hostility is growing between the two countries. Although you know the world well enough holds you both, each side feels an increasing risk for a hostile attack. Both sides soon discover that the only possibilty to manage this threat is to show who is the strongest, and the countries get into a cold war with choppy rearmament with no turning back. Soon the open warfare is an unavoidable fact, and you have to choose between to obliterate or to be obliterated. But by act tactical, spy on the Enemy and activate your missile bases at the right moment, you can manage to save your country and possibly even set free the oppressed neighbouring people from the ruler's claws. THE GAME -------- VIC is your channel of information which mediates the development of the war to you and simultaneously carries out your commands. Push the 'f1'-key to start the game. VIC shows a map over the two countries, yours to the left and the Enemy's to the right. The land area is in black colour on the map. A blue gulf starts in the South and serves as a natural border between the countries. Above the gulf the border continues vertically through the picture, between columns I and J. Both countries are equally large and have equally many inhabitants. These are marked with purple colour. Each small purple square represents one million inhabitants. PHASE I: COLD WAR ----------------- You enter the action in the first phase of the cold war, right when the rearmament is starting off. To uphold yourself towards the Enemy, you build missile bases on strategically chosen places. Without you noticing it, the Enemy will place similar bases at about the same pace as you. The position of each base is kept secret to the opponent but through espionage you have the possibility to acquire secret information. Obviously the Enemy also is spying on you, although you never notice it. Each turn in phase I is run as follows: When VIC is waiting on your orders, 'COMMAND:' is written. You can answer in three different ways: 1. If you want to build a missile base, you push the 'B' key. VIC then asks for 'POSITION' and you answer by first pushing the letter corresponding to the column, then the row number and last the 'RETURN' key. A white square is placed on the map to mark the position of the base. 2. If you instead want to spy, you push 'S'. Then all unused bases in a randomly chosen area of three rows and three columns on hostile territory will be drawn on the map. 3. If you want to activate any of your bases, you push 'A'. VIC asks 'FROM:', i.e. from which base missiles are to be launched. State the position (column and row) in the same way as in point 1. Every base contains 2-4 missiles. When VIC asks for 'TARGETS', you enter in due order in the same way as above column and row for the destination for each of the missiles. The map gives continious reports about the position for each missile. An activated missile will orientate on it self to the target, but you can't count on complete accuracy. Used bases are considered consumed and are removed from the game. When you push 'A' this also means you are declaring war. With that, you are into phase II. PHASE II: OPEN WARFARE ---------------------- Anytime during the arms race you or the Enemy can declare war (assuming this country has any bases to activate). The more time that has passed, the more unavoidable is the war and the risk that the Enemy without forewarning will start the war in the next turn quickly increases. The country which starts the war has a few turns lead over the opponent. During a turn in phase II you give your command in the same way as in phase I. You can choose between to spy ('S') and to activate a base ('A'), but you may not build any further bases. During the time, the Enemy is launching missiles from its bases. You can not see the hostile missiles until they are above your territory. Keep in mind the map doesn't show which hostile bases have been activated. But if VIC during espionage discovers a base which previously was drawn, has been activated since then, it will be removed from the map. The war is over then any side is missing several bases or no inhabitants are left to activate those. Metioned in confidence is that the Enemy hardly settles with this but will continue the war until your country is completely annihilated, if you don't succeed in beating a sufficient number of his bases. THE PEACE --------- A nuclear weapon war carries so huge losses for everyone involved in it that it hardly can been said to have any conqueror. But VIC awards different scores depending on your popularity in your country and the rest of the world. The highest possible score you get if you: 1. have eliminated all the Enemy's bases and still has bases left. This means you take the power over the Enemy's territory and set free its inhabitants from the dictatorship. 2. have managed to save as many inhabitants as possible. It is important not to lose lives unnecessarily on any side of the border. 3. proven yourself work for peace and not started the war earlier than necessary. An act of diplomacy is to wait until the Enemy has started the war instead of doing it yourself, but remember the one who opens the war gets a certain lead. When the game begins you and the Enemy have exactly the same prerequisites to win. You have equal weapons and perform each turn according to the same rules. This is a struggle on equal conditions which it's your lot to fight. Don't neglect the responsibilty you have undertaken towards your compatriots and the whole democratic world! (typed in and translated from Swedish by Anders Carlsson, dal95acn@mds.mdh.se)