THE STAR FLEET WARLORD'S AIDE User's Manual for Version 1.43 By Bruce H. Graw (c) 1996 Agents of Gaming -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INTRODUCTION This manual is provided in a text form suitable for sending to any line printer. We recommend you print the manual so you can read it while using the program. The WARLORD'S AIDE computer program exists because you, the customers of Agents of Gaming, asked for it! We are providing the AIDE free of charge, to help you keep your turns error-free, and to allow you to send turns by electronic mail in a form our computers can read in directly. NOTE TO USERS OF VERSION 1.3 AND EARLIER: This version is not compatible with older versions. Attempts to use the program with files created using earlier versions will fail. NEW IN THIS REVISION: Some of you might have encountered "unmovable" ships in previous versions. This problem has been corrected. Support for the new hit point system and other updates of the SFW Ship List Revision 7.5 has also been added. 2. INSTALLATION To install the program, simply create a directory of your choice, perhaps SFW or AIDE, and copy all the files on the Aide disk to this directory. There is no need to maintain separate directories for multiple games. If you do not know how to create a directory or copy files, check your DOS manual. Requirements: The Aide needs at least a 5 megabytes of free space on a hard disk (it will not run from a floppy disk). Several temporary files are created as the program performs certain operations, so do not let your free space drop below 5 MB or you may experience lockups or "virtual memory" errors. You will also need at least 310K of free memory when the AIDE runs. At least 400K is recommended for optimal performance. The AIDE should run on 286 or better machines, although AoG has not tested it on computers of lower than 386 processing power, or those that use DOS of any version other than 5. (Reports from the field indicate that it will work fine on DOS versions as low as 3.2, but we could not verify this personally.) If you experience problems using these systems, contact Agents of Gaming immediately. On some systems you may need to set the number of DOS file handles to 20, especially if you experience a "DOS Error 4" message. This is accomplished by adding a line that reads: FILES=20 to your CONFIG.SYS file in your root directory. For details on this command, see your DOS manual. 3. BASIC INSTRUCTIONS To run the Warlord's Aide, set as your current directory the directory where the Aide files are stored. Then type SFWAIDE and hit Return. The program will bring you to a main menu area. Use the arrow keys to move from menu to menu and to select choices, which you can activate by hitting Return. Note that help is available at any time by hitting F1 (function key #1). You can access most commands with a hotkey, which you will see to the right of that menu choice. You can press this key in lieu of moving to that choice, in order to speed you through using the Aide program. 4. MENU CHOICES USING THE WARLORD'S AIDE: This simply provides a basic help feature and description of the menu. Remember, you can always hit F1 at any time for help on the menu option you're using at the time. PROGRAM CREDITS: Shows the Warlord's Aide development credits, including information on how to contact Agents of Gaming. CHANGE TO ANOTHER GAME: To select a different game, use this command. Each game you are in uses a different set of files, and you can switch between them at will. Pick a game from the list displayed on your screen by moving up and down with the arrow keys until the highlight bar is on the correct game, then hit RETURN. If you are only in one game, you will only need to use this function once (when you first enter the Aide). Note that if you attempt to use another menu option which requires a selected game (just about all of them), this command will be run automatically at that time. INITIALIZE NEW GAME: If you get into a new game (or are using this program for the first time), select this option. The Aide prompts you for the game number, which you should enter exactly as it appears on your turn sheet (e.g., "47", "H26" or "X4"). Once set this cannot be changed without starting over, so be sure to get it right! After setting up the files, the Aide then asks you to enter some info about your Corporation. You MUST enter the Corporation number, account number, day cycle number and next turn number correctly or the Aide will be of little use to you. The other information is optional and is provided for your records. (Historical Game Players: Enter your sequence number in the "Day Cycle" slot.) GO TO NEXT TURN: When you receive a turn back from Agents of Gaming, use this command to update your ship positions and purchase orders. (Note that if some of your moves did not work as expected, or if your purchase orders did not all go through, you will need to go into the Ships Database to correct these.) This function automatically ages your ships (including the 15-turn improvements if applicable) and performs a couple of other functions, which are mentioned when you use this command. CORPORATION INFORMATION: This is the same screen you see after initializing a new game. In particular, note that you can enter your loan amount and the program will automatically figure what you owe next turn. Again, this is provided only for informational purposes and is optional. Also, be sure to enter your primary races you've set (if your game does not use primary races, enter a "*" in the first race field). NOTE: The X- and Y-dimensions of the galaxy can be edited from this screen. These are used when a ship crosses a border and needs to "wrap around" to the other side of the galaxy. In most games, these numbers will be X=9 and Y=9. Change them ONLY if you are in a smaller game, such as an express- or three-week game. Setting them to the wrong values can have unexpected effects. SHIP MOVES/STATS: This area is where you maintain the list of ships for your game. It has a dual purpose: recording ship moves and keeping track of ship data. The ship data, such as combat stats, crew level, etc. are all entirely optional and can be ignored if you wish. For more information on this menu, see Chapter 5 below. MISCELLANEOUS ORDERS: This allows you to enter the miscellaneous orders for your Corp each turn. When asked, enter the number of standard orders your Corporation can use, and then the number of starbase orders. Do not attempt to mix these two types! Once the proper number is selected, you can enter and change orders as you wish. For more information, see Chapter 6. BASIC SHIP TEMPLATES: This screen is provided for those of you who like to track ship statistics. An entry is provided for each ship in Star Fleet Warlord, along with the statistics for that ship. Normally there is no reason to edit any of these numbers or add ships to this list; however, in the event of a game revision, this feature is available for use. (Note: There are actually three different statistic sets, one for each of Revisions 7.3, 7.4 and 7.5 of the SFW Ship Lists. The Warlord's Aide will automatically determine which one you need based on the game number of your game - another reason to enter this number correctly!) MESSAGE TO GM: This lets you write a message of up to 1,000 characters. This message is then attached to the end of your turn when you generate an orders sheet or computerized order file (see below). Use this message to ask game questions, report problems with your turn, and so forth. Do not use it to submit articles or other material, or for very long correspondence. Send these separately. Note that any message you enter is deleted automatically when you use the GO TO NEXT TURN feature. GENERATE ORDERS SHEET: After your moves are entered, and your miscellaneous orders are to your satisfaction, you can use this feature and the one which follows. This function creates a file which contains an actual orders sheet you can print out and send to Agents of Gaming. AoG will accept this as a valid turn under the following conditions: (1) All header information--Corp name, Corp number, account number, day cycle number, turn number--is correct, and (2) all ships are in the PROPER ORDER on the orders list. If your ships are not in the exact same order as provided on the sheet sent to you with your turn, AoG reserves the right to delay your turn or return it unprocessed! Of course, if you just want to keep this orders sheet for your records, and transcribe the moves to your actual orders sheet, feel free to do so. The file, in any event, will remain on your disk for perusal (with any text editor) at any time in the future. Note: Ships are kept in the database by age (i.e., in the order they were bought). If the Aide does not display ships in the same order as on your turn results, go to the Ship Moves screen and hit AltU. This displays the database with ships in unsorted order - i.e., from youngest to oldest, not by hex number. Use A and Z to move them around until they are in the correct locations, then hit AltU again. They should appear in the proper order thereafter. In practice, though, you should never have to use this feature. WARNING! DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER OF YOUR SHIPS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED TO DO SO BY AGENTS OF GAMING. IF SHIPS ARE NOT IN THE PROPER ORDER, AOG IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS AND MAY CHARGE YOU ADDITIONAL TURN FEES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MAKE COMPUTERIZED ORDER FILE: Like the previous command, you should use this only when your turn is complete. It generates a text file which contains a coded set of orders that Agents of Gaming can read directly into their game computers. This file can then be electronically mailed, or sent on floppy disk, for automated processing. The advantage of this is the convenience and speed of E-mail (without the added cost of a fax or the risk of a blurred order), the elmination of the possibility of a typing error by the Gamemaster, and of course the Aide's built-in error checking that will virtually eliminate mistakes. Note, however, that if you use this option, AoG will not be liable for mistakes YOU made entering your own orders! So be careful that you've entered everything correctly--as much as you ever would with any turn you'd send in. PRINT TURN: This lets you print out a turn you have already created with the GENERATE ORDERS SHEET function. Your printer must be activated, on-line, and attached to the standard LPT1 port. You can also print out turns using the DOS PRINT command or the DOS command "TYPE filename >PRN:" followed by RETURN. (The >PRN: symbol redirects output to the printer. If your printer is attached to another port, like LPT2, replace ">PRN:" with ">LPT2:".) TOGGLE COLORS: For those of you with monochrome monitors, this option is provided to deactivate the color scheme (which can be hard to see on a mono screen). EXIT WARLORD'S AIDE: This just lets you quit the program. All changes to any game information you changed will be saved as they are made, so you don't need to save data manually. 5. EDITING SHIP INFORMATION There are two features of the Ship Moves/Stats editing area (also known as the Ship Browsing Screen). The first allows you to enter and change moves for ships, and the other (which is entirely optional) lets you keep track of ship combat statistics and other details. To toggle between the two modes, use the F10 key. In Move Mode, you are presented with a list of ships and the spaces for their moves (the moves you plan to have them make on your next turn). You can change moves by moving to the ship you want, hitting Return, and typing the moves in the slots provided. A number of hotkeys, accessed by holding down on Alt and pressing a single key (sometimes followed up by a second key), are available to speed this process, and all are listed on the screen for easy access. You can move around on this data entry screen (or any other such screen) using the arrow keys, and the following other keys have special functions: Del deletes a single character Ins toggles between insert mode and overstrike mode ^T deletes a word ^Y deletes everything after the cursor Home/End move to the start/end of the current field Shift-Tab moves to the last field on the screen If you enter an illegal move, or use an order inappropriately (such as trying to switch an Orion to mission Y), you will be warned. Illegal moves are also noted and flagged. You can, of course, leave these unchanged, but when Agents of Gaming actually runs your turn, these moves will probably fail. (Note that in some cases you might enter a move that appears, to the Aide, to be illegal but will actually work in practice--such as a planned "bounce" off a powerful site followed by movement in the opposite direction. See page 45 of the SFW Rulebook for an example of this.) If you have Reversed Moves turned ON for your Corporation, use the R key to declare this. The Aide will then automatically place your NONE markers in the correct spot. It is VITAL that you use the correct Reversed Moves setting--AoG's computers will NOT adjust your turn to fit the proper mold if you do it wrong! Be sure to activate Reversed Moves BEFORE entering orders for your ships, as the Aide will not adjust already-entered moves, only ones you enter in the future. WARNING! IF YOU DO NOT USE THE PROPER SETTING FOR REVERSED MOVES, AGENTS OF GAMING IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES! A few commands are very frequently used and can be accessed with hotkeys before you even hit Return to edit the ship. These keys, F2 through F6, allow you to quick-enter the orders PRSP, SCAN TERR, SCAN SHIP, SCAN SITE and SCAN CLOA for any ship. You do not have to hit Return at all for these orders. We recommend using these keys instead of typing in these commands, especially since they can only be issued during pulse 1 (even if Reversed Moves are on). NOTE: SCAN SITE is an order which becomes available a short time into the game. It is not in the rulebook but is described in your turn results when it becomes available. Don't try to use it until you have been told it is ready for use. Other keys to help you out include the following (note that ^ before a key means you should hold down on the Control key before hitting this key): Up/down arrows move from ship to ship S searches for a ship by race, class and (optionally) number R toggles Reversed Moves on/off (see upper right corner for update) F1 gets help F8 creates a new ship from a template you select INSERT creates a new ship from scratch (not recommended) DELETE permanently(!) removes a ship F10 switches to Stat Mode ^J repeats the last set of moves you entered ^N nullifies (clears) the current ship's moves ^K kills (clears) ALL the moves for all your ships and starts over ESC leaves this screen and returns you to the main menu When you switch to Stat Mode by hitting F10, the ships remain in the same position but now a new set of data appears. This data includes most relevant statistics (attack, defense, shields, crew, optional items, officers, etc.) of your ships. You can edit this information like you did moves by hitting Return. The level of data which you record using the Aide is completely up to you; however, you MUST keep ship speeds entered correctly. IF YOU EVER ATTEMPT TO USE MORE MOVEMENT THAN A SHIP REALLY HAS, EXTRA ORDERS YOU ENTER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WHEN THE TURN REACHES AOG. The Aide will, of course, let you enter as many moves as you like for a ship, but these will simply be ignored by AoG's computers. If you track your ship's statistics with care, you can use the F7 key to check its combat strength. This command displays a breakdown of the ship's combat rating (and how it was calculated) in any basic battle. A list of possible adjustments (terrain, etc.) is also shown after the stat summary. A related key, AltP, will show the power levels of an entire fleet at once (all the ships in the same hex as the currently selected ship). The Alt-E key will estimate some costs for the current ship, such as the ores price to repair it, the people or food needed to assign an officer, the value returned if the ship is scrapped, and so forth. For training, the cost shown is the price to go from level 3 to level 4, which is doubled for 4 to 5, tripled for 5 to 6, etc. Hotkeys are also available for quick access to ship stats. Note that changing crew level is as simple as hitting the single digit that applies. Other hotkeys are listed on the screen. These keys (with the exception of the crew level number keys) will work even in Move Mode, eliminating the need to use F10 to switch back and forth between screens. A special hotkey, AltL, allows you to relocate an entire fleet at once. Every ship in the hex with the ship you are currenty on will move to the hex you specify. This is very useful if one of your fleets doesn't make it to its final destination. Ships are always listed in sector+hex+age sorted order. If you wish to see them in age order only (i.e., unsorted), press AltU. This allows you to tell which ships will move first during your turn, because they process moves (in each pulse) in age order. On this screen ONLY, it is possible to move a ship up or down in the list using the A (up) and Z (down) keys. This is ONLY needed if a ship is not in the proper order on your orders sheet. Make sure that the ships on this screen are in the same order you bought them. If not, they will not be in the right order on your orders sheet, and AoG will not be responsible for any entry errors caused as a result. WARNING! DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER OF YOUR SHIPS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED TO DO SO BY AGENTS OF GAMING. IF SHIPS ARE NOT IN THE PROPER ORDER, AOG IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS AND MAY CHARGE YOU ADDITIONAL TURN FEES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. 6. ENTERING MISCELLANEOUS ORDERS This area lets you enter orders for your Corporation. As you know, there are two types: standard orders and starbase orders. Each is treated differently by the Warlord's Aide. You can enter starbase orders in non-starbase slots (if you anticipate earning a new starbase order on your turn) but not vice versa (although the Aide might allow you to do it, with a warning, it will not work properly if you send the turn to AOG with the orders in the wrong place). When you first enter this area you will be asked how many of each order type you have on your upcoming turn. Enter the correct answers. If you enter the wrong numbers, you can always add or delete orders using the F6 and F7 keys. However, if you try to use more orders than you are entitled to, the extras will not be processed by Agents of Gaming when your turn runs. (And remember, buying orders does not mean you gain additional orders for the current turn; they cannot be used until NEXT turn.) As with ship moves, you can go to each order and enter it by hitting the Return key and filling in the parameters. Each order is two letters; parameters can be no more than four. NOTE: Parameters that are names, such as ship names, message text, mottoes, personal info strings, and ship name headers should all be entered in the LAST POSITION IN THE ORDER FIELD. Do not try to cram a ship name into the four-letter slots for order parameters. This is especially important with the NH (Name Header) order since the header, with its 5-letter maximum, would not fit in a normal parameter location. It should be entered in the last field instead. If you enter the wrong parameters, or get them out of order, or make any other mistake, the Aide will give you a warning message. Be sure to correct the mistake or the order will not work properly when it reaches Agents of Gaming. Keys that might help you with your orders include the following: Up/down arrows move from order to order ^up/down arrows shift orders from location to location (note: if your keyboard does not support the control-arrow combination, the A and Z keys may be used instead) ESC exits back to the main menu F1 gets help F2 clears everything and starts over from scratch ^J repeats the previous order exactly as you entered it ^N clears the current order F6/F7 add/delete orders F8 estimate EP expenditures The F8 key produces an estimate of how many resources the Aide thinks your orders will cost. You may be prompted to answer one or more questions before the estimate will be produced. Note that the Aide will assume ALL orders succeed at their maximum potential, so a final order like "BF 999" will truly confuse the calculation. 7. CONCLUSION Agents of Gaming offers the Warlord's Aide as a free service to our customers. We welcome comments, criticism and suggestions. In the unlikely event you have problems, find bugs, etc., give us a call at (513)233-6886, or send Email to B.GRAW1 on GEnie (internet address B.GRAW1@genie.geis.com). This information is also located on the Program Credits screen for easy reference. There is no need to register any copy of the WARLORD'S AIDE, and you can copy and distribute it at will. Unauthorized modifications or sale for profit are, however, prohibited. The program is copyright (c) 1994 Agents of Gaming. Necessary legal stuff: Agents of Gaming presents no warranties, either expressed or implied, with this program. Agents of Gaming shall not be held liable for damages, loss of data, or other inconveniences caused by use of the WARLORD'S AIDE. By installing and using this program you agree to these terms. Agents of Gaming has done its best to provide the WARLORD'S AIDE on virus-free media, but cannot be held responsible for undetected viruses should they be present, or should they appear on any copy of this software not provided directly by Agents of Gaming. If you discover a virus being transmitted with the WARLORD'S AIDE, regardless of the source, contact Agents of Gaming immediately! -- SFW Aide Manual, Version 1.43, Copyright (c) 1996 Agents of Gaming --