  _  __  ___                                                   _  __  ___
 I_  I_   I                                                   I_  I_   I
 I_. _I. _I_.   ESI NY:516+794+1473  Sysop:The Head Librarian I_. _I. _I_.
                   PROWLS PLACE:718+271+0478 Sysop:Prowl
               
                      Up and running ESI since 1984!

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

 Worlds at War docs..

 1.Introduction

 'Worlds at War' is a model of naval combat.  As such, the game captures the
essential principals of naval warfare.  The game is for one or two players
and involves naval and amphibious combat, on a galactic scale. 

  Pieces represent base planets, neutral planets, task forces of different
types, bomber formation, missle barrages, scouts and marine landing craft.
You'll start the game with a certain number of production points and build
a fleet based on the strategic requirements of the randomly generated map. 
A small trickle of supplies will reach your base planet each turn, but the
game is primarily one of tactical combat, not production.


 2. Starting, saving and exiting the game

  When you first boot the program, you are asked to type in the name of a 
game. If the name is that of a previously saved game then that game is
restored.  If it's a new game, then a new game will be started. In
addition, you can start a new or saved game at any point during the game
through the function keys. 

 - How to enter a valid game name:

   The following operations require you to enter a valid game name. A
valid game name contains only the characters A-Z and 0-9. It must begin
with a letter and can be up to 8 characters long. It should NOT contain
any puncuation or blanks. Some valid names are:
 
   GAME1     MYGAME    FRED3    XYZ123

   Simply type the name into the lower text window.  You can correct any
mistakes with the backspace key. When ready, press the enter key.

 - Entering a game name after booting

  After you enter the password which ESI has taken care of, you will be 
asked to enter the name of a game.  Exhibit 2.4.1 shows the text windows
during this operation.

 (Exhibit 2.4.1)  _________________________________________________________
                  |EVERY GAME HAS TO BE NAMED, ENTER A NAME NOW:          |
                  |ESI1 (example)                                         |
                  |_______________________________________________________|
  
  At this point you have two choices: 1. You can enter a new game name,
or 2. Enter a saved game and that will be loaded. You will be able to play
where you left off.

 - Starting or Re-Starting a game with the function keys

   During a game, you can start a new game, or restart a previously saved
game by using the function keys. To view the Fkey-key menu, press F1.
Exhibit 2.4.2 shows this..

           _______________________________________________________
           |FUNCTIONS: F2   F3   F4   F5   F7   F8   F9          |
           |Command:  New  Open Save Quit  Up   FM  Confirm      |
           |_____________________________________________________|

F2=New Game
F3=Restore Game

2.5 How to save a game - The game automatically saves after each turn.
To turn the Auto-Save off, press F4.

2.6 How to exit the program - To exit, press F5


-- WARNING! -- Don't attempt to exit without saving first!

============================================================================
 
3.1 A quick tour of the game displays
 _________________________________________________________________________
 To help you get your bearings, follow this quick tour of the game.  It
 introduces some of the game's main features.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The configuration screen
 
   You should be looking at the configuration screen. There are lots of
options to try, but for now, just press <ENTER> and accept the default
configuration. 

The main map display

   You are looking at the main map disply, now. Your base planet is
blinking in the center of the map. The square boxes on the map are called
Areas.  The channels connecting them are called Hyperspace Paths. Let's
look around the map a bit.

Hold the shift key down and press the down arow key on the numeric key
pad.  This should scroll the map up one area. Make sure the num Lock key
stays off. Press shift down arow key a few more times, then try the other
arow keys. You can is the scroll feature to move anywhere on the map, but
its awkward on a large map.

The full map display

   Press the F8 key.  You're now looking at the full map display. The 
blinking rectangles (colored on a color display) represent areas which 
contain items of interest: a planet, a vehicle, or a cosmic gale. Notice
the buttons in the sidebar window. All the buttons are now on. Press the
'G' key. 'G' is for Gale. All the other buttons and go off and now only the
areas containing gales are blinking. Press the 'P' key. Now the areas only
containing planets are blinking.

Notice the pointing hand which is positioned somewhere near the top row.
Use the arrow keys to move the hand to a blinking area. Then press the
enter key. The map will now be redrawn with the selected are in the cneter.
You can use the Full Map Display to zoom quickly from one region of the map
to another.

The Victory Point Display

  Press the F7 key. you're now looking at the Victory Point Display. There
aren't any points charted yet, but these graphs help you keep a running
tally of both Neutral Planet Points and total Victory Points. You'll find
this to be very useful display. Press the enter key to return to the map
display.

The Side Bar Display

  Turn your attention to the side bar window on the left side of the
screen. The top section of this bar contain six indicators, one for each
game-turn phase. The Production indicator should be highlighted now, since
we are in the production phase.

  Below that are two boaxes, both of which contain the number 0. These
indicate the current victory points for each side. Your box is on the left,
the computer's in on the right. Tie score, but not for long...

  Below this is a window used for various dispplay.  Right now it contains
your base planet's production box.  A little while ago it contained the
control buttons for the Full Map Display.

The text windows

  At the very top of the screen are two text windows.  These windows will
send you a variety of messages, depending on the game state.

Flight Operation Phase

   Secondary pieces are launched during the Flight Operations Phase.
Secondary pieces include:

FM - Bomber Formations

BA - Missle Barrages

SC - Scouts

MLC - Marine Landing Craft

To launch a formation of 15 bombers from your Base Planet, do the
following:

- Press the down arrow key once so that the cursor box is in the position
shown in Ex. 3.1..

BOMBERS
      0
0    20
0----20
Missles
      0
     20
Scouts
      0
0     0
0----20
MLC
      0
      0



The Space-Ocean

  The vast Spcae-Ocean contains millions of galxies and uncounted civilized
planets.  But only those regions of the universe relatively close to
hyperspace terminus are of interest to you.

  The reason for this is simple. Hyperspace paths are the only way to get
form one distant part of the Space Ocean to another without travelling for
many years. These space highways are the main routes for trade, travel, and
conquest.  Most regions of the universe are far from a hyperspace terminus
and are this rarely visited by ships from the Great Powers!

=============================================================================
