1<?xml version='1.0'?> 2<!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN" 3 "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"> 4<refentry id="crimson.6"> 5<refentryinfo> 6 <date>January 20 2007</date> 7 <author> 8 <firstname>Jens</firstname> 9 <surname>Granseuer</surname> 10 <address><email>jensgr@gmx.net</email></address> 11 </author> 12</refentryinfo> 13 14<refmeta> 15 <refentrytitle>crimson</refentrytitle> 16 <manvolnum>6</manvolnum> 17</refmeta> 18 19<refnamediv> 20 <refname>crimson</refname> 21 <refpurpose>a hex-based tactical combat game</refpurpose> 22</refnamediv> 23 24<refsynopsisdiv> 25 <cmdsynopsis> 26 <command>crimson</command> 27 <arg choice="opt">--level <replaceable>level</replaceable></arg> 28 <arg choice="opt">--width <replaceable>w</replaceable></arg> 29 <arg choice="opt">--height <replaceable>h</replaceable></arg> 30 <arg choice="opt">--fullscreen 1|0</arg> 31 <arg choice="opt">--sound 1|0</arg> 32 </cmdsynopsis> 33 34 <cmdsynopsis> 35 <command>crimson</command> 36 <group choice="req"> 37 <arg choice="plain">--help</arg> 38 <arg choice="plain">--version</arg> 39 </group> 40 </cmdsynopsis> 41</refsynopsisdiv> 42 43<refsect1><title>Description</title> 44 <para><application>Crimson Fields</application> is a tactical war 45 game in the tradition of the popular 46 <application>Battle Isle</application>. Two players 47 command a number of units on a map of hexagons, trying to 48 accomplish mission objectives ranging from defending important 49 locations to simply destroying all enemy forces. Damaged units 50 may be repaired or replaced by new recruits, while victorious 51 squadrons will improve their abilities so they will be even 52 more difficult to beat next time.</para> 53 54 <para>The game can be played against a human adversary in 55 hot-seat mode, over a network, or via e-mail, or against a computer 56 player.</para> 57 58 <para>The level editor 59 <citerefentry><refentrytitle>cfed</refentrytitle><manvolnum>6</manvolnum></citerefentry> 60 can be used to create your own levels.</para> 61</refsect1> 62 63<refsect1><title>Options</title> 64 <para>If called without options <command>crimson</command> will 65 open its main window using the settings from the last session or 66 the defaults if no previous settings exist.</para> 67 68 <variablelist> 69 <varlistentry> 70 <term><option>--level</option> <replaceable>level</replaceable></term> 71 <listitem> 72 <para>Skip the level selection window and load the mission 73 file <replaceable>level</replaceable>. The file may be 74 either a standard level file or a saved game. When starting a 75 new game this way you will be playing a single map against the 76 computer without any handicaps.</para> 77 </listitem> 78 </varlistentry> 79 80 <varlistentry> 81 <term><option>--width</option> <replaceable>w</replaceable></term> 82 <listitem> 83 <para>Set screen width to <replaceable>w</replaceable>. 84 Minimum screen width is 320. Default is 800.</para> 85 </listitem> 86 </varlistentry> 87 88 <varlistentry> 89 <term><option>--height</option> <replaceable>h</replaceable></term> 90 <listitem> 91 <para>Set screen height to <replaceable>h</replaceable>. 92 Minimum screen height is 240. Default is 600.</para> 93 </listitem> 94 </varlistentry> 95 96 <varlistentry> 97 <term><option>--fullscreen</option> 1|0</term> 98 <listitem> 99 <para>Turn fullscreen mode on/off. The default is to start 100 in windowed mode.</para> 101 </listitem> 102 </varlistentry> 103 104 <varlistentry> 105 <term><option>--sound</option> 1|0</term> 106 <listitem> 107 <para>Turn sound on/off. The default is on.</para> 108 </listitem> 109 </varlistentry> 110 111 <varlistentry> 112 <term><option>--help</option></term> 113 <listitem> 114 <para>Print a usage message on standard output and exit.</para> 115 </listitem> 116 </varlistentry> 117 118 <varlistentry> 119 <term><option>--version</option></term> 120 <listitem> 121 <para>Print version information on standard output and 122 exit.</para> 123 </listitem> 124 </varlistentry> 125 </variablelist> 126 127 <para>The display and sound options given to <command>crimson</command> 128 on startup will be saved to file and restored on the next program 129 start.</para> 130</refsect1> 131 132<refsect1><title>Getting Started</title> 133<refsect2><title>Introduction</title> 134 <para>The once peaceful planet Nexus has been invaded by beings calling 135 themselves the Empire of Kand who are determined to conquer Nexus or 136 destroy it completely. The public unrest has become violent as the 137 people attempt revolution against the invasion, but the Empire of Kand 138 are quick to silence opposition. Nexus is on the verge of war and its 139 people have formed factions to battle the Empire. As a member of one 140 of the major rebel factions, the Free Nexus Army, your goals are 141 obvious: to drive the intruders back to whichever part of the galaxy 142 they came from and restore peace on planet Nexus...</para> 143 <para>(This is the background story for most of the included missions 144 and the default campaign. There may be maps with entirely different 145 settings.)</para> 146</refsect2> 147<refsect2><title>Main Menu</title> 148 <para>The main screen presents a number of widgets to configure the 149 game. The most important decision is whether you want to play a 150 skirmish match, a campaign, or load a saved game. Skirmishes are 151 stand-alone maps while campaigns consist of a number of maps which 152 must be played (and won) in sequence. Each map that you advance to 153 during a campaign will also be unlocked for skirmish matches. While 154 campaigns can only be played against the computer, skirmishes can 155 additionally be played as hot-seat matches (two players on one 156 computer taking turns), e-mail matches (see <xref linkend="pbem"/>), 157 or over a network, and when playing against the computer you 158 get to choose which side you want to play on. For both game types 159 you can optionally define a handicap, to make the game a bit easier 160 or harder. What this means exactly depends on the map being played 161 but in most cases a handicapped player will have fewer units or 162 resources at his disposal than his opponent.</para> 163 <para>The large box on the left lists all available skirmishes, 164 campaigns, or saved games, while the box on the right displays a small 165 image of the selected map or, for campaigns, the story. For 166 skirmishes, the number in brackets shows the recommended number of 167 players. Missions designed for one player are often rather unbalanced 168 if played against another human since the computer plays so different 169 from a human, although a handicap can sometimes fix this.</para> 170 <para>After you have selected a map hit <guibutton>Start</guibutton> 171 to enter the game.</para> 172</refsect2> 173<refsect2><title>First Steps</title> 174 <para>After starting the match you will be presented with the mission 175 briefing. Here you are given your orders and objectives to win the map. 176 As both players usually have different and conflicting goals, each 177 player gets his own briefing session at the beginning of his first 178 turn.</para> 179 <para>After the briefing you will be presented with the map. This 180 is your command center. From here you can issue most of the orders 181 that will determine the outcome of the mission. The first player 182 commands the yellow units while the second player or computer 183 takes control of the blue units.</para> 184 <para>The map consists of small regions of land (or water) each known 185 as a <emphasis>hex</emphasis> (sometimes also called 186 <emphasis>field</emphasis> or <emphasis>square</emphasis>). 187 Left-clicking on a hex selects that hex and moves the cursor to it. If 188 there is a unit on the selected hex then a small bar will appear in 189 the lower left of the screen showing the rank of the unit, its type, 190 and the squad size (see <xref linkend="experience"/> for more 191 information about ranks). If there is instead a building or shop on 192 the selected hex, the information bar displays the name of the shop 193 and possibly some icons representing special attributes (see 194 <xref linkend="crystals"/> for details). Shops may occupy several 195 fields, but they only have a single entrance, which is marked by the 196 colour of the respective owner. Buildings with a white entrance are 197 neutral and not controlled by any player.</para> 198 <para>A right-click on one of your units generally brings up a context 199 menu for that unit (this does not apply to enemy units). Here you can 200 view the unit stats, or inspect its contents (transporters 201 only). Other units like mine-sweepers may have special skills which 202 also show up here. If the unit is not a transporter and does not offer 203 any special skills, the menu is skipped and you are directly taken to 204 the stats display.</para> 205 <para>The stats window is basically divided in two parts. The top part 206 shows the unit name and its values for speed, armour, and effectiveness 207 against ground troops, aircraft, and ships in that order, from the top 208 left to the bottom right. Most units have a weapon range of 1, meaning 209 they can shoot at units one hex away (i.e. directly next to it). For 210 units with different settings, the actual range is given in brackets 211 after the weapon power. The second part of the window lists the most 212 important terrain types. Shaded terrain indicates that the unit cannot 213 cross that ground.</para> 214 <para>Right-clicking anywhere but on a unit or pressing 215 <keycap>F1</keycap> pops up the <guimenu>Game</guimenu> menu where you 216 can review your mission objectives, take a look at an overview map, or 217 save your game, for example.</para> 218 <para>You select one of your units by simply clicking on it. Large parts 219 of the map will now be shaded to indicate that the unit cannot move 220 there. Unshaded enemy units are potential targets. To move to an 221 accessible field or attack a foe, simply double-click the respective 222 hex. If you accidentally sent your unit to a hex you did not want it to 223 go to, right-clicking on the unit gives you the option of reverting the 224 last move, as long as it did not trigger any special events.</para> 225 <para>If you click twice on one of your shops or a neutral one, you 226 enter that building. Of course, you can also move units into shops, 227 although only some units (<emphasis>Infantry</emphasis> in the default set) 228 can move into shops not owned by you, and some buildings may not allow 229 all unit types. Quite often buildings are important mission objectives. 230 Taking the enemy headquarters, e.g., is a very common goal. But even if 231 you do not specifically need to control a certain shop for victory, it 232 can still be very helpful as it may be possible to repair or build 233 units (see <xref linkend="crystals"/>).</para> 234 <para>When you have issued all orders, select <guibutton>End Turn</guibutton> 235 from the <guimenu>Game</guimenu> menu. Your commands are then executed, 236 fights are resolved, and your opponent gets his chance to strike 237 back...</para> 238</refsect2> 239</refsect1> 240 241<refsect1><title>Movement</title> 242 <para>Each unit may only move once each turn, and only if it did not 243 initiate combat on the same turn. <emphasis>Artillery</emphasis> and 244 <emphasis>Anti-Aircraft Guns</emphasis> cannot attack if they have already 245 been moved on the same turn. To move around on the map, a unit needs 246 <firstterm>movement points</firstterm>. The number in the upper left 247 corner of the unit information dialog (which can be brought up for one 248 of your units by right-clicking it) indicates how many hexes the unit can 249 move under optimal circumstances. The actual range is determined by 250 several factors.</para> 251 252 <para>For ordinary ground units the terrain can greatly reduce 253 the range of action. The maximum can only ever be reached on 254 roads, everything else will slow the unit down, and mountains 255 more so than forest. For airborne units or ships, terrain is of 256 no importance.</para> 257 258 <para>Enemy units can be trapped in order to prevent them from 259 using superior speed or to deny them access to certain areas of 260 the map. A unit which attempts to cross a hex between two 261 hostile units or one hostile unit and inaccessible terrain will 262 be stopped immediately after passing through.</para> 263 264 <para>A unit cannot leave a transport or building and enter 265 another one on the same turn. Enemy buildings can only be 266 conquered by infantry units.</para> 267</refsect1> 268 269<refsect1><title>Combat</title> 270 <refsect2><title>Results</title> 271 <para>Basically the probability to hit an enemy unit in combat 272 is the same for all unit types, although the attacker always 273 gets a slight advantage. This hit probability is then modified 274 by effects such as experience, distance to the target, terrain, 275 or wedging (see below). Similarly, each unit gets assigned a 276 probability for evading an attack which is then modified by 277 experience, terrain effects and blocking. If a unit scores a 278 hit it will increase its attack pool by an amount equal to its 279 strength. A unit which successfully evades an attack will have 280 its defence pool grow by an amount equal to its defence or 281 armour value. Finally, each attack pool is compared to the 282 enemy's defence pool, and the resulting ratio determines the 283 casualties on both sides.</para> 284 </refsect2> 285 286 <refsect2><title>Terrain</title> 287 <para>Terrain is an important factor in combat as it can 288 heavily influence a unit's effectiveness. For example, fighting 289 on a road or open plains will greatly increase attacking 290 strength but offers relatively poor defensive capabilities, 291 whereas a unit in the mountains will profit from the higher 292 position in both attack and defence. Terrain modifiers do not 293 apply for aircraft.</para> 294 </refsect2> 295 296 <refsect2><title>Wedging</title> 297 <para>Friendly units can help increase the combat strength of 298 an attacking unit without attacking themselves. For each 299 friendly unit which is adjacent to and capable of shooting at 300 the defender, the attacker will get a 10 per cent bonus. If the 301 unit is adjacent to the defender, but cannot attack it the 302 bonus is reduced to 5 per cent. A friendly unit in the back of 303 the defender will earn another 5 per cent bonus, or 10 if it 304 could also attack. It does not matter whether a wedging unit 305 actually attacks the defender. Wedging does not work for 306 long-range attacks.</para> 307 </refsect2> 308 309 <refsect2><title>Blocking</title> 310 <para>In a manner similar to wedging, defending units may 311 improve their position in combat. For each friendly unit 312 adjacent to the attacker and the defender, the defending unit 313 will have its combat strength increased by 10 per cent. Just 314 like wedging, blocking does not help against long-range 315 attacks.</para> 316 </refsect2> 317 318 <refsect2 id="experience"> 319 <title>Experience</title> 320 <para>Veteran units are usually much stronger than newly 321 assembled ones. If you manage to wipe out an enemy unit your 322 unit will receive three experience points. If the enemy is only 323 damaged you will still get one point. Every three experience 324 points a unit advances to a new rank which improves its combat 325 skills. Still, a seasoned infantry unit will have a very hard 326 time against a group of recently recruited heavy tanks. 327 Destroying mines does not earn any experience points.</para> 328 </refsect2> 329</refsect1> 330 331<refsect1 id="crystals"><title>Crystals</title> 332 <para>Crystals represent the resources required to maintain and 333 enlarge your army. You need them to repair damaged units or 334 build new ones.</para> 335 336 <refsect2><title>Repairs</title> 337 <para>Units which have been damaged in combat can be repaired 338 in any building equipped for this purpose (a 339 <firstterm>workshop</firstterm>). To check whether a building 340 is a workshop, click on it. For workshops a wrench icon will be 341 displayed in the small info bar that appears in the lower left 342 of the screen, and a repair button is available in the icon bar 343 inside. Repairing will restore a unit to its full strength and 344 requires an amount of 5 crystals, no matter what kind of unit 345 it is or how badly is was damaged. Apart from the crystal cost 346 the unit loses one experience point for each rookie that fills 347 up an empty slot.</para> 348 <para>The ability to repair damaged units is not necessarily 349 limited to shops. Some unit types may offer the same service 350 (from the standard unit set, for example, the 351 <emphasis>Aircraft Carriers</emphasis> can bring aircraft back 352 into shape). Repairs in units works exactly the same way as 353 in workshops, and you also need to supply the crystals to do 354 so.</para> 355 </refsect2> 356 357 <refsect2><title>Production</title> 358 <para>To build new units you need some crystals and a 359 <firstterm>factory</firstterm> (hammer icon). The amount of 360 crystals required depends on the type of unit you want to 361 build: A squad of light reconnaissance vehicles is cheaper 362 than a group of heavy attack choppers. Most factories can not 363 produce all unit types, even if you could afford it. If you 364 click on the production button inside a factory, you are shown 365 the list of units which can be built in this particular 366 factory. Next to each unit type is the amount of crystals that 367 will be consumed. Newly built units can only move on your next 368 turn.</para> 369 </refsect2> 370 371 <refsect2><title>Mines</title> 372 <para>To replenish your supply of crystals you need 373 <firstterm>mines</firstterm>. Mines are buildings which 374 'produce' a certain amount of crystals each turn. 375 They can not be identified from the outside. Many maps do not 376 have any mines at all, so it is always a good idea to consider 377 carefully what you spend your resources on. Crystals can be 378 transferred from one building to another (e.g. from a mine to 379 a factory) using any transporter unit.</para> 380 </refsect2> 381</refsect1> 382 383<refsect1 id="pbem"><title>Play-By-E-Mail</title> 384 <para>If <application>Crimson Fields</application> is played in 385 play-by-e-mail mode, the game will automatically be saved 386 whenever a player ends her turn. The resulting save file can 387 then be sent to your opponent using your favourite mail client 388 program.</para> 389 390 <para>On your first turn you will be asked for a password. You 391 will be prompted for this password at the beginning of each of 392 your turns to prevent your opponent from spying. Note, however, 393 that the password only offers very mild protection if you are 394 playing against deliberate cheaters. Choose your enemies 395 carefully!</para> 396</refsect1> 397 398<refsect1><title>Files</title> 399 <para>Unix 400 <simplelist> 401 <member><filename>~/.crimson/crimsonrc</filename></member> 402 <member><filename>~/.crimson/levels/</filename></member> 403 </simplelist></para> 404</refsect1> 405 406<refsect1><title>See Also</title> 407 <para> 408 <citerefentry><refentrytitle>cfed</refentrytitle><manvolnum>6</manvolnum></citerefentry>, 409 <citerefentry><refentrytitle>bi2cf</refentrytitle><manvolnum>6</manvolnum></citerefentry> 410 </para> 411</refsect1> 412 413<refsect1><title>Copyright</title> 414 <para>Copyright © 2000-2007 Jens Granseuer</para> 415 <para>This software is distributed under the terms of the 416 <ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public 417 License</ulink> (GPL).</para> 418</refsect1> 419</refentry> 420 421