Games PC MAGIC-THE GATHERING-BATTLEGROUNDS User Manual

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Games PC MAGIC-THE GATHERING-BATTLEGROUNDS User Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

Saving and Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

Welcome to Magic: The Gathering— Battlegrounds . . . . . . . .

4

Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

General Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6

Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8

VS Duel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

Arcade Duel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

Duel Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

Spell Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

Atari Web Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

End-User License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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1

GETTING STARTED

The ReadMe File

The Magic: The Gathering— Battlegrounds CD-ROM game has a ReadMe file where you can view both the License Agreement and updated information about the game. We strongly encourage you to read this file in order to benefit from changes made after this manual went to print.

To view this file, double-click on it in the Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds directory found on your hard drive (usually C:\Program Files\Atari\MagicTheGathering). You can also view the ReadMe file by first clicking on the Start button on your Windows® taskbar, then on Programs, then on Atari, then on Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds, and then on the ReadMe file.

System Requirements

Operating System:

Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP

Processor:

Pentium® III 800 MHz (Pentium® 4 1.3 GHz recommended)

Memory:

128 MB RAM (256 MB RAM recommended)

Hard Disk Space:

1.4 GB Free

CD-ROM Drive:

8X Speed

Video:

32 MB video card with Hardware T & L support*

 

(64 MB video card with Hardware T & L support*

 

recommended)

Sound:

Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*

 

(Sound Blaster® Audigyseries sound card recommended)

DirectX®:

DirectX® version 9.0b (included) or higher

Internet Connection:

Broadband Internet connection required for online play

* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX® version 9.0b or higher.

Setup and Installation

1.Start Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP.

2.Insert the Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds Install Disc into your CD-ROM drive.

3.If AutoPlay is enabled, a title screen should appear. If AutoPlay is not enabled, or the installation does not start automatically, click on the Start button on your Windows® taskbar, then on Run. Type D:\Setup and click on OK. Note: If your CD-ROM drive is assigned to a letter other than D, substitute that letter.

4.Follow the remainder of the on-screen instructions to finish installing the Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds CD-ROM game.

5.Once installation is complete, click on the Start button on the Windows® taskbar and choose Programs/Atari/MagicTheGathering/MagicTheGathering to start the game.

Note: You must have the Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds Play Disc in your CD-ROM drive to play.

Installation of DirectX®

The Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds CD-ROM requires DirectX® 9.0b or higher in order to run. If you do not have DirectX® 9.0b or higher installed on your computer, click “Yes” to accept the Direct X® 9.0b License Agreement. This will then launch the Direct X® 9.0b Install.

SAVING & LOADING

At startup, the game will automatically scan your hard disk for saved duelist information. If one or more duelists are present, the game will prompt you to load a duelist or create a new one. All duelist data, including acquired spells, is saved onto the hard disk.

CONTROLS

 

PLAYER 1 KEY

 

PLAYER 2 KEY

 

ACTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

W

 

Arrow up

 

Up

 

 

A

 

Arrow left

 

Left

 

 

S

 

Arrow down

 

Down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D

 

Arrow right

 

Right

 

 

J

 

NumPad 1

 

Sorceries

 

 

K

 

NumPad 2

 

Creatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L

 

NumPad 3

 

Enchantments

 

 

U

 

NumPad 4

 

Page left

 

 

O

 

NumPad 6

 

Page right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

NumPad 5

 

Reset

 

 

I

 

NumPad 5

 

Increase mana

 

 

 

 

 

 

(tap repeatedly)

 

 

Spacebar

 

NumPad 0

 

Attack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/ (Slash)

 

NumPad +

 

Shield

 

 

Q

 

NumPad . (period)

 

Taunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

3

WELCOME TO MAGIC: THE GATHERING

BATTLEGROUNDS

Take control of powerful duelists and engage in epic duels for magical supremacy online. Whether cracking the earth with powerful spells or summoning ferocious minions, you will have to use both brains and brawn to defeat your enemies. Overwhelming challenges surround you — the time has come to focus your energies and unleash the power within!

A Note to Players of the Magic: The Gathering® Card Game

If you have played the Magic: The Gathering® card game, then you already understand the fundamentals of mana, life points, creatures, enchantments, sorceries, and other important game rules. Although Magic: The Gathering Battlegrounds uses many of the same game mechanics, it played in real-time, which fundamentally alters certain aspects of the game. The following concepts do not translate to Battlegrounds:

You do not draw and discard cards — all of your spells are available at all times.

There is no graveyard.

Spell stacking is not applicable.

There is no four-card limit for spells — you can cast a spell as many times as you are able.

You are limited to two colors per deck.

You are limited to 10 spells per deck.

Mana costs are different than the cards.

Sorceries and instants are combined under sorceries.

There are no creature enchantments.

There are no artifacts.

You can only have two enchantments in play at once.

You can only have five creatures in play at once.

You have a shield.

You have a duelist attack.

Creatures fight until they are dead.

Damage is permanent.

Some creatures block.

The video game takes place in an arena.

Spells are cast by picking up mana crystals not by playing Lands.

Mana regeneration occurs over time.

Most creatures attack, but some block. Others run to the back and perform an ability.

Unsummon forces creatures to respawn, not to re-summon.

Flying creatures do not interact with ground creatures. They attack only other flying creatures or directly to the enemy duelist.

Since the game takes place in a 3D environment, strategies that are not possible in the card game quickly emerge and become key elements in determining victory. These include:

Creature placement

Speed and timing of spells

Timely mana collection

Size and height of creatures

Speed of creature

Wizard movement

MAIN MENU

From the Main Menu, you can choose from the following options:

Quest

Quest is a six-chapter adventure that will teach you basic and advanced dueling techniques and tactics. Complete the entire adventure to unlock duelists that are hidden in the game. See “Quest” on page 8 for more information.

VS Duel

Put your customized duelists and spellbooks to the test against human opponents. Choose the duelists and spellbook, determine the length of time for each round and the number of rounds, and duel! See “VS Duel” on page 9 for more information.

Arcade Duel

In the mood for a quick series of duels? Arcade Duel lets you duel against computercontrolled opponents using predetermined characters. See “Arcade Duel” on page 9 for more information.

Duel Online

Got your spells sorted and your strategies dialed? Then you’re ready to take it to the next level — online play against human opponents from around the world. See “Duel Online” on page 9 for more information.

Demo

If you leave the game idle for a period of time, it will switch to Demo, where you can watch two random computer-controlled opponents duel for a single round.

Note: Press any key during a Demo duel to return to the Start Screen.

Options

Adjust game and duel settings. See Options below for more information.

OPTIONS MENU

Controls Configuration – Customize commands for keyboard, mouse and gamepad controls. Click on the Switch Player button to customize controls for a particular player. When you are satisfied with your configuration, click on the Save button to save your setup and the Back button to return to the Options Menu. Note: Gamepads are the recommended controller. Although it is not recommended, it is possible for two players to share one keyboard.

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5

Audio Options

Set volume for music, sound effects and voice.

Game Options

Set time limit of the match, the number of rounds (1, 3 or 5), Quest difficulty and spellbook display.

Edit Spellbook

The Spellbook Editor allows you to create new spellbooks or modify existing spellbooks. The Spellbook Editor will lead you step-by-step through the creation of a new book. The following rules apply to spellbook creation:

Spellbooks must be either one or two colors.

You cannot have more than ten spells in your spellbook.

You cannot have more than nine sorceries in your spellbook.

You cannot have more than four enchantments in your spellbook.

You cannot have more than seven creature spells in your spellbook.

GENERAL RULES

Mana

Mana is magical energy, the firepower that allows you to cast spells. Every spell requires a certain amount of mana to cast

— more powerful spells require more mana.

As the duel progresses, mana appears on the ground as crystals. Simply run over a mana crystal to add it to your Mana Bar. Picking up a mana crystal increases the total amount of mana

available to you, but does not regenerate all of the mana in your Mana Bar. Each time you pick up a mana crystal, a mana timer begins that determines when the next crystal becomes available. The faster you gather mana crystals, the faster the next one appears.

Mana Regeneration

Mana slowly regenerates after you cast a spell. However, there are other ways to regenerate mana. For example, you can repeatedly tap the I key for a slight boost in regeneration. Also, as creatures die, they drop mana shards equal to their casting cost. You can run over these shards to regenerate mana, but doing so will not increase your current Mana Bar. In addition, the more mana available in your Mana Bar, the faster it regenerates.

Some Green spells and creatures have mana-generating abilities. See “Spell Reference” on page 10 for more information.

Spell Types

There are three types of spells: creature, sorcery and enchantment.

Creature spells summon physical beings to fight on your side against an opposing duelist. Each creature has two statistics: power, which indicates the amount of damage that creature deals when it attacks, and toughness, which indicates how much damage a creature can sustain before it dies. Some creatures also have special abilities. See “Spell Reference” on page 10 for more information.

Sorcery spells are powerful incantations that produce a wide variety of results. Depending on a sorcery’s color, its results can range from powerful direct damage to creature enhancement, from regeneration to life-draining, and more. See “Spell Reference” on page 10 for more information.

Enchantments are like permanent sorcery spells that produce global effects, such as speeding up one duelist’s creatures. Once cast, an enchantment functions continually until it is removed by a spell. Each duelist can have only two enchantments in play at a time. Note: Not all of the colors of magic have enchantments.

Casting Spells

Each spell requires you to spend a certain amount of mana, specified by the Mana Bars. You can cast any spell in your spellbook at any time if you have the required mana. Each spell category is associated with a key: J for for sorceries; K for creatures; and L for enchantments. Pressing one of these keys opens your spellbook and displays the spells in that category.

Each page of your spellbook contains three spells, which you cast by pressing the J, K or L keys. You can press U or O to turn to a new page in your spellbook. Press I to return to the Spell Casting category selection.

Casting Time

The time it takes to cast a spell is directly related to the amount of mana it takes to cast that spell. The more mana a spell requires, the longer it takes to cast that spell.

Creature Combat

When you cast a creature spell, it comes to life at a speed relative to its casting cost. While a creature is being summoned it cannot attack or defend.

Most creatures will rush toward the opposing duelist and attempt to deal damage. (Some creatures have other special purposes and do not attack.) If a creature reaches an enemy duelist unopposed, it will do damage equal to its power

directly to the duelist’s health points. If the creature crosses paths with another creature, it will deal its damage to that creature. It will also take damage equal to the opposing creature’s power.

If either creature sustains damage equal to its toughness, it is destroyed. Once a creature deals its damage, it fades away and rematerializes at its casting point.

Note: Some creatures have special abilities — such as flying, regeneration and trample

— that alter the basic rules of combat. See the “Glossary” on page 16 for more information about special abilities.

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