Games PC GREAT NAVAL BATTLES IV-BURNING STEEL User Manual

G
REATNAVALBATTLES
User’s Manual
V
IV:BURNING STEEL
This product has been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. For information about the ESRB rating, or to commentabout the appropriateness ofthe rating, please contactthe ESRB at 1-800-771-3772
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................ i
PLAYER’S GUIDE ............... 1
Selecting Game Options........ 1
Game Options Menu .......... 1
SCENARIOS..................... 3
COMMON DISPLAYFEATURES.... 8
Status Bar .................... 8
Message Bar .................. 8
Buttons, Panels,
Screens and Windows......... 8
Using the Mouse .............. 8
MENU BAR..................... 9
Files Menu .................. 10
Credits (Alt–C) .............. 10
Save Game (Alt–S) ........... 10
Quit (Alt–Q)................. 10
Exit to DOS (Alt–X)........... 10
Controls Menu............... 11
Sound (Alt–V) ............... 11
Messages (Alt–M) ............ 11
Time (Alt–T).................11
Pause Game (Alt–P).......... 11
Memory Use (Alt–Z).......... 11
Options (Alt–O).............. 12
Customizer (Alt–U) .......... 12
View Control (Alt–I).......... 17
Stations Menu ............... 17
Reports Menu................ 17
Statistics (Alt–F1) ............ 17
Victory (Alt–F2).............. 17
Visibility (Alt–F3) ............ 17
Reinforcements (Alt–F4) ...... 17
Briefings Menu............... 18
Ships (Ctrl–F1) .............. 18
Aircraft (Ctrl–F2) ............ 18
Guns (Ctrl–F3) .............. 18
Torpedoes (Ctrl–F4).......... 18
COMMANDING TASK FORCES
AND SHIPS.................... 19
Flagbridge Station ............ 19
Map Panel.................. 20
Flagbridge Control Bar ....... 24
Ship Bridge Station ........... 35
Air Operations Button
and Panel .................. 36
Damage Button and Panel ... 37 Gun Button and
Gunnery Panel .............. 39
Nav Button and
Navigation Panel............ 41
Torp Button and
Torpedo Panel .............. 41
Main Gunnery ControlStation .. 43
Gunnery Basics.............. 43
Director Control Layout ...... 44
Individual Turret Controls.... 50
Secondary Gunnery Control . . . 53
Torpedo Station.............. 53
Torpedo Basics .............. 53
View Bearing Indicator....... 55
Magnification Thumb Control.55 Magnification Level Readout.. 55
Mount Selection Controls ..... 55
Compass Dial ............... 55
Auto / Manual Switch ........ 56
Reload Readouts............. 56
Target Readout Control....... 56
Torpedo Activation Switches .. 56
Torpedo Ready Lights ........ 57
Fire Button ................. 57
Spread ..................... 57
Torp Set Knob............... 57
Torpedo Range Readout ...... 58
Speed Readout .............. 58
Fire Angle Readout
and Controls................ 58
Target Speed Readout ........ 58
Target Range Readout........ 58
Target Heading.............. 58
Damage Indicators........... 58
Air Operations Station ........ 59
Air Operations Control Bar.... 59
Summary Panel ............. 60
Aircraft Information ......... 61
Formation Information....... 62
Ready Button and
Ready Aircraft Window....... 62
Unready Button and
Unready Aircraft Window..... 65
Launch Button and
Launch Aircraft Window ..... 65
Damage Control Station....... 66
Damage.................... 66
Damage Station Control Bar .. 67 Damage Control Party Icons .. 68
Pumps ..................... 68
Deck Display................ 69
Compartment DamageReport.. 70 Flooding Button and Panel ... 72 Structure Button and Panel ... 73
Effects of Damage............ 73
Lookout Station .............. 75
Sub Operations Station........ 76
Map Panel.................. 77
Submarine Orders ........... 77
Bases ....................... 77
Base Station ................ 78
The Environment............. 82
Beaufort Scale............... 83
Visiblity .................... 84
GNB4 SCENARIO EDITOR ...... 85
Getting Started............... 85
Menu Bar.................... 86
Buttons and Windows........ 86
Using the Mouse............. 86
Controls Menu............... 87
Description Menu (Alt–D)..... 87
Date / Time Menu (Alt–T)..... 87
Weather Menu (Alt–W) ....... 87
Screens Menu................ 87
Base Screen ................. 88
TF (Task Force) Screen ....... 97
Submarine Operations
Screen .................... 102
Reports Menu............... 104
Visibility .................. 104
Reinforcements ............ 104
Bases ..................... 104
Task Forces ................ 104
Ships ..................... 104
Briefings Menu.............. 104
INTRODUCTION
Great Naval Battles IV (GNB4) expands the scope of SSI’s acclaimed line of naval simulators to include World War II naval actions in many of the theaters that saw the shadow of the battle wagon. From the frigid Barents Sea to the balmy Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the English Channel, the Allies can be pitted against Axis forces in one-day battle scenarios or longer campaigns. The Axis forces include the German, Italian and French navies, while U.S., British, and Soviet ships are available on the Allied side.
In addition to increasing the scope of the game, several new features and improvements have been added:
REATNAVALBATTLESVOL
The G
. IV Customizer allows alterations in game variables to reflect the preferences
of the Commander-in-Chief.
A tactical view panel on theFlagbridge,Ship Bridge, and Air Operations stations showsthe action as it happens.
Radar is now available for ships and bases.
The types of ships and planes for both the Allied and Axis sides have been expanded.
Submarine operations have been added.
The addition of a Random Battle Generator, with ten orders of battle for each side, means that over 100 random scenarios for either surface or carrier actions can now be fought.
The level of realism has been increased by adding structural damage ratings for all ships.
i
I
NTRODUCTION
PLAYER’S
GUIDE
This section contains the information you need to play G
REATNAVALBATTLESVOL
. IV. It is written for a mouse-
equipped machine, but you can also use keyboard equivalents for most of the game functions. If this is your first experience with a G
REATNAVALBATTLES
series game, a tutorial scenario has been provided in a PDF (Portable Document File) and can be viewed through the Adobe Acrobat™ Reader. In order to become familiar with many of the options and commands, we recommend that you play this scenario at least once before trying one of the historical scenarios.
S
ELECTINGGAME
O
PTIONS
REATNAVALBATTLESVOL
G
. IV includes a variety of scenarios and game features. As you begin a new game, you are given the opportunity to select from the available options in a series of menus. Each menu presents one basic choice, and the menus progress in logical order, reflecting the choices you make.
Game Options Menu
This menu enables you to choose the game that you want to play. G choice of historical scenarios, scenarios that you create using the GNB4 S scenario. You may also load a saved game or exit to DOS.
If you decide to change your choices, left-click on the CANCEL button on the current screen to return to the game options menu.
REATNAVALBATTLESVOL
CENARIOEDITOR
, or a random
. IV offers the
Difficulty Levels
Once you make a scenario selection, you are offered a choice of difficulty levels:BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED, and EXPERT. The harder you set the level, themore the computer opponent receives an advantage
in material, rate of fire, and accuracy.
Beginner
All enemy ships are visible on the map panel, even before your task forces, ships, submarines, or partisans make contact. They appear as grey task forces or ships. Your side’s spotting ability is at the highest setting. Play at this setting for a while until you can familiarize yourself with the controls.
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LAYER’SGUIDE:SELECTINGGAMEOPTIONS
Intermediate
Enemy ships and planes do not appear on the map panel until contact is made. Spotting ability is equal for both sides and contact with the enemy is more easily broken. This makes for an even fight.
Advanced
Spotting ranges for your side are decreased and contact is more difficult to maintain once the enemy has been spotted. The artificial intelligence (AI) for the enemy side is enhanced. This should be challenging.
Expert
Contact range is decreased even more, contact is broken easily, but the enemy’s ability to see your forces is increased. The enemy’s AI, accuracy, rate of fire, and resupply levels are at their highest levels. Good luck, you’ll need it.
Select Side
Select the side you want to play, either Allied or Axis.
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LAYER’SGUIDE:SELECTINGGAMEOPTIONS
SCENARIOS
Select Scenario
The scenarios that are included G the European theaters, from the initial successes of the Axis in 1941 to the overwhelming power of Allied fleets in 1944.
Tutorial
TIME
: May 1, 1941
AXIS FORCE
: BB Bismarck, CA Prinz Eugen
LOCATION
This is a straightforward shooing match between the German vessels Bismarck and Prinz Eugen versus the Hood and Prince of Wales of the Royal Navy. This scenario allows for familiarization with most of the ship system, particularly navigation and gunnery.
Oran
TIME
: July 3, 1940
AXIS FORCE ALLIED FORCE
: BB Bretagne, Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Richelieu, 4 cruisers, 13 destroyers
LOCATION
: CV Hermes, BBBarham, Malaya, Warspite, RoyalSovereign, Resolution, 7 cruisers, 17 destroyers
After the fall France, the British destroyed the French fleet rather than letting it fall into Axis hands. What if the French had been ready and waiting?
Battle of the Denmark Straights
TIME
: 5:45A.M. May 24, 1941
AXIS FORCE
: BB Bismarck, CA Prinz Eugen
One of the most famous naval engagements of the World War II. The German raiding force attempting to breakout into the convoy lanes of the North Atlantic is detected by British Cruisers. The German ships nearly escape from their shadowers, but on the morning of May 24 they are intercepted by a British battleship group.
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. IV give you the full spectrum of naval warfare in
: North Atlantic
ALLIED FORCE
: BB Hood, Prince of Wales
: Algerian coast, Western Mediterranean
LOCATION
: Denmark Straights between Iceland and Greenland.
ALLIED FORCE
: BB Hood, Prince of Wales, CA Norfolk, Suffolk
continues...
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S
CENARIOS
Battle of the River Plate
TIME
: 6:14A.M. December 13, 1939
AXIS FORCE
: BB Graf Spee
ALLIED FORCE
LOCATION
: Mouth of the River Plate, west of Montevideo, Uruguay.
: CA Exeter, Ajax, Achilles
The Graf Spee’s voyage across the South Atlantic had been extremely successful; 50,000 tons of shipping had been captured or sunk. The Graf Spee’s captain has decided to head for home, but on the way he will make one more attack on Allied shipping in the River Plate area. The British area commander predicts this move and positions his Cruiser force in the same area.
PQ-17
TIME
: July 5, 1942
AXIS FORCE
: BB Tirpitz, CA Hipper, Scheer
LOCATION
: Barents Sea, north of Norway
ALLIED FORCE
: Convoy and destroyer escorts
The battleship Tirpitz was used as a commerce raider on convoys bound for Archangel. Allied convoys that spotted the Tirpitz usually scattered, which only made the task of their destruction easier for the wolfpacks and bombers out of Norway. In this hypothetical scenario, convoy PQ-17 has decided to make a run for it in a group, pursued by the Tirpitz and the cruisers Hipper and Scheer.
Gibraltar
TIME
: July, 20 1940
AXIS FORCE
: CV Bearn, BB Provence, Richelieu, Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Conte Di Cavour, Guilio Cesare,
Littorio, Vittorio Veneto, 11 cruisers, 20 destroyers, 5 transports
LOCATION
: Western Mediterranean
ALLIED FORCE
: CV Hermes, Formidable,
BB Barham, Malaya, Warspite, Resolution, Revenge, 9 cruisers, 17 destroyers The combined forces of the Italian and Vichy French navies hope to make a quick strike and capture the
fortress of Gibraltar. The British have other plans.
Atlantic Convoy Run
TIME
: May 1, 1940
AXIS FORCE
: CV Graf Zeppelin, BB Scharnhorst, 4 cruisers, 5 destroyers
LOCATION
: Barents Sea, north of Norway
ALLIED FORCE
: CV Furious, Eagle,
BB Warspite, Nelson, 6 cruisers, 10 destroyers, 6 transports The supply runs in the Atlantic were vital in keeping the British in the war. The Kriegsmarine sends out a task
force with the Graf Zeppelin to handle one such run.
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S
CENARIOS
Battle of Matapan
TIME
: 07:22A.M. March 28, 1941
AXIS FORCE
: BB Vittorio Veneto, 8 cruisers, 13 destroyers
LOCATION
: Mediterranean Sea
ALLIED FORCE
: BB Warspite, Barham, Valiant,
CV Formidable, 4 cruisers, 12 destroyers The main aim of the British fleet in the Mediterranean had been to engage the Italians in a major surface
action since the entry of Italy into WWII. The Italian fleet sortie at the end of March, 1941 gave the British the chance they had been seeking.
Battle of the North Cape
TIME
: 8:34A.M. December 26, 1943
AXIS FORCE
: BB Scharnhorst, 6 destroyers
LOCATION
ALLIED FORCE
: Barents Sea, north of Norway.
: BB Duke of York, CA Norfolk, Belfast, Jamaica,
8 destroyers The German Navy attempted to cut the Arctic convoy route with any available ships. By the end of 1943 the
Battleship Scharnhorst was the only major unit ready for action. With an escort of modern destroyers she sortied into the convoy routes. The Royal Navy had advance knowledge of this attack from Ultra codebreak­ing and was ready for the Scharnhorst.
Leningrad
TIME
: August 8, 1941
AXIS FORCE
: German North Sea Fleet
LOCATION
: Baltic Sea
ALLIED FORCE
: Soviet Baltic Fleet
The Germans have been able to build a sizable attack force in the Baltic, having been spared the heavy losses in Norway in this hypothetical scenario. The Soviet fleet, based in Riga and Leningrad, are all that stand in defense of the northern port.
continues...
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CENARIOS
Battle of the Barents Sea
TIME
: 6:00A.M. December 30, 1942
AXIS FORCE
: BB Lutzow, CA Hipper, 6 destroyers
LOCATION
: Barents Sea, north of Norway
ALLIED FORCE
: CA Sheffield, Jamaica, convoy with 4 destroyers
The Arctic convoys were a major supply route to Russia for supplies from Britain and the US. The German surface navy in 1942 was mostly positioned to threaten this route, and in this case a force attempted to inter­cept convoy JW51B, which was only lightly covered by destroyers and two cruisers.
Battle of Toulon
TIME
: June 15, 1940
AXIS FORCE
: BB Conti Di Cavour, Giulio Ceasare, Andrea Doria, Cario Duilio, Littorio, Vittorio Veneto,
11 cruisers, 24 destroyers
LOCATION
ALLIED FORCE
: French coast, Western Mediterranean
: BB Courbet, Richelieu, Dunkerque, Strasbourg, 8 cruisers,
28 destroyers With the fall of France imminent, Italy joins the Axis with its eye on the French fleet. In defiance of orders
from the Vichy government to surrender to the Italians, the French navy intends to put up a fight.
Trafalgar II
TIME
: September 10, 1942
AXIS FORCE
: CV Bearn, BB Bretagne, Provence, Lorraine, Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Richelieu, Courbet,
12 cruisers, 31 destroyers
LOCATION
ALLIED FORCE
: Barents Sea, north of Norway.
: CV Courageous, Arc Royal, Illustrious, BB Queen Elizabeth,
Royal Sovereign, Royal Oak, Warspite, Repulse, Nelson, Rodney, King George V, Renown, Valiant, 14 cruisers, 28 destroyers
What if France had fought back and been able to push the Germans out in 1941? Still angered at the British attempt to destroy her fleet at Oran in 1940, the resurgent French take on the Royal navy.
continues...
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CENARIOS
Campaigns:
Jutland ‘40
TIME
: October 10, 1940
Unable to achieve air superiority over Britain, the Germans turn to the Kriegsmarine to cripple England. With help from the Vichy French, the Germans hope to fare better than they did in 1914.
Operation Mercury
TIME
: August 12, 1942
The island of Malta served as a major supply port for Allied operations in North Africa. This hypothetical sce­nario represents an Axis attempt to eliminate this thorn from General Rommel’s side using the Italian navy with air support from the Luftwaffe. Once done, the Allied war effort in North Africa should grind to a halt.
Black Sea
TIME
: June 12, 1942
As the Germans push through southern Russia on land, the Italian and French navies meet the Soviets and the remainder of the British Mediterranean fleet in the Black Sea. With the Axis in firm control of the Mediterrainean, the Turks have joined the Axis and provided a base in Istanbul.
Operation Sealion
TIME
: September 8, 1940
This hypothetical scenario pits the forces of the German Kreigsmarine against the Royal Navy in a winner­take-all match to decide the fate of the British Isles. Operation Sealion would have been the logical result had the RAF lost the Battle of Britain to the Luftwaffe; this is why the Germans have air superiority in the form of air cover flying from bases in France.
LENGTH
LENGTH
LENGTH
LENGTH
: 10 days
: 18 days
: 21 days
: 22 days
LOCATION
LOCATION
LOCATION
LOCATION
: The North Sea
: The Central Mediterranean
: The Black Sea
: The English Channel
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S
CENARIOS
COMMON
DISPLAY
FEATURES
Two display bars are shownatmost stations, one at thetopof the screen and oneatthe bottom. They contain general purpose information and controlsthatare not specific to anyparticularstation. There is also amenubar which allows access to manyimportantgame controls (see the menubarsection below). There are avarietyof displays shown throughout the gamewhichare controlled using a varietyofbuttons and mouse commands.
S
TATUSBAR
M
ESSAGEBAR
B
UTTONS
P
ANELS,SCREENS
AND
W
INDOWS
U
SING THE
M
OUSE
The Status Bar appears at the top of the Flagbridge, Ship Bridge,andAir Ops stations. It shows the name of the current station, the date, the time of sunrise and sunset, and the wind and visibility conditions.
The Message Bar is at the bottom of the Flagbridge, Ship Bridge, Main Gun Control, Secondary Gun Control, Torpedo, Damage, Air Operations and Lookout stations. It features displays which show the last message received, the name ofthe currently selected task force or of the currently selected ship, and the current time. The “x1” button opens a window for changing the game speed setting. The red STOP button pauses and the green GO button resumes the game. Messages are controlled by the scroll arrows at the left end of the display area. The next display is the currently selected task force (TF) which can be changed with the scroll arrows. The speed of play and pause status can be accessed by left-clicking on them.
Many functions inG
,
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. IV and the GNB4 S
CENARIOEDITOR
utilize radio buttons, which usually toggle items, and larger rectangular buttons, which frequently open up windows. Many windows have two buttons, OK and CANCEL, which complete the current operation or abort the current operation and return to the previous screen.
A screen is a full-sized change, apanel is a discrete area within a screen (which may change when a button is left-clicked), a control is an area within a panel, and awindowis something that pops up in response to a command or pressing a button.
The mouse buttons can be used three different ways: Left-Click: This means moving the cursor over something on the screen and pressingthe left mouse button once. This is how most buttons, both radio and rectangular, are used. Double Left-Click: This means moving the cursor over something on the screen and pressing the left mouse button twice quickly. This is how most items on lists are selected. Right-Click: This toggles the menu bar on and off.
8
C
OMMONDISPLAYFEATURES
MENU BAR
menu bar
controls
menu
map panel
view panel
pause/resume game
status bar
game speed buttoncurrent TFmessage bar
The menu bar gives you quick access to a variety of game functions. It appears at the top of the screen when you right-click or press Esc and can be closed by right-clicking or pressing Esc a second time.Note: While the menu bar is active, all other game controls are inactive until the menu bar is closed.
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M
ENUBAR
F
ILESMENU
The options on theFILES menu deal mostly with issues that are external to the game such as saving games, quitting a scenario and exiting to the operating system.
Credits(Alt–C)
This option provides you with the game credits and current version number.
SaveGame(Alt–S)
This option enables you to save a game in progress so that you can quit and resume it later. Each saved game uses at least 380K of disk space.
Quit (Alt–Q)
This option enables you to leave the current scenario.Note: The game does not return directly to DOS, but instead gives you a victory report and an opportunity to start another game or load a saved game if you desire.
Exit to DOS (Alt–X)
This option enables you to leave the game completely and return to the operating system.
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ENUBAR:FILESMENU
C
ONTROLSMENU
The CONTROLS menu offers options that affect the overall play of the gamesuch as sound, message delay, game speed and the Customizer.
Sound (Alt–V)
This option controls the game sound. You can turn the sound, music, or voice controls on or off.
Messages(Alt–M)
This option enables you to select whether messages are accompanied by sounds, and whether the game automatically pauses or simply delays briefly to give you time to read them. You can set the delay time from1–9seconds.
Time(Alt–T)
This option enables you to specify the pace at which the action happens, with “1” being real time and the other values being accelerated time (“2”, “3”, or “A”; “A” being the highest speed your microprocessor can run the game). Some controls or views may not display any changes at higher time levels. There is a button in the lower right-hand corner which displays “1” through “A” that can also access this function by left-clicking on it.
PauseGame(Alt–P)
This option enables you to suspend and restart the game. Its effect is to toggle the game clock on and off. Note: All game controls continue to function during the pause, so you can pause, input orders, and then resume. The red STOP and green GO buttons in the lower right-hand corner serve the same purpose.
Memory Use(Alt–Z)
This displays the status of your computer’s random access memory. It is useful to the SSI Technical Support Staff if you experience difficulties running the game. There are no user selected controls on this screen.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
Options (Alt–O)
This window contains four different “reality level” settings, which can be toggled on or off by using radio buttons. The Aground and Collision buttons control whether or not ships can hit submerged portions of coastline or each other. Auto Combat lets the computer run the battle for you at a greatly accelerated pace. Base Search automatically readies and launches available aircraft assigned to all bases. The aircraft automat­ically conduct Search missions, and report all contacts. See the section on Air Ops on page 14 for more information about search missions.
Customizer (Alt–U)
The Customizer is a powerful tool for controlling the values used by G variable levels of historical accuracy for either side during an engagement or campaign. Settings for each side, Axis or Allied, are changed using the Choose Side control. Four different groups of settings can be changed by the buttons on the Modes control to change values for Air Ops, Campaign, Tactical, and Weapons customization. These buttons are constant while the Customizer screen is active. Each group of settings has several panels with five buttons that range from the least effective setting to the most effective.
Settings can be saved by using the SAVE button, and entering a name for that group of settings on the SAVE CUSTOM menu that appears. There is also a LOAD button which calls up the list of saved settings. Double left-click, or highlight and press Enter, on the name of the group of settings to be loaded. Once a group of settings has been chosen or loaded, left-click on the OK button to activate those settings and return to the game.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
Weapons
The Weapons screen is the initial screen which appears when the Customizer is activated. The nine panels on this screen control Gun Accuracy, Bomb Accuracy, Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Effectiveness, Gun Damage, Bomb Damage, Torpedo Damage, Air Torp Damage, Torp Dud Rate and Air Torp Dud Rate. The damage and accuracy panels have a range of five steps, from
LOWEST to HIGHEST. A lower setting means less accurate and effective fire, higher means more accurate and devastating bombs, torpedoes, and guns.
The torp dud rate panels range from NONE, meaning a 100% explosion rate, to HIGHEST, meaning that most of the torpedoes fired or dropped by that side fail to explode.Note: Some torpedoes may still failto explode because they missed or did not actually hit the target, even if they appear to do so.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
Air Ops
Four panels appear on the Air Ops Customizer screen: Ready Time, CAP (Combat Air Patrol), Search and CAP Range.
READY TIME: This panel controls theamountof time required to fuel and loadaircraft. The settings range from LONGEST to SHORTEST.
CAP: Combat Air Patrol is made up of fighters whose mission is to interdict all enemy aircraft. The more effective the CAP the fewer enemy planes can attack friendly ships and bases. This panel ranges from WEAKEST, meaning less effective, to STRONGEST, being most effective.
SEARCH: In order to attack, the enemy must first be located. Searching values range fromVERY BAD to BEST. CAP RANGE: This panel controls the distance from the base or ship that CAP aircraft can intercept enemy
planes, from SHORTEST to LONGEST.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
Campaign
The Campaign Customizer screen has seven panels: Ground Combat, Bombard­ment, Repair, Reinforce­ments, Loading, Unloading and Sub Ops.
GROUND COMBAT: Settings on thispanelrange from LOWEST to HIGHESTindicatingthe effectiveness of all non-naval, non-air forces.
BOMBARDMENT: This panel controls the damageandaccuracy of level bombers such as theB-17e and the G3M3 Nell, as well as navalbombardment.The range is from LOWEST to HIGHEST.
REPAIR: Ships damaged during long scenarios may be repaired atarateranging from SLOWEST to FASTEST. REINFORCEMENTS: This controls how quickly reinforcements become available during a scenario, from
SLOWEST to FASTEST. LOADING: This controls how quickly troops and cargo are placed aboard ships, from SLOWEST toFASTEST. UNLOADING: This setting controls how quickly troops and cargo exit ships, from SLOWEST to FASTEST. SUB OPS: The effectiveness ofsubmarineinterceptions and attacks can beadjustedfrom LOWEST to HIGHEST.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
Tactical
On the Tactical Customizer screen, six panels affect aspects of surface engage­ments between ships: Radar, Sight Reaction, Structural Damage, Damage Control, Torp Evade, and Reload Time.
RADAR: These buttons adjustthe accuracy of radar forranging, rated from WORSTto BEST. Radar must be present on a shipfor this setting to havean effect.
SIGHT REACTION: This setting controls the probability for visual spotting of enemy ships, planes, and torpe­does. The range is from LOWEST to HIGHEST.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE: Repeated hits by enemy fire can weaken the structural integrity of a warship. This control adjusts the severity of the effect of structural damage, ranging from NONE to HIGHEST.
DAMAGE CONTROL: The damage controlcrews’ability to repair damage incombatcan mean the difference between victory and defeat. Thispanelcontrols the speed at whichthecrews work, from SLOWEST toFASTEST.
TORP EVADE: When incoming torpedoes have been spotted a ship turns into their path in order to minimize the chance of impact. The effectiveness of this maneuver ranges from LOWEST to HIGHEST.
RELOAD TIME: Most crews were not trained to reload torpedoes in combat. For hypothetical games, crews can be given the ability to do so by setting this control at any setting except SLOWEST.
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ENUBAR:CONTROLSMENU
View Control (Alt–I)
The view control window has two sets of radio buttons labeled Events and Target. EVENTS: With the Events control on, the View panel on the Flagbridge, Ship bridge, and Air Ops stations
shows the first hit from gunfire, all torpedo hits, and the sinking of target vessels. TARGET: With the Target control on, the View panel centers on the current target of the active ship.
S
TATIONSMENU
R
EPORTSMENU
The Stations pull-down menu allows movement between the screens where command of the task force or vessel really happens. The options on this menu can also be selected using function keys F1 to F9. See the section “Commanding Task Forces and Ships” on page 19 for more detailed information about each station.
This menu enables you to get a variety of summary reports. Left-click on an item in one of these reports to get more details about it.
Statistics(Alt–F1)
This window shows the number of rounds fired from main and secondary batteries and the number of tor­pedoes fired. The number of hits and the percentage of hits from rounds fired is also indicated.
Victory (Alt–F2)
This window lists the ships, aircraft, and bases in thecurrentscenario,their status, and victory point value. Each side’s list can be accessed by left-clicking on the flagorbuttonon the right side, and each side’s total victory points are calculated at the bottom. At the end of thescenariothelevel of victory is shown on a bar above theCONTINUE button. This shows a result based on damage inflicted, butnotcasualtiestaken, until the scenario is ended.
Visibility (Alt–F3)
Destroyers, cruisers, and battleshipshave observation towers of differentheights. The ranges atwhich the dif­ferent sized ships canspot each of the othersizes of ships isshown here. If radar isin use, it isindicated as well.
Reinforcements(Alt–F4)
This window lists upcoming reinforcements if specified as part of the scenario.
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ENUBAR:STATIONSMENU
B
RIEFINGSMENU
This menu enables you to get background information on the naval vessels, aircraft, and naval and aerial weapons systems in use in the Atlantic Theater.
Ships (Ctrl–F1)
This screen shows a waterline view of the selected ship in the top third and an overhead view in the lower third. The center panel shows statistics pertinent to the class of vessel. The control bar at the very bottom has buttons that control the selection of what is shown. The NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons cycle through the list of vessels. The LIST button opens a window with a list of all the ships available to either side. The leftand right arrow keys rotate the top view around the ship’s axis, while the “+” and “–” keys zoom the view in and out. CHANGE SKY alters the apparent light level and changes the cloudscape.
Aircraft (Ctrl–F2)
This screen shows a side view of the aircraft at the top of the screen. The panel in the middle shows statistics pertinent to the class of aircraft. The control bar at the very bottom of the screen has buttons that control the selection of what is shown. The NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons cycle through the list of aircraft. The LIST button opens a window with a list of all the aircraft available in the game. The left and right arrow keys rotate the top view around the aircraft’s axis, while the “+” and “–” keys zoom the view in and out. CHANGE SKY changes the cloudscape without altering the apparent light level.
Guns (Ctrl–F3)
This screen shows statistical data on the guns that were used during the period portrayed in the game, by the Allied and Axis forces.
Torpedoes (Ctrl–F4)
This screen shows statistical data on the torpedoes that were used during the period portrayed in the game, by the Allied and Axis forces.
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ENUBAR:BRIEFINGSMENU
COMMANDING
T ASKFORCES
AND SHIPS
Command of task forces or ships is managed through the use of several action stations aboard the flag ship of a task force or from the bridge of a specific ship. These stations are selected by using the options from the Stations menu or the function keys F1 through F9.
station
F
LAGBRIDGE
S
TATION
base
task force
map panel
map zoom
level
view panel
scroll buttons
message display
view bearing control
view zoom control
active task force
The Flagbridge is the first station you enter when you start a new engagement. TheFLAGBRIDGE station is selected from the Stations pull-down menu or by pressing F1.
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map panel zoom cotrols
center view button
game speed control
pause/resume game
MapPanel
The Map panel is displayed as part of the Flagbridge, Ship Bridge, and Air Operations stations. The maps generally show similar information and use the same controls. There may be minor differences between map displays due to features not being available on certain ships. The Map panel is both a visual reference and a means of issuing certain commands. To help you keep track of the battle, it shows the locations of your own ships, known enemy ships, aircraft, torpedoes, shell splashes, and other features of the battle. Furthermore, there are a number of “filters” you can use to toggle the display of different kinds of useful information. For more information, see the “Filters” section on page 22.
To facilitate input of orders, you can issue certain instructions by pointing and left-clicking directly on the map, most notably picking a ship to give orders to, and designating targets.
MouseCommands on the MapPanel
To center the map at a given location, point at that location with the mouse pointer, then press the “Ctrl” key and the left mouse button at the same time.
TF Symbols
When the map is zoomed out to the 100x75 resolution or above, it shows the location of task forces rather than individual ships. The location of each task force (TF) is marked by a stylized rendering of a ship. If the TF Names filter is on, the identification code of the TF commander is displayed next to the group; if not, the name is displayed in the text box just below the map next to the FILTERS button whenever the cursor is moved over the center of the group. If the TFs are very close together, they are displayed as a single TF icon.
Ship Symbols
At levels of zoom of 50x37 and below, the positions of individual ships are shownon the map. Ifthe TF Names filter is on, the ship positions are marked by flags of the appropriate nationality. Ifnot, the ships’ positionsare shown by top-down views of the ships themselves, colored blue for Allied ships and redfor Axis ships.
Active Ship / TF Indicator
A white square bracketing a shipsymbolindicates that this is the currently activeship. This is only true if themap is being displayed at a shipactionstation, or if the currently active TFis being displayed at the Flagbridge station.
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Target Ship Indicator
This small white square indicates the current target of the active ship.
AircraftSymbol
This shows the current location of an airplane or formation of airplanes at higher zoom levels.
Wind Direction
Shows the direction of the prevailing wind. This affects the movement of smoke screens as well as the accu­racy of gunnery in high winds.
Wind Speed
Wind speed is an important factor in a battle, not only because it may preclude air operations, but also because it can tell you where the weather is on the Beaufort Scale. Heavy seas can hinder visibility and the accuracy of your weapons, and may even make certain actions impossible. For more information on the Beaufort Scale and weather in general, see “The Environment” section on page 82.
Magnification Controls
The “–” button decreases the magnification of the map (shows a larger area in less detail), while the “+” button increases the magnification (shows a smaller area in greater detail).
VerticalScrollButtons
These shift the area displayed on the map up and down (north and south).
HorizontalScroll Buttons
These shift the area displayed on the map left and right (west and east).
Center Button
When you click on the asterisk (*) in the lower right corner of the map frame, the map automatically centers itself on the currently selected ship or task force.
Map T e xtDisplayBox
Information about the area within the cursor appears here. This is generally a ship, TF,aircraft, or base name.
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Filters
The FILTERS button dis­plays the Map Filters window which enables you to toggle the display of certain kinds of information on the map. The common filters that can be displayed on the map at any action station are described first; station-specific filters are described afterwards.
Air Filters
AIR FORMATIONS: This filter displays icons for air groups on the map.
FORMATION NAMES: This filter displays the air­craft type of each active air group.
FORMATION ORDERS: This filter displays orders for each currently active air group. FORMATION SEARCH: This filter shows your current search aircraft and their search patterns. AIRCRAFT: This filter shows icons representing the positions of aircraft. AIRCRAFT NAMES: This filter displays the names of aircraft next to the icons.
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Ship Filters
FLAGS: This filter displays ships as Allied or Axis flags. MAIN GUNS: This filter displays a circle showing the maximum range of the current ship’s main guns. SHIP NAME: This filter displaysshipnames next to their icons.Atzoom level 20x15 and abovetheremay not be
enough room to display shipnames,so this option operates bestwhenused at zoom level 15x11andbelow. ORDERS: This filter shows the directionofmovement for the selected ship or TFif operating on a plotted course. SUNK: This filter displays an icon for each ship sunk during the current engagement. TORPEDOES: This filter shows three circles indicating the range of torpedoes fired by the selected ship when
set at short, medium, or long range. VISIBILITY: This filter displays three circles around each ship, and shows the maximum range at which a
large, medium, and small ship can be sighted. Carriers and battleships are considered large ships, cruisers are medium ships, and destroyers are small ships.
Miscellaneous Filters
AUTOCENTER: This filter centers the map on the currently selected ship or TF. BASE NAME: This filter displays the name of each base on the map. If it is off, you can still find thename of a
base by moving the cursor over that base on the map. The name is displayed in the Map Text Display Box. TF NAMES: This filter displays the names of task forces when the map is at zoom level 100x75 or above. CONTACTS: This filter shows the location of all recent enemy ship sightings. GRID: This filter superimposes a gray grid on the map at zoom levels 100x75 and below. The distance
between the grid lines is 10,000 yards. At very low zoom levels you may not be able to see the grid lines because the area depicted falls between two lines.
RANGE CIRCLES: This filter superimposes a series of circles on the map panel that show distances of 250, 500, and 750 miles from the active task force.
TF PLOT TIMES: Displays the time in minutes until the task force completes its current plotted movement.
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Flagbridge Control Bar
The Flagbridge contains an additional control bar (just above the Message Bar) that contains six buttons. These buttons are VIEW, CARGO, FUEL, NAV, SHIPS, CONTACTS, and AIR OPS.
View Panel
The View panel is located on the lower left side of the screen under the Map panel on the Flagbridge, Ship Bridge and Air Operations stations. This display shows the area around the currently selected ship. The view can be swung around the points of the compass in ten degree increments and zoomed in and out using the controls to the right of the panel. The zoom levels of 1, 2, 3 and 4 are equivalent to the Lookout, Turret,and Torpedo station zoom levels of 1, 2, 4, and 8.
Cargo Panel
You can view the Cargo panel from either the Flagbridge or the Ship Bridge station. It shows information about the total capacity and current load of troops and supplies of the currently selected task force or ship.
Capacity
The total amount of troops and supplies that the task force or ship can carry.
Supplies
The total amount of supplies that the task force or ship currently carries.
Troops
The total amount of troops the task force or ship currently transports.
FuelPanel
Capacity
The total amount of fuel that the task force or ship can carry.
Remaining
The total amount of fuel that the task force or ship still has.
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Usage
The amount of fuel the task force or ship consumes per hour under way.
Duration
The length of time that the task force or ship can continue under way with its current fuel supplies.
NavigationPanel
The navigation panel gives you control over the orders, speed, and direction of the selected task force.
Auto/Manual Buttons
task force speed control
course control
orders control smoke screen control
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Auto / Manual Buttons
These buttons set the station to Auto or Manual. The navigation controls are only enabled if the panel is set to Manual.
Speed
Current
The vessel’s current speed in knots.
Target
The vessel’s desired speed in knots. If this is different than the current speed, it is because the ship is acceler­ating, decelerating, or is unable to reach the desired speed because of damage.
Maximum
The fastest speed in knots that the vessel can travel in its current condition. A task force can only travel as fast as the slowest ship in the task force. Task forces move slightly slower than the slowest ship because they must also maintain formation.
Set Speed
This button displays the Set Speed window in which you can set the Target speed for the vessel. The Current and Maximum speeds are identical to those displayed on the main panel, but between them is an active box in which you can set the target speed either by left-clicking on the up (faster) and down (slower) arrows to the right, or by entering a number directly.
Press OK to enter the new speed, and CANCEL to exit without changing the original Target speed.
Course
The “SET COURSE. . .” button does not become active until the task force or ship’s orders have been changed to Manual. See the description of Manual orders on page 27 in this section.
Current
The direction in degrees that the vessel is currently heading.
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