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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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.
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.
®
®
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*
Sound: Windows®98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*
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.
(64 MB video card with Hardware T & L support*
recommended)
(Sound Blaster®Audigy™series sound card recommended)
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.
®
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.
4
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.
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.
Picking up a mana crystal increases the total amount of mana
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.
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.
Each page of your spellbook contains three spells, which you
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
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.
duelist unopposed, it will do damage equal to its power
6
7
Loading...