RANGER & THE MASTER PRESENT: GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR DOCS BY BILL M. SPRAGUE COPYRIGHT (C) 1983, 84 APOLLO SOFTWARE, INC. ALL RIGHT RESERVED OUR PLANET IS STRUGGLING WITH THE NIGHTMARE OF A NUCLEAR WAR THAT IS ALL TOO PO SSIBLE. NEVER BEFORE IN WORLD HISTORY HAS MANKIND POSSESED THE CAPABILITY TO REA P SUCH DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION THAT THE EVENT SUCH DEVESTATING DESTRUCTION THAT THE EVENT OF SUCH A HOLOCOST COULD RESULT IN THE POSSIBLE EXTINCTION OF THE HUMA N RACE AS A WHOLE. IT IS NOT THE INTENTION OF THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER TO MAK E ANY POLITICAL STATEMENT CONCERNING THE ISSUES OF NUCLEAR ARMORMENT OR WAR. INS TEAD, WE WISH TO OFFER THE USER A SIMULATION OF A NUCLEAR HOLOCOST WHICH MAY LEN D TOWARDS THE INDIVIDUALS AWARENESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES AND EFFECTS TOWARDS THE INDIVIDUALS AWARENESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES AMD EFFECTS OF A REAL NUCLEAR ENGAGEME NT. WHILE THE GAME CLOSELY SIMULATES THE CURRENT NUCLEAR WAR WEAPONS AND THEIR E FFECT, THE RESULTS OF AN ACTUAL NUCLEAR WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE SEVERE THAN THOSE DEPLICTED IN THE GAME. COMMAND FORMAT THE PLAYER OPERATES THE GAME BY TYPING INTO THE COMPUTER A COMMAND REQUEST CONS ISTING OF SPECIFIC KEYWORDS. ALL KEYWORDS ARE DESTINGUISHED BY THEIR FIRST FOUR LETTERS. THROUGHOUT THIS MANUAL, THE SPECIFIC KEYWORDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM THE I NDICATED COMMAND ARE ENCLOSED IN POINTED BRACKETS <>. PLEASE NOTE THE TARGETING MATRIX CURSOR IN THE STRATEGIC FORCES ASSIGNMENT SCREEN IS CONTROLLED BY THE CUR SOR CONTROL KEYS. THE ESCAPE KEY MAY BE USED THROUGHOUT THE GAME TO ABORT AND RE TURN FROM COMMANDS. GAME OVERVIEW UPON BOOTING THE GAME DISKETTE, THE PLAYER IS PRESENTED WITH AN OPENING SCREEN DISPLAYING A COPYRIGHT MESSAGE AND INQUIRING WHICH OF THE TWO POSSIBLE SIDES THE PLAYER WISHES TO PLAY. THE PLAYER MAY CHOOSE EITHER THE UNITED STATES (AND NATO COUNTRIES) OR THE SOVIET UNION (AND WARSAW COUNTRIES). THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DIS PLAY IS THEN PRESENTED DISPLAYING A MAP OF THE GLOBE AND THE GAME THEN STARTS WI TH THE PLAYER IN THE DEFENSIVE OF A NUCLEAR STRIKE FROM THE OPPONET PLAYED BY TH E COMPUTER. THE PLAYER, PROVIDED WITH ATTACK STATUS AND WAR STATUS REPORTS, FORMULATES A COUNTER ATTACK STRATEGY AND DEFINES STRIKE PROFILES INCORPORATING A SELECTION OF SIMULATED STRATEGIC WEAPON SYSTEMS AND TARGETING CROSS-SECTIONS. LAUNCHING STRI KES AGAINST THE ENEMY WHILE SUBSTAINING MINIMAL LOSSES IN A SIMULATED GLOBAL NUC LEAR WAR. GAMEPLAY CONTINUES UNTIL ONE OF THE TWO SIDES SUBMIT TO CONDITIONAL CEASEFIRE OR UNTIL A SIDE INCURRS LOSSES OF MORE THAN 70% OF ITS COMBINED MILITARY AND CI VILIAN ASSETS (A FORCED SURRENDER). GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY PROVIDES A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CURRENT WORLDWIDE ASSAULT AND RESOURCE STATUS ON EACH SIDE. THIS DISPLAY MAY BE OPERATE D IN ANY COMBINATIONOF THE FOLLOWING FOUR COMMAND MODES: DISPLAY POSITION OF SURVIVNG STRATEGIC WEAPON INSTALLATIONS AND LAUNCHERS. DISPLAYS POSITION OF SURVIVING STRATEGIC UNARMED TARGETS. DISPLAYS IN-FLIGHT MISSILE TRAJECTORIES AS TRACES STARTING FROM LAUNCH POINT AND TERMINATING AT PRIME TARGET IMPACT. DISPLAYS IN-FLIGHT AIRCRAFT AND CRUISE MISSILES POSITIONS DURING FLIGHT FROM LAUNCH POINT TO PRIME TARGET IMPACT. THE FIRST TWO COMMANDS PROVIDE GRAPHICAL ASSESSMENT OF EACH SIDE'S SU MMARY STATUS FOR WEAPON AND VALUE TARGET RESOURCES. THE COMM AND, DESCRIBED BELOW, PROVIDES A MORE DETAILED AND ELABORATE ASSESSMENT OF EACH SIDE'S RESOURCES. THE LATER TWO COMMANDS GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATE CURRENT ATTCK POSTURE ON A GLOBAL SCALE. IN-FLIGHT WEAPONS ARE DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT THEIR FLIGHT PROF ILE UNTIL PRIME TARGET IMPACT. FOR A MORE DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF THE ATTACK POST URE FOR EACH SIDE, SEE THE COMMAND DESCRIBED BELOW. EACH OF THE ABOVE COMMANDS MAY BE USED IN ANY COMBINATION AND INDIVIDUALLY AC T AS A "TOGGIE" ON THE SELECTED ACTION. THAT IS IF AN ACTION IS SELECTED BY ONE OF THE ABOVE COMMANDS, THEN REPEATING THAT COMMAND WILL CANCEL THE ACTION. ALSO, NOTE THAT AT THE START OF THE GAME ALL DISPLAY GRAPHICS COMMAND ARE TOGGLED OFF . THE AUXILLARY COMMAND IS PROVIDED TO CLEAR THE STRATEGIC DISP LAY AND RESET ALL THE DISPLAY GRAPHICS COMMAND TOGGLES TO AN OFF STATUS. STATUS REPORTS TWO STATUS REPORT SCREENS ARE AVAILABLE TO THE PLAYER FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE CUR RENT WAR SATUS AND ATTACK POSTURE OF EACH SIDE. THESE SCREENS CAN BE INVOKED AT ANY POINT DURING GAMEPLAY BY THE COMMANDS & FROM THE STRATEGIC DISPLAY SCREEN. WAR STATUS SCREEN. THIS SCREEN PROVIDES A DETAILED BREAKOUT OF THE CURRE NT DAMAGES EFFECTED TO EACH SIDE IN SEVERAL COST AREAS IN THREE MAJOR CATAGORIES ; MILITARY FORCES, CIVILIAN ASSETS, AND HUMAN RESOURCES. WITHIN THE FIRST CATEGORY, CURRENT LOSSES IN FOUR MAJOR WEAPON CLASSIFICA TIONS ARE EXPRESSES IN PERCENT KILLED OR EXPENDED RELATIVE TO THE INITIAL INVENT ORY. AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY IS IS PROVIDED DENOTING THE RELATIVE LOSS OF C-CUBED-I (COMMAND, CONTROLED, COMMUNICATIONS, AND INTELLIGENGE) AND MILITARY RESOURCES. THE NEXT CATEGORY SUMMERIZES KILL RATIOS IN SEVEN MAJOR CIVILIAN REALATED AREAS; HOUSING, FOOD STOCKPILES, HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL RESOURCES,TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMIC/INDUSTRIAL ASSETS. THE LAST CATEGORY EXPRESSES THE COSTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT IN TERMS OF HUMAN LIFE. ABSOLUTE FIGURES ARE PROVIDED FOR BOTH POPULATION DEATHS AND NON-FATAL IN JURIES FOR EACH SIDE. THESE FIGURES INCLUDE BOTH THE DIRECT EFFECT OF NUCLEAR BL ASTS AND THE INDIRECT EFFECTS OF BOTH THE FIRECT EFFECT OF NUCLEAR BLASTS AND TH E INDIRECT EFECTS OF RADIATION FALLOUT AS WELL AS LACK OF MEDICAL AND OTHER RESO URCES. 'ATTACK STATUS SCREEN' PROVIDES A COMPARITIVE SUMMARY OF THE ATTACK POSTU RE OF BOTH SIDES. THE CURRENT TOTAL NUMBER OF LAUNCH VEHICLES IN FLIGHT IS PROVI DED FOR A SUB-LAUNCH BALLISTIC MISSLES, ICBM, AND STRATEGIC AIRCRAFT. TARGETING DISTRIBUTION WITHIN SEVEN TARGET CLASSIFICATIONS IS PROVIDED AS AN AID TO THE PLAYER'S ASSESSMENT OF THE OPPONENTS ATTACK STRATEGY. THE DISTRIB UTION IS EXPRESSED AS RATIOS RELATIVE TO TOTAL VALUE OF CURRENT IN-FLIGHT LAUNCH VEHICLES. EACH REPORT RETURNS DIRECTLY TO THE STRATEGIC DISPLAY SCREEN UPON PRESSING THE ESCAPE('ESC') KEY. ATTACKING THE OPPONET THE PLAYER ATTACKS BY LAUNCHING PRE-DEFINED STRIKES AT THE OPPOSING SIDE. STRIK ES ARE DEFINED BY INCLUSION OF A PORTION OF THE PLAYER'S STRATEGIC FORCES (OF VA RIOUS TARGETING CROSS SECTIONS) UNDER A SPECIFIC "LAUNCH CODES" COMPLETELY AT TH E PLAYERS DICRETION. STRIKE DEFINITION THE PLAYER MAY HAVE DEFINED UP TO A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT STRIKES AT ANY POINT DURIN G GAMEPLAY. TO BEGIN STRIKE DEFINITION THE PLAYER ENTERS THE COMMAND FROM THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY. THE PLAYER WILL THEN BE PROMPTED FOR A L AUNCH CODE. THE LAUNCH CODE IS ANY STRING OF THE PLAYER'S CHOOSING UP TO 6 CHAR ACTERS IN LENGTH. IF YOU INTEND TO HAVE SEVERAL STRIKES DEFINED SIMULTANEOUSLY, IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU CHOSE CODES THAT NOT ONLY INDICATE THE COMPOSITION OF THE STRIKE BUT ALSO CAN BE REMEMBERED EASILY. IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO CORRECTLY RE-E NTER THE CODE AT LAUNCH TIME IF THE STRIKE AND ITS INCLUDED FORCES ARE TO BE USE D. AFTER ENTERING THE LAUNCH CODE, THE PLAYER IS PRESENTED WITH THE STRATEGIC FORC ES ASSIGNMENT SCREEN. HERE YOU WILL SELECT FROM THE UNASSIGNED AVAILABLE STRIKE FORCES THE VARIOUS STRATEGIC BASES TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT STRIKE DEFINITI ON. THE SCREEN CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS; A WEAPON BASE TARGETING CROSS-SECTION MATR IX AND A STRIKE DEFINITION SUMMARY. THE STRIKE DEFINITION SUMMARY APPEARS AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. IT PRESENTS AN OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF THE STRIKE INCLUDING LAUNCH CODE. TOTAL NUMBER OF LAUNCH V EHICLES, TOTAL WEAPON YIELD, TOTAL NUMBER OF TARGET CLUSTERS, AND TOTAL ESTIMATE D VALUE INCLUDED IN THE STRIKE. THE SUMMARY ALSO INDICATES THE PRIMARY WEAPON/TA RGET IN THE STRIKE DERIVED FROM THE MOST INCLUDE BASE CLASSIFICATION. THE TARGET ING MATRIX CONSISTS OF FOUR COLUMNS OF LAUNCH VEHICLE TYPES AND SEVEN ROWS OF TA RGET CLASSIFICATIONS. AN ENTRY WILL APPEAR IN THE MATRIX IF THE PLAYER HAS A WEA PON BASE AVAILABLE CORRESPONDING TO THE INDICATED WEAPON AND TARGETING. THE ENTR Y CONSISTS OF TWO NUMBERS INDICATING THE NUMBER OF OPERATIONAL LAUNCH VEHICLES A SSIGNED TO THE BASE AND THE TOTAL YEILD OF EACH VEHICLE IN KILOTON EQUIVC TNT. N OTE THAT IN GENERAL BASES WITH A HIGH TOTAL YEILD CORRESPOND TO HIGH TARGET VALU ES. ADDITIONALLY, THE ENTRY DISPLAY WILL BE FLASHING IF THE BASE IS THREATENED B Y CURRENT ENEMY INBOUNDS. DISPLAY SELECTION ORDER FOR BASES IN TARGETING MATRIX IS BASED ON HIGHEST TARGETING VALUE. USING CTRL-A,Z,S,W, POSITION THE MATRIX CUR SOR OVER A CANDIDATE ENTRY AND STRIKE THE RETURN KEY. A SUMMARY WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE BASE, THE TOTAL ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE TARGETS, AND THE SPECIFIC WEAPON DEPLOYED. YOU WILL THEN BE PROMPTED FOR A COMMAND ENTRY. IT, UPON REVIEW OF THE BASE SUMMARY, YOU DECIDE NOT TO INCLUDE THIS BASE IN THE STRIKE DEFINITION, STRI KE THE ESCAPE KEY TO RETURN TO THE MATRIX. OTHERWISE, ENTER THE COMMAND . THE BASE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE STRIKE AND THE NEXT HIGHEST VALUE BASE CORRE SPONDING TO THE SAME MATRIX CLASSIFICATION WILL BE DISPLAYED. A BASE WITHIN THE CLASSIFICATION MAY BE SKIPPED BY ENTERING THE COMMAND. THE DISPLAYED BASE WILL NOT BE ASSIGNED AND THE DISPLAY WILL PROCEED TO THE NEXT HIGHEST VALUE BAS E. THIS INCLUSION PROCESS MAY BE CONTINUED UNTIL THE LEAST VALUE BASE HAS BEEN D ISPLAYED OR THE BASES FOR THE SELECTED CLASSIFICATION HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED. YOU C AN BE RETURNED TO THE TARGETING MATRIX AT ANY POINT BY PRESSING THE 'ESC' KEY. Y OU MAY AT ANY POINT RETURN TO THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY BY PRESSING THE 'ESC' KEY. IF YOU FIND IT NECESSARY TO RETURN TO THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR STRIKE DEFINITION, YOU MAY CONTINUE THE SAME DEFINITION BY REISS UING THE COMMAND AND ENTERING THE LAUNCH CODE CORRESPONDING TO T HE STRIKE YOU WISH TO CONTINUE. NOTE THAT IF NO BASES HAVE BEEN INCLUDED UNDER T HE LAUNCH CODE BEFORE LEAVING THE STARTEGIC FORCES ASSIGNMENT SCREEN, THE THE ST RIKE IS CONSIDERD NULL AND THE LAUNCH CODE IS NOT ASSIGNED. MAKE SURE TO CALL MASTER WORLD AT 213-478-5478 LAUNCHING A STRIKE HAVING DEFINED ONE OR MORE STRIKES, YOU MAY SELECTIVELY LAUNCH A STRIKE AT ANY POINT FROM THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY BY ISSUING THE . YOU WILL THEN BE PROMPTED TO ENTER THE CORRECT LAUNCH CODE INDENTIFYING THE STRIKE TO LA UNCH. IF YOU DO NOT ENTER THE CORRECT CODE AN ERROR MESSAGE WILL BE DISPLAYED A ND YOU WILL HAVE TO RESTART THE LAUNCH COMMAND. IF YOU DO NOT REMEMBER THE LAUNC H CODE THEN ALL THE BASES INCLUDED IN THE CORRESPONDING STRIKE DEFINITION WILL B E INACCESSABLE THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME. UPON ENTRY OF THE CORRECT L AUNCH CODE, A LAUNCH SEQUENCE WILL BE INITIATED FOR THE STRIKE INCLUDING AUTOMAT IC TARGET SELECTION, TIME TO TARGET SELECTION, AND TOTAL YIELD SELECTION CIRRESP ONDING TO THE DEFINED STRIKE. THE LAUNCH COMMAND WILL THEN BE TRANSFERED TO THE INDIVIDUAL BASES AND LAUNCH WILL COMMENCE. PROGRESS OF THE STRIKE CAN BE VIEWED VIA THE ATTACK STATUS REPORT AND THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY. ENDING THE GAME IF THE PLAYER PERFORMS EFFECTIVE COUNTER-STRIKES AND REDUCES THE OPPONENTS COMB INED ASSETS TO A SUFFICIENTLY LOW LEVEL, THE OPPONENT MAY OFFER HIS SURRENDER IN TERMS OF A CONDITIONAL CEASE-FIRE. THE PLAYER WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE THE OFFER. IF THE PLAYER ACCEPTS, THE GAME IS TERMINATED AT ON CE. OTHERWISE PLAY CONTINUES UNTIL ONE OF THE TWO SIDES COMBINED MILITARY AND CI VILIAN ASSETS ARE REDUCED BY 70%. THIS IS CONSIDERED A WIN FOR THE PREVAILING SI DE. THE PLAYER MAY AT ANY POINT SURRENDER THE GAME TO THE ENEMY IN A CONDITIONAL CEASE-FIRE BY ISSUING THE COMMAND FROM THE GLOBAL STRATEGIC DISPLAY SCREEN. UPON GAME END, THE WAR STATUS SCREEN IS DISPLAYED SUMMARIZING THE FINAL STATUS OF THE WAR AND THE INCURRED LOSSES FOR BOTH SIDES. SIMULATED WEAPON SYSTEMS DISTRIBUTION OF WEAPONS BETWEEN THE TWO SUPERPOWERS FOLLOW THE 1985 ESTIMATE CO NSISTENT WITH SALT ][ (AS PRESENTED IN THE SALT TREATY HANDBOOK) ARE REPRESENTED IN THE GAME AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE FOLLOWING TABLE (UNITED STEAS : SOVIET UNION) : LAUNCH VEHICLES MEGATONNAGE WARHEADS ICBMS MIRV 536 : 820 423 : 4314 1608 : 5752 NON-MIRV 504 : 360 1026 : 4590 504 : 480 SLBMS MIRV 668 : 356 383 : 750 5648 : 3752 NON MIRV 240 : 620 81 : 796 240 : 1324 BOMBERS (ALCMS, SRAMS, GRAVITY BOMBS) 346 : 90 1624 : 420 4504 : 420 ============ ========== ============ TOTAL 2160 : 2246 3537 :10870 12504 :11728 THE WEAPON SYSTEMS SIMULATED IN THE GAME ARE SUMMARIZED BELOW. LAUNCH VEHICLES PERFORMANCE, BASING MODE/LOCATION, AND NUMERICAL DISTRIBUTION WERE TAKEN PRIMARI LY FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PUBLICATION "SOVIET MILITARY POWER", SECO ND EDITION, AND "THE WORLDS WEAPON SYSTEMS", GENERAL DYNAMICS, POMONA DIVISION. UNITED STATES SOVIET UNION =============== ============== ICBMS (INTER-CONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSLES) MINUTEMAN-II SS-11 MINUTEMAN-III SS-13 TITAN SS-17 MX (PEACEKEEPER) SS-18 SS-19 SLBMS (SUB-LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSLES) POLARIS C-3 (U.K) SS - N - 6 POSEIDON C-3/C-4 SS - N - 8 TRIDENT C-4 SS - N - 17 SS - N - 18 SS - NX - 20 BOMBERS (INCLUDING ALCMS, SRAMS, GRAVITY BOMBS) B-52G/H BACKFIRE FB-111 BISON B-1B BEAR BADGER/BLINDER BLACKJACK THAT'S THE DOCS, CREDITS GO TO BROUGHT BY DARK RANGER AND THE MASTER TYPED BY THE MASTER CALL MASTER WORLD AT 213-478-5478