MENUS The project menu provides program control functions for the user. Selecting "Load" from the menu allows you to load a saved game from disk. The default directory is the "Saved Games" directory. Using a standard directory utility such as disk- master, you may wish to create sub-directories in this if you usually use more than one module at a time. Selecting "Save" allows you to save the current positions - and if you are a registered user, the playback for this turn - to a saved game file. This file may then be sent to your opponent. Selecting "prompts on/off" will control the constant help function. The mechanics of combat may seem confusing at first, with the different modes and the sequence of events. The constant help function will describe each mode as it's enabled, and try to step you through the process of declaring and resolving combat, telling you what the next step should be at each point. Selecting the "save -- ASCII" options will generate an ASCII text file with details about your move. You may record the entire move since the last reset, with all the details about the exact movements of each unit, or you may record only the current positions of each unit. You may also record only the comments made since the last reset, for the purposes of quoting them in other correspondence. Selecting "Replay Turn" will reset the units to their positions when the playback re- corder was last reset, and allow the player to watch as play unfolds, move by move. This function is disabled for unregistered copies of the program, and can be turned on by registering. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% The Interface menu allows you to set certain functions of the game processor. The "Show Terrain/Units" option allows you to turn the units on and off on the map, al- lowing you to examine the terrain underneath them. Select this option again to turn the units back on. This may also be accomplished by pressing "t" on your keyboard. The "Define Dice" function allows you to dictate how many dice are to be thrown, and how many sides the dice should have. Use the + and - buttons in the requester widow to set the new dice parameters. The default is 2 6-sided dice. These parameters will be used in all subsequent dice throw actions. The six other items on this menu list the unit variable names for the 6 user defined variables for each unit. If no name was assigned to a variable in the editor, it will not be listed on the menu. Beside each name will be either "Total" or "Lowest." This will control how the program displays these values from a stack of units. "Total" will tally all the values in the stack in question and display the result. "Lowest" will display the lowest value in the stack for that variable. The default options for this is set in the Module Editor. The method of computation may be changed in the player by selecting the desired menu option. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% The Flow Control Menu Allows the user of control of the play by mail functions and unit face-up face down settings. The "Next Turn" option will increment the turn counter at the top of the screen. The "Clear Movement Flags" function will clear the "M" symbol that is attached to each unit's ID after it moves. The "Clear Combat Flags" function will clear the "C" symbol that is attached to each unit's ID after it participates in a combat action. The "flip all units face-up" function will turn all units in the game to face up. The "flip all units face-down" function will turn all units in the game upside down. The "flip carried units face-up" function will turn all units which are being carried to face up. This may also be done by pressing the -"F" keys. The "flip carried units face-down" function will turn all units which are being carried upside down. This may also be done by pressing the "f" key. The "Reset Playback" function will erase all previous moves from the playback record. If the turn is replayed, only moves made after this function will be shown. It is very important to reset this at the point you wish to begin recording. This function will also rest the unit start positions, which is used when the "Undo" button is selected from movement mode. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% BUTTONS Pressing the "Replay Turn" button will reset the units to their positions when the playback re- corder was last reset, and allow the player to watch as play unfolds, move by move. This function is disabled for unregistered copies of the program, and can be turned on by registering. Pressing the "Comment" button will allow you to enter a comment at any point in the game. Pressing "Save" at the bottom of the comment box will save the comment as part of the replay function. Pressing "Encrypt" will do the same as saving your comment, except you will be asked for a password. Passwords may be up to 8 letters long, and are case-sensitive. If you decide you don't want to encode the comment after you press this button, simply don't enter a password. Once you enter your password, this comment will not be able to be read during playback unless the correct password is entered. The text will be encrypted in the savedgame file to prevent prying eyes armed with sector editors from finding out your comment. Pressing the "Cancel" button will return to play without recording the comment. Pressing the "Throw Dice" button will open a comment box and record the result of the die roll. The number and sides of the dice are dependant on what was set from the "Define Dice" menu. This button is for non-combat related die rolls. The user may enter a comment in the comment box before closing it. Other buttons are covered more thoroughly in the Movement and Combat help texts.