MissionRisk 2 Manual
* Please note
that this manual is waaay out of date and will be
updated before the release on the new version of MissionRisk.
|
1 MissionRisk 2 Boot Camp: a step by step tutorial 3 Declaring war 3.2 Combat 3.3 Cards |
3.4 Intelligence 3.4.6 Dice 3.5 Networking 4 MissionRisk
registration 5 Credits 6 Trouble
shooting |
Thank you for evaluating MissionRisk, I hope that you enjoy this program.
MissionRisk is based on risk, the classic military strategy game
of world domination. You can play MissionRisk with up
to 6 players, either human or computer controlled. Wars can be fought across a
network or by using the hot seat method on a single terminal. The aim of the
game is to either dominate the world by wiping out all of your opponents, or to
complete a secret mission issued at the start of the war.
If you like playing Risk, the board game, then I’m sure that you will appreciate MissionRisk.
Instead of taking up to a number of days to complete a game, with MissionRisk, a full game can be completed in less than an
hour. All of the housework involve with the game is done for you. Dice are
automatically thrown with the outcomes automatically judged. Cards are
automatically dealt and reshuffled. Cheating is almost impossible.
If you have any comments, suggestions or criticisms, please feel free to
contact me at:
Email: craig@missionrisk.com
Home page: http://www.missionrisk.com
Register Mission Risk online.
1.2 What’s
new in MissionRisk 2
Network playable. At
long last, wars can be fought over a network.
Advanced mission options. You can now select
different victory conditions for missions: players must kill their own target
army to win, you must survive until your next turn to
win etc...
Change saturation/luminosity levels of certain colors. Some people have trouble
distinguishing green from yellow. You can now change the saturation level of
these colors to make them distinctive.
Improved intelligence for the Smart Computer players.
Private messages option. You can now send private messages to other players.
And there is more to come.
2 Boot
Camp: A step by step tutorial.
This section will help to get you
started playing MissionRisk:
Step 1: Setting up a new war
Step 2: Placing new units
Step 3: Attacking
Step 4: Moving and ending your turn
2.1 Step 1:
Setting up a new war
After starting MissionRisk, the “Set Up” screen will be displayed. The default settings start
the war with
1 human player (you) and 5 computer players.
Go to the “Cards”
option box (bottom - middle of the
set up screen). If <Hidden> is checked, uncheck it by clicking it with
the left mouse button. This will enable you to see your opponent’s .
Go to the “First Player”
option box (above the cards option
box) and click <Player 1>. This will enable you (Player 1 - The Red Army)
to have the first turn.
Now click “Declare War”
(bottom right corner). A map of the
world will appear. Countries will be randomly distributed in such a way that no
one has an unfair advantage on their first turn.
The Information will read “The Red Army.
You have 3 units to place. <Click destination country>“.
The Information box will read “The red army attacks <Click defending country>“.
Pick a country to Attack (the defending country) and click it with the
left mouse button. It needs to be on a border with the country in which you
placed the three units (the attacking country) and it can’t be a red country (you can’t attack your own territories!).
The Information box will read “The red army
attacks country with
<Click attacking country(s)>“.
Now left click on the defending country. You will see two sets of dice
rolled. The success of the attack depends on the outcome of these dice.
2.4 Step 4:
Moving and ending your turn
If you have any units remaining, you can move them to neighboring countries that you hold or you can Pass.
When you pass, if you have made a successful attack during your turn,
you will be dealt a card (only one per turn).
The other players (computer) will now have their turn. Once they have
finished, it’s your turn
again. If you were awarded a card in your previous turn, you will see it on the
board between
To trade in your cards, first select a valid set by
clicking on three cards. An “Exchange” and “Cancel” button will appear.
Press “Exchange”. If you don’t have a valid set, you will be ignored. Otherwise a
dialogue box will appear telling you how many units the cards are worth.
Press OK and you will be back at step 2 with the
value of the cards added to your new units.
In short, each turn consists of three stages.
2. Attacking,
if you choose to.
3. Moving
your units to fortify continents.
Then end your turn by pressing Pass.
When MissionRisk is first started, the Set Up
screen will be displayed. The Set Up screen lets you control the starting
conditions for a new war, such as who controls which player, how cards are
handled, whether to issue missions, etc.
The Set Up screen is where you will find:
3.1.1 Setting
up a war: Player option boxes
“Player
option” boxes let you set up the starting conditions for each player.
The number displayed next to the players’ color is the
number of countries that the player starts with. There are 42 countries on the
map thus the total of the starting countries for all the players must add up to
42.
If
you want less than 6 players in a war, you can reduce the starting number of
the players that you don’t want to 0. You must then increase the starting
number for the players remaining so that the total number of starting countries
adds up to 42.
The
box to the right selects who controls that army. There are four choices to
select from. They are:
Human player – controlled by the operator of this terminal.
Remote player –
controlled by a remote terminal.
Average computer player
– controlled by the computer.
Smart computer player –
controlled by the computer.
3.1.2 Setting
up a war: Card options
The “cards” option box lets you select whether or not cards
are dealt, how they are traded and whether or not they are hidden.
Hidden: Lets you
hide your cards from other players.
Capture: Allows you to receive left over cards from opponents that
you wipe out.
None: Gets rid of cards altogether.
Fixed: Means that the combination of cards traded have a constant
value throughout the war.
3
artillery = 4 units.
3 infantry = 6 units.
3 cavalry = 8 units.
1 of each = 10 units.
Wilds substitute for any card.
There are 14 of each card and 2 wilds in the pack.
Increasing: Means that the value of the cards increases with every set
turned in. All card combinations have the same value.
Maximum: Sets the highest value of traded cards when
<Increasing> is selected.
3.1.3 Setting
up a war: War options
The “War options” box contains various preferences for
the up coming war:
Missions: Issues each player with a secret
mission. By completing your mission first, you win the war. Some missions
include wiping out other players or holding certain continents until your next
turn.
Supply lines: Allow you to move as many units you like as far as
you like between touching countries.
Limit supply lines: Restricts the number and distance your units can
move.
No supply lines: Restricts your moves to only one adjacent country.
Fast war: Changes the speed at which the computer-controlled
players play their turns.
Fast dice: Changes the speed at which the dice are thrown.
Optimize defense dice: Lets the computer look at the attack dice first and decide how many defense dice to throw. If there is a poor chance of
defending an attack, only one defense die will be
thrown to save defending units.
Border shows players’ color: Helps to
identify whose turn it is by showing the player’s color
when it is a human player’s turn.
Distribute extra starting
units: Gives each
player extra units that are randomly distributed over your starting countries.
The number of extra units each player receives can be changed from the
<Extra units> text box.
Advanced: Lets you set mission attributes and change
saturation/luminosity levels of certain army colors.
3.1.4 Setting
up a war: First player
The “First Player” option box lets you decide if
player 1 has the first turn (which can be an advantage) or to randomly select
the first player.
3.2.1 Combat:
Placing new units
At the start of your turn, you are given new units to place.
The number of units you receive depends on how many countries
you own and which continents you hold.
To
place your new units, simply left click the destination country (you must own
that country). You can dump all of your units on one country (to launch an
attack) or you can spread them around to fortify and defend a continent.
You
are now ready to Attack, Move or Pass.
3.2.2 Combat:
Attacking
After placing the last of your new units, you are automatically
put into the attack sequence.
The
first step in the attack sequence is to pick a country to
attack (the defending country). You can only attack a country that shares a
border with one of your own countries or has a connecting line between the two.
The
next step is to pick up units from your own country (or countries - you can
attack from as many countries as you like) by clicking on the attacking
country. Pick up as many units that you feel you will need. You can change the
transfer rate by clicking one of the numbers in the Transfer box.
You
can now make your attack. Click the defending country again. The dice
will determine the success of the attack. You can keep attacking until you either
win or run out of attacking units. Double clicking the defending country will
put you into overrun mode, where your units will
automatically keep attacking the defending country.
You
can retreat from the attack at any time by clicking one of
your own countries.
If
you win a battle, the attacking units remaining after the battle will be moved
into the defeated country. If you have enough units remaining, you can launch
another attack or you can move or pass.
If you get muddled up at any stage during the attack, press
<Attack> to reset the sequence. If you have picked up any units (look at
the information box), you will need to put them back into the country from
which they came before the <Attack> and <Move> buttons will become
active again.
HINT: Keep an eye on the Information
box for guidance.
3.2.3 Combat:
Overrunning a country
If many units are involved in a battle, you can order
your units to overrun the enemy by double clicking the defending territory
during an attack. Click again if you wish to stop the attack.
3.2.4 Combat:
Retreating
3.2.5 Combat:
Moving
If <Limit Supply lines> or <No Supply lines>
options were checked in the Set Up screen then you are restricted to moving
only a short distance.
To move, click <Move>.
Next
click the country you want to move to (the destination country).
Now
click the country you want to move from to start the transfer (the source
country). Keep clicking the source country until you have moved enough units.
Now
click the destination country to stop the move. You can begin another move
sequence by selecting another destination country (there is no need to press
<Move> again), or you can pass.
If you get muddled up at any stage, press <Move> again to reset
the move sequence.
HINT: Keep an eye on the
Information box for guidance.
NOTE: once you have pressed the <Move> button, you can no
longer attack until your next turn.
3.2.6 Combat:
Passing
When you have finished your turn, press <Pass>.
If you have made a successful attack during your turn, you will be dealt a card.
HINT: You need to
replace all picked up units to where they came from before the <Pass>
button will become active.
3.3 Cards
At the end of every turn in which a
player makes a successful attack, a card is issued to that player. When the
player accumulates a valid set of cards, they can be traded
for extra units.
To trade in a set of cards, select the cards that make up the set by
pointing to and clicking them individually. If the cards are hidden, click any
card to turn them all over. An exchange and a cancel button will appear.
Click the exchange button and if you have selected a valid set, you will
be told what their value is.
Click
the OK button and your new units will be ready for placing.
Cards
can be exchanged at any stage during your turn. The value of the cards depends
on whether the card values were set to fixed or increasing at the start if the war.
A valid set consists of either 3 of the same type of card
or 1 of each type.
There
are 14 Artillery, 14 Infantry, 14 Cavalry and 2 Wildcards in the pack.
Wildcards substitute for any of the 3 other types of cards to make a valid set.
3.3.2 Cards : Fixed card values
The value of the cards does not change
during the war.
3
Artillery = 4 units.
3
Infantry = 6 units.
3
Cavalry = 8 units.
1 of
each = 10 units.
Wilds substitute for any card.
There
are 14 of each card and 2 Wilds in a pack.
3.3.3 Cards : Increasing card values
All valid card combinations have the same trade value as each other, however
their value changes during the war. The first set traded in is worth 4 units.
The next set is worth 6 then 8, 10, 12, etc. up to 22 units. The next set is
worth 25 then 30, 35, 40 etc. up to the maximum value set before the war.
3.4.1 Intelligence: The information box
The upper part of the information box describes the current
situation like a story. The lower part tells you which countries to click
during the Placing, Attacking and Moving sequences. The background color of the information box
is the same as the color of the current player.
While
having your turn, watch the information box. It will help you through the
different sequences, tell you when you have to change cards and generally let
you know what is happening in the war.
3.4.2 Intelligence: Countries
Countries are individual territories that
make up continents. The more countries that a player holds
at the beginning of their turn, the more new units they will receive.
1 to 13 countries = 3 units.
14 to 16 countries = 4 units.
17 to 19 countries = 5 units
etc.
Note: You can attack Kamchatka (far east
Siberia) from
3.4.3 Intelligence:
Continents
There are 6 continents in the MissionRisk
world. Each is made up of a group of countries.
North America is worth 5 units (includes
Europe is worth 5 units (includes
Asia is worth 7 units (includes
Right clicking any country during a
war will bring up an intelligence report, which will tell you which continent
the clicked country belongs to.
HINT: Select <Continent map…> from
the Help menu.
3.4.4 Intelligence:
Missions
If the <Missions> option was checked at the start of
the war, each player is dealt a secret mission. If you complete your mission
before any one else completes theirs, you will win the war.
You
can change the type of missions dealt and the conditions for completing
missions from the <Advanced...> button in the war options box.
To
see your mission during the war, first make sure that other human players are
looking away (the computer players will not peek), then go to the
<Missions> dropdown menu and select <See mission>. Another way is
to press <control M>.
3.4.5 Intelligence:
War statistics
End of war statistics are shown
after a war has been won. Each player is given a score, which is based on the
number of countries gained and lost, the number of units involved in the war
(the fewer the better) and starting conditions. Winning a war doesn't
particularly mean that you will have the highest score, it depends more on how
well you fought your battles.
Dice are
used to determine the outcome of each battle. The red dice are for attacking
and the white dice are for defending.
The attacker
first rolls up to 3 red dice. The defender then rolls up to 2 white dice. The
number of dice that a player can roll cannot exceed the number of units
committed to the battle by that player. The highest attacking die is compared
to the highest defending die. If the attacker’s die is less than or equal to
the defender’s die then the attacker looses 1 unit. Otherwise the defender
looses 1 unit. The next highest dice are then compared.
If
<Optimize defense dice> option was checked before the start of the war,
the number of defense dice thrown will depend on the result of the attacking
dice. This reduces the losses slightly while defending a country.
3.5.1 Networking:
Overview
MissionRisk wars can be fought over a local area network (LAN). You
can have up to six participating terminals and as many observing terminals as
the network (and speed of the host terminal) will allow.
A
network war has one host terminal that controls the war (does not have to be a
participating terminal) and one or more client terminals that join the war. To
connect, the selected host first listens for connection requests from clients.
Clients then request a connection with the host. Once connected, players are
assigned to terminals and war is declared.
The network setup dialogue box initiates and controls
communication between terminals. It can be opened by selecting <Network
setup> from the file menu:
Connection options: Make
your terminal a host or a client.
Connection type: For now, there is only one connection method (TCP/IP).
Refresh rate: Controls the frequency at which remote terminals are
updated during your turn. The host is the only one who can change this setting.
A high refresh rate sends a message for nearly every roll of the dice. If there
are many players, you all have your dice speeds set to high and you are on a
slow or busy network, someone’s going to hang! (I’m not necessarily talking
about the LAN!)
Settings: (Name of host) Clients must enter the name of the hosting
terminal. That name is the first entry in the host’s “Session history” text box.
Settings: (Port number) All terminals must use the same port number.
Session history: Lists details for the current networking session. For the
host, it keeps a log of which terminals have connected and disconnected, and
any TCP errors (if any) that have occurred. The first entry in the list is the
name that clients can use to connect to your terminal. For the client, it tells
you what number has been assigned to your terminal after successfully connecting.
Connect: (Client) Request a connection to a listening host.
Listen: (Host) Listen for connection requests from client
terminals.
Disconnect: Close connection.
3.5.3 Networking:
Finding you terminal’s Host Name
When the Network setup dialogue box is
first opened, MissionRisk will try to find the host
name of your terminal and display it as the first listing in the session
history text box. If more information is required, click the <IP info...>
button on the left bottom corner of the Network setup dialogue box.
Some
types of LAN connections assign IP addresses automatically, causing the above
methods to return the wrong Host Name. In that case, you will have to “ping”
the system to find the correct Host Name. To ping the system, you must know the
domain name (for example, user@host.com). From an MS-DOS box, type: ping
user@host.com where “user” is the name of the person hosting the networking
session.
Another
method is as follows:
From an MS-DOS box type: net user
It should respond with: “user accounts for \\NAME”
“NAME” is what we are looking for. Now type: ping “NAME
Yet
another method:
From an MS-DOS box type: ipconfig
3.5.4 Networking:
Hosting a war
1. From
the MissionRisk file drop down menu select
<Network setup...>
2. Select
<Host a war> from the connection options box.
3. Select
a port (default 707) and enter it into <Port number> in the settings
option box. Client terminals must use the same port number to connect.
4. Click
<Listen> and wait for connections. The Host Name of your terminal is the
first item listed in the session history text box. Client terminals will need
to know that name in order to connect to you.
You can now hide the Setup box by clicking <OK>.
To
make Players available to remote terminals, select “Remote player” from the
player option boxes in the Set Up screen for the appropriate Players. Remote
terminals can now choose from these Players. You will see them graying out as
they are selected. If there are any “Remote players” left, the “Smart computer
player” on the host’s terminal will control them. If another terminal decides
to connect while a war is in progress, that terminal can take over those
remaining Players.
HINT: Select <Border shows player’s
color> before declaring war. It will let all human players know when it is
their turn.
3.5.5 Networking:
Joining a war
1. From
the MissionRisk file drop down menu select
<Network setup...>
2.
Select <Join a war> from the
connection options box.
3.
Enter the host’s IP name into
<Name of host> in the settings option box. That name is the first item
listed in the host’s <Session history> text box.
4.
Select a port (default 707) and
enter it into <Port number> in the settings option box. You must use the
same port number that the host is using.
5.
Click <Connect>. If your
connection is accepted, you will be assigned a terminal number.
You
can now hide the setup box by clicking <OK>.
All
player option boxes will change to “Remote player”. Players that are available
for you to choose are the ones that are not grayed out. To choose one, change
an available Player from “Remote player” to “Human player” (or “Computer
player”). That army will gray out on all other connected terminals meaning that
it is not available to any one else. If you decide that you no longer want that
army, change it back to “Remote player”. It will again become available to
other terminals.
Now
sit back and wait for the host to declare war. You can broadcast a message to
let the host and other players know that you are ready.
HINT: Select <Border shows player’s
color> from the <View> dropdown menu. It will let you know when it is
your turn.
3.5.6 Networking:
Communication
To send a message to other terminals, select <Compose
message...> from the options drop down menu or click the network icon in the
toolbox. A “Message” dialogue box will appear. Type your message directly into
the box and press <Enter> to send. A “Message” dialogue box will open on
all connected terminals showing your message and your terminal number to
identify the message’s origin.
If one or more remote players do not receive your message,
or if the message gets corrupted, it’s a sign that your refresh rate is set too
high. It is also a good idea to treat the messaging system as a two-way radio,
and acknowledge messages as they are received.
To
send a private message, select the “Private” option and check the destination
player’s check box. Only the terminal that controls that Player(s) will see
your message.
MissionRisk
is shareware, which means that it is not free software. If you like this
program, please register it. The shareware version of MissionRisk
is fully functional with no limitations or restrictions at all during the 28-day
evaluation period. It will occasionally remind you to do the right thing and
register the program (if you like it). When the 28-day evaluation period has
lapsed, the smart computer players and various other functions will no longer
be available, however MissionRisk will remain
playable.
Register Mission Risk online.
Future
versions of MissionRisk will include modem wars, have
a smarter AI and include many other improvements. Some of these future
improvements will only be available to registered players. By registering MissionRisk NOW you will be registered for all future
versions.
The
current price of MissionRisk is $12US. This price
will rise as more features are added.
MissionRisk
can be registered ON LINE using “Register Now” (RegNow),
a reputable company who specialize in secure online transactions.
RegNow also
accept phone, fax and mail orders:
Please
make checks out to “Register Now!”
Phone- (product number: 1584-1)
Toll free in the
International: (425)
392-2294 *add $3.00*
Fax-
Fill out and print the text file ‘orders.txt’ (found in the MissionRisk
directory) and fax:
Toll free in the
International: (425)
392-0223 *add $2.50*
Mail-
Fill out and print the text file ‘orders.txt’ (found in the MissionRisk
directory) and send to:
Universal Commerce, Inc.
4.2 Entering
the registration code
Register
Mission Risk online.
Once you have registered MissionRisk,
RegNow will send you an email containing your registration
code.
To
enter your code, select <Help> - <Enter registration code>. The
registration dialogue box will now appear. Enter your name and code exactly as
it is shown in the email message. The code is a series of letters and numbers, which are case
sensitive.
You
can cut and paste the registration code from the email message directly into
the registration dialogue box as follows:
1. Open the registration dialogue
box as described above.
2. From the registration email message,
highlight your name and press <control C> to copy to the clipboard.
3. Left click in the ‘Name’ box on the
registration dialogue box and press <control V> to paste from the
clipboard.
4. Do the same for the registration code
and then press ‘OK’
Any
problems, send a message to: craig@missionrisk.com
DEVELOPMENT:
Craig Douglas.
PRE RELEASE TESTING AND ADVICE:
Gary Wilson
Brendan (the Red Man)
Ryan
Gary Ryan
Much feedback has been received since the release of MissionRisk
in September 1998.
POST RELEASE SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE:
Mauro Castelnuovo
Kevin K. Kaeding
Edmund M. Carnahan
Dan Kaplan
Christopher A. Jones
Andy Wick
Jim Clark
Leon Fiss
Dan Westlake
Martin Gross
Lars Monsees
BUG REPORTS:
Kevin K. Kaeding
Edmund M. Carnahan
José Nussbaum
Tyler Bowden
Doug Agnew
LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS:
Italian: Mauro Castelnuovo
Lars Monsees
REFERENCES:
Risk FAQ - Version 5.21
by Owen Lyne et al
http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/personal/odl/riskfaq.html
6.1 Trouble
shooting: Graphics
MissionRisk will render countries in 3D as long as your system color pallet is set to HI COLOR or better. If your pallet
is set to 256 colors or less, countries will be
painted in 2D.
You can switch 3D rendering on or off from the <View> menu at any
time during a war.
To change your system pallet to HI COLOR (if it is available): from the
Windows Start menu select <SETTINGS> - <CONTROL PANEL> -
<DISPLAY>. Select the <SETTINGS> tab and select <HI COLOR (16
bit)> from the COLOR PALLET drop down menu.
MissionRisk is best played with a screen resolution of 800x600 or
better. To change your screen resolution: from the Windows Start menu select
<SETTINGS> - <CONTROL PANEL> - <DISPLAY>. Select the
<SETTINGS> tab and slide the pointer in the DESKTOP AREA box to the
desired resolution