Marshall Ellis
Posts: 5630
Joined: 10/2/2001
From: Dallas
Status: offline
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Hello all:
Study and prepare!
(Kinda like an AAR for the game manual)
This is our getting started section.
GETTING STARTED
Game Options and Preferences Screen
From the Main Menu Screen click the OPTIONS button to access this window, which shows all game options and user preferences. Double click the desired option or preference to enable/disable it. When done, click the OK button to return to the Main Menu Screen.
Available Options
+ Winter Land Movement: All costs for movement are doubled.
+ Guard Commitment: increases the morale level used on the Combat Resolution Table during combat
+ PBEM Host Menu: Allows host to enforce the desires of the playgroup during a PBEM game
+ Option Changes During Game: allows the freedom to change options during play
+ Third Combat System: allows the results from an external combat system to be imported.
+ Passwords: Protects user game files from opponents
+ Economic Manipulation: Allows major powers to control their economy to gain additional political points, money or manpower
+ Start At War: France and Great Britain must start at war
+ Leader Casualties: checks to see if any become casualties in the combat
+ PBEM Quick Combat: No file exchanges are required
+ Privateers: allows for piracy to affect trade
Preferences
+ Show Possible Moves: Highlights the map areas that a unit can reach in one turn
+ Political Shading: color overlays that show which major power controls the map areas.
+ Map Scroll Delay: allows the user to control the speed of scrolling the map
+ See AI Moves: Will allow players to see how the AI has moved
+ Always Show Ranges: Highlights the map areas that a unit can reach in one turn and displays this information during all phases
Starting A New Game
From the Main Menu Screen, click on the NEW GAME button to bring up the New Game Screen.
Setting Up A Hot Seat Game
Click to highlight any major power (center screen) and add your Name and set the Type to “Human” on the left side of the screen. Now double-click your name or your nation in the center screen and you will see that all the other major powers have changed to an “easy” AI player. Double-clicking your nation again will change them to a different level of AI player (easy, medium or hard). Now click the BEGIN button and you’ll be sent to the Game Main Screen and the SETUP PHASE. NOTE: If you chose to use the password option, you will be prompted to enter a password, and confirm it, before being sent to the setup phase.
Setting Up A PBEM Game
A PBEM game consists of six client players and one host player. The host is charged with the task of setting up the game.
To Start A New PBEM Game (all human):
As Host:
1. From the Main Menu Screen, click the NEW GAME button
2. Manually fill in, or use the Optional Import Method to import data into, all fields (Name, Type, Email Address, and VPs) on the New Game Screen.
3. Click HOST EMAIL GAME button
4. Enter a game name and then click the OK button
5. If not playing Russia skip to step 6, otherwise, if Host is playing Russia then:
+ Enter SETUP PHASE and setup Russian forces
+ Click the END CURRENT PHASE button (top menu) when finished with setup. NOTE: The program will automatically save the game as TheGameName.sav whenever the end current phase button is clicked.
+ Send the gamestart.pbm file (found in the commout folder) AND the Russian setup file (also in the commout folder) to all clients and then skip to step 11. NOTE: A blank email is automatically generated, with email addresses and subject field filled in for convenience, or you can use another email account to send files(s)
6. Send the gamestart.pbm file (found in the commout folder) to all clients. NOTE: A blank email is automatically generated, with email addresses and subject field filled in for convenience, or you can use another email account to send files(s)
7. When the time comes for you to play your SETUP PHASE, use the “Load Game” button from the Main Menu Screen and load the saved game file TheGameName.sav). IMPORTANT: If the host attempts to load from the gamestart.pbm file to setup his/her forces, the Admin Menu will not be available throughout the game. NOTE: If password protection was selected as an option, you will be prompted to enter a password before proceeding to the game main screen.
8. Next, click the LOAD EMAIL TURN FILE button found on the top menu bar and load all major power turn files that preceded your turn and then setup your forces or load a saved setup file.
9. Click END CURRENT PHASE button when finished with setup. NOTE: The program will automatically save the game once the end current phase button is clicked.
10. Send your setup file (found in the commout folder) to all players.
11. IMPORTANT: From now on, when the time comes for you to play or load a turn, use the LOAD GAME button from the Main Menu Screen and load the saved game file (TheGameName.sav).
As Client:
After receiving the gamestart file from the host, place it into the commin folder and then:
1. Click NEW GAME button
2. Click LOAD EMAIL GAME button
3. Enter email address and click OK
4. Load TheGameName_gamestart.pbm file from the commin folder. NOTE: this is the only time you will use this file
5. If password protection is enabled, enter password then click the OK button
6. If it is your SETUP PHASE turn, setup your forces or load a saved setup file and skip to step 8, otherwise continue on to step 7.
7. If it is not your turn, click the LOAD EMAIL TURN FILE button found on the top menu bar and load any major power turn files that precede your turn. When it is finally your SETUP PHASE turn, setup your forces or load a saved setup file
8. Click END CURRENT PHASE button. NOTE: The program will automatically save the game once the end current phase button is clicked.
9. Send your turn file (found in the commout folder) to all players.
10. IMPORTANT: From now on, when the time comes for you to play or load a turn, use the LOAD GAME button from the Main Menu Screen and load the saved game file (TheGameName.sav).
Setting Up A PBEM Game Using AI Substitutions
The program can be set to use the AI (easy, medium or hard) to play those major powers that do not have a human player. During exchanges, make sure that all files (the phasing player’s and the AI major powers) are included as attached files when sent.
Loading Saved Game Files
When the time comes for you to play or load a turn, use the “Load Game” button from the Main Menu Screen and load the saved game file (TheGameName.sav).
Exchanging Turn Files
To exchange turn files, click the SEND MESSAGE TO ALL PLAYERS button (top menu bar) and a blank email is generated, with email addresses and subject field filled in (or you can use another email account to send files). Attached the turn file (found in the commout folder) to this email and send. When receiving turn files, always place them in the commin folder.
Loading Turn Files
Load turn files from the commin folder by clicking the LOAD EMAIL TURN FILE button found on the top menu bar and load any major power turn files that precedes your turn.
The Role Of The PBEM Game Host (The Hub)
The host reconciles and enforces the desires of the playgroup during a PBEM game. Using the Admin Menu, the host has the ability to:
+ Enforce a turn deadline and use the Admin Menu to have either the AI play a turn, or skip a turn, for any given player who is unable to submit a turn file and meet the deadline.
+ Supply current players with a backup saved game file (using the Admin Menu) should file corruption or out of sync errors occur.
+ Replace players that no longer wish to play and supply those new players with the appropriate backup saved game file.
Optional Import Method To Start PBEM Game
EiANW allows players to use an external Game Assistance Program (GAP) that handles the major power bid and selection procedure. This program is available, free of charge, for download.
Explanation Of The Gap:
Bids are capped at 20 Victory Points to curb astronomical bidding for France or Britain. Ties are broken using a non-repeating random number event. The password created during the bid procedure was designed to protect the player’s EiANW gamestart file (i.e. in order to open the gamestart file for a specific major power, you’ll need to enter both your email address and the password). Also during the bid procedure, players can choose which pre-existing wars they would declare should they win control of a specific major power. The bid file (.bid), which is encrypted, contains the player’s 7 bids, pre-existing war declaration requests and the password that the player made. The player name and email address is also included but is not encrypted. NOTE: give recognizable names to your bid files (e.g. YourName_GameName.bid) so that the host understands which game it belongs to (he/she may be hosting more than one game and your bids may vary from one game to another depending on the major power your trying to control).
When completed, the player sends the bid file to either the game host or a non-playing arbitrator, who will use the GAP to compare the bids according to the following order: Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Prussia, Spain and Turkey. The host (or arbitrator) also has the ability of selecting the Britain and France at war option at this time. Afterwards, the host (or arbitrator) can send those results, which are written to a text file, by email to all clients. The text file (.txt) contains the results of bidding; the major power won, VP cost, player name, email address, pre-existing wars, and a list of the individual bids from all 7 players. Note: the major powers listed vertically are the aggressors (i.e. made the declaration of war).
Importing The GAP Data:
The major power selection data generated by this program can be easily imported into EiANW by the host (or arbitrator) of the PBEM game by simply clicking the “Import Bids” button. A dialog box will open that will allow the host to find the folder that the bid file was save to (the selection file (.sel) is automatically saved to the folder that the text file was saved to). This is the file that EiANW will use to import. NOTE: The passwords are NOT encrypted so the host or arbitrator can reference them if needed. For a higher level of security it is recommended that you use a non-playing arbitrator.
After loading the selection file, the Name, Email Address and VP Bid data will be filled on the New Game Screen, but not the game Type, which the host must manually set (to “Email Host”). Once the host has set his/her major power, double-click on “Email Host” (center of screen) and the remaining six players will change to “Client”. From here follow the instructions, starting with step #3, on how to Start A New PBEM.
The Role Of The PBEM Game Arbitrator (Non-Player)
The use of an arbitrator offers a higher level of game security for PBEM games because the host will not be able to see the passwords. The arbitrator’s job is:
+ To receive and compile bid files from a playgroup consisting of seven members, which include six clients and one game host.
+ To use the EiANW Game Assistance Program to compare and calculate all seven bid files in order to determine control of the seven major powers according to the selection procedure
+ To act in accordance with the majority desires of the playgroup and select the Britain and France at war option if requested.
+ To send the results, contained within a GAP generated file (.txt), by email to all clients and the host.
+ To import the results, contained within a GAP generated file (.sel), into EiANW for the purpose of creating a gamestart file.
+ To send the gamestart file, created by EiANW, to all Clients (not the host).
+ To send the saved game files (.sav and .dat), created by EiANW, to the Host (not the clients).
+ To retain a copy of the .sel file, containing all seven passwords, for future reference as needed by a replacement player, should a member of the group leave the game. NOTE: if a player should leave a PBEM game, the host sends the game file and the arbitrator provides the new player with the password found in the .sel file.
Now you should be ready when the game arrives at your door or the download finishes :-)
_____________________________
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