XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


NNAAMMEE
       xbattle - a multi-user battle strategy game

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
	 xbattle   [-<color>   <display>...]   [-<option>  <argu-
       ment>...]


AAssssiiggnn aa  tteeaamm ccoolloorr  aanndd ddiissppllaayy  ttoo eeaacchh ppllaayyeerr,,  aanndd aannyy  nnuumm--
       bbeerr ooff
       options	 with argument where  required.	 <color>  can  be
       a monochrome tone,  -black  -white  -gray1  -gray3,  or	a
       color, -red -green -blue -cyan -magenta -yellow; <display>
       is  the name  of	 the  x display	 for each  player.   Com-
       mand line arguments can be supplied  in	any order.  For a
       quick introduction, go straight to  the	EXAMPLES  section
       below.


OOPPTTIIOONNSS
	    [ -options	[<options file>]]
	    [ -bases	<number of bases> 4 teams max.]
	    [ -rbases	<number of randomly placed bases>]
	    [ -armies	<size of initial armies> 4 teams max.]
	    [ -militia	<density of random militia [1-10]>]
	    [ -towns	<density of towns [1-10]>]
	    [ -repeat	no argument- allows command repeat]
	    [ -bound	no argument- allows multiple commands]
	    [ -march	<delay between marches>]
	    [ -erode	<time before erosion>]
	    [ -farms	<rate of universal troop production [1-10]>]
	    [ -decay	<rate of troop decay [1-10]>]
	    [ -fight	<firepower for attack [1-10]>]
	    [ -disrupt	no argument- stop movement under fire]
	    [ -guns	<range of artillery [1-10]>]
	    [ -para	<range of paratroops [1-10]>]
	    [ -hills	<steepness of hills [1-10]>]
	    [ -forest	<thickness of forest [1-10]>]
	    [ -sea	<amount of water on gameboard [1-10]>]
	    [ -wrap	no argument- sets wrap-around mode]
	    [ -seed	<random seed for hills, forest & militia>]
	    [ -horizon	[<view range of enemy troops>]]
	    [ -hidden	no argument- hides enemy command vectors]
	    [ -map	no argument- map features as they appear]
	    [ -basemap	no argument- map bases/towns as with terrain]
	    [ -localmap no argument- map only local area]
	    [ -dig	no argument- allow terrain digging]
	    [ -fill	no argument- allow terrain filling]
	    [ -build	<cost of base in full troopsquares>]
	    [ -scuttle	no argument- allow base destruction]
	    [ -grid	no argument- displays a grid]
	    [ -move	<speed of troop movement [1-10]>]
	    [ -reserve	no argument- allow reserves ]
	    [ -speed	<game speed [1-10]>]



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


	    [ -square	<game square size in pixels>]
	    [ -board	<game board size in squares>]
	    [ -manpos	no argument- allows manual board placement]
	    [ -store	[<save file>]]
	    [ -replay	[<save file>]]

RRUUNN--TTIIMMEE CCOOMMMMAANNDD SSUUMMMMAARRYY
CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS IINN GGAAMMEEBBOOAARRDD
	LEFT MOUSE:	     toggle command vector to move troops
	MIDDLE MOUSE:	    clear all and set new command vector
	RIGHT  MOUSE:	      repeat   previous	  command   (with
       -repeat)
	SHIFT-LEFT MOUSE:    march (with -march)
	SHIFT-MIDDLE MOUSE:  force march (with -march)
	SHIFT-RIGHT MOUSE:   paratroops (with -para)
	CONTROL-RIGHT MOUSE: artillery (with -guns)
	ctrl-'s':	    pause game
	ctrl-'q':	    resume game
	'b':		    build base (-build)
	's':		    scuttle base (-scuttle)
	'f':		    fill terrain (-fill)
	'd':		    dig terrain (-dig)
	'p':		    paratroops (with -para)
	'g':		    artillery (with -guns)
	{'0'-'9'}:	    reserve (-reserve)


CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS IINN TTEEXXTT AARREEAA
	CONTROL-c or CONTROL-q: quit the game
	CONTROL-w: quit game but watch others play on
	CONTROL-g: ring bell on all game displays
	ANY OTHER CHARACTER: append to message string


DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       xbattle	 is  a concurrent  multi-player	 battle	 strategy
       game   that captures  the dynamics of  a	 wide  range   of
       military	  situations.  The game board is a matrix of game
       squares which can be occupied by troops of various  colors
       or shades.   The number of  troops in  a	 square	 is indi-
       cated by	 the  size  of a  colored troop	  square   within
       the game square.	 The troops are commanded by clicking the
       mouse  near the edge of the square  in the direction  that
       the   movement	is  to take  place.  The command  will be
       acknowledged  by the appearance of     a	 command  vector,
       and  thereafter,	 in each update cycle,	a certain propor-
       tion of the troops will move from the  source   square  to
       the   destination   square  until  the  source  square  is
       exhausted.  Command vectors  can be  set in several direc-
       tions   at  once, in  which case	 the  movement is divided
       evenly between the vector   directions,	and  the  command
       remains	active until cancelled.	 Thus a	 trail of squares
       can be set up  as a supply line that will  deliver  troops
       steadily	  at  its   endpoint.  The command vector remains



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       active even if  the number of troops  in	 that  square  is
       zero,  although	 the command  vector  will  then  be dis-
       played  at half length.	 The   game is	  concurrent,  so
       that    commands	 are  given continuously  by all  players
       without waiting	for turns.    Different	 combinations  of
       options	create	radically  different  games, see EXAMPLES
       below.


TTeeaamm CCoolloorrss aanndd DDiissppllaayyss ((--<<ccoolloorr>>))
       The game is started from one display, and each player must
       play  from  a  separate	display,  players  being assigned
       to   a color team  by the command line	option	"-<color>
       <display>".   The  parameter  <color> determines the color
       of the  troops  of  that	 team,	which  can  be	either	a
       monochrome  tone	 like  black,  white, gray1, gray3, or	a
       true color like	red,  green,  blue,  cyan,   yellow   and
       magenta,	 although  the	true  colors  will  appear  on	a
       monochrome monitor as  either black or white with an iden-
       tifying	character  in  each   troop  square  which is the
       first letter of the color  name.	  So  for instance,   the
       team   color  "-red" would appear on  a monochrome monitor
       as  black with  a  letter  "R"	in  the	 middle	 of  each
       troop square.  A	 number of  people can be assigned to the
       same team   by repeating the   color for	  different  dis-
       plays,  for  example   "-red display1 -red  display2", and
       each  member of	the team will be able  to   command   any
       troops of that team.    The  <display> argument designates
       the name of the display on which	 the team of  that  color
       is  playing,  so	 each player must be given a color  and a
       display.	 Display names	can be found with the  unix  com-
       mand   "who",   which will list display names for users in
       the last column like (cnsxk:0.0).  The system  console  is
       always designated unix:0.0.  The display name can be modi-
       fied  for  remote   games,   for	 example   the	 terminal
       cnsxk:0.0 on park.bu.edu	  (email   address  of	  machine
       "park")	 is designated cnsxk.bu.edu:0.0 .   Xbattle  rec-
       ognizes	:0.0	as the	default (screen zero on the  dis-
       play), so the  :0.0  may	 be  omitted  from   the  display
       name.  Xbattle	also recognizes a  special   display name
       "me", which means  the display from  which the program  is
       started.	  When	playing between color and monochrome dis-
       plays the colors can be specified more exactly by concate-
       nating  a color name  with  a monochrome	  name, for exam-
       ple "-redwhite" (color  first), which would  display  that
       team  as	 red  on  color monitors and white on  monochrome
       monitors.   All command line flags  and arguments for  the
       game   can  be given  in any order as long as the argument
       directly follows its flag, and most arguments  are  scaled
       to  range  from 1 to 10,	 with 5 being the default  value.
       It is also  possible  to set  different	 game  parameters
       for  the	 different  displays,  so  that	 the game  can be
       biased  to favor a less	experienced  player-  see  BIASED
       GAMES below.



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


OOPPTTIIOONNSS ((--ooppttiioonnss))
       A  large	 variety  of game options are available to define
       the parameters of the game.  In essence, xbattle	 is  many
       thousands  of  games  rolled into one.  The options can be
       presented in any order, and may be typed in with	 the com-
       mand  line,  or	they   can be stored  in an  options file
       (default filename = default.xbo),  or some can be   stored
       and  others added to the command line.  The format for the
       options file is exactly the same as the	format	 for  the
       command	 line  except that in the  file each option (plus
       argument, where applicable) is placed  on a separate line.
       So, for example, the game...

	 xbattle -black me -white cnsxk:0.0 -armies 4 -grid

       could also be played with the command...

	 xbattle -black me -white cnsxk:0.0 -options simple.xbo

       where the file simple.xbo consists of the two lines...

	 -armies 4
	 -grid

       The only command line entries that can NOT be  included in
       the options file are the team color and display arguments.


TTrrooooppss ((--bbaasseess,, --rrbbaasseess,, --aarrmmiieess,, --mmiilliittiiaa))
       Initial	troop allocation  is controlled	 by several  com-
       mand   options,	including  -bases   <n>,  -rbases    <n>,
       -armies	 <n> and   -militia <n>.  Armies and  militia are
       troops on the  gameboard, whereas bases	which  are  indi-
       cated  by circles on the gameboard,  provide a steady sup-
       ply of  troops.	 The	-bases	option	 allocates    <n>
       bases  to each	 team, symmetrically arranged on the game
       board,  whereas	-rbases	 <n>  arranges	 them	 randomly
       (which  works   well   with   the   -horizon option).  The
       -armies option allocates <n> armies (full  troop	 squares)
       symmetrically arrayed, whereas -militia <n> scatters mili-
       tia of random strengths to random locations, with a proba-
       bilistic	 density   of	<n>.   At least one of these four
       options is required  to provide initial	troops	 for  the
       game,  and they	may be	used in combination.   The -bases
       and -armies options will only work for four or less teams.


RReessuuppppllyy ((--ttoowwnnss,, --ffaarrmmss,, --ddeeccaayy))
       The  bases  created  by	the  -bases or -rbases, produce a
       steady supply of fresh troops.  The bases can be	 occupied
       by  an	opposing  team,	 and the troops produced  by such
       bases are always	 the  color of the occupying force.   The
       capture of all bases thus  becomes the strategic objective
       of the  game.  This arrangement	simulates desert warfare,



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       as  long	 and  tenuous	supply lines  develop between the
       base and the battle areas.  Another  form of resupply   is
       provided by  the	 command option "-towns <n>".  This  pro-
       duces a	number of  smaller   unoccupied	  supply  sources
       scattered  randomly  over  the  game  board  at	a density
       determined by the argument <n>, and with random	rates  of
       troop production, indicated by the radius of the circle on
       the game board.	Towns must be occupied by a team to begin
       producing  troops.   This  option   simulates yet a larger
       scale of operation as the   combatants  battle  to  occupy
       the  towns.    A	 more  distributed  form  of resupply  is
       evoked  by the command  option "-farms <n>" whereby  every
       square  of the	game  board will produce troops	  as soon
       as   it is occupied,   at  a  rate   proportional  to  the
       argument	  <n>,	 and the strategic  objective becomes the
       occupation of the largest areas	of the	gameboard.   This
       option	simulates   a	yet larger scale of operation and
       requires complex management of  resources  to  concentrate
       the  distributed	  resources   and  deliver  them   to the
       battle front.   In   large   scale   scenarios  additional
       realism may  be added by	 using the -decay  option whereby
       the  troop  strength in all  troop  squares   decays  con-
       stantly	 in proportion	to  the value  of the decay argu-
       ment.  This reflects the fact that armies constantly  con-
       sume  resources even  while they are  idle, and	an   army
       without	constant resupply  will wither	away.	With  the
       decay  option,	a  set	of bases, towns or farms can only
       support armies  of  limited  size,  and	the  armies  will
       dynamically  grow or shrink until   they reach that  size.
       Since this number  includes the troops  that make  up  the
       supply	line,  the fighting power  of an  army diminishes
       with the	 length of the supply line.  The  default   decay
       value  is    zero,  i.e.	   no	 decay.	 All the resupply
       options can be used in any combination.


IInntteerraaccttiivvee ccoommmmaannddss ((mmoouussee aanndd kkeeyybbooaarrdd))
       Movement commands are	performed   with  the  left   and
       middle	 mouse	buttons, to direct the command vector.	A
       click in	 the center of the game square clears all command
       vectors;	 a   click  near  an edge sets the vector in that
       direction, and a	 click near  a	 corner	  sets	 the  two
       adjacent	 vectors.   The left mouse  toggles command  vec-
       tors while the middle   mouse   clears  existing	  vectors
       and  sets  a new	 vector	 (An alternative  command  system
       is available,   see COMPILATION OPTIONS below).	The right
       mouse  is  used	to  repeat  the	 last  used command (with
       -repeat option).	 The keyboard is interpreted  differently
       depending on whether the mouse is positioned  on the game-
       board  or on the text area below.  On the gameboard,   the
       keys  control-s	and  control-q	pause and resume the game
       respectively.  There are	 also  a variety of keyboard com-
       mands   available    with   different options,  to control
       special functions on the gameboard.   These keystrokes are



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       described  in  detail with the description  of  the appro-
       priate  options	(see  -guns,   -para,  -build,	-scuttle,
       -fill,  -dig, -reserve).	 In the text  area below the key-
       board, the keys control-c and control-q	 both  exit   the
       player  from  the   game,   although   the  game continues
       among the  remaining players until they also quit, and the
       key  control-w  also  exits the player, but allows  him to
       continue	 watching as the other players	 play	on.   The
       rest  of	 the keyboard is  used	for communication between
       participants through  text  lines.    This  is  especially
       useful when  playing between remote  sites- each team  has
       its own text line,  and the color of the text matches  the
       color  of  the team.  The control-g  key rings the bell on
       all displays, which can be used to draw attention to a new
       message.


EEnnhhaanncceedd mmoovveemmeenntt ccoommmmaannddss ((--rreeppeeaatt,, --bboouunndd,, --mmaarrcchh,, --eerrooddee))
       With  the  option "-repeat"  you can repeat the last  com-
       mand  using the right mouse.  If	 for  example  your  last
       command	to   a square consisted of a "move up" command by
       clicking near  the top edge  of the square,  you	 can  now
       command other squares to also move up by clicking in those
       squares with the right mouse.  That way you no longer have
       to  aim	your  click  exactly  at  the  top side of  those
       squares, but  can  click the right mouse	 anywhere in that
       square,	which  saves  time.  This command is supported in
       biased games- i.e.  it can be set for  one  team	 but  not
       another.	 Commands can be made to apply to  more than  one
       square with the	option	"-bound".  This	 is  achieved  by
       defining	 a bounding rectangle within which the command is
       valid.  For instance, to	 command  a block of  squares  to
       all   move  up simultaneously,  you  place your mouse near
       the top edge of	a square (may be  unoccupied,	or  enemy
       occupied)   and	press the button (setting the command "go
       up", then you drag the mouse to another	game square where
       you  release  the button.  The  start and end  squares  of
       the  mouse drag	define	the  opposite corners of  a rect-
       angle   within  which  all  the	 game squares occupied by
       your troops receive the command "go up".	 With the  option
       "-march	<n>", troops may be commanded  to march in a par-
       ticular	direction and  to   continue  in  that	direction
       without	further	 commands.   March commands are activated
       with shift left	or  shift   middle  mouse  button.    For
       example,	 if   you click near the  top  edge of	a  square
       with "shift left	 mouse", the troops will begin	to  march
       up, and on arrival in the  next square they will	 transfer
       the  march command to  that  square  so	 that  they  will
       continue	  marching  upwards to	the next  square, and  so
       forth. If a marching   column encounters	 hostile   forces
       the   march  command  is cancelled  and	the column stops.
       To  prevent  marching   columns	from   travelling    much
       faster  than manually  commanded troops,	  the march argu-
       ment <n> defines the number of game  update   cycles  that



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       the troops must wait in each new square before marching on
       to the next square, so that "-march 1" will  result  in	a
       fast  march,  whereas  "-march	10"  will  be  slow.  The
       "march  command"	 is indicated on  the  game  board  by	a
       double  command vector (looks  like  an "="  sign) in  the
       appropriate direction,  and the march  command  is  always
       passed  on  to  the  head of the	 column.  March	 commands
       may   be set  in	  squares  that	  are  NOT  occupied   by
       your  troops,   (best	done  with "-grid") and	  will be
       activated when a marching column arrives in  that  square.
       This  allows  you  to define turns  in  the path	 of   the
       marching column to   avoid  obstacles.	A   "stop  march"
       command	may  also be set  to program  the marching column
       to stop in that square.	This   is  achieved  by	 clicking
       "shift  left mouse" in the center of that square, and will
       be displayed as an empty	 box  in that square.	When  set
       with   the  left mouse, the march vector is overwritten on
       to existing  command  vectors  encountered  in  the  march
       path,  whereas  when  set with the  middle mouse the march
       vector removes and  replaces  existing  command	 vectors.
       March  commands	are  cancelled	by clicking on the square
       without the shift key.	March  commands	 may  be  set  in
       squares that are beyond	the visible horizon in the normal
       way , and will appear as a double vector in   that  square
       so long as   that square	 is not a   "sea" square.  If the
       target square contains invisible enemy troops,  then   the
       march command vectors will appear initially,  but   disap-
       pear again  as  soon   as the enemy   is approached  close
       enough  to be visible.  March commands are specific to the
       team that  sets them, and different   march  commands  may
       be  set	by different teams in  the same game square.  The
       double command vectors are visible only to the  team  that
       sets  them.   The  command line option "erode  <n>" limits
       the longevity of	 game  squares that belong to you but  in
       which   there are  no troops.  Normally, a  passing   col-
       umn of troops leaves behind it a "supply line" of  command
       vectors	that can be used any time  in the future  to send
       further	troops	along the  same path, and the game  board
       eventually  becomes cluttered with such supply lines, many
       of  which  are no longer active.	 With  "-erode <n>"  such
       disused	supply	lines will begin to erode away stochasti-
       cally with time 10*<n>  update cycles after the	time   of
       the last occupation,  so that "-erode 1" provides for fast
       erosion, whereas "-erode 10" is slow.


CCoommbbaatt ((--ffiigghhtt,, --ddiissrruupptt))
       Whenever troops	of  different  colors  occupy  the   same
       game   square,  a  battle  ensues, indicated by concentric
       squares of the two colors, and  a   "crossed  swords"  (X)
       symbol.	 During	  battle,  one	or  both  sides can incur
       losses according	   to	a  random   nonlinear	 function
       that  disproportionately favors the more numerous  troops.
       The steepness of	 the  nonlinearity,  i.e.  the	advantage



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       given  to   the	more numerous side, is controlled  by the
       -fight  parameter.  A  small  value will	 produce  lengthy
       drawn  out  battles  which  favor  a  defensive	strategy,
       whereas a large	value produces	quick	decisive  battles
       where  the random element is  more  significant,	 favoring
       an  offensive  strategy even  against  superior	odds.  In
       the  absence of the -fight  option, the default value of 5
       is used.	 The -fight parameter is also automatically modu-
       lated  by the  game speed parameter  (-speed)  in order to
       slow down battles in fast games	and  vice  versa.   Since
       only 1/3 of the	troops	can enter a square in each update
       cycle (with the default -move  5),  attackers  of  a  full
       square  are always  outnumbered	initially, unless a coor-
       dinated attack is  launched    from three  sides	 simulta-
       neously.	  The	 -move argument	 thus has  a  significant
       influence on the	 efficacy of  an  attack.   The	 -disrupt
       option  dictates	 that	when  a	 game  square comes under
       attack,	all   its  command vectors  are	 immediately can-
       celled,	breaking  supply  lines which must be repaired by
       hand after the attack.  In  other words, there  can be  no
       movement	 under	 fire, and even small forces  can be used
       to  provide covering  fire to "pin  down" a larger  force,
       at  least   until  they	  are counter-attacked and elimi-
       nated.	A side	effect	 of  this option is    that  when
       an   attacking  square  is  counterattacked,  both squares
       attemp to cancel each other's movement, i.e.  to interrupt
       the  attack.    The square that	is updated next will pre-
       vail, cancelling the command vector of the  other  square.
       Since the game squares are updated  in a random	sequence,
       there is no  telling which square will prevail,	and   the
       commander  must	click  repeatedly  to  renew  the command
       vector  in order to   press home the  attack under opposi-
       tion.   This   simulates	 the  tactical situation where	a
       commander must personally  intervene to ensure the maximal
       effort  is applied at the most critical points of the bat-
       tle.


GGuunnss aanndd PPaarraattrrooooppss ((--gguunnss,, --ppaarraa))
       The command option -guns <n> enables the shift-right mouse
       to   be used to control artillery, which can be shot  from
       any occupied gamesquare.	 The range and direction  of  the
       shot  are  determined by the  position of the click in the
       game square, near center for short range and near the edge
       for  long   range,  as  modulated  by   the  argument <n>.
       Every shell costs one troop from	 the  source  square  and
       destroys	  one  troop  at  the destination   square.   The
       fall of	shot  is indicated  by	the brief appearance of a
       little dot.  With the -horizon option the fall of shot may
       not be visible  for  long range	shots,	although  invisi-
       ble   enemy  troops  will  be  destroyed	 where	the shell
       falls.  Artillery can damage both friend and  foe,  so  it
       must  be	  used	with caution.  Paratroops are enabled  by
       the option   -para <n>,	and  are launched    similarly to



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XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       artillery  using control-right mouse button.   The cost of
       dropping one troop at   the destination square	is  three
       troops	from  the   source  square,  and the drop zone is
       indicated  by  the  brief appearance of a  parachute  sym-
       bol.


EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt ((--hhiillllss,, --ffoorreesstt,, --sseeaa,, --wwrraapp,, --sseeeedd,, --eerrooddee))
       The  command  option  -hills <n> initializes  random hills
       which restrict movement when going from low to high   ele-
       vation,	 and  enhance  movement from high to  low, but do
       not affect  movement  on	 the  level.   The  elevation  is
       indicated  by the shade of gray,	 light	for high and dark
       for low on monochrome,  and brownish for	 high and  green-
       ish  for low on color displays.	The argument controls the
       amount of energy gained and lost on hills, i.e. the steep-
       ness.   Hills provide a tactical advantage when	attacking
       downhill.  With very steep   hills   (-hills  9)	 movement
       from  very low	to  very   high	 elevation  (a	cliff) is
       virtually impossible.  The command option -forest <n> ini-
       tializes random forests which restrict movement within the
       forest, but do  not affect movement from	 thin  to   thick
       forest.	 On  both   color and monochrome  displays, thick
       forest  is  dark, and thin is  light.  When  used in  con-
       junction	 with hills,  the forests    thickness correlates
       exactly	 with  hill elevation.	When  transitioning  from
       one  forest  thickness to another, the  movement is deter-
       mined by the  destination square, not the  source  square,
       so   that  troops  deployed   within   a forest but at the
       boundary have a	tactical advantage over those	 deployed
       outside the boundary.  The command option -sea <n>  gener-
       ates  randomly  distributed  bodies    of   water,   whose
       prevalance  is	determined  by	the  argument <n>.   Such
       bodies of water cannot be crossed by infantry.	 A  small
       value  creates scattered ponds and lakes, which influences
       the tactical deployment of troops, whereas a  large  value
       creates	a  maze-like  pattern  of  fjords or rivers which
       isolate blocks of land  into islands which can	 only  be
       taken   by    paratroops.  On monochrome	  monitors  water
       appears dark mottled grey,  and	on color  monitors it  is
       pale blue.  The command option -wrap (no arguments) allows
       wrap-around  on the gameboard.  The command  option  -seed
       <n> allows  control  of	the random number seed, otherwise
       selected based on the   process	ID  and	 the  time,   and
       printed	to  the text line.   Using  the same  seed   will
       reproduce the   same configuration of hills,  towns,  seas
       and militia.


MMooddiiffyy EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt ((--ddiigg,, --ffiillll,, --bbuuiilldd,, --ssccuuttttllee))
       The command options -dig and -fill allow run  time modifi-
       cation of the terrain by	 digging  down to  lower   eleva-
       tion or	filling up to higher elevation.	 This  allows the
       construction  and breaching  of defensive  fortifications.



			   30 Oct 1991				9





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       The  cost of these operations is one full troopsquare, and
       is accomplished by  positioning the  mouse  on	the  full
       square and striking the key "d" for dig, and "f" for fill.
       With the -sea option, digging below the	lowest	elevation
       produces	 a  sea,  which	 can similarly be filled back up.
       Since it is impossible to occupy a 'sea'	 square	 to  fill
       it,  filling  seas  is accomplished by setting the command
       vector as if to move into the sea, and  then pressing "f".
       For  all	  other fill and dig operations the  troop square
       may not	have any command vectors set.	The  -build   <n>
       and   -scuttle	options	 allow the building  and destruc-
       tion of bases (or  towns).   Building  is  expensive,  and
       requires	 <n>  full  troop  squares   to	 build a complete
       base.  When the	mouse is  positioned  on  a   full  troop
       square  and   the   "b"	key  is	  pressed, the troops are
       exchanged for a 1/n fraction of a base,	displayed  as  an
       arc  segment.   When  the  capture  of a base by the enemy
       seems inevitable, it is often advisable	 to  scuttle  the
       base  to	  prevent   it	falling	 into enemy hands.  Scut-
       tling is performed by positioning the  mouse  on the  base
       and  pressing  the  "s"	key.  This  reduces the size (and
       production capacity) of that  base by an	 amount	  propor-
       tional to  the number  of troops engaged in the scuttling,
       and a  proportion of those troops are expended.	 Usually,
       several	 keystrokes    are  required   to   complete  the
       destruction.  When used in  conjunction	with  the  -build
       option,	instead of reducing the	 size of  the  base, each
       scuttle	operation removes a section (arc segment) of  the
       base  proportional  to the number of troops engaged in the
       scuttling, such	that a full  troop   square  can  scuttle
       the  entire  base  with	<n> keystrokes.	 A base will  not
       produce troops if even	a  single   segment  is	 missing,
       although	 of  course it is less expensive to repair  (with
       "b"  build)   a base with  fewer	  segments missing.


VViissiibbiilliittyy ((--hhoorriizzoonn,, --hhiiddddeenn,, --mmaapp,, --bbaasseemmaapp,, --llooccaallmmaapp,, --ggrriidd))
       The  command option -horizon <n>	 restricts the	view   of
       enemy   troop  deployment  to  within  <n>  squares of any
       friendly troops.	 Horizon can be called with no	argument,
       in  which  case the default <n> = 2 is used.  Intelligence
       of more	remote	regions	 can  be  gathered  by	 use   of
       paratroops.   The   command option -hidden  (no arguments)
       makes   the command vectors  of the  enemy   invisible  at
       any  range.   The command option -map is similar to -hori-
       zon  except that it restricts your  view	 of  geographical
       objects	as   well  as	enemy  troops, although	 it  will
       "remember" any terrain that  you have seen   once,  as  if
       you had mapped that information.	 The -basemap option maps
       bases and towns as it  does  the	  terrain.    The  option
       -localmap  maps only  the  local area around your  troops,
       and features  disappear	as you	move away  again.     The
       option  -grid  (no  arguments) displays a grid on the game
       board to help locate the gamesquares.  This is  especially



			   30 Oct 1991			       10





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       useful  for  novice players, or for use with artillery and
       paratroops.


GGaammee PPaarraammeetteerrss ((--mmoovvee,, --rreesseerrvvee,, --ssppeeeedd,, --ssqquuaarree,, --bbooaarrdd,,  --mmaann--
       ppooss))
       In each update cycle some fraction of the troops in a game
       square move to adjacent	squares indicated by   the   com-
       mand vectors.   The default fraction is	1/3, so	 that  in
       each successive	cycle,	1/3   of   the	remaining  troops
       move   out   of	the   square  until  it	 is  empty.  That
       fraction is adjusted with the -move argument, 1	for  less
       movement,  and  10 for more movement.  The -reserve option
       allows the player to  define  a	level	of   reserves  to
       remain  in  the	  square   despite  the movement command.
       For instance a  reserve level of	 5   would  ensure   that
       the  square  will maintain a reserve of	50% capacity, and
       movement	 out of	 that	square	will   only  occur   with
       troops	in  excess   of	 the reserve level.  The  reserve
       level is	 set  in a   particular game   square by pointing
       to  that square with the mouse  and striking a number key,
       '1' for 10% reserves, '2'for 20% reserves, and so forth up
       to  '9'	 for 90% reserves.  The -speed	<n> option   con-
       trols the speed	of the	 update	 cycle,	  making   for	a
       fast   or  slow game.   A fast  game favors quick reaction
       time and fast action, whereas a slow game favors	 strategy
       and  intellect.	The option -square <size>  allows you  to
       set the size  of the gamesquares in pixels, and the option
       -board	<size>	allows	you  to	 set the size of the game
       board in squares.  The  option -manpos allows you to posi-
       tion  the  game	window	manually  rather   than having it
       appear automatically at the upper left  origin,	which  is
       the default.


SSttoorree aanndd RReeppllaayy ((--ssttoorree,, --rreeppllaayy))
       The   -store   <file>  option  allows  you   to	store the
       graphics drawing commands to a file, which can  be  viewed
       later  with  the	 -replay <file> option.	 When -replay  is
       used, all  other command options are  ignored  except  the
       -<color>	 <display>  options,  which can	 be used to  send
       the replay to other  displays.  When doing  so,	only  the
       <display>  portion  of  the option is used, the <color> is
       ignored.	 So, if you play a game with  many  command  line
       parameters   and	  several   displays   with  the argument
       -store <file>, after the game you can repeat the same com-
       mand  line but just change -store to -replay, and the game
       will  be replayed on  the displays  of  all  the	 original
       combatants.   When  xbattle  is	called with  the  -replay
       option alone, the  default  display  will   be  "me".   If
       store  or  replay  are  called  without	a  file name, the
       default name "xbattle.xba" will be used.	 In  the  replay,
       the  view restrictions of  the -horizon option  are  deac-
       tivated, i.e.  all  enemy troops are visible.



			   30 Oct 1991			       11





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


BBIIAASSEEDD GGAAMMEESS
       The game	 can  be  biased  to  favor  a	less  experienced
       player, or for any other reason, in the following way.  In
       the normal syntax, the command  line  argument  "-<color>"
       is immediately followed	by  the "<display>" argument, for
       example "-black	me".  It is  possible to  define  command
       line   options  that  are   specific to only  one  display
       with the syntax "-<color> { <options> }	<display>"  where
       <options>  refers  to  a	 list  of command line options as
       before,	but is included	 in  a set of  braces between the
       team color and the display (note the spaces on either side
       of the braces).	For example,

	 xbattle -black { -fight 10 } me  -white  {  -fight  5	}
       cnsxk

       where  black  (on  display  "me")  has	the  advantage of
       greater firepower  than	 white	(on    display	"cnsxk").
       Not  all	  options can be  biased, especially options that
       control the global behavior of  the game, such as   -speed
       and -board.  The	 options that can be   biased  are -bases
       -rbases	-armies	 -militia  -guns  -para	  -move	 -reserve
       -fight  -fill  -dig -scuttle -build -hills -forest  -decay
       -grid -square -manpos  -horizon	-map  -basemap	-localmap
       -wrap.	Note  also  that if you are using player specific
       and global options, the global  options	 MUST  be  listed
       first,  otherwise  they	will  overwrite the play specific
       options.	 For example,

	 xbattle -black { -fight 10 } me -white cnsxk -fight 5

       will result in  a fight	5 for both  players.  In order to
       achieve the desired result, the command line must be...

	 xbattle  -fight 5 -black { -fight 10 } me -white cnsxk

       where  the  local  option overwrites only the black team's
       fight value.


EEXXTTEENNSSIIOONNSS
       A great deal of effort  has been made  in the  design   of
       this   game  to	make   it  as	 simple	 and   modular as
       possible,    with   extensive documentation throughout the
       source  code,  in the hope that others will create new and
       exciting	 variations of the  game  while	 maintaining  the
       elegance and modularity	of the original	 design.  I would
       be grateful if such    variants	 were sent  to	us     at
       slehar@park.bu.edu  and lesher@park.bu.edu  to be combined
       into a new version reflecting  the best of  the	modifica-
       tions.






			   30 Oct 1991			       12





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


EEXXAAMMPPLLEESS
       Here  are some example games to give an idea of	the vari-
       ability of the parameters.  The	first example is a   sim-
       ple symmetrical	game between "me" in black on my own dis-
       play, and  a  white opponent on the  display  "cnsxk:0.0".
       The  troops  will   be	 rapidly  exhausted in this small
       skirmish.  The grid  option is also used	 to help a begin-
       ner learn the limits of the game square.

	 xbattle -black me -white cnsxk:0.0 -armies 4 -grid

       This   game  can	   also be played with	the   pre-defined
       options	file "simple.xbo" as follows...

	 xbattle -black me -white cnsxk:0.0 -options simple.xbo

       The  next example  adds bases,	which	will   produce	a
       much   prolonged	 conflict  involving  long  supply  lines
       between the front and  the bases, much like   desert  war-
       fare.  One conflict in  this  battle represents a skirmish
       like the entire	game  of   the	 previous   example.   In
       this  example  black  is playing on the display cnsxk:0.0,
       and white is on the system console.  Note that the  exten-
       sion ":0.0" can be omitted.

	 xbattle -black cnsxk -white unix -armies 4 -bases 2

       The   next  example   is	 a  game   with militia scattered
       around initially, that  have  to	 race	to   occupy   the
       towns   and   link up with   their compatriots before they
       can eliminate  the enemy.   This is  a	dynamic	 scenario
       requiring  tactical and strategic skill and fast reflexes.
       In this example black  is  playing  on	cnsxk:0.0   while
       white  is  playing  on  the  system  console of the remote
       machine thalamus.bu.edu.

	 xbattle -black cnsxk  -white  thalamus.bu.edu	-towns	2
       -militia 2 -hills 7

       Here is a favorite around B.U.	where the land	is broken
       up  by many bodies  of water  creating  isolated	 islands,
       and   view   of	the  enemy  is	restricted   to	   nearby
       squares, resulting   in	 lots of  surprises.   Paratroops
       can  be	  used	 for  reconnaisance  by	  launching  them
       into unknown  sectors, and they	must  be  used	 in  con-
       junction	  with	 heavy	artillery  barages  for	 airborne
       assaults from one landmass to the next.	In  this  example
       the color display will show cyan and  red teams, while the
       monochrome monitor  will	  show	white  and  black   teams
       respectively.  The decay	 option prevents huge armies from
       building up at the end of the game, and the -store  option
       is used to store this game to the file "battle.xba".

	 xbattle  -cyanwhite thalamus:0.0 -redblack cnsxk -rbases



			   30 Oct 1991			       13





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       5 -sea 8 -guns 4 -para 4 -horizon 2 -decay 3 -store  xbat-
       tle.xba

       Now,  the previous stored game  is  replayed to the origi-
       nal  displays  by  repeating  the  original  command  line
       except that -store  is changed to -replay.   This  is con-
       venient	if  you	  have command	  line	 editing  facili-
       ties.

	 xbattle  -cyanwhite thalamus:0.0 -redblack cnsxk -rbases
       5 -sea 8 -guns 4 -para 4 -horizon -replay xbattle.xba

       With -replay, all arguments are actually	  ignored  except
       the displays, so you could achieve exactly the same result
       with the simpler command

	 xbattle -black thalamus:0.0 -black cnsxk -replay

       where  the    -black    argument	  flags	  the  subsequent
       argument	   as a displayname,  but  is otherwise	 ignored,
       i.e.  any  color	 name would suffice.  The  filename   for
       -replay	 is  omitted,	so  that  the	default file name
       "xbattle.xba" is used.

       The  next example illustrates the use   of    the  default
       options	file,  default.xbo,  to	  set  up   a complicated
       game   including artillery,  paratroops,	 horizon,  decay,
       seas, small game	 squares  on a large game board, and many
       other options.

	 xbattle -black me -white thalamus -options default.xbo

       The default options file	 is called  default.xbo,  so  the
       above command line could also have been typed as...

	 xbattle -black me -white thalamus -options

       Options files can also be read in individually for the two
       players, as in the following example...

	 xbattle -options -black me -white { -options weak.xbo	}
       thalamus

       This  results  in  a  biased game where black receives the
       default	options	 defined  in  default.xbo,  while   white
       receives	 the same default options and also some	 specific
       handicaps  defined in weak.xbo.	In  this  case,	 weak.xbo
       defines	2 rbases instead of 5, horizon of 1 instead of 2,
       and build of  20	 instead  of 10.    Since  these  options
       overwrite  existing  options  in	 default.xbo, the command
       line arguments  may  NOT	 be  typed  in	arbitrary  order,
       because	later  options overwrite  the earlier options, so
       the global options  must be defined before  they are over-
       written by the specific options to the white team.



			   30 Oct 1991			       14





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


PPLLAAYYIINNGG TTIIPPSS
       The  first  thing you must  learn is to	click quickly and
       accurately on the gamesquares.  For  beginners, the  -grid
       option  is  recommended	to  show  the extent  of the game
       square.	Do not	focus your attention on one region of the
       board,  but  scan the whole board frequently.  Look at the
       big picture- capture  the  towns that   will  support each
       other,  especially   a	well  positioned  cluster of  big
       towns.  Eliminate all enemy troops  from	 your  rear,  and
       advance	 outwards, preferably from a corner, with a  well
       supplied front.	 Travel in convoy for  speed   and  effi-
       ciency in safe regions, especially if you are playing with
       -decay, but  fan out near the enemy  to	provide alternate
       routes to a  broad front	  (click   on  the    corner   to
       open  two   command  vectors simultaneously).  Avoid head-
       on  assaults  on the enemy, but rather dig in and wait for
       him to attack while you try to turn  his flank and cut off
       his supplies  to the front, or concentrate  at his weakest
       points.	Go  for	   the	jugular-    attack   his   supply
       sources	  directly.    When advancing, try to attack weak
       squares with strong ones to gain maximum	 advantage,   and
       be   alert   for	 losing	  battles   of your  weak squares
       pouring into a strong  enemy  square,  which   will  drain
       your   resources	 until you cancel the attack and build up
       reserves.  If however you are fighting a delaying  action,
       or   retreating	under  fire then you should attack strong
       enemy  squares  with your weak ones on  a broad	front  to
       conserve	 resources.  This is particularly effective  with
       the -disrupt option.  Always   try   to	attack	a  square
       from   two  or  more   sides,  and  build   up  sufficient
       strength before launching  an  attack on a  large  square.
       Always  consider	 the   "manufacturing  capacity"  of  the
       enemy, i.e.  the number and size of bases  and  towns,  as
       the  one	 with  the  most  capacity  will  eventually win.
       Watch out for  single  enemy commandos  near  your  unpro-
       tected  bases,  especially  when	 playing with paratroops,
       and use such commandos to good effect against an	 inatten-
       tive  opponent.	You can keep a base fortified while send-
       ing troops to the front by use of  recurrent  connections,
       going  in loops or in  both directions, or by establishing
       dead-end branches  along the supply   line  to  accumulate
       local   reserves.   You should always  have a  few  strong
       reserves near your base	when  playing  with  -horizon  or
       -para, to  ensure  against surprise attacks.  When playing
       with hills, a cliff is best climbed in parallel, i.e.   by
       splitting  the  convoy into multiple parallel paths up the
       cliff face, and the troops can rejoin at	 the  top.   When
       playing with horizon and paratroops use the  paratroops to
       gather intelligence from beyond the horizon.   When  play-
       ing  with  paratroops  or artillery, you can create a net-
       work of recurrent  connections near the	bases  that  will
       provide	mutual	protection   by automatically sending men
       into  any part of the  net that is  knocked  out.    Para-
       troops  are   expensive, so test	 the  aim  with artillery



			   30 Oct 1991			       15





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       (right  mouse)  before  launching  the  paratroops  (shift
       right  mouse),  although this works  only if the -para and
       -guns  arguments are equal.   When  using artillery,  have
       a   large contingent of infantry ready to move in  immedi-
       ately after the	barage.	  Paratroops  and  artillery  are
       helpful,	  but  it  is  the grunts that must actually take
       the territory.


CCOOMMPPIILLAATTIIOONN OOPPTTIIOONNSS
       Certain other game options or alternatives are allowed  at
       compile	time by editing	 the file "global.h"  and setting
       certain	global	flags to TRUE or FALSE, before	compiling
       the program.   The flag UNIX should be set to FALSE if you
       will  be running on  a non-unix platform.  On unix systems
       the  select()  function	is used to enhance efficiency and
       reduce computer load.  The INVERT flag may be set to FALSE
       if  you do not like the appearance of the inverted command
       vector within the troop square.	The VARMOUSE  option  may
       be  set	to TRUE if  you would  like  the mouse operations
       to   be redefined  so  that the	left  mouse    adds  com-
       mand  vectors,  and  the middle mouse subtracts	such vec-
       tors.  The flag PAUSE may  be set  to FALSE to disable the
       ability	to  pause and  resume the game with control-s and
       control-q.  The flag NORAND48  must be  set  to	TRUE   if
       your  system  does not  define  drand48() and srand48() in
       the math library.  The SHOWFLOW	flag in global.h may   be
       set to FALSE  to make the displayed command vectors remain
       at full length even when the troop strength is  zero.  The
       flag   NEWCOLORMAP  can be set to TRUE to create a private
       color map for the game, useful when the default color  map
       is full.	 The flag MULTITEXT can be set to  FALSE, whereby
       instead of having a   single text line for   each  player,
       two text	  lines are shared by all the players.


BBUUGGSS
       When the system	is slow, there is  a  noticable time  lag
       between the mouse positioning and the  keystroke registra-
       tion,  so  that a keystroke for a square pointed to by the
       mouse might be actually recorded in the	next  square  the
       mouse moves to.	 Similarly, a shifted mouse click (as for
       paratroops)  might be delayed so that  by the time  it  is
       processed  the  shift  key  is no longer being  depressed,
       and it is recorded as an unshifted mouse	 click	 (as  for
       artillery).   Under   such  circumstances,  avoid  issuing
       rapid  command sequences.  When	playing	 a  remote   site
       over  the network, there is often  a lag between	 the dis-
       plays, and the remote  site   plays at	a   disadvantage.
       This problem is somewhat alleviated by using a slow -speed
       value.  When the -disrupt option is  used,   the	 multiple
       clicks  required	 to   press home an  attack  can bog down
       the event queue and lead	  to  slow  execution.	  Xbattle
       will  only  accept the spelling "gray", although "grey" is



			   30 Oct 1991			       16





XBATTLE(3.0)					     XBATTLE(3.0)


       an acceptable alternate spelling in the English	language,
       but  will  cause problems for xbattle.  The shade  "gray2"
       is available, although on   monochrome  monitors	 it  will
       appear  the   same  color   as the  background,	therefore
       this is	a "stealth" color.  Some systems   do	not  sup-
       port  the  random   functions  drand48() and srand48(), on
       such systems the flag NODRAND48	should be set  to    TRUE
       in   externals.h	    before compilation.	 When  installing
       xbattle	on a NON-unix system, the  flag UNIX must  be set
       to FALSE in the file externals.h to prevent the use of the
       unix select() function, which  will  result  in	  greater
       computer	   load.  Occasionally	an "invisible" sea square
       is generated, into which	 troops	  cannot be  moved.   The
       options	file does  not	accept the  team color	/ display
       combination.  When   a	{player	  specific   option}   is
       followed	 by  a universal option, the former is	overwrit-
       ten  by	the latter,  so	  the  {player	specific  option}
       should always follow the universal option.



AAUUTTHHOORRSS
       Steve   Lehar,  Boston University (slehar@park.bu.edu) and
       Greg Lesher (lesher@park.bu.edu), and  some   sections  of
       code  from  Mark	 Lauer (elric@basser.cs.su.oz.au).  Help-
       ful suggestions,	 bug	reports, and  ideas  were  grate-
       fully  received	 from  numerous	 contributors	from  all
       over the world.





























			   30 Oct 1991			       17