VGA Civil War Strategy Instructions.

Instructions For VGA Strategy.

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C O N T E N T S

1 I N T R O D U C T I O N
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Requirements
1.3 Running the Game
1.4 How to Win
1.5 Map Display
1.6 Using the Menus
1.7 Menu for Railroad and Capital Moves
1.8 Screen Saver
1.9 Set Up
1.10 Sequence of Play
2 D E C I S I O N P H A S E
2.1 Movement
2.2 Armies
3 M A I N M E N U
3.1 Main Menu
3.2 Troops (Recruits)
3.3 Ships
3.4 Invasions
3.5 Raid Commerce
3.6 Move Orders
3.7 Railroad
3.8 Next Turn
3.9 Inform (Reports)
3.10 Commands
3.11 Utility
3.12 Files
4 F U N C T I O N K E Y S
4.1 F1 - Help
4.2 F3 - Redraw Screen
4.3 F7 - Next Turn
5 O P T I O N S
5.1 Options Submenu
5.2 Cancel
5.3 Fortify
5.4 Join (Combine)
5.5 Supply
5.6 Move Capital - ADVANCED FEATURE
5.7 Detach - ADVANCED FEATURE
5.8 Drill - ADVANCED FEATURE
5.9 Relieve - ADVANCED FEATURE
6 U T I L I T Y
6.1 Utility Submenu
6.2 Side
6.3 Solo/2-Player
6.4 Graphics
6.5 Sound
6.6 Display
6.7 Balance
6.8 End Game Conditions
6.9 Victory Condition Override
6.10 Random Events
6.11 Vary Start
6.12 January Campaigns
6.13 Realism Toggle
6.14 Check Links
6.15 Enemy Aggression
7 M O V E & C O M B A T P H A S E
7.1 Computer Decisions
7.2 Army Movement
7.3 Combat
7.4 Income Update
8 A L T E R N A T E S C E N A R I O
8.1 Alternate Map
9 D A T A F I L E S
9.1 Initialization File (CWS.INI)
9.2 Configuration File (CWS.CFG)
9.3 City Matrix (CITIES.GRD)
10 D E S I G N E R N O T E S
10.1 Combat Model Adjustment
10.2 Game Concept
10.3 Victory

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1 I N T R O D U C T I O N
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1.1 Introduction
===================
The VGA Civil War Strategy Game is a 1 or 2-player graphic strategic level wargame of the American Civil War. The game requires VGA. It is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind. It has been tested on several types of IBM compatibles (from XT to 386) but it is impossible to try all the many combinations of equipment that exist.

The object of the game is to accumulate as many victory points as possible. The game is played in turns of 2 months during which both sides perform their actions. Decisions are made using menus which are described below.

1.2 Requirements
===================
The program requires the following files:
CWS.EXE - the game program
CWS.CFG - your customizable configuration file
CWS.INI - initialization data file
CWSLEAD.DAT - army leader data file
CITIES.GRD - city data file
CWSDOC.COM - online help file
CWS.DOC - this documentation file
HISCORE.CWS - high score file

If the History option is ON (see Utility menu below), the
following files are created:
BATTSUMM - summary of battles and losses in the war
CWS.HIS - chronicle of battles, winners, losers, and
losses; can be viewed using the Recap
option in the Inform menu (see below).

1.3 Running the Game
======================
Type 'CWS' at the command line prompt. The title screen display will appear while the game initializes. You can skip opening music and graphics by typing 'CWS Q' at the command line prompt.

The option to load a game or begin a new game is given at the beginning of the game, in addition to being available during the game.

1.4 How to Win
================
You are awarded victory points for (1) capturing cities, (2) capturing armies, (3) winning battles, and (4) special
events. Each city you control gives you a certain number of victory points (and a like amount of income). This varies depending on the city. For instance, a large city such as Philadelphia is worth much more than a smaller city such as Fort Donelson. To see the number of victory points each city is worth, use the "Inform" option to access the "Cities" report.

Capital cities are worth an additional bonus of 50 victory points in addition to the normal victory points. If you lose your capital, you permanently lose the bonus income. If your capital is threatened, you may move it if you have enough money, via the "Utility" option of the Main Menu.

If your army defeats an enemy that has no route for retreat or causes enough casualties to crush the enemy, you capture the army and receive a bonus of 25 victory points. Eliminating the enemy fleet also results in bonus victory
points.

For each battle you win, you receive 1 victory point.

Under some circumstances, special events (such as the Emancipation Proclamation or Lincoln being re-elected)
result in extra victory points for one side or the other.

If the Union does not crush the Rebels, the South will win by default after a period of time (determined by end game conditions). When this happens, the score for both sides is reduced to 70% of the original level.

As play progresses, the score will not instantly track the performance on battlefield, but rather will "lag" slightly.

The game continues until one side achieves an end game condition. (See End Game Conditions under the "Utility" submenu). The side that triggers the end of the game receives an additional bonus of 100 victory points.

If your score is one of the top 5 scores for the side played, you name and score are entered into the high score
file.

When the game is over, you are returned to the opening screen, with the option to quit, load a game or begin a new game.

1.5 Map Display
==================
The title screen will clear and a map of the eastern U.S. will appear along with a menu entitled 'Main'. This is the
Main Menu from which you choose most of your options. Above the menu is a flag showing which side is currently selected, Union or Confederate. At the very top of the screen on the right is a bar graph which shows how the current side is doing, along with information on victory points and level of difficulty.

The small colored circles on the map display are cities or other key locations. There are a total of 40 such locations. Blue circles are Union controlled; gray ones are Confederate controlled. Red circles are neutral cities (not controlled by either side). Two of the cities are CAPITAL cities, and their circle is marked with a small yellow cross. If the graphics option is ON, the connections between the cities will be shown by dashed lines.

If the circle representing the city is surrounded by a HOLLOW BLACK box, it is a FORTIFIED (FORT+)location; if surrounded by a SOLID BLACK box, the location is HEAVILY FORTIFIED (FORT++). Any level of fortification tends to improve resistance to enemy attacks.

A small box appears in the right of the display with the letters 'PHIL' underneath. This represents the port of
Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia itself is the right most circle at the top of the screen. You will see a small
ship icon in the "PHIL" box which represents the Union navy.

Small flag icons appear next to some cities. Each flag represents an army. Mountain and rivers features are also
shown on the map.

1.6 Using the Menus
======================
You may move the highlighted menu option by pressing the "up" and "down" arrow keys. Pressing 'Enter' will select the currently highlighted option. In most cases, you may exit from a menu without selecting any option by pressing the "escape" or "esc" key. In a few cases you must select an "EXIT" option to leave the menu without selecting any option.

Hot keys" are provided to speed menu access. The first letter of each command will immediately select the item
without having to move the menu bar. WARNING: In responding to city locations, watch out for cities that have the same first letter. Using the hot key will select the FIRST city on the menu that begins with the letter you press. If you wanted to select another, you must use the up/down arrow keys. Example: You have the option to recruit at either Fort Donelson or Front Royal, both of which begin with "F". If you press "F", Fort Donelson will be selected because it comes first alphabetically in the menu list. If you want to select Front Royal in this case, you must use the arrow keys. If there had been no other cities beginning with "F" except for Front Royal the hot key would have worked fine.

Note that some menu items have had to be changed slightly to avoid duplicate first letters. For instance, "Inform" has replaced the earlier "Reports" menu item because there is already a menu item on the main menu beginning with "R" (Railroad).

The menu cursor placement has been made more consistent for the Option and Utility menus. The cursor now stays on the submenu if there are more choices available for the item currently being selected (e.g., more troops to be drilled). Otherwise it returns to the main menu and stays on the Option or Utility item.

PLEASE NOTE: TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU FROM EITHER THE COMMANDS OR UTILITY MENU, PRESS THE "ESCAPE" KEY ("Esc").

1.7 Menu for Railroad and Capital Moves
==========================================
The move-to menu for train moves and capital relocation responds to the letter of the destination city as well as
the up and down arrow keys. The city that will be displayed will be the FIRST (alphabetically) friendly city beginning with the letter you type. For instance, if you wish to move the army in Vicksburg by train to Charleston, SC, type "C", and the first friendly city beginning with "C" will show. If Chattanooga is friendly, it will be displayed. You can then quickly use the arrow keys to display the desired destination.

1.8 Screen Saver
===================
+=========================================================+
| There is a SCREEN SAVER accessed by pressing "Ctrl-B". |
| (The "B" may be either upper or lower case). |
| The screen will instantly blank and random geometric |
| designs will appear. |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
| To restore the game map, press "Ctrl-B" again. |
+=========================================================+

1.9 Set Up
=============
There are several setup options available which can be accessed from the "UTILITY" option of the Main Menu. You can swap sides, select 1- or 2-player options, control sound and
graphic options, and adjust difficulty. When you save a game, the configuration file is automatically updated to the current set of options you have chosen.

1.10 Sequence of Play
=======================
Play proceeds in the following sequence for each game turn (representing 2 months):

A. Decision Phase
Side 1 Decisions
(Union if 2 players ; Human if 1 player)
1. Recruit
2. Naval Actions (Resolved Immediately)
3. Move Orders
4. Other Decisions (Combine, Fortify, etc.)

Side 2 Decisions
(Rebel if 2 players ; Computer if 1 player)
1. Recruit
2. Naval Actions (Resolved Immediately)
3. Move Orders
4. Other Decisions (Combine, Fortify, etc.)

B. Move & Combat Update Phase
(Move Orders Carried Out)

C. Turn Update Phase
1. Income Updated Based on Cities Controlled
2. Unit Supply Updated

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2 D E C I S I O N P H A S E
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2.1 Movement
===============
Movement is from city to city (point-to-point movement) by armies. Any number of friendly armies may stack in a city. Armies that move to a city occupied by an enemy army must fight the enemy, and either drive off the enemy (to capture the city) or be forced back themselves.

The move-to-menu for army moves has been enhanced when the currently selected city on the menu is occupied by another army (enemy or friendly). In that event, the name of the occupying army is shown in place of the city name on the highlighted menu line. Underneath the menu box, the strength of the occupying army is also displayed.

NOTE: If there is more than one army in an occupied citythat another army is viewing to move to, the name and strength of only one army is shown. You will need to consult use INFORM option to determine all the armies in that particular city.

Moving into an enemy city that is not occupied by an army results in automatic capture of the city. Movement into a neutral city automatically captures the neutral city. The city will change colors to indicate you have gained control.

Fighting to capture an occupied fortified city reduces the fortification by one level. (Thus, a FORTIFIED+ city would be reduced to an unfortified city.)

When an army captures an unoccupied fortified city, the fort is not necessarily reduced. The victorious army is given the option to raze the fortifications. Note that razing TOTALLY
destroys the forts, even if they were double fortified.

2.2 Armies
=============
Armies have several attributes of importance. These will change as the game progresses, and it is important for you to understand how they influence the outcomes.

STRENGTH - the number of men in the unit; the prime
attribute in combat

LEADER - ability score of the unit leader, from 1 to 10.
Greatly affects the unit's effectiveness in
battle and movement.

EXPERIENCE - the number of battles the unit has won (0-10).
More experienced units are more effective in
combat. Each battle won increases the
experience level by 1.

SUPPLY - the current state of food and equipment (0-10).
Units use 1 unit of supply each turn, except in
summer and autumn harvest months. Capturing
cities and capturing enemy armies increases
supply. Moving and fighting accelerate use of
supplies. Units that are 'out of supply'
(supply level=0) fight at 50% effectiveness,
and move more slowly. Units that are out of
supply are now marked with an "S" to make them
easier to locate. Armies in port cities are
always in supply if the city is not blockaded.

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3 M A I N M E N U
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3.1 Main Menu
================

This menu shows the primary decisions you can make. At the bottom of the menu are symbols that tell you what setup options are active, and a reminder that F7 is a shortcut "speed" key to go to the next turn. (WARNING: F7 will take you to the next turn without asking for confirmation; be SURE you are through with your moves). The "music note" symbol tells you that music is ON. 'Snd' tells you that sound is ON. The "G" symbol tells you that graphics are ON for combat scenes. The number '1' or '2' tells you whether this is a 1- or 2-player game.

When graphics are turned ON, the connection links between cities are shown. Also, there are displays for battles and special events, such as the surrender of an army. Play will be slowed slightly by when graphics are ON, due to time required to draw these displays.

3.2 Troops (Recruits)
========================
Allows you to recruit new armies or build up existing armies. Each recruitment requires 100 money units. If you do not have enough money, you cannot recruit.

You will be given one or more randomly selected cities where you may recruit (only ones that your side currently controls). If the city is vacant, a NEW army is placed there, along with a commander and his corresponding abilities. Adding recruits to an existing army increases its strength, but does not change the commander.

Each side has 20 commanders available to lead separate armies. As the game progresses, the number of available commanders will be reduced as commanders are captured or are occupied leading other units.

If the list of 20 preset commanders is exhausted, there is list of "generic" commanders provided so you can still recruit and finish the game. Generic units are given Roman numeral identifiers. For instance, Union army 12 is designated Union XII. Rebel army 22 is designated Rebel II, and so forth.

Newly created armies MAY NOT move this turn, while they train and organize. Existing armies that are increased in strength CAN MOVE in the current turn.

At the balanced play level, newly created stand-alone armies are 7,000 men. Additions to existing armies are 4,500 men. (See REALISM toggle).

Experience level of recruits will be low (varies slightly, with slightly better levels for Rebel armies).

NOTE: Once you have begin to recruit, you should NOT change sides or number of players,
since the cities to recruit in are already selected for that part of the turn.

3.3 Ships
============
Allows you to build and move fleets and bombard enemy cities. Each side has one fleet, consisting of 0-10 ships. Ships can be added to the fleet only in friendly port cities.

Two type of ships may now be built: wooden ships or ironclads. Wooden ships cost 100 money units; ironclads cost 200 money units; Ironclads are no more effective than wooden ships in bombarding cities or conducting invasions. However, ironclads are superior to wooden ships in ship-to-ship combat. They are 10% more effective in scoring a hit than a wooden ship, and they can take 20 hits whereas wooden ships
can only take 10 hits.

As fleets are formed, ironclads are always added to the left most position in the fleet. Wooden ships are always added to the rightmost position. When combat or invasions occur, it proceeds from right to left. This means the ships to the right are engaged first.

The ship icon displayed on the map is the one corresponding to the ship type of the first (left most position) in the fleet. Information on the composition of the enemy fleet can be found using the Inform option.

Ships can be moved to any port city. This means ships may move much more rapidly than armies, but their effect is different.

If the two fleets meet in a port, they will engage in combat. During each round of combat, the attacker has the option to press the attack or retire. Each ship can take 10 enemy hits before it sinks. The current number of hits remaining is shown below the ship icon. Combat continues until one fleet either retreats or is eliminated. At the end of the turn, there can be only one fleet in a given port.

Ships do not transport armies, but can bombard enemy cities to damage defending armies or fortifications, or to drive the city to neutrality. If the city has an enemy army, the
bombardment will damage the enemy. The fleet will also blockade the enemy army in the port, reducing his supplies. Fortified cities may have the forts damaged or reduced. However, forts may sink attacking ships.

Unfortified cities not occupied by a defending army may become neutral as a result of the bombardment.

Note that both human and computer players are now prohibited from moving to a port and attacking the port on the same turn.

3.4 Invasions
================
The realism toggle also affects the ability for seaborne units to conduct invasions.

If the realism toggle is ON, the Union player ONLY may conduct invasions. Otherwise, BOTH sides may conduct invasions.

Invasions may be conducted only at neutral cities if there is more than one ship in the invading fleet. The fleet size will be reduced by 1 and the new army will seize the neutral city, under the leadership of the next available commander. The invading army is small (3500 men) and vulnerable to attack. However, the captured city is eligible for possible recruiting later.

3.5 Raid Commerce
====================
Ships from both sides have the option to raid enemy commerce on the high seas. This is shown as the "Raid" option on the Ships menu. Selecting this option will cause a red box to
appear, with the word "Commerce" in it, along with the ship icon. Each turn that the fleet stays in this box, there is a probability of doing damage to the enemy by destroying
commerce and thereby reducing his income. There is also a chance that one or more of the raiding ships will be sunk. If both fleets enter the commerce raiding zone, combat will
occur and one fleet will either be destroyed or have to retreat. Only one fleet can remain in this zone at the end of the turn. It is that fleet which can attempt to raid enemy commerce.

3.6 Move Orders
==================
Allows you to select an army to move and where to move it. A menu will cycle through all your armies that are able to move this turn. Armies that already have move orders, or
that have been combined this turn, or that have built fortifications this turn, or newly created armies are not eligible to move in the current turn.

Once you select the army to move, the choice of all possible connecting destinations for that army are shown. Selecting a destination will result in a white dotted line from the
selected unit to the destination. Note that the army does not move immediately. Rather, it will attempt to move during the move and update phase.

If an army with move orders is attacked during the move and update phase, there is a chance that it will not be able to carry out those orders. If it is defeated, it must retreat, but even if it wins it may have its orders cancelled.

During the month of January, you may not carry out any land campaigns (i.e., attack enemy or neutral cities). You may move armies to friendly cities, fortify, or conduct other
land operations. Naval operations are unaffected by the
January restriction.

3.7 Railroad
===============
Both sides have access to railroads to rapidly move 1 army per side from a friendly city to another. In order to use the railroad, it must not already be in use by an army on this turn. In order to be an origin or destination for a railroad move, a city has to join with at least 2 other friendly cities. Both terminals must be part of a "chain" of least 3 connected friendly cities. (In earlier versions, a "chain" of 2 friendly cities was considered a valid origin or destination). In other words, neither terminal can be cut off" by the enemy. Once selected, railroad moves can NOT be cancelled.

The Union railroad can carry an army up to 60,000 men. The Rebel railroad can carry an army up to 30,000 men. (These values can be adjusted in the configuration file and will vary somewhat if the REALISM toggle is on). The current railroad capacity for your side is shown at the bottom of the screen. There is no cost for the rail movement. Note that to be eligible to move by rail, an army may not have other move orders, nor may it have used its turn in any
other way (such as in fortifying a city).

When an army is placed on the railroad, a small train icon of appropriate color will appear in the box in the upper left corner of the screen. The destination for railroad moves is shown in the railroad box. If you are playing a 2-player game, your opponent will know you have an army on the train, but will not know its destination. The arrival of armies moved by rail for BOTH sides takes place at the BEGINNING of the move and combat phase. Thus, armies
transported by rail will appear at their destinations BEFORE any other land moves or attacks are made.

3.8 Next Turn
================
When you have completed your decisions for the current turn, select this option to continue with the game sequence. Note that once the game sequence progresses, you cannot back up. Thus, when you select this option, you will be asked to confirm before the turn actually progresses.

3.9 Inform (Reports)
=======================
Seven different reports are potentially available; there is no cost for any of the reports.

1) Friendly Army report
Shows the status of all your armies, and other useful
statistics on the progress of the game. After the
first turn, it will also show the total strength of
the enemy forces.

2) Enemy Army report
Shows information similar to Friendly army report,
except that it shows less complete information on the
enemy forces. It includes the composition of the
enemy navy.

3) City report
Provides information on the cities, their worth,
status, and so on.

4) Force summary
Shows on the map the strength of all armies (in 100's
of men).

5) Intelligence report
Provides an on-map summary of attributes of all
FRIENDLY armies (strength, leadership, experience,
and supply).

6) Battle Summary report
Shows number of battles won and casualties incurred
for each side.

7) Recap report (if HISTORY option is ON in the Utility
menu)
Scrolls you through a chronicle of the history of the
game thus far (battle outcomes and losses)

Typical chronicle entries might look like this:

Manassas *Lee (3200/29600) defeats McDowell (5400/30200)
Memphis Pope (1000/9900) defeats *Johnston (2900/12400)

The asterisk indicates the attacker. Casualties and
total troop strength are indicated in the parentheses.

3.10 Commands
===============
See Commands Submenu for a description of the choices. These generally relate to special commands available for individual armies.

3.11 Utility
==============
See Utility Submenu. These provide game options that allow various features of overall game play to be modified.

3.12 Files
============
Allows you to load or save games and to quit then program. There can be up to 9 saved games,"CWSx.SAV", where "x" is a number from 1 to 9. Those file names for which a saved
game exists are marked with a "û" as a reminder.

When the game is started, the base game is automatically initialized, configured according to the current CWS.CFG settings.

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4 F U N C T I O N K E Y S
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4.1 F1 - Help
===============
Pressing F1 will display the on-line help file.

4.2 F3 - Redraw Screen
========================
Pressing F3 will redraw (refresh) the screen.

4.3 F7 - Next Turn
====================
Pressing F7 will advance to the next turn. CAUTION: this is offered as a SPEED option and it bypasses the "are you sure ?" check. Once you commit with the F7 key, you cannot back up!

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5 O P T I O N S
===========================================================
5.1 Options Submenu
======================

5.2 Cancel
=============
Allows the move orders for unit selected (menu with eligible units will be displayed) to be cancelled - in case you change your mind before you go to the next turn.

5.3 Fortify
==============
If ALL the following conditions are met, you may fortify a city:
1. City is occupied by a friendly army
2. City is not already at DOUBLE FORTIFIED ++ level
3. You have at least 200 money units

All cities meeting these conditions, will appear in a menu of candidates. Selecting a city to fortify will cause the city icon to be updated on the game display. The army occupying a city that is fortified loses its turn (it is presumably busy building fortifications) and will be shown as 'Resting' in the Army report.

An army may increase a given city's fortifications by 1 level per turn. If there are 2 units in a city, each army may add 1 level of fortification in a turn, thereby double
fortifying the city.

5.4 Join (Combine)
=====================
Up to a certain level, friendly armies may be combined to create larger and more powerful forces. In order to combine, armies must start the turn stacked in the same city. Stacked
armies are indicated by a small gold circle on the flag icon. Selecting 'Combine' will result in a menu of candidate cities in which armies are stacked. Selecting a city will cause all armies in that city to attempt to combine, up to a maximum level of 125,000 men. Army attributes for combined armies are averaged, and the best commander of the armies
combined will assume leadership of the combined forces. (His leadership ability will be reduced slightly to account for the increased difficulty of commanding the larger forces.)

5.5 Supply
=============
On occasion, you may need to manually allocate additional provisions to units that are out of supply. These units may be seen on the map marked with an "S" to make them easier to
locate. At the end of the move and update phase, units will automatically receive 1 unit of supply, assuming enough money is available. Automatic update of supply costs .002 money units per 1,000 men in the army unit. (For instance, a 22,000 man unit would require 44 money units to resupply). This automatic resupply is done in numerical unit sequence, so that higher numbered units are supplied last. If there is not enough money to supply all units, or if the unit expends more than expected supplies, or is blockaded in a port, some will eventually get out of supply. Note that in the months of July and September, units are resupplied without cost
(except for blockaded units).

To manually resupply, you must have enough money to provide the supplies, which depends on the size of the army being resupplied. Each unit of supply requires .001 money units 1,000 men (cheaper that automatic resupply). However, the computer will attempt to allocate as much supply as possible to the unit selected, up to a maximum of 5 units of supply. If you do not have enough money to allocate at least 1 unit of supply, none will be provided.

5.6 Move Capital - ADVANCED FEATURE
======================================
You may move your capital (if it has not yet been captured) for a cost of 500 money units. Moving the capital also results in awarding your enemy 50 victory points. However, it may help keep the enemy from capturing the capital, which normally will end the game. Use the up/down arrow keys until the desired city is shown for the new capital location (only the current candidate city is shown in the menu). When the desired city for the new capital appears, press Enter.

5.7 Detach - ADVANCED FEATURE
================================
The Rebel player ONLY may detach a unit from an existing army, provided the original army is large enough (6,500 men or more) and there is an available Rebel commander for the detached unit. 30% of the original force is split into the new unit, along with 30% of the supplies.

5.8 Drill - ADVANCED FEATURE
===============================
Both sides may drill armies to increase their experience level. Drilling requires one turn in which the army cannot move. Experience gained in this manner cannot exceed the leader's command rating, and is limited to a maximum of 5 in any case.

5.9 Relieve - ADVANCED FEATURE
=================================
The Relieve option allows you to replace generals, thereby removing them from their command. (This is, of course, quite historical as Lincoln and Davis both exercised this option
several times). To be RELIEVED, a unit cannot have already used its turn (e.g., cannot have move orders). When a general is relieved, you are allowed to replace him with another general from the list of available commanders. When a general is relieved, the unit uses its turn, and suffers two additional penalties. Both the EXPERIENCE level and the LEADERSHIP level of the unit are decreased by 1 because of confusion about the new leader's style of command. The
relieved general is placed on the list of available commanders, awaiting possible future service.

6.2 Side
===========
Toggles between the Union and Rebel side for the 1 player game only.

6.3 Solo/2-Player
====================
Toggles between 1- and 2- player game.

6.4 Graphics
===============
Adjust level of graphics. Four levels of graphics are now allowed, designated G0 through G3.

G0 = no additional graphics (BASIC level)
G1 = show city connections
G2 = show city connections and city names
G3 = show city connections, city names, and additional
combat graphics

Higher graphics levels will slow the game somewhat while
the screen is redrawn.

6.5 Sound
============
Toggle between Sound & Music, Sound Only, and Quiet.

6.6 Display
==============
Sets display speed for messages displayed, from fast to very slow.

6.7 Balance
==============
Set Play Balance from Rebel++ (large Rebel advantage) all the way to Union++ (large Union advantage). Play balance affects the relative resources allocated, along with the handicap received in combat.

6.8 End Game Conditions
==========================
Shows the conditions that will determine when the game is over. These are specified in the input file CWS.INI, and can be changed by changing that file. Up to 5 different preset conditions may trigger the end of the game:

Time (Month & Year)
% Cities Controlled by Either Side
% Income for Either Side
Capital Capture By Either Side *
Ratio of Total Army Strength

In addition, the total elimination of either side's armies will trigger a victory condition. Active conditions are marked with an "û". These may be toggled either off or on
(active) using this option by pressing ENTER when the desired condition is highlighted, but the VALUES themselves can only be changed in CWS.INI (see "Files" section below). If ANY of the active conditions are achieved by EITHER SIDE, the game will end. If there are NO active end game conditions, the game will continue indefinitely.

* Note: If BOTH sides lose their capital in the same turn, the game does NOT end even if
this condition is active.

6.9 Victory Condition Override
================================
There is an override option when victory conditions signal the end of the game. This allows you to keep playing if you choose instead of abruptly ending the game. Each time the override is used it increases the victory condition that was triggered. For example, suppose the % cities controlled condition is triggered. Suppose it is currently set at 32 (80% of total), and that the end game condition is overridden. The number of cities required to trigger the condition is increased to 33 (or 82.5%). If it is overridden later, it increases to 34 (85%) and so on.

6.10 Random Events
===================
Control over random events has been extended in the Utility menu option. Random events can be toggled OFF so they do not occur. If random events are ON, the degree to which they
favor one side or the other can be controlled:

Favor Union (70% of random events help the Union)
Neutral (50% help the Union; 50% help the Rebels)
Favor Rebels (70% of random events help the Rebels)

If random events are ON in a 1-player game, they will default in favor of the computer opponent if they are not

6.11 Vary Start
================
Selecting this option at the beginning of the game will give different starting conditions.

6.12 January Campaigns
=======================
Toggle to allow/disallow January campaigns.

6.13 Realism Toggle
====================
A toggle is provided in the Utility menu ("REALISM") to control several aspects of the game. The specific effects are listed below.

a) When the REALISM toggle is ON, the number of possible
recruits depends on size of city in which recruiting
is taking place instead of a fixed number of recruits.
The city size is as represented by the income level in
the CITIES.GRD file.

When the toggle is OFF, the number of recruits for new
or existing armies is fixed at the levels in the basic
game (7000 for new armies; 4500 for additions to
existing armies). This number is fixed regardless of
whether recruiting is done in larger cities (e.g.,
Philadelphia) or smaller cities (e.g., Fort Donelson).
Likewise, any city currently controlled is potentially
available as a source for recruits (e.g., Rebels
recruiting in Philadelphia).

When the realism toggle is ON, the number of recruits
varies based on the value assigned to the city in the
CITIES.GRD data file. For cities with values in the
10-15 range, the number of recruits will be about the
same as with the toggle off. However, the number of
recruits will be larger than normal for bigger cities
and smaller than normal in smaller cities.

b) When REALISM is ON, recruiting cannot take place in
cities that were ORIGINALLY under enemy control. Thus,
if realism is ON, recruits may be raised only in
cities that were ORIGINALLY friendly or neutral. This
will prohibit Union recruits being raised in say, New
Orleans or Rebel troops being recruited in
Philadelphia.

c) When a city is completely isolated the number of
troops available for recruiting within that city is
reduced to 1/3 the normal level.

d) When the REALISM switch is ON, the railroad capacity
is variable, based on number of cities held. At the
beginning of the game, capacity for both sides will be
the initial level set in the CWS.CFG file. However,
for each additional city captured, the capacity will
increase by 5,000 troops. (Conversely, for each
additional city lost, the capacity will decrease by
5,000 troops). However, the capacity will not exceed
twice the initial level, nor fall below half the
initial level.

e) The realism toggle also affects the ability for
seaborne units to conduct invasions (see invasions).
When the REALISM toggle is ON, only the Union side may
conduct invasions.

f) When REALISM is ON, the defender combat advantage is
increased. This will make it harder for the Rebels to
make excursions into Ohio and the like. However,
history makes it very clear that the defensive
posture was extremely powerful in the war.

(g) When REALISM is ON, ironclads cannot be built prior
to 1862, to be more historically correct.

6.14 Check Links
=================
A utility has been provided to check for return routes on maps that you design yourself. For instance, if you have a link from Manassas to Harpers Ferry but not from Harpers
Ferry to Manassas, there is missing return route. This option is accessed by the 'Chk Links' option on the UTILITY menu. Missing return route links are identified, and if possible, corrected for current game being played. Note: the CITIES.GRD data file is not fixed; the user must note the corrections and make them via a text editor.

6.15 Enemy Aggression
======================
This option applies only for 1-player game. By repeated selecting this option you may cycle through enemy aggressiveness levels from 0 (least aggressive) to 5 (most aggressive). The default level is 1. At the lower levels, the enemy will be more cautious and defensive, preferring to build forts and make attacks only when the odds are favorable. At the higher levels, the enemy will attack more often, perhaps even to the point of foolhardiness.

===========================================================
7 M O V E & C O M B A T P H A S E
===========================================================
7.1 Computer Decisions
==========================
If you are playing a 1-player game versus the computer, you will see the computer decisions being made. The computer does not 'cheat' by taking advantage of knowledge of the moves you have selected. If the side played by the computer has an advantage in play balance, it will be a more difficult opponent because it will get more resources, and will receive a combat handicap.

You will be prompted to "press any key for month /year events". During the update phase, the message "UPDATE" will appear in the lower right of the map area. The computer will move the armies, provide information on battles, state of supplies, and so on. From time to time the display will pause to give you time to read the messages. You can press any key to move on.

7.2 Army Movement
====================
When you see the message "press any key for (current month and year) events", the move and update phase has begun. During this phase both sides have their move orders carried out. When enemy armies meet in the same city, combat occurs. After combat, only one side will continue to occupy the city. The side that was driven off loses the battle.

+==========================================================+
| The rail movement for BOTH sides takes place at the |
| BEGINNING of the move and combat phase. Thus, armies |
| being transported by rail will appear in their |
| destinations BEFORE any other army movement takes place. |
+==========================================================+

The order in which armies move depends on (1) ability of the leader (better ones tend to move first), (2) supply (out of supply units move last) and (3) a random factor. Armies
carry out their orders one at a time. The flag icon will move from the starting location to the destination city.

7.3 Combat
=============
If combat occurs, a set of statistics will appear on the right of the screen giving important information on how the battle will be resolved. The information for both attacker
and defender begins with a base calculation, which goes through a series of adjustments to arrive at a final value for this battle.

Item Meaning
---------- -----------------------------------------------

Base Base combat strength, obtained by dividing unit
strength by 10,000 and rounding up. Thus, an
army with 23,000 men has a base combat strength
of 3. The base for defenders is increased to
account for their reduced exposure to fire.

Ldr/Exp Base combat strength, adjusted for leadership
and experience. Armies outmanned by more than
5:1 will usually not receive this adjustment.
However, elite armies with experience levels of
8 or more automatically receive a bonus, even if
hopelessly outnumbered.

Small Adjusted strength after penalizing for very
small forces (i.e., small force has less than
1,500 men).

Outman Additional adjustment if the opposing army is
much larger than this army proportionately. This
occurs for the attacker if outnumbered by more
than 5:1 or for the defender if outnumbered by
more than 10:1.

Supply Additional adjustment if unit is out of supply
(will be in contrasting color). Out-of-supply
units fight at half strength.

Difclt Additional adjustment based on difficulty level.

Fort (FOR DEFENDERS ONLY) - Additional adjustment if
location is fortified and defender has not moved
or fought previously in this turn. NOTE:
Occasionally an exceptional commander will get
the fort bonus even if he has fought previously
in the turn.

The exact combat adjustment for outmanned armies has been is shown below:
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| Attacker/Defender Ratio | Attack Adjust| Defend Adjust |
+=========================+===============+===============+
| 1:10 or worse | set to 1 (min)|set to 20 (max)|
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 1:10 to 1:5 | set to 1 (min)| + 2 |
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 1:5 to 1:2 | - 2 | + 2 |
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 1:2 to 2:1 | 0 | 0 |
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 2:1 to 3:1 | 0 | - 2 |
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 3:1 to 5:1 | + 2 | - 2 |
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 5:1 to 10:1 | + 2 | set to 1 (min)|
+-------------------------+---------------+---------------+
| 10:1 or better |set to 20 (max)| set to 1 (min)|
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------+
Note that this is in addition to any other combat adjustments, such as leadership, fortification, supply, etc.

All combat adjustments are made sequentially, and the final result is the one actually used in the combat calculations. The final result for both the Attacker and the Defender is
shown in a highlighted box. The final values can never be less than 1 nor more than 20. A calculation of the odds of an attacker victory are also given as A GUIDE ONLY. The computer actually resolves the combat separately from this calculation of attacker odds, but it should provide a good indicator of who is likely to win the battle.

The actual results of the battle will be displayed after you press a key. The winner is announced at the bottom of the screen. Casualty information (numbers and percentages for
each side) are shown at the top of the screen. Notice that an army can win the battle but suffer greater losses than the enemy.

The loser must retreat to an adjacent friendly city. The human player is given the option as to which city to retreat to if a player-controlled DEFENDING army must retreat (if
there is more than one choice for retreat). If there are no retreat options, the loser will surrender. Even if there is a retreat option, a unit may be so outnumbered and reduced
in size so much that it can no longer function. Such shattered units will also surrender. When units surrender, their commanders are PERMANENTLY removed from the game.

If there is more than one defending army in a city, the attacker must defeat each defender one at a time until all defenders are driven out before occupying the city.

7.4 Income Update
====================
After all combat and moves are resolved, the supplies are distributed, and income and victory points are updated based on present game situations. Note that the Union side always
receives income from other parts of the country outside the region shown (e.g., Boston, New York, Chicago, etc.) Thus, the Union in effect has an income bonus. Supplies are distributed based on cash remaining, to the armies in numerical order.

===========================================================
8 A L T E R N A T E S C E N A R I O
===========================================================
8.1 Alternate Map
====================
There is an alternate game setup in the ALTMAP files, as follows:

ALTMAP.GRD is the alternate map grid
ALTMAP.INI is the alternate initialization file
ALTLEAD.DAT is the alternate leadership file

A batch file ALTMAP.BAT will automatically switch these alternate files with the game files so they can be used by the program. To run this file, at your DOS prompt, simply type
ALTMAP
To switch them back, run ALTMAP.BAT a second time.

===========================================================
9 D A T A F I L E S
===========================================================
9.1 Initialization File (CWS.INI)
====================================
The data files are simple "flat ASCII" files and may be customized as you wish to change game conditions. (It is good practice to copy the original as a backup before you
create a new one.) The program probably will not run if you make errors in these files.

Examples of the actual data lines are shown below in the boxed areas; comment lines before each of the data lines describe the information in that line.

Text for sides (Side 0, Side 1, Side 2)

+-----------------------------+
|"NEUTRAL","Union","Rebel" |
+-----------------------------+

Month names (game uses odd months only; but all are required)
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|"January","February","March","April","May",June" |
|"July","August","September","October","November","December"|
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

Beginning Dates and End Game Conditions
Begin: starting year (1861)
beginning month (3)
End: year to end game (1865)
month to end game (3)
integer % of cities controlled to end game (80)
integer % of income to end game (80)
1 = capital capture ends games; 0 = inactive
integer ratio of armies to end game;
e.g., 3 means a 3:1 ratio
+-----------------------------+
|3,1861,3,1865,80,80,1,3 |
+-----------------------------+

Number of Union armies at beginning of play
+---+
|5 |
+---+

Data lines for each Union army at beginning of play
city # (39 = Washington)
strength in 100's (400 = 40,000 men)
experience (1)
supply (9)
+---------------+
|39,400,1,9 |
|7,200,0,9 |
|13,75,0,9 |
|34,100,0,5 |
|31,125,0,5 |
+---------------+
NOTE: These are assigned commanders starting with commander
1 for army in line 5, commander 2 for army in line 6,
and so on. There must be one line for each Union army
that starts at beginning.

Number of Rebel armies at beginning of play
+---+
|4 |
+---+

Data lines for each Rebel army at beginning of play
city # (33 = Richmond)
strength in 100's (300 = 30,000 men)
experience (1)
supply (7)
+---------------+
|33,300,1,7 |
|12,200,1,6 |
|26,150,0,7 |
|38,75,0,4 |
+---------------+

Starting Cash Position
Starting Union cash (300)
Starting Rebel cash (50)
Base attacker casualty rate - ATKFAC (11%)
Base defender casualty rate - DEFASC (9%)
Total combat range - TCR (20)
+---------------+
|300,50,11,9,20 |
+---------------+

Union Navy Data

String showing the number of Union ships &
composition of fleet. (I=Ironclad, W=Wooden).
Maximum of 10 ships per side.
Union fleet start location (30= Philadelphia)
+-----------+
|"IWWW",30 |
+-----------+

Capital Cities

Union Capital (39=Washington)
Rebel Capital (33=Richmond)
+-------+
|39,33 |
+-------+

LAST LINE: More Graphics Data: DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINE !
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|75,40,75,205,566,40,566,205,205,82,205,162,436,82,436,162,0|
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

7.2 Commander File (CWSLEAD.DAT)
==================================
Commanders will be assigned to armies in the order listed in this file, with first 20 assigned to Union, second 20 assigned to Rebels. There MUST be exactly 40 commanders
total. First one listed goes with army 1, second with army 2 and so on.

Format :
Name
Rating (1-10)
+--------------------+
|McDowell,4 |
+--------------------+

9.2 Configuration File (CWS.CFG)
===================================
This file is automatically updated when you save a game in progress.

Format:
1. Side chosen (1=Union 2=Rebel)
2. Graphics (0=off 1=on)
3. Sounds (0=none 1=sounds only 2= sounds and music)
4. Play Balance (1=Rebel++ 3=Balanced 5=Union++)
5. Number of players (1-2)
6. Display speed (1=very fast 2=Normal 4=very slow)
7. Random event balance (0= off; 3= favor Rebels;
5= neutral; 7= favor Union)
8. Union railroad capacity (in 100's; 600 = 60,000)
9. Rebel railroad capacity (in 100's; 300 = 30,000)
10.January campaigns (0=prohibited 1=allowed)
11.Realism toggle (0=off 1=on)
12.Cumulative number of battles won by Union side
13.Cumulative number of battles won by Rebel side
14.Cumulative Union casualties
15.Cumulative Rebel casualties
16.History switch (0=off; 1=on)

+---------------------------------------------+
|1,3,2,3,1,1,5,600,300,1,0,21,18,238,252,0,3 |
+---------------------------------------------+

9.3 City Matrix (CITIES.GRD)
===============================
Unless you are very experienced, don't change this file. Even if you are experienced, you should make a back up copy. Please note: Cities MUST be in alphabetical order based on
the city abbreviations used; the program depends on this order for army movement, fortification identification, and other options. STRANGE things may happen if your cities are not alphabetized. There must be exactly 40 cities.

Format:
City #,
x VGA coordinate (1-530),
y coordinate (16-440),
city name (text),
which side initially possesses
(0=neutral, 1=Union, 2= Rebel)
income value (0-99)
next 6 numbers indicate which cities this connects
with
port indicator (0=not a port, 99=port city),
fortification level (0-2))
+---------------------------------------------------+
|1,265,290,"Atlanta",2,25,6,8,25,35,0,0,0,0 |
+---------------------------------------------------+
Explanation of example line above:
Atlanta is city 1
at (265,290)
possessed by side 2
income of is 25
links to cities 6,8,25, and 35
is not a port (next to last 0 indicates this)
is not fortified initially (last 0 indicates this)

===========================================================
10 D E S I G N E R N O T E S
===========================================================
10.1 Combat Model Adjustment
=============================
The combat model has been made more "open" to allow more user customization. Three key combat factors are specified in the CWS.INI file (on the starting cash position line -
see the DATA FILES section for specific information).

ATKFAC - the base attacker casualty rate. Default is 11%.
This value is adjusted, depending on whether the
defender is in a fortified position and whether
the attacker wins.
DEFAC - the base defender casualty rate. Default is 9%.
This value is adjusted, depending on whether the
defender is in a fortified position and whether
the defender wins.
TCR - the total combat range. Default is 20. This is
the limit of adjusted combat factors for both
the attacker and defender. Lower factors than
20 will tend to make battle outcomes more
influenced by random factors (luck). Higher
factors than 20 will increasingly give the edge
to the stronger army, particularly the one with
the most troops. A value around 20 will cause
the stronger side to generally win, but still
leave enough element of luck that the weaker
army can occasionally defeat a stronger foe.

10.2 Game Concept
===================
The game takes a strategic military point of view. There are essentially 3 theaters of war, the Mississippi River, central Tennessee, and Virginia. Combat revolves around the power of defensive (particularly fortified) positions, and cutting lines of retreat to isolate and capture armies. The Confederates must move quickly early in the game before superior Union resources overwhelm them. Likewise, the Union must press to victory (normally taking the Rebel capital) before time expires and the Rebels earn a victory by default as the European powers recognize them.

The game is intended first and foremost to be fun, and is basically a 2 player game. The computer AI ability is limited, and results may be quite a historical. The 2-player option offers more possibilities, but even here, historical accuracy is not claimed.

10.3 Victory
==============
The game checks for active victory conditions and automatically ends when they are met. (You do get a chance to override if you want to play just a LITTLE longer). You will get a good indication of how the game is going for your side from the information in the upper right hand part of the screen. There is a moving banner line displayed at screen bottom to warn you when a victory condition is about to be reached.

Enjoy !

Will Hutsell