                        Ogre Docs Part I
 
                          typed up by

                          Digital Monk
 

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

        The tank-type vehicle, considered obsolete by the end of the 20th century, ruled the battlefields of the 21st.
        Several factors led to the reappearance of mechanized warfare.  The first was the development of biphase carbide armor (BPC).  Stronger than any steel, it was also so light that even an air-cushion vehicle could carry several centimeters of protection.  The equivalent of a megaton of TNT was needed to breach even that much BPC armor - which meant that, in practice, nothing less than a tactical nuclear device was likely to be effective.
        Infantry, which had for a time eclipsed the tank, declined in importance.  Although an infantryman could carry and direct a tactical nuclear missile, he had to be extensively (and expensively) protected to survive the nuclear battlefield.  Thus, the "powered suit" was developed.  Four cm of BPC, jet equipped, it could guard a man for about a week (in increasing discomfort) from shrapnel, background radiation, and biochem agents.  However, the cost of equipping infantry reduced their value.  They were still more flexible and maneuverable than armor, and now they were almost as fast - but they were no longer cheaper.
        Long-range nuclear missiles, which had been expected to make a mockery  of "conventional" operations, likewise declined in value as jamming technology and laser countermeasures improved.  Without satellite guidance, no missile could hit a less-than-city-sized target at more than 30 km - and no combatant could keep a spy satellite operational for over an hour.  Missiles big enough to carry jam-proof guidance systems were sitting ducks for the big laser batteries - for, although lasers had proved too temperamental and fragile for battlefield use, they were fine as permanent antiaircraft units.
        Thus, the tank-type vehicle - fast, heavily armed and armored, able to break through enemy positions and exploit disorganization - returned to wide use.  And once again, planners fretted over priorities.  More guns? More armor? More speed? Increase one and lose on the others? Increase all and build fewer units?
        Some interesting compromises appeared.  The 21st-century infantryman, especially with the later "heavy powered suit", was a tank in his own right, at least by 20th-century standards.  The armed hovercraft or ground effect vehicle (GEV), equipped with multi-leaf spring skirts for broken ground, could attain speeeds of 120 kph on any decent terrain, and 150 on desert or water.  Conventional tanks were slower but tougher.  All fired tactical nuclear shells.
        The ultimate development of the tank-type weapon, though, was the cybernetic attack vehicle.  The original tanks had terrorized unsophisticated infanty.  The cybertanks terrorized "everyone", and with good reason.  They were bigger (up to 50 meters), faster (hovercraft models proved to vulnerable, but atomic-powered treads moved standard units at 45 kph or better), and more heavily armed (some had firepower equal to an armor company).  And two to three meters oof BPC armor made them nearly unstoppable.  What made the cybertank horrifying, though was its literal inhumanity.  No crew was carried; each unit was wholly computer-controlled.  Although true mechanical intelligence had existed as early as 2010, and fully automated factories and military installations were in wide use by the middle of the century, the cybertanks were the earliest independent mobile units - the first true war "robots".
        Once the first cybertanks had proved their worth, development was rapid.  The great war machines aroused a terrified sort of facination.  Human warriors devoutly hoped never to confrount them, and preferred to keep a respectful distance - like several kilometers - even from friendly ones.  They were just too big.
        One fact, more than anything, points up the feeling that developed toward the cybertank.  Unlike other war vehicles, they were never called "she". Friendly units of the speaker's aquaintance were "he"; otheres were "it".  And the term "cybertank" was rarely used.  People had another name for the big war machines - one drawn from the early Combine units and, before that, from dark myth.  They called them Ogres...


THE GAME:

        Ogre is a game of mechanized tank warfare set in the 21st century.  A cybernetic fighting unit - the Ogre - has been sent to destroy the opponent's strategic Command Post, which is guarded by an armor battalion.  The Ogre's primary objective is to destroy the Command Post; destruction of all other units is its secondary objective.  The armor battalion has but one objective: Defend the Command Post.  To do so, they must destroy the Ogre.

Making Choices:  Choices are made in OGRE through the use of the pointer, a                      black, triangular object that can be moved around with a mouse                  joystick, or keyboard.

Clicking:  Some selections in OGRE are made by first moving the pointer to the             desired object or option, then pressing and quickly releasing the               button.  This is referred to as clicking.
 
Dragging:  Another method of designating choices is by dragging.  Dragging is              accomplished by placing the pointer over the desired object then                pressing and holding the button while moving the pointer to another             location.  Releasing the button completes the drag.

Pulling Down the Menu:  In the upper right corner of the screen are two menus                           that can be pulled down.  The first is titled "Menu"                            and the second is "OSI".  To pull down either menu                              place the pointer over the desired title and press and                          hold the button.  The selected menu title will become                            highlighted and a list of commands will appear beneath                         the title.  Releasing the button without moving the                             pointer will cause the menu to disappear.

Choosing Menu Commands:  Menu commands are chosen by using the dragging                                  technique.  Position the pointer over the selected                              menu title and pull down the menu by pressing the                               button.  While holding the button down, drag the                                pointer to the desired menu command.  As the pointer                            moves through the menu, each command is highlighted                             releasing the button selects it.  If you change your                            mind about choosing a command, move the pointer off                             the menu, or back up to the title, then release the                             button.  Nothing is chosen unless you release the                               button while one of the commands is highlighted.6

Using the Keyboard:  A mouse (if available) or joystick is highly recommended                        for playing OGRE.  OGRE can be played using the keyboard                        to move the pointer and to simulate clicking or pressing                        a button, or it can be played entirely with pointing,                           clicking, and dragging without reference to the various                         input devices.

Dimmed Commands:  When "Menu" is pulled down, some of the commands are less                       distinct than others.  These less distinct commands are                         referred to as dimmed.  Dimmed options are ones that cannot                     be used at that time.  

Dialogue Boxes:  Whenever additional info is required to complete a command, a                   dialogue box appears.  Dialogue boxes usually have special                      areas called buttons to click, such as "ok" or "cancel".                        Sometimes they present further options for selection.                           Dialogue boxes are also used to warn you if you're about to do                  something that is irreversable.  For an example of a dialogue                   box with general information, select "About Ogre" from the                      OSI menu.  Clicking the "ok" button removes the dialogue box.

THE BATTLEFIELD:

General:  The defender's Command Post has been located in the most defensible             terrain available - a battered strech of land 22.5 kilometers wide              by 33 kilometers long (14 miles by 20.5 miles).  It is bounded on               three sides by impassable swamp and on the fourth by a very deep                wide river.  A map representing the standard battlefield is                     displayed on your computer screen.  The mp is divided into hexes,               each representing an area 1500 meters (0.93 miles) across.
 
Viewing the Map:  Only half of the map can be viewed at one time.  The map can                    be moved vertically by clicking on one of the arrows                            positioned at the four corners of the map.  At the upper left                   and lower left corners of the map are arrows with horizontal                    bars at their tips.  These arrows are used to display the top                   or bottom half of the map.  Clicking on arrows in th upper                      right and lower right corners moves the map up or down one                      hex at a time.

Craters:  The battlefield is scarred with craters from past nuclear                       detonations.  Craters are represented on the map by solid circles.              Nothing may move into or over a crater.  It is possible, however, to            fire across craters.
 
Rubble:  The battlefield is further obstructed by great piles of earth and               rubble.  These piles of rubble are represented on the map by solid              black lines along the edges of hexes.  Only the Ogre and infanry are            capable of moving across this rubble.  Other armor units cannot cross.          Any unit can fire across the rubble.

Areas:  The standard battlefield is divided into two basic areas.  The majority         of the map (the top 16 rows of hexes) is referred to as the "obtructed"         area.  This is the area containing all of the craters and rubble.  The          bottom 6 rows of hexes, free of craters and rubble, are referred to as          the "clear" area.  both the left-most and right-most column of hexes            contain only one crater.  These craters are located in the 7th hex down         from the top.  A line drawn between these two crater hexes is referred          to as the "crater line".  The obstructed area, clear area, and crater           line are referred to during the initial deployment of defensive forces.

THE COMBATANTS:

        The combatants are rated by Combat Factors.  The main combat factors are a weapon's Attack Strength, Attack Range, and Defense Strength.  Attack Strength reflects a weapon's destructive power.  The effective distance a weapon can reach is its Attack Range, and a unit's capability to withstand an attack is referred to as it's Defense Strength.  These factors will be further expanded upon when discussing combat.

OGRE:  There are two types of Ogres, the Mark III and the Mark V.  The Ogre is         a cybertank, approximately 30 meters in length, equipped with guns,             missiles, antipersonnel weapons, and 3 meters of biphase carbide armor.         An undamaged Ogre can travel at about 45 kph, i.e., 3 map hexes per             turn.  The Ogre's goal is to destroy the Command Post and, if possible,         the entire defensive armor battalion.  The Mark V is a larger, more             formidable version of the Mark III.
 
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
                           Ogre Mark III Attributes                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------          PART                    QUANTITY      Def.S     Att.S     Att.R            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------     Missiles                         2           3         6         5              Main Battery                     1           4         4         3              Secondary Battery                4           3         3         2              Antipersonnel                    8           1         1         1              Treads                          45           1         0         0              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------   

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------                              Ogre Mark V Attributes                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------          PART                   QUANTITY       Def.S     Att.S     Att.R            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------     Missiles                        6            3         6         5              Main Battery                    2            4         4         3              Secondary Battery               6            3         3         2              Antipersonnel                  12            1         1         1              Treads                         60            1         0         0              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


COMMAND POST:  Att.S.- 0   Att.R.- 0   Def.S - 0   Movement - 0                                This is the defender's strategic communications center.  The                    Command Post, once positioned, cannot be moved.  The Command                    Post is incapable of attacking the Ogre, or of defending itself.                An attack from any of the Ogre's weapons automatically destroys                 the Command Post.  At times the Ogre will, with seeming cruelty,                elect to destroy a Command Post, not quickly and mercifully with                one of its nuclear weapons, but instead by crushing it and its                  inhabitants beneath the cybertank's massive treads.
 
        Armor Units - There are four types of defensive armor units: the Heavy Tank, the Missile Tank, The Howitzer, and the Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV).
 
HEAVY TANK:  Att.S. - 4   Att.R. - 2   Def.S. - 3   Movement - 3                             This is the defender's main battle tank.  A heavy tank is big,                  powerful, and heavily armored.  its speed is such that it can keep              pace with the Ogre, except when maneuvering around rubble.                      Unfortunatly, a heavy tank must get within 3 km. (2 hexes) of the               Ogre in order to fire upon it.  This leave the heavy tank                       vulnerable to almost all of the Ogre's weapons, including the                   possiblity of being crushed beneath the Ogre's treads.

MISSILE TANK:  Att.S. - 3   Att.R. - 4   Def.S. - 2   Movement - 2                             A missile tank is smaller and less heavily armored than a heavy                 tank.  The broad, sturdy surface from which the missile tank                    commander fires long-range missiles sits atop a set of wide                     crawler treads that move the missile tank slowly across the                     battlefield.  The missile tank cannot keep pace with the Ogre,                  thus requiring the missile tank commander to continually                        anticipate the Ogre's movement in order to keep it within range                 of his missiles.  The missile tank's saving grace is that it can                fire upon the Ogre from 6 km. (4 hexes) away, allowing it to                    pound the Ogre while staying out of range of most of the Ogre's                 weapons.
 
HOWITZER:  Att.S. - 6   Att.R. - 8   Def.S. - 1   Movement - 0                             The howitzer is the defender's hardest hitting and longest range                weapon.  A howitzer can reach an Ogre up to 12 km (8 hexes) away.               This allows a howitzer to get 2 to 3 shots at an Ogre before the                Ogre can get within striking distance.  Howitzers are permanently               installed and cost twice as much as any other armor unit.  The fact             that a howitzer annot move is its greatest weakness.  In addition,              it is all but defenseless.  The defenders must try to buy a howitzer            time with the mobile armor units so that the howitzer may wreak                 considerable damage upon the Ogre.

GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE (GEV):  Att.S. - 2   Att.R. - 2   Def.S. - 2   Move - 4,3                               Propelled by air-cushion suspension, the GEV is                                 the defender's fastest moving vehicle.  It can                                  move more than twice as fast as any other unit                                  including the Ogre.  GEVs move once in the                                      defender's regular movement phase - and again                                   after firing in the GEV movement phase.  The                                    seasoned GEV commander will swoop in close                                      enough to fire at the Ogre and then dart away                                   just beyond the reach of the Ogre's weapons.

INFANTRY:  Att.S. - 1,2, or 3   Att.R. - 1   Def.S.- 1,2, or 3   Movement - 2              Infantry travel in groups of one, two, or three squads (6 - 8 men               to a squad).  Infantry are armed with conventional and anti-tank                weapons and used powered "battlesuits" to greatly increase their                mobility (allowing them to cross rubble that stops other armor                  units) and provide some protection from radiation and shrapnel.                 Infantry cannot move as fast as a fully funcional Ogre, and a squad             leader will, if not careful, find his squad falling behind the                  Ogre, unable to reach it before the Command Post is destroyed.                  Infantry must get within 1500 meters (1 hex) of the Ogre in order               to fire at it.  This makes them extremely vulnerable to the Ogre's              antipersonnel weapons, as well as to being overrun by the Ogre.                 Many infantrymen swear the supposedly emotionless Ogre derives                  great pleasure from the feel of battlesuits being crushed beneath               its treads.


DEPLOYMENT:

        The defending player must deploy forces in anticipation of attack.  Battlefield alterations and force deployment are controlled in the field editor.  A detailed discussion of the Field Editor can be found in the "Field Editor" section.  To quickly get started playing Ogre (oh boy!!!), use one of the predesigned fields or battles.
 
Loading/Saving Fields:  There are five predesigned fields from which the player                         may choose.  In addition to the five predesigned fields                         the player may save five fields of original design.  To                         load a field, select "Load a Field" from the Menu.  A                           dialogue box will appear from which one of the original                         or preset fields can be selected for loading.  Click on                         the field of choice and then click "ok".  The selected                          field will be loaded in and displayed.

Loading/Saving Games:  A previously saved game can be loaded at any time.  If a                        battle is in progress when another game is loaded, the                          current game will be lost unless it is saved first.  To                         load a game, select "Load a Game" from the Menu.  A                             dialogue box will appear from which one of five saved                           games can be selected.  Select the desired game and then                        click "ok".  The selected game will be loaded in and the                        battle will proceed from where it was saved.  The                               current status of a battle can be save for continued                            play later.  to save the battle status, select "Save a                          Game" from the Menu.   A dialogue box will appear, from                         which one of five games can be selected for saving.                             Select the desired game and then click "ok".  The game                          will be saved and play can continue.  Alternate tactics                         for a given encounter can be explored by saving the                             battle status prior to performing the tactic in                                 question.  After the outcome has been determined, the                           prior battle status can be loaded in, allowing an                               alternate tactic to be employed.


PLAYING OGRE: 

Starting the Game:  Once the player chooses the field configuration and weapon                      deployment, then selecting "Play a Game" from the Menu will                     start the actual battle.   A dialogue box will appear                           asking which battle option the player desires.  There are                       two battle scenarios: Mark III or Mark V.  Either scenario                      can be played with two players or the computer can control                      the Ogre.  Select the desired opion and click "ok".  If                         this is a continuation of a previous game, a dialogue box                       will ask whether to start a new Ogre or continue the game                       with the original Ogre.  Select the desired option and                          click "ok".   When starting a new game under the two                            player option, the player controlling the Ogre must select                      one of the hexes at the bottom of the map as and entry                          point for the Ogre.  Click "ok" on the dialogue box asking                      for an entry hex and then select an entry hex by clicking                       on it.  Once it has entered, the Ogre can move two more                         hexes.  Most player options are locked out at this point                        until and entry hex has been selected for the Ogre.  The                        map can be moved in order to scan the battlefield.

Changing Between One
and Two Player Games:  It is possible to change from a one player game to a two                        player game and vice versa.  To do so, enter the Field                          Editor by selecting "Edit the Field" from the Menu,                             during actual game play.  Select "Play a Game" from the                         Menu.  When the battle option dialogue box appears,                             select the desired scenario and click "ok".  When the                           next dialogue box asks to start a new Ogre or continue                          with the old one, select the "Keep old Ogre" option.                            This process allows the battle to continue but with                             someone (or something) else controlling the Ogre.  This                         operates somewhat differently when changing between Mark                        III and Mark V scenarios.  If "Keep old Ogre" is                                selected, when changing between Mark III and Mark V                             scenarios then the number of players will change but the                        original Ogre type will be maintained.  If "Start new                           Ogre" is selected then the new ogre type will enter at                          the bottom of the map with full weapons and no damage. 

Game Phases:  The Phase window near the top of the sidebar displays the current               phase of game play.  The first phase is the Ogre Entry phase                    which occurs only at the beginning of a game.  During that                      player's turn, that player may move any or all of his units, and                fire with any or all of them.  The phase sequence is:                                                
              1) Ogre Enters
              2) Ogre Moves
              3) Ogre Fires  (After the Ogre fires, all armor units disabled                                  the previous turn become active again)                          4) Defense Moves
              5) Defense Fires
              6) GEVs complete their movement

The Sidebar:  The sidebar is different while playing the game than when in the                Field Editor.  The area directly beneath the OGRE caption is the                phase window, which shows the current phase of the game.                        Directly below the Phase Window is the Tactical Display.  The                   Tactical Display is used to show the various attributes and                     conditions of the pieces.  Clicking on a piece will display that                piece's attributes.  In addition, the tactical window is used to                display messages in response to any erroneous action performed                  by the player(s).  Beneath the Tactical Display are te command                  buttons.  Just as in the Menu, if a button's text is dimmed, then               the button is inactive.  The "Range" and "Done" buttons  are                    always present (although not always active).  During a movement                 phase, the top buttons are labeled "Undo" and "Group".  During an               attack phase, the same top buttons are labeled "Clear" and "Fire"
              The buttons work as follows:
 
Range Button:  The "Range" command is used to view a piece's movement and                      attack range.  To view a piece's range, select the piece by                     clicking on it; then click the "Range" button.  All of the hexes                within a piece's movement value (disregarding having to move                    around rubble) are turned blue.  Any piece that falls within                    this "umbrella" is highlighted.  Clicking anywhere on the screen                will remove the umbrella.

Done Button:  The "Done" button is used to end a phase.  If a player has not                  moved or fired all of his pieces when the "Done" button is                      pressed, a dialogue box will require verification from the next                 player before proceeding to the next game phase.

