Provided by: crimson_0.5.2-1.1build2_amd64 
NAME
crimson - a hex-based tactical combat game
SYNOPSIS
crimson [--level level] [--width w] [--height h] [--fullscreen 1|0] [--sound 1|0]
crimson {--help | --version}
DESCRIPTION
Crimson Fields is a tactical war game in the tradition of the popular Battle Isle. Two
players command a number of units on a map of hexagons, trying to accomplish mission
objectives ranging from defending important locations to simply destroying all enemy
forces. Damaged units may be repaired or replaced by new recruits, while victorious
squadrons will improve their abilities so they will be even more difficult to beat next
time.
The game can be played against a human adversary in hot-seat mode, over a network, or via
e-mail, or against a computer player.
The level editor cfed(6) can be used to create your own levels.
OPTIONS
If called without options crimson will open its main window using the settings from the
last session or the defaults if no previous settings exist.
--level level
Skip the level selection window and load the mission file level. The file may be
either a standard level file or a saved game. When starting a new game this way you
will be playing a single map against the computer without any handicaps.
--width w
Set screen width to w. Minimum screen width is 320. Default is 800.
--height h
Set screen height to h. Minimum screen height is 240. Default is 600.
--fullscreen 1|0
Turn fullscreen mode on/off. The default is to start in windowed mode.
--sound 1|0
Turn sound on/off. The default is on.
--help
Print a usage message on standard output and exit.
--version
Print version information on standard output and exit.
The display and sound options given to crimson on startup will be saved to file and
restored on the next program start.
GETTING STARTED
Introduction
The once peaceful planet Nexus has been invaded by beings calling themselves the Empire of
Kand who are determined to conquer Nexus or destroy it completely. The public unrest has
become violent as the people attempt revolution against the invasion, but the Empire of
Kand are quick to silence opposition. Nexus is on the verge of war and its people have
formed factions to battle the Empire. As a member of one of the major rebel factions, the
Free Nexus Army, your goals are obvious: to drive the intruders back to whichever part of
the galaxy they came from and restore peace on planet Nexus...
(This is the background story for most of the included missions and the default campaign.
There may be maps with entirely different settings.)
Main Menu
The main screen presents a number of widgets to configure the game. The most important
decision is whether you want to play a skirmish match, a campaign, or load a saved game.
Skirmishes are stand-alone maps while campaigns consist of a number of maps which must be
played (and won) in sequence. Each map that you advance to during a campaign will also be
unlocked for skirmish matches. While campaigns can only be played against the computer,
skirmishes can additionally be played as hot-seat matches (two players on one computer
taking turns), e-mail matches (see the section called “PLAY-BY-E-MAIL”), or over a
network, and when playing against the computer you get to choose which side you want to
play on. For both game types you can optionally define a handicap, to make the game a bit
easier or harder. What this means exactly depends on the map being played but in most
cases a handicapped player will have fewer units or resources at his disposal than his
opponent.
The large box on the left lists all available skirmishes, campaigns, or saved games, while
the box on the right displays a small image of the selected map or, for campaigns, the
story. For skirmishes, the number in brackets shows the recommended number of players.
Missions designed for one player are often rather unbalanced if played against another
human since the computer plays so different from a human, although a handicap can
sometimes fix this.
After you have selected a map hit Start to enter the game.
First Steps
After starting the match you will be presented with the mission briefing. Here you are
given your orders and objectives to win the map. As both players usually have different
and conflicting goals, each player gets his own briefing session at the beginning of his
first turn.
After the briefing you will be presented with the map. This is your command center. From
here you can issue most of the orders that will determine the outcome of the mission. The
first player commands the yellow units while the second player or computer takes control
of the blue units.
The map consists of small regions of land (or water) each known as a hex (sometimes also
called field or square). Left-clicking on a hex selects that hex and moves the cursor to
it. If there is a unit on the selected hex then a small bar will appear in the lower left
of the screen showing the rank of the unit, its type, and the squad size (see the section
called “Experience” for more information about ranks). If there is instead a building or
shop on the selected hex, the information bar displays the name of the shop and possibly
some icons representing special attributes (see the section called “CRYSTALS” for
details). Shops may occupy several fields, but they only have a single entrance, which is
marked by the colour of the respective owner. Buildings with a white entrance are neutral
and not controlled by any player.
A right-click on one of your units generally brings up a context menu for that unit (this
does not apply to enemy units). Here you can view the unit stats, or inspect its contents
(transporters only). Other units like mine-sweepers may have special skills which also
show up here. If the unit is not a transporter and does not offer any special skills, the
menu is skipped and you are directly taken to the stats display.
The stats window is basically divided in two parts. The top part shows the unit name and
its values for speed, armour, and effectiveness against ground troops, aircraft, and ships
in that order, from the top left to the bottom right. Most units have a weapon range of 1,
meaning they can shoot at units one hex away (i.e. directly next to it). For units with
different settings, the actual range is given in brackets after the weapon power. The
second part of the window lists the most important terrain types. Shaded terrain indicates
that the unit cannot cross that ground.
Right-clicking anywhere but on a unit or pressing F1 pops up the Game menu where you can
review your mission objectives, take a look at an overview map, or save your game, for
example.
You select one of your units by simply clicking on it. Large parts of the map will now be
shaded to indicate that the unit cannot move there. Unshaded enemy units are potential
targets. To move to an accessible field or attack a foe, simply double-click the
respective hex. If you accidentally sent your unit to a hex you did not want it to go to,
right-clicking on the unit gives you the option of reverting the last move, as long as it
did not trigger any special events.
If you click twice on one of your shops or a neutral one, you enter that building. Of
course, you can also move units into shops, although only some units (Infantry in the
default set) can move into shops not owned by you, and some buildings may not allow all
unit types. Quite often buildings are important mission objectives. Taking the enemy
headquarters, e.g., is a very common goal. But even if you do not specifically need to
control a certain shop for victory, it can still be very helpful as it may be possible to
repair or build units (see the section called “CRYSTALS”).
When you have issued all orders, select End Turn from the Game menu. Your commands are
then executed, fights are resolved, and your opponent gets his chance to strike back...
MOVEMENT
Each unit may only move once each turn, and only if it did not initiate combat on the same
turn. Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Guns cannot attack if they have already been moved on
the same turn. To move around on the map, a unit needs movement points. The number in the
upper left corner of the unit information dialog (which can be brought up for one of your
units by right-clicking it) indicates how many hexes the unit can move under optimal
circumstances. The actual range is determined by several factors.
For ordinary ground units the terrain can greatly reduce the range of action. The maximum
can only ever be reached on roads, everything else will slow the unit down, and mountains
more so than forest. For airborne units or ships, terrain is of no importance.
Enemy units can be trapped in order to prevent them from using superior speed or to deny
them access to certain areas of the map. A unit which attempts to cross a hex between two
hostile units or one hostile unit and inaccessible terrain will be stopped immediately
after passing through.
A unit cannot leave a transport or building and enter another one on the same turn. Enemy
buildings can only be conquered by infantry units.
COMBAT
Results
Basically the probability to hit an enemy unit in combat is the same for all unit types,
although the attacker always gets a slight advantage. This hit probability is then
modified by effects such as experience, distance to the target, terrain, or wedging (see
below). Similarly, each unit gets assigned a probability for evading an attack which is
then modified by experience, terrain effects and blocking. If a unit scores a hit it will
increase its attack pool by an amount equal to its strength. A unit which successfully
evades an attack will have its defence pool grow by an amount equal to its defence or
armour value. Finally, each attack pool is compared to the enemy's defence pool, and the
resulting ratio determines the casualties on both sides.
Terrain
Terrain is an important factor in combat as it can heavily influence a unit's
effectiveness. For example, fighting on a road or open plains will greatly increase
attacking strength but offers relatively poor defensive capabilities, whereas a unit in
the mountains will profit from the higher position in both attack and defence. Terrain
modifiers do not apply for aircraft.
Wedging
Friendly units can help increase the combat strength of an attacking unit without
attacking themselves. For each friendly unit which is adjacent to and capable of shooting
at the defender, the attacker will get a 10 per cent bonus. If the unit is adjacent to the
defender, but cannot attack it the bonus is reduced to 5 per cent. A friendly unit in the
back of the defender will earn another 5 per cent bonus, or 10 if it could also attack. It
does not matter whether a wedging unit actually attacks the defender. Wedging does not
work for long-range attacks.
Blocking
In a manner similar to wedging, defending units may improve their position in combat. For
each friendly unit adjacent to the attacker and the defender, the defending unit will have
its combat strength increased by 10 per cent. Just like wedging, blocking does not help
against long-range attacks.
Experience
Veteran units are usually much stronger than newly assembled ones. If you manage to wipe
out an enemy unit your unit will receive three experience points. If the enemy is only
damaged you will still get one point. Every three experience points a unit advances to a
new rank which improves its combat skills. Still, a seasoned infantry unit will have a
very hard time against a group of recently recruited heavy tanks. Destroying mines does
not earn any experience points.
CRYSTALS
Crystals represent the resources required to maintain and enlarge your army. You need them
to repair damaged units or build new ones.
Repairs
Units which have been damaged in combat can be repaired in any building equipped for this
purpose (a workshop). To check whether a building is a workshop, click on it. For
workshops a wrench icon will be displayed in the small info bar that appears in the lower
left of the screen, and a repair button is available in the icon bar inside. Repairing
will restore a unit to its full strength and requires an amount of 5 crystals, no matter
what kind of unit it is or how badly is was damaged. Apart from the crystal cost the unit
loses one experience point for each rookie that fills up an empty slot.
The ability to repair damaged units is not necessarily limited to shops. Some unit types
may offer the same service (from the standard unit set, for example, the Aircraft Carriers
can bring aircraft back into shape). Repairs in units works exactly the same way as in
workshops, and you also need to supply the crystals to do so.
Production
To build new units you need some crystals and a factory (hammer icon). The amount of
crystals required depends on the type of unit you want to build: A squad of light
reconnaissance vehicles is cheaper than a group of heavy attack choppers. Most factories
can not produce all unit types, even if you could afford it. If you click on the
production button inside a factory, you are shown the list of units which can be built in
this particular factory. Next to each unit type is the amount of crystals that will be
consumed. Newly built units can only move on your next turn.
Mines
To replenish your supply of crystals you need mines. Mines are buildings which 'produce' a
certain amount of crystals each turn. They can not be identified from the outside. Many
maps do not have any mines at all, so it is always a good idea to consider carefully what
you spend your resources on. Crystals can be transferred from one building to another
(e.g. from a mine to a factory) using any transporter unit.
PLAY-BY-E-MAIL
If Crimson Fields is played in play-by-e-mail mode, the game will automatically be saved
whenever a player ends her turn. The resulting save file can then be sent to your opponent
using your favourite mail client program.
On your first turn you will be asked for a password. You will be prompted for this
password at the beginning of each of your turns to prevent your opponent from spying.
Note, however, that the password only offers very mild protection if you are playing
against deliberate cheaters. Choose your enemies carefully!
FILES
Unix
~/.crimson/crimsonrc
~/.crimson/levels/
SEE ALSO
cfed(6), bi2cf(6)
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2000-2007 Jens Granseuer
This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License[1] (GPL).
AUTHOR
Jens Granseuer <jensgr@gmx.net>
Author.
REFERENCES
1. GNU General Public License
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
January 20 2007 CRIMSON(6)