RED LIGHTENING
This is a rather extensive document. Not as large as some I have typed
in, but considerable none-the-less. Enough verbal diarrhoea...
INTRO -- This is a war simulation - semi-futuristic - with conflicting forces
being NATO and the Warsaw pact, but to play it I just imagine the opposing
forces as aliens....
Most orders are entered by the mouse.
THE MAP -- The map shows central europe from northern Denmark to central
Austria and from central Belgium to central Poland/Czechoslovakia. Hex scale
is 25 Kilometers. Scrolling is accomplished by selecting any of the top six
buttons at the right of the screen. Holding down the mouse button will repeat
the scroll in the selected direction. The other three buttons shown on the
map screen perform the following functions:
Enable/disable display of unit icons. This allows you to remove the
units from the mpa to allow unobstructed view of the map.
Enable/disable display of hex possesion and para/amphib target hex
information. This function shows which side controls a given hex by putting a
coloured dot in the lower left corner of all the hex's on the map. Warsaw pact
hex's -- red dot; Neutral hex's -- a white dot; NATO owned hex's -- blue dot.
If the P/A hex is in the display area, it will be indicated with an outlined
CHECK mark.
Invoke the strategic overview display. The entire map will be
displayed at a greatly reduced scale. To exit you must select a location on
the overview display. The standard map display will be centered on the
selected area.
You may also select any hex on the standard map display for additional
information (displayed below the map) on terrain and units in the hex. To do
this pess the left mouse button while the map cursor is in the desired hex. If
a hex containing a unit is selected, that unit and any other units belonging
to its corps will be marked with a small rectangle in the lower left corner of
the unit icon. Full unit information will only be available for friendly and
neutral hex's.
SAVING A GAME -- Each game consists of 20 or 60 turns representing the first
10 or 30 days of WW III in central Europe. Each turn represents 12 hours of
time.
TRAVEL MODE MOVEMENT COSTS
TERRAIN COST (In movement points)
Open ..................................................... 3
Road (all terrain except rough) .......................... 1
Road (rough terrain) ..................................... 2
Urban .................................................... 2
Marsh .................................................... 4
Forest ................................................... 3
Rough .................................................... 4
Mountain ................................................. N/A
Sea/Lake ................................................. N/A
Ferry .................................................... 10-12
Dutch highway ............................................ 10-12
Exit river hex to a non-friendly non road hex ............ +3
Entering friendly hex which already contains a unit ...... +1
Entering non friendly hex ................................ +1
PM Turn (per hex) ........................................ +1
Exiting from a hex adjacent to an enemy unit ............. +4
Road (non rough) hex on cold/storm turn .................. +1
Road (non rough) hex (NATO only) ......................... +1
Units may not enter hex's occupied by enemy units or friendly units
belonging to another corps. All movement costs are cumulative. No unit of
either alliance may enter Austria unless it is first invaded by the Warsaw
Pact.
TERRAIN EFFECTS ON UNIT COMBAT STRENGTHS
TERRAIN TYPE LETHALITY LIGHT UNITS SURVIVABILITY
Open ................ 1.0 ........... 1.0 ............... 1.0
Forest .............. 1.0 ........... 2.0 ............... 1.5
Rough ............... 1.0 ........... 2.0 ............... 1.5
Marsh ............... 1.0 ........... 2.0 ............... 1.0
Urban ............... 1.0 ........... 3.0 ............... 2.0
River ............... 0.75 .......... 1.0 ............... 1.0
The light units modifier applies only to units listed as having a
survivability of one or two (see later). Survivability modifiers are
cumulative, thus increasing the survivability of light units in urban terrain
six-fold.
WEATHER EFFECTS ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS
WEATHER ARTILLERY MOD ADDITIONAL READINESS LOSS
Fair/Warm .............. 1.1 .................. 4
Fair/Mild .............. 1.2 .................. 2
Fair/Cold .............. 1.2 .................. 2
Cloudy/Warm ............ 1.2 .................. 4
Cloudy/Mild ............ 1.3 .................. 2
Cloudy/Cold ............ 1.3 .................. 2
Storms ................. 1.0 ............. No Effect
Thus, all artillery factors are multiplied by 1.1 on a Fair/Warm day and
all combats result in an additional 4 points readiness being lost
DESCRIPTION OF ICONS:
A rectangle with an oval inside and two spikes on top are tank divisions or
UNIFIED CORPS divisions. Armoured division. Panzer division. Division Blindee.
A rectangle with an oval inside and one spike on top is a motorized rifle
division. Infantry Division. Gebirgsjaeger division. Panzergrendaier division.
Division D'Infanterie.
As above but one spike - Motorized rifle brigade. Infantry brigade. Mechanized
or motorized brigade. Heimatshutzbrigade.
A rectangle with a SEAGULL inside and two spikes - Airborne division. Division
Aeromobile.
As above but one spike - Airborne brigade. Air assault brigade.
Fallschirmjaegar Brigade. Para-commando regiment.
A rectangle containing an anchor and one spike on top - Marine brigade. Naval
infantry Brigade. Marine regiment.
Rectangle with a dot in it - Artillery division, brigade or regiment.
A rectangle containing a slashed oval and one spike on top - Armoured cavalry
regiment.
A rectangle containing 'HQ' - Corps or army headquarters.
Here is a list of the various combat characteristics of the equipment
used by units in the game. The values represent our best estimates of the
performance of the equipment in the battle conditions that they are likely to
face in any near conflict in Central Europe.
Key:-
M -- Mirage D -- Draken J -- Jaguar (R) -- Recce
SR -- Strategic recce DR -- Deep Recce TR -- Tactical Recce
AS -- Air Superiority STR -- Strike CAS -- Close air support
AVION -- Avionice SURV. -- Survivability
WARSAW PACT AIRCRAFT.
TYPE SR DR TR AS STR CAS AVION SURV.
SU-17/20/22 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3
SU-24 0 0 0 1 4 3 4 3
SU-25 0 0 0 1 3 3 2 3
MIG-21 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 3
MIG-23 0 0 0 4 1 1 3 4
MIG-25/31 0 0 0 3 0 0 4 4
MIG-27 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 3
MIG-29 0 0 0 5 1 1 4 4
SU-17 (RECCE) 2 3 3 0 0 0 3 4
MIG-21 (RECCE) 1 2 3 0 0 0 3 4
MIG-25 (RECCE) 3 3 3 0 0 0 3 5
NATO AIRCRAFT
TYPE SR DR TR AS STR CAS AVION. SURV.
ALPHA,M V 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 3
A-10 0 0 0 1 3 4 2 3
F-111,B-52 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 3
M III,D,F-104 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 3
F-4,TORNADO 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 4
F-15,M 2000 0 0 0 5 3 2 5 4
F-16,F-18,M F1 0 0 0 4 3 3 3 4
J,A-7,HARRIER 0 0 0 1 3 2 3 3
F-117 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
SR-71,TR-1 (R) 3 3 3 0 0 0 4 5
J,D,M (R) 1 2 3 0 0 0 3 4
F-4,F-16,M F1 2 3 3 0 0 0 4 4
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
NAME LETHALITY SURVIVABILITY USER
Light infantry squad 2 2 PACT/nATO
ATTACK HELICOPTERS:-
MI-24/28 12 8 PACT
AH-1 12 8 NATO
AH-64 14 10 NATO
PAH-1 11 8 NATO
GAZELLE 11 8 NATO
LYNX 11 9 NATO
TANKS:-
T-55 8 8 PACT
T-64 9 9 PACT
T-72 9 9 PACT
T-80 9 9 PACT
T-84 9 10 PACT
M-41 2 6 NATO
M-48 8 8 NATO
M-60 9 9 NATO/AUSTRIA
M-1 10 10 NATO
LEOPARD 9 8 NATO
LEOPARD-2 10 10 NATO
AMX-30 8 8 NATO
CENTURIAN 8 8 NATO
CHIEFTAIN 10 9 NATO
CHALLENGER 10 10 NATO
PERSONNEL CARRIERS AND INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLES:-
BMP WITH SQUAD 5 4 PACT
BMD WITH SQUAD 5 4 PACT
BTR WITH SQUAD 3 3 PACT
OT-64 WITH SQUAD 3 3 PACT
M-113 WITH SQUAD 3 3 NATO
M-2 WITH SQUAD 6 4 NATO
M-3 WITH SQUAD 6 4 NATO
MARDER WITH SQUAD 4 5 NATO
SPARTAN WITH SQUAD 3 4 NATO
FV-432 WITH SQUAD 3 3 NATO
MCV-80 WITH SQUAD 4 4 NATO
SAXON WITH SQUAD 3 3 NATO
AMX-10 WITH SQUAD 5 4 NATO
VAB WITH SQUAD 3 3 NATO
YPR-765 WITH SQUAD 4 4 NATO
SAURER 4K4 W/SQUAD 4 4 AUSTRIA
ARTILLERY:-
2S1 SPA 11 5 PACT
2S3 SPA 13 5 PACT
2S4 SPA 15 4 PACT
2S5 SPA 14 4 PACT
2S7 SPA 16 4 PACT
2S9 SPA 11 5 PACT
DANA SPA 13 4 PACT
M-109 SPA 16 5 NATO
AUF-1 SPA 16 5 NATO
F-3 SPA 15 4 NATO
ABBOT SPA 11 5 NATO
M-110 SPA 13 4 NATO
122 HWTZR TOWED 12 2 PACT
152 HWTZR TOWED 14 2 PACT
8 INCH HWTZR TOWED 13 2 NATO
155 HWTZR TOWED 16 2 NATO
105 HWTZR TOWED 11 2 NATO
122 MRL MRL 14 2 PACT
BM-21 MRL 17 2 PACT
BM-22 MRL 19 3 PACT
RM-70 MRL 18 2 PACT
MLRS MRL 20 6 NATO
LARS MRL 17 3 NATO
82 MRTR MORTAR 11 2 PACT
120 MRTR MORTAR 11 2 PACT/NATO
VASILYEK MORTAR 14 2 PACT
81 MRTR MORTAR 12 2 NATO
4.2 MRTR MORTAR 14 2 NATO
M-125 MORTAR 12 3 NATO
M-113/MRTR MORTAR 14 4 NATO
M-106 MORTAR 14 4 NATO
FROG/SS21 TAC MX 11 5 PACT
LANCE TAC MX 11 5 NATO
ANTI-TANK WEAPONS:-
AT-4 2 1 PACT
AT-5 3 1 PACT
MILAN 2 1 NATO
DRAGON 1 1 NATO
TOW 3 1 NATO
BRDM/ATGM 3 3 PACT
JAGUAR 3 7 NATO
M-109 3 5 NATO
STRIKER 3 3 NATO
FV-438 3 3 NATO
VAB/HOT 3 3 NATO
YPR/TOW 3 4 NATO
M-150 3 3 NATO
KUERASSIER 3 4 AUSTRIA
JAGDPANZER KANONE 2 7 NATO
SPG-9 1 2 PACT
85 ATG 1 2 PACT
100 ATG 2 2 PACT
ARMORED RECCE VEHICLES:-
PT-76 2 4 PACT
FOX 2 5 NATO
SCORPION 2 6 NATO
SCIMITER 2 6 NATO
LUCHS 2 5 NATO
AMX-10RC 3 5 NATO
M-113/CR 2 3 NATO
That's about all I intend to do on this subject. It's a pretty second
rate war game anyhow, with little imagination. I'm pissed off with the enemy
being the Russians. A bit out of date isn't it. But some-one must like this
typed of thing.