PACIFIC GENERAL ------------------- 1.0 Release 7/3/97 Pacific General requires a Pentium 90, 16 megs of RAM, and DirectX 3. We recommend running the game with 20+ megs of RAM (which increases load times). If you are having trouble running the game you can try running it with one or more of the following options from the DOS prompt: PACGEN * NOSOUND -Turns off ALL sound * NOVID -No Smacker * NOWEATHERANIM -Turns off animating weather animations If you do not have a sound card installed in your system, you will need to run the game with the NOSOUND option. If you experience music briefly pauses, you can change the rate at which the music is streamed off the CD. Run the game with the following option, and always list it first with other options: PACGEN STREAMSIZE: * -A number from 100000 to 500000 in multiples of 100000 Pacific General uses a system of streaming music off of the game CD. This allows us to provide approximately 50% more music and voice files. Background ---------- The Japanese war machine began in direct response to Western influences in the Asian theater. Seeing the Europeans and Americans loot their backyard generated a fear that their own island would face a similar fate. Thus was born the goal of a greater "Asian Unity" and the death of isolationism. The Russians were first dealt a humiliating loss before the Great War; then, Manchuko fell under Japan's thumb. China, disorganized and wracked by internal conflict, lie open and waiting for leadership. The United States entered the 20th century with a great deal of zeal, but not much foresight. The American role in WWI solidified their position as one of the world’s great powers. Isolationism and a lack of planning followed this new position, shrinking US vision over the next two decades. The British influence continued to decline throughout the region, as the Germany's aggression in Europe diverted attention and resources from the Orient. This left Hong Kong, Australia, and India with little protection in the face of an expansive enemy. America, fat on its laurels, has been attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. The US has taken the lead in the war to fight the Japanese and push them back to their island once and for all. Pacific General is a simulation game set in the Pacific theater of conflict in World War II, pitting the Japanese Empire against the combined might of the Allied forces. In this game, it is possible to take either side in the conflict, which can be played from the dawn of combat in 1937 to the historical or hypothetical outcome(s) of the war. Land, air, and naval operations play a key role in the battles to be fought. Pacific General is based on the 5-Star General engine first seen in Panzer General. PacG creates a unique naval combat system and AI to handle the all important sea war, secondary to games such as Panzer and Allied General. This unique system, coupled with other enhancements as outlined below, makes PacG an interesting addition to the 5-Star Line. Menu System ----------- When you first start the game, you will notice that there are no menus active. The default setup is with the menus "up". You can pull "down" the menus in one of two ways. If you press the Space Bar, the menus will lock down on both sides of the screen. If you prefer to leave the menus "up", you can pull down the menus as you need them by moving the cursor to the bottom of the information menu (at the top of the screen), along the bottom bar, on the left or right edge. The menu for the side you are on will pull down. To select a button on a menu, just move your cursor over the button and left click on it. All of the buttons in the game are accompanied by hot text to describe its function. The menu on the left side of the screen is the Main Menu and has functions such as saving and loading a game, the audio controls, end turn, etc. If you have a unit active (see below), the left menu changes to the Unit Menu. The unit menu contains all the commands for the units in the game. The menu on the right side of the screen is the Options Menu. Functions such as turning hidden units on or off, viewing the strategic map, or turning the hexsides on or off are on this menu. Controls -------- To scroll the map, just move the mouse cursor to the edges of the map. To select a unit, left click on the unit to activate it. The area that the unit can move is highlighted. To move the unit, just left click on the hex where you want the unit to move. To attack an enemy unit, activate a unit, and move the mouse cursor over the enemy unit. The cursor will change to a cross-hair, if you can attack the unit. To attack the unit, just left click on the enemy unit. On the cross-hair are a set of flags, each with a number below it. The flag represents the side of each unit (your units have the American flag). The numbers below the flags represent the expected results of the combat. To deactivate a unit, just right click. To view the statistics of the enemy units, right click on the unit. You can view the statistics of your units in one of two ways. You can click on the Go To Unit button on the Options menu, and scroll to the unit. Or, you can just right click on a unit, but make sure that you do not have a unit active ... otherwise the active unit will be deactivated (see previous paragraph). You can also bring up the Unit Menu by activating a unit, and left clicking on the unit a second time. Multiplay --------- We have balanced 5 additional scenarios specifically for multiplay. They are listed at the top of the multiplay chat screen. They are Chunking, Dutch East Indies, Halha River, Midway Invasion, and Operation Olympic. Here is a brief description of the 5 multiplayer scenarios: Chungking - Chungking is a meeting engagement. Both sides start even and whoever ends up with the most points wins. The Japanese side is the one that the more experienced player should run since it has a little bit of a disadvantage in the air but should be able to make up for it on the ground. Dutch East Indies - This scenario has the Japanese on the offense against an Allied defense. There are enough opportunities in this one for each side to prepare a bit of a surprise for their opponent. The Allied side is a bit more challenging. Halha River - Another meeting engagement. He who causes the most casualties wins. The Japanese side is a bit more challenging. Midway Invasion - Another Japanese offensive, but this time just against the Americans. This one has the potential to be a real brawl. The Americans need to be on their toes for this one. Olympic - The proposed invasion of Japan. Here the Americans are on the offensive against the Japanese. This one is a slugging match early and a race later on. The Japanese side is the more challenging to play but can provide a few surprises. The following step-by-step instructions describe the process for creating or joining a two-player Internet TCP/IP, Direct Modem Play or IPX Network Connection Pacific General Game. * SPECIAL NOTE * For the Multiplay game, the music is defaulted to turn off. Some fast * modems in combination with a SCSI CD controller may be capable of * playing the streamed music and running the game. We recommend playing a * Multiplayer game with music turned off. Part 1. Create or Host a Modem Game: ------------------------------------ 1. Start up Pacific General. 2. In the start menu, click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "Modem Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Host Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries, and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click inside the "Enter Session Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries, and type the title you wish to use for the game session, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 7. Click on the "Start" button located at the bottom of the menu. 8. Wait for the other player to connect by calling your modem number. 9. Once you have connected, and are in the Scenario Selection screen, choose a Scenario from the list on the left side of the screen. 10. Choose the Prestige and Experience settings you wish to use. 11. Click on the "Start Scenario" button. Part 2. Connect or be a Guest of a Modem game. ---------------------------------------------- 1. Start Pacific General. 2. Click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "Modem Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Guest Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click on the "Start" button. 7. Type in the phone number of the host’s modem in the "Phone Number" field of the pop-up window (dashes, parentheses, or spaces are unnecessary). 8. Click on the "Connect" button. 9. Once you have connected and established a modem link with your opponent, a window will appear with the title of the game sessions that are currently available to you. 10. Click on the game session title you wish to join (it should turn white when you have selected it). 11. Click on the "Start" button. 12. The Host will select the scenario and launch the game. Part 3. Create or Host a Network Game: -------------------------------------- 1. Start up Pacific General while connected to the network you intend to play across. 2. In the start menu, click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "IPX Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Host Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click inside the "Enter Session Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries and type the title you wish to use for the game session, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 7. Click on the "Start" button located at the bottom of the menu. 8. Wait for the other player to join your session. 9. Once you have connected, and are in the Scenario Selection screen, choose a Scenario from the list on the left side of the screen. 10. Choose the Prestige and Experience settings you wish to use. 11. Click on the "Start Scenario" button. Part 4. Connect or be a Guest of a Network game. ------------------------------------------------ 1. Start Pacific General while connected to the network you intend to play across. 2. Click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "IPX Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Guest Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click on the "Start" button located at the bottom of the menu. 7. A window listing the available sessions will appear. 8. Click on the title of the session you wish to join (it will turn white when you have selected it). 9. Click on the "Start" button. 10. The Host will select the scenario and launch the game. Part 5. Create or Host an Internet Game: ---------------------------------------- 1. Start up Pacific General while you are online with your Internet Service Provider. 2. In the start menu, click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "Internet TCP/IP Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Host Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries, and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click inside the "Enter Session Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries, and type the title you wish to use for the game session, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 7. Click on the "Start" button located at the bottom of the menu. 8. Wait for the other player to join your session (they will need to enter your IP address). 9. Once you have connected, and are in the Scenario Selection screen, choose a Scenario from the list on the left side of the screen. 10. Choose the Prestige and Experience settings you wish to use. 11. Click on the "Start Scenario" button. Part 6. Connect or be a Guest of an Internet game. -------------------------------------------------- 1. Start Pacific General while you are online with your Internet Service Provider. 2. Click on the "Multiplay" button. The one with the three soldiers on it. 3. Click on the "Internet TCP/IP Connection For DirectPlay" button. 4. Click on the "Guest Game" button. 5. Click inside the "Enter Player Name" box. Backspace to clear any previous entries and type the name you wish go by in the game, pressing the Enter key when you are finished. 6. Click on the "Start" button located at the bottom of the menu. 7. Type in the IP address of your opponent (including the periods) in the IP address field of the pop-up box. 8. Click on the "Connect" button. 9. Once you have connected with your opponent, a window will appear with the name of the game sessions that are currently available to you. 10. Click on the game session title you wish to join (it should turn white when you have selected it). 11. Click on the "Start" button. 12. The Host will select the scenario and launch the game. Boom! Rule Book Erratum ----------------- Score Screen - In the lower left corner of the screen, you will see two icons each with a number next to it. The Star represent the current score for the Allies in the scenario and the Circle represents the Axis. In the lower right corner is the current status in the scenario: Defeat, Marginal, Decisive. The status is calculated directly from the score. In a game against the computer, you need a 3-2 ratio to achieve a Decisive victory and a 5-4 ratio to achieve a Marginal victory. Anything less is considered a loss. In a human vs. human game, the status is calculated from the same ratio, but if neither side has a marginal or decisive, the game is a draw. Unit Strength Marker - The unit strength marker four stages. A unit that has not moved has a light marker and a unit that has moved has a dark marker. New to the strength marker is "fired" marker. If a unit has attacked in the current turn, a red box appears around the strength marker. This can be especially helpful in determining if an enemy fighter has done an interception during the turn. Saved Games and Scenarios - All of the saved games (PBEM, regular saves, home made scenarios) are saved into the SAVE directory on your hard drive. If you want to load any game, you must make sure it resides in this directory. If you want to play a home made scenario as a multiplayer game, you must have the same scenario file on both systems that connect. Upgrading Units - The system for upgrading units has been changed in this game to make the system of upgrading units between scenarios easier. There is one thing to remember when upgrading units. When you upgrade a unit, the unit that you upgrade to is displayed in the box on the bottom right of the screen. If you remember that, the system is very simple. This change was made to allow you to quickly upgrade multiple units at a time. Just make sure that the unit that you want to upgrade to is exactly as it appears in the box. For example, if you want to upgrade an infantry with a truck to a paratroop infantry unit with the same truck, select the paratroop unit to upgrade to and the same truck transport. Otherwise, it is assumed that you want to disband the truck. Naval Gunfire Range Multiplier - In the Pacific War, naval ships were used to support landing amphibious units. The range of many of the battleships was often greater than the longest widths of the islands. To represent the firing ranges of naval ships, the Naval Gunfire Range Multiplier has been added to the Island scenarios. For example, if the NGRM of a scenario is set to 3 and a battleship in the scenario has a firing range of 5 hexes, the adjusted firing range for the battleship is 15. You can view the adjusted firing range for naval units on the unit statistics display of the Go To Unit screen. The current range is listed with the original number in parenthesis next to it. In the previous example it would be 15(5). Here are the NGRM for the Island scenarios in the game: Admiralty Islands 3 Iwo Jima 3 Leyte Gulf 2 Mariana Islands 3 Marshall Islands 2 Solomon Islands 3 Tarawa 3 The naval range multiplier add a different level to the game. Battleships, Heavy Cruisers and Light Cruisers have indirect fire and cause long term suppression (until the end of the turn). This can be very helpful to prevent enemy units from returning fire from direct fire attacks. Destroyers have direct fire to land units and will cause more direct damage. Movement Table (found on pages 99 and 100) - The movement rates of the following movement modes have been changed : Wheeled Terrain Dry Mud Snow Dirt Road 1 3 2 Paved Road 1 1 2 Amphibious Terrain Dry Mud Snow Deep Ocean 3 3 3 Hints & Strategies ------------------ Aircraft carriers can carry up to 8 planes. The carrier hangar bay window can be viewed using the Special button from the Unit Controls. The hangar window displays the carrier's hangar capacity as slots for the number of planes that the carrier can hold. Planes are launched by selecting them and left-clicking on the Launch Plane button. Aircraft carriers with planes stored in hangar bays are indicated by a blue dot symbol next the unit's strength indicator. If a plane ends movement over a carrier, the plane lands and is placed in the carrier's hangar. Planes can land on a carrier at night, but have a chance to crash into the sea or into the carrier (automatic critical hit). The percentage chance to land safely is influenced by the plane's experience. Aircraft carriers with planes stored in hangar bays have a blue dot symbol to the right of their strength indicator. Clicking on the Special button while an aircraft carrier is selected opens the Hangar display which shows any aircraft on board the carrier. Left-clicking on an aircraft displays its status and makes it available for launch by clicking on the Launch button. After launch, the aircraft is deployed over the carrier it can be moved normally this turn and must be moved if more aircraft are to be launched. Fighters in a naval scenario may be assigned to a Combat Air Patrol (CAP). A CAP of up to seven fighters may be assigned to any aircraft carrier, or battleship. A fighter on CAP moves with the assigned ship, and is removed off CAP only after intercepting an enemy unit. All of the units on CAP move as fast as the slowest moving unit, in most all cases, the naval unit. The CAP fighters move along with the naval unit it escorts at the same time that the naval unit moves. CAP is represented on the plane by a small blue dot. Fighters on CAP are refueled automatically. Fighters can be assigned to act as combat air patrol for aircraft carriers they are adjacent to using the Special button. When a fighter is on CAP, there is a blue dot next to the right side of its strength indicator. Up to seven fighters can be placed on CAP for any carrier, one in each hex surrounding the carrier and one over the carrier. If a fighter is on CAP over a carrier, no planes may land or launch from the carrier. Each fighter on CAP attacks the first enemy plane that tries to attack the carrier, if it has not already attacked during that turn. Once it has attacked, the fighter is removed from CAP status, but can be placed back on CAP the following turn. Campaign Notes -------------- There are three scenarios in the campaigns that have three different sides. In those scenarios, the AI contols two of the players. If you defeat the third player, all of that players objectives become yours. This can be both a bonus and a hindrance. You can use the airfields immediately, but if an AI unit is close to it, it will attempt to take the airfield from you. Unit Database ------------- We have provided the entire unit database of over 800 units with this game. To view the file PACGDATA.PDF that is in the root game directory, install Acrobat from the Autorun on the game CD. ----------------- We hope you love Pacific General as much as we do. It's been an experience, and there is quite a bit to it. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know via www.pacificgeneral.com or the www.ssionline.com websites. We have a strong commitment to making PacGen the best of the 5-Star series, so any problems you may have (or, god forbid, anything we might have missed) will be fixed and addressed as quickly as we can. Have fun in the Pacific - and here's to the legacy that is the 5-Star Series! - The PacGen Team July, 1997 "...it's looking better than it should." - Chuck Kroegel, President, SSI ----------------- Credits ------- Producer John Eberhardt Associate Producer Glen Cureton Game Design SSI Special Projects Group Lead Programmer Mike Coustier Game Programmers Paul Murray, Reggie Seagraves, Ben Cooley Audio Programming Ralph Thomas Art Director Steve Burke Lead Artist Mike Filippoff Artists Ryan Paul, Grisha Grigoriev, Maurie Manning, Dan Burke Scripting James Young, Dave Merrick, Richard Wagenet Audio Design Steven Lam, Lance Page Multimedia Design Lee Crawford, Maurice Jackson, Miki Morris Japanese and Title Music Composed and Performed by Danny Pelfrey and Rick Rhodes Swing Music Composed by Steve Lucky Lead Product Tester Bill White Assistant Lead Garrett Graham SSI Test Team Chris Smith, George Chastain, Daniel Rivera, Forrest Elam, Jeremy Dang, Jason Bredice, Kelly Calabro, Nile Sabbagh, Sally Werner, Mark Schmidt, Dion Burgoyne, Chris Lanka, Steve Peterson, Dave Wallick Executive Producer Dan Cermak