STRATEGY
ISDF Engineers have simplified the battle
process, enabling pilots to issue commands with one-button ease. Even in
harsh conditions, accidents with friendly fire and battle errors have been
minimized. Rest assured that the ISDF Command trusts pilot’s judgment,
but also understand the life or death situations its soldiers face and
the possibility for inadvertent errors.
The Smart Reticle
The smart reticle is a basic combat
tool that enables pilots to issue commands to units. Point the reticle
at a unit and press the spacebar to access a list of possible commands.
Those commands can then be issued when a pilot presses the numeric keys
1 through 0. The Tab key can be used to return to exit the Command menu.
The smart reticle can also be used to direct a selected
unit or group of units. When a unit is selected, point your smart reticle
at an object that you want that unit to interact with. Your command menu
will show which interaction the commander of the friendly believes is appropriate.
When you select a friendly unit and point at an enemy unit, the interaction
is usually to Attack. When you select a friendly unit and point at another
friendly unit, the interaction is usually to Follow. Pressing the spacebar
causes the chosen interaction to occur.
You can also use your smart reticle to direct a
unit to a particular location on the terrain. While a unit is selected,
point at an area on the ground. The area will be highlighted and the selected
command will be Go To. Pressing the spacebar will cause the unit to go
to the location that is highlighted.
Quick Keys
All units, or groups of units, are
organized into one of ten command channels. Command channels allow you
to access units even though they are outside your field of view.
The units in a command channel can be accessed
by pressing the F1 through F10 keys. For example, pressing F1 automatically
selects all the units grouped in the first command channel. Selecting the
units in a command channel will open their command menu. Pressing the keys
1 through 0 will give the units in that command menu an order; pressing
Tab will deselect them. New units will automatically go into the free command
channel with the lowest number. You can move units between command channels
and group like units into a single command channel.
Grouping/Ungrouping Units
Selecting a Group
In Battlezone 2™, up to ten similar units can exist
in a group. There are up to ten groups, and each one corresponds to a particular
function key, F1-F10. You select a group by pressing the function key associated
with that group. A group can only contain units of the same type.
Building Multiple Units Into a Group
Hold down the Shift key while you order your Recycler
or Factory to build a unit. Press the key to build that unit one time for
each unit that you wish to build into the group. This will allow you to
queue up multiple units. These units will be automatically grouped.
Selecting Multiple Groups
You can select multiple groups by pressing their associated
function keys before pressing a number key to give a command or the Tab
key to deselect. You can toggle the selection of any group off or on by
pressing the associated function key.
Selecting Individual Units in a Group
Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the function key
for a group. That will give you a list of individual units that you can
select. Alternately, you can point at an individual unit and press the
spacebar. This selects the unit you are pointing at only, not its group.
Moving Units to Another Group
You can change what group number a unit is in by pressing
Ctrl and a function key. Then press the number key to select the units.
Finally, press Ctrl and a function key to assign the units to that group. Example:
I want to switch the units from group 1 to group 5. I press Ctrl-F1, then
select all the units using the 1 through 10 keys. Then I press Ctrl-F5.
The units that were in group 1 are now in group 5.
Combining Units From Two or More Groups Into a Single
Group
Units that are of the same type may be taken from different
groups and combined into a single group. Select the groups you want to
combine by pressing their function keys. Then hold down the Ctrl key while
selecting the group you want them to go into. Example:
I have one Turret each in groups 1, 2, and 3. I want all three Turrets
to be in group 3. I press F1, F2 and F3 to select all three groups. Then
I hold down the Ctrl key while pressing F3. This puts all three Turrets
in the F3 group.
Radar
The topographical map is located to the lower left of
the vehicle console. Many hours of surveying were done and the latest satellite
information has been implemented. This map has been engineered to alert
pilots to topographic hazards as well as to ensure that the planet’s environment
can be used as an asset to skilled dogfighters. A floating directional
compass is superimposed on the map to allow pilots to chart their courses
and move according to orders.
Radar information is also shown on this map. Enemy
vehicles and encampments are displayed in red, friendlies in green. Friendly
units are displayed with a number corresponding to their command channel.
When certain commands are chosen, such as attack
and service, the command menu will present the pilot with a numbered list
of units on which the command may be executed. The numbering will also
be shown in the topographic radar display.
There are certain considerations that every ISDF
pilot must take into account with regards to his/her topographic radar.
Many action commands such as Attack, Service, and Build can only be executed
on units within the range of the pilot’s topographic radar. Also, in dog
fighting, topographic radar is an excellent tool for the enemy as well.
Standing very still will cause hover units to disappear from radar.
The R key toggles your radar between topographic
mode and overview map mode. The topographic mode shows the area around
the pilot in great detail. The overview mode shows the entire combat area
without much detail. This mode is useful for getting information on the
total battle situation. The overview mode, like the satellite view, only
shows enemy vehicles when they are within radar range of a friendly unit.
Enemy buildings are only shown when they have been discovered by a friendly
unit. Unlike the topographic mode, the overview mode does not rotate.
Selecting Production Units
The Recycler (when deployed), the Factory, and the Armory
are not units, but buildings. Still, because these buildings are used to
create units, you can control them by pressing a particular key for each
building. Pressing 1 when no unit is selected selects the Recycler. Pressing
2 when no unit is selected selects the Factory. Pressing 3 when no unit
is selected selects the Armory. When you select these units, your command
menu will present the units or objects that these buildings can produce.
To create a unit, select the production building
and then press the appropriate number key for the desired unit. If you
are able to build the unit, the name of the unit will be highlighted. If
you are unable to build a unit, the name of the unit will be grayed out,
but pressing the appropriate number key will inform you of the amount of
scrap you need to collect and/or the prerequisite building needed to build
the unit.
Navigation Beacons
Pressing the N key allows a pilot to create a
Navigation Beacon. After you press N, your smart reticle will highlight
the location on the terrain where the Navigation Beacon will be placed.
When your smart reticle is pointing at the appropriate location, press
the spacebar to place the Navigation Beacon. Navigation Beacons are useful
for helping a pilot find his or her way through the world. They also help
direct units toward a particular area, because you can always order a unit
to go to a Navigation Beacon. For example, it is often a good idea to place
a Navigation Beacon in the middle of your base. If your base is threatened,
you may select units in the field and order them to go to the Navigation
Beacon at your base. This allows you to quickly bring units home to defend
your base from anywhere on the map.
Selecting Navigation Beacons
You can select a Navigation Beacon by pointing at it
and pressing the spacebar or by selecting it from the Navigation Beacon
menu. The ~ (tilde) key opens the Navigation Beacon menu. When the Navigation
Beacon menu is open, pressing 1 through 9 selects a particular Navigation
Beacon. Pressing Tab closes the Navigation Beacon menu without selecting
any Navigation Beacon. When a Navigation Beacon is selected, it is bracketed
in your HUD so that you can see in which direction you would have to turn
to head toward that Navigation Beacon. When the Navigation Beacon is near
the center of your HUD, the distance to the Navigation Beacon will be displayed
in meters. When a Navigation Beacon is selected, your smart reticle can
point to it, no matter how far away it is.
Satellite View
The satellite view is an invaluable tool for an ISDF
commander who wishes to carefully control distant units. The pilot can
get to the satellite view by
accessing the console on a Relay Bunker or an Antenna Mound. Accessing
consoles is discussed below.
The satellite view shows the battlefield
from an aerial point of view. In this mode you may select units by pointing
at them with your mouse and pressing the left mouse button. You can tell
them where to go by selecting their destination and pressing left mouse
button. You can select many units by holding down the left mouse button
and
dragging
the mouse cursor so that it creates a box. When you lift up on the left
mouse button, all units within that box will be selected.
You can move your mouse cursor
to the edges of the map to scroll the map left or right and up or down.
In the satellite view, Ctrl-C centers the camera view on your
location.
Pressing the N key allows you to place Nav Beacons
in the satellite view. After you press N a small text edit box will appear.
The text edit box gives you the unique opportunity to edit the name of
the Nav Beacon before you place it. You can give Nav Beacons names such
as "Home Base" which may help you remember their purpose.
Although the satellite view is very powerful, pilots
should remember that while they are in it they are still vulnerable to
attack from enemy units. Pilots should keep an eye out on their own position,
to make sure that they are not being attacked while staring intently at
their satellite display.
Deploying the Recycler
The Recycler is the most important unit in Battlezone
2™. It begins as a large, slow, treaded vehicle. When ordered to deploy,
it unfolds into a building. That building can store scrap and can build
a number of important vehicles. Whenever you have a Recycler, protect it
carefully.
To start a base you must first deploy your Recycler.
The Recycler can deploy on any piece of land that has an area which is
32 meters by 32 meters and square. When you select the Recycler and tell
it to deploy, it unfolds into a permanent building.
Resources
All units that are created by the ISDF and
Scion forces are created with Bio-metal. Bio-metal can be found in one
of two forms: as chunks of bio-metal scrap found on a planet’s surface
or within a naturally occurring bio-metal pool. Sometimes Bio-metal pools
are referred to as "scrap pools."
You can tell how much scrap you have by
looking at the scrap gauge in the lower left hand corner of your display.
The scrap gauge tells you how much scrap is in your scrap supply with the
number at the bottom of the scrap gauge. It also shows you how many deployed
Scavengers you have. Each yellow segment of the scrap gauge represents
a deployed Scavenger. Each red segment represents an upgraded Scavenger.
Your scrap gauge also tells you your capacity to store scrap. The green
part of the bar represents your Recycler, which can hold 40 units of scrap.
Each yellow or red segment of the bar represents 20 additional units of
scrap storage. Scrap storage can be important, because you may need to
save up for some of the more expensive units.
Scavengers collect Bio-metal. In an un-deployed
state they drive around and collect Bio-metal scrap when it is nearby.
They also deploy over scrap pools to slowly pump out scrap from within
the ground.
Bio-metal scrap can sometimes be found
lying about on a planet. Bio-metal scrap comes in chunks; each chunk is
worth five units of scrap. It is also often left behind from destroyed
units in a battle. If you tell your Scavenger units to Scavenge they will
automatically check for any bio-metal scrap within radar range. If they
find any, they will go to it and suck it up. Once a Scavenger has sucked
up 20 units of scrap (or four chunks of scrap) they will return to the
home Recycler or to a deployed Scavenger to deposit the scrap into the
player occurring bio-metal pool. Sometimes Bio-metal pools are referred
to as "scrap pools." You ’s scrap supply.
Scavengers can be told to deploy on a scrap
pool. Also, if you give a Scavenger a Scavenge command when there is no
bio-metal scrap around but there is a pool it can deploy on, the scavenger
will deploy on that pool. Scavengers told to Scavenge pick up bio-metal
scrap as their first priority and deploy on scrap pools as their second
priority.
A deployed Scavenger serves two purposes.
First, having at least one deployed Scavenger allows you to pump bio-metal
out of the ground. Second, each deployed Scavenger increases your scrap
storage.
Pumping scrap
If you have at least one deployed
Scavenger you are pumping scrap. This means that your scrap capacity (as
shown in the scrap gauge) is always filling up. Due to the pumping mechanism,
different parts of the scrap storage fill at different rates.If
you have at least one deployed Scavenger you are pumping scrap. This means
that your scrap capacity (as shown in the scrap gauge) is always filling
up. Due to the pumping mechanism, different parts of the scrap storage
fill at different rates.
| Unit |
Capacity |
Fill Rate (scrap per second) |
| Recycler |
40 |
.33 |
| Deployed Scavenger |
20 |
1.0 |
| Upgraded Scavenger |
20 |
2.0 |
Creating Buildings
Once you have a deployed Recycler
and some scrap you can create buildings. Each side has one unit which can
be used to create new buildings. For the ISDF, this craft is the Constructor.
For the Scions this craft is the Builder. Both units have two special commands,
build and upgrade. You can order a Constructor to build a building if you
have enough scrap to purchase that building, enough power, and all the
prerequisite buildings needed to make that building available. For example,
to build a Service Bay you need 50 scrap and a Factory. If you are able
to build a building you must select a flat area of the ground on which
to place the building. For the ISDF, each building must be placed adjacent
to another building on the player’s team (except
for Gun Towers and Relay Bunkers). Scion buildings can be placed on any
piece of level terrain.
Power
All buildings except the Recycler require power to be
built and to function once they are built. Scion buildings are powered
by Power Lungs which come with the building when it is created. If the
Power Lung (or Lungs, in the case of upgraded buildings) are destroyed,
they must be replaced for that building to function. When one Scion building
loses power, no other Scion building loses power unless its Power Lung
is destroyed.
ISDF buildings are powered by Power Generator buildings.
Each Power Generator can power three other buildings. The power display
in the top left corner tells you how many more buildings you have power
enough to build. When this number is negative (because a power generator
was destroyed) all ISDF buildings are without power and therefore they
do not function. Unlike the Scions, when one ISDF building is without power,
all buildings are without power.
Unlocking Units and Buildings
Certain units can only be built when
you have the buildings which are prerequisites for building those units.
For example, a Mortar Bike is created by a Factory but can only be created
when the player has both a Factory and an Armory. Some units require two
buildings to be built before they can be produced. Certain buildings require
other buildings as prerequisites before they can be built. For example,
you cannot order your Constructor to build an Armory before you have built
a Factory. You must build a Factory first, then an Armory. Upgraded buildings
always require the building they are upgraded from as a prerequisite. For
example, an upgraded Scavenger requires a deployed Scavenger. A Scion Forge
requires a Kiln because the Kiln is converted to a Forge by upgrading.
A Scion Overseer Array requires an Antenna Mound. Consoles Inside many
player-created buildings there is a console. When you walk up to a console,
a line in your interface will be drawn to the console in the same way that
a line is sometimes drawn to friendly units to indicate that you can select
them. Like a friendly unit, a console may be "selected" by pressing the
spacebar. When a console is selected you enter a special interface (or
unit, in the case of Gun Towers) which is unique to that building. Each
interface is special and allows you to do special things in the game, as
noted below.
Modifying Units
When you have an Armory or Stronghold,
you can use the console inside your Recycler, Factory, Kiln, or Forge to
customize the units they create. Inside the Recycler console you can replace
the weapons which normally come with a unit with different weapons. In
the future, all units thus modified will be created with the weapons you
have specified. They will also have an additional fixed cost over the price
of a standard unit.
To undo the modification of a unit,
go into the console and select the unit which you previously modified.
Then select Default. This returns the unit to its original configuration
and cost.
Upgrading Buildings
Certain buildings can be upgraded
by the ISDF Constructor or the Scion Builder. Deployed Scion and ISDF Scavengers
can be upgraded to increase the speed at which their capacity is filled.
Certain Scion buildings can be upgraded.
The Scion Kiln can be upgraded to a Forge, and the Scion Antenna Mound
can be upgraded to an Overseer Array. Upgrading buildings costs additional
scrap.
To upgrade a building, select the command
Upgrade on your Scion Builder or ISDF Constructor. The unit’s Command menu
will now show a list of buildings within your radar range that can be upgraded.
Press the key corresponding to appropriate building to upgrade the building.
Alternately, you can press the Upgrade key and point at the building you
want to upgrade and press the spacebar.
MANUAL CONTENTS