 RRRRRRRRR     IIIII   SSSSSSSSS   KKK      KKK    OOOOO    IIIII DDDDDDDDD
 RRRRRRRRRRR    III   SSSSSSSSSSS  KKK      KKK   OOOOOOO    III  DDDDDDDDDD
 RRR     RRRR   III  SSSS      SSS KKK      KKK  OOO   OOO   III  DDD    DDDD
 RRR      RRRR  III  SSS       SSS KKK      KKK OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR      RRRR  III  SSS           KKK    KKKK  OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR     RRRR   III  SSSS          KKK   KKKK   OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR    RRRR    III   SSSSSSSSSSS  KKKKKKKK     OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRRRRRRRRR     III     SSSSSSSSSS KKKKKKKK     OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRRRRRRRR      III           SSSS KKK   KKKK   OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR    RRRR    III            SSS KKK    KKKK  OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR     RRRR   III  SSS       SSS KKK     KKKK OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR      RRRR  III  SSS       SSS KKK      KKK OOO     OOO  III  DDD     DDD
 RRR       RRR  III  SSSS     SSSS KKK      KKK  OOO   OOO   III  DDD    DDDD
 RRR       RRR  III   SSSSSSSSSSS  KKK      KKK   OOOOOOO    III  DDDDDDDDDD
 RRR       RRR IIIII   SSSSSSSSS   KKK      KKK    OOOOO    IIIII DDDDDDDDD




                                  3333            00000    
                                33333333         0000000 
                                333  333        000   000
                    VVV   VVV       3333        000   000
                    VVV   VVV      3333    **   000   000
                    VVVV VVVV       3333   **   000   000
                     VVVVVVV    333  333        000   000
                      VVVVV     33333333         0000000
                       VVV        3333            00000





                                   RISKOID
                                  ---------


                              Copyright (C) 1993-1998
                           Macrohead and Microbrain

                             ALL RIGHTS RESERVED




              This documentation was last updated on September 15, 1998.






                                   CONTENTS
                                  ----------

 1. Introduction
 2. Starting the Game
 3. Game Overview
 4. Starting the Game
    4.1 Game Options
    4.2 Missions Revealed

 5. Reading the Map
 6. Side Panel Buttons

 7. Phases the Game
 8. Reinforcement
 9. Combat
10. Redeployment
11. The Magician

12. Computer Difficulty Levels
13. Helpful Hints

14. Release History
15. Shareware Notice
      Credits
      Legal Notice





                               1. Introduction


Riskoid is a "conquer the map" type of game.  In each game you play, you will
be given a mission to carry out.  This mission typically involves conquering a
part of the map, the whole map, or destroying another player's forces.  There
are many different missions, each requiring different tactics, with no one
tactic being the correct one.

But by stealth, or brute force you must seek out the completion of your
mission, to the detriment of others - there can be only one winner!





                               2. Installation

Each version of Riskoid may require a certain type of installation before it
can actually be run.

On the Amiga version, this will involve copying a file into your LIBS:
directory.

On the IBM version, no additional installation is required.





                               3. Game Overview

The game is played with a turn system.  That is, only one player at a time has
their go.  When they have finished, the next player then has their turn and so
on.  Once the last player has had their turn, the first player then has their
turn.

The game continues on like this until one player has completed their mission.
This could happen very quickly, or take a large number of turns.

Each turn consists of a number of phases, which occur in order during each
turn.  During each phase, a specific action is performed.  These phases are
explained in greater detail below.





                             4. Starting the Game

After the game has loaded, the RISKOID logo is displayed and additional data
files are read from the disk.  When this is complete press the Continue button
on the screen.

You will then be prompted to enter the number of people playing the game.  You
may have between 2 and 6 players.  Any or all of these players may be computer
controlled.  If you enter an invalid number, you will be prompted to try
again.

Once this is complete, enter in the relevant names of the players.  Names must
be between 2 and 18 characters.  Names outside this range will not be
accepted.  To enter a name, click with the mouse in on of the large boxes.

If you wish to enter the next name in the list after typing in a name, press
the TAB key, rather than RETURN to continue.  You will then be prompted to
enter the next name.

To speed up entry of computer player's names, after the human player's names
have been entered, you can press `Q' and the computer player's names will be
inputted automatically.  Repeatedly pressing `Q' will bring up new names.
Pressing `W' fills the names in as Computer 1 etc.

Beside each of the large boxes are two smaller boxes.  The first box denoted
whether or not that player is to be controlled by the computer.  Any number
may be controlled by the computer - from none to all.

There are four levels of Computer control that can be selected.  Each Level is
detailed later.  In addition, there is a Random option, whereby the difficulty
level of the Computer Player is randomly determined, in order to add another
element of chance to the game.

The other box indicates the colour of that particular player.  Clicking on the
box will cycle that colour to the next available colour.  There are six
colours to choose from, so if there are six players, you won't be able to
change your colour.

The colour of each player is very important, so be sure to chose a colour you
like!  All messages that relate to a particular player will be in that
player's colour.

Once you are satisfied with the number of players and the names of the
players, click the Continue button.

On the left of the Screen is a button labelled `Game Options'.  Pressing this
button will enable you to change the parameters for the game.  For details,
see Section 4.1 below.



                               4.1 Game Options

The next screen is a list of options.  To change an options, click on the
options description.  The description on the right will then be toggled.

Note :  You can't have Missions AND Play to the Death options active at the
same time.


The eight options are listed below :

1. Play the Missions

If active, each player will be allocated a secret mission.  Each mission is
approximately as difficult as the others.  The game will then be complete when
a player completes their mission.

If not used, each player's mission is the same - to conquer 24 territories.

If, Option 2 is used, the missions cannot be used (see below)


2. Play Until One Person Kills ALL Others

If active, each player's mission is to conquer the entire map, that is,
destroy all the other player's units.  This options results in a longer game
and is very often used to make a game harder and more exciting.

This option cannot be used in conjunction with option 1.


3. Fast Combat (No Dice Rolling)

If this option is inactive, whenever a battle occurs, the dice rolls will be
displayed on the screen.  You are then able to see EXACTLY what is happening
with a battle.  You are also given the option of terminating the battle if you
are doing poorly.

If active, the dice rolls are not displayed.  You are just told whether you
have won or lost.  As a result, the game takes a _LOT_ less time to play.

This feature is present in order to preserve the board-game origins of
Riskoid.


4. Quick Computer Players

This is another option to speed up the flow of the game.  When this option is
enabled, no messages are displayed that relate to a computer player's turn,
unless they affect a human player.  This way, the game is greatly speeded up
and you no longer have to repeatedly press the mouse buttons.


5. Equal Reinforcements In The First Turn

Normally, the number of reinforcements that a player receives is solely
determined by their number of countries held.  This often means that the
player who goes first is able to launch a major offensive and dramatically
reduce the number of reinforcements other players receive in their first turn.
This means that very often, a player is out of contention for the game before
they have even had a turn!  To overcome this inequality, this option gives
each player an equal number of reinforcements in the first turn, which may be
modified for continents held (see below)


6. Random Player Order

If selected, the order of the players is randomly selected.  That is, the
player who goes first is not always the first name entered in.


7. Give Progress Updates

If selected, at the end of each player's turn, you will be told what
percentage of your mission has been completed, as well as the number of
territories you currently occupy.  This is useful in gauging how close other
players are to completing their missions.

If you don't want this option, no progress report will be given.

Note : If the rapid computer players option is active, no progress reports
will be given.  This speeds up the game as well.


8. Use the Magician

If selected, each turn you may have the chance of sending a messenger to the
Magician to ask for help.  The Magician can give both good and bad results, or
ignore you completely.

This option makes the game more exciting and enables players who otherwise may
lose the game to have a fighting chance.


9. Choose Your Own Countries At The Start

When active, each player takes turns in selecting their initial countries.  If
inactive, the allocation is random.

This option increases the difficulty of the game, as you can no longer blame a
poor starting position for doing badly.



                            4.2 Missions Revealed

If you have selected to use the missions, each player in turn will be
allocated a secret mission.  While this is being done, the other players
should leave the room or take steps to ensure that they do no see the other
player's missions.

The 42 territories are then distributed amongst the players as evenly as
possible, given the number of players.





                              5. Reading the Map

In order to be able to successfully play RISKOID, you must be able to
interpret the symbols on the map.  This should be fairly easy.

The colour of each country denotes the owner of that country.  So, if a
country is filled in yellow, it is owned by the yellow player.

Also in each territory in a box containing a number.  This is the number of
units that are in that territory.  This 47 indicates that that particular
territory has 47 units in it.

If you put the two together, you can see that the territory is owned by the
yellow player and has 47 units in it.

If a territory contains more than 99 units, the first digit will be an
asterisk (*), and the second digit is the number of HUNDRED units in the
territory.  Thus, *6 means that a territory has between 600 and 699 units in
it.  But, as it is very rare for a territory to have more than 99 units in it,
this notation will rarely be seen.  If a country has more than 999 units in it
(which is VERY unlikely), the display will read "**".

The map is also divided into continents.  The divisions between the continents
are obvious, except for the join between Asia/Africa/Europe.  To assist in
distinguishing between the continents, a thick black line runs along the
border.

Which continent a territory is on is important for a number of reasons.
Firstly, a large number of missions specify the capture of a specific
continent, which translates to capturing all territories of a specific colour.
Secondly, in the reinforcement stage (outlined below), if an entire continent
is owned by a player, they receive a number of bonus reinforcement units.

Details of the continents as set out in the table below:

+---------------+-------+----------+
| Continent     | Bonus | Num Terr |
+---------------+-------+----------+
| Africa        |   3   |    6     |
| Asia          |   7   |   12     |
| Australia     |   2   |    4     |
| Europe        |   5   |    7     |
| North America |   5   |    8     |
| South America |   2   |    4     |
+---------------+-------+----------+

In all cases of interaction between 2 countries, they must adjoin.  There are
two ways for them to adjoin :  by their borders directly touching, and by
there being a line between the two countries.  Thus, Alaska adjoins Kamchatka
and Brazil adjoins North Africa etc.





                            6. Side Panel Buttons

Since v2.0, there are 3 buttons present on the left hand side of the map.
These buttons activate many options:

About : Pressing this button brings up information about the authors, version
  and where to send your shareware fee (it's very important to do this...)

  Keyboard equivalent : '?'


Options : This allows you to shange several game options:

  Change Control : This button allows you to change whether a player is
    computer or human controlled.  Press on the relevant player button and
    that player's option will change.
    Note : you can't change your own option during your turn.

  Mission Info : Use this option when you are using the missions, and have
    forgotten what yours was!  By pressing this button during your turn, your
    mission will be redisplayed.

  * Toggle Sound : If you have an Amiga, or an IBM with sound support, this
     option will toggle the sound effects on and off.  The current sound status
     is displayed beside the button

  * Toggle Music : On the Amiga, this button allows you to turn the background
     theme music on and off (where available).


Quit : Pressing this button will enable you to quit out of Riskoid back to DOS.

  Keyboard equivalent : 'ESC'





                              7. Phases the Game

The game is played in four phases :  Reinforcement, Combat, Redeployment and
the Magician.  After a player has completed all his phases, it is the next
player's turn.  Play continues until at the end of a player's turn their
mission is complete.

If the Magician option is not active, the Magician phase is absent.

Note :  Victory for a player is only declared at the end of their turn.  For
example, if your mission is to kill the Red player, but before you have your
turn another player kills the Red Player, you will not automatically win at
that point.  You must wait until the end of your turn before you win!





                               8. Reinforcement

At the start of your turn, you receive a number of reinforcements equal to a
third of the number of territories you own.  Thus, if you own 14 territories,
you will receive 4 reinforcements (the number is rounded down).

A minimum of 3 reinforcements is always given.  Thus, if you have 4 or 6
territories, you will still get 3 reinforcements.

Extra units are given if a complete continent is held by a player.  For the
numbers see the table above.  Thus, if all of Australia is held, you receive a
bonus of 2 reinforcements, and if all of Asia is held, you receive a bonus of
7 reinforcements.

If Equal First Turn Reinforcements Option is active, during the first turn all
players receive the same base number of reinforcements, modified if continents
are held.  This is to ensure that the player who goes first does not have a
huge advantage.

In the top right hand corner of the screen, are boxes, which represent a
number of units.  By pressing on these boxes, you can change the number of
units that are put in a territory with each press.  Thus, if you click on the
'2' button, 2 units will be placed in a territory, instead of the default 1.

In addition, there is a maximum button, which allows you to place all you
reinforcements on the one territory.

As well as the buttons, you can also use the numeric keys to determine the
units.  ie pressing '7' will let you put on 7 units at a time.





                                  9. Combat

This is by far the most salient part of Riskoid.  True mastery of the game
lies here!

It is important to note from the start that you can attack as many times as
you have units to support the attacks - there is no artificial upper limit.

To launch an attack from one territory, it must have at least two unit in it -
one unit must stay behind to keep the territory.  To attack a territory, the
target must adjoin the attacking territory and not be owned by the attacking
player - you can't attack your own forces.

If the Quick Battles option is active, the battle will be resolved.  If not,
the following procedure will be followed:

You will be prompted for the number of units to attack with.  If the start
territory has 2 units in it, you may attack with 1 unit.  If it has 3 units in
it, you may attack with 2 or 1 units.  If it contains 4 or more units, you may
attack with 3, 2 or 1 units.

In deciding the number of units to attack with, there are 2 strategies to
consider.  Firstly, by attacking with a large number of units, you increase
your chances of victory.  On the other hand, the number of men you attack with
also sets the lower limit on the number of men you must move into the
defending territory if you win.  In some cases, attacking with only 1 unit
enables you to take a poorly defended territory, whilst concentrating your
major offensive in another direction, whilst still using the forces in the one
territory.

In either case, luck plays a large factor - it is not unheard of for 1 unit to
withstand the attack of a force of about 10 or 20.  Equally, it is possible to
destroy a defensive force of 10 or 20 with 1 unit.  It all depends upon the
dice rolls.

The number of dice the defender rolls is determined by the number of units in
it.  If it contains 2 or 1 units, 1 die is rolled.  If it contains 3 units, 2
dice are rolled and if it contains 4 or more units, 3 dice are rolled.

The dice rolls are the next element.  Each player's dice rolls will be
displayed at the top of the screen.

The attacker's dice appear on the left and the defending dice appear on the
right.  Both dice are colour coded in the colour of the owner of those
territories.

The highest die of the attacker is then compared with the highest die of the
defender.  If the attacker's die is higher, the defender loses a unit.  If the
defender's die is greater than or equal to the attacker's, the attacker loses
a unit.

If BOTH sides rolled 2 or more dice, the second highest are then compared as
above.  The same applies if both players roll 3 dice

Casualties are then removed and the attacker has the option of continuing the
attack or not.

If the attack is victorious, the attacker moves units into the conquered
territory.  The minimum number is the number of dice rolled and the maximum is
the number of units in the territory minus one.  The number is entered in via
the keyboard, followed by return.  If there is only one possible number that
would be valid, it is automatically calculated and entered by the computer.

The attacks then continue until all the attacker's men are exhausted, or the
player decides to stop.


Quick Battles
-------------
If the Quick Battles Option is selected (see above), this process becomes
completely automated, and the player is merely informed whether they have won
the battle or not.  The same rules, however, as still used.  With this option,
you are not limited by a minimum number of units to move in when you win
corresponding to the number of attacking units.  Thus, when you win, you need
only move 1 unit in.


When entering the number of units to move into a defeated territory, you can
use the numeric keys to set the number.





                               10. Redeployment

In this round, you have the option of moving units from one territory you own
to an adjacent territory you own.  Any number may be moved out of the
territory, provided one is left behind.

The catch is that you can do this only once per turn - so consider it
carefully.





                               11. The Magician

This option will only appear if Supernatural Occurences option is active.

If you have sufficient forces, you may consult the Magician.  The result of
this consultation will then be shown and the results carried out.  Below are a
few examples of what can happen:

+ You receive a number of bonus reinforcements
+ The Magician gives your territory to some-one else!
+ The Magician gives you some-one else's territory!





                        12. Computer Difficulty Levels

The Computer Difficulty Levels are:

Private - Very stupid.  All of its actions are COMPLETELY random.  If it ever
  does any good, it has nothing to do with skill!

Major - A fair bit smarter than a Private, but it still believes that simple
  brute force is effective is all situations.  This player tends to like
  building large forces, then going on a rampage!

Colonel - More intelligent than a Major, this player still prefers the brute
  force approach, but often keeps forces in reserve and goes for strategic
  targets.

General - The pinnacle of military genius?  You be the judge.  This player
  realises the importance of defending strategically important areas, as well
  as the need to attack when necessary.

Overall, the Computer's Level will determine a Computer Player's style of
play, but due to the large number of variables in the game, any result is
still possible!





                              13. Helpful Hints

Here are a few hints to improve your game:

* Australia is a useful continent to own :  It provides 2 extra reinforcements
and is easily held by placing a large defensive force in Indonesia or Siam.

* Whenever possible, try to stop a player from owning a continent - not only
does it improve their chances of winning, but provides a huge advantage when
they receive their reinforcements!

* Don't forget that Alaska borders Kamchatka and that Brazil adjoins North
Africa!

* If the Magician is being used, make sure you visit him whenever possible!





                             14. Release History

v3.0
 * Computer Players GREATLY improved.
 * Map upgraded.
 * Number of Magician options doubled.
 * More and new Sound Effects.
 * Magician bug fixed.
 * Redeployment/Attack bug fixed.
 * Sprites added (IBM version).
 * Algorithms optimised greatly.
 * Speed dramatically increased.

v2.01
 * Small bugs removed.
 * A number of minor features added.

v2.0
 * Rapid Computer Player mode added.
 * Computer players can now roll dice in slow battle mode
 * Computer player's high scores are no longer recorded in the High Score
    Table
 * Background music added (Amiga version only)
 * Interface Mark II used throughout => More buttons and greater ease of use

v1.0
 Initial release




                          **************************
                          **                      **
                          ** 15. SHAREWARE NOTICE **
                          **                      **
                          **************************

Riskoid is a Shareware product.  That is, if you like the program and continue
to use it after a trial period of 2 weeks, you are required to become a
registered user, or stop using the program.  Otherwise, I'll get upset.

If you register, you will receive any future upgrades or bug fixes, as well as
our next game free!  (Whether you want it or not :) )

Versions of the game are also available on other platforms.  Currently,
Riskoid is available for the Amiga and IBM compatible with a UN*X X-Term
version planned.  These are also available when you become a registered user.

A fee of $10 (Australian Dollars) is requested for Australian users, $15 for
the rest of the world.

Send your registration fee and suggestions to :

            Macrohead and Microbrain
            4 Jameson Avenue
            East Ballina NSW 2478
            AUSTRALIA

E-Mail Address : mhead_mbrain@hotmail.com


When registering, please print out the form below and send it with your cash.



-----------------------------------CUT HERE-----------------------------------

                            RISKOID Registry Form
                           -----------------------

Name :________________________________________________________________________

Address : ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


What is the Current Version Number that you have :____________________________

What is the Current Release Number that you have :____________________________

(These numbers are displayed at the end of the Game.)


Current Computer Type (Circle One) :     AMIGA      IBM


         Please fill in the following information, where appropriate.

           AMIGA                                       IBM
          -------                                     -----

Model Number      :_____________________  Processor     :_____________________

Workbench Version :_____________________  Graphics Card :_____________________

Kickstart Number  :_____________________  Sound Card    :_____________________

Chipset           :_____________________  Mouse Type    :_____________________

Joystick Type     :_____________________  Joystick Type :_____________________

Monitor Type      :_____________________  DOS Version   :_____________________


Do you require a version of RISKOID for another Platform?  If so, which

Platform (Circle One)  :  AMIGA     IBM     OTHER : (State Type)______________


Comments/Suggestions : _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________



Send this form, as well as your registration fee to:

                           Macrohead and Microbrain
                               4 Jameson Avenue
                            East Ballina NSW 2478
                                  AUSTRALIA

-----------------------------------CUT HERE-----------------------------------






                                   CREDITS
                                  ---------
Design             : Dean Morris
Main Programming   : Dean Morris
IBM Systems        : Grant Walker
Graphics           : Dean Morris
Sound Sources      : Nimrandir Enterprises
Testing            : Kieren, Carl, Bradley, Paul, Michael, Ken, Glen.

Special Thanks     : Roger the Inflatable Dolphin.




                                 LEGAL STUFF
                                -------------
NO ATTEMPT IS MADE TO INTERFERE WITH ANY RIGHTS TO ANY OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS.
ANY SUCH INFRINGEMENT IS TOTALLY ACCIDENTAL.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN.

THE AUTHORS RETAIN ALL RIGHTS TO THE PRODUCT, (BOTH IN ITS ENTERITY AND ITS
CONSTITUENT PARTS), BUT IT MAY BE FREELY DISTRIBUTED, PROVIDED ALL THE FILES
ARE KEPT TOGETHER IN AN UNALTERED STATE.  RISKOID MAY BECOME PART OF ANY
PUBLIC DOMAIN LIBRARY PROVIDED THAT ONLY A NOMINAL FEE IS CHARGED TO COVER THE
COST OF DISK COPYING.  ANY OTHER USE OF THE PRODUCT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED
WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHORS.  PERMISSION CAN BE SOUGHT TO VARY
THESE TERMS BY APPLYING TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

THE AUTHORS PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITH NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OR GUARANTEES (INCLUDING ALL STATUTORY PROVISIONS, COMMON LAW AND EQUITY).
ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF USING THIS PROGRAM IS TOTALLY AT THE
USER'S EXPENSE - THE USER ACCEPTS THIS RISK BY USING THIS PROGRAM.

IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF LEGAL ACTION, ALL CLAIMS MUST BE MADE WITHIN THE
ORIGINAL JURISDICTION OF THE HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA.  ALL OTHER ACTIONS ARE
INVALID.

