View manual text
BattlePlan Medieval
Scenario Editor
Medieval and the BattlePlan Scenario and Symbol Editors are all
(C)opyright 1998 by Jeff Lapkoff and Incredible Simulations, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Incredible Simulations, Inc. P.O. Box 411237 Chicago, IL 60641 773-804-7403
www.IncredibleSimulations.com
Over View
The Medieval BattlePlan scenario and symbol editors provide you with the means to edit and or
create any period battle that you desire for use in the Medieval system. Within these editors lies
the power to:
-Create entire new battles of a historical (or fictional) nature
-Create or modify terrain types and settings
-Create or modify units, rankings, weapons, armor, shields, and more...
-With the symbol editor, you can change or add different terrain or unit symbols to suit your needs
or desires.
Because of the open nature of Medieval's design, we will be setting up a Medieval Scenario
"clearinghouse" at the Incredible Simulations web site at www.Incredible Simulations.com. Please
feel free to stop in and see what's available. We also encourage your participation. If you've
developed a scenario you'd like to share, please do!
MenuBar Functions
The Windows menu bar provides access to all of the functions one may perform or set in the
BattlePlan editor. The menu bar groups are as follows:
File
Open Battle
Opens a previously saved battle
Create New Battle
Clicking on Create New Battle from the File menu group begins the process of setting up a new
Medieval Battle scenario. The following are the options presented by the battle creation screen:
Scenario Settings
Battle Name
Western Forces
Eastern Forces
Game Turns
Battle Description
The name of the battle
The name of the army starting the game to the left or western side of the
map.
The name of the army starting the game to the right or eastern side of the
map.
Edit the maximum number of turns in the game.
Edit the battle's history or description
Battle Icon
Each Medieval battle displays a graphic icon or picture at various stages in the game. You may
select a picture to represent the battle from the Battle Setting Menu option. Battle icons are simply
120x120 Window's BMP format graphic files. You may add custom icons to your scenarios by
placing additional BMP files in you Medieval Icons directory.
Map and Symbol Selections
Symbol Set
The name of the symbol set used in creating the battle
Map Size
The actual number of rows and columns in the map
Notes:
-A scenario's symbol set and map size cannot be changed after a battle has been created. The
scenario setting however can be modified at any time in the Battle Settings section.
Save Battle
Saves the current battle to disk
Save Battle As...
Saves the current battle to disk under a different name
Exit
Exits BattlePlan Medieval and returns to Windows
Battle
The Battle menu provides functions pertaining to the general aspects of the battle being created.
They are as follows:
Battle Settings
The Battle Settings screen allows you to quickly modify general items of the battle its initial
creation. Those items are:
Battle Name
Western Forces
Eastern Forces
Game Turns
Battle Icon
Battle Description
The name of the battle
The name of the army starting the game to the left or western side of the
map.
The name of the army starting the game to the right or eastern side of the
map.
Edit the maximum number of turns in the game.
Change the game's battle icon.
Edit the battle's history or description
Army Statistics
Provide you with a quick overall assessment of the forces arrayed against each other on the
battlefield.
Men
Units
Avg Morale
Fire Power
Combat Strength
Total Value
Total number of men in each army.
Total number of units in each army.
The average morale of each army.
An indication of an army's "raw" missile fire capability.
An indication of an army's "raw" melee or combat capability.
The total point value of all units in each army.
Terrain Objective Status
In battles that contain a terrain goal, the Terrain Objective Status screen provides you with the
name, owner, value, and hex number of the terrain goal.
Map Information
The Map Information screen indicates the number of rows and columns in the map, total number
of hexes, number of map text entries, and total number of units in the scenario.
Terrain
The Terrain Menu provides functions pertaining to the placing and editing of terrain types on the
battle map. The Terrain Menu functions are as follows:
Place Primary Terrain
Clicking on Place Primary Terrain brings up the Terrain Select/Edit Screen. From the list of
available terrain types, click on the name of the terrain type that you'd like to place. Next, click on
the map hex that you'd like to place the terrain type into.
Fill Primary Terrain
Fill primary terrain works basically the same as a paint program's flood fill. First click on the name
of the terrain type that you'd like to fill the map with. Next click on the battlemap hex to begin the
fill. All connected terrain hexes of the same type you clicked on will be filled with the new terrain
type.
Place Secondary Terrain
Placing secondary terrain works exactly the same as placing primary terrain with the exception
being that up to three secondary terrain types may be placed into a single hex. From the list of
available terrain types, click on the name of the terrain type that you'd like to place. Next, click on
the map hex that you'd like to place the terrain type into.
Notes:
-Primary terrain represents the base level terrain type of a hex. Secondary terrain represents
land features found on or in primary terrain.
-To remove secondary terrain from a hex, just right click on the hex.
-For information on terrain statistics, see Terrain Select/Edit Screen.
Terrain Select/Edit Screen
The terrain select and edit screen serves the dual purpose of providing a method of selecting
terrain types for placement on the map and for editing the "game" values of the terrain types.
Placing terrain on the BattleMap
To place a terrain type of the battle map, just click on the list of terrain types to select the type that
you want to place. Once selected, the terrain symbol and its game values are displayed. Next, just
click on the map hex that you want the terrain type placed into.
Note-The terrain select/edit screen is usually displayed as a floating (modeless form) which allows
you to pick and place individual terrain pieces quickly.
Editing a Terrain Type's Game Values
Each terrain type has characteristic variables which influence movement, combat, and line of sight
in a Medieval game. The terrain characteristic variables are:
Elevation/Height
For primary terrain, this number represents the base elevation of the terrain in the hex. For
secondary terrain type features, this number represents height.
Cost Per Move (CPM)
The number of movement points that a unit must pay in order to move into a hex of this type.
-Terrain types with a CPM value of 13 are considered impassable, a unit can never move into
them.
-Terrain types with a CPM value of 0, may visually appear on a map, but are ignored by the
game system.
-A terrain type's final CPM value is determined by the uppermost terrain type in the hex.
For example, a hex contains the following terrain features:
Secondary Ter Bridge
Secondary Ter River
Primary Ter Clear
CPM 1
CPM 6
CPM 1
The total CPM for the hex is determined by the uppermost terrain type, in this case, its type bridge
which has a CPM of one. Each hex contains one primary terrain type and up to three secondary
terrain characteristics.
Defensive Modifier
The defensive boost or drag that a unit receives when fighting from this terrain type. A hex's total
defensive modifier value is determined by the uppermost terrain type in the hex.
Name
The name of the terrain as it will appear in Medieval.
Unit Menu
The Unit Menu provides functions pertaining to the placing and editing of army units. The Unit
Menu functions are as follows:
Add/Modify Units
Clicking on Add/Modify Units puts the BattlePlan editor into "Unit Mode".
Adding New Units
To add a new unit to a hex, just click on an empty hex and the Unit Screen will be displayed.
Editing Pre-existing Units
To edit a pre-existing unit, just click on a unit symbol on the map and its statistics will be
displayed.
The Unit Screen
The unit screen displays the following editable statistics for a unit:
Symbol
Faction
Name
Group
The graphic symbol representing the unit
The army the unit belongs to
The name of the unit
The combat group the unit is part of. To add a new group, just enter its name in the
selection box.
Unit Statistics
Men
Morale
Movement Points
Missile Ammo
ReSupply Level
Activation Turn
Value
Type
Foot
Horse
Supply
The number of men in a unit (10-50)
The morale of a unit (30-125)
The max number of MPs a unit may expend per turn (0-12)
The unit's missile ammunition status (1,Low, or Hi)
The number of times a supply unit may resupply other units (0-20)
The turn at which a unit becomes active (only greater than 1 for
reinforcements)
The point value of a unit (0-25)
Infantry Units
Mounted or Cavalry Units
Units capable of providing supply to missile units
Class
From peasant to hero, the base measure of a unit's training and morale
Weapons and Armor
Combat Weapon
A unit's close combat weapon
Missile Weapons
A unit's missile fire weapon
Armor
The type of armor the unit is equipped with
Shield
The type of shield the unit carries
Note Click on the [+] buttons above the Weapons and Armor input boxes for more detailed
statistics.
Command
If checked, the unit is designated as a Combat Wing Leader
Leader Abilities
Rating The measure of a leader's ability (-5-5)
Range The wing leaders command range
Raw Strength
A unit's raw combat, missile, defense ratings, and weight derived from your selections.
Order of Battle
Clicking on the "Western" or "Eastern" Forces Order of Battle selection from the unit menu
displays all units and their associated stats for the faction selected.
Add/Modify Reinforcements
The Add/Modify Reinforcements selection allows you to define units that enter the battlefield at
some point AFTER the battle begins. Adding reinforcement units works exactly the same as
adding "normal" units with the one exception being that a reinforcement unit's turn of activation is
ALWAYS greater than one. See Add/Modify Units
Reinforcement Schedule
Clicking on the "Western" or "Eastern" Forces Reinforcement Schedule selection from the unit
menu displays all the reinforcement units for the faction selected.
Add/Modify Structures
Clicking on Add/Modify Structures puts the BattlePlan editor into "Structure Mode".
Adding New Structures
To add a new structure to a hex, just click on an empty hex and the Structure Screen will be
displayed.
Editing Pre-existing Structures
To edit a pre-existing structure, just click on a structure on the map and its statistics will be
displayed.
The Structure Screen
The structure screen displays the following editable statistics for a structure:
Symbol The graphic terrain symbol representing the structure
Faction The army the structure belongs to
Name The name of the structure
Supply Level The number of times the structure may supply other units
Defensive Modifier The defensive plus or minus that a unit receives if fighting from the structure
Height The relative height of the structure (used of line of sight purposes)
Copy, Cut, and Paste Units
The unit copy, cut, and paste options provide you with a quick means for adding or removing units
from the battlemap.
Copying Units
To copy a unit, click on the copy option from the unit menu then click on the unit that you'd like to
copy. The unit is copied into the unit clipboard and may now be pasted onto the battlemap.
Cutting Units
To cut a unit, click on the cut option from the unit menu then click on the unit that you'd like to cut.
The unit is removed from the battlemap and placed into the unit clipboard and may now be pasted
onto the battlemap.
Pasting Units
Once a unit is copied or cut to the unit clipboard, it may be repeatedly pasted onto the battlemap.
To paste a unit, select the paste option from the unit menu then click on the battlemap hex to
paste the unit into.
Special Hexes
The Special Hexes menu group provides options for setting the attributes of special formations
appearing on the battlemap. The Special Hexes menu group is as follows:
Set Special Hex Markers
Set Special Hex Markers allows you to select the terrain symbols which represent the following
items:
Hot Hex
Combat Hex
Legal Move
Map OverLay
Unit Destroyed
Western Reinforcement Hex
Eastern Reinforcement Hex
Objective
Caltrops
Indicates the currently selected unit
Indicates the unit currently being attacked or fired upon
Indicates the all legal moves for the currently selected unit
Overlays each hex on the map indicating each individual terrain
piece
Indicates that a unit was destroyed on the terrain piece
Hex Indicates a hex where "western" reinforcements will enter the
battlemap
Indicates a hex where "eastern" reinforcements will enter the
battlemap
Indicates the battle's terrain objective (if one exists)
Indicates a caltrops or minefield hex
Notes:
-Medieval special hex markers default to a set of selected symbols when using the basic Medieval
graphic set. The Set Special Hex Markers screen allows you customize your scenarios by
selecting different markers to represent the above categories.
-If using a graphic set other than Medieval.Set, there will be no default selections and you'll have
to set each category manually.
Set/Modify Terrain Objective
Set/Modify Terrain Objective allows you to establish or modify a battle's terrain objective. First
click on Set/Modify Terrain Objective from the Special Hexes menu, then click on the hex that you
want to set as a terrain objective. The terrain objective screen will then be displayed.
Terrain Objective Statistics
Name The name of the objective
Value The value of the objective
Notes
-Medieval battles may contain only one terrain objective
-An army is considered in possession of a terrain objective ONLY when one of its units physically
occupies the terrain objective hex
Place Caltrops
The Place Caltrops menu option allows you to set hexes that contain caltrops. Terrain areas
containing caltrops are the medieval equivalent of a minefield. First select Place Caltrops to enter
"caltrops mode" then left click on the battlemap to place them, or right click on the battlemap to
remove them.
Add/Modify Map Text
The map text option allows you to place text on the map. This feature is handy for indicating the
names of terrain formations like rivers, forests, towns etc. To place text on the map, first click on
Add/Modify Map Text, then click on the hex that you want to anchor the text ot. This will bring up
the Map Text Screen.
Map Text Screen
Font Group
Style Group
Size Group
Orientation Group
Text Group
Selects the font and color for the text
Selects the style of the text (Bold, Italic, and Underline)
Selects the point size of the text for each zoom level
Selects the orientation of the text for each zoom level
Enter the text that you want to display on the map here.
Notes:
-Select the New button to activate the Text Screen for new text
-Select the Remove button to remove pre-existing text from the map
-Select Exit to return to the battle map
Preferences
Victory Objective is: On/Off
Toggles the victory hex symbol display on or off
Reinforcement Hexes are: On/Off
Toggles the reinforcement hex symbol display on or off
Map Overlay is: On/Off
Toggles the map overlay grid on or off
Map Text is: On/Off
Toggles the display of map text entries on or off
Set Game Table Color
Set the game table (background) color
Help
Contents
Calls up the “online” help file
KeyWord Search
Allows you to search the help for a key index word
About
Medieval Battleplan copyright and version information
Scenario Development Notes
In General
Familiarize yourself with the game system and concepts. All game concepts and statistics are
explained in greater depth in the Medieval game system help file. The Battleplan scenario editor
and associated help file is based on the premise that you are already familiar with the game's
concepts.
Western and Eastern Forces
Medieval is a "battle" game and the basic AI pattern runs horizontally or east to west. For best
results you should always orient the placement of your forces as such. The initial deployment of
forces should more or less be represented by the "western" army occupying the left side of the
map vs the "eastern" army occupying the right side of the map. If you're modeling a battle whose
attack lines run vertically or north-south, just rotate your (paper) map 90 degrees to orient the
vertical axis along the horizontal.
Battle Types
There are basically two types of battles in the Medieval system.
Meeting Engagements (ME)
In a meeting engagement both sides are on the offensive attempting to drive the opposing force
from the battlefield. A good example of a meeting engagement would be Clontarf.
Attacker-Defender Engagements (ADE)
In attacker versus defender battles, one faction usually sets up around a protective land formation
(for instance, a hill) and attempts to hold the field against enemy attacks. A good example of an
ADE engagement would be Falkirk.
Modeling Battle Types
The determining factor as to whether a battle's style is a ME or an ADE is the existence of a
terrain goal. If you add a terrain goal to a battle and put a force in control of it, that force will fight a
defensive battle around the terrain goal. A battle's terrain goal can be anything you desire ranging
from a castle to a battle standard.
Army Size
The Medieval game system operates loosely around a 25 yards per hex/25 men per unit scale,
however, you may bump the total men per unit count up to a maximum of 50. Medieval can
support up to 300 units per army. How you choose to proportion your scenario's order of battle is
largely a matter of taste. Hastings for example, had roughly a total of about 7500 combatants per
side yielding a total of about 15,000 men on the battlefield. At 25 men per unit, we'd need 300
units per side to model Hastings at a 1/1 scale.I personally prefer to scale down my scenarios to
about a 1/6 game to historical ratio yielding about a 50 unit per side maximum for battles.
Exporting Scenarios
Each Medieval scenario consists of the following files:
1) The scenario file, BattleName.SCN
2) Symbol Set files
Each Symbol set consists of the following files:
SetName.SET
SetName.SDX
Controller File
Index File
The Unit Graphic Files
SetName-U1.BMP
Zoom level 1 Unit BMP file
SetName-U2.BMP
Zoom level 2 Unit BMP file
SetName-U3.BMP
Zoom level 3 Unit BMP file
The Terrain Graphic Files
SetName-T1.BMP
Zoom level 1 Terrain BMP file
SetName-T2.BMP
Zoom level 2 Terrain BMP file
SetName-T3.BMP
Zoom level 3 Terrain BMP file
The Mask Graphic Files
SetName-M1.BMP
Zoom level 1 Mask BMP file
SetName-M2.BMP
Zoom level 2 Mask BMP file
SetName-M3.BMP
Zoom level 3 Mask BMP file
All of the files that make up a Medieval scenario are located in the Battles directory. To export a
scenario, transfer the above associated files to your destination directory. If posting scenarios via
e-mail or ftp, it is recommended that you compress your files into a single Zip Library file for ease
of transfer.
Contacting Incredible...
If you have any questions or comments concerning Medieval, The BattlePlan Scenario Designer,
or Symbol Editor, please feel free to contact Incredible Simulations at:
E-Mail
Voice
Mail
WebSite
[email protected]
773-804-7403
Incredible Simulations P.O. Box 411237 Chicago, IL 60641
http://www.IncredibleSimulations.com
* * * Stop by Incredible's WebSite for new battles, sets, and upgrades for Medieval * * *