GWTerm and Global War

GWTerm is a special terminal program/graphics driver for use with the Global War BBS doorgame. GWTerm will print maps instantly on your screen. GWTerm accomplishes this by storing all the Global War maps in a data file. Global War will send out special codes that cause GWTerm to read this data file and display the appropriate map on your screen. This all happens instantly instead of at your current baud rate. Another advantage is that the maps are much more detailed. By using GWTerm you will be able to take your turns in Global War much more quickly and enjoy much better looking maps.

Another advantage of using GWTerm is mouse support. If you have a MicroSoft (or compatible) mouse, you may use it to select items off the menus, and to select countries.

How to run GWTerm with Global War

1. Download and unzip Telemate in DOS to the location of your choice.
2. Go into the folder and run LAUNCH_TELEMATE_SERION.BAT
3. Once Telemate is loaded, click your mouse inside Telemate
4. Login to the BBS and go to the Mage's Guild
5. Enter Global War
6. After the first screen loads, press ALT+R. A DOS prompt should appear (C:\). Enter 'GWT' and press Enter.
7. Press Enter again.
8. Press 'G' to enable GWTerm
9. Now select a game of your choice. When the map appears, it will have more color and the mouse can be used to select options!
10. When you exit the game, GWTerm will drop the connection to the BBS.

Playing Global War


Each player gets 1 turn per day. If a player doesn't play on a given day, he forfeits his turn for that day, however he will still get credited with armies due to him (more on this later).
Each turn consists of 4 parts:


I. COLLECTING YOUR ARMIES

At the beginning of every turn you will collect a certain amount of armies. The number of armies you get is determined like this:

[(countries/3) + continent bonus] x days since last call + commendation


Where:

"countries" are the total number of countries you occupy.

"continent bonus" are bonus armies you get for occupying all of the countries that make up a continent.

N. America = 5 armies Asia = 7 armies
S. America = 2 armies Europe = 5 armies
Africa = 3 armies Australia = 2 armies

"days since last call" is the number of days since your last turn.

"commendation" are armies you get for turning in a Set of Commendations.


What's a Commendation?

You earn a commendation at the end of every turn in which you successfully conquer a country. These commendations can be issued by the King, the Queen, or the General. If you acquire 3 commendations from any one leader, or one from each of the three leaders, you now have a "Set" of Commendations which you MAY exchange for additional armies at this time. If you receive five commendations, you are guaranteed to have a Set, and you MUST exchange your Set for armies. The value of these commendations increase over time. The first set of commendations turned in is worth 4 armies, the second set is worth 6, third is worth 8, then 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, etc. A "Set" refers to a set of 3 commendations turned in by ANY player.


II. DEPLOYING YOUR ARMIES

After collecting your armies you will then place them on any countries that you occupy. The game will ask you for the name of a country, and how many armies to place there, and will continue doing this until all of your armies are deployed. Once you deploy armies, there's no changing your mind, so give this some thought first!

III. ATTACK YOUR ENEMIES

This part is optional. You may now attack any opponent's country adjacent to your own, from your own country, as long as you have a minimum of two armies on it, regardless of how many armies your opponent has. Countries connected by bright white lines are considered adjacent and battles can occur between them (for example, West Africa can attack Brazil in addition to Spain, Italy, Libya, E. Africa & Zaire).

After selecting A:ttack, you will be asked what country you wish to attack from, and which country you wish to attack. You must have at least 2 armies on a country in order to attack. The computer will determine the outcome of the battle. NOTE: When asked for the name of the country to attack or attack from, you don't have to type in the entire name, only the first few characters. For example, if you want to attack Madagascar, you only need type "MADAG" or "MAD". Also, GLOBAL WAR ignores spaces and periods in a country name, so in place of "W. Australia" you may type "wau", for example.

The outcome of the battle is determined by a "dice" roll (the "dice" are random numbers of course). The attacker will roll up to 3 dice, one for each attacking army. The attacker must leave at least 1 army behind if he conquers a country, so one of his armies cannot be used for attack. Therefore, the number of dice he rolls is 1 less than the number of armies on the attacking country, up to the maximum of 3 dice. The defender will roll up to 2 dice (1 die if he has only 1 army).

The outcome of the battle is determined by comparing the highest dice each has rolled. If the attacker's die is higher, the defender loses an army from the country under attack. If the defender's die is the same or higher, the attacker loses an army from the attacking country. The process is repeated for the second pair of dice (if there is one). The computer will do all the dice rolling and determine the outcome of each battle, so you don't need to be too concerned with this right now.

If you destroy all of the armies in your opponent's country, you must then occupy it immediately by moving some of your armies (at least 1) from your attacking country to the conquered country. You must leave at least 1 army behind, since no country can be left unoccupied at any time. If you eliminate a player's last country, (thus eliminating him from the game) the former opponent's commendations become yours. If you now have 1 or more sets of Commendations, you may exchange them (you must exchange a set if you have 5 or more Commendations) for additional armies at this time, then continue your turn.

You may attack whatever adjacent countries you wish, as many times as you wish. For example, you may attack one or more times from one country, shift to another country and then back to the original.


IV. FORTIFY YOUR COUNTRIES

When you are finished attacking, you may fortify your defensive position. If desired, you may move any number of armies from one of your countries to any other country which you also occupy, provided you occupy all countries connecting the two. The player who creates a game will determine how many of these fortification plays are allowed. You must leave at least 1 army behind.

There are two options available which determine the order in which the Deployment, Attack, and Fortification plays are made. In "Sequential Play" games, the Deployment play is made first, then the optional Attack play, and finally the optional Fortification play. In "Non-Sequential Play" games, you may Deploy, Attack and Fortify in any order, and you may freely mix the plays at will.

Play continues until one player conquers the entire world. Points are earned for eliminating other players from the game, and for winning the game. The number of points earned determines each player's rank.

At any time during the game, the following commands are available:


S:how player info

This will list all the players currently in the game, how many countries they occupy, continents occupied, how many days since they last played a turn, when they are eligible to take their next turn, and how many Commendations they hold. Note: You can only see HOW MANY Commendations they hold. Who the Commendations are from is private.


W:orld Report

This command will list all the continents and countries on the globe, who occupies them, and how many armies are on each country. This will show you at a glance where all your (and everyone else's) countries are.


N:ews Report

This will show you the game history (who did what and when). Three different types of news reports are available. C:omplete news will list the entire history of the game since it began. N:ew news will show you what happened since you took your last turn. D:ays ago will show what happened since a number of days ago.


M:essages

Lets you send messages to other players. You may send your message
to one or more players.


1-7:View Continent

Allows you to take a close up view of a particular continent.


Strategy Hints For Advanced Global War Players


Although many players develop their own strategies for playing Global
War successfully, here are a few general guidelines that you may find
useful during play.


Q. Where should I deploy my armies?

A. Usually you will be attacking your opponents with the goal of conquering an entire continent. You will probably want to deploy some or all of your armies on the countries from which you want to attack. You may also want to defend your countries from attack by your opponents, particularly if you occupy a continent. An alternative strategy is to place armies right behind your border as a second line of defense. Another good defensive move is to prevent your opponents from conquering an entire continent. By capturing at least 1 country from your opponent's continent, you will prevent your opponent from collecting his bonus armies on his next turn.


Q. Should I turn in my Set of Commendations or wait?

A. There are several reasons why you might want to hold on to your Set of Commendations. The value of your Set of Commendations increases over time. The first Set of Commendations turned in is worth 4 armies, the second Set is worth 6, third is worth 8, then 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, etc. Remember, a "Set" refers to a set of 3 Commendations (1 from each of the 3 leaders, or 3 from any 1 leader) turned in by ANY player. Another reason is that you may not need the armies right now. Saving the Commendations for later would be clearly advantageous.


Q. Should I always attack during my turn?

A. Attacking almost always costs you armies and therefore your position. Sometimes not attacking is necessary when you have to build up your defenses. If you avoid attacking and instead place your armies in defensive positions, you may create a considerably stronger attacking force for your next turn. If your opponents are attacking each other, why not just sit back and wait for them to deplete each other's forces?


Q. I can attack several times during my turn. When should I stop?

The disadvantage of attacking is that you lose armies as you gain countries, and your armies get dispersed over a larger area. This can severely weaken your position and allow your opponent to easily conquer your weakened countries. It is clearly advantageous to conquer at least 1 country per turn in order to earn a Commendation, which you can later exchange for additional armies. In general, you should stop attacking before your front line becomes too weak to repel attacks.


Q. When I conquer a country, how many armies should I move into it?

A. Usually all but 1, but it depends on the strengths of your opponent's adjacent countries. Try to keep as many of your armies towards the front lines as possible, where they can be used for battle.