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Demo: Machines Demo
Machines is a real-time strategy game where you control a race of Machines. 
Expand Full Description & Credits
Expand Full Description & Credits- File Instructions:
- Machines Shareware Instructions
Revised 1.15.99 (Beta)
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CONTENTS
I. System Requirements
II. Quick Start
III. Running Machines
IV. The Menus
V. Game Controls
VI. Getting Started (building a base)
VII. Know Your Constructions & Military Personnel
VIII. Hints & Tips
IX. Playing on Microsoft Gaming Zone
X. Compatibility Issues & Known Bugs
*Since this is an early preview of Machines, we recommend checking our web site
for any updates or patches available for this version of the Demo (Turok 2
version). We should have fixes available for a few of the compatibility issues
found after the time of this release. Visit our website at www.acclaim.net
**If you want to play the Machines demo on the Microsoft Gaming Zone you must
run the game at least once in single player mode. This ensures the game is
setup properly with DirectPlay in the system registry.
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Introduction
Machines is a real-time strategy game where you control a race of Machines.
The Story
Overcrowding on Earth forces a new, worldwide push to colonize nearby planets.
Light speed engines are developed but prove to be fatal to any cell-based
organism attempting the journey. Instead, modified industrial robots were sent
into space. These robots were sent to planets in Pods and were programmed to
terraform the planet, making it suitable for human life. Pods (the controller)
contain a super computer, some colonization robots and a planetary core
extractor to provide a steady supply of minerals. The controllers were
successful in their tasks but the humans were not; they never arrived. Years
passed and one race of machines on the planet Eden 4 suffered severe damage due
to electrical storms. Most of the controller's memory was damaged but the
controller continued to function. The damaged machines continued to build until
they exhausted all of the resources on Eden 4. The planet surface is now
littered with steel and the controller decides that to further colonize, it
must seed another planet. The planet they reach already is home to another
race of machines, and a fierce battle for the planet's resources begins.
Demo Features
This demo will give you a taste of the firepower and depth promised in the
final version. While your choice of planets, researchable machines, and weapons
are restricted we think there's enough included to give you an idea of what to
expect in the final Machines.
This demo features:
* 2 campaign levels (single player missions)
* 1 skirmish (1 player vs. CPU opponents)
* 1 multiplayer level (up to 4 players over LAN or Internet)
What you are missing
To keep the demo size reasonable, we had to remove voice-overs, great music,
ambient sounds, FMV sequences and in-game cut scenes. The full version will
include these features plus:
* 50 unique Machines to construct (including flying machines)
* 25 different weapons to research
* 18 different constructions
* 7 different sentries (air to air, air to ground gun turrets)
* 20 Planets to explore (with Day and Night cycles)
* and more!!!
Check out our website at www.acclaim.net for a complete list of features found
in the full version of Machines. There you will find any current news, updates
or fixes that are available.
I.
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
• Windows 95 or 98 w/Direct X6 installed
• Pentium 200Mhz PC or better
• Requires Microsoft Direct3D graphics accelerator card or 100% compatible
• 32 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM drive
• 85 MB free hard disk space
• Support for Aureal A3D and Microsoft DirectSound compatible soundcards
Note: It is recommended that after the game installs, make sure your hard drive
has at least 100MB of free space for Windows 95/98 to operate.
II.
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QUICK START
* Choose Single Player from the main menu then start the training levels
* Below is a Quick key guide (see Game Controls for a detailed list)
Keyboard (keypad) Mouse
0 -Free cam (ground camera) Left click -selects
unit or structures
1 -1st person view (embodied machine) Left hold & move -drag
selection box
2 -Zenith view (overhead view) Right click -cancels
selection
+/- Zoom in/out or up/down Right hold & move -rotates
camera (zenith view)
Right double click - exits 1st
person view
* Moving the mouse to the edges of the screen will cause the camera to move in
that direction. The camera will either pan or rotate depending on what view you
are in. The arrow keys will also move the camera in the same manor.
* 1st Person perspective requires the use of the arrow keys to move. Moving the
mouse will help you aim and the left mouse button will fire your weapon. Double
right click or ESC key will exit the Machine and return to the zenith view..
* Described above are the basics; it's recommended that you familiarize
yourself with some of the other "Hot Keys" available in the game (see Game
Controls).
III.
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RUNNING MACHINES
Press the Start button, go to Programs and look for Acclaim Entertainment,
Machines Demo. The game will automatically choose a secondary display device if
found (usually 3DFX) or the primary if no secondary is detected.
NOTE: The final version will allow you to choose which 3D accelerator to use if
multiple cards are detected. For a list of supported and unsupported 3D
accelerator cards see Compatibility Issues at the end of this document.
IV.
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THE MENUS
Generally menus are navigated in this manner:
Left click: Accept/ Confirm Input/ Next Screen
ENTER: Confirm Input
ESC: Cancel Input/ Previous Screen
Main Menu
Single Player Begin a Single Player Game
*Multiplayer Begin/join a Multiplayer Game
Exit Exits game and return to Windows desktop.
Single Player
Campaign Play an entire roster of linked scenarios. (Demo
includes 2 levels)
*Skirmish A single battle vs. the computer. (Demo includes 1
level)
Load Game Load a previously saved game and resume where you
left off.
Cancel Return to the previous menu.
*MULTIPLAYER & SKIRMISH MODES
When you select multiplayer from the main menu you go to a new screen. At this
point you must decide on which connection method to use:
IPX Connection for Direct Play Play on a LAN (network)
TCP/IP Connection for Direct Play Play over the Internet
Modem Connection for Direct Play Modem to modem play
Serial Connection for Direct Play Serial cable (not tested for demo)
Current Games List Menu
Once you've selected your connection method, will come to another screen! From
here you will decide if you are going to create a game (host) or join another
game. The window on the left shows all the games (session/game names) that are
waiting for someone to join.
Join
If you want to join, highlight the name of the game then click join. If you are
looking for a specific name, or you don't see any game names are all, click on
the show games button to refresh the list. Note: You may need to press the Show
Games button each time you come to this screen in order to see the game names.
When you see the game you want to join you will then be taken to another screen
called the lobby (See lobby below). When you enter the lobby area you can
select your color, chat with others and see the current game options.
Note: After you made these choices you must click the I'm Ready button on the
bottom of the lobby screen in order for the host to actually be able to start
the game.
Create (being the host)
Being the host means that you're inviting people to join you in a game. As
host, you must enter a name of your game and setup the game parameters for the
style game you wish to play. Enter the name of your game where it says [New
Game Name] located in the current games window before you click the create
button. When you enter a game name and click the create button you will be
taken to a new menu called the lobby (see below).
Note: When you are in the lobby, keep in mind that the Host will not be allowed
to start the game (the start button will be grayed out) until all of the
joining players have clicked the I'm Ready Button.
Lobby
Whether you Join or Create a game you will come a new screen called the lobby.
It doesn't say anywhere on the screen that it's the lobby, and you can't get a
newspaper there, it's just a name to describe the area and its function. You
will know you are in the lobby when you see an I'm Ready button on the bottom
of the screen. The lobby screen is where you wait for other players to join in.
When players join your game their names will appear on top of the screen. When
someone appears you can start typing to chat with him or her while you wait for
other players. Messages from other players will appear in the large, main
window. To the right of their name will be a small bar graph and a large solid
colored bar.
Ping meter (small bar graph)
When someone has joined your game a small bar graph will appear next to their
name which represents their Ping to you. In other words, the small bar graph
represents how good of a connection they have to the host PC. Green represents
a good connection, while yellow is OK and red is generally bad. Due to the
constant fluctuation of the Internet this bar may constantly change from green,
to yellow, then maybe back to green again every 5-10 seconds. If the red bars
appear for a few seconds then goes back to green, not to worry. But if you are
constantly red then you may not want to join this particular game because it
will result in poor gameplay performance due to latency.
Color selection (solid color bar)
The larger color bar represents what team color (machines race) you are and
what color the other players have chosen. You can change your color by clicking
on the bar and sliding the mouse to the appropriate color. There are 4 team
colors available but you will notice 5 colors to choose form. There is the Red,
Green, Blue, Yellow teams plus a Gray color to choose from. Since the game does
not allow two people to be the same color, you can select the Gray color to
allow the other players to switch to the colors they want. Note: If you start a
game with someone using gray, the game will automatically choose another.
Selecting CPU opponents
When you are the Host you will notice the word OPEN next to the slots where
players names would be. When you highlight this area a drop down menu arrow
will appear next to the color bar. Pulling down this menu will allow you to
either close the slot (not allow anyone to join) or you can select the CPU to
play as that team color.
*Settings Menu (same as Skirmish Menu)
All players will have the ability to click on the Settings button while in the
lobby, which will take you to a new menu. Only the Host has the ability to
changes the options presented in this menu. To the left of your screen are
selectable elements such as Map Size (choose Small, Medium or Large maps),
Terrain Type and Scenario. Please note you are limited to desert scenario in
the demo. The Map size selected determines what terrain is available. To the
right is the settings area, from here and you'll make important decisions about
these things:
Fog of War: A graphic effect that covers unexplored territory in darkness. As
you and
your opponent explore the current map, the Fog cover is lifted.
Resources: Set the number of resource locations
Starting Resources: The number of Building Material Units you start with.
Settings include Default and range from 0 up to 10,000 units.
Start Position: Select a Random (CPU generated) or Fixed (you always start in
the same place) starting position.
Victory Condition: Determine the conditions for victory. Settings include
Default (total annihilation, completely destroy the enemy) and Destroy Pod
(destroy the enemy pod to win). Note: timed games are not functioning properly
in the demo.
Starting Tech Level: Default, Low, Medium or High settings. The higher the
setting, the more sophisticated each side's available technology is at the
beginning of the game.
Player Color: Choose to play as Red, Green, Blue or Yellow. (Gray is a holding
area)
Number of Players: Choose from 2, 3 or 4 players. Team play will be available
in the full version.
Mission Objectives: The objectives of the current game appear in a scrollable
window at the lower left of your screen. You can access this window during a
game by pressing the ESC key.
*When you get to the settings menu by choosing multiplayer, pressing OK will
return you to the Lobby so everyone else can see the game parameters you
selected. When you get to this screen by choosing skirmish from the main menu,
pressing OK will start the game.
SKIRMISH
Skirmish is very similar to how you would set up and play a multiplayer game,
except that all of your opponents are CPU controlled. When choosing this option
from the main menu, it will take you to the Settings Menu, which is described
above. Once you selected the game parameters, choose OK for the game to start.
V.
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GAME CONTROLS
Machines uses a similar style of interface to other point and click games you
may have played in the past. You can select individual machines and buildings
with a left click on your mouse cursor. To select larger groups, drag a
selection box around a number of your machines by holding down the left mouse
button (release when the desired items are in the selection box). Right click
on your mouse to deselect any currently selected units.
Using the Console
The console is displayed on the left of your screen. This panel is where you
deploy your machines and where vital information about your situation is
displayed. It is the heart of Machines. Note that you can click on the tab at
the right edge of the panel to make the panel withdraw or display, giving you
access to a greater area of the play screen as needed. Clicking on the tab
again will restore the console display.
Corral
All currently selected machines are shown in a holding area known as the
corral, which resides under the map area on the console. When you select a
friendly unit (either single or multiple machines or construction) an iconic
representation of each one will appear in the corral area. The corral may be
scrolled up or down to access the units when there are too many for all of them
to fit in the window at once. Icons in the corral can have a number of
functions performed on them:
Left click -Selects this unit and removes any others from the corral
Alt+left click -Centers main window on the selected unit (does not
remove others)
Ctrl+left click -Removes the unit in question from the corral
*Command Menu (on the console)
When you select a machine, a command menu will appear on the console listing
the actions specific to the machine highlighted. Selecting a constructor
(Dozer), the command menu will show the actions available to this machine like
construct, deconstruct or capture. By selecting an aggressor (fighting) machine
the command menu will display actions like attack, patrol or form squad. These
actions can be performed by selecting a machine first, then clicking the
command or by using the keyboard shortcuts (see hotkeys below). Some commands
do not require the player to click on the console or to use a hotkey, this is
described as a smart cursor.
* Complete the training levels to get a better understanding of all the
commands for each type of unit
Smart Cursor
While playing the game the Cursor changes depending on what action you are
requesting or performing. This is faster and easier than clicking on the
machine then clicking on the control panel for every action.
Selection cursor- when placed over an item the cursor will change to a small
icon representing the desired task to be performed. Usually the most common
task for that machine is what the icon will be. A 3D highlight will appear
around the selected item, and a menu of commands will appear in the control
panel at the left of the screen. You can then select the command you wish the
selected item to carry out.
Target cursor- when placed over an enemy target the cursor will change to a red
crosshair. When you click, the machine you have tasked will attack (and
hopefully destroy!) that target.
Patrol cursor- when you choose to patrol the cursor will change to represent
this action. The selected machine will patrol between two or more points.
Map Area
At the top left of the console is the area map. By default, your forces appear
in red, while opposing forces appear in blue. Your current position/
orientation is shown by a yellow dot with a white view angle. Clicking on the M
tab will toggle through what the map area displays: enemy locations, building
locations or mineral deposit locations. You can click on the T to toggle the
terrain display ON or OFF.
You can use the map area to task machines as you would in the main screen. When
you click on a dot, that item is selected and information about it will appear
at the bottom of your screen. If the item is one you can control (machine,
building, etc.) you can then use the command menu on the console to task a
constructor or order an attack when you see the enemy (shown by dots) moving
towards your position.
*Note: In certain scenarios, the map will not be visible until certain
constructions are built, and the map window will instead be filled with the
military crest of your race. The map will become active upon completion of the
communication constructions.
BMU indicator: Your current number of Building Material Units appears at the
top right of the map area, in this form: xxx/xxx, where the first numbers
indicate your current BMUs and the second series displays the selected (POD or
Smelter) capacity.
Navigator Icons
Three icons appear to the right of the map area. These are Navigator icons.
Note that each has a number, indicating at a glance how many items in each
category you have. Clicking on any of these icons will bring up the command
menu for it (where applicable) and display the various units you have by
category.
Machine Navigator Icon
Click on this icon to view your current machines. Currently building/ available
machines appear in color. Machines that are not yet available appear grayed
out.
Construction Navigator Icon
Click on this icon to view your current buildings. You can issue commands to
your buildings from remote locations (meaning the construction doesn't have to
be in view to select it).
Squad Navigator Icon
Click on this icon to view your current squad groupings. A menu of squads
(numbered 1-9) will appear in the bottom of the control panel. If you have
formed any squads, they will appear in the order in which you formed them. You
cannot form more than 9 squads at any given time. Squads can be formed for
patrol, attack or recreational (just kidding) purposes. To form squads, click
on the Form Squad command, then click on up to X units to include in the
squad.
CAMERA VIEWS / SELECTION
There are 3 different ways to view Machines, with slightly different controls
for each. The
camera can be selected using the following keys:
* Keypad 0 Free Cam (ground level)
* Keypad 2 Zenith View (overhead)
* Keypad 1 1st person (embodied machine)
Free Ground Camera (Keypad 0)
This camera is not attached to any entity. Its height is restricted to between
1 and 10 metres above the ground. There is no collision detection with machines
and ILFs. It can be used to fly into friendly constructions by entering through
the doors, which open automatically on its approach, and close behind it.
Flight controls:
* Up/down arrow Translate forwards/backwards
* Left/right arrow Turn left/right
* Shift+up/down arrow Look up/down
* Pad +/- Translate up/down
* Page Up/Page down Translate up/down
* Delete/End Translate (strafe) left/right
Zenith View (Keypad 2)
The line of sight is looking down on the world at an angle. In addition to the
following, the camera will scroll north, south, west or east if the cursor is
moved to the edge of the screen.
Flight controls:
* Up/down arrow Translate north/south
* Left/right arrow Translate west/east
* Shift+left/right arrow Spin left/right about line of sight
* Pad +/- Zoom out/in
* Page Up/Page Down Zoom out/in
1St Person View (Keypad 1)
This view lets you experience the intensity of battle from the field level. It
also offers additional levels of combat control, which can give you the upper
hand when used strategically. Once a machine is selected, you can switch to
this view by clicking on the 1st Person View icon located on the console or by
pressing keypad 1.
* 1st Person perspective requires the use of the arrow keys to move.
* Use the mouse to aim and the left mouse button will fire your weapon.
* Holding right mouse button will allow upper torso rotation (on some machines)
* Double right click or ESC will exit the Machine
Note: In the first person view, a radar screen appears at the bottom right of
the screen. By default, enemies appear in blue and your forces appear in red.
HOTKEY LIST
Commands Action
Form a squadron Ctrl + 0-9
Select a squadron 0-9
Move M
Attack A
Construct C
Locate Minerals L
Patrol P
Deploy E
Pick up K
Transport T
Self-destruct Ctrl+Shift+Backspace
Drop mine Shift + M
Refill land mines F
Heal H
Deconstruct D
Recycle Q
Stop (will also terminate self-destruct) S
Stand ground W
Repair R
Capture U
Machine Initiative Setting TAB
Ion-Cannon Attack I
Nuke Attack N
Assemble At L
Scavenge Y
Camouflage (multiplayer only) O
Treachery J
Misc
To menus from in game ESC or
F10
Exit 1st person view ESC or Dbl.
right click
Hide control panel Alt + Left
Arrow
Show control panel Alt + Right
Arrow
Screen shot
Ctrl+Shift+F12
Cancel Research Select
icon + Backspace
Cancel Production Select icon +
Backspace
Alternative Intelligent Cursor ( next best cursor ) Alt
Deselect all machines/constructions in corral
Tap Right Mouse Button
Position Camera via Map Right
Mouse Button Click
Task Machine/Construction in 3D window or via Map Left
Mouse Button Click
Position camera at starting position
Shift+H
Position camera at last position (before cycling saved cameras)
Ctrl+Shift+H
Navigator
Select all constructions
Shift+S
Select all constructions keeping what's already selected in corral
Ctrl+Shift + S
View next construction Alt + S
Select all machines Shift +A
Select all machines keeping what's already selected in corral
Ctrl + Shift + A
View next machine Alt + A
Select on-screen machines Shift+
Z
Select on-screen machines keeping what's already selected in corral
Ctrl+Shift + Z
Select on-screen constructions Shift+X
Select on-screen constructions keeping what's already selected in
corralCtrl+Shift + X
Multiplayer Games
Send chat message to specific opponent F1, F2, F3
(Press repeatedly to cycle through default set of chat messages)
Send chat message to all opponents F4
(Press repeatedly to cycle through default set of chat messages)
Camera Position Saving
Save camera position Ctrl +
F5-F8
Restore saved camera position F5-F8
Note: All camera saves start by storing the initial position of the camera.
If you get lost in Fog of War, press F5-F8 to jump back to unfogged area.
Changing Camera
Ground Camera Numpad 0
Zenith Camera Numpad 2
First Person Numpad 1
Ground Camera motion
Forward Up Arrow
Backward Down Arrow
Rotate Right Right
Arrow
Rotate Left Left Arrow
Strafe Right Shift+Right
Arrow or End
Strafe Left Shift+Left
Arrow or Delete
Look Up Shift+Up Arrow
Look Down Shift+Down
Arrow
Raise Camera Page Up
Lower Camera Page Down
Slow camera motion (used in conjunction with above) Ctrl
Alternative way to move camera using mouse. Press right mouse button over 3D
world and move the mouse pointer around.
Zenith Camera motion
Forward Up Arrow
Backward Down Arrow
Rotate Right Shift+Right
Arrow
Rotate Left Shift+Left
Arrow
Right Right Arrow
Left Left Arrow
Zoom in Page Down
Zoom out Page Up
Slow camera motion (used in conjunction with above) Ctrl
Alternative way to move camera using mouse. Press right mouse button over 3D
world and move the mouse pointer around.
First Person
Fire Space
Weapon Select TAB
Exit Machine ESC
Forward Up Arrow
Backward Down Arrow
Look Up Shift+Up Arrow
Look Down Shift+Down
Arrow
Turn Left Left Arrow
Turn Right Right Arrow
Turn Head Left
Shift+Left Arrow or right mouse
Turn Head Right
Shift+Right Arrow or right mouse
Center Head Numpad 5 or
release right mouse
NVG On/Off N
Menus F10
Slow Turn Speed Ctrl
VI.
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GETTING STARTED (building a base)
Tutorial
A good place to start is completing the in-game training levels. These levels
help you jump into play and learn basic menu items, commands and the general
concepts behind Machines. Once you're familiar with how Machines works, you'll
be ready to take on the hoards of enemy machines. To start the training levels
select Single Player, then choose training camp. Training levels are broken
down into basic and advanced levels, stepping you through the basics.
5 Steps to Collecting Resources
The colony you are in control of (the RED machines and constructions) uses
Building Material Units ( BMUs ) to build all of its machines and buildings and
to research new levels of technology. The total BMUs you have available is
indicated at the top right of the map. BMUs can only be obtained by mining and
smelting minerals. To accomplish this, you will need:
? A Mine built upon a confirmed mineral deposit site
? A Smelter (storage facility) to convert the raw minerals into BMUs
? A Transporter machine to ferry minerals from the Mine to the Smelter. (Your
POD can also act as a smelter if you don't have one built or it was destroyed.)
Step 1:Use a Geo Locator to Find Minerals
You must first use a Geo-Locator to find the hidden mineral sites. Select a
Locator and then click somewhere in the world (you will notice that locating is
the default action for Geo-Locators). When a mineral site is within the
Locator's scanner range, the Locator will move to the mineral site and drop a
spinning holographic marker, indicating that a mineral deposit has been found.
Step 2 :Build a Mine
You then need to construct a Mine over or around the mineral deposit. To do
this, select a Constructor and task it with building a Mine. Doing this will
allow you to place a model of the Mine over a mineral indicator. (The Mine will
flash if moved to a location where it cannot be placed.) You can change the
orientation of the Mine by holding down the Ctrl key and moving the mouse. When
you have placed the Mine over the mineral indicator (by left clicking on the
mouse), the Mine will appear as a glowing green translucent version of its
final built appearance. The Constructor will then move to the wireframe and
begin construction.
Step 3:Build a Smelter (storage)
You must now construct a Smelter to convert and store minerals extracted by
your Mine. Your POD can also be used as Smelter, but it cannot store as many
BMUs. Use a Constructor to build a Smelter using the same procedure as was
used when constructing the Mine. Please note that a Smelter has to be built 50
meters from any Mine or POD. (The Smelter will flash when moved to a location
where it cannot be placed.) A Mine has a finite storage capacity which cannot
be exceeded. When capacity is reached, the Mine will simply stop extracting any
more minerals until some or all minerals are removed. Minerals can only be
removed by a Transporter. A Transporter is a machine that must be built to
transport mineral ore from Mines to Smelters.
Step 4:Build a Transporter
The Transporter is built in the Civilian Factory, so you must build a Civilian
Factory first ( if you don't already have one ). When this is complete, click
on it and you will see the 'Build' menu for the Factory appear in the menu to
the right. Select a Transporter icon to begin building it. There are 5
different classes of Transporter, and you will normally start the game with
only one (or perhaps two) of the most basic types (Ox and Mule) available to
build.
To obtain a continuous flow of BMUs into your base, you must set up Transporter
routs. When the Transporter appears at the front of your factory, you can
order it to move the ore from the Mine or to the Smelter by using the
'Transport' command. Click on the Transporter and click on the 'Transport'
icon. The message at the bottom of the screen will tell you to select the Mine
to be picked up from, and select the Smelter at which to drop off. This sets up
a 'permanent' transport route which the Transporter will continue travelling
back and forth along automatically (unless or until interrupted.)
Step 5:You' re Ready!
With this knowledge you're ready to put your base to the test. You will notice
a lot of opportunities to do other things while you are doing these steps. The
type of constructions you decide to do will change with the different levels
and with experience.
Warfare (limited in the demo)
To protect your colony from the enemy races and attack them, you can construct
Military Factories - to produce Aggressors, Administrators, Spies, APCs.
Selecting the factory will show a list of machines currently available to
build. Constructors can also build static defences (turrets, missile
emplacements). These are built in the same way as other constructions. They
will help defend your base by firing upon enemy units that move within their
scanner range.
Research
Research is the key to success in Machines. Some low level machines will be
immediately available to build in your factories but to be able to build higher
level machines you must build a Military Research Lab and then build and place
at least one Technician inside. The three levels of 'Technician' the first is
the eponymous Technician; the second is the Technician Engineer; the third is
the Technician Brainbox. Each advances the research in technology.
Note: There is only one level of technician available in the demo.
Technicians
All Technicians (except those already available at the start of a scenario) are
built in 'Civilian Factories'. To move a Technician to a friendly lab, select
the Technician, move the cursor over the Lab (it should turn into an "enter
building" cursor) and click the left mouse button. You can build up an
itinerary of research in a Lab without any Technicians being present as long as
at least one friendly Technician exists somewhere in the world. But remember:
no research will take place until a Technician is inside the Lab in question.
You will be given a verbal message reminding you of this fact if you use the
itinerary approach..
Clicking on a lab that houses a Technician will reveal all the research items
currently available to be research. Passing the mouse cursor over any of these
icons will reveal a text prompt that details the cost in BMUs of undertaking
this research. Clicking on one of these icons will start the research into that
technology. It will also cause a duplicate of that icon to appear at the bottom
of the panel. 'Clicking' on further icons will result in these items being
'queued' at the bottom of the panel along with the item currently being
researched. When the current research has finished the next item in the cue
will start being researched. It is possible to edit the research queue by
'clicking' on one of the icons in the queue and then pressing the 'delete' /
'backspace' key.
Once all of the items available for research have been researched no further
icons will appear until the next level of Technician has been built. Although
the next level of Technician doesn't have to be moved inside a lab for the new
technology to be available for research, the presence of this new unit will
greatly speed up research. Once items have been researched their icon
disappears from the research lab and will appear in the appropriate factory
ready for production. If the appropriate factory has yet to be built then the
newly researched icon will not appear anywhere in the game until it has. It is
important to remember that the once a higher level Technician has been
manufactured, any lower level Technician can research the newly available
research items, too.
Once research has been completed, you should be able to build new machines or
activate new weapons. There may be other dependencies, however. Certain
machines can only be built in certain types of factory, so unless you have
constructed such a factory, it might appear that the research has not given you
any new construction options. In this case, you should find that building the
next type of military or civilian factory will allow you to build the machine
you have researched. The research tree and its interdependencies with factory
types has been carefully designed so that no machine can be researched far in
advance of the appropriate factory to build it becoming available. Also, no
scenario lets you research a technology that can't be realised in a viable
factory, so there is little danger of pursuing "useless" research. What
research is most useful to you will depend on the strategies you tend to employ
and your personal preferences in machine types, given experience with their
varying strengths and weaknesses.
VII.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KNOW YOUR CONSTRUCTIONS & MILITARY PERSONNEL
Seeding POD
The seeding POD (also known as the Controller) is the master computer
controlling your race of machines. You are the Controller when you play the
game. Depending on
the scenario, generally you must protect the POD at all costs or your game will
be over.
Mines
The mining facility allows the subterranean minerals to be brought to the
surface. All mines have two important attributes that need to be considered
when choosing which mine to build; namely extraction rate and storage capacity.
The only Mine available in the demo has an extraction rate of 60 BMUs per
minute and can store 150 BMUs. The extraction rate determines how quickly the
mine will deliver minerals to the surface ready for collection. The storage
capacity indicates how many minerals can be stored in the mine. It is important
to be aware of this limit as when the mine runs out of storage space it will
stop mining and not resume again until some or all of the minerals currently
stored are removed by Transporters.
Smelters
When minerals are transported from mines they need to be smelted to turn them
in to useful BMUs (Building Material Units). This operation takes place inside
the smelters. Once the transporters have delivered the minerals they are
instantaneously converted. Two Smelters are available in the demo and both have
a greater capacity for storage than the Pod. It can also be built in closer
proximity to the mines, making transportation time shorter.
The Seeding Pod as a Smelter
The colony seeding Pod acts as the first smelter and has a storage capacity of
500 BMU's. The pod as a smelter therefore acts as a fail-safe should all other
smelters be destroyed.
Military & Civilian labs
Labs are required in order to advance from the low-level machines that your
factories start with. In order to start research new technology in a lab you
have at least 1 technician placed inside. Please note that Military and
Civilian labs are separate constructions. You can only research Military units
and weapons in the Military labs, and Civilian units in the Civilian labs. See
the section devoted to researching for more information
Military Factory
The military factory builds the aggressor machines that make up your army.
Level one military factories are capable of producing low-level machines
without any research. When your lab finishes researching a new machine, the new
machines (icon) should appear when you select the factory.
Civilian Factory
The civilian factory builds all of your non-fighting machines like transports,
technicians, geo-locators and constructors (dozers). This factory operates the
same way as the military factory where you need a civilian lab to advance the
technology for the factory to build.
Military Personnel (aggressors)
Grunts
These should be considered the most basic infantry units in your army: cheap,
low-tech, but undeniably effective if utilised correctly. Of necessity the
primary offensive units at low tech levels, grunts can still provide an
offensive threat in larger numbers later in the game, and can cause disruption
through the employment of flanking and rearguard attacks against the enemy even
when your main assault comes from more heavily-armed machines.
Subtypes:
Scout - with Bolter
The lightly-armoured, wheeled scouts are used primarily for armed
reconnaissance. Protection against enemy assaults is negligible - scouts can
reasonably be treated as disposable in combat situations. The medium-range
Bolter on this model can shoot some opponents before they are able to approach
and use their own weapons, but in close-quarters combat, this machine can be
destroyed with ease.
Scout - with Disruptor
At very close range, this is most effective of the scout types. The Disruptor
can do considerable damage to targets, and groups of Disruptor scouts can often
be employed to great effect by rapidly closing with a more heavily armoured
opponent and taking it down with a concerted attack.
Grunt - with Bolter
The first of the "standard" grunt models, which are more heavily-armoured than
the scouts, but not as fast across open ground due to their employment of
caterpillar tracks rather than wheels. Their development provides a significant
advance in mobile offensive capability, with the fully rotatable upper torso
whose omission is a clear weakness of the more basic scout designs. Although
they cannot reach an enemy as swiftly as a scout, they can absorb more combat
damage, and can cope much more easily with a mobile target due to the rotatable
torso tracking system.
Grunt - with Disruptor
Although unable to spring upon opponents as fast as Disruptor scouts, packs of
Disruptor grunts can achieve a more even combat distribution when surrounding
their targets due to the potential for oblique approaches that is facilitated
by the rotatable torso design.
Flamer - with napalm
The napalm weapon on this grunt variant does not offer quite the outright
damage potential for damage of a Disruptor, but its more conventional form of
attack has one principle advantage - a greater proportion of the damage
inflicted will be done directly to the chassis and internals of the target
rather than be absorbed by its armour. For this reason, machines who believe
themselves to be well-protected against attack due to high armour levels can be
destroyed with surprising speed by a Flamer if their constitution is already
low.
Warrior - with twin heavy Bolters
Warriors are the slowest grunt units, but the most heavily armed and armoured,
sporting twin-mounted heavy Bolters that can pulverise weaker units at close
range. Even when superseded, warriors are often deployed to good effect at the
head of a platoon to absorb enemy fire while more vulnerable units deploy
long-range ordnance in safety from behind their protective front.
Reapers
The reaper design was developed to provide a swift and versatile sentient
platform for the deployment of higher-technology weaponry. A quadruped with
rotatable upper torso and either single or twin weapon mountings, the reaper's
offensive capabilities are offset to some extent by its structural frailties.
For this reason, reapers are often employed to best effect in platoons with
other, more heavily-armoured units who are able to take the brunt of the enemy
fire.
Subtypes:
Reaper - with Single Auto Cannon
This Reaper variation is armed with a powerful Auto Cannon. The armor piercing
sabot rounds it fires are deadly at close range and this unit is therefore most
effective when it is able to close with its target.
Reaper - with Single Plasma Rifle
In contrast to its auto cannon counterpart, this reaper with its Single Plasma
Rifle does not offer the same outright potential for damage, but has the
advantage of being effective at a much greater distance. This makes it the de
facto weapon of choice when it is necessary to inflict damage without
sustaining it, especially against static targets.
Wraith Reaper - with Twin Auto Cannons
An advancement on the original Reaper, the Wraith unit carries twin Auto
Cannons, thus doubling the damage inflicted.
Wraith Reaper - with Twin Plasma Rifles
This design of Reaper uses twin Plasma Rifles, thereby increasing its effective
offensive potential by 100%.
Enforcer
The Enforcer is the next generation Warrior Class. This tracked unit boasts
superior armor and fire power than its forerunner and also uses the rotatable
torso tracking system. The increase in armor mass has resulted in a relatively
slow turn of speed but in one-on-one combat the Enforcer should bring down any
unit previously developed.
Subtypes:
Enforcer - with Twin Heavy Bolters
The Heavy Bolters sported by the Enforcer will inflict 33% more damage than the
Bolters wielded by the Warrior.
Enforcer - with Twin Heavy Plasma Cannons
The first unit to employ Plasma Cannons, which trade the range of the plasma
rifles for a fearsome close-range offensive punch, and give this Enforcer a
slight edge in firepower over the heavy Bolter version.
Knights
The Knight class aggressor sees the introduction of hover technology. Not only
does this make the Knight a frighteningly mobile predator, it also allows
previously inaccessible terrain to be traversed. Hover technology will carry a
unit across water and lava fields (but not deep fissures or crevasses). The
protection offered by the chassis of the Knight is a slight improvement over
that of the Enforcer.
VIII.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HINTS & TIPS
Training levels
Do not destroy or self-destruct any buildings or machines while in the training
levels or you will not be able to complete them. You will have to quit the
mission manually by press the ESC key.
Scenario 1 Make Contact
Remember to select the commandant to bring him with you when you go your base.
If you leave him behind the game will not continue. Note: the commandant will
refer to the Military factory as the Light infantry unit during this scenario.
When you are asked to build this structure look for the icon called military
factory on the console.
Scenario 2 Establish Military Base
The enemy's base has a surprise for you when you arrive. Be sure you have the
firepower to handle it.
IX.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYING ON MICROSOFT GAMING ZONE
By the time you read this there should be a server setup specifically for
Machines at the Microsoft Gaming Zone.The Zone if a free multiplayer gaming
service design for people to meet and play their favorite multiplayer games. If
you have never played at the Zone before please following this link below which
will give you instruction on how to sign up and start playing.
Machines Demo may be run over the Internet via the MSN Gaming Zone
(http://www.zone.com)
Note: Machines Demo supports DirectPlay Lobbying, so follow the online
instructions to run games from the ZoneLan - DirectPlay area if Machines is not
listed on the games list.
**If you want to play the Machines demo on the Microsoft Gaming Zone you must
run the game at least once in single player mode. This ensures the game is
setup properly with DirectPlay in the system registry.
X.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPATABILITY ISSUES & KNOWN BUGS
The following is a list of known compatibility issues found during the testing
phase of this demo. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working hard on
correcting them in time for the final release. Keep in mine that our website
will have updates and/or patches available for this version of the Demo by the
time you read this. You can visit our website at www.acclaim.net
Multiplayer bugs
Since this is an early preview, you may experience some problems playing
Internet games. This aspect of the demo has not been fully tested or optimized
yet. Four player games may have trouble keeping in sync and players might be
dropped as a result. We recommend you try a 2 or 3 player game if you are
experience difficulties to see if performance improves. We are working hard to
insure improved performance for the final release.
Training levels
Do not destroy or self-destruct any buildings or machines while in the
training levels or you will not be able to complete them. You will have to quit
the mission manually by press the ESC key.
Squad Icons
When you create a squad an icon should appear next to the number assigned to it
on the console. The icon that appears is static but the squad functions
normally.
Machines getting stuck (by constructions & in general)
When you construct a building and a machine is too close to the green hologram
it will get stuck if you do not move them before the construction is finished.
Sometime machines get stuck when moving across the landscape. We are working
hard to improve machines pathfinding ability for the final version.
Entering an exploding building in 1st person
Doing this will cause the game to crash.
Turtle Beach Montego A3D (other brand A3D cards may experience this as well)
Although we support A3D a crash bug caught our attention the moment the game
left the door. The game may crash during the load screen on owners of this
sound card. Check the Turtle Beach web site for any driver updates, which may
help solve the problem. If you have the latest drivers and its still not
working we have a temporary fix. Go into the Windows Control Panel and select
the A3D icon. Check the box that says "disable hardware acceleration" and the
game should run normally. Be sure to check our website to see if there is an
available fix for this problem.
Compatibility issues with certain Voodoo2 drivers:
-Voodoo2 based accelerators will sometimes have graphical glitches (clipping)
on the buildings "pads" and/or shadows while in the Zenith view. Selection
boxes not fully surrounding the construction or machines in all views. We are
working closely with 3DFX and Voodoo2 card manufactures to fix the problem for
the final release. Check our web site for available fix.
-Obsidian 2 boards using Beta C6 drivers showed severe glitches on the building
pads and shadows while in the Zenith view. We are trying to fix the problem.
-Voodoo Rush boards shows signs of smearing or blurring on menu items and
during gameplay.
You may experience other difficulties running Machines if you don't have the
latest drivers from the manufacturer of your 3D accelerator card. Drivers were
being changed right up to the last minute as testing with Machines revealed
small problems with various cards.
Usually, but not always, if a board is based on one of the following chipsets,
Machines will run on it. Machines may also run on new chipsets not listed here.
If you are unsure of what chipset your 3D card is based on see the detailed
list below.
Supported chipsets Unsupported Cards/chipsets
3Dfx Interactive Voodoo/Voodoo2 Graphics NEC PowerVR
3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Rush/Banshee S3 Virge
3Dlabs Permedia2 Rendition
ATI Technologies 3D Rage Pro/ Rage128 Matrox Mystique
Matrox G series
nVidia Riva128 / RivaTNT
S3 savage
Intel I740
Typically, the chipset makers expect you to go to your card manufacturer for
the latest drivers for their card. Although the chipset makers supply the 3D
chip and driver software to card manufacturers, the manufacturer may tailor the
driver to their particular board configuration, so the safest place to go for
drivers for your board is the card manufacturer. In some cases, however, the
chip maker also manufactures the board.
Detailed list of supported 3D accelerator cards
Chip Maker Chipset Name(s) 3D Card Manufacture
3DFX Interactive Voodoo 1 (TM) Canopus Pure 3D (TM)
Orchid
Righteous 3D (TM)
Diamond
Monster 3D (TM)
Voodoo 2 (TM)
Creative Blaster Voodoo2(TM)
Orchid
Righteous 3D II (TM)
Diamond
Monster 3D II (TM)
Obsidian (TM)
Voodoo Rush (TM) Intergraph
Intense 3D (TM)
Hercules Stingray (TM)
3D Labs (R) Peremedia2 (TM) Creative Graphics
Blaster Extreme (TM)
Diamond Fire GL
1000 Pro (TM)
ATI (TM) Rage Pro (TM) ATI XPERT@WORK (TM)
ATI
XPERT@PLAY (TM)
ATI XPERT 98
(TM)
All-in-Wonder Pro (TM)
Intel (TM) i740 (TM) ASUS V2740 (TM)
Diamond
Stealth II G460 (TM)
Real3D
Starfighter (TM)
STB System
Lightspeed 740 (TM)
Hercules
Terminator 2x/I (TM)
Matrox (TM) G200 (TM) Millenium G200 (TM)
Mystique
G200 (TM)
Marvel G200
(TM)
nVidia (TM) Riva128(TM)/ Riva128ZX(TM) STB Velocity 128 (TM)
ASUS
3DexPlorer 3000 (TM)
Canopus
Total 3D 128V (TM)
Canopus
WitchDoctor (TM)
Diamond
Viper V330 (TM)
Riva TNT (TM) Canopus
SPECTRA 2500 (TM)
Diamond
Viper V550 (TM)
STB Velocity
4400 (TM)
Detailed list of unsupported 3D accelerator cards
Chip Maker Chipset Name(s) 3D Cards
NEC (TM) PowerVR/PCX2(TM) Matrox m3D (TM)
Videologic Apocalypse 3Dx(TM) Videologic Apocalypse 5D (TM)/ 5D Sonic
Matrox (TM) Mystique Matrox Mystique (TM)
Rendition (TM) Verite V1000/2100/2200(TM)Total 3D(TM)
Diamond Stealth II S220 (TM)
Hercules
Thriller 3D(TM)/Conspiracy(TM)
If you still experience any difficulty running Machines, contact Customer
Service at (516) 759-7800, or visit us online at www.acclaim.net to see if the
Machines web site can help with available updates or answers to common
problems.
Enjoy the demo!!
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Comments
By memozin (I just got here) on Jan 27, 2009
