Mega-Lo-Mania
Mega-Lo-Mania Full Dox! by The Humble Guy's
Story!
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There is always an air of excitement around the universe just before the birth of a new planet. New land to explore and plunder, new resources to exploit. But the dawn of a new civilisation is something even more alluring to those insatiable megalomaniacs who care about such things. For many of them it is their once a lifetime opportunity to achieve the supreme power and immortality they so crave.
Why? Because for every new civilisation there has to be a new god to oversee them. And for every god there is guaranteed supremacy for all eternity.
It is no wonder then that the battles to win such godship are often excessively fierce and always very bloody. But luckily for the contestants the blood spilt is not their own but that of the human `Pawns' that act as playing pieces in their evolutionary war game. The winner of which will recieve that ultimate and alusive prize of eternal godship.
This game they play is curious one, it is a game they call...... MEGA lo MANIA - `the game of the power crazy'.
The arena is the vast glass orb at the top of the universe in which all new planets are conceived and nurtured, the field of the play is none other then the embryonic planet itself.
And from the massed throng of egocentrics, would-be gods and all round nasty pieces of work that are by now surrounding the planet. There will eventually emerge, through not entirely democratic election, the four most suitable contenders. By the end of the contest one of these will have achieved immortality.
Each of the four contenders is then appointed as the controller of a race of people. It is the objective of each leader to annihilate the opposition in battle. After the final battle is won the victorious team will assume total control as the only race the planet will ever know and the planet itself will revert to its normal course.
Meanwhile the controller of the victorious team will be crowned as their one and only god. Forevermore given the power to create and destroy at a whim. To dream up sunkissed beaches and unleash colossal volcanoes. I wonder is there any greater pleasure?
INTRODUCTION
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MEGA lo MANIA is a game where the player chooses to be one of 4 would-be-gods, each seeking to gain total supremacy over a planet. Each of the 4 would-be-gods controls a race of people (his team) Who slowly advance in weapon and defence technologies (from cave man,through the middle ages, the Victorian era and on to present day nuclear weapony and beyond) and fight each other for control of islands.
The player wins by taking control of all 28 islands situated around the planet surface. The first 27 islands are divided into groups of three - each group being known as an Epoch. The player may choose to conquer the islands in any order, but he must conquer each Epoch is sequence before he can finally fight the `Mother of Battles' over the 28th island - known simply as MEGA lo MANIA. Only then will the player have achieved the ultimate goal of becoming the eternal god of this battle scarred planet!.
1. STARTING UP
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As well as this, MEGA lo MANIA also features the voices of your chief `people' - a sector on the sector map will flash whilst the person is speaking to indicate where the report is coming from. The following people can report to you during any game:
Your Chief designer (once a design is complete).
Your Laboratory Prefessor (once you`ve built a laboratory).
Your Head of Pit (once you`ve built a mine).
Your Sergeant Major (when one of your armies is attacking an enemy sector)
Your Home Guard (when one of your sectors is being attacked!).
Your Receptionist (When the game is paused!).
Your Factory Girl (Once you`ve built a factory).
KEYBOARD CONTROLS
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(Atari ST and CBM Amiga)
ESC - Quit - One of the other team peaders will mock you!
P - Pause On/Off - Your Receptionist will put the game on hold
for you!.
B - Mouse button Swap - For the player who get things round the wrong
way!
HELP- Trainer Mode On/Off - Icon descriptions are given for beginners.
GAME OVER AND SAVING/LOADING GAMES
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Whenever you lose (or quit) an island, The game will be over. If you restart a new game, You will always start on last Epoch that you played.
If you want to SAVE your game position, click on OPTIONS (on the island selection screen). from here, Click on Save and you will be given a password - write this down! If you click on LOAD you type in one of your old passwords and that game position will be restored.
NOTE: Whenever SAVE is used, it will only save your game position as if you had just entered that Epoch - in this way you can only save Epochs and not individual islands.
2. CHOOSE YOUR TEAM.
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After the initial title screens, you will see the four faces of the team leaders - one for each team colour - red,green, blue and yellow. At this stage you should select the team leader you`d like to be. The remaining three team leaders will become your computer opponents.
3. CHOOSE AN ISLAND.
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On the next screen, you will see the three islands of the first Epoch. In the top left corner you will see a plan view sector map of the island being viewed. Your team leader`s face is shown immediately to the right of this map. To the far right of him are shown the faces of the computer opponents who wish to contest this island. At the bottom-left of the screen, you will see the number of men at your disposal to conquer this Epoch - this is called your `man pool'. You start the game with 100 men in your `man pool'
View any other island in the Epoch by clicking on it. Alternatively, you can click on the name of the island using either mouse button to rotate through the islands. Clicking on PLAY ISLAND will select the island being viewed for play.
4. HOW MANY MEN?.
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Decide how many men to put in your tower. You may use as few or as many as you desire. To put men in your tower, click on the bright white `O' with the right mouse button. clicking with the left mouse button will return them to the `man pool'
Once you are happy with the number of men in the tower, click on the sector in the sector map where you wish to place your tower. The contest has begun!.
Remember any men not used on the island will be carried over for use on the remaining islands. Also, any men left over after conquering an Epoch, will be carried over to the next Epoch.
It is important to note that at the start of each new Epoch you are also given an additional 100 men.
QUICK KEY CONTROL GUIDE.
------------------------
This guide is designed to show you how to operate the menu`s icons and controls of the game, the HELP windows are switched on. These are designed to help you and explain what is happening. To toggle them on/off, just press HELP key.
In the top left of the screen is the plan view sector map of the island. Each island can be built of up to four by four sector grid. Each sector is either vacant or contains one tower and/or up to four armies (one for each team and up to a maximum of 250 men). Towers are represented by squares and armies by `blobs' set around the towers - Each army and tower flag is shown in its own team colour.
Coloured team shields, each representing one teams.
Clicking the pointer on a sector will bring it into the enlarged window on the right hand side of the screen with its revevant control menu being displayed in the bottom left of the screen. (note the sector being viewed is highlighted on the sector map). The window shows the number of buildings and their types in this sector as well as a proportional representation of any armies camped outside of towers - animated battles are shown here too!. A team only controls those sectors in which its owns a tower. Control menus are not shown for sectors in which it wins a tower. Control menus are not shown for sectors that the player does not control.
If a team moves an army into a vacant sector, and the team is not allied to any other team, the army will start to build a new tower - the time taken to do this is shown in the bottom left of the screen. If a team moves an army into an occupied sector, it will attack any armies or towers belonging to any teams that it is not allied to.
Clicking on any team shield other than your own will attempt to ally that team with your own but there may never be a total alliance of all the teams. Shield colours show which teams are allied with whom. When trying to ally with a team, the leader`s face will appear in place of the sector map, he/she will then inform you of their decision. And, sometimes the face of a team leader will appear to ask you whether you would like to make an alliance with his/her team. You can answer by clicking on YES or NO. To break off the alliance, simply click on any black shield.
A number shown next to a shield indicates how many men are in the army positioned in the highlighted sector. Clicking on any of these numbers will toggle full army statistic breakdowns.
Clicking on the `little man' icon above the team shields, will make the game run faster!. Use the right mouse button to speed time up and the left mouse button to slow time down. Game time can run at 1:1 time, 1:3 time and 1:9 time.
Below the Sector map, a date shows what technology level the selected sector has reached.
TOWER MEN ICON
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Always appears. This icon(Shown dressed in the era he represents) Shows the number of men available in the tower. Any men left in the tower will automatically reproduce (because there are women in the tower as well!!). The more men there are the faster they will reproduce. It is important to note that you can`t click on this icon. At least one man must always be left in the tower.
FACTORY PRODUCTION ICON
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Only appears when you`ve built a factory. Any number beneath it shows the number of factory workers allocated to it. Clicking on it enables you to manufacture designs that need to be factory produced. Click on a design to start manufacturing it and set the number underneath the crate to the number of units that you wish to manufacture (Note: this is known as a production run). Finally allocate a number of Factory Workers to the production run.
ELEMENT ICONS
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Elements are used in your designs. More elements become available as you gain an open cast mine or build a deep pit mine through technological advancement. The number beneath an element shows the number of miners allocated to mining it. Click on the element icon to view the quantities (in blue numbers) of the elements in the sector and the numbers of Miners allocated to mining each one. You may increase or decrease the number of miners here.
NOTE: A hand icon next to an element indicates that the element is gathered automatically by any men left in the tower (when they`ve not busy reproducing that is!). If an element can no longer be mined then no Miners can be allocated to it.
MINING ICONS
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Only appears when you start open-cast mining or when you`ve built a deep pit mine. Click on it or any element icon to view the quantities of elements in stock
BUILDING ICONS
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Only appears when you are able to build a Factory, a Laboratory or a mine. Any number beneath indicates the number of Builders allocated to building. Click on any one of them to view the progress of your building work and alter the allocations of Builders.
Note: Allocations of Inventors, Factory Workers, Miners and Builders can all be altered from the main menu via the numbers beneath the icons without having to enter any of the sub-menu`s.
RULES AND GUIDELINES WHEN USING ANY OF THE MENUS OR CONTROLS
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BRIGHT WHITE NUMBERS - These Numbers can be altered by pointing the mouse pointer at them, decrease them by clicking the left mouse button or increase them by clicking the right mouse button
DARK WHITE (GREY) NUMBERS - These numbers are for information only and cannot be altered.
YELLOW NUMBERS - These numbers or an `OK' symbol show that the icon above them is selectable for use. Once selected the cursor will change.
RED NUMBERS - These numbers only appear once a yellow number has been selected as described above. To Return the cursor to normal and deselect the current option, Click with the cursor on the red number.
BLUE NUMBERS - These numbers represent the number of tonnes of an element in stock.
TASKS - When men are being allocated to a task, a clock is shown next to the task indicating how long the task will take to complete (Realtime). The blue segments of the clock represents seconds remaining and the number under the clock represents minutes remaining. The more men you allocate to a task, the faster it will be completed.
GREEN ARROWS - These point from gatherable elements to the tower men to show that this element is being gathered automatically.
GREY ARROWS - These Show that any men available in the tower may now be allocated to the task to which they point.
HOW TO PLAY - MEGA lo MANIA - AN IN DEPTH GUIDE
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This section of the manual describes gameplay. To find out how to access menu`s and operate icons you should read the quick key control guide in conjuction with the following sections.
THE TECHNOLOGY LEVELS.
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Every sector within an island has a technology level. When you start playing an island a11 the sectors are set on the same date and every team begins at the same technology level (See below)
There are 3 islands in every Epoch, the first three being called Aloha, Bazooka And Cilla and continuing in alphabetical order. There is a last island called MEGA-lo-MANIA Which is played somewhere in the distant future. In Epochs 7, 8 and 9 it is possible to put men into suspended animation for later use in this, the Mother of Battles.
Epochs Starting Technology Level
*1* *9500 BC*
*2* *3000 BC*
*3* * 100 BC*
*4* * 900 AD*
*5* *1400 AD*
*6* *1850 AD*
*7* *1915 AD*
*8* *1945 AD*
*9* *1980 AD*
Mother Of Battles (Somewhere in the distant future!)
When you first start an island allocated some men to begin inventing a design. Designs come in three categories - tower shields, defensive weapons and attacking weapons. Each invention is made out of elements which your men either gather locally or mine out of the ground - (more on this later)
Each island can yield a maximum of twelve designs(four of each category) starting from the three designs that correspond with the islands initial technology level and followed by the next 9 designes as set out in the following table:
Technology Level | Attacking Weapons | Defensive Weapons
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9500 BD | Rock | Stick
3000 BD | Small Catapult | Spear
100 BD | Pike | Shortbow
900 AD | Bowman | Boiling Oil
1400 AD | Giant Catapult | Cross Bow
1850 AD | Cannon | Musket
1915 AD | Bi-Plane | Machine Gun
1945 AD | Jet Fighter | Bazooka
1980 AD | Nuclear Missile | Nuclear Deterrent
2001 AD | Flying Saucer | Star Wars (SDI) Lasers
Shields are simply numbered 1 to 4 to indicate their strength in this particular island (as there can only ever be four shield designs in any on island)
To start inventing you should select a design and allocate men to it and the countdown clock will activate. The design are shown in three columns sheilds, defensive weapons and attacking weapons. The design are listed in order of technology level. It is always best to select that least advanced design first as these take less time to invent. You will notice that not all the twelve designs for the island are available straight away.
NOTE: If you can`t invent a design it could be because -
1. Your tower hasn`t progressed enough in technology or
2. You don`t have enough of the right elements in stock or
3. You may even need a build a laboratory before you can start inventing the design.
Designs with a small factory symbol in the top-left of their icon indicates that they must be manufactured in a factory once invented.
Your designs may take some time, in which case use the run fast icon if your want to speed time up but be sure to slow time back down again when the design is ready (or sooner if you are attacked!).
Look Out For these Icons:- HYDR0 {WOT PICTURES!}
Element Name Mining Type
Wood Gatherable
Rock Gatherable
Bone Gatherable
Slate Gatherable
Moonlite Open Cast
Planetarium Open Cast
Bethlium Open Cast
Solarium Open Cast
Aruldite Deep Pit
Herbirite Deep Pit
Yeridium Deep Pit
Valium Deep Pit
Parasite Deep Pit
Aquarium Deep Pit
Paladium Deep Pit
Onion Deep Pit
Tedium Deep Pit
Moron Deep Pit
Meermite Deep Pit
Alien Deep Pit
After exhaustive mining, you will find that your elements start to run out Your chief miner will let you know when this begins to happen. If is does, no arrow(green or grey) will be shown leading to or from the element that has been exhausted, any miners allocated to it will automatically be returned to their sector tower.
BUILDINGS AND SHIELDS
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As sectors progress in Technology Level you will have the option to build up to three external buildings as well as your tower - a deep pit mine, a factory and a laboratory. People can be allocated from your tower to work in these buildings as set out below.
From Technology Level 900AD you will have the option to build a deep pit mine (See elements).
From Technology Level 1400AD you will have the option to build a factory. Higher Technology Level designs can only be manufactured in factories. Factory Workers must be allocated to work in the factory to manufacture these designs - each job us known as a `production run'
From Technology Level 1850AD you will have the option to build a laboratory. Really high Technology Level designs can only be invented in laboratories. Inventors must be allocated to work in this building to invent these designs.
Each of the external buildings, including the tower has a wall status bar. Each bar represents the damage status of the walls of each building. The bars will gradually go down as their respective buildings are damaged by attacking armies. If the bar for a building disappears then the building is destroyed and anything inside it or in its defensive turrets will be destroyed and anything inside it or in its defensive turrets will be destroyed with it (including any designs, weapons, shields, elements and most of all - any men!) And, if it is the tower that is destroyed, any men remaining inside external buildings left standing will defect to the enemy army.
Shields can be built or manufactured to repair buildings. The higher the Technology Level of shields, the more it will repair a damaged building.
In the later Epochs, you can `shut a sector down' by putting it into suspended animation - the relevant icon will appear on the shield menu and should be dragged onto the tower to be shut down. Any men put in suspended animation will be carried forward for the final island - the Mother of Battles. You may not shut down your last tower unless you have an army in the field - it is wise to keep a balance between the number of men you feel safe in shutting down and the number of men you retain in order to win the island.
DEFENDING YOUR SECTORS
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To Defend buildings, defending weapons can be set up in their turrets. From this position of height, defending soldiers can take the upper hand against any armies of equal Technology Level and numbers. The only drawback for defenders is that they are limited in numbers. Each building has a number of defensive turrets set upon it - only one defensive weapon may be slotted into each turret at a time. The tower has 4 defensive turrets set into it, the Factory has 3, the mine has 2 and the Laboratory has 1.
Each defensive weapon is operated by one soldier except for nuclear deterrents and SDI lasers which are unmanned.
At Technology Level 1980AD, nuclear deterrents become available. This defensive weapon can be placed in a turret (in any of your buildings) in one of your sectors and will automatically look out for incoming missiles. If it detects one, it will automatically fire at the sector the incoming nuke originated from - this really gives the enemy something to think about.
NOTE: That these are one-fire weapons only are impotent against conventional attack.
At Technology Level 2001Ad, defensive Star Wars (SDI) lasers become available. This defensive laser has two users: (1) It is harmful against all forms of conventional attack; (2), It will automatically look out for incoming missiles. If it detects one it will automatically destroy it, However, the laser itself can only do this once as it will then overheat and destroy itself!.
ARMIES
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The following definitions shall be used when describing this section:
Friendly Sector = Any sector which contains a towers or army of your own or your ally(ies)
Enemy Sector = Any sector which contains a tower or army from a team thats is not allied to you
Neutal Sector = Any sector which doesn`t contain a tower or army
Each attacking weapon requires a number of soldiers to man it. Most of the early Technology Level weapons will only require one soldier but as the weapons become more sophisticated, more soldiers may be required to control each one. The number of soldiers is indicated by the Roman numeral in the top-left of each icon. Nuclear missiles are unmanned weapons are may only be fired one at a time.
When an enemy enters an `Enemy' sector, it will attack any army, and tower and any building that do not belong to the same team or any team not allied to it. Any men trapped inside any buildings that are destroyed will die!. All allies in a sector will join you in an attack. The attack will continue until either side is totally destroyed or until one side totally withdraws (taking heavy casualties for retreating unless they are retreating into their own tower - in which case they take no casualties)
Destroying an enemy tower will bring the report that a sector has been conquered. Unarmed men are very weak and are usually only moved around as armies to get them from one tower to another. When attacked, unarmed men can fight but they can only throw pebbles (which they conveniently find lying around on the ground!). Unarmed man cannot damaged enemy buildings.
When an enemy enters a neutral sector they will attempt to build a new tower (as long as you are not in an alliance). Towers can only be built by teams who are NOT allied to any other teams or teams. In this way, Leaders are forced to break-off alliances on order to expand their empires.
When an enemy begins building a tower, a countdown clock will appear in place of the control menu, when the sector is highlighted. This clock indicates the time it will take to build the tower. If it seems to be taking too long, add a few more men and/or speed up the passage of time. Once a tower is built, the men in the army will automatically move themsleves into it.
From Epoch 6, nuclear missiles are available. Nukes cannot be intergrated with other weapon types and have to be sent separately one at a time. A nuke can be fired by building it as an army and placing it on any sector that doesn`t contain one of your own towers or a tower of one of your allies. It should be noted that if a sector is hit by a nuke then the sector is totally and absolutely annihilated - nothing survives and the sector cannot be highlighted be the pointer. A large crater will appear in any sectors on the sector map that have been nuked.
THE MOTHER OF BATTLES
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On the 28th island you must fight the Mother Of Battles. This is basically a free-for-all pitched battle where all of the people that were `shut-down' in the earlier islands are transferred forward and armed with laser blasters (no other weapons are allowed) for each team.
Before men are transferred forward into the Mother Of Battles they are held in suspension inside a deep freeze cabinet, but when they are defrosted you will find that you lose some of them as this process is still undergoing technical difficulties! In other words make sure you `SAVE' as many men as possible!..
THE END!!.
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