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NetHulk README
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In NetHulk, a squad of Marines moves through a derelict spaceship hunting
down and destroying marauding aliens. There is typically a special objective
in each mission for the marines, which are outlined below. The goal of the
aliens is more simple: kill everything. Chaos Marines, Hunters, Valkyries,
Ancients, Invaders, Orks and Rogues will join the fray from time to time,
making the life of the marines even more difficult (and short!)

NetHulk is playable over the network mainly, but it also includes a hotseat
mode, primarily for testing out new maps and features (though maybe someone
will want to play like that, I don't know...)

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How To Play
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Choose whether you want to host or join a game. The game runs on TCP port
27200 in case of firewall concerns.

Once the opponent is connected, you will be taken to the configuration
screen where you can choose the side and the mission, and chat in a 
chat window (it won't ever replace instant messaging, but it's functional)
In this window you can also choose how many points each side has at the
start, by pressing the left mouse button to increase the total, and the right
mouse button to decrease it. More information on points is below.

The Marine player places his/her units first. Normally the game is Marines vs.
Aliens, but, some maps allow for Chaos Marines, which is Marine vs Marine
combat; Hunters, which is a predatory race relying less on firepower
and more on cunning and speed; Valkyries, who are similar to Marines but 
more focused on fast attacking; Ancients, who are slow but can regenerate,
Invaders, a versatile faction that spawns units and attacks via special cards,
or Orks, which sacrifice effective weapons for sheer numbers of units with
weapons. There is no difference in the abilties of a Marine or a Chaos Marine
unit. There are also Rogues, who are more of a mini-faction included to spice
up the "Prison" mission.

In any game that has aliens as an enemy force, you can click on
the "Aliens" text on the configuration screen and get Orks instead. You
can also switch between Marines and Valkyries in the same way, or Hunters
and Ancients.

A default Marine squad has a Sergeant, a Flamer, and three Marines. However,
by clicking on icons at the right, you can change the composition of the
squad, and add Grenadiers, Minigunners, Melee Fighters, Staff Weapons, Missiles,
Psychics, and Knights. Marine Sergeants can also be upgraded to Marine Captains.
If you hold your mouse over a unit, information will pop up.

Be warned, though, that a limited number of points are available. This can be
configured before the game begins. Aliens can be given different sets of blips:
Std, which includes only normal aliens; Exp, which includes some armed aliens;
Rng, which focuses on aliens with ranged attacks; Psi, which focuses on psychics;
and Max, which is a very deadly blip set indeed.

The marine player moves first, expending AP (action points),
of which each unit gets 4, and CP (command points), of which the player
randomly gets between 1 and 6 each turn. The Alien then places blips
(undetected aliens), and moves; each blip gets 6 AP. Aliens do not
use CP. The players alternate until one of them is the winner. Valkyries
move like marines, but have lighter armor. They are easier to kill,
but they get 5 AP. Hunters get 6 AP and are able to move in any direction
for only 1 AP, but tend to not have much CP. Orks get 5 AP and do not
use CP. Ancients typically have 4 AP, though some have 6. They also do not
use CP.

Some games will allow armed aliens. They only have 4 AP and are inferior to
a Marine in close combat, due to being encumbered by their heavy weapons.
However, what they lack in the raw power of a pure alien, they make up for
in firepower. Aliens can be armed with rifles, plasma cannons, acid
sprayers, autocannons, or missile launchers. Some aliens who are smart enough
to carry around weapons also have developed psychic abilities. Orks will
also carry weapons, but they're too dumb to have any psychic powers. :)

When using Max blips, there will also be Aliens with built-in weapons, and
large, heavy aliens who are not encumbered by carrying their weapons. These
Aliens will have the normal 6 AP, and will be quite a challenge for the marine
player to deal with!

Note that a unit must use its entire set of AP when it is selected. If you
click away and then re-select it, its AP are lost. (If you haven't done
anything that isn't undoable, you can undo this and move the unit, though)
CP, on the other hand, can be used in any fashion. As such, Marines may
sometimes wish to use CP first to perform a quick action, and use their
4 AP later on their turn. To do this, click the letters "CP." They will turn
blue. Now, any action the Marine takes will consume CP only. Click it again
to turn it off.

Marines can also save their CP and use them during the opponent's turn. When
an opponent has taken an action in a marine's line of sight, hit the space
bar and that marine will be given a chance to interrupt. He will be able to
perform a single action using CP, and then will have to return control to the
player whose turn it is (by clicking "Cancel" where "End Turn" normally is
found)

Sometimes you might want to make sure an interrupt registers, when it's
vitally important and you don't want to chance a lag spike or the like.
Fortunately, there's a way to help with that. If you right-click the CP icon,
you'll get a menu where you can choose some common tense situations and
automatically interrupt when the conditions are met. For example, you can
have the unit automatically interrupt when its weapon jams.

Any unit that is hit in melee combat, by gunfire, by flamethrower, or by
explosion is immediately destroyed, unless it is a Psychic with an "Aura"
card, or a very large alien...

Here is a brief summary of what each button on the screen does. You can also
get information on the buttons in-game by hovering the mouse over the button 
for a short time.

- Arrow - Left-click it once and it lights up. Now the unit is in move mode,
and left-clicking on a square will move the unit in that direction (note:
it will move in that -direction-, not specifically to that square. There
is no pathfinding and units move one square at a time). 
It costs 1 AP to move forward, 2 AP to move backwards, and it costs
Aliens 2 AP to strafe sideways. (Marines cannot do this)

- Undo Arrow - Use this to undo the last move you made. Note that you can
only undo a move if you did not fire a shot, open a door, reveal a blip,
come under overwatch fire, or do any other action that changed the game
situation.

- Rotating arrows - Press the keyboard in the direction you wish the unit
to face. It costs Marines 1 AP for every 90 degrees of rotation. Aliens can
rotate 90 degrees for free, but a 180 degree turn costs 1 AP, except if the
alien is carrying a heavy weapon (marked with an H), in which case, that
alien must pay for turns just like a marine.

Right-clicking the rotate arrow will cause the word "AUTO" to appear. Units
will now turn automatically when necessary, spending the needed AP. If you
find this annoying, right-click again to turn it off.

- Knife - Start a melee attack. Marines roll one (six-sided) die, and Aliens
roll three and keep the highest roll. The highest roll is the winner, and
the loser dies. If there is a tie, nothing happens. Marine Sergeants get
a +1 bonus to their roll. Staff Weapon Marines get a +2 bonus. 
Melee Marines roll two dice and keep the highest, and, on top of that,
they get a +2 bonus, just like Spear Hunters.

Normal Marines might not want to start a melee fight: they're at a big
disadvantage. The bonus for Sergeants goes up to +2 if they're the one
attacking, and this is the normal bonus for Staff Weapons, so they can
usually hold their own, but the Marine that really shines in melee is the
Melee Marine. He'd better, his sword and shield are his only weapons!

Hunters with claws and spears are much more suited for making melee kills,
and can usually take down Marines without much effort. They'll also fare
pretty well against aliens, though hunters with only their normal claws are
at a disadvantage, and those with only one claw due to carrying a weapon
are at a bigger disadvantage.

Psychic units with psi-weapons (Marines with their force axes, Hunters
with their force claws, and Valkyries with their combination weapon) are
able to sacrific psychic attack cards and boost a melee attack. This is
the only way Valkyries are able to use psychic powers, except for auras.

- Explosion - Fire a shot with your gun, which costs 1 AP. Marines 
roll two dice, and if they get a 6 on either die, score a hit. On subsequent
shots at the same target, the chances go up to getting a 5 or a 6 (The Marine
had more time to aim)-- this bonus is lost if the Marine moves or turns,
or changes targets.

If you have armed aliens in play, Aliens armed with rifles roll one die,
and score a hit on a 6. Rifle aliens can move and fire, just like many
marine. Those with acid sprayers roll two dice and score a hit on a 6,
but cannot move and fire. The autocannon also hits on a 5 or better, but
cannot move and fire, and cannot overwatch. The missile launcher costs 2AP
to fire, and delivers a powerful explosion to the target square.

- Plasma Icon - Aliens with plasma may only fire once every two turns.
Hunters can fire once every turn. The Valkyrie heavy plasma weapon is
the most formidable, being able to fire like a normal gun. It can also
be overloaded and destroy a large area of map.

- Fire Staff Weapon - The staff weapon is fired and can be put in overwatch
just like a normal gun, however, it only has 9 power. There is no way to
reload it, or make it regain power any faster, but it will regain power at
the rate of one unit per turn.

- Fire Staff Weapon in High-Power mode - In this case, the shot will consume
3 power, but it will create a powerful plasma explosion that has a chance
of destroying nearby units as well, as well as starting a fire that will
burn through the enemy's turn.

- Multi Explosion - Fire the Minigun in full-auto mode. This uses 2 AP,
and consumes between 2 and 5 ammo, depending on how many targets are in view.
It has a good chance to obliterate every target that is in view-- including
friendly ones, so watch where you shoot it!

- Particle Beam - The particle beam costs 2 AP to fire. As the particles tend
to affect dense targets the most, the kill odds are reversed from most weapons:
Light and fast Aliens or Orks are the hardest to kill, whereas thick, heavy
Marine armor makes a perfect target. It can also be overloaded, and will
destroy a large area, but then it must recharge for a full turn.

- Shock Attack Gun - This gun will grab a nearby Ork and hurl it through
subspace, attempting to kill an enemy target with it. Both the Ork and the
enemy might be killed, or the weapon could miss and the Ork will appear in a
nearby space. Unlike most weapons, because this weapon will cause a the unit in
front to disappear, it can fire at an enemy that is seemingly blocked.

- Acid Splatter - Aliens with the acid sprayer have the best kill chances
of all, but they pay the cost instead with AP and range: it costs 2 AP to fire
the acid sprayer in this mode, and it can only hit targets within 4 squares of the Alien.

- Grenade - The grenade button allows you to choose a square, and then
launches a grenade at that square, for 1 AP. The grenade will explode, probably
killing anything in its target square, and having a good chance of destroying any
objects in a 3x3 box around the target square as well.

- Crosshairs - This command will spend 2 AP to put the unit into "Overwatch"
mode, where it will shoot at any target that moves in the field of view during
the opposite turn. There is a random chance the gun will jam, however, making
the Marine have to rely on his fists until he can clear it! Miniguns, being
designed for rapid fire, won't jam, but they might run out of ammo. Most marines
can overwatch, some Hunters can, and the rifle alien can also. Most Orks can
also overwatch, but their weapons are not very good.

- Triangle - This command, for Hunters only, will use the Hunter's keen
instincts and advanced technology to increase his stealth ability, making him
very difficult to hit with weapons or overcome in close combat, as long as he does
not move in the meantime. It costs 2 AP to conceal the hunter.

- Jammed Gun Icon - If the gun is jammed, this will spend 1 AP to fix it.

- Flamethrower - Flamer units start with 12 ammo. Spend 2 AP to
activate the flamethrower, and then click on the target squares. A square
can be flamed twice, which will cause it to burn through the entire enemy
turn as well (good for blocking off routes). Each shot uses one ammo.

- Reload - Reloading spends 4 AP to reload the flamethrower or minigun.
Note that any ammo that was in the old clip is lost. Also note that in most
missions the Flamer Marine only gets one reload, so use it wisely. (If you
have spare points, you can always buy another, of course...)

- Blip to Aliens - Press this to voluntarily convert a Blip to Aliens. If
the blip has not yet moved, the Aliens spawned will have their full 6 AP.
If it has moved, the Aliens will have 0 AP.

- Upgrade Blip - If the Marine player spent points upgrading his/her forces,
and you are playing with the "Alien Point System" option turned on, then
this button will be available for the Alien player to change the contents
of a blip. The options are to add two normal aliens, or to change the blip
to an alien armed with a weapon.

- Holo-clone - This creates a holographic clone of the Hunter. It isn't
strong, but it does have some attacking power. It's good for confusing
enemies.

- Teleport - Some Hunters are equipped with personal teleportation devices.
Use this to teleport anywhere with four squares, at a cost of 4AP. Note that
you are able to teleport through closed doors and units.

- Psychic - This icon invokes Psychic powers. You will be presented a menu
of the various psychic attack cards that can be used by that particular
unit. Marines and Hunters have a hand of two, plus one for each psychic in
their force, up to four. Aliens, tied into the psychic power of the brood,
always have four. Valkyrie Shadowcasters don't use psychic powers, but
they can keep cards on hand to boost their melee attack.

- Take Box - In missions that use it, this button will take the mission goal
off the floor or from the character who is carrying it.

- End Turn - This button must first be right-clicked to activate it, and
then left-clicked. This is to make sure you really mean it!

In addition, during the game, you can press ESC to bring up an options menu
that lets you open a chat window, toggle the minimap, or disconnect from the
game early. The chat window can also be toggled directly by pressing Enter,
and the minimap by pressing M.

Not sure about a unit's range? Hover your mouse over a unit and it any
squares it can currently target will be highlighted in red. Any squares it
could potentially target if all doors in its path were open will be highlighted
in a dimmer shade of red. If it's a marine that can overwatch, any squares
it can target on overwatch will be highlighted in a brighter shade of orange.
In addition, if the unit has a grenade, missile, explosive, or acid spray
special attack, the squares that these attacks can target will be marked with
icons.

If the unit is one of yours, its remaining AP will also be shown next to
the mouse pointer.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
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1 = fire main weapon
2 = fire secondary weapon (if equipped)
A = toggle move mode
B = attempt close assault
F = set unit direction
O = set overwatch (if possible)
R = reload (if possible)
M = turn minimap on/off
Z = undo

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Mission Objectives
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(Remember that in any mission, Valkyries may be substituted for Marines,
Orks for Aliens, or Ancients for Hunters, by clicking on the text giving
the side's name. Hunters and Ancients can sometimes be substituted for
Rogues.)

* Marine vs Alien Missions *
Mission 1 - Flame all 9 squares in the upper room (with the flame icons)
Mission 2 - Kill 30 Aliens
Mission 3 - Successfully carry the robot module to the exit
Mission 4 - Flame all 18 squares in the western rooms (with the icons)
Mission 5 - Get 5 Marines to the exit
Mission 6 - Protect the poison sprayer for 16 turns
Mission 7 - Activate the control square
Mission 8 - Kill 25 Aliens then get 4 Marines to the exit
Nest - Flame all 9 squares of the alien nest
Siege - Destroy the eggs and the queen
Skirmish 1 - Get 2 marines to the exit
Skirmish 2 - Flame all 9 squares of the target room
Skirmish 3 - Activate the trigger
Secure - Secure four entryways
StrikeHive - Kill the alien overlord in the hive
Wake Aliens - Activate the trigger

* Marine vs Chaos Missions *
Palace - Protect the Emperor and seal six entryways
UnholyPalace - Protect the Emperor and seal six entryways
War 1 - Destroy all enemy marines
War 2 - Destroy all enemy marines
WarBase - Destroy all enemy marines

* Marine vs Hunter Missions *
Hunt 1 - Destroy all enemies

* Marine Vs Ancient Missions *
Mission 1A - Flame all 9 squares in the upper room
Shootout - Destroy all enemies
Wake - Destroy all enemies
War 1A - Destroy all enemies

* Marine vs Invader Missions
Mission 1I - Flame all 9 squares in the upper room
Unholy - Team up and destroy all enemies!
WarInv - Destroy the Mastermind

* Marine vs Rogue Missions
Pirates - Destroy all enemies
Prison - Destroy all enemies

* Hunter vs Alien Missions *
Hunt 2 - Hunt 25 aliens
Tomb - Recover the artifact and escape alive
Tomb 2 - Activate the trigger

* Hunter vs Invader Missions *
Hunt 3 - Destroy the Mastermind
WarBaseInv - Destroy the Mastermind

* Hunter vs Ancient Missions *
Sabotage - Destroy 4 Power Nodes

* Hunter vs Chaos Missions *
Tomb Ch - Recover the artifact and escape alive
Visitors - Destroy all enemies, avoid the aliens

* Invader vs Alien Missions *
Travel - Escape the map with a Mastermind

* Valkyrie vs Hunter Missions *
Race - Escape Alive/Get to the self destruct

* Valkryrie vs Ancient Missions *
SabotageV - Destroy 4 Power Nodes

There's also an attempt at a CTF game, but it's pretty broken. Maybe
one of these days I'll feel like working on it some more.

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Special Missions
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Some missions may take the Marines directly into the alien hive. These
missions are highly dangerous, and the Marines get a bonus in firepower
for what is sure to be an especially difficult task. Some of the added
problems in the hive are:

- Bio-doors - Bio-doors are under the control of the Hive mind, and do not
cost the alien player any AP to open. They operate as normal for Marines.

- Pools of acid - These are completely harmless to the aliens, but anyone
else traversing through them have a 1 in 6 chance of dying. It might be
better to clear them, using flamethrowers or grenades.

- Ambush - The hive has a great many twisted, tiny passages curving back
on themselves, as well as small tunnels above and below the main hallways.
This means that blips may sometimes simply vanish from view, and abruptly
reappear somewhere else.

This mechanism is duplicated by giving blips that have not left their
spawning area an "Ambush" button. When this is used, the blip will disappear,
and the alien will get to place it at the end of his or her turn anywhere
that is not too close to or in the line of sight of a Marine. Note that
Ambush blips are not 100% certain: They always contain 0 or 1 aliens--
which means that they carry the distinct possibility they may be a false
alarm-- when they are revealed, there may be no alien there at all!

Unlike normal blips, Ambush blips may move into a Marine's line of sight.
It's not certain at all what's there!

Only one Ambush blip may be created from a normal blip per turn.

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Configuration
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The NetHulk.INI file contains some useful things you might want to change.
Here, you can replace graphics if you don't like the standard ones, set the
default player name, and set whether you want to play full screen or in a window.
By default, the game gives pop-up help if you linger over an icon, but if you're
an expert and you get tired of seeing it, you can disable it.

It is currently not recommended to play NetHulk in windowed mode.
It is not optimized for it, and it is not nearly as tested as the full screen mode.

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Addresses
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web: http://www.ojnk.net/nethulk/

Contact me at sparkletwist@gmail.com :)

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Acknowledgements
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I have used a great deal of house rules from the web in adding all of the new
races and features to NetHulk. Especially useful sites were:

- Expanding the Hulk (http://homepages.tig.com.au/~tezzajw/)
- Harlequins (http://www.geocities.com/harood.geo/h-shulk.htm)
- Necron Hulk (http://www.necronhulk.co.uk/)
- Tribute to Space Hulk (http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/)

I made all final decisions on what went into NetHulk, however, so I take full
responsibility for any game balance and other play problems.

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Disclaimer
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NetHulk may bear a strong resemblance to a certain board game from years
past, but no challenge to the copyright of the maker of that game is
intended. :)
