Sea Battle Game
(600-2193) Operation Faxback Doc. # 16665
Preparation for Use
Install four 'AA' batteries (RadioShack cat. no. 23-553 or equivalent) in
the battery compartment in the base of the unit. Be sure to observe
correct polarity.
Place the game on a flat surface and lift the two lids to a vertical
position. Note that Side A, which has the electronic game score display
and ON/OFF switch, is your side when you play against the computer.
Slide the ON/OFF switch on the control panel to ON. The computer will play
a tune, then the sonar will start indicating that the computer is ready to
play.
GENERAL PLAYING RULES
Each player has a fleet of ships which they may position both horizontally
and vertically on their own playing grid. The players then take turns
trying to sink their opponent's ships by firing missiles at them. The
player who successfully sinks their opponent's fleet first, wins the game.
A. The game ends when all of one player's ships have been sunk, OR when
all 102 missiles have been fired.
B. A ship is sunk if all of the ships' squares have been hit.
C. Ships must lie either horizontally or vertically. They may not be
placed diagonally, nor may they go off the edge of the play grid or be
stacked. It is OK for ships to touch each other.
OPERATION
There are four steps required to begin playing Sea Battle. The following
sections will outline these steps in detail. As a quick reference, the
steps are:
1. Select a game mode.
2. Enter the coordinates of your ships.
3. Press the START then ENTER.
4. Engage in The Battle.
For a more detailed description of each of these steps, read on.
SELECTING YOUR GAME
There are four basic games to choose from, but with all two player games
you can use either the traditional fleet or choose your own fleet size.
This can be particularly entertaining when you wish to change game tactics
or if you want to compensate for unequal experience or age.
Game Type
Traditional/ Com-
Advanced puter Salvo Live Action
Game Game Game Game Game Game Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Player v Player * * * * * *
Player v Computer *
Normal firing * * *
Salvo firing * *
Live action * *
Traditional game
(equal fleet size) * * * *
Advanced game
(choice of fleet size) * * *
GAMES 1, 2 AND 3 are recognized automatically by the computer, and you do
not need to press any special keys to begin play.
The Salvo games (4 & 5) can be selected by pressing the [MODE SELECT],
[B1], then [ENTER] keys. The display will show ^1.
The Live Action games (6 & 7) can be selected by pressing [MODE SELECT],
[C2], then [ENTER]. The display will show ^2.
SETTING UP YOUR FLEET
There are 100 squares on each of the playing grids. Each square is
identified by the letter of the row it is on (A-J), and the number of the
column that it is on (0-9). Thus, square A0 is the top left square.
Each player enters a fleet of up to 5 ships. The traditional fleet is 1
Aircraft Carrier (5 squares), 1 Cruiser (4 squares), 2 Destroyers (3
squares), and 1 Frigate (2 squares). You do not need to enter the ships in
any particular order, but if you try to enter a 6th ship, the computer will
sound an error tone and reject it.
Two sets of the traditional fleet are provided, but you do not have to
enter a standard fleet. The computer will allow you to enter any
combination of up to 5 ships. The size of the ships entered must be
between 2 and 5 squares long.
Select the ships which you will use in your fleet. Place the first ship
onto your playing grid. Enter the location of the ship by pressing the
position entry keys that correspond to the bow and stern of the ship, then
press [ENTER].
For example, if you have placed an Aircraft Carrier on squares B2 to B6:
1. Press B1 to identify row B.
2. Press C2 to identify column 2.
3. Press B1 to identify row B
4. Press G6 to identify column 6.
5. Press [ENTER/FIRE] to enter the position into the computer.
If two people are going to play, both may enter their ships at the same
time; the computer will respond to each correctly entered ship. Illegal
entries (ships placed diagonally, ships larger than 5 squares, etc.) will
not be accepted, and the computer will give an error tone. You will have
to completely re-enter invalid entries.
NOTE: Side A's entries will be displayed on the coordinate display until
Side B begins pressing keys.
If you make a mistake before pressing [ENTER] to store the coordinates,
simply press the keys corresponding to the coordinates of the ship again,
and press [ENTER] as usual. Only the last four keys pressed prior to
pressing [ENTER] are read into the computer.
If you have already pressed [ENTER] and you realize that you entered
incorrect coordinates, press [CANCEL SHIP] then [ENTER], then re-enter the
ship. If you press [CANCEL SHIP], [ENTER] a second time, the next previous
ship's coordinates will be deleted also.
THE BATTLE
You and your opponent take turns firing at each other. Side A starts first
(except in Live Action Mode - see appropriate instructions). Select a
square to aim at and plug a white peg into the Targeting Grid. Enter the
coordinates of the target square using the Position Entry Keys, then press
[ENTER]. You will hear the sound of the missile being launched.
If there is a ship at the coordinate that you selected, you will hear an
explosion and the Hit Indicator screen will flash. Remove the white peg
from the Targeting Grid and replace it with a red peg. This will serve as
an indication of a hit on a ship at that position. If you missed all of
your opponent's ships, there will be no sound after the missile launch
sound. Leave the white peg in place to serve as a reminder that you have
shot at that square, and that you should not shoot there again (saving
ammunition earns you a higher score.) If you shoot twice at the same
coordinate, the second shot will be indicated as a miss, since there is
nothing more to hit at that position.
If your ship gets hit, you should place a red peg in the ship's
corresponding peg-hole. Once all of the peg holes of a ship have been hit,
the ship sinks. The computer will sound a 'Whoop-whoop-whoop' siren to
signify 'Abandon Ship'.
The winner is the first player to sink all of their opponent's fleet. When
this happens, the computer will play a victory tune. To stop the victory
tune, and display the winner's score, press Side A's [ENTER] key once. The
winner's score will appear in the coordinate display. To start a new game,
press [ENTER] again.
NOTE: The victory tune will continue to play until the [ENTER] key is
pressed or the game is turned off.
GAME VARIATIONS
Traditional Game for Two Players
To play the Traditional Game, it is not necessary to select any special
play mode. Both players should enter the traditional fleet and play as
explained in the last section.
Advanced Game for Two Players
This variation adds a new dimension to the game. By experimenting with
different sized fleets made up of different sized ships you may decide that
a particular configuration gives you the best chance of winning. Be
careful! There are delicate trade-offs to be considered. A small fleet
may be harder to find and sink, but once it has been hit, you are sunk -
literally! Also bear in mind that your final score is made up of several
factors - see the section on scoring for complete details.
You can also use different sized fleets as a handicap when playing against
a less experienced player.
Play is as outlined in the previous section.
Traditional Game for One Player
It is you against the computer! All of the rules are the same as for the
2-player Traditional Game, and now the Coordinate Display indicates all
keys being pressed when you are setting up your ships. You can also verify
the position of all your ships by following the directions in the VERIFYING
YOUR FLEET'S POSITION section of this manual.
You must play on Side A. The Computer will automatically become your
opponent if no ship has been entered for Side B. The computer does not
know where your ships are and cannot cheat. It will set up a fleet which
matches your ship strength exactly; therefore, if you enter a traditional
fleet, it will also enter a traditional fleet. If you enter any other
combination of up to 5 ships, it will enter the same combination of ships.
After you have entered your fleet position and pressed [START], [ENTER],
the computer will await your first missile, then fire back. Both your
moves and the computer's moves will be displayed in the Coordinate Display.
Salvo Game for Two Players (Traditional and Advanced)
This is a realistic fleet-action variation of Sea Battle. It requires some
careful planning to play well.
Select the Salvo Game by pressing [MODE] [B1][ENTER]. Set up the game as
described in the preceding section.
In this variation of the game, the player on Side A fires 5 missiles, one
after the other, then the player on Side B fires 5 missiles, and so on. It
can be played either with the traditional equal sized fleets or as an
advanced version using unequal sized fleets.
Live-Action Game for Two Players
In this game, the player that is the quickest on the draw wins the right to
fire. If you are fast, you might be able to fire several shots in a row.
Select the Live-Action Game by pressing [MODE][C2][ENTER]. Set up the game
as described in the preceding section.
The first player to press any key after the first sonar signal gets to fire
the next missile. Pressing a key or holding a key down before the 'GO'
signal sounds does not count.
Each side is limited to 102 shots, so marking the Targeting Grid with pegs
as you fire (to avoid firing twice at the same square) is a good idea.
This game may be played traditionally with equal sized fleets or with
unequal sized fleets.
SCORING
At the end of the game the winner's score (from 1 to 99) is shown on the
coordinate display (After you press [ENTER] once). This score is based on
the following three considerations:
1. The number of ships left undamaged.
2. The number of intact squares remaining in the fleet.
3. The amount of ammunition left.
You could enter a strong 5 ship fleet, so that you have more undamaged
squares at the end of the game, or you might choose to play a risky single-
ship game so that your opponent might not find your ship easily.
Careful use of ammunition by planning and keeping track of all of your
shots helps you attain a higher score.
Pressing [ENTER] again when the score is being displayed prepares the Sea
Battle computer to start a new Traditional, Advanced or Variation game.
VERIFYING YOUR FLEET'S POSITION (ONE PLAYER GAME ONLY)
You can verify the position of any ship in your fleet, find out how big it
is and which direction it is pointing at any time during a one-player game.
You cannot, of course, check the position of enemy ships.
To verify your ship's position you must perform two steps. The example
shown in Steps 1 and 2 assumes that you are in the middle of the game, some
of your ships have been hit and you want to verify the position of the
first ship you entered.
Step 1. Find the location of the top left square of the ship. Press
[VERIFY], [E4], [ENTER] - the coordinate display shows 'b2'.
Step 2. Find the direction of the ship (vertical or horizontal) as well
as the number of squares that have not been hit. Press [VERIFY],
[J9], [ENTER].
The ship's direction is indicated by the center segment of the display. If
the ship is horizontal, the center segment of the display will be lighted -
otherwise, if the ship is vertical, the center segment will not be lighted.
To determine the number of remaining squares on the ship which have not
been hit, starting at the top segment and going clockwise around the
display, the other lighted segments represent these squares. In this
example the bottom segment is unlit - indicating that the fourth square of
the Aircraft Carrier's 5 squares has been hit.
NOTE: If the ship is sunk, no position will be shown.
To check other ships in your fleet, continue the sequence as shown in
the following table:
Ship Step 1 Step 2
No.
(See To go on
Example 3 Keys to Press 3 Keys to Press Press
Figure)
ONE VERIFY E4 ENTER VERIFY J9 ENTER ENTER
TWO VERIFY D3 ENTER VERIFY 18 ENTER ENTER
THREE VERIFY C2 ENTER VERIFY H7 ENTER ENTER
FOUR VERIFY B1 ENTER VERIFY G6 ENTER ENTER
FIVE VERIFY A0 ENTER VERIFY F5 ENTER ENTER
(CC/wr 08/26/98)