CRIMSON(6)

📦
version 0.5.3 · 2 versions
, in debian trixie, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

👑 CRIMSON(6) 👑

okay so bestie, this is the manual page for crimson, and it lives in section 6 of the manual (that's the games section, iykyk). the header line at the top literally reads CRIMSON(6) … [FIXME: manual] … CRIMSON(6), which is giving "we'll finish the docs later" energy and honestly? relatable. anyway. the vibes are immaculate, the hexes are hexagonal, let's go. 🎀✨

✨ NAME ✨

crimson — a hex-based tactical combat game 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

crimson [--level level] [--width w] [--height h] [--fullscreen 1|0]
        [--sound 1|0]

crimson {--help | --version}

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay so Crimson Fields is a tactical war game, and it's carrying on the noble tradition of the very popular Battle Isle. the whole premise? two players command a bunch of units on a map made of hexagons, and they're out here trying to complete mission objectives. and those objectives range all the way from "defend this important location" to the absolute simplest one: just destroy every single enemy force on the map. periodt. 💀

damaged units can get repaired or replaced by new recruits, and your victorious squadrons will level up their abilities, which means next time they're even harder to beat. the way that a squad can just grow and become a menace?? obsessed. 🔥

you can play against a human adversary in hot-seat mode, over a network, or via e-mail, or you can play against a computer player. pick your fighter.

and if you wanna build your own maps, the level editor cfed(6) is right there waiting for you. go off, level designer. 🎨

💅 OPTIONS 💅

if you call crimson with no options at all, it just opens its main window using the settings from your last session — or the defaults if there's no previous settings to speak of. no thoughts, just vibes, straight into the game. 🫶

  • --level level — skips the level selection window entirely and loads the mission file level. this file can be either a standard level file or a saved game. heads up though: when you start a new game this way, you'll be playing a single map against the computer without any handicaps. no takebacks, no buffs, just you and the hexes. 😤
  • --width w — sets the screen width to w. the minimum screen width is 320, and the default is 800.
  • --height h — sets the screen height to h. the minimum screen height is 240, and the default is 600.
  • --fullscreen 1|0 — turns fullscreen mode on/off. the default is to start in windowed mode. (so like, if you love a window, you already live here. 💖)
  • --sound 1|0 — turns sound on/off. the default is on. 🔊
  • --help — prints a usage message on standard output and exits. your classic "what does this do again" button.
  • --version — prints version information on standard output and exits. slay, tell me who you are. ✨
pro tip from your girl: the display and sound options you hand to crimson on startup get saved to file and restored on the next program start. so it remembers. it cares. 🥹

🦋 GETTING STARTED 🦋

Introduction 📖

the once peaceful planet Nexus has been invaded by beings who call themselves the Empire of Kand, and they are determined to either conquer Nexus or destroy it completely. public unrest has turned violent as people attempt revolution against the invasion, but the Empire of Kand is quick to silence opposition. Nexus is on the verge of war, and its people have formed factions to battle the Empire. as a member of one of the major rebel factions — the Free Nexus Army — your goals are obvious: drive the intruders back to whichever part of the galaxy they came from, and restore peace on planet Nexus… 🌈

(and yes, this is the background story for most of the included missions and the default campaign. but there may totally be maps with entirely different settings. so don't come for me if the lore gets weird. 🙈)

the main screen presents a number of widgets to configure the game. the most important decision — the one that's giving main character energy — is whether you want to play a skirmish match, a campaign, or load a saved game.

  • Skirmishes are stand-alone maps.
  • Campaigns consist of a number of maps which must be played (and won) in sequence. every map you advance to during a campaign will also be unlocked for skirmish matches. 🎉

campaigns can only be played against the computer. but skirmishes can additionally be played as hot-seat matches (two players on one computer taking turns), e-mail matches (see the section called “PLAY-BY-E-MAIL”), or over a network. and when you're playing against the computer, you get to choose which side you want to play on. pick a side, any side. 💅

for both game types you can optionally define a handicap, to make the game a bit easier or harder. what that means exactly depends on the map being played — but in most cases a handicapped player will have fewer units or resources at his disposal than his opponent. so like, it's a nerf. a chosen nerf. respect. 😭

the large box on the left lists all available skirmishes, campaigns, or saved games. the box on the right displays a small image of the selected map — or, for campaigns, the story. for skirmishes, the number in brackets shows the recommended number of players. missions designed for one player are often rather unbalanced if played against another human, since the computer plays so different from a human — although a handicap can sometimes fix this. ngl, sometimes you just gotta trust the process.

after you've selected a map, hit Start to enter the game. ✨

First Steps 🐣

after starting the match you'll be presented with the mission briefing. this is where you're given your orders and your objectives to win the map. and because both players usually have different and conflicting goals, each player gets his own briefing session at the beginning of his first turn. so no peeking at the other girl's homework. 🙈

after the briefing you'll be presented with the map. this is your command center. from here you can issue most of the orders that will determine the outcome of the mission. the first player commands the yellow units, while the second player or computer takes control of the blue units. 💛💙

the map consists of small regions of land (or water), each one known as a hex — sometimes also called a field or a square, because variety is the spice of life. left-clicking on a hex selects that hex and moves the cursor to it.

if there's a unit on the selected hex, then a small bar appears in the lower left of the screen showing the rank of the unit, its type, and the squad size (see the section called “Experience” for more info about ranks).

if instead there's a building or shop on the selected hex, the information bar displays the name of the shop and possibly some icons representing special attributes (see the section called “CRYSTALS” for details). shops may occupy several fields, but they only have a single entrance, which is marked by the colour of the respective owner. and buildings with a white entrance are neutral and not controlled by any player. 🤍

a right-click on one of your units generally brings up a context menu for that unit (this does not apply to enemy units — you don't get to snoop on them like that). here you can view the unit stats, or inspect its contents (transporters only). other units like mine-sweepers may have special skills which also show up here. if the unit is not a transporter and does not offer any special skills, the menu is skipped and you're taken directly to the stats display. efficient. love that for you. 💅

the stats window is basically divided in two parts:

  • the top part shows the unit name and its values for speed, armour, and effectiveness against ground troops, aircraft, and ships — in that order, from the top left to the bottom right. most units have a weapon range of 1, meaning they can shoot at units one hex away (i.e. directly next to it). for units with different settings, the actual range is given in brackets after the weapon power.
  • the second part of the window lists the most important terrain types. shaded terrain indicates that the unit cannot cross that ground. 🚫

right-clicking anywhere but on a unit, or pressing F1, pops up the Game menu — where you can review your mission objectives, take a look at an overview map, or save your game, for example. very handy, very demure.

you select one of your units by simply clicking on it. large parts of the map will now be shaded to indicate that the unit cannot move there. unshaded enemy units are potential targets. to move to an accessible field or attack a foe, simply double-click the respective hex. if you accidentally sent your unit to a hex you did not want it to go to, right-clicking on the unit gives you the option of reverting the last move — as long as it did not trigger any special events. the undo button of my dreams honestly. 😌

if you click twice on one of your shops or a neutral one, you enter that building. of course, you can also move units into shops — although only some units (Infantry in the default set) can move into shops not owned by you, and some buildings may not allow all unit types. quite often buildings are important mission objectives. taking the enemy headquarters, e.g., is a very common goal. but even if you don't specifically need to control a certain shop for victory, it can still be very helpful, as it may be possible to repair or build units (see the section called “CRYSTALS”). 💎

when you have issued all your orders, select End Turn from the Game menu. your commands are then executed, fights are resolved, and your opponent gets his chance to strike back… 😈

🌈 MOVEMENT 🌈

each unit may only move once each turn, and only if it did not initiate combat on the same turn. Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Guns cannot attack if they have already been moved on the same turn. them's the rules, bestie. 📜

to move around on the map, a unit needs movement points. the number in the upper left corner of the unit information dialog (which can be brought up for one of your units by right-clicking it) indicates how many hexes the unit can move under optimal circumstances. but the actual range is determined by several factors. so like, it's giving "it depends." 🙃

for ordinary ground units, the terrain can greatly reduce the range of action. the maximum can only ever be reached on roads — everything else will slow the unit down, and mountains more so than forest. for airborne units or ships, terrain is of no importance. they simply do not care. iconic. ✈️🚢

enemy units can be trapped in order to prevent them from using superior speed or to deny them access to certain areas of the map. a unit which attempts to cross a hex between two hostile units, or one hostile unit and inaccessible terrain, will be stopped immediately after passing through. get caught in the crossfire, get stopped. simple as. 🕸️

a unit cannot leave a transport or building and enter another one on the same turn. and enemy buildings can only be conquered by infantry units. that's the whole rule. no loopholes. 💀

part 1 done, bestie — more of this manual is coming, don't go anywhere 💖

⚔️ COMBAT ⚔️

💥 Results 💥

Okay so here's the tea on how hitting stuff actually works, bestie: the base chance to hit an enemy unit is literally the same for every unit type, except the attacker always gets a lil' glow-up advantage. ✨

Then that hit probability gets modified by stuff like:

  • experience
  • distance to the target
  • terrain
  • wedging (more on that in a sec, don't worry)

Same deal for defence — every unit gets a probability of evading an attack, and that one gets modified by experience, terrain effects, and blocking.

So what happens when the dice land?

  • If a unit scores a hit, its attack pool grows by an amount equal to its strength.
  • If a unit successfully evades, its defence pool grows by an amount equal to its defence or armour value.

And then? Each attack pool gets compared to the enemy's defence pool, and that ratio decides the casualties on both sides. Math is doing the most, but she's slaying. 💅

🏔️ Terrain 🏔️

Terrain is highkey a big deal in combat because it can heavily influence a unit's effectiveness.

  • Fighting on a road or open plains = greatly increased attacking strength, but relatively poor defensive capabilities. Glass cannon energy fr fr. 🔥
  • A unit in the mountains = profits from the higher position in both attack and defence. Queen of the high ground. 👑
Heads up though: terrain modifiers do not apply for aircraft. Sorry bestie, no mountain buffs for the planes. 🛩️

🫂 Wedging 🫂

Your friendly units can help boost an attacking unit's combat strength without even attacking themselves. Besties supporting besties, that's the vibe. 🫶

  • For each friendly unit that is adjacent to and capable of shooting at the defender, the attacker gets a 10 per cent bonus.
  • If the unit is adjacent to the defender but cannot attack it, the bonus drops to 5 per cent.
  • A friendly unit in the back of the defender earns another 5 per cent bonus — or 10 if it could also attack.

It genuinely does not matter whether a wedging unit actually attacks the defender. Just being there is enough, iconic behaviour honestly.

But wedging does not work for long-range attacks. Sad but true. 😭

🛡️ Blocking 🛡️

Same energy as wedging but for the defence girlies. For each friendly unit adjacent to the attacker and the defender, the defending unit gets its combat strength increased by 10 per cent.

And just like wedging, blocking does not help against long-range attacks. 🚫

🎖️ Experience 🎖️

Veteran units are usually much stronger than newly assembled ones — glow-up is real, no cap.

Here's the XP economy:

  • Manage to wipe out an enemy unit → your unit gets three experience points.
  • Enemy is only damaged → you still get one point.
  • Every three experience points, a unit advances to a new rank, which improves its combat skills. ⭐
Lowkey reality check though: a seasoned infantry unit will have a very hard time against a group of recently recruited heavy tanks. Experience is not plot armour, bestie. 💀
Also: destroying mines does not earn any experience points. Not even one. Don't ask. 🍓

💎 CRYSTALS 💎

Crystals are the resources required to maintain and enlarge your army. You need them to repair damaged units or build new ones. Currency of the realm, periodt. 👑

🔧 Repairs 🔧

Got a unit that took a beating in combat? She can be repaired in any building equipped for this purpose — aka a workshop.

How to tell if a building is a workshop: click on it. For workshops, a wrench icon shows up in the small info bar that appears in the lower left of the screen, and a repair button is available in the icon bar inside.

What repairing does:

  • Restores a unit to its full strength
  • Costs 5 crystals — no matter what kind of unit it is or how badly it was damaged
  • Apart from the crystal cost, the unit loses one experience point for each rookie that fills up an empty slot

And the workshop monopoly? Not real. The ability to repair damaged units is not necessarily limited to shops — some unit types may offer the same service. From the standard unit set, for example, the Aircraft Carriers can bring aircraft back into shape. ✨

Repairs in units work exactly the same way as in workshops, and you also need to supply the crystals to do so.

🏭 Production 🏭

To build new units you need some crystals and a factory (that's the hammer icon). 🔨

The amount of crystals required depends on the type of unit you want to build — a squad of light reconnaissance vehicles is cheaper than a group of heavy attack choppers, obviously.

Most factories cannot produce all unit types, even if you could afford it. F in the chat. 😭

If you click on the production button inside a factory, you're shown the list of units which can be built in this particular factory. Next to each unit type is the amount of crystals that will be consumed. Read it, bestie, don't just vibe-click.

Newly built units can only move on your next turn. Patience, gorgeous. 🦋

⛏️ Mines ⛏️

To replenish your supply of crystals you need mines. Mines are buildings which "produce" a certain amount of crystals each turn.

  • They cannot be identified from the outside. Sneaky lil' things. 🙈
  • Many maps do not have any mines at all, so it is always a good idea to consider carefully what you spend your resources on.

Crystals can be transferred from one building to another (e.g. from a mine to a factory) using any transporter unit. Move those gems around like the main character you are. 💖

📧 PLAY-BY-E-MAIL 📧

If Crimson Fields is played in play-by-e-mail mode, the game will automatically be saved whenever a player ends her turn. The resulting save file can then be sent to your opponent using your favourite mail client program. Snail mail but make it tactical. 🐌✉️

On your first turn you will be asked for a password. You will be prompted for this password at the beginning of each of your turns to prevent your opponent from spying. 🕵️

Note, however, that the password only offers very mild protection if you are playing against deliberate cheaters. Choose your enemies carefully! ⚠️

📁 FILES 📁

Unix

~/.crimson/crimsonrc
~/.crimson/levels/

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

cfed(6), bi2cf(6)

Copyright © 2000-2007 Jens Granseuer

This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License[1] (GPL).

✍️ AUTHOR ✍️

Jens Granseuer <jensgr@gmx.net>

  • Author.

📝 NOTES 📝

  1. GNU General Public License http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 💖 this lil' masterpiece comes from the [FIXME: source] source, dated January 20 2007, and it lives at CRIMSON(6) — go forth and conquer, you gorgeous tactician. 👑🦋✨

📦 where this page comes from