If you are starting the Dynamic Campaign Generator (DCG) for the very first time, you will not see the Main Screen but instead you will be taken to the Campaign Screen (see below) immediately after setup is complete. However, after that you will always see the Main Screen when you start DCG.
On the status bar at the bottom of the Main Screen you will see the date of the current campaign in progress and a "Ready" indicator that means DCG is in standby mode, waiting for the next time you save your game. You should always leave DCG running while you are playing Men of War so that it can detect when you save your game.
The Main Screen also provides buttons for you to "Start a New Campaign" or Backup or Restore an existing campaign. Additionally, there are buttons which return you to the Settings Screen or Quit DCG. Finally, there are buttons for entering the Map Data Editor or Operation Editor, which can be useful if you intend to customize DCG (this is not necessary for most players).
You will see the Campaign Screen when you first start DCG, or when you select "Start a New Campaign" on the Main Screen, or when you complete an operation (at which point you are allowed to change theatres or skip ahead in the war.
If you are starting a new campaign, you are allowed to choose the nation you will play on the first dropdown. After that you must choose a theatre from the following dropdown and an opposing nation from the dropdown after that (if there is more than one opposing nation in the theatre).
You can use the calendar to pick a desired starting date within the range allowed. Finally, you may select a specific operation (either random or "historical") from the last dropdown. If you do not select an operation, an appropriate one for the nations and time you chose will be randomly selected for you.
The Purchase Screen allows you to "buy" and refit squads and equipment to use in the battles that DCG generates.
The Player Units list at the top left corner shows the troops which are currently at your command. You begin with nothing, so this list will be blank when you first see this screen. Above this list you will see an indicator of the maximum allowed size of your force and the current size of your force. Each soldier has a "size" of 1. Each vehicle or cannon also has a size which varies by type. When your current force size is equal to or greater than the maximum (it can become greater when you capture equipment in a battle), you will no longer be allowed to purchase more forces unless you disband some existing squads or equipment. Each time you win an operation, your maximum allowed force size will rise by 8.
Additionally, you can drag and drop soldiers between your squads and vehicles using this list up to the maximum allowed crew and squad size. Finally, you can right-click on this list to purchase replacement crew for vehicles or squads, though typically not from the full list of available soldier types.
Below the Player Units list are buttons which allow you to do additional things to your units. One button allows you to add blank squads to that list, if you wish to reorganize your soldiers into other squads between battles. Another button allows you to reset the inventory of the selected unit to its default, which is useful if it is running out of ammo. Another button allows you to disband a unit if it is taking up too much space (sometimes you will get points for doing this if the unit disbanded is very valuable equipment). One other button allows you to view a details popup, including inventory, paint scheme for some vehicles, and fuel remaining for vehicles. The popup allows you to refuel vehicles for a price.
The Force Pool list at the top right shows available units which you can choose to purchase if you have enough points. The number of points you currently have is indicated just above this list. The list shows a name of the vehicle, equipment, or squad, the number remaining for purchase on the current day, the cost to you in points if you purchase the item, the size it will take up in your force, and the rarity of the item (how likely it is to appear on the list on any given day). Items will only appear on this list if the current campaign date falls in the range of dates when they historically saw service.
A button near the bottom labelled "Procure Selected Equipment or Squad" allows you to transfer that item into your own force and deducts the cost from your current points. If the size of the item is too big or you do not have enough points, you will receive a message and the transaction will be cancelled.
The operation screen shows small thumbnails of all the battle maps, referred to as "map thumbnails," that are part of an operation. The map thumbnails are arranged in a grid pattern showing their relative position in the operation. Each map thumbnail has a small flag indicating which nation is currently in control of the map. A line or series of lines between the map thumbnails show where the front lines are between the opposing nations.
| National Flags and Colors | ||
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United States of America (USA) | |
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North Vietnam | |
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Viet Cong | |
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South Vietnam | |
Some map thumbnails have a small icon indicating that a supply source exists at that location. Supply sources are crucial because when one side captures all the supply sources in an operation, that side achieves victory and the operation ends. Supply sources are also important because any unit which cannot trace an unbroken path back to a supply source through map thumbnails controlled by its own side is considered out of supply. A unit which is out of supply cannot purchase replacements or rearm and refuel between missions.
| Supply Icons | ||
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Map contains a supply source | |
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Map is currently out of supply | |
Some map thumbnails have point values indicated above them. These point values indicate the amount of bonus procurement points the player receives if the player wins the operation while that map thumbnail is controlled by the player. Some map thumbnails also have names above them. Names do not have any gameplay effect and only exist for historical flavor.
The operation screen also shows rectangular icons which represent large concentrations of troops, called "units." Each unit is situated on a map thumbnail which represents its current position in the operation. An arrow pointing away from a unit towards another map thumbnail indicates that the unit has been ordered to attack the battle map represented by the adjacent map thumbnail. The setup area of a battle which takes place as a result of that movement would be on the adjoining edge. Each unit has a colored background that indicates which nation it represents. Units belonging to the player's nation or its allies can be moved by the player by means of dragging and dropping them on map thumbnails with the mouse. Units which occupy a friendly map thumbnail will defend during the current turn. Units which are dragged on to an enemy-controlled map thumbnail will attack during the current turn and this is indicated by an arrow pointing from the unit to the map thumbnail it is attacking. Double arrows indicate that two adjacent units are attacking each other and that which of the two map thumbnails the battle will be fought upon is not yet known.
One unit, referred to as the "player unit" is marked with the word "PLAYER" below the icon and represents the player's troops. The disposition of the player unit controls what battle map is loaded in Men of War for the current turn and whether the player will be in a generally offensive or defensive role during the battle. The results of attacks not directly involving the player unit are calculated behind the scenes. If multiple units attack the same map thumbnail the odds of success or defeat change in proportion to the number of units involved. If multiple units attack the same map thumbnail that the player unit is attacking or defending, the player may face many extra enemy troops in the battle or the player may find additional allied troops appear in the battle.
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Attack indicator (colored by nationality) |
If the player unit is dragged to a map thumbnail which is not adjacent to a friendly-controlled map thumbnail a special type of battle called an "infiltration mission" is triggered. An infiltration mission is different from a typical battle in that the player will only be able to use infantry in the battle and the objectives of the infiltration mission are unknown until the battle begins. If the player unit is dragged to a map thumbnail which is not being attacked by an enemy unit and the player unit is also not attacking, then the battle during the current turn will be against fewer enemy troops than usual and will gain the player fewer procurement points if victory is achieved.
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Infiltration mission indicator |
The icons which represent units give clues as to the kind of troops they may bring to a battle. You can right-click on a unit to get more information about what kind of equipment it may contain. Following is a key to the main unit icon types.
| Unit Icons | ||
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Airborne | |
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Infantry | |
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Motorized Infantry | |
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Mechanized Infantry | |
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Armored Cavalry | |
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Armor | |
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Heavy Armor | |
After the battle takes place each turn and the results are determined, any contested map thumbnails change sides if the attacker won the battle. Any units which were defeated are forced to retreat to another map thumbnail controlled by their side. If a unit which is forced to retreat is surrounded by enemy-controlled map thumbnails that unit is eliminated for the remainder of the operation. If all units on one side are eliminated in this fashion, the side with units remaining achieves victory and the operation ends immediately.
At the bottom of the operation screen on the left is a count of days remaining in the current operation. If this number drops to zero the operation ends in stalemate.
At the bottom of the operation screen on the right is a button marked "Done" which should be clicked when the player is satisfied with the setup of the operation for the current turn.
The Deployment Screen allows you to adjust the deployment of your forces before the battle begins in Men of War.
The map at the right of the screen shows the battlefield that you will fight on next. Above the map, you will see a brief description of the mission ahead, if available. Standard missions will show one or more red circles indicating the objectives you must capture in order to win the battle. A light blue box shows the deployment area for your troops.
You will see light blue dots in your deployment area representing all of your available troops for that mission. You can change the position of those troops by selecting the unit you want to move from the list on the left and then clicking in the deployment area on the new location that you want them to appear at the start of the battle. The dot or dots indicating the unit which is currently selected for redeployment will appear white.
You may un-check the box next to any unit on the list on the left if you want it to appear in battle as a reinforcement. You may change the position where the reinforcement first appears in the same way you redeploy other troops. Reinforcements which are not currently selected appear as dark blue dots.
When you are satisfied with the deployment, click the "Done" button in the lower right. If you are already running the Dynamic Campaign Mission in Men of War, it should automatically take you back to the game and you need to select "Restart Mission" from within Men of War to begin playing the new mission. If you are not already running Men of War, simply load the game and start the Dynamic Campaign Mission.
When the mission begins, be sure to check your objectives for that mission (by default, press the "o" key). The items on the objectives display will show the conditions required to achieve victory and will present a binoculars icon next to each applicable condition that, when clicked, highlights the relevant area of the map.
When you complete the Dynamic Campaign Mission in Men of War (whether you win, lose, or simply decide to stop the mission to preserve your forces), simply save the mission using the name that you specified in the DCG setup and you will be returned to the beginning of this process to set up your next mission.