ARMORED BRIGADE v0.802 
====================== 

1. INSTALLATION AND RUNNING THE PROGRAM 

2. CHANGELOG 

3. TROUBLESHOOTING

4. KNOWN ISSUES 

5. CONTACT 
====================== 


1. INSTALLATION AND RUNNING THE PROGRAM 
---------------------------------------

Unzip the archive file to any folder on your hard disk and run aBrigade.exe. 


2. CHANGELOG 
------------

==Version 0.802== 

* Fixed: The elevation data for water areas was missing 

==Version 0.801== 

- Added new urban terrain types to the map palette 
- Smoke and flares are shown as white symbols in the contour map mode. The symbols can be toggled off with the map info 
- Terrain fires, fire from vehicle wrecks and particles are not shown in the contour map mode 
- The AAR map changes its color according to the time of day 
- Halved the amount of dust from vehicle movement 
- "Quickest" is the default path mode for units and formations 
- Modified the audio listener position calculations 
- The degree symbol is temporarily replaced by "'" 

==Version 0.800a== 

+ Upgraded to ClanLib 2.3.4 

==Version 0.716g== 

- The LOS tool is much faster 

==Version 0.716f== 

- Fixed wing flights attack ground targets inside the designated target areas: AA-units inside the SEAD area, others inside the CAS area. The delay is 3-5 minutes. The flights cannot be called during the setup phase. The probability for the aircraft to become permanently unavailable after each pass is lowered from 25% to 20% 
- Added new variables to eras.xml, and edited some old ones 
- Units prefer firing at the least suppressed infantry targets. Works only for identified targets 
- Edited the 3D audio listener position and facing, and fixed some audio source positions. The indirect fire vehicle hit sound is played only if the player has detected the vehicle 
- The custom map terrain_palette.bmp included in the \docs folder 
- Configuration files moved to \data\cfg 

==Version 0.716d== 

- Added railroads 

==Version 0.716c== 

- The AI is better at avoiding water 
- Disabled the quick group 0, as shift+"0" results in "=" on some keyboards, which is used for zooming in 
- Fixed the Barren slope graphics 

==Version 0.716b== 

- Improved the map menu 

==Version 0.716a== 

+ Custom maps are defined in \data\map\maps.xml, and can be selected manually. Other map types are disabled 

- The defending AI places some of its mobile AT units to forward slopes 
- Aircraft are affected by the weapon muzzleSignature value 
- The random AIVisualContactDismountRangeMin/Max can be set in armies.xml 
- Roads avoid paved ground 
- Buildings use terracotta color 

==Version 0.715== 

+ Custom height maps can be used by placing them to the \data\map\height folder, named height001.bmp, height002.bmp etc. Currently the location is selected randomly, based on the Battle Generator "Hilliness" setting 

- The defending AI places some of its static AT units to forward slopes 
- The AI dismount range, used when enemy units are detected, is randomized for each battle 
- New sprites for all US vehicles, including winter camo (One more thank you to Capt Sam) 
- Added a message about the mission objectives, and the objective locations blink for a while during the setup phase 
- Adjusted the contour lines and elevation map mode colors 

==Version 0.713== 

* Fixed: A potential array out of bounds error in map image generation 

- Modified accuracy algorithm: Small targets, like hull-down vehicles, are easier to hit at close ranges 
- Trees have higher LOS block values 
- The maximum number of men per squad increased from 10 to 25 

Thermal imaging: 
- eras.xml: "thermalImagingMinRange" increased from 2000 to 3500 meters (vehicles with a weapon "nightVision" value equal or greater than this have a thermal imaging system) 
- weapons.xml: "nightVision" 2000 increased to 3500 meters 
- Adjusted the automatic cost calculator to match the new nightVision values 

Map Generator: 
- More trees in the random generated maps, depending on the Vegetation setting: Field edges can have tree lines, and some brush is replaced with trees 
- Increased the number of fields 
- Winter maps have empty spaces for the fields, possibly with tree lines 

==Version 0.711== 

* Fixed: A wrong dug-in symbol was used for the partly identified vehicles 

==Version 0.710== 

- When moving in a formation using the Quickest path mode, the units search the adjacent squares next to the waypoints, and move to the one with the best Trafficability 

New variables in the database (see DATABASE.txt for more info): 
- aircraft.xml: value 
- eras.xml: artilleryTRPRadius, artilleryAdjustRadius, HQRadiusInfantry, HQRadiusVehicle, infantryVulnerability, thermalImagingMinRange, unknownArmorKE, unknownArmorCE, aircraftDelay, planeDelayRandom 
- units.xml: enableTurretScanning, infantryVulnerability, value 

==Version 0.708== 

* Fixed: Planes could sometimes circle endlessly over the target area 

==Version 0.707== 

+ Vehicles are affected by the morale rules, and can be abandoned. HQ contact reduces the chance. Damage, suppression, seeing friendly units retreating/destroyed etc reduce morale 

- The morale and training values affect the purchase costs, 75 being the average value 
- When moving in a formation using the Covered path mode, the units search the adjacent squares next to the waypoints, and move to the one with the best Cover 
- Vehicles displace themselves if there's terrain fire in the same location 
- Map Generator: Steep terrain (The slopes greater than about 30 degrees) is replaced with Rough ground 

Database: 
- The formations and flights can have morale and training modifiers 
- USSR Combat Power modifier is set to zero 

Added hotkeys: 
- Covered path, Ctrl+"C" 
- Quickest path, Ctrl+"Q" 
- Shortest path, Ctrl+"S" 

Remapped hotkeys: 
- Custom fast compression, Shift+"C" 
- Smoke generator on, "Q" 
- Smoke generator off, Shift+"Q" 
- Create a smoke screen, Ctrl+"W" 

==Version 0.706== 

- Non-retreating HQ and radio units can act as artillery and mortar observers, making the fire more accurate. HQ units are the best spotters 
- Added a "free" formation, hotkey shift+F9, where the units advance without regrouping 

==Version 0.705a== 

+ Helicopters have two battle positions 

- Units can be ordered to use effective ranges (accuracyRange) in the SOP menu 
- Ctrl+"X" clears all range settings 
- The unit sprite, or a photo if available, is shown when the unit name is clicked in the purchase phase 

Database: 
- An optional photo can be added (spritePhoto. units.xml, aircraft.xml). The photo (or the sprite) is shown when clicking the unit in the purchase phase 
- Added tracerTypes: BOMB_IRON, ROUND_MORTAR_LIGHT_HE 
- Renamed tracerTypes: ROUND_NAPALM -> BOMB_NAPALM, ROUND_CLUSTER -> BOMB_CLUSTER 
- AA-Accuracy spreadsheet updated 

==Version 0.703== 

* Fixed: The scenario generation could freeze if the number of objectives was set to one 

+ New accuracy equation: "accuracyRange" in Ammunition.xml defines the range where accuracy is half of "accuracyBase". The docs folder includes an Excel spreadsheet that provides an overview how accuracyBase and accuracyRange interact 

Game Mechanics: 
- Improved fire distribution between units/aircraft, usually between at least two equal targets 
- Low Training has more effect on accuracy, while it doesn't increase the delay before first shot at all 
- Command Delay can be set to increase between the first three waypoints (armies.xml, commandDelayMod) 
- The minimum morale level to become routed has been increased 
- Infantry is a bit more vulnerable to direct fire 
- The aircraft spotting capability is affected by the Training level 

UI: 
- The time-of-day slider is now centered 
- Time and objectives are shown in the AAR replay 
- The event messages have a timestamp 
- Nationality flags are shown in the Battle Generator and AAR 

Other: 
- Desert camo sprites for the US vehicles (Thanks to Capt Sam) 
- The top-attack capability is less expensive 

==Version 0.701== 

* Fixed: The Battle Generator nationality settings were not saved/loaded 

==Version 0.700== 

+ The game data is moved into external XML files (data\xml folder), and can be modified with any text editor. See DATABASE.txt (docs folder) for notes 
+ Time of day is now dynamic. The length of twilight and day can be set in the Battle Generator. During the action there's a "sun" indicator, representing the current level of illumination 

Game Mechanics: 
- Added a new level of enemy identification between fully identified and unknown (Tracked, wheeled and half-tracked vehicles only) 
- Aircraft are affected by the training and morale rules. A low training value reduces weapon accuracy, and low morale aircraft escape more often 
- Morale, instead of Training, affects the suppression recovery (about 20-60 seconds). Morale is used to calculate how long it takes to recover from the buttoned-up state after a vehicle is no longer suppressed (from 15 seconds to about 10 minutes) 
- The default armor value for unidentified targets is now 15mm instead of 40mm, so the unidentified units are engaged with less powerful weapons too 
- The AI opponent is less eager to call air support 

UI: 
- Enemy units, as well as friendly aircraft, can be clicked for some info. During the AAR the friendly ground units can be clicked also 
- Detected guided missiles have a small symbol (green = friendly, red = hostile) 
- The Battle Generator settings can be saved and loaded 

==Version 0.696== 

Game Mechanics: 
- The HQ contact level is shown in the unit status view, and it modifies the probability to retreat/rout. The higher the HQ level, the lower the chance 
- If an infantry unit slows down to maintain formation or to fire a weapon, fatigue doesn't increase so fast (or at all). This makes formation movement more efficient, especially at longer distances 
- Scout units are 25% harder to be detected, and 25% better at spotting 
- Retreating units try to end their path in the best possible cover 
- The escaping planes don't start to turn away until all weapons have stopped firing, and don't try to acquire/fire/bomb any new targets after that 
- Added echeloned line formation, hotkey F9. The map mode distance adjustment hotkeys are now shift/control+F10 

AI Opponent: 
- The AI opponent uses more varied formations, both on advance and on defence 
- AI counterattacks are more aggressive 

Maps: 
- The amount of water can be adjusted in the Battle Generator 
- Rivers, streams and roads can start anywhere on the map, so these are not stuck close to the map edges so often 

UI: 
- The unit command menu doesn't go over the screen edges anymore 

==Version 0.694== 

* Fixed: Command delay is no more halved for the Reverse order, if there are dismounted infantry units in the formation 
* Fixed: The initial terrain fire size for different shell types and aircraft crash was calculated incorrectly 
* Fixed: No more "Taking indirect fire" message when an aircraft crashes close to a ground unit 
* Fixed: The number of player/opponent bunkers wasn't always set back to zero when creating a new battle 

Illumination:
- Burning wrecks and terrain fires can illuminate ground units like flares. Aircraft can be illuminated only by flares 
- Time of day and the size of flames determine the radius of illuminated areas 

AI Opponent: 
- Smoke generators are used sometimes 
- HQ units and some other critical assets advance more slowly, so they shouldn't be the first to contact the enemy 
- There's more variation on how the AI arranges its tank and mechanized formations 
- Heavy artillery is not fired on dismounted scouts 

Simulation and data: 
- Suppression and fatigue have less dramatic effect on the capabilities of ground units. Most notably infantry units can now fire even if fully suppressed and fatigued 
- Infantry units will sometimes create a smoke screen when they start to retreat, if they can see enemy units 
- Tweaked the top armor and artillery/mortar shell direct hit penetration values 
- The target coordinate is calculated more properly for aircraft delivered bombs, and the bombs are dropped at interval of about 60 meters 
- Su-17 and MiG-21bis carry napalm instead of cluster bombs 

UI: 
- The message view can be expanded/collapsed to view more messages by pressing the "F2" key. The shortcut for the old OrBat menu is now shift+"F2". The automatic message scrolling is disabled, and the messages are not removed in the AAR 
- The Battle Generator combat power buttons are less sensitive 
- Opponent units are sorted like player units in the OrBat menu (But the IDs are messed up now...) 

Other: 
- Craters are smaller 

==Version 0.692== 

Aircraft: 
- All anti-aircraft fire is less accurate 
- Anti-aircraft cannons and missiles (except MANPADs) have a shorter reaction time 
- Helicopters do not always escape after taking fire 
- Fixed wing aircraft can stop the attack run and escape by the nearest map edge after taking anti-aircraft fire, and possibly be available later again 
Other: 
- The Battle Generator map size buttons are less sensitive 

==Version 0.691== 

- Smoke is now much more effective for blocking the LOS of units with Night Vision 
- Guided missiles: When the LOS is checked at the moment of impact, the Night Vision value of that weapon is used, instead of the best one 
- Reduced the default combat power and map size 

==Version 0.690== 

- Mortar and artillery shells can sometimes land outside of the designated target area 
- Opponent fire missions: The red rectangle is removed, and replaced by a symbol which is placed randomly near the fire mission 
- Command delay is halved for the Reverse order 

==Version 0.689== 

* Fixed: The leftmost and topmost grid squares could not always be clicked on the higher zoom levels, after scrolling left or up 

==Version 0.688== 

- Helicopters can be sent to the pre-designated battle positions any time after the setup phase 
- The AI opponent uses scatterable mines to close obstacle breaches when defending, BUT it doesn't select them automatically in the purchase phase 
- Added two new zoom levels. The screen centering is still quite inaccurate 

==Version 0.687== 

- When setting engagement ranges, the range is displayed next to the mouse cursor, and the same range is set for every selected unit and formation 

==Version 0.686== 

Indirect fire units: 
- By selecting "1 Round" or pressing the "I" key, one more round is added to the firing queue. The number of rounds is shown next to the target line 
- The "Slow" rate-of-fire is now 1/4 of the "Fast" rate-of-fire for indirect fire weapons, direct fire uses the same 1/2 rate as before 
- Selected units/formations have a square on the end of the target line 

==Version 0.685== 

* Fixed: When adjusting artillery, in some cases the line between the old and new location was drawn to a wrong position and in wrong color 
* Fixed: The large main menu buttons should now be non-transparent 

- Increased the minimum fire mission size from 90 meters to 150 meters 
- NATO icons of the dead player units are now more bright in color 
- NATO icons and some other info are disabled on the two highest zoom levels 
- The icons of enemy units, which current location is not known to the player and are located in buildings, are now always drawn under the tree/building graphics layer. This way it is not possible for the player to know if the unit is currently inside a building, until the unit is spotted again 

==Version 0.684== 

* Fixed: The CAS delay was not always displayed for subsequent strikes 

- Modified victory conditions: Total Victory is harder to achieve, Tactical and Major Victory are more common 

==Version 0.683== 

- Town grid roads avoid water 
- Objectives are placed on top of water less often 
- In meeting engagements the objectives are spread more evenly and over a larger area 
- Some variety in objective names 
- Sounds are no longer cut off with fast time compression 
- Random artillery noise in background 
- Grammar improved 

==Version 0.682== 

- Unit movement is smoother. When a unit is ordered to stop, it stops right away 
- When "Defence" in the Battle Generator is "Dug-in+Fortified", the scenario attacker receives less purchase points than before 
- Artillery and mortar shells are less likely to cause terrain fires 
- New tree graphics (Thanks to Käki) 

==Version 0.680== 

* Fixed: Anti-air and indirect fire muzzle flashes could not be detected 
* Fixed: The distance between muzzle flashes and the observer was calculated incorrectly 
* Fixed: Some muzzle flash graphics were missing 
* Fixed: The pre-game menus use now non-transparent buttons and logo, this should fix the graphics issues on some graphic cards 

- The AI opponent can use mortars to fire illumination at night 
- Casualties have a much higher effect on the victory points. This way the battles should be less "fight till death" type, because high casualties end the battle earlier 
- Command delays are halved when using formations (Including for mortar fire mission, nearby HQ units reduce the mortar adjust delay as before) 
- Maps have small patches of water and more streams/rivers 
- Urban areas have less buildings, so vehicles and the AI should not get stuck that often 
- If the scenario defender loses an objective, and then reoccupies it, he will receive only half of the victory points from that objective, and the attacker receives the other half (The objective turns orange) 
- Aircraft treat all ground targets as "unknown", and thus won't always attack the most valuable detected enemy unit 
- If an artillery target is out of the normal TRP radius, but closer than 2x the normal radius, the delay is slightly shorter. In previous version the same effect could be achieved by setting the fire mission within a TRP radius, and then adjusting it further away from the TRP 
- Rescaled all MT-LB images and the PT-76 turret images. Modified the water and jungle tree graphics 

==Version 0.670== 

* Fixed: The player could move units/formations while setting TRPs 
* Fixed: Button fonts were using wrong color 
* Fixed: Slow moving missiles could self-destruct if the target changed speed rapidly 

New units (Summer/winter/desert camo included for most of the new vehicles): 
- USSR: PT-76B, T-54B, T-55A, T-62, T-64B, ZSU-57-2, BMP-1, BMD-1, BMD-2, BTR-70, MT-LB, Airborne Inf Squad, AT-3c ATGM Team, Su-17, MiG-21bis, MiG-27M
- Finland: PT-76, MT-LB 
- FRG: Roland SAM 
- USA: F-4C Phantom II 

Game mechanics: 
- Muzzle flashes can be detected outside of the normal detection range of the unit. The symbol is shown within 250m radius from the firer. The spotting capability of the observer at the given moment, the Signature value of the firing weapon and time of day (darker=better) affect the final probability 
- Thermal imaging systems: All undamaged vehicles, which have a weapon with Night Vision value greater than or equal to 2000m, have a 50% better spotting capability and 10% increased cost value 
- Bad weather ("Visibility") reduces the Night Vision ranges 
- Visibility ranges adjusted 
- Weak point hits reduce the armor protection randomly between 0-80%, instead of a constant 80% 
- Smoke/Dust produced by smoke generators and vehicle movement increases the obscurants value in the adjacent grid squares. This solves the issue with "holes" in the smoke, when the vehicle is moving diagonally 
- Aircraft can crash to grounds objects like trees, buildings etc. 
- Vehicles WITH 2-plane stabilization have a slighly reduced spotting capability when moving 

Maps: 
- The map generator produces more roads/villages and much larger towns 
- Buildings have three different heights now: 5m (1x1 buildings), 12m (1x2 and 2x1 buildings) and 25m (2x2 buildings) 

Data: 
- 20-35mm ammo penetration revised. Most of the values are increased at longer ranges, including aircraft based weapons 
- All aircraft mounted cannons can be used to engage other aircraft 
- MANPADs have a shorter reaction time 

GUI: 
- Friendly infantry and gun units, which are not dug-in but located in terrain which allowes them to hide from the enemy (until the unit moves, fires or is overrun), have a yellow outline on the NATO symbol. The unit state displays usually "Hiding" 
- Ground visibility is shown in the Battle Generator 
- Ctrl+"S" adjusts the fast time compression between min-medium-max 
- Tracer sprites use the same scale as unit sprites: if the unit scale is increased by pressing shift+"B", the tracers can be seen even if zoomed out 
- Some adjustments and more colors in the AAR screen 
- GUI button highlighting enabled 
- Individual units do not "collide" with buildings when the player is moving them in the setup phase 
- Fire mission "tubes" and "volleys" +/- buttons are less sensitive 

==Version 0.650== 

* Fixed: In some cases a unit/aircraft wouldn't stop tracking the target even if it couldn't be fired anymore 
* Fixed: Some floating point rounding errors in the GUI 

+ Artillery target reference points. Fire missions within the TRP radius have a shorter delay 
+ Scatterable mines are not included with other artillery ammunition and must be purchased separately and fired at the special target reference points. AI doesn't use scatterable mines at the moment 

- Upgraded to ClanLib 1.0.0. For some unknown reason all button fonts are black now, investigation is ongoing 

Game mechanics: 
- Direct fire HE/HEI/HEAT/HE-FRAG/etc ammo is much more effective vs infantry and guns 
- Units have a higher chance to become routed 
- Only hull hits can immobilize a vehicle 
- Infantry movement speed and fatigue adjusted: The "Fast" order uses the maximum speed (as before) and increases fatigue 4x more than normal movement. Normal movement speed is 50% of the maximum speed (previously 75%). The "Scout" order movement speed is 25% of the maximum and doesn't produce any extra fatigue 
- Vehicles have a Visibility modifier, which affects the spotting capability when buttoned-up, in addition to the reduced field of views. Light damage reduces Visibility 25%, heavy damage reduces 50% 
- Accuracy is increased for the firing weapon after the initial shots on the same target. The firer must be a vehicle OR a gun unit firing its main weapon. The ammo type must be non-guided. The target must always be a vehicle/fortification/gun unit 
- 90-125mm ammo penetration revised 
- Rotary wing sorties have max 10min delay before entering the map 
- Fixed wing sorties have 25% chance to leave the area permanently after each attack run, even if they have ammo left and haven't taken any damage 
- Added echelon left and echelon right formations 
- There is a 15% chance to score a direct fire "Critical hit" vs a gun unit, if the firing weapon/ammo "Damage vs Soft" value is Medium or greater. The critical hit destroys the gun instantly 

Scoring and maps: 
- More different battle results: Tactical/Major/Total Victory/Defeat 
- Battles last 33% longer by default 
- Adjusted map colors and shading, added some random noise. Contour lines are darker at higher elevation 
- The AVERAGE terrain trafficability (infantry and vehicles use different values) is shown in the terrain info box: Elevation, Cover, Conceal, Trafficability, Relief 

GUI: 
- If only one unit is selected, the distance and LOS (Smoke, dust etc is ignored. Green=LOS, red=no LOS) between the unit and cursor is displayed 
- A line is drawn from a friendly firing aircraft to the target when firing 
- When setting engagement ranges, the range is calculated using the exact distance between the unit and cursor 

==Version 0.601== 

* Fixed: If an individual unit was unloaded during the setup phase it didn't enter dug-in state 

+ Both sides MUST designate an entry/exit point, a battle position and a target reference points for helicopters during the setup phase. During the placement, LOS at 50m altitude and the maximum main weapon engagement range in current visibility are shown 
+ Force point distribution percentages can be customized 
+ "Dynamic" replaces the "Unrestricted" force type. Now the player can spend any number of points and the opponent points are adjusted according to the points used 
+ Vehicle armor weak points: 15% chance to reduce the armor protection to 1/5 of the original 

- Victory objective density can be set in the Battle Generator 
- Enemy units and obstacles (around 5-15%) are randomly detected after the setup phase, the "last seen" symbol is placed within 1km radius. The probability depends on the unit type (vehicle/bunker/other). HQ units are easier and recon units are harder to detect 
- Indirect fire suppression radius is doubled (max 100m for heavy artillery). For infantry units it can be reduced 50% (dug-in) OR 25% (stationary) 
- Nearby artillery and heavy mortar hits can cause shrapnel damage to heavily armored vehicles too. The maximum radius is 30m for heavy artillery, if the target has no cover. The maximum theoretical probability is 50% 
- Remapped hotkeys 
- Adjusted the unit cost calculation 
- Reduced 120/125mm APFSDS/HEAT penetration 
- The selected obstacle type is highlighted in the GUI 
- All obstacles must be placed before the setup phase can be exited 
- Longer emplace time for most ATGM and AAM vehicles 
- "Incoming aircraft!" messages are clickable 
- Engagement ranges are always shown if "Show engagement ranges" is selected 
- LOS in shown in the minimap 

==Version 0.496== 

* Fixed: Aircraft muzzle flash positions 
* Fixed: US M106A2 had MG3 
* Fixed: Icons of the destroyed unidentified dug-in units had green edges 

- Arty ammunition reduced to 60 rounds per gun 
- Aircraft size-factor is taken into account when spotting, making aircraft somewhat harder to detect 
- Mi-24 can hover 
- Helos can fly nap-of-earth 
- Helos leave the battle area permanently when they run out of main weapon ammo 
- Maps have less rough terrain 
- Craters are smaller (visual only) 
- Autopurchaser can use the last purchase points for arty (For example if the unit limit is reached) 

==Version 0.495== 

* Road march formation with a reverse order works now as intented 
* Fixed: In some cases vehicles without a stabilization would not enter the scanning-mode 
* Improved graphics performance 

+ Two new nationalities and many new units. Most of the old data is revised 
+ New vehicle and aircraft graphics 
+ Morale System: Units can retreat and possibly become routed (routed units disappear for the rest of the battle) after being suppressed, taking casualties or seeing friendly units fleeing or killed. At the moment only non-vehicle units can retreat or rout. Stationary and immobilized units cannot retreat, only rout. Retreating units suffer several penalties: cannot be controlled by the player/AI opponent, cannot hold or capture objectives, spotting ability is minimized, cannot fire, cannot mount, cannot act as a HQ etc 

- Vehicle hull and turret have separate dimensions. Dug-in vehicles use only turret dimensions to calculate a size-factor. If the dug-in vehicle has no turret then only 1/3 of the hull is visible 
- New armor model based on RHAe values and abstracted armor face types, different armor types and slopes are no longer used. Armor faces can be either "Simple" or "Complex". "Simple" uses a standard impact angle calculation while "Complex" adds some randomization: 1. A number between -30 - 60 is added to the impact angle. 2. If the resulting angle is less than zero, it will remain zero. 3. If the resulting angle is greater than 89 degrees, it won't do any damage 
- Vehicles can enter "In defilade" state. This means that the vehicle is hull down if the opponent is within +/-45 degrees of the defilade vector. The defilade vector is calculated using the last hull angle when moving OR using the "Defend" vector. The probability for entering "In defilade" state is calculated using terrain "Relief" value and unit training. If the unit enters defilade successfully a green arch is drawn, centered towards the defilade vector 
- Dug-in troops/mortars/guns can hide in any terrain. All dug-in units have green borders around NATO icon 
- RPGs and LAWs are less accurate and can be used while the squad is moving. Movement reduces the accuracy and rate-of-fire as usual 
- Infantry units can use reverse waypoints 
- Artillery: Different adjust delays, gun cost and ammo levels depend on nationality. Guns are puchased in platoons/batteries/battalions. Effectiveness vs infantry is reduced 
- Mortar smoke rounds generate less smoke than arty smoke rounds 
- Recon units can be placed halfway to the no man's land but cannot be used to capture objectives 
- Projectile impact graphic positions for misses are randomized 
- Adjusted turn/traverse/acceleration/reverse values for every vehicle and aircraft. The reverse speed is now visible in the unit specs window 
- Improved helo behaviour 
- Most aircraft have no longer night vision capability 
- Vehicle hit messages next to the unit icon 
- A message when the unit is taking indirect fire or hits an obstacle for the first time 
- A sound effect for the messages 
- AAR replay tool 
- "Unload" waypoint 
- Zoom in/out buttons and a zoom slider 
- More keyboard shortcuts for zooming. Shortcuts for setting rate-of-fire 
- Mech and tank forces have infantry (again). Infantry force has more "leg" infantry and less tanks 
- Unused purchase points decrease the effect of casualties on the victory Points 
- Autopurchaser & mortars: When advancing with an infantry force only portable mortars are selected. When advancing with a mechanized/armor force only vehicle-mounted mortars are selected. All mortar types are selected when defending 
- Autopurchaser & air-defences: If the "Air Superiority" variable prevents the opposing side from having aircraft, the autopurchaser won't select air-defence formations 
- Autopurchaser tries to spend only the "last few points" for non-mechanized infantry if the force type is Mechanized or Armored 
- Autopurchaser favors dismounted recon units if the force type is Infantry 
- Added more company and HQ formations 
- Company formations have 20% discount. All HQs are a bit cheaper 
- Objective locations are more varied 

==Version 0.450a== 

* Fixed: Non-spotted aircraft engine sound was audible after resuming a saved game 
* Fixed: All ammunition with "LOW" soft damage value was too accurate 

+ Adjustable pathfinder: Unit/Formation can be set to use the shortest(default)/quickest/covered path. Road march column uses always the quickest route 

- Improved contour map 
- Rate-of-fire can be toggled between Fast(default) and Slow 
- Adjusted the cost calculation for all units. Company formations cost 10% less 
- Improved Unit-AI target selection 
- An estimated battle time limit, based on the Victory Points, is shown in the Battle Generator 
- Default Victory Point values increased +50% so battles last longer. Battle Generator remembers the previous amount of Victory Points 
- Small arms ranges reduced 
- New units: Grenade MG teams, LAW/RPG teams, SPG-9 recoilless rifle 
- New infantry weapons: hand grenade, grenade launcher, Dragunov SVD 
- T-72s and T-80s: New ammo loads, T-72M1 has no missiles 
- M1A1 has no mine plow 
- Shading and new colors for elevation map mode. Colors can be switched by pressing shift+"H", sensitivity is adjusted by pressing ctrl+"H" 
- A line is drawn between a transport and it's passenger unit if either one is selected. If the passenger is within mounting-radius the line is yellow, otherwise red. There are also other additional lines to provide help when adjusting arty or setting waypoints 
- Mechanized and armor force types have no more "basic" infantry. Mechanized force has a bit less armor points than before 
- Tracers generate smoke on ground impact 
- Extreme temperatures increase the fatigue growth 
- Illuminated non-destroyed units are drawn in a full color brightness 
- Tanks are more vulnerable to DPICM 
- Fire Mission "Done" and "Firing" messages can be clicked 
- Paved roads do not generate dust in a desert 

==Version 0.430== 

* Fixed: An error caused the target armor estimation to ignore hull armor values if the target had a turret 
* Fixed: In some cases AI was advancing dismounted with mech/armor force 
* Fixed: Fire mission adjust-mode did not cancel automatically if artillery run out of the selected ammunition type 

+ On-map mortars 

- Improved AI opponent: better unit placement when defending, less stacking when advancing. AI can leave some units to defend the captured objectives 
- Improved performance for large battles (less freezes due AI pathfinding) 
- Added an experimental march formation, optimized for road movement 
- Units plan forward to reduce extra movement when moving in formation. If player does not want this to happen he can disable the next waypoint 
- Stationary and suppressed troops are less vulnerable to direct and indirect fire 
- Increased terrain elevation shading 
- Mi-24V: Higher cost and longer fire delay for top-attack missiles 
- "Air superiority" buttons enabled in the Battle Generator 
- The overall cost of aircraft is decreased about 25% 
- Increased the overall cost of some infantry units, mostly the ones with missiles 
- Adjusted infantry force combat power values: less for mech, more for armor 
- Autopurchaser tries to spend the Support points for the following: 40% anti-air, 40% anti-tank, 20% other. If it's not possible then the standard selection method is used 
- Purchase Menu: Artillery and pillbox +/- buttons are less sensitive 
- Battle results in a draw if both sides have less that 20% of the OWN initial victory points 
- Added "Draw" button which ends the battle and shows AAR 
- The maximum depth of no man's land is 4km (not in meeting engagements) 
- Opponent's units can be viewed in AAR roster menu 
- Added MANPAD teams and heavy mortars 
- SA-9 has now 12 missiles 
- Artillery has more ammunition 
- Arty adjust delay is half of the maximum if target is within 800m of the old XY 

==Version 0.424== 

* Fixed: AI used to shell his own breaches with HE 
* Fixed: Killed guns/infantry were not identified in the AAR. Guns/infantry which are killed AND hidden are still not revealed 
* Fixed: Application crashed if user closed the window in a display mode menu 
* Fixed: A squad MG was lost too easily 

- Map width and height can be adjusted separately 
- Messages can be clicked for a quick access to the message location 
- "Taking fire" messages 
- Shift+"S" toggles sound 
- Shift+"D" adjusts unit sprite size, ctrl+"D" toggles target lines 
- Preferences are saved in \data\preferences.cfg 
- Increased DPICM and cluster bomb sub-munition area damage radius, making them much more effective vs infantry 
- Increased damage vs soft targets for gatling weapons 
- Ammunition with medium, high or very high soft damage value has higher probability to cause damage vs soft targets 
- SOP: Separate engagement ranges for soft and hard targets. "E" key hides/shows engagement ranges for the selected units 
- Removed HE shell visual fireball effect 

==Version 0.423== 

* Fixed: Teams and squads could lose LAWs instead of assault rifles or MGs. Disposable launchers are now simulated using a single weapon with multiple ammo 
* Fixed: Fonts were not visible on all hardware setups in a full-screen mode. This was result of too wide font textures 
* Fixed: During setup phase the defend order would usually favor north-west positions if it was not possible to dug-in 
* Fixed: Roster up/down buttons did not work during AAR 
* Increased minimum range of some aircraft based weapons to prevent backwards firing 

+ The game is saved when player exits a battle unless it has ended. Saved data can be found in the \data\saved folder 

- Command delay, artillery delay, morale and troop quality depend on nationality. Each nationality has also a combat power modifier but this is only for balancing generated battles, NOT because of realism 
- Reduced the maximum speed of most vehicles 
- MANPADs are less accurate 
- AI opponent uses arty to distrupt obstacle breaching 
- Some heavy weapon teams are immobilized if they take casualties and do not have enough men to carry equipment. Unlike vehicles, they can still rotate 
- BRDM-2 has secondary MG (7.62mm) 
- ATGM teams have assault rifles 
- All units are revealed and identified in AAR 
- Added scout teams for recon sections 

==Version 0.421== 

+ Victory conditions. Side which runs out of victory points first is the loser 

- Added infantry and mech HQs. Autopurchaser selects tank HQ after 3 tank platoons, mech HQ after 3 mech platoons etc 

==Version 0.420== 

+ Purchase phase 
+ Force types include mechanized, armor, infantry and unrestricted. Unrestricted is available for player only. Force type affects AI opponent tactics and how combat power can be spent 
+ Weapons have multiple ammunition types 

- Added T-72B, T-80U and M3A1 
- Dirt roads generate more dust 
- Vehicle automatically moves to safety when DPICM shell lands nearby. Dug-in vehicles require closer hit 
- If unit tries to enter occupied grid square BOTH units become instantly visible to opposing sides 
- Units without radio can use radio units in the same formation to reduce command delay. Both units must be un-buttoned. Maximum radius with visual contact is 300m, otherwise 150m 

==Version 0.418== 

* Aircraft threat value was too small 
* Fixed sprite offset error when infantry squad had 7 men left 

- New sounds: Assault rifle, HMG, helicopter, tank engine 
- Minimap draws a marker to message location. Added warning messages for enemy artillery and spotted aircraft 
- LOS-tool uses standard map mode when zoomed close 
- Defender's deployment zone is deeper 
- Vehicle and aircraft damage reduces weapon accuracy max 50% 
- Defending AI conducts counter-recon 
- Infantry can hide in buildings while moving 
- Tank main guns and autocannons can be used to engage slow flying aircraft, e.g. helicopters 
- Some weapons cannot be fired if vehicle is buttoned-up. Depends on unit, not on weapon 
- Weapons can have limited elevation, currently abstracted 22.5 degrees. Depends on unit 

==Version 0.417== 

* Defend waypoint works again during setup 
* Fixed target value estimation 

- Improved AI counterattack 

==Version 0.416== 

* Fixed potential crash when aircraft using fire-and-forget weapon exited map while missile was still in the air 

- Higher resolution map image 
- Smoke shells generate smoke downwind 
- Guided weapons without fire-and-forget ability check owner unit's suppression level when missile impacts and reduce accuracy max 50%. Note that suppression affects accuracy also when weapon is fired 
- Units and formations with scout/contact waypoint react when under direct fire or if aircraft is spotted 
- "Waypoints"-submenu removed 
- Air strike delay is shown when setting target area 

==Version 0.415== 

* Fixed aircraft night vision range bug 
* Fixed lead calculation when target is reversing 

+ Units and formations are placed by dragging and dropping during setup phase 

- More info in roster menu 
- Added button to stop time, resized and rearranged other buttons 
- HE/DPICM rounds create more dust in desert 
- New terrain type: Soft sand 
- Forest and trees include 13 different types of coniferous/deciduous/mixed/leafless/jungle/burnt terrain 
- RPGs for Soviet infantry 
- Armor and penetration values use millimeters 
- Nearby artillery hits can cause shrapnel damage to lightly armored vehicles. Arty damage against other targets is toned down 
- "Last seen" icon slowly fades away if unit is not detected. After that unit must be identified again if it moves 
- Passenger unit is instantly killed if ammo explosion occurs 

==Version 0.414== 

+ Vehicles button-up under fire. Buttoned-up vehicles have narrower field of views and cannot use line of sight to maintain contact with HQ units 

- Possible kills can also be seen in roster menu next to the unit name 
- Unit-AI target armor estimation improved 
- Fixed vehicle dust position 

==Version 0.413== 

* Player input enabled during pause, will be optional. New hotkey is space 
* Sprite movement is MUCH smoother now 

+ HQ units. Command delay is affected by radio and closest HQ unit within command radius. Both units must have either radio or visual contact. Visual contact without radio results in longer delay 
+ New armor model with different materials, sloped armor and tandem warheads 

- Map image: contour lines and new colors. Standard map image is used for LOS-tool 
- Movement type affects immobilize/bogging probabilities 
- Waypoint delays are recalculated when using formation regroup 
- Reversing vehicles switch to standard advance when breaching obstacles 

==Version 0.412== 

* Formations with scout/contact waypoints didn't always stop if contact happened while regrouping 

- Chemicals and scatterable mines take longer time to prepare 
- Flames from wrecks are now drawn before other particles 
- Reduced chobham armor resistance vs kinetic penetrators 

==Version 0.411== 

* Fixed bug with aircraft size modifier that made it too small target 
* Fixed font alignment when map info is off 
* Weapon muzzle signature parameter is shown correctly in specs window 

+ Platoon/unit ID's 
+ Player can create groups of units/formations that can then be selected with hotkeys 

- Short delay between individual shells in volley, long delay between volleys 
- Wasteland is now Barren, blowdown forest is burnt forest 
- Pillbox dimensions changed 
- Improved screen centering when zooming 

==Version 0.410== 

* Fixed rare crash when all units in formation were detached 
* Formation scout/contact waypoints now work even if units have previously been in contact. Units with scout waypoint pop smoke and vehicles try to reverse out of LOS when enemy unit is spotted 
* Fixed and improved defend waypoint 
* Fixed artillery blast damage direction 
* Fixed passenger damage and suppression 

+ Added meeting engagement 
+ New rules for spotting and accuracy, separate cover and conceal values. Only infantry and guns can hide completely (not moving/shooting, terrain conceal greater than 0) 
+ Adjusted damage model and penetration values. Added bunker slit penetration 
+ Improved AI opponent 
+ Smoke dissipation reworked (max 10min when calm). Burn times for arty shells (3min) and smoke grenades (15s). Drifting disabled temporarily 

- Upgraded to ClanLib 0.8.0 
- Unit roster 
- AI uses wire-obstacles 
- Vehicles traverse turret back only when breaching minefield 
- Player can manually pop smoke 
- Adjusted sound Z-coordinates 
- More color tones for LOS-tool 
- Added/updated sounds: explosions, flares, artillery, recoilless rifle etc. 
- Improved soft ground generation around rivers 
- Removed zoom limits 
- New terrain type for nuclear wasteland: Forest (blowdown) 
- 24bpp support 
- Opponent fire missions flash for a short time (HE/DPICM/Chemical) 
- Fire missions are automatically cancelled when out of rounds 
- Aircraft won't return after taking any damage 
- Vehicles burn max 30 minutes. Units in burning grid squares are spotted as in daylight 
- Air strikes can be reassigned during setup. Player receives message when the first aircraft arrives 
- Artillery takes less time to readjust 


3. TROUBLESHOOTING 
------------------

a)	Problem: I receive an error message "AppName: abrigade.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: dinput8.dll ModVer: 5.3.2600.2180 Offset: 00016324". 

	Solution: Unplug any USB devices you have connected. 

b) 	Problem: Colors seem "washed out" or use weird palettes (for example cyan), usually in a windowed mode. 

	Solution: Use 24 or 32 bit desktop color depth. (This issue should be fixed now) 


4. KNOWN ISSUES 
---------------

4.1. Technical: 

a) 	Windows Vista: On some systems the game crashes when exited in a full-screen mode. 

b) 	Upside down screen occurs with some graphic cards in a full-screen mode. 

c)	With some hardware setups the application window doesn't start centered and results in problems with zooming and scrolling. 

	If you experience any of the issues mentioned above please contact me and send your system specs. 

4.2. Gameplay: 

a) 	In some rare cases a ground unit alternates target rapidly between two enemy units. It's still unclear how this situation can be reproduced so it is not fixed. 


5. CONTACT 
----------

Questions, comments and other feedback to veitikka6@gmail.com 


Copyright 2012 Juha Kellokoski 
