SYNDICATE CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................3 Game Overview ...........................................................................4 Object Of The Game ...................................................................5 Quickstart.....................................................................................6 Main Menu Options................................................................14 F1. Configure Company ............
Chapter 3: Preparing THE TEAM..................................................................................21 Agent Boxes ..................................................................................................21 Group ...........................................................................................................22 Equip ..................................................................................................................22 Weapon Details ............................
Using Weapons ...................................................................................................38 Grabbing Weapons........................................................................................39 Discarding Weapons......................................................................................39 Panic Mode...................................................................................................39 Self-Destruct ......................................................
Then the European corporation perfected the CHIP. Inserted in the neck, the CHIP stimulated the brain stem to alter your every perception of the outside world. Better than any drug, the CHIP gave hope to millions by numbing their senses to the misery and squalor around them. One CHIP would convince users that the sun shone and the birds sang even as they walked through the constant acid rain drizzle.
Adrenaline) levels. With these, you set the degree of an agent’s operational independence during missions. (For information on the strategic uses of IPA Levels, see Playing A Mission – IPA Levels.) Each mission takes place among the canyons of concrete and steel, the mazes of streets and sewers, that our cities have become. The population goes about its business – moving among the traffic, commuting on trains, rushing to and from work – unaware of the violence about to explode around them.
And while you’re busy expanding your Syndicate’s empire abroad, rival agents are working in your own back yard to de-stabilize your Syndicate. Ensure agents are briefed to weed out traitors whose actions might bring about your downfall. By meeting all the challenges, destroying all targets and gaining control of all the territories, your Syndicate triumphs.
Main Menu To play Syndicate immediately, highlight Begin Mission from the Main Menu with the cursor and left-click or press F2. Your Syndicate retains the Bullfrog name and logo throughout the Quickstart mission.
The World Map displays the Bullfrog logo over Western Europe. At the start of a game this is the only territory with a mission currently available. The Territory Box with population level and tax rate information is displayed at the bottom of the screen. (To find out more about this see Raising Taxes.) Left-click the Brief window to enter the Mission Brief screen.
group icon 9 equipment/ modification list agent boxes equipment inventory agent icon Team Selection Screen The Team Selection screen opens. Here you Equip and Modify your agents in preparation for the mission. All four Agent Boxes are highlighted in green, but four agents is overkill on this first mission. Two are adequate, so de-select the other two by right-clicking their boxes.
Left-click Agent Box 2 and the agent display shifts accordingly. Equip and Modify this agent as before. Remember, you’ve a long way to go to world domination, so be frugal or suffer later! Now left-click Accept and the Mission Begins. health bar highlighted status box mission zone IPA levels weapons display scanner Mission Status Screen The Mission Status screen displays all the information necessary to the success of a mission. On the left are the agent Status Boxes with agent icons.
Left-click one Status Box and it is highlighted in orange. This is the active agent. His/her inventory of weapons is listed below. To arm an agent during the mission, left-click the desired weapon icon from the inventory. your agent target locator enemy agent (red) Close-Up of Scanner The Scanner shows a display of the Mission Zone with buildings displayed in blue, road and rail routes in gray. Your agents are the yellow circles, enemy agents red and the target a white flashing dot.
targeting icon To fire, left-click a weapon icon from the inventory. Aim with the cursor and the targeting icon appears. Now right-click with the mouse to fire. When the targeting icon turns red your foe is within range for the chosen weapon. If you’re pressed for time, enter Panic Mode by pressing both mouse buttons together. Agent Levels shoot up to maximum and a weapon is drawn and fired automatically. If you now pay the target a visit, you can teach him/her never to tangle with the Syndicate.
Mission Debriefing If the mission has been successful, left-click Accept and you visit the World Map to choose another territory and another mission. First, raise taxes on the citizens to boost your remaining budget. One or two of the territories adjacent to the one in which you have been victorious are flashing; choose between them by left-clicking, and then left-click Brief. If the mission is unsuccessful, any agents killed and money spent are gone for good.
MAIN MENU OPTIONS Use the cursor to highlight the chosen menu option and left-click to open. You can also do this using function keys F1 - F5 on your keyboard. F1. Configure Company Customize your Syndicate by choosing logo, color and name. For more information see Configuring Your Company. F2. Begin Mission Pick a mission territory, equip your agents and pit your Syndicate against your global rivals. For details see Preparing To Play Syndicate. F3.
CHAPTER 1 – CONFIGURING YOUR COMPANY Left-click Configure Company to reveal the Select Detail To Change box. Select Detail To Change customize logo and name Select Detail Personalize your Syndicate color and logo, Syndicate name and player name here. Choosing Syndicate Color Left-click the Color And Logo option. Scroll through the color list with left-clicks to the arrow icons, and then left-click OK when the desired color appears. There are eight colors to choose from.
Choosing Syndicate Name Left-click Company Name, type in your chosen name and confirm with a left-click to OK. Choosing Player Name Left-click Your Name, type in the name of your choice and then left-click OK. Note: If you make a mistake while typing, use the Backspace key to erase the name one character at a time and then re-write it. The chosen Company Name and Your Name should now appear beneath the logo on the left hand side of the screen. Click Accept to complete the company configuration.
World Map territory calendar date current tax rate territory box This is divided into 50 different sized territories. Color coded according to the controlling Syndicate, the slices bear no relation to current conceptions of national boundaries but are solely the result of decades of inter-Syndicate rivalry (see Equipment & Territories). After a successful mission, the World Map has changed.
Territory Box The Territory Box gives details of: Territory Name: Based on the traditionally most dominant nation in the territory. Population: The higher the population, the more difficult the mission to conquer it. But the greater the reward as you’ve more people to tax! Current Tax Rate: As you start the game the Tax Rate for each is unknown. Only after successfully completing a mission is the territory’s Tax Rate revealed. For details of how and when you can increase this figure see Raising Taxes.
Mission Brief budget mission text mission map Mission Brief The Mission Brief screen displays the mission text, your mission Budget, Info and Enhance options. Mission Outline The text gives an outline of the mission including drop point, defensive and offensive tactics, suggestions for suitable weapons and possibly the location of the target. The Mission Outline is expanded if you choose to buy Info. Budget The figure at the top of the right hand column is the mission Budget.
more lethal weapons and still more powerful modifications (for more info see Research). When you’ve thrown all the cash away on unsuccessful missions the game doesn’t end, but life becomes very difficult. Agents are sent into action without extra equipment or further modifications. At this point the self-destruct option can come in handy (see Self-Destruct). But remember, when all your agents are dead the game really is over.
Accept Having assessed your chances of completing the mission, left-click Accept. The Team Selection screen appears. Return To Main Menu Alternatively left-click Menu to return to the Main Menu options. CHAPTER 3: PREPARING THE TEAM agent boxes equipment group icon agent icon weapons inventory Team Selection Agent Boxes Select, equip and modify agents using their Agent Boxes. All four are highlighted in green and the agent currently on display has a flashing, broken outline.
couple of agents when the bullets, bombs and laser bolts are flying. And dead agents are just so much wasted Syndicate moolah. De-select with a right-click and the Agent Box goes blank. To re-activate a deselected agent, right-click in the Agent Box again. (For more information see Team.) Group A left-click to the group icon in the center of the four Agent Boxes lets you Equip and Modify the cyborgs all at once. This can save you considerable time at the Team Selection stage.
Weapon Details weapons detail At the beginning of the game you have only five equipment options: Persuadertron, pistol, shotgun, scanner and medikit. Research money is needed to perfect more (see Research). Left-click an item in the Equipment List to open the Weapon Details window and find out Name, Cost, amount of Ammo carried, effective weapon Range and the unit cost of ammo or Shot.
Mods Mods List and Chosen Modifications Now that your agents have the gear, they need the brain, muscle and sinew to help them use it. To tune your cyborgs’ physiques to perfection, left-click Mods and a list of possible modifications appears over the Equipment List. Choose between designer limbs, eyes, heart, chest and brain to produce the ultimate killing machine. Highlight the desired modification with a left-click.
Arms: Allow an agent to carry a larger amount of equipment unhindered. Eyes: Improve awareness of oncoming hazards and better an agent’s accuracy when firing. Chest: Modify a cyborg with a metallic chest to help it survive direct hits during opposition attacks. Also contains a massive explosive charge that is triggered in SelfDestruct mode (see Self-Destruct). Heart: A bigger heart improves overall physical strength and durability.
Although responsibility for the victory of the Syndicate rests on your shoulders, you’re not entirely without support. Syndicate scientists are working feverishly to develop more lethal weapons and modifications for your cyborgs. But as the old saying goes, ‘no bucks – no Buck Rogers’. It’s up to you to channel funds into Research, from where new designs are added to the Equipment and Modification lists. NOTE: Funding is used to develop one mod or research one piece of equipment at a time.
Adjusting Development Time research options increase or decrease funding development graph line Want that laser real bad? Speed up development by increasing funding. Budget looking a little thin? Reduce the speed of development and save some money These adjustments can be made using the Funding + and Funding - options. Funding + Left-click Funding + to inject cash into the Dev program of Equipment and Modifications.
Development Graph The Development Graph is an at-a-glance indicator of the state of development for any Modification or piece of Equipment. Detailed on the vertical axis is % Completion and on the horizontal axis Days to Completion. The line shows this completion/time ratio and becomes shaded along its length to make the time to completion even more graphic. The initial Dev Cost is based on 100% Completion being achieved after 10 days.
Left-click Team to select your agents from the Cryo Chamber. At the beginning of a Syndicate session you have eight agents available with identical attributes, the first four of which are numbered according to their Agent Box. The remaining chambers register as Empty, but can be filled with captured agents as the game goes on. Equipment purchases and Modifications to your agents give them more specific mission uses. They also gain experience with their weaponry as the game progresses.
When your boys and girls are ready to go out and play, left-click Accept. The Loading Game message appears and the mission begins. CHAPTER 4: PLAYING A MISSION Once you’ve adequately equipped your cyborg servants, you’re ready for a mission. status box health bar IPA levels scanner Mission Status The Mission Status screen displays all the information you need to lead your Syndicate agents to their target.
but when there’s more black than white showing it’s time to take evasive action. When the Health Bar is completely black, the Cyborg is dead. The Health Bar can be restored using a MediKit (see Equipment & Territories). Changing Active Agent The active agent’s Status Box is highlighted in orange. To change active agent simply left-click another Status Box. To switch active agent you can also left-click a numbered agent directly in the Mission Zone.
Adjusting Levels adrenaline perception intelligence Level Bars As the bars move, the agents actions change. All levels to maximum, the agent reacts quickly and with a high degree of operational independence. When the Adrenaline bar is the only one at maximum, the agent moves quickly but you may need to take control of firing and other responses. Intelligence and perception high, adrenaline low, the response time slow, but firing accuracy is assured. The dark segment shows amount of drug used.
Note: In Group Mode any Level adjustments to a single agent affect them all. Scanner civilians target locator your agent enemy agent (red) Scanner From your vantage point high above the city you observe proceedings and monitor the actions of your agents. To help you plot agent moves, warn you of advancing enemy cyborgs and locate the target, the control airship is equipped with a Scanner which reproduces an aerial view of the Mission Zone.
Vehicles are shown on the scanner as white squares. The target can be located by the radar locator line given off, and corresponding audible signal (see Target). If the mission requires you to reach an evacuation zone after the target has been dealt with, this emits the same radar locator as the target. Once all agents have reached the evacuation zone the white line turns red.
Speed To make your agents move more quickly around the Mission Zone you can increase the Adrenaline level, or invest in higher version legs. But the load an agent is carrying also has an effect, so you must judge the amount of equipment taken on the mission carefully – too much could hinder your progress. Higher version arms give an agent greater strength allowing him/her to carry more weaponry (see Modifications).
In The Mission Zone Here are some of the things you can expect to come across while playing a Syndicate mission. Enemy Agents (red circles) Cyborgs employed by rival Syndicates appear in the Mission Zone dressed similarly to your own, wearing large overcoats.
Vehicles (white squares) Get in cars and trucks or onto trains by left-clicking the desired vehicle. The active agent walks toward and enters it. Cursor clicks in the direction of movement control the vehicle. Left-click the vehicle itself to stop and get your agent out. On trains your agent has to travel to the next platform before disembarking. Wait for the train to stop and left-click. Your agent gets off the train.
Using Weapons weapon display grab icon highlighted weapon Weapon Display and Armed Agent in Mission Zone Only the active agent’s weaponry is displayed beneath the Status Boxes. You must left-click a weapon before firing. This highlights it in orange – the active agent pulls the weapon from under his/her overcoat, ready to kill. It’s a good idea to select a weapon well before you reach your target, where things might be hectic and swift.
Grabbing Weapons The weapons of agents killed in action, whether enemies or your own, can be retrieved by an active agent. Move the cursor over to the smoking remains of an agent or police officer and the Grab icon appears. The weapon flashes red in your agent’s inventory to let you know if it’s worth retrieving. Left-click and your man-machine goes to the remains, bends down and quickly conceals grabbed weapons in the folds of his/her overcoat.
Self-Destruct Okay, so your remaining agents are out of ammo and rival Syndicate scum are circling like vultures, ready for the kill. What to do now? If you’ve invested in a Chest Modification Versions 2 or 3, press Control D on the keyboard and the active agent blows himself to bits in a huge conflagration, taking out everyone and everything in the surrounding area. Your remaining agents (who you’ve positioned well out of range, of course) can then grab lose weapons and continue the fight.
Mission Debriefing Debriefing Screen After each mission the Debriefing screen gives you the mission statistics. These include agents killed, agents used, hit percentage – a breakdown of everything that happened during the mission. If things went badly for your Syndicate, here’s where you find out why. The Debriefing screen also shows the current state of any ongoing Research, and tells you when new equipment and modifications become available.
CHAPTER 5: AFTER THE MISSION Having successfully eradicated the first target, you are taken to the Mission Debriefing screen. Left-click Accept for the World Map display and see the impact this victory has had for your Syndicate. lower tax rate raise tax rate Raising Taxes After winning a mission you have earned the right to levy outrageous rates of tax on the helpless citizens.
Right-click the arrow to the right of the current tax figure to raise taxes in 10% increments, or left-click to increase them an agonizing single percentage point at a time. The money raised is displayed next to the tax figure; your head spins as you watch it rise! Click the down arrow on the left of the tax figure should you wish to lower the tax rate for some insane reason. All the cash raised is added to your overall Budget over time.
Whether your agents have won or lost a territory, those that survived may have fired. Save on the expense of all-new weaponry by purchasing a reload at a much reduced cost. Left-click the Agent Box to see the cyborg’s remaining firepower beneath the agent display. Weapons low on ammo have incomplete white bars. A left-click to one of these opens up the Weapon Description window. Now left-click Reload to return a weapon to full strength.
Mission Failure If your agents fail to respond to your commands, or your commands do not come quickly enough, the mission fails. The on-screen instruction to press Space Bar takes you to the Mission Debriefing screen. From here, left-click Map for the World Map display and choose another territory (and a mission you can handle). Left-click Brief and you’re back at the Mission Brief screen.
Game Over Crashing Airship If you’re so inept that all eight cyborgs supplied by the Syndicate are killed, the game is over. As an embarrassment and a liability to your Syndicate, an explosive device hidden on board the command airship is detonated by the Syndicate Executive and you crash in flames into the city. It’s a quick death, and for that you should be thankful, but you ain’t exactly going down in a blaze of glory. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Loading A Game To load a saved game of Syndicate, highlight Load And Save Game on the Main Menu and left-click. The Load And Save screen appears. Highlight the appropriate game number and left-click Load. CHAPTER 7: EQUIPMENT & TERRITORIES Equipment Weapon Icons Listed here is the complete set of weapons and mission peripherals made available to your Syndicate. Firearms: Pistol: Large caliber hand gun. Medium range projectile weapon.
Version brain Civilian Guard Policeman Agent Brain ø A 4 8 32 Brain V1 A 2 4 16 Brain V2 A 1 3 11 Brain V3 A 1 2 8 (A = always persuaded) Each category also has attached Persuasion Points. These work in combination with higher version brain modifications and are as follows: Civilian = 1 Guard = 3 Policeman = 4 Enemy Agent = 32 Example 1: With brain ø you need 4 civilians to control a single guard.
Support Weapons: Flame Thrower: Produces a stream of ignited jelly that sticks to targets and burns. Very short range but devastating. An effective anti-vehicle weapon or for close crowd clearance. Mini Gun: Motor driven multi-barreled machine gun. Devastating rate of fire and a decent range make this an ideal support weapon for any squad. However, any unmodified agent attempting to carry more than one of these may encounter problems with the huge weight involved.
Energy Shield: Personal force field generator. Completely covers the individual with a protective force wall that can withstand all projectile weapons. Due to the immense power drain, this item has a very short life span. Territories After the fall of the world’s governments national boundaries collapsed as countries were carved up by the Syndicates. For administrative purposes the holdings of a particular Syndicate were divided into territories of roughly equal population size.
Colorado Southern States Mexico Columbia Peru Venezuela Brazil Paraguay Argentina Uruguay CHAPTER 8: RIVAL SYNDICATES The Tao: Orient-based Syndicate formed from the unification of competing Chinese Triads and Japanese Yakuza factions. Having infiltrated the monolithic Sonbushi corporation, Tao executives found they had their hands on the levers of power from the South China Sea to the Russian Steppes. Not since the days of Genghis Khan has an empire of the East spread so far West.
political party dedicated to the memory of the late President Castro. When they couldn’t get what they wanted through the ballot box, they turned to bombs and bullets – a far more effective way of keeping the masses in line. Spreading through the Caribbean like a flu epidemic, this Syndicate soon established itself as a primal force throughout most of South America.
base they cut off the electricity to the mainland, stunning Tao executives who could no longer operate their game consoles. They surged across the Bass Strait like beer from a barrel and drove the Tao from Australia to re-established the Barby as the Australian national pastime. With a fortune made from exporting weak, fizzy lager worldwide to spend on Research, the TLC gained influence and were soon second only to the Tao itself as a world power.
Credits For Bullfrog: Producer: Peter Molyneux Management: Les Edgar Assistant Producer/Programmer: Sean Cooper Programmer: Phil Jones Amiga Programming: Michael Diskett, Mark Webley, Guy Simmons Graphics: Chris Hill, Paul McLaughlin Level Design: Alex Trowers, Mark Lamport, James Robertson, Glenn Corpes Sound & Music: Russell Shaw Intro Sequence by: Paul Walker, Rich Underhill, Paul McClaughlin, Chris Hill, Russell Shaw, Kevin Donkin Technical Support: Kevin Donkin Additional Support: Kathy McEntee, Su
Artists’ Bios Peter Molyneux – Producer “In Populous we simulated a whole world, in PowerMonger we simulated a country, but in Syndicate we are simulating a city. This is really hard to do because the more detail you put in the more problems you have. For example, even seemingly easy things like people crossing roads had to be designed. In fact, the code that Sean produced for roads is huge.
“The first Syndicate conversion on the Amiga was slower than a dead snail. After much optimization the speed improved considerably, and after Mike got his grubby paws on it our dreams were surpassed.” Chris Hill – Artist “My visual idea for Syndicate was to create a dark style to the game. You will notice that the roofs of all the buildings are dark – this is because the street lighting illuminates the dark parts. There was so much more I wanted to put in terms of graphics, etc.
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