Game Instructions
To play the Waterloo Interactive Battle Simulator, you must first choose whether to play as Napoleon (French side) or as Wellington (Allied side). The computer will play as your opponent. The game is played as a series of situations. The exact number of situations required to complete the game will vary, but expect to play about eight or so to finish the game.
Mac users: You may need to download the Mac OS Runtime for Java plug-in from apple.com in order to play. Please note that Netscape will not run this game on the Mac platform. For more information see Help.
The game begins with an Overview screen which will set the stage for the game.
You then proceed to the first situation.
On each Situation screen, the general situation at that point in the battle will be described, and a map will show the positions of the various armies, using the following icons:
Allied Forces
British
— these forces are under the control of Wellington.
Prussian — these forces are allied with the British and although they
are under the direct control of Blücher, you will be commanding these
forces as Wellington in the game.
French Forces
French
(other than the Imperial Guard ) — these forces are under the control
of Napoleon.
Imperial Guard — these are the best French forces on the battlefield
and are under the direct control of Napoleon.
On the Decision
screen, you will be given several battle strategies to choose from. You can
click on each option in the list provided to see a short description and a map
illustrating that choice. Select your choice, then click on the Continue button.
At the same time
you are making your decision, the computer, playing as your opponent, will make
a decision for the other side. The impact of these two independent decisions
will determine the battle outcome, although the exact result of this outcome
can vary each time you play the game. You must choose your battle strategy based
on what you expect the opposing forces will do — but there are no guarantees
they will proceed as you expected.
Based on the outcome
of this situation, you then proceed to the next situation. As you progress through
the game, your progress will be tracked to determine the final outcome.
Winning the Game
After you have
completed all of the situations, the final outcome of the game will be displayed
on the Outcome screen. There are 7 possible outcomes:
- Complete Allied
Victory (The death of Napoleon)
- Major Allied
Victory (Historical)
- Minor Allied
Victory
- Draw
- Minor French
Victory
- Major French
Victory
- Early French
Victory
Historically, a
Major Allied Victory was the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo. If you are playing
as Napoleon, and you obtain any type of French victory or any outcome short
of Major Allied Victory — even a Draw — then you have done better
than Napoleon did. If you are playing as Wellington and you obtain a Complete
Allied Victory (and thus the death of Napoleon on the battlefield), then you
have done even better than Wellington did in the actual battle.
Even if you make
the same decisions, the course of the game and the final outcome can vary, so
you will want to play the game several times to see the different possibilities.
The final outcome of the game is a combination of skill and a bit of luck, not
unlike the situation faced by Napoleon and Wellington.
Here’s
your chance to compare your military skills with two of the greatest commanders
in history. Your fate on the battlefield awaits you!
Enter the Interactive Battlefield Simulator 
Download may take a minute or two...
