TEGEL'S MERCENARIES ============================================================================ !!!! READING SECTIONS 4 & 5 IS ESSENTIAL FOR FULL !!!! !!!! UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAME !!!! **** A NUMBER OF HELPFUL OPTIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO FACILITATE GAMEPLAY **** This file contains last minute changes to the Mercenaries Manual as well as other important information. Contents System Requirements ...................................... 1 Installation ............................................. 2 Troubleshooting .......................................... 3 Manual Additions ......................................... 4 Manual Changes ........................................... 5 Ending the Game .......................................... 6 ==================================== 1 ===================================== -System Requirements- To install and run Tegel's Mercenaries will require the following actual minimum requirements on your PC (use the "chkdsk" or "mem" command to check): Low RAM free: 590 KB Extended RAM: 0 KB If no Sound Card is being used. 700 KB If using Sound Card Free Hard disk space: 5.0 MB Required: - IBM-PC/AT 12MHz '286 or faster - 640 K Memory - Hard drive (requires at least 5.5 Mb free space to install) - Mouse, 100% Microsoft (or Logitech) Compatible - Memory requirements Mercenaries requires 590K of the 640K portion of RAM free to run. 1 MB of extended (NOT EXPANDED) memory is required for the digitized Sound Blaster sound effects. To run the program you may have to free up more low memory and convert expanded memory to extended (by altering or removing the EMM386 command in your CONFIG.SYS). If you don't have enough memory to run Mercenaries and are not familiar with the methods to free up additional memory on your computer, you may start up your computer using a boot disk. Please note that many users report incompatabilities when using Sound Blaster along with EMM386. To avoid problems, we recommend that EMM386 be disabled before running TEGEL'S MERCENARIES. On some computers, STACKER may cause conflicts with Mercenaries. If you have STACKER and are experiencing difficulties, reinstall the game on to an UN-STACKED portion of your Hard Disk. ==================================== 2 ===================================== -Installation and Configuration- - Hardware Check To determine the type of sound card available for music and sound effects, the INSTALL program is set to automatically scan the computer hardware. In case the program cannot successfully scan your particular hardware, you are given an option to skip the scan process and manually input the sound card settings yourself. If you select NO to Hardware Check, then the INSTALL program will default to no sound card and you must choose the correct sound card settings yourself. If you are using a Sound Blaster card for sound effects, then you will need to choose the correct I/O port, sound IRQ setting, and DMA Channel setting. When choosing these settings, the defaults will be highlighted. You can choose the defaults or select your own settings. ==================================== 3 ===================================== -Troubleshooting- - Sound Card problems Some AdLib compatible sound cards may not be detected by the INSTALL program and the program will default to the PC Speaker. You may override this selection and choose Adlib as your selection. If sound problems occur within the game, there may be a compatibility problem with your specific hardware configuration. To test for sound card compatibility problems, run the INSTALL program and select PC Speaker to see if this eliminates your problems. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Special Note for 486/50 Mhz machines and Sound Blaster soundcards - Problems may occur with Sound Blaster soundcards when attempting to play music on a 486 machine running at 50 Mhz speed. Included with "MERCENARIES" are 2 files: ICD.EXE and ICE.EXE - the former to disable the internal cache on the 486 and the latter to reenable the cache. Usage: icd - disables the internal cache ice - enables the internal cache ** WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A 486 COMPUTER, DO NOT RUN THESE PROGRAMS!! ** Thanks to Michael Spertus - CompuServe #70313,2520 for these programs. ==================================== 4 ===================================== -Manual Additions- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot Keys The following is a complete list of all the Hot Keys which are available in Mercenaries. A ......................... Attack E ......................... Engage/Ignore F ......................... Follow S ......................... Search V ......................... moVe X ......................... Cancel 1-6 ......................... Choose Merc D ......................... use Device T ......................... sTatistics P ......................... Pickup (When Mission Complete) SPECIAL NOTES: Attack: Once the attack hotkey is selected, a menu of hotkeys which represent the mercenary's weapon choices will appear at the bottom of the screen. The actual letters cannot be listed here because the hotkey assignment varies from Merc to Merc. 1-6: It is possible to use the numeric keypad to select the appropriate mercenary but THE NUM LOCK MUST BE OFF! If the NUM LOCK is on, the game will respond as if it were in SOLO MODE (described below). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * ADDED HOTKEYS * Scrolling: On expanded keyboards, the arrow keys may be used to scroll the map during the mission. Holding down the button when depressing the arrow keys will cause faster scrolling. + A: Depressing the "A" key while holding down the key will Abort the current mission. This key is designed to allow you to skip missions which you are unable to complete. For this reason, when the abort command is given, the game acts as if you had just SUCCESSFULLY completed the aborted mission and allows you to go on to the next mission. The difference between aborting a mission and completing it is that you will receive no credits from an aborted mission, even if it was partially completed when you aborted it. Because the game ends if you run out of money, only a few aborts will be possible. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Weapon Abbreviations Rocket Launcher .................. Rocket Laser Gun ........................ M-Rifle Flamethrower ..................... Flame-Jet Grenade .......................... Grnades Holdout .......................... Hldout Demo Charge ...................... Demo Red Card ......................... Rd. Card Black Card ....................... Blk. Card Heavy Armor ...................... Hvy. Armor Medium Armor ..................... Med. Armor Light Armor ...................... Lt. Armor Bomb Detector .................... Bomb-Det Rockets .......................... Rckts. 6pk. Launcher .................... 6Pk. Halo Rifle ....................... Halo Napalm Hurler .................... Naplm Balrog Flamegun................... Balrg Pulse Rifle ...................... Pulse Machine Pistol ................... Mach. Pist. Spartan Shotgun .................. Spartan Q5 Bull Pistol ................... Q5-Bull Blister Charge ................... Blister Explosive Charge.................. Exp. Chrge. Plasma Rifle ..................... Plasma Fussion Cannon ................... Fussion Medic Kit ........................ Medic Prism Cloak ...................... P-Cloak Paralyzer Bomb ................... P-Bomb Holo Disk ........................ Holo-D Data Disk ........................ Data-D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Additional Features * - Melee Combat - To engage in this form of combat, simply move your mercenary next to the target. When the mercenary is close enough, melee combat will begin. The amount of damage a mercenary does is dependant upon his or her strength. - SOLO MODE - Solo mode is a special feature which allows you to take direct control of the mercenary you choose. To use Solo Mode, simply highlight the appropriate mercenary with the mouse and depress the button. At this point, you can control the highlighted mercenary with the numeric keypad, WHEN THE NUM LOCK IS OFF! If your Num Lock is not off, pressing 1-6 will highlight a new mercenary. Whenever the Num Lock is turned off, the highlighted mercenary will be placed in solo mode so it is possible to select a mercenary with the keypad while the Num Lock is ON and then switch to Solo Mode by simply switching the Num Lock OFF. When in Solo Mode, the keypad may be used to control the mercenary, as previously stated. You are also able to use the mouse and the hot- keys, if you wish. All hotkey commands automatically refer to the mercenary in Solo Mode. Turning the Num Lock ON, or highlighting the mercenary and depressing the key will disengage the Solo Mode. While in Solo Mode, depressing the <~> key (the key to the left of the <1> key) will automatically return to the mercenary who was in Solo Mode before the current mercenary. This only works when you use the key to engage Solo Mode with consecutive mercenaries. - Following Combat - During combat, you will notice a number of indications as to what exactly is happening to your mercenaries below is what they mean. Yellow "Splat": The mercenary is firing at a target. Red "Splat": This entity has just been hit by an attack. Blue "Splat": This indicates a miss. Explosion: The explosion is used to indicate the impact of a heavy weapon. This can be a flamethrower, grenade, or rocket launcher. In order to further clarify what is occurring during combat, we have included health indicators for the mercenaries on the screen. The health indicators will illustrate when the mercenaries are being damaged. Also, a merc's indicator will blink when he is about to die. - Armor Upgrade - When collecting an armor upgrade device, the upgrade value will not show up in the merc's health bar at the top of the screen. It will, however, be in his inventory, and you can check his new armor value by looking at his/her statistics. ==================================== 5 ===================================== -Manual Changes- The following is an itemized list of the discrepancies between the manual and the "Tegel's Mercenaries" game. - Flameguns, hold thirty (30) bursts. Laser weapons vary by type. The Microwave Rifle holds 60 shots, the Delaser has 40 shots, and the Pulse Rifle has 20. - Unfortunately, Demolition devices do not function. - Mercs may use a weapon that they are not trained with, they will not be as effective with it though. - All attributes are limited to 98. - Armor values for the mercs are not listed on the roster screen. - The only method of restricting the weapons that the mercenary uses is to go to Solo Mode with that mercenary. - There are no destroyable walls in the game. =================================== 6 ===================================== ENDING THE GAME Tegel's Mercenaries ends when one of the following three conditions is met. 1. When the player runs out of money. (Lack of credits makes it impossible to hire mercenaries for missions.) 2. When the player loses all of the available mercenaries in the game. (No new mercenaries will follow such a poor leader.) 3. When the player successfully completes all of the missions in the game. (Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!) ============================================================================ - This README.TXT file can be reviewed using most text editors. For additional HELP, you may call Mindcraft Customer Support at: (310) 320-5215 (9 - 5 Pacific Time M - F) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE END