Software Vault: The Games Collection 1

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Text File | 1991-04-14 | 28KB | 556 lines

A-10 TANK KILLER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALT J - Joystick Control ALT C - Center Joystick ALT M - Turn off music FLIGHT CONTROL Keyboard: Joystick (ALT-J) Dive Dive 8 Left 4 6 Right Left Right 2 Climb Climb Avenger Cannon = Spacebar Avenger Cannon = Button #1 Selected Weapon = Enter Selected Weapon = Button #2 A-10 VIEWS Cockpit Views Outside Views F1 Look Forward F4 Front View F2 Look Left F5 Left Side View F3 Look Right F6 Right Side View F7 Rear View F8 Weapon Attack View F9 Engagement View F10 Reverse Angle Engagement View ACTIVE KEYBOARD COMMANDS Spacebar Fire Avenger 30mm Cannon (or joystick button #1) Enter Fire Selected Weapon (or joystick button #2) Tab Toggles next target for HUD and TID Esc Brings up Control Panel, pauses game P Pause game M Displays Strategic Map Q Brings up Quit Menu + Select next active weapon - Select previous active weapon H Select Maverick J Select LGB K Select Rockeye L Select Durandal ; Select Sidewinder < Left Rudder > Right Rudder Numeric 1-9 Throttle 1=no throttle 9=full throttle F Release Flare C Release Chaff R IN MAP SCREEN: On/Off switch for SAM range on Strategic Map S IN SIMULATION: Brings up status screen D Display message log MAIN SELECT MENU The first menu screen in Main Select. It is the starting point from which you enter the game. Among the seven menu choices in Main Select Menu are Fly One Mission and Start Campaign. These are the two modes of game play that A-10 offers. FLY ONE MISSION allows you to individually select which mission to fly. Each mission will include a Briefing/Debriefing, Weapon Select and Mission Summary. When a mission is completed or exited you will be returned to the Main Select Menu START CAMPAIGN enters you into a preset "tour of duty". You will start at mission #1 and continue until you have either completed all of the missions, are shot down or lose the war. A key element of Campaign Mode is that goals, objective and key players are carried over from one mission to the next. In Campaign Mode if you do poorly in the first mission, it may come back to haunt you. Also important in Campaign Mode is that Campaigns can be saved for later continuation. When beginning a campaign, you will enter a character name. The campaign will be saved under this name and can later be viewed or continued. Under the Mission Select Menu, you will be able to select a single mission and tailor its difficulty level and game play parameters. These include: THREAT LEVEL You can individually tailor the degree of difficulty in each mission. Mild = Wimp Mode Moderate = Pretty Mean Suckers Aggressive = Major Bad News AMMUNITION You may select a "limited" or "unlimited" ammunition supply DAMAGE You may select a "normal" or "invincible" A-10 A setting of "normal" means that you A-10 can be damaged. A setting of "invincible" means that your A-10 cannot be damaged. Note: Scores achieved with selection of either "unlimited" ammunition or "invincible" damage WILL NOT be recorded into the hall of fame. BRIEFING/DEBRIEFING Commander Cord is your command officer. He's full of advice, wisdom and orders. You will meet with him before and after each mission. In the Briefing, he will instruct you as to the current situation and give you your orders. Of course, once airborne, you and you co-pilot are free to do as you wish. BUT, assuming you make it back alive, you'll have to answer to Cord in Debriefing. MISSION SUMMARY After each mission Debriefing, you will receive a Mission Summary. Mission summaries contain all data on your latest performance. You will be given the overall result of the mission and your tactical score (a point system based upon number and type of kills). CAMPAIGN SUMMARY In Campaign Mode, you will receive both a Mission Summary and a Campaign Summary. The Campaign Summary contains a cumulative tactical score (compiled from all mission played). Following the Campaign Summary screen will be the Campaign Decision screen. This will be the point at which you can decide to Receive Next Assignment or Return To Main Select Menu. Choosing Receive Next Assignment will place you into the next mission of the campaign. Choosing Return To Main Select Menu will save you place in the current campaign and return you to the Main Select Menu. Once Save, a campaign can be restarted at any time from the Continue Campaign section of the Main Select Menu. WEAPONS LOAD The final screen you will encounter before entering the simulation will be Weapons Load. You will be presented with a choice of 5 preset weapons loads, one of which will be designated as the Recommended selection. The recommended load is based upon the specific goals of each mission and will, for the most part, prove the most effective. However, as you play each mission, and develop your own strategy, you may find that selections other than those recommended are more useful. Select the proper weapon type to use against the target. Against Tanks: Select Avenger 30 mm cannon, or select a MAVerick. Against Other Vehicles: Select Avenger, MAVerick, or ROCkeye cluster bomb, (especially if there are several vehicles close together). Against Bridges, Bunkers, Building or Installations: Select LGB. Against Airstrips: Select DURandal. Against Aircraft: Select Sidewinder. THE SIMULATION Every care has been taken to make the simulation of the A-10 Thunderbolt II as realistic as possible while not bogging the game down with unnecessarily complicated controls. What you get is a very accurate representation of the feeling of A-10 flight without the burden of intricate flight knowledge. Flying the A-10 is as simple as grabbing the joystick and throttling up. And with the VCR INTERFACE (see VCR INTERFACE later), you are given complete control over 3-D definition, window size and mission difficulty levels. HEADS UP DISPLAY - HUD For you non flyers that's the group of numbers you look through when flying, it projects vital flight instruments into your field of vision on the windshield so you can fly without looking down at your instruments. Gunsight (in the center) - Position target within the cross-hairs to line up the GAU-8 Avenger Cannon. Airspeed Indicator (the vertical numbers on the left of the HUD) - Displays airspeed in knots. Active Weapon (Lower left of the HUD) - The active weapon display on the HUD indicates the currently selected weapon. MAV = AGM-65 Maverick LGB = Paveway LGB ROC = Rockeye II CBU DUR = Durandal SID = AIM 9L Sidewinder Heading (Horizontal number on bottom of HUD) - Shows the A-10's heading in degrees. North is at 0, East is at 90, South is at 180, West is at 270. Target Box (Moves around the HUD when a target is spotted) - Indicates current target for the Tactical Information Display (TID) Destination Marker (Arrow on heading display when destination selected) - Indicated direction to current destination. To find your way to the currently selected target on the Strategic Map, center the Destination Marker in the HUD and keep it there. (See Strategic Map later) Altimeter (Vertical numbers on right of HUD) - Displays current altitude in feet. Pitch Indicator (+ or - number just left of Altimeter) - Indicates the A10's pitch in degrees. THREAT INDICATORS This pair of LEDs mounted on the top of the instrument panel just left of center warns the A-10 pilot when an infra-red (IR) or radar guided SAM has locked onto his aircraft. The left LED indicates an IR Missile has locked onto the A-10. The right LED indicates a radar missile threat. (See Defensive Weapons Systems later). RADAR WARNING RECEIVER (RWR) The RWR is the scope mounted just below the Threat Indicators. The RWR senses Surface-to-Air missiles (SAM) and aircraft and displays a dot representing each of these threats on the RWR console. A red dot indicates a SAM threat, a blue dot represents an air threat, and a white dot indicates an incoming missile. These dots blink when you have successfully jammed a target with the Automatic Jamming equipment that is standard on your A-10 Thunderbolt. (See Defensive Weapons Systems later). TACTICAL MAP The Tactical Map is in the center of the instrument panel. This displays all terrain in a 40km X 30km area around the A-10. The A-10's current grid position is displayed at the bottom center of the tactical map. COLLISION WARNING INDICATOR Just to the upper right of the Tactical Map. This LED warns the pilot of an imminent crash with the ground. VERTICAL VELOCITY INDICATOR Just to the right of the Tactical Map. The Vertical Velocity Indicator gauge displays how quickly the A-10 is gaining or losing altitude. It points directly to the left in level flight. TACTICAL INFORMATION DISPLAY (TID) The scope on the right of the instrument panel. The TID displays the current target that the Weapons System is locked onto. If a weapon is fired, it will engage the displayed target. The TID provide target range, target identification and IFF (identify Friendly or Foe) information with hostile targets displayed in Red text and friendly targets displayed in White text. IMPORTANT! Always check the TID before firing! Wasting friendlies isn't usually considered a good thing to do. STRATEGIC MAP Pressing "M" during the simulation brings up the strategic map. This in the main source of information on the flow of the battle during the course of each mission. Each target shown on the map can be selected by toggling the current target box until it is placed over the desired target. Toggling of the target box can be done in two ways. 1. By clicking the arrows in the lower right of the screen (mouse, joystick or keyboard). 2. By clicking on the desired target with the on-screen cursor (mouse or joystick). Once a target is selected, the Strategic Map will provide a description of the designated target. This description includes: Target Type Target Location (in grid coordinates) Target Heading Target's Estimated Speed Target's Bearing relative to the A-10's current position Target's Distance relative to the A-10's current position Intelligence Reports (if any) on the target All Enemy Targets are displayed in RED while Friendly Units are shown in BLUE. Icons on the Strategic Map are as follows: Upside down "T" = SAM (surface to air missile) Square = Installation (Base, Bridge, Building) "T" with tail pointing left = Aircraft (helicopter or plane) "X" = Ground Unit, truck patrol, convoy "+" = Truck Convoy Important: The currently selected target becomes a directional guide for the Destination Marker on the HUD. Following the Destination Marker will lead directly to the last target selected on the Strategic Map. Note: Pressing "S" while in the Strategic Map toggles the display of the SAM ranges on and off. STATUS SCREEN "S" brings up the A-10 Status Screen. This screen graphically displays the amount of damage sustained by the A-10 and shows its remaining armaments, gun ammunition, chaff and flare salvos. Important: If the A-10 loses a wing, all the weapons on the wing are lost also. (Crash also?) MULTIPLE VIEWS Along with 3 internal cockpit views, A-10 Tank Killer is capable of displaying 7 external views, including Victim and Engagement Views. (See Control Keys). Victim View is an external camera that moves to constantly keep a fired weapon and it's target in view. Engagement View is an external camera that pans to keep the enemy and the A-10 both in view. VCR INTERFACE In a constant effort to make our games more enjoyable and less frustrating, we have developed a new type of game control called the VCR Interface. In essence, the VCR Interface is a menu that is accessible at any time during simulation play which allows you to control vital elements of game play. The interface will have different appearances in different games but the function will always be the same: to give the user as much control as possible over game functions and flow. In A-10 Tank Killer, the VCR Interface is seen in several places. The interface is accessible while in the Mission Select Menu and the Control Menu. In the Mission Select Menu it allows your to customize the difficulty of each mission. In the Control Menu, it gives you in-game control over the detail of the 3-D world, the size of the viewing window, the length of time that messages are displayed on screen and basics such as game sound. The Control Menu can be accessed at any time by simply pressing the ESC key. WORLD AND WINDOW DETAIL SLIDER BARS IN VCR INTERFACE What they do: Because A-10 Tank Killer uses a highly advanced three Dimensional modeling system called 3Space (yes, 3Space), older computers may have some difficulty handling the complex mathematical equations that are necessary to drive the detailed 3-D worlds. The Detail Slider Bars allow you to customize the detail of the game to fit the speed of your computer. By using the Slider Bars, you can "adjust" the amount of detail in the cockpit or in the 3-D world. * NOTE: Whenever any of the Simulation System screens are called up, the game is paused. THE QUIT MENU At any time during play, if the "Q" key is pressed the Quit Menu will appear. This menu presents you with two options: Return To Base or Continue Flying. Selecting Return To Base will place you directly in your Mission Debriefing. Selecting Continue Flying will re-enter the simulation. Important: There are two ways to quit the simulation: with the battle Complete or Incomplete. Quitting an Incomplete mission will leave any remaining Allied troops open to attack. If this happens your Mission Evaluation may suffer. Farms Farms are considered neutral civilian targets and should not be attacked. Bridges, Buildings, Supply Dumps, Bases, etc. Structures such as these can be engaged with the Paveway LGB. However, before dropping an LBG on one, make sure that the mission objectives call for it to be destroyed. Taking out a bridge which US forces pan on crossing is not a smart tactic. Airstrips Airstrips controlled by the enemy can be destroyed with the Durandal. DEFENSIVE WEAPON SYSTEMS ALQ-119 ECM Jamming pod This pod hangs on the outside pylon of the left wing of the A-10. It has jammers which can temporarily confuse the radar acquisition systems on SAM launchers. This gives the A-10 pilot a little extra time before a hostile SAM launch. Jammed launchers are indicated by a blinking dot on the RWR. Flare This is a small heat-emitting decoy that the A-10 pilot can release. It will sometimes fool an incoming infrared homing SAM into tracking it instead of the A-10. It's useful against the SA-9 and SA-13. Chaff This is a cartridge which releases a cloud of small tin foil strips. The cloud will reflect enemy radar and blind it for a few seconds. This will sometimes give the A-10 enough time to escape an incoming radar guided SAM such as the SA-6 and SA-11. FLIGHT INSTRUCTION The Take Off In most missions you will start off on the runway. Taking off is simple: Give the A-10 full throttle and pull back on the stick. When you have enough speed you'll lift off. With less than full throttle you may run out of runway. Even this is rarely fatal. Recently an A-10 of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing missed its takeoff and crashed into a beet field. The A-10 sustained little damage. Landing It is not necessary to land in A-10 Tank Killer. You may quit at any time by pressing Q. This will end the mission and return you to base safely. If you want to experience a landing, here's how. Line up about 4000 meters from the runway, flying in parallel toward the runway. Use the rudder to make small adjustments to your heading to get lined up exactly. Bring your throttle down to 4. Come to an altitude of about 100 feet and guide the A-10 in. Your copilot will automatically drop the flaps and landing gear for you. Once you set down bring the throttle down to 1. Taxiing If you land, and the mission isn't over you'll want to take off again. To do this, you'll need to turn the A-10 around so you have enough runway. To taxi use a little throttle. For convenience, you can guide the A-10 on the ground with the rudder or aileron controls. Flight Aircraft are guided by control surfaces on the wings and tail, and by the amount of thrust generated by the engines. Ailerons on the wings control the roll of the A-10, and indirectly the heading. The tail controls the pitch, and the rudder controls the heading. Climbing and Diving To gain altitude, go into a climb. Just pull back on the stick and the A- 10 is oriented upward (positive pitch). Continue climbing until you reach the altitude you want. A dive is just the opposite. Push forward on the stick to lose altitude. Turning There are several ways to execute a turn. The simplest way to turn is to move the stick left or right. This will bank the A-10 slightly and will begin a turn. The more you bank, the more the A-10 will turn. When you've almost reached the heading you want, level the A-10 off. A faster turn can be executed by moving the stick to the left or right and then pulling it back. This is the fastest way to change heading. However it's very easy to overshoot the heading you want, and unless the A-10 was rolled exactly 90 degrees, you will also change your pitch. Small adjustments to the heading can be made with the rudder. Using the rudder is the slowest way to turn, but it doesn't affect the pitch and it's the most precise. Usually you'll want to start a turn by moving the stick left or right, get close to the heading you want, level the A-10 off and then make the final adjustments to heading with the rudder. Speed and Stalls Speed is controlled by the throttle. Full throttle, full speed. A stall happens when the plane is moving through the air too slowly. Lift is lost and the control surfaces don't work properly. The A-10 will nose down until the air speed is greater that the stall speed. To avoid stalls, keep the throttle at 4 or higher. Don't stall at low altitude unless you enjoy crashing. COMBAT TACTICS Finding the target. Find the target you want on the Strategic Map and then select it. You can select it by either positioning the arrow over it and clicking on it (you can use the mouse too), or sequencing through all the targets with the arrow buttons. The selected target will be highlighted on the map by a black square around it. The information display on the right will give you the bearing and distance of the target from your current position. Return to the front cockpit view (F1). The destination indicator above the compass tape on the HUD will guide you to the target. Just change your heading until the destination indicator (a small triangle) is centered on the tape. You are now heading directly towards the target. Stay low and go full throttle and you'll reach the target. When you get near the target it should appear in the TID screen. Attack Tactics When you're about 7000 meters from the target, slow down to attack speed, a throttle setting of 3 or 4. This will give you enough time to line up on the target. Select the proper weapon to use against the target. Against Tanks: Select Avenger 30mm cannon or select a MAVerick Against Other Vehicles: Select Avenger, MAVerick, or ROCkeye cluster bombs (especially is there are several vehicles close together). Against Bridges, Bunkers, Buildings or Installations: Select LGB Against Airstrips: Select DURandal. Against Aircraft: Select SIDewinder. An Avenger Attack Run The Avenger is an unguided weapon, it's fixed to the fuselage of the A-10. You must position the sight over the target and fire. To set up a run, stay low (about 150 feet) and come in at slow speed. Line up on the target. Use the rudder to get lined up exactly on the target. Stay lined up and at about 3000m, pitch the plane so that the cross hair is exactly over the target. Fire! Other Weapons The other weapons are simpler to score a hit with. Keep the target in the HUD. Sequence through all the targets on the HUD until the one you want is displayed in the TID and is selected on the HUD. Make sure the proper weapon is selected. When the target is within range, a LOCKED will appear on the HUD next to the weapon type. To see the full force of the attack switch to one of the cinematic views. Avenger vs. Maverick Both weapons have the same purpose, to kill tanks. You'll have to decide which to use on each attack run. The Maverick is easier to use. Select the target you want on the TID, wait for LOCKED, and fire. The guidance system will ensure the Maverick hits the target. The Maverick has a greater range than the Avenger cannon, however you have fewer Mavericks than Avenger bursts. If you pop up over a hill and there's a SAM starting at you, it's better to take it out with the Avenger. Avenger shells are faster than a Maverick, and in quick draws like this one the Avenger comes out on top. Trying to quick draw on a SAM with a Maverick is risky at best. The Avenger is the most cost effective way to kill tanks. An Avenger costs a fraction of a Maverick missile. Dogfights Although the A-10 was not designed for dogfighting, A-10 pilots do not consider MiGs an unconquerable threat. At high altitudes the A-10 is at a distinct disadvantage, but at low altitudes a MiG has a hard time maneuvering. When you spot a MiG, keep him in front of you. If you have a Sidewinder, fire it as soon as you achieve lock-on. At close ranges, you can try to hit the MiG with an Avenger burst - but this is very difficult. If you're out of Sidewinders, mister you're in trouble. You best chance is to stay low, drop flares when necessary, and run toward the "umbrella" of a friendly SAM. If the MiG follows you into the "umbrella" there's a good chance it will be shot down. The A-10 can clean up against Hind helicopters. The Hind was not designed to air to air combat. You can use Sidewinders against a Hind, or use the Avenger. The Hind is much slower than a MiG, and with practice a good pilot can take out a Hind quickly with the Avenger. Defensive Tactics Against SAMs Stay low. The lower you fly, the greater the chance that the terrain will hide you from SAM launchers. Use the Strategic Map to stay outside the range of SAM launchers. Monitor the RWR to see what SAM threats are out there. When a SAM is coming at you, there are some tactics to try. If there's a hill nearby, duck behind it. If the SAM is radar guided (indicated by the right most light above the blinking RWR), drop some chaff to distract it. If it has Infra Red Homing (indicated by the left most light above the blinking RWR), then drop a flare or two. As a last resort, attempt to out turn the SAM. This is very difficult. If you find yourself in a quick draw with a SAM launcher, you can try and take it out with the Avenger before it launches. MISSION PLAN In the briefing Commander Cord will let you know what your mission objectives are, and what the priorities are. Once you're in the A-10, review the Strategic Map. It will familiarize you with the battle. Make a Flight Plan. However, due to the dynamic nature of land battles, you'll probably have to alter your Flight Plan several times. You will be receiving new orders and distress calls over the radio during the mission. Stay alert and stay flexible. Always keep you objectives in mind. A-10 PILOT INTERVIEW What tactics are employed when a SAM is launched at the A-10? "In the first place, stay low to avoid SAM operators from acquiring the A-10. Once a SAM is launched, make a 3-D break away from the SAM. Additionally, flares can be dropped to decoy IR seeking missiles, and chaff are used on radar guided missiles". What tactics are used when an enemy fighter, say a MiG, is spotted? "Keep him in front of you. Don't let him on your tail. You can engage the fighter with Sidewinders. Two Sidewinders can be loaded on either outside pylon. The gun, although not very effective in shooting down aircraft, is very effective in making enemy fighter take a defensive stance". In actual combat, how low would you fly? "Between 100 and 400 feet". What's the role of the A-10? "Close Air Support, we call it CAS. We support ground troops in close proximity, which is defined as operating within 100 yards of friendly forces". DESIGN NOTES: In building A-10 Tank Killer, we wanted to create an experience that captured the personality and feel of the A-10. We especially wanted to create an experience that felt like the real thing. We did extensive research on the plane itself to get the simulation accurate. But the numbers don't tell you what it's really like to fly an A-10. So, we interviewed A-10 pilots to get a human perspective on the experience. One pilot remarked "Flying the A-10 is fun. Can you get that across in your simulation?" We'll leave that question up to you. We wanted A-10 Tank Killer to be entertaining. That's why we chose to compress time. It keeps the pace high. All the dull moments spent ferrying back and forth to the front are squeezed out with time compression. We also chose to go with a two seater A-10. There aren't very many of them in service, but we felt it was important to have that colorful talk that you get from your co-pilot. P.S. There will be extra scenarios available by the end of the year. I found that the plane was a little sluggish. I know this is somewhat true in real life, I have a personal friend who flew A-10's in Germany until just 2 years ago. However, the game is still more sluggish than normal, unless you are playing on a 386 machine. For the rest of us, if you bring up the VCR (ESC when playing) and turn down the detail and window size you will get much smoother and quicker response. I really like the fact that you can fly with the joystick and still use the mouse to change your options. Problem: The joystick is not working properly. Solution: Press ALT C to center the joystick. Problem: When playing from the keyboard strange things happen such as the cursor moving all around the screen. Solution: Press ALT J to turn the joystick off. Problem: Constantly playing music bugs me but I still want the sound effects. Solution: Press ALT M to turn off the music.