Note: You must have Windows 95 (with DirectX 3) to play Covert Assault.
1) Create a directory to hold Covert Assault, such as "C:\GAMES\CA".
2) Un-ZIP the main file (and then the sound archive file for music and voice-overs) to the directory created in (1).
The sound archive should be allowed to overwrite the SOUNDS.DAT from the original archive, as it contains all those
sounds and more.
3) To start playing the game, open the directory made in (1) and double-click "COVERT.EXE". The game is now loading.
4) While the game loads, you will see a black screen that will last for approximately 12 seconds. After that, the
Attract Mode will run. The words "Unregistered Copy" will flash underneath "Covert Assault". The demo will run by
itself. To actually play the game, press the trigger on your joystick once.
5) After another 5 second black screen, the game will begin.
About the Game:
Covert Assault is a high action, arcade-style shooting game. Your goal will be to find and destroy the airstrip loaded with VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft. You may also destroy other enemy vehicles, such as tanks, helicopters, trucks and jets . You will also encounter a bridge that has to be blown up.
Weapons
Your helicopter is equipped with cannons, rockets and guided missiles. You start with 8 guided missiles and 5 rounds of rockets, so use these sparingly. There are an unlimited amount of bullets, but if you continuously fire, your cannons may overheat!
The Interface
When you begin, the screen will be a first person view looking out over the terrain.
The First Person View has five main components:
1. Flight Vitals: This includes your heading, altitude and air speed. Note that when you descend close to the ground, large wind blown debris circles will partially obscure your view.
2. Your Radar: The triangular pie piece is the forward direction of your helicopter. All red squares are your enemies.
3. Weapon Info: The bar shows your cannon's temperature. As you continuously fire, the bar starts to fill with green. The colors change in order of heat intensity: green first, then yellow, orange and red. If the bar becomes solid with all colors, a message will appear at the top of the screen, "Cannons Overheating." You will temporarily lose the use of your cannons. Wait a few seconds while the temperature bar starts to drop and then resume firing. It is advised to monitor the temperature bar when you are in intense combat.
4. Auto Targeting: All red polygons that encircle an enemy vehicle indicate a target in range. These are prime targets for destruction, especially from guided missiles. If you do not have any enemies targeted, you may still line up enemies in the crosshairs in the middle of the screen and fire upon them.
5. Your Health: The green bar indicates your current health status. As you receive damage, the green will disappear. Once the bar is empty, you die! You may die many times within the first four minutes of play, however, once four minutes have expired, the next time you die, your game is over. The four minute mark is signaled by the "Missile Warning" alarm that appears at the top of the screen. Watch out!
Underneath the health bar is a running tally of your score.
The Enemies
Tanks: They appear in the game immediately and are the easiest to kill.
Helicopters: Occur in waves and are tougher than tanks.
VTOL: Very fast moving aircraft. The first wave will be fairly easy; subsequent waves will increase in difficulty.
Jets: The deadliest of all enemies. These will appear approximately at the four minute point. Their missiles are very difficult to dodge, but a special surprise awaits those who can survive a couple of more minutes!
Special Keys
Shift+F4 Toggle bilinear filtering for MMX-equipped computers. The textures appear smoother when this is ON,
although the game may run more slowly as a result. The default is ON.
Shift+F5 Resolution smaller
Shift+F6 Resolution larger. (Note: larger resolution may cause the game to play slower)
Shift+R Reset High Score
Shift+Z Return to Start of Game
Shift+X Go to bridge
Shift+C Go to airstrip
Shift+V Go to jets
Shift+D Activates the surprise feature.
Shift+A Regenerates ammunition
Shift+I Invulnerability
Shift+M Toggles music on/off
Alt+1 Camera focuses on player helicopter
Alt+2 Camera focuses on targeted enemy
Alt+3 Camera focuses on next targeted enemy
Joystick Controls
Left Roll helicopter left
Right Roll helicopter right
Up Move helicopter forward
Down Move helicopter backwards
Button 1 / Trigger: Fires cannons
Button 2: Fires rockets (unguided)
Button 3: Fires missiles (guided)
Button 4: Switches from first person view to chase helicopter view
Throttle: This raises the helicopter up and down.
Hat Up Forward view
Hat Left Left view of cockpit
Hat Right Right view of cockpit
Hat Back Directly behind view
In Chase View (Button 4):
Hat Up Rotate camera above helicopter
Hat Back Rotate camera under helicopter
Hat Left Circle camera clockwise around helicopter
Hat Right Circle camera counter-clockwise around helicopter
