Ian & Stuart's Australian Mac 1993 September/September 93.iso/Archives/Games/War/Color Strike Jets/Read Me

Text File | 1991-11-15 | 75KB | 1,365 lines

Documentation for
Strike Jets Demo
Documentation, scenarios and Strike Jets
program are copyright 1991, Charlie Moylan.

The full version of this game is available for
purchase through mail-order from Cape Cod
Connection.  Call (toll-free) 1-800-328-9273
to order.  Major credit cards accepted.

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1  Background: Strike Jets is a computer simulation of
jet air-to-air and air-to-ground combat in the years 1975 to
2005.  Each side is comprised of up to 40 aircraft, and, in
some scenarios, as many as 20 ground-based anti-aircraft
units.  The computer is capable of playing either or both
sides, if desired.  One side is referred to as the attacker, and
is displayed black-on-white, and the other as the defender,
who is white-on-black.  It makes no difference whether a
force is the attacker or defender except in ground attack
scenarios (usually called "strikes") where the defender owns
the strike target and the attacker is attempting to destroy
it.
1.1  Technicals:  Strike Jets will run under 2, 4, 16, and 256-color
modes  (2-color mode is black & white) and is fully System 7 compatible.
When running under 256 colors, Strike Jets requires 1000K of RAM.  In
black & white (2-color) mode, however, Strike Jets uses only about
510K.  When running under Multifinder or System 7, you may reduce
Strike Jets' memory partition below 1000K if you plan to run it under
fewer than 256 colors.  In addition, Strike Jets requires system 6.0.3 or
later to run in black & white.  In order to use color graphics, Strike Jets
requires 32-bit Quickdraw (which is provided in ROM on late-model
Macintoshes or by system 7 or alternately by the 32-bit QuickDraw INIT).
1.2  Beginning the Game:  Select "Load Game" or "New Game" from
the File Menu.  "Load Game" will cause the program to ask you which
saved game/scenario to play.  Choose "New Game" if you would prefer
to devise your own scenario (see section 2 - note, however, that this
demo version will only allow you to view the setup process.  It will not
allow you to play the game you create).
1.3  Scale: The game is played on a square "grid".  Each square
represents an area 1/3 mile across, and more than one aircraft may
occupy the same square.  Each altitude level represents 1/3 mile
(approx. 1,500 feet) as well.  Each game turn represents 7.5 seconds
of "real" time.
1.4  Facing & Movement:  All aircraft have a particular facing which
can be any of eight values.  See figure 1.  It requires one "movement
point" (MP) to move one square orthogonally (0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°) in
a turn, and 1.4 MP to move one square diagonally.  One MP equals 150
MPH of aircraft speed.  Thus, an aircraft moving at 600 MPH will have 4
MP and could move 4 squares (orthogonally) in a game turn.  It costs 1
MP per altitude level climbed or dived.  You'll get a feel for this as you
play.
1.5  Nose Attitude:  Aircraft also have a vertical "facing" called
nose attitude.  Possible values are:  vertical climb, climb, level, dive,
and vertical dive.  It works in a similar way to horizontal facing except
that it is a measure of the aircraft's orientation in the vertical plane.
For example, in order to get an enemy aircraft in your radar cone (see
10.2.1) or fire cannon at it (see 9.3) you

Figure 1 - The "Compass"

must be pointed at the enemy both horizontally (with your facing) and
vertically (with your nose attitude).  See 3.2 for details.
1.6  Ranges:  Range has two components, horizontal and vertical.
These are added together to determine total range.  Thus a target
that is 10 squares away horizontally and 5 altitude levels above or
below, is considered to be at range 15.  References to "horizontal
range" do not include the vertical component.
1.7  Identification Numbers:  Aircraft have identification numbers
assigned to them in the range of 0 to 39.  They are not numbered
sequentially in order to keep I.D. numbers from providing implicit
information about the number of enemy aircraft in the scenario
(sometimes you'll want to set up limited-intelligence scenarios where
the numbers of aircraft involved are randomly generated).

2  Scenario Setup : There are five basic types of scenarios, and these
fall into two groups:  "Generated", and "Designed".  Note that you can
view the process by which the full-version of Strike Jets sets up the
scenarios below by choosing "New Game" from the "File" menu.
However, this demo won't allow you to play the game you create.
2.1  Generated:  These scenarios are quick and easy to put together
using a fairly small set of parameters.  Essentially, you enter the force
nationalities and number of aircraft and the computer sets up the rest.
The four different types of "Generated" scenarios are:  Ground Strike,
Surprise Strike, Dogfight, and Radar Intercept.  Strikes are air-to-
ground bombing missions that may include air-to-air fighters if desired.
Ground Strike has the defending fighters (if any) positioned over the
target area, in position to shoot down attackers.  Surprise Strike has
the defenders caught by surprise and scrambling into the air at the
last minute.  Dogfight is purely air-to-air combat initiated at close
range, and Radar Intercept is air-to-air combat starting at long range.
The series of setup windows you will encounter are:
2.1.1  Nations & Force Sizes:  Here you will select the force
nationalities for both sides.  The particular types of aircraft that are
included in the battle and their pilots' skill levels are dependent on the
nationalities selected, and are automatically determined by the
computer from a database of the current air forces of the world.  You
will also specify the number of aircraft to be included on each side
along with a random factor, if desired.  This enables you to set up
"limited intelligence" battles where you don't know exactly how many
enemy aircraft are present until you find them.  NOTE:  if you select
"Player Specified" instead of a nation for either or both sides, you will
specify the actual aircraft types and numbers yourself in a later series
of windows, and do not have to provide the number of aircraft for that
side at this point.
2.1.2  General:  This window asks for the names of the forces.  You
can use any names you like.  You will also select the general location of
the battle and whether each side has a radar controller (see section
10.2.6).  At this point, if you are playing a Dogfight or Radar Intercept
scenario, and did not select "Player Specified" for either side in the
"Nations & Numbers" window, then you have completed the setup
phase and the battle will begin.  Otherwise, read on.
2.1.3  Strike:  If you selected a Strike scenario and did not select
"Player Specified" in the Nations & Numbers dialog for the attacking
side, then you will be asked whether or not the attacker should have
fighter cover (if chosen, approximately 1/3 of the attacking aircraft
will be fighter-types armed for air-to-air combat) and what the range
for the bombers’ air-to-ground armament is.  The default value for
range is 4, which represents bombs.  Larger numbers can be entered
to simulate air-to-surface missiles (see 13.3).  The air-to-ground
weapons of all attacking aircraft will have this entered range.
2.1.4  Add Planes:  If you selected "Player Specified" for either side
in the "Nations & Force Sizes" window, then you will be asked to enter
the particular aircraft types for the side(s).  Click on the "Add Planes"
button and you will be presented with a window chock full of aircraft
type names.  Choose one by double-clicking on its name.  You will then
be presented with a window asking you for several pieces of
information:  the number of aircraft of the chosen type, the pilot skill
(see 12.4), the missile types and numbers and (only for the attacker in
Strike scenarios) bomb armament and range.  Click on "OK" when
you're finished.  You will then see the first window again and may enter
more aircraft by selecting "Add Planes" again and repeating the
process.  Click on "No More" to end.
2.1.5  Ground Units:  If you are playing a Strike scenario, you will
then be presented with a window asking you for ground unit
information.  You must enter a minimum and maximum for the number
of ground units that will ring the strike target.  You must also select
the particular technologies of SAM (missile) and AAA (gun) units.  In
addition, choose the target value (this controls the points awarded for
bomb hits), and the accuracy needed (this controls how easy the
target is to hit).  See section 13 for more details.  Usually about 30%
of the ground units will be SAM units.
2.1.6  Player Type:  Choose which side(s) should be played by the
computer (if any) and the appropriate skill level.  "Beginner" computer
pilots will not attempt any high-G turns, looping maneuvers, or vertical
flight.  They will always show their flight paths on the screen so you
will know what they plan to do just before they do it.  Beginner pilots
will also fire missiles less often.  "Standard" level pilots will not attempt
loops or other vertical flight.  It is advisable to play against Beginner
computer pilots in your first few games, until you get the hang of the
game system.  By the way, the computer does not "cheat" so you can
trick it just like you would a human player (e.g. sneak attacks from the
blind side, etc.)
2.2  Designed:  Setting up these scenarios is a much more detailed
process and is intended for those experienced players who want to set
up a scenario "just right", with aircraft in exact positions, etc.  In
effect, you will provide all of the information necessary to set up the
battle.  The process is roughly similar to setting up an "Generated"
scenario and choosing "Player Defined" for both force composition.
However, when entering data for particular aircraft you will be
required to enter more information including exact X and Y (Cartesian)
coordinates for all aircraft locations.  The X coordinates increase from
left to right, and the Y coordinates increase from bottom to top.  The
only new window you'll see is if you have selected an "Air to Ground"
scenario, in which case you will be asked to enter the X and Y
coordinates of the strike target location.
2.3  Save Game:  Now that you've worked so hard to set up your
scenario, you are given the option to save it to disk before play begins.
This way you'll be able to replay scenarios or create scenarios and give
them to your friends.

3  Arcs and Cones
3.1  Arcs:  Throughout these rules you will notice references to
"arcs".  These refer to zones of airspace in the horizontal plane (the
geometrical kind of "plane") with respect to the facing of an aircraft.
See figure 2.  Usually you'll be concerned about what arcs enemy
aircraft lie in relative to your aircraft.  For example, an enemy jet in
your rear 90° arc can "tail" you (see 4.1).

Figure 2 - Arcs

3.2  Cones:  Because the action takes place in three-dimensional
space (unlike your 2-D computer screen) Strike Jets  uses the
concept of "cones".  A cone is an arc in the horizontal plane
intersected with an area in the vertical plane.  For an enemy to be
inside this "cone", it must be inside both the horizontal arc and the
vertical area.  Being inside the vertical area is dependent on the
relationship between the horizontal range to the target, H, and the
difference in altitude, A.  The chart below lists the conditions
necessary for a target to be within the vertical area of the cone, along
with lists of numbers in brackets.  These numbers correspond the to
the numbered and shaded vertical areas in Figure 3.

Spotter's nose attitude    90° cone    180° cone
Vertical Climb    target above or co-alt,    target above
    and H ≤ A [1]    or co-alt [1,2]
Climb    target above or co-alt    target above
    [1,2]    or H ≥ A [1,2,3]
Level    H ≥ A [2,3]    automatic [1-4]
Dive    target below or co-alt    target below
    [3,4]    or H ≥ A [2,3,4]
Vertical Dive    target below or co-alt,    target below
    and H ≤ A [4]    or co-alt [3,4]

Figure 3 - Vertical Areas covered by a 90° cone (side view) See chart in
3.2
4  Game Sequence:  Strike Jets operates on the premise of
planning individual actions for all aircraft first, and then executing those
planned actions simultaneously for all aircraft.  Sequence:

• Plan aircraft moves
    - Disadvantaged Phase
        - all of one side's disadvantaged aircraft plan moves
        - all of other side's disadvantaged aircraft plan
moves
    - Advantaged Phase
        - all of one side's advantaged aircraft plan moves
        - all of other side's advantaged aircraft plan moves
• Action Phase
4.1  Plan moves:  There are two different phases for the planning of
aircraft actions:  the disadvantaged phase and the advantaged phase.
The reason for breaking the planning into two phases is to properly
simulate "tailing" and the disadvantages of predictable flight (by
inexperienced pilots or aircraft guiding radar-homing missiles).  The
disadvantaged phase occurs first.  Visually contacted disadvantaged
aircrafts' flight paths will be drawn on the screen when advantaged
aircraft are planning actions.  Thus, the aircraft that move in the
advantaged phase are able to see where the disadvantaged aircraft
are going to move, and this can be a tremendous edge in a dogfight.  A
grey flight path indicates level flight.  A white path indicates climbing,
and a black path indicates diving.  The exact number of altitude levels
that the disadvantaged aircraft has planned to climb or dive may be
seen in the Bandit menu or by mouse clicking on the aircraft's
silhouette (see 6.4).  Note that the flight paths of all friendly aircraft
that have planned moves will be shown to the owning player regardless
of what phase they planned in (to help with coordination).  Aircraft
falling into any of the categories below will plan actions in the
disadvantaged phase:
•    Low pilot skill (4 or less).  This is a % chance, greater with lower skill.
Having low skill does not always place a pilot in the disadvantaged
phase.
•    Currently guiding a semi-active radar-homing missile to a target.
•    Does not have a visual contact to any enemy.
•    Being tailed (having an enemy that is not disadvantaged due to any
of the above three cases in its rear 90° arc, who has it in his front
90° cone, and is within range 10).  This is also a %, lessened by the
pilot skill of the tailed pilot and increased by the skill of the tailing
pilot.
Aircraft that do not fall into one of the above categories will plan
actions in the advantaged phase.  Keep in mind that, although aircraft
may plan actions in different phases, all of these actions will be
executed simultaneously during the action phase.
4.2  Message dialog:  As soon as a side is selected to move, a
"message" list will pop up on the screen.  It may contain information
regarding jammed radars, stalled aircraft, and more.  On the first turn
of the game, it will contain a list of your force composition.  Messages
will later note when the first radar and/or visual contacts are made
with the enemy (this will happen only once - see 10.4).  Often, there will
be no messages in the window.  At the bottom of the window are two
control buttons.  Selecting "give orders" is the normal choice and will
allow you to give orders to your aircraft (see sections 7 and 8).
Selecting "straight & level" will immediately order all of your aircraft to
fly straight and level for this turn, which can be a useful time-saver.
4.3  Action Phase:  All of the planned actions and associated
computations are now executed.  You don't need to do anything here -
just watch and see if anything happens.  A "beep" will signal the end of
the phase.  See section 9 for full details.

5  Main Screen
5.1  Closeup View:  On the left-hand side of the game window is the
close-up view.  Depending on your menu selections, it contains either
the visual or radar display of the planning aircraft (identified by the
square around its silhouette in the visual display).  Switching between
the radar and visual displays is accomplished by selecting the proper
item in the Control menu, or by option-clicking with the mouse inside
the closeup view.
5.1.1  Visual Display:  When viewing the visual display, you may click
the mouse on any object and you will see the available information on
it (the same information can be found in the Friendly and Bandit menus
for aircraft).  You may switch between viewing aircraft silhouettes,
their I.D. numbers, or relative altitudes either by the appropriate
items in the Control menu or by shift-clicking with the mouse inside the
closeup view.  Note that the greyed-out silhouettes you might see are
those aircraft that are not spotted visually by the planning aircraft
but are seen by a friendly aircraft.  "?" symbols are for those enemies
that have only been detected by radar or IRST.
5.1.2  Radar Display:  When in radar view, you will see a black arc on
the screen.  This represents the radar arc of the planning aircraft.
Shift-clicking will toggle the radar scaling as will selecting the proper
item on the Control menu (see 6.2).  The I.D. numbers of aircraft
contacted by the radar will be displayed, with lock-ons appearing in
solid white.
5.2  Comprehensive View:  This is located in the upper-right hand
corner of the game window.  All enemy aircraft that your side is aware
of and all friendly aircraft are displayed as dots, provided they are
within horizontal range 39 (the maximum possible spotting range).  The
small rectangle inside this display encloses the area that is magnified
and displayed in the closeup view to the left.  You can mouse-drag this
little viewing rectangle around the comprehensive view, and the closeup
view will scroll around accordingly.  The arrow keys will also work for
this.
5.2.1  Quick Info:  You will see some textual information to the right
of the comprehensive view.  It shows the planning aircraft’s I.D.
number, type, speed, "envelope" speed (see 8.2.2), movement points
(before making altitude changes), altitude, and weapons stores in the
form cannon/heat-seekers/radar-homers.  Mouse clicking in this text
information will re-center the little drag-able rectangle inside the
comprehensive view, and thus will center the closeup view on the
planning aircraft.
5.2.2  Full Status Button:  Click here to get a display of the
complete data for the planning aircraft, including fuel gauge, damage
level (if any) and X,Y location coordinates.

6  Menus
6.1  File
•  New Game:  Cancels the current game (with no score tally) and
returns you to the startup window.
•  Save Game At Turn End:  If this item is "check marked", then at
the end of the game turn you will be asked for a file name and your
game will be saved to disk.  If desired, you may leave the check mark
next to this item permanently and your game will automatically be
saved at the end of every turn (you will be asked for the file name
only once).
•  Quit:  Ends the current game, bringing up the score tally (see
section 16) where you'll be given a chance to play a new game.
6.2  Control
•  Show Radar Display:  Toggles between showing the radar
display and showing the visual display inside the closeup view.  This
item will be grayed out for aircraft that do not possess a switched-on
radar.  Option-clicking in the closeup view has the same effect as
selecting this menu item.
•  Scale Radar Display:  Toggles between scaling and not scaling
the radar display.  When the radar display is scaled, the most distant
radar contact is displayed at the maximum radius from center
screen.  Otherwise it is displayed at a distance proportional to the
maximum range of the aircraft's radar.  Since many radar contacts
are made far within the maximum range of the radar, it can be easier
to view targets when the display is scaled.  Shift-clicking inside the
closeup view (when showing the radar) has the same effect as
selecting this menu item.
•  Display Aircraft I.D. Numbers:  Shows aircraft identification
numbers when in visual display.  Shift-clicking inside the display will
switch between this mode, normal silhouette mode, and relative
altitude display mode.
•  Display Relative Altitudes:  Instead of showing the aircraft
silhouettes, the altitudes of the aircraft relative to the planning
aircraft are shown.
•  Display All Missiles:  When this item is checked, all missiles that
your side has detected will be shown in the visual display.  Otherwise,
only those missiles fired by or at the planning aircraft will be shown.
•  Outgoing Missiles:  Brings up a window showing all missiles
launched by the planning aircraft that are still airborne.  Listed are
the missiles' type, target, game turns spent in flight, and a *R* symbol
for those missiles requiring radar guidance.
•  Name Pilot:  Add a personal moniker to your super ace!
•  Release Bombs (bearing and range to strike target):
Brings up a window allowing the planning aircraft to drop bombs on
any ground targets within range (facing is unimportant) or to
jettison its bombs.
•  Bug Out (direction, bingo fuel %):  When selected, the
planning aircraft will attempt to retreat to home base on its own at
the end of the action phase (meaning that it is instantly taken out of
the game and out of your hair).  The enemy player must grant
permission for this to occur, although when playing against the
computer permission is automatically granted - so don't cheat!  The
direction is the course bearing to your friendly airbase and the fuel
percentage is the minimum fuel required to have a 100% chance of
reaching the base safely.  Go below this "bingo" fuel limit only at your
own risk, because you might run out of fuel on the trip home!  You
may notice that if you fly toward your base (i.e. along the course
heading) the bingo number will decrease.  The greater your distance
to base the greater your "bingo" fuel value will be.  This distance is
determined by the "battle location" set in the "General" window at
the start of the game.  All aircraft automatically bug out when all of
the other side's aircraft are eliminated, except for surviving
attackers in a strike mission.
•  Watch Instant Replay:  A short animation of the last turn's
maneuvers will be shown in the visual display.  This can be extremely
helpful in giving you a mental picture of what's going on and where
everyone is moving.  Explosions, crashes, and cannon shots will all be
shown (and heard!).
•  Sounds:  Select the level of sound you prefer.  "Safe sounds" is
intended for two-player games.  When selected, the program will only
play those sounds that won't give away important information to
your opponent, who is presumably not looking at the screen, but
within earshot.  For example, missile launch sounds are not played.
6.3  Friendly
•  All Others Hold Steady:  Sets all aircraft other than the
planning aircraft to fly straight and level until they are selected to be
"ready" again.  This can be a useful time-saver for those aircraft you
want to fly in a straight line for a long time.  Aircraft that are
"holding steady" are shown in italics below.  NOTE:  any aircraft that
notices an incoming missile will automatically switch back to "ready"
status if it is "holding steady".  This will give you a chance to take
appropriate evasive action.
•  All Others Ready:  Resets all aircraft that were set to "hold
steady" back to normal status.
•  Friendly Aircraft Data:  Selecting the aircraft entries below
the dotted line will toggle that particular aircraft between being
"ready" and "holding steady" (shown in italics) as described above.
The symbols in the menu items are:
#:  I.D. number  (from 0 to 39).
sp:  speed in miles per hour (+ carryover speed, see 8.3)
face: facing.
Δalt:  difference in altitude between this aircraft and the planning
aircraft (positive means friendly aircraft is higher).
+/- number:  altitude levels that the friendly aircraft has just
planned to climb (+) or dive (-) in this game turn.  Thus, if you see a
display that reads "Δalt:-2+3", it means that the aircraft is
currently 2 altitude levels below you but is planning to climb three
levels (and will be one level above you next turn if you fly level).
{nose attitude}:  if present, this is an abbreviation for the
current (i.e. before any planned altitude changes take effect) nose
attitude (see 1.5) of the aircraft .  If no abbreviation is present
then the aircraft is flying "level".
rng: horizontal range in squares to the friendly aircraft  (add to
the absolute value of the Δa for the full range).
bear: the bearing in degrees to the friendly aircraft, where 0° is
toward the top of the screen, counting clockwise.  See figure 1.
[1-7]:  skill of pilot, 7 is best.
6.4  Bandit:  Selecting an entry from this menu will center the visual
display on the selected bandit.  In addition, the menu items themselves
provide data for all enemy aircraft that have been detected by any
friendly aircraft (using radar, visual, or IRST) or by radar controller.  It
is otherwise similar to the "Friendly" menu except that full information
is provided only  for those enemies that are either contacted visually by
any friendly aircraft or contacted by the radar of the planning
aircraft and the planning aircraft has at least two crewman (i.e. a
radar officer to track targets while the pilot is busy flying the aircraft).
Aircraft with one crewman will still get some information to radar
contacts, just less of it.  Even less information is provided for enemies
contacted only by radar warning devices (see 6.4.2).  IMPORTANT
NOTE:  You may mouse click on the aircraft silhouettes (both friendly
and enemy) in the visual display and the relevant information will pop up
on the screen.  This is often more convenient than pulling down the
menus.
6.4.1  Contact Information:  Often you will see a combination of
the letters r, R, X, V, and I at then end of the bandit entry.  These
indicate the kind of contact the planning aircraft has with this bandit.
Here's what the symbols mean:
X: radar lock-on                     V: visual contact
R: radar contact                   I: IRST contact
r: radar warning contact (see 6.4.2)
If there are no letters, then the planning aircraft has no contact
with the bandit, but some other friendly aircraft or radar controller
does (and has radioed).
6.4.2  Radar Warning:  When an enemy aircraft has either a radar
contact or a lock-on to the planning aircraft, an "r" will appear in the
Bandit menu as described above (in 6.4.1).  This means that the
planning aircraft's sensors have detected hostile radar emissions from
that enemy aircraft and have roughly detected (to the nearest 90°)
the direction from which they're coming.
6.5  Threat:  This menu will flash when there is a threat posed to the
planning aircraft.  It indicates whether or not an enemy has a radar
lock-on to the planning aircraft, and the horizontal ranges and bearings
of missiles targeted on the planning aircraft.  A "Δnumber" indicates
that the missile is either <number> of  altitude levels above you (if
positive) or below you otherwise.  Note that only missiles within range
15 will be shown on the menu (otherwise they're too far away to be
spotted).  Also, no missiles will show up in the threat menu until an
enemy aircraft has been detected by one of your aircraft (not by
controllers), or a SAM has been launched, or a friendly aircraft has
already been attacked by a missile or aircraft cannon fire.  Basically
this means that the first enemy shot will catch your guys off-
guard if they haven't detected the enemy yet.  Selecting one
of the missile items from this menu will center the visual display on the
missile.

7  Systems Panel:  This is the first stage of planning an aircraft's
actions.  A modeless dialog window will appear in the lower right hand
corner.  See figure 4.  On it you will find various controls for your
aircraft.  The rectangles with little downward triangles are pop-up
menus.


Figure 4 - Systems Panel
Note that some of the controls may not appear for certain aircraft.
For example, aircraft without an afterburner will not see the
afterburner control.  When you are finished entering data you can
choose to "fly straight" by clicking on the appropriate button in the
lower right, or click on "maneuver" which will allow you to do some
fancier flying.  NOTE:  fly straight does not necessarily mean to fly level.
The ∂altitude you entered is used, and the aircraft's altitude will be
changed accordingly in the action phase.  Here are descriptions of the
various controls:
7.1  ∂Altitude:  Use the scrollbar to enter the change in altitude you
wish for the planning aircraft.  You will notice that each altitude change
has an associated nose attitude, which describes how the planning
aircraft's nose will be pointing during the action phase and at the start
of the next game turn (i.e. "vertical climb" means you'll be pointing
basically straight up).  If you are currently in a vertical dive you will not
be allowed to choose a ∂altitude value that will place you in a vertical
climb and vice-versa.  Note that altitude level 0 (treetop level) is
permissible, however no maneuvering is allowed when an aircraft begins
a game turn at altitude zero.  Remember that each altitude level you
change costs one MP (the same as 150 MPH).
7.2  Throttle:  Jet engine throttle setting.
7.3  Afterburner:  The Afterburner is "on" when the check box is
marked with an "x".  Afterburners greatly enhance aircraft
acceleration, but consume large amounts of fuel.  Use with care, and
never when your main throttle is less than 100% (since your regular
engine power is much more fuel efficient).
7.4  Airbrakes:  Sets the planning aircraft's airbrakes to be deployed
in the ensuing action phase.  The airbrakes will be automatically reset
to OFF on the next game-turn.
7.5  Missile Target:  (Popup menu)  If either the Heat (heat-seeking
missile) or Radar (radar-homing missile) radio button is flashing, then
you are able to fire that type of missile.  Select the flashing radio
button and click on the popup rectangle.  This will bring up a pop-up
menu of the I.D. numbers of possible targets for the type of missile
chosen by the radio button, along with their current relative facings
(see figure 6).    Make a selection on the pop-up menu and it will be
entered into the text box.  When you finish with this dialog (by
selecting either the "maneuver" or "fly straight" button below) your
aircraft will fire the missile.  If "All Sounds" are selected, you will hear a
"whoosh" sound to signify this.  Note that the missile will not begin to
move until the action phase.
7.6  Radar:  Click the little radar scope to turn the planning aircraft's
radar on or off.  Remember that turning on your radar can alert the
enemy to your general position so it may be advisable to leave your
radar off at times.
7.7  Lock-On:  (Popup menu) Plan to attempt a radar lock-on to a
particular aircraft during the action phase.  Keep in mind that the
aircraft that appear on this popup menu are the aircraft in your radar
cone that you have spotted visually or contacted by radar but are
not currently locked on to.
7.8  Break Lock:  (Popup menu) Only for aircraft with multi-lockon
radar or without track-while-scan (TWS).  It is useful for non-TWS
aircraft who want to return to making radar contacts (see 10.2) and
for multi-lockon aircraft who want to acquire a new lock-on (using the
Lock-on control) and want to specify which current lock-on to break.  If
you are attempting a lock-on and do not specify a break lock, and you
already have your maximum number of lock-ons (usually just 1) then
one will be chosen at random and broken.

8  Maneuver:  If you chose "Maneuver" from the Systems panel, a new
modeless dialog window will appear in its place, with various movement
controls.  See figure 5.  Here you will plan the movement for your
aircraft (remember: all actions are executed in the action phase).  The
projected flight path of your aircraft is drawn on the screen as you plan
moves, with a little arrow head to indicate facing.
8.1  Basics :  Aircraft in Strike Jets move using a system of
movement points (MP).  Each aircraft, each turn, is assigned a number
of MP equal to its speed added to its "carryover" from last turn (see
8.3) and then divided by 150 MPH.  Subtracted from this is the number
of altitude levels set to climb or dive on the Systems panel.  Thus, the
MP's remaining constitute the horizontal component of the aircraft's
movement that will be used for maneuvers.  It costs 1 MP to move one
square orthogonally, and 1.4 MP to move diagonally.
8.2  Turns :  Turning maneuvers are made (planned) in increments of
45°, in synch with the 8 points of the compass used for aircraft facing.
All aircraft are able to make a single such 45° turn in a game turn.  This
does not cost any extra MP and may be executed at any point during
the move plan.  This is considered a "low-G turn" (relatively slow and
unstressful).  Aircraft have the option of attempting a second 45° turn
in the same game turn, but there are restrictions.  The second 45°
turn, which combined with the first 45° turn comprises a "high-G turn",
may only be executed at the very end of the move.  Thus, the first 45°
turn can be planned at any point in the move but the second only once
the aircraft does not have enough MP's to move further forward
(meaning that the aircraft must have less than 1 MP remaining if it's
facing orthogonally or less than 1.4 MP if it's facing diagonally, before
the second turn may be planned).  High-g turns may fail to be
executed.  Each aircraft has a "Maneuver Percentage" which is the
chance of a high-G turn succeeding.  It depends on the aircraft type,
current speed, current altitude, pilot skill, and the weight of external
weapons carried.  This % number is displayed at the bottom of the
maneuver panel.  If the high-G turn fails, then only the first 45° turn
planned will actually be executed.  Beware!  High-G turns bleed off a lot
of airspeed.  Note that while a high-G turn usually consists of two 45°
turns in the same direction, this is not a requirement.
8.2.1  Blackout:  All successful high-G turns run a 1.5% risk of
causing the pilot to black out (become unconscious) due to the heavy
G-forces.  Aircraft with blacked-out pilots will enter a medium grade
dive until the pilot recovers (sometimes too late!)
8.2.2  Envelope Speed:  Flying at the "envelope" speed (shown in
the full data window - see 5.2.2 - and in the text next to the
comprehensive view) gives you the highest turning performance.  When
you fly too slow or too fast you're less able to "pull-G's" and execute a
tight turn.
8.3  Carryover:  Due to the discrete nature of the grid system, an
aircraft will often be unable to use up all of its MP.  These MP are
converted back into MPH and carried over to the next turn.  That's
what the "+" indicates in aircraft speed.  If an aircraft has "600 (+75)"
speed, then it has carried over 75 MPH (0.5 MP) from the last turn.
For movement, aircraft are treated as though they are flying at the
sum of actual speed and carryover speed.  NOTE: this applies to
movement purposes only.
Example: An aircraft is facing 0°.  It's speed is "500 (+100)" which
means that its actual speed is 500 MPH, but it has carried over 100
MPH from last turn.  Thus, its effective speed is 600 MPH for purposes
of movement.  This equates to 4.0 MP (= 600 ÷ 150).  It begins the
move by turning 45° to the left, which costs zero MP.  Since it now
faces diagonally, and each square of diagonal movement costs 1.4 MP,
this aircraft can fly 2 squares.  This uses up 2.8 MP, leaving 1.2
remaining.  Since this 1.2 cannot be used to fly another square
diagonally (cost is 1.4 MP) the aircraft can't move any further
diagonally.  This leftover 1.2 MP is translated back to MPH (=180 MPH)
and carried over to the next turn.  Note that if the aircraft decided to
make a 45° turn after moving the two squares diagonally (no MP cost)
it would be considered a high-g turn.
8.4  Maneuver Panel:  Note that the buttons in the panel will rotate
according to the facing of the planning aircraft.  Figure 5 shows how
the panel will look when the aircraft is facing toward the "top" of the
screen.  Note also that the letters A-F in figure 5 are only labels and do
not appear on the screen.
8.4.1 Single Turn Buttons (labeled with A's):  These curved
arrow buttons plan single 45° low-G turns.  When clicked, your aircraft
plans to make the turn and the buttons are grayed out.  To make a
second 45° turn (thus making a high-G turn) you must use the turning
buttons in the middle row marked 'C' (see 8.4.3).


Figure 5 - Maneuver Panel
8.4.2 Single Straight Button (B):  This straight arrow simply plans
a move forward of one square.
8.4.3 Move and Turn Buttons (C's):  These two long and curved
arrows will cause your aircraft to move its remaining MP forward
followed by attempting a 45° turn, and then end the maneuver phase.
If you have not yet ordered a turn using the single-move turn buttons
(see 8.4.1 above) then this turn is considered to be low-G.  If you have
already planned a turn using the single-turn buttons, then the new
turn is a high-G turn and may or may not succeed.  Using these turn
buttons is the only way to execute a high-G turn.
8.4.4 Move Straight Button (D):  This straight arrow (the largest
button) simply moves all remaining MP forward and ends the maneuver
planning.  Pressing the 'return' key is the same as a click on this
button.
8.4.5  Barrel Roll Buttons (E's):  These can only be used once per
game turn.  They will cause your aircraft to move one square 45° to
the right or left of facing, without changing facing.  Barrel rolls may be
freely combined with turns.
8.4.6  Half Loop Buttons (F's):  The top button is for an
"Immelmann" (a climbing half-loop) and the bottom for a "Split-S" (a
diving half-loop).  Both of these maneuvers reverse an aircraft's facing
(180° change) by using vertical movement.  These buttons are usually
grayed out.  In order to qualify to execute an Immelmann, an aircraft
must spend two game turns in a vertical climb.  On the second such
turn it may execute the Immelmann.  A Split-S works the same way
except you must use vertical dive.  WARNING:  Immelmanns involve
pointing your aircraft's nose straight up at the sky while
simultaneously pulling what is effectively a high-G turn and thus bleed
off a LOT of airspeed.  Pilots will skill less than 4 will bleed off even more
airspeed because they're not well trained in such maneuvers.  A good
rule of thumb is not to try an Immelmann unless you're flying a high-
performance jet going at least 500 MPH.  Daredevils can go for it at
slower speeds and often get away with it but I won't weep for you if
you crash and burn!
8.4.7  Try Again (G):  Click here to cancel your move and try again.
This enables you to correct mistakes and to test out new moves
without fear of being "locked in" to them.

9  Action Phase:  Once all aircraft have planned moves, the program
will execute their orders.  First, all movement and combat is computed.
Then fuel usage and acceleration/deceleration are taken care of.  This is
followed by radar, visual, and infrared search (see section 10 for details
of these).  When interesting things happen, you will be notified by dialog
windows that appear on the screen.  If sounds are turned on, then a
beep will signify that the Action phase has ended.
9.1  Movement and Combat:  All aircraft and airborne missiles are
moved simultaneously, one square at a time, on an "impulse" system.
What this means is that a missile moving at 2000 MPH will execute 4 MP
of movement for every 1 MP executed by an aircraft moving at 500
MPH.  In other words, this missile will get to use 3 MP before the
aircraft even gets to move at all!  This simulates simultaneous
movement.  NOTE:  for the sake of simplicity, all altitude changes are
made entirely and before any horizontal movement takes place.  Thus,
aircraft and missiles are treated as though they are at the "new"
altitude throughout the Action phase.  Keep this in mind when you
notice that sometimes your outgoing missiles appear to have fallen
"behind" the aircraft that launched them.  This is because the missile
was engaged in vertical flight to track its target.
9.2  Missile Attack:  When you plan a missile launch from the Systems
panel, your missile does not instantly strike the enemy.  Rather, it is
launched and automatically travels towards the enemy much like a fast
aircraft would, during the action phase.  When it reaches the altitude
of the target and enters its square, it attacks.  A dialog window
displaying the results of the attack will be displayed.  For simplicity,
missiles always travel vertically to reach the target's altitude before
moving horizontally.
9.3  Cannon Attack:  Cannon are able to fire during the action
phase, and will do so whenever a target is available.  The area into
which an aircraft may fire cannon depends upon the nose attitude of
the firing aircraft.  See the chart below.  Each aircraft may fire cannon
only once per action phase.  All attacks will be shown in a dialog
window.  Accuracy depends on the angle of attack, cannon type, pilot
skill (of firer and target), and aircraft speeds.

Nose Attitude    Target Square    Altitude Levels Relative to Firer
Vert. Climb    same    +1
Climb    directly ahead 1    same, +1
Level    directly ahead 1    -1, same, +1
Dive    directly ahead 1    -1, same
Vert. Dive    same    -1

9.4  Fuel Usage:  This takes place automatically.  The higher your
throttle the more fuel you burn.  Plus, afterburners use up fuel 3-4
times faster than full throttle without afterburners.  Use your 'burners
sparingly!  If you run out of fuel, you crash.
9.5  Acceleration/Deceleration:
Accelerating factors:
•  Losing altitude (diving)
•  Throttle & Afterburner  (higher thrust to weight ratio = more
acceleration)

Decelerating factors:
•  Gaining altitude (climbing)
•  Air resistance (especially at supersonic speeds)
•  Maneuvers (especially high-G turns and half-loops)
•  Airbrakes

10  Sensors & Detection:  Sensor detection of the enemy is
computed automatically during the action phase.
10.1  Visual:  All aircraft have a spotting range, which is the maximum
range at which they can be seen by enemy pilots.  This maximum range
varies from 15 to 39 squares depending on the size of the aircraft.
Also, all pilots are more likely to spot aircraft to their fronts than to
their sides.  Aircraft without teardrop canopies cannot spot aircraft
behind them at all.  Those with teardrop canopies can spot rearward
targets only if such targets are at a higher altitude, but still not too
easily.  However, enemy aircraft that have been detected at least once
before, by visual, radar, or infrared (by any friendly aircraft at any
earlier point in the game) are visually spotted much more easily because
the spotters know generally where to look.  Aircraft with two or more
crewmen will get two chances each turn to spot each enemy instead of
one.  "Upsun" aircraft cannot be spotted (see section 14).
10.2  Radar:  There are two types of radar detection:  contact and
lock-on.  Most aircraft are only allowed to have one lock-on at a time,
but may have unlimited contacts.  Lock-on is necessary to launch all
radar-homing missiles and to guide semi-active radar-homing missiles.
Radar contacts merely provide useful information on the contacted
enemy aircraft.  Target aircraft must be within the radar cone (see
10.2.1) in order to be contacted/locked-onto.  The larger and nearer
the target is, the greater chance of successful contacting/locking-on.
Once radar contact is established (and this may take several turns) it
will be maintained as long as the target remains inside the radar cone.
Radar lock-ons are also maintained, but may be defensively jammed and
broken by electronic warfare equipment on the target aircraft.
Stealth technology significantly reduces effective ranges of radars
searching for it.  Note also that larger aircraft can be detected at
greater ranges than small aircraft.
10.2.1 Radar Cone:  The radar "cone" of an aircraft is the three-
dimensional region inside which enemy aircraft may be contacted
and/or locked-on to by the radar.  Most are 90° cones, but some are
180° or 360°.  See sections 3 and 17.
10.2.2 Track-While-Scan:  TWS allows a radar to maintain both
contacts and lock-on at the same time.  Radars that do not have TWS
capability automatically lose all other radar contacts when they
acquire a lock-on, thus they are able to either have unlimited radar
contacts or a limited number of lock-ons (normally 1) but not both at
the same time.  As a convenience, TWS equipped aircraft will
automatically attempt to lock-on to radar contacts even if you don't
specify it in the systems panel (since there's no reason not to).
10.2.3  Look-Down:  Radars that do not have "Look-down" capability
cannot contact or lock onto targets that are at or below 2/3 of the
owning aircraft's altitude.  Range while "looking-down" is somewhat
degraded even for radars that do have this capability.
10.2.4  Multi-lockon:  A few aircraft in the game are able to remain
locked-on to more than one enemy at a time.  They can guide radar-
homing missiles at all of these targets simultaneously.
10.2.5 Active Jamming:  Active jamming aircraft have a jamming
radius of 100 squares.  All aircraft inside this radius have their own
radar ranges degraded.  The effective radar ranges of aircraft
searching into this jammed area have their effective radar range
reduced as well.  Radar-homing  missiles intercepting targets inside
this area will also be slightly reduced in effectiveness.  There is a
drawback, however, in that the effect of jamming is usually to make
the enemy's radar scope light up like a Christmas tree on fire, so it
alerts them to one's presence and general location.  Active jamming
also affects SAM's (see 13.2.5).
10.2.6 Radar Controllers:  Searching aircraft that possess a radar
controller will always be presented with information on all the enemy
aircraft (except stealth aircraft and aircraft screened by active
jamming - see 10.2.5) regardless of whether the searching aircraft
have gained contact with the enemy themselves.  This information is
presumed to be radioed in from the controller, which is usually a large
ground-based installation.
10.3  Infrared Search and Track (IRST):  Functions similarly to
radar except that it does not "lock-on" and contact must be re-
established every turn.  Its range is normally 45 squares (less than half
that against stealth targets), but 70 against all targets on
afterburner.  Contacts are shown in the "bandits" menu with an "I".
The advantage of IRST is that it is a passive system and cannot be
sensed by the target aircraft.  Infrared contact allows an aircraft to
fire heat-seeking missiles at targets even without visual or radar
contact.
10.4  First Contact:  The first time in the game that any of your
aircraft detects an enemy aircraft, you will be notified in your message
window at the beginning of the following turn.  You will get one message
for radar or IRST contact and another for visual.

11  Missiles
11.1  Types:  There are four types of air-to-air missiles.
•  Rear-Aspect Heat-Seeking:  Older heat seekers that can only be
fired at a target's rear 180° arc
•  All-Aspect Heat-Seeking:  Can be launched at any angle to target
•  Semi-Active Radar-Homing:  Must be guided to the target by a
continuous radar lock-on which makes the firing aircraft somewhat
vulnerable.  If the radar lock-on is lost, the missile is lost.
•  Active Radar-Homing:  Need radar lock-on only to fire initially.  Fire-
and-forget.
11.2  Launch Requirements:  Remember that your systems panel
missile button(s) will flash when you are able to fire a missile.
11.2.1  Heat Seekers
• Target must be inside firing aircraft's front 90° cone (see section 3)
• Visual contact to target, or IRST contact, or firer has Heads-Up
Display (HUD) and radar lock-on
• Missile is all-aspect, or firing aircraft is in horizontal rear 180° arc
of target
• Target is within missile maximum range
• Target is not inside missile minimum range
• Missile is "agile" or "highly agile", or firing aircraft did not attempt a
high-G maneuver last game-turn
• Target is not "upsun" (see section 14)
11.2.2  Radar Homing:
• Target must be inside firing aircraft's front 90° cone (see section
3)
• Firer has radar lock-on to target
• Target is within missile maximum range
• Target is not inside missile minimum range
• Missile is "agile" or "highly agile", or firing aircraft did not attempt a
high-G maneuver last game-turn
11.3  Speed:  The printed missile speeds are the maximum possible.
They'll often fly noticeably slower at lower altitudes (30% slower at sea
level).  Also, on the first turn of flight, the missile's speed equals the
average of the firing aircraft's speed and the normal speed of the
missile.  This represents the missile accelerating from the relatively slow
speed of the firing aircraft.
11.4  Maximum Range:  The printed maximum range for a missile is
the maximum range at which it can be launched.  Most missiles can
actually travel farther than this value.  Maximum launch range for
heat seeking missiles is only 50% of the printed value when launched at
a target's front 90° arc, and 75% when launched at a target's side
90° arc.  Radar homing missiles will suffer a reduction of as much as
40% to their max ranges when aiming at small targets (because they
have smaller radar cross-sections).  Thus, the printed maximum range is
the best possible value.  So don't be surprised when you have to get
closer to that little Alpha Jet than you thought you had to!  In addition,
stealth technology drastically reduces the effective range of radar-
homers aimed against it.
11.5  Minimum Range:  Similarly, when a missile is fired at the side 90°
arc of a target, it's minimum range is increased by 50%.  When fired
at the front 90° arc, the minimum range is doubled.
11.6  Angle of Attack:  The effectiveness of a missile depends heavily
upon the angle at which it intercepts the target.  See figure 6, where
the  larger arrows represent greater effectiveness.  The black arrows
represent heat-seekers and the gray arrows represent radar-homers.
The angle at which a missile intercepts its target will be displayed when
the intercept takes place in the action phase.
11.7  Defense:  All aircraft are assumed to carry and use defensive
decoys (flares and chaff) against incoming missiles and this is built in to
the missile combat resolution equations.  But other than this -  how
does one avoid an incoming missile?  It depends somewhat on whether
it's a heat seeker or a radar missile (you often won't know) but here
are some tips:

Figure 6 - Missile Angle of Attack

•     Present your best angle for defense to the missile, front side to heat
seekers, and side (or possibly front side) to radar homers.  These are
the hardest angles for the missiles to attack from.  Never let a missile
attack you from the rear!  Also, note that radar-homers are almost
as deadly from head-on as they are from behind.  Rear-aspect HSM's
can only be launched at a target's rear 180° but that target can
then turn around so the missile ends up attacking it from the front.
The missile will not automatically lose tracking, but it is unlikely to hit
such a target.
•     Pull a high-G turn.  This REALLY shakes off incoming missiles if it
succeeds.  It is especially effective against the less agile missiles such
as most radar-homers.
•     Turn OFF afterburner if attacked by a heat seeker.  Afterburners
are a huge heat source for HSM's to track.  Lower your throttle as
well, but look out if you're also planning to pull a high-G turn.  You
don't want to lose too much airspeed and stall or be unable to
maneuver against the next missile.  You might want to lose some
altitude to gain speed.  You'll know it's a HSM if your enemy isn't
equipped with active homing radar missiles (only the superpowers
are) and he doesn't currently have a lock-on to you.
•    Don't let your speed bleed off too much.  The more your speed falls
below 450 MPH, the more vulnerable you are.
•    Dive into "ground clutter".  If you dive to altitude 3 or lower and the
missile must dive to intercept you, or if you are at altitude zero then
the missile (especially older radar-homers) may be confused by
electromagnetic noise from the ground.
•     Watch out for "quick shots", where an enemy aircraft is close
enough so that he can fire a missile and it will intercept your aircraft
in a single action phase.  You will not get the chance to see the
missile warning appear in your "Threat" menu since it strikes in the
same turn as launched.  This can be a nasty surprise, so take
defensive measures in anticipation of such shots when necessary.
•     Note that pilots with higher skill ratings are much more likely to
evade missiles due to their better training and timing.

12  Aircraft
12.1  Missile Loads:  All aircraft can carry at most one type of heat-
seeking missile and one type of radar-homing missile.  The numbers of
each type that can be carried is dependent on the number and types
of missile rails on the aircraft.  See the header of section 17 for details.
12.2  Target Identification:  All enemy aircraft will be known as
"Bandit" until they have come close enough to be identified visually by
friendly pilots.  Bandits are drawn with an arrow that indicates facing
but not aircraft type.
12.3  Strike Weapon Range:  If you wish to arm strike aircraft with
bombs, then specify a range of 4 for their weapons during setup.  They
may instead be armed with weapons that have a longer range - i.e.
missiles (see 13.3).  Note that facing is unimportant when bombing (a
helpful abstraction) and all air-to-ground ordnance is referred to as
"bombs" even though it might represent missile(s).  Accuracy is
degraded by high speeds (above 500 MPH) and altitude, but only if
weapon range is less than or equal to 4, i.e. missiles are not affected.
12.4  Pilot Skill:  This ranges from 1 (worst) to 7 (best).  It has a
major effect on a lot of things:  which phase to plan moves in, ability to
pull high-G turns, successful evasion of incoming missiles, cannon
accuracy, stalled flight control, and bomb accuracy.
12.5  Stalling and Spinning:  All jet aircraft have minimum speeds
below which they lose wing lift and lose control.  It is very important to
keep your speed above this minimum!  Stall speeds at sea level are
roughly 150-200 MPH depending on the particular aircraft.  Stall
speeds increase with higher altitude and external weapon loading.
When an aircraft stalls, it may not be given orders.  It loses all contacts,
both radar, infrared, and visual.  It automatically sets throttle and
afterburner to maximum.  If the stall is controlled (it usually is) it will
lose 1 altitude level and may change facing by 45°.  If not, it will enter a
spin, lose 3 altitude levels and change facing randomly.  Once airspeed is
above the stall speed, the stall/spin will end.  Thus, stalls (especially
spins) are truly dangerous to aircraft flying at low altitude because
there's little time to pull out of it.  NOTE:  A two-pulse tone will sound,
and the airspeed indicator will flash during planning if an aircraft is close
to its stall speed.
12.6  Load:  You may notice that your aircraft accelerates better as
time passes in the scenario.  This is because it has burned off fuel and is
therefore lighter.  Jet aircraft burn fuel at such a prodigious rate that
it is necessary to carry quite a bit on board, and this along with
external weapons like missiles and bombs weigh down the aircraft,
reducing performance.  This effect is most notable on loaded bombers
and aircraft such as the USAF F-15C and E which can carry a colossal
amount of fuel.
12.7  Structural Failure:  Aircraft that are damaged (i.e. hit but not
shot down) must limit their maneuvering or face destruction.  Any time
a damaged aircraft attempts a high-G turn, or executes a loop or
barrel roll, it risks coming apart at the seams.  The risk is proportional
to the damage.  Try it and find out!


13  Air to Ground Combat
13.1  Strike Target:  The bearing and range to the strike target are
shown in the full data window (see 5.2.2).  It looks like a little target in
crosshairs in the visual display.  Just get your strike aircraft within
range (usually 4 for bombs), make sure you're above altitude zero, and
select "Drop Bombs..." from the Control Menu while the Systems Panel
is on the screen.  Low altitude and slow speed (below 500 MPH) improve
accuracy , especially for poorer bombsights, although pilot skill and
bombsight quality are the key factors.  You can also strafe the primary
target if you want to (see 13.2.3).
13.1.1  Target Value:  Affects the number of points you get for
hitting the target.  If it's high value, it's worth taking some casualties
to hit.
13.1.2  Accuracy needed:  All Primary targets look and act the
same in Strike Jets, but they can represent just about anything.  An
accuracy-needed value of "Low" could represent an infantry unit out
in the open.  "Medium" could be an airfield, where an accurate hit does
the most damage, but a near miss still hurts.  "Pinpoint" could be
Saddam Hussein's bunker or a ship at sea, where only a direct hit will
cause damage.  You get half points for partial hits and no points for
misses (you'll be informed of how accurate your bombs were in the
message window).
13.2  Ground Units:  These nasty dudes will shoot back at you!  They
come in two flavors:  surface-to-air missiles (SAM), and anti-aircraft
guns (AAA).  The SAM units carry 6 missiles at a time, but can reload
once they've been fired, although this will take some time.  Ground units
are intended to represent "ground" units but can certainly represent
armed ships at sea as well.
13.2.1  Technology:  SAM technology ranges from 1 to 4.  Higher-
tech SAM's have longer ranges at which they'll open fire (out to about
30 squares horizontally).  AAA technology ranges from 1 to 3 and
affects the chance of scoring a hit.  Horizontal range for AAA is 10
and they can only fire as high as altitude 12.  AAA accuracy is
decreased by target altitude and speed.
13.2.2  Bombing:  Aircraft can bomb SAM's and AAA's as well as the
primary target.  4000 lbs. of bombs (or whatever you have left, if it's
less than 4000) will be dropped.  The SAM/AAA is treated as a
"pinpoint" for "accuracy-needed" purposes.  If it's hit, it's destroyed.
13.2.3  Strafing:  Drop to altitude level zero and fly directly
through the SAM/AAA.  You'll automatically open fire in the action
phase and maybe kill it.
13.2.4  Spotters:  Ground units will radio information to friendly
aircraft about enemies they can see (and the enemy will show up in
the "Bandits" menu).
13.2.5  Suppression:  Active jamming will reduce the frequency with
which SAM units are able to fire.  This is because the jamming
interferes with their fire control systems.  This effect is increased by
the power of the active jammer and decreased by the technology
level of the SAM.
13.3  Air to Surface Missiles:  Strike weapons with a range
greater than 4 are treated as air to surface missiles.  They suffer no
accuracy penalties from the speed or altitude of the firing aircraft.
They are also more likely to hit SAM/AAA sites.  Reasonable ranges for
modern air to ground missiles are:
•  Anti-Radar Missiles:  30  (latest Western: 90)
•  Guided Rockets (like the U.S. Maverick):   25
•  Anti-ship Missiles:  max 250 (for those that the aircraft in this game
can carry)

14  The Sun:  You'll notice the sun in your visual display.  No aircraft
can visually spot or fire a heat-seeking missile at an aircraft that is
"upsun" of it.  An aircraft is "upsun" if it is above the spotting aircraft
and bears within 10 degrees of the path to the sun.  NOTE:  The Sun's
picture on the screen behaves a little differently than others in that no
matter where an aircraft is, the sun will always have the same bearing in
the sky.  For example, when the sun is located at the center of the
bottom of the visual display, it will bear 180° at all times to all aircraft
regardless of their locations.  Mouse click on the sun to find out what its
bearing is.

15  Computer vs. Computer:  Watching the computer play against
itself is a good way to learn effective tactics when you're just beginning.
You will see a dialog that allows you to enter the number of turns
between interrupting the action.  When the action is interrupted you
can scroll around by dragging the little grey rectangle in the
comprehensive view.  All aircraft and missiles of both sides are displayed.
Note also the two interrupt controls in the dialog.  Click on "missile
launch interrupt" if you want an interruption to take place as soon as
any  missile is launched, and click on the "skip dialogs" box if you don't
want any dialogs to appear on the screen (so the action is continuous).

16  Score Tally (The End):  At the end of each battle a window will
appear, showing you the losses on each side, with point values next to
each one.  These point values are proportional to the quality of the
aircraft and its pilot.  These values are totaled on the right hand side
next to the word "absolute".  The line below, reading "scaled" is a score
based both on the "absolute" score and the relative sizes of the forces
that began the game, and is the more important of the two scores.
Note that radar controllers are figured in as well.  These point values
are only meant as a rough guide to determining victory, though.  The
ultimate judge is you, the player.

17  Aircraft Data:  The specifications of the aircraft in this game
are listed on the next several pages.  Here's an explanation of the
format:

Name
# of crew on board
Subsonic or supersonic:  Affects "envelope" speed
Type:
Fighter:  Primarily used to fight enemy aircraft of all types in air-to-air
combat.  Typically small and very maneuverable.  They are usually very
versatile aircraft and some can perform strike missions as well.
Interceptor:  Engages in air-to-air combat, but usually of a different sort
than
the fighter.  The interceptor is designed to shoot down intruding aircraft
(often bombers) with long-range radar homing missiles.  Interceptors are
usually quite fast, but often lack maneuverability.  They are usually big
aircraft, this being necessary to carry a large number of radar-homing
missiles.  Older interceptors are often relegated to the role of strike once
their weapons systems are obsolete.
Strike:  A ground attack aircraft.
Close-support:  Similar to strike, but these aircraft are intended more for
"battlefield loitering" - i.e. simply flying around above a battlefield looking
for enemy troops to fire at.
Multi-role:   Fully capable of both the fighter and strike missions.
ECM:  Equipped with an active jammer, it is intended to accompany a strike
squadron to its target and shield them from enemy radar.
AEW:  Air-Early-Warning.  These aircraft carry huge 360° radars and
effectively act as airborne radar controllers.
Maximum Speed:  MPH at sea level/at high altitude (24+)
Maneuver:  Rated from F (worst) to A+ (best)
Engines:  Normal full throttle  thrust in lbs.  (Thrust including afterburner
listed in parenthesis)
Weight:  Weight, in lbs., of the empty aircraft
Fuel:  Maximum fuel load in lbs.  (efficient/inefficient = fuel consumption
rate.  Older jets burn fuel less efficiently.  If there's no rating, then the
efficiency is "average")
Bombload:  Maximum bomb load in lbs.
Bombsight:  None, Basic, Standard, Modern, Advanced
Size:  Tiny, Very Small, Small, Average, Large, Very Large, Huge
Wing Area:  In square feet.  Divide the weight of the aircraft by the wing
area
to get "wing loading" in pounds per square foot.  Higher wing loading
values translate to greater deceleration during maneuvers, so fighter
aircraft prefer to have low wing loading.
Ceiling:  The highest altitude the aircraft can reach.  When carrying external
weapons, however, the effective ceiling may be lower.
Stall:  1 (best = lowest stall speeds) to 4 (highest).  See 12.5.
Toughness:  A measure of how much damage the aircraft can take before
going
down (Weak, Light, Standard, Sound, Tough, Super-Tough).
ECM:  Defensive jamming equipment typically carried by the aircraft.  Used
to
break enemy lock-ons and to decoy radar-homing missiles.  Not to be
confused with active jammers.  Values are:  None, Basic, Standard,
Modern, Advanced, Highly Advanced
Cannon:  None, Basic, Standard, Modern.  Quality affects accuracy.
(Ammunition listed in parenthesis).
Missile Rails:  The numbers and types of missile rails on the aircraft
h:  carries one heat-seeking missile
r:   carries one radar-homing missile
x:  carries one missile of either type
d:  carries either one radar-homer or two heat-seekers
Types:  The kinds of missiles this aircraft can carry
Radar:  Special characteristics are listed here (if any).  They are:  arc (listed
only
if 180° or 360°, otherwise it is 90°), look-down capable, track-while-scan
(TWS), multi-lockon (# of targets in parenthesis).  A radar with a 180° arc
is more resistant to defensive ECM.
Range:  The range of the radar to an aircraft of size "Average".  Note that
range
to "huge" aircraft is nearly double this figure.
Strength:  0 (worst) to 10 (best).  Affects chances of obtaining radar lock-
on
and of maintaining it versus target defensive ECM.
Special:
Teardrop canopy:  A high-visibility cockpit that allows the pilot to see
aircraft in his rear 90° arc if they are at a higher altitude.
Delta wing:  Gives improved acceleration at supersonic speeds (≥ 700 MPH).
It also multiplies wing-loading by 1.6 for purposes of calculating
deceleration in high-G maneuvers and loops (because delta wings
generally bleed off a lot of airspeed in sustained turns).
Advanced delta wing:  As a normal delta wing, but only multiplies wing-
loading by 1.3.
Swing-wing:  These behave as delta wings at supersonic speeds (≥700 MPH)
otherwise they're normal.
HUD:  Heads-up display.  Because it projects target information onto the
pilot's windscreen, it allows him to fire heat-seeking missiles with a radar
lock-on (i.e. and no visual contact).
IRST:  Infrared Search and Track system.  See 10.3
Active Jammer:  Rated from 1 (worst) to 3 (best).  See 10.2.2.  Not to be
confused with defensive ECM/jamming.
VIFF:  Stands for "vectoring in forward flight".  Possessed only by the Harrier
- it can point its jet nozzles downward to pull a tight turn.  This is
reflected in an artificially high maneuver rating, but the Harrier will also
suffer a greater deceleration when making high-G turns.  Aircraft with
VIFF will never stall.
Stealth:  Rated 1 (good) or 2 (even better).  It hides the aircraft from radar
controllers and greatly reduces the effective ranges of radars and IRST
systems looking for it.  It also reduces missiles' probability of hit.
Supercruise:  The ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without
afterburners.
Points:  The score given to the enemy for shooting down this aircraft (with a
pilot of skill 4).
Notes:  A brief description of the aircraft.


Here are the two aircraft provided
in the demo:

MiG-23 Flogger G
1 man, supersonic interceptor
Maximum Speed: 910/1550
Maneuver: C-
Engines: 18000 (27530)
Weight: 24250
   Fuel: 10140  (ineff.)
   Bombload: 6000
Bombsight: Basic
Size: Small
Wing Area: 300
Ceiling: 40
Stall: 3
Toughness: Light
ECM: Basic
Cannon: Basic  (4)
Missile Rails: 6h 2x
  Types: AA-2, AA-2-2, AA-7, AA-8,
AA-11
Radar: Look-down
   Range: 120
   Strength: 6
Special: Swing-wing, HUD
Points: 40
Notes:  The backbone of the Soviet
air defense force, the MiG-23 was
designed in the 1960's.  It has been
produced in very large quantities
and is significantly more effective
in the interception role than the
older MiG-21, although it is a poor
dogfighter due to mediocre
maneuverability and low engine
power.


F-16A Fighting Falcon
1 man, supersonic fighter
Maximum Speed: 910/1350
Maneuver: A-
Engines: 16200 (23900)
Weight: 14600
   Fuel: 6970
   Bombload: 12000
Bombsight: Standard
Size: Very Small
Wing Area: 300
Ceiling: 34
Stall: 2
Toughness: Standard
ECM: Basic
Cannon: Modern  (6)
Missile Rails: 6h
  Types: AIM-9
Radar: Look-down
   Range: 120
   Strength: 8
Special: Teardrop canopy, HUD
Points: 52
Notes:  Designed as a
counterbalance to the trend of
high-priced, high-tech aircraft like
the F-15, the F-16A entered service
in 1979 as a basic, yet remarkably
agile and effective tactical fighter.
It lacks the capacity for a long-
range kill, but this is one reason it
was relatively cheap to produce.



18  Missile Data

Name
Type
Kill%:  This is the rough chance that the
missile will hit a non-high-G-turning target
from the rear, with no special circumstances.
ECCM:  Anti-ECM.  The better it is, the more
the radar-homing missile can overcome the
effects of target ECM.  (Heat-seekers don't
have or need ECCM).
Quickness:  Measures how well the missile can
successfully hit a target that is in a high-G
turn.  Values are:  Very Slow, Slow, Average,
Agile, Highly Agile.
Range:  Minimum-maximum.
Maximum Speed:  in MPH.
Burn Time:  The number of game-turns the
missile will stay aloft before running out of
fuel and energy (and self-destructing).
Weight:  in lbs.
Notes:  A brief description.

Here are the missiles included in this demo:

AA-8 Aphid
Rear-Aspect Heat Seeker
Kill: 55%
Quickness: Highly Agile
Range: 1 - 12
Max Speed: 2000
Burn Time: 2
Weight: 121
Notes:  Credited as being all-aspect.  The author
finds this claim quite dubious.  It is the most
abundant heat-seeker in current use by the
Soviet air force.

AA-7 Apex (R)
Semi-Active Radar Homing
Kill: 40%
ECCM: 0
Quickness: Average
Range: 5 - 60
Max Speed: 2200
Burn Time: 8
Weight: 705
Notes:  Soviet built and reasonably effective.

AIM-9L Sidewinder
All-Aspect Heat Seeker
Kill: 70%
Quickness: Highly Agile
Range: 1 - 33
Max Speed: 1650
Burn Time: 6
Weight: 188
Notes: The first all-aspect Sidewinder, available
since 1977.

SAM-2
Surface-to-Air Missile
Kill: 40%
ECCM: 1
Quickness: Slow
Max Speed: 2000
Burn Time: 5
Notes:  Represents obsolescent systems like the
Soviet SA-6.


19  References and Inspirations:
Bond, Larry.  Harpoon: Modern Naval Wargame Rules.  Bloomington, IL:
Game Designer's Workshop, 1987.
Chant, Christopher.  The Concise Illustrated Book of Top Gun Aircraft.  New
York, NY: Gallery Books, 1990.
Donald, David.  The Pocket Guide to Military Aircraft and the World's Air
Forces.  London, United Kingdom: Temple Press, 1989.  Published in
the USA by Gallery Books of New York, NY.
Gunston, Bill.  An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles.  London,
United Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1983.  Published in the USA by
Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. of New York, NY.
Gunston, Bill.  An Illustrated Guide to Modern Fighters and Attack Aircraft.
London, United Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1987.  Published
in the USA by Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. of
New York, NY.
Gunston, Bill.  An Illustrated Guide to Spy Planes and Electronic Warfare
Aircraft.  London, United Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1983.
Published in the USA by Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster,
Inc. of New York, NY.
Gunston, Bill.  An Illustrated Guide to the Future Fighters and Combat
Aircraft.  London, United Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1987.
Published in the USA by Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster,
Inc. of New York, NY.
Gunston, Bill.  Combat Arms: Modern Attack Aircraft.  London, United
Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1989.  Published in the USA by Prentice
Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. of New York, NY.
Richardson, Doug.  An Illustrated Guide to the Techniques and Equipment of
Electronic Warfare.  London, United Kingdom: Salamander
Books Ltd., 1985.  Published in the USA by Prentice Hall Press, a division of
Simon & Schuster, Inc. of New York, NY.
Richardson, Doug.  Red Star Rising: Soviet Fighters.  London, United
Kingdom: The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., 1989.  Printed and bound in
Spain
by Graficas Estella, S.A. Navarra.
Spick, Mike.  An Illustrated Guide to Modern Fighter Combat.  London,
United Kingdom: Salamander Books Ltd., 1987.  Published in the USA by
Prentice Hall Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. of New York, NY.
Webster, J.D.  Air Superiority.  Bloomington, IL:  Game Designer's
Workshop, 1987.
Modern Jet Fighters.  Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1989.
The Defenders: A Comprehensive Guide to the Warplanes of the USA.
London, United Kingdom: Aerospace Publishing, 1988.  Distributed in
the USA by Gallery Books of New York, NY.
The World's Great Attack Aircraft.  London, United Kingdom: Aerospace
Publishing, 1988.  Distributed in the USA by Gallery Books of New York, NY.
The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft.  London, United Kingdom:
Aerospace Publishing, 1989.  Distributed in the USA by Gallery Books of
New
York, NY.