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1992-12-18
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Welcome to Corncob 3D. Copyright 1991,1992 Pie in the Sky Software
Table of Contents
-----------------
1) Getting Started
2) \(The Story so Far\)
3) Hardware Requirements
4) What to try if Corncob Crashes Your Computer
5) Inflight Keys
6) Keyboard Play and How to Handle the Rudder
7) Combat Missions: Theaters-of-Operation
8) Training Missions: Design-your-own
9) Friendly Structures
10) Enemy Structures
11) How to Take Off, Fly Level, and Land
12) How to Turn Your Plane
13) Running Around - Welcome the Assassin
14) Scoring and Promotion
15) Commonly Asked Questions
16) The Corncob Other Worlds Campaign Order Form
17) Technical Information and Disclaimer
Getting Started
---------------
Welcome to Corncob-3d!
Corncob-3d is an easy game to use.
If you just want to get in the cockpit and fly, then type <CR> at the
main menu. Doing so will bring up the Training Missions menu. Just
type <CR> again, and you will receive the pre-flight report, which gives
information the mission. Hit <CR> again to begin the mission.
Once in the plane, the blinking message reminds you that the F4 key
gives inflight help.
The Story so Far
----------------
The date is August, 1949. This is not the 1949 that we remember, though.
In this 1949 WWII never happened (this is because among other factors,
Adolf Hitler was killed at the age of 19 when hit in the head by a thrown
beer bottle), but all was not peace in this alternate age.
In 1938 aliens swept down out of the skies and began to set up struc-
tures. Allthough many attempts were made to communicate, the aliens did not
respond. It soon became obvious that these creatures simply were not
interested in us, or in any other life on the planet. When human dwellings
or sites were in their way, the aliens destroyed them and continued their
seemingly random construction plans.
So in 1941 the world governments agreed to band together in an alliance
for humanity. No attacks were launched until November 1941. The plan was
a simultaneous all out blitz against the extraterrestrials in every part of
the globe.
Your mission is critical in this plan. You must destroy several alien
structures, and in the process, many aliens themselves. If you do not
succeed the entire human effort will fail.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
Corncob requires an IBM PC/AT-type, 12Mhz or faster, with a color VGA
display, and 560k free RAM. A hard drive is recommended.
NOTE: If you are running Corncob from a high-density floppy disk: you must
copy COMMAND.COM from your DOS disk onto the root directory of this floppy
disk.
What to do if Corncob crashes your computer.
-------------------------------------------
Corncob has been tested on a variety of systems and has run reliably
with no crashes for weeks of game play. However, Corncob 3D does do some
rather unorthodox things which may cause problems with certain TSR
programs.
If you encounter problems reboot with no TSR or menu programs loaded.
Inflight Key Definitions
------------------------
F1 - Boss Screen (Customize your own boss screen by editing BOSS.TXT file)
F2 - Intelligence Info
F4 - Help
F5 - Recenter Joystick
escape - end mission now (for best score, use near your airstrip tower)
cntl-c - abort mission (end mission, pretend mission never happened)
Keypad arrow keys (NEVER use cursor keys, use KEYPAD arrow keys only!)
7,9 - left, right rudder control (Must use these for taxiing on ground)
(Tap lightly; Don't hold rudder keys down continuously in flight!)
8,2 - nose down, nose up
4,6 - roll counterclockwise, roll clockwise
numlock - toggle between {keypad arrows = views} or {keypad arrows = controls}
left cntl key - use with keypad arrow keys for views
left shift key - hold down to switch gun mode to cannons
left shift key - apply brakes
a - autopilot toggle on/off
b - drop bomb now
c - fire missiles (Keyboard control only)
e - eject (must press space bar to pull ripcord) ALSO: (step out of plane)
f - flaps toggle
g - ground detail dots toggle on/off
i - ignite rocket booster (15 second burn, 120 seconds recharge)
m - map mode (arrows, pgup=move down, pgup=move up, shft arrows=change angle)
p - pause toggle, (use spacebar to go through help screens when paused)
r - toggle reverse window on/off
s - toggle sound on/off, also use for reseting sound board in case of glitch
t - hold down for accelerated time
x,z - left/right rudder
(Tap lightly; Don't hold rudder keys down continuously in flight!)
keypad +/- increase/decrease throttle
joystick button 1: fire guns
joystick button 2: fire missiles
Standing on the Ground Key Definitions
--------------------------------------
d - detonate your planted assassin bomb
m - go to map mode
p - pause (same as inflight)
s - toggle sound on/off, also use for reseting sound board in case of glitch
t - hold down for advanced time
v - radio for a rescue van
j - hold down, release to jump. The longer held down, the higher the jump
keypad 2,8,4,6 - turn your head down, up, left, right
keypad 5,0 - run forward, backward in direction you are facing
left cntl - changes function of keypad arrow keys to operate views
caps lock - toggles remote control mode: fly plane from ground
space bar - fire handgun (Keyboard control only)
joystick button - fire handgun
Keyboard Play
-------------
A great deal of effort was put into Corncob in order to make keyboard
play work well. The keyboard is interrupt driven, and your key presses
are timed to within 1/1000 th of a second. Also, Corncob has no problem
detecting keystrokes even when 3 keys are held down at once.
Remember that to apply gentle tweaks to the control, you must press
keys on and off rapidly, with the average time spent down being the
desired roll/pitch rate. You have three displays on the front panel
which show you what you are presently sending to the control stick.
These meters are just to the right of the ALT light.
NOTE: if the keypad arrow keys suddenly appear to be not functioning
properly, perhaps you have bumped the numlock key. See the 'inflight
keys' section for the function of the numlock key.
Combat Missions: Theaters-of-Operation
---------------------------------------
To fly a mission a pilot first chooses in which theater of operations he
wishes to fly. A theater of operations is a terrain filled with airports
and areas of enemy concentrations. After opening a theater, select 'F'
from the combat missions menu in order to fly a mission in that theater.
A pilot selects his mission by either flying there from the airstrip, or
simply pressing F2 to bring up a list of the local missions. The pilot
selects the mission by using the arrow keys to move the text until the
start coords for the desired mission light up. Then by pressing the
<enter> key, he/she will be teleported right to the action.
After you have completed your mission, you must fly back to your
airstrip to get credit for your victory. If you can land the plane, your
points will be much higher than if you quit during a 'flyby'.
Still, even if you cannot land the plane safely, quiting the flight via
the <escape> key must be done close to airstrip in order to avoid losing
a plane. The definition of 'close' to your airstrip is when your
airstrip's radar dish is blinking.
Most theaters of operation have 9 airbases from which the pilot
can take off and land in. (However, this version contains only 1-airstrip
theaters.) Each airbase has intelligence information about the enemy
forces in the vicinity. Intelligence info can be gotten from entering
the control tower on foot, or by using your radio (F2 key) when in the air.
The information you receive will be from the last airport you were in.
One of the most important things about theaters is that they have a
history capability. This means that anything a pilot has destroyed will
stay destroyed forever. For example, say that yesterday a mission was
flown in which the Devil's Aquarium was demolished. If that same theater
is flown in today, the wreckage will still remain. This applies to
friendly objects as well as enemy objects. Which brings us to the topic
of plane conservation.
Planes are a precious resource which should not be wasted. Each time
you crash a plane beyond repair, there is one less in your theater.
Even a heavily damaged plane can be repaired by landing and strolling
over to the control tower on foot. If the pilot cannot land, then ending
the mission with a low flyby will assume a safe landing with plane intact,
and the next time the game is played the plane will be repaired.
If desired, some older model planes can be brought out of storage, but
this should be used only when desperate. These planes have reduced
performance specs, and are a brown color. Planes are brought out of
storage when you select 'F' to fly at an airstrip where there are no
regular blue planes available.
Of course, if a pilot runs out of planes in a theater, or would like a
fresh start, there is always the option of reopening a fresh theater. A
pilot can have up to 15 theaters open at one time, so he may fly one mission
in DUSK theater, then fly a mission in WASTELND, and so on. Closing an
undesirable theater does not affect the pilot's record. In fact even if a
pilot is killed in action, he can be resurrected. The only cost of
resurrection is the fact that the computer keeps track of how many
resurrections you did, and places this number by your name in all records.
Each pilot has records kept both for his total career, and his performance
in each theater in which he has flown.
Training Missions
---------------
If you don't want to fight in an actual theater -- you just want to hop
in a plane and shoot at aliens -- then the Training Missions are for you.
Use the menu to specify the number of enemy KLA sites, AAA batteries, and
ground vehicle sites, and you are ready to engage in combat.
You will be placed in a universe which is empty except for your airstrip
and the enemy field of operations. The basic setup of the enemy territory
will always be the same. The fuel storage canisters (or Ticks, as pilots
call them) are always the primary mission objective.
The default is that you are issued an invulnerable plane for training
missions. If you wish the mission to add to your pilot's score, you may
toggle off the invulnerable plane option.
Please note that the default training mission is much harder than the
combat missions.
Friendly Objects
----------------
Airplanes
---------
Every airstrip has one or more airplanes that you may fly. To get into a
plane, simply walk up to it. To get out of a plane use the 'e' key. There
are three different plane types in the game.
The blue-winged planes are the standard front-line ground attack planes.
The brown-winged planes are older planes which have been brought out of
storage in the case of an emergency. These planes have less engine power.
Control Tower
-------------
Every airstrip has a control tower. This tower contains the radio
equipment and intelligence officers. If a pilot enters the door of the
control tower on foot, his plane will be repaired if close enough.
If a control tower is destroyed, it may be impossible to get intelligence
info on future missions.
Radar Unit
----------
The radar tower watches for your safe return to home base. If you want
to have your plane on the next mission, you must make sure the radar tower
is flashing before ending the mission with the escape key. The radar tower
begins flashing when you get to within a certain distance of the control
tower.
Ending the mission with the radar tower flashing makes a big difference
in the computed pilot score.
Runways
-------
Runways are the ideal location for taking off and landing. Your plane
can do both on the grass also, but the risk of crashlanding is much higher
when not landing on the runway. Taxiing on the grass bounces the plane
about, and can cause a crashlanding even at low speeds.
Rescue Van
----------
When a pilot is downed behind enemy lines, he can be rescued by the rescue
van. He must first eject from the plane, and then use his handheld portable
radio to call for assistance. (Press the 'v' key.) A rescue van will be
dispatched and will appear shortly. The van will approach you and stop when
within a few steps of the pilot. When the pilot enters the van the mission
is over, and the pilot is considered home safe.
The rescue van is not indestructible. The van will be destroyed if it
collides with another object on its way to pick you up. It is up to the
pilot to maneuver himself so that there are no obstructions between the
approaching van and himself.
Enemy Defenses
--------------
Force Fields
------------
Force Fields are a passive defense system used to protect resources by
shielding them from firepower, and preventing our aircraft from flying
through. Some forcefields shimmer, some are solid colors. Some fields
appear as a rectangular frame which may or may not vary in size with the
passage of time.
The solid and shimmering force fields require the most power, and
therefore only click on when needed. When a bullet or missile, or
a plane itself comes near a solid forcefield, it will pop into existence.
Almost all bullets and missiles are stopped by the forcefields, as well
as bombs. Do not use missiles when your plane is too close to field,
as they will explode in your face when launched. A forcefield will
cause damage to a plane at a certain rate during the time in which
the airplane is flying too close. If a forcefield must be flown through,
then to minimize damage, fly through perpendicular to the surface, and
the higher the airspeed, the better.
In almost all cases, forcefields are powered by a local generator orb.
Therefore when you take out the orb, all the local ff's will drop.
Note that the enemy's fire can be stopped by forcefields also.
Barrage Balloons
----------------
Barrage balloons are huge membranes filled with a lighter-than-air gas.
They float up and down randomly. Their purpose is simply to be in the way.
They are organic and self-regenerating, so although they stop all our
firepower, they themselves are indestructible.
Bee Swarms
----------
Bee swarms are very similar to the barrage balloons discussed above. They
float up and down, but they are much harder to see, and are more difficult to
determine their exact position due to their indistinct appearance.
AAA Batteries
-------------
These are one of the most threatening of the enemy's active defenses. AAA
sites track your plane and send up volleys of explosive shells which burst in
the air around you. You do not have to be hit directly to take damage from
an AA shell. The shells are designed to explode into fragments that tear
through your plane, even if you are hundreds of feet from the explosion.
The AAA batteries vary wildly from site to site. We have found that there
is a correlation between muzzle color and deadliness. Usually brown AAAs
are the least threatening, while white AAAs are devastating.
Note that enemy AAA shells can destroy enemy KLA's.
KLA's Deathballs
----------------
These are enemy missiles that lock on to your plane, and attempt to
explode when close enough. They are launched either from missile sites
or from saucers. These missiles have varying abilities which you can
determine from their color.
When a KLA becomes active, it will show up as a green dot on your
radar screen. When you see one visually you will notice that when
it is pointed at you it begins to flash. At this point the KLA has a
lock on you. Most KLAs will accelerate forward when they get a lock.
Note that deathballs always head directly towards you, and do not
lead your plane, like AAA batteries do.
Generator Orbs
--------------
Generator orbs produce power for force fields and act as a central
structure to each concentration of enemy activity. The process used by
the aliens to generate power has a strange disorienting effect on humans
when close to the orb. Usually this effect decreases with distance, but
under certain circumstances can become independent of position.
When attempting to destroy it, aim for the center of the flashing ball.
It takes maybe ten missiles or two bombs and a few missiles to destroy one.
When an orb is destroyed all the force fields in the immediate vicinity
drop. This makes them of extreme strategic importance on some missions.
In some situations it is wise NOT to destroy the orbs, since sometimes
the alien's force fields can be used to our advantage.
There is a special kind of orb which has an attractive tractor beam that
exerts a pulling force on your plane.
Some orbs have been designed to be invincible to normal weapons, and the
only effective way to take them out is via suiciding the plane into them.
Make sure you bail out before contact, or else you will be killed in the
ensuing explosion. If you must bail a good way away from the target, hit
caps lock to control your plane remotely.
TRFRU
-----
Tetrahedral Radio Frequency receiving units, or TRFRU, are antenna
systems used for spying on all human military communications. They look
like small black tetrahedrons spinning in the air.
Mortars
-------
Mortars are simple ground devices that spew incendiaries when any human
is near. They are used to deny low altitude flying.
Mind Benders
------------
Mind benders are small tofu-like structures that have a hallucinatory
effect on the human nervous system. These devices blaze with flashing
colors, and spin slowly about the ball in their centers. They are
extremely tough, and can only be taken out with a bomb. In many missions
they are unreachable from the air. In this case a volunteer must land his
plane in enemy territory and proceed on foot to plant an assassin bomb on
the device, then blow it up remotely from a distance.
Aliens
------
Aliens are very light and like to be in constant motion. They rarely are
seen on open ground and must be approached on foot most of the time. The
handgun is the weapon of choice for assassinating aliens. Upon death
chemical reactions occur that may cause the body to float up into the sky.
If an alien touches you while you are not in your plane, you are captured.
Ground Transports
-----------------
These ground vehicles look like three wheeled radio controlled cars.
They are no threat to the airborne pilot; however it is a different story
for the pilot on foot. These shopping carts (unofficial name) can capture
an ambulatory pilot.
There are two ways to avoid capture while on the ground. One is to use
your handgun to destroy approaching carts. The other method is to lead
them into some wreckage or other structure which will cause the cart to
turn onto it's side and die. Ground vehicles are notoriously stupid.
When a shopping cart comes near, a human on foot feels a force inexorably
pulling him towards the cart.
Flying Saucers
--------------
Saucers are the primary vehicle for alien airborne transportation. They
vary widely in self-defense capability. Some possess AAA; some have missile
launchers (KLA) aboard. All but the dumbest have the ability to execute
evasive maneuvers. All saucers have the ability to make bombing runs against
airfields. The color of the top ball on the saucer indicates its intent.
Saucers emanate from saucer sites. These sites look like large square
cookie tins with an 'x' in the bottom.
Portals
-------
The aliens have developed a means of instantaneous travel. Portals are
small force fields which look like rectangles with the corners clipped.
There are a number of different types of portals. Some are used by saucers
to appear directly over the home airstrip. These can be used by the clever
pilot as a means of getting home when his plane is not serviceable enough
to fly back.
Other kinds take you to a random place in the theater, depending on
whatever the aliens used it for last. Others are placed as traps that
result in a destroyed plane, or worse, instant death.
How to Take Off, Land, and Fly Level
------------------------------------
The key to success in Corncob is to become a good flyer. Only when a pilot
learns the abilities and limitations of his plane can he make the complex
maneuvers required to make it to the rank of General.
Takeoffs
--------
Pulling your plane up into the air is the easiest part of flying. Merely
put the throttle to the maximum, and pull up on the stick when you reach
over 150 mph.
However, there are some details to be aware of. If your plane is not lined
up on the runway, you will have to maneuver on the ground. The joystick
controls the tilt of the plane, it cannot turn the plane. Therefore, use
the rudder controls to steer while on the ground.
To bring the plane to a stop you must use the brakes. These are the
left shift key, the '.' key, or the '0' key on the keypad. The brakes must
be used to bring the plane to a complete stop. (The plane must be brought
to a complete stop to qualify as a landing.)
Once you are lined up, bring the throttle up to max. When you reach 100
mph the tail of your plane will rise off the ground. Keep the plane on the
runway by tapping the rudder keys if needed. When you surpass 150 mph, pull
back gently on the stick. If you pull back too hard the tail will swing
down so quickly that it will slam back down onto the runway, thus kicking
down your nose due to the bounce. This can cause a crash, so be careful.
Level Flight
------------
When in the air the most important thing is to avoid crashing into the
ground. To achieve level flight you must keep your gunsight above the
horizon. How high you must keep your nose depends on your airspeed. Near
the stall speed of 100 mph, the nose must be kept much higher above the
horizon than when you are flying at 350 mph.
There is an altimeter and a climb rate meter to help you fly level.
A warning light will flash if your altitude drops below 150 feet.
When climbing, keep an eye on your airspeed. If this drops below 100 mph,
then you may not have enough airspeed to fly. This makes a stall possible.
Stalls and Advanced Aerodynamics
--------------------------------
A stall occurs when the air traveling over the wings becomes turbulent.
This results in a dramatic loss of lift, and unless corrected, the plane
will invariably fall to the ground. Stalling can be brought about by
letting your airspeed drop below stall speed, or it can also occur as a
result of an imprudent aerobatic maneuver.
In a computer sim, the joystick tension does not reflect the flight
situation. Therefore, Corncob has in it an automatic stall preventer that
limits the stick travel to the maximum attainable without causing a stall.
This does not mean that it is impossible to stall. The stall preventer
simply limits the control stick from causing a stall which would be the
result of pulling back too hard.
The most common cause of a stall is simply that the airspeed has dropped
too low to sustain flight. Another common cause is excessive sideslipping.
Also, a damaged plane is much more likely to stall. Wing damage will lower
the lift of the wings, and control damage can make the stick jitter beyond
what the automatic stall preventer can handle. Of course engine damage will
lower airspeed, and rudder damage will increase level flight sideslip.
How to get out of a stall
-------------------------
To get out of stall means getting your forward airspeed up. Since your
direction of motion is invariably down when stalled, it is best to get the
nose pointed down. Of course your throttle should be place to maximum also.
Note that when the stall is so bad that your airspeed is nil, then you have
lost the ability to control the plane with the control surfaces. In fact, it
is even possible for your plane to fly backwards with the controls operating
in a reversed fashion. Even backwards airspeed is better than zero. If you
are falling backwards, pull the stick back to push the nose down. Once the
nose is down, hold her there until you get some forward airspeed.
The emergency rocket booster can also be useful in getting out of a stall.
Landing
-------
This is one of the hardest parts of learning to fly.
The biggest problem for beginners is to get lined up properly. One point
to remember is that you must not fly toward the middle of the runway. Fly
towards the close end of the runway, or a point on an imaginary line running
the length of the runway and beyond. Once you are over that imaginary line,
then turn your nose to point towards the end of the runway. Getting lined
up is especially difficult in Corncob, due to fact that the plane may be
slipping sideways.
When you get close enough to the runway so that it no longer looks like a
line, but instead looks like a black rectangle, engage the flaps, and drop
your throttle to zero. (But don't let your airspeed drop below 100 mph.) At
this point you should be no higher than 1000 ft.
Your plane has automatic landing gear that pops down as required.
Now let the plane drop, shedding that altitude before you reach the end
of the runway. When you get to 100 or 200 feet, level the plane out for the
final drop to the runway.
If you are not perfectly lined up, but are low and over the runway, then
drop and steer with the rudder once your wheels touch. The gear of your
plane is quite tough, and on the runway surface you can have your rate of
climb meter almost pegged negative and still survive. Landing on the
grass can be done, but requires a much more sensitive touch down.
It is a good idea to be holding down the brake key throughout the whole
landing process. The left shift key is situated conveniently for the
left hand to operate the brakes and rudder controls. For those that use
the left hand on the joystick, use the keypad rudder and brake controls.
Once you have solidly touched down you may taxi about using your rudder.
Be careful to keep your speed down while taxiing (especially if your flaps
are down.) because it may cause you to lift into the air inadvertently, and
then cause a crashlanding. Please remember than on the ground, the stick
is useless, and you must steer with the rudder keys. Pulling the stick over
on the ground may cause your plane to flip.
Crashes
-------
There are two different types of crashes. One is a fatal wreck, and the
other type is a crashlanding. A crashlanding is where your plane is brought
down too hard, and the landing gear fails. The plane then spins to a stop
on the ground. When it stops, your plane is dead and will not fly again
until repaired. If you were close to your airstrip, the repair crew can fix
it. (Do this by entering the control tower through the door on foot.)
The other type of crash is the fatal crash. This happens if you slam into
the ground too hard, or if your plane is so tilted during landing that your
wing tip hits.
Midair collisions
------------------
There many types of objects which will destroy your plane if you collide
with them. When this happens your plane bounces, and the damage indicators
immediately max out. The screen border turns dark red, and the eject light
begins to flash. At this point you should bail out, since it is likely that
you will die if you try to land the plane. Don't bother trying to make it
back to base. (Although landing such a plane has been done on occasion,
it most often proves to be a fatal mistake.)
Some of the objects which will destroy your plane in a collision are:
Saucers, fuel dumps, TRFRU, generator orbs.
How to Turn Your Plane
----------------------
Please note that Corncob's advanced flight model makes turning different
than on many commercial flight games which have simpler models. With a
little practice however, you will find the plane is just as maneuverable.
To turn your plane, simply move the stick left or right. The plane will
begin to bank. Don't be too shy, give the plane a nice 45 degree bank.
Now that wing's lift is no longer pulling straight up, your will lose some
lift, and your nose may drop. Pull back on the stick to keep the nose
above the horizon. You will notice that as you pull back on the stick,
your nose will be pulled into the turn.
To make a typical combat turn, place the plane on its side, so that the
horizon froms a vertical line. Then pull all the way back on the stick, and
hold it there until you have the compass reading you desire. Then simply
flatten your plane back to the level. Be careful not to let the nose
drop during the turn. You can alway bring it up by unbanking the plane a
little, and the nose will lift since you are holding the control stick
back. This method of turning is actually easier than a slow coordinated
turn. The price for the fast turn is airspeed.
The fastest turns are done with the flaps engaged, since this greatly
increases the lift from the wings. Be careful not to let your airspeed
drop too much. Flaps increase drag also.
Note that the amount of time required for the turn depends very much
upon your airspeed. (Just like in an automobile, when moving fast you
cannot make tight turns.)
Running Around - Welcome the Assassin
-------------------------------------
Part of your job as a pilot will be special forces missions. In these
missions you may have to land your plane in enemy territory and engage
the enemy on foot.
When you leave your parked plane, and venture into enemy territory on
foot, you are taking the risk of being captured or killed. You can be
killed by AAA shells or KLA's. You can be captured by shopping carts
or aliens themselves.
To defend yourself, you take a handgun with 20 rounds of ammo, and one
assassin bomb. The plane has an inexhaustible supply of these, so you
may always go back to the plane to resupply yourself. You can even retrieve
handgun ammo and bombs from crashed planes.
To move around when standing, turn yourself with the keypad arrow keys,
and move the '5' key and walk in reverse with the '0' key on the keypad.
If you want to go far, hold down the advance time key 't' simultaneously.
You also have the capability to jump. Hold down the 'j' key, and you will
see a magenta bar on the side of your screen. The longer you hold down the
'j' key, the higher you will jump when you release the key. Jumping is a
necessary capability for some missions which take place on air-based
structures, and you have to jump from one pad to another at 20,000 ft. You
have the unique capability of changing direction or stopping and starting
horizontal movement while in the air. When jumping off something down to the
ground, be careful not to jump too high, or else you may be killed.
Some objects will support your weight, and others won't. Horizontal force-
fields, fuel dumps, platforms, and control towers will support your weight.
Enemy ground transports seek you out, and when they are close, will start
to drag you towards them. You can evade them by defensive gunfire, hopping
to safety, or by luring them into your crashed plane or perhaps one or their
own structures.
Aliens just bumble about randomly and are not much of a threat, but
watch your back.
Your assassin bomb is planted with the ';' key. When you plant a bomb it
will remain where you planted it until it is time to detonate with the 'd'
key. The bomb will stay suspended in the air if that is where you have
placed it. The 'd' key will not directly detonate the bomb, however it
will be armed, and it will begin to drop when the 'd' key is pressed.
The most common use for assassin bombs is against mindbenders. These
devices are vulnerable only to bombs. Adjust your position until you are
standing in the center of the device. Then plant the bomb, and walk away.
When you are satisfied that you are far enough away, detonate the bomb
with the 'd' key.
Scoring and Medals/promotion
----------------------------
Scoring
-------
Your score for a mission is determined by a formula outlined below. Your
raw score which depends on how much stuff you killed is multiplied by 3
factors. These three factors depend on what happened during your mission.
For example say your raw score for a mission was 1000. Further suppose that
you returned from your mission, and landed your plane safely at an airstrip.
Then your final mission score would be:
5 * 5 * 1 * 1000 = 25000
But say you ejected in combat, and had to be rescued by the rescue van.
4 * 1 * 1/2 * 1000 = 2000
Here you can see that bringing your plane home increased your score by
10 times.
Now let's say you brought your plane back, but didn't have the guts to
try and land it.
5 * 1 * 1 * 1000 = 5000
So you can see it is worth it to learn how to land the plane. It may be
impossible to get a Stellar Cluster without landing your plane.
If you make multiple flights during your mission, the multiplier reflects
the worst thing you did. For example, if you crashland a plane, but then
take another into the air, (without quitting the mission) and do a great
job, and even land beautifully, your multiplier will reflect the fact that
you crashlanded. The fact that you also landed will not affect your score.
Therefore you can see that flying against multiply mission objectives may
raise up your score, but you are jeopardizing the points you have already
earned by flying more without ending the mission. Of course you'll never top
the high score list without taking some chances.
Commonly Asked Questions
------------------------
> Sometimes when I eject or crashland, there is a continuous tone that
> never fades. How do I turn it off?
Under certain conditions, the stall indicator sound can get stuck on.
Just tap the 's' key twice to reset the sound system.
> When first lifting off the ground, why does the nose lift for a second,
> and then seem to knock back down?
If you pull back too hard on the stick while lifting off, your tail
wheel will be slammed back down onto the pavement, and when it bounces
upward, your nose appears to bounce downward. It is possible to crash
and burn as a result of this, so pull back on the stick gently.
> Why does the stall light go on sometimes when I'm taxiing on the runway?
The stall detector is looking at the airflow over the wings. It is
calibrated to detect stalls when the plane is flying. When on the ground,
the weight of the plane is held by the landing gear, thus making the stall
detector give incorrect readings. Just ignore it.
> Why doesn't the plane steer worth a bean when I'm on the runway?
Don't try to use the joystick to steer a grounded plane. The control
stick left/right controls mostly only the roll (left/right tilt) of the
plane. You must use the rudder controls to steer on the ground. These
are the 'x' and 'z' keys, or the '7' and '9' keys on the keypad.
> Sometimes I can't get back into my plane. I just go right through it.
There are two possible reasons for this. One is that you must walk
at least about a couple plane lengths away before attempting to reenter.
This hysteresis is to avoid popping back into your plane before you had
a chance to walk away.
The other possibility is that you walked too far from your plane. If
you stray so far from your plane that it has shrunk to a point, then
the plane will engage the automatic security system, and lock itself up
tight. In none of the missions is it imperative to walk anywhere near
this far from your plane.
> Why don't the brakes appear to work?
In Corncob, the brakes do NOT toggle on/off. To stop you must hold
down the brake key until the plane comes to a complete stop. For
joystick play, this is the left shift key, or keypad '0'. For keypad
play, it is '.' or keypad '0'.
> Why doesn't the 't' key appear to work?
In Corncob, the advanced time mode does NOT toggle on/off. To fly in
advanced time, hold down 't', and release it to return to normal flight.
Note that the time compression is directly related to your computer speed.
To advance time to the fastest, increase the frame rate by using 'r'
and 'g' to turn off ground detail and the rear view.
> Why does using the rudder in flight just make me stall?
Unlike other flight sims, Corncob's flight model includes the capability
of your plane sliding sideways through the air. The rudder causes your nose
to flip to the side, without necessarily changing the direction of motion of
the plane. Using too much rudder (by holding the key down too long), will
cause the plane to turn to the point where it is hurling sideways through the
air. Note that as soon as you release the rudder, the sidewind makes the
nose tend to flip back into the sidewind, thus restoring the original
orientation of the plane. The rudder is useful for flipping the nose a
little to the side for a quick shot at a side target without the need of
negotiating the slow process of turning the plane.
> How do I know when to end the mission?
A large part of Corncob is bringing your plane back to the base. Therefore
you must bring your plane to a friendly airstrip, or else when you go to fly
again, you will have one less plane in that theater.
To exit without losing a plane, exit the program with escape when you are
flying low over your airfield (with the radar tower flashing white), or else
land on the air strip. Landing on the airstrip will give you a much higher
score multiplier, so it is worth an attempt if you think you can do it
without crashing.
To find an airfield, follow the homing indicator that runs along the bottom
of the windscreen.
> How do I zoom down closer when in map mode?
When in map mode, the KEYPAD 9 key will zoom down, and the KEYPAD 3 key
will zoom up. Use the joystick or keypad arrow keys to move around. To make
the map jump back to your present position, hit the KEYPAD 7 key.
> Why do I die every time I eject, regardless of altitude?
Ejecting successfully from a flying plane requires two keys. 'E'to eject,
and <space bar> to pull your ripcord. If you don't pull your ripcord, you
will die when you strike the ground.
If you bail out at 20000 feet, wait until you get closer to the ground
before pulling your ripcord, otherwise you will be stuck in the air for a
long time.
> Why are some generator orbs seemingly indestructible?
Some orbs have been designed to be invincible to normal weapons, and the
only effective way to take them out is via suiciding the plane into them.
Make sure you bail out before contact, or else you will be killed in the
ensuing explosion. If you must bail a good way away from the target, hit
caps lock to control your plane remotely.
The indestructable orbs have bases which are a light shade of blue/green.
> Why does the complete light refuse to go on, even though I know
> the mission is completed?
The mission objectives have to be given some geometric scope via the
mission builder when the mission is created. Almost all mission complete
sensing is done via the generator orbs. IE, if you have completed a mission,
but the complete light doesn't go on, make a flyby of the mission's generator
orb, (or its remains) and many times the complete light will belatedly light
up. Note that if your complete light never lights, you will not get credit
for accomplishing an objective.
> Sometimes my plane goes into a weird mode where my keypad arrow
> keys stop working, and something weird happens.
Numlock toggles the keypad arrow keys between views, and control of the
plane. Note that the numlock light on the keyboard will not change. If you
would like to use the views without changing the mode of the arrow keys, hold
down the left control key to temporarily change the function of the arrow
keys to view, the normal function of the keys returns when you release the
left control key.
> I can't find any way to put down the landing gear!
The plane has landing gear that comes down automatically. From a game
standpoint, it seemed unnecessary to have something which doesn't add to the
fun of the game, and can cause pilots to be killed. We all get punished in
life enough for being absent-minded, why be punished when playing a computer
game?
> Why can this Corsair do a loop directly after take off?
Because the number one priority in this game was to have fun. That meant
increasing the thrust of the engine by a factor of four. For those sim buffs
who will criticize that, how many flight games keep the realistic figure of
10-15 minutes just to climb to 17,000 feet? Who wants to spend 1/4 hour of
their life just sitting there watching your computer plane climb?
CORNCOB OTHER WORLDS CAMPAIGN ORDER FORM
Name ________________________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________
City _______________________________ State ______ ZIP _______________
Country (if outside USA) ____________________________________________
CIRCLE DISK SIZE: 5-1/4"(360) 5-1/4"(1.2M) 3-1/2"(720K) 3-1/2"(1.44M)
Price of Corncob Deluxe $20.00
Shipping and Handling $ 3.00
--------
Total enclosed: $23.00
Master Card/Visa information (credit card orders only)
Card number __________________________________________
Expiration Date ______________________________________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTARY QUESTIONS: Please help us determine what features you would like
==================== in future products.
Circle what type of equipment you have: 8088 286 386 486
Circle the speed of your computer(Mhz): 10 12 16 20 25 33 40 50 ___
Circle any that apply: Joystick Mouse Modem_____ Super-VGA card____________
(speed) (type)
Sound Capability: PC speaker only AdLib SoundBlaster SoundBlaster Pro
Where did you get Corncob 3D:
Friend CompuServe GEnie AOL BBS (name): ______________________
Shareware Distributer (name): _________________________________________
Approx # of commercial games owned: ____ #Registered shareware games: ____
Circle preference: Beautiful Graphics Game Complexity
Circle preference: Solo against computer -OR- Modem 2-Player
Circle preference: Strategy Action Simulation Other_________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send this order form and your check for $23.00 to:
MVP Software
1035 Dallas S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407
The Corncob program itself
--------------------------
Corncob 3D was written by Kevin Stokes, with a lot of additional
programming by George Welch. The program documentation was written by Kevin
Stokes. Original music was written by Jim Collymore, A.S.C.A.P. All music
in the game is copyright 1986-1991 James L. Collymore, and the use of the
three music files for any purposes except for Corncob 3D is strictly illegal.
The music is contained in the following files: DESTINY3.ROL, RIDINGT.ROL, and
DREAMS0.ROL. These files cannot be legally copied or distributed without the
author's permission.
The VGA directory (created the first time Corncob 3D is run) contains all
the digitized artowrk in the game. These photos were extensively retouched
using the excellent program MVP Paint, by David Johndrow. You can order your
own copy of this extremely useful program from MVP Software.
Corncob 3D was written in assembler and C. The excelent library of
routines Spontaneous Assembly was used in developing the program.
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
THIS SOFTWARE IS DISTRIBUTED ON AN AS IS BASIS. MVP SOFTWARE AND PIE IN THE
SKY SOFTWARE MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO
THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY. ACCORDINGLY, THE ENTIRE RISK
AS TO THE USE, RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY THE
USER. IN NO EVENT WILL MVP SOFTWARE OR PIE IN THE SKY SOFTWARE BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVIN IF MVP SOFTWARE OR
PIE IN THE SKY SOFTWARE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF SUCH DAMAGES.
IF ANY OF THE PROVISIONS, OR PORTIONS THEREOF, OF THIS DISCLAIMER ARE
INVALID UNDER ANY APPLICABLE STATUE OR RULE OF LAW, THEY ARE TO THAT EXTENT
DEEMED TO BE OMITTED. ALL OTHER PROVISIONS, HOWEVER, REMAIN IN EFFECT.
MVP Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals
(ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you.
If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member
by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to
the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a
Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.