The Game Master (3rd Edition)

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Steel Thunder Docs (long version) THEY'RE COMING! Five, eight, ten miles away, a rumble echoes across the green hills of central Germany. At first, it sounds like a thunderclap, a summer storm rolling down from the eastern mountains. But now, there's a siren squawking overhead, and a grim, intense look on the General's face as he paces the tarmac. As you head for the tanks, the booming moves closer - this time, there's no mistaking the sound of heavy artillery. The moment the world has feared for decades has finally arrived. They're coming. You settle into the commander's seat atop your sleek M1A1 Abrams. Master power on. Engine power on. Gunsight on. Your four-man crew moves effortlessly through the startup sequence like this was just another NATO practice maneuver. Sixty tons of steel come alive with a low hum, as smooth and quiet as your grandma's old tail-fin Cadillac. Glowing control panels put two million dollars of the world's most sophisticated technology at your fingertips. You check the map again. Looks like half of Moscow's showing up for this picnic: the satellite shot shows dozens of Soviet T-80s, T62s, some BTR-70 infantry carriers, and a whole menagerie of Zoo anti-aircraft guns - all defending the medium-range nuclear missile site you're assigned to knock out. No problem. Even before you head out for the hills, the outcome has already been decided. You're a crack crew of skilled tankers, running the most awesome military vehicle in history. Faster, more powerful than anything the other side has ever dreamed of. A devestating war machine that rolls out of the west like steel thunder. SECTION ONE: Start-Up HOW TO LOAD STEEL THUNDER 1 Place the enclosed keyboard overlay on your keyboard. The overlay helps you learn the commands for Steel Thunder, enabling you to react quickly to situations without having to refer to this manual. 2 Steel Thunder comes on two 5 1/4-inch disks or one 3 1/2 inch disk. Neither are copy protected so you can back yours up at will or load them onto a hard drive. You can use a joystick with the simulation, but it's not required. Because there's so much keyboard input, we recommend the keyboard. 3 Put your DOS disk into Drive A and turn on the computer. 4 When the A> prompt appears, remove the DOS disk, insert the Steel Thunder disk (Disk A if 5 1/4-inch), type ST, and press enter. CAUTION: * DO NOT remove Steel Thunder from the drive while the light is on. * DO NOT use the Hercules MGA in a computer if it also has CGA, EGA, VGA or other graphics card in it. HQ warns that all tank personnel found in violation of these regulations will be immediately relieved of command. 5 If you haven't done a Setup, a list of graphics types appears. Choose the number beside the name that describes your graphics configuration and press Enter. The next question asks if you want to use a joystick. Press Y or N, then Enter. 6 The opening screens show Steel Thunder's tank arsenal. To move through these screens quickly, press the space bar. 7 When the sentry confronts you, refer to the enclosed Sentry Password Chart. Type in the correct answer to his question from the sheet. If you answer the question correctly, you enter the General's Office to await his orders. If you don't enter the right answer, the sentry places you under arrest, and you must re-boot. * If you're using a floppy disk drive, you will now be prompted to take Disk A out of the drive, insert Disk B, and press Enter before you can meet the General. READ ME A readme file is included on Disk A which briefly describes how to install Steel Thunder onto a hard drive, and how to configure the simulation for graphics, controller, etc. To read it, type TYPE README at the A> prompt. HOW ABOUT A DEMO? If you'd like a brief demonstration of an M1A1 in operation, type DEMO and press Enter when the General asks for your identification. Then sit back and watch as Corporal DEMO selects a mission an fights an enemy T62A. You can press any key to end the demonstration and take control of the tank yourself. IF YOU WANT TO LOAD STEEL THUNDER ONTO YOUR HARD DRIVE... 1 Insert Disk A of Steel Thunder into your floppy drive and type A: (if your floppy is Drive A) or B: (if your floppy is Drive B) then press Enter. 2 Type INSTALL C: (or D: etc. depending on which hard drive you want to use), and press Enter. The directory \ACCOLADE\STEEL will be created with Steel Thunder on it. 3 Type C: and press Enter; type CD \ACCOLADE\STEEL and press Enter; type ST and press enter. 4 To set the graphics mode you want to use and whether you want to use a joystick with Steel Thunder, execute SETUP (type SETUP and press Enter) and answer the questions. Thereafter, Steel Thunder will not ask you what graphics mode to use or whether you want to use a joystick when you start the simulation. To change the settings, simply execute SETUP again. QUICK START The following step-by-step instructions take you through the game set-up and tank start-up procedures a quickly as possible. For more detailed information, please refer to section two. As a general rule, you can press Enter or the space bar to move through the setup screens. The resulting scenario will be based on default options. After you've booted up Steel Thunder and successfully passed the sentry, the General will ask for identification. 1 Type your name, and press Enter. 2 If this is your first-ever Steel Thunder mission, you are assigned to the Cuban front. At the Welcome to Cuba prompt, press Enter to view the Tank Commander's Roster. 3 Press Enter to add your name to the roster. 4 The General presents you with your mission choices. Press Enter to continue. 5 To accept a mission, press Enter. If you'd like to see the map, press F3. If you'd like to review the tank specifications, press F7. Press F5 to exit either of these screens. 6 Press Enter to accept the M1A1 Abrams tank. 7 Choose your ammo. For your first game, simply press Enter three times to take the standard package. Every tank has three screens of ammo and armor. 8 When the General appears again, press Enter to enter your tank. -> HOW TO START AND PREP YOUR TANK Once you're inside your tank, the next step is to get it running. Use the following sequence fo keyboard commands to prepare your tank for battle: 1 Press (`) - the left single quote key - to turn on the Master Power. 2 Press 1 to start your engine. 3 Press 6 to move to the Commander's Station 4 Press A to turn on the Turret Power. 5 Press Z to arm your smoke grenades. 6 Press C to turn on the Commander's mini-turret hydraulics. 7 Press 5 to go to the Gunner's Station. 8 Press B to turn on the Turret Hydraulics. 9 Press V to turn on your Gun Stablization system. 10 Press N to turn on the Ballistics Computer 11 Press F6 to load a HEAT round into your Main Gun, so you're ready to fire. 12 You're now ready for battle. Press 9 to look at the map. The tank icon represents your current location - in this case, HQ. You are heading for the primary mission target, which is circled. The red and blue Xs (white and black in CGA) represent the two main checkpoints you use to set your course to the target. 13 Move the arrow keys to position the blue X (white in CGA). The path between HQ and this X is the first leg of your trip. Press Enter. (In CGA, the white X becomes black, and the black X becomes white when you press Enter. The white X is always the "controllable X" in CGA.) 14 Next, move tha arrow keys to position the red X. The line between the blue X and the red X is the second leg. From the red X, your driver will proceed toward the target. You can go to the map and move the Xs (thus changing your course) at any time during the game. 15 When your initial course is set, press 4 to move to the Driver's Station. 16 Press the Up arrow key to set your forward speed. (Press Up on the Jstick.) 17 If things seem to mvoe slowly, press 3 once or twice to compress time. COMBAT MANEUVERS During the mission, there are a few sequences you will use frequently to keep yourself out of trouble. Here's how to handle some common situations: -> FIRE ON THE ENEMY - COMPUTERIZED GUNNER 1 If you're not at the Gunner's Station press 5 to get there. 2 Get the target in your gunsight. and press F9 to identify it. 3 Check to make sure the gunner is using the right shell type. If he's got it wrong, press F6 to change the ammo. 4 Press the period (.) key to switch to 10x gunsight magnification. This makes it easier to aim accurately. 5 Press F10, and your computerizxed gunner engages the enemy. Press F10 again to order the gunner to ceaser fire - either because you decide no to shoot, or because you want to assume manual control of the main gun. -> FIRE ON THE ENEMY - MANUAL CONTROL 1 Press 5 to go to the Gunner's Station. 2 Get the target in the gunsight, using the 3x setting. When you've got it, press F9. 3 If needed press F6, and select your ammo. 4 Press the period (.) key to switch the sight magnification to 10x. 5 Press F5 to activate the rangefinder and get a valid range. (This system isn't found on the M3 Bradley.) 6 If you slow down the tank's slwe rate, it's easier to center the target in the cross hairs. Press the slash (/) key if you want to do this. Aim low on the target. 7 When a box appears in the lower left of the gunsight, the shell is loaded and ready. Press Enter to shoot. If the target is moving, shoot slightly ahead of its current position. -> LAUNCH A TOW-2 MISSILE (M3 Bradley only) 1 Press 5 to go to the Gunner's Station. 2 Press C to raise the TOW missile launcher from its armored compartment on the side of your M3. 3 Get the target in your gunsight, and press the period (.) key to switch to 12x magnification. 4 Center the target in your gunsight. Press Enter to launch a missile. 5 Use the arrow keys to keep the target precisely in the center of your gunsight until the TOW-2 reaches it. The missile doesn't travel nearly as fast as a shell. Remember to aim low on the target. 6 Once the target is destoryed, press C again to lower the TOW launcher unit. -> RETREAT FROM A BAD SITUATION 1 Press Z to arm your smoke grenade launcher. 2 Press F3 to create a smoke screen. 3 Press the backspace key. This orders your driver to go backwards. 4 Press the comma (,) key to turn on your thermal sight. 5 Use your guns to shoot at oncoming vehicles. With your thermal sight on, you can see them, but they can't see you. 6 Watch your rear to ensure that you don't back up into an enemy tank company. SECTION TWO: At Headquarters This section provides in-depth information about Steel Thunder's systems and procedures. HQ recommends that you review it carefully to thoroughly familiarize yourself with military operations and your tank's features and capabilities. SECURITY You must gain entry to the field command headquarters and pick up your orders before you'll be permitted to go out and blast through enemy lines. At the base's main gate, a sentry interrogates you. 1 You can either draw on your extensive knowlege of ammunition and weaponry to answer his questions, or you can refer to the enclosed Sentry Password Chart. 2 Type in the correct answer from the sheet and press Enter. If you answer the question correctly, you are escorted to the General's Office. If you don't, you are escorted to the stockade. To bail yourself out, re-boot the system. IDENTIFY YOURSELF In the General's office, you are first requested to identify yourself. If you want to gloat over your glorious career, or find out about the other up-and-coming commanders, press F1 to view the Personnel Files. All the current tank commanders are lister here (up to 14 on a disk), with their individual battle stats, rank and medals and commendations. This information is updated automatically after each mission. Press the Up or Down arrow keys to cycle through these records. Press F1 again to enter to the General's Office. To identify yourself, simply type your name (but not your rank: the General can read your stripes quite well) and press Enter. * If you are already in the file, the General welcomes you. If you're cleared for combat in more than one theater, he asks you to select the region in which you want to serve. * If you aree a new commander, the General asks: "How should I update my roster?" You now have the opportunity to change the information on the Tank Commander's roster. Press Enter at this prompt to view the roster. Use the arrow keys to select one of the following options, and press Enter to choose: * ADD Add a new commander to the list. * REPLACE Replace one commander's name with another. * REDO Return to the General's office. (If you make a mistake, you can start over again from here.) Press F1 to view the Personnel Files again, if you want. Press F1 again to return to the Tank Commander's roster. CHOOSE YOUR MISSION (AND YOUR TANK) You gain rank and earn medals by completing missions. Every mission you undertake has a corresponding promotion rank. If you complete the mission successfully, you are automatically promoted to that rank. The General can offer you assignments in one of threee fronts, depending on your previous experience and achievements. For your first several missions, he'll assign you to Cuba. Once you attain the rank of Second Lieutenant, you are given the opportunity to join the elite troops in Syria. Only top tankers - those who've reached the rank of Major or above - are entrusted with the sensitive and dangerous missions on the West German front. Once you have your front assignment, the General outlines the current missions. You have between 2 and 8 missions available to you, depending on your experience. Use the Up or Down arrow keys to cycle through the assignment files. At each file, you can: * Read a brief description of the mission * Press F3 to view the map of the mission area. The circled icon is your primary mission target. Press F5 to return to the assignment file. * Press F7 to view tank specifications. Use the arrow keys to cycle through your choices. Press F5 to return to the assignment file. * Accept the mission by pressing Enter. * Choose your tank by using the arrow keys to move the pencil to your choice and press Enter. The first mission of each scenario is a practice mission in which you are invunerable to enemy fire. This helps you get the lay of the land, and familiarize yourself with the enemy armor you're up against. SELECT YOUR CREW Most modern tanks, including the four in Steel Thunder, contain so much equipment that it takes three or four skilled crew members working together to make them run. As tank commander, it's your job to make tactical decisions, and see to it that your gunner, driver, and loader interact efficiently under battle conditions. After you select your tank, the General displays the Duty Rosters from which you choose your crew. (if you're going on a practice mission, the General chooses your crew for you.) GUNNER Your gunner is responsible for the tank's major weapons systems, including the sighting equipment, main gun, and co-axial machine gun. He's also the man to ask when you're trying to decide if an approaching vehicle is friendly or hostile. The first duty roster shows available gunners. To make the best choice, first take note if you're on a night or day mission. The chart gives an A, B, C, or D rating to each gunner's accuracy on both day and night missions. Use your arrow keys to select your gunner, and press Enter. DRIVER A good driver can take your tank smoothly and quickly over rough terrain, quietly sneak up on targets, and outmaneuver anything the enemy throws at you. Much of your safety depends on how fast he can make the beast move, and how good he is at evasive driving. The Driver's Duty Roster automatically appears after you select your gunner. Use the arrow keys to select your driver, and press Enter. LOADER The last duty roster shows the available loaders. In all the tanks but the M3, reload speed is the most important factor in choosing a loader. (In the M3, this crew member just loads machine guns and TOWs.) A fast loader makes the critical difference in how much time elapses between shots. The Switch Type Speed column shows how fast the loader can change shell types - for example, to switch from a HEAT round to a HEP round. Use the arrow keys to select your loader, and press Enter. ARM YOUR TANK After you've chosen your crew, the General presents the Loading Files, which show the various equipment options for your tank. For in-depth information on each tank - vehicle specifications, weapons system, ammo type, and armor - refer to the Equipment Reference section of this manual. The loading File for each tank consists of three screens. At any of these screens, you can press F7 to get a more detailed explanation of the ordnance specs. Press F5 to return to the Loading Files. Screen 1 From the first screen, choose the ammunition you want to carry for the main gun. To change the number of rounds: 1 Move the pencil to the check box of the ammo you want to change 2 Press the Left arrow key to decrease the number of rounds of that type, or press the Right arrow key to increase the number 3 When you're done, move to OK and press Enter. The tank comes fully loaded. If you want to change cargo, you must decrease the number of rounds of one type before you can increase the number of rounds of another. Screen 2 From the second screen, load your secondary weapons - machine guns and missile launchers. Use the instructions above to increase and decrease numbers, and load your selections. Screen 3 From the thrid screen, select your external applique armor. You may pick only one type of armor for your tank. The Equipment Reference section of this manual details the relative advanteges and disadvanteges of each option. Your tank is now fully staffed and equipped. When you press Enter for the last time, the General appears to give you last-minute instructions. Press Enter to climb into your tank. SECTION THREE: Tank Operation The tanks in the Steel Thunder arsenal are complex vehicles, equipped with dozens of sophisticated systems and devices. These systems are controlled from three separate stations within the tank: one for the driver, one for the gunner, and one for the commander. This section takes an in-depth look at the equipment at each of the three stations. Each station is accurately modeled after the actual interior of the tank being simulated. Though the four tanks contain similar types of equipment, the station layouts vary greatly from tank to tank. With a little practice, it won't be long before you can quickly blast oncoming Soviet T-80s off the horizon. Your primary role is that of tank commander. When you are at the Commander's Station, the driver and gunner are computer-controlled, following your preset orders to the best of their abilities. When you become familiar with all the systems and commands throughout the tank, you can issue most battle commands without leaving the Commander's Station. Your computerized driver and gunner will respond, and their stations screens automatically change to reflect your new orders. When you move to the Driver's Station or the Gunner's Station, you no longer act as commander - you're in that crewman's boots. From these screens, you can manually operate the tank's major weapons, or take the driver's steering yoke into your own two hands. Your fourth crew member, the loader, is completely computer-controlled. His performance is determined by his competence rating, which you take into account when you select him. Refer to the Quick Start section at the front of this manual for a brief, step-by-step sequence of instructions for starting up all the systems described below. STATUS SUMMARY SCREENS At any point during combat, you might want to view your Damage Report Screen, Stores Screen, and Mission Map. The mission pauses while you refer to any of these three screens. To resume, press 4 to return to the Driver's Station, 5 to return to the Gunner's Station, or 6 to return to the Commander's Station. -> DAMAGE REPORT SCREEN Press 7 to view a summary of the status of all your tank systems. On each of the three station screens, the left and right dashboard panels are equipped with lights that tell you the status of the tank's major systems: * Green lights on the panel (blue in CGA) indicate that all systems are go. * A yellow light indicates that a system has incurred damage, though it's still partially functional. * A red light indicates that one of the tank's systems has been destoryed. The rownd light at the lower edge of the right panel flashes when you incur new damage. When you're under heavy fire, refer to the Damage Screen frequently to find out which systems you can still use. Generally, small shells only damage exposed systems: your small guns, sights, and tank treads. Heavier ammunition can decimate fragile components, and take a major toll on your engine, transmission, main gun, or crew. You cannot repair damage behind enemy lines: if your tank becomes immobilized, use any resources you have left to blast as many hostile units as you can - and then press Control-Q to abandon the vehicle. -> STORES SCREEN Press 8 to see how much ammunition you've got left in your stores shelves. The list on the top half of the screen doesn't include shells already loaded into your main gun or missile launcher. The lower part of the screen shows many enemy targets you've destroyed so far. -> MAP Press 9 to view your position, and the surrounding area. Units that belong to US forces appear in blue; units that appear in yellow (white in CGA) belong to the enemy. (this section intentionally left blank) TANK OPERATIONS -> ABOUT THE STATIONS The following features are part of every station: PERISCOPE Each station has three periscopes, which give the crew member a glimpse of the outside world. Periscopes use narrow prisms, mounted in invulnerable slots, to bring in a limited 180-degree view of the surrounding terrain. Though the prisms tend to distort the world so that things appear smaller than they really are, they're aligned with a slight overlap, so objects pass directly from one periscope to another without disppearing in between. For a close-up view of a distant object, use the gun sights at the Commander's Station and Gunner's Station. These sights magnify the small area around the gun's target area. These two stations are also equipped with night and thermal sights, which are explained below. Because the Commander's Station is the highest point on the tank, you can see farthest through his periscopes. The gunner is only slightly lower. The driver sits down in the tank's hull, and doesn't get to enjoy the panoramic views. MESSAGE LINE The main line of communication with your crew. Your orders and their responses appear just below the periscope windows, replacing the usual clock and compass displays. MISSION CLOCK A real-time clock that starts when you leave HQ. There is no time limit on missions - though you can run out of gas. COMPASSES Because the Gunner's Station is located in the main turret, and the Commander's Station is in a separate mini-turret, each of these stations come equipped with two compasses. The one under the center periscope shows the direction the turret is facint; the one on the left shows which direction the entire tank is currently facing. With a little practice, you can use these compasses to determine the orientation of the hull, the turret, and the mini-turret. The Driver's Station, located in the main hull, has one compass that shows the tank's heading. The M3 Bradley has no mini-turret. The commander shares the turret with the gunner. -> DRIVER'S STATION While you're at the Driver's Station, the tank is under your manual control. Press the: * Up arrow key to accelerate * Down arrow key to decelerate, or go in reverse. * Left and Right arrow keys to turn. The Enter key is your brake. When you leave the Driver's Station, the computer takes over the steering. GAUGES & INDICATOR LIGHTS On your Driver's Station panels, you have the following gauges and warning lights: * Shift knob - all the tanks have automatic transmissions. This knob shows what gear you're in. * Speedometer - 0-60mph with division lines every 10mph * Tachometer - a nearby red light comes on when RPMs are too high * A fuel gauge - a nearby red light comes on when you're low on fuel * Five engine, transmission, and fuel status lights: * EOP - engine oil pressure * EOT - engine oil temperature * TOP - transmission oil pressure * TOT - transmission oil temperature * FOT - fuel over temperature * Two banks of damage lights - one on the left, one on the right. Each light corresponds with one of the subsystems listed on the Damage Report Screen. The round New Damage indicator light flashes when you incur new damage. * A Mission Light that turns green when you successfully complete your mission objective. KEYBOARD COMMANDS You can issue the commands below from any crew member's station. However; these indicator lights and switches only appear at the Driver's Station: 4 ACCESS DRIVER'S STATION Press this to view the Driver's Station. ` MASTER POWER ON/OFF The tank's main power switch is the left single quote key (`). Turn this on to power up the tank. Turn it off, and every powered system on the tank quits. 1 ENGINE POWER ON/OFF Powers up the engine. It takes a few seconds to warm up. 2 NIGHT PERISCOPE ON/OFF A special device which fits over the driver's periscopes, enabling him to see well enough to drive in the dark. It makes night missions a lot easier on the driver, but it doesn't affect the view from the other periscopes on the tank. F2 ENGINE SMOKE ON/OFF Smoke grnades are fine, if you're not planning on staying hidden very long. To create a mobile, longer-term screen, the engine smoke system sprays fuel onto your tank's hot exhaust manifolds, raising a dense smoke cloud that follows you around the battlefield. ** The system has two disadvantages: one, you have to move very slowly, or in reverse, to avoid outrunning your smokescreen; and two, it guzzles incredible amounts of fuel. F1 EXTINGUISH FIRE All modern US tanks are equipped with Halon gas fire extinguisher systems. The system senses heat levels throughout the tank, and a red flashing light alerts you when you've got a fire on board. Use this command to deploy the extinguisher system. don't get carried away, though; the extiguishers hold only enough Halon to douse two fires per mission. / SLEW RATE This three-way toggle controls how fast the tank, the main turret, and the mini-turret turn in response to your arrow commands. Press the slash [/] key once to make slow turns, a second time to make slower turns, and a third time to return to fast turns. The Slew Rate knob on the right panel shows your current slew rate setting. | / | / | / ------ (fast) (medium) (slow) TO SET AND CHANGE COURSE Each mission consists of two intermediate checkpoints, and the main target. As Commander, it's your job to choose the checkpoints that determine the driver's course, and set the tank's speed. Your computer-simulated driver will then steer the tank to the checkpoints in their proper order. To set the speed, use the Up arrow key. When you leave the Driver's Station, the driver takes over and maintains the speed you set. He won't change this speed unless you tell him to go backwards, or if he lacks the skill to handle the tank at high speeds. 1 To set your course, press 9 to view the battlefield map. 2 To set the first leg of your journey, use the arrow keys to move the blue X to the first checkpoint position. Your driver will automatically set a course between HQ and this X. Press Enter. 3 Now, use the arrow keys to position the red X. This establishes the second leg of the trip. When your driver gets to the blue X, he automatically heads for this second checkpoint. From the red X, he drives toward the primary target goal. Press Enter. (After reaching his primary goal, the driver returns to HQ.) 4 Press 4 to return to the Driver's Station You can move the Xs at any time during the mission to change your driver's course and avoid enemy units. The driver is under orders to follow the general course you've established on the map; but he always drives evasively, so he may slightly deviate from the course from time to time. GIVING COMMANDS TO YOUR DRIVER You can issue the following commands from the Commander's Station or Gunner's Station ONLY. (When you're the one sitting at the Driver's Station, you are the driver: your job is to take orders, not give them.) Your compter driver knows five basic driving techniques. Press the following keys to direct him: 0 NEXT GOAL / GO STRAIGHT A toggle switch that directs the driver to: * Follow the Xs, and proceed to the primary target; or * Drive in a straight line - a useful tactic when you're tring to accurately shoot an unstabilized gun. - CLOSE ON TARGET Directs the driver to close in on the target currently in the gunsight. = CIRCLE An evasive move. Your driver simply drives around in a small circle. this is a holding pattern that keeps you in a specific vicinity; you're not moving toward the goal, and not retreating. <BS> BACKWARDS An important evasive maneuver when under heavy fire. Switch to your thermal sight, lay smoke, and pick off enemy armor as you back away out of sight. If your driver is killed in action, naturally he won't respond to your orders. -> COMMANDER'S STATION When you're at the Commander's Station, use the arrow keys to: * Rurn the commander's turret or mini-turret left or right * Raise or lower the gun * Aim the gun Your gunsight is mounted so that it points wherever the gun points. So, as you move it, the sight moves, too. Press Enter to fire the gun, and hold the Enter key down to fire a burst. INDICATOR LIGHTS The following lights keep you informed about your tank's systems: * CREW STATUS LIGHTS Show you what's going on with your crew. If a light turns yellow, the crew member is injured. If the light is red, your crewman is dead. * DAMAGE LIGHTS Two banks of small lights: one on the left, one on the right. Each light corresponds with one of the subsystems listed on the Damage Report Screen. The round New Damage Indicator light flashes when you incur new damage. * MISSION LIGHT Turns green when you successfully complete your mission objective. * AMMUNITION & FIRE RATE SELECTION LIGHTS (M3 only) The main gun on the M3 Bradley has a unique light configuration that shows both the current ammunition type, and the fire rate. The three AP lights on the top row indicates that an armor-piercing round is currently selected. * The left light goes on when you choose a single-shot fire rate * The center light indicates a fire rate of 100 rounds per minute * The right light indicates a fire rate of 200 rounds per minute The three HE lights on the bottom row indicate that you've selected a high explosive round * The left light goes on when you choose a single-shot fire rate * The center light indicates a fire rate of 100 rounds per minute * The right light indicates a fire rate of 200 rounds per minute All other lights on your control panel correspond with the keyboard commands described below. (NOTE: use F6 to select type and F5 to select rate for M3.) KEYBOARD COMMANDS You can issue the commands below from ANY crew members station. However, the indicator lights and swichesw may only appear at the Commander's Station. 6 ACCESS COMMANDER'S STATION Press this to view the Commander's Station. A TURRET POWER ON/OFF The turret electonics are separate from the main hull. This increases the tank's survivability, and allows you to drive around without having the turret's battle systems draw power. This master switch must be turbned on before you can operate anything pertaining to the turret or mini-turret. Z ARM SMOKE GRENADES (not available on M48A5) You must arm the launchers before you can fire smoke grnades. they are loaded with enough ammo for two salvos. X AUXILIARY POWER ON/OFF Under most circumstances, all the tank's systems draw power from the engine, so you don't need to activate the auxiliary power source. It's intended to be a backup unit that feeds the turret and mini-turret hydrawlics and the gun stabilization system when the engine is off. The Auxiliary Power system enables you to continue fighting from a stationary position when your engine has been disabled in battle. C MINI-TURRET HYDRAULICS ON/OFF (not on M3 Bradley) On the three heavy tanks, the Commander's Station is located in a miniature turret mounted on top of the main turret. The mini-turret is armed with a .50cal machine gun, which is equipped with its own sight. As commander, you can turn the turret and aim the gun independently of the main turret (although if the main turret rotates, you go with it.) Your gun isn't stabilized, but the power traverse feature lets you quickly turn the gun and sight to the left or right. If the main power and auxiliary power are both diabled, prss this key to disengage the hydraulics. You can then use the gun's manual (arrow key-controlled) hand cranks instead. On the M3 Bradley, this command raises and lowers your TOW launcher. F3 FIRE SMOKE GRNADE SALVO (not available on M48A5) This command sends a volley of smoke grenades 100 yards in front of your tank, creating an instant -- and very temporary -- smokescreen that you can drive into. before issuing this command, you must first arm the grenade launchers. It's also a good idea to turn on your thermal sight. To avoide driving out of the smokescreen, you must drive very slowly or backwards. You can fire consecutively two salvos of smoke grenades. When they're gone, you have to wait until the loader re-loads the grenade launchers again. F4 GUN SELECT TOGGLE The gunner controls two co-acial weapons: a .30cal anti-personnel machine gun and a 25mm, 105mm, or 120mm main gun. Though they're mounted so that they both always point the same direction, they have different ranges, and different purposes. You must turn on the Commander Control Override before you can use this feature. This gives you control of the gunner's weapons. Next, use this toggle to select the gun you want to fire. On the M3 Bradley, the commander always controls the gunner's weapons, so you don't have to activate the override before using this key. F5 TARGET RANGE (not available on M3 Bradley) The M1A1 Abrams and the M60A3 have laser rangefinders, and the M48A5 Patton has an optical coicidence rangefinder. Press F5 to start the range finding process. The laser rangefinder takes about 1/3 of a second before feeding the information into the ballistics computer. the coincidence rangefinder takes a little longer. When the range is determined, the figure appears in the bottom center of the gunsight. Always take the range before firing the main gun: it greatly increases the odds of a good hit. If a bar appears above the range, it indicates that more than one target reflected your laser's light, with the closest range being shown. You may wish to maneuver and re-range to get a more accurage reading. F6 AMMUNITION SELECT The Equipment Reference section of this manual describes the wide variety of shell types available for your guns. Use this key to select which type of round you want to fire. Choose carefully: it won't do you much good, for example, to shoot an APERs round at a bunker. In all tanks except the M3 Bradley, a small box appears in the lower left of the gunsight when the shell you chose is loaded and ready to fire, and the Loader tells you the gun is "up". / SLEW RATE This three-way toggle controls how fast the tank, the main turret, and the mini-turret turn in response to your joystick commands. Press the slash [/] key once to make slow turns, a second time to make slower turns, and a third time to make fast turns. The slew rate knob on the right control panel shows your current slew rate. F7 COMMANDER GUNSIGHT OVERRIDE (not available on the M3) This toggle switch allows you to view the world through the gunner's gunsight, instead of your own .50cal gunsight. Use this command when you assume control fo the main gun from the Commander's Station. If the Gunner is looking behind you, the optical link cannot relay the image to the commander's gunsight. F8 COMMANDER CONTROL OVERRIDE (not available on the M3) This toggle switch allows you to take control of the tank's main and co-axial guns without leaving the Commander's Station. When the override is activated, use the arrow keys to aim the main gun, and Enter to fire it. Press the toggle again to return to your .50cal machine gun. NOTE: If you previously pressed F10 to direct the gunner to aim the the gun, press it again to countermand that order before attempting to use the override. F9 IDENTIFY TARGET When you have a vehicle in your sight, you can ask the gunner to identify it. All the vehicles in Steel Thunder are accurate digitizations of the real thing. Use this command often: shooting at friendly armor is one of the better ways to get yourself court-martialed. Your gunner's identification skills are limited. If there are several objects clustered near the area you're scanning with the gunsight, he'll only identify the one nearest the tank -- so, if some infantry are hiding behind some rubble, he'll only tell you about the rubble. For this reason, you should learn to identify the various targets yourself, even when they're far away. F10 DESTROY TARGET/CEASE FIRE If you're not firing, this commands the Gunner to commence firing, with the objective of destorying the sighted target. If the Gunner is currently shooting, this is the cease-fire command. -> GUNNER'S STATION When you're at the Gunner's Station, use the arrow keys to: * Turn the turret left or right * Raise or lower the gun * Aim the gun Your gunsight is mounted so that it points wherever the gun points. So, as you move the joystick, the sight moves, too. Press Enter to fire the selected gun. During battle, the commander has two options. You can either take control of the gun yourself, or let the computer-simulat4ed gunner fire on a target that you designate. Your gunner's speed and accuracy depend on his ability, which you took into account when you chose him for your crew. After you've gained some battle experience, you will probably want to control the guns yourself a majority of the time. INDICATOR LIGHTS Your control panel includes the following indicator lights: * Damage Lights Your left and right dashboard panels contain two banks of damage lights. Each light corresponds with one of the subsystems listed on the Damage Report Screen. The round New Damage Indicator light flashes when you incur new damage. * Mission Light Turns green when you successfully complete your mission objective. KEYBOARD COMMANDS You can issue the commands below from ANY crew member's station. However, the indicator lights and switches may only appear at the Gunner's Station. 5 ACCESS GUNNERS STATION Press this to view the Gunner's Station. C TOW Launcher Up/Down (M3 only) TOW-2 missiles are launched from an armored unit mounted on the side of the M3 Bradley. Press this key to raise the launcher unit before you fire the missile. When the launcher is in firing position, a cgreen light comes on. Press Enter to launch a missile, and use the arrow keys to guide it all the way to its target. Always use 12x gunsight magnification to guide the missile. Because TOW missiles are wire-guide, the tank must remain stationary while the missiles are in flight. The tank automatically stops when raise the launcher: after the TOW missile detonates, you must lower the launcher before you try to drive away. V GUN STABLIZATION ON/OFF (not available on M48A5) The tank underneath you is booming over hill, over dale at 50 miles per hour -- and you, the gunner, are up top trying to get a clean hit at a BMP-2 that's nearly 2 miles away. The stabilization system uses hydraulics and motion sensors to keep your gun on target, no matter what's going on down below. Because the M48A5 Patton doesn't have a stabilization system, you have to stop the tank to fire accurately over long ranges. If your gunner is good, he can make reasonably accurate shots while moving slowly. B TURRET HYDRAULICS ON/OFF This system moves the main turret, and aims the main gun. You must turn on either the engine or auxiliary power before this command will work. Turret motion is controlled hydraulically in all tanks except the M3 Bradley, which uses electric motors. All tanks are also equipped with the old-style hand-crank gun mounts. If the tank's power sources are disabled in combat, turn off the turret hydraulics and use your arrow keys as a crank to turn the turret and aim the gun. N BALLISTICS COMPUTER ON/OFF (Not available on M3 Bradley) The fire control computer corrects and enhances your aim, taking into account the range, the flight characteristics of the shell you've chose, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, air temperature, barrel droop, and gun wear. Int tests conducted with the M1A1 Abrams, this system provided a 97% hit probability at a range of 3000 yards. Don't leave home without it. M SIGHT FILTER A three-way toggle that controls the filters on your main gun's day sight. The optics include Clear (normal optics), Filter (high-density filter), and Shutter (close the sight to protect it.) , SIGHT DAY/TTS TOGGLE The Day Sight is an optical gunsight that gives you close-up views of distant targets. You can use it with several filters, which are explained immediately above. The TTS is a highly advanced thermal sight that enables you to see through smoke, fog, or darkness. It gives you a tremendous tactical advantage, especially when you're on night missions or using your smoke-screens. To date, no Soviet-built tank is know to have anything like it. This switch affects the Gunner's Station sight only. It does not change the setting of the commander's .50cal sight. Note also that the sensors for the TTS and the Day Sight are separate: even if one gets blasted, the other may still work. . SIGHT MAGNIFICATION This switch toggles between two sight magnification settings: 3x and 10x (4x and 12x on the M3 Bradley). Use the 3x setting to select your target and take coarse aim; then switch to 10x to refine the aim and fire. A small box appears in the lower right of the gunsight when you select 10x magnification. This command has no affect on the commander's .50cal gunsight, which is always at 3x. F4 GUN SELECT As the gunner, you have two co-axial weapons to choose from: a .30cal anti-personnel machine gun and a 25mm, 105mm or 120mm main gun. Though they're mounted so that both always point in the same direction, they have differnt ranges, abnd differnt purposes. Use this toggle to select the gun you want to fire. F5 TARGET RANGE (not available on M3 Bradley) The M1A1 Abrams and the M60A3 have laser rangefinders, and the M48A5 Patton has an optical coincidence rangefinder. Always take the range before firing the main gun: it greatly increases the odds of a good hit. Press F5 to start the range finding process. The laser rangefinder takes about 1/3 of a second befor feeding the information into the ballistics computer. The coincidence rangefinder takes a little longer. When the range is determined, the figure appears in the bottom center of the gunsight. If a bar appears above the range, it indicates that more than one target reflected your laser's light, with the closest range being shown. You may wish to maneuver and re-range to get a more accurate reading. F6 AMMUNITION SELECT The Equipment Reference section of this manual describes the wide variety of shell types available for your guns. Use this key to select which type of round you want to fire. Choose carefully: it won't do you much good, for example, to shoot an APERs round at a bunker. In all tanks exept the M3 Bradley, a small box appears in the lower left of the gunsight when the shell you chose is loaded and ready to fire. / SLEW RATE This three-way toggle controls how fast the tank, the main turret, and the mini-turret turn in response to your arrow key commands. Press the slash [/] key once to make slow turns, a second time to make slower turns, and a third thime to make fast turns. The slew rate knob is located on the right control panel, and indicates current setting. MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS These commands don't correspond with any of the dashboard panels. A message on the text line tells you when the command is activated or deactivated. 3 TIME COMPRESSION If you want to speed everything up, press 3 once or twice to race to the front, but hold on to your stomach. Press 3 a third time to turn off the time compression when you suspect enemy vehicles are in range. You may even want to fight the entire battle with time compression on if you have a slower computer. ^E ENGINE SOUNDS Toggles the Engine Sounds on/off. ^Q RETURN TO HQ Press this to abort the current scenario when disaster looms, or to return to Headquarters after you've completed your mission objective. <ESC> PAUSE The one feature that real-life tanks are not equipped with. It's most useful when you're learning your tank's systems and procedures. ^Q EXIT TO DOS If you press Control-Q while the simulation is paused, it exits to DOS. ^S Sound On/Off A toggle switch to turn the computer sounds on and off. SECTION FOUR: Strategy & Tactics The old-timers in Steel Thunder tank battalion asked HQ if they could pass along some practical advice as part of this manual. The General agreed. Here's their contribution, based on decades of field experience: -> DRIVING * Modern battlefields are even more dangerous than modern freeways, so drive defensively. A shell takes 2-3 seconds to reach its target, so a tank that speeds along a wildly erratic course and never stops moving isn't nearly as likely to get hit. Remember that older tanks aren't as fast or maneuverable as the newer ones, and the armor isn't as durable. -> ENEMY ENCOUNTERS * In encounters with relatively harmless vehicles like BTR-70s, use your .50cal machine gun instead of wasting the big shells. The smaller gun can usually destory an unarmored or lightly armored target very quickly. Since these targets usually don't carry enough firepower to threaten you, you can move in close for the kill. No matter how good his ratings look, you computer-simulated gunner's capabilities are limited. Rely on him for your first few missions, while you're getting the feel of the other tank systems; but you'll soon get to a point where you'll prefer to set up and make the shots yourself. Dispatching T-80s at 3500 yards is beyond the gunner's skill, so it's up to you. * As you move forward, scan the horizon with the 3x scope. Usually, you'll see them before they see you. When you find a target, don't react to it until your gunner positively identifies it (blowing away friendly armor is considered very bad form). Then, select your shell type, and flip to 10x to aim. The 3x sxope is not as accurately aligned with the gun barrel as the 10x scope. Your guns have a longer range than theirs do: use this advantage to pick them off before they can close in on you. * If you're trusting the computer gunner, you can issue the order to fire on a target, then use the commander's 3x scope to continue scanning for new targets while he's making the shot. * You can hide behind buildings, trees, hills, etc. If the enemy hasn't seen you yet, you can sneak lup on them. Of course, when you open fire they'll find you, although their aim will be significantly hampered if you hide behind something. * You may notice that time speeds up when you are far from any enemy vehicles. This is because the computer compresses time when you're moving quickly through unoccupied territory, and then automatically slows things down to real time when hostile forces appear. Because of this feature, you can move fairly quickly on the map from HQ to the front, but much more slowly as you fight your way through and behind enemy lines. In addition, you may compress time even further by pressing 3 once or twice. (The third press turns the time compression off.) This is especially useful on slower machines so try fighting the entire battle with time compression on high. * If an AT-3 Sagger missile is launched at you, react immediately by laying smoke, backing up and trying to find out what vehicle is guiding it at you. Remember, they don't have thermal gun sights, so you can hide in your smoke and hunt down the BMP-2 or Mi-24 Hind which launched it. * Your tank is big, well-armored, and literally carries a ton of firepower -- but it's still not a great idea to go roaring right into the middle of a crowd of enemy armor. (Remember Custer) Instead, slow down while they're still a good distance away. Take out as many as you can at long range. Approach the pack slowly, picking off a few at a time -- and always be ready to switch to your thermal sight, lay smoke, and back out if things get too exciting. Your superior gun range is a big tactical advantage, but you can't make the most of it if you zoom in at 60mph, thus allowing enemy tanks to get close enough to reduce you to rubble. -> AIMING * If the target's moving, don't shoot at where it it - shoot at where it will be a few seconds from now, when your shell catches up with it. The amount of lead time depends on how far the shell has to travel, and how fast your tank is moving relative to the target. You may find it helpful to press the (-) key to instruct the driver to close on the target, making it easier to hit. * Another way to make aiming easier: Press 0 (zero) to direct the driver to drive in a straight line. this makes you more vulnerable to enemy fire, but also helps you get a better fix on the target. Don't forget to press 0 (zero) again after destroying the target, so the driver can resume his usual meandering course. * Remember: not every shell that hits a target destroys it -- or even does serious damage. (Fortunately for you, this works both ways.) If your shell lands on the edges of the target, it may be deflected by angled armor, or blast a hole in a non-critical area. Only dead-center hits inflict major damage, and then only a percentage of the time. Smaller shells must hit more accurately to be effective. * Each shell type has its owbn effective range. If you try to hit a target that's out of the shell's range, you'll probably miss. * Some tanks are more accurate than others: an M60A3 has a hit rate of 62% at 2500 yards, while (under optimal conditions) an M1A1 Abrambs will connect with the target 97% of the time at 3000 yards. To improve your chances, make sure to take a range reading before each shot, and always use the 10x scope to refine your aim before shooting. It may seem quicker to dispense with these formalities, but you'll probably just end up wasting ammunition. * Your gun sight is line-of-sight, but the shell you fire travels in an arc. Therefore, you should aim below center of your intended taget. Otherwise your shell may sail over their heads. * Your gun sights are higher on your tank than your periscopes, so you can "peak" over the tops of hills as you near the top -- allowing you to be some-what hidden from foes down below on the other side. * If the multi-range bar comes on in your main gun's sight, it means that several objects have reflected your laser's pulse, with the gun sight locking on the closest one. If the range is obviously wrong, you may want to maneuver so that the nearest reflecting object is out of the way. Firing with a wrong range may result in a miss. -> EQUIPMENT * The stabilization system can compensate for a lot of motion -- but there is a limit. The system works by raising or lowering the gun to compensate for changes in the tank's level. It can't move the gun past the gun mount's physical elevation and declination capacity. If you're aiming near the horizon, and your driver's taking you on a brisk cross-country joyride, the target may appear to bounce around in the sight. This is a signal that the stablization system has reached its limits. If you take the shot under these conditions, you will probably miss. * Shoot your machine guns in bursts. This not only keeps your gun from overheating, it gives you time between bursts to check and see if you're actually hitting the target. As a result, you'll waste less ammo and spend less time reloading * Always be aware of your current slew rate and gunsight power setting. The gun moves very slowly at low slew rate and high power, so you may want to switch to a higher slew rate and 3x magnification when you're scanning for your next target. Make it a habit to change these settings after you destroy any target.