home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Game Master (3rd Edition)
/
The Game Master 3rd edition.iso
/
files
/
gametors
/
corncob
/
corncob.doc
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-05-04
|
45KB
|
1,014 lines
Preliminary Corncob 3d documentation
------------------------------------
Copyright (c) Kevin Stokes, Pie in the Sky Software 1991
Welcome to Corncob, the shareware air combat flight simulator.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
-----------------
1.) Getting Started
2.) Hardware Requirements
3.) What to try if Corncob crashes your computer
4.) Inflight keys
5.) Keyboard Play and how to handle the rudder
6.) Combat Missions: Theaters-of-Operation
7.) Training Missions: Design-your-own
8.) Friendly structures
9.) Enemy structures
10.) How to take off, fly level, and land
11.) \(How to turn your plane\)
12.) Running Around - Welcome the Assassin
13.) Scoring/promotion rules
14.) Why is it doing that? (Commonly asked questions and answers)
15.) The Scenario
16.) About the program itself
17.) Notes about the mission builder
18.) Contacting Pie in the Sky
Getting Started
---------------
Welcome to Corncob-3d!
Corncob-3d is an easy game to use.
When you exit this introduction, you will be viewing the "main menu".
From this menu, you can select various sub-menus in order to take ad-
vantage of the many features of Corncob-3d.
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. Just hit <CR> again to begin the mission.
Once in the plane, the blinking message reminds you that the F4 key
gives inflight help.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
Corncob requires an IBM PC/AT-type, 12Mhz or faster, with a color VGA
display, 520k free DOS memory.
Hardware Recommended:
---------------------
A hard disk drive, a disk cache program (Hyperdisk works well), a
joystick.
NOTE: If running Corncob from a high-density floppy disk: you must install
a copy of COMMAND.COM from your computer into 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.
To make a long story short, the easiest thing to try is to reboot with
no TSR programs loaded into memory, and no 'MENU' programs including
the DOSSHELL.
We do know of at least one user who has complained of a 'molasses mode'
problem, where every thirty to sixty seconds the game would slow down to
a snail's pace for about 5-8 seconds. This has to do with a system timer
reset failure. Contact us for a possible solution.
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 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 which theater of operations he
wishes to fly in. A theater of operations is a terrain filled with airports
and areas of enemy concentrations. A pilot selects his mission by taking
off from an airbase, and flying to one of the enemy areas to engage in
combat. ( IE the mission is NOT selected from a menu ). For example,
in the milkrun theater of operations, there is a mission called 'Devil's
Aquarium'. The intelligence report reports that this gathering of enemy
forces is located 3 miles west of Dulles International Airport. Therefore,
starting from Dulles airport, take off and turn your plane West, and fly
for three miles. After you have completed your mission, you can fly
back to Dulles, or any other airfield, or you can fly to another enemy
concentration to try to up your score for this flight.
Most theaters of operation have 9 airbases from which the pilot
can take off and land in. 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 always 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 simply 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.
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 MILKRUN theater, then fly a mission in FLATLAND, 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 which he has flown in.
Training Missions
---------------
If you don't want to fight in an actual theater, IE 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 the 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.
Friendly Objects
----------------
Airplanes
---------
On every airstrip is one or more airplanes which 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
--------------
1.) 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 which 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
the brown AAA is the least threatening, while the white AAA is
devastating.
Note that enemy AAA shells can enemy KLA's.
KLA's Deathballs Spitballs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
These are enemy missiles which 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
(usually) 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 which
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 devices which are mounted on the ground and spew
incendiaries when any human is near. They are used to deny low altitude
flying.
Mind Benders
------------
Mind benders are small tofu-like structures which have a hallucinatory
affect 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 hand gun is the weapon of choice for assassinating aliens. Upon
death, chemical reactions take place which 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 have AAA built in,
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 which
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. In order 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
which 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 dropped
too low to sustain flight. Another common cause is excessive sideslipping.
Also, a damaged plane can be 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, the best idea is 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 where it starts to switch
from being drawn as lines, to being drawn with filled black rectangles,
engage the flaps, and drop your throttle to zero. ( But don't let your
airspeed drop below 100 mph, you may need to bump it up again.)
At this point you should be no higher that 1000 ft.
In Corncob your plane has automatic landing gear which 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 and cause death.
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. ( Or if you try to land upsidedown - Sorry, George)
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 orb
How to turn your plane in Corncob
---------------------------------
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 manuverable.
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 capability which is necessary for some mission which take place on air-
based structures, and you have to jump from one pad to another at 20000 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
forcefields, 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 details
------------------------------------
Scoring algorithm
-----------------
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 which 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...
Why is it doing that? (Commonly asked questions, and their answers)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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.
> 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.
In order 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, use the map which is brought up with the 'm'
key.
> 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 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,
make a flyby of the mission's generator orb, (or it's 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 17000 feet? Who wants to spend 1/4 hour of their
life just sitting there watching your computer plane climb?
The scenario
------------
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 1939, aliens swept down out of the skies, and began to set up struc-
tures. Although 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 any other life on the planet. When human dwellings
or cites were in their way, the aliens simply 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.
The Corncob program itself
--------------------------
Corncob was written by Kevin Stokes, with a lot of additional programming
done by George Welch. It has taken about one year to write, and this
process is still continuing. Most of the program is written in assembler
for compactness and speed. The game is somewhat modular, as the advanced
user can tell from the directory listing. 3.exe and Rimg.exe
are written in assembler, with some use of an assembler library called
Spontaneous Assembly. The rest are written in Power C.
Here is a listing of the modules and their function:
Corncob.bat: Batch file which calls 3.exe, and moag.exe.
3.exe: Main code. This is the program which is running during
flight.
cctitle.exe: Title screen program.
moag.exe: Menu/pilot scorekeeper/theater accounting is done from moag.
rimg.exe: This reads dashboard files and help screens during flight.
tower.exe: All intelligence information is reported via tower.exe
Notes about the mission builder
-------------------------------
All 130 of Corncob's missions were created with the mission builder.
The mission builder allows you to create new theaters of operation
complete with mission intelligence reports. With the mission builder
you have the same tools the author of Corncob used to make all the
theaters.
When you order Corncob deluxe for $15, you get the mission builder along
with an advanced version of Corncob with many new features.
Please note however, that the mission builder is a programmer's
tool; It was never intended to be offered to customers.
The MB is very powerful, but difficult to master. This mission builder
is not recommended for use by any but the most enthusiastic user
who has DOS expertise and the patience to learn a non-user friendly setup.
To contact Pie in the Sky Software: ( Email Preferred )
-----------------------------------
Pie in the Sky Software BBS ( This is the best method until July, 1992 )
---------------------------
Call our 24-hour BBS (2400,n,8,1) and download the latest version of
Corncob on the first call. Also this is the best way to get technical help
etc. (919)489-6900
Prodigy: DWHC72A
Internet: kds@phy.duke.edu
Compuserve 74040,3526
Genie: K.STOKES1
US Mail: ( Address valid through Dec 1992 )
--------
(Only letters with a self-address stamped envelope enclosed will be
answered!)
Pie in the Sky Software
PO Box 4742
Durham, NC
27707