This demo shows you two of the thirty scenarios you will play during the course of Absolute Zero. They are chapters from the beginning of the story when little is known about the aliens you've encountered and you're just trying to bring survivors out of the destruction.
The scenarios here are good examples of the two main modes of play in the game: turret-style and free-flying. We recommend that you start your demo experience with the turret mission so you can get used to the interface and play style before tackling the more difficult free-flying mission.
Absolute Zero has received good reviews from the gaming world. We hope you enjoy this demo enough to check out the real game. It gets better and better the deeper you get into the storyline. Enjoy!
Despite our best efforts, the numeric key pad sometimes conflicts with the
cursor control keys and the "home-end-pg up-pg dn-help-del" keys. Therefore,
when modifying key sets within the game, try to use one group or the
other, not both.
Movement
Velocity Changes: You can change the throttle 10% at a time by hitting the number keys. "1" is slowest and "0" is fastest. Also, the "-" and "+" keys decrease and increase by 1% increments.
keys: 1-0, -, +
Movement Keys: If using the keyboard to move, use the up/down/left/right arrows to move. Remember that when flying, the "up" arrow actually dives your vehicle and the "down" key makes you climb.
keys: up/down/left/right arrows
Positional Thrusters: You can use vernier jets to slew your vehicle left and right. This makes fine adjustment for firing easier. Use the "<" key to slew left, and ">" to slew right.
keys: <,>
Weapon Control Keys
Fire Weapon: Fires currently selected weapon.
keys: space bar (or Btn 1 on a joystick)
Change Weapon: Cycles to next weapon in list.
keys: W (or Btn 2 on a joystick)
Lock Onto Target: Using this key locks onto the closest target that is under or near your crosshairs. This causes the virtual arrow and lock-on box to activate immediately.
keys: tab (or Btn 4 on a joystick)
View Controls
Outside View: Hit the "O" key to switch to the outside view of your vehicle. There are two outside views depending on what you have your pan/snap toggle set to. There is a static view from behind your vehicle and a fade away view. Experiment with the toggle to find out.
keys: O
Toggle Pan/Snap Views: Use the help key to toggle whether your views pan around your vehicle or snap left/right/back when using the view change keys.
keys: help
View Change Keys: These move your view around your ship to help you keep track of your surroundings.
keys: del (pan/look left); pg down (pan/look right); home (pan up/look forward); end (pan down/look back); pg up (recenter view forward)
Miscellaneous Keys
Pause: To pause/unpause the game.
keys: P
Visor Controls: Allows access to speedup options, keyboard setups, etc.
keys: F2 (on the numeric keypad)
Help: Accesses the hint screen.
keys: F1
Quit: Get me out of here!
keys: F5
VR Visor Controls
Ground Grid: Overlays a green grid over the terrain to help you judge distance.
keys: G
Compass: Toggles on/off.
keys: Z
Pitch Ladder: Toggles on/off.
keys: X
Radar Displays: Toggles on/off
keys: C
Change Boresight Range Detection: 10Km, 20Km or 40Km range detection. Toggle between them.
keys: V
Change Topdown Range Detection: 2Km radius, 5Km radius, or 10Km radius. Toggle between them.
keys: B
Crosshairs: Toggles on/off.
keys: N
VR Visor: You can toggle the helmet view off to gain a wider field of view.
keys: M
Ghost Lines: Toggles on/off.
keys: L
Waypoints: Move back and forth between the various waypoints so you can move toward them.
keys: "semicolon" moves you back one waypoint and "quote" moves you forward one.
The Terrans have been mining the Jovian system for over 110 years. Since Europa has large amounts of water ice available to refuel space craft (which utilize fusion drives), it was the first of Jupiter╒s moons to be colonized. There are three cities on Europa: Orion, Aegis, and Europa City. They hold well over 200,000 people. All of these people are associated with mining in some way, shape, or form.
Recently the ╥core bore╙ operations on Europa (mining the rocky center of the moon), detected an open space within the core. They dug close to it and awakened a long-sleeping race of aliens. The aliens reacted angrily, killing the miners in the core and used a powerful weapon to blow their way out of the moon╒s interior, destroying the colony╒s capitol, Europa City, in the process.
The Terrans are now faced not only with humankind╒s first extraterrestrial contact, but also their first extraterrestrial war. Since the colony is not a military base, few weapons or specialized military vehicles exist. Everything has to be cobbled together from existing mining devices, extra side plating, guts and ingenuity.
Europa is one of the four major moons of Jupiter. There is no official count of the actual number of moons of Jupiter, simply because no one has been able to decide on the minimum size of an object to be classified as a moon. There are thousands of objects rotating around Jupiter in and around its thin ring system.
Jupiter╒s magnetosphere is a tremendous drag on its moons. In the case of Io, this creates violent volcanism as the drag, and the gravitic tidal forces, push and pull that moon╒s core into molten rock. In Europa╒s case this causes the ice to buckle, crack, and melt causing massive seismic quakes and an odd sort of water volcanism as warmed water rises quickly through the ice cracks to freeze again on the surface.
Since one person is rarely critical in all places, you╒ll move from character to character as they become pivotal in the storyline. In addition, you╒ll fly and drive vehicles, as well as helping to man defensive positions during alien attacks, offensive campaigns, scouting missions, and rescue attempts.
The VR Tunnel interface allows you to outfit your vehicles, hear news from all over Europa and the entire solar system, read your character╒s diary information and e-mail, as well as to receive briefings and examine intelligence on the alien crafts.
As the game progresses, RepDep will provide you with improved vehicles, weaponry, and defenses as your missions become more ambitious and complicated. Be sure to refer to this manual and the VR Tunnel interface as the game progresses so you can best utilize the new technology when it comes about.
Only two of the six options in the VR Tunnel work in this demo due to constraints on file size for downloading purposes and demo CD requirements. The other four are fully functional in the regular version of the game and add greatly to your game experience.
OverLink
Originally designed for EMC managers to coordinate field teams, OverLink is where you get your briefings at the start of each scenario. There is a summary paragraph of your objectives at the bottom of the text screen as well as a complete listing of Nav points to help you find your way around during game play. Audio can be played, or not played, by hitting the ╥Sound╙ button below the character's photo. To get back to the main selection screen, click on that picture in the lower, left cheek screen. To start the scenario, click on the lower, right cheek screen.
RepDep
RepDep is the maintenance area in the VR tunnel. Here, you choose what weapons configuration you'll use during the scenario. If you replay the scenario you can quickly and simply choose a different weapons package if so desired. There are eleven different weapons in the game (laserlance, pulse laser, gatling blaster, blaster cannon, fusion cannon, mini-MAAC, fusion missile, MAAC, jump mines, drop mines, and bombs), and you'll get them in many different configurations. NOTE: You cannot change your weapons configuration in mid-scenario. To get back to the main selection screen, click on that picture in the lower, left cheek screen. To start the scenario, click on the lower, right cheek screen.
Vehicles
Each scenario places you in one of seven vehicles. These include:
Valkyrie -- A jet cycle with extreme maneuverability and speed.
Charger -- The civilian air transport. Think of it as a streamlined car that flies.
Dragonfly -- A four-winged, maneuverable vehicle that becomes the colony's most dependable fighter.
Maglock -- A gigantic behemoth of a carryall. Tough, heavy, and it flies like a pig.
Wolverine -- The standard civilian ground car, it hovers across the ice.
M.U.T. -- Think of it as the ultimate Urban Assault Vehicle (bus with an attitude).
M.U.L.E. -- A large, treaded tractor puller. It quickly becomes the tank of the colony.
The demo scenarios only use the Wolverine, M.U.T., and Dragonfly.
The VR helmet was designed to do two things: a) get more visual input for the pilot, and: b) make cockpit construction cheaper.
The pilot╒s helmet now has VR display screens mounted in its visor. This allows the computer to interpret the pilot╒s viewing angle and then display the visual information the wearer would receive as if the vehicle were not in the way. Thus, the pilot is no longer constrained by windows and can look freely about as if seated in an invisible vehicle.
The ╥freefall╙ feeling this gives pilots resulted in some early difficulties, so a ╥ghost╙ outline of the ship is now overlayed onto the surrounding world information to give the pilot a reference point at to which direction is being viewed.
The helmet is jacked into the vehicle╒s console via a universal coupling mechanism and the helmet╒s processor then interfaces with the vehicle╒s on-board computer.
Many helmets use specialized software modules with the helmet╒s multi-functional display (MFD) system (the "cheek" screens), increasing the usefulness of the HUD-style environment.
The Map module displays a 40km x 40km area around you as you move across the world. The flashing blip is your position on the map. The only other features that show up are waypoint indicators. You╒ll have to rely on your radar screens for enemy and friendly unit positions.
VR Tunnel
The Tunnel screen is your window into the VR world. When you have this window selected and you hit the ╥Enter╙ key, you╒ll enter the Virtual Tunnel and have access to all the information gathered therein.
Weapons
You╒ll see a top-down view of the vehicle you╒re piloting, or a schematic of the turret if you╒re manning a turret. On it, you╒ll see the position of the weapon currently selected brightly lit in red. The other weapons available are a dimmer color. As you hit "W" and cycle through your weapon options, the different weapons are highlighted in turn. Next to the vehicle schematic, you╒ll see visual indicators telling you the weapon╒s heat status and whether it╒s ready to fire.
Target I.D.
When this module is activated, you can toggle through the available field of enemies using the ╥tab╙ key (or Btn 2 on a joystick). When an enemy is selected, its image appears in the cheek screen, the virtual arrow locks onto that target, and an orange ╥lock╙ box appears around the target. The lock box allows you to keep track of the enemy you╒re chasing. The box and the arrow point indicate the direction the enemy is, even if the target goes off your screen. It╒s a great assistance in dogfights. Also, Target I.D. is required when guided weapons are used against enemy ╤ without a lock, the weapon will only fire in a straight line and won╒t guide.
Once you have a lock on an enemy, a yellow ╥lead╙ box shows you the approximate location you should fire your weapon to hit the locked-on target.
Ñ Play with headphones on to get the full stereo ╘3D sound╒ effect. This helps you judge where the other objects are in reference to your own position.
Ñ If what you╒re doing gets you killed, then change your tactics. Be flexible.
Ñ Many of the aliens are agile fliers. ╥Joust╙ with them by going to max velocity, getting some distance, and then doubling back to shoot again.
Ñ When playing as a turret, USE YOUR VIEWS! It╒s much faster to look left than to spin left.
Ñ Learn to use your speed keys when flying. Moving at the same velocity all the time gives your enemy too much advantage. Vary your speed and you╒ll do a lot better.
Ñ Use your positional thrusters to line up shots. It╒s a lot easier than trying to bank or roll into position.
Ñ Your Target ID window is quite useful for identifying long-range opponents.
Ñ The aliens tend to do the same things in the same situations (like we do). Learn their tactics and anticipate their moves.
Ñ The aliens are not afraid of ramming you. Beware.
Ñ Pay attention to your speed. If you go too slow, you╒ll fall out of the sky. A fun option ╤ cut your engines, fall a bit, then go to max thrust again. You can change altitudes quickly this way.
