PC Gamer 6/1995-05_Disc_6.iso/install/english/read.me

Text File | 1995-01-13 | 11KB | 227 lines

TUTORIAL
This tutorial lets you jump right into this Aces of the Deep "active"
demo and learn U-boat command procedures by carrying out a
convoy attack. (You can control the entire mission with the mouse,
and many controls also have key commands.) Note: the tutorial
and accompanying quick reference contain a lot of information.
You may want to print out this document so you can refer to it
while playing.

This demo starts you off at sea in the control room of your Type
VIIC U-boat. It is dusk, March 1, 1941. The Allies have yet to
deploy effective radar or anti-submarine tactics, so you may
conduct a night surface attack. Your boat is operating alone, and
the sea is calm. (In the full simulation, you may define these and
many other mission conditions variables yourself. Aces of the
Deep is a richly detailed and accurately modeled simulation. You
will probably want to replay the demo several times to explore all
of the command options available to you.)

CONTROL ROOM
For a quick tour, move your mouse cursor through the Control
Room from the left. You will see labels appear as you point to the
TDC (Torpedo Data Computer), the Bridge ladder, and the hatch
leading to the Torpedo Room, Radio, Damage Report and
Captain's Log. In the middle is the Scope, and to the right of that
are the Engine Telegraph/Speed controls (top) and
Compass/Rudder controls (bottom). The large Dive Controls are
on the right bulkhead. Just below (on Type VII boats) is the Chart
table. The command buttons along the bottom provide other
controls: the Voice Tube (to give crew commands), Stopwatch (for
timing torpedo runs) and the Clock (for time compression).
Different buttons appear in other screens.

BRIDGE
By now, you should have received a contact report from your
Watch officer. Click on the ladder to go to the Bridge and
investigate. From the Bridge, click the mouse to scan the horizon
for ships: click near the middle of the screen (small cursor) to scan
slowly, and click near the edge (big cursor) to scan quickly. If you
see ships, click on the Binoculars button, and scan with the
binoculars to locate the ships again--you'll see their relative
compass bearing below the eyepiece. Click on the Engine button
at the bottom--the engine room telegraph--and click Ahead Full.
Then click on the Compass button and drag the compass indicator
to the target bearing. Your boat will begin to head directly for the
target. Right-click to close the Compass and Telegraph display.
Click the far-left "ladder" button to return to the Bridge view.

CLOCK
From the Bridge, click on the Clock button. The clock shows the
time (in 24-hour notation) and lets you speed time up while getting
into position, and slow it down again when ready to attack. Click
the right-hand scroll bar arrows or press the [+] key until the
display shows 32X or so. (Each click greatly increases the speed:
be careful with time compression, or you may zip right past the
convoy.) Press [Enter] to return to 1X time.

TACTICAL CHART
To see a map view of the convoy as you approach, press [F5] to
open the tactical chart. This display helps you see the convoy's
zigzags and true course, range, and can also show where the
largest targets and escort ships are if you zoom in close. Click the
magnifying glass buttons to zoom in and out. By clicking the
Compass button here, you can adjust your intercept course more
accurately. Now click the Globe button on the far right. This gives
you the strategic chart you'll use to navigate to and from base in
Career missions. For now, click the Globe button again to return to
the tactical chart.

STALKING THE TARGET
While stalking the convoy, you can switch directly between the
Chart [F5] and the Binoculars [F3] to monitor target course and
range. You want to pull even with or ahead of the convoy at a safe
distance (5,000 meters or so), and then angle in from the side to
firing range (under 1,000 meters). Remember, the Binoculars
bearing display is relative--a reading of 90 degrees means you are
looking 90 degrees starboard of the bow, regardless of your boat's
compass heading. When you start getting close, click on the Clock
button to slow down time again to 1X (normal). Keep an eye on the
escorts--if you see an escort suddenly head for you, your surprise
attack is blown. At any time, you can press [Ctrl]+[P] to Pause the
game if you need a moment to decide your next move.

AIMING WITH THE TDC
When your U-boat is to the side of the convoy, go to the bridge
Binoculars view [F3]. Locate a ship in the vertical crosshair and
press [Spacebar]. This selects the target, distinguishing it with a
red crosshair and entering its data into the TDC. Click the Torpedo
button to see this TDC data, which includes target bearing (relative
to your boat's heading), speed, range, and actual compass
heading (if within range). The crosshairs grow brighter the longer
the target is selected, showing the increasing accuracy of the firing
data. To see your Watch Officer's estimate of the selected target
vessel's type and gross tonnage, press [I].
Before firing, you want the U-boat pointed within 20 degrees of the
target for best accuracy. (To turn toward a selected target you're
currently viewing, press [H]--this turns your heading to the current
view. To change the view to the current heading, press [V].) You
want to be between 300-1,000 meters from the target, and
perpendicular to it--check your firing angle using the chart.

FIRE
When the firing conditions are acceptable, click the red fire
buttons I and II on the TDC. You can switch to the chart to see the
torpedoes' course, and switch back to the binoculars in time to
watch them hit (if your aim was true) or watch through the Torpedo
Camera [F10]. Two torpedo hits will sink all but the largest ships.
Note: the bottom fire button is for the stern tube.

EVADE
Once your first eel hits, the escorts will be alerted and will try to
attack you quickly. In many night attacks early in the war, you can
evade slower escorts on the surface by using your speed and the
chart to outmaneuver them. You may be able to line up and sink
other targets while the escorts pound the wrong area to a froth. If
the escorts are cornering or overtaking you, you should dive
before their deck guns hit your boat and prevent you from diving
(track them in the TDC to check range).

DIVING
If forced to dive, return to the control room [F1]. Click the Voice
Tube button, select Chief Engineer, and order Crash Dive. You
may also click the Dive Controls and drag the depth indicator to
the desired depth. Below 150 meters, depth charges will have little
chance of hitting you (this changes later in the war). Once you
reach your depth, go to your Engine (propeller button) and reduce
speed to Ahead 1/3--this will reduce your engine noise so the
escort hydrophones cannot detect you as readily, but gives you
enough headway to turn.
Go to the chart. You should see the escort charging to the point
where it saw you last. If you make it safely below, the escort will
start pinging with ASDIC (sonar) pulses as it tries to box you in
with its search patterns. Keep turning your boat end-on to these
pulses to reduce your echo. You can also use the noise of the
merchant ships to cover your sounds. Using depth and the chart,
and constantly angling away from the escort, you should be able to
slip away fairly soon. You may then surface and make another
approach on the convoy, or retire from the engagement.

ENDING THE MISSION
Any mission where you sink a ship and get away is a good one.
The mission will continue as long as you maintain contact with the
enemy. If you lose contact with the enemy ships or sink them all,
the mission ends. (Naturally, the enemy can end your mission by
sinking or capturing YOU.) In the full simulation's Career mode,
you end missions (war patrols) by navigating back to a friendly
base and radioing for an escort into the harbor.

You can also end missions in progress by selecting Abort Mission
from the Simulation Options menu ([Ctrl]+ [O]), or by pressing
[Ctrl]+[D]. If you abort the mission while engaged in combat,
however, your mission score will be zero.



QUICK REFERENCE
Control Room               [F1]
Periscope                  [F2]
Binoculars                 [F3]
Bridge                     [F4]
Charts                     [F5]
Torpedoes                  [F6]
Damage Report              [F7]
Radio Room                 [F8]
Captain's Log              [F9]
Victim View                [F10]

Increase Time Compression  [+]
Decrease Time Compression  [-]
Reset Time to 1/1          [Enter]
Repeat Last Message        [Backspace]
Select/Deselect Target     [Spacebar]
View Left                  [<,]
View Right                 [>.]
Status Line                [Ctrl]+[I]

Dive Planes Up             Keypad [8]
Left Rudder                Keypad [4]
Straight and Level         Keypad [5]
Right Rudder               Keypad [6]
Dive Planes Dn             Keypad [2]

Engine Speed               [1]-[6]

Man/Unman AA Gun           [A]
Check Battery Level        [B]
Crash Dive                 [C]
Man/Unman Deck Gun         [D]
Check Fuel Level           [F]
Set Heading to View        [H]
Identify Target            [I]
Fire Tube         [Ctrl]+[1]-[Ctrl]+[5]

Check Remaining Oxygen     [O]
Periscope Depth            [P]
Surface Boat               [S]
Blow Tanks                 [Alt]+[B]
Open TDC                   [T]
Set View to Heading        [V]
Zoom Periscope Mag.        [Z]
Padlock View               [Alt]+[F2]
Raise/Lower Scope(in chart)[Alt]+[P]
Stopwatch                  [W]

Abort Mission              [Ctrl]+[D]
Options Menu               [Ctrl]+[O]
Pause                      [Ctrl]+[P]
Music On/Off               [Ctrl]+[M]
Quit to DOS
(confirm first)      [Ctrl]+[Q], [Alt]+[X]
Quit to DOS
(don't confirm)      [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del]

OBLIGATORY PROMOTIONAL BLURB
In the full Aces of the Deep simulation, you and your fellow U-boat
commanders struggle desperately to stem the tide of Allied
shipping bringing destruction to the German homeland. Enlist in
single missions, reenact historical battles, or enlist for entire
careers in the Kriegsmarine--history with you at the helm! The CD-
ROM version adds cinematic sequences and an interactive on-line
manual that includes exclusive videotaped interviews with actual
U-boat captains, a U-boat tour, interactive war maps, and more.
The optional AOD Expansion disk adds the fearsome Type XXI U-
boat, and operations in the Mediterranean. If you like the demo,
you'll love the full simulation. Have fun!