Combat game instructions: ------------------------ This game puts you in the cockpit of a vintage WWI fighter plane and you are locked in deadly combat with a similary equiped foe. Try to out-maneuver him and shoot him down before it does the same to you. Since the CC40 screen is a one liner, there are obviously no graphics. You will be given vital information about your situation and you will then make flight and fight decisions. The initial screen is your status screen. It is important to be familiar with it in order to play effectively. Scroll the screen left or right using the arrow keys in order to view all displayed information. Starting from the left: H xxx : your heading in degrees. 360 is straight ahead. EH xxx : enemy heading in degrees. Small right arrow xxxx: horizontal distance in feet between you and the enemy. Pay particular attention to the SIGN of this number; a positive number indicates that the enemy is in front of you, whereas a negative number indicates that he is behind you. I xxxx: relative altitude in feet between you and the enemy. A positive number indicates that you are higher than the enemy, whereas a negative number indicates that you are lower. Greek theta xxxx: absolute altitude above ground in feet. Reverse E x: speed (1-3) Greek alpha xx: remaining ammunition X x: damage points to your plane Barred X x: enemy plane damage points You start with equal altitudes and a separating distance of 600 feet, each plane facing the opposite way. I recommend that you use a pen and paper and represent your respective positions with arrows in order to visualize the situation and compensate for the lack of graphics. Once you have analyzed the situation, press and you will be given several order choices: a) Maneuver: enter the appropriate number next to each maneuver letter to select it then press . L=left, R=right, S=straight I=immelman (half loop upward) RI=reverse immelman (half loop downward). b) Speed: speeds range from 1 (slow) to 3 (fast). Enter the appropriate number. c) Attitude: enter the appropriate number next to each attitude letter. L=level flight, D=descend, C=climb Once that information has been entered, the computer opponent will make his move, and then the status screen will be displayed again with the updated situation. Please note that the computer has no access to the decisions you make and relies on your previous position to make its move. The same goes for you. Press once the information has been reviewed and you will be asked if you want to fire your machine gun. If you do, then you will be informed whether you hit or missed. Then, the computer will also make a firing decision and you will also be informed of the outcome if it does. Each gun firing event consumes 10 ammunition rounds. If you run out of ammo, then you lose, and that applies also to your opponent. You both start with 100 rounds. Each hit scores 2 points of damage, and the planes will be shot down if they accumulate 6 damage points (i.e. 3 hits). Important flight information: Climbing slows your speed by 1 and you gain 200 feet of altitude, and descending increases your speed by 1 and you lose 200 feet of altitude. The immelman maneuver requires a speed of 3 and increases your altitude by 600 feet. Your final speed will be reduced to 1. The reverse immelman increases your speed by 2 and decreases your altitude by 600 feet. If your final speed is less than 1, then your airplane stalls and your altitude drops by 2000 feet and your final speed will be 1. If your speed exceeds 3, then your plane will brake up. Turning is done in 45 degrees increments. The slower you are, the tighter the turn and vice-versa. A speed of 1 will turn you 135 degrees, a speed of 2 90 degrees and a speed of 3 45 degrees. If your absolute altitude is zero or less, then you have crashed into the ground. If either the distance from the enemy or the relative altitude is greater than 5000 feet, then you lose sight of the enemy and the game is over. Hit assessment depends on your distance from the enemy and your orientation. Obviously, you should fire only if the enemy plane is in front of you, and within 45 degrees from either side of you. You only have a chance of hitting the enemy plane if your horizontal distance is no greater than 800 feet and your relative altitude no greater than 600 feet. The closer you are, the better the odds of a hit. I hope you enjoy this game. Please e-mail me any comments or suggestions to wmaalouli@comcast.net Walid Maalouli August 2005