                         ANOTHER FORTRAN FIRST
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                             DONE BY KASH
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                          BATTLE COMMAND DOCS
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INTRODUCTION

Set in the near future alternate reality, BATTLE COMMAND is an arcade
strategy game that allows you to command a single Mauler assault tank in one
of a series of scenarios (missions) in the Ultra war, fought between the two
dominant races in the new world.

The latest phase of the North/South war has been going on for over ten
years, with a World War 1 situation eventually developing - a standoff
between armies massed over a long dug-in battle front.

Such are the defensive capabilities of each side, full scale attacks are
suicidal, so any offensive moves are, by necessity, small "behind the lines"
actions performed by elite troops in specially designed vehicles.

The Mauler is the latest is the latest such machine - an amoured fighting
machine capable of being lifted in and out of hostile territory by a fast
stealth chopper(the helicarrier) and armed with the most advanced weaponary
science can devise.

Well thats enough of that crap.

Playing Battle Command.

The action in Battle Command is split into a number of separate missions ,
each with a different objective that is outlined in the mission briefing at
the beggining of each encounter.

The nature of the missions vary from requiring straightforward arcade skills
(such as the starter mission) to those of a more complex nature, where you
will be expected to use reasoning and deductive skills, in addition to a
lightning trigger finger.

There is no set order in which to attempt the missios but some may require
equipment to be installed to your mauler that is not availible to you until
earlier missions have been completed.

The format of each mission is the same, however. After making your mission
selection and reading your briefing, you equip your mauler  and click on the
start mission box.

An animation sequence will now appear showing your mauler being dropped in
the battle zone.

the screen now changes to the view from the outside your mauler, you now
have full control. To complete the mission  successfully you have to achieve
your mission objective and then meet up with the helicarrier  again at the
designated co-ordinates shown in your mission briefing.

On completion you will see your tank being picked up by the helicarrier, and
then your mission report which also informs you of your score.


STANDARD EQUIPMENT
This is the basic equipment always available on your MAULER

ENGINE - This Delta Dynamic Gas Turbine developing around 2000 Brake Horse
Power at maximum output, gives the MAULER a top speed of around 90 miles per
hour.  Note power can be lost through damage by enemy fire.

VELOCITY GAUGE - this gauge appears on the Control Panel as a vertical bar
graph indicating the velocity of the MAULER.  Green denotes forward speed.
Red reverse.

FUEL GAUGE - as with the Velocity Gauge this appears on the Control Panel as
a vertical bar graph.  There is nowhere, officially, to refuel behind enemy
lines - if you run out, you're stuck.....unless you know different, that is.

COMPASS - this is a display on the console with the symbols N, E, S and W
marked on it.  As the player turns, the display moves left or right to show
the direction the player is facing.  The display wraps around as the player
turns full circle.

                              +---------------+
                              | * * N * * * E | - Compass
                              +---------------+

RADAR - the radar is an advanced type, with a built-in object recognition
system that assigns a type to every detected object on the basis of its
threat to the MAULER.  These object types are displayed as different coloured
dots on the radar screen overlaid on top of a map of the local area retrieved
from the radar computers memory.
The colours assigned to each object are:

                                VGA/ST/Amiga            EGA                     CGA

Roads                           Light grey              Grey                    White
Rivers                          Dark Blue               Blue                    Cyan
Electricity pylons              Dark grey               Dark grey               White
Railway tracks                  White                   White                   White
Vegatation                      Green                   Green                   White
Hills/Rocks                     Brown                   Brown                   White
Major buildings                 White                   White                   Cyan
Minor buildings                 Medium grey             Grey                    Cyan
Mobile enemy                    Red                     Red                     Magenta
Fixed enemy                     Light blue              Cyan                    Cyan
Enemy aircraft                  Yellow                  Yellow                  Magenta
Shells/Missiles                 Fiery orange            Fiery orange            Fiery orange

The position of the player is shown by a small cursor in the centre of the
radar display.

SECONDARY EQUIPMENT
This is equipment that is not always fitted to the MAULER.  If a particular
piece of equipment is required in a Mission it is automatically fitted.

REAR VIEW CAMERA - shows a view from the back of the MAULER in the auxiliary
monitor.  The only control is an on/off button below the auxiliary monitor.
Eyes in the back of the head are sometimes useful!

NIGHTSIGHT - allows you to see at night and at low light levels using Infra
Red sensitive optics.  The normal 3D views on the main console display and
the auxiliary monitor, if appropriate, are replaced by a lower resolution
display in shades of grey.
Using the nightsight during the day will overload it and you will be unable
to see any detail - as all objects and the ground will be shown in a single
shade of white silhouetted against the horizon.
Overloading the nightsight will also damage its sensitive optics.  The
control of this device, if fitted, is a single on/off switch below the
auxiliary monitor.

BINOCULARS - magnifies your main view screen onto the auxiliary screen by a
factor of 2.4 or 8  to show greater detail on objects and objects too small
to be visible normally.  The device can be enabled and disables using an
on/off switch under the auxiliary monitor.  There is also a rotary switch to
the left of the auxiliary monitor to adjust the magnification.

HOMING SCANNER - this is locked onto a particular object at the start of a
mission, just like a compass is permanently locked onto North.  It shows you
if the MAULER is currently heading towards this object, and if not, which
direction to turn in order to be doing so.
This device is very similar in operation to the compass in that it has a bar
that is centred in the display when the MAULER is heading directly for the
object.  As you rotate away from the correct heading, the scanner rotates to
show arrows pointing in the direction the player has to turn to line up on
the object again.  There is no specific controls for the homing scanner and
the display appears in the top right of the MAULER control panel.

                                +-----------+
                                | > > | < < |  - Homing scanner
                                +-----------+

PICK-UP BUTTON - Once you have completed your Mission Objective, you must
make your way to the Pick-up point specified in your Mission Briefing and
summon the HELICARRIER to take you back to the safety of the Northern lines.
Click on the button on the Control Panel or use the keyboard controls
specified.

WEAPONS
Weaponry is what it's all about!  The MAULER has four Weapon Pods, any number
of which you can fill up with lethal devices before you go on a Mission, see
your First Mission section for details on equipping your MAULER.

Only one of the Weapon Pods can be active at one time, selectable from the
keyboard or by clicking on the appropriate Weapon Pod at the top of the
MAULER control panel when in Passive Mode.

This will activate the selected Weapon Pod, as shown by that Weapon's icon
appearing in the Weapon Control Window of the Control Panel, along with any
particular controls for the weapon (up/down, on/off).  The Weapon Pod itself
also shows the number of rounds left in the magazine plus its current damage
status.

A description of each munition follows, but remember that you won't have
access to all weapon types on all of the Missions.  You'll also be limited to
how much you can put on-board your MAULER by weight and weapon design
constraints.

All weapons also have a magazine size, which is the number of rounds that
weapon carries.  Run out of rounds and you'll be firing thin air until you
select another Weapon Pod containing live rounds.


OFFENSIVE WEAPONRY

TURRET - the most basic armament provided for the tank is the Pulveriser
120mm Battle Cannon, which fire shells directly forward.  The barrel is a
simple launching tube for the shells which are powered, in effect unguided
missiles.  They are unaffected by gravity, but they travel quite slowly, so
you have to aim for where the target is going to be when the shells arrive.
The barrel of the Pulveriser battle cannon is an intergral part of the
MAULER's turret and so is not removed even if the Pulveriser weapon system is
not fitted.

The weapon head-up display simply shows the number of cannon shells
remaining.  Only one cannon can be fitted to the tank at once.  The magazine
size is 60 shells.

Pulveriser
Muzzle Speed:           210 m/s
Burn Duration:          16 seconds
Range:                  3300 m
Shell weight:           4 kg
Length:                 0.7 m
Calibre:                120 mm
Warhead type:           K.E.P.

BANSHEE SURFACE TO SURFACE MISSILES - when a weapon of this type is selected
a sight appears in the centre of your view allowing you to line up on hostile
targets.  When the fire button is pressed the missile launcher locks-on to
the closest target in a cone directly in front of the MAULER, the cursor will
change shape and a flashing a 'Locked-on' message will appear in the head-up
display.  This locked on state lasts for a limited time and the launcher
continually tracks the target during it.  if you press the fire button again
while the launcher is locked-on, a missile is launched against the target.
The missile will follow the target until it hits or runs out of fuel and
explodes.  If no target can be found then no missile will be launched.

There are two versions of this missile, heat seeking or radar guided.  Heat
seeking will only lock onto targets that produce a lot of I.R. radiation such
as aircraft or vehicles, while a radar guided missile will lock onto all
targets.  Heat seeking missiles have a much simpler guidance and targetting
system than radar guided ones, as a consequence they are smaller and lighter
and can fit more in a magazine.  The magazine size is 8 for heat seeking and
5 for radar guided.

BANSHEE (I.R. version)
Speed:                  150 m/s         Length:         1.5 m
Flight Duration:        15 seconds      Calibre:        160 mm
Minimum Range:          125 m           Warhead Type:   H.C.
Max Range:              2200 m          Control:        Aerodynamic Surfaces
Weight:                 31.5 kg         Guidance:       Radar or I.R

PHEONIX SURFACE TO AIR MISSILES - Theses are similar to the surface to
surface missiles but they have a more complex targetting system.
When the player presses the fire button a view from the launcher appears in
the auxiliary monitor.  The player now has control of the elevation and yaw
of the launcher, within limits.  If a target comes within the launcher's view
it can be locked-on to and fired in the same way as the BANSHEE surface to
surface missile.

The player remains in control of the launcher until they press the right
mouse button, which returns them to Active Mode and control of the MAULER.
Again these missiles come in two types, Heat Seeking and Radar guided.

PHEONIX (I.R. Version)
Speed:                  220 m/s         Length:         1.1 m
Flight Duration:        12 seconds      Calibre:        120 mm
Minimum Range:          200 m           Warhead Type:   H.C.
Max Range:              2200 m          Control:        Aerodynamic Surfaces
Weight:                 25 kg           Guidance:       Radar or I.R.

K-40 MORTAR - this throws a shell forwards and upwards.  Unlike the cannon,
shells from the mortar are unpowered and affected by gravity, travelling in a
ballistic arc, exploding when they reach the ground or hit an object.  The
mortar allows you to fire at targets behind other objects or targets sunk
into the ground.

The buttons in the weapon control window are assigned functions to raise and
lower the elevation of the mortar tube, and the current elevation, range and
mortar shells remaining are shown in the heads-up display beneath the window.
Only one mortar can be fitted to the tank at once.  The magazine size is 20.

K-40 MORTAR
Min Range:              200 m           Calibre:        100 mm
Max Range:              750 m           Warhead Type:   H.E.
Shell Weight:           10 kg

SLEEPER TIME BOMB - this device is a bomb that the player can drop from the
MAULER and set to detonate after a delay of between 0 and 120 seconds, it has
a large blast area and does massive damage to everything within it.  It is
intended for use in destroying large installations such as supply dumps.  The
weapon control buttons allow you to increase or decrease the time before
detonation after it is dropped.  The magazine size is 1.

SLEEPER
Explosive Force          2 tonnes (TNT equivalent)
Effective Kill Radius    200 m (depending on armour)

DRAGONFLY WIRE GUIDED MISSILES - when you launch one of these missiles a view
from just behind the missile appears in the auxiliary monitor and you now
control the movement of the missile rather than the MAULER.  You can switch
back to controlling the MAULER by hitting the right mouse button, but you
lose control of the missile which simply continues on the path it was on.

The missiles have a limited range and can fly for approximately 20 seconds
before detonating, although, of course, they will detonate before this on
contact with any object!

DRAGONFLY
Speed:               180 m/s                 Length:         2 m
Flight Duration:     22 seconds              Calibre:        250 mm
Max Range            4000 m                  Warhead Type:   H.E.
Weight:              80 kg                   Control:        Jet Deflection
                                             Guidance:       Wire Guided (MCLOS)
K-90 CLUSTER BOMB - like the mortar these bombs are thrown forwards and up
but have a fixed range.  At the top of their arc travel they release a
parachute and then eject eight sub munitions downwards in a lethal cones.

K-90 CLUSTER BOMB UNIT
Range:                          200 m
Shell Weight:                   20 kg
Sub-Bomb Calibre:               50 mm
Number of Sub-Bombs:            8
Warhead Type:                   H.E.
Scatter Radius:                 50 mm


DEFENSIVE WEAPONRY

SPECTRE I.R. Decoy Flares - these are the flares you can launch to decoy heat
seeking missiles.  If a flare comes within the field of view an enemy missile
there is a high probability that it will change course to follow the flare
rather than the MAULER.  If used while you yourself are also using
heatseeking missiles they may interfere in the operation of them, as well!

The flare launcher has two modes of operation, single-shot and automatic.  In
single-shot you launch a flare on demand by hitting the Fire, in automatic
mode MAULER launches a flare every minute or if the current flare has been
destroyed, to give continual protection.

Flares last for about 1 minute before they fall to the ground and are
extinguished.  A flare is destroyed once it has been hit by a missile.  The
two weapon control buttons control the mode the launcher is in, clicking on
one puts the launcher into automatic mode the other puts it back into single-
shot mode.  The head-up display shows the current mode, whether any flares
are in the air and the number of flares remaining.  The magazine size is 12.

SPECTRE Flare Dispenser
Flare detonation:               55 m    Minimum Effective Wavelength:   3 microns
Effective decoy Radius:         25 m    Maximum Effective Wavelength: 14 microns

PHANTASM Decoy Chaff Dispensers - similar to the decoy flares except that it
launches a cloud of chaff that confuses radar guided weapons.  The chaff
cloud does not rise as high as the flares and remain stationary where it was
launched.  it lasts for two minutes and the weapons do not detonate on it but
fly straight through.  The controls and display are the same as for the decoy
flares except that the repitition rate in automatic mode is every two
minutes.  The magazine size is 8.

PHANTASM Chaff Dispenser
Detonation Height:              25 m
Bloom Radius:                   15 m
Bloom Time:                     1.5 seconds
Minimum Effective Frequency:    1.2 GHz
Maximum Effective Frequency:    1.8 GHz
Minimum Strand Length:          8 mm
Maximum Strand Length:          125 mm

SKEET Anti-Armour System - clicking on fire launches a skeet from the rear of
the MAULER that flies across the battlefield, and which, if it passes above
another object, detonates and fires a shell downwards at that object.  The
Skeet stays in the air for approximately 30 seconds.  The display shows the
number of skeets remaining.  The magazine size is 12.

SKEET
Operating height:               30 m
Flight Time:                    30 seconds
Projectile Velocity:            9500 km/h
Warhead Type:                   Explosively Forged Projectile
Sensor Type:                    Infra-Red

SLAM Laser - this weapon sits on top of the MAULER and when activated will
lock onto any incoming missile and shoot it down with laser fire.  It can
only cope with one missile at a time and, as it is chemically powered, has a
limited number of shots.  The only control is an on/off switch on one of the
weapon control buttons, the fire button has no effect on this weapon.  The
display shows whether the gun is active and a bargraph of the chemical
reactants left.
The Laser will usually take several shots to down a missile, the number
depending on the size of the missile.  The magazine holds enough reactants
for about 80 shots.

SLAM Laser
Fire Rate:              250 pulse/minute
Power:                  200 kw
Wavelength:             3000 Angstroms
Pulse Length:           3.5 Milliseconds
Joules/pulse:           460

THE AUXILIARY MONITOR VIEW
The auxiliary monitor is used to display several secondary, but important,
visual displays in BATTLE COMMAND, such as Rear View and the Wire Guided
Missile View.  Pressing F2 will give you an expanded and more detailed view
of this monitor - with the disadvantage that you will be deprived of your
normal display for the duration.  To return to the Main Display press F1.

EXTERNAL VIEWS
Your on-board computer can, upon request, provide you with an artificial
external view of your MAULER, constructed from a combination of visual and
radar data.  The Absolute View (F3) will keep in a fixed position relative to
the scenery - that is, steer your MAULER to the left and you'll see it
spinning around in the external view and the scenery stay, more or less,
still.  Conversely choosing the Relative View (F4) will keep the view fixed
relative to your MAULER.  Both these views can also be rotated and zoomed
in/out by using the numerical keyboard and +/-.  At any time, you can return
to the Main View by pressing F1

DAMAGE
At some point in BATTLE COMMAND, it is highly likely that your MAULER will
acquire some damage, either from enemy fire - or by you driving into
something solid.  When any damage occurs, you will be informed of its exact
nature by a message on the head-up display, a graphical representation of
which can be viewed by pressing F6.

At the top left of this screen is a 3D display of your MAULER showing where
and to what extent it is damaged.  Damage to any part of the MAULER is shown
by the relevant area changing colour.  The colours range from light green
through yellow to dark red, light green indicating no damage, dark red
indicates that an area is so heavily damaged that another hit in that
location will destroy the MAULER.

The rest of the screen shows icons for all the equipment fitted to the
MAULER.  Next to each icon is a small bargraph showing the repair state of
that equipment.

If you start to accumalate damage, there is a likelihood of equipment
malfunctioning, either by reduced functionality or intermittent operation.

MISSION REVIEW
At any time during a Mission, you can get a recap on your Mission Objective.
Pick-Up co-ordinates and your current position by pressing F5.

As with all screens, pressing F1 will return you to the Main Display.

KEY GUIDE
Battle Command can be operated entirely from the keyboard, although the use
of a mouse is recommended.
Most functions in BATTLE COMMAND can be accessed either by keystrokes or by
using the mouse in Passive Mode and clicking on the appropriate area of the
screen.  In a few cases use of the keyboard is mandatory, for instance you
can only switch between the different screen views in the MAULER by using the
function keys.

CURSOR CONTROL
The cursor is moved about the screen and the MAULER is controlled using the
mouse or joystick.  Cursor control with these devices is obvious.

The joystick's fire button performs the same function as the left and right
mouse keys.  If the joystick only has a single button then this button acts
in the same way as the left mouse button, the functions of the right mouse
button can be accessed using the 'Enter' key on the keyboard.

CONTROLLING THE MAULER
Mouse left/Joystick left        -       Rotate MAULER left
Mouse right/Joystick right      -       Rotate MAULER right
Mouse forward/Joystick up       -       Accelerate MAULER
Mouse back/Joystick down        -       Decelerate MAULER
Left Button/Fire Button 1       -       Fire Weapon

The keyboard can be used as an alternative to a mouse or joystick.

KEYBOARD CONTROLS
  O             -       Cursor left/Rotate MAULER left
  P             -       Cursor right/Rotate MAULER right
  Q             -       Cursor up/Accelerate MAULER
  A             -       Curor down/Decelerate MAULER
Space           -       Fire button 1 (equivalant to left mouse button)
Enter           -       Fire button 2 (equivalant to right mouse button)

SCREEN SELECTION
  F1            -       MAULER control Panel
  F2            -       Auxiliary Monitor View
  F3            -       External View (absolute)
  F4            -       External View (relative)
  F5            -       Mission Review
  F6            -       Damage Screen
  F7            -       Game Options

MAULER CONTROLS
  B             -       Brake
  C             -       Centre controls
Shift T         -       Transmit pick-up request
  R             -       Toggle rear-view camera on/off
  N             -       Toggle nightsight on/off
  ?             -       Toggle binoculars on/off

BINOCULARS
  <             -       Decrease magnification
  >             -       Increase magnification

WEAPONS
 1-4                  - Select weapon module
  + (main keyboard)   - Upper weapon module button
  - (main keyboard)   - Lower weapon module button

EXTERNAL VIEWS
The orientation of the external views to the player's MAULER can be
controlled by the keypad keys.

  8             -       Rotate view up
  2             -       Rotate view down
  4             -       Rotate view left
  6             -       Rotate view right
  5             -       Centre the view behind the MAULER
  +             -       Zoom the view out
  -             -       Zoom the view in

MISCELLANOUS KEYS
  S                     -       Toggle sound on/off
Shift & 1-4             -       Set graphics complexity level
 F10                    -       Pause

When BATTLE COMMAND is paused the following functions are available:

Escape                  -       Abort game
  K                     -       Select keyboard
  J                     -       Select joystick
  M                     -       Select mouse

YOUR FIRST MISSION
This section is a hands-on guide to getting started in BATTLE COMMAND.  We
recommend you start here to get an instant feel for the thing.  As game
players ourselves, we guess most users would rather not read a 150 page
manual to begin with, but just want to get themselves a piece of action and
fast!

The BATTLE COMMAND user interface has been designed to be as intuitive as
possible, but the following should serve as a guide to allow even the novice
gamer to get into the thick of things with the minimum of fuss.

First off, follow the loading instructions for your personal hardware format.
After this procedure, you should now be seeing a screen something like this:

If you just sit there and watch this screen, in a few seconds the frame will
time out into another title screen and then go into a self running demo of
BATTLE COMMAND.  Press any key to return to the original Start Screen.

There's a cursor on screen.  You'll find you can move this using
left/right/up/down keyboard controls, mouse or joystick.  Put the cursor over
the 'Start Game' box and 'Click' (that's left mouse button, Space Bar or
'Fire', depending on your control method) to move on.  You should now be on
the Mission Selection screen that looks like this:

Click on the Status Box and you'll find a screen that gives you your current
progress in BATTLE COMMAND.  Hardly surprising, you've completed no Missions
and have earned no points whatsoever.  That will change later - if you're
good enough!  Return to the Mission Select Screen by clicking on the Mission
Selection box.

On the left side of this screen are the different missions you'll have to
complete to finish BATTLE COMMAND.  Click on the different mission titles and
you'll find that you highlight the text - and cause a 3-D view of the Mission
Objective to be displayed on the view screen to the right.

You'll want to try the Starter Mission first, so now click on that.  You
notice that two more boxes have appeared above the Status Box.  Clicking on
Briefing will take you to the Briefing Screen:

The Briefing Screen is a short text description of your Mission Objectives.
In the Starter Mission it's all quite simple - if it moves, shoot it!  Be
warned however, other Missions will require considerable thought and
ingenuity to be completed - not just a quick trigger finger!

Very importantly, this screen also lists your Pick-Up co-ordinates, the
location where you have to be in order to get your lift back to enemy lines,
after you've completed your objective.  You and your MAULER are behind enemy
lines, remember - and there's only one way back....

From here, clicking on the Map box gives you an outline map of the Mission
Area.  You'll also see icons that denote your set-down and pick-up points,
your Mission Objective (if any) and the current position of your MAULER.

Clicking on the Stores box will show you what munitions are available for
this Mission.  Recommended stores have their boxes outlined in red, those not
available are marked 'NA'.

From any of these three screens, you can click on Close to return to the
Mission Selection screen.  Now you know what you're doing, go back to that
screen and click on Select - from here there's no turning back!

You should now be on the Fitting Screen:

The window on the left is a 3-D animation of the current selected munition.
Browse through the different weapons you can use on this mission by Clicking
on the 'Forward' icon.  In this Mission you can choose from the 'Pulveriser'
Battle cannon and the 'Banshee' Surface to Surface Missile in Infra Red and
Radar guided form.

Move back so as the Pulveriser is selected on the left and click on the
Weapon Pod 1 box towards the middle right of the screen.  You'll now see that
this Pod is now filled with the Pulveriser cannon icon.  Move to display the
Banshee IR Missile in the weapon selector, by clicking once on the Forward
icon.  Now click on the empty Weapon Pod 2 box.  It'll now be filled with a
magazine full of Banshee Infra Red Heat Seeking Guided Missiles.  Now click
once on Forward again so you have the Banshee in its radar guided form
selected in the left window and click on Weapon Pod 3.  That's now full of
Banshee Radar Guided Missiles.  We'll leave Pod 4 empty for this mission.

HINT
When playing, remember that Infra Red guided missiles go for targets with a
heat signature but Radar guided will lock onto any object.

You're now fully equipped and ready to start this Mission - Let's Party!
Click on the Start Mission box and the fun begins....

First you'll get a sequence where your MAULER is set down on the surface by
the Helicarrier - then the perspective will change to your main console 'out
of the tank' view.

Now it's all up to you!  Control of movement is completely intuitive with
mouse forward/joystick up/forward key to accelerate the MAULER forwards.
Back to accelerate in reverse.  You can see how fast on the control panel.
Green light means you're going forwards, Red denotes you're going backwards.
Left/right steers you in the expected direction.

You are currently in Active Mode.  You can change into Passive Mode by
pressing the Right mouse button/Second joystick fire button/Return.  This
will cause a cursor to appear on screen which is controlled by the
mouse/movement keys.  (The MAULER'S current movement vector will stay at
whatever it is now, until you go back into Active mode by pressing Right
Mouse button/Second joystick fire button/Return again).

In Passive Mode the cursor can be used to control many of the game features
by clicking on different parts of the MAULER'S control panel.  In fact, in
BATTLE COMMAND, all of these functions can also be accessed using the
keyboard as well, while remaining in Active Mode the whole of the time.  You,
the Player, have the choice whether to use the combination of keyboard and
mouse/joystick or just use mouse/joystick control only.  Use whatever seems
right for you.  for the moment though, we'll assume you're using the keyboard
and mouse/joystick combination to start off.

The first thing to do is select which weapon pod you want currently active by
pressing the corresponding number key on the main keyboard  - not the number
key on the keypad.  Let's try the Banshee Infra-Red guided missile out by
pressing number key '2'.  You'll now see the Banshee icon appear in the top
left of the 3-D display to denote that the Banshee is the currently active
weapon.

OK - now start moving out at medium speed by moving your mouse forward,
joystick up, or the 'Q' key.  Keep a sharp eye on the radar which dominates
the right of the control panel.  Enemy units will show up as red dots - it
won't be too long before they turn up.  Go get 'em!

You should be able to spot the unit on the main console 3-D display, once you
get close enough.  Check again that you've got the Banshee as the active
weapon by looking for its icon in the top left of the display.  It would be
embarrassing to press Fire and have nothing happen - wouldn't it?

Try to manoevre so that the enemy unit is within the cross hairs of the head-
up display.  Press Fire once - and the missile is locked on.  The cross hair
display will change shape and there will be an on-screen message to confirm
this.  While the Banshee remains locked on it'll automatically track the
target unit wherever it goes.  Press Fire again within a short time to send
the missile on it's way.  Just Fire and Forget!

If the lock becomes broken, it's probably because you waited too long before
pressing Fire again to launch the missile - or maybe the target was using
Electronic Counter Measures (ECM's).  Just get a unit in your sights again
and go through the same procedure; Fire once to lock and again to send.

The IR Banshee might not be able to lock onto some enemy units.  If this
seems to be so, try switching to Banshee Radar Guided Missiles by pressing
'3', using the same firing procedure of Fire once to lock on, Fire again to
launch.

If you want to save up your missiles, or maybe you've run out of Ammo (check
the number of rounds left shown on the pod's display), press number '1' and
you'll be firing the Pulveriser.  This requires a little more skill - you
have to get the enemy within to cross hairs and press Fire to launch a shell.
Remember, a 120mm shell is a dumb projectile - it won't home in on a target,
like the guided missiles do.  You fire off a round and hope that by the time
your shell reaches the target, the unit is still there..........

HINT
If you're firing at a moving target, try firing just in front of the vehicle,
anticipating its movement vector

Try to keep your Mauler moving at all times.  As a static target you'll be
much easier to hit!  Strike fast and hard - fool around and you'll just get
swamped by numbers.  Go get 'em.

The Starter Mission has been designed to be quite simple - just cruise around
and destroy your quota of enemy units (you'll be told when you achieve this)
then high tail it back to your pick-up point.  You can always check your
Mauler's current position, and your Mission objective, by pressing Function
Key 5 (F5).

F6 will show your current damage situation.

Pressing F1 always brings you back to the main console 3-D view.
Pressing F1 will get you back to the main view.  You might also like to
experiment with the F3 and F4 keys, which give you views from the outside of
the Mauler.  In these two screens, zoom in and out using '+' and '-' keys or
move the view point around using the numerical keypad.

When you've reached the pick-up area summon the Helicarrier by pressing the
'Shift' and 'T' keys together and watch as you are air-lifted back to base
and given a Mission Report.  Easy wasn't it!  But be warned, in the other
Missions you'll be expected to use your brains as well as your reflexes in
order to come back in one piece.  And you can expect the opposition to be
much smarter and much better equiped.

SAVING AND LOADING THE GAME
As it is unlikely that the player will complete all the Missions in one
section, the state of the game can be saved to disk to be continued later.
The game can only be saved between Missions and in the Save Game screen can
be reached by clicking on the relevent icon on the Status screen.

At the bottom right of the screen are two boxes, the Path box and the
Filename box.  The Path box shows which directory on the disk games will be
saved to, by clicking on the Path box the player can edit the contents to
change directory.  The Filename box allows the player to enter or edit a file
name in the same way as the Path box.

At the top of the screen is a window showing all of the saved games in the
current directory.  If there are more saved games than will fit in the
window the player can scroll through them using the arrow keys.  Clicking on
a file name in the window copies that file name to the Filename box to allow
the player to edit it.

There are three buttons on the bottom left of the screen that allow the
player to save or delete the file specified in the Filename box, and exit the
screen.

The Load Game screen, which is available from the Front End screen works in
an identical way.

Saved games have to be saved to specially formatted floppy disks.  On these
machines the Path box in the Save and Load screens is replaced by a set of
buttons that allow the player to select which floppy drive to use, and to
format disks.

THE CONTROL PANEL

         WEAPON                WEAPON PODS                   SCANNER
     CONTROL WINDOW           /  |     |  \                     |
            |                /   |     |   \                    |
____________________________________________________________________________
|\                     | 1  | | 2  | | 3  | | 4  |     |      >|<      |  /|
| \  \             /   | 23 | | 23 | | 23 | | 23 |     |_______________| / |
|  \__\           /____|____|_|____|_|____|_|____|______________________/  |
|      \_________/                                                         |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|            FUEL GAUGE                                                    |
|                 /                                                        |
| PICK-UP BUTTON /                                                         |
|       |       /        _____________________                             |
|    ___________________/                     \________________________    |
|___/  ___              |      AUXILIARY      | |                    | \___|
|     |   |    =  =     |       MONITOR       | |       RADAR        |     |
|     |___|    =  =     |_____________________| |      DISPLAY       |     |
|     _____    =  =         ___   ___   ___     |                    |     |
|    |     |   =  =        |   | |   | |   |    |____________________|     |
|    |_____|   =  =        |___| |___| |___|          <__ E __>            |
|__________________________________________________________________________|

       |          |        /       |       \              |
  BINOCULARS    SPEED     /    NIGHTSIGHT   \          COMPASS
 MAGNIFICATION       BINOCULARS          REAR VIEW

end.