  MERCENARY III Documentation!!
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  LOADING
  -o-o-o-

  Insert Mercenary III disk in Drive and switch on computer the game will
  Automatically boot!!.

  MERCENARY III is fully memory resident and you can remove your game disk
  once loading has been completed

  
  GAME DESCRIPTION!
  -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

  Mercenary III place you in the virtual worlds of the Gamma solar sytem.
  It assumes (although this is by no means necessary to play this game)
  that you ere the hero that acerted the threat of the comet Damocles 
  (In Mercenary II).  It must have been you, as you now hold the reward
  money; a massive 50,000,000+Intergalactic Credits.

  Your usual objective, as a soldier-of-fortune is to gain money.  However
  in this senario it may well be a case of hanging on to what you've got,
  as it seems that everyone wants to nibble away at your fortune.  But you
  may still come across one or two  'nice little earners'.

  As ever in Mercenary, you are free to choose the action.  But, the main
  gameplay does assume that you will take up the fight for the forces of
  good against evil, and specifically the evil represented by the enigmatic
  P C Bil.  His project mining operation on the rural island of Dion North
  will wreak havoc with the environment.  One way or another, he has to be 
  stopped!.

  
  GAME PLAY
  -o-o-o-o-

  In Mercenary III, you are never 'Killed'.  Your ability to play the game 
  never ends.  But, at particular points in time, your adversary will make
  progress, unless his plans are foiled.  And if he achieves his objective
  you can count yourself as having lost the battle, if not the War! if you
  do foil his plans, and there are several ways to do this, then the meas-
  ure of your additional success is the extent of your personal fortune if
  this exceeds 50,000,000 within 24 hours, you've done the best days work 
  possible in Mercenary III.

  Transport
  ---------
  You arrive in the game apparently at the mercy of public transport. Ava-
  iling yourself of Bil's kind offer of a meeting give a free sample of the
  taxi and space flights services.  Most usefully it also gives you access
  to the Transporter System to move you around pre-set locations on some
  of the nine planets and nineteen moons of the Gamma System.  But genera-
  lly, from these points, your onwards travel is by taxi, bus, inter-city
  or Space Flights.  For this purpose, you will probably find the enclosed
  Transport Schedule invaluable.

  But there are self drive craft available to you.  A hire car or a hire 
  aircraft gives you some freedom, at a cost! There are space-craft for
  sale, at widely ranging prices which could well suit you in providing 
  the ultimate freedom of travel.  And what of the craft you posessed in
  the Damocles saga?

  Unfortunatly, previous players will find that there has been 1 signifi-
  cant economy.  A free craft is no longer given on invoking the 'Quit"
  option!

  People
  ------
  You can meet Taxi drivers, Pilots, Recepionists, Clerks, Officials and
  even your adversary.  All will talk to you through your 'Benson panel'
  text display.  Mixing idle chatter and information with crucial clues
  and often relating what's said to what you are percieved to be doing,
  they are a key element of the game.

  Objects
  -------
  Considerable interaction with the game can be achieved through many of
  the objects that can be found, some operate to effect just by their 
  possession.  Others have a controllable use or provide text-file info
  on call.  You can pick up and hold objects to relocate or use at any time
  by taking these into your inventory.  You can generally hold up to a 
  maximum of tne objects at a time.

  Exploration
  -----------
  The Mercenary III playfield is as vast as the Gamma system.  You can of
  course explore everywhere and might eventually find all that there is 
  to find.  But generally, limit your search to obviously significant or
  named locations or in following up a specific clue.  There's no guarantee
  that all such places will feature in the play, but the odds are in favour
  of their being relevant.

  Trading
  -------
  With the new generation of entrepreneurs, Trading Posts in the game are
  more likely to want to deal in commodities or major items rather than in
  trivia, although most items do have a value.  If an object is on display, 
  it is for sale at a price shown on the wall panel.  To buy it, if you can
  afford it, pick it up and leave the room.  Where nothing is on display
  you can sell an object.  The buying price offered for an object currently
  displayed in your inventory, is shown on the wall panel.  To make a sale,
  drop the object.  A transaction os only completed once you leave the room.

  Time
  ----
  Your panel clock records your time into the game.  Note that space travel
  around the system is at speeds near to the speed of light and will accel-
  erate accordingly the passage of the 'real time' display on your clock.

  Combat
  ------
  Your adversary can be keenly interested in what you are doing.  You may
  from time to time spot his Observer Craft checking on you.  These craft
  are not fitted for hostilities.  However, in the event that they detect 
  you in an act of hostility towards their commander-in-chief or, of course
  if he recieves any other direct evidence, or if you travel without per-
  mission into his protected areas, his Battle Craft will be deployed 
  against you.

  
  CONTROLS!
  -o-o-o-o-
   
  Benson's Panel : (please turn to centre pages) [This will be soon!!]

  Communication:
  -------------
  With Benson in communication mode, you may be asked to respond.  This is
  indicated by a que-tion mark (?) following text.  Press "O" to respond
  "OK-YES", otherwise NO is assumed.

  Walking:
  -------
  Walking is initiated by use of the joystick as shown:

  You are able to RUN by pressing 'R'.  To return to walking pace, press
  'R' again.  A white panel light indicates 'run' mode.

                 FORWARD
                    |
    FORWARD LEFT  \ | /  FORWARD RIGHT
                   \|/
     TURN LEFT------|-----TURN RIGHT
                   /|\
   BACKWARD LEFT  / | \  BACKWARD RIGHT
                    |
                 BACKWARD


  Transport
  ---------
  To BOARD a vehicle or craft, walk near to it and press 'B'
  To LEAVE parked transport (To walk away) press 'L'
  POWER foward is selected by pressing a number key on the main keyboard
  (Not the keypad) from 1 through 9 with 0 = max for reverse, select a 
  Function Key F1-F10.  For fine adjustment to selected speed, press
  keypad ')' or '(' Keys.
  To stop, or for hover in flight, press (SPACE BAR).

  TURN LEFT ------|------ TURN RIGHT

  
  Ground Vehicles
  ---------------
  are steered by the joystick as shown:

  Aircraft
  --------
  Need suuficent speed to take off.  Landing too heavily will result in a
  crash! On the ground they behave as ground vehicles (above) but are
  controlled for direction in flight as shown:

                 DIVE
                  |
     DIVE LEFT  \ | /  DIVE RIGHT
                 \|/
   TURN LEFT------|------TURN RIGHT
                 /|\
    CLIMB LEFT  / | \  CLIMB RIGHT
                  |
                CLIMB  


  Spacecraft
  ----------
  Are flown as for aircraft, but can attain escape velocity.  To activate
  escape sequence, in flight, press (ESC KEY)

  Elevators
  ---------
  Elevators in building are generally indicated by a floor number being 
  shown.  Stand centrally and select a floor number on main keyboard keys
  1-9, 'B' for a basement and 'G' to return to ground level.  If the #
  selected does not exsist as a floor number, the lift will not operate.

  Objects & Inventory
  -------------------
  All objects and inventory controls are through the Keypad and the Cursor
  Keys.  To pick up an object, stand near to it and press the | cursor key
  provided you have inventory capacity available, its name will be shown on
  your inventory display panel.  To review names of objects held, toggle
  the <- or -> keys.  To drop an object, select its name to be shown in the
  inventory display panel and press the \/ cursor key.
  Where an object has a player controllable use, it can be activated if it 
  is shown selected in the inventory display window and the (ENTER KEY) is 
  pressed.  An auxilary central 'use panel' will scroll on giving instruc-
  tions to operate the object via the keypad keys.  This use panel will 
  remain activated unless the object is dropped, or an alternative object 
  is activated.

  Combat:
  ------
  Craft have a defensive missile capability.  In general play, you do not
  have an enemy, but if you do provoke an attack, this is relentless.
  Unless you can destroy the enemy ship, it will ultimately find you and
  home in for the kill.  Depress the joystick 'fire' button missile..

  Quit Situation
  --------------
  Press (HELP) Key.
  Benson response:`F1=SAVE F2=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME'
  Press FUNCTION KEY F10

  
  SAVE GAME FACILITY!
  -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
  
  Important ENSURE THAT YOUR GAME DISK (WHICH SHOULD IN ANY EVENT ALWAYS
  NE WRITE PROTECTED) IS REMOVED FROM DRIVE.  NOTED THAT A SAVE WILL WRITE
  TO ANY ENABLED DISK AND WILL CORRUPT EXSISTING DOS FILES.  USE ONLY A 
  'SAVES' DISK THAT YOU IDENTIFY ACCORDINGLY.

  You can save out a current gameplay status to pick up later from where 
  you left off.  At any point in the game:

  Insert your 'saves' disk, write enabled.
  Press (HELP)
  Benson response 'F1=SAVE F2=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME'
  Press Function key F1
  Benson response: 'PRESS RETURN WHEN READY'
  Press (RETURN)- Any other Key to abort.


  TO RELOAD GAMESAVE!
  -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

  At any point in the game, to re-load a previously saved gameplay:

  Insert your 'saves' disk in drive.
  Press (HELP)
  Benson reponses 'F1=SAVE F3=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME'
  Press Function key F2
  Benson response: 'LOAD NUMBER 0-9'
  Press required file number
  Benson response 'PRESS RETURN WHEN READY'
  Press (RETURN)- Any other key to abort.


  BENSONS PANEL
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  1   Benson text messages

  NAVIGATION:
  
  2   In Space-Name of nearest body
      Otherwise, current location.
  
  3   Vehicle Speed
  
  4   In space-
      Gamma system co-ordinates XX:YY:ZZ
      Otherwise, Planet/Moon co-ordinates 999:999
  
  5   Near city, or land base,
      co-ordinates +/-99:+/-99(RED=-)
  
  6   In space distance to nearest body
      Otherwise, Altitude in metres.
  
  7   In flight elevation from horizontal.
  
  8   Compass.

  INVENTORY:

  9   Inventory capacity availability guage

  10  Inventory selection window

  11  Cash held (intergalactic Credits)

  PANEL LIGHTS:

  12  Ground porximity warning

  13  Attack warning

  14  Run mode selected


  15  Clock

  AUXILIARY PANEL:

  16  Control panel for an object currently in use

  T:  (Outside) Temperature
  P:  (Outside) Pressure

  Game: Novagen
  Programmer: Paul woakes
  
END....
