I have not been able to use any variables when loading F117A that will
enable the ADLIB sound card. The normal selection screens are absent
when the game loads...probably a result of the protect scheme being
cracked. Therefore to get ADLIB sound: on a ---COPY--- of F117A, rename
the file ISOUND.EXE to ISOUND.OLD and rename the file ASOUND.EXE to
ISOUND.EXE. This will activate the Adlib sound card.
Also...when the game loads, you will see the MPS logo followed by a blank
screen. DO NOT TOUCH ANY KEYS AT THIS POINT!!! GET A BEER, GO FOR A LONG
DRIVE, WATCH TV, DO _ANYTHING_ BUT TOUCH A KEY.
The program must unpack the graphics files and it takes a _WHILE_. After
a LOOONG wait, the screen will brighten to show the F117A in the hanger
with the canopy open. You have a choice here...do nothing and watch the
show or press ONCE. If you do nothing, the canopy will eventally
close and then you will see the outside of the hanger and the plane will
slowly roll out. When you are tired of watching, press ONCE to
progress to the Pilot Selection screen. If you do not want to watch the
show (and really, once is enough) press while the picture of the
plane is first brightening and then wait. Eventually you will go to the
Pilot Selection screen.
2. Controlling the game:
The attached file KEYS.TXT shows the keys used to control the game and
their functions. The game can be played without a Joystick but is much
better with one. Only one joystick is supported. If there are two firing
buttons, # 1 fires the cannon and # 2 drops the ordinance. Note...to drop
ordinance the bay doors (key 8) MUST be open (and it takes a second or so
for the doors to open/close).
The game plays well as loaded on a 286/386. If you find there are delays
or the motion is jerky, try adjusting the detail level (Alt-D) to a lower
level. This is vital for 8086/8088 machines.
3. Thoughts on playing the game:
This is not meant to be a step-by-step "How To" on the game...rather my
thoughts on how to play. If you have played F-15 Strike Eagle II or the
F-19 Stealth Fighter you already have the basic idea...this game is similar
to F-15 and the method of play is virtually identical to F-19.
From the Pilot selection screen, you can select a pilot or create a new
pilot. This screen also lets you select the quality of opponents,
the flying characteristics of the plane and the reality levels of your
landings.
From the Ready Room you can make several choices. If you go to the CO
you can also select from various screens the areas of the world
and the types of missions. North Cape is the toughest and North Cape with
elite opponents and realistic landings is a tough one! Some areas are not
available on this version...why I don't know.
From the Ready Room, go to the Briefing to select/view the mission. Pay
particular attention to the weapons load. Since you don't have Microprose's
usual fine book, you will have to get information on the type and bombing
altitude of the various weapons. I recommend that you scroll down through
the list of weapons available and write down the altitude and types of target
that each weapon is used against. Pay particular attention to the altitude
because dropping the bomb too low will result in damage to your own plane
from the fragments! You can also view/change the weapon load by going to
Maintainence from the Ready Room.
When all is ready, to to the Hanger to start the mission. You can return
to the Ready Room from the Hanger if you don't like the mission/weapons load.
3. Flying the mission:
First, to take off, press Shift and the + key for Max power. If on a carrier
deck, you will then need to press the 0 (ZERO) key to release brakes/launch
aircraft. I recommend throttling back to about 60-70 percent power for most
of the mission. Slower speeds result in a smaller radar image. If you
are flying below 250 kts, I recommend pressing 9 to lower the flaps for
better slow-speed handling and a slightly lower stall speed.
You will see a small \/ shape in the heading portion of the HUD. (The HUD
is the heads-up display which is in the center of the "windshield". On the
left it indicates airspeed in knots, across the top is heading in degrees
and on the right is altitude in feet.) Turn until the \/ is in the center
of the HUD directly over the small vertical line |. This puts you on course
as entered into the Inertial Navigatin System (INS). The INS is programed
to lead you to the primary target, secondary target and then to the landing
site. Try pressing F7 to see the course displayed on the map in the lower
left side of the screen. This is the course in the INS and may be modified
by pressing F8 and using the PG UP/PG DN keys to select the waypoint and the
keypad keys to change the direction. Try experimenting with this...you can
always press Shift F8 to reset the waypoints to their original values. As
you fly, if you stray off course (to bomb a target or shoot at a plane or
whatever) turning until the \/ is centered will always return you to the
INS course to the target/landing base.
Until you get the hang of it, try pressing 7 after takeoff and let "George"
the autopilot do it. Watch out though, George has no sense of self-
preservation...he will try to fly you through a mountain with the usual messy
results. You might have to take control for terrain avoidance at any time.
After bombing the target, return to the base for landing. Try using the
"no crash" setting until you get the hang of the landings. The altitude of
the bases is 0 feet and the deck of the carriers is 125 feet. In realistic
mode you can have a vertical velocity of about 400 feet/minute (check the
screen for exact figures).
4. Weapons used:
For first missions I recommend a mix of Maverick missiles and Sidewinders.
The Maverick is a multi-use missile that will take out virtually everything
on the ground (it is useless against aircraft). To use, fly to within
about 30 miles of the target and center the target in the HUD. When the
target designator changes from a rectangle to an oval, the missile is locked
on. When the oval changes color, the missile has a much better probability
of hitting. This usually takes place at about 18 miles from the target.
Just open the bay doors, fire the missile and then forget it. Don't forget
to close the bay doors...you are a much bigger radar target with them open.
You must drop the Maverick at 300 feet or higher...less and the missile will
most likely hit the ground. Pressing Shift F4 will let you follow the
missile to the target...it is an interesting view!
Use the Sidewinders against enemy aircraft. Wait until the target designator
changes to an oval and fire the missile (again open/close the bay doors).
You can usually get good hits at 15 miles.
For bombs, you will see a horizontal line in the upper part of the HUD.
You must fly DIRECTLY over the target. As you get closer, the length of the
line will shorten. When it becomes a single vertical line | drop the bomb.
It is frustrating but you can hit with practice. WATCH THE DROP ALTITUDE!!!
It is embarasing to get shot down by your own bomb fragments!!!
5. Selecting Targets:
When you take off, you will see a map in the lower left corner of the screen.
You can use the Z and X keys to zoom in and out. You are the white dot,
aircraft are the red/orange dots, radar sites are black/gray dots and the
primary and secondary targets are flashing orange dots. Any enemy missile
fired at you will show as a flashing yellow dot or a flashing red/yellow
dot, depending on the type of missile. Flashing yellow indicates a radar
missile. Flashing red/yellow is a heat-seeking or doppler radar missile.
Center the \/ in the HUD or let "George" fly you towards the targets. If
you see an aircraft near you, press F2 to select AIR mode. Then use the
M,<,>,? keys to use the tracking camera. The camera screen is the lower
right corner of the display. The four keys turn the camera in the direction
indicated. When the target is close enough, it will appear in the camera
display. If there is more than one target, the B key selects the targets
viewed in the camera. For ground targets, press F2 again until GND is
selected. In each case, when you are close enough to a target for the
weapon to hit (note the target must be in front of the aircraft) you will
see "Missile Lock" in the camera display when the missile is locked on.
(There is no such notation for bombs unless they are laser guided bombs.)
For ground targets, try pressing the N key to let the camera designate
other targets. It may pick up targets such as depots and tank farms that
you didn't know were there.
6. Defeating incoming missiles:
You can fool a heat-seeker by turning on the IR jammer (caution...it only
works for a short time and then takes time to recover) or by dropping a
flare when the missile is close. You can fool a radar missile (flashing
yellow) by turning on the ECM (this makes you a bigger radar target but
fools the missile) or by dropping Chaff when it is close.
-*-*-*NOTE*-*-*- Doppler missiles are TOUGH (flashing red/yellow) and don't
respond to chaff. You MUST turn so you are at right-angles (90 degrees) to
the missile and fly outside of its field of vision. If it gets behind you,
dropping chaff won't work...you MUST turn 90 degrees to it and fly across
its path. Watch the boxes on the left above the map...it will tell you the
kind of missile that is locked. When the box goes dark the lock is broken.
7. Ending a mission:
So far, I have not been able to successfully complete a mission. I can hit
the target and make a safe return, but after the game notes a "safe landing"
the game resets to the MPS logo screen and re-starts. I don't know why this
is but assume it is another result of the protect being cracked or a bug in
this version. However, it is still enjoyable to play.
This is what I have found to date...experiment and have fun! It is a very
good game!
