Games PC COMMANDOS-BEHIND ENEMY LINES User Manual

Epilepsy Warning

Read before using your IBM PC or Compatible computer or allowing your children to use the system.

A very small percentage of people have a condition that causes them to experience an epileptic seizure or altered consciousness when exposed to certain light patterns or flashing lights, including those that appear on a monitor screen and while playing games. Such people may have no medical history of seizures or epilepsy. Please take the following precautions to minimize any risk:

Prior to use

•If you or anyone in your family has ever had an epileptic condition or has experienced altered consciousness when exposed to flickering light, consult your doctor prior to playing.

•Sit at least 2.5ft away from the screen.

•If you are tired or have not had much sleep, rest and commence playing only after you are fully rested.

•Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.

During use

•Rest for at least 10 minutes per hour while playing a video game.

•Parents should supervise their children's use of video games. If you or your child experiences any of the following symptoms while playing a video game:dizziness, altered vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of awareness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convulsions IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your doctor.

Limited Warranty

EIDOS Interactive reserves the right to make improvements in the product described in this manual, at any time and without notice. EIDOS Interactive makes no warranties expressed or implied, with respect to this manufactured material, its quality, merchantability or fitness from any particular purpose. If any defect arises during the ninety day limited warranty on the product itself (i.e. not the software program, which is provided “as is”) return it in its original condition to the point of purchase.

CONTENTS

HISTORY	2
SETUP	3
THE MAIN MENU	3
NEW GAME MENU	4
SINGLE PLAYER	4
MULTIPLAYER	4
TUTORIALS	4
RESTART MISSION	4
LOAD QUICK SAVED GAME	4
PASSWORD	4
EXIT	4
SAVE GAME MENU	4
LOAD GAME	5
OPTIONS	5
USER PROFILE NAME	5
SOUND VOLUME	5
VIDEO OPTIONS	5
GAME REFERENCES	5
EXIT	6
HELP	6
CREDITS	6
QUIT GAME	6

THE GAME: BASIC CONCEPTS	6
THE TUTORIALS MENU	6
THE MISSIONS	7
TAKING CARE OF YOUR CAREER	7
ASSIGNING OBJECTIVES: THE BRIEFING	8
THE COMMANDOS	8
THE GAME: CONTROLS	9
THE MISSION	9

THE MAP NOTEBOOK	10
SELECTING SOLDIERS	10
MOVING SOLDIERS	11
HIT THE DIRT AND CRAWL	11
THE KNAPSACK	12
USE OF REMOTELY ACTIVATED ITEMS	12
USE OF DEVICES IN THE MISSION	12
PICKING UP AN ITEM IN THE MISSION	13
VEHICLES	13
BUILDINGS	14
CAMERAS	14
THE ENEMY	15
SIGHT	15
HEARING	16
SOLDIERS, PATROLS, ARTILLERY POSTS,
VEHICLES AND TROOP BARRACKS	17
IF YOU ARE DISCOVERED...	17
TACTICAL ADVICE	18
YOUR MEN	18
GREEN BERET	19
DRIVER	20
MARINE	21
SAPPER	23
SNIPER	24
SPY	25
THE MULTIPLAYER GAME	27
PLAYER “COMMANDOS” ON A LOCAL NETWORK	27
THE MULTIPLAYER GAME: A QUICK GUIDE	27
TROUBLESHOOTING	29
KEYS	29
ACTION HOT KEYS	29
CREDITS	31

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HISTORY

A HANDFUL OF EXCEPTIONAL MEN...

“...no routine, no bureaucracy... only pure operations, whose success depends basically on oneself and on the men that have been chosen to carry out the task. This is revolutionary”

Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clark

It is late 1940. The Axis forces control all of Western Europe. Momentarily held back by the English Channel, the German army gathers strength for an imminent invasion of Great Britain.

However, there is one man in the British ranks that will not resign him-

self to play a merely defensive role. This man is Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clark. His plan was to create a special unit with a handful of exceptional men. Men who are skilled at handling any type of weapon and excel in all forms of combat. Men who are able to hit the enemy hard in the most dangerous circumstances and live to fight another day. Men who could change the course of the war by taking the fight behind the enemy lines.

Due to the special characteristics of this unit, the officers who conceived and created the Commandos were forced to forget most of what they had learnt at the military academies. The Commando doctrine was to use small units, carrying out stealthy raids. Units had to be self-reliant and able to take the initiative when faced with unexpected situations. Men with highly varied specialties and background, who went through mercilessly tough training at the Scottish castle of Achnacarry, and left there prepared to face just about anything -except incompetent commanders.

Throughout the war, the Commandos showed great unity and discipline in combat. On several occasions, determined soldiers carried out perilous actions with great heroism. At war’s end, the Commandos had accumulated the largest number of decorations received by a single Army unit: 8 Victoria Crosses, 37 Distinguished Service Orders, 162 Military Crosses, 32 Distinguished Conduct Medals and 218 Military Medals.

This game wishes to pay a modest tribute to those men, who were witnesses and privileged actors in several of the most dramatic and decisive moments of the Second World War: men who were fated to make History.

SETUP

The Commandos installation program runs automatically when the CD-ROM is inserted into the unit, if it detects that the game has not been previously installed. In case your CD-ROM unit does not have the AutoRun option activated, you can open the installation program by double clicking on the Setup program that appears in the root directory of the CD-ROM. The complete setup menu is available in the Commando launch program (autoruns).

Once the installation program has begun, follow the on-screen instructions.

Once the game has been installed, you can start playing by selecting the appropriate option in the Programs submenu of the Start menu.

You can uninstall Commandos at any time by selecting the corresponding option in the Programs menu, or using the option Add and Remove programs in the Control Panel.

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines requires the following system specifications:

•	Windows 95 ( or Windows 98)	•	DirectX 5.0 or greater installed
•	DXMedia Installed (available on game CD)	•	Pentium ( class 120mhz or equivalent processor)
•	16 MB of Ram (32 Recommended)	•	Fast 1MB SVGA Card (compatible with DirectX 5.0+)
•	135 MB of Uncompressed Hard Drive Space	•	4X CD Rom (8x recommended)
•	Keyboard and Mouse	•	16bit Soundcard is recommended

NOTE: We have not tested on and do not support gameplay on Windows NT or Laptop computers.

THE MAIN MENU

When you enter the game, the Main Menu will be displayed. Menu ME01 From this menu you can select all the options in the game. You can also access the Main Menu from within the game by pressing the Escape (ESC) key at any time.

Moving around the Main Menu and its submenus is simple:

•Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move through the options.

•To select the desired option, press Enter or click on the option with the mouse.

•If you are in a submenu, press Escape or right-click to return to the previous menu.

•If you find yourself in the Main Menu during a game, press Escape or right-click, and you will return to the game.

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The options of the Main Menu are as follows:

NEW GAME MENU

Permits you to start a new game of Commandos. When you choose this option, the following submenu will appear:

SINGLE PLAYER

Lets you begin a new game of Commandos for a single player.

MULTIPLAYER

Lets you begin a Commandos Multiplayer game. Use this option to play with other people in a LAN (IPX or NT based) network, over a TCP/IP (Internet Connection or on the Mplayer gaming service. (see later in this manual, in the chapter on Multiplayer Mode)

TUTORIALS

Takes your to the Commando Training Camp where you can learn the game.

RESTART MISSION

Restarts the current mission after you have lost a Commando or failed an objective.

LOAD QUICK SAVED GAME

Lets you load the last quick saved (Ctrl + S) game.

PASSWORD

This option allows you to play directly any of the missions in Commandos. To do this, each time that you successfully complete a mission you will be given a password to access the next mission. Write down the password so that you can use for the next mission or to replay a specific mission.

EXIT

Takes you back to the previous menu.

SAVE GAME MENU

When you select this option, you will see a list of slots where you can save the current game.

Choose one of the slots, give it a file name and the current game will be saved for retrieval.

You can also quick save the game by pressing Control + S during the game (quick save system), although you will not be able to give a name to a game that is saved in this manner. To reload it, select NEW GAME / LOAD QUICK SAVE GAME, or press Control + L during the game.

If different people play with Commandos in the same computer, see below in the section on OPTIONS / USER PROFILE NAME so that each person can have their own set of slots in which to save their games.

LOAD GAME

When you select this option, you will see a list of the available slots. Choose the desired slot to recover one of the saved games. Remember that if the game that you wish to load has been saved with the Quick Save system, then you will have to recover it pressing Control + L or selecting the option NEW GAME / LOAD QUICK SAVE GAME.

OPTIONS

This element in the Main Menu permits you to change certain game parameters. When you select this element, the following submenu will be displayed:

USER PROFILE NAME

If several people play with Commandos on the same computer, by using this option each one of them can have their own set of saved games and their own game options. Each time you want to play, choose this option and enter a gameplay name or nickname. If this is the first time you do this, a new set of game values and slots for saving games will be created. If you have already entered your name previously, this action will recover the set of values that belongs to you.

SOUND VOLUME

This option allows you to adjust the volume of the game sound effects. Select this option and then press the right arrow for volume increase or the left arrow for volume decrease. You can also drag the volume slider by clicking on it with the mouse, and then dragging it sideways without releasing the button.

VIDEO OPTIONS

Use this option to select your favorite resolution for playing Commandos. The greater the resolution is, the wider the game area will be that you can view on your screen, but on the other hand, everything will be smaller.

GAME PREFERENCES

Here you can select three options that affect the way you play. To change, highlight choice, then press the arrow keys left or right to select.

•Submissive / Indifferent to enemy halt: When one of your soldiers is carrying out a movement order and an enemy orders him to halt, this option will determine what he does until he receives new orders from you. If you have selected Submissive, the soldier will halt. If you have selected Indifferent, the soldier will attempt to continue on his way. (default is Indifferent)

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•Verbose / Laconic Commandos: This option determines whether your soldiers will speak or remain silent in response to your orders. (default is Verbose)

•Commandos Warning ON/OFF: this option turns on or off the Commandos warning flashes. (ON is default)

EXIT

Takes you back to the previous menu.

HELP

This feature offers a quick guide to the game controls and the commandos profiles.

CREDITS

View the Pyro team which created this game.

QUIT GAME

This option will let you leave the exciting world of Commandos and return to mundane reality.

THE GAME: BASIC CONCEPTS

In this section, we explain the general concepts of the game.

THE TUTORIALS MENU

Before you go and fall straight into the hands of the enemy, you probably need some instructions. In the Tutorials option in the Main Menu you will find the help that you need to quickly become familiar with the game. There are two kinds of tutorials:

•Seven Theory Sessions: These are short video lessons in which you get an explanation of the game controls. There is a Theory Session that shows the general concepts of the game and commandos profiles.

•Six Training Missions: These are mock missions that work as in the real game, except that they take place in a training camp, allow you to use a single man in each mission,

and furthermore, your soldier can suffer unlimited damage. You should become familiar with the specific actions of each of your soldiers.

Although you are not required to complete the six Training Missions before being able to play the first real mission in the game, we strongly urge you to do so.

THE MISSIONS

In Commandos, you will lead your men through a series of realistic missions that are freely inspired by the various fronts where the allied commandos participated during the Second World War. There are twenty missions of increasing difficulty, divided into four campaigns:

Each of these missions has unique objectives, terrain, and enemy forces. There are unique problems and various possible approaches depending on your tactical skill and your skill in handling weapons. From knocking out a simple and poorly defended radio mast in Norway to leading the final assault on a fortress located in the very heart of the Reich, a mission that is only possible for those who know no fear.

Seven missions inspired by the			Five missions in Egypt, Libya		Three missions in France,		Five missions that take place
Commando raids in Norway.			and Tunisia centered on the		during the period that begins		during the final assault on the
			war in North Africa		with the Invasion of		Third Reich.
					Normandy (D-Day).

All missions have a main objective. Examples include blowing up an enemy installation, rescuing a prisoner or the “elimination” an enemy general. If you do not succeed in this objective, you will not have successfully completed the mission and will not be allowed to continue onto the next assignment.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR CAREER

To be assigned mission, it is necessary that you have successfully completed the main objective of the previous mission. Each time you finish a mission successfully, the game will assign points depending on the degree of completion, and will give you access to the following mission. The points will depend mainly on the amount of time you have needed to complete the mission (the less time, the better), and the wounds you have suffered (the fewer wounds, the better). The number of enemy casualties that you cause is totally irrelevant, although you will be informed of this figure at the end of the mission.

As you complete missions, the merit points received will keep adding up. Depending on the accumulated points, you may be promoted.

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You begin the game with the rank of Lance Corporal. As you accumulate combat merit, you will continue to be promoted. If when the war ends, your results have been spectacular, you may have reached the rank of Field Marshall, which means that your acts have been absolutely brilliant. If, however, your efficiency and worth have been merely adequate, you will languish at a low rank. The Allies need men of legend, if you prove your mettle, command may look to you to tackle a crucial “ultra secret” mission.

So it is up to you whether you wish to simply do what is required, or, on the other hand, become an example for your men by going beyond the call of duty. Your honor and your military career depend on it ... then again, so do your retirement benefits.

ASSIGNING OBJECTIVES: THE BRIEFING

At the start of each mission, you will be given a briefing. These brief instructions outline the context of the mission and your team’s objectives.

The “briefing” will give you the following information:

•The strategic circumstances in which the mission takes place.

•The main objective of the mission.

•A brief mission run through by Colonel Smith in which you will be given the position of the objectives, the location of the points of interest or danger, and tactical advice that you best listen to.

If you do not wish to listen to the entire briefing, you can press Escape while you are within the briefing. You will then go directly into the mission.

If during the mission you no longer remember exactly what the objective is, press Ctrl + B and a reminder will appear with the objectives of the current mission. You can also click on the folded green corner of the map book.

THE COMMANDOS

As a player of Commandos, you will be the officer who has been entrusted with the command of a group of six very special Commandos.

A rather small number perhaps, but these are not ordinary soldiers.

These are exceptional men. Their background and respectability is sometimes ... doubtful. They possess combat skills that are unique that result from inherent abilities, or are the result of a highly unconvention-

al biography. They are so highly trained, and they work so closely together, that they are able to sneak into the heart of the enemy’s installations without being detected. They can then fulfill objectives that would be unthinkable for a larger unit. As

their leader, you are in control of the situation and you are responsible for the outcome.

To mold soldiers like these take months and months of study, training, specialization, and a little luck. The General Staff has invested a great deal of time and resource in these men. They have received so much training as a team that they work perfectly together, forming a cohesive that can not be replaced. That is why your duty is to keep them alive, together and active during the entire war. The loss of a single man would be an irreparable loss. If during the course of a mission you lose a single member of the team, you will not be allowed to continue to be in command.

As you will soon learn, this is one of those details that make Commandos a unique game, and determines the manner in which you have to play.

Each of the six men is highly specialized in one specific field (see the section entitled Your Men). There are actions that all are capable of carrying out, but there are other items and actions that are reserved for just one man. For example: only the Sapper can activate or even pick up and transport explosives, and only the Marine can capture an inflatable launch and use it.

So you must learn to spread out the tasks. Remember: success in a mission may depend on the fact that a single man, the appropriate one, is in the right place at the right time. Get the timing wrong, or the man, or the place... and you are history.

THE GAME: CONTROLS

Next we explain the main options in the game. Detailed knowledge of these controls will help you to complete your missions successfully.

THE MISSION

From the moment a mission begins, you can scroll the viewing screen around the entire mission. In fact, we recommend that you do so before you issue orders to your men. This way you can get an overall idea of the tactical situation.

To move the viewing screen around the mission, use the cursor keys. You will notice

that this movement will occur automatically when the mouse pointer comes close to the edges of the game area. You can vary the amount of zoom, from a detailed view to a

general panoramic view. To do this, use the +, - and * keys in the numerical keypad. The + key is used to increase the level of zoom, the - key to diminish it, and the * key will return you to a normal view.

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THE MAP NOTEBOOK

If you click on the spiral notebook that you find on one side

of the screen, you will be able to see an approximate drawing of the mission map. The rectangle represents the area that you can see on screen. The red circles outline your prime objective(s). The blue points indicate the position of your men, and the red points that of the enemy soldiers. Click on any zone of this drawing to move

the viewable game area to that zone.

If you click on the folded corner (highlighted green) of the map notebook, you can access the Briefing Notes screen,

where you can see a summary of the mission objectives from Colonel Smith.

SELECTING SOLDIERS

Before giving any orders to one of your men, you must select him. There are three different ways to do this:

•Left Click the desired commando on the map

•Left Click on his face on the upper edge of the screen.

•Press a numerical key between 1 and 7 in the alphanumerical keyboard. Each key corresponds to one of your men, according to the following table:

(Yes, there are “Guest comrades” in some missions -you’ll soon get to know them!)

There are two methods to simultaneously select more than one man:

•Right click on an area inside the game screen and then drag the pointer without releasing the right-click button. This way you will draw a red rectangle. Release and the men that are inside the rectangle will be selected.

•Click on various faces on the edge of the screen while keeping the CONTROL key pressed.

You will learn that there are some situations in which it is not possible to simultaneously select men. For example, if your men are under enemy fire or if one of the men you are attempting to select is a prisoner.

You will see a red bar next to the face of each soldier in the upper part of the screen. This bar is his health level. It will descend whenever he is wounded. When it reaches the bottom... your soldier is toast. In every mission there is a man who has limited medical supplies to increase the health of the team. Each Commando can “suffer” a certain number of wounds. In this regard, Tiny is your strongest and Duke your weakest commando.

If you click on a soldier who is already selected, you will “deselect him”. To quickly deselect all your soldiers, you can press the 0 (zero) key on the alphanumerical keyboard.

MOVING SOLDIERS

Normally, you will see that the mouse pointer has the shape of a double arrow. This is the movement pointer and is used to move your soldiers. If you do not see the movement pointer, it is because you are undoubtedly viewing the pointer that belongs to an active item. To recover the movement pointer, rightclick anywhere on the map screen.

To make the selected soldier or soldiers move somewhere, click with the movement pointer on the selected destination, and they will walk in that direction. If you double click, they will run there.

When you give a soldier an order that forces him to run somewhere he will only carry it out whenever he is able to. Exceptions to this rule are those cases in which the soldier is carrying a heavy load.

When you give a man a movement order, you can select any point in the mission towards which there is a possible route, no matter its distance. Your soldier will attempt to follow the best route towards that point, and avoiding obstacles whenever possible.

HIT THE DIRT AND CRAWL

Your men can lie down on the ground. To do this, click on the commando crawls icon located on the upper top edge of the screen, or press the C key. The selected men will hit the ground.

A man who is lying on the ground can be moved normally with the movement pointer, except that he will move by slowly crawling. Commandos cannot fast crawl. If a man crawls on snow or sand, the tracks he leaves will not be visible to the enemy.

To make a man who is lying down stand up, click on the commando stands icon in the same location or press the S key.

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