ª
PILOTÕS GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOOK 1: GAME PLAYERS’ GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii
REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
The Technical Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Installing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
THE CONTROLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
DIFFICULTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
PAUSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
QUITTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Joystick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
THE MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
QUICK START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
FLYING A SINGLE MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Hangar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mission Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TIME PERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TIME OF DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
WEATHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
INSTANT ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
MISSION TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
TARGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CRUISE ALTITUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
HOME BASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
FRIENDLY SUPPORT ACTIVITY: SECONDARY AIRCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
FORMATION SIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
PILOT SKILL LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
EXPECTED ENEMY ACTIVITY: ACTIVITY LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
PRIMARY AIRCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
SECONDARY AIRCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
AAA ACTIVITY LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
SAVING A MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
LOADING A MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
MAKING REVISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Armaments Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Fly Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Getting There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The Cockpit Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
MISSION MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
COCKPIT RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
AUTOPILOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Viewpoint and the Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
F-KEY VIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SNAP VIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
CHANGING PLANES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
TARGETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
VIRTUAL COCKPIT MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
PADLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
THE EXTERNAL CAMERA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Accelerating Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Encountering the Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
IDENTIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
GROUND TARGETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
CYCLING YOUR GUNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
DOGFIGHTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
PADLOCK AND TARGETING FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
DIVE BOMBING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
STRAFING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
FIRING ROCKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Getting Shot Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Returning and Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Debriefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
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CAREER PILOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Creating a Pilot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Loading a Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
The Briefing Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
The Hangar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
ARMAMENT BOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
FLY MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
The Aerial Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
BATTLE LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
CHANGING BASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
PILOT FATIGUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
COCKPIT RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
RESCUE, CAPTURE, AND DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Debriefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Medals and Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Barracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
LOGBOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
VIEW MEDALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
LEAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
BUNK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Tour of Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Squadron CommanderÕs Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
SQUADRON BOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
The End of the War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
MULTI-PLAYER MISSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
IPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
TCP/IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
MODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
SERIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Joining a Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Hosting a Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Session Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Flying a Multi-Player Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
COMMUNICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
DEATH DURING TOTAL MAYHEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
PLAYER KILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
The End of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Newsreel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
View Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
BOOK 2: PILOT’S HANDBOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
WHY YOU’RE HERE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
THEORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 THE COMBATANTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 The Battle of Britain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
THE FALL OF FRANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 ENGLAND STANDS ALONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 CHANNEL RAIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 THE STORM BREAKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 ADLERTAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 THE BATTLE CONTINUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 LONDON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 THE CRISIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Fortress without a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
THESE MAD AMERICANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 SCHWEINFURT/REGENSBURG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 OPERATION ARGUMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 BIG ÒBÓ, MARCH 6, 1944 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 PREPARING FOR INVASION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126 SUPPORTING THE INVASION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 OPERATION BODENPLATTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 THE FALL OF THE THIRD REICH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
AREA BOMBING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 STRATEGIC BOMBING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 THE INTERDICTION CAMPAIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
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FLIGHT SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
The Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
ESSENTIAL AERODYNAMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
LEVEL FLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
LEVEL CLIMB AND LEVEL DESCENT (RISING AND FALLING) . . . . . . . .143
CLIMBS AND DIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
SIMPLE TURNS (BANKING) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
FINAL ADVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
COMPASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
ARTIFICIAL HORIZON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
AIRSPEED INDICATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
TACHOMETER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
ALTIMETER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
OIL PRESSURE GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
ENGINE TEMPERATURE GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
FUEL GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
RATE OF CLIMB INDICATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
AMMUNITION COUNTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Formations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
ECHELON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
FINGER FOUR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
BOMBERS AND ESCORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Simple Manoeuvres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
AILERON ROLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
BARREL ROLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
LOOP OVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
LOOP UNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
WING OVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Emergency Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
RECOVERING FROM A STALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
THE POWER STALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
GETTING OUT OF A SPIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
LOW FUEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
DAMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
COMING IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
BAILING OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Advanced Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
A LITTLE AIR COMBAT THEORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
YOUR WEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
DOGFIGHT VS. HIT-AND-RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
IMMELMANN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
SPLIT-S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
INTENTIONAL STALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
SKID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
SLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
SCISSORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
THACH WEAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
ADVANCED MANOEUVRING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Some Further Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
TACTICAL QUICKIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
LANDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
THE COCKPITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
United States Army Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
REPUBLIC P-47 THUNDERBOLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
NORTH AMERICAN P-51 MUSTANG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Royal Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
HAWKER HURRICANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
HAWKER TEMPEST V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
HAWKER TYPHOON MK IB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Luftwaffe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
FOCKE WULF FW190 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
MESSERSCHMITT BF109 (ME109) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
MESSERSCHMITT ME110 (DESTROYER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
MESSERSCHMITT ME262A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
CUSTOMER SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Great Britain and France declared war on Germany in early September of 1939, a mere two days after Germany had invaded Poland. Less than a year later, France would be occupied and England fighting for her own independence. Thus began the European campaign of the Second World War. The conflict flared on ground and at sea, bloody and hard-fought, but it would be in the air that the war was won.
Most of the fighting over Europe was too high for people down below to see. The sole signs of the melee overhead were the distant buzz of engines and the occasional wreck, yet battle was no less fierce in the air than on the ground. With only a thin skin of metal as a shield, pilots had little room for error. Their fate was in their own hands. Success was, of course, only fleetingÑfailure often final.
From the Battle of Britain in the summer months of 1940 until the day of Axis capitulation five years later, the worldÕs military leaders engaged in a struggle for control of the skies over western Europe. Aerial support was key to any offensive assault and a principle means of defense as well. Crippling a nation was as simple as wearing down its supply of pilots and planes.
In European Air Warª, you step into the cockpit of a 1940Õs fighter plane and join your countryÕs daily struggle to achieve air superiority. Germany is wearing away the RAFÕs resources. The Allies strive to beat back the onslaught and shove their way straight to Berlin. Now you assume your place in the pilotÕs seat.
This book, the Game PlayerÕs Guide, contains complete instructions on installing, running, configuring, and playing European Air Warª The PilotÕs Handbook (later in this manual) has historical background and a little advice on piloting. The Quick Reference Card is a one-stop reference to all of the keyboard, mouse, joystick, and other controls. Changes made to the game after this manual was written are described in the Readme file; that file was written last, so any notations in it supersede all other information.
REQUIREMENTS AND
INSTALLATION
YouÕve got the box open, the CD-ROM in your hands, your flight jacket on, and that manic gleam in your eyes. What do you do now?
THE TECHNICAL PREREQUISITES
For European Air War to work, there are a few things your computer must have.
The processor has to be a 166 MHz Pentium or better. If you have a 3D graphics acceleration card, you can play on a 133 MHz Pentium.
You must have at least 32 Mb (megabytes) of RAM (working memory).
You must have a CD-ROM drive.
Since the installation program will copy parts of European Air War onto your hard disk, you must have a lot of empty storage space on your hard drive. How much you need depends on how much of the game you choose to install; the different amounts are calculated for you by the installation program, and it shows you what you need versus what you have.
Your computer must be capable of SVGA quality graphics.
There must be a working mouse (or a device that fulfills the same function) attached to the computer.
You must have DirectX version 6.0 (or higher). If you donÕt have this, you can install version 6.0 as part of the installation process. To use the gameÕs 3Dfx Glide support, you must have Glide API version 2.43 (or higher) installed and working.
There are also a few pieces of equipment that we strongly recommend you have:
To hear the game, you must have a sound card and the requisite drivers to support DirectSound.
To fly well, we recommend you use a joystick. We encourage the use of throttle controls and foot pedals (for the rudder).
For modem play, we recommend you use a modem capable of 28.8 kps or faster.
If you think you have all of these, but still have a problem running the game, please contact MicroProse Customer Support for assistance.
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
INSTALLING THE GAME
Before you can play European Air War, the installation program must copy some files onto your hard disk. To have it do so, follow these instructions:
Turn on your computer. Windows 95 should load the Microsoft CD-ROM Extension when the computer starts up. (If you have problems installing, this extension may not be loaded. Check your computer manuals for instructions on getting it loaded.)
Open the CD-ROM drive, place the European Air War CD in it, and close the drive.
European Air War is a Windows 95 ÒAutoPlayÓ CD-ROM. That means that just putting the disk in the drive for the first time starts up the installation program.
Click on Install to continue. (If you change your mind at this point, click Exit.)
As is usual in Windows 95 installation procedures, there are two decisions you need to make before the installation process can begin. The first decision is to what directory you want to install the game. You can accept the default, type in a directory path, or use the Browse button to seek out a directory. Click OK when youÕre done.
The second decision is what sort of installation you want to do. Pick one of the options presented:
Typical installs the required program files and some other stuff. This type of installation strikes a balance between the needs of game speed (more files copied) versus conserving hard disk space (less files copied).
Compact is the minimum; it installs only the required program files.
Custom gives you control of what gets installed. How much disk space this takes up depends on what you select.
European Air War will now copy the files you selected to your hard drive from the CD-ROM.
After the game itself has been copied over, European Air War installs a few necessary utility programs. These include MicrosoftÕs DirectX drivers (version 6.0). The space these take up was included in the total noted on screen.
INSTALLATION AND REQUIREMENTS
3
Lastly, use the check-boxes to decide whether to add a shortcut on your desktop for this game and whether to begin the game immediately when the installation is done.
Once the installation is complete, the game is ready to play.
If you checked the play box, the game begins right away. If you forgot, you can still start playing now:
Leave the European Air War CD-ROM in the drive.
Click the Play button.
To play later:
Make sure that the European Air War CD-ROM is in its drive.
If you checked the shortcut box, click on the European Air War shortcut on your desktop.
If not, open the Windows 95 Start menu, then open the European Air War sub-menu, then click the European Air War option.
You can also wait for the AutoPlay menu to pop up, then click the Play button.
Have fun!
4
THE CONTROLS
European Air War is an advanced, complex, historical military simulation. You cannot play if you use only keyboard controls. Use of a mouse is absolutely necessary, and a joystick comes in handy, too. In fact, we strongly recommend that you use both.
What follows is a brief introduction to the use of the configurable game options and the standard game controllers. European Air War is designed to work with most of the available Windows 95 compatible flight simulation add-on hardware systems (ÒperipheralsÓ). If you follow the installation instructions and the documentation that came with the peripheral youÕre using, you should not have any problems. Customer Support will likely be able to solve whatever trouble you do encounter. Calibration settings for joysticks and other hardware is taken from Windows data; if you installed the hardware correctly, you should have no need to recalibrate just for this game.
CONFIGURATION
The first time you fire up European Air War, before you even consider stepping into the cockpit, you should click on the Configure Game button. Use the configuration setup to specify how you want to control the game, as well as to adjust the settings of such things as sound, screen resolution, and level of detail.
DIFFICULTY
These three menusÑFlight, Combat, and DisplayÑlet you adjust the level of realism and difficulty of each mission you fly. As you enable more realistic settings, the overall Difficulty Rating increases, thus increasing your score at the end of every mission (a reward for playing at a harder level).
Flight
Flight Model Depending on your abilities and what you want out of this game, you can decide whether to use a Realistic flight modelÑwith all the difficulty of piloting a real aircraftÑor an Easy one, which is more forgiving.
Stalls/Spins This option, when enabled, makes it possible for your plane to stall (when your speed is below that needed to sustain lift) or go into a spin. Turn this option Off, and stalls and spins will not occur unless your plane has been damaged.
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Torque Effect Radial engines create a turning force known as torque (see the PilotÕs Handbook for details). Pilots of single-engine planes must take this into account. Twin-engine machines donÕt suffer the same pull, because their engines rotate in opposite directions and cancel the torque effect. If Torque Effect is Off, your plane will show no signs of pulling. However, when this is toggled On, single-engine aircraft will pull one side according to their manufacture. Torque has no effect when the autopilot is engaged, since the autopilot makes the necessary corrections.
Blackout\ |
While designers can tinker with planes to make them react better |
Redout |
at high acceleration, itÕs harder to enhance the human bodyÕs |
|
performance under similar conditions. High-speed manoeuvres |
|
can prevent a pilotÕs heart from pumping enough blood into his |
|
brain. When an airman pulls hard out of a dive, turns his aircraft |
|
tightly at top speeds, or performs other high-speed aerial moves, |
|
he may lose consciousnessÑblack out. |
|
Forcing too much blood into the brain (as when throttling forward |
|
into a steep dive) is also a problem. If the pressure becomes too |
|
great, tiny blood vessels in the pilotÕs eyes burst. This is known as |
|
a Òredout.Ó Severe brain damage or death can result. |
|
Losing consciousness is especially dangerous at low altitudes, |
|
when you have too little time to recover, but even at great heights |
|
it poses serious risks. These days, pressurized suits help fighter |
|
pilots maintain control at high speeds. During World War II, such |
|
suits were too bulky and unpredictable to be practical, so pilots |
|
had to know their own limits. |
|
If you enable blackouts, you subject yourself to the laws of nature |
|
and human limitations. If not, youÕll maintain both vision and |
|
consciousness even when performing unheard-of aerial feats. |
CONTROLS THE
7
|
This pilot is at risk of blacking out. |
Engine |
Even when equipped with complex cooling systems, engines |
Overheat |
generate a lot of heat, and the harder they have to work, the more |
|
heat they put out. ItÕs possible to damage an engine if you run it |
|
too hard for too long. In some planes, holding the throttle fully |
|
open for as few as ten seconds can lead to overheating, and |
|
overheating can quickly escalate into permanent engine |
|
damageÑor complete failure. When Engine Overheat is |
|
disabled, you can run your craft all day without once approaching |
|
the danger point. If you opt for a more realistic scenario, beware a |
|
heavy hand on the throttle. |
Structural |
Even the sturdiest and most dependable of planes has its |
Limits |
limitations. When itÕs pushed beyond them, anything can |
|
happen, from the annoyingÑlike buffeting in a diveÑto the |
|
downright dangerous. A craft can fall into a spin or a stall, or a |
|
wing might break off in mid-flight and leave you plummeting |
|
helplessly back to the ground. |
|
By selecting On, you open yourself up to many irksome but |
|
realistic problems that pilots of the day had to contend with. |
|
Leaving the option in the Off position, you avoid such |
|
troublesome issues and can push your plane beyond its |
|
physical limits. |
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Wind/ |
When enabled, this option makes flying a bit harder, because |
Turbulence |
wind can slow you down, adjust your course, and generally |
|
complicate things. Select Off if you do not wish to have your |
|
course deviate due to the effects of wind and turbulence. |
Combat
Enemy |
This option provides a quick and easy way to modify the overall |
Skill Level |
difficulty. You can choose between Green (to face inexperienced |
|
pilots), Veteran (pilots who have been in a few dogfights), and |
|
Ace (the most experienced the enemy has to offer). Be |
|
forewarned that the enemy skill level Ace is designed to push |
|
even the most fanatic flight simulation veterans to the limits of |
|
their abilities. |
Landing |
A combat pilot can count on very few certainties, but one thing is |
|
sureÑwhat goes up must come down. Assuming that you havenÕt |
|
bailed out or showered down in a thousand pieces somewhere |
|
over Europe, you know that youÕre going to have to land your |
|
crate. How you do that depends on your plane and your piloting |
|
prowess. Some planes are easier than others to set down, but |
|
bringing one in for a successful landing always requires skill and |
|
an excellent knowledge of your machine. When you enable |
|
Realistic, you must cope with the vagaries of bringing your craft |
|
in manually. If you select Simple, touching down is a much |
|
simpler affair. |
Realistic |
In actual air-to-air combat during World War II, it was no mean |
Gunnery |
feat to hit your target. Pilots needed great skill and marksmanship |
|
(and sometimes luck) to down an enemy plane. Fortunately, in |
|
European Air War it doesnÕt have to be that difficult. Using a |
|
more blocky, less-than-precise silhouette of enemy aircraft to |
|
determine hits can turn many near misses into scores. Of course, |
|
if youÕd rather have the greater challenge, that can be arranged, |
|
too. If Realistic Gunnery is off, youÕll have a slightly easier time |
|
finding your mark. With the option on, hits on enemy aircraft are |
|
determined using a slimmer and more realistic silhouette. |
CONTROLS THE
9
Mid-Air
Collision
Unlimited
Ammo
The limited range of World War II weapons means that air-to-air combat takes place at close quarters. For your guns to be effective, you have to be frighteningly near your target. Mid-air collisions are of great concern; especially in the heat of battle, itÕs easy to lose track of whoÕs around you and where exactly they are. This can be a fatal slip if Mid-Air Collision is enabledÑaircraft coming into contact with each other explode in a fireball. With quick reflexes you might bail out, but at best youÕll be headed for a dirt bath or a dousing. If you leave this option off, one aircraft can pass right through another without effect.
Ammunition is a valued commodity in aerial combat. Armed, youÕre a lethal threat, but when you run out of ammo, you must break off the attack and head home, vulnerable the entire flight. Every plane has weight and storage restrictions that limit how much ammunition the ground crews can pack on board. During the Second World War, a full load of bullets could be measured in seconds of firepower. In addition, most pilots had to estimate their remaining rounds without benefit of the ammunition counters now standard on warplanes. If you enter battle without Unlimited Ammo, be advised to use your weapons judiciously. If you opt instead for a limitless supply, just try not to give yourself away by the unrestrained use of your guns. (Note that this option is always Off in multi-player missions.)
Invulnerable This option allows you to designate whether or not your plane takes damageÑfrom enemy fire, friendly fire, the ground, or anything else. If you want to practice flying without having to worry about damage, set this option On. When youÕre ready to fly in a real dogfight, turn this back Off. (Note that this option is always Off in multi-player missions.)
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Display
Display Unit This option controls what system of measurement is used by your commanding officers, your cockpit instruments, and your map. Select English to use the Imperial system or Metric for (oddly enough) the metric system. If you choose Default, each nationality uses the system they had in place at the time of the war.
HUD Display
Altimeter
Display
You can use this to turn on the cockpit Head-Up Display, which is something no pilot during the war actually had. This projects useful information in front of you.
There are two types of altimeter. The type used during the war gives readings based on ambient air pressure. This is ASL (Above Sea Level). Modern radar altimeters read altitude AGL (Above Ground Level). During the war, planes did not use radar altimeters, and the description of the altimeter in this manual reflects that. If you choose to use AGL, that description no longer applies.
Airspeed |
Select the way you want the Airspeed Indicator in your cockpit to |
Display |
work. IAS (Indicated Air Speed) measures your velocity relative to |
|
the air around you; this is the type of indicator used in WWII-era |
|
planes. TAS (True Air Speed) measures your actual rate of |
|
movement relative to the ground below you; this is more reliable |
|
for navigation, but less historically accurate. |
CONTROL
This is where you designate exactly what hardware youÕll use to control which aspects of the gameÑand exactly what controls correspond to which commands.
The Flight Control is the important one; itÕs the main instrument for flying your aircraft. Selections for the other options might change or be limited depending on what you select here. In general, for instance, you cannot use the same instrument as both Flight Control and for controlling the external cameraÑthe exception being that if your joystick is your flight control, you can use the joystick ÒhatÓ to manoeuvre the camera.
CONTROLS THE
11
To customize (or completely reconfigure) the controls for the game, select Advanced. This option gives you control over all four groups of controlsÑView controls, Flight controls, Weapon controls, and general Game controls.
When youÕre done, click OK to save your changes or Cancel to undo them.
GRAPHICS
The options on this screen influence how everything in every mission looks. Generally, more detail makes playing the game more realistic and fun, but it also tends to slow down the gameÕs operation. If you notice that your plane doesnÕt respond as quickly as you would like, or that movements on the screen are jerky, you may need to lower the level of detail. Adjusting the settings to lower detail levels or turning some of the options off should result in a smoother picture and faster responses.
Make sure you select the correct 3D Renderer optionÑthe type of 3D acceleration youÕre using. You can also adjust your distance visibility. The higher the visibility, the farther you (and other pilots) can see.
If the background or the colour level is darker than you would prefer, try sliding the Gamma Correction to the right to brighten the entire viewing area.
SOUND
The Sound screen lets you control not only the volume of game sounds but also their quality. Choose between 8-bit and 16-bit sound. The higher setting (16-bit) sounds better, but requires quite a bit more memory, as well. You can also determine the number of sound effect channels; generally, more channels means better quality, though you are limited by what your computerÕs capabilities.
You adjust the levels for the different sound effects and the music separately. Click anywhere along a line or drag the volume controls where you want them. Bear in mind that the engine sound effects can clue you in to the health of your planeÑyour engine may begin to labour before it actually fails. You can only react in time if you hear the change in pitch. You probably donÕt want to turn these sound effects completely off.
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
The last option in the sound configuration allows you to turn the subtitles on or off. The officer presenting your briefings speaks in the language of his homeland, as do all pilots on your radio. Thus, for example, if you are flying a German plane, but you do not understand German, you would turn this option on to have your briefing information and communications subtitled in your native language.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is the primary control device for your computer, but it is often a secondary controller while playing European Air War. Keystroke commands are most commonly used to change the viewpoint while flying, to enter text in certain fields (naming pilots, for example), and to control things like the throttle, gear, and brakes.
Keyboard controls are represented in this manual by symbols. Thus, for example, Function Key #1 would appear as 1, just as it does on the keyboard itself. Key combinations that should be pressed at the same time are separated by plus signs, as in c+a+d. All keys will be capitalized, but you do not need to enter capital letters. (A capital P, for example, would appear as s+P, while a lowercase p would be P.) We use the standard abbreviations for the special keys.
Though some of the keyboard commands are described in the relevant sections, please refer to the Quick Reference Card for the exact default keystrokes used in controlling European Air War. You can change many of these defaults using the Control option on the Configure Game menu, described in Configuration. There are some keyboard command standards that are shared by virtually all
MicroProse games.
Note that on most of the game screens (not during missions), you can use the zto toggle labelling of all the hot spots on and off. This can be quite helpful when you arenÕt sure exactly what you can do on a particular screen. You can also right-click to briefly view the hot spots; they stay visible as long as you hold down the [RMB].
CONTROLS THE
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PAUSING
At any time while in flight, you can press a+Pto pause the game. All action in the game will stop until you restart it, but you still have control of the external camera and the viewpoint controls. Note that none of the controls except those relevant to the camera and viewpoints will function while the game is paused. To restart the action, press a+Pagain.
QUITTING
The Main menu includes an Exit option for leaving the game, but real life doesnÕt always allow enough time to work your way back to this menu to quit. To leave European Air War at any time, you can press a+Q. The game prompts you to verify that you want to quit. Note that if you are in the middle of a career mission when you quit, your career continues with that mission when you come back to the game.
If you wish to end your current mission without shutting down the whole game, press q. You must verify this command. If you do, you proceed directly to your debriefing, and the mission is counted a failure unless you completed your objective before quitting.
MOUSE
If you do not have a joystick attached to your system, the mouse is likely to be the primary controller for European Air War. Even if you do have both a mouse and a joystick, the mouse is important. The mouse is necessary for selecting from menus and maps and moving around the briefing screens.
Mouse controls are represented in this manual in a manner similar to keyboard controls. Thus, for example, the Left Mouse Button would appear as LMB. Directional controls are represented by ÒmouseÓ commands in bracketsÑ[Mouse Left], for example.
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Throughout this manual, we stick to the standard terms for using the mouse:
ÔClickÕ means to click the left mouse button (LMB).
ÔÔRight-clickÕ means to click the right mouse button (RMB).
ÔÔDragÕ means to hold down the LMB while you move the mouse.
ÔÔRight-dragÕ should be obvious enough.
ÔÔDouble-clickÕ means to click the LMB twice rapidly.
The mouse controls for the external camera are described in the relevant section. You can also use the Quick Reference Card as a quick reference. The mouse motions used to fly the plane are summarized here. You can change these defaults using the Control option on the Configure Game menu, described in
Configuration.
[Mouse Fwd] Stick forward, nose down (dive)
[Mouse Back] Stick back, nose up (climb)
[Mouse Left] Stick left, bank left (left turn)
[Mouse Right] Stick right, bank right (right turn)
CONTROLS THE
JOYSTICK
If you have access to one, itÕs best to use a joystick as the primary control device for European Air War. Even in tandem with a mouse, the joystick is essentialÑa joystick is the optimum controller for the plane in flight.
Directional controls are represented in this manual by ÒstickÓ commandsÑ[Stick Left], for example. Joystick controls other than those for flight are described in the relevant sections. You can also use the Quick Reference Card as a quick reference. The default joystick controls used to fly the plane are standard and fairly obvious; they are summarized here. You can change some of these defaults using the Control option on the Configure Game menu, described in
Configuration.
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[Stick Fwd] Elevators down, nose down (dive)
[Stick Back] Elevators up, nose up (climb)
[Stick Left] Bank left (left turn)
[Stick Right] Bank right (right turn)
[Button 1] |
Fire guns |
[Button 2] Fire Selected Weapon
PEDALS
Foot pedals are optional hardware for controlling the rudder of the plane. If you do not have rudder pedals, donÕt worry; European Air War also allows you to control the rudder from the keyboard, joystick, or mouse. Using rudder control, several useful manoeuvres are available to you that are not possible using the stick alone.
Rudder pedal controls (rudder controls in general, in fact) are represented in this manual in bold type and enclosed in brackets. Thus, for example, sliding the left pedal forward and the right pedal back would appear as [Rudder Left]. The direction of the control (i.e. ÒleftÓ or ÒrightÓ) is based on the direction in which the control motion moves the rudder, as is standard in aviation.
The rudder is the pilotÕs only direct method of controlling the yaw of the plane. (Please refer to ÔYawÕ in the Glossary for a brief definition.) The primary uses of the rudder are to counteract the adverse yaw caused by banking with the ailerons and to steer the plane while on the runway. The rudder can also be helpful when youÕre making those little sideways adjustments as you approach the runway. The two pedal controls are as follows:
[Rudder Left] Yaw left (counteract adverse yaw of right bank)
[Rudder Right] Yaw right (counteract adverse yaw of left bank)
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THE MAIN MENU
Once the opening animation has come to an end, European Air WarÕs Main menu appears. From this panel, you control how you will enter the European Theatre of Operations. You can join the battle for a few brief months in the early years of the war, fighting over Britain and the English Channel for victory and the greater glory of your country, or sign on in 1943 for the duration of the hostilities over Europe. You might even choose to test your wings and your daring on a single mission into the depths of enemy territory. Once the battle has cooled, you can brush up on the overall aerial campaign with special features like European Air WarÕs Newsreel, also found on the Main menu.
Main menu screen
Quick Start This is the fastest way to jump into the cockpit and get your first taste of air combat.
Single Mission Design and fly individual missions for either the Axis or the Allies. Single missions are a good way to practice in preparation for a piloting career.
Pilot Career
Configure
Game
Multi-Player
Newsreel
Start your career as a pilot for the RAF, USAAF, or Luftwaffe.
Choose how to control your aircraft and other aspects of the game.
Test your aerial combat skills against those of your friends.
Watch brief films on some of the major aerial operations in
European Air War.
View Objects ExamineÑin detailÑall the planes in European Air War.
Exit |
Quit the game and return control to Windows. |
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BOOK 1: GAME PLAYER’S GUIDE
Our thanks to RAF Wing Commander James Isles (Retired) for these brief insights into the air war in defense of England, and for all the other information he so thoughtfully supplied.
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF A CIVILIAN
The Sunday morning of 3rd September 1939 was beautifully sunny and warm, with the first tints of autumn beginning to appear. On this particular morning, I had motored from my home in North Berkshire to be with my future wife, who was at that time nursing at Lord Mayor TreloarÕs Hospital at Alton.
For many months, there had been speculation whether or not there would be war or peace in Europe in our time, since Hitler was already using force to gain his way with a programme of annexations. It was known that the offer of British support in the event of anyone threatening the independence of Poland had become relevant on the 1st September. Thus, Britain was under obligation to stand by her treaty.
An ultimatum issued by the British Government to Germany for the withdrawal of troops from Poland had been rejected by Hitler. Thus, the Prime Minister made his radio broadcast to the British people. The Matron of the Hospital at TreloarÕs had invited me into the hall where staff were assembled to listen to the announcement. I shall always remember the empty silence in that hospital in the moments that preceded the broadcast. When Mr. Neville Chamberlains, the British Prime Minister, came to the microphone to speak to the British nation he said:
ÒThis morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by eleven oÕclock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.Ó
Those awesome words that came over the air on that peaceful Sunday morning stunned everyone into a silence like that which precedes an approaching storm. Within a few months, that storm front had broken for me, and I had become a Volunteer Reserve in the Royal Air Force.
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A pre-arrangement with a elderly aunt of mine living in London was that if war was declared on 3rd September, I would drive direct from Alton to London, collect my aunt, and deliver her to some relatives in Berkshire. The general belief was that as soon as war had been declared, the German Luftwaffe would release an onslaught of bombers against major cities in BritainÑbut particularly on London. Having reached London in less than an hour and driving eastwards along the Great West Road, I noticed that the streets were almost deserted. I had seen some air-raid wardens ushering people into the shelters, and I realised that an alert had been sounded. My aunt lived in nearby Hounslow, and I arrived to find her and my uncle together with their dog in the air-raid shelter at the bottom of the garden, where I joined them until the all-clear was given.
As we found out later, soon after the declaration, two officers of the French Air Force had been on their way to join the Allied Air Mission in Britain. The Observer Corps had spotted the French plane crossing the coast and flying towards London, but they failed to identify the aircraft. However, it was plotted and transposed to the Operations Centre at Headquarters Fighter Command, who gave the signal ÒAir Raid Warning RedÓ. This brought the warning sirens into use, and the civilian populationÑbelieving that the German air raids had begunÑmade for the nearest shelters.
In the meantime, the French aircraft had landed at Croydon, a de-briefing had sorted the matter out, everything was in order, and the all-clear was sounded.
As it turned out, this was an excellent exercise to test not only the Air Defence System of the UK, but also the Civil Defence OrganisationÑall on the very first day that war had been declared.
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QUICK START
If youÕre one of those people who like to leap straight into the cockpit and leave the details for later, hereÕs the shortest route to the open skies:
On the Main menu, choose Quick Start.
The game automatically recruits you for duty based on what plane you last selected in the Luftwaffe, Royal Air Force (RAF), or United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and designates where over Europe the air combat will unfold. European Air War also selects your armaments and makes all other pre-flight decisions.
Fly. The plane is already aloft and engaged with the enemy when you slide into the cockpit. The skill of your adversaries is based on the selection you made in the difficulty options. Your objective is simply to down them all before they do the same to you.
Quick Start missions use the same aircraft controls as the rest of the game. For details on how to pilot your plane, please refer to the Quick Reference Card and to the Flying a Single Mission section in this manual. Operations in Quick Start are small in scope, covering less terrain than other available flights, but they let you dive in and get your feet wet (preferably not in the drink). At missionÕs endÑ success or your own untimely demiseÑyou receive a mission summary report and then return to the Main menu.
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