Edited by PETER LERT
An Introduction to the SAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The SAS Since World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
SAS Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Playing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Campaign Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Equipment Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Selecting and Setting Up Your Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Debrief Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Load/Save Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Getting the Action Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Choosing Weapons and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Mission Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Strategy For Selecting Men and Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Keyboard Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20
Items and Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Combat Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Using the Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Combat in Open Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Close Range Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Hidden and Dangerous
An Introduction to the SAS
by Peter Lert
It was 1941. In a British army field hospital in North Africa, a lanky Scot sweltered in the heat.
This was subaltern (2nd Lieutenant) David Stirling. Only 26, he came from a long line of Scottish warrior aristocrats; the battle of Bannockburn had been fought near his ancestral home, Stirling Castle. Before the outbreak of World War II, the 6-foot 5-inch Stirling had been training for an assault on Mt. Everest. Now he’d come to Africa to help fight the Germans...but he’d run into an unanticipated delay.
He’d initially joined the Scots Guards, but—eager for action—he’d transferred to 8 Commando, commonly called “Layforce” after its commander, Col. (later General) Robert Laycock. Early in the war, Layforce had made significant inroads against the Germans in North Africa. Losses, however, had been heavy; landing in numbers as high as 200 men at a time, Layforce units often met fierce resistance. Now, most of Layforce had been transferred to Crete; the small remainder was a fighting force in name only.
In the meantime, Stirling had met Jock Lewes, an Australian serving in the Welsh Guards. Lewes had scrounged a supply of parachutes; he and Stirling decided these would be the best way to infiltrate small units behind enemy lines, and they started practicing parachute jumps at once. It was an unfortunate landing from one of these jumps that had put Stirling in the hospital.
During the two months in the hospital, Stirling had plenty of time to look back on some of Layforce’s less successful exploits and formulate his own ideas. His pencilled memo to Gen. Sir Claude Auchinlek, Commander in Chief for Africa, included the following six main points:
1.) The Germans would be most vulnerable along lines of communication—transport depots, fuel and ammo dumps, and, especially, airfields.
2.) Large commando raids, such as those attempted by Layforce, made surprise unlikely.
3.) Small units would be more efficient, particularly if they could be placed stealthily behind enemy lines.
4.) These units would be trained in parachuting, infiltration techniques by land and sea, and “scrounging”—“Why carry hundreds of pounds of weapons and ammunition into enemy areas when you can steal them from the enemy once you’re there?”
5.) Given the scarcity of military resources, the proposed units would be self-sufficient in terms of planning, training, and—to the greatest possible extent—supply of weapons and equipment.
6.) Finally, Stirling’s proposed units would be ready for combat by November of 1941.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SAS
Stirling still had a formidable obstacle to overcome: the rigid protocol and chain of command of the Royal Army made it unlikely that his memo would ever get as far as Gen. Auchinlek. Characteristically, he left the hospital on crutches, slipped through a perimeter fence and into General HQ, and took refuge in the first office he saw. Luckily, it was the office of the Deputy Commander Middle East, Gen. Ritchie—who was captivated by the idea and carried it to Gen. Auchinlek.
It also didn’t hurt that the Royal Army in general—and its Middle Eastern and North African units in particular—had a soft spot for small, individualistic units under the command of colorful, charismatic officers. The year before, an officer experienced in desert travel and navigation, Major Ralph Bagnold, had formed the Jeep-borne Long Range Desert Group (LRDG); another Major, Russian émigré Vladimir Peniakoff, had spent years among the desert Arabs between the wars and was currently spying in Libya with a handful of picked men. (He would go on to form a highly effective intelligence and sabotage group with one of World War II’s most unlikely official names: “Popski’s Private Army.”) And, of course, every such commander lived in the long shadow of a similar officer who’d served only a few hundred miles east, and less than 25 years earlier: the almost mythical T. E. Lawrence, “Lawrence of Arabia.”
With Auchinlek in favor of the idea, Stirling was promoted to the rank of Captain and allowed to raise a unit of 60 men and six officers (most of the latter fellow Layforce veterans). It had long been suspected that Allied communications in North Africa were compromised, so the new small unit was dubbed “L Detachment of the Special Air Service Brigade” in the hope that the Germans would think it an airborne unit of sigificant size (considering, at the very least, the mythical detachments A through K). A training facility was set up in the Suez Canal Zone, while much of the necessary weaponry and equipment were “liberated” from the nearby supply depot of a New Zealand division that was currently occupied elsewhere (at Tobruk). The men were trained in parachuting, desert navigation, weapons handling, and demolition techniques.
The Detachment’s initial deployment was hardly an unqualified success. The Allied situation was far from good, with Malta under siege and the Desert Fox pushing toward Egypt from the west. With his unit trained to a high degree of readiness, and under pressure both to gather intelligence and to harass the Germans in anticipation of a later large Allied operation, Stirling and his men parachuted behind enemy lines in mid-November of 1941 to begin Operation Crusader despite highly unfavorable weather conditions. Some of his transports were shot down; others were forced to land at German-held airfields. Those units that managed to parachute into the African night were separated by high winds from their parachute containers with most of their weapons and equipment. Ultimately, only 22 of them managed to reach the rendezvous points where jeeps from the LRDG were waiting to extract them.
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Unfazed—and impressed with the way the LRDG jeep troops were able to extract his men—Stirling redesigned his combat tactics for ground insertion, rather than the dangerous and unpredictable parachuting. Teaming with the A Squadron of the LRDG, the SAS set up an advance base deep in the desert south of Benghazi, where they were tasked with disrupting enemy air movement in anticipation of an operation on 21 and 22 December of 1941.
This operation was considerably more successful. Jock Lewes had developed a compact demolition charge, the “Lewes Bomb,” that weighed only a pound. Placed on top of the wing of a parked enemy aircraft, it would burn a hole through the skin, then drop, flaming, into the fuel tank; a single trooper could carry enough of them to destroy an entire squadron of enemy aircraft. (There were, of course, other means as well. When one of Stirling’s most famous officers, Irish rugby player Patrick “Paddy” Mayne, found himself faced with one more aircraft than he had Lewes bombs for, he simply climbed into its cockpit and ripped the wiring from behind its instrument panel with his bare hands.)
Thus, the Special Air Service was born. In subsequent months, it became Rommel’s scourge in North Africa, destroying some 400-odd aircraft and scores of supply depots and, on at least one occasion, coming close to either capturing or killing the Desert Fox himself. By late 1942, the SAS had grown to regiment strength.
Within the regiment, in addition to “regular” SAS troopers (if anyone in such an “irregular” unit could be so described), were some highly specialized units. The Special Interrogation Group (SIG), for instance, was composed entirely of German speakers (largely Palestinian Jews—the later Israelis—of German descent). Wearing only captured German uniforms and equipment and speaking only German, the deceptively named SIG could move about behind enemy lines with relative impunity. Another unit, the SAS Special Boat Section (not to be confused with other, later SBS units attached to the Royal Marines) used inflatables and folding canoes to penetrate enemy installations by water—for example, to attach limpet mines to German shipping in ports considered secure by the enemy.
Meanwhile, back in the desert, David Stirling carried on SAS operations with his customary panache. Inspired by the LRDG, SAS had developed formidable armed Jeeps of their own. While they often continued to infiltrate German desert airstrips by stealth, another favorite tactic was to simply come driving in out of the desert at high speed, guns blazing, to destroy as many aircraft and supplies as they could in one quick pass before vanishing into the darkness once again. They also did a good deal of old-fashioned spying; in March of 1942, Stirling brazenly drove his own Jeep, christened “Blitz Buggy,” into the German-held dockyards at Benghazi, parked it in a convenient garage, and donning a pair of sunglasses as a disguise, strolled casually about the docks. At one point, he and one of his German-speaking friends even berated a German sentry for his lax performance of duty.
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A major blow to the SAS came during one of their last North African operations when Stirling—by now a Lieutenant Colonel—was captured. After four escapes and recaptures, he was ultimately sent to the infamous Castle Colditz in Germany, a supposedly escape-proof prison. Little did the Germans know that some of the captured RAF pilots at Colditz were busily at work building a glider (the “Colditz Cock”) out of stolen bed slats and curtain fabric, intending to launch it from the roof by a catapult powered by a falling rock-filled bathtub. To the great disappointment of the glider builders, Colditz was recaptured by the Allies, and Stirling freed, before they had a chance to see if their creation would really fly.
In addition to its effect on morale, the major consequence of Stirling’s capture was that the SAS no longer had a special champion at HQ. It soon came under the organizational command of other parachute regiments or raiding formations. Nonetheless, it continued as an extremely effective force, by now grown to two regiments (one commanded by Stirling’s brother). In subsequent months the SAS and its SBS continued to operate in the Greek islands, and later in Sardinia and Italy.
When the Allies landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, they found that their way had already been prepared by SAS units; and when the Germans tried to rush reinforcements to the beachheads, they found railway lines and road bridges blown up by small independent SAS units, while others harried them and kept thousands of troops tied up in German rear areas, making them unavailable to fight the invaders. Basic SAS technique was to set up a base in a remote area (forests, mountains, etc.) with good parachute landing zones, then make sorties to attack the Germans. In many of these operations, they enlisted the aid of local underground forces such as the French Maquis; in later operations, their areas of endeavor spread to the Low Countries and ultimately even into Germany itself. Throughout the war, SAS units were effective to an extent far beyond their modest numbers. After all, if a handful of men could not only destroy materiel and interrupt lines of communication, but also keep hundreds or even thousands of Germans occupied looking for them, those Germans were rendered ineffective for other tasks. Similarly, the mere threat of SAS interference often forced the Germans to change their plans.
THE SAS SINCE WORLD WAR II
In the years since World War II, the SAS has remained in existence. It also remains, by choice, a somewhat shadowy organization, one that’s extremely reluctant to reveal details about its makeup or operations. SAS teams have served “behind the scenes” in almost every conflict in which Great Britain has been involved, ranging as far afield as fighting insurgents in Yemen, Oman, or Malaysia, operating covertly against drug cartels in South America...or as close to home as Northern Ireland or even downtown London, where an SAS operation stormed and recaptured the Iranian embassy from terrorists in May of 1980. At any time, the regular SAS regiment numbers only about 350 officers and men, but in overt conflicts such as the Falkland Islands or the Gulf War, its effectiveness has been far beyond its modest numbers. For example, it’s widely believed that the reason that Royal Air Force Tornados were so effective against many of Saddam Hussein’s concealed mobile Scud missile launchers was that most of them were pinpointed and targeted by four-man SAS teams operating—sometimes for days on end without any support—within Iraq.
SAS TODAY
By now, all modern armies have similar small, elite special-purpose units—but it’s generally acknowledged that the SAS remains, not only the model for most of them, but also probably the unit with the highest standards, and the one most difficult to join.
No one (whether an officer, a noncom, or an enlisted man) can enter SAS directly; all must have at least three years’ service in another army unit. Applications to join SAS are rigorously screened; after that, those candidates in whom the Regiment is interested must pass the standard Army Battle Fitness test.
They then move to the SAS home base (presently at Stirling Lines in Herefordshire, although shortly to be moved to a nearby RAF base) for a grueling 3 to 4 weeks of further physical testing and training, including forced marches (first alone, later in groups) through the rugged Brecon mountains of Wales. The culminating “exercise” is a 46-mile endurance march, carrying 55-pound packs, that must be completed in under 20 hours—regardless of weather. Men have been known to die during these exercises.
Those who make it this far without being “retired” (either voluntarily or summarily) are only at the beginning of their training, and are still far from being accepted into the SAS. Only after another 14 weeks of continuation training, followed by 6 weeks of jungle training in the Far East and 4 weeks of parachute training in England and France, do they receive the coveted sand-colored beret with its badge of a winged dagger and Stirling’s original slogan, “Who dares, wins.” Even then, they’re only at the beginning of advanced training—to which they’re traditionally welcomed with the message, “getting the beret isn’t nearly so hard as keeping it.”
The basic SAS unit is four men. Within the Regiment, troops are divided into four main areas of specialization:
•mountaineering: including rock and ice climbing
•amphibious assault: including SCUBA, submarine operations, underwater demolition, etc.
•surface mobility: including assault vehicles and special Land Rovers reminiscent of LRDG operations
•airborne assault: including both HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) and HAHO (High Altitude, High Opening) parachuting as well as more typical “parachute regiment” low-altitude jumping.
Within a four-man group, there are also four basic areas of specialization in addition to troop specialization: leader, scout, medic, and signaler. Although SAS now uses some of the most sophisticated satellite radios and encryption equipment, they remain unique (at least in the Royal Army) in that they still remain proficient in Morse Code as well, with the basic requirement for signaler at least eight words per minute. (In some cases, old-fashioned Morse is still the best way to communicate over long distances with low-powered, and hence difficult to detect, radios—and in this era of “video game war,” the likelihood that the opposition has anyone who can understand Morse Code is smaller all the time!)
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Of course, each man must also be highly proficient in skills such as close combat, weapons, demolition, map-reading and navigation, and emergency field medicine; most are also fluent in at least one foreign language (formerly Arabic and Malay were most common, but now Russian and other northern European languages are receiving more emphasis). Typically, there’s enough cross-training and combined skills in any four-man group to enable it to carry out almost any SAS mission, even of one or more men are incapacitated.
A typical tour in the SAS is three years, after which men return to their “parent” units; this not only keeps the SAS fresh, but spreads its unique esprit and skills throughout the Royal Army. Exceptional officers and men may be invited to either extend their tours or return to the Regiment after an interval with their parent unit.
This, then, is the SAS. In playing Hidden and Dangerous, you’ll join SAS units for campaigns during World War II, when the Regiment was first formed— but the techniques you’ll learn are every bit as useful today, and they’re still being used every day on both overt and secret SAS missions all over the world. Good luck...and good hunting.
Installing the Game
Place the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS CD-ROM in your drive and be sure all other Windows applications are closed. If the installation program does not start automatically, click on “My Computer,” then on the icon for your CD drive, and finally on the icon for “Setup.” Follow screen prompts during the installation process.
For optimal performance, we recommend the “full installation” option. This places more data on your (faster) hard disk and reduces the number of times the (slower) CD drive must be accessed during gameplay.
If you need to uninstall HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS, select the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS group from your “Start” menu, then click on UNINSTALL.
Starting the Game
Click on the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS icon. The first time you run the game, you’ll be asked a few simple hardware configuration questions. It’s best to just accept the program’s suggestions; if you have any problems, you can change settings later by clicking on the Hardware Configuration icon in the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS program group. Once hardware has been configured and you have selected the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS icon again, you’ll be taken to the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS opening screen.
If you want to set parameters manually, consider the following tips.
•Triple buffering will speed operation on cars with 8MB or more memory, but not on 3DFX cards.
•If your graphics card has 6MB or less memory, select the Low detail textures to ensure smooth graphics and gameplay.
•If you decide to use a higher screen resolution (i.e. 1024x768), your graphics card must have at least 8MB of memeory.
Game Menu
MENU 1
This menu appears after the short opening animation and allows you to choose whether to start a game, set options, etc. Select any item by placing the mouse cursor on it (it will enlarge) and either left-clicking or pressing ENTER.
•Start New Game
•Start a New Game (Single Player)
•Selecting a Game Profile
The first time you start the game, you will be asked for a name to be used with your “profile.” Each time you exit the game, your score and the current state of the game are stored in your profile.
The next time the game is started, all available profiles are displayed. To pick up where you left off, select the desired profile and press ENTER. To start a new profile, select <create new> and choose a new profile name. To delete any stored profile, select it and press the DEL key. Warning: deleted profiles cannot be restored.
NOTE — Profiles are updated at the end of each mission. Scores for all completed missions are also stored in the profile and affect all subsequent missions.
Campaign Selection
MENU 2
Gameplay in HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS takes place during six separate campaigns, each of which is further divided into individual missions. Just as in real life, each mission must be completed before the next can be started; and all the missions in a given campaign must be completed before moving on to the next.
The first time you start HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS, only the first campaign is available; it’s the only one shown in color, and the only one with associated text. Campaigns that are not yet available are shown in black and white.
•Each campaign includes an animated Intro, which can be started by pressing “Play Intro.” The Intro can only be viewed if the campaign is available (i.e., in color).
GAME THE PLAYING
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PLAYING THE GAME
Mission Select
Once you’ve selected a campaign, this menu allows you to choose your mission. This menu functions in a similar way to the CAMPAIGN SELECTION, with unavailable missions “grayed out.” When you first begin a campaign, only the first mission is available; thereafter, new missions become available one at a time Each new mission will provide text explaining its goals. The story line runs through all missions within one campaign. Move on to the next menu by pressing “OK”. You can return to previous menu by pressing “Back”.
•You can replay any previous mission anytime you wish. To find out what equipment is at your disposal after completing preceding missions, or what losses you have suffered, select the mission by pressing the left mouse button and choose “Mission status”. A display with all necessary information appears. To return to the Mission select menu, press “Back”.
Selecting Your Team
MENU3
When playing the first mission of a new campaign, you need to choose the soldiers for your team. Pictures of available soldiers appear near the left border of the screen; buttons above and below them allow you to scroll through the list of soldiers.
You may choose up to 8 soldiers for each campaign; their pictures will appear along the top of the screen. Choose a soldier by left-clicking on his name. His photo, a short bio, and a window detailing his skills will appear in the middle of the screen. If you are satisfied with his abilities and wish to have him on your team, press “Add a man to team”. He is then added to the list of chosen soldiers. Continue until you have completed your team; you may take fewer than eight soldiers if desired. To delete a soldier, select him by left-clicking his picture on your team lineup, then click on “Remove a man from team.” When your team is complete, move to the next menu by pressing “OK”. To return to the previous menu, press “Back”.
•If you prefer not to choose soldiers yourself, use the button “Auto set-up”. The computer will choose 8 soldiers at random.
•You can add or delete soldiers by double-clicking with the mouse.
•Tips on choosing soldiers are provided below.
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Equipment Selection
MENU4
To carry out a mission, you need to select the weapons and equipment the soldiers carry into action. Choose suitable weapons by scrolling the column on the left-hand side. At the beginning of the game, only Allied weapons are available, but as campaigns progress, you can capture enemy weapons and equipment as well. By the last campaign, you should have collected quite an arsenal!
The weapons selected for each campaign
are arranged in a large window at the right side of the screen. Data about the weapons is displayed in a smaller window in the middle of the screen. To add any weapon, click on it, then click on “Add item.” The weapon, with basic essential ammo, will then appear in the large window. The figures under each weapon show the number of weapons and quantity of ammo carried.
You can add other weapons by pressing button “Add item”, and more ammunition by pressing “Add ammo”. Remember, though, that weapons and ammo are heavy—your men can carry only a limited quantity of each. The progress indicator under the larger window shows the load they are carrying (in percent of the total possible).
To remove items you don’t need, click the item, then “Remove item” or “Remove ammo” as appropriate. Proceed to the next menu by pressing “OK”. Return to the previous menu by pressing “Back”.
•If you prefer to let the computer select your weapons for you, click on “Auto set-up”. The computer will choose an optimum selection of weapons and ammunition.
•Some campaigns may require special equipment, such as time bombs. Special equipment is automatically added to the list when you use “Auto set-up”. Naturally, you can modify the list according to your needs.
•You can also add or delete weapons by double-clicking the mouse.
•Strategy for choosing weapons is described in a special chapter.
GAME THE PLAYING
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PLAYING THE GAME
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Briefings
You will get all the necessary information concerning the mission via a written and audio briefing, taking place over a 3D map of the area. Important points are in red. First, you’ll be briefed on the specific goals of the mission, next on the most significant dangers, and finally, you’ll see some suggestions as to the simplest way of carrying out the mission. The order and methods of tackling each task are entirely up to you.
•You can go back to the briefing whenever you wish during the play by pressing the key F1.
•Stop the briefing whenever you wish by pressing the key Esc.
Setting Up Your Team
MENU 5
This is the menu you will work with most often. You’ll select four men (the basic unit of the SAS), and choose how they’ll be equipped for each mission. Remember, though, that if you lose a man during the course of a mission, you cannot replace him until you have completed the entire campaign
— “Once you’re dead, you’re dead.” Any weapon left behind on the battlefield is also lost.
On the other hand, if you capture any enemy weapons, you may use them in subsequent missions.
Soldiers that you have chosen for a campaign appear at the top of the screen. Clicking on any soldier, then on the “Add a man to the team” button, will place him on your four-man mission team (displayed at screen center). To remove any soldier from the list, right-click on him, then click on “Remove a man from team”. Choose other soldiers in a similar fashion. You may choose fewer than four soldiers if you wish.
The next step is to equip your soldiers. When you click on the image of a chosen soldier, a column with information about the weapons he’s carrying appears on the right-hand side of the screen. The weapons available to your unit are shown in the large middle window. Just as in the previous menu, you can transfer, add or delete weapons as required. Remember that there are limits to how much anyone can carry; the percentage of what a soldier can carry is displayed on an indicator at the bottom right corner of the screen. When you’ve chosen and equipped your men, click on “OK” to proceed on or “Back” to return the to the previous menu.
•If you prefer to let the computer select your weapons for you, click on “Auto set-up”.
•To view any information about an individual soldier, left-click on him, then click “Soldier info”.
•Strategy for selecting the correct men for a mission is described in a special chapter.
Debrief Menu
This is displayed after completing a mission. You will be given the result of your mission, the quantity of ammo used, and your losses. If the mission was a success, the next mission will become available to you. If you have finished the last mission in the campaign, the next campaign will become accessible.
NETWORK PLAY
Up to four players may play HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS over a network. Network play parameters must be set up before a network game can be started.
SETTINGS
Choose the type of connection desired: direct (cable between two machines), modem, or network. Left-click or press ENTER to cycle between available options.
MODEM CONNECTION FOR DirectPlay
This type of connection allows only two players. Select the type of modem used, then enter the telephone number to be dialed; if you leave the DATA column blank, your modem will wait for a call from the other player.
SERIAL CONNECTION FOR DirectPlay
This connection uses a direct serial cable between two computers and supports only two players. A Microsoft Windows inset screen will appear to allow you to set communications parameters, which must be identical for both computers.
IPX CONNECTION for DirectPlay
This connection allows up to four players to participate over a LAN. It is not necessary to set parameters.
INTERNET TCP/IP CONNECTION FOR DirectPlay
This connection type allows up to four players to participate via the Internet. (If no connection parameters are entered, it will also work on a LAN.) For Internet play, input the IP address and port number.
If other network connections are active on the computer, they’ll appear on this menu. Parameter selection may be necessary for some types; others may operate without parameter selection.
PLAYER’S NAME
Enter the name you wish to use for network play.
START NETWORK GAME
In a network game, one player’s computer becomes the HOST, while other players log in using the JOIN function. Before clicking on CONNECT to start a network game, all communications parameters must be set correctly (see above).
GAME THE PLAYING
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PLAYING THE GAME
To begin a network game as host, first click on CONNECT, then on HOST GAME. Select a player profile from those stored on the HOST computer; then you’ll see the message “Waiting For Other Players.”
Additional players join the game by clicking on CONNECT, then on JOIN [HOST NAME]. As soon as the first additional player has logged in, the START THE GAME command becomes available on the host computer, as well as a list of players logged in.
NOTE — Wait until all the players you expect are listed on the HOST computer before starting the game. Once the game has been started (by clicking on START THE GAME), no additional players can log in.
•The maximum number of players is four: one host and three client players.
•If the JOIN [HOST NAME] message does not appear on the client computer(s) after “Waiting for other players” appears on the host computer, check network and communication parameters.
•If the names of client players don’t appear on the host computer after they’ve clicked on the JOIN [HOST NAME] command on the client computers, check network and communications parameters.
NETWORK GAME RULES
Once the client computer(s) have connected with the host, the game can begin. Major elements of gameplay are controlled from the HOST computer. These include selection of the campaign and mission to be played, as well as selection of team members and equipment (weapons and ammo). Prior game status (which campaigns/missions and team members, etc.) is based on the profiles stored on the HOST computer; profiles generated in single-player games can be used in network play, and vice versa.
While only the host computer can make mission and equipment selections, the selection menus are displayed on all computers connected.
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Therefore, selection of characters and equipment should be discussed among all players before the HOST player makes the choices. While selections are being made on the host computer, any player can enter a “chat” mode by pressing F4. Any message you type will be sent to all connected players when you press ENTER.
Once a network game has started, the host computer will assign a soldier to each connected player. You can change among soldiers the same way as in a sin- gle-player game, but each character can only be controlled by one player at any time. If you try to control a character already assigned to another player, that player’s name will appear above the character’s head. If there are fewer than four (human) players, the host computer will control one or more characters. You can switch into any of these characters any time you wish.
Load/Save Menu
If you need to take a break from the game, you can SAVE it at any time. Press ESC during play to choose from three options - Resume, Save, Quit. If you choose Resume you will return to the game without saving it.
Choosing Save will save the current status of the game. Note you only have one save “slot” per mission and profile; subsequent SAVEs during the same mission will overwrite what’s been stored earlier. It’s not a bad idea to SAVE from time to time on general principle — this will help you recover in case there’s a system or network crash.
To load a saved game, go to the Mission selection menu. To play, simply click Load for the mission you want to return to. If you choose Quit you will exit HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS completely.
Note that both single-player and network games can be saved. However, a network game can only be saved to the HOST computer.
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Whenever any player switches to the map view or any of |
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the menus, the game will halt temporarily for all connected |
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players. |
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If you aim a weapon at one of your own team (“friendly |
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fire”) using the external sight, the aiming cross (F2) will turn |
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red and the character’s name will appear above the soldier |
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you’re aiming at. |
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If your character is killed and there are no other (computer |
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controlled) characters available to switch into, you can still |
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watch the rest of the gameplay as a spectator. |
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Conditions to end a mission (successfully or otherwise) are |
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the same as in single-player mode. |
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You can send messages to any other player during a mis- |
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sion by pressing F4. |
GAME THE PLAYING
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PLAYING THE GAME
OPTIONS
These screens allow you to set controls, sound levels, and graphics parameters.
CONTROLS
This menu allows you to redefine any and all keys used in HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS. To change any key assignment, click on the desired function, then press ENTER. The original key will be replaced by a blinking exclamation point. Press the new key to which you want to assign the selected function.
There are more key assignments than will fit on one screen; scroll up and down as required to see the entire list.
SETUP MOUSE: In this menu, you can set mouse sensitivity and swap directions.
SOUND SETUP: Select music or game sounds with the mouse, then use the left and right cursor keys to change the volume.
CREDITS: Roll the credits for the game.
EXIT: The program will ask, “Yes” or “No”. If you confirm “Yes”, you will return to your Desktop.
Getting the Action Ready
Strategy for selecting your men in a campaign.
At the beginning of the game you have 40 men at your disposal. Each man has a “mug shot” and a listing of his own particular skills and personal history.
The individual skill ratings are:
SHOOTING
Gives info about the accuracy of his shooting. A soldier with 100% value of SHOOTING always hits the target he is aiming at. This would be an ideal soldier to use as a sniper. Soldiers with lower SHOOTING ratings will not be as accurate, but can still be deadly with automatic weapons.
REACTION
Gives info about the speed of his reactions. This characteristic is not apparent when you control the soldier directly. However, when the computer is controlling a soldier with higher values of REACTION, he reacts to enemy’s fire much more readily.
STEALTH
Soldiers with greater stealth are harder to see and hear, and therefore have a better chance of moving undetected behind enemy lines.
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STRENGTH
This parameter determines the amount of equipment and weapons that the soldier is able to carry. The higher the value, the more he can carry.
ENDURANCE
This parameter determines what injuries the soldier can endure. The higher the value, the more hits he can survive.
You are allowed to select 8 soldiers for a campaign. A good marksman will definitely be very useful, because in most missions a sniper represents your best weapon. Really good snipers are rare in the game; if you lose one in a mission, it will probably be best to replay the mission. Soldiers with an average shooting ability are suitable for providing cover, and are very effective when equipped with an automatic weapon. Soldiers able to carry heavy loads are useful as carriers of light machine guns and bazookas. The importance of being able to react quickly will become apparent once you send the soldier against the enemy. If he has an automatic weapon and enough ammunition, he’ll emerge as the winner from most encounters.
When choosing a soldier, bear in mind that if you lose one of your soldiers, he is lost for the duration of the campaign. The missions become more difficult and demanding as the game progresses, so you should try to save the best and most capable soldiers for the final stages of the game. Let us remind you again that once you lose a soldier, he is lost forever!
Choosing Weapons and Equipment for the Campaign
There are many types of weapons and equipment available in this game, each of them suitable for a different purpose. It is, however, possible to divide them into several categories:
SNIPER RIFLES
Equipped with a variable magnification telescopic sight. In the hands of an experienced sniper, this is a superior weapon.
SUBMACHINE GUNS
An ideal basic weapon. Effective against groups of enemies and in interiors (such as inside buildings). Can go through a lot of ammunition in a short time unless carefully used. Not particularly accurate at long range.
MACHINE GUNS
The best weapon to be used when you are outnumbered. Can only be fired from prone position, and requires a great deal of ammunition.
STRATEGY
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STRATEGY
BAZOOKAS
This weapon can be devastating, especially against a high concentration of enemy armor. It is the only weapon with which an individual soldier can destroy a tank. Its main disadvantage is the heavy weight of both the weapon and its ammunition. In addition, its backblast requires that it be fired only from a standing or kneeling position (not prone).
HAND GRENADES
There are two types of hand grenades used in this game. Timed hand grenades explode 6 seconds after being thrown and are ideal for clearing interiors. Contact hand grenades explode on impact and are, therefore, more suitable for fighting in open terrain.
MINES
Mines are automatically armed as soon as they are placed. Anti-per- sonnel mines are 100% lethal to soldiers who step on them (and they cannot distinguish between friend or enemy). Anti-tank mines reliably eliminate tanks and any other vehicles.
PISTOL
Suitable as a stand-by weapon, in case your soldier finds himself without any rifle or submachine gun ammunition. Limited range and accuracy. May not kill an enemy immediately except with a head shot.
KNIFE
If you manage to creep up close enough to an enemy soldier, you can save some ammunition...and the knife is silent.
SIGNAL FLARE
Illuminates surroundings to let you see the enemy nearly as well as in daylight. Unfortunately, he can see you just as well.
UNIFORMS
If you use a disguise and wear an enemy uniform, you won’t be recognized. However, anyone may slip up and reveal himself.
EXPLOSIVES
The goal of some missions is to destroy equipment. Charges with timing devices are suitable for this purpose.
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CAMERA
Not essential for any mission, but if you’d like a memento, you may take a snapshot at any time. It will be stored in the HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS home directory.
BINOCULARS
Enable you to watch your enemy from great distance.
RADIO TRANSMITTER
Essential in certain situations. When switched on, provides a homing signal for artillery or bombers.
The basic combination of weapons can be similar for all campaigns. It definitely pays to take a submachine gun for each member of the team, as this is the most versatile personal weapon available. You have 4 men in the unit; consider that some submachine guns may be lost in the battlefield. It is also essential to have enough ammunition. Each soldier may fire 100 - 130 rounds in the course of one mission. Another essential weapon is a sniper rifle: not only can you pick off enemies from a safe distance, it also uses very little ammunition (ideally, one round per kill).
Light machine guns are useful in most of the missions, but are heavy and use a great deal of ammunition (at least 300 rounds per mission). It’s also a good idea to take some hand grenades, as these are invaluable for clearing groups of soldiers and in interiors.
Mines can prove very useful against enemy vehicles as well as personnel. For skirmishes at night, you will need flares, and if you should come upon some heavy enemy armor, several bazookas could be your only chance. Make sure to have a few pistols - just in case you need them in an emergency. Even though you can capture some equipment from the enemy, it is always better to have your own equipment in sufficient quantities.
• All weapons available are described in a special chapter. •
The Mission Briefing
Follow the instructions given about the mission and your goal very carefully. Divide your men in such a way that the loss of one man will not seriously affect the whole mission. Sometimes you can recover weapons from your killed comrades, but don’t count on it. If the mission involves enemy armored vehicles, make sure that you are equipped with anti-tank mines and bazookas. Don’t forget the machine guns; their range and rate of fire are superior to that of submachine guns.
STRATEGY
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STRATEGY
Strategy For Selecting Men and Weapons
When selecting your team and determining how to equip your men, consider your mission requirements very carefully. Try to capture as many weapons from enemies as possible.
When choosing your men, consider the type of the mission they are to carry out. Think about the necessity to salvage all the weapons from the battlefield; the amount of equipment your unit can carry is always limited, and it’s vital to “stretch” it whenever possible.
Before you go into action, consider carefully how to use each man during the mission. For instance, to be effective, a sniper has to concentrate entirely on his target, and thus needs another man to cover him during action. A machine-gun- ner will probably not carry any side weapon, and thus also needs cover. Always make sure that your men have sufficient ammunition; otherwise, they are of very little use. If the fighting is to take place in interiors, make sure each man is issued at least two (delayed-action) hand grenades.
ACTION!
•Soldier’s Movements
•Controlling the Views
•The game offers several viewing options.
•1st Person View
This view, in effect, “makes you the soldier you are controlling,” and allows you to “see through his eyes.” If you are holding a weapon in your hands, you will see that weapon’s “sight picture.” Moving the mouse
changes both your direction of view (and the aim of your weapon) and your direction of movement. This is an ideal view for both general movement and for shooting. The - and = keys cycle through the 1st person and external views.
VIEW 1
External Views
In this case, you see your character from the rear and can follow his actions. You can move your viewpoint in and out (- and = keys) as well as up and down (successive presses of the \ key). This view works well when your soldier is crawling or moving through obstacles. You can shoot while using this view, either with or without the external sight.
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