Games PC STRIKE COMMANDER User Manual
®
INSTALL GUIDE, PLAYGUIDE
AND
REFERENCE CARD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copy Protection Questions and Answers
Install and Additional Reference Guide . . . . . . . 3-18
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
On-Line Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Quick Install. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Optimizing Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
ORIGIN Product Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Additions and Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
Gauntlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tactical Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Playguide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-63
Detailed Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Starting the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
Game Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24
Camera Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25
Wildcat Base. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-31
Cockpit instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-39
Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-41
How to Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43
Air Combat Tactics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-49
Practice Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-52
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53-62
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
. . . . . . . . . 2
Reference Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, Back Cover
Strike Commander Copy Protection Questions and Answers
0. What is the name of the tower (Turm) in the Beyoglu section of Istanbul (p. 23)?
Galata
1. What is the last name of the author of “Sell and Scramble” (p. 12)?
Duhm
2. What is the last name of the Senior Writer (Serien, Ecrivian) (p. 1)?
Austin
3. What is the last name of the man interviewed on page 36?
Prideaux
4. Who wrote the first letter to the editor in this issue of “Sudden Death” (p. 4)?
Beto
5. What squadron was destroyed when it attacked Clairborne Aerospace (p. 25)?
Claws
6. In what province did Janet “Vixen” Page grow up (p. 9)?
Quebec
7. In 2002, what country owned over 20% of the CIS (CEI, GUS) (p. 42)?
Japan
8. What company issues the Gold Card (carte Gold) (p. 17)?
Maxima
9. What high school (lycee) did Tex attend in Amarillo (p. 10)?
Jackson
10. What company advertises blasting material on page 11?
Concorde
11. Who do the Wildcats find at 1113 hours (p. 20)?
Guillaume
12. What is the first word in the title of the game advertised on page 38?
Strike
13. What former state of the U. S. advertises on page 44?
Hawaii
14. What is the first name of the man who wrote the Wildcat article on page 6?
Virgil
15. In 2001, what state was the first to secede from the U. S. (p. 41)?
Texas
16. In 2005, who is president (p. 42)?
Guerrero
17. What is the last book listed in the Bibliography (at the middle of the manual)?
Wings
18. What is the first word (besides Strike Commander) in the Option Screen pictured on page
48?
Configuration
19. What is the last weapon described in the Reference section (p. 81; Fr. p. 82; Gr. p. 85)?
Durandal
2
STRIKE COMMANDER CD
INSTALL AND ADDITIONAL
REFERENCE GUIDE
See p.18 for Contents.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Strike Commander on CD. This guide tells you how to install your new
If you have any difficulties, see Troubleshooting (pp. 10-13). To avoid compatibility
memory problems, please take a moment to make sure that your system meets the
system requirements.
game.
or
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Computer. This game calls for an Intel486 or 100% compatible system.
Video Card. IBM VGA or compatible video card.
Free RAM. You must have at least 640K of base RAM (memory) to play Strike
Commander. Of that 640K, at least 557K (571,000 bytes) of base memory must be
available at the DOS prompt to run the minimum game configuration. You must also
have at least 2700K (2,765,000 bytes) high memory:
If your CONFIG.SYS contains an EMS driver, you must have 2700K (2,765,000
bytes) of EMS memory available.
If your CONFIG.SYS does not have an EMS driver, you must have 2700K
(2,765,000 bytes) of XMS memory available.
Strike Commander won’t run with less than that. See Memory Requirements (p. 6) for
more information.
Hard Disk. You must have a minimum of 2 megabytes free on your hard disk to install
and play Strike Commander CD.
CD-ROM. MS-DOS CD-ROM extensions 2.1 or higher are required; a CD drive with
350ms or faster seek time is recommended.
ON-LINE HELP
Press
1 for on-line help during installation.
QUICK INSTALL
1. Insert the CD-ROM (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Change to your CD-ROM drive.
3. Type
4. Follow the instructions at each prompt.
INSTALL.
3
INSTALLATION
When presented with a menu, press W and Z to move through the list, then press
e
to accept the highlighted selection. You may abort the installation process by pressing
q or selecting the
ABORT menu option.
1. Insert the CD-ROM (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive. Some drives may
require that you put the disk into a CD caddy before inserting it in the drive.
2. Change to your CD-ROM drive by typing the letter of the drive and a colon, then
pressing e.
3. Type
INSTALL.
4. The program prompts you for the letter of the hard drive to which you want your
system configuration data and saved games written. Press the letter on your keyboard
corresponding to a hard disk with adequate space. If you specify an invalid drive, the
program will prompt you again.
5. You are prompted for the sound card you are going to use for music. If you do not
have a sound card, you can select
NOTHING
AD LIB
ROLAND
GENERAL MIDI
ANY SOUND BLASTER
WAVE BLASTER
PRO AUDIO SPECTRUM
ABORT INSTALLATION
/ LAPC-1
NOTHING. Your choices are:
6. You are asked for the sound card to use for digital effects. If you do not have a
sound card, you can select
NOTHING
SOUND BLASTER
SOUND BLASTER PRO
PRO AUDIO SPECTRUM
ABORT INSTALLATION
NOTHING. Your choices are:
7. If you select any of the Blaster cards (SOUND BLASTER, WAVE BLASTER, etc.), you are
prompted for the Base I/O and IRQ settings of the card. The install program will initially
highlight the default values for these; if you have changed either your cards I/O or its
IRQ, select the correct value(s) and press e. Note that older Sound Blaster cards
have a default IRQ of 7 (rather than 5). Use W and Z to highlight each appropriate
selection, then press e.
8. You are asked if your system is equipped with a local bus video card. If it is, choose
this option for a slight improvement in performance. (If you do not have a local bus
video card, choosing this option slows performance.)
9. You are given several installation options at this point. You must always install the
primary executable and the current game map, so this is not given as an option. These
basic files take less than 2 megs of hard drive space.
4
In addition, you may copy two more sets of files from the CD to your hard drive.
Generally, the more files you can store on your hard drive, the faster the game will run.
The drawback is that you use more space on your hard drive. Select the installation
method that works best for you. The two sets of additional files, along with how much
space they would occupy on your hard drive and which systems we recommend them for
are:
OPTION HARD DRIVE SPACE OPTIMAL FOR
COPY ADDITIONAL EXECUTABLES 2 MEGS SINGLE SPEED CD DRIVES
COPY TREE 9 MEGS 4 MEGS RAM
Players using double speed CD drives and who have at least 8 megs of RAM might
notice slight improvement in performance by copying these additional files to their hard
drives.
Of course, it is possible to transfer both sets of additional files. This combination
(including basic files) occupies less than 12 megs on your hard drive and is
recommended for players with single speed CD drives and only 4 megs of RAM.
Note: It is possible to transfer all files from the CD to your hard drive, but this is not
given as an option because doing so fills over 150 megs on your hard drive. If that is
really how you want to play the game, install the basic executables using any option
given above. Then go to you CD drive prompt, and type:
XCOPY *.* C:\(Strike directory)
This will take quite a while, and we definitely do not recommend it.
10. The install program copies files to your hard drive.
11. When the installation is complete and you are ready to play, go to the Strike
directory on your hard drive. (If you accepted our default suggestion, this directory is
SC.) Type
COMMANDER
SCCD to get a menu of games, and select the game you want to play (STRIKE
or TACTICAL OPERATIONS) from this menu.
CHANGING YOUR CONFIGURATION
If you ever add a sound card or change from one card to another, simply re-run the
installation program from your hard drive. (You would re-run the install program from
the CD only if you were totally replacing the game.)
RE-INSTALLING
Should you find it necessary to re-install Strike Commander, we recommend that you
first delete all the files in the Strike Commander directory except any files with the .SAV
or .TO1 extensions (these are your Strike Commander and Tactical Operationssaved
games, respectively). The install process will not write over them.
5
OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM
MEMORY REQUIREMENTS
We have tried to minimize the amount of time you spend configuring the memory in
your system, but Strike Commander is the most memory-intensive game in ORIGIN’s
history, and adjustments to your memory configuration may be needed.
There are three types of RAM referred to in this manual: DOS (conventional base
RAM), extended and expanded. Strike Commander has specific minimum requirements
for each of these types of memory. If you are unsure about these different types of
memory, consult your DOS manual.
To find out how much DOS, extended and expanded memory your computer has
available, type
screen, look for the following listings:
LARGEST EXECUTABLE PROGRAM SIZE
LARGEST AVAILABLE UPPER MEMORY BLOCK
TOTAL EXTENDED OR XMS
BYTES FREE OF XMS
BYTES AVAILABLE XMS
BYTES FREE OF EMS
FREE EXPANDED
The Largest Executable Program Size should be at least 557K. (Actually, it can be as
small as 527K, if the Largest Available Upper Memory Block is at least 30K.)
You will have only one of the last five listings — Total Extended or XMS / Bytes Free
of XMS / Bytes available XMS / Bytes Free of EMS / Free Expanded (EMS) —
partially depending on whether or not you have an EMS driver. Regardless of which
listing you have, it should show at least 2700K available.
MEM at the DOS prompt. When the memory information is printed on the
(EMS)
If you are experiencing problems installing or running Strike Commander, it might help
to create a separate boot disk or decrease the number of memory-resident programs
(TSRs) you have loaded with the suggested configurations listed below.
Do not delete your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files completely, or alter
them on your hard drive — without them, your computer will not function.
6
CREATING A BOOT DISK
Before you proceed, you should print out the contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files. If you do not have a printer, copy the contents by hand or make
backups of the files that you can look at later. To print, at the DOS prompt, type:
TYPE CONFIG.SYS
Use G to generate a printout of this startup file. Next (while still at the DOS
prompt), type:
TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT
Use G to generate a printout of this startup file, also.
To create a separate boot disk:
1. Insert a blank high density disk in your A: drive. From the DOS C: prompt, type:
FORMAT A: /S e
2. When the DOS prompt returns and the format is complete, type:
EDIT A:\CONFIG.SYS e
When the new screen appears, type the commands shown below. This configuration is
generic and may require additional drivers. Consult your CD-ROM manual for more
information.
CONFIG.SYS using EMM386.EXE (EMS with DOS 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, Windows 3.1)
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 3072 RAM FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
DEVICE
Use the previous line only for 4-meg systems.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 7168 RAM FRAME=E000 /I=B000-B7FF
Use the previous line only for 8-meg (or larger) systems.
Do not include
DOS=UMB
=HIGH
DOS
=25
FILES
BUFFERS=25
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
DEVICEHIGH
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.
DEVICE=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
Include the previous line only if you are using DoubleSpace with DOS 6.0 or 6.2.
NOEMS in either of the two previous lines.
=C:\(drivers)
Exit and save this file by typing:
a
F
X
Y
If you are running under EMM386, you can load other device drivers into high memory
with the DEVICEHIGH command.
7
CONFIG.SYS using QEMM 6.0, 6.02 or 7.0 (EMS)
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM
=HIGH
DOS
=25
FILES
BUFFERS=25
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
Include the previous line only if you are using DoubleSpace with DOS 6.0 or 6.2.
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\(drivers)
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /D
Exit and save this file by typing:
aF
X
Y
If you are using QEMM, you can also use the Optimize program to optimize your system
setup. See your QEMM documentation for more information.
CONFIG.SYS using HIMEM.SYS (XMS with DOS 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, Windows 3.1)
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
=HIGH
DOS
=25
FILES
BUFFERS=25
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P
=C:\(drivers)
DEVICE
Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your
original hard drive CONFIG.SYS.
DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS
You may need to adjust the path in the previous line, depending on the location of
your mouse driver.
Exit and save this file by typing:
aF
X
Y
Note that an XMS boot disk needs only 527K base RAM free to run Strike Commander
CD, rather than 557K. However, if you’re using DoubleSpace, you may not be able to
free enough base RAM to play. Note that the XMS CONFIG.SYS we recommend does
not use DoubleSpace.
AUTOEXEC.BAT
You will also need an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your boot disk. To create one, type:
EDIT A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT e
8
When the new screen appears, type:
PROMPT $P$G
=C:\DOS
PATH
:
C
C:\(path)\MSCDEX.EXE (all parameters from the original AUTOEXEC.BAT)
If you do not have 557 base RAM free, try changing /M:## to /M:5 in the
previous line.
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM
Your mouse driver may need to be loaded differently. For example, if it is loaded
in your CONFIG.SYS, do not include this line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Refer to
the printout of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT to see if it is normally loaded there.
Exit and save this file by typing:
aF
X
Y
Supporting Your Peripherals
You may need to add lines to the basic boot disk CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
for Strike Commander to support certain sound cards, game cards and other hardware.
Consult your documentation for these products.
USING YOUR BOOT DISK
1. Turn your computer off, insert your new boot disk in your A: drive and turn the
computer back on. (If your CD drive is external, turn it on.)
2. Insert the CD-ROM disk (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive. (Some drives
may require that you put the disk into a CD caddy before inserting it in the drive itself.)
3a. If you haven’t yet installed the game, change to your CD-ROM drive by typing its
drive letter followed by a colon (e.g., d:) and pressing e, then continue from Step 3
in Installation (p. 4).
3b. If you’ve already installed the game and you are ready to play, go to the game
directory on your hard drive. (If you accepted our default suggestion, this directory is
SC.) Type
COMMANDER
SCCD to get a menu of games, and select the game you want to play (STRIKE
or TACTICAL OPERATIONS) from this menu.
CACHING
Strike Commander uses all available memory for its own internal disk caching. Adding
SmartDrive or any other caching utility may actually slow disk access.
I/O AND IRQ
If the install program reports difficulty finding your sound card, check to make sure
you’ve selected the correct I/O and IRQ. Consult your sound card documentation if you
continue to have difficulties.
9
TROUBLESHOOTING
Occasionally, something will go wrong with the installation process. Common error
messages are given below, along with some solutions.
Online Help. Some of this information is included in the install program’s on-line help
feature, which can be accessed at any point during installation by pressing 1.
MESSAGES DURING INSTALLATION
The version of DOS on your machine is too old to run Strike Commander.
You need DOS version 5.0 or higher. New versions of DOS can be purchased at almost any
computer dealership. Strike Commander has been fully tested with versions 5.0, 6.0 and 6.2.
The CPU detected on this machine is not compatible with Strike Commander. You
need an 80386 or better to install and play Strike Commander.
Strike Commander requires a computer with an 80386 or better CPU. Older CPUs do not
have the processing power required to play Strike Commander — they can not run the
game. (Some players with 386 CPUs are satisfied with Strike’s performance on their
systems, but most are not. We recommend that you use at least a 486.)
If you do not have one of these CPUs, you will need a CPU upgrade in order to play
Strike Commander. If you do have a 386 or better and receive this error message, try
installing again from the beginning. If you still receive this message there may be a
defect in your processor.
Could not copy files from the CD to the hard drive.
Although this could mean that your drive is malfunctioning, the most common cause of
this message is a read error. Check to make sure the CD is properly inserted in the drive
and that the drive is closed completely, then try installing again.
One of the configuration files either could not be located, or could not be created.
An error has been detected with an install configuration file. This usually means one of
two things has occurred:
(1) A file needed by the install program to properly determine your computer’s
configuration was not found. The file could have been damaged, deleted or moved, or
the directory structure of your machine could have been altered since the last installation.
(2) The install program was unable to write a configuration file. The hard disk could be
full or could contain undetected errors. Another possibility is that your computer has a
memory problem that is stopping the installation. See Optimizing Your System
(pp. 6-9) to remedy this situation.
Make sure you are in the directory in which Strike Commander was previously installed,
or in the directory where the install program is.
Could not find treefile.
This means that one of the files necessary to run the game was not available. There are a
number of possible causes for this error, including:
• The CD-ROM is not loaded in the drive correctly.
• The CD-ROM drivers are not installed correctly or have been incorrectly modified.
10
• The hard disk where the installed game is located could not be found.
Make sure that all game files on your hard drive are located in the game directory. If this
problem persists, attempt reinstalling Strike Commander CD-ROM. If this does not fix
the error, please contact ORIGIN Product Support (see below).
Could not create the Strike Commander directory.
A file exists with the same name as the directory, the drive may not have enough free
space, or you have attempted to install to a disk that is set to read only. The latter should
only be a problem if you are loading onto or with a network.
We do not recommend loading Strike Commander while network drivers are loaded.
TROUBLESHOOTING DURING PLAY
My mouse is not working with Strike Commander CD. My mouse works with all of
my other software applications — why not with Strike Commander?
If your mouse is not working with Strike Commander, you should first check to see if
your mouse has been loaded in DOS (in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file) or onto the boot disk
you are using to play the game. Windows and many other “multi-tasking” environments
load their own built-in mouse driver. These mouse drivers will not operate outside of
their shell environment. Loading a mouse driver into the DOS environment can be as
simple as typing
C:\MOUSE e
This command can differ depending on which mouse driver software you are using.
Please consult your mouse user’s guide for further details.
You may also experience trouble running Strike Commander with a non-Microsoft (or
100% compatible) mouse driver. If you do, any of the following steps should fix the
problem:
1. Replace the mouse driver with a Microsoft mouse driver.
2. Disconnect your mouse and use your keyboard or joystick instead.
3. Remove the mouse driver and use your keyboard or joystick instead.
MOUSE e at the command prompt. For example:
Why do I get the message: “Sound System Initialization Failed”?
You probably have enough memory to run the game, but not enough to load the sound
drivers you selected during installation. You will either have to increase the amount of
free DOS memory (see Optimizing Your System, pp. 6-9) or play without sound.
or If your sound card is not one of the cards listed on the box or in the installation
program, but is 100% compatible with one of the cards listed, it may need to be
configured for Sound Blaster emulation mode. Consult your sound card manual.
When I start, the music sounds very odd on my Sound Blaster Pro.
Early versions of the Sound Blaster Pro require different configurations than later
versions. To correct this, run the SET-ENV program that came with your Sound Blaster
Pro. This will automatically set the environment variable properly. If this doesn’t work,
this variable can be set manually. Consult your Sound Blaster Pro documentation or your
hardware dealer for more information.
I don’t have a digital sound card, so I selected
SOUND FX (AUDIO Option Screen).
However, I can’t hear the engine. What’s wrong?
Without digital sound effects, Strike Commander cannot simultaneously run both music
and engine noise. If you want to hear the engine noise, turn
MUSIC off.
11
I am having trouble using my joystick.
• Your joystick may be set to “auto fire.” If this is the case, the buttons may not function
as you expect. To correct the problem, turn auto fire off. If your joystick doesn’t allow
you to turn auto fire off, unplug it and play with a mouse or use the keyboard controls.
•
In the event that you experience any joystick calibration problems, be sure that you don’t
have more than one active gameport on your system at any time, as they will conflict with
Strike Commander’s calibration routine and will affect game performance. This includes
gameports present on sound cards, gamecards or I/O cards. You may need to consult the
documentation for your system, sound card and game card to resolve any problems.
• If you are using a multi-speed gamecard, be sure that you have performed the software
or speed dials tests for your particular gamecard. If you continue to have problems, try
adjusting the speed-dial or numeric software settings a little higher or lower than normal.
On cards like the Gravis Eliminator game card, we found settings between 4.0 and 5.5 to
be well suited for Strike Commander. For other cards, please check your game card
documentation to configure the card for different speed settings. If the problem persists,
you may have a defective joystick or gameport.
Why does my computer lock up or give me “run time” errors?
On some machines, the CD-ROM drive may be daisy-chained with several other drives
on a cable from the SCSI controller card. Because this game needs to have simultaneous
access to both the hard drive and the CD-ROM drive, it cannot run on a CD drive that is
daisy-chained with other drives. We strongly recommend that Strike be installed to a
drive that is not on the same cable as your CD-ROM drive.
I’ve got 16 (or more) megs of RAM and a digitized sound card, so I shouldn’t be
having any problems, but speech in the game is full of static.
Because direct memory access (DMA) will not work with memory addresses above 16
megabytes, the digitized speech of Strike Commander may not work correctly on
machines with large amounts of memory. If you hear static in the game when speech
would be more appropriate, then this problem could be occurring.
The best solution is to remove your memory manager and let the game supply the high
memory using its own memory manager.
See Optimizing Your System (pp. 6-9) for more details on memory configuration.
I’ve got a digital sound card, and I’ve turned on
DIGITAL FX, but I still sometimes get
undigitized sound effects.
With
DIGITAL FX turned on, you may run into instances where you will get non-digitized
sound effects. This will happen if a digital effect is supposed to be played at the same
time as another digital effect. The chip used by most sound cards to produce digitized
sound and effects can only play one digitized effect at a time.
When I try to start a new game, it crashes to DOS and gives me Error Code
#1910
or #1941.
This is caused by a bad installation or a corrupted file on the original installation. To
determine which is the case, boot from a clean configuration that does not load other
conflicting device drivers such as a disk cache. See Optimizing Your System
(pp. 6-9) for more information on the proper configuration. Next, delete all files from the
Strike Commander directory (default: C:\SC). Finally, re-install Strike Commander and
Tactical Operations (while booted from the clean configuration).
12
SPECIFIC HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
DoubleSpace
Strike Commander has been fully tested with MS-DOS 6.0’s DoubleSpace disk
compression utility. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our games with other disk
compression utilities. You might want to add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS
file to free more DOS RAM (base memory):
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
Thrustmaster Weapon Control System
The DIP switch settings on the Weapon Control System for Strike Commander are
switches 1, 2 and 6 on. All other switches should be off.
CH GameCard III Automatic
The CH GameCard III Automatic requires a program to be run whenever the machine
boots up. This program is called CHJOY3.EXE. Please be sure that this program runs
before calibrating joysticks in Strike Commander, or unpredictable results will occur.
You may want to add the following line at the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
CHJOY3.EXE
DOS 5.0 SMARTDRV.SYS
Strike Commander does not support the SMARTDRV.SYS that comes with some versions
of DOS. It does support SMARTDRV.EXE which comes with Windows 3.0 or better.
Bus Mastering Hard Drive Users
If you’re using a bus mastering hard drive controller card (you’ll probably know if you are),
and if the game text and graphics are garbled, add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER
SB16/Wave Blaster and CH Flightstick Combination
Due to a hardware conflict between the joystick port on the Creative Labs’ SB16/Wave
Blaster combination and the CH Flightstick, General MIDI music will not be heard when
the Flightstick is connected to the SB16/Wave Blaster joystick port. Another
manufacturer’s joystick or another joystick port must be used to receive the General
MIDI music. Contact the respective manufacturers if you have any further compatibility
questions.
General MIDI
Strike Commander CD has joined the next generation of sound quality with its support of
the General MIDI standard as defined by the MPU-401 instruction set. At the time of
publishing, only a few cards support MPU-401. These cards include the Roland SCC-1
and RAP-10 and the Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 and ASP 16 (both of the latter with
the attached Wave Blaster daughterboard). Other manufacturers have already released, or
are planning to release, sound cards that use the MPU-401 instruction set. However,
sound cards that use a memory-resident program (TSR) to emulate MPU-401 may not
work with this software.
Note that some General MIDI cards offer digitized speech or sound effect capabilities.
Strike Commander CD will only use those sound cards that carry the OPL2 FM chip for
digitized speech or sound effects. As in the case of the Roland RAP-10, customers will
need to use a second sound card, such as a Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro or 100%
compatible sound card, for digitized speech and effects. Review your sound card
documentation or contact the manufacturer if you have any questions.
13
ORIGIN PRODUCT SUPPORT
If, after reviewing Troubleshooting, you are still having a problem with this software,
please read this section and call us. We have a staff of customer service technicians ready
to help you with any problems you may encounter with the game. ORIGIN Product
Support is available at (512) 335-0440, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and noon,
and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Friday afternoon), Central time.
Today’s PCs run with millions of different hardware and software combinations. Because
of this, you may also have to refer to your computer dealer, hardware manufacturer or
software publisher in order to properly configure their product to run with our game.
When you call, if at all possible, be near your computer. If it is not possible to be near your
computer, be sure to have the following information:
• the error message displayed when the problem occurred (if any)
• The DOS version number you are currently running
• your mouse and mouse driver type
• a listing of your machine type and hardware contents
• the contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files
• your CD-ROM drive type and CD-ROM extensions version
• the contents of a CHKDSK and MEM /C statement
ADDITIONS AND CHANGES
RUDDER
Activating RUDDER (FLIGHT Option
Screen) allows you to use rudder
pedals or a second joystick to turn
your fighter, rather than the , or
. keys. Neither of these add
anything to what you can
accomplish with , or .. (A
second joystick can only affect
flight with left or right
movements.) Note that you cannot
use more than one active
gameport, but you can use a Ysplitter.
REALISTIC FLIGHT
This option (at the FLIGHT Option Screen) is active only when you are flying an F16. (It
can be toggled on when you’re flying the F22, but it will not affect that plane’s flight.)
REALISTIC mode, as its name suggests, applies more realistic flight dynamics than in the
game’s normal mode. It decreases thrust at every level by 20%, and increases wing drag
by 20%. The result is that you cannot fly as fast, especially when pulling a turn.
FLIGHTSTICK PRO (FS PRO)
If you select the FS PRO PANNING CONTROL OPTION in the FLIGHT Option Screen, the coolie
hat on your FS Pro will control cockpit panning. Selecting
the extra buttons on your FS Pro.
14
FS PRO CONTROL will enable
HAZING
In the
DETAIL
Option Screen, the lowest
HAZING
button (
FAR
) now produces no hazing at all.
(The default for hazing is now the second button, not this first one.) With no hazing, no
new objects are revealed, the game is not any faster, and it doesn’t look as good. However,
some players prefer to play without any hazing, so this option is now available.
INVISIBLE COCKPIT
It is possible to remove the cockpit from the screen, by pressing cI. Your HUD and
any active MFDs remain on-screen, as do any MFDs you subsequently activate. Radar
and IR warning lights also still appear.With an invisible cockpit, you can, of course, see
more of the sky in front of you, and the game’s frame rate improves slightly. This is a
toggle — pressing cI again recalls the rest of your cockpit.
PLAYER SCORE
The game keeps a running score of how you’re doing. You can look at it by pressing
aS between missions. To maximize your score, play the game with the
ACE option
(see below).
RADAR AND IR WARNING LIGHTS
As missiles get closer to you, the radar and IR warning lights now blink faster.
DAMAGE MFD
The Damage display has an added feature. Systems which are damaged but not destroyed
appear in yellow. Only when a system is destroyed does it appear in red.
ROOKIE, VETERAN AND ACE OPTIONS
The main Option Screen (accessed by pressing aO during flight) allows you to select
ROOKIE, VETERAN or ACE difficulty levels. ROOKIE level selects the easier option from each
of the following choices;
selects the following options:
ON
OFF
ROOKIE level selects ROOKIE ENEMY INTELLIGENCE; VETERAN level selects VETERAN ENEMY
EASY GUN HITS, MID-AIR COLLISIONS, EASY LANDINGS, STALLS, AUTO TARGETING,
360°
LOCK, SMART TARGETING, SUN GLARE, G EFFECTS.
UNLIMITED AMMO, SMART RADAR, 360° RADAR, SMART RAW SCOPE.
INTELLIGENCE
(After selecting a particular difficulty level —
change any of the options individually.)
ACE level selects the more difficult option. VETERAN level
; ACE level selects ACE ENEMY INTELLIGENCE.
ROOKIE, VETERAN or ACE — you can then
CLARIFICATIONS
The
UNLIMITED AMMO
It will not give you unlimited missiles or bombs. The only exception are training missions,
which do give you unlimited amounts of whichever weapons you are carrying.
Saved Game Limit. Strike Commander will only recognize the first 100 saved games in the
game directory. All additional saved games are ignored and cannot be selected in the
SAVE/LOAD menu. You may delete unwanted saved games using the DOS delete command.
SHOW WEAPONS
that are viewed through the external camera (6).
option only applies to gun rounds while playing Strike Commander.
(a
FLIGHT
option) will only show weapons on your own plane and on planes
15
GAUNTLET
A new choice has been added to
Strike Commander’s
screen. In addition to
MISSION
DOGFIGHT and SEARCH-AND-
DESTROY, you can also choose
GAUNTLET.
TRAINING
When you choose
GAUNTLET, you
immediately find yourself in the
air against two SU-27s, two MiG29s and two F-4s. Anytime you
eliminate any pair of opponents,
another pair flies into action. All
pairs will be fighters, but the
fighter types will vary from pair
to pair. The gauntlet continues
until you run out of fuel, are shot
down or eject.
Your opponents are always Aces at the highest level of difficulty. You have four -9J
missiles and 1000 rounds of ammunition. Enemy fighters have only their standard
cannon ammunition rounds, except for F-4s. Each F-4 that appears has its standard
cannon ammunition, plus two -9Js. When you finally succumb to the gauntlet, your score
is displayed. Good luck!
Your score is based on how many enemies you shoot down, modified by the settings you
use (e.g.,
MID-AIR COLLISIONS, EASY GUN HITS
). The more settings you use to make play
easier, the lower the value of each kill. The base value for each kill with a missile is 500
points. The base value for each gun kill is 750 points. Each option that you use from the
following list reduces the value of your kills:
COCKPIT GAMEPLAY
AUTO TARGETING ON -1/2% UNLIMITED AMMO ON -99.5%
360° LOCK ON -2% EASY GUN HITS ON -5%
SMART TARGETING ON -1% ENEMY INTELLIGENCE:
SUN GLARE OFF -1/2% VETERAN -5%
G EFFECTS OFF -1/2% ROOKIE -10%
SMART RADAR ON -1.5%
360° RADAR ON -1% FLIGHT
SMART RAW SCOPE ON -1% MID-AIR COLLISIONS OFF -1%
EASY LANDINGS ON -1/2%
STALLS OFF -1/2%
Note that some of these options (e.g., EASY LANDINGS) have no effect on the Gauntlet.
However, this is a close variation of the scoring system that is active during regular
gameplay, so if you have
EASY LANDINGS or other similar options activated, they will
reduce your score, even though they don’t aid your performance in the Gauntlet. Be sure
to select the most difficult setting for options like this during a Gauntlet run.
16
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
Transferring Your Character from
You can transfer your character to Tactical Operations from any Strike Commander
saved game. If you select load game from the startup menu in Tactical Operations, the
saved games in white are from Strike Commander. If you select one of these games, your
character’s name, callsign and killboard stats will be transferred from the Strike
Commander game you selected to a new Tactical Operations game — the Strike
Commander game you selected is not affected. (Your Strike Commander saved games
are not available from the Tactical Operations Barracks Option Screen.)
Tactical Operations
saved games
Strike Commander
saved games
Loading Weapons on the F-22
In Tactical Operations, you will have opportunities to fly missions with the F-22 Lightning II.
The F-22 can carry a maximum of two AMRAAMs and two Sidewinders (either -J or -M).
No other weapons may be loaded, as this is a dedicated air interceptor. Whenever you fly a
mission with this plane, its default loadout is a full load. If you wish to adjust the loadout,
you can click on the loaded weapons on the plane, just as in Strike Commander.
Lightning II
Strike Commander
Default loadouts are treated just as they are in Strike Commander. If the default weapons
are not available in your inventory, they will not be loaded. If you do not use them during
the course of your mission, they will be added back into your inventory when you return.
The weapons are loaded under the wing by the intake (see illustration).
Sidewinder
(loaded)
AMRAAM
(loaded)
Sidewinder AIM-9J
AIM-120 AMRAAM Sidewinder AIM-9M
17
CONTENTS
®
®
An Electronic Arts® Company
System Requirements................................................3
On-Line Help.............................................................3
Quick Install ..............................................................3
Installation..............................................................4-5
Changing Your Configuration .........................5
Re-Installing....................................................5
Optimizing Your System ........................................6-9
Memory Requirements....................................6
Creating a Boot Disk....................................7-9
Using Your Boot Disk .....................................9
Caching............................................................9
I/O and IRQ.....................................................9
Troubleshooting..................................................10-13
Messages During Installation...................10-11
Troubleshooting During Play...................11-12
Specific Hardware and Software...................13
DoubleSpace, CH GameCard III Automatic,
DOS 5.0 SMARTDRV.SYS, Bus Mastering Hard
Drive Users, SB/16/Wave Blaster and CH Flightstick
Combination, General MIDI
ORIGIN Product Support........................................14
Additions and Changes.......................................14-15
Rudder...........................................................14
Realistic Flight ..............................................14
Flightstick Pro ...............................................14
Hazing ...........................................................15
Invisible Cockpit ...........................................15
Player Score...................................................15
Radar and IR Warning Lights........................15
Damage MFD................................................15
Rookie, Veteran and Ace Options .................15
Clarifications.................................................15
Gauntlet ...................................................................16
Tactical Operations..................................................17
STRIKE COMMANDER CD CREDITS
PROGRAMMING......................Scott Biggs,
Paul Isaac, Dr. J. E. Kalan, Peter Shelus,
Zack Simpson, Jason Yenawine
DESIGN .............Adam Foshko, Prem Krishnan,
Rik Packham, Ben Potter, Jeff Shelton
ART .............Tom Evans, David Lawell, Al Perez
AUDIO .......Randy Buck, Britt Daniel, Jo Olivier,
John Tipton, Stretch Williams, Kirk Winterrowd
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Lead Tester...................................,Jerrold Harrington
Tester ....................Charles Angel, Evan Brandt,
Dan Orzulak, Scott Shelton, Toby Shelton
PACKAGING
Guide ...............................Jerrold Harrington,
Prem Krishnan, Jason Yenawine
Editing .................................David Ladyman
Graphic Design .........................Trey Hermann
ADMINISTRATION...........Jean-Marc Chemla,
Prem Krishnan, Joye McBurnett, Chris Roberts
VOICES
A-10 Pilot..................................................Rolf Busch
Tower........................................................Tom Byrne
C-130........................................................Keith Kelly
WC21 Leader ...........................................Chris Saver
Surf Dude................................................Jason Tirado
MiG-29 Pilot ............................................Ricky Vega
WC21 Wingman.......................................Paul Wright
18
TACTICAL OPERATIONS CREDITS
PROGRAMMING.....Scott Biggs, Frank Savage,
Peter Shelus, Jason Templeman, Jason Yenawine
AUDIO......Laura Barratt, Randy Buck, Jo Olivier,
John Tipton, Stretch Williams, Kirk Winterrowd
ART .......................Chris Douglas, Tom Evans,
Craig Halverson, David Lawell, Bruce Lemons,
Sean Murphy, Jake Rogers, Paul Steed
DESIGN .................Prem Krishnan, Ben Potter,
ADMINISTRATION...........Jean-Marc Chemla,
Prem Krishnan, Chris Roberts, Roswitha Shoemake
©Copyright 1994 ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin and We create worlds are registered trademarks of
ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Strike Commander and Tactical Operations are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems,
Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. All other trademarks are property of
their respective owners.
Tim Ray, Jeff Shelton, Peter Shelus
PACKAGING
Box cover...............................................Sean Murphy
Box design...............................................Craig Miller
Installation guide................................Prem Krishnan
Editing..................................................Melissa Mead
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Lead tester ...........................................Charles Angel
Testing..............................Don Derouen, Forest Yule,
Russell Byrd, Jeremy Mappus
ADDITIONAL VOICES
Ari, Maxwell........................................Michael Stuart
Kodiak.....................................................Harry Porter
Ursa-1 ................................................Celso Martinez
PLAYGUIDE
®
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Starting the Game......................................20
Starting a New Game.............................20
Exiting
Strike Commander.....................20
Training Missions..................................21
Air-to-Ground Missions...................21
Dogfight Missions............................21
Object Viewer........................................21
Game Options.............................................22
Option Screens......................................22
Configuration ..................................22
Detail...............................................22
Gameplay........................................23
Cameras..........................................23
Flight...............................................23
Cockpit............................................24
Audio...............................................24
Time Burst and Time Compression .......24
Camera Views.............................................24
Wildcat Base...............................................26
Loading Your Weapons ....................27
Barracks ...............................................28
Loading and Saving Games .............28
Virgil’s Office.........................................28
Managing the Wildcats ....................28
Strike Base............................................30
Selim’s...................................................31
Cockpit Instruments..................................32
Heads-Up Display (HUD).......................32
HUD Flight Indicators......................32
HUD Weapon Modes........................34
Multi-Function Displays (MFDs)............37
Weapons Display.............................37
Damage Display ..............................37
Gun Camera View ...........................37
Communication Screen...................37
Air-to-Ground Radar .......................38
Air-to-Air Radar...............................38
Threat Warning Indicator
(RAW Scope)..........................................39
Aerial Threats..................................39
Ground Threats...............................39
Radar and IR Missile
Warning Lights......................................39
Flight ........................................................40
Aerodynamics........................................40
Lift...................................................40
Thrust .............................................40
Gravity ............................................40
Drag................................................40
Pitch, Yaw and Roll................................40
G Force.................................................41
Pre-Flight Checklist...............................41
How to Fly..................................................42
Flight Controls ......................................42
Mouse Control.................................42
Keyboard Control ............................42
Joystick Control ..............................42
Rudder ............................................42
Throttle...........................................42
Maneuvers ............................................42
Taking Off .......................................42
Climb ..............................................42
Dive.................................................42
Rudder ............................................43
Roll..................................................43
Bank ...............................................43
Stall.................................................43
Landing...........................................43
Air Combat Tactics ....................................44
Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM).............44
Combat Geometry............................44
Dogfight Maneuvers ..............................45
Break ..............................................45
Loop................................................45
Lag Roll ...........................................46
High Yo-Yo.......................................46
Low Yo-Yo........................................46
Immelmann Turn ............................47
Air-to-Air Targeting ...............................47
Medium Range ................................47
Short Range ....................................47
Guns...............................................47
Air-to-Air Evasion..................................48
Long Range......................................48
Short Range ....................................48
Guns...............................................48
Air-to-Ground Combat ..........................48
IR-Guided Weapons.........................48
Cannon and Rocket Pods.................49
Bombs.............................................49
Groundfire Evasion ...............................49
Practice Missions.......................................50
Reference....................................................53
Weapons................................................53
Plane Specifications...............................56
Credits........................................................63
19
STARTING THE GAME
1. First, install Strike Commander on your hard disk. (For instructions, see the Install Guide.)
2. Select the drive on which the game is installed. (For example, if you installed the game on your
C-drive, type “C:” and hit e.)
3. Select your Strike Commander directory. (If you used the default directory, type “CD \SC” and
e.)
4. Start the game (by typing “STRIKE” and e).
After a brief animated sequence, your screen will display the startup menu.
Note: If you are starting Strike Commander for the first time, the
available. If you have not saved a game, the
LOAD GAME
option will not yet be available.
CONTINUE GAME
Start New Game. To begin the full Strike Commander game, select
START NEW GAME
option will not yet be
with your mouse
or joystick cursor.
Training Mission. For instant action, choose
TRAINING MISSION
. You can use this customizable option
to design practice missions against air or ground targets and to continue playing Strike Commander
after you have finished the preplotted game. Although practice missions will not affect your status
in the game, they are a good way to brush up on your flying and improve your combat skills while
getting to know enemy planes and vehicles.
If this is your first flight simulation game, running a few custom missions before you play the main
game is a good idea.
View Objects. Selecting
VIEW OBJECTS
allows you to see three-dimensional views of the planes, tanks,
trucks, weapons and other objects you will encounter in the game. Use the object viewer to
familiarize yourself with friendly and enemy equipment, or just to enjoy the artwork.
Load Game. To resume any of the games you have saved, choose
LOAD GAME
. When you select this
option, a list of the games you have saved will appear. Select the name of the saved game that you
want to continue, and click on the
LOAD
button. You will then find yourself at the point where you
saved — the barracks at the Wildcat base or the tent at the strike base.
Continue Game. To keep track of your progress, Strike Commander will automatically save your
position in the game, usually after missions or when you return to the Wildcat base. The auto-save
is a backup feature, not a regular save function, and you can not use it to return to a previous
series of missions, so be sure to use the regular save option frequently. If you exit without having
saved your game, however, selecting
CONTINUE GAME
most recent auto-save position. If you want to return to one of your saved games, use
from the startup menu will return you to your
LOAD GAME
instead.
STARTING A NEW GAME
After you select
screen. Enter your last name, your first name, and your callsign in the spaces provided. Press e
or t to move between fields, and B to correct mistakes.
Once you’ve typed text in all three fields, press e again to start the game. Your jeep will drive up
to the Wildcat base, and your game will begin.
EXITING
We recommend that you save and exit using the barracks and strike tent option screens. If,
however, you wish to quit your game immediately, press a X to exit. This function does not save
your game.
20
START NEW GAME
, a “Mercenary Defense License Application” will appear on your
STRIKE COMMANDER
TRAINING MISSIONS
After you choose
you will be asked to choose either a dogfight mission or an air -to-ground mission. To practice
dogfighting with enemy planes, choose
DESTROY
.
If at any time you want to return to a previous option screen, select
as the first screen. If at any time you want to return to the startup menu, select
TRAINING MISSION
from the startup screen, the dogfight background will appear, and
DOGFIGHT
. To practice ground attack runs, choose
BACKUP
. You can backup as far
CANCEL
SEARCH AND
.
Air-to-Ground Missions
After you choose
and asked to confirm your choice. Selecting
load weapons, click with the mouse on the weapon you want to add to your plane. The weapon will
appear under the wings of your plane on an appropriate hardpoint. Weapons are always loaded onto
your plane in pairs. If you click on a weapon already loaded on your plane, it will be removed and
returned to the or dnance carts. (For more infor mation on loading weapons, see Loading Your
Weapons, p. 27.) Afterwards, select the cockpit to fly your mission or the hangar doorway to return
to the startup menu.
SEARCH AND DESTROY
, you will be given a brief statement of your mission objectives
ACCEPT
sends you to the weapons loading screen. To
Dogfight Missions
After you choose
bottom of your screen will be a set of numbered buttons. Choose the number of enemy planes you
want in the first group that you will face. You will then be asked to choose the types of planes in
that group.
DOGFIGHT
, you will be given a brief statement of your mission objective. At the
After you choose number and type of planes, you will be given four options. If you only want to fight
one group of enemies, select
. If you want to add more groups, select
MORE
and choose the
ENOUGH
number and type of planes in the next group.
Once you’re satisfied with the selection of enemies and the mission configuration, choose the
altitude at which the engagement will begin (5,000, 15,000 or 25,000 feet). After choosing your
altitude, choose whether to engage
ROOKIE, VETERAN
or
ACE
opponents. Next, you load weapons onto
your plane. To do so, click with the mouse on the weapon you want to add to your plane. The
weapon will appear under the wings of your plane on an appropriate hardpoint. Weapons are always
loaded onto your plane in pairs. If you click on a weapon already loaded on your plane, it will be
removed and returned to the ordnance carts. (For more information on loading weapons, see
Loading Your Weapons, p. 27.) Afterwards, select the cockpit to fly your mission or the hangar
doorway to return to the startup menu.
For a walk-through of a few missions, see Practice Missions, p. 50.
OBJECT VIEWER
When the object viewer appears on your screen, you see an F-16 as it appears in the game. Initially,
the plane will be spinning. To change the direction of the spin, click on one of the
with the right mouse button. To stop the object from spinning, click on one of the
with the left mouse button. Once the motion is stopped, you can use the left mouse button to
manually rotate an object and view it from different angles. W and Z rotate the object around the
horizontal axis of the screen. A and S rotate it around the vertical axis.
ZOOM
To get a closer look at an object, press the
up arrow. To zoom back out, press the
arrow.
To view other objects from Strike Commander, select the button with the name of the object you’re
viewing. The next piece of hardware from Strike Commander will appear on your screen.
ROTATE
ROTATE
ZOOM
buttons
buttons
down
21
GAME OPTIONS
OPTION SCREENS
Strike Commander has a compr ehensive option screen interface that allows you to tailor the visual,
audio and flight characteristics of the game to suit your tastes and your hardware. Activate the
option screens from the cockpit by pressing a O.
Configuration
Option Screens Screen
The main configuration screen has the following buttons:
•
ROOKIE, VETERAN
•
SAVE
. Saves your unique option package.
•
DEFAULT
•
EXIT
. Exits the option screens.
•
EXIT GAME
the following buttons on it:
•
RESTART
•
ABORT
not been flown yet. This can be used to change your aircraft’s loadout or to listen to the
briefing again.
•
CONTINUE
completed at that point. This could be used to exit the game when you know you have
completed the mission goals and don’t want to continue the mission to landing. This
option will allow you to exit if the mission has not been completed so be sure you mean it!
•
EXIT
and
ACE
. Selects the overall difficulty level of the game.
. Restores the default setup.
. Lets you exit Strike Commander entirely. Selecting
EXIT GAME
brings up a menu with
. Restarts the mission from the beginning.
. Aborts your current mission and returns you to base as though the mission had
. Exits the game and returns you to the base as though the mission had been
. Returns you to the main configuration screen.
The other buttons are used to select the option screens listed below. For information on speeding
gameplay, see Troubleshooting, in the Install Guide. If a certain button is non-functional, it means
your system does not have enough memory to make it active, or that you do not have the required
hardware.
SAVE
Once you have configured the options to your liking, and hit
on the main configuration screen,
your game will begin with those options active until you choose to change them.
Detail
Your game automatically selects the detail settings that it considers most appropriate for your
machine. However,
turning various textures and shadings on and off. The small window in the center of this option
screen illustrates in a rough way how your changes will affect the look of the world. The less detail
you select, the more rapid the game’s frame rate and the smoother your game will flow (up to a
maximum level). Buttons that toggle details on and off include:
22
DETAIL
gives you fine control over the detail level of the objects and terrain by
•
TERRAIN
•
GOURAUD
•
. The smooth shading of the terrain.
TRANSITION
. The transition texture boundary anywhere terrain color changes (for example,
the transition from water to land).
•
INTEREST
. The small clumps of trees and rock outcroppings scattered on the terrain.
RIVERS
.
FIELDS
. The square patches of farmland.
CITIES
. The large urban areas.
RUNWAYS
. The textures on the runways.
GOURAUD
. The smooth shading on planes and other objects.
TEXTURE
. The texture mapping on the planes and other objects.
•
OBJECTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•HI-LO. Switch the objects from the highest detail levels to the lowest detail levels. There
are three settings.
•
HAZING
. The distance at which the terrain hazes out. There are five different settings ranging
from
NEAR
to
FAR
.
Some options will affect the frame rate (i.e., your game’s smoothness) more than others, depending
on your machine. Experiment with different options to get the most desirable balance of detail and
speed.
Gameplay
GAMEPLAY
changes the difficulty of the game in several specific ways through the following buttons:
•
UNLIMITED AMMO
•
EASY GUN HITS
•
ENEMY INTELLIGENCE
the easiest enemies and
. Gives you unlimited amounts of the current munitions you are carrying.
. Makes hitting enemy planes easier at long range with the gun.
. Controls the level of the enemy artificial intelligence, with
ACE
the most difficult.
ROOKIE
selecting
Cameras
CAMERAS
gives you control over the cameras in the game with the following buttons:
•
AUTO SWITCHING
danger of hitting the ground or is hit by enemy fire.
•
WEAPON CAMERA
turn the weapon camera on during a mission.
•
VICTIM VIEW
the victim camera on during a mission.
•
TERRAIN IN GUN CAMERA
rate, but looks better.
•
WINDOW SIZE
pick
SMALL
appropriately. Note that you do not lose any field of view if you pick a smaller window. The
smaller the window the faster the frame rate.
. Automatically switches you back to the forward cockpit view if the plane is in
. Automatically activates the weapon camera when a mission begins. It can also
. Automatically activates the victim camera when a mission begins. It can also turn
. Allows the gun camera to display the terrain. This reduces your frame
. Allows you to pick how much of your monitor the game screen will occupy. If you
or
MEDIUM
, the screen will be reduced in size and everything on it scaled
Flight
FLIGHT
lets you pick how you want to control the plane, the cockpit panning and other flight related
items. The buttons behave as follows:
•
CONTROL
. Selects the method you use to control your plane. Any buttons that appear flat are
not available. You may choose among
•
PANNING CONTROL
. Selects the method you use to control the cockpit panning. (As always, any
buttons that appear flat are not available.) You may choose among
SECOND JOYSTICK, THRUSTMASTER
through the thumb control on the joystick. You can always pan by pressing the second button
on the joystick and moving the joystick, regardless of the control selected.
•
MID-AIR COLLISIONS
•
EASY LANDINGS
•
SHOW WEAPONS
. Allows collisions between your plane and enemy planes if it is on.
. Is more forgiving to rough landings if it is on.
. Shows you the weapon loads of all planes in the game if it is on. This option will
reduce the frame rate (make the game less smooth), especially if many weapons are loaded on
the planes.
•
STALLS
. Controls whether or not the plane can stall. If it is on, stalls are possible.
KEYBOARD, MOUSE, JOYSTICK
or
NONE
. The Thrustmaster choice controls cockpit panning
or
THRUSTMASTER
KEYBOARD, MOUSE, JOYSTICK
.
,
23
Cockpit
This screen lets you customize the cockpit of your plane. It can also give you tools not available in
present-day aircraft, depending upon which buttons you select:
•
LADDER
•
•
. Turns on and off the pitch ladder display on the HUD.
TAPES
. Turns on and off the airspeed and altitude above sea level tape displays in the HUD.
AUTO TARGETING
. If this button is on and no target is currently selected, as soon as a target
comes into range, the computer will automatically select it as a target.
•
360°
LOCK
. When this button is on, you will not lose your target lock, even if the target cannot
be seen by the weapon targeting it.
•
SMART TARGETING
. When this button is on, you will be unable to target friendly or shotdown
aircraft.
•
SUN GLARE
•
G EFFECTS
. Turns on and off the glare of the sun.
. Turns on and off the blackout and redout effects associated with pulling too many
Gs.
•
SMART RADAR
. When this button is on, the standard target blip on the radar is replaced by a
series of different shapes depending upon the target’s shot down status and whether or not it
is friendly, enemy or neutral. For a description of these different shapes, see Air-to-Air Radar,
p.38.
•
360°
RADAR
. When this button is on, the radar switches to a mode that shows you all targets
around your plane, with your plane in the center.
•
SMART RAW SCOPE
. When this button is on, all radar-emitting targets are shown at all times.
Audio
These buttons control the sound of the game. If a button appears flat, that sound option is not
available with the sound card(s) you have installed. The buttons operate as follows:
•
MUSIC
. Turns music on and off.
•
SOUND FX
•
•
. Turns sound effects on and off.
SPEECH
. Turns speech on and off.
DIGITAL FX
. Turns digitized sound effects on and off.
TIME BURST AND TIME COMPRESSION
t activates the Time Burst function. T ime Burst accelerates time in the game so that everything
happens six times as fast. Releasing the t key takes you out of Time Burst.
s t activates 2x time compression. Everything happens twice as fast. Hitting s t again
doubles the compression again to 4x. Hitting s t a third time takes you back to normal time.
CAMERA VIEWS
In Strike Commander, you can watch cockpit action from many more camera angles than you’ve
ever had before. With a little practice, you will be using these camera angles to great advantage.
Most of the camera views use the joystick pan technique. All but one of the camera views replace
your HUD, so when using them, you’re flying without instruments. Be advised that some of the
camera views are so riveting that the development team crashed mor e than one plane by staying in
an external camera view too long.
Never forget where your aircraft is and where it’s going when you shift your view from the HUD to
an external camera, and remember that 1 will always snap you back to the cockpit. You will
also snap back to the cockpit automatically if you come too close to the ground, take damage or
stall, if you have auto-switching toggled on (see Option Screens: Cameras, p. 23).
24
1 Cockpit Camera. This key snaps your eyes back to the front of the cockpit. If you are already
in cockpit view, 1 zooms the HUD in and out. You can pan (look around) your cockpit in
Strike Commander using the joystick (with the #2 button pressed) or your keyboard, second
joystick, mouse or Thrustmaster thumb joystick — see Option Screens (p. 22) for instructions
on choosing your pan control.
2 Chase Camera. This is an exterior view just behind and above your aircraft.
3, 4 and 5 Left, Right and Back Cockpit Cameras, respectively.
6 External Camera. Press 6 to activate this view, then use the joystick (while the #2 button is
pressed) to pan around the exterior of your aircraft. [ and ] zoom in and out. Press 6 a
second time to see the next closest aircraft. C6 cycles your viewpoint among ground
objects in similar fashion.
7 Player to Target / Target to Player. This camera viewpoint tracks to keep you and a radar -
selected target in the field of view. The first time you press 7, you will see your selected
target from the point of view of your aircraft. Press 7 again to reverse the view, placing your
target in the foreground and your own plane in the background.
8 Gun Camera. This shows your currently selected target (for guided weapons) or a close-up of
your gunsight direction (for unguided weapons). If you have a target in the cross hairs of the
gun camera, your chances of hitting that target are excellent. It and the cockpit camera are the
only cameras you can use and still read your HUD. The gun camera is particularly useful
during combat when used in conjunction with a HUD weapons display, such as DGFT mode. It
is also useful in close air support over a contested battlefield, where enemy units are
intermingled with your own. It is only available from inside the cockpit.
9 Victim Camera. This view allows you to see the damage your weapons inflict on a selected
target, by cutting away from your cockpit to a close-up of your kill. You can preset your game
(using the Options Screens, pp. 22-24) to automatically cut away to victim camera whenever
appropriate. 9 toggles this view on and off.
0 Weapon Camera. This view follows the weapon you just launched. It is one of the more
dramatic camera views. You can preset your game (using the Option Screens, pp. 22-24) to
automatically cut away to weapon camera whenever you launch a weapon. 0 toggles this
view on and off.
Y Auto Target Tracking. If you have a target selected the first time you press Y, the camera
automatically pans to keep that target in view. Pr ess Y again to tur n this mode of f. See
Option Screens (pp. 22-24) for more details on managing this camera.
This fluid camera view, more than any other, demonstrates the concept fighter pilots call
“situational awareness”— the ability to know what is happening around you at all times. The
Auto Target Tracking view lets you make fast visual assessments of the situation.
25
WILDCAT BASE
The year is 2011. Your mercenary squadron, the Wildcats, is struggling to survive amidst dozens of
units who are as eager to find work as you are. Many of these groups, including the Wildcats, call
Istanbul, Turkey, home, but your job will take you around the globe.
The Wildcat base is the center of operations for your squadron. After completing a series of
missions, you will return here to purchase weapons, check the status of your squadron and talk
with fellow Wildcats. From the base, you can also travel to Selim’s, a bar in Istanbul, where fixers
wait to offer you dangerous but lucrative missions.
Hangar Option Screen
Jeep (to Selim’s)
To Office
(Ledger, Catalogs,
Kill Board)
Wildcats you can
talk with
Talking to the Wildcats. You may see other Wildcats standing around the hangar. You can talk to
them by selecting them with the cursor. Their conversations usually include mission information or
tips on flying, so it’s always wise to stop and chat.
During any conversation, you can move to the next screen by hitting e, z or the left
mouse button. You can exit the conversation entirely by hitting q.
Barracks. The door to the right leads to your barracks. The barracks are one of two locations where
you can load and save games. It’s a good idea to save as often as possible, especially after
completing difficult missions. Select the right hangar door to enter the barracks.
Office. To enter the office, select the door to the left. There, you can receive financial updates or
look at the kill board to gauge your progress relative to other Wildcat pilots.
Jeep. When the jeep is in the hangar doorway, you can select it to drive to Selim’s. At the bar, you
can obtain missions for your squadron, speak with fellow pilots and meet other interesting people.
Truck (to Strike base) (also, Plane, for local missions)
To Barracks
(Load or Save Game)
Transport Truck. You will be flying a variety of missions. For local missions, you will take off and
land at the Wildcat base. For most missions, however, Virgil, your accountant, will make
arrangements for a staging base in the vicinity of that series of missions. (Of course, a staging base
adds to overhead costs, but it’s a necessary expense.) After you accept a foreign mission, your
transport truck will appear in the hangar entrance.
Select the truck to load the Wildcats and their equipment onto a C-130 transport plane to travel to
your strike base. From there, you will begin the missions in that series.
Fighter Plane. If you accept a local mission, you will see an F-16 instead of a truck parked in the
doorway of the hangar. Select the plane when you’re ready to fly your mission. After selecting the F16, you will be informed of your mission targets and flight plans. Listen carefully to any instructions
— missing a rendezvous or a target can result in lost payments, expensive fighter replacement
costs, or even the death of a fellow pilot. If the exact locations are unclear, however, don’t worry; you
will have a map in your plane’s cockpit that allows you to review current mission objectives.
26
For the first couple of missions, Stern, the commander of the Wildcats, will assign you a wingman.
As you become a more experienced pilot, you may choose your own wingman.
After the briefing is finished, the weapon loading screen will appear.
Loading Your Weapons
On the weapon loading screen, you will see your F-16 parked in the hangar (or in front of the tent, if
you’re at the strike base) and several racks of weapons. Some weapons won’t become available until
later in the game, so don’t worry if there isn’t a wide selection at first. Use this screen to customize
the loadout your plane will carry into battle.
To load weapons. Select a weapon from the rack with your left mouse button. Weapons are added
to your plane’s inventory in pairs to ensure balance.
To remove weapons. Select a weapon on the plane with either mouse button, or a weapon on the
racks with the right mouse button. As with loading, weapons are removed in pairs.
Weapon Loading
Screen
Return to Base
Cockpit
AIM-9J
AIM-120
AMRAAM
Durandal
(Begin Mission)
LAU-3
GBU-15
MK 82
Loadout Limitations. Your plane has eight hardpoints for carrying weapons. Each type of
hardpoint can carry a limited number of weapons. At the tip of each wing is a rail that can carry
either a Sidewinder-9J or a Sidewinder -9M. Underneath each wing, closest to the end, is a light
hardpoint. Light hardpoints can carry only air-to-air missiles: either a Sidewinder or an AMRAAM.
In the center of each wing’s underside is a medium hardpoint. Because they are able to carry both
air-to-air and air -to-ground weapons, medium hardpoints are the most versatile. They can each
hold:
• 2 AMRAAMs,
• 1 GBU-15E,
• 2 rocket pods,
• 1 Sidewinder (AIM-9J or -9M),
The innermost hardpoints are heavy hardpoints. Heavy hardpoints can carry any of the weapons
carried by the medium hardpoints except air-to-air missiles.
Returning to the Base. If you decide after the briefing that you need to check your ledger or catalog
to purchase more weapons, or even if you just need to hear the briefing again, you can return to the
hangar by clicking along the top of the screen.
If you wish to have the briefing repeated at that point, click on the F-16 again, and you’ll go back
through the briefing and the weapons loading screen.
Flying the Mission. If you’re satisfied with your loadout and have a clear understanding of your
mission objectives, click on the cockpit of the plane to fly the mission.
AGM-65D Maverick
MK.20 Rockeye
• 3 Mavericks,
• 3 Durandals,
• 6 cluster bombs (Mk20’s) or
• 6 Mk82’s.
AIM-9M
27
BARRACKS
Loading and Saving Games
When you’re at the Wildcat base, you can visit the barracks to save the game in progress or to load
a previous one. The barracks can be reached from the right doorway in the hangar.
Barracks Option
Screen
Exit to Hangar
Load Saved Game
Sleeping Pilot (Loading Games). You’ll notice another Wildcat pilot sleeping in a cot in the
barracks. Wake her up (select her) to load a previous game. A screen will appear listing your saved
games. Select the game you want to load and click on the
decide not to load a game, click
Note: If you are using the partial installation option, you may have to re-install portions of the game
to return to a saved game.
Empty Bed (Saving Games). It’s advisable to save your game every time you complete a mission.
Click on the empty bed to bring up the save game window.
To save the current game under a new name, select the
for the file and press r. The only limit to the number of games you can save is your hard disk
space.
If you choose to delete a saved game for any reason, select its name on the list and click
When the game asks you to verify, click
deletion.
If you want to save using the same name as a previously saved game, select that name and click on
OVERWRITE
To return to the barracks, select
. Once again, you will have to confirm your choice.
CANCEL
to return to the barracks.
YES
to delete the saved game. Select NOto cancel the
RESUME
. To exit your game at this point, select
LOAD
button. If you change your mind and
NEW
button. Type the name you want to use
Save Game
QUIT TO DOS
.
DELETE
.
VIRGIL’S OFFICE
Managing the Wildcats
Virgil is the Wildcats’ accountant and chief whiner. He may be pessimistic, but it’s not wise to ignore
him, because he may have valuable information.
In Virgil’s office at the Wildcat base, you can talk to him, check squadron finances by reading the
ledger, purchase weapons from the catalog, or view the kill board to compare your progress with
other Wildcat pilots.
Talking to Virgil. When Virgil is sitting at his desk, click on him to receive a fiscal update on the
Wildcats. Virgil will often have important information concerning the squadron’s financial wellbeing, so check in with him frequently.
Ledger. View the ledger by selecting the open book on the right side of Virgil’s desk. The first page of
the ledger shows the financial status of the Wildcats, including overhead costs, fighter plane
replacement costs, recent purchases, and net worth. The statistics that are most important to you
are your current cash worth and your projected overhead costs. This will be updated when you
accept a mission. Remember that the overhead is a cost per mission.
28
Office Option Screen
Virgil
Ledger
If your projected cash is ever below zero, make sure you’re successful on your next few missions.
Otherwise, you’ll be broke, and the Wildcats will be finished.
Turn the page (by clicking on it) to see a listing of your squadron’s currently available weapons. You
won’t order weapons here, though. Check the catalog for purchases.
To return to the office after viewing the ledger, click along the top edge of the screen.
Catalog. Initially, Stern will purchase weapons for the Wildcats. As you gain experience, however,
the responsibility for purchasing weapons for the squadron will pass to you.
When it’s available, you will be able to use the catalog to make weapon purchases. View it by
selecting the book and calculator on the right side of Virgil’s desk. You’ll be purchasing weapons for
all of the Wildcats, so be sure to stock plenty of everything, especially Sidewinders and smaller
bombs.
Catalog
Kill Board
Exit to Hangar
When you select the catalog, it will open to two pages of weapons and prices. Flip through the book
by clicking on the top corners of pages.
Buying a Weapon. Click on the weapon with the left mouse button. A receipt will appear on the
screen with the weapon type and its price displayed on it. If you buy more of the same weapon, the
number on its receipt will change.
If you change your mind and decide not to purchase a weapon, click on it with the right mouse
button, or click on the receipt with either button. That item will be subtracted from the
corresponding receipt.
Some weapons are available for better prices if they’re bought in bulk. When you select one of the
four weapon packages listed in the back of the catalog, you will receive the number of weapons listed
in the package description. Weapon packages are a good way to save money and still buy enough
weapons for the entire squadron.
As you select weapons and packages, the calculator next to the catalog keeps track of the amount of
money in your account (top line), the amount you are spending (middle line) and your account
balance (bottom line). You are allowed up to one million dollars in credit to purchase weapons, but
remember that you will go bankrupt and lose the game if you return from a mission with no cash.
To return to the office, click anywhere along the top of the screen. When you do this, the weapons
you have selected will be purchased, and the correct amount of cash will be subtracted from your
account.
Returning to the Hangar. Click anywhere along the bottom of the screen to return to the Wildcat
hangar.
29
STRIKE BASE
When you fly foreign missions, you’ll need to set up a strike base. Virgil will make arrangements for
the Wildcats to use abandoned airfields or old airport facilities for these bases. It costs a bit to set
up a strike base, but it enables the Wildcats to fly missions anywhere around the globe.
Tent. The tent is the hub of activity at the strike base. Select the open flap to enter the tent, where
you can load and save games, view the kill board, check the ledger and use the catalog. All of these
functions are the same as they are at the Wildcat base. After tending to business, you may want to
talk to other Wildcat pilots who are relaxing in the tent. They will give you background information,
flight tips, and mission reports.
Office. Some of the strike bases include a small office to the right of the runway. Occasionally, you
will find Wildcats there to chat with about current missions and strategy hints. Click on the office to
talk with them. Press q if you wish to terminate the conversation.
Option Screen
Kill Board
Load Saved Game
Wildcats you can talk with
Fighter Plane. When you’re ready to begin a mission from the strike base, click on the fighter plane
to hear your briefing, load your plane with weapons, and fly your mission. This works the same as it
does at the Wildcat base.
Transport Truck. When you’ve completed your work at the strike base, the transport truck will pull
up outside the tent. Select it to pack up and head back to the Wildcat base.
Save GameExit to Strike Base
Ledger (Calculator)
Catalog
30
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