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-2EPILEPSY WARNING
Please read before using this video game. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of
consciousness when exposed to certain flashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may
have a seizure while watching certain monitor images or playing certain video games. This may happen even
if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had any epileptic seizures. If you or anyone in
your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to
flashing lights, consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video
games by their children. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred
vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or
convulsion, while playing a video game, IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your doctor.
PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE DURING USE:
• Do not sit too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the monitor.
• Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep.
• Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.
• Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing video games.
-3CONTENTS
ABOUT THE GAME 4
ABOUT THE 9TH COMPANY 5
GAME FEATURES 6
MAIN MEN U 7
MISSION SELECTI ON S CREEN 8
MISSION SETUP SCREEN 8
ACTIVE SOLDIERS SETUP MENU 9
FIRE SUPPORT SELECTION MENU 12
USER INTERFACE 14
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS 22
CREDITS 24
SPECIAL THANKS 25
COPYRIGHT INFORMAT I ON 26
TECHNICAL SUPPORT 27
-4ABOUT THE GAME
"The 9th Company" is the first real-time tactical strategy game about the war in Afghanistan. The game is
based on an original movie of the same title directed by Fedor Bondarchuk. It tells the story of the 9th
Company of the 345th "OPDP" airborne regiment battalion – an elite regiment of the Soviet Army which
once fought on the territory of the Republic of Afghanistan. Since the game’s plot interweaves with the
movie, the heroes of our story will go through Soviet Army drills, accomplish a series of military operations
and finish their journey in a large-scale battle at Height 3234.
-5ABOUT THE 9TH COMPANY
The history of the 9th Company is unique. To begin with, it was one of the first military subdivisions to enter
Afghanistan. Interestingly enough, it was formed according to different criteria – instead of the most
disciplined soldiers, it was the most experienced ones that entered the company's ranks. Among them were
excellent mine layers, vehicle mechanics and drivers, not to forget first-class machine gunners and riflemen.
Over the next several months, it was clear that this regiment was the most effective compar ed of all the
squads and divisions in Afghanistan. The 9th Company performed superbly during Amin’s Palace assault – a
well known operation lead by the KGB. Until the very end of the war, the 9th Company participated in the
most difficult and dangerous operations on Afghanistanian soil.
Unlike the movie, our game covers a significantly larger time period – almost 9 years of that bloody war.
Game missions are based on real military operations and were designed to plunge the player into the brutal
warfare between the Soviet Army and the Mujahideen which took place 15 years ago. Together with this
legendary regiment, the player will travel through all phases of this unjustly forgotten war.
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GAME FEATURES
• Well known movie characters
• Cut-scenes from the film, which not only reveal the story but also create a life-like atmosphere
• Unit Injury System which gives tactical battles a genuine, thrilling feel
• Large selection of massive, highly detailed locations: dozens of structures and hundreds of objects create an
authentic in-game landscape
• Advanced physics systems allowing destruction of any building, vehicle or landscape objects
• Miscellaneous tactical options and weapons: artillery strikes, bombings, flanking, assaults and defence of
structures and fortifications.
“The 9th Company” is a modern, high-tech game. Its powerful game engine is capable of rendering up to
500,000 polygons per scene, which in combination with the advanced physics systems means any object on
the tactical map can be destroyed, creating visually stunning battles. The ADICO Engine guarantees players
a real feeling of intense battle, just as they were in the mountains of Afghanistan. The game makes a great
addition to Fedor Bondarchuk’s original movie of the same title.
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MAIN MENU
1. New Game Begin a new game
2. Continue Continue a game in progress
3. Load Load a previously saved game
4. Profile Select an existing profile or create a new one
5. Settings Adjust game difficulty level, sound and graphical settings
6. Memorial Historic notes on the Afghanistan War (1979-1989)
7. Credits See who brought the game to life
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MISSION SELECTION S CREEN
Options available on this screen allow you to select a new campaign mission or replay any previously
completed missions. Note: If you decide to replay a mission, you will then have to replay all the following
campaign missions, including those already accomplished.
MISSION SETUP SCREEN
Here you can check your mission briefing, set up your battle group and select fire support units. On the left
side of the screen you will find a mini-map displaying the mission area, and beneath that a window with the
mission briefing. On the right side of the screen the active soldiers and fire support setup menus are listed. In
order to switch between the two menus, simply select from the tabs at the top of the screen.
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ACTIVE SOLDIERS SETUP MENU
[screenshot]
After selecting the Mission Setup Screen option, a tab with the Active Soldiers Setup Menu will be opened
on the left. The screenshot above illustrates all the sections with digits, as follows.
1. Mini-map
The mini-map displays the whole mission area. Flags represent each particular mission objectiv e.
2. Mission Description
The mission briefing and all objectives needed to complete the mission
3. Soldiers in Reserve
A list of all soldiers in reserve, which you can select to replace active men.
4. Soldiers Assigned to Battle Group
The ‘Battle Group’ is the detachment of soldiers under your command during the mission.
In order to add a soldier to this group, double-click the soldier's name in the top list. To remove a soldier,
double-click soldier's name in the bottom list.
-10Please note that some soldiers in the battle group cannot be exchanged, since they are crucial to successful
mission accomplishment. In this case their names are marked with a red tick.
5. Soldier's Equipment
In this window you can check all pieces of equipment available for a given mission. The following types of
armament are used during missions: primary, secondary, grenades, special and armour. In order to switch
between the various categories, select the corresponding tabs at the top of the Soldier’s Equipment window.
To begin equipping a soldier, select him from the battle group list, and then browse the tabs to check his
current equipment. On the right hand side of the soldier’s image you will find the list of equipment available
in a given category. In order to equip the selected soldier with a piece of equipment, or replace currently
equipped pieces with more suitable ones, double-click their names.
6. Soldier's Parameters
From here you can view all attributes of the selected soldier. These reflect his most important parameters,
crucial to the selection of proper equipment:
• Weight – Total weight of a selected piece of equipment. The higher the equipments’ weight, the faster the
soldier carrying it will get fatigued while running. The total equipment weight carried by one soldier cannot
exceed 32 kilograms.
• Defence – This parameter varies depending on the equipped armour type. In cases of no armour, the
defence rating is 0.
• Experience – High battle experience values increase the soldier’s strength and damage resistance. In other
words, it is much more difficult to eliminate or injure an experienced fighter than a rookie.
-11The rest of the parameters reflect the soldier’s skill level at handling the four available weapon types: assault
rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and sniper rifles. The more targets a soldier defeats with a certain
type of weapon, the higher his skill level will be for that type of weapon.
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FIRE SUPPO RT S ELECTION MENU
To enter the Fire Support Selection Menu, select the corresponding tab above the Active Soldiers Setup
Menu. The screenshot below illustrates all the sections with digits, described below.
[screenshot]
Note: In order to call for reinforcements during a mission, you will need to have a soldier in your squad
equipped with a P107 radio.