323 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
323 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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Aces of Europe
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from Dynamix ( Sierra )
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***********************
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Quick Docs
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By Fanfan LaTulipe
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***********************
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Introduction
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^^^^^^^^^^^^
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This is yet another Warplane Dogfight game. Not being very keen on this
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particular type of game, I would be tempted to bag this and wait for something
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more to my liking. However, a single glance at this game made me
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realize that this was quite an interesting piece of software.
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A simple intro with the rythmic yet quiet rolling of martial drums, a
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single melodious tune reminescent of a tale of guts and glory... And on a
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pastel blue sky, rolling waves of milky white clouds... Fending the winds
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with the ease of the great raptors, the colorful fuselage of those WWII Iron
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Birds of Prey, taking the hideous conflict raging below to the heavenly
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heights, and engaged in a deadly dance of daring moves and show of nerve...
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The game possesses an impressive set of menus and options, providing
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a greatly detailed realism scale to the action. The simple yet effective
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graphics and the ease of the animation ( tested on a 386sx20!!! ) will have
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to appeal to the most demanding player. And the controls are so basic that
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it'll take no-time to anyone to fully familiarize themselves with them.
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I now will provide a list of all those options and controls, hoping to
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ease the play for some of you out there...
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The Cockpit
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^^^^^^^^^^^
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Velocity in
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Stall Warning Altitude Miles/Hour Flaps Position
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Light Indicator
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Velocity in Velocity in
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Rotation/Minutes Heading Angle vs Rotation/Minutes
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Level to Ground
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Landing Gear Bank Dive Break
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Switch Indicator Switch
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Those are the relative positions of the Switches and Gauges affecting the
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game... I ommited couple lights ( including the low fuel light, because it
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was my understanding that the realism panel forces unlimited fuel mode ).
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The Keys
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^^^^^^^^
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Views: F1 : Front *
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F2 : Back *
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F3 : Right *
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F4 : Left *
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F5 : Above
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F6 : Under
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F7 : Trailing plane view ( Squadrons )
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* Enter : Toggle inside/ouside of cockpit view for all of the above
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] : Zoom in in outside views
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[ : Zoom out on outside views
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A : Autopilot ( Use that to get to location after taking off from the base
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the option isn't available if you start on location )
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B : Dive Break
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F : Flaps 1/2 Extended, Extended, Retracted
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G : Guns : Toggle number of guns to use ( varies between plane types )
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L : Landing Gear in/out
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M : Map : A nice map of Europe indicating axis/allies airfields and your
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current postion. Mouse controlled like menues. Clicking you
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may set your destination or get info on various airfields such as:
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-Name
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-Distance from airfield
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-Bearing
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P : Pause
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Q or ESC : Exit
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R : Fire Rockets ( Only where available )
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S : Send Radio Message
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U : Unjamm Gun ( only if Jammed, in the Gun Jamming reality mode only )
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W : Wheel Brakes ( after landing )
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> : Right Rudder
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< : Left Rudder
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/ : Center Rudder
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Alt D : Mouse on/off
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Alt J : Joystick on/off
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Alt M : Music on/off
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Alt S : Sound on/off
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Alt R : Reality Panel ( Described later on )
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Alt X : Exit to DOS
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Ctrl B : Bail Out
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Numbers 1-0 : Throttles
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+ : Increase Throttles
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- : Decrease Throttles
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Space Bar : Fire Guns
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Arrows : Up : Dive
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Down : Climb
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Right : Roll to right
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Left : Roll to left
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F10 : Preferences Menu:
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Options:
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- Flight ( Mouse/Keyboard/Joystick/etc... I recommand Joystick )
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- Rudder ( " " " " Keyboard )
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- Throttle( " " " " Keyboard )
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- Time Scale
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- Aircraft Details
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- World Details
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- Ground Details
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- Resolution
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I personnaly found it easier to use the joystick for the flight control
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and keep all the other controls on keyboard.
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Taking off & Landing Instructions
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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->Take Off : Full throttles
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Wait a little for speed to build up then pull down to take off
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Watch pulling too much ( Stall light indicator ). If you stall
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the give a little push back down to bring the nose down a little.
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Raise the Landing Gear
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->Landing : Pull Landing Gear out
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Keep the speed high
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Navigate to line up with the runway at about 1 large unit of
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altitude
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Descend toward the runway
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Reduce your rate of descent to almost nothing at an altitude of
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less than one small unit
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Extend your flaps
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Thouch down with the minimal rate of descent
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Use thw Wheel brakes and reduce throttles to zero
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Menus
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^^^^^
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-> Main Menu
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---------
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---> Fly Single Mission:
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+ Training : Select between the following:
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- Areal Gunnery ( Dogfight )
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- Anti - Shipping ( Sink Ships )
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- Intercept
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- Ground Attack ( Blow-up ground targets )
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- Landing
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+ Dogfight an Ace : Choose the ace's nation and identity
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Select your/his plane
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Select confrontation altitude
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Give (or not) an advantage to either side
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Select weather conditions
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+ Dogfight a Squadron : Select up to 4 planes for your squadron and the crew
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Select planes for both sides
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Select opponent's skill
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Give advantage
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Select Weather
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+ Fighter Sweep : Select the composition of your Squadron
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Choose both sides' planes
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Select ennemy skill
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Select Weather
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+ Scramble : Like Fighter sweep, except you are starting on ground while your
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airbase is under fighetr attack
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+ Escort Bombers : Like Fighter Sweep except your duty is to protect relatively
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helpless Bombers from ennemy fighters ( your strategy has
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to be different as some planes will try to lure you away
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from the bombers as others will take them down )
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+ Historic Mission : Select a nation and a mission from the areal campaigns
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it was engaged in. This option contains a wealth of
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historical missions including all types of targets/duties
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+ Intercept Bombers : Like Fighter Sweep but you are to eliminate ennemy
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bombers.
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+ Anti-Shipping Strike : Like Fighter Sweep, but Strike a naval convoy
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protected by Fighters.
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+ Interdiction : Like Fighter Sweep except this is a Ground Strike on tanks
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and the targets are protected by fighters.
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+ Close Support : Like Fighter Sweep except it's a ground strike against
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fortified Positions protected by fighters.
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+ Crossbow : Similar to close support, and you're to destroy top secret
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german V2 installations
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+ Best Mission : This is the "High Score hall of fame" You can select the
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Debriefing Stats of the best missions
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Debriefing Stats Include:
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-Mission Score
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-Aircrafts Lost
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-Confirmed Kills in terms of:
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Aircrafts
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Ships each both personal and Squadron
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Ground Targets
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---> Career Menu :
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This is an outline of the steps involved in this "campaign" mode:
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- Choose your Nation
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- Select your initial Rank
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+ 2nd Lieutenant
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+ 1st Lieutenant
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+ Captain
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- Select amongst the possible missions the one you want to fly
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- Select amongst the available squadrons the one you want to fly in
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+ Your rank affect your position in the squadron
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+ Pay attention to the Aces the Squadron might have. While this
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will help you survive difficult missions, they'll tend to take the
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glory away by scoring the most kills
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+ You're also given the Airfield you're based on and the overall pilots
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quality
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- Select from the Airbase Menu Options
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+ Fly the Next mission
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+ Squadron Info ( the one you just selected earlier )
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+ View Map ( Cf key M )
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+ View Pilot Reccords:
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- your score
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- number of mission flown and related info
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- dates
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- nation
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- squadron
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- Campaign & Mission
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- Kill List
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- Medals & Awards
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+ View Aircraft : Get a visual on the plane ( can zoom in/out on it
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and change angles )
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View Info on the plane's statistics
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+ Backup Career ( Save game )
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- After you opted for flying the mission you are given a Briefing
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+ you can decline
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+ Define the reality options you want to experience
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+ View the flight maps again
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- At the mission's conclusion you are Debriefed, and provided with the
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data mentioned earlier in the Best Mission portion of the Fly Single
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Mission
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---> View Vehicles
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- Select a nation ( US/UK/German )
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- Select Vehicle type
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+ Airplanes
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+ Ships
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+ Vehicles : This includes : Tanks
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Jeeps
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Trucks
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Half-Track
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Ducks ( Amphibious Trucks )
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This option enables you to get a visual on each vehicle type,
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change the view angles and Zoom in/out. It alos gives you the name and
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historical data on the unit, along with a statistics sheet. It is quite
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entertaining and instructive to take a minute a browse...
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---> Other Options
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- Preferences
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- Reality Panel :
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+ Set the Difficulty Level : Novice/Intermediate/Expert
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+ Reality Factors:
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+ Sun Blind Spot : You get the Sun glare in your field of vision, depending
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on the weather and your position relative to the Sun
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+ Realistic Weather
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+ Gun Jamm Allowed : Rats! Can't fire! Time to unjam and engage escape
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procedures because you won't be keeping that bandit's
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trail for much longer!
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+ Engine Burnout : That would suck, wouldn't it! Bail out and hope for the
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best
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+ Blackouts allowed
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+ Limited Ammo : Nice option to learn how to shoot and make the game realistic
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+ Limited Fuel : NOT AVAILABLE, for some unknown reason
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+ Damaged Aircraft : Well, Tear and Wear can do that and surprise you
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at the most inconvenient time
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+ Mid Air Collision : Excellent option to get a notion of distances while
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tailing bandits or sweeping in the middle of Bomber
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waves.
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+ No In-flight info : Some accasional messages don't pop up... not a great
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loss if you ask me.
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+ Set the difficulty for the
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-Combat level
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-Flight mode
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On the overall, the default is set around a 44% overall difficulty.
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You should increase it a bit to make it more challenging... At most, you
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can reach 94% and test your wing the hard way.
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- Watch Demo
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- Read Credits
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---> Mission Reccorder:
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At the conclusion of a mission, you are always given to tape the
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mission... This is where you will use the interactive VCR and replay it.
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The controls ( use the mouse ) are the same as any VCR, and in addition to
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watching the action, you can actually Bud In!!!
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You can take over the control at any one point and "remake" history
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Conclusion
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^^^^^^^^^^
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I hope you will enjoy this file. I made it out of concern of people
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not using the full potential of this multi-option game. I realize that
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New Order released The keys earlier Today ( I've been long to write this
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due to a raging Hang-Over : MD 20/20, Tequilla & Guiness Stout don't Mix )
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but I believe you can still get something out of this file.
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I send the following personal Greets :
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+ Bandieto : This one's for you
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+ Nexus : Thanks for another high quality release
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+ Trinity : A much Better Review, but I need to adress 2 points:
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1: I quote the writer of the file :
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" I'm not sure what year this was in, but I assume it was WWII "
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Dude! Out of respect for the memory of the Thounsands of GIs
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that gave their lives on the shores of Normandie to help free my Gran-Pa
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a french resistant in the jails of pro-germany Vichi, and in a hommage to
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the Millions of soldiers and unspoken heros that selflessly gave their lives
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to fight one of the worst evils of human history, I must URGE you to
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maybe spend less time writing reviews and go get yourself a sound education.
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Axis/Allies, Mono-planar planes! That shouldn't even have been thought
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about!!!
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2 : I quote again :
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" They ( Sierra ) couldn't have done a better job! "
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While this is truely a great software, I see room for
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considerable improvement such as in the career mode, the consideration
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for fuel requirements on fighters when attacking incoming bombers :
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The Fighters had to escort the bomber on small ranges only cause of the lack
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of fuel and bombers would be sitting ducks the rest of the way... This is
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just a detail, but I could go on forever. My point is that that sentence was
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just a cute wording with nothing to back it up...
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Until Next time,
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Fanfan la Tulipe
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Sysop of the Kraal in AC 301
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