amiga - arcticfox manual

8/12/2019 AMIGA - Arcticfox Manual

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Arcticfox

1986 Electronic Arts

Manual

BACKGROUND Although the allen task force has been active in Antarcticasince about 2005, when a member of the doomed Hagerty Expeditionmanaged to escape the alien force field with information aboutthe activities taking place within its boundaries. Mostsignificantly, it seems the aliens have been very productive inthe relatively short time they have occupied the area, and have

succeeded in building a number of oxygen converters in anattempt to replace the earth's atmosphere with one more suitedto their physiological makeup. the atmosphere surroundingtheir native planet, STV-7X,, is made up of equal parts ofammonia, methane, and chiorine gas, and is obviously hostileto human existence.It is also volatile, and so long as any traces of oxygen remainin the atmosphere, will cause atmospheric disturbances of aspectacular nature, mainly in the form of intense electrical storms.

At our present stage of technology, we have no weaponscapable of penetrating the alien force field directly, althoughindirect methods may be available. One possible approach isthe temporarily weaken one side of the force field by causinga magnetic disturbance of the other. Preliminary tests showthat this method may cause sufficient disruption of the forcefield to allow entry of a single combat vehicle into occupied

territory. The obvious choice for the combat vehicle is thenew supertank from General Polemics, the Slye-Hicks MX-100,codename: ARCTICFOX.

Arcticfox is the most advanced terrain vehicle of itskind. Specially designed for polar combat, it features fullmissile-launching capability as well as standard shellilingand mine-placement functions. In addition, Arcticfox can"dig in" into snow, allowing it to escape detection from allbut the most sophisticated radar equipment. Finally,Arcticfox's four-speed automatic transmission provideslow-end torque as well as a top speed in excess of 100 kph.

Combat plan involves infiltration into alien territoryat 0900 hours. This coincides with the enemy's greatestenergy usage, and is thus considered optimal for attempting topenetrate the force field. Once inside enemy territory, all

radio communication with HQ will be terminated to reduce thepossibility of detection. The operator is therefore advisedto become familiar with combat strategy as outlined in thismanual, as no further info will be available from HQ oncepenetration has been achieved.

SKILL LEVELS In addition to the 2 advanced levels (beginner andtournament), Arcticfox includes two preliminary (pre-game)levels to let you preview the enemy resources and developproficiency in controlling your equipment. Although youcan start playing at the advanced levels right away, youwill get more out of the game if you sp[end a little timeat the preliminary levels learning about the enemy andabout Arcticfox.

PRELIMINARY LEVELS

ENEMY PREVIEW: When you select this mode, the enemy'sresources parade before you, appropriately labeled, so youcan see what you will be up against. TRAINING LEVEL: At this level you can roam around theterrain and shoot the enemy to your heart's content, but youcannot complete the game (which requires blowing up orotherwise disabling the main fort). At training level, yourarmor is tougher, and you have a large supply of ammo, whilethe enemy is weaker and less intelligent. In addition,whenyou start playing at this level, you don't start at the samemap location as you do in the advanced levels, but at adifferent location,

ADVANCED LEVELS

BEGINNER: Start at this level if you are still learning

the basics. At this level you have an ample supply of minesand missiles, and your armor is tougher. In addition, thereare fewer enemy resources to contend with, and the enemy is


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weaker then it is at the Tournament level.

TOURNAMENT: This level is for the aficionado. ATtournament level the enemy is very intelligent and has use ofa tracking device which provides a constant readout of yourlocation. In addition, all advanced hazards (such as slid,friction and acceleration physics)are in full force, makingit more difficult to maneuver. Your starting position inTournament level varies among 8 preselected locations.Upon selecting Tournament level, you are given the opportunityto select starting location and enemy configuration from theavailable choices.

INSTRUMENTS

WARNING LIGHT; The warning light indicates whether ornot the Arcticfox has been spotted by the enemy. A greenlight means that Arcticfox has no been spotted; a yellow lightindicates that Arcticfox has been spotted by the enemy locally,ie., only by the enemy in the local sector. A red light meansthe Arcticfox's location is known by the enemy throughoutthe entire area. When this happens, the communications fortwill mobilize search patrols and strike forces. However,because the Arcticfox's location during condition red isrelayed through the communications fort, destruction of thefort will effectively counteract transfer of that information.

RADAR/AFT VIEW: The Arcticfox's radar view is a bird'seye view of the surrounding area with the Arcticfox in thecenter of the screen. The radar will not reveal the enemyhiding behind terrain objects. The aft view is provided bya camera attached to the rear of the Arcticfox. The radar

view always keeps north at the top of the screen, regardlessof the direction the Arcticfox is facing, making it easy tocoordinate direction with the compass (see below). Pressing the radar/aft key when the missile is activetoggles between the view from the missile and the radar view,on the small viewport.

OXYGEN: Shows the percentage of oxygen remaining in theatmosphere. The rate of conversion can be slowed down bydestroying the enemy's air converters.

COMPASS: Shows the Arcticfox's heading using standardcompass orientation

MINES: Indicates the number of mines remaining.

GUIDED MISSILES: Indicates the number of guided missiles

remaining.

POSITION: Shows the Arcticfox's current position indegrees and minutes for both longitude and latitude.

CLOCK: No prize for guessing this one. However, youshould be aware that the clock always starts at 0900 hourseach time you start the game.

SPEEDOMETER: Indicates Arcticfox's speed in kpm. Theneedle points to the right of center when the Arcticfox ismoving forward. and to the left of center when theArcticfox is moving backward. The needle is centered whenyour not moving.

GUNSIGHT: The 4 converging diagonal lines in the mainviewport meet to become crosshairs as soon as an enemy;

your vehicle is within range. Note that during the reloadcycle (see controlling arcticfox, below) the square bracketsin the sight disappear until Arcticfox's cannon is ready tofire again.

DAMAGE INDICATOR: The damage indicator is green whenArcticfox is undamaged, and slowly turns yellow and finallyred as Arcticfox sustains damage.

CONTROLLING ARCTICFOX

To fire the ARcticfox's canon, press your joystick button.Note that Arcticfox needs to reload between shots. Althoughreloading is automatic, it may take up to 5 seconds.

In addition, you can access the following functions throughthe keyboard, using either of two sets of keys. Right-

handed players may perfer to use the set of keys on the lefthand side of the keyboard, while left-handed players may withto use the keys on the right. thereby reserving the preferred


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ground and on the radar screen.

WEATHER: Watch for lightning and blizzards. As more ofthe oxygen is converted, the sky becomes darker and lightningmore prevalent. Blizzards can cause a whiteout, resulting inpartial loss of visibility for both you and the enemy. Nevertheless, radar will still function properly. Note,however, that radar will not function in a lightning storm. Fog looks similar to a blizzard except that there are nosnowfields and it dissipates more quickly.

ENEMY RESOURCES(SEE F1)

STRATEGY AND TACTICS

1. It is inadvisable to stand in one spot during battle. Keepmoving if you can. One way of doing this is to use RelativeReverse, which causes Arcticfox to follow its last command.

2. Dropping mines is one of the most effective ways of dealingwith ground units.

3. Destroying the Communications Fort will make it impossiblefor Recon Sleds and Recon Flyers to reveal your position.This will make it easier for you to approach the Main Fortwhen the time comes.

4. Destroying the enemy's oxygen converters will reduce therate of oxygen conversion, giving you more time to succeedin your mission.

5. Following the force field protects one side of the Arcticfox.

6. Make sure you reserve at least 2 gulded missiles and/or10 cannon shells for the last stand against the Main Fort.

SKILL LEVELS

In the training mode, you have access to these special features:

F1 TURBO - Arcticfox moves at 400 kph: missiles at 800 kph(toggle)F2 INVISIBILITY - Arcticfox can't be spotted by enemy (toggle)F3 BLIZZARD - Starts / Stops a blizzard (toggle)F4 STORMS - Starts / Stops lightning storms (toggle)F5 JUMP UP - Arcticfox jumps up into the air, then back downF6 BIG RADAR MAP - View all 8 sectors adjacent to yourlocation (toggle)F7 SMART BOMB - Destroys all aliens in your sector

F8 BIG SCREEN MISSILE - Use main screen for missile view(toggle: works on all levels)F9 TOUGH FOX - Renders Arcticfox indestructible (toggle)F10 COCKPIT OFF - Hides all the cockpit instruments (toggle)

In tournament Mode, you have the option to choose your enemyconfiguration and starting location thought additionalkeyboard prompts, or you can ask the computer to make theselection. Also the enemy's Recon Flyers are equipped witha tracking device in Tournament Mode-and they won't hesitateto use it against you.

CONTROLLING ARCTICFOX

MOVEMENT - Use your joystick or mouse to control the Arcticfox'smovement just move the device in the direction you want toetank to go. In mouse mode, you can press the spacebar to

center your mouse on the screen. Fire your cannon bypressing the mouse or joystick button. To fire repeatedly,hold the button down.

KEYBOARD COMMANDS -The keyboard layout parallels the layout of your sixonscreen control panel buttons. (you can only use thenumber on the numeric keypad.)

CANNON INCLINATION--------------------- Q OR 7AFT-VIEW------------------------------- W OR 8DROP MINE------------------------------ E OR 9RELATIVE REVERSE----------------------- A OR 4GUIDED MISSILE------------------------- S OR 5DIG IN--------------------------------- D OR 6

OTHER KEYBOARD COMMANDS:

RESTART GAME------------------ CONTROL - R (ANYTIME)SOUND ON/OFF------------------ CONTROL - S


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PAUSE/RESUME------------------ ESCEXIT MISSION EVALUATION SCREEN ANY KEY

---Typed by DR.J. Edited by PARASITE.

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amiga - arcticfox manual

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