A.C.E. (The Air Combat Emulator) ---------------------------- Cascade Games, 1986. Your AWAT (All Weather All Terrain) jet stands fully fuelled and fully armed. A vast invasion fleet is anchored just off your shores. Ground forces have come ashore and are advancing on your positions protected by massive air cover. You are the last fighter pilot. Your country turns to you and asks... "Are you good enough to be called an ACE?" Featuring * Multiple Ground Objects * Two kinds of Enemy Jet * Enemy Helicopter Gunships * Enemy Fleet Off Shore * Twin Flying Mode * Fly and Fight With The Aid Of A Friend * Air to Air Refuelling * Night, Winter and Summer Modes "I just couldn't believe how much there was in it!" - ZZAP!64 "...it is one of the most impressive games available..." - ZX COMPUTING "...there are flight sims and there are flight sims - and there's ACE" - Quick Start : ============= KEYBOARD 1= left; 2= right; 3= down; 4= up; 5= fire; U= undercarriage up/down; Z= add power; Caps= subtr.power; Enter= weapon change; M= map; S= take off; J= pilot ejection. In main menu, if you choose "Pilot & weapons man" instead "Single pilot", "5" be reserved for cannon, so you'll have additional keys: 6= crosshair left; 7= crosshair right; 8= crossh. down; 9= crossh. up; 0= fire (missiles/flares). Set thrust at MAX, when velocity reach 160 knots, press take-off key. As you start to gain height, raise undercarriage. Fuel is limmited- you can refuel in flight from supply plane. Follow on-screen messages (about speed & height). Tip: safe way to refuel and repair your plane is to land on one of allied airbases. Landing : 'align' (on map) aircraft with airbase, you can be as low as 20 feet, when runway appears on the horizon, slow to 200 knots, ALT start to decrease feet by feet, lower undercarriage when 10 ft. After "Touchdown" message, set thrust to zero, VEL will fall to 0. Map is always available. It shows 3 alies airports and positions of: - your fighter; - enemy; - supply plane. Weapons: you can choose among 4 types of ammo load, it's a mix of air-air, air-ground, and air-ship missiles, plus cannon bullets and decoy flares (use weapon key to toggle). Instrument panel: bottom half of screen, on the left you have basic infos- thrust, fuel, altitude, velocity, UC-indicator, compass, and your score. On the right you can see roll & pitch (banking/ climb), enemy radar (tanks, fighters, sams) and computer messages panel, rear view camera, and mode indicator. COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES 1) OPTIONS: select SUMMER, WINTER or NIGHT TIME, select single or dual role and set skill level (Level One - training mode). 2) MISSION PROFILE: Before each sortie, select the weapons load appropriate to your next mission (eg: ground attack, naval attack, default is multirole capacity). 3) TAKING OFF: Accelerate to at least 150 knots, gently pull back on the joystick and you will take off. Raise the undercarriage. 4) SIM: The Satellite Intelligence Map is used to locate the enemy forces, your airbases and refuelling tankers. The SIM shows units or groups of enemy forces, NOT individual tanks and planes etc. Your aircraft is the white flashing one, and allied territory is green, enemy held territory is red. 5) ATTACKING GROUND FORCES: Dive to below 3,000 feet and slow to about 500 knots or less. At lower speeds you are more vulnerable to attack from the enemy missiles and ground fire but it is easier to take out your target. Engage the enemy. If locked onto and chased by an enemy missile out-manoeuvre and dodge the missile or launch a decoy flare to throw the missile off course. 6) ATTACKING AIRCRAFT: Try to gain height and get behind the enemy fighters before attacking with cannon or air to air missiles. Use your radar and rear view camera and watch out for fighters manoeuvring behind you. Fast reactions will be needed to shoot them down. Delta winged aircraft are slower and less agile than the straight winged enemy fighters. 7) ATTACKING SHIPS: Climb to 2500 feet at about 300 knots. Attack with an air-ship missile, avoiding anti-aircraft fire and surface to air missiles. NOTE: The enemy fleet only appears on the map after you destroy all of the enemy ground forces. 8) AIR TO AIR REFUELLING: Using your on board computer, go to the speed and altitude of the tanker if one is available. Approach from behind the tanker with care watching your speed very carefully. When you are close enough, the tanker crew will deploy the refuelling-pipe, with the basket on the end. When you hear the crew on the refuelling tanker giving approach orders, manoeuvre your aircraft until the tip of your refuel probe is in the centre of the basket and keep it there until you are fully refuelled. 9) DAMAGE: If your aircraft has suffered severe damage, to survive you will have to eject. You cannot eject over enemy territory, or if you are flying upside down. If your aircraft crashes, the game ends, regardless of how many aircraft are left at home base. 10) LANDING: Navigate to the allied airbase and approach it at under 500 feet. When you see the runway on the horizon, slow to 200 knots and lower your undercarriage. Put the nose down slightly and, when you are over the runway, land and reduce thrust. Ensure that you stop with enough runway left to allow you to take off again. When your aircraft has stopped, the ground crew will re-fuel, re-arm and repair any damage to your aircraft allowing you to take off on another mission. 12) AVIONICS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THRUST - Shows the engine's power output. FUEL - Amount of fuel left. ALT - Aircraft's altitude in feet. Maximum ceilling 75000 feet. VEL - Airspeed in Knots, Stall speed - 140 knots. MAX SPEED 960 Knots at Sea level. 1590 Knots at 70000 feet. UC - Undercarriage up/down indicator. COMPASS - Gives your heading. SC - Score. ROLL & PITCH - The two aircraft show your banking angle and the degree of climb or dive. COMPUTER OUTPUT PANEL - Your onboard computer displays messages/warnings etc. Important messages are synthesised audibly as well as being displayed. REAR VIEW CAMERA - Mounted in the tail, the wide angle lens shows enemy aircraft to your rear and missiles chasing you. MODE INDICATOR - Shows flight mode. In combat mode, this shows the current weapon selected and ammunition left. 13) USE OF WEAPONS: All the weapons must be guided visually at least until the missile is locked onto the target. This is accomplished by having the target in the sights when you fire. In the two player mode, the sights can be moved to assist targetting and locking on of the missiles. To destroy a target with a missile the correct type must be used (AIR TO AIR, AIR TO GROUND, AIR TO SHIP) and it must be recognisable and larger than a dot on the horizon. Targets need several hits from cannon shells which are fired at 600 rpm. Use the DECOY FLARES which are rearward firing to thwart incoming enemy missiles. 14) Only a selected few will survive for long and to become an AIR ACE you must destroy the entire invasion force at the hardest skill level which simulates true combat conditions. They will be extremely rare but can prove they are an ACE by saving their score using the high score save feaure. Send your high score to your favourite magazine. See if YOU are the top ACE pilot. (Transcribed by Robin Stuart, Quick Start added by Aleksandar Lukic)