NIGHT GUNNER NIGHT GUNNER is an action-packed arcade-style game based on a Second World War scenario. You are the gunner and bomb armer whose task is to defend your plane against enemy attack and destroy the ground targets in 30 different missions. The rewards are high for the expert marksman, but beware, the going get tougher on each new mission! LOADING LOAD "ng" When the program has loaded the user is prompted for a Softlock security code. The response code is found in the table on pages 4 and 5 of the instructions, and the reply is entered using keys 0 - 9 and ENTER. The program allows 3 attempts for the number to be entered correctly. The game is now ready for playing. OPTIONS The game options on the menu page are controlled using keys 1 - 7. 1: Number of players 1 or 2. 2: Player 1 difficulty level, 1 to 4. 3: Player 2 difficulty level, 1 to 4. 4: Control type - Keyboard - Joysticks: Sinclair interface 2, Kempston, AGF 5: Number of joysticks 1 or 2. 6: High score table, blank or DI challenge. 7: Demonstration title page sound ON or OFF. CONTROLS Top row of the keyboard - Move sight/plane UP Left five keys on second row - Move sight/plane LEFT Right five keys on second row - Move sight/plane RIGHT Third row of keyboard - Move sight/plane DOWN Caps shift or space - Fire guns/release bombs Symbol shift, B and N together - Hold Symbol shift, X and C together - Reset SCREEN DISPLAY The score and number of lives left for each player is shown at the top of the screen, player 1 on the LEFT, player 2 on the RIGHT. The highest score of the day is displayed at the center. The plane's status panel at the bottom of the screen displays the following information: TT: Time to Target or end of mission,in seconds BT: Time remaining during ground attack, in seconds HIT: Illuminated when your aircraft is hit by enemy aircraft or flak CAPTAIN'S REPORT: Messages from the pilot during mission DAMAGE: Indicated by the aircraft symbol. GREEN - all clear, YELLOW = damaged, RED = destroyed WEAPONS: Ammunition, bombs and rockets shown to the right of the aircraft symbol. PLANE DEFEND You must defend your plane against the attacking fighters on the flight to and from the bombing target by shooting them down. The gun sight is moved using the keyboard or joystick movement controls and guns fired using the fire buttons. Just like a real gun, there is a time delay from when the bullet is fired to when it hits the target. This has to be allowed for by aiming the gun in front of the moving target. This is called deflection shooting. The bullet delay can be seen by moving the sight and firing the guns. The centre point of the bullets will be seen outside the centre square of the sight. Your score will increase each time you shoot down an enemy plane, a barrage balloon or the bonus plane that occasionally crosses the sky. BOMBING OR ROCKET GROUND ATTACK All 30 of the ground attack missions are different, alternat- ing between high level bombing targets and low level rocket attacks. The bombing/rocket sight allows for your plane's movement when aiming at the targets but you have to make an allowance for moving targets. The amount your score is dependent upon how close to the centre of the target your bomb or rocket hits and if the character is worth double score. Flak will be fired at you during ground attack missions, its accuracy dependent upon how much you weave about the sky. Long periods of straight and level flight during bombing mission will result in you being illuminated by searchlight. The will obscure your target and put you under very heavy fire from flak. Escape frmo the searchlight by manoeuvering your aircraft. During high level bombing, control your plane using the left, right, up and down controls. Climbing and diving will affect your aircraft speed. During rocket attacks, the pilot continually gives your height. Climb to get sufficient height and then dive onto your target, release a rocket and pull out of the dive. If you hit the ground you will lose a life. The sight on the ultimate mission is different from all the others. Adjust your height so that the two spots on the screen for a figure 8, line up the two bars onto the centre of the towers and release your bomb. PLANE DAMAGE This is caused by attack from the enemy planes or being hit by flak on the bombing runs, the amount of damage being indicated by the aircraft status symbol. Yellow areas on the status plane indicate where the plane has been damaged and red areas where it has been destroyed. If the damage is serious you will crash and lose a life. The damage can be divided into five areas: the flight deck, engines, wings, tailplane, and gun turret. Flight deck: Damage will result in random movement of the plane during ground attack missions, making bomb and rockte aiming difficult. When the flight deck is destroyed the plane will crash. Engines: If enough engines are destroyed or damaged before the bombing run the bombs will be dropped. If 3 or more engines are destroyed then the plane will crash. Wings or tailplane: If these are damaged it has no effect on the performance of the plane, but if they are destroyed then the plane will crash. Gun turret: If this is damaged the sight will not move as quickly as normal. When it is destroyed the sight has no movement but the guns can still be fired. Although the concept of NIGHT GUNNER is based upon the Avro Lancaster four engined bomber, it is not intended to be a simulation.