THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE

ACADEMY

PUBLISHER
CRL

AUTHOR
Pete Cooke

YEAR
1987

CATEGORY
Arcade Strategy

CONTROLS
Keyboard, Kempston

KEYS: Redefinable, or:

Left              -  O             (or joystick).
Right             -  P             (or joystick).
Accelerate        -  S             (or joystick).
Decelerate        -  X             (or joystick).
Fire Lasers       -  N/Space       (or joystick).
Missile           -  M             Launch missile if carried.
Amm               -  A             Launch Anti missile missile
                                   if carried.
Flare             -  F             Fire Flare if carried.
Bomb              -  B             Drop delay bomb if carried.
View              -  V             Switch view-forward/left/
                                   right/rear.
Height+           -  H             Take skimmer up.
Height-           -  G             Take skimmer down.
Jump              -  J             Allows skimmer to use jump
                                   pads.
Land              -  L             Return  to Ground  Mode (the
                                   skimmer must be on the ground
                                   to land).
Infra-red         -  I             If carried.
Status Report     -  R             As in ground mode.


INSTRUCTIONS
Academy (Tau Ceti II)


Written by Pete Cooke

1.   Loading the program

	Spectrum 48k     	Type LOAD " " Academy will load and run 
			automatically.

	Spectrum 128k    	Select 48k mode from the initial menu and
	and Spectrum +2  	type LOAD (J key) " " and Enter.

After loading you will see the title page appear on the screen with the message 
'Press Fire or Joystick Button to continue'.

If you have a Kempston Joystick the fire button will select this as the control 
method.  Otherwise press N or Space to select the fire key.
(Rubber Keyed 48k owners will probably prefer N).

You will now see the Main Menu for Academy appear with seven options:-

		Accept Mission.
		Select a Mission.
		Select a Skimmer.
		Progress Report.
		Tape Menu.
		Enter a New Cadet.
		View/Redefine Keys.

To the right of the menu is a small arrow. The keys 0, P, S and X (or joystick) 
will move this about the screen. To make a choice simply point the arrow to the 
choice (it will be shown in inverse) and press FIRE.



2.  About the Academy

After an incident on 61 Cygnus in 2197 when a rookie pilot selected the wrong 
gear when docking with the main central reactor and reduced half the planet to 
molten lava, Gal-Corp decided that a special training facility was needed to 
provide an elite corps of pilots for the advanced military skimmers used in 
colonisation and reconnaisance work.

The Galcorp Academy for Advanced Skimmer Pilots (GASP) was founded in 2213 
to meet this requirement. With an intake of over a hundred would be skimmer 
pilots a year, only a few meet the exacting requirement of flying and combat 
skills.

In order to graduate from the Academy cadets must complete 20 missions, grouped 
in five levels of four, successfully.



3.  A run through the menu's

The first thing to do after loading is to enter your name. Move the pointer to 
'Enter a New Cadet' and press FIRE. The screen will clear to the New Cadet sub 
menu. Type on your name followed by ENTER and your date of birth. When the 
program asks 'Restart Game from Level I' press 'Y'. 'FIRE' returns you to the 
main menu.

Having entered your name the next task is to choose one of the four level I 
missions. Move the pointer to 'Select a Mission' and press fire. The screen will 
clear to the 'Select a Mission' sub menu.

A list of four missions will be shown:-

	I 	If it moves . . .
	II    	Red Dawn.
	III   	Meltdown.
	IV   	Softly Softly.

The mission selected at present is marked with a tick. To select another mission 
simply move the pointer to it and press 'FIRE'.

Below the mission list is a set of three options:-

	Info on this mission.
	Load in Next Level.
	Selection Complete.

'Info on this mission' will explain the task required and ships and buildings 
that you are likely to meet on a mission (System support means repair and 
refuelling centres). You can also call up information on theplanetary system 
where the mission is set to find out about conditions onthe surface. The program 
will also recommend a suitable skimmer for the mission.

'Load in Next Level' will be marked with a cross and cannot be selected until 
you have an average score of over 90% on the first four missions and are ready 
to load in another set of four.

'Selection Complete' returns you to the Main Menu.

Select the first mission ('If it moves . . .') and call up the information on 
the mission and system. When you have finished move the pointer to 'Selection 
Complete' and press FIRE to return to the Main Menu.

Having chosen a mission you will need to choose a skimmer for that mission. Move 
the pointer to 'Select a Skimmer, and press FIRE. The screen will clear to the 
'Skimmer' sub menu.

A list of six skimmers will be shown at the top of the screen:-

	GCS Lenin.
	GCS Lincoln.
	GCS Wilson.
	unused.
	unused.
	unused.

The last three skimmers are not defined and cannot be selected yet (see 'Design 
and Skimmer' below). The skimmer selected at present will be marked with a tick. 
To select another skimmer move the pointer to it and press FIRE.

Below the list of skimmers are four options:-

	Info on this Skimmer.
	View Panel.
	Design a New Skimmer.
	Selection Complete.

'Info on this Skimmer' gives a tist of the equipment carried on the Skimmer (See 
Section 6 for more information on this).

'View Panel' allows you to see the panel layout. Press FIRE to return to the 
menu.

'Design Skimmer' allows you to put together a customised craft for a particular 
mission or group of missions.

'Selection Complete' will return you to the Main Menu.

The recommended skimmer for 'If it Moves . . .' is GCS Lenin so select this 
skimmer and move the pointer to 'Selection Complete' to return to the Main Menu.

Having selected a mission and a ship you are ready to try a mission. Move the 
pointer to 'Accept Mission' and press FIRE.



4.  On to a Mission

The screen will clear to show the Skimmer's instrument panel. On the top line is 
a 'Status bar' which will show the ships state (Docked), the mission score 
(000%) and the mission time (00:00:00). Below this is the Viewscreen, various 
gauges and dials and a small blue rectangle  the computer window. The message 
'Skimmer Ready. Type help or some other command' will appear followed by an 
input prompt.

You are now in one of the two game modes, called ground mode, and can 
communucate with the skimmer's computer by typing in one of a list of commands:-

	HELP              	Lists all commands available.
	SIGHTS ON         	Turns on skimmer's sights.
	SIGHTS OFF 	Turns off skimmer's sights.
	PAUSE             	Freezes the clock ('FIRE' continues).
	WAIT              	Advances clock by five minutes.
	EQUIP             	If docked allows you to refuel and repair the 	
			skimmer.
	STATUS            	Shows equipment status (whether damaged or not).
	CODES             	Allows you to manipulate any code pieces found in 
			a mission.
	LOOK              	If docked with building gives information on same.
	DEAF              	Allows practice on D.E.A.F. unit.
	QUIT              	Abandons the mission in progress and updates 	
			scores.
	LAUNCH            	Sends the skimmer out onto the planets surface.



5. Flight mode

Having launched, the skimmer is controlled by single key/joystick presses. The 
default keys are as follows, but may be redefined from the main menu :-

	Left              	0	(or joystick).
	Right             	P 	(or joystick).
	Accelerate       	S 	(or Joystick).
	Decelerate       	X 	(or joystick).
	Fire Lasers    	N/Space 	(or joystick
	Missile          	M 	Launch missile if carried.
	Amm               	A 	Launch Anti missile missile if carried.
	Flare            	F 	Fire Flare if carried.
	Bomb              	B 	Drop delay bomb if carried.
	View             	V 	Switch view-
				forward/left/right/rear.
	Height +         	H 	Take skimmer up.
	Height -        	G 	Take skimmer down.
	Jump             	J 	Allows skimmer to use jump pads.
	Land             	L 	Return to Ground Mode (the skimmer 
				must be on the ground to land).
	Infra-red        	I 	If carried.
	Status Report 	R 	As in ground mode.



6.  About the equipment

The skimmer can have several differing items of equipment and armoury for a 
particular mission.

	Shields		All skimmers are equipped with shields but they may
			have differing strengths.

	Lasers            	Again, always equipped but three types are available.

	Scanner           	Optional. Very useful piece of equipment which gives a 
			360 degree radar scan of the area around the skimmer.

	Missiles          	Optional. Missiles will home in on a selected target and 
			are much more destructive than lasers but only a limited 
			number may be carried.

	Flares            	Optional. On all but one-face worlds the sun will set after 
			a period of time and the view will become dark. Flares will 
			provide light for a short period.

	Amm's             	Optional. Anti missile missiles will destroy any incoming 
			enemy missiles. Unfortunately they will also short circuit 
			any missiles that you may have fired.

	Delay Bombs       	Optional. A recent addition to skimmer weaponry, delay 
			bombs are extremely powerful over a short range. Once 
			dropped the internal timer allows roughly ten seconds for 
			the skimmer to escape before detonation. Most useful 
			against large stationary objects.

	Infra-Red         	Optional. Infra red provides a method (at a loss of some 
			clarity) of viewing the planets surface at night.

	Compass/ADF 	Optional. The compass will give the craft's heading and the 
	unit		Automatic Direction Finder is usually locked on to the 
			Galcorp Landing Vehicle (G.L.V.). Very useful on planets 
			where navigation is tricky.

	Jump/Door 	Optional. Jump pads are often found in larger colonies and 
	Activator		cities and allow ships to jump from one pad to another saving 
			much time in travelling. The Jump unit will activate these 	
			pads, allowing the skimmer to use them.
			Many of the larger buildings may have docking facilities, the 
			door unit will provide the correct decoding sequence to allow 
			the skimmer to dock with these buildings (an airlock can be 
			recognised by it's characteristic shimmer).
			Docking at high speeds is not recommended and the docking unit 
			will show red if the skimmer is travelling too fast.

	Target/Tracking 	Optional. When the ships lasers are targeted with a vessel the 
	unit 		upper bar will show red. The central bar shows red if your 	
			skimmer is being radar tracked by an enemy ship and the lower 
			bar lights if your shield unit power is being drained.

	Gauges          	All skimmers are equipped with gauges showing Laser 		
			Temperature (lasers are prone to overheat if used 		
			continuously). Shield strength. Fuel remaining, Height and 	
			Speed.



7.   Completing a mission

When a mission is completed (a score of 90% or over) docking with the Galcorp 
Landing Vehicle will terminate the session. The display will return to the Main 
Menu. N.B. If your ship is destroyed your score will not be recorded.

While on the Main Menu you can access your rating on each of the missions by 
selecting the 'Progress Report' option. This will display the four missions 
available on the level along with a score for each mission and an average score 
overall.



8.   Designing a Skimmer

Apart from the three skimmers in the program, it is possible to design and equip 
your own ship for any mission. To do this go to the 'Select a Skimmer' option 
from the main menu and select 'Design New Skimmer' option. The screen will clear 
to the select equipment page.

On the left is a list of possible equipment and in the centre are two or three 
boxes showing whether the skimmer has the equipment/how many items the skimmer 
has/what strength the unit has. The present value is marked with a tick and on 
the right is a value for the weight of 
he equipment.

	Scanner Unit		No		Yes
	Compass/Adf Unit        No   		Yes
	Target/Track Unit       No   		Yes
	Jump/Door Unit        	No   		Yes
	Infra-Red Unit         	No    		Yes
	Missiles          	None  		4		8
	Amm's                  	None  		4   		8
	Flares            	None  		4    		8
	Delay Bombs            	None 		4    		8
	Laser Power Level      	Low 		Med   		High
	Main Drive Power       	Low		Med 		High
	Shield Power Unit      	Low 		Med    		High
	Steering Power         	Low		Med    		High

To alter the equipment level, move the pointer to the correct box and press 
FIRE. For example, to equip your skimmer with a Scanner Unit, find the line 
'Scanner Unit', move the pointer across to the box marked 'Yes'and press FIRE. A 
tick will appear against the Yes box indicating that the item has been selected 
(It's a good idea to set all equipment to it's lowest level first and work up 
from there).

The two main limitations in equipping a ship are the weight of equipment and the 
total cost, both show in cyan towards the bottom of the page. The basic skimmer 
hull will not carry a weight of over 100 Galactic Megatons and Gal-Corp's budget 
will not stretch to designs costing over 100M credits. If either of the two 
figures are over the limit they will show red and you will need to remove some 
items of equipment before continuing.

When you are happy with the equipment selected, move the pointer to the 'Design 
Complete' option near the bottom of the page and press FIRE. This will take you 
into the 'Design Panel' section, where you can design the Skimmer 's Panel 
layout.

Choose a background texture and colour from the list and select 'Place 
Instruments' to actually lay out the panel.

The screen will clear to the panel texture and colour and a window will appear 
in the top left hand corner with the options:-

	Place Viewscreen.
	Undo last step.

Move the pointer to 'Place Viewscreen' and press FIRE. The pointer will 
disappear and be replaced by a large white rectangle representing the 
viewscreen. Move this to the position you want and press FIRE to place it. (you 
can go back to the previous menu at any time by moving up into the top line 
where the block will turn back into a pointer and selecting the Menu option).

Having placed the viewscreen the pointer will return, move it onto the menu bar 
and press FIRE to place the next item. (N.B. you cannot place an item over the 
top of another, the item block will show yellow when an overlap would occur).

If you have chosen a large complement of equipment for a skimmer design you may 
find it a little tricky to fit all the items in the available screen space, a 
useful hint here is to tuck the viewscreen away in a corner of the display to 
allow you the place dials or gauges off to one side of it.

After all the equipment has been placed select the 'Design Complete' option and 
press FIRE. Finally choose a name for your skimmer and type it in followed by 
ENTER. The display will return to the 'Select Ship' page with the new skimmer 
shown below the three built in designs.

If you have already filled the three custom design slots you can select
which design to replace by marking it before going to the 'Design New
Skimmer' sub menu, otherwise the program will automatically replace the
last design with any new one.



9.   Loading in the next level

In order to progress to the next level and the next block of four missions you 
must have an AVERAGE score of 90% or over. To load in the next block of mission 
data, move to the 'Select a Mission' sub menu from the Main Menu. The option 
'Load Next Level' should now be marked with a tick. Move the pointer to this and 
press FIRE.

The five blocks of mission data are stored on the second cassette in the 
package. Levels I, II and III  are on the first side of the cassette and levels 
IV and V on the second. Wind the cassette to approximately the right place and 
press FIRE. When the computer finds a mission data block it will print 'Found 
xxxxx' and when the correct block is found 'Loading xxxx'. The load can be 
aborted at any time by pressing SPACE without losing your present rating.



10. Saving the Game

You can save your total game position at any time from the main menu by 
selecting the 'Tape Menu' option 'Save Game File'. Place a blank cassette, (Not 
the Academy Game or Data tape) in the cassette player and press FIRE. To reload 
a saved game select the 'Load Game File' option from the same menu. Any user 
defined keys are saved with the data but note that you cannot save the game 
while in a mission. N.B. if Kempston option is selected for keys, then Kempston 
Joystick must be connected when game is reloaded.

It is also possible to save any Skimmers you have defined using the 'Save Ship 
Designs' option. All three custom-designs (if used) are saved to tape.



11. The View/Redefine Keys Menu

This menu allows you to alter any or all of the keys used in Flight Mode on the 
planets surface. A list of the present keys is given, followed by three 
options:-

	Alter keys.
	Kempston Joystick.
	Return to Main Menu.

When the program loads in it will check for the presence of a Kempston 
Interface, if one is not detected then the Kempston option will be marked with a 
cross and cannot be selected.

To alter the keys (for a Sinclair/Protek joystick or other move the pointer to 
the 'Alter Keys' option and press FIRE.

A question mark will replace the key for 'left' in the keys list. Just press the 
key you wish to use for Left, Right, etc. in sequence. If you make a mistake or 
choose impossible keys you can always return to the default key setup by 
pressing 'BREAK'.



12.  Identification chart

Below* is a copy of the standard issue identification chart given to all new 
cadets to the Academy.

(*Note - to see the scanned chart open file - Chart.jpg)



13.  The Missions

Below are listed the current training missions in use at the Academy.

	... at the O.K. Corral.
	Ceti Revisited.
	Cipher.
	Don't Panic.
	Hades II.
	Hide and Seek.
	if it moves . . .
	Laserium.
	Meltdown.
	Mission Improbable.
	Needle in a Haystack.
	Out of the frying pan . . .
	Paz!
	Protector.
	Red Dawn.
	Softly Softly.
	The coal mine.
	The Sands of Time.
	The Shepherd.
	Where to Guv?



14.  A bonus

After Academy on the program tape is a short 'bonus' program - 'Starmap'. 
Type LOAD " " and wind the tape to just over half-way to load this in. The 
program shows some of the brightest and closest stars visible from Earth.

GOOD LUCK. May the Gal-Corp Budget be with you !!!


SEQUELS/PREQUELS
Academy was prequelled by Tau Ceti, a similar game.

SCORES RECEIVED
Crash: RATING: 92% (CRASH #36, January 1987)


NOTES
This game is only really playable on the registered version of
"Z80", since it makes use of .TAP files. (You can play level 1
on other emulators but you won't be able to load in the following
levels).
