® INSTALL GUIDE, PLAYGUIDE AND REFERENCE CARD TABLE OF CONTENTS Copy Protection Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . 2 Install and Additional Reference Guide . . . . . . . 3-18 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 On-Line Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Quick Install. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Optimizing Your System . . . . . . . . .
Strike Commander Copy Protection Questions and Answers 0. What is the name of the tower (Turm) in the Beyoglu section of Istanbul (p. 23)? Galata 1. What is the last name of the author of “Sell and Scramble” (p. 12)? Duhm 2. What is the last name of the Senior Writer (Serien, Ecrivian) (p. 1)? Austin 3. What is the last name of the man interviewed on page 36? Prideaux 4. Who wrote the first letter to the editor in this issue of “Sudden Death” (p. 4)? Beto 5.
STRIKE COMMANDER CD INSTALL AND ADDITIONAL REFERENCE GUIDE See p.18 for Contents. INTRODUCTION Welcome to Strike Commander on CD. This guide tells you how to install your new game. If you have any difficulties, see Troubleshooting (pp. 10-13). To avoid compatibility or memory problems, please take a moment to make sure that your system meets the system requirements. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Computer. This game calls for an Intel486 or 100% compatible system. Video Card. IBM VGA or compatible video card.
I N S TA L L AT I O N When presented with a menu, press W and Z to move through the list, then press e to accept the highlighted selection. You may abort the installation process by pressing q or selecting the ABORT menu option. 1. Insert the CD-ROM (label side up) into your CD-ROM drive. Some drives may require that you put the disk into a CD caddy before inserting it in the drive. 2. Change to your CD-ROM drive by typing the letter of the drive and a colon, then pressing e. 3. Type INSTALL. 4.
In addition, you may copy two more sets of files from the CD to your hard drive. Generally, the more files you can store on your hard drive, the faster the game will run. The drawback is that you use more space on your hard drive. Select the installation method that works best for you.
OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM MEMORY REQUIREMENTS We have tried to minimize the amount of time you spend configuring the memory in your system, but Strike Commander is the most memory-intensive game in ORIGIN’s history, and adjustments to your memory configuration may be needed. There are three types of RAM referred to in this manual: DOS (conventional base RAM), extended and expanded. Strike Commander has specific minimum requirements for each of these types of memory.
C R E AT I N G A B O O T D I S K Before you proceed, you should print out the contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. If you do not have a printer, copy the contents by hand or make backups of the files that you can look at later. To print, at the DOS prompt, type: TYPE CONFIG.SYS Use G to generate a printout of this startup file. Next (while still at the DOS prompt), type: TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT Use G to generate a printout of this startup file, also. To create a separate boot disk: 1.
CONFIG.SYS using QEMM 6.0, 6.02 or 7.0 (EMS) DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM DOS=HIGH FILES=25 BUFFERS=25 DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE Include the previous line only if you are using DoubleSpace with DOS 6.0 or 6.2. DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\(drivers) Add your CD-ROM driver(s) to the previous line just as they appear in your original hard drive CONFIG.SYS. DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.
When the new screen appears, type: PROMPT $P$G PATH=C:\DOS C: C:\(path)\MSCDEX.EXE (all parameters from the original AUTOEXEC.BAT) If you do not have 557 base RAM free, try changing /M:## to /M:5 in the previous line. LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM Your mouse driver may need to be loaded differently. For example, if it is loaded in your CONFIG.SYS, do not include this line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Refer to the printout of your original AUTOEXEC.BAT to see if it is normally loaded there.
TROUBLESHOOTING Occasionally, something will go wrong with the installation process. Common error messages are given below, along with some solutions. Online Help. Some of this information is included in the install program’s on-line help feature, which can be accessed at any point during installation by pressing 1. M E S S A G E S D U R I N G I N S TA L L AT I O N The version of DOS on your machine is too old to run Strike Commander. You need DOS version 5.0 or higher.
• The hard disk where the installed game is located could not be found. Make sure that all game files on your hard drive are located in the game directory. If this problem persists, attempt reinstalling Strike Commander CD-ROM. If this does not fix the error, please contact ORIGIN Product Support (see below). Could not create the Strike Commander directory.
I am having trouble using my joystick. • Your joystick may be set to “auto fire.” If this is the case, the buttons may not function as you expect. To correct the problem, turn auto fire off. If your joystick doesn’t allow you to turn auto fire off, unplug it and play with a mouse or use the keyboard controls.
S P E C I F I C H A R D WA R E A N D S O F T WA R E DoubleSpace Strike Commander has been fully tested with MS-DOS 6.0’s DoubleSpace disk compression utility. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our games with other disk compression utilities. You might want to add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file to free more DOS RAM (base memory): DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.
ORIGIN PRODUCT SUPPORT If, after reviewing Troubleshooting, you are still having a problem with this software, please read this section and call us. We have a staff of customer service technicians ready to help you with any problems you may encounter with the game. ORIGIN Product Support is available at (512) 335-0440, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and noon, and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Friday afternoon), Central time.
HAZING In the DETAIL Option Screen, the lowest HAZING button (FAR) now produces no hazing at all. (The default for hazing is now the second button, not this first one.) With no hazing, no new objects are revealed, the game is not any faster, and it doesn’t look as good. However, some players prefer to play without any hazing, so this option is now available. INVISIBLE COCKPIT It is possible to remove the cockpit from the screen, by pressing cI.
GAUNTLET A new choice has been added to Strike Commander’s TRAINING MISSION screen. In addition to DOGFIGHT and SEARCH-ANDDESTROY, you can also choose GAUNTLET. When you choose GAUNTLET, you immediately find yourself in the air against two SU-27s, two MiG29s and two F-4s. Anytime you eliminate any pair of opponents, another pair flies into action. All pairs will be fighters, but the fighter types will vary from pair to pair. The gauntlet continues until you run out of fuel, are shot down or eject.
TA C T I C A L O P E R AT I O N S Transferring Your Character from Strike Commander You can transfer your character to Tactical Operations from any Strike Commander saved game. If you select load game from the startup menu in Tactical Operations, the saved games in white are from Strike Commander.
CONTENTS System Requirements ................................................3 On-Line Help.............................................................3 Quick Install ..............................................................3 Installation..............................................................4-5 Changing Your Configuration .........................5 Re-Installing ....................................................5 Optimizing Your System ........................................
® PLAYGUIDE TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Starting the Game......................................20 Starting a New Game.............................20 Exiting Strike Commander .....................20 Training Missions..................................21 Air-to-Ground Missions...................21 Dogfight Missions ............................21 Object Viewer ........................................21 Game Options.............................................22 Option Screens.................................
S TA RT I N G T H E G A M E 1. First, install Strike Commander on your hard disk. (For instructions, see the Install Guide.) 2. Select the drive on which the game is installed. (For example, if you installed the game on your C-drive, type “C:” and hit e.) 3. Select your Strike Commander directory. (If you used the default directory, type “CD \SC” and e.) 4. Start the game (by typing “STRIKE” and e). After a brief animated sequence, your screen will display the startup menu.
TRAINING MISSIONS After you choose TRAINING MISSION from the startup screen, the dogfight background will appear, and you will be asked to choose either a dogfight mission or an air -to-ground mission. To practice dogfighting with enemy planes, choose DOGFIGHT. To practice ground attack runs, choose SEARCH AND DESTROY. If at any time you want to return to a previous option screen, select BACKUP. You can backup as far as the first screen. If at any time you want to return to the startup menu, select CANCEL.
GAME OPTIONS OPTION SCREENS Strike Commander has a comprehensive option screen interface that allows you to tailor the visual, audio and flight characteristics of the game to suit your tastes and your hardware. Activate the option screens from the cockpit by pressing a O. Configuration Option Screens Screen The main configuration screen has the following buttons: • ROOKIE, VETERAN and ACE. Selects the overall difficulty level of the game. • SAVE. Saves your unique option package. • DEFAULT.
• TERRAIN • • • • • • • • GOURAUD. The smooth shading of the terrain. The transition texture boundary anywhere terrain color changes (for example, the transition from water to land). INTEREST. The small clumps of trees and rock outcroppings scattered on the terrain. RIVERS. FIELDS. The square patches of farmland. CITIES. The large urban areas. RUNWAYS. The textures on the runways. TRANSITION. OBJECTS • • • GOURAUD. The smooth shading on planes and other objects.
Cockpit This screen lets you customize the cockpit of your plane. It can also give you tools not available in present-day aircraft, depending upon which buttons you select: • LADDER. Turns on and off the pitch ladder display on the HUD. • TAPES. Turns on and off the airspeed and altitude above sea level tape displays in the HUD. • AUTO TARGETING. If this button is on and no target is currently selected, as soon as a target comes into range, the computer will automatically select it as a target. • 360° LOCK.
1 Cockpit Camera. This key snaps your eyes back to the front of the cockpit. If you are already in cockpit view, 1 zooms the HUD in and out. You can pan (look around) your cockpit in Strike Commander using the joystick (with the #2 button pressed) or your keyboard, second joystick, mouse or Thrustmaster thumb joystick — see Option Screens (p. 22) for instructions on choosing your pan control. 2 Chase Camera. This is an exterior view just behind and above your aircraft.
W I L D C AT B A S E The year is 2011. Your mercenary squadron, the Wildcats, is struggling to survive amidst dozens of units who are as eager to find work as you are. Many of these groups, including the Wildcats, call Istanbul, Turkey, home, but your job will take you around the globe. The Wildcat base is the center of operations for your squadron. After completing a series of missions, you will return here to purchase weapons, check the status of your squadron and talk with fellow Wildcats.
For the first couple of missions, Stern, the commander of the Wildcats, will assign you a wingman. As you become a more experienced pilot, you may choose your own wingman. After the briefing is finished, the weapon loading screen will appear. Loading Your Weapons On the weapon loading screen, you will see your F-16 parked in the hangar (or in front of the tent, if you’re at the strike base) and several racks of weapons.
BARRACKS Loading and Saving Games When you’re at the Wildcat base, you can visit the barracks to save the game in progress or to load a previous one. The barracks can be reached from the right doorway in the hangar. Barracks Option Screen Exit to Hangar Load Saved Game Save Game Sleeping Pilot (Loading Games). You’ll notice another Wildcat pilot sleeping in a cot in the barracks. Wake her up (select her) to load a previous game. A screen will appear listing your saved games.
Office Option Screen Catalog Virgil Kill Board Ledger Exit to Hangar If your projected cash is ever below zero, make sure you’re successful on your next few missions. Otherwise, you’ll be broke, and the Wildcats will be finished. Turn the page (by clicking on it) to see a listing of your squadron’s currently available weapons. You won’t order weapons here, though. Check the catalog for purchases. To return to the office after viewing the ledger, click along the top edge of the screen. Catalog.
STRIKE BASE When you fly foreign missions, you’ll need to set up a strike base. Virgil will make arrangements for the Wildcats to use abandoned airfields or old airport facilities for these bases. It costs a bit to set up a strike base, but it enables the Wildcats to fly missions anywhere around the globe. Tent. The tent is the hub of activity at the strike base. Select the open flap to enter the tent, where you can load and save games, view the kill board, check the ledger and use the catalog.
SELIM’S The Wildcats pay the bills (and keep Virgil happy) by hiring out their squadron to governments, corporations and even wealthy individuals who need mercenary services. As a lieutenant commander in the Wildcats, it is your responsibility to contract these missions. You’ll never actually see the people you’re working for, though. They’ll hire you through fixers — go-betweens who procure missions for mercenary squadrons and maintain anonymity for employers — for a small fee.
COCKPIT INSTRUMENTS The cockpit instrumentation is designed to present the huge volume of information necessary for you to fly and fight, in as readily understandable and instinctive a manner as possible. H E A D S - U P D I S P L AY ( H U D ) One of the things pilots like most about the F-16 is the large Heads-Up Display, or HUD. The HUD puts vital information in front of the pilot on a flat glass plate without obscuring his view ahead.
Airspeed. The Airspeed indicator, on the left side of the HUD, is a vertical strip of numbers like a tape measure. A stationary dash points to the numbers on the strip, indicating the plane’s current velocity in tens of knots. Each mark on the tape indicates ten knots of speed. (For example, “35” on the airspeed tape indicates an airspeed of 350 knots.) There is a “T” above the dash if true airspeed is displayed, or a “C” if calibrated airspeed is displayed.
HUD Weapon Modes The most important function the HUD performs is weapon system management. The F-16 HUD in Strike Commander is a very sophisticated “sight” with seven modes: three for air-to-air and four for air-to-ground.
Selected Weapon Indicator. The name of the current weapon selected with W appears in the lower left corner of the HUD, just to the right of the Weapons Remaining indicator (see below). The weapons are: “GBU-15,” “AGM-65D,” “AIM-9J,” “AIM-9M,” “AIM-120,” “MK82,” “MK20,” “DURANDAL,” “VULCAN,” and “LAU3.” Weapons Remaining Indicator. The weapons of the selected type remaining on the plane are displayed just to the left of the Selected Weapon indicator, in the lower left corner of the HUD.
As soon as the diamond floats inside the targeting square and begins to flash, you can fire. Getting a lock on the frontal aspect of a target with a -9J is nearly impossible, so maneuver behind your target before you shoot. Medium Range Missile (MRM). MRM mode is used to lock and fire radar-guided missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The MRM display is like the SRM display (complete with Target Aspect Angle indicator), except that there is no diamond.
M U LT I - F U N C T I O N D I S P L AY S ( M F D S ) There are two multi-function display screens in the cockpit. They can both display any of several useful types of information, including air-to-air radar, communication interface, air -to-ground radar, damage display, target view, gun camera, and weapon hardpoint display. If you activate an MFD by mistake, q will cancel the display.
Air-to-Ground Radar Air -to-ground radar shows objects (including runways) on the ground, unless they are blocked by terrain. As you get closer to the objects shown on the screen, they will get closer to the bottom of the screen. The number at the top of this display is the scale of the view. You can zoom in from normal view, through 2x, 4x, 8x and 16x steps, to a 32x magnification, using [ (larger) and ] (smaller).
T H R E AT WA R N I N G I N D I C AT O R ( T W I , O R R AW S C O P E ) The TWI is located to the left of and below the HUD. It is a passive radar emission receiver composed of an antennae network and computer-enhanced signal analysis equipment, located in the skin of the plane. It determines the direction, intensity and type of radar waves striking your plane at all times. It then displays this information in the form of icons.
FLIGHT AERODYNAMICS Gravity Drag Thrust Lift Strike Commander accurately simulates real atmospheric conditions. Therefore, it will be to your advantage to understand the physics of airplanes: those forces that produce, affect and control flight. Don’t worry, you know a lot more about physics than you might think. As a pilot, you will be most concerned with four forces: lift, thrust, gravity and drag. Lift Lift is the force produced by the airflow over and under the wings.
G FORCE A “G” is a measurement of pull, or force, equal to the force exerted by the Earth’s gravity on a stationary object at sea level. If the pull on your body suddenly became twice as strong, you would be experiencing two Gs. Fighter pilots routinely take five Gs or more in a dogfight. G forces can be divided into two types: positive and negative. Positive Gs pull you relatively downward, and negative Gs pull you relatively upward.
H O W T O F LY FLIGHT CONTROLS Strike Commander can receive flight control input from a mouse, keyboard or joystick. In addition, it supports the Thrustmaster flight control interface. See the Reference Card for more information on the Thrustmaster. You can select the flight control device of your choice in the FLIGHT menu of the Option Screens (p.22). Mouse Control Pushing the mouse away from you pitches the plane down, and pulling it toward you pulls the nose up.
Rudder The rudder is most often used when you want to keep wings level and would rather not roll into a bank (see below). Good times to use the rudder are on final approach to landing, or to fine tune a precision attack run. Roll A roll is the simplest maneuver of all; you’ll do it without realizing it after a while. With the plane flying straight and level, move the stick to the right or left all the way. The plane will spin around its long axis.
A I R C O M B AT TA C T I C S BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS (BFM) Basic Fighter Maneuvers are the fundamental moves that trade speed and altitude for relative aircraft position. You will be flying in either a defensive mode or an offensive mode. Your offensive goal is to maneuver behind your opponent and take a shot. Your defensive goal is to prevent him from getting behind you and/or move out of his firing range. Always remember the cardinal rule of air combat: Speed is Life.
By definition, all gun shots are taken from the lead pursuit attitude. This means the nose of your aircraft is pointing at the future position of the target. In lag pursuit, on the other hand, your nose is pointing behind the current position of the target, ensuring that a gun shot will not hit its target. If your current maneuver depends upon holding lag pursuit, don’t use the gun.
Lag Roll The lag roll is a maneuver best used when 2 your opponent goes into a hard break and you 1 are in danger of overshooting. It reduces 3 closure speed and puts your plane above and slightly behind the enemy in position for a high 1 2 deflection gun or missile shot. Pull the nose up slightly, moving away from your opponent, and begin to roll away from the direction of the 1 2 break. As you do this you will lose sight of the enemy momentarily. Don’t worry.
Countering the low yo-yo involves reversing your bank when the attacker starts his dive. If you reverse and climb, you’ll have a huge altitude advantage in the next phase of “negotiations.” Immelmann Turn Immelmanns are a flashy way to reverse direction. Pull the fighter into a climb, and when you go over the top and become inverted, roll the aircraft upright and center the stick. You gain altitude and reverse direction at the same time. You will also lose many knots of airspeed.
A I R - T O - A I R E VA S I O N No matter how good you get, eventually somebody is going to get on your six and hang there like a rabid pit bull. The plane you fly is valuable and so are you. You have to know how to prioritize and evade threats at all ranges. Remember: You have to be ready for anything, because you will not know what the other guy has until he shoots it at you. Long Range A long-range missile such as the AMRAAM depends upon maintaining a radar lock.
Cannon and Rocket Pods Use the Strafing mode gun sight. Fly low (below 500 feet) and level. The most dangerous aspect of cannon fire is the close range at which you can effectively hit your target. At 6000 rounds per minute, you can deplete your ammunition quickly, so experienced pilots will shoot in short bursts, saving the continuous “walking” fire for when you’re directly over your target and about to pull up. Do not get fixated on your target.
PRACTICE MISSIONS If you want to get in a little practice maneuvering, dogfighting and bombing without the added pressure of managing a fighter squadron, here are some good practice missions to get you in the air on your own. Soloing is a special event in a pilot’s career. It’s the first time you have the sky all to yourself, with nobody around to blame if things go wrong and nobody looking over your shoulder. There’s no reason to be too hard on yourself at first. Follow the advice given below and go easy.
TRAINING MISSION 2 Now it’s time for a one-on-one dogfight. After splashing the C-130 a few times, replace the cargo plane targets with a single opponent. From the startup screen, choose DOGFIGHT, 1, a fighter type (probably either a MiG-21 or Mirage 2000 to start with), and any altitude. If you’re looking for an easy start, give yourself a pair of AMRAAMs or maybe Sidewinder -Ms instead of -Js on your light hardpoints in addition to your wingtip Sidewinders.
TRAINING MISSION 4 In this mission, you practice dogfighting in a one against two formation. You will be handicapped, loaded with both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. This time, select two enemies in a single group. Start with MiG-21s or Mirages at first, and work your way up to MiG-29s, Su-27s, or other F-16s. To practice with your plane weighted down, pick your normal wingtip missiles, Sidewinders or AMRAAMs on the light hardpoints, and a stack of Mk20s or Mk82s on the medium and heavy hardpoints.
REFERENCE WEAPONS Range. The weapon’s range in nautical miles. In some cases, the range of the weapon will depend on the altitude and velocity of the launch platform. In other cases, the lock range (the range at which the weapon can acquire a valid target) will be less than the true range of the weapon. Both exceptions are noted in the description. HUD Mode. The mode displayed in the lower left corner of the HUD, under the airspeed tape.
AGM-65D Maverick Range ...................13 nm HUD Mode ............IR Guidance ..............Imaging infrared Cost ......................$100,000 The Maverick is a true fire-and-forget weapon. You just show it the target and turn it loose, and it homes in on the image of the target stored by the missile seeker head. In order to get a positive lock on a target, the missile must be able to “see” the target.
LAU-3 Rocket Pod Range ...................2 nm HUD Mode ............STRF Guidance ..............None Cost ......................$10,000 The LAU-3 represents one of the most common air-launched weapons in service today: the unguided fin stabilized rocket. Its warhead is small, and most target vehicles can take one or two near misses, but these weapons are launched in salvos. Two pods with nineteen rockets each will put 38 weapons in and around the target in a matter of seconds.
P L A N E S P E C I F I C AT I O N S Engines. The number of engines the plane has. Unless noted otherwise, assume jet engines. Max Range. Operational range (one way) of the aircraft in nautical miles on internal fuel assuming a constant throttle of MIL 4 and a clean plane. VmaxHi. Maximum speed in knots, clean, on full afterburner at 36,000 ft. VmaxLo. Max speed clean in knots, full afterburner at sea level. Ceiling. The maximum altitude in feet the plane can reach in stable flight. Loadout.
F-15 Eagle Engines.................2 Max Range............1881 nm VmaxHi .................1338 knots VmaxLo.................810 knots Ceiling...................64,350 ft. Loadout.................M61A1 20mm Vulcan Fighter type ..........Third Maneuv. ................Very good The F-15 was designed to counter what was supposed to be a Russian superfighter: the MiG-25 Foxbat.
Su-27 Flanker Engines.................2 Max Range............1000 nm VmaxHi .................1320 knots VmaxLo.................725 knots Ceiling...................49,530 ft. Loadout.................30 mm cannon Fighter type ..........Third Maneuv. ................Very good to excellent The Sukhoi design bureau had a long history of solid aircraft design when they produced the Su-27, and the Flanker maintains that standard.
A-10 Thunderbolt II Engines.................2 Max Range............1189 nm VmaxHi .................381 knots VmaxLo.................381 knots Ceiling...................44,525 ft. Loadout.................30 mm DPU Fighter type ..........Second Maneuv. ................Very good The Warthog (as its pilots call it) is a dedicated ground attack aircraft.
E-3 Sentry “AWACS” Engines.................4 Max Range............4,374 nm VmaxHi .................460 knots VmaxLo.................422 knots Ceiling...................39,650 ft. Loadout.................N/A Fighter type ..........N/A Maneuv. ................Poor The E-3 is the ultimate eye-in-the-sky aircraft. Its powerful radar can track a very large number of air and ground contacts.
TU-20 Engines.................4 Prop Max Range............8,000 nm VmaxHi .................500 knots VmaxLo.................410 knots Ceiling...................40,625 ft. Loadout.................N/A Fighter type ..........First Maneuv. ................Poor The Tu-20 (military designation: Tu-95 Bear D) was the pinnacle of propdriven intercontinental bomber technology during the 1950s.
ONLINE SERVICES AND BULLETIN BOARDS Today’s online services open up exciting new worlds to anyone with a modem and communications software. You can shop in electronic malls, play games, participate in special interest forums, make flight reservations and see the latest stock market quotes. You can view up-to-the-minute news and weather, subscribe to an electronic mail service and access information stored in hundreds of newspapers, magazines and other periodicals and databases.
STRIKE COMMANDER CREDITS Programming Voices RealSpace™ system .........................Jason Templeman, Chris Roberts, Paul Isaac Graphic primitives.................Paul Isaac, Chris Roberts, Miles Design Flight models ........................................Arthur DiBianica, Jason Templeman Computer intelligence ............................Jason Yenawine, Jason Templeman, Frank Savage Cockpit, HUD and MFDs ........................
REFERENCE CARD OTHER FLIGHT CONTROLS THRUSTMASTER WEAPON CONTROL SYSTEM Main unit .....Throttle control Switch 1........Flare Switch 2........Chaff Switch 3........Target select Switch 4........Weapon select Switch 5........Flaps Switch 6........Brakes Switch 7a......AA/AG Radar Switch 7b .....(no function) Switch 7c ......Dogfight toggle THRUSTMASTER FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM Main joystick ....Flight control Top joystick .......Pan around cockpit (if enabled at option screens) Trigger ................
Editor-in-Chief David Ladyman Contributing Editor Carolyn Cutler Art Department Craig Halverson, Bruce Lemons, Danny Garrett, C O N T E N T S July 2011 Volume 12, Number 9 Jake Rodgers and Chris Douglas (photography) Paul Steed (illustrations) Eric Lund (diagrams) Graphic Design Jennifer Davis (interior) Craig Miller (cover) Senior Writer, Fiction Gilbert P.
E D I T O R I A L SQUADRONS FIGHTING AND KILLING TO STAY ABOVE WATER 2 July 2011 • SUDDEN DEATH
I was in Selim’s on a Wednesday night, walking away from Jean-Paul Prideaux’s usual table in the back (having just completed the interview with him you’ll find in this issue), when I overheard the drunken murmurs of a Turkish official who shall remain nameless (I protect my sources, even inadvertent ones). According to this official, on 1 August Ankara will unveil a new “Turkish Diplomatic Forces Windfall Profits Tax” which will go into effect this coming fall.
You bastards got a lot of nerve. Last July EY JUL IST [P. Fisch, the originator of the article, responds as follows: “Although in many cases fixers make it easier for lazy squadrons to find work, they are by no means vital. The energetic entrepreneur can get as much work as any fixer. I stand by my article.” — Ed.] 4 Y [I’d like to remind all potential advertisers that in no way does SUDDEN DEATH guarantee that any advertisements placed within our pages will achieve the desired result.
. S SUDDEN DEATH • July 2011 C WA reasonable to most squadrons. But the problem comes when you fly a strike against a target within “official” U.S. territory (including those states that have seceded from the union — even though these secessions are fait accomplis, the U.S. government fails to recognize them). Whenever a squadron conducts business in the U.S., U.S.
by Virgil Beetlebaum THE WILDCATS THEY’RE NOT JUST A SQUADRON, THEY’RE A SMART VENTURE Editor’s Note: Although this piece was originally slated as an overview of how the Wildcat Squadron operates, Mr. Beetlebaum insisted on writing the article himself. SUDDEN DEATH agreed to this stipulation in exchange for his help in coordinating interviews with the various members of the squadron, background information, base passes and so forth. It is my opinion, however, that Mr.
WILDCATS DOSSIERS MIGUEL SCHRAEDER, “ZORRO” — PRECISION PERSONIFIED “I guess I earned the name Zorro for two reasons. One, I used to fight bulls as a teenager growing up in Barcelona. And the other reason is, I am so accurate in the air. I am as adept with missiles as the legendary swordsman was with a blade. Both attributes, I think, spring from the same talent. Nerves of steel.” Capt. Schraeder flashes one of his rare smiles. “But, I could be wrong.
LYLE RICHARDS, “BASELINE” — MYSTERY MAN Lyle Richards, a 38-year-old veteran of several U.S. campaigns, has a reputation as a quiet, pensive man, so it came as no surprise when he declined our request for an interview (despite the fevered objections of the publicity-hungry Mr. Beetlebaum). For this reason, our information on Lt. Col. Richards is limited to what we could obtain from official U.S. Navy records. A pilot of great skill, Richards initially honed his abilities aboard the USS Saratoga.
really liked the way the brass pushed me around. I’ve never been much for mindlessly following orders. After a while, that whole damned headset just got to be too much for me. I mean, here were officers that I could fly into the ground giving me orders. Who the hell did they think they were? The whole problem is the power principle. Give any idiot power, and it’ll corrupt absolutely every time. Pretty soon they expect you to jump through hoops just because they have some braid on their shoulders.
BILLY PARKER, “PRIME TIME” — TOP GUN CLAYTON TRAVIS, “TEX” — RODEO COWBOY First Lt. Billy Parker, or “Prime Time” to the rest of the Wildcats, emerged after four years in the 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron with an unprecedented peacetime total of 36 confirmed kills. “Hey, what can I say? Put me and a bogie in the air, throw in a couple rounds of ammunition and someone’s gonna be history.” Clearly, history is a subject Parker has considered intently.
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SELL & SCRAMBLE A Typical Wildcat Mission • by D. Duhm [Many thanks to the CEO and Board of MAXIMA for their kind permission to publicize select details regarding this classified operation.
now, the Wildcat workday doesn’t really begin till about 2000, when Selim’s opens. That’s where we go to dig up work. And toss back a few.” He laughs a little too heartily, implying that even accountants can get down and dirty with the boys. I smile weakly, feeling queasy from the six quarts of coffee I drank while waiting around in the hangar. Well, it sure felt like six. When measuring time by coffee, the minutes can seem like ounces.
1615 Hours At last, someone gives me the time of day. “1615,” says Miguel Schraeder, as he walks away. Encouraged by even this faint acknowledgement, I follow him to the hangar, where he proceeds to direct a crew of mechanics in the maintenance of the F-16 fleet. I am surprised to find that “Zorro” Schraeder, a veteran of the Central American Bloc Conflict, is the Wildcat’s senior mechanic. Generally, crack pilots consider the mechanics of craft maintenance and repair beneath them.
1902 Hours The hollow crack of gunplay fractures the deep evening stillness. I leave my crustless bologna and mustard sandwich (provided by you-know-who) in the hanger and brush past some boredlooking junior pilots to see what the commotion is about. The sky is dark now, except for a last strip of red hugging the horizon. I stumble over the uneven ground, following the intermittent sound, until I discover Tex standing by the flight tower/control complex, a .
in sight. Richards, even more so than his tight-lipped teammates, has been reluctant to reveal any personal information about himself. I decide to sit with him, and attempt to penetrate the man’s silence. Since he brushes off personal inquiries, I ask him instead about Stern. “I understand that your commander has had a very difficult career.” Lyle grunts noncommittally, scanning the crowd. “For instance, the loss of the Shiloh. That must have been a difficult blow after such a distinguished career.
2237 Hours The evening’s business is concluded, and excitement fills the air. Stern has closed a deal, apparently quite a lucrative deal. Although the details are not yet available, everyone can breathe easier now, at least until morning; the pressure to sell themselves over, tomorrow they’ll turn their attention to staying alive. But for tonight, everyone stays behind drinking as Stern heads out the door, his stony exterior cracking long enough for him to give his team a wink and a thumbs up.
final feature of the Maxima Gold Card that concerns the Wildcats now. The Maxima Gold Card cannot be electronically revoked. Any Gold Card that Maxima Corp wishes to deactivate must be repossessed in person by a duly authorized member of the Maxima Board of Directors, and then physically destroyed. It is considered “a privilege of membership.” “Maxima Corp wishes to repossess the Maxima Gold Card belonging to one Claude Guillaume. It seems that Mr.
“I agree. The Maxima Card is immoral. You could feed all of Latin America with one of those rich man’s toys.” All the pilots are placed on final standby. Launch is at 0800. 0754 Hours All the Wildcats are lined up beside their planes when Mr. Petrie is escorted onto the strip.
jet, leaving a smoking trail, crashes into the sea without further ado. Parachutes punctuate the sky randomly, final exclamation points marking the end of another phrase in the drama staged around me. At any moment, I expect the cockpit to tear away, to feel the incredible thrust of the ejector jets in the seat beneath me as a missile slams into the engine behind me. I can’t believe I’ve gotten this far, with so much random destruction flaring around me. 1030 Hours The island is in sight.
“Hello, Anton. How nice to see you.” Petrie smiles. “Claude. How are you?” “Fine, just fine. I’ve taken up tennis, did you know?” “Oh really, we’ll have to play sometime.” “Yes, yes, we really must. So. What brings you all the way here, Anton?” Petrie sighs, looking embarrassed. “This little matter of the billion dollars —” “Ahhhh —” “I hate to even mention it. You know I’d cut you some slack, but the rest of the board, well —” “Quite. Quite. The vicissitudes of the market —” “So true.
C ONTRACT: AN ENFORCER SPEAKS OUT by “Gule Gule” [After untold centuries as an exclamation of fond farewell, “Gule, gule,” or “go cheerfully,” was transformed in just five short years into a phrase whispered with dread, from the darkest corners of the Stamboul quarter to the gaudy, blood-stained sidewalks of Istiklal Caddesi in Beyoglu. It seems fantastic that a lone assassin, whose name to this day remains unknown, had only to embrace the innocuous phrase as his nom d’plume in order to stain it forever.
I have an anecdote for you. Two actually. But one is shorter, and will do for a beginning. I had tracked M. Chevrier and his personal guard to the Galata Tower in the Beyoglu section of Istanbul, not a good place to be during the day if you weren’t hard, or after sundown even if you were. By the time the lights flared to life in the exclusive tower nightclub, dusk had lured the first resentful shadows from the “I do not enjoy doorways around being thought me. The users of as a monster.
I laughed. He laughed, dabbing at some sauce at the corner of his mouth. “M. Chevrier, we have inconvenienced these good people enough for one night. Would you please step outside with me?” “Of course, of course,” he said, waving his hand in placation as he stood up, still chuckling. We strolled together from the restaurant, and M. Chevrier held the door for me as we emerged from Galata Tower. I led him to an alley, cleared it of riff-raff with a few warning shots, then lit a cigarette for M. Chevrier.
promise of the new Istanbul, one of a thousand stalkers prowling her streets in search of the few jobs available at the time. Merc employment was difficult to come by, since the market structure was only beginning to form, and those corporations who had engaged murderers privately were still leery of pursuing their bloody vendettas in the light of government sanctioned respectability. Still, the promise was enough for us, professional killers offered a haven for our dark craft.
When Sampras defaulted, the surviving Claws found themselves entirely without recourse. They could not collect their fee by force, since they could no longer mount a respectable assault. They didn’t have enough funds to secure legal representation. Simply speaking, there was no way out. Their fee was forfeit. That was the bottom line. So they decided to turn to the black market enforcers, the assassins, who to this day prefer to be called “contractual dispute consultants.
impetus to galvanize plot into action. One afternoon, by chance, I found myself across the street from the welfare hospital in Beyoglu, where the few injured Claws still clinging to life waged their silent struggles. I decided to step inside, to see first-hand the results of Sampras’ treachery. There were two Claws in that hospital. One of them couldn’t breathe without the help of a machine. His lungs were fine, but his head had been partially crushed.
hospital file were the only evidence of his existence, other than a photo and nameplate in the lobby of One Sampras Square depicting a man who looked more like a 1950’s sit-com father than a corporate monster. Even worse, there was no way I could even tail the man to gather intelligence on his habits without further intelligence! He entered and left the building by means of an underground driveway that fed into Istanbul’s streets at various locations. I found only one approach open to me.
behalf of Sampras Aerospace. Or have you forgotten the Claws?” McDonald laughed. “Is this some kind of joke? Who is this?” “This is your final payment notice, Mr. McDonald. You will remit the outstanding balance plus interest to the surviving members of the squadron you betrayed, or I will kill you.” “I see.” I heard McDonald make a comment to someone else in the office, who laughed. “And who are you, then? An Angel of Death? My worst nightmare?” He laughed. I laughed with him.
then, having only tasted each expensive delicacy, leaving the rest to waste as his bodyguards stoically surrounded him, McDonald moved on to the main course, imam bayildi (literally “The imam swooned” because it was so good). Turkey stuffed with currants and pine kernels, bulbul yuvasi, helva, rahat lokum, all came in wave after overwhelming wave of epicurean delight. I couldn’t finish my own small meal. The smell of the meat wafting from McDonald’s table reminded me of the burn ward.
cades could be horrendous, progress sometimes limited to one mile per hour. I wanted to be sure to arrive on time. I was tired of this project, and anxious not to miss any opportunity to bring about its successful conclusion. Eight o’clock found me outside the Pera Palas, an elegant, six-story hotel near the British Consulate. I lingered on the street, reading a newspaper, soliciting the street vendors, generally assuming the role of a street skag with nowhere to go. No one noticed me.
Giving his men a nod, he left the room and shut the door. Just what I’d been waiting for. I hit the trigger on the inside of my left wrist. The pressurized canister in my left pocket discharged, filling the entire room with Cyonel. Silently, the men around me froze in their tracks and dropped to the floor, hemorrhaging silently from the mouth, eyes, ears and nostrils at the nerve toxin’s merest touch. I’d taken the antidote before leaving my rooms, and it served me well now.
“Please, you can have anything you want —” The first hint of a whine was creeping into his voice. I found it grating. “Don’t beg. I told you this was coming, didn’t I?” I smiled. “Gule, gule. You said it yourself.” I moved toward him. To my amazement, tears started rolling down his pasty cheeks. “Oh God, no — no —” He curled into a ball, hands over his head. Unbelievable.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT “James Stern: The Untold Story” J ames “Hawk” Stern is something of a The two men received separate assignments. Stern served aboard the legend around Turkey. There are more carrier Enterprise as a naval aviator; successful squadrons on the market Prideaux was posted to a naval base in than the Wildcats, but surely none of Hawaii, and although the two men them fly so radically against the grain.
military exercise of the PetroWar. It has been argued that this circumstance greatly magnified Stern’s guilt in the eyes of his superiors, and of history. It has been likewise argued that the Pentagon never would’ve committed the Shiloh to a suicide operation, that there must have been a winning scenario behind the decision, and that Stern failed his country by failing to realize this objective. Stern himself has never commented publicly either way.
AD LE ER HE T OF The Jackal Speaks! An Exclusive Interview with Jean-Paul Prideaux {In the four years since their break with the Wildcats, the Jackals have become one of the ten most successful squadrons in Turkey. Such is the stuff of local legend. For the first time, hearing that SUDDEN DEATH was preparing a special Wildcat issue, Prideaux agreed to break his policy of silence. He contacted us and agreed to grant us an exclusive interview, on the condition that we’d present it in the Wildcat edition.
PRIDEAUX: Well, of course, it wasn’t a sudden thing. From the start, Stern told me he was determined to reject certain types of missions. Those involving murder of civilians, for instance. Those involving assaults against certain types of organizations — environmental, charity and so on. He told me these things when I decided to join the Wildcats, but I believed then that the imprecision of the mercenary lifestyle would wear him down eventually.
when it’s foolhardy, like Don Quixote tilting at windmills, that kind of noble insanity. Yes, James Stern and I still meet occasionally, and play a game of chess on the off-days when business is bad at Selim’s. SD: I detect a bit of fondness in your voice. PRIDEAUX: Well. There are no friends quite so good as old enemies. SD: Okay. Just the one question remains. What are your predictions for the Wildcats? PRIDEAUX: They’re doomed. No question.
“WE DO IT RIGHT – OR WRONG!” “ONE BIG WORLD, ONE GREAT COMPANY” Pulling together for a better tomorrow is It happens all the time. You routinely hire mercs to eliminate business competitors, and yet you have a personal problem that just won’t go away. Maybe it’s a marriage gone bad. A sick mother who’s hanging on a bit too long. Or maybe you’re just ticked at the jerk who wouldn’t let you pass him on the way to work. “What can I do about it,” you ask yourself helplessly. The answer is right in front of you.
DECADE OF TURMOIL WINDS TO A CLOSE A lthough the decade spanning 2000 — 2010 has been termed the “Decade of Turmoil” in the popular media, historians and sociologists alike are quick to dispute the label.
Peace is restored in the Middle East as the Western powers strangle the East economically and militarily, but at a price; a majority of Eastern oil fields are destroyed, resulting in a global oil crisis. Despite strident protests by Alaskans, drilling is increased in Alaska. Additionally, a U.S. policy shift toward escalation of offshore drilling and promotion of nuclear energy is greeted by concerted environmental protests organized by militant environmental groups.
In retaliation for the destruction of Alaska, environmentalists initiate a military occupation of Yosemite National Park. This action precipitates open warfare between environmental activists and Eastern owners of Setting Sun, Inc., a foreign investment corporation that operates key tourist concerns in the park. This is the first time mercenaries are legally employed on American soil. Scandal rocks Congress, as leaders of both parties are implicated in the Bloodmoney Scandal.
within Turkish borders, availing themselves of this safe haven for their legally questionable activities. Utilizing loopholes in international law and twisting the chaos within the new world order to their advantage, mercenary squadrons operating from Turkish bases are considered emissaries of the Turkish government, and are able to operate with relative impunity within the borders of other countries shielded by “technically creative application” of the principle of diplomatic immunity.
WANT ADS Wealthy programmer seeking female assassin to help dispose of ex-girlfriend. Must enjoy mixing business with pleasure. No Jennifers, please. Ask for Mighty Dog at Selim’s. Nervous fixer seeks therapist. Have been under considerable stress since the loss of my beloved fez. And I feel like invisible people are watching me all the time — Call 555-6342. Ask for Farhad. LIKE MUFFINS? Aging Mexican fixer seeks financial backing for BETO’S ISTANBUL HOUSE OF MUFFINS.
This Help file contains: 1. Install Instructions for Strike CD and the Adobe reader for on-line documentation. 2. System Requirements 3. Sample Configurations and Boot Disk Info 4. Troubleshooting/Common Error Codes 5. OSI Product Support Info If the installation information given in the printed documentation is not working for you, this file gives some even more basic options which should work for most systems.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To play Strike CD, you must have at leastIntel 486 (TM) or 100% Compatible CD-ROM Drive MS-DOS v5.0 or higher 4 MB RAM (557K/571,000 bytes Free Conventional + 2700K/2,765,000 bytes Free XMS or EMS memory) 256 Color VGA Graphics Board or better MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions version 2.1 or higher 2 MB Hard Drive Space Mouse (Optional) - Microsoft or 100% Compatible Driver Music (Optional) - Ad Lib (R), Sound Blaster (R), MPU-401 interface General Midi, or 100% compatible soundboard.
— EMS — CONFIG.SYS: DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 2848 RAM I=B000-B7FF DOS=HIGH,UMB FILES=30 BUFFERS=30 (Add your CD-ROM drivers here) SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /P AUTOEXEC.BAT: PATH=C:\DOS;C:\ PROMPT $P$G (Add your MSCDEX.EXE driver here) (Add your MOUSE driver here) SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C: ***Users with 8 MB ram or better should increase the amount of memory to be used for EMS when using EMM386.EXE. Remember that numbers specified should be a multiple of 256. ex.
ed that you DO NOT install the game with SMARTDRV.EXE active - put it in afterwards! See your DOS manual or help file for more info. Users with only 4 MB RAM should not specify more then 256K on the SMARTDRV.EXE driver line. Bus Mastering Hard Drive Controller users may need to load SMARTDRV.EXE’s double buffering driver in the CONFIG.SYS if they encounter graphic distortion. ex.”DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.
TROUBLESHOOTING Common Error Codes0203xFFFF Out of Far Memory. This should be rare, however, a boot disk should solve this. If it doesn’t, then check for TSR’s which may be using upper memory through the “Devicehigh” or “Loadhigh” commands. This includes the “/e” on the MSCDEX line. Try loading them low as memory will allow. 0303xFFFF Out of EMS Memory. This one should be more common on machines with 4 MB of RAM and some TSR’s loading high.
installing after booting with the recommended configs listed above. Try a Boot disk! ***Remember that 90% of all installation problems tend to be CONFIGURATION problems.
