User Guide

In practice, you will want to shorten the trip by activating the autopilot. If there are no hazards
(enemy ships, asteroids or mines) in the area, the autopilot light (marked “auto”) goes on. Press
A
to
elect autopilot. Your ship, wingman and any escorted ships form up and proceed to the Nav point
automatically as a group.
Autopilot automatically disengages a few thousand meters from your destination. It also disen-
gages when you encounter enemy vessels or hazards (asteroids, etc.), allowing you to deal with them.
Communications System
Press
C
to activate the Communication screen. This presents you with a numbered list of poten-
tial recipients for your message.
Select a receiver by pressing the corresponding number key, and a second numbered menu appears
listing the messages you can send to that person. To send the message, press the appropriate number
key.
The communications system checks your current situation and determines who you can commu-
nicate with and what messages you can send. If there is only one pilot who can receive your commu-
nication, no menu is presented and the message goes to the sole eligible recipient.
When other pilots send a message to you, a white box appears around their ship in your
viewscreen. Their messages appear at the top of the screen, unless you have a digitized sound board
supported by
Wing Commander II and have Speech installed. In that case, you will actually be able to
hear their radio messages directly.
To exit Communications, press
C
or
q
.
Tactical Tip: The most frequently used messages can be sent instantly , without entering Communications
mode, simply by pressing
a
and a single letter key simultaneously. These
a
key combinations are listed
below.
Wingman Orders. Wingmen sometimes disobey, but you can give them the following orders:
• Break and Attack (
aB
). A command to leave formation and engage enemy fighters within
12,000 meters. Your wingman will not attack a capital ship until you do. (See “Attack My Target”
command, below.)
• Keep Formation (
aF
). Denies a wing-man’s request to break and attack on his own initiative.
This only applies to a wingman who is currently in formation.
• Form on My Wing (also
aF
). Tells your wingman to return to formation and follow your vessel.
This only applies to a wingman who has broken formation, either to attack or to return to base.
• Return to Base (no
a
key combination). A command instructing your wingman to immediately
head for home. If this order is obeyed, your wingman won’t be available to help you for the duration
of this mission.
• Help Me Out Here (
aH
). A command to your wingman to engage the enemy attacking you.
• Attack My Target (
aA
). A command telling your wingman to engage the enemy you have cur-
rently targeted. This is the only way your wingman will attack an enemy capital ship, but remember
that certain capital ships can only be attacked with torpedoes—if your wingman won’t be able to
harm a target, he’ll refuse this command.
• Keep Radio Silence (no
a
key combination). A command telling your wingman to send
no messages until you send a “Broadcast Freely” message.
• Broadcast Freely (no
a
key combination). Allows your wingman to talk to you. This negates
“Keep Radio Silence.”
• Damage Report (
aD
). If possible, your wingman broadcasts to you a damage display of his ship,
which appears in the right
VDU. This display remains on and is constantly updated until you press
T
or
N
, at which point the link is broken.
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