ATARI (R) XE (C) VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE ACE OF ACES (R) by Accolade Game Manual Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the product documentation in this manual. However, because Atari Corporation is constantly improving and updating its computer hardware and software, it is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or omissions. Reproduction of all or any portions of this manual is not allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corporation. Atari (R), the Atari logo, XE (C), and XL (C) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Ace of Aces is a trademark of Nova Game Design, Inc. ATARI (R) Copyright (C) 1986, 1987, Accolade. All rights reserved. Original license from Artech Digital Productions. Copyright (C) 1986, Atari Corporation Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAYING THE GAME System Components Getting Started Practice Mission Intelligence Report Navigational Map Selecting Ammunition and Fuel Flying a Mission Cockpit Compass Airspeed Artificial Horizon Altimeter Intercom Yoke Enemy Altitude Radar Engine Room Throttle and Throttle Gauge Booster and Booster Gauge Landing Gear Trim Flaps Fire Extinguisher Fuel Bomb Bay Bomb Bay Doors Control Fuel Tank Drop Gun/Rocket Select STRATEGY Dog Fights Trains U-Boats Survival SCORING PLAYING THE GAME It's World War II and Britain's Royal Air Force is up to its necktie in Axis attacks. As one of the RAF's most aggressive pilots, you're in on flying the most crucial missions to stall the enemy. They attack by land, air, and sea. Your only allies are your DeHavilland Mosquito, your weapons, and your wit. Chase the Nazi bombers, sink the U-boats before they can dive, outrun the V-1 buzz bombs, and stop the POW trains from reaching the enemy lines. Choose your ammunition and fuel wisely -- once your on a mission, there's no turning back. To be an Ace, you need five enemy defeats. To be Ace of Aces, you've gotta be the best! System Components Atari XE system (or Atari XE or XL computer) Atari XE keyboard (optional) Color television or color monitor Atari joystick Getting Started 1. Insert the Ace of Aces cartridge into the cartridge slot on your XE system and plug a joystick into controller port 1. 2. Turn on your television or monitor, then press the [Power] key to turn on your XE console. The Ace of Aces title screen 3. Press [Start] or the joystick button. In a midnight session your Group Captain offers you the choice of a practice flight or a mission. Move the joystick handle forward or back to mark your choice. Then press the fire button to begin. 4. Press [Reset] at any time to return to the title screen. 5. With a keyboard attached, press [Esc] at any time to pause. Press any key to resume action. Practice If you choose a practice flight, the Group Captain offers you three alternatives: dog fight, train, or U-boats. Dog Fight: Go nose to nose with enemy ME109s and wax their tails. Train: Practice bombing the enemy rail system. U-Boats: Cruise over the North Atlantic for a dry run on a wet target. Move the joystick handle forward or back to mark your choice, then press the fire button to begin. Man your Mosquito already loaded with the necessary ammunition and fuel. Now's the time to practice destroying the enemy. (See the other sections of this manual for instructions.) When your plane sustains damage or runs low on ammo or fuel, return to base. Use the practice flight to learn your aircraft and its controls. Once you're back on base, you'll be called again into the Group Captain's pre-dawn session. Mission When you select a mission, your superior officer gives you four alternatives. Each one is a known enemy threat. The mission that's the most crucial at the moment depends on the enemy's total war effort. After a few missions, it'll be up to you to choose the best strategic attack area. V-1 Rocket: The enemy is tossing V-1 buzz bombs, accompanied by an unknown number of ME109 fighters. Bomber: JU88s and ME109s control the skies. Train: Rail transport of Allied POWs to enemy camps is underway. ME109 air support is probable. U-Boats: Enemy submarines are converging on Allied convoys. Move the joystick handle forward or back to point to a choice, then press the fire button to mark it. You can choose more than one mission at a time. Then move the handle back to point to "Begin Game." Press the fire button to start. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS Intelligence agents, resistance groups, and aerial reconnaissance ceaselessly work at pinpointing the exact enemy positions. Headquarters now makes you privy to their reports. It also informs you on weather conditions and recommended altitude, weapons, and target sequence. Memorize the report -- its information could keep you alive. Move the handle forward or back to either accept or reject the mission. Then press the fire button or [Select]. Reject the mission when you want to choose another alternative. Accept the mission and there's no turning back. Your navigational map appears. NAVIGATIONAL MAP The navigational MAP shows major European cities and enemy positions based on intelligence reports. Take a good long look. This information is vital to your success. Review the map often during your mission (see Views from the Mosquito table). Intercept the air and ground enemy before they reach their destinations. Destroy the U-boat pen before the subs can set sail to attack Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. Avoid storm clouds -- they spell trouble. Now press the fire button to prepare your plane. SELECTING AMMUNITION AND FUEL You now order your ammunition and fuel in the weapons room. Next to each offering are plus (+) and minus (-) signs. Move the joystick handle to mark a sign, then press the fire button. Plus signs load ammunition and fuel; minus signs offload them. When you've reached maximum load, you will not be able to load any more items. Your intelligence report recommended correct ammunition. You'll use cannon shells and rockets for dog fights and bombs for surface targets. If your targets are U-boats and trains, load up on bombs and add a few cannon shells and rockets for surprises (yours and theirs). If you're going for Ace of Aces status by choosing all four missions, select your ammunition based on your bombing and dog fight prowess and the intelligence report. Add fuel tanks for long-range missions. Once you're armed, move the joystick handle back to mark "Done" and press the fire button. You're off! Flying a Mission While airborne, you've got five views from which to carry on your attack. Use your joystick handle and fire button to change views (follow the table). A double-press on the fire button means two quick clicks. Views from the Mosquito --------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ------------ View Joystick Action Keyboard Action --------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Cockpit Double-press fire button, then push handle forward. [1] Engine room, port (left) wing Double-press fire button, then push handle left. [2] Engine room, starboard (right) wing Double-press fire button, then push handle right. [3] Navigational map Double-press fire button, then push handle back. [4] Bomb bay Double-press fire button, then release handle. [5] COCKPIT >From the cockpit you'll look forward into the skies (or cloud cover). Use your controls to keep your Mosquito on course. Press the fire button to fire cannon and rockets. Crosshairs turn red when your target is in firing range. Compass Your initial compass heading is south (S). Change course by pushing the joystick handle left or right. A dark line indicates the correct heading for the next target. When all targets are destroyed, the dark-line heading shows you the way home. Airspeed: Your airspeed is shown in miles per hour. Adjust this reading with your boosters, throttle, and flaps in the engine room. Artificial Horizon: This indicator shows your altitude and the angle of your wing relative to the fixed horizon. Angling (moving the joystick handle left or right) turns your Mosquito in the direction of the lower wing. Altimeter: This dial reads your altitude in thousands of feet, relative to the fixed horizon. Intercom: The intercom monitors trouble spots in the Mosquito. When a section of the plane lights up, move to that view and take care of the problem. When the center of the plane lights up, the ground target is in sight. The intercom appears in all views of the plane. Yoke: The yoke steers your aircraft. Move the yoke with the joystick handle -- forward to dive, back to climb, left or right to turn in that direction. Enemy Altitude: This gauge monitors the altitude of oncoming enemy aircraft relative to your altitude. Radar: This sweep dial tells you an enemy's distance relative to your position. ENGINE ROOM >From the engine room you'll control the Mosquito's speed and flight position and contain damage. Move the diamond indicator by pushing the joystick handle left or right. Then change a control setting by pressing the fire button and moving the joystick handle forward, back, left, or right. Throttle and Throttle Gauge: The throttle controls your engine speed, measured in revolutions per minute (RPMs) on the throttle gauge. Move the lever up to increase speed. The engine is over-revving if the RPM needle is in the red zone. Decrease speed immediately. If you can't slow down, the engine is on fire. Booster and Booster Gauge: The booster controls the pitch of your propellers, measured in angles on the booster gauge. Move the lever forward to increase pitch. The booster must be at the same setting as your throttle for top fuel efficiency. If the throttle and booster aren't balanced, the engine will either over-rev or lug. Landing Gear: Keep this control in the up position unless you want to reduce speed quickly -- useful for evading enemy fighters. Trim: Trim controls the tail rudder and determines your direction of flight. Flaps: Wing flaps (ailerons) are your brakes. Move the lever down to brake but be careful -- at high speeds the vibrations could damage the Mosquito. Fire Extinguisher: Move the lever left to spray the fire extinguisher on engine fires. Once an engine is doused, it's out of commission until repaired. Fuel: Check your fuel condition frequently. When a tank is empty, switch to the bomb bay view and take care of the problem. BOMB BAY The bomb bay view tells how much ammunition you have left. Move the joystick handle left or right to position the diamond above a control, then hold down the fire button and move the joystick handle left or right to change a setting. Bomb Bay Doors Control: Open the bomb bay doors to take aim on U-boats and trains. When a target is in sight, crosshairs appear. Move the joystick handle to get the target within the crosshairs. Press the fire button to drop bombs. Fuel Tank Drop: Drop empty tanks to improve your fuel use. Drop full tanks for a quick getaway (be sure you have enough fuel to get home). Gun/Rocket Select: Use this lever to choose either the gun (cannon) or rocket to fire on your target. STRATEGY Dog Fights Enemy fighters attack randomly without warning. When an enemy aircraft turns up on your radar, your Mosquito position freezes on the navigational map. You must down the enemy before he gets you. And make it quick -- you're burning up fuel. Enemy aircraft attack in greater numbers once you have destroyed their trains and U-boats. V-1s are slower than fighters. If they're too close to you when they explode, their shrapnel may damage your Mosquito. Trains: You must stop the POW train en route to Berlin. Aim only at cars marked with the Iron Cross. Cars marked with the Red Cross carry captured Allied troops and will cost you points if destroyed. You get only one crack at the train so be precise about altitude and speed. Your best attack position is 1,000 feet at 100 mph. U-Boats: The U-boats are preparing to attack Allied shipping in the North Atlantic. Stop them before they launch. Once you open your bomb bay doors, the U-boats will pick you up on instruments and begin diving. Once underwater, they will not resurface for the duration of your mission. You're in maximum attack position at 1,000 feet at 100 mph. Survival With a full load of weapons and fuel you'll need extra speed in order to climb. Speed increases as you drop bombs and fuel tanks. Return to base when damaged for refueling and repairs. SCORING Rocket hits (R) earn twice the points of cannon hits (C). Destroying the Enemy V-1 300 points (R) 150 points (C) U-Boat 250 points Bomber 200 points (R) 100 points (C) Train Engine 500 points Train Car 200 points POW Car -200 points Completing a Mission Safe return 2,000 points Bomb intact 50 points Rocket intact 50 points Cannon shell intact 10 points Fuel tank intact 10 points ATARI (R) Copyright (C) 1988, Atari Corporation Sunnyvale, CA 94086 All rights reserved. C300019-099 Rev. A W.W.9. 1988 Printed in Hong Kong ------- Typed up by Jeff Lodoen jlodoen@mega.megamed.com