Regardless of which game play mode you chose: Campaign, Single
Mission or Mulitplayer, the default game play controls will always
be the same. Note that you can reconfigure your keys from the Main Menu options
screen.
As commander of your flying fortress, you must guide it through tight
canyons, over hostile cities, and into deadly battle. Use these keys to pilot
your ship.
UP ARROW: Applies forward thrust to the Fortress. The rate of
acceleration and overall top speed is improved as
you add Thrust Jets.
DOWN ARROW: Applies reverse thrust to the Fortress.
The rate of deceleration is improved as
you add Thrust Jets.
LEFT ARROW: Applies left rotational thrust to the Fortress. The
rate of rotation is improved as you add more
Rudder Jets.
RIGHT ARROW: Applies right rotational thrust to the Fortress. The
rate of rotation is improved as you add more
Rudder Jets.
Targeting the enemy and firing weapons:
Use the mouse to move the targeting cursor. Press the LMB when the cursor is within a weapon's firing arc and all units that can fire at that spot will fire. Some weapons will simply travel to the point specified and either hit or miss. Others (like the land hurler and arc projector) travel in a flat path beyond their firing arc. These weapons can be used for long range attacks, but they require good timing to lead the target. Finally, mines like those of the time bomber will explode some time after they are launched. Be careful to be beyond their range when they detonate.
H:
Toggles the cursor Height between targeting units at ground level and
targeting units at Fortress level.
MANAGING UNITS:
All objects on your fortress are represented in a "tree" of names along the right side of the screen. These tree entries display unit health and energy state, and can also be used to order repairs.
To select a unit, move the cursor over the unit or its entry in the unit tree. Once selected, the unit's information is displayed in the unit window above the tree. If the unit is currently being repaired (see Repairing your
fortress), it will be tagged with a repair cross icon. When a unit is selected, you will also see that unit's energy connections to adjacent units and their power supply state (green, yellow, or red)
SELECTING A GROUP OF UNITS:
In the simulation window, place the cursor over one of your units and drag with the left mouse button to select a group of units in a rectangular area; or, hold down the Shift key to select a series of units one at a time. By selecting multiple units, you can repair them all at once (albeit more slowly).
To select all units, press CTRL-A.
VIEWING ENEMY UNIT STATUS:
As you encounter enemy forts, their units can appear in the tree as well. They are found beneath your fort tree. These entries are updated only when the enemy fort is in close range.
ESC:
Cancels current unit selections; If no units selected, opens Options Menu and pauses the game
REPAIRING UNITS:
Press 'R' to repair the units currently selected. Note that your fort can only repair a fixed amount of damage per time frame, so if you want to fix a single unit as quickly as possible, don't try to repair any other units at the same time.
CONTROL AND A NUMBER (0-9):
Currently selected units are assigned to a numbered macro.
NUMBER (0-9): Selects the units that you have assigned to that macro key.
Camera
HOME Zooms the camera in
END Zooms the camera out
PAGE UP Raises the camera to near top down view
PAGE DOWN Lowers the camera to near horizon view
W Rotates the camera around the Fortress counter
clockwise
E Rotates the camera around the Fortress clockwise
W and E Locks the camera rotation
F1 Camera rotates to look in front of the fortress
F2 Camera rotates to look behind the fortress
F3 Camera rotates to look to the left of the fortress
F4 Camera rotates to look to the right of the fortress
C Toggles Automatic Attack Camera on or off. If
Automatic Attack Camera is toggled on the camera will
automatically raise to a near top down position
whenever you approach a target.
Build Modes
B Toggles the Manual Build Mode on or off. If the Build
Camera is toggled on, the camera is put in a top
down view close up of your Fortress whenever the build
Mode is activated.
Other Controls:
+ Increases world display widow (up to full screen)
- Decreases the world display window. A smaller
window should improve update performance.
M: Activates the map screen (any key press will exit you
from the map screen or clicking on the accept button)
F5 Restarts the mission
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For more detailed information please refer to the "read me" file within the Stratosphere dir.
Thanks again for your interest in Stratosphere: Conquest of the Skies.
If you have questions or comments concerning the Stratosphere demo,
please contact us via email at Stratosphere@Sculptured.com