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- INSTRUCTIONS
-
- Patriot Command is a fast-paced war game where you are in charge of an air
- defense system. Your job is to protect potential ground targets from air
- bombardment by targeting and launching ground-to-air missiles. Missiles
- explode near falling bombs and other ordinance - the blast and shock of the
- explosion destroys the in-coming threat. Bombs fall from orbit or are dropped
- from delivery vehicles such as F-14s, Mirages, F-117s, and helicopters. They
- will try to impact your cities and missile bases. Once all of your cities and
- other ground targets have been destroyed, you lose theattack and the game is
- over. Targeting of ground-to-air missiles is done by moving the target
- designator (the red cross) around the screen with the mouse. To launch a
- missile, press one of the mouse buttons. Each button corresponds to a
- different missile base. A small blue cross will mark the point of missile
- detonation. The trick is to time the detonation so the resulting blast will
- destroy the incoming threat. Delivery vehicles can also be destroyed but they
- can take several hits and tend to dodge launched missiles. Watch out for
- "stealth bombs" dropped by delivery vehicles. These stealth bombs are
- difficult to see, difficult to kill, and often times require more than one
- hit to neutralize it. As launch commander, bear in mind that you have a
- limited amount of missiles and once all ground targets have been destroyed,
- you are most likely to be reassigned to Barrow, Alaska. But as time goes
- by (really, as points are accumulated), cities will rebuild which offers you
- continued opportunity to prove your prowess under heavy battle situations.
- Just a few reminders from your training: First, to get command line switch
- info, type this at the DOS prompt: C:> PATCOM /HELP
- If the battle seems to slow down or your battlefield computers run too slow,
- there are several things you can do to keep the speed up. The blast shape can
- be changed from the default Circle Blast to the quicker Square Blast. The
- Debris option can be set to OFF from the Blast Shapes popup menu. The Use
- Symbolic Bombers option can be set to ON from the Patriot Command popup menu.
- After that, you will have to make an emergency wartime funding request for
- faster battlefield computers. Assuming that attacks will occur around the
- clock, multiple launch commanders can be accommodated by Patriot Command.
- Add launch commanders (multiple players) from the Add Player option under the
- Players popup menu. A commander can be removed from the battlefield at any
- time. A commander can also be re-instated at any point during the game by
- skipping to that commander by using the Skip Player option from the Players
- popup menu. Each commander plays typically for 5 minutes and then the next
- commander will get aturn. This time length can be changed from the Time Per
- Player option of the Patriot Command popup menu. Important to recall, but not
- recommended for use, is the Panic Launch mode. A panic launch can be
- signaled by pressing the Space Bar. Also recall the enormous amounts of
- paperwork required after using the panic launch mode... Latest intelligence
- reports: A ground target will be rebuilt after each 10,000 points. Ground
- targets canbe stocked up if not used. A commander's skill level will
- increase each 100,000 points since his last skill increase. Skill levels can
- be adjusted from the Skill Level popup menu. Field reports indicate that as
- skill level increases, the velocity and number of bombs increases. Delivery
- vehicle's velocity, number, and aggressiveness (lower drop altitude) all go
- up quickly as skill level increases. An optional playing mode, use of the
- theoretical Unlimited Missiles, can be used. But launch of a missile costs
- points and battlefield results are somewhat inconclusive. But there is a
- degree of training value using the unlimited mode (found under the Patriot
- Commandpopup menu). Backgrounds can be changed or turned off at anytime.
- Additional backgrounds, ground targets, and delivery vehicles can be ordered
- from Timber Valley Software. Check out the Read Me popup menu for info on how
- to order backgrounds and other Timber Valley Software games. Lastly, a
- commander or a Patriot Command defense group can surrender (or Quit) by
- typing 'Q' during active play or when the menu bar is displayed.
-