The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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THE COMPLETE WING COMMANDER DOCUMENTATION or, at least, all you really need to know. Fairly complete and only a bit abridged. WING COMMANDER The 3-D Space Combat Simulator IBM-PC and 100% Compatibles --- REFERENCE CARD -BEGINNING PLAY- To start, change to your Wing Commander directory, and type: WC<ENTER> -USING THE INTERFACE- WING COMMANDER uses no menus or commands when you're aboard the Tiger's Claw. Select game functions by moving the pointer around the on-screen picture. The pointer's shape and colour indicate whether a function is available. o Blue Arrow Pointer - Nothing for you to do in this area. o Green Crosshairs - A game function is assigned to this area. Select functions with the joystick, mouse or keyboard. o Keyboard: Use the arrow keys or numeric keypad to move the pointer. <enter> or <space> selects game function. o Joystick: Controls pointer movement. Button #1 selects game functions. If your joystick has auto-fire, turn it off. o Mouse: Controls pointer movement. Left button selects game functions. <ESCAPE> ("Esc" on keyboard) usually aborts your current activity. -SIGNING ON- After loading, the credits will play until you press a key. Some or all of the options appear: o Start Vega Campaign - Select to begin your fist game, or to create a new character and campaign. o Continue Campaign -- Select if you have already played and wish to continue with a saved character. o Start Secret Missions -- Select if you have installed the "Secret Missions Disk" [buy from Origin -Ed.] and wish to begin the Secret campaign. To choose an option, move the pointer to that option and press the select key. (see using the interface). Follow the prompts and press <ENTER> after you type in the required information. Then press any key to cut to a view of the carrier's bar. -IN THE BAR- o Talking to people: Move the pointer to the character you want to talk to. When the green crosshairs appear, press select to learn what they have to say. Press any key to advance the conversation. o The Pilot's Chalkboard: Displays each pilot's record. Move the pointer over the blackboard and press select. Click again to return to the main view. o Flying the TrainSim: Select the TrainSim. Move the pointer over the ship you want to fight and press select to begin. The less time you take to destroy the enemy ships, the higher your score. If you are destroyed or press <ESCAPE>, the simulation ends. o Enter Barracks: Select the door on your right to enter the barracks. -THE BARRACKS- Saving the Game: You can only save a game in the Barracks. Save your current campaign frequently. 1. Move the pointer over one of the eight bunks. If it's unoccupied, "Save this Campaign" appears. 2. Press select, and type in a name for the saved game. Press <ENTER>. 3. If necessary, you are prompted to insert a disk. A sleeping pilot appears in the bunk when the game is saved. (Note. You can also replace a save game by the above process. The game will make sure you want to save over the old game -Ed). Loading a Saved Game: 1. Move the pointer over to the head of a sleeping pilot. The words "Awaken <name>." appear. 2. Confirm your selection by entering "Y" if the name matches the game you want to load, or "N" if it's the wrong name and you want to cancel. Exit to DOS: Move the pointer over the airlock door (next to the lockers) and press the select button. Choose Y to the "Exit to DOS (Y/N)" prompt. Return to the Bar: Move the pointer to the passageway on the left and press select to return to the Tiger's Claw bar. Mission Hanger: Select the door on the far right to go on to a new mission. View Medals: Select the lockers to see your medals and rank. -MISSION HANGER- This is where mission briefings take place. You learn where you're supposed to fly and what you're supposed to do. -VIEWSCREEN- The viewscreen looks out ahead of your ship while flying. A green circle with crosshairs shows where your guns are aimed. Brackets indicate the position of the targeted ship. (red brackets=enemy; blue-friendly). When another vessel communicates with you, yellow brackets appear around it. Switching Camera Views: Use the function keys: F1 - Cockpit view F2 - Left, F3 - Right, F4: Rear. F5 - Chase plane view - view from behind your plane. F6 - Battle view - shows a large scale view of the battle. F7 - Tactical view - Always keeps you and the ship you have targeted (or the most significant threat) in view. F8 - Missile view - Gives you a missile's eye view of the action. Select this option and the camera tracks the next missile you fire to its target. Pressing F8 again deactivates this option. F9 - Tailing Views: Positions the camera behind any ship in the area. Press repeatedly to change ships. -THE RADAR DISPLAY- The radar screen is divided into six sections: It doesn't work like a conventional radar in that it does not represent distances, only the how to find the target in three dimensional space. o Outer Ring = Space behind you o Centre Ring = Space ahead of you o Middle Quadrants: Front - Space above your ship Rear - Space below your ship Right - Space right of your ship Left - Space left of your ship Contacts are displayed as coloured dots: o Tiger's Claw - White o Terran Capital Ships - Dark Grey o Kilrathi Capital Ships - Orange o Terran Fighters - Blue o Kilrathi Fighters - Red o Missiles targeted on you - Yellow Your current target is represented on the radar as a flashing dot. -SHIP'S STATUS DISPLAY- The ship's status display (Left VDU) displays a green profile of your ship, with weapons in brighter green. o Press "D" to cycle through all internal damage your ship has taken. Damaged systems appear in red. To view all damage quickly, press "D" repeatedly. o Press "G" to change your ship's active gun. The selected gun is highlighted in bright green. Press repeatedly to cycle through all available guns. o Press "W" to change your active weapon delivery system (Missiles or mines). The selected system is highlighted in light green. -TARGETING DISPLAY- The Ship's Targeting Display (Right VDU) shows the outline, current damage, and weapons or your current targeted ship, using three colours. o Green - Undamaged, shields full. o Yellow - Light component/Shield damage o Red - Weapon positions, shield damage, ship damage. (Note: Red weapons are not damaged.) To target a ship, position it in the centre of your screen and press "T" until brackets surround the ship. Normally you lose the lock on a target you are no longer facing. If you want to keep a target locked even when you're not facing it, press "L". The targeting brackets become a full rectangle and maintain your lock on that ship. You can still use "T" to target new ships. Press "L" again to disengage the lock. You can't target friendly ships if enemy ships are visible. -NAVIGATION SYSTEM- The navigation options appear on the right VDU. o Press "N" to show navigation information and to display white crosshairs on the viewscreen and radar screen. Keep the crosshairs centred to fly to your next Nav point manually, or activate the autopilot to shorten the trip. o The Navigation Map: Pressing "N" a second time brings up the full-screen navigation map. This allows you to select Nav points manually or view mission notes. Move the pointer to any Nav point in your current mission (or cycle through the Nav points by pressing "N"). The selected Nav point is highlighted in yellow. Press select to leave the Nav map and return to the cockpit view. The last Nav point you selected becomes your new destination automatically. If you don't want to change your destination, leave the nav map by pressing <ESCAPE>. o Autopilot: To fly automatically near your selected Nav point, wait until the autopilot light comes on and press the "A" key. If there are no enemies or hazards nearby, and you are far enough away from your destination, the autopilot takes control. -COMMUNICATION SYSTEM- Communications are displayed in the right VDU. o Press the "C" key and a list of people you can talk to appears. Press the number next to the name of the pilot or ship you want to contact. A list of messages appears. Send by pressing the number next to the desired message. o The list of available messages changes, based on the situation. Your on-board computer knows which messages are valid. o When other pilots send messages, a yellow box appears around their ship and message shows in you viewscreen. If you have expanded memory, the face of the pilot appears on the right VDU. The "V" key toggles the comm video on/off. o Message duration: In space, press the "M" key to change the duration of messages. Duration ranges from 1 (fastest) to 5 (slowest). -OTHER INDICATORS- o Armour and shield indicator: When the armour and/or shields are damaged, the coloured bars in the indicator shrink; when destroyed the bars vanish and warning lights flash. o Fuel indicator: As your fuel supply decreases, the indicator shrinks. Using afterburners drains your fuel supply quickly. o Speed Indicator: "Set" indicates the speed your ship tries to maintain under normal conditions. "KPS" indicates your actual speed in kilometres per second. o Blaster indicator: The blaster indicator shows the power level or your ship's active guns. If the blaster indicator is completely gone, your guns don't fire. Power is restored gradually over time. o Eject warning: This light flashes when your ship is badly damaged, you have no shields, and you are in danger of being destroyed. You don't have to eject when the light begins flashing. -CONTROLLING YOUR SHIP- NB: For a mouse, the same commands apply as a joystick, except the left button is button #1 and the right button is button #2: JOYSTICK ONLY: JOYSTICK and BUTTON #2: Dive/Nose down Increase Speed | | Steer---|----Steer Roll---------------Roll Left | Right Left | Right | | Climb/Nose up Decrease Speed KEYBOARD: Both the Numeric Keypad (with Num Lock off) and arrow keys are active for controlling flight: o Gradual turns are initiated by pressing a directional key alone. Let up on the key and you continue straight ahead in the direction of your last key press. o Sharp turns are initiated by pressing <SHIFT> and a directional key simultaneously. Let up and you continue in a straight line. o Fire selected guns by pressing <SPACE>. Fires selected missiles or drop mines by pressing <ENTER>. You can maneuver at the same time. o Fire your afterburners in a short burst by pressing <TAB> or <*> (numeric keypad). Hold down the key to keep your afterburners lit. OTHER KEYS: - - Decrease speed + - Increase speed < - Roll left > - Roll right TAB - Fire afterburner Arrow keys - Left, right, up, down. NUMERIC KEYPAD 8 - Dive 2 - Climb 6 - Right 4 - Left 7 - Left and Dive 1 - Left and Climb 9 - Right and Dive 3 - Right and Climb + - Increase speed - - Decrease speed * - Fire Afterburners 0 - Roll ship left . - Roll ship right BACKSPACE - Kill engines completely. ENTER - Fire missile or mine SPACE - Fire gun. GAME COMMANDS SUMMARY: General Commands: A - Engage autopilot C - Communications D - Display ship damage CTRL-E - Eject from ship G - Select ship's gun type L - Lock targeting computer M - Change message duration CTRL-M - Toggle music on/off N (once) - Select Navigation N (twice) - Select full navigation screen. P - Pause Game CTRL-S - Sound off (in space only) T - Select targeting computer/Active target V - Video Comm on/off (Expanded memory users only) W - Select missile type ALT-X - Exit to DOS Escape - Tiger's Claw: Skip Animation Cockpit: Leave Comm mode or nav map. SWITCHING CAMERA VIEWS: F1 - Cockpit view F2 - Left, F3 - Right, F4: Rear. F5 - Chase plane view F6 - Battle view F7 - Tactical view F8 - Missile view F9 - Tailing Views ---- CLAW MARKS - The onboard magazine of TCS Tiger's Claw ---- Excerpts on flight and copy protection answers!! From: Taggart's Tactics: Flight techniques: BASIC TACTICS: A REVIEW: Let's go over the basic, Academy standard tactics you're supposed to follow in the field. INDIVIDUAL OBJECTIVES; Here is the simplest thing in the world to remember, if you're WILLING to remember. Wingleader objective: Accomplish the mission objective Wingman Objective: Protect your wingleader. If he is eliminated, you must accomplish the mission objective yourself. There's not much variation here. Oh, a seasoned wingleader may decide to trade roles with his trainee wingman, or he might decide to send his wingman to protect a buddy who's being swarmed, while he, the wingleader, goes after another swarm. But in all these cases, nobody is solo. If the two trade roles, we still have a wingleader and a wingman. If the two split up to help friends under siege, the two are acting temporarily as wingmen to temporary wingleaders. The buddy system is still intact. Obviously, the important thing here is to maintain the buddy system. We live by that system. Without it, we die. MISSION OBJECTIVES: Mission objectives vary with the different flight mission types. On Tiger's Claw, 98% of our flight missions fall into these five categories: DEFEND: You are assigned to guard a stationary position -- a capital ship, base, or jump point. Orbit that position at a distance of 2500 meters. Do not, repeat do not break to engage incoming enemies until they reach a distance of 5000 metres from the target you're protecting. That's NOT 5000 metres from you. ESCORT: You are assigned to guard larger ships on rendezvous assignments. fly parallel to the ship you're escorting at a maximum distance of 2500 meters, and keep your eyes open. In the face of oncoming hostiles, don't break and engage too soon. The best time to break formation is when the hostiles have penetrated within 5000 metres of the ship you're protecting. INTERCEPT: You are assigned to seek out and engage enemy vessels in a particular area -- an anticipated Kilrathi jump point, or a halfway point between oncoming enemies and ship you're protecting. No particular tactics are called for, except the standard tactics for keeping yourself and your wingmate alive. PATROL: You are assigned to a flight pattern through unsecured territory. You can decide whether to engage the enemy or to head on in to base. This is where a lot of novice (and some experienced) pilots make lethal errors. Nobody likes to back down. Well, tough. Nobody wants to talk to your widow or widower either. Consider the situation carefully before engaging the enemy. STRIKE: You are assigned to destroy an enemy target, usually a capital ship. Obviously, the idea is to get in quick, launch missiles, blow the thing up, and get out quicker. Unfortunately, the enemy usually decides to defend any target worth destroying. This is where the wingleader/wingman relationship becomes especially critical: the wingleader MUST et his missiles placed, and the wingman MUST keep him alive so he can do it. This means that, at the cost of his own personal objectives, the wingman must stick to his wingleader like glue, take out oncoming fighters before they can take out his wingleader, and only drop his own missiles if he has a clear opportunity. FIRST CONTACT: When you first encounter a flight of enemy craft, they will almost always be flying in formation. Once initial contact has been made, they will break formation in pairs at roughly four second intervals. Generally, you should likewise break formation to engage them. All of this leads to the question of what to do once you've engaged the Kilrathi. The Book has something to say about that, as we discuss immediately below. MANEUVERING: Twenty years of fighting the Kilrathi have shown us some basic maneuvering tactics which improve your chances of survival. In other words, until your personal flying instincts give you a tactic for every situation, go with these "by-the-book" maneuvers and you'll have a better chance of making it home in one piece. All the Book can do is tip the odds a bit in your favour, but the record shows that this slight improvement in your chances is worth the embarrassment you may feel about doing something the way you were taught at the academy. STANDARD MANEUVERS: You learned all these in basic flight training, but let's review them here. In addition to standard turns, rolls, climbs and dives you became familiar with these: BURNOUT: Hit the afterburners and increase speed until your pursuer is no longer gaining on you or the afterburners finish their burn. Then perform as tight a 180° turn as you can handle; if your target is within your cone of fire, open up on him. FISHHOOK: Calculate the new heading you want. Turn to a heading which is a 180° angle off that figure, then almost immediately make a 180° turn to your course of choice. For instance, if you are on a 0° course and want to make a 90° left turn, you first make a 90° right turn, then follow up immediately with a 180° turn. HARD BRAKE: Reduce forward velocity as quickly as you can. If you brake sooner, harder and better than your pursuer, he will overshoot you and enter your cone of fire. Open up on him. KICKSTOP: Make a hard 90° turn in any direction and hold your new course for a moment. If your pursuer overshoots and doesn't turn in your wake, do a 180° spin back and open fire. ROLL: Close on your target while performing a corkscrew roll. SHAKE: Also called Zig-Zag. Perform a back and forth 45° evasive maneuvers while closing on a target. Varying between shake and roll tactics while closing is usually termed a Shake, Rattle, and Roll. SIT-'N'-KICK: An evasive maneuver especially useful against large ships. Make a 90° turn ni any direction. Shut off engines and spin to face your target; open fire. Then, make another random 90° turn and hit your afterburners. SIT-'N'-SPIN: Kill your engines and perform a 360° spin, firing on any targets that enter your cone of fire. Once you've spun to your original course, re-engage engines and continue. TAIL: You all know how to tail a target ship. But don't forget: Until you're sure of your most effective tailing range, try to maintain a range of 1000 metres, the "by-the-book" range. TIGHT LOOP: Perform a minimum radius turn in any direction until you resume the course you held at the beginning of the maneuver. Properly performed, this will put you behind your pursuer, or at least shake him off your tail for a moment. TURN-'N'-SPIN: This is like the Kickstop, except that you also kill engine power. EVASION TACTICS: With that review of maneuvers fresh in our mind, let's review evasion tactics for combat situations. Yes, aggressive tactics will let you rack up the kills... but evasive tactics will keep you alive so that you CAN rack up the kills. Here's the situation: You have an enemy to your rear, and you're in his sights. What now? If you have a critical target in your sights and you KNOW that your pursuers guns are not going to crack your shell with one hit, then it's permissable--barely--for you to take that hit, drop your load, and then come around to deal with your attacker. In any case, don't do this unless you're within 2500 metres of your target. If you don't have that critical target in your sights, or you don't know that you can take a direct hit, then EVADE. Evading involves a pretty complex series of decisions you have to learn to make by reflex. If you have better maneuverability than your pursuer, try a Tight-Loop, Kickstop, or Fishhook. If you're hurt, though, and prefer not to mix it up, you can try to evade with a Turn-'n'-Kick or any hard turn... IF your acceleration is better than the enemy's. If it isn't, try any number of hard turns and rolls and hope for the best. If your pursuer has better manueverability AND acceleration than you, you have a problem. If you want to make it a slugging match, try a Sit-'n'-Spin or Turn-'n'-Spin. If you're already hurt, try any sort of evasive maneuver you can--zig zags, hard turns, and rolls in a succession of different directions... and pray, because you're going to need some divine intervention. EXCERPT FROM Joan's Fighting Spacecraft CONFEDERATION SHIPS: HORNET: Class: Light Fighter Mass: 12.5 tonnes Length: 20 metres Cruise Velocity: 300 kps Max. Velocity: 420 kps Max. Yaw: 8 dps Acceleration: Good Max Roll: 8 dps Maximum Pitch: 9 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon (2), Dumb-Fire missiles (2), Heat- seeking missile. Ship's Armour: fore Shield 3 cm equivalent; Aft shield 3 cm equivalent. Front: 3 cm; Right: 3 cm; Left: 3 cm; Rear: 3 cm. RAPIER Class: Medium Fighter Length: 24 meters Mass: 13.5 tonnes Max. Velocity: 450 kps Cruise Velocity: 250 kps Acceleration: Excellent Max Yaw: 10 dps Max. Pitch: 10 dps Max Roll: 10 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon(2), Neutron Guns(2), Dumb-Fire Missiles(2),Spiculum IR (Image-Recognition) Missile, Pilum FF(Friend or Foe) Missiles(2). Ship's Armour: Fore 7 cm; Aft 7 cm; Front 5 cm; Right 3 cm; Left 3 cm; Rear 4 cm. SCIMITAR Class: Medium Fighter Length: 25 meters Mass: 16 tonnes Max. Velocity: 360 kps Cruise Velocity: 150 kps Acceleration: Good Max Yaw: 6 dps Max. Pitch: 6 dps Max Roll: 7 dps Ship's Weapons: Gatling Mass Driver Cannon(2), Dumb-Fire Missiles(2), Heat-seeking missiles(3). Ship's Armour: Fore 4 cm; Aft 4 cm; Front 6 cm; Right 5 cm; Left 5 cm; Rear 6 cm. RAPTOR Class: Heavy Fighter Length: 36 meters Mass: 20 tonnes Max. Velocity: 400 kps Cruise Velocity: 250 kps Acceleration: Good Max Yaw: 6 dps Max. Pitch: 5 dps Max Roll: 6 dps Ship's Weapons: Neutron Guns(2), Gatling Mass Driver Cannon(2), Heat Seeking Missiles(2), Spiculum IR Missiles(2), Pilum FF Missile, Porcupine Space Mine. Ship's Armour: Fore 7 cm; Aft 7 cm; Front 8 cm; Right 6 cm; Left 6 cm; Rear 8 cm. VENTURE Class: Corvette Length: 80 meters Mass: 1000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 200 kps Cruise Velocity: 150 kps Acceleration: Poor Max Yaw: 3 dps Max. Pitch: 3 dps Max Roll: 3 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon(2), Pilum FF Missile, Heat Seeking Missiles(2). Ship's Armour: Fore 10 cm; Aft 10 cm; Front 9 cm; Right 8 cm; Left 8 cm; Rear 8 cm. DRAYMAN Class: Transport (configurable as either Freighter or Tanker) Length: 96 meters Mass: 2000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 150 kps Cruise Velocity: 100 kps Acceleration: Bad Max Yaw: 2 dps Max. Pitch: 2 dps Max Roll: 2 dps Ship's Weapons: Classified Ship's Armour: Fore 9 cm; Aft 9 cm; Front 8 cm; Right 6 cm; Left 6 cm; Rear 8 cm. EXETER Class: Destroyer Length: 360 meters Mass: 8000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 150 kps Cruise Velocity: 100 kps Acceleration: Poor Max Yaw: 2 dps Max. Pitch: 2 dps Max Roll: 2 dps Ship's Weapons: Classified Ship's Armour: Fore 25 cm; Aft 25 cm; Front 22 cm; Right 20 cm; Left 20 cm; Rear 20 cm. TIGER'S CLAW Class: Bengal - Strike Carrier Length: 700 meters Mass: 80 000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 130 kps Cruise Velocity: 100 kps Acceleration: Poor Max Yaw: 1 dps Max. Pitch: 1 dps Max Roll: 1 dps Ship's Weapons: Dual Laser Turrets (8) Ship's Armour: Fore 21 cm; Aft 21 cm; Front 24 cm; Right 25 cm; Left 25 cm; Rear 20 cm. Fighter Complement: 104. KILRATHI SHIPS SALTHI Class: Light Fighter Length: 24 meters Mass: 12 tonnes Max. Velocity: 480 kps Cruise Velocity: 300 kps Acceleration: Excellent Max Yaw: 14 dps Max. Pitch: 12 dps Max Roll: 12 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon(2), Dumb-fire missile. Ship's Armour: Fore 3.5 cm; Aft 3.5 cm; Front 3 cm; Right 15 cm; Left 1.5 cm; Rear 2 cm. DRALTHI Class: Medium Fighter Length: 28 meters Mass: 14 tonnes Max. Velocity: 400 kps Cruise Velocity: 230 kps Acceleration: Good Max Yaw: 10 dps Max. Pitch: 14 dps Max Roll: 10 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon(2), Porcupine Mines(3), Heat-Seeking missiles(2). Ship's Armour: Fore 5 cm; Aft 5 cm; Front 4.5 cm; Right 3 cm; Left 3 cm; Rear 3.5 cm. KRANT Class: Medium Fighter Length: 32 meters Mass: 16.6 tonnes Max. Velocity: 360 kps Cruise Velocity: 200 kps Acceleration: Good Max Yaw: 7 dps Max. Pitch: 10 dps Max Roll: 7 dps Ship;s Weapons: Laser Cannon(2), Friend or Foe Missile, Heat- Seeking Missiles(3). Ship's Armour: Fore 8 cm; Aft 8 cm; Front 9 cm; Right 8 cm; Left 8 cm; Rear 10 cm. GRATHA Class: Heavy Fighter Length: 36 meters Mass: 18 tonnes Max. Velocity: 320 kps Cruise Velocity: 200 kps Acceleration: Average Max Yaw: 6 dps Max. Pitch: 6 dps Max Roll: 6 dps Ship's Weapons: Laser Cannon(2); Mass Driver Cannon(2); Image Recognition Missile, Heat-Seeking Missiles(3), Porcupine Mines(2). Ship's Armour: Fore 11 cm; Aft 10 cm; Front 15 cm; Right 10 cm; Left 10 cm; Rear 14 cm. JALTHI Class: Heavy Fighter Length: 32 meters Mass: 22 tonnes Max. Velocity: 280 kps Cruise Velocity: 200 kps Acceleration: Average Max Yaw: 5 dps Max. Pitch: 5 dps Max Roll: 5 dps Ship's Weapons: Neutron Guns(3), Friend or Foe Missiles(2), Heat- Seeking Missile, Laser Cannon(3) Ship's Armour: Fore 16 cm; Aft 16 cm; Front 20 cm; Right 17 cm; Left 17 cm; Rear 10 cm. DORKIR Class: Transport (configurable as either Freighter or Tanker) Length: 104 meters Mass: 2000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 150 kps Cruise Velocity: 100 kps Acceleration: Bad Max Yaw: 2 dps Max. Pitch: 2 dps Max Roll:2 dps Ship's Weapons: Turreted Laser, Porcupine Mines(3). Ship's Armour: Fore 17 cm; Aft 10 cm; Front 9 c;m Right 9 cm; Left 9 cm; Rear 6 cm. RALARI Class: Destroyer Length: 344 meters Mass: 18000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 150 kps Cruise Velocity: 100 kps Acceleration: Poor Max Yaw: 2 dps Max. Pitch: 2 dps Max Roll: 2 dps Ship's Weapons: Turreted Lasers(6), Porcupine Mine Ship's Armour: Fore 20 cm; Aft 12 cm; Front 20 cm; Left 18 cm; Right 18 cm; Rear 9 cm. FRALTHI Class: Cruiser (configurable as cruiser or light carrier) Length: 500 meters Mass: 20000 tonnes Max. Velocity: 180 kps Cruise Velocity: 120 kps Acceleration: Poor Max Yaw: 2 dps Max. Pitch: 2 dps Max Roll: 2 dps Ship's Weapons: Turreted Lasers(6). Ship's Armour: Fore 27 cm; Aft 17 cm; Front 28 cm; Right 26 cm; Left 26 cm; Rear 14 cm. Fighter Complement: 20. WEAPONS of the Terran and Kilrathi Fleets Dumb Fire Missile - The dumb-fire missile is a point-and-shoot weapon - just aim it at a target and hope the target can't get out of the way. With no homing capability, the Dumb-Fire is the most effective in the hands of a pilot who can anticipate the target's reactions. When possible it should be reserved for use in close quarters or against slow moving targets. Heat Seeking Missile - The engines of a modern space fighter or capital ship generate a lot of heat, a fact the heat-seeking missile uses to great advantage. All a pilot has to do it park himself on an enemy's tail, wait for the heat-seeker to lock, and then fire. (NOTE: If the target shakes a heat-seeker the missile locks onto the nearest heat-source, perhaps even the ship that originally fired it!) Image Recognition Missile - To fire an image recognition missile, the pilot must keep the target in view for several seconds, after which the missile memorizes the ship type in the pilot's sights. Once the image recognition missile locks it doesn't let go--it tracks the targeted ship like a very lethal bloodhound. Friend or Foe Missile - The friend or foe missile locks onto the nearest enemy ship. Capable of identifying the distinctive signal broadcast by all terran ships, the friend or foe makes as beeline for the nearest ship that isn't broadcasting. (NOTE: This weapon will target friendly ships whose communications systems are damaged. Even the firing ship is not safe!) Laser Cannon - Lasers don't do a lot of damage. Still, nearly all pilots have at least on story in which the long range of the laser allowed them to get first strike on a foe. Despite their low damage potential, lasers are reliable, versatile and effective--they have probably accounted for more enemy kills than any other weapon. Neutron Guns - Neutron guns do heavy damage, but only at close range. No other projectile weapon provides an equivalent level of destructive capability. The down side is that neutron guns heat up rapidly and eat up power at an alarming rate. Also the neutron gun's lack of rance has led many fool-hardy or underskilled pilots into close-quarter combat for which they were ill-prepared. Some of these pilots never made it home. Mass Driver Cannon - The basic fighter weapon - medium range, medium damage, nothing special. The mass driver cannon is reliable and accurate. heat build-up and power drain are minimal. Though lasers and neuron guns are more effective in certain situations, no pilot ever went wrong activating a mass driver. Porcupine Mines - These deadly devices have limited homing capability and built in proximity-sensors. Detonation doesn't require contact. If there's a Kilrathi on your tail, just open your rear doors and drop a porcupine in his path. He'll be off your tail in no time, or he'll be dead... if you ever see one of these irregular spheres tumbling your way, punch the throttle and steer clear. Flak Guns - Fighters provide the bulk of a capital ship's defense, but the largest ships in the Terran and Kilrathi fleets lay down heavy flak barrages which can bring down any ship in space. Turreted Lasers - Terran and Kilrathi destroyers, cruisers, dreadnoughts, carriers and bases are equipped with heavy, turreted lasers linked to advanced targeting systems. Only the most maneuvarable ships have any chance of surviving concentrated fire from these weapons. PILOT PROFILES: CONFEDERATION PILOTS: 1st Lt. Tanaka Mariko goes by the tag of Spirit--a rough translation of Kami, as she's called by the Japanese pilot instructors responsible for her initial training. In the cockpit, Spirit is known for her deceptive, defensive piloting, her ability to sense and avoid incoming fire, and her habit of creeping in as close as possible to a target before cutting loose with ship's weaponry. Captain Ian St. John, or Hunter to the spacecrews, is one of the best pilots on the service, and has racked up an impressive number of kills in the years he has been stationed on the Tiger's Claw. He's known as a seat-of-the-pants flier, and Kilrathi opponents tend to be baffled by in unpredictable, spontaneous style. Major Chen Kien is known as Bossman to the spacecrews, but that wasn't always the case. "When I was young--er, younger--they called me Ripper; my old friends still do. I was a lot like Hunter, pushing everything to the limit. But I might have been a little too good, or at least lucky at it. Replacement crews coming in, bright young rookies took my lead... and got themselves shot to hell. When I started burying young pilots who had been killed for behaving like me, I started to give them an example that would not get them blown out of space. It is sort of a vicious cycle: You try to act as an example, and young pilots start coming to you for advice. That's when they started calling me Bossman. I do not regret all these changes... but there are times I miss the old days." Major Michael Casey, or Iceman to the crews, has racked up more confirmed kills while serving on the Tiger's Claw than any other pilot in the carrier's history. In the cockpit, he is known for calm under fire, letter-perfect flying technique, and deadly aim with a ship's weapons, a combination which guarantees disaster for Kilrathi opponents. Captain Jeannette Deveraux, who goes by the cockpit moniker of Angel, is known for her flying which is absolutely by the book, or else. Fresh from the academy is 2nd Lt. Todd Marshall, known as Maniac by his graduating class. Marshall, 23, tries hard to live up to his moniker. "Plodding along with your joystick in one hand and a copy of the naval regs in the other is not going to impress the Kilrathi" he says. "They know our regs. They know the book, they know how we do things. If we're going to put them on the ropes, we have to adapt our rules, tactics and flying styles. We have to outfly them, outfight them... we've got to want it more, and I want it." Major James Taggart, Paladin, is known for his wingman skills. He has a reputation for protectiveness when flying wing. On an average of three times a year, pranksters get into his spacecraft, scrape the name Paladin from his cockpit, and replace it with "Mother Hen". Captain Joseph Khumalo, known to the crews as Knight, admits that his piloting accomplishments don't dot the record books. "I'm not a cockpit genius like Hunter or a Marksman like Angel. I'm an ordinary man. I'm a pilot, it's my job." Yet wingleaders tend to breathe a sigh of relief when they draw Khumalo as wingman. Knight has a reputation for reliability in combat. KILRATHI ACES: Best known among the Kilrathi aces is Bhurak, called Bhurak Starkiller. He is regarded as the best living pilot among the Kilrathi in this sector. He flies a Salthi-class light fighter. Strengths: Bhurak's an excellent pilot and shot. he has optimal reflexes and there are no serious weaknesses to be detected in his flying style. Weaknesses: Psych profiles indicate that Bhurak is addicted to speed, thrills and sport. Though a courageous pilot, he is not without a survival instinct: A sufficient number of opponents or a sudden turn in fortune could panic him into a retreat. Tactics: Bhurak prefers the dogfight. He prefers a maneuvarble foe and standard dogfight tactics. He almost always uses his ship's laser cannon, reserving his standard dumb-fire missile for stationary targets. Recommendation: If possible, put several pilots on him at once; deny him a fair fight or anything he would consider fun. he might become disgruntled and choose another target, or rout. If you're forced into single combat with him, don't try to outfly him: You might do best by going stationary, spinning to keep him in your sights, and trading licks. He doesn't appear to consider that fun and may choose a new objective. Khajja the Fang is not-so-affectionately called "the Machine" by Terran intelligence. He is the most efficient, mission-oriented pilot the Kilrathi have. He pilots a Krant-class Medium fighter. Strengths: Khajja's greatest asset is his clear thinking. He never panics or falters and appears to have utter confidence in his wingmen. He is not vulnerable to taunts, goads, or insults. Weaknesses: Khajja's faith in his wingmen may be misplaced. Analysis indicates that some Kilrathi pilots may be afraid of him. He will singlemindedly ignore incoming ships to concentrate on a strike objective, meaning that he might ignore you. Tactics: Khajja prefers straight-in, straight-out strafing approaches. He uses his laser cannon for most encounters, saves his heat-seekers for mission objectives or particularly troublesome enemies, and saves his friend or foe missile for emergencies. Recommendation: If he's approaching a mission objective, you might get a free shot by eluding his wingmen. If he's moving in on you, utilize classic dogfight tactics: Try to outfly and outshoot him, or lead him towards unengaged friendlies. He doesn't like bad odds. Dakhath, whose name translates literally as Deathstroke, is one of the most dangerous pilots alive. According to our (incomplete) records, he has 55+ confirmed kills on file. He pilots a Dralthi class medium fighter. Strengths: Dakhath appears to be utterly without fear. He never retreats from an engagement until every enemy within 1000 clicks is destroyed and will not abandon a wounded enemy until that enemy is destroyed. This courage and lack of self-preservation instincts make him particularly dangerous. So does his apparent affection for inflicting pain. Weaknesses: Dhakhath lives only to kill and will not retreat or change targets until his first target is dead. If at all possible, use his single-mindedness against him... if only by leading him away from a strategically important target so that he can concentrate on you. Tactics: Dakhath launches his missiles at maximum range (he appears to like explosions), then closes for the kill on the target. He will cling to that target until he destroys it, then choose another, as methodical as clock circuits. Recommendation: It might be possible to lead him into the path of friendly fire, and it is equally possible that he won't notice new pursuit on him until it's too late. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you ship takes a lot of damage and looks shaky, do not eject if you're in the vicinity of Dakhath. One of his hobbies is target practice against ejecting pilots. Bakhtosh Redclaw is a rash on the comm units; he is best known for extremely sarcastic gloating during combat engagements. It appears that he belongs to an aristocratic Kilrathi family and has been trained in the politics of superiority from birth. He flies a Jalthi-class heavy fighter. Strengths: Bakhtosh is the best Kilrathi shot in Vega sector, bar none. His accuracy with ship's guns is becoming legendary even among Terran pilots, which is another strength. Some Terrans feel intimidated when confronting the legendary Bakhtosh, and consequently their flying suffers. Additionally, he is a master of the crowning insult, the patronizing remark,, and the racial slur. he often goads Terran fliers into bad tactical errors. Weaknesses: Bakhtosh's piloting is nothing special. Like on legendary figure of Terran combat aviation, the Red Baron, he is an excellent marksman but a mediocre flier. Additionally, his insults and better-than-thou attitude are not a pose; he believes himself to be superior to all Kilrathi as well as humans. Tactics: Bakhtosh prefers to fire at a distance. He will get at the maximum effective range for his weapons and chew his target to pieces. The extra distance allows him a little time to cope with the maneuvers of superior fliers. If forced to close with a foe, he will launch one of his missiles. Recommendation: Close, firing continuously, then try to outfly him in standard fashion. Do NOT be daunted by his substantial reputation. ---COPY PROTECTION--- The copy protection is simple look-a-word-up-in-the-manual.... It appears to regulate the questions by the date of your computer, so if you would like to only have the same three or four questions at one time, just keep the date set to one thing. Here are all of the questions I have come across in about a month of playing: How old is Maniac? 23 What is the ESK rating of the Dart Dumb-Fire missile? 11000 What is the safest speed in an asteroid field? 250 What is the weight of the Ralari? 18000 What is the maximum range of the Mass Driver Cannon? 3000 What is the velocity of the Dart Dumb-Fire missile? 900 What is the ESK rating of the Pilum FF Missile? 9500 When was the Tiger's Claw Launched? 2644 What is the Maximum range of the Laser Cannon? 4800 How many cm of front armour are on the Fralthi? 28 ---COPY PROTECTION REMOVAL--- If you have PCTOOLS or Norton Utilities, you can remove the copy protection from Wing Commander altogether. Select the file WC.EXE, and search for the Hex 75 14 B8 . When you find this, change it to read EB 14 B8. Now you can just enter any number when asked for the copy protection question. Note that the four .ZIP files with which this documentation was originally distributed contained an already cracked version of WC.EXE on disk 1, so see if it is cracked before you try this, or you may not be able to find the original search string! -EOF- REVISED 007 25/03/91