ACE

A.C.E. (The Air Combat Emulator)

----------------------------

Cascade Games, 1986.





Your AWAT (All Weather All Terrain) jet stands fully fuelled and fully armed.

A vast invasion fleet is anchored just off your shores. Ground forces have

come ashore and are advancing on your positions protected by massive air

cover.



You are the last fighter pilot. Your country turns to you and asks... "Are

you good enough to be called an ACE?"





Featuring



* Multiple Ground Objects

* Two kinds of Enemy Jet

* Enemy Helicopter Gunships

* Enemy Fleet Off Shore

* Twin Flying Mode

* Fly and Fight With The Aid Of A Friend

* Air to Air Refuelling

* Night, Winter and Summer Modes



"I just couldn't believe how much there was in it!" - ZZAP!64

"...it is one of the most impressive games available..." - ZX COMPUTING

"...there are flight sims and there are flight sims - and there's ACE" -





Quick Start :

=============



KEYBOARD

1= left; 2= right;

3= down; 4= up;

5= fire; U= undercarriage up/down;

Z= add power; Caps= subtr.power;

Enter= weapon change; M= map;

S= take off; J= pilot ejection.



In main menu, if you choose "Pilot & weapons man" instead "Single

pilot", "5" be reserved for cannon, so you'll have additional keys:



6= crosshair left; 7= crosshair right;

8= crossh. down; 9= crossh. up;

0= fire (missiles/flares).



Set thrust at MAX, when velocity reach 160 knots, press take-off key.

As you start to gain height, raise undercarriage.



Fuel is limmited- you can refuel in flight from supply plane. Follow

on-screen messages (about speed & height). Tip: safe way to refuel and

repair your plane is to land on one of allied airbases.

Landing : 'align' (on map) aircraft with airbase, you can be as low

as 20 feet, when runway appears on the horizon, slow to 200 knots, ALT

start to decrease feet by feet, lower undercarriage when 10 ft. After

"Touchdown" message, set thrust to zero, VEL will fall to 0.



Map is always available. It shows 3 alies airports and positions of:

- your fighter;

- enemy;

- supply plane.



Weapons: you can choose among 4 types of ammo load, it's a mix of

air-air, air-ground, and air-ship missiles, plus cannon bullets and

decoy flares (use weapon key to toggle).



Instrument panel: bottom half of screen, on the left you have basic

infos- thrust, fuel, altitude, velocity, UC-indicator, compass, and

your score. On the right you can see roll & pitch (banking/ climb),

enemy radar (tanks, fighters, sams) and computer messages panel, rear

view camera, and mode indicator.



COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES



1) OPTIONS: select SUMMER, WINTER or NIGHT TIME, select single or dual role

and set skill level (Level One - training mode).



2) MISSION PROFILE: Before each sortie, select the weapons load appropriate

to your next mission (eg: ground attack, naval attack, default is multirole

capacity).



3) TAKING OFF: Accelerate to at least 150 knots, gently pull back on the

joystick and you will take off. Raise the undercarriage.



4) SIM: The Satellite Intelligence Map is used to locate the enemy forces,

your airbases and refuelling tankers. The SIM shows units or groups of enemy

forces, NOT individual tanks and planes etc. Your aircraft is the white

flashing one, and allied territory is green, enemy held territory is red.



5) ATTACKING GROUND FORCES: Dive to below 3,000 feet and slow to about 500

knots or less. At lower speeds you are more vulnerable to attack from the

enemy missiles and ground fire but it is easier to take out your target.

Engage the enemy. If locked onto and chased by an enemy missile

out-manoeuvre and dodge the missile or launch a decoy flare to throw the

missile off course.



6) ATTACKING AIRCRAFT: Try to gain height and get behind the enemy

fighters before attacking with cannon or air to air missiles. Use your

radar and rear view camera and watch out for fighters manoeuvring behind you.

Fast reactions will be needed to shoot them down. Delta winged aircraft are

slower and less agile than the straight winged enemy fighters.



7) ATTACKING SHIPS: Climb to 2500 feet at about 300 knots. Attack with

an air-ship missile, avoiding anti-aircraft fire and surface to air missiles.

NOTE: The enemy fleet only appears on the map after you destroy all of the

enemy ground forces.



8) AIR TO AIR REFUELLING: Using your on board computer, go to the speed

and altitude of the tanker if one is available. Approach from behind the

tanker with care watching your speed very carefully. When you are close

enough, the tanker crew will deploy the refuelling-pipe, with the basket on

the end. When you hear the crew on the refuelling tanker giving approach

orders, manoeuvre your aircraft until the tip of your refuel probe is in the

centre of the basket and keep it there until you are fully refuelled.



9) DAMAGE: If your aircraft has suffered severe damage, to survive you will

have to eject. You cannot eject over enemy territory, or if you are flying

upside down. If your aircraft crashes, the game ends, regardless of how many

aircraft are left at home base.



10) LANDING: Navigate to the allied airbase and approach it at under 500

feet. When you see the runway on the horizon, slow to 200 knots and lower

your undercarriage. Put the nose down slightly and, when you are over the

runway, land and reduce thrust. Ensure that you stop with enough runway

left to allow you to take off again. When your aircraft has stopped, the

ground crew will re-fuel, re-arm and repair any damage to your aircraft

allowing you to take off on another mission.



12) AVIONICS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.



THRUST - Shows the engine's power output.

FUEL - Amount of fuel left.

ALT - Aircraft's altitude in feet. Maximum ceilling 75000 feet.

VEL - Airspeed in Knots, Stall speed - 140 knots. MAX SPEED 960 Knots at

Sea level. 1590 Knots at 70000 feet.

UC - Undercarriage up/down indicator.



COMPASS - Gives your heading.

SC - Score.

ROLL & PITCH - The two aircraft show your banking angle and the degree of

climb or dive.



COMPUTER OUTPUT PANEL - Your onboard computer displays messages/warnings

etc. Important messages are synthesised audibly as well as being displayed.



REAR VIEW CAMERA - Mounted in the tail, the wide angle lens shows enemy

aircraft to your rear and missiles chasing you.



MODE INDICATOR - Shows flight mode. In combat mode, this shows the current

weapon selected and ammunition left.



13) USE OF WEAPONS: All the weapons must be guided visually at least until

the missile is locked onto the target. This is accomplished by having the

target in the sights when you fire. In the two player mode, the sights can

be moved to assist targetting and locking on of the missiles. To destroy

a target with a missile the correct type must be used (AIR TO AIR, AIR TO

GROUND, AIR TO SHIP) and it must be recognisable and larger than a dot on the

horizon. Targets need several hits from cannon shells which are fired at 600

rpm. Use the DECOY FLARES which are rearward firing to thwart incoming

enemy missiles.



14) Only a selected few will survive for long and to become an AIR ACE you

must destroy the entire invasion force at the hardest skill level which

simulates true combat conditions. They will be extremely rare but can prove

they are an ACE by saving their score using the high score save feaure.



Send your high score to your favourite magazine. See if YOU are the top

ACE pilot.



(Transcribed by Robin Stuart, Quick Start added by Aleksandar Lukic)