Hostages

HOSTAGES

========



© INFOGRAMES 1990



An urgent phone call from the National Security Minister...

an Embassy has been overun by a group of terrorists. As

Head of the Terrorist Intervention Combat Team you are

in control of all operations. First, you must place your

crack marksmen in nearby buildings, taking them down the

adjoining streets, avoiding infrared lights and the

terrorists deadly aim. Secondly, you must get your team

of Specialist Paratroopers onto the roof of the Embassy.

Then, after descending by rope, and protected by your

marksmen, enter the Embassy through the windows and begin

your search in silence. But beware, each door, each room,

could be a death trap! You must get the hostages, and your

men, out of the building without any loss of life, and

this will depend on the cohesion and co-ordination of

your team. NOW ITS YOUR MOVE.





I - LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

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



SPECTRUM



Disk version:

Insert the program disk in the drive. Switch on your

computer. To start the program, select the LOADER option

from the main menu and press the RETURN key.



Cassette version:

Check the all the connections. Insert the cassette in the

recorder. Switch on your computer. Type LOAD"" and press

the PLAY button on your recorder and the RETURN key.



AMSTRAD 6128/664/464



Disk version:

Insert the program disk in the drive. Switch on your

computer. Type |CPM (to get |, press the keys @ and

SHIFT simultaneously). Press ENTER.



Cassette version:

Insert the cassette in the recorder. Switch on your

computer. Type RUN"" and press the PLAY button on your

recorder and the RETURN key.



Note for SPECTRUM 48K and AMSTRAD 464-664 users:

To load the cassette in order to access the marksmen and

the newspapers of the second part, remember to write down

the number on the counter of the recorder.



COMMODORE 64



Cassette version:

Switch on your computer and monitor. Insert the cassette

in the recorder. Press the keys SHIFT and RUN/STOP

simultaneously. Then press PLAY on the recorder. The

program will load and start automatically. Think of

writing down the number on the counter in order to

locate the first and second part of the game.



Disk version:

On a C128 type GO 64. Then confirm by pressing Y, then

RETURN Insert the disk in the drive. Type : LOAD"*",8,1 and

press RETURN. The program will load and start automatically.



COMMODORE 128



Switch on your computer and monitor. Switch to C64 mode

(GO 64), then follow the instructions for C64.



MSX 1 & MSX 2



Cassette version:

Check all the connections. Insert the cassette in the

recorder. Switch on the computer. Type RUN "CAS:". Press

the PLAY button on the recorder and the RETURN Key.





II - INTRODUCTION

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



A) SCENARIO



Innocent people have been taken hostage from under your nose,

and the terrorists have abandoned their cars and entered the

Embassy. Unfortunately they now control the whole building

from the 1st to the 3rd floor. The number of hostages that

have been taken is controlled by the story and the level of

difficulty you have chosen for your mission. You are the boss

of 6 men of the Direct Intervention Combat Team (D.I.C.T.).

It's your turn now...!



Note: You can at any moment interrupt the introduction sequence

to access the game by hitting a special key.



On the SPECTRUM version, press the BREAK key; on the AMSTRAD

and MSX versions the ESCAPE key.



B) CONFIGURATION OF THE COMMANDS ON SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD & MSX



a) SPECTRUM 128



You have to configurate your keyboard or choose a type of

joystick. After the introduction sequence, a menu opens on

the screen. You may choose:



1 Define Keyboard: if you want to play with the keyboard. For

this purpose press key 1 on the keyboard.



2 Joystick Sinclair: if you want to play with a SINCLAIR type

joystick, press 2.



3 Joystick KEMPSTON: if you want to play with a KEMPSTON type

joystick, press 3.



If you have chosen the keyboard, you will have to select the

keys corresponding to the following commands:

direction "Right"

direction "Left"

direction "Down"

direction "Up"

action "Fire"

action "Menu map" (access to the map during the game,

2nd part only)



To do this (according to your choice), press the key that you

want to select for the desired command. When you have completed

the selection, you will have to confirm it by pressing Y or

cancel by pressing N when the message "Are you sure (Y/N)?"

appears on the screen. However if you have choosen the joystick,

you will have to determine nevertheless one key for the action

"Menu map" (only for the 2nd part). All the same you will be

asked to confirm your selection.



Note: in the SPECTRUM & MSX version, you cannot select the

SHIFT key as it is used for the marksmen.



b) AMSTRAD



The procedure is the same as for SPECTRUM, but you will have

the choice between only two options.



1 Define keyboard

2 Joystick (regardless of type).



For the rest, procede the same way as you would for the

SPECTRUM version.



c) MSX 1 & 2



The procedure is the same, but you are given the choice

between two options only:



1 Define keyboard

2 Joystick (regardless of type).



For the rest, procede the same way as you would for the

SPECTRUM version.





III - CHOICE OF MISSION

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



The difficulty level of the game determines the duration of the

ultimatum, the number and the aggressiveness of the terrorists

and their reaction time. You can choose one of the following

from the first menu:



LIEUTENANT: With a low number of terrorists with weak

aggression.

CAPTAIN: The number of terrorists increases and so does

their speed of reaction.

COMMANDER: Number of terrorists and the number of hostages

taken are at their maximum. The player must without

mistake and taking particular attention to the

placement and coordination of his combat team.



From the second menu you can choose either:



TRAINING (there are no hostages),

TARGET,

ULTIMATUM,

RESCUE,

ASSAULT.



The more difficult the mission, the less time you have to complete

it. For choosing, use the keys UP and DOWN (or £ and - on C64) or

the joystick. Then press the fire button or space bar.





IV - FIRST PART

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



A) POSITIONING YOUR MARKSMEN



You have 3 marksmen at your disposal. To effectively keep watch on

the 3 sides of the building, the men must stay all night in the best

postions possible. You control the marksmen one by one. When you

control a marksman his name and number will appear on the screen.

The three marksmen DELTA, ECHO, MIKE can be moved with the aid of

the keys indicated as follows:



Spectrum ............ SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3

Amstrad ............ 1, 2, 3 on the number pad

C64 ................. 1, 2, 3

MSX ................. SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3



To change to another D.I.C.T man, first make him hide then:



Spectrum: access the plan (action key "Fire" or the Fire button and

not the MENU MAP key which is active in the second part only), then

select the man with SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3.



Amstrad: access the plan (action key "Fire" or the Fire button),

then select the man with 1,2,3 on the number pad.

C64: select the man with 1. 2. 3.

MSX: as for SPECTRUM.



B) GENERAL PLAN



On the plan, you will see the places where you must position your

men to keep watch on the 3 sides of the Embassy. These places are

shown by CROSSES. When you want to see how far one of your men

has progressed, you switch to the plan mode with the FIRE key

(Amstrad, Spectrum, MSX) or pressing directly his number on C64

(as seen before).



His body will then appear on the map to indicate where he is

(on C64 a square will appear).



In the SPECTRUM 48 KB and AMSTRAD 464-664 versions, the man will

appear represented by his identity number.



C) MOVEMENT COMMANDS



You must avoid having your men spotted by the spot lights of the

terrorists. As soon as one of your men has been spotted the

terrorists will open fire and can then eliminate one member of

the combat team. In order to avoid being spotted and to arrive

at the right places (marked by crosses on the map), you have

several movements at your disposal by using either the joystick

or the keyboard.



On C64:



keyboard joystick

^ RIGHT walk to the right

* LEFT walk to the left

= DOWN to lay on the floor

£ UP to hide

= + ^ DOWN+RIGHT forward roll to the right } only if you are in

= + * DOWN+LEFT forward roll to the left } a standing position

= + ^ DOWN+RIGHT crawl right } only if you are

= + * DOWN+LEFT crawl left } lying on the floor

Space + ^ FIRE+RIGHT run to the right

Space + * FIRE+LEFT run to the left



On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX:



The direction DOWN will be used to leave a hiding place by the

door or a window, the FIRE key allows you to stop immediately

when walking. The other commands are identical to those of the

of C64 cursor key version. Use the keys that you have defined

at the beginning or the Joystick.



Return to the plan: This is only possible when you are hidden

inside a building, behind a door or window. Press ESC on C64

- FIRE on SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD and MSX.



In this mode: SHIFT 1 - SHIFT 2 - SHIFT 3 to select Delta,

Echo, or Mike on Spectrum and MSX; 1, 2, 3 on the number pad

on AMSTRAD; 1, 2, 3 on C64.



D) SPECIAL INDICATIONS FOR C64



If you take, when moving the man, direction UP (joystick or

keyboard), your marksman heads automatically to the next

hiding piace in his direction, in order to protect himself

from the terrorists' shots.



If your leave your marksman a few seconds uncovered without

using the joystick or keyboard, he heads automatically to the

next hiding place in his direction.



If you move a marksman and press quickly the FIRE button or

space bar, he will run in the given direction. As soon as he

runs, release the FIRE button or space bar. He will be able to

effect rolls all the same. When you stop giving a direction,

he will stop, too.



E) END OF SEQUENCE



When all your men are in position on their crosses. (If all

your men are dead start again). On Spectrum, Amstrad and MSX

press RETURN, to access the second part; DELETE to start this

part over again. In the latter, you will have to reselect or

confirm your selection of the difficulty level and mission

(see Choice of mission).



On C64 press RETURN to access the second part. Press FIRE or

SPACE to start this part over again. Note: If you give a

direction with the joystick or keyboard, the game continues

and you can move your marksmen again to take a better

position.



For information: there is no need to place one man on each

cross. You can have less than 3 marksmen surviving this part,

or two or three marksmen on the same cross keeping watch on

only one side of the embassy.



F) HELICOPTER (does not exist in the C64 version)



When all your surviving men are in place in the interior

of the buildings adjoining the Embassy, you pass

automatically to the sequence of the helicopter, where it

will place 3 men on the Embassy roof. On the SPECTRUM and

AMSTRAD versions this sequence will only appear on the

128 KB versions.





V - SECOND PART

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



On the versions AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX, you will be

asked to turn over the disk or cassette and to press the

Fire button to load the second part



A) POSITIONING ON THE ROOF



GENERAL PLAN OF THE SITUATION: SPECTRUM 128KB, AMSTRAD 128KB,

MSX, C64 When accessing this part, you enter directly the

plan mode. The D.I.C.T. men whom you have managed to hide are

shown by their corresponding number on the adjoining buildings

(SPECTRUM 128KB, MSX, AMSTRAD 128KB) The men on the Embassy

roof are likewise shown by numbers.



Their code names are visualized with 4, 5, 6 on C64 and

SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3 on Spectrum and MSX, and 1, 2, 3 on

the number pad on Amstrad. On the C64 version, the men are

shown by crosses.



B) TO MOVE A D.I.C.T. MAN



Just press the function key corresponding to the code of that

D.I.C.T. man. (On C64 you can also take the direction UP/DOWN

with your joystick or the key £ or =. You can then see the

menu on the lower right of the screen, listing the code names

of your men. Press the space bar or FIRE button to select a

man.) You can move the cross respresenting your man over the

roof and its edges with the cursor keys or the joystick (or *

and ^ on C64). The cross must appear on the edge of the roof.

The man is then ready to descend and to start this operation

you must press <- on C64 or the key MENU MAP on AMSTRAD,

SPECTRUM and MSX. You will pass to abseiling mode. The map

can be called up at any time by pressing the MENU MAP key

(<- on C64). You can also change from one man to another at

any time.



Game mode: when controllling a marksmen, either in abseiling

mode or inside the building, you are in game mode.



Important: in the game mode, there is no need to call the

general plan to change from one marksmen to another. Just

press the number key corresponding to the men. This

changement will be symbolized by a video effect.



C) EMERGENCY SITUATION



When one of your team, either inside the building or while

abseiling, finds himself in a delicate situation (e.g. the

presence of terrorists in the same room or in one of the

adjoining rooms), the man's code on the control board will

begin flashing and this indicates an emergency situation.

The player must then change to that person in danger by

pressing the appropriate function key. If you wait too

long, your man could be neutralized by the terrorists.



D) ABSEILING



(Only on the 128KB versions. On the SPECTRUM 48KB and

AMSTRAD 464-664 versions, the D.I.C.T. men appear in

a room of the 3rd floor.)



When one of your men is in position on one side of the

building, he can then be used for abseiling down the wall

and then enter the Embassy. In order to play him press <-

on C64 or the MENU MAP key on AMSTRAD and SPECTRUM.

You are then in the DESCENDING MODE.



There are three movements at your disposal.



1) PUSHING AWAY FROM THE WALL = FIRE: In order to extend

his legs (so he is pushing away from the wall) press the

space bar or fire button (C64) or the corresponging key

on AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM & MSX; when you think you have

applied enough force so as to push yourself away from the

wall, release the button, to go immediately to phase 2.



2) OPENING MODE = RIGHT: In order to descend, the rope must

slide along the body. To achieve this you have to let go of

the rope (by pressing cursor right or joystick right). Your

player will then descend the wall. However do not wait too

long to stop, as due to his increasing speed of descent your

player will a ash to the floor.



3) STOPPING = LEFT: When you want to break through a window

to enter the Embassy or if you want to stop on the wall, move

joystick left or cursor left. The player's right hand will

then take hold of the rope stopping his descent.



TO CLIMB IN CASE OF FAILURE: Direction UP (or £ on C64

keyboard). You can dimb by using a mechanical pulley attached

to the roof (use direction UP). You will then see your man

climb the wall of the Embassy.



DON'T FORGET! You can at any time change from one person to

another, just by pressing the appropriate function key. For

example you could now go to one of the marksman which you

have placed on the roof of one of the adjoining buildings.

On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM, MSX, first press the MENU MAP key.



E) USING YOUR MARKSMAN



By pressing the corresponding keys you move one of your

marksman into position. Each marksman watches one side of

the building.



THE PRESENTATION: You will see your marksman in position

ready to kill. To move the gun sight, use the direction keys

or the joystick.



When you pass on a window, a white dot will apppear on your

sight. This means you are ready to eliminate a terrorist.

Behind the window will appear (according to the patrols of

the terrorists) shadows and figures. These can also represent

hostages who are prisoners in that room. If you are ready to

fire, press FIRE (space bar or fire button on C64). Your gun

will load itself automatically.



If you want to change wall and marksman you press the

appropriate function key. You can pass (if desired) to the

men on the roof or the men in the Embassy. You have to be

careful not to eliminate a member of your combat team or

one of the hostages.



F) EXPLORING THE ROOMS



a) MINI-MAP



If you decide to play with one of the men inside the

building, you pass into EXPLORATION mode. To show where you

are there is a mini-map on the right side of the screen (on

the left on C64). Depending on which floor, the mini-map

will show all the rooms and corridors. Your position is

shown by a small white arrow (light blue on C64). It does

not only show your position but also your direction of

sight.



On C64 the terrorist are shown in black, and the hostages

in white.



On SPECTRUM and MSX, the hostages are shown by crosses,

the terrorists by rhombuses, and the D.I.C.T. men by

squares.



On AMSTRAD, the hostages are shown by white dots, the

terrorists by green dots, and the D.I.C.T. men by blue

dots.



b) MOVEMENT



You can use either the keys or the joystick.



In the corridor: C64 keyboard

To move in the direction of sight direction UP £

To pivot at 90° to the right direction RIGHT ^

To pivot at 90° to the left direction LEFT *

To turn around direction DOWN =



SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD and MSX keyboard: The keys that you

have selected at the beginning of the game.



If you want to enter a room, place yourself in front of the

door and step forward (direction UP). In a room you mainly

move to the left and right. The directions UP and DOWN are

of use only when there is a door before or behind you and

you want to go into another room or the corridor.



G) AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE TERRORISTS



On C64:

When you encounter one or more terrorists, you can pass into

FIRE mode, by pressing the space bar or FIRE button. At that

moment by using the commands LEFT/RIGHT you move your machine

gun to point towards the terrorists, remembering to keep the

fire button or space bar pressed. On C64 you may also set

the shooting height with the commands UP/DOWN. The man with

the fastest and best aim will win the battle.



To move again, release the space bar then use the direction

commands. Remember this if you want to escape quickly.



On AMSTRAD-SPECTRUM-MSX:

You pass into fire mode by pressing the fire button or the

fire action key. A cursor will appear symbolizing the point

of impact of your shot. Move it with the joystick or the keys.

When you release the fire button or action key, you stop

shooting and you can move your D.I.C.T. again; for during the

shooting phase you are not able to move the character.



H) ENCOUNTER WITH THE HOSTAGES



Once you have eliminated all the terrorists on one floor you

can then rescue the hostage(s). You walk into the room where

they are kept. Place yourself in front of one of them. You

must guide him (only one at a time; he will follow you) to

a room on the 3rd floor which doesn't have any windows. When

they are in that room, the hostages are in a more secure

place.. When you have succeded in freeing all the hostages,

the game ends. However in certain missions, a terrorist may

come into that room to take them again. You will then have

to protect the hostages and neutralize the terrorists.



I) ENCOUNTER BETWEEN, TERRORIST, HOSTAGES AND D.I.C.T. MEN



If you encounter in a room or corridor, a terrorist with

a hostage, you will have to neutralize the terrorist without

wounding the hostage. No mistake will be tolerated. Your

mission will be 100% successful only if all the hostages are

freed alive.



Tip: on C64

Remember to progress silently (avoid useless shots). You

will avoid to be spotted by terrorists.





VI - END OF THE GAME

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



The game has ended when:



TOTAL SUCCESS: If you have regrouped all the hostages in the

3rd floor without windows or if you have neutralized all the

terrorists present in the Embassy.



FAILURE: All the members of your team have been neutralized

by the terrorists.



If your situation is between the two mentioned above (maybe

you have lost some of your men, or you have not rescued all

the hostages), the comments and scores you have achieved

will be shown on the front page of the paper and the end

of the game.



At the final screen, press the fire button to display

a newspapers article.



C64: If you want to play again, press the fire button or

space bar to display a mini-menu. Follow the instructions

fining to your choice. To play the second part again

press 2. To start another game and go back to the starting

menu press 1.



On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX: Press the FIRE button or

action key, to play the second part again.





CREDITS



ORIGINAL IDEA: Philippe AGRIPNIDIS

SCENARIO: Philippe AGRIPNIDIS, Pascal BUREL, Daniel CHARPY,

Eric MOTTET, Najib EL MAADANI, Josyane GIRARD,

Tuan DO CAO

PROGRAMMING: Daniel CHARPY, Pascal BUREL, Najib EL MAADANI,

Tuan DO CAO, Philippe CAMPION

MAIN GRAPHICS: Josyane GIRARD

GRAPHICS: Didier CHANFRAY, Dominique GIROU



AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX versions: NEW FRONTIER SOFTWARE



PROGRAMMING: Isidro GILABERT

GRAPHICS: Juan José FRUTOS & Alberto José GONZALEZ

MUSIC: Alberto José GONZALEZ