MERCENARY III Documentation!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LOADING -o-o-o- Insert Mercenary III disk in Drive and switch on computer the game will Automatically boot!!. MERCENARY III is fully memory resident and you can remove your game disk once loading has been completed GAME DESCRIPTION! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Mercenary III place you in the virtual worlds of the Gamma solar sytem. It assumes (although this is by no means necessary to play this game) that you ere the hero that acerted the threat of the comet Damocles (In Mercenary II). It must have been you, as you now hold the reward money; a massive 50,000,000+Intergalactic Credits. Your usual objective, as a soldier-of-fortune is to gain money. However in this senario it may well be a case of hanging on to what you've got, as it seems that everyone wants to nibble away at your fortune. But you may still come across one or two 'nice little earners'. As ever in Mercenary, you are free to choose the action. But, the main gameplay does assume that you will take up the fight for the forces of good against evil, and specifically the evil represented by the enigmatic P C Bil. His project mining operation on the rural island of Dion North will wreak havoc with the environment. One way or another, he has to be stopped!. GAME PLAY -o-o-o-o- In Mercenary III, you are never 'Killed'. Your ability to play the game never ends. But, at particular points in time, your adversary will make progress, unless his plans are foiled. And if he achieves his objective you can count yourself as having lost the battle, if not the War! if you do foil his plans, and there are several ways to do this, then the meas- ure of your additional success is the extent of your personal fortune if this exceeds 50,000,000 within 24 hours, you've done the best days work possible in Mercenary III. Transport --------- You arrive in the game apparently at the mercy of public transport. Ava- iling yourself of Bil's kind offer of a meeting give a free sample of the taxi and space flights services. Most usefully it also gives you access to the Transporter System to move you around pre-set locations on some of the nine planets and nineteen moons of the Gamma System. But genera- lly, from these points, your onwards travel is by taxi, bus, inter-city or Space Flights. For this purpose, you will probably find the enclosed Transport Schedule invaluable. But there are self drive craft available to you. A hire car or a hire aircraft gives you some freedom, at a cost! There are space-craft for sale, at widely ranging prices which could well suit you in providing the ultimate freedom of travel. And what of the craft you posessed in the Damocles saga? Unfortunatly, previous players will find that there has been 1 signifi- cant economy. A free craft is no longer given on invoking the 'Quit" option! People ------ You can meet Taxi drivers, Pilots, Recepionists, Clerks, Officials and even your adversary. All will talk to you through your 'Benson panel' text display. Mixing idle chatter and information with crucial clues and often relating what's said to what you are percieved to be doing, they are a key element of the game. Objects ------- Considerable interaction with the game can be achieved through many of the objects that can be found, some operate to effect just by their possession. Others have a controllable use or provide text-file info on call. You can pick up and hold objects to relocate or use at any time by taking these into your inventory. You can generally hold up to a maximum of tne objects at a time. Exploration ----------- The Mercenary III playfield is as vast as the Gamma system. You can of course explore everywhere and might eventually find all that there is to find. But generally, limit your search to obviously significant or named locations or in following up a specific clue. There's no guarantee that all such places will feature in the play, but the odds are in favour of their being relevant. Trading ------- With the new generation of entrepreneurs, Trading Posts in the game are more likely to want to deal in commodities or major items rather than in trivia, although most items do have a value. If an object is on display, it is for sale at a price shown on the wall panel. To buy it, if you can afford it, pick it up and leave the room. Where nothing is on display you can sell an object. The buying price offered for an object currently displayed in your inventory, is shown on the wall panel. To make a sale, drop the object. A transaction os only completed once you leave the room. Time ---- Your panel clock records your time into the game. Note that space travel around the system is at speeds near to the speed of light and will accel- erate accordingly the passage of the 'real time' display on your clock. Combat ------ Your adversary can be keenly interested in what you are doing. You may from time to time spot his Observer Craft checking on you. These craft are not fitted for hostilities. However, in the event that they detect you in an act of hostility towards their commander-in-chief or, of course if he recieves any other direct evidence, or if you travel without per- mission into his protected areas, his Battle Craft will be deployed against you. CONTROLS! -o-o-o-o- Benson's Panel : (please turn to centre pages) [This will be soon!!] Communication: ------------- With Benson in communication mode, you may be asked to respond. This is indicated by a que-tion mark (?) following text. Press "O" to respond "OK-YES", otherwise NO is assumed. Walking: ------- Walking is initiated by use of the joystick as shown: You are able to RUN by pressing 'R'. To return to walking pace, press 'R' again. A white panel light indicates 'run' mode. FORWARD | FORWARD LEFT \ | / FORWARD RIGHT \|/ TURN LEFT------|-----TURN RIGHT /|\ BACKWARD LEFT / | \ BACKWARD RIGHT | BACKWARD Transport --------- To BOARD a vehicle or craft, walk near to it and press 'B' To LEAVE parked transport (To walk away) press 'L' POWER foward is selected by pressing a number key on the main keyboard (Not the keypad) from 1 through 9 with 0 = max for reverse, select a Function Key F1-F10. For fine adjustment to selected speed, press keypad ')' or '(' Keys. To stop, or for hover in flight, press (SPACE BAR). TURN LEFT ------|------ TURN RIGHT Ground Vehicles --------------- are steered by the joystick as shown: Aircraft -------- Need suuficent speed to take off. Landing too heavily will result in a crash! On the ground they behave as ground vehicles (above) but are controlled for direction in flight as shown: DIVE | DIVE LEFT \ | / DIVE RIGHT \|/ TURN LEFT------|------TURN RIGHT /|\ CLIMB LEFT / | \ CLIMB RIGHT | CLIMB Spacecraft ---------- Are flown as for aircraft, but can attain escape velocity. To activate escape sequence, in flight, press (ESC KEY) Elevators --------- Elevators in building are generally indicated by a floor number being shown. Stand centrally and select a floor number on main keyboard keys 1-9, 'B' for a basement and 'G' to return to ground level. If the # selected does not exsist as a floor number, the lift will not operate. Objects & Inventory ------------------- All objects and inventory controls are through the Keypad and the Cursor Keys. To pick up an object, stand near to it and press the | cursor key provided you have inventory capacity available, its name will be shown on your inventory display panel. To review names of objects held, toggle the <- or -> keys. To drop an object, select its name to be shown in the inventory display panel and press the \/ cursor key. Where an object has a player controllable use, it can be activated if it is shown selected in the inventory display window and the (ENTER KEY) is pressed. An auxilary central 'use panel' will scroll on giving instruc- tions to operate the object via the keypad keys. This use panel will remain activated unless the object is dropped, or an alternative object is activated. Combat: ------ Craft have a defensive missile capability. In general play, you do not have an enemy, but if you do provoke an attack, this is relentless. Unless you can destroy the enemy ship, it will ultimately find you and home in for the kill. Depress the joystick 'fire' button missile.. Quit Situation -------------- Press (HELP) Key. Benson response:`F1=SAVE F2=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME' Press FUNCTION KEY F10 SAVE GAME FACILITY! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Important ENSURE THAT YOUR GAME DISK (WHICH SHOULD IN ANY EVENT ALWAYS NE WRITE PROTECTED) IS REMOVED FROM DRIVE. NOTED THAT A SAVE WILL WRITE TO ANY ENABLED DISK AND WILL CORRUPT EXSISTING DOS FILES. USE ONLY A 'SAVES' DISK THAT YOU IDENTIFY ACCORDINGLY. You can save out a current gameplay status to pick up later from where you left off. At any point in the game: Insert your 'saves' disk, write enabled. Press (HELP) Benson response 'F1=SAVE F2=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME' Press Function key F1 Benson response: 'PRESS RETURN WHEN READY' Press (RETURN)- Any other Key to abort. TO RELOAD GAMESAVE! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- At any point in the game, to re-load a previously saved gameplay: Insert your 'saves' disk in drive. Press (HELP) Benson reponses 'F1=SAVE F3=LOAD F10=QUIT OTHER=RTN TO GAME' Press Function key F2 Benson response: 'LOAD NUMBER 0-9' Press required file number Benson response 'PRESS RETURN WHEN READY' Press (RETURN)- Any other key to abort. BENSONS PANEL -o-o-o-o-o-o- 1 Benson text messages NAVIGATION: 2 In Space-Name of nearest body Otherwise, current location. 3 Vehicle Speed 4 In space- Gamma system co-ordinates XX:YY:ZZ Otherwise, Planet/Moon co-ordinates 999:999 5 Near city, or land base, co-ordinates +/-99:+/-99(RED=-) 6 In space distance to nearest body Otherwise, Altitude in metres. 7 In flight elevation from horizontal. 8 Compass. INVENTORY: 9 Inventory capacity availability guage 10 Inventory selection window 11 Cash held (intergalactic Credits) PANEL LIGHTS: 12 Ground porximity warning 13 Attack warning 14 Run mode selected 15 Clock AUXILIARY PANEL: 16 Control panel for an object currently in use T: (Outside) Temperature P: (Outside) Pressure Game: Novagen Programmer: Paul woakes END....