SPECIAL OPERATIONS PUBLISHER Lothlorien AUTHOR(S) Keith Hunt YEAR 1984 CATEGORY Strategy / Wargame DESCRIPTION 'Special Operations' is a graphics adventure which incoporates a number of features not commonly found in adventures. For example, there are 18 different maps in addition to the maps used for resolving skirmishes with enemy patrols. This adventure wargame has seven different levels of play, each of which has a different objective. Apart from the initial selection of your team this is a full graphics game and is sold with a separate, comprehensive set of playing instructions. When you have enjoyed this game look out for other AdventureMaster, Adventure games and Warmaster wargames part of the famous range of Lothlorien software. INSTRUCTIONS A. Settings and objective This exciting adventure is set during the latter days of World War II, and a more detailed scenario is printed on the reverse of the cassette inlay card. The game utilizes a split screen and maps of various locations. Your position on each of these maps is shown in such a way that you are only shown what you'd be able to see if you were actually there on the ground (with the exception of the COMPOUND scenario as you already have an aerial photograph of this area ). Time plays an important role as many events are timed to occue at various stages of the game. You also have a time limit which you set yourself. This is a rendezvous time for your pickup transport plane. Although equipment may be picked up and used as in other adventures there is in addition to this an important feature which plays a large part in determining your success or failure with problems you'll encounter. This feature is the use of 'skills'. each member of your team possesses 2 specialist skills which will be required to perform certain tasks. The choice of team members is up to you - there are 30 to choose from. The adventure is different each time you play, but it is possible to use the same setup over and over again by use of the save game facility. Finally there are seven different objectives of varying difficulty to choose from for your mission. B. Restart, Objectives and Time Initially, the following inputs will be required before play can begin: -- "continue saved game Y/N". To play a previously saved, part completed game then enter "Y" and follow the instructions. Entering "N" will start a new game ( which is always different) -- "objective ( 1 - 7 )?" select from the list on the reference sheet (NOTE: The objective for saved games may be changed at this point) -- "time ( 1 - 9 )?" The number of hours to pickup time in tens of hours, eg, time 6 means 'come and collect us in 60 hours time' ( Once again, time may be altered with saved games) C. Team Selection From a list of 30 applicants you must choose 4 others to accompany you on the mission. Each of these men or women has two specialist skills, although at this stage you are aware of only one skill for each of these applicants. To find their second skill you must interview them, but as this process takes a full day it will only be possible to interview 8 of them before the mission is to commence. Careful selection is required to ensure the success of the mission. You do not have to select an interviewed applicant, nor need you interview one to make a selection. As the leader you have 2 skills, one being Leader, plus one other. These will be highlighted. When asked "which applicant?", you must answer with the code number or letter shown at the left of his main skill. When asked "select or interview?" replying "S" will choose that person for your team. Answering "I" will reveal his second skill. After day 2 further interviewing is not allowed and only s can be used. Having selected your team the computer will then 'create' the adventure for you - this takes about a minute. D. The Three Main Scenarios Although there are 18 maps, the majority of play will center around the 3 main scenarios -- FOREST, COMPOUND, COMPLEX. D1 -- Forest -- You are parachuted into the centre of a forest close to the target area and the map will initially depict an impression of the scene as you came down -- it is NOT accurate and does not show any of the major terrain features. Your position is denoted by a flashing square ( as in the other scenarios ). The true terrain features in the surrounding 4 squares will also be shown. While in the forest, be careful - there are a number of enemy patrols about. Anyone entering their prescribed fields of search will be considered hostile and combat will result. A key to the forest terrain features can be seen by using the 'tf' command. D2 -- Compund -- you already have a photograph of this area. The entrance to the underground Complex is in the centre of the Compound and is guarded constantly as shown. The main gate to the Compound is also guarded. Movement and position of other guards and personnel in this area will not bw shown as they will be constantly moving about - in short, the place is literally 'crawling' with them. D3 -- Complex -- the underground Complex is a series of passages and rooms in which you can see in straight lines -- you can't see round corners or through doors! The display will show what you are able to see plus the areas you've already been in. Apart from the east and west edges of the Complex, there are NO dead ends -- all passages lead somewhere. There are 3 possible entrances/exits to the Complex these being at the east and west edges. To exit from the Complex, use the out command 'ou' at these locations. It is only possible to exit by a particular route if you came in that way with the exception of the main entrance. E. Time Time elapsed since the start of the mission will be constantly displayed in hours and minutes. Different actions and skill use will consume differing amounts of time. This also varies with the scenario -- eg, movement in the Forest takes 20 min. while moves in the Complex only takes 2 min. It's up to you how long you have to complete the operation so to add a bit more excitement don't always give yourself the maximum. F. Actions/Skills All the actions are shown in the reference tables. There are mainly self-explanatory but the use of team skills is an important and unique feature of the game and there are some restrictions to skill use. Only 3 skills may be used simultaneously. The leader is considered to be proficient in ALL skills but due to the strain of this particular mission he will be allowed to select his skill use on only 5 separate occassions. Team skills are constantly displayed below the map area. A team member will use his skills only when instructed to do so. This is done by the 'su' command. You will then be asked SKILL TO USE?. You must now enter the first three letters of the skill ( see table ). If one of your team has this skill it will be used until cancelled. To use the leader skill to use any of the available skills you must first select 'LEA'. You will then be asked SKILL TO USE ( Lea )? and must now reply with the first three letters of the specific skill. To cancel a skill use 'sc' when asked for ACTION? and the first three letters of the skill when asked SKILL TO CANCEL?. However, to cancel the special Leader skill *you must enter Lea and not the skill he is using*. NOTE -- when entering skills or actions you cannot delete. To correct errors press 'z' once or twice to complete the action/skill. If you select su or sc in error the only way to escape is by keying in a valid skill entry which you *do not possess* in your team. Skill use is always cancelled when combat is joined. G. Combat When an enemy patrol enters one of the four adjacent areas to your party combat will normally occur. During combat your men will be shown at the bottom of the skirmish zone as numbers between 1 and 5. 1 is the leader, 2 is the second member of the team, etc. The enemy will be deployed at the top of the map. For each of your men you must select an enemy target, then move each man 2 'squares' using the cursor keys ( 5 - 8 ), or 9 for 'no movement'. After the enemy has moved combat will be resolved. One hit causes a wound, two death. In order to hit a target there must be a clear line of sight, ie, unobstructed by either trees or man. When hit them man will 'flash' on and off. When combat has been fully resolved a status report on your men's condition can be seen by using the 'st' command. Even though patrols normally attack on sight it is possible to avoid them, track them or ambush them. H. Saved Games You may save the current game position by using the quit command 'qu'. You will be asked if you you wish to save the game position. If yes, then enter 'y' and follow the instructions, having *first ensured that the cassette leads, etc, are correctly setup for saving* as shown in the user manual. All saves must be made in one of the 3 main scenarios, Forest, Compound or Complex. The program is designed to create a different situation each time you play but it is possible to play the same game over and over again. To do this, first select objective, time and team then as your first command enter 'qu' ( quit ) and save the game. You may then use this for all subsequent games. With saved games it is permissable to alter the objective and time each time it is loaded. In this way, the same map and team can be used to attempt all 7 objectives in turn. NOTE -- if the game is saved after the first part of a mission has been completed the you will NOT be allowed to change objectives. I. Help 1. Keep your leader safe -- without him your task will be that much harder 2. There are at least 6 completely different routes into the Compound and Complex without being detected. Think about how you'd get in if you really had to. 3. Be careful in the Compound and Complex -- remember this is a high security area. 4. Take great care in choosing your team and get the best balance of skills for your objective 5. Remember your leader can use any of the 30 skills and bear this in mind when making your selections. 6. Use your skills to the utmost -- keep trying them and find out what they are capable of. Objectives 1. Find the location of the enemy compound and take photographs of it. You need not enter the compound itself to do this. 2. Find a method for getting inside the compound and out again. 3. Find a method for getting inside the underground complex and get straight out again. 4. Get a sample of an experimental chemically-based rocket fuel. 5. Get a sample of the viral agent. 6. Get details of the rocket guidance system ( plans, specifications, etc ) 7. Destroy the Production area in the complex. NOTE -- to complete an objective you must rendezvous with the plane on the opposite edge of the map to the compound. Reference Table Actions mn, ms, me, mw - Move N, S, E, W ( N is always at the top of the screen ) in - Enter a terrain feature or vehicle (skills/equipment are sometimes required to accomplish this action ) ou - Get out of caves etc, by the same route you entered it, ie, fast exit su - skill use ( enter 1st three letters of skill. Lea(der) can use any skill ) sc - skill cancel ( for Leader enter Lea NOT the skill he's using) eq - List all equipment found se - Search ( does not need to be selected in caves, etc ) ta - Take a piece of equipment hi - Hide ( yourselves, not equipment ) at - Attack guards ( Forest only ) no - Do nothing ( short periods ) wa - Wait ( longer periods ) st - Status report on team's health tf - Terrain features used in forest scenario qu - Quit game ( includes save game options ) Skills Table Acr(obat) Loc(ksmith) Act(or) Mec(hanic) Bio(logist) Mid(get) Car(tographer) Nav(igator) Che(mist) Pho(tographer) Cip(hers) Phy(sicist) Cli(mber) Pic(kpocket) Div(er) Pil(ot) Doc(tor) Rad(io Operator) Ele(ctronics) Sap(per) Exp(losives) Sco(ut) For(ger) Sni(per) Int(errogator) Str(ong Man) Lea(der) Una(rmed Combat) Lin(guist) Veh(icles) J. Loading Follow the instructions in the relevant user manual for your machine, always ensuring that the cassette recorder head is clean and the volume control and leads are correctly adjusted. K. Copyright Copyright of this cassette software and self explanatory notes resides in M. C. Lothlorien and it is illegal to copy the programme for disposal to a 3rd party. Similarly, this cassette must not be hired to any 3rd party without the express written consent of M. C. Lothlorien and no parts may be used in other programmes. It is also sold subject to our standard terms and conditions of trading, copies of which are available on request. M. C. Lothlorien 56A Park Lane Poynton Cheshire SK12 1RE Tel: (0625) 876642 (c)Copyright 1984 M. C. Lothlorien ( Extract from a letter to the leader of the Special Operations Squad ) Two months ago during a routine reconaissance mission one of our planes took a photograph of what appears to be a highly guarded security area. We now have intelligence report to suggest that there is a vast underground complex beneath this enemy compound. It seems likely that this is the location of their Advanced Weapons Research Centre, the exact whereabouts of which has been a mystery to us for some time now. We also have had periodic reports on the activities of some of the Research Centre's scientists, and together with other intelligence reports it had led us to be fairly certain that work is now well advanced on the development of a new and highly sophisticated weapons system. It is probable that this system includes a highly powerful bacteriological virus capable of untold death and disease. Furthermore, we believe that the virus will be used in conjunction with a new type of rocket which infers that they must have made tremendous advances in rocket technology - rocket fuels, guidance systems, etc. It is imperative that we get a team in there as soon as possible in order to assess the progress and potential of this project. It may be necessary to destroy this installation. Please read the attached notes and reports and be prepared to commence the operation in eight days time.