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The Project 64 etext of the ~Fifty Mission Crush manual~, converted to
etext by anonymous, obtained from the Asimov Apple ][ site
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/games/strategy/SSI/
fifty_mission_crush.zip, pointed to by Evin Mulron's Apple ][ SSI page
http://www.concentric.net/~evin/ssi/.

50MISN10.TXT, May 1997, etext #232#.

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FIFTY MISSION CRUSH

Introduction...........................1
Fifty Mission Crush....................1
Getting Started (Apple)................1
Getting Started (C64)..................1
Getting Started (Atari)................1
Setting Up.............................1
Playing the Game.......................2
Enemy Fighters.........................2
Flak...................................3
Bombing the Target.....................3
Aborting the Mission...................4
Forced Landings and Bailing Out........4
Fuel...................................4
Drag Points............................4
Crew Experience........................4
Calculating Target Points..............5
Damage.................................5
Rewards................................5

INTRODUCTION

Fifty Mission Crush, a role playing game, is designed to provide you
the player, insight into the frustrations, excitement, boredom, and
sometimes terror that made the life of a B-17F pilot in the 8th Air
Force from November 1942 to December 1943. During this time the 306th
bomb group flew 95 effective missions, consisting of 1472 sorties,
averaging 15.5 aircraft per effective mission. Aircraft losses were
92, while crew losses were 803 killed or missing in action and 119
wounded. This set an average life of an aircraft at 16 missions and
the average life of a crew member at 18.33 missions.  Surviving 50
missions was not easy. You start as a young first lieutenant arriving
at Thurleigh air force base just north of London, home of the 306th
bomb group. You will remain with this group during your tour of
assignment of twenty-five missions, and then out of necessity, your
tour will be extended to fifty missions (if you survive). If you are
lucky and prove yourself a resourceful pilot, you will be promoted and
decorated. It is possible to complete fifty missions and ZI (return
home) as a highly decorated Brigadier General if you are able to make
the most out of any situation, if you are aggressive but not foolish,
and last but not least, if lady luck smiles on you.

FIFTY MISSION CRUSH

A "fifty mission crush" is an Army Air Corps, or Air Force, service
cap that has the stiffening ring removed, and is worn crushed and
battered. This cap is obviously out of uniform, however steeped in
tradition. This tradition was started by the 8th Air force flying
personnel as a mark that separates the fledgling from the battle
hardened survivor of 25+ combat missions. This mangled cap was frowned
upon, but tolerated for those who earned the right to wear it. If you
survived we will look the other way as you will have earned the right
to wear the fifty mission crush.

GETTING STARTED (APPLE)

To begin the game, boot your game disk and the game will begin
automatically. if you are using an Apple II with Pascal, you must
first use Your BASiCS disk. If you are using an Apple III, you must
first go into apple II emulation mode. If you are using an Apple IIe,
be sure to press your CAPS LOCK key. You will need to initialize a
disk for SSi use before you begin a game (follow the instructions
given in the program). You will need one disk for each pilot (i.e. a
disk may only contain information for one pilot).

GETTING STARTED (Atari)

First format a blank disk for use with your Atari system (any properly
formatted Atari disk will do). Note that one disk must be formatted
for each pilot (i.e. a disk may only contain information for one
pilot). Next, begin the game by inserting the game disk into your disk
drive; be sure that your Basic cartridge is plugged into your
computer. Turn on the computer and the game will begin automatically.

GETTING STARTED (Commodore 64)

Insert a BLANK disk in the drive and type OPEN 15,8,15 (return). Then
type PRINT #15,"N0:SAVE,01",(return). When the red light on the disk
drive is off remove this disk from the drive and mark it pilot #1.
Note that one disk must be formatted for each pilot (i.e. a disk may
only contain information for one pilot). Next place the program disk
in the drive and type LOAD "*",8 (return). When the computer returns a
READY prompt type RUN (return).  WARNING: When the computer asks you
to assign a name to each of your crew members, make sure you enter at
least one character for the name. If you do not, you may encounter
difficulties later in the game.  SETTING UP

1) After the program loads, you will be asked if you wish to play with
more than one player. If you elect to play with more than one player,
each will control a pilot and the players will take turns flying
missions (the players must decide on the order of play). If a pilot is
killed during a multi-player game, the computer will once again ask if
you wish to play a game with more than one player. If the players so
desire, new pilots may be started to replace pilots that have been
killed.

2) Remove the program disk and insert your player pilot disk as
instructed. This disk will continue to update your pilot's records
after each mission. you can quit playing after any mission and resume
later where you left off, but only if you answer "yes" when asked if
you want to save the game. Be sure not to stop a game in the middle of
a mission, as this will automatically kill your pilot (only stop a
game after you have responded "yes" to whether you wish to save the
game).

3) You will be asked if this is your first mission if "yes," then you
will be asked to enter the pilot's name. If "no," then the game will
continue with your current pilot. At this time, you will be asked to
enter the names of your crew members.

PLAYING THE GAME

1) You will be assigned a target and assembly altitude and will be
asked how much fuel you wish to take. The more fuel you take, the less
bomb load you will have. Type a number between 1 and 100 to represent
the percentage of maximum fuel you wish to take on your mission.
Entering a "1" will get you 1% of your maximum fuel (25 gallons),
entering "50" will get you 50% of your maximum fuel (1260 gallons),
entering "100" will get you 100%  of your maximum fuel (2520 gallons),
etc. After you have entered your fuel allocation, you will be given
the option to fly overloaded. Flying overloaded will increase your
bombload by 20%, but causes you problems if you lose an engine on
takeoff.

2) Upon takeoff, the map will be displayed. Your B-17F will be a small
flashing dot over your home base in England. Your plane will be at
5000 feet.  You may move your plane by typing in the appropriate
number:

1 = North
2 = NE
3 = E
4 = SE
5 = S
6 = SW
7 = W
8 = NW
0 = Hold position

3)  After each move, you will be presented with a view of your plane.
A menu listing your options can be found on the upper left of the
screen; and below this, the computer will display the terrain you are
currently flying over and the name of your aircraft. (if you lose your
aircraft the computer will automatically assign you a new one; but it
you lose more than 10 aircraft, you will be sent home in disgrace, so
be kind to your equipment.) At the bottom of the screen you will find
a row of seven digits. Each digit informs you of the weather at each
5000 foot increment up to 35000 feet. The left most digit represents
5000 feet, while the right most digit represents 35000 feet. A "0"
indicates that there are no clouds at that altitude, while a "1"
equals light clouds. Numbers over 1 represent increasingly heavy
layers of clouds. The weather is generally better towards the southern
end of the map. A weather of "1" at 5000 feet indicates ground fog.
Ground fog will not hamper take-offs, but it is better not to land
during fog. Enemy fighters will not attack you if fog is present, or
if you have any clouds (weather > 0) at your altitude. In addition, if
you have clouds between you and the ground, flak will not fire and you
will be unable to hit your target.

4) The menu items are explained below:
ALTxxxx = The altitude you are currently flying at.

FUEL xxxx GAL = fuel remaining in gallons.

ENG FIRE EXT 1-4 = To activate an engine fire extinguisher, type the
number of the appropriate engine (you have two per engine).

HAND FIRE EXT 5 = To activate a portable fire extinguisher inside the
plane, type "S" (you have 5 of these).

ALT U/D = Type U to climb 5000 feet or D to dive 5000 feet.

SALVO S = Type S to drop your bombs on the target.

MAP M = Type M when you are ready to move again.

TARGET POiNTS = this will always be -1000 until you hit your target or
it will show the number of victory points gained from bombing the
target.

TOTAL POINTS = Accumulated victory points excluding target points from
this mission.

ABORT A = Type A to abort the mission. This will leave you alone (the
other bombers will continue to the target), but will save you 1000
points by setting the target points to 0.


5) When you type M, the map will be displayed and you will be able to
make your next move. If your plane marker is a large dot, then you are
at mission altitude and have joined up with your bomber group. When
you are flying in formation, you will have the added protection of
your comrades and will be confronted with significantly less enemy
fighters. If you are flying alone, your location will be shown by a
small dot.

6) You will continue to cycle through steps 2 - 5 until you have
completed your mission and returned to base.


ENEMY FIGHTERS

1) As you move, you may encounter enemy fighters. The chance of facing
enemy fighters varies depending upon your location, formation, and
mission number. The map is divided into 4 zones A, B, C, and D (refer
to the map on the back of this manual). No fighters will oppose you in
zone A. In zone B, you may encounter light fighter opposition, but you
will be protected well by your fighter escort. In zone C, you will
encounter more enemy fighters and will only have a small amount of
protection from your limited escort fighters. In zone D, you will
encounter the most enemy fighters and will have no fighter escort
(long range fighter escort didn't become a reality until later in the
war). In zones B, C and D you will encounter more enemy fighters if
you are not flying in formation with your bomber group. As the mission
number increases (i.e. as time goes by), the amount of German fighter
opposition will increase, as will the amount of friendly fighter
protection.

2) Each time an enemy fighter begins a firing pass you will be
presented with a tactical display. A list of all weapons capable of
returning fired and the amount of ammo remaining in each weapon will
be listed at the upper left corner of the display. Below is a list of
all weapons available on your plane.

Identifier   Name            Type          Ammo  Crewmember
N          NoseGun         Single 30 cal.*  15   Bombardier
R          RightCheek Gun  Single 30 cal.*  10   Navigator
L          LeftCheek Gun   Single 30 cal.*  10   Navigator
E          TopTurret Guns  Twin 50 cal.     20   Engineer
P          PortWaist Gun   Single 50 cal.   10   Port Gunner
S          StbdWaist Gun   Single 50 cal.   10   Starboard Gunner
B          BallTurret Gun  Twin 50 cal.     20   Ball Gunner
T          TailGuns        Twin 50 cal.     20   Tail Gunner

* There is a 5% chance after each mission that your 30 caliber guns
will be upgraded to 50 caliber guns. If you lose your plane, your new
plane will begin with 30 caliber guns, but the chance will increase to
10%. When upgraded, all three 30 caliber guns will become 50 caliber
guns

3) There are up to 7 rounds of fire during each fighter pass. If you
wish to fire a weapon during the round, type the letter of the
available weapon. If you don't wish to fire, press any other key. If
you fire a weapon, one ammo point will be subtracted from its ammo
remaining (this will not be shown immediately on the screen). If your
fire did not destroy (or at least claim to destroy) or drive off the
enemy fighter, it will fire at you and then move closer to your
bomber; and you will once again be given a chance to fire. As the
enemy fighter moves closer to your B-17, it will be easier for both
planes to hit the other with its weapons. The ability of your gunners
to hit or drive away enemy aircraft will improve as they gain
experience.

4) Your 30 caliber weapons are much less effective than your 50
caliber weapons at long range. As the range closes the difference in
ability of your weapons decreases. There are 3 types of German
fighters each with the abilities given below:

FW-190 -- This plane is the hardest to hit and has average firepower.
ME-109 -- This plane is average on defense and has the weakest firepwr.
ME-110 -- This plane is the easiest to hit but has the greatest firepwr.


FLAK

1) If you fly over a target or an A-A battery while at an altitude
under 30,000 feet, you will receive flak if there are no clouds
between you and the ground. The flak intensity will vary based on your
altitude (the lower you are the heavier the flak). Four targets are
protected by extra flak concentrations and will fire heavier flak than
normal. The four heavy flak targets are La Rochelle, Lorient,
Vegesack, and Wilhelmshaven.

2) If during flak a fire is started on your aircraft, you will receive
additional flak (the flak batteries have seen that they have the range
and will begin to concentrate on you).


BOMBING THE TARGET

1) Once over the target, you may drop your bombs. Once you have
dropped your bombs, you will be subject to more flak and fighters.

2) You will not be able to hit your target if there clouds between you
and your target.

3) When you drop your bombs on target you will first receive 1000
points to counteract the -1000 points you begin with each mission; and
then you will receive up to an additional 1000 points based on the
size of the bombload, the altitude of the bombing run, the experience
of the key crew members, and the effect of any applicable damage to
the plane and crew.

4) You may choose to bomb a target other than the one assigned to you;
however, the points received for the bombing will be significantly
less than those you would receive for bombing the assigned target.


ABORTING THE MISSION

At any time prior to dropping your bombs on target, you may opt to
abort your mission. If you abort the mission, your bombs will be
released and your target points will be set to 0. However, since you
have elected to drop your bombs and return home, you will no longer be
allowed to fly in formation with your bomber group. Al though you can
wait to abort until you have returned to the safety of England (in
effect recalling the entire bomber group), don't forget that as long
as you have not dropped your bombs there is always a chance that an
enemy fighter will detonate them and destroy the plane. You will also
use more fuel while carrying your bombs.


FORCED LANDINGS AND BAILING OUT

1) If you are forced to land in water, you may be rescued. Your chance
of being rescued will be lowered by certain types of damage to your
plane and crew (see the section on damage). Ditching always causes the
loss of the plane.

2) If you are forced to land on land other than your airbase, you may
crash into a building. If you land in England and do not crash, your
crew and plane will be available for your next mission (It is assumed
that you landed at an emergency field). If you crash in England, your
plane will be destroyed and you may lose some of your crew (including
yourself). If you land on the continent, you will always lose your
plane but you may escape capture and return to England (sometimes with
your crew).

3) Occasionally you will be forced to bail out of your plane. If you
bail out overwater, you may be rescued (but don't count on it). If you
bail out over the continent, you may be captured. Your plane will
always be destroyed when you bail out.


FUEL

In this game, time and distance are measured by the amount of fuel
used (Example: since moving northeast (diagonal) uses more fuel than
moving north, it is assumed that it also takes more time and thus
allows more opportunities for enemy fighter attacks. Standard fuel
consumption figures are given below (rounded down):

move diagonal          37
move non-diagonal      25
hold present position  20

These figures are assuming no bomb load. If you are carrying a bomb
load, you will consume 5 additional gallons of fuel each turn. Each
windmilling engine will consume an additional 7 gallons each turn.
Each fuel leak will cause the loss of an additional 12 gallons each
turn. Each time you climb 5000 feet you will use 15 gallons of fuel;
while each time you dive 5000 feet, you will receive 10 gallons of
fuel (to account for the use of less fuel during the dive). These
consumption figures are displayed below:

windmilling engine  7
fuel leak          12
bomb load           5
climb 5000 feet    15
dive 5000 feet    -10


DRAG POINTS

The combination of damaged engines and carrying a bomb load may
restrict the ability of your aircraft and are accounted for by the use
of drag points. The following adds drag points to your plane:

Carrying a bomb load = .5 drag points
Engine feathering = 1 drag point
Engine windmilling = 1.5 drag points

The effects of drag points are as follows:
1 drag point : No effect.

1.5 or 2 drag points : Speed reduced, cannot fly in formation with
bomber group, and chance of additional German fighters intercepting.

2.5 drag points : Even greater chance of additional German fighters
intercepting.

3 drag points : Aircraft will lose 5,000 feet per turn, and even
greater chance of additional German fighters intercepting.

3.5 or more drag points : Aircraft forced to land.


CREW EXPERIENCE

Before each mission the computer will list the names of your crew
along with the number of missions each crew member has survived; the
greater the number of missions the greater the experience of the crew
member. As a crew member's experience increases, so does his ability
to perform his job. Thus an experienced radio operator will be able to
increase your chances of rescue after ditching (he can quickly radio
the proper SOS), while a gunner will be more likely to destroy or
drive away an enemy plane. All crew members have specific functions
that will improve as they gain experience.


CALCULATING TARGET POINTS

The following formula determines the number of points received for
bombing a target: (OT * BOMB LOAD * BOMB LOAD * RANDOM NUMBER BETWEEN
1 AND 100) / (ALTITUDE / 100) 100 times the bomb load percentage. OT
is a reflection of the amount of plane and crew damage and is a number
between 0 and 1 (a value of 1 reflects no damage to the plane or
crew). When bombing any target other than that which was assigned the
value of OT begins at .2 instead of 1. If the formula results in a
number greater than 1000, the target points will be set to 1000.


DAMAGE

Some of the effects of damage are listed below.

CREW:

Crew Oxygen hit: The aircraft will lose 5000 feet a turn until it
reaches 15000 feet. you will be unable to climb.

Heater hit: Each turn if you are at an altitude above 10000 feet the
crew member may incur frostbite. The higher the altitude and the
longer you remain above 10000 feet the greater the chance of
frostbite. Frostbite will cause the crew member to become
incapacitated for the remainder of the mission and will cost you
mission points.

Light wound: No effect on crew member, however 2 light wounds on the
same mission will cause a serious wound.

Serious wound: Incapacitates crew member and costs you mission points.
Will be the last mission for all crew members except the pilot who may
recover from his wounds to fly again.

Killed in Action (KIA): Costs you mission points and if the pilot is
killed ends the game.

Loss of Navigator increases fuel usage when not flying in formation.
Also reduces chance of survival alter ditching.

Loss of Radioman: Reduces chance of survival alter ditching.
Loss of Bombardier: Reduces bombing effectiveness.
Loss of Copilot: Increases the chance of a crash on landing.


GENERAL AIRCRAFT DAMAGE:

Norden sight: Reduces bombing effectiveness.

Gun hit: Makes the gun inoperable.

Fire in fuselage.: If put out causes no problem. The plane carries 5
portable fire extinguishers

Bomb controls: Reduces bombing effectiveness.

Autopilot: Reduces bombing effectiveness and increases the chance of a
crash on landing due to pilot fatigue.

Control damage: Increases the chance of a crash on landing.
Wing root hit: Accumulated damage will destroy the aircraft.
Stabilizer root hit: Accumulated damage will destroy the aircraft.

Fuel tank leak: Loss of 12 gallons of fuel each turn for each fuel leak.

Landing gear hit: Increases the chance of a crash on landing.
Raft destroyed: Reduces the chance of survival after ditching.
Bomb release damage: Reduces bombing effectiveness.
Bomb bay doors damaged: Unable to drop bombs.
Bomb hit. Bombs detonate and kills entire crew.
Radio hit: Reduces the chance of survival after ditching.


ENGINE HITS

Engine runaway: Causes immediate bail out of crew.

Engine feathered: Adds 1 drag point.

Engine windmilling: Adds 1.5 drag points and consumes an additional 7
gallons  of fuel each turn.

Engine fire: If put out causes no problem. There are 2 fire
extinguishers per engine.

Engine oil leak: Will cause the engine to feather when the engine
turns out of oil.


REWARDS

Your rank will increase as your total points increase as follows:

  7000 points -- Captain
 15000 points -- Major
 25000 points -- Lieutenant Colonel
 38000 points -- Colonel
 55000 points -- Brigadier General

Each mission you will be given mission evaluation points based on the
mission difficulty, your ability to follow orders, and your ability to
perform your mission. These points are added to your total score and
will aid in gaining promotion. If you receive enough ME points in a
mission you will be awarded a medal. The following medals are
possible:

The Legion of Merit
The Distinguished Service Medal
The Air Medal
The Distinguished Flying Cross
Oak leaf Cluster

You will be awarded a purple heart if you are wounded during a mission.

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End of the Project 64 etext of the Fifty Mission Crush manual.

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