

*********

The Project 64 etext of the Battle Command manual.  Converted to etext
by by "Frank" Jeno E. Kontros <jeno@kontr.uzhgorod.ua>, the Non Stop
Cracker.

BATCOM10.TXT, September 1996, etext #74.

*********

So  here  original  manual  for Battle Command. The game supports
C=1350  joymouse  and  C=1351  proportinal  mouse  in  joy  mode.
Playing  it,  I  was  find  a  cool  cheat.  Enter  GINGERBEER as
passcode  in  LOAD  GAME  screen.  After  this you don't have any
damage  and  3  hidden  missions  appears:  RAILWAY, ESCORT DUTY,
GRAND FINALE.


INTRODUCTION

Set  in  the  near  future alternate reality, Battle Command is a
arcade/strategy  game  which  allows  you  to  command  a  single
Mauler  assault  tank  in one of a series of scenarios (Missions)
in  the  Ultra  War, fought between the two dominant races in the
New  World.  The  latest  phase  of  the North/South war has been
going  on  for  over  10  years,  with  a  World  War 1 situation
eventually  developing  --  standoff between armies massed over a
long dug-in battle front.

Such  are  the  defensive  capabilities  of each side, full scale
attacks   are   suicidal,   so   any   offensive  moves  are,  by
necessity,  small  behind  the  lines  actions performed by elite
troops in specially designed vehicles.

The  Mauler  is  the  latest such machine -- an Armoured Fighting
Machine   capable   of   being  lifted  in  and  out  of  hostile
territory  by  a  fast  Stealth  Chopper  (the  Helicarrier)  and
armed with the most advanced weaponry science can devise.

Try  reading  through  the  Your First Mission section to get the
hang  of  how  to  play  Battle Command. Above all, remember that
you're  fighting  behind  enemy  lines  on  your  own,  with only
quick   thinking,  and  several  millions  of  Credits  worth  of
military hardware to protect you.


LOADING

Commodore Cartridge

With  your  computer  switched  off,  insert  the cartridge label
side  up  into  the  slot labeled EXPANSION PORT. This slot is on
the  rear  of  the  computer  at  the  right  hand side. When the
cartridge  is  fully inserted, switch the computer on. The Battle
Command  title  screen  will  appear,  and  the  game  will  load
automatically.

Commodore Disk

Select  64  mode  (if  using  Commodore  128).  Turn  on the disk
drive,  insert  the  program into the drive with the label facing
upwards.   Type  LOAD"*",8,1  (RETURN)  the  introductory  screen
will appear and the program will then load automatically.

Save Game Option

To  save  your  current  mission(s) select STATUS and then select
SAVE  option.  You  will  then  be  given a code (write this code
down).  After  the  game  has  been  saved  the  game may then be
continued.

To  load  a  previously  saved  game  select LOAD at the start of
the  game  and  then,  by  using  the  joystick, enter your code,
then press fire button to start.


THE WORLD

The  world  of  Battle  Command  is  depicted  in  solid-3D.  The
realistic  landscape  is populated by hills, trees and buildings,
criss-crossed  by  rivers,  roads, railway tracks and electricity
pylons.

The  game  is  played  at  24  times  real  time, one day of play
time  is  one  hour  of real time, and there is a day night cycle
lasting   1   hour.   One   Mission,  however,  does  not  follow
immediately  on from another  --  you could finish one mission at
dawn  and  start  the  next  at midnight. Missions can take place
at any time of the day or night.


PLAYING THE BATTLE COMMAND

The  action  in  Battle  Command  is  split  up  into a number of
separate  Missions,  each  with  a  different  objective  that is
outlined  in  the  Mission  Briefing  at  the  beginning  of each
encounter.

The    nature    of    the    Missions    vary   from   requiring
straightforward  arcade  skills  (such as the Starter Mission) to
those  of  a  more  complex nature, where you will be expected to
use  reasoning  and  deductive  skills,  in  addition  to a quick
trigger finger.

The  format  of  each  Mission is the same, however. After making
your  Mission  selection  and  reading  the  Briefing,  you equip
your Mauler and click on the Start Mission box.

The  screen  view  now  changes  to  the  view  from  out  of the
Mauler  --  you  now  have full control.  To complete the Mission
successfully  you  have  to  achieve  your  Mission objective and
then   rendezvous   with   the   Helicarrier  again  at  the  map
co-ordinates shown on the Mission Briefing.

This  cycle  is  repeated  until  all  of  the Missions have been
completed  and  the  Northern  forces  have  successfully overrun
the South!


CONTROLS

The  Battle  Command  user  interface  has been designed to be as
intuitive  and  as  flexible  as possible, allowing you to choose
between  a  combination  of  keyboard and mouse (or joystick), or
predominantly mouse (or joystick).

The   majority   of  the  functions  in  Battle  Command  can  be
accessed  using  mouse  only.  On pre-Mission screens, the cursor
is  moved by the obvious up/down,  left/right movements, with the
left hand mouse button being used for Selecting/Deselecting.

Active Mode

During  actual  missions,  the  actions  outlined  above  are the
same  actions  that  control  the  movement  of the Mauler itself
and  the  firing  of  the  weapon systems. So how do you select a
function   without   using   the  keyboard?  This  is  solved  by
switching between Active and Passive modes.

Active  mode  is  the  default  during  a Mission, where there is
no  cursor  shown  on-screen  and  the  movements  of  the  mouse
correspond  with  the  movement  of  the Mauler. At this time all
other  functions  can be accessed via single keyboard strokes, as
shown in the Control Guide section.

In  Active  mode  the left mouse button acts as a fire button for
your weapon systems.

Passive Mode

Pressing  the  right  mouse  button  while  in Active mode, takes
you  to  Passive  mode.  The  mouse  now controls the cursor that
appear  on-screen  and you can activate devices on the console by
clicking with the left mouse button. During Passive mode you have
no direct control over the movement of the Mauler. You can return
to Active mode by pressing the right mouse button/SPACE again.

If  using  a  joystick with keyboard see the Control Guide at the
back  of  this manual for details of how the control system works
with these devices.

For  a  step-by-step  guide  on  how  to  select a Battle Command
Mission and arm, equip and run your Mauler, read through the Your
First Mission section of this manual.


THE MAULER

You undertake Battle Command's Mission in a Mauler class tank,  a
heavily  armoured  but  highly  mobile  general  purpose  weapons
platform.  Because  all  of  the Missions take place behind enemy
lines  --  due  to stalemate that has long developed in the Ultra
War -- you are delivered to the vicinity of the Mission Objective
and retrieved from pre-arranged pick-up point by a Helicarrier, a
fast stealth helicopter with a large payload capacity.

The  Mauler  tank  itself  is designed primarily for flexibility.
In   addition   to   its  standard  equipment  it  has  secondary
equipment  slots  that  enable specialist devices to be fitted to
the tank when needed  --  these will be fitted by the maintenance
crew automatically before the Mission starts.

The  weapons  systems  themselves  are  totally  undedicated with
four  weapon  modules  that allow the tank to carry any selection
of  weapon  payloads,  limited  only by its payload capacity. The
Mauler  can  therefore  be  configured to meet almost any mission
requirement.


THE MAULER CONTROL PANEL

                  WEAPON           WEAPON PODS
              CONTROL WINDOW        o  o  o  o
                     o             /   |  |   \
                     |            /    |  |    \
          +----------|-----------/-----|--|-----\--------------+
          |       |  |  |     |  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |    |     | |
          |\    /-+ /o\ +--------------------------------\    /|
          |  \/    \---/                                   \/  |
          |                                                    |
          |                                                    |
          |                                                    |
          |                                                    |
          |                      AUXILIARY                     |
          |                       MONITOR                      |
          |                          o                         |
          |                          |                         |
          |                   +------|------+                  |
          |--\  /-------------|      |      |------------\  /--|
          |  |_/  /-\  |=||=| |             || /------\ | \_|  |
PICK-UP o---------|O|  |=||=| |_____________|||        ||      |
 BUTTON   |       +-+  |=||=|  o    o    o   ||        ||      |
          |     /----\ |=||=|  +--+ +--+ +--+||    \   ||      |
          |     |248 | |=||=|  |  | |  | |  |||      \ ||      |
          |     | /  | |=||=|  +|-+ +-|+ +-|+| \------/\|      |
          |     /----/ /-  |    |     |    |  \ N..E..S /\     |
          +---/-------/----|----|-----|----|-------|-------\---+
            /        /     o    |     o    |       o        o
           o        o    SPEED  |NIGHTSIGHT|    COMPASS   RADAR
      BINOCULARS  FUEL   GAUGE  o          |             DISPLAY
    MAGNIFICATION GAUGE     REAR VIEW      o
                              CAMERA   BINOCULARS


STANDARD EQUIPMENT

This is basic equipment always available on your Mauler.

Engine  --  This  Delta  Dynamics  Gas  Turbine developing around
2000  Brake  Horse  Power  at  maximum output, gives the Mauler a
to  speed  of  around  90  miles per hour. Note power can be lost
through damage by enemy fire.

Velocity  Gauge  --  This gauge appears on the Control Panel as a
vertical  bargraph  indicating  the velocity of the Mauler. Green
denotes forward speed, Red reverse.

Fuel  Gauge  --  As  with the  Velocity Gauge this appears on the
Control  Panel  as  a  vertical  bar  graph.  There  is  nowhere,
officially,  to  refuel  behind  enemy  lines  -  if you run out,
you're stuck...unless you know different, that is.

Compass  --  This  is  a  display on the console with the symbols
N,  E,  S  and  W  marked on it. As the player turns, the display
moves  left  or  right  to  show  the  direction  the  player  is
facing. The display wraps around as the player turns full circle.

           +---------------+
           | . . N . . . E |       Compass
           +---------------+

Radar  --  the radar is an advanced type,  with a built-in object
recognition  system  that assigns a type to every detected object
on  the  basis  on  its  threat to the Mauler. These object types
displayed   as  different  coloured  dots  on  the  radar  screen
overlaid  on  the  top  of a map of the local area retrieved from
the radar computers memory.

The colours assigned to each object type are:

Roads                   Light gray
Rivers                  Dark blue
Electricity pylons      Dark gray
Railway tracks          White

Vegetation              Green
Hills/Rocks             Brown

Major buildings         White
Minor buildings         Medium gray

Mobile enemy            Red
Fixed enemy             Light blue
Enemy aircraft          Yellow
Shells/Missiles         Orange

The  position  of  the  player  is shown by a small cursor in the
center of the radar display.


SECONDARY EQUIPMENT

This  is  equipment  that  is not always fitted to the Mauler. If
a  particular  piece  of equipment is required in a mission it is
automatically fitted.

Rear  View  Camera  --  Shows a view from the back of the Mauler.
The  only  control  is  an  on/off  button  bellow  the auxiliary
monitor. Eyes in the back of the head are sometimes useful!

Nightsight  -- Allows you to see at night and at low light levels
using Infra Red sensitive optics. The normal 3D views on the main
console   display,   if appropriate,  are  replaced  by  a  lower
resolution  display in shades of gray.

Using  the  nightsight  during  the  day will overload it and you
will  be  unable  to  see  any  detail  -  as all objects and the
ground  will  be  shown  in  a  single shade of white silhouetted
against   the  horizon.  Overloading  the  nightsight  will  also
damage  its  sensitive  optics.  The  control for this device, if
fitted, is a single on/off switch bellow the auxiliary monitor.

Binoculars  --  Magnifies  your  main  view  screen onto the main
console  display  by a factor of 2, 4 or 8 to show greater detail
on  objects  and  objects  too small to be visible normally.  The
device  can  be enabled and disabled using an on/off switch under
the auxiliary monitor.  There is also a rotary switch to the left
of the auxiliary monitor to adjust the magnification.

Pick-up Button -- Once you have completed your Mission Objective,
you  must  make  your  way to the Pick-up point specified in your
Mission  Briefing  and summon the Helicarrier to take you back to
the  safely  of  the  Northern lines.  Click on the button on the
Control Panel or use the keyboard controls specified.


WEAPONS

Weaponry  is  what  it's  all  about!  The Mauler has four weapon
Pods,  any  number  of  which you can fill up with lethal devices
before  you  go  on a Mission, see the Your First Mission section
for details on equipping your Mauler.

Only  one  of  the  Weapon  Pods  can  be  active  at  one  time,
selectable  from  the  keyboard or by clicking on the appropriate
Weapon  Pod  at  the  top  of  the  Mauler  control panel when in
Passive Mode.

This  will  activate  the  selected  Weapon Pod, as shown by that
Weapon's  icon  appearing  in  the  Weapon  Control Window of the
Control  Panel,  along  with  any  particular  controls  for  the
weapon  (up/down,  on/off).  The Weapon Pod itself also shows the
number  of  rounds  left in the magazines plus.

A  description  of  each  munition follows, but remember that you
limited  to  how  much you can put on-board your Mauler by weight
and weapon design constrains.

All  weapons  also  have  a magazine size, which is the number of
rounds  that  weapon  system  carries.  Run  out  of  rounds  and
you'll  be  firing  thin  air until you select another Weapon Pod
containing live rounds.

OFFENSIVE WEAPONRY

TURRET  --  The  most basic armament provided for the tank is the
Pulveriser  120mm  Battle  Cannon,  which  fires  shells directly
forward.  The  barrel  is  a simple launching tube for the shells
which   are  powered,  in  effect  unguided  missiles.  They  are
unaffected  by  gravity,  but  they  travel  quite slowly, so you
have  to  aim  for where the target is going to be when the shell
arrives.
The  barrel  of  the  Pulveriser  Battle  Cannon  is  an integral
part  of  the  Mauler's  turret and so is not removed even if the
Pulveriser weapon system is not fitted.

The  weapon  head-up-display  simply  shows  the number of cannon
shells  remaining.  Only  one cannon can be fitted to the tank at
once. The magazine size is 60 shells.

PULVERISER
Muzzle Speed:      210 m/s
Burn Duration:     16 seconds
Range:             3300 m
Shell Weight:      4 kg
Length:            0.7 m
Calibre:           120 mm
Warhead Type:      K.E.P.

BANSHEE  SURFACE  TO  SURFACE  MISSILES  -- When a weapon of this
type  is  selected  a  sight  appears  in the center of your view
allowing  you  to  line  up  on  hostile  targets.  When the fire
button  is  pressed  the missile launcher locks-on to the closest
target  in  a  cone  directly  in front of the Mauler, the cursor
will  change  shape  and  a  flashing  a "locked-on" message will
appear  in  the  head-up-display.  This locked-on state lasts for
a  limited  time  and  the launcher continually tracks the target
during  it.  If  you  press  the  fire  button  again  while  the
launcher   is  locked-on,  a  missile  is  launched  against  the
target.  The  missile  will follow the target until it hits it or
runs  out  of  fuel  and explodes. If no target can be found then
no missile will be launched.

There  are  two  versions  of  this  missile,  heat  seeking  and
radar   guided.   Heat  seeking  missiles  will  only  lock  onto
targets  that  produce  a  lot of I.R. radiation such as aircraft
or  vehicles,  while  radar  guided  missiles  will lock onto all
targets.  Heat  seeking  missiles  have  a  much simpler guidance
and  targeting  system  than  radar guided ones, as a consequence
they  are  smaller  and  lighter  and can fit more in a magazine.
The  magazine  size  is  8  for  heat  seeking missiles and 5 for
radar guided.

BANSHEE (IR version)
Speed:             150 m/s
Flight Duration:   15 seconds
Minimum Range:     125 m
Maximum Range:     2200 m
Weight:            31.5 kg
Length:            1.5 m
Calibre:           160 mm
Warhead Type:      H.C.
Control:           Aerodynamic Surfaces
Guidance:          Radar or IR (Fire and Forget)

PHOENIX  SURFACE  TO  AIR  MISSILES  --  These are similar to the
surface  to  surface  missiles  but  they  have  a  more  complex
targeting system.

When  the  player  presses  the  fire  button  a  view  from  the
launcher  appears  in  the  auxiliary monitor. The player now has
control  of  the  elevation  and  yaw  of  the  launcher,  within
limits.  If  a  target comes within the launcher's view it can be
locked-on  to  and  fired  in the same way as the Banshee surface
to surface missile.

The  player  remains  in  control  of  the  launcher  until  they
press  the  right  mouse  button,  which  returns  them to Active
Mode and control of the Mauler.
Again  these  missiles  come  in  two  types,  Heat  Seeking  and
Radar Guided.

PHOENIX (IR version)
Speed:             190 m/s
Flight Duration:   12 seconds
Minimum Range:     200 m
Maximum Range:     2200 m
Weight:            25 kg
Length:            1.1 m
Calibre:           120 mm
Warhead Type:      H.C.
Control:           Aerodynamic Surfaces
Guidance:          Radar or IR (Fire and Forget)

K-40  MORTAR  --  This  throws  a  shell  forwards  and  upwards.
Unlike  the  cannon,  shells  from  the  mortar are unpowered and
affected  by  gravity,  traveling  in  a ballistic arc, exploding
when  they  reach  the ground or hit an object. The mortar allows
you  to  fire  at  targets  behind  other objects or targets sunk
into the ground.

The   buttons   in   the   weapon  control  window  are  assigned
functions  to  raise  and lower the elevation of the mortar tube,
and the current elevation,  range and mortar shells remaining are
shown in the head-up-display beneath the window.  Only one mortar
can be fitted to the tank at once. The magazine size is 20.

K-40 MORTAR
Minimum Range:     200 m
Maximum Range:     750 m
Shell Weight:      10 kg
Calibre:           100 mm
Warhead Type:      H.E.

DRAGONFLY  WIRE  GUIDED  MISSILES  --  When  you  launch  one  of
these  missiles  a  view  from just behind the missile appears in
the  auxiliary  monitor  and  you  now  control  movement  of the
missile   rather   than  the  Mauler.  You  can  switch  back  to
controlling  the  Mauler  by  hitting the right mouse button, but
you  lose  control  of  the missile which simply continues on the
path it was on.

The  missiles  have a limited range and can fly for approximately
20  seconds  before  detonating,  although,  of course, they will
detonate before this on contact with any object!

DRAGONFLY
Speed:             190 m/s
Flight Duration:   22 seconds
Maximum Range:     4000 m
Weight:            80 kg
Length:            2 m
Calibre:           250 mm
Warhead Type:      H.E.
Control:           Jet Deflection
Guidance:          Wire Guided (MCLOS)


DEFENSIVE WEAPONRY

SPECTRE  I.R.  DECOY  FLARES  --  These are flares you can launch
to  decoy  heat  seeking  missiles.  If  a flare comes within the
field  of  view  of  an  enemy missile is a high probably that it
will  change  course  to follow the flare rather than the Mauler.
If  used  while you yourself are also using heat seeking missiles
they  may  interfere  with  the  operation  of them, as well!

The  flare  launcher  has  two  modes  of  operation, single-shot
and  automatic.  In  single-shot  mode  you  launch  a  flare  on
demand  by  hitting  the  Fire, in automatic mode Mauler launches
a  flare  every  minute or if the current flare has destroyed, to
give continual protection.

Flares  last  for  about  1 minute before they fall to the ground
and  are  extinguished.  A  flare  is  destroyed once it has been
hit  by  a  missile.  The  two weapon control buttons control the
mode  the  launcher is in, clicking on one puts the launcher into
automatic  mode  the  other  puts  it back into single-shot mode.
The  head-up-display  shows  the current mode, whether any flares
are   in  the  air  and  the  number  of  flares  remaining.  The
magazine size is 12.

SPECTRE FLARE DISPENSER
Flare Detonation Height:        55 m
Effective Decoy Radius:         25 m
Minimum Effective Wavelength:   3 microns
Maximum Effective Wavelength:   14 microns

PHANTASM DECOY CHAFF DISPENSERS  --  Similar to the  decoy flares
except  that  it  launches  a  cloud of chaff that confuses radar
guided  weapons.  The  chaff  cloud  does not rise as high as the
flares  and  remains  stationary  where it was launched. It lasts
for  two  minutes  and  weapons  do  not  detonate  on it but fly
straight  through.  The  controls and display are the same as for
the  decoy  flares  except  that the repetition in automatic mode
is every two minutes. The magazine size is 8.

PHANTASM CHAFF DISPENSER
Detonation Height:              20 m
Bloom Radius:                   15 m
Bloom Time:                     1.5 seconds
Minimum Effective Frequency:    1.2 GHz
Maximum Effective Frequency:    18 GHz
Minimum Strand Length:          8 mm
Maximum Strand Length:          125 mm

SLAM  LASER  --  This  weapon  sits  on the top of the Mauler and
when  activated  will  lock  onto  any incoming missile and shoot
it  down  with  laser  fire. It can only cope with one missile at
a  time  and,  as  it is chemically powered, has a limited number
of  shots.  The  only  control  is an on/off switch on one of the
weapon  control  buttons,  the  fire button has no effect on this
weapon.   The  display  shows  whether  the  gun  is  active  and
bargraph of the amount of chemical reactants left.

The  Laser  will  usually  take  several shots to down a missile,
the  number  depending  on  the size of the missile. The magazine
holds enough reactants for about 80 shots.

SLAM LASER
Fire Rate:                      250 pulses/minute
Power:                          200 kW
Wavelength:                     3000 Angstroms
Pulse Length:                   3.5 milliseconds
Joules/Pulse:                   460


CONTROL GUIDE

The  cursor  can  be  moved  with  the joystick in port 2 and the
Space Bar as the Select button.

If  on  a  Commodore  Games  Console holding down the second fire
button  will  activate  the  menu  bar. This allows the player to
select and enter other screens.

The  tank  is  controlled  by using UP for acceleration, DOWN for
deceleration,  and  LEFT  and  RIGHT  steering  the  tank  in the
appropriate direction.

Pressing  the  keys  1,  2,  3 or 4 will activate the appropriate
weapon  slot.  The  active  slot  will then be highlighted in the
upper console display.

The different weapon types are controlled as follows:

Pulverizer    Press fire to launch a single shell
Cannon:

Surface to    First sight your target,  then press fire to obtain
Surface       lock on.  The  cursor will change shape to indicate
Missiles:     this. Pressing fire again will now launch the
              missile.

Dragonfly:    Use  fire  to  launch.  When  the  missile has been
              launched,  its  main  display will show a view from
              just   behind   the   Dragonfly.  This  missile  is
              controlled  by  using  the same method as the tank.
              Pressing  fire a second time will result in control
              switching back to the Mauler.

Surface to    When  fire  is  pressed  a  view  of  the  launcher
Air           appears in the auxiliary  monitor.  The player  now
Missiles:     has  control of the yaw and height of the launcher.
              Then press fire to obtain lock on.  The cursor will
              change shape to indicate this.  Pressing fire again
              will now launch the missile.

The   following   weapons  are  controlled  by  clicking  on  the
weapon  control  buttons.  These are referred to as the upper and
lower module buttons.

Mortar:       Use  upper modules button to increase the elevation
              angle  and  the lower module button to decrease the
              angle. Press fire to launch a mortar shell.

Spectre       Press  fire  to  launch  a  single flare or use the
Flares:       module buttons to switch automatic mode off or on.

Phantom       Press  fire  to  launch a burst of chaff or use the
Chaff:        module buttons to switch automatic mode off or on.

SLAM Laser:   Use this module buttons to switch this weapon on or
              off. It only operates in automatic mode.

The other equipment is operates as follows:

Nightsight:   Pressing N toggles this view mode on or off.

Binoculars:   Pressing B toggles this view mode on or off.

Rear View:    Pressing R toggles this view mode on or off.

Helicarrier:  Pressing H toggles the Helicarrier request
              transmission on or off.

The various game screens are accessed by the following methods:

Review        Press F5 will enter this screen.
Briefing:
              On  the  map  display  a  small  tank indicates the
              Mauler's current position.  The  letter X marks the
              Helicarrier  pickup  and  a letter O shows the main
              target.

Damage        Pressing F3 enters this screen.  The various levels
Screen:       of damage to Mauler and equipment are displayed.

Auxiliary     Pressing F7 enters this screen.
Monitor
Screen:

Pressing F1 will return you to the main view.


YOUR FIRST MISSION

This  section  is  hands-on  guide  to  getting started in Battle
Command.  We  recommend  you  start  here  to get an instant feel
for  the  thing.  As  game players ourselves, we guess most users
would  rather  not  read  a  150  page  manual to begin with, but
just want to get themselves a piece of action - and fast!

The  Battle  Command  user  interface  has been designed to be as
intuitive  as  possible,  but  the  following  should  serve as a
guide  to  allow  even  the novice gamer to get into the thick of
things with the minimum of fuss.

First  off,  follow  the  loading  instructions for your personal
hardware   format.  After  this  procedure,  you  should  now  be
seeing a title screen with music.

Press any key to move to the Start Screen.

There's  a  cursor  on  screen.  You'll  find  you  can move this
using  mouse  or  joystick.  Put the cursor over the 'Start Game'
box  and  'Click'  (that's left mouse button or 'Fire', depending
on  your  control  method)  to  move on. You now should be on the
Mission Selection screen.

Click  on  the  Status  Box  and  you'll find a screen that gives
you   your   current   progress   in   Battle   Command.   Hardly
surprisingly,  you've  completed  no  Missions and have earned no
points  whatsoever.  That  will  change  later  -- if you're good
enough!  Return  to  the Mission Select Screen by Clicking on the
Mission Selection box.

On  the  left  side  of  this  screen  are the different missions
you'll  have  to  complete to finish Battle Command. Click on the
different  mission  titles  and  you'll  find  that you highlight
the  text  --  and  cause  a  short  description  of  the Mission
Objective to be displayed on the view screen to the right.

You'll  want  to  try  the  Blast Em first, so now click on that.
You  notice  that  two  more boxes have appeared above the Status
Box. Clicking on Briefing will take you to next screen.

This  Briefing  Screen  is  a  short  text  description  of  your
Mission  objectives.  In the Blast Em it's all quite simple -- if
it  moves,  shoot  it!  Be warned however, other Missions require
considerable  thought  and  ingenuity to be completed -- not just
a quick trigger finger!

Very   importantly,   this   screen   also   lists  your  Pick-Up
co-ordinates,  the  location  where  you  have  to be in order to
get  your  lift  back to enemy lines, after you've completed your
objective.   You   and   your  Mauler  are  behind  enemy  lines,
remember -- and there's only one way back....

From  here,  clicking  on  the  Map  box gives you an outline map
of  the  Mission  Area.  You'll  also  see icons that denote your
set-down  and  pick-up  points,  your  Mission Objective (if any)
and the current position of your Mauler.

Clicking  on  the  Stores  box  will  show you what munitions are
available   for  this  Mission.  Recommended  stores  have  their
boxes outlined in red, those not available crossed out.

From  any  of  these  three  screens,  you  can click on Close to
return  to  the  Mission  Selection  screen.  Now  you  know what
you're  doing,  go back to that screen now and click on Select --
from here there's no turning back!

You now should see a Fitting Screen.

The  window  on  the  left  is  a  3-D  animation  of the current
selected  munition.  Browse  through  weapons you can use on this
mission  by  Clicking  on the 'Forward' icon. In this Mission you
can   choose   from   the  'Pulveriser'  Battle  Cannon  and  the
'Banshee'  Surface  to  Surface  Missile  in  Infra Red and Radar
guided form.

Move  back  so  as  the  Pulveriser  is  selected on the left and
click  on  the  Weapon  Pod 1 box towards the middle right of the
screen.  You'll  should  now see that this Pod is now filled with
the  Pulveriser  cannon  icon.  Move  to  display  the Banshee IR
Missile   in  the  weapon  selector,  by  clicking  once  on  the
'Forward'  icon.  Now  click on the empty Weapon Pod 2 box. It'll
now  be  filled  with  a  magazine full of Banshee Infra Red Heat
Seeking  Guided  missiles.  Now  click once on 'Forward' again so
you  have  the  Banshee  in its radar guided form selected in the
left  window  and  click  on  Weapon  Pod  3.  That's now full of
Banshee  Radar  Guided  Missiles.  We'll  leave  Pod  4 empty for
this mission.

Hint
When  playing,  remember  that  Infra Red guided missiles  go for
targets with a heat signature but Radar guided will lock onto any
object.

You're  now  fully  equipped  and  ready to start this Mission --
let's Party! Click on the Start Mission box and the fun begins...

Now  it's  all  up  to  you!  Control  of  movement is completely
intuitive  with  mouse  forward/joystick  up  to  accelerate  the
Mauler  forwards,  back to accelerate in reverse. You can see how
fast  you're  going  from  the  Speed  indicator  on  the control
panel.  Green  lights  mean  you're  going  forwards, Red denotes
you're  going  backwards.  Left/right  steers you in the expected
direction.

You  are  currently  in  Active Mode. You can change into Passive
Mode   by  pressing  the  Right mouse button/Second joystick fire
button/SPACE.  This will cause a cursor to appear on screen which
is  controlled  by  the  mouse/joystick  movement.  (The Mauler's
current  movement  vector will stay at whatever it is now,  until
you  go  back  into  Active  mode by pressing Right Mouse button/
Second joystick fire button/SPACE again).

In  Passive  Mode  the  cursor can be used to control many of the
game  features  by  clicking  on  different parts of the Mauler's
control   panel.  In  fact,  in  Battle  Command,  all  of  these
functions  can  also  be  accessed  using  the  keyboard as well,
while  remaining  in  Active Mode the whole of the time. You, the
Player,  have  the  choice  whether  to  use  the  combination of
keyboard  and  mouse/joystick  or just use mouse/joystick control
only.  Use  whatever  seems right for you. For the moment though,
we'll   assume  you're  using  the  keyboard  and  mouse/joystick
combination to start off.

The  first  thing  to  do  is select which weapon pod you want to
be  currently  active by pressing the corresponding number key on
the  keyboard.  Let's  try  the  Banshee Infra-Red guided missile
out  by  pressing  number  key  '2'.  You'll  now see the Banshee
icon  appear  in  the  top left of the 3-D display to denote that
the Banshee is the currently active weapon.

OK  --  now  start  moving out at the medium speed by moving your
mouse  forward  or  joystick  up.  Keep  a sharp eye on the radar
which  dominates  the  right  of  the  control panel. Enemy units
will  show  up  as  red  dots -- it won't be too long before they
turn up. Go get'em!

You  should  be  able  to  spot  the unit on the main console 3-D
display,  once  you get close enough. Check again that you've got
the  Banshee  as  the  active  weapon  by looking for its icon in
the  top  left  of the display. It would be embarrassing to press
Fire and have nothing happen -- wouldn't it?

Try  to  maneuver  so  that the enemy unit within the cross hairs
of  the  head-up  display.  Press Fire once -- and the missile is
locked  on.  The  cross  hair display will change shape and there
will  be  an  on-screen  message  to  confirm this. While Banshee
remains  locked  on  it'll  automatically  track  the target unit
wherever  it  goes.  Press Fire again within a short time to send
the missile on its way. Just Fire and Forget!

If  the  lock  becomes  broken,  it's probably because you waited
too  long  before pressing Fire again to launch the missile -- or
maybe   the   target   was   using  Electronic  Counter  Measures
(ECM's).  Just  get  a  unit  in your sights again and go through
the same procedure. Fire once to lock and again to send.

The  IR  Banshee  might  not  be  able  to  lock  onto some enemy
units.  If  this  seems  to be so, try switching to Banshee Radar
Guided   Missiles   by   pressing  '3',  using  the  same  firing
procedure of Fire once to lock on, Fire again to launch.

If  you  want  to  save up your missiles, or maybe you've run out
of  Ammo  (check  the  number  of  rounds left shown on the pod's
display),   press   number   '1'   and   you'll   be  firing  the
Pulveriser.  This  requires  a  little  more skill -- you have to
get  the  enemy  within  the cross hairs and press Fire to launch
a  shell.  Remember,  a  120mm  shell  is a dumb projectile -- it
won't  home  in  on  a  target, like guided missiles do. You fire
off  a  round  and  hope  that by the time your shell reaches the
target, the unit is still there...

Hint
If  you're  firing  at  a moving target, try firing just in front
of the vehicle, anticipating its movement vector.

Try  to  keep  your  Mauler  moving  at  all  times.  As a static
target  you'll  be  much  easier  to hit! Strike fast and hard --
fool around and you'll just get swamped by numbers. Go get'em!

The  Blast  Em  mission  has  been designed to be quite simple --
just  cruise  around  and  destroy  your  quota  of  enemy  units
(you'll  be  told  when  you achieve this) then high tail it back
to  your  pick-up  point.  You  can  always  check  your Mauler's
current   position,  and  your  Mission  Objective,  by  pressing
function key F5.

Pressing F1 will get you back to the main view.

When  you've  reached  the  pick-up  area  summon the Helicarrier
by  pressing  the  'H' key. Easy wasn't it! But be warned, in the
other  Missions  you'll  expected  to  use your brains as well as
your  reflexes  in  order  to come back in one piece. And you can
expect  the  opposition  to  be  much  smarter  and  much  better
equipped. Enjoy!


BATTLE COMMAND

Its  program  code,  graphic  representation  and artwork are the
copyright  of  Ocean  Software Limited and may not be reproduced,
stored,  hired  or  broadcast  in any form whatsoever without the
written   permission   of  Ocean  Software  Limited.  All  rights
reserved worldwide.

THIS   SOFTWARE   PRODUCT   HAS   BEEN  CAREFULLY  DEVELOPED  AND
MANUFACTURED  TO  THE  HIGHEST  QUALITY  STANDARDS.  PLEASE  READ
CAREFULLY THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOADING.

If  for  any  reasons  you have difficulty in running the program
you  may  contact  The  Ocean Helpline direct by telephoning 0626
332533.  However  if  you  believe that the product is defective,
please  return  it  direct to: Mr. Yates, Ocean Software Limited,
6 Central Street, Manchester M2 5NS.

Our   quality  control  department  will  test  the  product  and
supply  an  immediate  replacement  if  we  find  a  fault. If we
cannot  find  a  fault  the product will be returned to you at no
charge.  Please  note  that  this  does  not affect you statutory
rights.


CREDITS

C64/C64 GS programmed by Steve Caslin.
Music by Jonathan Dunn
Produced by D.C. Ward
(c) 1991 OCEAN SOFTWARE LTD.

/-----------\
| Childline |  Childline   is  the  free  national  helpline  for
| /-------\ |  children and young people in trouble on danger. It
| \ /+-+\ / |  provides a confidential  counselling  service  for
|  / \_/ \  |  any  child with any problem, 24 hours a day, every
|  \_____/  |  day of the year.  Childline listens,  comforts and
| 0800 1111 |  protects.
\-----------/
