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