A.C.E. (The Air Combat Emulator)
----------------------------
Cascade Games, 1986. 


Your AWAT (All Weather All Terrain) jet stands fully fuelled and fully armed.
A vast invasion fleet is anchored just off your shores. Ground forces have
come ashore and are advancing on your positions protected by massive air
cover.

You are the last fighter pilot. Your country turns to you and asks... "Are
you good enough to be called an ACE?"


Featuring

* Multiple Ground Objects
* Two kinds of Enemy Jet
* Enemy Helicopter Gunships
* Enemy Fleet Off Shore
* Twin Flying Mode
* Fly and Fight With The Aid Of A Friend
* Air to Air Refuelling
* Night, Winter and Summer Modes

"I just couldn't believe how much there was in it!" - ZZAP!64
"...it is one of the most impressive games available..." - ZX COMPUTING
"...there are flight sims and there are flight sims - and there's ACE" -


Quick Start : 
=============

KEYBOARD 
    1= left;                   2= right; 
    3= down;                   4= up; 
    5= fire;                   U= undercarriage up/down; 
    Z= add power;           Caps= subtr.power; 
Enter= weapon change;          M= map; 
    S= take off;               J= pilot ejection.  

In main menu, if you choose "Pilot & weapons man" instead "Single 
pilot", "5" be reserved for cannon, so you'll have additional keys: 

    6= crosshair left;         7= crosshair right; 
    8= crossh. down;           9= crossh. up; 
    0= fire (missiles/flares). 

  Set thrust at MAX, when velocity reach 160 knots, press take-off key.
As you start to gain height, raise undercarriage. 

  Fuel is limmited- you can refuel in flight from supply plane. Follow 
on-screen messages (about speed & height). Tip: safe way to refuel and 
repair your plane is to land on one of allied airbases. 
  Landing : 'align' (on map) aircraft with airbase, you can be as low 
as 20 feet, when runway appears on the horizon, slow to 200 knots, ALT 
start to decrease feet by feet, lower undercarriage when 10 ft. After 
"Touchdown" message, set thrust to zero, VEL will fall to 0. 

  Map is always available. It shows 3 alies airports and positions of: 
     - your fighter; 
     - enemy; 
     - supply plane. 

  Weapons: you can choose among 4 types of ammo load, it's a mix of 
air-air, air-ground, and air-ship missiles, plus cannon bullets and 
decoy flares (use weapon key to toggle). 

  Instrument panel: bottom half of screen, on the left you have basic 
infos- thrust, fuel, altitude, velocity, UC-indicator, compass, and 
your score. On the right you can see roll & pitch (banking/ climb), 
enemy radar (tanks, fighters, sams) and computer messages panel, rear 
view camera, and mode indicator. 

COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

1) OPTIONS: select SUMMER, WINTER or NIGHT TIME, select single or dual role
and set skill level (Level One - training mode).

2) MISSION PROFILE: Before each sortie, select the weapons load appropriate
to your next mission (eg: ground attack, naval attack, default is multirole
capacity).

3) TAKING OFF: Accelerate to at least 150 knots, gently pull back on the
joystick and you will take off. Raise the undercarriage.

4) SIM: The Satellite Intelligence Map is used to locate the enemy forces,
your airbases and refuelling tankers. The SIM shows units or groups of enemy
forces, NOT individual tanks and planes etc. Your aircraft is the white
flashing one, and allied territory is green, enemy held territory is red.

5) ATTACKING GROUND FORCES: Dive to below 3,000 feet and slow to about 500
knots or less. At lower speeds you are more vulnerable to attack from the
enemy missiles and ground fire but it is easier to take out your target.
Engage the enemy. If locked onto and chased by an enemy missile
out-manoeuvre and dodge the missile or launch a decoy flare to throw the
missile off course.

6) ATTACKING AIRCRAFT: Try to gain height and get behind the enemy
fighters before attacking with cannon or air to air missiles. Use your
radar and rear view camera and watch out for fighters manoeuvring behind you.
Fast reactions will be needed to shoot them down. Delta winged aircraft are
slower and less agile than the straight winged enemy fighters.

7) ATTACKING SHIPS: Climb to 2500 feet at about 300 knots. Attack with
an air-ship missile, avoiding anti-aircraft fire and surface to air missiles.
NOTE: The enemy fleet only appears on the map after you destroy all of the
enemy ground forces.

8) AIR TO AIR REFUELLING: Using your on board computer, go to the speed
and altitude of the tanker if one is available. Approach from behind the
tanker with care watching your speed very carefully. When you are close
enough, the tanker crew will deploy the refuelling-pipe, with the basket on
the end. When you hear the crew on the refuelling tanker giving approach
orders, manoeuvre your aircraft until the tip of your refuel probe is in the
centre of the basket and keep it there until you are fully refuelled.

9) DAMAGE: If your aircraft has suffered severe damage, to survive you will
have to eject. You cannot eject over enemy territory, or if you are flying
upside down. If your aircraft crashes, the game ends, regardless of how many
aircraft are left at home base.

10) LANDING: Navigate to the allied airbase and approach it at under 500
feet. When you see the runway on the horizon, slow to 200 knots and lower
your undercarriage. Put the nose down slightly and, when you are over the
runway, land and reduce thrust. Ensure that you stop with enough runway
left to allow you to take off again. When your aircraft has stopped, the
ground crew will re-fuel, re-arm and repair any damage to your aircraft
allowing you to take off on another mission.

12) AVIONICS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.

THRUST - Shows the engine's power output.
FUEL - Amount of fuel left.
ALT - Aircraft's altitude in feet. Maximum ceilling 75000 feet.
VEL - Airspeed in Knots, Stall speed - 140 knots. MAX SPEED 960 Knots at
Sea level. 1590 Knots at 70000 feet.
UC - Undercarriage up/down indicator.

COMPASS - Gives your heading.
SC - Score.
ROLL & PITCH - The two aircraft show your banking angle and the degree of
climb or dive.

COMPUTER OUTPUT PANEL - Your onboard computer displays messages/warnings
etc. Important messages are synthesised audibly as well as being displayed.

REAR VIEW CAMERA - Mounted in the tail, the wide angle lens shows enemy
aircraft to your rear and missiles chasing you.

MODE INDICATOR - Shows flight mode. In combat mode, this shows the current
weapon selected and ammunition left.

13) USE OF WEAPONS: All the weapons must be guided visually at least until
the missile is locked onto the target. This is accomplished by having the
target in the sights when you fire. In the two player mode, the sights can
be moved to assist targetting and locking on of the missiles. To destroy
a target with a missile the correct type must be used (AIR TO AIR, AIR TO
GROUND, AIR TO SHIP) and it must be recognisable and larger than a dot on the
horizon. Targets need several hits from cannon shells which are fired at 600
rpm. Use the DECOY FLARES which are rearward firing to thwart incoming
enemy missiles.

14) Only a selected few will survive for long and to become an AIR ACE you
must destroy the entire invasion force at the hardest skill level which
simulates true combat conditions. They will be extremely rare but can prove
they are an ACE by saving their score using the high score save feaure.

Send your high score to your favourite magazine. See if YOU are the top
ACE pilot.

(Transcribed by Robin Stuart, Quick Start added by Aleksandar Lukic)
