TOP GUN You are Maverick, a top fighter pilot in the Navy. Your F-14 Tomcat is a high powered, highly manouverable craft equipped with machinegun cannon, Sidewinder missiles and high heat magnesium flares. Take off from your aircraft carrier and engage the enemy fighter plane in a deadly,high tech dogfight. Use both flight and radar to locate your enemy's position. Test your reflexes and accuracy as you climb, dive bank left and right to line up the enemy craft in your cannon or missile sights - then fire! Full aircraft instrumentation keeps you on top of your aircrafts status. In a one player game, you are provided with three aircraft. The computer controls the enemy fighter plane. Your mission is to destroy three enemy aircraft without losing more than two of your own. If you're successful you'll move on to a new mission, one in which you'll encounter faster and more manouverable enemy craft with better pilots. If you lose all three of your own aircraft,you are destroyed. In a two player game, each pilot is issued with three planes.The pilot still flying after shooting down the opponents three planes is the winner. If you want to practice before you take on competition,a good method is to choose the two player and play by yourself. Because the unmanned enemy craft just flies harmlessly along, you can get used to the F-14's controls and weapons without having to worry about enemy attack. TAKEOFF After selecting a one or two player game, press fire to continue the program. You'll see a split screen view of both your aircraft and your opponents aircraft taking off. ( You may exit the takeoff sequence by pressing fire)Each time a plane is shot down the scoring screen appears. Press the fire button to continue the program from the scoring screen. When a game is over, press the fire button to continue. Note: You need to select one or two players before each game starts. COCKPIT LAYOUT After takeoff, you'll see a splitscreen that gives you a pilots seat perspective inside the cockpit and through the canopy of both your aircraft and your enemys. The joystick in port 1 controls the cockpit on the left side of the screen. At the top of the screen are two rectangular boxes.The one on your left is your altimeter,the one on your right is your airspeed indicator. There is a dotted line going across the screen - this is the artificial horizon,and in the middle of the screen is either a cross hair sight, a square sight or no sight, depending on what you currently have armed. Cross hair-Cannon, Square sight-Missile , No sight-Flares. Down at the bottom of the screen are a lot of boxes.Top on the left,with a picture of a little plane is the climb/dive indicator. Below that is your cannon temperature.To the right of that is your damage indicator.The big box in the middle is your radar, your aircraft is always in the middle. Above the radar is an arrow,which indicates whether the enemy is above or below you.The box to the right of that is the thrust level indicator .There should be two boxes to the right of that. The top one shows which weapon you currently have selected, and the one below that is the missile lock countdown indicator. AIRCRAFT CONTROLS Note that when banking the aircraft, you can increase the rate of turn by climbing at the same time. PLAYER ONE PLAYER TWO Increase Thrust Control Clr/Home Decrease Thrust Shift (left key) Insert Select Weapon Alternate Shift (right Key) Dive Dive/Bank left Dive/Bank right \|/ Bank left -- -- Bank right /|\ Climb/Bank left Climb/Bank right Climb Press fire to activate chosen weapon AIRCRAFT WEAPON AND DEFENSE SYSTEMS Your F-14 is equipped with cannon, Sidewinder missiles, and for defense, flares. A weapon (or flares) must be selected as the active device before it can be fired.To select a weapon or flares,press the WEAPON SELECT KEY until the weapon of your choice appears on the selected weapon indicator. You can also tell which weapon is selected by the type of sight that appears on the screen.A cross hair sight appears when the cannon is active, a larger square sight when the missiles are active,and no sight when flares are active. CANNON: When using the cannon, 25 direct hits are required in order to down the enemy plane.The screen border will flash when a direct hit is made,and damage will be indicated on the damage indicator of the attacked aircraft.Use the cannon sparingly.It will overheat and jam if it is fired for too long a time.The cannons heat level is indicated on the Cannon Temperature Gauge on the instrument panel.Tip: use the cannon only for attacks at close range. SIDEWINDER MISSILES: The Sidewinders are heat seeking missiles that follow the enemy aircraft even after it leaves your sight ( although they burn out after 20 seconds) Only one direct hit is required to destroy an enemy aircraft, and only the most skillful pilots can out manouver a Sidewinder.However,you must "fix" the oponent directly in your sight for three seconds before firing to allow the heat seeking element to lock on to the enemy aircraft.You will hear a warning siren when an enemy aircraft enters your missile sight. When a continous tone sounds, your missile is locked on and you are clear to fire the missile.Alternatively, you can use the Missile Lock On Countdown Indicator on your instrument panel to let you know when your missile can be fired. FLARES: The flares act as decoys. When coupled with use of evasive action they are your best defense against a missile that has been fired at your aircraft. When a missile is headed your way, your radar screen turns red. The flare must be launched at just the right time in order to make the enemy missile mistake the ultra high heat magnesium flare for the jet exhaust. Timing is everything! If you launch the flare too soon or too late,the effect will be lost. STALKING THE ENEMY The artificial horizon helps you to know the position of the ground in relation to your wings.When you fly level, the artificial horizon is a horizontal line.When you bank left,the artificial horizon will appear to turn right, because it represents the ground rather than your wings. Perform a few turns to get used to the idea.Once you've got the idea, its time to go after the enemy! It is most advantageous to get behind the enemy and follow. The enemy is most vulnerable under these circumstances and will have a hard time shaking you off.When no enemy aircraft is visible through the canopy,use the radar to locate the enemy. You are always at the centre of the radar screen. The small white dot on the radar screen represents your enemy. Check the enemys altimeter or your own enemy above below indicator to determine the enemys altitude in relation to your own. Think of the radar screen as an overhaed perspactive. For example, if the dot on your radar is near the top left,then the enemy is in front of you to the left. FIRING AT THE ENEMY When the enemy is in your weapon sight,press fire to launch the selected weapon.Keep in mind that 25 direct hits are neccessary to down a plane when firing the cannon. You'll find that the enemy gets better at avoiding your missiles and cannon fire with each level of difficulty that you achieve.Good luck as you enter the Danger Zone!