WILD WHEELS P. 1 INTRODUCTION The transition to electric and solar-powered cars in the opening decade of the twenty-first century - brought about by rapidly declining oil-resources and increased demand for all fossil fuels from the huge international industrial conglomerates - was achieved by a United Nations Charter forbidding the operation of petroleum-burning vehicles by private citizens in all technologically-advanced states and Countries of the world. The super-efficient 'environmentally clean' solar and electric cars did everything the old nasty petrol-engined cars could do and they did it cheaper. But the new personal transport systems lacked several important ingredients.......thrills, excitement, speed and raw power! In response to world-wide lobbying from a considerable section of the car-driving population, the U.N. finally sanctioned a new international sport, utilizing the thousands, of petrol-engined vehicles now banned from the world's roads. The sport was called Wild Wheels, and gave the frustrated new-technology motorist the opportunity to experience the blood-pumping excitement of combat car racing in the old gas-guzzling monsters. Wild Wheels racing was open to any participant of any age. If you could drive, you were eligible. What had begun as a sport using basic road cars rapidly evolved into fantastic customized monsters. A points system was introduced enabling the really gifted drivers to move up the grades to drive better and better cars and become national, international, and finally world class superstars. Ultra high-tech computer operated stadiums were constructed to handle the contests which were transmitted live via satellite link to the millions of fans now dedicated to watching and participating in this high-energy, pulse-pounding motor sport. Can you P. 2 drive these cars? Are you up to the challenge? The tunnel doors are opening. The Shrimp's engine is roaring. Your teams' ready. The opposition is waiting. Now it's up to you...... SET UP SCREEN You have several options on the Set Up screen. You can if you wish go immediately to play the game by using the joystick to select "Play' then pressing the fire button on your joystick. Your first round will play with arcade mode joystick control, 1000 points, and the preset formation. This will put you in command of a team of Shrimp cars, the basic vehicle. You will be in control of the Strike car, the other four Shrimps on your team are robotically controlled Slaves programmed to assist in a number of different ways. (See paragraph headed Formation Options.) Your opponents in this first round will be either another team of Shrimp cars sporting different body colors, or a team of Tadpole cars. You can then play a Round. P. 4 REGISTRATION If you choose to register type your name in no more than fifteen characters (including spaces) then press Return. After entering your name you can then select which joystick mode you wish to pay in. These are Arcade and Professional. Arcade mode simply means pressing forward on the joystick sends the car racing up the pitch and pulling back on the joystick turns the car through one hundred and eighty degrees to come racing towards you. Professional mode however is exactly like steering a radio controlled car. Pressing forward on the joystick accelerates the car in the direction it's facing, pulling back on the joystick decelerates it. DIFFICULTY LEVEL Without registering your name, you can select which difficult level you wish play at, Novice (easy) Expert (hard) or Advanced (extremely hard). Then press your joystick button when you have selected which difficult level you require. DATA LINK You can then choose which, if any, data link you require. If you have an Amiga, ST, IBM PC or PC compatible you can choose either no link or the RS232 which allows simultaneous two player games. If you are playing on an IBM PC or PC compatible, you also have the option of installing the Network which allows any two machines to play each other simultaneously within a linked Network. P. 5 LOAD OPTION The Load option allows you the facility to load in a previously saved game. For more information please refer to Saved Gamed paragraph in the 'read.me' file. PLAY ESC Pressing the 'ESC' button will give you the option to break out of the game and bring you to the setup menu. STATUS SCREEN After Registering if you press Play the Status screen will be called up. This confirms your registration, informs you how many points you have been allocated or won. At the start of each new game the player is allocated 1000 points. At the beginning of subsequent contests, the Status screen is called up to allow the player to see his current status. CAR SELECTION SCREEN After pressing fire-button to exit from the Status screen, the car selection screen is called up. This shows all the vehicles available in Wild Wheels, plus the points required to select each one. You can now use the joystick to highlight the vehicle you wish to select. When highlighted, press the fire-button which will take you through to the Specification Sheet. P. 6 SPECIFICATION SHEET Every time you choose a vehicle, whether you can afford it or not, you will see its Specification and Requirement on the Spec. Sheet. If you've chosen a car you cannot yet afford, or you lack the necessary Requirements, you will be told you cannot afford this vehicle. Pressing the fire button on your joystick will take you back into the Car Selection Screen where you can make another choice. If you have successfully chosen a car you will be asked if you wish to choose this vehicle. If the answer is yes, you will then progress to the Formation screen where a number of options are again available. FORMATION OPTIONS Three Options are provided in the Change Formation mode, these are Advanced, Quick and No. You can use the no option if you are satisfied with the formation illustrated by the cars on the Formation set-up screen. Selecting No will take you straight to the next screen. In the 'Quick' option, the game will display the many Formations available. You can run through the pre-set formations by pressing alternatively to the left and the right on your joystick. If you see one you like, press the fire-button to select it. The Advanced option allows you to first of all alter the role of all four team cars. You cannot alter the role of the Strike car. To change the role of a car, a cusor intitally outlines car zero (your Strike car). To move the cursor to select one of the other cars press the joystick to the left or the right. When the cursor is positioned on the car you wish to change, press the fire button, you will then be given the choice of changing the nature of that to any of four roles. The four roles available are, Killer, Blocker, Fetcher and Guard. Each P. 7 role is signified by the corresponding letter displayed on each member of the team. Killers are cars that are programmed to destroy the strongest members of the opposition's team. (Usually their Strike car). Fetchers are instructed to collect the ball, where ever possible, and pass it directly to your Strike car. Blockers try to protect your Strike car from the opposition's Killers by forming a shield between them and you. Guards should be positioned to patrol the goal mouth area where their task is to intercept goal attempts by the opposition. You can choose any combination of car types (i.e. four Blockers - or two Guards and Two Killers - or two Fetchers one Guard and one Blocker) when you are happy with your team classification, press the fire-button again. Now you can use the joystick to physically adjust the position of each car on the screen, which alters their position, taken up in the arena. To move a car to a required position move the joystick. When you're happy with its new position, press the fire-button again. This selection procedure is continued until all four team cars are of the chosen designation and in the position you require. Then select exit and press the fire-button. OPPOSITION'S SPEC. SHEET You will now be shown the opposition's Spec. Sheet. This time you will see performance details of the team you will be playing against. PREPARE TO PLAY SCREEN If you press the fire-button again, you will be taken to the 'Prepare to Play' screen, where the name of your team and the opposition's team is displayed on Carol's P. 8 notice board. Then a tracking camera-dive takes you into position just behind your Strike car. Now play the game. PLAYING WILD WHEELS Each contest takes place within a magno-surfaced arena measuring 200 meters by 120 meters. At any time during the game, at any point on the magno-surface, a range of electronic tiles are randomly activated. If you drive over them deliberately or accidentally, you will either receive a positive acquisition or incur penalties. (For a complete listing of these please refer to the paragraph entitled Electronic tiles.) Every new competitor is provided with a basic team of Shrimp cars, and takes the position of Striker. the other cars on the team are robotically controlled Slaves which have predetermined team-roles which can be altered by the player if he wishes. (for more information see Choosing Formation). During each contest the player takes the role of Strike car, the leader of a group of five identical vehicles. Each Strike car has three lives. When these lives are lost that particular Round is over. The four robotically controlled Slave cars on each team have one life each. If the opposing team's Strike car is destroyed, (this also has three lives) the Round is also over. When a Strike car of either team is fully destroyed, the side with the surviving Strike has won that Round. The game then progresses to a Points Total Screen, and your points are added up. If you have scared sufficient points, you will be eligible to progress to the next level where you can choose to drive a different, more powerful, or better equipped car. If you performed only reasonably in that Round, you may P. 9 have to engage in another round with the same car, or, if you have performed badly, you may have to drop down to a lower League. SCORING POINTS There are two ways to score points in Wild Wheels. The first way is by keeping the Power Ball in the opponent's half of the pitch, this allows a running bonus to build up. If the opposition forces the Power Ball into your half of the pitch, bonus points are detracted and awarded to the opposition. So try and keep the ball in their half for as much of the play as possible. The other way to score points is by scoring goals. You can score goals from almost any position on the pitch if you're a good enough driver or lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time. But remember that the closer you can drive to the opposition's goal with the ball before scoring, the more points you score. But it's much harder to do that. The opposition's cars will be out to recapture the ball and destroy your Strike car in the process. RAMMING AND DESTROYING CARS If one of the opposing team's cars has collected the Power Ball, you can dispossess him by ramming him with your front bumper. When any car other than the Strike car (of both sides) has lost all its impact points it explodes and is not replaced. A Strike car also explodes when it loses its last impact point but is immediately replaced by one of the reserves waiting in the pits. Each team has four spare Strike cars in reserve to be used as necessary. When the last Strike car on either side has been demolished, that P. 10 games is over and you are taken to the Points Totaling Screen to see if you can progress further, have to remain in your present league, or are required to begin again from the start. POINT SYSTEM Every game commences with your team being awarded with 1000 points with which to begin the game. The number of Points awarded to either team during game-play are as follows; GOALS: 100 points are awarded for any goal scored from the closest box. 50 points are awarded for any goal scored from the second box. 30 points are awarded for any goal scored from the third box. 25 points are awarded for any goal scored from any other area of the play field. BONUS POINTS 1 point is awarded for each second you can keep the ball in the opposition's half, and 1 point is deducted from your score for every second the opposition force the ball into your half. Note: Your Bonus points never fall below zero. P. 11 MINUS POINTS Remember that points are also lost when any of your team cars are rammed by the opposition. When any car other than the Strike car of either side has lost all its impact points it explodes and is not replaced. Any damage suffered by your team will be deducted at the end of each round. THE POWER BALL The Power Ball constructed of eight overlapping riveted and welded segments. It is made of encapsulated neutron particles, making it practically indestructible. Its complex electronic interior is designed to integrate within the field parameters of the high-tech computer operated stadium. Mass ratio gearing and realignment technology have been employed in the Vertical Centering and the Suction Goal Procedures. MULTI-BALL During game-play, at random time intervals, the Power Ball is triggered into transforming into the Multi-ball mode, For periods of thirty seconds or more, the Power Ball splits into four visually identical spheres. However, only one of the four is the real Power Ball, the other three are bogus imitations that disappear in violent explosions. However, you can score goals with any of the four balls providing you do it in the allotted time span, if you have chosen one of the bogus Power Balls and it explodes before you can score with it, then there will be valuable game-time wasted. P. 12 ICE-FIELD Instant sub-zero temperatures affect parts of the stadium, coating the driving surface in an expanding sheet of ice. On the Ice-field all traction is lost and the cars swerve and skid uncontrollably. It appears at random intervals and is a hazard to be avoided if possible. ELECTRONIC TILES At various intervals during each game, different colored panels will appear at random positions around the pitch. They appear for only a few seconds so a driver has to get to then quickly before they disappear. Tile identification is flashed above the stadium wall informing the player of each Tile's status. More than one Tile can appear at any time during the game. They are visible both on the pitch and on the radar screen. To collect one of the bonus Tiles it is necessary for the player's Strike car to drive over them. The appropriate bonus or equipment icon will then be added to the player's points totals or acquired specifications. Points bonuses given for collecting Tiles vary from 50 to 250 points. Equipment Attainments are as follows: FULL LICENSE Certain types of the larger vehicles can only be selected when the player has achieved a Full License. The Full License can then be held until required or 'cashed-in' for 100 points at the Points. Totaling Screen P. 13 ACCELERATION SUIT Acceleration Suits are needed before the player can drive some of the faster vehicles, so the player may be advised to retain it. It can also be 'cashed-in' for 200 points at the Points Totaling Session. NEW TIRES At the bottom of the Surround Screen, a visual indicator of the current Strike Car's tire-status is displayed colored green, above an identifying Tire icon. As the game progresses the player may find that the Strike car sometimes becomes more and more difficult to steer. This is because of increased tire wear. The New Tires Tile equips the strike car with new tires, so this one is always worth picking up - unless you're driving one of the larger tracked machines, then it's useless. The New Tires tile appears frequently during every game so watch for it on the Radar Screen. VECTOR - VELOCITY This Tile ejects any vehicle that has run onto it off in a random direction. You never know where your vehicle is going to end up once you've driven over it. Vector Velocity injects random disorientation into the game-play. Try and avoid it if you can. P. 14 PRYO-WEAPONRY STATUS This shoot-em-up tile can appear at any time during any Round. It may be cashed in if the player wishes. Remember though, it may be required at a later Round. PYRO-WEAPON VEHICLES Four of the ten vehicles shown in the Selection Screen are capable of being armed with Pyro-Weapon. They are; Triton Centaur, Leviathan, the Swatter and Colossus. MISSILES Collection of the Missile Tiles enables the player to arm his vehicles with high-impact missiles which wreak devastating destruction on the opposing team. The Missiles are fired by pressing the joystick fire-button. Please note: Missiles cannot be used unless Pyro Weaponry Status has been achieved. Also every time the Player collects a Missile Tile five Missiles are awarded which can either be sold or retained until Pyro Weaponry Status and one of the appropriate vehicles has been achieved. FUEL At the bottom of the Surround Screen, a visual indicator of your current fuel status is shown colored yellow, accompanied by a fuel can icon. Fuel is consumed at different rates by different types of vehicles, bigger engines, heavier bodies etc. You can replenish your spent fuel by driving your car over the Fuel Tile whenever it appears. Half a tank of fuel is awarded P. 15 to each of the five team cars every tie you drive over a Fuel Tile. When your fuel is in imminent danger of running out, the Strike Car icon on the Surround Screen will begin to flash on and off. This visual warning means your must pick up a Fuel-Tile quickly. Failure to do so will result in your car running completely out of fuel. When this happens, your current Strike Car explodes and you lose a life. A new Strike comes into play, (if you have one in reserve.) The Fuel Tile appears frequently during every match. Watch for it on the Radar Screen. REPAIR-CREDIT TILE This tile can be collected during any game at random intervals and will award a number of different Repair-Credits. These Repair Credits, illustrated by icons on the SCOREBOARD Screen, can be exchanged for their relevant Points, or alternatively may be offset against damage incurred to your Strike car at the end of each match. Repair Credits available and their Points value are as follows: Engine Piston: Value 100 Points Exhaust System: Value 50 Points Radiator: Value 50 Points Rear Axle: Value 100 Points Brake Assembly: Value 100 Points Spark Plugs: Value 20 Points Gearbox: Value 200 Points Shock Absorber: Value 50 Points P. 16 super-grip tires This tile equips the player's car with a set of surface-hugging treads that prevent slipping or skidding, even on ice. A highly desirable asset. Immobilizer Tile This tile stops all the opposition's robotically-controlled cars for a brief time. It has no effect upon the opposition's Strike car. rest tile This tile brings the player's Strike Car up to peak efficiency, replacing worn tires filling the fuel tank and repairs all damage to the vehicle. KILLER TILE This tile destroys the opposition's Strike Car, wherever it is in the arena, taking away one of its lives. Warning, should the opposition's car reach it first the player's Strike Car loses a life. tri-zoom selector and overhead view At the top left-hand corner of the surround screen the 'camera' Tri-Zoom views available to the player while playing Wild Wheels are 'designated 1, 2, 3, and O.H. 1, 2, 3, are the 'camera' focal length distances available while driving the Strike Car. 1. represents Close-Up action, 2. Medium, and 3. is Distant play. P. 17 You can choose which of these three modes you prefer by simply pressing the space bar and jumping the 'camera' viewpoint backward and forward during the game. O.H. indicates the Overhead viewpoint (also available at all times). This can be selected by pressing the Enter key. To revert back to the down on the pitch' view, simply press the Enter key again. RADAR-SCREEN On the right hand side of the Surround Screen is the Radar Screen showing the entire area of the arena. Your team and the opposing team are shown is their respective colors. The position of your Strike car is denoted by the smaller flashing indicator. The Power Ball is denoted by the larger flashing indicator. All Tiles appear on the Radar Screen in their correct positions to aid identification and collection or avoidance. Also designated clearly on the Radar-Screen are the Multi-Ball Feature and the expanding Ice Field. During game-play it plays dividends to keep glancing at the Radar-Screen. It helps the player to keep on top of the situation. ARROWS- Throughout the games if the ball is not in view an arrow will appear indicating the direction of the ball. Note: these arrows do not appear when Multi-Ball is activated. P. 18 points and strike car indicators Your total points can be found directly below the radar screen. The number of Strike Cars you have available is shown below the points indicator. Your opponent's points and number of Strike Cars can be found above the radar screen. shooting the power ball To shoot the Power Ball aim you vehicle towards the goal and press the joystick fire button. grades There are a total of five grades that can be achieved by totaling points in the following ranges: Alpha 0 - 2499 Beta 2500 - 4999 Gamma 5000 - 6999 Delta 7000 - 8999 Epsilon 9000 - above PAUSING THE GAME You can pause the game in the middle of a match by pressing the P key. p.19 amiga users Only 5 games can be saved on your game disk. If you would like to save more than 5 games, you will have to make an additional copy to the original program disk. IBM users Only 5 games can be saved to disk. If you would like to save your saved game files, you can copy the .SAV files onto another disk using DOS. For more information on copying files, see your DOS manual. Network play is only supported through NET BIOS. Read Me file Be sure to read the information contained in the Read Me file. P. 20 SHRIMP Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. When the design of the basic Wild Wheels vehicle was being considered, a number of mass production cars were looked at as offering close to the required specifications. Three models in particular came close to the optimum design. The three production cars finally considered, were: the single cockpit V12 Mark 2 Lancia Aztec - the Renault 6 cylinder GTA Super - Turbo - and the V12 Ford Mustang 'S' Type. All three cars were considered to possess highly desirable individual characteristics and eventually an amalgam was developed utilizing the most salient design aspects in one vehicle, the Shrimp. Shoe-horned into an ulta-lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, the centrally-located supercharged V12 Ford aluminum engine delivers 380 bhp. A high torque rating of 420 lb. ft coupled with the lightweight chassis gives the Shrimp excellent handling characteristics. It's fast and easy to drive, and the responsive power-steering makes it an ideal vehicle even for younger contenders. In common with all Wild P. 21 Wheels vehicles the Shrimp has an ergonomically designed racing seat and safety harness which are essential features when the competition starts; SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 3mm carbon-steel layout: Transverse mid-engined, read-wheel drive. engine: Capacity 3579cc 12 cylinders in V formation. Fuel Consumption: 19 mpg. Capacity 20 gallons BORE: 94 Omm Stroke: 77.2mm Valve Gear: dohc 6 values per cylinder Ignition and Fuel: Electronic ignition, Renault PGT electronic fuel-injection. Transmission: Five-speed manual. Suspension: Front independent double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Rear independent double wishbones, telescopic dampers, anti-roll ball Brakes: Front: 26.1mm ventilated disc Rear: 240mm discs Wheels and Tires: Cast alloy 4.8x16 ins rims. 195/70R14 Dunlap D80 M3 Tires. P. 22 TADPOLE Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. As a natural progression from the Shrimp, the Tadpole retains many of its predecessor's admirable qualities, while delivering increased performance in nearly every area. Improved acceleration and handling (i.e. tighter turning-circle) were seen as pre-requisites of the initial design spec. From the original 94.0mm, the V12 Ford engine was bored out to 102.0mm boosting the bhp available to 420. A stronger chassis enabled the design team to incorporate a heavier body shell - 5mm instead of 3mm as in the Shrimp - lifting the received impact ratio by a significant factor. Improved Body sculpturing - requested by the drivers and demanded by the sport's rapidly growing band of spectators and sponsors - was also seen as an essential feature of the progression of Wild Wheels as an international sport. The lizard-Spine look of the Tadpole, as well as providing a Visual Ferocity Factor also acts as an ultra efficient heat-dissipation system. Head-Up-Display instrumentation and Proximity Monitoring significantly improves drive response times. Quicker tire wear than P. 23 the Shrimp, although a nuisance, was never considered to be a critical element by most drivers, taking into account the machine's undisputed improvement over the basic first vehicle SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 5mm carbon-steel layout: Transverse mid-engined, read-wheel drive. engine: Capacity 4221cc 12 cylinders in V formation. Fuel Consumption: 14 mpg. Capacity 20 gallons BORE: 94 Omm Stroke: 77.4mm Valve Gear: dohc 6 values per cylinder Ignition and Fuel: Renault PGT (2) electronic fuel-injection. Transmission: Five-speed manual. Suspension: Front and Rear: wishbones, coilsprings, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes: Front and Rear 261mm ventilated discs Wheels and Tires: Cast alloy 4.8x16 ins rims. 195/10R14 Dunlap D80 M3 Tires. P. 24 LYNX A TYPE Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. The Lynx type cars were the first to dispense with the internal combustion engine opting for the more powerful turbojet powerplants. Designed by a mid-west American team previously involved in Monster Truck racing, they successfully designed a prototype Lynx powered by two General Electric J79 single-shaft turbojets mounted on each side of the center raised canopy and terminating in aerodynamic stabilizing tailfins. Because each of the J79's weighed 800 lbs the bodyshell of the Lynx A had to be kept down to an absolute minimum. The American design team eventually chose a fiber-reinforced composite overlaid with English Chobham armour. A Lenco transmission unit was slotted into the crossbraced bulkhead. Lamp suspension struts and coil-over hydraulic shockers utilizing 3 inch diameter springs allow rapid adjustment of ride height and suspension bounce. The Lynx type A car delivers excellent acceleration and road-holding but can be prone to heavy tire wear. The first of the jet-powered cars, it was an P. 25 instant success with both the drivers and the fans and indicated the design trends that would result in the heavyweight monsters of the higher grades. SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 5mm Chobham armour. layout: Elevated twin-nacelles, rear mounted. engine: Two General Electric single-shaft J79 turbojets fitted with variable-incidence compressor stator blading. Fuel Consumption: Aviation Fuel: 112 gallons Burn Rate: 12mpg Wheels and Tires: Aluminum 4.8x18 inch rims. Pirelli P7M 'Thermal' slick tires. Suspension: Lamp struts front and rear. Helicoidal springs and hydraulic dampers. Anti-roll bar Brakes: Front 300mm ventilated discs. Rear 280mm ventilated discs, five sensor ABS. P. 26 LYNX B TYPE Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. The next technological breakthrough came with the introduction of half-track propulsion-systems. Immediate advantages were evident in the B Type's significantly improved maneuverability (reduced turning circle), and its anti-skid features. A sophisticated regenerative steering assemblage was linked to mimic the turning ratio of the front wheel rack and pinion unit, ensuring vehicle stability under all conditions. Automotive power for the new class of Lynx was again provided by the twin-nacelled General Electric single-shaft J79 turbojets, but now augmented by afterburners using E variant aviation fuel. After a few minor hiccups experienced during its first outings at Wild Wheels events, the Lynx B Type soon established itself as a major competitor in experienced hands. There are several Strike drivers who once having graduated to the B Type, refuse to move up the grades to higher rated vehicles, having decided that, "the 'B' is for me!" And who can blame them?". P. 27 SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: Super Chobham 4mm layout: Elevated twin-nacelles, rear mounted. engine: Two General Electric single-shaft J79 turbojets fitted with variable incidence compressor stator blading, with afterburners. Fuel Consumption: E Variant Aviation Fuel 120 gallons Burn Rate: 10 mpg Wheels and Tires: Aluminum 2.8x18 inch rims. Pirelli P7M 'Thermal' slick tires. HALF-TRACKS: 2x100 pin-jointed flexible links tensioned on self-adjusting idling rollers GEARBOX: Synchromesh six-speed and reverse P. 28 CHEWEY Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. This car marks the mid-ground between 'adapted conventional vehicles' those featuring customized add-ons on production chassis and those designed from scratch entirely for the Wild Wheels competitions. Chewey utilizes the chassis, conventional steering and springing of a production-line Plymouth Barracuda but also carries the first specifically original 'concept' in its forward-mounted steel jaws. During actual league competitions using the early prototype Cheweys there was much amusement caused when the Ball-Sensing-Radar developed glitches. Instead of the proximity cut-off operating to prevent the Power Ball from being reduced to a pile of chewed-up scrap when coming into contact with the vehicle's jaws, the opposite usually happened. To the great delight of the crowed - but not the Strike car driver concerned the Power Ball was often ripped to pieces, resulting in disqualification and the imposition of a heavy fine sufficient to pay for the stadium's damaged equipment. Perhaps because of this initial P. 29 uncertainty, Chewey became and remains a great favorite with all spectators and drivers, receiving special cheer whenever it appears. SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 5mm Super Chobham over high tensile plastic. layout: North to South front mounted engine, rear wheel drive. engine: Capacity 4500cc 12 in-line cylinders with W/forged pistons, stainless steel valves and velocity stack. Fuel Consumption: 10 mpg,. Capacity 26 gallons BORE: 108.0mm STROKE:79mm VALVE GEAR: dohc 6 valves per cylinder Suspension: Lamp struts front and rear. Helicoidal springs and hydraulic dampers. Anti-roll bar FRONT MOUNTED JAWS: Hydraulically operated by ram and crank system (two rams allocated to each jaw) at 30 psi. Carbon-steel tipped ripper-teeth. P. 30 HOT ROD Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. Big wheel technology was employed in the design of Hot Rod, but instead of looking towards the advances achieved by the American monster truck developers they opted for the German design Wankel rotary engine. However the technical problems involved in manufacturing a prototype almost twenty feet in diameter practically bankrupted the motor racing group that had won the development contract. A new species of winter tundra tires used by the USA Army slotted ideally onto the hod Rod's wheel inside which the unbelievably smooth-running rotary engine is located. Because of the extremely small exterior-body-configuration (little more than a cramped cockpit) the high-flashpoint gasoline had to be carried in a series of fuel pods bolted inside the giant wheel. Temperatures in the big wheel at close to maximum revs reach almost two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, approaching the gasoline's flashpoint, so making a somewhat critical environment situation for the machine's driver should the cooling system ever P. 31 collapse or even develop a momentary hiccup. So dangerous was this design feature of the Hot Rod perceived to be, that even military test pilots turned down the opportunity to take this machine on its first outing. Full body fire-resistant armour and extra life-insurance is considered essential for all Hot Rod drivers. You have been warned. SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 6.5mm Multi-Layer Barium Steel Cocooning layout: Central rotating drive shaft engine: Rotary engine, single chamber triple function. 6000cc capacity. Fuel Consumption: 8mpg, Total Capacity in 5x15 gallon tanks, 75 gallons. NO FURTHER DETAILS RELEASED P. 32 TRITON CENTAUR Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. Known as the first of the Death Cars, the Triton Centaur is designed to blast away the opposition. It is the first vehicle in the Wild Wheels pantheon of extraordinary machines to be equipped with surface-to-surface guided missiles. It is also the first vehicle to employ a hydropneumatic system and full caterpillar track mobility. Missiles were considered to be acceptable only if restricted to located-and-aim systems, all forms of on-board self-correcting intelligence, continuous monitoring or fly-by-wire components were banned as too effective to permit a reasonable opportunity of survival for the opposition's cars. The Death Cars do have noticeable weight-to-speed limitations and it takes a good driver with a sharp eye and excellent reflexes to hit the smaller faster cars that inevitably run circles around the larger behemoths. All the missiles used are powered by solid fuel motors and employ conventional IDFs (impact-detonation-fuses). You know you've made the grade when you graduate up to these missile-firing monsters....... P. 33 SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 8mm High Velocity Armor layout: Twin caterpillar tracks 2x200 pin-jointed multi-flex links. On-board adjusting idling rollers. GEARBOX: Synchromesh six forward speed and two reverse. MOBILITY FACTOR: 5psi (0.35kg/cm2)(ground pressure ratio) TARGET ACQUISITION Standard Doppler-radar SYSTEM: with infra-red viewing optics and image intensifiers MISSILES: Standard. Solid fuel chemical-propellant, Impact-Detonation-Fuse, Payload 100 kg of RDX plastic explosive. Effective Range 5 miles. P. 34 LEVIATHON Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. Leviathan is the only vehicle so far to have opted for a transportation system not employing either wheels or tank tracks. Using the technology employed in American Army exo-skeleton lifting-and-walking machines ( a technique adopted in the first E.V.A. Mars Lander) the Providence based engineering group led by Dr. Meniscus Steeps came up with a radical four-legged walking vehicle that, much to the amusement of the spectators, had to go through an extensive testing and debugging period during several months of actual wild Wheels meetings. Both sets of centrally pivoting legs are operated by a complex high pressure gas powered system of swiveling pistons achieving a six meter traverse-and-span. Each leg has full radius foot elevators and descenders. Further improvements were achieved by adding double-faced warping winches the central pivots, vastly increasing the potential of what previously had been seen as Leviathon's previously ponderous turn-rate. These design adaptations resulted in Leviathon becoming an extremely efficient P. 35 ground-covering machine, at least on a par with the more conventionally driven tracked vehicles. It comes equipped with the same Surface to Surface missile system a employed on the Triton Centaur. This high-profile vehicle is now much in demand with those Wild Wheels drivers who enjoy a challenge and can respond positively to on-the-edge-systems. The crowds love it. SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: 9mm High Impact Armour layout: Two sets of computer controller centrally pivoting legs with six meter traverse-and-span Inertial balancing. engine AND FUEL: Liquid Hydrogen Gas in six internal spheroid containers TARGET ACQUISITION (Standard, as Triton SYSTEM: Centaur) MISSILES: (Standard, as Triton Centaur) P. 36 THE SWATTER Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. The Swatter began life as a deep-sea exploration submersible, designed originally for fault-line and plate-techtonic analysis at extreme depths. Built to withstand external pressures of three thousand atmospheres plus, the Swatter is an extremely strong beast and was first proposed as a Wild Wheels vehicle by the Royal Navy Oceanographic Exploration Team (all ex members of the Special Boat Service). Initially the Swatter was turned down by the sport's governing body because it lacked the required front hall-catcher and bumper-bat, but heavy lobbying in the corridors of power finally secured its admittance. (There is, apparently, no truth in the rumor that the vehicle was accepted just because the present Prime Minister happened to be an ex-special Boat Service officer. That's just a coincidence.) The Swatter is powered by on-board steam generators driven to super-heated temperatures by nuclear-fission reactors. The single drive-track is immensely powerful, and turning circles are accomplished by lateral rear venting. Each link of P. 37 the drive-track is fitted with an extending and retracting claw, making it an extremely dangerous and ferocious competitor. Surface to surface missiles are fitted as standard. Don't choose this vehicle unless you're serious! SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: Condensed high-grade steel, integrity guaranteed to three thousand atmospheres layout: Single drive track with individual gripper teeth. engine: Nuclear Fission Reactor burning Cobalt fuel Rods Fuel: 80 gallons of heavy water TARGET ACQUISITION SYSTEM: Standard, as Triton Centaur MISSILES: Standard Surface to Surface as Triton Centaur P. 38 COLOSSUS Development, Handling Characteristics and Specifications. This is the last, and some would suggest the ultimate Wild Wheels vehicle in the current catalogue. It's so new, much of the released specification details are considered to be of doubtful authenticity. But clandestine videos of the Colossus trials have allowed us to make an educated appraisal of its performance capabilities and power unit. Two immense, individually-powered drive wheels rotate around a single hub that also carries the pilot-pod. To eliminate swing and bounce oscillations affecting the pilot-pod when the vehicle is in motion it would appear that a computer-controlled damping system has been installed. The computer will probably also provide the driver with a head-up-display system or even a full-environment three dimensional representation of the magno-surfaced arena. Opposition team tracking and 'next-turn' predications may well have been written into the software. Early design specifications suggesting that the Colossus was to be powered by two huge rotary engines (as in Hot Rod) have P. 39 now been discounted as unlikely. It appears that a revolutionary and top secret system developed by a consortium of Japanese and Irish scientists is being used. The new power source employs Running Rim fly-wheels linked to a series of inertial spin-discs inside each of the Colossus's giant wheels. The power whine created by the surging spin-disks is unmistakable. Driving one of these Colossus should literally prove to be a hair-raising experience, for the Running Rim fly-wheels generated so much static electricity that the pilot's hair will stand on end and even his finger-ends will tingle when manipulating the controls. Anyone graduating to one of these monsters will be really switched on, and that's a promise......... SPECIFICATIONS: armored bodyshell: No Details Released layout: No Details Released engine: No Details Released FUEL: No Details Released Fuel Consumption: No Details Released TARGET ACQUISITION SYSTEM: Standard as Triton Centaur MISSILES: Standard as Triton Centaur P. 40 WILD WHEELS 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 are reserved worldwide. THIS SOFTWARE PRODUCT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY DEVELOPED AND MANUFACTURED TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY STANDARDS. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOADING. CREDITS Game Concept and Design by Red Rat Software, Ltd. 1991 Red Rat Software Programming Team: Dave and Helen Elcock, Simon Ellwood, Keith Watterson. Graphics: Bryan King 1991 Ocean Software Limited Produced by D.C. Ward