INTRODUCTION ACTION SERVICE. ONE DAY THIS MAY BE MORE THAN JUST A GAME... Somewhere in Europe, at a confidential location, lies one of the world's toughest school : a top secret training centre... Behind impenetrable barbed-wire and patrolied by wardens armed to the teeth, stretches the course, a gruelling track of obstacles, traps and dangers, stretching every commando's ability to the limit. PURPOSE: preparing soldiers to join the "Cobra Command" - a crack team of commandos who have chosen war as their profession. QUALIFICATIONS: strength, courage, nerves of steel... ACTION SERVICE is a brilliantly executed Commando School Simulation, with all the features that add up to one of the most challenging and exciting action programs ever produced: - unique simulated video recording and playback system, allowing action replay of your performances (to help you to improve it). - lifelike action graphics with superb sound and speech effects. - easy to use, difficult to master! - Up to 12 players - competing on 5 different modes: physical, risk, close-combat, combination and the unique Commando Construction Course! Including the superb "Cobra Command Construction set: - construct, edit and save commando courses, making them as easy or difficult as you wish. Challenge your friends on the course of your own design! INSTRUCTIONS Somewhere in Europe... A top secret training camp where the cream of the crop from the action services must spend a day in order to prepare for thop secret missions with the famous Cobra Command! Today it is your turn to volunteer for a perilous mission. Your participation and your role in the mission depends on your performance here. You should realize that after this ruthless selection, the mission itself will not be a party but an adventure where you risk losing your left. However, there is still time to pack up your kit and return home! ACTION SERVICE 1 : STAGE COMMANDO The game functions in two modes. Each of these modes will be accessable by pressing the relevant button the control post (screen). PLAY MODE Your task consists of 3 imposing tests. - The PHYSICAL route - Physical test where yo must negotiate, as quickly as possible, many object (walls, ditches, ladders,....) without tripping over them as they litter your path. You must react in a split second to the orders from your leaders (push-ups, air-raid) and attempt to escape from Rex the combat dog, trained to towart your progress. - The RISK route where you have to show your skill in handling grenades and bombs, also avoiding mines and the FM rifles which sweep the floor. After that, it is a question of how you can avoid Rex who is always on the loose !! - The close COMBAT test - here you come to meet your adversaries who are giving nothing away. Your pals are ready to take your place, should you fail ! Here you have to put up with the rubber bullets, the exercise grenades and the blows from your opponents kicks. In order to neutralize the guards and bring them down, all methods are permitted - including trickary and cheating !! A super plus... THE CONSTRUCTION MODE COBRA SOFT has created a superb development tool to creat ACTION SERVICE - the COMMANDO CONSTRUCTION SET. Thanks to this you can create your own route and work freely on your own figures. Also you can set your own traps in the background of your choice. As you can now understand, ACTION SERVICE is not just an arcade game with simulation, like the others, but a fantastic game which will allow you to express yourself in an action packed adventure. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS LOADING AND START UP Commodore 64: - Disk version: type LOAD"*",8,1 and press RETURN. The program will load automatically. - Tape version: insert cassette (side A upside). Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP simultaneously. COMMANDS All commands can use either a joystick or the keyboard. Correspendence keyboard/joystick. A = LEFT £ = UP D = RIGHT 2 = DOWN FIRE or SHIFT right (click) function keys on the screen Control post 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 L C R Upon entering the game it automatically defaults to PLAY mode. 1 - PLAY MODE In the game you make your choices on the control console (see diagram above). This console shows a pad of eight keys (each corresponding to a screen), a confirmation key (C) and the two left and right arrows (L+R). To choose a function that corresponds to a screen above the console: - Position the cursor over one of the keys - Click on it to 'press' the key (an LED will light up) - To see the other screen views corresponding to this function key click, on the arrows until you see the screen that you want and once you have chosen, confirm in the same way as above. NUMBER 1 - MISSION ORDERS showing the 12 best scores. NUMBER 2 - LEAVE GAME to quit the game and return to BASIC. NUMBER 3 - CHANGE THE NAME OF A PLAYER - on the identity disc on screen 3. Each of these identity discs corresponds to a plater. When button 3 is selected, you choose one of the identity discs with the help of the arrows L or R and you erase the current name on the lebel by clicking on C. You can then put the new name using the ordinary keyboard and finish your input by pressing RETURN. NUMBER 4 - CHOOSE AND CARRY OUT ROUTE Button 4 is selected, you can choose one of several routes, with the aid of arrows L or R and confirm your selection using C. Note: Only routes 1-3 will qualify for the mission. Route 4 is reserved for a route made in construction mode. NUMBER 5 LOADING AND SAVING OF SCORES 5 is selected. You select a disk with the aid of the arrows L or R and confirm by pressing C. The scores of the player whose name is displayed are then saved or loaded under the name of the player. If there is a file with the same name, it will be erased by saving the new score. NUMBER 6 - This button is of no use. NUMBER 7 - CHECKING SCORES achieved by a player in all the games. NUMBER 8 - CHECKING SCORES of the current game (displayed on screen 4). You can see the scores of the 5 best players in that game. THE SCORES For good management of these scores you can use as well the game disk as a new formatted disk (or a cassette) that you insert just when you want to save or load the scores of a player. The actions (route, scores, loading, saving) always apply to the player whose name appears on the identity disc that can be seen. MOVING THE GAME FIGURE All action of the game can be controlled using a joystick or the keyboard with the same correspondences as for the use of the console. Pressing LEFT ARROW (In the upper left of the keyboard) abandens the route. Use the RUN/STOP key to interrupt the game, press any key to continue. There are several command levels each one depending on your position. Starting position: STANDING LEFT - A - dive, lying position UP - £ - throw a grenade RIGHT - D - run DOWN - . - kreel down on one knee SHIFT right or Fire button: FIRE (only in the routes 3-5) Each of these five levels has its specific commands: [D] RUN When you press D (or move joystick right) while standing, the figure begins to run. In this level pressing D and SHIFT right (pressing the fire button and moving joystick right) simultaneously will cause following action: JUMP over a low object or GRIP hold on a ladder (A/D to progress or GRIP hold on a cable or GET OVER a wall (release to descend) [SHIFT]right : FIRE LEFT - A - half-turn RIGHT - D - half-turn DOWN - . - put gun away [£] THROW A GRENADE (only if you pick one uo) or take CLOSE COMBAT position LEFT - A - to kick UP - £ - dodging waling backwards RIGHT - D - to punch DOWN - . - dodging on knees [A] DIVE, LYING POSITION LEFT - A - crawl UP - £ - pushup RIGHT - D - crawl DOWN - . - pushup SHIFT right or Fire button: get back up onto knees To crawl or to do 10 pushups, press the corresponding keys alternately (move joystick in the corresponding directions alternately). [.] KNEEL DOWN ON ONE KNEE RIGHT - D - pick up a grenade and pull pin or take and put explosives in a boxc or set a charge. . - to lide down fat on the stomach SHIFT right or fire button: get up again. CONSTRUCTION MODE Tape version: insert cassette side B upside and rewind it. The construction mode is selected on the console by clicking on EDIT, it is then possible to use the various functions on the construction set. A screen play consists of 256 views each of which holds 4 planes: - a decoration (absolutely necessary) - a background or foreground item (optional) - the person - a trap (optional) The creation of one view consists of the following phases: I. Place the decorations; click on the option LANDSCAPE and then choose one from those suggested. By clicking in the black zone you move to another decoration set. II. Choose and place an object in the background and foreground (optional); the option ITEM must be activated. A - Select BACK ITEM or FRONT ITEM by clicking. B - Choose an object among those suggested (pass onto another set by clicking on one of the 2 arrows in the item window). To erase an item from the view, click in the white zone. C - Horizontally position the object by clicking on one of 4 squares marked with X to move the item left or right. An item can't slick out beyond the view. D - Vertically position the object by clicking a vertical graduation to move the item up or down. B, C, D can be done in any order. III. By clicking on the option MAN you position the height of the soldier by vertical graduation to go up or down in relation to the fllor (optional: by default, the floor coincides with the lower decoration). Use ON to make the soldier appear, OFF to make him disappear. IV. Set a treao (optional) by clicking on option TRAPS. The window is replaced with one for traps where it will be possible to choose a trap corresponding to a number that will appear above the view you're working on. By clicking in the white zone in the bottom of the screen you erase the trap. HOW TO SET A TRAP This operation is by far the most delicate and the interest of the game depends on it. traps fail into 2 categories - whether they are bound to an object or not. For example, trap No 2 JUMP/FALL can only apply to certain objects (low wall, sandbag...) corresponding to the decoration to explain the fall. On the other hand the traps DO 10 PUSHUPS or CLOSE COMBAT are independent of the presence of items in the decoration - it does not matter where they are put, but for obvious reasons it is not ideal to put them in the middle of the lake... We suggest that you reed the following cluse in order for your scenario to be more enjoyable... In order that you are free to give ruin to your creative mind, no test will be made on the traps that you set. 1. JUMP OVER WALL: associated with high wall item. 2. JUMP/FALL: associate with small items of type -sandbag, -low wall-, -jerry can-, -ammo box- 3. JUMP/SLIP: associate with items -barrel knocked over- or -damaged barrel-. 4. DOG START: the dog appears after you pass on the trap. 5. MINE: Only associated with mines. Put the iteam in the background. 6. GRENADE: only associated with grenades which must be in the foreground. 7. DROWN: only when there is a lake and in the abscence of a pontoon. 8. GET CHARGE: associate with -little box-, this object must be in the foreground and situated at a reasonable distance before the door. 9. SET CHARGE: associated with the decoration object - armoured door-. 10. REAR ATTACK: (almost) anywhere: the adversary appear after you pass the trap. 11. LOW BURST: (almost) anywhere. 12. HIGH BURST:(almost) anywhere. 13. CLOSE COMBAT: (almost) anywhere; the adversary appears after you pass the trap. 14. SHOOTER: (almost) anywhere; the adversary appears after you pass the trap. 15. This number doesn't correspond to a trap. 16. Do 10 PUSHUPS: (almost) anywhere. 17. GRENADE COMBAT: Put this trap before trap -grenade-; the adversary appears after you passed the trap. 18. AIR-RAID: (almost) anywhere. 19. SWIM: associate with the lake. 20. CRAWL: associated with items such as drain pipe...all which shoulfd be in the foreground. V. OPTION REPEAR The last order selected is present in the window of option: REPEAT: by clicking on REPEAT you effect this order view by view. VI. DISK As soon as your scenario is edited, you can save the game to disk by clicking on the option DISK. With this same option, you can modify already exisiting scenarios after loading them. VII. END To leave the construction mode and go to play your scenario. (Part 4 CCS) VIII. RESET Erases a scenario. To develop good scenarios, we advise you to get used to the play option and to take time to examine the replays to understand the whole function of the concept of ACTION SERVICE 1. Then you can examine and modify the whole screenplay DEMO by loading it with the DISK option of the construction mode. ACTION SERVICE 2: THE MISSION Your name appears on the mission order, congratulations : you can now take the responsibility of an appointment on ACTION SERVICE 2. Compared to the MISSION, your time spent in action service training camp will seem like time spent in a holiday camp!!! There are the same characters that you entered in ACTION SERVICE 1 who are on the MISSION! Just when you think you had finished with ACTION SERVICE... INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION