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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:50 pm Page 1
“Let them have their ticker tape parades, their “space races,” and their
commemorative packets of dehydrated ice cream. While Von Braun takes
credit for his Redstone bottle rockets,
I am finalising plans for an inter-planetary fleet that could
plant an American flag on every rock and pebble in this
solar system by the end of the next decade. I will be watching the sunrise
from atop the Olympus Mons long before
NASA takes their first steps on the moon.”
– Dr. Wilhelm Arkin’s response to the
offer of a position at NASA
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:50 pm Page 2
CONTENTS
The use of this software product is subject to the terms of the
Chapter
1.
Introduction _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1
enclosed Software License Agreement. You must accept the
Section
I.
Memorandum from the President _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7
Software License Agreement before you can use this product.
The level editing tools contained on the CD are provided
II.
Memorandum from General George Collins _ _ _ 10
strictly for your personal use. The use of the level editing
III. Memorandum from Andrew Goldman, NSDF _ _ 11
tools is subject to additional license restrictions contained
Chapter
2.
Planetary Descriptions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14
inside the product and may not be commercially exploited.
Section
I.
Luna (Earth’s Moon) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14
Although Battlezone utilises some factual information, the
II.
Mars _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 16
story line and plot of the game are fictional. All of the
characters portrayed or mentioned in the game also are
III. Venus _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18
fictional, except for references to President Dwight D.
IV. Europa _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20
Eisenhower, former CIA Director Allen Dulles, and certain
V.
Io
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22
members of the US Astronaut Corps. Any similarities between
the game’s story line, plot, or characters and any actual events
VI. Titan _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24
or persons are purely coincidental.
Chapter
3.
Memorandum from Dr. Wilhelm Arkin _ _ _ _ _ 26
In the course of playing Battlezone, references are made to the
Section
I.
Stars and Stripes Units _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29
United States Government, including the Office of the
Chapter
4.
Memorandum from Case Officer Chico _ _ _ _ _ 45
President of the United States, the National Security Agency,
Section
I.
Soviet Units _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 47
the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration. None of such government entities
II.
Weapons _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 49
have approved, endorsed, or in any way are associated with
a.
Cannons _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 49
the making of Battlezone, nor is the game an authorised
b.
Mortars _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 50
product of any such agency.
c.
Missiles _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 51
d.
Special Weapons and Counter Measures _ _ 53
III. Buildings _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 55
Chapter
5.
Memorandum from Commander William Stahl _ 59
Chapter
6.
Game Play _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 71
Section
I.
Main Menu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 71
Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc.
Chapter
7.
Options _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 72
© 1998 Activision, Inc. Battlezone is a trademark of Atari/JTS Corporation.
Section
I.
Play Options _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 72
© 1980, 1998 Atari/JTS Corporation. All rights reserved. Licensed by Activision. All
II.
Graphic Options _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 74
other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
III. Audio Options _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 75
IV. Input Configuration _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 76
Chapter
8.
Keyboard Commands _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 78
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 4
Chapter
9.
Saving and Restoring Games _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 80
Chapter
10. Multiplayer Games _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 80
Section
I.
Logging On _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 80
II.
Setting Up and Launching _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 81
III. Multiplayer Features _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 83
Chapter
11. Basic Combat _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 86
Section
I.
Action _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 86
II.
Strategy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 88
a.
The Smart Reticle _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 88
b.
Command Interface _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 89
Chapter
12. Building and Powering Structures _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 93
Section
I.
Basic Building _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 93
II.
Advanced Building _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 93
III. Alternative Power Sources _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 94
Chapter
13. Minimum System Requirements _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 95
Chapter
14. Installing Battlezone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 96
Section
I.
How to Install _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 96
II.
Title Screen Button Functions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 97
Chapter
15. Troubleshooting _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 98
Section
I.
Online Help _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 98
II.
Autoplay _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 98
III. DirectX 5.0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 99
Chapter
16. Problems and Solutions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _102
Chapter
17. Customer Support _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _104
Chapter
18. Credits _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _106
Chapter
19. Software License Agreement _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _110
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 6
MEMORANDUM
From the President of
The United States of America
From: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
To: General George Collins
Re: Establishment of the National Space Defence Force
(NSDF)
Security Status: Eyes Only
Date: June 3, 1958
After all that we’ve been through together, I hold you as
one of the few men that I trust implicitly. I can’t fully
express the importance of maintaining the highest level
of discretion regarding the information contained within
this memorandum. Much has changed since we’ve spent
time together. As Commanders in the Armed Forces, we
took for granted that we held many secrets nobody
should know, but now my life as President is very
different. Many people know more than they should,
and it is putting the future of our nation in grave
jeopardy.
The news of my health problems are widely known, and
I have no idea what will become of me. My gut tells me
that it is time to plan for the future, and I’m counting
on you to carry forward the defence of our nation. You
may feel that you are too old to do what I’m about to
ask you to do, but I need someone that I can trust, and I
have complete confidence that you are up to the task.
That aside, I can only promise that you will see action
like you’ve never seen before. In fact, I wish that I
could personally take charge of this operation.
You may recall brief mentions of a meteor shower that
struck the Bering Straight six years ago. The seemingly
inconsequential phenomena was overshadowed by events
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 8
on the Korean Peninsula, but in actuality the de
As the presiding General of the NSDF, you will be
bris that
fell from space will have a much more enduring
responsible for recruiting an elite force of engineers and
impact
on the future of our nation than the outcome of
combat personnel that will secretly venture into space in
the
conflict in Korea.
order to gather more of the bio-metal. Your organisation
will be funded through the NSA, and you will report to
Soviet and American
nobody, not even me. I fully expect that the NSDF will
scientists simultaneously
discovered an odd me
continue on past my term as President. Subsequent
tal with unknown biological
properties amongst th
administrations will have no knowledge of the NSDF.
e rocks that fell to Earth. We both
rushed to gather as much of the material as possible
and all known reserves have now been collected
You may recruit under the auspices of NASA. Choose
.
your personnel carefully and do not allow your numbers
We’ve established a r
to exceed one thousand. You should quickly establish a
esearch facility in Nevada in order
to investigate this “bi
base on the dark side of the moon. Once you have a
o-metal.” The results of these
efforts are astoundin
space foothold, you may begin to recruit a broader
g. The material itself remains a
complete mystery, bu
force.
t we have managed to fabricate
some promising munitions from it. It seems that the
biological element of the metal contains some so
Please include this memo in your briefing pack but only
rt of
memory that allows it to reshape itself into its
distribute it on the moon. I want every one of the people
previous
form. Later in this report you will see some of
who serve under your command to know that I
the
engineering specifications of what we know the
personally thank them for risking their lives in the
material
can do. The bottom line is clear, however. Whoe
service of their country. May God be with you and may
ver
controls these materials will win the Cold War.
you further the legacy of our great nation.
Next month I will publicly establish the Nationa
God bless,
l
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Pending
your acceptance of this post, I will also secretly endow
the National Space Defence Force (NSDF). No one will
know about the NSDF… everyone will know about NASA.
Let me explain why t
Ike
his is so important.
As you may know, the Soviets have one distinct
advantage over us. Their system easily allows them to
keep secrets, whereas it seems that I cannot even
sneeze without the world knowing. Every last secret
from our weapons programs has slipped into Soviet
hands. By comparison, their Sputnik caught us by
surprise, and our intelligence on their Luna and Zond
programs remains limited. We can only assume that
they too are trying to gather more of the bio-metal.
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 10
From: Andrew Goldman, NSDF
To: President Dwight Eisenhower
Date: September 4, 1958
From: General George Collins
Re: Astronomical Research Assessment 3750
To: President Dwight Eisenhower
Re: Memorandum Dated June 3, 1958
Per your request, we have completed an assessment of
Security Status: Eyes Only
the debris found in the Bering Straight meteor shower of
Date: July 7, 1958
1952. The samples found are most definitely the result of
otherworldly sentient manufacture, and are known to be
only a small portion of the quantity that has passed
It was good to hear from you in your earlier letter, and I
through our solar system over the last several years. The
have been sorry to hear the continued reports on your
source of the debris is assumed to have been some sort of
health. Joann and I dearly miss spending time with you
cataclysmic event involving a massive alien structure,
and Mamie.
possibly the size of Earth or larger. Estimates based on
the velocity of the meteor shower at impact and the
I am honoured by both your confidence in my abilities to
apparent duration since the meteor fragments were
carry out this effort, and the level of trust that you feel
formed put the source object in the order of 100 trillion
confident bestowing on me. It is with great pleasure and
kilometres away when it shattered. At this distance, it is
excitement that I accept your offer to establish the
likely that bio-metal fragments have passed within the
NSDF.
gravitational pull of every other planet in the solar
system.
I will do as you’ve commanded, and I assure you that I
We have conducted extensive observation of the celestial
will make both you and our country proud.
bodies within ten astronomical units of our sun and
ranked them as candidates for more extensive NSDF
Best wishes and I look forward to seeing you soon,
investigation. Our primary concerns in selecting
destinations were likelihood of bio-metal deposits,
proximity to Earth, and environmental hospitality.
Topping the list of candidates for obvious reasons is our
own moon.
George
With the technological leaps provided by the bio-metal, it
is easily within our grasp.
Of the inner four planets, only Mercury has been
eliminated from our list of potential bio-metal deposit
sites. Its gravitational pull is too inconsequential, and our
astronomers suspect that the sun would have stolen away
any meteors headed in its direction. This leaves the
ideally suited Mars, and the incredibly harsh yet
tantalisingly local Venus.
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 12
The outer planets; Jupiter, Satu
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Best of luck,
Andrew Goldman
12
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 14
The Moon’s close proximity makes it by far the most likely candidate for
NSDF exploration. Most of the debris that hit Earth burned up in the
atmosphere. But given that the moon has no atmosphere, there is strong
reason to believe that it holds a far greater supply. Unfortunately, the
moon was in front of the Earth when the shower hit and any debris would
have landed on its dark side, so we can only guess at what it hides.
Exploiting the moon’s resources would require three moon bases. A mining
base on the far side, a transport base on the near side, and a power base at
the northern pole. The polar base would provide continuous exposure to
the sun and an ample amount of solar generated power. Lunar rocks
contain about 40% oxygen and could be mined for environmental systems.
There is also a possibility that a small region near the perpetually shaded
southern pole hides a frozen reservoir of water ice. If true, this may
warrant a fourth facility.
LUNA (EARTH’S MOON):
Position: Satellite of Earth, third planet from the Sun
Distance from Sun: 1 Astronomical Unit
Minimum Distance from Earth: 384,400 Kilometres
Surface Gravity (Earth = 1): 0.166
Surface Composition: Basaltic Rock
Atmospheric Pressure (Earth = 1): 0
Mean Surface Temperature: (Light side) 107 Celsius
(Dark side) -153 Celsius
Axis Rotation: Static
Sun Orbit Period: 365.26 Days
Earth Orbit Period: 27.32 Days
Diameter: 3476 kilometres
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 16
The atmosphere of Mars is characterised by extensive haze and fog, and is
often further clouded by dust storms. Like Earth, Mars has seasons that
result from its oblique rotational axis. The atmosphere is primarily
composed of carbon dioxide, with limited amounts of nitrogen, argon, and
water vapour. We have not detected any magnetic field on Mars, which
leads us to believe there is no metallic core.
Satellite imagery and extensive surveying teams have reported that Mars
has vast cratering like Earth’s moon in addition to cracked lava beds with
sheer cliffs that drop down into deep valleys. This cratering leads us to
believe that the planet could contain additional reserves of bio-metal.
A massive volcano, the Olympus Mons, is the largest in the solar system
with a diameter of 550 kilometres and a height of 27 kilometres. Teams
have not delivered confirmation on whether or not the volcano is active,
yet pilots are warned that volcanic activity could occur and would provide
a significant hazard.
MARS:
Wind and solar energy could provide adequate power for colonisation.
Moderate water supplies could be found among the frozen carbon dioxide
Position: Fourth planet from the Sun
in the polar caps.
Distance from Sun (Earth = 1): 1.5 Astronomical Units
Minimum Distance from Earth: 56 Million Kilometres
M a r s ’ t o p o g r a p h y a n d m a z e - l i k e w o r l d w o u l d r e q u i r e s p e c i a l
instrumentation to navigate. Negotiating riverbeds and cliffs would pose
Surface Gravity (Earth = 1): 0.377
grave danger to navigating the planet’s surface.
Surface Composition: Basaltic Rock and
Solid Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice)
In all, we believe that Mars is a solid candidate for further NSDF
Atmospheric Pressure (Earth = 1): 0.007 Bar
investigation. Its relatively close proximity to Earth and hospitable
Mean Surface Temperature: -23 Celsius
environment in addition to the evidence of cratering makes this our
Axis Rotation: 1.03 Days
second choice for colonisation.
Sun Orbit Period: 686.98 Days
Diameter: 6794 Kilometres
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Battlezone UK 4/7/02 1:51 pm Page 18
Named after the Roman Goddess of love for its brilliant glow in Earth’s
sky, Venus holds no physical resemblance to its namesake. The planet is
one of the harshest environments amongst our candidates. Although Venus
is a near twin in shape and mass to Earth as well as being the closest
planet, its brutal atmosphere will make exploiting any bio-metal reserves
difficult. Nonetheless, its proximity and likelihood of containing bio-
metal deposits keep it on the top half of the list.
Venus’ atmosphere of carbon dioxide and thick cloud cover of highly
concentrated sulfuric acid cause an intense greenhouse effect. Although
not much light penetrates the dense atmosphere, what does make it
through is reradiated as infrared light, resulting in the intense heat on the
planet’s surface, far exceeding that of any other planet or moon in the
solar system.
The atmosphere is also extremely dense, the equivalent of about one
kilometre below Earth’s oceans. The severe pressure will require special
structural engineering in order to avoid being crushed. While Venus’
VENUS:
upper atmosphere is characterised by strong winds, its lower atmosphere
is relatively calm. Regardless, we should be able to generate sufficient
lightining power due to intense electrical activity on Venus.
Position: Second planet from the Sun
Distance from Sun (Earth = 1): .7 Astronomical Units
Trace amounts of water vapour have been found in the environment and
Minimum Distance from Earth: 42 million kilometres
could be tapped in order to help sustain life on Venus’ surface. For the
Surface Gravity (Earth = 1): 0.907
most part however, establishing a mining base on Venus will require
importing all life-sustaining resources from other locales.
Surface Composition: Basaltic Rock and Molten Lava
Atmospheric Pressure (Earth = 1): 92 Bar
Mean Surface Temperature: 460 Celsius
Axis Rotation: 243 Days
Sun Orbit Period: 224.7 Earth Days
Diameter: 12,103.6 Kilometres
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