COMANCHE 3 TECHNICAL SUPPLEMENT
Invariably, last minute changes creep into every software game program. This
technical supplement is a summary of the changes, clarifications and/or
additions to Comanche 3 that have taken place since the manual was printed.
Page numbers referring you back to the original game manual are included with
each entry where applicable.
Play Comanche 3 over the Internet!!!
1. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is required. For your convenience,
we've included a premium Internet Service Provider - EarthLink NetworkTM sign-
on package with free unlimited access for 15 days. To install EarthLink
Network, open your ELINK directory. Should you experience any difficulty
installing EarthLink Network, please call (800) 395-8410.
2. You'll also need a driver that links your computer to the Internet.
We've tested Comanche 3 with the latest Kali driver and have included the
shareware version of Kali on the CD. Instructions on how to use Kali are
included in the KALI directory. If you experience any difficulty with Kali,
please call (800) 965-KALI (800-965-5254).
TRAINING FLIGHT SYMBOLOGY
(Addition) pg. 12
During certain training flights, HMD symbology is highlighted when the
instructor is referring to it. This is done to draw your attention to the
object as it is being described.
MENU BAR(Major Change) pg. 22
The Menu bar has undergone some revisions in order to allow players better
control over their game options. Some options are now color coded Red. This is
done to draw your attention to the important options and keep you from making
a selection by mistake. Grayed-out menu selections indicate that the option is
currently Not Available.
The layout of the Menu bar topics and their pull-down menu selections are as
follows:
1. Game
- Exit Menu - Select this option to exit menu and return to the game in
progress.
- Restart Mission - Select this option to start the current mission over
from the beginning.
- Mission Playback - Select this option to view the Mission Playback
recording.
- Takeover Playback - Select this option to jump back into a Mission
Playback and resume live action flight.
- About Comanche - Select this option to view your product version number.
- End Mission - Select this option to immediately end the mission. You will
now receive a debriefing which displays your mission performance.
- Exit Game - Select this option to exit the game.
2. Control
The first section of menu options allow you to select which joystick you
intend to use. If you do not have a joystick, select the No Joystick option to
play using only the keyboard. The second section of menu options remain
essentially unchanged from what is documented on pages 23 -24 of the Pilot
Manual.
The Center Joystick option is also unchanged. When this option is selected,
the program takes the current position of your joystick, records this position
as center, then recalibrates the joystick gimbal limits automatically.
3. Options
This menu allows you to choose between the Easy and Advanced flight models.
Each flight model comes with a number of individual characteristics which can
be toggled On or Off.
Under Easy Flight Model features
- HMD Help Labels - Select this option to place text labels next to HMD
symbology. These labels help beginning players understand what it is they're
looking at.
- Full Screen Target Window - Select this option to place a thumbnail image
of the TADS targeting display in the lower left corner of the F2, F3, F4, and
F6 views. This image only appears when you have an object targeted.
Under Advanced Flight Model features
- The Advanced Flight Model features include the two Easy Flight Model
features plus the Limit Collective to Avoid Overtorque, HoverHold and Vertical
Stabilizer options.
4. Detail
See Blades from Inside - Select this option to view the spinning motion of the
blades from the Forward Cockpit View. Pilots sometimes judge their pitch by
viewing the position and angle of the blade rotation in relation to the
horizon line.
5. Video
These menu options allow you to display the game in various resolutions. This
menu topic also contains the pull-down menu option which allows you to use
Virtual Reality headsets.
VR Headset Setup- Select Stereoscopic from the pull-down menu. This displays
the Comanche 3 screen image in 3D. Next, press the Alt F12 key to activate the
Head-tracking feature. You'll notice that the on-screen view mirrors the
movement of your head while wearing the VR Headset.
RECEDING BLADE STALL
(Addition) pg. 31
The Comanche is rated at a top red-line speed of 175 knots. Although it is
possible to exceed this maximum safe operating speed, the manufacturer (and
the Army) would prefer that you don't. As you near this maximum speed, you'll
automatically trigger a Receding Blade Stall warning. This warning takes the
form of a flashing red groundspeed indicator, voice and audible alarm.
Once you exceed 175 knots, the Comanche will become unresponsive and nose over
due to this receding blade stall phenomenon. Eventually, if you do not slow
down, your helicopter will depart controlled flight (DCF) and crash. To
prevent this from happening, slow down to within safe operating speed
tolerances (175 knots). Control will be returned to you at this time.
AUTOROTATION (Addition) pg. 31
Autorotation is the term used to describe the flight condition which occurs
when a helicopter's rotor blades ceasing turning under power and are instead
driven by the force of the relative wind.
Like most helicopters, the Comanche has the ability to autorotate and continue
flying for a short period of time even after its engines have been turned off
or destroyed. When a helicopter autorotates, its rotors continue turning
because of the force of its downward motion. The faster and longer a
helicopter falls, the greater amount of air is forced upward through its rotor
blades. Obviously, as more air is forced through the rotors the blades are
moved with greater energy.
Autorotation won't get you back to base if your engines are destroyed but it
can get you to the ground in one piece. It's tricky, though. You might want to
practice autorotating a few times while you're still in training.
Climb to a point at least 500 feet AGL (Above Ground Level) and shut off your
engines by pressing the ALT E keys. Your Comanche will begin falling but don't
worry. As air starts rushing through your rotors they will begin turning.
Eventually, the rotors will produce enough lift to slow your descent and give
you some limited directional control. The tricky part of autorotation is
judging just the right moment to "pull pitch" and land. Think of it as
"flaring" a fixed wing aircraft right before touch-down.
THREAT INDICATOR (Change) pg. 46
The Threat Indicator uses colored dots to indicate the position of friendly
and enemy objects relative to your helicopter.
- Blue dots: These dots represent your Team Mate in Single Player mode or
other human players in Multi-player mode.
- Green: These dots represent friendly air (other than your Team Mate) and
ground targets.
- Red: These dots represent enemy air objects such as helicopters and fixed
wing aircraft.
- Yellow: These dots represent enemy ground objects.
- Orange Circle: An Orange circle is placed around any object dot which is
designated as a Mission Target (Goal).
LEFT MFD MODES (Change) pg. 50
The functionality of the left MFD has been changed. It now defaults to a
monochrome Full Screen view after a brief engine start-up sequence. The MFD
remains in this view until you target something (in which case the TADS view
is displayed) or you take damage. If you suffer damage, the left MFD switches
to the System Damage display mode. It will remain in this view until you
target something. Once again, if you target something, the TADS view is
displayed.
JSTARS SUPPORT (Addition) pg. 53
The Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) is an aircraft
which uses radar to locate and track ground vehicles. This aircraft can then
downlink this information to your Threat and Tactical Situation displays. The
presence of JSTARS is listed in each of your mission briefings. When a JSTARS
support is available, it is noted in the friendly forces summary.
JSTARS information is made automatically available to you in missions where
JSTARS are present. There is nothing you need to do in order to receive JSTARS
data. The JSTARS aircraft itself is orbiting tens of miles away and will not
appear on any of your displays. You won't be able to see a JSTARS aircraft
either, you'll only receive its information.
JSTARS gives you the ability to detect enemy objects even when you do not have
a direct line-of-sight to them. JSTARS relieves you of this burden.
Essentially, all enemy objects, or at least those detected by JSTARS are made
visible to you on your Threat Display.
HOLD MODE RIPPLE FIRE TECHNIQUE (Clarification) pg. 59
Comanche pilots are able to use a technique known as "ripple fire" to engage
more than one target simultaneously. Ripple Fire is especially effective when
combined with the HOLD targeting mode. Although this technique is described in
the game manual, the following example is offered as a means of further
illustrating the concept.
Lets say a Comanche pilot comes across an unsuspecting column of enemy tanks.
The pilot knows that as soon as he engages the lead tank the rest of the
column will begin firing back. This will make things very uncomfortable. A
good Comanche driver will avoid this situation by "ripple firing" his Hellfire
missiles.
The pilot begins the engagement by selecting one target from the column. Being
an old Quail hunter from Maryland's eastern shore, he knows to take on the
rear tank first then "walk" his fire forward.
Using his TADS, he gets a laser "lock" on the rear tank. He then launches a
Hellfire, waits several seconds, launches another, then waits several seconds
and launches a third, then a fourth. There are now four Hellfires in the air
all headed toward the rear tank. Seems very wasteful to use that many rounds
to destroy a single target, doesn't it? Not at all. The whole point to ripple
fire is having multiple missiles in the air at the same time.
Actually, the point of ripple fire is to get multiple missiles all moving
towards the general target location at the same time. Once the first missile
destroys its target (the rear tank in the column), HOLD mode automatically
shifts the TADS laser designator to the next tank in the column. The remaining
three Hellfires (already in flight) now begin guiding toward the newly
designated target.
Once the second missile hits, HOLD mode shifts the designator to the next tank
in the column. The remaining two Hellfires begin guiding toward this tank, so
on and so forth. Should one of the Hellfires miss its target, the next
Hellfire in the sequence will likely hit it.
By ripple firing his Hellfire missiles, the pilot is able to successfully
engage multiple targets within a minimum amount of time. The enemy is given
little or no warning of the impending attack and therefore the pilot is spared
from potential return fire. Contrast the ripple fire technique used by the
pilot in this example to the likely outcome had he fired a single missile then
waited for it to hit before launching a second.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
(Clarification) pg. 63
Each mission assigns you a number of targets (often referred to as Goals) that
must be destroyed in order for the mission to be counted as a success. You
must destroy every one of your assigned mission targets to successfully
complete a mission. There is no such thing as a partial victory in Comanche 3.
As you fly a mission, a running total of the number of mission targets yet to
be destroyed is displayed in the lower right corner of the HMD. When this
number reaches zero, you have successfully completed the mission. A text
message prompting you to press the E key to end the mission appears along the
bottom of the screen.
Your overall objective in each of the combat campaigns is to successfully
complete all eight of its missions. You may not, however, fly the campaign's
finale (Mission 8) until you have successfully completed all seven of the
preceding missions.
MISSION DEBRIEFING (Addition) pg. 65
At the conclusion of each mission (successful or not) you receive a debriefing
which rates your mission performance. The Debriefing totals the number of
mission targets you've destroyed, the number of opportunity targets you've
destroyed, even the number of friendly targets you may have hit by mistake
(fratricide). It also displays the length of time it took you to fly the
mission and gives you a mission score point total.
After you have finished reading the debriefing, you may:
- press the 1 Key to re-play the mission from the beginning, or;
- press the 2 Key to exit the mission and return to your Duty Roster, or;
- press the 3 Key to view the recorded Mission Playback. (If you select
this option, you have an opportunity to jump back into the mission at any
time.
Credits
General MIDI timbres for Yamaha OPL-2- and OPL-3- based sound cards were
produced by the Fat ManTM and developed by K. Weston Phelan and George
Allistair Sanger. Copyright 1993, The Fat ManTM.
