HOSTAGES
========
© INFOGRAMES 1990
An urgent phone call from the National Security Minister...
an Embassy has been overrun by a group of terrorists. As
Head of the Terrorist Intervention Combat Team you are
in control of all operations. First, you must place your
crack marksmen in nearby buildings, taking them down the
adjoining streets, avoiding infrared lights and the
terrorists deadly aim. Secondly, you must get your team
of Specialist Paratroopers onto the roof of the Embassy.
Then, after descending by rope, and protected by your
marksmen, enter the Embassy through the windows and begin
your search in silence. But beware, each door, each room,
could be a death trap! You must get the hostages, and your
men, out of the building without any loss of life, and
this will depend on the cohesion and co-ordination of
your team. NOW ITS YOUR MOVE.
I - LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
------------------------
SPECTRUM
Disk version:
Insert the program disk in the drive. Switch on your
computer. To start the program, select the LOADER option
from the main menu and press the RETURN key.
Cassette version:
Check the all the connections. Insert the cassette in the
recorder. Switch on your computer. Type LOAD"" and press
the PLAY button on your recorder and the RETURN key.
AMSTRAD 6128/664/464
Disk version:
Insert the program disk in the drive. Switch on your
computer. Type |CPM (to get |, press the keys @ and
SHIFT simultaneously). Press ENTER.
Cassette version:
Insert the cassette in the recorder. Switch on your
computer. Type RUN"" and press the PLAY button on your
recorder and the RETURN key.
Note for SPECTRUM 48K and AMSTRAD 464-664 users:
To load the cassette in order to access the marksmen and
the newspapers of the second part, remember to write down
the number on the counter of the recorder.
COMMODORE 64
Cassette version:
Switch on your computer and monitor. Insert the cassette
in the recorder. Press the keys SHIFT and RUN/STOP
simultaneously. Then press PLAY on the recorder. The
program will load and start automatically. Think of
writing down the number on the counter in order to
locate the first and second part of the game.
Disk version:
On a C128 type GO 64. Then confirm by pressing Y, then
RETURN Insert the disk in the drive. Type : LOAD"*",8,1 and
press RETURN. The program will load and start automatically.
COMMODORE 128
Switch on your computer and monitor. Switch to C64 mode
(GO 64), then follow the instructions for C64.
MSX 1 & MSX 2
Cassette version:
Check all the connections. Insert the cassette in the
recorder. Switch on the computer. Type RUN "CAS:". Press
the PLAY button on the recorder and the RETURN Key.
II - INTRODUCTION
-----------------
A) SCENARIO
Innocent people have been taken hostage from under your nose,
and the terrorists have abandoned their cars and entered the
Embassy. Unfortunately they now control the whole building
from the 1st to the 3rd floor. The number of hostages that
have been taken is controlled by the story and the level of
difficulty you have chosen for your mission. You are the boss
of 6 men of the Direct Intervention Combat Team (D.I.C.T.).
It's your turn now...!
Note: You can at any moment interrupt the introduction sequence
to access the game by hitting a special key.
On the SPECTRUM version, press the BREAK key; on the AMSTRAD
and MSX versions the ESCAPE key.
B) CONFIGURATION OF THE COMMANDS ON SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD & MSX
a) SPECTRUM 128
You have to configurate your keyboard or choose a type of
joystick. After the introduction sequence, a menu opens on
the screen. You may choose:
1 Define Keyboard: if you want to play with the keyboard. For
this purpose press key 1 on the keyboard.
2 Joystick Sinclair: if you want to play with a SINCLAIR type
joystick, press 2.
3 Joystick KEMPSTON: if you want to play with a KEMPSTON type
joystick, press 3.
If you have chosen the keyboard, you will have to select the
keys corresponding to the following commands:
direction "Right"
direction "Left"
direction "Down"
direction "Up"
action "Fire"
action "Menu map" (access to the map during the game,
2nd part only)
To do this (according to your choice), press the key that you
want to select for the desired command. When you have completed
the selection, you will have to confirm it by pressing Y or
cancel by pressing N when the message "Are you sure (Y/N)?"
appears on the screen. However if you have chosen the joystick,
you will have to determine nevertheless one key for the action
"Menu map" (only for the 2nd part). All the same you will be
asked to confirm your selection.
Note: in the SPECTRUM & MSX version, you cannot select the
SHIFT key as it is used for the marksmen.
b) AMSTRAD
The procedure is the same as for SPECTRUM, but you will have
the choice between only two options.
1 Define keyboard
2 Joystick (regardless of type).
For the rest, proceed the same way as you would for the
SPECTRUM version.
c) MSX 1 & 2
The procedure is the same, but you are given the choice
between two options only:
1 Define keyboard
2 Joystick (regardless of type).
For the rest, proceed the same way as you would for the
SPECTRUM version.
III - CHOICE OF MISSION
-----------------------
The difficulty level of the game determines the duration of the
ultimatum, the number and the aggressiveness of the terrorists
and their reaction time. You can choose one of the following
from the first menu:
LIEUTENANT: With a low number of terrorists with weak
aggression.
CAPTAIN: The number of terrorists increases and so does
their speed of reaction.
COMMANDER: Number of terrorists and the number of hostages
taken are at their maximum. The player must without
mistake and taking particular attention to the
placement and coordination of his combat team.
From the second menu you can choose either:
TRAINING (there are no hostages),
TARGET,
ULTIMATUM,
RESCUE,
ASSAULT.
The more difficult the mission, the less time you have to complete
it. For choosing, use the keys UP and DOWN (or £ and - on C64) or
the joystick. Then press the fire button or space bar.
IV - FIRST PART
---------------
A) POSITIONING YOUR MARKSMEN
You have 3 marksmen at your disposal. To effectively keep watch on
the 3 sides of the building, the men must stay all night in the best
positions possible. You control the marksmen one by one. When you
control a marksman his name and number will appear on the screen.
The three marksmen DELTA, ECHO, MIKE can be moved with the aid of
the keys indicated as follows:
Spectrum ............ SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3
Amstrad ............ 1, 2, 3 on the number pad
C64 ................. 1, 2, 3
MSX ................. SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3
To change to another D.I.C.T man, first make him hide then:
Spectrum: access the plan (action key "Fire" or the Fire button and
not the MENU MAP key which is active in the second part only), then
select the man with SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3.
Amstrad: access the plan (action key "Fire" or the Fire button),
then select the man with 1,2,3 on the number pad.
C64: select the man with 1. 2. 3.
MSX: as for SPECTRUM.
B) GENERAL PLAN
On the plan, you will see the places where you must position your
men to keep watch on the 3 sides of the Embassy. These places are
shown by CROSSES. When you want to see how far one of your men
has progressed, you switch to the plan mode with the FIRE key
(Amstrad, Spectrum, MSX) or pressing directly his number on C64
(as seen before).
His body will then appear on the map to indicate where he is
(on C64 a square will appear).
In the SPECTRUM 48 KB and AMSTRAD 464-664 versions, the man will
appear represented by his identity number.
C) MOVEMENT COMMANDS
You must avoid having your men spotted by the spot lights of the
terrorists. As soon as one of your men has been spotted the
terrorists will open fire and can then eliminate one member of
the combat team. In order to avoid being spotted and to arrive
at the right places (marked by crosses on the map), you have
several movements at your disposal by using either the joystick
or the keyboard.
On C64:
keyboard joystick
^ RIGHT walk to the right
* LEFT walk to the left
= DOWN to lay on the floor
£ UP to hide
= + ^ DOWN+RIGHT forward roll to the right } only if you are in
= + * DOWN+LEFT forward roll to the left } a standing position
= + ^ DOWN+RIGHT crawl right } only if you are
= + * DOWN+LEFT crawl left } lying on the floor
Space + ^ FIRE+RIGHT run to the right
Space + * FIRE+LEFT run to the left
On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX:
The direction DOWN will be used to leave a hiding place by the
door or a window, the FIRE key allows you to stop immediately
when walking. The other commands are identical to those of the
of C64 cursor key version. Use the keys that you have defined
at the beginning or the Joystick.
Return to the plan: This is only possible when you are hidden
inside a building, behind a door or window. Press ESC on C64
- FIRE on SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD and MSX.
In this mode: SHIFT 1 - SHIFT 2 - SHIFT 3 to select Delta,
Echo, or Mike on Spectrum and MSX; 1, 2, 3 on the number pad
on AMSTRAD; 1, 2, 3 on C64.
D) SPECIAL INDICATIONS FOR C64
If you take, when moving the man, direction UP (joystick or
keyboard), your marksman heads automatically to the next
hiding place in his direction, in order to protect himself
from the terrorists' shots.
If your leave your marksman a few seconds uncovered without
using the joystick or keyboard, he heads automatically to the
next hiding place in his direction.
If you move a marksman and press quickly the FIRE button or
space bar, he will run in the given direction. As soon as he
runs, release the FIRE button or space bar. He will be able to
effect rolls all the same. When you stop giving a direction,
he will stop, too.
E) END OF SEQUENCE
When all your men are in position on their crosses. (If all
your men are dead start again). On Spectrum, Amstrad and MSX
press RETURN, to access the second part; DELETE to start this
part over again. In the latter, you will have to reselect or
confirm your selection of the difficulty level and mission
(see Choice of mission).
On C64 press RETURN to access the second part. Press FIRE or
SPACE to start this part over again. Note: If you give a
direction with the joystick or keyboard, the game continues
and you can move your marksmen again to take a better
position.
For information: there is no need to place one man on each
cross. You can have less than 3 marksmen surviving this part,
or two or three marksmen on the same cross keeping watch on
only one side of the embassy.
F) HELICOPTER (does not exist in the C64 version)
When all your surviving men are in place in the interior
of the buildings adjoining the Embassy, you pass
automatically to the sequence of the helicopter, where it
will place 3 men on the Embassy roof. On the SPECTRUM and
AMSTRAD versions this sequence will only appear on the
128 KB versions.
V - SECOND PART
---------------
On the versions AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX, you will be
asked to turn over the disk or cassette and to press the
Fire button to load the second part
A) POSITIONING ON THE ROOF
GENERAL PLAN OF THE SITUATION: SPECTRUM 128KB, AMSTRAD 128KB,
MSX, C64 When accessing this part, you enter directly the
plan mode. The D.I.C.T. men whom you have managed to hide are
shown by their corresponding number on the adjoining buildings
(SPECTRUM 128KB, MSX, AMSTRAD 128KB) The men on the Embassy
roof are likewise shown by numbers.
Their code names are visualised with 4, 5, 6 on C64 and
SHIFT 1, SHIFT 2, SHIFT 3 on Spectrum and MSX, and 1, 2, 3 on
the number pad on Amstrad. On the C64 version, the men are
shown by crosses.
B) TO MOVE A D.I.C.T. MAN
Just press the function key corresponding to the code of that
D.I.C.T. man. (On C64 you can also take the direction UP/DOWN
with your joystick or the key £ or =. You can then see the
menu on the lower right of the screen, listing the code names
of your men. Press the space bar or FIRE button to select a
man.) You can move the cross representing your man over the
roof and its edges with the cursor keys or the joystick (or *
and ^ on C64). The cross must appear on the edge of the roof.
The man is then ready to descend and to start this operation
you must press <- on C64 or the key MENU MAP on AMSTRAD,
SPECTRUM and MSX. You will pass to abseiling mode. The map
can be called up at any time by pressing the MENU MAP key
(<- on C64). You can also change from one man to another at
any time.
Game mode: when controlling a marksmen, either in abseiling
mode or inside the building, you are in game mode.
Important: in the game mode, there is no need to call the
general plan to change from one marksmen to another. Just
press the number key corresponding to the men. This
changement will be symbolized by a video effect.
C) EMERGENCY SITUATION
When one of your team, either inside the building or while
abseiling, finds himself in a delicate situation (e.g. the
presence of terrorists in the same room or in one of the
adjoining rooms), the man's code on the control board will
begin flashing and this indicates an emergency situation.
The player must then change to that person in danger by
pressing the appropriate function key. If you wait too
long, your man could be neutralised by the terrorists.
D) ABSEILING
(Only on the 128KB versions. On the SPECTRUM 48KB and
AMSTRAD 464-664 versions, the D.I.C.T. men appear in
a room of the 3rd floor.)
When one of your men is in position on one side of the
building, he can then be used for abseiling down the wall
and then enter the Embassy. In order to play him press <-
on C64 or the MENU MAP key on AMSTRAD and SPECTRUM.
You are then in the DESCENDING MODE.
There are three movements at your disposal.
1) PUSHING AWAY FROM THE WALL = FIRE: In order to extend
his legs (so he is pushing away from the wall) press the
space bar or fire button (C64) or the corresponding key
on AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM & MSX; when you think you have
applied enough force so as to push yourself away from the
wall, release the button, to go immediately to phase 2.
2) OPENING MODE = RIGHT: In order to descend, the rope must
slide along the body. To achieve this you have to let go of
the rope (by pressing cursor right or joystick right). Your
player will then descend the wall. However do not wait too
long to stop, as due to his increasing speed of descent your
player will a ash to the floor.
3) STOPPING = LEFT: When you want to break through a window
to enter the Embassy or if you want to stop on the wall, move
joystick left or cursor left. The player's right hand will
then take hold of the rope stopping his descent.
TO CLIMB IN CASE OF FAILURE: Direction UP (or £ on C64
keyboard). You can climb by using a mechanical pulley attached
to the roof (use direction UP). You will then see your man
climb the wall of the Embassy.
DON'T FORGET! You can at any time change from one person to
another, just by pressing the appropriate function key. For
example you could now go to one of the marksman which you
have placed on the roof of one of the adjoining buildings.
On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM, MSX, first press the MENU MAP key.
E) USING YOUR MARKSMAN
By pressing the corresponding keys you move one of your
marksman into position. Each marksman watches one side of
the building.
THE PRESENTATION: You will see your marksman in position
ready to kill. To move the gun sight, use the direction keys
or the joystick.
When you pass on a window, a white dot will appear on your
sight. This means you are ready to eliminate a terrorist.
Behind the window will appear (according to the patrols of
the terrorists) shadows and figures. These can also represent
hostages who are prisoners in that room. If you are ready to
fire, press FIRE (space bar or fire button on C64). Your gun
will load itself automatically.
If you want to change wall and marksman you press the
appropriate function key. You can pass (if desired) to the
men on the roof or the men in the Embassy. You have to be
careful not to eliminate a member of your combat team or
one of the hostages.
F) EXPLORING THE ROOMS
a) MINI-MAP
If you decide to play with one of the men inside the
building, you pass into EXPLORATION mode. To show where you
are there is a mini-map on the right side of the screen (on
the left on C64). Depending on which floor, the mini-map
will show all the rooms and corridors. Your position is
shown by a small white arrow (light blue on C64). It does
not only show your position but also your direction of
sight.
On C64 the terrorist are shown in black, and the hostages
in white.
On SPECTRUM and MSX, the hostages are shown by crosses,
the terrorists by rhombuses, and the D.I.C.T. men by
squares.
On AMSTRAD, the hostages are shown by white dots, the
terrorists by green dots, and the D.I.C.T. men by blue
dots.
b) MOVEMENT
You can use either the keys or the joystick.
In the corridor: C64 keyboard
To move in the direction of sight direction UP £
To pivot at 90° to the right direction RIGHT ^
To pivot at 90° to the left direction LEFT *
To turn around direction DOWN =
SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD and MSX keyboard: The keys that you
have selected at the beginning of the game.
If you want to enter a room, place yourself in front of the
door and step forward (direction UP). In a room you mainly
move to the left and right. The directions UP and DOWN are
of use only when there is a door before or behind you and
you want to go into another room or the corridor.
G) AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE TERRORISTS
On C64:
When you encounter one or more terrorists, you can pass into
FIRE mode, by pressing the space bar or FIRE button. At that
moment by using the commands LEFT/RIGHT you move your machine
gun to point towards the terrorists, remembering to keep the
fire button or space bar pressed. On C64 you may also set
the shooting height with the commands UP/DOWN. The man with
the fastest and best aim will win the battle.
To move again, release the space bar then use the direction
commands. Remember this if you want to escape quickly.
On AMSTRAD-SPECTRUM-MSX:
You pass into fire mode by pressing the fire button or the
fire action key. A cursor will appear symbolizing the point
of impact of your shot. Move it with the joystick or the keys.
When you release the fire button or action key, you stop
shooting and you can move your D.I.C.T. again; for during the
shooting phase you are not able to move the character.
H) ENCOUNTER WITH THE HOSTAGES
Once you have eliminated all the terrorists on one floor you
can then rescue the hostage(s). You walk into the room where
they are kept. Place yourself in front of one of them. You
must guide him (only one at a time; he will follow you) to
a room on the 3rd floor which doesn't have any windows. When
they are in that room, the hostages are in a more secure
place.. When you have succeeded in freeing all the hostages,
the game ends. However in certain missions, a terrorist may
come into that room to take them again. You will then have
to protect the hostages and neutralise the terrorists.
I) ENCOUNTER BETWEEN, TERRORIST, HOSTAGES AND D.I.C.T. MEN
If you encounter in a room or corridor, a terrorist with
a hostage, you will have to neutralise the terrorist without
wounding the hostage. No mistake will be tolerated. Your
mission will be 100% successful only if all the hostages are
freed alive.
Tip: on C64
Remember to progress silently (avoid useless shots). You
will avoid to be spotted by terrorists.
VI - END OF THE GAME
--------------------
The game has ended when:
TOTAL SUCCESS: If you have regrouped all the hostages in the
3rd floor without windows or if you have neutralised all the
terrorists present in the Embassy.
FAILURE: All the members of your team have been neutralised
by the terrorists.
If your situation is between the two mentioned above (maybe
you have lost some of your men, or you have not rescued all
the hostages), the comments and scores you have achieved
will be shown on the front page of the paper and the end
of the game.
At the final screen, press the fire button to display
a newspapers article.
C64: If you want to play again, press the fire button or
space bar to display a mini-menu. Follow the instructions
fining to your choice. To play the second part again
press 2. To start another game and go back to the starting
menu press 1.
On AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX: Press the FIRE button or
action key, to play the second part again.
CREDITS
ORIGINAL IDEA: Philippe AGRIPNIDIS
SCENARIO: Philippe AGRIPNIDIS, Pascal BUREL, Daniel CHARPY,
Eric MOTTET, Najib EL MAADANI, Josyane GIRARD,
Tuan DO CAO
PROGRAMMING: Daniel CHARPY, Pascal BUREL, Najib EL MAADANI,
Tuan DO CAO, Philippe CAMPION
MAIN GRAPHICS: Josyane GIRARD
GRAPHICS: Didier CHANFRAY, Dominique GIROU
AMSTRAD, SPECTRUM and MSX versions: NEW FRONTIER SOFTWARE
PROGRAMMING: Isidro GILABERT
GRAPHICS: Juan José FRUTOS & Alberto José GONZALEZ
MUSIC: Alberto José GONZALEZ