SILENT SERVICE DOCS (for the GS) A USAlliance release Typed and Compiled by Disk Doctor CALL Future World ................ 301-486-4515 20 Megs, original software The actual playing of the game is very simple since Silent Service is almost totally mouse controlled. What I will be doing is giving a description of each command and its uses. Scenarios: This is the first options you will see when booting up the game. Torpedo/Gun Practice: This option places you outside the American base at Midway Island. Four ships are anchored here all you have to do is blow them up. Convoy Actions: Here you have an actual fight. You have to destroy all the ships. Watch out for destroyers because they attack back. War Patrols: This is comprised of several convoy actions. In this option you must find the ships. Here you have a limited amount of fuel (55 days). When finished return to base. Difficulty Levels: After choosing a senario you will be taken to another menu. This menu has options that affect the games difficulty. Skill Level: Range: 1-4; 1= Midshipman, 2= lieutenant, 3= Commander 4= Captain. The levels affect accuracy of torpedos, damage from depth charges, skills of enemy lookouts and sonar operators as well as other factors. Reality Levels: These also contol difficulty and also amke the game more realistic. 1. Limited visibility: If selected ships that are beyond sonar and radar range will not appear on maps 2. Covoy Zig-Zags: Convoys will change course at regular intervals if selected. 3. Dud Torpedoes: Torpedos will launch but don't explode. 4. Port Repairs only: Once something is destroyed it may not be repaired. 5. Expert Destroyers: Certain enemy convoys will be escorted by expert destroyers. 6. Convoy Search: Convoys won't always appear in radar range. Convoys can be sighted by doing a 360 degree periscope/binocular sweep of the horizon. 7. Angle-On-Bow Input: The computer will no longer calculate the angle for torpedo shots. You must enter the angle yourself based on periscope observations. This option is for experts only! Terminology Port: The left side of the ship Starboard: The right side of the ship Bearing: The direction you are looking Heading: The direction your ship is going The Game: After choosing all the levels you will be taken to the actual game. It will eventually take you to an inside view of the submarine. From this option page you can select yout next move by moving to the mouse tocertain locations on the graphic. The options are: go to bridge (can only be done if surfaced), examine maps and charts, quatermasters log, damage reports, instuments and guages. You can also continue patrol in the war patrol option and quit to main menu in the other modes. Bridge: From the bridge you can fire torpedoes and the gun. You can also vary the speed of the sub from full reverse to full foward. The sub can dive from this screen.You can also change the direction of the sub and use the biniculars and also change the time mode. You can also identify the enemy ship when it is in you binocular or periscope sights on target ( the ship is on target the sight turns white). To identify the target move the mouse pointer the large box and click the mouse. Periscope: This option is the same as the bridge options. The periscope can be used up to 44 feet below the water. When under water the gun can not be used. It can also not be used at night. Maps: This option allows you to navigate the sub. You can also use the three zoom levels to locate ships. The time mode is very important for speeding up the process of approaching ships. Time mode 1 is normal (one minute game time takes 15 seconds). Each increase in time scaling doubles the speed. Time mode 4 is 32 game time. Special Commands and descriptions Torpedo: Your sub has 24 torpedos, 14 foward and 10 aft(back). A topedo is fired by clicking the mouse on the torpedo graphic. A torpedo has an the most effective range between 1000 and 4000 yards. After firing several torpedos. Only 4 torpedos can be active at once. If more are fired the earlier ones will stop before hiting their target. After firing several the screen will say bow torpedos or aft torpedo tubes broken or empty. You will have to wait to use these again (10 minutes) or you can rotate you ship 180 degrees and use your other set of torpedo tubes. Deck Gun: The deck gun has an effective range of 8000 yards. You start with 80 shells. The main purpose of the gun is to destroy damaged ships. The gun has alomost no effect on destroyers, but work quite well on tankers and troop transports. The gun can only be used when surfaced. If a ship is approaching you want to decrease the gun deflection. "-" decreases gun deflection, the "=" key increase gun deflection. Use the the = if the distance is increasing. Each time you press the key the deflection increases or decreases 25 yards. Example: If a destroyer is moving towards you at 18 knots at a distance of 4000 yards it will move over 200 yards before the projectile would hit it. Therefore a deflection of -200 to -250 yards should be selected before firing. When the ship is 2000 yards away the deflection should only be a 100 yards. Battery: The subs battery is capable of running for 1 hour at flank speed when under water and several hours at lower speed. The battery recharges when the sub is surfaced. Blow Emergency Tanks: Control E does this. You use this option only when you sub is in a fatal dive. This will usually bring you to the suface. You can use this only once per battle. Once used you will not be able to dive again. Release Fake Debris: "?" accomplishes this. This also can only be used once. This used to fake destoryers into believing that the sub was destoryed. Volume: As you all know the volume can be controlled through the the control panel. You can also use the "v" key. This will allow you to select low, medium, high, or off for the volume. Convoy Action Scenarios: These senarios have various types and amounts of of ships to fight. Some are harder than others. Plunger in the Inland Sea: (day/submerged) You will fight an escorted cargo ship. You will be fighting moving ships. They will also change direction. Wahoo vs. Convoy: (day/surfaced) You will have to destroy an unescorted group of ships, but time is of the essence because a destroyer is on the way. Hammerhead at Borneo: (night/radar) In this scenario you will be intoduced to night combat. Avoid being as long as possible. Approach at moderate speeds. Searaven at Toagel Mlingui: (endaround) You are in a bad position against a convoy. You must meneuver around the enemy to get a good attack. Tautog at Night: (radar/visual night) Here you can approach the convoy but more care must be taken since there is good visiblity this night. Grayback in the China Sea: (submerged radar) A very difficult scenario. Three radar equipped destroyers are guarding the convoy. The best plan of attack is to use you periscope in a dawn or dusk attack. SHIP IDENTIFICATION: THESE DIAGRAMS ARE NECESSARY TO PLAY THE WAR PATROL OPTION. _ _ | | __ | | | | | |_ ____ | | ___ | | | |_ | _| | | |_ _| | |_| ___|__|__|_____ __ | | ||_||_ _| ____| ___| _ __| || | _ _ __| |_ _ _|___| | __| |_| |__| |__| |__| |__| |__|_| | |______________________________________________________________________| This is the A ship _ | | _ | | | |_ ___ ___ | | | |__ | _| |_ _| | |_| ____|__|_|____ __ ||_||_ _| ____| ___| _ _| |_ _ __ _| |_ _ _ _|__| | ____| |_| |____| |__| |__| |__| |_|_| | |_______________________________________________________________________| This is the B ship shit, this is taking way too long I'm just going to tell the minor variations so you can play this option. _ there are for ships that end like this. _| they are c,h,m,n _| ___| C is like A except it has 2 stacks that have the T in it and the other ending. ____ ____ H has something in it that looks like this|____|____|____| instead of the first tall tower.