UFO. THE ENEMY IS UNKNOWN.
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Program author
Vyacheslav MEDNONOGOV
(c) SORRER FEET, 1995
Game version 1.04
Description version 1.04
St. Petersburg
INTRODUCTION
The cold summer of 1997. The whole world is shaken by a series of aircraft disasters involving more than 20 of the largest airlines in the world. During the investigation, the exact cause was not established. It was revealed that in all cases there were strong radio interferences, bright flashes, and panic among crew members and passengers. The nature of the aircraft damage was strange. The disasters ceased as suddenly as they began.
October-November of the same year. Aircraft, including military ones, began to disappear without a trace. At the end of October, communication was lost with almost all artificial satellites in orbit, the MIR-2 station, and the OVSERVER shuttle within three days. Many satellites fell out of orbit and burned up in the dense layers of the atmosphere.
On October 23, a Pakistan Air Force fighter jet at an altitude of 7000m attacked something. The pilot was killed, a collision occurred, and burning debris rained down on the ground. Upon examination, it was firmly established that they were of extraterrestrial origin. Two days later, a flight of Norwegian Air Force interceptors attempted to pursue a similar flying object over Svalbard but failed. The pilot of the only returning fighter reported that he experienced inhuman terror. The object vanished. It became clear that we were facing an invasion of UFOs – ships from space...
Earth began to prepare for war. By decision of the UN, a special center for ufologists was created – an organization to combat UFOs. Within a month, NASA, using the obtained data, created a radar capable of recognizing UFOs. In St. Petersburg, a giant laboratory for the study of extraterrestrial technologies and life forms was urgently built in the underground hangars of the Technical University. Additionally, Russia provided a prototype of its new fighter "Steregushchy" – the fastest and most powerful in the world. After special training, you, a person without nerves, became its pilot and, in essence, the only defender of Earth...
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
To run, you need a Spectrum with a memory capacity of at least 128 kilobytes and at least one disk drive. Operating system - TR-DOS 5.03/04T. An extended keyboard is desirable.
The package includes two disks. The program is launched from disk 1.
Both disks contain several backup copies of the loaded modules – the program will automatically read from the backup tracks if it cannot do so from the main ones for any reason. The images for the "Ufologist Encyclopedia" are stored in one variant, but their random corruption is not a fatal error for the correct functioning of the program. The protection method I developed requires that disk 2 not be write-protected (by the way, check that the initial sectors of disk 2 should be physically damaged – for example, the magnetic layer removed in several places). Disk 1 should preferably be write-protected.
STARTING THE GAME
Start the game from disk 1. Select control from the offered set: Kempston joystick, Interface-2, or keyboard. In the latter case, Q, A, O, P will be the direction keys, and the role of the FIRE key can be performed by M or SPACE. After the question "Load saved game (Y/N)?" appears, insert the TR-DOS disk where your game states are stored (starting from version 1.04, disk number 2 can be used for this purpose) and press Y. If you are starting the game for the first time, simply press N. A further prompt will appear to insert disk 2 into the drive, which will remain there until the end of the game. Do this.
The music for the game was composed by our Leningrad composer, known to many as EXALOT. The melody is called "LATITUDE EFFECT". The author of the disk reading and writing procedures is MAXIM ROMANOFF. Many thanks to both of them!
The game will begin and you will see a map of our Earth...
MAIN GAME MENU
The menu system is controlled using 6 buttons at the top of the screen. These buttons appear and disappear as needed. To indicate a button, move the cursor, shaped like a triangular arrow, to it using the control keys and press FIRE. The functions of the buttons are as follows:
- "OK" is used to proceed to the selected item in the current menu or to confirm the specified action;
- "UP / DOWN" buttons select the desired menu item;
- "+/-" buttons are used to increase/decrease the required numerical value;
- "CANCEL" - exit the menu without executing the specified action. In the RESEARCH and PRODUCTION submenus, it is also used to stop work.
The main menu includes the following items:
WORLD MAP
Return to map tracking mode (see the corresponding section).
BASES
At the very beginning of the game, you are given a base in Europe. It is fully equipped, i.e., it has a landing pad for receiving your fighter; missile defense – which may be needed if the activities of the aliens intensify and they attempt to attack it (the effectiveness of the defense is about 60%); radar installation – which can detect a UFO within a radius of 4-5 thousand kilometers with a probability of over 90%. As you can see, the main task of the base is to track alien ships. Therefore, the more bases you have, the better. However, you must pay $30,000 monthly for the maintenance of each base. Also remember that bases also serve to alert the population about the approach of UFOs, and over time their number should increase.
Building a base is not difficult – you just need to select the item with the same name (there can be a total of 10 bases in all parts of the world). The next item in this submenu allows you to equip it to your liking (I advise starting with the radar). Each type of equipment is characterized by cost and construction time. If the menu is empty, it means everything has already been built.
The last item in the menu is "Information". You are provided with data on the current game: difficulty level, type of fighter, assets (weapons and equipment), defense (if any). At the end, there is a list of built bases with the equipment available on them (if it is not completed, the time until the end of construction is given). Text scrolling occurs when the FIRE key is held down.
RESEARCH
By destroying or capturing aliens, you also obtain their "flying saucer" along with all its contents. If at this stage of our knowledge, something captured can be researched, it immediately goes into the list "New Research". Also included are topics proposed by your scientists after they complete their previous research. For example, at the very beginning of the game, they propose to develop a paralizer for capturing live aliens (a very necessary item, by the way). The selected research automatically becomes current. Until it is completed or canceled with the "CANCEL" button, it is impossible to start the next one. The duration of the work depends on the complexity of the topic and the number of scientists (for example, if there are eight of them, the design of the paralizer will be developed in 10 days, while researching the energy station will take almost 100). If the work is in progress, the "Progress" column reflects the current status.
PRODUCTION
Some research upon completion generates the message "Ready to produce ...". In this case, check this menu item. Here is a list of the equipment that your engineers can produce, along with the cost of the work. The required time depends on the complexity of the item. These items have varying degrees of usefulness (you can assess it by looking in the "Ufologist Encyclopedia"), but in principle, if funds allow, I would recommend producing them all. Overall, this item is analogous to the "Research" item.
PURCHASING WEAPONS
This is a kind of store where weapons manufactured on Earth are sold: the AKMS-97 assault rifle, the M17A1 machine gun, and the portable missile system SS-200R. You will not visit here often, only at the beginning of the game (if you have no weapons at all, the game loses all meaning) or if weapons are lost in battle. The cost of ammunition is automatically charged and presented for payment at the end of each month. The cost of ammunition and the characteristics of each type of weapon can be found in the "Ufologist Encyclopedia" in the "Weapons" section.
SELLING ARTIFACTS
Captured items of extraterrestrial origin (artifacts) are almost not needed (unless for research), and the central base's storage is not limitless. Additionally, you constantly need money for weapons, base maintenance, and staff salaries. At the same time, many companies around the world show increased interest in alien materials and technologies. Therefore, selling artifacts is a very profitable business for ufologists.
In this menu item, a list of all the artifacts stored with you is displayed. By selecting one of the names, you will see its cost and the number of storage units. Using the "+/-" buttons, you can specify what and how many you want to sell. The amount of the deal is displayed at the bottom. After performing these actions with all items, simply press "OK," and the deal will be done. "CANCEL" renders the deal invalid.
HIRING/FIRING
Here you can hire specialists: scientists for conducting research and engineers for producing new equipment. To do this, select the required item and press "+". When hiring, you pay a signing bonus equal to one month's salary. The "-" button is used for firing. Keep in mind that to make any progress, you need at least 7-8 people.
UFOLOGIST ENCYCLOPEDIA
Data on all the research you have conducted is recorded here in the form of a text page and an image. Upon entering this item, you will be prompted to select one of the research sections, and within it – a specific concept. If the section is empty, it means no research on this topic has been conducted. Initially, you have data on the "Steregushchy" fighter and three types of earthly weapons: assault rifle, machine gun, and rocket launcher. The last section contains information about the game and the author.
If access to the data is allowed, the necessary information appears along with five new buttons: "UP / DOWN" – cyclic viewing of all sections of the encyclopedia; "TERMINAL" – display the image of the object; "TEXT" – switch to text mode; "MENU" – return to the main menu.
OPTIONS
Contains four subsections. The first two menu items are for saving and restoring the game. The last game time, difficulty level, and cash are indicated. At the same time, you can store up to 8 game situations in memory.
Using the next submenu, you can start a new game with a specific difficulty level: Novice, Experienced, or Master. The first two are training modes and cannot be completed. The main difference is in the size of the starting capital. Additionally, in the Master and Experienced modes, when capturing a UFO, you only start seeing your opponents when there are no obstacles between you: walls, trees, mountains, etc. (this effect makes the game more exciting, although it was not easy for me to implement).
After selecting the last item, the program will prompt you to insert another disk to save game data. For this purpose, use any standard TR-DOS disk. The recording is done on sectors 10-16 of the zero track, so do not use this disk when working with programmable copiers and the MAGICS button. Starting from version 1.04, you can store game states on disk 2.
WORLD MAP
The screen with the map looks as follows. The upper part of the screen contains an image of five continents. In the lower left corner, the time and date of the current game are indicated. To the right are six buttons. Indication of buttons and selection of objects is done with a graphical marker in the form of a cross of dotted lines.
The functions of the buttons are as follows (from left to right):
1. Select a new target for the fighter. A prompt "Select target" appears.
2. Return to base. The fighter returns to the base from which it took off or to the last selected base.
3. Game time flow speed 1 second.
4. Game time flow speed 1 minute.
5. Game time flow speed 1 hour.
6. Go to the main menu (see the corresponding section).
These six buttons correspond to the following "hot" keys: T, R, S, D, F, E.
To speed up the movement of the graphical marker, you need to hold down the ENTER key.
On the map, flashing icons indicate bases, the fighter, UFOs (by the appearance of the icon, you can determine whether the UFO is in flight, landed, or shot down in battle).
By selecting any object on the map with the marker, you will receive comprehensive information about it.
As soon as any alien ship enters the radar range of one of your bases, you will receive a corresponding message indicating the size and status of the UFO. The game time flow speed will change to minimum, and the marker will point to the object.
If you decide to attack the UFO, press the "Select target" button, indicate the target, and press FIRE. The fighter will take off from the base or change its flight direction if it was already in the air. Assess your strengths and the enemy's strengths soberly; for example, on the "Steregushchy" class fighter, it is very problematic to catch up with, let alone destroy, the largest alien ship. UFOs perform quite strange maneuvers: they make sharp turns, land and take off, disappear and reappear. If the fighter manages to catch up with the UFO, a short battle usually ensues, the winner of which is the strongest. If your aircraft sustains too much damage, your onboard computer, if it has time, will pull the fighter out of the battle and direct it back to base. Repair time depends on the complexity of the damage but usually does not exceed one day. The computer also monitors the fuel level, and in case of shortage, it will also direct you to the base. Refueling and inspection time is about an hour.
Sometimes you manage to destroy the UFO immediately; more often, you damage it and it falls, and if there was an ocean below, the UFO naturally sinks. Otherwise, it makes an emergency landing, and then you can attempt to capture the ship. You will be asked a corresponding question.
For your actions upon answering "OK", see the "Combat Management" section. What happens to the aliens if you refuse to land, I do not know. They may repair their ship and fly away, die of starvation, be picked up by another ship, or be eaten by wild animals. The rating does not decrease in this case – you still shot down a UFO.
If you are lucky, you will be able to attempt to capture the landed UFO. If successful, you will receive it intact and undamaged and can further research it.
Sometimes you will need to indicate something other than a UFO as a target, for example, a new base when flying from one base to another. The order of actions is the same. You can indicate any place on the map as a target, and the fighter will head there.
It will patrol this area until it runs out of fuel or you indicate a new direction.
From time to time, various messages will appear regarding construction, completion of research, or completion of production. Once a month, you will receive a financial report, which will include current cash, a list of expenses, and UN subsidies. With successful management, the amount of subsidies usually increases, but with a low rating, it decreases. If you fail to make ends meet, the ufology organization may be closed.
To return to the main menu, indicate the "MENU" button.
COMBAT MANAGEMENT
If you managed to shoot down a UFO or attack it when it landed on Earth, you will undoubtedly want to eliminate all the aliens. The program will ask a corresponding question. By answering "OK," you will need to select two types of weapons from what you have, one in your right hand and the other behind your back. After that, you will be lowered from the fighter to the ground next to the UFO.
The game screen can be conditionally divided into two parts: the upper part, where events actually unfold, and the lower part, with control buttons.
The buttons have the following functions (from left to right):
- the first two are used to select the currently active weapon; the next two are reserved for new equipment you have produced. Under each of them, the number of possible uses is indicated;
- next is not a button, but two indicators. The "Heart" shows your health. The "Bullet" reflects the delay required for you to reload or switch weapons.
The next four buttons in the upper row perform the following actions:
- the first centers the hero if he has gone off-screen;
- the next two are used for ascending and descending in an elevator (elevators are usually found on large ships, in cities, at bases);
- the last one is for evacuation to the fighter. Use it only as a last resort when the enemy is too strong for you, as the mission will be considered uncompleted, and your rating will decrease.
Lower row:
- pause button;
- the "?" button shows the aliens around you (works only if the "A" indicator is lit);
- the empty space is reserved for new equipment. The cursor can take the following forms:
- "square" if the cursor is outside the game field. It is used to select equipment or specific actions. By moving it to any edge of the screen to the limit, you will perform smooth scrolling of the game field (scrolling is limited by the hero's position);
- "parallelepiped" if the cursor is in the game field, but no weapon is selected, or the weapon is reloading;
- "crosshair" if the weapon is ready to fire;
- "two arrows" if the cursor points to the lift platform;
- "diamond" if the paralizer is selected.
In addition to the main control buttons of the joystick or keyboard, the following have been added:
- "CARS SHIFT" - shooting in the direction of the cursor. For owners of an extended keyboard, when playing with the "QАОР SPACE" set, I recommend using the up arrow;
- "N" - instant stop;
- "ENTER" - holding it together with one of the direction keys will perform fast scrolling of the screen regardless of the cursor position;
- "F" - I developed two algorithms for moving the hero: a slower one, where the hero bypasses the maximum number of obstacles, and a faster one (FAST), which requires certain experience from the player. This key switches them from one to the other. The presence of the fast algorithm is indicated by the letter "F".
To move the hero, just indicate the place you want to go to and press "FIRE" – the hero will find the way himself. But do not demand too much from him. For example, he will not be able to exit a closed room unless you first lead him to the door. By the way, to open the door, you just need to stand next to it.
To shoot, aim the cursor at the target or beyond it and press "CARS SHIFT". In some cases, there will be no shot: if the weapon is not selected or is reloading, if you run out of ammunition, or if there is an obstacle directly in front of you. Be careful! Some types of weapons shoot explosive charges, so there is a risk of burning yourself if the explosion occurs too close. The farther the target, the less accuracy of hitting. When using the paralizer, remember that it can act even through walls and affects all living things within a certain radius from the aiming point.
About the "A" indicator. It makes sense only if you are playing in the EXPERIENCED or MASTER modes, and indicates that someone from the aliens is in the line of sight (often it looks like the enemy appeared out of nowhere, but in fact, you just turned the corner and saw him). It is especially dangerous if "A" starts flashing – it means the alien is very close but off-screen. If the indicator is lit, and you cannot see anyone, use the button "?" described above.
How do aliens behave in combat? They vary in degrees of treachery and resourcefulness; however, the more of them there are, the worse it is for you. By deciphering the behavior principles of each species, you ensure your victory. Keep in mind that the longer you wage war, the better they adapt to earthly conditions.
Each battle can only end in three ways: either you shamefully fled to the fighter, or died a hero (which has the saddest consequences for all people, as you are our last hope), or you eliminate ALL aliens. In the latter case, a message will be issued about the items picked up from the UFO. If the battle was fierce enough, there may be a message about your losses.
After the battle, you return to map tracking mode.
THE END OF THE GAME
Does this game have an end? As the author, I can responsibly say – yes, it does. What is it? You will find out by conducting the last research...
USEFUL TIPS
Here are answers to questions that most often arise during the game's operation:
Q: How to specify a target faster?
A: Use the "hot" keys.
Q: A UFO appeared, I selected it as a target, but the fighter is not flying anywhere. What next?
A: Speed up the flow of game time.
Q: I think it's very easy to shoot down a UFO. Yes or no?
A: Yes, even a monkey can be taught this. However, it is not so easy to make the UFO fall on land. To do this, actively use the patrol mode.
Q: It's inconvenient to move the screen across the game field – first, you have to move the cursor to the edge of the screen. What to do?
A: For fast scrolling, use ENTER together with the control keys.
Q: How to pick up items? What should be picked up?
A: Everything is automatically picked up when you kill all the aliens in battle.
Q: I killed all the aliens, but nothing happens and there are no messages. Why?
A: You haven't killed everyone yet. Or there is an elevator somewhere to the second floor (if it is not a small ship).
Q: I can't aim the paralizer accurately at the aliens – they run away. What to do?
A: Remember, the paralizer acts within a certain radius from the aiming point – you can aim it near the alien.
Q: Why such a small screen?
A: One of the devices you will develop will expand it.
Q: How long do you have to play to reach the end?
A: At least a year and a half of game time, and then it depends on luck.
Q: How many bases should there be?
A: It's up to you. But know that by the end of the first year, you should build almost all of them; otherwise, the population will be very dissatisfied, and your rating will constantly drop.
Q: What are the differences between version 1.04 and previous ones?
A: All disk access errors from versions 1.0 and 1.01 have been fixed; compared to version 1.02, the rules of the game have become stricter but also more interesting. Saving game states to disk is much more convenient than in version 1.03.
Q: How to make sure I have a legal copy of the game?
A: a) Check the "Hardware Requirements" section again; b) The game should practically not hang or crash. After 5-6 successful battles, you can be sure that there is no false activation of the protection.
Q: Will there be a sequel to the game?
A: Quite possibly.
Vyacheslav Mednonogov February 23, 1995.
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #13
- Expertise - Андрей Бусыгин
Guide for piloting, finding graphite rods, completing reactor tasks under radiation threat. Tips for city exploration, saving strategies included. Achieving success awards player with corporation bonus.
- Debut - Андрей Школьников
Discussion of the game 'Worm in Paradise' by Level 9, its complex gameplay, and narrative intricacies. Exploration of the 'Silicon Dreams' series and protagonist Kim Kimberly's adventures. Insights into game mechanics and thematic elements.
- Assault - Василий Смирнов
Analysis of game 'HIJACK' with strategies and codes for success, shared by player Vasiliy Smirnov from Kirov. Key to advancing in the game is acquiring codes for opening doors and accessing transport. Exploration of the relationship between different codes and game progressions.
- Exam
Summary of the game contest 'THEY STOLE A MILLION' in Spectrofon #13. Detailed answers from reader Anton Igoshin. Gratitude to participants and encouragement for future contests.
- Premiere
Release of a new version of the logical game 'COLOR LINES' by Moscow's Grepan brothers, featured in Spectrofon #13 with an additional demo reel.
- Review
Review of simulation and sports games for ZX Spectrum, including 'F-19 Stealth Fighter', 'Carrier Command', 'Dizzy 7', 'Hudson Hawk', and 'Magic Johnson's Basketball'. Highlights features, graphics, and gameplay elements.
- Review - Вячеслав Медноногов
Description of the game 'UFO: Enemy Unknown' by Vyacheslav Mednonogov, detailing the storyline of alien invasions in 1997 and gameplay mechanics.
- Overview
Announcement of the 'SPECIAL FORCES' game by Step Creative Group, inspired by 'LASER SQUAD'. Players command a team of space marines against various threats. The article also mentions a new game, 'UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN'.
- Bits from the World
The article discusses tactics and strategies in the game Elite, focusing on cargo management, achieving ranks, and exploiting game mechanics. Authors share experiences with item limits, cargo extensions, and combat techniques. Interesting insights on using Alien Items and technical lasers are presented.
- System - Matthias
Comprehensive guide on using SOUND TRACKER for ZX-Spectrum, covering features and functionalities like pattern management and sound editing.
- Advertisement
The advertisement section of Spectrofon #13 provides contact information for purchasing the magazine, promoting collaboration opportunities for program developers, and offering various Spectrum-related products and services.
