                             
                            ACES OF THE PACIFIC
                        
                           Ver 1.2 Release Notes

I. MANUAL CORRECTIONS

    A.  Page 192:  Training -- To obtain unlimited ammo in the
        Training missions, the Realism Panel must have the
        Limited Ammunition option unselected.

    B.  Page 199:  The rudder (from the keyboard) is self centering;
        it does NOT require the / key to be pressed.

    C.  Page 201:  Flight Plan -- Moving the cursor will NOT bring up
        information on map features.

    D.  Page 213:  Limited Fuel -- On all Fly Single Missions, the
        player will automatically have unlimited fuel--the Limited
        Fuel option can NOT be selected.  The player will have the
        option of selecting the Limited Fuel option in Career missions.
        
    E.  Page 216:  The Ground Strikes tally represents the number of 
        ground targets that were destroyed by either bombs or rockets.
        Targets that were destroyed by strafing are NOT tallied.
        However, you will accrue points for the targets that are 
        destroyed by strafing.
  
        A Ships Hit tally is awarded only when the pilot hits a ship
        with a bomb or live torpedo, NOT with rockets or strafing.

    F.  SAVING TAPES TO EMS:  The amount of available EMS memory
        necessary to run Aces is 32K more than the 311,296 bytes listed
        in the Technical Supplement.  The program now requires 344,064
        bytes of available EMS memory.
          
        The extra 32K is used as a buffer.  While a mission is being
        played, the tape data is stored in this buffer.  When the buffer
        is filled, the information will be written to disk.  (This will
        happen about every 10 min.)


II.  MANUAL ADDITIONS

    A.  TAPE COMPATIBILITY:  When loading a tape, an asterisk next to a
        tape name indicates that the tape was created with a version of
        the program that is incompatible with the current version--the 
        tape will not load.

    B.  GRACE PERIOD:  The Grace Period elapsing is indicated by the
        dimming of the option buttons on the Realism Panel.  (Page 214.)
        
    C.  VIEWS:  In addition to the preset views, customized external
        views can be created and saved.  To create an additional view,
        use the floating camera to position the camera where you want
        it, then, simultaneously press the Ctrl key and one of the
        function keys (i.e. Ctrl-F1) to save the view.  To load a saved
        view, press the Alt key along with the function key that was
        used to save the view (i.e. Alt-F1).

    D.  SNAPSHOT:  Pressing Alt-T will take a snapshot of the current
        screen image and save it to a file (in .LBM format).

III. PERIPHERALS

  Joystick Control

    Unresponsive joystick control may be caused by several factors:

    A.  Multiple game cards/joystick ports:  If your computer has more 
        than one joystick port, the ports may conflict with each other,
        affecting joystick control.  Most commonly, the joystick port
        on a multi-function card (i.e. a card that includes a hard disk
        controller and parallel, serial and joystick ports) conflicts
        with the joystick port on a sound card.  In this case, the
        joystick port from one of the devices needs to be disabled, or
        one of the cards must be removed.  Most cards with joystick
        ports provide instructions for disabling the joystick port;
        check your card's user manual for details.

    B.  A fast computer with a non-speed adjusting game card:  If you
        have a fast computer (i.e. 386/33 or faster) and your game card
        is not adjustable to the speed of your computer, the program may
        not receive accurate input values from the joystick.

    C.  A speed adjustable game card is not calibrated to the computer's
        speed:  Make sure that your game card is properly adjusted to
        match the speed of your computer.  Most speed adjustable game
        cards provide software or hardware devices which allow you to 
        easily adjust the speed of the card.

        Note:  If you are using a ThrustMaster (R) Flight Control System
        (FCS), your card may need to be adjusted differently than for a
        standard joystick.

    D.  A Multifunctional port (i.e. Sound Blaster's joystick port,
        which doubles as a MIDI port) in a fast machine:  Many sound
        cards include ports that can be used for both a sound device
        and a joystick.  Occasionally, these are non-standard joystick
        ports which create problems with faster machines.

    E.  The Joystick was not calibrated from within the program:
        Inaccurate joystick control can often be solved by calibrating
        the joystick from within the program.

        
        NOTE:  If you calibrate your joystick from the Preferences panel
        off the main menu and you encounter joystick control problems,
        try calibrating it from the Preferences panel accessed from
        within the simulation (by pressing the F10 key).
      

  ThrustMaster (R)

    The Revision C-1 (also referred to as Revision D) model of the
    ThrustMaster (R) Weapon Control System (WCS) is the first model to
    support Aces of the Pacific.  Revision C-1 can be identified by its
    yellow manual cover.  If you have an older model of the WCS, you
    can contact ThrustMaster (R) about updating to the proper version.

    The joystick port on the Sound Blaster sound card will not provide
    the Forward & Up view (forward position) with the FCS's "hat."
    
    The cockpit views will not work from the FCS "hat" if the FCS is
    plugged into a y-cable.

    
    If you have a dual port game card, the FCS must be plugged into
    port #1.  Also, a second joystick should NOT be plugged into the
    second joystick port.


  Throttle Control with Joystick #2

    When configured as the game's throttle device, the second joystick
    emulates the plus and minus keys on the keyboard; that is, when the
    spring action on the stick is enabled, from its resting upright 
    position, pushing up on the stick will increase the throttle and 
    pulling back on the stick will decrease the throttle.
    
    To configure Aces so that the second joystick will emulate an analog
    throttle slider, disable the y-axis spring action of the joystick
    and select Slider as the Throttle setting from the Preferences panel.




IV. FLIGHT MODEL NOTES

  Top speeds

    As discussed in the manual, the top speeds of each aircraft vary
    with altitude.  This is modelled fully in Aces of the Pacific.
    Some aircraft are fastest at high altitude (like the P-51), and
    some perform better at a lower altitude.  In addition, some
    aircraft will be less maneuverable at higher altitudes, resulting
    in lower roll and turn rates.
    
  Range

    The ranges listed in the manual are those supplied by the aircraft
    manufacturers.  These ranges were based on flight tests of the
    aircraft under optimal conditions with skilled test pilots flying
    stripped down versions of the aircraft.  The ranges listed on the
    Preflight screen in Aces of the Pacific are lower than those in the
    manual, properly reflecting the ranges of these aircraft in actual
    combat.

V.  TIME SCALE

  Time Scale Definition

    The Time Scale slider on the Preferences panel (accessed from within
    simulation) adjusts the amount of "program time" between frames of
    animation.  It affects the distance a moveable object will travel
    between displayed frames, not how often a new frame is displayed.
    
    Time scale setting has no effect on the frame rate of the program.
    The things that will affect the computer's frame rate are:  the
    processing power of the computer and the amount of animation that
    needs to be displayed.

    The purpose of providing the time scale feature is to allow the user
    to set a program speed they find comfortable.  With the time scale
    up, the animation is chunkier, but feels more responsive.  With the
    time scale down, the animation is smoother, but the game may feel 
    sluggish.


  
  Time Scale Analogy

    An analogy to help explain the Time Scale is a video camera that can
    record at variable speeds (the adjustable time scale setting) and a
    film projector that always plays back at the same speed (your 
    computer--unless optimized or enhanced, its capability of generating
    frames of animation remains the same).

    In the program, moving the time scale slider down reduces the amount
    of "program time" between frames, similar to filming a water droplet
    at a very fast film speed (i.e. 1000 frames per second) and playing
    it back at normal film speed (29 fps)--it plays back in slow motion
    (and is very smooth).

    Increasing the time scale setting is like filming a moving object at
    normal speed but editing out frames (i.e. every other frame)--the
    action will take place faster, but the motion will appear choppy.



  
  Time Scale Default Setting

    The program uses a detection routine to determine the processing
    power of your computer and will default the time scale setting to
    what it considers "real time."

    If you have changed the Time Scale setting and want to return it to
    its default position, delete the SIM.OUT file.  This will trigger the
    program to run through the detection routine and set the Time Scale.

  Time Scale and VCR Tapes

    The Time Scale setting is an integral part of vcr tapes.  The Time
    Scale setting on the computer on which the tape was recorded is saved
    in the tape, and will have an impact on how the tape is played back.
    For best viewing results, when exchanging vcr tapes, a tape should be
    played on a computer which is similar in speed to the computer on
    which the tape was recorded.


VI.  FRAME RATE/PERFORMANCE

    Two factors determine the frame rate of the program:  the speed of
    your computer and the amount of animation that is displayed.

    Short of updating your hardware, there are several things that can
    be done to increase the frame rate and overall performance of the
    program:

    A.  Lower the World and Aircraft detail settings from the Preferences
        panel, accessed from within the simulation (F10).

    B.  Turn off the Realistic Weather option from the Realism Panel.

    C.  For single missions, the more planes you include in the mission,
        the slower the frame rate will be.


Aces of the Pacific
Copyright (c) 1992 Dynamix, Inc.
