============================================================================ The Quake Command Aircraft & Source - Abandoned! Quake C Code: Steve Bond (wedge@nwlink.com) Models : John Guthrie (choryoth@nuc.net) Special Thanks: The HANGAR.BSP Map : Marc Fontaine (mafon@stud.uni-sb.de) All-new model skins: Dan Bickell (danbickell@loop.com) Aircraft Sound FX : Ray Loggins (loggins@avana.net) ============================================================================ Quick Note ---------- The aircraft project has been lying around for months. I'm too busy and too disinterested to continue working on it. This is the final working version of the aircraft that I will personally release. Most of the things that people complained about are now fixed. The source is included with this release, do as you please with it, but be sure to read and observe the conditions as described in the AIRCRAFT.QC file. If you plan to rework the Aircraft source into your own project, please make your own models. You'll find the source code in the ACSRC.ZIP file in this archive. Installation ------------ In this archive, you will find three files: README.TXT - This text file PROGS.DAT - The compiled Quake C code that makes the aircraft work. PAK0.PAK - This is a resource file that contains all of the new graphics, sounds, and levels. 1) Make a directory in your QUAKE directory. Name this directory 'ACBETA2' 2) Copy the PROGS.DAT and PAK0.PAK files into the ACBETA2 directory. 3) Now, change to your QUAKE directory and start the game by typing 'quake -game acbeta2' 4) Pull down your Quake Console (hit the ` key at the top left of your keyboard.) and type 'map hangar' or 'map testarea' depending on which level you wish to play. 5) Now you must bind some keys to control the aircraft. Here are the impulses and what each one does: IMPULSE 15 - Selects the STINGER missile launcher weapon (when you are on foot) IMPULSE 100 - This will instantly put you inside of an aircraft, but only in a single-player or COOP game. IMPULSE 101 - This will eject you from an aircraft; you'll need this one to bail out of a weak or low-fuel aircraft. IMPULSE 102* - 'Hover mode' This will allow you to hover in an aircraft. IMPULSE 103* - 'Half Speed' Makes the aircraft go at half forward speed. IMPULSE 104* - 'Full Speed' Makes the aircraft haul ass. * You do not need to hold these keys down. Just tap them once to set the speed at which you wish to travel. Also note that the aircraft does not start and stop instantly. Make your throttle change and then wait for your craft to speed up or slow down. Controlling the Aircraft ------------------------ The aircraft was designed to be used with FREELOOK. Moving the mouse around will aim the nose of the aircraft. The aircraft will always fly the direction it is pointing. To gain altitude, point the nose up - the descend, point the nose down. Aircraft Weapons ---------------- VULCAN CANNONS The aircraft is equipped with 2 rapid firing reciprocating cannons. New aircraft come with 200 rounds for this weapon. To select the vulcan just hit '1' when you are in the aircraft. This is the best all-around weapon, and the only smart choice for air-to-air combat. FFAR There is an FFA rocket launcher on either side of the aircraft. These rockets are smaller and a bit weaker than regular rockets. Each time you press the fire button a volley of 4 FFARs will be launched. You must wait 6 seconds for the FFARs to reload between shots, but you can never run out. Use these to pummel puny ground targets. Hit '2' when you are in an aircraft to select FFARs. THE STINGER MISSILE This one is for the ground troops. This one shot wonder eats aircraft (and other people) for brunch. Usage is a little tricky though. The Stinger is a heat-seeking missile, and requires you to lock onto a target before you can launch. When you select the stinger (impulse 15) you will see the launcher protruding from your right shoulder and there will be a targeting reticle in the center of your screen. The red dots must touch the target you wish to lock the missile on. Simply aim so that the red dots are touching an aircraft or another player and hold them on target for a moment and you will see a "LOCK" message in the launcher's reticle. FIRE! If you are on foot and someone locks a Stinger on you, you will see a "MISSILE LOCK" message. In the aircraft you will see this message, and hear a warning tone. If someone launches a stinger at you, you see an "INCOMING!" message. Time to think and move fast. Hide somewhere, eject, or try to outrun the missile until it runs out of fuel (good luck). **NOTE** The stinger missile does not arm until it is a few feet out of the launcher. This is a feature to protect the user. If you launch a Stinger at a target that is very close, the missile will just bounce off without detonating or inflicting any damage. Misc. ----- You can destroy ANY aircraft, anytime. Even empty ones on the ground including the ones that are spawned as part of the level (they will respawn). Only explosive weapons will destroy unmanned aircraft (Missiles and Grenades). You can get into any aircraft that is vacant. So you can jump into a craft that someone else ditched. Aircraft that are out of fuel will obviously not get you very far. Aircraft will go under water, and you won't drown. I didn't intend for these to be submarines, but this feature will be present in this BETA version. LAG! If you have ever tried to play ACBETA over modem or the internet with a modem, you know that exploding aircraft will lag you to hell. The explosions are too cool to ditch though, so I added a NONLAN detail setting that will help out a lot if you are playing over a modem. If you set SV_MAXSPEED to 321, the exploding aircraft will not trail fire. There will still be some lag (workin on it), but performance should be at least 75% better in most cases. The detail level will be controlled differently in the final, but SV_MAXSPEED is fine for now. The Levels ---------- There are 2 custom levels included in this package, they are BOTH inside of the PAK file. I received a lot of email from confused people that insisted that these two levels were not present in the first release. THEY *ARE* in the PAK. TESTAREA.BSP :sigh: I made this one. It's really big and got beat with the ugly stick REAL hard. This level predates AWESOME Quake Map Editors such as Worldcraft (www.islandnet.com/worldcraft/) so I had to make do with what I had at the time. This is the level where the aircraft was born and tested, so I couldn't bear to leave it out of this archive :sniff: There are new bunkers and other hiding places and some nailguns and a rocket launcher for people on foot. HANGAR.BSP A very awesome level that Marc Fontaine produced just for this project. There is plenty of action here whether you have the aircraft or not. There is a quad damage and suit of armor stashed away in the hangar - good stuff for when you need to fight an aircraft. **** NOTE **** PLEASE note the correct spelling of the word 'HANGAR'. A HANGER is something you put your coat on. A HANGAR is where aircraft are stored. You MUST spell HANGAR correctly to get this map to work. ************** Changes Since ACBETA first release: ----------------------------------- Screen no longer flashes every 4 seconds (sorry!) LAN/NOLAN detail levels enabled for better modem/tcp performance. Modem players/Net admins, set SV_MAXSPEED to 321 to turn off high (lag) detail. You can't drown in the aircraft anymore. (It will still behave kinda funny if you get in it underwater and fly out, though) Aircraft no longer stops or starts on a dime. You must wait for it to accelerate/decelerate. Remaining Fuel is now displayed on the status bar, where the armor value is usually displayed (this is only when you are in an aircraft- the armor 'gauge' functions normally when on foot). Vulcan ammo is no longer unlimited. Each aircraft spawns with 200 rounds on board. There is no more waiting for reload. Vulcan rounds remaining are now displayed on the status bar, where the ammo readout appears normally. You no longer crash and die when you run out of fuel in an aircraft- The aircraft will eject you unharmed. If you are flying an aircraft and someone locks you with a stinger missile, the stinger will still track your aircraft, even after you eject (You'll no longer be plowed by a stinger if you eject. Yay!) * Humans on foot are still valid stinger targets. >:) * Aircraft speed is consistant (there was a bug in which the aircraft moved much faster if you jumped into it instead of walking in to it- It goes top speed now, no matter how you get in.) By popular demand, Stinger now locks faster. Replaced the annoying "patank" with a groovy sound effect. If you smack an aircraft into a wall, floor, etc, the cockpit doesn't shake the same direction every time. (happy now, sCary?) Reduced the frequency of radio messages. You are no longer a dead man when you run out of fuel. The aircraft will lose power and you will fall and crash, but you won't be harmed. It is now possible to eject from a craft that has no fuel. Now you can ram (and HURT!) other aircraft and people on foot. Fixed some problems with sounds overriding other sounds. ...And some more. Dun furgot. -Steve (wedge@nwlink.com)