Return Fire
Welcome to

Return Fire™ (demo version)

For Windows 95

Warning (9/5/95): This demo of Return Fire™ has been partially disabled, and is not guaranteed to function on all hardware and software configurations.  This includes some joysticks, and video and sound cards.  Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.  ---The Baron.

Basic Training

Land Navigation

Vehicles

The art of warfare

Problems or Questions


BASIC TRAINING

Here are the keyboard controls for Return Fire. Familiarize yourself with them before you begin play.

While in the bunker:

Player 1	Player 2

Select a vehicle 	= H	Enter

View map	= J	+

Vehicle information 	= K	-

While in the field:

Ground Fire	= H	Enter

Air Fire	= J	+

Switch/Drop/Center	= K	-

Forward	= W	8

Back	= S	5

Turn/ Left 	 	= A	4

Turn/ Right	= D	6

Turret/Bank Left	= Q	7

Turret/Bank Right	= E	9

System Controls:

Quit Game	= ESC

Full-Screen	= Alt + Enter

Pause Game	= F3

If you want to return to the bunker, drive or fly your vehicle over the bunker so that the bunker light comes on, then press one of your Fire keys.

When you first run Return Fire, you will be offered two choices:

 The number of players (1 or 2)

 The difficulty level (easy or hard)

After this, you will be in the underground bunker screen.  You’ll choose from four vehicles to start with.  To view a map of the playing field or to see the status of any of your vehicles (while viewing vehicles status), press either the Left or Right cursor key to toggle.  Directional keys represent screen or vehicle movement (for instance, the Up key will move the vehicle towards the top of the screen, or forward in the direction it is facing).  This change will be separate for each of the four vehicles.

As you play Return Fire, you may lose all the vehicles of a certain type.  If this happens, the slot where that vehicle type would have been displayed will be empty.


LAND NAVIGATION

No war can be fought without information about the battle arena.  In Return Fire, you have access to terrain data collected by your unit’s Intelligence Gathering Division (IGD).  This data includes the following:

 The outline of the island(s) on which you will be fighting

 The location of your bunker, as well as the enemy’s if two

   humans are fighting

 The positions of turrets, yours and the enemy’s

 Walls surrounding built-up areas and cities

 All flag-buildings

 Where the flags are (once they have been found)

An entire map of the war zone is available from the bunker (see Basic Training).  The IGD is constantly updating this data, but since there are limits to communications, you can only see the full map while in the bunker.

Some of your vehicles have a RADAR unit installed.  These units will only show information about your immediate area, so be sure to study your map before you leave the bunker.

NOTE:  Special provisions have been made for deserters.  Do not leave the bounds of your assigned sector!  You have been warned!


VEHICLES

TANK & ASV:

You have been assigned two types of armored vehicles to assist you in reaching your objective:

 Armored Support Vehicle (ASV)

 Tank

The ASV has the strongest armor and weapons of any of your vehicles.  It can even lay mines (2-Player) to thwart the enemy’s efforts!  However, the additional armor and munitions slow this vehicle down.

The tank is faster than the ASV, and thus has a better chance of avoiding incoming fire.  Although it cannot lay mines like the ASV, the tank can turn its turret independently of its body.  This allows it to fire in any direction while moving.

HELICOPTER:

Although your ground forces are superior, headquarters has determined that you could use some air support.  You have been allowed access to a special helicopter team for quick and decisive maneuvers, including but not limited to:

 Anti-armor missions

 Forward area intelligence gathering

 Bombing of strategic targets

 General harassment of the enemy

These helicopters are fast.  They also have two separate weapons systems that can be switched while in battle if needed.  These would make excellent weapons of war if their armor weren’t so light.  Just a few direct hits, and this bird goes down.

JEEP:

You’ve been assigned this special vehicle for retrieving the enemy’s flag once it is exposed.  The jeep is the fastest of the vehicles -- quick in and quick out.  Because the jeep has been optimized for speed, it carries no weapons other than a crate of grenades.  These are effective for clearing the landscape of trees and brush - but not much else.  The jeep has no armor.  One hit, and it’s history.

There’s more to this jeep than meets the eye.  It’s amphibious, so the tires can be inflated or deflated so that the jeep may traverse water or land with equal ease.

While the jeep does not carry the heavy radar equipment of the armored vehicles, it does carry a primitive directional device.  When the jeep is facing toward the bunker, the light on the dashboard will show red.  When the jeep is facing toward the enemy’s exposed flag, the light on the dashboard will show green.


THE ART OF WARFARE

Generic Hints:

As you drive across the landscape leaving a path of rubble and destruction in your wake, you may find that you’re running low on ammo and fuel.  These may be replenished at special supply depot buildings.  Park in front.  As the bell rings, your vehicle will be refueled or re-armed.  The helicopter can’t be refueled or re-armed while it is in flight;  you must land at your own base.

Bring your vehicles back to your bunker before they are completely destroyed.  The bunker will repair all damage.

You can self-destruct by pressing all control keys (i.e. H+J+K) simultaneously.  You will sacrifice the vehicle, but it’s a quick way to get back to your bunker.

The submarine is deadly and cannot be destroyed.  Once you have a heat-seeker on your tail, you’re toast... unless something else is closer to the missile.  The missile really is heat-seeking, so if a drone or even your enemy is closer to the missile, it will be destroyed instead.  This holds true even if you’re the one who caused the sub to surface.  With a bit of practice, the heat-seeker can be used quite creatively.

Always check the map when you’re in the bunker.  It is constantly updated and will show you how the terrain has changed.  It will also show your enemy’s position as they move around.

Two Player Hints:

Learn to play very well.

If your enemy finds your flag, take your jeep and go retrieve your own flag.  Then:

1.  Hide it behind a building or turret

2.  Move it to the farthest location on the map

3.  Bring it back to your own bunker (it will randomly be placed in a new flag tower)

- or -

4.  You can take it out to sea, and it will slowly float back to shore.  Let your enemy have fun trying to 	find a moving flag!

Mines:

1.  Mine the bridges which are useful to your enemy instead of destroying the bridges.

When your enemy hits the mine, you will have taken out an enemy vehicle and destroyed the useful bridge.

2.  Lay mines on or near your flag.

3.  Lay mines on or near your enemy’s bunker.

4.  The helicopter can destroy mines by firing rockets (and only rockets) directly at the mines.

Use radar screens to:

1.  Keep track of your location.

2.  See your enemy.

3.  Prepare to fight an approaching drone.

4.  See mines (you can’t see them on the map).

The jeep beacon light:

1. The beacon lights green and chimes when you are headed toward your enemy’s exposed flag.

2. The beacon lights bright red when you are facing your bunker.


Problems or Questions?

We recommend that you read this instruction sheet to learn the operation of this game.  Should you have any further problems or questions about playing, please call a Time Warner Interactive game counselor at:

(408)-433-3999

Monday through Friday from

9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time

The official mailing address for Time Warner Interactive is:

Time Warner Interactive

675 Sycamore Drive

Milpitas, CA 95035-0782

ATTN: Customer Service

The official mailing address for Prolific Publishing Inc. is:

Prolific Publishing Inc.

P.O. Box 5000

Burbank, CA  91508-5000

CREDITS:

Designed and Created by Baron R.K. Von Wolfsheild

Written by William A. Ware

Windows version by James J. Host and John L. Saleigh

Special Tools by Edgar Tolentino and CJ Little

Art by Van Arno

Return Fire Copyright 1995 Silent Software, Inc.