Cobra Gunship 1.2 Final (DOS) RELEASE NOTES Copyright (c) 1997 Elysium Digital, L.L.C. 5 December 1997 ============================================================================== This README helps you get started with COBRA GUNSHIP. It contains: RELEASE NOTES OVERVIEW SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS INSTALLATION KNOWN ISSUES GETTING STARTED TROUBLESHOOTING REGISTERING LICENSE Additional information can be found in the MANUAL. There are text (.txt) and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) versions. The Acrobat version has nice formatting and images. The Acrobat Reader is available at: This is version 1.2 of Cobra Gunship. Please check our web site at: to verify that this is the latest version of this program. If not, please download the newer one. It may contain program improvements, bug fixes or documentation changes. RELEASE NOTES ============================================================================== 1.2 - 5 December 1997 * IMPORTANT: Fixed a copy-protection related bug which could result in loss of data. * Fixed a serious bug which prevented external maps from being playable. * Now shows the correct version number in the main menu. * Minor gameplay tweaks to make early levels a little less frustrating. * The program no longer quits if you have a sound card installed but no BLASTER string set. * Numeric keypad now really does work. 1.1 - 18 November 1997 * Added TROUBLESHOOTING section to the README * Fixed minor bug that exited if a previously installed device was removed * Numeric keypad now works in the text entry widgets. 1.0 - 14 November 1997 * Initial release OVERVIEW ============================================================================== Cobra Gunship is a side-view scroller helicopter arcade game. Using the keyboard, mouse or joystick, you control your chopper, flying it through a variety of missions. Along the way, you will use an arsenal of weaponry to destroy your opponents. Between missions, you will customize your chopper, adding newer engines, better armor, and improved weapons. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ============================================================================== Cobra Gunship was designed to be very configurable. As a result, it runs on many lower-end machines, while still taking advantage of the extra power that faster machines offer. If you install the game on a slower system, please refer to the section on Options to see how to configure the game to run at an acceptable speed. Required Recommended ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PC * 486DX33 * Pentium 150 * VESA 1.2 compatible SVGA card * SoundBlaster-compatible sound card * SoundBlaster16-compatible sound card * 12MB RAM * 16MB RAM * DOS 6.2 or Windows 95. * Windows 95 INSTALLATION ============================================================================== PC Installation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just unzip the files into a directory called Gunship and run GUNDOS.EXE. That's it! The program is completely self-contained. Note that the game was carefully engineered to run perfectly from within Windows95. Just double-click on GUNDOS.EXE from the Explorer, or run it from a DOS window. If you do run the game from real DOS, it would be better if you loaded a mouse driver, since the game does make good use of the mouse. The one potential problem you might have is that your video card does not have the VESA 1.2 BIOS. You'll know that you have this problem when you get a video error message, or if the game runs, but seems to be crunched into the top half of the screen. Don't worry! You can probably download a VESA driver to bring your card up to date. Check the web site of your video card manufacturer. Also, there is a nice collection of drivers at: If you can't find a VESA driver in either place, try SCITECH DISPLAY DOCTOR, at If you have trouble running COBRA GUNSHIP, type "set xdev=1" at the DOS prompt, then run it again. You will see a screen that describes what hardware has been recognized by the program. KNOWN ISSUES ============================================================================== 1. COBRA GUNSHIP will not necessarily run under Windows NT. 2. In Windows 95, you may not be able to switch out of the application and back in again. 3. If you are using a VESA driver and it does not seem to work, try running it from a full-screen DOS prompt. GETTING STARTED ============================================================================== When you start the game, you will see the Elysium Digital, L.L.C. logo and then the game startup screen. After that, the game will take you to the Main Menu. Click on NEW GAME. On the right side of the screen, the stats for your new game will appear. Now, click on MISSIONS. This takes you to the Mission Tree. Click on MISSION 0, and read the Mission Briefing that pops up. Click ACCEPT to start playing the mission. How you control your Cobra during a mission depends on your settings. If you have a mouse, then the default settings are to use the mouse for control. Move the mouse crosshairs to where you want the Cobra to fly, and your chopper will accelerate towards the cursor. The further you move the cursor away from your Cobra, the faster it pursues it. If you have no mouse or have turned off mouse control, you can use the keyboard to control your Cobra. The default settings have you use the arrow keys to move the Cobra up, down, left and right. Regardless of how you move the chopper, you will also need to flip which way it is facing, select weapons and fire. The default keys for these are: Flip Direction: E Select Primary: S Select Secondary: F Fire Primary: Fire Secondary: D You can also use keys { 1, 2, 3, 4 } to select a particular primary weapon, and keys {5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, - } to select a particular secondary. TROUBLESHOOTING ============================================================================== If you run the game from DOS (not from Win95), your BLASTER environment string must be set if you have a soundblaster compatible card installed. See your sound card docs to find out how to do this if it is not already done. If you run it from Win95 (even if it is from a DOS prompt), you don't need to do this. If your display is behaving strangely, you may need a VESA driver. We have a web page dedicated to this problem at: If you have trouble unzipping the file, try getting the latest version of pkunzip from: REGISTERING ============================================================================== When you first download your copy of COBRA GUNSHIP, it is unregistered. You will be allowed to play only missions 0-5, you can't load external missions, and some of the weapons are turned off. To play all 31 levels, be able to load external map files and buy all weapons, you need to purchase a serial number by registering. You may order the following ways: 1) Order on our web site (credit-card only) for a $1.00 discount: http://www.elys.com/ 2) Fill out this form and mail or fax it to us for a $0.50 discount. EMania c/o Agile Systems, Inc. P.O. Box 221 Raritan, NJ 08869-0221 (908) 369-1317 FAX 3) Place an order by telephone (credit-card only): (888) 369-0047 (U.S. only, 9am-5pm Eastern Time) or (908) 369-0084 (International, 9am-5pm US Eastern Time) Once you have you serial number, just click REGISTER from the Main Menu. You will see a window with entry buttons for your name and serial number. Enter them here and click OK. NOTE: Both your name and your serial number must be entered EXACTLY as they are listed. If you make a mistake entering one or the other, the game will tell you which one is incorrect. Just correct your typo and hit OK. That's it! Once that is done your purchase is complete. The entire game will be available to you. LICENSE ============================================================================== BY COPYING, USING OR DISTRIBUTING THIS SHAREWARE PROGRAM, YOU INDICATE YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE: Terms: "Program" shall refer to the game "Cobra Gunship", with all associated files. The "Trademarks" consists of "Elysium Digital, L.L.C.", any Elysium Digital, L.L.C. logo, "Cobra Gunship" name, and any associated labels and trademarks. Ownership: The content, layout and format and associated Trademarks of this Program are the property of Elysium Digital, L.L.C. Terms of Distribution and Use: 1. The unregistered version of this Program may be freely copied or distributed, provided that: o All of the files from the original archive are distributed together, unmodified. The distributor is responsible for making sure that he distributes no version of the Program that is missing files or contains modified files. o No charge of any kind is levied for distribution of the Program. If a charge is to be levied, specific written permission must first be obtained from Elysium Digital, L.L.C. 2. The registered version of this Program may NOT be distributed in any way. The Program and its accompanying documentation are protected by United States copyright law and also by international treaty provisions. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this package, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties. 3. Any distributor or user agrees not to modify, reverse compile, disassemble, or reverse engineer the Program, or use or disclose any confidential information that it contains. 4. Any distributor or user agrees to the Warranty below. Warranty: This program is provided "as is" with no warranties of any kind, including implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Under no circumstances will Elysium Digital, L.L.C. provide any remedy for direct, indirect, special, consequential, incidental or other damages arising from the use of this Program, including such from negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty or contract, even after notice of the possibility of such damages.