******************************************************* Hornet: Naval Strike Fighter Version 1.01 update 2/9/94 Includes: Acer BIOS compatibility utility ThrustMaster's TM-STICK joystick utility ******************************************************* CONTENTS -------- WHAT IS ON THIS DISK UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS Manual updating PROGRAM FIXES AND ADDED FEATURES SINCE VERSION 1.0 SPECIAL PROBLEMS - ACER AND TSENG OWNERS FINDING SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE ONLINE WHAT IS ON THIS DISK -------------------- This disk contains all the files necessary to update your copy of Hornet to version 1.01. The update consists of three files (not counting this Read Me file). They are: PATCH.BAT PATCH.RTP GOPATCH.EXE Be sure all three of these files are copied into the directory that contains Hornet before going on with the update. UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS ------------------- Switch to the directory that contains Hornet and type "PATCH" at the DOS prompt. You will see a number of messages indicating that various files are being updated. After a few minutes, the update should be complete. You can verify the update by typing "CHECKVER" at the DOS prompt. In addition to some memory and system information, you should see the following lines: CHECKVER V2.01 - Find Falcon 3.0, MiG-29 & Hornet version numbers Program Version Date Time Size HORNET.EXE 1.01 2-07-94 04:19pm 1391723 Now that the update is complete, you can delete the patch files (PATCH.BAT, PATCH.RTP and GOPATCH.EXE) from your hard drive. Manual updating --------------- If you have trouble with the normal update procedure, you can update manually. Copy the GOPATCH.EXE and PATCH.RTP files into your Hornet directory. Then switch to your Hornet directory and type "GOPATCH" at the DOS prompt. PROGRAM FIXES AND ADDED FEATURES SINCE VERSION 1.0 -------------------------------------------------- Version 1.01 fixes the following problems: * Some users reported a problem where the views would switch around (especially to the Left View) without any user input. This no longer happens. * Serious joystick control and calibration problems found in version 1.0 have been fixed. The joystick inputs are now linear, and there is a "null zone" of 20% of the stick's travel. What this means is that the plane will react evenly to gradual increases in stick pressure, and that slight movement of the stick near the center point will not cause the plane to jerk around. * This new version is fully compatible with version 2.0 of the TM-STICK.COM joystick TSR, developed jointly by Ken "Stinger" Richardson and ThrustMaster. With their permission, we have incorporated much of the TM-STICK code into this update. As a result, you do not need to load TM-STICK.COM to fix your joystick problems. If you want the other features of TM-STICK, however, you will still have to load it. After you run this update, TM-STICK.COM will be on your hard drive in the directory that contains Hornet. See the TM-STICK.TXT file for information on how to use this utility. * Numerous users reported problems with wingmen crashing. This was due to two problems. First, there was an error in the flight logic that caused computer-controlled wingmen to stall out in a sharp climb. Stalling out in a dogfight is usually fatal. The other reason for high wingman mortality was running out of fuel. On long missions, where external fuel is necessary to make it back, there was an error that caused wingmen to jettison their stores early. Both of these problems have been fixed. See the next item for a full explanation of the jettisoning problem. * In version 1.0, as soon as you switched to the final waypoint (either by flying to all the other ones or by pressing Shift-B), all your wingmen automatically jettisoned their stores in preparation for a carrier landing. This had some unfortunate consequences if your flight happened to be deep in enemy territory at the time. Now, no stores are jettisoned until the LSO picks up a pilot in the landing pattern and begins giving instructions. At this point, stores will be automatically jettisoned to lighten up for landing. Note that this automatic jettisoning applies to your plane as well: as soon as you contact the LSO (by pressing Alt-H), your stores will be jettisoned. * Enemy planes will no longer show up during landing. You still must deal with any that were pursuing you on the way in, but no new foes will appear once you begin your landing sequence (unless you stray too far from the carrier). In addition, we have added a CAP flight of F-14s that sometimes appear when you are near the carrier to help you escape any pursuers. * The ILS has been completely redone so that it is now useful. The ILS cone (the area within which you can detect the ILS signal) extends 18 nm from the stern of the carrier. At this distance, the cone is 20 degrees wide: *********** ----------------- *********** ! carrier ! 20 degrees ----------------- *********** *********** 18 nm When you get within 10 nm, the cone is 70 degrees wide (35 degrees on either side): *** *** ----------------- *** ! carrier ! 70 degrees ----------------- *** *** **** 10 nm In addition, the cone extends 1 nm forward from the end of the landing deck, so you will still have ILS information during a bolter. When you are outside the cone, the bars of the ILS cross appear as dotted lines that cross at the center of your HUD. The bars on the ILS only show up to 4 degrees of deviation. Thus, if you were 2 degrees to the right of the beam, here is how the ILS would look: --- | (both lines | are solid) |----|-----------| | | --- If you are more than 4 degrees off the beam, the appropriate bar will appear as a dotted line at the end of the other bar. So, if you were more than 4 degrees below glideslope, the ILS would look like this: |- - - --- - - -| <--(dotted line) | | | <--(solid line) | | --- Thus, to be on a proper landing approach, you must keep both lines centered. Be aware that the waypoint indicator at the top of your HUD does NOT show the location of the carrier! It only shows the way to your current waypoint. Once you reach your final waypoint, it is up to you to spot the carrier visually and bring your bird in. You can also detect the carrier using SEA mode radar. Finally, remember that the ILS is not intended to guide you all the way to the deck. It is meant to bring you in on a safe approach until you can finish the landing visually. Once you can see the deck and the meatball, ignore the ILS and fly the meatball in. * The vertical velocity on the HUD is now shown in feet per minute instead of tens of feet per minute. SPECIAL PROBLEMS - ACER AND TSENG OWNERS ---------------------------------------- There are a couple of special hardware problems that have been reported. The first has to do with Acer motherboards. The other problem only affects users who have a video card with the Tseng ET4000/w32 chipset. Acer and Acros owners --------------------- Owners of Acer computers, Acros computers or other computers with Acer motherboards using BIOS version version 1.2 could not play Hornet. When the game was run, it would simply freeze with a blank screen. The solution is to use a small TSR (terminate-and- stay-resident) program called ACER.COM which we created to deal with this incompatibility problem. Running this update will automatically copy ACER.COM into the directory containing Hornet. If you have an Acer with BIOS version 1.2, type "ACER" before you run Hornet. This will load the ACER TSR into memory, where it will allow you to play Hornet. When loaded, ACER.COM takes up 768 bytes (0.8K) of conventional memory. Since Hornet requires 604K of conventional memory, be sure you have enough free RAM for this TSR as well. When you are done playing, type "ACER U" to unload the TSR from memory. Tseng ET4000/w32 chipset ------------------------ If you have a video card with the Tseng ET4000/w32 chipset, you may experience problems with frequent white flashing in the simulation. You can download a specific fix for this video problem from our Customer Support BBS at (510)522-8909 or from GEnie, CompuServe or America Online. FINDING SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE ONLINE -------------------------------- America Online: Press Ctrl-K for "Go to Keyword." Then type "SPECTRUM" in the Keyword window. You can also send e-mail to us at S HOLOBYTE. CompuServe: Type "GO GAMBPUB" at any ! prompt. Then select "Section 3" for Spectrum HoloByte. You can also send us e-mail at 76004,2144 GEnie: Type "M805;1" at any ? prompt. Then select "Category 18" for Spectrum HoloByte. You can also send us e-mail at HOLOBYTE. Internet: Send us e-mail at 76004.2144@compuserve.com. Prodigy: Check the "Flight Simulators" topic on the Game Club bulletin board (located in the Game Center area). You can also send us e-mail at TKNJ33A.