Lost Patrol dox
Typed by Flux of Mirage

THE LOST PATROL

28 intermediate pictures, 10 of which are animated, 5 digitised sequences, 5 arcade sequences, 5 character interaction sequences.

SCENARIO

June 7th, 1966; A U.S. Helicopter returning troops from a period of R 'n' R in Saigon crashes in the remote central highlands of Vietnam. Now the seven survivors of that crash face a nightmare trek across 57 miles of harsh terrain that is infested with booby traps and enemy soldiers. The journey to Do Hoc, the nearest U.S. base, would test the most able of teams - but with little food or ammunition their chances of making it home are less then slim, their mission is now your mission - are you a survivor? You take the part of Sgt. Weaver, the only officer left to take charge of the remaining crew. It is important that you learn the individual characters of your team, as completing the mission may hinge upon their reactions to your decisions. Also, during your encounters with the Vietnamese people (Montagnards in the mountain areas) show restraint and caution - all may not be as it seems. Finally, the only known rule of Jungle Warfare during those early years was "The Night Belongs to the V.C......", the rest is for you to discover.

THE TEAM

Sgt Charlie Weaver
U.S Residence; Springfield, Illinois. Status; 5'9" ; 153 pounds
29 years old, single. 2 years army service - 10mths in Vietnam on W.H.A.M. mission, intelligence. Decorated for valour during action in the An Loc Province during October 1964.

PTE William Blom
U.S. Residence; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Status; 6'1" ; 168 pounds
24 years old, married, one child. Six months active service in Vietnam. Aikido 2nd dan.

PTE Robert Case
U.S. Residence; Columbus, Ohio.
Status; 5'11" ; 147 pounds
31 years old, married, 2 children. Nine months active service in Vietnam.

PTE Harvey Moore
U.S. Residence; Fayetteville, North Carolina. Status; 5'8" ; 162 pounds
22 years old, single. Six months active service in Vietnam.

PTE Richard Backman
U.S. Residence; Bangor, Maine.
Status; 5'10" ; 161 pounds
28 years old, single. Fourteen months army service, six months active in Vietnam. Highly proficient marksman.

PTE David Cain
U.S. Residence; West Liberty, Kentucky. Status; 6'0" ; 163 pounds
27 years old, single. Seven months active service in Vietnam.

PTE Juan Gomez.
U.S. Residence; Montgomery, Texas.
Status; 5'6" ; 132 pounds
24 years old, married, two children. Nine months active service in Vietnam.

MOVEMENT

Speed of progress can be changed by clicking on the centre of the compass icon. Movement is made by clicking on any of the cardinal points of the compass icon.
Terrain features such as hills, rivers, or jungle will slow your movements as in real life. Using the grid icon will enter more detailed terrain descriptions to the control panel message slot. The arrow icons scroll the map area; if using a mouse click right button to release from this mode.

MORALE

The 'M' icon takes you to the team morale screen where current injuries are shown along with each members strength and morale ratings. Clicking upon the 'lead' icon chooses that member as the head of the team file as they move across country. Clicking upon the 'scout' icon chooses team member as Pointman, guarding your flank and checking ahead for V.C. Maximum of 2 Pointmen may be selected.

MENU

The menu bar at the top of the control panel will give you a number of choices.

TRAPS

Allows you to deploy booby traps in your walk - useful for discouraging any enemy soldiers who may follow you.

FOOD

Governs the food allocation. Normally food is issued automatically at the beginning of any 'rest' or 'dig in' period.

REST

For short periods. The left mouse button increases the length of rest and advances the time in ten minute units.

DIG IN

For use at night, controlled as 'rest', but each time unit is one hour. Both 'rest' and 'dig in' will restore strength and morale to some degree.

MINEFIELD

Some areas, such as V.C. bunkers, may be protected by a surrounding minefield. Pick a member of your team to clear a path to your objective.

Button Stab.

Using the FIRE/LEFT mouse button you can stab at the ground to reveal the outline of suspected mines. Of course, stabbing or crawling directly upon the detonator of a mine will cause instant death to your men. Due to the soft nature of the ground mines may not remain visible for any great length of time, thus great care must be taken when back tracking on your route.

BATTLE SEQUENCE

Pinned inside a ruined farmhouse you battle a V.C. force of unknown size and strength. Both grenades and ammunition must be used sparingly if you are to survive.

Use left mouse/joystick to rise up from behind the wall which protects you, then place the crosshairs over enemy soldiers and fire/right mouse to dispose of them. Grenades can be thrown using the 'grenade' icon to make ready, then aiming and firing as for gunfire. Team fire can be regulated by utilising either the 'heavy' or 'normal' icons:- Remember that more rapid shooting may at times be less accurate then normal fire. Each shot you fire will be taken as due performance from the rest of your team; your ammunition reduced accordingly. Remaining too long above wall level will bring heavy injuries, too long below and your position may be over-run. Retreating can be dangerous during a full scale battle.

BATTLE READOUT

Small skirmishes with the enemy will be displayed as a readout of ammunition, grenades and current injuries, rate of fire, etc, as for full 'battle sequence'.
Updates on the battle will be displayed in the control slot at regular intervals.

GRENADE SECTION

While crossing open ground you are suddenly attacked by machine gun fire. As the V.C. are too well entrenched to be knocked out with normal rifle fire, using grenades to destroy them is a dangerous last resort to free your position.

Pull the pin from a grenade using space bar, mouse or joystick. You then have up to 5 seconds to aim your grenade with the crosshairs, build up strength with joystick/mouse, releasing same to actually throw the grenade. Details of injuries sustained etc will be displayed to the control slot.

HAND TO HAND

Your scouts may encounter V.C. soldiers guarding temporary daytime arms or supply bunkers. As total silence is imperative so as not to alert any other Viet Cong who may be close by, your scout will choose an unarmed attack. Should he fail to report back to the group at the designated time he will be regarded as MIA and left behind. Using 'retreat', may alert the enemy to your position.

KEYBOARD

Cursor keys for RIGHT, LEFT, DOWNWARD movement.
X - Punch.
Z - Kick.

JOYSTICK

Joystick LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN for corresponding movement.
FIRE - Punch.
FIRE+LEFT - Kick.

Allowing your strength bar in the control panel to fall to zero will count as the death of the designated player.

SNIPER SECTION (mouse or joystick only)

Pinned down by enemy sniper fire you must use the telescopic sights of your rifle to locate the distant enemy then dispose of him. As you and each of your men have different levels of skill as a sharpshooter - and of course you have limited supplies of ammunition - it is important that you choose the man to use the rifle most carefully. Choosing to retreat from the area will be dangerous under the circumstances. Cycle through your team's names and abilities with the 'team' icon. Once selected click upon the 'scope' icon for a magnified view of the terrain which can be searched for the tell-tale flash of snipers rifles.
Remember that the steadiness of the sights corresponds to the ability of the man holding the rifle!

HINTS AND TIPS

  1. Maintain morale.
  2. It is not always advisable to shoot first and ask questions later.
  3. For the arcade sequences ensure you select the right man for the job.

GLOSSARY

AK47            - Assault rifle used by Viet Cong and NVA.
AWOL            - Absent without official leave.
C. RATIONS      - U.S. field rations.
DIDI MAU        - Vietnamese for 'Go Away'.
GRUNTS          - Infantryman.
GREENS          - Army basic issue clothes.
HOOCH           - Tent or, later, peasant hut.
KIA             - Killed in action.
KLICK           - Kilometre.
M16             - U.S. assault rifle standard issue.
MAMA-SAN        - Pidgin English for any older Vietnamese women.
MIDEVAC         - Medical evacuation, usually by helicopter.
NCO             - Non-commissioned officer e.g Sergeant.
NVA             - North Vietnamese army.
R AND R         - Rest and recreation leave.
RPG             - Rocket propelled grenade used by enemy forces.
TAIL-END CHARLIE- Last man in patrol.
VIET CONG       - Vietnamese Communist, South Vietnamese Guerrilla forces.
WIA             - Wounded in action.

AMENDMENTS

Please note that the following sections of the game are controlled by mouse only:-
Battle Sequence
Grenade Section
Sniper Section

Minefield

This section is controlled by joystick or the following keys. Cursor keys and space bar to stab the ground. Use mouse to select team member.

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