If you are playing Wings for the first time, you will go directly to Flight School after the title sequence. The menu selections let you Add Pilot, Delete Pilot, View Pilot, Earn Wings, Join Squadron, and Quit/ Exit. The options available at any given time are highlighted.
One pilot, Waldo P. Barnstormer, has already earned his wings when you arrive at Flight School. You may use him as your alter-ego if you want to jump right into the game. Or, create a new pilot and go through the pilot training session to earn your own wings.
 | Select this option and the Add Pilot screen appears (you can add up to 10 pilots). Type in your pilot's name and press RETURN (2nd Lieutenant is your first rank). The box at the bottom of the screen lets you set your pilot's abilities. Use the Joystick to click on the bars (or use the up, down, left, and right arrow keys) to change the ability levels. The bar colour changes from red (low) to yellow (adequate) to green (good), depending on the level of ability assigned. The Ability Points indicator at the top of the box shows how many points you can assign. When you create a new pilot, he has 40 points assigned to each ability, plus 40 more you can distribute between his abilities. This is the only time you can actively adjust these number. During the game, these abilities increase or decrease according to your performance in battle. After making your selections, press ESC to go back to the Flight School, screen. |
Select this option to remove a pilot from Flight School roster.
Select this option to see Flight School pilot's statistics. You'll notice that most of these categories have no figures while you're in school. Later, after you've seen a few battles, you'll learn what these mean.
Select this option to go to Flight School. You must pass training in order to join the 56th Aerosquadron. You'll be assigned to training missions (strafing, bombing, or flying), which are excellent practice for the real thing. Once you succeed at one of the training missions, you earn your wings and are eligible to Join Squadron.
Select this option after earning your wings to join the 56th Aerosquadron. Make this selection, then choose which qualified pilot you wish to be in the game (only one pilot at a time can join the 56th). You receive a briefing from your Commanding Officer, Col. Charles Farrah, at the 56th headquarters. Then the Squadron Roster appears, where you see all the members of the 56th listed by rank, the number of missions they've flown, and enemy planes they've downed. Select CONTINUE GAME. A company journal appears - your diary of the war. Pages turn automatically to the current day's entry - read it carefully, as it often has vital information about your upcoming mission. Press FIRE to go to your first mission.
If you haven't joined the 56th, this ends the game session. If you have a pilot in the 56th, QUIT/ EXIT takes you to the Main Menu.
If you have a saved game, the Main Menu appears after the title sequence. You can also access this menu from other points in the game.
The Main Menu has five selections: REVIEW PILOTS, CONTINUE GAME, NEW GAME, FLIGHT SCHOOL, EXIT/ SAVE. Use the Joystick to move the cursor arrow to the desired selection; press FIRE to select.
Select this option to view the Squadron Roster. This lists all the members of the 56tb by rank, number of missions they've flown, and enemy planes they've downed. From this screen you can select Current Pilot (to see your statistics -see RATINGS for details). Memorial (to see the list of the twenty best Wings players), or Exit (to return to the Main Menu).
Anytime the game takes you to the Main Menu, select this option to resume playing the current game.
Select this option and you see the prompt DELETE GAME IN PROGRESS? Select YES to start a new game. If you have a game in progress that you don't want to lose select NO, then CONTINUE GAME (or EXIT/ SAVE to save the game).
Select this option to create and train pilots.
Select this option to end the current session and save the game. Only one game at a time can be saved on Reel 2. If you wish to save more than one game, make copies of Reel 2 and use a different copy for each game.
In any aerial combat mission, your flying skill is of paramount importance. You must be able to evade enemy fire, manoeuvre to get enemy targets in your sights, and occasionally land a badly crippled airplane without crashing. Enemy planes and the baskets of enemy observation balloons are easily distinguished by their red colouring; Allied aircraft are light brown.
If you can see bushes, you are flying very low. To maintain level flight, keep the horizon line inside your circular gun sight. If you stall (your engine coughs and you start to dive, don't panic. Release the stick for a moment to regain lost airspeed, then ease it back to return to level flight.
Missions aren't over until all enemy planes and balloons have been shot down (make sure your enemy actually hits the ground; a damaged plane can recover and come back to attack you). You can ditch (land your plane) to make a hasty exit from any aerial combat mission. Of course this is frowned on by Wing Headquarters.
Look around by pressing these keys on the number pad; 8 - forward; 4 - left; 6 right; 2 - back. Press FIRE to shoot your machine guns.
Note: When you're facing forward, watch for your pilot's head to turn left or right; that is the direction of the nearest enemy plane.
Before each aerial combat mission you receive mission orders that include the date, the type of mission, and who (if anyone) will be flying with you (including how many missions each of you has flown and how many confirmed kills you've made).
After you get your mission orders and take off (click on FLY), a "movie card" appears. Important information about the upcoming battle is included in these messages.
There are four types of aerial combat missions.
Destroy all enemy aircraft (you may meet anywhere from 1 to 10). If any enemy planes get by you and your comrades, you fail your mission.
Destroy all enemy balloons (1 - 5) and any planes protecting them. You will also be under anti-aircraft fire from the ground.
Ensure the safety of the bomber or reconnaissance plane you are assigned to escort by destroying all enemy aircraft. If you lose the plane you're escorting, you fail your mission.
Destroy all enemy planes and ensure the safety of the Allied base or balloons you are assigned to protect. If the base is hit or balloons destroyed, you fail your mission.
At the end of each aerial combat mission you receive a Post Flight Log. This mission report tells you whether your mission was a success or failure, the names of all 56th pilots involved, their status (okay, downed, etc.) and how many planes and/ or balloons each pilot shot down.
If you are unlucky enough to go down and can't make smooth landing, your pilot will be killed. This means you must go to Flight School and create a new persona to continue the war.
In any strafing, your shooting skill is vital. Press FIRE to shoot your machine guns and watch slightly ahead of your plane for the flashing streaks where the bullets hit the ground. Some targets require several hits to finish them off. You must be able to hit enemy trucks, trains, tents, infantrymen, etc., and avoid hitting ambulances and red-cross tents. You must also avoid being hit by ground fire. You can't die in a strafing mission, but you can be shot down by repeated machine-gun hits or a single hit from a large anti-aircraft gun.
Before each strafing mission you receive a set of mission orders that include the date, the type of mission (your primary target), any secondary targets, and what to avoid hitting. In order to succeed in a strafing mission, you must destroy 50% or more of your primary objective targets (in a train-strafing mission, you must destroy the engine, as well as 50% of the cars). Destroying secondary targets improves your pilot's ratings (see RATIING, page 15).
At the end of each strafing mission, the Post Flight Log tells you whether your mission was a success or failure, how many rounds of ammunition you shot, what percentage of your shots hit a target, and your status. It also tells you how many targets were part of your primary and secondary objectives, how many of those targets you destroyed, and what percentage of the targets you destroyed.
Your first bombing mission comes later in the game, as bombs were in short supply at the beginning of the war. When you do get bombs, good aim is critical. You must be able to hit enemy target and avoid hitting hospitals, churches, schools, and ambulances (all marked by a red cross). You can't die in a bombing mission, but you can be shot down by direct hits from antiaircraft fire (close shell bursts rock your plane and make it uncontrollable for several seconds).
You can see how many bombs you're carrying (maximum of 10) by looking at the underside of your wings. Press FIRE to shoot your machine guns. To drop a bomb, press FIRE while simultaneously tapping back on the Joystick.
Before each bombing mission you receive a set of mission orders that include, date, the type of mission (your primary target), any secondary targets, and what to avoid hitting.
After you see the mission orders, a reconnaissance photograph of the target area is displayed. On the photograph you'll see your primary targets circled in red (if primary target is a moving target such as a submarine or a train, you won't see a "con photo). In order to succeed in a bombing mission, you must destroy all your primary objective targets. Destroying secondary targets improves your pilot's ratings (see RATINGS, page 15).
At the end of each bombing mission, the Post Flight Log tells you whether your mission was a success or failure, how many bombs you carried, how many bombs you dropped, how many targets were part of your primary and secondary objectives, and how many of those targets you destroyed.
All functions of flying your plane in Wings are controlled by the Joystick. Pushing the Joystick forward or pulling it back operates the elevators (located on the tail of the plane) and points the nose of the plane down (diving) or up (climbing). Airspeed increases are accomplished by diving. Pushing the Joystick left or right operates the ailerons (the wings flaps) and causes one wing to drop and the other to lift, enabling rolls and turns.
There are three methods of control, from which all aerobatics manoeuvres are derived; roll, pitch, and yaw. Think of your plane as having three axes. The first axis runs from the nose to the tail, and rotation around this axis is called a roll (turning over). The second axis runs from wingtip to wingtip and rotation around it is called pitch (diving and climbing). The third axis passes vertically through the centre of the plane and rotation around it is called yaw (turning from left or right).
To execute a roll, push the Joystick all the way to the left or right and hold it.
Level off by centering the Joystick when the horizon is level.
To climb from level flight, pull the Joystick back. Listen to the engine sounds and you'll notice that the engine slows down as you climb. If you climb too steeply, you lose too much airspeed and stall the plane.. Push the Joystick forward to dive, which increases your speed and can correct a stall if done in time.
To turn, push the Joystick left or right to bank the plane, then centre the Joystick. The plane continues in a full turn. To stop turning, level the plane. On the next few pages are several acrobatic manoeuvres (including the famous Immelmann Turn) you can perform in your S. E.S. A little fancy wing-work can help you evade the Huns in a dogfight; but, don't forget, the object here is to shoot your target and get out alive!
Caution: When doing aerobatics of any sort, be sure you have enough altitude to complete the manoeuvre without hitting the ground! Loops are especially dangerous in World War I aircraft, as you always come out of a loop at a lower altitude than when you begin it.
From upright level flight, push the Joystick all the way to the right (to the left, if you want to roll left). As you approach upside-down position, centre the Joystick. When you're in the inverted flight position, keep in mind that pulling back on the Joystick noses the plane toward the ground and pushing forward pitches it skyward.
From inverted level flight, push the Joystick all the way to the right (to the left, if you want to roll left). As you approach upright position, centre the stick.
From upright level flight, push the Joystick all the way to the right (to the lefty if you want to roll left). To stop rolling, centre the stick.
Push the joystick to the right to begin the roll. Briefly centre the stick at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 points of this roll.
Push the Joystick to the right to begin the roll. Briefly centre the stick at the 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, and 7/8 points of this roll.
ONE-HALF LOOP |  |
ONE-HALF LOOP |
INSIDE LOOPAt the bottom of your dive, pull sharply back on the stick to climb and loop. Continue holding back on the joystick all the way through the loop, until you finish in upright level flight |  |
 | ONE-HALF CUBAN 8Start at a reasonably high altitude and dive to increase airspeed. At the bottom of your dive, pull sharply on the stick to climb and loop. Continue holding back on the stick through the top of the loop until you are nosing directly down. At the 3/4 point of the loop, centre the stick. Push right on the stick to do a one-half roll to upright, pull back on the stick until you're in level horizontal flight. |
SPLITSDo a one-half roll right to inverted position, Pull the stick back to pitch downward, until you level out when you FINISH reach horizontal position. |  |
IMMELMANN TURNStart at a high altitude. Dive to increase airspeed. At the bottom of your dive, pull back on the stick to climb and loop until you are in inverted flight. Then release the stick. Roll right to up-right flight and centre the stick to stop the roll. |  |
To review your status in Wings, select REVIEW PILOTS from the Main Menu, then select Current Pilot from the Squadron Roster screen.
The status screen is divided into four sections. The first section shows your name; rank; number of times you ditched or were downed; number of reprimands you've received; and number of times you were victorious in each type of mission (dogfights, bombing raids, and strafing runs).
The second section shows your confirmed kills, broken down by monoplanes, biplanes, triplanes, (five planes and you're an Ace!) and balloons.
The third section lists your personal statistics; flying ability mechanical aptitude, shooting ability, and stamina. You set these levels when you create your pilot, then your performance in battle affects them from that point.
Successful missions affect all four of these abilities favourably; unsuccessful missions affect them all negatively. The amount of effect is determined by the mission's difficulty level. Successful missions positively affect your entire squadron. Repeated failure has a negative effect on the squadron's morale.
The general manoeuvrability of your airplane (how fast can you fly and turn) is affected by your flying ability.
The rating affects how well your plane holds up in the air, whether or not the guns jam, and how much functionality and control you have if you're hit.
The level of this ability affects the number of hits you need in order to take out enemy aircraft. It also determines the accuracy and range of your machine guns.
The level of stamina determines how well you're able to survive crashes. Rookie pilots are usually killed instantly in mid-air collisions, while pilots with high stamina get a chance to land.
Certain activities in successful missions can favourably affect particular ratings. In a strafing mission, if you hit the required number of primary targets, then take out a majority of your secondary targets, your shooting ability increases. Hitting all the supply areas in a successful strafing mission also adds more to your shooting ability. If you sustain no hits to your plane during a successful strafing mission, you get a significant increase in mechanical aptitude. The more hits you sustain, the smaller the increase. (Getting shot down results in a decrease in mechanical aptitude (even in an otherwise successful mission). After you hit your primary targets in a bombing mission, you get extra flying ability for success at hitting secondary targets. 1-'or example, it' you bad 6 bombs and hit 2 primary targets, then hit 4 secondary targets, you'd get a significant flying ability increase. If you avoid being hit by anti-aircraft flak during a successful bombing mission, you get extra stamina.
When your levels of flying ability, mechanical aptitude, shooting ability, and stamina change, the 'nickname" you get for each category changes on your status screen. The chart below shows some of the changes you may see, starting with the lowest possible rating.
| FLYING | MECHANICAL | SHOOTING | STAMINA |
| Sitting Duck | Butterfingers | Pea Shooter | Door Mat |
| Clay Pigeon I | Apprentice I | Marksman I | Lead Belly I |
| Clay Pigeon II | Apprentice II | Marksman II | Lead Belly II |
| Sky Falcon I | Grease Monkey I | Sharpshooter I | Granite Gut I |
| ? | ? | ? | ? |
| ? | ? | ? | ? |
When you win a medal, it appears in its appropriate niche in the bottom window. Medals and promotions are awarded based on a pilot's successes and the mood at Wings Headquarters. Mood is affected by how the squadron does as a unit. Keep this in mind the next time one of your buddies sweeps in and steals a hard-earned kill just as you were about to deliver the finishing blow.
You can't really lose the game, but you can lose a pilot. Naturally, if your pilot dies, he's out of the picture. If you fall at three missions in a row, you receive a servere warning from the C.O. You get a second warning with your fourth consecutive failure, and you're thrown out of the squadron with five failures in a row! Just one success in between these failures will keep you in the air.
Your pilot can also he given a dishonourable discharge for behaviour unbecoming an officer of' the 56th Aerosquadron. Unacceptable behaviour includes shooting down one of your own planes or balloons, or shooting any object marked with a red cross (ambulances, hospitals, schools and churches). Each time you do one of these dastardly deeds, you get a reprimand. Three reprimands and you're out!
You win Wings by surviving until Armistice Day. The last mission is on November 10, 1918. When you make it through that mission, you've made it through the war and to victory!
At the beginning of a mission where the enemy is in front, circle around and attack him from behind. When your group is outnumbered you can't afford this luxury, because you risk losing your wingmen who are counting on you for cover. In this situation, attack quickly, splitting the opposition, then dive out before you sustain too much damage. This tactic can save your buddies' lives by diverting enemy fire. And on the really tough missions, you're going to need all the help you can get up there!
Use the numeric keypad to look around. Don't let the enemy surprise you! If you see an enemy pilot in front of you, don't try to fly straight at him. Figure out which direction he's headed and fly to where you think he's going. To avoid enemy fire during a dogfight, keep dodging, don't fly at a constant altitude, and, if you get hit, dive or climb immediately.
There are three ways to avoid Archie (anti-aircraft) fire when going after an enemy balloon; fly over the balloon and dive straight down on top of it (this strategy was used by many W.W.I pilots); fly around the shell burst and attack if from the rear, or strafe the anti-aircraft gun and destroy it (dive straight down at the beginning of a balloon busting mission and you'll usually find the anti-aircraft gun).
Be careful when attacking an enemy plane head-on, especially when it's above you. A well placed burst could send him spiralling out of control - and right into flight path!
When following a banking target, lead him with your shots.
Don't shoot Allied aircraft or Allied anti-aircraft guns!
When you receive mission orders, your mission objective is the primary target you must destroy.
Keep moving and try to hit the infantry before they crouch down to shoot. This helps keep your plane in one piece.
If you don't have to take out the anti-aircraft gun, watch where the shell bursts are hitting and fly around that spot. It only takes one hit from an Archie to end your mission in a hurry.
When you're strafing infantry, get them before they can escape to the right or left side of the screen.
Keep moving to avoid the anti-aircraft gun.
When you're ready to drop your bombs, wait for the guns to fire; then, move in quickly and release your deadly cargo before they can fire again.
When enemy planes come in, quickly take them out (if you can't avoid them). They'll interfere with you and keep you from getting to your target.
