FAST BATTLE PLANNER

The Fast Battle Planner (FBP) provides a quick and easy way to create a mission against a broad array of targets. All settings in the FBP override those set in the Options screen.

Settings Display

In the center of the FBP is the Settings Display. This allows you to set the environmental variables for the mission you are about to fly. By adjusting these variables, you can create a wide variety of mission conditions with an equally wide variety of difficulty.

• MY ALT: Your flight’s airspeed.
• DIST: The average distance between your flight and the enemy.
• MY SPD: Your flight’s airspeed.
• TIME: The time of day the mission will take place.
• FUEL: Your flight’s fuel load.
• LOAD: Your flight’s general loadout. These selections are based on your target type.
• WEAPN: This determines if you have limited or unlimited weapons.
• SURV: This determines if your aircraft takes realistic damage or if it is invulnerable.
• ENEMY ALT: Your target’s average altitude.
• ANGLE: The intercept angle between your flight and the enemy.
• ENEMY SPD: The average air speed of the enemy.
• SEASON: Determines the season that the mission will take palce.
• WEATHER: The general weather condition
• AREA. Determines if the mission will take place over land or sea. This can be overwritten by the Region button.
• RADAR: Switches between realistic radar and Easy Radar.
• AUTO LOCK: Enables auto locking keys.
• AWACS VIEW: Allows Map view during mission.

Along the bottom of the Setting Display panel are three buttons:

• REGION: Pressing the region button changes the Settings Display panel to a map screen. Using the cross-hair cursor, click on map where you want the mission to take place. Click the Apply button once you have selected your start location.
• RANDOM: Clicking the Random button will arbitrarily set all the Settings Display selections.
• EXIT: Returns you to the Main Menu screen.

Enemy Types

The vertical row of buttons at the top left portion of the screen allows you to select the type of enemy your flight will encounter. By selecting your enemy type, you will also determine the types of aircraft you can fly and the possible weapon load out options. As such, if you select ground forces as your enemy, the F-15C for instance will not be available to fly.

Allies and Enemy

Along the right side of the screen are two boxes; the top box allows you to determine the flight you will command and the bottom box determines the type and number of enemy units.

• SIDE: This specifies country.
• FLIGHT: Up to four aircraft can be in a flight. You always command the first aircraft.
• CALL. The callsign of the flight.
• TYPE: This selects the type of aircraft, ground vehicle or ship. Flyable aircraft will be listed in yellow, aircraft listed in white are AI-controlled only. If aircraft you wish to fly is not listed in yellow, you will not be able to fly it. Instead, the AI will pilot the aircraft.
• TASK: This specifies the type of task for the unit.
• PILOT: Select your number of wingmen who will accompany you using the forward and back toggles. Up to three wingmen can be specified.
• SKILL: The average skill level of the flights can be determined here. This can be set for both your flight and that of the enemy. To take part in the mission, you must set this to PLAYER. If not, the AI will fly the aircraft.

Fly

Once you have made your selection, press the Fly at the top of the screen to begin the mission.

Walkthrough

These are the basic steps you need to take in order to get into a FBP mission.

1. Press the FBP button in the Main Menu
2. Select the target type you wish to attack by clicking one of the Enemy buttons
3. Adjust the top units box to your preference and ensure that your aircraft is listed in yellow in the type field and that Skill is set to PLAYER.
4. Adjust the bottom unit box to create the targets you wish to attack
5. Choose the options you desire in the Settings Display
6. Press the Fly button to start the mission

OPEN MISSION

Lock On: Modern Air Combat comes with a broad assortment of single and multiplayer missions. In addition to the missions that come with the game, you have the ability to create your own in the Mission Editor. Using the Open Mission screen, you can access all of these types of missions and more.

This screen consists of two parts, the mission Briefing box on the left and the Open File selections on the right.

Briefing

Once a mission has been selected, important information about the mission will be displayed in this area on the left of the screen. In order to cycle through multiple pages of the briefing, you can use the page cycle buttons to the lower left of the briefing.

Open File

Along the right side of the screen is a Windows-standard file access system. Using this basic Windows filing convention, you can brows drives and folders for the desired mission.

• File: Displays the name of the selected file.
• Drive: Displays the currently selected drive. By clicking on the down-arrow, you can change the selected drive.
• File Tree Display Window: This large window allows you to brows your Windows directory structure. Clicking on a folder will let you examine the contents of that folder and clicking on the <..> will bring you up one level in the directory structure. This dialogue uses the standard windows interface style for browsing menus.
• Type: In addition to standard Mission files (with the .mis extension), Lock On: Modern Air Combat recognizes other types of game files. These include:
o Missions: These are your standard missions that include the single missions included with Lock On and the missions you have built using the Mission Editor and Fast Battle Planner.
o Campaign files: Lists all campaign files using the CMP extension.
o Saved state files: During the course of a mission, you can save the save the state of the mission and continue it at a later time.
o Track files: In addition to normally playing a mission by pressing the Fly button, you can also select Record Track from the Flight pull-down menu. After flying a mission normally, you will then be given the option to save a mission replay to the location of your choice.
o Video files: After recording a Track files, you may covert it into an AVI video. Select this files type to see all saved videos.

IMPORTANT: TO VIEW A FILE, YOU MUST FIRST SELECT THE TYPE OF FILE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

Below the open file dialog are three buttons which perform actions on the currently selected file in the open file dialog:

• MAP: Opens the currently selected mission in the Mission Editor
• DEL: Deletes the currently selected mission.
• CANCEL: Returns you to your previous screen.

FLY!

Upon selection of a valid mission file, the Fly button at the top of the screen will be illuminated in blue. Click the Fly button to begin the mission.

MULTIPLAYER

Lock On: Modern Air Combat multiplayer allows both Internet and Local Area Network (LAN) play. Multiplayer has been designed to optimize smooth play with the maximum number players possible. Additionally, the system has been created such that you can create your own cooperative and head-to-head missions via the Mission Editor. Missions can be as simple or as complex as you wish and the interface is setup such that you can create countless multiplayer scenarios of endless variation. To access Multiplayer, select the NTW (Network) button from the Main Menu or the NTW button from the Go menu located within the Editor.

The step is to decide if you are hosting the game or if you are a client that will be joining an existing game.

Host Game Setup

Along the right side of the Network screen is a two-position dial and two vertically stacked boxes.

The dial has two positions:

• PLAYER. Allows you to enter the name that other players will see you as. Once entering your name you must press the ENTER key.
• CONNECT. Allows you to set your connections settings.

After entering your Player name, select Connect.

The top box allows you to determine if you will be the SERVER (host) or the CLIENT. As host, press the SERVER button.

As the host, you have for field in the top box that you may wish to modify:

• ADDR (address). As the host, you should generally leave this at the default. This field is generally used for clients.
• PORT. The Port that the game session will be run through. If other than default, you should inform clients.
• SPEED. Select the option that best defines your connection.
• PASS. Enter a password to protect your game session from unwanted visitors.

In the bottom of this box are two buttons:

• POOL. Once you have created the game, you may view clients that have joined your game.
• CHAT. Once the game has been joined by clients, this function allows you to chat with each other.

The lower box has three options:

• TITLE. Enter the name of the game session here. This the game name that clients will see when joining.
• MODE. Select between cooperative play an furball mode.
• MAX PLAYERS. Select the maximum number of players that may join your game.

Having made these selections, either press the START button to select the mission to play or press the EXIT button to return to the Main Menu.

Host Mission Selection

Upon pressing the START button, you will be taken to the Open mission screen. Using the browser interface, select a mission of choice. Note that default multiplayer missions are located in the Multiplayer directory.

Press the MAP button to enter the Flight Assignment screen.

Client Joining

Upon entering Network play, there is a two-position dial at the top right of the screen:

• PLAYER. Allows you to enter the name that other players will see you as. Once entering your name you must press the ENTER key.
• CONNECT. Allows you to set your connections settings.

After entering your Player name, select Connect.

The top box allows you to determine if you will be the SERVER (host) or the CLIENT. As a Client, press the CLIENT button.

As a client there are only three fields in the upper box that you need to concern yourself with:

• ADDR (address). Enter the IP number of the host here. Be it over a LAN or the Internet, this number provides the link to the Host.
• PORT. The Port that the game session will be run through. If other than default, you should inform clients.
• SPEED. Select the option that best defines your connection.

Once the Host is ready, press the START button and you will be taken to the Flight Assignment screen.

Flight Assignment

When first entering the Flight Assignment screen, all players will be listed in the SPECTATORS list. To the left of the SPECTATORS list, there are two columns, one for RED COALITION and one for BLUE COALTIONS. These two coalitions form the sides of the mission.

To select a coalition, press the JOIN button over one of the coalitions. Upon doing so, your name will be listed in that coalition. To remove yourself from a coalition, press the JOIN button of either the other coalition or spectators.

The next step is to choose your aircraft; press the SELECT button on the upper left side of the screen. In the field below the mission map will be listed flyable aircraft assigned to the mission and who they have been assigned to. If an aircraft has been assigned, a name will appear next to in under the Player column. To select an unassigned aircraft, click on it and your name will appear next to under the Player column.

To view the weapons payload of your chosen aircraft, click on the PAYLOAD button beneath the player information. You will be taken to the payload editor and you may alter the payload.

You may now either press the FLY! button to enter the mission or you my press the SELECT button to change your aircraft or side. One all players have pressed the FLY! button, the mission will begin.

Your amassed points will not be added to the score board until you land or are destroyed.