From: tsr@atarihq.com NES-7H-USA The Hunt for Red October Instruction book Licensed by Nintendo for Play on Nintendo Entertainment System --- Starting the game Welcome to The Hunt for Red October. Here's some quick start information to help you begin your mission. - Insert the Game Pak into your Nintendo Entertainment System(r). - Turn on the power. - Press START to begin your quest. --- Controller functions The CONTROL PAD moves the RED OCTOBER. Press UP to move toward the surface, DOWN to dive, RIGHT to move forward, LEFT to reverse. The A BUTTON fires torpedoes horizontally. The B BUTTON fires missiles vertically. SELECT activates the "Caterpillar" drive. This silent propulsion system allows the RED OCTOBER to evade enemy sonar systems and pass enemy vessels without drawing their fire. Pressing A & B BUTTONS simultaneously releases ECM's (Electronic Counter- Measures). These "decoys" attract all weapons fired at the RED OCTOBER. All offensive weapons in the immediate area will be destroyed. START starts and pauses the game. --- Story The Soviet Union has created the ultimate first strike weapon. It is November 12, 1984, four months before Mikhail Gorbachev comes to power. The Soviets have built the RED OCTOBER, a Typhoon Class nuclear submarine which utilizes an experimental propulsion system. This new "caterpillar" drive renders the submarine virtually invisible to sonar. Fully loaded with nuclear missiles, the RED OCTOBER is an unprecedented war machine. You are Captain Marko Ramius. Your superiors have ordered you to put the RED OCTOBER through its trial run of tests and naval exercises today. But you have other plans. You intend to defect and to lead the submarine and its crew to the safety of a U.S. port. The Soviets will not allow this superior technology to fall into the hands of the Americans. Once the Kremlin realizes your plan to escape, they will send the entire Red Fleet to track down and destroy the RED OCTOBER. You must evade or destroy all enemies and navigate a course to the U.S. shore. Game objective The journey to freedom takes the RED OCTOBER through various oceans and their unique terrain. You must strategically balance fuel, stealth, weapons and defenses as you face the challenges of the sea and the relentless Red Fleet. As a highly experienced naval officer, you are aware that your escape will be the ultimate military test for you, your crew, and the RED OCTOBER. You must sneak out of the high security Soviet harbor. You must keep out of range of the carefully planted sonar buoys or the enemy will maintain a fix on you. Eventually, you reach the warm beauty of the coral reef. Beware! The Soviets keep many aircraft carriers and bases nearby. Surviving your trip through the narrow caverns will be almost impossible, especially with the Red Fleet close on your heels. Even more harrowing are the deep sea trenches. When you are maneuvering these, evading the enemy will be a tremendous feat, even for the elusive RED OCTOBER. You must not forget the special power of the "caterpillar" drive. This escape to freedom is the ultimate test. Foil the Soviet's final attempt to use any device in their power to stop the RED OCTOBER. You have confidence in your ability and your crew, and you are captain of the most amazing naval vessel in the world. Good luck, Captain! --- Offensive weapons Torpedoes are for horizontal shooting. Missiles are for vertical shooting. Torpedo and Missile pickups increase your number of weapons and maintain your weapons upgrades. Torpedo and Missile "UP" pickups upgrade your firepower to the next level. Weapons upgrades By finding and picking up missile and torpedo upgrade pickups, you can increase the range and capabilities of your weapons. The upgrades for both torpedoes and missiles are: Normal Level - Short-Range Capability 1st Upgrade - Long-Range Capability 2nd Upgrade - Long-Range Homing Capability NOTE: Homing missiles and torpedoes can track enemy vessels after firing. This will diminish enemies' ability to evade your attack. Weapons downgrades Your Missile and Torpedo Levels show the amount of weapons you possess and the upgrade level you have achieved. If your weapons levels reach zero, your weapons will be downgraded by one level. For example, if your missiles are at the second upgrade level - Long-Range Homing Capability - and your ammunition level reaches zero, your missiles will be automatically downgraded to Long- Range Capability, the first upgrade. NOTE: When your missile ammunition level reaches zero at the lowest capability (Short-Range) you are completely out of missiles until you get an ammunition or upgrade pickup. However, when your torpedo ammunition level reaches zero at the lowest weapon capability, the RED OCTOBER will never run out of torpedoes. The firing rate of the torpedoes will slow down considerably until you obtain an appropriate pickup. --- Defensive weapons and devices Invisibility Pressing SELECT activates and deactivates the RED OCTOBER's special "caterpillar" drive for a short time. The "caterpillar" drive makes the RED OCTOBER undetectable by sonar, crippling the enemy response. Special pickups allow more frequent use of the caterpillar drive. But be careful! - it requires enormous amounts of nuclear power! Armor The RED OCTOBER can take a certain amount of damage before it is destroyed. The armor pickup repairs the submarine, buying you more playing time. Power The RED OCTOBER requires an enormous amount of fuel. You'll need to acquire POWER pickups wherever they can be found. When your POWER meter runs low, your course may be finished! Electronic counter-measures Electronic counter-measures can be launched through the RED OCTOBER's torpedo tubes by pressing the A and B Buttons simultaneously. These decoy devices attract all offensive enemy fire in the immediate area. Use these wisely. You have a limited amount, and you'll need them when under heavy attack. ---