Provided by: triplane_1.0.8-2_amd64 bug

NAME

       Triplane - a side-scrolling dogfighting game.

SYNOPSIS

       triplane [OPTION]...

DESCRIPTION

       Triplane  Classic  is  a  side-scrolling  dogfighting  game  featuring  solo  missions and
       multiplayer mode with up to four players. It is a port of the  original  Triplane  Turmoil
       game  for  DOS  and  aims  to  match  the original game exactly so that high scores remain
       comparable to the original.

OPTIONS

       -fullscreen
              Start the game in fullscreen mode (this is the default).

       -nofullscreen
              Start the game in windowed mode.

       -nosound
              Start the game without sounds.  Note: This  option  also  disables  sounds  in  the
              configuration  file  so  sounds  will  be  disabled  also  the  next time you start
              triplane.  To enable sounds set Physical  Examination->Hearing->Sounds  on  in  the
              game menus.

       -2, -3, -4
              Scale  the  320x200-pixel  game  window  2x, 3x or 4x using software scaling.  This
              helps you play Triplane on displays that cannot switch to such low resolutions.

       -2svga Scale  the  800x600-pixel  window  2x  using  software  scaling,   to   produce   a
              1600x1200-pixel window.  This resolution is used only in multiplayer mode.

       Note that triplane does not warn about unknown options.

GETTING STARTED

       After  starting  the  game,  click  through the splash screens to see the main menu.  Then
       click ROSTER and click the pen on the right to create a new pilot entry.  Type  your  name
       and  press  enter.   Click  the  keys  on the left to get back to main menu.  Click ASSIGN
       PILOTS and check the SOLO check box beside the red plane (top left) to select  the  German
       plane for solo game.  Click on the background to get back to the main menu.

       Click TAKEOFF TIMES and MISSION I.  Read your assignment carefully and click on the arrows
       to look around the map.  Your objective is to destroy  the  buildings  identified  by  red
       boxes around them.  When you are ready click FLY and use the following controls:

       • press S (roll) to get out of hangar

       • hold TAB (power) down to accelerate

       • use X and W to steer the plane

       • use 1 to drop a bomb

       • use S to roll the plane upside down

       When  you have destroyed all the targets try to land by releasing power and gliding to the
       runway.  Holding up and down simultaneously activates the  air  brake  system.   When  the
       plane  is  stopped  on  the  runway, press S to re-enter the hangar and resupply bombs and
       fuel.

       N.B.: If you have a new computer you may encounter serious keyboard errors.  This  is  due
       to  the  cost  savings of the keyboard manufacturers.  The current keyboards cannot handle
       more than 3-6 keys simultaneously.  If you encounter keyboard problems,  see  the  "on/off
       power" option below.

SOLO GAME MODE

       See the "ASSIGN PLAYERS MENU" chapter on how to select the solo game country.

       Winning a solo game requires that:

       • all mission targets have been destroyed

       • all protection objectives are met

       • all enemy airplanes are destroyed, and

       • at least one plane is left and stopped on a runway.

       Scoring  is  mostly based on how many planes you have shot down.  Extra points are awarded
       from destroyed enemy ground installations and infantry without  regard  to  who  destroyed
       them.   You  will  get  penalty  points  for shooting down allied planes and for destroyed
       allied ground targets and infantry.

MULTIPLAYER MODE

       See the "ASSIGN PLAYERS MENU" chapter on how to select players for  multiplayer  mode  and
       visit the "REQUEST TRANSFER" menu to select the multiplayer level.

       To  configure  plane  controls  for  multiplayer  mode,  visit the "PLANE MECHANICS" menu.
       Choose a country and then configure either the keyboard or a joystick (a game pad is  also
       OK).

       If  you  want to change the keyboard layout for the chosen country, click the keyboard and
       you will be prompted to press buttons for all six controls needed to fly.   The  order  is
       Up,  Down,  Roll,  Engine  power,  Bombs  and Guns.  Remember that brake is always Up+Down
       simultaneously.

       Joystick configuration is still a bit experimental and it is not easy  to  play  the  game
       with  a  joystick.   Start  by  clicking Joystick 1 or Joystick 2 and follow the on-screen
       instructions.  There are two types of joystick actions.  You  can  hold  down  a  joystick
       button  and  press  Space  on  the  keyboard.   Alternatively you can move a joystick to a
       different position (left, right, up or down) and press Space.  Finally,  by  pressing  "D"
       you can disable a control completely.  You can use this for example if you have configured
       up and down actions to be buttons so that you can hold them together and thus do not  need
       a  separate  brake  control.  Disabling the roll control enables autoroll, which keeps the
       plane upright.

HANGAR MENU

       This is a special menu.  This appears when the actual game  is  in  progress.   There  are
       three  columns:  Bombs, ammo and fuel.  Use the Bomb and Guns buttons to select one of the
       columns, and adjust the value using the Up and Down buttons.  Press Roll or Power to exit,
       and a mechanic will push your plane onto the runway.  If you want to return to the hangar,
       just press Roll or Bomb, and the mechanic will push your plane into the hangar.

ASSIGN PLAYERS MENU

       This menu is used to select players for solo and multiplayer modes.  There are four boxes,
       one for each country.

       Inside each box there are four radio buttons and two text fields:

       first radio button (red circle)
           This country is disabled.

       second radio button (SOLO)
           This  country  is  used  to  play  a  solo mission.  Other countries are automatically
           disabled.  Remember to set pilot name in the text box  to  the  right  of  this  radio
           button.

       third radio button (computer)
           This  country  is played by a computer pilot in multiplayer mode.  The text box to the
           right is not implemented.

       fourth radio button (human)
           This country is played by a human pilot in multiplayer game.  Remember  to  set  pilot
           name in the first text box.

       If  you  activate the solo mode the computer will automatically adjust the other countries
       to NO-PLAYER mode.  (If you want to play the solo missions, now just exit  and  click  the
       take-off times flyer in the main menu.) For example, assume that you want to be the German
       player, your friend wants to be the Japanese  player  and  computer  wants(?)  to  be  the
       Finnish player.  Choose "Human pilot" in the German and Japanese boxes, "No player" in the
       English box, and "Computer pilot" in the Finnish box.

       Note: If you select the last multiplayer level (CAVERN) and you set the computer to be the
       Finnish  or the English plane, these planes will be disabled when game begins.  (Computers
       cannot handle takeoffs in caves.)

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION MENU

       This is the options menu, where you can define game-related parameters.  On the right side
       you can see four tabs:

       VISION

       Shots visible?
              If deactivated, no flying ammunition will be seen (planes & infantry).

       AAA shots visible?
              If deactivated, no ammunition of flak battery will be seen.

       AA-Mg shots visible?
              If deactivated, no ammunition of ground machine gun will be seen.

       Flags? If deactivated, all flags will disappear.

       Structure flames?
              If deactivated, the bombed structures will not burn.

       Use 800*600 window (in MULTIPLAYER)?
              Activate this option to play multiplayer games in a 800*600 window.

       HEARING

       Sounds on?
              Activate  this to enable or disable all sound.  Note that the -nosound command line
              option turns this off.

       Musics on?
              Play music in the menus, if the "Sounds on?" option is also activated.

       SFX on?
              Enable various sound effects in the game,  if  the  "Sounds  on?"  option  is  also
              activated.

       Explosion sounds?
              If deactivated, a sound will be not heard when a bomb collides with ground.

       Gunfire sounds?
              If deactivated, a sound will be not heard when a plane fires its guns.

       AAA fire sounds?
              If deactivated, a sound will be not heard when ground defenses fire (machine guns &
              flaks).

       Water splash sound?
              If deactivated, a sound will be not heard when a bomb collides with water.

       Infantry death sounds?
              If deactivated, infantry soldiers will not scream when they die.

       Do you want on/off power?
              When activated, the behavior of  the  engine  power  button  will  be  dramatically
              changed.   On/off  power allows toggling the engine on or off by pressing the Power
              button, instead of having to hold it  down.   Use  this  option  if  you  encounter
              keyboard  problems,  because  this  decreases  the  number  of  keys  pressed  down
              simultaneously.

       Do you want a reversed power switch?
              Turns the behavior of the engine power button upside-down: when you are not holding
              the  power  key  down,  the  plane accelerates.  When held down, the engine will be
              deactivated.  This is not the same as braking, you still need  to  use  Up+Down  to
              brake.

       The following options are for multiplayer only.

       Are all the planes the same?
              Sets  all planes' attributes to a specific country.  For example: Choose the German
              plane on the left, and every plane  has  4  bombs  etc.   This  affects  all  plane
              abilities.

       Collisions on?
              If  active,  a  collision of two planes results in an immediate destruction of both
              planes.  Both players lose one point in collision.

       Flying parts?
              If enabled the parts which appear when  a  plane  crashes  cause  damage  to  other
              planes.

       Battle ends after n points
              End the game after one of the players has this number of points.  The number can be
              increased by pressing it with the left mouse button and decreased  with  the  right
              mouse  button.   UnLtd  means  unlimited,  where  the multiplayer game will not end
              before you press Esc.

       Alliances enabled?
              Enables alliances.  The sides are selected at the box in the lower left corner.

       AA-MGs?
              If deactivated, all ground machine gun batteries will disappear.

       AAAs?  If deactivated, all flak batteries will disappear.

       Infantry?
              If deactivated, all infantry will disappear.

       Unlimited ammo?
              If activated, you can shoot even when you have no gun rounds left, but  you  cannot
              adjust your ammo load.

       Unlimited fuel?
              If  activated, the plane will still fly even when you have run out of fuel, but you
              always have to take the full load of fuel when leaving the hangar.

PLANE TYPES

       Country           Germany   Finland   England   Japan
       Ammunition        **        **        ***       *
       Maneuverability   **        *         *         ***
       Fuel              **        **        ***       *
       Speed             **        ***       **        *
       Bombs             **        *         **        ***
       Endurance         **        ***       **        *

       The German plane is very deadly in dogfight because it is designed for it.   It  does  not
       have any particular strengths or weaknesses.

       The  Finnish  plane  is  the  fastest and the toughest but it has a poor bomb capacity and
       great skill is needed to pilot it because of its low turning rate.

       The English plane never runs out of anything (except bombs).  Its only disadvantage is the
       low maneuverability.

       The Japanese plane has the biggest bomb capacity and it is even more agile than the German
       plane.  Too bad it always runs out of fuel.

MEDALS, RIBBONS AND RANKS

       Like in a real Air Force, you will be awarded with higher ranks and medals when  you  have
       served  your  country well.  The medals are shown on top of your pilot in the roster menu.
       Every rank has its own ribbon which is located beside your pilot in the roster menu.  When
       you  start  a  new  pilot you have no medals and you have only one ribbon, 2nd Lieutenant.
       When you advance ranks you do not lose your previous ribbons like you would in real life.

       Best pilot in the country - Medals

       When you complete a sequence of solo missions (six of them) you will be awarded the  "Best
       pilot  in  the  country" medal.  Every country has its unique medal, but the main color of
       the medal depends on the country so it will be very easy to see which country has  awarded
       you with it.

       Special medals

       There  are  two  special medals.  The first is the veteran medal, Golden Star.  It will be
       awarded to you when you have flown 1000 missions.  The second is the  hero  medal,  Silver
       Eagle.  It will be awarded to the pilot who has killed the most and died the least.  There
       is only one Silver Eagle medal in the world, so be careful, it will change its owner  very
       quickly.

       Ranks and their abbreviations

       Here  is a list of ranks appearing in Triplane.  In the roster an abbreviation of the rank
       will be automatically added to your name (for example: 2nd Lt.  Dragst).   Both  solo  and
       multiplayer games will affect it so you probably will not gain a lot of promotions by just
       playing one of them.

       The ranks are:

       Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt.)
              A simple blue ribbon with one golden column

       First Lieutenant (1st Lt.)
              A blue ribbon with 1 golden column and 2 stars

       Captain (Capt.)
              A blue ribbon with 2 golden columns and 2 stars

       Major (Major)
              A blue ribbon with 2 golden columns and 4 stars

       Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col.)
              A blue ribbon with a Golden Shield of the Air Force

       Colonel (Colonel)
              A blue ribbon with a Golden Eagle of the Air Force

       If you are ever promoted to  Colonel,  you  have  probably  played  for  some  time.   But
       remember, it is not impossible to gain it, you just need play a little longer.

TIPS AND TRICKS

       •  Remember that stalling is a VERY good way to brake fast, but do not even think about it
       unless you can handle the plane very well.

       • When flying the Finnish plane remember to deactivate the power when turning.

       • There are several Ace missions which are quite easy to complete,  but  great  effort  is
       needed for receiving a higher score.  Patriot Flight is a very good example of this, it is
       possible to get at least 169 points in it.

       • The Japanese plane can even outmaneuver the German plane, but only with  an  empty  bomb
       load.  The German plane is still a bit better in dogfight.

       • Remember to use hit and run techniques when playing the Finnish plane.

       •  There  is  no need to leave any bombs behind if you are playing with the Finnish plane,
       because it does not make any difference.

       • In the missions with a lots of enemy air activity, try protect your AAAs.

       • In solo missions you should learn to use the Radar markers, because that makes it easier
       to avoid enemy airplanes.

       •  Avoid  shooting  too many bullets at the enemy plane, because it will probably explode.
       In the solo game you cannot deactivate the part collision, so this is quite vital.

       • Remember that Japanese plane will always run out of fuel, particularly with six bombs.

FILES

       Triplane finds its configuration directory by searching the following directories in  this
       order:

       • 1) $TRIPLANE_HOME

       • 2) $HOME/.triplane (created if missing)

       • 3) the current directory (if step 2 fails for some reason).

       The configuration directory contains the following files:

       • triplane.cfg
           Main configuration file.

       • roster.dta
           High score file.

       • keyset.dta
           Keyboard configuration file.

       Triplane  tries  to  locate  its  data  directory  by  looking  at  which of the following
       directories exist, in the following order:

       • 1) $TRIPLANE_DATA

       • 2) TRIPLANE_DATA set at compilation time (if step 2 fails)

       • 3) current directory.

       The data directory contains only one file:

       • fokker.dks
           Game data file containing levels, graphics and sounds.

HISTORY

       The original Triplane Turmoil was developed  by  Markku  Rankala,  Teemu  J.  Takanen  and
       Henrikki Merikallio. Some work was also contributed by Risto Puhakka, Antti Lehtoranta and
       Mikko Kinnunen.

       The portable SDL version, Triplane Classic, was created from the original source  by  Timo
       Juhani  Lindfors (timo.lindfors@iki.fi), Teemu J. Takanen (tjt@users.sourceforge.net), and
       Riku Saikkonen. We also thank Timo Lilja for his earlier Xlib  porting  efforts  and  Sami
       Liedes for spellchecking and optimization ideas.

                                                                                      TRIPLANE(6)