
                       WarBirds (tm) FAQ version 1.11
                                      
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      Compiled by Dave "French" Chaloux - http://www.cris.com/~French
                                      
   
          (Updated 25 Mar 97, current with Warbirds version 1.11)
                                      
   
   
                              You are visitor
                                      
                                   23417
                                      
                           since Oct 24th, 1996.
                                      
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   [LINK]
   
   **Type "A" Personality Section: ("Do I look like some
       instruction-reading sissy?? I want some action NOW!!"**
       
       1.0 What is Warbirds?
       2.0 What Aircraft will be Modeled?
       3.0 What kind of system do I need to run it?
       4.0 Where do I get the FE software?
        4.1 Where do I get individual plane art?
            4.2 How do I connect to WB?
            4.3 How do I find a good Internet Provider?
       
       
       5.0 What does it cost to play?
        5.1 How does the billing work?
       
       6.0 Its slow on my system. What can I do to help?
        6.1 What happened to S3 card special support?
            6.2 What does this error message mean?
            6.2.1 "Domain Error in ACOS"
            6.2.2 "Bad Checksum Error"
            6.2.3 "You must download the art file"
       
       
       7.0 Will WB have...
        7.1 a 1/2 time arena?
            7.2 multiple-player/crew member planes?
            7.3 Modeling of collisions?
            7.4 TCP support built into the FE?
            7.5 A historical arena?
            
       8.00 How do I...
        8.01 Lock the tailwheel on takeoff?
            8.02 Access the easier flight model?
            8.03 Check how good my internet connection is?
            8.04 Recover from losing updates to all players?
            8.05 Recover from being grounded?
            8.06 Stop the rapid jittering in the planes position?
            8.07 Recover from a Spin?
            8.08 Tell what country I am from?
            8.09 Use the radio?
             8.09.1 What are all those abbeviations I see people using on
                 the radio?
                 8.09.2 What are those voices I keep hearing?
            8.10 Make my joystick work with my GUS?
            8.11 Capture airfields and CVs?
            8.12 Set my fuel level?
            8.13 Load Bombs and Rockets?
            8.14 Turn faster?
            8.15 Keep my FE from locking up after the title screen?
            8.16 Speed up the view switching?
            8.17 Use the B-17 Bomber?
            8.18 Keep my 8 Meg machine from crashing?
            
       9.0 Do ...
       
   9.1 Bombs and other ordinance affect the flight model?
       9.2 Flaps and gear down have any affect?
       9.3 Planes burn any fuel?
       9.4 More about fuel consumption and loading
       
   10. Why ...
       
   10.0.1 Do the distant planes warp?
       10.2 Do I need to trim my plane?
        10.2.1 What's that line moving around above my gunsight?
       10.3 Do some planes seem to warp and others don't?
       10.4 Does only one person sometimes die in a collision?
       10.5 Can't I shoot down the offline drones?
       
       
   11.0 Should I use Error Correction and Data Compression?
       12.0 Where is the action?
       13.0 What is good etiquette?
       14.0 What are all the various . commands?
       
   14.1 What Are All the In-Flight Commands?
       
   15.0 Scoring.
       
   16.0 Win95 Version Issues.
        16.1 Where is my mouse cursor?
            16.2 Why do I only get a blue flash on starting?
            16.3 What if my video card isn't DirectX compatible?
       
   17.0 When is the boxed version coming out?
       
   18.0 Where can I get Warbirds paraphenalia?
       
       
   **Type "A" Personality Section: ("Do I look like some
   instruction-reading sissy?? I want to some action NOW!!"**
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      

   Here's a very concise breakdown on how a brand-new player would go about
   playing Warbirds (with the DOS version):

       1)  Make sure that your local internet provider offers "UNIX
           shell" access at 9600 baud or faster.  (See section 4.0, 4.1,
           and 4.2)

       2)  Make sure you have AT LEAST a 33MHz 486DX machine with
           16 megabytes of RAM. (See section 3.0)  A joystick is required,
           as well. A SoundBlaster compatible soundcard is highly
           recommended. [Note: the change to 16 megabytes of RAM
             being necessary started with version 1.11.]

       3)  Get an account on the ICIGAMES.COM server by using any
           Terminal Emulation (modem) program such as QuickLink or Procomm
           to log onto your local internet provider and TELNET to
           ICIGAMES.COM.  Log in as "new" (no quotes) and use "pizza"
           for your password.  Fill out all the information, including your
           credit card number.  MAKE SURE to fill out something in the 2nd
           Address block.  Select your login and password, as well as your
           4-letter identifier that you want other pilots in the game to see.
           (Keep it clean, please...)

       4)  Make sure that you have the latest software, currently
           WBDSBASE.EXE and ART1V13.EXE (to run in 640x480).  (This
           software can be downloaded from both the ICI home pages.)
           Remember that you must "run" each of the files to
           decompress them and play WB. (See section 4.0)

       5)  Go to the directory you installed these files and configure the
           software for your system.  First, you'll need to run SETSOUND.
           Note that WB WILL NOT run without a joystick.

       6)  Type WARBIRDS to run the game.

       7)  Use the mouse pointer to select the CNFG option.

       8)  Select the Serial CNFG option and enter your modem's settings.

       9)  Select the Stick option to select which type of joystick, throttle,
           and rudder pedals you're using.  Make sure to Calibrate them.

      10)  Exit WB by selecting the EXIT option.

      11)  Restart WB.

      12)  Once the game opens to the briefing room, type ATDT#######.  (The
           phone number to you local internet provider.)

      13)  WB will dial your modem for you.  Log into your internet provider as
           you usually would.

      15)  Once you've logged into your internet provider, make sure that your
           modem type is set to VT100 emulation by typing the TERM=100 command.

      16)  Type TELNET ICIGAMES.COM to access the Warbirds host.

      17)  Enter your login ID and password.

      18)  Select B from the Main Menu to select the Warbirds arena.

      19)  Using the mouse, click on the Select option button, and select the
           country color of your choice.  You can also do this by typing
           .country #, (1-4).

      20)  Type .fields and view which airfields are available to your country'
s
            aircraft to take off from.

      21)  Choose a functional airfield by clicking on Select, then clicking on
           the airfield of your choice.  You can also perform this function by
           typing .move f#, where # is the number of your chosen field.  Keep i
n
           mind that airfields can be attacked and disabled at any moment, so
           it pays to do this quickly.  (See Section 8.0.8)

      22)  Choose the aircraft you wish to by again clicking on the Select
           button and choosing the Plane option.  For new players, the P-38 is
           usually the best choice, since its contra-rotating propellers
           eliminate most torque effect that single-engined aircraft suffer
           and make it easier to fly.  You can also perform this function by
           typing .plane 4.

      23)  You can choose to increase the performance of your plane by reducing
           the amount of fuel you're carrying.  You can do this by typing
           .fuel ##, where ## is the percentage of the planes total internal
           fuel capacity.  A P-38 uses a lot of fuel, so don't select less than
           50% fuel unless you intend to fly for only a short time.  (See
           Section 8.0.12.)

      24)  If you want, you can load your aircraft with rockets and bombs by
           typing .rockets ## and .bombs #.  The P-38 can carry up to 20 rocket
s
           and 4 bombs at once, but the plane is VERY sluggish with this much
           loaded.  (See Section 8.0.13.)

      25)  Type .radio 1 10#, where # is the number of your country.  1=Red,
           2=Green, 3=Gold, and 4=Purple.  This allows you to privately talk to
           other countrymembers by pressing the "/" key.  (See Section 8.0.9)

      26)  Press the F1 key to view the Map. Check out the closest enemy
           field, or ask your other countrymen where the action is.

      27)  Time to go for it!  Select the FLY option with the mouse, or type
           .fly.

      28)  (In the cockpit)  Type E to start your engines and 0 (zero) to hit
           full throttle.  When your airspeed indicator (right guage) shows
           about 100, gently pull the stick back and press G to raise your
           landing gear.  Use the Map to find the crosshairs representing your
           position, and find a fight!

      29)  Hook up with another country-member flying near you, let them know
           you're new, and listen to their tips.  You'll have a lot more fun
           that way!




   1.0 What is Warbirds?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Warbirds is flight simulation based on WWII aircraft that can be
       played online against hundreds of other players at the same time.
       The people who wrote this game cut their teeth playing Kesmai's
       Air Warrior (AW), and wanted to take that concept to the next
       level. Some of the more notable features of this game are its
       force-based flight model, ballistics, location-specific damage
       model, and full-screen, multiple-resolution graphics system. The
       graphics of other planes in flight are quite detailed.
       
       The force based flight model means that the way aircraft behave is
       based more closely on the various forces that act on the airplane
       instead of being derived from a bunch of tables. Tables are still
       used but the nature of them is somewhat different. For example,
       instead of a table of speeds at various altitude, you might have a
       table of propeller efficiency at various altitudes. If you
       suddenly change your throttle, you better be prepared to deal with
       the change in torque. Flat spins, tail slides, torque and
       rudder/roll coupling are all part of the game. Accelerated stalls
       can throw you upside down or into a spin if you are not careful.
       Because some people may find that the flight model is too
       realistic to be fun, a somewhat less realistic flight model will
       be available (for a separate arena).
       
       The ballistics and damage model are also quite realistic and
       detailed. Instead of shooting at a "hit bubble" that surrounds a
       plane, you actually have to hit a particular part of the plane and
       the damage you do is based on the part you hit. Hit the fuel tank
       and the plane explodes. Hit the right wing enough and it falls
       off. Chew up the rear end and the horizontal stabilizer will come
       apart. Partial damage is also possible. Individual guns are
       modeled for rate of fire, ammunition capacity, muzzle velocity,
       and even "convergence," an adjustable range where the bullet
       streams from the guns meet in front of the aircraft. Machine guns
       can be fired independently of cannons so they can be used to zero
       in on the prey and the cannons can be used to finish them off.
       Other weapons such as rockets, torpedoes, and different types of
       bombs can also be employed.
       
       The full screen view is another nice feature. 90 degrees of view
       is mapped to the full screen. What this means in practice is that
       the planes are large enough to show the nice, detailed shapes in
       combat without artificially making the planes bigger than they
       should be. When you take that right wing off the other guy, you
       can see it!
       
       All this attention to detail on the part of the designers would be
       wasted if the game was not fun. The attention to detail helps
       immerse the player into the game. What really makes or breaks the
       game is its players. The satisfaction that can be had when you
       enter a furball out-numbered against real people and you survive
       is a rush that is hard to equal. The sight of your arch-rival
       spinning out of control with his left wing missing is its own
       reward.
       
       
       
   2.0 What Aircraft will be Modeled?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The currently modeled aircraft are:
       Zero A6M2
       A6M3 model 32
       A6M5a
       Ki-43-II Ki-84-Ia
       F4F-4
       F6F-5 Hellcat
       P-38F
       P-38J
       P-38L
       P-51D
       
       P-39D
       FM-2
       F4U-1D
       P-47D
       Spitfire Mk. V
       Spitfire Mk. IX
       Bf-109F4
       Bf-109G6
       BF-109G6/R6
       Bf-109K4
       FW-190-A4
       FW-190-A8
       FW-190-D9
       D3A2
       B5N2
       Ju88-A4
       P-40E
       SBD-5
       B-17G
       B-25H Mitchell
       B-25J
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       According to GunJam, other likely aircraft are:
       
       Hurricane
       ME-110C
       IL-2
       LA-5
       
       Other possible planes that may sneak in are the JU-87 Stuka, and
       varients of the planes already modeled! It is worth trying these
       earlier variants as they may suit your style better. For example
       the Spit V turns better than the Spit IX but has lower top end
       speed.
       
       Exactly what planes become available in what order is largely
       dictated by the quality of data available to make flight models
       and the need for the aircraft in Historical Scenarios.
       
       The first Historical Scenario was "Kiel". DoK stated that this was
       just a warm up event to get things started and to work out all the
       kinks! From my point of view it was much more than that. The
       Allies had 40 P-51s escorting 18 B-17Gs. The Germans started with
       an even mix of FW-190s and ME-109s but were allowed to pick their
       own ratio during the last two missions.
       
       
   3.0 What kind of system do I need to run it?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The stated minimum requirements are:
       
       486 *DX* 33 MHz
       SVGA capable Graphics adapter
       16 megabyes of RAM
       9600+ baud modem
       DOS "shell" internet account required to play online
       
       A good VLB or PCI video card with 2MB of DRAM or VRAM is
       recommended.
       A Soundblaster-compatible sound card is recommended for sound.
       
       
       ** It is important to note that the system uses floating point
       calculations in its flight model so a 486 Dx is required. DO NOT
       EVEN BOTHER trying to run on a 486SX or NexGen 586 without a math
       coprocessor installed. (NexGen is planning on having a math
       coprocessor available later this year.) **
       
       If you are planning on playing with the Mac version, it was felt
       that 68K based machines were just to slow to be playable and so
       only a PowerPC version is available.
       
   
   
   4.0 Where do I get the FE software?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The best place to get the software is ICI's ftp server. Its ftp
       address is icigames.com. Go to /pub/wbfiles. There are various
       subdirectories such as dos, art640, art1024, and win95 which are
       for the most part self explanatory. In addition, you can use the
       web page at:
        
            http://www.icigames.com
       
   
   
   4.1 Where do I get individual plane art?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   If you have most of the art for the game but need art for just a
       couple new planes that have been added, it is not necessary to
       download a complete set of art. Instead, simply ftp to either:
       
       ftp://ftp.icigames.com/pub/wbfiles/art640
       
       or
       
       ftp://ftp.icigames.com/pub/wbfiles/art1024
       
       In addition to the complete art file packages, you will also find
       the art for individual aircraft.
       
   4.2 How do I connect to WB?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   There are now two versions of WarBirds and the connection requirements
       are different. For the DOS version you must use a "UNIX shell"
       TELNET connection to run Warbirds. Using SLIP, America Online,
       WinCIM, or other Windows-based Internet access methods won't work.
       I recommend that you use a locally-based Internet provider service
       that runs high-end hardware such as Sun Sparcstations or Silicon
       Graphics machines. There is also a direct connection to ICI's host
       from CRIS so that might be a good choice (It's what I use).
       
       To use the direct connection on CRIS do a /go icigames at a menu
       prompt. Then select the warbirds option.
       
       There is also now a Win95 version of WarBirds. This version can
       access ICI in the same manner as the DOS version. However, it can
       also be run with SLIP or PPP. You should be aware that SLIP or PPP
       connections made with emulation software like TIA or SLIRP have
       been reported to be much less than optimal. In fact, many of us
       using the the Win95 version have reported that we prefer the
       connects using the serial option to using even true PPP.
       
       
   4.3 How do I find a good Internet Provider?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Perhaps the most important part to playing WarBirds is finding an
       internet provider service that has enough bandwidth to run
       Warbirds without excessive latencies. We recommend that you shop
       around if your current provider doesn't offer "UNIX shell" access,
       or you're experiencing an excessive level of warping when playing
       WarBirds. It's always a good idea to call a prospective provider
       and ask what kind of hardware their using. Nail them down, and
       don't accept answers like "We're using a network of UNIX boxes."
       An 1985-vintage 8086 PC can be a "UNIX box." Look for providers
       using high-end hardware like Sun, Silicon Graphics, Digital
       Alphas, or other dedicated internet hardware.
       
        If you're looking for a new provider, you can access a very
            comprehensive list at:
            
             http://www.thelist.com
                 
            This list contains several hundred providers, their phone
            numbers, the regions they serve, and the services they
            provide.
       
       
       Finally, if CRIS has a POP in your area, you may want to consider
       them since CRIS is linked to ICI through their internal network.
       
       
   5.0 What does it cost to play?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   
       Basically, it costs 2$ an hour. There is also a monthly fee of
       10$. When playing from CRIS, it is $1.75 an hour when using the
       direct connection.
       
       The 10$ a month fee is a minimum charge for keeping your account
       active. It comes with the number of hours of connect time that 10$
       would normally get you (For example 5 hours for a non-Cris direct
       connection). You also get free access to the BBS system.
       
       Some special events are charged at a different rate. For example
       the scenario with the Tuskegee Airmen was charged at 3$ and hour.
       
       
       
   5.1 How does the billing work?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Caligula, ICI's host programmer, wrote:
       
        OK, This is kinda complicated because of our policy of only
            charging $10 on the first bill and carrying over the rest
            but....
            
            After your first bill, which is always $10, you can check
            what we last billed by checking your previous months usage.
            (as opposed to current usage, which is usage that hasn't been
            billed yet). That will give you a figure. If that figure is
            under $10 then your bill will be for $10, if it's over $10,
            that is the amount you have been charged.
            
            I dunno if that makes sense or not but thats they way it
            works... Lemme run through an example (someone archive this
            so I don't have to do it again, maybe add it to the FAQ)...
            
            Person A gets an account with ICI. Once they have used up
            their 5 free hours they are billed $10 with whatever remains
            carried over to the next months bill. This means at this
            point their "previous months" usage could be $23.50, but they
            will only be billed $10 with $13.50 carried over into the
            "current months" billing on a special line item.
            
            That next month they use an additional $45.00 worth of time.
            That is billed out and the "previous months" usage shows the
            $45 + the $13.50 carryover and they are billed $58.50. The
            current usage is completely cleared (the first billing is the
            only one to generate carryover).
            
            The next month they get run over by a truck and spend much of
            the time in the hospital, and only use $5.23 worth of time.
            When billing rolls around it shows "previous usage" now as
            $5.23, HOWEVER, they have already prepaid for $10 worth of
            usage for that month (a minimum monthly charge) so they are
            charged $10 in advance for the next month and that's all.
            
            Some notes.... The $10 minimum does not accumulate. If you
            don't play for 6 months you don't accumulate $60 of credit.
            The primary purpose for the $10 minumum is so that we don't
            end up with tons of inactive accounts littering our system.
            We have made it VERY easy to cancel your account (it's just
            an online menu selection) so this shouldn't be a problem. $10
            represents just 5 hours (alittle more for Cris users) of
            WarBirds, and I think just about everyone is going to use at
            least that anyway.
            
            Also note, giving the Government it's due means that Texas
            residents are going to get charged sales tax. This sales tax
            does NOT show up on your usage. If you are a Texas resident
            take that figure and mentally add 7% (or thereabouts) to
            figure what the real charge is.
            
            Anyway, that's about as good an explanation as I can give,
            hope it helps!
            
            
   6.0 Speed Optimizations
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The very first thing you should do is try using the [ALT]r and [ALT]l
       commands to change your view range and level of detail. For
       example, I find that running at view range 3 instead of the max
       makes very little difference in terms of what is seen but does
       help the framerate.
       
       If that does not help enough, there are a couple of things you can
       do. First, if you have an ISA motherboard instead of a VLB or PCI
       motherboard, you can upgrade to a VLB for under 160$ even if you
       get one of the higher end replacements. (VLB or Vesa Local Bus, is
       a system architecture designed to provide a fast 32-bit pathway
       straight to the CPU of the PC, and radically accelerates a
       machine's performance.)
       
       Second, You can also speed your system up by trimming unnecessary
       memory managers from your CONFIG.SYS file. Warbirds uses a 32-bit
       protected-mode "DOS Extender," that eliminates the need for memory
       management software such as EMM386 or QEMM. By making a boot disk
       that only loads the necessary sound and mouse TSR (Terminate and
       Stay Resident) programs, you can increase the speed of the game,
       and cut down on some annoying system crashes.
       
       
       A Warbirds boot disk can use an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that looks like
       this:
       
        REM
            REM - Load your mouse software
            REM
            C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE /Q
            REM
            REM - Change to the disk with warbirds on it
            REM
            C:
            REM
            REM - Change to the directory with warbirds in it
            REM
            CD \WARBIRDS
            REM
            REM - Run the BURST utility if you need to get around PCI
            Burst problems
            REM - see section 8.15 of the FAQ.
            REM
            BURST
            
            
            A CONFIG.SYS file only needs this:
            
            buffers=40,0
            FILES=40
            STACKS=9,256
            
       Please note that if you are having trouble with WarBirds crashing,
       you should definitely try a bootdisk like that above. Running
       EMM386 even with the NOEMS switch is definite trouble. Running
       without HIMEM.SYS is even better (but then you cannot run
       smartdrv). Running the DOS version inside of Windows 95 is also a
       guaranteed source of occasional trouble (and will adversely affect
       framerate as well).
       
       Since I have gone to an AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS like those
       above, I have only experienced a single crash and that was a known
       bug (bailing out with the Kiel FE).
       
       If you are having real problems getting a stable configuration
       with the DOS version or if you are having performance problems,
       you might try using the Win95 version instead. Some people have
       reported speed increases when using it.
       
       Another source of crashes is people running smartdrv or
       unnecessary memory managers like himem.sys which use up memory on
       a 8 Meg machine. This is especially true with planes that have
       large art files. [With the advent of version 1.07 art files are
       stored in a more efficient format so this should be less of a
       consideration.]
       
       
   
   
   6.1 What happened to S3 card special support?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The new graphics engine was ported from the MAC and obviously did not
       have S3 card support. However, the new graphics engine is fast
       enough that special support for the S3 card is not needed. If it
       makes you feel any better, I have one too.
       
       
   6.2 What does this error message mean?
   
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   6.2.1 "Domain Error in ACOS"
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This error is shown when you try to run Warbirds on a machine without
       a functioning math coprocessor. Warbirds must have one to run.
       486SX machines don't have math coprocessors built in, so can't run
       Warbirds without an additional math coprocessor chip installed on
       the motherboard.
       
   6.2.2 "Bad Checksum Error"
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This message is uncommon for most players, but some have seen it
       appear regularly. It usually doesn't affect the actual play of
       Warbirds, but can be annoying when it does appear. Players using
       the built-in joystick port of the MediaVision Pro Audio Spectrum
       16 have reported this message more than anyone else, with the
       following steps proven to cut down the occurrence of this problem.
       Add the following commands to the end of your
       DEVICE=C:\PROAUDIO\MVSOUND.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file:
       
        Disable the Sound blaster mode, S:0
            Disable the on-board joystick port. J:0
            Enable the PAS16 on-board oscillator T:1
            Tried various DMA and IRQ settings (IRQ 5, DMA 1 recommended.
            
            IRQ 7 and DMA 3 work well.)
            
   6.2.3 "You must download the art file"
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Many new players began receiving this message when version .91 came
       out. Warbirds currently runs in two graphics modes: 640x480 SVGA,
       and 1024x768. Each mode requires two completely different sets of
       cockpit art. To run Warbirds in 640x480 mode, you'll need to
       download the ART1V13.EXE file, and run Warbirds by just typing
       WARBIRDS from the proper directory. To play Warbirds in the
       1024x768 mode, you'll need to download the ART3V13.EXE file. You
       then play by typing WARBIRDS -.
       
       
   7.0 Will WB have...
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   7.1A Beginner's arena?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Killer writes concerning the less strict arena now available:
       
        Less strict as in a fly by wire applied to the model to help out
            those that can't or won't stay in the flight envelope.
            
            1/2 time? nope, no, no way, no how, not ever, over my dead
            body...
            
            Won't it be enough to fly in a full screen 640x480 warpless
            environment, hitting planes and doing damage relative to what
            part you hit? blowing off parts of planes like wings and tail
            structures and watching them spiral into the dirt to explode
            into hundreds of pieces??(and the enemy may not be able to
            bail out ) popping chutes of bailing pilots (they can shoot
            back with that .45 too) Firing rockets and dropping bombs and
            torpedoes?
            
            Angling in on your target, fire off a stream of MG till the
            lead is close, then open up with cannon and cut him to
            ribbons?
            
            After he calmed down, he did admit that yes, an arena for new
            players to have fun with forgiving aircraft would certainly
            be included in Warbirds.
            
       Although this arena is currently available, you will find that the
       vast majority of people play in the full arena so you will
       probably have a hard time finding a fight.
       
   
   7.2 multiple-player/crew member planes such as the B-17?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Yes, but not in the first release of the B-17. It will have "ROBO
       GUNNERS". HT may even add configurable range to each gunners
       position! This is according to Robert "GunJam" Salinas, V.P. of
       ICI.
       
       
   7.3 Modeling of collisions?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   As Robert "GunJam" Salinas, V.P. at ICI said:
       
        YES, YES, YES, YES, YES ... well I guess so ...
            
            Well Steve "Caligula" Evans thought of a brilliant idea so we
            put it in!!!
            
            
   7.4 TCP support built into the FE?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This is now available with the Win95 version!
       
       As far as I know, there are no plans to add this to the Dos
       Version.
       
       
   7.5 A historical arena?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   One of the things ICI has been doing recently is adding some new
       arenas. One of the Arenas they have added is a european theatre.
       
   8.00 How do I...
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   8.01 Lock the tail wheel on takeoff?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Killer wrote:
       
        Right now you can lock the tail wheel by holding the stick full
            back. Keep it full back till you hit 50 IAS or so then you
            can center the stick and avoid a lot of the yaw on powerup.
            
            
   8.02 Get the easier flight model?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Killer wrote:
       
        There already is an easier flight mode. The host can control this
            or you can enable it off line. Try the .dweeb 1 command and
            try to spin one.
            
            
   8.03 Check how good my connection is?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   You can check this by using the
       
       ping -s icigames.com
       
       command from your shell account. Be warned that for some reason on
       some providers, this continues forever instead of being killed
       with a [CTRL]-C. Therefore, you may want to use a different form
       of the command.
       
       ping -s icigames.com 56 10
       This will ping ICI's machine 10 times and then summarize the
       statistics.
       Doing this from CRIS I got:
       
       CRCINET 1> ping -s icigames.com 56 10
       
        PING icigames.com: 56 data bytes
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=0. time=59. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=1. time=58. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=2. time=58. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=3. time=67. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=4. time=59. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=5. time=58. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=6. time=69. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=8. time=58. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.119.162: icmp_seq=9. time=58. ms
            
            ----icigames.com PING Statistics----
            10 packets transmitted, 9 packets received, 10% packet loss
            round-trip (ms) min/avg/max = 58/60/69
            
       Numbers below 200 are fine and will yield a good connection. The
       higher the numbers, the worse the connection and if the go high
       enough, the game becomes unplayable and the host will ground you.
       
       You should be aware that normally low numbers can be ruined if you
       get occasionally very high ones. I was flying one night where I
       could go for minutes with a ping time of around 50. However, every
       once in a while the system would basically just stop and I would
       get numbers like 1800. When actually flying, I could fly for a
       couple of minutes and then I would get grounded.
       
       Another BAD thing that can ruin an otherwise fine connection is
       packet losses.
       
       The next question is, "Would switching providers help?". In order
       to answer that question, we need to know a bit more about how your
       messages are getting sent to icigames.com. We can use the
       traceroute command for this.
       
       traceroute icigames.com
       
       I get the following:
       
        traceroute to icigames.com (199.3.119.162), 30 hops max, 40 byte
            packets
            1 wfbcn1-fddi.cris.com (199.3.12.188) 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms
            2 199.3.113.206 (199.3.113.206) 59 ms 61 ms 62 ms
            3 199.3.119.162 (199.3.119.162) 59 ms * 65 ms
       
       By the way, those numbers are individual times and do not
       represent a minimum, average, and maximum like with ping.
       
       This gives me all the steps in the route needed to get internet
       traffic from my provider to ICI's machine. The times show will
       give you some idea about how much time it took to get to each step
       along the way. By the way, those numbers are individual times and
       do not represent a minimum, average, and maximum like with ping.
       However, to get a better idea, use ping again.
       
       CRCINET 8> ping -s 199.3.113.206
       
        ping -s 199.3.113.206
            PING 199.3.113.206: 56 data bytes
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=0. time=57. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=1. time=57. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=2. time=60. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=3. time=67. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=4. time=59. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=5. time=73. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=6. time=57. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=7. time=57. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=8. time=77. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=9. time=58. ms
            64 bytes from 199.3.113.206: icmp_seq=10. time=58. ms
            ^C
            ----199.3.113.206 PING Statistics----
            11 packets transmitted, 11 packets received, 0% packet loss
            round-trip (ms) min/avg/max = 57/61/77
            
       You can do this every step along the way and you should be able to
       isolate exactly where a problem is occurring if you are having
       one. Remember, the problem may not be your provider (and then
       again it might). If it is, you now have the ammo to shoot at their
       tech support people.
       
       If you don't mind a somewhat messy display, you can also use the
       traceroute -q nqueries form of the command. However, ping is
       better for doing large numbers of queries (the reason will be
       obvious if you try with traceroute).
       
       Note that there are now two addresses you can use to get to
       warbirds. You can also use icigames2.com. If you are having
       trouble with your connection on the one, you should certainly
       check if your connection is improved by using the other.
       
       
       ***IMPORTANT***
       
        Ping statistics do NOT tell the entire story. Big ping delays or
            large numbers of dropped packets are of course BAD news.
            However, you can have relatively good numbers and still have
            problems with warping and such. For example, if the host you
            are on occasionally locks your telnet process out, bad things
            are going to happen. By all means use ping and traceroute,
            but what really matters is what you, and the people fighting
            against you, see.
            
            
   8.04 Recover from losing updates to all players?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This happens from time to time when the internet gets bogged down. The
       best thing to do is simply keep flying. After a while, the
       connection will usually come back.
       
       If you start getting a steady stream of STX packet messages on
       your FE, it means that you have been kicked back to your provider.
       You should do a .abort which will take you back to your shell
       prompt.
       
       
   8.05 Recover from being grounded?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   First, this happens because the host received nothing from you for a
       long time. This can be because of a temporary burp in the system
       or because the load on your internet provider is just too high at
       the moment. You might want to see the section of the FAQ on
       checking how good your connection is.
       
       You recover by doing a .abort followed by a .login at which point
       you can select your field and plane.
       
       If this happens a lot, you are going to have to find a different
       provider (or learn to live with it).
       
       Note that currently, the host is not grounding people like this
       and ICI is on record as saying they found the grounding code
       unworkable.
       
       
   8.06 Stop rapid jittering in my controls?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The rapid jittering is caused by the fact your joystick does not
       usually put out one consistent value for a particular position of
       the stick. What you should do is adjust the deadbands for your
       stick and rudder pedals (if you have them).
       
       You should be aware that the oscillations back and forth that
       occur on a somewhat slower and smoother basis are normal and are
       part of the flight model. Real planes behave the same way.
       
       For some people, their are two other causes:
       
        a) For a limited # of people, using the .stick 1 command has
            helped. However, for most people, this makes things worse. If
            it isn't broke, don't fix it!
            
            b) You may be calibrating incorrectly. Some people are trying
            to calibrate their joystick and then calibrate their rudder.
            The program wants you to calibrate them at the same time. If
            you calibrate them seperately, you undo the first
            calibration. Say you did your joystick first and your rudders
            second. What you will have done is told the game that the
            center position is both the minimum and maximum position for
            your joystick. This is going to give you an EXTREMELY bumpy
            ride.
            
            
   8.07 Recover from a Spin?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Pyro writes:
       
        I've been playing around offline with the really nasty spins. I
            did a lot them in all the planes and I definitely believe
            that there is no such thing as an unrecoverable spin provided
            you have enough alt and have not had flight controls shot
            off. At least, I recovered from all my test spins(probably
            about 50 of the nasty sort). Most of those were done using
            the F4U.
            
            I'll try to explain the technique. It may be hard to
            visualize but if you watched it once, it would be very clear.
            
            First off, if you get into a flat spin at high alt that is
            particularly bad, recovery can be impossible until you get
            down around 7K. It seems that for those spins, you just can't
            get enough bite into the air until you get down in the denser
            stuff. You still have plenty of time to recover though. I've
            spun 15k and couldn't do a thing until I hit the lower alt
            where recovery was made without much problem.
            
            Throttle is very important. I found that spins can be
            unrecoverable if you throttle all the way back. Realistic or
            not, stay throttled up.
            
            The whole trick of spin recovery in Warbirds is get your nose
            pointed straight down. You want to get your nose aimed at the
            point on the ground that everything appears to be spinning
            around. The first thing to do is get the nose down a little.
            Use opposite rudder, forward stick, and some opposite
            aileron. Monitor your airspeed and watch for gains in it. The
            object at this point is to get from a flat spin to at least a
            slightly nose down attitude.
            
            Hold down opposite rudder and adjust stick input to aim your
            nose down at the center of the spin. If you use too much
            stick input, your nose will shoot past that point. As your
            nose gets closer to center, ease up on your\ stick input.
            Sometimes rudder input needs to be adjusted a little, but for
            the most part, it is held down all the way. Stick input will
            differ according to the attitude you are in. Just using
            forward stick alone will not do it in most cases. Use your
            stick input as if you were flying your plane towards the
            center of the spin. And go into the direction of the spin,
            not with it.
            
            Sometimes, you get in an attitude that is very flat and hard
            to get any input into it. If you give a quick kick of rudder
            going into the spin followed by max opposite again, it can
            sometimes put you in a more favorable spin attitude that you
            can get out of quicker.
            
            Use the airspeed indicator as a feedback to what you are
            doing also. Speed increases as long as you are doing
            something good. Once you do get nose down and stabilized,
            watch your speed and allow it to build some. If you try to
            pull out before doing this, it is very easy to reenter a
            spin.
            
            Once you do it a few times, it will click and you will be
            able to get out of any spin as long as you haven't lost any
            flight controls and have a few k of alt between you and the
            ground. It's pretty hard to explain in words, but it really
            isn't that difficult although they do take some work. It
            ain't textbook spin recovery but it works here.
            
       "The easiest way out of a spin is not to get in one. Use smooth
       control inputs, and try to keep the aircraft in trim as much as
       possible. If you try to yank a foul-tempered Corsair around like
       you may be used to with table-based flight models, you fall down,
       go 'boom.' Finesse is the key."
       
       
   8.08 Tell what country I am from?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Your color of country depends on the country that you selected (the
       default is country 1). The countries are:
       
        1 - Red Gold
            2 - green
            3 - Gold
            4 - Purple
            
       Another way is to do a roster command (.ros) when on the ground.
       This will give you a list of who is flying, their color, handle,
       etc. Look for the entry listing you and it will tell you your
       color.
       
       Probably the easiest way is to look at the color of your gunsite
       crosshairs when you are flying.
       
       
   8.09 Use the radio?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   c==)--Katana----- [with minor updates by me needed because of changes
       over time] writes:
       
        "Since it seems to be the most asked question online at the
            moment, I've decided to post some instructions on how to use
            the radio commands/channels on Warbirds. Grab a copy and pass
            it on.
            
            There are 4 radio channels. You can send and receive on all 4
            channels simultaneously. At the moment, the message does not
            indicate what channel the incoming message is on, which is
            what is causing most of the confusion out there. You transmit
            on the various channels like so:
            
             Channel 1 - /
                 Channel 2 - Shft /
                 Channel 3 - Ctrl /
                 Channel 4 - Alt /
                 
            Makes sense when you look at it on the keyboard.
            
            Each country has it's own private channel, corresponding to
            it's country number:
            
             Country 1 (Reds) - 101
                 Country 2 (Greenies) - 102
                 Country 3 (Golds) - 103
                 Country 4 (Barneys) - 104
                 
            There is a special common channel which is channel 100.
            
            Channel 1 is best left tuned to your countries channel, which
            is its default.
            
            You tune the radio by using the format:
            
             .radio # ###
                 
            As an example, I might tune the common channel as channel 3
            by typing:
            
             .radio 3 100 (which is activated by Ctrl /)
                 
            Now, whenever I transmit by typing Ctrl / everybody can hear
            me. Easy, eh? If you want to use Alt / to talk to your
            country rather than / and your red you'd type:
            
             .radio 4 101
                 
            Tuning to enema country channels allows you to transmit on
            their private channel, but you cannot hear their
            transmissions on that channel. Better to just use the common
            channel to talk to enemas.
            
            You can also tune any of your radio channels to individual
            pilots for private plane-plane conversations. This is very
            useful for wingman tactics. The format is the same, but
            instead of a numbered channel you use the 4 digit plane id of
            your wingman:
            
             .radio 4 kat-
                 
            This would tune your channel 4 to my plane only, and nobody
            else would hear your transmissions to me. Note that your
            message won't echo when you use this method, but rest assured
            it was sent.
            
            On my first flight, I generally tune my channel 2 to whatever
            country channel I'm flying for (.radio 2 101 for Reds). Then
            I tune my two extra channels (3 and 4) to whichever squad
            mates are up (.radio 3 cash and .radio 4 feet). That would
            mean:
            
             Shft / - talks to Reds only
                 Ctrl / - talks to Crash only
                 Alt / - talks to Fletch only
                 
            Well, that's longer than I meant it to be, but it should
            cover all of the possible problems you may face concerning
            the radio system. Hopefully this will reduce the "how does
            the radio work" questions on the air so I can fly instead of
            type. ;)"
       
       With the advent of WarBirds 1.01, a squad channel has also been
       implemented. Simply tune one of your channels to frequency 110.
       For example .radio 4 110 will let me transmit to other members of
       my squad using the [ALT]/ keys. In order for this to work you must
       be a member of a squadron (see the .invite and .jsquad commands).
       
       Starting with WarBirds 1.02 your 1st channel defaults to your
       country's radio frequency upon taking off. Whether this is a good
       thing or not is debatable (I don't like it).
       
       With the advent of Warbirds 1.09 the frequency to which you are
       tuned on a channel is displayed. This is a great change and should
       help reduce some of the confusion.
       
       Another big change to radios with the advent of Warbirds 1.09 is
       the ability to tune your 1st channel to a frequency between 1 and
       99. All other people which are tuned to that frequency will be
       able to hear what you broadcast on that channel. This is easier to
       use than a squad channel in that the invite process does not need
       to be followed. However, it is not secure. Other countries can
       hear what is said if they are tuned. That may seem a bit odd but
       it can be very useful on some occasions.
       
       One final word on radios that confuses a lot of people. If you are
       in your HQ, inside the tower at a field, or in a briefing room
       channel 100 does NOT transmit to everyone. Instead, it transmits
       only to those people who are in the same room as you. One way to
       think of channel 100 is that it is always a transmit to all the
       people in a room channel. It is just that when you are flying, the
       room includes the whole world.
       
   
   
   8.09.1 What are all those abbeviations I see people using on the
   radio?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Since typing long drawn out words and sentences doesn't work real well
       in the heat of battle, the following abbreviations are often used
       in the arena: 
       
        afk: Away From Keyboard
            BG: Big Grin
            bingo: I'm out of fuel/ammo.
            brb: Be Right Back
            btw: By the way
            bz: I'm busy fighting someone, can't talk now.
            b&z: Use high-speed passes on the enemy, instead of getting
            into Turning fights.
            cap: defend an airfield or other aircraft.
            cc: Short for Click Click. I understand/I copy/Roger
            gdr or g,d,r: grin duck and run
            lol: Laughing out loud!
            otr: On the runway
            otw: I'm on the way
            rgr: Roger
            rofl: Rolling on the floor, laughing.
            rtb: Return To Base.
            6: Check your six.
            6! Clear MY six.
            vulch: (Vulture) To attack a plane taking off, or fly over an
            enemy airfield and attack planes trying to use it.
            wing: The bad guys shot my wing off!"
            
       Here are some more:
       
        8): Smiley
            8(: Frown
            in: Entering a fight
            l8r: Later
            nite: Logging but some radio traffic might be possible.
            out: Exitting a fight
            poof: Logging out immediately - no further radio traffic will
            be possible.
            thnx: Thanks
            
            
   8.09.2 What are those voices I keep hearing?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   As of version 0.90, the WarBirds programmers are experimenting with
       new software that allows the players to transmit VOICE radio
       messages to one another. Right now, only the Sysops are using this
       while the code is being tested and tuned. ICI hopes to have this
       code fully functional by version 1.0. [Note: We are now at version
       1.02 and this has not happened. My understanding is that this is
       not being used because it was putting the 8 Meg machines over the
       limit.]
       
       
       
   8.10 Make my joystick work with my GUS
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Shaky Stick writes:
       
        To all GUS owners...do NOT select GUS when choosing a sound card
            for Warbirds. The drivers hosed. Choose Sandblaster, or
            whatever else you can with your system setup.
            
            
   8.11 Capture airfields and CVs?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Exactly what is necessary to capture fields is something that has
       changed quite a bit over the different versions. Starting with
       Warbirds 1.09, the mechanics for this are detailed in one of the
       READMEs that come with the game. That this is now being documented
       is a good thing IMO.
       
   
   8.12 Set my fuel level?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   While in HQ type .fuel # where the number is the percent of a full
       tank you want to take (i.e. 1-100). For example .fuel 50 will give
       you a half a tank of gas.
       
       
   8.13 Load Bombs and Rockets?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   While in the HQ and after having selected a plane, enter either .bomb
       # or .rockets # respectively to get that number of bombs and
       rockets. The actual number that can be loaded depends on the plane
       you are flying.
       
       Note that with the advent of Warbird V1.09, there is a new and
       simplified method of getting preset ordinance loadouts. The .ord
       command will give you a listing of what the ordinance presets are.
       Then .ord [0-3] will load that ordinance preset.
       
       Also note that offline, the command is considerably expanded as
       explained in 14.0 What are all the various . commands? under .ord.
       
       
   8.14 Turn faster?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Some people have a reputation in the arena of being able to turn their
       planes almost unbelievably fast. Here are a few pointers:
       
        a) A plane will turn fastest at "corner velocity." Note that
            "corner velocity" differs drastically between different
            altitudes and aircraft.
       
       
        b) In order to get a plane at corner velocity, you may want to
            either put your nose up or down. People often turn nose down
            in a fight because they are trying to maintain speed.
       
        c) Flaps may help in a turn. Each plane will differ somewhat with
            regards to this. I personally have a stopwatch that I use to
            time turns in the aircraft and find the flap position that
            turns best. Full Flaps is NOT necessarily the best setting to
            use.
       
       
        d) There are various maneuvers that are designed to make use of
            the fact that planes can usually roll 360 degrees faster than
            they can turn 360 degrees in a flat turn.
       
        e) Judicious use of high and low YoYos can give you an edge.
       
        f) Remember that turn rate does not always when a stallfight.
            Turn radius can also be very important.
            
            g) The ability to ride the edge of a stall can be important
            to winning turn fights.
            
            
   8.15 Keep my FE from locking up after the title screen?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This is known to happen on systems with a PCI bus in 640x480. There
       are three known ways of getting around it.
       
         1. Many computers have a BIOS entry called PCI Burst Mode.
            Simply turn this to off!
            
         2. Unfortunately, some computers with this problem (specifically
            mine) do not have the option to turn this off in the BIOS.
            However, I have been able to get it too run in 640x480 mode
            by running from within Windows 95. The downside to this
            solution is that at least on some computers, every 5 minutes,
            the screen freezes for about 1 second several times. This
            seems to always be as I'm trying to pull out of a dive or
            line up a shot 8(. The solution, at least on my machine, is
            to turn off the TCP/IP protocol for NE2000 cards.
            
         3. The third approach is perhaps the best if it works for you.
            There is a file called burst.exe that can be obtained from
            ftp://ftp.diamondmm.com/pub/Misc which also turns off PCI
            burst mode. I am not sure if this works for non-diamond
            cards. If someone tries it and it does, please get back to
            me. The advantage of this method is that you can leave PCI
            burst mode alone for other applications (it allows the PCI
            bus to work faster). Thanks to Pete for calling this solution
            to my attention.
            
            
   8.16 Speed up the view switching?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   
   View switching can be slow, especially in 1024x768 mode. However, if
       you have enough memory for a disk cache using SMARTDRV, the
       problem is easily dealt with. For example, to get a disk cache of
       4096 KBs, you would simply enter:
       
       SMARTDRV 4096 4096
       
       before starting Warbirds.
       
       NOTE: Using a disk cache on systems with only 8 MEGs of memory is
       not recommended and is known to cause Memory Allocation problems.
       
   8.17 Use the B-17 Bomber?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   
   Boomer wrote the following:
       
       WarBirds B-17 Pilots Briefing
       
       The WB B-17G honors and is modeled after the B-17G 'Texas Raiders'
       owned and operated by the Gulf Coast Wing of the Confederate Air
       Force in Houston Tx. The markings are that of the 381st Bomb Group
       in the 1st combat wing of the 1st Air division. If you wish to
       know more about this bird, contact ICI or Colonel Mike 'Boomer'
       McCoy (CAF supporting sponsor).
       
       The following information can (and likely will) change. However,
       this information is current until otherwise noted.
       
       The Warbirds B-17G is currently a 'single-seater'. That means the
       pilot acts as Pilot/co-pilot, Navigator, gunner(s), and Bombadier.
       
       Pilot/Co-pilot
       
       The B-17G has 4 engines. Just like the P-38, you can use the
       (shift) 1,2,3,4 to select each engine (shift E selects all).
       
       The best climb rate for the B-17G is 135 mph (ias) at 1070 fpm
       (unloaded). Loaded, CR is (approx) 650 fpm with 50% fuel.
       
       Navigator
       
       The Navigation of the B-17G is very important for the Bombadiers
       accuracy. More about this will be discussed in the bombadiers
       section.
       
       Gunners
       
       Currently the B-17G is comprised of 6 autogunners: chin, Top,
       Ball, waist (2) and tail.
       
       While each gunner is completely able to select their appropriate
       target (decided by range and cones of fire), they will not fire
       until you give the command. You give autogunners their command by
       pressing the trigger on your joystick. Again, note not all gunners
       may fire. If there is NOT a target within range (1400 yds) and
       cone of fire, they will not fire. However, accuracy diminishes at
       extreme ranges. Thus, to conserve ammo, you should wait to give a
       fire command (pulling the trigger) until bandits are relatively
       close. There is an overall ammo counter on the overhead console in
       the pilots cockpit. Note you are NOT notified if a particular
       gunner runs out of ammunition. Also note individual gunners can be
       killed (and are thus out of action). Autogunners can be given the
       command to fire from the bombadiers position as well.
       
       Bombadier
       
       The whole purpose of the B-17 is to provide a hi-altitude
       precision bombing platform. Thus, the bombadier has the most
       important position (and the most complex). There are a number of
       'systems' the bombadier can manage (or not) to fulfill the B-17s
       mission.
       
       The bombadier can set the delay between bombs, the number of bombs
       dropped in a stick (or salvo) and has the most advanced bombsight
       available during WWII, the Sperry Norden bombsight. Of course, he
       must also open/close the bomb doors.
       
       Most of the information relevant to the bombadier is found in the
       left view on the bombadiers control panel. There are indicators
       for ordinance loaded (up to 12 500 lb bombs), readouts for SALVO
       and DELAY settings, indicator light for bomb bay door open/close
       and an altimeter and airspeed indicator.
       
       Opening/closing Bomb doors - use the 'O' key. Don't forget to
       close them after your run as they create drag.
       
       SALVO - Salvo is the muber of bombs dropped when you press the
       bomb release button on your joystick (or secondary fire key, e.g.
       'B'). This command is set in the comm window and is like the
       following:
       
       .salvo N
       
       Where 'N' is the number of bombs you want to drop at one time.
       Note the 'pickle' button works (F9) so there is no need to set
       .salvo to 12 (but you could).
       
       DELAY - Bomb delay is the time between each bomb release. This
       number can is in milliseconds (ms) and ranges from 50 to 999
       milliseconds (almost 1 sec). This system is useful to time hits
       between bombs. A good bombadier (knowing his airspeed and
       altitude) could .salvo 2 bombs and take out 2 acks, given the
       right delay. The command to set delay is
       
       .delay NNN (where NNN is a value between 50 and 999
       
       NORDEN - The Norden is the most sophisticated bombsight available
       during WWII. The following is Top Secret information not to be
       discussed freely.
       
       Upon moving to the bombadiers position using the 'Y' key, the
       first thing you see is a 45 degree DOWN view of the Norden
       Bombsight. Straight ahead view is the up arrow, or 8 key (Up and
       Forward is the 8 plus 5 key). Pressing the 2 key provides the
       actual bombsight view. Other views from the bombadier position is
       also available.. look and see.
       
       The Norden was a 'computing' bombsight. The bombadier selected an
       arbitrary target on the ground and, using the various knobs on the
       sight, tracked the target, keeping the target in the X-hairs. The
       Norden then computed the bombing solution incorporating drift,
       altitude, etc. the bombadier provided. Once the solution was
       generated, any deviation from course, altitude, etc. negated the
       accuracy of the solution. This is why the final bomb runs were
       straight and level over the target irrespective of flak, enemy
       fighters, etc.
       
       The WarBird Norden simulates this by incorporating automatic data
       input.. no bombadier actions are necessary. However, during course
       changes, etc. the Norden begins re-computing its solution. It can
       take up to a maximum of 2 minutes for the WB Norden to stabilize.
       The Norden stabilizes at 3 sec per degree. Thus, if you make a 10
       degree turn to target, it will take 30 seconds for the X-hairs in
       the Bombsight to be accurate again.
       
       Making course corrections at the bombadiers position is made
       somewhat easier in that all turns are coordinated. However, any
       course corrections, turns, etc WILL negate the Norden solution.
       
       Within the bombsight are two indicators: A magnification indicator
       that tells you what magnification your sight is currently set.
       
       The second indicator is a Bombsight Deviation indicator. This
       device Centers (and a green lamp is lit) when the bombsight has
       stabilized.
       
       Good navigation and setup to the target run is absolutely
       necessary for accurate bombing. The final run should commence
       probably no less than 12-15 miles from the target (1/2 sector).
       Don't forget, during this run you will also need to give any
       commands necessary to the gunners if you're being attacked.
       
       OK.. that's all for now... Go have fun and blow stuff up!
       
       [Minor editing was done to correct some small mistakes.]
       
       
       Here is some additional information that may help.
       
         1. Currently, you cannot count on bombs being reloaded after
            each mission. Make sure you load them again with the .bomb
            command. For the really paranoid, you can use the y and then
            4 key to make sure they are there.
            
         2. Some people have had problems with the aircraft going into a
            slight bank when entering the bombadiers position when the
            plane is in auto. The solution to this is to use a larger
            deadband for the roll axis. One value that has been suggested
            is 20 instead of 5.
            
         3. To clarify what Boomer wrote about the gunners, you must be
            pressing the trigger switch for the gunners to fire. It is
            NOT a toggle.
            
         4. If you are having trouble getting some of the bombing
            commands to work, this may have been caused by not
            overwriting your keymap.asc file when you updated. If you did
            not overwrite this file when updating, you should get the new
            version.
            
         5. If you are seeing messages about the bomb bay doors not being
            open while you are firing your guns, it is probably because
            you have a two stage trigger like that on the FLCS and you
            set full pull to fire your secondary ordinance (like
            cannons). The solution is to not pull as hard. This same
            thing can lead to inadvertantly dropping your bombs early if
            the bomb doors are open.
            
         6. External views are enabled for the B-17. Use [ALT]v. This is
            useful for determining when to use the gunners.
            
         7. You use the [ and ] keys to zoom in and out with the Norden
            bombsight.
            
         8. According to Boomer, diving or climbing also effects settling
            time for the bombsight.
            
       
   8.18 Keep my 8 Meg machine from crashing?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   
   Typically, the reason 8 Meg machines crash is they are running out of
       memory. What needs to be done is to free up as much memory for the
       game as possible.
       
       First, make a boot disk as outlined in section 6.0. It should not
       use Himem.sys, Emm386, Smartdrv, or any TSRs or drivers other than
       for your mouse (and if necessary a driver for your sound card).
       Second, set a couple of the sounds down to 0 in volume. If they
       are set at volume 0 when the FE is loaded, the sound will not be
       loaded and it will save some memory. One good sound to eliminate
       is the wind sound. Third, don't fly some of the planes that take a
       great deal of memory. Examples of planes that have large memory
       requirements are the SBD Dauntless and the B-17.
       
       ICI was well aware of the problems people with 8 Meg machines were
       having. They rewrote the way some of the graphics are stored in
       memory to be more efficient. This should have cleared up this
       issue for most people.
       
       Note that ICI has stated that version 1.10 is the last that will
       support just 8 Meg of Memory. Future versions will require 16 Meg
       according to ICI.
       
       
   9.0 Do ...
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   9.1 Bombs and other ordinance affect the flight model?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Yes. Starting with version .90, weapons weight and drag is modeled.
       
       
   9.2 Flaps and gear down have any affect?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Both of these now DO have an effect. In fact, I would go so far as to
       say that using flaps is a necessity to fly at top form with the
       current models. Note that different aircraft have differing flaps
       sizes, lift factors, and drag factors, as well.
       
       
   9.3 Planes burn any fuel?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Yes, in proper relation to their actual consumption in reality.
       
   9.4 (More about fuel consumption and loading)
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Note that when setting your fuel level with the .FUEL # command, it's
       in percentages of maximum internal capacity. A P-51 with fuel set
       to 30% can fly for over an hour, where a P-38 set at the same
       level can barely last 20 minutes. Also note that full throttle
       consumes a great deal of fuel for a moderate increase in speed
       over cruise throttle settings. (Around 70%)
       
       
   10. Why ...
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   10.1 Do the distant planes occasionally move like inch-worms, warping
   a bit?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Warbirds uses special code that prioritizes closer planes with more
       frequent updates. This focuses more bandwidth on the planes within
       range of you. Planes farther off aren't updated as often, causing
       them to slide around sometimes.
       
   10.2 Do I need to trim my plane?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Mike "Boomer" McCoy writes:
       
        "An aeronautical engineer is probably gonna have a heart attack,
            but here goes ;)
            
            If you were flying a real airplane that was designed to
            cruise at, say, 250 mph, flying it at 150 (fuel economy ,
            whatever..) you would quicky tire from holding the stick back
            to maintain the angle of attack (AOA), etc.
            
            Trim tabs allow you to 'fine tune' the Horiz Stab airfoil via
            little 'elevator' tabs set into rear of stab. For older
            planes, these tabs were mechanically set via a wheel in the
            cockpit (in this case WWII). Later, they became electrical
            with a small up/down switch.
            
            Turn the wheel one way, the tabs went down, pushing the nose
            down a bit, Turn it the other way raised the nose. In the
            example above, you could set th trim so the stick was
            neutral, i.e. needing no force to keep the plane in the right
            attitude to fly a high speed plane at low speeds.
            
            It's important to note that trimming the plane is only good
            for the speed it's trimmed at. If you trim your plane level
            at 200, it will be OUT of trim at 250. Of course the design
            of the plane would determine just how much."
            
   
   
   10.2.1 Is there a line moving around above my gunsight?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   In version .91 and above, a "sideslip indicator" has been added. This
       is represented by a vertical line above your aircraft's gunsight.
       This line will move in the direction that the tail of your plane
       is "skidding" to. If the line moves to the RIGHT, apply RIGHT
       rudder to bring the tail "into trim" with the nose. Keeping the
       "sideslip indicator" centered will result in a noticeable increase
       in airspeed and turning performance.
       
       Note that in some airplanes, certain airspeed/attitude/altitude
       combinations will make it impossible for the plane to be "in
       trim," even with full rudder application. This is particularly
       true with high-powered single-engine planes like the F4U Corsair.
       
       
   10.3 Do some planes seem to warp and others don't?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   If you see one plane warping, or jumping around the screen, while
       others in view are staying steady, this is almost always the
       result of an excessive latency from that player's provider. If you
       see ALL the planes warping, it's either YOUR provider causing
       delays, or the WarBirds host. (The WarBirds host is under little
       strain, and rarely causes warping as long as there are less than
       120 players up.)
       
       
   10.4 Does only one person sometimes die in a collision?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The simple rule to remember with collisions is if your FE sees a
       collision, you die. If someone flies away from a collision and you
       don't, it is because their FE did not see the collision.
       
       To understand why this can happen, you need to realize that it
       takes time for the others persons position reports to reach your
       FE. You are not actually fighting against what your opponent is
       doing at this instant but some amount of time in the past. Say you
       fly straight at someone. Say that they dodge at the last instant
       and it takes 1 second for their position to go from their computer
       through the host and to your FE. From their FE's point of view
       they just missed. From your FE's point of view their turn came 1
       second to late for you to miss.
       
       Therefore if you want to avoid that collision, you can't depend on
       your opponent making that last second turn. You had better try to
       avoid the collision.
       
       
   10.5 Can't I shoot down the offline drones?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   The offline drones are intended for simple target practice and cannot
       be shot down. They will show sparks to register hits.
       
       
   11.0 Should I use Error Correction and Data Compression?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Go ahead and set your modem for Error Correction. You should probably
       turn Data Compression off. (Many claim this doesn't matter for
       this game. I seem to get somewhat better results however). Your
       modem may vary but with mine I initialize with:
        atz
            at&K0
            
   12.0 Where is the action?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   First, you should get and print a copy of the map for the arena you
       are flying in. Currently (v1.05 and later) the action is very easy
       to find. Just select an airfield near the center of the map and
       fly to the nearest opponents airfield.
       
       * Note that you can use the .FIELDS command from the HQ building
       to get a quick rundown of what the status of the entire arena.
       This will show you who owns which fields, and what their
       operational status is. A quick radio call of the pilots already
       flying will help steer you to the action, as well. You can also
       use the map key within the tower [F1]. *
       
       
   13.0 What is good etiquette? want to play well with others!
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   There are no set rules for player etiquette in Warbirds. The virtual
       battlefield can accomodate a number of different tactics,
       personalities, and activities. However, there are some good
       guidelines to follow to make sure everyone has as much fun as
       possible. Don't shoot down your own countrymen. Warbirds sometimes
       runs anti-fratricide code that inflicts the same damage to you
       that you've inflicted on a player of the same country. (It's the
       virtual battlefield equivalent of a court martial.)
       
       If you've been waved off of a fight by someone in your country,
       stay away. (You should not have to ask before joining a 1 on 1).
       In other words, if two players are having a pitched duel in an
       isolated position, it might be considered rude to immediately jump
       in and steal a kill that a fellow "countryman" had been working
       hard to achieve.
       
       Do not constantly wave off countrymen from a fight. Reserve this
       for when you are actually dueling someone.
       
       Don't boss people around in the arena. Instead of, "All greens
       follow me to F3." try "I'm headed to F3. Anyone else want to
       come?".
       
       Don't make excuses on the radio for every time someone shoots you
       down. An occasional, "Man, you were warping" is ok but if this
       become a litany, people are going to notice (and the problem is
       probably your connection anyway).
       
       Don't expect other people to bail you out of your dumb decisions.
       They are not obligated to help you out (see don't boss).
       
       Do NOT bail on someone in a fight just to avoid giving them the
       kill. (Bailing after you are hit is OK). This will earn you a
       reputation in a hurry.
       
       Don't monopolize the radio channels. Keep your messages brief and
       concise as possible
       
       Don't just stay at home waiting for others to come to you. The
       best defense is a good offense.
       
       Don't use profanity online if you can absolutely help it.
       
       Don't take this game too seriously. If you find yourself getting
       exceptionally angry about a lost dogfight or bad break, take some
       time off from playing and reset your priorities. Play because it's
       FUN, not because you've got a chip on your shoulder.
       
       Of course there's the flip side:
       
       Compliment your opponents for a good fight. A little sportsmanship
       goes a long way.
       
       To help your countrymen out when they are trying to accomplish
       something or are outnumbered. Teamwork is the key.
       
       Do try to help the new players out, and please be patient with
       them. A new player treated with respect becomes a good wingman in
       a hurry.
       
       Do feel free to attack enemy aircraft on the ground if you have
       flown a significant distance to get there (In my view significant
       is any other countries airfield).
       
       Do give ICI constructive feedback, itemized if possible.
       
   
   
   14.0 What are all the various . commands?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Well, to be honest, I don't know. Here are some of them.
       
       .abort - Sometimes helps to abort your session when in HQ when
       things aren't working right. Follow this with .login to get back
       to HQ and ready to fly.
       
       .alt ##### - Allows setting your initial altitude in feet when
       using the Kiel FE. This does not work with the normal FE. 
       
       .bombs # - This sets the bomb load of your aircraft. If you select
       more than is possible for an aircraft, it will load the max. Bombs
       DO now effect the flight characteristics of the aircraft. The
       maximum load varies by aircraft with most fighters capable of
       carrying a maximum of 4.
       
       .clear - This clears your current score.
       
       .conv ### - Sets your convergence setting for your guns at ###
       many yards. [HQ - only now]
       
       .cou # - Is equivalent to using the country buttons.
       
       .delay ### - Sets the delay between bomb releases in a salvo from
       the B-17 in milliseconds. The valid range is between 50 and 999.
       
       .disband - Disbands a squadron (squad leaders only).
       
       .dweeb 0 - Sets the standard, high fidelity, flight model.
       
       .dweeb 1 - Supposedly sets up the easier fly by wire flight model
       to avoid things like spins. The last time I checked, it did not
       work.
       
       .dwing - Decline a wing invite or clear wingman status.
       
       .e - Typed on the radio when you want to exit the plane when you
       have landed. [Runway and stopped]
       
       .exit - When in HQ returns you to the menu on ICI2 from which you
       selected b to fly.
       
       .fields - Gives a list of all fields, their ownership, whether
       they are open, etc. [HQ]
       
       .fly - Is equivalent to hitting the fly button. This takes off in
       the default direction for an airfield. It is equivalent to the
       ".fly a" command.
       
       .fly a - take off from an airfield in the default direction.
       
       .fly b - take off from an airfield 180 degrees from the default
       direction.
       
       .fuel ### - load ### percent of the maximum fuel load. You
       probably do NOT want to load maximum fuel since the way effects
       the flight characteristics (such as turn rate) of the aircraft.
       See section 9.3 for more details. 
       
       .handle XXXXX - Would set your handle to XXXXX. Note that there is
       not currently a command to change your 4 letter call sign which is
       fixed when you first setup an account. You should use this command
       right away when getting a new account unless you want to be known
       by one and all as a dweeb. 
       
       .help - Gives a list of some of the . commands 
       
       .invite XXXX - Invites XXXX to join your squadron.
       
       .jsquad - Accepts an outstanding offer to join a squad.
       
       .jwing - Accept a wing invite.
       
       .login - Used in combination with the .abort command.
       
       .mov [F,B,G]## - Will move you to the appropriate field, briefing
       room, or general room. There are seven briefing rooms and seven
       general rooms. You can also do .mov HQ to move to headquarters.
       
       .name text - Names your squadron (squad leaders only).
       
       .ord [type] [xx] - Available offline only.
       Ordinance types are:
        b1 - 100 lb. bomb.
            b5 - 500 lb. bomb.
            b10 - 1000 lb. bomb.
            c37 - 37mm cannon. c75 - 75mm cannon. rck - rockets.
       
       .ord - Tells you ordinance presets for currently selected plane.
       
       .ord [0-3] - Loads ordinance preset 0-3.
       
       .plane - This will give you a list of valid plane numbers
       
       .plane # - Can be used instead of the buttons to select the plane
       you are flying.
       
       .radio - Will list what channels are tuned to what frequencies.
       
       .radio #a #b - Sets radio channel #a to be frequency #b. #b can
       also be the 4 letter call sign shown with F2 in flight. 
       
       .rank - gives a list of the top scoring players.
       
       .remove XXXX - Removes a member from a squadron (squad leaders
       only).
       
       .rock - short for .rockets
       
       .rockets ## - loads up to ## rockets. If more than the maximum for
       the aircraft is specified, the maximum load will be taken. Weight
       of the rockets does effect the flight characteristics of the
       aircraft.
       
       .rost - Will give you a partial listing of the players who are up,
       the country they are flying for, and where they are (in flight or
       HQ, or some field).
       
       .salvo ## - Sets the number of bombs that you want to drop at one
       time in the B-17.
       
       .score XXXX - This gives the current scoring breakdown for player
       XXXX.
       
       .show - This gives a listing of some of the current settings on
       the host. For example, this command can be used to check the frag
       and lethality settings.
       
       .slogan text - Set your squad slogan (squad leaders only).
       
       .speed ### - This sets the speed that the plane will seek when you
       hit speed trim. One use is that best rate of climb is sometimes
       specified as a speed that you should hold at full throttle.
       
       .squad XXXX - Gets the list of players in squadron XXXX.
       
       .wing XXXX - Invite XXXX to wing with you.
       
       .withdraw - Withdraw from a squadron.
       
       .wwing - Withdraw an issues wing invitation.
       
   
   
   14.1 What Are All the In-Flight Commands?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   E: Start/Stop Engine SHFT-E: Start/Stop All Engines
       1-0: Throttle
       +/- Incremental Throttle
       S: Trim Rudder. (Use often)
       A/D: Left/Right Rudder
       G: Raise/Lower Landing Gear.
       V: Dive Brakes on SBD
       Button 0: Fire guns
       Button 1: Fire/Drop secondary weapon
       Backspace: Toggle Secondary Weapon
       F1: View "Radar" map view.
       F2 to toggle identification levels of other players from Range
       Only, to
       Player Callsigns, and Aircraft Type.
       F9 to toggle pickle mode (Drop multiple bombs at once).
       F10 to toggle WEP (war emergency power) on and off.
       F11 to toggle ground clutter on and off.
       F12 to center your joystick.
       [ALT]l: Cycles through 5 levels of object detail.
       [ALT]r: Cycles through 5 levels of view range.
       [ALT]s: Save Screen (as a PCX file).
       
       Keypad/Cursor Keys: View controls.
       I: Trim in more elevator back pressure K: Trim in less elevator
       back pressure Q: Lower Flaps
       W: Raise Flaps
       Y: Use Norden Bombsight.
       O: Open Bomb bay doors.
       [: Zoom in the Bombsight (or map).
       ]: Zoom out the Bombsight (or map).
       ENTER: Hit 3 times quickly to eject.
       
       
   15.0 Scoring.
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   [NOTE: The way scoring is done is in a state of change at the moment
       and I have no idea what the current method is in detail. The
       following is what it used to be. 3/25/97 ]
       
       For those who care about such things, here are some of the details
       as written by Caligula who has been implementing it:
       
        A "player" rating based on a number of factors will be used as
            the central score element. The host will keep track of the
            number of sorties and there outcomes (death, bail, ditch,
            landed, whatever) and the number of kills and assists as
            well. In addition, partial credit is given for the
            performance of your wingman. This is thrown into what is
            (right now) a pretty primitive formula and a "player rating"
            is generated. I believe it is intended to later use this
            rating to give certain players control over some operational
            and strategic aspects of the game. (e.g. will be tabled into
            real "ranks" with corresponding power of control).
            
            A list of the last 10 people you killed and the last 10
            people who killed you is displayed with your score along with
            a list of your basic stats (sorties, kills, deaths, etc.) to
            date. You CAN clear this yourself, and start over, but there
            is good reason not to (see below).
            
            Squadrons are limited to 20 members, wingmen are for one hop
            only and the "wingman status" is cleared whenever either of
            you leaves flight. Since you are "debited" when your wingman
            is killed, it is to your advantage to keep him alive. The
            debit isn't nearly as bad as when you yourself get killed, so
            committing suicide to try and save him isn't such a swell
            idea either. In addition, the ranking is time weighted. The
            more time you have spent in flight, the less credit you get
            for the same results. A guy who kills n people in x hours
            does about 2 as well as someone who kills n people in 2x
            hours. This prevents the "30K cruise hunt for crips" tactics
            from being so attractive.
            
            In addition, the scoring is weighted, up to a point, by
            sortie count. This is ONLY to prevent "statistical anomolies"
            from the low sortie counts and to give a disincentive for
            constantly clearing your score. It is a log relationship to
            100 sorties. This means that as your sortie count approaches
            100 you get closer to 100% of your total potential points.
            e.g. at 50 sorties you are getting something like 80% of the
            total potential. At 100 sorties flown and over 100 you get
            100%, it doesn't get better. This prevents someone from being
            able to "buy" their score.
            
            You currently get no more credit from shooting down a dweeb
            than from shooting down an ace. Also, the planes are not
            weighted. There are no points and the only good of ground
            targets is that you can attack them with rockets and bombs,
            either hitting or missing. Your "accuracy ratio" with rockets
            bombs and guns is figured into the rating. Currently, the
            accuracy ratio with guns does not work. This will be active
            later but for now it doesn't hurt anything. It does not help
            you to just never use rockets or bombs. Basically even a 1%
            accuracy ratio is better than never having tried. Right now
            firing weapons to get rid of them is the same as firing and
            missing. I will talk to HT about adding a "Jettison Stores"
            command to get rid of the weapons without having it count
            against you.
            
            Oh, also, flying someone into the ground can earn you a kill.
            If someone "dies" with no damage on him a kill is awarded to
            the closest enemy within 5K [They are playing with this range
            - French]. This is to prevent "bailing-itis" or "spite
            augers".
            
            Later, there will be a job to compile a ranking list of the
            players and a command will be added to display it. For now no
            such command exists. This will be done for squadrons as well.
            
            I tried to strike a balance between rewarding sensible flying
            and encouraging good game play. I hope it works, but if there
            is a problem nothing is graven in stone.
            
            Oh, by the way, acks can steal your kills :-)
            
       Here are some other important tidbits Caligula wrote:
       
        ... A "bail" counts as a plane used for economic scoring (which
            currently has no influence on player rating) but doesn't
            count as a death. For player rating a bail has FAR less
            impact than dying.
            
            If you frag a friendly he is debited with a "death" but you
            are debited with more deaths as punishment (this assume the
            anti-frag code isn't on, in which case you shoot yourself,
            you die, AND you get the fragging penalty). Similarly having
            put damage enough on a friendly to get an assist debits you
            with one "death". If people presist in fragging I may add
            some sort of PNG code.
            
       He has this to say about how kills are awarded:
       
        Most damage gets kill, 3 next scorers get assists. Acks are
            allowed to take both the kill and assists spots. Note that if
            you ping a guy once, then drag him into the acks and they
            kill him then the acks will get the kill. Also if you
            completely miss him and go for a manuver kill and drag him
            into the acks and he subsequently augers then the acks get
            the kill (assuming they hit him)...
            
            Also since damage never "times out" once you ping a guy he
            stays pinged until, one way or another, his flight ends. You
            swoop in on a guy, no one else around, he augers, and someone
            else who is by now miles away, gets the kill.
            
   
   
   16.0 Win95 Version Issues.
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This section of the fact addresses those problems that are unique to
       the Win95 Version of the software.
       
   
   16.1 Where is my mouse cursor?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This problem typically occurs when trying to run from a 1024x768
       desktop. It happens because you are running with mouse cursors
       that are not the Win95 defaults.
       
       It is easily fixed by going into the Mouse section under the
       Control Panel. Then take a look at Pointers. There should be a box
       where you specify the Scheme. Set this to Windows Standard.
       
   
   16.2 Why do I only get a blue flash on starting?
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   Quite simply, this happens because DirectX has either not been
       installed, has been installed wrong, or because your video
       hardware does not support DirectX.
       
   
   16.3 What if my video card isn't DirectX compatible?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   You can still probably get the game to run. Right click on the
       Warbirds offline icon. Go to properties and then shortcut. On the
       target line add -e so you end up with \somepath\warbirds.exe -e.
       This will force emulation mode. If it works, make the same
       modification to the online icon.
       
   
   17.0 When is the boxed version coming out?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Boomer wrote:
       
       Interactive Creations have no plans to release a boxed version
       ourselves. Retail distribution is not our expertise. However, our
       alliance with GraphSim (developers of Hornet for the Mac) gives
       them the rights to develop/distribute a boxed version of WarBirds.
       You should contact them about availability.
       
   
   18.0 Where can I get Warbirds paraphenalia?
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Coolboy has been licensed by ICI to sell Warbirds related merchandise.
       
       Their webpage can be found at http://www.coolboy.com/p-ici.shtml
       
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                                  The End!
