Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1990-August - Vol 12 Issue 6

MicroProse Garn.es F-15 Update
Where To From. Here ...
Frank Becker
MicroProse Games
Hunt Valley, Maryland
SUBJECT
Thought I'd give you guys an update and a peek
into the F-15 hangar.
Distributor and operator response to F-15 has
been very positive. Both have kicked the tires
and have provided ideas about game play and
construction that we tried to incorporate into
our production version.
This insures that the player has fun while he
learns to fly. As the player advances, he gains
total control of the plane which increases the
thrill and realism of the game; at this point he
isn't a player any longer, he's a fighter pilot!
ADDITIONAL LEVELS
There are six arenas, in addition to the "greased
rail" or gauntlet arena. The player chooses one of
three difficulty levels and flys
through
each arena in pursuit of
• ~~-
'
the Congressional Medal of Honor.
After attending several distribution shows, we
started on the path

that every manufac-
~/
turer travels to help in-
~ ,7
sure a strong earning
piece - focus groups,
field tests and the req-
uisite code changes.
PROBLEM
Our problem was that people
didn't know how to fly when
they had total control of a real plane for
the first time.
SOLUTION
Therefore, we added a "greased rail" in the
beginners level that keeps the player confined to
a track that travels between two mountain
ranges while offering a plethora (big word of the
day) of targets.

-
EARNING POTENTIAL
Game play hints give players a chance to
increase their scores and entice them to
play at more advanced levels. This at-
tention to the desires of arcade gamers,
combined with unique buy-in features,
results in a game with sustained
player appeal and high earnings.
BOTTOM LINE
So in short, no problem at all, just
the normal hoops that you have to
jump through to produce a good
game. We've had it out on some
test flights and once she's all tuned we'll let you
take her up.
Wheels up near the end of September.
National Technical Seminar Outline
SI'AR,it'TECH Journal's well received national technical seminar program offers advancing
technicians a way to increase their level of expertise. Hundreds of industry techs have
received valuable training across the country. The student critiques are overwhelmingly
favourable (over 93% rate the seminar excellent overall). While the program is constantly
updated to stay current with industry technical trends, the following outline is in effect.
STAR*TECH JOURNAL SEMINAR PROGRAM
1: RuNoowN ON MINIMUM REQUIRED TEST EQUIPMENT
FOR COIN-OP REPAIRS.
a. What it takes to get the job done.
2:
TROUBLESHOOTING VIA PHONE.
a: Getting good information.
b: Question checklist.
3:
POWER SUPPLIES.
a: Linear
1: Low Voltage
2: High Voltage
3: Common failures
b: Switch Mode Supplies
1: Single Voltage Supply
2: Multivoltage Supply
3: Common Failures
c: Useful Tips
d: Semi-Conductor replacements
4: MONITORS (CONCENTRATING ON THE NEW W-G K7000
& liANTAREX MC9000 ).
a: B+ regulation and failures
b: Horizontal Output Section
c: Vertical Output Section
d: RGB Amplification and Blanking
e: CRT Operation and Rejuvenation
f: Common Failures
g: Useful Tips
5:
Lome
a: Input Circuitry
1: Switch
2: Opto
3: Analog
GAME PCB
b: Video Output Circuits
1: Look Up Table RGB
2: D-ARGB
c: CPU Systems (Concentrating on 68000, Z80,
6502)
1: Basic CPU requirements
2: Differences between CPUs
3: Troubleshooting Trashed Kernals
4: Useful Tips
d: Cross reference list for common RAMs and
other Logic Devices
6: BUILDING AND
USING
CPU NO-OP ADAPTERS.
7: BUILD YouR OwN MONITOR PATTERN GENERATOR.
a: How to add color inversion and patterns
8 : IIANDs
ON LAB
a: Switch Mode PIS Operation
b: Monitor Operation
c: Logic Operation

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