Rocket Ranger
adventure game for Commodore 64, 1988
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One hundred years ago, in 1940, the Nazis won World War II. It was
a horrible mistake, a cosmic error that has plunged our world into
a century-long nightmare of fascist terror. But you are going to
change history. With our help you will prevent the Nazis from winning
the war. You will end this nightmare before it begins.
We, an underground group of freedom loving scientists, sent the
objets that have just appeared in your laboratory. If the coordinates
on our time machine were set properly, it is now May, 1940. Please
examine these objects closely. Nothing like them exists in your time.
The large device is a rocket pack and the smaller objects are a decoder
wheel, radium pistol and wrist monitor. We have included instruc-
tions on their use in this manual. These tools give you the power
to change history.
We, you children, beg you to help us.
After the Nazis won the war, Hitler's Third Reich established a world
government run by the Fuhrer fascist puppets, an empire of evil
dominating the entire earth. The members of our group are scientists
forced to work at a Nazi weapons research facility located at the place
you called Fort Dix, New Jersey. But it bears little resemblance to
the New Jersey you know in 1940.
We live and work as virtual prisoners, developing new weapons for the
Nazi conquest of space. Our loved ones are held in the Reich's
"Permanent Vacation" camps, allowed to live only as long as we continue
our obscene research. The building housing our laboratories occupies
the site of your laboratory; so we are in the same physical space,
although we exist in different times.
One of our projects is an experimental time machine. We have not yet
perfected humen time travel and we cannot send objects through space.
But we can project inanimate objects through time. In the physical
sense, the objects we sent you did not move-we simply altered the
time-plane of their molecular structure.
Our Nazi masters are about to discover that the time machine works.
This, then, is our only chance to attempt contact eith the past-if
the Nazis discover that we have used the machine, our lives are
forfeit.
In the year 2040, no power is great enough to resist the Reich; but
in your time, there is a chance. We believe that one man, armed with
the right tools, and advance warning of coming events can stop them.
Though the Nazis have rewritten story to justify their perverted
doctrines, we have uncovered proof that they should not have been able
to win the war. We've learned that the country you call the United
States was the world's strongest industrial power. With enough time
to marshal their resources, the United States and her allies would have
defeated the Nazis.
But in 1940 the balance of power suddenly shifted. German technology
leaped ahead several decades, perhaps through the discovery of lu-
narium, and the Nazis won the war before America could intervene.
According to legend, the Nazis attacked in zeppelins that flew in the
stratosphere, so high that even the newest american fighter planes
could not reach them. There was no defense against the power of these
Death Ships. Entire natios were conquered from the air by the Nazi
zeppelin fleet.
We know that the Germans had several key bases in different parts of
the world. Your mission is to find these bases, use the rocket pack
and radium pistol to penetrate their defenses, and destroy their
sources of power.
You wewre not randomly chosen to lead this mission. You were selected
from an old personal roster, after we fiscovered that you attended
school with the daughter of Otto Barnstorff. Barnstordd, America's
top scientist, was somehow linked to the source of the Nazi's power.
From an old family diary, we have learned that the Nazis will soon
kidnap Barnstorff and his daughter Jane and send them to Germany in
a zeppelin. Use the wirst monitor to track their movements, and use
the rocket pack to save them. It has a full load of lunarium fuel;
you may be able to steal more from the Nazis....
So we place our fate in your hands. We cannot predict how your actions
will affect the future-in fact, our own lives may no longer exist in
the altered world that results. But we see no other way to stop this
Thousand Year Blight, and it must be stopped.
We have given you the power to change History. My God! The Gestapo
is at the door...goodbye and good luck!
HIMMELWURFER ROCKET PACK Model M2000
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Congratulations! You have been allowed to purchase a Himmelwurfer,
the Reich's most reliable rocket pack since 2025. This manual
contains important information about your rocket pack's safe opera-
tion and maintenance. Reichlaw Number 52237-2 requires you to
read these instructions carefully, familiarizing yourself with the
controls described in order to make your flights trouble-free and
enjoyable, under penalty of death.
BREAK-IN PERIOD
During the firse 3,000 kilometers of flying, avoid cruising for
extended periods at a constant speed. This break-in procedure also
applies to exchanged or refitted engines. During and after the break-
in period, be sure to fly the rocket pack at moderate speeds until the
engine is warmed uo. Remember, your Himmelwurfer Dealer knowd
your pack best. Bonsult him for factory-approved service assistance,
under penalty of death.
HARNESS PRECAUTIONS
Your harness is a one-piece combination harness with an emergency
release designed to unlock easily in the event of a water landing.
Before buckling, adjust the rocket pact to a comfortable position;
stand erect and allow the pack to settle naturally onto your shoulders.
* Comfort clips sold on the black market are not recommended
since they could impair the function and safety of the harness.
Note that use of these clips is a capital offense.
* Never attempt to buckle more than one person into the harness.
This practice will lead you to your immediate arrest and imprison-
ment in the Lithuania Permanent Vacation Camp.
* All parts of the harness should be regularly inspected for fray-
ing, loosening, wear and other damage. In accordance with
Reichlaw Number 43368-7, treatment for injuries caused by
latch or retractor failure will be withheld.
PARACHUTE CARE
Your emergency parachute is designed for safe descents with a maxi
mum load of 150 kilograms. Maintenance of the parachute is not
required under Reichlaw, but if should be repacked and maintained
regularly to insure safe operation. The release pull is located on the
left side of the rocket pack. To release the emergency parachute, pull
down the lever.
Replace the emergency parachute if:
* The fabric appears frayed, damaged or worn.
* Any holes or tears appear in the fabric.
* Its condition is questionable.
* It fails to open.
IMPORTANT SAFEWARDS
* When flying at high altitudes be sure to wear a Himmelwurfer
Climatizer Flightsuit, available only to Party Menbers in good
standing. Cold temperatures and thin atmosphere make high al-
titude flight extremely hazardous. Also note that this is pun-
ishable by death.
* Although your M2000 model rocket pack is rated for transoce-
anic flights, specialized advanced training is recommended
before undertaking long flights over warer. Names of unauthor-
ized persons attempting transoceanic flights will be turned over
to Permanent Vacation Squad.
GUIDANCE SYSTEM
Your Himmelwurfer rocket pack is equipped with an automatic guid-
ance system allowing easy navigation between all major regions of
Europe, Africa, North America and South America. To use your Se-
CRET DECODER WHEEL, simply enter the code for your destination and
your Himmelwurfer will automatically fly the most direct route at a
cpmfortable altitude.
If desired, your Himmelwirfer's guidance system can be connected to
other aircraft. Simply use the built-in retracting interface cable to
connect the pack to the aircraft's control unit. The guidance system
can then be used to guide the aircraft to any participating Reichport
as well as to approved planetary destinations in the solar system.
LUNARIUM SAFETY
The Himmelwurfer M2000 is designed to use lunarium fuel, available
at your nearest Reichmart Filling Station at prices stablished by the
Party's Fair Pricing Commission. The prices are fair. You will like
them. Due to known hazards involved in handling lunarium,
always have a factory-trained, female Reichmart attendant refuel
your rocket pack, under penalty of death.
* Contact with lunarium will cause sterillity and loss of intelli-
gence in males. Females are unaffected.
* If lunarium is ingested internally, victim will begin glowing.
Do not touch victim. Call the nearest hospital or Body Disposal
Squad immediately.
* We hope you enjoy the convenience of safe, clean lunarium fuel.
OUR WARRANTY
At a Fair Party Price, Himmelwirfer will repair or replace any
factory-installed part that is defective in material or workmanship
under normal use. Normal use excludes any use that is punishable by
death. This warranty begins on the date the rocket pack is sold to the
first retail purchaser. The rocket pack is covered for 20 years or 20
kilometers, whichever comes first. Thank you for choosing Him-
melwurfer, and Heil Hitler!
SCHMEISSER RADIUM PISTOL
AUTHORIZED USE
The Schmeisser Radium Pistol is the official hand weapon of the
Waffen SS, and is authorized for use only by Party Members in good
standing. Any other use of this pistol is prohibited by Reichlaw and
is punishable by death or Permanent Vacation.
SAFETY GUIDELINES
The Schmeisser Radium Pistol fires a bolt of energy that explodes on
impact with great desctructive power. Users of this weapon are cau-
tioned to handle it with extreme care, especially within range of Nazi
Party Members in good standing.
Each pistol contains a shielded radium power supply guaranteed for
50,000 trouble-free and lethal shots. Follow these precautions to
avoid possible exposure to excessive radium energy.
* Do not attempt to open power supply since exposure to
charged radium can be dangerous.
* Do not operate the pistol if it becomes damaged. Damaged
pistols can explode.
TELEFUNKEN WRIST MONITOR
AUTHORIZED USE
The Telefunken Wrist Monitor is the official portable computer of the
Waffen SS, and authorized for use only by Party Members in good
standing. Any other use of this device is prohibited by Reichlaw and
is punishable by death. For further information you must consult the
enclosed Quick Reference Card, upon penalty of death.
SECRET DECODER WHEEL
The SECRET DECODER WHEEL prevents unauthorized use of your
Himmelwurfer Rocket Pack. Whenever starting a flight to a new
destination, you must consult the decoder to obtain the correct access
or destination code. For further information you must consult the
enclosed Quick Reference Card, upon penalty of death.
THE ROCKET SUIT SERIALS
BY
ERIC HOFFMAN
By 1949 the era of the Saturday matinee serial was beginning to draw
to a close. Only Columbia and Republic Pictures continued to release
them. In that year Republic turned to the realm of pseudo-science
fiction for inspiration and released the twelve-chapret thriller,
King of the Rocketmen...
The plot featured an unknown master criminal, Dr. Vulcan, unleash-
ing a campaign of terror directed against the worls... Opposing his ne-
farius plans was Jeff King (King of the Rocketmen, get it?). King was
dubbed "Rocketman" by a gigl reporter who saw him flying
around the city in a helmeted rocket suit.
This "atomic powered" creation was a simple gadget. It consisted of
a leather jacket with a set of "rocket tubes" attached to the back, a
"control panel" on the front and a bullet-shaped helmet with open-
ings for the eyes and mouth. That was it. All the hero had to do was
don the rocket suit, slip on the helmet and, Voila!, instant super
hero!
The series was a sensation and in 1952 when Republic sought a way
to push serial sales the rocket suit was brought bach, not once, but
twice in both Radar Men from the Moon and Zombies of the
Stratosphere.
Radar Men from the Moon introduced a new, fantastic hero,
Commando Cody, sub-billed as "The Sky Marshal of the Universe." In
this serial Cody tangled with Retik, the evil ruler of the Moon. In
addition to the rocket suit Cody was given an additional means of
transportation, a rocket ship capable of reaching other planets. A
note to film buffs: one of Retik's henchmen was played by Clayton
Moore, while on strike from The Lone Ranger over a salary dispute.
Right on the heels of Radar Men from the Moon, Republic released
Zombies of the Stratosphere, which has acquireb cult status due
to the presence of a young actor named Leonard Nimoy, cast as a
Martian "Zombie". His mission was to detonate a super-hydrogen bomb
that would blow the Earth out of its orbit. Naturally, the Martians
were keen on moving Mars into the vacated area to take advantage of
the superior climate.
Opposing this nefarious plan was our rocket suited hero, Larry Martin,
of the Interplanetary Patrol. Judd Holdren, who had earlier starred
for Columbia as Captain Video, portrayed Martin.
The following uear, 1953, saw the rocket suit donned for the final
time. In Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe, Republic
brought back Judd Holdren to play the hero first introduced in Radar
Men from the Moon. Not exactly a serial, this series eas apparently
filmed with an eye towards television sales. It consisted of twelve
episodes but, unlike a serial, each episode was a complete story unto
itself. Uniting the episodes was a continuing storyline which linked
everything together. After a limited theatrical release, Commando
Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe, appeared on NBC, sponsored
by General Foods.
In Rocket Ranger, we pay tribute in some small way to Flash Gordon,
Buck Rogers and Commando Cody, the heroes of this gone, but not
forgotten, cinematic artform... the Saturday matinee serial!
Fortunately for all the many loyan fals of these heroic characters, it
is now possible to find their stories on home video cassettes.
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Some useful keyboard shortcuts
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[PAUSE] - stop/continue game
[F9] - quick load game state
[F12] - quick save game state (still stored after leaving the site)
[F11] - toggle fullscreen mode
[ScrollLock] - quick switch control ports
[PageDown] - make a screenshot (320x200)