# Flanker Campaign Shell version 1.0

by Hideo Fukumori
(fukumori@muraoka.info.waseda.ac.jp)
Nov.28, 1997

Be sure to check the Flanker Campaign Shell Home Page
http://www.info.waseda.ac.jp/muraoka/members/fukumori/fshell.html
for the latest version and new campaigns!

## index:

- About this program
- Installation and setup
- How to use
  - Starting the Campaign Shell
  - Campaign
  - Single Missions
  - Pilot Menu
  - Setup Menu
    - External Application Setup
    - Campaign Setup
    - Misc. Setup
- Acknoledgements
- List for future enhancements
- Important Links

## About this program

Flanker Campaign Shell is a GUI program for overall gameplay enhancement of Su27 Flanker from SSI/Mindscape. Its main features are:

- Allows you to create and play branching campaigns from existing set of missions. Several campaigns by Flanker enthusiasts are already available in Campaign Shell homepage.
- Support for success condition for missions. Mission designer sets the condition in .scf (success condition format) file and the shell judges whether the mission was a success or not.
- Single mission menu gives comprehensive list of available missions including mission title, side, number of aircrafts in the wing, estimated etc flight time, etc.
- Graphical debriefing with target icons, and mission success/failure is shown for the missions with scf files.

## Installation and setup

- Extract the archive in the directory of your choice (ex. c:\Fshell). Placing it in original flanker directory is not recommended.
- If you don't already have campaign files, get them from Flanker Campaign Shell homepage ( http://www.info.waseda.ac.jp/muraoka/members/fukumori/fshell.html). Make (sub)directories for each campaign (ex. c:\Fshell\Hammerhead, c:\Fshell\Evacuation, etc.) and unzip the content to these directories.
- Make sure your current desktop size is 800x600 or larger. v1.0 of the Campaign Shell won't run with 640x480.
  When using large desktop size, you may also have to check 'Auto-switch to 640x480' option in Flanker. Run Flanker and choose [File]-[Setup...] menu, then choose 'Others' tab in the options dialog box. You'll find the checkbox there.
- Run fshell.exe, then go straight to 'Setup' menu.
- In 'external applications' section, enter the filenames for two utilities; Zip's Flanker Payload Editor and Pilot Log Manager by Michael Barnes.

  Basic functions of Campaign Shell are still available without these utils, but you'll miss them sooner or later... :D

## How to use

### Starting the Campaign Shell

It is advisable that you put the Flanker CD-ROM in the drive before you start the shell. When title screen of the Flanker CD-ROM appears, click 'Exit' (don't click 'Play' button!).

Go to the folder where the shell is installed, and click on fshell.exe to start the program.

In the main menu, you will see the following 5 buttons; Campaign, Single Mission, Setup, Pilot, and Exit.

### Campaign

First of all, make sure you have downloaded campaigns from Flanker Campaign Shell homepage. You can do very little in campaign menu without them...

On clicking the 'Campaign' button in main menu, the list of currently available campaigns appears in a new window. You can add, select and restart campaigns from here.

To add a new campaign to the list, press 'Add Campaign'. From file open dialog box, go to the directory that you installed the campaign and look for .cpn files (ex. hammerhead.cpn, Stingray.cpn, etc.). Then you will be prompted to enter the name of the campaign. Although any title is possible, you may want to set proper name that describes the campaign best...

Click 'Start campaign'. In some campaigns, you'll see 'campaign briefing' text first. Once you are done with reading the briefing, click 'Proceed' button to move onto Campaign Menu.

If the Flanker Realistic Payload Editor is installed, 'Edit Loadout' button becomes available. From time to time, you may also find 'Commit' button is disabled in some missions. This means some restriction on the payload was imposed by the designer of the mission and you are required to edit loadout before flying.
Read the manual in Zip's FRPE directory for the details.

Press 'Commit' button to start the mission. The shell automatically takes you to the mission planning screen of Flanker.

After flying the mission, close Flanker (use Alt+x key or click 'x' button on the upper left corner of the mission planning window). The shell takes over the control again and shows the debriefing screen.

note: in v1.5 you don't have to select 'save' button in ending mission dialog.

The debriefing displays the kills/losses with icons, the final status of your aircraft, actual flight time, and success/failure of the mission. Click 'Next Mission...' to proceed. If the Pilot Log Manager is installed, your pilot log will be automatically updated.

### Single Mission

In 'Single Mission' section, you'll get a list of available missions in the directory. Mission type filter is also available for selecting and playing certain type of missions.

Double clicking on the list or pressing 'Start Mission' open the selected mission. The rest is the same as the campaign menu.

### Pilot Menu

This button launches the Pilot Log Manager by Michael Barnes. For details, see Readme.txt in the Pilot Log Manager directory.

### Setup Menu

There are three sections in the setup menu: External Application Setup, Campaign Setup, and Misc. Setup.

#### External Application Setup

The path and filenames of the Flanker and utilities should be set in this section.

#### Campaign Setup

You can add, delete, and rename campaigns in this section.

#### Misc. Setup

- 'Manual Debriefing Mode' checkbox
  Check this box if you have hungup problem when starting Flanker from the shell (default: not checked).
- 'Music On' checkbox

## Troubleshooting

## Change history

From v0.1 to v1.0

- Single mission menu has been improved
- The screen is totally redesigned
- Interoperatability with 'Flanker Realistic Payload Editor' by David 'Zip' Pierron and 'Pilot Log Manager' by Michael Barnes

## Acknowledgements

My thanks goes to these great people. If you find some names missing, please send me a note.

- David 'Zip' Pierron and Michael 'Loophole' Barnes
- Marek 'Headcase' Paul
- Marc 'WipeOut' Tremblay,
- Han 'Solo' Chu
- Tsachi 'Flounder' Krendel and Goran Ivaz
- Ed Reddy
- Willem 'Palerider'
- Eric J. Joiner
- Christpher Bonnet
- Vilius "Ice Man" Kirvaitis and Phil Neiswanger
- Leo 'Good Guy' dela Cruz
- Jeffery 'Rhino' Babinau
- People of Eagle Dynamics/Mindscape/SSI

## List for future enhancements

Here's the list of enhancements planned for future versions, in order of priority. If you have other ideas, please send me a note.

- Resource management feature in campaigns. You get fixed amount of ordinance, fuel, and planes first and have to plan wisely not to spend all these resources. Reinforcement may be available from time to time.
- Enhanced success condition format that allows conditions like 'destroy Tu-95 by 19:11' or 'Prevent loss of Bridge by Su-24'.
- Option to show extended briefing, with jpeg image and extra text provided by the campaign designer.
- Multiple mission choice option (Hornet 3 style) that can be combined with branching campaign.
- Music/Sound configuration option in Setup menu.

## Important Links

- Download Area in Zip's hanger
- "Useful Utilities" section in 62nd Fighting Falcon Homepage