ZARLOR MERCENARY

Take NO Prisoners!
"It may be a dirty war a little war; maybe even a stupid war; but 
its their war-and they're willing to pay. pay big."

Agents in this business have never been real refined. This guy was 
no exception. His hair was slicked back like the wet pelt of a 
Yorlthian sweat weevil, and his suit was exactly what the fashion 
conscious zarlor was into. He could almost pass for respectable. Almost.

But I liked what I heard. coming from him, it was almost poetic I'd 
made the mistake of showing up on time and already had three tanks 
in me when he skulked in and started to whisper his proposal. 
Even though we knew that every ear was straining to hear our conversation,
the other patrons tried not to look Interested.

Territory wars I'd done before, no problem there. Both sides were 
rich-mining, hydroponics, datatrade-but both were lousy fighters. 
Their dirty little war had been hopelessly deadlocked for years 
but, like most rich cultures, they were both too proud to hire 
outside help... professional help.

Until now.

I liked the zarlors' plan. It was clean: not all-out war; just a 
series of six surgical strikes at key industrial and commercial 
sites on Yorith, the Mendicant's home planet. The idea was to 
collapse their military and disrupt the economy just long enough 
for the zarlors to land their prefab bases and get dwellings established 
In the disputed areas-the fabulously mineral-rich outer planets 
of their star system. I was hot for a job and the deal was right:
asolo job, orbital shot, completion bonus, and I could pick 
my own equipment.. and money. Lots of money. There was nothing 
to say but Yes.

As I left the bar, an Angklon sitting at the bar spat at me and hissed 
"zarlor Mercenary!"

And I guess that's exactly what I am.


Getting Started

Zarlor Mercenary is a fast-action extraterrestrial battle simulation 
for one to four players. Follow the steps listed below to start 
the game: 

1. With your Lynx system switched off insert the game card as described 
In the Lynx owners Manual. 

Warning: Do not touch the game card connector pins Do not expose 
the contacts to static or extreme heat Do not bend, crush, or 
attempt to clean the game card. 

2. Press ON. The Zarlor Mercenary title screen displays. 

3. Press A or B to move on to the character Selection screen. 

4. Press right or left on the joypad to select the desired character 
in the flashing window. There are seven characters, each with 
a special weapon all his own. When the desired character appears,
press A or B to select that character and begin play. 


Optional Game controls

To enhance play, the following optional game controls allow you to 
modify the display, and pause and restart the game: 

To flip the screen 180 degrees and reverse the controls, press 
OPTION 2 and PAUSE at the same time 
To pause the game press PAUSE. Repeat to resume play. 
To turn the music on or off, press OPTION 2. 


Playing the came

The object of the game is to destroy Mendicant craft, cities, buildings 
and other strategic targets. If you do well, you will be paid richly.
Earn enough zarbits to buy extra warships and more sophisticated weapons.

You begin the game with a fleet of warships The number of warships 
in the fleet depends on the number of players in the game, as 
shown below: 

One player	Four warships
Two players	Three warships each
Three players	Two warships each
Four players	Two warships each

Control your warship with the joypad. Press up to move forward and 
down to move back. Steer by pressing right or left. To fire your 
cannon, press A. If your ship is equipped with a Laser; press 
B to fire it. If your ship is equipped with a Megabomb, release 
it by pressing OPTION 1. 
In a multi player game, each player's warships are a unique colour. 
Players work together to destroy the enemy. If one player has 
a little trouble with the concept of teamwork, a few quick blasts 
from the dreaded Back Stabber will provide an unforgettable lesson.

The Health Indicator on the right edge of the screen shows the condition 
of your warship.

When the indicator is green, your ship is in great shape. When the 
indicator is yellow, the ship is in poor condition. When the gauge 
flashes red and the dreaded Destruct Alarm blares in your ears,
your ship is in danger of exploding. When the indicator runs 
out, you're toast.

There are six missions, each with its own unique targets and hazards,
ranging from sophisticated intergalactic war machines to panicked 
soldiers Some targets are worth more than others, but blast everything-
it's what you're paid to do As you fight through each level, watch 
for Power Globes. Hitting a Power Globe will provide a very helpful 
weapon to aid in the fight.

At the end of each mission you will be able to visit the Mercenary 
Mercantile, a speciality shop specifically designed for the warrior 
who needs everything. complete all missions and you will be led 
to the National Vault to receive your much deserved reward.

Action window the battle zone zarbits your current money total.

Ships Remaining shows the number of warships left in your fleet. 
You lose a ship each time your Health Indicator runs out. When 
you lose a ship, you also lose one of each type of weapon in your 
arsenal.

Mega Bombs remaining shows how many mega bombs you are carrying. 
You begin the game with one mega bomb.

Health Indicator shows how much damage you have sustained. when the 
Health Indicator hits the bottom, you blow up.


Missions 

To win the game, you must complete six different missions. Each mission 
has its own hazards and targets.

CADMAR DESERT. Mendicants have built massive factories and pipelines 
throughout the cadmar Desert. Unconfirmed intelligence reports say 
the Mendicants are building a mysterious superweapon. Your objective:
cripple the Mendicant war effort by blasting their factories and 
obliterating their pipelines while looking for the truth behind that 
rumour.

MESORT SWAMP. The mushy swamplands of this awful planet are perfect 
for hiding Mendicant bases and factories. Inaccessible by land and 
guarded by grotesque swamp monsters, these targets can only be hit 
from the air. Knowing this, the Mendicants have set up what they 
think is an unbeatable protective shield of powerful weapons but 
they didn't expect someone of your expertise.

DOCRIT SEA. The Mendicants fully believe their water-based factories 
are safe. After all, water is such a rare element in the universe 
that very few planets have navies and those ships that do exist cannot 
make the trip through the galaxies. And the Mendicants, of course,
are confident that they can protect these valuable sites from the air.

SEDIMOR DOMES. Hidden in the zarlor Solar System is an insignificant,
meaningless, almost unnoticeable little moon - the perfect place 
to hide Mendicant bases and factories. Hidden in the deep craters 
and craggy domes of this moon lurk hundreds of killer Mendicants. 
Only you can stop them from attacking the planets below.

MARDIC LEE. The Mendicants are taking advantage of the radioactive 
ice caps on the planet Mardi Koldavla. Nuclear Ice reactors dot the 
landscape, as well as power plants and weapons factories. A huge 
fleet of Mendicant warships patrols the Ice, ready to protect the 
Mendicants' newest, most powerful, ultra-secret weapon-a weapon unlike 
anything the universe has ever seen.

CEDMLTE CITY. The Mendicants are counting on the humanity or-whatever 
of their enemies. They don't believe anyone will harm the innocent 
civilians living in their only city on this planet. What they don't 
realise is that you know that the city Is a scam-there are no innocent 
civilians living there. So destroy everything.


The Mercenaries

There are seven elite mercenaries who prepared for this battle. Each 
has his/her/its own unique powers and skills.

SCORCH.  A master Laser shooter; Scorch is perhaps the most famous 
mercenary In the guild. He was burned badly when a laser fireball 
exploded In his face reconstructive surgeons saved his life by making 
him half man, half cybersoldier.

XO49. The XQ series robots were created to perform menial household 
chores, but something went wrong with number 49. A pair of crossed 
wires turned XO49 Into a deadly war machine. An expert wing cannon 
sharpshooter; X049 is a quiet, but effective, warrior.

LANDRU. A powerful fire demon warrior; Landru's power shots instil 
fear in even the most courageous warrior. When this mighty demon 
is near; enemy targets go up in smoke at an enviable rate.

BRENDA. Brenda may look like an angel, but inside she's all killer. 
She can fire with such speed that shots seem to automatically leave 
her cannons. Helped by the mysterious amulet around her neck, Brenda 
Is a formidable foe and should not be taken lightly.

SPIKE. Spike is a good warrior to have on your side, but his hard life
has made him a little paranoid. Since he is always looking over his
shoulder; he has become an expert Back Shooter; very useful in a crowd.

REX. This deposed king has made it his life mission to avenge his 
destroyed kingdom by fighting evil forces everywhere. His favourites 
weapon are the deadly Side Shooter & he's tough, merciless, and very 
helpful in a pinch.

XETEROG. A strange creature from an unmapped territory, the Xeterog 
is best known for his speed. Although nobody likes to look at it,
the Xeterog is a great companion in battle, mostly because Xeterogs 
know no fear. This Xeterog is particularly ugly, though it claims 
to have been a much sought after bachelor on its home planet.


The Mercantile

At the end of each mission you visit a space port where you can buy 
and sell equipment at the Mercenary Mercantile. The Merc is run 
by a crafty ex-soldier who likes to call himself the Merchant 
of Venus. The buying and selling prices vary, depending on your 
current level. The screen and list on the next few pages show 
the available items and a brief description of their uses. 

Speed Up.  Provides greater manoeuvrability and speed.

Wing Cannons.  Powerful cannon on each wing.

Super Shield.  Protects against damage and gradually restores health.

Invisibility.  Hides your ship from other players.

Extra Ship.  Additional space craft.

Power Shots.  More explosive ammo.

Laser.  Press A to fire with pin-point accuracy' at Mendicant ships.

Auto Fire.  Shoot automatically by holding down the A button.

Mega Bomb.  Press 0PTION 1 to damage all enemy ships on screen.

Back Shooter.  Fire at enemies to the rear.

Side Shooters.  Shoot from both sides.

Back Stabber.  Fire to the rear to keep other mercenaries from grabbing 
all the glory and all the loot. The Back Stabber will damage
other players while leaving enemies unharmed.


The merchant will only show you those weapons you can afford. To 
buy or sell weapons, put the flashing box on the merchant and 
press A to select Buy mode or sell mode The background colour 
behind the objects is green in Buy mode and red in Sell mode. 
When you have chosen the desired mode, move the box to the weapon 
you want. Press A to buy or sell that item. You can only buy one 
of each weapon type for each ship in your fleet, but you can sell 
any extra weapons you collect for cash.

While in the Mercantile, you can also give money to other mercenaries. 
Although you'd like to get rich doing everything yourself, your 
first obligation is to destroy Mendicants. Sometimes slipping 
a few Zarbits to another mercenary will give that mercenary enough 
cash to get the weapon that could help you. Also, generosity can 
protect you from an unfortunate stab in the back. To give money 
to another player; move the flashing box onto that player's picture,
then press A. Move the joypad up or down to select the amount 
you wish to donate. When the correct amount appears, press A to 
transfer the money. To leave the Mercantile, put the box on your 
picture and press A. 


Strategy

Shoot at everything that moves. Shoot at everything that doesn't move. 
Learn to anticipate enemy flight and shot patterns. warn where Power 
Globes appear in each level. 
The Merchant of Venus never buys weapons at full price, so don't 
buy anything you don't really need. 
Use a forward cannon and laser together to make your warship a devastating 
machine. 
You can destroy enemy ships by bumping into them. Although this is 
effective, it also damages your warship and does not earn any 
money. Kamikaze pilots die young, so do this only as a last resort. 

If you decide to use the Back Stabber; invisibility is highly recommended. 

Never; I repeat never; give peace a chance! 


Scoring

During game play you receive points for blowing away Mendicant space 
ships and ground targets. Each type of target has a different 
point value, displayed in the explosion cloud. The more you destroy 
the richer you'll become.

If you survive Cedmite city, you will receive a bonus of 250,000 zarbits.

    Video Game Advantage WWW manual archive -- http://www.io.com/~vga2000