What you need to know to play "Lost Patrol"

What you need to know to play this game, or a poor substitute for a lost manual.

Introduction

This seemingly interesting but old game lacks an important explanation. While you can find many copies of the Amiga version manual on the Internet, this DOS version manual is nowhere to be found.

Obviously, the DOS version is somewhat simplified compared to the Amiga version, and some features have been omitted. As a result, the DOS version places a particular emphasis on shooting elements rather than other survival-related elements.

There is already a copy of the Amiga version manual in this guide section as well. Since the general rules of the game are the same, this guide is positioned to make up for that deficiency.

Before I go any further, I should note that this guide was written by me while playing the game, with a mixture of speculation, and its accuracy is not really guaranteed. If you have any corrections of errors or other constructive comments, feel free to post them in the comments section.

I don't know if anyone will read this, but let's make up for it somehow.

Basic control

Let's start with the basic controls.
This is what was mentioned within the Virtue Power's review. There may be other keys to use, but I haven't found them yet.

O P Q A = Left, Right, Up, Down
Enter/Space Bar = Select/Shoot
Esc = Exit
Arrow keys/Numeric Keypad = Directional movements on map

In addition to this, several other function keys are used during combat. See the "Combat" section.

* The numeric keys 7, 9, 1, and 3 can be used to move diagonally.
* OPQA is used to select the bottom menu on the map screen and to move the crosshair in firefight.

*I don't know if a mouse can be used; the Amiga version required mouse control, but the DOS version appears to be designed so that this is not necessary. Even in the 1990 review, it was already pointed out that the mouse was not usable and that the keyboard was not easy to operate, so we have to let it go as such for the DOS version.

Map Screen

This is the basic screen of the game. On this screen you move squad, give some orders, and check remaining resources.

The date and time are displayed at the top edge of the screen. At night, perhaps around 20:00, it will be too dark to march. You will be able to resume march around 4:00.

The helicopter on the left is the crash site, or starting point. The white X is your squad's position. Other symbols and terrain will be explained in the "Marching" section.

Bottom Menu

Next, let's review how to use the bottom menu.

Left/Right Arrow: These are used to check the west/east sides of the map. At the start of the game, select the right icon and press the P key, and the map will scroll to confirm the Duhoc, i.e., the goal you need to reach. After confirming, press the decision key to return to the original position.

Medals: You can check the status of your team members. See the "Team Morale Screen" section for more information on this screen.

Binoculars: This is for scouting the surrounding terrain. You must appoint a Scout before using this.

Eyeball: This is for surveying the area where the squad is located. Presumably, it is only used to get loot after defeating the enemy and not to find anything else in other places.

Sitting soldier: for resting; 30 minutes will elapse.

Campfire: for Dig-in; 4 hours will elapse.

Ration: This is for setting the amount of ration to be given to the members. 3 levels can be set: Full (default), Half, and Starvation. Meals are served during resting or Dig-in. Perhaps it affects morale recovery.

Grenade: I don't know. Does it just show a brief description of the booby trap? Probably a remnant of a trap element that was present in the Amiga version. The same screen was used in the Amiga version to describe the booby trap installation. I don't think it's available in the DOS version.

Footprint: This is for setting the march speed, which can be set to Extreme caution, Double march, or Normal march.

Documents: This is for checking the value of resources possessed by the squad, i.e., food, ammunition, and grenades.

Soldier and villager: These are used to request food, ammunition, and medical supplies from villagers.

Cowering villager: This is for more forceful requests for supplies.

Team Morale Screen

This screen allows you to check the status of all members of the squad, including you, i.e., Sergeant Weaver.

Each member has two parameters, S for strength and M for morale. If a member is wounded or killed in a combat or event, a note will be added in the remarks section.

You can also appoint Lead and Scout. Only one Scout and one Lead can be appointed. Scout can survey the surrounding area and report the direction of the VC's squad if it is approaching. Lead is the point man, in other words, the first person to step into a booby trap or minefield.

Marching

Now, let's look at the map again.
I don't understand everything, but some things are clear.

• Terrain has a significant effect on fatigue. For example, walking along a riverside for several hours soaking wet on the lower half of body will tire anyone. Less fatigue means fewer breaks, and with that, less food consumption. Therefore, rivers and steep mountains should be avoided if possible.
  
• The black and white video seems to appear when you enter a terrain that is difficult to march through.
  
• There are three speeds of march: Extreme caution, double march, or normal march. Probably, the faster you march, the more likely you are to be discovered by the enemy.
  
• The #-like symbols in the middle indicate villages. If you ask the villagers, they may be willing to share some supplies with you. Or they may not give you anything.
  
• The long thin symbols are VC bunkers. There are minefields around it and it is very dangerous to approach.

Combat

There are several types of combat in this game.

It is possible to "Retreat" during combat. I didn't know how to retreat for a while, but I finally found it. You can retreat by pressing the F10 key in the middle of a combat.

Battle: An easy-to-understand shooter. You shoot VC by moving crosshair while using the walls as cover. You can withstand some gunfire, but if a grenade is thrown in, you are instantly defeated and your soldiers are severely injured. If a grenade is about to be thrown in, immediately hide behind a wall!
In the Amiga version we could also use grenades. The DOS version also has a grenade counter, but how to throw them ......?
Similarly, the ability to change the rapid fire that was in the Amiga version seems to have been omitted.

Sniper: Use sniper rifle to find and kill VC snipers hiding in the village. Basically the same as in "Battle"; VC snipers have a visible muzzle flash when they shoot, so use that as a clue to find them.

To change members, use the F1-F7 keys. Each member has different sniper skills. There are four levels of sniper skill: Marksman, Good, Average, and Poor; the higher the skill, the more stable the scope.

Grenade: The squad is pinned down by some machine gun nests. It is dangerous to shoot back with rifles, so throw grenades to destroy them.
The machine gun nests are not visible, but you can see the muzzle flash when they fire. Aim with the crosshair, hold down the fire button to adjust the distance to throw, and then successfully hit the grenade at the location of the muzzle flash.
The bank in the center of the screen is roughly 50 meters, so use that as a reference to estimate the distance of the enemy.

Minefield (not exactly a battle, is it?): You have stepped into a minefield. Stab the ground with knife to locate the mines. You must move forward while avoiding the mines and reach the goal within the time limit.

Hand-to-hand:Scouts sometimes encounter VC soldiers. This is a fighting game. Use OP to move left/right, A to crouch, Space to punch, and O+Space to kick. If you lose, the scout will be killed.
Presumably, a well-timed punch button press can nullify the opponent's punch. The kick has a slightly longer reach and cannot be guarded, but is slower than the punch. (Perhaps.)
My sense after playing a few times is that the button mash is a tactic to lose. Both punches and kicks have animations, so the attack is judged later than the moment the button is pressed. You have to find a good timing somehow. (The problem is that VC understands this timing perfectly. Fortunately, DOSBox has a save and load function ......)

To be honest, I won several engagements with "sniper", "minefield", and "grenade". However, "battle" have a seemingly unlimited number of enemies, and the "hand-to-hand" does not damage the enemy at all. In my opinion, these two rules are extremely challenging and you have to be prepared for the death of your friends once the battle start.

Control Settings for Modern Gamers

Key mapping

I suffered tremendously during the shooting scenes in this game (OPQA+Space is never the optimal key placement, is it?). In-game key configuration is not possible, but you can use the DOSBox mapper feature to some extent. First, start dosbox.exe in the "Lost Patrol" folder and press Ctrl+F1 to open the key mapper. Here you can change the keys at will, WASD is much better than OPAQ, right?

After setting up and saving, mapper-SVN.map will be created in AppData\Local\DOSBox. Put this map file in game folder, edit lostp.conf and change the value of "mapperfile" to mapper-SVN.map. That's it.

Controllers and Overlays

Or one would think that using a gamepad stick would be better than WASD. Using a controller requires an overlay, and using an overlay requires a more advanced DOSbox.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=798840934
After replacing the DOSbox, make the appropriate changes to the values in lostp.conf to create the controller configuration. It should not be too difficult since there are only a few buttons.

* As far as graphics are concerned, VGA mode is probably the most beautiful. I use DOSBox SVN Daum, in which case I can practically only play in EGA mode, because using VGA mode makes the window size strange and Tandy mode is prone to CTDs. Too bad. Also, v-sync in EGA mode is not recommended as it slows the game down very much.

[MaxAsabin]

Grenade - Space + Right Alt. But it doesn't help me win these battles.