Hi Frankie,
As a non-programmer I found this article very helpful in understanding just what we're trying to accomplish with Tornado (looks like it CAN be pretty hard):
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/09/16/how-gog-com-save-and-restore-classic-videogames/ (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/09/16/how-gog-com-save-and-restore-classic-videogames/)
As you and I have discussed, here's a possible wish list of "goodies" that could be included in a GOG version:
- "Clean" (out-of-the-box) version with European & ODS theaters
- "Patched" version of both theaters with Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein's mods (snow, NVG, TMF, TLE, TKM, etc.) and Kenneth Larson's Tornado Time Compression (with permission, of course)
- Joystick compatibility, including use of throttle and rudder controls
- High-quality sound effects in both theaters (according to Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein, the Trimark release of ODS had Soundblaster support intentionally disabled)
- High-quality, full-color PDF versions of both the original masterpiece (332 pages) and ODS manuals, Control Summary card, Technical Supplement, and all 5 maps (the images in the original manual published by DI are much clearer than the Spectrum Holobyte version)
- Tornado Command & Staff College (by Basil Copeland, Eric Joiner & Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein) including the mods for more challenging campaigns (with permission, of course)
- CD-quality version of original Tornado music by David Punshon and Richard Wells (with permission, of course)
- Bonus -- a printed keyboard template. Here's one that was available when Tornado was first released:
(http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee420/Rambler56/Tornado%20keyboard%20template_zpsxdgb5giz.jpg) (http://s1226.photobucket.com/user/Rambler56/media/Tornado%20keyboard%20template_zpsxdgb5giz.jpg.html)
Original keyboard template purchased in 1994…a work of art in itself! © Keyboard Commander Corp. 1993
I've collected many retail versions of Tornado over the years…and I would click "Add to cart" for a complete package like this any day. Surely I can't be the only one!! 8)
Speedwagon
Hi Mike
You're not the only one. I too would click on the "Checkout button" to get all those goodies you listed! That keyboard template your posted is no longer in production. It's a collector's item. Apparently, according to this ancient comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim newsgroup post (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim/1VOCZYY_eWo), the manfacturer, Keyboard Commander Corp., no longer sold them in 1995.
BTW, I came across this site: http://keycard.mogelpower.de which has softcopy keyboard templates for over 500 games.
Amazingly it has a Tornado colour coded softcopy keyboard template here: http://keycard.mogelpower.de/tbisz.html
Direct link to the PDF is http://keycard.mogelpower.de/t2/tornado.pdf
I detected some Germanised keys. Like "Strg" in place of the more common "Ctrl".
This is what it looks like:
(http://www.moodurian.com/tornado/images/tornado_keyboard_template_keycard.mogelpower_de.png)
I am sure some key bindings are missing. Like the numeric keypad.
See also attached the PDF file!
Regards
Frankie Kam