The Official F-19 Stealth Fighter Handbook
by Richard Sheffield
Scoring System
As with all MicroProse games, the scoring system for Stealth Fighter is complicated. MicroProse tried to take into account all of the various options.
First you have a score based on the values of all the targets destroyed. That number is then multiplied by a factor value. This factor value is based on
Region
Tension
Mission
Range
Enemy quality
Realism
Landing
Depending upon your choices for these items, the factor value may be larger or smaller than 1, thereby increasing or decreasing your basic score. If all options are at their hardest levels, your basic score can be increased by a factor of 9.
The following describes all items that go into making the factor value. In order of importance, they are
Region
Tension, enemy quality, and realism
Range
Mission type
Landing safely at a base will keep your score the same. Bailing out over the deep ocean costs you a few points, bailing out over friendly territory costs more, and bailing out over enemy territory (including coastal waters) will cost you heavily.
Let's examine each of the categories.
Region. Western Europe provides the most points. The North Cape provides only slightly less. These are followed by the Persian Gulf, Libya, and training.
Tension. In order of importance from highest tension to lowest, the levels of tension are Conventional War, Limited War, and Cold War.
Enemy Quality. The enemy may be a Veteran flier, a Regular, or Green (inexperienced).
Realism. The quality of realism will be either Realistic Flight, Easy Flight, or No Crash.
Range. The range is based on the Fuel Distance Estimate provided at the beginning of the mission. The range falls into one of four categories: 11,500 or more; 9,000 to 11,499; 7,000 to 8,999; and 6,999 or less.
Mission Type. There are also four levels of mission types: Ground Target, Aircraft Target, Air-to-Air Practice, and Bombing Practice.
Promotions
Promotions are based on three things: number of missions flown, total score, and average score per mission. The average score prevents bad players from being promoted simply by flying a large number of missions.
To give some idea of the promotion process, MicroProse provided the following information. The numbers might not be exact, but you should get some idea of the process.
Table 6-1. Factors Affecting Promotions
| Rank | Number of Missions | Total Score | Average Score |
| First Lieutenant | 2 | 400 | 150 |
| Captain | 5 | 1500 | 200 |
| Major | 10 | 3300 | 230 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 20 | 7250 | 260 |
| Full Colonel | 40 | 16000 | 280 |
| Brigadier General | 99 | 22000 | 220 |
As you can see, it's important to keep your average score up. Don't record low-scoring missions. Also note you must meet all of the criteria to be promoted. If you fly enough missions and achieve the required total score but your average is below par, you still won't be promoted.
Medals
Winning a medal is based solely on your performance on a particular mission; no other items are taken into account. Your score for that mission is the determining factor.
The values shown for earning medals might not be exact, but they should be in the ball park. The one-mission score values are shown below.
Table 6-2. One-Mission Score Values
| Medal | Score |
| Congressional Medal of Honor | 1800 |
| Distinguished Flying Cross | 1300 |
| Silver Star | 850 |
| Bronze Star | 500 |
| Airman's Medal | 250 |
To win a second medal of any type, you must score a little more than twice the original total. In other words, you'll win your first Silver Star before you win a second Bronze Star, and so on. To win your Third of any medal type requires more than three times the original total. This keeps you from racking up 20 or 30 Airman's Medals without improving your flying.
Table of Contents
Previous Section: Strafing Attacks
Next Section: Chapter 7. Scoring, Promotions, and Decorations