Thank you and congratulations on your purchase of The Omega Concern's BTR-90 Amphibious Armored Personnel Carrier. Please read this manual before using your new APC.

The Omega Concern is dedicated to producing quality work at affordable prices, and we support everything we sell. All of our products are designed with the balance of impact on sim performance and ease of use in mind. If you find one of our products to be causing lag, behaving in unexpected ways, or otherwise being a pest, we need to know so we can correct it.

You are eligible for all upgrades on this version, being version 1. Also, your feedback is valued! If there's something you love, hate, or just think would be better if it were just a little different, we want to know. Your input directly influences the course of development and future features of Omega Concern products.

About the BTR-90

The Omega Concern's BTR-90 is a model and simulation of the amphibious armored personnel carrier manufactured by Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ) for the Russian military and Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD). The BTR-90 is designed for a wide variety of roles, for fire support, transportation of personnel, surveillance, reconnaissance, and patrolling. The Omega Concern's BTR-90 can hold a crew of two: a driver/commander, and a gunner, as well as carrying four fully equipped soldiers.

The Omega Concern is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod or any other company involved in the design, production or manufacture of the BTR-90 or its weapon systems. All trademarks and copyrights are and remain the property of their respective owners.

1. Unpacking and Setup
   
   
   1. Package Contents
      
      The BTR-90 comes in a lovely box that only has one purpose in life: To be opened by you. You will need to rez this box on the ground or other suitable surface, and select "Open".
      
      
      
      Press the button "Copy To Inventory", and you will now have a new folder in your inventory named "BTR-90 AAPC 1.0 (Boxed)" (or similar) which will contain the items from the box.
      
      
   2. Rezzing the BTR-90
      
      The BTR-90 is a mesh model, which means you will need a viewer capable of displaying mesh. The standard SL viewer is one such option, as are several others on the Third Party Viewer Directory.
      
      To rez the vehicle, simply drag the object named "BTR-90 AAPC 1.0" from the folder in your inventory to an open area, bearing in mind that the vehicle has a footprint of about 8 by 5 meters, and you will need 111 prims free on the parcel. This vehicle uses no avatar attachments.
      
      It is best to rez a new copy of the vehicle from inventory for each use and deleting it when done, as opposed to taking one in-world back into inventory and reusing it.
      
      Your support passphrase is 'Eight by Comrade'
      
      
2. Driver/Commander and Gunner Roles
   
   
   1. Driver/Commander
      
      The driver/commander is primarily interested in driving the APC, maneuvering in response to threats, and setting up the vehicle such that the offensive weapons can be utilized when appropriate. In the case of a single operator of the BTR-90, the driver/commander will also assume gunner duties.
      
      
   2. Gunner
      
      The gunner operates the 30mm 2A42 autocannon and 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun, and also the 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank missile launcher in-flight guidance of the 9M113 for successful engagement of targets.
      
      
   3. Driver-Gunner Handoff
      
      The driver (being the owner of the vehicle) can assume gunner control, or in the case of a two-person crew, can assign it to or withdraw it from the gunner, as described below.
      
      
3. Operation
   
   
   1. Getting in and out
      
      
      1. Driver/Commander: The driver/commander boards the BTR-90 by right-clicking on the vehicle body and selecting "Board" (Some viewers may simply show "Sit Here" which serves the same function).
         
         
      2. Gunner: The gunner follows the same procedure as described for the driver/commander, but must get into the vehicle after the driver/commander has, and must do so before the driver/commander has started the engine.
         
         
      3. Troops: The BTR-90 can take on four (4) passengers who will ride in the back and are protected by the BTR-90's armor. They must board after both crew members above have, and before the driver/commander has started the engine.
         
         Getting back out of the vehicle may be accomplished by simply hitting the "Stand up" button, but this is rather inelegant and makes you look like a noob, and when using the OCS system the sudden velocity change experienced by your avatar may in fact kill you. All the cool kids use the "EGRS" button on the HUD, which stands for "egress" and is explained below. Troops in the back will be given the instruction to use the command "/5 egress", "/5 exit" or "/5 out" to gracefully exit to the port side of the APC.
         
         
   2. The HUD/MPD
      
      All of the vehicle's systems are controlled by the HUD/MPD (Head-up Display/Multi-Purpose Display) which is also used to convey information about the vehicle. If you don't already have it attached, the BTR-90 will give you one after you are seated. If you have a gunner, they will similarly be given a HUD. Simply locate the HUD in your inventory (the "Recent Items" tab is made for this) and right click and select "Wear" from the menu. It will attach to your bottom screen position. If you have a BTR-90 HUD still attached, it will function without issue, and the APC won't try to pass you another.  When you get back out of the BTR-90, it will hide itself from view. To detach, simply locate it in your inventory, right-click and detach.
      
      

      BTR-90 HUD Overview

      
      
      
   3. So Many Buttons
      
      
      1. ENGINE
         Starts and stops the engine, and indicates if the engine is running (green) or stopped (red).
         
         
      2. SMOKE
         Deploys smoke in an arc centered on the direction in which the turret is facing. The number just to the right of this button indicates how many sets of smoke grenades you have available.
         
         
      3. CAM
         
         Cycles the camera between the default 'loose follow', rigid 'driving', overhead and drive-by camera modes.
         
         
      4. EGRS
         Allows you to egress gracefully from the vehicle, as opposed to simply standing up, which is graceless and embarrassing.
         
         
      5. EJECT
         Unwanted gunner, or a gunner still giving you grief with all the jibber-jabber? This is the solution.
         
         
      6. OPTS
         
         Options menu. From this menu, you may turn on/off the headlights and change the camouflage scheme between grey/green, woodland and desert.
         
         
      7. OCS Mode Indicator
         Surprisingly, indicates if the vehicle is in OCS mode or not. (i.e. if the crew is wearing active OCS HUDs)
         
         
      8. GUNNR
         In the case of a single driver/commander/gunner, this will toggle control of the weapon systems and turret tracking. With a two-person crew, on first press this will give control to the driver/commander, a second press will hand off weapon control to the gunner, and a third will deactivate gunner control entirely.
         
         
      9. FCS
         Toggles the Fire Control System for the coaxial machine gun and 30mm cannon.
         
         
      10. COAX
          Selects and arms the 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun. The number to the left of this button indicates the number of rounds of ammunition remaining.
          
          
      11. 2A42
          Arms and disarms the 30mm 2A42 autocannon
          
          
      12. RATE
          Toggles the firing rate of the 2A42 between 250 and 550 rounds per minute.
          
          
      13. 3UBR8/3UOR6
          Toggles the dual feed for the 2A42 between3UBR8 APFSDS-T (Sabot) and 3UOR6 HEI-T (High-Explosive) ammunition.
          
          
      14. 9M113
          Arms the 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank guided missile launcher, the operation of which is explained below. The numbers to the left of this button indicate first the number of missiles in reserve then if any are loaded into the launch tube and ready for firing. After firing, it will automatically reload, and these numbers will update to indicate the new totals.
          
          
   4. Going Mobile
      
      
      1. Driving Controls
         

         BTR-90 WASD Controls

         
         The BTR-90 uses the arrow keys or WASD keys for gear selection and steering/pivoting control. The WASD keys will be used for the examples here.
         
         W and S control the gearing, shifting forward and backwards respectively. You do not have to hold down W to drive forward, simply tapping the key will increase your gearing, which will increase power to the drivetrain, which will move the APC forward. The BTR-90 has five forward speeds, neutral, and two reverse.
         
         A and D steer the APC left and right.
         
         The C or Page Down key will reset your throttle to zero and apply full brakes, stopping the vehicle.
         
         The E or Page Up key cycles the driver's camera between the default 'loose follow', rigid 'driving', overhead and drive-by camera modes.
         
         
      2. Starting
         
         Starting the BTR-90 after you've boarded is done by hitting the Engine Power Switch (ENGINE). Allow the engine a second or two to start, and then tap the W key once or twice to get moving.
         
         
      3. Maneuvering
         
         The A and D keys rotate the IFV left or right respectively, and used in combination with the W and S keys to control gearing, the BTR-90 can get up inclines of over 45 degrees and over most any object lower than its nose and front wheels. If you happen to roll the APC onto its side, you will lose mobility.
         
         
      4. Stopping
         
         You can stop the BTR-90 by either de-incrementing the throttle (S key) until you have reached neutral, or by pressing the C key while either in a forward or a reverse gear and you will brake to a stop. If you wish to disembark, press the Engine Power Switch (ENGINE) and then the EGRS button.
         
         
      5. Amphibious Operation
         
         
         
         The BTR-90 is an amphibious vehicle, able to enter, cross and exit from water with no previous preparation. All of its weapon systems can be used while in the water.
         
         Entry into and exit from the water should be performed nose first and as perpendicular to the shoreline as possible, and on slopes of 45 degrees or less. While the BTR will right itself while in the water, it is possible to roll the vehicle or get hung up during land-water transitions at unusual attitudes and angles.
         
         Fully submersing the BTR will cause the engine to stall. You will need to restart it to continue your aquatic adventure.
         
         
4. Weapons
   
   Before you can select and take control of any of the BTR-90's weapon systems, you must be the active gunner. As the driver/commander, clicking the GUNNR button will toggle control of the weapon system. When the button appears green, you are the "active gunner" and as such, have control over all weapons systems.
   
   In addition to causing appropriate OCS damage (impact and blast) the weapons on the BTR-90 also deliver 100% damage in Linden Damage enabled areas.
   
   
   1. Fire Control System (FCS)
      
      The BTR's Fire Control System assists in target engagement by calculating a three-dimensional, asymptotic targeting solution, taking into account your vehicle's motion, the target's range, elevation and movement, and wind deflection. It can be toggles on or off via the "FCS" button on the HUD, allowing you to range and lead targets manually. Due to Second Life limitations, the FCS will not work over region borders.
      
      
   2. 2A42 Shipunov 30mm autocannon
      
      The 2A42 Shipunov is a 30mm (30 x 165mm) autocannon featuring dual feed and selectable rates of fire which is aimed by the gunner in mouselook. It is linked into the BTR's Fire Control System, which assists in correcting for wind, bullet drop, and target motion. Its range of motion is 360 degrees horizontal with a traverse rate of 90 degrees per second, and a maximum elevation of 75 degrees, and maximum depression of -5 degrees.
      
      The 2A42's dual feed allows for selection between two types of ammunition:
      
      
      1. 3UBR8 APFSDS-T: Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot with Tracer. They are sub-caliber sabot (i.e. non-explosive, purely kinetic) round designed for armor penetration. They should be your first choice when faced with opposing armor.
         
         
      2. 3UOR6 HEI-T: High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer. Best suited to soft targets (i.e. dismounted infantry) and light fortifications due to their area effect. They do however lack effective armor penetration.
         
         
   3. PKT 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
      
      This machine gun is a high rate of fire (800 round per minute) weapon aimed by the gunner in mouselook. Like the 2A42, is is linked into the Fire Control System to assist in correcting for for wind, bullet drop, and target motion. Sustained or high-density fire may result in the barrel overheating. You will be able to again fire the weapon after several seconds to allow the barrel to cool down. It has a capacity of 2000 rounds.
      
      
   4. 9M113 Konkurs Anti Tank Guided Missile
      
      The procedure for launching and guiding the Konkurs is as follows:
      
      
      1. With a missile loaded into the Konkurs tube, arm the weapon by selecting the "9M113" button from the HUD.
      2. In mouselook, aim at the intended target. If the turret is not rotated in the direction of the target, wait for it to come around, as the missile will leave the launcher parallel with the turret.
      3. Press the left mouse button to launch. The missile will leave the tube and you will see it flying forward from above and to your left. Engine burn time is short, as the missile will be in cruise for most of the flight.
      4. Stay in mouselook. Keep your mouselook cross hairs on the target. If the target moves, track it, keeping your cross hairs on it. The Konkurs will fly along your line of sight, and moving your aiming point will cause it to fly to re-acquire flight along the new line of sight.
      5. Visually guide the missile to the target until impact.
      
      The Konkurs can be steered up to 90 degrees away from its launch orientation, but no more. For example, if you launch the missile due east and attempt to guide it to fly to the northwest, the missile will self-destruct approximately at the point it is turned north. This is to keep you from shooting yourself. If you leave mouselook or the missile flies over a region border, it will simply continue on its course at the time. Due to Second Life limitations, it cannot track your line of sight over region borders.
      
      The reload time for the Konkurs missile tube is 20 seconds.
      
      
   5. Rearming and Repair
      
      The vehicle can be repaired and all its munitions rearmed by returning to the starting position (i.e. where it was first rezzed and boarded) after the following conditions are met: A) It has travelled more than 100 meters from the starting location and B) No less than 5 minutes have passed since starting or the last rearming and repairing.
      
      
5. Taking Damage
   
   
   1. Compartmentalized Damage Model
      
      The BTR-90 simulates seven separate systems, plus all eight wheels, each of which can take damage and experience degraded performance and/or failure. Damage to a component is determined by where on the body the vehicle was hit, with possible damage to nearby systems. The 'core' of the APC is its last reserve of hit points, which if depleted will result in its destruction. As a general rule, if you have to get hit by an anti-armor weapon, taking it to the front of the body is your best bet, as this is where the armor is strongest and where the BTR-90 is least susceptible to catastrophic damage.
      
      
   2. Vehicle Status Display
      
      This display is a pictogram of the vehicle systems, color coded from green to red to indicate the 'health' - better to worse, respectively - of each system from good to disabled, respectively. If a component suffers a failure or critical damage, it will turn red and you will hear an alert.
      
      
      
      
6. Defense and Risk Mitigation
   
   
   1. Hull Down
      
      
      
      "Hull down" describes when a turreted vehicle positions itself on terrain in such a way that only the gun/turret is visible to enemy forces. This has the effect of making for a much smaller target, and the part of the vehicle that is presented as a target, the turret, is the least vulnerable part of the vehicle.
      
      
   2. Smoke
      
      
      
      The BTR-90 carries six smoke grenades, which are deployed in pairs. Not only does this help in obscuring the view of your APC, but it will also help decrease the accuracy and locking ability of active seeking weapons. Bear in mind that to be an effective defense, a vehicle deploying smoke needs to immediately get moving after deployment, as a determined opponent may simply fire a weapon at your last known location.
      
      
7. Troubleshooting
   
   
   1. The BTR-90 has been extensively tested and is free of any known bugs. If you believe you have discovered a bug, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and provide, with as much detail as you can, step-by-step instructions for reproducing it. Things don't get fixed if we don't know what needs fixing. :)
      
      
   2. To rez the BTR-90, the parcel in which you are doing this needs to have at least 111 prims/prim equivalent free.
      
      
   3. If you abandon the BTR-90 on land you do not own (As in are the actual landowner), it will delete itself after a short time to prevent littering.
      
      
   4. If things aren't rezzing for you, such as the gun rounds or missiles, check your group tag and the group tag of the vehicle to make sure it is harmonious with the area you are in. Some viewers give the option of always creating objects under the group to which the land is set, which may cause you issues if you aren't expecting it and travel to another parcel that requires a different group.
      
      
   5. If you seem to be doing no damage in OCS, first make sure you are wearing an OCS HUD. The OCS logo near the bottom of the BTR-90 HUD will appear orange when OCS is engaged and working.
      
      
   6. You may have other gestures using the same F-keys as the ones included in this package. To locate and correct these conflicts, press control - G in your viewer and click on the"Key" column header to sort by key assignment. The F-keys are merely suggested key bindings, feel free to reassign them to whatever works best for you.
      
      
   7. Sounds, and not being able to hear them: If you're using a Viewer 2 or 3 based viewer, the default sound settings cause sounds to carry a few meters at most, then be unable to be heard. If not already showing, press Control-Alt-Shift-D and make the Advanced Menu appear. From that menu, select "Show Debug Settings." In the box, enter or locate "AudioLevelRolloff" and try setting it between 0.040 and 0.200 for better hearing.
      
      
   8. Asset corruption happens. Rarely, a copy of something will become corrupt and behave in very strange ways. The first thing to try is to unpack a fresh copy of the item from the box in which it came. If that doesn't solve the issue, you can have another box of the same item sent to you via the service kiosk at The Omega Concern's main store. Failing that, contact the support address and request a new box be sent to you and you will receive it as soon as possible.
      
      
8. The End
   
   First, a heartfelt thank you to all The Omega Concern's customers over the years. You guys gave me the sweetest gig in the world, and I love you all for it. I do this all for you.
   
   Big thank yous to Ropemasterdom Skellerjup, Caete Chevalier, Eric Sheppard and Eddison Campbell for beta-testing.
   
   As it always has been, and always will be: Fun is the whole point. Do go have some. :)
   ~AH