Hello again folks! Here is the latest out of the software world, StarFlight II: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula. This looks like a really GOOD game, although it eats up a HUGE amount of disk space (1.2 megs for the main game, +650K for each saved game. It does, however, support CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA, and Tandy. Note that if you save one game under a graphics mode (say EGA) you can only play it under the SAME mode. By the way, I've greatly simplified as much of the docs as possible in order to be brief and save space. Enjoy! _________________________________________________________________ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ brought to you by: [[[ [ [ [[[ [[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [ [[[ [[ [ [ [ [_[ [ [[ [_[ [[ [_[ [ [ [ [[[ [[ [[[ [ [ [[[ [[[ [ [ [[[ [ [ _________________________________________________________________ ULTIMATUM #4 TO: ALL ARTHLINGS FROM: THE MASTER SPECIES OF THE UNIVERSE (the Spemin) WE HEREBY AND FORTHWITH GIVE NOTIVE SUCH THAT UPON READING THIS NOTICE ALL THAT HAVE READ THIS NOTICE SHALL BE AWARE OF THE CONTENTS THEREIN, NAMELY, THOSE SALIENT AND RELEVANT POINTS THAT PERTAIN TO THE READER, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER POINTS AS WELL WHICH MIGHT ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE NOTICE, THOSE POINTS BEING HERETOFORE UNDISCLOSED BY VIRTUE OF THE NOTICE NOT HAVING BEEN PRESENTED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS IT IS (PRESENTED). TO WIT, 1. THE PLANET ARTH WILL SHORTLY BE ATTACKED AND COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBLITERATED, CAUSING THE SUBSEQUENT TERMINATION OF THOSE INHABITANTS THEREON, BY THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE OF THE MIGHTY AND ALL-POWERFUL SECRET SPEMIN DEATH FLEET. 2. THIS DESTRUCTION, WHICH SHALL OCCURE AT SOME UNSPECIFIED TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SHALL BE DONE WITH CONSIDERABLE MALICE AND FORETHOUGHT AND SHALL INVOLVE THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL EXTERMINATION OF ALL LIFE UPON THE PLANET NOT TO MENTION THE ANNIHILATION OF ANYTHING ELSE WHICH SHOULD BE DEEMED BY THE DESTRUCTEES TO BE OF VALUE IN ANY SENSE. 3. DUE TO THE KIND, FORGIVING, GOD-LIKE, AND IN OTHER RESPECTS ADMIRABLE QUALITIES OF THE SUPREME SPEMIN MASTERS, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED TO ALLOW THE ARTHLINGS, NOTWITHSTANDING THEIR DISGUSTING SLIMELESS NATURE, A FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO GROVEL BEFORE US. SHOULD THIS BE DONE IMMEDIATELY AND WITH COMPLETE AND UTTER SINCERITY, THE DIVINE SPEMIN DEATHLORDS WILL CONSIDER BESTOWING UPON THE LOWLY SUBCREATURES THE GREAT HONOR OF SERVING US (THE SPEMIN) AS SLAVES AND SERVANTS. 4. WHEREAS THIS ULTIMATUM IS CURRENTLY THE FOURTH ULTIMATUM ISSUED, THREE OTHERS HAVING BEEN ISSUED IN THE PAST, ALL OTHER ULTIMATUMS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS WARNINGS AND THIS ULTIMATUM SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE FINAL AND REAL ONE, ANY PERSONS WHO READ THIS, BARRING THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ISSUED IT, MAY, IF THEY DEEM IT APPROPRIATE, TAKE IT UPON THEMSELVES TO SURRENDER AT ANY TIME BETWEEN THE TIME AT WHICH THEY READ IT AND THE TIME AT WHICH THEY ARE DESTROYED. SINCERELY, THE HIGH IMPERIAL DEATHMASTER OVERLORDS OF THE SPEMIN DEATH FLEET __________________________________________________________________ ORIENTATION BRIEFING - INTERSTEL Date: 22-10-4638 Chaired by: Phexipotex, Director of Starport Outpost 1 Greetings and welcome to the frontiers of space. Thank you all, veterans and raw recruits alike, for volunteering for a particularly hazerdous and probably fatal mission. We're especially thankful to have with us again those heroic individuals who, just 19 years ago, saved Arth and each of our respective posterior ends from an untimely annihilation. In case no one mentioned it before, we're all very happy not to be dead, and we have you to thank for it. You probably want to know why we're offering huge rewards that could include (but aren't limited to) cash prizes, stock options, and piles of stuffed animals. Well, we wouldn't have offered except that we're in BIG trouble. In case your mission briefing didn't give you an idea of how big BIG is, we'll tell you now. Discovery of Noah 2 First, let's look at the events that lead to our current crisis. About 35 years ago, archaeologists on the planet Arth stumbled upon an ancient, underground network that had once been inhabited by a group made up of Humans, Velox, Elowan, and Thrynn - in short, all of the folks who inhabit Arth today. A spaceship - the Noah 2 - was also found among the ruins. Now we'd all grown up with epic tales of the Great Earth Empire and the Noah 2 colony ship sent to Arth, but few believed they were more than just children's stories. Earth had always been a "mythical" world; the fall of Earth was just another adventure story. But the idscovery of the underground fortification and the actual Noah 2 spaceship forced people to look at the old tales as actual historical accounts. Records found among the ruins revealed that the Humans on Earth once controlled a huge interstellar empire that was closely allied with the neighboring Elowan, Thrynn, and Velox. For centuries, Earth dominated the region - until one day hordes of aggressive alien species arrived seeking new worlds to settle. The aliens - Gazurtoid, Uhlek, Spemin - were being driven from their home regions by a wave of flaring stars that obliterated everything in its path. Sharing wasn't a popular concept among these aliens (they preferred invasion), so Earth formed a coalition with her allies to defend the empire. The coalition successfully repelled the first onslaught, but as fleet upon fleet of enemy warships arrived, the empire's defenses quickly buckled. Just before Earth's final destruction, project Noah was launched as a last ditch effort to save a remnant of the empire. The last of Earth's meager resources were musted and a dozen or so colony ships were scattered in all directions. The second colony ship, Noah 2, landed on Arth and planted the seeds of our culture. Unfortunately, a planetwide catastrophe caused the descendants of the colonists to lose the knowledge and technology of their forefathers. Arth civilization fell into an age of darkness (and chaos). When the Noah 2 ruins were uncovered, scientists immediately began to reconstruct the Faster-Than-Light (superphotonic) technology of our forefathers. We couldn't have got it at a more critical time - the same flaring star thing that had driven the alien hordes toward Earth centuries before was just then reaching Arth. Without superphotonic technology - and the Endurium fuel found in the ruins - we never could've pushed beyond our system and unraveled the mystery of the flaring stars. And without unraveling the mystery, we'd all be one big Arth flambe. Ban on Endurium None of us who lived through those days will ever get over the shock of what we learned on the Crystal Planet: the secret of Endurium, and how its use was responsible for the wave of flaring stars. Once the Crystal Planet was safely destroyed, the High Council of Arth banned the use of Endurium as fuel, and strongly suggested that other species do the same. Of course, other species don't really care what the High Council says, and with no fuel for our warships, our ban amounts to little more than finger-shaking. That isn't to say that the call for a ban on Endurium has been universally ignored. Naturally, the more noble species understand the moral issues involved and have given up - or at least curtailed - their use of the substance. Aggressive species, however, have not only ignored the ban, but are using it as an opportunity to take advantage of our vulnerable state. Spemin Aggression This brings us to our current situation. As if fuel weren't a big enough problem, the loathsome Spemin recently acquired some powerful new technology - seemingly out of nowhere. Armed with new weapons and an unlimited new fuel source, the Spemin - once just a dangerous nuisance - are now a deadly threat. Last week they issued Arth another ultimatum demanding that we willingly enslave ourselves to them or be destroyed. At this point in time, our skeletal defenses couldn't withstand a concerted attack by their fleet. Only natural Spemin cowardice has kept them from striking (as we know, "spineless" applies to the Spemin in more ways than one.) But we can't count on their fear forever. And I think each of us would agree that kneeling before an arrogant mass of slime isn't a viable option. But hope is not lost. About two years ago we learned of the location of the continuum flux that leads to the region of space where this new fuel and technology originates. (Knowing that the Spemin like to boast, a commander of an Arth installation cleverly tricked a Spemin by saying: "I suppose at... um, where was it again?") Since then we've built this outpost and learned a few facts about the region. It's inhabited by approximitely 20 to 30 species, 6 or 7 or which possess spacefaring technologies. Several of the sentient species are hostile, which has made collecting information difficult. Mission Objectives This is where you come in. As outlined in your mission briefing, your objectives are to find the source of the fuel substance known as Shyneum and acquire the technology the Spemin possess. I think you know how vital it is that we accomplish these objectives - it's the only way we're going to avoid serving mucous cocktails to the Spemin overloads. Are there any questions? Navigator Krk Pectok... Krk Pectok: Can you elaborate on the Spemin's new technology? What do they have that we don't? Phexipotex: Aside from having all the fuel they want, the Spemin have new shields that function in nebulas. Wev'e given their shields a class 6 rating. Their ships are also armed with plasma bolts, a nasty weapon they obtained from the Uhlek. As you may or may not know, you can outrun plasma bolts while manuevering, but you can't dodge them like missles. Finally, the Spemin have a phasing artifact that lets them make short "jumps" in combat. This phasing capability makes them difficult to hit with missles, and almost impossible to escape. Another question.. Yes, Captain Briggs... Cpt. Briggs: If this new region is as hostile as you claim, we'll need to upgrade our ship and train our crews in order to meet any threats. That takes cash. Trade has been suggested as a good means of acquiring capital. Can you suggest any markets for the goods we acquire? Phexipotex: Each of you possess a copy of a starmap which Interstel bought from the best merchants in the region, the Humna Humna. All star systems known to be inhabited by sentients are marked with a small cross. When you find a planet inhabited by sentients, your Science Officer can access the trade buoy information to find out whether they'll trade goods or not. We've provided you with some Standard Trade Goods to get you started. We suggest you try to sell some of them to the Tandelou, the species closest to Starport. As you'll soon discover, they're agreeable aliens, though a little long-winded on theological matters. We have time for one more question. Captain Ariel... Cpt. Ariel: The Humna Humna seem to have done much for us. Can we consider them allies? Phexipotex: The Humna Humna are driven purely by the profit motive. However, they recognize that good and mutual respect are indispensible to profitable trade relations. Show them your good intentions and you'll find their friendships very beneficial. That includes keeping your weapons disarmed around their trade ships - they're sensitive about that. Well, that's about it. We sincerely hope you fare better than our last group of explorers. Good night, good luck, and don't forget: the Spemin are finks. Part 1: General Information > 1.1 Objectives As discussed earlier your main mission is to find the source of the new Spemin technology and fuel. In order to do so you must gather information and generate revenue. It's suggested that you train your Communications officer early so you can take advantage of the friendly species in the area. You can play back conversations with them at a later date if needed. (see 3.2.5 Communications). You'll need more money than initially given by Interstel to succeed. The currency is based on Sheynum and is called Sheynum Pennies (SP). The ways to earn revenue are listed next: 1.1.1 Trade with Aliens The region is densely populated and supports a thriving mercantile economy. Goods, lifeforms, and minerals can be obtained from Interstel, trade markets, or planet surfaces and sold on other worlds for profit. This is your best way of earning money, and you can do so while exploring the region. See section 5.3 for more info on trading. Note: The only source of fuel is alien trade markets, Interstel cannot sell you any. 1.1.2 Sale of Lifeforms Lifeforms may be captured and sold to interested aliens. Species may be found on many worlds due to cross-implantation by spacefaring species. See section 5.0 Planetside. 1.1.3 Recommending Colony Worlds Uninhabited worlds (i.e. no sentient species) may be recommended for colonization. This is extremely lucrative but it is hard to find such worlds. Worlds that turn out to be unsuitable will result in a penalty. See section 4.3 Planet Recomendation. 1.1.4 Sale of Minerals Minerals are mostly found at high elevations, but in this area they are mostly mined out. The value of minerals can be found in the Mineral Value Chart (see 5.3.7 Minerals). The minerals bartered for by a species vary from day to day. > 1.2 Species You can choose from the following species of Arth when composing your crew. Each catagory includes a descriptive synopsis and some characteristic statistics. These stats include: Learning Rate: The rate at which a skill goes up for each training session. Durability: Amount of physical damage a species can take before dying. Initial Skill Level- Starting level of a skill. Maximum Skill level- Maximum level attainable in a skill. See 1.3 Skills Overview for a description of the five essential skills and their roles in space exploration. 1.2.1 Human Us. Adept at Science, but good at everything. Durability: 06 Learning Rate: 09 Skill Init. Value Max. Value ----- ----------- ---------- Science 50 250 Navigation 30 200 Engineering 30 200 Communication 30 200 Medicine 30 200 1.2.2 Velox They look like insects and are adept at Navigation and Engineering. Durability: 08 Learning Rate: 06 Skill Init. Value Max. Value ----- ----------- ---------- Science 30 200 Navigation 50 250 Engineering 50 250 Communication 0 100 Medicine 0 100 1.2.3 Thrynn Reptilian, good at Communication. Durability: 06 Learning Rate: 07 Skill Init. Value Max. Value ----- ----------- ---------- Science 30 200 Navigation 30 200 Engineering 30 200 Communication 50 250 Medicine 0 100 1.2.4 Elowan Plants, good at Communication and Medicine. Easily hurt. Durability: 02 Learning Rate: 10 Skill Init. Value Max. Value ----- ----------- ---------- Science 10 100 Navigation 30 200 Engineering 10 100 Communication 50 250 Medicine 50 250 1.2.5 Android Robots, can't learn, but good for navigation until you have money. Durability: 10 Learning Rate: 00 Skill Init. Value Max. Value ----- ----------- ---------- Science 50 - Navigation 150 - Engineering 100 - Communication 00 - Medicine 20 - > 1.3 Skills Overview Crewmembers (except Androids) can be trained in science, navigation, engineering, communication, and medicine. All skills are important to the proper functioning of your vessel. The folowing is a breif description of each skill and its relevance to your crew. 1.3.1 Science Uses sensors to analyze planets and enemy ships. Important during combat or when determining the gravity of a planet. A science officer with a skill level of over 150 can detect aliens over a long distance and pinpoint their location. 1.3.2 Navigation Primary. Suggested that you train this one first, as it will keep you from getting lost in space or on a planet. Also fires all weapons and the higher the level, the greater the accuracy. A Navigator with a skill level over 150 can spot wormholes in space that will transport you from one place to another. 1.3.3 Communications Since alien species are your only source of information you must be able to understand them. The higher the level the more you will be able to translate. 1.3.5 Medicine The higher the level the faster a injured person will heal. 1.3.6 Captain Not really a seperate skill, but the captain should be able to replace crewmembers in emergency conditions. If a crewmember dies, the next most capable person takes over. The captain is a backup system for your crew. Training suggestions (from the book): Train your Navigator first, so that if you accidentily hit a continuum flux or get caught in a storm you can find your way out. With a trained navigator you won't hit those continuum fluxes accidentily though, and if you get in combat a better navigator will give you better results. Next train the communication and science officers. With a good comm. off. you will be able to pickup more info, and with a good sci. off. you will keep from landing on crushing planets and be able to tell what your enemy's capabilities are. Part 2: Starport Outpost 1 > 2.1 Overview Starport Outpost 1 is the place where each exploration begins and ends (it's the only place you can save). Use Esc to gain access to the file menu to save, restore, or just leave. > 2.2 Starport Modules 2.2.1 Operations In Operations you receive messages and colony world evaluations from Interstel. Select from the following options: Notices- Lets you read the messages in your electronic mailbox. Messages include clues for alien incounters, possible colony world recomendations, locations of continuum fluxes, etc. Evaluation- Evaluations of world recommendations. Exit- Exit. 2.2.2 Bank Lets you review your balance and last 10 transactions. 2.2.3 Personnel Create and train people for your crew: Create- Creates a crewmember, you select the race and then enter a name. Train- Allows you to train a crewmember. Skill level equals base+(learning rate * sessions). Delete- Delete someone you no longer use or want. You don't money spent on that crewmember back. Exit- Exit. 2.2.4 Crew Assignment Assign personnel to stations. You must assign in this order: Captain, Science, Navigation, Engineering, Communications, Medical. When your done you will automatically exit. Any corrections must be made by reentering Crew Assignment. 2.2.5 Trade Depot You can buy repair minerals and some artifacts. You may also sell any artifacts you've found. Buy- Shows artifacts and minerals for sale. You buy minerals by the cubic meter. Note: the amount shown is how much you have, not how much for sale. Sell- You may sell any artifacts you have. You may buy them back later for a higher price if needed. Exit- Exit. 2.2.6 Ship Configuration Here you may buy or sell cargo pods, blasto pods, and jump pods. You may add or remove armor, weapons, shields, and engines. You may also repair and name your ship. Buy- Outfit your ship. You may not buy a higher class of equipment unless you sell the old equipment. Cargo Pods- Hold 50 cubic meters each, and your ship holds 50 cubic meters by itself. You start with 6 cargo pods. Engines- The higher the class the more acceleration you get and the better fuel efficiency. Shielding- The higher the class the more protection you get. Shields use energy and must be raised or lowered by the Navigator. Good Navigators won't have shields up except in combat. Shields are more expensive than armor and don't work in nebula clouds but they can be repaired and automatically recharge during encounters. Armor- Secondary defense. It's heavy and can't be repaired, but works in nebula clouds. Missle Launchers- Cost more than lasers and use 5x the energy, but are long range and do 3x the damage. They may be dodged though. Lasers- Short range but have a greater chance of hitting. Far cheaper than missle launchers. Blasto Pods- Powerful, directed torpedoes capable of going right through most armor and shields. They fit inplace of cargo pods and if you are fully equiped with cargo pods you can't use any. Your ship can carry up to two of these. Jump Pods- Single-use artifacts capable of transporting your entire ship and crew and distance in the region. Each jump pod uses up 15 cubic meters of Shyneum no matter how far you jump. You start with one pod. Prices Cargo Pods: 500/pod Blasto Pods: 50,000/pod Jump Pods: 20,000/pod Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- Engines 1,000 8,000 20,000 40,000 100,000 Shielding 4,000 12,000 32,000 70,000 125,000 Armor 1,500 3,100 6,200 12,500 25,000 Missles 12,000 28,000 60,000 120,000 200,000 Lasers 8,000 20,000 54,000 90,000 150,000 Sell- Lets you sell components of your ship. The price will always be cheaper than what you bought it for. Note that with Cargo Pods the price shown is for all pods. Repair- Quick dry-dock repairs. Name- Name your ship. You can't leave Starport w/o a name. Exit- Exit. 2.2.7 Docking Bay Select this to go to your ship. Select Launch from the Captain's options to leave. Once you've confirmed you'll be asked to calibrate the navigational systems (either with the list typed up earlier, a real map, or maybe the protection will be removed). Part 3: Interstel Superphotonic Starship > 3.1 Ship's Console 3.1.1 Main View Screen (upper left section of screen) The Main View Screen lets you view planets from orbit, travel through hyperspace and star systems, and tactical information during encounters. The numbers in the bar at the top are your coordinates in space. The first number is horizontal position, the second in your vertical one. 3.1.2 Auxiliary View Screen (upper right corner of screen) Normally displays Status data from your Science Officer: Date: The date Damage: Your damage status, a percentage (I think) Bars: Left: Shield effectiveness Right: Armor effectiveness Cargo: Percentage of filled cargo space Energy: Cubic meters of Sheylium Shields: Shield staus, up or down. Weapons: Weapon status, armed/unarmed. The bottom boxes are the number of pods you have. An empty square is a cargo pod, a filled square a full cargo pod. A circle (kinda) is a jump pod and a X is a blasto pod. When the bars are full (for Armor & Shields) you are getting 100% protection. The Aux. Window also shows sensor readings, system maps, Damage and Repair reports, malfunction alerts, and Mercator projections. 3.1.3 Control Panel Command your crew by pressing Space Bar or Enter when the option is highlighted. Move w/ arrow keys. 3.1.4 Text Window Incoming/Outgoing messages. Whenever the border is highlighted there is more info coming in. Press space to read this info. > 3.2 Flight Operations Options of each crewmember and how to use them. 3.2.1 Captain The ultimate power in the ship. Decides when to launch/land, where, when to disembark, and what planets to recommend. Launch/Land- Lets you launch while on planets or in Starport and land when orbiting a planet. Choosing Land gives you the following options: Select Site: Move crosshair with arrow keys to decide the landing site location. The topography key shows the highest terrain at the top and water at the bottom. Descend: Engages auto-pilot and lets you descend to planet surface. Cancel: Returns you to previous manual. Disembark- Lets you leave the ship for the planet surface or enter Starport. Cargo- Lists the current cargo list. You may jettison unwanted cargo or pick up some from floating debris after a battle. Jettisoned items may not be recovered. Note: Artifacts are listed with the keys that activate them. Messages taken from ruins are also considered cargo and may be read there. Log Planet- Sends Interstel a colonization recommendation. You must name the planet and it can only be recommended once. Bridge- Returns you to the bridge. 3.2.2 Science Officer Performs sensor scans and analyzes sensor readings. Good Science Officers can detect alien ships. Sensor- Sensor readings provide information about your ship, alien ships, and planets. In orbit the Aux. Window a Sensor sweep provides the following info about a planet: Mass: Mass of planet (in tons). Bio: % of maximum life density. Min: % of maximum mineral density. The following info also appears in the Text Window: Atmosphere: Atmos. components, listed in ranking order. Hydroshpere: Liquid surface components. Lithosphere: Major minerals to be found on planet surface. Listed in order of abundance. During an Alien encounter the following is listed in the Aux. Window: Mass: Mass of alien ship (in tons). Bio: % of living lifeforms on ship. (75% means 25% are dead) Energy: Undamaged % of ship. The following also appears in the Text Window: Object Constituents: Minerals likely to be recovered from the debris of the ship if its destroyed. Analysis: Presents an analysis of the data gathered from a Sensor sweep. The amount of info depends on your Science Officer's skill. A Sensor reading must be taken before an Analysis. When orbiting a planet: Orbit number: 1-8, 1 is closest to star, 8 is furthest away. Not all positions are filled. Predominant Surface: Molten, ice, rock, water, etc. Gravity: Planet's gravity. WARNING: Gravity over over 8.0 G's will crush your ship if you land on the planet. Atmosphere: Atmospheric density. Temperature: Global temperature range. Global Weather: Predominant global wheather conditions. During an alien encounter: Object: General nature of object (e.g.- ship) Type: General type of object (e.g.- scout) Size: Size of ship, in relation to your size Shields: Class level and status (raised/lowered) Weapons: Weapons status (armed/disarmed) Culture- Informs you if sentients are present on the planet. If so then the following info will appear in the Text Window: Name of sentients on planet Tech Level: Technology level of sentients (e.g.- Starfaring) Population Density: Relative pop. density of the sentients Economy: Overall state of the economy. Trading Style: Degree of bargaining allowed. (e.g.- Bargain a Lot). Cultural Analysis: General info about the race. Will Sell (at Trading Post): Specialty Trade Goods sold at their trade centers. Will Buy (at Trading Post): Specialty Trade Goods bought at their trade centers. Bridge- returns you to the bridge. 3.2.3 Navigator The Navigator is responsible for manuevering the ship through space, raising and lowering shields, and arming and disarming weapons. The Navigator also fires weapons during combat. Maneuver- Move around the current area using the keypad. Pressing Insert immediately after a key will turn the cruise control on. It can be turned off by pressing space or any other direction key. Starmap- Shows the map (same as included in the game). Move the crosshair and it will tell you the distance, its location, and the fuel required. Only usable in hyperspace. Raise/Drop Shields- Raises/lowers shields. Raised shields use energy. Arm/Disarm Weapons- Arms/Disarms weapons, weapons must be armed before firing and armed weapons are usually interperted as a hostile gesture. Combat- Enters combat. Weapon selection is automatic, lasers at short range, missles at long range. Acceleration is based on Engine class. You must disengage combat (press Enter) to do anything else, otherwise you will just move around while in Combat mode. Bridge- Return to the Bridge. 3.2.4 Engineer The Engineer is responsible for assessing and repairing damage to the ship. Damage- Displays damage levels on Aux. Screen. Bar graphs show the damage level, the higher the red in the bar, the higher the damage level. A part that is damaged may malfunction if used and then must be repaired completely. The chance of malfunction is equal to the level of damage. (ie- 60% engine damage means that there is a 60% chance of failure each time you use them). A completely destroyed part cannot be repaired. Repair- Repair a damaged section. Armor and completely destroyed sections cannot be repaired. Jump Pod- Initiates jump pod procedures. See section 4.1.2 Jump Pods for more info. Bridge- Returns you to the Bridge. 3.2.5 Communications Officer Responsible for the translation of alien communications. Hail/Respond- Hail an alien vessel or respond to a message. Use this option to initiate conversation with alien ships. You must take one of these postures: Friendly Hostile Obsequious (ie- grovel, whine, cowardly, etc.) Once you've established communications with another vessel you may choose from the following options: Statement: Make a general statement of some kind. More likely to affect the aliens' attitude then questions. Question: Ask a question about: Themselves Other Beings The Past Trade General Information Posture: Change your posture. Only if you want to. Terminate: Cut off communications. Aliens are not offended by this in any way. Note: Pausing Communications: You may pause for up to two minutes to think by pressing the + key. To pause for an indefinite time use the Pause option (see end of doc). Distress- Requests aid from starport. Will cause you to go into stasis and be towed back to Starport, at a substancial cost. Won't work during encounters since the signal will just be jammed. Playback- Playsback conversations from alien encounters. Listed by species' name. Note: Sometimes the screen will go funny if there is a lot of conversation to playback, if this happens just go to the Starmap and then exit it. The screen will be back to normal. Bridge- Return to the Bridge. 3.2.6 Doctor Responsible for crew health and life. Examine- Look at how badly hurt a crewmember is. Treat- Treat a damaged crewmember. Only one crewmember may be treated at one time, and healing always goes faster on the ship than on a planet. A crewmember not being treated will still heal, but not as fast. Bridge- Return to the Bridge. Part 4: Space > 4.1 General Information Space travel consists of moving through hyperspace, maneuvering through star systems, and orbiting planets. You may also encounter aliens while in space. 4.1.1 Traveling in Hyperspace This is where interstellar travel occurs. When in hyperspace you can see your ship, stars, nebulas, and (if you navigator is good enough) continuum fluxes on the Main Screen. Note: the size of star (not its color) varies with its spectral class (see Appendix B: Planetary Charts). If your Science Officer is good enough he/she may be able to detect alien ships at a distance and report them as X,Y coordinates. /|\ X-,Y+ | X+,Y+ | <-------+-------> | X-,Y- | X+,Y- \|/ For example, if you receive the message "Motion detected at X:2,Y:-1" then you'd move right and down to encounter the ship, or stay where you were (the ship will come to you). 4.1.2 Jump Pods Jump Pods can be used to quickly transport your crew and ship from one location to another, they're like continuum fluxes in effect, but you set the destination. To initiate a jump select Jump Pod from the Enginner options and move the crosshair around the starmap. Press space to select the site and then confirm or abort. Since they are new developments they are not completely reliable. It seems that the closer you are to stars the less reliable they become. There may be other factors, but we don't know what they are. 4.1.3 Entering Star Systems Just simply move toward the star whose system you want to look around. When you enter it you will be informed by your crew and then see the following information: Spectral Class: See the Spectral Chart in Appendix B: Planetary Charts. Ecosphere: The most likely planet orbits to find life or suitable colonization planets. Not all orbits are filled however. Planets on the map (in the Aux. Screen) are color coded as to their predominant surface. See Appendix B: Planetary Charts for more info. To exit a system just move to the edge. 3.1.4 Orbiting Planets Just move into the middle of the planet to orbit it. If it is inhabited by sentients then you will download the culture data from the orbiting trade buoys. > 4.2 Alien Encounters Encounters can occur while in hyperspace, solar systems, or while orbiting a planet. If you want to leave an encounter select Maneuver from the Navigator's options and move away from the alien ships until they are no longer visible and "Leaving Encounter" appears in the Text Window. 4.2.1 Tactical Map Appears in the Main View Screen and shows both you and the alien ships. There are three levels of magnification depending on how far away from the ships you are. 4.2.2 Scanning Alien Vessels During an encounter both you and your enemy can scan ships to analyze their strengths and weaknesses. With a scan you can detect the status of both shields and weapons, either of which can be interperted as hostile gestures if raised/armed. 4.2.3 Communicating with Aliens Not all aliens respond well to the Friendly posture. Experiment with different postures until you find the best approach. Note which postures work best with different species and always use those postures to get on their good side. Better relations meen more information. 4.2.4 Entering Combat Combat doesn't win you friends - and the more you fight a species the less likely they will be friendly next time you encounter them. Sometimes it pays to be friendly, or even obsequious (grovel) - if it doesn't offend your sense of dignity. But in some situations there is no other choice but to fight. In such cases you should immediately (and in this order!): Raise Shields Arm Weapons Select Combat You cannot fire weapons (except Blasto Pods) unless you are in Combat and have armed your weapons. Your weapons automatically aim and fire at the nearest alien ship in front of you when you press the space bar. Weapon selection is automatic, lasers at short range, missles at long range. If you are damaged the Aux. Screen automatically shows you a damage report from the Engineer. 4.2.5 Accelerating during Combat Your ship can also accelerate while in Combat in order to avoid missle fire and change the distance between you and your enemy. The higher the engine class the better your acceleration. Note that you cannot avoid laser fire but you can often avoid missles (as can your opponents). 4.2.6 Leaving Combat You cannot leave an encounter unless you exit Combat mode. If you do not do so then you will just move through space without any coordinates. Press Enter to leave combat. If you leave Combat and enter Communications before totally destroying an enemy ship then they may surrender and tell you anything you want to know. 4.2.7 Picking up Debris If you destroy an enemy ship, you can pick up valuable debris from its destruction. Enter Maneuver until you are over the wreckage and then exit Maneuver. The Navigator will tell you if you are ready to pick up debris. If you are then go to Cargo under Captain and select what debris you wish to pick up. 4.2.8 Blasto Pods Powerful torpedos that will destroy most ships. Can only be used in hyperspace. Press F10 to begin launch procedure. The target is displayed on Main Screen as a group of concentric rings. Move them with the arrow keys to place the target closer to your enemies. Press the Space Bar to confirm the detonation point. Note (from something in the book): When you enter an encounter maneuver away from the other ships so you have some distance if you need to enter combat. If you encounter "the Great White One" then leave a message at Starport. (I have no idea what that means, but it might be important). Anonymous transmission from the ISS Pequod. > 4.3 Planet Recomendations Colony ships are sent to recommended planet. These ships are costly and time consuming so bad recommendations will earn stiff fines, while good ones will give great rewards. Recommendation requires the observation of many variables. WARNING: Planets already inhabited by a sentient race are considered unsuitable. (any listing with a * by it means it is an acceptable range for that variable) 4.3.1 Temperature The planet must have an acceptable temperature. The following is a range of temperatures: Sub-Arctic Arctic * Temperate * Tropical Searing Inferno 4.3.2 Gravity The Gravity must not be "crushing" and its preferable if its under "very heavy". Gravity must be below 2.0 G's - 0.7 to 1.3 is the best. 4.3.3 Atmosphere The planet must have one and it must contain oxygen. 4.3.4 Hydrosphere There must be water on the planet. 4.3.5 Atmospheric Activity Planets with violent or very violent weather are unacceptable. * None * Calm * Moderate Violent Very Violent Part 5: Planetside > 5.1 Landing Select Land from the Captain's options when in orbit around a planet. High terrain is good for minerals, lower is good for civilization, creatures, and fuel efficiency. Water is just a generally bad idea to land in since you get horrible fuel efficiency (no, you won't sink). Select Descend to start the landing. > 5.2 Exploring The terrain vehicle is fitted with quite a few gadgets to help you. Select Disembark to exit the ship. 5.2.1 Maps Your terrain vehicle is equipped with numerous sensors and an onboard computer to create contour maps of the terrain along with things that have been detected. There are three different levels of magnification. (I haven't really figured out how to change mag. levels, just hit the up & down arrow keys and the space bar until the level increases, press the left & right keys to cancel). Your sensors don't pick up objects very well at long ranges or in adverse weather conditions. When you get the message "Scanning New Terrain" you should look at your maps, you may discover even more items you want. Sometimes, however, you must cover the whole terrain manually to find what you want. 5.2.2 Move Starts up the terrain vehicles engines. Use the arrow keys to move and Insert to engage the cruise control. You get better fuel efficiency at low altitudes (except in water) and in good weather conditions. A warning will sound when your energy drops below 50%, you should immediately return to the terrain vehicle so you won't run out of fuel, in which case you have to walk back and pay a stiff fine to get a new one at Starport. 5.2.3 Cargo You have a capacity of 50 cubic meters. You may pick up or dump cargo from here, or read messages you found in ruins. You must be beside an object to pick it up, and if it is hostile then you must stun it. 5.2.4 Describe Scan any object on the terrain to describe it. Scanning dwellings or trade centers will give you cultural information. 5.2.5 Weapons Your terrain vehicle is equipped with a laser and a stunner. The stunner is used against animals and the laser against sentients. You must stun hostile animals to capture them. The type of weapon used is automatically selected, and your Navigator fires it. 5.2.6 Icons The icons option allows you to view all the icons you may see on the surface along with a topological key. 5.2.7 Boarding Your Starship Just position the TV over the ship and turn off your engines. Note (from book): You will probably find more lifeforms at lower altitudes, along with calmer weather. Mountain weather is dangerous and likely to kill all your Elowan. > 5.3 Trading Trading goods, lifeforms, and minerals will be your primary means of producing capital, and one of the few ways to get more fuel (the other two being from debris and on planet surfaces). The market is always in flux - the prices and availability of items changes from day to day. 5.3.1 Locating Systems with Markets The first step is to locate a market where you can buy or sell goods. The original map (or my list of stars) has a list of systems w/ sentients. On the map, a star with a cross around it indicates the presence of sentients. While not all species want to trade, finding one with sentients is a good start. 5.3.2 Trade Buoys The Humna Humna have placed orbiting trade buoys around planets that host sentients. The buoys have the latest data on that race and can be accessed by the Culture option (Science Officer) or Describe (TV). Tech Level- Societies with a low tech level won't buy items of a higher level. The levels are: Stone Age, Metal Age, Industrial Age, and Spacefaring. Their items are listed in Appendix C: Standard Trade Value (STV) Chart. Trading Style- The level of bargaining accepted in the culture. Varies from Bargain a Lot to None. Economy- Depressed, Level, or Inflated. Deflated planets will sell items for less while Inflated ones buy them for more. Level economies are good for both buying and selling. Note that Special Trading Goods (SpTG) are unaffected by the economy level. They will always be sold low and bought high. Population Density- High density means more trading centers, more goods, and better prices. Cultural Analysis- Brief description of the species. Will Sell (at Trading Center)- Listing of SpTG's that a species sells are listed here. STV's are not listed since they change from day to day. Always record the SpTG's that are bought and sold on each planet. Will Buy (at Trading Center)- Listing of the SpTG's that a species wants. Products with a * by them mean special interest. 5.3.3 Finding and Entering Trading Centers Trading occurs ONLY in trading centers. In order to enter one stop your terrain vehicle next to one and confirm that you want to enter. There are more centers on highly populated planets. 5.3.4 Standard Trade Goods (STG) STG's are everyday commodities throughout the galaxy. Though you might not make large profits from STG's you can be sure that they are accepted throughout the galaxy. 5.3.5 Specialty Trade Goods (SpTG) SpTG's are special goods that usually only sold by one species and bought by another. SpTG's can be bought cheap and sold for great profits, but sometimes the species that buys them is hard to find, and there are some that no species wants. There is a limited amount of SpTG's in an area, usually from 50-200 cubic meters, with the greater amounts being on more populated planets. Armed with enough info its possible to establish trade routes. In fact the Humna Humna will sell trade route maps to those they trust. (ie- don't EVER attack them!) 5.3.6 Selling Lifeforms Every alien species is interested in buying lifeforms, and the lifeforms they want to buy will remain constant. At least one of the lifeforms they want is native to the planet, so if you need some quick cash then you can go capture some and sell them. 5.4.7 Selling Minerals Aliens buy minerals, too. The minerals they want vary from day to day vary, however, so you shouldn't rely on mining as a main source of income. Larger populations require a greater diversity of raw materials. 5.4.8 Standard Trade Value (STV) Every tradable item has an STV - the amount that an item or good is commonly accepted to be worth for. When you're bartering at a center the items STV rating is shown in the upper right corner as a percentage. This is the percentage of the the STV they are offering or want for the item per cubic meter. "Buy low, sell high" is the credo of every merchant. Whenever possible sell over 100% and buy under 100%. 5.3.9 Buying and Selling Buy- Let's you see a list of everything the aliens have to sell. The STV rating will appear in the upper right corner of the screen for each item. Look for low asking prices, but remember that you can always Barter to lower a price. Press the spacebar to begin Bartering. Sell- As per Buy. Look for high STV ratings and high prices. Note that only the first 50 items on you ship or in the TV will be shown. If you want to see more then you have to either sell or dump something. Also if the price the aliens offer is 0 then they don't want the item. Don't try and force them to buy that item, they may throw you out. Exit- Exit the Trade Center. 5.3.10 Bartering After selecting buy or sell you will enter the realm of bartering. The aliens will make an offer and you may accept, counter, or just refuse it. With some species you should accept the first offer - with others you should barter to keep from being robbed blind. Agree- Accept the alien's current offer. Counter- If the price is not what you would like then select this. Type in the new offer and press Enter. It will make a counter-offer or accept the new price. In order to stand firm on your offer just type in the same price. Note that if the more stubborn you are the more stubborn the aliens are likely to be. Refuse- Sometimes refusing an offer can get an alien to drop its price quickly. Other times you could just have destroyed whatever bartering you've been doing. If the alien accepts your refusal than you can barter on it a second time, but don't bother trying a third time. Aliens don't take a refusal personally, so if you just want to see what something looks like just select buy or sell and refuse any offers made. 5.3.11 Staying on Their Good Side Merchants, no matter what species, like nothing better than to conclude a deal. Every time you successfully complete a transaction, the aliens feel a little better about you. If you sell them a SpTG marked by an asterisk then they will REALLY like you and probably give you more way in bartering and offer you items they wouldn't otherwise trade. You can also upset alien merchants by acting unreasonably. If you keep offering 0 on an item or trying to sell an item they don't want they may kick you out. Next time you are around make sure you sell them something real cheap. Another way to alienate aliens is to shoot them on the surface or attack them in space. Note (from book): If you ever find an SpTG that is really wanted by a species make sure you keep some on hand if you ever encounter them again. If makes them a little friendlier and get better prices. For instance, the Humna Humna REALLY like Livelong, and selling some to them will insure their good will, although you can still wreck it by fighting or being unreasonable. > 5.4 Artifacts Artifacts are held in the ship's hold as normal cargo. You can view your artifacts by selecting Cargo. The artifact's name is always followed by the key that activates that artifact. Most artifacts only work in certain places - for example Blasto Pods only work in Hyperspace, system scanners only work in star systems, etc. Note: Many artifacts work while viewing the starmap. Note (from book): I dreamed that I was in a B class star system far away from any others. The Humna Humna sold me an "encounter scanner," an artifact that projects all the potential encounters in the vicinity onto your starmap. Appendix A: Energy Usage Chart Hyperspace Travel: .48-.16 cubic meters/coordinate (depends on Engine class) Firing Laser: .01 cubic meters Firing Missles: .05 cubic meters Shields Raised: .1 cubic meters/star hour Launching or landing: .25 cubic meter/G of planet Using Jump Pod: 15 cubic meters Appendix B: Planetary Charts (EGA & VGA only) 1. Spectral Chart Color Class ----- ----- Red M (coolest) Orange K Yellow G White F Green A Light Blue B Dark Blue O (hottest) 2. Planet Surface Chart Color Type ----- ---- Red Molten Brown Rock Blue Ocean White Frozen Purple Gas Giant 3. Mineral Value Chart (per cubic meter) Lead 40 Chromium 260 Iron 60 Antimony 280 Cobalt(*) 80 Promethium(*) 300 Nickel 100 Mercury 320 Copper 120 Tungsten 340 Zinc 140 Silver 360 Molybdenum(*) 160 Gold 380 Tin 180 Platinum 400 Magnesium 200 Silicon 420 Aluminum(*) 220 Rodnium 440 Titanium(*) 240 Shyneum 500 *- Repair materials Appendix C: Standard Trade Good Value Chart (per cubic meter) Stone Age Metal Age Vegetables and Meats 150 Cloths and Tapestries 360 Nutritive Fluids 160 Metal Weapons and Armor 430 Seeds and Spores 185 Native Science Texts 500 Tools and Weapons 215 Ceramic Goods 240 Industrial Age Native Literature 250 Synthetic Foods & Chems 410 Religious Artifacts 255 Synthetic Materials 510 Musical Instruments 260 Electronic Devices 580 Furs and Skins 275 Art Objects 290 Spacefaring Medicine and Narcotics 310 Genetic Materials 530 Exotic Pets 380 High Tech Devices 630 Work Animals 385 Robots and Automatons 660 Gems and Geoforms 530 Appedix D: Lifeform Catalog Pop Berry Plant: STV: 400 total (400/m^3) Danger: Harmless Plant Bird: STV: 600 total (600/m^3) Danger: Harmless Rocket Melons STV: 600 total (200/m^3) Danger: Harmless Red Puff Wart STV: 700 total (700/m^3) Danger: * Sticky Fruit STV: 800 total (800/m^3) Danger: Harmless Hive Plant STV: 900 total (300/m^3) Danger: Harmless Scaly Blue Hopper STV: 900 total (900/m^3) Danger: Harmless Hill Rat STV: 1000 total (1000/m^3) Danger: Harmless Pulsating Gummy STV: 1200 (600/m^3) Danger: Harmless Spinning Crab STV: 1200 (1200/m^3) Danger:* Black Acid Squirter STV: 1600 total (800/m^3) Danger:* Humanoid Hopper STV: 1950 total (650/m^3) Danger: Harmless Psychic Blaster STV: 2200 total (1100/m^3) Danger: * Vacuum Slug STV: 2000 total (1000/m^3) Danger: Harmless Hot Fungus STV: 2000 total (2000/m^3) Danger: *** Oily Spore Bush STV: 2250 total (750/m^3) Danger: * Parachute Spider STV: 2400 total (800/m^3) Danger: * Wheel Snake STV: 2600 total (1300/m3) Danger: *** Wandering Chandelier STV: 2500 total (250/m^3) Danger: Harmless Glowing Spinner STV: 2700 total (675/m^3) Danger: Harmless Breathing Cactus STV: 2700 total (900/m^3) Danger: * Green Balloon STV: 3000 (500/m^3) Danger: Harmless Nid Berry Bush STV: Special Danger: Harmless Poison Glider STV: 3000 total (1500/m^3) Danger: *** Crystal Sponge Plant STV: 3250 (650/m^3) Danger: Harmless Single Leaf STV: 3575 total (325/m^3) Danger: Harmless Expanding Hippo STV: 3500 total (500/m^3) Danger: Harmless Yellow Hugger STV: 3600 total (900/m^3) Danger: ** Fur Tree STV: 4000 total (200/m^3) Danger: Harmless Electric Balloon STV: 4250 total (850/m^3) Danger: ** Running Fungus STV: 4500 total (900/m^3) Danger: Harmless Grey Anemone STV: 4500 total (750/m^3) Danger: ** Green Blob STV: 4800 total (600/m^3) Danger: Harmless Purple Screecher STV: 5200 total (1300/m^3) Danger: ** Funnel Tree STV: 4800 total (300/m^3) Danger: Harmless Peacock Tree STV: 5200 total (400/m^3) Danger: ** Sand Pit Stalk STV: 6000 total (1500/m^3) Danger: *** Stinging Cone STV: 10000 total (1000/m^3) Danger: ** Eight-Legged Rhino STV: 9800 total (1400/m^3) Danger: *** Brass Harpooner STV: 12600 total (1800/m^3) Danger: ***** Humming Stone STV: Special Danger: Harmless >>> Command Summary Card Additional Info <<< If you don't want to have to deal with the file server just run STARFLT2. Delete all the BAT files if you want. If you want it to run in a specific graphics mode then run it as STARFLT2 . is something like CGA, EGA, VGA, etc. Pausing the Game Press Pause (Tandy use Hold) to Pause the game. If you don't have the extended keyboard then use Esc to bring up Game Options. Sound On/Off Press Ctrl-S Boss Key To make sure your Boss doesn't know what your doing press Ctrl-B to bring up a fake DOS prompt. You may type any commands you want but they won't do anything. Press Ctrl-B to return to the game.