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- *** Note: This is Part 2 of this manual ***
-
-
- The usual disclaimer: This text file was made as a back up of the of
- the actual hardbound docs so that the owner of the game might have a
- backup! URK! Buy the game if you like it!
-
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-
- Fleet Operations Manual
- The manual for Rules of Engagement from Mindcraft
-
- This manual is a product of Skid Row-Amiga!
- All work done by Mictlantecuhtli, Stark, and the Corsair.
-
- This text file was also left computer unspecific for our comrades
- in the IBM scene (The Dream Team!) and Atari (EW! ICK!)
-
- S
- K H.A.l./Horizontal Attitude Indicator
- I
- D This is simply a horizontal gauge which displays "tick marks" on a line
- which are used to visually indicate when your weapon system is turning to
- R maintain a bearing on a target. The space between each "tick" on the scale
- O represents 10 degrees of bearing.
- W
- Current Target I.D.
- S
- K The I.D. number of the currently selected target is displayed on both the
- I left and right ends of the bottom of the Targeting Scope. The target can be
- D an enemy ship, and FW ship, or an outpost.
-
- R The I.D. displayed here will be identical to that displayed alongside the
- O Current Target Switch (see Target A-D below).
- W
- Acquisition Indicator
- S
- K When the currently selected target (see Target A-D, below) is at the center
- I of the Targeting Scope and the Target Position (T:) and WeapSys Bearing
- D (B:) readouts match, this flashing indicator bar will appear at the bottom
- of the Targeting Scope, between the Current Target I.D. Readouts.
- R
- O The bar contains cycling colored "blips" (no cycling in CGA) and an
- W "ACQUISITION" message. When this bar is present, your targeting system has
- achieved a lock on the current target, and you may fire your weapons (see
- S Weap Set below).
- K
- I If you fire when the Acquisition Indicator is not present you will probably
- D not hit your target as EBWs will be fired at nothing and missiles have no
- targets specified.
- R
- O
- W TARGETS A-D
-
- S This section consists of four action buttons, A, B, C, and D, (keyboard
- K users simply press the indicated letters) which represent target "slots".
- I Each slot can contain the I.D. of a given ship or outpost, identified by
- D the small readout at the right edge of each button. The current target is
- selected by and whichever button is highlighted. Therefore, you can have
- R four targets locked-in, one per slot, and switch back and forth between
- O them as you like.
- W
- Whenever you highlight one of these buttons, the targeting system
- S immediately swings around to get a lock on the specified item.
- K
- I Most tactical actions and maneuvers are taken relative to whichever target
- D is currently locked in. For instance, if you activated the POSIT function
- (see TACTIC section below), your ship would take up a position relative to
- R the currently selected target. If you then changed from target A to target
- O B, your ship would then attempt to take up a similar position relative to
- W target B.
-
- S To enter a target into one of the slots, highlight the selected button,
- K make sure the desired target is displayed in the Target Selection Controls
- I (see below), and then use the ACQUIRE button (below) to lock it in. The
- D computer will automatically enter the I.D. for the specified target into
- the specified target slot.
- R
- O
- W TARGET SELECTION CONTROLS
-
- S These controls are used to select targets for the Target AD slots. A
- K single-line scroller selector and related action buttons is used to pick
- I and lock in targets.
- D
- OUT (U), ENS (E), and FWS (F)
- R
- O These three action buttons are used to select what types of items will be
- W displayed in the associated scroller selector. OUT selects outposts, ENS
- selects enemy ships (it is the default setting when you start the game),
- S and FWS selects your own ships (you cannot select your own ship, however).
- K Only one of the three buttons can be highlighted at any one time.
- I
- D ACQUIRE (Q)
-
- R Activating this trigger action button causes the I.D. of the item currently
- O displayed in the scroller selector to be locked into the currently
- W highlighted "slot" (A-D), replacing whatever I.D. was already there, if
- any.
- S
- K (PageUp)
- I
- D Scrolls the scroller selector back to the previous item in the current
- list, if any.
- R
- O (PageDown)
- W
- Scrolls the scroller selector to the next item in the current list, if any.
- S
- K
- I I.D. READOUT AND SCROLLER SELECTOR
- D
- This is a standard scroller selector with a standard I.D. readout. The only
- R difference between it and those seen on other panels is that this one
- O displays only a single item at any given time. In essence, it simply
- W displays only the highlighted item in the list, rather than the highlighted
- item and those immediately preceding and following it.
- S
- K AUTO (T)
- I
- D This is a toggle action button. When activated, it causes your ship's
- computer to automatically switch to the closest of the targets currently in
- R the Target A-D slots. For example, if you had targets in all four slots,
- O had target A selected, but target C was the closest to you, when you
- W activated AUTO the highlighted target button would automatically be changed
- from A to C. If, while AUTO was activated, another of the selected targets
- S were to become the closest in range, the selected target would again
- K change. Toggling AUTO off (unhighlighted) switches this mode off, and the
- I system will no longer automatically lock onto the closest of the locked in
- D targets.
-
- R Manually activating one of the Target A-D buttons deactivates the AUTO
- O mode.
- W
- WEAP SET
- S
- K These controls are related to firing of your ship's weapons and adjusting
- I their settings.
- D
- There are two "modes" to this subpanel, set by use of the GET (G) button at
- R the top of the controls. When GET is not highlighted, the TACTICAL MAP
- O (see below) is displayed to the right, and only the fire buttons, EBW power
- W meter, and missile selector buttons and readouts are accessible. But, when
- GET is activated, the TACTICAL MAP disappears, revealing the full set of
- S weaponry controls, including EBW beam-width and pinpoint targeting
- K controls; full missile selector buttons are displayed, with missile labels
- I fully visible.
- D
- FIRE EBW (F9)
- R
- O This is a trigger type action button which, when activated, fires the
- W Enhanced Beam Weapons at the current target. The beam travels at 1 c
- (lightspeed) and has a maximum strike range of 3 million (3,000,000,000)
- S kilometers (although your chances of hitting a moving target at ranges
- K greater than 550,000 kilometers are slim). The force of the beam is
- I determined by the EBW CHARGE METER and the EBW POWER SELECT controls (see
- D following items).
-
- R EBW CHARGE METER
- O
- W This meter shows the charge status of the EBW batteries. If the meter's bar
- is full then 100% power is available. If the bar is partially full, then
- S lesser percentages are available. The system recharges at a steady rate
- K (variable depending on a given ship's equipment and damage the system has
- I sustained), so if you wait, the power climbs.
- D
- EBW POWER SELECT
- R
- O The actual percentage of potential EBW "hit" power your wish to use is
- W selected with these controls. The position of the arrowhead pointer along
- the EBW CHARGE METER sets the percentage of EBW power you wish to apply
- S when firing. The numerical value of this strength is displayed in the
- K small readout immediately below the EBW CHARGE METER.
- I
- D The arrowhead may be moved in one of two ways. Players with compatible
- mice can simply drag the arrowhead along the scale, releasing it when it is
- R where they wish it to be. Keyboard users can use the Home and End keys to
- O move the arrowhead along the scale to the left and right respectively. As
- W with most thermometer type scales, pressing Home or End switches on a
- "move pointer" mode which remains "on" until you press another key.
- S
- K In some circumstances you may find that the arrowhead cannot be moved to
- I the top of the scale, or that during or after battle, that it has slipped
- D down the scale and cannot be moved back up it. This is an indication that
- the weaponry system has sustained damage, and that the EBW beam projectors
- R are incapable of firing at power levels greater than those the arrowhead
- O can be moved to. In such a case, the only way to restore full EBW power is
- W repair the weaponry system (see DAMAGE CONTROL under 304 DATA RETRIEVAL in
- this section on the manual and also the sections pertaining to system
- S damage in " Part VI: Tactics").
- K
- I FIRE MISSILE (F10)
- D
- This is a trigger action button, and activating it causes your weapons
- R system to attempt to fire one missile of the currently selected type at the
- O current target. If no missiles of the selected type are present, no missile
- W will fire. Each time you press FIRE another missile launch is attempted.
- Thus, if you have lots of missiles in stock, you can launch a veritable
- S salvo at the selected target.
- K
- I MISSILE INVENTORY READOUTS
- D
- These numbers appear to the right of the missile selection buttons-labels,
- R and indicate the current stock of the indicated class of missile. If the
- O readout displays 00, then no missiles of the indicated type are present.
- W
- Missiles can be restocked by docking with outposts. The more sophisticated
- S the supply capabilities of an outpost, the greater range of missiles they
- K supply. However, remember than not every ship can carry all types of
- I missiles. The type of weaponry system a given ship carries determines the
- D types and number of missiles the ship can carry.
-
- R MISSILE SELECTION BUTTONS (MINI)
- O
- W There are eight of these selection buttons, one for each type of missile.
- Only one button can be highlighted at any given time, and which ever one is
- S selected is the type of missile currently chosen for firing. To highlight a
- K missile type, either click the mouse on the desired button or press the
- I associated number (1 through 9) on your keyboard.
- D
- In this mode only a small portion of each button is visible. See MISSILE
- R SELECTION BUTTONS (FULL) below for descriptions of each missile type.
- O
- W EBW FOCUS SELECTORS
-
- S There are three selection buttons here, only one of which can be active at
- K any one time. The active button determines the beam-width/focus of your
- I ship's EBW fire.
- D
- WIDE (W) Spreads the beam widely, making it easier to hit evasive
- R targets. However, although your chance of achieving
- O a hit increases on wide beam setting, because the beam
- W is "fanned out" the hit strength is diminished.
-
- S NORM (O) Sets the beam to normal width.
- K
- I PIN (N) Sets the beam to pinpoint width. In this mode your odds
- D of hitting an evasive target drop, however, this is made
- up for in that you can pinpoint specific systems of the
- R target, and the power of the EBW will be directed against
- O that system alone (see PINPOINT FIRE SELECTOR below).
- W
- PINPOINT FIRE SELECTOR
- S
- K If the EBW FOCUS is set to pinpoint fire, specific systems of the target
- I can be singled out for EBW attack. This selector box allows you to specify
- D which system to hit when using pinpoint fire. The box displays an image of
- the current target (if any), linked to selector buttons representing its
- R six primary systems. Whichever of the system buttons is highlighted
- O represents the subject of any pinpoint EBW fire.
- W
- Mouse users need only click on the label for the system they wish to
- S target. Keyboard users can use the + and - keys to move the highlighter up
- K and down the list.
- I
- D NOTE: The highlighted system in this box will not have any
- effect on EBW fire with normal or wide beam settings.
- R
- O MISSILE SELECTION BUTTONS (FULL)
- W
- There are eight of these selection buttons, one for each type of missile.
- S Only one button can be highlighted at any given time, and which ever one is
- K selected is the type of missile currently chosen for firing. To highlight a
- I missile type, either click the mouse on the desired button or press the
- D associated number (1 through 8) on your keyboard.
-
- R In brief, the missile types are as follows:
- O
- W Button Missile Type Purpose
- 1 PN PRT SRB Pritchard SRB Damages shields
- S 2 MELB FU8 Melbourne FU8 General damage
- K 3 GIAPRLI FU9 Giaperelli FU9 General damage
- I 4 FRA LAB FE Franklin Lab FE Anti-Personnel
- D 5 WODEN FE Woden FE Anti-Personnel
- 6 THIOD P/PD Thiodyne P/PD Damages drives
- R 7 WOD NOVA Woden Nova General damage
- O 8 ILIYA NOVA Iliya Nova General damage
- W
- Details on missile types, their uses, range, etc., can be found in
- S Appendix IV.
- K
- I
- D TACTICAL MAP
-
- R This is a simplified and miniaturized version of the map display on 301
- O NAVIGATION, and works identically to that map. The only differences are as
- W follows:
-
- S Only potential targets (enemy and FW ships, and outposts) can be displayed.
- K
- I The map view is limited to your vessel's sensor range, with no telemetry
- D from other ships or "mix" modes available.
-
- R No course project mode.
- O
- W EBW and missile fire and "hits" are displayed on the map.
-
- S There are six buttons and one thermometer scale related to the map. They
- K are as follows:
- I
- D COMBAT ZONE (Z) When activated this recalibrates the map radius controls
- so that the maximum map radius is 500,000 kilometers
- R instead of your ships' maximum sensor range, allowing for
- O easier zoom adjustments in combat.
- W
- Any or all of the following three can be highlighted at any time.
- S
- K OUT (O) When highlighted, the map displays outposts.
- I ENS (N) When highlighted, the map displays enemy ships.
- D FWS (W) When highlighted, the map displays FW ships.
-
- R Mouse users can, as on 301, move the mouse over the map, frame and area,
- O and click the left button to zoom in and the right button to zoom out. They
- W can also drag the arrowhead below the scale at the bottom of the map to
- adjust the view radius.
- S
- K Keyboard users must adjust the zoom radius by using the + and - keys, which
- I are equivalent to the increase and decrease map radius buttons bracketing
- D the RADIUS: readout.
-
- R See the section on 301 NAVIGATION for more details of working with map
- O displays.
- W
- ATTITUDE SET
- S
- K This subpanel consists of controls which allows you to set your desired
- I attitude relative to a target when using one of the tactical maneuvering
- D controls (see below).
-
- R THE ANGLE DIAL
- O
- W The position of the flagship icon at the perimeter of the dial represents a
- position, in degrees, set relative to a target vessel or outpost (the
- S dial's center). The angle can be from 000 to 359 degrees.
- K
- I The dial can represent two different things. If you select the "shado"
- D maneuver (see Tactic below), the top of the dial represents the "bow" or
- "front" of the target vessel, and the position of the ship icon at the rim
- R of the dial represents your ship's desired position relative to the
- O direction the target is facing. On the other hand, if you select the
- W "position" (POSIT) maneuver, the top of the dial represents the top of the
- map, and the position of the ship icon at the rim of the dial represents
- S your ship's desired position relative to the target's position in space,
- K not relative to the target's heading.
- I
- D The following is a breakdown of the elements of the Angle Dial.
-
- R Desired Angle Readout
- O
- W This displays the desired angle you want your ship to take in a shado or
- positioning maneuver. The value displayed here is determined by the
- S position of the Desired Heading Cursor (see next item) on the outside of
- K the Dial. When you set a new desired heading this readout will change
- I instantly to reflect it. If MANUAL is activated, the Current Heading
- D Readout (see above) will begin to change to match the desired heading as
- your ship takes up the new course.
- R
- O Desired Angle Indicator (Flagship Icon)
- W
- This operates identically to the Desired Heading Indicator on the HELM
- S portion of 301 NAVIGATION. The icon represents your current flagship, and
- K its position around the dial is important, however, the way the icon itself
- I is pointing (always up) is not of any concern.
- D
- The position of the icon on the outside of the dial indicates your desired
- R angle in degrees. The actual numerical value of the heading is displayed
- O in the Desired Angle Readout (see above).
- W
- There are two ways to change the desired angle: dragging the pointer with
- S the mouse, or using the Turn Clockwise and Turn Counter-Clockwise controls
- K (see below).
- I
- D To drag the pointer, you must have a compatible mouse. Click the left mouse
- button on the pointer, and, while holding the button down, "drag" the
- R pointer around the dial to the desired position. As you move the pointer,
- O the Desired Angle Readout will change to reflect the new setting. When you
- W release the mouse button, the pointer will stay where you left it.
-
- S Turn Clockwise
- K
- I This function is activated by the RIGHT button, and its purpose is to move
- D the Desired Angle Indicator around the Heading Dial in a clockwise
- direction. When you activate the RIGHT button by clicking on it with the
- R mouse, it stays "on" only as long as you hold the mouse button down. If
- O using the keyboard, the button stays "on" and the icon moves clockwise
- W until you press another key.
-
- S Turn Counter-Clockwise
- K
- I This function is activated by the LEFT button, and its purpose is to move
- D the Desired Angle Indicator around the Heading Dial in a counter-clockwise
- direction. When you activate the LEFT button by clicking on it with the
- R mouse, it stays "on" only as long as you hold the mouse button down. If
- O using the keyboard, the button stays "on" and the icon moves
- W counter-clockwise until you press another key.
-
- S NOTE: If neither the SHADO or POSIT buttons are activated (see
- K Tactic below), the settings in the ATTITUDE box won't have
- I any effect.
- D
-
- R RANGE CONTROLS
- O
- W This portion of the ATTITUDE box is where you can adjust your range for
- shado or positioning maneuvers. There are a number of items associated with
- S setting the range.
- K
- I Tactical Range Scale
- D
- This is a standard "thermometer" scale (see Part IV). It represents the
- R potential tactical range of your vessel relative to a target. The scale
- O represents ranges of between 0 (bottom of scale) and 500,000 (top of scale)
- W kilometers. The position of the Desired Range Pointer alongside the scale
- determines range setting.
- S
- K Desired Range Pointer
- I
- D This pointer is similar to pointers on standard "thermometer" scales (see
- Part IV). Its position along the Velocity Range Scale determines the
- R desired velocity you want your ship to use when under manual helm control.
- O
- W There are two ways to change the desired velocity; dragging the pointer up
- and down the sale using a mouse, or using the Increase and Decrease
- S Velocity buttons (see below).
- K
- I To drag the pointer you must have a compatible a mouse. Click the left
- D mouse button on the pointer, and, while holding the button down, "drag" the
- pointer up and down the scale to the desired position. When you release the
- R mouse button, the pointer will stay where you left it and, if the MANUAL
- O button is active, your ship will immediately begin making velocity
- W adjustments. If in manual mode, you can see the velocity change happening
- by watching the Current Velocity Readout (see below).
- S
- K Increase Range Button
- I
- D This function is activated by the 9 button, and its purpose is to move the
- Desired Range Pointer up the Tactical Range Scale. When you activate the 9
- R button by clicking on it with the mouse, it stays "on" only as long as you
- O hold the mouse button down. If using the keyboard, the button stays "on"
- W and the pointer attempts to move up the meter until you press another key.
-
- S Decrease Range Button
- K
- I This function is activated by the 0 button, and its purpose is to move the
- D Desired Range Pointer down the Tactical Range Scale. When you activate the
- 0 button by clicking on it with the mouse, it stays "on" only as long as
- R you hold the mouse button down. If using the keyboard, the button stays
- O "on" and the pointer attempts to move down the meter until you press
- W another key.
-
- S Desired Range Readout
- K
- I This readout displays the numeric value of your ship's desired range.
- D
-
- R FACE SHIELDS
- O
- W This final section of ATTITUDE allows you to specify which of your ship's
- four shields you wish to try to keep towards the current target. This is
- S very useful, particularly when some of your ship's shields have been
- K seriously depleted or destroyed (see DEFENSE SUBSYSTEM below), and you wish
- I to keep your strongest defenses towards the enemy.
- D
- The arrow pointing towards the word TARG indicates the direction of the
- R target, and the number below the arrow indicates which shield you wish
- O to keep towards that target. The default is shield 1, the bow shield, but
- W you may, by using the next shield and previous shield buttons, the UP and
- DOWN keys, turn any shield towards the target.
- S
- K As with all of the setting under ATTITUDE this is only a "desired" shield
- I facing. As your ship manuevers to maintain position, course, etc., it is
- D not always possible to keep a particular shield oriented towards the
- target.
- R
- O TACTIC
- W
- At any given time there are seven action buttons in this bank. Six are
- S consistently present, and the seventh varies depending on the current
- K target and its status. Each of the following, when activated, will remain
- I active until another button in the bank is activated, or when navigational
- D control is usurped via the 301 NAVIGATION panel. Only one of the buttons
- can be active at any one time.
- R
- O SHADO (H) Initiates a "shadowing" maneuver, where your ship will
- W attempt to take up the range and position set in the
- Attitude Set subpanel relative to the current target. The
- S angle will be set relative to the targets bow, which
- K always represents 0 (zero) to the shado mode. Therefore,
- I if the ANGLE is set at 180, your ship will constantly
- D attempt to remain behind the target no matter which
- way it faces on the map. Because your ship must try
- R to maintain an angle relative to potentially turning and
- O moving targets, it is much more difficult to achieve and
- W maintain target acquisition in SHADO mode than it is in
- POSIT mode (see below).
- S
- K POSIT (I) Initiates a "positioning" maneuver, where your ship will
- I attempt to take up the range and position set in the
- D Attitude Set subpanel relative to the current target. The
- angle will be set relative to the map, where "up" always
- R represents 0 (zero) to the position mode. Therefore, if
- O the ANGLE is set at 180, your ship will constantly
- W attempt to remain "due south" of the target on the map.
-
- S ESCAP (P) Initiates an "emergency escape maneuver" in which
- K your ship determines the heading of the current target
- I and immediately thrusts at full power in the opposite
- D direction (180 degrees different from the target) in an
- attempt to reach and maintain a "safe" distance from
- R the target: 900,000 kilometers or greater.
- O
- W HALT (L) Causes your ship to immediately perform a full power
- breaking manuever, coming to a complete halt relative
- S to the current solar system.
- K
- I EVADE (V) Initiates an evasive action sequence. In such a mode,
- D your ship proceeds at high thrust and randomly changes
- course every few seconds. This manuever is used to
- R shake missile fire or try to avoid having enemy ships
- O get and keep you in their gunsights.
- W
- BOARD (R) This button appears if the target is an enemy ship,
- S enemy outpost or a Neutral outpost that has refused
- K you permission to dock.
- I
- D DOCK (K) This button appears in the place of BOARD if the
- current target is a friendly or neutral outpost, or an
- R outpost that has been seized by FW forces. Activating
- O it when your ship is under 1,000 kilometers range from
- W the outpost causes you ship to halt and a docking
- sequence to be initiated (see Docking Control below).
- S
- K (Y) This button, when highlighted, hands navigational controls
- I back to the 301 NAVIGATION panel, in whichever mode it was
- D last set prior to been overridden by the TACTIC maneuvers.
-
- R
- O Defense Subsys/303-B DEFENSE
- W
- This subpanel provides control over both your ship's primary defensive
- S systems, and information on hits taken and the status of your shields.
- K
- I
- D MISSILE DEFENSE CONTROLS/AMCM
-
- R There are two Anti-Missile CounterMeasure (AMCM) options available, JAM (J)
- O and BEAM (M). Both can be active at the same time, if you wish.
- W
- JAM uses special transmitters to confuse the guidance systems of incoming
- S missiles. When a missile falls within the "sphere of influence of the
- K jammer, it should lose track of the target (you), and will most likely pass
- I by without exploding. When the missile clears the jamming range, it may
- D very well double-back and try again and again until it either gets lucky
- and hits you or runs out of fuel.
- R
- O The one drawback to having jamming on is that the energy used for it is
- W tapped from the shield generators, and thus the regeneration/recharge rate
- of the shields is lowered, meaning it takes hit shields longer than normal
- S to build back up.
- K
- I BEAM, on the other hand, bleeds power from your EBW charging system for use
- D by automated defensive EBW batteries which attempt to shoot-down incoming
- missiles. The BEAM mode's primary disadvantage in combat is that it
- R prevents your main EBW system from recharging as quickly as normal,
- O hindering your combat firepower.
- W
- LAST ATTACK READOUT
- S
- K This readout displays information about the last attack on your ship. At
- I the top, a value readout displays the I.D. of the last ship that fired on
- D you and got a "hit". Below that a text display explains what happened, such
- as informing you that your ship was:
- R
- O HIT BY EBW
- W NORMAL.
- ON SHIELD 1
- S
- K The example tells you that the enemy hit shield number 1 with a normal
- I width EBW beam. Likewise, if your are hit by a missile, the enemy missile
- D type number (see Appendix IV) is displayed along with the number of the
- shield hit. If you are hit with the shields down, or hit on an inoperative
- R shield, the message will be similar, but instead of saying "ON SHIELD n" it
- O will say "THRU SHIELD n", indicating which shield location the fire passed
- W through.
-
- S SHIELD STATUS DISPLAY
- K
- I This display contains a symbol of your flagship. If the shields are on
- D (raised), a green "bubble" will encircle the ship. There are actually four
- shields, each composing one quarter of the defensive sphere. The number of
- R each shield is displayed next to its quarter of the bubble.
- O
- W When your ship takes a hit with the shields up, the impact is shown on the
- affected shield and that shield flashes (a corresponding power loss is
- S reflected on the shield strength meters; see below).
- K
- I If any of the four shields are completely depleted of energy, the section
- D of the bubble representing it will disappear until such time as it can
- regenerate/rebuild power (see the SHIELD STRENGTH METERS below).
- R
- O SHIELD CONTROL
- W
- This action button toggles the shields on and off. When the button is
- S highlighted, the shields will be raised (if the shield system is
- K functional). If the button is magenta/unhighlighted, the shields are off.
- I
- D Always make certain that your ship's shields are raised prior to engaging
- an enemy vessel. The same "hit" on identical shielded and unshielded ships
- R will have drastically different results, with the unshielded ship
- O sustaining far more damage than the shielded one.
- W
- In beginner level games, the shields are raised automatically when you are
- S fired upon.
- K
- I SHIELD STRENGTH METERS
- D
- There are four numbered meters here, each linked to a specific shield. The
- R meters represent the strength of a given shield. Whenever a shield takes a
- O "hit", the height of that shields' meter drops, and there is a
- W corresponding loss of power, which takes time to build back up. Weak
- shields are less effective at preventing damage than strong shields, so
- S it's a wise idea to keep your eyes on these indicators and try to keep the
- K strongest shields towards the enemy (see FACE SHIELDS above).
- I
- D DESTRUCT
-
- R If your ship sustains so much damage that it cannot move or complete its
- O mission, or if it is about to be destroyed by hostile ships, you can "take
- W yourself out" of the game by self-destructing your flagship.
-
- S To use the self-destruct you must be on the 303 TACTICAL panel and the GET
- K (G) button at the top of the panel must be highlighted, thus providing
- I access to the full weaponry settings and, of course, the DESTRUCT subpanel.
- D
- There is but one button on this subpanel, an action button labeled EXECUTE
- R (X). If you activate it, a usurper box asking "Are you sure you want to
- O activate the self-destruct * system?" appears. If you answer affirmatively,
- W the usurper disappears and the surface of the CCSI panel will slowly slide
- open, revealing the self-destruct controls.
- S
- K Operation is extremely simple, but not one-step. To activate the destruct
- I sequence you must press/highlight all four numbered buttons at the top-left
- D of the destruct controls (1,2,3, and 4). The striped panel will then pop
- open, and if you click on the PULL (P) tag hanging from the arming level,
- R the lever will be thrown and a 15 second countdown will start.
- O
- W To halt the destruct sequence, use the ABORT (A) button at any time prior
- to the destruct sequence countdown reaching 5 seconds.
- S
- K 5 seconds is critical, because the destruct system works by creating a
- I feedback loop in the drive and power systems of your ship. It takes ten
- D seconds for this power feedback to reach critical level, and, once this
- level has been achieved, the imminent explosion cannot be aborted.
- R
- O When a starship self-destructs, the energy released will destroy any ships
- W within 4 million kilometers range, and those between 4 and 100 million
- kilometers risk damage ranging from minor to critical. If you time your
- S destruction just right, you might take some of the enemy ships out with
- K you. Just watch out for your own ships!
- I
- D DOCKING CONTROL
-
- R When you successfully dock with an outpost (see DOCK under Tactic above),
- O the ATTITUDE subpanel is replaced by a docking status display: DOCK. When
- W docked with an outpost, the outpost's technicians will attempt to repair
- whatever system you have highlighted under REPAIR and restock any missiles
- S that your ship is capable of carrying that the outpost carries.
- K
- I
- D There are only a handful of controls on this subpanel. To the left are six
- selection buttons, each representing one of your ship's primary systems.
- R The highlighted item is the one the outpost's technicians will attempt to
- O help you repair. To change systems, click on the appropriate button or use
- W the UP and DOWN buttons to move the highlighter from system to system.
-
- S When you are ready to disengage from the docking maneuver, use the UNDOCK
- K (K) button.
- I
- D The repair and resupply sophistication of the outpost are displayed below
- the OUTPOST visual. The higher the numbers, the more sophisticated the
- R outpost is.
- O
- W To the lower right end of the DOCK box are two STATUS readouts. The
- readouts to the right of the repair sophistication value tells you the
- S status of repair on the currently highlighted system and the status of
- K missile resupply. The readout for repair will be one of the following.
- I
- D UNDERWAY Repairs are in progress
- COMPLETE The system was undamaged or repairs completed
- R TOO SOPH The system is too sophisticated for the outpost to work on
- O
- W When one system is completely repaired, move the highlighter to another
- damaged system to have it repaired.
- S
- K The STATUS readout for supply tells you when loading of missiles will be
- I complete. The time readout there tells you the mission time when resupply
- D will be finished. When the outpost has fully restocked your missiles to the
- best of its ability, a COMPLETE message appears.
- R
- O While you are docked the tactical maneuvering controls and both fire
- W buttons are disabled (because firing your weapons within docking range of
- an outpost is very dangerous). While the DOCK panel is present, you can
- S switch targets, relock all target slots, adjust weapons settings, etc., but
- K you cannot maneuver or fire.
- I
- D If you switch to 301 NAVIGATION and set a course while docked with an
- outpost the docking is automatically aborted.
- R
- O If you break off a docking manuever before repairs and resupply are
- W completed, you may end up with unfinished repairs and only a percentage of
- the total number of missiles the outpost could have provided (if any).
- S
- K Boarding / 401 SQUAD DEPLOYMENT
- I
- D When you have knocked out an enemy ship's shields and drive systems and
- moved within 5000 kilometers range, you can board the ship. When you have
- R knocked out an enemy or neutral outpost's shields and moved within 1000
- O kilometers range, you can board the outpost.
- W
- If you have Breach 2, the IGS system may load and run that game, if an
- S appropriate scenario has been linked. If Breach 2 is not installed, or no
- K linked scenario is located, then panel 401 SQUAD DEPLOYMENT appears.
- I
- D The SQUAD DEPLOYMENT panel reports on the boarding action status. It
- displays an image of a FWSF marine in full combat gear to the left, and an
- R image of a member of the opposing forces to the right. The name of your
- O Fleet Commander (now acting as a Squad Leader), and his/her squad-level
- W statistics appear, as does the name of the enemy race/force and the rank of
- their Captain. The higher the rank of the enemy Captain, the better
- S leadership the enemy will have, and the tougher they will be to beat.
- K
- I At the center of the display is a Systems Control meter, which shows how
- D much of the enemy ship's systems you control and how much is controlled by
- the enemy. A horizontal marker indicates the level of control you must
- R reach in order to be victorious. When the meter for FWSF reaches that
- O marker, you have won control of the alien ship. As your meter increases the
- W meter for your opponents decreases, and vice-versa.
-
- S Under the image of the FWSF Marine and the enemy are a set of icons
- K representing the forces in combat. The health of each is indicated by their
- I color. The more red that shows, the more seriously injured the combatant.
- D When a combatant's status meter is entirely red, he/she is dead and the
- icon is removed. On each side, one icon is separated from the rest. The
- R separate figure on the FWSF side is the health of your Fleet
- O Commander/Squad Leader. The separate figure on the enemy side is the enemy
- W Captain. If the enemy Captain dies, his forces will be less organized and
- easier to beat. If your Fleet Commander dies the game ends.
- S
- K You have no actual control over the boarding sequence. What you must do is
- I keep your eyes on the percentage of systems you control, and weigh the
- D health of your squad against that of the enemy forces. If your squad is
- badly injured and the enemy is not, or if your Fleet Commander is in danger
- R of dying, or if you cannot seem to make any progress in gaining control of
- O the enemy ship's systems, it would probably be a good idea to abort the
- W boarding. You can abort by using the WITHDRAW/UNDOCK (W) action button.
-
- S
- K 304 DATA RETRIEVAL
- I
- D Although every control panel on your flagship is a technically part of the
- computer access system, it is on DATA RETRIEVAL that you actually consult
- R the computers directly for various types of information. This panel has
- O eight different modes, each called up by one of the action buttons at
- W screen right. When you first begin a mission you arrive initially on DATA
- RETRIEVAL in Fleet STAT mode (see below). Whenever you return to 304 from
- S another panel, it reappears in the mode you last left it in.
- K
- I The eight data modes are as follows, and are accessible by activating the
- D indicated action buttons. The highlighted button indicates the current
- mode.
- R
- O FLEET STAT (F)
- W
- Lists all FW ships (your ship, the flagship, is usually at the top of the
- S list). You can see the stats for up to 16 ships at any one time. And, while
- K its rare that you'll play missions with more than this number of ships, if
- I more than that number are present, using the PageUp and PageDown buttons
- D allow you to see all of them.
-
- R This mode is designed to allow you to get a quick overview of your fleet.
- O However, this information here is based upon status reports sent to your
- W computer by each ship under your command, and those ships do not
- automatically report. Once the mission begins, if you want status reports
- S you'll either have to periodically issue "REPORT STATUS" orders to certain
- K or all ships, or activate the ALL SHIPS REP STAT... function, which orders
- I each ship to send a status report once every minute (both accomplished via
- D 302 COMMUNICATIONS).
-
- R There are seven readout categories for each ship in FLEET STAT mode. They
- O are:
- W
- SHIP
- S
- K Lists, on small action buttons, the mission I.D. number of each vessel. One
- I ship's I.D. will always be highlighted. This indicates which ship or
- D Captain will be the default if you switch to SHIP STAT or FW CAPTAIN (see
- below). To move the highlighter, either click the mouse on another ship's
- R I.D. number or activate the UP and DOWN keys to move the highlighter from
- O button to button. If you return to FLEET STAT from SHIP STAT the
- W highlighter will be on the ship last viewed in that mode. Likewise,
- returning to FLEET STAT from FW CAPTAIN causes the highlighter to be on the
- S ship commander by the last Captain viewed in that mode.
- K
- I TIME
- D
- Lists the time when the indicated ship last transmitted a status report to
- R you.
- O
- W HEADING
-
- S Lists the heading/course of the indicated ship as of its last transmitted
- K status report.
- I
- D VELOCITY
-
- R Lists the velocity of the indicated ship as of its last transmitted status
- O report.
- W
- GROUP
- S
- K If the indicated ship is a member of a Battle Group, the number of the
- I Group (01 to 99) is displayed under this heading. Group Leaders are
- D indicated by highlighted (white) Group numbers.
-
- R SYS DMG STAT
- O
- W Lists the operational capacity for each ship's systems, from communications
- to weapons.
- S
- K SHIP STATUS
- I
- D Lists the action being undertaken by the indicated ship as of its last
- transmitted status report (i.e.- "HOLDING FOR ORDERS"). Your own ship's
- R status will always read "FLAGSHIP".
- O
- W SHIP STAT (S)
-
- S Allows you to review detailed information about each ship in your fleet,
- K one at a time, and allows you to see their status. The UP and DOWN buttons
- I alongside the ship name (SHIP) allows you cycle through all ships. When
- D you enter this mode the default ship to be displayed is the ship whose I.D.
- is currently highlighted on FLEET STAT.
- R
- O While much of the information displayed in this mode is identical to that
- W displayed in Fleet STAT mode, there is additional data provided in SHIP
- STAT mode that is not displayed elsewhere. Remember, the information
- S displayed in this mode is only as recent as the last update report. If the
- K ship has not reported its status in a while (see SINCE UPDATE below), the
- I information may not be accurate!
- D
- ID
- R
- O Lists the mission I.D. number of the currently displayed vessel.
- W
- SHIP
- S
- K Displays the full name of the currently displayed vessel.
- I
- D SHIP STATUS
-
- R There are five readouts under this heading. The first is the actual SHIP
- O STATUS readout for the selected vessel, and lists the action being
- W undertaken by the indicated ship as of its last transmitted status report
- (i.e.- "HOLDING FOR ORDERS"). If you are displaying information about your
- S own ship, this readout displays "Flagship".
- K
- I There are four additional readouts under this heading:
- D
- SINCE UPDATE
- R
- O Lists the time, via a running "clock", that has passed since the indicated
- W ship last transmitted a status report to you. If you are displaying
- information about your own ship, this readout displays a time of
- S "00:00:00", since your ship doesn't bother sending status reports to
- K itself.
- I
- D HEADING
-
- R Lists the heading/course of the indicated ship as of its last transmitted
- O status report.
- W
- VELOCITY
- S
- K Lists the velocity of the indicated ship as of its last transmitted status
- I report.
- D
- GROUP
- R
- O If the indicated ship is a member of a Battle Group, the number of the
- W Group (G01 to G99) is displayed under this heading. Group Leaders are
- indicated by highlighted (white) Group numbers.
- S
- K CREW
- I
- D Displays the percentages of the currently selected ship's crew that are
- active, injured, or dead. The greater the number of injured and dead, the
- R less likely a given ship will be able to deal with repairing damage.
- O
- W MISSILE INVENTORY
-
- S Lists how many of each type of missile the listed ship was carrying at the
- K time of the last update. The numbers are listed to the left of the missile
- I labels. Missiles in stock are displayed with green labels, and those
- D exhausted/not carried have red labels (cyan and magenta in CGA).
-
- R To the left side of the display is the indicated ship's technical data
- O display, which lists parts, system damage, and ship type.
- W
- % OPERATIONAL
- S
- K Lists the operational capacity for each of the selected ship's systems
- I (labels are to the right), from communications to weapons.
- D
- PRT
- R
- O This readout displays the part number for the indicated system of the
- W currently selected ship. This information is provided so that you can size
- up the capabilities of your ships against enemy ships by comparing their
- S system statistics. (The stats for ships and parts are listed in
- K Appendix III.)
- I
- D SYSTEM
-
- R Labels the six primary systems of the selected ship.
- O
- W At the bottom of this display is a diagram of the selected ship, displaying
- its physical form and identifying its class (Transport, Scout, Destroyer,
- S Cruiser, Heavy Cruiser or Dreadnought).
- K
- I DAMG CONT (D)
- D
- Brings up the DAMAGE CONTROL panel for your flagship (and only your
- R flagship). This lists the operational capacity of each system and allows
- O you to distribute percentages of your total repair capacity to each
- W system, allowing you to prioritize your repair efforts.
-
- S As with SHIP STAT mode, the operational percentage and part number for each
- K system is displayed.
- I
- D Under REPAIR CREW DISTRIBUTION are a series of six "thermometer" type
- scales, each of which can potentially be set from 000% (extreme right) to
- R 100% (extreme left). However, the only way to set any given meter to 100%
- O is to set all others to 000%, this is because the sum total of the values
- W of all six meters cannot exceed 100%. For example, if all six systems are
- set at 016%, there will be 4% left over (AVAILABLE), because 16% x 6 = 96%
- S and 100% - 96% = 4%.
- K
- I The AVAILABLE readout displays the total percentage of damage control
- D personnel currently unassigned. If this value read 000% you'll have to
- lower one or more of the meters before you can add any personnel to a given
- R system.
- O
- W The default settings for this mode are for each system of your ship to have
- 16% of the repair crews assigned to them, with 4% left available.
- S
- K Operation of this panel is simple. Mouse users need only to "drag" the
- I arrowheads under each scale to set their values. Keyboard users use the +
- D and - buttons/keys to move the arrowhead of the currently selected system
- left and right. The currently selected system is indicated by ifs label, a
- R selection button, being highlighted. To change if, press the number (1 to
- O 6) of the system you wish to adjust the percentage of.
- W
- Finally, at the bottom of the screen is an extremely large action button,
- S the DISTRESS SIGNAL (F10). This is a switch type action button which, when
- K activated, sends out a message requesting immediate assistance from other
- I ships in your fleet. This is to be used only in the most dire of
- D circumstances, or when you need help and your communications system is so
- severely damaged that you can't send orders.
- R
- O FW CAPTAIN (C)
- W
- This gives you the docket for each Captain, allowing you to read his/her
- S docket and see what he/she looks like.
- K
- I When you enter this mode, the ship Captain of the ship I.D. currently
- D highlighted on FLEET STAT, or the ship currently displayed in SHIP STAT, is
- the default Captain to be displayed. The + and - buttons above the image of
- R the Captain can be used to cycle to different Captains.
- O
- W NOTE: Whichever Captain is currently displayed when you switch
- to another mode is the one whose ship will be selected when
- S you next go to FLEET STAT or SHIP STAT mode.
- K
- I The docket is displayed immediately to the right of the Captain's picture.
- D The message "-END OF FILE-" appears at the bottom of the docket. If you
- cannot see this message, then there is more of the docket to read. Use the
- R PageUp and PageDown buttons to move through various "pages" of the docket.
- O
- W ENEMY (E)
-
- S This provides you with the docket for the forces opposing you in the
- K current mission, allowing you to read the docket on them and see an example
- I of what they look like.
- D
- The docket is displayed to the right of the enemies' picture. The message
- R -END OF FILE-" appears at the bottom of the docket. If you cannot see this
- O message, then there is more of the docket to read. Use the PageUp and
- W PageDown buttons to move through various "pages" of the docket.
-
- S BRIEFING (B)
- K
- I This simply displays the mission briefing, which summarizes your mission
- D objectives and often provides useful strategic and tactical information.
-
- R OBJECTIVES (O)
- O
- W Lists objectives which must be satisfied to successfully complete the
- mission. Those preceded by a checkmark have been met.
- S
- K At the top of the panel is a MISSION TIME display which shows the ELAPSED
- I mission time and the REMAINING time you have in which to meet all of the
- D mission objectives. All objectives must be met before the remaining time
- elapses else the mission will fail.
- R
- O NOTE: If you are in a mission without a time limit, the readout
- W following REMAINING will read "NO LIMIT".
-
- S Refer to Objectives in Part III of this manual for a complete description
- K of each mission objective.
- I
- D NOTE: In some cases you may see what appear to be two mutually
- exclusive and conflicting orders in the same list of
- R objectives. For example, you might be instructed to capture
- O a particular enemy ship and neutralize 100% of the enemy
- W fleet. How can you do both? Well, "neutralizing" a ship can
- be accomplished by capturing it. In such a case, you should
- S interpret the orders as saying "capture this particular vessel
- K and eliminate all others as you see fit."
- I
- D EVALUATE (V)
-
- R Produces a computer evaluation of your mission performance thus far. It
- O includes the following statistics:
- W
- - If your ship successfully completed the mission objectives
- S - Total elapsed mission time
- K - Number of FW ships which survived the operation
- I - Number of FW ships destroyed during the mission
- D - Number of surviving FW ships damaged at the mission end
- - Number of FW ships that surrendered
- R - Number of Enemy ships destroyed
- O - Number of Enemy ships captured
- W - Number of Enemy ships operational at the mission end
- - Number of Enemy outposts captured by FWSF marines
- S - Percentages of FW personnel surviving, killed and injured
- K during the mission
- I - Performance index/mission score
- D
- When a mission ends, successfully completed or not, a final mission
- R evaluation is displayed.
- O
- W
-
- S PART VI: TACTICS
- K
- I Knowing how to control your ship's systems is one thing, but understanding
- D how to use those systems in tactical situations is something completely
- different. This section discusses various tactics and how they can be used
- R in a mission.
- O
- W MANEUVERS
-
- S Maneuvering your flagship is relatively easy, since all computations are
- K performed by the on-board computers. Maneuvering controls are located on
- I the NAVIGATION (301) and TACTICAL (303) panels. The operation of these
- D controls is described in "Part V: The Main Panels".
-
- R NOTE: The on-board computer is limited in its ability to alter
- O your ship's heading and velocity dependent on the type of
- W (and damage level) of your drive system. There will be
- situations where a target has a more powerful drive system,
- S effectively preventing you from being able to position your
- K ship where you want.
- I
- D The following is a description of each maneuver and' its tactical and
- strategic value.
- R
- O INTERCEPT (Panel 301, Button INTRCPT)
- W
- This maneuver will set the ship's autopilot to intercept an object or
- S waypoint. The autopilot will adjust course and velocity so that the ship's
- K velocity will be 0 upon interception. This is useful for approaching
- I stationary targets such as planets and outposts. When targeting moving
- D objects (such as enemy ships), the object will usually appear to move away
- upon being intercepted. This is due to the fact that your ship will be
- R stopped upon intercept while the target object is still moving.
- O
- W CHASE (Panel 301, Button CHASE)
-
- S This maneuver is similar to intercept, but will approach the target object
- K and hold at a range of 500,000 kilometers. If the target is moving, the
- I autopilot will attempt to hold this distance directly behind the object.
- D This, in effect, is chasing the object. This is useful for following an
- enemy ship just at the edge of weapons range.
- R
- O SHADOW (Panel 303, Button SHADO)
- W
- This maneuver is similar to chase, but allows you to select the distance
- S and bearing you want to be from the target. Using the angle and range
- K attitude controls on the TACTICAL panel (303), you can adjust these
- I parameters. For instance, if you want to position off the starboard
- D (right) side of the target, set the angle to 90. To position directly in
- front of the target, set the angle to 0.
- R
- O POSITION (Panel 303, Button POSIT)
- W
- The position maneuver is identical to shadow with the exception of how the
- S angle setting is interpreted. Assuming that the angle is set to 180, shadow
- K would try and keep your ship directly behind the target. Position would,
- I however, try and keep your ship to the "south" of the target, regardless of
- D the target's heading. Refer to the adjacent figure for an example of
- shadowing and positioning.
- R
- O ESCAPE (Panel 303, Button ESCAP)
- W
- The escape maneuver is used to put some distance between your flagship and
- S the current target. Escape will attempt to move your ship to, and maintain,
- K a safe distance (900,000 kilometers) from the target. The computer will
- I adjust your beading so that, at the beginning of the maneuver, you are
- D travelling in the opposite direction as the target. This will make the
- escape as quick as possible. Remember that the ability to escape depends
- R on your ship's drive being more powerful than that of the target.
- O
- W HALT (Panel 303, Button HALT)
-
- S Halt, the simplest maneuver, will simply stop your ship dead in space. It
- K automatically switches manual helm control on.
- I
- D EVADE (Panel 303, Button EVADE)
-
- R This maneuver will cause your ship to zig-zag at maximum acceleration in
- O order to evade incoming EBW and missile fire. The usefulness of this
- W maneuver depends on the strength of your drive system. A weak or damaged
- drive will not he able to out-maneuver the incoming fire.
- S
- K DOCK (Panel 303, Button DOCK)
- I
- D The dock button will appear when you have selected an FW outpost, neutral
- outpost, or enemy outpost that has been captured. You must be within 1,000
- R kilometers of the target. Docking with an outpost will allow you to repair
- O and resupply your ship.
- W
- BOARD (Panel 303, Button BOARD)
- S
- K The board button will appear when you have selected an enemy outpost or
- I enemy ship. You must be within 5,000 kilometers in order to board the
- D target. You will need to board ships and outposts in order to capture them.
-
- R Fire Control Techniques
- O
- W Key to the successful completion of most missions is your ability to combat
- enemy ships and Outposts. The following are hints and suggestions you can
- S use when engaging the enemy.
- K
- I 1) Try to knock out critical enemy systems first. The drives and
- D weapons system should be the primary targets. Knocking these out
- first will make the destruction of the other systems easier. Use the
- R appropriate missiles in addition to pinpoint EBW fire to target these
- O systems.
- W
- 2) To make missile hits more damaging, lower your EBW power to
- S around 50% so that you can fire rapidly. Pinpoint the shields and hit
- K repeatedly. This will have the effect of weakening the shields,
- I making them less resistant to missile attacks.
- D
- 3) Pinpoint fire works well only with ships that cannot outmaneuver
- R you. If you find maintaining a target lock is difficult, use the
- O normal beam width. If you still don't get enough hits, switch to wide
- W beam.
-
- S 4) Choose your maneuvers based on the strength of your drive system
- K relative to that of the enemy. Some maneuvers, such as escape,
- I work only when you have the superior drive capability. To determine
- D the strength of the enemy drive, use your probe (from panel 301) to
- determine the class of ship you are fighting. Then refer to Appendix
- R III and look up the maximum velocity and acceleration for the drive
- O system that is used on that class of enemy ship. Compare these
- W values to the values for the drive on your ship (values for the parts
- can also be found in Appendix III). If you do not know which drive
- S system you have on board your ship, you can look up the part number
- K by using SHIP STAT on the Data Retrieval (304) Panel.
- I
- D 5) Make frequent use of the facing control. Try to keep orienting the
- strongest shield towards the enemy. Remember, though, that the
- R autopilot may not always be able to orient that shield to your
- O liking. Maneuvering the ship requires that the ship rotate in
- W various directions. The autopilot will, however, do its best. When in
- the Halt maneuver, the ship will not be under power so the autopilot
- S will always be able to orient the selected shield.
- K
- I 6) When the enemy has the superior drive capability, you may be better
- D off to select the Halt maneuver. Otherwise, your ship may simply
- spin around trying to keep up with the enemy ship. This may prevent
- R you from being able to achieve a target acquisition to fire your
- O weapons.
- W
- Tactical Use of Asteroid Fields
- S
- K Asteroid fields can be both a hindrance and a help. When a ship is within
- I one, it risks being partially sensor-blinded by the numerous rocky objects
- D surrounding it, which generate confusing "echoes" and distort hyperscanner
- field readings. The denser the asteroid field, the less sensor visibility
- R a ship within it is likely to have. Because of this, it's not a good idea
- O to chase an enemy ship into a dense asteroid field, as it could evade you
- W while in the field, or even emerge in clear space before you do, and have
- the advantage of being able to see - and target - you before you can see
- S it.
- K
- I On the other hand, there are several ways in which you can use asteroid
- D fields to, your advantage.
-
- R 1) Lure an enemy ship into approaching you by passing through an
- O asteroid field. If you see an enemy ship approaching you, and you are
- W near an asteroid field, set a course (using the manual helm control)
- that will allow you to "skim" the outside of the field on the side
- S opposite of the approaching enemy. Once the field is full between you
- K and the enemy, move towards the field until you are almost at its edge,
- I and then halt. If the enemy makes a beeline for you, he will pass right
- D through the asteroids and, if the field is sufficiently dense, will be
- unable to get a fix on you until he clears the field. Meanwhile, since
- R you're not in the midst of the rubble, you'll be able to see him
- O approaching and fire EBWs several times long before he can see you.
- W Your EBWs have a maximum "hit" range of 3 million kilometers, and,
- while in normal combat firing at targets over 550,000 kilometers away
- S is wasteful, in this circumstance it's worth trying. since the enemy
- K will probably be flying straight through the field, you have a greater
- I chance of getting a hit at extreme range.
- D
- 2) Lead a pursuing enemy through a dense asteroid field. As with the
- R previous technique, if your drive is powerful enough, you'll clear the
- O other side of the field before your opponent does, and you can halt
- W your ship and nail the enemy a few times before he emerges and can lock
- onto you.
- S
- K To do this, go to Panel 301 and set the autopilot intercept the
- I desired asteroid field. Your ship will make directly for the center.
- D Once you are on course and at full speed, use the GET (G) function (see
- 301 Navigation in Part V) to copy the current course and velocity into
- R the manual controls. Your ship will now fly into the asteroid field,
- O through its heart, and out the other side. Once you emerge on the far
- W side, you may, if the enemy has followed, be able to get a few shots in
- on him before he can lock onto you.
- S
- K 3) Hide and seek. Large, dense asteroid fields are good places to "hide"
- I if you're in desperate need of a breather. If the center of the field
- D is so far "in" that an enemy's sensors cannot detect you from outside
- the field, you can sit tight and lick your wounds, somewhat safer than
- R normal from enemy attack. To do this, locate a very large, dense field
- O and intercept it. Your ship will stop at its center.
- W
- To check an asteroid field's density, probe it from the NAVIGATION panel
- S (301). The higher the density, the more sensor problems it will cause.
- K
- I Doubling Back Through an Asteroid Field
- D
- Another trick you can pull with a ship pursuing you through an asteroid
- R field is to wait until you think the enemy is in the field with you and
- O then suddenly change course. If the field is dense enough, the enemy
- W ships(s) might miss your course change and lose track of you. Turning at a
- 90 degree angle to your current heading is one course change you might try.
- S
- K Damage Control and Outpost Repair/Resupply
- I
- D Your ship's crew includes repair personnel capable of repairing any of the
- six systems on your ship. The crew cannot, however, repair a system that
- R has been completely destroyed. A system is considered completely destroyed
- O once its damage status reaches zero. At this point, the only place to
- W repair the destroyed part is at an outpost.
-
- S You distribute your repair crew to the six systems using the damage control
- K panel (304). A specific percentage of the crew is allocated to each system
- I using the slider controls. You may change the distribution at any time. You
- D should distribute a higher percentage to the systems you deem most
- critical. Repair crews assigned to undamaged systems will sit idle until
- R the part needs repair. Each part on your ship has a sophistication level.
- O The higher this number, the more sophisticated the part. Sophistication
- W levels for your parts can be found in Appendix III. Your crew can repair a
- part of any level of sophistication, however the lower level parts will be
- S repaired much more quickly than higher level ones. In addition, the more
- K damage a part sustains, the longer it will take to repair.
- I
- D Outposts can repair your parts even more quickly, but they are limited by
- their sophistication level, in which parts they can work with. By using a
- R probe on the outpost, you can ascertain its repair level. This level is the
- O maximum sophistication part that they can repair. Outposts can also repair
- W destroyed parts. Outposts are also your only source for resupply of
- missiles. Missiles, like system parts, have sophistication levels. Each
- S outpost has a supply sophistication level. This level means the outpost
- K has missiles up to, but not beyond, that sophistication. The sophistication
- I level of each missile type is listed in Appendix IV.
- D
- After docking with an outpost, a resupply procedure will automatically be
- R initiated. The outpost will reload your ship with its maximum compliment of
- O Missile up to the supply sophistication. Resupply of missiles takes 5
- W minutes for free-floating, and 15 minutes for planetary based outposts.
- Resupply at the planetary based outposts take longer since it is necessary
- S for them to launch a supply shuttle into orbit that will rendezvous with
- K your ship.
- I
- D Tactical Use of Self-Destruction
-
- R Your flagship is armed with a detonation system that will destroy the ship
- O on your command. This is useful should you encounter a no-win situation.
- W Detonating your ship will initiate a blast that will instantly destroy any
- ships within 4 million kilometers range, and those between 4 and 100
- S million kilometers risk damage ranging from minor to critical.
- K
- I Although your Fleet Commander character will be killed, you may be able to
- D complete the mission by using this tactic. For instance, if the only
- remaining victory condition is to destroy an enemy ship with which you are
- R engaged in battle, the resulting explosion may destroy him for you.
- O
- W Keep in mind that you can also order your other ships to self-destruct.
- Self-destruction is, however, the ultimate sacrifice a ship captain can
- S make, so play close attention to whom you are making this request. Check
- K the docket available on 304) of the Captain first to see if he/she is
- I likely to obey this order.
- D
- CAUTION! Make certain that vital mission objectives are not within
- R dangerous proximity of a ship about to self-destruct. For instance, if you
- O intend to blow your own ship to atoms, try to get some distance between
- W your ship and those you want spared. Likewise, you can order ships that are
- near a ship you wish to destruct to go somewhere "safe".
- S
- K Surrender Tactics
- I
- D Both enemy ships and Federated World ships may surrender to the opposing
- forces. Using the communications system, you can order any or all of your
- R ships to surrender. You can also send a message to any enemy ship,
- O surrendering your own flagship. Once the flagship has surrendered, the
- W mission is lost. A surrender will in many cases be your only alternative to
- self-destruction or destruction at the hands of the enemy.
- S
- K The enemy may or may not accept your surrender. That depends a large part
- I on whom you are fighting. In addition, the enemy will be more susceptible
- D to your ~surrendering if a large percentage of your feet has already
- surrendered. The enemy dossier may contain information you can use to
- R determine how likely it is they will accept your surrender.
- O
- W The enemy may also surrender to you or one of your fleet ships. You can
- also send messages to enemy ships requesting their surrender. Again, the
- S personality of the enemy plays a large part in their likelihood of
- K surrendering to you.
- I
- D Forming Battle Groups
-
- R In many missions you will have several objectives to meet. In some cases
- O you may be required to tend to all of them quickly, and will find that
- W there isn't time to lead your forces in all required actions. Naturally,
- you can order various ships to take care of certain tasks, but in
- S situations where two or more ships may be required to meet a particular
- K objective, it is sometimes best to form a Battle Group.
- I
- D A Battle Group is a grouping of ships, the Captain of one of which you have
- assigned to act as the Group Leader. The Group Leader then has authority to
- R give orders to other ships in the Group and instruct them in what to do.
- O This is particularly handy in situations where there will be a significant
- W communications delay between your flagship and other ships in your fleet.
-
- S The best choice for a Group Leader is a ship whose Captain is loyal,
- K experienced, stable and ingenious (amongst other things). The reasons?
- I First, disloyal Captains are more likely to surrender to hostile forces,
- D Secondly, some Captains do not take orders well from captains with less
- experience than they themselves have, so the more experienced the Captain
- R you selected as Group Leader is, the less likely he is to have problems
- O with "renegade" or disobedient Captains under his command. Third, a stable,
- W non-temperamental Captain is less likely to take rash action that could
- risk lives unnecessarily. In light of this, choosing Captains to act as
- S Group Leaders is not a decision to take lightly, and choosing which ships
- K to assign under that Group Leader is important as well, so read their
- I dockets carefully (panel 304).
- D
- NOTE: The right Captains may not have the right ships for the job.
- R You also have to take into account the relative strengths of
- O the vessels commanded by those Captains you wish to assign to
- W Battle Groups.
-
- S To form a Battle Group, go to COMMUNICATIONS (302) and send the order
- K "FORM BATTLE GROUP" to the ship you have selected as a Group Leader (you
- I cannot send it to ALL ships). If ACKNOWLEDGE is on, the Captain of that
- D ship will acknowledge the order when (and if) he/she forms the group. If
- not, the next time the ship sends you a status report (send the order
- R "REPORT STATUS" or activate the ALL SHIPS REP STAT TO button), its group
- O status will be reported. The Group Leader must notify you that it has
- W formed a group in one of these fashions before you can assign other ships
- to join that group.
- S
- K NOTE: A ship selected as a Group Leader will, on some readouts, have
- I its normal Ship I.D. replaced by a Group I.D. Thus, if you
- D assigned ship F07 to form the first Battle Group, its I.D.
- would be changed to G01.
- R
- O Once the Group Leader has acknowledged the Group formation (you will
- W receive the message "FORMING BATTLE GROUP Gn" (where n is the Group number;
- 00-99). You can then send the order "JOIN BATTLE GROUP" to the ships you
- S wish (if you send the order to ALL ships, all ships but your own and the
- K selected Group Leader will join the Group). Ships obeying the order will,
- I if the ACKNOWLEDGE flag is on (see 302 Communications in Part V), respond
- D "JOINING WITH GROUP G n".
-
- R Deploying Battle Groups
- O
- W Once a Battle Group has been formed, all you need to do to deploy it is to
- send an order to the Group Leader. If you order the Group Leader to destroy
- S a particular enemy vessel, the entire Group will follow the order (as
- K always, this depends on the Captain leading the Group and those under
- I his/her command).
- D
- It is important to issue orders only to the Group Leader, because sending a
- R specific order to a ship or ships within a Group will cause them to
- O automatically disband from the Group ("REPORT STATUS" is the only order
- W that you can send to a Battle Group "follower" that will not cause that
- ship to disband).
- S
- K As you issue orders to the Group Leader, the ships led by it will, if
- I ACKNOWLEDGE was on when you sent the last order to the Group Leader,
- D "GROUPED WITH G n" to let you know they are following the actions of the
- Leader.
- R
- O Disbanding Battle Groups
- W
- When you wish to break up a particular Battle Group, send the order
- S "DISBAND FROM BATTLE GROUP" to the Group Leader.
- K
- I To have individual ships leave a Battle Group without disbanding the entire
- D Group, send the "DISBAND..." order to the specific ships you want to break
- free from the group, or send those ships specific orders to do other things
- R (such as MANEUVER AT WILL", "DESTROY ENEMY SHIP", etc.).
- O
- W You can break up all existing Battle Groups by issuing the "DISBAND..."
- order to ALL ships. This order will affect all Groups, but will not affect
- S ships ordered to form with your flagship (see following section).
- K
- I Forming with the Flagship
- D
- In addition to ordering a Captain to form a Battle Group and instructing
- R ships to join that Group, you can order the ships under your command to
- O form the equivalent of a Battle Group with your own ship acting as the
- W Group Leader. Send the order "FORM WITH Flagship" to those ships you want
- to lead. If the Captains of those ships obey the order (as always, whether
- S they do or not depends on their personalities), their ships will follow
- K yours and do what you do. If you set a specific course, they will follow
- I it.
- D
- NOTE: This order does not form an "official" Battle Group, and your
- R flagship will not be assigned a G (Group) designator on the
- O map displays.
- W
- The "FORM WITH FLAGSHIP" order is really just an instruction for ships to
- S follow you. If you attack an enemy ship while other ships are grouped with
- K you, the Captains of those ships may not join the attack until you issue an
- I attack order.
- D
- Hints On Keeping Your Battle Group Together
- R
- O When a Battle Group is formed, the ships in it follow the lead of the Group
- W Leader. The danger in such formations is that not all ships have the same
- maximum velocity. It is possible for the ship leading the Group to
- S outdistance one or more of the Group members when moving towards a target.
- K This is potentially dangerous, because it can lead to your forces being
- I widely scattered, resulting in some ships of the Group encountering the
- D enemy prior to others. If you intend to work from a strength-in-numbers
- posture, you do not want to spread your Battle Group out. The problem here
- R is that the autopilot modes, such as chase and intercept (panel 301), set
- O your ship on a full-power course for the selected target. Velocity in such
- W modes is controlled by the ship's computer. Ideally, you want to set course
- for the target and then maintain a velocity which will allow even the
- S slowest ships in your Battle Group to keep pace.
- K
- I This need can be met through use of the manual helm control on the NAVIGA-
- D TION (301) panel. Using the autopilot controls, you would set out to chase
- or intercept a given target. Once the desired heading has been set,
- R activate the GET (G) button on the HELM subpanel, which switches to manual
- O control while maintaining the heading and velocity set by the autopilot
- W mode. After GET has copied these values into the manual helm control, you
- can make appropriate adjustments to your velocity to ensure that all of the
- S ships formed with you can keep up. In this way you don't end up scattering
- K your forces.
- I
- D The drawback to this approach is that it doesn't work well on nearby
- fast-moving or distant moving targets, since, in manual mode, your ship
- R does not automatically correct course to compensate for moving targets. To
- O solve this logistical problem you will either need to manually adjust your
- W heading, or switch back to an autopilot mode for a moment and then use GET
- again to pick up the new heading. In either case, you will want to do this
- S periodically in order to avoid wasting a great deal of time.
- K
- I Disbanding a Flagship Formation
- D
- As with any other Battle Group, ships that are formed with your flagship
- R can be disbanded from your "group" by issuing other orders to those ships.
- O Sending the order "DISBAND FROM BATTLE GROUP" to ships formed with your
- W flagship is equivalent to a "MANEUVER AT WILL" order.
-
- S Capturing Outposts
- K
- I In some missions you my be required to capture one or more enemy outposts.
- D Even if you are not compelled to take over such outposts, in some
- circumstances you may find it to your advantage to seize strategically
- R placed enemy or neutral outposts. Enemy ships cannot get resupplied or
- O repaired at outposts controlled by your forces, so it makes strategic sense
- W to capture outposts your enemies could seek assistance from. Naturally, the
- enemy won't just sit still for this. They may very well try to capture such
- S outposts themselves, or even go after established FW outposts to try to cut
- K off your supply and repair lifeline. If you have two or more outposts as
- I potential "capture" targets, the one you pick to go after first should be
- D determined by balancing which is of greatest value to the enemy
- (sophistication) against their positions relative to enemy ships.
- R
- O HINT: If you have to choose between two nearby and similarly sophisticated
- W outposts, one free-floating and the other planet-locked, capture the
- free-floating one first. It takes longer for ships to resupply at
- S planet-locked outposts, so enemy ships who attempt to resupply their
- K missiles while you're occupied won't get the jump on your forces as
- I quickly.
- D
- Capturing an outpost is accomplished from the TACTICAL panel (304). You
- R must knock out the outpost's shields and then board it. If the boarding
- O action is successful, the outpost is yours. Following a successful outpost
- W capture, your marines will repair the outpost's shields to hold off enemy
- ships. Likewise, if you abandon a capture attempt, the outpost personnel
- S will themselves repair their shield systems.
- K
- I Dealing With Non-Objective Enemy Ships
- D
- In some missions your orders may require you to capture or destroy specific
- R enemy ships, etc.,that leave other enemy ships essentially "non-objective"
- O items. In such circumstances, destroying such ships is a complete waste of
- W time. Your only concern with such ships is the threat they pose to your
- ships and outposts. Therefore, the best way to eliminate such threats, if
- S you get the chance, is to disable them. For example, if confronted by a
- K non-objective ship that threatens your forces, concentrate your attack on
- I knocking out the ship's drive system. If you completely destroy the ship's
- D drive, it will be forever unable to maneuver and effectively "neutralized".
- You can therefore leave it for later.
- R
- O Crippling Enemy Ships
- W
- In some cases, you may need to deal with some pressing problem (like
- S assisting a ship or outpost in danger) while in the act of fighting an
- K objective enemy vessel (one you must capture or destroy). In such cases a
- I useful tactic is to attempt to cripple the ship in question in such a way
- D that it is temporarily rendered "lame". For example, if you severely
- damage the target's drive, chances are you might be able to go and take
- R care of other business and return to finish the target before it can repair
- O the damage or reach an outpost. Likewise, a ship threatening an outpost
- W could be dealt with by damaging its weapons system. If it can't fire, it
- can't penetrate the outpost's defenses, and thus, the outpost is spared...
- S for the time being. Also, if your attention is required elsewhere, you
- K could cripple the current target, then order another ship to "finish" it
- I while you go off about more urgent business.
- D
- Keeping an Enemy from Calling for Help
- R
- O If you are in a system with at least one hot star (such as a class F, A, or
- W B) and can ambush an enemy ship nearby such a star, the interference
- generated by the star will keep him (and, alas, you) from being able to
- S call for help from his fellows. To determine the type of a system's
- K star(s), probe it from the NAVIGATION panel (301). A small temperature
- I scale appears alongside the star graphic, and the taller this scale is, the
- D hotter the star. The hotter the star, the more communications interference
- it will cause. Also, the closer a ship is to star, the greater the
- R interference, so catching an enemy nearby a cooler star may have the same
- O effect as being farther from a hotter star.
- W
-
- S STANDARD TEMPERATURE RANGES FOR EACH STAR CLASS
- K
- I Type Color Temperature (celsius)
- D
- B White/bluish 25,0000 C
- R A White 11 ,0000 C
- O F Yellowish 75000 C
- W G Yellow 53000 C to 58000 C
- K Orange 40000 C to 49000 C
- S M Red 30000 C to 34000 C
- K
- I
- D
- PART VII: THE BUILDER
- R
- O Overview
- W
- This section explains each and every panel in the builder sections of the
- S game. Each panel's purpose and functioning is detailed. Screen buttons are
- K listed in uppercase bold text, with the key equivalent listed, in
- I parenthesis, immediately following the button text, as in: "...use BUTTON
- D (B) to...
-
- R Please note that many options will bring up alert messages, such as "are
- O you sure you want to delete...", and the usurper boxes bearing these
- W messages are not always noted in the text because, as a rule, what to do
- when one appears is fairly self-evident.
- S
- K Each panel is listed by number and name. Operation of the controls on these
- I panels are as described in Part IV, unless otherwise noted.
- D
- Operational Overview
- R
- O There are five builder panels. The first four are used to create individual
- W elements that can be used in many missions. The fifth builder panel is
- where elements created with the other four are assembled to create
- S missions. To wit: you create FW Captains, then your create ships for the
- K Captains, next you create an opponent/enemy, and then you create a solar
- I system in which they will clash. Finally, you assemble all the parts, set
- D objectives, and you have a mission. Access to each of the builder panels
- is via the 101 GAME/MISSION panel (see Part V of this manual for details).
- R
- O The Upper Bar
- W
- Each of the 5 builder panels all share a common bar at the top of the
- S screen. In addition to the current builder panel number and label, this bar
- K always contains the following controls:
- I
- D ADD (Fa)
-
- R Activating this button will cause the current item being edited (be it a
- O ship Captain, solar system, mission, etc.) to be saved as a new item.
- W For instance, you would activate this button prior to using SAVE (below)
- if you have edited an existing item and want to save the changes (but
- S retain the original).
- K
- I SAVE (Fa)
- D
- This button will save the current item and exit the panel, returning you
- R to the main panel (101).
- O
- W CANCEL (Fa)
-
- S This button will cancel any changes you have made and exit the panel
- K without saving, returning you to the main panel (101).
- I
- D NEW (Fa)
-
- R This button will cause the settings of the selected builder panel to be
- O reset to their default "create" settings. This allows-you to create a
- W new item and begin editing it without having to exit to 101 and use the
- create function for that panel.
- S
- K Since the item currently in the builder panel will be cleared when NEW is
- I used, you will be allowed to first save any unsaved changes to the current
- D item.
-
- R 202 CAPTAINS
- O
- W This section of the builder allows you to create, edit, and delete
- Federated Worlds ship Captains. This panel operates in two modes, one
- S allowing you to edit the personality traits, the other allowing you to
- K edit the dossier. Initially, this panel will be in the "traits" mode.
- I
- D Just below the upper bar is a bar containing a text field for the Captain's
- name, a button for editing the name, and controls for switching between
- R traits and dossier mode. These controls are as follows:
- O
- W NAME (N)
-
- S This is a toggle action button. When activated, a text editing frame and
- K cursor appears, allowing you to enter/edit the Captain's name. (See Part IV
- I for details on working with text editing fields.)
- D
- DOSSIER (D) and TRAITS (T)
- R
- O Only one of these two buttons can be active at one time. In dossier mode,
- W the lower portion of the screen is occupied by the Captain's dossier
- editor. In traits mode (the default), the lower portion of the screen is
- S filled with the Captain's personality traits editor. Switching modes has no
- K effect on anything entered or edited in either mode, so you can feel free
- I to go back and forth between them without fear of losing your work.
- D
- TRAITS MODE
- R
- O When the TRAITS button is highlighted, the lower portion of the screen is
- W occupied by the PERSONALITY TRAITS editor. This consists of ten
- thermometer type scales, each used to set a particular trait (see Part IV
- S for details on the operation of thermometer scales).
- K
- I Each trait can range from 00 to 99, and the current setting is always
- D displayed in the related value readouts to the left of the scales. To
- adjust a trait, simply move the arrowhead pointer below the selected
- R scale. Moving the arrowhead to the right increases the value; moving it to
- O the left decreases the value. The value changes while the arrowhead.
- W
- Keyboard users will note that the same buttons (- and +) are used for all
- S ten scales, and might be confused as to how you pick which trait you wish
- K to edit. The label for each trait is a selection button. The scale next to
- I the currently highlighted label is the one the - and + buttons will affect.
- D To change traits, simply press the indicated key to highlight the trait
- that you wish to edit. Mouse users will note that each time they click/drag
- R an arrowhead, that arrowhead lights up, and the highlighted label changes
- O to reflect the current trait being edited.
- W
- It is the combination of the values of each of these traits which determine
- S the personality of a Captain. The ten traits are as follows and affect the
- K indicated aspects of the Captain:
- I
- D AGGRESSIVENESS (A)
-
- R The higher this factor, the less likely the Captain will accept a surrender
- O or negotiation. A high factor also means the Captain may seek to destroy
- W the enemy more that the mission objective require.
-
- S BRAVERY (B)
- K
- I The higher this factor, the more likely it is the Captain will engage in
- D risky situations.
-
- R DIPLOMACY (P)
- O
- W The higher the factor, the better the Captain is at negotiating with
- neutral outposts for repair and resupply.
- S
- K EXPERIENCE (E)
- I
- D The higher this factor, the more experience the Captain has had in combat.
- More experience means the Captain is better at whatever tactics are known
- R by him/her. Tactics known are determined by ingenuity.
- O
- W HUMILITY (H)
-
- S The higher this factor, the better able the Captain is at taking orders
- K from lesser experienced Captains.
- I
- D INGENUITY (I)
-
- R The higher this factor, the more sophisticated battle tactics the Captain
- O knows.
- W
- LEADERSHIP (L)
- S
- K The higher the factor, the better the Captain is at controlling his group.
- I
- D LOYALTY (Y)
-
- R Low loyalty means the Captain is liable to surrender easily. A low factor
- O will also mean that he is less likely to take risks to complete the
- W mission.
-
- S STAMINA (S)
- K
- I Low stamina means the Captain is likely to make errors during a prolonged
- D battle.
-
- R TEMPERAMENT (M)
- O
- W The lower the factor, the less stable the Captain. This would cause the
- Captain to make errors under pressure.
- S
- K
- I SELECTING AN APPEARANCE
- D
- To the left of the trait editing scales is an image of a "generic" Captain
- R which alters somewhat as you change certain traits. Directly above that is
- O a small set of controls labeled FACE, which consists of two action buttons
- W and a small display. These controls allow you to select a "look" for each
- Captain. There are 24 different faces available: 16 men and 8 women. Use
- S the RIGHT to go to the next face, and the LEFT to go back to the previous
- K one.
- I
- D Whichever face is shown in this display when you save the Captain
- determines the face and sex of that character during game play only. The
- R full-figure image of the captain on the screen will not change.
- O
- W
- DOSSIER MODE
- S
- K The text in the CAPTAIN'S DOSSIER is what will appear in a mission when a
- I player reads the docket for the Captain.
- D
- When the DOSSIER button is highlighted, the lower portion of the screen is
- R occupied by the CAPTAIN'S DOSSIER editor. This consists of nothing more
- O than an extremely large text field into which the text for the Captain's
- W dossier is entered/edited.
-
- S Since the dossier editors for the CAPTAINS and ENEMY RACES and the mission
- K briefing editor of the MISSION BUILDER (206) are all virtually identical,
- I documentation on the operation of the editor is covered at the end of this
- D part, under the heading Supplement: Dossier/Briefing Editors. Refer to that
- section for details on using the dossier editor.
- R
- O
- W WRITING A CAPTAIN'S DOSSIER
-
- S Admittedly, you can write just about anything you like, but, ideally, the
- K function of the dossier is to give the player a "personality sketch" of the
- I character, useful for determining that Captain's strengths, weaknesses, and
- D potential uses and dangers. Therefore, the best way to write a dossier is
- to, through the text, give some clues as to the Captain's personality
- R without spelling out each trait numerically (ie., - "his LOYALTY is low at
- O 34").
- W
- As an example, the following is the dossier for Captain Denial Mabuso
- S (included with the game), followed by her actual traits. Notice how the
- K text manages to give string hints as to what these traits are without
- I actually listing them off.
- D
- BORN: 2346 CE
- R SERIAL NUMBER: SF3641 - BR1 1697
- O
- W Captain Mabuso is the daughter of Renita Mabuso, Defense Minister of
- Imperial Beurn. As the child of a high-ranking government official, she is
- S well aware of the "pomp before progress" stance of the Mellus
- K Administration ruling Beurn. As a result, she has developed an intense
- I disdain for bureaucracy, and thus is something of a "maverick", rejecting
- D authority she considers incompetent.
-
- R This hotheaded, rebellious nature is tolerated primarily because Mabuso is
- O one of the most brilliant tacticians ever to serve the FW. She is the only
- W academy graduate to ace the "Leslie Maru" endurance test, and has been
- known to achieve minor miracles under the most extreme pressure.
- S
- K Now her actual stats/traits:
- I
- D AGGRESSIVENESS 64
- BRAVERY 70
- R DIPLOMACY 34
- O EXPERIENCE 52
- W HUMILITY 25
- INGENUITY 99
- S LEADERSHIP 44
- K LOYALTY 67
- I STAMINA 88
- D TEMPERAMENT 26
-
- R A few final notes on writing a dossier that is "correct" for the Omnitrend
- O "Universe". If you're creating your own worlds, the following is not so
- W important.
-
- S Our "convention" for Captains is to begin with the BORN: and SERIAL NUMBER:
- K fields on the first two lines, leave the next line blank, and then write
- I the rest of the dossier in paragraph form (see above example).
- D
- The BORN: value can be easily determined. The "war" that is declared in the
- R game's opening sequence begins/began in 2374 CE (Common Era). You can
- O assume your mission will take place sometime after that. Figure out your
- W Captain's age at the time war was declared, subtract it from 2374, and you
- have your BORN: date.
- S
- K FWAF serial numbers always begin with SF, and always contain letters and
- I numbers in the precise configurations as in this example serial number:
- D SF3641-BR1 1697. In other words, the 'SF', four digits, a hyphen, two
- letters, and a final six digits.
- R
- O
- W 203 SPACECRAFT DESIGN
-
- S This section of the builder allows you to create, edit, and delete
- K Federated Worlds and allied starships. Construction is simplicity itself:
- I you select the ship class, pick the parts, name the vessel, and save it.
- D Spacedocks should have it so easy!
-
- R
- O SHIP SELECTION
- W
- The upper third of the panel is occupied by the ship selector. At the
- S center is an image of a ship flanked by + and - buttons, which allow you to
- K cycle through the ship classes. There are six ships classes. From weakest
- I (militarily) to strongest, they are:
- D
- TRANSPORT
- R SCOUT
- O DESTROYER
- W CRUISER
- HEAVY CRUISER
- S DREADNOUGHT
- K
- I When you first enter the panel or use NEW (F4), the default ship type is a
- D SCOUT.
-
- R To the left of the ship display are MAX SYS SIZE and STAT readouts. Under
- O MAX SYS SIZE are labels for each of the ship's six primary systems, and the
- W number displayed in the value readout to the right of each label is the
- maximum "size" of each system the currently selected ship class can carry.
- S If any select part for a system has a size that is larger than the number
- K indicated, a TOO BIG warning will appear under STAT.
- I
- D NOTE: You will not be allowed to save the current ship if any
- TOO BIG warnings appear.
- R
- O If any TOO BIG warnings appear, you'll either have to change the ship class
- W to a larger ship to accommodate the systems you have specified, or select
- smaller parts for the indicated systems. If, after selecting parts that fit
- S the current ship class, you change the ship to a lower/smaller class, one
- K or more of the selected parts may not fit.
- I
- D
- SHIP NAME
- R
- O To the right is a field labeled SHIP NAME. It consists of a standard text
- W editing field and one button, NAME (N), which activates the text editing
- mode. See Part IV for details on the operation of text editing fields.
- S
- K You will not be able to save the current ship if no name has been entered
- I for it.
- D
-
- R PARTS SELECTORS
- O
- W The majority of the panel is dominated by the parts selectors, which allow
- you to equip each ship from an inventory of numerous part. To the left are
- S six parts selectors. Using the arrow buttons there you select the
- K combination of parts you want. To the bottom-right of the screen is a
- I CURRENT PART STAT DISPLAY, which displays the stats of the last part you
- D selected.
-
- R
- O THE SELECTORS
- W
- These are used to select which parts you wish to use for each of the ship's
- S six primary systems. Each part selector consists of a label (selection
- K button), and a part display, bracketed on either side by previous part and
- I next part action buttons (LEFT and RIGHT). To change a part, all you need
- D to do is use the arrow buttons to move forward or backward through the
- selections.
- R
- O Keyboard users will note that the same buttons are used for all six
- W selectors, and might be confused as to how you pick which system you wish
- to edit. The label for each system is a selection button. The scale next to
- S the currently highlighted label is the one the LEFT and RIGHT buttons will
- K affect. To switch parts to edit, simply press the indicated key to
- I highlight the part that you wish to edit. Mouse users will note that each
- D time they click one of the arrow buttons, the highlighted label changes to
- reflect the part being edited.
- R
- O The six system types and selectors are as follows:
- W
- COMMUNICATIONS (C) Picks the communications system you
- S want to equip your ship with. There are
- K 3 models to choose from.
- I
- D COMPUTER (M) Picks the computer system you want
- to equip your ship with. There are 4
- R models to choose from.
- O
- W DRIVE (D) Picks the drive system you want to
- equip your ship with. There are 5
- S models to choose from.
- K
- I LIFE SUPPORT (L) Picks the communications system you
- D want to equip your ship with. There are
- 3 models to choose from.
- R
- O
- W SHIELDS (S) Picks the defensive shield system you
- want to equip your ship with. There are
- S 5 models to choose from.
- K
- I WEAPONS (W) Picks the offensive weapons system
- D you want to equip your ship with. There
- are 5 models to choose from.
- R
- O
- W CURRENT PART STAT DISPLAY
-
- S This box is directly below the SHIP NAME box and right of the PARTS
- K SELECTORS, to which it is linked by a bracket featuring a moving tab which
- I links the STAT DISPLAY to whatever part has been selected last. Its job is
- D to provide you with the statistical information for the last selected part.
-
- R For example, when you first create a new ship (from 101), when you arrive
- O on 203 the highlighted system is communications, and the parts displayed
- W there is the first part in the list. The CURRENT PART STAT DISPLAY
- identifies it as a THUKE XX, which is capable of sustaining 4 points of
- S damage before it fails, has a sophistication level of 33, and a size of 2.
- K If you then advanced to the next part for the communications system the
- I stats would change to reflect it (a Giaperelli Marconi II). If you were to
- D switch to editing parts for another system, the stats for the current part
- listed under whatever system you moved to would appear in this box.
- R
- O In brief, the more sophisticated a part, the more effective it is, but the
- W harder it is to repair, and the less chance you'll have of finding an
- outpost than can repair or replace it. The larger the size of a part the
- S fewer ship classes it will fit into.
- K
- I At the top of the CURRENT PART STAT DISPLAY is the logo of the company that
- D manufactures the currently selected part. Below that is the company name,
- and below that is the part name. Finally, the bottom three lines list
- R damage points, sophistication and size of the part.
- O
- W NOTE: Technical details about all FW ship classes, parts, and
- enemy ship classes and parts are covered in Appendix III.
- S You can consult it to determine how various ship and part
- K combination stack up against those of opposing forces.
- I
- D
- SHIP BUILDING HINTS
- R
- O Although there are a limited number of possible combinations of ships and
- W parts, there are enough so that you can create a group of ships with widely
- varying capabilities.
- S
- K It's important to remember that the Heavy Cruiser class vessels can only be
- I commanded by Fleet Commanders with a rank of at least 1st Lieutenant, and
- D the Dreadnoughts by those with a rank of at least Commander. Thus, if
- you're making missions to be played by less "experienced" player
- R characters, you shouldn't make tons of top-end ships (although you can
- O always assign a Captain to command such ships in a mission).
- W
- When naming ships that operate within the established Omnitrend "universe",
- S always precede all Federated Worlds Armed Forces ship names with an FWS, as
- K in FWS YURY GAGARIN or FW STERESHKOVA. Privately or corporately owned
- I transports and scouts can also be added, and such ships should not have
- D an FWS prefix.
-
- R
- O SAVING SHIPS
- W
- When you save a ship it is added to the current ship list. If, when you
- S try to save a ship, any part is too big for the current ship class, and/or
- K the ship has no name, you will be warned and returned to the ship builder.
- I
- D If you create (having used CREATE from 101 or NEW from this panel) anew
- ship with a name identical to an existing one, the existing one is not
- R overwritten.
- O
- W
- 204 ENEMY RACES
- S
- K This section of the builder allows you to create, edit, and delete enemy
- I races. This panel operates in three modes, on allowing you to the
- D personality traits, a second allowing you to design the "look" of the
- creatures, and a third allowing you to edit the dossier. Initially, this
- R panel will be in the "traits" mode.
- O
- W The actual operation of this panel is identical to that for FW Captains
- with the exception of the addition of the PHYS FORM mode.
- S
- K Just below the upper bar is a bar containing a text field for the race's
- I name, a button for editing the name, and controls for switching between
- D traits and dossier mode. These controls are as follows:
-
- R NAME (N)
- O
- W This is a toggle action button. When activated, a text editing frame and
- cursor appears, allowing you to enter/edit the race's name. (See Part IV
- S for details on working with text editing fields.)
- K
- I PHYS FORM (Y), DOSSIER (D) and TRAITS (T)
- D
- Only one of these buttons can be active at one time. In phys form mode, the
- R lower portion of the screen is occupied by a "body construction" panel. In
- O dossier mode, the lower portion of the screen is occupied by the races's
- W dossier editor. In traits mode (the default), the lower portion of the
- screen is filled with the race's personality traits editor. Switching modes
- S has no effect on anything entered or edited in either mode, so you can feel
- K free to go back and forth between them without fear of losing your work.
- I
- D TRAITS MODE
-
- R The default mode. When the TRAITS button is highlighted, the lower portion
- O of the screen is occupied by the PERSONALITY TRAITS editor. This consists
- W of ten thermometer type scales, each used to set a particular trait (see
- Part IV for details on the operation of thermometer scales).
- S
- K Each trait can range from 00 to 99, and the current setting is always
- I displayed in the related value readouts to the left of the scales. To
- D adjust a trait, simply move the arrowhead pointer below the selected scale.
- Moving the arrowhead to the right increases the value; moving it to the
- R left decreases the value. The value changes while the arrowhead.
- O
- W Keyboard users will note that the same buttons (- and +) are used for all
- ten scales, and might be confused as to how you pick which trait you wish
- S to edit. The label for each trait is a selection button. The scale next to
- K the currently highlighted label is the one the - and + buttons will affect.
- I To change traits, simply press the desired key to highlight the trait that
- D you wish to edit.
-
- R Mouse users will note that each time they click/drag an arrowhead, that
- O arrowhead lights up, and the highlighted label changes to reflect the
- W current trait being edited.
-
- S It is the combination of the values of each of these traits which determine
- K the personality of a race. The ten traits are as follows and affect the
- I indicated aspects of the race:
- D
- AGGRESSIVENESS (A)
- R
- O The higher this factor, the less likely the race will accept a surrender. A
- W high factor also means that they will be more violent.
-
- S BRAVERY (B)
- K
- I The higher this factor, the more likely it is the race will engage in risky
- D situations.
-
- R DIPLOMACY (P)
- O
- W The higher the factor, the better the race is at negotiating with neutral
- outposts for repair and resupply.
- S
- K EXPERIENCE (E)
- I
- D The higher this factor, the more experience the race has in combat. More
- experience means the race is better at whatever tactics are known by them.
- R Tactics known are determined by ingenuity.
- O
- W HUMILITY (H)
-
- S The higher this factor, the better able the race is at taking orders from
- K those of lesser experience.
- I
- D INGENUITY (I)
-
- R The higher this factor, the more sophisticated battle tactics the race
- O knows.
- W
- LEADERSHIP (L)
- S
- K The higher the factor, the better the race is at controlling groups of
- I ships.
- D
- LOYALTY (Y)
- R
- O Low loyalty means the race is liable to surrender easily.
- W
- STAMINA (S)
- S
- K Low stamina means the race is likely to make errors during a prolonged
- I battle.
- D
- TEMPERAMENT (M)
- R
- O The lower the factor, the less stable the race. This would cause them to
- W make errors under pressure.
-
- S PHYS FORM MODE
- K
- I When the PHYS FORM (Y) button is highlighted, the lower portion of the
- D screen is occupied by a special "construction panel" which allows you to
- assemble physical forms for aliens out of a series of parts. To the right
- R are four parts selectors. Using the arrow buttons there you select the
- O combination of parts you want. To the bottom-left of the screen is a
- W pigment selector (disabled in CGA), with a bright border around the color
- you select. When you have picked the parts you like and the color you
- S want, using the ASSEMBLE (S) button puts together your choices and produces
- K a full alien.
- I
- D THE PARTS SELECTOR
-
- R This is used to select which parts you wish to use for the race. There are
- O four body part categories, and almost any combination of parts are possible
- W (there are a few restrictions). Each part selector consists of a label
- (selection button), and a part display, bracketed on either side by
- S previous part and next part action buttons ( LEFT and RIGHT). To change a
- K part, all you need to do is use the arrow buttons to move forward or
- I backward through the selections.
- D
- Keyboard users will note that the same buttons are used for all four
- R selectors, and might be confused as to how you pick which part you wish to
- O edit. The label for each body part is a selection button. The scale next to
- W the currently highlighted label is the one the LEFT and RIGHT buttons will
- affect. To switch parts to edit, simply press the indicated key to
- S highlight the part that you wish to edit. Mouse users will note that each
- K time they click one of the arrow buttons, the highlighted label changes to
- I reflect the part being edited.
- D
- The four part types and selectors are as follows:
- R
- O HEAD (H) Picks the type of head you want the race to have. There
- W are 41 different heads to choose from, or you can
- decide these aliens have no head at all. (The last head
- S looks like that of the creature on the Breach 2 box.)
- K
- I TORSO (O) Picks the type of main body you want the race to have.
- D There are 13 torsos to choose from. You cannot
- choose not to have a torso, as the race has to have at
- R least one part. Body number 11 is snakelike and used
- O to construct the Aliens seen in Breach 2; if you select
- W it, any arms you selected will not appear when the race
- is assembled because the body has no "shoulders" to
- S which to attach arms.
- K
- I LEGS (L) Picks the type of legs you want the race to have. There
- D are 13 sets of legs to choose from, or you can decide
- these aliens have no legs at all.
- R
- O Of the 11 set of legs (11 presses of the + or, 3 presses
- W of the from the "blank" or "no legs" option), only one leg
- is fully visible, and the other leg is only partly there.
- S These legs are used to construct the Aliens seen in Breach 2
- K and designed specifically to work with body 11 (see above).
- I If you select these legs, when you assemble the race, body
- D 11 will be used regardless of which body you selected, and,
- since body 11 does not permit arms, any arms you selected
- R will also not appear because body 11 has no "shoulders" to
- O which to attach them.
- W
- ARMS (A) Picks the type of arm you want the race to have. There are
- S 11 arm types to choose from, or you can decide that these
- K aliens have no upper limbs.
- I
- D THE PIGMENT SELECTOR
-
- R This occupies the lower-left corner of the PHYS FORM display. (It is
- O disabled in CGA). This portion of the panel simply consists of eight
- W selection buttons, although you wouldn't necessarily realize that's what
- they are by looking at them. Unlike regular selection buttons which are
- S blue (cyan in CGA), each of the eight selection buttons here are different
- K colors. The currently selected color is indicated by a white frame around
- I the button. When you select another color button (either by clicking on it
- D or pressing the number for a color), the white frame moves to it.
-
- R Whatever color you have selected when you use ASSEMBLE (S) is the "skin
- O pigment" you have chosen for the race. The sections of the body parts which
- W appear pink/light-red in the parts selector will be recolored to match your
- choice, but other colors will not (like those featuring silvery mechanical
- S parts, etc.).
- K
- I THE ASSEMBLY BOX
- D
- This appears above the pigment selector and to the left of the part
- R selector. It consists of a display and a single button: ASSEMBLE (S).
- O When you use ASSEMBLE the parts and pigment currently selected are put
- W together to generate complete physical form for the race you are working
- on. If, following assembly, you are not happy with the results, simply edit
- S your part and/or color selections and then use ASSEMBLE again. you can do
- K this as many times as you like.
- I
- D 700,000+ POSSIBILITIES
-
- R Given all of the part and color options available, the PHYS FORM editor can
- O potentially generate up to 733,744 possible variations of enemy forms!
- W
- PRE-MADE ENEMY FORMS
- S
- K Included with the game are a set of special graphics which feature pre-
- I made enemy images which are not affected by the PHYS FORM mode. For
- D example, while a UDP Officer is clearly human, creating a naked man with
- the PHYS FORM editor hardly results in an "official" looking UDP Officer.
- R Thus, a picture of a uniformed UDP Officer, as well as other potential
- O enemies, have been included with the program.
- W
- To access these graphics, all you have to do is type a very specific name
- S into the NAME field. The graphic will not appear on panel 204 (you'll see
- K whatever form was last assembled from PHYS FORM mode), but the appropriate
- I image will appear when playing a mission (on the communications and enemy
- D docket displays). Remember, you must type the name exactly as indicated.
-
- R Name Description
- O
- W UDP OFFICER A UDP Officer
- FWSF MARINES A (renegade) FWSF Marine
- S FWRP FW Reserve (outpost crew) Personnel
- K
- I DOSSIER MODE
- D
- The text in the ENEMY DOSSIER is what will appear in a mission when a
- R player reads the docket for the race.
- O
- W When the DOSSIER button is highlighted, the lower portion of the screen is
- occupied by the ENEMY DOSSIER editor. This consists of nothing more than
- S an extremely large text field into which the text for the race's dossier is
- K entered/edited.
- I
- D Since the dossier editors for the CAPTAINS and ENEMY RACES and the mission
- briefing editor of the MISSION BUILDER (206) are all virtually identical,
- R documentation on the operation of the editor is covered at the end of this
- O part, under the heading Supplement: Dossier/Briefing Editors. Refer to that
- W section for details on using the dossier editor.
-
- S KEYBOARD NOTE: Since keypresses in dossier mode are interpreted as text
- K entry into the dossier, to use any of the normal screen buttons in dossier
- I mode, hold down the Alternate key on your keyboard while pressing the
- D indicated letter, such as pressing Alt+T to switch back to traits mode. The
- Alternate key is not necessary when using the function keys for buttons on
- R the Upper Bar.
- O
- W
-
- S PART VII: THE BUILDER
- K
- I WRITING A RACE'S DOSSIER
- D
- Admittedly, you can write just about anything you like, but, ideally, the
- R function of the dossier is to give the player some background information
- O on the opposing forces, useful for determining their strengths and
- W weaknesses. Therefore, the best way to write a dossier is to, through the
- text, give some clues as to the race's traits without spelling out each
- M aspect numerically (ie - "their stamina is very high at 92").
- I
- C A few final notes on writing an enemy dossier that is "correct" for the
- T Omnitrend "Universe". If you're creating your own worlds, the following is
- L not so important. Our "convention" for races is to begin with the RACE:
- A and ORIGIN: fields on the first two lines, leave the next line blank, and
- N then write the rest of the dossier in paragraph form.
- T
- E RACE: MUTAI LAICR'MOK BETA
- C ORIGIN: TUOLES LAICR'MOK, SYSTEM LG-MD8: (30, -27, -6)
- U
- H
- T 205 SOLAR SYSTEMS
- L
- I Every battle requires a battleground, and in Rules of Engagement
- battlegrounds are solar systems. Sorry, we don't allow fighting in the
- S vast emptiness between stars.
- T
- A The solar system builder is fairly simple, and has few requirements. Each
- R system has a map area 4 x 4 billion kilometers square, and all items for
- K that system must fit within that space. Secondly, all solar systems must
- have at least one star/sun.
- T
- H Beyond that, you can place 1 additional sun, and anywhere from 0 to 99 of
- E the following: planets (3 classes), asteroid fields, and outposts (3
- types). It's entirely your choice.
- C
- O
- R THE MAP
- S
- A The map display on this panel works virtually identically to the map on the
- I navigation panel in the game proper (see 301 Navigation in Part V for
- R operational details), with a few minor additions. First of all, the view
- radius is not limited by any sort of sensor range restrictions as in a
- S mission, so you can alter the view from 2 billion to 75 kilometers in
- K radius.
- I
- D The horizontal and vertical coordinate pointers along the bottom and right
- edges of the map can be moved manually, allowing you to change the view
- R center. The arrowheads there can either be dragged using the mouse, or
- O moved by activating the UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT buttons on-screen or their
- W equivalent keys.
-
- S Zooming in and out using the mouse is identical to on other maps. keyboard
- K users must use the + and - buttons to change the view radius.
- I
- D Furthermore, additional off-map controls can be used to alter the view
- center and radius (see MAGNIFICATION and SET VIEW CENTER below).
- R
- O EDIT SYSTEM
- W
- To the right of the map are three banks of controls. The uppermost is the
- S most important, for the controls in it are used for creating and editing
- K system components. Under EDIT SYSTEM are selection buttons used to pick the
- I type of item to act on, and action buttons used to act on the selected item
- D type.
-
- R Of the selection buttons, only one can be highlighted at one time. A small
- O movable "tab" links the highlighted button to a bracket which connects it
- W to the action buttons immediately to the right. The selection buttons are:
-
- S STAR (S) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- K create, edit, relocate or delete stars in the system.
- I
- D PLANET (P) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- create, edit, relocate or delete planets in the system.
- R
- O ASTEROID (A) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to create,
- W edit, relocate or delete asteroid fields in the system.
-
- G OUTPOST (O) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- R create, edit, relocate or delete outposts in the system.
- E
- E The action buttons are to the right of the selection buttons. They are:
- T
- S CREATE (C) Brings up a usurper box which is used to create a new
- star, planet, asteroid field or outpost.
- C
- R EDIT (E) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- Y item of the type selected you wish to edit. Once the
- S item has been picked, a usurper box appears, which is
- T used to edit the selected item.
- A
- L RELOCATE (R) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- item of the type selected you wish to relocate. Once the
- T item has been picked, the map display switches into
- H "locate" mode (see below), allowing you to alter the
- G system location of the item.
-
- T DELETE (D) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- D item of the type selected you wish to delete.
- T
- VIEW FIELD
- Q
- T This subpanel consists of three items: two action buttons and a miniature
- X representation of the map. The first action button is MIN (N), and
- activating it causes the map radius to be set to minimum radius (75
- T kilometers). The second button is MAX (M), which sets the map radius to
- R maximum radius (2 billion kilometers).
- S
- I The miniature map is used to show the size and location of the current map
- view relative to the full system map. A square frame within the mini map
- F indicates the current map area. If you reduce the view area of the large
- L map, the framed area will shrink. And, if you alter the view center, the
- T frame will move off-center as well.
-
- S SET VIEW CENTER
- N
- I The four action buttons here are used to quickly center the map view on
- P specific items within the system. Activating any of the buttons causes a
- E selector to appear, with which you identify the specific item of the
- R indicated type to center on. Highlight the item on the selector and then
- use its CENTER (N) button. This causes the map's horizontal and vertical
- F centering coordinates to be altered to center on the selected item. The
- R name of the item will appear at the top of the main map.
- E
- D The centering options are:
- D
- Y STAR (T) Center on a star
- PLANET (L) Center on a planet
- B ASTEROID (I) Center on an asteroid field
- U OUTPOST (U) Center on an outpost
- L
- L
- D THE INFO BUTTON
- O
- G Between the VIEW FIELD subpanel and the main map is a single action button:
- INFO (F). Activating INFO results in an information usurper box appearing,
- S listing data about the item the map display is currently centered on (if
- C any). The name currently centered item will appear at the top of the main
- O map.
- O
- P If you manually move the view center off of an item, the last centered item
- E remains listed at the top of the map and the subject of INFO until you
- X re-center on another item.
-
- C This feature is a quick way to check on the stats of an item without having
- O to enter an editing mode. Use the SET VIEW CENTER controls to center on the
- M object you want and then use INFO to "scan" it.
- P
- A
- N CREATING/EDITING STARS
- Y
- When you first create a new solar system, there is always one star already
- C present. This star has the I.D. 501 and defaults to a M type (red) star
- O with a radius of 696,000 kilometers. You can edit the stats of this star
- R (name, type, and radius), but you cannot delete it unless there is another
- P sun in the system.
- O
- R To create or edit a star, go to EDIT SYSTEM, highlight STAR (S) and then
- A use either the CREATE (C) or EDIT (E) button. A usurper panel appears, on
- L which you can enter the name of the star (a standard text editing field),
- select its class (highlight one of the six class labels under STAR TYPE),
- A and even adjust its radius (using a thermometer scale at the bottom of the
- N box). Once the star's stats are to your liking, use the LOCATE (L) button
- D to exit the box and go into map's locate mode to place the star (see LOCATE
- E MODE below).
- V
- E Star Limit
- R
- O There is a limit of two stars per system. This is realistic because,
- N while many stars come in clusters, it is rare (outside of the center of
- a galaxy) to find more than two within 4 billion kilometers of each
- I other.
- N
- C Star Names
-
- S When you first create a new system, the default star has an I.D. (501),
- K but no name. The name of the first star will be the name of the system,
- I so choose carefully.
- D
- If you create a star, you are always creating the second star (502) in
- R the system, and its default name will be the name of the first star
- O (501) followed by a space and the letter B, as in "Alpha Centaur B". If
- W the first star's name is already 17 or 18 characters long (the limit),
- the last two characters are replaced by the space and B. Naturally, you
- S can edit this name to be anything you want.
- K
- I Star Sizes
- D
- The default size for a star is a 696,000 kilometer radius, the size of
- R Earth's sun. You can actually adjust this radius from a bottom end limit
- O of 5,000 kilometers to a top end limit of 300 million kilometers. The
- W sizes of stars indicate their "class", ranging from Neutron Stars
- through Supergiants. As you adjust the radius, the readout under STAR
- S CLASSIFICATION in 002 tells you what class the star is.
- K
- I Class Radius in Kilometers
- D
- SUPERGIANTS 100,000,000 to 300,000,000
- R GIANTS 10,000,000 to 99,999,999
- O MAIN SEQUENCE 50,000 to 9,999,999
- W WHITE DWARF 10,000 to 49,999
- NEUTRON STARS 5,000 to 9,999
- S
- K HINT: Stars with habitable planets would most likely be those
- I of Main Sequence size.
- D
- Star Types
- R
- O There are six star classes in Rules of Engagement, ranging in
- W color/chemical composition and temperature. The hotter a star, the more
- communications related interference it generates. Remember this when
- S creating your systems and missions. (The temperature of a star and a ship's
- K proximity to it determine the interference levels.)
- I
- D Type Color Temperature (Celsius)
-
- R B White/bluish 25,000 C
- O A White 11,000 C
- W F Yellowish 7,5000 C
- G Yellow 5,300 C to 5,800 C
- S K Orange 4,000 C to 4,900 C
- K M Red 3,000 C to 3,400 C
- I
- D HINT: Stars capable of supporting habitable planets would most
- likely be classes F, G, and K.
- R
- O
- W CREATING/EDITING PLANETS
-
- S When you first create a new solar system, there are no planets present.
- K Each planet has an I.D. starting with the letter P, as in P02.
- I
- D To create a planet, go to EDIT SYSTEM, highlight PLANET (P) and then use
- either the CREATE (C) or EDIT (E) button. A usurper panel appears, on which
- R you can enter the name of the planet (a standard text editing field),
- O select its class (highlight one of the three labels under PLANET TYPE), and
- W even adjust its radius (using a thermometer scale at the bottom of the
- box). Once the planet's stats are to your liking, use the LOCATE (L) button
- S to exit the box and go into the map's locate mode to place the planet (see
- K LOCATE MODE below).
- I
- D Planet Limit
-
- R You can have anywhere from 0 to 99 planets in a system.
- O
- W Planet Names
-
- S When you first create a new planet, the default name is "MAGRATHEA".
- K You can edit this and change it to whatever you like.
- I
- D Planet Sizes
-
- R The default size for a planet is a 7,000 kilometer radius, roughly the
- O size of the Earth. You can actually adjust this radius from a bottom end
- W limit of 100 kilometers to a top end limit of 200,000 kilometers.
-
- S HINT: Realistically, habitable planets should have a radius no
- K greater than 7,800 and no less than 6,100 kilometers.
- I
- D Planet Types
-
- R There are three planet types in Rules of Engagement:
- O
- W Type Classes Realistic Sizes (radius in km)
-
- S Gaseous A-C 20,000 to 200,000
- K Airless D-J 100 to 20,000
- I Habitable K-N 7,800 to 6,100
- D
- Gaseous planets are those which are composed primarily of light gasses,
- R such as hydrogen and helium. They tend to be very large, with no tangible
- O surfaces. Examples of gaseous planets in our own solar system are Jupiter,
- W Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
-
- S Airless planets are rocky worlds with atmospheres that are either
- K nonexistent or unbreathable. Examples of airless planets in our own solar
- I system are Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, and many of the moons of the
- D gaseous outer planets.
-
- R Habitable planets are those with a breathable atmosphere. Human habitable
- O planets require water, and acceptable surface gravity.
- W
-
- S CREATING/EDITING ASTEROID FIELDS
- K
- I When you first create a new solar system, there are no asteroid fields
- D present. Each field has an I.D. starting with the letter A, as in AO1. To
- create or edit an asteroid field, go to EDIT SYSTEM, highlight Outpost (P)
- R and then use the CREATE (C) or EDIT (E) buttons. A usurper panel appears,
- O on which you can adjust the field's density (using the thermometer scale at
- W the bottom of the box). The denser the field, the more sensor blockage it
- will cause to ships within it.
- S
- K Once the field's density is to your liking, use the LOCATE (L) button to
- I exit the box and go into the map's locate mode to place and set the size of
- D the field (see LOCATE MODE below).
-
- R HINT: When calling this box using EDIT (E), two arrow buttons flank the
- O field I.D., allowing you to scroll through all of the different
- W fields you've created and adjusted their densities without having
- to call the edit function many, many times.
- S
- K
- I CREATING/EDITING OUTPOSTS
- D
- When you first create a new solar system, there are no outposts present.
- R Each outpost has an I.D. starting with the letter T, as in T02.
- O
- W To create or edit an outpost, go to EDIT SYSTEM, highlight Outpost (R) and
- then use either the CREATE (C) or EDIT (E) buttons. A usurper panel
- S appears, on which you can enter the name of the outpost (a standard text
- K editing field), select its type (highlight one of the three labels under
- I outpost TYPE), and adjust its supply and repair sophistication (using the
- D two thermometer scales at the bottom of the box). Once the outpost's stats
- are to your liking, use the LOCATE (L) button to exit the CREATE Outpost
- R box and go into the map's LOCATE MODE to place the outpost (see LOCATE MODE
- O below).
- W
- Outpost Limit
- S
- K You can have anywhere from 0 to 99 outposts in a system.
- I
- D Outpost Names
-
- R When you first create a new outpost, the default name is "TANTALUS". You
- O can edit this and change it to whatever you like.
- W
- Outpost Sophistication
- S
- K The default sophistication levels for any outpost's supply and repair
- I factors is 50. You can adjust this factor from a bottom end limit of 0
- D to a top end limit of 99. The more sophisticated the outpost, the better
- equipped it is to help starships.
- R
- O Outpost Types
- W
- There are three outpost types in Rules of Engagement: FW, Enemy/UDP and
- S Neutral.
- K
- I FW outposts are those which are allied with the FW or under FW control.
- D They will allow your forces to dock without hesitation and do their best to
- resupply and repair you.
- R
- O UDP/Enemy outposts are those controlled by hostile forces. They will not
- W allow your forces to dock with them, but will allow your enemies to dock
- and receive assistance. FW forces can, of course, attempt to board and
- S seize control of such outposts.
- K
- I Neutral outposts are those which are not allied with either you or the
- D enemy forces. They may nor may not allow a given ship to dock (dependant on
- that the diplomatic ability of the ship's captain). In extreme emergencies
- R FW forces can, of course, attempt to board and seize control of such
- O outposts.
- W
- Outpost Locations
- S
- K Outposts can either be free-floating or planet-locked. A Free-floating
- I outpost is a space station, while a planet-locked outpost rests on the
- D surface of or in the atmosphere of a planet. To make an outpost free
- floating, locate it outside of the boundaries of any planets. To make it
- R planet-locked, place it within the bounds of a planet.
- O
- W HINT: It takes ships longer to resupply at planet-locked
- outposts than from free-floating ones.
- S
- K
- I RELOCATING STARS, PLANETS, ASTEROID FIELDS, AND OUTPOSTS
- D
- When you select RELOCATE (R), a selector box appears allowing you to
- R specify which item of the selected type you wish to relocate. Highlight
- O your selection and use LOCATE (L). You will jump immediately into locate
- W mode, details of which follow.
-
- S LOCATE MODE
- K
- I In this mode the EDIT SYSTEM buttons vanish and are replaced by DONE (D)
- D and ABORT (A) buttons. At map center, a small crosshair appears, showing
- the current location of the object to be located. You can move this
- R crosshair anywhere on the map by either holding down a Shift key while
- O clicking the mouse or by holding down a Shift key while pressing and
- W holding one of the arrow keys on the keyboard.
-
- S NOTE: Asteroid fields are placed by locating two opposite corners
- K of a rectangular area defining the field. With the mouse this
- I is accomplished by Shift-clicking to set the first corner of
- D the rectangle, and then Shift-clicking again to set the
- opposite corner.
- R
- O With the keyboard this is accomplished by using the Shift and arrow keys to
- W set the first corner, and using the following keys to position to opposite
- corner:
- S
- K Home moves the end corner to the left
- I End moves the end corner to the right
- D PageUp moves the end corner to the up
- PageDown moves the end corner to the down
- R
- O Using a Shift-arrow key combination after a field area has been drawn
- W erases the current field area and sets a new starting point.
-
- S In locate mode all of the usual map, map centering, and map zoom controls
- K work normally, allowing you to change the view radius, center, etc., which
- I choosing the location for your object.
- D
- When the crosshair is placed correctly, use the DONE (D) button to exit
- R LOCATE MODE and lock-down the selected item. If you decide you don't want
- O to do this after all, ABORT (A) will exit LOCATE mode without making any
- W changes to the map. (If you are relocating an existing object, it will not
- be moved; if you were placing a newly created item, it's creation will be
- S aborted and it will not appear at all.)
- K
- I
- D SAVING A SOLAR SYSTEM
-
- R There are no special conditions for saving a solar system, as the editor
- O will not allow you to remove the only condition this builder requires: that
- W you have at least one star.
-
- S
- K 206 MISSION
- I
- D The mission builder allows you to edit and create missions for the game. It
- is the same mission builder used to create the missions included with the
- R game.
- O
- W Missions are made up of the following components:
-
- S 1) A single solar system in which the battle takes place
- K 2) One or more Federated Worlds ships and captains
- I 3) An Enemy Race to battle against
- D 4) Some (or possibly no) enemy ships
- 5) Some (or possibly no) waypoints
- R
- O The first three mission components are created and stored separately from
- W the missions (they will be referred to as "external components"). This
- allows you to maintain a "library" of ships, ship captains, solar systems,
- S and enemy races so that you do not need to create them each time you make a
- K mission. Before creating or editing a mission, you should create and/or
- I edit the external components. The external components are copied and stored
- D in the mission file. This is done so that if you wish to trade missions
- with someone, you need only send the mission file and not all the external
- R components.
- O
- W Should you make a change to an external component, the change will not be
- made in any missions that use the component. You will need to edit the
- S mission and reread the component. Procedures for re-reading these
- K components will be described later.
- I
- D The mission builder provides for the creation and editing of the remaining
- mission components; enemy ships and waypoints. These are "internal
- R components" and are unique to the mission.
- O
- W
- ENTERING THE PANEL
- S
- K If you entered the panel by selecting CREATE from the main panel, you will
- I first be required to select the solar system in which the mission takes
- D place. You will be able to change this system later, but a solar system is
- always required to begin a new mission.
- R
- O
- W THE MAP
-
- S You will notice that the mission builder panel is similar to the solar
- K system builder panel (205). The map works almost identically. The
- I difference is in the centering control (see SET VIEW CENTER below).
- D
-
- R EDIT MISSION
- O
- W To the right of the map are three banks of controls. The uppermost is the
- most important, for the controls in it are used for creating and editing
- S mission components. Under EDIT MISSION are selection buttons used to pick
- K the type of item to act on, and action buttons used to act on the selected
- I item type. Below these are a group of four buttons used to edit other
- D mission information. These four buttons will be described later.
-
- R
- O Of the selection buttons, only one can be highlighted at one time. A small
- W movable "tab" links the highlighted button to a bracket which connects it
- to the action buttons immediately to the right. The selection buttons are:
- S
- K FW FLEET (F) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to load
- I (from a library), edit, relocate or remove Federated
- D Worlds ships in the mission.
-
- R ENEMY (Y) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- O create, edit, relocate or delete enemy ships in the
- W mission.
-
- S WAYPOINT (W) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- K create, edit, relocate or delete waypoints in the mission.
- I
- D IGS (G) When highlighted, the action buttons allow you to
- specify Breach 2 scenarios that are linked to outpost
- R and enemy ships.
- O
- W The action buttons are to the right of the selection buttons. There are two
- sets of action buttons. The first is for FW FLEET, ENEMY, and WAYPOINT.
- S They are:
- K
- I ADD (A) Brings up a usurper box which is used to add a new FW
- D ship, enemy ship, or waypoint.
-
- R EDIT (E) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- O item of the type selected you wish to edit. Once the
- W item has been picked, a usurper box appears, which is
- used to edit the selected item.
- S
- K RELOCATE (R) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- I item of the type selected you wish to relocate. Once the
- D item has been picked, the map display switches into
- "locate" mode (see below), allowing you to alter the
- R system location of the item.
- O
- W DELETE (L) Produces a selector with which you pick which specific
- item of the type selected you wish to delete.
- S
- K The second set is only for IGS. They are:
- I
- D OUTPOST -> BREACH 2 (O) Brings up a usurper box which is used to link
- a Breach 2 scenario to an outpost.
- R
- O ENEMY -> BREACH 2 (E) Brings up a usurper box which is used to link
- W a Breach 2 scenario to an enemy ship.
-
- S
- K VIEW FIELD
- I
- D This subpanel consists of three items: two action buttons and a miniature
- representation of the map. The first action button is MIN (N), and
- R activating it causes the map radius to be set to minimum radius (75
- O kilometers). The second button is MAX (M), which sets the map radius to
- W maximum radius (2 billion kilometers). The miniature map is used to show
- the size and location of the current map view relative to the full system
- S map. A square frame within the mini map indicates the current map area. If
- K you reduce the view area of the large map, the framed area will shrink.
- I And, if you alter the view center, the frame will move off-center as well.
- D
- SET VIEW CENTER
- R
- O The SET VIEW CENTER (T) button here is used to quickly center the map view
- W on specific items within the solar system. Activating this button will
- bring up subpanel 011. This subpanel contains buttons for all the map
- S elements. Activating any of these buttons causes a selector to appear, with
- K which you identify the specific item of the indicated type to center on.
- I Highlight the item on the selector and then use its CENTER (N) button. This
- D causes the map's horizontal and vertical centering coordinates to be
- altered to center on the selected item. The name of the item will appear at
- R the top of the main map.
- O
- W The centering options are:
-
- S FW SHIP (F) Center on a Federated Worlds ship
- K ENEMY SHIP (E) Center on an enemy ship
- I WAYPOINT (W) Center on a waypoint
- D STAR (T) Center on a star
- PLANET (L) Center on a planet
- R ASTEROID (I) Center on an asteroid field
- O OUTPOST (U) Center on an outpost
- W ABORT (A) Abort the centering command
-
- S THE INFO BUTTON
- K
- I Between the VIEW FIELD subpanel and the main map is a single action button:
- D INFO (I). Activating INFO results in an information usurper box appearing,
- listing data about the item the map display is currently centered on (if
- R any). The name currently centered item will appear at the top of the main
- O map.
- W
- If you manually move the view center off of an item, the last centered item
- S remains listed at the top of the map and the subject of INFO until you
- K re-center on another item.
- I
- D This feature is a quick way to check on the stats of an item without having
- to enter an editing mode. Use the SET VIEW CENTER controls to center on the
- R object you want and then use INFO to "scan" it.
- O
- W MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS
-
- S Four other buttons, grouped below the edit mission controls, allow for the
- K editing of the remaining mission information.
- I
- D NAME/DIFF (D)
-
- R Activating this button will bring up subpanel 014, allowing you to set the
- O name and author of the mission, difficulty level, and solar system used in
- W the mission.
-
- S The EDIT (E) button allows you to edit the mission name. The mission name
- K is the name displayed on the main game panel (101). This name should
- I appear similar to a military operation codename. The NAME (A) button allows
- D you to edit the author's name. The author's name will appear when a mission
- is played.
- R
- O The mission difficulty is your estimation of the difficulty in completing
- W the mission. Note that by convention, missions should be rates assuming
- the game is played on the advanced level.
- S
- K The CHANGE SYSTEM (C) button will bring up a usurper box allowing you to
- I select a new solar system or re-load the existing one. You would want to
- D re-load the same solar system if you were to make changes to the system in
- the solar system builder.
- R
- O When you are finished editing, select DONE (D) to save the changes.
- W
- RACE (C)
- S
- K Activating this button will bring up a selector box allowing you to select
- I or change the enemy race in the mission. Before saving a mission, you will
- D need to make this selection.
-
- R At the top of the selector box, the currently selected enemy race will
- O appear. If no race has yet been selected, "NONE" will appear.
- W
- There are three buttons at the bottom of the selector box. CANCEL (C) will
- S remove the selector and no change will result. EXAMINE (E) will bring up
- K subpanel 006 allowing you to view the personality traits and dossier of the
- I currently highlighted race. DONE (D) will remove the selector box, making
- D the currently highlighted race the enemy race used in the mission.
-
- R Note that subpanel 006 that appears on selecting EXAMINE has a few controls
- O of its own. When it initially appears, the personality traits will be
- W displayed. By activating the DOSSIER (O) button, the dossier for the race
- will be displayed. You can scroll the dossier up and down using the up and
- S down arrow buttons. When displaying the dossier, activating the TRAITS (T)
- K button will return you to the traits display. Selecting DONE (D) will
- I remove the subpanel and return you to the selector box.
- D
- SET VICTORY (S)
- R
- O Activating this button will bring up subpanel 012, allowing you to edit the
- W victory conditions for the mission. For a description of each of the
- victory conditions, see Part III of the manual under "Objectives".
- S
- K This subpanel lists the eight mission victory conditions. Each of the
- I conditions can be turned on or off by activating the appropriate ON (O) or
- D OFF (F) button in the toggle column. A check mark will appear to the right
- of these buttons (in the active column) if the condition is on.
- R
- O When playing from the keyboard, you will first need to select the victory
- W condition by pressing the appropriate number key (1-8). The edit column
- will display the currently selected condition. Some victory conditions have
- S additional data that must be entered. These are as follows:
- K
- I CONDITION 2 For this condition, you must select both a ship and a
- D waypoint. The + and - buttons are used to select the
- ship, and the UP and DOWN buttons are used to select the
- R waypoint. You must first add the ships and waypoints,
- O since these controls will scroll through only the existing
- W items. If you later remove a ship or a waypoint that
- relates to this victory condition, the condition will
- S automatically be turned off.
- K
- I If you are using a keyboard, you must select victory
- D condition 2 (by pressing 2) before using the +, -,
- UP and DOWN.
- R
- O CONDITION 4 For this condition, you must first select an outpost
- W using the UP and DOWN buttons.
-
- S If you are using a keyboard, you must select victory
- K condition 4 (by pressing the number 4) before pressing
- I the UP and DOWN keys.
- D
- CONDITION 5 For this condition, you must select an enemy ship using
- R the UP and DOWN buttons.
- O
- W If you are using a keyboard, you must select victory
- condition 5 (by pressing the number 5) before pressing
- S the UP and DOWN keys.
- K
- I CONDITION 6 For this condition, you must select a percentage of the
- D enemy fleet to neutralize. Activate the SET % (S)
- button and an edit field will appear around the current
- R percentage. Backspace over the old percentage and
- O enter a new one. Press the enter key when done.
- W
- CONDITION 7 For this condition, you must select a percentage of the
- S outposts to control. Activate the SET % (E) button and
- K an edit field will appear around the current percentage.
- I Backspace over the old percentage and enter a new
- D one. Press the enter key when done.
-
- R CONDITION 8 For this condition, you must enter a time limit in hours
- O and minutes. Activate the HOURS (H) button and an
- W edit field will appear around the current hour value.
- Backspace over the old value and enter a new one.
- S Press the enter key when done. Activating the MINS
- K (M) button will similarly allow you to edit the minutes
- I value.
- D
- When you have finished editing the victory conditions, activate the DONE
- R (D) button to save the changes. Activating the ABORT (A) button will abort
- O all changes you have made.
- W
- BRIEFING (B)
- S
- K Activating this button will bring up subpanel 015 allowing you to edit the
- I mission briefing. The editing controls work the same as the editing
- D controls in the captain and enemy race dossier panels. Operation of these
- controls is covered at the end of Part VII, under the heading Supplement:
- R Dossier/Briefing Editors. Refer to that section for details on using the
- O mission briefing editor.
- W
- KEYBOARD NOTE: Since keypresses in the editor mode are interpreted as text
- S entry into the mission briefing, to use any of the normal screen buttons in
- K the editor mode, hold down the Alternate key on your keyboard while
- I pressing the indicated letter, such as pressing Alt #I to switch back into
- D insert mode.
-
- R ADDING FW FLEET SHIPS
- O
- W When you first create a new mission, there are no FW ships present. Each FW
- ship has an I.D. starting with the letter F, as in F02.
- S
- K To add an FW ship, activate the FW FLEET (F) button, and then use the ADD
- I (A) button. A selector box will appear, allowing you to select both a ship
- D and a captain. The left-hand column will display the list of ships in your
- library.
- R
- O Preceding each ship name is a two letter code indicating the class of the
- W ship. The codes are:
-
- S TR Transport
- K SC Scout
- I DE Destroyer
- D CR Cruiser
- HV Heavy Cruiser
- R DR Dreadnought
- O
- W The right-hand column displays your library of ship captains. These two
- lists can be scrolled up and down by using the buttons on either side of
- S the names. The PageUp and PageDown buttons will scroll the ship list, and
- K the + and - buttons will scroll the captains list.
- I
- D Select both a ship and a captain by pointing to the name and clicking the
- mouse. From the keyboard you can use the UP and DOWN keys to select the
- R ship, and use the LEFT and RIGHT keys to select the captain. Note that by
- O selecting the Fleet Commander as the ship captain, you are in effect
- W selecting the flagship for the mission. This is the ship that the player
- will be commanding. Since there can only be one flagship in each mission,
- S you can only select the fleet commander for one ship in each mission.
- K
- I Below each list are buttons for examining the currently selected item.
- D Activating EXAMINE SHIP (S) will bring up a box (007) displaying
- information on the selected ship. The ship name, class, and parts manifest
- R are all shown. Activating DONE (D) will remove this box.
- O
- W EXAMINE CAPTAIN (C) will bring up a box (006) displaying information on the
- currently selected captain. Initially, the personality traits will be
- S displayed. Activating the DOSSIER (O) button will display the dossier. The
- K dossier can be scrolled using the UP and DOWN keys. Activating DONE (D)
- I will remove this box.
- D
- Once you have selected the ship and captain, use the EDIT/LOCATE (E) button
- R to continue with the process. Activating the ABORT (A) button instead will
- O abort the process of adding a ship. If you have continued the process, a
- W new box (007) will appear allowing you to edit the damage status of the
- ship. This allows you to have the ship begin the mission with some damage
- S already sustained. Each system will begin at 100% operational. Reducing
- K each value will cause each system to be damaged that amount. Reducing the
- I value to zero means the system is destroyed. The only way the player will
- D be able to repair a destroyed system is at an appropriate outpost.
-
- R If using a mouse, you can operate either the slider controls or the + and -
- O buttons to set the damage level. From the keyboard, first select the system
- W you want to set (using the buttons to the left of the damage level amount),
- then use the + and - keys to adjust the damage level.
- S
- K Activating the ARMAMENTS (A) button will display the initial missile
- I quantity on board the ship. The ship will begin with no missiles. Missiles
- D can be added by pressing the UP and DOWN buttons. When using a keyboard,
- first select the missile type you wish to change by activating the
- R appropriate button (use keys 1 thru 8). Next, use the UP and DOWN keys to
- O change the missile quantity. You will be limited in the quantity of each
- W type of missile that can be loaded according to the weapons system on the
- ship. Refer to Appendix Ill under the weapons system parts list for the
- S maximum quantities.
- K
- I After the damage and armaments are set, use the LOCATE (O) button to exit
- D the box and go into the map's locate mode to place the ship within the
- solar system (see LOCATE MODE below). Activating the ABORT (B) button
- R instead will abort the addition of the ship.
- O
- W EDITING FW FLEET SHIPS
-
- S To edit an existing FW ship, activate the FW FLEET (F) button, and then use
- K the EDIT (E) button. A selector box will appear, allowing you to select the
- I ship you wish to edit. The left-hand column will display the list of ships
- D already in the mission.
-
- R The right-hand column displays the captain currently assigned to the ship.
- O The ship list can be scrolled up and down by using the buttons to the left
- W of the ship ID. Select the ship you wish to edit by pointing to the name
- and clicking the mouse. From the keyboard you can use the UP and DOWN keys.
- S
- K Below the right-hand list is the CHANGE CAPTAIN (C) button. Activating this
- I button will cause the selector box to change into a mode allowing you to
- D select a different (or re-load the existing) captain for the selected ship.
- This works similar to the selector box for adding a ship, except the
- R left-hand column will only display the selected ship.
- O
- W Note that the ship that is assigned the Fleet Commander will act as the
- flagship for the mission. This is the ship that the player will be
- S commanding. Only one ship can be assigned the Fleet Commander.
- K
- I Once you have selected the ship, use the EDIT (E) button to edit the damage
- D and armament, or the RELOCATE (R) button to relocate the ship. Activating
- the ABORT (A) button instead will abort the editing process.
- R
- O If you have selected EDIT, the damage and armament edit box will appear.
- W This box will operate the same as it does in adding a new ship.
-
- S If you selected the RELOCATE button, the map will go into the locate mode,
- K allowing you to reposition the ship.
- I
- D
- ADDING ENEMY SHIPS
- R
- O When you first create a new mission, there are no enemy ships present. Each
- W enemy ship has an I.D. starting with the letter E, as in E02.
-
- S To add an enemy ship, activate the ENEMY (E) button, and then use the ADD
- K (A) button. A selector box will appear, allowing you to select both a ship
- I and a captain. The left-hand column will display the list of enemy ship
- D classes.
-
- R The right hand column displays a list of ranks for the ship captain. These
- O two lists can be scrolled up and down by using the buttons on either side
- W of the names. The PageUp and PageDown buttons will scroll the ship list,
- and the + and - buttons will scroll the captains list.
- S
- K By making the two selections, you are picking the class of the enemy ship,
- I and the rank of the ship's captain. If you pick a captain with a higher
- D rank, he will be more experienced at commanding the ship and crew.
-
- R Select both a ship class and a captain rank by pointing to the name and
- O clicking the mouse. From the keyboard you can use the UP and DOWN keys to
- W select the ship class, and the LEFT and RIGHT keys to select the rank.
-
- S Once you have made your selections, use the EDIT/LOCATE (E) button to
- K continue with the process. Activating the ABORT (A) button instead will
- I abort the process of adding a ship.
- D
- If you have continued the process, a new box (007) will appear allowing you
- R to edit lit the damage status of the ship. This allows you to have the ship
- O begin the mission with some damage already sustained. Each system will
- W begin at 100% operational. Reducing each value will cause each system to
- be damaged that amount. Reducing the value to zero means the system is
- S destroyed. The only way the enemy will be able to repair a destroyed system
- K is at an appropriate outpost.
- I
- D If using a mouse, you can operate either the slider controls or the + and -
- buttons to set the damage level. From the keyboard, first select the system
- R you want to set (using the buttons to the left of the damage level amount),
- O then use the + and - keys to adjust the damage level.
- W
- Activating the ARMAMENTS (A) button will display the initial missile
- S quantity on board the ship. The ship will begin with no missiles. Missiles
- K can be added by pressing the UP and DOWN buttons. When using a keyboard,
- I first select the missile type you wish to change by activating the
- D appropriate button (use keys 1 thru 8). Next, use the UP and DOWN keys to
- change the missile quantity. You will be limited in the quantity of each
- R type of missile that can be loaded according to the weapons system on the
- O ship. Refer to Appendix II under the weapons system parts list for the
- W maximum quantities.
-
- S After the damage and armaments are set, use the LOCATE (O) button to exit
- K the box and go into the map's locate mode to place the enemy ship within
- I the solar system (see LOCATE MODE below). Activating the ABORT (B) button
- D instead will abort the addition of the ship.
-
- R EDITING ENEMY SHIPS
- O
- W To edit an existing enemy ship, activate the ENEMY (Y) button, and then use
- the EDIT (E) button. A selector box will appear, allowing you to select the
- S ship you wish to edit. The left-hand column will display the list of enemy
- K ships already in the mission.
- I
- D The right-hand column displays the rank of the captain currently assigned
- to the ship. The ship list can be scrolled up and down by using the buttons
- R to the left of the ship ID. Select the ship you wish to edit by pointing to
- O the name and clicking the mouse. From the keyboard you can use the UP and
- W DOWN keys.
-
- S Below the right-hand list is the CHANGE CAPTAIN (C) button. Activating this
- K button will cause the selector box to change into a mode allowing you to
- I select a different rank for the captain of the selected ship. This works
- D similar to the selector box for adding a ship, except the left-hand column
- will only display the selected ship.
- R
- O Once you have selected the ship, use the EDIT (E) button to edit the damage
- W and armament, or the RELOCATE (R) button to relocate the ship. Activating
- the ABORT (A) button instead will abort the editing process.
- S
- K If you have selected EDIT, the damage and armament edit box will appear.
- I This box will operate the same as it does in adding a new ship. If you
- D selected the RELOCATE button, the map will go into the locate mode,
- allowing you to reposition the ship.
- R
- O ADDING WAYPOINTS
- W
- When you first create a new mission, there are no waypoints present. Each
- S waypoint has an I.D. starting with the letter X, as in X02.
- K
- I To add a waypoint, activate the WAYPOINT (W) button, and then use the ADD
- D (A) button. The map will go into the locate mode to allow you to position
- the waypoint within the solar system (see LOCATE MODE below).
- R
- O RELOCATING SHIPS AND WAYPOINTS
- W
- When you select RELOCATE (R), a selector box appears allowing you to
- S specify which item of the selected type you wish to relocate. Highlight
- K your selection and use LOCATE (L). You will jump immediately into locate
- I mode, details of which follow.
- D
- LOCATE MODE
- R
- O In this mode the EDIT MISSION buttons vanish and are replaced by DONE (D)
- W and ABORT (A) buttons. At map center, a small crosshair appears, showing
- the current location of the object to be located. You can move this
- S crosshair anywhere on the map by either holding down a Shift key while
- K clicking the mouse or by holding down a Shift key while pressing and
- I holding one of the arrow keys on the keyboard.
- D
- In locate mode all of the usual map, map centering, and map zoom controls
- R work normally, allowing you to change the view radius, center, etc., which
- O choosing the location for your object.
- W
- When the crosshair is placed correctly, use the DONE (D) button to exit
- S LOCATE MODE and lock-down the selected item. If you decide you don't want
- K to do this after all, ABORT (A) will exit LOCATE mode without making any
- I changes to the map. (If you are relocating an existing object, it will not
- D be moved; if you were placing a newly created item, it's creation will be
- aborted and it will not appear at all.)
- R
- O SAVING A MISSION
- W
- Before you can save a mission, you must first give it a name, select an
- S enemy race, and add at least one FW ship with the Fleet Commander as the
- K captain (the flagship). If you try to save a mission before specifying one
- I of these elements, you will receive a warning message and be returned to
- D the editor.
-
- R SUPPLEMENT: DOSSIER/BRIEFING EDITORS
- O
- W The dossier editors for the CAPTAINS (Panel 202) and ENEMY RACES (Panel
- 204) and the mission briefing editor of the MISSION BUILDER (Panel 206) are
- S all virtually identical, documentation on the operation of the editor is
- K covered in this subsection.
- I
- D THE EDITOR
-
- R The editor consists of a field some 15 lines tall and approximately 70
- O characters wide. We say "approximately" because all of the text in Rules of
- W Engagement is proportionally spaced. This means that, unlike standard
- computer text, each character does not take up exactly the same amount of
- S space as all others. Thus, an I requires only half the space of an A and
- K one third the space of an M.
- I
- D Like the smaller text editing fields seen in Rules of Engagement, a small
- cursor appears wherever you are currently typing. Unlike those fields, the
- R Enter-Return key on your keyboard does not exit the text editing mode, nor
- O does clicking the mouse. As long as the DOSSIER button is active, all
- W normal keyboard input is interpreted as text editing.
-
- S KEYBOARD NOTE: Since keypresses in dossier mode are interpreted as text
- K entry into the dossier, to use any of the normal screen buttons in this
- I mode, hold down the Alternate key on your keyboard while pressing the
- D indicated letter, such as pressing Alt + T to switch back to traits mode.
- The alternate key is not necessary when using the function keys for buttons
- R on the Upper Bar.
- O
- W MOUSE NOTE: Clicking the mouse on existing dossier/briefing text jumps the
- text editing cursor to that location. If you click where no text has been
- S typed, the cursor will not jump to that location.
- K
- I There are two text editing modes, overtype and insert. The default setting
- D when you first enter panel 202 is for overtype mode. The current mode is
- determined by the status of the two buttons to the right of the dossier
- R text field. Only one of them can be active at any one time.
- O
- W INSERT (Alt + I)
-
- S If this is highlighted, when you move the cursor into the midst of existing
- K text and begin typing, text in inserted at the cursor position, pushing
- I existing text to the right. If the end of the existing text being "pushed"
- D hits the physical end/limit of the dossier text field, the last "word" (a
- group of characters with no spaces within) will be deleted. To prevent the
- R loss of the end of your dossier you will have to delete some existing text
- O first, move the cursor to another location, or switch to overtype mode
- W (below).
-
- S OVER (Alt + O)
- K
- I If this is highlighted, when you move the cursor into the midst of existing
- D text and begin typing, the text you type replaces existing text,
- overwriting it.
- R
- O Finally, in the MISSION BRIEFING editor (015) there is a DONE (Alt + D)
- W button below the insert and overtype mode controls. This button is used to
- exit to the MISSION panel (206).
- S
- K Additional notes on text editor operation:
- I
- D The arrow/cursor keys can send the text editing cursor up, down, left or
- right. The only limitation is that you cannot cursor out into "blank" space
- R where no characters or spaces have been typed.
- O
- W Word-wrap is automatic. If the word you are typing reaches the end of the
- current line and will not fit, it is automatically "wrapped" around to the
- S next line.
- K
- I Enter/Return puts a "hard-Return" at the end of the current line and forces
- D the cursor to the next line down.
-
- R The Backspace key deletes text to the left of the-cursor.
- O
- W The Delete key does nothing.
-
- S The numbers and decimal point/period on the numeric keypad are not usable
- K (although the 2,4,6 and 8 keys are used as cursor keys).
- I
- D The text which appears in this editor is purely uppercase, thus the status
- of the Shift and CapsLock keys have no effect on the case of letters.
- R
- O Although most standard characters and punctuation are supported, the
- W following symbols are unavailable:
-
- S @ # $ ^ & = | < > { }
- K
- I There is no provision for importing external text files as dossiers.
- D
- While the proportionally spaced text makes the dossier nicer looking, its
- R main drawback is that it forces the program to do lots of recalculations
- O every time a character is inserted or deleted, as it must do a lot of
- W redrawing. Therefore, the dossier editor can get quite sluggish if you're
- backspacing or inserting text in a fairly "full" dossier.
- S
- K Because of the proportional spacing, the maximum number of characters
- I possible in a single dossier is variable.
- D
-
- R
- O PART VIII: THE INTERLOCKING GAME SYSTEM
- W
- Overview
- S
- K The Interlocking Game System (herein referred to as IGS) is an innovative
- I new approach to computer games. IGS Games are capable of working with one
- D another, appearing to the player to be a single game.
-
- R Rules of Engagement (hereafter referred to as Rules) is an IGS controlling
- O module. It is, in effect, the starting point for your characters. Rules
- W will automatically load and run other IGS games when the game conditions
- warrant.
- S
- K Requirements
- I
- D The only special requirement to run the IGS system is a hard drive.
- Unfortunately, running such a complex and intertwined system as IGS just
- R does not work smoothly on a floppy based system.
- O
- W Breach 2
-
- S As of this writing, the game Breach 2 is the other game in the IGS series.
- K You will need Breach 2 version 2.0 or higher (the version number is shown
- I on the title screen of the game). When installing Rules, you will have the
- D option of installing the IGS links. This procedure requires your original
- Breach 2 disks and will actually copy Breach 2 into the same directory of
- R your hard disk that contains Rules.
- O
- W Some Rules missions contain "WIGS Links", meaning that there is at least
- one enemy ship or outpost that is linked to a Breach 2 scenario (included
- S with the mission). When attempting to board the ship or outpost, the game
- K will bypass the normal boarding screen (panel 401) and instead, load
- I Breach 2 and the scenario. No additional interaction is required on your
- D part! Your Fleet Commander will act as the Squad Leader for the mission.
- All experience gained in the mission is transferred back to Rules and saved
- R in your Fleet Commander's record.
- O
- W The scenario can be saved in progress if you desire. Once you resume the
- mission, Rules will automatically reload Breach 2 and resume the scenario.
- S When the scenario is complete, you will return to Rules right where you
- K left off.
- I
- D The Future
-
- R More IGS modules are planned in the future. Under consideration are modules
- O to simulate planetary assaults, and a module permitting you to explore and
- W colonize uncharted space.
-
- S
- K
- I APPENDIX I: ALL ABOUT FLEET COMMANDERS
- D
- Fleet Commander characters are created by you, the user, and act as your
- R alter-ego in the game. You can create as many Fleet Commanders as you
- O like, although playing consistently with one or two will probably increase
- W the rate at which promotions are achieved.
-
- S NOTE: If your Feet Commander is killed in a mission the character
- K is not erased from the disk. The mission is simply
- I logged as a "mission loss" in the character's stats.
- D
- Your overall objective is to advance your Fleet Commander. This is
- R accomplished by successfully completing missions, which raises the total
- O score for the Commander. When certain scores are reached, the Commander is
- W promoted (see Scores below).
-
- S Moving up through the ranks is very important. Fleet Commanders who have
- K not reached particular ranks will not be allowed to command missions where
- I the flagship is a large warship. For instance, in order to command a heavy
- D cruiser class flagship, your Fleet Commander must have a rank of at least
- 1st Lieutenant.
- R
- O Following is a listing of flagship classes and the minimum rank a Fleet
- W Commander must have in order to assume command.
-
- S Flagship Class Minimum Rank
- K Transport Ensign
- I Scout Ensign
- D Destroyer Ensign
- Cruiser Ensign
- R Heavy Cruiser 1st Lieutenant
- O Dreadnought Commander
- W
- When a game has been started, the Fleet Commander chosen for the game is
- S removed from the "available" list, and his/her name is followed by a N/A
- K (Not-Available) flag. Until the game in question is completed or deleted,
- I that Commander will not be usable. This is to prevent the character from
- D being used in multiple games at the same time, which would cause problems
- when, the character completed the missions. After all, how could anyone
- R command two Flagships in two different locales at the same time?!
- O
- W Creating Commanders and Importing Others
-
- S From the GAME/MISSION 101 panel you can create, examine and delete Fleet
- K Commanders characters (this is covered in detail in Part V of this manual),
- I as well as import Breach 2 Squad Leaders as Commanders (covered in Appendix
- D VI). All Fleet Commanders are stored in a file called RULES.CMD. It is
- possible to import other RULES.CMD files and add the Commanders in that
- R file to your own list. See Appendix VI for details on how to import .CMD
- O files.
- W
- WARNING! Deleting or overwriting the RULES.CMD file erases all Fleet
- S Commanders you have created.
- K
- I Character Stats
- D
- Each Fleet Commander has his/her own set of statistics. There are two
- R categories of stats for each Commander, 'Mission' and 'Squad Level'.
- O Mission stats are related to the commander's performance in Rules of
- W Engagement missions. Mission stats are:
-
- S SCORE
- K
- I Each mission attempted results in a score, which is added to the total
- D score from all missions attempted by the Commander.
-
- R ATTEMPTED
- O
- W The total number of missions the Commander has attempted so far.
-
- S BATTLE TIME
- K
- I The total time the Commander has spent in missions; listed in hours.
- D
- VICTORIES
- R
- O The total number of missions the Commander has successfully completed.
- W
- LOSSES
- S
- K The total number of missions the Commander has failed to complete.
- I
- D SHIPS LOST
-
- R The total number of Federated Worlds starships lost in battle in missions
- O commanded by the Commander.
- W
- KILLS
- S
- K The total number of enemy vessels captured/destroyed in missions led by the
- I Commander.
- D
- The Squad Level stats relate to the boarding of enemy ships and Outposts.
- R The first six stats (encumbrance, base moves, bonus moves, accuracy,
- O cracking, and detecting) come into play only if the Interlocking Game
- W System (IGS) is used to access Breach 2 when boarding enemy ships and
- Outposts. These stats relate specifically to Breach 2 action and have no
- S effect in Rules of Engagement itself. (See Part VIII of this manual for
- K more information about IGS and Breach 2.) The remaining six Squad Level
- I stats are affected by both Breach 2 and the built-in marine-combat routines
- D of Rules of Engagement. These stats are:
-
- R SQUAD BATTLES
- O
- W The total number of squad battles the Commander has attempted thus far.
-
- S SQUAD VICTORIES
- K
- I The total number of successful squad battles the Commander has led thus
- D far.
-
- R SQUAD LOSSES
- O
- W The total number of unsuccessful squad battles the Commander has led
- thus far.
- S
- K SQUAD TIME
- I
- D The total time (in minutes) the Commander has spent leading squads.
-
- R SQUAD LEVEL KILLS
- O
- W The total number of enemies killed by the Commander (himself) in squad
- missions thus far.
- S
- K MARINES LOST
- I
- D The total number of FWSF marines under the Commander who were killed in
- squad battles thus far.
- R
- O Score
- W
- At the end of each mission the Commander receives a mission score, which
- S is appended to the character's total score.
- K
- I The mission score is based upon mission performance. For instance,
- D sustaining crew casualties, damage, and destruction of Federated Worlds
- ships, and enemy takeovers of FW Outposts all have negative effects on the
- R mission score. On the other hand, if the Commander's forces destroy enemy
- O ships, or capture enemy ships and Outposts, the score is effected
- W positively.
-
- S HINT: Capturing enemy vessels yields more points than simply
- K destroying them.
- I
- D Promotions
-
- R A Fleet Commander is promoted in rank when his/her score reaches certain
- O levels. Promotions are based on score.
- W
- Rank Minimum Score
- S
- K Ensign 0
- I 2nd Lieutenant 150
- D 1st Lieutenant 300
- Lieutenant Commander 500
- R Commander 800
- O Captain 1,100
- W Commodore 1,800
- Rear Admiral 2,700
- S Vice Admiral 3,400
- K Admiral 4,100
- I Fleet Admiral 5,000
- D
- Commendations
- R
- O In addition to being promoted through the ranks, your Fleet Commanders can
- W also receive commendations for their actions. There are six medals that can
- be awarded, and any commander can have multiples of each. The medals are
- S displayed when you examine a Fleet Commander from either the GAME/MISSION
- K panel or when you check the Commander's docket from DATA RETRIEVAL within
- I the game. Medals are as listed below and awarded in the circumstances
- D following.
-
- R FW CROSS
- O
- W Awarded when, in a single mission, at least 3 enemy Outposts or 8 enemy
- ships are captured or destroyed.
- S
- K DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
- I
- D Awarded once every 40 enemy ships losses.
-
- R PURPLE HEART
- O
- W Awarded when, upon returning from a mission, the Fleet Commander's ship
- suffered more than 50% crew loss.
- S
- K DISTINGUISHED CAREER CLUSTER
- I
- D Awarded every 20 victorious missions.
-
- R FW MEDAL OF HONOR
- O
- W Awarded for every 500 points of score.
-
- S
- K
- I APPENDIX II: OPPOSING FORCES
- D (were pictures here. You want them, go BUY the game!)
-
- R UDP/Enemy Fleet Ship List
- O
- W Part Numbers
- Communication 1
- S Drives 1
- K Life 1
- I Shields 1
- D Computer 1
- Weapons 1
- R
- O Class: Transport Crew Compliment: 26
- W Length: 390 Meters Manufacturer: Dorner-Chapman
- Beam: 247 Meters Classification: Goods and Passenger Transport
- S Draught: 196 Meters
- K
- I Part Numbers
- D Communication 1
- Computer 2
- R Drives 2
- O Life 1
- W Shields 1
- Weapons 2
- S
- K Class: Scout Crew Compliment: 53
- I Length: 125 Meters Manufacturer: Vaccusys
- D Beam: 41 Meters Classification: Research and Exploration
- Draught: 40 Meters
- R
- O Part Numbers
- W Communication 2
- Computer 1
- S Drives 2
- K Life 2
- I Shields 2
- D Weapons 3
-
- R Class: Destroyer Crew Compliment: 79
- O Length: 125 Meters Manufacturer: DuBois Autoengineering Company
- W Beam: 50 Meters Classification: Warship
- Draught: 49 Meters
- S
- K Part Numbers
- I Communication 2
- D Computer 3
- Drives 3
- R Life 2
- O Shields 3
- W Weapons 4
-
- S Class: Cruiser Crew Compliment: 84
- K Length: 143 Meters Manufacturer: GordCon Aero-Astro
- I Beam: 54 Meters Classification: Warship
- D Draught: 67 Meters
-
- R
- O Part Numbers
- W Communication Unknown
- Computer 4
- S Drives 4
- K Life 2
- I Shields 4
- D Weapons 4
-
- R Class: Heavy Cruiser Crew Compliment: Unknown
- O Length: 206 Meters Manufacturer: Vaccusys/GordCon Aero-Astro
- W Beam: 137 Meters Classification: Warship
- Draught: 82 Meters
- S
- K Part Numbers
- I Communication 3
- D Computer Unknown
- Drives 5
- R Life Unknown
- O Shields 5
- W Weapons 5
-
- S Class: Dreadnought Crew Compliment: Unknown
- K Length: 338 Meters Manufacturer: Classified
- I Beam: 140 Meters Classification: Warship
- D Draught: 125 Meters
-
- R
- O Enemy Parts Lists
- W
- The following are lists of parts for the six different system on board the
- S ships.
- K
- I NOTE: The following information is listed for each part in
- D each system. Most systems have other information that
- will be described in each section.
- R
- O DP's Damage points the system can incur.
- W The more DP's, the stronger the part.
- Soph Sophistication level of the part.
- S Size The size factor of each part.
- K
- I Life Support System Parts List
- D
- # Type DP's Soph Size
- R
- O 1 Enemy Type 1 6 33 1
- W 2 Enemy Type 2 14 56 3
- 3 Enemy Type 3 25 95 4
- S
- K
- I Communications System Parts List
- D
- # Type OP's Soph Size Max Inf Base Sig Scan Radius
- R
- O 1 Enemy Type 1 5 35 1 22 38 39
- W 2 Enemy Type 2 6 56 3 51 62 153
- 3 Enemy Type 3 18 90 5 95 97 230
- S
- K Notes:
- I
- D "Max Inf" is the maximum interference level that the part can experience
- and still transmit.
- R
- O "Base Sig" is the base signal strength. The higher number indicates a
- W stronger transmitter.
-
- S "Scan Radius" is the maximum range of the scanner in millions of
- K kilometers.
- I
- D Computer System Parts List
-
- R # Type OP's Soph Size
- O
- W 1 Enemy Type 1 5 39 5
- 2 Enemy Type 2 12 42 6
- S 3 Enemy Type 3 21 76 8
- K 4 Enemy Type 4 34 98 4
- I
- D Shield System Parts List
-
- R DP Blockage
- O # Type DP's Soph Size 1 2 3 4
- W
- 1 Enemy Type 1 15 63 3 2 2 2 2
- S 2 Enemy Type 2 21 68 6 9 8 8 6
- K 3 Enemy Type 3 26 72 11 15 12 12 8
- I 4 Enemy Type 4 41 85 12 18 15 15 12
- D 5 Enemy Type 5 53 98 14 32 24 24 11
-
- R Notes:
- O
- W "DP Blockage" is the number of damage points that will be blocked by each
- of the 4 shields.
- S
- K Drive System Parts List
- I
- D # Type DP's Soph Size Max velocity Acceleration
-
- R 1 Enemy Type 1 6 73 1 0.42 0.013
- O 2 Enemy Type 2 9 76 5 0.64 0.047
- W 3 Enemy Type 3 21 83 4 0.87 0.089
- 4 Enemy Type 4 32 86 8 0.92 0.103
- S 5 Enemy Type 5 43 94 11 0.98 0.093
- K
- I Notes:
- D
- "Max Velocity" is listed as a percentage of light-speed.
- R
- O "Acceleration" is listed in units of light-speed per second per second
- W
- Weapons System Parts List
- S
- K Maximum Missiles
- I
- D # Type DP's Soph Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 EBW
-
- R 1 Enemy Type l 4 42 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 13
- O 2 Enemy Type 2 12 49 6 4 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 15
- W 3 Enemy Type 3 22 63 13 6 6 2 4 2 0 0 0 21
- 4 Enemy Type 4 37 79 8 10 10 8 9 3 2 2 0 32
- S 5 Enemy Type 5 43 90 11 14 10 12 12 8 3 3 2 41
- K
- I Notes:
- D
- "Maximum Missiles" lists the maximum number of each type of missile that
- R can be carried.
- O
- W "EBW" lists the damage points inflicted by the EBW at 100% power.
-
- S
- K
- I APPENDIX III: FW SHIP STATS & PARTS LISTS
- D
- FW Ship List
- R
- O
- W Maximum Sizes for Parts
- Communication 2
- S Computer 5
- K Drives 2
- I Life 2
- D Shields 4
- Weapons 3
- R
- O Class: Transport Crew Compliment: 38
- W Length: 450 Meters Manufacturer: DuBois Autoengineering Company
- Beam: 173 Meters Classification: Goods and Passenger Transport
- S Draught: 173 Meters
- K
- I Maximum Sizes for Parts
- D Communication 3
- Computer 6
- R Drives 4
- O Life 2
- W Shields 8
- Weapons 8
- S
- K Class: Scout Crew Compliment: 61
- I Length: 108 Meters Manufacturer: YopCo Astronautics Division
- D Beam: 39 Meters Classification: Research and Exploration
- Draught: 39 Meters
- R
- O Maximum Sizes for Parts
- W Communications 4
- Computer 6
- S Drives 7
- K Life 3
- I Shields 11
- D Weapons 8
-
- R Class: Destroyer Crew Compliment: 67
- O Length: 170 Meters Manufacturer: YopCo Astronautics Division
- W Beam: 55 Meters Classification: Search and Destroy
- Draught: 49 Meters
- S
- K Maximum Sizes for Parts
- I Communication 5
- D Computer 7
- Drives 14
- R Life 3
- O Shields 16
- W Weapons 9
-
- S Class: Cruiser Crew Compliment: 91
- K Length: 225 Meters Manufacturer: Woden
- I Beam: 115 Meters Classification: Exploration and Defense
- D Draught: 52 Meters
-
- R Maximum Sizes for Parts
- O Communication 5
- W Computer 12
- Drives 14
- S Life 4
- K Shields 18
- I Weapons 10
- D
- Class: Heavy Cruiser Crew Compliment: 109
- R Length: 250 Meters Manufacturer: Woden
- O Beam: 130 Meters Classification: Warship
- W Draught: 52 Meters
-
- S Maximum Sizes for Parts
- K Communication 8
- I Computer 13
- D Drives 16
- Life 5
- R Shields 20
- O Weapons 11
- W
- Class: Dreadnought Crew Compliment: 134
- S Length: 303 Meters Manufacturer: Classified
- K Beam: 141 Meters Classification: Warship
- I Draught: 81 Meters
- D
- FW Parts Lists
- R
- O The following are lists of parts for the six different system on board the
- W ships.
-
- S NOTE: The following information is listed for each part in each
- K system. Most systems have other information that will be
- I described in each section.
- D
- DP's Damage points the system can incur. The more DP's, the
- R stronger the part.
- O Soph Sophistication level of the part.
- W Size The size factor of each part.
-
- S Life Support System Parts List
- K
- I # Type DP's Soph Size
- D
- 1 Yopcompany Cli-Mate 3 8 45 2
- R 2 Gas Technology AF #4 12 78 3
- O 3 Franklin Lab Zonemaster 21 94 4
- W
-
- S Communications System Parts List
- K
- I # Type DP's Soph Size Max Inf Base Sig Scan Radius
- D
- 1 Thuke XX 4 33 2 20 47 47
- R 2 Giaperelli Marconi II 11 60 5 57 73 137
- O 3 Psion WF2l64 24 94 7 92 99 203
- W
- Notes:
- S
- K "Max Inf" is the maximum interference level that the part can experience
- I and still transmit.
- D
- "Base Sig" is the base signal strength. The higher number indicates a
- R stronger transmitter.
- O
- W "Scan Radius" is the maximum range of the scanner in millions of
- kilometers.
- S
- K Computer System Parts List
- I
- D # Type DP's Soph Size
-
- R 1 Alkis 22/3 13 45 5
- O 2 Gedinex Mica 7 58 5
- W 3 Intellect 500 17 81 7
- 4 Intelligence Engine Mark 2 29 97 10
- S
- K Shield System Parts List
- I DP Blockage
- D # Type DP's Soph Size 1 2 3 4
-
- R 1 Hinto/KotoCo DF1 18 70 4 3 3 3 2
- O 2 Voltac Group Gen 9 18 62 8 9 5 5 4
- W 3 Deflect Technologies M/20 28 67 10 12 10 10 12
- 4 Franklin Lab Lodi 38 81 15 19 8 8 18
- S 5 Woden Plate ++ 49 97 16 25 17 17 25
- K
- I Notes:
- D
- "DP Blockage" is the number of damage points that will be blocked by each
- R of the 4 shields.
- O
- W
- Drive System Parts List
- S
- K # Type DP's Soph Size Max velocity Acceleration
- I
- D 1 Rynox BTB 5 71 2 0.47 0.011
- 2 Vromus 830/2 14 79 4 0.68 0.050
- R 3 Hinto/Koto Co 2 25 84 5 0.85 0.092
- O 4 AthikTech 100-32 32 89 12 0.90 0.067
- W 5 Franklin Lab Oyabe 41 98 12 0.99 0.101
-
- S Notes:
- K
- I "Max Velocity" is listed as a percentage of light-speed.
- D
- "Acceleration" is listed in units of light-speed per second per second.
- R
- O Weapons System Parts List
- W
- Maximum Missiles
- S # Type DP's Soph Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 EBW
- K
- I 1 Zeus Penetrator Mk2 9 46 3 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 11
- D 2 Sunstorm HF4 15 56 7 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 21
- 3 Sunstorm HF5 24 67 9 5 5 4 4 3 0 1 0 321
- R 4 Woden EBW ++ 34 78 9 8 8 6 6 6 4 5 0 36
- O 5 Woden Arma IX 45 92 11 12 12 14 8 9 9 S 2 44
- W
- Notes:
- S
- K "Maximum Missiles" lists the maximum number of each type of missile that
- I can be carried.
- D
- "EBW" lists the damage points inflicted by the EBW at 100% power.
- R
- O
- W
- APPENDIX IV: MISSILE TYPES
- S
- K Federated Worlds Armed Forces Missile Types
- I
- D # Name Soph Damage Accur Accel Range Description
-
- R 1 PN Pritchard SBR 39 n/a 78 0.040 8.00 Damages shields
- O up to 5 dp
- W 2 Melbourne FU8 43 42 92 0.068 27.50 General damage
- 3 Giaperelli Fu9 49 64 84 0.098 13.00 General damage
- S 4 Franklin Lab FE 54 n/a 80 0.058 26.50 Anti-Personnel
- K 5 Woden FE 63 n/a 86 0.190 9.50 Anti-Personnel
- I 6 Thiodyne P/PO 78 96 71 0.164 13.00 Targets drive
- D system
- 7 Woden Nova 87 122 62 0.184 12.00 General damage
- R 8 Iliya Nova 95 148 46 0.226 5.00 General damage
- O
- W UDP / Enemy Missile Types
-
- S # Name Soph Damage Accur Accel Range Description
- K
- I 1 Type 1 32 52 81 0.032 9.80 General damage
- D 2 Type 2 48 n/a 69 0.064 19.20 Anti-Personnel
- 3 Type 3 51 n/a 72 0.106 25.30 Damages shields up
- R to 5 dp
- O 4 Type 4 59 84 87 0.098 29.50 General Damage
- W 5 Type 5 65 n/a 91 0.158 10.50 Anti-Personnel
- 6 Type 6 71 74 79 0.170 8.30 Targets weapon
- S system
- K 7 Type 7 73 84 75 0.174 15.20 Targets drive
- I systems
- D 8 Type 8 92 142 58 0.214 7.40 General damage
-
- R Notes:
- O
- W Accuracy is measured in percentage chance of hit.
-
- S Acceleration is measured in light-speed per second per second.
- K
- I Ranges given are in the duration of fuel aboard (measured in seconds).
- D
-
- R
- O APPENDIX V: PANEL ID NUMBERS
- W
- The following is a listing of every panel, subpanel and usurper box in
- S Rules of Engagement. When a 000 series usurper box's description is
- K followed by a number in parentheses, as in (202), that number indicates the
- I panel number the usurper is linked to.
- D
- 000 Program Info box (100).
- R 001 Standard alert box (any).
- O 002 Create/Edit Star/Planet/Outpost box (205).
- W 003 Create/Edit Asteroid Field box (205).
- 004 Centered Item Info box (205/206).
- S 005 Add/Edit/Remove Ship selector (206).
- K 006 Examine Captain/Enemy Docket box (206).
- I 007 FW & Enemy Ship damage/armament editor/list (206).
- D 008 Fleet Commander Info (101).
- 009 Create Fleet Commander box (101).
- R 010 Name Game/Set Difficulty box (101).
- O Also Select/Edit Path for Importing Breach 2 Squad Leaders (101).
- W 011 Center view box (206).
- 012 Set Objectives/Victory Conditions box (206).
- S 013 Item selector (205/206).
- K 014 Mission & Author Name, Difficulty, Change System box (206).
- I 015 Mission Briefing (206).
- D 100 MAIN MENU bar Help, Game Info, and Quit controls.
- 101 GAME/MISSION Access to game sections.
- R 202 CAPTAINS FW Captain creator/editor.
- O 203 SHIPS FW Ship creator/editor.
- W 204 ENEMY Enemy race/force creator/editor.
- 205 SOLAR SYSTEM System editor/creator.
- S 206 MISSION Mission editor/creator.
- K 300 MASTER CONTROL Main flagship controls, icons to access
- I all main panels, and save-game controls;
- D chronometer and time passage controls.
- 301 NAVIGATION Flagship's navigation controls.
- R 302 COMMUNICATIONS Flagship's communication system.
- O 303 TACTICAL Flagship's weaponry, defense, and
- W tactical maneuvering controls.
- 304 DATA RETRIEVAL Flagship's computer, accessing fleet and
- S ship status, damage control, captain and
- K enemy dockets, mission briefing,
- I objectives and evaluation.
- D 401 MARINE DEPLOYMENT Marine boarding status (303).
-
- R
- O
- W APPENDIX VI: IMPORTING COMMANDERS, CAPTAINS, SYSTEMS, ETC.
-
- S Converting Breach 2 Squad Leaders
- K
- I If you own a copy of Breach 2, you can convert your existing Squad Leaders
- D into Rules of Engagement Fleet Commanders. From the main game panel (101),
- select FLEET CMDR. The list of existing Fleet Commanders will appear, along
- R with a bar of button selections. Activate the CONVERT (V) button. A usurper
- O box will appear (010), allowing you to enter the path name where your
- W Breach 2 Squad Leaders exist.
-
- S If you are playing on floppy disks, you will (prior to running Rules of
- K Engagement) want to copy the Squad Leaders to your data disk (disk 4 for
- I 5.25" players, disk 2 for 3.5" players) to prevent having to swap disks.
- D
- NOTE: Breach 2 Squad Leaders are stored in files with the file
- R extension .B2L; ie - NAME.B2L.
- O
- W Use EDIT PATH (P) if you wish to alter the path to another directory. A
- text editing frame and cursor (see Text Editing Fields in Part IV for
- S details on operation) appears around the current pathname, allowing you to
- K alter it. If you are satisfied with the current path, or finished editing
- I the pathname and wish to continue with the importing action, use the DONE
- D (D) button. If you have second thoughts, press ABORT (A) to return to panel
- 101.
- R
- O For each Squad Leader found in the selected path, a "Create Fleet
- W Commander" box (009) will appear, allowing you to modify the name and
- select the appearance of the Fleet Commander (see Part V for details on the
- S operation of the "Create Fleet Commander" box).
- K
- I At any time during the importation process you may use the ABORT (A) button
- D on the 009 box to stop importing Squad Leaders. If you do this, the process
- will be aborted, and the currently displayed Breach 2 Squad Leader and all
- R others not already converted will not be added to your Fleet Commander
- O list.
- W
- Transferring Builder Items
- S
- K All of the builder elements (Fleet Commanders, Captains, Enemies, Ships,
- I Solar Systems, and Missions) are stored in separate data files. With the
- D exception of missions, all items of a single type are combined into one
- data file. These file names are as follows:
- R
- O RULES.CMD Fleet Commanders
- W RULES.CAP Ship Captains
- RULES.EMY Enemy Races
- S RULES.FLT Fleet Ships
- K RULES.SOL Solar Systems
- I
- D Missions are stored in separate files with the file extension .MIS.
-
- R Rules of Engagement provides a way you can add builder items from a
- O friend's game, or items you download from a modem. Upon running the game,
- W the program will look for files named XFER.CMD, XFER.CAP, XFER.EMY,
- XFER.FLT, and XFER.SOL. If it finds one or more of these files, it will
- S merge the contents of the file with the main data file of the same type
- K (ie - merging XFER.CAP with the current RULES.CAP). The "XFER" file will
- I then be deleted.
- D
- For instance, suppose you want to give a copy of your enemy races file to a
- R friend of yours who also owns a copy of the game. Make a copy of your
- O RULES.EMY file, renaming it XFER.EMY. Send the file to him and have him
- W copy it onto his disk that contains his copy of RULES.EMY. When he runs the
- program, your enemy races will be merged with his.
- S
- K Note that duplicate entries in any of the data files will result if both
- I the "RULES" and "XFER" files contain the same item. This will not cause any
- D problem with the game, but you may want to delete such duplicate entries.
-
- R CAUTION! Just because two items have the same name does not mean they are
- O identical. Examine each item before deleting it. Two alien races are both
- W called Martians and two ships are both named Shalmanseer could actually be
- quite dissimilar. In other cases, the items are virtually identical, but
- S one has been edited slightly. In such cases, we recommend editing one of
- K the duplicate items to change its name, simply to avoid confusion. In cases
- I where there items are exact duplicates, it's best to delete one of them.
- D
- Since missions are stored in separate files, you do not need to follow this
- R procedure to transfer missions. Simply copy the new MS files onto your disk
- O containing your original mission files (disk 4 for 5.25" players, disk 2
- W for 3.5" players, or your hard disk directory containing the game).
-
- S Btw, there may be mistakes; it took us long enough to edit it as much as
- K we did! Just be glad that we did this much for you!
- I
- D
-
- R
- O Mictlantecuhtli/Skid Row-Amiga
- W
-
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