Under the File menu are the basic commands you would expect. Opening, saving and quitting are controlled from here. Also controlled from here is the key configuration dialog.
Key Configuration
This is the key configuration dialog, with the default keys shown. To change the keys, simply click or tab to the key you want to change, and press the key you want to use.
The Simulation Menu
From this menu, everything that directly influences the simulation is accessed. From this menu you can edit the various simulation components, edit or create a scenario, and run the simulation.
Editing Objects
From this dialog you can edit the positions, velocities, and masses of the objects in the current system. You are allowed up to five objects in a system, and can have less than that by typing in the number of the last object you wish to use. For example, if you wanted to only use three objects, type "3" into the "Number of objects:" box and use objects one, two, and three.
Editing the Ship
Editing the ship is similar to editing objects, with a few fields added and a few missing. Under the thrust fields, enter in the amount of thrust you want available for that type of engine. Experimentation works best for this. Entering zero for the thrust effectively disables that type of engine. The fuel consumption fields govern the rate at which fuel is used. The larger these numbers, the faster fuel is used.
Creating and Editing Scenarios
From this dialog you can create and edit scenarios. Under "Object #," put the number of the object to approach. Under "Distance," put how close you want the ship to have to get, in hundredths of pixels. So, if you wanted the ship to approach your planet, which is, say, object two, at a distance of three and a half pixels, enter "2" under "Object #" and "350" under "Distance." These approaches must be completed from top to bottom in sequential order. Finally, enter the scenario description in the box provided.
Opening a Scenario
When you open a save file that contains a scenario, you get a dialog like this one. It provides a brief description of the situation and what you are supposed to do. If you forget this description later on, or just want to see it again, look in the scenario editing box.
Running the Simulation
When you select "Run" from the Simulation menu, the computer will sit for a few seconds while it guages how fast your computer will run the current setup, then display this dialog. Once you are ready to start the game, press a key or the mouse button to start the simulation.
How to Play
The Goal
Simply put, do what the scenario says, or any other objective you wish, preferably with the smallest possible amount of fuel expended.
Flying the Ship
The basic controls are fairly simple. You may turn left, turn right, and thrust. Turning is self explanatory, and thrust simply pushes your ship in the direction it is pointing.
Zooming, timestepping, and centering are also fairly self explanatory. Zooming in expands your view to show more detail, and zooming out contracts the view to show more area. Making the timestep faster speeds up the simulation, and making it slower slows things down. Centering on the nearest object does exactly that.
The system for resetting these controls is somewhat more complex. In order to keep the number of controls to a minimum, the reset key will reset either zooming, timestep or centering, depending on what was last changed. So, to reset zooming, press a zoom key and then reset. Likewise for timestep and centering.
In order to reduce calculation errors, the game automatically slows the timestep as the ship comes closer to objects. The timestep is reset once the ship has moved away.
The Displays
This is a sample of what the screen looks like when the simulation is actually running. Your ship is represented in green, and it leaves a blue trail. Normal planets are light blue, leaving a red trail, and the planet that is next for approach if you are running a scenario is yellow, and also leaves a red trail.
The range dot appears around the planet that is next for approach. It is always between that planet and the ship until the ship approaches close enough, then it moves to the next planet. The distance between the planet and the range dot is how close your ship must get to that planet. When your ship and the dot coincide, you should be close enough.
The ship direction indicator is in the small window in the upper right. As you turn the ship, this indicator turns to show you which direction your ship is currently pointed in. When you apply thrust, the ship will accelerate in this direction, towards the red dot.
The fuel indicators are in the long window to the right. The green bar indicates the amount of low-thrust fuel remaining, and the red bar indicates the amount of high-thrust fuel remaining.
The timing dot is a visual indication of time flow. As you increase or decrease the timestep, this dot will move faster or slower, allowing you to see how fast the simulation is currently moving.
