321 GAMES/321GAMES.iso/tactic/outpost/readme

Text File | 1993-08-29 | 14.4 KB | 298 lines

THE  OFFICIAL  OUTPOST  HELP  FILE:


SIMULATION OR REALITY?

As a simulation, OUTPOST is a model of a theoretical system to be
implemented in the real world.  Although we have not yet colonized other
planets, there have been a lot of studies on the subject, initiated by
NASA, private corporations, public space organizations, and other
governmental space agencies.  Based on the best scientific data
available, this simulation allows you full control over a space
colonization effort.  You will plan your colonies, choose what you need
to take with you, choose the star system you wish to colonize, and deal
with the problems of building a civilization in a hostile environment.

One of the keys to a successful colony is the morale of your population.
Your colonists will show their approval or disapproval of your
management through changes in factory production, the rate of scientific
research, and other forms of protest.  As the leader of the colony, you
can choose to make your people happy or ignore them entirely until
society starts breaking down.

Although you have total freedom of action, part of the challenge of a
simulation is to learn what resources you have and how you can wield
them within the framework of the game.  Natural laws, the needs of your
people, and practical realities can all have a limiting effect on the
interconnected systems of the colony model and the decisions you can
make.


THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

OUTPOST is a fact-based  strategy / simulation game which allows you to
explore new worlds, research new technologies, strive to rebuild human
civilization on distant planets...and survive.  Your colonists are the
chosen few who have been given the chance to flee from the impending
destruction of the Earth.  Using a ship built by an international
conglomerate, you must lead your colonists to safety on a new planet in
another star system.  There will be no turning back.


OUTWARD BOUND:

When you arrive at your chosen planet, you'll have to conquer a hostile
environment to build your new home.  In the full game, while you're
still in orbit, you will be able to launch any of the satellites
(navigational, solar power, meteor defense, etc.) you may have brought
with you on the mothership. Surface probes and your SEED factory will
also be launched from orbit.  Your Artificially Intelligent advisor will
tell you when the robotic SEED factory has created a habitat for the
first human colonists, allowing you to deploy your humans and begin the
full colonization effort.  This special preview of the game picks up
after all these events have occurred, putting you directly into the
colony simulation.



THE ARCHITECT OF THE FUTURE:

In the full game, you will have a wide variety of structures to choose
from in the construction of your colonies.  Mining will provide the raw
resources you require to build structures, feed your people, and
maintain the operation of your colonies as you spread out over the
surface of the new world.  Your main enemy will be the hostile planet
itself, since Earth-type worlds will be very rare.  Every day you
survive will be a victory for you and your civilization.

In this preview demo, you have a limited set of structures to build and
operate so that you can get the general feel of how the simulation
works.  Structures that do not require heavy shielding from the hostile
environment or radiation will be built on the surface of the planet.
Other buildings, such as Residential Modules, Research Laboratories, and
Light Industry, must be built underground for the protection of your
colonists.

Structures require a certain amount of resources to be built and to
maintain their functions each turn.  In this demo, the SEED Factory
brings a certain amount of resources down from the orbiting mothership
to get you started, but all other resources for the continued expansion
of your colony must be mined by Robot Miners.

The STRUCTURES available to you are as follows:

SEED FACTORY -- This automated lander sends out four stored robots (a
miner, a digger, a bulldozer, and an explorer) upon arrival.  In this
demo version, the explorer will automatically start looking for any
mines in the area of your landing site.  These mines will show up as red
circles on the large area map at the top right of your screen.  The SEED
Factory itself shows up as a blue dot on that same map.

The SEED also produces power for the first few structures, giving you
time to build a Solar Receiver Array to supply your future energy needs.
(In the full game, there will be multiple sources of power.)

Robots are  manufactured by the SEED factory at the rate of 1 every 5
turns. By clicking on the SEED factory after the first few turns, you
have the capability of choosing the type of robot you'd like to build.

COMMAND AND CONTROL -- After the SEED factory generates the Command and
Control structure, this becomes the focal point of your colony. Clicking
on this Command structure allows you to see the master report, known as
the Executive Summary, which gives you the overall status of your
colony.

SOLAR POWERSAT RECEIVER ARRAY -- In this demo, one Solar Power Satellite
(PowerSat) has been deployed in orbit around your new planet.  To make
use of the microwave power that the PowerSat is beaming down to the
planet's surface, you must erect at least one Solar Powersat Receiver
Array (two are required to make optimum use of the energy).  The power
generated by a receiver array varies depending on the planet's distance
from the local star. Under optimum conditions, when the star is close
enough to the planet, 2000 units of power per turn are generated by a
single receiver array.

AGRICULTURAL DOME -- Produces the food you need to maintain your
population.  In the full game, the Agricultural Domes will be the
primary food source, but others can also be created through Research.

ROBOT EXPLORER -- Automatically deployed in the demo to seek out
potential mining locations.  There is only one, but it will eventually
search the entire area surrounding your SEED factory, locating all the
mines and any other unusual features.

ROBOT DOZER -- Can be placed to prepare a smooth surface for future
construction.

ROBOT DIGGER -- Can be placed to dig underground tunnels for habitation.
Certain structures, such as Residential units, can only be built
underground so as to take advantage of the soil for protection from
cosmic radiation, meteorites, the hostile planetary environment, and
other really nasty things that can ruin a human's day.  When the Digger
finishes work on the surface, it leaves an airlock behind.

ROBOT MINER -- Can be placed on a potential mining location, marked with
a red beacon on the main map, to dig for resources.  Depending on the
difficulty of the terrain, it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 turns to
dig down one level.  When the Robot Miner has dug through the surface
layer, that spot is marked with an Active Mine tile that will remain
there while the Miner continues to dig as deeply as possible (up to four
levels underground, depending on the planet and terrain).

ACTIVE MINE -- After a Robot Miner starts digging mine shafts, the
Active Mine tile will appear to mark the position of the mine.  As soon
as ORE is being produced by the mine, it will be stored temporarily.
Every few turns, the stored Ore will automatically be transported to the
Smelter for processing.  (In the full game, this will not be an
automatic function.)

SMELTER / ORE PROCESSING FACILITY -- Processes Ore from the mines and
turns it into useful resources that will show up on reports.  As soon as
the resources are processed, they are added to the general pool of
resources available for building new structures and maintaining the
operations of existing structures.

CHAP -- The CHAP facility creates the self-contained, breathable
atmosphere that is piped through your colony structures.  Humans love
this sort of thing because they can keep breathing air to maintain their
metabolic functions.

SPEW -- The Sewage Processing and Environmental Waste (SPEW) Facility is
one big recycling unit.  Buildings and wastes are recycled to form a
Multi- Purpose Goo (MPG) that can be used in place of any normal
resource.  MPG is quite valuable, so it is produced at a very slow rate
and requires a great deal of recycled material.

RESIDENTIAL -- Residential units are placed underground for their own
protection.  You can reach the underground portion of the demo by using
the pull-down "Control" menu and selecting the underground level (there
is only one underground level in the demo).  The underground area must
be prepared by a digger before you can build a structure in that
position.  These are required to maintain your population.  Each one can
handle up to 25 people, but their Morale won't be very good if you crowd
them together so much.  The optimum for a Residential unit is 20 people,
but they'll be even happier if they have more space (extra Residential
units).

UNDERGROUND LABORATORY -- Underground laboratories are clean facilities
that are placed underground for the protection of their human
inhabitants.  You can reach the underground portion of the demo by
following the instructions above in the "Residential" description.

LIGHT INDUSTRY / LUXURY MANUFACTURING -- These are factories that
produce consumer items and other things that have little impact on the
environment.  In the full game, there will be numerous options for items
to produce, but this demo is limited to just a few to give you an idea
of how the factories are going to work.  The produced items will show up
on reports so that you can maintain control over the supply.  Luxury
items directly affect the Morale of your population, which means they'll
produce more goods in your factories, perform better scientific
research, control the level of crime, and all kinds of good things if
they have enough Luxury items to go around.  If they don't have
enough...well, you'll find out.


REPORTS:

The status of various structures is reflected in the reports that the
artificial personality generates for you.  You can study one of these
reports by clicking on the appropriate structure:  the Lab gives you a
report on current research, the Factory report shows current production,
the Mine shows a report on mining and resources, and the Command
building gives you the Executive Summary report.


ROBOTS ARE YOUR FRIENDS:

In the full game, there are a wide variety of robots you can build and
operate, including Explorer robots, Miner robots, and Bulldozer robots.
After you develop the technology through research, you can also build
human worker replacement robots, which will be very handy when your
humans are complaining about the lack of any air to breathe.  Due to the
limitations of this demo, you won't get the dictatorial thrill of
dealing with these mechanical slaves until you buy the actual game.


SPECIAL EFFECTS WIZARDRY:

Although the images you see in this preview demo are nifty 3-D rendered
graphics, the final game is loaded with animations that will knock your
eyes out (it's painful, but it's worth it).  With its hard-science
orientation, 3-D graphics, speech, sound effects, and music, the level
of realism in OUTPOST is unmatched by any other product.




TECHNO-WIZARDRY:

In this preview demo, many functions are automatically handled by the
game. For example, the ore generated by a mine is automatically shipped
to the Smelter for processing every 5 turns, assuming that a Smelter has
been built. In the full game, you will be required to use trucks or a
monorail to ship the ore to the Smelter.


TERRAFORMING:

Terraforming is not available in this demo, which only runs for a
limited number of turns.  However, you can exert almost total control
over your planet in the final game, meaning that you can create an
atmosphere if you're on the right kind of planet with the right kind of
resources and research capability.  It takes a long time, but it will
make your population really happy when they won't have to wear
spacesuits to take a stroll on the surface of the planet.


TRADE:

There are no trading agreements with other colonies in this preview
demo, but there will be in the final game.  Really.  Trust me.


HEY, THERE'S A BUNCH OF STUFF MISSING!

Well, this is a demo, after all.  Just think of it as a teaser, an
appetizer, an aperitif, and a way of luring you into buying the rest of
the meal so that you can get to the dessert.


OKAY, EXACTLY HOW DO I GET STARTED IN THIS DEMO?

1.  Pick a landing site by clicking with your mouse on the overhead area
map at the top right of the screen.  The section you click on will be
displayed on the diamond-shaped close-up terrain map.

2.  Click on the SEED factory in the small Tile Type window, then move
the cursor over the terrain map and select the landing site for your
SEED factory. (There are several different terrain types, including one
that is IMPASSABLE, which you can't build on.)

3.  Click twice on the planet icon in the lower right hand corner to
indicate you have finished your movement for two turns.  (The Turn
number will be displayed in the title bar at the top of your screen.)
This gives your SEED factory time to build its companion Command center.

4.  As they become available, more tiles will appear in the Tile Type
window. The stored robots on the SEED factory can now be deployed.  The
Digger should be placed on a tile somewhere near the SEED factory.  The
Miner should be placed at a location with an "M" on the local map (also
represented by a red circle on the big area map at the top right of your
screen).  The Dozer should be placed on a nearby spot where you'd like
to build a structure, since the surface must be prepared before work
starts on a building.

5.  Keep preparing surfaces to build on, selecting structures to build
in those locations, and placing Miners to develop your resources.  You
must keep moving the Digger robots on the underground levels to prepare
tunnels to accept structures.  Diggers aren't very bright, so you have
to keep placing them where you want them to tunnel.

6.  Refer to your reports to manage your resources.  In this demo, the
humans will come down as soon as the Command and Control facility is
built by the SEED factory, but they'll get grumpy if you don't give them
Residential space to live in as soon as you can.

7.  You're on your own.