398 lines
17 KiB
Groff
398 lines
17 KiB
Groff
|
||
*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
|
||
(*) (*)
|
||
(*) UNIVERSE II DOCUMENTATION (*)
|
||
(*) (*)
|
||
(*) Brought to you by: (*)
|
||
(*) (*)
|
||
(*) Dr. Fix (*)
|
||
(*) (*)
|
||
*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
|
||
|
||
These docs are verbatim from the manual, except where noted. Eight
|
||
asterisks denote chapter titles. A phrase/word that has an asterisk on
|
||
either side or is in all caps in mid-sentence is eithr bold-faced or
|
||
italicized in the documentation. All caps on a single line delineate a
|
||
major subheading in a chapter. "<|" and "|>" brace comments from me.
|
||
Enjoy.
|
||
|
||
|
||
********INTRODUCTION*********
|
||
|
||
THE STORY SO FAR ...
|
||
|
||
*History*
|
||
|
||
During the latter part of the First Stellar Expansion, is became evident
|
||
that the technology from planets in the Home Cluster could not support
|
||
the ever expanding colonization effort.
|
||
|
||
The hyperdrive had opened an era of fast, economical travel between the
|
||
stars. Journeys that used to consume decades could be made in a matter
|
||
of days. However, the hyperdrive was not without its problems. Its
|
||
unrefueled maximum range was a major limitation. After 3 or 4
|
||
hyperjumps, the ship would be completely out of the inhabited regions,
|
||
with nowhere to refuel. Its fuel capacity was also part of thge second
|
||
hinderance: the so-called "Mass Limit." Stated simply, it sets a severe
|
||
limit on the maximum size of a spacecraft that can enter hyperspace.
|
||
Because of these problems, the experts were predicting an end to the
|
||
rapid expansion that had previously characterized Earth's emergence as
|
||
an insterstellar civilization.
|
||
|
||
In 2105, a research ship traveling through the far reaches of the Tau
|
||
Ceti starsystem discovered a huge alien artifact. Entie scientific
|
||
communities came to study the artifact and, several years latr, the
|
||
purpose of the great machine was discovered. It was a hyperspace boostr.
|
||
It had the capability to "push" spacecraft not tens but thousands of
|
||
light-years. Since the booster itself did not enter hyperspace, ships up
|
||
to the mass limit could travel a thousand lightyears with minimal
|
||
power.
|
||
|
||
Years of research continued. Why had the aliens abandonned the booster?
|
||
Where had they gone? The scientists were unable to say. The booster
|
||
contained a mapping sustem depicting millions of stars, but very few of
|
||
them had recieved any special mention.
|
||
|
||
Finally, the control system was deciphered and test flights were made.
|
||
They proved the machine to be fully functional and technician's
|
||
knowledge of the control system, adequate enough to allow regular use.
|
||
|
||
The Second Stellar Expansion started.
|
||
|
||
You are in a cluster of stars known as the Local Group. It is impossible
|
||
to communicate with Earth because travel using the booster is strictly
|
||
one-way. Up until 40 years ago, small capsules containing the latest
|
||
news and technical examples used to arrive every month from the Home
|
||
Clustedr. Then one day they stopped. There was no indication that there
|
||
was anything wrong in the Home Cluster. The ensuing panic and fear in
|
||
the Local Group nearly destroyed civilization; as it is, the LG has been
|
||
divided into two mutually hostile govenments, set on the brink of war.
|
||
Fortunately, 20 years ago, a second hyperspace booster was discovered at
|
||
the planet Diftalpa, right in the Local Group. The second booster is
|
||
currently being towed to Cetus Amicus, where is will be studied in
|
||
greater detail. It is hoped that in the near future thre wll be two-way
|
||
communication between the Local Group and the Home Cluster ... if the
|
||
Local Group doesn't destroy itself first.
|
||
|
||
|
||
*Who You Are*
|
||
|
||
The Local Group has been divided into two governments, the Federated
|
||
Worlds (FW) and the United Democratic Planets (UDP). Although trade and
|
||
travel continue between the two governments, the situation is
|
||
deteriorating rapidly.
|
||
|
||
Almost 8 years ago, you "retired" from the Federated Worlds Special
|
||
Forces (FWSF), an organization whose function is to gather intelligence
|
||
data and perform covert operations within the United Decmocratic
|
||
Planets. Now you carry the personna of a free trader from Vrommus Prime.
|
||
Your cover is quite airtight. Occasionally, the FWSF provides you with
|
||
money and special equipment, but only to send you out on a mission. Not
|
||
all of your crew is even aware that you are anything else but a trader.
|
||
So during your travels and missions, you're ging to have to earn a
|
||
living.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------
|
||
******* GETTING STARTED ********
|
||
--------------------------------
|
||
|
||
<| I skipped the game warranty & repair section and the paragraphs
|
||
dealing with how to set up Universe II on your Macintosh, Ibm or
|
||
Zenith. D.F.|>
|
||
|
||
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
|
||
|
||
This manual is broken up into 8 major sections. They are: INTRODUCTION,
|
||
GETTING STARTED, PLAYING UNIVERSE II, FILE CONTROL, FLIGHT, STARPORT,
|
||
DRYDOCK, and APPENDIX.
|
||
|
||
*Introduction* contains the background history on which the game is
|
||
based.
|
||
|
||
*Getting Started* explains the game warranty and repair policies,<|sorry
|
||
to deprive you of that|> how to boot the program and get it running on
|
||
your particular computer, how to operate the user interface (pull down
|
||
menus, buttons, mouse, etc.), and playing tips to help you jump right
|
||
into the game withut having to go through the whole manual.
|
||
|
||
*Playing Universe II* is a guide to the way the systems on your ship
|
||
work in concert. It details the functions of the various systems
|
||
availible for your spacecraft, your crew and what to do with them,
|
||
insterstellar commerce, the on-board computer, astrogation, warfare,
|
||
energyd and time, and your mission as a deep-cover agent for the
|
||
Federated Worlds.
|
||
|
||
*File Control* Explains how to create a new player file, check yuor
|
||
disks for any errors, delete old player files, and save current player
|
||
files.
|
||
|
||
*Flight* describes the workings of each of the various sections involved
|
||
in operating your spacecraft.
|
||
|
||
*Drydock* describes all of the various services available at the orbital
|
||
drydocks, including the Labor Mart, new parts, new supplies, and even
|
||
purchasing a totally new spacecraft.
|
||
|
||
*Starport* explains how to use the text parser, a user interface which
|
||
allows you to: type in sentences to move about the starports, talk with
|
||
other characters in the game, and find special clues to help you finish
|
||
successfully. It also describes the Transaction Terminal, which enables
|
||
you to buy and sell products, exchange ores for currency, accept and
|
||
discharge passengers, and send your crew to a technical school to
|
||
increase their grade.
|
||
|
||
*Appendix* is a convenient collection of tables and data neede to play
|
||
Universe II. It also includes a glossary, instructions on using the
|
||
Universe electronic bulletin board, and an index. <| I cut the index
|
||
because I didn't try to match the page numbers of the actual
|
||
documentation, and I cut the bit about the Universe BBS because you use
|
||
have to have an account based on your purchase of the game. |>
|
||
|
||
We suggest that you read THE STORY SO FAR ... and PLAYING TIPS.
|
||
Following that, you should read the entirre PLAYING UNIVERSE II chapter
|
||
to understand the ideas behind each of the program sections. Then, you
|
||
only need to read the sections in FLIGHT, DRYDOCK, and STARPORT as you
|
||
need them.
|
||
|
||
Enjoy!
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
RUNNING UNIVERSE II ON YOUR COMPUTER
|
||
|
||
APPLE II
|
||
|
||
System Requirments
|
||
|
||
Apple //e with a 128K 80 column board or Apple //c, 2 disk drives,
|
||
optional Apple Mouse.
|
||
|
||
*Starting Omnitrend's UNIVERSE II*
|
||
|
||
Universe II is distributed on five disk sides labeled A,B,C,D, and E. To
|
||
run Universe II, place disk A into drive 1 and turn on the computer.
|
||
Disk A must not be write protected.
|
||
|
||
The 128K 80 column board must be enabled so that the double
|
||
hi-resolution graphics are active. See the 80 column text card manual
|
||
for more information on enabling the double hi-resolution graphics.
|
||
|
||
*Using the Menus With a Mouse*
|
||
|
||
If you have a mouse connected to your computer, you can use it for
|
||
selecting menu entries. To display a menu, point to its name on the
|
||
white bar at the top of the screen and press the mouse button. Hold the
|
||
button down and move the pointer to highlight the entry you wish to
|
||
select. Once the pointer is positioned correctly, release the button.
|
||
|
||
You may often see a window on the screen in which there will be one or
|
||
two buttons. A button is a rectangle with a word in it such as
|
||
"Continue". You may click that button by pointing to it with the mouse
|
||
and pressing the button.
|
||
|
||
|
||
*Using the Menus Without a Mouse*
|
||
|
||
Too use the menus without a mouse, press the ESC (escape) key in the
|
||
upper left corner of the keyboard. This will enable you to use the arrow
|
||
keys to select the items in the menus. To move the pointer in a certain
|
||
direction, just use the four arrow keys. When the item you want is
|
||
highlighted, press the RETURN key.
|
||
|
||
You may also use the key equivalents to select menu entries in the game.
|
||
When you pull down a menu, you will see the apple character followed by
|
||
a letter next to every menu entry. To select an entry, press either
|
||
apple key (located on either side of the space bar) and the letter for
|
||
that function. The apple key works in the same way that the shift key
|
||
works, so you should press the apple key first and hold it down while
|
||
you press th letter. It is not necessary to pull down a menu to use the
|
||
key equivalents.
|
||
|
||
You may often see a window on the screen in which there will be one or
|
||
two buttons. A button is a rectangle with a word in it such as
|
||
"Continue". To press a button with the keyboard, just press the key that
|
||
corresponds to the first letter of the word in the button. For example
|
||
if the work in the button is "Continue" the you may press the 'C' on te
|
||
keyboard to press it. Note that buttons override menu entries, so if a
|
||
menu function's key equivalent was "C" and the buttonn "Continue" were
|
||
on the screen, pressng "C" would "click" the button instead of selecting
|
||
the menu function.
|
||
|
||
You may use either upper or lower case letters when using the keyboard.
|
||
|
||
*Making Backups"
|
||
|
||
We suggest that you make backups of disk sides B,C,D, and E. The disk
|
||
with side A is copy protected, so you will neeed to... <| get a cracked
|
||
copy. (I left out the mailing instructions, etc.) For those of you with
|
||
Unidisks, you may want to consider buying this program... |>
|
||
|
||
Omnitrend Software is offering a free game update for Unidisk 3.5
|
||
owners. When your original game disks have been received, we will mail
|
||
you a 3.5" version of the game, which fits entirely on one disk.
|
||
|
||
<| more mailing instructions that I left out... |>
|
||
|
||
|
||
PLAYING TIPS
|
||
|
||
These are a few playing tips to help you get started with Universe II.
|
||
|
||
* Check the vidscomm frequently. * Many of your assignments and clues
|
||
will come from listening to vidcomm messages. Don't forget that the
|
||
government affiliation of the planet you are orbiting will determine
|
||
which vidcomm messages you receive.
|
||
|
||
* There is a drydock nearby. * When you are starting the game, take
|
||
advantage of the drydock above Axia to obtain additional supplies and
|
||
parts.
|
||
|
||
* There is a starport nearby. * When you are starting the game, go down
|
||
to the Axia starport and pick upsome products. Check the planet chart
|
||
and the culture chart so you will know what products to buy and where to
|
||
bring them. Hint: Zeath is a good place to bring products from Axia.
|
||
|
||
* Be patient. * It takes some time to become familiar with Universe II.
|
||
|
||
* Use the Save & Continue feature. * By frequently backing up your game,
|
||
you can see whether a particular strategy works before committing
|
||
yourself to it.
|
||
|
||
* Check your ship's status frequently. * Go into C&S every so often and
|
||
check your ship's damage levels, supplies and crew. Chances are someone
|
||
will get a promotion.
|
||
|
||
* Check if anyone is locked-on. * When you are orbiting a planet and
|
||
ready to send shuttles or ore-processors down to the surface, you are
|
||
rather vulnerable to enemy attacks. Make sure that no one is shooting at
|
||
you before launching landers.
|
||
|
||
* Talk to people. * It's a good idea to talk to everyone you meet in a
|
||
starport.
|
||
|
||
* Check in. * Check into the FWSF headquarters on Vromus Prime every so
|
||
often. Admiral Bresheliah may have something important.
|
||
|
||
* Plan ahead with crew, * You may find that it will save you money to
|
||
purchase low grade crew early in the game, so that when you need high
|
||
grades, you won't have to send anyone to expensive technical school.
|
||
|
||
* Don't purchase too quickly. * When you are at a starport waiting to
|
||
buy something, watch a single brand of product to get an idea of what a
|
||
good price is. Many times, buying the first product you see won't yield
|
||
much profit, expecially when you are paying premium price for it.
|
||
|
||
* Check part requirments. * When purchasing a complicated system such as
|
||
an ore processor, make sure that you have all of the accesories for
|
||
using it (ex., pilots, marines, eneregy, resource scanner, programs,
|
||
etc.) before leaving the drydock. This will eliminate many unnecessary
|
||
trips.
|
||
|
||
* What to do first. * When you begin the game your Agora class
|
||
spacecraft is in the Hope starsystem, but not around any planet. Do a
|
||
solar transfer to Axia, get into a low orbit, take the orbital shuttle
|
||
down to the starport, get products and passengers for the planet Zeath,
|
||
and then go there. From there, it's up to you!
|
||
|
||
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>-- UNIVERSE II DOCS, part II --<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
|
||
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<-- By: Dr. Fix -->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------
|
||
**** PLAYING UNIVERSE II ****
|
||
-----------------------------
|
||
|
||
This section of the manual illustrates the functions of the various
|
||
compnents (or *systems*) of a state-of-the-art spacecraft. There are
|
||
seven different types of systems. They are: Drive, Energy, Command &
|
||
Support (C&S), Scanning, Lander, Weapon, and Mining. Notice that each
|
||
spacecraft design available to you has these seven sections in it. The
|
||
capacity of each of the sections determines the spacecraft design's
|
||
primary goal. For example, ore processors and the ramscoop may only be
|
||
placed in the mining section. If a spacecraft has a large mining
|
||
section, such as the sutter, then it is primarily suited for minng.
|
||
|
||
|
||
SPACECRAFT SYSTEMS
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
|
||
All systems have several common characterisics. They are:
|
||
|
||
*Damage Points (DP)* -
|
||
This is a measure of the abount of damage that a part can take before it
|
||
is destroyed. The higher the damage point level, the more likely the
|
||
part will survive an attack. Damaged parts can be brought back to their
|
||
original damage point level by an enginner or by the repair crew at a
|
||
drydock.
|
||
|
||
*Size* -
|
||
The measurement of a part's bulk. The larger the part, the more room it
|
||
will take to fit it in a section.
|
||
|
||
*Visibility* -
|
||
The measurement of how likely a part is to be his during an attack. This
|
||
is based upon two factors: the part's size and the visibility modifier
|
||
of the spacecraft section the part is inside. To calculate the part's
|
||
visibilitym the appropriate section's visibility modifier is added to
|
||
the part's size. For example, if you have a hyperdrive of size 5 in an
|
||
Angora class spacecraft, its visibility wouold be 3, because the
|
||
visibility modifier for the drive section is -2. This means that the
|
||
drive section is concealed enough so that anything inside of it
|
||
"appears" smaller to the outside than it really is and thus presents
|
||
less of a target. The actual visibiliy of a part may never go below 1.
|
||
|
||
*Sophistication* -
|
||
This is the same as the sophistication of the drydock where the part was
|
||
purchased. Only high-grade engineers and high sophistication drydocks
|
||
can repair the most sophisticated parts. Typically, the sophistication
|
||
parts are the best (and costliest).
|
||
|
||
In addition, some systems have the following characteristics:
|
||
|
||
*Partial operation* -
|
||
Any system marked as such will operate at a fraction of its normal
|
||
efficiency if damaged. The percentage of efficiency is calculated by
|
||
dividing the current dp level of the part by its maximum dp level. For
|
||
example, if a sub-light drive with 15 dp maximum and 500 gravities of
|
||
acceleration is reduced to 11 dp, then its top acceleration is reduced
|
||
to 367 gravities (11/15 =.734 and .734 * 500 =367). Note: partial
|
||
operation will affect all of a part's functions adversely.
|
||
|
||
*Constant drain* -
|
||
If a system has the note "constant drain" in the Parts List, it will
|
||
consume power even if it has been severely damaged, although it will
|
||
stop draining if it is removed or destroyed.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|