informis/textfiles
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity
textfiles/piracy/SOFTDOCS/n&b_e2fm.txt
root@procul 278a90f7ce Initial commit
2021-04-15 13:31:59 -05:00

3307 lines
137 KiB
Plaintext
Raw Blame History

-=========================================================================-
14-Nov-93 >THIS FILE HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO ZENLANDIA BBS< 02:07:34
________ ___
\_____ \ _____________ /\ ___ _ _______ _______ ___ / /
/ /\\__________ \ / // /\ / \\____ \ / _____ \ / // \
/ / \_____ \ \ / // / / \ /\ \ / /___ /\ \ / // /\ \
/ / / __/\ /\ \/ // / / /\ \ /\ \/ // / / // // / \ \
/ /_____\ \____ / /\ // /___/ /__\ \ / /\ // /__/ // // /____\ \
\________\\_____// /\ \_/ \_____/\_//____// / \_//\______//\_//\_//______/
\ \\ \/ \\ \ \ \ | \/ / / / / / / /
\ \ / -dHM/
A BOARD OF /\/-> T R S I <-\/\
-=========================================================================-
<EFBFBD>
----------------------------------<2D><> ADDZ <20><>----------------------------------
... aNOTHER oNE cOMING fROM tHE fASTEST aROUND ...
-( zENITH wHQ (aMIGA) - rAZOR 1911 cHQ (pC) )-
/\______:_ _:___________ __________
/ | _______ | /________/ _____/
_/ | |/ \| \ / _____\_____ \
\______ | | \\ \/ ___/___| | \\
| || \_ \\_ / | \
_|__________| _|______/_______/_________l__________/
: /_______|
: /\_____ __
________:_/ _____
<- Z E N ! T H - W H Q -> / |/ ___/ tHE mASTERS aRE!
// | | |
! 7 nODES rINGDOWN ! _/ | || rOTOR, pOLARIS, rAIDER
\___________| |
! oN iNVITATION oNLY ! /_________|_ vFAST, mARK & gRIMLOCK
:
__________ /\______: ______________
_______ / _____/ / | ______\_________ \____________
/ \ \_____ \_/ | |/ \_______/ /________ \
/ | \\| | \\______ | | \\ \ _/_ _____/ //
/ \_ \ || \_ \ \ |/ / /
/ _|______/_________/_________| _|______/___|\\ | /____/
<-/_______|-----------------------/_______|------------\____|____\rtx!/aRt->
: : :
aMIGA 4ooo/o4o - 2 gIGA - aLL nODES aRE 16.8 dS hST - aMIGA & pC wAREZ
cRACKERS / tRAINERMAKERS cONFERENCE wITH tHE bEST dUDES aROUND!
aLL zENITH rELEASES aRE aLWAYS fREE dOWNLOADS
----------------------------------<2D><> ADDZ <20><>----------------------------------
<20>
: <20> . _________ ________ _____________
._____<5F> | <20> __ / : ___________/ _ \ \ __ _ /
| \ |____: : \_/ -A : \______ \ | \_ _: \_/ \_/
| \ <20> | <20> \_ <20><>D_ / / _/ | / |___/ \_
| : : | |_______/ `N<> _/ \ \_________/ | \________/
<EFBFBD> |_____<5F> <20> | : \__________/ \ <20> \_
: : \__________| R \___________/
. <20> C A Y A G
. Z G N
PRESENTS MORE SHYTE FOR YOU ON THIS FINE BORING DAY
======================================================
FRONTIER - ELITE II - MANUAL TYPED BY SHARD 13 NOVEMBER 1993
============================ ===============================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUE CRIPPLE & SNEER
SOLICITORS
Windrush Tower. Olympus Village. Mars. Sol System. 0/0S04 OLI
YOUR REFERENCE: SCS / CPJ-4.1
J.Jameson Jnr OUR REFERENCE: CPJ / JJJ-4.1
51a South Dormitory
Fish Processing Plant 3142
Sirocco
Merlin
Ross 154
-1/0Rs2a S16
31.12.3199
To whom it may concern
It is our duty to inform you of the death of your grandfather, Commander
Peter Jameson.
The wreckage of his ship was found in the Reidquat system on 11 November
3199. He was presumed killed in combat after a "misunderstanding" over
some stolen goods according to the local press.
A last will and testament was prepared on 3 February 3199 and section 4.1
has been circulated to all living grandchildren as instructed by our late
client.
If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact us. The normal fees of
fifty (50) Credits per hour (including service tax) apply.
Yours sincerely
Mr Edmond Sneer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Will & Testament
Commander Peter Jameson Section 4.1
A way of life that is very different to the dull planet bound existence you
have probably led up to now. It is a way of life that I loved and want you
to experience.
I want you to feel the freedom of flying your own ship and being able to
explore the vast galaxy. Whatever your aims in life (I settled for wealth
power and fame) there is an occupation for you. Try your hand at trading,
following established trading routes or making your own. May be doing odd
jobs is more your style buzzing from one place to the next, never working
for the same person twice. What about mining? Later perhaps.
I know that some of you will succumb to a criminal existance, so I may as
well say that piracy, bounty hunting and mercenary work will suit you.
I won`t tell you to place your allegiance with the Federation, the Empire
or the Indepandents but be careful they all use you for their own aims. No
amount of treaties will change the fact that they dislike each other
Space has changed a great deal since I was your age. No I am not going to
harp on about everything being cheaper and friendlier in the past. People
were just as bad then as now but we now have better technology and humans
have spread further so there is more scope. Your abilities as a pilot will
be tested to the full, especially in combat so before you upset anybody get
in some practice.
I want to give you the best start I can. As there are now so many of you
my resources have been spread thinly. Each of you will receive an Eagle
Long Range Fighter and one hundred credits. The ship has been delivered to
your local starport but the documents are enclosed with this letter
Above all enjoy yourself and BE WARY!
Mortal Press 2/2TX4-LWT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
WELCOME!
CONGRATULATIONS on buying the Eagle Long Range Fighter, clearly the
purchase of a discerning pilot!
As you will no doubt have noticed, our continual quest for excellence has
resulted in this, the culmination of the search for the most advanced
technology and ergonomic design, embodied in one ship. We are proud of the
individualistic style married with functional superiority, as we continue
the Faulcon De Lacy pedigree.
As you are obviously a cut above the common space traveller, the
understated styling of the interior will have impressed you. A dynamic
spacehound such as yourself will not have time for unnecessary frills, so
we have styled the interior with the minimum of fuss, just like the
exterior. Particularly pleasing though, are the lines of the pilot's seat
made of revolutionary Silastoplaston, a material that stays dry at all
times. It really gives the message that you are in control! It feels as
though you are immersed in water while it protects you from dangerously
high acceleration forces.
Always mindful of necessity we have included the 1MW Phlaschgyt Pulse Laser
weapon. The laser is noted for being compact, economical and again
understated the hallmark of this craft. As if that is not enough, we have
installed the latest Manolife one man life support system that keeps you
cooking at the right temperature and nasty gases at bay. We have been
accused of madness for giving away lots more as part of a limited period
offer, just look at the specifications list!
Whether on the run or just cruising, feel that tight gyroscopic control.
You will be so thrilled with the Eagle that you will want to purchase
accessories, available from all good Shipyards.
THE EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
------------------------
THE HULL
A 25 tonne ship with a 20 tonne hull capacity. An amazing 15 tonnes of
equipment is included in the price leaving you with a 4 tonne capacity
cargo bay with 1 tonne of fuel.
Dual main thrusters capable of a blistering peak acceleration of 25g or 0
to 1000 kilometres per hour in only 1.13 seconds.
FREE! Atmospheric Shielding for heat protection on entering atmospheres.
WEAPONRY
1 Megawatt Pulse Laser (front mounting only).
2 Missile Mountings giving you a choice of missiles
FREE! Not one but TWO KL760 homing missiles
DRIVE
Class 1 Hyperdrive with a range of 8 light years
FREE! 1 tonne of Hydrogen Fuel giving you 8 light years travel.
FREE! Autopilot.
CONTROLS
Scanner incorporating the Galactonav System.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Manolife Life Support System.
Silastoplaston pilot's seat.
F R O N T I E R
===============
SECTION ONE: ICONS
Using the console to control your ship.
SECTION TWO: NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT
Getting around the galaxy and flying your ship.
SECTION THREE: COMBAT
Using offensive and defensive equipment.
SECTION FOUR: THE SHIPYARD
Buying new ships, equipping them, and contacting local police.
SECTION FIVE: TRADING
Using the Stockmarket and the black market.
SECTION SIX: MINING
Mining asteroids and planets.
APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT
A breakdown of all available equipment.
APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS
Items you can expect to trade
APPENDIX THREE: AN INTRODUCTORY JOURNEY
If you need further guidance before going it alone, this is it.
APPENDIX FOUR: THE MECHANICS OF SPACE FLIGHT
Technical details not for the faint-hearted, by David Braben.
APPENDIX FIVE: SHIP IDENTIFICATION
Facts and figures about some of the ships you will see and fly.
FRONTIER ELITE II COPYRIGHT NOTICE
-------------------------------------
The computer program and its associated documentation and materials are
protected by National and International Copyright Laws. Storage of the
computer program and its associated documentation and materials in a
retrieval system, reproduction, translation, copying, hiring, lending,
broadcasting and public performance are prohibited without the express
written permission of Konami UK Ltd and Gametek (UK) Ltd. All rights of
the author and owner are reserved worldwide. This program and its
associated documentation and material are sold according to Konami UK Ltd's
and Gametek (UK) Ltd's terms of trade and conditions of sale, copies of
which are available of request.
1993 David Braben
1993 Konami
SECTION ONE - ICONS
===================
USING THE CONSOLE
-----------------
This is a guide to using the console to control your ship there is also a
summary sheet which summarises the use of icons.
SELECTING AN ICON
The icons are activated by first touching them with the tip of the
mouse-controlled pointer and then pressing the left hand mouse button.
Alternatively, simply use the keyboard shortcuts (for the main icons there
are function keys F1-F10 the number of which is shown at the bottom
right-hand corner of the icon). Note that all icons give an indication of
what will happen if that icon is selected. They do not show the current
mode.
The four main icons F1-F4 to the left-hand side of the scanner select the
current type of display.
The icons on the right-hand side F7-F10 change depending on the active
display.
This section outlines the four main types of display and their associated
functions.
VIEW ICONS (F1)
---------------
These icons allow you to cycle through a choice of views of the space
through which you are travelling. They are: Front, Rear and External (and
Turret if fitted). The position of the view from your ship is described in
the View Status area.
FRONT VIEW
This gives the view in the direction in which your ship is pointing. It is
not necessarily the direction in which you are travelling. If you have a
gun at the front, a sight will be positioned on the screen in the shape of
a cross.
REAR VIEW
A view in exactly the opposite direction to the front view. A sight will
only be visible if you have a gun mounted on the rear.
EXTERNAL VIEW
An external view is simulated by your onboard computer and can be useful
for aligning your ship. Some landings are particularly pleasing if viewed
in this mode. Use the Arrow (Cursor) keys to change the angle of view, the
- key to zoom in and the + key to zoom out. This can be used for general
surveillance of the surrounding space.
It needs to be borne in mind that the view is locked to the orientation of
the ship. For example, if you are looking at the craft from the side and
it is rolling, you will not see it roll, but the space around it will
appear to move and the craft will stay still.
TURRET VIEW
If you have top or bottom turrets on your ship this icon will become
available and is needed in order to fire lasers from turrets. If you have
two turrets (top and bottom) and you select this icon, the view presented
will come from the turret you were using last. Use of the right- hand
mouse button will move the angle of view, not the orientation of the ship.
If, when using the mouse, you dip below the level of the turret, the view
automatically changes to the other turret if you have one.
FLIGHT CONTROL ICONS (F7)
This icon on the right hand side of the display is operational in View mode
only. It switches between Engines Off (Fig 2) and Manual flight (Fig 3).
If you have an Autopilot and have selected a target (see THE AUTOPILOT on
page 20), then the Flight Control icon will cycle through Autopilot (Fig 4)
too. When you are landed, the Vertical Take-Off icon (Fig 5) is the only
option available. The status of your ship and its engines is described in
the Ship Status area.
HYPERSPACE ICON (F8)
While in View mode select this icon (Fig 6) to make a hyperspace jump. See
the NAVlGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 23 for details.
UNDERCARRIAGE ICON (F9)
In View mode use of these icons raises or lowers the undercarriage (Fig 7
and Fig 8). The Autopilot does this automatically when landing, but in
Manual Flight you must operate it yourself.
IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICONS (F10)
In View mode these icons (Fig 9 and Fig 10) are used to name all identified
objects on your display to aid navigation as the name can sometimes be seen
before the body itself.
MAP ICONS (F2)
--------------
These icons cycle through two map pages: Galactic Map (Fig 11) and Current
System Map (Fig 12). See the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11 for
a more detailed description. Note that the functions of icons F7 to F10
are not always the same in Galactic Map and Current System Map (see below).
GALACTIC MAP ICON (F2)
A grid map of all the star systems in the galaxy is displayed and the
following options are available:
DATA ICON (F6)
Gives geographical and physical data on the selected system if it has been
explored This is only present if a system has been selected.
Selecting the Data icon calls up the following four functions:
GALACTIC MAP (F6) Returns you to the Galactic Map.
ECONOMY ICON (F7) Gives data on imports, exports and illegal goods for the
selected system
SOCIAL STRUCTURE ICON (F8) Gives data on government type, population etc,
for the selected system.
ORBITAL MAP ICON (F10) Provides a diagram of the orbits of all bodies
within the system shown. They can be seen in motion using the Forward and
Rewind icons (see below). For closer observation of bodies use the Zoom
icons F7 and F8.
ZOOM ICONS (F7, F8)
Allow the view to be magnified (Fig 14) or reduced (Fig 15), except in Data
mode F6 where F7 and F8 are redefined for other uses.
TOOLS ICON (F9)
The galactic map can be redefined for easier and faster use.
Selecting the Tools icon calls up the following four functions:
STALKS ICON (F7) Turns height indication stalks on the galaxy grid map on
or off.
GRID ICON (F8) Turns grid on the Galactic Map on or off.
TRADE ROUTES ICON (F9) Turns Trade Routes on the Galactic Map on or off.
IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICON (F10) Some text on the Galactic Map can be turned
on or off.
GALACTIC VIEW ICON (F10)
Shows a creator's eye view of the galaxy to remind you of how small you
are. The brightness of each pixel depends on the number of stars in the
area covered by that pixel. Use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 to adjust the
view. Select the Galactic Map icon F10 (Fig 18) to return to the Galactic
Map.
CURRENT SYSTEM MAP (F2)
----------------------
Shows an orbital map of the system through which you are travelling.
Again, bodies can be seen in motion or at close range. Use the Zoom icons
F7 and F8 to adjust the view. The following options are also available:
TOOLS ICON (F9)
The orbital map can be redefined for easier and faster use.
Selecting the Tools icon (Fig 19) calls up the following two functions:
ORBITAL ICON (F9) Turns orbital lines on or off.
IDENTIFICATION TEXT ICON (F10) Turns names of bodies on or off.
TARGETING ICON (F10)
Enables you to select targets for combat or the Autopilot. Do this by
activating the icon (Fig 20), then clicking on the body to be targeted.
See the COMBAT section on page 35 and the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on
page 11.
INVENTORY ICONS (F3)
--------------------
If activated. this icon will cycle through seven information pages, in
order:
SHIP'S EQUIPMENT (see the SHIPYARD section on page 49)
COMMANDER PROFILE (see the COMBAT section on page 35)
CREW ROSTER (see the TRADlNG section on page 55)
CARGO ON BOARD (see the TRADlNG section on page 55)
PASSENGER ROSTER (see the TRADlNG section on page 55)
OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS LIST (see SHIP'S INVENTORY on page 60)
MININING INSTALLATIONS (see the MINING section on page 65)
See also SHIP'S INVENTORY on page 60 for a summary of the pages contents.
Note that if there is no information on a page it will not be displayed.
COMMUNICATION ICON (F4)
-----------------------
The effect of this icon (Fig 21) is different depending on whether you are
landed (or docked) or in flight
COMMUNICATION WHILE LANDED (OR DOCKED)
When this icon is selected a list of options will appear (Fig 22), for
example Stockmarket (See the TRADING section on page 55), Bulletin Board
(see the TRADlNG section on page 55), Launch Request (see the NAVlGATION
AND FLIGHT section on page 30) and Shipyard Services (seeTHE SHIPYARD
section on page 49).
COMMUNICATION IN FLIGHT
A list of messages to be broadcast will be superimposed on the main display
(Fig 23) Options include a request for landing or docking clearance and
sending messages to others. Some will provide a further list of
communications ,for example Broadcast message to all in range.... which
allows you to send distress calls or demands for surrender. You can also
contact the police and settle any outstanding fines by remote payment. See
the TRADING section on page 55, the COMBAT section on page 35, and the
NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11.
FORWARD AND REWIND ICONS
They are only displayed when orbital maps are in use (see the NAVIGATION
AND FLIGHT section on page 11), and are used to show the position of bodies
at different points in time. The simulated time is displayed at the bottom
left hand corner of the screen.
TIME CONTROL ICONS
These allow the pilot to alter the apparent speed of time. The single
arrow means real time and the arrows to the right increase the passage of
time by 10 to 10,000 times. The icon on the far left hand side is a pause
button to halt everything. See the NAVIGATION AND FLlGHT section on page
11 and the TRADING section on page 55. The pilot should realise that his
enemies are similarly sped up, so using these icons will only make a dodgy
problem worse.
THE WEAPON CONTROL PANEL
Call up the Weapon Control Panel (fig 26) by selecting the Scanner area.
Some items of your ships equipment do not have icons because they work
automatically Those that do have an icon which needs to be activated in
order for them to function are illustrated in the grey boxes. In the
bottom right hand corner of the icon, the letter for the keyboard short cut
is shown. The separate icon guide lists the weapon and equipment icons.
See also the COMBAT section on page 35 for details of use of weapons and
APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69 for technical details of
weapons and equipment.
SECTION TWO: NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT
===================================
NAVIGATION
----------
One part of your ship that is impressive is the Galactonav space navigation
facility, built in to all spacecraft. You have a number of facilities at
your disposal by using the Map icons F2 (Fig 27 and Fig 28).
Those icons cycle through two maps: the map of the galaxy and a current
map of the system in which you are travelling. Depending on which map you
are viewing the icons on the bottom right-hand side of your console have
different functions (see GALACTlC MAP ICON on page 5 and CURRENT SYSTEM MAP
ICON on page 7).
VIEWING THE GALAXY IN DETAIL USING THE GALACTIC MAP
---------------------------------------------------
Select the Galactic Map icon F2 to obtain a map of all the star systems in
the galaxy (Fig 29), thanks to the Galactic Survey of 2817. The positions
of all 100,000,000,000 stars (approximately) were mapped as soon as
technology provided telescopes sophisticated enough to do the job.
A grid is drawn through the plane of the galaxy to aid visual orientation
and provide navigational coordinates. The galaxy is divided up into
sectors. Since the galaxy is thin and flat, sector coordinates are only
two dimensional with a sector measuring eight light years along each edge
and containing all the stars above and below it. Sector boundaries are
shown in bright green on the map, and their coordinates are given relative
to the Solar system for historical reasons.
From Sol's sector, 'east' and 'west' coordinates are represented by the
first coordinate 'east' being a positive and 'west' a negative number.
Similarly, 'north' and `south` are represented by the second number, with
'north' positive. Up to nine sectors are displayed at once on the screen
and the coordinates of the central sector are displayed at the bottom
left-hand corner. Each star is shown coloured according to type (eg. red
for a red giant. blue for a hot blue star) and with a line indicating its
height `above` or 'below` the galactic plane.
The pink lines linking systems are recommended trade routes in case you
feel you need some guidance to start with. They were compiled by the
Zebulon Intergalactic Trading Corporation five years ago.
MOVING AROUND THE GRID
To move around the grid, use the Arrow (Cursor) keys. The system in the
centre is highlighed in green and a small amount of information on it is
shown on the console. The system you are currently travelling through is
highlighted in pink.
To change the angle of the grid itself (Fig 3O), to see the relative
positions of systems more clearly, hold down the right hand mouse button
and move the mouse.
You can zoom in and out with the Zoom icons F7 and F8
You can re-centre the map by pressing the C key.
MANIPULATING THE GALACTIC MAP
Once familiar with the grid, faster operation can be achieved by electing
to discard certain features (Fig 31 and Fig 32). Select the Tools icon F9
and four different icons become available which enable you to adjust
certain features of the grid.
. The Stalk icon F7 will turn the distance lines on or off.
. The Grid icon F8 will turn the grid on or off.
. Trade icon F9 will turn the trade routes on or off.
. The Identification Text icon F10 will remove the incidental and other
details like Core System.
As you elect to do any one, the four icons disappear but can be brought
back again with the Tools icon F9.
OBTAINING DATA ON A SYSTEM
ASTRONOMICAL DATA
From the grid map, select the system you are interested in by using the
Arrow (Cursor) keys to move it into the middle of the screen where it will
be highlighted in green
Use the Data icon F6 and a schematic summary of all astronomical bodies in
the system will appear, if the system has been explored (Fig 33).
Use the mouse to pick out individual bodies on which you require
geographical and physical data including:
Average surface temperature.
Major starports.
Orbital period (which is the sidereal period measured in Earth days).
Average orbital radius.
Orbital eccentricity and inclination, measured relative to the rotational
plane of the central body.
Clicking away from the text returns you to the general system data.
Alternatively click on another body.
If you want to return to the grid map of the galaxy, use the Data icon F6
again or the Galactic Map icon F2.
When in Data mode F6 the icons F7, F8 and F10 have new functions, as
follows:
DATA ON ECONOMY OF SELECTEO SYSTEM The Economy icon F7 gives a breakdown of
imports, exports and illegal goods. Exports tend to be cheap and imports
expensive.
DATA ON SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND COORDINATES The Political icon F8 gives
relevant details on Government type, economy, allegiance and population.
Sector coordinates in the Galactic map are also given here.
CONFIGURATION OF ORBITS OF THE SELECTED SYSTEM While still in System Data
mode F6 use of the Orbital map icon F10, will allow you to see the orbital
configuration of the system you selected (Fig 34), To alter the viewing
angle. press the right-hand mouse button and move the mouse.
VIEWING ORBITS WITH RESPECT TO TIME The orbital map shows a `snapshot' of
the positions of bodies. Select the Forward or Rewind icons on the right
hand side of the screen to predict the position at different times. The
time and date shown at the bottom left hand side of the screen will change
The real time is displayed underneath it.
VIEWING A SPECIFIC BODY Click on a body which will then become central on
the screen and use the Zoom icons F7 and F8.
MANIPULATING THE SELECTED SYSTEM ORBITAL MAP
Select the Tools icon F9 and two different icons become available which
enable you to adjust the features of the grid.
The Orbital icon F9 removes or replaces the orbit lines.
The Information Text icon F10 removes or replaces the text on the screen.
To get out of the Orbital map, use the Map icon F2 to return to the
Galactic map.
THE GALACTIC VIEW
This feature can be used to get an idea of perspective. While in Galactic
map mode, click on Galactic View icon F10 and a Creator's eye view of the
galaxy is shown (Fig 35).
At maximum zoom (showing 500 light year scale) each pixel represents a
single sector To zoom in and out use the Zoom icons F7 and F8 (Fig 36).
Note that the resolution is best while not zooming. When you stop zooming,
improvement of the first, coarse picture is made as quickly as possible by
the on board computer.
The Galactic Map icon F10 can be used to return to the Galactic map.
USING THE CURRENT SYSTEM MAP
----------------------------
VIEWING THE CONFIGURATION OF ORBITS
1. Select the Map icon F2 twice and a map of the system you are currently
in is displayed, showing the configuration of the orbits (Fig 37).
2. Zoom in and out with the Zoom icons F7 and F8.
3. Alter the viewing angle by holding down the right-hand mouse button and
moving the mouse as for the Galactic map.
VIEWING ORBITS WITH RESPECT TO TIME
The orbital map shows a 'snapshot' of the positions of bodies. Select the
Forward or Rewind icons on the right of the view screen to predict the
positions at different times. The time and date shown at the bottom
left-hand side of the screen will change. The real time is displayed
underneath it.
VIEWING A SPECIFIC BODY
Click on a body which will then become central on the screen and use the
Zoom icons F7 and F8
Note that the Autopilot can be targeted using the Current System map (see
the FLIGHT section on page 20).
MANIPULATING THE SYSTEM MAP
Select the Tools icon F9 and two different icons become available which
enable you to adjust certain features of the map.
The Orbital icon F9 will remove the Orbital paths.
The Information Text icon F10 will remove the names of the bodies.
OBTAINING PERMITS
-----------------
Some systems, such as those with a prison colony, require visitors to have
permits in order to enter the system. Any such requirements for a system
will be shown on the console when using the Galactic Map.
Permits are not widely available and you will find that they can only be
obtained indirectly. This means that you must do business involving the
system in question, for example delivering a package, so that the client
must give you a permit.
FLIGHT
------
Your ship has three basic modes of flight: Autopilot, Manual and Engines
Off which can be selected by using the Flight Control icons F7 in View
mode. The Autopilot is by far the easiest way to control your craft but
does not give you a sense of achievement. Manual flight may take some
getting used to, but is more rewarding. Flying with engines off does not
get you very far, but has some advantages as you will see.
THE AUTOPILOT
This most useful device, although not usually fitted as standard, has been
included with your Eagle. It can be bought and fitted at a shipyard if
ever you need another one. Your Autopilot, the Robocruise automatic
navigation system, superseded the Celestial Pathfinder which was less
reliable.
The Autopilot can only be used to select a destination in the system
through which you are currently travelling. For longer journeys, a
hyperspace jump needs to be made
OPERATING AUTOPILOT IN VIEW MODE
The Autopilot can only be used when in flight.
Whilst in a View mode (use the View icon F1 if you are in another mode),
target a planet or space station which is on the screen by clicking on the
centre of the target Note that you will find it easier to find a target,
for example, a city, if the name is on screen. If names have been turned
off, select the Identification Text icon F10.
Clicking where there is no potential target deselects any previously
selected target.
When a target is selected a sight will come up with targeting squares and
the range in astronomical units or kilometres (Fig 38). If the target goes
off the screen an arrow will appear pointing in its direction. If it is
behind then Target Behind is displayed.
Use the Flight Control icon F7 and cycle through Manual and Engines Off
to Autopiiot.
The Autopilot icon will only appear if a target is selected.
OPERATING AUTOPILOT IN CURRENT SYSTEM MAP MODE
This mode can be used when the desired destination is too far away to be
visible. A target can be selected even while landed or docked but the
Autopilot can only be engaged while in flight.
Use the Map icon F2 twice to obtain the Current System map.
Use the Current System map controls until yon can see the desired
destination on the screen
Click on the Targeting icon F10.
Click on the centre of the desired destination (Fig 39).
If you wish to change the target, click on the Targeting icon before
selecting another body. Clicking on bodies without selecting the Targeting
icon will merely move that body to the centre of the screen.
If you wish to deselect the target, click on an area which is blank. This
will also disengage the Autopilot if it is currently in control.
Return to View mode using the View icon F1. Targeting squares, looking
like a tunnel leading to the destination, will be visible, if in Front or
Rear View.
If you are in flight click on the Flight Control Icon F7 and cycle to
Autopilot to engage it. To return to Manual flight, use the Flight Control
icon F7 and cycle to Manual or Engines Off.
The Robocruise will automatically plot and maintain the course to your
destination. It will also lower the undercarriage and dock or land for
you, having automatically asked for clearance, while you freshen up. Some
pilots find it disorientating when the Robocruise engages and swings the
ship round. The true Spacehound knows that it is only locking on to the
new course.
Remember you can only trade and do business in cities or at space stations.
If you do land anywhere else the console will indicate Landed (Rough).
The Robocruise really comes into its own when used in conjunction with the
Stardreamer Time Control unit which is fitted as standard on all ships due
to regulations regarding Wilbron's psychosis. This condition is known to
afflict the space traveller who endures lengthy, uneventful journeys.
Boredom becomes so intense after all leisure pursuits have been exhausted
that pilots have been known to fly their craft into the odd star or planet
just to liven things up a bit.
USING THE STARDREAMER TIME CONTROL
This can be used with the Robocruise or in Manual flight. Use the Time
Control icons (after targeting your destination if using the Robocruise) to
select the rate of time acceleration. Time appears to increase in steps of
ten from ten times to ten thousand times, depending on the icon selected.
Return to real time by selecting the single arrow.
Sit back and a combination of a Zilman field and ultrasonic waves induce a
semi- hypnotic state which renders you unaware of the passage of time other
than seeing the range indicator change rapidly in front of you. This
effect was discovered by Dr Rabbne by accident when he revised why his
projects were running over time for no apparent reason. Reassuringly, if
your ship is attacked or hailed or you have arrived at your destination,
the Stardreamer will restore you to full consciousness and real time.
Don't forget that your enemies may be operating in real time and hence will
seem to be sped up enormously.
HYPERSPACE JUMPS
----------------
Space is BIG and hyperspace jumps are necessary to access different systems
quickly. Hyperspace jumps can be made using either Standard Hyperdrive or
Military Hyperdrive engines which can be bought at the Shipyard and come in
different sizes with varying ranges. Refer to APPENDlX ONE: SHIPYARD
EQUIPMENT on page 69 for a description of them.
A hyperspace jump causes a disturbance resulting in a glowing field at the
entry and exit points. A Hyperspace Cloud Analyser can determine the
destination of the jumping ship (See APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on
page 69) Before attempting your first jump, it is recommended that you read
the whole of this section.
RANGE
The range of the jump is determined by two things: fuel and the type and
class of engine. Details of these are given in the TRADING section for
fuel on page 55 and APPENDIX ONE: SHlPYARD EQUIPMENT for engines on page
74. Briefly the engines range depends on its class as well as the size of
the ship.
Engine ranges are displayed in two ways:
On the Inventory page select the Inventory icon F8 until the Ship Equipment
appears where the engine's range will be given.
On the Galactic map (Galactic Map icon F2, displayed in the panel, to the
right of the system name. If your engine is not up to jumping to the
destination selected, the mssage Out of Range will be given.
Fuel range is shown in two ways:
The amount of fuel required for a jump is displayed at the bottom left of
the Galactic map. If you have insufficient fuel then Insufficient Fuel
will also be displayed otherwise the fuel which will be used will be shown.
On the Galactic map, a pink circle will surround the system you are
currently in and this shows your maximum range for hyperspace in a single
jump.
JUMP DURATION
Although the perceived duration of a jump is very short, the actual time is
much greater It takes a week to make the maximum range jump for any engine.
For example an engine with a maximum range of 1O lightyears will take a
week to jump that far or 3.5 days for a 5 light year jump, and so on. A
ship with a maximum hyperspace jump range of 4 light years will take half a
week to jump only 2 light years. This has implications for piracy because
a pirate ship with a Hyperspace Cloud Analyser and a lighter ship can
'overtake' you and lie in wait. Contact in Hyperspace is not possible.
HYPERSPACE OPERATION
Target a system using the Galactic Map icon. by placing the required
destination in the centre of the screen with the Arrow (Cursor) keys. That
system becomes highlighted in green.
Return to View mode using the View icon F1.
Select the Hyperspace icon F8 (it will not show if you have no hyperspace
facility or a valid jump is not selected) and cross your fingers. If you
like you can set your destination. go about your business and be able to
make a quick exit at any time if things hot up a bit. Alternatively, if
you use the H key you can make your jump (Fig 40) without going into View
mode first.
Remember that the evidence of your hyperspace jump will be visible to
anybody in the vicinity of your exit or entry, as it leaves a glowing area
of disturbance in space. The destination can only be ascertained with a
Hyperspace Cloud Analyser, available at shipyards.
There are a number of reasons why the Hyperspace icon may not appear,
they are as follows:
You are too close to a planet. Regulations were laid down after the first
few decades of hyperspace jumping. Sudden above average recordings of
mutations around starports occurred a few years after jumps became routine.
It was discovered that the intense radiation caused by the jump was
affecting the population below. It became a requirement by law (on all
sides) that all ships have a cutout system built into the Hyperdrive which
is activated if you try to jump from near to a planet or space station.
A valid destination is not selected.
You do not have enough fuel for a jump to the selected destination.
Engine is damaged or destroyed.
You don't have a Hyperdrive engine!
MIS-JUMPS
Hyperdrives almost never go wrong, but if you are unfortunate enough to
suffer a spontaneous misjump, you can get into serious trouble. You will
emerge somewhere other than your planned destination, which may be out of
range for your remaining fuel. It is even possible to mis-jump beyond the
maximum range of your drive. If indeed your fuel reserves are too low or
the Hyperdrive is broken, your only hope is to call for help (Communication
icon F4) and risk pirates responding. It is not entirely understood why
mis-jumps happen but an unserviced Hyperdrive is a likely culprit. There
are no reliable statistics available on the occurrences of mis-jumps as
most ships are never found. A missing ship could just as easily be the
result of piracy.
FORCED MIS-JUMPS
Faulcon De Lacey do not condone this practice as it has an unpredictable
effect on the Hyperdrive. It is the equivalent of blindly jamming a
screwdriver into the works. We feel that it needs to be mentioned as a
warning because foolish pilots do use it as a last resort to escape
pirates. If they are being pursued by a larger pirate ship with a
Hyperspace Cloud Analyser they force a mis-jump by pressing the Alt key
while activating the Hyperspace icon or the F8 key. The pirates follow
them into hyperspace only to find that their quarry is nowhere to be seen
and is in fact somewhere else, frantically trying to work out exactly where
they are. The Hyperspace Cloud Analyser cannot distinguish a mis-jump from
a normal jump.
WASTE PRODUCTS
Unfortunately, the convenience of hyperspace travel is blighted with the
problem of waste products if you use military fuel. Due to the processes
in the Hyperdrive, every tonne of military fuel is converted to one tonne
of radioactives which you will need to dispose of on the stockmarket. See
APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS on page 77 for more information. Standard
Hyperdrive engines powered by hydrogen fuel do not produce problematic
waste products.
USING MANUAL CONTROL
--------------------
Due to the marked improvement of engineering technology the engines of the
craft are not controlled by the pilot directly, but by the on-board
computer in response to the pilot This fly by wire facility has enabled
many to take to the cockpit who would not have had the skill to do so.
The main problem for beginners is that they are usually accustomed to
driving surface based vehicles in reasonable gravity, or have only used
poor quality space flight simulators. What needs to be borne in mind is
that when direction is changed, the experience is rather like skidding. If
your ship is travelling in one direction changing course will mean that the
nose will turn but you still have momentum in the direction you were
originally going. The engines will compensate for this but there is a lag,
the duration of which will depend on the type of ship. For example the
response rate of a fighter will be faster than that of a heavy cargo ship.
This must be borne in mind at all times.
FUEL CONSUMPTION
Normal flight consumes much less fuel than hyperspace jumps and for that
reason fuel for this purpose is kept separately in an engine tank from the
hyperspace fuel (kept in the hold). Class 1 Engines hold one tonne, and
Class 2 Engines hold two tonnes. You do not need to refill very often and
the current level can be seen on the green gauge (left most of three) in
the dials area, to the right of the scanner. See INVENTORY ICONS in the
ICON section on page 8, and THE SHIP`S INVENTORY in the TRADING section on
page 60.
REFILLING THE ENGINE FUEL TANK
Spare fuel for refilling the engine tank is carried in the hold in one
tonne units.
To refuel the engine tank, select the Inventory icon F3 until the Ship
Equipment page is displayed. (Refuelling is done automatically with the
Auto Refueller fitted.)
Click on the Refuel button to transfer the fuel into the engine tank from
the hold.
If the engine tank only needs one third of a tonne, two thirds will be
wasted as the hold tank transfers units of one tonne only.
CONTROLS IN FLIGHT
TO MAKE THE SHIP DIVE Use the A key, push the joystick shaft forward or
move the mouse forwards while holding down the right-hand mouse button.
TO MAKE THE SHIP CLIMB Use the Z key, pull the joystick shaft back or move
the mouse backwards while holding down the right-hand mouse button.
TO GO LEFT Use the < key, move the joystick left or move the mouse to the
left while holding down the right hand mouse button.
TO GO RIGHT Use the > key move the joystick right or move the mouse to the
right while holding down the right hand mouse button.
Note that when flying with your engines off, the front and rear engines may
be controlled using the Enter and Shift keys respectively.
THE FRONT SCREEN
In Front View mode (see page 3 for a reminder) you will see two crosses on
your screen, One is a gun sight cross (Fig 47) which shows which way you
are facing, and the other is a diagonal cross, the velocity sight (Fig 48)
which indicates the direction in which you are travelling. When the two
are in line (Fig 49) it means that you are moving in the direction you are
pointing. If they are separate, it means that your velocity is in the
direction of the diagonal cross and you are pointing in the direction of
the gun sight because, for example, you have suddenly changed course. you
will hear the engines fire until alignment is achieved, You may see the
velocity sight disappear when your direction of travel is not within the
area of the screen if, for example, you veer wildly and the engines have
not yet compensated enough.
To summarise, the gun sight shows the orientotion of the ship and is
controlled by the pilot, the velocity sight indicates the direction of
travel and is controlled by the on- board computer.
Your ship's internal gyros enable it to rotate, much like those in the
ancient Earth satellites, good examples of which are now in the space
museum in Apollonius City on the Moon. While greatly superior now, the
gyros still have a limit to the rate at which you can turn, so don't expect
to spin 'on a sixpence' (small coin used in Britain on Earth, about 1,200
years ago).
SPEED
Speed is controlled with the Return key to accelerate and the right-hand
Shift key to decelerate. Two speed values are displayed on the screen:
Set speed and Actual speed (Fig 50). The first is the requested speed, set
by the keys above and the second is the speed relative to the most
important body in your vicinity. This important body can be a planet, star
or a space station or very large spaceship, and is selected by the on board
computer. If you fly away from it and the computer then designates
another, the actual speed will change, as will the velocity.
You will notice that the velocity sight will move as the on-board computer
adjusts your speed relative to the new body. For those who are happy to
point your ship at something and go, this is all you need to know. Pilots
wishing to be accomplished in flight theory should refer to APPENDlX FOUR:
THE MECHANlCS OF SPACE FLIGHT on page 91.
ALTITUDE
An altitude reading in metres will be displayed on the screen when in close
proximity to a planet or star. It will give your distance above the
average ground height of the body (Fig 50).
LAUNCHING
---------
SURFACE TAKE OFF
A warning sign is shown over the Take Off icon if permission to launch has
not been granted. If you are landed anywhere other than a starport (Landed
Rough) you do not need to ask for clearance. If you are in a starport
select the Communication icon F4 followed by Launch Request.
In View mode, activate the Right Control icon F7 for take off. This gives
you vertical thrust. The console will display Take Off.
This can seem quite slow so a faster ascent can be made if you tilt the
nose up once you have left the ground and increase your Set speed with the
Enter key. Using the rear view will display a pleasing panorama.
Once you have used forward thrust, the vertical thrust is turned off and
the console will display Manual Control.
Bear in mind that gravity will always pull you back down. If you wish to
fly in the atmosphere you must give the ship some lift by pointing the nose
up slightly thereby providing a small vertical component to the thrust.
LAUNCH FROM A DOCK
Activate the Commuication icon F4 and select Launch Request.
Accelerate forwards using the Enter key.
You must leave the area promptly because your clearance expires.
RUNNING WITH ENGINES OFF
If you are economising, turning off the engines has obvious advantages and
your engine flares wil not be visible to your enemies. It can make
manoeuvring easier when strafing a target. For example you can aim to fly
across a target and turning off the engines means you can point at it, go
sideways and shoot without the engines firing to propel you forward into
it. Experienced pilots often use this mode in combat, using the forward
and reverse thrusters (Enter and Shift).
SLING SHOT ORBITS
This technique for gaining speed was important in the early days of space
flight, but now it is unecessary due to advances in space technology. The
only reasons to do this are because it can be visually pleasing to sweep
past a planet or sun so that you can say you`ve done it. A sling shot uses
to your benefit the gravity of large bodies to 'sling` your ship in the
direction of its travel. Your engines need to be turned off otherwise they
will compensate for any effect and it saves fuel as well.
LOSS OF ENGINES
If an engine is disabled, the Autopilot will not function properly and only
very experienced pilots will be able to fly the ship manually.
LANDING AND DOCKING
-------------------
LANDING MANUALLY AT A CITY WITH A BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE (AN OUTDOOR CITY)
Executing a manual landing will require practice, so try it in a relatively
safe area. You may find it easier to use External View to align the ship.
Remember though that the ship will appear to be stationary and the ground
will seem to move. You may also find it helpful to use the targeting
squares, obtained by setting your destination as a target (see THE
AUTOPILOT section on page 20 or the TARGETlNG section on page 36).
Normally the Autopilot flies to an area 20km above the target and descends
vertically. You can set the controls to Manual flight using the Flight
Control icon F7 at any point in this operation. Alternatively you can fly
the entire approach and land manually (Fig 41).
The easiest method is to make a pass over the port while waiting for
clearance (Communication icon F4) and lowering the undercarriage
(Undercarriage icon F9). If the undercarriage has not been lowered you
will crash land. When you have been told which landing pad to use, aim to
be more or less at zero speed when you come to rest above it. If you
select Engines Off, gravity will take you down, with the on board computer
stabilising the ship. If there is little or no gravity, you may have to
thrust slightly with the nose down to start with, but be careful.
LANDING AT A CITY WITH NO BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE
Follow the same guide lines as for an outdoor city with a breathable
atmosphere. The only difference is the appearance of the landing area,
covered with a hexagonal airlock door (Fig 42). When clearance is granted,
the aperture will open to reveal the landing pad. Don`t ask for permission
too early or you will find that the clearance will be withdrawn and the
airlock shut. Again, the targeting squares may be helpful by providing a
'tunnel' through which you can fly (see THE AUTOPILOT section on page 20 or
the TARGETlNG section on page 36).
DOCKING AT A SPACE STATION
Request permission for docking (Communication icon F4) and wait until the
red flashing light turns white and orange homing lights are visible it is
illegal to approach prematurely. The on board computer matches your roll
with that of the station so you do not have to make difficult calculations
in order to dock. Position the ship immediatly in front of the docking
entrance and proceeding slowly (Fig 43). The dock`s vechicle arrest
mechanisnm will halt the craft provided your speed is not excessive.
SECTION THREE COMBAT
====================
USING YOUR WEAPONS
------------------
Welcome to the manual! (in case this is the first page you have turned
to).
While Faulcon de Lacy do not condone offensive combat, it is often
unavoidable. The best defence is always to run away if at all possible
(though many cultures reject this as cowardly). Combat is very dangerous,
and rarely ends up without expensive repairs being necessary.
Weapons (like missiles) may be controlled via the Weapon Control Panel of
your ship (Fig 52) which may be selected by clicking on the scanner area
with the left hand mouse button, or pressing the F5 key.
This display replaces the scanner display (if fitted). The scanner may be
restored by clicking on the area again (away from any icons) or by pressing
the F5 key. It should be borne in mind that keyboard shortcuts to the
Weapon Control Panel icons can still be used even if the Control Panel is
not currently selected.
As additional weapons and equipment are fitted to your ship, their icons
appear along the bottom of the panel. The icon boxes will remain blank
until you have obtained the equipment. As you buy missiles and mines, they
will be illustrated next to the icon boxes as shown above. It is
recommended that you read APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT on page 69 for
more technical information before buying anything.
TARGETING
Targeting is used for both long range navigation (see the NAVlGATION FLIGHT
section on page 11) and combat. One target can be set at a time.
Using the screen in Front, Rear, External or Turret View mode F1, click on
the centre of the ship to be targeted.
If you are in external or Turret View a sight on the target will appear
together with the range (Fig 53).
If you are in Front or Rear View you will be presented with the Targeting
Tunnel on your headup display (Fig 54). This is displayed as a series of
contracting squares along the path to the target, and looks like a tunnel.
The range of the target is given in Astronomical Units AU or kilometres km.
Targeting Tunnels are not normally shown for ships as they can be
confusing. They may be enabled by using the 'Preferences'.
In order to pursue the ship you fly down the tunnel. As you get closer to
the target the squares will be shown closer together, thus the squares will
come towards you faster. If you are approaching a stationary target then
ideally the squares should pass at a constant rate, as you slow down on the
final approach.
If the target goes off screen an arrow will indicate the direction in which
it lies, or, if it is behind your ship, Target Behind will show.
To deselect the target, click on a blank area that is not a potential
target.
You may also select another target at any time by clicking on another
object
Some pilots may find the 'tunnel' an annoyance. If you are one of these
refer to the Preferences sheet supplied separately from this manual.
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
-----------------
Quite often, the best form of defence is attack, hence Faulcon de Lacy do
provide what may be considered offensive weapons. It should be made clear
that they should only be used in a defensive capacity against an attacker -
Faulcon de Lacy in no way condone any other use.
PULSE LASERS AND BEAM LASERS
One laser (or other gun) can be mounted at the front of your ship and, for
ships with a rear mounting, one at the rear. Some larger ships are fitted
with turret, which can each take a single weapon. There is a wide range to
choose from (see APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT section on page 69),
though the full range will only be available at the biggest shipyards. It
is rumoured that the military of both sides have developed additional
weapons for their own use, but this is usually denied.
A Pulse Laser fires a single high energy pulse about once every 5/8 of a
second, while a Beam Laser fires a continuous beam, so is far more
devastating. Even small lasers are reasonably effective up to 8km range,
but their effectiveness decreases with distance, as the beam spreads
slightly. It is recommended that you get your shots in at as short a range
as possible, for maximum efficiency.
Beware of laser reflections from certain types of surface, especially when
at a glancing angle, Though the beam may have lost much of its energy it
can still cause serious damage. There are also words that the Imperial
Navy are developing reflective armour, which reflects much of a laser's
energy back along the incoming path, though this is strongly denied.
OPERATING PULSE OR BEAM LASERS
Lasers are fired by pressing both mouse buttons together, the Spacebar on
the keyboard or the fire button on the joystick. The front mounted laser
will fire if you are in Front View mode F1, the rear laser if in Rear View
mode, and the appropriate turret laser if in a Turret View mode. If you
are in External View, then the front laser will be used irrespective of any
other lasers fitted.
It is quite common for lasers to overheat, particularly with more excitable
pilots and with the higher power beam lasers. It is unlikely you will do
your laser any damage by this as it is protected by an automatic cut out to
prevent it burning out, but it may stop working for a few seconds.
LASER COOLING BOOSTER
This reduces the problem of lasers overheating at that vital moment. It
supplements the built in cooling system of your currently selected laser,
causing it to cool more rapidly. It does not affect Plasma Accelerators.
USING MISSILES
If you want a quiet life, be careful who or what you use as target
practice. When the time comes to use one of these devices, proceed as
follows:
Arm the missile of your choice by clicking on one of the missile icons.
The console will show the type of missile or mine you have armed. You can
arm only one missile at a time so if you click again on a different
missile, you will be arming that one and disarming the previous one.
A Fire icon also appears. Clicking on this or pressing the M key on the
keyboard fire the armed missile at your target, but it is important to
remember that you can only firew if a target has been selected.
Disarming is simply achieved by clicking on the missile in question or
clicking on an another weapon.
All types of missile will home in on their selected target as rapidly as
their incredible 65g acceleration ZX34 Short Burn engine will allow.
Nevertheless they have limited fuel (enough for about one minute of flight)
so pilots do sometimes evade them. It is best to fire the missile from as
close to the target as you dare. Ideally while facing it. If the target
is behind, the missile will turn around, but this will waste precious
flight time, and give the target ship more time to use ECM if it has it.
The missile will detonate on hitting any solid object (including the ship
that fired it) but will attempt to avoid such non target objects if
possible. It does not need to hit the target in order to detonate - it may
detonate in close proximity and do almost as much damage. Due to an
international treaty it will also detonate when it runs out of fuel. A
small village was once destroyed by a missile which had been flying through
space for months, following the battle in which it was fired.
USING MINES
Mines operate just like missiles, but without drive systems. They need to
have an assigned target since they also will detonate in the proximity of
that target without necessarily hitting it. Mines are also susceptible to
detonation by ECM. Dummy Mines are a relatively recent innovation, and
still contain machinery internally in order to fool radar scans, hence
their weight. They are also visually indistinguishable from normal mines
so, although they are safe to scoop back up again, beware of accidentally
scooping a live mine instead, as the scoop mechanism will cause it to
detonate.
ENERGY BOMB
Generally only of use against smaller ships. This causes the main reactor
of all small ships' drive systems (within a range of about 100km) to
resonate and overload. it is linked to the drive of the ship using it, so
will not cause that to detonate. Operated with the Energy Bomb icon (Fig
56) on the Weapon Control Panel, or from the keyboard with the B key.
LARGE AND SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR
These are very large weapons, usually carried by large naval cruisers and
battlestations, and are sometinmes carried by large trading ships and
passenger liners in the more dangerous regions of space. They are used in
the same way as lasers and take up a gun mounting. After firing, they take
a few seconds to recharge. Two sizes are commonly available, imaginatively
named 'Large' and 'Small'. Even a Small Plasma Accelerator will destroy a
well armed hundred tonne ship with a single shot. The large version has
been known to be used as a planetary assault weapon, destroying selected
areas of cities from orbit. This has a devastating effect on the local
population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting through the
atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometres, and will deafen anyone
unprotected in the vicinity.
DEFENSIVE AND OTHER EOUIPMENT
-----------------------------
ECM SYSTEM
This destroys all active Mines and Homing Missiles in the vicinity (within
about 100km) It is operated with the ECM icon from the Weapon Control
Panel, or with the E key from the keyboard. Do not be alarmed if it causes
interference on your main display.
NAVAL ECM SYSTEM
A superior version of the standard ECM system, which can also destroy Smart
Missiles and has a greater range (about 200km). This may also cause
interference on your main display. This is operated with the Naval ECM
icon from the Weapon Control Panel, or with the E key. If both ECM systems
are fitted, then Naval ECM is used in preference. The only slight
advantage in having both systems fitted is that if the Naval ECM breaks
down or is destroyed, then you can use the standard unit.
AUTOMATIC HULL SEALING
All hulls have an automatic sealing system, fitted as standard, thanks to
Faulcon Hermeseal. It is comprised of two separate layers of resin under
high pressure in the hull. When the layers are breached the substances
expand and mix to form a very durable foam likepatch. This prevents the
whole hull being explosively decompressed from a single shot.
HULL AUTOMATIC REPAIR SYSTEM
This gradually completely reverses hull damage, but it is so big that only
larger ships can have one fitted. See APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT
section on page 73.
SHIELD GENERATOR
This will protect against energetic weapons like lasers and missiles. It
is not much good with collisions. If a ship that has a Shield Generator is
hit by a weapon, the field will glow in a colour depending on the strength
of the shield. At full charge, the field will glow a bluish white but will
progress through to yellow, orange and finally red as it is discharged.
While the shield is active, no damage will get through to the hull. If
your ship has shields, they work automatically and the percentage of the
charge remaining if not 100 per cent, will be indicated on the top left of
the screen. More than one shield Generator may be fitted to a ship at
once, and their shielding effect is additive.
ENERGY BOOSTER UNIT
This large unit increases the rate that all Shield Generators currently
fitted to your ship recharge. Only recommended for larger ships with a
large number of Shield Generators because of its size.
TACTICS AND PLANNING
--------------------
It is vital to know what your enemy is up to, so you can avoid getting into
combat with them. There are several different ways of doing this.
CHECKING UP ON THE COMPETITION
USING THE SCANNER
This device, usually provided as standard by Faulcon de Lacey, shows the
relative positions of ships and other objects in your vicinity. The
holographic display shows the other objects as coloured blobs above or
below the plane of your ship, with a coloured line drawn to that plane.
The plane of your ship is shown as a red circle with a grid on it (seen in
perspective when viewed from the pilot's seat), with two lines drawn on it
to show the extremity of your front view. The colour of the blob reflects
the mass of the ship or object.
BLUE 1- 15t
GREEN 16- 31t
MAGENTA 32- 63t
RED 64-111t
ORANGE 112-159t
YELLOW 160-207t
GREY 208-299t
WHITE 300t+
USING THE RADAR MAPPER
This provides you with additional information about your current target,
such as the number of Shield Generators it has fitted, their current charge
level, the ship's maximum hyperspace range and any important equipment such
as Energy Bombs and Hyperspace Cloud Analyser. It will also check if the
ship matches any on the Wanted Criminals list, and if so will show any
bounty that is offered. This bounty will be paid into your account
automatically, when the destruction of the ship is recorded by your
on-board computer. No bounty will be paid for a ship if the Radar Mapper
has not first identified it, since proof of identity is needed
To operate the Radar Mapper:
Make sure you are in View mode by using the View icon F1.
Target a ship by clicking on it using the left hand mouse button. If the
selected target is not a ship then no information will be shown.
Select the Radar Mapper icon (Fig 60) on the Weapons Control Panel and
information will be displayed at the top right of the headup display (Fig
61) on your target until the Radar Mapper is deselected.
To deselect this facilicy, use the icon again.
To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no
potential target.
USING THE HYPERSPACE CLOUD ANALYSER
This device is commonly used by pirates to identify the destination of
their quarry, and also by police forces and bounty hunters. If your ship
has a greater hyperspace range than the one you are chasing (use the Radar
Mapper and your Ship Equipment Inventory page to determine this), then you
will arrive at the destination before them if you left at the same time.
It gives their hyperspace destination, the ship's mass is also shown and
the exact Galactic Mean Time and date at which they will arrive.
Make sure you are in View mode by using the View icon F1.
Target a hyperspace remnant by clicking on it using the left hand mouse
button. If the selected target is not a hyperspace remnant then no
information will be shown.
Select the Hyperspace Cloud Analyser icon (Fig 62) on the Weapons Control
Panel and information will be displayed at the top right hand corner of the
headup display until the Hyperspace Cloud Analyser is deselected.
To deselect this facility, use the icon again.
To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no
potential target.
To follow the ship, use the Galactic Map icon F2 to jump to the same
destination (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 11), As long as
you enter hyperspace not too long after your quarry then you will leave
hyperspace at a similar position.
Once out of hyperspace, use the Stardreamer Time Control (see the
NAVIGATION AND FLlGHT section on page 22) to wait until the likely time of
arrival of your quarry. The Hyperspace Cloud Analyser information is quite
accurate, so if the predicted time has been exceeded by about a minute,
then your quarry will not arrive. They must have mis-jumped (whether
intentionally or not) and there is no way you can find them.
BROADCASTING MESSAGES
While in flight you can hail other ships using the Communication icon F4.
A range of messages for broadcasting will be presented on your headup
display (Fig 64). For example you can demand surrender if you are
fortunate enough to be in such a position. If your ship is on the
receiving end of aggression you can call for assistance, but there is a
risk some pirates listen for a call of distress and will home in on it like
a spider to a fly. If you have broken down the dilemma is the same, but
calling for help may be the only option open to you.
MAKING A RUN FOR IT
You will discover that there are many bigger and more heavily armed ships
than yours and a ship to ship fight may be foolish. Faulcon De Lacey do
not advocate illegal evasive measures and feel that going down in a blaze
of glory is more memorable for your loved one than a prison sentence. If
posthumous praise is not appealing, an escape capsule could be your answer.
ESCAPE CAPSULES
An escape capsule is not fitted as standard and needs to be obtained from
the shipyard. It is not a capsule as such but is a modification that
allows your cockpit section to break off as a separate craft.
Unfortunately leaving any crew members passengers and cargo behind. It
flies to the nearest starport under a cut down Autopilot, and can be used
only once. For this reason, it comes with an insurance policy which is
automatically cashed in for a basic Eagle Long Range Fighter to replace
your abandoned ship.
The capsule has no weapons or hyperspace facility. You may ask why your
enemy isn`t going to shoot at you. It is considered to be extremely bad
form to shoot at escape capsules because they are much too easy a target,
and most pilots realise that some day they may need to use one. It has
been known though, that some pilots are not bothered by image and will pick
you off anyway. Another problem is ships scooping up escape capsules and
selling the occupant into slavery. This is severely frowned upon by both
the Elite Federation of Pilots and the Federation itself. To release the
capsule, you select the Escape Capsule icon on the Weapons Control Panel,
or use the X key on the keyboard.
HYPERSPACE
Jumping into hyperpace is often sufficient to evade pirates, but a pirate
with a fast ship may use their Hyperspace Cloud Analyser to chase you into
hyperspace and, if they have a faster ship, may even arrive at your
destination before you do.
ILLEGAL AND RISKY PRACTICES
You may notice others committing offences in order to remain alive and we
feel compelled to explain their erroneous behaviour in order to discourage
you from copying them. One tactic is the highly risky Hyperspace Mis-jump
and this can be found in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 25.
Another is to jettison cargo in the hope that any ship following will give
up the chase in order to scoop it up. This is explained in the TRADE
section on page 59. Remember it is illegal to jettison any cargo.
COMBAT AND SERVICE RATINGS
--------------------------
ELITE RATING
Your rating as a pilot is displayed if you use the Inventory icon F3, and
cycle through to Commander Profile (Fig 66).
You are given a rating by the Elite Federation of Pilots which is
calculated from the number and type of kills recorded by the on board
computer. For example, shooting up a heavily armed ship will a mass a
large number of points. Many have disapproved of using kills in order to
calculate this rating as it can lead to illegality. In older times much
store was set by this as you had to be able to fight to survive, so
shooting down others was seen as a mark of skill and bravery. Great
respect is still held for the rating in the outer systems, where the way of
life still reflects that of the past of the inner, now more civilised,
systems. For historical reasons therefore, the method of rating has been
preserved. The categories are as follows, in order of merit:
ELITE RATINGS
Harmless Above Average
Mostly Harmless Competent
Poor Dangerous
Below Average Deadly
Average ELITE
MEDALS
If homicide is not your scene, medals are awarded by the Federation or the
Empire for particularly heroic deeds. Medals include the humble
Certificate of Valour and the highly respected Imperial Celestial Warrior
medal. These are also shown on the Commander Profile page of the
Inventory.
MILITARY RANK
Both the Federation and the Empire give military ranks for services
rendered although these are known as titles in the Empire. An individual
can gradually progress up the ranks even from purely mercenary missions,
receiving promotions after sustained loyal service. Usually these ranks
are mutually exclusive as each of the superpowers does not tolerate its
officers working for the other power (though work for the independant
worlds is usually allowed).
FEDERAL RANKS IMPERIAL TITLES
None Lieutenant Outsider Viscount
Private Lieutenant Commander Serf Count
Corporal Captain Master Earl
Sergeant Commodore Sir Marquis
Sergeant Major Rear Admiral Squire Duke
Major Admiral Lord Prince
Colonel Baron
LEGAL RATING
Before you start shooting at everything that moves in order to improve your
rating consider your legal status. Data is collected by the three police
forces: The Federal Security Service (of the Federation), the Imperial
Guard (of the Empire) and interpol (that of the Independent Systems). The
latter was set up after the Federation and Empire became established as
superpowers, and the world leaders that wished to remain free of both got
together and decided to set up their own police force. This was largely to
avoid the independent worlds becoming a dumping ground for criminals.
Remember what you do and who you work for will almost certainly be noticed
by someone.
SECTION FOUR THE SHIPYARD
=========================
SHOPPING FOR SHIPS AND PARTS
----------------------------
The shipyard on any planet or station is where you can contact the police
to pay any outstanding fines or buy equipment for your ship, have parts
fitted and removed, repairs made or even part exchange your ship. The
range on offer depends where you are, so you may have to shop around. For
example a low population area is not going to have a vast selection of
hardware for your ship. Having used the Communications icon F4, select
Shipyard and you will be presented with a list of services (Fig 67).
UPGRADING THE SHIP OR REMOVING PARTS FOR CASH
Click on Upgrades. The screen will show items for sale with options to Fit
or Remove them and the prices for doing so (Fig 68).
Select Fit or Remove buttons for the item of interest, and your cash total
at the bottom left of the screen will change accordingly.
If the complete list of available items is too long to be shown in its
entirety, use the More... arrows to look through it.
Use of the Go Back... button will return you to the Shipyard and the
Communications icon F4 will return you to the Services list. Equipment is
fitted or removed while you wait and the process is fully automated.
NOTE FOR FITTING GUNS
For guns, if your ship has more than one mounting you will be asked where
you want the gun fitted. Old campaigners may recall that left and right
mounts were once available but this was outlawed after so many people found
that they were accidentally shooting their own their friends or, more
embarrassingly, the police, due to the impracticality of using them.
DECIDING WHAT TO BUY OR REMOVE
Each ship has only so much space in the hull and out of this, room has to
be made for the engine, guns, fuel, cabins, cargo and so on. The
proportion that these items take up depends on your needs, for example a
fast courier ship's engine will dominate the hull.
Alternatively, if you are interested in having a more deadly ship than a
fast one, engine size can be sacrificed for weapons. All items are rated
for weight which is equivalent to the space they occupy, any space left can
be used for cargo. If a particular shipyard does not sell a piece of
equipment, repairs or removal cannot be carried out because the tools
required will not be available either.
SHIPS EQUIPMENT INVENTORY
A list of equipment on board can be obtained by using the Inventory icons
F3. Cycle through the pages until you find Ship Equipment Status. The
picture of your craft will show any externally visible items.
REPAIRS, SERVICING AND BREAKDOWNS
Equipment is usually very reliable but will become more unreliable with
age, so servicing is important. It can be done at any time, and the longer
you leave it the more likely a problem is to occur, so delay at your peril.
Shipyards vary in the service they give, so you may find that your ship
suffers from poorly fitted parts and shoddy repairs. If an item of
equipment breaks down it will not function and will be shown on the Ship`s
inventory page (Inventory icon F3) in faded text until is has been
repaired. If a particular shipyard does not sell a piece of equipment,
repairs cannot be carried out because the tools required will not be
available either.
Having a piece of equipment repaired or serviced:
Select the Communications icon F4.
From the list choose Shipyard followed by Repairs and Servicing.
You will be presented with a list of servicing options.
NEW AND RECONDITIONED SHIP HULLS
This mode allows you to part exchange your ship for another. It is
standard procedure to strip a ship of its extras before selling it, as the
only optional item which affects your trade in value is the Hyperdrive.
New ships come with 1t of the appropriate fuel in the internal tank,
whatever the size of the tank.
Via the Comnmunications icon F4 select Shipyard followed by New and
Reconditioned Ship Hulls
The ships on offer will be listed with sale details.
You may elect to Buy or to View the ship first. Note that the types of
ship on offer in a system will differ according to political allegiance,
population and types of visitor.
Additional ship information is provided when selecting View including
mountings crew and hyperspace range.
TAKING ON CREW MEMBERS
When you buy a larger ship, it may require extra crew in order to fly it.
Without them it will not be able to take off. It is not necessary to buy
extra cabins because they come with the ship if it needs multiple
personnel. You must hire the crew members through the Bulletin Board using
the Communication icon F4 (see the TRADING section on page 61). When they
are hired, a page called Crew Roster appears in the inventory mode
(Inventory icon F3, see the ICONS section on page 8), and will list all
crew members You can also fire them using this page, but only when you are
in dock.
Crew members will cost you the fun of the ride isn't enongh. Wages will be
deducted by direct debit from your bank account. Wages are sometimes
negotiable but are generally quite high because there is a certain amount
of danger for crew members. For example, should you decide that you need
to use your escape capsule, the crew are left behind. Remember, you get
what you pay for.
SECTION FIVE TRADING
=====================
BUY! SELL!
Trading is a simple process thanks to an agreement between the Empire and
the Federation that allows free trade within all systems via the
stockmarkets. After all the cold war has to be supplied and fuelled by
something. There are also private markets which may be more lucrative, but
are sometimes risky. Each will be explained in turn.
TRADING ON THE STOCKMARKET
You need to go to a city or space station in order to trade on the
stockmarket. You cannot trade in flight but at least you will be safe
whilst trading.
Select the Communication icon F4 at the bottom of your console. and a list
of options will appear
Select Stockmarket from the menu, and you will be presented with a
selection of items (Fig 72). Click on the down More... arrow and any
remainder of the list will be given.
The screen displays Buy and Sell buttons, price per tonne, stock on the
market and the amount of cargo (in tonnes) that you have at present in your
hold
Before trading read the information on the items below. Note that only
legal items will be listed. For illegal goods you will have to use the
private market (see THE BULLETIN BOARD section on page 61).
BUYING
To buy one tonne of a chosen item, activate the button corresponding to the
item of your choice in the Buy column. Your console will show the item you
have selected. One click will auto load one tonne into your hold. Holding
down the button will buy multiple tonnes at an accelerating rate.
If you want to revise your transaction, the Sell button will subtract from
your stock. There is no charge for changing your mind during trade but you
must make a decision reasonably quickly.
UNSUCCESSFUL TRANSACTIONS
You will be unsuccessful if:
Your cargo hold is full (indicated at the bottom left of the screen under
Cargo Space). See also THE SHIPS INVENTORY section on page 60.
You have insufficient money (indicated at the bottom left of the screen
under Cash)
The stock is not available.
Information on all situations will be displayed on your console.
SELLING
This is a similar operation to buying, but using the Sell button. Your
stock level will be automatically decreased as you sell. A mistake can be
changed using the Buy button or which there is no charge but if you delay
too long, someone else may buy first.
You will be unsuccessful if your own stock runs out, which will be shown on
your console. See also THE SHIPS INVENTORY section on page 60.
STOCK AND PRICES
The stock level indicated on the console is that on the stockmarket, not
the private market which has its own separate holding. Prices are brought
to you by Zebulon Intergalactic Trading Corporation (ZITCO), and are
updated each midnight Galactic Mean Time (GMT). Galactic time was adopted
after the signing of the treaty between the Empire and the Federation.
Hostilities between them cannot be conducted if one party does not turn up
because they have calculated the time incorrectly. If the stock level
falls due to demand, the local price may rise. If a ship arrives with a
large cargo of grain say, when it sells this onto the market, the price of
grain may fall at the next midnight price adjustment.
TRADING AND THE STARDREAMER TIME CONTROL
Prices are changed every midnight which may be a bit frustrating if you are
in a hurry Use of the Time Control icons activates the Stardreamer which
will appear to speed up time. There is a description of this Device in the
NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 22. Remember that your enemies are
also going to be sped up so only use this when it is safe to do so, though
even on an open air station, you will be protected by the station's own
defences. Remember also that the station makes a small charge every
midnight for your stay.
CHOOSING WHAT TO TRADE
Systems all have their own production and consumption, imports and exports
Generally the price of imports will be higher than the Galactic average and
that of exports lower than average. For example a farming area will have
cheap grain, so it will be a good place to buy in order to sell to an area
that has no grain production;
A listing of imports and exports for a given system can be found by using
the Data icon F6 (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 15).
Information on illegal goods will also be found there.
CHOOSING WHERE TO TRADE
The Galactic Map (Galactic Map icon F2) shows a number of recommended trade
routes (lined in pink) updated by ZITCO in 3195. Faulcon De Lacey take no
responsibilty for any inaccuracies for this reason. A map with the trade
routes has also been supplied with this manual,
It is always worth looking at the political and economical details of a
system before possibly wasting fuel (see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section
on page 15) Items that are in abundance in a star system will be relatively
cheap to buy. Conversley items that are in short supply will be more
expensive and worth selling there.
CASH
Your funds are indicated under Cash at the bottom left hand corner of the
screen. They are safe if your ship is destroyed thanks to an automatic
banking system. if you run out of cash you could sell your ship for a
smaller one or sell off a piece of equipment. It may be worth looking for
offers of insurance from the Bulletin Board.
JETTISONING AND SALVAGING GOODS
This is an illegal practice but is occasionally necessary. Certain goods
are damaged by this act and this needs to be taken into consideration when
salvaging such cargo.
The following changes will occur:
Live animals will become animal meat
Slaves die and are officially used as fertilizer but rumour has it that the
bodies are finding their way onto the animal meat market.
Liquor, luxury goods, grain, fruit and vegetables are all turned into
rubbish.
Sometimes containers will explode unpredictably when released due to
irregularities introduced during their manufacture.
JETTISONING
Select the inventory icon F3 and cycle to the Cargo Inventory section,
which displays jettison buttons (Fig 73). Activate the button next to the
goods which will be ditched one tonne at a time.
SALVAGING
You cannot salvage jettisoned goods unless you have bought a Fuel Scoop and
a Cargo Scoop Conversion. If you have such equipment, manoevre so that the
cargo item is immediately in front of the scoop and move forwards slowly
relative to it.
SHIP'S INVENTORY
----------------
This gives a more detailed account of your cargo and passengers, and is
obtained by using the Inventory icon F3. Clicking on this icon cycles
through seven pages of information for your perusal including:
SHIP EQUIPMENT STATUS
Lists weapons and equipment currently fitted to the ship. See the SHIPYARD
section on page 51 for details of individual items. It also shows the
level of fuel in the engines which is distinct from the hyperspace fuel
(see FUEL CONSUMPTION in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 26).
COMMANDER PROFILE
Lists awards and grading. See the COMBAT section on page 47.
CREW ROSTER
Lists any crew members (on larger ships only). See the SHIPYARD section on
page 53.
CARGO INVENTORY
Your cargo is listed if you have any. Jettison on tonne of any item by
clicking on the relevant button.
PASSENGER AND SMALL ITEMS
This lists the names of your passengers or clients, the number of persons
on board, any small packages and the destination and how much money you are
still owed from the deal.
OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS LIST
This shows contracts taken on but not yet completed. Those which involve
carrying parcels and passengers are listed on the Passenger And Small Items
page.
MINING INSTALLATIONS
Lists the locations of all active mining installations owned, See the
MINING section on page 65.
Note: the pages will not be shown if there is nothing on them.
THE BULLETIN BOARD
------------------
This is a collection of small advertisements for trading, services and
requests for passage, amongst other things. You will find other types of
advertisements so it is worth a browse. It is also possible to contact the
military, its allegiance depending on the system you are in.
TRADE IN LEGAL ITEMS
Some individuals trade on the Bulletin Board in preference to the
Stockmarket, and taking a risk with them may benefit you. There may be ads
for specific items which a person needs urgently that cannot be bought on
the Stockmarket, so they are prepared to pay over the odds for them. You
may earn more money this way than simply selling directly on to the
Stockmarket.
Select the Communications icon F4
Select Bulletin Board and look for advertisements stating WANTED (Fig
74).
TRADE IN ILLEGAL ITEMS
Of course being a law abiding citizen you will not be engaging in this, but
in order to understand the criminal mind better you ought to know the
typical procedure.
Select the Communication icon F4.
Select Bulletin Board and took for advertisements stating Goods Bought and
Sold Though there may not be any in a particular place or that day, The
More... arrows will allow viewing of the ads which on a given day don't
fit on the screen.
Click on the button for the Goods Bought and Sold advertisement you are
interested in and a list will appear of all the illegal goods available.
Trade in a similar way to the stockmarket.
The police, although aware of this practice, will not shut it down. Not
only do they take a cut in profits but they often use it to their
advantage. Traps are laid in the form of advertisements and the astute
criminal will get to know their characteristics. once successful trading
has taken place, there is always the threat of customs officials, not that
you will ever have anything to hide of course.
CARRYING PASSENGERS
People may place ads asking for passage for themselves or a group to a
stated destination. If you want to do this, you need sufficient cabin
space on your ship, which may mean extra outlay for you. See THE SHIPYARD
section on page 50, where upgrading your ship is explained.
TAKING UP A REQUEST
On the bulletin board via the Communication icon F4, look for the
appropriate advert and select it (Fig 76).
Choose one of the responses presented to you, for example one response
might ask why they are prepared to pay so much.
The answer comes up on the console at the bottom.
If you want to make a deal, click on "OK- agreed" at the top of the list of
responses
The passengers will appear on your passenger list.
Payment is normally made on arrival at your clients' destination, although
some will pay half up front or even all!
CARRYING PACKAGES
To act as a courier, negotiate in the same way as for passengers after
finding adverts for transporting packages. A package is deemed to take up
negligible space in your cargo hold and of course does not need a life
support system.
TAKING ON CREW
If you ever buy a larger ship, it may require extra crew which are also
obtained through the Bulletin Board small advertisements. More details
about your contract with them can be found under TAKING ON CREW MEMBERS in
THE SHIPYARD section on page 53.
SECTION SIX MINING
===================
THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS
-------------------------------
If you prefer a solitary life, then mining is for you. This occupation
entails travelling from place to place collecting ore. There are two types
of mining: Asteroid Mining and Surface Mining, both have their merits and
drawbacks.
ASTEROID MINING
Asteroid mining is an old method but it is tried and tested. It is the
easiest and cheapest way of obtaining ore and requires you to have a 30 MW
Mining Laser, Fuel Scoop and a Cargo Scoop Conversion. You simply blast an
asteroid with the laser then fly over the bits of asteroid and the Scoop
collects as much ore as you can accommodate in the cargo bay. Not all
asteroids are mineral rich though, so you may end up with a bay full of
rubbish.
SURFACE MINING
Once you are established, this type of mining is a more predictable means
of getting ore. It does, however, demand a large initial outlay in order
to acquire the installations and possibly a larger ship (minimum of 30
tonnes of free cargo space) to transport them The only recommended device
is the MB4 Mining Machine which, alas is still not widely available. The
MB4 is impressive in that it not only mines but also refines the material,
so you put it in place, leave it and come back to pick up the results. The
MB4 can mine, separate and refine minerals, alloys and even on occasions
precious metals and gem stones.
The disadvantage is the risk of mining others' claims, resulting in an
aggresive response to your activities. In some areas it is illegal to mine
and police, depending their mood, may not be too interested in maintaining
a public image of fairness and understanding and may blast you to pieces.
SETTING UP YOUR WB4
Choose a mining site with a temperature below 200 degrees Centigrade. The
most likely suitable locations will be on systems' inner planets which are
more likely to be mineral rich. Ones which humans have hardly touched are
more likely to be mineral rich as machines like the MB4 and its
predecessors are very thorough, and will have scoured most of the surface
of core worlds by now. To test the composition of the crust, you need to
land.
Land at the chosen site and select the Weapons Control Panel by clicking on
the Scanner
Activate the Unload Rig icon (Fig 78) which will cause the mining rig to be
unloaded whereupon it will analyse a sample of the crust and relay the
results to your on board computer. If the prospects are good it will bed
itself in and begin drilling immediately. You may then take off and come
back later once it has mined the full capacitv of 10 tonnes.
FINDING THE MB4 AGAIN
All the mines have a beacon which has your own coded signal allowing the
computer to pin-point its position. If you pick up someone else's rig,
your computer will automatically register the code of the owner. All other
rigs belonging to them in this star system will then be shown on your
inventory page. This means that stealing ore is possible however the same
can be done to you. A safeguard is to avoid placing numerous rigs in one
system, so that they are not so easily found should one of your rigs be
purloined. Your beacons will use a different code in each system.
Select the Inventory icon F3 and cycle through until you come to the Mining
Installations page (Fig 79). It will list your rigs and their location.
Fly to the Star system in which a particular rig is situated.
Set up the Mining Installations page again and use the button next to the
rig you wish to find.
The on-board computer will then set it up as your current target. You may
then fly to it manually or with the Autopilot. You can deselect the target
as before by placing the pointer away from the target and using the left
hand mouse button.
COLLECTING THE ORE
Land near to the installation and select the Load Rig icon (Fig 80) with
one click. this will remotely instruct the machinery to off load ore into
your hold until it is full. It will be no more than 10 tonnes at a time
because that is the maximum capacity of the MB4's hopper.
If there is no ore to collect the first selection of the icon will load the
rig onto the ship if you have space.
Your cargo inventory (Inventory icon F3) will show the minerals on board
COLLECTING THE MB4 MINING MACHINE
Land next to the installation and click on the Load Rig icon twice so that
the rig and the contents of its hopper are taken on board.
As stated above, the rig will be loaded after the first click if there is
no ore in the hopper
The rig may be left for further mining. There is no need to bring it on
board if you intend to Deposit it in the same place.
If you want to move the MB4 to another location on the same surface because
a site is 'mined out', it is worth moving it a good distance. This is
because the MB4 probes quite a large area with its underground drills.
If your MB4 had found a rich seam of minerals, Do not move it as the seam
may be a long way below ground and the MB4 may not be able to find it
again.
APPENDIX ONE SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT
================================
MINES AND BOMBS
---------------
XB13 PROXIMITY MINE
Explodes when object is within range. They are carried on missile pylons
in place of a missile.
XB74 DUMMY PROXIMITY MINE
Exactly the same in appearance as the Proximity Mine, even on radar, but
they do not explode, in fact they do nothing except increase your foes
laundry bill. You can even recover them like cargo if you have a Fuel
Scoop and a Cargo Conversion, but beware of accidentally scooping a real
one!
ENERGY BOMB
Causes the drive system of smaller ships to overload and explode, but not
your own as it is very specific. It can be withstood if a ship has a
strong enough shield.
MISSILES
--------
The COMBAT section on page 38 gives additional information. Note that all
the missiles have the same flying characteristics.
KL760 HOMING MISSILE
For destroying small spaceships and damaging larger ones.
LV111 SMART MISSILE
Similar to the Homing Missile but has ECM protection (not effective against
Navy Grade ECM). Has a greater explosive power than the Homing Missile.
NN500 NAVY GRADE MISSILE
Even more bang for your money and immune to any known ECM system although
it is rumoured that technology is improving in this field
GUNS
----
The COMBAT scetion on page 38 provides furthur details.
30MW MINING LASER
Pulse laser set up to blast asteroids into recoverable portions if you see
your future in mining. Can be used as a weapon but its repeat rate is not
as fast as weapon lasers.
1MW PULSE LASER
The very same as the bottom of the range laser weapon as the Phlaschygt
that came with your ship. seasoned combatants consider it only of use for
tattooing numbers onto slaves. Better than nothing.
5MW PULSE LASER
Otherwise known as the Phlaschbugher. More powerful than the Phlaschgyt,
but less devastating than the Beam Laser.
BEAM LASER
Continuous laser beam which is more devastating than a Pulse Laser. the
1MW, 4MW, 20MW, and 100MW Beam Lasers are the same but more destructive
with increasing voltage.
LASER COOLING BOOSTER
Some busy pilots find their normal laser cooling equipment inadequate.
Since lasers cut out when they overheat, this Device is a bonus.
SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR
Very big and heavy and carried by larger ships and Naval ships only. It is
extremely potent and obliterates small to medium ships with one shot.
LARGE PLASMA ACCELERATOR
The ultimate weapon pilots aspire to owning.
ECM SYSTEMS
-----------
ECM SYSTEM
Short for Electronic Counter Measures. A clever device this, as it causes
detonation of all activated Homing Missiles in range (including your own).
NAVAL ECM SYSTEM
This higher specification system can also destroy the Smart Missile. Only
obtainable at larger Shipyards.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS
-----------------------------
CARGO BAY LIFE SUPPORT
Superb environment control, including deodoriser and choice of four fresh
air scents, Fomalhaut Harvest, Ma`s Cookies, Seashore and Solar Breeze.
Needed for transportation of live animals and slaves.
EXTRA PASSENGER CABIN
For one person it comes with life support, food dispenser and Holovid dream
inducer for long journeys. An extra facility is the automatic decor
control which changes in order to compliment the mood of the occupants. It
is activated by sensors of heat and pheromones. Takes up five tonnes of
cargo space.
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
--------------------
FOR CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE
AUTOMATIC PILOT
The Robocruise automatic navigation system has the capability to plot and
control travel to any destination within a system. For details of how to
use the Automatic Pilot see the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT section on page 20.
AUTOREFUELLER DEVICE
This automatically tranfers 1t of fuel from the cargo bay to the internal
tank of a ship`s engine when it is needed, so preventing any wastage. It
also avoids any embarrassing moments when your engines fail during combat
or docking.
SCANNERS
The scanner section in the middle of the console is provided as standard on
most ships. Some hardened space travellers remove it in the belief that
demonstrates a certain amount of machismo, but others say this demonstrates
something else.
RADAR MAPPER
Scans for information on a targeted ship. For details of how to use the
Radar Mapper see the COMBAT section on page 43.
HYPERSPACE CLOUD ANALYSER
Determines the destination and the exact time and date of arrival of ships
by analysing the residual space time disturbance left behind after a
hyperspace jump. You will also be told the mass of the ship which has left
or is about to arrive. See HYPERSPACE in the NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT
section, and also Combat on page 43.
DEFENCE
-------
SHIELD GENERATOR
This device affords additional shielding to the normal damage resistance of
a hull. More than one can be fitted at once and the effect is cumulative.
They recharge from the ship`s power system, and each shield takes a fixed
amount of time to do so. For example a large ship with ten shield
generators will take the same time to recharge as a ship with one shield.
The ship with ten however, will achieve the same defense as the ship with
one shield in a tenth of the time because of the additive effect of shield
Generators. See the COMBAT section on page 35.
ENERGY BOOSTER UNIT
Boosts the recharging rate of all Shield Generators fitted. A good buy for
very large ships
ESCAPE CAPSULE
For those sticky moments when a fast exit is prudent. It has no weapons or
shields.
ATMOSPHERIC SHIELDING
Additional coating to the hull which enables a ship to enter an atmosphere
at high speed.
HULL AUTO REPAIR SYSTEM
A large piece of equipment which is generally only fitted to larger ships.
Exactly how this works is a trade secret, but it does entail placing many
microbots in the hull reinforcing channels. See the COMBAT section.
ENGINES AND MISCELLANEOUS
-------------------------
INTERPLANETARY DRIVE
An ordinary, lightweight engine that uses hydrogen fuel contained within
the drive. It is not capable of hyperspace jumps but is suitable for small
interplanetary Hops. It is equivalent to the Class 1 Hyperdrive but has no
hyperspace capability.
STANDARD HYPERDRIVES
Standard Hyperdrives are readily available and are used by most ships.
They use Hydrogen fuel which can be bought or scooped (see Fuel Scoop) and
all waste products are used as reaction mass by the thrusters. The range
of a Standard Hyperdrive engine depends on the size of ship it is fitted
to. For example, a Class 3 engine will have a greater range if fitted to a
200 tonne ship rather than a 300 tonne ship. Although the classes are
listed up to seven, higher classes exist but are only obtainable from
specialists.
MILITARY HYPERDRIVES
This is a different breed of engine to the Standard Hyperdrive in that it
has a greater range and is faster and lighter. This means that a small
ship can carry an engine of the military type that is equivalent to a
Standard Hyperdrive that would be too big to fit. All military ships are
driven by them. They run on Military Fuel which is much more expensive and
has drawbacks (see MILITARY FUEL in APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS Section on
page 79).
A Military Hyperdrive will give your ship advantages over the competition,
but it will cost you to run it. In the same way as Standard Hyperdrives,
the range is a function of the size of tHe ship and the maximum possible
range for the engine. Military Hyperdrives are not widely available and
there are only three classes for sale. The reason is thought to be
instability occurring in bigger engines, but rumours say that military
engineers are working on this problem. They are also reputed to be making
even lighter engines.
FUEL SCOOPS AND MINING EQUIPMENT
--------------------------------
FUEL SCOOP
Scoops fuel from the upper layers of gas giants or the photosphere of cool
stars when you fly at below about 30km altitude while travelling forwards
at speed. In order to scoop from a gas giant, Atmospheric Shielding is
needed. A star however, requires greater protection for your ship in the
form of an Atmospheric Shield and a Shield Generator. Even with these it
is still dangerous and only a desperate pilot would attempt it.
CARGO SCOOP CONVERSION
Allows the Fuel Scoop to be used to salvage jettisoned cargo and Dummy
Mines. It is also used to collect ore during asteroid mining, and
explosion debris from ships.
MB4 MINING MACHINE
This amazing machine prospects, mines and refines minerals for you (see the
MINING section on page 68) but is not readily available.
APPENDIX TWO TRADE ITEMS
=========================
AIR PROCESSORS
Devices used in life support systems to remove unwanted gasses from the
air. These are vital to many mining establishments, keeping the air in the
huge underground complexes breathable.
ANIMAL MEAT
Real meat from an animal. A delicacy, but the market for this is growing
as a revolt against synthetic meat. People have become unsettled by the
thought of their food growing in vats of seething, viscous fluid, the
stench of which is indescribable The idea that real animal meat once felt
the sun on its back and frolicked in a meadow feels more wholesome and
natural and such meat is claimed by many to taste better. Given that the
amount of meadow available is far exceeded by the hooves to roam it and
that factory farming is unfashionable, the meat is rare and widely sought
after. Trading in animal meat is illegal in some places.
ANIMAL SKINS
This covers the skins of all sorts of animals and parts of them. It seems
that the more that go into a garment, the more prized it is. A ridiculous
extreme is a coat woven from eyelashes of the Sweetums Scroblet, an ugly
animal with a bad temperament and no endearing qualities other than
colourful, luminescent eyelashes
BATTLE WEAPONS
The heavy weapons used on the battlefield and usually illegal
COMPUTERS
Mostly used for administration and as components for automated machines
like space craft, though some advanced cultures use them a great deal for
interactive entertainment systems.
FARM MACHINERY
Machinery used to, erm... farm.
FERTILIZER
Fertilizers are usually manufactured in vast chemical plants, but organic
waste is often used to supplement this.
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
This can seem like a loose term looking at some of the produce that comes
under this classification. One could be forgiven for taking up a shovel
and disinfectant when faced for the first time with the Oosli from the
Formalhaut system.
GEM STONES
They come in all colours and different levels of sparkle. Fashions come
and go, but the current gem to be seen wearing is the Zublic, a colourless
stone that is totally reflective. It is very easily mimicked but only the
real stone is non irritant to body, so those who are status conscious have
them sewn into their skin.
GRAIN
One of few foodstuffs that is both traditionally grown and not too
expensive
HAND WEAPONS
Firearms. Many cultures regard them as a necessary accessory and feel
naked without one. Illegal in many systems.
HEAVY PLASTICS
Have a variety of uses especially in high temperature environments like the
rocket engines. Manufactured in large industrial complexes.
HYDROGEN FUEL
The nornmal four star fuel for spacecraft. All the waste products are used
as reaction mass in the thrusters. It can also be obtained by scooping it
from stars and gas giants (see FUEL SCOOPS in APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD
EQUIPMENT on page 75).
INDUSTRIAL PARTS
Everything from fusion motors to nuts and bolts.
LIQUID OXYGEN
Used mainly by settlements on airless worlds for life support systems
LIQUOR
Covers all intoxicating Drinks from interesting local hooches such as the
Bourbon from the system of Epsilon Indi to unexciting brews made by large
industrial companies. An example is Splag, which is akin to watery Old
Nova, but some have been less generous in their appraisal
LIVE ANIMALS
Used for meat, exhibition or recreation or just companionship. Your hold
must have a life support facility to carry them.
LUXURY GOODS
Many items are classed as luxury goods, for example perfumes jewellery,
artefacts and fabrics. The most treasured are generally produced on
esteemed worlds like Earth.
MEDICINES
Drugs are as always, big business as people would rather be reassured by a
drop of something that tastes foul, rather than examine their way of life
that more often than not causes the ill health. However, the most healthy
person can still fall foul of bugs such as black hole fever (well known but
seldom talked about except in jest with references to escape velocity
usually being made).
METAL ALLOYS
They have hundreds of uses, one example is the production of foam metal
valued for its lightness and use as electromagnetic shielding.
MILITARY FUEL
Very high energy per unit weight. It is manufactured and consists of an
engineered molecule with anti matter atoms suspended in it. It is not
always available and is expensive. You need to weigh up the advantages of
greater range and speed with the fact that it is converted to radioactives
when consumed.
MINERALS
There is little to say about minerals. Mined on rocky planets by machinery
except on planet Major (van Maanen's star) where the Guardians of the Free
Spirit exhume it with only a hammer and chisel. They believe in severe
hardship and live underground. It is thought that money (left over after
buying necessities like oxygen) is burned in ceremonies intended to purify
the soul. The worshippers think of all the luxuries, such as a salve for
their bleeding hands, that the money could have bought causing great
anguish which is thought to be cleansing.
NARCOTICS
The most common is Lyrae weed. Narcotics are readily available on some
large corporate manufacturing complexes to induce a sense of well being in
such appalling conditions. Occasionally a few workers are killed due to
insensibility or halllucinations but it is considered that they are better
off that way and there are plenty more where they came from. Illegal in
many places.
NERVE GAS
Expect the police in most places to take up a chase if you trade in this.
PRECIOUS METALS
Mainly used for adornment and trying to maintain stability in unstable
financial systems. Generally cheaper in the outer systems, where precious
metals have not yet been mined out.
RADIOACTIVES
Radioactive materials for example Plutonium and Tritium. Note that this
item has a negative trade value, in other words, you have to pay for
someone to take it off your hands. Some make a living out of being paid to
take this waste away and deliver it to reprocessing plants (ie, anywhere
that has Radioactives as a major import). More unscrupulous and
irresponsible characters will prefer to jettison it instead, risking
prosecution. This is a highly illegal practice and locals are usually
vehemently opposed to this act. Police often don't bother with questions
but deal with you there and then, as this not only saves on police time but
court fees as well.
ROBOTS
This covers a whole range of automata. Generally they are intricate
machines used to do everything from serving canapes to use as assault
troops. They are illegal in a few cultures, mainly because of the
violation of their work ethic, but also the extreme techno fear some people
experience.
RUBBISH
Again, this has a negative price, so you must pay to dispose of it. Some
cargo items when decompressed (by being jettisoned) will turn into rubbish.
SLAVES
Consider carefully where you are going to trade because slave trading is
illegal in many systems, where it is seen as unacceptable. Life support
needed.
SYNTHETIC MEAT
This is the most common form of protein to be found, so it is relatively
cheap. Grown in vats, this meat is in no way derived from animals, though
most would agreed that it tastes exactly the same as real meat. It is sold
in one flavour, called Original, which is fairly bland and unexciting.
Individual flavours are added by the user, for example Earth beef, Lava hog
from Biggs Colony or Brog buck from Homeland around Beta Hydri (for those
who like their meat to bite back).
WATER
H2O, usually needed by small industrial settlements and those with no
natural water supply.
APPENDIX THREE AN INTRODUCTORY JOURNEY
=======================================
TO BEGIN...
You are at Sirocco Starport, on Merlin, a planet orbiting a gas giant which
in turn orbits Ross 154, 9.35 light years away from Earth. What you can
see on the screen is the front view from your ship with the ringed gas
giant, Aster, looming in the sky. The time of day and the date are given
on the left hand side of the console.
1.First take a look at the system you are in.
(a) Select the Galactic Map icon F2 and you will see a map of all the stars
in your vicinity. Ross 154 is in the middle, highlighted in green.
2.Find out details about the system.
(a) Select the Data icon F6 and a diagram of your system will be shown
(b) Count two bodies from the star, Ross 154. This is Aster, Now click on
the planet below it and information on Merlin will come up.
(c) Select the Economy icon F7 to get trade details for the whole system.
Notice that major exports are animal meat (this is fish on Merlin) and
liquid oxygen so both should be relatively cheap.
(d) Select the Political icon F8 to get information on the social
structure. This system is under federation control so should be reasonably
safe.
3. Find a place to sell the goods you buy at a reasonable price.
(a) Go back to the grid by using the Galactic Map icon F6.
(b) Use the Arrow (Cursor) keys to move the map until Barnard's Star (look
up and then right) is in the middle of the screen and highlighted in green.
(c) Select the Data icon F6
(d) Click on the bodies until you find the space station orbiting
Birminghamworld, it is called Boston Base.
(e) In the same way as steps 2(c) and 2 (d), check the economy and social
structure. You will see that animal meat and liquid oxygen are imports.
the system is a corporate state and it should be reasonably safe, so you
could trade here.
(f) You can see the orbits of the systems bodies by using the Orbital Map
icon F10.
(g) If you want to take a closer look, you can use the Zoom In icon F7 and
the Zoom Out icon F8. Click on the body to place it into the centre of the
screen and then use the icons.
4. Buy one tonne of fish at Merlin. You can only trade while in dock so
now is the time to do it.
(a) Select the Communication icon F4, and you will be presented with a list
of options.
(b) Choose Stockmarket.
(c) A list of items with Buy and Sell buttons is now displayed so locate
Animal Meat. You can afford to buy one tonne of animal meat.
(d) Click on the Buy button for animal meat once so that one tonne of
animal meat will be autoloaded into your hull. (If you ever buy too much
by mistake, simply click on the Sell button until you have the right
amount). The console will display the amount of cash and cargo space you
have left.
5. See if there are any packages to take to Barnard's star. This sort of
thing is what makes money but there is some risk involved. The good thing
about packages is that they take up negligible cargo space and do not
require cabins or life support.
(a) Click on the Communications icon F4 again followed by Bulletin Board
(b) Scroll through the advertisements using the up and down More... arrows
(c) There may not be a suitable advertisement but if there is one, click on
it. If there isn't go to step 6.
(d) A list of replies will be presented to you from which you must choose
one to send by clicking on it. The brave will click on "OK- agreed". with
no questions asked.
(e) The package will be autoloaded into your ship.
(f) You can check that it is on board by clicking on the Inventory icon F3
until the page showing passengers and small packages is displayed.
6. Take off for Barnard's Star system
(a) Go back to the front view by using the View icon F1 and click on it
until Front View is displaved on the right of the console.
(b) Select the Communication icon F4 and you will be given a list of
options. Click on Launch Request.
(c) When clearance is indicated on the console, select the Right Control
icon F7. This will cause your vertical thrusters to engage, lifting you
slowly upwards.
(d) Tip the nose of the ship by moving the mouse backwards whilst holding
the right hand mouse button down.
(e) Activate the thrusters using the Enter key for a couple of seconds and
you will begin to fly out of the atmosphere. You now have manual control.
7. Make a hyperspace jump to Barnard`s Star.
(a) Use the Galactic Map icon F2 and make sure Barnard's Star is in the
middle of the screen where it will be highlighted in green.
(b) Return to View mode by using the View icon F1.
(c) Activate the hyperspace engine with the Hyperspace icon F8. After your
journey through hyperspace you can see the effects of the disturbance. Use
the View icon F1 to get a the rear view in order to see it. This
hyperspace cloud behind you is visible for an enormous distance and may
attract pirates, so it is wise to leave it as soon as possible by pressing
the Enter key to increase your Set speed. Click on the View icon again
until you get back to the front view.
(d) Select the Identification text icon F10 which will overlay names onto
the systems bodies which may not yet be visible to the naked eye.
(e) If you wish to look around then you can do so by holding down the right
mouse button to swing the ship round. This is not essential to get to your
destination.
8. Fly to Birminghamworld by using the Autopilot and Stardreamer Time
Control
(a) Take a look at the system structure by using the Galactic Map icon F2
and then the Current System Map icon F2 to obtain an orbital map of the
current system.
(b) Zoom in using the Zoom icon F7 until you can see Birminghamworld
clearly
(c) Put Birminghamworld in the middle of the screen by clicking on it then
zoom in until it is clearly defined and the orbital lines almost cover the
width of the screen.
(d) When you can see the space station name (Boston Base) move the mouse
while holding down the right hand mouse button so that you can see the
space station clearly.
(e) Set up the destination for the Autopilot by using the targeting icon
F10
(f) You will be instructed by the console to select a target so point at
the space station and click on it and a homing square will be displayed.
If you take too long doing this you may have to use the targeting icon
again.
(g) Return to View mode with the View icon F1.
(h) Engage the Autopilot with the Flight Control icon F7 by activating it
until Autopilot is shown on the console, the ship is no longer under manual
control
(i) You will see targeting squares looking like a tunnel leading to Boston
Base, Aa you get closer they will come towards you more rapidly, indicating
that you should slow down as you approach. Ideally, these should pass at a
constant rate.
(j) Even though you are relatively close to Boston Base it will still take
a long time to get there so use the Stardreamer time Control to make time
appear to pass more quickly. Further details of its function are given in
the NAVIGATION section on page 22.
(k) Locate the time Control icons. The single arrow sets normal time and
each icon to the right increases the apparent rate of passage of time by
ten times. Select 1000 times normal time (four arrows) or 10,000 times
normal time (the last icon on the right) as you wish. When you approach
the space station the on-board computer will return you to normal time for
docking.
(l) The docking process is handled by the Autopilot including obtaining
clearance from traffic Control, If you do not wish to watch the docking the
then you may operate the time control again.
9. Sell your goods.
(a) Once docked select the Communication icon F4 and choose Stockmarket
again
(b) Sell your goods by using the Sell buttons. ie. click on the Sell
button for Animal Meat once.
(c) The money shown under Cash at the bottom left of the console should now
be a greater sum than you started with, unless you have been very unlucky
with the stockmarket prices.
(d) Remember to refuel by buying at least one tonne of hydrogen fuel!
APPENDIX FOUR MECHANICS OF SPACE FLIGHT
========================================
FLY BY WIRE
As starship designers through the ages have found, space craft have so many
potential degrees of freedom they are impractical for a mere human to
control to the full unaided. Logically a free flying combat craft has at
least five independent directions (or vectors) to control, Those vectors
are:
1. Facing vector (unit magnitude) F
2. Velocity vector V
3. Thrust vector T
4. Camera viewing vector C
5. Weapon vector W
It is clearly logical to combine some of these, but the more they are
combined, the more functionality is lost, Faulcon de Lacy (and indeed most
ship manufacture) combine (1), (4) and (5) and control (2) and (3)
automatically, leaving the pilot to control only (1), with the option of
disabling the automatic control of (2) and (3) when necessary. Even this
seems a handful for a species evolved to move in only two and a half
dimensions (up and down are very much secondary to north, south, east and
weat).
The pilot is assumed to have a desired velocity vector D along his or her
facing vector, the magnitude of which is the desired speed S they have set.
Hence: D = sF
and thrust to achieve velocity D T = mf (D-V)
where f is a factor chosen for fuel efficiency
and m is the mass of your craft
A maximum value is given to f (about 1). to avoid wasteful thrusting and
possible oscillations. This is why your craft will slowly settle down over
the landing pad even with a zero set speed. At higher speeds the limits of
the power of the thrusters effectively restrict the value of f. The
desired thrust is resolved into components along each of the ships working
thrusters and if any of the these cannot provide sufficient thrust then the
value of f is reduced appropriately (preserving the direction of thrust is
more important than its magnitude).
FRAMES OF REFERENCE
The problems of the fly-by-wire technique are further complicated when
considering the frames of reference in which velocities are measured. When
a vehicle moves slowly along a street, say, the driver does not want to
know that both the street and the vehicle are moving sideways at many
thousands of kilometres per hour (due to the velocity of the planet around
the star, and the rotation of the planet). Indeed, if the vehicle were to
face the way it is travelling, then its motion along the road would be
almost irrelevant. What the driver wants is to face along the direction of
travel in the frame of reference of the planet, which is both moving and
rotating.
Hence D = sF + R
where R is the velocity of the frame of reference
and ideal thrust T = mf ( D-V )
T = mf ( sF + R-V )
Your on board computer automatically selects the body you are most likely
to want to define a frame of reference for your motion. This is usually a
planet or moon, but can also be a space station or large ship. It also
decides whether it would be more intuitive to use a rotating frame or not.
For space stations, it is only sensible to use a rotating frame in the
docking tunnel otherwise your ship continually thrusts to attempt to move
in a circle in time with a similar point on the station.
CHOICE OF FRAMES OF REFERENCE
The body is used to define your current frame of reference is shown on the
bottom right of your head up display this is chosen by a weighting
function. For planets and stars this is based on mass, thus a star's
sphere of influence generally extends way beyond its planets. For other
bodies it is based on their dimensions.
You may notice your ship's engines suddenly starting to thrust when a
different frame of reference is chosen. This is not a fault with your ship
but is because your set speed has suddenly appeared to change as it is now
measured relative to the new body.
APPENDIX FIVE SHIP IDENTIFICATION
==================================
ADDER
HULL MASS 15 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 55 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 40 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 18 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F
MISSILE PYLONS 0
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
ANACONDA
HULL MASS 150 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 800 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 650 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
CREW 10
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 8
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
ASP EXPLORER
HULL MASS 30 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 150 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 120 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 7 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 22 EARTH G
CREW 2
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 1
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
BOA
HULL MASS 200 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 1500 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 1300 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G
CREW 12
GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F
MISSILE PYLONS 6
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
COBRA MK1
HULL MASS 15 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 75 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 60 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 16 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
COBRA MKIII
HULL MASS 20 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 100 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 80 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 7 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 20 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 4
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
CONSTRICTOR
HULL MASS 30 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 120 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 90 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 22 EARTH G
CREW 2
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKI
HULL MASS 5 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 25 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 20 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 25 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION, EMPIRE
EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKII
HULL MASS 6 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 28 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 22 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 28 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER MKIII
HULL MASS 8 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 30 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 22 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 15 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 28 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE
FALCON
HULL MASS 5 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 16 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 11 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 30 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
GECKO
HULL MASS 11 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 45 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 34 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 2
MISSILE PYLONS 1
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
IMP COURIER
HULL MASS 130 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 480 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 350 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 16 EARTH G
CREW 3
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 6
ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE
IMP TRADER
HULL MASS 175 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 700 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 525 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G
CREW 6
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 6
ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE
INTERPLANETARY SHUTTLE
HULL MASS 4 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 8 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 4 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 0
MISSILE PYLONS 0
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION, EMPIRE
KRAIT
HULL MASS 8 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 38 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 30 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 20 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 4
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
LIFTER
HULL MASS 3 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 10 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 7 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 2 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 0
MISSILE PYLONS 0
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
LION
HULL MASS 65 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 300 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 235 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G
CREW 4
GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F
MISSILE PYLONS 6
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
MORAY
HULL MASS 17 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 87 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 70 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 14 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F
MISSILE PYLONS 4
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
OSPREY
HULL MASS 4 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 15 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 11 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 8 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 27 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE EMPIRE
PANTHER
HULL MASS 400 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 2500 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 2100 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
CREW 15
GUN MOUNTINGS 4
MISSILE PYLONS 8
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
PUMA SHUTTLE
HULL MASS 175 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 1000 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 825 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 3 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
CREW 11
GUN MOUNTINGS 4+F
MISSILE PYLONS 8
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
PYTHON
HULL MASS 100 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 500 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 400 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G
CREW 7
GUN MOUNTINGS 2+F
MISSILE PYLONS 4
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
SIDEWINDER
HULL MASS 8 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 33 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 25 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 12 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 23 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F
MISSILE PYLONS 0
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT
TIGER TRADER
HULL MASS 80 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 400 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 320 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 5 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 12 EARTH G
CREW 5
GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F
MISSILE PYLONS 1
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
TRANSPORTER
HULL MASS 40 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 200 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 160 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 4 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 9 EARTH G
CREW 3
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION
VIPER DEFENCE CRAFT
HULL MASS 15 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 65 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 50 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 10 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 24 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1+F
MISSILE PYLONS 4
ALLEGIANCE INDEPENDENT, FEDERATION, EMPIRE
KESTREL AIRFIGHTER
HULL MASS 5 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 20 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 15 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 25 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
HAWK AIRFIGHTER
HULL MASS 5 TONNES
MASS (FULLY LADEN) 18 TONNES
INTERNAL CAPACITY (NO DRIVE) 13 TONNES
RETRO THRUSTER ACCELERATION 6 EARTH G
MAIN THRUSTER ACCELERATION 27 EARTH G
CREW 1
GUN MOUNTINGS 1
MISSILE PYLONS 2
ALLEGIANCE FEDERATION
HAVE FUN GUYS AND REMEMBER ITS ALL FOR FUN
aLL DoCs DoNE By SHaRD/N&B
/\_ ____________ ______/\___________/\___
/ <20>\/ |<7C>\ __ / \____ / <20>\ |\ __ /
/ | \ | \/ <20>\/ & | _ \ | \ |_\/ <20>\/
\__|__/_____/\__/ |_____/____/____/\__/
+---------------------------------------------+
CaLL THe CRaZY GaNG BoARdS ToDaY
The Mansion.........+44-623825017
Off Shore...........+44-534856292
Worlds of Wonder....+1-4109691894
----------------------------------<2D><> ADDZ <20><>----------------------------------
.-------------------------------.
| aNOTHER fILE cOMING fROM |
<20> <20>
: oNE oF tHE fASTEST aROUND: :
_ _ ____ _ ____________________________________________________ __ ___ _ _
\_\\\\_______ /______ \ __ /___ / _________//_///
/ _/___/_/ ___ \ \ / \ /_____ \
\ \ | \ \ \__/ / / / \
\___. |\________/_____\\_________/__________/
`-----' <20>
_ _ ___ __ _________________________ :
\\\_\\_______ \_____ / <20>
<20> / / \ /______/ |
: \ / / ____/ <20>
: \________/_____|D! :
. .
_ ___ _ __________________________________________________________
\_\\\\_______ \ _______________ /_______ \______ /___ \
/ ___ \_____ \/ _/___/_/ ___ \ _/ __/ / \
/ \ \ / \ \ | \ \ \ \ / \
\_________/________/___. |\_________/___\ \_________/
<20> `-----' <20> \____/
: zENITH wHQ - rAZOR 1911 cHQ :
<20> <20>
`----( cLOSED eLITE sYSTEM )----'
----------------------------------<2D><> ADDZ <20><>----------------------------------
-=========================================================================-
14-Nov-93 >THIS FILE HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO ZENLANDIA BBS< 02:07:34
________ ___
\_____ \ _____________ /\ ___ _ _______ _______ ___ / /
/ /\\__________ \ / // /\ / \\____ \ / _____ \ / // \
/ / \_____ \ \ / // / / \ /\ \ / /___ /\ \ / // /\ \
/ / / __/\ /\ \/ // / / /\ \ /\ \/ // / / // // / \ \
/ /_____\ \____ / /\ // /___/ /__\ \ / /\ // /__/ // // /____\ \
\________\\_____// /\ \_/ \_____/\_//____// / \_//\______//\_//\_//______/
\ \\ \/ \\ \ \ \ | \/ / / / / / / /
\ \ / -dHM/
A BOARD OF /\/-> T R S I <-\/\
-=========================================================================-
<EFBFBD>
Reference in New Issue View Git Blame Copy Permalink