Star Control manual
STAR CONTROL is a science-fiction wargame which pits the forces of The Alliance of Free Stars against those of the predatory Ur-Quan Hierarchy. The game is designed so that you can ease into play, familiarizing yourself with menus, options, and player controls. The Alliance and Hierarchy each possess seven different types of warships. Each vessel has its own maneuvering and firing characteristics, plus a unique special power that you can employ when circumstances dictate. [These are the most important docs you need for the game, the other imformation is either incredibly easy to figure out, description, or just plain irrelevent to game play] KEYBOARD CURSOR CONTROLS Arrow keys move the highlighter Return key selects highlighted option JOYSTICK SHIP CONTROLS THRUST UP LEFT UP UP/RIGHT THRUST & ROT LEFT\ | / THRUST & ROT RIGHT \ | / \ | / LEFT-------O-------RIGHT ROTATE / | \ ROTATE / | \ / | \DOWN/RIGHT DOWN/LEFT DOWN SPECIAL POWER KEYBOARD SHIP CONTROLS Default Flight Control (can be reconfigured with KEYS utility) Hierarchy Alliance Special 1 N Rotate Left 2 M Rotate Right 3 , Thrust 4 . Fire 5 ? OTHER SPECIAL CONTROLS [SPACEBAR] Cancels last selection [in FULL game only] [F1] Pause/Resume game [F10] Exit any mode of play SAVING A GAME IN PROGRESS 1) Press F7 2) If running from a floppy disk, insert a formatted disk into DF0: 3) Select a number from 1-9 to identify a saved game, and type it. 4) Type a name for the saved game, then press ENTER. 5) When the save is complete, you're returned to the Fleet Command View. KEYBOARD CONFIGURATION UTILITY The configuration utility - KEYS - lets you reconfigure the keys you'll use as the control keys in STAR CONTROL. To use, double click the STAR CONTROL Disk 1 icon from Workbench and then double click on the KEYS option. SCENARIO EDITOR The scenario editor utility - EDIT - allows you to modify the scenarios which came with the game, and even create new scenarios entirely of your own design. To use, double click on the STAR CONTROL Disk 1 icon and then double click on the EDIT icon. SETTING PLAYER OPTIONS CONTROL OPTIONS--> Control options determine who controls the Hierarchy and Alliance sides in both strategic and combat modes. Control options are: HUMAN- The human player [YOU] totally controls the side, making all strategic decisions and fighting all battles. COMPUTER- The computer totally controls the side. The computer controls ship selection in Practice and Melee, as well as Fleet Command in Full Game. CYBORG- The human player makes strategic choices. But when battle occurs, the computer takes over full combat responsibility. PSYTRON- The human player fights all battles, while the computer decides all strategy. FULL GAME Full game combines strategic play with arcade-action combat. You develop resources, build colonies, purchase ships, fortfy stars, and plot moves through space while your opponent is carrying out a similar set of actions. Both sides compete to achieve superior strategic position, so that combat occurs on advantageous terms. Play is divided into turns, alternating between Hierarchy and Alliance. On a players turn he can perform three [3] actions, such as moving a ship, building a new ship, or developing a mine or colony. The game ends when one player fulfills his side's victory conditions. Total destruction of the enemy always results in a victory, though not necessarily the easiest victory. THE ROTATING STARFIELD The rotating starfield is a spatial world, multi-dimensional and moving about a vertical axis. It takes some time before your eyes adjust to this environment, as your view constantly changes. STARS Stars are colored according to the kind of planets which orbit them. Unexplored stars are indicated in blue. When you move a ship to an unexplored star, it changes color. A purple star indicates a mineral planet, a green star a colonizable planet, and a gray star a dead planet. MINERAL WORLDS Mineral worlds are hot, heavy, dense planets and contain metals, ores, sulphurs, and other compounds which may be exploited for mining. When these minerals are prosessed, they generate starbucks which allow you to build and power new ships. LIFE WORLDS Life worlds are green and temperate planets resembling the Earth. They contain plenty of water and oxygen, and are ideal locations for a race to build colonies. DEAD WORLDS Dead worlds are rocky wastes wich never possessed atmospheres - or had them obliterated in some cosmic calamity. A dead world can be fortified by a resourceful planner. SHIPS The number of ships each player starts with depends on the scenario chosen. If you have a starbase, you can buy new ships, and can have up to seven ships in your fleet. STARBASES A starbase is a large, slow-moving space station at which you can build new starships. NOTE: It is recommended that you guard starbases with at least one combat vessel. An undefended starbase is automatically destroyed if an enemy ship reaches it. INSTALLATIONS A primary activity in the Full Game is building installations which aid the player in conquering star clusters: COLONIES [DIAMONDS] FORTIFICATIONS [SQUARES] MINES [PLUS SIGNS] COLONIES A colony, established on a life world, provides a place for a ship to recruit new members to replace those lost in combat. Colonies also speed ship movement, since moving from a colony world does not cost an action. This benefit does not apply to Starbases. MINES Mines, established on mineral worlds, earn the side developing that world's resources Starbucks at a rate of one per turn. [Your starbase also generates one Starbuck per turn] FORTIFICATIONS You establish fortifications as a defensive web through which no single ship can pass or easily destroy. [With the exception of the Arilou Skiff and the Ur-Quan dreadnought!]. Fortifications protect colonies and mines, and may block an attack route to a starbase. Should a single ship move into a fortification, it is stuck. To free it, it must successfully besiege or be joined by a second ship which will automatically destroy the fort at the end of the turn. DESTROYING ENEMY INSTALLATIONS You destroy an undefended enemy colony, mine, or fortification by moving onto it with any ship. Alternately, if you defeat all enemy ships in battle which are guarding an installation, you automatically destroy it. In some scenarios, complete destrucation of one type of installation may resuly in the victory of your side. PRECURSOR RELICS In full game, you can discover Precursor knowledge tablets conataining the imprint of valuable technological relics. These age-old, still functional devices left in stasis cubbies by the Precursor cultures. There is a random chance you may find a Precursor tablet each time that your ship lands on an unexplored star. When your ship finds a relic, it is added to the ship's structure. The vessel immediately improves in an area of ship performance. Whenever you gain a Precursor tablet, the relic is indicated by a silhouetted letter which appears on the discovering ship. The letters and improvements are: [F] - Fuel Packs Attached. Your ship's maximum fuel is now increased. [C] - Crew Pods Added. You now have increassed crew capacity, but to gain more crew you must recruit at a colony. [D] - Dynamo Attached. Improves fuel regeneration. [T] - Thrusters attached. Improves fuel regeneration. [J] - Control Jets Attached. Improves turning. SCENARIO DESCRIPTIONS 1] BEGINNER'S LUCK. An introductory scenario in which you learn to establish forts and mines; few ships and stars are found. Either side is victorious when its forces completely destroy the enemy. 2] FIRST ENCOUNTER. The two sides square off with modest, evenly-balanced forces. A moderate number of stars populate space. You colonize and build ships, and win by achieving total destruction of enemy forces. 3] EXTERMIATE. The Shofixti - starting with a few colonies, a starbase, and six ships - confront an Ur-Quan foe with a sole fortified colony and a single Dreadnought. The Hierarchy player wins by destroying all enemy colonies or eliminating all enemy forces; the Shofixti must kill the Ur-Quan Dreadnought. 4] ESCALATION. Each side starts with a single starbase, 25 starbucks, and no ships. Use your cunning, expanding slowly and building fortifications. Also possible: a "blitzkrieg" against the opponent's starbase. You win by completely destroying the enemy. 5] THE ART OF WAR. Both players begin with a limited number of ships. An overall balance of forces exists; however, Art of War features a series of individual matchups that contrast individual ships' strengths and weaknesses. Win by destroying the enemy's starbase. 6] ONSLAUGHT. A Dreadnought Armade, unattached to any starbase [thus without ship-building powers] rampages through an Alliance stronghold. The Ur-Quans capitalize on an initial advantage to destroy Alliance ships, mines, and colonies. If Alliance forces survive to build new ships, they try to tilt the odds against the Dreadnoughts. Alliance victory occurs with the destruction of all Ur-Quan ships. 7] TOTAL WAR. An enhancement of Melee mode, Total War pits the seven Hierarchy vessels against the full roster of Alliance ships. there are no starbases, so neither side can build new vessels. The player who colonizes, explores, and fortifies most effectively gains the upper hand. Win by total destruction of the foe. 8] SPATHI LESSON. Their Ur-Quan masters have sent the Spathi to destroy a Mmrnmhrm mining outpost. The Hierarchy side wins if the Spathi pulverize all Mmrnmhrm mines; the Alliance must eliminate all Hierarchy ships to triumph. 9] COUNTER ATTACK. This time, the Hierarchy is on the defensive as Alliance vessels invade Ur-Quan space. The Alliance has money and a lone Chenjesu ship. The Hierarchy have ships and income from mines, but no money. You must destroy the enemy to win.
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