Star Fleet 1: The War Begins manual
STARFLEET I - THE WAR BEGINS!
VERSION 2.1
AMIGA VERSION
QUICK REFERENCE CARD
RANKS AND MISSION LEVELS
RANK MISSION LEVEL
Cadet (Ensign) 1
Lieutenant JG 2
Lieutenant 3
Lt. Commander 4
Commander 5
Captain 6
Commodore 7
Rear Admiral 8
Vice Admiral 9
Admiral 10
LIST OF SHIP'S SYSTEMS
SYSTEM STATUS E.R.T.
1 Navigation Computer OPER 0.00
2 Main Engines *INOP 2.62
3 Auxiliary Engineers OPER 0.00
4 Short Range Sensors OPER 0.00
5 Long Range Sensors OPER 0.00
6 Shields Controls OPER 0.00
7 Torpedo Control OPER 0.00
8 Phaser Control *INOP 0.96
9 Mine Control OPER 0.00
10 Tractor Beam OPER 0.00
11 Transporters OPER 0.00
12 Primary Life Support OPER 0.00
13 Backup Life Support OPER 0.00
The Estimated Repair Time (E.R.T.) is in days. Approximately 100 units of
power for each day repair time will fix the damaged system.
SIGN ON OPTIONS
OPTIONS PURPOSE
C Continue on to a new mission (exit optional)
S View your Service Record
P Obtain your current standing towards promotion
F List status of Star Fleet personnel
A View another officer's Service Record
T Play theme of universe creation
R Resume a previously saved mission
M Maintenance of data files
O Organization of Star Fleet Command
L Replay Captain's Log
X Exit from STAR FLEET I
DECORATIONS AWARD LEVELS
MISSION RATING (%)
LEVEL DECORATIONS RANK 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
I 1. Star Fleet Citation For Gallantry
2. Prentares Ribbon of Commendation 100 95 90 85
3. Combat Action Ribbon
II 1. Silver Palm
(4. with Oak Leaf Cluster) 105 100 95 90
2. Alliance Defense Service Medal
3. Distinguished Service Medal
III 1. Valeun Medal of Valour
2. Karagite Order of Heroism 110 105 100 95
3. Cross of Gallantry with Palm
IV 1. Iron Cross
(4. with Shield) 115 110 105 100
2. Medal of Honor
3. Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star
V. 1. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(4. with Swords) 120 115 110 105
2. Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star
3. Pour Le Merite
VI 1. Hero of the Alliance Gold Star
(2. with Meteors) 125+ 120+ 115+ 110+
(3. with Meteors and Diamonds)
Awards are not presented for level one or two games
STAR FLEET I
QUICK REFERENCE CARD
COMMAND MENUS
CMD
NO COMMAND/TASK ABBREVIATION
P1 Target Calculator* TAR
P2 Long Range Sensors LRS
P3 Mission Status Report STA
P4 Damage Control* DAM
P5 Navigation Control* NAV
P6 Defensive Shields Control+ SHD
P7 Torpedo Control+ TOR
P8 Phaser Control+ PHA
P9 Ship's Computer Cmp
P10 Select Secondary Command Menu 2nd
S1 Tractor Beacon Control+ TRC
S2 Transporters Control+ TRN
S3 Mine Control+ MIN
S4 Internal
STARFLEET OFFICERS MANUAL
VOLUME 1
CONTENTS
PAGE
I. GENERAL SECTION.................................................1
Introduction....................................................3
Your First Real Command.........................................5
The Enemy.......................................................7
Your Service Record............................................11
The Right Computer Hardware....................................12
Diskette Access................................................13
Setting Up Your Playing Diskette...............................14
Backing Up Your Playing Diskette...............................15
Starting the Simulation........................................16
Star Fleet Security System.....................................18
Starting a New Mission.........................................20
The Screen Format..............................................22
II. COMMAND SECTION................................................27
Overview.......................................................29
AAS - Auto Alert Switch........................................32
BAS - Starbase Status Report...................................33
DAM - Damage Control...........................................34
DIS - Display Reset............................................36
HYP - Emergency Hyperspace Maneuver............................37
LRS - Long Range Sensors.......................................38
MAP - Region Map...............................................39
MIN - Mine Control.............................................40
NAV - Navigation Control.......................................42
NOP - No Operations............................................44
PHA - Phaser Control...........................................45
PRO - Reconnaissance Probes Launch Control.....................47
SAV - Save Game................................................48
SEC - Internal Security Control................................49
SHD - Defensive Shields Control................................50
SLF - Self-Destruct Sequencer..................................52
SND - Sound Option.............................................53
STA - Mission Status Report....................................54
STO - Stop Option..............................................56
TAR - Target Calculator........................................57
TOR - Torpedo Control..........................................58
TRC - Tractor Beam Control.....................................59
TRN - Transporters Control.....................................61
III. INFORMATION SECTION............................................63
Enemy Intruders................................................65
Ship Disabled..................................................66
Starbases and Docking..........................................67
Sign-on Options................................................69
Starship Cruisers in STAR FLEET I..............................71
iii
List of Your Ship's Decks,
Primary Functions, and Vulnerable Systems......................72
Decorations and Awards.........................................73
Efficiency Rating..............................................75
The Time Factor................................................76
IV. MAINTENANCE SECTION............................................77
Overview.......................................................79
Starting the Maintenance Option................................80
The Data Files.................................................82
Star Fleet Personnel File (SF.PER).....................82
Service Record File (SRV.RCD)..........................83
Sequence Number and
Ship's Status File (SEQ.NUM)...................84
Maintenance Options............................................86
List File Option.......................................86
Reset File Option......................................87
Modify File Option.....................................87
SF.PER.........................................87
SRV.RCD........................................88
SEQ.NUM........................................89
Append to File Option..................................90
Insert Entry Option....................................90
Diskette Full Errors...........................................93
Rebuilding Data Files and Other Tips...........................94
V. FINAL WORD.....................................................95
Final Word.....................................................97
CYGNUS Product Warranty........................................98
Product Replacement............................................98
Product Update Plan............................................98
Product Registration...........................................98
VI. INDEX..........................................................99
iv
TABLES
TABLE TITLE PAGE
I Details of the Invincible Class Heavy Cruiser...................6
II Ranks and Mission Levels........................................6
III Characteristics of the Enemy Fleet.............................10
IV Beginning Segment Questions....................................21
V Caution and Warning Panel Messages.............................23
VI Tactical Display Symbols.......................................24
VII Tactical Display Information...................................24
VIII Mission Status Report Items....................................55
IX Example Target Calculator Inputs...............................57
X Decorations Levels and Criteria................................73
XI Decoration Numbers used in SRV.RCD.............................84
FIGURES
FIGURE TITLE PAGE
1 Definition of Grid System.......................................5
2 STAR FLEET I Screen Format.....................................22
3 Example Tactical Display.......................................23
4 Command Menus..................................................30
5 Target Designator Control Keys.................................31
6 Example Damage Control Report..................................35
7 Long Range Sensor Scan Notation................................38
8 Example Long Range Sensor Scan.................................38
9 Example Region Map.............................................39
10 Navigation Headings............................................42
11 Hyperspace Travel..............................................43
12 Defensive Shields Location.....................................50
13 Example Mission Status Report..................................54
14 Example Data Files Listing.....................................86
15 Example Password Change........................................88
v
Captain Wallace exits the elevator to the bridge and nods to the security
guard by the door. He walks quickly to the Captain's chair. His eyes scan
the bridge, hardly noticed by a crew of eight, who are deeply involved in
their duties. Operating the helm are two new officers fresh from the
Academy. Captain Wallace shakes his head slightly and tries to remember the
names of the fifty new crewmen assigned to the United Galactic Alliance
Ship Saratoga over the past month. It is a grim sign of the war's toll on
the Alliance military forces.
As the Captain sits down he turns to his right and comments to his First
Officer who is monitoring the ship's sensors, "Sure is quiet." "Yes Sir,"
returns the First Officer, his eyes still on the scanners. Lately bridge
duty has been like this, especially on patrol near the Neutral Zone. Fear
and apprehension lay heavily upon the crew.
Brushing back his slightly gray hair, Captain Wallace thinks back to when
he was a junior officer. He tries to make himself comfortable in his
command chair as he recalls the days of adventure through peaceful
exploration, prior to the Galactic War II that now rages. He thinks back to
his first assignment on the U.G.A.S. Hornet and the two-year exploration of
the Achernar Region, long before the resurgence of the Krellan Empire.
After the first galactic war, the Krellan Empire was all but extinct. The
Krellans had been limited by treaty in both military strength and
territory, which did not stand well with their barbaric nature. Then the
Krellans inaugurated a new emperor - HENRI ZAE IV.
Henri Zae IV quickly proved to be the political genius of the 25th century.
Under his rule the Krellan Empire began to prosper. More importantly, the
brutal people regained military strength and pride under their new emperor.
Two years after he came to power, the Krellan Empire expanded into
non-Alliance "neutral" space - without firing a shot. Complacent Alliance
Senators paid little attention to Zae and the Krellans as they expanded.
The Krellan people soon began to worship Zae as their Messiah, and the
Empire continued to grow. Propaganda and prejudice spread throughout the
galaxy. During an interstellar speech, Zae declared Krellan superiority -
the Barbaric Master Race was created to rule. Historians quickly compared
Zae to Mecca's Zaldrez, Earth's Hitler, and Vega's Estar. All these
self-proclaimed Messiahs brought war and destruction. Despite the obvious
implications, the Alliance leaders paid little attention.
Soon after Zae's speech the initial intelligence reports began coming in.
Rumors reached the Alliance that Zae had signed a treaty with an
imperialistic alien race - the Zaldrons. "Impossible," proclaimed the
Senatorial Leaders. "The Zaldrons would never comprise the security of
their home worlds to a fanatical leader like Zae." "Utterly unbelievable,"
they maintained.
vii
Finally on the morning of Galactic Date 3095.7 (August 20, 2414 A.D. Sol
calendar) the galaxy paid attention. The Zaldrons attacked a small military
planet on the outskirts of Deneb IV. This planet was Beta II, an Alliance
Regional Fleet Headquarters. The Zaldron attack force had passed into
Alliance territory completely undetected with the use of their invisibility
screens (fortunately Zae has not yet acquired this weapon from the
Zaldrons). After the Zaldrons knocked out the defense of Beat II, the
Krellan fleet moved in. The treaty signed by the two power-seeking,
barbaric races resulted in the massacre of Beta II. The surprise attack
killed over 94,000 Alliance personnel, the planet was no longer fit to
sustain life, and much of the Alliance was destroyed. Thus began the bloody
conflict, Galactic War II.
The Krellan onslaught did not stop there. Other Alliance bases quickly fell
to Zae, and the unprepared and outnumbered ships of the Alliance fleet were
swept away before the Krellan attackers. Soon only a handful of Alliance
warships were left, and many of the outer regions found themselves
virtually undefended, and helpless.
Crews familiar to the wonders of space exploration suddenly found
themselves in the heat of battle. The Alliance had no choice but to recall
those ships from exploration and reassign them to protect the outer
regions. These lone ships had to bear a double burden - buy time for the
Alliance to rebuild the fleet, and be the sole protectors of the isolated,
sometimes heavily populated, regions.
Suddenly the Captain's thoughts are interrupted by a familiar sound. The
alert klaxon is ringing throughout his ship. Several large spaceships are
approaching: ..fast...hostile...KRELLAN! "RED ALERT - GENERAL QUARTERS!"
viii
GENERAL SECTION
1
NOTE
The instructions given in this manual concerning function keys, which keys
to press, etc., are written specifically for the IBM PC (and compatibles)
and the TI Pro Versions of STAR FLEET I. If you have a different computer,
see the enclosed supplement for instructions and changes to this manual
required for your version of STAR FLEET I.
2
I. GENERAL SECTION
This section will provide you with information you will need before you
begin play.
INTRODUCTION
STAR FLEET I is a strategic war game between two opposing forces. Invading
fleets of hostile aliens from the Krellan and Zaldron Empires are
threatening the very existence of democracy, and it is up to you to stop
them. You will encounter hostile alien warships that move, intruders who
sneak through your ship sabotaging systems, and much more. In addition,
CYGNUS has incorporated into STAR FLEET I a feature which sets it apart
from other space war games, and gives STAR FLEET I its name. You will
become a member of Star Fleet, and compete (if you choose) with your
friends or family members to progress through the ranks, from a rookie
cadet in the Star Fleet Officers Academy to the rank of Admiral. Minimum
standards have been set which players are required to pass in order to be
promoted. Each player's promotion history and current standing towards
promotion are kept. These are accessible to view by all members of the
fleet. To complete the highest rank and reach the honorary rank of Admiral
Emeritus is the long term goal, and being able to view the progress of the
other players provides a competitive spirit.
In order to provide you with an added incentive to excel in individual
missions, awards and decorations can be earned. These are awarded
automatically by the program based on the results of individual missions
and are entered into your permanent service record to be viewed by all.
When you start as a cadet in the Academy you will command the cadet
training ship Republic. Upon graduation you will have a choice of thirty
six starships to command. Many of them have been named after famous
warships of Earth's history. With each new adventure you can command a
different ship.
So grab your command chair and get ready for an exciting trip through the
interstellar void (actually, you will find it quite crowded). Bon Voyage
and Good luck.
A WORD OF CAUTION - We strongly advise you to review this manual before
beginning play. There are many things a starship commander must know, and
the program contains no instructions or hints. Do not be intimidated by the
size of this manual. To make the game more enjoyable, a comprehensive
manual was written so you could understand the basic strategy of STAR FLEET
I, and more thoroughly use its many capabilities and features. Additional
material and instructions are contained in the Star Fleet Officers Training
Manual (see p. 97). Despite the completeness of these manuals, we have
purposely left a few things out for you to discover on your own.
3
However, it is advised you keep this manual and the Quick Reference Card
nearby while playing, as you will find them most helpful.
If you are eager to start playing and do not want to first read the entire
manual, we recommend you at least look over the following sections:
I. GENERAL SECTION
All parts except Your Service Record
II. COMMAND SECTION
Overview
Command P1: Target Calculator (TAR)
Command P2: Long Range Sensors (LRS)
Command P5: Navigation Control (NAV)
Command P6: Defensive Shields Control (SHD)
Command P7: Torpedo Control (TOR)
Command P8: Phaser Control (PHA)
III. INFORMATION SECTION
Starbases and Docking
Being familiar with these sections should provide you with enough
information to set up and start a playing diskette, and play as a cadet.
However, we strongly recommend you read the other sections of this manual
as soon as possible.
The setup and playing instructions in this manual are written specifically
for the IBM PC and compatibles (including the TI Pro) versions of STAR
FLEET I. If the version you have is for a different computer, then a
supplement (instruction booklet) describing the differences has been
included. You may wish to go through this manual and mark the differences
for you version to avoid confusion at a later date.
4
YOUR FIRST REAL COMMAND
You will be the commander of an Alliance heavy cruiser, which is assigned
to defend the galactic quadrants of a region of the United Galactic
Alliance. Your mission is to patrol these quadrants and eliminate the
number of enemy vessels assigned to you by Star Fleet Command in the given
number of days.
Your starship is equipped with phasers and torpedoes and is protected by
defensive energy shields. Available power is 5000 units. This power is
available for such things as movement, firing phasers and torpedoes,
defensive shields, repairing damaged systems, operating your tractor beam
and transporters, or launching deep space reconnaissance probes More
details of the Alliance Invincible Class heavy cruiser are presented in
TABLE I. A list of the thirty- six starships available for your command is
provided in the INFORMATION SECTION.
Your patrol area consists of 64 quadrants in an 8 X 8 grid. Each quadrant
is defined by its location in the grid (see Figure 1); e.g., Quadrant "7,
5" means row 7, column 5, counting from the upper left corner of the grid.
Each quadrant in turn consists of 100 sectors in ten rows and ten columns.
Each object (Krellan, star system, starship, etc.) occupies one sector,
with the same position designation as used for the quadrants. Do not worry
if you are confused - this is explained in detail with figures in the
COMMAND SECTION.
COLUMN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 +
8
FIGURE 1 - DEFINITION OF GRID SYSTEM
Your training will be as a cadet (Mission Level 1) at the Star Fleet
Officers Academy, where you will perform only simulated computer training
missions aboard the cadet training ship Republic. The Krellans will not
move, there will be no Zaldrons, and life in general will not be as hectic
as in the higher ranks.
After you have successfully completed the second mission at this level you
will graduate from the Academy and be promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade
and given your first real command (Mission Level 2). From then on you may
choose any
5
mission level up to that for which you are qualified, but only those
missions at your maximum level will be considered towards your promotion.
The higher your rank, the harder it will be to get promoted. Likewise, the
higher the mission level, the more difficult the game. TABLE II shows the
ranks with their corresponding mission levels.
TABLE I - DETAILS OF THE INVINCIBLE CLASS HEAVY CRUISER
Maximum Safe Cruising Speed..................................C-Factor 6
Emergency Speed..............................................C-Factor 8
Phasers...............................................................6
Torpedoes (or Mines)..............................................20std
30max
Maximum Total Power-units..........................................5000
Life Support Systems...................................Primary & Backup
Defensive Energy Shields..............................................4
Maximum Shield Strength-units...................................2000 ea
4000tot
Critical Systems.....................................................13
Shuttlecraft..........................................................5
Deep Space Recon.Probes...............................................3
Tractor Beams.........................................................1
Standard Ship's Complement:
Officers.....................................................32
Crew........................................................398
Space Marines................................................70
TABLE II - RANKS AND MISSION LEVELS
RANK MISSION LEVEL
Cadet (Ensign) 1
Lieutenant JG 2
Lieutenant 3
Lt. Commander 4
Commander 5
Captain 6
Commodore 7
Rear Admiral 8
Vice Admiral 9
Admiral 10
6
THE ENEMY
There are two races of hostile aliens - the Krellans and the Zaldrons.
Characteristics of their respective space vessels are presented in TABLE
III. The destroyer is the only type of Krellan ship identified so far by
Star Fleet Intelligence. Even less is known about the warships used by the
Zaldrons. Star Fleet has not been able to determine the Zaldron ship's
class or type, although it is similar in size to a destroyer. More
information about the Krellan and Zaldron empires is contained in the
Officers Academy Training Manual.
KRELLANS
The Krellans are classified as warm-blooded humanoids. The Krellan people
as a race are extremely hostile and aggressive. Their physical strength is
greater than most inhabitants of the galaxy, including humans. Their
aggressive behavior and raw coverage are the product of centuries of
selective breeding. Their society is based on conquest. Krellan children
are selected at an early age for their future career. All parents hope
their children will be selected to be part of the Imperial Krellan assault
forces. If not, they will grow up in the working class, laboring all their
lives to support the Empire with little gain for themselves. All political,
medical, and upper class occupations are held by military officials. A
Krellan's life is made up of war and conquest; this is their honor. For a
Krellan to die in battle is the greatest honor of all. Thus an old Krellan
saying,
"To Live is to Conquer and to Conquer is to Live!"
All else, even death, is secondary to a Krellan.
PICTURE OF A KRELLAN
7
ZALDRONS
The Zaldrons are subterranean dwellers. They are cold-blooded reptiloids.
However, they are extremely intelligent. The Zaldrons are an imperialistic
race, but unlike the Krellans, they are not overly aggressive. Their
battles are strategically planned and executed. Meticulous precision is a
characteristic trait of the Zaldron. The Zaldrons serve a Queen, and in
their society the females serve in all political and upper class
occupations. This frees their males for war. Those males not suited for war
become drones to the female officials. The Zaldrons were thought at one
time to be a possible ally to the Alliance, but the queen's imperialistic
ambitions led to an unholy alliance with the Krellan Empire in the hope of
gaining territory from their conquest of the alliance.
PICTURE OF A ZALDRON
ENEMY TACTICS
Krellan movement depends on your mission level. For level one games they
will not move at all. For level two games they will move only within your
current quadrant. For levels three and above the Krellans will move within
your current quadrant and also from quadrant to quadrant within the region.
Their movement can be detected within the explored quadrants of your region
by using long range sensors and watching the region map. The fewer there
are and the higher your rank, the more likely they are to move. It is
important to know the current location of the enemy. Using the region map
you can see if a starbase is about to come under attack, or see if you need
to change your strategy and head to a different part of the region to
attack a higher concentration of enemy forces. The only known strategy of
the Krellan attackers is that they tend to gather in and near quadrants
where your starbases are located.
8
There will be up to five Krellans in each quadrant. The Zaldron warships
operate individually and can enter or leave a quadrant at will, but there
will only be one hostile Zaldron in a quadrant at a time. The Zaldron ships
are normally invisible because of their invisibility screens. Their
presence in your quadrant can be detected by your sensors due to their
disturbance of the space-time continuum, but their exact position is
usually only determined by accidentally colliding with or shooting them.
However, the warping of the space- time continuum by their invisibility
screen uses tremendous energy and it is difficult to maintain in a stable
condition. Consequently, your short range sensors may occasionally detect a
slight disturbance, which will appear as a momentary flicker on the
Tactical Display of the sector containing the Zaldron. Since the Zaldrons
use so much energy to stay invisible, if they remain in your quadrant long
enough, they will get so weak that they will become visible and be unable
to move.
Each enemy vessel will shot at your starship each time one of the following
happens (for items 1 and 2 there is a chance they might miss):
1. Your starship enters a new quadrant
2. Your starship moves
3. Your starship fires phasers or torpedoes
4. You operate the tractor beam or transporters
Also, if an entire day goes by without the enemy firing at you (i.e., you
have not done any of the above things), they will fire at you anyway, just
out of spite. The closer the enemy is to your starship, the stronger the
hit will be, with a maximum of 475 units for Krellans of 575 units for
Zaldrons when in a sector next to yours. When you damage an enemy vessel,
its strength is weakened and cannot be regained unless your starship leaves
the quadrant. However, once you leave their quadrant they will rapidly
recharge their energy to full strength.
You need not eliminate all the enemy vessels (either by destroying or
capturing them) in your region. There will always be more enemy ships in
the region than are necessary to complete your mission.
9
TABLE III - CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENEMY FLEET*
KRELLAN DESTROYER: ZALDRON WARSHIP:
Cruising Speed................C.F.4 Cruising Speed................C.F.4
Maximum Speed.................C.F.6 Maximum Speed.................C.F.7
Phasers...........................1 Plasma Beams......................1
Max. Total Power-Units..........500 Invisibility Screens..............1
Defensive Shields.................1 Max. Total Power-Units..........600
Critical Systems............unknown Defensive Shields.................1
Critical Systems............unknown
Std. Ship's Complement: Std. Ship's Complement:
Crew........................110 (?) Crew.........................180 (?)
Security.....................44 (?) Security......................60 (?)
Shock Troops.................25 (?) Warriors......................30 (?)
C.F. means C-Factor
*-Courtesy Intelligence Division, Star Fleet Command
PICTURE OF KRELLAN DESTROYER PICTURE OF ZALDRON WARSHIP
10
YOUR SERVICE RECORD
Your promotion history and any awards or decorations you have received are
contained in the service record. Your service record is updated
automatically by the program at the end of each game. With the service
record, you can watch yourself (and your friends) proceed up through the
ranks.
After you have successfully completed your second mission as a cadet, you
will be promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade (Lt. JG). To be promoted from
Lt. JG, you must complete at least three missions (at Level 2) with an
overall efficiency rating of 75 percent. From then on, to be promoted you
must successfully complete five missions, each new mission will count as 20
percent of your overall rating while all previous missions count as the
remaining 80 percent. Thus, each mission will have the same effect on your
rating as if it was one of the original five. There are no promotions from
level ten games, although once you reach the point at which you would
normally be promoted, you will receive the honorary rank of Admiral
Emeritus.
You will not be promoted after a failed mission, even if your overall
efficiency rating is above 75 percent. You must successfully complete your
last mission in order to be promoted.
11
THE RIGHT COMPUTER HARDWARE
IBM PC/PCjr, XT, AT and COMPATIBLES
STAR FLEET I by CYGNUS requires an IBM Personal Computer or compatible with
at least 128k bytes of random access memory (RAM), an 80-character mode
video monitor (either color or black and white), DOS 2 or later, and one
disk drive. The program will operate with either the color/graphics or
monochrome adapter.
TI PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER
STAR FLEET I requires at least 256k RAM and will operate with either 1 or 3
planar graphics boards. DOS 2 or later is required.
IMPORTANT NOTE
In this manual we refer to the key. On the IBM Personal Computer
the key looks like this:
and does not actually have the word "ENTER" written on it. This key is also
known as the key on some other keyboards.
OTHER COMPUTERS
Please see the supplement for system requirements for other computers.
12
DISKETTE ACCESS
CYGNUS separated the STAR FLEET I program into three segments: the
beginning, mid and end segment. Each segment is contained in a separate
file or files; thus you should never remove your STAR FLEET I diskette from
the disk drive at any time while you are playing, unless instructed to do
so by the program.
The beginning segment creates the universe and processes the sign-on
options. The major part of STAR FLEET I is the mid-segment. This is the
largest segment and contains all the files necessary for play. A few
commands are not initially loaded, but will automatically be read from your
diskette into memory when selected by the player. The usual loading time is
about five seconds.
After you have finished a game the end-game segment is read into memory.
This segment processes the results of your mission, updates your service
record, presents any awards or decorations you may receive, and grants
promotions (if earned).
STAR FLEET I uses temporary data files on the diskette to transfer
information from one program segment to another. If the simulation has been
terminated early, then the data file(s) may not have been created and will
cause the following messages to appear on your screen:
MISSION ABORTED
This message appears when the mid-segment is loaded into memory and the
data file from the beginning segment is bad or missing.
IF EXIT TO SYSTEM IS UNINTENTIONAL,
YOU HAVE A MISSING/BAD FILE
This message appears when the end segment is loaded into memory. If the
termination of the mission was NOT intentional, check to make certain your
diskette is not full or bad. Refer to your Disk Operating System (DOS)
Manual for how to do this. After STAR FLEET I ends you are given the option
of returning to the beginning segment, where you can look at your service
record or start a new game.
Your service record (plus those of any other players) is kept on your STAR
FLEET I playing diskette. Taking care of these files is described in the
MAINTENANCE SECTION.
13
IBM PC/PCjr or COMPATIBLES VERSION:
To set up your STAR FLEET I diskette for playing, please follow these steps
(if you are not using PC-DOS 3.0) with your computer up and running. The
diskette does not need to be set up for DOS 3+ (e.g. IBM AT).
1. Insert your STAR FLEET I diskette in drive A, and your DOS system
diskette in B. (If you only have one disk drive, wait until prompted to
insert the DOS diskette).
2. Type SETUP
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. Your DOS system files will be
transferred and the STAR FLEET I diskette will be made "bootable".
4. The STAR FLEET I diskette is now ready to run, but we strongly suggest
you make a backup copy first (see next page).
ATTENTION IBM VERSION USERS!
You can obtain extra space on your playing diskette by deleting the files
not used by the memory version you are using. After you have determined
which version (large or small) you will use from the chart on p. 16 and you
have run it to make certain it works (to the completion of a mission), you
can delete the unnecessary files. If you use the LARGE version, then delete
the files MSS.EXE and OVS.EXE. If you use the SMALL version, then delete
the file MSN.EXE. See your DOS manual for ERASE instructions. As a
safeguard, do not delete these files off your non-playing backup diskette.
TI PRO VERSION:
To set up your STAR FLEET I diskette for playing, please follow these steps
with your computer up and running.
1. Insert your STAR FLEET I diskette in drive B, and your DOS system
diskette in drive A. (If you only have one disk drive, wait until prompted
to insert the STAR FLEET I diskette.)
2. Type COPY COMMAND.COM B:
3. The STAR FLEET I diskette is now ready to run, but we strongly suggest
you make a backup copy first.
INSTALLATION ON HARD OR RAM DISKS:
The STAR FLEET I diskette supplied by CYGNUS is NOT copy protected;
therefore it can easily be copied to a hard or RAM disk. With the STAR
FLEET I diskette in drive A, and your computer set to the directory (you
want STAR FLEET I in), just type COPY A:*.* and the transfer will be
completed. The hard or RAM disk then becomes your playing disk. If you are
using a RAM disk, be sure to copy your data files back to the playing
diskette when you are finished.
14
BACKING UP YOUR PLAYING DISKETTE
STAR FLEET I writes on the playing diskette during each game, which
increases the chances of the diskette eventually "wearing out." It is
recommended that you copy the purchased diskette onto a blank diskette for
playing, and save your purchased diskette as a backup. Before making a
backup diskette, place a write protect tab on your original STAR FLEET I
playing diskette(s).
To make a backup copy, you first need a blank double-sided diskette (or two
single-sided diskettes) and follow these steps.
DOUBLE-SIDED DISKETTE
1. With a blank diskette in drive B (or when prompted) and your DOS
diskette in drive A, type FORMAT B:/S .
2. Replace the DOS diskette in drive A with your STAR FLEET I diskette,
type BACKUP and follow the instructions on the screen.
SINGLE-SIDED DISKETTE
1. With a blank single-sided diskette in drive B (or when prompted) and
your DOS system diskette in drive A, type FORMAT B:/S .
2. Replace the DOS diskette in drive A with your STAR FLEET I diskette A,
type BACKUPS , and follow the instructions on the screen.
3. Repeat step 1 with another blank diskette but this time, type FORMAT B:
.
4. Repeat step 2, but use your STAR FLEET I diskette B.
When the backup is complete, store your STAR FLEET I diskette in a safe
place and use your new backup copy as your playing diskette.
DO NOT PLACE A WRITE PROTECT TAB ON YOUR PLAYING DISKETTE.
15
STARTING THE SIMULATION
You may want to keep your original STAR FLEET I diskette(s) as backup(s)
and use the backup copy to play with. If you have the IBM version, then on
your STAR FLEET I diskette are two versions of the program, a large memory
version and a small memory version. These versions are identical except
that the small memory version has to read the diskette more often. Choose
the version to run from the following chart.
COMPUTER 128K RAM MORE THAN 128K RAM
IBM PC, XT LARGE LARGE
AT -- LARGE
IBM PCjr SMALL LARGE
PC COMPATIBLES TRY LARGE FIRST, IF NO LARGE
GOOD, THEN USE SMALL
If your computer requires the small version (e.g., PCjr), and you try
running the large version, then generally the beginning segment of the
program will run fine, but the main segment will fail to load in after the
orders page.
You should start STAR FLEET I depending on your computer configuration.
Most IBM PC and XT's can use either method of starting.
FOR ALL IBM COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS AND DOS SYSTEMS (EXCEPT 3.0)
This method is REQUIRED for the PCjr with 128K RAM.
1. If you have set up your diskette as instructed, insert your STAR FLEET I
diskette in disk drive A and either turn the computer on, or do a system
reset by pressing simultaneously.
2. When prompted, choose which version you want to play according to the
above chart.
FOR COMPUTERS WITH MORE THAN 128K RAM AND THE TI PRO
From your normal system prompt and with your STAR FLEET I diskette in the
default drive, type BEGIN (for the large version) or BEGINS (for the small
version).
When starting or resuming a simulation, you will be asked some questions.
Each question is described below. The program will accept both upper and
lower case answers. Do not press if a single letter response to the
question is expected.
Do you have 3-planar graphics?
This question only appears on the TI Pro version. Press or . There
is no default answer.
Will you be using a color monitor?
Press if you will be using a color monitor for playing or if you
will be using a monochrome, black and white, green or amber screen monitor.
Any other
16
response will cause the question to be repeated. There is no default answer
to this question; you must press or .
Would you like to turn sound off?
Press to turn the game sounds off, press if you wish the game
sounds left on. Pressing any other key will cause the question to be
repeated. There is no default answer; you must press or .
The simulation startup continues with the STAR FLEET SECURITY SYSTEM.
17
STAR FLEET SECURITY SYSTEM
To protect your STAR FLEET I simulation against unauthorized use by enemy
agents and other undesirable sentient beings, two levels of security have
been installed. The first appears after the title and credit screens have
been shown, and requires you to enter a certain word obtained from the
Officer's Manual per the instructions given on your screen. The following
rules apply when looking up the security words.
1. Page # is as printed at the bottom of the page.
2. A line is any distinct row with alphanumeric data on it. Underscores and
lines associated with figures do not count, but lines in tables do count;
e.g.,
Purpose: Allows you to list the status of your ship's systems and repair
those that are damaged.
This counts as two lines.
3. A word is defined as an unbroken string of alphanumeric characters with
a blank at either end: i.e., b (non-blank characters) b. This means that
hyphenated words count as one word.
4. The security words are taken only from this Officer's Manual. The
changes contained in any supplement or addendum sheets are not counted.
The second level of security prevents other authorized Fleet members from
signing on under your name, and possibly causing havoc with your service
record. After passing the first level of security the following questions
will appear:
Enter your last name:
Type your last name, or any other name you wish to use, and press .
Your name may be up to sixteen characters in length. This name will be used
for your service record and any awards and decorations you may receive.
CAUTION: NO TWO PLAYER NAMES CAN BE THE SAME. This is done to ensure your
being able to distinguish between players listed in the Star Fleet
Personnel List.
Are you a new recruit?
This question will only be asked the first time you sign on under the name
you specified in the previous step. This question is a check to ensure you
did not mistype your name. Press if you are a new player. Pressing
will cause the program to request your name again. There is no default
answer to this question; you must press or .
ENTER PASSWORD:
A password is necessary to prevent other players from playing under your
name. If you are signing on for the first time, input any eight
alphanumeric characters and press . DO NOT FORGET YOUR NAME OR
PASSWORD. If you forget your password you will have to return to the Star
Fleet Officers Academy and begin
18
your training all over again (Mission Level 1), or you may ask the manager
to look up your password for you suing the Maintenance sign-on option (more
on this later). If you are not a new recruit and you enter the wrong
password, the program will abort and you will have to restart the
simulation.
The simulation startup continues with STARTING A NEW MISSION.
19
STARTING A NEW MISSION
After passing the security system, the following questions will be asked.
The default answer, if any, is shown in [ ].
Sign on option?
If you are a new recruit this question will be skipped. If not, press the
appropriate key to execute any sign-on option. The options will be listed
on your screen, and are described fully in the INFORMATION SECTION. With
these options you can review your service record, resume a previously saved
mission, etc. Press to continue on to a new mission. There is no
default option to this question.
Enter Mission Level (1=easy to 10=hard) [MAX]?
If you are a cadet this question will also be skipped. Enter any integer
between one and ten up to the level of your maximum rank (see TABLE II).
Pressing without any input will default you to your maximum rank.
Do you want a Long, Medium, or Short mission [RANDOM]?
Press to select a long mission, for a medium length mission, or
for a short one. A short mission requires you to eliminate 10 to 30 enemy
vessels, a medium mission requires 31 to 60 vessels, and a long one
requires at least 61 enemy vessels. The program will randomly select the
number of enemy ships you must eliminate according to the mission length
you select. If you press without any input, the program will
randomly select between a long, medium, or short mission for you. It should
be noted that for mission levels higher than two, longer missions increase
your chances of earning high ratings and decorations. At high ranks (8+),
it is almost essential that you select medium or long missions to be
successful enough for promotion.
Enter your starship number [RANDOM]:
This question will be asked only for mission levels two and above. Star
Fleet Officers Academy members are required to use the training ship
Republic. The list of ships in Star Fleet will be displayed on your screen.
Enter the number of the starship you wish to use and press . If you
press . If you press without selecting a ship, the program
will randomly select one for you. Refer to the INFORMATION SECTION for a
list of the ships available and a description of the ship's status.
A message will now be displayed informing you the game setup is underway.
After this process is complete, you will receive your orders informing you
how many enemy vessels must be eliminated to successfully complete your
mission in the time allocated. You will also be informed of the number of
starbases located in your region and your mission sequence number. The
mission sequence number allows you to keep track of the total number of
games played by all players and is used in your service record for
promotions and awards.
20
PRESS ANY KEY TO START.....
Your orders will be displayed until you press a key on your keyboard. Only
press the key once and have patience, as there may be a delay before the
screen clears. After pressing a key, the simulation's mid-segment is loaded
and you are on your way! Please note that loading the mid-segment takes
from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the type of computer.
Each question discussed on the preceding pages is listed in TABLE IV with
its default answer. Some questions may be skipped depending upon your rank.
TABLE IV - BEGINNING SEGMENT QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS DEFAULT ANSWER
Do you have 3-planar graphics (TI Pro only) none
Will you be using a color monitor? none
Would you like to turn sound off? none
(Enter a security validation word) none
Enter your last name: none
Sign-on option? none
Enter Mission level: (1=easy to 10=hard) MAX RANK
Do you want a long, medium, or short mission? RANDOM
Enter your starship number: RANDOM
21
THE SCREEN FORMAT
To make the game more enjoyable, STAR FLEET I has a screen format which is
easy to read and understand. This format is shown in Figure 2. The dotted
lines in the figure do not appear on your screen; they are there only to
show a division between different areas. Each area is described below and
on the following pages.
FIGURE 2 - STAR FLEET I Screen Format
Area 1: Ship's Condition - Whenever hostile vessels are present in your
quadrant (and not in tow), COND: *RED* is displayed, otherwise your
condition is GREEN. However, when docked with starbase, your condition is
DOCKED, regardless of the presence of any enemy in the quadrant.
Area 2: Caution and Warning Panel - All primary warning and alert messages
will appear in this area. A description of each alert message is in TABLE
V.
Area 3: MET - Shows the current Mission Elapsed Time (i.e., how many star
days you have spent so far). The symbol next to the MET is explained on
page 76.
Area 4: UTILITY - Additional command inputs, command results, all messages,
plus some displays appear here.
22
TABLE V - CAUTION AND WARNING PANEL MESSAGES
MESSAGE DESCRIPTION
ZALDRON PRESENT Indicates a hostile Zaldron is present in the
quadrant
INTRUDER ALERT Indicates an enemy intruder is aboard
ATTACK ON BASE Indicates one of your starbases is currently under
attack
BASE CRITICAL Indicates the starbase under attack has less than 25
percent shield strength remaining
Area 5: REGION MAP - The map of your assigned galactic region appears here.
Area 6: TACTICAL DISPLAY - Causes a diagram of your quadrant to be
displayed with information about the quadrant, your ship's location within
the quadrant, and critical navigation, ship status and mission status
data. It is updated automatically each time a significant event occurs.
An example Tactical Display obtained from the short range sensors for the
Alliance Starship Invincible is presented in Figure 3. In this figure, the
Invincible is located in Sector 1, 3 (row 1, column 3) of Quadrant 7, 7
(row 7, column 7 of the region). TABLE VI defines the symbols used in the
display, and TABLE VII explains the additional information also provided in
the display.
TACTICAL DISPLAY
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 QUADRANT: 7, 7
1 . . [ k . . . . . k SECTOR: 1, 3
2 . . * . . . . . . . BEARING: 270.0 deg
3 k . . . * . . . . . POWER: 651
4 . . k . . * . . . . SHIELDS: 2562 (TOT)
5 # . . . . . . . . . 729/ 0/1000/833
6 . . . . . * . . . . AUTO ALERT: OFF
7 . . . + + + + + + + LIFE SUPPORT: PRIMARY
8 . . . . . . . . . . TORPEDOES: 8
9 . . k . . . . . . . CREW LOSES: 34/500
10. . . . . . . . . . ALIENS ELIM: 10/45
FIGURE 3 - EXAMPLE TACTICAL DISPLAY
23
TABLE VI - TACTICAL DISPLAY SYMBOLS
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION
. Empty Sector
A-Y The first letter of your starship's name
* Star system
k Krellan destroyer
Z Zaldron warship (when visible)
# Starbase
+ Mine
TABLE VII - TACTICAL DISPLAY INFORMATION
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Quadrant Your current quadrant location (row, column)
Sector Your current sector location (row, column)
Bearing Your starship's current heading-see NAV command
Power This is all your power not currently allocated to defensive
shields and is available for all other power requirements.
Shields Shows total shield power (TOT) and your current shield
configuration (shield 1/2/3/4) -see SHD command.
Auto Alerts Indicates whether the Auto Alert Switch is ON or OFF-see AAS
computer tasks.
Life Support Indicates whether your PRIMARY or BACKUP life support system is
on-refer to Ship Disabled in the INFORMATION SECTION.
Torpedoes The number of torpedoes remaining in your supply.
Crew Losses The first number indicates the total number of casualties
incurred. The second number indicates the original number of
crew and space marines onboard.
Aliens Elim The first number indicates the total number of enemy
vessels eliminated so far. The second number indicates the
total number of enemy vessels that must be eliminated to
complete your mission.
Short range sensors must be operational to use torpedo or phaser autofire,
and if damaged, hamper ability for phasers to maintain lock on as well as
limiting available information about enemy vessels. If your short range
sensors are damaged you call still update your Tactical Display by
obtaining a visual scan of the quadrant, but the range is limited to two
sectors distance. Large objects such as star systems or starbases are
visible at any range.
24
Area 7: COMMAND? - All command inputs are initially made here.
Area 8: COMMAND MENU - The current configuration of the function keys
appears on the bottom line of your monitor. The numbers 1 through 10 will
each be followed by the three letter abbreviation of the command that
currently corresponds to that function key (refer to the COMMAND SECTION).
This display will only appear on the screen when your computer is waiting
for a command input.
Area 9: SHIELD DISPLAY - Shows graphically the relative strength of your
shields. The relative intensities are:
High intensity or yellow: maximum (2000 units)
solid (brown or yellow): 1500-1999 units
: 1000-1499 units
: 500-999 units
I 1-499 UNITS
A " " symbol (high intensity or red) appears in the shield display if your
Shield Control is knocked out.
The only exception to the screen format in Figure 2 is the Damage Control
Display. It will fill the right side of the screen. This display will be
automatically cleared and replaced by the Tactical Display when you exit
the command.
25
PAGES 26 - 28 BLANK
II. COMMAND SECTION
OVERVIEW
There are many commands and computer tasks available to you. All commands
are entered by pressing the appropriate keyboard function keys F1 to F10.
The commands are:
CMD FNC
NO KEY COMMAND/TASK ABBREVIATION
P1 F1 Target Calculator* TAR
P2 F2 Long Range Sensors LRS
P3 F3 Mission Status Report STA
P4 F4 Damage Control * DAM
P5 F5 Navigation Control + NAV
P6 F6 Defensive Shields Control + SHD
P7 F7 Torpedo Control + TOR
P8 F8 Phaser Control + PHA
P9 F9 Ship's Computer (six tasks) * Cmp
P10 F10 Select Secondary Command Menu 2nd
S1 F1 Tractor Beam Control + TRC
S2 F2 Transporters Control + TRN
S3 F3 Mine Control + MIN
S4 F4 Internal Security Control + SEC
S5 F5 Region Map MAP
S6 F6 Display Reset DIS
S8 F8 Save Game SAV
S9 F9 Stop Option STO
S10 F10 Sound Option SND
C1 F1 Reconn. Probes Launch Control + PRO
C2 F2 Auto Alert Switch AAS
C3 F3 No Operations + NOP
C4 F4 Starbase Status Report BAS
C5 F5 Emergency Hyperspace Maneuver + HYP
C6 F6 Self-Destruct Sequencer SLF
P - Primary Menu
S - Secondary Menu
C - Computer Menu
+ - Command uses time
* - Command may or may not use time
The above list shows several commands use time. STAR FLEET I does NOT
execute in real time; that is, the Mission Elapsed Time indicator (refer to
The Screen Format in the GENERAL SECTION) is updated only after executing a
command which uses time. So long as you do nothing, the program will do
nothing. This allows you to leave your computer and return later to
continue your mission.
29
Since all commands are input via the function keys, similar commands have
been grouped together into three command menus. These menus are shown in
Figure 4. The program will automatically execute the command after you
press the appropriate function key, i.e., you need not press .
COMMAND MENUS
F1 F2 F1 F2 F1 F2
TAR LRS TRC TRN PRO AAS
F3 F4 F3 F4 F3 F4
STA DAM MIN SEC NOP BAS
F5 F6 F5 F6 F5 F6
NAV SHD MAP DIS HYP SLF
F7 F8 F7 F8 F7 F8
TOR PHA SAV
F9 F10 F9 F10 F9 F10
Cmp 2nd STO SND
Primary Menu Secondary Menu Computer Menu
FIGURE 4 - COMMAND MENUS
A description of each command menu follows:
Primary Menu - Commands you will use most often. The Computer and
Secondary menus are accessed through function keys F9 (Cmp)
and F10 (2nd), respectively.
Secondary Menu- Commands you will find useful in certain situation.
Function key F7 is not used. To exit the Secondary Menu and
return to the Primary Menu, press or function key
F7 when prompted for a command.
Computer Menu- Allows access to your ship's computer. Function keys F7,
F8, F9, F10 are not used. To return to the Primary Menu
without executing a computer task, press or an
unused function key when prompted for a task.
Whenever you are required to make additional inputs for the command and a
single letter answer is sufficient, you should not press after
typing the letter. For example, press for YES, or for NO. The
program will accept both upper and lower case inputs. If more than one
number is expected, such as a quadrant or sector location, you must
separate both numbers with a comma.
30
Description of the commands are listed alphabetically and formatted as
follows:
Abbreviation The three letter abbreviation of the command as used in the
menus.
Menu Shows on which menu the command is located
Function Key The function key you must press within the command's menu to
execute the command
Purpose Explains what the command does
Options Lists any options in the command
Cancel Tells you how to cancel the command
In the lists of options and cancelling instructions, N/A stands for None
Available or Not Applicable.
After the above synopsis, a detailed description of the command is provided
explaining fully the command's options, how the command is used, and what
the command does. Example inputs, figures, and tables are provided for
clarification of some commands.
The target designator appears on the Tactical Display as a reverse video
block (or a green background block on color monitors), that is located
initially on your own ship sector. The target designator can be moved
anywhere in your Tactical Display by using the numeric keypad or alternate
keys as shown in the following diagram.
FIGURE 5 - TARGET DESIGNATOR CONTROL KEYS
31
AAS
TASK C2: AUTO ALERT SWITCH
ABBREVIATION: AAS MENU:COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY:F2
Purpose: Automatically raises and lowers your shields
Options: On or Off
Cancel: Press when asked if you want to turn the switch on or
off
When the Auto Alert Switch is ON, shield power will be raised, lowered, or
adjusted automatically by your ship's computer, if needed. It will raise
your shields evenly into Maximum Strength configuration (see p. 51). If
there is insufficient power available, all power is put into your shields
except for 25 units reserved for life support and maneuvering. When a
Zaldron enters the quadrant, your shields are automatically raised to a
level 2000 units higher than the total of the previous hits registered on
your starship, if needed. This switch is normally left on, but is some
cases such as when towing an enemy vessel or having set up a special shield
configuration while low on power, it may not be wanted. The Auto Alert
Switch is reset to the ON position whenever you dock with a starbase.
When the Auto Alert Switch automatically raises (lowers) your shields,
**SHIELDS RAISED (LOWERED) BY COMPUTER** is displayed in the Utility
Section of your screen.
The current setting of this switch appears in the Tactical Display.
32
BAS
TASK C4: STARBASE STATUS REPORT
ABBREVIATION: BAS MENU: COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY: F4
Purpose: Gives you the current status of your starbases
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
The Starbase Status Report gives you the quadrant location, strength,
remaining crew replacements, and status for each starbase in your region,
if known.
Following are the different statuses and their meanings.
NORMAL - The starbase is not under attack
ATTACK - The starbase is currently under attack by the enemy and
needs to be rescued
CRITICAL - The starbase is under attack and its shield strength is
less than 25 percent, which means the base can no longer
defend itself with its phaser
DESTROYED - The starbase has been destroyed
33
DAM
TASK P4: DAMAGE CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: DAM MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F4
Purpose: Allows you to list the status of your ship's systems and
repair those that are damaged
Options: Repair
Cancel: Press when asked if you want to repair a system
This command displays a list of your ship's systems, their operational
status, and estimated time until repairs are completed. The actual repair
time depends on the size of your crew and the ship's alert condition -
condition GREEN will permit faster repairs than condition *RED*. The
estimated repair time (E.R.T.) is in days. A sample Damage Control report
appears in Figure 6.
If any of your ship's systems are damaged, you will be asked if you would
like to repair one of them by diverting power from your reserves to the
system via computer link. If you answer , you will then be asked for the
system number. The system number corresponds to the number on the left in
the Damage Control report. You will then be asked for the amount of power
you want to use to repair the damaged system. About 100 units of power for
each day of repair time are needed to completely repair the system. For
instance, looking at Figure 6, it would require 2.62 X 100=262 units of
power to completely repair your main engines (System 2). You need not
allocate all the power necessary; allocating less power will reduce the
repair time.
If any systems remain damaged, you will be given the opportunity to repair
another system before exiting.
The number of damaged systems appears in the Mission Status Report.
34
DAM
***REPORT FROM DAMAGE CONTROL:
SYSTEM STATUS E.R.T.
1. NAVIGATION COMPUTER OPER 0.00
2. MAIN ENGINES *INOP 2.62
3. AUXILIARY ENGINES OPER 0.00
4. SHORT RANGE SENSORS OPER 0.00
5. LONG RANGE SENSORS OPER 0.00
6. SHIELDS CONTROL OPER 0.00
7. TORPEDO CONTROL OPER 0.00
8. PHASER CONTROL *INOP 0.96
9. MINE CONTROL OPER 0.00
10. TRACTOR BEAM OPER 0.00
11. TRANSPORTERS OPER 0.00
12. PRIMARY LIFE SUPPORT OPER 0.00
13. BACKUP LIFE SUPPORT OPER 0.00
FIGURE 6 - EXAMPLE DAMAGE CONTROL REPORT
35
DIS
TASK S6: DISPLAY RESET
ABBREVIATION: DIS MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION: F6
Purpose: Redraws the screen
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
This command clears the screen, redraws the Tactical Display and Region
Map, and places the ship's condition, date, and any appropriate caution and
warning messages at the top of your screen. You will then be prompted for a
command.
36
HYP
TASK C5: EMERGENCY HYPERSPACE MANEUVER
ABBREVIATION: HYP MENU: COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY: F5
Purpose: Activates your Emergency Hyperspace Control to relocate
your ship at random in the region
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked if the command is confirmed
This task permits your starship to enter a special state of hyperspace,
usually to escape hopeless situations. The hyperspace maneuver requires 50
units of power and is uncontrollable. It will relocate your starship at
random in the region and is very dangerous to use. There is a ten percent
chance the maneuver will be unsuccessful and your starship destroyed. To
cancel the command, press when the computer asks you if the command is
confirmed. Pressing to this question will execute the command. This
question ensures you do not accidentally enter hyperspace.
37
LRS
TASK P2: LONG RANGE SENSORS
ABBREVIATION: LRS MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F2
Purpose: Causes the code numbers for the quadrants surrounding your
starship to be displayed on the Region Map
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
The code numbers for the quadrants surrounding your starship are displayed,
e.g., 534 (for Quadrant 7, 7). The digit in the 100's place gives the
number of Krellans (but not Zaldrons!), the 10's digit gives the ID number
of the starbase (if present), and the 1's digit gives the number of star
systems. Thus, in Quadrant 7, 7, there are five Krellans, a starbase (ID
#3), and four star systems. Refer to Figure 7. There can be up to five
Krellans, five stars, and one starbase in each quadrant. The quadrant that
contains your starship is always the center quadrant of the scan. The long
range sensor scan appears in the Region Map (see MAP command). An example
long range sensor scan is presented in Figure 8. Captured enemy vessels,
vessels in tow, and Zaldron warships never appear in the scan.
No. Krellans No. Stars
534
Starbase No.
FIGURE 7 - LONG RANGE SENSOR SCAN NOTATION
3 0 402 Quadrant 6, 8
Quadrant 7, 6 500 534 103
1 301 200
Quadrant 7, 7
FIGURE 8 - EXAMPLE LONG RANGE SENSOR SCAN
38
MAP
TASK S5: REGION MAP
ABBREVIATION: MAP MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F5
Purpose: Updates the Region Map
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
This command displays a map of your assigned galactic quadrants using the
same code numbers as described in Long Range Sensors (see LRS). The map is
continually updated as new quadrants are revealed, either by long range
sensor scans or reconnaissance probes. The current location of your
starship is denoted by blinking quadrant code numbers. A quadrant where a
starbase is currently under attack is shown in high intensity (or red on
color monitors). Any unexplored quadrants are denoted by "?". The region
map is automatically updated each time you use your long range sensors,
enter a new quadrant, launch a probe, or whenever a starbase comes under
attack. Only when you enter a new quadrant is the entire map updated, the
other items only update those quadrants that are affected. A sample region
map is shown in Figure 9. Captured enemy vessels, vessels in tow, and
Zaldron warships never appear in the map.
FIGURE 9 - EXAMPLE REGION MAP
39
MIN
COMMAND S3: MINE CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: MIN MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F3
Purpose: Allows you to lay torpedoes as mines and retrieve them
Options: Lay or Retrieve
Cancel: Allocate zero mines to be laid; press when asked if you
want to retrieve mines; or input zero mines to be retrieved
Mines are most useful to damage or destroy single enemy vessels, especially
Zaldrons.
As your starship moves it leaves a mine ("+") in each sector you pass
through, until the allocated number have been laid. Upon leaving a
quadrant, all mines in that quadrant that have not been retrieved are lost.
When your starship passes through a sector with a mine, the mine is
neutralized. Mines will mutually destroy torpedoes that hit them.
Upon entering this command, you will be informed how many mines are already
allocated to be laid and the number of torpedoes remaining in your supply.
Then you will be asked how many mines you wish to lay (allocate). You can
allocate up to the number of torpedoes remaining in your supply. Entering
"0" (zero) will cancel the command. Mines allocated are immediately removed
from your torpedo supply. If you still have mines remaining to be laid and
you specify more mines are to be laid, these will be added to the number
already allocated. To prevent mines previously allocated from being laid,
enter a negative number of mines you wish to deallocate. These deallocated
mines will be returned to your torpedo supply.
After entering the number of mines to be laid, you will automatically be
transferred to Target Calculator so you can designate your destination for
movement. From Target Calculator, you can be directly transferred to
Navigation Control. There are no restrictions as to course or C-Factor, but
you can lay mines only in your current quadrant, and the Target Calculator
will not allow movement outside the quadrant directly from Mine Control.
Subsequently, if you leave the quadrant all mines laid will be lost, while
all those remaining to be laid will return to your torpedo supply. Mine
Control will continue to lay mines in your quadrant until the allocated
number have been laid, regardless of the number of times you move.
40
MIN (CONT)
If you enter Mine Control with mines already laid in the quadrant, you will
first be asked if you want to retrieve the mines. Answer if you want to
lay more; answer if you want to retrieve any. A will cancel the
command. The computer will then ask how many mines are to be retrieved, and
will automatically launch and control one of your shuttles to retrieve the
mines. If you specify zero mines are to be retrieved, the command will be
cancelled. The enemy can shoot during this command, both at you and your
shuttle, so take care when using this option while in condition *RED*.
Mines retrieved return to your torpedo supply.
Mines cannot be laid if you have a ship in tow and are useless at Mission
Level (rank) one, since the enemy does not move.
41
NAV
COMMAND P5: NAVIGATION CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: NAV MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F5
Purpose: This command allows you to move, either within your current
quadrant or between quadrants in your assigned region
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked for course and C-Factor*, or input
a negative C-Factor after typing a course
The computer will ask for a course and C-Factor. Input the course angle in
degrees (-360
without any input. If your navigation computer is damaged, your ship will
be unable to compensate accurately for stellar gravitational fields, etc.,
resulting in an erratic course, and your ship's actual bearing may deviate
from the input bearing by up to 30 degrees. Also, you may suffer damage if
you run into a star or other object because manual engine shutdown is
slower than that obtained by the navigation computer.
FIGURE 10 - NAVIGATION HEADINGS
* - The term "C-Facor" is derived from the physics symbol "c" for the speed
of light.
42
NAV (CONT)
For speeds greater than C-Factor 2.0, your ship will enter hyperspace.
While in hyperspace, you will not collide with any stars, starbases, or
enemy vessels in your path. However, your ship requires ten sectors to
accelerate (speed up) to hyperspace, and ten sectors to decelerate (slow
down) from hyperspace to a stop. During these twenty sectors, your ship
will be stopped by any object in its path. Refer to Figure 11 below. For
C-Factors less than 2.0, or when your navigation computer is damaged, your
ship will NOT enter hyperspace and you will be stopped by any object in
your way. Your main engines are required for C-Factors of 1.0 or more. For
speeds less than C-Factor 1.0 your ship will move using auxiliary engines,
and you will be stopped by any object in your path.
10 sectors HYPERSPACE 10 sectors
Start - -Stop
accelerate decelerate
FIGURE 11 - HYPERSPACE TRAVEL
To dock with a starbase you must move to one of the eight sectors
surrounding it. The computer will then ask if you wish to dock. Answer
"Y(es)" or "N(o)". You need not dock with starbase to deliver an enemy
vessel in tow. If you answer "No" to the question about wishing to dock,
the computer will ask if you want to deliver the enemy vessel in tow to
starbase. An answer of "Y(es)" will transfer the ship to starbase without
docking. Docking with starbase with an enemy vessel in tow will deliver the
enemy vessel and resupply your own ship. You must dock to transfer
prisoners from your ship to starbase.
If you travel across several quadrants (high C-Factor), you may not stop up
to three or four sectors from the sector for which you targeted. The error
is due to navigation dispersions that occur during hyperspace travel over
large distances.
Your ship's current bearing appears in the Tactical Display.
43
NOP
COMMAND C3: NO OPERATIONS
ABBREVIATION: NOP MENU: COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY: F3
Purpose: Allows a mission time cycle to elapse without doing any
operations
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
There are times when you may wish for the Mission Elapsed Time to update,
but do not want to perform any specific time-using command. The NOP command
is provided for this purpose. It can be considered as a "wait" command,
allowing you to do nothing except wait for a certain amount of time to
pass. An example of when this might be desirable is if you do not have
enough power to repair a critically-needed system which is close to being
repaired, so you can call NOP as many times as necessary to allow the
system to be repaired.
** WARNING **
Although YOU do nothing during each time cycle caused by NOP, the rest of
the universe goes on, including enemy firing, intruders, attacks on base,
power usage for shields and life support, etc.
A time cycle (0.1 to 0.2 days) occurs automatically after you select NOP.
There are no options or inputs.
44
PHA
COMMAND P8: PHASER CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: PHA MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F8
Purpose: Allows you to fire your ship's phasers
Options: Auto and Manual modes
Cancel: Press or when asked for the firing mode;
allocate zero power to phasers
This command enables you to fire phasers at as many as six separate targets
(even past stars!) simultaneously. Phasers are more effective than
torpedoes at close range, and allow more control over the size of the hit
on the target. If target lock-on is lost due to enemy movement, the
allocated phaser will not fire in order to prevent wasting power. Phasers
may be used to completely destroy the enemy or just disable them for
capture. The firing modes available are auto and manual. When prompted by
your computer for the firing mode, press for auto or for manual.
In manual mode, after entering the number of targets, input the sector and
power allocated it for each target. The larger the distance, the more power
is required - usually 50 to 400 units against full strength Krellans. You
can even fire phasers at star systems, mines, or empty space. The only
invalid targets are your own starship and starbases. You can input the
target sectors by typing in the sector location at the prompt or you can
use the target designator (see p.31).
You select the designated target by pressing . The target designator
block will stay on the sector selected (on color monitors it will change to
magenta), and a new one will appear on your ship symbol, ready to be moved
to the next target. After all targets have been selected, the designators
will disappear.
In auto mode the computer will inform you of how many valid targets (i.e.,
hostile enemy vessels not in tow) have been identified, and will ask if any
of them are to be disabled (in order to enable capture). If you answer "Y",
auto fire will go through each target individually and inquire if you want
it disabled. If you press (for ALL), auto-fire will assume all targets
are to be disabled. Targets that are already disabled, which you have
specified to be disabled, will be cancelled. Having completed this, or if
you pressed , auto- fire will arranges the firing priority of the
specified targets according to their potential harm to your ship and
calculates the approximate power needed to complete the firing
specifications. For enemy ships to be disabled, auto-fire calculates the
power needed to reduce the target's strength to ten percent for Krellans
and eight percent for Zaldrons. This allows a margin to still disable the
enemy, even if they move closer or farther away. Having displayed the
suggested power needed, the computer will ask you to input the total amount
of phaser power you wish to fire. Auto-fire will then attempt to fire your
phasers according to the firing priority. If insufficient power was
allocated to eliminate all targets, auto-fire attempt to destroy each
target in turn
45
PHA (CONT)
rather than divide the power evenly and destroy or disable none. Excess
power, however, is fired evenly amongst all targets.
It should be be pointed out that it is possible to have a larger hit on the
enemy vessel than the number of units of power fired with your phasers. The
hit on the enemy is NOT the number of units of phaser fire that reached him
(phaser power decreases with range), but is the number of units of power
required by the enemy vessel to defend against the blast. Thus at
point-blank range, allocated 100 units of power to phasers will produce a
1000-unit hit on the enemy, which is more powerful than he can absorb, so
he will be obliterated.
From time to time an enemy vessel will perform what is known as the
"evasive- loop-maneuver." This maneuver is especially effective against
phasers. The enemy will perform an evasive maneuver, and end up in the same
sector from which they left (hence the name "loop"). Phaser target lock-on
may be lost, and you will have to try again. Star Fleet Command is
currently working on a defense for this tactical maneuver.
46
PRO
COMMAND C1: RECONNAISSANCE PROBES LAUNCH CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: PRO MENU: COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY: F1
Purpose: Allows you to launch deep space reconnaissance probes for
exploring remote quadrants in your region
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked for launch angle and power;
allocate zero launch power to the probe
This task allows you to launch three deep space probes per mission. The
course and probe launch power inputs must be separated by a comma. The
course uses the same angle definitions as in Navigation Control (see Figure
10). Approximately 80 units of power is enough to send a probe across the
diagonal length of your assigned region. As the probe passes through space,
it will display the code numbers of the quadrant it passes through in the
Region Map (see LRS command). Probes are NOT supplied by starbases. This
command will be automatically canceled if you have zero power in your
reserves. If you allocate more power to the probe than is available in your
reserves, the computer will again ask you for a course and power setting.
The number of probes remaining is shown in the Mission Status Report.
47
SAV
COMMAND S8: SAVE GAME
ABBREVIATION: SAV MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F8
Purpose: Permits you to save your current game
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked if you want to save the game
You can save a game in progress to be resumed later by using this command.
When asked, enter the file name you wish to save it under. You may use any
valid 1-8 character file name allowed by your computer's operating system,
e.g., GAME1, MARK, WARREN, etc. The computer will automatically add ".DAT"
to your selected file name. When you resume the mission (using the "R"
sign-on option), enter the game used to save it. Do NOT add an extension;
".DAT" is assumed. A game that has been resumed cannot be resumed again at
the same point, although you can use the same file name to resave another
on the same mission later. If you input an illegal file name, the computer
will ask you for another name.
48
SEC
COMMAND S4: INTERNAL SECURITY CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: SEC MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F4
Purpose: Allows you to use your ship's internal security force to
apprehend intruders
Options: Search, and Maximum Security Deck
Cancel: Press when asked for an option; press when asked if
you want to specify a maximum security deck
This command gives you the latest information about any intruders aboard.
The two options available are SEARCH and MAX. The status of your security
search and maximum security deck is shown in the Mission Status Report. The
options are described below.
SEARCH - allows you to start or stop standard security searches using your
ship's normal security personnel. Press to select this option.
MAX - allows you to specify a maximum security deck to concentrate your
security forces in an attempt to capture the intruder. Maximum security can
also be used to protect a nearby deck against sabotage as well as try to
stop the intruder's advancement through your ship. You need not start a
security search to specify a maximum security deck; it is recommended
however, in case the saboteur slips through your defenses. To select this
option after initiating a security search, press when asked by the
computer if you want to specify a deck for maximum security. After
answering yes, you will be asked for the deck number. Refer to the
INFORMATION SECTION for the list of your ship's decks, primary functions,
and vulnerable systems. Pressing will cancel the command. You can also
access maximum security by pressing when prompted for an option. You
can change the maximum security deck at any time using this command by
pressing when asked if you want to specify another deck for maximum
security. You can only have one deck under maximum security at a time. To
cancel maximum security on any deck, answer "Y" to the previous question,
and when prompted for a deck, enter "0" (zero). The one disadvantage to
this option is you have less chance of capturing the intruder on other
decks.
49
SHD
COMMAND P6: DEFENSIVE SHIELDS CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: SHD MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F6
Purpose: Allows you to adjust your four defensive shields
Options: Lower; Battle Entry; Maximum Strength; Total Strength;
Press for individual shield allocation
Cancel: Press when prompted for an option
Your ship has four defensive energy shields for protection against hits
from enemy weapons. The location of the four shields is shown in Figure 12.
FIGURE 12 - DEFENSIVE SHIELDS LOCATION
The shield facing your heading (bearing) is always shield #1, while the
left, rear, and right shields are numbers 2, 3, and 4, respectively, i.e.,
counter-clockwise from the front.
Each time you are hit, the number of units of the hit are subtracted from
the shield or shields facing the enemy vessel. When a particular shield
strength is exceeded by a hit, damage occurs to one of your ship's systems
with casualties, and the excess power of the hit is absorbed by the
adjacent shields. However, if the hit exceeds the penetrated shield or
shields by more than 100 units or exceeds your total shield strength by
more than 50 units, you will suffer sever damage with heavy casualties. If
the hit exceeds your total shield strength by more than 100 units, your
ship is destroyed. If there is not enough power in your shields to
withstand another attack equal to the last one (taking into account any
enemy vessels subsequently destroyed, or Zaldron arrival), a SHIELDS LOW
warning will be given. Be careful, this warning does not take into account
enemy movement.
50
SHD
The Shield Command permits power to be allocated to your four defensive
shields. Power does not have to be allocated evenly. There are several
options available to assist you in distributing shield power. Press only
the first letter for the word options.
The available options are:
C(ancel) Cancel the command
L(ower) Lower all shields to zero - power is returned to your main
reserves
B(attle Entry) Battle Entry Configuration; doubles power to front shield,
with none in rear (i.e., 2#/#/0/#), and leaves at least 100
units in reserves
M(aximum Strength) Maximum Strength Configuration; allocates available
power evenly to all shields (i.e., #/#/#/#), and leaves at
least 100 units in reserves, if possible
T(otal Strength) Total power allocated to shields, 1/4 to each
(Individual) Allows you to allocate power to each shield individually;
Shield
Control will prompt you for each power setting. Pressing
without any input for an individual shield prompt
causes zero power to be placed in that shield.
If you enter Defensive Shields Control with any enemy vessel in tow, you
will be given a warning that raising a certain shield will cut off the
tractor beam. You will then be asked to confirm the command. Answering
"Y(es)" will allow you to adjust your shields, while a "N(o)" response will
exit you from the command.
If Shield Control is damaged, you will be unable to adjust your shields.
When this happens and your power reserves are exhausted, your Chief
Engineer will ask if you want him to attempt to rig a bypass circuit (you
have no power to repair the system). If you answer "Y" he will attempt to
bypass Shield Control to lower ONE of your shields and return power to your
reserves. There is danger involved with this procedure; additional critical
circuits could be destroyed resulting in more damage and casualties. If
this procedure fails, you can still bypass Shield Control under certain
conditions using your ship's tractor beam. Refer to the TRC command for
more information.
The maximum capacity of your shields is 4000 units total power, and no
individual shield can accept over 2000 units of power. Whenever your
shields are up, they use power from your reserves at the rate of one unit
power for each 1000 units of shield power per time update.
The current strength of your shields appears in the Tactical Display.
51
SLF
COMMAND C6: SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCER
ABBREVIATION: SLF MENU: COMPUTER FUNCTION KEY: F6
Purpose: Destroys your starship
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked if the command is confirmed
This is to be used only as a last resort, in cases where your ship is about
to be destroyed or disabled anyway. Your self-destruction will also destroy
all vessels in your present quadrant. The destruction of any enemy present
will increase your final (but losing) efficiency rating. When asked if the
command is confirmed press to execute the command, press to exit.
52
SND
COMMAND S10: SOUND OPTION
ABBREVIATION: SND MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F10
Purpose: Turns the game sounds on or off
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
This command acts like a toggle switch and allows you to turn the game
sounds on or off. This option is ON at the start of the game unless turned
off during the setup. To turn the switch off, press the function keys
"2nd" followed by "SND". To turn the sounds back on, simply push the two
keys again.
53
STA
COMMAND P3: MISSION STATUS REPORT
ABBREVIATION: STA MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F3
Purpose: Gives information on the current status of your mission and
any alien vessels in your quadrant
Options: N/A
Cancel: N/A
The Mission Status Report gives you the position and strength of each
Krellan and Zaldron (if visible) in your quadrant, plus other information.
If your short range sensors are damaged, information on the enemy vessels
will be limited, e.g. unknown strength and unknown exact position if out of
visual range. An example report is shown in Figure 13. TABLE VIII gives a
description of the eight items found on the right of the status report.
The Mission Status Report will also inform you of the sector location of
any enemy vessel in tow; whether or not a security search is in progress;
and give you the deck number if you have specified one for maximum
security. These messages appear below the items on the right of the display
and are only shown if appropriate.
ENEMY STATUS: INVINCIBLE STATUS:
Alien Sector Power Status Sys Out :2 Shuttles :5
Krellan 4, 3 70.3% Hostile Marines :60 Prisoners :27
Krellan 3, 1 44.8% Hostile Days Left :37.5 Aliens Left :35
Krellan 1, 10 9.6% Disabled Prj Rtng :77% Probes Left :1
Krellan 9, 3 100.0% Hostile Ship in tow - Sector 1, 4
Krellan 1, 4 0% Captured
Zaldron UNK UNK Hostile
FIGURE 13 - EXAMPLE MISSION STATUS REPORT
54
STA
TABLE VIII - MISSION STATUS REPORT ITEMS
ITEM DESCRIPTION
SysOut The total number of critical systems currently inoperative
Marines The current number of space marines aboard
Days Left The number of star days left to complete your mission
Prj Rtng Your projected efficiency rating
Shuttles The number of enemy prisoners aboard
Aliens Left The number of enemy vessels that remain to be eliminated to
complete your mission
Probes Left The number of deep space reconnaissance probes
The projected efficiency rating (Prj Rtng) takes your current "kill rate"
(see p. 76), projects it to the end of the mission, and then uses this
information to calculate your final efficiency rating. This assumes that
you will not do any of the events listed on page 75 that modify your
rating. The closer you are to the end of the mission, it may fluctuate a
lot and should not be considered accurate. There is a more detailed
description in the Officers Academy Training Manual on how the projected
efficiency rating is calculated.
55
STO
COMMAND S9: STOP OPTION
ABBREVIATION: STO MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F9
Purpose: Allows you to stop your mission
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked if you want to stop the mission
This command allows you to stop your present mission without saving it and
returns you to the computer's operating system. Missions that are stopped
do not become part of your service record, so they will not be considered
towards promotion.
56
TAR
COMMAND P1: TARGET CALCULATOR
ABBREVIATION: TAR MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F1
Purpose: Computes the bearing and distance from your starship to any
point in the region
Options: Automatic access to Navigation Control
Cancel: Enter an invalid quadrant or sector location
The Target Calculator computes the bearing and distance from your starship
to any given target. Enter the target quadrant and sector location when
asked by your computer. You can use either manual input or the target
designator (see p. 31). The designator will initially appear on the default
quadrant and then sector. If you have selected a quadrant other than your
current one, the Tactical Display will temporarily be cleared of objects
until you have selected the target sector in the new quadrant. When
entering the quadrant location, pressing without any input will
target you to your present quadrant location. To cancel the command input
an illegal quadrant number, 3.g., 0, 0; -1, 5; 11, 11. You must input two
numbers. When entering the target sector location, pressing
without any input will target you to Sector 5, 5 of the target quadrant.
Refer to TABLE IX for example inputs. In TABLE IX, inputs made by the
player are shown in bold type, and indicates pressing
without any input.
You have the option of entering the calculated bearing and distance
directly into Navigation Control. If you answer "Y" to the prompt, the
calculated bearing and distance to the target will be transferred directly
to Navigation Control, and your ship moved. When the target is in your
current quadrant, the target calculator will also inform you which of your
ship's shields is facing it.
TABLE IX - EXAMPLE TARGET CALCULATOR INPUTS
INPUT DESCRIPTION
Quadrant? Targets you to Sector 1, 1 of your current quadrant
Sector? 1, 1 location
Quadrant? 4, 5 Targets you to Sector 5, 5 of Quadrant 4, 5
Sector?
Quadrant? 3, 2 Targets you to Sector 6, 7 of Quadrant 3, 2
Sector? 6, 7
Quadrant? 0, 1 Cancels the command - 0 is an invalid quadrant
location
Quadrant? Targets you to Sector 5, 5 of your current quadrant
Sector? location
57
TOR
COMMAND P7: TORPEDO CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: TOR MENU: PRIMARY FUNCTION KEY: F7
Purpose: Allows you to fire torpedoes
Options: Auto and Manual modes
Cancel: Press or when asked for the firing mode;
allocate zero torpedoes to fire
This command enables you to fire up to five torpedoes at once against
separate targets. Two firing modes are available: auto and manual. When
prompted by your computer for the firing mode, press to select auto or
for manual. Note that auto mode requires operational short range
sensors.
In manual mode, the computer will give you the angles to each hostile
Krellan or Zaldron (if visible), but does not take into account intervening
stars, starbases, or mines, all of which will stop torpedoes. The angles
are given in degrees using the same orientation as for navigation (see
Figure 10). After being given the firing angles, you will be asked how many
torpedoes you wish to fire. The computer will then prompt you for each
firing angle.
In auto mode, the computer automatically determines how many targets can be
hit by your torpedoes, displays the number of targets selected (able to be
hit), and asks you how many torpedoes are to be fired. Torpedo Control will
then fire the torpedoes in a calculated order of priority determined by the
hit potential of each visible enemy vessel, where the vessel that can hit
your ship the hardest has the highest priority. However, if an enemy vessel
will hit you with over 400 units, auto-fire will allocate an extra torpedo
to it before finishing the remaining allocation amongst the other enemy
ships. If all enemy ships have a hit potential over 300 units, the priority
modification is ignored. If there are two or more enemy vessels in a line
from your starship, and if enough torpedoes remain to be allocated,
auto-fire will allocate an extra torpedo to be fired at them. WARNING:
AUTO-FIRE DOES NOT CHECK TO SEE IF A STARBASE IS DIRECTLY BEHIND A SELECTED
ENEMY VESSEL. Thus, if an extra torpedo was allocated or if the enemy
moves, there is a danger you might hit one of your starbases. Starbase
commanders do not like it when you hit them with torpedoes.
Five units of power per torpedo fired are used. If a torpedo is not a
direct hit the enemy vessel's shields may deflect it, but they will still
suffer damage and some loss of strength. Some computed firing angles may be
one degree off which can cause a miss (or target selection failure in auto
mode). If this is verified by the torpedo track you may have to adjust the
angle accordingly in manual mode.
The number of torpedoes remaining in your supply appears in the Tactical
Display.
58
TRC
COMMAND S1: TRACTOR BEAM CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: TRC MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F1
Purpose: Activates your ship's tractor beam for placing vessels in
tow, or for retrieving mines
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked for the target sector
To place an enemy vessel in tow, it must be disabled, i.e., strength less
than twenty percent for Krellans or less than sixteen percent for Zaldrons.
When a vessel is secured in towing position, whether captured by boarding
parties or not, you can tow the vessel anywhere you go. If you can deliver
the vessel in tow to a starbase it will increase your mission efficiency
rating. Once an enemy vessel is secured in towing position, they can no
longer fire at you; however, you can still fire at them with your phaser or
torpedoes using manual mode.
When your tractor beam is used on mines, you can reposition them next to
your ship to be automatically brought aboard. Mines that are brought aboard
return to your torpedo supply.
Your tractor beam uses power and cannot operate through a defensive shield,
so the shield facing the target must be lowered (which is done
automatically upon your confirmation). The other three shields can remain
up. When asked by the computer, enter the (target) sector of the enemy
vessel you wish to bring in with your tractor beam. You can do this by
either typing in the sector coordinates, or using the target designator
that will appear on your ship symbol in the Tactical Display (see p. 31).
When you have a vessel in tow, your shields will automatically adjust when
you turn your ship so the shield facing the vessel will always be down. If
you have a ship in tow when you execute this command, you will be asked if
the tractor beam is to be switched off. If you press , the computer will
exit Tractor Beam Control because you can only tow one vessel at a time.
If a shield facing the vessel is raised for any reason, your tractor beam
will be cut off and you will no longer have the ship in tow.
When you have an enemy vessel in tow and you enter a new quadrant such that
you stop in an outer row or column, the vessel in tow will not appear on
your Tactical Display because it is in your previous quadrant. In the
Mission Status Report (see STA), the sector location given for the vessel
in tow will be the sector in your previous quadrant. You cannot target this
vessel for boarding unless you move and it enters your current quadrant. If
your tractor beam is cut off while the towed vessel is in another quadrant,
it will be lost. If the vessel was hostile when lost, you will NOT be
credited with a kill.
59
TRC (CONT)
If Defensive Shields Control is damaged you can use your tractor beam to
lower one or more of your shields; however, a valid target (disabled enemy
vessel or mine) MUST be present in your quadrant. Execute this command and
select any target facing the shield you wish to lower. Tractor Beam Control
will automatically lower the shield facing the target, regardless of
whether Shield Control is operational or not. Power from the lowered shield
returns to your reserves. Remember, this technique only works if a valid
target is present in your quadrant.
60
TRN
COMMAND S2: TRANSPORTERS CONTROL
ABBREVIATION: TRN MENU: SECONDARY FUNCTION KEY: F2
Purpose: Activates your ship's transporters to transport your space
marines into a disabled enemy vessel
Options: N/A
Cancel: Press when asked for the target sector
Transporters allow you to attempt to capture a disabled enemy vessel by
transporting aboard Alliance space marines. The weaker the enemy vessel,
the more likely the vessel will be captured and the fewer casualties will
be suffered by the boarding party. If you have less than five space
marines, you will not be able to attempt another capture until you dock
with starbase and obtain more marines. When asked by your computer, enter
the (target) sector of the enemy vessel you wish to board. You can do this
by either typing in the sector coordinates, or using the target designator
that will appear on your ship symbol in the Tactical Display (see p. 31).
The transporters use power and their maximum range is one adjacent sector.
Like your tractor beam, transporters cannot operate through a defensive
shield, and the shield facing the target is automatically lowered upon your
confirmation. You can use your transporters while your tractor beam is on,
i.e., you can transport marines aboard a disabled vessel in tow. After
your marines have captured a ship, all the power remaining in that ship
will be transferred to your own power reserves.
61
THIS PAGE IS BLANK
62
INFORMATION SECTION
63
THIS PAGE IS BLANK
64
III. INFORMATION SECTION
This section provides additional information you will find useful.
ENEMY INTRUDERS
Enemy intruders are dastardly aliens who come aboard and run amok in your
ship sabotaging systems. There are three sources of intruders: a Krellan or
Zaldron agent who is transported aboard through a lowered defensive shield,
a Krellan agent who slips aboard while you are docked with starbase, or an
escaped prisoner. There will only be one intruder aboard at a time.
Intruders are first located when they sabotage a system, which can occur on
any deck (1 to 20). The intruder may then work his way up or down through
the decks, but can only move one deck at a time. You can use the Maximum
Security Deck option of Security Control to try and intercept the intruder
as he works his way towards vulnerable systems.
Intruders do not appear in level one or two games.
65
STAR DISABLED
You can also lose the game by having your ship disabled as well as
destroyed. The following will disable your ship:
1. All power expended - using up all your power, both reserves and shields.
2. Both life support systems destroyed - Your starship has two life support
systems. When damaged you can lose your primary system, which will
automatically switch to the backup system. If the backup system is also
damaged, all life aboard your ship is terminated. It is, therefore,
important to repair your primary life support system as soon as possible
after it is damaged. The life support system your ship is currently
operating on appears in the Tactical Display.
3. Back life support system batteries exhausted-Your primary life support
system requires power from your ship's main reserves for operation. If for
any reason you lose all power in your main reserves, the backup life
support system, which can operate on batteries, takes over. However, the
batteries will last only 0.5 days, and if power has not been restored to
your main reserves by then, all life aboard is terminated.
4. Entire ship's crew killed-Your crew suffers casualties from enemy hits
that penetrate the shields, attempted captures of enemy vessels by boarding
parties, and sabotage from enemy intruders. Upon docking with starbase,
all casualties are replaced until that starbase runs out of replacements.
Each starbase has 500 replacements at the start of your mission. When crew
losses reach 500, "dubist kaputt, " (you are dead!).
66
STARBASES AND DOCKING
Resupply and repairs are provided by means of the Alliance Guardian Class
starbase. These starbases are dispersed throughout Alliance space. Their
purpose is to resupply Alliance starships and provide a front line defense
against any hostile invasion.
For security reasons, all starbase locations are kept secret until
attacked; thus you will have to find them yourself. The higher your rank,
the fewer starbases there are in your region. For level one and two games
there will be five starbases, while at levels nine and ten there will only
be one.
To dock with a starbase, you must move to an adjacent sector. However, you
cannot dock using main engines (i.e., C-Factor must be less than 1.0), and
you cannot dock immediately after entering the quadrant. If your move into
the quadrant puts you next to starbase, just use your maneuvering engines
to dock (i.e., enter a C-Factor of zero).
Upon docking, all damaged systems are repaired, all power replenished, crew
replacements obtained (if needed), and torpedoes are replaced. However,
deep space reconnaissance probes and shuttlecraft are NOT replaced.
Starbase also provides a security force to assist yours if there is an
intruder aboard your ship at docking. If there any hostile enemy ships
present in the quadrant, it might not initially be possible to dock, but
subsequent attempts may be successful. While docked, starbase's shields
will protect your ship, but if starbase is destroyed while you are docked,
you too will be destroyed. Your ship is actually in the same sector as
starbase while docked, so only the starbase and not your ship, will appear
in the Tactical Display. You can fire torpedoes and phasers, use your
tractor beam, transporters, etc., while docked.
67
Each of your starbases has an initial shield strength for protection
against enemy attack. If there are three or more Krellan destroyers in the
quadrant with starbase, there is a chance the Krellans might start
attacking it. If you are not present in the quadrant when this happens, you
will receive an emergency communication from Star Fleet Command ordering
you to rescue starbase, and ATTACK ON BASE will appear in the caution and
warning section of your screen. When the base's shield strength drops below
25 percent, another warning will be given and BASE CRITICAL will be
displayed on your screen. You will also be informed when starbase has been
destroyed, even if you are in a different quadrant. The successful rescue
of a starbase will increase your efficiency rating, while a failure will
decrease it. You will not be credited for a rescue until ALL hostile ships
in the quadrant have been eliminated, including Zaldrons. Starbases have
one phaser for protection, and as long as their shield strength is above 25
percent, they will assist you in the battle or attempt to fight off the
attack alone if you are in another quadrant. Starbase concentrates its fire
only on the Krellan closest to it, and will not fire at Zaldrons or
disabled Krellan ships. Any Krellan destroyed by starbase will not be added
to your tally, but will reduce the number of enemy ships you have to
eliminate by one.
You can deliver an enemy vessel in tow without docking by maneuvering next
to starbase. When asked if you wish to dock, press and you will then be
asked if you want to deliver the enemy in tow.
Starbases can regenerate their power, but only very slowly. Solar energy
helps regeneration, so the more stars there are in the quadrant, the faster
starbase will regenerate its power.
68
SIGN-ON OPTIONS
Except for the initial time you sign on and enter the Star Fleet Officers
Academy, you will be required to input your name and password to verify
your identity. After verification you will be prompted for a sign-on
option. Do NOT press after selecting an option. The available
options are listed below. This list will be referred to as the Sign-on
Options Menu.
OPTION PURPOSE
C Continue on to a new mission (exit options)
S View your Service Record
P Obtain your current standing towards promotion
F List status of Star Fleet personnel
A View another officer's Service Record
T Play theme of universe creation
R Resume a previously saved mission
M Maintenance of data files
X Exit from STAR FLEET I
Option C: Exits you from the sign-on options and allows you to continue on
to a new mission. Press to select this option.
Option S: This option lists your service record. Your promotion history
will be be first, followed by your awards and decorations. Your
promotion history shows all your promotions, the sequence number
of the mission you completed to earn your promotion, how many
missions it took you, and the average efficiency rating. The
sequence number is the total number of missions played including
all players, not just your missions. Your awards are listed by
levels and if you have more than one of any award, the number you
have will be shown in parentheses. Press to select this
option.
Option P: Shows how you currently stand towards promotion from your present
rank to the next highest rank. The number of missions you have,
the number required for promotion, and their difference is shown.
Your current overall efficiency rating based on the number of
missions you have completed is also given. After completion of
the fourth and subsequent missions at your current rank, you will
be told what rating would be required on your next mission in
order to be promoted. Press to select this option.
Option F: This option lists all STAR FLEET I players on your playing
diskette. Their identification number, name, current rank,
current mission level, order of missions they have played and
their overall efficiency rating at their current rank are shown.
Press to select this option.
69
Option A: Allows you to list the service record of another player. You are
required to input the identification number (SF___) and name of
the player (refer to Option F) whose service record you wish to
see. Press to select this option.
Option T: Plays the universe creation theme used during your first mission
setup. This music is played automatically only for your first
game as a new recruit. With this option you can demonstrate the
theme music for potential players. Press to select this
option.
Option R: Allows you to resume a previously saved game. When prompted by
your computer, type the filename used to save the game and press
. Do NOT add an extension to the filename; ".DAT" is
assumed. You cannot resume a game saved by another player.
Attempting to do so will cause the program to abort and you will
have to start the program all over again. Press to select
this option.
Option M: Executes the software specifically developed to maintain the data
files on your playing diskette which contain the mission sequence
number, service records, etc. Refer to the MAINTENANCE SECTION
for a detailed description of how to operate this important
option. This option can only be selected by the program manager.
Press to execute this option.
Option X: Exits you from the simulation.
70
STARSHIP CRUISERS IN STAR FLEET I
You have a choice of starship cruisers. Listed below are the thirty-six
ships available.
INVINCIBLE CLASS HEAVY CRUISERS
1. APOLLO 19. INVINCIBLE
2. ARK ROYAL 20. JEANNE D'ARC
3. ATLANTIS 21. LEXINGTON
4. BISMARK 22. MIDWAY
5. BRITANNIA 23. NEPTUNE
6. CHALLENGER 24. NIMITZ
7. CONSTITUTION 25. POTEMKIN
8. CORAL SEA 26. PROCYON
9. DEFIANT 27. QUASAR
10. DUKE OF YORK 28. RIGEL
11. ELDORADO 29. SARATOGA
12. ENDEAVOUR 30. THOR
13. EXCALIBUR 31. TORI
14. FRANKLIN 32. ULYSSES
15. GALACTICA 33. VICTORY
16. GRAF ZEPPELIN 34. WASP
17. HOOD 35. YAMATO
18. HORNET 36. YORKTOWN
As each ship is destroyed or disabled, it is removed from service until
rebuilt or repaired. The program will keep track of each ship's status and
will inform you which are available and which are not. The damage level (DM
LVL in the program display) indicates the number of missions that must be
completed to put the ship back in service.
All starships are the same. For example, there is no difference between the
Ark Royal and Yorktown.
The Republic is reserved for cadet training at the Star Fleet Officers
Academy.
71
LIST OF YOUR SHIP'S DECKS, PRIMARY FUNCTIONS, AND VULNERABLE SYSTEMS
For your information and to aid you in capturing enemy intruders, the
following list is provided.
VULNERABLE
DECK PRIMARY FUNCTIONS SYSTEMS
1 Upper Sensor Platform SRS
2 SRS None
3 Main Sensor Platform, Senior Officers Quarters LRS, SRS, PLS
4 Weapons Control, Sensors Phasers, LRS
5 Weapons Control Torpedo Control
6 Junior Officers Quarters, Galley None
7 Crews Quarters, Life Support, Messrooms PLS
8 Crews Quarters, Messrooms, Science Labs None
9 Crews Quarters, Shuttle Bay, Torpedo Control Torpedo Control
10 Navigation Computer, Mine Control, Shuttle Nav.Computer, Mine
Hangers Control
11 Shield Control, Repair Facilities, Main Shield Control
Computers
12 Tractor Beam, Life Support, Recreation Area Tractor Beam, PLS
13 Life Support, Storage, Waste Recovery PLS
14 Engineering, Batteries, Auxiliary Engines Aux. Engines
15 Engineering,Transporters, Marine/Guest Quarters Transporters, Aux.
Engines
16 Engineering/Shield Generators, Storage, Food Shield Control
Preparation
17 Torpedo Room, Cargo Holds Torpedo Control
18 Lower Sensor Platform, Engineering SRS, PLS
19 Engineering/Main Engines Main Engines
20 Engineering/Main Engines Main Engines
NOTE:
LRS - Long Range Sensors
PLS - Primary Life Support System
SRS - Short Range Sensors
72
DECORATIONS & AWARDS
Officers are awarded a decoration for individual outstanding missions. All
awards are presented at the end of the mission and become a part of your
permanent service record.
The decorations are awarded based on individual mission ratings and the
mission rank. Awards are presented only for missions at the maximum level
of your current rank, i.e., a Captain (Level Six) will not receive an award
for a Level Four mission. The award levels are shown below.
TABLE X - DECORATION LEVELS AND CRITERIA
MISSION RATING (%)
LEVEL DECORATION RANK RANK RANK RANK
3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
I 1. Star Fleet Citation for Gallantry 100 95 90 85
2. Prentares Ribbon on Commendation
3. Combat Action Ribbon
II 1. Silver Palm
(4.with Oak Leaf Cluster) 105 100 95 90
2. Alliance Defense Service Medal
3. Distinguished Service Medal
III 1. Valcun Medal of Valour
2. Karagite Order of Heroism 110 105 100 95
3. Cross of Gallantry with Palm
IV 1. Iron Cross
(4. with Shield)
2. Medal of Honor 115 110 105 100
3. Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star
V 1. Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(4. with Swords) 120 115 110 105
2. Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star
3. Pour Le Merite
VI 1. Hero of the Alliance Gold Star
(2. with Meteors) 125+ 120+ 115+ 110+
(3. with Meteors and Diamonds)
All awards are presented in succession within each level. For example, your
first Level IV award will be the Iron Cross, the second will be the Medal
of Honor, etc. Likewise, your third level VI award will be the Hero of the
Alliance Gold Star with Meteors and Diamonds. If you receive all the awards
for a particular level, the sequence starts over, i.e., your fourth Level I
award will be the Star Fleet Citation for Gallantry (you will now have
two). There is no limit to the number of awards you can receive. Awards are
not presented for rank one or two games.
73
There are three very special awards which are not included in the preceding
table. They are:
The Honorary Rank of Admiral Emeritus is awarded to officers who complete
at least five missions at rank ten with an overall efficiency rating of 75
percent. It is at this point that you would normally be promoted if there
was a rank beyond Admiral. Once given, your Admiral Emeritus rank will
never be taken away, even if your overall efficiency rating falls below 75
percent.
The Alliance Defense Cross with Gold Star is awarded to officers who
sacrifice their ship in hopeless situations (in other words, you
self-destruct to avoid capture). You will not necessarily receive one each
time you self-destruct; your situation must be hopeless. The computer will
check for damaged systems (plus other things) and determine if your
self-destruction was warranted. As with all awards, there is no limit to
the number of times this award can be given-you just have to keep blowing
up Alliance starships to get them.
The Exceptional Service Medal is awarded to officers for every 50 missions
completed past rank two. This award is given regardless of your current
rating, and acknowledges exceptional dedication and tenacity in the
service of Star Fleet. This award is also cumulative; e.g., if you just
completed your 150th mission past rank two, you will receive your third
medal.
74
EFFICIENCY RATING
At the end of each mission an efficiency rating will displayed for you to
help judge your performance and qualification for promotion. It is based on
the number of enemy vessels you eliminate and how long it took. It is only
comparable to other ratings at the same rank. A minimum of about 15 percent
will be given if your ship was not destroyed, even if you have run out of
time without eliminating any enemy vessels. This occurs because you have at
least survived the mission. It is possible to receive a rating of more than
100 percent by having eliminated more than the assigned number of enemy
ships in a relatively short time, or by capturing a lot of enemy ships or
prisoners. If your starship was destroyed or disabled, then your efficiency
rating depends on how long you survived, with the longer you survived the
higher the rating. The calculated rating is then halved as a penalty for
losing. Also, your efficiency rating is multiplied by the factors indicated
below each time one of the following events occur:
EVENT RATING FACTOR
Zaldron vessel eliminated 1.02 (+ 2%)
Starbase rescued 1.08 (+ 8%)
Failed to rescue starbase 0.85 (- 15%)
Enemy vessel delivered to starbase (each) 1.03 (+ 3%)
Prisoners delivered to starbase (each) 1.0008 (+ .08%)
75
THE TIME FACTOR
Next to the MET number of days in the upper right of your screen is a
symbol indicating how well you are doing for time, based on your "kill
rate" (number of enemy eliminated per day of elapsed time). This is
referenced to the required kill rate to complete your mission in exactly
the time alloted.
Up arrow means you are ahead in time (kill rate is high)
Up & Down arrow means you are close in time (kill rate is close to
required)
Down arrow means you are behind in time (kill rate is low)
When you only have 5 days left to complete your mission, you will receive a
TIME WARNING message, and your MET value will turn high intensity (red on
color monitors). When you only have 2 days left, you will receive a TIME
CRITICAL message.
76
MAINTENANCE SECTION
77
78
IV. MAINTENANCE SECTION
OVERVIEW
In order to keep track of the members of Star Fleet (i.e., the players),
and record both their progress through the ranks and any awards they earn
along the way, as well as other information, STAR FLEET I uses three data
files stored on your playing diskette. On the STAR FLEET I diskette you
purchased, theses three files are empty, except for initialization data
(more about this later). After completion of each mission the data files
are updated automatically by the program and should be of no concern to the
players. However, since these files must be in good operating order for
STAR FLEET I to run, CYGNUS has provided the means to maintain these files
in case something happens to them, e.g., bad sectors on your playing
diskette may cause some information to be lost, or if the files are
accidentally deleted. This is done by using the Maintenance sign on option
(refer to the INFORMATION SECTION for a list and description of the sign on
options). This option will allow you to reset or rebuild the files from
scratch, make modifications to the data, or add new data onto the files.
Since the Maintenance option is a very powerful tool which can be used (or
abused) to alter any player's rank or service record, it should only be
used necessary, and only by the person responsible for the playing diskette
(usually the owner). This authorized person(s) will be referred to as the
manager. This section of the manual describes the contents of each of the
three data files, and how the manager uses the Maintenance option to modify
them.
79
STARTING THE MAINTENANCE OPTION
In order to use the Maintenance sign-on option, you must start up STAR
FLEET I with the following information:
Enter your last name: MANAGER
ENTER PASSWORD: FLEET
Once you have signed on (as MANAGER), you can change the password "FLEET"
to anything you like to prevent someone who reads this manual from also
signing on as the manager. The way to do this is described later in Star
Fleet Personnel File. If for some reason you cannot sign on to STAR FLEET I
because of a missing or bad personnel file, you can sign on using the above
name and password (in this case you MUST USE UPPERCASE). The program will
then send you directly to the Maintenance Menu so you can rebuild the
personnel file.
During the game setup, you will be asked to select a sign-on option. Press
for the Maintenance option. Your screen will clear, followed by the
display:
DATA FILES MAINTENANCE
DATA FILES
1 - Personnel (SF.PER)
2 - Service Record (SRV.RCD)
3 - Sequence No. (SEQ.NUM)
Press ENTER to cancel
ENTER FILE #:______
You should then choose the data file you need to work on by pressing the
appropriate number (1, 2, or 3). Do not press after the number. If
you wish to exit the Maintenance section, press for the file
number. This will return you to the Sign-on Options Menu. The computer will
reject any invalid input, keeping the cursor at the prompt position after
erasing the entry.
We will assume you have decided to go on, and that you have chosen to work
on the Personnel File (file #1). After pressing <1>, your display will look
like this:
DATA FILES MAINTENANCE
DATA FILES OPTIONS
1 - Personnel (SF.PER) L - List File
2 - Service Record (SRV.RCD) R - Reset File
3 - Sequence No. (SEQ.NUM) M - Modify File
Press ENTER to cancel A - Append to File
I - Insert Entry
Press ENTER to cancel
ENTER FILE #:_____ ENTER OPTION:_____
80
You must now choose what you want to do with the specified data file. Press
the letter corresponding to the option you want (both upper and lower case
accepted). Pressing without selecting an option will exit you from
the Maintenance option and return you to the Sign-on Options Menu. Once
again, the computer will only accept a valid input (L, R, M, A, I, or
); any other input will be deleted and the cursor will stay at the
prompt position. These two displays will be referred to as the Maintenance
Menu.
The three data files will be described first, followed by instructions on
how to use the options.
81
THE DATA FILES
A description of the format and purpose of each data file follows.
STAR FLEET PERSONNEL FILE (SF.PER)
This data file contains the name, password, identification number, rank,
and other information necessary to determine the promotion status for each
member of the fleet. The information on each player (excluding MANAGER) is
updated automatically by the program at the completion of each mission if
it was at the player's current rank. When a new recruit first signs on, a
new player entry is appended (added) to the file. The Personnel File
initially contains only one entry, which is for MANAGER. When listed (by
choosing the "L" option), the file will look like this:
SF. PER
ID# NAME PASSWORD RANK NM AVG
0 MANAGER FLEET 10 0 0.000%
Each item is described below.
ID# This is the player's unique number. When a new recruit signs on,
the new player's identification number is one greater than the last
number in the file.
NAME The name the program uses to recognize each player. The name can be
upper/lower case and up to sixteen characters in length.
PASSWORD This is the player's unique password used to verify his/her
identity. Once entered as a new recruit, it cannot be changed
except by the manager. The password can be up to eight characters
in length.
RANK The player's current rank (1 to 10). However when a player becomes
an Admiral Emeritus, his/her rank in this data file is changed to
11 (even though the player is still an Admiral at rank ten). This
is how the program knows the player has made Admiral Emeritus. The
manager is set at rank ten so he/she can play any level mission for
testing or demonstration purposes.
NM The number of missions completed at the player's current rank. This
number is used to determine promotion to the next higher rank (see
Your Service Record in the the GENERAL SECTION for the promotion
criteria). This number is set to zero for the manager.
AVG Total mission rating average at the player's current rank. This is
used to determine promotion to the next rank. This number is set to
zero for the manager.
82
SERVICE RECORD FILE (SRV.RCD)
This data file contains a record of each player's promotions and awards.
Each time one of those events occurs, STAR FLEET I automatically appends
the information to the end of the file. Each entry consists of the
following:
ID# The player's unique identification number.
SEQ# The sequence number of the mission after which the promotion was
granted; or when the award was given.
RANK The rank the player was promoted to. If this number is negative,
then it signifies the rank of the player when the award was earned.
NM/DEC# This variable can have two meanings, depending on whether the entry
is a promotion or an award. If the number is greater than zero, the
it is the number of missions completed at the previous rank before
the player was promoted. If the number is negative, then the
absolute value (i.e., drop the minus sign) is the number
corresponding to the decoration (award) earned. Refer to TABLE XI
for the decoration numbers.
RATING The overall efficiency rating at the player's previous rank when
he/she was promoted; or the rating of the mission for which the
decoration was earned.
STAR FLEET I distinguishes between entries that correspond to promotions
and those that correspond to awards by checking the sign of variables RANK
and NM/DEC#. If these numbers are negative, then the entry is an award,
otherwise it is a promotion. This file is initially set with only one entry
of all zeros.
An example listing of this file is provided later in this section.
83
TABLE XI - DECORATION NUMBERS USED IN SRV.RCD
DEC# LEVEL DECORATION
1 I Star Fleet Citation for Gallantry
2 Prentares Ribbon of Commendation
3 Combat Action Ribbon
4 II Silver Palm
5 Alliance Defense Service Medal
6 Distinguished Service Medal
7 Oak Leaf Cluster added to the Silver Palm
8 III Valcun Medal of Valour
9 Karagite Order of Heroism
10 Cross of Gallantry with Palm
11 IV Iron Cross
12 Medal of Honor
13 Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star
14 Shield added to the Iron Cross
15 V Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
16 Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star
17 Pour Le Merite
18 Swords added to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
19 VI Hero of the Alliance Gold Star
20 Meteors added to the Hero of the Alliance Gold Star
21 Diamonds added to the Hero of the Alliance Gold Star with
Meteors
22 Special Alliance Defense Cross with Gold Star
23 Special Exceptional Service Medal
SEQUENCE NUMBER AND SHIP'S STATUS FILE (SEQ.NUM)
This data file serves two purposes - it contains the sequence number of the
last mission started by any player, and keeps track of which ships of the
fleet are currently out of operation and their status of repair. The first
entry in SEQ.NUM is always the Mission Sequence Number. This number is
increased by one each time a new mission is started. Subsequent entries are
the Ship Status Numbers. When a ship is destroyed or disabled, a damage
level is assigned to it and an entry is appended to SEQ.NUM. The damage
level is a number between one and nine, and signifies the number of game
completions by any players that must occur before the ship is returned to
service. After each game completion, this damage level is decreased by one
until it reaches zero, and then the ship is made available. The program
appends the ship status onto SEQ.NUM in the following form:
DSS
When D is the damage level and SS is the ship's number (refer to the
INFORMATION SECTION for a list of starships and their numbers).
84
For example, 312 means ship number 12 (the Endeavor) has a damage level of
3 and will be out for three more missions. More examples follow.
803 - Ship #3 (the Atlantis) has a damage level of eight.
36 - The Yorktown has a damage level of zero. This means it will
be available the next game.
Once a ship becomes operational again, the status entry for that ship is
deleted from SEQ.NUM.
This file is initially set with a single entry of zero, which is the
initial Mission Sequence Number. The first mission of STAR FLEET I started
will thus become mission number one.
85
MAINTENANCE OPTIONS
The following options are available for each of the three data files.
LIST FILE OPTION (PRESS )
This option displays all the entries currently contained in the selected
data file. For the files SF.PER and SRV.RCD, the entries are listed in
table form. An example listing of each data file is presented in Figure 14.
The meanings of the various entries are explained in The Data Files in this
section. The program will display only one screenful (page) of information
at a time, and requires you to press a key before continuing on to the next
page (if any). When the listing of the file is completed and you have
pressed a key, STAR FLEET I will return to the Maintenance Menu.
SF.PER
ID# NAME PASSWORD RANK NM AVG
0 MANAGER FLEET 10 0 0.000%
1 Waibel Descent 11 5 79.891%
2 Biggles Silly 7 2 22.666%
3 Winkler Apollo 2 3 79.282%
4 Hedges Shuttle 1 1 77.448%
5 Zak Video 4 0 0.000%
6 Hieb Guidance 2 1 82.781%
SRV.RCD
ID# SEQ# RANK NM.DEC# RATING
0 0 0 0 0.00
1 1 -5 -4 103.52
1 7 -5 -1 99.89
1 7 6 5 101.53
3 8 -6 -2 98.79
1 9 -6 -6 103.17
2 12 -6 -19 122.00
1 26 -6 -8 106.65
2 27 -6 -3 96.16
1 29 7 5 97.31
SEQ.NUM
Sequence No : 162
Ship's Status : 209 510 522 721 420 726 713
FIGURE 14 - EXAMPLE DATA FILES LISTING
86
RESET FILE OPTION (PRESS )
This option is used to reset the selected data file to its initialization
state, i.e., it will delete ALL current entries in the file and replace
them with the single initialization entry. These entries are defined in The
Data Files in this section. Since this option has such a drastic effect,
the following warning is given and confirmation of the order is required:
WARNING: Doing a file reset will wipe out all data in the file except for
the initialization data
Do you want to reset the data file ?
The name of the file you have selected to be reset appears instead of
in the above example. Either for YES or for NO is
required for confirmation. Any other answer will be rejected and you will
be reprompted for an answer. If you press , you will be returned to the
Maintenance Menu. If you answer yes, the data file will be reset and the
following message will appear on your screen:
FILE RESET COMPLETE
You will then be returned to the Maintenance Menu.
MODIFY FILE OPTION (press )
This option allows you to change or delete entries currently in the data
files. The most likely reason to use this option would be to change the
name or password of one of the players. The Modify option works differently
for each of the three data files, so they will be explained separately.
1) SF.PER
In this file the entries are identified by each player's identification
number (ID#). You should use the List option to obtain the ID# of the
player whose data your wish to change. After pressing , the following
question will appear on your screen:
Enter ID# of entry to be changed: _____
Your input must be a number greater than or equal to zero, or if you press
alone, STAR FLEET I will cancel this option and return to the
Maintenance Menu. Any other input will be rejected and the program will
wait for a correct response. Once a number is received, the program will
display the same column headings that appear when you select the List
option (see Figure 13), and will search SF.PER for the specified ID#. If
the number is not found, the program will return to the Maintenance Menu,
otherwise the entry for that ID will be displayed. You will then be asked:
87
Delete entry [NO]? _____
Press or only. The [NO] is the default answer which will be assumed
if you press . Any other input (besides "Y" or "N") will be
rejected. If you press , the displayed entry will be deleted without any
further messages.
If you press , the program will tell you to enter new data and prompt
you for the new value of each variable in turn. If you do not need to
change the current value of the variable in turn. If you do not need to
change the current value of the variable, press without any input.
Figure 14 presents an example where the password for player number two is
changed, but everything else remains the same. In Figure 15,
signifies pressing the key.
After you have finished modifying the entry (either by deleting it or by
changing it), STAR FLEET I will continue to search the data file for any
more entries with the same identification number (there should be none). If
one is found, the process for modifying it will be repeated. When the
program reaches the end of the data file you will be returned to the
Maintenance Menu.
SF.PER
ID# NAME PASSWORD RANK NM AVG
2 Anyname SILLY 7 2 22.666%
Enter new data [NO CHANGE]:
ID# :
NAME :
PASSWORD: CRAZY
RANK :
NM :
AVG :
FIGURE 15 - EXAMPLE PASSWORD CHANGE
2) SRV.RCD
In this file the entries are identified by the Mission Sequence Number
(SEQ#). If you do not know the SEQ#, then you should use the List option to
find it before selecting the Modify option.
Modifying SRV.RCD is very similar to modifying SF.PER, so refer to the
description of modifying SF.PER given earlier, replacing all references to
ID# with SEQ# and SF.PER with SRV.RCD. One difference between the two is
that SRV.RCD is more likely to have more than one entry with the same SEQ#
than SF.PER is to have more than one entry with the same ID#. This happens
because a player can receive both an award and a promotion after the same
mission. You must be careful that the entry shown is the correct one (refer
to the description of SRV.RCD for the meanings of each entry). If the entry
on your
88
screen is not the one you want, press for each of the variable
prompts, after which the program will search the file for another entry
with the same sequence number.
3) SEQ.NUM
This file is divided into two parts: the Mission Sequence Number and the
Ship Status Numbers. When you choose the Modify option, the program will
first allow you to modify the sequence number. Here is an example:
Sequence No : 162
Enter new sequence no. [NO CHANGE]:______
You can enter any integer greater than or equal to zero. If you do not need
to change the sequence number, press without specifying a new
number. Any other input (besides an integer) will be ignored.
After finishing with the sequence number, STAR FLEET I moves onto modifying
the status numbers. The program will ask you for the identification number
(1 to 36) of the ship of which you want to change the status. You must know
this number before choosing to modify this file. The program will search
the file SEQ.NUM for the status number of the ship you specified and will
display it when found. If the status number is not found, or you press
without specifying a ship number, you will be returned to the
Maintenance Menu without any messages. Below is an example where the status
of ship number nine is to be changed:
Enter # of ship to be changed [NO CHANGE]: 9
Ship Status: 209
The program will then ask:
Delete entry [NO]?_____
If you press , the entry displayed will be deleted from the file (the
ship is now available), after which the program will return you to the
Maintenance Menu. If you press or , the above question will be
replaced on your screen with:
Enter new status # [NO CHANGE]:____
To change the status number, enter any valid integer from 1 to 936. If you
do not need to change the ship status, press without any input.
After this the program will continue to search SEQ.NUM for any more status
numbers for the specified ship and repeat the modification process if one
is found. When the end of the file is reached, you will be returned to the
Maintenance Menu.
89
APPEND TO FILE OPTION (press )
This option allows you to add new entries onto the end of the selected data
file. The main purpose for this would be to rebuild files that have been
deleted or lost. There is more about rebuilding files at the end of this
section.
After you have chosen the Append option, the program will tell you to enter
the data to be appended to the selected file. For the SF.PER and SRV.RCD
files, this will be followed by an input prompt for each of the variables
that make up an entry, as done when using the Modify option. If you press
without any input for any of the variables, a zero value (if the
variable is a number) or blank (if the variable is a word) is assumed by
the program. For SEQ.NUM, you will be prompted for a ship status number
with the statement:
Enter data to be appended to the file SEQ.NUM:_____
For all three files, after all the data for the new entry has been input,
you will be asked:
Append another entry?_____
If you need to add another entry, press , otherwise press . Pressing
has no effect for this question; you must answer "Y" or "N". If you
are rebuilding the data file, this feature saves time because you do not
have to repeatedly select the data file and call up the Append option.
Pressing will return you to the Maintenance Menu.
INSERT ENTRY OPTION (press )
This option allows you to insert new entries between existing entries in
the data files SF.PER and SRV.RCD. Using the Insert option for SEQ.NUM is
useless, since the order of the entries after the sequence number is
irrelevant. Use the Append option to insert a new entry into SEQ.NUM. If
you do select the Insert option for SEQ.NUM, you will be given a message to
this effect and returned to the Maintenance Menu.
Before choosing the Insert option, you must know the value of the
appropriate entry identification variable of the new entry you want to
insert. The entry identification variables are: ID# for SF.PER, and SEQ#
for SRV.RCD. These variables are discussed in The Data Files in this
section.
After selecting this option, you will be asked to enter the entry
identification variable (either ID# or SEQ#). You must enter the
appropriate number. Any negative number or non-number character will be
rejected.
STAR FLEET I will not allow you to insert an entry with the same player ID#
as one already existing in SF.PER. This does not hold true for SEQ# in
SRV.RCD
90
since it is possible to have more than one entry for each SEQ#.
The program will then search the data file until it finds an entry with an
identification variable no more than one less than the value you input. You
will then be prompted for each of the entry variables to be input. You will
then be prompted for each of the entry variables to be input (as described
for the Modify option). As in the Modify option, pressing without
any input for any of the variables will cause the value of the previous
entry to be assumed. For example, if you want to insert an entry with ID#
15 after ID# 14 in the file SF.PER, and you pressed only when
prompted for the password, the password of ID# 14 would be assumed for your
new entry (ID# 15).
After you have finished entering the data for the new entry, the program
will insert the entry into the file after the entry at which it stopped.
After inserting the new entry you will be returned to the Maintenance Menu.
This may sound a little confusing, so here is an example. Assume the file
SF.PER has the following entries:
ID# NAME PASSWORD RANK NM AVG
0 MANAGER FLEET 10 0 0.000%
1 Waibel Descent 11 5 79.891%
2 Biggles Silly 7 2 22.666%
4 Hedges Shuttle 1 1 77.448%
Obviously the player with ID# 3 has joined the French Foreign Legion or
something equally as drastic, and is no longer part of the fleet. The
manager, being always conscious of diskette space, has deleted the entry
but now wants to insert a new player into that slot (no need to waste a
good number!). The manager selects the Insert option for SF.PER and sees:
Enter ID# of entry to be inserted:_____
to which he presses <3> and the . The program will then search
through SF.PER from the beginning until it comes across the entry with ID#2
(Biggles), which is one less than the ID# entered. The program then stops
and prompts for the data of the new entry, which are input as follows:
Enter new data:
Name : SMITH
Password: STS-1
Rank : 1
NM : 0
AVG : 0
Notice that unlike the Modify and Append options, there is no prompt for
ID# since it has already been specified (ID#3). It is also important to put
in a value for each of the variable prompts to avoid having the value of
the
91
previous entry (in this case ID#2) assumed. Pressing is required
after each entry.
After entering the last value, the program will insert the new entry into
SF.PER and return to the Maintenance Menu. The finished product will look
like this:
ID# NAME PASSWORD RANK NM AVG
0 MANAGER FLEET 10 0 0.000%
1 Waibel Descent 11 5 79.891%
2 Biggles Silly 7 2 22.666%
3 Smith STS-1 1 0 0.000%
4 Hedges Shuttle 1 1 77.448%
Since Cadet Smith is now listed in the Personnel File, she must answer
to the question "Are you a new recruit?" when she signs on at the beginning
of her first mission. Otherwise, the program will abort because the name is
already on record.
92
DISKETTE FULL ERRORS
If you receive a "Diskette Full" error message, or if the program "crashes"
prior to entering the mission proper (mid-segment) and a subsequent
checking of the diskette directory (using the DOS "dir" command) reveals
zero bytes free, then you should do one or more of the following:
1. If you are using a single-sided diskette on a double-sided disk drive,
then you can copy your playing diskette onto a blank double-sided diskette
using the procedure outlined in Backing Up Your Playing Diskette in the
GENERAL SECTION.
2. Delete any old or extra files on your diskette, such as saved game data
files.
3. Using the Modify option, go into the data files SF.PER and SRV.RCD and
delete some old or unneeded entries, such as players that are no longer
actively playing.
4. If your playing diskette contains either of the files SETUP.BAT or
BACKUP.BAT, then delete it. If you have not already made a backup diskette,
then do so before deleting these files.
5. If you are running the large memory version of STAR FLEET I ("BEGIN"
starts the large memory version), you can delete the small memory version
files MSS.EXE and OVS.EXE. If you are running the small memory version
("BEGINS" starts the small memory version), as is the case with the 128K
RAM IBM PCjr, then you can delete the large memory version file MSN.EXE.
Whenever you get a diskette error message, the error may have happened
while the program was writing to the data file. As a result, that file
might have incomplete or erroneous data. If so, you will have to correct or
rebuild the file according to the methods outlined in this section.
93
REBUILDING DATA FILES & OTHER TIPS
Although you should have no problems with your data files during normal
operation of STAR FLEET I, accidents do happen, such as a diskette going
bad or someone deleting the files. You can reinitialize any of the three
data files by signing on as MANAGER, selecting the data file concerned, and
then use the Reset option. This will create that file again, but it will be
empty except for the initialization data (described in The Data Files in
this section). You can then use the Modify option to restore the mission
sequence number in SEQ.NUM and/or use the Append option to add one entry at
a time to either SF.PER or SRV.RCD.
It is a good idea to write down the contents of the data files on a regular
basis (especially if you have a printer), so that if it is necessary to
rebuild a file, you will have the required information. If you have a spare
diskette, you may want to periodically backup your data files for the same
reason. Use the following DOS command with your playing diskette in Drive A
and your backup diskette in Drive B:
A> COPY B:
where is either SF.PER, SRV.RCD, or SEQ.NUM.
As a final note, you (the manager) should keep track of how full the
playing diskette is getting, and delete older entries to gain more space if
necessary. It is also a good idea to delete entries from the files for
persons that will no longer be playing on your STAR FLEET I diskette.
94
FINAL WORD
95
96
V. FINAL WORD
STAR FLEET I - The War Begins! is the first in a series of strategic
simulations by CYGNUS. New ideas abound, and the best will be incorporated
into future products.
CYGNUS has gone to great strides to ensure the software product you
purchased is as error-free as possible. However, due to the extreme
diversity of the simulation, it is not possible to test every conceivable
combat situation. If a bona-fide error is found, CYGNUS is not under
obligation to notify any persons or organization; nor is CYGNUS required to
release an updated version of STAR FLEET I, but may choose to do so. If you
think you have found a program error, we ask you to write and tell us about
it. Give as much information as possible, i.e., what happened, the command
you were executing, the number of enemy vessels in the quadrant, what you
were trying to do, etc. Send us a printout of the screen if possible. DO
NOT SEND US YOUR DISKETTE(S). Please enclose a self- addressed stamped
envelope. After receiving your letter, we will look at the problem and send
a reply. Please note that some information about the simulation was
purposely left out of this manual for you to discover on your own.
For those interested in learning more about STAR FLEET I, or if you simply
cannot get the hang of it, CYGNUS has written the STAR FLEET OFFICERS
ACADEMY TRAINING MANUAL. This document provides more information on
starbases, Zaldron hunting, and advanced combat tactics and techniques.
This manual is sent free to registered owners of STAR FLEET I.
To obtain information of new product releases by CYGNUS and your free
Academy Training Manual, you must send us the registration card included in
the box. We would also appreciate receiving any comments about STAR FLEET
I.
CREDITS:
Game Author: Dr. Trevor Sorensen
Game Development: Dr. Trevor Sorensen, Robert Winkler, Jeff Bertsch,
Randy Waibel, and Warren Van Camp
Game Documentation: Robert Winkler
Artwork: Richard Launius
Ship Profiles: Jan Reveley
Typesetting/Graphics: Karen Smith
Printing:
Box Manufacture: Carton Sales, Inc., Houston, TX
Box Layouts: Cindy Frost-Wnuk
97