* COLONY (F3) + + + Although the auto build feature helps you, it will be necessary, at - times, for you to intervene in the construction of colonies. To view - a colony, left click and hold the mouse over a planet on the Starmap - Move the cursor over the planet surface icon that appears and release - the mouse button. Alternatively, you can select the planet by either - left clicking on it and pressing the F3 key or left clicking on a planet - then right clicking the small information window in the bottom left of - the screen. + + * + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + COLONY SCREEN + + To move the camera on around the colony you can use the arrow keys to - rotate or tilt your view and the + and - keys to zoom in or out. If you - move the cursor to the edge of the screen, the screen will scroll in - that direction. + + You can also move to a point on the map by left clicking the radar map - in the bottom right corner of the screen. On the radar, operational - buildings are shown as white dots and non-operational buildings are shown - by grey dots. Tanks and defense buildings are show as green dots. + + * + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Tax is paid by the citizens who live on your colonies. Larger colonies - can house more citizens and therefore generate more tax income. - You must also make sure your citizens are happy by constructing civilian - buildings such as parks and recreation centres. Building too many - industrial buildings will make your citizens unhappy. The happier your - citizens, the more willing they are to pay higher levels of tax. + + Buildings must be operataional before they have an effect on the colony. - Buildings require enough electricity and workers to function correctly. - Above the small information window are two sets of numbers. The - number to the right next to the electricty symbol shows you the energy - status of the planet. If this number is red, it means you are not - generating enough power to operate all the buildings. The number to the - right of the human figure shows the worker status. If this number is red - it means there aren't enough people on your colony to operate all the - buildings. + + * + + + + + If you see an electrical symbol above one of your buildings, it means - that this building is not receiving enough electricity to function. This - can be rectified by switching off other buildings or by building a power - plant. If a human figure is seen above the building, it means that this - building does not have enough workers to function. This can be - rectified by switching off other buildings or by lowering the tax - level which should increase the population on the colony. + * + + + + + + + + SMALL INFORMATION WINDOW + + The small information window in the bottom left corner of the screen - displays general information about the colony (see planet information). - If you left click on a building the following information is displayed. + + Type of building + Working: When your buildings are damaged their efficiency is lower - until they are repaired. In certain cases, such as when a building is - 50% damaged, they can stop working entirely. + + Damage: The level of damage to this building. + Product: If the building is a power station this shows the amount of - energy generated. If the building is a factory it shows the amount this - building adds to the planets production capacity, other buildings show - how many people the buildings are able to serve. + + When a tank is selected the following information will appear: + + Type of the tank. + Name of the empire that owns the tank. + Damage: Level of damage the tank has sustained. + Speed: The speed of the tank. + List of equipment: The equipment fitted to this tank. + + If you select a building you will see some new icons at the bottom of - the screen. These are: + + Repair: Although your damaged buildings are repaired automatically - by your workers, it is sometimes necessary to speed up the work. If you - click on this icon the repair process is completed immediately. However, - repairs cost a lot of money. If the building has 25% damage for example, - the repairs cost quarter the price of a new building. + * Demolish: Demolishes the selected building. By demolishing * buildings you will recieve half the original cost back. + + * Switch on/off: If you need additional workers or energy you * can switch off your less important buildings. A red cross will * appear then above them to indicate they have been switched off. + + Self destruct: If you have a self-destruct building, you can destroy - the entire colony with a click of the mouse button. This can be used - at times when the enemy is about to take over your colony, sometimes - it is better to destroy the colony (and any enemy tanks on the surface) - than let it fall into enemy hands. + + + BUILDING + + You can construct new buildings using the building window in the top left - corner of the screen. Move the cursor over the window then left click and - hold mouse button. A menu of all available buildings will be shown. - Next to each building name is a number that shows how many buildings of - that type are already on the colony. Move the cursor over the building - you want to construct and release the mouse button to select it. The - building will then be displayed in the window. To the left of the window - the cost of the building is displayed, along with its energy - consumption and required work force. + + * + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + When you have selected a building you can choose where to construct it - by moving the building over the landscape. You are only able to build on - flat terrain that isn't obstructed by rocks or trees. Left click on the - desired location to start construction. Construction time depends on - the complexity of the building but can be accelerated by constructing - more colony hubs. + + If the image of a building already appears in the building window, - you can left click on it to select it then select the location on the colony.