Amiga Format CD 6/Amiga Format AFCD06 (Nov 1996, Issue 90).iso/screenplay/shareware/cosmic_battles/docs/cosmicbattles.guide

Amigaguide Document | 1996-04-18 | 49KB | 1,142 lines

@database 0034f250-0
@master CosmicBattles.guide
@$VER: 2.20
@author "Eric Smith"
@(c) "Electrolyte Ind."
@node "Main" "Cosmic Battles"
@next "Intro"
   Electrolyte Industries
        Presents
     Cosmic Battles
    A tactical space combat simulator
      for the Amiga based on the game
        Cosmic Balance
 from SSI
 and Rapid Fire
   @{"Introduction" link "Intro" 0}    ... What this game is about
   @{"Requirements" link "Requirements" 0}    ... Do I have what it takes?
   @{"Getting
Started" link "Start" 0} ... How to start playing
   @{"The
Scenarios" link "Scenarios" 0}   ... Description of the built in scenarios
   @{"Ship
Design" link "Design" 0}     ... Details on ship designing
   @{"Combat
Arena" link "Combat" 0}    ... A tour of the command center
   @{"Battle
Phase" link "Battle Phase" 0}    ... FIRE!
   @{"End
Game" link "End" 0}        ... Who wins and why
   @{"Credits" link "Credit" 0}         ... Credit for those deserving it
   @{"History" link "History" 0}         ... What took me so long anyway
   @{"Close" quit}           ... I'm done
   @{"Registration" link "Registration" 0}    ... How to get it all
   @{"Bugs" link "Bugs" 0}            ... I hope not
   @{"Notes" link "Author's_Notes" 0}           ... babble
   @{"Legal" link "Legal" 0}           ... Covering my back
@endnode
@node "Intro" "Introduction"
@next "Requirements"
@prev "Main"
     Cosmic  Battles  is  a  tactical  combat  simulator  based  on  the game
Cosmic
Balance
.  In the game, you design ships and send them into combat.
     There  are  two  distinct  parts  to  the  game.   The design lab, where
build  your  technological  wonders; and the battle zone, where you watch
those
wonders burn in space.
     I  have  included  some  designs  with the game.  You can edit them, but
can  not save them.  They are "locked" designs.  The designs are from the
included scenarios in the game.
     As   I  mentioned  above,  there  are  six  included  scenarios  in  the
game.
These  are  Escape;  Sector  12; Classic, which is the classic scenario
Cosmic  Balance
  between  the  Enterprise and Reliant; Gamma Encounter,
which  is
a  new  scenario  involving  Star  Trek
  ships; The Coal Sack; and
Escort.   If the
references to Star Trek
 begin to give anyone ideas of suing
me,  then  warn me
first so I may strike the references from this game.  I am
not in the
business of being sued.
    "If regulations are not clear and orders not thoroughly explained, it is
the commander's fault.  But when they have been made clear, and are not
carried out in accordance with military law, it is a crime on the part of the
officers."
      --- Sun Tzu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Requirements" "Requirements"
@next "Start"
@prev "Intro"
Cosmic Battles requires:-
   - Amiga computer
   - 1Meg Chip Ram
   - 3M total Ram (May operate in 2M RAM)
   - 680x0 processor
   - WB/KS 2.0+
   - 4M HD space
   * Floppy installation not recommended
@endnode
@node "Start" "Getting Started"
@next "Escape"
@prev "Requirements"
Installation:
      Installation  is  easy.   Copy  all  the  files  to  wherever  you want
them.
You  do  not  have to install on a hard drive, but you will probably be
sorry  if
you  don't.   You  will  need  to  copy  the  CB font to the FONTS:
directory.   If  I
can find a way to avoid having to do this, then I will put
it in a later
version.  That way, you can easily install and uninstall Cosmic
Battles and
not wonder where the devil that CB.font came from.
   Once  the  game  is  installed  and  you've  cleared  up most of your chip
your  ready  to  go.   Click on the Cosmic Icon and the game will begin.
Cosmic  Battles  finds  a  problem with moving in, a requester will appear
tell you what went wrong and then the program will clean up itself as best
Beginning the game:
     Once  the  game  has  started,  you  will  be  presented  with the title
screen.
In  the  center  of  the  screen are your choices.  You can go to the
ShipYard,
where  you  construct  your  new  ships;  you can Refit an old ship
design;  you can
pick one of the built in scenarios to play; or you can quit.
You  may  also
select  one  or  two  player mode.  Clicking on the One Player
button  for a second time will turn it red.  In this way you can choose which
side you will control once the game starts.
     There   are   two   choices   in   the   scenario   box   that   require
further
explanation.   These  are External and Custom.  The External selector
is  for
expansion  sets  of  more  scenarios.  None exist at the time of this
writing.
Custom  is not a complete scenario designer, it is a method of using
ships  in  a  scenario.   When  Custom  is  selected,  you must tell the
computer
what  ships you wish to use for each side.  Then the game will begin
usual.
   "'Weapons are tools of ill omen.' War is a grave matter; one
apprehensive lest men embark upon it without due reflection."
      --- Li Ch'uan (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Scenarios" "Scenarios"
@next "Escape"
@prev "Start"
Scenario Descriptions
   @{"Escape" link "Escape" 0}
   @{"Sector
12" link "Sector12" 0}
   @{"Classic" link "Classic" 0}
   @{"Gamma
Encounter" link "Gamma Encounter" 0}
   @{"Escort" link "Escort" 0}
   @{"The
Sack" link "The Coal Sack" 0}
@endnode
@node "Escape" "Escape"
@next "Sector12"
@prev "Scenarios"
   Escape:
Player One:
   Nothing   to  report  today.   You  turn  your  small  fighter  to  return
home.
While  you  stare  out  into  cold space, thoughts of a warm supper and
relaxation come to mind.  Suddenly the proximity alarm blares.
   "Unknown vessel detected to starboard.", the computer reports.
   "Scanning     vessel.      Ship     size:     5.     Dreadnought    class.
Disposition:
Hostile."
   So  much  for  that  relaxation.   There  is  no way you can stand against
dreadnought  alone.   Your  only  hope  is  to  get  back  to  base, report
incident and get help.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player Two:
   What a silly idea.  What is command thinking?
   Your   orders  are  to  warp  deep  into  alliance  space  and  attack  an
alliance
colony.  You are to do so alone.  Once the colony is secured you are
to hold
it until more ships arrive.
   Rediculous.   That  deep  into  alliance  space,  you are surely to be met
greater  force  than  even  a  dreadnought  can  withstand.   However, you
your orders.
   "Coming out of warp space, commander!"
   "Shields up.  Battle ready status.  Any contacts to report?"
   "No sir.  Wait, one.  It's a small two man attack craft."
   "Is that all?  Just the one small ship?"
   Maybe command knew what it was doing after all.
   "Move to attack."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player  one  is  in  a  size  1  vessel.   To win the scenario, the vessel
exit the right side of the battle field or destroy the dreadnought.
   Player   two  is  in  command  of  a  size  5  dreadnought.   Destroy  the
attack
craft and the battle is yours.
@endnode
@node "Sector12" "Sector 12"
@next "Classic"
@prev "Escape"
Sector 12:
Player One:
   CAPTAIN'S LOG:
   We  were  sent  out  to  investigate  pirate  activity  on  the upspin rim
space.   It  has  been  two days without any contacts.  I have allowed the
ship's
engineer  to  power down the shields in order to repair an overheating
problem
in the emitter coils.
   "Captain, contacts to fore and aft."
   "How many, Ensign?"
   "Three,  four...   six.   Six  contacts  of  sizes  two  and  three.  They
pirate vessels.  At least one may be armed with disruptors."
   Jehosaphat.   Six  ships,  one  of  them  may have disruptors, and we have
shields.
   "Engineer, I need those shields back now!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player Two:
   Hovering  in  witch  space  is  an  old tactic.  The alliance has sent out
dreadnought  class  ship  to  catch  us.   We  will  just  wait  here for
opportunity.
   "Commander,  their  shields  have  been  down  for  some  time now.  Shall
attack?"
   The   alliance   vessel   lowered   their  shields  almost  6  hours  ago.
wouldn't  do  that  in  potentially dangerous territory unless something
wrong.
   "Make the jump into normal space.  We attack."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player   one  is  in  a  size  5  dreadnaught.   You  begin  the  scenario
shields  powered  down.  You must destroy the pirate vessels in order to
   Player  two  is  in  command  of  six  vessels.   Four of size two, two of
three.  You must destroy the dreadnought in order to win.
@endnode
@node "Classic" "Classic"
@next "Gamma Encounter"
@prev "Sector12"
Classic:
   This is the classic encounter between the Enterprise and the Reliant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player  one  is  in  command  of  the  Enterprise.   It  will  start  in a
random
location  in  the battle field.  You must destroy the Reliant in order
to win.
   Player   two   is  in  command  of  the  Reliant.   It  will  start  in  a
random
location on the battle field.  You must destroy the Enterprise to win.
@endnode
@node "Gamma Encounter" "Gamma Encounter"
@next "Escort"
@prev "Classic"
Gamma Encounter:
   This  scenario  is  inspired by the television show, Deep Space Nine
.  It
from the first episode in which we see the J'em Hadaar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player  one  is  in  command  of  one  size  four  ship, the Oddessey; and
three
size  two  ships,  Run  Abouts.  One of the Run Abouts is damaged.  You
escape  off  the  left  side  of  the battle field with the Oddessey and
damaged Run About.  It will not be easy.
   Player  two  is  in  command  of  seven  J'em Hadaar vessels.  Four are in
close
range   to   the   damaged   Run  About.   You  must  destroy  all  the
Federation
intruders to win.  The vessels are all size 3.
@endnode
@node "Escort" "Escort"
@next "The Coal Sack"
@prev "Gamma Encounter"
Escort:
Player one:
   You  are  on  the  last  leg  of your journey.  The three cargo transports
made  it  this  far  without  any  problems.   Now  you have entered the
Katan
nebula,  a  favorite  ambush site for pirates.  As expected, as soon as
enter the nebula, your scope shows several pirate vessels approaching.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player two:
   The  transport  group  must  come  through  the  Katan nebula, there is no
other
way.   You  have  readied  a  rabble of pirates from your local sect to
ambush   the
group.   Knowing  that  the  nebula  will  hamper  the  Escorts'
electronics, this
should be an easy raid.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player  one  is  in  command  of  three escort ships and three transports.
must  get  the transports to the bottom edge of the battle field in order
   Player  two  is  in  command  of  five  pirate  vessels.  You must prevent
transports from reaching the bottom edge of the battle field.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environment note:
      This   scenario  takes  place  in  a  nebula.   Shields  will  be  less
effective
at deflecting damage.  The map scanner can only identify targets up
to half
normal range.
@endnode
@node "The Coal Sack" "The Coal Sack"
@next "Design"
@prev "Escort"
The Coal Sack:
   This  scenario  is  inspired  by  "The  Gripping  Hand"  (Larry  Niven and
Jerry
Pournelle).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victory Conditions:
   Player  one  is  in  command  of  the  MacArthur and Sinbad.  You must get
Sinbad  off  the  right  side  of  the battle field or stop all the motie
ships
from exiting the left side of the battle field.
   Player  two  is  in  command  of  four  motie ships of varying sizes.  You
get  any  or  all  of the ships off the left side of the battle field to
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environment note:
      This   scenario  takes  place  in  a  nebula.   Shields  will  be  less
effective
at deflecting damage.  The map scanner can only identify targets up
to half
normal range.
@endnode
@node "Design" "Ship Design"
@next "Combat"
@prev "The Coal Sack"
Ship Design 101:
   If  you  chose ShipYard from the title screen, you will be asked to select
hull  size  and  a  technology  level.   These  attributes  will effect how
space  your  ship  has  , how fast it may accelerate, how much damage it
take,  how  effective  it's  weapons  are  and  so  on.   In places where
techlevel
and  size may effect your decisions, they will b e noted.  For now,
the  bigger
the  ship,  the  more  massive  it is.  The higher its technology
level,  the  more
effective it's systems and the more space some of them will
take up.
   A  good  ship  design  depends  on  what you want from it.  You may design
'jack-of-all-trades  '  sort  of  ship,  but  this  will  not be as good as
specially-designed,  side  firing  transport  escort.   On  the other hand,
side  firing  escort  is  more  vulnerable  to  front  and  rear attacks.
brings  to  mind  a  few  things  to remember.  Know your enemy and know
yourself.
Match strength against weakness and defend your vulnerabilities.
   The  design  panel  is  broken  up  into  two  parts.  On the left side of
screen   is   an  information  panel.   It  contains  constantly  updated
information
on  your current ship design.  On the right side of the screen is
the  current
design  aspect  you  are  working  on.   There  are three design
aspects.   The  first
one  you see is the equipment panel.  The other two are
weapons and shields.
   First   we  will  discuss  the  design  panel.   At  the  top,  under  the
design
name,  is  a  box  containing  information on the amount of hull space
left,  crew
efficiency,  ship's mass, its maximum speed and acceleration.  In
addition,
the box displays power output and rack space.
   Below  this  box  are  two  large  gadgets.   The one with the disk is for
saving
the  current  design,  the one with the door is for leaving the design
facility.
Beside  these  two  large  gadgets are three gold bordered gadgets.
These  are
used  to change to the other design aspect panels.  The top one is
entering  the  equipment  panel.  The gadget depicting a clenched fist is
the  weapons  panel,  while the third one, enblazoned with the image of a
green
shield, is for the shield panel.
Equipment Panel
   The  panel  shows  the  number of each of several systems your ship design
have.   Each  is described below.  In addition, the box at the lower part
the   design   panel   contains   a  brief  description  of  each  device.
Clicking
anywhere  within the borders of a particular piece of equipment will
change
the description to that of the requested device.
      WARP DRIVES:
         Warp  drives  will  allow  you  to  escape  a  battle  scene  during
combat  phase.   Escaping  from  a  battle  will only allow you to keep a
certain
number  of  victory points since losing your ship altogether will add
nothing
to  your  score.   A  ship without warp drives may be towed by a ship
with warp
drives in order to allow it to escape.
         Space Required:  One @{"Tech
Sector" alink "TechSectors" 0}
      CARGOBAYS:
         Cargo  bays  are  for  carrying  supplies.   Their  only use in this
is  to  make  a  ship  more  realistic  or  to  use  up some space for a
special
design.
         Space Required:  One Tech Sector
      FIGHTERBAYS:
         Fighter   bays   are   launch   bays   for  fighter  groups.   These
fighter
groups  act as a guided weapon and will continue to attack the target
vessel
until  either  the group or the target is destroyed.  Fighters have no
range
limit.
         Space Required:  Two @{"Tech
Sector" link "TechSectors" 0}s
      HULL:
         Each  ship  must  have  a  minimum  hull  space.   This  is for crew
quarters
and  workspace.   Increasing  the  hull space will increase the crew
efficiency
and  thus  the  general  efficiency of your ship.  Additional hull
spaces  are
also  required  for marines.  Each marine requires one hull space
for living
quarters.
         The minimum requirements are listed in the following table:
           Ship Size       Min Hull Space
               1                 1
               2                 2
               3                 5
               4                10
               5                20
         An  increased  efficiency  will  increase  the  range  and damage of
beamed
weapons  since  your  crew will target them more accurately.  Also, an
increased
efficiency  will  transfer  to  your  marines and will help them to
fight  off or
to overtake another vessel.  To increase the efficiency to two,
add  one  half
times  more than the minimum required hull space.  To increase
the efficiency
to three, add twice the minimum amount of hull space.
         Space Required:  One Sector
      RACKS:
         Racks   hold   the   targeting   and   launch  hardware  for  guided
missiles.
Each  rack will hold either four light seekers or two heavy seekers
combination of the two.  Each rack will give your ship four rack spaces.
light  seeker  will  take  up one rack space, while a heavy seeker requires
rack spaces.
         Space Required:  Two Sectors
      LIGHT SEEKERS:
         Each  light  seeker  requires  one  rack  space.  A light seekers is
missile  that  homes  in  on  the  subspace  emmisions  of a target vessel.
Light
seekers are effective against enemy shielding.
         Space Required:  One Rack Space
      HEAVY SEEKERS:
         A   heavy   seeker  is  similar  to  a  light  seekers  but  it  has
greater
damage capability and a shorter range.
         Space Required:  Two Rack Spaces
      ENGINES:
         Engine   generate   power   for   your  ships  systems  and  drives.
engine  installed  will  output  eight  power  units.   The power output
engines  is  the  amount  of  power available to you during each turn of
combat phase.  You do not want to under power your creations.
         Space Required:  Two Sectors
      DRIVES:
         Drives  propel  your  ship.   The  amount  of acceleration and speed
drive will give your ship depends on the ship's mass.
         Space Required:  Four Sectors
      TRANSPORTERS:
         Transporters   are   used   for   transporting  marines  to  another
vessel.
This  is  the way in which you may have marines board an enemy vessel
to  take
it  over  or  a  friendly  vessel  in order to help defend it.  Each
transporter
can transport up to two marines at a time.
         Space Required:  One Sector
      TRACTOR BEAMS:
         The   tractor  beams  are  used  for  towing  crippled  vessels  out
danger.   Their  only  use  in  the  game is to warp crippled ships out of
combat arena and thus save some victory points.
         Space Required:  Four Sectors
      ARMOR:
         These   are  extremely  hard  metal  plates  capable  of  deflecting
enemy
fire.   A section of armor will absorb all damage from an enemy attack.
a  plasma  torpedo  can  destroy a section of armor.  This does not mean
that an
armored ship can not be damaged by normal weapons.  The armor plating
only absorb damage if it is hit.
         Space Required:  One Sector
      MARINES:
         Marines    will   help   defend   a   ship   if   it   is   boarded.
Additionally,
they may be transported to another ship to either defend it (if
it is
friendly) or to overtake the crew (if it is an enemy).
         Space Required:  One Hull Space (in addition to minimum)
      BELTS:
         Belts    are    electromagnetic   generators   and   point   defense
weapons
capable  of  destroying launched weapons.  Belts remain charged until
used,  at
which  point  they may be charged again.  Each belt has a chance to
shoot down
a fighter or a seeker as well as reducing the strength of a plasma
torpedo.
         Space Required:  One Sector
The Weapons panel:
   Each  ship  may have up to twelve weapons installed.  Each weapon may have
firing  arc  in  any  combination  of eight firing arcs.  No one firing arc
contain  more  than a certain number of weapons (dependant on ship size).
firing  arcs  correspond  to the octants of the complete circle (each arc
has a
45 degree range).
   Below  is  a  chart  matching  arc  with  its  relation to the ship.  Arcs
also used in shield naming.  The arrow indicates the front of the ship.
            8    1
          7   /\   2
          6   --   3
            5    4
   The  arc  correspond  to  the  small  lights  around  the grey triangle in
weapon block.  If the light is green, that arc is selected if it is red,
the weapon is not installed in the arc.
   In  order  to  select  a  weapon  for  a  ship, click on the left or right
arrows
below  the weapon's name.  The computer will change the weapon type to
next  weapon  for  which  you  have  room.  In order to select which arcs
install  a weapon on, either click on the arc light to toggle installation
click on the corresponding numbered button at the bottom of the panel.
   The   help  box  in  the  design  panel  will  display  information  about
current weapon type.
   The computer will skip some weapons if you do not have the room to
install
them.   Also,  a  weapon  arc  may not light up if it will exceed the
maximum
weapons per arc as given in the following chart:
      Ship Size           Maximum Weapons per Arc
          1                         2
          2                         4
          3                         6
          4                         8
          5                        10
   Each  weapon  requires  a  minimum  amount  of space for the targeting and
power
converting   hardware.    Each   additional   arc  added  to  a  weapon
requires
additional  space.   Space  required  is  given in two numbers.  For
example:   1/2
,  3/16  means that the first arc will require one half sector
while  any
additional  arcs  will  require  3/16ths  sectors each.  The space
remaining slot
on the design panel will only show integer values.
   The  damage  values  are  given  as  a number and a typical range ( damage
range)  followed  by  a  note.   If  a d follows the damage value, then the
weapon
will drain additional points from the enemy shielding.  The damage and
range
values  are  for  an  average ship design.  The actual points will vary
depending
on   distance   fired,   crew  efficiency,  ecm/eccm  conflict  and
technology  level.
Refer  to  figure  3.1  for a chart of the damage to range
ratios.  (figure 3.1 is an ILBM file included with the docs).
Weapons descriptions:
   LIGHT PHASER:
      A  high  energy  beam  weapon  which  melts through the outer skin of a
enemy
ship.
      Damage:         10 @ 15
      Space Required:  1/2 , 3/16
   HEAVY PHASER:
      A larger, more damaging version of the light phaser.
      Damage:         14 @ 20
      Space Required: 1  , 3/8
   SIEGE PHASER:
      Siege   phasers   are   the   most  damaging  class  of  phaser.   They
designed for destroying fortress starbases along contested boundaries.
      Damage:         20 @ 30
      Space Required: 2  , 3/4
   PHOTON TORPEDO:
      This  isn't  a  real  torpedo  in  the  sense  of  a  launched  weapon.
Instead,
it  is  a  beam  weapon  that  fires multiphasic (varying frequency)
pulses thus
overtaxing an enemies shields.
      Damage:         14d @ 20
      Space Required: 2   , 3/4
   DISRUPTOR:
      The  disruptor  is  slow  charging,  but  has  the longest range of any
weapon.   It  is  less  accurate  than the other beam weapons and can be
evaded by
a fast moving ship.
      Damage:         12+TechLevel @ 100  (effected by speed of target)
      Space Required:  2   , 3/4
   PLASMA TORPEDO:
      The  plasma  torpedo  generator  has  one launch emitter and always has
360  degree  firing  arc.   The  weapon  requires  three rounds of charging
before
the  torpedo  is  ready to fire.  Once it is fired, it will home in to
target  vessel  releasing extreme amounts of energy.  A plasma torpedo is
only weapon that can destroy armor.
      Damage:         60 @ 32   (looses power at longer ranges)
      Space Requried: 15 ,  0  (all  arcs  available  to  each  plasma
                                emitter
installed)
Shields:
   Shields  are  not  required,  but  are  a  nice  thing  to  have  on  your
ship.
Shields  are assigned to arcs.  As with weapon firing arcs, shield arcs
cover
a  45  degree  section  of  your  ship.  The circle on the shield panel
building shield power on your ship's design.
   Each  shield  strength  requires  eight  shield  batteries.   Each  shield
battery
requires  1/64  space.   The  number  displayed  is the actual shield
strength  for
a  given arc.  For example, a value of eight in the area of arc
one means that
shield arc one has a maximum shield strength of eight.
   To  change  the  value  of  a  shield  arc, click on the lighted box below
arc  you  wish  to  alter.   Clicking  the  up  or down arrow next to the
shield
control will increase or decrease the shield strength by one.
When you are done:
   When  your  done  making  a  ship design, you can save it or scrap it.  If
click on the exit gadget without saving your design, it will be scrapped.
   To  save  your  design,  click  on  the  large gadget depicting a disk and
blueprint.   You  will  be  presented  with  a  file requester to save your
design
with.   The  requester  will  only show directories and file which are
designs.   Do  not panic if your word processing program does not appear
on  the
file  list, it does not show up because it is not a ship design.  The
name you
give for the file will become the ship's design name.
    Two  things  happen  when  you  save  a  ship  design.   If  enough space
remains
on  your  ship,  the  computer  will  add more shielding.  If all the
shield  arcs
are  full,  the  computer  will add layers of armor.  The second
thing  that  will
happen  is that the computer will weed out the empty weapon
blocks.  If you
have some empty weapon blocks between full weapon blocks, the
computer will
move the full weapons up.  This does not effect the functioning
of the
weapons, it simply keeps things neat.
     You may leave the design lab by clicking the exit gadget.
   "Now an army may be likened to water, for as flowing water avoids
heights and has tens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and
strikes
weakness."
      --- Sun Tzu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Combat" "Combat Arena"
@next "Battle Phase"
@prev "Design"
      Note:    if   anyone   has  any  ideas  of  suing  me  for  using  Star
"things"  in  this  game,  let  me  know  and I will immediately remove
references.  I am not using these "things" as a selling point.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Combat
   This  is  the  normal  playing  mode  of  the  game.   Once  you  select a
scenario
or saved game, the game will begin.
   First,  the  screen  will  notify  you  of which player's turn it is.  The
other
player  should  leave the room, but it isn't required.  Any keypress or
button
click will bring the player to the ship command area.
   The  screen  will  have  a  red  palette  if the ship currently under your
control is nearly destroyed.
   There  are  four  command  screens.   Even  though  they  cover  different
aspects
of the ship, they all share some characteristics.
   One  of  these  characteristics  is  the  gold  bordered  gadgets.   Every
screen
will  have  these six gadgets on them somewhere.  These are used to go
to the
varios games screens.
                         -------------------
                         |  A  |  B  |  C  |
                         |     |     |     |
                         -------------------
                         |  D  |  E  |  F  |
                         |     |     |     |
                         -------------------
A - depicts CRS and a rainbow line.  Go to Navigation console.
B - depicts a
clenched fist.  Go to Weapons console.
C - depicts a white cross on blue.
End this turn of commands.
D - depicts blue graph with DCON.  Go to Damage
Control console.
E - depicts green shield.  Go to Shield console.
F - depicts
floppy disk.  Save game and possibly quit.
   Another  common  characteristic  is  the  tabs  at the top of each screen.
These
are used to select among your ships to command.  Simply click on one of
tabs and that ship will be ready to recieve your instructions.
The Map
   Two control screens contain the map.  The map controls are described
here.
   The   top  portion  of  the  map  is  the  actual  visual  display.   Your
current
ship  is  portrayed  by  a  blue square, usually in the center of the
display.   The
map  may  contain  several  other symbols each of which have a
different meaning.
Below is a legend.
   Blue square  - Current vessel.
   Green square - Friendly vessel.
   Red square   - Enemy vessel.
   Yellow X     - unknown or out of zoom range.
   White circle - Plasma torpedo.
   Blue circle  - Heavy seeker.
   Red circle   - Light seeker.
   Grey hash    - fighter group.
   4 Brown dots - asteroid.
   The  map  display  also  serves  as  a target plotter.  If a red square is
the  current  display,  you may click on it to make it the current target.
information  will  be  displayed below the map in the target information
block.
   The  map  console  is  very  full  of  information.   In  addition  to the
display
and  information, there are several buttons for handling predictions.
There
are also the gold bordered screen gadgets.
   Two  of  the  additional  tools  on  the  map  are ovoid gadgets depicting
magnifying  glass.   These  are  used  to  zoom in and out as labeled.  The
will  only  go  out  to  a  zoom  factor  of  5.   Each  zoom  factor  is
approximately 2
times the area of its previous fact
   Next  to  the  magnifying  glass  is another number.  Beside which are two
gadgets.  A plus and a minus.  These are used to predict the location of
objects  on  the  display  during a given turn segment.  You can click on
these
gadgets to get an idea of w
   The  current  power  readout  is  also  on  the map console.  It is simply
measure of available power for this turn.
Navigation Console
   The   navigation   console   consists   of   the   scanner   map   and   a
navigational
array.  The map has already been described.
   On  the  navigation  console  you  will  find  two  lists  of  16 numbers.
These
are your current ships course and speed for the 16 segments of the next
turn.
You  will also notice a dark area with a small green anchor next to one
of the
rows of the lists.  This
   Connected   to  the  lists  of  numbers  is  a  box  containing  a  circle
within
which are some blue buttons and a number.  These four buttons are used
change   the  course  of  your  ship.   They  correspond  to  the  compass
directions.
         0
     315 o 45
       \ | /
 270 o- xxx -o 90
       / | \
     225 o 135
        180
        The   red   arrows  are  also  buttons,  which  correspond  to  their
respective
compass directions.
   By  clicking  these  buttons,  you can change the number in the box toward
value  the  blue  button represents.  If you double click the button, the
value
will  immediately  become  the  button's  representational  value.  The
number
between  the  blue  buttons  is  the  current  desired  course change.
Clicking on
it will activate the course change.
   You   may  not  be  able  to  move  to  the  desired  value  in  the  time
allowed
during  the next turn.  It depends on your speed, available power and
number
of functioning drives.
   The  course  change  will  begin  at  the  segment  immediately  following
green  anchor.   So  if  you  wish to start a course change at segment 8,
would  click  in  the  space next to the 7th row of the course list.  The
green
anchor will move to that spot.
   Above  the  course  changer  are  pictures  of  a  turtle  and  a  rabbit.
number  beside  each  represents  the minimum and maximum speed your ship
attain  in  this  turn.  The rectangle with the purple spot in it is used
change  the  speed.   Clicking  on  it  near the rabbit will increase your
speed
while clicking near the turtle will decrease it.
   Also,  you  can  engage  the  warp drive from the navigation screen.  This
only  possible  if  you  have  some  warp drives remaining and it is after
number  10.   Engaging the warp drive will cause your ship to escape the
battle
scene, but not necessarily win the scenario.
   Lastly,  the  navigation  screen  contains  a  nameplate  for  your  ship.
serves no practical purpose.
Weapons Console
   The  weapons  console  contains  the  map  console.   The  map has already
described.
   On  the  left  of  the  screen is a bank of weapons your ship has.  Blocks
are  shaded  are  damaged weapons, these are unavailable to you.  Blocks
contain  the  EI  logo  are empty weapon blocks, they represent no loss.
Finally,
there will be blocks containing information.
        ------Weapon Name------
    Arcs  Charge      F   C   D
          Status  target information
        -----------------------
   The  arc  circle  displays  the  available  arcs  the  weapon can fire in.
triangle  represents your ship.  Green lights indicate a go status, while
ones are not in the firing arc.
   The  charge  status  indicates the readiness of the current weapon.  If it
a  green  light,  you may fire it in this turn.  Some weapons require more
one  charge  before  they  can  be  fired.   In  these  cases the charge
status
indicates how many charges rema
   A  weapon  can  only  be  charged  once  per  turn.  This is done with the
button.   A  weapon  will not hold its charge for more than one turn, so if
do  not  fire it when it is ready, you will lose the charge.  In the case
plasma and disruptors, the charge
         Weapon        Power
   Light Phaser        1 unit
   Heavy Phaser        1 unit
   Siege Phaser        2 units
   Photon              5 units
   Disruptors          2 units for 2 turns (4 units in all)
   Plasma              5 units for 3 turns (15 units in all)
   If  you  have  charged  a  weapon  and  decide  you  do  not want it to be
charged,
you  may drain the weapon.  This is done with the D button.  In this
case, any
power put into the weapon during this turn will be taken back out.
   Finally,  you  can  fire  you  weapon.   you  may  only  fire  a weapon if
status  is  green  and  you have a target aquired on the map.  An aquired
target
need  not  be  showing.  The aquired target is the one which the map's
target
information block is displaying.
   The  target  information  will  help  you  decide  what  and when to fire.
displays  the  range  of  the  target  at  the  beginning of the turn.  It
contains  a display called Arc.  The two numbers are the target's shield
facing your current ship and the c
Damage Control Console
   This  screen  displays  information  on  the  amound of damage your vessel
sustained.   It  also  shows the number of crew members, drives, engines,
cargo
holds  and  missile  racks  remaining.  Most important of these are the
three
boxes labeled damage, extra and crit.
   Damage  is  the  percentage  of  damaged  space  your  ship  has sustained
far.  The larger this number is, the more extraordinary damage your ship
recieve.
   Extra   represents   the   amount   of   extraordinary  damage  your  ship
recieved.   Extraordinary  damage  is  caused  through  the  loss of crew
members,
marines or jammer/sensor equipment on board.  The more extraordinary
damage
you recieve, the higher your chance to recieve Critical damage.
   Crit   represents   the   number   of   critical   points  your  ship  has
remaining.
When this reaces 0, your ship is destroyed.
Shield Console
   The  shield  console  is  used  to  charge  jammers and belts.  It is also
to  order  the transport of marines and towing of vessels.  In addition,
it is
used to manipulate shields.
   Ecm   and   Eccm   are   similar   devices.    Ecm  will  jam  an  enemies
targeting
capability,  making it less accurate.  Eccm is a jammer jammer.  It
counteract  the  enemy's  Ecm,  possibly neutralizing it.  Charging your
Eccm can
mean the prevention of damage.
   Belts   can   also   be  charged  here.   Ecm,  Eccm  and  belts  are  all
manipulated
in the same way.  The left arrow will decrease a charge while the
right arrow
will increase it.  Belts will remain charged until they are used,
Ecm and
Eccm must be charged each turn
   Clicking  the  tractor  beams  will  pop  up  a  list  of  vessels  in tow
vessels  available  for  towing.   The  number  on the display represents
number of remaining, functioning, tractor beams.  The column of red names
those  ships on the current vessel's tow list.  When a ship escapes using
drives,  any  vessels  in tow will go with it.  A ship may tow one other
for  every  functioning  tractor beam it has.  A ship may only be on one
list  at a time.  Clicking the yellow checkered gadget will close the tow
display.
   The  transporter  is  operated  with  the left and right arrows.  To order
transport of marines, you must click the right arrow.  This will increase
number of marines to transport.  The current target, displayed at the top
the  screen,  will  be  the  transport target.  If the target is friendly,
these
marines  will  join  those  of  the target vessel.  If the target is an
enemy
vessel,  they  will  attempt  to  overtake the crew.  Weapons fire does
discriminate   between   enemy  and  friendly  marines.   Firing  upon  a
boarded
vessel may result in the death of some of the boarding party.
   The   circle   occupying   the   left   portion  of  the  screen  contains
shield
information.   Each  number  represents the current charge of a shield
arc  as
well  as  the  number  of uncharged batteries.  Batteries will become
discharged
from  absorbing  weapons  fire.   The number on top represents the
current  shield
charge  while the number on the bottom of each box represents
uncharged
batteries.  To manipulate a shield arc, click on its display box, a
requester
will appear.
   ____________
   |   xxx    |
   |          |
   |        n |
   |   mode   |
   |          |
   |        t |
   |          |
   |      yyy |
   |          |
   | ok cancel|
   ------------
   xxx represents the maximum number of power units available for the
current
mode.
   n is the shield arc which you are manipulating.
   mode is one of three types - charge, drain or transfer.
   t is only important during a shield transfer.  It is the arc you wish
transfer power from.
   yyy is the number of energy units you wish to apply to the current mode.
   ok and cancel are self explanatory.
   There are three modes of operation - charge, drain and transfer.
   Charge  means  that  you  want to charge yyy batteries of the current arc.
maximum  represents  the number of batteries left to charge or the number
power units available to charge them with.  Whichever is smaller.
   Drain  is  useful  if  you  need  emergency  power.   It  is  inefficient,
maximum  represents  the  number of charged batteries.  yyy is the number
batteries you wish to drain.  The amount of power you recieve will only be
in  every  four  units.   So  if  you  drain  16  batteries  you will get 4
power
units.
   Transfer  is  a  more  effiecient  way  to  charge another shield arc with
power
from  the  current shield arc.  It is not a 1:1 ratio, but it is better
draining  then  charging.   The power transfered will be half the number
batteries you drain.  The number at the top of the requester is the actual
maximum  number  of  batteries  you  can  charge with power from the selected
shield arc.  So if you transfer 16 units from shield arc 4, shield arc 4 will
be drained by 32 units.
   Ok to make it so, cancel to change your mind.
   When   you   are  done  entering  orders  for  this  turn,  click  on  the
bordered  gadget  with the white cross.  This will allow the next player
enter  commands.   When  the  second  player is finished, the battle phase
begins.
    "If wise, a commander is able to recognize changing circumstances and to
act expediently.  If sincere, his men will have no doubt of the certainty of
rewards and punishments.  If humane, he loves mankind, sympathizes with
others, and appreciates their industry and toil.  If courageous, he gains
victory by seizing opportunity without hesitation.  If strict, his troops are
disciplined because they are in awe of him and are afraid of punishment."
       --- Tu Mu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Battle Phase" "Battle Phase"
@next "End"
@prev "Combat"
Battle Phase
   At  the  beginning  of  each  battle  phase,  you will be asked which ship
center  the  action  on.   After  selecting  a  ship,  the  next  turn  of
battle
begins.
   The  battle  screen  contains  few  controls.   There  are  two magnifiers
zooming  in  and  out,  a pause button and a display of the center ship's
name.
   You  may  zoom  in  and  out  at  any time during the game, paused or not.
After
all  16  segments are over, the display will stop and a new button will
appear.
Press  this  continue  button  to  go  to  the next round of entering
commands.   You
may  also  use  this time to study the situation.  Pausing is
disabled at this
point, since it is pointless.
    "All warfare is based on deception."
      --- Sun Tzu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "End" "End Game"
@next "Credit"
@prev "Battle Phase"
   At  the  end  of  the game, a screen will display the scores and declare a
winner.
   The  winner is the player who meets the requirements of a scenario such as
removing ships from the battle area or destroying all enemy vessels.  If both
players meet their respective requirements, the game is declared a draw.
   The  scores  are dependent on the amount of ship each player has remaining
at  the  end  of  the  encounter.   Column one shows the amount of score each
player  began  the  encounter  with.  The second column shows how many points
were lost due to damage; and column three is the total score remaining at the
end of the scenario.
   Pressing continue will return you to the title screen.
   When  you  grow  tired  of  playing  Cosmic Battles, press escape while on
title screen.  Your computer will be restored to its previous state.
   "The dead cannot be restored to life."
      --- Sun Tzu (The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Credit" "Credits"
@next "History"
@prev "End"
   Amiga Programming and art work - Eric Smith
   Using SASC/C++ v6.51, DeluxePaint
 IV, Imagine
 2.0, and the
Perfect
Sound
 digitizer.
   I used Heddley, by Edd Dumbill to write the original AmigaGuide
 document.
        I  would  like  to  thank  Al  Grossman  of  JingleSmith  Studios for
helping
me find some of the sound effects.
   If   you   like   the   game,  please  consider  a  $25  donation  to  the
following
address.   I  will  send  you  a floppy with the latest version.  A
registration form is provided for your convenience.  You may send suggestions
to this address or
my email address.
   Eric Smith
   1304 Comer
   Clovis, NM 88101
   Email:
        No email address
    FIDO:
        Eric Smith@1:318/19.0
            or
        Eric Smith@1:318/25.0
@endnode
@node "History" "History"
@prev "Credit"
    History is in an external file.
@endnode
@node "TechSectors" "What's a Tech Sector?"
   A  tech  sector  is  an  amount  of space equal to the ships technological
level
plus nine.
   For  instance:   a  ship  of  tech  level  3 would mean that a tech sector
would
occupy 9+3 or 12 sectors.
@endnode
@node "Registration" "Registration"
   The  unregistered  version  of  Cosmic Battles has a play limit of 8 turns
well  as all save features being disabled.  I would like to just give away
game,  but  I  have  spent  a  considerable amount of time writing it and
society
imposes financial responsibilites on everyone.
   The  requested  registration  fee  is  $25.00  US.   If  you feel you wish
more.   I won't complain.  Payment may be in cash, check or money order.
It  is
not  recommended  that  you  send  cash.   If  you do, the post office
suggests  you
send  it in an envelope which no one can see through or wrap it
so that it is
not visible.
    With  the  paid  fee, I will package the registered version and mail it to
Included  with  this  will  be  an  68030/68881(2)  version.  Registered
versions
will be sent in a timely manner.
Registration requests should be sent to:
   Eric Smith
   1304 Comer
   Clovis, NM 88101
   Thank you.
@endnode
@node "Bugs" "Bugs"
   In the event that you do find a bug, please report it to me at
   USPS:
      Eric Smith
      1304 Comer
      Clovis, NM 88101
   EMAIL (FIDO):
      Eric Smith@1:318/19.0
            or
        Eric Smith@1:318/25.0
         (INTERNET):
      So sorry, our town has no access to the internet.
    Be  as  precise  as  possible  when making bug reports.  I must be able to
repeat the bug here in order to track down the problem.
@endnode
@node "Author's_Notes" "Author's Notes"
   Many  years  ago, I played a game called Cosmic Balance.  I found it to be
interesting  and  fun  but  I've only seen it on the 8 bit machines.  When
bought  my  Amiga  2000  in  1990,  I  decided  to  write a version for the
generation of 16 and 32 bit machines.
The  first  incarnation  worked,  it had sound effects and some graphics.  It
worked on my machine, though.  I never figured out why.  The project got
packed up and
promptly lost.  Meanwhile I continued to study for my Bachelors
Degree.   Near
the  end of my studies, I found that others were interested in
this  game.   So,
I took up the keyboard again and set out to create a second
incarnation.   This
one  I  had  up  to  an  early  alpha-beta stage.  It was
playable  to a point and I
even distributed to several people spread over the
US.   Alas,  finals  and
studies came up and the second try at Cosmic Battles
had a bug in it I just
could not chase down.
   Now,  I  have  graduated.   While  looking  for a job during the summer, I
found
that  I  had much spare time on my hands.  Time enough to finish my art
work.
So, Cosmic Battles 2.00 project began.  This time, there were no stops.
would  not  settle  for  anything  less  than  perfection.   I also decided
implement my variations on the theme.  So, I began work.
   Responses  from  the  second  version (that first one had no version since
really  didn't go anywhere), of Cosmic Battles helped in my redesigning of
interface.   My  practice and study of art work in other games has helped
me  in
creating  the  art  work  in  Cosmic.   My  friend,  also  owner  of a
professional
sound  studio,  helped  me to find and create sound effects.  My
new  030/33Mhz
accelerator  made  the  wait  time  on ray trace rendering and
compile  time
livable.  The title screen of Cosmic Battles v1.00 took 8 days.
Now, it takes
less than an hour.  All of these ingredients have come together
to make the
game you see today.
   "Treat the captives well, and care for them."
      --- Sun Tzu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
   "All the soldiers taken must be cared for with magnanimity and sincerity
so that they may be used by us."
      --- Chang Yu (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
@endnode
@node "Legal" "Legal"
    Electrolyte  Industries  reserves  the  right  to make improvements in the
product described in this text at any time and without notice.
    This  text,  and the software described in this text, is copyrighted.  All
rights  are  reserved.  The unregistered version of the described product may
be freely distributed so long as the original archive contents are intact.
    Electrolyte  Industries  makes  no  warranties,  express  or implied, with
respecto  to  this  text,  its  quality,  merchantability  or fitness for any
particular  purpose.   This text, and the described software, is provided "as
  I  am  not  responsible  for  any damage caused by this software.  Nor am I
responsible for any mental anguish caused by same.
   This  software  is  shareware.  If you use it, please consider registering
@endnode