Frozen Fish 1: Amiga/FrozenFish-Apr94.iso/bbs/alib/d1xx/d178/cosmic.lha/Cosmic/Cosmic.doc

Text File | 1989-02-04 | 24KB | 495 lines

                                  Cosmic Conquest
                                       V1.01

                    A interstellar multiplayer game of War and Peace

PUBLIC DOMAIN NOTICE

This program was placed in the public domain. It may be freely copied
for non-profit by anyone as long as the original archive or all the
unmodified files from the archive are distributed in one directory.
Anybody may modify this for his personal use, but please don't give
other people modified copies. On the other hand I'd be delighted to
have your modifications sent to me and to incorporate them in the
main program . This program is strictly public domain and not
shareware and as I don't depend on living on my programs and I wrote
this for fun, I wish you to play it at no higher price.

BEFORE START

Make a "games" subdirectory in the same directory you place the game.
In this new directory all saved games are stored.

HOW TO PLAY

The aim of Cosmic Conquest is to be the sole remaining ruler over the
complete star cluster of 16 stars. Cosmic Conquest is always played
with four players which can be any combination of different human and
computer players. After selecting "Start a new game" enter the names
of the four players. To specify a computer player use as name,the
name of the computer algorithm and add some string to make the name
unique. There are four supported computer algorithms. These are
Klingon, Romulan, Berserker and Alien. Acceptable names are for
example:
"romulan A"
"Klingonian"
"BerSERker Fred"
Currently only the klingon player is working intelligently,the others
are in V1.01 only stumps. To specify a player who is non-active
already from the  beginning use the name "dead". All other names are
interpreted as names of human players. After having entered the names
the game starts and the players take turns at entering their
commands.

 DISPLAYS

  A) Main map

  This map is automagicaly displayed in the large window on the left
  hand side of the screen. Superimposed on a dot pattern all stars
  are displayed as capital letters. Stars are color coded. Stars
  completly controled by one player are displayed in his color.
  Stars on which  several players control planets are displayed in
  orange. Unknown or  uninhabited stars are displayed in white. Stars
  displayed in inverse are stars which already have been explored but
  on which currently there is no information. Beware ! Information
  displayed about these stars may be out of date and no longer
  accurate. On this screen also all taskforces known to you are
  displayed as minor letters in the color of their empire. Only
  taskforces in normal space(not in hyper space) are displayed.
  Sometimes several taskforces will be at one star and the display
  will become muddled. To obtain exact information simply examine the
  starsummary for this star. To obtain a starsummary on an star click
  on it. To obtain information on a taskforce click on it. If there
  are several taskforces at the star then a starsummary is displayed
  and you can select your taskforce from there. To obtain a general
  overview about all stars simply press the left mouse button
  somewhere on the background pattern.

 B) Status Display
  The status is displayed in middle window on the right. To obtain it
  simply press the right mouse button anywhere. It gives your name
  and your techlevel. This level starts at 100 and increases with
  research. What types of ships are available to you depends on the
  techlevel. The pop-stat show the number of millions of creatures of
  your race alive.This includes colonies enslaved by other races.
  The ind-stat gives your total industrial capacity. It is the sum of
  the industry of all planets you rule. Below,the names of all other
  races and your attitude towards them (first) and their attitude
  towards you (second). This can be War, Peace or Alliance.

 C) Starsummary

  The starsummary is displayed in the middle of the 3 windows on the
  right hand side. In the top line the letter of the star and its
  coordinates are displayed. In the four lines below information on
  the up to 8 planets (numbered from 0 to 7) of the star is
  displayed. The color of these entries is coded according to the
  color of the ruler of the planet. A planet displayed in inverse
  represents one on which valuable ore may be mined.The first 3-digit
  figure gives the maximum population of the planet in millions. The
  second one gives the current population in millions. If the planet
  is enslaved this stat is displayed in the color of the original
  ruler. The third one is  the current industrial level of the
  planet. It describes what amount of ships or things may be build in
  a certain time on this planet. This stat may never go above
  population number. The final letter (or blank) is an abbrieviation
  for the type of product beeing built on the planet. Blank means
  nothing. Minor letters stand for different ship types. M stands for
  Mining, R for Researching, I for Investing. To obtain further
  information on a planet simply click on it. In the four lines below
  all taskforces at this star are displayed for the four players.
  Taskforces displayed in inverse are taskforces which haven't yet
  arrived at the star ,but of which you know that they are headed
  there. To obtain data on a taskforce click on it here. To obtain an
  overview over all  taskforces of one player click on the
  appropriate "Tf" sign. In the last line the seven nearest stars
  together with their distances are displayed in order of proximity.
  Click on a star to obtain its summary.

 D) Staroverview

  The staroverview is displayed in the middle of the 3 windows on the
  right hand side. All stars are color coded as in the main map. For
  each star the sum of all its planets, population maxima, population
  and industry is displayed. Click on a star to obtain the
  starsummary.

E) Taskforcesummary

  The taskforcesummary is displayed in the lower right hand window.
  In the headline of the display the letter of the taskforce, its
  star, its capacity , its speed and its range is displayed. If the
  taskforce has arrived at a star only the letter of this star is
  displayed. If it is in hyperspace, the name of the star it is
  heading at, and the number of years it will still take it to arrive
  there is displayed. The speed is the speed of the slowest ship in
  the taskforce ,that is not carried by another ship. The range is
  the range of the ship with the smallest range in the taskforce,
  that is not being carried. These two stats give the
  maximum distance between stars that a taskforce may
  hyperspace non-stop and the distance it covers in each year.
  The third stat gives the sum of the sizes of the storage holds of
  all ships (including carried ships).  In the body of the display
  the names of all shipstypes in the taskforce appear. If you have
  information about the interior of the ships (i.e. it is one of your
  taskforces) 2 figures are displayed at the end of the line. The
  first gives the number of free ships of this type in the taskforce,
  the second the number of carried ships of this kind in the
  taskforce. On the other hand if it is a foreign taskforce you will
  only see the number of visible ships of each kind. To obtain a
  shipsummary, a summary of the technical stats of one kind of ship,
  click on the name of the shiptype. To obtain an overview about all
  the taskforces of the player (of which you know) in that this kind
  of ship is known to be, click on the number of ships.

 F) Taskforceoverview

  This is displayed in the lower right hand window. All known
  taskforces are displayed including the star they are heading at (or
  are at) and the number of years it will still take the taskforce to
  arrive there. To obtain a taskforce summary click on the taskforce
  you wish to obtain info on.

 G) Shipoverview

  This is similar to taskforceoverview , but instead of displaying
  the star each taskforce is heading at, the number of all
  free(first) and carried(second) ships of one shiptype of each known
  taskforce of one player is displayed. If you don't know what is
  inside a taskforce(i.e. it's not one of your taskforces) then only
  the visible ships are displayed  To obtain a taskforce summary
  click on the taskforce you wish to obtain info on.

 H) Planetsummary

  Planetsummary is displayed in the lower right hand window. In the
  headline star and planet are displayed. In the second line the
  population maximum for the planet, its current population and its
  industrial level are shown. The name of its displayed in the third
  line product. In the next line the cost of the product( the number
  of industrial points needed to build it, e.g. , to mine one point
  of ore has a cost of 15. A planet with an industry of 60 produces 4
  oreunits a year. A light cruiser costs 100,thus a planet with an
  industry of 40 needs 2.5 years to produce one.) is shown. The
  number of years needed to produce one unit as well as the estimated
  time at that the next unit will be available is displayed. To
  obtain further information on the ship click on its name.

 I) Shipsummary

  Shipsummaries are displayed in the lower right side window. In the
  headline the name of the shiptype is displayed. In the second line
  the size of the ship as well as its capacity is displayed. These
  stats are important for how many ships of a type another ship can
  carry inside its storage holds. The hyperspeed stat gives the
  maximum speed of any taskforce in that such a ship is and is not
  carried. The hyperrange gives the range of a taskforce in that such
  a ship is and is not carried. If either or both of these
  attributes is 0 then this shiptype has no hyperdrive and cann't
  move by itself from one star to another but must be carried by
  another ship.The attack stat gives the strength of the builtin
  weaponry of this shiptype. No of attack gives the number of attacks
  of this strength such a ship may make. Speed determines when such a
  ship makes its attack in a battle. The  lower it is the better.
  Shields gives the amount of protective devices of the ship. A
  shield will block an attack of the same strength 50 % of the  time.
  Techcost gives the cost in industrial points it costs to build one
  such ship. Techlevel gives the minimum techlevel a race has to have
  to be able to build such a ship. If both of these attributes are
  displayed in  inverse the ship is not available. Below these
  attributes several some special abilities of ships may be
  displayed:
    Starkill  = This ship is equiped with a special device which can
                make suns go supernovae. All planets and all
                taskforces present are destroyed. BEWARE !!! Very
                dangerous ! Only for absolute emergencies.
    One-Shot  = This is a unmanned ship which is destroyed in its
                first attack. For example: Torpedos.
    CataStart = Ships with this attribute can be ejected via
                catapults very quickly in a fight, if they are
                carried aboard ships with the catapult equipment.
                This allows attacking taskforces to have some carried
                ships attack immediately in the first year of battle.
    Not build = Ships of this type cannot be build using normal build
                commands. For example: Oreunits and Popunits.
    Catapult  = Ships with this ability can catapult ships with the
                CataStart attribute.

 J) Help

  The help screen is displayed if you at any time click in the upper
  right hand command window. It shows all commands and their one
  letter abrieviations.

 All displays are always immediately updated to represent any
 change.If in any display the sign oo(infinite)  appears this
 represents a figure which is out of bounds. It is certainly larger
 than the maximum integer to be displayed in the given number on
 characters (for Example if any figure greater than 99 is going to be
 displayed in a 2 character field it is displayed as oo.).

COMMANDS

 Commands are entered in the command window in the upper right hand
 corner. In contrast to display functions which are completly mouse
 driven all commands are entered at the keyboard. First enter the one
 letter code for each command ,then you are queried for all
 parameters of the command in this window. In most cases, in which you
 have several different options you can scroll through them with the
 <-key and the >-key. Press return to select. You can also enter an
 identifying letter for each option immediately. When queried for a
 number the maximum amount is displayed in brackets. Press 0-9 to
 select this small quantity to select other numbers use the <-key and
 the >-key. To select maximum press >-key and shift simultaneously.
 To select the minimum (usualy 0) press the <-key and shift
 simultaneously.

  g = Go on

    This command ends your turn and allows the next player to get his
    turn.

  h = Hyperspace

    This command allows you to send taskforces from one star to
    another. You are querried first for the task and then for the
    destination. This command will automaticaly carry ships with
    insufficient range. If this isn't possible you will get an error
    message. It also optimizes for speed.(Carries slower ships in
    faster if possible.)

  e = Emigrate

    If you rule a planet and the population is of your race, you can
    order some of your loyal subjects into large containers, where
    cold sleep is induced. Into each of these containers fit 1
    million creatures. These containers are then fired into space.
    They are called popunits. To colonialize a planet simply land
    (with the l command) popunits on planets and your subjects will
    awake and start to build another outpost for your empire. When
    the population on a planet has reached its maximum, surplus
    population is automaticaly sent into popunits.

  k = Kill

    This is not a very philantrophic( or philcreaturic) command but
    sometimes necessary. It allows you to kill the population of any
    planet you control if the population happens to be of another
    race (when you have conquered and enslaved the population). If
    you don't specify the planet(i.e.you hit return) and there is a
    ship with starkiller present, you eliminate this star and all
    taskforces there !
    Be careful !!

  j = Join taskforces

    With this command you can join up to 30 taskforces. End input
    with return. All taskforces have to be at the same star. If
    possible all taskforces are joined to one.

  l = Land taskforce

    With this command you can colonialize other planets or supply
    planets you already own. As many popunits as there are in the
    taskforce and fit on the planet land. This will increase the
    population by this amount. Then as many oreunits as there are in
    the taskforce land and increase the industry. (Providing that
    wouldn't raise the industry higher than the population).

  n = New taskforce

    This command allows you split an existing taskforce into two. You
    are queried for the number of ships of each type in the new
    taskforce. All ships in both taskforces are unloaded.

  d = Diplomatic declaration

    This commands sets your attitude towards the other players. You
    can declare WAR and this propably causes the other side to
    declare WAR on you as well as soon as it is its turn. If you
    have declared war and your taskforces meet they will fight. You
    can make a PEACE offer and hope that the other side will declare
    PEACE on you as well or you can offer an ALLIANCE. This  ALLIANCE
    will be fulfilled by your side only until the other side declares
    ALLIANCE as well.

  p = Possess planet

    If you defeat another player and conquer one of his stars you
    will propably wish to use this command. It allows you to take
    control of any planet, if all the enemy taskforces have fled or
    were defeated. The population of the planet will be enslaved. It
    will always inform your opponent of the current state on this
    star. You will also be unable to raise popunits from such a
    planet. Thus you may wish to kill(= k) this population. On the
    other hand, if you possess a planet of a culture with a higher
    techlevel your techlevel will increase as well.

  b = Build ship

    This useful command allows you to set the production on any
    planet you rule over. You have several options:

    Any kind of ship that your techlevel allows you to build.To get
    this option enter the letter of this ship or select it the <,>
    and RETURN keys.

    RESEARCHING. This allows you to increase your techlevel. Use a
    capital 'R' or select it with the <,> and RETURN keys.

    INVESTING. This option allows you to increase the industry on
    this planet ,but it is rather slow, thus use oreunits whenever
    possible. Use a capital 'I' or select it with the <,> and RETURN
    keys.

    MINING. This is only possible on a planet on that ore is found.
    These planets are displayed in inverse in the Starsummary. When
    using this option your planet outputs oreunits. Use a capital 'M'
    or select it with the <,> and RETURN keys.

  c=Carry ships

    This command allows you to specify the number and type of ships
    being  carried in a taskforce. As the ships are taken apart
    before carrying, large ships can be spread among many smaller
    ships. Also note that the empty space inside the storage holds of
    large ships is used. This means 4 glitter with a size of 20 and a
    capacity of 19 each, can be stored inside one single transporter with
    a capacity of 4. Carrying ships can have different reasons. Some
    ships don't have hyperdrives or only drives with insufficient
    range. This means that they have to be carried by longer range
    ships on far distances. Others are quite slow and fast taskforces
    can be speeded up by faster ships carrying the slower ones. Note
    also that ships stored inside other ships can't be destroyed in
    battle, even if their carriers are blown up. They will be unloaded
    and undamaged next year. This may be a way to protect valueable
    but easily destroyed ships like space cannons or Q-bombs
    inside larger ships with better armor.

HINTS

 The following hints may help you to play a better game against
 Klingon or another human player.

  1. When the cluster is generated you always get one populated
     mineable planet type 60 and one empty planet type 40. There will
     be another star within a range of 4 units. There won't be an
     enemy within 8 units,thus you needn't be to frightend at the
     beginning.
  2. Use cheap scouts to explore and on sentry duty to yet
     uncolonialized stars. Have sentries on all stars within 6 or 8
     units of your main industrialized stars. They won't stop an
     attacking enemy but you will get advance warning to prepare to
     defend. Having one of your main stars surprised by 3 light
     cruisers, conquered, and all population killed when you bring in
     your taskforces is NOT the way to win.
  3. How fast your population grows depends on the distance from the
     sun. Planet 3 is rather ideal. Planets farther in are
     progressivly to hot to have a large birth rate and planets
     farther out are becoming colder and colder. Build up your
     population in the middle planets. Planets  0 and 7 will never
     increase their population but always remain constant.
  4. Use glitter ! Glitter is very cheap and easily destroyed but has
     a large size and many shots will be drawn away from your more
     important ships. As its capacity is only one less than its size,
     it can be transported effectively at the cost of one.
     Use clearers ! These ships have a quite good speed ,thus they
     will fire early in a battle. They have many attacks but each of
     them is pretty weak. Their attacks can practicaly only penetrate
     ships without armor. They are the ideal counterweapon against
     glitter, as they clear it away ,before the other ships fire
     might be distracted.
  5. Never use invest, if you have got ore available.
  6. The most important ship to build, after having conquered all stars
     in the close neighboorhood, is the Trans II. It is available at a
     techlevel of 210 and allows you to expand across the gaps between
     the stars.
  7. Never stop building a ship that is almost finished. You will lose
     all efforts you put into it.

TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

 The game can be completly rebuilt by executing the makeall-file.
 The resulting executable might be slightly shorter as a secret
 debug mode has been removed from the source.
 To add more computer players feel free to modify the files "romulan.c"
 and "alien.c". To see how a simple computer player is written, examine
 the "klingon.c" file. If you write a clever or unusal computer player
 I'd be obliged, if you sent it to me for incorporation in future versions
 of "Cosmic Conquest".
 To add more ship types, modify the main.c file. If you invent good ones
 send them to me.

 The files:
     main.c      - startup code and definition of ship types
     defs.h      - definitions for the game
     con.c       - main part of the program for computation
                   of moves and fights
     human.c     - input/output routines for the human player
     klingon.c   - klingon player
     romulan.c   - romulan player (not completed)
     berserker.c - berserker player (not completed)
     alien.c     - alien player (not completed)
     cosmic.doc  - this text
     makeall     - batchfile

  Sorry, there are very few comments in the source. But the code is obvious,
  isn't it ?!?

DESIGN LIMITS

 Most of these limits can be changed by changing the defs.h file and
 recompiling the game.
   1. There can never be more than 250 free ships of one type and 250
      carried ships of one type in one taskforce. Additional ships
      are ignored.
   2. There can never be more than 26 taskforces.
   3. There are only 16 stars.
   4. All other data are short integers. This means values up to
      32000 should be ok.

THANKS AND APOLOGIES

 Thanks to Bob Shimbo for the original amiga port. Altough this
 source is completly independent, your program obviously
 inspired me very much.

 Thanks to Charlie Heath for writing the editor without that
 programing on the amiga would be a nightmare(...well,almost). BTW,
 ARP is the best thing that happend to the amiga since the invention
 of the coprocessor.

 Thanks to Manx for writing one of the most buggy professional
 compiler I've seen to date (except of course the earlier versions of
 Manx C). The assembler keeps crashing the machine without any reason
 and generating illegal address gurus in the executable. (And don't ask
 about the sdb !!!).

 Note to Chris Gray: Received your "Empire" yesterday and noted a few
 similarities. Any  resemblance is purely coincidental.(Good game
 anyway. But please add support for the second terminal (I've got one
 ,I have to use it) and pleeeeeease debug it thoroughly. It just
 keeps guruing.)

 If you have got ideas or code for enhancements of the program, send
 them to me on a disk. You will receive the newest version of Cosmic
 Conquest. Maybe your enhancements will already be incorporated in
 the version you receive. If you only wish to have the newest version
 send a disk to me as well, but please include the postage for the
 reply mail.

 Sorry you can't reach me via any network but that's a problem here
 in Germany. You can reach me via the german smail at this adress:

                   Carl Edman
                   Pasteurstrasse 7
                   D-8033 Martinsried
                   Federal Republic of Germany

                          Have fun,

                             Carl Edman