ShareWare OnLine 2/ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso/games2/wrpspace.zip/WARPDOCS.TXT

Text File | 1993-03-04 | 18KB | 473 lines

warpdocs.txt - instructions for "WARPSPACE"

Documentation Update - Peter R. Van Horn - Nov 28, 1992

INTRODUCTION

WARPSPACE is a two-player space ship battle game.

WARPSPACE is played on two computers, using modems. It happens in real
time, and has an arcade-game feel to it. The game uses high-resolution
EGA graphics.

The file WARPSPAC.EXE is a self-extracting file that will generate
all the files required to play the game.

Create a WARPSPAC directory on your hard disk and copy
WARPSPAC.EXE to it. Then, execute WARPSPAC.EXE and it will create
the game files.

As we said, WARPSPACE is about space ships.
Actually, there are eight different ships to choose from. When you
start, you must decide what you will be.

Your ship has phasers, photon torpedoes, shields, and warp-drive. You
can customize your ship by selecting how fast it will fly and how
hard your weapons fire. Fast ships use up more fuel, but they can
manuever better.

Torpedoes come in various sizes. You can have one monster torp, or
twenty small torps, or anything in between.

Phasers have a "recharge time" which you select. If you choose 1 each
shot is fairly wimpy. On the other hand, if you choose a recharge
time of 30 it will be a monster phaser blast!

Your ship has short, medium, and long range scanners. Use the short
range when you really get into the fight.  Your ship has a status display
showing shield strength, speed,  heading, engine temperature, fuel,
and damage. If you get 1000 points of damage, you are dead. If you
overheat, run out of fuel, or get lots of damage, try to limp away
and rest for a minute or so. Your repair crews will soon have
you repaired and refueled (if you have some shields).

Since this is a space game, there are stars and planets. You can
orbit a planet to refuel or just hang out. When you leave orbit,
you get a "slingshot" effect that may send you off at high speed.

You can do a "jump" between solar systems by flying through a star
and hitting "j". Different solar systems belong to different races
in the galaxy.

If you stay near a planet for a while, you will soon notice that it's
moving. Planets orbit stars, and the stars themselves also orbit
through space. Planets come in "Class-M" (life-supporting) and "Class-D"
(dead) types. (The terminology is from Star Trek.)

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY IT

To play this game, you need two IBM-PC compatible computers with
modems. The modems should be Hayes-compatible, 1200 or 2400 baud.
The game requires EGA graphics. A 286 machine is recommended.

The game consists of two programs, E1USER.EXE and E1HOST.EXE.
These files are generated when you run WARPSPAC.EXE. One machine
must run the host, and the other must run the user. Basically, the
user phones the host, and the host answers and starts the game.

One gotcha - call waiting may kill the link. So if the game crashes,
blame it on that salesman who phoned you while you were playing.

HOW TO PLAY

1. Setup

    Give your opponent a copy of the game disk.
Create a WARPSPAC directory on your hard disk. Copy WARPSPAC.EXE
to this directory and execute it to create the game programs.
Your opponent should also do this.

When you execute WARPSPAC.EXE, it will create two programs -
E1USER.EXE and E1HOST.EXE.

To practice the game, just run E1USER. To play your opponent, instruct
him to run either E1HOST or E1USER. You must then run the other program.

    When you run the program, a copyright message will appear.
Hit any key to proceed.
You will be asked to enter a number (1 - 8) to select the kind of ship you
want to be (Terran, Deltan, etc.). Type the number and hit return.

    Next, you will be asked to enter the max speed of your ship (1-10).
Enter the number and hit return. Note that a ship is very hard to steer at
its maximum warp speed. So if you enter 1, your ship will be extremely slow
and clumsy. However, it will be able to carry lots of armies to help you
conquer enemy planets. If you select a high max speed, like 10, your ship
will be fast and manuverable, like a fighter. But it won't be able to carry
many armies. In fact, 10 is the maximum speed, and if you select Warp 10,
you are a fighter ship and can't carry any armies. On the other hand,
if you select Warp 1, just consider yourself a space station - lots
of room to carry those troops, but it takes forever to go anywhere.

    After this, you will be asked to enter the number of torpedo tubes
you have (1 - 20). When you've fired all your tubes, you have to detonate
some of those torps before you can fire again. Torps auto-detonate near an
enemy ship, or after 30 seconds. If you have a small number of torpedo tubes,
each torp will be fairly powerful. If you have a lot of tubes, each torp will
be small.

    Next, you must select your phaser recharge time (1 - 30 ). A short
time (1) means you can shoot pretty often. However, each shot is rather
wimpy. For harder-hitting phasers, choose a longer recharge time.

    Next, you will be asked if you want to use your joystick. Hit y for
yes, or n for no. (If you do not have a joystick, answer no!)

    At this point, the game will come up. You'll see your ship in the
center of the screen. The game begins on the long-range screen, so you will
have a view of the whole galaxy. You are now in the practice mode. Read up
on the keyboard commands and practice flying around a little. You'll need
to turn off num lock to use the keypad.

    Turn off NUM LOCK! The numeric keypad keys are used to control
your ship. However, NUM LOCK must be off.

    At this point, you are ready to practice the game.

THE KEYBOARD COMMANDS

    Seat yourself comfortably in front of your computer. TURN NUM LOCK
OFF!
Also, turn CAPS LOCK & SCROLL LOCK off. Note - the keys are CASE-SENSITIVE.
Capital letters do something different than small letters. Use small
letters unless the instructions specify capital letters.

Numeric Keypad Keys

    4 = Turn left (proportional to speed)
    6 = Turn right (proportional to speed)
    8 = Increase speed by one warp factor - up to your maximum.
    2 = Decrease speed by one warp factor.
    + = Increase shield power 10 points - up to 100 points max.
    - = Decrease shield power by 10 points.
    * = Fire one torpedo in specified weapons direction.

Arrow Keys
       Up - Increase Speed
       Down - Decrease Speed
       Left - Turn left (proportional to speed)
       Right - Turn right (proportional to speed)

Joystick Controls

    Forward  = Increase Speed
    Back     =  Decrease Speed
    Left      = Turn Left (proportional to speed)
    Right     = Turn Right (proportional to speed)
    Button 1  = Fire Phaser in forward direction
    Button 2  = Fire Torpedo in forward direction

Weapon Keys

     Space Bar = Fire phaser in forward direction
     Enter or Return Key = Fire torpedo in forward direction
     Capital D = Detonate oldest torp. Note - Torps will auto-detonate
         if they hit an enemy ship, or after 30 seconds.

    The function keys f1-f8 and shifted function keys F1-F8 shoot
weapons in pre-determined directions:


                   f4    f5
  function keys            f3            f6
               f2                    f7
            f1                          f8
           ------------------SHIP -----------------
            F1                          F8
 SHIFTED KEYS          F2                    F7
              F3             F6
                  F4      F5

These will shoot a volley (one phaser plus two torps) in the indicated
direction.


Advanced Weapon Commands

    sxxx <return/enter> - where xxx is direction 0 - 360 degrees.
    Aims all weapons in specified direction. Example: s180 return
    will cause all torp & phaser shots to be fired at 180
    degrees.

Aiming with Letter Keys

    Use the lowercase keys q,w,e,a,d,z,x,c to aim your weapons.
    Hit the key and return. Then, fire weapons. The following
    diagram indicates the directions specified by these keys.

               q       w       e
            \     |    /
               \  | /
              a------   -------d
                / | \
              /   |   \
              z       x        c

    If you hit 2 adjacent keys, the computer will aim your weapons
    halfway in between. For example, de return or ed return will aim
    the weapons halfway between d and e.

Firing Torps

    After aiming, hit * on the keypad to shoot a torp. You must be on
    the "short-range" screen to actually see the torp. If no torps shoot,
    you are either low on fuel or you need to detonate some of your
    previous torps.

Detonating Torps

    Hit capital D to detonate a torp. Torps will auto-detonate
    if they get close enough to the enemy ship. They also detonate after
    30 seconds.

Firing Phasers

    Hit lowercase p to fire the phasers. If phasers do not fire, you
    are either low on fuel or the phasers haven't recharged yet.

Using Shields

    The + (plus) key on the numeric keypad will increase shields by 10
    points up to the max of 1000 points.

    The - (minus) key on the keypad will decrease shields by 10 points,
    down to zero.

Using Scanners

    There are three scanners - Short, Medium, and Long. The game starts
    on long range scanners.

    The following keys control the scanners. These are on the keyboard,
     not the numeric keypad.

     , (comma)     = short range scanners
     . (Period)      = medium range scanners
     / (slash)       = long range scanners

The Info Cursor

     Hit i and the Info Cursor will appear. It looks like a crosshair.
Move it on the screen by using the arrow keys on the keypad, or the
joystick. As the crosshair passes over a ship or planet, information
about that object will be displayed.

Hit a to aim your weapons to that position.
Hit enter to turn off the cursor and resume normal keyboard function.
(If you aimed weapons with the cursor, you must hit enter, then use *
for torps or p for phasers).

Interstellar Jumps

    To jump between star systems, you must fly through the center of a
star and hit j right as you pass through the center of the star.
Your warp speed will determine how far you jump. You will get some heat,
and burn up some fuel doing the jump.

    Look at long-range scanners to see which direction you need to fly
to reach your destination. Then, use short-range scanners to position
yourself and fly through the nearest star and make the jump.


Cloaking

    The Cloaking Device makes your ship invisible to your opponent.
However, it will overheat your engines and use a lot of fuel.
Type capital C to turn on the cloaking device. You will see a "cloaking
field" circling your ship. Type capital C again to turn it off.

Orbiting Planets

    To orbit a planet, fly close to it, at slow speed. (Use
short-range scan). Hit o to orbit. Hit o again to leave orbit.
While you are in orbit, your ship will cool down and refuel
faster than it will in space. Once you've re-fueled and cooled
down, raise your shields and your ship will be repaired if it has
damage. (Space regulations prohibit repair workers from going
outside a ship unless the shields are up to protect the workers
from cosmic radiation).

Bombing Planets

    To bomb a planet, fly close to it (use short-range scan). Fire a
torp or phaser at the center of the planet. You will need to detonate the
torp with capital D. Use the info cursor to see how many armies are on the
planet before and after you fire.
    Bombing is most effective if you set your weapons to be powerful.
Note - Once you damage a planet's armies, all of the planets in that star
system will be at war with you. They will shoot torps and phasers at your
ship any time you come within range. The cloaking device will help you
avoid attacks from hostile planets.

Beaming Armies

    To beam armies aboard your ship, go into orbit (o) around one
of your planets and hit lowercase b to beam up one army. Keep hitting
b and you will see the number of armies increase on your status display.
The maximum warp speed of your ship determines how many armies you
can carry. A warp 10 ship can't carry any, but if you select a slower
speed you can carry more armies.

Hint - use the info cursor to scan a planet to see how many armies it
has and what kind they are. You are only allowed to beam up your
own armies. For example, if you are a Terran, you cannot beam up
Deltan armies.

       To beam armies down, orbit the planet and hit capital B to
beam down each army. You can beam your armies down to enemy
planets to attack them. Or, beam armies to your own planets to
reinforce your planetary defenses.

Messaging

    You can send a one-line text message to your opponent.
Hit capital M and then type the text. It will appear at the bottom
of the screen. Hit enter to send the message.

       If your opponent sends you a message, it will appear on the
bottom of your screen. Note - if you have the info cursor turned on,
and a message comes in, the text will look garbled. Turn off the info
cursor to see the message.


The Help Screen

    Hit h to display the help screen, which tells you what keys do what.
Note - While you are looking at the help screen, the game is still going.
Your ship is still moving and your opponent is still shooting at you!
Many brave warriors have lost their ships while staring at the help
screen during a battle. Turn off the help screen by hitting enter.

THE SHIP STATUS DISPLAY

    On the bottom of the screen is a status display, which looks
something like this:

S:1000 V:10.0 H:360 F:1000 T:1000 D:1000 A: 0 W/L: 1/1

This is your ships Status display.

S is your shield level - 0 to 1000 points.

V is your velocity, from 0 to Warp 10.0

H is your heading, from 0 to 360 degrees.

F is your fuel. 1000 is full tanks, 0 is empty.
  When your fuel is low, you will not be able to move, shoot,
  raise shields, or cloak.

T is your temperature. 0 is cold. 1000 is overheated.
  When you are overheated, you will not be able to move, shoot,
  raise shields, or cloak.

D is your damage. 0 is no damage. 1000 points means you have been
  destroyed.

A is the number of armies you are carrying.

W/L is your win-loss ratio. As you play, you will win some dogfights
   and lose some. When you destroy your opponent, his ship will
   disappear. When he destroys you, you will see a "You Are Dead"
   screen. Either way, the losing party will beam back into the game
   after a second or two - looking for revenge.


THE 2-PLAYER MODEM HOOKUP

One player must run E1HOST, and the other must run E1USER.

Note - if you and your opponent choose different ships,
you will start off in different solar systems. If you choose the same type of
ship, you will start in the same solar system - and you might both appear in
the same spot! Terran ships always start in the Sol star system, for example,
while Deltan ships always start in the Sirius star system.


Run the game, and answer the questions. When your ship appears,
press control D. The screen will clear and the message WHICH PORT?
will appear. Enter 1 or 2. Return. (Sorry, guys, we can't support any other
com ports at this time.) Next, the message WHICH BAUD RATE? will appear.
Type in either 1200 or 2400 and hit return. Note - both players must
use the same baud rate!

    At this point, the HOST program will be waiting for a phone call.
The HOST will print a line of *'s on the screen as it waits.

    The USER program will ask for a phone number to dial. Enter the HOST's
number and hit return. Note - the HOST should be ready and waiting when
the user dials in.

    When the connection is made, the HOST operator will see the
message "Downloading the Universe - this takes about a minute." (or something
like that /*MJE*/.  The USER  does not see a message, but he waits patiently for
a minute. Then the game will come up and each player will see his ship.

(Note - If you are new to this game, you should practice your manuvers first.
Do not hit Control-D if you just want to practice.)



HOW TO QUIT
 ESCAPE ESCAPE (2 times)

 Note - If you are playing with the modem, you may need to power-off your
computer or modem to make it turn loose of your phone line.


REGISTRATION

    WarpSpace is copyrighted by the authors and is distributed
as shareware. To register your copy of Warpspace, print out the file
ORDER.TXT and mail it, along with your registration fee, to

                  WARPSPACE
              c/o Mike Erskine
            4301 John Cunningham
              El Paso, TX 79934

(Registration fees should be check or money orders, no cash or credit
cards please. The amount is specified on the title screen of the software,
and on the ORDER.TXT form. U.S. dollars only. Texas residents should
include Texas sales tax.)


COMMENTS & QUESTIONS

    If you have comments or questions about WarpSpace, you may
write to Mike Erskine at the above address.

Or, you may send E-MAIL to me (Peter Van Horn) on Compuserve.
My User ID is 73530,3536. However - be warned! Compuserve is a long
distance number for me, so I do not access the service very often.
In fact, I may go 2 or 3 months without dialing in.

But you can also send mail to PETER VANHORN on the Kev's Korner BBS
in Greenville, TX. (903)- 883-4753.

I cannot process registrations, but I may be able to answer
your questions or forward them to Mike.

Thanks, and happy blasting.


Peter


P.S. - hey Mike - sorry I took so long to update the
documentation!


BUGS AND ERRORS
 (Your guess is as good as mine,  I fix 'em when I find 'em. /* MJE */)

Oh, yeah - If the game is not responding to your keystrokes, hit return.
Sometimes, in the heat of battle, you may hit the wrong key and accidentally
go into the message mode or turn on the info cursor or something. So if
it's not working, hit return to clear the command line and your ship
should respond normally.        (PRV)

Oh, and one other thing. If your modem has protocols (error correction or
data compression) then turn them off and run as straight Hayes-compatible
modem.                          (PRV)