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STAR EMPIRE SYSOP MANUAL
Star Empire v. 2.10
Copyright (C) 1992 Antoine Le Huenen
As of Star Empire v. 2.00, Star Empire no longer requires registration. You
are free to use Star Empire for as long as you wish, and you are not required
to pay any fee to the author for thhe use of this software. Please do not
modify Star Empire in any way, including the original archive.
Special thanks to Mark Brister for beta testing Star Empire and for the use
of some of his ideas.
OVERVIEW
Star Empire is a DOOR that runs under a BBS program. It is one gigantic
game that is played with several people over the phone line with usage of
the modem. Imagine, one system that deals with only one objective, to be
ruler of the galaxy!
WARRANTY
This program is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind, either
expressed or implied, and is only guaranteed to occupy disk space. In no
event will the author be liable to you or anyone else for any damages,
including (but not limited to) any lost profits, lost savings or other
incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability
to use, this program.
COPYRIGHT
This program is provided at no cost to you. However, it is NOT public domain;
it is copyrighted by the author. You may distribute Star Empire freely, so
long as all the files in the distribution archive remain intact, without
any changes or modifications. The distribution archive is in ZIP format;
however, you may convert the archive to any format you choose, so long as
the above requirements are met.
REQUIREMENTS
To run, Star Empire requires at least 384k of memory, a BBS capable of
supporting a GAP or RBBS DOOR and a Hayes Compatible Modem. Before you
may use Star Empire you must run INSTALL.EXE. Refer to the installation
documentation (INSTALL.DOC) for more information.
* As Star Empire is very mathematical, use of a math co-processor greatly
enhances the speed of Star Empire.
DOOR INFORMATION
STAR EMPIRE DOOR only runs under a GAP or RBBS door. There are no parameters
required for the GAP door, it will automatically look for DOOR.SYS in the
current directory when executed.
If you want to execute it as an RBBS door, you must add the /RBBS parameter
when executing star empire. For example:
C:\BBS>SE /RBBS
This will invoke it in RBBS mode, and will seach its current directory for
the DORINFO1.DEF file.
SPECIAL NOTE: Star Empire ONLY accepts DORINFO1.DEF file as an RBBS door.
For a multi-node BBS, you must rename the DORINFO#.DEF to DORINFO1.DEF.
Star Empire will only accept 1 as the node number. Other than this,
however, the game will run on any node, just as long as the door file
reads 1 for this filename.
RUNNING LOCALLY
To run in local mode, just execute SE.EXE without parameters. It will
notify you of its inability to locate the door files, and prompt you whether
you wish to run the program in local modem.
USING LOCKED BAUD RATE
To use a locked baud rate, first you must specify it during the installation,
or you may later edit the locked baud rate using the galaxy editor within
Star Empire. However, you must use the parameter /LOCK for the game to
actually use the baud rate specified, otherwise it will use the baud rate
found in the DOOR file. For example:
C:\BBS>SE /LOCK
if you are using a locked baud rate with an RBBS door:
C:\BBS\SE /LOCK /RBBS
RESETTING STAR EMPIRE
In order to reset Star Empire, you must first delete all files with the
.DAT extension. Then, you must re-run INSTALL.EXE to complete the
reset.
STAR EMPIRE INFORMATION
Star Empire contains carrier detect code, so if a user hangs up on the BBS
you don't have to worry about Star Empire locking up. Also, Star Empire
constantly makes sure that a user presses a key within 5 minutes, otherwise
Star Empire will return the user to the BBS.
GAME RULES
Star Empire's rules are contained in the file USER.DOC. It is highly
recommended that you place this file in your File Section, so that users
may download it and understand how to use the game. Star Empire is very
complex, and without documentation is very difficult to understand.
SYSOP GAME FUNCTIONS
From within Star Empire, the SysOp has many functions available to him/her
in order to keep game balance. To be able to use the SysOp functions, you
must have an access level equal or greater to the security level stated
at Star Empire installation. You must also be aware of the SysOp password
stated at Star Empire installation.
SHELL
To use the Shell function you must be at the command prompt within Star
Empire and type the command "shell" then press <enter>.
This function allows the SysOp to make a DOS shell remotely. To be able
to access this command, you must have SysOp access, and you must type in
the correct SysOp password before accessing this command. When this
command is executed, it will run SHELL.BAT. The default listing for
the file is listed as follows:
@echo off
ctty com1
prompt $p$g
command
@echo off
c:
cd \bbs
ctty con
exit
Simply replace COM1 on the second line with the current COM port that you
are using. To disable this function, simply delete the file SHELL.BAT
EDIT
To use the edit function you must be at the command prompt within Star
Empire and type the command "edit" and press <enter>.
This function allows the SysOp to use Star Empire's build in editor. As
with the shell command, in order to have access to this function you must
have both SysOp access and you must type in the correct SysOp password
before accessing the command. When this command is executed, it will
display the following menu:
Sysop Editor
Q. Return to Game
1. Display User List
2. Display Planet List
3. Modify User
4. Modify User's Ship
5. Modify Space Portal
6. Modify Galaxy Settings
7. Create Planet
8. Modify Planet
Select Q and pressing <enter> at this prompt will return you to the game.
Any modifications that you have made will be automatically saved.
1) This command displays the current user roster. At the beginning of the
game it will only contain one user, the SysOp. Information that is
displayed is the user name, the user's rank, the user's score, and the
number of planets the user owns.
2) This command displays the planet names and planet owner(s) of any sector
in the entire galaxy. Simply type in the sector number and press <enter>.
If you type in an invalid sector it will display an error message.
3) This command allows you to modify a user. It will bring up a prompt that
is asking you to enter the alias of the user you wish to modify. Simply
find the user you want to modify using the "Display User List" function,
then type in the name here and press <enter>. It will then bring up the
a menu that is similar to the following:
Current Status for User Sentinel
Q. Return to Main Menu
A. Ships Owned: 2
B. Cash: 225000
C. Cash Invested: 100000
D. Status: Active
E. Last On 03 Days Ago
A) This function allows you to modify the number of ships the user
currently has. Normally you will not want to use this function
expect in exceptional circumstances.
B) This function allows you to change the amount of cash that a user
currently has. Simply type in the amount of cash that you want the
user to have and press <enter>.
C) This function allows you to change the amount of cash that a user
currently has saved in the bank at planet Earth. Simply type in
the amount of invested cash that you want the user to have and
press <enter>.
D) This function is used to delete a user. Normally users are deleted
if they do not play the game within X number of days, but sometimes
you may want to delete a player's account prematurely. After
selecting this function it will ask you whether you want to delete
the player's account. Simply type Y and press <enter>.
E) This function allows you to change the time the user has called. If
a person went on vacation and you know he/she will not call your
BBS and thus not play Star Empire in a while, you will not want the
game to automatically delete him/her. Thus you can modify the last
time they called. Simply type in the new number of days ago that
they called (usually 0) and press <enter>.
4) This command allows you to modify a user's ship. As with the user
editor, simply type in the name of the user that you want to modify
and press <enter>. It will then ask you if you want to see the user's
ship list. By typing Y it will display the user's ship list, and
ask you which one to modify. Simply type in the ship number of
your choice and press <enter>. This will bring up a menu similar to
the following:
Ship Modification
Q. Return to Main Menu
A. Ship Name: Time Bandit N. Maximum Cargo: 2000
B. Ship Type: 0 (Star Cruiser) O. Men: 100
C. Cloak Type: 10 (Off) P. Food: 10
D. Shield Type: 10 (Down) R. Flux Pods: 10
E. Phaser Type: 10 S. Decoys: 50
F. Maximum Energy: 100000 T. Torpedos: 100
G. Current Energy: 100000 U. Ion Cannons: 2
H. Acceleration: 75 V. Fighters: 10
I. Maximum Warp: 9 W. Genesis Devices: 0
J. Maximum Range: 9 X. Force Field Generators: 0
K. X Location: 48407 Y. Cloak Generators: 0
L. Y Location: 41147 Z. Status: Active
M. In Orbit around Planet: Earth
A) This function allows you to change the name of the ship. A ship
name can be any alphanumeric characters up to 20 characters in
length. Simply type in the new name and press <enter>.
B) This function allows you to change the ship type. There are currently
two possible ship types, 0 being a Star Cruiser and 1 being a Merchant
Cruiser.
C) This function allows you to change the ship's cloaking device. Typing
a 1 here or above means that the ship has a cloaking device, while
typing a 0 here means the ship does not have a cloaking device.
D) This function allows you to change the ship's shield type. There are
10 possible shield types, 0 being no shields, 1 through 9 being
varying degrees of shield protection and 10 being HyperShields.
E) As with shields, this function allows you to change the ship's current
phaser type. There are 10 possible phaser types, each one with
varying degrees of range and damage. Generally speaking, the higher
the phaser type, the better the phaser type, with 0 being no phasers.
Simply type a number between 0 and 10 and press <enter>.
F) This function sets the maximum energy that a ship can hold, after
loading a flux pod. Since all usages of a ship's devices require
energy, it generally desirable to have a higher rating. Simply type
in the maximum amount of energy and press <enter>.
G) This function is similar to the maximum energy function except that it
sets the ship's current energy. Please note that this value should
not exceed the ship's maximum energy limit. Simply type in the
current amount of energy and press <enter>.
H) This function sets the ship's acceleration. Acceleration is used to
determine how fast the ship can rotate and how quickly it can
accelerate and stop. Each 100 units allow the ship to turn 100
degrees per round and allows the ship to accelerate 1 warp factor
per round.
I) This function sets the ship's maximum speed. Simply type in the new
maximum warp factor and press <enter>.
J) This function sets the ship's maximum sensor range. A range of 5 is
for an average ship while a range of 9 or more is for a high class
Star Cruiser. Simply type in the new maximum sensor range and press
<enter>.
K) This sets the ship's X galactic co-ordinate. The maximum values here
is dependant on the galaxy's dimensions. For a 10x10 galaxy, the
maximum X value would be 100,000 (10x10x1000). Simply type in the
X co-ordinate and press <enter>.
L) This function is exactly the same as the previous function except that
it is used to set the ship's Y position rather than X position. Simply
type in the Y co-ordinate and press <enter>.
M) This function sets the planet that the ship is currently orbiting. If
you want the ship to orbit a new planet, simply type in the planet
name and press <enter>. The editor will then search the planet file
for a match, and if it finds one, it will modify the ship's X and Y
co-ordinates and put the ship in orbit of the planet specified. If
it cannot find the planet it will not modify the ship's position.
N) This function sets the ship's maximum cargo capacity. This number is
measured in tons. Items vary in cargo space, but generally speaking
the average Star Cruiser can hold 2000 tons while a Merchant Cruiser
can hold 50000 tons. Simply type in the new cargo capacity and press
<enter>.
O) This function sets the number are people that are currently located
aboard the ship. Be careful with this function not to set it too
high as this might exceed the ship's cargo capacity. The editor
will still allow the number but it will cause a negative cargo space
left to appear. Type in the number of men and press <enter>.
P) This function sets the number of food units that are currently aboard
the ship. Food units are used to feed people on planets. As with
men, don't set this value too high or it will oveflow the cargo space.
Type in the number of food units and press <enter>.
R) This function sets the number of energy flux pods located aboard the
ship. Flux pods are used to recharge the ship's dilithium crystals
so that the ship doesn't run out of energy. As with men, don't set
this value too high or it will overflow available cargo space. Type
in the number of flux pods and press <enter>.
S) This function sets the number of decoys that are located aboard the
ship. Decoys are used by users to avoid enemy photon torpedos. As
with men, don't set this value too high or it will overflow available
cargo space. Type in the number of decoys and press <enter>.
T) This function sets the number of torpedos that are located aboard the
ship. Torpedos are used by players as an alternate means of attacking
enemy ships without the hassle of locking the target. As with men,
don't set this value too high or it will overflow available cargo
space. Type in the number of torpedos and press <enter>.
U) This function sets the number of ion cannons that are located aboard
the ship. Ion cannons are used by players to defend planets against
other player's attacks. As with men, don't set this value too high
or it will overflow available cargo space. Type in the number of
ion cannons and press <enter>.
V) This function sets the number of fighters that are located aboard the
ship. Fighters are used by players to attack other user's planets.
As with men, don't set this value too high or it will overflow
available cargo space. Type in the number of fighters and press
<enter>.
W) This function sets the number of genesis devices that are located
aboard the ship. Genesis devices are used by players to create new
planets with a Very Good/Very Good rating. As with men, don't set
this value too high or it will overflow available cargo space. Type
in the number of genesis devices and press <enter>.
X) This function sets the number of force field generators that are
located aboard the ship. Force field generators create force fields
around planets to defend them against other user attacks. As with
men, don't set this value too high or it will overflow available
cargo space. Type in the number of force field generators and
press <enter>.
Y) This function is similar to setting force field generators except
that it is used to set cloaking devices. These cloaking devices are
used by players to cloak planets so that they are hidden by other
players. As withh men, don't set this value too high or it will
overflow available cargo space. Type in the number of cloak devices
and press <enter>.
Z) This function is used to delete the ship. By selecting this option
it will ask you if you want to delete the current planet. Simply
type in Y and press <enter> and the planet will be deleted.
5) This command allows you to modify an existing space portal in the galaxy.
To create a new space portal you must use the galaxy editor described
below. It will ask you for the space portal to modify, from 0 to 9.
Just type in the space portal number you wish to modify and press <enter>.
Pressing one of these numbers will bring up a menu similar to this:
Portal Editor
Q. Return to Main Menu
A. Portal Name: Alpha
B. X Location: 49689
C. Y Location: 43889
D. Linked to Portal Number: 1
E. Unstable: No
A) This function allows you to change the portal's name. The portal's
name may be up to 20 alphanumeric characters in length. Simply type
in the new portal name and press <enter>.
B) This function sets the portal's X position in the galaxy. This X
co-ordinate is on a galactic scale, just like with ship editor.
For a 10x10 dimension galaxy, the maximum X co-ordinate would be
100,000 (10x10x1000). Simply type in the new X co-ordinate and
press <enter>.
C) This function sets the portal's Y position in the galaxy, but otherwise
is identical to the X setting function. Simply type in the new Y
co-ordinate and press <enter>.
D) This function sets the portal that the current portal is linked to.
This is used when a player travels through the portal, he/she gets
transported to the location of the linked portal. This number
corresponds to the standard portal numbers.
E) This function sets whether the portal is unstable or not. An unstable
portal will change locations and the portal it is linked to randomly
every time the event is run, but otherwise is the same as a stable
portal. Simply type Y and press <enter> if you want the portal to
be unstable, or press N if you want it to be a stable portal.
6) This command allows you to modify the galaxy settings (ie. the current
settings for the game). When this command is selected it will bring
up a menu that is similar to the following:
Galaxy Editor
Q. Return to Main Menu
A. SysOp Alias: Sentinel
B. SysOp Password: guardian
C. Locked Baud Rate: 19200
D. Colour Monitor: Yes
E. Fulll SysOp Level: 255
F. Earth's Interest Rate: 5
G. Number of Space Portals: 5
H. Days until User is Deleted: 20
I. Number of Asteroids: 10
J. Number of Enemy ships: 10
K. Auto-Delete Door File: Yes
L. Allow User Chat Requests: No
M. Check for GAMEIN.USE File: Yes
A) This function allows you to change the name of the SysOp. Normally
you will never want to change this. Simply type in the new SysOp
name and press <enter>.
B) This function allows you to change the SysOp password. The SysOp
password may be up to 20 alphanumeric characters in length. Simply
type in the new SysOp password and press <enter>. This function will
be effective immediately, so if you try to enter the Editors again,
you will need to have remembered this new password.
C) This function lets you specifiy the locked baud rate. The locked
baud rate is used for high speed modems. Valid rates are: 0, 9600,
19200, 38400. Type 0 if you don't use a high speed modem, and type
in the locked baud rate that your BBS uses and press <enter>. Take
note that you must use the /LOCK command line parameter for the
locked baud rate to have effect.
D) This function sets the type of monitor that you have, whether colour
or monochrome. Simply type in Y if you have a colour monitor, or
N if you have a monochrome monitor, and press <enter>.
E) This function allows you to change the SysOp access level. You will
need to use this function if you have changed the SysOp security level
from your BBS. Simply type in the new SysOp security level and press
<enter>.
F) This function lets you change the interest rate that the bank of
planet earth gives for money contained in player's accounts there.
Valid ranges for interest rates are from 0 to 100 percent. Simply
type in a number between 0 and 100 and press <enter>.
G) This function allows you to change the number of space portals that
are located in the galaxy. You will use this function if you want
to add or subtract space portals. This number corresponds to the
number of space portals the portal editor will allow you to edit.
Simply type in a number between 0 and 9 and press <enter>.
H) This function lets you specify the number of days the game will wait
until a user is automatically deleted because he/she is not playing
the game. Valid numbers are between 1 and 365. Type in a number
between 1 and 365 and press <enter>.
I) This function allows you to change the number of asteroids that are
floating around the galaxy. Type in a number between 1 and 15 and
press <enter>.
J) This function allows you to change the number of enemy ships which
are patrolling the galaxy. Valid numbers are between 1 and 26. Type
in your selection and press <enter>.
K) This function allows you to specify whether the DOOR file should
automatically be deleted when the user has exited the game. Normally,
there is no reason to keep the door file in the Star Empire directory.
Type Y or N at this prompt and press <enter>.
L) This function allows you to specify whether the user should be allowed
to request Chat with the SysOp. If you want privacy, just press N
and press <enter>, if you want chat request, press Y.
M) This function allows you to specify whether Star Empire should search
for the GAMEIN.USE file. This file is automatically created when the
user logs on to Star Empire, and if it is present, when another user
on another node tries to use Star Empire it will give a message saying
that the game is already in use. This file is deleted when the user
exits Star Empire. Type Y or N at this prompt and press <enter>.
7) This function allows you to create a planet in any valid sector in the
galaxy as long as the sector has less than 3 planets already in the
sector. It will first prompt you for the sector location of the
planet. Type a valid sector location and press <enter>. It will
then ask you for the X location of the planet. The X co-ordinate
is in sector notation, so valid numbers are between 0 and 9999.
Type in a number between 0 and 9999 and press <enter>. It will then
ask you for the planet's Y location. This works in exactly the same
way as the X location does. Type in a number between 0 and 9999 and
press <enter>.
It will then ask you for the planet's environment, as a number between
0 and 4. Having a 0 environment is none, 1 is poor, 2 is marginal,
3 is good, and 4 is very good. Type in a number between 0 and 4 and
press <enter>. It will then ask you for the planet's resource level
as a number between 0 and 4. This works in exactly the same way as
the planet's environment level. Type in a number between 0 and 4 and
press <enter>.
The planet will then be created. To fine tune the planet, you may
use the planet editor described below.
8) This command allows you to modify any existing planet within the galaxy.
It will ask you for the sector number that the planet is located in. Just
type a valid sector within the range shown. It will then prompt you for
the planet number, being from 0 to 3. Typing in 0 will bring you back
to the previous menu, while typing in 1 to 3 (where a planet exists) will
bring up a menu that is similar to this:
Planet #1 in Sector 44
Q. Return to Main Menu
A. Name: Earth M. Genesis Devices: 0
B. X Location: 2194 N. Force Field Generators: 0
C. Y Location: 3685 O. Cloak Generators: 0
D. Owned by: Sentinel P. Flux Pods: 10000
E. Planet Type: M R. Decoys: 10000
F. Environment: 4 S. Torpedos: 10000
G. Resources: 4 T. Ion Cannons: 10000
H. Population: 10000000 U. Fighters: 200000
I. Food: 1000000 V. Planetary Bank: 10000000
J. Tax Rate: 10 W. Trade Password: none
K. Planet Cloak: No X. Status: Active
L. Force Field: Yes (100 Percent)
A) This function lets you rename the planet. Up to 20 alphanumeric
characters are acceptable as a planet name. Simply type in the
new planet name and press <enter>.
B) This function sets the planet's X location. Unlike the ship's X
co-ordinate, this X co-ordinate is relative to the sector. For
example, if you set X to be 5000, this would be half way through
the sector on the vertical scale. Simply type a number between
0 and 9999 and press <enter>.
C) This function sets the planet's Y location, but is otherwise exactly
the same as the X co-ordination system. Simply type in a number
between 0 and 9999 and press <enter>.
D) This function sets the planet so that it is owned by a specified
sector. Take note that planet lists are automatically updated for
the player. Type in the user to own the planet and press <enter>.
Take note that the editor will only let you type in a valid user as
the owner.
E) This function lets you set an override on the planet type, which
appears whenever a player scans the planet. Just type in a letter
between A and Z and press <enter>.
F) This function allows you to set the planet's environment level. The
planet's environment level affects production and welfare of people.
It uses a number between 0 and 4, 0 being none, 1 being poor, 2 being
marginal, 3 being good and 4 being very good. Simply type in a number
between 0 and 4 and press <enter>.
G) This function allows you to set the planet's resource level. The
planet's resources affect the planet's production. It uses the same
levels as planet environment, from 0 to 4. Simply type in a number
between 0 and 4 and press <enter>.
H) This function sets the planet's population level. Remember that the
more people you have on a planet, the more food they will require.
Type in the new planet population and press <enter>.
I) This function sets the planet's food quantity. Type in the new
planet's food level and press <enter>.
J) This function sets the planet's tax rate. The more a planet is taxed
the more money an owner will get, however, the less the planet will
be able to produce. Type in a number between 0 and 100 and press
<enter>.
K) This function allows you to set whether the planet is currently
cloaked or not. Take note that changing this only affects the
cloak until the EVENT is run. To keep the planet cloaked for
several days, you must change the planet's cloaking devices. Type
in Y to have the planet cloaked or N to have it visible and press
<enter>.
L) This function sets whether the planet has a force field protecting
it or not, and allows you to set the force field percentage. It will
first ask you whether you want the planet to have a force field. Type
Y to have one, type N to not have one. If you selected Y, you must
then type in the percentage of the force field as a number between
1 and 100. Simply type a number between 1 and 100 and press <enter>.
M) This function sets the number of genesis devices that are located on
the planet's surface. Simply type in the number of genesis devices
and press <enter>.
N) This function sets the number of force field generators that are
located on the planet's surface. Simply type in the number of force
field generators and press <enter>.
O) This function sets the number of cloak generators that are located
on the planet's surface. Simply type in the number of cloaking
devices and press <enter>.
P) This function sets the number of flux pods that are located on the
planet's surface. Simply type in the number of flux pods and press
<enter>.
R) This function sets the number of decoys that are located on the
planet's surface. Simply type in the number of decoys and press
<enter>.
S) This function sets the number of photon torpedos that are located on
the planet's surface. Simply type in the number of photon torpedos
and press <enter>.
T) This function sets the number of ion cannons that are located on the
planet's surface. Simply type in the number of ion cannons and press
<enter>.
U) This function sets the number of fighters that are located on the
planet's surface. Simply type in the number of fighters and press
<enter>.
V) This function sets the amount of cash that is located in the planet's
bank. Simply type in the new value of cash in the bank and press
<enter>.
W) This function sets the trade password for the planet. Trade passwords
are used if the player only wants certain other players that know the
password to be able to trade with the planet. If another player does
not know the trade password they will not be able to trade with the
planet. Type in the new password and press <enter>.
X) This function allows you to delete the planet. A prompt will come up
asking you if you want to delete the planet. Simply type Y and press
<enter> to delete the planet.