The Best of Select: Games 9/CD_1.iso/tips/outpost/disk.usa/readme.txt

Text File | 1995-07-11 | 22KB | 459 lines

OUTPOST: The Read Me File 1.5
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We'd like to thank you for purchasing this marvelous game.
You're a fine human being.

This document contains  performance improvement notes, technical
notes, and new features updates.

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THIS PATCH IS ONLY FOR THE *FLOPPY DISK* VERSION OF OUTPOST!

OUTPOST 1.5 PATCH INSTRUCTIONS
Copy all of the files contained in this self-extracting file to
the C:\SIERRA\OUTPOST directory.  Then run the file UPDATE.BAT.


OUTPOST 1.5 NEW FEATURES HELP
What follows are the new features in Outpost 1.5. This gives the
seasoned Outpost player instant reference to what's new in this version.


BEGINNER LEVEL:

This version of the game incorporates a new difficulty level setting
for OUTPOST players.  If you'd like to try it, select BEGINNER
when the game asks you which difficulty level you require.  On the
Beginner level, you have no mined resource restrictions, allowing
you to learn how to construct your colony, control morale, use
power, and manipulate your population without limitations on new
construction.  Your colonists will still die due to accidents and
old age, and they will still require food to eat and air to breathe,
but they won't be dying due to a lack of mined resources.

TRANSIT INFORMATION√MANUAL TRUCKING
This is where you assign your Trucks to delivery routes starting from
a specific tile (building). The starting point for the Truck route is
the tile name listed at the top of the window. Truck route information
is given in the large box on the left, marked Route.  The three buttons
on the right are Delete Route, Delete Leg, and Add Leg.

If you highlight a route in the Route box, then click on Delete Route,
the entire route will be removed and your Trucks will no longer make
deliveries to that destination. Delete Leg allows you to remove only
the last destination in the route. Add Leg allows you to create a new
destination at the end of the current route. When you select Add Leg,
your cursor will change to one that says: "Go Here."  Click the Go Here
cursor on the building or road tile you want to use as your trucking
destination. The name of the selected tile is added to the Route list.
Keep doing this until you have selected the final destination for the
Truck route. All Trucks assigned to this starting location will follow
this one established route. There is no need to list routing legs twice
for multiple Trucks.

The Trucks will follow a specific path that you establish, then keep
using that path for round trip deliveries until you reassign them elsewhere
or remove that route. If you want your Trucks to move faster by following
an existing dirt or paved road, you must click the Go Here cursor on the
last tile of each straight section where the road curves. Otherwise, they
will start taking shortcuts over rougher terrain, which will slow them down.
Note that the Go Here cursor can only create a path to buildings or to
terrain tiles that have been bulldozed or paved, so you can't Add a Leg to
a regular terrain tile.

Either before or after you establish a route using the above method, you
should select the Trucks button at the bottom of the routing window to
assign Trucks to that route. Remember, all Trucks assigned to the starting
location will follow the established route from that location.

If you're satisfied with your route and Truck selections, click on
the OK button.

ASSIGN TRUCKS
This is where you make use of your inactive or stored Trucks starting from
a specific tile (building). The starting point for the truck route is the
tile name listed at the top of the window. The number of inactive Trucks
in the warehouse is shown as the number Available. The number of active
Trucks currently assigned to delivery routes is shown as the number
Assigned. Click on the up and down arrows beside the Assigned category to
put more Trucks in action, then click on the OK button.

TRANSFER LOCAL ASSETS
This is where you choose an asset stored at this location and move it
somewhere else in the same colony. The tile location where the goods are
stored is shown at the top of the window. Choose an asset to transfer on
the left by using the up and down arrows and highlighting the name of
the item. The number of those items available to be moved is shown on the
right in the Quantities section. Choose the number of items you wish to
Move, using the up and down arrows on the right, then click on OK. If you
change your mind, select Cancel.

ROBOT COMMAND
This is where you keep track of the robots controlled by a specific Robot
Command facility (each of which can control 10 robots). Other information
contained in this report shows you how the Robot Command itself is doing.
The top of the report tells you the name of the Robot Command facility.
You are also shown the Functional Status of the building, whether
Operational or Idle; the condition of the staff required to operate the
Robot Command; the number of robots currently available and controlled by
that facility; and the number of robots controlled by that facility which
are actively assigned to tasks. For more specific information on what the
robots are doing and where they are, click on the Details button.

ROBOT DETAILS
This is where you get information on what the robots are doing and where
they are. The Robot Command facility that controls this particular set of
robots (up to 10) is shown at the top of the report. You are also shown
the details on each robot: the type of robot, the remaining amount of life
in its Fuel Cell, and where that robot is currently active (unless it's
idle and waiting to be assigned to a task).

MONORAIL
Appropriate research must be completed before the Monorail System becomes
available, at which time the Monorail tiles will show up in the Tile Picker
(selection) window at the top center of the main game screen. A Monorail
System has five basic components: the Monorail Station, the Monorail Power
Transformer, the Monorail (track), the Monorail (track) Intersection, and
the standard Tube connecting the Power Transformer to a colony.

The Monorail Power Transformer can be built only at the end of a Tube
connection. The colony supplies life support, power, and the workers to
operate each Monorail section.

Monorail (track) tiles connect to Monorail Stations. Monorail Stations
can be placed only next to a Monorail Power Transformer or a Monorail
(track) tile only. No tube is required to connect a Power Transformer
or Monorail (track) to a Monorail Station. The only tube required for
a Monorail System is the one that connects the Power Transformer to
the colony.

A Monorail (track) or a Monorail (track) Intersection can be placed
next to a Monorail Station or another Monorail (track) only.

When a complete Monorail System has been established between two
stations, and the power/resource connections have been made, the
Monorail line will become active.

Note that if two separate Monorail lines become connected, a single
train, instead of two, will make the complete circuit. For routing
purposes, when trucking is manual, the two Monorail Stations are
treated as legs of a truck route.

MACROMANAGEMENT
The Macromanagement interface allows you to do two things: sneak
buildings into the rebel colony if you have an active trade agreement
with them, and assign artificially intelligent computer managers
to the administration of your secondary colonies.

Assigning an AI to research in a laboratory is done through the
research menu. This menu can be reached by clicking on a laboratory
building, or through the Master Reports button in the main AI
interface (reached by clicking on the chrome ball icon in the lower
left corner of the main game screen).

BUILD IN REBEL COLONY
If you have an active trade agreement with the rebel colony, and a
Trade Mission has been built for you there, you can sneak more
buildings