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Text File | 1989-03-05 | 16KB | 328 lines

Introduction ============= This online help is the entire manual for Trek...Revisited, and I figured putting it online would assure that no one would possibly misplace it. This help file will tell you all the features, rules, hints, and other neat things about the software, so lets begin! Authors Notice =============== This program was designed and written by Richard Harvey. It is not a free program! A small fee is asked if you wish to keep it. I'm not setting any tough standards for the shareware charge, but $10 wouldn't hurt anyone. It also will guarantee you free copies of future versions if I get enough feedback of new features to add. The address is: Richard Harvey 2212 Ft. Worth Drive, #105 Denton, Texas 76205 I appreciate everyones contributions, as I have contributed my time to write the software for you to enjoy. A Little Background ==================== If you've been in the computing community for a few years, you have probably run into the infamous Star Trek before. It has been a popular program for a very long time; my first encounter was the Apple ][ version of the program in 1981. I have kept alot of the ideas from the original version, but have tried to take advantage of the Mac interface and add a few features to the software at the same time. If you are a die-hard fan of the game, then you shouldn't have any problems adjusting to the game, but be forewarned - some options have been taken OUT of the orig- inal, as I saw some unrealistic features in the original. There are all talked about below, so keep reading! Changes from the classic ========================= Here are a list of functions that have been changed from the orig- inal program: Controls - All controls and commands issued are by dials, meters, and buttons, instead of trying to remember keyboard commands. That is not to say you cannot play by keyboard (for those who like to lean back with the headphones on!) There are key equivalents for almost every feature in the program. Graphics & Sound - If you remember, the original was a text based game; I have tried (in my best artist attempt) to add a little spice by using an all visual approach. I have also tried to gather some digitized sounds for a more stunning game. Sensors - the original game allowed you to view the entire galaxy to see where enemies and bases were located. I'm not going to be that nice, because it takes a little adventure out of the game. I do offer short range sensors, and that will show you the surrounding sectors from your ship (showing all stars, planets, moons, bases, and of course - enemies!) Warp Travel - the original would stop your ship if you ran into any object while in warp travel. This program will not, because the ship's computer will determine a path for you to take to reach your destination, and will simply deduct extra energy and dilithium drain if it has to go out of the way to avoid hitting something. Impulse travel WON'T offer you this convenience. Galaxy - if you were wondering "How large is the galaxy, anyway?" Well, its a 15 x 15 grid of sectors (225 sectors), with each sector being a 9 x 9 grid. Roughly, that gives you 18,225 unique locations in the game. The galaxy grid is numbered 0 through 14, and each sector is numbered A-I on the y-axis and 0-8 on the x-axis. When you enter a sector, its location will be given in the title bar of the window. Repairs - your ship will be repaired by docking at a starbase, but this will NOT regenerate dilithium crystal loss. You can only regain dilithium crystals by transporting to a planet in the galaxy to collect new crystals. Abandon/Destruct - you can abandon ship or set ships self destruct at any given time during play. You should abandon ship only if you are at certain death and you cannot possibly survive. You will be given a lower score for NOT abandoning ship and having your crew killed! Self-destruct is really only a quick way of killing yourself and ending the game. Preferences - as a user, you are allowed to set alot of neat details on the response of the game. Under the Edit menu there is a preferences option that lets you set the following: Control - this will set the delay for controls. i.e. if you are setting a control and holding the mouse button, it will either adjust faster or slower (just in case the controls are too touchy, you can slow their response down by raising the delay time.) Action - you can set the speed that movement is done on the screen. For a fast paced game, set the delay lower. For a slower game you can actually see things move, set the delay a little higher. Sound - no game would be complete without letting you set the sound level. Accuracy - the dials that are used in the game (usually to set a course of 0° to 359°) can move in increments of 5° to 15°. If you need more accuracy, set this dial to its lowest setting. Then adjust up as you see necessary (remember, you can set a dial faster if the accuracy is lower.) Message - this is the delay that is used after a message is shown in the message center. If things are going by a little too quick to read, adjust this meter. How to play ============ If you've never played before, the object of the game is to travel throughout the galaxy and destroy all enemies. They call this "securing sectors." Once you have secured all sectors, you win! Sounds easy, huh? Sure... What your ship can do ====================== Your ship offers six functions that you command. They are - NAV - Navigation of the ship WEAP - Onboard weapons systems COMP - Onboard computer system SHIP - Your direct orders to crew STAT - Statitics of how things are going PASS - Allows you to pass your turn in play Overview & Play ================ When you begin the game, the galaxy will be initialized and filled with random stars, planets, bases, enemies, etc. Your ship will then be placed in a random sector to begin play. At the top right corner you will find your controls. They are push buttons you hit with your mouse to control play. Each button has a small picture that depicts what it is. When you press on a button, the area just below the buttons will fill with controls that affect that command. i.e. - if you press the NAV button, then navigation controls will appear. Only one command button can be active at any given time. When you are done with a command, just choose a button for the next command you wish to use. There is a message center in the lower right corner of the screen. This will keep you informed on what is happening, what you've destroyed, what you've found, who won last weeks football game, etc. Oops, forget that last one, I took that feature out. Navigation =========== To navigate (fly) your ship, press the NAV button. You will then be given a dial to set your course, and meters to set the impulse or warp power to travel at. Impulse power will move you one grid place at a time, whereas warp power will move you a sector at a time. Remember, however, that warp severly drains the ships onboard power, so don't go wizzing all over the place without letting the power regain after a warp travel. To set the dial to the course you want, click in the course dial to activate the control (the blinking bar above the control shows that it is active), then use the +/- arrows to adjust to the direction you wish to fly. 0° is straight up (north), 180° is straight down (south). You can adjust the accuracy of this dial by using the preferences option. Next, set the power you wish to fly. For either impulse or warp, click in the impulse or warp meter to activate the control, then use the +/- arrows to adjust the power. When you have set the power to what you wish, press the Accept Course button, and your on your way! NOTE: For warp travel, the warp meter MUST be active when you press the Accept Course button. If either the course dial or impulse meter is active, then impulse flight is assumed. Don't lose your chance out of a bad situation by not choosing warp!! Weapons ======== You have two types of weapons available to fight with - lasers and photon torpedos. Lasers - to fire your lasers on an enemy, click in the laser power meter and set the power to how strong a blast to fire. With the mouse, click on the sector grid which square you wish to blast (pick a square with an enemy!!) Then press the Fire Laser button to blast away. Photons - to fire a photon torpedo, set the photon course dial to the direction you wish to fire (it's a little tricky lining up a shot, but that adds a little skill to the game.) Hit the Fire Photon buttons to fire away!! You will hear a explosion if you hit the opponent (although it may take many shots to destroy an enemy.) If the photon course selector is not letting you be accurate enough in your aim, try setting the accuracy level under the preferences option (keep reading below...) Computer ========= The onboard computer of your ship lets you maintain your ship plus retrieve information about sectors. The functions available are shields, short range sensors, and computer controlled navigation. The course selector dial displayed with this command lets you set the ships course for the computer to track, and the ship will be moved by one impulse power in that direction at the beginning of each turn. This is best used in combat. As an example, when you enter a sector with enemies, set the ships course and press the Set Course button, then right before enemies fire photon torpedos your ship will take its controlled move and the enemy will end up firing at the location you were just at, not where you are now. This lets you evade enemy shots. Remember that you will only evade the first shot fired; the remaining enemies systems will lock on to your new location by the time their ships fire (this is a change from the original Star Trek, where all ships would miss.) NOTE: Once you choose the NAV control, you turn off any computer aided course control automatically. This is how you can turn off a set course also. Shields are also set by computer. The checkboxes mark which shields are active: front,right,back, and left. Simply check on the boxes for the shields you want up. Remember, raising your front shields, then getting hit on the back side does you no good whatsoever, so keep in mind where the enemy will possibly be hitting you by. Also remember that when your ship changes direction, it will face differently, and the front side of your ship may be facing to the left or right!! Shields will slowly drain the shield energy by your ship, so only keep them on when necessary. The more shields up, the more energy drained. Shields (of course) prevent damage to your ship. Here is how damage is computed when shields are in use: Photon attack - if photon hits side of ship with shield up, then ship takes NO damage and shields lose small amount of energy; otherwise full damage is taken. Laser attack - you cannot defend your ship from laser attack simply by dodging shots. Lasers are 100% effective if there are operational. However, their damage can be lessened. For every shield you have raised, damage will be decreased by 25%. So if two shields are up, then you only take 50% damage. If all four are up, you take no damage. Remember that shields drain energy, so only keep them up in or when entering combat. Finally, the sensors on your ship will map out the surrounding eight sectors in your area. This will help you determine where enemies, bases, and stars are located before your next move. Simply press the Sectors button to get a peek at the surrounding areas, then click the mouse or press any key to return you to the action! Ship Status ============ The status button lets you check to see if your ship is in ship shape! When you press the STAT button, you will see meters showing you damage, which systems are operational, then Main, Shield, Laser, and Dilithium energy. Each meter is labeled by the first letter, i.e. M shows Main energy. The middle text section shows you how things are going operationally. It will list the number of photons you have left, then the status of your engines, computer, lasers, transporter, and the ship alert status. If the items are labeled OK, then all is well. If you see the '•' symbol by any item, this shows damage. The more '•'s you see, the more damage for that item and the longer it will take to repair. Repairs to your ship are done automatically over time, but you can have all items repaired on your ship instantly by docking at a star base. Ship Commands =============== The ship button lets you issue commands for ship operations. The commands are Dock at Base, Transport, Abandon Ship, Self Destruct. Dock at Base - use this to dock at a base for ship repairs. You must be directly by a base to dock, not just in the same sector. Transport - use this to transport personnel to a planet to retrieve dilithium crystals. You must be directly by a planet to transport, not just in the same sector. Abandon Ship - use this as a last effort to save your crew in case you certainly going to be killed. It will earn you extra points if you spare the crew, even if you are doing awful. Self Destruct - there is no good reason to use this control, and I'm sure Starfleet will remember your name, but you can destruct your ship and quickly end the game. You have 10 seconds to abandon ship once you choose this or you go down with the ship! How Battle Is Computed ======================= If you're wondering the hows and whys of battle, here are the rules I have set up for battle: If you enter a sector with Klingon vessels present, there is an 50% chance per turn that one or more of them will engage weapons systems. If you engage the enemy first, or if an enemy fires upon you, then the ratio goes to 80%. Once in battle, there is a 20% chance the enemy will move his ship, 45% chance they use lasers, and 35% chance of photons. If an enemies damage is critical, all tables are swapped; i.e. 20% chance they will attack, 80% chance they will move. When the Enterprise is hit, the damage ratio increases. When your ship is over 50% damaged, then you risk the chance of ship functions being damaged per attack. This ratio increases for every hit past 50%. At the end of game... ====================== You will be given a report from Starfleet concerning your performance. Keep your eyes on these numbers and try to improve your next game! Finally... ======================= Any adjustments you make to your preferences are saved and will be there the next time you play. You may save a game at any time during play by choosing the Save Game As... option under the File menu. You can restore a previously saved game by double-clicking the saved game document icon from the Finder or choose the Open Saved Game option under the File menu and choose your game. All ship stats will be restored. Hope you enjoy the program. Richard Harvey December, 1988