These instructions are not fully complete, but they will help you to survive “Stellar Imperium”.
The object of the game is to amass enough proficiency points to pass to the next play level. The required minimum average is 75.0%, which is always defined as destroying the required number of klystrons (enemy ships) in the alloted time.
If you manage to destroy them more quickly, or if you manage to kill off more than required (before the computer cycles through its criteria), then your proficiency rating will increase.
On the other hand, if you fail to perform in this manner, then your rating will decrease, with the unfortunate problem of HAVING to reach a higher rating the next time.
On the whole, selecting the longest playing option will give you the best chances of exceeding the required minimum.
After you have proven yourself for two ranks, on the next and subsequent ranks, you will receive decoration awards for achieving high proficiency ratings. It will become harder and more difficult later in the games, because you will have fewer starbases (see later) with which to restock.
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the MENUS
There are seven major menu items: apple, file, edit, attack, sensor, computer, and shield.
The apple-symbol menu allows you to see the ‘About...’ shareware notice for this game, calling up this help dialog, using the game's notepad, and DAs (you must explicitely call “Close” from the file menu to close any DAs).
The file menu allows you to start a new game, close (a DA-- to be used for closing ALL DAs!), save the current game, save the game with a different name, turn on/off the sound, turn on/off the talking ability (you MUST have ‘MacInTalk’ in your system folder), and quit the game.
The attack menu allows you to launch your torpedos, fire your phasers, call security (not available yet), turn on/off the auto-alert, and fire two torpedoes at each enemy vessel (up to 4 enemies).
The sensor menu allows you to engage your long sensors or your short sensors.
The computer menu allows you to calculate a target destination, call damage control, engage navigation, call the library computer, and engage the tractor beams (not available yet).
The shield menu allows you to lower your shields (if up), engage battle-mode shields, engage shields at maximum power, individually engage the shields, and engage shields at a power level of your choice (maximum is 4000 units, divided equally).
There are two sub-menus that can be called and they are marked with the •...• symbol: security and library.
The security sub-menu is not yet available.
The library sub-menu allows you to find the general status of your mission, the general status of each starbase, the information about your rank, any decorations earned, print your player file's information, self-destruct, launch a probe, and dis-engage the library computer.
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ATTACK menu
The torpedo option will ask you if you want to launch automatically or manually. In the automatic mode, you have no control over which enemy ships will be aimed upon. If you turn on the double fire option, then two torpedoes will be fired at each enemy ship (up to 4 enemy ships, though). Manually, you can select any desired angle. In any case, you can only launch 9 torpedos at a time.
The phaser option will ask you how much energy to use: this energy comes from the currently displayed amount under the heading of ENERGY (NOT the total amount).
The security option calls the security sub-menu. Not available at this time.
The auto-alert option is both a blessing and a curse. If turned on, any time that you enter a sector with any enemy ships in it, it will alert you to that fact, and will turn on the shields to maximum (if enough energy is available). Sometimes you may want only 1 shield on-- turn off this function before entering the sector.
The double torpedo fire option will allow you to fire two torpedoes at each enemy in the sector (up to 4, though), each time you automatically fire your toepdoes (this option will not work for manual control).
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SENSOR menu
The long sensor option will scan the surrounding quadrants, and display them in short-hand: ie., ‘418’ (see UNIVERSE below).
The short sensor option will scan and display how many enemy ships and any starbase in the current sector (as well as its location). This last is handy since your view is restricted when your short range sensors are inoperable.
The heading portion is there only for your benefit, to help you understand the angles used in this game.
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COMPUTER menu
The target calculator option will calculate the angle and distance to any point from the current location of your ship. It will then ask if you want to transfer the information to navigation control. If you are going to launch a probe, click “No way”.
The damage control option will display the current damage status for each system of your ship, and you will be given the option to fix it/them. It costs 100 energy units for each work/day of damage. If any systems are damaged, they are also repaired as you travel.
The navigation control option will move your ship. There is a maximum speed of warp 5.0. To exceed this speed guarantees damage to the warp engines.
The library computer option will turn on the library sub-menu (see below).
The tractor beams control option is not available at this time.
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SHIELD menu
The lower shields option will return all shield power to the main energy pool. To do this during combat invites danger (unless you know what you are doing).
The battle-mode shields option will put twice as much shield power in front as at the sides, and NO shield power at the rear. It is useful for when you are entering a new sector in the middle of an edge.
The maximum shields option will put all shield power evenly in all four shields.
The individual shields option will allow you to control how much energy each shield is to have.
The total shields option will allow you to select how much energy will be diverted to the shields, in equal amounts (like the maximum option).
The limit on total shield power is the same for all options: total energy units available minus 50, or 4000, whichever is lesser. Also, there is a maximum of 2000 energy units per shield.
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SECURITY sub-menu
Not available at this time
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LIBRARY sub-menu
The mission option will give you current playing status: remaining enemy ships to kill, how much time is left, how many starbases remain, your projected rating, your current rank, the number of missions done at that rank, the number of missions needed and at what proficiency, and your current overall rating for that rank.
The starbase option will display the current power, shieldpower and manpower remaining, in percentages, for each starbase in the game.
The ranking status option will display all the pertinent information concerning your game, since the beginning.
The decorations status will display all decorations and awards you earned [conditions: (1) levels 3 and above, and with very high proficiency ratings; (2) self-destruct in hopeless situations; and (3) for every 50 missions completed].
The self-destruct option allows you to terminate the game with a bang.
The probe option allows you to launch one probe at a time in any given direction. The probe will display the quadrant it is going through, until it reaches the edge of the universe.
The DONE option will turn off the library sub-menu. This option is necessary because the library computer requires power to maintain itself, and thus uses power constantly.
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UNIVERSE display
The universe is displayed in a graph of 8 x 8 cells, each cell being a quadrant.
The information is displayed in abbreviated form: ie., 418. This means that there are 4 enemy ships, one starbase (in this case, starbase 1), and 8 stars in the sector.
Normally, there is a ‘?’ in each quadrant, unless you have been in the quadrant before, or you launched a probe through it. The quadrant that you are currently occupying is displayed in reverse.
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SECTOR display
Each quadrant is composed of a graph of 10 x 10 cells, each cell being a sector (also called parsec, in the game).
The information in each sector is unique and singular:
. open space
# starbase
§ enemy ship
* star
@ your ship
The game uses its own font (called Stellar-9), and you will become familiar with the representations as you go along. There are other symbols:
• torpedo (each is numbered)
≥ space debris (actually spots)
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STATUS display
During the course of the game, you will notice items displayed on the right-hand side of the screen. These compose your main source of information concerning the status of your ship. They include:
Condition: all systems go? [GREEN],
low on power? [YELLOW],
any enemies? [RED]
Location: quadrant and sector coordinates
Bearing [HDG]: direction facing when last moved: 0 = forward up
90 = forward right
180 = forward down
270 = forward left
Energy: available energy units for general use [NOT in battery]
Shield [SHD]: energy units in shields
x/x/x/x: power in front, right, rear,left sides, relative to current
bearing
Auto alert: is it ON?, off?
Life support: which life support currently using; if backup, how much energy left?
Torpedo: number of torpedos left
Crew/Marine: number of crew and marines on ship
Klystron: number of enemies left to kill / total number of enemies to kill
Flight Status: this will tell you if you are flying or are docked
Probes Left: number of probes left for your use
There is also a minor status display on the bottom left-hand side. This contains:
Stardate: current date (for your ship);
Target: date when the game ends
Bases: number of starbases left / total number of starbases
SHD: a visual representation of the power status to your shields
black = power at 0
dark gray = power between 1 and 499
gray = power between 500 and 999
light grey = power between 1000 and 1499
offwhite = power between 1500 and 1999
white = power at 2000
HDG: a pictorial schematic of your ship's current angle (bearing)
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LIFE support
Normally, you will be using your primary life support. This life support uses ship energy to run.
If the primary life support is damaged, then the secondary (or backup) life support kicks in. This life support, however, runs off its own batteries. If these should give out, you will then be breathing vaccuum (ha, ha). The game ends at this point.
It is to your advantage to keep the primary life support up and running, and to repair it when damaged. There is a limited 19 moves with secondary life support, and this will go VERY fast.
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STARBASES
When you arrive next to any starbase (any of the eight surrounding spots), you will be asked some questions.
1. Do you want to dock? ------ to effect repairs profitably, restock the torpedoes, and replenish your energy you must dock. Docking requires 1.0 day to complete.
2. Do you want to repair? ---- repairs ALL systems in the shortest time possible. Adds days to your lapse time. You must dock to effect repairs.
3. Do you want to transfer? -- not available at this time.
When you have completed your selection(s), you will be shown what has happened during your time at dock: energy, torpedo, crew/marine, repair time, etc.
When you are docked at a starbase, you are protected by that starbase's shields. You must keep track of how much shield power is left to the starbase before docking while you are engaging enemy ships in the quadrant. If the starbase shields give out when under fire, your ship will sustain the damage.
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MISSION duration
Each mission will have its own, unique duration, which is dependent on the length of the mission you select, and on how many enemy ships you need to destroy. Because of this, it is easier to get high ratings if you select longer missions, due to the fact that there will be more enemies available, and thus more time to kill them.
During the course of the game, time will slowly decrease. When you reach a time frame of less than 5 days from the target date, the computer will beep and highlight the stardate, to warn you of the time.
If you have not yet killed off all the enemies, and you reach a time frame of less than 2 days, the computer will again beep and then highlight the targetdate, to warn you of impending termination of the game.
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LEVEL of play
You start out your new game at level 1, and progress up to level 11: Ensign, Lieutenant JG, Lieutenant, Lt Commander, Commander, Captain, Commodore, Rear Admiral, Admiral, and finally Admiral Emeritus. At this final level, you have won, and have really no further need to play.
It takes an overall (for any level) efficiency rating of 75.0% to go up a level, and takes 3 missions at levels 1 and 2, and 5 at all other levels.
NOTE: The game is NOT saved if or when you finish a game, so that if you prematurely terminate (or are terminated) a game, you can quit and start over, without having to achieve excessively high ratings to offset the past, poor-rating game.
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GENERAL information
Unless you really know what you are doing, leave your auto-alert on. Turning it off only invites damage, which you sometimes can little afford.
You can not launch torpedos into stars and starbases: they will be absorbed (ie., self-destroyed) without doing any damage.
Just a note: you will move (in the direction of your angle) for 8 spaces before your are launched into hyperspace. As a result, make sure your lanes are clear before moving.
