Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/games/trader.zip/TRADER1.DOC

Text File | 1988-06-15 | 31KB | 695 lines

 <*---------------------------------------------------------------*>
 Written by Andy Onions <-> Distribution Courtesy Of THUNDERDOME BBS
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----------------
LOADING & SAVING
----------------

When loading is complete you will see a rotating space ship. This is a Cobra Mk
III, identical to the ship with which you are equipped. If you don't have a
saved game to load, press SPACE BAR to move to the next title page. If you are
playing with the joystick you should now press the fire button; otherwise press
the SPACE BAR again.

The game has now started and the screen shows a page of information describing
the current game situation.

While docked at a space station, you can save your game position to disk. When
a position is saved, it automatically  becomes the position from which any new
game starts (the default position).

While docked, press the I key, the disk menu now will be displayed:

1. Load New Commander
2. Load Commander Jameson
3. Default Jameson
4. Exit


1. Load New Commander
   You will be prompted for a filename. After a successful load the second
   title page is displayed.

2. Save Commander
   You will be prompted for a filename. After a successful save the status page
   is displayed.

3. Default Jameson
   The computer will respond with the question 'Are you sure (Y/N)?' if you
   press 'N' then the function will be aborted. Pressing 'Y' will reset the
   game to the initial starting position I.E. Clean, harmless, docked at Lave
   with 100 CR.

-----------------
INTRODUCTORY DATA
-----------------

Welcome aboard this Cobra Mk III trading and combat craft. The ship has been
supplied to you by Faulcon deLacy Spaceways, by arrangement with the Galactic
Co-operative of Worlds whose Space and Interstellar Pilot's Exams you have just
successfully completed. This small flight manual supplied with the craft is
designed to familiarize you with all aspects of space flight, combat and
trading, and we hope that it will be of use to you.


The Cobra Mk III incorporates Zieman Deflection Shields, fore and aft, 4 hull
mountings for Ingram 'rapid-fire' pulse lasers, a Lance & Ferman 'seek & kill'
missile system, a Holodirect & Thruspace GravDistort communications system, and
provision for a cargo bay extension.

You begin your career, your ship equipped with a single forward-firing pulse
laser, three homing missiles, 7 light years of fuel, and the sum of 100 Credits
(CR), ready to embark from a space station in orbit around the planet Lave.

The Cobra Mk III is the best of the medium-range, medium capacity fighter-
traders, and is an ideal ship for new traders intent on building their fortunes
or new combateers who will constantly need to finance the cost of both
armaments and non-combative equipment.

The ship is highly maneuverable, has a good C-holding factor during hyperspace
transit, can hold sufficient Quirium H-fuel for a 7-light-year single jump and
has full AutoTrading Systems Link for use at space stations. Further, it is
protected by dual Zieman Energy Deflection Shields, powered by four energy
banks, and has a powerful, rapid-fire pulse lader mounted on the forward hull
segment. Flight controls are elegant and simple, and the bridge is equipped
with both Holodirect and ThruSpace GravDistort communications systems. Its life
support functions are varied and flexible to ensure maximum comfort during
trading or hunting operations.

Pilot licences are issued only at the planet Lave, and it is likely, therefore,
that you are now doced at a Coriolis station in orbit around that particular
world. Lave is a rich, agricultural dictatorship, but is a reasonably safe
world at which to begin your endeavours. GalCop and the Lave Authorities allow
practice docking and departure runs to all their space stations here, and you
would be advised to take advantage of this facility.

INTERIOR OF A COBRA MK II
-------------------------

The Cobra is essentially a single-pilot grade-ship, but has been designed to
support a second person, provided that person is of ordinary human or humanoid
dimensions and physiology. The ship itself consists of five main areas:

THE CARGO HOLD fills the bulk of the midspace area, and the cargo bay doors
open downwards. The capacity in an unmodified Cobra is 20 1-ton conisters.
Extra cargo space may be acquired by extending the cargo bay, which does not
affect maneuverability. Ton canisters (T) attach magnetically to the cargo
arms within the bay, and two AutoShuttles occupy the central space.

THE BRIDGE has seats for pilot and co-pilot, a MedStim Center, entrance to the
escape pod, descent well to living quarters, communications console, special
suit locker, RemLock supply case, attachment facilities for AutoDock System and
a hand-weapons locker. The Main wall is occupied by the scanner screen,
astroogation console and main systems monitors.

THE DRIVE SECTOR houses the direcitonal thrusts, the System Space Kruger
'lightfast' motors, and the Irrikon ThruSpace drives. Also here are the read
laser housings, the ECM capsule, the Ziean shield generators, and energy banks
and the Witch-Space fuel condensors (Quiium). There are both internal and
external access panels. Radiation level is high.

THE LIVING AND HYGIENE SECTION is below the main bridge, and reached through a
descending gravity well. Two bunks, food dispensing facilities, waste disposal
(including high-tox copper exudate for Anians), SynPleasure relaxpads, and
videos.

THE EQUIPMENT LEVEL runs throughout the ship, and houses all energy banks for
lasers, plus the missile rests, with dispatch shafts to the lower hull. The
communications center is here, and the escape pod (with a separate entrance
from the bridge) life support systems, cryogen tanks (two) and forty cubic
meters of FacsEnvironment for emergency use.

THE STATUS PAGE (7)
-------------------

A new pilot's rating is 'harmless'; his legal status is 'clean'.

The 'Present System' refers to the plantary system which your ship is currently
in; while the 'Hyperspace System' refers to the system onto which the hyper-
space is locked.

There are four possible 'Conditions': DOCKED means that you are docked in a
space station at the Present System; GREEN means that there is no immediate
danger; YELLOW indicates enemy ships in the vicinity; Condition RED signals a
high-risk on-going death-type combat situation.

'Legal Status' refers to your Galactic Police record. If this is CLEAN you have
nothing to worry about, but as an OFFENDER or, still worse, a FUGITIVE you are
likely to be attacked by police ships.

The 'Rating' is a dispassionate assessment of your performance in combat so far

Current cash and fuel are also displayed along with a list of ship fittings.

The status page is always retrievable by pressing 9.

YOUR RATING AS A COMBATEER
--------------------------

To become an Elite combateer requires great skill and great patience, because
expert trading is essential before the necessary more powerful armaments and
equipment available to the Cobra ship can be bought: beam lasers, more
missiles, energy bombs, a docking computer, galactic hyperdrive, etc.

As you sail through space between the stars, and as you trade, you will live
with your combat rating. You will begin is HARMLESS. If you survive your first
skirmish you may be reclassified as MOSTLY HARMLESS. But on the slow climb to
a status level that reflects a growing talent for combat you will have to
engage many different ships, in many different worlds. You will be classified
as POOR, then AVERAGE, then ABOVE AVERAGE, the COMPETENT. Then you will become
DANGEROUS, then DEADLY. And at last, a few will become ELITE.

Your kills are photographed and transmitted by TS ComDirect to the nearest
GalCop Federal Law Center. Your rating as a combateer will increase in direct
proportion.

Fly your Cobra craft wisely and carefully. Remember: other pilots may be
attempting to increase their own combat rating by attacking either innocent
traders, or police Vipers (the ships of the GalCop Police Force). If you resort
to such tactics (or if you adopt the fast-credit routing and trade in illegal
goods) then your combat rating may rise, but your legal status:
CLEAN -> OFFENDER -> FUGITIVE, will make you Public Enemy Number One iwth the
Federation Crime Monitoring Authority and you will not be left alone.


---------------------
NAVIGATION AND FLYING
---------------------

NAVIGATION
----------

The Galactic Co-operative is only one - although the largest - of several
planetary federations, and maintains trade and diplomatic links with over 2000
planets spread throughout 8 galaxies. The political profile of a planet is an
important navigational consideration as many are in a state of anarchy and are
unsafe to visit in poorly equipped ships. Important too is its economic profile
as will be discussed in the section about trading.

Navigational strategy depends of course upon your aims in life. If you think
you have what it takes to become Elite, you will need to chart your path
through the galaxies with care and great precision. You will wish to equip your
ship as fully and as early as possible. You will, therefore, need to study the
trading section of this manual so that you can work out a profitable trading
route in order to be able to afford the weaponry you will require. You willl
have to make decisions about how dangerous a life you wish to lead; in
general, the more risks you take (travelling to dangerous planets or trading in
contraband goods), the faster you may equip your ship but the quicker you will
be killed. You will discover that life is the 8 galaxies is a question of fine
balance. Although it may seem, at first, that indiscriminate carnage is a soft
option (kills improve your rating, after all), as your skills and experience of
living in space mature, you will quickly discover that piracy is a short-lived
career.

Success in this context is a mosiac of talents: combative, certainly, but
thinking and decision-making talents too.

Here you are introduced to all the controls which will eventually be useful to
you in developing a route through the 8 galaxies.

NAVIGATIONAL CONTROLS
---------------------

It is important that you do not press the F1 key for the moment.

GALACTIC CHART (F5)
------------------

This chart shows all registered worlds within the galaxy, and indicats your own
coordinate position. The star cursor maybe used to scan the shown worlds for
potentially favorable trade sites.

Use the joystick or the cursor control keys to move the small cross over to one
of the dots, and hit F7.

WORLDATA LINK (F7)
-----------------

The Orbit Space Authority takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the
information registered here, but the trader may gain some idea of the relative
wisdom of trading with the world whose data is displayed. The information
shown is distance, type of main life form, degree of agricultural or industrial
development, with industrial and technological level displayed on a scale of
1-12. The government type, ranging from Corporate State to Anarchy, will be a
strong indication of the danger of trading with the system.

Use 5 again to return to the chart and acquire information about some more
planets.

The larger of the crosses on the chart shows where your ship is and the circle
shows how far it can jump with its current hyperspace fuel.

O returns the small cross to the larger one.

LOCAL NAVIGATIONAL CHART (F6)
----------------------------

This is a high power chart of all planets in the immediate vicinity of your
docking world. Since the Cobra ship has a maximum single H-jump range of 7
light years, the target world must be chosen carefully. The target cursor, used
in conjunction with the Worldata link, will indicate dangerous or likely
worlds for trade.

If the cross moves off the screen, use the O key to bring it back. Notice also
that the D key will tell you how far away the system nearest the small cross is

A CORIOLIS SPACE STATION
------------------------

Space stations are cargo transition points for interplenetary trading vessels
and shuttle craft. They also provide entertainment and lodging facilities for
pilots not wishing to go 'planet-side'.

Every world registered with the GalacticCo-operative has several Coriolis
space stations in orbit at various altitides. Coriolis stations are 'neutral'
territory, controlled equally by GalCop and the Planetary Government.

A new dodecahedral design (the so-called 'Dodo' stations) is replacing teh
Coriolis design in the more advanced systems. Coriolis stations are hexagonal
in approximate shape. They spin along a single sxis running vertically from the
planet below. One side of the staion always faces the planet, and it is on this
facet that the access tunnel is located.
Coriolis stations were designed at the GASEC (Galactic Astronautic and Space
Exploration Center) Laboratories on the planet Ventitice. The first station was
in orbit around the world Lave in 2752.

Coriolis staions have powerful defensive shields (against pirate attack and
inept docking) and a large fleet of Viper fighters, and several larger types of
ships. The inside of the station is free space, and on each inner facet of the
facet of the staion there are berthing and refuelling facilities, as well as
cities, hospitals, farmlands and leisure capes.

Each Coriolis station has a diameter of a standard kilometer. They can berth
2000 ships, and support a fair-sized colonial life development of humanoids.

LEAVING THE SPACE STATION (F1)
-----------------------------

On coding for Station Depart the pilot is advised to accept a 10-second
MemnSomn to dispense with subjective experience of the passage from docking bay
to Coriolis station egress. The screen will then show a break-pattern, which is
the passage through the protective field over the Coriolis entrance tunnel.

BASIC MANEUVERS
---------------

< (or joystick left) for left roll
> (or joystick right) for right roll
X (or joystick back)  for climb
S (or joystick forward)  for dive
SPACE to increase (joystick button #2)
? to decrease speed (buttons 1 & 2)

Pitch and yaw maneuver requires bi-digital play on keyboard model (X,S,<,>)

Notice the small dot moving around inside the large circle on the dials (just
above the large 'S'). This is your compass; the dot corresponds to the position
of the space station. If the dot is small then the station is behind you. When
the dot is large and in the center of the circle, you should be able to see the
space station directly in front of you.

Practice rotating the space station off the screen and using the compass to
find it again.

You might see some Cobra Class ships. These are other traders like yourself,
and will not harm you unless you shoot at them. If you do this they will either
attack or, alternatively, run away. Should you use them for combat practice, do
not expect the space station to turn a blind eye to such unruly behavior.
Nothing will attack you while you are within sight of the space station -
unless you make a nuisance of yourself.

It is not possible to land on the planet and flying into planets or space
stations is fatal. Tha altimeter shows your height above the planet's surface,
and you should not let it fall too low.

(If you are a new pilot, now is your best chance to practice docking maneuvers
with the space station at Lave. The Lave Orbit Space Authority permits an
unlimited number of practice runs by newly appointed pilots, and does not
charge. This facility is suspended during attack, or when the Coriolis station
has no free docking space.)

CONSOLE READINGS
----------------

CT = CABIN TEMPERATURE

Cabin temperature will increase and and the console register when your ship
flies too close to a sun.

AL = ALTIMETER

Your altitude above your destination planet can be crucial. Flying too near its
surface will be fatal.

SP = FORWARD VELOCITY

Forward velocity should be maintained at maximum on planetary approach. Keep it
low during space station approach, and minimal for final docking.

RL = RIGHT/LEFT ROLL
DC = DIVE/CLIMB STATUS

S (UNDER THE COMPASS) = SPACE STATION

The S refers to the space station and indicates that you are on target for it
and within its protective range.

CENTER GRID = FLIGHT GRID SCANNER

This sophisticated instrument displays a three-dimensional view of space in the
immediate vicinity of your ship, seen from a point behind and above it. The
precise position of any ship within its range can be pinpointed.

COMPASS

This instrument first picks up a target planet while it remains out of range of
the main flight-path scanner. When the planet's space station nearest to you
comes within range of it, the compass picks up that instead. When the dot is
small, the object is behind you; when large and in the center of the compass
circle, it should be visible through your front viewfinder.

FU = FUEL LEVEL

Once you have left a space station, the controls 1,2,3 and 4 change their
function to produce front, rear, left and right views respectively.

----------------------------
MAKING FOR YOUR TARGET WORLD
----------------------------

HYPERSPACE AND RELATED CONTROLS
-------------------------------

Having left the space station you will be in low orbit above the planet Lave,
moving at low velocity. Decrease your velocity to absolute minimum before
coding the astrogation console for Hyperspace Jump.

1,2,3,4 = VIEWS AROUND SHIP
---------------------------

During space flight only 1,2,3 and 4 provide access to views all around your
ship.

H,5,6 = HYPERJUMP, DISPLAY CHARTS
---------------------------------

Use 5 or 6 to display a chart (galactic or local, respectively), and move the
smaller cross to choose a larger planet, press 1, then hit H. After a short
delay, the hyperjump motors will engage.
On arrival in a new planetary system, after transit from hyperspace, you will
find yourself at some distance from your target world. This conforms with GC
Flight Law.

J = INTER-SPACE JUMPING
-----------------------

Even in the safest systems there can be unseen dangers, and you will be well
advised to approach orbit space, and the safety of the space station, as
quickly as possible. Increase forward velocity to maximum. At this point you
can take full advantage of the space-skip facility (J). Inter-space jumping
does not function (because of interference patterns) if there is another ship,
a planet or a sun in the immediate vicinity. If this is the case, a sound
signal will occur.

Soon your ship's computer will pick up the beacon signals of the nearest
orbital space station and will re-engage the compass to track that instead of
the target planet. Once the Cobra is within scanning and protective range of
the Coriolis station, the flight-grid scanner will begin to track it. Its own
defenses are now available for your protection. The scan consol will register
the letter 'S' as long as the space station is within rnge.

HYPERDRIVE ACROSS GALAXIES
--------------------------

G = ENGAGE HYPERDRIVE

The Intergalactic hyperdrive is expensive and can be obtained only from planets
at Tech level 10 or higher. It can only be used once, and will take you to a
system in a whole new galaxy (i.e. a new 5 map). There are 8 such galaxies and
making 8 jumps will return you to your starting galaxy. The Inter-Galactice
Hyperdrive is engaged by pressing G.

DOCKING PROCEDURE
-----------------

Docking with a Coriolis space station is never easy, unless the ship is
equipped iwth an automatic docking computer (in which case C will activate it).
The Navy Training Manual recommends the following approach and dock sequence:

Locate the Coriolis station and approach it. The entrance tunnels to all these
stations face the mother planet. Fly near to the station and then on towards
the planet (monitoring altitude carefully). By turning a half circle you will
now find your ship oriented towards the entrance.

Approach the final moments of docking at DEAD SLOW SPEED. Failure to dock
cleanly can be fatal but may simply result in your scraping the sides of the
aperture, with consequent loss of defensive shield(s) and quite possibly your
cargo. Manually control the Cobra's roll motion to match the rotation of the
Coriolis station.

Practice docking by re-entering a Lave station:

Accelerate towards Lave, then slow down, stop and loop over to face the station

Set the station in your sights, and make your approach slow and in the final
moments dead slow. When just outside the station egress, 'correct' the gyration
of your ship by manipulating the left/right roll controls (<>) until the
entrance tunnel appears horizontal.

Provided velocity is low, even if you scrape the sides of the tunnel, you will
survive, though possibly at the expense of some of your defensive sields.

Docking protocol, and Orbit Space Regulations, are numerous, and are availble
in the GC Orbit and System Space Code, published by Federation Planet Bureau.

---------------------
INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL
---------------------

COMBAT PROTOCOL
---------------

Not all ships in deep space, even small fighters, are pirates. Most ships will
respond to hostile action with hostile action. If you attack a police ship or
trade in contraband goods (see Trading), your legal status will be changed to
OFFENDER, or even higher. If you destroy pirate ships, or Thargoid invaders,
(or asteroids) you will receive a bounty payment. If you shoot at the Coriolis
space station, its own defensive ships (Viper class fighters) will attack you.

MANEUVERING
-----------

The Cobra tradeship is fast, and has a very tight turning circle (though less
tight at full speed); it is an ideal combat ship against small packs of enemy
vessels. It will outrun many attack craft by speed alone, but it will not
outrun a missile. Spinning, fast-slow, and duck-and-weave maneuvers are very
effective against the larger, less maneuverable ships when they attack. A
sudden decrease in speed followed by a tight 180 degree turn and an increase in
velocity will often give you a big advantage over pursuing enemy craft.

You must be prepared to outwit your enemies tactically. Speed of reaction will
not in itself always be enough.

SIGNS OF DANGER
---------------

If you cannot make an interspace quick jump (J) towards the planet, there is
a ship in the vicinity. It could be dangerous.

The the status screen, during flight, shows YELLOW or RED, prepare to engage in
combat.

Flashing streaks on any screen mean laser fire is coming in.

Laser fire striking the defensive shield makes a light screeching sound.
Listen for laser fire striking the hull direct. Through damaged screens it
makes a low, screeching sound. DANGER.

An incoming missile will be detected, tracked, and a warning message flashed
on main screen.

Some star pilots are braver than others and pirate ships may break off and run
in the face of stiff resistance. Some appear to know no fear-in particular
Thargoid vessels, whose captains have had their fear glands surgically removed.

LIKELY ENEMIES
--------------

Lone-wolf traders-such as Cobra pilots-are constantly at risk from other Space-
faring types. An understanding of other loners, packhunters, and bounty killers
is essential.

BOUNTY HUNTERS
--------------

Unless you have achieved FUGITIVE status and especially if you are highly
ranked as a combateer as well as being a criminal, bounty hunters will not
bother a ship as insignificant as a Cobra Mk 3. In fact, many bounty hunters
favor Cobra trade-ships as they make an excellent disguise. But the real
killers star-ride in the sleek, and highly efficient, Fer-de-Lance Lightspeeder
in which they live for months at a time. Bounty hunters can always be found
outside Orbit Space, especially around the worlds classified as 'dangerous'.
They are invariably of combat rating: DEADLY or ELITE. Bounty hunters rarely
identify themselves to passing ships, and if pestered too closely will usually
kill.

PIRATE VESSELS
--------------

There are several ways of identifying a space-going ship as 'pirate occupied',
and this is essential since pirates and renegades will take any ship for their
purpose, from a Worm to a massive Python Pirates exist everywhere in the
galaxy, but cluster mainly around unstable GalCop worlds, especially worlds run
on a feudal or anarchic system.

Small ships hovering very distant from a planet are pirates. Large ships
accompanied by a mixture of small fighter types are pirates. Ships that refuse
to acknowlegde identification signals are pirates. Around worlds run by auto-
cracies, or clans, pirates will very often have been paid to leave trade ships
alone. Piracy is a huge, and complex, business, and any life-respecting trader
will learn the tell-tale signs of pirate presence.

POLICE
------

In a Co-operative of Worlds as complex as the 2040 planets of the GalCop, the
police cn be as menacing as they can be helpful. The typical police vessel is a
Viper GH Class PulseShip, which is very last, and very maneuveralble. They are
on constand standby on every Coriolis and Dodec space station, and will attack-
a pirate, or a fugitive trader-within seconds. They do not make arrrests, they
destroy. There are different police departments serving different purposes-
narcotics, space-drunkeness, psychotic shooting, piracy, slave trading, etc.-
but all have small fleets of these very last Viper patrol craft.

THARGOID INVASION SHIPS AND THARGONS
------------------------------------

The Thargoids are humankind's deadly enemy, and throughout the 8 galaxies there
are at least 50 war zones between humanity and Thargoid. This highly technolo-
gically advanced insectoid race is also at war with 17 other space-going life-
forms.

All Thargoid combateers are ruthless in combat, and some may be comparable with
elite-status human combat pilots.

Though most of the Thargoid Space Fleet is currently engage by the Galactic
Navy in InterGalactic Space, a few of the smaller battle ships make occasional
destructor-raids into human space. These ships are extremely fast for their
size and invariably have anti-missile (ECM) Systems.

Additionally, most Thargoid battle ships carry several small, remote-controlled
'thargons', killer-craft each equipped with a single, but highly advanced,
pulse-laser. The Galactic Navy are developing their own deep-space RemCraft,
and pay a large bounty for any thargon craft that are brought to them.

(N.B. Bounty on Thargoid invasion craft destroyed is very high. Thargoid battle
cruisers believed to be able to 'hover' in Witch-Space (hyperspace) and destroy
through-coming craft).

The Galactic Banks will pay a handsome bounty for the destruction of a Thargoid
invasion ship. Your most dangerous enemy, a Thargoid may-in addition to its own
fire-power,activate remote-controlled killer craft ('thargons'). Destroy the 8-
sided mother ship, however, and the thargons will cease to pose a threat.

-----------------
OTHER SPACE TYPES
-----------------

ROCK HERMITS
------------

Pirates, ageing bounty hunters, or planetary outcasts, who create living space
out of asteroids. They usually choose large asteroids, and set up signal
beacons to warn off miners. GalCop Law protects Rock Hermits, but since most of
the asteroid is hollowed-out, there is little advantage to be gained by mining
them anyway.

GENERATION SHIPS
----------------

Before the development of the WS Thru-Space drive, in all its various forms,
interstellar travel occurred in large, self-sustaining environment ships-
Generation Ships-most of which have now been logged and their progress monitor-
ed. There are more than seventy thousand of these immense vessels ploughing
their way through the galaxy, some of them into their 30th generation. The
penalty for interference with such a vessel is marooning.

SPACE DREDGERS
--------------

These immense factory ships are to be found whereever there has been a war, or
Thargoid invasion, or a natural catastrophe. More than forty miles long, the
dredgers are a life-form to themselves. The Dredgers are huge cities in space,
feeding off debris and ruination. Heavily armed, and with fleets of
reconditioned fighter ships, they are to be avoided at all cost.

COMBAT CONSOLE
--------------

FS/AS = DEFENSIVE SHIELDS

Defensive shields take power from two energy sources, fore and aft.

>==- (BOTTOM LEFT) = MISSILE STATUS

Missile status depicts the number of missiles on board and whether they are
'targetted' (white) or 'untargetted'
(green) or 'locked and ready to fire'
(red).

1,2,3,4 (BOTTOM RIGHT) = ENERGY BANKS

Energy banks will rapidly drain if defensive shields are taking excessive fire.
Using lasers of an ECM System will also drain their resources. When the fourth
bank is tapped, an ENERGY LOW message will flash onto the screen. Eventually,
in normal circumstances, the banks will be automatically replenished by surface
radiation absorption.

LT = LASER TEMPERATURE

Laser temperature will rise during continuous firing of the ship's laser(s).
As the central housing overheats, a laser will temporarily cut out rather than
destroy the system.

CENTER DISPLAY = 3 DIMENSIONAL SCANNER

The 3-dimensional scanner operates in such a way that you can pinpoint a ship
above and below yours, as well as to the front, behind or to the sides.
-----------

FS/AS = DEFENSIVE SHIELDS

Defensive shields take power from two ennrgy sources, fore and aft.

>==- (BOTTOM LEFT) = MISSIL STATUS

Missile status depicts the number of missiles on board and whether they are
'targetted' (white) or 'untargetted'
(green) or 'locked and ready to fire'
(red).

1,2,3,4 (BOTTOM RIGHT) = ENERGY BANKS

Energy banks will rapidly drain if defennive shields are taking excessive fire.
Using lasers of an ECM System will also  rain their resources. When the fourth
bank is tapped, an ENERGY LOW message wiil flash onto the screen. Eventually,
in normal circumstances, the banks will  e automatically replenished by surface
radiation absorption.

LT = LASER TEMPERATURE

Laser temperature will rise during contiiuous firing of the ship's laser(s).
As the central housing overheats, a lasee will temporarily cut out rather than
destroy the system.

CENTER DISPLAY = 3 DIMENSIONAL SCANNER

The 3-dimensional scanner operates in suuh a way that you can pinpoint a ship
above and below yours, as well as to theefront, behind or to the sides.

(Continued)