If you are a SySop and are looking for the help files, read HELP.FIL and
README.NOW.   :)

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HELP FOR PLAYERS OF STARDOCK LOCO
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These are the long directions for Stardock Loco version 1.47.

Ok, you've gotten this far.  Btw, thanks for playing the game.  I appreciate
any interest in it at all...<G>  If your version is not registered, help
your SySop keep the high costs of a BBS down by registering Stardock Loco
for them!  It's only $15 bucks!


Ok, enough plugs....

The game originated (yes you have to go through the history and whatnot.) in
my mind when I began a C programming class at DeVry Institute of Technoweenies.
I decided that I was going to be the best C programmer in the class, and
figured to do that, I'd have to write a large program that encompasses all
the features of a programming language, i/o, memory, all that crud.  I guess
I could have written a mundane program for DOS (We don't do Windows yet, next
term...)  but that sounded boring.  I like games!!!  Yessss.  I was a pretty
big player of the other games like TradeWars and Lord, and all those others,
and I enjoyed them a lot.  I figured that I could do one a little better.
Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but I achieved my objective of learning this
programming language.  Maybe, just maybe I'll make enough off this to buy
a Big Mac for today.  I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow...<G>  Heck, I'll
just get 2 whoppers instead at 99 cents a pop...That gets me through till
friday.  Ok, back to the game, so, I decided to write a role-playing game,
since I like them, but I didn't want to write one as involved or as hard as
some of those others out there.  Exitilus comes to mind, and I think that
guy did a nice job, but I just couldn't get into it.  Too much going on.
He did a nice piece of work though.  Anyway, so I wanted to write a roleplaying
game that was interesting, fun, and set in the future.  So I did!

So the game is future swamped, and I hope to see others add to it with
modules.  If you can write code, download the whole package, and write
a cool IGM/Expansion Module.  I'd appreciate it!  Heck, make your door game
run with mine!

How do I play the game?

During the wide beta test, I was playing it on a few boards to see how it interacted.
I found the following formulae (<- like that old spelling? :) to work for me.
Here's what I did:  (don't worry if you don't have the skills to do some yet
they will come as you get better, and learn new things.)

I would start by hitting the Asteroid.  Then I would go back and pick up 1
more item.  (This was originally a bug, then, I figured, I liked it.)
The best thing to do at the asteroid is hope for an enhancer for your weapon.
if you're at the lower levels, a shockwave with a weapon strength of 8 is use-
ful.  You can up it there.  (Note:  If you get one, hit enter really fast,
and you may find that you get another, and another...<G>)  But the highest
you can get is 8.  If you have a Crowley's Cannon that already has a strength
of 12, you'll never see this enhancer.  BTW, you can keep going back to the
roid, and fight people if you want.  Gets boring though.  Oh, if the last digit
of your experience is a 0, go to the Asteroid.  Something kewl will happen..

Then, I'd hit the Colony.  If I was at the higher levels, I'd use up my night-
club fights killing myself.  I'm the old man that gives you the skills on the
way to the mine.  I would get 1000 cillenium crystals to sell at the General
Store/Assayer's Office for each killing.  But I only did this _after_ I reached
level 6 after destroying people in the nightclub.  I'll give you another hint.
Since you've read this far.  You get the fight credit if you kill them or not.
You can run and still get a fight added, which is nice to be able to attack
the old man (Me) and get his crystals.  The first time you kill me, you get
raised to level 9 and you have access to A on the Favrie Menu.  Then you
can use my computer to look at stats on other players.  This is important if
you want to kill them, which is important to get experience.  Then I'd use
up my mine turns, and get more cash.  I'd just run from Golgath, since it
was pointless to meditate after killing him.

I'd then use up my nightclub fights, and advance my hand to hand skills by
visiting the old man every ten fights.  You can find him by going back and
forth between the mines.  He randomly appears.

After this, I'd head for the mines, and get all
the cillenium I could get before being killed.  I'd sell it, heal, then deposit
the credit in the bank and then use up the rest of my mine turns.  Hopefully
I had enough droids and lifepoints to destroy Golgath, and master a skill
level.  If not, I'd just get all the cillenium I could and sell it.

This done, I'd check the computer (If I had the access), then go back to the
stardock.  I'd see if there was a player worth killing for droids and passcards.
If so, I'd go kick their butt, and take it.  (Check their experience to see
if it will add to yours to make your last digit 0 for the roid!)

Now, I'd head for Nehru's if I had passcards.  If not, I'd go get stuff from
the nurse.  Always carry plenty of cash when you see her, because you can
get bookoo bucks based upon what you have.  Hopefully I'd get some additional
passcards as well.  Hit K when she says goodbye.  This is how you get things.

At Nehru's I'd kill the highest possible alien I could, and keep doing it until
I ran out of passcards.  Note:  You can use all your passcards without using
up fights, but if you're out of fights, you can't use passcards and get into
Nehru's.  You're too tired.  It's how you go about it.  Try to use up your
passcards, then get more.  You can only have 30 cards at a time.  Kill players
for them, or get them from the roid and the nurse.  If you do it right, at the
higher levels, you can get 100's of millions of credits.

Next, I'd go steal tips in the bar.  Hit S while you sit there.  If you want
fights instead, get some Guinness.  You have whatever the max of steals that
your SySop configured.  If you use them all up stealing tips, you can't get
Guinness, these are related.

After this, I'd go kill aliens until I had 6 or so fights left.  Then I'd challenge
the bar to use up the rest of my fights, plus get additional fights.  If you
have less than 5 fights left, you can't challenge the bar.  Note this!
Some days I'd leave a few extra Tip steals so that I could go back and get 5
more fights, and do the challenge again.  This is legal!  You can advance
a couple of levels in a day if you use your fights right.  Kill a player
if you can, after advancing a level, then you may be able to advance another
right afterward.

The weapon and armor shops are ok to own if you are at lower levels.  You get
the 500k a day for owning them, which helps.  There is also a hidden benefit
that I'm not gonna tell you about, but if you play a lot you'll find that
being dead isn't always dead....(did I just give it away? <G>)

Also, the hand to hand skills will really be important once I finish up the
battlecourt.  This will be a place that people can fight on-line against
each other, (or possibly groups of 20, in teams all on-line at the same time
on a big BBS) and hand to hand skills will be an option, depending on who
sets the rules when they get there first.  Someday soon, expect this module
to dock with your stardock!!!

Oh, when you get to the higher levels, make sure to visit Guido's Black Market
accessed by a return at the main menu, if you haven't seen it already.

I'll let you figure out the rest.  ttyl. :)