═══ 1. Solar Conquest ═══ Solar Conquest is a space Real Estate game similar in nature to the classic Monopoly(tm) game, except that it is played in space as apposed to a city. The solar system is split into monopolies of a planet and the natural satellites or moons that orbit it. Players move their spaceship around the solar system buying properties and paying rent. This game can handle up to 6 players and provides an option to allow the computer to be a player from the beginning, or take over for a human player. Solar Conquest will handle all monies, properties, and other task to allow the players to focus on the objective of the game. The player at the end of the game worth the most is the winner. There are several ways for players to lose such as bankruptcy, being destroyed by another player, or to run out of fuel on your spaceship. The user manual organized as follows: o How to play Solar Conquest o Menus and Buttons ═══ 1.1. Objective ═══ Objective: The objective of the game is to collect more properties than any other player by moving around the playing board and landing on un-owned planets and moons. Once purchased, other players pay rent for landing on a owned property. ═══ 1.1.1. Winning ═══ Winning: The winner of the game is determined by adding up all the cash, fuel pods and properties (value determined as purchase price) for each player to see who has the most worth and they are declared the winner. ═══ 1.2. Properties ═══ Properties fall into seven types Space Although a majority of the solar system is made up of Space, in Solar Conquest there is relatively a small portion of Space used on the playing board. Nothing really much can happen in Space. Gravity These positions on the playing board are used to represent the gravitational pull of a planet and cannot be landed on. Planets The largest masses in the Solar System (other than the Sun) are the planets. Each planet has an orbit around the Sun and if large enough, may have satellites that have been captured in the gravity of the planet. These are the most valuable properties on the board. Satellites Small masses in the Solar System (like Earth's Moon) which are trapped by the gravititional pull of a planet. Most of these properties alone are not worth much, but owning several of them in the same monopoly will increase their value greatly. Space Docks Man-Made structures in space that provide fuel to spaceships that land on them. Together they make up a single monopoly. Research Labs Man-Made structures in space that serve no real purpose in the game other than together they make up a single monopoly. Federation Stations Man-Made structures in space that provide bonuses for any player that lands on them. They can not be bought, but do provide a place for players to buy and sell Fuel Pods. ═══ 1.3. Artifical Intelligence ═══ Solar Conquest supports up to 6 human or computer players and will use the computer player logic to anticipate amounts or quantities that the player may request and display windows with those numbers. This helps reduce the amount of typing. Players always have the option of deleting and re-entering any desired amount. This can also add new players in understanding the game better. ═══ 2. How to Play the Game ═══ Solar Conquest is an easy to play a one or more person game with the following order of play. Starting the Game: At the beginning of the game after a Welcome window is shown, the New Game window will be displayed in anticipation of a new game. Make any changes to the number of players and set any or all game options that should be enabled before pressing OK. Rolling to Move: Moving of the playing pieces is accomplished by rolling two 6-sided dice and then moving the players game piece forward around the playing board. If a players move would place them on gravity they will continue around in orbit instead or be placed on the previous planet. Buying Properties: If a player lands on a property available for purchase, then the Property Card window will be displayed. This window will allow the player to purchase the property and in cases of either planets or satellites, allow the player to place a Fuel Pod as well. Fueling Spaceship: The spaceship used for each player can only hold a limited amount of fuel, 25 units to be exact. Additional fuel can be purchased on Space Docks and planets or satellites that have a Fuel Pod. Laser Battle: If the game option for Lasers is enabled, then the player has the option to conduct Laser Battles with other players. Earth is assumed to be a netural planet and no battles to or from Earth are permitted. Go: After completing all actions desired for the current turn, the player signals the end of their turn with the Go Button. A player is not permitted to end their turn until they are out of debt. If a player can not liquidate enough assets to get out of debt then they are out of the game. All of the actions listed above are completed by pressing Buttons from the main menu of Solar Conquest. These buttons will perform a specific action or display a window. ═══ 2.1. Gravity and Orbits ═══ Ending a move on gravity is NOT permitted. If a spaceship is unable to clear the gravity of a planet they will be forced back around the orbit of the planet and landing on the appropriate location automatically. The player is not given the option of leaving orbit if the roll is enough to move on to the next orbit except in one special situation with the Jupiter Orbit ═══ 2.1.1. Sinope/Jupiter Research Lab ═══ Sinope is the one property that if a player lands on it, has the option to either stay on Sinope or continue in orbit to the Jupitor Research Lab. ═══ 2.2. Fuel Pods ═══ Fuel Pods are used to fuel spaceships. They can only be placed on planets and satellites. Once placed on a property, the Fuel Pod is never removed from the property for any reason. Players are give a set number at the beginning of the game and additional Fuel Pods can be purchased at Federation Stations. If the property is sold or turned over, the Fuel Pod will remain with the property and the cost of the property is adjusted $500 for the cost of the Fuel Pod. ═══ 2.3. Shift Cards ═══ The Shift cards primarily move a player from one position on the map to another, collecting $500 if they pass Earth. There are a few cards that are quite different and are discussed below. Associated with each card is a fuel cost for completing the event. If the player does not have enough fuel to complete the event, then they are out of the game. All owned properties, cash, and unused Fuel Pods are returned to the Bank. Win a Dispute from the Bank The Player is allowed to pick any unowned property and make it their own. If the property is a planet or satellite, no option of placing a Fuel Pod is permitted. Win a Dispute from a player The Player is allowed to pick any owned property and make it their own. If the property is a planet or satellite, any Fuel Pod on the property is also turned over to the new owner. Lost a Dispute to the Bank The Player is allowed to pick any of their owned properties and turn it back into the Bank. If the property is a planet or satellite, any Fuel Pod on the property is also turned over to the Bank and the next person to purchase the property must purchase the residing Fuel Pod as well. Discover Anti-Matter The player is awarded $900 for finding Anti-Matter and is allowed to roll the dice again. Meteor Shower The player is not allowed to move that turn and expends 3 units of fuel to shield the spaceship from the shower. ═══ 2.4. Debt ═══ If for whatever reason, a player goes into debt, then they must sell off properties and/or Fuel Pods to get a positive cash flow going again. The Fuel Button will be enabled to allow a player to sell Fuel Pods back to the Bank. This is the only situation when selling Fuel Pods is permitted off of a Federation Station. ═══ 3. Menus and Buttons ═══ The menu bar of the game are ordered by the following main topics: Type Description Game The Game pulldown menu will provide options for controlling the overall game interaction and options. Roll The Roll button will roll the dice a move the players spaceship. Go The Go button will signal the end of a players turn. Fuel The Fuel button will allow the player to either re-fuel or buy/sell Fuel Pods. Laser The Laser button will allow the player to attempt to hit another player with their laser. Map The Map button will display a map of the entire playing board. Nav The Nav button will display a close-up of the board immediately in front of the player. Property The Property button will display a property calculator. ═══ 3.1. The Game Menu ═══ The game menu contains choices to start a new game, save, and restore a previous game as well as set various options for game playing. New Select this option to display the New Game window and start the game over again. All player statistics are reset and everyone start back off a Earth. Save Select this option to save the current game in progress to a file called CONQUEST.SAV in the current directory. Restore Select this option to restore the saved game from a file called CONQUEST.SAV in the current directory. Players Displays a window from which to review and/or modify player information. Settings Displays a sub-menu from which various game settings can be either turned on or off. Refresh In case of a problem with either the display or for some reason the current player is unable to continue, selecting this option will re-draw the display based on the current status and location of the player. Exit This option will pre-maturely end the game and determine a winner. ═══ 3.1.1. New Game Window ═══ Selecting the New option from the Game pulldown menu will display a New Game window. This window allows the user to determine the total number of players in the game and the various optional features for the game. ═══ 3.1.2. Players Window ═══ Selecting the Players option from the Game pulldown menu will display a Players window. This window allows the user to see all the players statistics and allows the user to modify any of them in case of a problem that has occurred. To change the location of any player, only the new position number need be entered. The entire name is not required. ═══ 3.1.3. Game Settings ═══ These options allows the player to determine how the game will behave and what features should be enabled. o Laser o Pause o Nav Lines ═══ 3.1.4. Navigation Lines ═══ This options allows the player to turn on or off the the lines that are used to connect the properties and show the path players take while moving around the board. ═══ 3.1.5. Laser Battles ═══ This options allows the player to turn on or off the ability to conduct Laser Battles with other players. ═══ 3.1.6. Alarm between turns ═══ This options allows the player to turn on or off the the New Player window between each turn. With this option set off, the actions of any computer players is not shown. ═══ 3.2. The Roll Button ═══ To roll the dice and move the spaceship. The moving of the spaceship is determined by the amount of fuel it will take to complete the roll. If the player is located on a satellite or planet then the quantity of fuel consumed is equal to the roll of the dice. Otherwise, the player is in space or on a man-made station and there is no fuel needed to break orbit. If doubles are thrown, then the player does not move at all and instead is given a Shift card to determine what event just occurred. ═══ 3.3. The Go Button ═══ The Go button is used to indicate the the player has completed their turn and is ready to let the next player begin. An Alarm message will be displayed if it is turned on to signal to the next player to begin. ═══ 3.4. The Fuel Button ═══ The Fuel button will only be enabled when there is either fuel available, a player is at a Federation Station, or the player is in debt. o Fueling Spaceship o Federation Station o Player in Debt ═══ 3.4.1. Fueling Spaceship ═══ When fueling the spaceship, a window will be displayed showing how much each unit of fuel will cost, the number of spaces to escape the current orbit, and the amount of cash on hand. Below is a list all the places fuel can be purchased: o Earth - $25 per unit of fuel. o Space Docks - $5 if unowned. o Planets/satellites with Fuel Pods. Note that Laser Battles can only be conducted prior to fueling in a given turn. ═══ 3.4.2. Federation Station ═══ When a player lands on a Federation Station, they are provided the opportunity to purchase or sell Fuel Pods. ═══ 3.5. The Laser Button ═══ If the Laser Setting has been turned on, then this button will be enabled when another player has been detected in range of your lasers. The lasers are powered by your fuel and below is a list of the costs associated with doing battle. You must conduct Laser Battles before fueling. o Range 0 - 4 units of fuel o Range 1 - 8 units of fuel o Range 2 - 12 units of fuel A window will be displayed with a list of all players in range of the lasers and a target must be selected from the list to be fired upon. The results of the attack are determined by the roll of the dice (done automatically) and if doubles occur, then a hit is scored on the other player. The other player must pay $100 times the number on the dice except when 6's are thrown which is a direct hit on the other player who is now out of the game. The other players cash and properties are turned over to the victor. ═══ 3.6. The Map Button ═══ The Map button will display a view of the entire solar system. Major planets and orbits are identified. All positions are identified by 3 factors on the display. The first is the name of the property (only shown on the largest of the properties. Second is the color of the property. o Green - Player owns o Blue - Other Player Owns o Brown - Unowned property o Yellow - Space Dock o White - Research Lab o Gray - Space, Gravity, or Federation Station Note that a yellow ring on the properties outer crust indicates that there is a fuel station on that property. The last factor is the relative size of the property, the larger - the more valuable the property. o Small Solid - Poor Value o Medium Solid - Average Value o Large Solid - Best Value o Small Circle - Gravity o Medium Circle - Space Navigation lines can be turned on or off with the Nav Lines Options. ═══ 3.7. The Nav Button ═══ The Nav button will display a view of the next 11 position on the map. All positions are identified by 3 factors on the display. The first is the name of the property displayed just below and to the right of the property. Second is the color of the property name. o Green - Player owns o Blue - Other Player Owns o Brown - Unowned property o Yellow - Space Dock o White - Research Lab o Gray - Space, Gravity, or Federation Station Note that a yellow ring on the properties outer crust indicates that there is a fuel station on that property. The last factor is the relative size of the property, the larger - the more valuable the property. o Small Solid - Poor Value o Medium Solid - Average Value o Large Solid - Best Value o Small Circle - Gravity o Medium Circle - Space Navigation lines can be turned on or or off with the Nav Lines Options. ═══ 3.8. The Property Button ═══ The Property button will display a property calculator. The initial calculator display will show a list of all the properties along with the number of the player who owned them (0 for the bank), the cost of fuel and rent to other players, and the initial selling price and name of the property. Buttons on the right hand side of the calculator can be used to change the display to include only those properties associated with that button. For example, if the PLAYER 1 button is pushed, a list of only those properties owned by Player 1 are shown. Along the bottom of the Property Calculator are action buttons to work with property. Select a property from the calculator display and press one of the buttons to perform the action. If no property is selected then the current property that the player is on is used. o BUY o SELL o CARD ═══ 3.8.1. Buying Property ═══ When a player lands on a property owned by the bank, the Property Card will automatically be displayed to allow the player to purchase the property. The BUY button allows the player to only purchase the property that they are currently on. It cannot be used to purchase other properties. ═══ 3.8.2. Selling Property ═══ This button allows the player to sell any property that the player owns. A window will be displayed showing all of the players and any offers a computer player may make for the property. A space is also provided for human players to indicate an offer that they make for the property. Select the proper player and then click on Sell to sell the property. ═══ 3.8.3. Property Card ═══ The Property Card will display detailed information about the property selected. A list of the rents, based on the number of properties owned in the monopoly are shown with the current rent highlighted. There is a check box that allows a player to indicate whether or not to place a Fuel Pod on the property. Fuel Pods can only be placed on the current property that the player is on. There are action buttons that the player can choose. o BUY o SELL o VIEW ═══ 3.8.4. View Description ═══ This button displays an informational window about the characteristics of the property, including: o Diameter o Orbit o Distance o Incline ═══ 4. Monopolies ═══ There are 11 different monopolies available for players to accumulate. The are: o Moon o Mercury o Jupiter o Uranus o Pluto o Mars o Venus o Saturn o Neptune o Space Docks o Research Labs ═══ 4.1. Moon ═══ There are no other properties in the Moon Monopoly. ═══ 4.2. Mercury ═══ There are no other properties in the Mercury Monopoly. ═══ 4.3. Jupiter ═══ There are 11 properties in the Jupiter Monopoly. They are: o Himalia o Europa o Amalthea o Adrastea o Io o Elara o Callisto o Thebe o Metis o Ganymede o Sinope ═══ 4.4. Uranus ═══ There are 6 properties in the Uranus Monopoly. They are: o Titania o Miranda o Umbriel o Oberon o 1985 U1 o Ariel ═══ 4.5. Pluto ═══ There are 2 properties in the Pluto Monopoly. They are: o Pluto o Charon ═══ 4.6. Mars ═══ There are 3 properties in the Pluto Monopoly. They are: o Phobos o Mars o Deimos ═══ 4.7. Venus ═══ There are no other properties in the Venus Monopoly. ═══ 4.8. Saturn ═══ There are 10 properties in the Saturn Monopoly. They are: o Phobos o Titan o Mimas o Dione o Iapetus o Rhea o Tethys o Janus o Enceladus o Hyderion ═══ 4.9. Neptune ═══ There are 2 properties in the Neptune Monopoly. They are: o Nereid o Triton ═══ 4.10. Space Docks ═══ There are 5 properties in the Space Dock Monopoly. They are: o Solar Space Dock o Jupiter Space Dock o Uranus Space Dock o Saturn Space Dock o Neptune Space Dock ═══ 4.11. Research Labs ═══ There are 6 properties in the Research Lab Monopoly. They are: o Jupiter Research Lab o Uranus Research Lab o Venus Research Lab o Saturn Research Lab o Neptune Research Lab o Earth Research Lab