PCPP Game Guide 2/PCPP_GG2.iso/PCPP/strategy/overlord.txt

Text File | 1998-06-02 | 24KB | 454 lines

                             Instruction Manual

                                For OVERLORD

                             Virgin Mastertronic



What is Overlord?
=================
 Overlord is a single-player strategy-simulation game that offers you
 the chance to battle for economic and military domination in four planet
 systems. As a commander, you are personally responsible for managing
 resources, purchasing equipment, governing people, overseeing mining and
 farming, developing military, training troops, planning campaigns, and
 directing battles.

 Four alien commanders, one in each planet system, seek to defeat you.
 Your ultimate goal is to crush all four opponents by conquering their
 bases, therby protecting your home universe from the threat of invasion.
 Strategic skills are called for - both as commander-in-chief and as
 director of economic policies. Moral decisions also have to be taken;
 for instance, are you prepared to starve your people to death, tax them
 totally out of pocket and sacrifice them without mercy to the alien forces
 in order to hold onto power?  Or do you see yourself as a beneficient
 ruler, who cares for the health and welfare of your subjects?

Mastering The Task
==================
 Overlord is an involved game - success is unlikely to come without
 practice and a thourough understanding of control methods. Make full use
 of the save game facility: the more difficult planet systems take a lot of
 completing, and its worth saving your position regularly in case the enemy
 forces make sudden, rapid gains. The chance to go back to a position and
 try another strategy is the only advantage you have over life in the real
 world. Use it while you learn the skils of galactic domination.

Using This Guide
================
 This documentation contains all the information you need to master
 Overlord. Read the Game objectives and use the Quick Reference Guide
 (Quickref.doc) to get going if you dont like finding your way around a
 manual before starting play - dip into the glossary (Glossary.txt) for
 more detailed descriptions of the craft and equipment you will encounter
 in the game, read Know Thine Enemy for more information on your alien
 opponents and their styles of play, then return to this manual when you
 need more detailed information.

 If you prefer the more methodical approach, follow the Quick Start Tour.
 It guides you step-by-step through  the first stages of laying the
 foundations for a stable empire in the Hitotsu planet system.

 The control section explains in detail how to manipulate the cursor
 driven Control Screens. The Mission Background chapter offers advice and
 tips on developing a strategy, the Managing Resources section will help
 you develop a sound economy, and the Overlord Questions Answered will be
 a useful source of help if you need to do some trouble-shooting.

The History of Epsilon...
=========================
 The only sure way to consolidate your position as a despot - an
 absolute ruler - is to rule absolutely. Your family has spent generations
 ensuring that the rule of the Dynasty of Mark is unassailable in the
 Epsilon galaxy.

 A new threat to the stability of your rule has recently arisen. Reality
 is not what it seems...

 Research scientist working on new inter-planetary drive systems for your
 craft made a major breakthrough intheir understanding of space - with
 worrying consequences. In pursuit of a hyperdrive mechanism that would
 allow ships to take dimensional short-cuts on the route from A to B,
 scientist discovered entire new dimensions, in fact Hitotsu, Futatsu,
 Mittsu, and Yottsu - each cloaked in a different reality and containing
 6, 14 or 30 barren planets. Four new planet systems...

 A few exploratory forays revealed that these planet systems appeared to
 be buffer zones that act as an uninhabited middle ground between your home
 universe and alien dimensions that lie beyond them. Each planet system can
 be accessed directly from Starbase, the planet at the heart of epsilon,
 your solar system - activating the hyperdrive system on Starbase and
 setting the appropriate co-ordinates caused Starbase to sppear at the edge
 of one of the buffer planet systems.

 During an exploratory foray into Hitotsu, the 6-planet system, a sudden
 change was noticed - another planet had materialized. Rapidly activated
 scanning systems revealed that there were now eight planets in the system
 - Starbase, the six arid planets that had always been there, and the new
 arrival - which showed all the signs of harboring sentinent life.

 Jumping back through the hyperdrive portal to your own reality to
 consider this new development, you decided to pay a visit to the other
 three universes - and found that the planet count in each of them had
 increased by one. It looked like someone else from somewhere else had just
 made the same discovery as you and was now entering the four new planet
 systems.

 Then you decided to take another look at the Hitotsu system;
 co-ordinates were set on the hyperdrive plant, the activate switch thrown
 - and the transition was made without any energy consumption. Starbase
 transcended the dimentional barriers and had become a permanent part of
 Hitotsu, a system that now contains eight planets.

 A worrying prospect indeed - this permanent link between Hitotsu and
 Epsilon opened you to the threat of attack. Fearing the worst, you
 hurriedly set co-ordinates for Futatsu, Mittsu, and Yottsu - and
 discovered that they too were now permanetly linked to your home universe.

 Four alien dimensions are now linked to Epsilon via four planet system.
 Your absolute rule might soon be under threat from four alien
 civilivations. Civilizations that could the barren planets in each of the
 new systems to stockpile arms and equipment before mounting a devastating
 attack on Epsilon through the permanently-open portal that starbase has
 now become. A worrying prospect indeed - but what can be done to ensure
 the safety of your hard-won empire?

 There is only one course of action - to go on the offensive and do unto
 the four alien civilizations what they most certainly want to do unto you
 - only do it first, and do it quickly.

 While appropriate military operations were put underway, diplomatic teams
 were dispatched to the alien planets in Hitotsu, Futatsu, Mittsu, and
 Yottsu. Basic non-aggression pacts were agreed, a few spies left behind,
 and an uneasy peace initiated. Well, at least the treaties have bought you
 some time, time that can be used to get ready.

 Armament manufacturing plants are working flat-out, producing craft and
 equipment. You have examined all the options. Now it's time to go on the
 offensive...

THE GAME OBJECTIVES
===================
 You are the commander and supreme leader of Epsilon, a universe located at
 the very edge of space. Scientific research into a new dimension-busting
 hyperdrive has had a rather unfortunate side effect - your Starbase is now
 permanently linked to and part of four barren planet systems: Hitotsu,
 Futatsu, Mittsu, and Yottsu. Each of the four planet systems acts as a
 buffer zone, and is linked to one of the four new dimensions that are
 populated by alien civilizations.

 Clearly, this situation introduces an unwelcome instability into your life
 as the commander of Epsilon - suddenly, there are new dimensions for you
 to conquer. And new dimensions which, without doubt, harbor alien races
 just as eager to conquer your home system, Epsilon.

 Your investigations have established that the four alien races, like your
 own people, are organized under a dictatorial system of government. Your
 opponents Wotok, Smine, Krart, and Rorn have established bases in the
 buffer planet systems which are now known as Hitotsu, Futatsu, Mittsu, and
 Yottsu respectively.

 Your objective is to become the supreme ruler of each of the four planet
 systems. Only when all four systems are totally under your control can you
 feel safe from the threat of alien attack.

 And once you have control of a planet system, you can concentrateon
 amassing troops and resources there, ready for an invasion of the alien
 dimension that lies beyond... But such plans are of the future, are are
 outside the scope of Overlord 1. The first priority is securing the safety
 of Epsilon.

Victory Conditions
==================
 Overlord offers four campaigns: the battles for control of Hitotsu,
 Futatsu, Mittsu, and Yottsu. Victory in each campaign is yours if you can
 gain control of the alien base located at the opposite end of the planet
 system to Starbase; conversely, victory falls to the alien commander if he
 can wrest Starbase from your grasp.

 There is no time limit set on a campaign - the struggle continues until
 you quit the mission or one side wins. Once a campaign has been started you
 cannot introduce additional resources from elsewhere, but it is possible to
 ship craft and military equipment from Epsilon to help your war effort.
 Naturally, such equipment has to be paid for, and in order to maintain the
 inter-dimensional equilibrium, appropriate resources may also have to be
 shipped back to Epsilon in exchange for equipment.

 Food, Fuel, Energy, Credits, Minerals and people are present on Starbase
 when a campaign begins and are the economic Resources that need to be
 managed with care if you are to succeed. Neutral planets can be colonized
 and enemy planets can be conquered. Remember, when a planet is under your
 control, you can extract Resources that are useful to the war effort.

Choosing A Planet System
========================
 The four missions can be attempted in any order you choose, and an
 individual mission can be attempted as many times as you like (although the
 start conditions vary slightly each time).

 Hitotsu contains 8 planets and you are up against a fairly inept alien
 commander. Futatsu contains 16 planets, and you compete against an alien
 life-form that is rather more experienced at government and the strategies
 of war. Mittsu contains 32 planets and you fight a highly-experienced
 opponent who is well-versed in the skills of government and military
 strategy.

 Obviously, the more planets there are in a system, the more complex the
 task managing Resources and deploying your military forces becomes.

 The ultimate challenge is presented by Yottsu, another 32-planet system.
 The creature you challenge there is remarkably sophisticated at the arts
 of war and government - you will find him impossible to overthrow unless
 you have trained yourself thoroughly in the other arenas first.

 When you first enter a planet system, Starbase is a functional colony -
 but the Resources you find on Starbase are limited, and you do not have an
 army. Your opponent, however, has been busy, anticipating the start of
 hostilities. Your first objective must be to assess the task that lies
 ahead.

 Then you have to develop your own strategies for success.

 The information you need to develop your skills as a player of Overlord
 is in this manual. Once you have mastered the control system, serious play
 can begin.

CONTROLLING OVERLORD
====================

MAIN SCREEN
===========
 This is the screen that appears when you first enter one of the four planet
 systems. From here, you access controls available to you during play,
 receive messages on the video teleprinter console, and gain an overview of
 the progress of the game.

 Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, one click on the right mouse
 button returns you here (Unless you are right in the middle of buying or
 renaming something, in which case the right mouse button will be temporarily
 used as the ENTER key. Two clicks of the right mouse button will get you to
 the Main Screen.)

The System Map
==============
 An at-a-glance guide to how things are going in the current solar system.

 Your Starbase is at the bottom of the map and the enemy's base is at the
 top. The colored dots that orbit around the axis of the star map represents
 the planets: red represents a planet under control of the enemy; blue
 represents a neutral, unformatted planet; white indicates a planet that is
 being formatted, either by you or the enemy. A dot that flashes between
 green and red indicates a planet that is currently embroiled in battle.
 Your opponents face appears in silhouette behind the System Map - the
 clearer you can see him, the closer he is to victory.

Planet Information
==================
 The icon at the top left of the System Map display calls up basic
 information on the current planet - it's worth remembering that the larger
 a planet is, the longer it takes to format. This icon also gives a
 breakdown on the status of the entire planet system, revealing the number
 of planets under your control, the number of planets under enemy control
 and the number of planets that have yet to be formatted.

Home Key
========
 The icon at the bottom left of the System Map display is the 'home key' -
 click on it to move the planet cursor directly to Starbase.

Pause and Sound Controls
========================
 Click on the ear to toggle sound effects on or off. Clicking on the hand
 pauses the game, and the icon becomes silver-colored - click on it again,
 or click the left mouse button to resume play.

Control Panel
=============
 Clicking on these icons gives access to the other Control Screens within
 Overlord. Learn to recognize these icons - they also appear on other
 screens, where they allow you to go directly to another Control Screen
 without returning to the Main Screen first.

THE PLANET TYPES
================
 Volcanic - Horticultural Stations and Solar Satellites work here, but the
 real gains are made if you set up mining operations. A basic Mining Station
 produces five times the yield of Minerals and three times the yield of Fuel
 on a volcanic planet as it does on any other planet type.

 Desert - Farming and Mining operations proceed at normal, basic rates but
 the energy yield from orbiting Solar Satellites is much increased owing to
 the thin atmosphere that cloaks Desert planets - very little Energy is lost
 when it is beamed down to the planets capacitor storage devices.

 Tropical - Normal, basic yields are obtained from Mining Stations and Solar
 Satellites, but as might be expected, you get significantly more food from
 a Horticultural Station when it is installed on a tropical planet as it
 utilizes some of the local flora and fauna in the production of food.

 Metropolis - Starbase is a Metropolis planet. These planets are good
 revenue earners - the quantity of credits per unit of time you recieve from
 setting a given tax rate on a given size of population is much higher on a
 metropolis planet than on any other planet type.

THE PLANET SURFACE
==================
 At any one time, a maximum of nine craft can be located on a given planet -
 there are three spaces in the Docking Bays, and six platforms on the
 surface of the planet itself.

 In order to land a craft from orbit (or before you can buy a craft on
 Starbase) there has to be a vacant Docking Bay available to receive it.
 This may mean launching a craft and parking it in orbit - there's unlimited
 room in the space lanes - or it may mean transferring something from a
 Docking Bay out onto the surface of the planet to make room.

 Remember: Horticultural and Mining Stations only produce Resources when
 they have been moved out on the surface of a planet and activated.

 The Planet Surface Screen allows you to move craft between the six
 platforms on the planet and the three Docking Bays. To move a craft out,
 click on its name in the Docking Bay panel. To move it back into a vacant
 Docking Bay, click on the visual representation of the craft that appears
 when it occupies a surface platform.

 And to turn on a Mining or Horticultural Station, simply click once on the
 'ON/OFF' toggle switch... you may need to check all your Mining and
 Horticultural Stations after a cosmic storm or energy failure - they have
 a nasty habit of switching themselves off and going unnoticed until stores
 have dropped dangerously low.

MANAGING RESOURCES
==================
 Managing resources is one of the keys to success in Overlord. It is
 important to monitor levels of Food, Energy, Minerals, Fuel, Credits and
 People on all the planets you control. As well as using Resource-creating
 equipment, you should also remember to protect planets that produce
 resources from enemy attack.

 The relative importance of the Resources with which you have to deal
 depends on which of the planet systems you are seeking to conquer, and on
 the strategies you choose to adopt when playing the game.

Credits and Population
======================
 Credits are vital: they are needed to buy weapons for your soldiers when
 you commision your recruits into platoons, and you have to have sufficient
 funds in the Starbase treasury to pay for equipment ordered on the Buy
 Screens.

 The main source of credits is taxation - you can set the tax rate that
 prevails on each of your colonies by accessing the Government Screen, but
 if you set the tax too high on a planet, the population's morale will
 suffer and as a consequence, the rate at which the population increases
 will begin to slow down.

 If the tax rates are too high, population may cease to grow at all, and
 if Food stocks fall below levels needed to sustain population, then people
 start to die. In such an emergency, you can obtain temporary respite by
 moving people into cryogenic storage if you have any craft in the Docking
 Bays of a planet, or into the army if the food shortage occurs on Starbase
 - people in the army or on board a ship do not consume Food.

 Its worth bearing in mind that much higher revenue per unit of time is
 received on a Metropolis planet for a given tax rate, so you may wish to
 concentrate on building the population on Starbase and other Metropolis
 planets you format during a game. It's well worth keeping the population
 level on Starbase as high as you can - it's the only community from which
 you can recruit new soldiers and obtain crew for new ships.

 Credits can also be raised in case of dire emergency by scrapping craft
 on the Docking Bay Screen, or by decommissioning Platoons that are located
 on Starbase (Achieved on the Platoon Management Screen).

 Credits can be shipped back to Starbase from your colonies almost
 instantaneously - clicking on the appropriate icon on the Government
 Screen activates an electronic transfer of funds.

 In order to take advantage of the higher taxation yields on Metropolis
 planets or to ensure a supply of civilians for the draft, you may need to
 move people around a planet system.

Food, Minerals, Fuel and Energy
===============================
 When you start a new game, Starbase is seeded with a quantity of Resources.
 Similarly, when a planet is formatted the Atmosphere Processor delivers
 some basic supplies to the newly-established colony.

 In order to live and multiply in number, people need to consume Food.
 Depending on which planet system you are attempting to conquer, Minerals
 and Energy may be needed back on Starbase to fund purchases made on the Buy
 Screens. Energy is used by Mining Stations and Farming Stations when they
 are operational, and Fuel is needed by most craft to travel through space.

 The only certain way to increase stocks of Food, Minerals, Fuel and Energy
 is to acquire the appropriate equipment and manufacture them, although
 Resources can be captured as the spoils of war.

 Mining Stations produce more Fuel and Minerals when they are sited on
 Volcanic planets, Farming Units produce more Food if they are located on a
 Tropical Planet, and Solar Satellite Generators yield Energy more rapidly
 if they are in orbit around a Desert Planet.

 Significant gains can be made by deploying your Resource-generating
 equipment wisely, establishing colonies that specialize in contributing a
 particular Resource to your overall economy - buy that still leaves the
 problem of transporting Resources to the planets that need them...

Moving Resources Around A Planet System
=======================================
 Ideally, every planet under your control will be totally self-sufficient,
 producing all the Food and Energy it needs to survive, but such equilibrium
 is certainly not easy to achieve, and in certain scenarios, proves
 impossible. From time to time you will need to make an emergency shipment
 of Food, and sometimes Fuel and Energy, form one planet with a surplus to
 another with a pressing shortage.

 While Credits can be moved back from planets under your control to the
 Starbase treasury by clicking on the appropriate icon on the Government
 Screen, you may need to effect a physical transfer of Minerals or Energy
 back to Starbase in order to satisfy the asking price for a piece of
 equipment you want to by.

Relocating Your People
======================
 You may wish to move people from planet to planet - a population might have
 been allowed to dwindle to zero on one of your possessions, or you may wish
 to take advantage of the extra-high yield from taxes that you enjoy on
 Starbase or another Metropolis planet by shipping in some people from less
 economically-rewarding planets. Or you may need to take people back to
 Starbase so they can be drafted into your army.

 With the exception of Credits, Resources are shipped around the planet
 system as cargo. Small amounts can be loaded into the cargo holds of Battle
 Cruisers, Horticultural Stations and Mining Stations, which is worth
 bearing in mind if you are about to make a journey anyway. For real bulk
 transport, however, you need the heavy-duty truck of the spacelanes - a
 Cargo Cruiser.

 The Cargo Bay Screen is used to load and unload cargo and passengers - once
 a ship is in a Docking Bay, you select it by clicking on its name (unless
 it is the only ship in a Docking Bay on the current planet, in which case
 it is automatically selected as the current ship for Cargo Bay operations.)
 Providing a ship has the capacity to carry passengers (check the status
 panel the appears at the top center of the Cargo Bay Screen for details on
 the currently selected craft), people from the population of the current
 planet can be put into cryogenic storage and moved into the passenger
 compartments of the current ship. Click and hold on the appropriate arrow
 in the Passenger Embarkation Icon to effect transfers to and from the
 cryogenic store.

 The large panel to the right of the Cargo Screen contains the Stores
 Display - vertical, green bar-readouts indicate quantities of Food,
 Minerals, Fuel and Energy held in the current planet's stores; red bars
 represent amounts of these Resources that are in the cargo hold of the
 current ship, while green bars show what, if anything, is loaded aboard
 the current craft.

 If capacity remains in the cargo hold of the current ship, clicking on the
 red buttons at the bottom of the display bars moves goods on board.
 Conversly, goods can be unloaded selectively by clicking and holding on
 the appropriate green button. Digital readouts at the base of each column
 reveal the tonnages of each commodity that are on the planet (Green Box)
 and in the holds of the current ship (Red Box).