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MS-TREK 1.0 Introduction This is, by far, the best STARTREK adventure game available today. It should run on all MS-DOS computers (including, of course, the IBM- PC). Have fun!! Registration If you find this program useful, please send $15.00 to: MapleLeaf Software P.O. Box 461 Kenilworth, N.J. 07033 Those who register will receive a brand new murder mystery adventure game, styled like Infocom's Deadline. This game runs on all MS-DOS computers and will be supplied on an IBM-PC format disk. The quality of this game is comparable to MS-TREK. Also, registrants will receive notice of MS-TREK 2.0 and will have the right to upgrade for the price of $10.00. MS-TREK 2.0 is intended as a commercial undertaking and will include improvements such as: -Fleet action. You will be able to control several starships at once. -Expanded Planet adventures. Instructions GOALS OF THE GAME ----- -- --- ---- The object of this STAR TREK game is the same as in many others: try to do unto them before they do unto you! However, "winning" this game is a little different from some of the others. Disabling enemy ships builds points towards a win, with the number of points awarded in each case dependent on the ah..."hardiness" of the opponent. If one spends all one's time destroying the weaker enemy ships, it could take several such to win, and at the higher difficulty levels (oh yes, we have those), it may not suffice. As an extra added attraction, the point goal and current score is never displayed, so winning can come somewhat unexpectedly. For those who can't stand the suspense, there is an alternative (whew!): find the * SECRET ENEMY BASE * and destroy it, at which point all remaining enemy ships will wander away sheepishly and concede the game. However, it may prove difficult to find or recognize the enemy base, not to mention destroy it! FURTHER DIFFERENCES FROM OTHER TREK GAMES ------- ----------- ---- ----- ---- ----- In most of the early Star Trek games there is a "universe" divided neatly into "quadrants" with a randomly generated number of ememy ships in each one which stays constant once the game is begun. One simply looks at a galaxy map of the "quadrants" (or whatever) and chooses which one to enter next. (Empty quadrants are, for the most part, fairly boring.) Once inside, the good ship Enterprise confronts the dastardly Klingons and either emerges victorious or has to return for a second round after obtaining sustenance from a nearby starbase. Surprise!! In this version, we have no quadrants, just empty space without nice boundaries. Furthermore, there is no galaxy map. One has no notion of where the enemy are in the beginning, and after finding them, there is no guarantee that they will stay politely in one place (or one scan area) for very long. (Afterall, star ships can move along at a pretty good pace when they want to...) As a result of this philosophy, the scan maps in this game will always show the Enterprise in the center of the grid (just like radar). To make life interesting, the scans may not always provide accurate or helpful information about certain enemy ships. A major difference between this game and several others is the manner in which commands are entered to move the ship from place to place. Suffice it to say that the author in playing many other versions of TREK became somewhat frustrated in spending the time necessary to compute correct angles of trajectory (or even to have the ship's onboard computers do so). In this TREK, there are no angles to compute. Instead, there are vectors, which means that Captains simply have to enter a vertical and a horizontal displacement. The lengths of the vectors are easily determined, even for the most brain weary of commanders trying to play the game at three in the morning (like myself). The same method spills over into calculating the destinations for those nice torpedoes, which is comforting if one is somewhat clumsy in using them around starbases. (Starfleet command can only lose a few bases due to their Captains' problems with aim before they get notably upset.) Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the enemy ships in this particular version are not satisfied with pounding on the poor Enterprise for their entertainment. In fact, since we are dealing with rather large distances in space, a majority of the enemy at any one point in time are nowhere near the Enterprise. Consequently, they need something else to do. Captains should not be suprised if they are called upon to help a starbase in trouble. COMMAND ENTRY ------- ----- There are 12 commands, each of which is expected to be a single character input at the number sign (#) prompt. This means that there is no need for, and there never should be, a RETURN keypress at the end of the input. A list of the commands follow, with the parentheses indicating that the first letter, only, is to be typed: (S)can (D)eflectors (C)omputers (I)mpulse (W)arp (P)hasers (T)orps (F)ix (B)eam down (L)aunch/(L)and shuttle (H)elp with commands (E)nd the game (with save option) After entering the initial command, one of several options is usually expected. In all cases the choice of option is to be followed by a RETURN. If one of the 12 main commands is entered by mistake, one can usually cancel it and get back to the # prompt by hitting the RETURN key by itself on the line. The exceptions are the Impulse and Warp commands which can both be cancelled by entering: 0,0. Upper or lower case is accepted in most instances, except for the options within the Fix command. Hitting the RETURN key at the # prompt will yield a short list of the 12 one letter commands. For all commands expecting a subsequent character option, hitting a wrong key will simply result in a list of the available choices. Entering weird numbers for those commands expecting a numeric input could result in serious consequences for the Enterprise and her crew. So be careful!! Of the 12 commands listed above, three never result in a "turn being taken", so one need not worry about getting plastered while gathering simple statistics or whatever. These are the Scan, Deflectors, and Computer commands. One other, the Fix command, can be used with impunity only while docked at a starbase and in certain other locations. See the Fix command for more details. All other commands give the enemy at least one stardate to get even. INDIVIDUAL COMMAND EXPLANATIONS ---------- ------- ------------ --> (S)can Options: (S)hort (I)ntermediate (L)ong (R)omulans The SCAN command is used a great deal for obvious reasons. It provides information about surrounding areas of space (or rather, objects therein) so that commanders can decide whether to approach, stay put, or to run away!! The SHORT and INTERMEDIATE scan options will result in the typical square grid of dots hereafter designated as "sectors". As already mentioned above, the Enterprise is always in the center of the grid. Movement in space by the ship, followed by a subsequent SHORT or INTERMEDIATE range scan will result in a different orientation for surrounding objects, if any are in range. Some objects may consequently move into or out of range. The Enterprise, enemy ships, bases, and other objects are depicted by letters that will become obvious to the player. The difference between the SHORT and INTERMEDIATE scans is simply the size of the grid. There is no difference in scale. The important thing to note is that the effective range of weapons is within the INTERMEDIATE scan area. The short range scan was included as a convenience to minimize the time for displaying the grid when objects are known to be at a short distance (a major factor for slow terminals). The LONG range scan option provides information about the area of space roughly within a 30 sector radius of the ship. However, a LONG range scan will NOT be able to identify WHAT is out there, only the object's position vis-a-vis the Enterprise and its approximate distance. The results of a LONG range scan is expressed in terms of sectors relative to the Enterprise. Therefore, a LONG range scan can be very useful for determining: -Torpedo firing vectors. -Impulse commands to direct ship to bases, planets, etc. -Shuttle ship maneuvering. The LONG range scan reports all objects, not just enemy ships that are in the area. (There are numerous Starfleet tales about novice Captains very carefully stalking an "unknown" only to discover that they had been sneaking up on one of their own bases.) HINT: Taking successive LONG range scans after moving very short distances can often indicate whether or not the object of interest is a stationary body. An enemy ship will often be moving or disappear from the scan display altogether. (The latter is not a bug. The ship has probably engaged its warp drive... probably....) The last scan option, the scan for ROMULANS is a special request that Mr. Spock try to "sense" if there are any nearby. The reason for this is that the devious Romulans have a cloaking device that renders all of the Enterprise scanners useless. (That is why the extra "probably" in the paragraph above.) Romulans do not necessarily have to stay cloaked. In fact they tend to become "uncloaked" at the most inopportune times. The SCAN for Romulans command ignores those that are clearly visible by standard scanning means and is only designed for those that are currently in a CLOAKED condition. Spock, however, cannot provide their exact position. (This does not mean that one cannot discover where a cloaked Romulan is by other methods. It is necessary to be very close.) --> (D)eflectors Options: an integer value up to 2000 or hitting the RETURN key for a report The DEFLECTORS command is used for two purposes: first, to put energy in the shields and second, to obtain a report on energy levels both in the shields and in the general energy reserves. HINT: The shields at the start of the game have ZERO energy!! Do not forget to put them up before blindly wandering into unknown territory. (It is possible in the higher difficulty games to lose in one move... I have done it!!) To continue, the ship's energy is used for moving, for firing the phasers, and for the deflectors. Putting a certain amount of energy in the deflectors at the beginning of the game subtracts that amount from the general energy pool. To return some energy to the general pool, simply hit the D key and enter a value that is smaller than the existing shield level. The amount entered will become the new shield level and the difference will automatically be added back into the general supply. To get a report of existing energy levels, hit the D key followed by a RETURN. The display will show the deflector energy followed by the general "quarks available" value. There is no shield leakage, so it is usually wise to keep the deflectors at their maximum 2000 level. When the Enterprise is hit by enemy weapons, a certain amount of energy, depending on several factors, is lost from the deflectors. The main factors are distance from the enemy ships and the game difficulty level. There is no damage to the ship until the cumulative hits exceed the energy value in the deflectors. At that point, damage can occur to one or more of the ship's devices. It is possible under battle conditions to repeatedly add more energy to the deflectors, but this will eventually result in there not being enough "gasoline" to engage the warp engines in order to get back to a starbase. Time and experience is required to gage how long it is expedient to remain in a battle. Sometimes just one more good strike might suffice to destroy an enemy ship, and the risk in staying for one more move is worth it. On the other hand, that one more move can have equally disastrous effects on the Enterprise or her energy levels. The worst situation is when the deflectors, themselves, become one of the items damaged. Then there is really no choice but to limp away to some safe place for repairs. In addition, the energy reserves of the starbases are also used in their defense. If the Enterprise does not respond in a timely fashion to a cry for help, it is possible to return to a starbase that is in little better condition than the Enterprise, herself. --> (C)omputers Options: (W)here (D)amage (B)ases (T)orps left The COMPUTERS command provides further information that can be usesful during play. This is the last of the commands which under all circumstances does not utilize a turn. Most of the options are self- explanatory. The WHERE option yeilds the coordinates of the Enterprise in space. Although these are also provided as part of the SCAN command, the WHERE option can be used to get a quick check on one's position for the purpose of calculating the next movement or whatever. The WHERE option takes significantly less time than a full SCAN. Sometimes the WHERE option of the COMPUTERS command is ALL one has available if the SCANNERS have been knocked out! It is possible to get back to a base or even hit an enemy ship with the COMPUTERS, but not the SCANNERS, operational. (For more information about the coordinate system, see the IMPULSE command, below.) The DAMAGE option gives a report of all damaged devices on the ship and the extent of the damage in terms of a UNIT count for each device. The number of units of damage translates into a certain amount of time required to fix the device (usually). This is further explained in the FIX command. The BASES option of the COMPUTERS command simply displays the coordinates of all friendly Starfleet bases using the same notation as in the WHERE option. The only difference is that starbases are stationary. The game will always begin with three bases, but each will have a randomly generated amount of energy and torpedoes. As was mentioned earlier, bases can come under enemy attack just like the Enterprise. However, bases, having no maneuverability, are very poor at the offensive and rely primarily on strong shields. Using the shields depletes energy that could otherwise go to the Enterprise later in the game. Therefore, ignoring pleas for help from a base can be damaging unless there is good reason. Sometimes, however, the enemy will attack a base as a diversion. The Enterprise can arrive to find that all enemy ships have quickly left the area. (HINT: It is a good idea to write down the BASE coordinates. If it is vital to get back to a base and the computers are down, it could prove difficult.) The TORPS option yeilds a report of the number of torpedoes the Enterpise has left. The maximum number the ship can carry is 15. -->(I)mpulse Options: vertical displacement,horizontal displacement (integer values) The IMPULSE command is for moving the ship relatively short distances in space. To be more precise, this usually means a change in position to one of the other "sectors" or dots seen within a short or intermediate range scan. The total game area consists of 18,225 such sectors arranged in a 135 X 135 matrix. The matrix should be conceptualized as a two dimensional integer array like in many programming languages. The elements of the matrix are numbered starting at (1,1) in the upper left-hand corner. The first value "I" in any (I,J)'th location represents the vertical postion in the matrix and the second value "J" represents the horizontal position. The WHERE and BASES options display the Enterprise or starbase locations as absolute positions within the matrix, such as postion 10,125. (This would be in the upper right-hand area of the matrix.) To use the IMPULSE command, however, one enters two integer values separated by a comma which when added to the Enterprise's current position coordinates would yield the correct new ones. To reiterate, one does not use absolute sector coordinates with the IMPULSE command, but rather, the appropriate displacement vectors. It will take a while to get used to this system, but it will soon become very easy. All one has to do is to count the number of dots in the short or intermediate scans, from the Enterprise to the location one wants to move, first in the vertical and then in the horizontal directions, keeping track of the correct sign. Below is an example of a short range scan with some arbitrarily chosen locations for the Enterprise to move, depicted by the numbers 1 to 4. The number 4 position shows the minimum movement necessary to dock at the starbase in this particular situation. On the right are the appropriate values to enter after initiating the IMPULSE command. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . To move to location 1 enter: -3,-1 . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . To move to location 2 enter: -2,4 . . . . E . . . . . . . . . . . . . To move to location 3 enter: 2,-3 . 3 . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . B . . To move to location 4 enter: 2,1 . . . . . . . . . Notice that this system is NOT the same as in standard Cartesian coordinate geometry due to the fact that the "true" origin of the much larger "galaxy", if you will, is always in the direction of the upper left-hand corner of the scan. Just remember that moving upwards and to the left will result in a set of absolute galaxy coordinates that are smaller, and consequently the sign of the IMPULSE vectors are always negative. Conversely, moving down and to the right will result in coordinates that are closer to the bottom of the array (135,135), and so the IMPULSE command entries must always be positive. The IMPULSE command takes 10 UNITS of energy for every sector moved. In addition, the enemy gets a turn for every 5 sectors moved. If one is moving horizontally to the right, for example, it is easy to see that in order to keep the enemy to one turn, the maximum value the IMPULSE command could be is: 0,5. When moving diagonally, however, keep in mind that the square root law is utilized so that the maximum distance allowable for one turn would be for example: 3,4 or perhaps: 4,3. (The square root of (4x4)+(3x3) = 5.) When IMPULSING to a starbase it is not necessary to move to the same sector, only to one adjacent to it. Nevertheless, it is possible to IMPULSE to the same sector as another object. A subsequent scan will always show the other object and not the Enterprise. --> (W)arp Options: absolute vertical coordinate,absolute horizontal coordinate (two integers from 1 to 135 separated by a comma) The WARP command is used to travel large distances very quickly. Unlike the IMPULSE command, the values entered are NOT relative to the current position of the Enterprise, but rather represent the absolute coordinate position in the matrix. To move to the bottom left-hand corner of the "galaxy", for example, one would hit the W key for the WARP command and then enter: 135,1. WARPING always gives the enemy one turn and requires 100 units of energy regardless of the distance. There is only one small catch to using the WARP engines. The calculations involved in figuring out just where and when to enter and leave "hyperspace" yield only approximate results. Therefore, one can expect there to be some error in where the Enterprise actually emerges in real space. The error can be as much as 7 sectors in the vertical and/or horizontal planes, but will usually be less. (HINT: Enemy ships tend to react somewhat differently to the Enterprise depending on whether she has just IMPULSED or just WARPED, and also depending on whether she was in or out of scan range.) --> (P)hasers Options: energy output (integer value up to the amount in the general energy pool) The PHASERS in this version of TREK are almost identical to those in other versions of the game. Hit the P key and then enter the amount of energy desired. For large blasts, energy may first have to be taken out of the deflectors. NOTE: the lowest the deflectors can be taken once they have been put up, is 1 unit of energy. (This can be very dangerous.) The magnitude of the damage on enemy ships decreases with distance, but the unit hit value can actually be larger than the amount entered for very close enemy ships. The PHASER weapons are recommended when one is surrounded by several ships at one time. (However, it may prove wiser to leave!) They are also useful against one ship if it is very close. For one ship that is far away, see the TORPS command below. One does not have to worry about using PHASERS around starbases. The onboard computers are smart enough to know that they are friendly. (HINT: If a "BALLISTICS CONTROL- UNSUCCESSFUL LOCK ON TARGET" message ever appears, it is a good idea to ask Spock if there are any cloaked Romulans lurking about the area.) --> (T)orps Options: (first prompt line): number to fire (second prompt line): number of targets (if > 1 above) (third prompt line): coordinates 1st ship (fourth prompt line): coordinates 2nd ship (if > 1 above) The TORPS command is the other weapon available to starship Captains. Torpedoes, unlike phasers, do not decrease in striking power with distance. They will render a 1000 unit hit on an enemy ship per torp absorbed. Before anyone gets too excited, however, it must be stated that the Enterprise can only fire two torps in any one turn. The first prompt after entering T for the TORPS command will ask how many torpedoes should be fired. After entering 0, 1, or 2, hit RETURN. If more than two are specified, Scotty will issue an appropriate snide comment. If one torp was specified, the next prompt line will ask for the relative coordinates of the enemy ship. If two torps was the response, the next prompt line will ask for the number of enemy ships to be attacked. It can be seen that the player has the option of sending both torps after one ship or dividing them between two. After entering 1 or 2 ships, hit RETURN. (If anyone enters 3, I suggest that they save the game and go to bed!) The final one or two prompt lines, depending on how many enemy ships are involved, will request the enemy ship coordinates. These are entered really as vectors exactly as in the IMPULSE command. Simply count the number of sectors to the enemy ship in the vertical direction making sure to use the correct sign. Then count the number of sectors in the horizontal direction and enter them separated by a comma. If there is a second enemy ship involved, put only one set of coordinates on the first input line as there will be another. Below, is a SHORT range scan display showing the Enterprise and two enemy ships. Try to calculate the appropriate firing vectors, then check the answers on the right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K . To get the Klingon here the TORP command . . . . . . . . . coordinates would be: -3,3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . To get the Romulan here the TORP command . . . . . . . . . coordinates would be: 4,-2. . . R . . . . . . The best way to calculate the co-ordinates to fire torpedos is to use the LONG range scan option (see above). --> (F)ix Options: SR SENSORS IR SENSORS LR SENSORS IMPULSE ENGINES WARP ENGINES PHASER BANKS TORPEDO TUBES DEFLECTORS COMPUTERS ALL DONE The FIX command is necessary, unfortunately, after some... ah... not so successful engagements with the enemy. It is possible to selectively fix just certain crucial devices or, to fix everything at once with the "ALL" option. Actually, in typing the individual device names, it is only necessary to enter the first letter of the name. Exceptions are the IR SENSORS and the IMPULSE ENGINES which begin with the same first letter and so require two. Since the design of a starship is very, very complex, it is not a trivial matter to repair damage. It requires the concentrated effort of a large number of the crew to accomplish the task. As a result, the Enterprise is somewhat "dead in the water" until the repair work is finished. In point of fact, it takes one stardate or turn to fix every 100 units of damage. A list of the amount of damage is given by the D option within the COMPUTERS commmand. It should be apparent that it would not be a good idea to fix a significant number of units worth of damage while surrounded. After the enemy took their allotted number of turns, the Enterprise could easily be in worse shape than before the repairs began. The best idea is to try to make it back to a starbase where there are much better facilities. Using the "ALL" option while docked is heartily recommended in most instances, as the base technicians will finish in less than a stardate. (HINT: There may be other areas where this is possible.) Of course, if the WARP or IMPULSE engines are one of the devices damaged, then getting back to a base or wherever can be rather difficult. At this juncture there are four options: knock out the remaning nearby enemy ships and fix the engines in peace, fix the engines and survive subsequent attacks, fix the engines and then lose the game, or, do no fixing at all and still go on to possibly win the game. (Good luck on figuring out this last one, but it is indeed possible.) --> (B)eam down Options: none really, accept to abort the attempt The BEAM DOWN command is for Captains who wish to leave the ship for some reason. The Enterprise has a very reliable transporter mechanism for this purpose. I am not going to say too much about this command for fear of spoiling all the fun. (HINT: it is possible to BEAM onto just about anything as long as the Enterprise is close enough to it.) --> (L)aunch shuttle craft Options: similar to BEAM DOWN The Enterprise has a neat excursion ship known as the SHUTTLE CRAFT. This little gem is for Captains that are fobic about the transporter device (like certain medical personnel), or it can be used if one is bored with the Enterprise and simply wants to be by oneself for a while. It has its own set of instruments and capabilities (or lack of them, depending on how one looks at it). I suggest that all Captains take the shuttle out for a spin to become more familiar with how it handles, in case the need should suddenly arise. Once one is out in space, alone, the way to get back aboard the dear old Enterprise is to IMPULSE to the same sector that the Enterprise is occupying. The shuttle craft docking procedure will be automatic. I should also mention that while one is off on some sojourn in the shuttle, that reports concerning what is happening to the mother ship will be sent to its anxiously awaited Captain. However, the latter has to be onboard the Enterprise (in this version of the program) for any commmands to be effective. In other words, while the Captain is out fooling around in the shuttle, the Enterprise is a sitting DUCK! --> (L)and the shuttle Options: nill - GOOD LUCK!!!! Observant readers will notice that this command begins with the same letter as the last one, which is interesting given that the program is expecting single character input. Not to worry... the LAND command only works if one is inside the shuttle. I will not say too much about the landing routine except that many have done it before. --> (H)elp Options: a command summary and then this document, if it is desired. --> (E)nd Options: hit RETURN to go back to the game if E command was a mistake save the game, yes or no start a new game, yes or no There are two points that should be mentioned about the SAVE the game option. First, it is sometimes a good idea to save the game before trying a really risky move. In this way, if the game is immediately lost as a consequence, it is possible to go back and try a different tact without having to start a whole new game. Second, the player can use any valid filename for saving the game, so be careful of control characters. At least, be sure to remember them. To play a saved game, simply run the beginning program and enter "O" for old game when the choice between new and old is given. A second prompt will appear for the OLD game filename. Be sure to enter it exactly as it was saved, including upper or lower case. Hints 1) Be sure to use the LONG range scan for torpedo control. It is far EASIER than counting the sectors. 2) The key to winning is to find and explore each Planet. There are goodies on several of them and trouble on others. 3) The tracking device must be planted on an Enemy ship. Good luck!! 4) On one of the Planets, you will find a mini-adventure game. Some of the commands that should be used are: SIT NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST NORTHEAST SOUTHEAST NORTHWEST SOUTHWEST F B S 5) Finally, if the program has not come out blatantly with the message that "YOU HAVE LOST", there may STILL be a way to win even if things look quite bleak... given the right set of circumstances and courses of action,. Look for clues. They are there. Good luck!