Into the Void is a strategy management game, pitting you against up to eight
other human or computer players fighting for universal domination.
Once you have completed the installation of the program and set up the
necessary parameters, you are ready to begin playing. Select the number of
computer opponents that you will be fighting against. In this demo version,
there are a maximum of 5 opponents that you can choose from (network play
and email games are disabled in this demo as well) - and a 50 turn limit.
Select both your race and skill level, as well as those of your computer
opponents. You are now ready to take over the universe!
The game uses a series of Palette Menus that are area specific. Both the
left and right mouse buttons have different menus associated with them.
When you begin the game, the display will be at the Map screen.
*****LEFT MOUSE BUTTON AT THE MAP SCREEN (on a planet or in empty space):
Left-clicking on the map screen will bring up a Palette menu. The four main
options are, clockwise from the top; Zoom Out, Quadrant/System toggle,
Zoom In, and Go to Object.
If the cursor is over a planet when you press the left mouse button,
you will also see a sixth option that appears at the top of the Palette menu.
It will either be the Planet Information icon or the Start Intel Mission icon.
The Planet Information icon is a question mark. Click on this to get and modify
specific information about the planet. If the planet is unexplored or occupied by another player, the Start Intel Mission icon appears instead of the Planet Information Icon. Select this
icon to gather data about the planet and its ruler.
*****LEFT MOUSE BUTTON ON A FLEET OR SHIP:
Clockwise from top, the icons are; Fleet Info, Move Fleet, Fleet Attack,
Zoom Out, Quadrant/System Toggle, Zoom In, Load/Unload Colonists, and Fleet
Go to Object
*****LEFT MOUSE BUTTON ON ANY WINDOW IN THE PLANET DATA SCREEN:
Clockwise from top, the icons are; Structure Information, Destroy Structure,
This menu can be accessed from any screen in the game with the right mouse
button. The palette options are, clockwise from the top; Game Options,
Mineral Stores, Databases, End Turn, Player Information, Ship Design,
and Diplomacy.
* To activate any icon in any menu, simply left click the mouse when the
cursor is on the desired icon.
Game Play:
You'll probably be spending most of your time in the Planet Data Screen,
managing your colonists. This screen will show you how many free colonists
you can put to work in one of your six industries, as well as showing
how many MegaCredits you have amassed. The six industries are as follows:
Agro Facility - This structure is absolutely vital for planet growth. The
more people you have here, the larger a population you can support. As you
research new technology in the labs, your Agro Facilities become more
productive.
Mines - Necessary to build starships. Without the proper minerals, certain
levels of technology will be unavailable. It's a lot cheaper to mine items
yourself than to buy them from the Galactic Exchange!
Factory - This is where all your ships are built. Assign workers to whatever
projects you choose. But choose wisely, some advanced projects may take too
long to complete and could hinder your chances at success. You design your
ships using the right mouse button and the Ship Design icon (located at about 9
o'clock on the Palette menu). Then, to put that design into production,
simply left click on the ship picture in the subscreen of the factory menu
to select the design you want to use.
Military Base - Military bases will stop both enemy ship attacks and defend
against ground troops attacking you. Essential on your homeworld.
Intel Base - Once you have people in your Intel Base, you can launch
intelligence missions from the Map screen. Simply click on another planet
or fleet, and let your spies gather information or steal advanced technology.
If a neighboring planet is uninhabited, then your spies will investigate and
tell you whether or not you can start a satellite colony there.
Research Base - Although both expensive and time consuming, advancing the
technology available is one of the best ways to increase your dominance
throughout the galaxy.
After you have made all your moves for your turn, use the Global Palette
menu (right mouse click) and choose 'End Turn'.
****GENERAL HINTS
To build your population up as soon as possible, you should put more people
into the Agricultural Industry. Then, as your population grows, start a
basic ship design (right mouse click, then click on the icon located at the 9 o'clock
position) and put some people in the Factory (in Planet Data Screen) to start
building your new ship. To add weapons or extra items to a ship, simply
click the empty spaces to see what equipment you have available to add.
Send an Intel team to any neighboring planets to see if your technology levels
will support a colony of your people there (left mouse click on any unexplored
planet, select the Intel icon at about 9 o'clock). If the planet is suitable,
start shuttling people over and build up the new planet's population.
Remember to build some Agro facilities when you first arrive, to keep your
colonists alive!
To check out where you are in the universe, use the left mouse button at the
Map screen and select System/Quadrant toggle. This takes you from a Solar
System view to the Universe view.
When your turn begins, to quickly go to the Planet Data screen, simply left-
click on the planet you wish to view in the Player Information box.
Giving your initial ship lots of weapons or sensors isn't a good idea, as
these items take up valuable space that could hold colonists going to
the next settlement.
If you're being attacked and can't defend yourself too well, try negotiating
a peace treaty or non-aggression pact. (Right mouse click, then click the icon
located at 10 o'clock position)
You can only load Free' colonists to a ship.
Pushing your planet's population above the maximum sustainable is very
dangerous and may result in plagues, food riots, or other undesirable effects.
Avoid this whenever possible.
Study the percentages of each race for the categories listed. The higher the
percentage, the more victory points for that action are awarded. Choose your
character to match your strategy. (Although you can be sneaky about this to
throw your opponents off guard!)
To quickly get back to a particular planet you control, right mouse click
and select Player Information (about 7 o'clock). You can jump straight to
any planet or fleet you control with click of the mouse button.
Due to the depth and complexity of this game, the full 30-page instruction
manual is necessary to give you the full explanation of all the game functions and gameplay nuances. Unfortunately this is not possible to include here. However, if you feel that you need more information,
please do not hesitate to call us for additional support or a copy of the complete manual.
Included in the final version of the game:
SVGA Graphics
All menu icons, industry screens, and planets are animated (Must have more
than 8M RAM)
Fantastic cinematic sequences!
Multiple ending Sequences
Email compatability
LAN compatability
CD Quality Audio Soundtrack
Up to 9 opponents - humans, computers, or a mix of the two
Multiple technology levels
Game can be stopped after a preset number of turns to decide victory, or
you can fight it out for total universal domination.
Runs in WIN95 under MS-DOS mode
Players can drop out in the middle of a game without ruining the game for
