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WORLD GENERATOR 1.3 By Marcus L. Rowland C/O 22, Westbourne Park Villas, London W2 5EA, ENGLAND Copyright <C> 1987,88,89 Contents page --------------------------------- USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE 2 CONDITIONS OF DISTRIBUTION 2 INTRODUCTION 3 OPERATION 3 MAIN MENU 5 HELP 5 GENERATE NEW SECTOR 5 SAVE SECTOR 6 LOAD OLD SECTOR 7 VIEW A SECTOR 7 ZOOM SYSTEM DETAILS 7 Planetarium 10 EDIT SOLAR SYSTEM 10 SECTOR DATA 13 TUTORIAL 14 ROLLING DEMONSTRATION 14 SPECIAL OPTIONS 14 QUIT 15 ASTRONOMICAL NOTES 16 STAR TYPES 16 GLOSSARY 17 SOURCES 17 PROGRAMMING NOTES 18 8087 VERSION 18 FUTURE PLANS 19 REGISTRATION FORM 20 Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 1 USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE ----------------------- If you like this program, and would like to see improved versions, please register your copy with me at the address above. The registration fee is Five Pounds (Britain and EEC) Ten Dollars (USA) Please make cheques payable to M. L. Rowland. Please specify disk format. If you register, using the form provided in this file, I'll send you the source code of this program. I'll also send you version 2 without charge, and will try to incorporate any suggestions you make for improvements. At the time of writing I can't promise any definite date for version 2; my best guess is that it won't appear until mid-1989. CONDITIONS OF DISTRIBUTION: --------------------------- This program is copyright. However, I do not object to copying of the program on the following conditions; 1: No charge is to be made, over and above reasonable media and duplication charges. 2: The program and related files must be distributed TOGETHER. 3: I reserve the right to remove this program from any user group or commercial library which I feel is making excessive charges, or imposing unacceptable conditions. For this reason, libraries are requested to ask permission before adding it to their stock. 4: It isn't customary to include source code with user supported software; I did so with earlier versions, because I believed that the program was most useful if modified for your preferred game system. I estimate that several hundred copies have now been distributed; so far the only registered users are a few people who ordered the program directly from me. For this reason, I will only supply the source code to registered users; registered users are requested NOT to distribute the source code. They are also asked not to copy parts of the code into other programs without my written permission. 5: Registered users may modify this program for their own purposes, and they are encouraged to customise it for their preferred game system. However, modified forms of the program should not be distributed. You are invited to send me suggestions for improvements and modifications. 6: No guarantee is made that this program is suitable for any application whatsoever, and no responsibility is accepted for any damage that may arise as a result of using this program. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 2 INTRODUCTION ------------ This program produces solar systems for science fiction role playing games, in which each player takes on the persona of a human or alien of the far future, in a universe controlled by a referee. If you're not familiar with the field, think of it as Dungeons and Dragons with spaceships. It IS NOT an accurate astronomical simulation; current theory seems to suggest that the universe is MUCH more hostile than the version this program generates. The most popular SF games are probably Traveller and Traveller 2300 (now retitled 2300 AD; Game Designers Workshop), Star Trek (FASA), Space Opera (FGU), and Star Frontiers (TSR), with another dozen or so available if you shop around. Most of these games use fairly complicated rules for planet design; typically, they take several minutes of dice rolling or calculation per world. Some extreme cases can take several hours per solar system. Usually they don't produce maps, unless the referee sits down with a pencil and paper and draws them from his or her imagination. This program is designed to do this job fairly quickly, and allows generation, storage, and editing of solar systems. It'll draw maps of planets, and is designed with a fairly open (eg simplistic) program structure to make modification as easy as possible. My main reasons for writing this program are to learn some simple Pascal, and to produce something better than the flat star maps used in most SF role playing games. I also wanted to try a few program ideas, like the simulated optical characters. If you like this program, please send me your ideas for improvements; for example, I may add EGA support if there is sufficient demand; so far no registered user has an EGA. If you want to use this program you are probably interested in role-playing games; I'm interested in seeing programs for other role-playing applications, and hope to put together a disk of really useful public domain and user-supported RPG programs for British and American user group libraries. Several astronomers, role-players, and interested onlookers gave me help and advice while writing this program; they bear no responsibility for its errors. In particular, I would like to thank: John Dallman Discovered many bugs, suggested cursor movement in solar system selection, gave invaluable help with the physics of ring worlds. Richard Pittfield-Perry Pointed out incompatibilities between IBM and Amstrad PC's, various suggestions on format and presentation of data. Richard Taylor Gave great help with astrophysics and planetology and suggested the disclaimer that appears at the start of the program. Jonathan Cowie Lots of astronomical suggestions. Terry Pratchett Suggested changes, gave advice and encouragement Also thanks to Dave Langford, Martin Hoare, and all registered users. OPERATION --------- If you intend to dump the graphics from this program to a printer, it's a good idea to begin by running the PC-DOS program GRAPHICS.COM, or whatever equivalent is provided for your system. The planetarium option of this program produces results which vary according to the date. For this reason it is essential to have the date set correctly before you start. To run this program, insert the disk into a drive, move onto the drive, Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 3 and type WORLDGEN <ENTER>. For example, with the disk in drive B; A>B: B>WORLDGEN DON'T RUN THIS PROGRAM WHILE LOGGED ONTO ANOTHER DRIVE, SINCE IT USES A LOT OF FILES; IT'LL RUN, BUT YOU WON'T GET INSTRUCTIONS ETC., AND SOME GRAPHICS WILL BE CORRUPTED. A>B:WORLDGEN is WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Several options can be selected as command line parameters; "S" or "s" makes the program run silently. "P" or "p" makes the program bypass a printer setup option. "C" tells the program that a colour monitor is in use, and selects the red/green/yellow palette. "M1" and "M2" select palettes that should be clearer on monochrome displays; "M1" is the Cyan/Magenta/White palette found on all CGA/EGA cards. "M2" selects an especially clear Red/White/Blue display. Unfortunately few cards (other than original IBM CGA cards) support it, and it isn't found on any EGA. If you select more than one colour option as a command parameter, only the last one selected will be used. Example: A>WORLDGEN S P C selects silent operation, printer setup bypassed, colour display. Example: A>WORLDGEN M1 M2 C ultimately selects colour. If you don't use these parameters, the first part of the program asks a few simple questions about your system. Do you have a CGA Card? If you have a text card, or other incompatible card, this program is no use to you. Warning: This program apparently locks up if run on a Hercules-type card with some CGA emulation programs, but runs fine with others; I have no idea why. If your graphics aren't compatible, press "X" to exit. You shouldn't damage your computer if you try to run the program, but you won't get any results, and may need to reboot! Press any other key to continue. The next question concerns colour monitors; if you select a monochrome display, this option uses the Cyan-Magenta-White palette, which should give slightly clearer graphics. Press any other key to continue. Finally, you'll be asked if you want to set up your printer. This question leads you to a simple set-up procedure for Epson printers if you press "Y". It may also work on other printers, but I can't guarantee this. Move the paper to the top of form and switch on before entering the paper length; any length from 0 to 99 lines is acceptable. Below 10 lines (why are you using such an odd size anyway?) enter 0 for the first figure. The computer sends a string initialising the page size and setting the printer to skip perforations. If you have an Epson printer but don't want to change any settings, press the space bar to bypass this procedure. Once you've dealt with these questions, you'll see a graphics display, showing two planets colliding. This can be interrupted if you press a key before the planets meet. After the graphic, the computer will beep and ask you to press a key. Whenever this happens, you can break out of the program by pressing CONTROL-BREAK. This isn't a good idea if you're in graphics mode, because it'll mess up your display, but the option is there if you want it. Next, you'll see a screen showing system requirements and copyright messages (omitted if you interrupt the titles). It's followed by the main Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 4 menu for the program, which should look something like this; ------------------------------------------------------------------- World Generator 1.3 - Copyright (c) 1988,89 - By Marcus L. Rowland Time is 23.40 hours on Thursday, 30th of June 1988 No systems in memory : Beep is on : Display Colour : Security level 0 Press keys for program options [G] GENERATE new sector [S] SAVE sector [edited or generated sector] [L] LOAD old sector [V] VIEW a sector [loaded or generated sector] [Z] ZOOM system details [loaded or generated system] [E] EDIT solar system [loaded or generated system] [D] Sector DATA [loaded or generated sector] [T] TUTORIAL [R] ROLLING demonstration [O] Special OPTIONS [Q] QUIT [I] INFORMATION [H] HELP ------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's look at those options in more detail: HELP ---- I've taken the last item first because it's an important new part of the program. You'll find this option on most menus. It loads a help file (WG.HLP), and shows a list of topics, which varies according to the menu. Press another key (as indicated on the screen) for more information. Because on-line help is now available, this documentation describes some options of this program in a little less detail than in earlier versions. GENERATE NEW SECTOR ------------------- Option "G" is the key function of the program. It randomly designs a maximum of 100 solar systems (more usually 20-30), and distributes them in a space sector ten light years on a side. This part of the program cheats in one respect; to simplify programming, there can be no more than one solar system for each set of XY coordinates. For example, if you have a system at coordinates X3 Y7 Z2, you can't have another one at X3 Y7 Z8. Coordinates are shown in the following order; X - Coordinate; lateral displacement eg Column Y - Coordinate; forward displacement eg row Z - Coordinate; height above an imaginary plane. This is a fairly normal convention for war gaming and other game applications. Each location with a solar system is indicated by a shaded area of the mapping grid, with a red line leading up to a disk indicating the location of the solar system. Once the grid stars are generated, the computer will beep for attention. Press any key to see the systems generated. Each system is allocated a star and up to seventeen planets, asteroid Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 5 belts, dust clouds, or secondary stars. All are assumed to be orbiting the main star, shown at the left of the screen. Coordinates are shown below the star. The following symbols are used to show the star and its satellites; Star: Yellow circle with red core, size variable, or two stars overlapping if the primary star is a close binary pair. Distant binary stars use the same symbol superimposed on a red arc. Asteroid belt: Green arc interrupted by red dots. Dust cloud: Random dot pattern. Airless world: Green arc with yellow diamond. The program includes several terrain types, but they aren't shown on-screen at this stage. Some planets shown with this symbol have traces of atmosphere. On mono displays there is a dark line across the lower half of the diamond. Poison World: Green arc with red diamond. Planet with a toxic or corrosive atmosphere, usually Venus-like or with a halogen atmosphere. On mono displays the diamond is divided horizontally into two equal sections. Oxygen World; Green arc with green diamond. On mono displays there is a dark line across the upper half of the diamond. Gas Giant: Green arc interrupted by red circle with yellow core and red horizontal stripe. If the world is ringed a green diagonal stripe is superimposed. In addition to these "everyday" astronomical objects, the editing process (described below) allows you to add a few more; Black Hole: Red circle with horizontal bars leading to the upper left and lower right. This program only allows black holes as the main star of a system. Proto-Star: As black hole symbol, but with a yellow filling. Proto-stars are also only available as the main star of a system. Oxygen Ringworld: Shown as a yellow and green band, with a dotted red band (orbital sun shades) nearer the star. See the novels Ringworld and Ring-World Engineers by Larry Niven for more details. Toxic Ringworld: Shown as a yellow and red band. This is a ringworld built by aliens who breathe a toxic atmosphere. SAVE SECTOR ----------- Option "S" allows saving of generated (or edited) sectors. You'll be asked to enter a file name, in the format [d:]filename. The program automatically adds the extension .SEC, so that (for example) B:BRIAN becomes B:BRIAN.SEC etc. An error-checking procedure should stop you using illegal file names, but this isn't guaranteed. If you don't enter a file name, but just press return, the sector is saved as UNNAMED.SEC without any drive specified. See the technical section below for details of file structure etc. If you want other people to read notes about the sector, you should prepare a .DOC file describing it; the format is described below under "LOAD OLD SECTOR". Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 6 LOAD OLD SECTOR --------------- Option "L" reloads sectors, and behaves in the same way as the save option. As well as loading a sector, it looks for a text file describing the sector, and shows it if it is present. This file should have the same drive specifier (if any) and name, but the extension .DOC; for example SAMPLE.DOC for SAMPLE.SEC. Files must be no more than 23 lines, 78 column text; files can be created with Sidekick or any other ASCII text editor. You can include IBM graphics characters if you like. VIEW A SECTOR ------------- Option "V" lets you look around the sector, using the cursor keys to select a location. If you press ENTER you'll return to the main menu. On Amstrad PC 1512, and any other computer with a mouse that imitates the cursor pad, you can use the mouse to move around the systems. ZOOM SYSTEM DETAILS ------------------- Option "Z" draws detailed maps of a solar system and its' worlds. The procedure takes approximately thirty seconds per screen, the exact time depending on the speed of your computer. It begins with a menu giving several options: [Z] ZOOM into one solar system [P] PLANETARIUM view of one solar system [G] GRAND tour of sector "Z" selects a detailed examination of each body in a solar system. "P" shows all the bodies in a system, and their current orbital position. "G" carries out these two procedures for every system in the sector. If you choose "Z" or "P" you'll be asked to select a system by coordinates or by cursor movements (as the main menu option "V", above); move around the sector using the cursor keys; when you reach the system you want, press the ENTER to go straight to the detailed display. If you press ENTER when you're in an area that doesn't contain a solar system, you'll return to the mapping menu. ZOOM into one solar system -------------------------- Once you've selected a system, the display generates details of each of the astronomical objects it contains, with the following layout: +------------------------------------------------+ | Symbol map of solar system (as first maps) | |------------------------------------------------| | chart (format | | | varies with | Map or diagram of body | | type of body) | | |------------------------------------------------| | orbit map | Data (format varies with | | | details of star or planet) | | | [if room, menu of options] | +------------------------------------------------+ The exact format varies with the type of body. Each body takes a few seconds, depending on its type and the speed of the computer. The orbit map is NOT to scale, just a rough indication of eccentricity. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 7 Common features of all maps: Human and alien colonies are indicated as square blocks; human colonies are green, alien colonies are red. Native cities are shown as yellow blocks. Colonised moons are indicated by these symbols below the moon. On a monochrome display there is a dark dot to the left of the green markers, in the middle of the red marker, to the right of the yellow mark IMPORTANT NOTE The computer beeps and pauses after each star or planet. If you press any key (except P, M, or X) it will carry on to the next body, or exit if you've reached the outermost body of the solar system. If you press "P" the program prints a detailed description. This description isn't a screen dump, but statistics of orbit, mass, mineral composition, etc. If you press "M" the program will either dump the main map to your printer (if the map shows a gas giant, asteroid belt, star, ringworld, or dust cloud), or (for "solid" planets) go to a menu with more options; "Z" Zoom in: Use the cursor keys to move a shaded rectangle onto part of the map, then "Enter" to zoom in. The window will fill with a pattern of coloured squares which is enhanced as another map. Press "P" to print the new map or any other key to zoom out again. "G" Grid: Superimposes a rectangular grid (corresponding to the areas used by the "Zoom" option). Press "P" to print this map, any other key to remove the grid. "X" Exit from the map option, show the next planet (or whatever). The program supports four types of map dump, selected from the OPTIONS menu. The default is a map showing each coloured area by its outlines, for Epson-compatible printers. See notes on the options menu, below, for more information. If you press "X" the program returns to the main menu. Stars: Main Map: Side view of the star superimposed on a square grid. The grid scale is one square = 50000 km. The core of the star is shown in red, the outer atmosphere in yellow. For small stars the grid may be magnified; lines are still 50000 Km apart. Chart: Circle representing axial tilt from a mean orbital plane; for primary stars this is usually negligible, for other stars it may be considerable. This is not a scale chart. Orbit Map: Shows a red circle if the star is the primary, or a ring if it's orbiting the primary. Data: Shows the type of star, its composition as proportions of Hydrogen and Helium, its temperature, and its gravitational pull. Temperature is in degrees Kelvin (0 K = -273 C), gravity is on a scale where Earth gravity = 1g. No degree symbol is shown for temperature, since Kelvin temperatures don't use it. Close binaries: Main Map: The two stars superimposed, indicating relative sizes and separation. Chart: shows the separation more clearly, and indicates the extent of their common atmosphere. NOT TO SCALE. Orbit Map: Shows a double circle for the pair. Data: Shows type, Hydrogen and Helium content of the two stars, and their temperatures and gravitational pull. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 8 World with exotic atmosphere: Main Map: A terrain chart, showing mountains and hills in red, low lands in black, against a yellow background. Chart: Shows axial tilt, with an extra box to show any moons that might exist. Data: Shows atmosphere contents: the following gases may be indicated; H = Hydrogen He = Helium O = Oxygen N = Nitrogen Hal = Halogens Ar = Argon CO = Carbon Dioxide 2 H O = Water vapour 2 CH = Methane 4 All these gases should be considered as representing a broad class of chemicals; for example, Carbon Dioxide includes other carbon compounds, and Halogens includes Chlorine, Flourine, Bromine, etc. Temperature, gravity and atmospheric pressure are also shown; pressure is related to Earth sea level pressure. Small Airless Worlds: These worlds are shown as simple terrain maps, black on a yellow surface. Three main types of world are shown; worlds with fairly smooth surfaces [eg Mercury]; worlds with mountains [eg Mars]; mountains are shown in red; worlds with mountains and ice [eg Pluto]; ice is shown in green; Usually there is no atmosphere, or a tiny unusable residue. All other details of the charts are as the maps for toxic worlds. Oxygen Worlds: The surface is shown as yellow and green (green is low ground, yellow is high ground) with red mountains. Water is shown as the background colour, which switches to blue. All other details are as above. Gas Giants: The main diagram shows a side view of the planet, with any rings, plus any moons. The chart shows axial tilt. Colonies on the moons are shown as symbols below them. All other chart details are as above. Asteroid Belts: The main diagram shows the largest asteroids and their relative positions in the belt, plus the primary and any other suns inside the orbit of the belt. The chart shows belt thickness and density. All other details are as above. Dust Clouds: The main diagram shows the rough distribution of the cloud around its primary. All other details are as asteroid belts. Proto-stars: The main diagram is a picture of the star and associated dust clouds from Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 9 the side. The chart is a view from above. All other details are as a normal star. Black Holes: The main diagram is a side view of the star. The chart shows gravitational distortion caused by the star (not entirely seriously!). Other details are as a normal star, but it is assumed that there is no evidence of composition, and that the entire system will be uninhabitable. This is a BIG black hole! Ring Worlds: The main diagram is an oblique view of the ring from a position outside and `below' it. It shows the primary star, the orbital sun shades surrounding it, and some of the terrain of the ring world. The chart shows the ring, sun shades, and star in plan view. All other details are as an oxygen world or toxic world. PLANETARIUM view of one solar system ------------------------------------ This option shows a view of the entire solar system from a point above and to one side of the plane of the ecliptic. The current positions of planets and stars etc. are shown, varying according to the date. Objects above the plane of the ecliptic are shown with a tail below them, objects below the ecliptic are shown with a tail above them. Please note that distances used by this display are NOT to scale; distances in the inner system are greatly exaggerated, in the outer system they are greatly reduced. EDIT SOLAR SYSTEM ----------------- Option "E" lets you play God in a big way. You can alter the primary star and other astronomical bodies, and move or delete the entire solar system. You should know about a few problems. 1: This program won't change all details to correspond to the option you choose; for example, if you change a dwarf star into a giant, you are strongly advised to change two or three of the inner planets. A few possible combinations are astronomically impossible or just plain silly; for example, a solar system orbiting a black hole should only consist of asteroid belts and dust clouds, if anything, since larger would be torn apart by tidal stress. 2: Changing a detail alters the fine detail of everything that comes after it. For example, if you change the Z-coordinate, you'll still have the same types of planets, but the maps and details of atmosphere, gravity, etc. will change. If you change a sun or planet, all the planets to the right will also change. 3: Editing commands have been changed from earlier versions of the program; if you aren't familiar with the earlier versions, don't worry about it. If you do know the program, please note that the commands are now by mnemonic letters, not numbers. See further details under each editing option, below. You'll first be asked to select a solar system, using a menu like the one for solar system mapping. There is one important exception; if you use option 3 and enter coordinates for a location that hasn't already got a star, a random solar system will be generated. To avoid accidents this isn't implemented on menu option 2. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 10 Once a system is selected or generated, the screen shows the standard small solar system map, with the numbers 0 to 17 added to indicate locations of stars and planets. The main editing commands are as follows: [P] Edit Primary star [O] Change Orbiting planet / star [Z] Change Z-Coordinate [D] Delete System [G] Generate a new system [M] Look at detailed maps [S] Security toggle [C] Cancel all edits [X] Exit with changes If you press "P", you'll see the following menu; -------------------------------------------------------------------- Press keys to select star type as follows [most stars are in the astronomical main sequence; see documentation for details.] Star type B0 B5 A0 A5 F0 F5 G0 Key A B C D E F G Star type G5 K0 K5 M0 M5 M9 DG Key H I J K L M N Or "O" for a binary pair "P" for a black hole "Q" for a proto-star Editing primary does not change other planets and stars; they should be edited to suit the new sun! -------------------------------------------------------------------- The stars available in options A to M are typical main sequence stars (see the astronomical section, below). DG is a typical white dwarf. Remember that you need to edit all the system if you change the primary; for example, if you change a dwarf star into a supergiant, you'll need to adjust the positions of many of the planets. If you have time, and want a main sequence star, you may be better off generating random solar systems until you get one that looks right. For options N through Q there should be few or no planets, and certainly no habitable planets. For added realism you may wish to edit out oxygen worlds orbiting B, A, F, and M-type stars; they aren't very likely, but are useful for role-playing adventures. If you press "O" you'll see: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Press planet number, 1 to 9 or A to H for planets 10 to 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------- eg; Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H Orbit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 11 Once you choose a key, another menu appears: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Planet / star n selected Press for replacement: <Space bar> = nothing 0 = Asteroids 1 = Earth-like 2 = Poison atmosphere 3 = Airless, cratered 4 = Airless, mountainous 5 = Airless, icy 6-7 = Gas giant (no rings) 8-9 = Gas giant (with rings) [7 & 9 are bigger than 6 & 8] A = Companion star Q = Ringworld (poison) R = Ringworld (oxygen) S = Dust cloud -------------------------------------------------------------------- As already said, the best way to position planets is to generate a solar system. For ringworlds it's essential to put the ring at a distance that will support the type of atmosphere you want. The easiest way to do this is to replace an oxygen world (or toxic world) with the ring. There are good reasons to assume that there won't be any other astronomical objects in a ringworld system, apart from a single well-behaved star, so edit them out. If you choose option A (companion star) you'll see a similar menu to the one above for primary stars. However, choices O-Q aren't available for a companion star. If you press "Z" you'll see: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Enter new Z-Coordinate, 0 to 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------- This simply changes the system Z-coordinate to the value entered. Remember that changing the Z-coordinate changes every subsequent planet or star in the system! If you press "D" you'll see: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Delete system? Are you sure?? If you do this only options 4 [generate a new system], 8 [lose all changes], or 9 [accept changes] will work!! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Press "Y" if you want to go ahead. Choice "G" gives you another warning: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Generate a random system? Are you sure?? You will lose all edits!! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Press "Y" if you want to go ahead. Choice "M" shows you world details (as in option "Z" of the main menu). All choices (eg pressing "X" to exit, "P" to print data) are available. Option "S" locks or unlocks the system, for use with the security options Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 12 this program now offers. Since you must have a security level of 1 or less to use the editing menu, you won't actually see any change at this stage of the program. Choice "C" restores your original system, or removes the system if you began with an empty location. Choice "X" adds your new or modified system to the sector file and returns you to the main menu. WARNING: REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVEN'T MADE ANY PERMANENT CHANGE UNTIL YOU SAVE THE SECTOR FILE TO DISK!!! SECTOR DATA ----------- Option "D" allows you to generate statistics for the sector in several forms; [B] BRIEF analysis of sector data [P] PRINT details of one system [A] Print details of ALL systems [V] VIEW sector record (ASCII) [D] DISTANCES between stars Option "B" does a brief analysis of all systems, counting the worlds and drawing a map showing the location of oxygen worlds and other objects of astronomical interest. You'll see something like this: -------------------------------------------------------------------- sector systems 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 * # # # 1 * * # Oxygen Ring world at 007 2 * * Close binary pair at 155 3 Black hole at 496 4 * * *<# Close binary pair at 642 5 *<* * *[ Proto-Star at 958 6 * # This sector contains 29 systems, 7 * # * # 11 planets have oxygen atmospheres. 8 # # 51 planets have no atmosphere. 9 * # *{ * 23 planets have toxic atmospheres. # = Oxygen World 26 planets are gas giants. < = close binary system There are 81 asteroid belts { = black hole and 31 dust clouds. [ = Protostar -------------------------------------------------------------------- Press any key to return to the DATA menu. Option "P" uses the selection menu to find a solar system, then runs through each of the suns and worlds in turn, printing out the data that would normally be produced by pressing "P" after generating a planet map. It runs fairly quickly because it doesn't display any graphics, apart from the simple solar system map. The main limitation is the speed of your printer; if you have a buffer card in the printer, or run a spooler program, it only takes a few seconds per system. Option "A" gives you a full rundown of a sector; it takes some time, even if you have plenty of buffer or spooler memory. You can stop the run by pressing any key; it will stop at the end of the next system. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 13 If you proceed, the program displays the brief analysis described above (as in statistics option 1), copies the screen to the printer, then starts to generate data for each system of the sector. Progress is shown by a sector map and system map on the screen. If you want to interrupt the run, press any key; it will stop when it reaches the end of the current solar system. This procedure does use a LOT of paper; a typical system needs two to four A4 pages, and the program sends a page feed at the end of each system. To save paper, you may want to modify the program to use a smaller type style (eg superscript) and smaller line spacing, and set the printer for an appropriate page size. I haven't done this because the codes needed tend to vary considerably between different printers. Option "D" calculates the distance from a selected system to all other systems in the sector. Distances are shown in light years. TUTORIAL -------- Option "T" gives an on-screen explanation of the main points of the program, with graphics; it uses six files from the disk, so speed is limited to the speed of your disk drive. After most screens you're asked to press a key to continue. There's no point in giving details here. ROLLING DEMONSTRATION --------------------- This option shows the titles, the TUTORIAL (without pausing for the user), and some aspects of the SECTOR DATA procedure. It then loads the data file SAMPLE.SEC and shows details of all the systems. This demonstration takes nearly half an hour to repeat on a fast machine, much longer on a standard PC. You can interrupt it at any time by pressing a key briefly; since the program will always continue to the end of the current screen, it may take a few seconds to return to the main menu. SPECIAL OPTIONS --------------- This is a menu of a few additional routines that probably won't be used more than once or twice per session; [B] BEEP on or off [T] Change beep TONE [C] Change COLOUR palette [M] Choose printer type for MAPS [P] Set PRINTER page size [D] DIRECTORY of all files [U] Directory of USER files [S] set SECURITY level [X] Return to main menu "B": If you don't like the way this program beeps whenever it pauses, press "B" to switch the sound off. Press "B" again to restore the beep. "T": Cycles through the following frequencies; 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 The default is 400 cycles "C": This option toggles between the normal display (Red / Green / Yellow), and the two alternate displays (Cyan/Magenta/White and Red/White/Blue) recommended for monochrome screens. A test pattern is shown to demonstrate the new palette. "M": Selects one of four map dump procedures; Small Epson map, Large Epson map, generic map, Tandy CGP-115 plotter map. The Epson map dumps work with any Epson-compatible printer, and show areas as outlines. The generic map uses different characters to represent Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 14 different colours; your printer must be able to work in 100+ column mode to use it. The Tandy map uses pen colours to represent map colours; it runs very slowly, and you can interrupt it by pressing any key. "P": Repeats the printer setup option from the start of the program. "D": Shows names of all files on the disk; does not show file size, but does indicate the space left on the disk. "U": Gives a directory of sector and document files (*.SEC and *.DOC) "S": Security options. If you haven't used this option during a session, you'll be prompted for a password which will be used for the remainder of the session. If you have used the option before, you'll be asked to enter the password; if it's wrong, you'll be returned to the options menu. Five security levels are supported; Level [0] is the default setting, with no security in use. Anyone is able to enter the security menu by typing any password. It's STRONGLY suggested that you DON'T stay at this level if more than one person is using the machine, since it's possible for a practical joker to put the security level up to 4 and exit, leaving you with a program you can't interrupt without re-booting the computer. Level [1] stops anyone from changing the password and security level, but has no other effects. Remember that this level allows users to drop in and out of the program, and that security will be back on 0 if it is re-loaded. Level [2] prevents editing and saving of files. It also bars users from systems that have been protected by the EDIT menu security option. The password is needed to exit from the program. Level [3] prevents system generation, editing, and saving files. It also bars users from systems that have been protected by the EDIT menu security option. The password is needed to exit from the program. Level [4] prevents all zoom and data options, system generation, editing, and saving files. It also bars users from systems that have been protected by the EDIT menu security option. The password is needed to exit from the program. Quit ---- You'll be asked to confirm by pressing "Y". Remember that any systems in memory will be lost unless you save them first. Please turn to next page. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 15 ASTRONOMICAL NOTES ------------------ To be brutally frank, the astronomy of this program leaves quite a lot to be desired. I hope to improve astronomical accuracy in versions 2.00; unfortunately memory limitations made this very difficult with Turbo Pascal 3.1, and improvement requires fundamental changes in program structure which will take some time to develop. A few of the main flaws follow; 1: There isn't enough variation in terrain on different world types. 2: Stars available are only a representative selection of the main sequence, plus a "typical" white dwarf, binary pairs, proto-stars, and black holes. 3: The astronomy of multiple-star systems has been greatly simplified. Close pairs are shown as orbiting a single point, more distant stars are shown as a small star orbiting a larger primary. In reality all binary solar systems would probably be EXTREMELY eccentric, with planets orbiting the common centre of gravity, or one of the two stars. Planets much larger than Mercury would probably be unlikely. 4: Tidal forces have mostly been ignored. 5: Planets are too common, and there are too many oxygen worlds. In particular, the program occasionally produces oxygen worlds orbiting unusually large or small stars; both are generally considered to be very unlikely, but handy for role playing. 6: Albedo effects have been greatly simplified. 7: Gas giant core heating is probably over-simplified. 8: Black holes and Proto-Stars are greatly simplified. There are probably other flaws I've missed. Please let me know about them when you register your copy of World Generator (sorry: I'm NOT going to enter into correspondance with anyone who hasn't registered their copy!) STAR TYPES ---------- This program currently supports a few types of star: Type Luminosity Temperature Mass Radius Description ----------------------------------------------------------- B0 56000 28000 18.0 10.0 Blue-white giant B5 1400 15500 6.5 4.4 " " " A0 90 9900 3.2 3.2 White stars A5 16 8500 2.1 1.8 " " F0 8.1 7400 1.7 1.7 Yellowish stars F5 3.5 6700 1.3 1.4 " " G0 1.21 6000 1.04 1.03 Yellow dwarf stars G5 0.67 5500 0.94 0.91 " " " K0 0.42 4900 0.825 0.908 Orange dwarf stars K5 0.08 4100 0.57 0.566 " " " M0 0.04 3500 0.489 0.549 Orange-red dwarfs M5 0.007 2800 0.331 0.358 " " " M9 0.001 2300 0.215 0.201 " " " DG 0.00006 4500 0.63 0.012 White Dwarf For all these stars luminosity, mass, and radius are compared to the sun, temperature is in degrees Kelvin. All these stars, apart from the white dwarf, are part of the main sequence. Binary stars are pairs of two of these star types. Black holes and proto-stars tend to show a good deal of variation in this program, and I would welcome more data on their probable sizes etc. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 16 GLOSSARY -------- Main Sequence: The main sequence is a sequence of star sizes, masses, and temperatures which runs from blue-white giants down to red dwarves. There are exceptions to the main sequence, but they tend to be comparatively rare. The stars used in this program are just some of many main-sequence possibilities; for example, the Sun is a main sequence star, type G2. You can easily modify the program to include other stars. Luminosity: A measurement of the heat leaving a star, a function of its temperature and surface area. A small hot star may have less luminosity than a large cool one. Proto-Stars: Gas clouds that are collapsing to form stars and solar systems. SOURCES ------- Patrick Moore The Guiness Book Of Astronomy Facts And Feats Abell/Morrison/Wolff Exploration Of The Universe Isaac Asimov The Universe: From Flat Earth to Quasar Traveller Book 6 Game Designers Workshop (table of stars etc.) Notes (or something - go on, turn the page!) Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 17 PROGRAMMING NOTES ----------------- This program was originally written using Turbo Pascal 3.10, and is now converted to run under Turbo Pascal 4/5 with the Turbo3 and Graph3 units. It consists of a main program WORLDGEN.PAS, a unit WG1.TPU with source WG1.PAS plus five include files (WG1.INC to WG6.INC) [source code is only supplied to registered users]. The development system was an IBM PC, originally fitted with a V20 chip, later an 80286 speedup board, now replaced by a 16mhz 80386 machine. I've tried to keep speed high, but a fast machine works best! Data files are text, derived from arrays [0..9,0..9] of String[40]. This is a change from version 1.00 and 1.01, but files can be converted using the utility WG_CONV.COM (on the program disk). Files generated by version 1.02 have the same structure as those in version 1.1 etc. WARNING: While WG_CONV.COM converts files to work with WORLDGEN 1.1, and files from version 1.02 will load without modification, there are unavoidable differences between the way the current version and versions prior to 1.2 generate terrain and other features. For example, a planet might have a high-tech civilisation under older versions, but no inhabitants under the new version. If you want to keep these features, you should use an older version of this program! A typical system record (a binary) looks like this; 123B0M5....2 ....3 ....0 0 0 .......S ... In this example, 123 are the coordinates, B0 and M5 are star types, then there is a gap of two empty locations (shown here as four dots, but actually recorded as spaces) followed by a Venus-type world. Two more gaps are followed by an airless world, another gap is followed by a series of three asteroid belts, more vacant orbits, then a dust cloud. At present stars are recorded as two characters, planets etc. as a single character. Space is left for a second character for each planet, which may be used in later versions of the program. The last byte of the string is used for a security code, if present. When detailed solar system information is wanted, the program uses the coordinates and other data to seed the random number generator. This procedure is the key to producing repeatable planet maps. The only alternative would be to record each planet to disk in some form, which would require huge amounts of disk space. 8087 VERSION - WG87 ------------------- The 8087 version is no longer included; I don't yet own an 80387, and the speed gain was marginal anyway. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 18 FUTURE PLANS In later versions of this program I hope to add several additional facilities. These are mainly aimed at role players, and include; 1* EGA. VGA, and Hercules support 2* Multiple sector maps. An option to link several maps to form a larger mapped volume. Probably 30 x 30 x 30 light years, but this isn't certain. 3* Aliens. A HIGHLY speculative procedure to generate aliens tailored to the worlds produced by the main program. This will probably be a separate program included on the main Worldgen disk. 4* More types of stars and planets. Dyson spheres. 5* Hole-Busters. An arcade adventure game using Worldgen data files. This will probably be sold separately, but may be part of the main program. 6* Better user friendliness (eg, more options at every stage, on-line help during graphics operations, not just from menus.) Note: Three of the original list of six future improvements are now part of this version. I hope to continue to improve the program with every release. I can only produce new versions if Worldgen earns enough money to make it worthwhile. So far it hasn't come close to paying for my Turbo Pascal upgrades, let alone the work I've put into writing it! PLEASE REGISTER! This space gratuitously left blank Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 19 REGISTRATION FORM ----------------- WORLDGEN 1.3 REGISTRATION FORM - PLEASE SEND TO MARCUS L. ROWLAND C/O 22 WESTBOURNE PARK VILLAS, LONDON W2 5EA, ENGLAND Name ............................................... Address ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... [please indicate country, state, postcode or zip code, etc.] I wish to register my copy of World Generator 1.3 I enclose a registration fee of five pounds (Britain and EEC) ten dollars (USA) * * Dollar cheques please, not money orders or cash. Registration entitles you to receive source code, and version 2 of this program, free of charge. PLEASE SPECIFY PREFERRED DISK TYPE BELOW! Signature ...................................... DATA PROTECTION ACT: Please note that details on this form will be added to a data base for my personal use only. Survey - Please fill in the following details Computer type .............................. eg IBM PC, Amstrad, etc. Computer memory .............................. eg 512 k, 640 k Graphics type .............................. eg CGA card, EGA, etc. Disk required 5.25",360k....... 5.25",1.2mb........ 3.5",720k....... Is your display monochrome or colour ......................... Main SF role playing system .................................. Other systems used .................................. Please give details of any changes or improvements you would like to see made to this program. Copyright <C> Marcus L. Rowland 1987,88,89 - 20