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STellar Chaos Created & Coded By Roger M. Thomas Special Thanks To: Bill Counihan, Steven Wells And Fred Bruch For All Of Their Support And Help In The Debugging Process And Editing Of The Game And Instructions. Copyright (C) 1990-1992 Roger M. Thomas ~ Redwulf Software ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stellar Chaos Is A Game Of Galactic Conquest. Its Object Is To Build A Fleet Of Starships Large Enough To Settle And Protect A Majority Of The Planets In The Galaxy. The Player(s) Who Capture The Bulk Of The Planets Ultimately Win The Game. Each Budding Empire Has An Officer In Charge Of Its Starfleet -- You! You Must Use Credits (Monetary Units) To Purchase Various Warships, Weapons, And Planetary Defenses, As Well As A Multitude Of Other Goods & Services Found Throughout The Galaxy. You Use All These Things In Turn, To Obtain More Planets Until You Eventually Claim Enough Planets To Win. You Start The Game In One Of Two Ways, And Each Starts From Their Secret Base. The Base Is A Space Station Which Does Not Appear On The Map And Cannot Be Captured By The Enemy. It Is From This Space Station That You Begin Your Voyage Into The World Of Stellar Chaos.... If You Choose The First Way, Which Is To Become A Privateer ( Pirate ), You Begin With A Battlecruiser, Twenty Credits And Immediately Begin Searching For Planets To Raid, Ships To Capture And Strip And Anything Else To Gain Credits For Your Treasury. The Pirate Player Must Remember That The Game Can Only Be Won By Taking Planets, And While You Are A Pirate, You May Only Have One Planet - A Base Of Operations. To Be Able To Take More Planets, You Must Give Up Piracy ( Which Will Cost 50 Credits ) And Then The ( Former ) Pirate Is Free To Colonize Just As A Normal Colonist Would. Most Pirates Horde Large Amounts Of Money And Then Give Up Piracy, Using Their Monetary Assets To Give Them An Advantage Over The Colonist. But It Is Not Easy To Do... If You Choose To Be A Colonist, You Begin From Your Secret Base With Only Two Assault Vessels And 40 Credits. You Must Seek Out And Colonize Planets In Your Quest To Rule The Galaxy. You Must Not Only Be Wary Of The Pirates, But The Other Colonists As Well! You Have The Advantage Over The Pirate Though, You May Expand Your Empire Quickly And Defend Your Ships And Planets, Whilst A Pirate Must Always Be On The Hunt - And Prey Is Sometimes Hard To Find. And Most Importantly, You Start With Assault Vessels, Eager To Capture Planets, While The Pirate Must Purchase Them Later On. Use This Time To Your Advantage And Rule Your Empire Wisely... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I Incude The Next Few Lines As Encouragement To Those Players Who Find That STellar Chaos Seems To Give The Player Nothing To Do During The First Two or Three Game Sesions. To Them I Point Out That Yes, This Is True. But After You Construct Five Or So Ships And Take Control Of Several Planets, This Game Becomes Quite The Lengthy Session. So Bear With It For A Few, As You Will Quickly See, This Game Has Plenty Of Action And Strategy! Its Never Just 'Moving Ships Around And Stuff'... Once You And An Opponent Start Whaling On Each Other, You Will Finally Understand Why STellar Chaos Is Among The Most Addictive Space Conquest Games Around. Redwulf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Starships ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Game Of Stellar Chaos Is Largely A Game Involving The Management Of The Ships In Your Starfleet. Once You Have Learned Which Ships Are The Better Choices & How To Improve Them You Are On Your Way To Mastering The Game. There Are 8 Different Types Of Ships. Each Can Be Customized ( Improved ) To Suit Your Particular Needs And Strategies. There Are Many Ships To Choose From - Here Is A Complete List Of Vessel Types Used In The Game: Assault Vessel A Light Scout Ship With Few Weapons Or Defenses. It Is The Only Ship That Can Land On A Planet To Colonize It Which Makes It One Of The Most Important To Possess. Corvette An Escort Ship With Few Weapons And Defenses Which Is Quite Inexpensive. Destroyer A Light Warship With A Few More Weapons And Defenses Than A Corvette, And Still Rather Inexpensive. Minelayer A Small Warship Capable Of Placing 'Cloaked' Minefields In Space. Not A Viable Threat, But Its Mines Are Deadly! Tanker A Vessel Whose Sole Purpose Is To Extend The Range Of The Vessels That Feed From It. Tankers Are Very Valuable, But Have Limited Fighting Capabilities. Cruiser A Standard Warship With Decent Weapons And Defenses. Battle Cruiser Heavier Than A Cruiser With Good Weapons And Defenses And Better Range. Battle Carrier The Same Size As A Battlecruiser But With The Distinct Advantage Of Having Smaller Vessels Aboard It, Increasing Striking Range And Firepower. Battle Ship A Heavy Warship With Excellent Weapons And Defenses. It Also Has The Capability To Carry A Large Weapon Called An Ion Cannon. This Makes The Battleship A Deadly Foe Indeed. Dreadnought The Ultimate Battle Fortress; Beyond Excellent Weapons And Defenses Coupled With Long Range And Heavy Armour Capabilities. As Well As Being Able To Carry Two Ion Cannons - Making It The Deadliest Vessel In Existance. As Commander In Chief Of The Starfleet You Must Control Your Customized Fleet Carefully. You Must Also Remember That Each Navy Can Have A Maximum Of 20 Ships In Service At A Time, So Be Careful Not To Fill Up Your Dock Space With The Wrong Amounts Of The Wrong Ships! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ship Construction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Ships May Be Commissioned Only At The End Of Your Turn. You Select The Type Of Ship You Wish To Build, Name It, Customize It And Then Launch It From Your Secret Base Or From Any Planet That You Have Colonized. Ships Are Built Using Units. Each Ship Starts With One Engine And A Set Number Of Units, According To How Large The Ship Is. Using [A]dd And [R]emove, It Is Quite Easy To Move The Ship Parts Around To Create A Unique Ship Catering To Your Tastes And Military Strategies. Ship Parts And Descriptions: ---------------------------- Engines Your Ship's Powerplants; They Determine The Distance Or Range Your Ship Can Move Within The Galaxy. Phaser Battery The Standard Armament Used By All Ships In Most Starfleets Due To Their Low Cost. Photon Cannons The Heaviest Weapon A Starship May Carry, They Do About Twice The Damage Of A Phaser Battery. Armour Seldom Used Except On The Heavier Warships As It Is Quite Expensive And Is Practically Useless Unless Procured In Larger Amounts (Such As 5 On Up). Shields Used In Conjunction With Armour These Also Need To Be Added In Bulk To Ward Off Damage When Attacked. They Are Also Very Expensive As Well. Hull Strength Extra Strengthening Of Your Ship's Hull Allowing It To Withstand More Damage In Combat. It Is Also Very Useful For Ships Employing Tractor Beams Since A Larger Ship Can Capture A Smaller Ship ( With Less Hull ) Much More Easily Than A Ship Closer To Its Own Size. Tractor Beam This Item Allows Your Vessel To Capture Another Player's Ship Of Lesser Size ( Smaller Ships Are Much Easier To Snare ). Pirates May Use Tractor Beams To Strip Vessels As Well. When This Is Done, The Captured Ship Is Released Back To Its Original Owner, However The Pirate Removes All Weapons And Engines Save One - Selling The Scrap For Credits And Leaving The Remains As A Slow Moving Hulk In The Enemy's Inventory ( Ouch! ). Cloaking This Allows Your Ship Immunity To Long Range Sensor Scans Device ( Including Sector Scans ), Good For Stealthy Invasions And Suprise Strikes On Enemy Fleets! Long Range These Probing Devices Allow A Ship To Scan Surrounding Areas Sensor Arrays For Other Vessels (Including Allies). With Long Range Sensor Arrays Employed, A Shaded Area Will Indicate The 'Range' Of The Sensors. The Number Of Useful Long Range Sensors Is Limited To The Number Of Engines On Your Ship, However. Short Range Although Costly These Devices Give Detailed Information Sensor Arrays About An Opponents Ship During A Battle Such As Your Enemies Hull Strength, Weaponry, Defenses, And More. Ion Cannons The Ion Cannon Is A Shipborne Version Of The Planet-Based Super-Weapon. It Is Very Large And Can Only Be Carried By Battleships And Dreadnoughts. The Damage Caused By An Ion Cannon Is Approximately Five Times As Much As A Photon Cannon And Ten Times As Much As A Phaser Battery. Therefore, Only A Well Prepared Attack Squadron Or A Complete Fool Dares To Engage Ion Cannon Equipped Starships... Fighters Only Available On Battlecarriers, These Craft Can Be Launched And Recovered Once Per Day Per Carrier And Stockpiled On A Planet To Provide Reserve Forces For Other Craft Lost During Combat. They May Strike At Targets Up To Three Sectors Away With Great Effectiveness And May Also Be Used In Normal Combat As Well - In Fact, These Weapon Platforms Are Deadly In Close Combat Due To The Large Number That Can Be Massed Together On A Battlecarrier! They May Also Strike At The Surface Of A Planet, Where They Prove Deadly To Planet-Based Weapons And Stockpiled Spacecraft. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Game Commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Commands Are Listed In The Main Menu. Following Is A Brief Description Of What Each One Does: [F]leet Operations: ------------------- This Command Gives You Access To Information Concerning Your Fleet. You Can View Individual Ships, Inspect The Whole Fleet, Change A Ship's Name, Scrap Old And Damaged Warships, Or Dock A Ship For Repairs And Improvements. By Selecting An Individual Number Or [F]ull, You Can View The Status Of Your Ships. This Includes Weapons, Hull Points, Number Of Engines And Grid Coordinates Showing The Ship's Current Location. By Selecting [B]rief, You Get A Simplified List Of All Of Your Ships And Their Current Status. In Order To [S]crap Or [D]Ock Your Spacecraft, It Must Be In Orbit Around One Of Your Planets. By [S]crapping Your Ships, You Can Reclaim Credits From Those Vessels That Are Too Damaged For Repair Or That Are Of An Older 'Unimproved And Undesirable' Design. [D]ocking Your Ships Gives The The Option Of Rebuilding Or 'Improving' A Ship. Improving Them By Adding More Weapons Allows You To Launch And Clone Better Versions Of A Ship - Thus Giving Your Vessels An Advantage Over Those Of Your Enemies. [U]sing Tankers Allows You To Refuel You Ships. In Actuality This Doubles Your Ships' Range For That Turn. It Also Allows The Tankers To Refuel Themselves As Well. [L]aunching Long Range Fighter Attacks Permits You To Send The Fighters And Bombers From A Battlecarrier To A Specific Sector Within A Three Sector Range. This Allows Your Carrier To Engage In Combat Without The Risk Of Damage To Itself Or To Strafe Enemy Planets, Easing An Invasion Strike. This May Only Be Performed Once Per Day Per Battle- Carrier... [T]ransfer Spacecraft To/From A Planet Will Move Fighters And Bombers From Your Carriers To A Planetary Stockpile. This Creates A 'Pool' Of Craft To Replace The Craft Lost In Combat When Launched From Your Carriers. [M]ine Status - Will Display A List Of Coordinates. These Are The X And Y Coordinates Of The Sectors That You Currently Have Laced With Mines. Note That There Is A Limit Of Ten Mines Per Player... [V]Iew Scores: -------------- This Displays The Names, Scores And Ranks Of All Players. Your Score And Rank Reflect The Size And Power Of Your Empire In Relation To The Other Players. Colonists Are Ranked By The Planetary Size of Their Empire And Battlefleet Where Pirates Are Ranked By The Size Of Their Fleets - So Be Wary Of The Higher Ranking Pirates And Steer Clear Of Their 'Hunting Grounds'. [E]mpire Status: ---------------- This Shows Your Empire's Credit Balance, The Number Of Planets You Control, Your Ally's Name And The Current Make-Up Of Your Fleet (As Well As The Number Of Vessel Slots Still Available In Your Fleet). [I]ntelligence: --------------- Spies Can Provide You With The Following Information - At A Price, Of Course... The Size Of An Enemy Fleet The Name Of Another Players' Ally Number Of Enemy Planets Scan The Contents Of A Specific Sector In Space By Inputting The Sector's X And Y Coordinates. It Will List All Planets And Ships ( Excluding Those Equipped With Cloaking Devices ) And Minefields In That Sector. [T]ransfer Credits: ------------------- This Option Allows You To Exchange Funds With Other Players. This Is Especially Useful For Use Between Allies And For Bribes. Credit Transfers Are Limited To The Amount Of Credits You Possess. [C]ommunications: ----------------- Enables You To Communicate With Your Fellow Officers. Good For Taunting, Venting Anger Or Just Plain Gossiping. The Communications Terminal Comprises Of Three Options: Send Communique Your Message Is Broadcasted Into The News For The Current On Open Channel Stardate. Use This To Send Messages To All Empires. Send Communique Your Message Is Broadcasted To One Empire In Particular. On Closed Basically This A Personal Message. Channel Read Your Here You May Read Any Communiques Left To You From Any Of Communiques The Other Empires. Messages Are Deleted Automatically After Being Read.. [N]ews: ------- This Is A Log Of All Intergalactic Activity. By Choosing A Day , You Can Review Your Opponents Activities During Your Absence. It Lists Ship Launchings, Ship Destructions, Planet Colonizations, Intergalactic Messages From Other Empires And Even Distress Signals From Vessels In Trouble For Unknown Reasons. [A]lliances: ------------ This Is Where Two Players Can Team Up To Increase Potential. Once Allied, The Galactic Treaty Organization ( The Computer ) Will Subtract 50 Credits From Any Player Breaking That Alliance. Allies Can Swap Ships Back And Forth, Land On One Anothers' Planets, And Even Help Defend Each Others Planets. [M]ove Ships: ------------- This Option Allows You To Move Your Ships Around The Galaxy. When Selected, A List Of Your Ships That May Currently Move Is Displayed. To Specify Which Ship You Wish To Move, Enter Its Current Grid Coordinates. The Maximum Allowable Move Is Then Displayed As Well As A Small Grid Showing The Possible Destinations Within Range. You Then Enter The Coordinates Of The Destination Sector And Then: If Your Move Ends In A Sector With Enemy Ships You May Either Turn And Escape Back To Your Original Sector Or Fight For Control Of The Sector - The Victor Taking The Spoils. If Your Move Ends In A Sector With A Planet, One Of The Following Actions Will Occur: If It Is Unclaimed, You Will Be Asked If You Desire To Claim It For Your Empire, Thus Generating Credits Every Turn And Also Providing Another Place To Launch New Ships At The End Of Your Turn. If It Is One Of Your Planets Or One Of Your Allies' Planets, You Will End Your Turn In Standard Orbit. You May However Decide To Attack Your Allies' Planet, Then You Will Proceed With An Attack As If It Were An Enemy Planet - See Below. If Is An Enemy ( Or Ex-Allied ) Planet, You Will Have To Fight Your Way Through The Defending Ships ( If Any ). Once This Has Been Accomplished, If You Have An Assault Vessel You May Attempt To Land On And Colonize The Planet. If The Planet Has Defense Shields Then You Will Have To Blast Your Way Through It Before You May Land - Luckily, Any Ships Acompaning Your Assault Vessel May Also Bring Their Weapons To Bear, Thus Making The Feat Much Easier. Once The Shield Is Depleted, You May Still Face A Defensive Volley Of Missiles Or Even Worse, An Particle Beam Cannon! Once Again, Your Assisting Vessels May Help Neutralize The Incoming Missiles, But In The Case Of An Particle Beam, Your Assault Vessels Must Face The Deadly Bolts Alone! Something That Few Ever Survive! But Once Past These Defenses, The Planet Is At Your Mercy And Rule Is Yours Absolute! If You Have A Minelayer, After It Has Reached Its Destination, You Will Be Prompted To Lay Mines In That Sector, Which You May Do So If You Like. If The Sector Contains Mines That You Had Laid Earlier, You Also Will Be Given The Choice Of Retrieving Them Since Only 10 Mines May Be In Service At One Time And It May Be Desirable To Remove Them So That Mines May Be Placed In A More Desired Locale. If You Are A Pirate, You May Take The Planet As Mentioned Above If You Have No Planets ( Pirates May Only Have One Planet ) Or You May Plunder It Place Of Actually Capturing The Planet. This Generates Income Comparable To Owning The Planet! All Good Pirates Quickly Learn To Terrorize The Local Systems! You May Even Be Fortunate ( Or Unfortunate ) Enough To Find A Natural Phenomenon Such As A Wormhole, Asteroid Field, Nebula Or The Dreaded Black Hole. Be Cautious, However, Such Things Can Be Very Helpful Or Completely Disastrous. [P]lanet Operations: -------------------- Allows You To Examine The Status Of The Planets Under Your Rule. Offensive And Defensive Emplacements For Weapons Are Listed As Well As Are Ships In Orbit. You May Also Choose To Select The [B]uy Weapons Option, Which Allows You To Add Any Of The Following To A Your Planet: Defense Fields Useful For A Variety Of Reasons But Also Very Expensive. Defense Fields Can Hold Enemy Ships At Bay Until Friendly Forces Can Come To The Planet's Aid. They Can Even Deflect The Blast From Interplanetary Ballistic Missiles If Built Strong Enough. Missile Bases The Standard Defense For Planets. They Are Relatively Inexpensive And Can Easily Reduce Smaller Enemy Vessels To Space Dust. Unfortunately, You Cannot Have Missile Bases And A Particle Beam Cannon On The Same Planet. Missiles Are Not Particularly Accurate And May Be Shot Down By Enemy Weapons. Particle Beam The Ultimate Defensive Weapon. Particle Beams Fire Straight Cannon And True. While Not As Damaging As A Missile Strike, The Particle Beams Rarely Miss Their Targets! Ion Cannon A Large Cannon That You May Purchase Which Has Almost Unlimited Range That You May Use Against Any Known Enemy Vessel Within The Reaches Of The Galaxy. This Weapon Is Extremely Powerful And All But The Largest Of Vessels Will Survive Its Blow. Smaller Versions Of These Are Carried On Battleships And Dreadnoughts - A Testament To Their True Power! A Planet-Based Ion Cannon May Be Used Only Once A Day. Interplanetary Underground Silos Which Release A Volley Of Nuclear Missiles Ballistic That Will Eradicate All Signs Of Life From A Planet. The Missile Base Planet Reverts To An Uncolonized Status And May Be Freely Claimed By Anyone. The Only Possible Defense Against This Weapon Is A Planetary Defense Shield. This Weapon May Also Be Used But Once Per Day. Planetary Allows The Owner To View All Ships Within Seven Sectors Of Defense The Planet. This Includes Ships With Cloaking Devices. Scanners While Expensive, This Offers The Ultimate View Of Any Approaching Vessels. [R]anged Weapons: ----------------- Use This Menu Selection To Launch Either An Interplanetary Ballistic Missile Strike Or To Fire Your Ion Cannons ( Once You Have Purchased Them ). [O]ptions: --------- This Provides You With An Assortment Of Features Such As: Toggling The ANSI/ASCII Graphix Modes. Viewing The Game Credits Reading The Instructions In The Event That You Experience Difficulties While Playing Stellar Chaos. Viewing The Previous Winners List Which Displays The Winner(s) Of The Previous Game Of STellar Chaos. Dumping The Entire Map On To The Screen So You Can Print It Out At Home Or Review It In Your Capture Buffer During Play Which Is Very Practical And Strongly Suggested Since The Galactic Map Option Can Only Display A 30 X 15 Sector Grid At A Time And This Option Allows You A Complete View Of The Playing Map. [G]alactic Map: --------------- This Brings Up A Portion Of The Galactic Map. It Is A 30 X 15 Grid Which You Set The Coordinates. It Will Display All The Planets As Well As The Locations Of The Ships In Your Fleet Within That Limited Area In Detail. The Display Codes Are Listed As Follows: 'X' = Unexplored Sector '.' = Empty Space '=' = Natural Phenomenon '*' = Planet Colonized By You. '^' = Your Ships 'O' = Planet Not Owned By You. 'O' = Allied Planet During Movement, If You Have Ships With Sensor Arrays, The Shaded Area Indicates The Range Of Your Sensors And ?'S Indicate Ships That Do Not Belong To You Or Your Ally; Whose Ships Appear As +'S. Yet Another Reminder/Tip , Since You Cannot See The Entire Map From The Galaxy Map Selection, Go To The Options Menu And Capture The Entire Map And Either Print It Out, Or Refer To It During The Game In Your Buffer - This Will Make It Much Easier For You To Plot Your Moves - Especially When You Get Lots Of Ships And Planets. Brothel And Cantina ------------------- Depending On How You Chose To Start Your Game, Whether It Be Pirate Or Colonist, There Will Probably A Point Where You May Have To Be The Other. The Cantina Is The Place To Do It. It Is Here That You Can Deal With The Pirates And Revoke Or Invoke Your Pirating Rights As Well As Socialize And Improve Your Morale :) To Become A Pirate ( Assuming You Are A Colonist ), You Must Have One Or No Planets At All. Once A Pirate, You Are Free To Pillage The Masses Until You Can Accumulate Enough Credits And Ships To Become A Colonist Again And Rejoin The Game. Remember, The Only Way To Win Is To Take A Majority Of The Planets Out There - But Of Course There Are Those Who Aren't Out To Win, They Just Love Creating Chaos.... Heh.. Heh... To Become A Colonist ( Assuming You Are A Pirate ), You Must Pay 50 Credits To Clear Your Name - All Good Pirates Commit Horrible Atrocities You Know. You Are Then A Spacefaring Colonist, Free To Colonize Planets And To Use The Wealth You Accumulated As A Pirate To Give You The Edge In Conquering The Galaxy... [*] Order & End Game: --------------------- This Ends Your Turn And Takes You To The Shipyards. If You Have Any Credits Remaining You Will Be Given The Option Of Constructing New Ships For Your Next Turn (As Described Above). Following This, You Will Be Shown Your Current Standing And Logged Out Of The Game. =============================================================================== Well, There You Have It. There Are Other Things, But You Will Have To Discover Them On Your Own. The Game Is Constantly Being Upgraded With Things Added Almost Every Minute ( So It Seems )! So Watch For Them. Good Luck, I Sincerely Hope You Enjoy STellar Chaos And May All Your Battles Be Filled With Honor, Treachery And Lotsa Big Explosions! =============================================================================== ' The Shareware Plea ' =============================================================================== Stellar Chaos Is A Shareware Product. This Means You May Use The Unregistered Version For A Period Of Sixty Days Before You Are Required To Make A Donation To Receive The Fully Registered Product. But If You Find That You Use It On A Daily Basis, You Should Seriously Ponder The Fate Of The Universe And Wonder If God Will Ever Forgive You For Not Registering. He Probably Will ( Bummer ), But Still, Alot Of Hard Work Went Into This Product And Considering The Cost Of Shareware, Much Less The Cost Commercial Software In The IBM Market For A Telecommunications Program, You Are Definitely Coming Out Ahead. If You Are A Avid Player Of Stellar Chaos, And Your Local BBS Has An Unregistered Version, By All Means Convince Your Sysop To Register - You Will Enjoy The Full Registered Version Alot More! If He Still Won't, Then Go In With Him On It! Hell, You Spend A Few Bucks Walking Into An Arcade, Why Not On A BBS Game? Have I Convinced You Yet? No? How About The Air Force Doesn't Pay Me Enough To Live On! Feel Sorry For Me Now? I Thought So - Thanx For Registering Stellar Chaos:) Authors' Note: I Have Made This Shareware Plea Entertaining For Your Enjoyment For The Usual And Legal ( Boring ) Shareware Stuff Please Refer to the README.DOC File... For A Copy Of Stellar Chaos For Your Atari ST/STE/TT Or IBM Compatable BBS Please Send A Donation Of $20 To: Roger Thomas (Redwulf) P.O. Box 8101 Evansville, IN 47716 You Will Receive A Printed Manual, The Latest Version Of Stellar Chaos And Your Registration Program! All Updates Are Free!* The Official Development And Support BBS For STellar Chaos Is: == Solano STation BBS == Sysop: Fred Bruch (707) 446-4158 300-14,400 V.32bis Forward All Questions And Suggestions As Email To Redwulf * Fine Print: Read The Readme.Doc File To See How This Free Thingy Works And The Complete Order Form And Details.