Games PC MASTER OF ORION User Manual

4.4 (9)

MASTER OF ORION

MicroProse Software

The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury, Avon BS17 6AY

Tel: 0454 329510

All rights reserved

Copyright ©1993 by MicroProse Software, Inc.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without permission, with the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review.

Printing: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the UK

Master of Orion is a trademark of MicroProse Software, Inc.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc.

Tandy is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporation

Master

OF

Master of Orion

CONTENTS

Credits

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5

Part I — Playing Master of Orion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

New Game Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Control Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Planet Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Fleet Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Colonizing Planets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Ship Design Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The Fleet Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The Races Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Planets Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Technology Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Ship Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Winning The Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Part II — Mastering Master of Orion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Growing Your Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Diplomatic Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Trade and Tribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Espionage and Sabotage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The Alien Races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

The Alien Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Crises and Disasters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Ship Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Combat Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

CREDITS

Designer:

Stephen Barcia

Producer:

Jeff Johannigman

Programmers:

Stephen Barcia, Maria Barcia, Ken Burd

Artists:

Maria Barcia, Jeff Dee, Frank Vivirito, Bill Willingham

Music Producer:

The Fat Man (George Alistair Sanger)

Music Composer:

Dave Govett

Sound Software:

John Miles, John Ratcliffe

QA Manager:

Michael Craighead

Lead Testers:

Frank Brown, Destin Strader

Testers:

Jen MacLean, Mike Rea, Tom Lu,

 

Hamilton Chu, Jeff Dinger, John Possidente,

 

Vaughn Thomas, Mick Uhl

Manual Writer:

Stephen Barcia

Manual Design

 

& Layout:

Decarol Smith, Joe Morel

Director of

 

Publications:

Joe Morel

Manual Art:

Bill WIllingham

Product Manager:

John Dreibelbis

Package Design:

John Emory

Package Art:

Erik Olson

Special Thanks to Alan Emrich and Tom Hughes for their invaluable design critiquing and suggestions.

Master of Orion

INTRODUCTION

By the beginning of the 23rd century, ten races had emerged with the

 

technology necessary to colonize deep space. For nearly a century, popula-

 

tion growth on all planets had outstripped planetary resources, and soon all

 

the races were forced to expand and discover new worlds to colonize. As his-

 

tory has proven time and time again, unrestrained expansion inevitably leads

 

to war.

 

Even though each race is very different from the others, all have legends

 

of a master race that once controlled the galaxy. It is said that the Masters left

 

behind a world that contained marvellous secrets and powerful technology.

 

The loremasters call it Orion and it is written in legend that he who masters

 

Orion masters the universe.

 

Master of Orion is a competitive game of interstellar conquest that com-

 

bines exploration with conflict. You are cast as the immortal emperor who

 

shapes the future of your race, as contact is made with the neighbouring

 

races. Your objective is simple: control a majority of the known galaxy and

 

eliminate all who stand in the way.

MEKLAR

As ruler you must ultimately decide the destiny of your race as you

 

make decisions on how planetary resources are allocated, where star fleets

 

will be deployed, which races to fight, and which races to ally with. You

 

begin with control of your home planet, from which you can explore and

 

colonize nearby star systems. Your first decisions will centre around the

 

rapid development of colonies into productive worlds, what types of tech-

 

nology to focus on, and which star systems to colonize. However, the true

 

challenge begins when contact is made with other races, and complex

 

strategies must be formulated to manage diplomacy, sabotage, espionage,

 

trade, and interstellar combat.

 

5

6

Part 1 — Playing Master of Orion

THE MAIN GAME MENU

The main menu allows you to continue currently running games, load previously saved games, and start new games.

Continue Game: Any time you exit a game from the game options screen, the game will be automatically saved. The continue game option then loads and runs the most recently played game.

Load Game File: This option allows the user to restart a previously saved game.

New Game: This option generates a completely new universe with random placement of the stars, different planetary environments, and up to five opponents.

Quit To DOS: Exits the program and returns control back to DOS.

7

NEW GAME OPTIONS

When creating a new game, you have a great deal of control over the actual game play by deciding what size galaxy you want to play in, the number of opponents, and the intelligence of your adversaries.

Size:

Small – 24 stars. A quick game, and contact with other races is almost immediate. This is actually more difficuilt than playing in larger galaxies.

Medium – 48 stars. Long enough to develop most technologies.

Large – 70 star systems.

Huge – 108 stars. For epic games with huge empires and massive star fleets. Note that the game can be very slow in a huge galaxy.

Difficulty: The difficulty setting affects several components of the game, including your opponents’ production rates, expansion rate, technology development, and willingness to ally with you. It also determines the size of your initial fleet.

Opponents: Choose the number of opposing races in the galaxy, from 1 to 5. The fewer opponents you have the longer you will have to develop your empire before contact is made.

Race Choice: Races are chosen from the following:

The Alkaris – an avian race of superior pilots.

The Bulrathis – a large bearlike race with superior ground troops.

The Darlok – shape-changing spies.

The Humans – outstanding diplomats and traders.

The Klackons – productive insect workers.

The Meklars – cybernetic masters of automated production.

The Mrrshan – a catlike race with accurate gunners.

The Psilons – brilliant researchers.

The Sakkra – prolific lizards.

The Silicoids – crystalline beings immune to hostile environments.

For more information, see the chapter “The Alien Races.”

8

Choose Banner: Your choice of banner will determine the colour used to

NEW GAME OPTIONS (CONT.)

represent your space fleets and colonies during the games. This also deter-

 

mines the style of ship icons you can use.

 

Your Name: The name of your Emperor.

 

Home World: Customize the name of your home world or use the

 

default value given.

 

Cancel: Returns to the Main Menu.

 

OK: Accepts the settings currently displayed and starts the new game.

 

9

THE CONTROL SCREEN

The galaxy movement screen is the most commonly used display in the game. From this screen you can move starships, view star systems, and manage planetary production. You can also examine unexplored star systems, scan incoming enemy fleets, and view enemy colonies.

Galaxy Map: The galaxy map contains a variable number of star systems and nebulas. Most of the star systems will have one planet that can support life. The type and size of the planet depends on the colour of the primary star. Yellow stars provide the most habitable planets, while planets around purple neutron stars are more likely to be mineral rich. When play begins, each star system will remain unknown until scouted by one of your ships. The only information that you will have until then will be the colour of the star. One of your first objectives should be to

explore all nearby systems in order to decide where to begin colonization.

When a star system has been colonized, the name of that star system will appear below the picture of the star, in the colour of the race that colonized it. If the star is outside of your scanner range, its name will appear in a dark colour. You will only be able to see ships that are within the range of your scanners.

Nebulas: Nebulas are great particle clouds of matter. Starships traveling through a nebula are reduced in speed to warp 1 (one parsec per year), and perhaps more importantly, deflector and planetary shields do not function inside nebulas. However, nebulas increase the chance of planets inside being mineral rich. Nebulas are illustrated on the galaxy maps as great purple clouds.

Changing Current Star System: The star system currently being viewed is surrounded by a green pulsating border. The information on the right side panel will refer to that star system. To change the currently viewed star system, click on the intended star. If you have colonized the star system, the right side panel will be replaced by the Planet Production panel. You will be able to change the type of starship being constructed and alter the distribution of resources. If you do not have a colony in the system, only the planet’s environment, size, and special characteristics will appear on the right side panel. If you click on a star system that is already selected you will see the Planet View Screen, a full screen view of the planet with all the information concerning that planet.

10

Viewing Starships: Scanners allow you to view incoming enemy starships or any of your own fleets. Clicking on a fleet icon will replace the right side panel with the Fleet Scan panel.

Moving Starships: Click the mouse on the fleet that you intend to move. If it is currently in orbit, the Fleet Deployment panel will appear on the right side panel. If the fleet is currently in transit you will only get a report on its composition, destination and ETA.

FUNCTION BUTTONS

The row of buttons along the bottom of the screen are used to perform various game functions and access reports.

Game: This button invokes the game and sound options menu, where you can save the current game, load a previously saved game, quit to the main menu or change the current sound setting.

Design: Allows you to design new ship types for construction. You can only maintain six ship designs at one time. If you already have six ship types, you will first have to scrap one to create space for the new design.

Fleet: This button brings up the Fleet Screen, a report on all your currently operating fleets. It shows each fleet’s location or destination and allows you to examine the specifications of every design.

Map: The map screen gives you an overview of the entire galaxy. The player can see the distribution of colonies, environment types, or the location of any planets with special characteristics.

Races: This screen gives you an overview of your relations with all races you are in contact with. It shows any treaties that you have signed as well as the race’s current attitude towards you. You may also initiate diplomatic contacts from this screen. You can ask for new treaties, threaten to break old ones, or offer an exchange of technologies.

Your intelligence forces are controlled from this screen. You may build new spy networks in each enemy empire and assign them a mission. If you have at least one spy in an empire you can get an intelligence report on their current technology levels. Finally, you may also set the percentage of resources that will go towards strengthening internal security.

Planets: The planet screen gives you a quick summary of the vital data on all of your colonies. It also serves as a convenient method of going directly to one of your colonies to change their production settings. A breakdown on your maintenance costs and income is shown along the bottom of this screen.

THE CONTROL SCREEN (CONT.)

11

THE CONTROL SCREEN (CONT.)

Tech: This option will allow you to review the technologies that you have

 

already discovered. A short description of the effects of each technology is

 

available. Allocation of your research points to six technology areas is also

 

accomplished from this screen.

 

Next Turn: The next year button sends the game to the next turn. Trans-

 

ports and ships will move, spies will attempt to steal technology and sabotage

 

enemy colonies, ground and space conflicts will be resolved, and new ships

 

and bases will be built.

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLANET PRODUCTION

Planetary production is measured in BC’s (billions of credits) and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is a measure of a star system’s resources and building potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The production can be used to build new ships and missile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star System

bases, create new factories, improve your planet’s environment,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planet Type

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and research new technology. Production is displayed immedi-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ately above the production ratio bars in terms of actual and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

total resources. The total resources are shown inside parenthe-

 

Population

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missile Bases

 

 

 

in Millions

 

 

 

 

ses. The total represents not only the sum of colonists and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Actual) Total

 

 

factory production, but also the revenues from existing trade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production

 

 

routes and other player tribute, plus revenues transferred to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that planet from the Planetary Reserve. The actual production is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the amount of resources remaining after maintenance, trading,

 

Ratio Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tribute, espionage, security, and colony transport costs are

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

deducted from the planet’s total production. Actual production

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change Ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Built

 

 

 

is the amount of resources that can actually be used to build

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ships, bases, and industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Send Ships Built

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to Other Stars

 

Production Ratio Bars: The ratio bars automatically divide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transport

the planet’s total production into five areas: starship production,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colonists

 

planetary defense, new factory construction, ecology, and tech-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nological research. To make large adjustments in the current

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ratios, place the mouse pointer in the appropriate bar and press the button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For incremental adjustment click on the arrows on either end of the ratio bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The full length of the bar represents 100% of the planets production, and the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

total allocations between the five areas cannot exceed the 100% limit. There-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fore, increasing the production in one area will decrease the production in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

another. If you want to lock the production so that it cannot be altered, press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the ratio description to the left of the bar. This will change the colour of the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bar to red and you will no longer be able to alter that production ratio bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press the description again to unlock the ratio bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ship (SHIP): Resources allocated toward ship production are used to construct new starships or stargates. Each planet can only build one type of ship at a time. The type of starship built is shown inside the star dock in the lower right portion of the screen. Once you have developed stargate technology you can build stargates instead of ships. You select the stargate as if it were another type of ship.

The rate at which the selected ships are constructed depends on the cost of the ship, how large a percentage of resources has been allocated, and the star system’s total production. The number shown to the right of the bar

13

PLANET PRODUCTION (CONT.)

indicates the number of years left remaining to produce the ship given current

 

levels of production. If the star system is capable of producing more than one

 

ship per year, the time will be 1 year, and the number of ships produced will

 

be shown by the ship’s picture. New starships will either be placed in orbit

 

around the planet, or sent to another colony if you have specified a destina-

 

tion for relocation (see Relocate button).

 

Defenses (Def): Resources allocated to planetary defenses are used to

 

upgrade existing bases, build planetary defense shields, and construct new mis-

 

sile bases, in that order. Missile bases will always be equipped with the most

 

advanced technology available. When new weapons technology is discovered

 

that can be placed in a missile base, the current missile bases must be

 

upgraded to include the new weapons. If the defense ratio is insufficient to

 

cover the costs of upgrading the missile bases, the word UPGRD will appear to

 

the right of the ratio bar. Any remaining resources will be used to build plane-

 

tary defense shields if you have the necessary technology. The word SHIELD

 

will appear for those planets that are in the process but have not yet completed

 

construction of planetary shields. Otherwise remaining resources will be used

 

to build new missile bases with the number of years left to build the next base

 

shown to right of the ratio bar.

 

Industry (Ind): Resources allocated to industry will be used to build new

 

factories. You can build more factories than the colonies can operate, but you

 

will be warned with the message MAX in the construction box to the right of

 

the ratio bar. Be careful not to build too many factories without the tech-

 

nology necessary to clean up the waste generated by the factories. When the

 

game begins, colonists can operate two factories each. With advanced tech-

 

nology though, the level of control can be raised up to seven factories per

 

colonist. If you have built as many factories as your planet’s maximum popula-

 

tion can support, any excess spent on Industry will go to the Planetary Reserve

 

(see The Planets Screen) and be displayed as RESERV.

 

Ecology (Eco): Resources allocated to ecology are used to improve the

 

planet’s environment by cleaning up industrial waste, expanding the habit-

 

able regions with terraforming, converting the atmosphere, and enriching the

 

soil, in that order. Ecology resources are first used to eliminate industrial

 

waste. If you have not allocated enough resources to completely clean up the

 

planet, WASTE will appear by the ratio bar. The Ecology allocation will auto-

 

matically be set to the minimum amount needed to maintain a clean environ-

 

ment. If any resources remain and you have the technology to terraform the

 

planet beyond its current size, convert the atmosphere from hostile to stan-

 

dard, or enrich the planet’s soil to a gaia, resources will be allocated to the

 

appropriate terraforming operation in that order. ATMOS will appear in the

 

construction box when atmospheric terraforming is being conducted and

 

SOIL when soil enrichment is being performed.

14

If you do not have any new terraforming technology to build and all the

PLANET PRODUCTION (CONT.)

waste has been removed, CLEAN will be shown in the construction box.

 

Remaining resources will be used to improve the existing ecology and

 

increase the growth rate of the colony’s population. If sufficient resources

 

have been allocated to increase the normal growth rate, +#POP will displayed

 

indicating the number of additional colonists being born. (For additional

 

details on population growth, see the Colonizing Planets.)

 

Technology (Tech): Resources allocated to technology are used to fund

 

research projects to develop new and useful devices. Resources are converted

 

to research points that are then combined with the research from all your

 

other planets and are used to achieve higher technology levels.

 

You will get more benefit from research by investing a few points in technology

 

over several turns than by allocating a large amount in a single turn.

 

Ships Button: Each planet is allowed to produce only one type of star-

 

ship at a time. To change the current starship to another design, press this

 

button. You can cycle through the list of starship designs until you find the

 

one you prefer. If you have the technology necessary to build star gates, you

 

will also be given the option to build a star gate instead of a ship.

 

Relocate Button (Reloc): The relocate button allows you to direct the

 

planet’s newly built ships to another star system that you control. There will be

 

an appropriate delay from production to arrival since the ships must travel to

 

the new destination normally. This allows you to produce starships in a far

 

corner of your empire and then redirect those ships to a system along an

 

enemy border without having to move each ship yourself. A blue line will

 

appear on the star map to indicate those planets which are redirecting ship

 

production to other planets.

 

Colony Transports Button (Trans): You may transport colonists to any

 

planet where a colony has been established. No more than half of a planet’s

 

population can be transported in a single turn. Before sending colonists to

 

uninhabited planets, you must send a ship with a “Colony Base” Special

 

Device to establish a Base on that planet. Some planets will have hostile

 

environments that require advanced technology to land on. Colonists may

 

also be sent to assault enemy colonies if you have the technology to land

 

there. When your colonists arrive they will battle the enemy population for

 

control of the planet.

 

15

Games PC MASTER OF ORION User Manual

FLEET MOVEMENT

The Fleet Deployment Panel is used to give your fleets movement orders. It is invoked by clicking on a friendly fleet in orbit.

Each ship type has its own section and control buttons. The number at the lower right of the ship picture is the number of ships that are being moved. The “>” button increases this number by one while the “<” button decreases this number. If there are a large number of ships of one type the “>” and “<” buttons change the number in increments of 5% of the total number. The “>>” button allocates all ships of that type and the “<<” button sets the number to 0.

To set a destination simply click on the desired star. Your destination must be within fuel range of one of your colonies, for all ships in that fleet. If the target is within range a green line will be drawn from your present location to your destination. If

for any reason the move is illegal a red line will be drawn and you will receive a message giving the reason.

Cancel Button: will return you to the main movement screen with no orders being given.

Accept Button: accepts the current settings. The moving ship icon is moved from the top right of the star system to the top left.

SCAN FLEET PANEL

The Scan Fleet Panel shows the composition of any fleet within scanner range of a colony or fleet. If you have advanced scanners or you are scanning one of your own fleets, this panel will also show the fleet’s destination and how many turns it will take to get there.

16

COLONIZING PLANETS

PLANET VIEW SCREEN

The Planet View screen provides a summary of current population, population growth, industrial waste, factories, planetary defense shields, and orbital fleets. Each icon on the planet is equal to 10 units of whatever the icon represents.

Planetary Environments: There are 14 environmental types in Master of Orion. The type of planetary environment dictates the size of the planet, which in turn determines how many colonists the planet can support and how fast the population will grow. Hostile environments (barren, tundra, dead, inferno, toxic, and radiated) halve the normal population growth and require advanced technology to colonize. Hostile environments are also the systems most likely to have mineral rich resources that double or even triple ship, defense, and factory production.

Terran planets are earth-like and can support the largest number colonists.

Jungle planets are young, undeveloped worlds reminiscent of the Dinosaur Age on earth.

Ocean planets have very few land masses and are almost completely covered by water.

Arid planets have only about one quarter of their surface covered by water.

Steppe planets have rugged terrains that are difficult to clear for a colony.

Desert planets have very scarce water supplies and are plagued by violent dust storms.

Minimal planets can barely support life with an oxygen poor atmosphere and little water.

Barren planets have no surface water supplies and little to no atmosphere.

Tundra planets are basically huge balls of ice with sub-zero temperatures year round.

Dead planets have no water supplies or atmospheres whatsoever.

Inferno planets are similar to Venus with excruciatingly hot environments.

17

COLONIZING PLANETS (CONT.)

• Toxic planets have corrosive atmospheres which destroy most types

 

of equipment.

 

• Radiated planets are constantly bombarded by solar radiation.

 

Planetary Specials: Not all planets have the same industrial potentials.

 

Some have special environments that modify population growth while others

 

may have abundances of important metals for construction.

 

• Mineral Poor planets lack sufficient amounts of the heavy metals nec-

 

essary for construction. Ship production, missile base construction,

 

and new factory construction is halved. However, ecology and

 

research are unaffected.

 

• Ultra Poor planets are the same as mineral poor planets, but produc-

 

tion is reduced to one-third.

 

• Artifact planets have ancient relics and devices left over from previous

 

races. Technology research is doubled on planets with artifacts.

 

• Mineral Rich planets have abundant supplies of heavy metals. Star-

 

ship production, missile base production, and new factory construc-

 

tion are all doubled on mineral rich planets. Ecology and technology

 

research is unaffected.

 

• Ultra Rich planets are the same as mineral rich planets except that

 

production is tripled.

 

• Hostile planets have harsh environments that halve the normal popu-

 

lation growth rate and require advanced technology to even land on.

 

• Fertile planets are easier to colonize than normal. Population growth

 

is 1.5 times normal.

 

• Gaia planets are ecological paradises. Population growth is twice

 

normal rate.

 

Planet Size: The size of the planet indicates how many colonists can pop-

 

ulate the planet. The size shown on this screen includes the effects of indus-

 

trial waste as well as terraform expansion. At the start of the game, the planet

 

size is determined by the planet’s environment. Terraforming technology can

 

eventually be used to increase the base size of the planet and allow more

 

colonists to live on the planet.

 

Planetary Defense Shield: Planetary defense shields protect populations,

 

industrial factories, and military bases from enemy attacks. Planet shields are

 

the only defense that populations and factories have from space attacks. With-

 

out a shield both take full damage from attacks. Missile bases add the plane-

 

tary shield to their force fields when absorbing damage. Planetary shields are

 

automatically built when the proper technology is acquired and sufficient

 

resources have been allocated to defense spending.

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Factories: Each factory must be operated by people and the number of

COLONIZING PLANETS (CONT.)

factories that can be controlled by colonists is limited by the player’s level of

 

robotic technology. The better the robot controls the more factories that can

 

be operated by each colonist. You must be careful not to build too many fac-

 

tories without the technology to either clean up the resulting industrial waste

 

or reduce the amount produced by each factory. Otherwise, you will be

 

spending a considerable amount of your resources just removing the pollu-

 

tion and keeping your populations from dying off.

 

Industrial Waste: Waste reduces the habitability of a planet and may

 

actually kill colonists if the amount grows too large. Each factory produces

 

roughly one unit of waste, modified by the amount of waste already present

 

on the planet. The amount of waste each factory generates can be reduced

 

by advanced construction technology while the cost of cleaning up existing

 

waste can be decreased with advanced planetology tech.

 

Planetary Missile Bases: Missile bases are marvellous for planetary

 

defense. Although they are immobile, bases are per unit the cheapest military

 

unit. Unlike starships, missile bases are always equipped with the best

 

available technology: missiles, force fields, ECM jammers, and battle com-

 

puters. Note that missile bases do require maintenance, and although they

 

are not as costly to maintain as starships, they nevertheless can be expensive if

 

too many are built.

 

Population: Colonists provide two functions: generating production to

 

build starships, missile bases, technology etc., and operating industrial

 

factories to provide even more production. Generally, the larger the popula-

 

tion, the more the colony can build in a single year.

 

Population Growth: Each year your colonies will grow an amount that

 

depends on the current number of colonists, the maximum planetary popula-

 

tion (including industrial waste), and the planet’s environment. You grow the

 

most people when the planet’s population is at half of its maximum size.

 

Should the population maximum ever fall below the current population, the

 

growth rate goes negative and colonists begin to die off. Hostile environ-

 

ments (barren, tundra, dead, inferno, toxic, and radiated) slow population

 

growth while fertile and gaia environments increase it. Technology will

 

eventually allow you to convert hostile environments to standard environ-

 

ments and standard environments to fertile and gaia environments.

 

Orbital Fleets: The ships shown circling the planet represent the space

 

fleet currently in control of the planet. The count shown to the lower right

 

indicates how many of each type of ship are in that group.

 

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COLONY TRANSPORTS

Colony transports can be used to move populations and ground troops to assault enemy worlds. In both cases, you must have the required ship range to reach the star system and the appropriate planetology tech if the planet has a hostile environment. No more than half of a planet’s population may be transported to the new star system and only a single destination may be chosen per turn.

Transport Speed: Colony transports move at one less than the maximum speed of your best known engine type. For example, if you have developed Sub-Light engines which move starships at warp 3 (three parsecs per turn), your transports would then move at warp 2.

Forming A New Colony: The first step in colonizing a new planet is to create a ship design that includes a colony base as one of its special devices. When a ship with a colony base is in orbit around an unclaimed planet that you can land on, you will be given the option to start a colony on that planet. If you choose to do so, the ship will be scrapped and the materials used to build the new colony. You may now transport more colonists to the planet to enable the colony to grow faster. In addition, you can now use the planet as a base for starship operations, allowing your ships to move deeper into the galaxy.

Invading Enemy Planets: Only star systems that have been explored can be invaded. Enemy starships in orbit and missile bases on the ground can destroy colony transports attempting to land on an enemy planet. If you intend to land on another player’s planet, you should eliminate the ground and space forces first. Otherwise, a significant number of the colonists will be destroyed. Once the transports have landed, both sides engage in ground combat with the winner retaining control of the planet. Space combat is resolved prior to transport landings.

Ground Combat: Ground combat is resolved in a series of engagements until one side has been completely eliminated. Each side receives a bonus according to any ground combat technological advances it has acquired. The Bulrathi also have a natural advantage in ground combat.

Taking an Enemy World: There are several advantages in capturing enemy colonies, compared to colonizing unoccupied planets. First, you do not need to build a ship with a colony base to start the colony. Second, you can use the factories that were previously owned by the enemy player (enemy factories must be refit, however). Finally, there is a chance that you will discover some advanced technology that you did not already have.

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THE SHIP DESIGN SCREEN

As you develop technology you will want to design new ships to take advantage of the advanced weapons, force fields, computers, and engines that you have developed. Only six designs can be in commission at one time, and you may have to scrap other ships to make room for the new designs.

Technology is not the only consideration in ship design. Ship size also limits how many devices can be mounted on the ship and cost determines how fast the ships can be produced.

In order to change a ship’s equipment, press the mouse on either the title or name of the item to alter. If the item cannot be increased in size or power due to space constraints or lack of technology, it will appear darkened. Once selected, a list of all available technology will be shown on the screen, with their cost, space, and power requirements. The total space column

shows the total space requirements for the item including extra engines needed to power the item. Any item too big to fit on the ship as currently configured will be darkened.

Ship Name: Each time that you design a new ship it will have a default name that suits the current ship size and your race. If you wish to change the name, press the mouse on the name field and enter the new name.

Ship Size: The size of a starship determines how many devices can be placed on a ship, how much damage the ship can take before being destroyed, and how maneuverable the ship is in combat. Smaller ships are more maneuverable and so are harder to hit in combat while the larger ships are much easier to hit.

Battle Computers: Battle computers direct all ship’s fire. The more advanced the battle computer the better the chance a ship has of hitting an enemy target. In addition, in combat better battle computers provide faster response time and improve a ship’s initiative (the order in which ships move and fire).

Shields: Force fields are essential to the survival of a starship. Shields absorb damage from all incoming attacks an amount equal to their class. For example, Class V shields absorb 5 points of damage from all attacks. Obviously, a superior shield can make a ship nearly immune to enemy attacks.

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ECM Generators: ECM units (Electronic Counter Measures) reduce the chance of enemy missiles striking the protected ship. A ship’s missile defense is the sum of the ship’s normal defense plus its ECM rating. Without a powerful ECM generator, most advanced missiles will almost always hit.

Armor: Armor protects a ship from all attacks by increasing the ship’s total hit points. There are two type of armor for each material: standard and double hull. The standard hull always take the same amount of space, regardless of the material. Double hulls (displayed as II) increases a ship’s hit points at the sacrifice of ship space.

Engines: Not only do ship engines move a starship, but they also power all of the ship’s devices. On the galaxy map, each level of warp moves the starship one parsec per year, i.e.

Fusion engines (warp 4) move a ship 4 parsecs per turn. In combat, a ship’s maneuverability increases its defense against beam and missile weapons. Older engine types have a better power to space ratio than new engines so it will take less space to power all the devices on a ship if older engines are used. Unfortunately, this also means the ship won’t be able to move as fast and will be easier to hit.

Maneuverability: Unlike galaxy map travel, combat movement requires rapid changes in direction and speed. On the galaxy map, ships can take a long time to accelerate into hyperspace. In combat, ships require more thrust to overcome inertia and alter course quickly. To do so requires more engines to provide the needed thrust. The larger the ship, the more engines that are required to move in combat. Huge ships rarely have a high maneuverability while small ships generally move very quickly. A ship can move one space per turn in combat for every two points of maneuverability it has. Maneuverability also affects the initiative of the ship, since faster ships react quicker than slower ones.

Weapon Types: Each ship may have up to four different types of mounted weapons. Click on each weapon row to select a weapon for that slot. Click on the small up and down arrows next to the weapon count to increase or decrease the number of weapons of that type.

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Special Devices: Special devices give ships unique capabilities. For exam-

SHIP DESIGNS (CONT.)

ple, a ship with a colony base is required to start any new colonies, and ships

 

with battle scanners can analyze enemy ships in combat. Each ship may carry

 

up to three special devices, and no more than one of each type.

 

Clear Button: the Ship Design screen keeps the design settings of the last

 

ship built, so you may modify your most recent design in building a new class

 

of ship. If you prefer to start your design from scratch, CLEAR resets all the

 

design settings.

 

Build Button: when you are satisfied with your design, press the build

 

button to accept the design and return to the galaxy map. You can now

 

produce ships of that design by selecting it with the SHIPS button in a

 

planet’s Production Panel.

 

Cancel Button: if you change your mind and wish to leave the screen

 

without saving the ship design, press the cancel button.

 

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