Games PC STARLANCER User Manual
COMMAND TRANSMISSION / /
TO: ALL SHIP PERSONNEL
PRIORITY ALPHA-ONE
My fellow countrymen and defenders of the Alliance:
The future had never looked so bright. There was no obstacle too great
for our Western Alliance to overcome. We had terraformed Mars and
established fledgling colonies on the outer moons and planets. With
abundant raw materials mined from asteroids, the discovery of new
nanotechnologies, and automated zero-gravity manufacturing plants, the
human race was poised to reach beyond our solar system.
...But a shadow has fallen across the stars.
Forty-eight hours ago, a surprise strike force decimated the French and
Italian fleets moored in Martian orbit. A newly formed coalition of Eastern
nations has made a grab for power. Their aim is to take everything we
have built with our blood, tears, and toil.
We have verified reports of this Coalition overrunning our Alliance High
Command on Ganymede and landing massive invasion forces on the outer
colonies. We have lost Io and Europa. Pitched battles wage on Mars and
Earth.
In the peaceful quest to build a future, we stretched our military forces
too thin and made a tempting target for those who would take advantage
of our ideals. The lack of vigilance has placed our
democracy on the brink of ruin.
This battle, though, is far from lost.
The remnants of the French and
Italian fleets will rendezvous with
our American, British, German,
Spanish, and Japanese allies
in orbit around Neptune’s
moon, Triton. We will regroup, establish a new command structure, and assess
our best strategy. There, on
the edge of the solar system,
we will make our stand against
the encroaching darkness.
Godspeed to us all.
—Captain Robert Foster, ANS
Reliant
1
ALLIANCE NAVY TECHNICAL
FLIGHT MANUAL LOGON
COMMAND TRANSMISSION / /
TO: SQUADRON RECRUITS
Welcome to the 45th Volunteers. Count yourself lucky to be part of the
most patriotic and highly motivated team in the fleet!
th
Don’t let being members of the 45
job to do, so cooperate with the other squadrons. There’s plenty of glory
out here for everyone.
th
The 45
top-notch flight crew to keep you up and running. You’ll need them. The
Coalition has us outnumbered and our supply lines are strained.
Stay frosty out there.
—Squadron Leader, Maria Enriquez
has access to state-of-the-art fighters, missiles, gunnery, and a
go to your head. We’ve got a tough
“Yeah, I’m lucky. I get wingmen
who were Academy dropouts, excops, and a bunch of rookies with
as much zero-G combat experience as a flying squirrel. Try not
to blow me up.”
—Brad “Viper” Callan
Welcome, pilot. You are linked to the Alliance Intelligence and Tactical
Computer (ITAC) database. It is continuously updated to provide the latest
technical specifications and protocols. An annotation feature allows you to
insert notes and customize this document to suit your personal needs.
Some pilots, however, have not been purging their notes before returning
the units. The Quartermaster General requires that all annotations be
deleted. Do your part!
Type your annotations in these
boxes.
—John Q. “Call Sign” Pilot
3
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GAME INSTALLATION
To install Starlancer, insert the Starlancer CD 1 into the CD-ROM drive,
and follow the directions on the screen. If Setup does not begin automatically, refer to the Readme file on the Starlancer CD.
SINGLE PLAYER GAME
Click Single Player on the main menu. Select a pilot and type your call
sign. Click Start Game and set the game difficulty level.
SAVE AND LOAD
To save or load a game, except during a combat mission, press ESC.
Your game is automatically saved after each successful mission.
INSTANT ACTION
To launch directly into a simulated combat mission, skipping the briefing
and ship loadout, click Instant Action on the main menu.
GAME OPTIONS
To customize Starlancer’s video, audio, and game controls, click Game
Options on the main menu.
“The other squads hate us. They
think we’re here because no one
else is stupid enough to fly these
buckets of rust. Some of them
think we’re just floating decoys.
They can all kiss my afterburners.”
—Michelle “Silky” McCrae
SQUADRON BASE SHIP: ALLIANCE NAVAL
SHIP
The 45th squadron is currently stationed aboard the ANS
4 Carrier under the command of Captain Robert Foster.
Launched in 2125, the
Europa conflicts. Decommissioned 20 years ago, it has been recently
refitted with eight level-6 twin-laser turrets, and called back to active duty.
You have clearance to enter the pilots’ quarters, wheel and briefing
rooms, and the hangar.
clicking the edges of the screen with your mouse
areas is restricted to authorized personnel only.
Welcome aboard.
RELIANT
Reliant
Reliant
Move between ship sections by pointing and
Use extreme caution where high-voltage, radiation, variable-gravity,
and decompression warnings are posted.
has seen extensive action in the Lunar and
. Access to sensitive ship
, a Class
54
INTELLIGENCE AND TACTICAL COMPUTER
(ITAC)
Debriefing Records of
your wing’s and personal
performance on completed missions.
News Reports Text of
current events throughout
the solar system.
Video Reports Video
feeds on current events
throughout the solar
system as well as previous mission briefings.
Fighter Ships Data on
Alliance and Coalition
fighter units.
Capital Ships Informa-
tion on capital ships in
Alliance and Coalition
fleets.
Squadrons Histories of
Alliance and Coalition
fighter units.
Personnel Official
records of Alliance and
Coalition military personnel.
Killboard Displays the
number of kills for Alliance
pilots.
Exit Terminates secure
interface and shuts down
ITAC.
Alliance Symbol Selects
data on Alliance units
within database.
Coalition Symbol Selects
data on Coalition units
within database.
The ITAC is classified
identity confirmed before connection is established. Icons on the bottom
of the screen access Alliance databanks. Some files contain data sets
on both Alliance and Coalition units. Click the Alliance or Coalition
symbols in the upper-right corner to select the corresponding data
sets. You can view additional data by clicking the names of ships
or personnel that appear on the right side of the screen.
“Familiarize yourself with all
Coalition ships and squadrons.
Know your enemy and you might
have a chance out there.”
—Julian “Flash” Browne
TOP SECRET
. Your retina will be scanned and your
6
7
76
SIMULATION POD
BRIEFING ROOM
“No freaking simulation can get
you ready for the big black. This
junk is for losers.”
—Jeff “Ace” Goetz
“Jeff Goetz thought he was hot,
so he left his sim pod cold.
His maiden voyage, he got shot.
That’s all there is to be told.
Draw your own conclusions,
rookie.”
—Doug “Claymore” McCleod
Training Mission
Instant Action
The simulation (sim) pod is a stateof-the-art virtual reality simulator
designed to train Alliance pilots.
There are two simulator modes.
The first mode demonstrates the
operation of the latest flight,
instrument, and weapon control
systems. The second mode,
Instant Action, allows you to hone
your dogfighting skills in a simulated combat mission.
This is where you’ll receive your
preflight instructions and mission
objectives. Pay attention. After your
briefing you will proceed to the
loadout computer to select your
fighter and configure its armaments.
“Follow the briefing instructions to
the letter and
they were given. Otherwise, you’ll
jeopardize the mission, get yourself killed—or worse, you might
get your wingmates burned.”
—Mike “Moose” Horrigan
in the exact order
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FIGHTER SELECTION AND LOADOUT
This loadout computer allows you to select a fighter and configure its
accompanying missile payload. Advanced and prototype ships are restricted to high-ranking pilots who have completed many successful
missions.
Ship Selection Displays
Alliance fighters and their
statistics. Click a ship to
select it.
Missile Loadout Shows
missile specifications.
Click a missile to load.
Displays the Use Default
Loadout and Remove All
Missiles icons.
Use Default Loadout
Loads a preselected
missile array for the ship
selected.
Remove All Missiles
Clears selected missiles
from a fighter, allowing you
to choose a new loadout.
View Internal Guns
Shows selected fighter’s
internal gunnery.
Exit Loadout Computer
Submits ship configuration
for the launch crew to
prep.
After you have selected your fighter
and ordnance, relevant mission
data will be downloaded to your
navigation computer. You will then
proceed directly to the hangar and
launch.—Good luck!
“Some rookies are so hot to hit
vacuum, they grab the first ship they
can . . . forgetting to load their missiles. It’s a surefire way to make your
first mission your last. Load all your
ship’s hardpoints!”
—Hawkeye
1110
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