TREK7
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Contents
History
The Star Trek simulation game TREK7 was written in FORTRAN by Donald M. Ecclestone in the early 70ties for the PDP-10.
The game was ported to VAX computers running VMS in 1978 by the author with the help of Dan Gahlinger.
Innumerable four-player games were played on the VAX computer systems at UWO (Western University) in London Ontario, Canada, for the next few years.
The game was run on the UWO VAX-11/750 and VAX-11/782 systems.
By 1983 Donald had left the University, bequeathing the code to Dan.
For some years TREK7 fell into a deep slumber until in 1993 Dan Gahlinger decided to revive it.
Characteristics
TREK7 was written for Teletype terminals, which determines some of the characteristics of the game.
Video terminals, e.g. the VT52 were just in the ascendent back then, and most computers still had their noisily and slow mechanical printing terminals.
TREK7 input is possible in capitals only. To save time and paper, game output was limited to the bare necessities. The game map is printed only on request and you can even reduce its size at will.
The game is just one programm/process enabling up to four players to take their turns one after another.
A typical TREK7 ship command sequence consists of:
- Optionally informing yourself ("Get ship information":
IN <RET>), - choosing an action ("Set course to coordinates 20,55":
CO <RET> 2055 <RET>), - starting the action ("Start moving":
GO <RET> M <RET>), and finally - receiving a report of incidents (if any).
When it's not your turn you always get informed about the results of the other players actions, too.
ENTERPRISE COMMAND: IN
DEFLECTORS POSITION
ENTERPRISE 100.0 (60,38) CREW REMAINING= 430
KLINGON STARBASE 1 300.0 (49,11)
ORION PRIVATEER UNKNOWN ( 6,29)
DOOMSDAY MACHINE UNKNOWN (44,24)
ENTERPRISE COMMAND: CO
ENTER WARP FACTOR - BETWEEN 0 AND 10.0: 4
ENTER TARGET COORDINATES: 2055
ENTERPRISE COMMAND: GO
ENTER COMMAND STRING (M,P,T,B,Y,D,C,H FOR HELP)
M
ENGINE TEMP. = 4000 DEGREES
DOOMSDAY MACHINE HAS COLLIDED WITH A MINE - DAMAGE REPORT-
DAMAGE FACTOR 3- MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
- THERE IS A DENT IN THE VESSEL
PLEASE STANDBY WHILE THE POTEMPKIN TAKES ITS TURN
Status Quo
Seven FORTRAN sources and two data files with nearly 7,000 lines of code are the framework of TREK7.
The reconstruction of the VAX/VMS version of TREK7 from a transcription and a printout has recently been finished.
The first step was to fix the sources so that the games compiles without compiler errors.
The work so far was done by Dan Gahlinger using his stored printouts, because no more known versions on computer readable media were available by then.
In September 2022 some crazy VAX guy (me) was looking for some interesting software to be run on his simh VAX-11/750 under VMS V2.0. By chance (asking Google) I found the TREK7 FORTRAN sources at sourceforge and contacted the publisher Dan Gahlinger.
Dan explained the problems still present in TREK7 and I started refreshing my FORTRAN.
It's been more than 30 year since I last used my knowledge of FORTRAN for some serious work.
But FORTRAN was the first programming language I learned, and more and more returned when I struggled with the TREK7 sources.
The following manuals were of a great help:
- AA-D035C-TE VAX-11 FORTRAN User's Guide
- AA-D034C-TE VAX-11 FORTRAN Language Reference Manual
- AA-D026B-TE VAX-11 Symbolic Debugger Reference Manual
After detecting and fixing more than 60 bugs (mostly caused by transcription errors) in a second step, the game is playable again now.
One of the most obstinate bugs was the "divide by zero" problem that has been plaguing the code for decades hindering any successful game.
There still may be an unknown number of minor bugs, but TREK7 runs fine now in both single-user and multi-user mode.
The testing platform is a SIMH VAX-11/750 running VMS V2.0 and VAX FORTRAN V2.4
Features
- Multi-user
- Up to four manually-operated ships (controlled by one to four terminals on the computer)
- Zero to eight computer-operated enemies
(You can decide not to include any enemy to get accustomed to the game):- Klingon warship
- Romulan warship
- Gorn warship
- Tholian warship
- Orion ship
- Doomsday machine
- Kzinti warship
- Moonbase Alpha
- Starbases
- Stars
- Ion storms
- Weaponry
- Phaser beams
- Photon torpedoes
- Mines
- Deflector beams
- Tractor beams
- Boarding
- Transfer, Repair and Resupply
- Information, Navigation and Travelling
- Info function
- Playing area map
- Course
- Warp drive
- Communication
- Radio
- Jamming
There's some time-restricting code in TREK7 (routine TIMEX in module TREKD.FOR) to prevent students from running it during class hours, but normally it's left disabled:
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UNIVERSITY COMPUTING COUNCIL'S POLICY (SEE HLP:RESTRI.MEM), TREK7 CANNOT BE ACCESSED ON WEEKDAYS BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1000 AND 1700. COME BACK TONIGHT AND PLAY IT WITHOUT THESE RESTRICTIONS.
TREK7 Ports
- TREK7 PDP-10 FORTRAN
- TREK7 VAX FORTRAN
- TREK7 PDP-8 ALGOL 60 (this is a rumour from England)
- TREK7 Linux FORTRAN (single user only)
Debugging, Alterations and Additions
Comments
The process of detecting and fixing bugs required some understanding of how the TREK7 FORTRAN source code works. The original sources contained very few comments that did not really help.
So a lot of comments had to be added to comprehend this marvelous piece of software.
All added comments are tagged with CV in the first two columns of each line so that they can easily be recognized and removed if desired.
About 50% of the code is commented now, of which about 80 to 90% is ensured to be commented reasonably ok. The rest is more or less intelligent (or pure) guesswork.
Some obscure sections are left over for the curiuos and knowing reader ;-))
Additional aids are (separately kept) lists of subroutines, common/local variables and their use; about 300 all together.
Random Number Generator
I could not resist to add a little enhancement to TREK7 - it is fully revertible if anyone cares.
The random number generator originally included in TREK7 relies on a random number between 1-32767 asked from the player at the start of a game. If all subsequent player actions are recorded, the course of the game is fully reproducible. This is useful for testing and debugging, but not optimal for game fun.
I added another source of randomness (the actual system time in hundredth of a second since last midnight, see: TREKA.FOR), which makes it virtually impossible to reproduce the course of the game.
Full Size Map
Opposed to the TREK7 standard, which limits the map size to 15x15 (and even less if ones ships sensors are damaged), I added a possibility to have a full size (60x60) map.
Ideas not yet realized
Some ideas (useful, interesting or pointless):
- Log / Replay functions - logging all actions to a file / replaying saved game actions
- Snapshot / Resume functions - saving all current game status parameters / restoring saved game status parameters
- Time limits - making the game continue without your action when your time to react is over
- Variable map size
- Computer vs. computer mode
How to run TREK7
TREK7 Multi-Player Mode over Network
Thanks to SIMH you can use the multi-player mode of TREK7 over TCP/IP, be it local or Internet.
For playing over Internet you must allow ingoing TELNET to the computer hosting the SIMH VAX.
Your team players have to wait for the SIMH VAX-11/750 to finish booting. Tell them to connect when the time has come and that they shall not log in.
Then they can start their PuTTY sessions one after another (in the order that you will assign the ships to the terminals).
Your team players will receive a messages like this:
Connected to the VAX 11/750 simulator DZ device, line 1
Once they all have connected, you can break out of SIMH using <CTRL-e> and see the established connections:
$ <CTRL-e> Simulation stopped, PC: 80007104 (BRB 80007104) sim> show dz conn line1 : Connection from IP address 127.0.0.1 Connection [127.0.0.1]:6666->[127.0.0.1]:37943 Connected 00:00:18 Telnet protocol line 2: Connection from IP address 127.0.0.1 Connection [127.0.0.1]:6666->[127.0.0.1]:45899 Connected 00:01:57 Telnet protocol sim>
Don't break out of SIMH too early because your team players will not be able to connect while SIMH is stopped.
Tell SIMH to continue using cont and start TREK7:
sim> cont run trek7 DONALD ECCLESTONE (C)1979 AND DAN GAHLINGER (C)1993 PRESENT T H E H O L Y T E R R O R - T R E K 7 TYPE IN A RANDOM NUMBER BETWEEN 1-32767
Have fun!
TREK7 Manual
Most of the original TREK7 manual is preserved except for a few pages of the introduction:
TREK7 MANUAL VAX/VMS
DONALD M. ECCLESTONE 17-FEB-77
COPYRIGHT © 1999, DAN GAHLINGER, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ULLI HÖLSCHER 15-OCT-2022
FOREWORD
THIS MANUAL WAS INITIALLY WRITTEN FOR TREK7 RUN ON PDP-10
COMPUTERS. THE PORT OF TREK7 TO VAX COMPUTERS RUNNING THE VMS
OPERATING SYSTEM CAUSED A FEW ALTERATIONS. CHANGES, ADDITIONS,
COMMENTS AND NOTES ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL MANUAL ARE FORMATTED IN
RED.
DISCLAIMER
EVEN THOUGH I LIKED THE TV SHOW, I DISCLAIM THE ACCUSATION
THAT I AM A TREKKIE. I DO NOT OWN A SINGLE PAIR OF VULCAN EARS, OR
EVEN A POSTER OF LEONARD NIMOY. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I HAVE
COMMITTED TREKKIE SACRILEGE - THE ENTERPRISE CAN ACTUALLY BE
DEFEATED.
INTRODUCTION
THE PROGRAM TREK7 SIMULATES A BATTLE BETWEEN SPACESHIPS, WHERE
THE PEOPLE, WEAPONRY, AND SHIP ARE BASED UPON THE FUND ON THE
TELEVISION SERIES ’STAR TREK’. THERE CAN BE UP TO FOUR PLAYERS IN
A GAME AND THE PLAYERS HAVE THE CHOICE OF COMMANDING THE FOLLOWING
SHIP:
ENTERPRISE (UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS) (NCC-1701)
POTEMPKIN (UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS) (NCC-1711)
HAVOC (IMPERIAL KLINGON EMPIRE) (D-53)
CARNAGE (IMPERIAL KLINGON EMPIRE) (D-73)
THE ENTERPRISE AND POTEMPKIN ARE OF THE MK-IX HEAVY CRUISER
CLASS WHICH IS THE MAIN ELEMENT OF THE U.F.P. PEACE-KEEPING
FORCES. EACH SHIP HAS A CREW OF 430 AND TWO WEAPONS SYSTEMS:
PHASER BEAMS AND PHOTON TORPEDOES.
THE HAVOC AND CARNAGE ARE THE KLINGON EMPIRE EQUIVALENT OF THE
ENTERPRISE AND POTEMPKIN AND ARE OF THE KL-VII BATTLE CRUISER
CLASS D7. EACH SHIP HAS A CREW OF 430 AND TWO WEAPONS SYSTEMS:
PHASER BEAMS AND DISRUPTOR BOLTS.
A PHASER BEAMS IS A "BEAM OF ENERGY SIMILAR EMITTED BY A LASER
BUT OF A PULSATING NATURE THAT CAN BE PHASED TO INTERFERE OR
INTERACT WITH THE WAVE PATTERN OF ANY MOLECULAR FORM"(1). THE
PHASER BANKS HAVE 6000 UNITS OF ENERGY THAT CAN BE USED TO EMIT A
PHASER BEAM OF VARIABLE INTENSITY. THE INTENSITY IS PROPORTIONAL
TO THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED. ALTHOUGH A PHASER BEAM HAS A
THEORETICALLY UNLIMITED RANGE, THE FURTHER AWAY THE TARGET IS, THE
LESS PRECISE THE BEAM AND THE PROBABILITY OF A MISS INCREASES.
FURTHERMORE, AS DISTANCE INCREASES, THE INTENSITY OF THE BEAM
DECREASES.
(1) S. E. WHITFIELD, G. RODDENBERRY, ‘THE MAKING OF STAR TREK,
(NEW YORK, 1972), P. 193
TREK7 – DONALD M. ECCLESTONE. 17-FEB-79 – PRINTED @UWO ON 26-APR-1984 00:49
[SOME TEXT MISSING FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL MANUAL]
THE SHIPS ARE ALSO EQUIPPED WITH 12 PHOTON TORPEDOES (ON
KLINGON SHIPS THEY ARE CALLED DISRUPTOR BOLTS BUT THEY’RE BOTH
EQUIVALENT WEAPONS), "ENERGY PODS OF MATTER AND ANTI-MATTER
CONTAINED AND HELD TEMPORARILY SEPARATED IN A MAGNO-PHOTON FORCE
FIELD". ONE PHOTON TORPEDO IS APPROXIMATELY EQUIVALENT TO A
600‑UNIT PHASER BEAM. THE TORPEDO HAS A RANGE OF 10 UNITS AND IT
DETONATES IF IT HITS AN OBSTRUCTING OBJECT.
FOR DEFENCE, THE SHIPS HAVE DEFLECTOR SHIELDS. THE SHIELDS ARE
MADE OF ENERGY AND THEY DEFLECT THE MAIN PART OF ENEMY FIRE AWAY
FROM THE SHIP, EVEN THOUGH A PART OF THE FIRE DOES GET THROUGH.
UNDER REPEATED HITS THE SHIELDS BECOME LESS EFFICIENT RESULTING IN
GREATER DAMAGE. WHEN THE SHIELDS BECOME ZERO (IE. CEASE TO EXIST),
IT WILL TAKE ONLY A SMALL EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE ENEMY TO CAVE
IN THE COMPARATIVELY FRAGILE HULLS OF YOUR STARSHIP.
THE GAME OF TREK7 IS PLAYED ON A 60 X 60 GRID OF SPACES,
THROUGHOUT WHICH ARE RANDOMLY SCATTERED STARS AND ION STORMS. TO
MANOEUVRE THROUGH ALL THIS, THE SHIPS POSSESS WARP DRIVE ENGINES
(CALLED S-2 GRAF UNITS BY KLINGONS) WHICH PROPEL THEM AT GREATER-
THAN-LIGHT SPEEDS. THE UNIT OF SPEED USED IS THE ’WARP’. WARP 1
PROPELS THE SHIP AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT AND COVERS 1 SPACE (OR
UNIT) ON THE 60 X 60 GRID. WARP 2 COVERS 2 UNITS. THE SHIPS’
MAXIMUM SPEEDS ARE WARP 10 (WHICH COVERS 10 UNITS). USING WARP
LESS THAN 1 DOES NOT MOVE A SHIP AT ALL.
THE PLAYER HAS HIS CHOICE OF ENEMIES AND FOR HIS OPPONENT(S).
HE CAN SELECT AMONGST KLINGON, ROMULAN, THOLIAN, GORN, ORION, AND
KZINTI WARSHIPS, A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, AND MOONBASE ALPHA. THE
COMPUTER CONTROLS THESE OPPOSING WARSHIPS. THE PLAYER OF COURSE,
HAS THE OPTION OF SELECTING NO ENEMIES AT ALL BY ANSWERING ’N’
(= NONE) WHEN ASKED FOR THE OPPONENTS HE WISHES TO FIGHT, OR CAN
FIGHT OTHER PLAYER’S SHIPS OR ENEMY STARBASES.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
1. MANUALLY-OPERATED SHIPS
YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER A STRING OF CHARACTERS INDICATING
WHICH SHIPS YOU OR OTHER PLAYERS WISH TO COMMAND IN THE GAME. FOR
EXAMPLE ENTERING ’ECH’ WOULD GIVE YOU THE ENTERPRISE, CARNAGE, AND
HAVOC.
AFTER THIS, IF YOU ARE PLAYING ANY SHIPS OTHER THAN THE
ENTERPRISE, YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR THE TERMINALS TO USE. TYPE A
BLANK ’ ’ FOR YOUR OWN TERMINAL AND THE TERMINAL NAMES (EG.
’TTA1:', ’TTA2:’, ETC.) FOR THE OTHER SHIPS ONE AFTER ANOTHER.
THESE TERMINALS MUST BE SWITCHED ON, BUT NOT LOGGED IN TO,
OTHERWISE THE GAME WILL ABORT WITH AN ERROR MESSAGE.
2. COMPUTER-OPERATED ENEMIES
NEXT, YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR THE OPPONENTS YOU WISH TO FIGHT.
TYPE IN A STRING OF CHARACTERS STANDING FOR THE SHIPS YOU WANT TO
PLAY. (EG. ’GOD’ WILL GIVE YOU THE GORN WARSHIP, ORION PRIVATEER,
AND A DOOMSDAY MACHINE.) YOU CANNOT PLAY MORE THAN ONE SHIP OF THE
SAME NATIONALITY AT THE SAME TIME, SO TYPING ’KKK’ WILL GIVE ONLY
ONE KLINGON WARSHIP, NOT THREE. EACH MANUAL-OPERATED SHIP IS
EQUIPPED SO THAT IT CAN HANDLE AROUND TWO COMPUTER-OPERATED ENEMY
SHIPS AT ONE TIME, UNLESS YOU PLAY THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE, IN WHICH
CASE PRAYER IS THE BEST ANSWER. IF YOU HAVE A LUCKY STREAK, YOU
MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE ON THREE OPPONENTS. IF YOU PLAY THE KZINTI YOU
WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER PARAMETERS REGARDING THEIR STRENGTH AND
STRATEGY. NOTE THAT ALL COMPUTER-OPERATED ENEMIES WILL FIGHT ALL
MANUALLY-OPERATED SHIPS REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY. IF YOU’RE A
BEGINNER I SUGGEST YOU PLAY JUST THE KLINGONS TO GET A FEEL FOR
THE GAME.
HERE IS A RUNDOWN OF THE ENEMIES YOU CAN FIGHT:
2.1 KLINGONS
THE KLINGON WARSHIP IS COMMANDED BY CAPT. JAMES T. KIRK’S
ARCH-RIVAL, CAPT. KOLOTH OF THE IMPERIAL KLINGON SPACE FLEET. HIS
D6 CLASS BATTLE CRUISER IS EQUIPPED WITH DEFLECTOR SHIELDS, PHASER
BANKS (WHICH FIRE BETWEEN 450 AND 1100 UNITS), AND S-2 GRAF UNITS
WHICH CAN PROPEL HIS SHIP BETWEEN WARP 7 AND 9. HIS STRATEGY IS TO
STICK BY YOUR SIDE AND ATTACK.
2.2 ROMULANS
THE ROMULAN WARSHIP IS MODELLED AFTER THE KLINGON D6 CLASS
BATTLE CRUISER AND IS COMMANDED BY COMMANDER TAL. FOR THE SHIP’S
DEFENCE, IT HAS DEFLECTOR SHIELDS AND A CLOAKING DEVICE WHICH CAN
RENDER THE SHIP INVISIBLE TO YOUR SHIP’S SENSORS UNLESS IT IS
WITHIN 5 UNITS OF YOUR SHIP. ALSO, THE LOWER THE ROMULAN’S
DEFLECTORS GET (IE. THE MORE DAMAGE THEY RECEIVE), THE GREATER THE
CHANCE THAT THEIR CLOAKING DEVICE WILL BREAK DOWN FOR A TIME.
FOR OFFENSIVE WEAPONS THE SHIP IS EQUIPPED WITH A MOLECULAR
IMPLOSION BEAM WHICH FATIGUES METALS CAUSING CRYSTALS TO LOSE
COHESION AND COLLAPSE. IT IS EQUIVALENT TO A 300 - 1000 UNIT
PHASER BEAM. THE ROMULANS ARE INITIALLY NEUTRAL IN THE GAME, NOT
FIGHTING UNLESS YOU COME WITHIN 10 UNITS OF THEM OR IF YOU FIRE AT
THEM.
WHEN THE ROMULANS ATTACK, THEY DO NOT PROCEED DIRECTLY TO YOUR
SHIP LIKE KLINGONS. INSTEAD THEY TAKE A BEARING ON YOU, THEN GO ON
A RANDOM COURSE WITHIN 90 DEGREES OF THAT BEARING. THIS EMPLOYS
THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THEIR CLOAKING DEVICE. THE ROMULAN RETREAT
WHEN WHEN YOUR SHIELD EXCEEDS THEIRS BY 20 UNITS OR MORE. THEIR RETREAT
IS SIMILAR TO THEIR ATTACK - THEY TAKE A BEARING DIRECTLY AWAY
FROM YOU AND TRAVEL ALONG A RANDOM PATH WITHIN 90 DEGREES OF THAT
BEARING. THE ROMULAN SHIP HAS A SPEED OF WARP 7 TO 9.
2.3 GORNS
A GORN CAN BE SUMMED UP IN FOUR WORDS - LARGE, REPTILLIAN,
GREEN AND MEAN. THEY ARE BELIEVED TO ORIGINATE FROM A SINGLE
PLANET OUTSIDE THE TERRITORIES OF THE FEDERATION AND KLINGON
EMPIRE. THE GORN SHIP IS EQUIPPED WITH DEFLECTORS, PHASERS (OF
POWER RANGING FROM 350 TO 900 UNITS) AND HAS A MAXIMUM SPEED OF
WARP 11. THE GORN STRATEGY IS TO RETREAT UNTIL THEY HAVE THE UPPER
HAND (UNTIL THEIR SHIELDS ARE AT LEAST 25 UNITS ABOVE YOURS), THEN
ATTACK SHOWING NO MERCY.
2.4 THOLIANS
THOLIAN WARSHIPS ARE BLUE-GREEN AND HAVE A CRYSTALLINE
TETRAHEDRAL SHAPE. THE SHIP WHICH IS ATTACKING YOU IS COMMANDED BY
COMMANDER LOSKENE. THE SHIP IS EQUIPPED WITH ENERGY BEAMS
EQUIVALENT TO A PHASER OF 600 TO 900 UNITS. IT IS ALSO EQUIPPED
WITH DEFLECTOR SHIELDS AND HAS A SPEED OF WARP 5 TO 10.
THE SHIP IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION OF THE
THOLIAN WEB WHICH, WHEN SPUN, CAN TRAP YOUR SHIP SO THAT IT CANNOT
MOVE. THE WEB IS IMPERVIOUS TO PHOTON TORPEDOES AND DISRUPTOR
BOLTS WHEN FIRED FROM WITHIN IT. IF ANY SHIP WHICH IS AN ENEMY OF
THE THOLIANS COMES WITHIN 8 UNITS OF THE THOLIAN SHIP, THE WEB IS
ACTIVATED ON THAT SHIP. WHEN YOU ARE TRAPPED IN A WEB, THE
THOLIANS PREFER TO REMAIN AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 8 UNITS AWAY FROM
YOU AND DESTROY YOU AT THEIR LEISURE. YOUR SHIP HAS A 14.27%
CHANCE OF ESCAPING THE WEB ONLY WHEN YOU GO WARP 10.
2.5 ORIONS
THE ORION SYSTEM IS NOT PART OF EITHER THE FEDERATION OR
KLINGON EMPIRE AND IS POLITICALLY NEUTRAL TOWARDS BOTH POWERS. THE
ORIONS REMAIN NEUTRAL SO THAT THEIR MAIN BUT UNOFFICIAL INDUSTRY -
SMUGGLING AND PIRACY - CAN BE CARRIED ON WITHOUT FEAR OF REPRISAL.
THE ORIONS BASED MUCH OF THEIR SMUGGLING OPERATIONS ON THE KEY
PLANET OF CORIDAN, HOWEVER THE PLANET HAS RECENTLY BEEN ACCEPTED
INTO THE FEDERATION AS A RESULT OF THE INTERPLANETARY CONFERENCE
HELD ON BABEL.
DUE TO A CRACKDOWN ON THE SMUGGLING ON CORIDAN, THE SMUGGLERS
HAVE GROWN AND HAVE TAKEN UP PIRACY. THEY NOW PREY ON FEDERATION
AND KLINGON SHIPPING, AND HAVE BUILT A BATTLESHIP TO DESTROY THE
STARSHIPS IN YOUR IN YOUR SECTOR, WHICH INCLUDES YOU. THE ORION
SHIP IS ON A SUICIDAL MISSION AND IS EQUIPPED WITH PHASERS OF
ENERGY BETWEEN 500 AND 1100 UNITS, AS WELL AS DEFLECTOR SHIELDS.
IT HAS A HIGH DENSITY HULL WHICH SHIELDS THE SHIP AGAINST YOUR
SENSORS AND ALLOWS IT TO ATTAIN WARP 12. THE BATTLE STRATEGY OF
THE SHIP IS TO MAKE CLOSE PASSES OF YOUR SHIP AT MAXIMUM WARP AND
FIRE UPON YOU WHEN IT IS AT THE CLOSEST POINT.
2.6 DOOMSDAY MACHINE
THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE IS A HUGE UNMANNED CYBERNETIC DEVICE FROM
ANOTHER GALAXY WHICH DESTROYS STARS, BREAKING THEM DOWN IN ORDER
TO DERIVE ENERGY FROM THEIR REMNANTS. THE MACHINE IS EQUIPPED WITH
AN ANTI-PROTON BEAM WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO A 1000 - 2000 UNIT
PHASER BEAM. IT HAS A HULL OF EXTREMELY DENSE NEUTRONEUM WHICH
MASKS IT AGAINST YOUR SENSORS, RENDERS YOUR PHASER BEAM VIRTUALLY
INEFFECTIVE AGAINST IT AND MAKES IT IMPERVIOUS TO TRANSPORTER
BEAMS.
THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE WILL CONTENTEDLY EAT STARS AND WILL NOT
FIRE UPON YOU UNLESS YOU FIRE UPON IT FIRST, OR IT COLLIDES WITH A
MINE, AND IT WILL STOP FIRING AT IF YOU GET 7 OR MORE UNITS AWAY
FROM IT AND IT RECEIVES NO MORE DAMAGE. THE MACHINE CANNOT
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A MINE AND A STAR, BUT IF IT FINDS A MINE, THE
PROBABILITY THAT IT WILL EXPLODE AND CAUSE DAMAGE IS APPROXIMATELY
71.42857%. BEWARE - IF YOU GET CLOSER TO THE MACHINE THAN THE
NEAREST STAR, IT WILL EAT YOU. ALSO, WHEN THE MACHINE IS
DESTROYED, EVERYTHING WITHIN 7 UNITS OF IT BLOWS UP AS WELL.
2.7 KZINTI
THE KZINTI ARE LARGE PANTHER-LIKE CREATURES WITH ORANGE FUR,
AND COME FROM THE KZIN SYSTEM. THE KZINTI WARSHIP, THE ’TRAITOR’S
CLAW’, COMMANDED BY CHUFT-CAPTAIN, CAN BE ARMED WITH INDUCTION
BEAMS, X-RAY LASER CANNON, A WEB SIMILAR TO THE THOLIANS’, A
CLOAKING DEVICE, A WEAPON THAT GENERATES FALSE IMAGES OF THE
WARSHIP, AND A STASIS FIELD. IT CAN BE EQUIPPED WITH EITHER WARP
OR IONIC DRIVE. THE IONIC DRIVE PROJECTS HIGH-VELOCITY IONS AND
INTENSE RADIATION, SIMULATING A MINIATURE ION STORM. THE KZINTI
CAN HAVE 3 BATTLE STRATEGIES - REGULAR ATTACK/RETREAT, KAMIKAZE
(WHERE THE SHIP TRIES TO RAM YOU), AND CLOSE PASSES (LIKE THE
ORIONS). THE KZINTI SHOW UP ON THE MAP AS A ’Z’.
A NOTE ABOUT THE IMAGE GENERATOR WEAPON - EACH TIME THE KZINTI
MOVE OR FIRE, A NUMBER OF FALSE IMAGES WILL BE PLACED ON THE MAP
ALONG WITH THE ACTUAL IMAGE OF THE KZINTI, BUT WHEN THE KZINTI
MOVE, ONLY THEIR ACTUAL IMAGE IS REMOVED FROM THE MAP, MORE IMAGES
ARE GENERATED, AND THE ACTUAL IMAGE IS PLACED IN A NEW POSITION.
THE KZINTI ARE PLAYER-PROGRAMMABLE, THAT IS THE PLAYER CHOOSES
THEIR STRATEGY AND ARMAMENTS, BUT BEWARE - IF YOU MAKE THEM TOO
WEAK, THEY WILL BE GIVEN ALL WEAPONS AT MAXIMUM SETTING.
2.8 MOONBASE ALPHA
NOW, BEFORE YOU STRING ME UP OR START THROWING STONES, LET ME
EXPLAIN. IN MY OPINION, ALL SPACE:1999 LACKS THE IS A LAUGHTRACK
BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE BEST COMEDIES ON TV. THE ONLY REASON I
PUT MOONBASE ALPHA IN MY PROGRAM IS BECAUSE IT OFFERED A UNIQUE
STRATEGY DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER ENEMY SHIPS.
MOONBASE ALPHA SHOWS UP AS AN ’A’ ON THE MAP AND IT DOESN’T
MOVE. IT HAS VERY PRIMITIVE DEFLECTOR SHIELDS WITH INITIALLY ONLY
70 UNITS OF ENERGY IN THEM. IT ALSO HAS A NUMBER OF GROUND-BASED
LASER CANNON WHICH CAN FIRE WITH A TOTAL FORCE OF 500 PHASER
UNITS.
IT IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH 25 EAGLES, WHICH, FOR THOSE OF YOU
LUCKY ENOUGH NEVER TO HAVE SEEN THE SHOW, ARE SMALL SHUTTLE-TYPE
CRAFT WITH A CREW OF 2 AND PERHAPS A HANDFUL OF PASSENGERS. ALPHA
CAN LAUNCH THEIR EAGLES 5 AT A TIME. EACH EAGLE CAN FIRE A LASER
BEAM WITH AN EQUIVALENT ENERGY OF 200 PHASER UNITS, SO WHEN THE
FIRST WAVE HITS YOU, THEY HIT WITH A FORCE OF 1000 UNITS. THE
EAGLES HAVE A SPEED OF WARP 2, BUT HAVE NO DEFLECTOR SHIELDS SO
THAT THE SMALLEST BLOW FROM YOUR PHASERS WILL WIPE ONE OUT. IF YOU
COLLIDE WITH AN EAGLE, IT WILL BE JUST AS TOUGH YOU HIT A MINE.
FURTHERMORE, IF YOU COME WITHIN A DISTANCE OF 1 UNIT AWAY FROM
ALPHA, YOU WILL BE HIT BY AN EAGLE TAKING OFF.
3. STARBASES
AFTER CHOOSING YOUR ENEMIES, YOU’LL BE ASKED IF YOU WISH A
STARBASE, DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU’RE FIGHTING ENOUGH ENEMIES. A
STARBASE SHOWS UP AS A ’*’ LIKE ALL STARS ON THE MAP, HAS A CREW
OF 1000, CARRIES A SUPPLY OF 20 PHOTON TORPEDOES (20 DISRUPTOR
BOLTS IF IT’S A KLINGON STARBASE) AND HAS A DEFLECTOR SHIELD
STRENGTH OF 300 UNITS. IT CAN BE USED TO HELP YOU FIGHT, AND
REPAIR AND RESUPPLY YOUR SHIP. YOU ARE GIVEN THE OPTION OF A
STARBASE IF:
A) YOU ARE ALONE AND ARE FIGHTING 3 OR MORE COMPUTER-OPERATED
(C‑O) ENEMIES.
B) YOU AND ANOTHER MANUAL-OPERATED (M-O) SHIP ON YOUR SIDE
ARE FIGHTING 6 OR MORE C-O ENEMIES.
C) YOU ARE FIGHTING ANOTHER M-O SHIP.
D) YOU ARE ALWAYS GIVEN THE OPTION OF AN ENEMY STARBASE TO
FIGHT.
IN CASE C, ANY OTHER M-O SHIP MAY VETO YOUR CHOICE OF A
STARBASE UNLESS THEY ALREADY HAVE A STARBASE.
IN CASE D, THE ENEMY STARBASE WILL BE ALLIED WITH ANY OTHER
C‑O ENEMIES IN THE GAME.
4. STARS
NEXT YOU’LL BE ASKED HOW MANY STARS YOU WISH IN YOUR AREA. I
USUALLY SUGGEST BETWEEN 75 AND 200. IF YOU PUT IN TOO MANY STARS
IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU AND THE ENEMY TO MOVE AROUND. IF YOU
PLAY THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE, YOU MAY WANT TO PUT IN ENOUGH STARS TO
KEEP IT CONTENTED.
ALSO, UP TO 5 STARS ON THE MAP MAY HAVE DILITHIUM CRYSTAL
DEPOSITS ON ONE OF THEIR PLANETS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO BOOST YOUR
ENERGY. YOU’LL BE NOTIFIED OF SUCH A STAR IF YOU COME WITHIN A
DISTANCE OF 5 UNITS FROM IT, AND YOU’LL ACQUIRE THE CRYSTALS IF
YOU COME WITHIN A DISTANCE OF 1 UNIT FROM IT.
5. TAKING TURNS
AT THIS POINT INITIALIZATION IS COMPLETE - YOU ARE ON YOUR
OWN. COMMANDS ARE ACCEPTED FROM THE ENTERPRISE FIRST (IF IT’S IN
THE GAME). WHEN IT HAS FINISHED MOVING AND/OR FIRING, THE
POTEMPKIN TAKES ITS TURN NEXT, THEN THE HAVOC, THEN THE CARNAGE,
THEN THE STARBASES FIRE, AND THEN THE COMPUTER-OPERATED SHIPS MOVE
AND FIRE. FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF COMMANDS YOU CAN ENTER, EACH
COMMAND CAN BE ABBREVIATED TO ITS FIRST TWO LETTERS.
IF YOU DO NOT USE THE TWO LETTER ABBREVIATION, YOU NEED A
SECOND [RETURN] FOR THE COMMAND TO GET GOING.
IF YOU WANT TO DO NOTHING, JUST ENTER GO [ENTER] AND [ENTER]
AGAIN, THIS WILL TRANSFER CONTROL TO THE NEXT SHIP.
6. COMMANDS
NOTE - IN ALL THESE COMMANDS, IF YOU TYPE ’STOP’ WHEN ASKED
FOR INPUT, THE USUAL RECOURSE IS TO CANCEL THE COMMAND. (THIS
PROVIDES A FAST WAY OUT).
6.1 INFORMATION COMMANDS
6.1.1 HELP
THE HELP COMMAND GIVES YOU A BRIEF LISTING OF COMMANDS AND
INSTRUCTIONS.
6.1.2 SPOCK
THE SPOCK COMMAND GIVES SOME INTERESTING PROBABILITIES AND
STATISTICS.
6.1.3 MAP
THE MAP COMMAND GIVES A MAP OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. ALTHOUGH THE
GAME IS PLAYED ON A 60X60 GRID, EACH SHIP CAN ONLY SEE A MAXIMUM
OF 15 UNITS AWAY FROM IT, AND EVEN LESS IF YOU’VE RECEIVED ANY
DAMAGE TO YOUR SENSORS. YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE RADIUS OF
YOUR MAP. AT TIMES YOU MAY WISH A SMALL MAP TO SAVE PRINTOUT TIME
AND PAPER BY CHOOSING A SMALL RADIUS. HERE IS A LIST OF SYMBOLS
THAT MAY APPEAR ON YOUR MAP:
A-MOONBASE ALPHA G-GORN WARSHIP M-MINE T-THOLIAN WARSHIP
C-CARNAGE H-HAVOC O-ORION PRIVATEER Z-KZINTI WARSHIP
D-DOOMSDAY MACHINE I-ION STORM P-POTEMPKIN *-STAR/STARBASE
E-ENTERPRISE K-KLINGON WARSHIP R-ROMULAN WARSHIP =-EAGLE
IF YOU WISH TO SAVE TIME, YOU CAN ENTER THE MAP RADIUS WHEN
YOU ENTER YOUR COMMAND. EG. ’MA,9’ WILL GIVE YOU A MAP OF RADIUS
9, BUT YOU MUST USE THE SHORT FORM ’MA’ INSTEAD OF ’MAP’.
6.1.4 INFO
THE INFO COMMAND GIVES YOU THE STATUS OF ALL SHIPS EXCEPT
EAGLES. THAT IS, YOU’LL BE TOLD THE DEFLECTOR SHIELD STRENGTH AND
POSITION OF EACH SHIP (PROVIDING IT IS NOT CLOAKED OR SHIELDED
AGAINST SENSORS). ALSO IT WILL GIVE YOU THE NUMBER OF CREW YOU
HAVE ON YOUR OWN SHIP.
6.1.5 EAGLE
THE EAGLE COMMAND REPORTS THE POSITION OF ALL EAGLES IN THE
GAME.
6.1.6 CREW
THE CREW COMMAND LISTS THE NUMBER OF YOUR CREW ON YOUR SHIP AS
WELL AS ON YOUR STARBASE AND ON ANY SHIP YOU MAY HAVE BOARDED.
6.1.7 DAMAGE
THE DAMAGE COMMAND GIVES A DECK BY DECK LISTING OF DAMAGE ON
YOUR SHIP. IT MERELY SUMMARIZES ALL PREVIOUS DAMAGE REPORTS.
6.2 MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS
6.2.1 TRANSFER
THE TRANSFER COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO TRANSFER ENERGY FROM ONE
SYSTEM TO ANOTHER. DURING A BATTLE ON THE TV SHOW, IT OFTEN
HAPPENS THAT SCOTTY WILL REPORT ’SUH, I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER
OUR DEFLECTOR SHIELDS (OR WARP ENGINES, OR PHASER BANKS, ETC.)
WILL HOLD UP’ AT WHICH POINT KIRK RISES AND SAYS ’DIVERT POWER TO
THE DEFLECTORS’, OR ’POWER TO THE WARP DRIVE ENGINES’, OR ’POWER
TO THE PEOPLE!’, AND ALL IS WELL. YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH THE SAME
GOD‑LIKE FEATS USING THE TRANSFER COMMAND.
YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER A 2-LETTER CODE. THE FIRST LETTER IS
THE SYSTEM YOU WISH TO TRANSFER ENERGY FROM AND THE SECOND LETTER
IS WHERE YOU WISH TO TRANSFER IT TO. THE LETTERS CAN BE ’W’ (WARP
ENGINES), ’P’ (PHASER BANKS), ’T’ (PHOTON TORPEDOES OR DISRUPTOR
BOLTS). OR ’D’ (DEFLECTOR SHIELDS). (EG. ’PW’ TRANSFERS ENERGY
FROM THE PHASERS TO THE WARP DRIVE ENGINES). THERE ARE
RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON THE TRANSFER OF POWER FROM A TORPEDO: YOU
CAN ONLY TRANSFER ENERGY INTO THE DEFLECTORS, AND YOU CANNOT
CREATE A TORPEDO, SO I DON’T SUGGEST YOU USE THE ’TD’ OPTION
UNLESS YOU’RE DESPERATE
NEXT YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY YOU WISH TO
TRANSFER. BEAR IN MIND THAT:
1 PHOTON TORPEDO = 6 DEFLECTOR SHIELD UNITS.
IF YOU WISH TO SAVE TIME, YOU CAN ENTER THIS NUMBER ALONG WITH
THE 2-LETTER CODE. (EG. ’WP,4’ WOULD TRANSFER 4 WARPS FROM THE
WARP ENGINES TO BECOME 4000 UNITS IN THE PHASER BANKS.)
THERE ARE FOUR SPECIAL 2-LETTER CODES:
’DD’ ALLOWS YOU TO TRANSFER ENERGY BETWEEN SHIPS AS LONG AS YOU ARE
WITHIN 1 UNIT OF EACH OTHER. WHEN ASKED TO ENTER THE AMOUNT OF
ENERGY, TYPE A POSITIVE NUMBER TO GIVE THE OTHER SHIP’S
DEFLECTORS THAT AMOUNT OF ENERGY FROM YOUR DEFLECTORS, AND
TYPE A NEGATIVE NUMBER TO TAKE THAT AMOUNT FROM THE OTHER SHIP
AND PUT IT IN YOUR DEFLECTORS (YOU CAN ONLY TAKE ENERGY FROM A
BOARDED C-O SHIP OR A DERELICT M-O SHIP). YOU’LL ALSO BE
ASKED TO ENTER THE LETTER OF THE SHIP YOU WISH TO TRANSFER
ENERGY WITH (EG. ’K’ FOR KLINGON WARSHIP).
’##’ ALLOWS YOU TO TRANSFER PERSONNEL, DEFLECTOR ENERGY, AND PHOTON
TORPEDOES (DISRUPTOR BOLTS) BETWEEN BETWEEN YOUR SHIP AND YOUR
STARBASE WHEN YOU ARE DOCKED AT IT (WITHIN 1 UNIT OF DISTANCE).
’STOP’ STOPS THE TRANSFER COMMAND.
’??’ DISPLAYS CURRENT ENERGY LEVELS.
6.2.2 RADIO
THE RADIO COMMAND ALLOWS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN M-O SHIPS. YOU
CAN DO FOUR THINGS WITH YOUR SUBSPACE RADIO:
1) TRANSMIT- YOU’LL BE ASKED WHICH M-O SHIP YOU WISH TO TALK
TO, AND LATER YOU’LL BE GIVEN THE INTERFERENCE LEVEL, WHICH
DEPENDS ON: DISTANCE BETWEEN SENDER AND RECEIVER, WHETHER THE
SENDER OR RECEIVER IS IN AN ION STORM OR NEAR A DOOMSDAY MACHINE
AND WHETHER YOU (OR THE ENEMY) ARE JAMMING SUBSPACE. THE
INTERFERENCE LEVEL GIVES THE PERCENTAGE PART OF YOUR MESSAGE WHICH
WILL BE OBSCURED BY STATIC (RANDOM CHARACTERS JUMBLED INTO THE
TRANSMISSION). A MESSAGE WITH AN INTERFERENCE LEVEL OF 0 - 20% IS
ACCEPTABLE.
YOU’LL BE TOLD WHAT THE ENERGY EXPENDED WILL REDUCE THE
INTERFERENCE LEVEL TO AND YOU’LL BE ASKED WHICH CODE YOU WISH TO
TRANSMIT THE MESSAGE IN. (IF YOU WISH TO CANCEL THE WHOLE IDEA AT
THIS POINT, ENTER ’STOP’.) CODE O IS HAILING FREQUENCIES WITH A
UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR TIED IN SO ALL SHIPS CAN RECEIVE AND
UNDERSTAND YOUR MESSAGE. IF YOU WISH ONLY YOUR SIDE TO UNDERSTAND
THE MESSAGE, ENTER A CODE NUMBER BETWEEN 1 AND 8 (NOTING THAT THE
ENEMY MAY HAVE BROKEN SOME OF THE CODES). THE MORE YOU USE ONE
PARTICULAR CODE, THE GREATER THE CHANCE THAT THE ENEMY HAS BROKEN
IT. AFTER ALL THIS, YOU’LL FINALLY BE ASKED TO ENTER YOUR MESSAGE
(80 CHARACTER MAXIMUM).
2) RECEIVE- THIS IS THE SAME AS TRANSMIT ONLY YOU USE PHASER
ENERGY FOR BOOSTING THE SIGNAL SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE OTHER
SHIP’S MESSAGE THROUGH THE STATIC.
3) JAM- YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PHASER ENERGY
YOU WISH TO EXPEND TO RAISE THE SUBSPACE INTERFERENCE LEVELS. IF
YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE EXPENDED,YOU MAY USE
THE COMMAND AGAIN TO ADJUST THE LEVEL BY INCREASING OR DECREASING
THE ENERGY. EG. IF I MAKE A MISTAKE AND BLOW 500 PHASER UNITS, I
CAN RETYPE THE COMMAND AND ENTER -500 WHEN IT ASKS FOR THE PHASER
ENERGY EXPENDITURE, AND ALL WILL BE RESTORED. JAMMING WILL LAST
UNTIL YOUR TURN ROLLS AROUND AGAIN AFTER ALL THE OTHER M-O AND C-O
SHIPS HAVE MOVED AND FIRED.
4) DISTRESS SIGNAL- THIS ACTIVATES YOUR DISTRESS BEACON AND
NOTIFIES ALL SHIPS THAT YOU NEED HELP.
6.2.3 SURRENDER
THE SURRENDER COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO SURRENDER. IF YOU ARE
PLAYING NO M-O (MANUALLY-OPERATED) SHIPS, THIS PROVIDES A FAST WAY
OUT OF THE GAME. IF YOU ARE PLAYING OTHER OPPOSING M-O SHIPS, YOUR
DESIRE TO SURRENDER WILL BE ANNOUNCED TO ALL OTHER SHIPS IN THE
GAME, AND YOU’LL BE ASKED TO PRESENT YOUR SURRENDER TO THE NEAREST
M-O ENEMY VESSEL, WHO’LL USUALLY ASK YOU TO DROP YOUR SHIELDS AND
PREPARE TO BE BOARDED. USE OF THIS COMMAND GUARANTEES YOU WILL
PRESENT NO RESISTANCE TO HIS BOARDING PARTY. THUS, IF A SHIP
ANNOUNCES TO YOU HE WISHES SURRENDER, INSIST HE USE THE SURRENDER
COMMAND BEFORE YOU BOARD HIM, OR HE COULD BE TRYING TO TRICK YOU
INTO SENDING OVER A PARTY WHICH HE CAN DESTROY.
6.2.4 NOSTOP
THE NOSTOP COMMAND, WHEN ACTIVATED, MEANS THAT THE GAME DOES
NOT END WHEN YOU DEFEAT ALL THE ENEMIES.
6.2.5 ENEMY
THE ENEMY COMMAND ADDS MORE C-O ENEMIES TO THE GAME. EITHER
YOU CAN CHOOSE AN ENEMY OR LET AN ENEMY BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM. THIS
COMMAND, COMBINED WITH THE ’NOSTOP’ COMMAND, ALLOWS YOU TO TAKE ON
ENEMIES ONE AFTER THE OTHER INSTEAD OF ALL AT ONCE.
6.2.6 CEASEFIRE
THE CEASEFIRE COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO CONTROL YOUR STARBASE OR
ANY C-0 SHIPS THAT YOU HAVE BOARDED. IT CAUSES THE SHIP OR BASE TO
STOP FIRING, AND IF IT’S A SHIP, IT WILL SET COURSE TO THE NEAREST
ALLIED M-O VESSEL.
6.2.7 ATTACK
THE ATTACK COMMAND CANCELS THE EFFECT OF THE ’CEASEFIRE’
COMMAND ON THE STARBASE / YOUR SHIP YOU USED IT ON.
6.2.8 VERSION
THE VERSION COMMAND SHOWS THE TREK7 VERSION.
6.3 COMMANDS TO SET WEAPONS
6.3.1 COURSE
THE COURSE COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO SET A NEW COURSE. YOU’LL BE
ASKED TO ENTER THE WARP SPEED AT WHICH YOU WISH TO TRAVEL. WARP 1
COVERS 1 UNIT ON THE MAP, WARP 10 COVERS 10 UNITS (NOTE THAT IF
YOU WISH TO GO DIAGONALLY AT, SAY,A 45 DEGREE ANGLE,TO MOVE OUT OF
THE POSITION YOU ARE IN YOU MUST GO AT LEAST WARP 1.42 (REMEMBER
PYTHAGORAS!). IF YOU GO OVER WARP 6, ENGINE TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO
CLIMB.
NEXT, YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER TARGET COORDINATES. NOTE:
WHENEVER COORDINATES ARE REQUESTED, ENTER THEM IN 2I2 FORMAT (IF
YOU KNOW FORTRAN). EG. TO ENTER (50,50) OR ( 1, 1), TYPE 5050 OR
0101. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SET A NEW COURSE EVERY TIME YOU MOVE.
EG. IF I’M AT ( 1, 1) AND I WISH TO MOVE TO ( 1,50), I CAN ENTER
O150 AS MY TARGET COORDINATES, EVEN THOUGH I WON’T REACH THERE
UNTIL AT LEAST 5 MOVES FROM NOW. WARP AND TARGET COORDINATES CAN
BE ENTERED WHEN THE COMMAND IS TYPED - EG. ’CO,5,1020’ WILL SET A
COURSE TO (10,20) AT WARP 5 BUT YOU MUST USE THE SHORT FORM ’CO’
OF THE COMMAND. IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE OR WISH TO ENTER A NEW
COURSE, SIMPLY TYPE THE COMMAND OVER AGAIN. YOU'LL BE TOLD WHEN
YOU'VE REACHED TARGET COORDINATES, AND THE SHIP WILL STAY THERE
UNTIL YOU SET A NEW COURSE AND MOVE AGAIN.
NOTE 1- STEERING CONTROL- WHENEVER YOU MOVE, THE PROBABILITY
OF YOU LOSING STEERING CONTROL AND VEERING OFF COURSE IS (DAMAGE
FACTOR RECEIVED BY WARP DRIVE ENGINEERING * 5)%. IF WARP DRIVE
ENGINEERING HAS RECEIVED NO DAMAGE, THE PROBABILITY IS 5%. WARP
DRIVE ENGINEERING IS LOCATED ON DECK 16 ON THE ENTERPRISE
(POTEMPKIN), AND DECK E4-AFT ON THE HAVOC (CARNAGE).
NOTE 2- NACELLE SUPPORT PYLONS- IF YOUR NACELLE SUPPORT PYLONS
HAVE BEEN HIT, THE NACELLES MAY RIP OFF IF YOU EXCEED A CERTAIN
SPEED WHICH WILL BE REPORTED TO YOU. THE PROBABILITY THAT IT WILL
RIP OFF =(AMOUNT BY WHICH THE SPEED LIMIT IS EXCEEDED * 10 + 10)%.
HOWEVER, IF THE LIMIT AT WHICH THE NACELLES THREATEN TO RIP OFF
IS WARP 1 (IE. THE PYLON IS DESTROYED), THEN THE PROBABILITY THAT
IT WILL RIP OFF IS 100% IF YOU GO WARP 1 OR OVER. IF THE NACELLE
DOES RIP OFF, IT WILL CONTINUE IN THE DIRECTION YOU WERE GOING,
AND IF IT HITS ANYTHING, IT WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED.
NOTE 3- ION STORMS- IF ANY SHIP ENTERS AN ION STORM, ITS SPEED
WILL BE CUT IN HALF AND DAMAGE WILL RESULT.
NOTE 4- COLLISION- IF A SHIP HITS A MINE OR EAGLE. DAMAGE WILL
RESULT TO THE SHIP. IF A SHIP HITS ANOTHER SHIP, THEY WILL WIPE
EACH OTHER OUT. AUTOMATIC CUTOFFS PREVENT SHIPS FROM COLLIDING
WITH STARS.
NOTE 5- WARP ENGINE SHUTDOWN- IF WARP ENERGY GOES BELOW O.5
THE WARP ENGINES WILL BE SHUT DOWN AND THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WILL
RAPIDLY COOL TO AROUND ABSOLUTE ZERO. TO MOVE THEREAFTER YOU WILL
HAVE TO BOOST WARP ENERGY AND WAIT A TURN TO RE-ENERGIZE THE
ENGINES.
NOTE 6- ENGINE TEMPERATURE- NORMAL ENGINE TEMPERATURE FOR A
M‑O SHIP IS 4000 DEGREES. IF YOU GO OVER WARP 6 THE TEMPERATURE
WILL INCREASE. THE DANGER LINE IS 6200 DEGREES - ONCE THE
TEMPERATURE PASSES THAT THE PROBABILITY THAT AN ENGINE WILL
EXPLODE IS ((TEMPERATURE - 6200) / 100)%. IF TEMPERATURES EXCEED
7500 DEGREES, YOU’RE IN TROUBLE. TO COOL THE ENGINES, SIMPLY GO TO
A SPEED LESS THAN WARP 6. THE SLOWER YOU GO, THE FASTER YOU’LL
COOL OFF. TO CRASH-COOL THE ENGINES, SEE NOTE 5 ABOVE.
6.3.2 PHASER
THE PHASER COMMAND LOCKS PHASERS ON TARGET. YOU’LL BE ASKED TO
ENTER THE AMOUNT OF PHASER ENERGY YOU WISH TO EXPEND. NOTE THAT
THERE IS A MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT CAN BE DONE WHEN A PHASER
BEAM IS FIRED. THUS YOU ARE ADVISED NOT TO WASTE YOUR ENERGY BY
FIRING TOO MUCH ENERGY AT A TIME. I ADVISE ABOUT 500 UNITS PER
SHOT (0.0001 UNIT OR LESS IF YOU’RE FIRING AT AN EAGLE). TWO SHOTS
OF 500 UNITS DO MORE DAMAGE THAN ONE SHOT OF 1000 UNITS.
NEXT, YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE TARGET COORDINATES. IF THE
TARGET IS TOO FAR AWAY, YOUR PHASERS MAY MISS. THE PROBABILITY OF
A MISS IS (2.5 * DISTANCE TO TARGET)%, SO I WOULDN’T FIRE UNLESS
THE TARGET WAS WITHIN ABOUT 20 UNITS.
ALTHOUGH PHASERS PASS THROUGH STARS AND ION STORMS, IF
ANYTHING ELSE IS DIRECTLY BETWEEN YOU AND THE TARGET, YOU MAY HIT
IT INSTEAD. ALLIED SHIPS HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR AT ALL WHEN YOU
HIT THEM ACCIDENTALLY.
PHASER ENERGY AND TARGET CAN BE ENTERED WHEN THE COMMAND IS
TYPED- EG. ’PH,500,2001’ LOCKS A 5OO-UNIT PHASER BEAM ONTO
(20, 01). BUT YOU MUST USE THE SHORT FORM ’PH’ OF THE PHASER
COMMAND.
WHEN PHASERS ARE FIRED, THERE IS A 5% CHANCE THEY WILL
SHORT‑CIRCUIT, AND ANOTHER 5% CHANCE A MAIN COIL WILL BURN OUT. IF
THERE IS A COIL BURNOUT, THERE IS A 28.57% CHANCE IT WILL BE
REPAIRED EACH TURN (ALTHOUGH THE PROBABILITY INCREASES IF YOU
UNDERGO REPAIR MODE A, B OR C). ALSO, THE PROBABILITY THAT A
PHASER WILL BOUNCE OFF THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE AND THUS CAUSE NO
DAMAGE IS 66.7%.
6.3.3 TORPEDO
THE TORPEDO COMMAND LOCKS PHOTON TORPEDOES (DISRUPTOR BOLTS)
ON TARGET. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE ANGLE AT WHICH THE
TORPEDO IS TO BE FIRED FROM YOUR SHIP. THE COMPASS IS AS FOLLOWS-
90
I
I
180---------360
I
I
270
NOTE THAT THE MAXIMUM RANGE OF A TORPEDO IS 10 UNITS. IF,
AFTER TRAVELLING THAT DISTANCE, THE TORPEDO ENCOUNTERS NOTHING, IT
WILL BECOME A MINE AND WILL SHOW UP ON YOUR MAP AS AN ’M’. ONLY
YOUR SENSORS CAN DETECT YOUR OWN MINE - NO OTHER SHIP CAN DETECT
YOUR MINES AND YOU CAN DETECT NO OTHER SHIP’S MINES. THE ANGLE CAN
BE ENTERED WITH THE COMMAND, EG. ’TO,90’ WILL LOCK A TORPEDO ONTO
A 90 DEGREE BEARING.
ALWAYS USE ’360’ DEGREES INSTEAD OF ’0’, BECAUSE THE COMPOSITE
COMMAND ’TO,0’ WILL FAIL.
WHEN TORPEDOES ARE FIRED THERE IS A 7% CHANCE THEY WILL
SHORT‑CIRCUIT. ALSO, WHEN A TORPEDO IS FIRED WHILE YOU ARE TRAPPED
IN A WEB, THERE IS A 25% CHANCE THAT IT WILL PIERCE THE WEB AND A
25% CHANCE IT WILL BOUNCE OFF THE WEB AND STRIKE YOUR SHIP.
6.3.4 RESET
THE RESET COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO RESET PHASERS AND TORPEDOES
(DISRUPTORS) ONTO THE LAST TARGET THEY WERE SET. IF, AFTER FIRING
PHASERS AND TORPEDOES, THE TARGET HAS NOT MOVED, YOU CAN USE THIS
COMMAND TO LOCK PHASERS AND TORPEDOES ONTO THE TARGETS THEY WERE
LOCKED ONTO DURING THE PREVIOUS TURN. THUS, THIS COMMAND SAVES YOU
THE BOTHER OF RE-ENTERING THE ’PHASER’ AND ’TORPEDO’ COMMAND.
6.3.5 MINE
THE MINE COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO CHANGE THE DISTANCE A TORPEDO
(DISRUPTOR BOLT) WILL TRAVEL BEFORE IT BECOMES A MINE. THIS MAKES
IT EASIER FOR YOU TO LAY A MINE FIELD. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER
THE DISTANCE, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE TO ENTER IT WHEN YOU ENTER THE
COMMAND. (EG. ’MI,6’ WILL MAKE THE NEXT TORPEDO BECOME A MINE
AFTER IT HAS TRAVELLED 6 UNITS). NOTE THAT THIS COMMAND SHOULD BE
USED ONLY AFTER YOU USE THE ’TORPEDO’ COMMAND, BECAUSE EACH TIME
YOU USE THE TORPEDO COMMAND, THE TORPEDO IS SET TO THE DEFAULT
DISTANCE OF 10 UNITS.
6.3.6 DEFLECT
THE DEFLECT COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO LOCK YOUR DEFLECTOR BEAM ON
A TARGET. THE DEFLECTOR BEAM DRAWS OFF YOUR DEFLECTOR SHIELD
ENERGY TO PUSH OBJECTS A MAXIMUM OF 10 UNITS AWAY, OR LESS IF YOUR
NAVIGATIONAL DEFLECTOR HAS RECEIVED DAMAGE. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO
ENTER THE COORDINATES OF THE TARGET. THE DEFLECTOR BEAM WILL DO
DIFFERENT THINGS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF TARGET:
A) THE TARGET IS A SHIP- YOUR DEFLECTOR BEAM WILL ONLY BE ABLE
TO SLOW THE SHIP DOWN IF IT IS HEADING TOWARDS YOU. YOU WILL BE
ASKED TO ENTER THE AMOUNT OF DEFLECTOR SHIELD ENERGY YOU WISH TO
EXPEND SLOWING THE ENEMY DOWN. THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY (E) ENTERED
WILL SLOW THE ENEMY SHIP’S SPEED BY A FACTOR OF 2**(-E/5). THUS E
= 5 WILL CUT THE SHIP’S SPEED IN HALF, E = 10 WILL SLOW IT TO
1/4 SPEED, AND E = 15 WILL SLOW IT TO 1/8 SPEED.
B) THE TARGET IS AN EAGLE OR MINE- YOUR DEFLECTOR BEAM WILL BE
ABLE TO PUSH IT AWAY FROM YOU OUT OF THE LIMIT OF YOUR DEFLECTOR
BEAM RANGE. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE DISTANCE YOU WISH TO
PUSH THE OBJECT AWAY. PUSHING THE OBJECT AWAY 1 UNIT WILL USE
1 UNIT OF DEFLECTOR SHIELD ENERGY.
C) THE TARGET IS EMPTY SPACE OR AN ION STORM- NOTHING WILL
HAPPEN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH ENERGY YOU EXPEND.
D) THE TARGET IS A STAR, DOOMSDAY MACHINE OR MOONBASE ALPHA-
NOTHING WILL HAPPEN SINCE THE TARGET IS TOO MASSIVE FOR IT TO
HANDLE.
You CAN ENTER THE TARGET AND ENERGY OR DISTANCE WITH THE
COMMAND ITSELF. (EG. ’DE,5,5050’ WILL TRAIN THE DEFLECTOR BEAM ON
(50, 50). IF THE TARGET IS AN ATTACKING SHIP, IT WILL BE SLOWED TO
1/2 SPEED. IF THE TARGET IS AN EAGLE OR MINE, IT WILL BE PUSHED
5 UNITS).
6.3.7 YANK
THE YANK COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO LOCK YOUR TRACTOR BEAM ON A
TARGET. THE TRACTOR BEAM DRAWS OFF YOUR WARP ENGINE ENERGY TO PULL
IN OBJECTS A MAXIMUM OF 10 UNITS AWAY, OR LESS IF YOUR TRACTOR
BEAM MACHINERY ROOM HAS RECEIVED DAMAGE. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO
ENTER THE COORDINATES OF THE TARGET. THE TRACTOR BEAM WILL DO
DIFFERENT THINGS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF TARGET:
A) TARGET IS A SHIP- YOUR TRACTOR BEAM WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO
SLOW THE SHIP DOWN IF IT IS HEADING AWAY FROM YOU. YOU WILL BE
ASKED TO ENTER THE AMOUNT OF WARP ENERGY YOU WISH TO EXPEND IN
SLOWING THE SHIP DOWN. THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY (E) ENTERED WILL SLOW
THE SHIP’S SPEED BY A FACTOR OF 2**(-E/0.5). THUS E = 0.5 WILL CUT
THE SHIP’S SPEED IN HALF, E = 1.0 WILL SLOW IT TO 1/4 SPEED, AND E
= 1.5 WILL SLOW IT TO 1/8 SPEED.
B) THE TARGET IS AN EAGLE OR MINE- YOUR TRACTOR BEAM WILL BE
ABLE TO PULL IT TOWARDS YOU. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE
DISTANCE YOU WISH TO PULL THE OBJECT. PULLING THE OBJECT 1 UNIT
WILL USE 0.1 UNIT OF WARP ENERGY. IF THE EAGLE HITS YOUR SHIP, IT
WILL BE AS THOUGH YOU COLLIDED WITH IT. HOWEVER, IF A MINE REACHES
YOUR SHIP, YOU WILL GAIN A PHOTON TORPEDO (OR DISRUPTOR BOLT).
C) --SEE (C) IN 6.3.6 ABOVE.
D) --SEE (D) IN 6.3.6 ABOVE.
YOU CAN ENTER THE TARGET AND ENERGY OR DISTANCE WITH THE
COMMAND ITSELF. (EG. ’YA,1,5050’ WILL TRAIN THE TRACTORS ON
(50,50). IF THE TARGET IS A RETREATING SHIP, IT WILL BE SLOWED TO
1/4 SPEED. IF THE TARGET IS AN EAGLE OR MINE, IT WILL BE PULLED 1
UNIT.)
6.3.8 BOARD
THE BOARD COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO BOARD OTHER SHIPS OR STARBASES
IN ORDER TO EITHER REINFORCE YOUR SHIP OR AN ALLIED SHIP, OR TO
TAKE AN ENEMY SHIP OVER AND GAIN AN ALLY WHO WILL HELP YOU. FOR A
SUCCESSFUL BOARDING PARTY, YOU MUST BE WITHIN TRANSPORTER RANGE OF
THE TARGET (5 UNITS, BUT PREFERABLY RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR SHIP), AND
HAVE ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO YOUR TRANSPORTERS (DECK 7 ON THE
ENTERPRISE, DECK E8-AFT ON THE HAVOC). ALSO, IF YOU’RE BOARDING AN
ENEMY SHIP, THEIR DEFLECTORS SHOULD BE FAIRLY LOW (AT MOST 25 FOR
BEST RESULTS) AND YOU SHOULD USE A FAIRLY LARGE BOARDING FORCE
(SAY 100 OR MORE UNLESS IT’S AN EAGLE, WHERE 3-5 WILL PROBABLY DO.
YOU’LL BE ASKED TO ENTER THE NUMBER IN THE BOARDING PARTY AND
THE TARGET COORDINATES, WHICH CAN ALSO BE ENTERED WHEN THE COMMAND
ITSELF IS ENTERED (EG. ’BO,250,5025’ WILL PREPARE 250 PEOPLE TO
TRANSPORT TO (50,25). IF YOU ENTER A NEGATIVE CREW NUMBER, YOU CAN
BEAM BACK CREW FROM A PREVIOUSLY-BOARDED SHIP, ALLIED SHIP,
STARBASE OR EAGLE.
WHEN A BOARDED SHIP IS HIT, CASUALTIES WILL BE ASSIGNED
AMONGST THE BOARDING PARTY ON THE SHIP. IF THE CREW ON A C-0
BOARDED SHIP FALLS BELOW 25, YOU WILL LOSE CONTROL OF THAT SHIP
AND CONTROL WILL REVERT BACK TO THE ENEMY. YOU WILL LOSE CONTROL
OF A BOARDED EAGLE IF THE CREW ON IT FALLS BELOW 2.
TRANSPORTER BEAMS BOUNCE OFF THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE. IF YOU
BOARD MOONBASE ALPHA, ALL REMAINING EAGLES WILL BE LAUNCHED
CONTAINING YOUR MEN. IF YOU BOARD THE KZINTI WARSHIP SUCCESSFULLY,
IT WILL BE SET TO ATTACK/RETREAT MODE AND IT WILL ALWAYS ATTACK.
BOARDED C-0 SHIPS AND STARBASES CAN BE CONTROLLED USING THE
’CEASEFIRE’ AND ’ATTACK’ COMMANDS. BOARDED M-O SHIPS WILL BE
CONTROLLED FROM YOUR TERMINAL.
WHENEVER YOU BOARD A C-O WARSHIP, AND THE BOARDING PARTY GAINS
CONTROL OF IT, THERE IS A 16.6% CHANCE THAT THE PARTY WILL MUTINY
AND DEFECT TO THE ENEMY, AND A FURTHER 16.6% CHANCE THAT THE ENEMY
WILL SELF-DESTRUCT TO AVOID CAPTURE.
IF YOU TRY TO BOARD A MANUALLY-OPERATED SHIP THAT HAS
SURRENDERED WITH THE ’SU’ COMMAND, THE BOARDING PARTY WILL
AUTOMATICALLY TAKE OVER THE SHIP, OTHERWISE THERE IS A 16.6%
CHANCE THAT THE PARTY WILL DEFECT TO THE ENEMY. IF NEITHER OF
THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, THEN IT IS UP TO THE OTHER SHIP TO DEFEND
ITSELF USING INTRUDER CONTROL COMMANDS.
SAY THAT AN ENEMY FORCE HAS JUST LANDED ON YOUR SHIP. THEY
WILL TAKE OVER YOUR SHIP IF:
1) THEY WIPE OUT YOUR CREW, OR
2) THEY TAKE OVER EVERY DECK OF YOUR SHIP.
YOU WILL WIN CONTROL OF YOUR SHIP IF YOU WIPE OUT THE ENEMY
FORCES. ENEMY FORCES INITIALLY CAN TAKE OVER 4 DECKS AT A TIME,
BUT YOU CAN COMBAT THEM USING YOUR INTRUDER CONTROL COMMANDS:
1) SOUND INTRUDER ALERT- THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE ENEMY BUT IT
WARNS YOUR CREW OF THE CONDITION AND SO THE CASUALTIES AMONG YOUR
CREW GO DOWN.
2) EVACUATE PERSONNEL FROM ENEMY-HELD AREAS- BY DOING THIS,
CASUALTIES AMONG YOUR CREW GO DOWN, BUT THE ENEMY IS ABLE TO
DOUBLE THE RATE AT WHICH IT TAKES OVER DECKS OF YOUR SHIP.
3) CLOSE SECTION ISOLATION DOORS/SEAL OFF ENEMY-HELD AREAS-
DOING THIS CUTS THE ENEMY’S RATE OF SPREAD IN HALF.
4) FLOOD ENEMY-HELD AREAS WITH NEURAL GAS- DOING THIS CUTS
DOWN THE ENEMY FORCES BY 5 TO 15%.
5) FLUSH RADIOACTIVE WASTE INTO ENEMY-HELD AREAS- DOING THIS
INCREASES CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES BY 15 TO 25%.
6) DEPRESSURIZE ENEMY-HELD AREAS- DOING THIS INCREASES
CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES BY ABOUT 30%.
7) DISPATCH SECURITY TEAMS TO ENEMY-HELD AREAS- THE
PROBABILITY THAT THE SECURITY TEAMS WILL WIN IS (50 * (NUMBER IN
SECURITY FORCES) / (NUMBER OF INTRUDERS))%. IF YOUR TEAMS LOSE,
THE ENEMY WILL NONE THE LESS SUFFER CASUALTIES.
8) ACTIVATE SELF-DESTRUCT MECHANISM- TO BE USED AS A LAST
RESORT. THE MECHANISM IS QUITE FINICKY SO IT WILL ONLY WORK 1/3 OF
THE TIME. IT WILL NOT WORK AT ALL IF THE INTRUDERS CAPTURE THE
BRIDGE.
9) OFFER NO RESISTANCE/SURRENDER- COWARD!
IF YOU SUCCEED IN WIPING OUT THE INTRUDERS, THERE IS A 20%
CHANCE THAT THE LAST ENEMY WILL DETONATE A BOMB IN YOUR SHIP, BUT
BY INTERROGATION OF THE ENEMY PRISONERS YOU WILL LEARN:
1) WHERE THEY CAME FROM,
2) THE ENEMY SHIP’S CREW, DEFLECTORS, PHASERS, AND WARP
ENERGY, THE NUMBER OF TORPEDOES (DISRUPTORS), ENGINE TEMPERATURE,
AND MAYBE EVEN A COUPLE OF SUBSPACE CODES.
6.3.9 CANCEL
THE CANCEL COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO CANCEL PREVIOUSLY-ENTERED
’PH’, ’TO’, ’YA’, ’DE’, OR ’BO’ COMMANDS. YOU CAN ENTER A ’P’ TO
CANCEL THE ’PH’ COMMAND, ’T’ TO CANCEL THE ’TO’ COMMAND, ’Y’ TO
CANCEL ’YA’, ’D’ TO CANCEL ’DE’ OR ’B’ TO CANCEL THE ’BO’ COMMAND.
THE STRING CAN BE ENTERED WHEN YOU ENTER THE COMMAND (EG. ’CA,PT’
WILL CANCEL THE PHASER AND TORPEDO COMMANDS). YOU ARE NOW FREE TO
RE-ENTER THE CANCELLED COMMANDS IF YOU WISH.
6.4 COMMANDS TO CAUSE ACTION
OKAY, YOU’VE SET YOUR COURSE AND LOCKED YOUR WEAPONS USING THE
COMMANDS FROM THE PREVIOUS SECTION. NOW IT’S TIME TO ACTUALLY MOVE
AND FIRE.
6.4.1 GO
THE GO COMMAND ALLOWS YOU TO MOVE AND FIRE IN ANY SEQUENCE.
YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ENTER A STRING OF CHARACTERS REPRESENTING THE
ORDER IN WHICH YOU WISH TO EXECUTE AN ACTION. ENTER ’M’ TO MOVE,
’P’ TO FIRE PHASERS, ’T’ TO FIRE PHOTON TORPEDOES (OR DISRUPTOR
BOLTS), ’B’ TO INITIATE A BOARDING PARTY, ’Y’ TO ENGAGE A TRACTOR
BEAM, AND/OR ’D’ TO ENGAGE A DEFLECTOR BEAM. IF THE FIRST
CHARACTER IN THE STRING IS A ’C’, THE COMMAND IS CANCELLED SO YOU
COULD GO BACK AND AND SET A WEAPON IF YOU HAD FORGOTTEN. YOU CAN
USE ANY CHARACTER IN ANY ORDER BUT YOU CAN’T USE THE SAME
CHARACTER MORE THAN ONCE IN THE SAME STRING, SO ’TMYTB’ IS ILLEGAL
SINCE YOU TRIED TO FIRE TORPEDOES TWICE. IF YOU INTEND TO ENTER A
COMMAND LIKE ’MT’, MAKE SURE THAT THE TORPEDOES ARE LOCKED ONTO
THE BEARING THE TARGET WILL BE AT AFTER YOU MOVE.
IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO EXECUTE AN ACTION IF SOME PREVIOUS
ACTION WAS SUCCESSFUL OR NOT, BY USING PARENTHESES.
EG. ’B(M)(PT)’ - IF THE BORD WAS SUCCESSFUL, WE MOVE, OTHERWISE WE
FIRE PHASERS AND TORPEDOES.
EG. ’B()(P)’ - IF THE BORD WAS SUCCESSFUL, WE DO NOTHING,
OTHERWISE WE FIRE PHASERS.
EG. ’M(T)P’ - IF THE MOVE WAS SUCCESSFUL, FIRE TORPEDOES, THEN
FIRE PHASERS (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE MOVE WAS OR WAS NOT
SUCCESSFUL).
IN TURN, THIS PARENTHESIZED FORMS CAN BE NESTED WITHIN OTHER
PARENTHESIZED FORMS, AND CAN BE COMBINED WITH THE OTHER FORMS TO A
LIMIT OF 6 LEVELS OF NESTING AND A TOTAL LENGTH OF 80 CHARACTERS
IN THE LINE.
EG. ’M(T(P(B(D(Y)))))’ AND ’M(T()(B))(PY)D’ ARE POSSIBLE.
I’LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY DO.
’M’ IS SUCCESSFUL IF WE REACH TARGET COORDINATES.
’P’ IS SUCCESSFUL IF THE PHASER BEAM HITS A SHIP.
’T’ IS SUCCESSFUL IF THE TORPEDO HITS A SHIP.
7. WHAT HAPPENS DURING AND AFTER YOU GO
WHEN YOU FIRE PHASERS, DAMAGE TO THE ENEMY IS CALCULATED
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ENEMY’S DEFLECTOR SHIELD STRENGTH, THE
STRENGTH OF THE PHASER BEAM, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE
ENEMY SHIP, WHETHER THE ENEMY IS IN AN ION STORM, AND A RANDOM
NUMBER. WITH A PHOTON TORPEDO, DISRUPTOR BOLT OR MINE, DAMAGE IS
CALCULATED AS ABOVE ONLY WITHOUT INVOLVING DISTANCE.
WHEN A C-O SHIP SUFFERS DAMAGE, ITS DEFLECTOR SHIELD STRENGTH
DECREASES BY 1.6 TIMES THE DAMAGE FACTOR. WHEN AN M-O SHIP OR
STARBASE SUFFERS DAMAGE, ITS DEFLECTOR STRENGTH DECREASES BY 1.6
TIMES THE MAXIMUM DAMAGE FACTOR, AND CASUALTIES ARE CALCULATED
AMONGST THE CREW. WHEN THE DEFLECTOR SHIELD STRENGTH OF A SHIP
BECOMES LESS THAN ZERO, THE SHIP IS DESTROYED. IF THE CREW OF A
SHIP IS KILLED OFF, IT WILL DRIFT IN SPACE AS A DERELICT UNTIL
BOARDED. THE GAME IS OVER WHEN ONLY ONE SIDE (IE. ONLY C-O
ENEMIES, M-O KLINGON SHIPS OR M-O FEDERATION SHIPS) REMAINS.
7.1 DAMAGE
WHEN YOUR SHIP IS HIT, DAMAGE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS
PARTS OF YOUR SHIP. FOLLOWING IS A LISTING OF WHAT HAPPENS IF
VARIOUS PARTS OF YOUR SHIP ARE HIT:
1) PHOTON TORPEDO BANKS (ENTERPRISE (POTEMPKIN) DECK 3)- NUMBER OF
PHOTON TORPEDOES DECREASES.
2) DISRUPTOR BANKS (PART OF HAVOC (CARNAGE) S-2 GRAF UNITS)-
NUMBER OF DISRUPTOR BOLTS DECREASES.
3) CREWS QUARTERS (ENTERPRISE DECKS 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, 18 19; HAVOC
DECKS 7, 8 E3-FWD, E4-FWD, E5-FWD, ES-AFT. E6-MIDSHIPS)
NUMBER OF CASUALTIES WILL INCREASE.
4) SICK BAY ON ENTERPRISE (DECK 7)- IF IT RECEIVES MAJOR DAMAGE,
DR. MCCOY WILL CROAK.
5) TRANSPORTER ROOMS (ENTERPRISE DECK 7; HAVOC DECK ES-AFT)-
NUMBER OF CASUALTIES DURING BOARDING PARTIES INCREASES.
6) SHIP’S COMPUTER (ENTERPRISE DECK 8; HAVOC DECK 4)- AUXILIARY
COMPUTERS COME ONLINE.
7) PHASER BANKS (ENTERPRISE DECK 11; HAVOC DECK 11)- PHASER ENERGY
DECREASES.
8) WARP DRIVE ENGINEERING (ENTERPRISE DECK 16; HAVOC DECK E4-AFT)-
THE CHANCE THAT YOU WILL LOSE STEERING CONTROL INCREASES.
9) DEFLECTOR ENERGY PUMP (ENTERPRISE DECK 19; HAVOC DECK 10)-
DEFLECTOR SHIELD ENERGY DECREASES.
10) TRACTOR BEAM MACHINERY ROOM (ENTERPRISE DECK 23; HAVOC
DECK 4)- TRACTOR BEAM RANGE DECREASES.
11) IMPULSE ENGINES - MAXIMUM WARP DECREASES BY AT MOST 1 UNIT.
12) WARP DRIVE ENGINE NACELLES/S-2 GRAF UNIT NACELLES - MAXIMUM
WARP DECREASES AND WHEN ENGINES ARE USED THE ENGINE
TEMPERATURE RISES MORE RAPIDLY.
13) MAIN SENSOR (ENTERPRISE EXTERNAL; HAVOC DECK 10)- RANGE OF MAP
DECREASES.
14) NAVIGATIONAL DEFLECTOR (ENTERPRISE EXTERNAL; HAVOC DECK
E6‑MIDSHIPS)- RANGE OF DEFLECTOR BEAM DECREASES.
15) NACELLE SUPPORT PYLONS - THERE IS A CHANCE THE NACELLES WILL
RIP OFF IF YOU G0 OVER A CERTAIN SPEED WHICH WILL BE
GIVEN TO YOU AS A WARNING.
7.2 REPAIR
YOUR SHIP HAS 3 MODES OF REPAIR:
A) ALL DECKS’ DAMAGE FACTORS ARE REDUCED BY 3, PHASER
ENERGY IS INCREASED BY 5OO UNITS, DEFLECTORS BY AT LEAST 10
UNITS, WARP ENERGY BY 1 UNIT, AND CREW AND TORPEDOES MAY BE
INCREASED.
B) UP TO 8 DECKS ARE REPAIRED, LOWERING THEIR DAMAGE
FACTORS BY A MAXIMUM OF 5, PHASER ENERGY IS INCREASED BY 500
UNITS DEFLECTOR SHIELD ENERGY BY 10 UNITS, WARP ENERGY BY 1
UNIT.
C) UP TO 4 DECKS ARE REPAIRED, LOWERING THEIR DAMAGE
FACTORS BY A MAXIMUM OF 5.
IF, FROM THE TIME YOU ENTER THE GO COMMAND UNTIL YOUR TURN
OCCURS AGAIN, YOU SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE AT ALL, YOU WILL NOT UNDERGO
REPAIR. YOUR DAMAGE CONTROL PARTIES WILL BE TOO BUSY CONTROLLING
THE DAMAGE TO REPAIR ANYTHING.
IF, DURING THIS TIME, YOU DO SOMETHING (SUCH AS MOVE, FIRE
PHASERS, TORPEDOES, BOARDING PARTY, TRACTOR OR DEFLECTOR BEAM),
BUT DO NOT SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE, YOU WILL UNDERGO REPAIR MODE C,
SINCE YOUR DAMAGE CONTROL PARTIES WILL BE FREE TO DO A LITTLE
REPAIR WORK.
IF, DURING THIS TIME YOU DO NOTHING AT ALL (SUCH AS BY TYPING
NOTHING WHEN ASKED TO ENTER THE CONTROL STRING AFTER YOU TYPE
’GO’), YOU WILL UNDERGO REPAIR MODE B, SINCE YOUR DAMAGE CONTROL
PARTIES WILL BE FREE TO START REPAIRS.
IF YOU ARE DOCKED AT STARBASE (IE. 1 UNIT AWAY FROM IT), YOU
WILL UNDERGO REPAIR MODE A SINCE STARBASES HAVE COMPLETE REPAIR
FACILITIES. ALSO, WHILE AT STARBASE, YOU CAN INCREASE DEFLECTORS,
CREW AND TORPEDOES (DISRUPTORS) BY DRAWING ON STARBASE RESOURCES
(USING THE ’**’ OPTION IN THE ’TRANSFER’ COMMAND).
NOTE- ONCE YOUR WARP DRIVE ENGINE NACELLES ARE DESTROYED,
YOUR ENGINES CAN ONLY BE REPAIRED AT STARBASE.
NOTE- ONCE THE NUMBER OF CREW ON YOUR SHIP DIPS BELOW 100, YOU
WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO MAKE REPAIR MODES B OR C.
NOTE- IF YOUR PHASERS HAVE A MAIN COIL BURNOUT, THEY WILL
REPAIR FASTER IF YOU ARE UNDERGOING REPAIR MODE A, B OR C.
7.3 ENEMY FIRING
WHEN THE GAME BEGINS, THE ENTERPRISE TAKES THE FIRST TURN.
AFTER IT HAS GONE (IE. AFTER IT HAS ENTERED A GO COMMAND), THE
POTEMPKIN TAKES ITS TURN, THEN THE HAVOC, AND FINALLY THE CARNAGE.
IF ANY OF THESE SHIPS ARE NOT IN THE GAME, THEN THE TURN PASSES
DIRECTLY TO THE NEXT SHIP LISTED. AFTER THE CARNAGE HAS GONE, THE
FUN BEGINS:
1) STARBASES OPEN FIRE (IF THEY’RE IN THE GAME) UNLESS THE
STARBASE CREW IS ZERO, STARBASE DEFLECTORS LESS THAN 25, OR THE
NEAREST ENEMY VESSEL IS MORE THAN 25 UNITS AWAY. STARBASES CONVERT
AND FIRE 5 DEFLECTOR ENERGY UNITS AT THE NEAREST ENEMY (0.1 UNITS
IF THE TARGET IS AN EAGLE). IF STARBASE RECEIVES NO DAMAGE SINCE
ITS LAST TURN, IT WILL UNDERGO REPAIR, INCREASING ITS DEFLECTOR
STRENGTH BY 10 UNITS.
2) COMPUTER-OPERATED SHIPS (KLINGON, ROMULAN, THOLIAN, ETC.)
MOVE AND FIRE. THESE SHIPS DO NOT OPEN FIRE UNLESS THE NEAREST
ENEMY VESSEL IS LESS THAN 25 UNITS AWAY. THE PROBABILITY THAT THE
ENEMY WILL MISS IS (3 * DISTANCE TO TARGET)%.
3) IT’S BACK TO THE ENTERPRISE’S TURN.
8. IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER....
IF YOU’VE MADE IT THIS FAR. AND YOU’RE CONFUSED, TAKE HEART.
THINGS COULD BE WORSE - YOU COULD BE THIS MONSTER’S PROGRAMMER.
IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER, I SUGGEST YOU IGNORE THE POTEMPKIN, HAVOC,
CARNAGE AND STARBASES AND JUST PLAY AS THE ENTERPRISE. AS YOUR
FIRST ENEMY, TRY THE KLINGON WARSHIP. I’VE DELIBERATELY MADE THEM
EASIER TO BEAT THAN THE OTHERS SO YOU CAN GET A BIT OF PRACTICE IN
BEFORE MOVING UP TO HARDER ENEMIES. AS YOUR FIRST COMMAND IN A
GAME, TRY A MAP OR INFO COMMAND (NOTE ALL COMMANDS CAN BE
ABBREVIATED TO JUST THE FIRST 2 LETTERS). HERE’S A LIST OF THE
BASIC COMMANDS YOU SHOULD KNOW: MAP, INFO, TRANSFER, COURSE,
PHASER, TORPEDO, CANCEL, GO. FROM THESE BASIC COMMANDS YOU EXPAND
YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND BECOME A FANCIER PLAYER AS TIME PROGRESSES.
OFTEN BEGINNERS TO THE GAME WILL ASK ME IF SOMETHING OR OTHER
IS POSSIBLE OR LEGAL IN THE GAME. THE ANSWER IS: TRY IT! IF
SOMETHING IS ILLEGAL, YOU’LL BE TOLD. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT
MEANT TO BE COMPREHENSIVE - JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS NOT
MENTIONNED HERE DOES NOT MEAN IT CAN’T BE DONE.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER.
9. ENTERPRISE DECKS
HERE IS A LISTING OF THE FILE ’KIRK.DAT’ WHICH CONTAINS THE
DECKS OF THE ENTERPRISE AND POTEMPKIN TO WHICH DAMAGE IS ASSIGNED.
THE ENTERPRISE (POTEMPKIN) CONSISTS OF A SAUCER-SHAPED PRIMARY
HULL (DECKS 1 TO 11), A CYLINDRICAL SECONDARY HULL (DECKS
8‑SECONDARY TO 23) BELOW THE PRIMARY HULL, AND TWO CYLINDRICAL
WARP DRIVE NACELLES WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE SECONDARY HULL BY
SUPPORT PYLONS.
Deck 1-Bridge
Deck 2-Sciences Laboratories
Deck 3-Photon Torpedo Bank/Sciences Labs
Deck 4-Junior Officers Quarters/Fresh Water Tanks/Briefing Room
Deck 5-Officers Quarters/Emerg. Battery Rooms/Air Cond. Mach. Rooms
Deck 6-Main Crew’s Quarters/Main Mess room/Engineering
Deck 7-Sick Bay/Emerg. Bridge/Transporter Rooms/Engineering/Quarters
Deck 8-Life Quality Facilities/Ship’s Computer/Recreation Facilities
Deck 8-Secondary Hull-Separation Machinery
Deck 9-Recycling and Fabrication Facilities/Raw Materials Storage
Deck 9-Secondary Hull-Aux. Machinery Room
Deck 10-Cargo + Basic Raw Materials Storage/Cargo Transporter
Deck 10-Secondary Hull-Observation Lounges
Deck 11-Phaser Banks/Aux. Fire Control/Power Sensor Platform
Deck 11-Secondary Hull-Observation Lounges
Deck 12-Observation Lounges
Deck 13-Observation Lounges
Deck 14-Observation Lounges/Cargo Hold
Deck 15-Visicoms/Air Cons. Mach. Room/Fresh Water Tanks
Deck 16-Medical Section/Warp Drive Engineering/Maintenance Shops
Deck 17-Crew’s Quarters/Hanger Observation Gallery,Control Tower
Deck 18-Crew’s Quarters/Shuttlecraft Hangar Deck/Deflector Energy Pump
Deck 19-Crew’s Quarters/Hydroponics Lab/Botany Section
Deck 20-Recreation Area/Swimming Pool/Shuttlecraft Maintenance
Deck 21-Food + Beverages Preparation Center/Bowling Alley/Laundry
Deck 22-Waste Reconversion and Fabrication Facilities
Deck 23-Stowage/Cargo Holds/Tractor Beam Mach. Room
Primary Hull - Impulse Engine
Port Warp Drive Engine Nacelle
Starboard Warp Drive Engine Nacelle
Port Nacelle Support Pylon/Jeffries Tube
Main Sensor and Navigational Deflector
Starboard Nacelle Support Pylon/Jeffries Tube
10. HAVOC DECKS
HERE IS A LISTING OF THE FILE ’KOLOTH.DAT’ WHICH CONTAINS THE
DECKS OF THE HAVOC AND CARNAGE TO WHICH DAMAGE IS ASSIGNED. THE
HAVOC (CARNAGE) CONSISTS OF A BULBOUS PRIMARY HULL (DECKS 0 TO 11)
CONNECTED BY A LONG NARROW ACCESS ROOM TO THE SECONDARY (OR
ENGINEERING) HULL (DECKS E1 TO E9), AND TWO S-2 GRAF UNIT NACELLES
WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE ENGINEERING HULL BY SUPPORT PYLONS.
Deck 0-Search and Navigation Sensors
Deck 1-Bridge
Deck 2-Medical and Sciences Labs
Deck 3-Sick Bay/Ship’s Computers/Tractor Beam Mach. Room
Deck 4-Transporter Rooms/Ship’s Computers/Life Support
Deck 5-Food Preparation/Small Arms Arsenal
Deck 6-Fwd-Emerg. Bridge/Inspirational Media Room/Weapons Range/H2O Tanks
Deck E6-Midships-Crews Quarters/Navigation Deflectors/Emerg. Computers
Deck E6-Aft-2nd Class Emerg. Bridge/Aft Surveilance Room/Emerg. Batteries
Deck 7-Senior Officers’ Quarters
Deck 8-Junior Officers’ Quarters
Deck 9-Forward Surveillance Room/Interrogation Room, Mind Scanner, Agony Booth
Deck 10-Main Sensor/Deflector Energy Pump/Aux. Fire Control
Deck 11-Phaser Banks
Deck E1-Hangar Deck
Deck E2-Craft Maintenance/Emerg. Generator
Deck E3-Fwd-Ship’s Guards’ Quarters/Water Source
Deck E3-Aft-Emerg. Reactor/Engineering Computers/Impulse Engine Room
Deck E4-Fwd-Crew’s Quarters
Deck E4-Aft-Engineering/Water+Waste Reconversion/Power Conversion
Deck E5-Fwd-Fesh Water Tanks/Sciences Laboratories/Crews Quarters
Deck E5-Aft-Combat Troops’ Quarters/Battle Sick Bay/Air Cond. Mach. Room
Deck E7-Port-Crew’s Gymnasium/Laundry/Weapons Proficiency Room
Deck E7-Stbd-Food Fabrication/Visicoms/Interrogation Rooms/Brig
Deck E8-Fwd-Waste Reconversion and Fabrication Facilities
Deck E8-Aft-Main Arsenal/Combat Troops Staging Area/Mass Invasion Transporters
Deck E9-Cargo/Storage Facilities for Prefab Fortifications
Impulse Engines
Port S-2 Graf Unit Nacelle/Disruptor Banks
Starboard S-2 Graf Unit/Disruptor Banks
Port Nacelle Support Pylon/Engine Machinery
Starboard Nacelle Support Pylon/Engine Machinery
Primary-Secondary Hull Access Boom/Access Boom Engine/Cooling Tubes
11. THANKS
I OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE LENT ME
BOOKS, GIVEN ME SUGGESTIONS, HELPED ME DEBUG THE PROGRAM, AND EVEN
DONATED COMPUTER TIME; ETC.; WITHOUT WHOSE HELP THIS PROGRAM
WOULDN’T BE THE MONSTER IT IS TODAY. THANKS TO: MR. STEPHEN
B. SHARPE, DR. A: DIXON (UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO),
MR. D. MACRAE (UWO), MR. D. KIDD (UWO), MR. J. E. BROWN (OAKRIDGE
SECONDARY SCHOOL, LONDON ONTARIO), MR. LORNE JOHNSON (OAKRIDGE),
GEOFFREY A. COLLYER, JEFF WENN, TERRY FAVELL, AND A SCORE OF
OTHERS.
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS:
BLISH, JAMES. SPOCK MUST DIE. NEW YORK : BANTAM BOOKS INC., 1970.
BLISH, JAMES, STAR TREK 1 TO STAR TREK 12. NEW YORK : BANTAM BOOKS
INC., 1967 - 77.
FOSTER,ALAN DEAN. STAR TREK LOG 1 TO STAR TREK LOG 9. NEW YORK :
BALLANTINE BOOKS, 1974 - 77.
GERROLD,DAVID. THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES. NEW YORK : BALLANTINE
BOOKS, 1973.
GERROLD, DAVID. THE WORLD OF STAR TREK. NEW YORK : BALLANTINE
BOOKS, 1975.
JOSEPH, FRANZ. STAR FLEET TECHNICAL MANUAL. 1ST ED., NEW YORK :
BALLANTINE BOOKS, 1975.
TRIMBLE, BJO. STAR TREK CONCORDANCE. 1ST ED., NEW YORK :
BALLANTINE BOOKS, 1975.
WHITFIELD, STEPHEN E., AND GENE RODDENBERRY. THE MAKING OF STAR
TREK. NEW YORK : BALLANTINE BOOKS, 1968.
BLUEPRINTS:
JOSEPH, FRANZ. STAR TREK BLUEPRINTS - GENERAL PLANS - CONSTITUTION
CLASS U.S.S. ENTERPRISE. 2ND ED., NEW YORK : BALLANTINE BOOKS,
1975.
MCMASTER, MICHAEL. BOOK OF KLINGON PLANS - D7 CLASS BATTLE
CRUISER. 1ST ED., LOS ANGELES : LINCOLN ENTERPRISES.
External links
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