



       





















                                    BEGIN
                                    BEGIN
                                    BEGIN





                             A Tactical Starship
                             A Tactical Starship
                             A Tactical Starship

                                  Simulation
                                  Simulation
                                  Simulation





















                                 Version 1.65





                           Copyright (c) 1984-1989



























                              CLOCKWORK SOFTWARE

                                PO Box 610338

                              San Jose, CA 95161































       









       





       Begin - A Tactical Starship Simulation

       Copyright (c) Clockwork Software, 1984-1989



            All rights reserved by the authors. This program may be

       freely copied for private use provided this message is always

       displayed. It may be distributed on public access computer

       bulletin boards. It may not be distributed for resale.



            Begin is supplied as a user supported package. Private

       individuals are encouraged to copy and share this package with

       others. If you enjoy using this program your contributions help

       support the shareware concept which allows you to try the

       software first without obligation.



            For a $10 contribution you will receive the Advanced

       Simulations Manual for the current version. This manual covers

       many commands, hints, and internal details of Begin which are not

       included in this Basic Simulations Manual.



            For a $15 contribution you will receive the Advanced

       Simulations Manual as well as a diskette containing the most

       recent release of the program.



            Please send any comments/problems to Clockwork Software even

       if you do not wish to make a contribution. If you want a response

       also include a self addressed stamped envelope.



             Clockwork Software          The Micro Foundry BBS

             P.O. Box 610338             (415) 598-0498

             San Jose, CA 95161          1200/2400/9600  24 Hours





       You distribution disk/file should contain the following files:

              Begin.arc    -  Contains all the following files

              Begin.exe    -  A Tactical Starship Simulation

              Begin.man    -  The Basic Simulations Manual

              Whats.new    -  New features in version 1.65

              BeginAd.txt  -  Long BBS ad for Begin

              BeginAd2.txt -  Short BBS ad for Begin 



            Unlike the previous release of Begin, this version supports

       software and hardware floating point in one program. If you have

       a math co-processor, Begin will automatically detect it's

       presence and use hardware floating point. You may override this

       auto-check and force software floating point by setting the

       environment variable 87=N at the DOS command prompt. If you are

       running on an 8088 PC we recommend a co-processor as it will

       increase the speed of play equivalent to that of a 12Mhz 80286

       without a co-processor.

                                               Tom Nelson, Mike Higgins

                                               Authors of Begin















       









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation











                               I.  INTRODUCTION
                               I.  INTRODUCTION
                               I.  INTRODUCTION





               Begin is actually a simulation of a simulator that tests

       your ability to command a fleet starship. For the first time, you

       will actually have the feeling that you are commanding a real

       starship, against real enemy captains.



               Unlike almost all other space games of this type, Begin

       does not employ the unrealistic "quadrant-sectors" or the "Mass

       Hoard of aliens" approach. Instead, all ships are created equal

       with intelligent enemy strategy being used to defeat the

       unsuspecting human player. For the novice player even a

       one-on-one scenario is quite a challenge.



               Begin also features four different nations, Federation,

       Klingon, Romulan and Orion, with the human player becoming the

       nation of their choice. The program also provides for numerous

       ship classes of varying design for each of the different nation.



               There are not any artificial "difficulty levels" in

       Begin. Instead if a player wishes for an easier scenario, they

       may command a fleet of up to seventeen ships against a smaller

       enemy force. For a more difficult scenario, one-on-nine is a more

       likely challenge.



               The object of Begin is (as usual) to destroy the enemy

       fleet before they destroy you. You will receive an evaluation of

       your performance at the end of the action. Your enemy is tough

       and experienced. He will do his utmost to destroy you with

       whatever fleet you give him.



               Enjoy this new level of sophistication in computer

       entertainment.







                                 II. OVERVIEW
                                 II. OVERVIEW
                                 II. OVERVIEW





            Begin is actually made up of five separate parts that happen

       in sequence, introduction, setup, command input, strategy, and

       movement. A more detailed explanation of each of these can be

       found in a later section.



            The first part, introduction, will happen only once. It will

       first prompt you for your name. Your name will be used as the

       prompt for all command input. Next you will be asked which nation

       you wish to ally yourself with, and the nation of your opponent.



            The second part, setup, will also happen only once. Two

       status displays will be drawn, one of the ally fleet and one of

       the enemy fleet. At this point you will enter commands to





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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       configure the number and class of ships in each of the fleets.

       Once you are satisfied with the configurations, you may start the

       simulation.



            Once the tactical displays have been drawn the program will

       be waiting for command input. You may enter commands for

       controlling your ships' weapon systems, defenses, status displays

       or for directing your ally ships. Input will allow you as much

       time as you need to decide your command. You may enter an entire

       command on one line or allow Begin to prompt you for each part.



            After the entire command has been entered, the strategy of

       all enemy and ally ships is determined. These ships follow the

       same rules for commands that you must follow. After all ships

       have determined their strategy, the real time movement is

       performed.



            Real time moves all objects according to the Begin laws of

       physics. Every item will be moved in sequence, ten times, to

       simulate simultaneous movement. Your crew will report most of the

       enemy and ally ships actions during this time, such as who is

       firing torpedoes and who has been hit. At the end of this cycle,

       before you are again asked for command input, the tactical

       displays will be updated.



            One time through the above sequence is call a cycle, and is

       the basic unit of time in Begin. All time is measured in cycles

       but may sometimes be referred to as seconds, such as three

       seconds to self destruct.







                                  III. SETUP
                                  III. SETUP
                                  III. SETUP





            After you have entered your name and the ally and enemy

       nations, you will need to configure the ally and enemy fleets.

       The setup screen contains two fleet status displays. The top

       display shows the make-up of the ally fleet and the bottom

       display is that of the enemy. Also displayed is the total number

       of ships allowed along with the number of ships you have not yet

       allocated to either fleet. A dash before a ship class name in the

       fleet displays indicate you have not selected any ships of that

       class.



            At this point you may enter ally and enemy configuration

       commands. With these commands you will specify the number and

       class of ships in each of the corresponding fleets (Refer to the

       Configure command in the Command Summary section). A single fleet

       may contain up to the total number of allowed ships minus one. If

       you need more details on each ship class before you configure the

       fleets, the library computer is available.



            If you have more than one class of ship in the ally fleet

       you must specify the ship class of your flagship. The flagship is

       the type of ship you will be commanding your fleet from. The





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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       enemy does not need a specified flagship.



            Once you are satisfied with the make-up of each fleet you

       must enter the command "Begin" to start the simulation.







                                  IV.  SHIPS
                                  IV.  SHIPS
                                  IV.  SHIPS





            All ships are controlled by a fixed number of attributes.

       These attributes control the ships speed, acceleration, turn

       rate, weaponry, shield strength etc. This section briefly

       explains how these attributes function.





       DISPLAYS
       DISPLAYS
       DISPLAYS



            The tactical displays are shown on the right side of the

       screen. The upper display is the position display. It shows the

       actual positions of all ships relative to your flagship. You may

       set the magnification of this display to allow for a finer

       resolution.



            The lower display is the ships' Systems Status display. It

       shows the condition of five ship systems. They are the Phaser

       Banks, Torpedo Tubes, Probe Launchers, Warp Drives, and Shields.



            Within the System Status display a period is used to

       indicate a system is discharged or turned off. If this symbol is

       blinking it tells you that the system has been damaged and is

       non-functional.



            The dash, equal and triple equal symbols are used by the

       Bank and Tube systems to indicated the last three cycles of their

       charge time. The small 'o' symbol is used by the Tube and

       Launcher systems to indicated a loaded and ready condition.



            The Warp Drives and Shields use the three shaded solid block

       symbols to indicated the state of these systems. For the Warp

       drive they indicated temperature, for the Shields they indicated

       strength. A blink block tells you a system is about to fail.



       Display related commands are: Scan, Range.





       HELM
       HELM
       HELM



            The helm controls the direction and velocity of the ship.

       The ship will not always respond instantly to helm commands.

       Response depends on the size of the ship you are commanding and

       the current helm settings. Generally, the larger the ship or the

       faster the current speed, the slower the ship will respond to

       course and speed changes. The exception to this is that all ships

       respond instantly if the current speed and the requested speed

       are both warp one or less. For specified ship class attributes,





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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       consult your ships' library computer.



       Helm related commands are: Helm, Pursue, Elude, Report.





       WEAPONRY
       WEAPONRY
       WEAPONRY



            Available to you are a three different weapon systems that

       vary from ship class to ship class. Most ships have all three

       although of few of the smaller ships do not. These weapons are

       Phasers, Torpedoes and Probes.



            All phasers banks and torpedo tubes may be locked on a

       specified ship or turned to a specified relative angle off the

       current heading (mark). The target or course of a probe is

       specified at launch time since probes are "smart" in that they

       may pursue a specified target or course and may be controlled

       after they leave the ship.



            Phasers are short range weapons that hit their target

       instantaneously. The closer you are to the target, the better the

       hit.



            Torpedoes travel at a specific velocity determined by the

       class of torpedo your ship carries although it is generally very

       fast. If the tube is locked on a target, the tube will "lead" the

       target to compensate for the target's course and velocity. Most

       classes of torpedo cannot change course once they are fired.



            Probes are very slow in comparison to torpedoes. The

       advantage of a probe is the ability to pursue a target, and it's

       relatively large warhead. Probes may also be controlled after

       they are launched. They may be set to a specific heading or

       re-locked on to a target.



            Consult your ships library computer for specifics on these

       weapons.



       Weaponry related commands are: Fire, Lock, Turn, Status, Torp,

       Phaser, Probe





       SHIELDS
       SHIELDS
       SHIELDS



            Shields protect the ship from being damaged by enemy (or

       ally) weapons. A shield will weaken in proportion to the

       magnitude of the hit on that shield. This type of damage is

       actually only temporary and the shield will regenerate slowly

       over time. If the hit is larger than the shield can absorb, then

       the ship will sustain damaged.



            The amount of damage will depend on the strength of the hit.

       Any of the ships systems may be damaged including the shields

       maximum strength. This damage is permanent and may only reduce

       the effectiveness of the system as in the case of reactors,

       engines or shields, or may totally destroy the system as with





                                     - 4 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       phaser banks or torpedo tubes.



       Shield related commands are: Raise, Lower, Status, Shields





       STATUS
       STATUS
       STATUS





            All commands will result in the ending of your "turn" except

       for commands that only display status. The status command will

       display the current state of the entire ship, phaser banks,

       torpedo tubes, probe launchers, shields or active probes. This

       also includes scanning enemy or ally vessels and ally reports.



       Status related commands are: Report, Status, Banks, Tubes,

       Launchers





       COMPUTER
       COMPUTER
       COMPUTER



            All ships are equipped with a library computer. The library

       computer will display information on any ship class, torpedo

       class or probe.



       Computer related commands are: Library, Computer, Help





       DAMAGE CONTROL
       DAMAGE CONTROL
       DAMAGE CONTROL



            All ships have a damage control crew which automatically

       makes repairs to any disabled ship system. The efficiency of

       damage control is related to the number of crew remaining. Once a

       system has been fully repaired you will receive a message

       informing you that repairs have been completed. The condition of

       your damage control is displayed on the damage report.



       Damage related commands are: Damage







                             V. ENEMIES & ALLIES
                             V. ENEMIES & ALLIES
                             V. ENEMIES & ALLIES





            All ally and enemy ships are given a "personality" when they

       are created. This consists of a number of attributes that control

       their bravery, aggression, fanaticism and loyalty, and is based

       on the race of that enemy or ally.





       ALLIES
       ALLIES
       ALLIES



            During play, your ally ships will engage the enemy at will

       although you are allowed to give them a few general orders. These

       include who to attack, what course to follow, hold fire, etc.

       They will almost always follow these orders unless they are not

       very loyal or the order is very unreasonable. In any case, they





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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       will give a response to that order.



            It is important to remember the orders you issued or you may

       render an ally useless. For example if you order an ally to

       follow a course, he will follow that order until you cancel it.



            If your ship sustains heavy damage (or even if it doesn't)

       you are allowed to trade ships with one of your allies.



       Ally related commands are: Tell, Order, Fleet, Beam, Transport







                             VI. COMMAND SUMMARY
                             VI. COMMAND SUMMARY
                             VI. COMMAND SUMMARY





            The following is a brief list of commands available to the

       starship commander. For a complete and more detailed list consult

       the Advanced Simulations Manual.



            In a number of cases there is more than one form of the same

       command. For example, "tubes" is the same command as "status

       tubes". Only the so indicated commands are valid during setup.



            Each command description gives the general form of the

       command and a description of command operation. The description

       for each command is followed by one or more examples.



       Optional parts of the commands are enclosed in square brackets (

       [optional] ).





       CONFIGURE:  { Setup only }
       CONFIGURE:  { Setup only }
       CONFIGURE:  { Setup only }

            [Configure] Ally <number> <ship class> [Flagship] [<more ships>]

            [Configure] Enemy <number> <ship class> [<more ships>]



            The configure command is used during setup to select the

       enemy and ally fleets. You may configure up to the total number

       of allowed ships minus one in a single fleet. You may only have

       up to nine of any one ship class however. You must specify an

       ally flagship if the ally fleet is made up of more than one ship

       class. This may be done with this command or by using the

       Flagship command.



       Examples:

            Config Ally 3 Frigates Flagship

            Ally 5 Destroyers 3 Interceptors

            Enemy 6 Dreadnoughts





       FLAGSHIP:   { Setup only }
       FLAGSHIP:   { Setup only }
       FLAGSHIP:   { Setup only }

            Flagship <ship class>



            The flagship command allows you to specify a flagship class

       after you have finished configuring the fleets. You must specify

       a flagship if there is more than one ship class in the ally





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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation





       fleet.



       Examples:

            Flagship Destroyer





       BEGIN:      { Setup only }
       BEGIN:      { Setup only }
       BEGIN:      { Setup only }

            Begin



            This command informs the program that you are finished

       configuring the enemy and ally fleets and are ready to start the

       simulation.



       Examples:

            Begin





       HELM:
       HELM:
       HELM:

            Helm [Course] <course> [Warp] <warp>



            The helm command controls the direction and velocity of your

       ship. The course is a heading between -360 degrees and +360

       degrees. All vessels will take time to come to the new heading

       although it may sometimes seem immediate. The amount of time will

       depend on the size of your ship and the ship's current speed. The

       larger ships turning slower than smaller ships and fast speeds

       requiring more time than slower speed. All ships will seem to

       turn instantly at warp one or less.



            When turning, the ship will always turn in the direction

       that is the smallest distance to the new heading.



            The warp is the velocity you wish to maintain. The ship's

       velocity, like it's heading may require a certain amount of time

       to achieve.



       Examples:

            helm course 60 warp 6

            helm 225 3





       PURSUE:
       PURSUE:
       PURSUE:

       ELUDE:
       ELUDE:
       ELUDE:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       CHART:
       CHART:
       CHART:

            chart [<options>]



            Every cycle the chart from your ship will be automatically

       displayed. If the chart moves off the top of the screen, entering

       "chart" will redisplay the current chart.









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       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







                      WARP COURSE BEARING RANGE MARK CLASS

              Caspan:  4.0   305. Manual Helm 

                 Asp:  3.0   125.   305.  15035   0.  FR





            The chart displays the names of all ships with the flagship

       being the first ship. The current warp factor and course of each

       ship is displayed as is the range of each ship from the charted

       ship. The Bearing column show the bearing of each ship from the

       charted ship. The bearing is the course the charted ship must

       follow to head directly at a specific ship. The Mark column

       contains the degrees off the heading of the charted ship to a

       specific ally or enemy ship, for example, a mark of zero

       indicates the charted ship is heading directly toward a ship. The

       Class column indicates the class of each of the charted ships.



       Examples:

            chart





            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of the <options> on this command.





       REPORT:
       REPORT:
       REPORT:

            report



            The report command displays various information about your

       ship. You may also request a report from an ally ship with the

       "order" command.



              SHIP NAME:  Ketoi

              CLASS:      Destroyer

              SURVIVORS:  200



              CONDITION:  100% Functional

              NAVCOM:     Manual Helm

              COURSE:     270. desired    229. current

              WARP:       6.0 desired    4.5 current





       Examples:

            report





       STATUS DAMAGE:
       STATUS DAMAGE:
       STATUS DAMAGE:

       SCAN SHIP
       SCAN SHIP
       SCAN SHIP

            [Status] Damage

            Scan <ship>



            The damage status will display the overall condition of your

       ship where as the scan ship command will show the same

       information about an enemy or ally ship.









                                     - 8 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







              SHIP NAME: Viper

              CLASS:     Frigate

              SURVIVORS: 18 



              REACTORS:   100%    5%   XX

              BATTERIES:   75    75    68    XX

              BANKS:       XX    XX    ch    ..    XX

              TUBES:       ld    XX

              LAUNCHERS:   XX    ..

              SHIELDS:     XX    70%    1%   18%   XX    XX   

              WARP:        XX

              WARP TEMP:   |9m  LIMIT: 40m



              WARP POWER:      0

              OTHER POWER:     262 

              RESIDUAL POWER:  -6





            The above scan reveals that the Klingon Frigate, Viper is

       heavily damaged. All "XX" markers show the systems that are

       completely non-functional. The Viper still has two working

       phasers, one is charged and one is discharged. One torpedo tube

       is still functional and is currently loaded and one probe

       launcher is undamaged but unloaded. Three of the six shields are

       completely destroyed, one is in good shape and two are very weak.

       The warp drive has been destroyed with it's temperature falling

       to zero. With the warp drive eliminated, there is not any warp

       power. The reactors are providing 262 units of power but the ship

       still used -6 units of battery power last cycle to keep the

       remaining shields up.



       Examples:

            damage

            status damage

            scan viper





       RANGE:
       RANGE:
       RANGE:

       DISPLAY:
       DISPLAY:
       DISPLAY:

       SCAN RANGE:
       SCAN RANGE:
       SCAN RANGE:

            range <range>

            display <range>

            scan <range>



            Any of these commands will set the position display range.

       The position display is always in the upper right corner of the

       screen. The display show the location of all ships by placing the

       first two letters of the ships name on the display along with any

       active torpedoes or probes.



            The range specified will control the magnification of the

       position display and only objects within this range will be

       displayed.









                                     - 9 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







            Within the position display, the "<>" in the center

       indicates the location of your ship. On the monochrome monitor,

       all enemy object will be displayed "intensified" and all ally

       objects "normal". On the color monitor, all enemy objects will be

       "bright red" and all ally objects will be "Yellow".



       Examples:

            range 15000

            display 15000

            scan 15000





       FIRE PHASERS:
       FIRE PHASERS:
       FIRE PHASERS:

            [Fire] Phasers [SPREAD] <spread>

            Fire [ALL] Phasers [SPREAD] <spread>

            [Fire] Phasers <list> [SPREAD] <spread>



            This command is used to fire one or more of your ship's

       phasers. Phasers will hit the target instantaneously but weaken

       with distance. The spread is the width of the phaser shot. The

       wider the area, the weaker the hit but you may damage more

       objects. The spread may be from 10 to 45 degrees and the list is

       which banks are to fire.



       Examples:

            fire phasers 1 2 3 spread 10

            fire all phasers 45

            phaser all 45





       LOCK BANKS:
       LOCK BANKS:
       LOCK BANKS:

            Lock Banks [ON] <ship>

            Lock All Banks [ON] <ship>

            Lock Banks <list> [ON] <ship>



            When you fire your ship's phasers, they must be pointing at

       the target if you expect to hit anything. The "lock banks"

       command allows you to keep one or all of the phaser banks pointed

       at a specified target at all times.



       Examples:

            lock banks on zantha

            lock all banks on agena

            lock banks 1 2 and 3 on bismark





       STATUS BANKS:
       STATUS BANKS:
       STATUS BANKS:

            [Status] Banks



            This command will display the current state of the phaser

       banks. Since the phasers automatically recharge over time after

       firing, you may wish to know how long until they are full

       charged.









                                    - 10 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







              BANK STATUS:

              Bank Level Control Mark Status  Target

               1    100% locked   57  charged Bluefin

               2     33% locked   57  drained Bluefin

               3     67% manual  180  drained ...

               4     ..  damaged ...   .....  ..

               5     ..  damaged ...   .....  ..





            The above tube status display is from a Klingon Frigate

       which has five phaser banks. The first two banks are locked on

       the Orion ship, Bluefin that is currently at mark 57 degrees. The

       first bank is fully charged and ready for firing once the Bluefin

       is in phaser range. Bank two is currently drained and will not be

       ready for a number of cycles as indicated by the charge level.

       The third bank is set to a fixed mark of 180 degrees which means

       it is always turned toward the rear of the ship. The last two

       tubes have both been damaged and will not be of any further use.



       Examples:

            status banks

            banks





       FIRE TORPEDOES:
       FIRE TORPEDOES:
       FIRE TORPEDOES:

            [Fire] Torpedoes <list>

            Fire [ALL] Torpedoes



            This is the command to use to fire the torpedoes. Torpedoes

       travel at a specific velocity and will not hit a target unless

       the torpedo comes within it's proximity of a ship. Locking the

       torpedo tubes on a ship does not guarantee hitting it. Also refer

       to the "load tubes" command.



       Examples:

            fire torpedo 1 2 3

            fire all torpedoes

            torp all





       LOCK TUBES:
       LOCK TUBES:
       LOCK TUBES:

            Lock [All] Tubes [ON] <ship>

            Lock Tubes <list> [ON] <ship>



            Like the phaser banks, the torpedo tubes must point at the

       target you are trying to hit. The "lock tubes" command allows you

       to "lock" one or all tubes on a specified target.



       Examples:

            lock tubes on eagle

            lock tubes 4 5 6 7 on talon

            lock all tubes on bluefin











                                    - 11 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation









       TURN TUBES:
       TURN TUBES:
       TURN TUBES:

       TURN BANKS:
       TURN BANKS:
       TURN BANKS:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       STATUS TUBES:
       STATUS TUBES:
       STATUS TUBES:

            [Status] Tubes



            This command will display the current state of the torpedo

       tubes. The torpedo tubes, like the phasers, will be automatically

       reloaded after firing, although they must be charged before the

       torpedo may be loaded.



              TUBES STATUS:

              Tube Level Control Mark Content Prox Target

               1     0%  locked   95   mkvii  500  Eagle

               2   100%  locked   95   empty   ..  Eagle

               3    33%  manual  135   empty   ..  ...

               4    ...  damaged ...   .....   ..  ...





            The above tube status display is from a Federation Destroyer

       which has four torpedo tubes. The first two tubes are locked on

       the Romulan ship, Eagle that is currently at mark 95 degrees. The

       first tube contains a "mkvii" class torpedo with it's proximity

       fuse set to 500. Tube two is currently empty but the level

       indicates it will be loaded during the next cycle. The third tube

       is set to a fixed mark of 135 degrees and will not be ready to

       fire for a number of cycles since the charge level is now only 33

       percent. Tube number four has been damaged and is of no further

       use.



            Unlike the phaser banks which are ready once they reach a

       level of 100 percent, the torpedo tubes are not ready until the

       following cycle.



       Examples:

            status tubes

            tubes





       LOAD TUBES:
       LOAD TUBES:
       LOAD TUBES:

            Load [All] Tubes [Proximity] <prox>

            Load Tubes <list> [Proximity] <prox>



            Initially the torpedo tubes are not enabled for loading.

       This command starts the loading process or allows you to changes

       the proximity of the torpedoes loaded after issuing this order.



            The proximity is the distance the torpedo must be from a

       ship before it will detonate. The minimum and maximum proximity

       depends on the class of torpedo.





                                    - 12 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







       Examples:

            load tubes prox 500

            load tubes 1 2 3 350

            load all tubes prox 425





       UNLOAD TUBES:
       UNLOAD TUBES:
       UNLOAD TUBES:

            Unload All Tubes 

            Unload Tubes <list>



            This order will remove the current torpedoes, if any, from

       the tubes and allow new torpedoes to be loaded. This would allow

       a new proximity torpedo to be loaded without firing the current

       torpedoes although you would still have to wait for the tubes to

       be charged.



       Examples:

            unload tubes 1 2 3

            unload all tubes 





       DISABLE TUBES:
       DISABLE TUBES:
       DISABLE TUBES:

       DISABLE BANKS:
       DISABLE BANKS:
       DISABLE BANKS:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       ENABLE TUBES:
       ENABLE TUBES:
       ENABLE TUBES:

       ENABLE BANKS:
       ENABLE BANKS:
       ENABLE BANKS:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       FIRE PROBES:
       FIRE PROBES:
       FIRE PROBES:

            [Fire] Probes <list> [AT] <ship>

            [Fire] Probes <list> [Course] <course>

            Fire [All] Probes [AT] <ship>

            Fire [All] Probes [Course] <course>



            Once the probe launchers have been loaded, this command is

       how you launch your probes. Unlike torpedoes, the probes target

       or course is set when launched. Probes may also be controlled

       after they have been launched using the "lock" and "turn"

       commands, or prematurely exploded using the "destruct" command.



       Examples:

            fire probes 1 2 course 180

            probe all at agena

            probe all course 180













                                    - 13 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation









       TURN PROBES:
       TURN PROBES:
       TURN PROBES:

       LOCK PROBES:
       LOCK PROBES:
       LOCK PROBES:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       LOAD PROBES:
       LOAD PROBES:
       LOAD PROBES:

       LOAD LAUNCHERS:
       LOAD LAUNCHERS:
       LOAD LAUNCHERS:

            Load Launchers <list> [Proximity] <prox> [Time] <time>

            Load [All] Launchers [Proximity] <prox> [Time] <time>



            Unlike the torpedo tubes, the probe launchers will not load

       automatically, they must be loaded manually with this command.

       Probes do not require any energy to load or launch, the only

       requirement is that the launcher must not be damaged.



            At load time, all probes are assigned a control code which

       must be used to control a probe after it is launched.



       Examples:

            load launchers 4 5 6 prox 500 time 20

            load all launchers 450 15

            load probes 200 10





       UNLOAD PROBES:
       UNLOAD PROBES:
       UNLOAD PROBES:

       UNLOAD LAUNCHERS:
       UNLOAD LAUNCHERS:
       UNLOAD LAUNCHERS:

            Unload Launchers <list>

            Unload All Launchers



            This command will unload the probes from all of the

       specified launchers.



       Examples:

            unload all launchers

            unload launchers 2 4





       DETONATE PROBES:
       DETONATE PROBES:
       DETONATE PROBES:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of this command.





       STATUS PROBES:
       STATUS PROBES:
       STATUS PROBES:

            Status Probes



            This command will display the status of all probes launched

       by your ship. The display will look like the following:













                                    - 14 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







              PROBE STATUS:

              Code  Course Bearing Range Time Range/Target

              ya101   345    165    1200  12    853 Zantha        

              zi102   120    300    2525  17   ....





            In the above display, the probe "ya101" is currently

       following course 345 degrees with a bearing from our ship of 165

       degrees. It's current range from us is 1200 and has 12 cycles

       until destruct. It is locked on the Zantha and has a distance of

       853 from the Zantha. Probe "zi102" is not locked on any target,

       but is following a manual course of 120 degrees.



       Examples:

            status probes





       STATUS LAUNCHERS:
       STATUS LAUNCHERS:
       STATUS LAUNCHERS:

            [Status] Launchers



            This status command will display the current state of all

       probe launchers. The following is a sample status display:



              LAUNCHER STATUS:

              Launcher Status  Contents Prox Time Code

                 1     Ready     Pxii    500  20  dg350

                 2     Damaged   ....    ...  ..  ....

                 3     Ready     empty   ...  ..  ....





            This display shows that launcher one contains a "Pxii" class

       probe with a proximity fuse set a range of 500, and a time fuse

       set to 20 cycles. The control code for this probe will be

       "dg350". Launcher two is damaged and is not functional but

       launcher three is ready to be loaded.



       Examples:

            status launchers

            launchers





       RAISE SHIELDS:
       RAISE SHIELDS:
       RAISE SHIELDS:

       LOWER SHIELDS:
       LOWER SHIELDS:
       LOWER SHIELDS:



               By default shields are always raised. These commands

       allow you to manually control your shields when you are short on

       power.



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.















                                    - 15 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation









       STATUS SHIELDS:
       STATUS SHIELDS:
       STATUS SHIELDS:

            [Status] Shields



            The shields status command will show you the current state

       of all the ship's shields.



           SHIELDS STATUS:

           Shield Field Status  Functional  Effective  Regen.

             1      0.    UP    225eu 100%  225eu 100%  0.90%  (front)

             2     60.   DOWN   225eu 100%    0eu   0%  0.00%  (front right)

             3    300    DOWN   225eu 100%    0eu   0%  0.00%  (front left)

             4    120     UP    225eu 100%  175eu  71%  0.64%  (rear right)

             5    240     UP    112eu  50%   56eu  25%  0.23%  (rear left)

             6    180   damaged  ...  ...    ...  ...   ...    (rear)





            The above shield status display is from a Federation Heavy

       Cruise. All ships have six shields, each shield protecting a

       specific portion of the ship called the shield's "field". Each

       field covers an area 60 degrees wide or 30 degrees to each side

       of the field values in the display. The status column of the

       display shows if the shield is UP, DOWN or 100 percent damaged.

       The column labeled "Functional" shows the maximum possible

       strength the shield may reach and the "Effective" column shows

       the current strength of each shield. The "Regen" column shows the

       rate at which the effective strength of each shield will

       regenerate or "grow" every cycle. Both the functional and

       effective columns contain two values. The first is the hit that

       the shield will protect the ship from. The second number is the

       percent of maximum strength for that shield.



            In the shield status display, shield one is up and is 100

       percent functional and 100 percent effective. Once a shield's

       effective strength reaches the functional strength, it will stop

       regenerating. Shields two and three are 100 percent function but

       have been lowered to conserve power making the effective strength

       zero. Shield four is 100 percent functional but only 71 percent

       effective due to hits on that shield. The fifth shield is only 50

       percent effective due to damage inflicted when hits reached the

       ship's hull through shield six. Shield number six is no longer

       functional and will no longer regenerate or consume power.



       Examples:

            status shields

            shields





       TRANSPORT:
       TRANSPORT:
       TRANSPORT:

       BEAM:
       BEAM:
       BEAM:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.









                                    - 16 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation









       SELF DESTRUCT:
       SELF DESTRUCT:
       SELF DESTRUCT:

       ABORT DESTRUCT:
       ABORT DESTRUCT:
       ABORT DESTRUCT:



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       LIBRARY COMPUTER:  { Setup or Play }
       LIBRARY COMPUTER:  { Setup or Play }
       LIBRARY COMPUTER:  { Setup or Play }

            Computer Ship <nation> <ship class>

            Computer Torpedo <torpedo class>

            Computer Probe <probe class>



            The library computer will display all specific information

       on any ship, torpedo or probe. You may enter only a partial

       computer command for a brief information display.



       Examples:

            computer ship klingon frigate

            computer torpedo

            computer torpedo mkvii

            computer probe pxii





       HELP:   { Setup or Play }
       HELP:   { Setup or Play }
       HELP:   { Setup or Play }

            Help



            The help command will display a brief list of all valid

       commands. It will not show you the format of any of the commands

       but will refer you to the manual.



       Examples:

            help





       QUIT:
       QUIT:
       QUIT:

            Quit



            This command will abort the simulation at the end of the

       current cycle. Issuing this command is the only way to terminate

       the simulation if any enemy ships still have survivors or if your

       ship has not been destroyed.



       Examples:

            quit





       ORDER ALLY:
       ORDER ALLY:
       ORDER ALLY:

       TELL ALLY:
       TELL ALLY:
       TELL ALLY:

            Tell <ally list> <order> <options>



               You may command the ally ships in your fleet to perform

       specific commands. The current ally commands are Attack, Target,

       Disengage, Escort, Cancel, Course, Hold fire, Open fire, Retreat,

       Report, Probe, Phaser, Torpedo, and Withdraw.





                                    - 17 -









       Begin                              A Tactical Starship Simulation







       Examples:

            tell the agena to attack the derango

            order washington course 90

            order enterprise retreat



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of these commands.





       STATUS FLEET:
       STATUS FLEET:
       STATUS FLEET:

            [Status] Fleet [<options>]



            The fleet status command will display the current orders of

       each of you ally ships.



                ALLY  TARGET             MISSION

              Caspan: Zantha             ..

                 Asp:(Bismark)           Retreat





               The Target column displays which enemy ship the ally ship

       is currently engaged with. If the target ship name is in

       parenthesis it indicates the ally was ordered to target that

       enemy ship. The Mission column displays the mission the ally was

       ordered to perform such as retreat.



            Please refer to the Advanced Simulations Manual for a

       detailed description of this command.



























































                                    - 18 -





