

*********

The Project 64 etext of the Cosmic Balance documentation. Converted to
text by Appler. The original etext was retrieved from the Asimov Apple
][ site http://www.apple.asimov.net/site/images/games/strategy/SSI/ as
"cosmic_balance_I+docs.zip". Page number references removed, section
numbers preserved; stylized numbers, headers, and paragraph formatting
changed to more of a byte stream format.

COSBAL10.TXT, December 1996, etext #146.

*********

        _________________
       /                 \_____
       |___ _________ _________<                NAME     :  QUESTAR
    ___ ___/_________/______            ____    CLASS    :  EXPLORATION
 _ >___/______ _______      \__________/ __ \   TOP SPEED:  700
\_`\___\______/       \_____/__         /__< \  WEAPONRY :  HEAVY CANONS
/_,/___/______\_______/     \__________ \__< /               MED LASERS
   >___\___ _________ ______/          \____/
        ___\_________\_________                     _______________
       |                 ______<                ---<_____          >
       \________________/                                `-,------|
                                    ______                 /      |<
                                   /___   \_________/-----/\_____/ \
NAME     :  KALTARG               <\ _ >\              ___/__  __\_ <
CLASS    :  COMBAT                </___>/  _________      \ _____/  <
TOP SPEED:  1350                   \______/         \-----\/     \ /
WEAPONRY :  EX HEAVY PHASERS                               \      |<
            PHOTON TORPEDOES                        _____,-`------|
                                                ---<_______________>

THE COSMIC BALANCE

The fighting spacecraft of the 24th Century were some of the most
beautiful and deadly machines ever built.  Their designers sought the
optimum balance of speed, maneuverability, defenses, and offensive
weaponry, always trying to create the perfect ship.

Unfortunately, many a confident starship commander found his "perfect"
ship  reduced to a helpless hulk by a superior ship in the hands of a
skilled commander.  He had learned the first rule of the Cosmic
Balance: for every ship, there is an equal and opposite countership.


RapidFire
Games from SSI


T A B L E  O F  C O N T E N T S

 1.0   INTRODUCTION
 2.0   BEGINNING THE GAME
 3.0   VICTORY POINTS
 3.1   The Scenarios
 4.0   SETUP PHASE
 4.1   Technological Level
 4.2   Size
 4.3   Saved Ships
 4.4   Design Status Display
 4.5   Space Left
 4.6   Maximum Speed
 4.7   Power
 4.8   Efficiency
 4.9   Acceleration
 4.10  Mass
 4.11  Setting Design Specifications
 4.12  Range
 4.13  Cargo
 4.14  Fighter Bays
 4.15  Hull
 4.16  Racks
 4.17  Light Seekers
 4.18  Heavy Seekers
 4.19  Engines
 4.20  Drives
 4.21  Transporters
 4.22  Tractors
 4.23  Armor
 4.24  Marines
 4.25  Belts
 4.26  Weapons
 4.27  Shields
 4.28  Changing Specifications
 4.29  Ending the Setup Phase
 5.0   THE ORDERS PHASE
 5.1   The Status Display
 5.2   Map
 5.3   Identify
 5.4   Course and Speed
 5.5   Charging Shields
 5.6   Charging and Firing Weapons
 5.7   Belts, ECM and ECCM
 5.8   Transporting and On-Ship Combat
 5.9   Ending the Orders Phase
 5.10  Running Away
 6.0   THE EXECUTION PHASE
 7.0   DAMAGE
 8.0   SAVING GAME
 9.0   ENDING THE GAME
10.0   CREDITS

APPENDIX A:  A SHORT HISTORY OF STARSHIP DESIGN
APPENDIX B:  SUMMARY OF SPACE COSTS
SHIP DATA  (Enterprise, Reliant, Blank)


1.0 INTRODUCTION

COSMIC BALANCE is a simulation of tactical combat in deep space.  You
design your ships, give them their orders, and then see how they
perform in combat against enemy ships.

There is very little involved.  The outcome will depend almost
entirely upon your judgement as a designer and your skill as a
commander.

The game is played in three phases:


THE SETUP PHASE

You choose one to six different tactical scenarios, and then design up
to four different ships on each side to fight them.


THE ORDERS PHASE

Your map will show you the positions of your ships and the enemy
ships.  You give each ship its orders for a sixteen-second turn.  Your
ships may maneuver, change course, fire weapons, or try to beam a
boarding party onto an enemy ship

Your Opponent will then give his orders for the same turn.


THE EXECUTION PHASE

You will now watch the ships battle each other, each following the
instructions given them during the orders phase.  The scenario will
end when all of your ships or all the enemy ships have been destroyed.
When one or both players have run away, or when one player has
achieved the victory conditions given for that scenario.


2.0  BEGINNING THE GAME

Insert your game disk into the disk drive of your computer and turn
your computer on.  The game will automatically begin.  This display
will appear on your screen.

 THE COSMIC BALANCE

 1. NEW GAME     SAVED GAME
 2. TWO PLAYER   SOLITAIRE 1 2 3 4
                 Easiest:1  Hardest:4
 SCENARIOS
 3. DEEPSPACE ENCOUNTER
 4. PLANETARY RAID
 5. COMMERCE RAIDER
 6. INVASION
 7. DOGFIGHT
 8. SURPRISE ATTACK

 PRESS 1-8 TO CHANGE THE SETUP OR THE
 SPACE BAR TO BEGIN.



NEW GAME OR SAVED GAME

If NEW GAME is highlighted, you begin a fresh scenario.  Later, you
may wish to recall a game you played earlier and saved.  Press 1, and
SAVED GAME will be highlighted.  If you requested a saved game, you
will be asked the name you gave the game when you saved it.


SOLITAIRE OR TWO PLAYER?

If TWO PLAYER is highlighted, the computer will set up a game between
you and a human opponent.  If you wish to play the computer, press 2.
SOLITAIRE will be highlighted.

SOLITAIRE LEVEL

If you decide to play solitaire, you may decide the level of
sophistication, from 1 to 4, of your enemy's ships.  A level One enemy
will have a ship technology equal to your ship; a level Four enemy
will have a crew efficiency 3 better than the ship's design and 3 more
power points per engine.  To raise the level of difficulty, continue
pressing 2 until the level you wish is highlighted.


3.0 VICTORY POINTS

Victory points are awarded to each ship according to how well it has
survived combat during the scenarios.  The victory points won by a
ship depend upon its size and tech level, less the critical damage
received.

VICTORY POINTS FOR UNDAMAGED SHIPS
The values of undamaged ships are shown on this table:
                   Tech level   -1-     -2-     -3-     -4-     -5-     -6-
Size 1 Corvette                   4       5       6       7       8       9
Size 2 Frigate                   12      14      17      21      25      29
Size 3 Destroyer                 25      31      21      49      60      71
Size 4 Cruiser                   58      72      86     105     125     150
Size 5 Dreadnought              105     130     155     180     210     250

For example, the largest, most advanced ship, a tech 6 Dreadnought,
would score 250 victory points if it survived the scenario without
damage.


VICTORY POINTS FOR DAMAGED SHIPS

Each time a ship suffers critical damage, a percentage of victory
points equal to the percentage of critical hits is subtracted from the
Victory Points.  For example, suppose the Tech 6 dreadnought has
suffered 8 critical hits, this is 50 percent of its critical hit
allowance.  The same percentage (50%) will be taken from the total
number of Victory Points, so the 250 point ship will now be worth only
125 Victory Points.


VICTORY POINTS FOR CAPTURED SHIPS

If you capture an enemy ship, its victory points are added to yours.

** The player with the most victory points at the ed of the game is
the winner.



3.1 THE SCENARIOS

SCENARIO ONE:  DEEPSPACE ENCOUNTER

In one famous deepspace battle the Starship Enterprise fought the
Starship Reliant just inside the remote boundary of the Alliance.

   Player One commands the Enterprise.
   Player Two commands the Reliant.

THE SHIPS
Both ships were roughly equal, tech level five size 4 cruisers, with
range factors of two.

ORDERS TO THE ENTERPRISE COMMANDER
Destroy or capture the Reliant.

ORDERS TO THE RELIANT COMMANDER
Destroy or capture the Enterprise.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
The Reliant Commander needs two range factors, that is, two working
warp drives to escape.  Enterprise needs just one drive.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Each ship begins the scenario with 125 victory points.  Whichever ship
has the most at the end is the victor.

Since the battle is fought in Alliance space, the Reliant will need
its extra range factors to escape.  If the Reliant's Warp Drives are
destroy, it cannot escape the Scenario--it must fight until the end

TIME LIMIT
No time limit.


SCENARIO TWO:  PLANETARY RAID

An Alliance Dreadnought was ordered to attack the planet Dirgos, which
had been turned into a fueling base for Brotherhood raiders.

   Player One commands the Alliance Dreadnought.
   Player Two commands the defenders of Dirgos.

THE SHIPS
The Alliance Dreadnought must have at least two to accomplish its
mission.  The Brotherhood Defense Squadron consists of three Size 3
Destroyers.  They need no extra range factors.

THE PLANET DIRGOS
Call from the game disk (the planets are saved on the game disk)
"Planet 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6," depending on the tech level of the
defending ships. (Don's put a space between Planet the tech level.)
On the screen the Planet Dirgos will appear will appear as a
dreadnought.  It will not move or fire weapons, but the base is
heavily armored against enemy weapons.


ORDERS TO THE ALLIANCE COMMANDER
Penetrate the defending squadron and reduce the enemy base.

ORDERS TO THE RELIANCE COMMANDER
Repel any attack on Dirgos.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
The Alliance ship needs two range factors to escape.  Brotherhood
ships cannot escape.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

The victory point value of the Alliance attacker depends on its tech
level.  The Brotherhood destroyers are worth only 1/4 of their normal
victory point value, since their mission is to defend the planet.  The
Planet Dirgos is worth as many points as a Size Five Dreadnought.  At
the end or the scenario, the player with the most victory points is
the winner.

TIME LIMIT

At the end of ten turns the Alliance Dreadnought automatically
attempts to warp out.


SCENARIO THREE:  COMMERCE RAIDER

An Alliance Cruiser was ordered to intercept a Brotherhood Transport
Dreadnought deep in Brotherhood Space, before it reached home port
with a precious cargo of fuel crystals.

THE SHIPS

The Alliance commerce raider is a Size Four Cruiser, with a range of
at least two.  The Brotherhood Transport Dreadnought needs a range on
only one, but must have seven cargo holds.

ORDERS TO ALLIANCE COMMANDER
Wreck or capture the transport before it can escape, or destroy its
cargo.

ORDERS TO THE BROTHERHOOD COMMANDER
Bring your cargo safely to your home port.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
The Alliance ship needs two range factors to escape.  The Brotherhood
transport needs one.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
The Alliance ship's ship's victory point value us the usual value for
a cruiser, depending upon its tech level.  The Brotherhood Transport's
value is calculated this way: The normal victory point value of a Size
Five Dreadnought, modified by four, plus, the normal victory point
value divided by sixteen, times the number of cargo holds remaining
intact.

TIME LIMIT
At the end of ten turns the Brotherhood Transport automatically
attempts to warp out.


SCENARIO FOUR:  INVASION

An Alliance Fleet was ordered to establish a forward base in the
Pegasus Constellation, deep within Brotherhood Space.

   Player One in the Invasion Fleet Commander
   Player Two commands the Brother Defense Force.

THE SHIPS

The Alliance Invasion Force consists of:

-- one Size Five Dreadnought, with a range of at least two
-- three Size Four Cruisers with a range of at least two

The ships must carry at least three battalions of troops.  Each
battalion occupies a tech sector; nine cubic sectors, plus a number of
sectors equal to the tech level of the ship.  The troops may be placed
aboard one ship, or placed on more than one ship.

NOTE FROM ERRATA:  Battalions are automatically loaded into the
Alliance expedition's cargo holds; thus, the Alliance must build at
least three cargo holds.

The Brotherhood Defense Force consists of:

-- one Size Five Dreadnought, with a range of at least one.
-- three Size Three Destroyers, without range.

ORDERS TO THE ALLIANCE COMMANDER
Carry at least three battalions of troops the Brotherhood Defenders.

ORDERS TO THE BROTHERHOOD COMMANDER
Destroy the invading force, or kill enough to make any invasion
impractical.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
The Alliance invading ships need two range factors to escape. The
Brotherhood Dreadnought needs one.  The Brotherhood destroyers cannot
escape.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Victory points will be awarded for:

1. All surviving ships, in the usual manner.

2. Control of the Pegasus Constellation.  If the Alliance fleet still
has three battalions of troops intact on the battle space at the end
of the scenario, its invasion can succeed.  The Alliance will be
awarded extra victory points equal to 5/4ths of the value of a
dreadnought.  If less than three battalions of troops have survived,
the Brotherhood player will be awarded these extra points.

TIME LIMIT
No time limit.


SCENARIO FIVE:  DOGFIGHT

Alliance and Brotherhood Squadrons patrolling in deep space sometimes
ran head-on into each other, resulting in dogfights.

   Player One is an Alliance Squadron Leader.
   Player Two is a Brotherhood Force Commander.



THE SHIPS
Each commander can assemble his own squadron of up to four ships.

ORDERS TO THE ALLIANCE COMMANDER
Don't fight unless you have to, but if you have to, make sure you win.

ORDERS TO THE BROTHERHOOD COMMANDER
Shoot first then ask questions.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
Any ship needs a range of at least one to escape.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Whichever squadron has the most victory points at the end of the
scenario is the winner.

TIME LIMIT
No time limit.


SCENARIO SIX:  (can only be played solitaire)

Sometimes Alliance patrolling squadrons were attacked without warning
by unknown ships, commanded by Robots.

   Player One commands the Alliance squadron.
   The Computer plays the robot attackers.

THE SHIPS

The Alliance commander may have up to four ships of any kind.

The Attacker will have from one to four tech six dreadnoughts.  You
can choose how many ships he will have.


ORDERS TO THE ALLIANCE COMMANDER
If fired upon, fire back.

ORDERS TO THE ROBOT ATTACKERS
Delete anything you don't recognize.

ESCAPE CONDITIONS
The Alliance ships need a range of at least one to escape.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Whichever side has the most victory points at the end of the scenario
wins.

TIME LIMIT
No time limit.

SELECTING A RANDOM ENEMY FLEET
If you are playing solitaire, and you want to make the scenarios more
realistic by fighting against ships whose weapons and defenses you
haven't just designed, we suggest the following:

Design six (or twelve) different types of enemy ships.


-- Number and save these design.

-- When it's time to set up the enemy fleet, use a non-digital random
number generator (otherwise known as a die) to choose the enemy ships.
If you have a second computer, you can also use it to generate a
random number, but a die is cheaper, and you don;t have to learn
basic.


4.0 THE SETUP PHASE

You are now ready to design your first ship.  Press the space bar.
The Computer will tell you:  PLAYER ONE, IT IS YOUR SETUP.

Press any key to continue.  (In the Deepspace Encounter scenario the
setup phase is omitted.)


4.1 WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGICAL LEVEL?

The technological level of your ship tells you whether your technology
is older or belongs to the newest generation.  The earliest weapons
have a tech level of one; the most advanced possible weapons have a
tech level of six.

Type the number you wish and press RETURN.

The computer will now ask:


4.2 WHAT SIZE?

You may choose one of five sizes:

Size One:    Corvette
Size Two:    Frigate
Size Three:  Destroyer
Size Four:   Cruiser
Size Five:   Dreadnought

Type the size you wish, and press RETURN.

The computer will ask.


4.3 DO YOU WANT TO USE A SAVED SHIP?

You may want to use a ship you designed for an earlier scenario, or
build an entirely new ship.  If you use a saved ship, you must use a
ship of the same tech level you indicated earlier.


4.4 THE DESIGN DISPLAY

At the top of your screen you now see the performance and space
capabilities of your ships, and the design categories.


 SPACE LEFT: 220     MAX SPEED: 0     POWER:  0
 EFFICIENCY: 0       MAX ACCEL: 0     MASS:   16

 1. RANGE: 0     CARGO: 0     FTBAY: 0     HULL: 20
 2. RACKS: 0     SPACE: 0     LTSKR: 0     HSKR: 0
 3. ENGIN: 0     DRIVE: 0     TRANS: 8     TRAC: 0
 4. ARMOR: 0     MARIN: 0     BELTS: 0


4.5 SPACE LEFT

The SPACE LEFT is the amount of space available inside the ship you
have chosen to design.  You must design your ship within the
limitations of this space.  As you design your ship, the space left
number will decrease with the creation of various systems.

The SPACE LEFT was decided by the size and tech level of the ship you
chose, determined by the formula Space=(9+Tech Level) times 2 to the
(Size minus one) power.

In the sample display above, a tech six dreadnought has 240 available
cubic sectors.  Twenty are automatically allotted to the hull.

TECH SECTORS
Some systems have their space measured in Technological Sectors, or
Tech Sectors.  One Tech Sector equals nine cubic sectors plus a number
of additional sectors equaling the tech level of your ship.


4.6 SPEED

The MAX SPEED, or maximum speed (measured in lightmils per turn), will
be decided by the number of drives you install and the size of your
ship.  The number after maxspeed is an estimate of your maximum speed


4.7 POWER

The POWER of your ship, which you will need to operate your ship's
equipment, will be decided by the number of engines that you build.


4.8 EFFICIENCY

The EFFICIENCY of your crew and marines will be determined by the
amount of space you allow in the Hull for their living quarters and
workspace.  A crew with a higher efficiency level will have a much
better chance of repelling enemy boarding crews.


4.9 MAXIMUM ACCELERATION

The MAX ACCEL, or Maximum Acceleration of your ship, will depend upon
the number of drives you have built and the size of your ship.


4.10 MASS

The MASS of your ship depends upon it's size.  (It equals two to the
(Size minus one) power.)  It decides how much critical damage your
ship can survive.

You are now ready to set the design specifications of your ship.


4.11 SETTING DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

The computer will tell you:

PRESS 1, 2, 3, 4, W, OR S FOR CHOOSING THE CATEGORY TO ADJUST,MODE OR
X TO EXIT

By pressing the key associated with a character (a number is the
appropriate row number, W is pressed to adjust weapons and S for
shields), you will be able to adjust items in that category.  For
example, if you wish to adjust the RANGE Press 1.  The cursor will
move to Line 1, to the first item on that line, RANGE

The computer will instruct you:

PRESS ARROW TO CHOOSE ITEM, SPC TO ENTER ADJUST MODE, OR X TO EXIT.

If you wish to adjust the range of your ship, press the space bar.
The computer will now say:

ENTER NEW VALUE AND PRESS RETURN.

Type a number and press RETURN.  That number will now appear after
range.

If you decide later to change that number, simply move the cursor back
to that category, press the space bar, type a new number, and press
RETURN.

MAXIMUM SIZE OF SYSTEMS
No single system can take up more than ninety-nine cubic sectors,
except the hull and armor.

You are now ready to begin designing your ship.


4.12 RANGE

The range of your ship depends on the number of warp drives you build.
It's main importance is in the Strategic Game; the only part it plays
in the tactical scenarios is to affect the victory conditions, for a
ship must have a range of one or more to escape from a battle.

SPACE REQUIRED:

One tech sector for each warp drive.

Press the right arrow key.  The cursor will move to:


4.13 CARGO

Cargo holds are used to carry supplies, troops and complete
prefabricated outposts and starbases.  They do not play a part in the
tactical scenarios, except in the victory conditions for certain
scenarios.

SPACE REQUIRED:
One tech sector per cargo hold.

For most tactical scenarios, leave this number at 0.  Use the right
arrow to move the cursor:


4.14 FTBAY

You may now decide if you want to equip your ship with Fighters.

These lightweight, robot weapons close in on an enemy ship in a swarm,
even at extreme range, and continue attacking until either the enemy
ship, or every fighter, is destroyed.  Each Fighter Bay holds a full
squadron of thirty robot fighters.

Suppose you wish to equip your ship with one squadron of fighters.  To
build one fighter bay, press the space bar.

Press 1, and then RETURN.

One fighter bay should now show on your ship.

SPACE REQUIRED
Each fighter bay takes up to two tech sectors.  Each tech sector takes
up nine cubic sectors plus a number of sectors equal to the tech level
of the ship

If your ship has a tech level of six, for instance, your fighter bay
will occupy thirty cubic sectors.  The SPACE AVAILABLE on your ship
will drop from 220 to 190.

When you have built the number of fighter bays you want, use the right
arrow to move the cursor to:


4.15 HULL

The hull of your ship holds the living quarters and workspace for its
crew.  The minimum amount of hull space is automatically set by the
computer,depending upon the size of the ship.  Each five-man section
of the crew needs at least one-half cubic sector.

 TYPE OF SHIP    CREW SECTIONS    MINIMUM HULL SPACE
 Corvette              2           1 cubic sector
 Frigate               4           2 cubic sectors
 Destroyer            10           5 cubic sectors
 Cruiser              20          10 cubic sectors
 Dreadnought          40          20 cubic sectors

To raise the EFFICIENCY of your crew from level one to level two,
build one and a half times the minimum hull space.

For example, for a dreadnought, you must build at least 30 cubic
sectors of hull space.

You must also allow one cubic sector for each detachment of marines
you are carrying.  If you have a minimum crew space of 20, and are
carrying four detachments of marines, you must build 36 cubic sectors
to raise efficiency of your crew and marines to level two, or 48 cubic
sectors to raise them to level three.

When you have entered your hull size, you have finished the
specifications on line one.  Press X to return to the design options,
and then press 2 for line 2.  The cursor will move to:


4.16 RACKS

Racks are launching platforms for guided Light Seekers and Heavy
Seekers.

LIGHT SEEKERS are guided weapons that seek out the electromagetic
noise of and enemy ship.  They can recognize the individual signature
of an enemy ship.  They are especially effective against enemy
shields.

HEAVY SEEKERS are slower-moving, pre powerful versions of light
seekers.

SPACE REQUIRED:  Each rack takes up two cubic sectors.

SPACE tells you how much space you have on your racks.  Each Light
Seeker takes up one rack space; each Heavy Seeker takes up two rack
spaces.


4.17  LTSKR

You may now select how many Light Seekers you wish to carry within the
limits of your rack space.  Press the space bat, enter a number, and
press RETURN.


4.18 HVSKR

You may now arm your ship with Heavy Seekers.

Press the space bar, select the number you wish, and press RETURN.

You should fill all your rack space with seekers before you move on to
the next category; unused rack space is wasted.

Press X to return to the design options, and then 3 for line 3.  The
cursor will move to:


4.19 ENGINES

Engines generate the power you need to charge your weapons and your
shields.  Each engine you build will give you eight energy units.  For
example, if you build ten engines, the POWER category on your design
will read 80.  This power will be available to you every turn unless
your engines are damaged in battle.

SPACE REQUIRED
Two cubic sectors per engine.

Press the space bar, enter number of engines you want, and press
RETURN.


4.20 DRIVES

Drives are the matter-antimatter units that propel your ship through
space.  If your ship is a dreadnought, which drive you build will give
you an extra factor of acceleration.  Additional drives also will
allow you to change course more quickly, and so make tighter turns.

SPACE REQUIRED:  Four cubic sectors per drive.

Press the space bar, enter the number of drives you wish to build, and
press RETURN.  Now press the right arrow.  The cursor will move to:


4.21 TRANS

Transporters are used to beam your marines onto friendly ships or to
beam boarding parties onto enemy ships.  Each transporter can beam two
detachments of marines at a time.

SPACE REQUIRED:  One Cubic sector per transporter.

Enter the number of transporters you wish to build and press the right
arrow.  The cursor will move to:


4.22 TRAC

Tractor beams are used to salvage friendly ships that have been
disabled in battle.  They are used to help mainly in disabled or
short-range ships to escape a battle zone.

SPACE REQUIRED:  Four cubic sectors per tractor.

Leave the number of tractors at zero, and press 4.  The cursor will
move to:


4.23 ARMOR

A plating of extremely hard alloys can deflect enemy and protect a
ship from damage.  If an armored ship is hit, the damage it suffers is
greatly reduced.  Only Plasma Torpedoes can destroy armor, however a
ship can be destroyed without first destroying the armor...it's just
harder.

SPACE REQUIRED:  One cubic sector per layer of armor.

Enter the amount of armor you wish on your ship and press the right
arrow.  The cursor will move to:


4.24 MARINES

Your marines are used to board enemy ships, and to defend your own
ship against boarding parties.  Like your crew, their effectiveness is
raised by giving them extra hull space for their living quarters.

SPACE REQUIRED:  One cubic sector per detachment of marines.  Note
that when you add your marine detachments, the efficiency o your crew
may fall, unless you have allowed extra space in your HULL.  If this
happens, just increase your hull size.

Enter the number of marine detachments you want on your ship, and
press the right arrow.  The cursor will move to:


4.25 BELTS

Belts are your outer line of defense against approaching enemy
weapons.  They are small satellites, each with a single phaser.  They
have one chance in four of shooting down an approaching enemy fighter
or damaging a plasma torpedo, lessening the damage it causes, and one
chance in eight of downing a seeker.


SPACE REQUIRED:  Each belt takes up one cubic sector.

Enter the number of belts you wish and press RETURN.

You have now completed your ship's architecture.  You are ready to arm
your ship and set up its shields.


4.26 WEAPONS

Press W for WEAPONS.  The screen will display:

PRESS LETTER OF WEAPON TO ADJUST OR X TO EXIT

You may now install up to twelve weapons. lettered A to L, into the
spaces shown on your Design Display.

Press A to install the first weapon.

The computer will now ask if you want to enter:

L (Light Phaser), H (Heavy Phaser), S (Siege Phaser), D (Disruptor),
T (Plasma Torpedo), P (Photon Torpedo) FOR WEAPON TYPE OR E TO
ELIMINATE.

LIGHT PHASER
A light phaser is a high-energy beam weapon that can hardly melt
through the skin of an enemy ship.

HEAVY PHASER
A heavy phaser has a wider, more destructive beam than a light phaser.

SIEGE PHASER
Siege phasers were developed to destroy the warning stars and fortress
stars that guard the boundary line.  Their beams can cause twice the
damage of a light phaser.

PHOTON TORPEDOES
Photon Torpedoes are designed to break down an enemy's shields.  By
striking a shield with many frequencies

DISRUPTERS
Disrupters are the longest-range weapons in a ship's arsenal, capable
of hitting a ship as many as one hundred lightmils away.  However they
are less accurate, and they can be evaded by a fast-moving ship.

PLASMA TORPEDOES
Large and slow-moving, plasma torpedoes make up for awkwardness with a
huge warhead.  A hit by a plasma torpedo at close range can cause as
many as sixty factors of damage, demolishing even a large ship.  The
farther they travel to their target, the less their effect.  Unlike
phasers or photon torpedoes, plasma torpedoes do not have a limited
arc of fire.  They will automatically go in the direction of their
target.

Enter L.  LIGHT PHASER will appear after the letter A.

You must now select the location of your phaser.

           FORWARD
            8   1
          \ __|__ /
     7   / \  |  / \   2
        /   \ | /   \
 LEFT _/_____\|/_____\_ RIGHT
       \     /|\     /
        \   / | \   /
     6   \_/__|__\_/
          /   |   \
            5   4
            REAR

Each phaser, disruptor, or photon torpedo can cover a forty-five
degree arc.  The arcs are numbered clockwise from one to eight.

If you wish to have your light phaser fire forward, type the numbers 1
and 8.  If you wish light phasers all around your ship, type 1 through
8.  The covered arc numbers will be highlighted.

If you change your mind about an arc number, simply type that same
number again.  The highlighting will disappear.

When you are satisfied with your fire arcs, press X.  Your light
phaser is now installed.

You may now type B and install another light phaser or another kind of
weapon. If you choose a Plasma torpedo, you do not need to choose arcs
of fire; they will automatically go in the direction of the target.

You may continue entering weapons, up to a maximum of twelve.  If you
decide to substitute one weapon for another, or eliminate a weapon,
enter the letter of that weapon and then enter E.  The weapon will be
eliminated and you may install another.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF WEAPONS PER ARC

There is a limit to the number of weapons that you can place in any
one arc depending upon the size of your ship.  A size One Corvette
must only have room for two phasers or a photon torpedo and a phaser
in one arc.  A dreadnought could have ten siege phasers or a mixture
of different types of weapons up the maximum of ten.

 SHIP SIZE                  MAXIMUM WEAPONS PER ARC
 One                                  2
 Two                                  4
 Three                                6
 Four                                 8
 Five                                10

SPACE REQUIRED BY PHASERS, DISRUPTERS AND PHOTONS
LIGHT PHASERS

One-half cubic sector per phaser for the first arc of fire and three-
sixteenths cubic sector for each additional arc.  For example:  A
light phaser firing from arc one and eight will take up half a cubic
sector for the first arc and three-sixteenths for the second, or a
total of eleven-sixteenths. A light phaser which fires from all eight
arcs takes up one and thirteen- sixteenths cubic sectors.  (The
remaining fraction will not appear on your SPACE LEFT display.)

HEAVY PHASER

Twice the space of light phaser, or one cubic sector for the first arc
and three fourths cubic sector for each additional arc.


SIEGE PHASERS
Twice the space of a heavy phaser, or two cubic sectors for the first
arc and three fourths for each additional arc.

DISRUPTERS
Same as a siege phaser.

PHOTON TORPEDOES
Same as a siege phaser of disruptor.

PLASMA TORPEDOES
Fifteen cubic sectors per torpedo.

When you have installed as many weapons as you wish, press X to return
to the design options.


4.27 SETTING UP SHIELDS

You are now ready to set up your shields.

        FORWARD
         8   1
       \ __|__ /
  7   / \  |  / \   2
     /   \ | /   \
   _/_____\|/_____\_
    \     /|\     /
     \   / | \   /
  6   \_/__|__\_/   3
       /   |   \
         5   4

Shields are powerful fields of electromagnetic energy.  As long as
they are charged, they can deflect enemy transporter beams or weapons.

Shield arcs, like phaser arcs, cover 45 degrees of a ship's perimeter
and are numbered clockwise the same way.

Press S.  The computer will instruct you.

PRESS NUMBER OF SHIELD TO BE CHANGED OR X FOR EXIT

If you wish to set up a shield on arc one, press 1.  The number 1 on
your shield design display will be highlighted.

The computer will now say:

ENTER NEW VALUE AND PRESS RETURN.

Type the value of the strength of the shield that you wish to protect
that arc, and then press RETURN.  The maximum possible strength of any
shield is 30.


SPACE REQUIRED

Each shield needs eight batteries to keep it at a strength of one.
Each shield battery takes up one-sixty-fourth cubic sector.  Thus, to
maintain a shield strength of one in all eight sectors, you should
need a total of sixty-four batteries on your ship, taking up one cubic
sector.  Each additional strength would take up another cubic sector.

You may choose to build shields all the way around your ship, or to
put especially powerful shields on the bow of your ship, or any other
arc you expect may be facing the enemy.

Press the number of each shield and enter the strength you wish that
the shield have.  When  you have finished setting up your shields,
press X to return the design options.

By now, your space available will probably be gone.  If you have tried
to build a system without having enough room left, the screen will
tell you.

THERE IS NO SPACE FOR THAT

In that case, you may wish to change an earlier system to make room.


4.28 CHANGING SPECIFICATIONS

To reduce or increase the number of any system you have built, simply
press the line number, S, or W, to move the cursor back to that
number, press the space bar, enter a new number, and press W, to move
the cursor back to that number, press the space bar, enter a new
number, and press RETURN.  The SPACE LEFT will change to show the new
number.


4.29 COMPLETING YOUR SHIP

Your ship should now be finished.  Press X to exit.

The computer will ask:  ARE YOU REALLY FINISHED WITH THIS SHIP?

Remember, once your ship has been designed and the scenario has begun,
you cannot change your ship!  If you are finished, press Y for Yes,
and RETURN.  Any cubic sectors you have not used will automatically be
allotted to your shields, although they cannot exceed the maximum
strength per shield of thirty.  If your shields are at their maximum,
extra space will be allotted to armor.

The computer will ask:

DO YOU WISH TO SAVE THIS SHIP?

You may save your ship to use in the current or later scenarios. Press
Y for Yes, if you want to save this ship.  Your computer will ask you:
INSERT SSI SAVE GAME DISK, THEN PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE.

Take the game disk out of your disk drive, and insert your Save Game
Disk.  If you don't have one already, just insert any blank disk.

When you have inserted the disk and pressed any key, the computer will
give you a new menu:

 SSI SAVE ROUTINES

 (I)NITALIZE AN SSI SAVE GAME DISK
 (S)AVE ITEM ON AN SSI SAVE GAME DISK
 (C)ATALOG AN SSI SAVE GAME DISK
 (D)ELETE ITEM FROM AN SSI SAVE GAME DISK
 (E)ND GAME
 (R)ETURN TO GAME

(I)NITALIZE
If you have never used this disk before as a Save Game Disk, use this
command to format the disk for your game.

(S)AVE
If you wish to save the ship, press S.

The computer will ask:
WHAT IS THE NAME UNDER WHICH THE ITEM IS TO BE SAVED?

Give the ship name of up to ten characters. If you wish to use the
same name as an item already on the disk, you must delete the first
item.

(C)ATALOG
If you press this command, you will see a list of all the saved ships
and games on the disk.

(D)ELETE
You can delete any ship or game you have previously saved.

(E)ND
This command is used if the game is already in progress.  The computer
will count victory points and declare a winner, assuming both players
ran away.

(R)ETURN
Use this command to leave the menu and go back to the game.  The
computer will instruct you to remove the save game disk from your disk
drive, put the game disk back in, and press any key to continue.

When you have finished your last ship, the computer will say.

PLAYER 2 IT IS YOUR SETUP.

If you are playing a human opponent, he will now design his ship in
the same way that you did.  If you are playing solitaire, and you are
about to begin scenarios two through five, you will now design the
opposing ships.  If you are playing solitaire and about to begin
scenario six, the computer will design the opposing ships.

The computer will ask:

USE SHIP CURRENTLY IN MEMORY?

If you wish to use the ship you have just designed in the scenario,
press Y for Yes.

You are now ready to begin the scenario.  It begins with the ORDERS
PHASE.


5.0 THE ORDERS PHASE

You are now ready to begin the Orders Phase.  The Computer will say.

IT IS PLAYER 1'S TURN.  PLAYER 2 TURN AWAY.

If you are player 1, you will now decide what your ship should do
during the first sixteen-second turn of the scenario.

ORDERS FOR WHAT SHIP? (/ TO END TURN, * TO RUN AWAY)

Enter the initial letter of the name of the first ship you wish to
give orders.


5.1 THE STATUS DISPLAY

The Status Display of the ship you have named will now appear on the
screen.  It gives you a current report on your course, and speed and
the status of all your systems at the beginning of each turn.  It also
asks you what types of orders you wish to give:  (M)ap, (I)dentify,
(C)ourse, (S)hield, (W)eapon, (B)elt, (J)am, (E)CCM, (T)ransport,
E(X)it.

To give orders to one of these systems, press the letter in ( ) and
RETURN.


5.2 MAP

A map of the space surrounding your ship will appear with your ship in
the center.  Bearing 0 degrees is at the top of the map, bearing 90
degrees to the right, bearing 180 degrees at the bottom, and bearing
270 to the left.

The computer will ask you if you want to:
CHANGE (S)CALE, CHANGE (T)IME POINT, OR E(X)IT.

The enemy ship may be too far away to be visible on the first may you
see.  If you want to see a larger area, press S to change the scale.
The computer now ask which scale you wish (0-5).

Your initial map shows you scale 2.  Press 5.  You will now see the
largest possible area, and the enemy ship will be visible.  Each other
scale will show a smaller area.  Scale 0 will show only the immediate
area around your ship.  CHANGE (T)IME POINT

Once you have set your course, you may wish to watch on your map how
your maneuvers will look.  You can show the position of your ship at
any of the sixteen seconds during the upcoming turn.  Press T.  You
will now see your ship as it will appear during the first second of
your turn.  You will also see any guided weapons or fighters that were
fired during a previous turn and are on their way to their targets.

Press any number from 1 to 16, and you will see where your ship will
be at that second.  (You will begin  at Time Point 1.)  Your ship will
not appear to move, because at each second the screen re-orients
itself to keep your ship in the center.  You will see your new
position in relation to the position of any enemy ships as they were
at the end of the previous turn.

When you are ready to return to the Status display, press X.


5.3 IDENTIFY

You may want to learn more about the enemy ship or ships.

  ____________________________
 |  ________________________  |
 | |                        | |
 | |                  V     | |
 | |                        | |
 | |           R            | |
 | |                        | |
 | |                        | |
 | |                        | |
 | |________________________| |
 |____________________________|

Press I for (I)dentify.

Your display will show a map, similiar to the one shown at the right.

The ships are identified by the first letters of their names.  Your
ship currently in its order phase, (in this example, "Ranger") is
shown in the center.


(I)DENTIFY SHIP
Now you may want to identify the enemy ship, and learn about its
course and size.

Press I for IDENTIFY SHIP

The computer will ask:

WHAT SHIP?

Enter the initial letter of the ship you wish to identify.  A status
report on that ship will appear.

 NAME       SPD  CRS  BRN MASS RANGE SHLD
 Vengeance   3   205  15   16   20    1

SPD: The speed of the enemy at the beginning of the turn.

CRS: The course of the enemy at the beginning of the turn.

BRN: The bearing, to the direction the enemy ship is from you at the
beginning of the turn.

MASS: The mass of the enemy ship.  This is also the number of critical
hits needed to destroy it.

RANGE: The distance between your ship at the time point looked at and
the enemy's position at the start of the turn,m as measured in
lightmils.

SHLD: The number of your shield that is facing the enemy at the
current time point for your ship, if the enemy were to stay, in its
position throughout the turn.

(T)IME POINT
You also have the option, during identification, to look at the
identities of all ships at any of the sixteen time points. Just enter
the number from 1 to 16

As with the map display, the enemy ships will be shown where they were
at the end of the last turn, and your ship will not seem to move at
all, as the screen moves to keep it at the center.

(S)CALE
As with the Map, you can adjust the scale to see either the largest
possible area (Scale 5) to the immediate area around your ship (Scale
0).

To return to the Status Display, press X.


5.4 COURSE AND SPEED CHANGES

You now have the option to set the course and speed of your ship
during the sixteen seconds of the turn.

  ____________________________
 |  ________________________  |
 | |      Top of Screen     | |
 | |            0           | |
 | |      315       45      | |
 | |                        | |
 | |   270             90   | |
 | |                        | |
 | |      225       135     | |
 | |           180          | |
 | |________________________| |
 |____________________________|

Press C, for (C)ourse.

The computer will offer you several options.

(C)OURSE CHANGE

You may change the course of your ship during any point in the turn or
change course more than once.

The computer will ask:

WHAT COURSE?

You may choose any course between 0 and 359 degrees.

The number of degrees you can change during each second of the turn is
decided by the Maximum Acceleration factor of your ship.  This was
determined at the start of the game by the size of your ship and the
number of drives you built into it.

For example, suppose your ship is traveling on course 180 and your
ship has a maximum acceleration factor of 4.  You enter your desired
course as 200 degrees.

If in the first second of it's course change, your ship would be able
to turn to course 184.  After two seconds, your ship would be on
course 188.  On the fifth second of your turn, your ship will reach
course 200.

If, on the other hand, your ship was traveling on course 180 and you
ordered a change to course 45, and the maximum acceleration of your
ship would only be able to come around to course 116 in the sixteen
seconds of the turn.  You would have to continue your intended course
change the next turn.

WHAT TIME POINT?
You may designate the second from one to sixteen, that you would like
your course change to begin.  You can change course more than once in
a single turn, but not, of course, more than sixteen times.

POWER REQUIRED:
If you change course during a turn, your ship uses up extra energy
units.  The number of energy units depends upon the size of a ship,
the number of functioning drives, and how fast you were going when you
decided to change course.

You may also choose to increase or decrease speed during this part of
of the Orders Phase.  Press S for:

(S)PEED CHANGE
The computer will ask:

WHAT SPEED?

The minimum and maximum speed you can go, measured in sublight speed
pulse factors, will appear on your screen.  For instance, if your ship
is traveling at speed 4, and you have a maximum acceleration rate of
2, your display will read:

(2-6)

This tells you that, at the speed you are going and with the number of
drives you have, you cannot reach a speed greater than 6 or less than
2 during this turn.

MAXIMUM ACCELERATION

Your maximum acceleration factor during each turn will change,
depending upon your present speed and the number of functioning drives
you have left.  In effect the faster you are going, the more drives
are used in overhead, leaving less drives for positive (or negative)
acceleration.

POWER USED

An increase or decrease in speed, like a course change, uses extra
power units.  If you both increase speed and change course in the same
turn, however, you will only expend the power needed for the speed
change, the course change will not use any extra energy.  (Exception:
the drag chute effect)

THE DRAG CHUTE EFFECT

You will discover that starships require as much energy to slow down
as they do to speed up.  A ship whose drives have been shot out by
enemy fire, or whose drives are all engaged keeping the ship at
maximum speed, has no way to slow down.

Ingenious starship commanders solved this problem by using the drag
chute effect; by extending their solar panels, they were able to catch
the almost imperceptible push of starlight and use it like a
parachute.

Using this method, it is possible to reduce speed one pulse factor
each turn without any cost of energy, and without and need to use
drives.

This unorthodox method can only be used if you have no drives to use,
or if you are traveling so fast that your drives cannot slow you down.
And, if you are using the drag chute effect, you cannot change course.
Any course change already ordered that turn will be eliminated.


5.5 SHIELDS

You also may charge or drain your shields during the Orders Phase.

Your status column on your Status Display  tells you the current
readiness of your shields.

For Example:

SHIELD 1: 10/0
SHIELD 2: 1/0
SHIELD 3: 1/0
SHIELD 4: 1/0
SHIELD 5: 1/0
SHIELD 6: 1/0
SHIELD 7: 1/0
SHIELD 8: 10/0

The ship in this example has strong shields protecting its bow, arcs 1
and 8, and a single shield strength around the rest of the ship.

SHIELD 1: 10/0

The 10 after the shield number tells you the strength that was given
to that shield during the design phase.  That shield can deflect up to
10 damage factors from an enemy weapon.  The 0 after the 10 tells you
that no batteries need re-charging;  that shield is at full power.

But suppose that your ship has been hit by enemy fire during the
previous turn.  Your Shield Status Column may show.

SHIELD 1: 5/38

This tells you that Shield 1 has been hit by enemy fire, and reduced
from Strength 10 to Strength 5.  It also tells you that, in order to
bring it back up to full strength, you must recharge 38 shield
batteries.  To do this, press C for:

(C)HARGE

The computer will ask you which shield to charge.  In this example,
press 1.

It will now ask how many energy units to put into charging the
batteries:

0-38.

If you enter 30, the shield will be restored to full strength.  The
Status Display will again show:

SHIELD 1: 10/0
DAMAGED AND DESTROYED SHIELDS

After being hit by enemy fire, your Status Display may show:
SHIELD 1: 2/0

Sixty-four of this shield's batteries have been destroyed, reducing
its strength from ten to two.  The zero tells you that no amount of
energy can restore this shield's to it's original strength.  If the
status reads:

SHIELD 1: 0/0

It means all the batteries have been destroyed.  It is no longer
possible to shield it's arc.

If your POWER REMAINING is seriously low, you can drain power from a
charged Shield and put it into your ship's other systems.  Press D
for:


(D)RAIN SHIELD

The display will ask:

WHICH SHIELD?

In this example, type Shield 1.

DRAIN HOW MUCH POWER (0-80)?

In this example, press 40.

The Status Display will change from:

SHIELD 1: 10/0
   to:
SHIELD 1: 5/40

At the same time, the POWER REMAINING will increase from:

POWER REMAINING: 15
   to
POWER REMAINING: 25

As you see, this is not an efficient way to get power.  For every 4
shield battery units you drain, only 1 additional energy unit is added
to your power remaining.

It is also possible to drain power from one shield and move it to
another shield.  For example, suppose your Status Display shows:

SHIELD 1: 10/0
SHIELD 2: 0/6

Suppose you expect to be hit on Shield 2, but don't have enough POWER
REMAINING to recharge it.  Press T for:


(T)RANSFER

The computer will ask:

CHARGE WHAT SHIELD?

Press 2.  The computer will ask:

DRAIN WHAT SHIELD?

ENTER 1.  The computer will ask:

HOW MUCH ENERGY (0-12)?

Enter 12.

The Status Display will show:

SHIELD 1: 8/12
SHIELD 2: 1/0

Of your twelve energy points, six were added to shield two, bringing
its number of charged batteries up to eight, enough for one full
strength.  As you see, this is an inefficient source of power; for
each two shield batteries you drained, only one energy point actually
reached the other shield.  But, in an emergency, it may be your only
choice.

Notice also that you may move less than eight points at a time, or
more than eight, but in determining shield strength, you must have a
full eight batteries for each strength point.  For example, fifteen
charged batteries would give only one strength point: sixteen charged
batteries would give a strength of two


5.6 CHARGING AND FIRING WEAPONS

During the Orders Phase, you have the option of charging and firing
your weapons.  Press W for:


(W)EAPONS

Most of your weapons must be charged before they can be fired.  Some,
like phasers and photon torpedoes, can be fired in the same turn as
they are charged.  Others, like disrupters and plasma torpedoes, take
two or three turns to charge before they can fired.

The status of each of your weapons is shown on your Status Display:

1) SIEGE 0/ /
2) PHOTON 0/ /
3) PLASMA 0/ /

Weapon number 1 is a Siege Phaser; weapon 2 is a Photon Torpedo, and
weapon 3 is a Plasma Torpedo.  THe 0 after each weapon tells you they
have not been charged.

If you wish to charge your weapons, press C for:

(C)HARGE

You will be asked which weapons you wish to charge.  Press the number
of each weapon, without commas between.  For weapons 10, 11, and 12,
press 0,:, and -. (zero, colon and hyphen, respectively)

In our example, press 123 RETURN.

The status display will now ship:

1) SIEGE 1/ /
2) PHOTON 1/ /
3) PLASMA 1/ /

The 1 after each weapon tells you that it has been charged one turn.
Each 1 will be highlighted, to tell you that it was charged that turn.

LIGHT PHASERS, HEAVY PHASERS, SIEGE PHASERS and PHOTON TORPEDOES may
be fired in the same turn that they are charged.

DISRUPTERS
Need to be charged during two consecutive turns.  They are ready to
fire during the second turn.

PLASMA TORPEDOES
Need to be charged three consecutive turns.  They are ready to fire
during the third turn.

If a weapon is not charged in a given turn, it loses all its
accumulated charge.  All weapons must be used when ready, or that
charge is wasted.

POWER NEEDED

 Light Phasers        1 energy unit per turn for one turn
 Heavy Phasers        1 energy unit per turn for one turn
 Siege Phasers        2 energy units per turn for one turn
 Photon Torpedoes     5 energy units per turn for one turn
 Disruptors           2 energy units per turn for two turns
 Plasma Torpedoes     5 energy units per turn for three turns

FIRING WEAPONS
Before you fire your weapons, you should be certain that:

1. The weapons have been charged the correct number of turns.

2. The enemy will be within range if you fire.  The Identify command
will tell you his range at the beginning of the turn.  You must guess
what he will do.

3. If you are going to fire a phaser, disruptor or photon torpedo,
will your weapon be facing the enemy?  The Identify command will tell
you which of your shields are facing the enemy at the beginning of the
turn.  You should also consider the characteristics of each weapon.

DRAINING SHIELDS

Weapons that drain shields cause normal damage and in  addition drain
four shield batteries for each damage point.  For example, suppose a
shield with this status:

SHIELD 1: 10/0

is hit by a photon torpedo.  The photon torpedo will overwhelm the
shields as a normal weapon would, using ten of its damage factors to
drain the shield and causing four factors of damage to the ship.  In
addition to this, however, the photon torpedo will drain four
batteries for each of its fourteen factors.  The shield will be left
this way:

SHIELD 1: 1/66    ( 10 + ( 4 x 14 ) = 66 )


WEAPONS CHARACTERISTICS

The effective weapons ranges shown on the chart in Appendix B are for
a tech level two ship with an efficiency level of two.  The ranges on
the ship with a lower efficiency or tech level will be less, and will
be longer for a ship with a greater efficiency and tech level.  For
instance, the weapons on a tech six ship with a crew efficiency of
three will have nearly double the effective range shown on the chart.

If you are ready to fire, press F for:

(F)IRE WEAPONS
The computer will ask:

WHICH WEAPONS?

Enter the number of weapons you wish to fire by pressing 1 through 9
or zero, colon or hyphen.  The computer will ask:

WHICH TARGET?

Enter the initial letter of the target ship.  Each weapon may fire at
only one target. However, if you have four different weapons, you may
fire at four different targets.  THe computer will ask:

MODE OF ATTACK?

You may choose the second during the turn in which you wish your
weapon to fire, with one of these options:

(R)ANGE
As soon as the target is within the range you specify, the weapon will
fire.

(T)IME
You may specify the second of your turn when you wish your weapon to
fire.

(L)AST INSTANT
The weapon will wait until the best possible moment to fire.  It will:

+ Hold fire until the last second while the range is decreasing, but
fire immediately if the range begins to increase again, or:

+ Fire instantly, if it appears that the target is going to move out
of the current arc of fire.

This mode only works if your weapon is aimed at the target to begin
with.  If it's not able to shoot at the beginning of the turn, it
won't shoot at all.

When  you have given a weapon the order to fire, it will be shown on
your status display.  For example.

1) SIEGE 1/L/E

Weapon 1 is now ready to fire.  It is a siege phaser; it has been
charged one turn; it is set to fire at the (L)AST INSTANT, and its
target, and its target is the (E)NTERPRISE.

You may also launch a (L)ight Seeker, (H)eavy Seeker, (F)ighter Group.
You may launch a maximum of one fighter swarm and one seeker per turn.

The computer will ask:

WHICH SHIP IS THE TARGET?

Enter the initial letter of the name of the target ship.

If you decide to cancel your order, press S for:


(S)TOP GUIDED WEAPONS

This command cancels the order to fire all guided weapons that have
not left the ship.  Once a guided weapon has left the ship, however,
it cannot be stopped.

If you decide not to use a weapon, press D for:

(D)RAIN

The computer will ask:

WHICH WEAPONS?

Enter the number of weapons.  Again, weapons 10, 11 and 12 are
represented by zero, colon and hyphen.

The power status of that weapon will no longer be highlighted and the
number of turns charged will return to what it was at the beginning of
the orders phase.

You can only drain a weapon which has been charged that turn; you
cannot use weapons charged in earlier turns as an auxiliary power
source.

If you try to charge, drain, or fire the same weapon twice, or a
non-existent weapon, the computer will warn you:  ILLEGAL WEAPON.


5.7 BELTS, ECM AND ECCM

(B)ELTS

Belts are your first line of defense against enemy guided weapons.
Each belt, a small, phaser-armed satellite fires, one after the other,
at approaching enemy seekers, plasma torpedoes, or fighters.  Each
belt has one chance in four of shooting down a fighter, one in eight
of shooting down a heavy or light seeker, and one in four of weakening
the blast of a plasma torpedo.  The more belts you have, therefore,
the better your chance of shooting down the enemy weapon.

Once a belt has been charged, it keeps its charge until it fires at an
enemy weapon.

To charge your belts, press B, and then enter the number of your belts
you wish charged.  Your status display will show you the number of
your belts that are ready.

POWER REQUIRES:
One energy unit per belt.


ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES (ECM)

Electronic Countermeasures, (ECM), or jammers, are systems that
confuse approaching fighters, seekers, photon, and plasma torpedoes,
by jamming their guidance systems and projecting ghost targets.  Your
ship carries ECM jammers of a strength equal to its tech level.  Each
level of ECM reduces the damage caused by an enemy guided weapon by
one factor, or makes the chance of a hit by an enemy phaser,
disruptor, or photon torpedo less likely.  Plasma torpedoes are also
weakened by ECM.

For example, if you have charged six factors of ECM, and you are hit
by an enemy light seeker, the damage that the light seeker causes will
be reduced from 12 factors to 6 factors.

To charge your ECM, press J for (J)AM and enter the number of levels,
up to your tech level, that you wish to charge.  If you have a tech
six ship, and you charge all your ECM, your status display will now
show:

ECM:6

ELECTRONIC COUNTER-COUNTERMEASURES (ECCM)

Your ship is also equipped with Electronic Counter-Countermeasures.
These systems can sift through the chaos of electronic noise thrown
out by enemy ECM to find real targets.  If you are firing phasers,
photons, or disruptors, each level of your ECCM cancels out one level
of the enemy's ECM.  For example, if your ship has an ECCM level of 6,
and the enemy ship has an ECM level of 6 or less, your phasers will be
just as effective as if the enemy had no ECM at all.

The maximum level of your ECCM equals your tech level, and is shown on
your status display after SENSOR.

To charge your ECCM, press E.  You may enter any number of energy
units up to your tech level.

If your tech level is six, your status display will show:

ECCM:6


EVASIVE MANEUVERS

Evasive maneuvering is another way to avoid an enemy seeker, torpedo
or fighter swarm.  Also high speed may cause the enemy weapon to miss.
It is especially difficult to hit a fast-moving target with a very
long range weapon, such as a disruptor.


5.8 TRANSPORTERS

You may use your transporters to beam up parties or marines to a
friendly ship, or board  an enemy ship.

Press T for:

(T)RANSPORT

The computer will ask:

HOW MANY MARINES TO TRANSPORT (0-20)?

You may beam twice as many parties as you have transporters; in this
example, twenty.

Your number of transporters is shown on your status display after TRANS.

The computer will next ask:

WHAT SHIP IS TARGET?

Type the initial letter of the target ship and press RETURN.  The
number of marines ready to beam will now appear on your status display
after TRANSPORTER.

POWER REQUIRED:
One energy unit per transporter.


TRANSPORTING TO A FRIENDLY SHIP

You can transport marines at any time to a friendly ship.  You can
also transport marines onto a ship which has been boarded by the
enemy, if combat is still going on, to aid in its defense.

Your marines, regardless of their efficiency level, will assume the
efficiency level of the crew and marines of the friendly ship they
beam aboard.  If they are sent to reinforce your marines fighting on
an enemy ship, they will take on the efficiency level of your marines
already on that ship.


BOARDING AN ENEMY SHIP

Ordinarily, you can beam marines onto an enemy ship only if no charged
enemy shield is facing you.  However, it is possible to beam aboard a
protected enemy ship if you can seriously breach his shield.  If you
can cause its shield five damage points more than needed to breach it,
your marines will be able to board his ship.  Your sensors will be
able to detect the breached shield, and will choose that second for
the marines to beam across.

If you try to beam marines onto an enemy ship while its shields are
intact, your beaming will fail, and your marines will remain on board
your ship.


ON-SHIP COMBAT

The battle between boarding marines and defenders will begin at the
end of the turn, and may last several turns, until either the ship's
defenders or the boarding marines are eliminated.

If the battle lasts several turns, you will still be able to issue
orders to your ship, even if there are enemy marines on board.  You
will be able to see the progress of the battle on your Status Display.
If the number of total defenders falls to 0, the enemy has captured
your ship.

The success or failure of your boarding party will be decided by these
factors:

 1. The number and effectiveness rating of the boarding marines.
 2. The number and effectiveness rating of the defending marines.
 3. The number and effectiveness rating of the defending crew.
 4. Defending troops traveling as cargo.

CAPTURED SHIPS

If your boarding party successfully overwhelms the enemy defenders,
the ship is captured.  Thereafter in the scenario, that ship is part
of your fleet, you may give orders for its use.


5.9 ENDING THE ORDERS PHASE

When you are satisfied with your ship's orders, press X for E(X)it.

If you have more than one ship, you will be asked to give them their
orders.  Enter their orders in the same way.

When you have given all of your ships their orders, press /.  Until
you press /, you may still return to any of your ships and enter new
orders.  Once you have pressed /, however, your portion of the turn is
over.

The screen will now read:

IT IS PLAYER 2's TURN.  PLAYER 1 TURN AWAY.

If you have a human opponent, he will now give orders to his ship or
ships.  If you are playing solitaire, you will proceed directly to the
Execution Phase.

When player 2 has given his orders, the Orders Phase is over.  The
Execution Phase is about to begin.


5.10 RUNNING AWAY

During each Orders Phase from turn ten on, you have one further
option: to save your ship by escaping the battlefield.  In some
scenarios, saving your ship will win you victory points; in others,
while you might lose the scenario, it may help to win the war, if your
ships are needed in other scenarios in a strategic game.  Both range
and tractors may be important if you choose this option.

In order to successfully escape, you must meet these conditions:

+ If the battle is being fought in enemy territory, you must have a
range of at least 2 to escape.  If it is being fought in contested
territory, you need a range of 1 or more.  Ships with a range of 0
cannot escape at all, unless towed away by a ship with a tractor beam.

+ If your ship has sufficient range and a tractor beam, it can escape
with one additional ship, even with a range of 0, in tow.  If you have
two tractors, you can save two ships.

+ No ship can escape during the first ten phases of combat.

To escape, press *.  All your ships that have the ability to escape
will flee the battle zone.


6.0 THE EXECUTION PHASE

You are now ready for the Execution Phase.

The computer will ask:

WHAT SHIP IS THE ORIGIN?

You may not  select which ship will be in the center of the screen.
Enter the initial letter of that ship.

The computer will ask:

WHAT SCALE? (0-5)

You may watch the battle on a large-scale map (Scale 5) or a smaller
scale map.  Enter the number of the scale you wish.

You will now watch all ships simultaneously performing the maneuvers
and firing the weapons indicated during the Orders Phase.  The display
will show you not only the ships, but also any guided weapons that are
on their way to their targets.  As each weapon reaches its target, the
execution phase will pause, and the display will tell you whether or
not that weapon got through the defenses, whether it hit its target,
and how much damage it caused.


7.0 DAMAGE

The amount of damage that any weapon causes depends upon the power of
the weapon and the effectiveness of the defense systems.

There are three types of damage: systems damage, extraordinary damage,
and critical hits.

SYSTEMS DAMAGE

The damage weapons cause to your ship's systems will depend upon how
much space each system occupies.  For instance, if your ship has a
total space of 100 cubic sectors, and you have five drives, taking up
twenty cubic sectors, the chance of a drive being hit is one in five.


PROTECTED SYSTEMS

Some systems, either because of their location on the ship, are less
likely to suffer damage from enemy fire.

These systems, even if they are hit, still have a seventy-five percent
chance of surviving in working order:

 Cargo Holds
 Tractor Beams
 Weapons
 Fighter Bays
 Drives

Because of their solid protective shields and few moving parts, warp
drives are particularly hard to damage.  A warp drive, even if hit,
still has a ninety percent chance of still working.

DAMAGE STATUS DISPLAY

The number after DMGE on the status display tells you what percentage
of your ship's total number of cubic sectors  has been damages.  This
number is also the chance that your ship will suffer extraordinary
damage form the next hit.

DAMAGE TO DRIVES

If, despite their protection, some of your drives are put out of
action, your ability to turn, speed up or slow down will be severely
limited.  If all your drives are destroyed, your ship will completely
lose its ability to maneuver.  All you can do is either slow down your
ship to a stop with the drag chute effect and wither fight it out or
wait for help, or keep going and hope that you're pointed in the
direction of home.

THE EFFECT OF SHIELDS ON DAMAGE

If a weapon or weapons hits your shield, the total number of damage
factors will be totaled and matched against the strength of your
shield.  If it is less than the strength of the shield, your ship will
suffer no damage, and a number of batteries equal to the damage
factors will be drained from that shield.  (If the weapon is a photon
torpedo or seeker, an additional number of batteries equal to four
times the damage factors will also be drained.

If the damaged is more than the shield strength, the number of damage
factors over the shield strength will be counted as damage to your
systems.

THE EFFECT OF ARMOR ON DAMAGE

When a layer of armor is hit, any further damage will be deflected.
Armor itself can only destroyed by damage from a plasma torpedo,
although this does not prevent the ship's destruction.

EXTRAORDINARY DAMAGE

Extraordinary damage is damage which kills members of your crew, your
marines, or any troops traveling aboard, or which destroys your
sensors or your jammers.  The more extraordinary damage your ship
suffers, the more likely it will receive a critical hit.


CRITICAL HITS

Critical hits are the most serious type of extraordinary damage, hits
which cause irreparable damage by destroying computers, starting fires
or rupturing airtight compartments.  Like a seagoing ship whose
superstructure is untouched, but which has suffered mortal hits below
the waterline, a starship can be wrecked by critical hits even if its
other systems are intact.  Each hit you receive raises the chance that
the next hit will be critical.

CRITICAL HITS DISPLAY

The number after CRITS on the status display tells you how many
critical hits your ship can survive, a number equal to the mass of
your ship.  If the number falls to zero, your ship will explode.  This
is the only way your ship can be destroyed.

THE END OF THE SCENARIO

The scenario will end when all the ships have been destroyed or
captured or the victory conditions have been met.


8.0 SAVING THE GAME

Just before the orders phase of each turn, you will be asked if you
want to stop playing and save the game, so you can finish it later.

If you want to stop and save the game, press Y.  The computer will
show you the SSI SAVE ROUTINE menu, which is the same as the SAVE SHIP
menu.  Take out your game disk and put the SSI SAVE GAME DISK into
your disk drive, and follow the steps outlined in SAVING SHIPS.

To save the game, you will;

Press (S) for SAVE ITEM ON AN SSI SAVE GAME DISK.

Give a name of up to ten characters.  And once again, if you wish to
use a name that is the same as a previously saved item, you much
delete the first item.


9.0 ENDING THE GAME

The game will end automatically if:

   All the ships of one player are destroyed.
   One or both players have escaped the battle space.

You can also choose to end the game in the middle of a scenario.
When, just before the Orders Phase, you are asked if you want to save
the game, press Y.  The computer will then show you the SAVE GAME
menu.  You will have the choice of ending the game for good, by
pressing (E)ND, or of saving the game for playing later, by pressing
(S)AVE ITEM ON SSI GAME DISK (SEE 4.29:SAVING SHIPS)

DECLARING A VICTOR

Once the game has ended, the computer will decide who won. First it
will ask IS THE SECTOR CONTESTED (C) FRIENDLY TO PLAYER (1) OR
FRIENDLY TO PLAYER (2)?

The answer depends on the scenario:

SCENARIO 1: DEEPSPACE ENCOUNTER  Sector friendly to Player 1 (Alliance)
SCENARIO 2: PLANETARY RAID       Sector friendly to Player 2 (Brotherhood)
SCENARIO 3: COMMERCE RAIDER      Sector friendly to Player 2 (Brotherhood)
SCENARIO 4: INVASION             Sector friendly to Player 2 (Brotherhood)
SCENARIO 5: DOGFIGHT             Sector Contested
SCENARIO 6: SURPRISE ATTACK      Sector Contested

Based on your answer, the computer will decide if each had enough
range left to get home safely.

VICTORY POINT DISPLAY

The computer will then tell you who won.

 SHIP         PLAYER 1 VP     PLAYER 2 VP
 RELIANT                          125
 ENTERPRISE       62
 TOTAL            62              125

In this example, the Reliant won the game with a total of 125 victory
points to 62.  If that Enterprise had been destroyed, it would not
even appear on the display.


EXAMINING THE SURVIVING SHIPS

If you wish to examine any of the surviving ships, press any key to
continue, and the computer will print.


EXAMINE WHAT SHIP (/ to end game)?

Give the name of the ship you want to examine.  If your ship has blown
up, not even the computer can put it back together again for you to
examine.  If you wish to end the turn at this point press /.


10.0 CREDITS

 Game Program -- Paul Murray
 Game Rules -- David Siefkin
 Art & Graphic  Design -- Louis Saekow, Kevin Heney and Don Woo
 Typesetting -- Abra Type
 Printing -- W.H. Barth  A&a Printers & Lithographers
 Customized Disc Operating System -- Roland Gustafsson


APPENDIX A. A SHORT HISTORY OF STARSHIP DESIGN

Military starship design during the 24th Century is usually divided
into six periods, which correspond to the six technological levels.

1.  THE PIONEER WARRIORS (2298-2330)

The ships of the early century were relatively primitive, but rugged
and versatile.  When called upon to fight, these ships launched swarms
of guided seekers and torpedoes in the general direction of the enemy
ships and hoped for the best.  Hundreds of these weapons from this era
are still floating through deep space, still vainly seeking their
targets.  When their long-distance weapons failed, menu starship
commanders won reputations by closing on the enemy and fighting deadly
close range phaser battles with their opponents.

Both Kellius, who became Chief Designer of the alliance, and Yezov,
later chief architect of the Brotherhood, were students at the Academy
of Starship Design and Technology at this time.


2.  THE DISTANT WARS (2330-2341)

As Alliance ships explored deeper and deeper space, they began to
encounter ships and outposts of the Brotherhood, a league of warlike
civilizations eager to dominate the known universe.  The requirements
of battle in remote space led to the development of longer-range
frigates and cruisers, and deadly new weapons, including a new
generation of seekers and torpedoes whose designers claimed they could
find a digital wrist watch in the Milky Way.

As his graduate project from the Academy, Kellius designed a
side-firing siege phaser cruiser, which was widely derided by starship
traditionalists.  The derision stopped when a prototype of his cruiser
in its first battle, destroyed the Brotherhood Dreadnought "Star
Lord."


3. INVASION (2341-2355)

The Alliance suffered a setback when Yezov, the most promising
designer after Kellius, defected to the Brotherhood, lured by a
promise of unlimited resources and a chance to defeat his bitter
rival, Kellius.  Using captured ships filled with prisoners for
realistic battle testing, Yezov developed a new generation of Super
Dreadnoughts.  In 2344, fleets of these huge battleships broke through
the Alliance's ring of fortress stars and began to invade the Alliance
system.


4. THE DARK YEARS (2355-2380)

In these years, Alliance fought desperate battles against the
Brotherhood invaders, Kellius and his designers were hard-pressed to
design faster ships and more effective weapons to offset the
Brotherhood's huge advantage in numbers.  Alliance privateers ventured
deep into Brotherhood territory to attack Brotherhood merchant
convoys.


5.  THE GREAT WAR (2380-2389)

Early in 2355, a daring Alliance raid captured intact the new
Brotherhood Cruiser "Liquidator".  Having studied its systems, Kellius
was able to design a new generation of counterships.  The battles that
followed between his new fleets and the Brotherhood invaders were the
largest battles ever fought in space.  Hundreds of derelict ghost
ships, victims of these battles are still drifting lifelessly.


6.  THE COSMIC BALANCE

An uneasy balance exists between the Brotherhood and the Alliance, as
the invaders have been pushed back to the borderline.  The disciples
of Kellius and the students of Yezov are hard at work, designing new
specialty ships; fighter carriers, plasma torpedo frigates, tractor
ships, ECM and ECCCM ships, decoy ships, and others that will fight
the battles of the next century.

In 2390, on his ninetieth birthday, Kellius addressed the students at
the Academy of Starship Design and Technology.  The five maxims of
starship design he gave the students are still widely quoted:

"Ships are destroyed by the mistakes of their designers, not by the
enemy."

"Never economize on the crew space.  If a crewman can't sleep, he
can't fight."

"Be sure that your ship can run if it can't fight, and fight if it
can't run."

"The best ship is the simplest ship that can accomplish its mission."

"For each perfect ship, there is an equal and opposite countership
that will be able to destroy it."



APPENDIX B. SUMMARY OF SPACE REQUIRED BY EACH SYSTEM

 SYSTEM                   CUBIC SECTORS
 Drives                   4 each
 Engines                  2 each
 Warp Drives              1 tech sector each*
 Cargo Holds              1 tech sector each*
 Fighter Bays             2 tech sectors each*
 Tractor Beams            4 each
 Transporters             1 each
 Armor                    1 per layer
 Hull Space (Crew Space)  Min. of 1/2 per crew space or 1 per marine
                          detachment
 Racks                    2 each
 Belts                    1 each
 Light Phasers            1/2 each for first arc 3/16 each additional
                          shield arc
 Heavy Phasers            1 for first arc 3/8 for each additional
                          shield arc
 Seige Phasers            2 for first arc 3/4 for each additional
                          shield arc
 Disruptors               2 for first arc 3/4 for each additional
                          shield arc
 Photon Torpedoes         2 for first arc 3/4 for each additional
                          shield arc
 Plasma Torpedoes         15 each
 Shields                  1/64 per battery 1/8 per arc for each shield
                          strength

* 1 tech sector = 9 cubic sectors + tech level of ship


WEAPON CHARACTERISTICS SUMMARY
WEAPON          TYPICAL RANGE     SPEED        MAXIMUM DAMAGE
Light Seeker         32        16 per turn     12 factors (drains
                                (2 turns)      shields)*
Heavy Seeker         30        16 per turn     18 factors (drains
                                (3 turns)      shields)*
Light Phasers        15          Instant       10 factors (less at long
                                               range)
Heavy Phasers        20          Instant       14 factors (less at long
                                               range)
Siege Phasers        30          Instant       20 factors (less at long
                                               range)
Photon Torpedo       20          Instant       14 factors (drains
                                               shields)* (less at long
                                               range)
Fighters          Unlimited       -----        1 per fighter (30 per
                                               swarm)
Disruptors          100          Instant       12 plus tech level (esp
                                               affected by speed of
                                               target)
Plasma Torpedos      32        16 per turn     60 factors (wrecks armor)
                                               (less at long range)


THE COSMIC BALANCE
SHIP DATA

 SHIP NAME __ENTERPRISE__         TECH LEVEL __5____________

 EFFICIENCY __3__         MAX SPEED __16_         POWER __32_
                          MAX ACCEL __8__         MASS  __8__

  RANGE __2__     CARGO __0__     FTBAY __0__     HULL __22_
  RACKS __0__     LTSKR __0__     HSKR  __0__
  ENGIN __4__     DRIVE __4__     TRANS __1__     TRAC __0__
  ARMOR __0__     MARIN __1__     BELTS __0__

       WEAPON           FIRE ARC
   1  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 1 __21_
   2  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 2 __20_
   3  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 3 __20_
   4  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 4 __20_
   5  HVY PHASER        1 2 3 x x 6 7 8         SHIELD 5 __20_
   6  HVY PHASER        1 2 3 x x 6 7 8         SHIELD 6 __20_
   7                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 7 __20_
   8                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 8 __21_
   9                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  10                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  11                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  12                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8



 SHIP NAME __RELIANT_____         TECH LEVEL __5____________

 EFFICIENCY __2__         MAX SPEED __16_         POWER __32_
                          MAX ACCEL __8__         MASS  __8__

  RANGE __2__     CARGO __0__     FTBAY __0__     HULL __15_
  RACKS __0__     LTSKR __0__     HSKR  __0__
  ENGIN __4__     DRIVE __4__     TRANS __0__     TRAC __0__
  ARMOR __0__     MARIN __0__     BELTS __0__

       WEAPON           FIRE ARC
   1  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 1 __25_
   2  PHOTON            1 x x x x x x 8         SHIELD 2 __25_
   3  HVY PHASER        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 3 __25_
   4  HVY PHASER        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 4 __25_
   5  HVY PHASER        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 5 __25_
   6  LIGHT PHASER      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 6 __25_
   7  LIGHT PHASER      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 7 __25_
   8                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 8 __25_
   9                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  10                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  11                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  12                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8



 SHIP NAME _______________         TECH LEVEL _______________

 EFFICIENCY _____         MAX SPEED _____         POWER _____
                          MAX ACCEL _____         MASS  _____

  RANGE _____     CARGO _____     FTBAY _____     HULL _____
  RACKS _____     LTSKR _____     HSKR  _____
  ENGIN _____     DRIVE _____     TRANS _____     TRAC _____
  ARMOR _____     MARIN _____     BELTS _____

       WEAPON           FIRE ARC
   1                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 1 _____
   2                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 2 _____
   3                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 3 _____
   4                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 4 _____
   5                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 5 _____
   6                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 6 _____
   7                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 7 _____
   8                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8         SHIELD 8 _____
   9                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  10                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  11                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  12                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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End of the Project 64 etext of the Cosmic Balance documentation.

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