Audyssey;
Computer Games Accessible to the Blind
Edited by Michael Feir
Issue 11: March/April, 1998
++
Welcome
Welcome to the eleventh issue of Audyssey. This magazine is
dedicated to the discussion of games which, either by accident or
design, are accessible to the blind. We also discuss any concerns
and issues raised by them. This issue is a special celebratory
issue, marking the ending of my university career. By the time the
anniversary issue comes out near the end of June, I will have
attended my graduation ceremony and will hold my degree. This is a
Bachelor of Arts, with a major in English and a minor in
Philosophy. During the Creative Writing class I attended this year,
I made both a game and a poem. You'll find both of these in this
issue. Kelly Sapergia, our Interactive Fiction Expert, has provided
us with several reviews of some older games. As usual, the latest
thinking and developments at PCS will be covered.
Please write articles and letters about games or game-related
topics which interest you. They will likely interest me, and your
fellow readers. They will also make my job as editor a lot more
interesting and true to the meaning of the word. This magazine
should and can be a highly interesting and qualitative look at
accessible computer gaming. To insure
that high quality is maintained, I'll need your written
contributions. I'm not asking for money here, and won't accept any.
This magazine is free in its electronic form, and will always
remain so. PCS needs to charge a subscription cost to cover the
disks and shipping costs that it incurs by making the magazine
available on disk. I'm writing this
magazine as much for my own interest as for everyone else's. Your
articles, reviews, and letters, as well as any games you might care
to send me, are what I'm after. Send any games, articles, letters,
or reviews on a 3.5-inch disk in a self-addressed mailer
so that I can return your disk or disks to you once I have copied
their contents onto my hard drive. Please only send shareware or
freeware games. It is illegal to send commercial games. By sending
me games, you will do several things: first, and most obviously,
you will earn my gratitude. You will also insure that the games you
send me are made available to my readership as a whole. As a
further incentive, I will fill any disks you send me with games
from my collection. No disk will be returned empty. If you want
specific games, or specific types of games, send a message in Ascii
format along. *Never* *ever* send your original disks of *anything*
to *anyone* through the mail. *Always* send *copies!* This
principle may seem like it shouldn't even have to be stated, but
when it comes to just about anything related to computers, there's
always some poor soul who will act before applying common sense.
Disks are *not* indestructible. Things *do* get lost or damaged in
the mail, and disks are not immune to these misfortunes. If you
have a particular game that you need help with, and you are sending
your questions on a disk anyhow, include the game so that I can try
and get past your difficulty. If you can, I recommend that you send
e-mail. I have acquired a copy of the UUencode software, and can
send and/or receive files which are encoded via this means. This
way, no money will be wasted sending me a game I already have, and
you'll get my reply more quickly. You are responsible for shipping
costs. That means, either use a disk mailer which has your address
on it, and is either free matter for the blind, or is properly
stamped. I can and will gladly spare time to share games and my
knowledge of them, but cannot currently spare money above what I
spend hunting for new games. I encourage all my
readers to give my magazine to whoever they think will appreciate
it. Up-load it onto web pages and bulletin board systems. Copy it
on disk for people, or print it out for sighted people who may find
it of value. The larger our community gets, the more self-
sustaining it will become.
This magazine is published on a bi-monthly basis, each issue
appearing no earlier than the twentieth of every other month. All
submissions must be sent to me in standard Ascii format either on
a 3.5-inch floppy disk, or via e-mail to my Compuserve address. I
will give my home address and my Compuserve address at the end of
the magazine. There are now several ways of obtaining Audyssey. To
subscribe to the distribution list so that you receive all future
issues, send a subscription request to J.J. Meddaugh. As he is
running several lists, be sure to specifically ask to join the
Audyssey list. His address is:
jmeddaug@cris.com
You can find all issues of Audyssey on the Internet on Paul
Henrichsen's web site at:
www.thesocket.com/~henrich
All issues are also available in the disability forum on
Compuserve, and also in the gamers forum. If you have web access,
Audyssey now has an official web-page, maintained by J.J. Meddaugh.
There are links to other interesting sites, and all issues of
Audyssey are available there as well. In the near future, software
may also be posted there for you to down-load. The address for this
page is:
http://audyssey.home.ml.org
If you have ftp access, all issues are also available at Travis
Siegel's ftp site:
ftp.softcon.com
Look in the /magazines directory.
For those of you who have trouble finding some of the software
discussed in this magazine, or if you know someone who doesn't have
access to the Internet, but would be interested in the magazine,
this magazine is now available on disk. PCS has agreed to
distribute Audyssey, as well as selected shareware or freeware
software on disk for ten dollars US per year. To subscribe to
Audyssey on disk, contact them at:
Personal Computer Systems
551 Compton Ave.
Perth Amboy N.J.
08861
Phone (732)-826-1917
E-mail: pvlasak@monmouth.com
++
Contents:
Welcome
Contents
From The Editor
Letters
Within A White House
The Latest Finds
Activision Discontinues The Masterpieces of Infocom CD
News From PCS
Game Reviews
Space Miners
Contacting Us
++
From The Editor:
Well, folks, it's almost official. I have completed my university
degree, and am free at last from academic pressures. What the
future holds for me is somewhat uncertain, except that in July, I
have been hired as a staff member of a computer camp for the blind
and visually impaired called Score. I will be away for the entire
month of July, so what I've decided to do is publish the
anniversary issue in June, instead of attempting to get back on our
usual schedule. Although the timing of issues might seem uncertain,
you can be certain that I will try my best to keep Audyssey going
for as long as I can.
To do this, I will need more help from all of you. For those who
have contributed articles, letters, game reviews, etc, please
continue to do so. For a lot of you who haven't been doing this, I
strongly urge you to start sharing your thoughts with Audyssey. I
simply can't do this without your input. I've said everything I
have to say on games. Aside from reactions to changing trends, new
games, and new information provided by you, I have too little
material to provide issues which satisfy me in terms of their
quality. If there ever comes a time when all there is for me to do
is list any new games which have emerged, I simply won't put out
another issue until enough material comes my way. I'll steer this
ship, but it's up to all of you to keep it going. In keeping with
this ship metaphor, until I hear from you again, I'll wish you a
pleasant voyage. Enjoy the issue as if you were a passenger, but
remember that once you're finished, please lend a hand with the
canvas and provide fuel for the engines. Where we're going is
unimportant. It's the experience and adventures gained and shared
on this Audyssey, which are crucial.
++
Letters:
+
From Kelly John Sapergia
Dear Michael,
In Issue 9 of Audyssey, I mentioned that for some reason, the
ASTRIVIA.ZIP program seemed to be causing some problems with my
speech program. Well, I finally figured out what was going on two
months after sending that letter to you. I have been having a lot
of problems with my Artic Vision software recently, such as the one
mentioned in my letter. So I deleted my configuration file and
created a new one from scratch. And now the problems are gone! I
still can't understand why this happened, but it's
working fine now.
I have some news for anyone who has tried, or is about to try,
Trek West, the game I wrote that asks you questions about the
RCMP'S trek west in 1873. I have completed a new version of the
program. However, since I've got a LONG, LONG way to go learning C,
I decided to fix a few spelling errors and some of the
messages in the GW Basic version. I also got rid of the TXT2COM
version of the manual, and created an ASCII text version of it
instead. I had been using TXT2COM to create some manuals for other
people, and hadn't received any complaints. I discovered that while
it worked well for braille display users, (I tried it using my ALVA
Braille Terminal), it wasn't all that speech
friendly. This is because the top line of the screen constantly
repeats itself when you go to the next page. I would like to
apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I have sent
a copy of the new version of Trek West to Michael. If anyone wants
to put this new version on a BBS, or an Internet site, feel free to
do so. The file name for the new version is the same as the first
version, TREKWEST.ZIP. Just copy it into the
directory on your hard drive that contains the original ZIP file
and it'll overwrite the older one. Please DON'T distribute the
first version with the TXT2COM manual!
Well, that's all for now! Thanks, again, for a TOTALLY
EXCELLENT magazine, and keep up the good work!!
Yours Sincerely,
Kelly John Sapergia
P.S. I just thought I'd correct a mistake that appeared in the
ninth issue of Audyssey. At the end of my first letter, Michael
mentioned my review of "The Legend Lives!" and my game.
Unfortunately, he got my gender wrong. I'm a HE, not a SHE! This is
partly my fault, because I didn't put "Mr." before I put my name
down on the closing of that letter. (OOPS!) Just thought you'd like
to know.
P.P.S. If anyone is having trouble trying to get into the "Legend
Lives!" game, using Windows 95, then read my article entitled
"Problems Running 'The Legend Lives!'" which should be appearing
sometime in this issue. Also, in my review of "The Legend Lives!"
I mentioned that I couldn't remember the Web site where I found
that game. I got this game, as well as Electrabot, from "Snacky
Pete's Text Adventure Archive". I'm not sure if this site is still
on the Internet but here's the URL:
http://www.helikon.com/Personal/Pete/Advents/iflib.htm
If you can't get onto the site, then you'll have to look in the IF-
ARCHIVE on the FTP.GMD.DE server.
+
Well, Kelly, I must offer my sincere apologies for getting your
gender wrong. When I'm not certain of someone's gender, I usually
put h/she or he/she. It must have been quite late at night when I
worked on your section. At the time, I had no quick way of
contacting you, and since most kellys I've come across are female,
I figured that was the safer way to go. Despite having won Jigsaw,
Graham nelson's astoundingly good game which is written in a
completely gender-neutral way, I am not as good at doing that as he
is. Many thanks for your excellent reviews, and for taking on the
role of interactive fiction expert. You're doing quite a splendid
job.
+
From David Lant:
Hello again Michael,
As promised, here is a little more detail about the fake PKZIP
program I told you about.
It is a Trojan Horse which will, if run, attempt to delete all
directories on your current drive. It is usually called
PKZ300B.ZIP or PKZ300.ZIP.
If you want more information, or have any to give regarding the
creator of this
fake program, contact SUPPORT@PKWARE.COM.
All the best,
David Lant
+
My thanks to Mr. Lant for this timely warning to all of us, and for
agreeing to keep Audyssey informed of any threats to our computers
which he becomes aware of. Mr. Lant was disappointed in finding the
warning I included in the last issue of Audyssey. That warning, as
things turn out, was a well-done hoax. It turns out that there is
no such thing as an E-mail virus which can damage anything merely
by being read as a message. Only if something is actually run can
damage be done. In the future, any warnings I receive will be
forwarded to him for confirmation before I include them in
Audyssey.
+
From Carman McCauley:
hi mike, can you give me a couple of hints
first with jigsaw, I assume that some how you have to go back in
time how does this happen? I assume that you have to leave the
park if so how is this done? I found the device the key the pencil
and the sack but then that's as far as I get.
I am attaching a game called sub, i can't fix the drive train can
you help? Thanks in advance
Carman.
P.S. I just started to read your magazine and enjoyed it very much.
+
Welcome aboard, Carman. Jigsaw is one of the harder but also more
rewarding works of interactive fiction out there. The park is
tricky because you are under a turn limit. You only have until
midnight to escape the twentieth century. I gave Carman specific
directions, since he seemed about at the end of his rope. For the
rest of you, unless you specifically ask for more specific
directions, I'll reveal only that the lightning rod is quite
important, as is the rucksack, device, pencil, sketchbook, key, and
sparkler. So are any jigsaw pieces you find. Don't proceed unless
you've found all these items. As to the sub.exe game, I have no
idea how to make much progress in that myself. If any of you would
care to submit a review of this game for the next issue, and
possibly offer some hints, I would very much appreciate it. If any
of you want it, you should be able to find it in the ftp.gmd.de/if-
archive site. Look in the /games/pc directory.
+
From Tim Keenan:
Hi:
Today I read all ten issues of your Audyssey gaming magazine. I
just have a couple questions.
Well, I guess some intro is in order. I have never really been a
fan of interactive fiction type games, because I could never figure
out these so-called logical puzzles. I got the best of Infocom
pack a while ago, and I didn't finish any of those games, although
my friend and I managed to do pretty well in Zorkzero. But I like
strategy-type games--my personal favourite being Begin, both
version 1.65 and 2. 1.65 is a dramatically different experience
from 2--most ships are much more powerful, (they have the actual
number of phasers and photon launchers they're supposed to have,
according to trek), no starbases, Romulan's can't cloak, and more.
If you want, I can send it to you by e-mail.
This brings me to my first question. I'm a comp-sci major
(freshman) and I'm dying to get my hands on the source code for
Begin. Apparently the author discontinued support for it because
of lack of interest, which is a shame. Have you heard anything
about this? Secondly, since I came across your magazine, I decided
to give a i-f game a try, specifically, Jigsaw, because it sounded
interesting. Unfortunately, I can't even travel through time. I
can get the device, the key, the sack, the jigsaw piece, and the
sparkler, and I thought I needed to go to the top of the monument
(near the lightning-conductor-that-might-not-be-a-lightning-
conductor), in order to time-travel. But, of course, nothing
happens and I join the party. Why? Do I have to
somehow catch that bird in the churchyard? Or is there something
I have to do with that jigsaw piece?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, and keep up the great magazine!
Tim Keenan
+
Talk about jumping onto the band-wagon, Tim. If you've read through
all ten issues in one day, I suppose we must be doing something
right. You're not the only one having trouble with Jigsaw. Carman
was also having problems, and as his letter came in first, I
decided to put the hints I'll offer in the answer to his letter.
Keep plugging away at those Infocom games. They are hard, but there
is a lot of amusement and fun packed into them as well. As for
Begin, I haven't heard anything about that game for quite a long
time. It's too bad the author isn't supporting it anymore. As far
as I know, the source code hasn't been made available, but I might
be mistaken here. Have a good look on the Internet.
+
From Magali Gueths:
Hello to all readers of Audyssey. Just wanted to tell you a couple
things.
First off, my e-mail address will change. I cancelled my one
address,
(mgueths@world.std.com). Please do not send any mail to
igueths@prodigy.com, because I am cancelling this as well. I am
switching to
aol, and will keep you posted about what the address will be. Last
but not least, Jim Kitchen no longer has the address
jim.kitchen@pcohio.com, but he
has this new one: jim.kitchen@pcohio.net. This is because the sysop
decided to pull the plug on the Pc Ohio bbs. Thanks.
+
And my thanks to you for keeping all of us informed, Magali. Please
be certain to share your new address when you get it. I'm certain
Jim would want his address known to everyone so that he can receive
the well-deserved praise that his efforts have earned him, as well
as constructive criticism.
++
Within An Old White House
by Michael Feir
This poem was originally going to be a kind of mockery of the Rime
of the Ancient mariner. It was my final presentation to the
excellent Creative Writing class which I attended. Although it
retains the humour originally intended, it has also managed to take
on a seriousness I never planned on. Each entry in the gloss
responds to one of the verses of the poem. coleridge went to great
lengths to explain himself in his gloss to his poem, and I must
confess to having thoroughly enjoyed writing the gloss provided for
my work. I hope you find the following to be both informative and
enjoyable.
I sat before my great machine, and gave a woeful sigh,
Countless icons filled the screen, but none would catch my eye.
Each icon ran a game I owned, from Doom to Daggerfall,
But none of these could rescue me, for I had won them all.
My case was grave and serious, since I could not afford,
To purchase any other games and keep from being bored.
My bank account was empty and my credit cards all maxed,
Any game worth paying for would be so steeply taxed.
Desperately, I donned my helmet, and got upon my bike,
And aimlessly, I rode along the paths where others hike.
Within the woods, I lost my way, far from the beaten trail,
Darkness neared, then stars appeared! My legs began to fail.
Fearful of the woods at night, I slowly peddled on,
Searching for a sheltered site where I could rest till dawn. I came
upon a small white house, its entrance boarded closed, With all my
might, I could not pass the obstacle they posed.
To have safe haven near at hand with access thusly blocked, Was
very hard for me to stand, With helpless rage, I rocked. I paced in
fury around the house, and hadn't gone too far,
When all at once, fate smiled on me, A window swung ajar.
With ebbing strength I forced it wide enough to clamber through. A
kitchen lay around me with its table set for two.
Physically exhausted, I collapsed into a chair,
An older man walked in and took the other that was there.
"I don't get many visits," Said the hermit with a chortle,
"Eccentricity compelled me to board up their standard portal."
"Rest here, my weary traveller, Feel free to help yourself." He
motioned to a bunch of tasty food upon a shelf.
We ate and talked of many games, our claims to private glory, Of
reality's far too frequent stings, and of my tragic story, He
conversed with great intelligence, in a diction quaint and kind,
His thoughtfulness would always be engraved into my mind.
At length he rose up from his place, and headed off to bed, First
showing me a couch where I could lay my weary head,
I rested well that starlit night, but had some freakish dreams, Of
darkened realms deep underground, explored by lantern beams.
My brass lamp shone on wonders, an many terrors too,
My ears took in a dragon's roar, and the gurgles of a grue! I
walked across a rainbow, above a waterfall,
And ballooned up a volcano's core, behind an icy wall.
Waking from my dreams, I was quite startled through and through, To
discover that a part of them seemed absolutely true!
I looked around the living room, and as the hermit snored,
I saw a trophy case, a rug, a lantern and strange sword!
And as the morning sun came up, bestowing warmth and light, The
hermit came with rueful cheer and asked about my night. I told him
all that I had dreamed, and requested he explain, This world that
I had visited, so full of joy and pain.
He moved aside the oriental rug upon the floor,
I gaped in disbelief when this revealed a closed trap-door. I
helped him heave it open, since the effort made him frown, He took
the lantern from its place, and with me ventured down.
The cellar in which we found ourselves brimmed with forgotten junk,
Amid the mess, the man possessed a rusty iron trunk,
I helped him hoist the tarnished box into the living room,
He opened it with care and took its contents from their tomb.
The old computer he unveiled was piteous to behold,
I would have laughed had he not shown it reverence due to gold, He
plugged it in and turned it on, Its screen was black and white, Its
ancient disks could not hold more than half a megabyte.
"The tale I have to tell you happened in the recent past,"
"There was a firm whose every game was intricate and vast," "For
years they were successful, and proceeded with aplomb," "But I
doubt you've ever heard of them, for they were Infocom."
"Zork was where you were last night, They made that universe," "It
inspired many gleeful shouts, and many a-vengeful curse." "Just
give me half a moment, and I'll show you what I mean," "These days
what you will shortly view is all too rarely seen."
He put a disk into the drive, and entered a command,
And while the system worked he placed a book into my hand.
My fascination grew quite strong as I began to find,
Details of the fantastic place which occupied my mind.
I closed the book and found that I was thoroughly ignored,
The world could end, but he'd still bend before that old keyboard,
My anger quickly cooled and gave me cause for private shame, Our
ages were quite different, but our passions were the same.
Despite my small deduction, I still felt rather vexed,
When I looked to see my dreamscape and discovered only text! "Take
the very best in modern sound and animation,"
"And what is there will not compare with your imagination."
Doubtfully, I played his game, My choice was quickly made,
I had to find more of these games so rare and seldom played, I
almost asked the hermit why this company had died,
But the answer cut me to the bone before I even tried.
These pioneers were swept aside by new technology,
Graphic games won market shares for their simplicity,
Time turned its page upon this age of thought-provoking fun, And
Pac-man's maze became the craze obsessing everyone.
"The look upon your face tells me you've understood my story," "You
comprehend what caused the end of Infocom's brief glory." "But
don't despair, Just be aware they've left a legacy,"
"Their games have been preserved upon the Masterpiece CD!"
"And if you can't afford to buy a copy of it yet,"
"Loyal fans have made new games and placed them on the Net!" "And
though their works are gratis, they are to a large degree," "Free
from major glitches, and quite high in quality."
"Return now to your youthful life with my earnest benediction,"
"And do be sure you search the web for interactive fiction."
Gloss
1. The gamer bemoans his seemingly inescapable fate. Despite having
an enormous quantity of games at his disposal, he still faces the
prospect of boredom.
2. Due to previous expenditures, now devalued in the face of
boredom, the gamer lacks the financial means to purchase yet more
games to fend it off.
3. Driven to drastic measures, the gamer rides his bicycle off into
a nearby forest. Failing to maintain a sense of direction, he
eventually finds himself lost. As night arrives, his legs grow
weary from his continual exertion.
4. Afraid of spending the night in the open woods, the gamer
searches for a less exposed place to spend the remainder of the
night. He comes upon a house like that found at the start of
Infocom's game "Zork I: The Great Underground Empire". As it is in
the game, the gamer finds the front entrance to the structure
boarded shut. As the player of Zork cannot remove them, neither can
he despite the use of all his strength.
5. The cruel irony of his circumstances infuriates the gamer,
resulting in the bodily undulations he recounts. Unwilling to give
up on the structure entirely despite being balked by the boards, he
walks around it in quest of another means of ingress. Like the
player in Zork I, he finds this in the form of an old window left
slightly ajar.
6. Despite his near exhaustion, he is able to force the window open
wide enough to allow entry. He finds himself in a kitchen, as does
the player in Zork I. Incidentally, there are no chairs in the
house in the game, nor is there an old man living in the house.
7. The old man greets the gamer by informing him of how
infrequently anyone visits the house. he then goes some way to
explaining this lack of company when he describes how his obsession
with the Zork games has prompted him to board his front door and
leave his window open instead to conform with the white house in
Zork I. the hermit then offers the gamer rest and food. The "tasty
food" referred to by the hermit can actually be found in the
building found in Colossal Cave, the first computerized text
adventure ever created. this adventure would be crucial in
inspiring the creation of the original mainframe version of Zork,
now known as Dungeon.
8. The gamer and hermit are better acquainted through long and
worthwhile conversation. the hermit displays intelligence,
eloquence, and kindness to the gamer, who is deeply effected by the
affability of his host.
9. Growing sleepy, the hermit shows the gamer to a couch for him to
sleep on, and proceeds to his own bed. The gamer sleeps well, but
has strange dreams. These dreams are of places and events in the
Zork universe. In the Zork trilogy, the player is constantly in
need of a source of light, which is usually a battery-powered brass
lantern. Almost all of the Zork trilogy takes place in underground
settings of various kinds.
10. The gamer briefly recounts the contents of his dreams. The
dragon is found in the second game of the Zork trilogy, "Zork II:
The Wizard of Froboz". Grues can be found in most of Infocom's
fantasy games. They are said to make sinister gurgles, and will
devour adventurers foolish enough to explore in darkness. The
rainbow and waterfall are found in Zork I, and the icy wall and
volcano core are in Zork II.
11. The gamer awakens to find more evidence of the hermit's
obsession with the Zork universe. The items mentioned are found in
the living room and attic of the white house in Zork I.
12. The day dawns, and the hermit makes a cheerful entrance. The
gamer asks him to shed light on the mysteries surrounding the house
and his dreams.
13. As the player does in Zork I, so the hermit moves aside a rug
to find a trap-door. The gamer helps him open it, and taking up an
actual replica of the famed fictitious lantern found in the Zork
trilogy, they proceed downwards into the cellar of Zork I.
14. Unlike the empty cellar in Zork I, the hermit's is full of
junk. The iron trunk is a chest found in "Zork III: The Dungeon
Master". The hermit requires the gamer's help to get it up into the
living room. In Zork III, the player must trust a pirate in order
to salvage anything from the chest.
15. The computer described by the gamer in such a deprecating
manner is modeled after an Apple II E, one of the earliest popular
home computers on which games like Zork could be played. Old five-
and-a-quarter-inch floppies could normally hold around three
hundred and sixty kilobytes. This is far less than half a megabyte,
which is comprised of one thousand kilobytes.
16. The hermit begins his explanation by telling the gamer about
Infocom. Despite enjoying a period of phenomenal fame and success,
Infocom has since faded largely into obscurity.
17. The hermit reveals the origin of Zork, and prepares to show his
attentive listener one of the Zork games.
18. The hermit gives the player a manual to one of the Zork games.
Infocom took extraordinary pains to provide players with plenty of
background information and documentation to its games. The Zork
documentation largely consisted of historical information, a
realistic travel guide, and a financial report from the dominant
corporation in the Great Underground Empire, or GUE.
19. The gamer emerges from being engrossed in the book to find that
the hermit is completely absorbed in the game he had originally
loaded for the gamer's benefit. The gamer is originally angered by
this, but this quickly turns to shame as he recognizes that he is
similarly guilty of ignoring those around him while playing games.
20. The gamer is angry at having his expectations dashed by
discovering only text on the old screen. The hermit responds to the
gamer's ire with Infocom's response to similar surprise and
questions regarding the lack of graphics in their games.
21. The gamer quickly finds himself hooked on interactive fiction,
and is led to wonder why such good games could not support the
company which made them. Before he can ask, he intuits the answer
of why Infocom collapsed commercially.
22. The gamer realizes that graphical games, far easier to grasp
intuitively, spelled the demise of Infocom. As graphical games
became more refined, Infocom's text games were unable to attract
such large numbers of entertainment-seekers. In truth, Sierra's
graphical adventures were a more direct threat to Infocom's
survival. As the King's Quest, Space Quest, and Police quest games
emerged, they provided a midpoint between the simple video game and
the brain-taxing and completely non-visually stimulating text
adventure.
23. The Masterpiece CD referred to by the hermit is produced by
Activision, and is called the Infocom Masterpieces CD. It contains
thirty of Infocom's best games, and can be found in computer
stores.
24. The hermit gives the financially strapped gamer further cause
for celebration by telling him of the many free works of
interactive fiction obtainable from the Internet. These are mostly
found at:
ftp.gmd.de/if-archive.
The entire Zork trilogy can be found at:
ftp.activision.com/activision/zork/legacy
Hints and documentation for these games is available at:
ftp.gmd.de/if-archive
25. The hermit ends his lecture, and tells the gamer to return home
and try these games for himself.
The En
++
The Latest Finds
+
Patrick R. Davis has recently passed along information regarding a
new version of the old Trucker game by Jim Kitchen. as well, he has
found two new trivia games with sound blaster support. Although I
haven't had a chance to check any of these out just yet, I
certainly plan to in the near future. you can find the Trucker game
along with other works by Jim Kitchen at:
ftp.clark.net/pub/poehlman/dostruck.zip
Below is his review information of the game:
. The game is by Hughes Glanford (sorry for the spelling), and Jim
Kitchen has added sounds to it. You start out in a garage, and they
fuel and do a bunch of maintenance to your truck and you can choose
some cargo to deliver. You can deliver
U.S mail, freight, or oranges (which are a pain in the butt to
transport because you need to buy extra gas to run the air
conditioner). 40,000 pounds is the legal limit, but if you carry
more than that, you get paid for it. But there are weighing scales
along your route that charge for the extra weight.
After you pick your cargo and how much of it you want to take,
you pick your route. You can pick the northern route, middle
route, or southern route. The northern route is shorter, but there
is more weather hazards and Smokeys (police cars) on that route.
The southern route has lesser of those, but it is the longest
route. It also has more weighing scales along that route also.
The middle route has less weighing scales, but it is also a long
route. After you pick your route, you start out on the road. The
speed limit is 55 miles an hour. sometimes you can speed, but be
careful. The Smokeys will pull you over. There are truck stops
along all the routes, so you can refuel. You have unlimited money,
but try to spend as little as possible. That's all I'll give you,
so you can figure out the game by yourself.
Well, I hope these reviews helped you. I am glad there are
starting to be more games for blind people with sound blaster
support. Oh, I almost forgot. I was looking through the Ann
Morris Enterprises catalog, and I found two trivia games with sound
blaster support. The price for the first one was $20 US, but I
forgot what the second one's price was. You might want to check
that one out. If I ever get any of the two, I will send a review
to you.
Patrick
This news is fantastic for all of you trivia buffs out there. If
anyone decides to buy these games, please do send your reviews of
them our way.
+
Break98
Reviewed by Michael Feir and Adam Taylor
Breakout was an old game for the Atari. The main idea is to smash
through a wall of objects in as few shots as possible. There are
four variations included in PCS's package. The first one is the
standard bust-through game where you try and punch a hole through
the wall as quickly as possible. The next is Clear the Wall, where
you must knock out all the objects in a wall with as few misses as
possible. Third is a version called Squeeze Play, where the wall
squeezes shut and you must break through before this occurs. the
final version is Stretching Point where the wall gets wider and
wider until it breaks apart.
For those on the look-out for arcade simplicity, you've got it in
this game. It is extremely good for those times when your higher
faculties have been exhausted, or when you don't have time to
become involved in anything too complex like Adom. I found it quite
a good alternative to studying for my final exam.
Sounds chosen for this game are fairly good for the most part, but
I find the cheering of crowds to be a bit of a break from the
arcade mode of the game. Some of the sounds chosen for objects
could do with a bit of improvement. Adam was briefly under the
impression that the third level sound meant a miss. Of the arcade-
style games put out by PCS so far, this one is one of the best, and
should sell quite well. Adam points out that in the original
Breakout game, you had to control the paddle and stop the ball from
bouncing off the screen. PCS couldn't think of a good way to do
that, but if anyone has any suggestions, please send them along to
us and PCS as well.
++
ACTIVISION DISCONTINUES
THE MASTERPIECES OF INFOCOM CD-ROM
By Kelly John Sapergia
For the past few months, I've been submitting reviews of text
adventure games to Audyssey. But what I'm about to say, I think,
deserves public reaction:
Today, I phoned the Activision company to see if the Masterpiece
Collection of Infocom games CD was still available. I was
expecting an answer like "Yes, it's still available". But what I
was told was this: "The Masterpiece Collection of Infocom Games CD-
ROM is no longer in production"! I was stunned! No,
devastated! I was seriously thinking about ordering that CD-ROM,
and now it's no longer in production! Now, my only question is
this: how are we going to play all the classic Infocom games now
that this CD is no longer being produced? I asked the sales rep
where I could find the games included on this CD. She told me that
the only Infocom CD's that they had left were "The Adventure
Collection" (which I got for a Christmas present two years ago),
and the "Comedy Collection". The other categories (mystery, science
fiction, etc) are no longer available either!
I am a serious adventure game player who has enjoyed playing the
games included with the "Adventure Collection" as well as games
like Moonmist, the entire Zork trilogy, as well as the Infocom
samplers. But I also wanted to play all their other titles that
they had produced, such as "Suspended", the Enchanter series,
"Stationfall", "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy",
"Leather Goddesses of Phobos", "Beyond Zork", etc. Now, I, and
possibly other adventure game players like myself, probably won't
get that opportunity to play all those games now that this CD-ROM
is gone, unless they are available on the Internet, but somehow I
doubt it. That's why I'm trying to find someone who has a copy of
this, and other Infocom game compilation CD-ROM's.
I tried calling my local computer store, but they don't have any.
I'm going to try putting an add on our Amateur Radio Swap 'n Shop
(like the classifieds section of a newspaper, only we do it on Ham
radio), and I'm now going to put the add in Audyssey.
If you, or someone you know, has a copy of "The Masterpieces of
Infocom" CD-ROM, or any other Infocom compilations on CD (except
the Adventure Collection), that you (or your friends) are
willing to part with, please call or write to me. My address is:
Kelly Sapergia
Box 244
Mortlach, SK
S0H 3E0, Canada
When you write, please send your letter to me in one of the
following formats:
- Braille (Grade 2 only)
- Cassette (2- or 4-track tape)
- IBM 3.5 inch, high-density disks
You can also call me at (306) 355-2751, or email my brother, Derek,
who'll pass your letter along to me. His email address is:
Please check your collections. I'm desperate! (And I'm NOT
kidding!)
++
Game Reviews:
+
CosmoServe
Game Created by Judith Pintar
Reviewed for Audyssey by Kelly Sapergia
Have you always wondered what CompuServe would probably look
like in the 21st century? Well, wonder no more! Welcome to
CosmoServe, an "Adventure Game For The BBS Enslaved", created by
Judith Pintar, who was also one of the authors of "Shades Of Gray",
another excellent game!
The version of CosmoServe I have is the final release, called
CosmoServe 97. (What's the difference between CosmoServe 97 and the
original game?)
Anyway, here's what this game's all about: you are R.J.
Wright, a plumber/programmer who is trying to fix a program for a
client. However, there are some problems that you have to deal
with, which are:
- The package (meaning the program) must be ready for your client
by 8:00 AM the next day.
- At the start of the game, you've forgotten the new password to
update your automated logging scripts for CIS (CosmoServe
Information Service).
Note- I don't like to give any secrets away, but it's hard to find
the password. You have to look all over your house to find all the
pieces of paper that contain your new password. It isn't easy, so
for those of you who can't find the entire password, I'll give it
to you right now. The new password (and this is the one you need to
use to log on to CIS) is: OPTIMIZATION-DIAPHRAGM.
- The program you wrote for your client isn't working right.
So basically, the goal of the game is to find out how to fix your
program. But once you log onto CIS, you've got even more problems
because someone is using your password to defraud your CIS
account and you have a virus on your computer that can't be removed
with any virus scanning and cleaning programs!
This game is a cross between an interactive fiction game and a
simulation. Basically, the only time you'll be using the normal IF
commands are while the computer is off, and when you finally get
onto virtual reality.
For the rest of the game, you'll have to use either normal DOS
commands (remember, this is a simulated computer you're using),
and/or key in menu choices. This is actually kind of neat,
because I didn't know that you could create simulations like this
in IF games. I think this is the first IF game that uses a
simulated environment.
One thing I like about this game is that you can go and
explore CIS and have fun at the same time. You may not get any
points by doing some things, but that's OK. There are a few types
of forums you can go to. There is a forum where you can do
your shopping online. This is useful for getting all the virtual
reality gear you need, and some other items you need such as a
screwdriver.
Another thing I like to do, being the adventurous person that I am,
is to try downloading executables from the simulated
computer. For instance, in the Virus forum, there is a file in the
library named HAHA.EXE. You simply have to type DOWNLOAD, followed
by a file name without the extension. So, for instance, if I want
to download the file HAHA.EXE, I just have to type:
DOWNLOAD HAHA
and press Enter.
I downloaded this file just to see what happened. After I logged
off of CIS, I switched to the simulated download directory, and
typed HAHA. What happened next was so frightening I couldn't
believe what I just heard. OK, here's what happened: after I typed
HAHA, the word HAHA appeared on the simulated DOS prompt. After
typing in another command, like CD\, for example, the computer (the
real one) started playing a little catchy tune. My voice
synthesizer, which is an Artic Vision, started saying "Ha ha ha" in
time to the music! (I'm not making this up!) Towards the end of the
tune, the synthesizer said the following message: "Your ...
computer ... is ... DEAD!" The sound of the simulated computer
shutting down was a little startling, but I was more surprised when
I was informed that "Your computer has been
destroyed by a virus!"
"Oh NO!!!" I thought, and nearly came close to screaming with
fright. Then I heard the real DOS prompt being spoken by my
synthesizer. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I was also shaking
from fright. Well, that's what I get for playing so many text
adventures, and I'm not about to stop now! But anyway, just to be
safe, I did a virus check of my whole hard drive. There was no
virus.
But other than that, the game was exciting. As a matter of fact,
you can try using this simulated virus. Just remember to save your
place in the game before you download the file!
CosmoServe is a totally excellent and a really fun game to both
play and fool around with! Even if you aren't on CompuServe or any
other online service like the Internet (I must admit that I fit
into this category), you'll still get a lot of enjoyment out of
this game.
The simulated computer was an excellent addition to this game. The
only thing that destroys this illusion is that if you type in an
invalid directory, you'll get a message like "I don't
understand <command> as a verb" or "A noun", etc. <COMMAND> is what
you typed in to cause the error.
CosmoServe was written using a modified edition of AGT (how do
they make all those modified versions anyway?) To make the game
speech-friendly, just edit the COSMOS.BAT file that comes with
CosmoServe, and add a /B to the end of the command, just before the
line that says PAUSE. (You can get rid of the PAUSE line in the
batch file if you wish.)
On a scale of 1 to 10, I rated this game 10. Why? Well, for one
thing, the simulated computer features were really nice and the
sound effects in this game are excellent! The only problem I have
with this game is that there is, as far as I know, no
solution file for the game. However, there are three ways to get
some useful hints for this game.
The first way to get some hints is to type:
GO HINTS
at just about any CosmoServe prompt. You'll be asked to pick a hint
that you want. (a word of warning: Don't choose hint 6 from the
hint menu. If you absolutely have to do this, save your game before
you choose this hint! You'll see what I mean when you choose this
hint.) After you select the hint you want, try going into a
conference, and type HELLO at different times. (Judith can't answer
your hint requests immediately, but she will at some point in the
game.)
The other way to get online hints is to go to the Virtual Hints
office while you're in Virtual Reality. (Just go northeast from
your starting point when you first go on VR.) When you get to the
Virtual Hint Office, you'll meet Judith Pintar herself, the person
who wrote this game. Just type in something like "ASK JUDITH ABOUT
THE ADAPTOR" (meaning the Virtual Reality Adaptor) and you'll get
a hint. (You won't lose any points when you use any of these hint
methods.)
The third way of getting a hint for this game is to keep reading
Audyssey! In the next issue, I'll provide some basic hints for
beginning players.
I got a copy of CosmoServe 97 on the Internet, but my brother,
Derek, can't get back onto that site. He tried using the search
engines on the Net, but can't find the site anymore. You can
probably find both versions of CosmoServe on the FTP.GMD.DE
archive.
+
"JOHN'S FIRE WITCH"
Game by John T. Baker
Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia
"John's Fire Witch" is what the author of this game calls "a
snack-sized adventure", in which you play a friend of John (who's
the author of this game). Anyway, you were to meet him at a local
bar, but he never showed up. So after downing a few beers, you went
to his apartment, and found that he wasn't there either! The living
room is littered with junk, such as beer cans, papers, etc. You are
tired, so you fall asleep. When you wake up, you find that it's
snowing heavily outside. You then search the apartment to see what
you can find. You find a flashlight in the bathroom, a picture of
a very pretty girl under some clothes that John just piled up, and
a diary under the bed. You then flip through the diary, and read
the following entry. (Note that this was taken directly from the
game itself.)
The last couple of pages are really strange. Apparently a few days
ago, a hole opened in John's basement due to some water damage.
John has been having dreams about a "Fire Witch" and an "Ice
Wizard" that live down this hole.
Here's the part that's really weird: he thinks the dreams are real.
The ice wizard has imprisoned the fire witch, and John seems almost
obsessed with freeing her. He also talks about a "magic crystal
card" that the fire witch gave him in a dream. By rubbing it and
saying the "magic word" necken-sway, John thinks that he can find
the fire witch. He talks about the card as if he actually has it in
his possession.
Obviously, years of heavy drinking have finally destroyed his mind,
but maybe not, because you actually find a crystal card among his
clothes! Anyway, you continue to search the apartment and find a
hole in his basement wall. You follow the hole and find yourself in
a room with walls made out of a red crystal. You'll have to find
the rest out for yourself.
This game was written using TADS. It's designed mainly for
beginners, but some of the puzzles are tricky. I haven't
completed this game, but I must admit, it's a lot of fun, and will
keep you playing for hours.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this game is rated at 8. I wish that there
were built-in hints in the game for some of the more difficult
puzzles, but I guess we can't have a hint system in every game. I
also don't approve of the author's registration method. This game
is shareware, and the registration price is $6.00 US. The
problem is that the author doesn't give his mailing address, but an
E-mail address. Other than these problems, the game is quite good.
You can find this game in the FTP.GMD.DE archive.
+
URBAN CLEANUP
By Phillip Dearmore of NeoText Software
Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia
"Urban Cleanup" is a sci-fi adventure game created with TADS. In
the game, you must put together a new device called a
Neuroacter 3000. After that, you have to put in your new game
cartridge, called "Urban Cleanup" incidently, turn on the device,
and you're playing a game within a game! However, the new game that
you bought, (I mean the cartridge) isn't working right, because
parts of the game that you play are scrambled. (Now why would
somebody want to do that to a game?) I think that you have to find
out what's going on, but I'm not sure.
This is one of those games that I wish had never been written.
The storyline and the plot are good, but the game isn't really all
that fun. For one thing, I have no clue as to what I'm
supposed to do! I can put together the Neuroacter 3000, and insert
the cartridge and start the game, but after that I get stuck! I
would have liked to see some built-in hints or
something. In fact, the only documentation that's provided is some
instructions on how to play a text adventure game!
On a scale of 1 to 10, this game is being rated at 5. Like I
said, the story is interesting, but I'm not impressed with the
overall game itself. If you would like to try this game, you can
probably download this game from the NeoText Software web site at:
http://www.eskimo.com/~morbeus/neotext.html
+
"SKYLAND'S STAR"
Game by Castle Software
Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia
The earth is in desperate trouble. The rapid population growth
and the need for electricity has nearly depleted the earth's fossil
fuels. Nuclear power helps a little, but isn't enough to keep up
with the growing need for energy. In this game, you play the role
of a scientist. Your assignment is to travel into the future and
try to discover how people in the future use energy. You only have
10 hours to complete your mission. Basically, it's up to you to
save the world.
The game is a lot of fun to play. It's almost like an Infocom
game, except that the parser isn't like that of Infocom's popular
Z-Machine code. The game itself was written using Borland C. One
thing that people using speech may find annoying is that the game
writes directly to the screen, rather than BIOS (Basic Input and
Output System). This means that you'll have to keep going into your
Review mode in order to find out what's on the screen. Another
thing I don't really like about the game is that you can't choose
between BRIEF descriptions or VERBOSE descriptions. (Verbose is
when the descriptions are repeated when you enter a room that you
have already been in.)
I haven't completed this game, but so far, I think it's pretty
good!
On a scale of 1 to 10, this game is rated at 8. The story and
plot are great, and even though the game doesn't provide any online
help (you have to register the game to get hints), it's still fun
to play.
This game should be available on the Internet at FTP.GMD.DE.
+
PROBLEMS RUNNING "THE LEGEND LIVES!"
By Kelly Sapergia
A few weeks ago, I was talking to Michael Feir, the editor of
Audyssey, about the game "The Legend Lives!" We, specifically, were
discussing why the game would work well on my computer but not his.
Mike told me that after he typed the command "LEGEND" at the DOS
prompt ("LEGEND" was the name of the batch file included with the
game itself), his computer locked up on him and he had to reset the
system, whereas on my system, and on other
computers, the game would work with no problems. Later, I found out
that he was using Windows 95's DOS shell. (I should point out here
that at this time I don't use Windows on my computer.) Anyway, for
those of you who are having the same problems with this game,
here's one solution to try in order to correct this problem.
Load the LEGEND.BAT into your favourite text editor. (Note that
your word processor/editor program MUST be able to save this file
in plain ASCII text!) You'll see that just about all the lines have
REM statements in front of them. This is okay, because there is
some information about how to set up the game. Anyway, move your
cursor to a line that should read something like this:
REM SET GO32=NODPMI
Note- I'm not sure what DPMI is, but I think it's a protected mode
for some programs.
Anyway, remove the REM statement from the line. It should now look
like this:
SET GO32=NODPMI
then save the file, and answer "YES" if you get a question about
overwriting the original file.
You should now be able to run "The Legend Lives!" game without any
further trouble. If you still are having problems running the game
under Windows, try to contact someone on one of the Internet
newsgroups about Interactive Fiction games, such as
REC.GAMES.INT-FICTION. If you can't get any help that way, then try
contacting David Baggett, the author of this game, assuming he's
still on the Internet. His Internet address is:
DMB@AI.MIT.EDU.
+
LOSING YOUR GRIP
Review by Theresa van Ettinger
Found at: ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/tads, filename grip.gam Or:
http://www.phy.duke.edu/~sgranade/lyg.html, and follow the links.
"Losing your Grip" is an intriguing new game which revolves around
Terry
Hastings, a man trying to come to terms with his life. It
incorporates
several aspects, from fantasy to logic, presented in five "fits",
or
sections. The writing is excellent, and the puzzles are
challenging, and
have meaning within the game. Granade uses excellent NPC's to help
the
game progress, and they often add a lively touch to the storyline.
This
game is one that I have spent hours trying to conquer, and I've
loved
every
minute of it. It can be registered as well, which will give the
player
online hint access, as well as a manual and a few other documents.
I would strongly recommend this game for anyone who wanted
something they
could really get involved in.
+
PHLEGM
Game Created by "Adjacent Drooler"
Reviewed by Kelly John Sapergia
Are you looking for a game that offers both puzzles and LOTS of
humour? If you are, then try out PHLEGM! This game involves you
trying to find items to make a cannon fire at a chest that is in a
tree. This is really the only major point of the game! But don't
worry. There are other easier puzzles in the game, such as
acquiring the Holy Grail from a ruined Mayan temple. The game also
is one of the funniest ones that I've ever played! The humour,
though, comes from Leo the "Lemming", who is your companion.
Believe me, he does a good job in some places. In fact, when I
completed the game, I nearly fell off my chair after I read the
ending of the game. (Before you fire the cannon, you'll have to
find Leo. I'm not going to reveal where he is, but he's easy to
find.)
This game was created using the Inform language. In order to
play this game, you're going to need an interpreter that will play
both Infocom games and games created using Inform. My
favourite interpreter is DOS Frotz. You can find it on the
Internet in the FTP.GMD.DE archives. It can be found in the
Interpreters section of the INFOCOM directory.
If you want to get Frotz from a web site, the home page for Frotz
is:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/3222/frotz.htmL
The file name for this game is PHLEGM.Z5.
+
Games for the Blazie Notetaker Family:
Reviews by Theresa van Ettinger
Here are some reviews of games I have found for the Blazie
Engineering family of notetakers. All of them are available via
FTP from
ftp://blazie.com/pub/games. These are the ones I have had the most
experience with, and gotten the most out of:
+
Solitaire
Written by Daehee Lee
This game is basically Klondike Solitaire. Instead of using
jack,
queen, king, and ace for the face cards, however, it uses 11, 12,
13, and
1, respectively. The suits are the conventional hearts, spades,
etc. It
uses keys basically reminiscent of standard BNS commands, although
a few
are added. This is an excellent game which I would guess was based
on
Lee's work in programming Windows Master (Blazie's screen Reader
for
Windows) to work with Solitaire.
+
Minesweeper
Written by Daehee Lee
Minesweeper is also a takeoff on a Windows game which is
actually
quite visual on Windows, but was adapted nicely to work with
Blazie's
products. It consists of a square grid, on which are anywhere from
10 to
225 squares, represented on the BNS as a ?. For this game, it is
a good
idea to have punctuation set to most if you are not using a Braille
Lite.
Otherwise, your unit will not speak the question marks, and it
could seem
like nothing's going on. It uses commands that will probably not
be
obvious when you first turn the program on, but make sense when you
see
them in the documentation and think of how the dots fit into the
Braille
cell. The object is to uncover all the squares, without uncovering
any of
the bombs which lie scattered throughout the grid. There are 3
different
levels of difficulty, which determine the nuamber of bombs as well
as the
size of the grid on which they are placed. This one is a little
more
complicated than Solitaire, but still a well-done game.
+
Bongo
By Jan Eskerod
Did you grow up watching sighted friends or siblings playing
maze
games with the object of killing the enemy gaining points through
eating
certain figures on the screen, and collecting useful objects to
help them
achieve those goals? Did you sit there wishing you could do
something
like that? Bongo, a new game by Jan Eskerod, captures this type of
gaming
extremely well, transferring it into a form usable by the blind.
The one
limitation, however, is that to play it, you will need to be using
a
Braille Lite, since much of the information with regard to the
location of
walls, the enemy, and other item, is conveyed via the Braille
Display.
But if you have the Braille Lite, it is quite worth it. I've
racked up as
much as 1130 points in 1 sitting. This is one game that could
easily
become addicting.
+
Hangman
Author unknown
For all you word people out there, there is a version of
Hangman
for the BNS. It uses beeps to display where the blanks are, and
speaks
the name of the body part that is being added to the noose when the
guess
is incorrect. Also, for the Braille Lite, it prints the word using
dashes
for the blanks. This program also has a feature to allow you to
create
your own lists of words to play from. It also has a quiet mode for
turning off the blanks. I'm not sure, though, if that would work
for BNS
or TNS.
*Note: Unless specific exceptions are mentioned, BNS refers to any
notetaker by Blazie.
++
News From PCS
In recent discussions with PCS conducted by myself as well as
earlier discussions by Patrick R. Davis, a number of interesting
happenings have surfaced. I will begin first with Patrick's letter,
and then follow through with the results of my own discussions.
From: Patrick R Davis, March 27, 1998
hi Michael,
I don't know if you have already done this, but I talk to Carl
Mickla from PCS when I have a problem with my computer (which is
quite
often). He has told me that he has made two other games, a Cops
and
Robbers game (similar to Fox and Hounds), and a maze game (where
you are
trapped underground and you have to get out by finding the openings
to
the mazes that you are in). He has told me that the codes are
done, all
that need to be done to them is having the sounds added. He
estimates
that they will be out in two weeks. He is also working on a
keyboard
game for young people that are learning the keyboard. He says that
this
game shouldn't take him too long to make. He plans to write a
spelling
game, where you are in a school house. The computer gives you a
word to
spell, and you have to walk around the school looking for the
letters
that spell the given word. He has put the Football game off to the
side
though. He hurt his back a while ago, and he said that he spent
too much
time in bed. He is planing to write a Dungeons and Dragons game,
and he
says it may take up more than two disks.
In a more recent discussion, it appears that the Football game will
take longer than expected due to the amount of time it takes to
enter the stats for all the teams. Plans are changing as to how
many teams to offer with the original release, and how many must be
purchased separately. It took Carl and Phil a week of typing to
transfer the stats for two teams over to the format they are using
for data storage. During the time they spend doing this, they can't
work on anything else. This puts them in quite a dilemma. It
appears that what they plan to do is to release a number of smaller
games in order to keep interest in them alive, and release their
more ambitious works at the rate of one or two a year. It will be
quite interesting to see how this strategy works out over the
coming months.
As you'll see in the "Latest Finds" section, PCS has released their
best arcade adaptation to date. They have pretty much succeeded in
adapting the old classic game of Breakout for the blind. They were
kind enough to send a copy of their game along, and although Adam
and I found some small points to pounce on, it is overall quite an
addictive game.
At long last, it appears that PCS is experiencing better times in
terms of revenue. Sales are picking up, with Bowling and PCS Shoot
being the top sellers. They are still eager for suggestions for
games to make, and if you enjoy the Space Miners game found in this
issue, you'll be pleased to learn that a deluxe version of that
game with many more features is under development. As soon as Adam
and I are finished adding new and exciting features to the game, it
will be submitted to PCS. These two gentlemen will take our concept
and breathe life into the game, turning it into an interactive
experience with endless re-play value.
++
Space Miners
by Michael Feir and Adam Taylor
This game was another assignment for my Creative Writing class.
Almost all of the original concepts and all of the text was
composed strictly by me. However, Adam provided a few good ideas,
and was also quite helpful in making the board and gathering pieces
used in the initial rough and ready play-testing. He also came up
with the presently implemented collision mechanics and the velocity
changing system. For blind players, the easiest thing is probably
to make a grid using text characters for symbols representing
objects, and move the various pieces accordingly. All you require
are six-sided dice. Of course, when PCS programs the game, it will
be a lot easier to play. The deluxe version will be developed
during the next couple of months, and if any of you play this game,
your suggestions and criticisms will be very much appreciated. This
game may be distributed freely as part of the magazine or on its
own, but Adam and I retain authorship of this game.
+
Contents:
Introduction
Game Setup
Game Play
Player Ships
Corporation Ships
The Corporation Base
Meteors
Pirate Ships
Aliens
Commodities
+
Introduction:
You are a miner operating in a sector at the edge of known space.
The sector's heavy concentration of meteors has attracted you
despite the increased dangers of pirates and hostile aliens. You
must try and recover as much ore as possible for the corporation
base at the centre of the sector. Other opportunities of making a
profit will also present themselves from time to time. The first
player to accumulate a certain amount of wealth agreed upon before
the start of the game by all players is the winner. This game can
be played by anywhere from one to four players. At least one player
must agree to manage game statistics and object movement. Each
player is responsible for his/her own ship.
+
Game Setup
The sector in which the game takes place is composed of a twenty-
one by twenty-one square grid of locations. The bottom left corner
is location (1,1), and the top right corner is (21,21). The
corporation base should be denoted by an X placed in the centre
square of the grid. No location may contain more than a single
object at any time. Each player must choose a location adjacent to
the centre square. After this is done, players should each equip
their ships as they see fit. Consult the Player Ships section for
instructions and limitations. The Commodities section contains item
prices. Each player should maintain their own player information
sheet, and should record the initial statistics of their ships,
along with their financial balance remaining after they have
finished outfitting their ships. Mark the positions of player ships
on the sector grid with the numbers 1 through 4. Next, find the
starting positions of eight meteors by using the following standard
procedure:
1. Roll one die, and let each edge of the grid be represented by
a number from one to four starting with one at the top and
proceeding clockwise. If a five or six appears, re-roll until a
number from one to four appears.
2. Roll four dice and subtract three from the result to find out
where along the edge the meteor enters the sector. Record the
position and direction of each meteor on the game information
sheet. Keep in mind that meteors travel in straight lines from
their point of entry to their point of exit at the opposite edge of
the sector. The positions should also be indicated on the sector
grid with the letter M.
Next, find the starting location, speed, and direction of three
pirate ships. To obtain the location of each ship, roll four dice
twice, subtracting three from each total to get the horizontal and
vertical coordinates. To find the speed of each ship, roll one die
and enter the result in the game information sheet. To find out
which direction the ship initially faces, roll one die until a
number between one and four appears, assigning each cardinal
direction a number from one to four going clockwise from the top.
if coordinates rolled for a ship are already occupied, or the ship
is situated so that its first move will take it out of the sector
or into an occupied location, re-roll coordinates and direction for
that ship. Mark the starting location of each ship with an
exclamation mark on the sector grid. Record the location, speed,
and direction of each ship in the first three pirate slots. To
determine the sector's initial safety rating, roll one die and
record the result on the game information sheet. Finally, all
players must agree upon a target amount of earnings to set as the
winning requirement. After this has been recorded on the game
information sheet, the game may begin.
+
Game Play:
The game is divided into rounds of play. During each round, all
ships are given an opportunity to perform two primary functions.
All mobile objects are also re-positioned based on their speed and
course. This process starts with the player ships, with the fastest
players being allowed to move first. If there are player ships
travelling at the same velocity, the player with the higher token
number goes first. After players have made their moves, non-player
ships take their turns in ascending orders of slot numbers. Pirates
are dealt with first, followed by any corporation ships, hostile
aliens, and friendly aliens in play. Finally, any meteors in play
proceed along their courses. To find out how a non-player ship
moves, check to see if any of its constant rules apply. this will
happen if the ship is attacking another ship, going after salvage,
or responding to being heavily damaged. If the ship is trying to
close on an objective, it will always move in a manner which brings
it closer to alignment with its target. For example, if its target
is three locations north and four locations east, the ship will
first move north, and will then turn east and close with the target
location. Any constant rules only apply to objects within five
locations of the moving ship. If no rules apply, the ship will move
randomly. When ships move randomly, they turn or change velocity at
the beginning of their movement. Roll one die. If a one is rolled,
the ship will turn left. A two means it will turn right. Three will
cause the ship to accelerate by one location per round. Four will
cause it to decelerate by one location per round. A five or six
will cause it to increase to maximum speed, or come to a dead stop
respectively. The game proceeds from round to round as described
above, with the following exception:
Before the start of every fifth round, roll two dice, subtract one
from the result, and consult the corresponding entry in the current
events table below. When doing so, keep in mind that:
1. No current event can happen twice in a row. If the same event is
rolled, roll again until a different number appears.
2. Only one special condition, such as a shortage or sale, can take
place at a time. If such an event is rolled before a special
condition has either been dealt with or has expired, re-roll until
a standard event occurs.
3. If a current event entry has "Safety" written before its
description, a safety check must be performed. Roll one die. if the
result is equal to or less than the sector's current safety rating,
the event will occur. If it is higher, roll for another current
event.
4. No more than four pirates, three traders, eight freighters, four
hostile aliens, two friendly aliens, and twelve meteors may be in
the sector at any time. If any of these maximum limits would be
exceeded by a current event, re-roll until a different one appears.
Current Events Table:
1. Special condition: The corporation is experiencing a temporary
shortage of ore. Computer projections from the material resources
division indicate that this shortage will persist for the next
thirty rounds unless the amount of ore reaching Central HQ
increases dramatically. In an effort to minimize long-term losses
resulting from being unable to meet customer demands, Central HQ
has taken the following steps:
First of all, the reserve fleet of freighters has been mobilized.
Regardless of current safety conditions, they will launch in
convoys of three along one of the four trade-routes. After each
convoy successfully escapes the sector, a new one will be launched
as soon as the docking square along the selected trade-route is
left unoccupied. Use the trade-route selection procedure to set
each convoy in motion. Every freighter which successfully leaves
the sector will deduct one round from the length of the shortage.
If more than three convoys escape the sector intact before the
crisis is over, Central HQ will upgrade the sector's safety rating
by one point. For every five freighters destroyed, Central HQ will
deduct a point from your sector's safety rating.
To provide an incentive for maximum performance from miners, the
board of directors has authorized all sector bases to pay miners
double the normal amount for each hold of ore delivered for the
duration of this crisis.
2. Special Condition: Due to current conditions of relative safety
and/or an over-abundance of supplies, the base has decided to sell
its wares at half normal price. This sale will remain in effect for
the next thirty rounds unless the sector's safety rating drops by
more than two points from its current value. Should this
unfortunate event occur, the sale will end prematurely.
3. Safety: Base Defense command has granted a licensed trader
access to the sector. Use the ship entry procedure to determine the
initial course and location of the trader. Should the safety rating
of the sector fall two or more points below its current level, the
trader will leave the sector as fast as possible. Until this
happens, or the trader is destroyed, it will remain in the sector
until its license expires in forty rounds. Base Defense command
advises all miners that any pirates in the sector will attempt to
destroy the trader and salvage its large stock of nuclear missiles.
this potential crisis must be avoided at all costs. if a trader is
destroyed, an emergency recovery craft will be launched to the
resulting salvage location. This craft has been outfitted with the
latest in stealth technology, so it cannot be tracked or targeted
by any means. The salvage will be recovered five rounds after it
appears, and safely returned to the custody of the corporation. If
miners reach the salvage location prior to the recovery craft, they
are authorized to retrieve as many as eight nuclear missiles for
their own use. Consult the section on pirates if one of these
manages to beat the recovery craft to the cite of the trader's
destruction. In this event, the safety rating of the sector will
automatically be reduced by three points.
4. Safety: A corporation freighter carrying supplies has entered
the sector and is heading towards the base along a trade-route. Use
the trade-route selection procedure to determine which route is
used. if the freighter is successful in reaching the base, and no
other special condition currently exists, a short sale will result
with the base selling its wares at half normal price for the next
ten rounds. if the freighter fails to reach the base, Central HQ
will perform a critical assessment of the sector's safety rating.
Roll one die. If a six appears, the corporation will lower the
safety rating of the sector by one point.
5. Corporation sensors have detected a pirate entering the sector.
Use the ship entry procedure to determine initial position, course,
and speed of the ship.
6. A meteor has entered the sector. Use the procedure found in the
Game Setup section to determine the initial position of the meteor.
7. Safety: A corporation freighter carrying ore is leaving the base
bound for another sector. Use the trade-rout selection procedure to
determine which rout the freighter takes. If the freighter succeeds
in leaving the sector, Central HQ will favourably assess the
sector's safety rating. Roll one die. If a five or six is rolled,
Central HQ will raise the safety rating of the sector by one point.
Should the freighter be destroyed or forced to return to base,
Central HQ will assess the safety rating of the sector in a more
critical manner. Roll one die. If a five or six appears, Central HQ
will lower the safety rating of the sector by one point.
8. Reports indicate that a hostile alien has entered the sector.
Use the standard ship entry procedure to determine the initial
position, course, and speed of the ship.
9. Safety: Base communications has received a broadcast from a
friendly alien entering the sector. Use the ship entry procedure to
determine the initial position, course, and speed of the ship.
should the alien be destroyed while travelling around the sector,
the corporation will have no choice but to reduce the sector's
safety rating by one point in the interest of diplomatic relations.
should the alien survive to leave the sector safely, the
corporation will automatically raise the sector's safety rating by
two points.
10. (If there are more than eight meteors in the sector, re-roll
for a different event.) The Base Defense Command has detected a
meteor storm entering the sector. Due to the increased navigational
hazard, the sector's safety rating has automatically been reduced
by one point. Use the procedure found in the Game Setup section to
find the initial positions of five to ten meteors. Only roll once
to determine the edge along which all of the new meteors will enter
from. (roll one die and add four). If the maximum of twelve meteors
would be exceeded by adding the total number rolled, simply add new
meteors until there are twelve in play.
11. Special Condition: The base is experiencing a critical shortage
of supplies. for the next fifty rounds, repairs will cost double
their normal price per damage point. Central HQ has sent a convoy
of three freighters in an attempt to eliminate this crisis before
rival corporations profit too greatly by it. If all three
freighters reach the base safely, the shortage will be over early.
If not, the shortage will run its full course.
Standard Procedures:
While many elements of this game call for procedures specific to
them, there are some standard procedures which will be used often.
The rest of this section will deal with these. Consult appropriate
sections for more specific procedures.
The most commonly use procedure in this game is the success roll.
Two dice are required. Success rolls are used to determine the
outcomes of attempts to perform uncertain actions. For example,
this procedure is used when attempting to mine a meteor or fire
weapons. The first step is to find the success potential, or the
odds in favour of success. Roll two dice, and add or subtract any
modifiers which might apply in current circumstances. After this is
done, decide and declare whether you will proceed with your
intended action or not. If you proceed, roll two dice again and add
or subtract any applicable modifiers. This results in the failure
potential. If the success potential is greater than or equal to the
failure potential, your attempt succeeds. Otherwise, it fails.
Regardless of the outcome, once you decide to proceed, you must
deduct the fuel and/or other supplies used from your inventory.
When a new ship enters the sector, it will do so from a point along
the edge, unless it is a corporation ship launched from the base.
The ship entry procedure is used for all non-corporation ships to
determine initial position, course, and speed. It is comprised of
the following steps:
1. Roll one die until a number from one to four appears. The
numbers one through four correspond to the top, right, bottom, and
left edges of the sector respectively.
2. Roll four dice and subtract three from the result. This number
is the point along the edge from either its left or lower extremity
at which the ship starts.
3. Roll one die to find out the ship's initial direction. A one or
two mean that the ship will initially head downwards or left along
its edge towards its first location. For instance, if the ship has
entered somewhere along the top edge, it would head left towards
(1,21). A three or four mean that the ship's initial course moves
it across the board towards the opposite edge. A five or six mean
that the ship begins moving upwards or right along its edge. 4. If
the ship's speed is not arbitrarily set, such as that of freighters
or traders, roll one die until a number appears which is equal to
or below the ship's maximum speed.
5. Examine the sector grid to make certain that the ship's first
move will not cause it to collide with any objects, or take it out
of the sector. Assuming these two conditions are met, the procedure
is valid. The ship's position, course, and speed should be recorded
on the game information sheet, and the appropriate symbol or piece
should be placed in the location on the sector grid. If the
procedure is not valid, repeat it until a valid set of numbers is
found.
The procedure for combat is basically equivalent to that of a
success roll with some important differences. All combat procedures
are initiated with a decision to obtain a weapons lock an attack on
either another ship, or a meteor. The procedure goes as follows: 1.
Roll two dice and add or subtract any applicable modifiers. The
resulting number represents the quality of the lock on the intended
target. The higher this number, the more likely it is that an
attack will be successful in causing damage. If a player is
attacking, he/she must declare that he/she is locking weapons on
whatever is being attacked. He/she must then declare what the lock
obtained is, and list the modifiers which have applied.
2. Based on this lock and any other relevant circumstances, the
decision must now be made on whether to proceed with the intended
attack, and what amount of power or which missile will be used. The
attacker may abort his attack at this stage. However, once arrived
at, the decision is final. If the decision is made to attack,
players must adjust their player information sheets accordingly.
For the purposes of avoiding tedious maintenance, it is assumed
that non-player ships carry an unlimited supply of weaponry, and
that their beam weapons do not overheat. Consult the constant rules
for a non-player attacker and take those which apply into
consideration to determine the decision of the ship. Regardless of
the decision arrived at, it must be declared.
3. At this point, unless a meteor is being targeted, ships may
defend themselves from attack as they see fit. If players are being
attacked, they must implement their defensive options at this
point, before the failure potential is found. Consult the player
ships section, or the relevant non-player ships section concerning
these options before proceeding to the next step.
4. Roll two dice and add or subtract any applicable modifiers to
find the failure potential. The same conditions apply as with any
normal success roll, so a weapons lock must be equal to or higher
than the failure potential in order to score a hit. If it is equal
to or greater than double the value of the failure potential, a
critical hit is scored. Consult the commodities section, or the
relevant non-player ship section to obtain information on what the
effects of a critical hit from various weapons are.
5. Record the results in the appropriate lines of the game
information sheet and/or the player information sheets involved.
When a meteor collides with a ship, the vessel suffers three points
of damage, and the meteor is destroyed. It does not detonate as
when hit by a weapon, but is simply pulverized into dust. Two
meteors colliding with each other would destroy each other in a
similar manner with out effecting any adjacent locations. When two
ships collide, the striking vessel receives one point of damage per
unit of speed, and inflicts three points of damage per unit of
speed on the stricken vessel.
The trade-route selection procedure is used to start corporation
ships travelling either towards or away from the base at the centre
of the sector. The current event which calls for the use of this
procedure will indicate the end at which the vessel starts. Roll
one die until a number from one to four appears. These numbers
correspond to the north, east, south, and west trade-routes
respectively. As soon as the location at the appropriate end of the
trade-route is free, the ship will be placed on the location and
will start moving along the route to the other end. Ships which use
trade-routes will never abandon them, but will simply move along
them whenever possible.
When ships are travelling on parallel courses and are in adjacent
locations, they may conduct trade. With the aid of computerized
transferring procedures, practically any amount of cargo may be
moved between vessels in less time than it takes to travel through
a location. whenever traders and/or friendly aliens are adjacent to
each other, it is assumed that a transaction has occurred. the
transactions numbers of both ships should be increased by one on
the game information sheet. Only players may choose whether to
conduct transactions or not. the total transactions number on the
game information sheet should be increased by one whenever a
transaction occurs. Whenever it has increased by ten, the safety
rating of the sector will automatically be raised by one point to
its maximum of six.
+
Player ships:
Introduction:
Congratulations, pilot. You have been given command of a state of
the art corporation mining vessel, and with it, the opportunity to
earn substantial profits. This document will take you on a quick
tour of your new command. By the time you have completed it, you
will be familiar with all of its capabilities, capacities, and
functions. You will then be issued five thousand credits in advance
which you may use to purchase supplies and/or enhancements before
embarking on your first expedition. In addition to this guided
tour, this document will also brief you on your responsibilities as
well as other important matters not covered during the tour. You
are strongly urged to read this material carefully before embarking
on your first expedition. Please proceed to the docking bay which
contains your new mining vessel.
Engines and Fuel:
The first thing you will notice upon entering the docking bay are
your ship's engines. These are type four hydrogen detonation
engines. This means that you can accelerate to a top speed of four
locations per round while still maintaining an acceptable amount of
control. Hydrogen detonation engines were chosen primarily due to
long-term financial considerations. Hydrogen is collected and
refined at such a low cost that you will never be charged for fuel,
or need to worry about fuel shortages. These benefits are offset by
this element's extremely unstable nature. Due to the dangers of
internal explosion and/or leakage, your engines have been designed
with longevity and safety as priorities over precise
manoeuvrability. These priorities place some important restrictions
on your freedom of motion, so be certain to review the briefing on
the navigation console carefully when you get to it.
Please proceed along the starboard side of your ship. As you do,
look upwards above the engines and notice the two mountings. These
are matched by two identical ones on the port side of the ship.
They hold the main liquid hydrogen storage tank onto the vessel,
and contain ejection rockets which should be sufficiently powerful
to blow the tank clear in the event of an emergency. This tank can
store up to three hundred units of liquid hydrogen. While on the
subject of fuel, note that the engine compartment contains a small
tank containing a reserve of thirty units of fuel should the need
arise to jettison your main fuel tank.
Cargo Holds and Mining/retrieval Apparatuses:
Ahead of the fuel tank and engine compartment, you will see a
series of twenty closed panels along the side of the ship. Each
panel has its opposite on the port side, and covers one end of a
cargo hold which extends clear across the ship's beam. These panels
retract into slots in the hull allowing the intake of cargo from
either side of the ship. Mounted on tracks outside these panels are
your ship's twin mining and recovery apparatuses, each consisting
of a tractor beam and mining laser. These apparatuses can effect
objects as far as two locations away from either side of your
vessel. When the retrieval command is issued, the ship's cargo
management computer will first use the ship's sensors to determine
the odds of a successful operation. The mining and retrieval
apparatuses draw their power directly from the ship's fuel supply,
and each retrieval attempt costs ten units of fuel to make. Taking
this fact, along with the success potential into account, you must
then decide whether to proceed with the operation. If you elect to
proceed, the cargo management computer will select the most
advantageously situated empty hold, and retract the appropriate
panel. If you are retrieving salvage, the tractor beam will
activate and pull as much as possible into the cargo hold. Roll one
die and consult the salvage table of whatever vessel was
unfortunate enough to have created the salvage being gathered. If
you are mining a meteor, the tractor beam and cutting laser will
both activate almost simultaneously. While the tractor beam
stabilizes and envelopes the meteor, the laser begins carving it
into pieces which will fit inside the hold or holds. (Use the
standard success roll procedure to determine the success potential
and/or outcome.) The amount of ore retrieved from a normally
successful mining operation is one hold of ore. If the success
potential is equal to or greater than double the failure potential,
two holds of ore will be recovered. A failed attempt to mine a
meteor will destroy it. A successful salvaging operation will
always recover all recoverable salvage. However, an unsuccessful
attempt will cause the salvage to be destroyed. Should a location
containing salvage be travelled through by any other objects, the
salvage will be scattered and/or destroyed.
Weaponry:
As you walk ahead of the cargo holds and follow along the hull as
it curves inwards, you will notice the closed loading hatch of your
ship's magazine. This heavily protected chamber allows your ship to
safely carry up to twelve missiles. These are fired from your
ship's missile launcher located on a pivoting mount protruding from
the bow beneath the cockpit area level with the magazine. Missiles
can be fired at targets directly forward, to starboard, or to port
of your ship. The corporation makes three kinds of missiles
available to its miners. They can be purchased either from licensed
merchants or from the corporation base. Standard missiles are
inexpensive long-range weapons which can inflict damage on targets
before they are in the effective range of energy weapons. Guided
missiles are more costly, and have a shorter range. However, they
are far more likely to critically hit their targets. Nuclear
missiles are prohibitively expensive. However, they will
automatically destroy the object they hit, and will severely damage
objects in adjacent locations. For more information on these,
consult the commodities section.
As you round the sleek bow of your ship, you'll notice the access
ladder leading up to the air-lock. Before you enter the air-lock,
look forward and above the cockpit section. The black circular
cover masks a MK5 nuclear-powered carbon laser cannon. This energy
weapon can project a destructive beam up to two locations directly
ahead of your ship. Should you acquire sufficient funds, you may
have this laser cannon upgraded to as high as MK10. Consult the
commodities section for the price of upgrades. Your ship's reactor
provides more than enough power for a MK10 laser cannon to fire
continuously. However, it and other components of your laser cannon
will overheat eventually unless they are given time to cool. The MK
number of your laser cannon indicates how many units of internal
heat it can withstand before melting. Your fire control computer
will not allow you to exceed this limit. Internal heat dissipates
at a rate of one unit per round. Each unit of power used will
increase the laser's heat level by one unit. If a normal hit is
scored, the damage points inflicted on the target will equal the
units of power fired. A critical hit will cause the damage
inflicted to be doubled.
The Cockpit Area:
You have now seen all of the external features of your vessel.
Please enter the air-lock at the top of the ladder. Once you are
through, take a look around the combined cockpit and living
quarters. In the event of your vessel's destruction, the cockpit
section will be launched clear of the explosion and will serve as
an escape capsule. It should be noted that this procedure will only
be effective if the main hydrogen tank has separated from your ship
prior to its total destruction. Should the tank still be attached,
your demise is certain. The capsule has enough supplies to last a
year, as it was designed according to corporation safety
regulations. However, the towing/rescue craft stationed at the base
can return a stranded capsule or ship to the base from anywhere in
the sector within ten rounds. Before turning to other subjects, you
should be aware that you will be charged two thousand credits for
having your ship towed back to the base in the event of your
running out of fuel. Furthermore, should you survive your ship's
destruction, you will be charged forty thousand credits for a new
ship.
Turning towards the bow, you will find your pilot's chair. Please
be seated. The chair closes around you to protect you from the
jarring effects of operating a hydrogen detonation-propelled
vessel. In front of you are the three consoles you will use to
issue your commands to the ship's several specialized computers.
The computers can execute up to two primary functions per round,
and an unlimited number of secondary functions. The reason for this
limitation is that all primary functions make use of the main
computer, while secondary functions do not. The main computer takes
advantage of the latest developments in nitrogen-cooled bubble core
memory. While this allows for an immense amount of information to
be stored, it limits the amount of heat which can be tolerated.
Experience has shown that allowing more than two primary functions
to be issued per round has too often lead to a core melt-down. It
is important that you are perfectly clear that these computers,
representing the interests of this corporation, maintain ultimate
control of the ship. There are key limitations placed on your
overall authority by these computers. any limitations should not be
taken as a sign of personal distrust of your intensions or
capabilities. They are the results of hard-won lessons learned over
the past fifty years of mining operations. Limitations will be
covered in this document at the appropriate times.
The Navigation Console:
Directly in front of you is the navigation console. There are three
groups of buttons. The group on the left is for altering the
velocity of your vessel. Changing your velocity is considered a
primary function. Each time you accelerate or decelerate by one
location per round, it requires four units of fuel. If necessary,
you can accelerate or decelerate two locations per round by using
both of your primary functions in that round at the same cost in
fuel. In emergencies, you can accelerate or decelerate by three
locations per round at the cost of both primary functions and
double the amount of fuel.
The central group of buttons are used to change the course of your
ship. All turns must be made within a single round, and all must be
ninety-degree turns. Also, if your velocity is greater than one
location per round, they may only be made with at least one
location of movement to spare in the round. Hydrogen propulsion
does not lend itself to precise navigation. Bare in mind the
dangers of inertial displacement whenever you alter your course at
speeds greater than one location per round. Each additional unit of
velocity increases the danger of inertial displacement by one in
six. The amount of displacement will always be one location further
than was intended along the course followed prior to completing the
turn. (Roll one die when making a turn at speeds of two locations
per round or higher. If the roll is lower than your velocity, your
ship will fail to turn in its current location, and will only move
in its new direction after it enters the next location along its
previous heading.) If you are travelling north at a speed of three
locations per round, and you elected to turn eastward while in the
first location moved through, there would be a two-in-six chance
that you would move north an extra location, and only move eastward
one location during the round. The fuel cost per turn is your
current velocity times two units of fuel. Course changes are
considered primary functions. Note that the navigation computers
will not allow you to cross the sector boundary. If your next move
will take you across the boundary, you must turn or decelerate so
that you will not leave the sector. Should you accidentally move
over the boundary, your computer will automatically bring your
vessel to a complete halt. Twenty units of fuel will be expended
for this purpose.
The final group of three buttons on the navigation console are used
to initiate defensive manoeuvres. These increase the failure
potential of an attack made upon your ship. They are made in
response to a single attack only, so their effects are not
cumulative. Defensive manoeuvres are considered secondary
functions, and may therefore be performed whenever they are deemed
appropriate. Type A manoeuvres will increase the failure potential
of an attack by one point at a cost of four units of fuel. Type B
manoeuvres will be doubly effective at double the cost of Type A,
and so-forth. Therefore, it costs twelve units of fuel to perform
a Type C manoeuvre.
The Fire Control Console:
Left of the navigation console is the fire control console. As its
label indicates, the flashing circular buttons at the top left of
the console are used to lock weapons on any targets in range. The
column of buttons numbered one through twenty extending down the
middle will cause your laser cannon to aim and fire at targets
ahead of your ship using the requested amount of energy. The other
buttons are for launching missiles, deploying missile decoys, and
activating any of numerous special devices which your ship can have
installed in its device bay. Only one special device may be
installed in the device bay at a time. Any additional special
devices will each take up a cargo hold until they are installed by
the ship's cargo management computer. Consult the Commodities
section for information on various special devices. Using weaponry
requires the use of the main computer in addition to the fire
control computer. Therefore, any attacks initiated are considered
primary functions. The use of decoys or other devices controlled
from the fire control console are considered secondary functions.
As an experienced pilot, you will easily appreciate the
corporation's concerns about the misuse of the powerful arsenal
your ship may carry. Before the following limitations were placed
on the pilot's ability to fire these weapons, several incidents of
armed conflict between miners, traders, and friendly aliens have
been recorded. The corporation encourages competition among miners
as to who can retrieve the most ore in given amounts of time.
However, it does not encourage the use of force in order to achieve
personal gain. The fire control computer will therefore cancel any
order to fire on a fellow miner, a licensed trader, the corporation
base, or any aliens designated as friendly. Note that there are
still three ways in which you might receive injury, intentionally
or otherwise, from fellow miners. The first of these is through
collisions. The second is by being in a location adjacent to the
target of a nuclear missile. The third way is by being in an
adjacent location to a meteor which a miner chooses to destroy. The
corporation has decided that overall safety is improved by allowing
such actions to be taken than by prohibiting them. Should one of
your fellow miners take advantage of this, other miners may do
likewise without fear of corporate retribution. the corporation
also recognizes that it is much more profitable to allow miners to
use the deadly potential in meteors against hostile craft since
their destruction improves the sector's safety rating and boosts
the likelihood of trade.
The Cargo Management Console:
On the right side of the navigation console is the cargo management
console. Its numerous buttons allow you to mine meteors, retrieve
salvage, complete transactions with the base or other vessels
authorized to trade, and to analyze and install any special devices
you may purchase or come across in your travels. All transactions
are considered to be secondary functions, and you may therefore
perform as many as you wish within a round. Mining or salvage
recovery operations, however, are considered primary functions.
Miscellaneous Information:
Your vessel can withstand a total of fifty points of damage before
being destroyed entirely. This is largely due to the armour on the
hull, which has been designed with the likelihood of impacts and
energy weapon hits in mind. All of your ship's systems are incased
in this armour, so damage inflicted on the ship will not cause the
complete destruction of any particular component. Overall
functionality will degrade with the amount of damage received as
the computers become more conservative on what stress they allow to
be put on the ship. Sustaining the following levels of damage will
incur these results:
Damage level 20: Maximum speed is reduced by one location per
round. No type C defensive manoeuvres may be executed.
Damage level 30: Your laser cannon's nuclear reactor has shut down
due to safety concerns. Any device installed is no longer active or
available for use until repairs are performed. the only exception
to this is an auto-repair system which may be used. Any attacks
made suffer a two-point penalty to their success potential due to
overall instability. Only Type A defensive manoeuvres may be used.
Damage level 40: Your main hydrogen tank has been jettisoned due to
safety concerns. You are now operating on reserve fuel, and should
proceed immediately to the corporation base. Missiles may no longer
be fired, and no defensive manoeuvres may be performed.
Damage level 50: Your ship has been destroyed.
You are strongly urged to use caution while commanding your vessel,
as repairs will cost you two hundred credits per point of damage
removed.
Assuming your ship has been equipped, you are now ready to leave
the docking location. Before doing this, it is suggested that you
review the briefings on your responsibilities towards corporation
ships, the dangers posed by pirates, the hostile and friendly
aliens which frequent this sector, and the opportunities presented
by licensed traders. We at Central HQ wish all our miners the best
of luck, and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial
relationship.
Salvage:
If the main hydrogen tank was still attached when a player ship was
destroyed, there is absolutely no salvage. If the tank was blown
clear prior to the ship's destruction, there is a chance that some
items will have survived.
1. The mining and retrieval apparatuses drift intact through the
wreckage. Each one will require a hold to store it. the base will
pay three thousand credits for each apparatus returned to it. 2.
The magazine of missiles hangs in space, its surface coated in
scorch-marks. Security features have activated, sealing the chamber
shut and rendering the missiles inaccessible to any but the
corporation salvage experts. It requires one cargo hold to store.
the corporation will pay a standard ten thousand credits for its
safe return.
3. Slightly crumpled, the device bay of the former vessel is intact
enough to allow the recovery of any device inside it.
4. A number of cargo holds have survived intact. Corporation
regulations allow miners to retrieve up to six holds worth of ore
which destroyed mining vessels might be carrying. Pirates and
hostile aliens will recover up to three holds worth of unspecified
material from a player ship's salvage location.
4. Roughly a hold's worth of armour plating has survived the mining
vessel's destruction. Hostile aliens will not recover this
material. Pirates who have sustained damage will attempt to recover
this. If successful, they may repair two damage points per hold
recovered. Players may do likewise if they have purchased an
automated repair system, or return it to the base and receive three
hundred credits per hold.
5. Roughly two holds worth of armour plating has survived the
mining vessel's destruction. Hostile aliens will not recover this
material. Pirates who have sustained damage will attempt to recover
this. If successful, they may repair two damage points per hold
recovered. Players may do likewise if they have purchased an
automated repair system, or return it to the base and receive three
hundred credits per hold.
6. Roughly three holds worth of armour plating has survived the
mining vessel's destruction. Hostile aliens will not recover this
material. Pirates who have sustained damage will attempt to recover
this. If successful, they may repair two damage points per hold
recovered. Players may do likewise if they have purchased an
automated repair system, or return it to the base and receive three
hundred credits per hold.
+
Corporation Ships:
There are two types of corporation spacecraft which players may
interact with during the game. The base's rescue and recovery craft
do not appear on any known sensors, so their exact position is
never revealed except at the moment of contact or docking. They
will perform any towing or rescue operations within ten rounds of
play.
Corporation freighters are constantly travelling through the
sector. Fuel and safety concerns keep them confined to the four
trade-routes leading from the base out to the four edges of the
sector. They are slow, box-like vessels with very little
manoeuvrability. In extreme emergencies, they can perform type A
defensive manoeuvres. Having no armaments of any kind, they rely on
other vessels as well as heavy armour to protect them from attack.
They travel either singly, or in convoys of three at a constant
velocity of one location per round. Freighters can withstand a
total of twelve damage points, but due to their armour, they will
only sustain half the normal damage from being struck by weapons.
The only exception to this rule is if they are hit with nuclear
missiles or are within their blast range. Collisions still result
in normal damage. they obey the following constant rules:
1. If an attacker achieves a weapons lock of nine or above, they
will initiate a type A defensive manoeuvre.
2. If they sustain eight or more points of damage, they will
attempt to return to the end of the trade-route at which they
started if they are less than five locations away. Otherwise, they
will simply continue on their journey.
3. If the route is blocked ahead of them, freighters will stop and
wait for the blockage to be removed by other vessels.
Salvage Table:
1. Sensors have locked onto two holds intact enough to be safely
retrieved. If the freighter was carrying ore, and retrieval is
successful, add them to the salvager's cargo. If the freighter
carried supplies, pirates and aliens will not salvage these.
Players may do so, and will receive two hundred credits per hold of
supplies returned. This is doubled if there is a supply shortage.
2. Sensors have found four holds of ore/supplies capable of being
recovered. If the freighter was carrying ore, and retrieval is
successful, add them to the salvager's cargo. If the freighter
carried supplies, pirates and aliens will not salvage these.
Players may do so, and will receive two hundred credits per hold of
supplies returned. This is doubled if there is a supply shortage.
3. Sensors have found six holds of ore/supplies capable of being
recovered. If the freighter was carrying ore, and retrieval is
successful, add them to the salvager's cargo. If the freighter
carried supplies, pirates and aliens will not salvage these.
Players may do so, and will receive two hundred credits per hold of
supplies returned. This is doubled if there is a supply shortage.
4. Roughly a hold's worth of armour plating has survived the
freighter's destruction.
5. Roughly two holds worth of armour plating has survived the
freighter's destruction.
6. Roughly three holds worth of armour plating has survived the
freighter's destruction.
Traders are merchants authorized by the corporation to conduct
trade in sectors which it controls. They are specially outfitted to
carry dangerous or valuable cargo. From them, miners may purchase
any commodity offered at the corporation base which is not an
upgrade. In addition, traders offer any miners with sufficient
funds an opportunity to purchase nuclear missiles. Powered by type
five fusion thrusters, traders have a maximum velocity of five
locations per round. They are capable of performing up to type D
defensive manoeuvres and can instantaneously adjust their course
and speed. Armed with a MK10 laser cannon which never overheats,
and a large supply of guided missiles, the trader is a match for
any hostile craft. It can sustain up to thirty damage points before
being destroyed. Traders obey the following constant rules: 1. If
they have sustained more than twenty damage points, they will
proceed as quickly as possible to the corporation base for repairs.
2. Traders will always fire on any hostile craft within range of
their weapons.
3. If an attacker achieves a weapons lock of five or six, the
trader will initiate a type A defensive manoeuvre. If the lock is
seven or eight, a type B manoeuvre will be used. If the lock is
nine or ten, a type C manoeuvre will be used. If the lock is
higher, a type D manoeuvre will be used. If the attacker uses a
missile, and has a lock higher than nine, a decoy will be deployed.
Should a merchant be destroyed, nuclear missiles will be all which
survive its destruction. Miners are free to take up to eight
missiles from the salvage location for their own use. Unlike other
salvage, the supply of missiles will not be destroyed by an
unsuccessful attempt at retrieval, a collision, or anything else.
They will remain available for five rounds until the recovery craft
arrives, or until a pirate salvages them.
+
The Corporation Base:
Situated at the very centre of the sector, the corporation base
where you are assigned is approximately the size of a large city on
Earth. Like all corporation bases, it has been designed for maximum
profitability and security. Its four docking ports extend into the
surrounding four adjacent locations. All of them are capable of
providing a safe haven for a vessel to be built, supplied and
repaired in. The many businesses operating within it can
accommodate all of the needs of miners, merchants, and even
tourists willing to brave the dangers of travelling to the
frontiers of known space. No expense has been spared to provide
residents with the best possible comfort and security. To protect
this outpost against pirates and hostile aliens, it has been
equipped with numerous heavy photon cannons which will
automatically engage and destroy any hostile craft which comes
within two locations of the base. this has saved many friendly
ships from deadly pursuit.
Miners can do three things while docked with the base. They are
automatically re-fuelled each time they dock. The first thing they
can do is repair their vessels at the cost of two hundred credits
per damage point. Vessels will be completely repaired within the
round when they docked. Miners can also upgrade their vessels in
various ways. These upgrades may take several rounds to complete,
and are usually quite costly. However, they offer decisive
advantages to those who invest in them. The third thing miners can
do is purchase a wide range of basic commodities. Any such purchase
will be completed within the round at which they dock at the base.
If not upgrading, miners must leave the base during the next round
of play. Only one ship can occupy one of the four docking squares
at a time. For information on the various upgrades and items
available for purchase, consult the Commodities section.
+
Meteors:
Your primary objective is to mine as many meteors as possible and
return the ore you obtain to the corporation base. Meteors will
travel at a speed of one location per round along a straight course
across the sector. They may be mined for their ore as described in
the Player Ships section. The base will normally pay five hundred
credits for each hold delivered. Traders are not interested in ore.
Collision with any object will automatically destroy a meteor. If
destroyed in this way, meteors will not detonate, unless they
collided with another meteor. They will only inflict three points
of damage to whatever they collided with. Any hit from a weapon or
another meteor will cause a meteor to detonate. This detonation
will inflict four points of damage to any ships occupying adjacent
locations, and will cause any meteors in adjacent locations to
detonate as well. Each round, each meteor should be advanced one
location along its course until one of the events described above
takes it out of play.
+
Pirate Ships:
Pirate ships are pyramid-shaped vessels designed for speed and
combat. They use ion drives which provide them with a maximum
velocity of six locations per round. They can accelerate or
decelerate a maximum of four locations per round, and can perform
type D defensive manoeuvres. They are capable of precise turning,
and can sustain fifteen damage points before being destroyed.
Pirates are armed with MK5 lasers which never overheat, and
standard missiles. Their turret-mounted tractor beams allow pirates
to recover salvage from destroyed vessels. Three cargo holds
stretch across the rear section of pirate ships, just ahead of the
ion drive. After a pirate has filled these holds, it will try to
leave the sector with its cargo. If pirates manage to acquire a
supply of nuclear missiles, they become very dangerous to destroy
since the missiles are stored while fully armed. When a nuclear-
armed pirate is destroyed, the resulting explosion will
automatically destroy all objects in adjacent locations leaving no
salvage at all in any effected locations. Miners are paid five
thousand credits for destroying pirate ships. If miners manage to
destroy a nuclear-armed pirate without causing the destruction of
any other friendly vessels, they receive fifteen thousand credits.
Pirates obey the following constant rules:
1. If they sustain more than ten points of damage, pirates will
attempt to escape the sector regardless of the amount of salvage
they have recovered.
2. Pirates will always attack the most heavily damaged vessel
within range. Whenever possible, they will use their laser rather
than missiles. Should a pirate acquire nuclear missiles, it will
always use these when attacking other vessels.
3. Pirates will always choose to pursue salvage rather than attack
other ships as long as that salvage is within seven locations of
the pirate when such a decision is called for.
4. Pirates will not attack hostile aliens, or other pirates.
Salvage Table:
1. The advanced targeting system used by this pirate drifts through
space. Sensors indicate that it is still functioning. when
installed in your ship's device bay, it will add three points to
any weapons lock you achieve. Alternatively, you may sell this
device to the base for six thousand credits.
2. Metal detectors have located this former pirate's personal safe
adrift in space. If recovered, it can either be stored in a hold
and returned to the base for a nominal three thousand credits, or
it can be opened. If a miner chooses to open it, he/she risks
damaging most of the safe's contents. Roll one die and multiply by
one thousand credits if you elect to open the safe.
3. The prudence possessed by this former pirate is revealed by the
automatic repair system your sensors have isolated. See the
commodities section for details on this device.
4. Roughly a hold's worth of armour plating has survived the
pirate's destruction.
5. Roughly two holds worth of armour plating has survived the
pirate's destruction.
6. Roughly three holds worth of armour plating has survived the
pirate's destruction.
+
Aliens:
From time to time, aliens will visit the sector. Friendly aliens
seek to help the corporation prosper and prevent the hostile aliens
from taking over the sector. They also wish to do business with
corporation ships. Hostile aliens intend to cause the corporation
to vacate the sector so that they can have total control of the
vast quantities of ore passing through it. To do this, they will
attempt to destroy as many friendly vessels as possible in order to
have the sector declared unsafe for travel.
Alien ships are spherical in shape, with protruding weapons and
sensors. They are propelled by powerful fusion drives which free
them from all inertial effects. They are able to change both
direction and speed instantaneously, and their maximum speed is
three locations per round. All alien craft can withstand twenty
damage points before being destroyed. They are armed with disruptor
beams rated as equivalent to MK12 lasers, and plasma torpedoes
which inflict ten points of damage per normal hit. if a critical
hit is scored with these projectiles, there is a three-in-six
chance that a stricken vessel will automatically be destroyed.
Plasma torpedoes have a range of four locations. When damaged, they
will attempt to salvage armour plating in order to repair vessels.
Otherwise, hostile aliens will simply destroy salvage locations
whenever they are in range of beam weapons. Friendly aliens will
avoid colliding with these locations, but will otherwise ignore
them.
Constant rules obeyed by hostile aliens include:
1. If a hostile alien receives more than fifteen points of damage,
it will attempt to escape the sector as quickly as possible. 2.
Hostile aliens will attack any friendly vessel within range. When
possible, they will attempt to get within range of their
disruptors. Until this is achieved, they will attack with plasma
torpedoes.
3. If an attacker achieves a weapons lock higher than ten, the
endangered hostile alien will use its shield to block the attack.
This is only possible once per round, and will happen the first
time an attacker achieves the requisite weapons lock.
4. If a hostile alien is surrounded by three or more friendly
vessels, it will use its energy wave.
5. If a hostile alien has sustained ten or more damage points, and
is in weapons range of two or more vessels, it will use its
teleportation device.
Constant rules obeyed by friendly aliens include:
1. If a friendly alien receives more than ten points of damage, and
is not under immediate threat, it will proceed to the corporation
base for repairs. If it has sustained more than fifteen points of
damage, it will attempt to escape the sector as quickly as
possible.
2. Friendly aliens will attack any pirates or hostile aliens within
range, but will not attempt to close on any vessels. they will use
their disruptor when within range.
3. If an attacker achieves a weapons lock higher than ten, the
endangered friendly alien will use its shield to block the attack.
This is only possible once per round, and will happen the first
time an attacker achieves the requisite weapons lock.
4. If a friendly alien is surrounded by three or more hostile
vessels, and no friendly vessels are within range, it will use its
energy wave.
5. If a friendly alien has sustained eight or more damage points,
and is in weapons range of two or more vessels, it will use its
teleportation device.
Salvage Table: (Applies to both hostile and friendly aliens)
1. Sensors have found an intact and functional energy wave
generator. Consult the Commodities section for information on this
and subsequent devices.
2. Among the scattered wreckage floats a shield generator.
3. A teleporter has been localized amid a cloud of debris.
4. The sensor logs of this former craft drift slowly through space.
The data unit requires one hold to store it, and the corporation
base will pay four thousand credits for it. Should a trader be in
the sector, it will be worth eight thousand credits to the captain
of that vessel.
5. Two holds worth of the alloy used to build this former ship are
retrievable by your tractor beam.
6. Three holds worth of the alloy used to build this former ship
are retrievable by your tractor beam.
+
Commodities:
Ship Upgrades:
Laser cannon upgrade: Each of these upgrades will increase the heat
capacity of your laser cannon by one unit. Upgrading to a MK6
cannon costs 1000 credits, and each subsequent upgrade costs five
hundred more credits than its predecessor. The final upgrade to a
MK10 cannon costs 3000 credits. Laser cannon upgrades are performed
within three rounds.
Fire control upgrade: Each upgrade will enhance any weapons lock
you achieve by one point. Only three such upgrades may be purchased
for a vessel. Each upgrade costs 2500 credits, and will take two
rounds of time to install.
Automatic repair system: This upgrade will allow your vessel to
make use of armour plating carried in cargo holds to repair damage
sustained. This upgrade costs 10000 credits. It can be installed in
five rounds.
Missiles:
Standard missiles: These missiles have a range of five locations.
they normally inflict four points of damage on a target. If a
critical hit is scored, eight points of damage are done. Each
missile costs five hundred credits.
Guided missiles: These missiles have a range of five locations, and
normally inflict six points of damage on targets. If a critical hit
is scored, twelve points of damage are done. In addition, there is
a one-in-six chance that a stricken target will be destroyed by a
critical hit. When attacking with these missiles, add two points to
your weapons lock. Each missile costs 1000 credits.
Nuclear missiles: These deadly weapons must be used with extreme
caution. They have a range of four locations. With nuclear weapons,
all hits are critical. A stricken vessel is automatically
destroyed. In addition, any object in adjacent locations to the
target will receive eight damage points. Each missile costs 2500
credits.
Other Commodities:
Ore: This is sold to the base at a rate of five hundred credits per
hold under normal conditions.
Armour plating: This material can be purchased at the base for four
hundred credits per hold. The base will pay three hundred credits
per hold, and traders will pay four hundred. Each hold of armour
plating can be used to repair two damage points.
Supplies: Holds of supplies are always useful to the base, which
will normally pay 200 credits per hold. If there is a supply
shortage, you will not be able to buy supplies, but the base will
pay 400 credits per hold. Under normal conditions, supplies can be
purchased for 250 credits per hold. Friendly aliens will trade
their devices for numerous holds of this commodity.
Decoys: Decoys are used to intercept incoming missiles. Miners may
carry up to six of these at a time. Decoys will automatically fool
missiles into attacking them instead of the vessel they were
deployed from. Each decoy costs seven hundred credits. Decoys will
only lessen the damage taken from nuclear missiles. Instead of
being destroyed, the target vessel will only suffer ten points of
damage.
Alien Devices:
All alien devices can only be used after they are installed in your
vessel's device bay. They may each be used once only. The base
offers miners double what the aliens charge in credits for any
alien devices miners may wish to part with. Traders offer triple
the device's value in credits.
Shield generator: This device can envelope your ship in a
protective field of energy which will nullify any single attack.
These devices have a value of three thousand credits, or four holds
of supplies.
Energy wave generator: This device projects a wave of destructive
energy two locations in all directions around the ship which uses
it. this wave will cause fifteen points of damage to all objects in
range. Each device costs 10000 credits, or ten holds of supplies.
Teleporter: A teleporter will cause the vessel which uses it to
disappear from its current location and reappear in a random
unoccupied location. Each device costs two thousand credits, or
three holds of supplies.
+
Game Information Sheet:
Winning credits: | |
Current round: | | Current safety rating: | |
Total transactions: | | Total ore delivered: | |
Rounds remaining in special condition: | |
Freighters destroyed in transit: | |
Freighters arrived at destination: | |
Meteor 1: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 2: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 3: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 4: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 5: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 6: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 7: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 8: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 9: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 10: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 11: Course | | Position | |
Meteor 12: Course | | Position | |
Pirate 1: Position | | Course | | Speed | | Damage | |
Salvages | | Nukes | |
Pirate 2: Position | | Course | | Speed | | Damage | |
Salvages | | Nukes | |
Pirate 3: Position | | Course | | Speed | | Damage | |
Salvages | | Nukes | |
Pirate 4: Position | | Course | | Speed | | Damage | |
Salvages | | Nukes | |
Freighter 1: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 2: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 3: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 4: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 5: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 6: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 7: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Freighter 8: Position | | Course | | Damage | |
Trader 1: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Transactions | | Damage | |
Trader 2: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Transactions | | Damage | |
Trader 3: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Transactions | | Damage | |
Friendly Alien 1: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Transactions | | Damage | |
Friendly Alien 2: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Transactions | | Damage | |
Hostile Alien 1: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Damage | | Kills | |
Hostile Alien 2: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Damage | | Kills | |
Hostile Alien 3: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Damage | | Kills | |
Hostile Alien 4: Position | | Course | | Speed | |
Damage | | Kills | |
Salvage locations:
+
Player Information Sheet:
Current credit balance:
Ship Status
Position:
Course:
Speed:
Fuel:
Damage:
Decoys remaining:
Fire control upgrade level:
Automatic repair system owned:
Device bay contents:
Weaponry
Laser cannon: MK| | Heat level: | |
Standard missiles:
Guided missiles:
Nuclear missiles:
Cargo Inventory
Ore:
Supplies:
Armour plating:
Energy wave generators:
Shield generators:
Teleporters:
Sensor logs:
Safes:
Alien hull material:
++
Contacting Us
I can be reached in two ways. The easiest is through Compuserve. My
e-mail address is as follows:
72712.3103@compuserve.com
Alternatively, you may correspond with me on 3.5-inch disks,
provided you be sure to send them in returnable disk-mailers. I
don't have the money to pay for postage. My mailing address is:
5787 Montevideo Road
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Postal code: L5N 2L5
I have acquired a copy of UUencode and UUdecode for dos,
so you may send files to me via this means. Also, thanks to a
reader named Frank Haslam, I have acquired a copy of something
called Netsend. this is a program written and encoded so that it
can be sent as a standard e-mail, but once it is cut from the rest
of the message text, it can be run as an executable file. You will
then have all you need to send and receive files over E-mail. this
should go a long way to making sharing of files easier. thanks a
bunch, Frank.
Adam Taylor, star of Adam, The Immortal Gamer, and our resident
ADOM guru, can be reached three ways. You can send him e-mail at:
blade@ican.net
Or, you can check out his homepage on the web:
Blade's Armory
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/9111
His page is dedicated to providing help, cheats and solutions to
many games. Send him a request, and he'll do his best to find what
you need. He also has sections on ADOM and Nethack available. And,
you can download the magazine from his page.
Finally, if you wish to contact him at home, his address is:
3082 Bartholomew Crescent
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada L5N 3L1