                       SPACE TREK
                        The Game

                      A Program By
                       Dale Harris
  



             

IN THE BEGINNING
   By the proper selection of enemy units and bases an almost infinite difficulty level can be chosen, from very easy to extremely difficult. In real time, games can be as short as a few minutes to several hours.
   When asked for your name, type in your name as follows; first name, middle initial, period, last name, then press "ENTER". Example "John J. Doe". Twenty-three characters maximum. You must now choose the number of invaders. This also determines how long the game will last. For a novice it will take 1 to 2 minutes to kill off each one. For learning purposes type "50" and press "ENTER". The number of star bases depends on the skill of the player. One base for every 5 invaders is easy, one base for every 10 is hard. Type "5" and press "ENTER".
   You will now receive a message from Star Fleet Command. While you are reading it, the computer is setting up the game you have chosen which will take a minute or so. However, this message and others later will not clear by itself. It will stay on the screen until you tell the computer that you are through reading by hitting any key. If you hit a key and nothing happens it means that the computer is still processing. When the computer is waiting for you it will put a small square in the upper right corner of the screen. During the game you will be asked to enter data or commands. If the data or command consists of one letter or digit the game will proceed as soon as you press the key. If the data or command is many letters you will have to press "ENTER".

IT'S PRETTY, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
   The screen is divided into three parts. The upper seven lines are for text display. On the lower part of the screen are two maps, the Quadrent map on the left and the Sector map on the right. If it says "TEXT AREA" near the top of the screen press "ENTER".
   The text lines either give readouts from the game or ask for instructions. The basic mode is the Command Mode which looks like this...

     1. NAVIGATION              5. INTERCEPTORS   10
     2. SHIELD FORCE      50%   6. LASERS
     3. SHIELD ENERGY     2500  7. DAMAGE CONTROL
     4. AVAILABLE ENERGY  2500  8. PROBES         2

     VEGANS LEFT          100   TIME REMAINING 4.993770
                      CONDITION GREEN
   
   This is the mode from which all actions are started. Here is a brief rundown...
1. Navigation: This is the command option that moves your craft. 
2. Shield Force: this option transfers energy between available energy and the shields. The numeric reading is the percentage of total energy transfered to the shields at the last transfer.
3. Shield Energy: this is a readout only and tells how much energy is in the shields.
4. Available Energy: Also a readout only, it gives the energy level in available energy.
5. Intercepters: This command fires projectile weapons. The value is the number of weapons on board.
6. Lasers: Fires beam weapons.
7. Damage Control: This mode assesses damage and gives the time of repair.
8. Probes: This projectile scans the quadrent for invaders, displays data on the invaders, and locks the targeting computer on them. The reading is the number of probes on board.
Vegans Remaining: A readout of the number of invaders in the sector.
Time Remaining: The amount of time remaining in star days.
Condition: There are four conditions.
        Green: Ship energy levels above 1000 te., no invaders are in this quadrent.
        Yellow: Energy levels between 150 - 1000 te., no invaders.
        Red: Energy levels under 150 te., no invaders.
        Battle Stations: Invaders in the quadrent and attacking!

WHERE AM I?
   In the lower right corner of the screen is the sector map. A sector is a vast area of space divided in to 64 quadrents, arranged into eight rows of eight quadrents each. The quadrents are numbered vertically then horizontally; therefore the quadrent in the upper right corner is 1-8 not 8-1.
     1-1   1-2    1-3    1-4    1-5    1-6    1-7    1-8
     2-1   2-2    2-3    2-4    2-5    2-3    2-7    2-8
     3-1   3-2    3-3    3-4    3-5    3-6    3-7    3-8
     4-1   4-2    4-3    4-4    4-5    4-6    4-7    4-8
     5-1   5-2    5-3    5-4    5-5    5-6    5-7    5-8
     6-1   6-2    6-3    6-4    6-5    6-6    6-7    6-8
     7-1   7-2    7-3    7-4    7-5    7-6    7-7    7-8
     8-1   8-2    8-3    8-4    8-5    8-6    8-7    8-8
                 SECTOR / QUADRENT NUMBERING

   Each quadrent is represented by one square. In each square there can be up to three digits. In the first position is the number of invaders, the second is the number of star bases, the third is the number of stars in the quadrent. Some examples...
          | 2 3| = 2 invaders, no bases, 3 stars,
          |  14| = no invaders, one base, four stars,
          | 31 | = three invaders, one base, no stars,
          | 415| = four invaders, one base, five stars.

    When playing this game we are in a special type of space called Quantitized Space or Q-space. Q-space though two dimentional in appearance is actually curved. This means that if you try to leave the sector by going off the edge you will reappear on the opposite edge. A quadrent on the top is next to the corresponding quadrent on the bottom. All four corner quadrents touch each other.
   Another property of Q-space is that forces cannot cross quadrent boundaries. To affect an object you must both be in the same quadrent.
   You will notice that the numbers in one quadrent are blinking, this is the quadrent in which you are located.
   The quadrent map in the lower left corner of the screen is an enlargement of the blinking quadrent in the sector map. A quadrent is organized like a sector in that it is 64 square light-years arranged in eight rows of eight, and numbered in the same way.
   No two objects, with the exception of you docking with a base, may occupy the same square light-year. Each object is represented by a symbol. The first letter of the invader's name represents its vessel. "V" symbolizes a Vegan craft. The first letter of your craft's name is your symbol, "I" represents the Intreped. Bases are identified by "B", stars by "*" and projectiles, either interceptors or probes by "+".
   After memorizing these symbols a quick glance at the quadrent map will tell you the number, type, and location of all the objects in the quadrent.

CAN YOU GET THERE FROM HERE?
   From the command mode, pressing "1" will send you to the Navigation mode. In this mode you will first be asked for a course. A course is set in degrees of a circle where up is 0 degrees, right is 90 degrees, down is 180 degrees, and left is 270 degrees. This should be easy for all the Boy Scouts out there but to help those that are not, simple compass is placed on the screen like this one...

                             360
                              |
                              |
                     270------+-------90
                              |
                              |
                             180

   You are not limited to up, down, left, or right, any course from 0 to 360 can be used. However remember that in Q-space you must be in one square light-year (or quadrent) or another, you cannot by in-between, so at every small step the computer must decide which space to put you in. It does this by putting you in the one with the smaller value. Look at the Quadrent/Sector numbering chart above. Let's say that you are in location 2-4, if you move a distance of one at a course of 0 degrees you will move to 1-4. If you are at 2-4 and choose a course of 45 degrees you would end up at 1-5. It would seem logical that if you start again at 2-4 and move at 22.5 degrees that you would end up between 1-4 and 1-5. But there is no place between 1-4 and 1-5 so the computer puts you at the location with the lower value, or 1-4. With a little practice you can pick courses that seem to go through groups of objects or curve around them.
   After typing a course press "ENTER". You will now be asked to choose between Impulse Power and Warp Drive. To choose Impulse Power press "I". To enter Impulse Force press any digit 1 to 9. Impulse Power moves the intreped one light-year per Impulse Power in the course chosen. Under Impulse Power you may travel into an adjacent quadrent by stepping through the quadrent boundry. If you move toward a star or invader you will stop before you collide with it.
   To choose Warp Drive after typing in your course press "W". To enter Warp Factor press any digit 1 to 5. Warp Drive moves you one quadrent for each Warp factor you choose. However before making the jump to warp speed you must build up speed by impulsing three light years. If you encounter an object while impulsing you will stop and not make the jump. The distance you travel during warp is measured from the quadrent you jump from, if during your three light-year acceleration you step into another quadrent the distance you travel is measured from this second quadrent not the first.

FIRST YOU HAVE TO PLUG IT IN.
   Energy is measured in units of 1,000,000,000,000 ergs or 1 teraerg, abbreviated 1te. a teraerg is enough energy to vaporize a small city or run a digital watch for 380 million years.
   Energy is stored in two different ways. Shield Energy is used for defense, to ward off attack. Available Energy is used to power the Intrepid's engines, lasers and life support systems. Total energy is the sum of the two. To keep power from arcing between the two they are seperated by the Shield Force Buffer. To activate the buffer press "2" from the command mode. As soon as you activate the buffer energy will be equalized between Shield Energy and Available Energy according to the value stored in the Shield Force Buffer, if the buffer is set to 60% then 60% of total energy will be in Shield Energy and 40% of total energy will be in Available Energy, press "ENTER" to return to command mode. If you wish to change the percentage of energy in Shield Energy type the new value before pressing "ENTER". It is important to remember that energy can only be transfered when the Shield Force Buffer is activated.
   Impulse engines generate more energy when in use than is needed to move the Intreped. This excess energy can only be stored as Available Energy and amounts to 12te per light-year. However since all energy transfers are made through the Shield Force Buffer only the percentage not dedicated to Shield Energy can be saved, the rest is dissapated. If the Intreped is moved one light-year and the buffer is set to 75% then only 25% of the surplus 12te, or 3te, is saved in Available Energy, the remaining 9te is wasted. To gain the maximum amount of energy the Shield Force Buffer must be set as low as possible.
   Another method of gaining energy is to destroy stars with intercepters. By doing this you will gain 50te of Available Energy. You will also have used up an interceptor worth 500te of destructive force and made yourself very unpopular with any sentent beings inhabiting the former star system. This method should be used only in an emergency.
   To ward off attack energy must be withdrawn from Shield Energy equal to the attacking force. Enemy lasers can have a destructive potential from 1te to 365te, intercepters have a value of 500te. If there is insufficient force in Shield Force to match the attack the Intreped will be damaged or destroyed!
   Available Energy is used to fire lasers, move, and power life support. Even tho Impulse power generates more power than it uses the power for the move must be in available energy before the engines can ignite. It requires 12te to impulse 1 light-year and 50 te to warp each quadrent.

I CAN SEE, I CAN SEE.
   Each map has a different set of sensors associated with it. The Sector map is filled in by the long range sensors which can see into adjacent quadrents only. This is why at the start of the game only nine quadrents are filled in. As you move through the sector, new quadrents are filled in. The sensor computers will remember what is in each of the previously scanned quadrents so the Sector map will slowly become complete.
   The Quadrent map is accomodated by banks of short range sensors which come in two types. Positional sensors scan the postion and the type of objects in the quadrent and display their locations on the Quadrent map. Analytical sensors are sent out during an attack on enemy units and display data concerning those units on the text lines of the screen.
   Another device that performs a sensor function is the probe. The probe acts the same way as the analytical sensor with the additional advantage of locking the targeting computer onto the enemy units. Try to remember that while positional sensors and therefore the Quadrent map are continuosly updated, like a movie, the analytical sensors and the probes are like a snapshot, if there are any changes in status the values listed in the text readout will become invalid. To fire a probe press "8" from the command mode.

ZAP AND BOOM.
   The two basic weapons are the laser, a beam weapon, and the intercepter, a projectile weapon.
   The main points about the lasers are that they have their own set of positional sensors and therefore cannot miss. The beam leaves the gun port unfocused and comes together only at the target, so that it seems to shoot through other objects. The farther away an object is the more energy is used to transmit the beam and therefore less destructive force is delivered to the target. To fire lasers press "6" from the command mode.
   To determine the proper setting for the laser force remember the following points; laser energy comes from available energy, you cannot fire more energy than you have, and you fire at all targets at the same time. If you choose 900te and there are three targets, each target will be fired upon by 300te not 900te. It takes 6te. to transmit the beam each light-year. If you fire a 50te. beam at a target 7 light-years away, 7 X 6 or 42te will be used to transmit the beam and therefore only 50 - 42 or 8te. will hit the target. After typing in the laser force you wish to use press "ENTER".
   To fire intercepters press "5" from command mode. Each intercepter carries a destructive pontential of 500te. To choose between manual or computer assisted firing we have to consider several factors. If a probe has not been fired in this quadrent since you last entered it, the targeting computer is not locked onto the targets and you cannot use computer assisted firing. Under both manual and computer assisted firing you can fire as many intercepters as there are targets, assuming that you do not run out of intercepters. However, with computer assisted firing you cannot fire two interceptors at the same target. If there are no objects between you and your target, computer assisted firing cannot miss, however the interceptor will try to destroy the first object it encounters on its way to the target. With manual firing you can fire each interceptor in any direction you wish, but hitting a target will depend on your skill in choosing the proper bearing.
   If you choose manual firing press "M". You are now asked for a bearing. This is the same as a course and a compass will appear on the screen. After typing the bearing press "ENTER" and the interceptor will be fired.
   If you hit an object the analytical sensor will print out an analysis of the object at the top of the screen. If the "BEARING" prompt reappears you may fire another interceptor. If you do not wish to fire press "N" and then "ENTER".
   If you choose computer assisted firing press "C". When you probed the quadrent and the target analysis was printed at the top of the screen, the targets were numbered No 1., No 2. and so on. These are the target numbers for each invader. You will now be asked if you wish to fire at each target by its number. Do not fire at the target if there is another object that you do not wish to hit in the way, especially a base. To fire press "Y". To bring up the next target without firing press "N".

200 LIGHT-YEARS TO NEXT GAS.
   The star bases in this sector are Class F, unmanned supply and repair field bases, little more than supply caches. To dock with a base simply navigate to its position. When you dock you will absorb through the shield force buffer 5000te. of energy into both shield energy and available energy depending upon the shield force setting. If shield force is 40%, 2000te. will go into shield energy and 3000te. will go into available energy. All damaged equipment on the Intreped will be replaced. Intercepter bays will be refilled to 10, and the probe lancher will be reloaded to 2. Remember that while you will gain 5000te. of energy no matter how much energy you dock with, you can carry only ten intercepters and two probes. Try to dock with as much energy, but as few intercepters as possible. After replenishing ships stores the base is destroyed along with surplus intercepters and probes.
   Even tho bases are unmanned they can defend themselves. If you can trick an invader into firing upon a base, the base will return fire with an intercepter charged with 1500te. of destructive force. Do not fire upon a base yourself because it will be destroyed.

BOO, HISS, THE BAD GUYS.
   While Federation craft serve the dual purpose of peace and war, which require large sophisticated craft, the Vegan Imperial Fleet is dedicated to war only. Their craft are smaller, lighter armed, and less complex but are constructed in vastly greater quantity.
   The Vegan Armada is composed of four classes of craft. A Scout is the smallest Vegan vessel. It can be powered with from 200te. to 400te of energy. A Scout is too small to carry interceptors and therefore has lasers as its only weapon. Frigates, Cruisers, and Battleships carry both lasers and intercepters and differ mainly in the amount of energy with which they are powered. Frigates carry 400te. to 600te. of energy, Cruisers are powered from 600te. to 850te., and Battleships have from 850te. to 1100te. of energy.
   Energy handling capabilities of Vegan craft have not been completely uncovered by Federation scientists, but we do know that shield energy and available energy are always equal, Vegans cannot transfer energy between them or they both share the same storage banks. This means that a sensor reading on one of their craft is an assessment of both the offensive and defensive capabilities of that vessel. When a Vegan is attacked it loses an amount of energy equal to the attacking force from both its shields and its lasers. When a Vegan moves it does not gain or lose energy, nor does it lose energy when it fires lasers, however each laser beam is equal to at most one third of that craft's energy reading. Due, we think, to a lack of back-up systems, when a Vegan is attacked with enough force to reduce its energy level to less than zero it will be destroyed not just damaged.
     Vegan sensors are definitly inferior to those of the Federation. When you enter a Quadrent, Vegans fire lasers only, never intercepters, because their sensors are far too slow to lock on to an emerging target. Another example of this is that after changing position in a quadrent Vegans will almost always (about 96% of the time) fire an interceptor at your former position. The 4% of the time that a Vegan does aim at the correct position the overloaded sensor cannot locate objects in the flight path of the interceptor and may therefore hit a star, base or even another Vegan. Be warned however, Vegan targeting is deadly accurate. They miss because they are firing at the wrong position, they always hit the position they are aiming at and if you move toward a Vegan you will be hit by an interceptor on its way to your former position or if you move away from a Vegan you will be hit after the interceptor passes your former position.
   Vegans will return interceptor fire and this time, because you have not moved, the Vegan sensors have had time to lock on and their interceptors will not miss.
   If an object lies between you and a Vegan or if the Vegan is a Scout and therefore does not carry interceptors, it will fire lasers after you either move or fire interceptors. Vegan laser targeting is as accurate as is ours, you will be hit.
   Laser fire seems to scramble Vegan sensors and after being fired upon by lasers at most only one Vegan will be able to return fire and only with laser fire.
   Even tho bases can defend themselves the Vegans have developed a secret weapon with which to destroy them. This weapon is never used when any other Federation craft is in the same quadrent to keep us from analysing it and thereby develop a defense. After the base is destroyed the Vegans leave a fake transponder in the quadrent which can deceive the long range sensors, you will not know if the base has been destroyed until you enter the quadrent. Naturally a base cannot be destroyed unless there are also Vegans in the same quadrent.
   If you leave a quadrent containing Vegans, the Vegan craft in the quadrent will be replaced by the same number of fresh Vegan warships of the same or any other class.

SNEAKY AND DEVIOUS.
   During previous encounters with the Vegan Armada the Federation has developed many tactics to deal with them.
    By moving directly between two Vegans, and then by moving away at a right angle the Vegans, after the second move, will both fire interceptors at your former position which will pass that position and strike the opposite Vegan. Remember that scouts do not carry interceptors.
   This also is a useful tactic to use between a Vegan and a base, the Vegan interceptor will not damage the base and the base will return fire with an interceptor armed with 1500te. of energy.
   If there are two or more Vegans in the quadrent and all but one are either Scouts, or you are shielded from them by other objects, you may by using manual firing fire as many interceptors as there are Vegans in the quadrent (assuming that you do not run out of interceptors) at the one remaining Vegan without having to worry about the other Vegans hitting you with interceptors.
   The Federation expects you to add more tactical procedures to this list.

WHY ME?
   In addition to the Vegans there are three dangerous natural phenomena that could endanger the Intreped: super novas, gamma ray showers, and worm holes.
   Gamma ray showers are encountered only when entering a quadrent. They act like natural laser bursts and can hit with a force of 100 te. to 300 te.
   A super nova can occur at any time and is more likely in a quadrent with more stars. A super nova will destroy all Vegans in the quadrent and cause massive loss to the Intreped of both shield and available energy. It may even damage the Intreped tho shield energy is not zero.
   A worm hole is an uncontrolled warp through space encountered only upon entering a quadrent. It is caused by over stressing a quadrent. The more objects already in a quadrent the more likely it will be over stressed when you attempt to enter it. A worm hole will drop you in any quadrent in the sector after it picks you up.
   It is possible to encounter more than one of these phenomena at the same time, or even the same one twice.

GETTING HURT AND GETTING DEAD
   If the intreped is hit with sufficient energy to drop its shields to zero, or if its shields are already zero and it is hit with less than 150 te. of energy, it will be damaged in one of five ways.

Launcher Damaged, Computer Cleared. The intercepter targeting computer has been cleared and intercepters may not be fired by computer assisted firing even tho a probe has been fired. No more probes may be fired.

Long Range Sensors Destroyed. The sector map is cleared and new entries will not be made.

Short Range Sensors Destroyed. The quadrent map is cleared and new entries will not be made.

Power Crystals Vaporized. Total energy reduced to 500 te. Impulse power now uses energy instead of generating it.

Lasers Damaged. Laser banks cannot be fired.

   By pressing "7" from the Command Mode you will receive a damage control report. This report lists: 1. The star time by which the repairs will be completed according to the time remaining clock in the command mode, 2.  The time needed to complete the repairs, and 3. The equipment damaged.
   If you dock with a star base while damaged all damaged equipment will be replaced.
   If all five areas are damaged and the Intreped is hit by enough energy to cause further damage it will be destroyed. If your shield energy is zero and you are hit by more than 150 te. of energy you will be destroyed even if there is no prior damage.

       THE FEDERATION IS DEPENDING ON YOU, GOOD LUCK.
       
                STAR FLEET COMMAND - - OUT


WHAT'S IN A NAME?
   This last section is concerned with customizing "Space Trek" and assumes that you have a basic knowledge in altering program lines. If you do wish to make some changes do so on a backup copy or you may never see this program again, at least a version that works.
   Think that you could come up with a better name for the Intreped, Vegans, lasers, interceptors, etc.? Well your in luck! These names appear exactly once in the program on line 20000, change them there and they will be changed throughout the game. Just in case you have a copy of the game that someone else has changed, this is the original version;

20000 DATA VEGANS, INTREPED, SCOUT, FRIGATE, CRUISER, BATTLESHIP, LASER, INTERCEPTOR
   Line 20000 must begin with the word 'DATA' followed by a space. Next in order the names for the following; invaders, your ship, least powerful enemy craft, third most powerful enemy craft, second most powerful enemy craft, most powerful enemy craft, beam weapon, projectile weapon. There must be a comma after every name except 'DATA' and the last name.

   This program is not under copyright nor is it copy protected. Unless you have been ripped off this documentation is also on the same disk as the program in a 'readme' file. The reason for this is that not only do I want you to, but I insist, that you give a copy of this program and the documentation to everyone you know, are related to, and complete strangers. I want every living or even still warm person on the planet Earth to have a copy of this program.
