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: D.SAPERGIA@DLCWEST.COM 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 as a verb" or "A noun", etc. 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