Terrorpods - Manual
STORY:
"Some missions have suicide written all over them.
And this was one.
Again I ask myself - 'What the hell am I doing on Colian?!
Stuck out on the edge of System 7, Colian has never been the most
hospitable place in the Universe - the only thing this asteroid has going
for it is the fact that it is very, very rich in mineral deposits, the kind
of deposits that people will kill for. Detonite, a powerful explosive,
Quaza, an energy giving crystal capable of regenerating molecular
structures, Zenite, a metallic ore capable of storing immensely powerful
magnetic fields and Aluma, the hardest metal known to man, almost
indestructible and ideal for the construction of the weapons of war.
With stuff like this lying around, trouble is never far away.
Over the years a sophisticated mining operating had grown on Colian. Ten
separate mining colonies, each with its mines, dumps, stores and resource
centers inter-linked by a complicated system of shuttles to transport the
minerals throughout the network.
Mines extract - Resource Centers distribute - Manufacturing centers build
components - they all have a function, they all have a purpose and they all
depend on the shuttles.
Everything was going fine - new wealth being extracted daily. The military
arrived to make weapons from the precious Aluma at the manufacturing
centers. A track was constructed across the main crater to carry defence
and surveillance vehicles to protect these valuable assets. Colian was
running like clockwork.
Then it happened.
It literally dropped out of the sky to bring panic and fear to everyone on
Colian - an Empire Mother Ship - the enemy personified - the most awesome
invention of destruction ever imagined was in stationary orbit around the
most valuable asteroid in the Universe. Things were bound to happen and
they did.
Pinpoint missile attacks took out the defense systems, the population
cowered in fear as they waited for the final destruction....it didn't come!
The Empire had other plans - deadly plans.
Operators were enslaved but otherwise left unharmed, installations
standing. Instead of destruction, occupation was their goal. Occupation
in order to manufacture the most deadly of weapons - fearsome Terrorpod
fighting machines. Machines the Empire needed for its program of planetary
conquest. The purpose of the Mother Ship became clear - the Empire would
only make components in the crater, final assembly would take place off the
planet surface.
This was a chance the Federation could not miss, an opportunity to discover
the secrets of Terrorpod manufacture, if only we could obtain the Terrorpod
components.
And guess who was sent to get them? - Yep, yours truly.
I arrived undercover with a fully functioning Defence Strategy Vehicle
(D.S.V.), a small trading drover and an incomplete map of the main crater.
Before the Empire took control the military defence units only had time to
transmit a section of map detailing one of the colonies - this was a good
place to land.
For the first few months I kept a low profile, trading with the frightened
operators, my initial goal to build up an arsenal of mineral resources.
Then things started to go wrong, badly wrong. The Mother Ship had learned
of my existence - there was an immediate change of strategy - they were
determined to destroy the manufacturing base and the secrets it holds -
their next priority will be me!
Things are now moving swiftly - The Empire has sent down Terrorpods and
Spoilers to blast and drain the installations of their mineral wealth. The
Mother Ship seems to have a fix on me - I'm out in the open - all around me
mines, dumps, resource centers and manufacturing units are being destroyed
- I'm being starved of the energy I need!
I must protect them, they alone can provide the resources I need, I have to
have somebody to trade with! I can defend them from attack using phasers -
blasting Terrorpods and Spoilers will only buy me time - they will return.
Dare I risk loading a missile and taking out a Terrorpod for good?
Have I got enough Detonite to prime a missile?
Can I get a clean shot?
Will I destroy the installation if I miss?
Should I instruct the installation to explode on contact with a Terrorpod?
All these thoughts flash through my mind in a split second. If only the
Mother ship would stop the barrage of missiles. To make matters worse it
was now using homing missiles to take out the shuttles. I have Zenite
powered shields to protect me, the installations are at the mercy of the
Terrorpods.
Down goes another Aluma mine. That was the mine I needed. One more mining
cycle and visit from the shuttle and the Terrorpod component would be
complete and ready for collection. Have I enough Aluma to trade for it?
What an opportunity!
Got it - now for the next component - but where? These colonies are
difficult enough to locate with a complete map let alone this scrap of
paper.
Now its me against them - 'suicide missions' are getting to be my
speciality. As if my situation isn't desperate enough, they now tell me
that even if I do succeed there will be a massive counter-attack from the
Empire. Who do they think I am......Flash Gordon!!
But the Federation know I'm a survivor - the best survivor in the Universe
- and now they are making me prove it.
I'll show them, but...................
Can I complete the mission?
Can I survive the chaos of destruction?
I must master the Terrorpod construction technique - I must collect ALL the
components of the Terrorpod fighting machine.
Only one thing to do now.....................LET'S GO FOR IT!!"
SCREEN DISPLAY
The screen border displays a number of useful readouts, these will
be updated every 2 seconds.
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A. Fuel and Detonite levels. The upper reading is Fuel and the lower
reading Detonite.
B. Damage indicators. Each one will turn red as you sustain a direct hit
from a missile or you are blasted by a Terrorpod. (See Shields, 5
hits and you are destroyed!)
C. Missile counter status display. This contains the number of missiles
which have been primed ready for launch. (See weapon systems).
D. Points scored to date. (See points scoring)
E. X position in world co-ordinates. (See map)
F. Z position in world co-ordinates. (See map). You are limited to 8000
units forward into the crater, at 8000 units a low level defence
barrier is operative impeding any further progress.
G. Intelligence panel. These are important but you will have to
determine their function for yourself.
CONTROLLING THE D.S.V.
The control functions of the D.S.V. are as follows:
"CURSOR KEYS" Movement left, right, forward and backward. (The joystick
corresponds to these)
"SPACE BAR" Activate shields when held down or lock on to target during
missile launch sequence.
"E" Loads 'Detonite' into a missile warhead.
"A" Commence missile launch sequence.
"D" Dispatches the surface drover.
"T" Commence trading operation whilst the drover is in contact
with an installation.
"M" Activate and de-activate high altitude mapping systems.
"R" Non target specific radio broadcast.
"S" Commodity status display.
"W" & "RETURN" Switch between weapon systems and information systems.
"F1" - "F10" Warp movement to the selected sector. (F1 sector 1 etc.)
"HELP" Access the load, save and game management functions.
The mouse moves the sights. The interpretation of the mouse buttons
depends on whether the information system or weapon system is selected,
this is explained in detail below. In either mode when the sights touch
the left or right hand of the screen, the D.S.V. will start to accelerate
in the corresponding direction.
SHIELDS:
To activate the shields, hold the space bar down, whilst active they
surround the D.S.V. with a semi-opaque protective field. This field will
divert any incoming missiles and Terrorpod blasts. It should be remembered
that shields use vast quantities of Zenite and that they only need to be
active when the missile strikes.
WARP MOVEMENT:
By pressing F1 to F10 you will transport immediately to the processing
heart of each of the ten colonies. This technique uses considerable
quantities of fuel and you should check your fuel level before attempting
this operation.
MAPPING SYSTEMS:
Mapping can be selected by pressing "M". The normal screen display will
transform into a high altitude scanner allowing you to view a wide section
of the crater around your position. Every activity continues as normal but
many of the D.S.V. functions are inoperable in this mode (Shields, Weapons,
Warp, etc... will not work). However, this allows you to move more quickly
about the crater and the extended field of vision will enable you to
pinpoint Terrorpod activity and map your surroundings. This mapping
facility cannot be used when the Drover is active.
WEAPON/INFORMATION SYSTEMS:
You may switch between weapon systems and information systems by pressing
"W" or "RETURN". The sights cursor will change accordingly.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS:
These enable you to both collect and distribute information. The left hand
mouse button will interrogate the object under the cursor and report its
identity, colony identity and purpose.
The right hand mouse button will activate the Radio Transmitter. This
allows you to send coded messages to the object you are pointing at.
(Object Specific). For non object specific broadcasts, the Radio
Transmitter can be activated by pressing "R". Be careful which messages
you transmit and when you send them as they all have limits as to how many
times they can be used. This list of valid radio transmission codes is as
follows:
"INDE" ** Installation indestructible
"EFRS" Emergency Fuel Rod supply
"RACO" ** Re-activate current object
"DMTO" ** Defensively mine the object
"EDES" Emergency DETONITE supply
"EZES" Emergency ZENITE supply
"EQUS" Emergency QUAZA supply
(** Object specific)
WEAPONS SYSTEMS
PHASER SYSTEMS: Activated by the left hand mouse button, the phasers
appear as a pair of fast moving blasts of energy from the top corners of
the video screen accompanied by the shrill screech of the launch systems.
These are DETONITE driven and will destroy anything they hit.
ENERGY BEAM: Appears as a flickering beam on the screen stretching from
the top of the D.S.V. to the sight position. It is activated by the right
hand mouse button. The beam can be used to rebuild installations which
have been blasted by the Terrorpods or by your stray phaser fire, it
operates by pumping QUAZA crystals into the object to facilitate
regeneration. The amount of QUAZA required is dependent on the type of
object you are trying to regenerate.
MISSILE SYSTEMS: Missiles are the only known way of destroying a
Terrorpod, use them sparingly. The launch and strike sequence is as
follows:
PRIMING THE MISSILE: Prior to launching you must ensure that primed
missiles are available, do this by checking the missile counter status
display. If it is zero or blank, you will need to prime a missile
before you can enter the launch sequence. To do this press "E". This
removes Detonite from your store and loads it into a warhead.
MISSILE LAUNCH:
1. Commence the launch sequence by pressing "A".
2. The launch control screen will scroll into view followed by the
sighting window in which horizontal and vertical sighting markers will
appear.
3. The upper sighting counter will start to count down. If you
launch by mistake, just leave the sighting operation alone, when the
counter reaches zero and the launch will abort.
4. Before the sighting counter reaches zero, select a target by
scrolling the sighting window with the cursor keys or joystick until
you have a clear view of your target and it is centered in the
sighting markers.
5. Press the space bar or joystick fire button to lock the sights on
target and launch.
6. The lower guidance counter will now start to count down and the
horizontal and vertical drift indicators will appear in the sighting
window.
7. To keep the missile on course you must try to hold the drift
indicators inside the sighting markers. You do this by using the
cursor control keys or the joystick.
If you manage to keep the drift indicators inside the sighting markers
the missile will detonate and destroy the target. If you have drifted
off course the missile will self-destruct.
TRADING:
Trading represents the strategic element of the mission. The purpose is to
exchange commodities with other installations, enabling both you and the
installations to achieve the commodity levels required to survive and
ultimately complete your mission. The colonies cannot complete their
process without your interaction and provisions.
TECHNIQUE: To trade with an installation you use the surface drover. The
drover is a small self contained tracked vehicle. It does not use fuel as
it moves about the crater, a useful technique for scavenging. The
instructions listed below cover the despatch, docking and trading
procedure:
1. Despatch your surface drover by pressing "D". The drover will appear
on the surface of the crater.
2. Steer the drover to the installation you wish to trade with by use of
the cursor keys or joystick.
3. A message will report when you have made contact with the installation.
4. Pressing "T" will start the trading sequence. You will be presented
with one of three options:
a. The normal trading screen with two lists of commodities to be
exchanged. With this option you can trade with the installation as
detailed in 5. below.
b. A status screen because the object you have contacted does not
have trading facilities.
c. A component ready screen when a Terrorpod component is available
and the installation has checked to see that you have enough
commodities to trade for it. All manufacturing installations have a
constant supply of fuel. You must confirm or abort the exchange.
5. Your commodities are shown on left hand side and those of the
installation you have made contact with are on the right. Each line
contains the name, unit value and quantity of each commodity.
6. Each commodity has a unit value, colonies will regard each commodity
differently. For example, Colony 'A' may regard DETONITE as an important
and rare and therefore value it very highly i.e., a unit value of 8.
However, when moving along to colony 'B' there may well be a surplus of
DETONITE production facilities and therefore it will only warrant a unit
value of 2.
Let us look at two examples of trading using the following unit value and
quantity model. Say you wish to acquire ZENITE and you have a surplus of
FUEL.
OPENING POSITION DETONITE ZENITE FUEL
U.Val Qty U.Val Qty U.Val Qty
---------- ---------- ----------
YOU.................. 1 500 1 500 1 500
COLONY 'A'........... 8 500 2 500 4 500
COLONY 'B'........... 2 500 4 500 8 500
Example 1 (a good trading sequence).
STEP 1 Go to Colony 'B' and trade 10 units of Fuel for Detonite.
POSITION AFTER DETONITE ZENITE FUEL
TRADE U.Val Qty U.Val Qty U.Val Qty
---------- ---------- ----------
YOU.................. 1 540 1 500 1 490
COLONY 'A'........... 8 500 2 500 4 500
COLONY 'B'........... 2 460 4 500 8 510
STEP 2 Go to colony 'A' and trade the newly acquired 40 units of Detonite
from colony 'B' for Zenite.
POSITION AFTER DETONITE ZENITE FUEL
TRADE U.Val Qty U.Val Qty U.Val Qty
---------- ---------- ----------
YOU.................. 1 500 1 660 1 490
COLONY 'A'........... 8 540 2 340 4 500
COLONY 'B'........... 2 460 4 500 8 510
This has resulted in the acquisition of 160 units of ZENITE for 10 units of
FUEL.
Example 2 (opening position as above)
STEP 1 Go to colony 'A' and trade 10 units of FUEL for ZENITE.
POSITION AFTER DETONITE ZENITE FUEL
TRADE U.Val Qty U.Val Qty U.Val Qty
---------- ---------- ----------
YOU.................. 1 500 1 520 1 490
COLONY 'A'........... 8 500 2 480 4 510
This has resulted in the acquisition of 20 units of ZENITE for 10 units of
FUEL.
Study the above examples carefully and make sure you are aware of how the
advantage was gained. This difference in commodity ratings can be used to
great advantage as each colony has a unique commodity profile which should
be studied carefully.
7. To trade commodities, select one line from each list by pointing with
the mouse and clicking the left hand button. When you have selected the
commodities, you may increase the quantities to be traded by pressing the
'>' rectangle and decrease by pressing the '<'. You may change your
selection at any time and all quantities will be zeroed ready for re-
calculation.
8. When you have completed your selection, click on 'CONFIRM' and your
drover will return to you with your new cargo, having deposited your traded
commodity with the target installation.
9. You may abort the operation at any time by clicking on the 'ABORT'
rectangle.
10. You may recall the drover whenever no trading is taking place by
pressing 'D'.
STATUS CHECK: To activate the status display press 'S'. The trading
window will scroll into view and you will be shown your commodity levels.
POINTS SCORING:
Your success is measured in different ways each being interpreted on a
points scoring system as follows:
For each installation left standing - 50 points
For each incoming missile shot down - 100 points
For each Terrorpod hit pod hit with a phaser - 100 points
For each Tripod destroyed by missile - 1000 points
For each Spoiler hit with a phaser - 30 points
For your residual 'ALUMA' - 50 points/unit
For each intelligence coup - unknown
For success in the end game - 5000 points
A high score table is provided for your convenience. If you qualify, just
type in your name (15 characters max) and press return.
HELP SCREEN/PAUSE GAME:
Accessed by pressing the 'HELP' key. This covers all game management
facilities. Whilst in this mode, the game and its timers are paused.
SAVE GAME.......Saves the game on to the resident Terrorpods disk.
LOAD GAME.......Load the saved game.
SHOW KEYMAP.....Displays a list of the keys and their usage.
SET DIFFICULTY..Set the difficulty level (1-Easy, 6-Impossible). You
cannot reduce the difficulty level once it has been
set.
RE-INITIALIZE...Loads an initialized game from disk and restart.
RESUME GAME.....Go back into Terrorpods.
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Typed by ???. Edited by PARASITE. |
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