Introduction

Command a starship against the attacking alien ships in this demanding high-resolution graphics game. You control the forward drive and sideways thrust of your ship, which is equipped with shields, long and short-range scanners, and a sector display of the stars and alien ships.

This game is fully compatible with either keyboard or joysticks, and includes a table of high scores. An instruction booklet is included in the pack.

The Game

As the Captain of a battle starship, it is your duty to fight off invading enemy spaceships. After each battle, your performance will be reported to the Star Fleet Admirals and they will then decide whether you deserve to be awarded another battle starship.

Before going into combat, you are given a briefing on the facilities available on the battleship...

Combat Preparation

Once the program has been loaded and you have read the introductory screen, press the RETURN key to display a list of console parameters. You must now select the appropriate function keys to determine whether:

• the sound effects are turned on or off
• you use joysticks or keyboard control
• your enemies have small or large torpedoes
• your starship has small or large torpedoes

The size of the torpedoes has no effect on the game itself, but alters the size of the torpedoes on the console display, and so determines visibility.

When you have decided on all these, press RETURN again to begin your mission.

Starship Controls

Your ship can accelerate (use 'Thrust') decelerate (use 'Brake') rotate and fire torpedoes. There is a shield which you can activate to protect your ship from enemy fire, and two escape capsules either of which can be launched before your energy banks are drained empty.

Z - Rotate left, X - Rotate right, N - Fire torpedoes, M - Thrust
, - Brake

F/G - Launch port/starboard escape capsule

All the above may operate simultaneously. Alternatively, one of the following may be depressed...

B - Shields ON/Scanners OFF
V - Scanners ON/Shields OFF
C - "Auto-Changeover" ON

f0/2 - "Rotation Dampers" ON/OFF
f1/3 - "Velocity Dampers" ON/OFF

COPY/DELETE - Pause/Resume

Joystick Controls

Joysticks can be used to move the ship in any direction, and the Fire button fires torpedoes. You should use the keyboard for the other controls.

Playing Starship Command

On the right of your screen, there is a panel which displays long and short range scanners, the accelerometer and the rotation meter, the state of the energy banks and the shield mode indicators.

Each starship has four energy banks which recharge continuously at a constant rate. Energy is drained if the ship:

• is firing torpedoes
• is accelerating, decelerating or turning
• has working shields
• is being hit by enemy torpedoes
• crashes into enemy ships

Occasionally, after a severe energy loss, the shields and scanners will break down, resulting in interference on the long range scanners. While this persists, your shields are "down", and you are very vulnerable to attacks. Here you must keep your wits about you to avoid enemy shots and collisions. After a short while, the shields and scanners will auto-repair.

The shields can be in one of three states:

• shields permanently on; this is probably the least-used shield command
• shields permanently off; this has the advantage that you energy will not drain so fast: for example, when a hostile ship is on the main screen, but not firing at you
• AUTO mode; probably the most-used shield mode, where the shields come on automatically whenever something hostile appears on the screen.

Scanners cannot operate when shields are on.

There are two types of enemy ships: the larger ones can be invisible on the main screen at the same time as being visible on the long and short range scanners. Larger ships are worth more points when destroyed than the smaller ships.

More points are gained by shooting them rather than ramming them. Both enemy ships have different firing techniques: their torpedoes can be fired in a continuous stream or in plasma bolts.

Score

• small space ship: 8 points if hit, 2 points if rammed
• big space ship: 12 points if hit, 3 points if rammed

Ships are destroyed if their energy runs out completely. This applies to both your starship, and the aliens' ships.

As soon as you consider yourself to be in danger, launch one of your escape capsules such that you can return to the starbase. Here the Star Fleet admirals will review your mission, and then decide whether you are a fit person to command another of their Starships.

The missions get progressively harder, as you deal with more and more vicious aliens. Also, for added zest, you are sent further and further from your home galaxy; your ship may be able to manoeuvre faster, but then the same is true of the aliens' ships!

Loading

CHAIN"" (RETURN)