U.I.M. ====== The Game -------- U.I.M. is a massive 3D arcade adventure set in the future. Two and a half of dedicated design and programming have produced this massive game. The "greenhouse" gases melted the icecaps and all life now exists in the oceans. There are over 65,000 underwater ports each with their own colonies. Your craft is a highly manoeuvrable (and expandable) futuristic submarine named Black Satyr. On your travels you will encounter many submarine types. Many of the most advanced and aggressive submarines do not appear until you reach later networks of ports. In addition you will also meet the Replicants - man-made underwater machines which have gone "renegade" and are capable of reproduction. As you progress it is therefore essential to avail yourself of the highly sophisticated range of combat and defensive equipment available. The quest for the U.I.M. will be long and involved, the dangers intense, but the reward priceless! U.I.M. is disc only and versions are available for BBC B or B+ with 16K of sideways RAM, BBC Master series and all Archimedes Computers. Submariner's Manual ------------------- Disc Menu --------- Access Key SHIFT-f7 Description The disc menu gives you a number of options so you may easily save your position for future use. 1. Load File (Disc) 2. Load File (Ram) 3. Save File (Disc) (N.B. You *must* save the file onto a blank formatted disc, *not* the U.I.M. disc) 4. Save File (Ram) 5. Catalogue (Disc) 6. Delete a file (Disc) At all options follow the prompts. The file saved is only &100 bytes and is protected from tampering. Any tampered files loaded into the machine will hand the machine up. You will have to do a hard reset (CTRL-Break) to reset the machine. Files saved and loaded from disc are automatically put into ram and files saved to disc are put into the U. directory. There is no need to specify this when saving positions. All disc errors are reported but in normal use they should not be present. Remember you *must* save your files onto a *separate* disc. Every time you save a file you will be presented with a U.I.M. code. This code contains details of your progress and can be deciphered by us to examine your position. Certificates are available for anyone who completes over half of the 256 missions. Simply send your U.I.M. code and your name and address. Please note that you can have only one certificate. So if you think you can complete U.I.M. then don't send off for a certificate until you have this most special U.I.M. code (The last date that certificates can be claimed is 1st November 1990). The World Of U.I.M. ------------------- In a time not too distant, but far enough for us not to be able to reach it ourselves there is a world, this world, spinning away populated by our children's children. A future quite different from the one we are led to believe will come to pass. The scientists had got it wrong but then it was their turn at last. The world had heated up, of course, because of those greenhouse gases. Too many cows breaking wind in South America as one commentator pronounced. The general warming had shifted the world climate into a warm, damp, humid and persistent rain phase. How it rained and the humidity, enough to drive you mad or into the ocean. The oceans. Tranquil, cool and inviting. Birthplace of all and now to become the new home for mankind. The first people to venture there was the real pioneers going to new regions and depths never before reached. Even those robust pioneers had their limits which is why they invented the replicator to do things they could not. Just for sheer brilliance, as its name may suggest, it was able to reproduce so they only built one. Trouble began to set in some time later. The oceans had been populated by ports, autonomous cities at various depths, each with extensive facilities, all different in terms of administration and potential. Rumours at the start of something strange then direct evidence. Those replicators had mutated as they had been made far too well or not? Whole communities had sprung up, machines living as if alive. Specialization was evident, evolution in action. In a typical knee-jerk reaction they were to be destroyed and in a typical shoddy way the job was botched. Evolutionary pressure had been applied and the result with "replicants" that were capable of defending themselves. Now the problem was worse, much worse. They threatened to overrun everything as they reproduced. Hope was at hand. There was a solution a U.I.M. or Ultra Intelligent Machine. Created to be almost a god. The creator was unknown. An answer to every question. A question for every answer. Power beyond compare for the beholder. The quest for the U.I.M. will be long and involved, the dangers intense but the reward is priceless. You will master many skills as a trader, manufacturer, navigator, combat pilot and submariner. Many of you will not make it. Some will not even dare to try. The world of U.I.M. is *the* future, grasp it with both hands *now*!! U.I.M. Factsheet ---------------- 1. Programmer: Matthew Atkinson 2. Development Time: 2.5 years 3. Publisher: The Fourth Dimension 4. Machines Required: BBC B with 16K of Sideways RAM BBC B+ with 16K of Sideways RAM BBC Master BBC Master Compact Archimedes 5. Media: Disc versions only. 6. Graphics: Fastest ever flicker-free 3D Vector type. 7. Objectives: Complete all 256 missions (1 per network). Find the U.I.M. 8. Time: The future 9. Place: The Earth 10. Number of explorable networks: 256 11. Total number of ports: 65,536 12. Types of submarine: Swallow Tail. Purple Emperor. Marbled White. Baltic Grayling. Black Satry. Arran Brown. Osiris Blue. Southern Grayling. Dryad. Lapland Ringlet. Meadow Brown. Gatekeeper. Violet Copper. Camberwell Beauty. Red Admiral. Apollo. 13. Weaponry available: Torpedoes. Sea Mines. Soxel Generator. Phasor. Flares. Stealth Device. Chlorel Generator. E.M.P. Unit. Manipulator Arm. Intelligent Chaff. Hydrox Generator. Chameleon Unit. Goledy Generator. Thermosystem Device. Re-Target System. Display Module. 14. Equipment available: Cargo Pod. Heat Shield. Fuel Convertor. Central Computer. Teleporter. Navigation Module. Portfolio Hexagon. Re-entry Module. Mission Module. Financial Module. Ocean Drive. Deflectors. Graviton Detector. Air Lock. Torpedo Module. 15. Extra equipment available: Rewards for Missions. All Classified. 16. Ways of making money: Commodity Dealing. Shares Market. Currency Exchange. Industrial Manufacturing. Bounties. Piracy. Missions. 17. Skills required: Manufacturing. Entrepreneurial. Navigational. Combat. Piloting. 18. Navigational hazards: Submarines. Replicants. Police. Military. Debris. Fish Shoals. Volcanic Eruptions. Particle Clouds. Playing The Game ---------------- After loading the game you are presented with the initial start position. (If you already have a saved position proceed to the disc menu and load it in.) You are now in a port and can trade and equip your submarine at will here. When you are satisfied that you wish to leave the port then go to the network map by pressing f0. Now select a suitable port which you would like to go to. Press f4 and your submarine will be launched into the ocean. If you now press H then orbital flight will be undertaken. You will now re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. (If you have a re-entry module fitted to your central computer then this is the time to activate it). If you are not fitted with a re-entry module then follow these instructions. Steadily follow the re-entry curver on your instrument panel by keeping the crosshairs central on the re-entry indicator. (See below.) The further you deviate away from the curve, the more your heat shield burns up, tooo much and you will burn up too. When you reach the glide path, automatic control takes over and brings you into a splash land. In the middle of the instrument panel is your sonar display. It shows the position of other submarines, replicants, torpedoes, etc. Your port's entrance is shown by a marker buoy. Proceed to the centre of the buoy and you will automatically be docked. (The marker buoy does not appear on the sonar display. The "re-entry indicator" now becomes the "marker buoy indicator". To find the marker buoy you must make the crosshairs be central. If they are central but you cannot see the buoy then it will be immediately behind you. About turn skipper! It is not possible to destroy the marker buoy with your generator). Initially it is essential that you learn how to make money by trading in commodities. Read the chapter on it carefully (Chapter 10). The first piece of equipment to buy (but not for some time) is arguably the cargo pod - it doubles the quantity of commodities you can carry. Plus check out Process Control (Chapter 9) - there's money to be made there too. Missions -------- When you have a mission module up and running on your central computer, selecting a mission by pressing SHIFT-f8 prints out the mission to be undertaken. You are told where to go to receive your orders. When you get there you are given further details. Certain missions require that you are carrying certain items of equipment when you reach the target port. This sometimes makes the mission a lot harder as you may have to buy the items especially in order to complete it. There is one mission to perform in each of the 256 networks. The missions are of the fetch and carry variety (e.g. take some badly-needed drugs or deliver some documents). It is a condition of proceeding to the next network that you complete the mission in hand. You will of course be rewarded for completion of each mission, although there are several in which completing it is its own reward. The rewards range from items of special equipment not normally available at ports, to straightforward cash. You are then taken to the next network. Those rewards which are items of equipment can be listed by SHIFT-f4. Most of the equipment is self explanatory in name and action. They will always be of beneficial value to you and your submarine. A mission's progress is saved with your position, so it is not necessary to complete the mission in hand in one sitting. Key Summary ----------- F - Fire main weapon + G - Dive (N.B. it is not possible to dive when at rest, the submarine must be moving forward) + B - Climb (N.B. it is not possible to climb when at rest, the submarine must be moving forward) + CURSOR LEFT - Rotate (N.B. when at rest this rotates the submarine on the spot to the left) + CURSOR RIGHT - Rotate (N.B. when at rest this rotates the submarine on the spot to the right) + < - Decrease velocity + > - Increase velocity + H - Launch into orbital flight + J - Select joystick =+# K - Select keyboard =+# Q - Turn sound off =+# S - Turn sound on =+# SHIFT LOCK - Pause/release game + CURSOR KEYS - Multi use, network map, etc =+ C - Activate chameleon unit + TAB - Detonate phasor device + COPY - Activate re-target system + DELETE - Engage stealth device + CAPS LOCK - Engage manipulator arm + T - Teleport your submarine to the surface # CTRL-H - Launch into an orbital flight to any port + CTRL-W - Destroy a port # CTRL-f9 - Restart game + Note: = only in a port, + only in the ocean, # only in orbital flight Joysticks can also be used. Pull it towards you to climb, push it away to dive, push it to the left to go left and push to the right to go right. Press the joystick button to fire the main weapon. (N.B. it is not possible to climb or dive when at rest, the submarine must be moving forward). Instrument Panel ---------------- [] Equipment --------- Access Keys f2 and f3 Keys Used Cursor Up/Down - Highlight an item Return - Select an item Description ----------- Due to the large number of items on offer, there are two menus. The items are split roughly up into two groups, offensive and defensive. Item availability varies from port to port according to the operating index. The acquisitions of a software module (e.g. mission module), a central computer, a portfolio hexagon, torpedoes, flares, sea mines and chaff do not appear on your equipment list. Their position is instead shown on the Instrument Panel (see opposite). In addition, it is important to remember that none of the software modules will operate until you have acquired a central computer. Menu 1 ------ This first menu consists of a highly sophisticated range of combat equipment. On your travels you will encounter many aggressive and well-armed opponent (see Chapter 11). As you progress through the 256 networks in search of your ultimate goal they will become increasingly aggressive and you will have the armaments to match! *It is therefore essential that you both acquire and learn how and when to use what is on offer*. Torpedo ------- An intelligent, seek and destroy torpedo. This is initially a self-targetting torpedo taking the most threatening submarine as its target. Once a torpedo has been inserted into the launch tube it locks onto its target when in range and can then be manually launched. Torpedoes can only be launched against submarines. If no suitable target is present then launching is refused. f7 - Arm, f8 - Extract, f9 - Launch Sea Mines --------- These are manually discharged devices to the stern of the submarine. They are proximity devices which activate themselves a short time after discharge. Therefore, they are just as dangerous to you as your opponent. Fortunately, launching will be refused if your velocity is too low. CTRL-f6 - Discharge a mine. Soxel Generator --------------- Your submarine is equipped with an ion formation device which operates only in sea water. It literally forms a cylinder of ions which punch holes in submarines. There is only one type of ion formation device, but they have different powers with different generators. All of the generators automatically recharge after use. After a rapid volley of six shots, they soon recharge and can be fired again after just a few seconds. Keyboard: F Joystick: Fire button Phasor ------ An extreme energy discharge device. To escape the blast you are projected a short jump into the future while all else within your area is destroyed. The time projection uses a large amount of energy so if not enough is available, you are destroyed as well. TAB - Detonate phasor device. Flares ------ To divert enemy torpedoes from your submarine flares can be jettisoned from the rear. Only useful on the more primitive infra-red seeking torpedo. The flares decay after about fifteen seconds. CTRL-f8 - Discharge a flare. Stealth Device -------------- An invisibility device which causes you to drop off any opponent sonar screens giving you a chance to escape. You become both invisible to the eye and invisible to sonar. This drains your energy banks rapidly. Opponents are known to possess this technology so beware. The stealth device cannot be switched off manually, you have to wait until its internal timer switches itself off. DELETE - Engage stealth device Chlorel Generator ----------------- The next most powerful generator. This has excellent destructive capabilities. Keyboard: F Joystick: Fire button E.M.P. Unit ----------- A device capable of producing an electro-magnetic pulse of such intensity that nearby electronic circuits are destroyed. It works only on submarines on the sonar and reduces the number of hits required to kill them. It will not in itself destroy a submarine though. Beware of using it too often as the energy drain can kill you. CTRL-f4 - Discharge a pulse Manipulator Arm --------------- A short range device primarily intended to scoop up debris in the sea bed in the hope that something valuable might be picked up. Its main use now is to pick up cargo canisters. This can be very useful if you are low on cash as these can be sold at the next port. N.B. They can only be picked up if there is a spare slot in the commodity manifest. CAPS LOCK - Engage manipulator arm Intelligent Chaff ----------------- Very high technology devices. Their effect is to confuse the enemy sonar by providing a multitude of images. Each piece of chaff contains a computer, receiver and transmitter. On receiving a sonar pulse it analyses the signal and returns a reflection corresponding to your submarine type all in six microseconds. Your sonar, however, is locked into phase with the chaff so that the false signals can be filtered out. Chaff decays after about thirty seconds. CTRL-f7 - Discharge canister of chaff Hydrox Generator ---------------- The penultimate generator money can buy. Keyboard: F Joystick: Fire button Chameleon Unit -------------- A most useful device. It drains little energy but its effects are to make you look like a wreck. Must be used *before* visual contact is made, or else it is useless. Spare parts for these are hard to obtain, so use with care. Torpedoes launched at you will fail to detonate when they collide. However, they may arc round and try again. C - Change your sonar image. Goledy Generator ---------------- The highest power generator available. This is the ultimate submarine bourne weapon money can buy. Use with care and destruction. Keyboard: F Joystick: Fire button Thermosystem Device ------------------- For the bloody-minded nihilistic people out there. Destroys an entire port with the touch of one button and everything else for that matter! Be careful of destroying a port you may have to visit on a mission. Can only be used when in orbit due to the extreme damage it causes. CTRL-W - Destroy a port Re-Target System ---------------- Enemy torpedoes may be re-targetted by this system so that they harmlessly explode or return to their senders. Some enemy torpedoes have non-interference circuits which cause them to explode rather than be re-targetted. Most amusing to see the reactions of enemy crews when this is used. This does not affect torpedoes launched by yourself. After use it switches itself off. This is an extremely effective device and as such is a highly respected weapon. COPY - Activate re-target system. Display Module -------------- A multi-functional full combat use system requiring the central computer to run on. This replaces your simple sights with all the combat information you could require. Essential purchase for all submarines intending to survive any length of time out there. The information it gives you is as follows... In the centre is a line graduated for your sights. This alters position as you climb or dive. This shows you the g-force you pull. The further away from the centre the greater the g-force. The outside vertical lines on the left show the extent to which you can cause the submarine to turn. Plus, as stated earlier, when a torpedo is armed it will automatically lock onto the most threatening submarine. The display module electronically interrogates the submarine and its status is displayed below the vertical lines on the left. The status is either blank (no target), F(riendly) or H(ostile). Menu 2 ------ Deuterium --------- A full tank of deuterium in the form of heavy water gives you a range of 1,600 nautical kilometres. This is used in your onboard fusion reactor. Cargo Pod --------- To increase your cargo capacity from 32 to 64 tonnes. This is a towed pod and, as such, is quite vulnerable. Heat Shield ----------- As you re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on your orbital flights your heat shield becomes progressively worn away, more so if your flight path is not on target. It is essential that you check (and if necessary replace) your heat shield at every opportunity on your travels. The state of the heat shield is shown on the right of your Instrument Panel. Fuel Convertor -------------- This converts your deuterium fuel holding into energy for you to use on your submarine. In effect, it increases the rate of top up of your energy banks and shields. Central Computer ---------------- Your submarine is run by an old earth-type computer reputedly once used in a nuclear power station. The central computer is the replacement for this and is *essential for running all software modules* such as re-entry. Teleporter ---------- This is a particle transmission system of limited range. It is only intended for difficult re-entries. It should only be used if you believe that you will not survive re-entry. Long range use can sometimes result in death as the particle integrity is not maintained. Trouble with other biological material being transmitted, as well as what was intended, has in the past led to several hybrid organisms being created. They did not survive long. T - Teleport your submarine to the surface. Navigation Module ----------------- Some facilities of the network are only available with this software program such as course plotting. Recommended for anyone doing missions. Portfolio Hexagon ----------------- Your little black hexagon which contains your share and currency holdings. It keeps them as a continuous stream of electrons in a super conducting coil. No trading is possible on the network without this hexagonal object. The hexagon can hold up to four separate share holdings and four currency holdings. Re-Entry Module --------------- All your re-entry worries are over with this. A faultless re-entry anywhere, anytime (hopefully). SHIFT-f4 - Engage/disengage re-entry module Mission Module -------------- In each network there is a mission to perform for various rewards. This program selects a mission for you to perform. SHIFT-f8 - Select a mission Financial Module ---------------- A vital piece of software to assist you in making financial decisions when trading shares and currency. See the end of Chapter 10 for more information. Ocean Drive ----------- A use once only device. Enables you to transport to any port in your present network irrespective of your deuterium fuel holding. CTRL-H - Engage drive Deflectors ---------- A much more protective shielding system than the one you are presently equipped with. Not for the suicidal! Graviton Detector ----------------- Enemy submarines using their stealth devices are normally invisible to your sonar. The mass of the submarine does emit gravitons which can be detected, making them appear on your sonar. This is a very sensitive device and it must be treated as such. Air Lock -------- Sometimes abandoned submarines are found floating in limbo. To enable you to plunder their cargo an air lock is required. Firstly, attract the submarine with your manipulator arm. The air lock is automatically activated and any cargo transferred across. The abandoned submarine is then destroyed with an implosion device. Cargo will only be transferred across if there is a spare slot in the commodity manifest. Torpedo Module -------------- This piece of software programs your onboard torpedoes so that they have the best chance possible of hitting their target. The torpedo targetting system you are initially equipped with good but not that good. Disposing Of Equipment ---------------------- Access Key CTRL-f3 Your submarine is of limited capabilities. Only so many items may be added before certain limits are reached. Those items which are mass critical are marked on the submarine status with a tick. *Only* four such items may be carried at any one time. Some missions require you to have items of equipment before it may be completed. Therefore an ability to dispose of equipment is necessary. There is little market for used equipment, so it is just dumped. Once dumped, it may not be recovered so use this facility with caution. Simply highlight the item to be dumped, press Space and it is gone. Equipment may only be dumped when in a port of call as marine law forbids dumping in the ocean. Network Map ----------- Access key f0 Keys Used Manipulate Network Map Left and Right Cursor Keys - Move left and right along X axis Up and Down Cursor Keys - Move up and down along Y axis / and £ - Move up and down along Z axis CTRL-f0 - Plot a course to port CTRL-f1 = Distance to currently selected port CTRL-f2 - Next match when finding a port SHIFT-f0 - Find a named port SHIFT-f1 - Home to present port (N.B. You can only use CTRL-f0, CTRL-f2 and SHIFT-f0 when you have the navigational module fitted on your central computer.) Each network consists of 256 ports in a rectangular formation. By using the manipulator keys for the six axes of travel, any port can be brought up into the viewing area denoted by a small square in the centre of the screen. In this area, information can be accessed about that port. The number of the current network is displayed at the top and the coordinates at the bottom. The coordinates are: X Y Z The X ranges from A-H, the Y from 0-7 and the Z from 0-7. This can be visualised as follows: [] The network is not wrap around so to aid quick access to any port, combinations of keys can be pressed to give, say diagonal tracking. Your present port can be brought into the viewing area by pressing SHIFT-f1. From your current port to the port in view, the distance is calculated by pressing CTRL-f1. If you have the navigationl module fitted to your central computer then you may find a port and plot a course to the present port in view. However, you must be in the port of call to do this. To find a particular port in your present port, press SHIFT-f0. At the prompt, input the name and press RETURN. Any combination of upper and lower case characters may be used. Normal port names are between 2 and 8 characters long, however some may have a prefix such as "Bar-". In this case the length may be between 6 and 12 characters long. To avoid typing out lone names all the time the wildcard '*' may be used. This stands for any number of characters. For instance, typing "Bar-*" will find the first occurrence of any port with this prefix. To find the next match, press CTRL-f2. Plot a course by pressing CTRL-f0. The program may not plot the most direct course but will give you an optimum course. The nearest port to the central square will be taken as the desired destination. This prints out on the screen the port that is closest to your destination port yet is in range of your submarine's present fuel range. You can, of course, ignore the navigation program's advice. The network map is a sophisticated navigational aid of the first order, few submarines possess one. Miscellaneous Functions ----------------------- This chapter rounds off a few functions not described elsewhere that give you status information about the port you are interested in, the submarine status and the manifest. (Read this chapter carefully - there is a lot of very important information.) Port Profile ------------ Access Key f1 When you selected a port from the network map selecting the port profile prints up a page of information concerning it. Name The name of the port. Condition The current status of the waterways around the port. Green, yellow, amber, red are the condition colours. Green is a relatively "quiet" port, red is alert status. You may expect a lot of "attention" when it's red. The condition of each port will usually vary with time. Operating Index A measure of the technological/software capabilities of the port. This is rated on a scale of A to P with the latter being the most advanced. Added to this is a numeric scale of 0 to 7 which sub-divides the advancement scale up into 128 separate levels (A0 to P7). Berthing Charge The charge made for docking your submarine. If you have insufficient dollars berthing is still allowed but the port authorities will not be impressed. Depth The depth of the port underwater in nautical kilometres. Administration The type of administration of the port. This ranges from democracy to fascist administration. Trade Volume The volume of trade through the port expressed in giga-network dollars. Submarine Status ---------------- Access Key SHIFT-f2 This prints out a page of information concerning the current status of your submarine as described as follows. Travel A: Your present port. B: The orbital port selected from the network map. C: The distance between them expressed in nautical kilometres. Credit The amount of cash you have in your personal account in Network Dollars (N$). You do not carry cash around with you but have an account whose details are accessible to all ports. The maximum amount of Network Dollars you are allowed to have is just over 65,000. No one is allowed to become "too" wealthy or complacent - ridiculous differences in wealth between individuals are no longer tolerated. The reasons for this are by no means totally altruistic. It is essential that all submariners feel the need to trade - trade, as always, being essential to the world economy. In addition, it is also essential that all submariners participate in destroying the replicants (for which small bounties are given). Replicants appear from Network 4 onwards. Fuel The amount of deuterium you have, expressed in nautical kilometres. Equipment Your current complement of equipment. Of the items that are mass critical only four such items may be carried at any one time. (These items are marked with a tick.) Manifest -------- Access Key SHIFT-f3 Commodities This lists your current holdings of up to four different commodities. If you do not have a portfolio hexagon then the following two listings are not printed out. Shares Your current holding of shares. You may have up to four separate holdings. Currency Your currency holding. You may hold up to four different currencies. Process Control --------------- Access Key SHIFT-f6 Keys Used Number Keys (1 to 8) - Valve selected Cursor Up - Open Valve Cursor Down - Close Valve Description This is a way of earning money by your ability to take raw materials and produce other products with an enhanced value. This can only be used when in a port and only *once* per visit to a port. You must have sufficient money to rent the apparatus and buy the raw materials. You then have a limited time in which to manipulate the valves and controls to produce the optimum efficiency. Due to the nature of the equipment the valves must be constantly adjusted due to vibration so as to keep the output up. During your use of the equipment you have visual indicators of your time, efficiency and money earned. To operate a valve press the required number and, keeping it pressed, adjust it as required. Processes Available ------------------- 1. Basalt Processor: Rent 125 N$ Raw Material: Basalt Products: Water, Hydrogen and Oxygen Basalt is one of the most common forms of rock on the Earth. The rock is crushed, the partcle size being controlled, and then sent to an evaporator. There you control the temperature and a water bleed off-valve. Any water not bled off goes to an electrolyser in which you control the current. The resulting gases of Hydrogen and Oxygen are collected for use in fuel cells. 2. Hydrocarbon Processor: Rent 265 N$ Raw Material: Carbonaceous Rock Products: Hydrocarbons, Hydrogen and Carbon Hydrocarbons such as oil are rarely found in deposits where direct extraction by drilling is possible. The most common form in which they are found is in carbonaceous rock, that is rock impregnated with hydrocarbons. The rock is crushed, the particle size being controlled, and then sent to an extractor. Here the particles are heated until the hydrocarbons run off. The destination of the melted hydrocarbons is controlled. They can either go straight as finished product or into a cracker which breaks them down into Hydrogen and Carbon. The cracker has a temperature control and a valve to expose the hydrocarbons to a catalyst. 3. Steel Production: Rent 550 N$. Raw Material: Iron Ore Product: Steel Steel production involves taking iron ore, crushing the rock which you control the particle size of. Then the particles are fed into a neutron/magnetic separator which you control the current to. The separated particules are then sent to a continuous furnace and combined with a controlled flow of Carbon and Hydrogen. The resulting steel is then cast into ingots for sale. 4. Igneous Rock: Rent 250 N$. Raw Material: Igneous Rock Products: Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur and Uranium Igneous rock is the most common form of rock in the earth and contains many useful products. It was some time before an economical process was found to process it. The igneous rock is first crushed to a particle size which you control and then fed into a separator. The separator is the clever piece of technology as this produces Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulphur, all important products. It also separates out quantities of Uranium. This is fed into a gasifier and finally into a centrifuge where the Uranium 238 is separated from the useless Uranium 235. These two items must be controlled most carefully as the process is very fine. Gasifiers and centrifuges are used in preference to laser separation technology as this produces too high a grade Uranium for normal domestic use. 5. Power Generation: Rent 1000 N$. Raw Materials: Hydrogen, Oxygen and Uranium. Products: Electrical Power and Water Electrical energy is the most flexible form of power used throughout the earth. Fission technology is used in preference to the burning of fossil fuels, there are far better things to do with them than simply burning them! Fusion technology is not allowed to be used in the private sector due to a series of unfortunate accidents arising out of profits taking precedent over safety. Hydrogen and Oxygen are combined in a fuel cell to produce electricity to run the equipment. The fission reactor controls are moderator rods to contol the neutron flow in the pile and the pressure of the coolant circulating in the reactor. The coolant is fed into a heat exchanger at a user-determined rate and the resulting steam is fed into turbines at a controllable rate. 6. Food Production: Rent 375 N$. Raw Materials: Amino Acids, Hydrocarbons, Water and Nitrogen Products: Carbon, Carbohydrates and Proteins Amino acids, hydrocarbons, water and Nitrogen are combined in controllable quantities in a synthesizer in which the pressure, temperature and catalyst rods are controlled to produce the outputs of Carbon, carbohydrates and proteins. The synthesizer is a vital component in quite a few system economies. 7. Amino Acid Synthesis: Rent 500 N$. Raw Materials: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen Products: Amino Acids and Water Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins essential for the sustenance of life. The four inputs of amino acids, hydrocarbons, water and Nitrogen are sent in controllable quantities to an organic synthesizer. In the synthesizer, they are subjected to varying amounts of pressure, temperature and catalyst rods. This produces the outputs of amino acids and water. This process is a vital link in the higher food production process. 8. Silicon Product: Rent 900 N$. Raw Material: Silicon Dioxide. Products: Silicon Crystals, Silicon Wafers and Water Silicon-based electronic components are still the most common form of electronics used. More esoteric components manufactured from biological and/or laser/crystals are used but for ease of use and economy Silicon wins every time. The Silicon Dioxide (sand) is fed through a purifier to remove impurities such as Iron Oxide being the most common. Water is also driven off by a temperature control. This purification is most important as any trace of impurity will render the Silicon useless. The pure Silicon is fed into a crystal growing furnace the temperature and pressure of which are controlled to produce perfect crystals of a regular size and shape. These can be directly outputed for processing by other parties. However, in the last section you can control the cutting of the Silicon into wafers for use in the integrated circuit manufacture. You must control the thickness of the wafers to gain an economical yield. Trading ------- Access keys f6, SHIFT-f6, CTRL-f6 Keys Used Cursor Up/Down - Highlight an item COPY - Buy DELETE - Sell F - Financial Module Description ----------- Trading can take place on any of the ports visited. It is split into three menus: commodities, shares and currency. The last two require that you possess a portfolio hexagon in order that you may carry your holdings from one port to another. Simply highlight the item you wish to purchase (or sell), press the required key and input the information. There is sometimes a transaction charge on trading, typically being around 2% of the deal. N.B. The maximum number of Network dollars you are allowed to hold is just over 65,000. If you sell either commodities, shares or currencies, the value of which would take you over 65,000N$, then the amount over this amount will be automatically confiscated! You can quickly check what cargo you have on board by pressing SHIFT-f3. Commodities ----------- One of the areas of trading is in biological materials. There is always a demand for these special concentrates overcoming previous problems of profit margins before the concentration method was developed. The prices of these vary from port to port and are strongly linked to the various "operating indexes" of each port. The actual variance of the prices is not great and therefore the art of profitable trading will need to be "earnt". It is strongly advised that you initially record the prices of commodities at each port that you visit. Also note down each port's coordinates and operating index. The quantities that can be traded in are given in tonnes. Your initial cargo capacity of commodities is 32 tonnes. You may carry up to eight tonnes each of four different commodities. If you have a cargo pod fitted, your cargo capacity is increased to 64 tonnes and you may then carry up to sixteen tonnes each of four different commodities. Salts ----- Various salts are always required. The margins on these items are not great but are not liable to fluctuations others are prone to. Lipids ------ Lipids, or fats, are highly valued on some ports as a delicacy. Generally however they are low value and not to be traded in by any but the sharpest of traders. Vitamins -------- High value products needed for the health of all. When in demand expect good margins on these. Demand seems to be more in phase with fashion than dietary requirements. Hormones -------- Again, high value products with excellent transport and storage properties. Not to be traded in lightly as some hormones are illegal due to their psycho-active properties. Hydrocarbons ------------ Hydrocarbons, although not strictly biological materials, are included here because they can be used as the starting point in third party manufacturing of biological materials. Proteins -------- High demand product ofter overused becausue of ignorance of dietary requirements but who cares with the profits you can make on them? Amino Acids ----------- Building blocks of proteins. Used in third party manufacturing enterprises. Care must be exercised here as some amino acides are useless and some downright toxic. Carbohydrates ------------- Your general foodstuffs. Correct handling and loading procedures must be followed to prevent contamination with the asarit, a voracious insect form created by a rogue genetic engineer. Cellulose --------- Cellulose sheets valued highly as low cost building materials. Keratins -------- Keratins are the products of insects and as such have a limited value. Nitro-Amines ------------ Chemically similar to amino acids but not the desired value. Trading is limited but the entrepreneur can always find a market. Salycyclic Acid --------------- Salycyclic acid, or aspirin, is the most common drug used. Despite centuries of drug research an effective alternative has yet failed to be found. Cheap, but always in demand. Fatty Acids ----------- Breakdown products of lipids so value not good. Recent research has been using these as start products for as yet classified products. The moral being here if you think it's destined for some value enhancement then haggle for a better price. Endorphins ---------- Risky substances. Endorphins cover a wide variety of drugs much prized on some ports and despised on others. They are the equivalents of opiates. Unless you are sure what you are doing then avoid them at all costs. Genetic Material ---------------- This is dangerous material. Genetic material wrongly used can lay waste entire biological systems. Therefore, only trade with authorized dealers or have your conscience severely examined. Alcohols -------- Ready market in all areas of society for the right type of alcohol. Used for everything from medicine to a beverage. Chemical research recently produced an alcohol with five times the enebriation factor of common ethyl alcohol. Consume with care. Shares ------ (No trading can take place in this market until you have obtained a portfolio hexagon.) The dealing in the network stock and shares market can bring Great Rewards and Great Misery. Share prices when you enter a port are stable and vary only slightly how ever long you stay. The real money is to be made from trading with other ports. You can carry up to four different types of share. The maximum you can hold of any particular share is 255. The Stock Regulation Board governs what companies shall be listed and issues guidelines according to the type of company. Each company is put into one of five categories from which you can tell at a glance what type each share is. The five categories are as follows. Then follows the shares themselves. 1. Trust These are companies which have a diverse investment in the exchange. They manage large funds and as such they are generally solid performers for your investment. 2. Inc A certificate of incorporation is the first step a number of companies take before moving onto corporation status. Think of it as a testing phase before they are trusted enough. Diverse operations are their keywords. 3. UNL This means the company is unlisted on the exchange. This usually means that it is a new company and as such requires a period of time before it can be acceptable. This is the company that is a good performer but equally likely to lose your investment overnight. 4. Corp A corporation, in the network sense, is an assortment of companies usually too small to have a listing on the exchange. With a corporation the raising of finance and other related services is much easier. These were established so that the NLC's would not have it all their own way. 5. NLC These letters stand for Network Limited Company and is given to only a few who are truly large. They are very diverse, in everything from manufacturing to financial services. They are like the proverbial octopus, a tentacle everywhere. Current legislation is expected to curb the power of these companies but expect a lot of political fallout in the meantime. Antares Trust A solid performer. Not liable to spectacular growth but for the more cautious and small investor this company will perform well. Recent news places Antares to the fore with the appointment of a new management team with impeccable credentials. Polymers Inc A manufacturing company of all known types of polymers. Has a good record and an excellent research and development programme wihch keeps it ahead of the competition. Recent speculation about it wanting to diversify may be proved true very soon. Terraform UNL A leading edge technology company (and as such could be easily sacrificed on it) they literally terragorm whole landscapes to make them habitable. Massive debts due to capital expenditure and very few customers make this a risky business. The potential returns are very high for the right kind of investor. Jovian UNL Jovian is a new company specialising in financial services and as such is an unlisted one. Set up by some financial whizz-kids with sound backing it has proved a rising star on the market, they don't seem to be able to put a foot wrong. Many people are just waiting for them to do just that. Tachyon Trust Many diverse investments make this a sound investment. It has been hit recently by the falling Terran credit but some restructuring has all but cured this. Expect some good results in the next interim report. Satsuma UNL A new start-up company founded on considerable venture capital. This company is developing new food production processes. No product as yet has been released but inside information if true makes this one of the companies of tomorrow. Cyberoid Corp Cyberoid corporation manufactures remote control prostheses or robots to the uninitiated. These are used in every area of life from domestic servants to those jobs just too dangerous for intelligent life to do. Had a recent setback when the model 78S series machine was given an intelligence port based on biological materials which technically amde it a sentient being. This came to light when a model 78S tried to commit suicide. Succinct URL A company on the verge of a listing on the exchange. Dealing in foodstuffs and transportation are their corner stones. Future transportation costs are liable to drop if new drive technology delivers the goods so watch out. For the smart investor and those who wish to build a wide portfolio. Bio-Med Corp A wide range of companies dealing in all aspects of bio-medical products and services. In its portfolio are several companies with exciting products promised. The medical area is currently one of strong growth. Chromaglu NLC The network's largest company founded on the fortunes of genetic engineering but quickly mushroomed under the guiding hand of its late managing director. Recent events have proved that some divisions of Chromaglu have been anything but the caring business it projects itself as. Good investment for the less principled investor. Zeta Bank GLC The established banking and financial services company. Over-exposure to developing ports if the big question mark on this company. However, a new floation was over subscribed, making confidence in it the highest for some years now. Expect long term investments to be better than short term. Interon Inc A very low profile set of companies producing excellent products based on established robotic manufacuring technology. Very diverse product range. A solid performer for the first time investor. Norca UNL Principally a manufacturer of computer ports and software. Has in the past produced excellent products based on existing technology. Rumours abound about a possible competition beating computer with a processing capability in the region of 16 Gi. They also are a manufacturer of weapons but nothing spectacular so far produced. Note: Gi means Gigainference of 1E9 logical inferences per second. Equalan GLC This company has an impeccable record of product development and marketing. Also very notable for its chariatable contributions and works. A first class company in every sense of the word. Vizoid GLC A company primarily in the media field. Is involved in all aspects of news gathering, holographic publishing, education and advertising. This is an advanced company which has proved a reliable index of the state of the network economy. Borealus UNL Fair to middling is how you would describe Borealus. It has still not performed to the high expectations it generated when first launched. It deals in real estate presently in the doldrums. Currency -------- (No trading can take place in this market until you have obtained a portfolio hexagon.) The currency exchange is a very volatile place in which to make money. The rates vary at the slightest piece of news so a cool head and nerves of titanium are required. All trading is done against the network standard of the network dollar (N$) in which all transactions are conducted. You can carry up to four other different types of currency. The maximum number of units of each currency you can hold is 255. Definitely for professionals only! Conchella A developing port's currency as used in preference to the network dollar. Paaseque Often overlooked because it's more of a long term investor's currency. Good stability and accpetability in many ports. Shillop Due to political difficulties trading in the shillop is restricted and is rumoured that it will be removed from the exchange in the near future. Has performed well in the past and if these problems can be sorted out then it will do so again. Dia-Mona An ultra hard currency backed by many sound port economies. Margins are tight but many a killing has been made with this currency. For the professionals only. Philfie Luker Solid currency preferred by quite a few ports. Future fluctuations are forecast so this is where to make a fast dollar on the upward cycle. Rubicon A very old currency. Previously the network standard but now in steady decline. Had a recent revival after one NLC in a protest with the exchange would only deal in this currency. Notes are issued on hologramatic aluminium sheets. Antrition A minor currency favoured by only a few. Several systems recently switched away from antrition in favour of the paaseque. The timing of the move was carefully done leaving several dealers with practically worthless holdings. Beageraff A reasonable performed for the right trader. Is is till talked about when due to a computer error the notes issued were more valuable than the amounts they represented. This was due to the note being made of a rare earth metal instead of aluminium. Only recorded currency where the means of issue were more valuable than the actual value on the note. Eagerly sought after by collectors. Xerkerat A hard currency backed by several wealthy ports. A recent fall was due to false allegations of counterfeiting flooding the market with nearly perfect notes. Aggrrageld This currency is unique in the fact it has never been issued on notes or coins, it only exits as electrons inside computers. This was a concerted attempt to wean intelligent beings off cash to a cashless way of life. However, so-called intelligent beings seem to prefer handling cash so has not performed well. Herrac This currency seems unaffected by violent swings in the exchange and can usually be relied upon to hold its value. One point of interest is that to prevent counterfeiting the notes contain sequences of DNA which must match the serial numbers on them. Mon-Her-Poc Recent heavy trading on this currency has devalued it considerably. However, it looks set for bounce back in the near future. Inflation on a number of ports dealing in this could affect its price. Frappatal Hyper inflation hit a number of ports a few years back devaluing the frappatal manyfold. Sound fiscal policy has restored confidence into this once-ailing currency. Its past is now firmly behind and looks good for the future. Quince-Ar A hard currency of the first order. Recently it was very fashionable to own this, as it was issued ss hologramatic tablets which were very eye-catching. Bad results with people who were slightly susceptible to the psycho-hypnotic effects meant they were withdrawn very quickly. Only recorded currency where it was fashionable to own rather than its trading value. Yip This currency has recently found favour with organised crime elements due to the deregulation on controls. Also found favour with currency dealers for the same reason. Uurat A newcomer to the currency market so it has not got much of a history. Therefore it is to be traded in with caution. Recent speculation has it that this is the one to watch for the future. Financial Module ---------------- Upon purchasing a financial module to run on your central computer a number of facilities become available to help in your trading of shares and currency. This facility is within the shares and currency facility. For instance, simply highlight a currency then press F. You will now be given the performance of that particular currency over the last eight time periods. This information is displayed as a line graph for your ease of use. Also displayed is the Network Index which is a guide to the overall performance of the market. This gives an indication of whether the market is in expansion or recession. You will find that the market behaves in a cyclical fashion of boom and bust. The time period of a cycle is hard to measure and varies considerably. Your intuition is a far better tool than any software program. You will note that commodities are not as volatile as the other two, so commodity prices really only vary according to the operating index which each port has. The financial module has no predictive capabilities, indeed prediction is beyond most computers because of the sheer size of the market, amount of data, etc... Submarines, Replicants And Other Objects ---------------------------------------- Submarines ---------- On your travels you will encounter many different submarine types throughout the 256 networks of the world's oceans. Many of the most advanced submarines are not present in the earlier networks. The convention of nomenclature is one based on the species of Lepodoptera or butterflies. The advantages are two-fold, firstly the number of species is very large and secondly the classification has no social, political or military overtones. The submarines range from "rust buckets" to the latest C.A.D. designed fighters and differ accordingly in performance, armaments, etc. Each submarine is rated according to your submarine - a Satryrus Actaea (Black Satyr). There are three types of military and one type of police submarines. If you fire at and hit one of them, the message "MILITARY" or "POLICE" will briefly appear on the screen. When this occurs some sort of evasive action will sometimes be needed - they don't like it one bit and, if in a bad mood, will be hell-bent on destroying you! Some submarines are fitted with the stealth device - this effectively allows them to become invisible for short periods of time. The Gatekeeper (Police) and Apollo (Military) are invaribly fitted with it. In addition, as you travel deep down in the Earth's oceans, you will experience the associated weird visual effects. The consequences of this are that objects will occasionally appear to be somewhere where they are not and may sometimes completely (but only briefly) disappear. The main reason for this is the phenomenon of "light refraction". When a submarine launches a torpedo at you then message "TORPEDO LAUNCHED" will briefly appear on the screen. Some sort of evasive action will usually be needed. N.B. A bounty of between 1 and 4 N$ is rewarded for destroying submarines which are on the "wrong side" of the law. Submarine Types --------------- Pipillo Machaon (Swallow Tail) Unarmed shuttles frequently found around ports as they lack the fuel and speed to range much further. [] Fuel: 100 Nautical Kilometers Length: 30.4m Turn Factor: 0.3 Velocity: 0.2 Armaments: - Apatura Iris (Purple Emperor) Passenger liner first class. Able to take a great deal of punishment before destruction. [] Fuel: 8000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 70.4m Turn Factor: 0.08 Velocity: 0.23 Armaments: 0.8 Melanargia Galathea (Marbled White [Military]) Military submarine cruiser. Multi-role submarine capable of being a cruiser or a transporter as required. [] Fuel: 10000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 25.6m Turn Factor: 0.8 Velocity: 0.77 Armanents: 2.39 Oenesis Jutta (Baltic Grayling) Hazardour waste disposal submarine used by most ports. These are completely automated. Totally harmless and not worth the effort boarding. [] Fuel: 350 Nautical Kilometres Length: 21.6m Turn Factor: 0.05 Velocity: 0.06 Armaments: - Satyrus Actaea (Black Satyr) This is the submarine you are equipped with. Good all round performance and excellent expandibility make this the workhorse of the ocean. [] Fuel: 1600 Nautical Kilometres Length: 30.9m Turn Factor: 1 Velocity: 1 Armaments: 1 Erebia Ligea (Arran Brown) A multi-purpose submarine but most frequently used as personal/executive transport. Many variations exist due to the blueprints being stolen at a late stage of development. [] Fuel: 3200 Nautical Kilometres Length: 9.6m Turn Factor: 0.71 Velocity: 1.08 Armaments: 0.92 Cupido Osir (Osiris Blue) A fairly large freighter with a good all-round performance. [] Fuel: 1200 Nautical Kilometres Length: 25.9m Turn Factor: 1.05 Velocity: 0.92 Armaments: 1.4 Hipparchia Aristaeus (Southern Grayling) A very old type submarine principally used as a sea bed mining submarine. It is usually automated but has been known to carry a small crew. Certain submarines have been modified to carry freight for newly-started traders. [] Fuel: 900 Nautical Kilometres Length: 22.4m Turn Factor: 0.49 Velocity: 0.15 Armaments: 0.33 Minois Dryas (Dryad) A small one man fighter of incredible speed and manoeuvrability. It achieves this as it is based in a nearby mother submarine (Violet Copper) so mass restrictions do not apply. Armaments are light and no torpedoes. It scores a kill by persistent attacking. [] Fuel: 120 Nautical Kilometres Length: 11.2m Turn Factor: 3.4 Velocity: 4.8 Armaments: 0.3 Erebia Embla (Lapland Ringlet) A large inter-ocean barge for the transport of bulk items around the world. Frequently found on the outskirts of ports due to its large size. [] Fuel: 14000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 47.6m Turn Factor: 0.12 Velocity: 0.28 Armaments: 1.26 Maniola Jurtina (Meadow Brown) A slow yet very powerful ocean tug for port salvage operations. [] Fuel: 480 Nautical Kilometres Length: 10.4m Turn Factor: 1.1 Velocity: 0.18 Armaments: - Pyronia Tithonus (Gatekeeper [Police]) High performance fighter used by Sea Police. Tangle with these at your peril. A weak bulkhead on the starboard side is the only weakness. [] Fuel: 1140 Nautical Kilometres Length: 32m Turn Factor: 1.7 Velocity: 1.87 Armaments: 2.04 Lycaena Helle (Violet Copper) Mother submarine for Minois Dryas. A large unwieldy vessel but heavily armed. It has many weak points but these are small inspection ducts. Never approach, as it is invariably fatal. [] Fuel: 28000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 50.7m Turn Factor: 0.04 Velocity: 0.19 Armaments: 3.8 Nymphalis Antiopa (Camberwell Beauty) This submarine is mainly used for the transport of goods urgently required in other ports. It has been used in the past as a first relief submarine in disasters. Much prized by those on the wrong side of the law for its speed. [] Fuel: 9000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 22.4m Turn Factor: 1.52 Velocity: 2.3 Armaments: 1.4 Vanessa Atalanta (Red Adminral [Military]) A military hunter/killer. Sole purpose of mission is to destroy Von Neumann replicants currently infesting some portions of the ocean. Is itself capable of replication in the execution of its task. [] Fuel: 3200 Nautical Kilometres Length: 26.4m Turn Factor: 1.9 Velocity: 2.1 Armaments: 1.84 Parnassius Apollo (Apollo [Usually Military]) The latest in design technology submarine not to be messed with. Usually owned and run by the military so not hostile. However, a few machines have been stolen and copied, so beware. [] Fuel: 7000 Nautical Kilometres Length: 28.8m Turn Factor: 6.1 Velocity: 5.38 Armaments: 4.6 Von Neumann Replicators ----------------------- [] In the early days replicators were used to explore the oceans at depths difficult for humans to reach. At first these were harmless enough, 'dying' after so many generations. One replicator though mutated by some unknown mechanism and was able to modify its original instructions. The first few generations of Replicants were benign, but have since evolved into several variants most of them dangerous. They are becoming ever more aggressive and ever more lethal! All replicants are to be destroyed on sight due to the danger they present to navigation and to prevent further unknown generations from spawning. They represent the most serious threat to world security to date. A bounty of between 1 and 4 N$ is rewarded for each "kill". They do not appear until Network 4 onwards. Other Objects ------------- Navigational Obstacles ---------------------- i. Fish Shoals Can cause serious damage if collided with. Can also be used to give cover in certain circumstances. ii. Volcanic Eruptions Plays havoc with your instruments. Avoid if at all possible. iii. Particle Clouds Generally harmless but affect visuals. iv. Replicator Webs Square-shaped traps that are invariably fatal. A sign of replicant activity nearby. Debris ------ Usually biological material but also submarine bulkheads and cargo containers. [] Loading ------- The U.I.M. disc should always be in disc drive 0, except when loading and saving disc files (see below). Game Credits ------------ The following proved useful for writing U.I.M. and are recommended reading for all budding epic writers: 1. The Art Of Microcomputer Graphics (Jim McGregor and Alan Watt, Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd) 2. Assembler Routines For The 6502 (David Barrow, Century Communications Ltd) 3. Graphic Algorithms (Mark Parlour, PCW v10 n9) 4. Before The Day After (Laurence Martin, Nomad Publishers Ltd) 5. Tomorrow's World Space Technology (Max Whitby, BBC Publications) 6. Creative Sound (David Ellis & Chris Jordan, Acornsoft) 7. Computer Graphics (John Lansdown, Hodder & Stoughton)