; i | | 3——— ame P.O. Box 4232, Mountain View, Ca. 94040, Warranty Disclaimer on Software STARFLEET ORION has been extensively checked and tested. Although we are con- fident that there are no significant bugs in the programs supplied with this game, Auto- mated Simulations makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning the software. However, should you encounter something that appears to be a bug, we will attempt to supply a program fix. Send us a letter describing the exact symptoms and include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Copyright 1979 Automated Simulations All rights reserved.GUARFLEET ORT Ship Control Pad SHIP NUMBER TYPE ) MASS POINTS NAME ENERGY AIEEE HHH DRIVE FEAHIA BEAM +E FES SHIELD = LAUNCH TUBES TORPEDOES MISSILES E A IE SHIP NUMBER MASS POINTS. NAME ENERGY FE MH E DRIVE Ht BEAM EFEFARFE SHIELD FEEERIFA LAUNCH TUBES MISSILES E> Uf 2G TH TORPEDOES | SHIP NUMBER TYPE : MASS POINTS NAME } ENERGY CA zt orive FFA ) BEAM EY —He SHIELD EREEHIRES LAUNCH TUBES MISSILES He IRSA TorPepoes Gf SHIP NUMBER TYPE MASS POINTS NAME ENERGY FEES oRIVE BEAM FEEFRRR-EGIEH = sHIELD LAUNCH TUBES MISSILES FR-FR Et HH TORPEDOES SHIP NUMBER TYPE MASS ENERGY DORIve FRA yy BEAM FEEH taAuNcH tures GR! MISSILES Et TORPEDOES tRules of Play 1.0 Introduction Welcome aboard the STARFLEET. STARFLEET ORION is more than a unique space battle game designed to challenge your tactical skill and imagination; it is, in fact, a multitude of games that should provide you and your friends with years of enjoyment. in addition to the Space Battle program itsetf, the cassette supplied with the game also includes a second, separate program that allows you to set up any of the twelve scenarios described in the Battle Manual or to create entirely new ones based on your favorite science-fiction novels, movies, or your own vision of the history of the future. In use, both programs are largely self-explanatory, but detailed instructions have been included to Prevent possible misunderstandings. Conversely, portions of the rules may be clearer when the relevant Part of the program is displayed on the computer screen. Following the rules in this booklet is a listing of the two programs {in case something happens to the preprogrammed cassette). The Battle Manual contains all the information necessary to recreate a dozen different game scenarios, certain mathematical details left out of the basic rules, a listing of the standard starship types used in STAR- FLEET ORION, further tips on play, and advice on constructing your own scenarios. A pad of Ship Control Sheets allows you to keep a record of the turn-by-turn damage to your ships and to plan your moves while you are away from the computer (while your opponent is entering his orders). Except for additional cassettes to store recorded scenario data (not required for your first game but recommended for future use) and a pen or pencil (if you plan to use the Ship Control Sheets) ~ and a TRS-B0 microcomputer with 16K RAM ~ this package contains everything you need to play STARFLEET ORION. Although the tweive scenarios we have included are designed primarily for two players, most can be played by two teams of one or more persons, and when you have gained some experience with the game, you can create situations allowing a free-for-all among three or four players. To allow you to get into play as quickly as possible, a scenario designed to introduce you to STAR: FLEET ORION has been programmed onto the enclosed cassette. For your first game (and any other time you wish to play the Introductory scenario), simply insert the cassette into the computer and read Section 2.0 of these rules. (You need read Section 3.0, Scenario Building, only when you are ready to try any of the additional scenarios.) 2.0 Playing the Game (The Space Battle Program) Preparation: With the program cassette in the computer, Press PLAY on the tape controls. Type CLOAD"O” and carriage return, (Remember to put the quotation marks around ©.) After a few minutes, the computer will announce that it is READY. (If you are not playing the Introductory scenario, and you are using separate cassettes for the program and data tapes, push STOP on the tape controls and then REWIND. Remove the program tape and insert the data tape containing the scenario you wish to play). Tye RUN and carriage return. When the computer asks you for the scenario you want to play, ype the name without quotes and carriage return; if this is your first game, or if you simply wish to try the Introductory scenario again, type INTRORETURN (again, that’s a carriage return at the end). After the ships appear on the screen, rewind and remove the cassette. You are now ready to play STARFLEET ORION.2.1 Basic Description: STARFLEET ORION is a hypothetical simulation of the various kinds of conflicts that might arise between starships of opposing powers sometime in the far future. The playing surface, represented on the computer screen, is an invisible matrix 36 spaces high and 64 spaces wide. All calculations of distance (for movement of ships, firing of missiles, beam effectiveness, etc.) are based on this “grid."” Ships which move out of this area become, henceforth, out of play for the rest of the game; they are considered to have evaded pursuit, escaped detection, reached safety, whatever, The third dimension is present only to the degree that any number of ships may occupy the same space without crashing or causing other mishaps. The output of each ship's power plant is rated in Energy points; these constitute the ship’s energy “income” for each turn, The strengths and capabilities of every ship’s Drive engines and weapon systems have been similarly quantified. Generally, it takes 1 Energy point to activate or “energize” 1 point of a system. Conversely, no system can use more Energy points than its maximum rating would indicate, Thus, a ship with 10 Energy points and a (nominal) Beam of 5 could allocate 3 Energy points to the Beam and produce an actual projected 3-point Beam; a full-strength Beam would cost 5 Energy points, which is the most that particular system could possibly utilize. The computer, of course, keeps track of these capabilities, displays them at your command, and prevents errors (or cheating) in their use. 2.2 Summary of Play: Although movement and combat for both sides are resolved simultaneously, insteuetions for each side’s ships are entered separately and individually, and play is divided into distinct turns. On each turn, each player decides how to use the energy available to each of his ships (allocating some energy points to Drive, to move the ship; some points to the various weapon systems available; and some to the Shield, to protect the ship from enemy fire) and, without revealing them to his opponent, secretly enters these data/decisions into the computer. He may have any or all of his ships perform any action or series of actions of which they are capable; the only constraints are the amounts of energy available from each ship’s power plant and the capacities of the individual ship systems to utilize that energy. Energy cannot be saved up from turn to turn nor transferred from ship to ship. However, like most of its systems, a ship’s Energy “renews itself” (less any damage it has sustained) each turn, On the other hand, when a ship has launched its supply of missiles and torpedos, it must do without for the rest of the game, Few ships are identical, and any ship's cap- abilities are reduced by damage. With the tactical situation constantly changing, choosing when to move “full speed,” when to attack with maximum beam and multiple missiles, and when to divert energy to the Shield for protection is a constant challenge every time you play STARFLEET ORION. After both players have entered their orders, they meet at the keyboard, and one of them types M {for “MOVE"]. That signals the computer to process the data, clear the screen, and display the ships in their new {post-movement) positions. All ships that are hit by enemy beams (regardless of the actual damage inflicted) will flicker. Asterisks indicate missile explosions and a moving dot shows the track of torpedos. Any ships that have been destroyed by the attacks during the round explode and vanish from the screen. That is the end of the turn, For the Introductory scenario and all others in which Tractor Beams (not to be confused with the destructor Beam that is a ship's main energy weapon] are not permitted, the same player may enter his orders first every turn. Unless otherwise stated in the specific scenario description, if you are using Tractor Beams, one player should enter first on odd turns while the other goes first on even turns (see the later section on Tractor Beams). In either case, play continues until one player has accomplished the objective defined for the scenario and/or all the ships on one side have been de- stroyed or disabled, 2.3 Combat Resolution: At the end of every turn, after determining whether the various beams have actually hit the ships they were aimed at, the computer subtracts the Armor factor of the defending ship(s) from each individual attack upon it, then adds up the points of damage in excess of the Armorfactor scored against the ship by beams, missiles, and torpedo hits, subtracts from this adjusted gross total any energy points the defending ship had allocated to its shield on that turn, and randomly dis: tributes any remaining (net) damage points among the ship’s various systems. This damage, if any, will reduce the number of points usable by the systems in subsequent turns. Any system reduced to 2er0 is disabled and cannot be utilized again. Whenever damage causes the Energy level of a ship to fall below zero the ship blows up. In cases other than total destruction, the nature and extent of the damage is not apparent to the opposing player. The condition of enemy ships can only be inferred by their behavior (e.g., how far they move, or how much damage their Beam is still inflicting on your 2.4 The Commands: There are four basic Commands involved in play and one special command (see table 1). The tactical display ~- the positions of the ships on the screen ~ remains visible during all four basic Commands, except, of course, that M causes those positions to change. The special command - W (write) - allows you to save the game you are currently playing and to continue it at a later time. This command is explained in more detail in paragraph 2.6. IMPORTANT: None of these five Commands can be followed by a carriage return. Type only the letter. 2:5 Starship Orders: The most important Command is O. Orders ~ your decisions for the turn ~ are the heart of the game. You may give orders to all of your ships each and every turn. You may move any or all of them and you may have each use any or ail of the weapon systems available to them. (Note that since the computer has no way to distinguish the identity of the person at the keyboard, be sure you are ordering your ships and mor your opponent's; since the computer will not accept two orders for the same ship, if you do move the wrong one, this will be immediately detected when your ‘opponent attempts to put in his move.) Typing the letter O initiates a string of Subcommand queries that must be finished before any other Commands or orders for any other ship can be given. These subcommands are shown in table 2. If you enter the wrong thing, you will get one of the messages in table 3, . eee, z : - : ecaee ia 3 .o . y . oe . eceeeee S . ee eee o° Sees : i . Soca e Paste osTable 1. Basic Commands for Starfleet Orion Clears bottom lines of screen Any ship number | Displays the current status of the ‘on your side, ship indicated. Includes energy, drive, beam, shield, launchers, missiles, and torpedos Any ship on your | Allows you to tell your ships side for which what to do for the turn. See ‘orders have not table 2. been entered. Executes all orders for the current turn. An interim display shows the results of the action, Do you Saves a game so that you can want to continue it later where you save the left off. current game? Returns to command level without saving the situation on tape. Remember that while there is no Subcommand for ENERGY, the energy points available to a ship each turn determines what it can do; each action ordered — a move or a weapon system activation — Fepresents an ailocation of energy. When all the energy possible for the turn has been expended by a ship, that ship can do nothing else until the following turn, Similarly, if your ship does not possess, for instance, a Shield, the computer will not query you about the missing system. 2.5.1 Movement: MASS gives you the relative mass of the ship, which allows you to calculate how far you can move, Dividing the relative MASS into 1 gives you the number of spaces (which may be a fraction) you can move for each energy point you expend. Dividing the relative MASS into your current DRIVE level gives you the number of spaces you can move st “full speed" for the turn, (A ship with a MASS of 1 could move 1 space for each point of energy allocated to its Drive engines; a DRIVE capacity of 6 would allow that ship to move a maximum of 6 spaces at a cost of 6 energy points.)Table 2. Order Subcommands in Starfleet Orion X MOVE (-LEFT) MASS = .81 2 Y MOVE (-DOWN) TRACTOR, MAX = (#) ENERGY LEFT = (#) BEAM ? TARGET ENERGY LEFT = (#) SHIELD ? ENERGY LEFT = (#) MISSILES, 2 X(-LEFT) 2 Y(-DOWN) ? TORPEDO DIRECTION ANY PROMPT RANGE TO X:(#)¥:(#)RANGE:*-OK Ere eee see ereIeseeLECEEC tate Enter the number of spaces you want to move in the horizontal direction. To move left, enter a negative number. The Mass is the mass of your ship. Enter 0 for no move. Enter the number of spaces you want the ship to move up or down. Enter how many points you want to apply to the first tractor beam. You must have sufficient drive and energy points left. You indicate a pressor beam by entering a negative number. Enter the number of points of beam to be applied. \dicates remaining points of Enter the number of the target ship (1-9, or 101-109). Enter the number of energy points you want to atlocate to your shield. Enter the number of missiles you want to launch. Each missile uses one launch tube. These launchers are the same used to launch torpedos. Enter the X and then Y displacement of each missile launched. This question is repeated for each independently, Enter the direction in which you want to launch the torpedo. See figure 2, Section 2.5.6. R - tells the computer to give you the range to another ship. When done you will resume entering your orders where you left off. Ship letter or number of the ship you want the range to, Gives X distance, ¥ distance, and actual range to the other ship. Enter carriage return to con- tinue entering your orders; enter R again to find range to a second ship.Table 3. Error Messages You May Encounter During Play of Starfleet Orion ENERGY SHORT You tried to do some- thing that needed more energy than you had left. DRIVE SHORT You tried to do some- thing that needed more drive than you had left. TOO MUCH BEAM You tried to use more beam strength than you have. TOO MUCH SHIELD | You tried to put up more shield than you have. NO LAUNCH TUBES | You tried to launch more missiles than you have launch tubes. TOO FAR You tried to fire a mis- sile farther than it could go. TOO MANY MIS- More than 99 missiles SILES have been fired on the current turn. With sufficient Energy and Drive, you can move in both dimensions on the same turn. In fact you can move anywhere within a circle whose radius is your maximum one-dimensional move. See figure 1. For rough calcula: tions, a “diagonal” move requires almost one-and-a-half times the energy of a one-space move horizontally or vertically. Thus, a move of 3 spaces in either single direc- tion costs about the same as moving 2 spaces in both (ie., “diagonally”). A S-space move in one direction costs exactly the same as 2 combined move of 3 in one dimension and 4 in the other. (If you can recall your plane geometry, you may recognize the Pythagorean theorem lurking in there; if not, the approximation above will serve reasonably well.) Re-enter your last subcommand, but bbe less ambitious, Re-enter your last subcommand, but be less ambitious. Re-enter the order for your beam, but with fewer points allocated, Re-enter your shield with fewer points. Re-enter the number of missiles to be fired, but fire fewer. Re-enter the X and ¥ displacements with a total displacement iess than the maximum range for your missiles. ‘You will be unable to fire any more missiles on the current turn. This is a highly unlikely occurance. Figure 1. Potential move: For a ship starting at point A, with a maximum move of 4. Such a ship could move 1 in X and 2 in Y, -3 in X and 1 in Y, 2 im X and -2 in Y, or anywhere within the circle, 2.5.2 Tractor Beams: The Tractor Beam allows you to pull other objects directly toward you, or as a pressor beam, push them directly away from you.There are a number of points to remember concerning the Tractor Beam: 1. Since it uses the Drive engines, you can't move at “full speed” and use the Tractor in the same turn. 2. On the other hand, if you have the necessary Drive capacity and the available energy points, you may use the Tractor to affect more than one ship; further, you may push some and pull others. 3. Since the Tractor/Pressor Beam causes no direct damage to the “target” ship, it may be used against a friendly ship as well as one belonging to the other player. 4. You can't use a Pressor Beam against a ship in the same space as the ship you're ordering; the computer has no way of knowing in what direction to push it. However, if the target ship is friendly, you can move that ship first, in the direction you want it to go, and then use a Pressor Beam from another ship to “give it a boost. 5. Since you are effectively substituting the ordered ship’s Drive for the target ship's, the Tractor/ Pressor Beam is most effective when used by a large ship on a much smaller one. The more points you apply to a Tractor Beam, the more spaces it will move the target ship. Conversely, the farther away the target ship is, the less effective will be the Tractor’s pull. 6. IMPORTANT: Unlike the weapon systems, the Tractor Beam applies to the positions of the ships as of the moment its orders are entered. Thus, the person entering his orders first in the turn has a distinct advantage in that, knowing the precise location of his target, he can calculate with considerable precision the effect of his Tractor/Pressor. (This is why this favorable position is com- monly alternated from turn to turn if Tractors are in use.) The use of Tractor/Pressor Beams is not recommended until you become familiar with the mechanics of movement; for this reason, several of the introductory-levet scenarios omit them. 2.5.3 Beam: The Beam is one of your ship's primary offensive weapons; it is much like Captain Kirk's phasers or Luke Skywatker’s lasers. The more energy points you allocate to BEAM, the more damage it will do to the target ship if it hits. The closer you are to your target, the better the chances of hitting it, and the more damage your Beam will do: at extremely close range ~ less than 5 spaces away ~ the Beam will do more points of damage than the energy points allocated to it; at long range, the Beam will do fewer points of damage than its basic allotment. Also, the bigger the target and/or the higher the Beam Quality (a variable specified in the scenario description), the more likely it is'that the Beam will hit. 2.5.4 Shield: The Shield is a defensive force field that absorbs damage from enemy beam, missile, and torpedo attacks. Every point of energy you allocate to the Shield subtracts one point of damage from the total you would otherwise sustain.2.5.5 Missiles: A Missile causes an explosion at its ordered point of impact that will cause damage to any ship occupying that space and, a lesser amount of damage to all ships in adjacent spaces. (The amount of damage is specified when the scenario is created; in the Introductory scenario, a direct hit by a missile causes 10 points of damage, and a near miss produces 4 points.) You may launch more than one missile; however, you may not launch more missiles than you have functioning Launch Tubes or energy to activate them, Regardless of the Mass of the ship, it takes one energy point 10 activate one Launch Tube and fire one missile. Missiles move in much the same way as ships, X=10,Y=5 will cause a missile to explode 10 spaces to the right and 5 spaces above the position of the ship after /ts move (so don’t forget to take the ship's ‘own movement into account), X=6,Y=3 will cause a missile to explode 6 spaces to the right and 3 spaces below the ship's position, Don't forget that the first number you type is the horizontal (right and left) dimension; the second number is the vertical (up and down) dimension. Note that the posi- tion displayed for missiles is only approximate. A missile at any of 3 different points will appear in the same place (for display purposes only). Missiles have a range specified when the scenario is created (15 spaces, in the Introductory scenario); provided you have at least one Energy point available to launch a missile in the first place, this range is independent of the ship's Drive and Energy. 2.5.6 Torpedos: Torpedos are in many ways your most potent weapon. Like a missile, a torpedo can only be fired from an available Launch Tube. Unlike missiles and ships, however, which move from one spot to another without traversing the intervening distance, torpedos travel in a straight line in a series of very rapid microjumps. Also unlike missiles, which explode even if there is no ship nearby, a torpedo will strike only if it finds a target ~ and then only against a single target ~ but it does have 2 limited capacity to “home in on” a potential target. Instead of selecting a point (as you did for missiles), you select one of 8 directions (see figure 2); the torpedo will then move in that direction up to the limit of its range (40 spaces, in the Intro- ductory scenario) and will seek out and attack (doing 12 points of damage, in the Introductory scenario) the first object ~ planet, missile, friendly or enemy ship ~ that lies within two spaces (on either side) of that line of direction. Like missiles, torpedos do not dis- inguish between friend and foe, so watch where you're firing them! Figure 2. Torpedo Aiming Directions 2.6 Continuing a Game at a Later Time: Since some of the scenarios are rather long, Starfleet Orion provides you with a special command - W = to stop a game in the middle and continue it at a later time, This command writes out the current scenario just as if it were a starting scenario. W should be executed before either player enters orders for the coming turn. After executing W, you can power down the computer. To continue your game where you left off, just load Starfleet Orion normally, but read in the new in-progress scenario you saved with the W. 2.7 Starting Over: If for any reason you wish to stop in the middle of a scenario and start over on the same scenario, hit the BREAK key and then type RUN and carriage return. You may continue from that point with the procedures described in Section 2.0. Don’t forget to rewind the data tape,3.0 Scenario Building After you have played the Introductory scenario (which is already on cassette) once or twice, you will wish to try some of the others. This is mostly just a matter of “filling in the blanks” - that is, answer ing the computer's questions. The first step, however, is to look through the Battle Manual and find the scenario you wish to play; they are arranged roughly In order of complexity. When you have = 2 scenario, you must transfer the data given in the Battle Manual onto a cassette tape so that uitder"™ it can then be processed by the main Battle Program. This data transfer is accomplished by the program, Insert the program cassette (the one that came with the game) into the computer and press play. Type: CLOAD"B” and then carriage return (hit the RETURN key). The computer will then instruct you to press PLAY on the tape controls; do so. The computer will inform you when it has found the program and will signify that it has loaded the program into its memory by announcing, “READY.” (This may take a minute or two.) Type RUN and carriage return, NOTE You may use one cassette to hold both the programs and the scenario data; however, to prevent the possibility of erasing something vital (like the program), we strongly suggest using a separate cassette to store this data, If you are doing so, rewind and remove the program cassette for safekeeping, (If ‘you are using one cassette for both functions, simply leave it in the computer; do not rewind it.) ‘The Builder Program is set up to facilitate storing a series of scenarios, successively, on the same tape; to do this properly (without recording over previously constructed scenarios), you must enter the name of the scenario nearest the end of the tape (normally, the one most recently entered). Simply type the name (e.g., CONVOY) and carriage return. Then, on the next line, as requested by the program, enter the name of the scenario you are plan- ning to work with. Do not put this name in quotes. Then hit RETURN, as usual. At this time, following the program's instructions, insert the cassette you are using as a data tape and press RECORD and PLAY on the tape controls, and hit a carriage return, 3.1 General: Regardless of the number of players or the number of ships actually controlled by each player, for scenario-building purposes there are only two sides, and no more than nine ships may be specified for each side. The ships designated here as belonging to Player One will be represented on the CRT (the screen) by the numbers 1-9. Player Two's ships will be shown as the letters A-I and will be referred to as such. 3.2 Planets: The computer's first question involves the existence of a planet. If the scenario calls for a planet, type YES and carriage return; if not, type NO and carriage return. (Note that, if there is a planet, data for it must be entered, at the appropriate point, as if it were Ship #1 of Player Two; ) it wil appear on the screen labeled with a “P" and in the course of play it wll be referred to, targeted, and ordered as Ship P.) Planets cannot move and cannot be blown up.3.3 General Entries for One Side: When the message, PLAYER ONE, #OF SHIPS, appears, type the number called for by the scenario and carriage return (RETURN). (IMPORTANT: Enter numbers normally, as 1, 2, 3, etc., not 01, 02, 03. Don’t spell out numbers, ever, Don’t spell out “RETURN, either; it’s the RETURN key that is called for.) DAMAGE AND RANGE OF MISSILES: This determines the damage that one player's missiles d- when they hit, as well as the distance they can be projected from their “parent” ships. Three numbe separated by commas, are required. The first specifies the number of gross points of damage (before being modified by the armor or shield of the target ship) caused by a “direct hit" ~ the damage in- flicted on any ship located in the space in which the missile explodes. The second number specifies the number of gross points of damage caused by a “near miss” ~ that is, by a missile that explodes “next to” (in any direction, including diagonally) a spaceship. (This number may be 0.) The third number is the range of the missiles ~ the number of spaces they can be projected by the ships that Jaunch them. (Most scenarios call for a range of 15 or less.) From the scenario data in the Battle Manual, enter the appropriate number for a direct hit, comma, the number for a near miss, comma, the range, and carriage return (e.g., 12,4,15RETURN). DAMAGE AND RANGE OF TORPEDOS: This is similar to the previous entry, except that, since Torpedos do not explode unless they find (and hit) a target, there is no specification for a “near miss.” The maximum range for Torpedos is 64, but some scenarios require a lower number. Type the number for damage, comma, the range, and carriage return (e.g., 15,40RETURN). Hees . . * . ae ace . . cs . . : e . : . - . . e . . . . . : . : . a: e . fees o . ove : woe . . Se acue ee . . . . oo Saget ee ° i im be Gece ve . : e giaaue o . . . . 3.4 Creating the Individual Ships: To simplify the duplication of physically identical ships, there is the question, IS THIS SHIP THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS SHIP? Typing YES and a carriage return allows the computer to “copy” the physical characteristics of the ship'you entered previous! while still allowing you to give the new ship a different Beam Quality and location. This short cu obviously, cannot be used to enter the initial ship; nor would it be appropriate if you were entering a ship different from the previous one. In these latter cases, type NO and carriage return. The responses to the prompting messages ENERGY, DRIVE, BEAM, SHIELD, LAUNCH TUBES, MISSILES, and TORPEDOS follow a common format: two numbers are required, separated by a comma but no spaces. The first number is the ship’s starting specification; the second number is the umber of hits it has sustained (before the game starts) on that particular function. (This second~ is usually 0.) The difference between these two numbers represents its current condition at the start of the scenario. Again, this data is specified in the scenario description in the Battle Manual. For example: ENERGY 210,0 DRIVE 25,0 BEAM 25,0 SHIELD 22,0 ARMOR 2 LAUNCH TUBES 72,0 MISSILES 7120 TORPEDOS 20,0 X,Y: This determines the ship’s starting position on the screen. The *X’ coordinate represents the horizontal dimension, from 1 on the extreme left to 64 on the extreme right. The ‘Y’ coordinate Fepresents the vertical dimension, with 1 being’a location on the bottom line of the field and 36 being a space on the top. 32,18 is thus in the center of the screen, Note: entering a 0 (zero) in either ‘or both dimensions means that the computer will assign a random starting position (one that will be different each time the scenario is played) for that dimension (e.g., 1,0 means that the ship will start somewhere on the far lefthand side of the screen; 0,0 allows the computer to assign the ship a Position anywhere on the board). Enter the number for the X (horizontal) dimension, comma, the number for the Y (vertical) dimension, and carriage return. BEAM QUALITY: This number represents the efficiency of a ship’s beams ~ that is, the marksman- ship of the crew and equipment. It can be a positive or negative number; 0 is a poor value;-2 is worse; 5 is average. Enter the number and carriage return (as for ARMOR: e.g., SRETURN). 3.5 Errors: If you type in the wrong number and notice it before you have entered RETURN, simply Use the ~ (left arrow) key to “erase” the incorrect number, and then enter the correct figure normally. If you see an error later, the computer gives you two more chances to correct it. First, it asks for your approval of each ship's specifications, individually; at that point, enter NO if you wish to make no changes; if alterations are required, type YES and carriage return, and the computer will allow you to redo that ship from the beginning. After the data for all the ships on one Side have been entered, the computer will display them all in a group and again ask for your approval. Again, if you type YES, you will be allowed/required to do alf the ships on that side over again from the beginning. If you are satisfied that you have entered your data correctly, simply enter NO (no change) in response to this final checkpoint, and the computer will then ask for the other side's ships. 3.6 Player Two: Enter the data for the ships of Player Two just as you did for those of Player One (see Sections 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5).3.7 CAN YOU FIRE ON YOUR OWN SHIPS: It is obviously undesirable to fire on your own ships by mistake; entering NO in response to this question prevents you from accidentally beaming your ‘own ships. This “failsafe” cannot be used in those special scenarios (e.g., RELIC) in which, for display or other reasons, ships that are theoretically on the same side are in fact controlled by opposing Players, Entering YES here allows you to beam enemy ships the computer thinks are “friendly.” (Note: since missiles and torpedos have no way of distinguishing friend from foe, miscalculation on the part of a player will allow him to blow up his own ships, even if the “failsafe” beam option is chosen.) 3.8 ARE TRACTOR BEAMS PERMITTED: Use of tractor beams (and their converse, pressor beams) should be reserved for players with some experience; to prevent confusion and to speed up play, a NO entered here wili delete tractor beams (and the questions about them) from the play of the scenario. If, on the other hand, the scenario calls for tractor beams, enter YES (and carriage return, as ever). 3.9 Completing the Scenario: When the data for both sides has been entered and all questions answer- ¢d, the computer will announce that the scenario is prepared. At this point, press STOP on the tape controls, and then rewind the cassette back to the beginning. 4.0 Use of STARFLEET ORION Program Listings The STARFLEET ORION program listings are supplied in case you should inadvertently destroy Your program cassette, or in the event that your machine cannot read the supplied cassette, In either case, you have to key in the programs. )BO ERY LT Vit D=8 i NES Sot FEES) PAA)s PACS) PG) PCP) PACED PUES MTEHM2) TARYLSS FRINTGPER, "A F PUES BURL 6a, MRE CER" DUT AS ney 8 He OPP THES aS LTR, MB & 8 35 (LDETHELPED IFRS" TEREIPRESE THDNSOSUEL 30-0795 ELE SHORTS a0 FOR AAT PRINTAPEE, "x S198): JFRES ETHER GIRL: IFRS THEN es2) PDAS, 24 DATOS (1 LL YGh LD) RSMAS 080) DAL 9 ED IBM A WOEWW LD TERS HL LJLG0TOS38 Ae WELD CSETORL, PYEL) SET COL Wd SETAE PY) ETCABPEERCLD (SET 1278, 128, 1 DS TR,é ¢ eae SEERT POSITIGED EDGRG AD PLAYGE, ASL LSP THEREWh DRG DD bp SOTRERPRINT'S (HIT CE RERGE™:G97 CL DGTEMPRINT'Y OT OF RARE" GOTO HOE T 248,SPACHB Ss "ANGE PACT FRINT'DO VOI WRIT TO REVISE THIS SIDE*: IMPUTCS IFW SSTOR(CE, 1. THENIST-4 VCS IF (08, L ENHENDST-4 1s" HRE CTH tb Ds 8 BACH P68, Ds" BELG, Ds 8 3. 1 PRINT‘ ARE TRACT apyery. = epyra: PIONS PAGEEEE MEM EE Automated Simulations P.O. Box 4232 Mountain View, Ca. 94040 Ta