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TRADE WARS 2002 Version 3 (C) Copyright 1990 - 2000 by Epic Interactive Strategy Written by Gary Martin, Mary Ann Martin, and John
Pritchett Created by Gary and Mary Ann Martin Trade Wars Support http://www.eisonline.com --------- Trade Wars 2002 combines
adventure and exploration with strategy and cooperative play in an
entertaining and exciting on-line game. You compete
against other gamers to be the most powerful trader (or corporation of traders) in the universe. Independent traders can compete quite effectively against large corporations. Corporate members can perform
specific duties (as directed by their C.E.O.) in specialized
ships. Traders can be "good
guys" or "bad
guys" with different avenues for advancement. The universe can be different with each new game. There is no right or wrong way to play and the possible
strategies are limited only by one's imagination. PLAYING THE
GAME When you enter the game, you
will be piloting a Merchant Cruiser. This is considered the most
versatile ship in the Trade Wars armada. In it, new
players have a chance to try out all aspects of the game. Upon entering, you will be
asked what alias you would like to use in the game and what name you would like to christen your
ship. The alias you choose will
display in the player and corporate rankings and in several corporate listings. Your ship name will be used in the docking logs at the ports. You can use these names to be as conspicuous or as inconspicuous as you want. If your sysop has it
configured this way, you will also be given a personal planet when you enter the game. You will be asked to name the planet here. You can then use option <Y> Your Personal
Planets from the Computer Menu to locate the planet. The equipment in your initial
ship will include some holds to store the cargo that you can
trade at the ports found throughout the universe. Trading
is the basic way to advance in the game. By good trading, you can gain
experience as well as gain credits. The credits you earn can fund
your military and can provide the capital you will need to expand your trading expeditions. You will have some credits with
which you can purchase some commodities for trading. You
will additionally have some fighters to offer some protection as you begin your voyage. The game will differ with each
different group of players. Individual traders are ranked
by their experience. You gain experience simply by playing the game. The more things you do, the more experience you will get. Good and Evil are represented by the titles each player receives. Your experience combined with your alignment will
determine whether you are a Lieutenant or a Dread Pirate.
When you do something that affects your alignment, you will get a
message saying your alignment went up or down and by how much. There are benefits and
drawbacks whether you choose to play the game as a good trader or an evil trader. Traders who follow the FedLaws are offered protection in FedSpace
until they are experienced enough to protect themselves. Traders who aspire to be very good can be awarded a Federal Commission. This allows them to purchase an Imperial Starship. This is one of the most powerful ships in the universe.
On the other hand, the evil traders are offered some options in the Underground. Traders who have proved that they are truly
evil can steal product or money from the ports. THE
UNIVERSE You will be traveling in a
universe, whose size was determined by your SysOp. Sectors may have planets, ports, other
players, empty ships, aliens, Ferrengi, Federation Starships, mines, message beacons, fighters
(belonging to you, other players, rogue mercenaries, or the Ferrengi) or the sectors may contain nothing at all. If in your
travels you come across something undesirable, your initial ship
comes equipped with 30 fighters with which you can defend yourself. Many players find it useful to
have a home sector or group of sectors. Players,
especially those just joining a game, need an out-of-the-way place to stay so they can build up their assets. You can explore the universe
and look for dead end sectors to use as a hiding place.
Corporate bases built in traffic lanes do not fare too well and those in the
major thoroughfares (in the paths between the class 0 and class
9 ports) just do not stand much of a chance. Planets play a key part in
your success as a trader. Terra, the first planet you encounter as
you enter the game, is where the people can be found to colonize all other planets. Remember, the environment on some planet types may be hazardous to humans. The other planets in the game
will, if inhabited, produce Organics, Equipment and
Fighters. The amounts of these commodities produced will be affected by the type of planet. For example, a Mountainous planet
will provide more Oceanic planet. You and the other traders decide where the planets will be. You can
purchase a Genesis Torpedo and use it in almost any sector in the galaxy. If the planet has enough of the required commodities and
enough people to supply the labor to build it, you can begin construction of a Citadel. The Citadel can provide you and the other
members of your corporation with a secure place to dock your
ships and deposit the credits you've earned. As you progress
in the game, your Citadel can be upgraded to provide additional
protection to you and your corporation. If you decide to
build a planet in your home sector, be sure you can defend it. A planet is very vulnerable until it has a Combat Control Computer
(level 2 Citadel) to safeguard it. There are ten different types
of ports scattered about the universe. The ports are
classified by the products they buy and/or sell. Port classes
1 through 8 trade the three basic commodities: contains specialty ports for
the other items you will need to advance in the game. There
are three Class 0 ports where you can purchase holds (beneficial for
moving colonists to your planets as well as transporting goods
for trade), fighters (to help protect your territory), or
shields (to protect your ship from the traps laid by your enemies). There is one Class 9 port that contains not only a StarDock houses the Stellar Hardware Emporium, the Federation Shipyards, the Lost Trader's
Tavern, the 2nd National Galactic Bank, the Videon
Cineplex and the Interstellar Space Police Headquarters. There are other places of interest located
in the StarDock. These places you
will have to discover on your own. Some are not advertised
because they are establishments of questionable repute. Others are
Federation buildings that house top secret government information. PEOPLE IN
THE TRADE WARS UNIVERSE A large part of playing is
interacting with others in the game. You can mingle with other
players in the Lost Traders Tavern, gambling against them,
conversing with them, leaving announcements at the door or
writing a message on the bathroom wall. You can combine
your assets with other players of the same alignment to form a Corporation.
Just be aware that more than one Corporation has been
brought down by a con man who wormed his way into the Corporate structure. You can have a chance encounter with other creatures
of the universe, both real (other users) and Non-Player
Characters (the Federals, Alien traders and the Ferrengi). Chance encounters offer many possibilities
and can advance you in your chosen career path. Your alignment and experience and the alignment
and experience of the creature you encounter will determine just how that advancement if affected. Other traders are users just
like you. They have alignment and experience points. You can
see all the others by Listing Traders from your ships computer.
By using the listing, you can see which players are good and which are evil. You can estimate whether the other player would
better serve your needs as an ally or adversary. The Federation is the main governing
body of the cosmos. You will meet the Feds if you go to the Police Station. You might run into them as you roam around space. The Feds don't look kindly on players who break FedLaws, so if you're not careful, they might visit you when you least want their company. Alien traders are visitors
from another universe who are looking for better ports. You
can get a listing of the Aliens similar to the one you get for other traders. Aliens also have experience and alignment, but you cannot form a Corporation with them. The Ferrengi
are a greedy, cowardly group. Their
primary purpose is the speedy acquisition of money. They will steal from anyone no matter what the person's or corporation's alignment. They seldom engage in face-to-face
combat because they prefer the advantage of surprise when ambushing their opponent. They often travel in groups and will spy on promising territory. After targeting an area, they will
raid the sector when it is least defended. If they are
attacked, that group will hold a grudge against the attacker and they
will not rest until they feel the score has been settled. Explore the universe and take
part in the adventure. You can just look around or you can become a dominant factor. Most of the displays are fully explained. When you are asked to make a selection, anything displayed
in brackets [], will be the default. Most displays can be aborted
by hitting the space bar. Good Trading and Good Luck. MENU
OPTIONS - MAIN MENU Navigation <D> Re-display Sector.
This will re-display the information about the sector where you are currently located. Information includes sector
number and nebulae name, marker beacons, port name and
class, mines, fighters, planets and any other ships.
Next to the class you will see three letters signifying how
the port trades in the commodities. For example a SSB
would indicate that the port sells adjacent sectors will also be shown. With a color display, the sectors you have not yet visited will show up in red. <P> Port and Trade. This
will allow you to dock at the port in your current sector.
This is the only way to trade your commodities. You
will have some choices for what action you would like to take at the port. Most of the choices are self-explanatory.
If you are playing the game as an evil trader, the choices
you see will be different than they would be if you were playing the game as a lawful Player. When you dock at the port, you
will be able to see the docking log. This will show
you the name of the last ship to do business there. If there is a
planet in the sector with this port, you will be able to negotiate a Planetary Trade Agreement. This is a trade contract that will allow
you to trade off all your excess commodities to the port
without wasting your turns hauling one shipload at a time. If you
want to build a new Starport and the universe is full or if you
decide that your adversaries have too big an advantage and you need
to get rid of that port they have been using, you can attack and destroy a starport. This is never an easy task. The starports are very heavily armed and will retaliate, so you will need to
have plenty of military forces with you if you decide to proceed with this selection. <M> Move to a Sector. The
sectors adjacent to your current location will be listed as
warp lanes in the sector display. You can move to
one of them, or you can choose any other sector in the universe. If you designate a sector that doesn't have a
direct warp lane, your ship's computer will plot your
course, show the path and the number of hops (and turns) the trip
will use, and ask you if you want to engage your AutoPilot. You will be able to use the Autopilot in three different
modes. The default is Alert mode. This will suspend
your travel in any sector where there is a planet, port,
navigational hazard or other trader. Once alerted to
one of these items, you will be given several options.
It is up to you to make the decision that will best serve you or your corporation. The second mode is Express. This
speeds you to your destination provided there are no enemy forces in your path. The third mode is Single Step.
This was developed by an enterprising group of pioneers. Their
group was getting smaller due to bold exploration of sectors
filled with mines, so the survivors manufactured an Autopilot
that would stop in each sector. This allowed them
to scan the next sector for hazards before proceeding into it. Select this option if you feel the need for caution. <L> Land on a Planet. This
option will enable you to colonize your planets, build a Citadel
and do business there, pick up the fighters built by your
colonists or pick up the production of see a list of all the planets. Simply enter the number for the one you want to visit.
If you have purchased a Planet Scanner at the Hardware
Emporium, it will automatically provide you with additional information about the planet. The Planet Scanner will also
allow you to abort the landing procedure if, after looking at
the defenses, you feel you may not be able to land successfully. The display, once you have landed, shows the planet
number, location, name, class and a chart detailing the
commodities, production requirements and current inventories.
You will also see the citadel information and any planetary defenses. <S> Hardware Emporium, you can use
it to view adjacent sectors. All things in the Trade Wars
universe have a density value and you can use your Density
Scanner to display the relative density of the neighboring
sectors and determine if there are any Navigational Hazards.
You will also be warned of any non-standard, indefinable mass. You can then use that information to determine what's next door. If you have a Holographic Scanner, you will
be able to see ports, planets, hazards and other players all for just the cost of one turn. <R> Release Beacon. Choose
this when you want to launch one of the Marker Beacons you
purchased at the Hardware Emporium. You will need to decide what message your beacon will send when you launch it. (Limit 41 characters) <W> Tow Spacecraft. This
option lets you toggle your tractor beam on and off. The
computer will ask you which trader in your current sector you wish to tow. You can tow an unmanned ship only if you own
the ship and know the ship's password. The computer will
then calculate (using the size difference between the two
ships) the number of turns you will use for each sector you
tow this trader and his/her ship. You can then use
the Move option to go to an adjacent sector or you can engage your AutoPilot to move you and your "passenger". Type 1 TransWarp
drives were not made to be used in conjunction with tractor
beams, so if you use your Type 1 TransWarp, the tractor beam will automatically shut down. Type 2 TransWarp
drives can be used with a ship in tow. The person you are towing will
not enter a sector until you have safely entered.
The tractor beam will act as a protective shield and will
safeguard the towee from any damage from mines, offensive fighters or Quasar cannons. If your ship is destroyed, the
tractor beam will also be destroyed and the person you
are towing will be left stranded. To disengage the
beam at any point, use this option again. <N> Move to NavPoint. Navigation Points are sectors of particular relevance to you or your corporation. They are assigned from the main menu with the "<Y> Set NavPoints" option.
All Nav units are pre-programmed with info
on Sector 1 (Terra), and (if the sysop wishes) StarDock Sector, and there are four other definable points. Navigation info
is available on any sector in FedSpace, or any sector containing one or more of your fighters. This info includes any planet or port details for that sector. Computer and Information <C> Onboard Computer. This
command will activate your on-board computer. <X> Transporter Pad. The display
will show the transport range of your ship and a list of
ships and their locations to which you can beam yourself.
Make sure you know the password! <I> Ship Information. This
will display your statistics. Trader Name......Your alias in
the game Rank and Exp.....The experience
points you have accumulated, the number of
alignment points you have accumulated
and the title you have received Times Blown Up...The number of
times your ship has been destroyed Ship Name........The name of
the ship you are now using Ship Info........Manufacturer
and model Ported = The number of times
this ship has docked at a Kills = Number of other
player's ships destroyed by this ship Turns to Warp....How many
turns used to move this ship one sector Date Built.......The date this
ship was purchased Current Sector...Your current
location Turns to Warp....The number of
turns you will use moving this ship to an
adjacent sector Turns Left.......Number of
turns remaining for this ship Total Holds......Number of holds
this ship is carrying (This display also shows the
breakdown of the cargo in the holds) Additional information
includes all the special equipment your ship has and the number
of credits you have on your ship. <T> Corporate Menu. This will give
you information about all the corporations in the game. <U> Use Genesis Torpedo.
If you are carrying a Genesis Torpedo, you will be able to
detonate it and create one of the several types of planets using this command. These will create your new world quickly.
You will be advised of the planet type before you have to
name it so you can assign an appropriate name. <J> Jettison Cargo. If your
holds are full of some cargo you just can't unload on any
nearby port or planet, you may use this selection to
unceremoniously dump your holds into space. Remember
that FedLaw prohibits littering in FedSpace. Dumping holds
filled with colonists will leave a negative impression on your alignment. <B> Interdict Control. If you are
piloting an Interdictor Cruiser, use this option to
set the generator powering the Interdictor on or off. If it is on, an enemy will not be able to warp out of the sector during an attack. Tactical <A> Attack Enemy SpaceCraft. When you encounter an opponent, other creature or unmanned
ship in a sector you have the option of going on the offense and attacking. The controller will ask you how
many of your fighters you want to use in the attack.
When you are much stronger than your opponent, there is a chance
that the opponent will warp out of the sector. If you
are very careful with the amount of firepower you use in your
attack, there may be significant salvage available after you win.
Attacking others can (and probably will) affect your alignment. If you attack a pirate or known terror you will get good points. On the other hand, if you decide to
pick on some good soul you will go down the ladder of righteousness. <E> Use Subspace Ether Probe.
Launch the Probe you purchased at the Hardware Emporium.
Send the unmanned spy off to its destination sending
information back to you from every sector it passes through.
Remember that this device has no defensive capabilities so
if it encounters any enemy fighters, it will be destroyed. <F> Take or Leave Fighters.
This enables you to deploy your fighters. You will have
several options so you can customize your defenses. You
can leave fighters as either Personal so they
recognize only you as an ally or you can leave them as
Corporate so any member of your corporation will be treated with respect. Fighters can be Offensive, Defensive or Toll. Defensive fighters defend your territory.
They bar opponents from entering a sector and will fight when attacked. Offensive fighters will send out an
attack group on any poor soul who happens into their sector. The size of the attack group depends on the fighter
support escorting the intruder. After the initial
attack, offensive fighters fall back to defend their territory. Toll fighters simply stop the casual
passers-by and ask them for money to help with your cause.
The number of Toll Fighters deployed will determine the amount of the toll charged. Toll fighters, as all other
fighters, will fight back if attacked. <G> Show Deployed Fighters.
This display can be a very useful tool as you plan your military strategies. The information shown contains the
sector number where the fighters are located, the quantity
of fighters there, whether the fighters are
Personal or Corporate, the strategic mode they are in
(Offensive, Defensive or Toll) and any tolls they have collected. <H> Handle Space Mines. Mines
can be a very convincing way of marking your territory.
This selection will let place both Limpet and Armid mines and allows you place or pick up the mines. You will be
able to choose whether to set the mines as Personal or Corporate. Personal mines will recognize only you and Corporate
mines will recognize any member of your corporation. Mines don't always work, but it stands to reason that the more
mines there are in a sector, the more likely one is to
detonate (or attach in the case of Limpet mines). <K> Show Deployed Mines.
This display is similar to the Show Deployed Fighters. You get information about the sectors containing your Personal
and/or Corporate Limpet and Aramid mines and how many mines are
located in each of those sectors. In the case of
Limpet mines, you will get two displays. One will show the
deployed mines just waiting for your unsuspecting enemy.
The other display is Activated mines - it shows those mines
which have attached to ships and where they are. <O> Starport
Construction. If there is not a Starport in the sector, this menu selection
will display the Starport Construction Menu. Starports are
available throughout the universe. You may
decide that you want your own customized commerce center in
a place you specify instead of using the ones built by others. You will see a detailed graph of the
different port classes, the products they can
import/export and the initial construction costs. The license
bureau will check to see that there is a planet in the
sector to provide materials for the construction.
They will also check for sufficient funding to support the undertaking. Be sure to leave the specified amount
of materials on the planet every day during the
construction phase or the building will not progress. If
there is already a Starport in the sector, the Upgrade Starport Menu will
be displayed. This allows you to increase
the trading levels of any or all of the commodities.
The universe can support only so many ports. If the Starport Construction request tells you that the universe is full,
then you have to destroy an existing port before you
can begin construction on your new one. ( <Y> Set NavPoints. Use this option to log important sectors to your< |