COLD REVENGE INSTRUCTIONS Table of Contents Section Title Page 1.0 DESCRIPTION 2 2.0 SCENARIO SETUP 2 3.0 DISPLAYS 3 3.1 Main Viewer 3 3.2 Engineering Display 3 3.3 Communication Screen 4 3.4 Weapon Displays 4 3.5 Shield Displays 4 3.6 Navigation Displays 4 3.7 Target Displays 4 3.8 Library Displays 5 3.9 Proximity Alarms 5 4.0 COMMANDS 5 5.0 SYSTEMS 7 5.1 Engineering 7 5.2 Weapons and Sensors 7 5.3 Defenses 9 5.4 Navigation 9 5.5 Repair 9 6.0 SQUADRON TACTICS 10 7.0 MULTI-COMPUTER HOOKUP 11 8.0 ENDING THE SIMULATION 11 1.0 DESCRIPTION Cold Revenge is a simulation of starship combat for 1 to 6 computers. Up to 6 ships may be used in a scenario. For each computer in the network, 1 player may control a starship. Other starships are computer controlled. Units of distance in the simulation represent light-seconds (the distance light will travel in one second). With a standard ST, approximately 4 to 8 seconds are required to simulate one second of simulation time, depending on how many computers are in the network. If the program is running from floppy disk, the files must be in the root directory. If running from a hard disk, the files must be in a D: drive subdirectory named COLDRVNG. 2.0 SCENARIO SETUP The first alert box will require you to select 1-player or serial mode. Select multi-computer only if you have more than 1 computer in the network (see section 7.0 below for multi-computer hookup). The scenario setup screen will allow selection of up to 6 ships for the simulation. Click on the number on the left hand side to activate a ship. Low numbered ships must be selected first, e.g., select KR 1 before KR 2. Ship types may not be mixed on a side, i.e., CAs cannot be selected with an outpost, and D7s cannot be selected with KRs. For the multi-computer game, ships are assigned to the additional nodes by clicking on the number under the node column on the right hand side. Ships of different sides must not be assigned to the same node. One ship for each node (computer) in the network must be designated as player controlled, by clicking on the word 'computer' next to the ship designation. The lowest numbered ship on the side must be selected. For the 1-player game, only one ship may be so selected. Click on 'DONE' when the scenario setup is correct. If D7s have been selected, an alert box will require selection of standard or cloak-equipped ships. 3.0 DISPLAYS The bridge display of each class of ship displays essentially the same information, but in different locations. 3.1 Main Viewer The main viewer or screen displays a computer-generated pseudo-optical image of the space surrounding the ship. A true optical image is obviously impossible for objects moving at trans-light speeds. <> show the target, in yellow if inside weapon range and in red if inside torpedo range and arc. The viewer has 5 display modes, shown below the viewer, just to the right of center: 360 The complete 360 degree field of view is displayed. Objects in front of the ship are shown in the center of the screen and objects behind are shown at the outer edges. FWD 180 degrees forward of the ship are shown. AFT 180 degrees aft of the ship are shown. 90 90 degrees centered on the current target are shown. Et As 90, but the target is shown at maximum magnification. The viewer may be switched to tactical mode, where a plot of objects is shown over a grid. Your ship is allways in the center of the screen. Course 000 is toward the top of the screen. Federation ships are displayed as blue numbers, Klingon and Romulan ships as gray numbers. Cloaked contacts appear as 'C'. The current target is shown in yellow. The scale of the plot is automatically adjusted for the most distant contact. The scale in thousands of light-seconds is displayed below the viewer, just to the right of center. 3.2 Engineering Display In the lower right is a display of engine power and temperature. The two vertical bars in the center show power use for the port and starboard engines. Normal 100% power is half way up the display. The two outer vertical bars show engine temperature. The top of the display is 9000 degrees. The horizontal bar between the power bars shows that the engines are cross-connected, and disappears otherwise. The small tab on the left side of the left temperature bar shows the temperature limit setting. The numbers below the display show the highest engine temperature and the temperature limit setting. 3.3 Communication Screen The light gray area at the bottom center displays messages about weapon firing, damage and repair. It is also used for entering multiple key commands (see section 4.0 below). 3.4 Weapon Displays The weapon displays vary with ship class. In general, green indicates phasers/disruptors ready to fire or torpedoes ready to be charged, yellow indicates torpedoes charged, light blue indicates weapons in cooldown and red indicates weapons damaged or destroyed. Phasers and disruptors are small squares in rows, to the right of the viewer in Federation ships, and on either side of the ship icon below the viewer in Klingon and Romulan ships. Torpedoes are slightly larger disks in the same areas. In Klingon ships without cloaking devices, the rear torpedo is below the ship icon. 3.5 Shield Displays The shield displays vary with ship class. In general, green indicates shields up, yellow indicates shields weakened or damaged and red indicates shields down. Shields shut off are black. Federation shields are shown around the ship icon to the left of the viewer. Klingon and Romulan shields are shown around the border of the viewer, with the front shield at the top and the rear shield at the bottom. The front and rear shield indicators are duplicated on each side of the centerline. The shield mode is shown on the left of the viewer in Federation ships and in the upper left corner in Klingon and Romulan ships. 3.6 Navigation Displays Course and speed are shown on the left below the viewer. An indicator for the navigation mode is to the right of these in Federation ships, and in a rhomboid to the upper right of the viewer in Klingon and Romulan ships. Course and speed indicators are yellow when the parameter is changing. Speed is red during emergency acceleration or deceleration. 3.7 Target Displays Target course, speed, range and range-rate are shown on the left above the viewer. An indicator for the condition of the target's facing shield is to the right of these in Federation ships, and in a rhomboid to the upper left of the viewer in Klingon and Romulan ships. This indicator is green for a full-strength shield, yellow for a weakened shield and red if the shield is down. 3.8 Library Displays If the library computer is activated, three pages of data are available. The first page shows the current status of the player's ship, the second shows information on the other ships in the squadron and the third page shows information on the current target. The number displayed before each ship's name on the library pages is a unique number assigned to each ship in the simulation, and is the same as that used on the tactical display. 3.9 Proximity Alarms Alarm lights on the bridge flash yellow and red for enemy contacts within 6000 and 3000 light-seconds, respectively. These lights are at the top corners of Federation bridge and under the main viewer on a Klingon or Romulan bridge. 4.0 KEYBOARD COMMANDS Commands are given by single key and multiple key entries. The keyboard buffer is polled once per simulation cycle and all valid keystrokes in the buffer will be processed. For most commands, repeated keys (as from keybounce or holding down a single key) will be ignored. Most commands are accomplished by single keystrokes. Squadron orders, repair orders and self destruct orders are accomplished by a series of keystrokes. For these multiple key entries, the first key puts the keyboard into a special mode where other commands will be ignored. A timer will count down and automatically return the keyboard to the normal mode without issuing any command. For the squadron orders and repair modes, the 'Q' key will return to the normal mode and confirm any valid order given. For the self destruct mode, entry of any code, valid or invalid, will return to the normal mode. Key Order F1 Viewer mode 360 F2 Viewer mode FWD F3 Viewer mode AFT F4 Viewer mode 90 F5 Viewer mode Et 1-0 Warp speeds 1-0 Reverse warp speeds +, - Raise, lower engine temperature limit Select/change target Q Exit multiple key order mode or cancel self destruct order Q Self destruct order mode W Cycle weapon targeting mode (Phasers&Disruptors) W Cycle auto fire number E Evade navigation mode R Repair order mode T Fire forward torpedo(s) T Charge/discharge forward torpedo(s) O Squadron order mode P Fire phasers P Cycle phaser fire mode [, ] Change library computer page A Fire aft torpedo A Charge/discharge aft torpedo S Cycle shield mode S Drop shields D Fire disruptors D Cycle disruptor fire mode F Follow navigation mode H Halt (pause) simulation L Library computer display on/off X Engine temperature cutback on/off X Engine cross-connect on/off C Cloak on/off V Change main viewer mode: visual/tactical M Manual navigation mode / Auto on/off ? All systems manual Emergency acceleration/deceleration 5.0 SYSTEMS 5.1 Engineering Power for systems on the starships comes from matter/anti-matter reactors (engines). This power is channeled through a main energizer. Drawing power from the engines causes engine temperature to rise. Use of more than 100% power for extended periods will cause engine overheating and damage. This damage occurs at temperatures around 9000 degrees. Power is used by the warp drives to move the ship at speeds up to warp 8 (8x8x8 or 512 c.). Speeds below the speed of light are insignificant for the purposes of this simulation. If the engines are in cutback mode, temperatures above the engine temperature limit will cause warp speed to be reduced. When warp speed is changing, i.e., when the warp speed display is yellow, emergency acceleration or deceleration can be activated by pressing the space bar. Emergency acceleration or deceleration will change speed 6 times faster than normal, with some risk of damage to the warp engines. Power for other systems is drawn from either the port or starboard engine. With the engines cross-connected, all loads are shared equally between the two engines, resulting in equal engine temperatures. Damage to the main energizer will reduce the power available for operating ship systems. If systems which are undamaged do not operate, it may be because insufficient power is available. 5.2 Weapons and Sensors 5.2.1 Phasers and Disruptors Phasers and disruptors are energy beam weapons. Their power decreases with range. The probability of hitting a target decreases with range and with target speed. The arc of fire is 360 degrees. Maximum range is 6000 light-seconds. Bridge indicators change color to show weapon status: green for ready to fire, light blue for cooldown and red for damaged or destroyed. Phasers and disruptors may be placed in three modes. In manual (displayed as PM or DM), the weapons are fired by keyboard command. In limited automatic (displayed as PLn or DLn, where n is the number of weapons to fire) the weapons will be fired when n weapons are ready and the engine temperature is below the engine temperature limit. In automatic (displayed as PAn or DAn, where n is the number of weapons to fire) the weapons will be fired when n weapons are ready regardless of the engine temperature. 5.2.2 Torpedoes Photon torpedoes are encapsulated energy weapons installed on Federation and Klingon ships. Their power is constant with range. The probability of hitting a target decreases with range and with target speed. The arc of fire is 90 degrees, forward or aft depending on weapon location. Maximum range is 3000 light-seconds. Plasma torpedoes are encapsulated energy weapons installed on Romulan ships. Their power is constant to 1/2 maximum range and decreases thereafter. Unlike other weapons, plasma torpedoes travel at only warp 8, so the torpedo must follow the target until contact is made or until the torpedo expends its energy. The arc of fire is 90 degrees, forward. Maximum range is about 3000 light-seconds. Bridge indicators change color to show weapon status: green for ready to charge, yellow for charged, light blue for cooldown and red for damaged or destroyed. 5.2.3 Sensors Undamaged sensors are able to detect uncloaked contacts at up to 100K light-seconds. Sensors on cloaked ships are limited to between 10K and 15K light-seconds. Cloaked ships may be detected by motion sensors depending on range and target speed, but this detection is not adequate for torpedo firing, and the probability of phaser or disruptor hits is greatly reduced. The current sensor range is shown on the right below the main view screen. 5.3 Defenses 5.3.1 Shields Shields are energy barriers which protect a ship from enemy fire. Shield power is reduced by weapon hits and is restored gradually if sufficient engine power is available. If a shield is hit by more weapon energy than it can deflect, the ship's hull and interior systems may be damaged. The maximum shield power may be temporarily or permanently reduced or the shield may be shut down completely by damage. See 3.5 above for the location of the shield status displays. Shields may be operated in two modes. In limited mode (displayed as SL), shields will be restored if engine temperature is below the engine temperature limit. In unlimited mode (displayed as SU), shields will be restored regardless of engine temperature. If shields are manually dropped, the display will read SD. The efficiency of shields is reduced when a cloaking device is active. 5.3.2 Cloaking Device A cloaking device renders a ship invisible to most sensor systems. Cloaked ships may be detected by motion detectors if they move, with the probability of detection increasing with speed and decreasing with range. Cloaked ships cannot fire weapons and have reduced deflector shield and sensor capabilities. The cloaking device requires significant engine power during operation. The cloaking device status is indicated by a colored bar under the ship icon below the main view screen. This bar is green when the cloak is ready to activate, yellow when the cloak is on and light blue when the cloak is recharging. 5.4 Navigation For the purposes of this simulation, navigation is limited to the tactical movement of the ship in a two-dimensional plane. Navigation may be operated in three modes. In manual (displayed as NM), course changes are made by holding the joystick in port 1 to the left or right. In follow (displayed as NF), the course will be automatically adjusted to point the ship toward the target. In evade (displayed as NE), the course will be adjusted to point the ship away from the target. Changing course requires engine power and requires more power at higher warp speeds. Navigation damage can reduce the ability of the ship to turn or prevent it from turning at all. These damage conditions are indicated by the color of the navigation mode display, yellow and red, respectively. 5.5 Repair Repair functions are handled automatically by the ships crew. The priority for repair of a system can be increased by using the repair order, however other systems will continue to be repaired. The ability of the surviving crew to repair systems decreases as the ship's hull is destroyed. 6.0 SQUADRON TACTICS Players may give orders to the ships in their squadrons using multiple key entries. Press "O", and the communications screen will blank. Pressing one of the following keys, followed by "Q" will issue an order. If the multiple key timer counts down to zero, the order mode will be exited without issuing an order. The multiple key timer appears on the right, below the main viewer on Federation ships and in the lower right on Klingon and Romulan ships. The ships will obey orders within the limits of their situation and their reliability. Generally, Romulan captains are more likely to follow orders than Federation captains, and Federation captains are more likely to follow orders than Klingon captains. Key Order I Independent Action A Attack 1-5 Assume formation 1 3 1 2 2 3 1 2 3 3 2 1 1 4 2 3 5 3 1 2 C Operate cloaked U Operate uncloaked 7.0 MILTI-COMPUTER HOOKUP Up to six computers may be linked in a network by using MIDI cables. The MIDI OUT of each computer must be connected to the MIDI IN of the next, with the last connecting to the first to complete a loop. Start the program on each computer and select SERIAL from the first alert box. Click on the next alert box to perform a MIDI test. One computer must be selected as the CONTROL from the third alert box, with all others selected as NODE 2-6. The CONTROL computer will be used to setup the scenario. Each node should have at least one ship assigned, and the lowest numbered ship on each node must be player-controlled. A node may not have ships from both sides. The maximum number of ships in the scenario is six. The scenario generation routine is not sailor-proof, so check that these guidelines are observed before clicking on DONE. 8.0 ENDING THE SIMULATION To end the simulation, press the UNDO key and confirm with the alert box, then press "Q". If a multi-computer network is in use, do not quit from any machine unless all users are ready to quit. If the network does not shut down, try quitting from another node.