Space Exploration Help Index

Overview / Playing the Game

Controlling Your Ship

Docking with the Orbiter

Mission Briefing Updates

Score

Space Exploration - Mission Bravo  (Preview and Ordering information)

To simply register this game only please see the bottom of the preview and ordering section for Mission Bravo.


Overview

Space Explorer - An Overview

The object of Space Explorer is to visit each planet, land and collect samples, take off and join back up with the orbiter, and finally return to, and land safely in, the mother ship.  You will start each planet by falling from the orbiter.  You are constantly falling, being pulled down by the planet's gravity.  Each planet has a different gravitational pull.  You must use your main thrusters to control your rate of descent.    You control your horizontal speed with left and right thrusters.

You must land with your horizontal speed less than 1.00 units.  You must touch down with a vertical speed of less than 12.00 units, unless otherwise advised in your Mission Briefing Update.  However, for a perfect landing your vertical speed will have to be less than 4.00 units, otherwise you may incur damage to your ship.

You will have a mass of 12,000 pounds when you first fall from the orbiter.  You will be carrying 5,000 pounds of fuel.  As the thrusters burn off fuel off your weight will decrease accordingly.  When you land, you will collect 1,589 pounds of samples.  On planets with high gravity, you may be too heavy too take off if you land with too much fuel, although you may also land without enough fuel to fly back and dock with the orbiter.

After you land, you must take off and dock with the orbiter.  You will not receive any points until you successfully dock.  When you do dock, the planet is completed and thus will be reflected in the Ships Log, accessible form the Game menu.  The menu item for this planet will also be grayed at that point.  You may take the planets in any order you prefer, and you may switch from one to the other as you desire in a game.  Once you land and then take off, you can not land again.

When you have successfully completed all planets, the Mother Ship menu item will be enabled.  You must then return to the mother ship and land in her hangar to successfully complete the mission.

You may save the game at any time.  It saves your score and your ship's log.  If you are in the middle of a planet when you save the game, you will still have to start that planet over again.  It only saves completed planets.

You may press the escape key at any time to immediately minimize and pause the game.  You can press the pause key to just pause the game without minimizing.  If you access a menu item or press the Alt key, the game will pause.  Anytime the game is paused, press the pause key to continue.  Whenever the game is paused, it will reflect it in the title caption.


Controlling Your Ship

Use the Ctrl key for your Main Thrusters.

Use the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys for your right and left thrusters.

The thrusters will burn as long as you hold down it's key and as long as you still have fuel.


Docking
Docking with the Orbiter

After you land on a planet, you must fly up and dock with the orbiter, as shown here in the photo:

Very carefully match your horizontal speed with that of the orbiter and align the nose of your ship with the docking ring of the orbiter, then touch the nose of your ship to the docking ring.

The orbiter is not accessible at all times.  If it goes off the screen then you will have to wait for it to complete it's orbit around the planet before it comes back into view.  It will be out of view for the same amount of time as it is in view as it crosses the screen, which depends on how fast it is traveling.

You will break up the orbiter  if you if your ship touches it anywhere other than the docking ring, or if you touch the docking ring too hard.  If you do crash into the orbiter, you will lose all of your fuel in the accident and fall back to the planet's surface and crash!


Mission Briefing Updates

The first time you switch to a planet you will be given a Mission Briefing Update.  This will be information about the planet you are in orbit around.  It will generally give information about the planet's gravitational force and any other information that you may need to successfully complete your mission at the planet.


Score

Your score is determined by several factors.

When you dock with the orbiter, the number of pounds of fuel you have remaining is added to your  score.

If you crash you will lose 100 points.

If you collide with the orbiter you will lose 100 points.  You will then fall to the planet's surface and crash, therefore losing another 100 points.

If you start a new game on the same level you will lose 100 points.  (You can not start a new game just before you crash to save the 100 points!)

You will be rewarded with extra points for good landings!


Mission Bravo - Preview and Ordering

To order Mission Bravo (and also receive a free 3D-view game for Windows), or to register this mission, Mission Alpha, please see the information below, after the following sneak preview of Mission Bravo.

Here are just a few scenes from your next mission - Mission Bravo:

Mission Bravo takes you to a system in another galaxy.  You are landing inside old and deserted space ships and stations as well as on a few planets.  Some of the systems are still functioning, so you must beware of laser beams and space mines.  You will also land on the surface of a fiery star, where flames are sweeping across so that you will have to get in and out before the flames engulf your ship.  Mission Bravo offers you your most challenging mission yet!

You can get Space Exploration - Mission Bravo for just $15.00, plus $1.75 Shipping and Handling.

Send your order to:

Jeffrey R. Marken

JRM Software

P.O. Box 842

Englewood, Co. 80151-0842

You may print out and complete the order form form if you wish, or just write.

You will receive a 3.5" diskette with Space Exploration - Mission Bravo and will be registered so that we may notify you of upgrades and new products as they become available.

FREE GAME INCLUDED!  You will also get Maze, a 3-D view Windows game.  Can you find your way out?

If you enjoy Space Exploration - Mission Alpha and would like to register it only please send $10.00.  You will be placed on the mailing list and it will help in developing new games.


Order Form for Mission Bravo

YES,   Send me Space Exploration - Mission Bravo!

Enclosed is a check or money order for $16.75, payable in U.S. dollars.

Name:	____________________________________________

Address:	____________________________________________

Address:	____________________________________________

Address:	____________________________________________

Send your order to:	Jeffrey R. Marken

JRM Software

P.O. Box 842

Englewood, Co. 80151-0842