User manual GAMES PC MASTER OF ORION II

[. . . ] ORIONS AND ANTARANS Introduction (Excerpted from "Pre-Psilonic Galactic Civilizations" Vol. II, by Ectron Victor, retired Master Adjudicator, Psilon Central History Institute. ) As a story is told and retold over the course of generations, no matter the attention paid to detail and no matter the importance of the tale, the truth is gradually nibbled away by little mistakes and innocent exaggerations. Carried off on these well-intentioned, tiny feet, the facts deteriorate softly and painlessly into a condition generally referred to as "shrouded by time. " The legends concerning the Orions and Antarans are shrouded by time. What is certain is that at one time both races coexisted in the galaxy. [. . . ] When attacking a ship, Bombers always strike the weakest shield. TECTONIC ENGINEERING Deep Core Mine (Building) Normal mining only extends into a planet's crust. Advanced structural engineering techniques allow miners to build stable tunnels extending deep into the planet--sometimes even into the core. This increases the productivity of each worker unit by 3 production and the colony by 15. A Deep Core Mine costs 3 BC in maintenance each turn. Core Waste Dumps (Building) Core Waste Dumps take man-made toxic and polluting agents and stash them deep within the planet. Since they're so far below surface water supplies and often destroyed by the intense pressures and temperatures at the fringe of the molten core, this completely eliminates all pollution on the planet. A Core Waste Dump costs 8 BC in maintenance each turn. SUPERSCALAR CONSTRUCTION Star Fortress (Satellite) The Star Fortress is the leviathan of orbital platforms. It's much better armed than a Battle Station, and it adds 6 parsecs to the range of planetary scanners and 20% to the Ship Attack of all friendly ships in combat with it. The fortress drydock automatically repairs all damaged friendly ships that spend time in the same system. The fortress replaces any Battle Station or Star Base in orbit around the same planet. A Star Fortress costs 4 BC in maintenance each turn. 7. Research and Development Advanced City Planning (Achievement) With advanced planning techniques, city designers can avoid many of the pitfalls of colony organization and overbuilding. The improvements in organization increase the maximum population limit for every planet in the empire by 5 population units. Heavy Fighters (System) Heavy Fighter bays allow ships to carry Heavy Fighters. These are like two Interceptors and two Bombers in one little ship. Heavy Fighters are installed and launched in squadrons of 4. Each carries two of the best beam weapons you have that can be modified for Point Defense and two of the best bombs. Heavy Fighters have your best armor and computer, can take 5 damage (plus what the armor absorbs), and move at speed 12. In combat, these fly to the target, drop one bomb and fire both beams. They then hover around the target to drop the other bomb and fire the beams again. Afterwards, the fighters return to the carrier for repair, rearming, and refueling. When attacking a ship, Heavy Fighters always strike the weakest shield. PLANETOID CONSTRUCTION Doom Star Construction (Ship) Doom Stars are mobile planetoid bases the size of small moons. This is the largest class of ship possible and a military ship of incredible effectiveness. A Doom Star requires 6 Command Rating points or 60 BC in maintenance each turn. Artemis System Net (Satellite) The Artemis System Net is a gigantic spherical network of high-yield mines that surrounds an entire star system. [. . . ] The differences begins when you click the Turn button. Once you signal that you're done with your turn, the Turn Monitor screen appears. This display keeps track of which players have and have not completed their turns. (If you are the last one finished, you might only see the monitor briefly, if at all. ) Until everyone is done, those of you who have finished can sit back and take a breather--or, if you prefer, take this opportunity to use the Chat window. [. . . ]