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diff --git a/doc/users/manual.txt b/doc/users/manual.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..330d785 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/users/manual.txt @@ -0,0 +1,799 @@ +THE UR-QUAN MASTERS v0.7 -- homepage: http://sc2.sf.net/ + +Welcome to this beta release of the Ur-Quan Masters port. This +document will tell you everything you need to play, even if you've +never played the original. + +For those of you who have played the original, read the first section +(starting the game and bug reports) and the last sections (Super Melee +and control summary), and you'll be good to go. + +STARTING THE GAME + +Simply invoke the executable from the directory you installed UQM in +to run the game. (Under Windows, this is uqm.exe; under Linux, it's +uqm.) This will use the default settings. The defaults and how to +change them are listed under COMMAND LINE OPTIONS, below. + +After a splash screen, you will see the main menu, which has five +options: + + - New Game: Begins a new Full Game. This is a galaxy-spanning space + adventure full of diplomacy, exploration, combat, high treason, + and low cunning. The introductory cutscenes will set the scene; + the THE STORY SO FAR section below provides more extensive + backstory for the curious. + + - Load Game: Restores a Full Game session that was saved earlier. + + - Super Melee!: Puts the game in Super Melee mode, where you may + hone your space combat skills or challenge your friends to fleet + battles. See the SUPER MELEE section below for details on this + section. + + - Setup: Lets you configure many options to customize your play + experience. Most options will take effect once you exit the setup + menu; a few specially marked options require you to restart UQM. + Setup options are preserved across sessions. The options are + described under COMMAND LINE OPTIONS, below. + + - Quit: Exits the program. + +COMMAND LINE OPTIONS + +The default options for an UQM install are 3DO music, 640x480 windowed +mode, and pure SDL graphics drivers. The initial defaults may vary on +the Windows install if you selected "Mimic PC" or "Mimic 3DO" as the +install type. You may pass various command line options to customize +your experience: + + -r 320x240 (or --res) + +Sets the screen resolution. Unless --opengl is set, the only valid +values are 640x480 and 320x240. + + -f (or --fullscreen) + +Uses full screen mode. Pretty straightforward. Usually good to +combine with -r 320x240 unless you're using a scaler. + + -w (or --windowed) + +Displays the game in a window. The opposite of --fullscreen. + + -o (or --opengl) + +Use OpenGL drivers. This produces higher-quality graphics, and may be +faster as well -- but it also may not work on older cards. It also +permits use of any screen resolution. + + -x (or --nogl) + +Do not use OpenGL drivers. This is more likely to run on systems with +poor or no 3D acceleration, and is often faster, especially on older +or less well supported cards. Only the 320x240 and 640x480 +resolutions are available when not using OpenGL. + + -k (or --keepaspectratio) + +Keep 4:3 aspect ratio when using custom resolutions. + + -c (or --scale=mode) + +Graphics scaling mode (bilinear, biadapt, biadv, triscan, hq or none). +Default is none. Try these to get smoother graphics with cost on +performance. + + -b (or --meleezoom=mode) + +Melee zooming mode (pc or 3do); 'step' is an alias for 'pc' and 'smooth' +is an alias for '3do'. Default is 3do. Slower machine owners can set it +to 'pc' to get better performance in melee. + + -s (or --scanlines) + +Simulates interlaced displays. + + -g (or --gamma) + +Sets gamma correction. 1.0 causes no change (unless your graphics card +is originally set to a different value). Higher than 1.0 makes the +image brighter, lower than 1.0 makes it darker. + + -p (or --fps) + +Print fps information in the status window. + + -C (or --configdir) + +Set the directory where the game will store the config data. + + -n (or --contentdir) + +Set the directory where the game will seek its data. + + -l (or --logfile) + +Set a file to receive the diagnostic information that would otherwise go +to the console. + + -h (or --help) + +Display a help message. + + -M (or --musicvol) + +Set music volume (0-100). + + -S (or --sfxvol) + +Set sound effects volume (0-100). + + -T (or --speechvol) + +Set speech volume (0-100). If set to 0, the game runs in 'no speech' +mode and the oscilloscope reacts to the music. + + -m 3do (or --music 3do) + +Use the 3DO remixed soundtrack for songs that were in fact remixed. +The default. + + -m pc (or --music pc) + +Use the .MOD based PC soundtrack everywhere. + + -q (or --audioquality) + +Can be "high", "medium", or "low". Specifies how nice the audio +sounds. Slower machines should lower the audio quality. + + --addon <addon> (no short version) + +Replace <addon> by the name of an add-on to enable in the game. See +the section 'ADD-ONS' below for details. + + --sound (no short version) + +Can be "openal", "mixsdl" or "none". Specifies which driver/mixer +to use. "openal" is only available when it has been compiled in. +It may produce higher-quality sound and will probably be faster, +but it is not very stable on linux platforms, and may not work +well with some sound cards. +Use "none" as a last resort if you cannot get other drivers to work, +or if you have no soundcard. + + --stereosfx (no short version) + +Enables positional sound effects in melee. Currently works only when +using openal. + + -u (or --nosubtitles) + +Disables subtitles. + + --cscan pc + +Use PC style planet information when scanning (text). Default. + + --cscan 3do + +Use 3DO style planet information when scanning (pictograms). + + --menu pc + +Use PC style menus (text) and 'CREW'/'BATT' in melee instead of icons. +Default. + + --menu 3do + +Use 3DO style menus (pictograms). + + --font pc + +Use PC style fonts and colors. +Default. + + --font 3do + +Use 3DO style fonts and colors. + + --scroll pc +Scroll voice-over/subtitles 1 page at a time when using left/right arrow keys +Default. + + --scroll 3do +Scroll voice-over/subtitles smoothly while holding down left/right arrow keys + + -i 3do (or --intro 3do) + +Use the 3DO intro and ending movies (if you have them). +The default. + + -i pc (or --intro pc) + +Use the PC intro and ending sequences and slide shows. These will be also +played if you do not have 3DO movies, regardless of -i option. + + --shield pc + +Use PC style static slave shield graphic. +Default. + + --shield 3do + +Use 3DO style throbbing slave shield graphic. This somewhat increases the +load on CPU while in orbit. Do not use if your CPU cannot handle that. + + --safe (no short version) + +Start the game in safe mode. Safe mode will ignore stored user settings, +like resolution, fullscreen mode, sound driver, etc. This is useful if +you have somehow wrecked your configuration files and cannot get to the +in-game setup menu to change the settings. + + +NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED OPTIONS + +The following options may not exist in all builds and can change without +notice at any time. + + --accel (no short version) + +Can be "none", "detect", "mmx", "3dnow", "sse" (also "altivec" if/when +added; or other platforms). Specifies which platform accelerations +to use for graphics and sound, if any. All specific platform code can +only be used when compiled in. + + --netport1 <port> (no short version) + --netport2 <port> (no short version) + +Specifies the default port that the bottom or top player respectively +will connect to or accept incoming connections on. If this parameter +is not specified, 21837 will be used. This value can be changed later +in the SuperMelee Net menu. Your firewall needs to be set up to allow +TCP connections from/to the used port. + + --nethost1 <host> (no short version) + --nethost2 <host> (no short version) + +Specifies the default name or ip number of the host to connect to for +the bottom or player. If this parameter is not specified, UQM will +not attempt an outgoing connection, but instead listen for an incoming +connection. + + --netdelay (no short version) + +Set the default input delay (in frames). See the Super Melee section +for details. + + + BUG REPORTS + +After several years of enthusiastic testing, UQM has dramatically +improved its stability, but it is still beta software, and bugs +certainly still lurk. Upon finding a problem, we'd like you to report +it, but before you do, please do the following: + +- Try to isolate what causes it: "Crashes with a null dereference + about half the time when firing and taunting with a Pkunk" is better + than "Melee doesn't work." If the game crashes, notice what error + is produced; if the game hangs, check to see if the game-exit key + (F12) works. + +- Go to the bug database at http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ + and post a report of the problem there. Search the database first if + it has been already posted; if we get many duplicate reports, processing + them eats our time from actual development. If it's been reported, and + you have more information, feel free to confirm that you've reproduced it + by adding a comment to the report. If ten people have already confirmed it, + though, it's probably best to treat it as duly reported. + +- Whenever possible, for bugs that only occur under certain conditions, + include a save game with your bug report that duplicates the bug. + In the case of a crash, a stack trace can be very helpful for us too. + If you don't know what a stack trace is, don't worry about it. + +- If your issue is more like "support request" than bug report and you + want help from other users, then posting it to our forum might be + more appropriate: http://uqm.stack.nl/forum/ + + + + THE STORY SO FAR + +For the past decade, Earth and the rest of the Alliance of Free Stars +has fought the Ur-Quan and their Hierarchy of Battle Thralls. In the +course of the War, the Earthlings discovered a factory world by the +'Precursors' - an impossibly advanced that disappeared tens of +thousands of years ago. This colony, Unzervalt (aka Vela I), lost all +contact with Earth shortly after landfall. + +You are Captain Zelnick, a human that was born on Unzervalt and who +possesses a remarkable knack for Precursor technology. You were the +one who worked out how to activate the Precursor installation. + +It was a factory for building starships. However, Unzervalt is +mineral-poor, and there were not enough materials available to +construct a complete vessel. Your task is to command this craft, the +Vindicator, and return to Earth to tell them of the abandoned colony. +Also, if the War with the Ur-Quan continues, you must fight for Earth +and the Alliance as best you can. + +There is a great deal more to this story. Asking Starbase Commander +Hayes for background information will give you most of it. + + INTERPLANETARY EXPLORATION + +When in a Solar system, use the thrust and steering controls to move +about the system. Intersecting a planet will move you to the +planetary system; flying over a planet or moon will then put you into +orbit. From there you can talk to the inhabitants, or, if the planet +is uninhabited, send a lander down to gather minerals, investigate +energy readings, or capture life forms. + + PLANET LANDING + +To land on a planet, you need to achieve orbit, then fill a planet +lander with crew and send them down. You will usually want to scan +the planet first. Mineral scans will indicate easily harvestable +mineral ores and other resources. Energy scans will indicate unusual +installations, which will effectively always be worth investigating. +Biological scans will show where life forms are on the surface. + +Minerals are necessary for building up and maintaining your flagship, +so harvest them wherever you can. There are nine varieties, each +color coded: + +COMMON ELEMENTS (carbon, nitrogen) are cyan. Worth 1 resource unit +(RU) per unit. + +CORROSIVES (chlorine, iodine) are red. 2 RU per unit. + +BASE METALS (iron, tin) are grey. These are common, and usually worth +harvesting, but not terribly valuable. 3 RU per unit. + +NOBLE GASSES (argon, xenon) are blue. 4 RU per unit. + +RARE EARTHS (lanthanum, ytterbium) are green. 5 RU per unit. + +PRECIOUS ELEMENTS (gold, silver) are yellow. 6 RU per unit. + +RADIOACTIVES (uranium, astatine) are orange. 8 RU per unit. + +EXOTICS (antimatter, magnetic monopoles) are purple, and a princely 25 +RU per cargo unit. + +Minerals may be unloaded at Earth Starbase by talking to Commander +Hayes, which will give you RU that you may spend to upgrade your +flagship. + +However, there are many hazards on planetary surfaces. Life forms are +often hostile, and need to be subdued with your stunner or evaded. +Earthquakes (expanding circles) can hurt your crew, lightning may +crisp them, or lava flows and hotspots can fry them. Be careful, +especially on hotter or more seismically and atmospherically active +worlds. If your crew level starts dropping dramatically, flee quickly +with the ESCAPE key! + +Stunned life forms may be captured and analyzed by your planet +landers. The information you gain from this may not be immediately +useful, but it will eventually come in handy. + +Landing on a planet costs fuel, and the heavier the planet, the more +fuel it requires. Make sure you don't spend so much fuel exploring +planets that you can't get back to Sol! + + INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL + +When you leave a solar system, you will push up into HyperSpace. In +HyperSpace you can travel great distances quickly, but you must +continuously thrust to move. Otherwise, you will gradually slow to a +stop. + +While you can fly about in HyperSpace just like you do in a star +system, the Galaxy is LARGE, and you will usually want to use the +Auto-Pilot. To use the Auto-Pilot, select "Starmap" on the menu. +This will show you a map of the quadrant (the galactic Core is in the +upper right corner). To fly to a location, move the cursor there and +press Enter. Then press Space to engage the Auto-Pilot. + + DIPLOMACY + +When you encounter an alien starship, you will usually get a picture +of their task force and a chance to choose between conversation and +fighting. If you choose to fight, you will transition immediately to +space combat (below). Otherwise, you will talk first. If talks go +poorly, space combat will likely ensue. + +If the task force shows ships streaming off in all directions, you +have reached a fortified world, and there are an unlimited number of +starships facing you. You cannot win such a fight - if combat ensues, +you will need to warp out. + + SPACE COMBAT + +When combat begins, you are prompted to select a ship from your task +force. A one-on-one space combat then begins, and continues until +either the enemy fleet is destroyed (in which case you salvage the +wrecks and continue the game), your flagship is destroyed (ending the +game), or your flagship warps out of combat (consuming 5 fuel units +but ending the encounter). + +Each ship has two major stats: Crew and Combat Battery. Crew are +effectively hit points. Getting hit by weapons kills crew, and if all +crew are eliminated, the craft is destroyed. Firing weapons typically +requires energy from the combat batteries, which is replaced over +time. The precise speed of energy regeneration and cost of weapons +fire varies by ship. + +Space flight is *mostly* inertial (you'll drift if you stop +thrusting), but each ship has a maximum velocity that can only be +exceeding by "gravity whipping" around the planet. Don't hit the +planet unless you want to take LOTS of damage. + +Each ship has a primary and secondary weapon mode, unique to that +race's craft. The descriptions of those follow. + + SHIP DESCRIPTIONS + + Androsynth Guardian +Primary weapon: Fires homing acid bubble clouds. +Secondary weapon: Transforms into the 'Blazer', a comet that does +considerable damage by ramming its opponents. + + Ariloulaleelay Skiff +Primary weapon: Auto-aiming, short-range laser +Secondary weapon: Random teleport +Note: The Skiff is inertia-less, and stops instantly when thrust is +removed. + + Chenjesu Broodhome +Primary weapon: Crystal Shard. Will travel until the fire button is +released, then shatters. +Secondary weapon: De-energizing Offensive Guided Interceptor. +Launches an autonomous DOGI that rams the opponent to drain their +combat batteries. + + Chmmr Avatar +Primary weapon: Immensely powerful short-range laser +Secondary weapon: Tractor beam. +Note: Has three orbiting "ZapSats" that attack anything that gets in +range. + + Druuge Mauler +Primary weapon: Long range, high-recoil cannon +Secondary weapon: Sets one crew on fire to gain combat energy. + + Earthling Cruiser +Primary weapon: Homing nuclear missile +Secondary weapon: Point-defense laser + + Ilwrath Avenger +Primary weapon: Short-range flamethrower +Secondary weapon: Cloaking device + + Kohr-Ah Marauder +Primary weapon: Spinning blades that stop and home when the fire +button is released +Secondary weapon: Fiery Ring of Inevitable and Eternal Destruction +(F.R.I.E.D.), a short-range corona of energy that blocks shots and +inflicts lots of damage + + Melnorme Trader +Primary weapon: Charged shot. The longer the fire button is held, the +stronger the shot. +Secondary weapon: Confusion beam that scrambles enemy controls. + + Mmrnmhrm X-Form +Primary weapon: Lasers (X-form) or homing missiles (Y-form). +Secondary weapon: Switch between X-Form and Y-Form. + + Mycon Podship +Primary weapon: Homing Plasmoid. +Secondary weapon: Regenerate 4 crew. + + Orz Nemesis +Primary weapon: Howitzer cannon. +Secondary weapon: Secondary with left and right arrows rotates the +primary cannon. Secondary with Primary launches space marines that +invade the enemy ship and kill their crew. + + Pkunk Fury +Primary weapon: Three-way cannon +Secondary weapon: Fling insults at opponent. This is the only way the +Pkunk can regenerate combat energy. +Note: On occasion, a destroyed Fury will be resurrected with full fuel +and power. + + Shofixti Scout +Primary weapon: Energy Dart. +Secondary weapon: Glory Device. When pressed three times, the ship +will self-destruct, inflicting vast damage on nearby vessels. + + Slylandro Probe +Primary weapon: Lighting weapon. +Secondary weapon: Absorb a nearby asteroid and convert to combat +power. This is the only way the Probe can recharge. +Note: The Probe is inertia-less and always in motion. Pressing thrust +will reverse its direction. + + Spathi Eluder +Primary weapon: Simple forward cannon. +Secondary weapon: Backward Utilized Tracking Torpedo (B.U.T.T.), a +homing missile fired from the rear of the vessel. + + Supox Blade +Primary weapon: Forward firing glob weapon +Secondary weapon: Secondary + left or right will cause you to drift +laterally, while Secondary + thrust will make you fly backwards. This +cancels your current velocity, so be careful! + + Syreen Penetrator +Primary weapon: Particle Beam Stiletto. +Secondary weapon: "Syreen Call" - psychic attack that induces enemy +crew to jump ship, where you (or your opponent) may capture them to +add to your complement + + Thraddash Torch +Primary weapon: Straightforward blaster cannon. +Secondary weapon: Afterburner. The afterburner exhaust does more +damage then the blaster, so use it as a weapon! + + Umgah Drone +Primary weapon: Anti-Matter cone. Does not require combat batteries to use. +Secondary weapon: Fly backwards suddenly and at high speed. +Note: The Drone only recharges batteries if you do not fire for a long +time, and then the energy all returns in one lump. + + Ur-Quan Dreadnought +Primary weapon: Fusion Blast. +Secondary weapon: Launches autonomous fighters to harrass the enemy. +When they run low on fuel, they will fly back to the Dreadnought. +Catch them before they expire. Each fighter requires one crew to +pilot it, so take care not to weaken the core ship. + + Utwig Jugger +Primary weapon: Six-shot cannon. Requires no combat battery energy to fire. +Secondary weapon: Force shield. Absorbing hits re-energizes your +batteries. When the batteries are exhausted, the shield is +permanently disabled until combat ends. + + VUX Intruder +Primary weapon: Gigawatt laser. +Secondary weapon: Limpet mines that track enemy ships and slow them +down dramatically if they hit. + + Yehat Terminator +Primary weapon: Twin autocannons. +Secondary weapon: Force shield. + + Zoq-Fot-Pik Stinger +Primary weapon: Anti-matter spray gun. +Secondary weapon: "Tongue attack", a point-blank range attack that +does grievous damage. + + SUPER MELEE + +Super Melee mode is pure combat. It's designed to let you hone your +skills for the full game, or to challenge your friends to fleet +matches. Selecting "Super Melee!" from the main menu will bring you +to the super melee main screen. + +This screen is dominated by the fleet design screen. Move the cursor +over a ship slot and press ENTER to change the ship assignment, or +press DELETE to remove the ship. You may select the fleet name and +press ENTER to edit the fleet name to something of your choice. The +number next to the fleet name lists the fleet strength; this is simply +the sum of the point values of all ships in the fleet. + +The right hand side of the screen has buttons for managing the battle. +Each side has four buttons associated with it: LOAD, SAVE, CONTROL, +and NET. The LOAD and SAVE buttons let you load and save fleets. A +variety of fleets of various strengths are pre-defined, and you may +add your own by saving fleets you design. + +The CONTROL button has one of five settings. HUMAN CONTROL puts the +fleet under the control of a human player. (The precise controls for +that player are set in the Setup menu, but the bottom player's +controls are always the same as the full game's controls.) Then there +are three levels of computer control: + + - WEAK CYBORG is not a particularly good shot, and will only use + special weapons if the ship absolutely requires the special weapon + to function at all (Pkunk, Slylandro). This difficulty level only + appears in the full game when fighting crippled ships. + + - GOOD CYBORG will actually use its special weapon, but it's still + not much of a threat. The Good cyborg provides a gentle + introduction to Star Control combat if you are unfamiliar with the + gameplay. However, you will soon wish to switch to... + + - AWESOME CYBORG. The AI will fully exploit each ship's abilities, + and is also a tolerably good shot, compensating for inertia and + choosing its shots. Enemies you meet in the full game are almost + always piloted at this level. If a battle is giving you trouble + in the full game, this is the setting you want. + +The last control option is NETWORK CONTROL, which will be set if that +side is controlled by a non-local opponent. To set up a network game, +push the NET button on the side you wish to be under your opponent's +control. + +In order to connect, you must agree on a port (the default is 21837, +which should not require any change) and set a net delay in frames. +To compensate for network lag, a keypress or keyrelease will only take +effect after this many frames. While higher values make your ship +seem to respond more sluggishly, they give the keypress information +more time to reach the remote party. If the game stutters, this is +because it is waiting for this keypress information to arrive, which +is an indication that the input delay is too low. Super Melee runs at +24 frames per second, each frame delayed will delay the input by about +42ms. The delay used is the maximum of the desired value for both +parties. The default is 2. Values lower than 4 are typically +acceptable in terms of responsiveness. Future versions may +automatically decide on the best value to use. + +Once the port and delay are set, one player must select the first +option (Wait for incoming connection), while the other enters his +opponent's hostname or IP address into the Host field and then pushes +"Connect." Once the connection is established, the control scheme for +the remote player will flip to NETWORK CONTROL to register the +connection. To disconnect, change it away back to one of the HUMAN or +CYBORG options. Once connected, you are both free to edit your fleets +to provide a properly balanced battle. + +Once all fleets are in readiness, press the BATTLE button in the +center right. (In a network game, both players must select it with no +intervening fleet edits. Moving away from BATTLE or having your +opponent change their fleet will cancel your readiness state, and you +will need to reselect the BATTLE button.) When all players are ready, +the battle begins. + +The ship selection screen is much as it would be in the full game, +with two notable exceptions: a question mark in the upper right allows +you to select a new ship randomly from those remaining, and a red X +allows you to exit the combat entirely. (It is also possible to exit +the melee at any time by pressing F10, just as one can exit anything.) +If nobody quits, the combat will continue until one side has been +completely destroyed. At this point, both fleets are shown so that +one may compare initial and remaining fleet strengths. Press a key to +return to the melee menu. + +To return to the main menu after finishing with Super Melee mode, push +the QUIT button in the lower right. + + GENERAL GAME CONTROLS SUMMARY + +F1 or PAUSE Pause game +F10 Exit game +F11 Toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode + + FULL GAME CONTROLS SUMMARY + + Space flight + +UP Thrust +LEFT and RIGHT: Steer +SPACE or RIGHT SHIFT: Main menu + + Menus + +Arrow Keys: Scroll through selections +ENTER or RIGHT CTRL: Make selection +SPACE or RIGHT SHIFT: Up one level + or ESCAPE + + Conversations + +LEFT and RIGHT: Rewind/Forward +UP and DOWN: Scroll through selections +ENTER or RIGHT CTRL: Make selection +SPACE or RIGHT SHIFT: Skip, Show/Hide summary + + Star Map + +Arrow Keys: Move the crosshair +ENTER or RIGHT CTRL: Select destination +SPACE or RIGHT SHIFT: Main menu +Keypad +: Zoom in +Keypad -: Zoom out +/ (not on the keypad): Begin search. + (Type star or constellation name to + find matches) +TAB: Jump to next match. + + Space Combat + +UP: Thrust +LEFT and RIGHT: Steer +RIGHT CTRL or ENTER: Fire Primary Weapon +RIGHT SHIFT: Fire Secondary Weapon +ESCAPE: Emergency Warp Escape + + + Planet Exploration + +UP: Forward +LEFT and RIGHT: Steer +RIGHT CTRL or ENTER: Fire stun bolt +RIGHT SHIFT or ESCAPE: Blast off + + + MELEE CONTROLS SUMMARY + + Top Player + +W: Thrust +A and D: Steer +V: Fire Primary Weapon +B: Fire Secondary Weapon + + Bottom Player + +UP or ENTER: Thrust +LEFT and RIGHT: Steer +RIGHT CTRL or ENTER: Fire Primary Weapon +RIGHT SHIFT: Fire Secondary Weapon + + +These controls are configurable from the Setup Menu. You may define +up to six "Input Templates" and assign a template to either or both +players. Some commonly used key configurations are pre-defined, as +well as popular variants. To change key bindings, select the binding +you wish to change and press ENTER. At the dialog box, press the key +(or joystick gesture) that you wish to assign to this action. + + + SAVED GAMES + +The saved games are kept in your personal directory for uqm data. +This directory is automatically created the first time you start the +game. The location of this directory varies per system. + +On Microsoft Windows systems this is a folder named 'uqm' in the +application data folder for the current user. +This is usually in one of the following locations: +- "C:\Windows\Application Data\" + (Windows 95, 98, SE without separate users) +- "C:\Windows\Profiles\YourName\Application Data\" + (Windows 95/98/SE with separate users) +- "C:\Documents and Settings\YourName\Application Data\" + (Windows NT/2k/XP) +The "Application Data" folder may be hidden. You can tell Windows to display +hidden files and folders in the Folder Options dialog, which you can +find in the Tools menu of any folder window. + +On Unix systems this personal uqm data is stored in "~/.uqm". + +You will generally only need this if you intend to transfer savegames +to another computer. Note that currently games saved on an PowerPC Mac +will not work on a PC (or an Intel Mac), and vice versa. AMD64 and +Intel savegames may be safely transferred. + + + ADD-ONS + +As of version 0.3, The Ur-Quan Masters has basic support for add-on +packages. Though it is not very elaborate yet, you can install some +content add-ons. Add-ons created for UQM releases prior to v0.7 are not +compatible with this release. To continue using your current add-ons, +you will have to obtain or create new add-on packages. + +Inside the directory where the content is installed, in the content/ +directory, there is a directory 'addons/'. In this directory, you can +place add-on packages, like 3domusic, 3dovoice, remix and others, or +create new directories with .zip files to be used in addition to the +standard content .zip files. Each add-on must contain at least one .rmp +file to tell the game which resources the add-on provides. +When you specify the command-line option '--addon <addon>', the .zip files +inside the directory content/addons/<addon> will be included +in the game. '--addon' may be specified more than once to enable multiple +add-ons. + +Unlike previous releases, 3domusic and 3dovoice are now standard add-ons, +and can be turned on and off from the in-game setup menu. +The Precursors UQM Remix project is intended to be used as an add-on. +If you install UQM 0.7 from the Windows installer, the remix packs +are available as options. The remix add-on can also be turned on and off +from the in-game setup menu. diff --git a/doc/users/unixinstall b/doc/users/unixinstall new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f08e26f --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/users/unixinstall @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +This document describes the installation procedure for a installation from +source on a Linux or BSD platform. + +1. +First, make sure all the required libraries are installed. +They are listed in the file INSTALL in the top dir. + + +2. +If you haven't done so already, download the content .uqm files packages +that you want, from where you got this source package. +You'll need uqm-0.7.0-content.uqm; uqm-0.7.0-3domusic.uqm (music from the 3DO +version) and uqm-0.7.0-voice.uqm (spoken alien dialogs) are optional. + +Put the uqm-0.7.0-content.uqm in the directory content/packages/ which exists +in the top directory of the source tree (the dir with (among others) +COPYING, src/, and build.var.in). +Put the optional music and voice packages in the content/addons/ directory. + + +3. +Run './build.sh uqm' +Change settings in the menu if you want. +The source building process will start, and when it ends, you should have +a file 'uqm' in the source dir (or uqm-debug if you selected a debug build). +You can try it out from this dir by typing './uqm' (or './uqm-debug'). + + +4. +Run './build.sh uqm install', and be patient. +Depending on what installation location you selected in the configuration +menu, you might need root permissions here. + + +5. +Done. +You can start the game now with the command 'uqm'. +You may also delete the source (with the .uqm files you put in +content/) if you want. + + +If you want to recompile with other options, you can use +'./build.sh uqm config' to reconfigure; you might need to do +'./build.sh uqm depend' afterwards. + diff --git a/doc/users/uqm.6 b/doc/users/uqm.6 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9d9b38b --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/users/uqm.6 @@ -0,0 +1,985 @@ +.\" (C) 1992, 1993, 2002 Toys for Bob, Inc. +.\" The documentation may be used freely under the terms of the +.\" Creative Commons Attribution Attribution 2.0 license, +.\" available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ +.\" +.\" The content may also be copied freely as part of a distribution of +.\" The Ur-Quan Masters. +.Dd October 28, 2014 +.Dt UQM 6 +.Os +.Sh NAME +.Nm uqm +.Nd The Ur\(hyQuan Masters \(en space exploration game +.Sh SYNOPSIS +.Nm uqm +.Op Fl bcCfghklMnopqsSTuwx +.Op Fl i Ar style +.Op Fl m Ar soundtrack +.Op Fl r Ar resolution +.Op Fl -addon Ar addon +.Op Fl -cscan Ar style +.Op Fl -font Ar font +.Op Fl -menu Ar style +.Op Fl -safe +.Op Fl -scroll Ar style +.Op Fl -shield Ar style +.Op Fl -sound +.Op Fl -stereosfx +.Sh DESCRIPTION +.Nm uqm +is a port of the epic space game The Ur\(hyQuan Masters. +.Pp +The default settings for an +.Nm uqm +install are 3DO music, 640\(mu480 windowed mode, and pure SDL graphics drivers. +You may pass various command line options to customize your experience. +.Pp +The options are as follows: +.Bl -tag -width Ds +.It Fl b , Fl -meleezoom Ar mode +Melee zooming mode +.Po +.Sy pc +or +.Sy 3do +.Pc ; +.Sy step +is an alias for +.Sy pc +and +.Sy smooth +is an alias for +.Sy 3do . +Default is +.Sy 3do . +Slower machine owners can set it to +.Sy pc +to get better performance in melee. +.It Fl C Ar dir , Fl -configdir Ar dir +Sets the directory where the game will store the config data. +.It Fl c Ar mode , Fl -scale Ar mode +Graphics scaling mode +.Po +.Cm bilinear , +.Cm biadapt , +.Cm biadv , +.Cm triscan , +.Cm hq +or +.Cm none +.Pc . +Default is +.Cm none . +Try these to get smoother graphics, at a performance cost. +.It Fl f , Fl -fullscreen +Uses full screen mode. +The opposite of +.Fl w . +.It Fl g Ar val , Fl -gamma Ar val +Sets gamma correction. +1.0 causes no change +(unless your graphics card is originally set to a different value). +Higher than 1.0 makes the image brighter, lower than 1.0 makes it darker. +.It Fl h , Fl -help +Display a help message. +.It Fl i Ar style , Fl -intro Ar style +With +.Cm 3do , +use the 3DO intro and ending movies (if you have them). +With +.Cm pc , +use the PC intro and ending sequences and slide shows. +Defaults to +.Cm 3do . +Regardless of which option is selected, the PC sequences will be used if you do +not have the 3DO movies. +.It Fl k , Fl -keepaspectratio +Keep 4:3 aspect ratio when using custom resolutions. +.It Fl l Ar file , Fl -logfile Ar file +Set a file to receive the diagnostic information that would otherwise go to the +console. +.It Fl M Ar volume , Fl -musicvol Ar volume +Set music volume (0\(en100). +.It Fl m Ar soundtrack , Fl -music Ar soundtrack +Select either the 3DO remixed soundtrack with +.Cm 3do +or the .MOD\(hybased PC soundtrack with +.Cm pc . +Defaults to +.Cm 3do +for songs that were in fact remixed. +.It Fl n Ar dir , Fl -contentdir Ar dir +Set the directory where the game will seek its data. +.It Fl o , Fl -opengl +Use OpenGL drivers. +This produces higher\(hyquality graphics, and may be faster as well \(en +but it also may not work on older cards. +It also permits use of any screen resolution. +The opposite of +.Fl x . +.It Fl p , Fl -fps +Print fps information in the status window. +.It Fl q Ar setting , Fl -audioquality Ar setting +Can be +.Cm high , +.Cm medium , +or +.Cm low . +Specifies how nice the audio sounds. +Slower machines should lower the audio quality. +.It Fl r Ar resolution , Fl -res Ar resolution +Sets the screen resolution. +Unless +.Fl -opengl +is set, the only valid values are +.Dq 640x480 +and +.Dq 320x240 . +.It Fl S Ar volume , Fl -sfxvol Ar volume +Set sound effects volume (0\(en100). +.It Fl s , Fl -scanlines +Simulates interlaced displays. +.It Fl T Ar volume , Fl -speechvol Ar volume +Set speech volume (0\(en100). +If set to 0, the game runs in +.Sq no speech +mode and the oscilloscope reacts to the music. +.It Fl u , Fl -nosubtitles +Disables subtitles. +.It Fl w , Fl -windowed +Displays the game in a window. +The opposite of +.Fl f . +.It Fl x , Fl -nogl +Do not use OpenGL drivers. +This is more likely to run on systems with poor or no 3D acceleration, +and is often faster, especially on older or less well supported cards. +Only the 320\(mu240 and 640\(mu480 resolutions are available when not using +OpenGL. +The opposite of +.Fl o . +.It Fl -addon Ar name +Enable the named add\(hyon in the game. +See the +.Sx ADD\(hyONS +section for details. +.It Fl -cscan Ar style +When scanning planets, display information using text +.Pq with Cm pc +or pictograms +.Pq with Cm 3do . +Defaults to +.Cm pc . +.It Fl -font Ar style +Use PC\(hystyle fonts and colors +.Pq with Cm pc +or 3DO\(hystyle +.Pq with Cm 3do . +Defaults to +.Cm pc . +.It Fl -menu Ar style +In menus, display options as text +.Pq with Cm pc +or pictograms +.Pq with Cm 3do . +Defaults to +.Cm pc . +.It Fl -safe +Start the game in safe mode. +Safe mode will ignore stored user settings, +like resolution, fullscreen mode, sound driver, etc. +This is useful if you have somehow wrecked your configuration files and cannot +get to the in\(hygame setup menu to change the settings. +.It Fl -scroll Ar style +Using the left/right arrow keys, +scroll voiceovers and subtitles one page at a time +.Pq with Cm pc +or smoothly +.Pq with Cm 3do . +Defaults to +.Cm pc . +.It Fl -shield Ar style +Use the CPU\(hyintensive, 3DO\(hystyle throbbing slave shield graphic +.Pq with Cm 3do +or the PC\(hystyle static slave shield graphic +.Pq with Cm pc . +Defaults to +.Cm pc . +.It Fl -sound Ar driver +Specifies which sound driver/mixer to use. +Can be +.Cm openal , +.Cm mixsdl , +or +.Cm none . +.Cm openal +is only available when it has been compiled in. +It may produce higher\(hyquality sound and will probably be faster, +but it is not very stable on Linux platforms, +and may not work well with some sound cards. +Use +.Cm none +as a last resort if you cannot get other drivers to work, +or if you have no sound card. +.It Fl -stereosfx +Enables positional sound effects in melee. +Currently works only when using openal. +.El +.Sh STARTING THE GAME +Simply invoke the +.Nm uqm +program to run the game. +After a splash screen, you will see the main menu, which has five options: +.Bl -tag -width "Super Melee!" +.It New Game +Begins a new Full Game. +This is a galaxy\(hyspanning space adventure full of diplomacy, exploration, +combat, high treason, and low cunning. +The introductory cutscenes will set the scene; the below section +.Sx THE STORY SO FAR +provides more extensive backstory for the curious. +.It Load Game +Restores a Full Game session that was saved earlier. +.It Super Melee! +Puts the game in Super Melee mode, where you may hone your space combat skills +or challenge your friends to fleet battles. +See the +.Sx SUPER MELEE +section below for details on this game mode. +.It Setup +Lets you configure many options to customize your play experience. +Most options will take effect once you exit the setup menu; +a few specially marked options require you to restart +.Nm uqm . +Setup options are preserved across sessions. +.It Quit +Exits the program. +.El +.Sh CONTROLS SUMMARY +.Ss General Game Controls +.Bl -tag -width "F1 or Pause" -compact +.It Cm F1 No or Cm Pause +Pause game +.It Cm F10 +Exit game +.It Cm F11 +Toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode +.El +.Ss Full Game Controls +Space flight: +.Bl -tag -width "Space or Right Shift" -compact +.It Cm Up +Thrust +.It Cm Left No and Cm Right +Steer +.It Cm Space No or Cm Right Shift +Main Menu +.El +.Pp +Menus: +.Bl -tag -width "Space or Right Shift or Escape" -compact +.It Arrow keys +Scroll through selections +.It Cm Enter No or Cm Right Ctrl +Make selection +.It Cm Space No or Cm Right Shift No or Cm Escape +Up one level +.El +.Pp +Conversations: +.Bl -tag -width "Space or Right Shift" -compact +.It Cm Left No and Cm Right +Rewind/Forward +.It Cm Up No and Cm Down +Scroll through selections +.It Cm Enter No or Cm Right Ctrl +Make selection +.It Cm Space No or Cm Right Shift +Skip, Show/Hide summary +.El +.Pp +Star Map: +.Bl -tag -width "Space or Right Shift" -compact +.It Arrow Keys +Move the crosshair +.It Cm Enter No or Cm Right Ctrl +Select destination +.It Cm Space No or Cm Right Shift +Main menu +.It Keypad Cm + +Zoom in +.It Keypad Cm - +Zoom out +.It Cm / +Begin search. +(Type star or constellation name to find matches) +.It Cm Tab +Jump to next match +.El +.Pp +Space Combat: +.Bl -tag -width "Right Ctrl or Enter" -compact +.It Cm Up +Thrust +.It Cm Left No and Cm Right +Steer +.It Cm Right Ctrl No or Cm Enter +Fire Primary Weapon +.It Cm Right Shift +Fire Secondary Weapon +.It Cm Escape +Emergency Warp Escape +.El +.Pp +Planet Exploration: +.Bl -tag -width "Right Shift or Escape" -compact +.It Cm Up +Forward +.It Cm Left No and Cm Right +Steer +.It Cm Right Ctrl No or Cm Enter +Fire stun bolt +.It Cm Right Shift No or Cm Escape +Blast off +.El +.Ss Melee Controls +Top Player: +.Bl -tag -width "A and D" -compact +.It Cm W +Thrust +.It Cm A No and Cm D +Steer +.It Cm V +Fire Primary Weapon +.It Cm B +Fire Secondary Weapon +.El +.Pp +Bottom Player: +.Bl -tag -width "Right Ctrl or Enter" -compact +.It Cm Up No or Cm Enter +Thrust +.It Cm Left No and Cm Right +Steer +.It Cm Right Ctrl No or Cm Enter +Fire Primary Weapon +.It Cm Right Shift +Fire Secondary Weapon +.El +.Pp +These controls are configurable from the Setup Menu. +You may define up to six +.Dq Input Templates +and assign a template to either or both players. +Some commonly used key configurations are pre\(hydefined, +as well as popular variants. +To change key bindings, select the binding you wish to change and press +.Cm Enter . +At the dialog box, press the key (or joystick gesture) +that you wish to assign to this action. +.Sh SAVED GAMES +The saved games are kept in your personal directory for +.Nm uqm +data. +This directory is automatically created the first time you start the game. +On Unix systems this personal +.Nm uqm +data is stored in +.Pa ~/.uqm . +.Pp +You will generally only need to know this if you intend to transfer savegames +to another computer. +.Sh INTERPLANETARY EXPLORATION +When in a Solar system, +use the thrust and steering controls to move about the system. +Intersecting a planet will move you to the planetary system; +flying over a planet or moon will then put you into orbit. +From there you can talk to the inhabitants, or, if the planet is uninhabited, +send a lander down to gather minerals, investigate energy readings, +or capture life forms. +.Sh PLANET LANDING +To land on a planet, you need to achieve orbit, +then fill a planet lander with crew and send them down. +You will usually want to scan the planet first. +Mineral scans will indicate easily harvestable mineral ores and other +resources. +Energy scans will indicate unusual installations, +which will effectively always be worth investigating. +Biological scans will show where life forms are on the surface. +.Pp +Minerals are necessary for building up and maintaining your flagship, so +harvest them wherever you can. +There are nine varieties, each color coded: +.Bl -bullet +.It +.Em Common elements +(carbon, nitrogen) are cyan. +Worth 1 resource unit (RU) per unit. +.It +.Em Corrosives +(chlorine, iodine) are red. +2 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Base metals +(iron, tin) are grey. +These are common, and usually worth harvesting, but not terribly valuable. +3 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Noble gases +(argon, xenon) are blue. +4 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Rare earths +(lanthanum, ytterbium) are green. +5 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Precious elements +(gold, silver) are yellow. +6 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Radioactives +(uranium, astatine) are orange. +8 RU per unit. +.It +.Em Exotics +(antimatter, magnetic monopoles) are purple, +and a princely 25 RU per cargo unit. +.El +.Pp +Minerals may be unloaded at Earth Starbase by talking to Commander Hayes, +which will give you RU that you may spend to upgrade your flagship. +.Pp +However, there are many hazards on planetary surfaces. +Life forms are often hostile, and need to be subdued with your stunner or +evaded. +Earthquakes (expanding circles) can hurt your crew, +lightning may crisp them, or lava flows and hotspots can fry them. +Be careful, +especially on hotter or more seismically and atmospherically active worlds. +If your crew level starts dropping dramatically, +flee quickly with the +.Cm Escape +key! +.Pp +Stunned life forms may be captured and analyzed by your planet landers. +The information you gain from this may not be immediately useful, +but it will eventually come in handy. +.Pp +Landing on a planet costs fuel, and the heavier the planet, +the more fuel it requires. +Make sure you don\(cqt spend so much fuel exploring planets that you can\(cqt +get back to Sol! +.Sh INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL +When you leave a solar system, you will push up into HyperSpace. +In HyperSpace you can travel great distances quickly, +but you must continuously thrust to move. +Otherwise, you will gradually slow to a stop. +.Pp +While you can fly about in HyperSpace just like you do in a star system, +the Galaxy is +.Em Large , +and you will usually want to use the Auto-Pilot. +To use the Auto-Pilot, select +.Dq Starmap +on the menu. +This will show you a map of the quadrant +(the galactic Core is in the upper right corner). +To fly to a location, move the cursor there and press +.Cm Enter . +Then press +.Cm Space +to engage the Auto-Pilot. +.Sh DIPLOMACY +When you encounter an alien starship, you will usually get a picture of their +task force and a chance to choose between conversation and fighting. +If you choose to fight, you will transition immediately to space combat +(below). +Otherwise, you will talk first. +If talks go poorly, space combat will likely ensue. +.Pp +If the task force shows ships streaming off in all directions, you have reached +a fortified world, and there are an unlimited number of starships facing you. +You cannot win such a fight \(en if combat ensues, you will need to warp out. +.Sh SPACE COMBAT +When combat begins, you are prompted to select a ship from your task force. +A one-on-one space combat then begins, and continues until either the enemy +fleet is destroyed (in which case you salvage the wrecks and continue the +game), your flagship is destroyed (ending the game), or your flagship warps +out of combat (consuming 5 fuel units but ending the encounter). +.Pp +Each ship has two major stats: Crew and Combat Battery. +Crew are effectively hit points. +Getting hit by weapons kills crew, and if all crew are eliminated, +the craft is destroyed. +Firing weapons typically requires energy from the combat batteries, +which is replaced over time. +The precise speed of energy regeneration and cost of weapons fire varies by +ship. +.Pp +Space flight is +.Em mostly +inertial (you\(cqll drift if you stop thrusting), +but each ship has a maximum velocity that can only be exceeding by +.Dq gravity whipping +around the planet. +Don\(cqt hit the planet unless you want to take +.Em lots +of damage. +.Pp +Each ship has a primary and secondary weapon mode, +unique to that race\(cqs craft. +The descriptions of those follow. +.Ss Ship Descriptions +.Bl -ohang +.It Androsynth Guardian +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Fires homing acid bubble clouds. +.It Secondary weapon: +Transforms into the +.Sq Blazer , +a comet that does considerable damage by ramming its opponents. +.El +.It Ariloulaleelay Skiff +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Auto\(hyaiming, short\(hyrange laser. +.It Secondary weapon: +Random teleport. +.It Note: +The Skiff is inertia-less, and stops instantly when thrust is removed. +.El +.It Chenjesu Broodhome +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Crystal Shard. +Travels until the fire button is released, then shatters. +.It Secondary weapon: +De\(hyenergizing Offensive Guided Interceptor. +Launches an autonomous DOGI that rams the opponent to drain their combat +batteries. +.El +.It Chmmr Avatar +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Immensely powerful short-range laser. +.It Secondary weapon: +Tractor beam. +.It Note: +Has three orbiting +.Dq ZapSats +that attack anything that gets in range. +.El +.It Druuge Mauler +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Long range, high\(hyrecoil cannon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Sets one crew on fire to gain combat energy. +.El +.It Earthling Cruiser +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Homing nuclear missile. +.It Secondary weapon: +Point-defense laser. +.El +.It Ilwrath Avenger +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Short\(hyrange flamethrower. +.It Secondary weapon: +Cloaking device. +.El +.It Kohr\(hyAh Marauder +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Spinning blades that stop and home when the fire button is released. +.It Secondary weapon: +Fiery Ring of Inevitable and Eternal Destruction (F.R.I.E.D.), a short\(hyrange +corona of energy that blocks shots and inflicts lots of damage. +.El +.It Melnorme Trader +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Charged shot. +The longer the fire button is held, the stronger the shot. +.It Secondary weapon: +Confusion beam that scrambles enemy controls. +.El +.It Mmrnmhrm X\(hyForm +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Lasers (X-form) or homing missiles (Y-form). +.It Secondary weapon: +Switch between X-Form and Y-Form. +.El +.It Mycon Podship +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Homing Plasmoid. +.It Secondary weapon: +Regenerate 4 crew. +.El +.It Orz Nemesis +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Howitzer cannon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Secondary with left and right arrows rotates the primary cannon. +Secondary with Primary launches space marines that invade the enemy ship and +kill their crew. +.El +.It Pkunk Fury +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Three\(hyway cannon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Fling insults at opponent. +This is the only way the Pkunk can regenerate combat energy. +.It Note: +On occasion, a destroyed Fury will be resurrected with full fuel and power. +.El +.It Shofixti Scout +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Energy Dart. +.It Secondary weapon: +Glory Device. +When pressed three times, the ship will self\(hydestruct, +inflicting vast damage on nearby vessels. +.El +.It Slylandro Probe +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Lighting weapon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Absorb a nearby asteroid and convert to combat power. +This is the only way the Probe can recharge. +.It Note: +The Probe is inertia\(hyless and always in motion. +Pressing thrust will reverse its direction. +.El +.It Spathi Eluder +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Simple forward cannon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Backward Utilized Tracking Torpedo (B.U.T.T.), +a homing missile fired from the rear of the vessel. +.El +.It Supox Blade +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Forward firing glob weapon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Secondary + left or right will cause you to drift laterally, +while Secondary + thrust will make you fly backwards. +This cancels your current velocity, so be careful! +.El +.It Syreen Penetrator +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Particle Beam Stiletto. +.It Secondary weapon: +.Dq Syreen Call +\(en psychic attack that induces enemy crew to jump ship, +where you (or your opponent) may capture them to add to your complement. +.El +.It Thraddash Torch +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Straightforward blaster cannon. +.It Secondary weapon: +Afterburner. +The afterburner exhaust does more damage then the blaster, +so use it as a weapon! +.El +.It Umgah Drone +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Anti\(hyMatter cone. +Does not require combat batteries to use. +.It Secondary weapon: +Fly backwards suddenly and at high speed. +.It Note: +The Drone only recharges batteries if you do not fire for a long time, +and then the energy all returns in one lump. +.El +.It Ur\(hyQuan Dreadnought +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Fusion Blast. +.It Secondary weapon: +Launches autonomous fighters to harass the enemy. +When they run low on fuel, they will fly back to the Dreadnought. +Catch them before they expire. +Each fighter requires one crew to pilot it, +so take care not to weaken the core ship. +.El +.It Utwig Jugger +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Six\(hyshot cannon. +Requires no combat battery energy to fire. +.It Secondary weapon: +Force shield. +Absorbing hits re\(hyenergizes your batteries. +When the batteries are exhausted, +the shield is permanently disabled until combat ends. +.El +.It VUX Intruder +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Gigawatt laser. +.It Secondary weapon: +Limpet mines that track enemy ships and slow them down dramatically if they +hit. +.El +.It Yehat Terminator +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Twin autocannons. +.It Secondary weapon: +Force shield. +.El +.It Zoq\(hyFot\(hyPik Stinger +.Bl -inset -compact +.It Primary weapon: +Anti\(hymatter spray gun. +.It Secondary weapon: +.Dq Tongue attack , +a point\(hyblank range attack that does grievous damage. +.El +.El +.Sh SUPER MELEE +Super Melee mode is pure combat. +It\(cqs designed to let you hone your skills for the full game, +or to challenge your friends to fleet matches. +Selecting +.Dq Super Melee! +from the main menu will bring you to the super melee main screen. +.Pp +This screen is dominated by the fleet design screen. +Move the cursor over a ship slot and press +.Cm Enter +to change the ship assignment, or press +.Cm Delete +to remove the ship. +You may select the fleet name and press +.Cm Enter +to edit the fleet name to something of your choice. +The number next to the fleet name lists the fleet strength; +this is simply the sum of the point values of all ships in the fleet. +.Pp +The right hand side of the screen has buttons for managing the battle. +Each side has four buttons associated with it: +.Cm LOAD , +.Cm SAVE , +.Cm CONTROL , +and +.Cm NET . +The +.Cm LOAD +and +.Cm SAVE +buttons let you load and save fleets. +A variety of fleets of various strengths are pre\(hydefined, +and you may add your own by saving fleets you design. +.Pp +The +.Cm Control +button has one of five settings. +.Cm Human Control +puts the fleet under the control of a human player. +(The precise controls for that player are set in the Setup menu, but the bottom +player\(cqs controls are always the same as the full game\(cqs controls.) +Then there are three levels of computer control: +.Bl -bullet +.It +.Cm Weak Cyborg +is not a particularly good shot, and will only use special weapons if the ship +absolutely requires the special weapon to function at all (Pkunk, Slylandro). +This difficulty level only appears in the full game when fighting crippled +ships. +.It +.Cm Good Cyborg +will actually use its special weapon, but it\(cqs still not much of a threat. +The Good cyborg provides a gentle introduction to Star Control combat if you +are unfamiliar with the gameplay. +However, you will soon wish to switch to... +.It +.Cm Awesome Cyborg . +The AI will fully exploit each ship\(cqs abilities, and is also a tolerably +good shot, compensating for inertia and choosing its shots. +Enemies you meet in the full game are almost always piloted at this level. +If a battle is giving you trouble in the full game, +this is the setting you want. +.El +.Pp +The last control option is +.Cm Network Control , +which will be set if that side is controlled by a non\(hylocal opponent. +To set up a network game, push the +.Cm Net +button on the side you wish to be under your opponent\(hys control. +.Pp +In order to connect, you must agree on a port (the default is 21837, +which should not require any change) and set a net delay in frames. +To compensate for network lag, +a keypress or keyrelease will only take effect after this many frames. +While higher values make your ship seem to respond more sluggishly, +they give the keypress information more time to reach the remote party. +If the game stutters, this is because it is waiting for this keypress +information to arrive, which is an indication that the input delay is too low. +Super Melee runs at 24 frames per second, +each frame delayed will delay the input by about 42\ ms. +The delay used is the maximum of the desired value for both parties. +The default is 2. +Values lower than 4 are typically acceptable in terms of responsiveness. +Future versions may automatically decide on the best value to use. +.Pp +Once the port and delay are set, one player must select the first option +(Wait for incoming connection), while the other enters his opponent\(hys +hostname or IP address into the Host field and then pushes +.Dq Connect . +Once the connection is established, the control scheme for the remote player +will flip to +.Cm Network Control +to register the connection. +To disconnect, change it away back to one of the +.Cm Human +or +.Cm Cyborg options. +Once connected, +you are both free to edit your fleets to provide a properly balanced battle. +.Pp +Once all fleets are in readiness, press the +.Cm Battle +button in the center right. +(In a network game, both players must select it with no intervening fleet +edits. +Moving away from +.Cm Battle +or having your opponent change their fleet will cancel your readiness state, +and you will need to reselect the +.Cm Battle +button.) +When all players are ready, the battle begins. +.Pp +The ship selection screen is much as it would be in the full game, with two +notable exceptions: a question mark in the upper right allows you to select a +new ship randomly from those remaining, +and a red X allows you to exit the combat entirely. +(It is also possible to exit the melee at any time by pressing +.Cm F10 , +just as one can exit anything.) +If nobody quits, +the combat will continue until one side has been completely destroyed. +At this point, both fleets are shown so that one may compare initial and +remaining fleet strengths. +Press a key to return to the melee menu. +.Pp +To return to the main menu after finishing with Super Melee mode, push the +.Cm Quit +button in the lower right. +.Sh THE STORY SO FAR +For the past decade, Earth and the rest of the Alliance of Free Stars has +fought the Ur\(hyQuan and their Hierarchy of Battle Thralls. +In the course of the War, the Earthlings discovered a factory world by the +.Sq Precursors +\(en an impossibly advanced that disappeared tens of thousands of years ago. +This colony, Unzervalt (aka Vela I), +lost all contact with Earth shortly after landfall. +.Pp +You are Captain Zelnick, a human who was born on Unzervalt and who possesses a +remarkable knack for Precursor technology. +You were the one who worked out how to activate the Precursor installation. +.Pp +It was a factory for building starships. +However, Unzervalt is mineral\(hypoor, +and there were not enough materials available to construct a complete vessel. +Your task is to command this craft, the Vindicator, +and return to Earth to tell them of the abandoned colony. +Also, if the War with the Ur\(hyQuan continues, +you must fight for Earth and the Alliance as best you can. +.Pp +There is a great deal more to this story. +Asking Starbase Commander Hayes for background information will give you most +of it. +.Sh ADD\(hyONS +.Nm uqm +has basic support for add\(hyon packages. +Though it is not very elaborate yet, you can install some content add\(hyons. +Add\(hyons created for UQM releases prior to v0.7 are not compatible with this +release. +.Pp +Inside the directory where the content is installed, in the +.Pa content/ +directory, there is a directory +.Pa addons/ . +In this directory, you can place add\(hyon packages, like +.Sy 3domusic , +.Sy 3dovoice , +.Sy remix +and others, or create new directories with .zip files to be used in +addition te the standard content .zip files. +Each add\(hyon must contain at least one .rmp file to tell the game which +resources the add\(hyon provides. +When you specify the command\(hy line option +.Fl -addon Ar addon , +the .zip files inside the directory +.Pa content/addons/ Ns Ar addon +will be included in the game. +.Fl -addon +may be specified more than once to enable multiple add\(hyons. +.Pp +.Sy 3domusic , +.Sy 3dovoice , +and +.Sy remix +are intended to be used as add\(hyons, +and can be turned on and off from the in\(hygame setup menu. +.Sh BUGS +After several years of enthusiastic testing, +.Nm uqm +has dramatically improved its stability, but it is still beta software, +and bugs certainly still lurk. +Upon finding a problem, we\(cqd like you to report it, +but before you do, please do the following: +.Bl -bullet +.It +Try to isolate what causes it: +.Do +Crashes with a null dereference about half the time when firing and +taunting with a Pkunk +.Dc +is better than +.Dq Melee doesn\(cqt work . +If the game crashes, notice what error is produced; +if the game hangs, check to see if the game\(hyexit key +.Pq Cm F12 +works. +.It +Go to the +.Lk http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ "bug database" +and post a report of the problem there. +Search the database first to see if it has been already posted; if we get many +duplicate reports, processing them eats our time from actual development. +If it\(cqs been reported, and you have more information, feel free to confirm +that you\(cqve reproduced it by adding a comment to the report. +If ten people have already confirmed it, though, +it\(cqs probably best to treat it as duly reported. +.It +Whenever possible, for bugs that only occur under certain conditions, +include a save game with your bug report that duplicates the bug. +In the case of a crash, a stack trace can be very helpful for us too. +If you don\(cqt know what a stack trace is, don\(cqt worry about it. +.It +If your issue is more like +.Dq support request +than bug report and you want help from other users, +then it might be more appropriate to post it to +.Lk http://uqm.stack.nl/forum/ "our forum" . +.El |