                   DECWAR Version 2.2, June 3, 1980



     DECWAR is a real time space battle game designed to be played  by
from  1  to 18 people.  The object of the game is to destroy all enemy
bases and ships, and capture all enemy planets, before the enemy  does
the same to you.  Each person plays on a separate terminal, and enters
the game by typing

                             R GAM:DECWAR

Players are free to enter and leave the game as  desired,  since  each
has  his  own job and therefore won't interfere with the other players
(the jobs interact through a shareable high segment).


     The first person to run the game  selects  the  startup  options.
The startup options are:

     1.  Regular  or  Tournament  game.   A  regular   game   randomly
         initializes  the  galaxy.   A  tournament  game prompts for a
         startup code.  Each tournament game played with the same code
         has  the  same  initial  galaxy setup.  Answering with a <CR>
         defaults to a Regular (ie random) game setup.

     2.  Include Romulans.  Romulans are nasty beasts  that  beginners
         are  better  off without.  However, if you're the only person
         playing, the Romulan is your only competition.  Romulans tend
         to make for shorter games, and answering with a <CR> defaults
         to include Romulans in the game.

     3.  Include black holes.  Black holes are annoying, since if  you
         are  displaced  into  one,  you're  dead.   They also tend to
         gobble up stray torpedos.  Answering with a <CR> defaults  to
         NOT include any black holes.


     There are two primary opposing forces in  the  galaxy  --  Humans
(Federation)  and  Klingons  (Empire).   As you enter the game for the
first time, you get to choose which side you'll join (unless there  is
a  large  imbalance  in  the  team  sizes).   If  you are subsequently
destroyed and later reenter the game, you  automatically  rejoin  your
old team.

     You get to select the ship you want to control  from  a  list  of
remaining ships on your side.  There are 9 ships on each side:

             Federation ships               Empire ships
             ---------- -----               ------ -----
                Excalibur                     Buzzard
                Farragut                      Cobra
                Intrepid                      Demon
                Lexington                     Goblin
                Nimitz                        Hawk
                Savannah                      Jackal
                Trenton                       Manta
                Vulcan                        Panther
                Yorktown                      Wolf
     Due to continuous espionage activities, present front-line  ships
of the Federation and the Klingon Empire are identical in strength and
weaponry.  These ships can move from sector  to  sector  using  either
warp  or  impulse  engines,  can  attack enemy installations and ships
using either photon torpedoes or phasers, and  can  defend  themselves
against  such  attack  using  their deflector shields.  All ships also
possess sub-space radios  which  keep  them  in  touch  with  friendly
starbases and other ships.


     The various devices of a ship are subject to damage.  This damage
may  be  due  to  enemy  attack or to over use.  These damages, unlike
total ship damage (see ship attributes below), may be  repaired  while
underway.   If  damage  on  a  device  is  less  than  300  units, its
performance is degraded.  If damage is 300 or more units,  the  device
is inoperative.  A ship possesses the following devices:

     1.  Warp Engines -- These engines are the normal mode  of  travel
         for  starships.   The  maximum  speed  is warp factor 6, with
         warps 5 and 6 risking potential damage to  the  engines.   If
         warp  engines  are  damaged (less than 300 units) the maximum
         speed is warp factor 3.

     2.  Impulse Engines -- These engines are basically for  emergency
         use  while  the warp engines are critically damaged.  Impulse
         engines move the ship at warp factor 1.

     3.  Photon Torpedo Tubes -- Used to fire  photon  torpedoes.   If
         these  tubes  are  damaged, the accuracy of torpedo bursts is
         impaired.  The maximum torpedo range is 10 sectors.

     4.  Phaser Banks -- Each ship possesses two phaser banks, with  a
         single  phaser  control.  Damage to this phaser control or to
         the ship's computer reduces the strength of the phaser hit.

     5.  Deflector Shields -- The deflector shields of a ship  protect
         it  from  damage  from  phaser  and  photon torpedo hits, and
         shield it from the energy released when  a  star  goes  nova.
         The  percent  shield  strength  indicates  the percent of the
         incoming hit which will be nullified.   In  addition,  strong
         deflector shields may deflect photon torpedoes with little or
         no damage.  NOTE:  If a ship's shields are up, the amount  of
         energy expended during movement is doubled.

     6.  Computer -- The ship's computer is used for computed  firing,
         computation during ship movement, and for phaser control.  If
         the computer  is  inoperative,  navigation  during  warp  and
         impulse movement becomes inexact.

     7.  Life Support -- If the life support units of a  starship  are
         inoperative,  the ship must either repair this damage or dock
         within 5 stardates.  If this is not  accomplished,  the  crew
         will die.

     8.  Sub-Space Radio -- The sub-space radio is used to communicate
         with  other  ships,  of either side.  Bases under attack also
         use the sub-space radio to call for  help  and  notify  their
         team's ships of their destruction.
     9.  Tractor Beam -- The ship's tractor beam is used primarily  to
         tow  damaged  friendly  ships away from danger.  The beam can
         not be used unless both ships have lowered their shields.


     In addition to the individual devices discussed  above,  a  newly
commissioned  ship  (or  a  fully  repaired  and  rearmed  older ship)
possesses the following attributes:

     1.  5000 units of  ship  energy.   Ship  energy  is  used  during
         movement  and  phaser firing.  It is also decreased each time
         the ship gets hit with phasers or photon torpedoes.  If  this
         quantity  ever  reaches  zero,  the  ship  is  dead.   A ship
         possessing 1000 units of ship energy  or  less  automatically
         goes  to  yellow alert, and a warning bell sounds after every
         move.

     2.  2500 units of shield energy.  This energy is  stored  in  the
         ship's shields (whether up or down), and is separate from the
         ship energy.  However,  energy  may  be  transferred  between
         these  two  energy  reserves  as  needed.  If shields are up,
         their energy is decreased each time the ship gets hit.

     3.  Zero units of ship damage.  During battle,  a  ship  collects
         hits   from   enemy   installations   and  ships.   If  these
         accumulated hits ever reach 2500 units of damage or  greater,
         the  ship  is  destroyed.  Ship damage may be reduced only by
         docking.


     The galaxy is arranged in a grid of 75 by  75  sectors.   Players
can move freely throughout the galaxy in search of enemies, which come
in several categories:

     1.  Romulan.  This can be the most dangerous  thing  to  come  up
         against,  and  fortunately there is a maximum of 1 Romulan in
         the game  at  any  given  time.   The  Romulan  moves  around
         concealed  by  his  cloaking  device  until he comes across a
         suitable target (Federation or Empire ship or base) which  he
         immediately  proceeds  to  attack.   An  infinite  supply  of
         torpedoes and energy make him a formidable foe.  If you  kill
         one, another will eventually appear somewhere in the galaxy.

     2.  Enemy ship.  This is the second most dangerous thing to  come
         across,   since   all   enemy   ships  are  backed  by  human
         intelligence.  All  ships  are  created  equal,  and  so  the
         outcome  of a clash between two ships is usually due to skill
         on its captain's part, although some other  factors  do  come
         into play.

     3.  Enemy base.  These aren't dangerous unless  you  come  within
         range  (4  sectors)  since  they  are  immobile.   If you ARE
         foolish  enough  to  get   within   range,   however,   their
         overwhelming phaser power will quickly pound you into rubble!
         Destroying a base is useful primarily because this removes it
         from use by your enemy (bases are used as supply stations and
         as a refuge in times of stress).   A  damaged  starbase  will
         slowly  build  itself  back  to  full  strength  if it is not
         completely destroyed.
     4.  Enemy planet.  These are just like enemy bases,  except  that
         they  are  weaker  (how  much  weaker  depends  on  how  many
         fortifications the enemy has built on them), and they can  be
         captured.   Their  firing range is only two sectors, and they
         can re-supply the enemy less rapidly than can a base.

     5.  Neutral planet.  While these aren't  strictly  classified  as
         enemies, they will take pot shots at you (their range is also
         2 sectors), so be wary of  them.   You  can  capture  neutral
         planets and win them over to your side.



     When playing the game, all  commands  can  be  abbreviated  to  2
characters,  and  some  can be abbreviated to 1 character (you can use
the shortest unambiguous abbreviation).  For a list of commands type

         HELP *

and for a description of an individual command type

         HELP command

The help on individual commands will  be  read  from  this  help  file
(that's  what  the periods in column 1 are for in the long description
of each command).  The legal commands are:

     1.  BASES -- List information on friendly and known enemy bases.

     2.  BUILD -- Develop installations on a  planet,  and  eventually
         build it into a base.  The planet must first be captured.

     3.  CAPTURE -- Win a neutral or enemy planet over to your side.

     4.  DAMAGES -- List damaged devices and their current status.

     5.  DOCK -- Dock at an adjacent base or planet.   This  increases
         your  energy, replenishes your torpedoes, repairs your ship a
         little, and reduces your ship damage.

     6.  ENERGY -- Transfer energy between two ships.

     7.  GRIPE -- Record bugs, comments, suggestion, etc.  in the file
         GAM:DECWAR.GRP,   which   is  periodically  reviewed  by  the
         implementors.

     8.  HELP -- List or describe the legal commands.

     9.  IMPULSE -- Move using impulse engines.

    10.  LIST -- List various  information  about  ships,  bases,  and
         planets.

    11.  MOVE -- Move using warp engines.

    12.  NEWS -- Tell about any new features or enhancements described
         in the file GAM:DECWAR.NWS.
    13.  PHASERS -- Fire phasers at a target.

    14.  PLANETS -- List information on friendly and known  enemy  and
         neutral planets.

    15.  POINTS -- List your score breakdown so far.

    16.  QUIT -- Get out of the game.

    17.  RADIO -- Turn ship's sub-space radio on or  off;   ignore  or
         restore communications from individual ships.

    18.  REPAIR -- Repair your damaged devices a little.

    19.  SCAN -- Display the galaxy with  the  default  range  set  to
         maximum (10 sectors in each direction from your ship).

    20.  SET -- Set various input and output defaults.

    21.  SHIELDS -- Transfer energy to or from your shields;  raise or
         lower your shields.

    22.  SRSCAN -- Display the  galaxy  with  a  default  range  of  7
         sectors (1 greater than the maximum warp factor).

    23.  STATUS -- List your ship's current status and supply levels.

    24.  SUMMARY -- List various  information  on  ships,  bases,  and
         planets.

    25.  TARGETS -- List targets  (enemies  within  range)  and  their
         current locations.

    26.  TELL -- Send messages to  other  ships  using  the  sub-space
         radio.

    27.  TIME -- List information on run time and elapsed time.

    28.  TORPEDOES -- Fire photon torpedoes at a target.

    29.  TRACTOR -- Use tractor beam to tow friendly ships.

    30.  TYPE -- List current input, output, and game characteristics.

    31.  USERS -- List the names and other information known about the
         players currently in the game.



.INPUT
General INPUT information

- Only the first 5 characters of each  input  word  are  stored.   Any
  characters beyond that are ignored.
- Input words may be separated by spaces, tabs, or commas.
- The input line can be terminated with <CR>, <LF>, <VT>, <FF>, <ESC>,
  or ^Z.
- ^G toggles echo.  At the beginning of each input  line,  echoing  is
  turned  on.   Typing  ^G turns it off, the next ^G turns it back on,
  etc.  Echoing is always turned back on at the end of an input  line,
  or if ^U is typed.
- Multiple  commands  may  be  given  on  a  single  command  line  by
  separating  the  commands  with  /  (slash).  If the TELL command is
  given, it must be last on the line.
- Anything after ;  (semicolon) is treated as a comment and is ignored
  (but  TELL rescans the line and takes the text after the first ;  as
  the message to send).
- <ESC> (escape,  or  altmode)  entered  as  the  first  character  in
  response  to  the command prompt (even before ^H, ^U, or ^R) repeats
  the previous command.   This  is  useful  when  building  a  planet,
  docking, repairing, firing torpedoes, etc.  Altmode can't be used to
  repeat a TELL command.

- Any ship name can be abbreviated to 1 character.
- Any command or keyword can be shortened to the shortest  unambiguous
  abbreviation, which is never more than 2 characters.

- Many  commands  require  a  coordinate  as  an  argument   (PHASERS,
  TORPEDOES, CAPTURE, BUILD, etc.).  The required coordinate(s) can be
  specified in one of three ways:
  Absolute - the default coordinate input type,  which  is  simply  an
    absolute  vertical  position  followed  by  an absolute horizontal
    position.  The coordinate may be preceded by the keyword ABSOLUTE,
    but  this isn't necessary unless the default coordinate input type
    has been changed by SET ICDEF RELATIVE.
  Relative - the keyword RELATIVE, followed  by  a  relative  vertical
    distance  and a relative horizontal distance.  A positive distance
    is either up or right, and negative is either down or  left.   The
    absolute  coordinate  is computed by adding the relative distances
    to your current position.  The keyword RELATIVE  isn't  needed  if
    the  default  coordinate  input type has been changed by SET ICDEF
    RELATIVE.
  Computed - the keyword  COMPUTED  followed  by  a  ship  name.   The
    coordinate  used  is the location of the given ship.  This type of
    coordinate computation is available only to  captains  controlling
    their  ships through slow terminals (< 1200 baud), and requires an
    operational computer.
  The keyword ABSOLUTE, RELATIVE, or COMPUTED is only given  one  time
  for  each set of coordinates.  For instance, the TORPEDO command can
  accept  up  to  3  coordinates,  but  the  keyword  describing   the
  coordinate  input  type is given only once, and all coordinates must
  be of the same type.
.


.OUTPUT
General OUTPUT information

The SET OUTPUT LONG/MEDIUM/SHORT command controls the length  of  text
output  throughout  the  game.   In  particular,  Medium  or Short hit
messages received during battle are greatly  reduced  in  length  when
compared  to  the Long format.  Unfortunately, these shorter forms are
not as self-explanatory as the Long  form.   The  following  are  some
equivalent Long, Medium and Short hit messages:

- Goblin @22-31, +83.6%  makes 285.3 unit torpedo hit on
  Vulcan displaced to 20-31, +72.1%

  G @22-31, +83.6%  285.3 unit T  V -->20-31, +72.1%

  G 22-31 +83  285T  V >20-31 +72


- Emp planet(3) @15-16 makes 155.5 unit phaser hit on
  Buzzard @15-17, 66.8%

  -@3 @15-16  155.5 unit P  B @15-17, 66.8%

  -@3 15-16  155P  B 15-17 +66

  Note: The -@3 indicates an Empire planet built 3 times.


- Star @22-31 +4,+2 makes 301.2 unit hit on
  Panther displaced to 20-31 +2,+2, -72.1%

  * @22-31 +4,+2  301.2 unit N  P -->20-31 +2,+2, -72.1%

  * 22-31 +4,+2  301N P >20-31 +2,+2, -72

  Note:  The relative coordinates appear  due  to  a  SET  OCDEF  BOTH
  command.   The Panther's shields are 72.1% of max strength, but down
  (-72.1%).
.


.DECINI
Use of the DECWAR.INI file

After initialization (picking which side and ship), DECWAR  looks  for
the file DECWAR.INI in the UFD of the logged in PPN.  If it finds one,
it displays the message

                [Reading commands from DECWAR.INI]

and reads the lines from the file just as if  they  were  being  typed
from  the  TTY  (it  echoes the commands as they are read).  After all
commands have been read and executed, DECWAR switches to TTY input and
displays the message

                [Reading commands from TTY]

Typical commands to be executed from DECWAR.INI  include  the  various
SET  commands,  and  information  getting commands such as TARGETS and
SCAN.  A typical DECWAR.INI file might contain:

        set prompt informative  ;change prompt to ">"
        set ocdef both          ;want absolute and relative coords
        set output medium       ;don't want info output for novices
        targets                 ;just to see who's around
        srscan 2 w              ;take a quick peek

Note that the comment character ;  (semicolon) and  the  echo  control
character  ^G  (CTL-G)  can  also be used in DECWAR.INI.  If you don't
want the comment to be echoed at run time, simply precede it  with  ^G
to turn echoing off while the comment is scanned.
.


.PREGAME
The Decwar PRE-GAME feature

DECWAR provides a Pre-game feature to allow:
- New players to view the help file without entering the current game.
- Experienced players to check the status of  a  current  game  before
  choosing a side and ship.
- Players to submit Gripes without entering the game.

The commands currently active within the Pre-game section are:
Activate  Gripe     Help      News      Points    Quit
Summary   Time      Users

The ACTIVATE command (valid only in the pre-game) is used to exit  the
pre-game  section and enter the normal ship setup stage.  The pre-game
can be recognized from the 'PG>' command prompt, as well as the DECWPG
program name.
.


.HINTS
Some general HINTS

- When in doubt, use the on-line help system.  See the  help  on  HELP
  for more information.
- If the output starts piling up in the middle of a  battle,  type  ^O
  (CTL-O).   None  of  your  commands will be executed until output is
  finished, so it's sometimes better just to ignore the  hit  messages
  so your attack or run commands can be executed immediately.
- Use multiple commands per line (separate  commands  with  /).   Once
  you're in a danger area, things can happen faster than you can react
  to them.  Plan your action ahead of time, before you enter a  danger
  area.
- If some unexpected action happens, such as an enemy finding you, and
  you  have  several  stacked commands (either from a multiple command
  line or typing  ahead),  type  ^C  to  abort  all  stacked  commands
  (especially if it involves time consuming commands such as BUILD, or
  commands that generate a lot of output, such as SCAN).  You can then
  proceed  to remedy the situation by giving your unexpected visitor a
  good beating.
- If you're on a slow terminal, use  computed  coordinates,  and  move
  around  a  lot  if  you're  fighting  someone  on  a  fast terminal.
  Computed coordinates are the primary advantage slow  terminals  have
  over  the  fast  ones  (computed  coordinates  give slow terminals a
  fantastic  tactical  advantage  over  fast   terminals   when   used
  properly).
- Use <ESC> to repeat commands (see the help on ESCAPE).  It's just  a
  convenience when building planets, etc., but in battle, and combined
  with multiple commands per line and/or computed coordinates (such as
  PH C B/M R 1 0  or  TO 1 32 45), it can make or break your career as
  a starship captain.
- Don't get within range of an enemy  base,  unless  you  enjoy  being
  pounded into rubble.  You can kill a base just as well from 1 sector
  outside it's range (use the WARNING keyword on SCAN to see the range
  of an enemy base).
- Don't waste your energy and torpedoes firing at friendly  ships  and
  bases.   If  you're not sure if it's friendly or not, type HELP SCAN
  for a list of what's what.  You can also use the TARGETS command  to
  see  which  enemies  are  lurking about (see the help on TARGETS and
  LIST).
- Don't make it a habit of sitting next to  stars;   photon  torpedoes
  can   turn   them  into  novas,  which  are  extremely  destructive.
  Conversely, if you notice an enemy ship or base adjacent to a  star,
  take advantage of the situation!
- One sure way to locate enemy ships is to watch  for  newly  captured
  enemy planets by using the PLANETS or LIST command.
- In general, don't waste photon torpedoes battering at a target  with
  85-100%  shields.   The  chances  are  good  that  they will just be
  deflected harmlessly away.  Use your phasers to weaken the  shields,
  then  use torpedoes to finish him off.  This is especially true when
  attempting to destroy an enemy starbase.
- Use the SET command in DECWAR.INI to personalize the output to  your
  own  tastes.   That  way you'll be guaranteed to have the output set
  right each time you play a game.
- To always see the range and direction of any object listed  (in  hit
  messages, output from the LIST command, etc.), SET OCDEF BOTH.  (The
  range is the magnitude of either delta v or delta  h,  whichever  is
  larger.)
.


.PAUSES
Commands that take real time

Many of the commands are designed to take a  certain  amount  of  real
time.  This is done to help equalize the game when there are different
speed terminals  and  different  speed  typists  in  the  game.   Some
commands  take  a  constant  amount of time, and some are based on the
speed of the slowest terminal in the game.

BUILD           5 to 7 seconds
CAPTURE         5 seconds + 1 second for each BUILD of enemy planet
DOCK            2 to 4 seconds
IMPULSE         2 to 4 seconds
MOVE            2 to 4 seconds
REPAIR          (0.08 * repair size) seconds (* 0.5 if docked)

You have 2 phaser banks, each of which must be cooled off  after  it's
fired  before  it  can  be  used again.  Each phaser bank takes 3 to 6
seconds plus the amount of phaser damage  /  100  to  cool  off.   For
instance,  if  there  was  a  300  baud terminal in the game, and your
phasers had 200 units of damage, each of your phaser banks would  take
6 + 2 = 8 seconds to cool off after being fired.  Therefore, you could
fire once every 4 seconds, or twice every 8 seconds.

After each burst of torpedoes the tubes must be reloaded before  being
used  again.   It takes 2 to 4 seconds plus the amount of torpedo tube
damage / 100 to load a torpedo.  For instance, if there was a 300 baud
terminal  in the game, your torpedoes had 200 units of damage, and you
had just fired 3 torpedoes, it would take 3 * (4 +  2)  =  18  seconds
before you could fire torpedoes again.
.


.CTL-C
Use of ^C

If you're in command input wait (DECWAR is waiting for you to  type  a
command,  and the program name is set to DECWTI), typing ^C will abort
the game and return you to monitor mode.  When you abort the  game  in
this  manner,  your  ship  is returned to the pool of available ships.
You will be able to continue unless a new player has taken  your  ship
or someone has moved into the spot you occupied.

If you're not in a command input wait state  when  you  type  ^C,  any
stacked  commands  (commands  that  you  typed  in  ahead of time that
haven't been executed yet) will be aborted, and a series of bells will
be output.

NOTE:  A ship under RED alert conditions can not be  returned  to  the
monitor level except by using the QUIT command.
.


.CTL-T
Use of ^T

The program name changes during different stages.  During startup,  it
will  be  DECWAR.   When  waiting  for input, it will be DECWTI.  When
executing a command, it will be DECWRN.  When sleeping after a command
that  takes  time (MOVE, CAPTURE, BUILD, etc.) it will be DECWSL.  You
can tell what state the game is in by typing ^T  and  looking  at  the
program  name  displayed.  This is useful when you're not sure if it's
waiting for a command yet or still executing a series of commands  you
typed  in  ahead of time.  If the player is not in the game itself but
just in the Pre-game section, the program name is DECWPG.
.
.BASES
List various BASE information

Syntax:  BAses [<keywords>]

List location and shield percent of friendly bases;  location of known
enemy  bases;   or  count  of  bases of either side within a specified
range or the entire galaxy.  The default range is the  entire  galaxy,
and  the  default  side is friendly bases only.  See the help for LIST
for more information and the complete set of keywords that can be used
to modify BASES output.

Examples:

BA              List location and shield percent of all friendly
                bases.
BA ENEMY        List location of all known enemy bases.
BA SUM          Give summary of all friendly bases.
BA ALL SUM      Give summary of all bases.
BA CL           List the location and shield percent of the closest
                friendly base.
BA 34 26        List the location and shield percent of friendly base
                at 34-26 (it doesn't have to be friendly, but you
                can't see the shield percent of an out of range enemy
                base).
.


.BUILD
BUILD fortifications on a captured planet

Syntax:  BUild [Absolute|Relative] <vpos> <hpos>

A fortified planet hits harder and is more resistant to destruction by
the  enemy.   A  planet  can normally be built up to 4 times.  As your
team's starbases are destroyed by enemy action,  a  fifth  build  will
complete  the  construction  of a new starbase on the planet.  Only 10
starbases can be functional at any one time.

Examples:

BU 32 12        Build the planet at sector 32-12.
BU A 32 12      Equivalent to "BU 32 12"
BU R 1 1        Build the planet at sector 32-12, if your present
                location is 31-11.
.


.CAPTURE
CAPTURE a neutral or enemy planet

Syntax:  CApture [Absolute|Relative] <vpos> <hpos>

At the start of the game,  all  planets  are  neutral  (they  fire  at
everyone!).   Once  captured  by  either side, they fire only at enemy
ships, and can be DOCKed at to refuel and  rearm,  just  like  a  base
(except  a planet can only supply half the resources that a base can).
Enemy planets can also be captured.  When capturing an enemy planet, 1
second  is  added to the normal pause time of 5 seconds for each BUILD
present.  Also, 50 units of ship energy are lost for each build.
Examples:

CA 12 32        Capture planet at 12-32.
CA A 12 32      Equivalent to "CA 12 32".
CA R 1 1        Capture planet at sector 12-32, if your present
                location is 11-31.
.


.DAMAGES
DAMAGE report

Syntax:  DAmages [<device names>]

List damaged ship devices and the  amount  of  damage  to  each.   The
condition of all or just selected devices may be examined.  Total ship
damage is not reported.

Examples:

DA              List all damaged devices and their current damages.
DA SH T         List damages for SHields and Torpedo tubes.
DA PH RA C      List damages for PHasers, sub-space RAdio, and
                Computer.
.


.DOCK
DOCK at a friendly base or planet

Syntax:  DOck [Status [<device names>]]

Refuel, repair, and rearm your ship, and set your ship's condition  to
green.   While  docked,  any  repairs are accelerated, and you have an
"infinite" supply of torps.  If you have no damages and are completely
refueled  and  rearmed,  DOCKing  will have no effect on your ship.  A
STATUS command string can be appended to a DOCK order.  The  following
table lists the maximum resources available per move when DOCKing at a
base or planet:

Resource                        Base    Planet
----------------------------------------------
Ship energy                    +1000      +500
Shield energy                   +500      +250
Photon Torpedoes                 +10        +5
Life Support Reserves             +5        +5
Ship Damage                     -100       -50
Ship Damage, if already docked  -200      -100

Examples:

DO              Dock, no status report.
DO ST           Dock, show ship's status AFTER docking.
DO ST SH T      Dock, show ship's shield strength and number of
                torpedos on board AFTER docking.
.


.ENERGY
Transfer ENERGY to a friendly ship
Syntax:  Energy <ship name> <units of energy to transfer>

The receiving ship must be located in an adjacent sector.  10% of  the
energy  transferred will be lost due to broadcast dissipation.  If you
attempt to send more energy than the other ship  can  store  (ie  5000
units),  the  transfer  will  automatically  be reduced to the maximum
possible.

Example:

E I 1000        Transfer 1000 units of energy to the Intrepid.  The
                Intrepid will receive 900 units of energy.
.


.GRIPE
Submit a GRIPE

Syntax:  Gripe

Add a comment, bug report,  suggestion,  etc.   to  the  top  of  file
GAM:DECWAR.GRP.   Type  in  your comments, then ^Z (CTL-Z) to exit and
continue the game, or ^C (CTL-C) to abort  and  not  send  the  gripe.
Each gripe is preceded with a header that includes the version number,
date, time, ship name, user name, TTY  speed,  PPN,  TTY  number,  job
number, and whether or not Romulans and/or black holes are included in
the game.  Unless you  are  currently  under  red  alert,  GRIPE  will
protect  you  from  enemy  attack.  To view gripes not yet acted upon,
type the file GAM:DECWAR.GRP.  To view answered gripes, and  see  what
action was taken on them, type the file GAM:DECWAR.FXD.
.


.HELP
Give HELP

Syntax:  Help [*|<keywords>]

Give general help info, a list of available commands,  or  a  detailed
description  of a particular command or keyword.  Unless you are under
red alert, HELP will protect you from  enemy  attack.   The  following
conventions are used in the detailed descriptions:
- The first line contains, in all caps, the keyword that help is being
  given for.
- The syntax line (second line)  lists  the  portion  of  the  keyword
  required to make it unique in caps, and the remainder of the keyword
  in lower case, followed by any  parameters  (if  the  keyword  is  a
  command).
- A quantity to be filled in is lower case and enclosed in  <>  (angle
  brackets).
- Optional parameters are enclosed in [] (square brackets).
- A choice (either or) is indicated by | (vertical bar).
- Any parameter that must be typed in literally is started in  capital
  letters  and continued in lower case.  The upper case letters signal
  the shortest unambiguous abbreviation (the shortest abbreviation may
  change slightly, depending on context).

Examples:

H               Give general help info.
H *             List all available commands.
H H             List this block of text.
H SH            Give help for the SHIELDS command.
H HI G          Give some general HINTS and a description of the GRIPE
                command.
.


.IMPULSE
Move using IMPULSE engines

Syntax:  Impulse [Absolute|Relative] <vpos> <hpos>

Move one sector vertically, horizontally, or diagonally (equivalent to
warp factor 1).  Ship condition changes to green.

Examples:

I 37 45         Move to sector 37-45.
I A 37 45       Equivalent to "I 37 45".
I R 1 -1        Move to sector 37-45, if your ship's present location
                is 36-46.
.


.LIST
LIST ship, base, and planet info

Syntax:  List [<keywords>]

The following information is available via the LIST command:
- Name of any ship currently in the game (including the Romulan).
- Location and shield percent of any friendly ship, or any ship within
  scan range (10 sectors).
- Location and shield percent of any friendly base, or any base within
  range.
- Location of any known enemy base (any base that has previously  been
  SCANned or LISTed by anyone on your team).
- Location and number of builds of any known  planet,  or  any  planet
  within range.
The above information is also available, in whole or in part,  through
the  SUMMARY,  BASES, PLANETS, and TARGETS commands.  Each command has
it's own default range, side (Federation, Empire,  Romulan,  Neutral),
and   object   (ship,  base,  planet).   LIST  (and  SUMMARY)  include
everything (infinite range, all sides, all objects)  by  default.   On
output, enemy objects are flagged with * (star) in column 1 unless the
command is TARGETS.

Keywords used with BASES, PLANETS, TARGETS, LIST, and SUMMARY (not all
keywords are legal for all commands):

ship names      Include only specified ships (several ship names may
                be given, including Romulan).
vpos hpos       List only the object at the location vpos-hpos.
CLosest         List only the closest of the specified objects.

SHips           Include only ships (Federation, Empire, or Romulan).
BAses           Include only bases (Federation or Empire).
PLanets         Include only planets (Federation, Empire, or Neutral).
POrts           Include only bases and planets.  If no side is
                specified (Federation, Empire, Neutral, or Captured),
                include only friendly ports.

FEderation      Include only Federation forces.
HUman           Same as Federation.
EMpire          Include only Empire forces.
Klingon         Same as Empire.
FRiendly        Include only friendly forces (Federation or Empire).
ENemy           Include only enemy forces (Empire or Federation and
                Romulan).
TArgets         Same as enemy.
NEutral         Include only neutral planets.
CAptured        Include only captured planets (Federation or Empire).

n               Include only objects within n sectors.
ALl             Include all sides unless a side is explicitly given.
                Extend the range to infinity unless a range is
                explicitly given.

LIst            List individual items.  Turn off summary unless
                command is SUMMARY or the keyword SUMMARY is
                specified.
SUmmary         List summary of all selected items.  Turn off list
                unless command is LIST or the keyword LIST is
                specified.  Extend the range to infinity unless a
                range is explicitly given.

And             Used to separate groups of keywords.
&               Same as AND.

Examples:

LIST            List all information available on all ships, bases,
                and planets.
LIST SUM        List all available info plus a summary of the number
                of each object in game.
LI EN BA        List the location of all known enemy bases.
LI SH           List all available info on all ships in the game.
LI CL PO        List closest friendly base or friendly or neutral
                planet.
LI 1 3 & 9 5    List the objects at locations 1-3 and 9-5.
.


.MOVE
MOVE using warp drive

Syntax:  Move [Absolute|Relative|Computed] <vpos> <hpos>

Maximum speed is warp factor 6, which will  move  you  6  sectors  per
turn.  Maximum SAFE speed is warp factor 4;  warp factors 5 and 6 risk
potential  warp  engine  damage.   Energy  consumption  per  move   is
proportional  to the square of the warp factor.  If the ship's shields
are up during  this  movement,  the  energy  consumption  is  doubled.
Moving changes your ship's condition to green.

Examples:

M 37 45         Move to sector 37-45.
M A 37 45       Equivalent to "M 37 45".
M R 4 -5        Move to sector 37-45, if your present location is
                33-50 (move up 4 sectors and left 5 sectors).
M C W           "Ram" the Wolf.  No actual collision occurs, but your
                ship ends up adjacent to the Wolf's current position.
.


.NEWS
Display the NEWS file

Syntax:  NEws

Display  GAM:DECWAR.NWS,  which  contains  information  on   any   new
features, enhancements, bug fixes, etc for each version of DECWAR.
.


.PHASERS
Fire PHASERS at an enemy ship, base, or planet

Syntax:  PHasers [Absolute|Relative|Computed] [energy] <vpos> <hpos>

Phasers must be directed at a specific target, and only one target may
be  specified  per  command.   Obstacles  seemingly in the path of the
phaser blast are unaffected, since the energy ray is  not  a  line-of-
sight  weapon.   The  size of the hit is inversely proportional to the
distance from the target.  Maximum range  is  10  sectors  vertically,
horizontally,  or diagonally.  Each phaser blast consumes 200 units of
ship energy,  unless  a  specific  amount  of  energy  is  given  (the
specified  energy  must  be between 50 and 500 units, inclusive).  The
phaser banks have roughly a 5% chance of damage with  a  default  (200
unit) blast, with the probability of damage reaching nearly 65% with a
maximum (500 unit) blast.  The severity of  the  resulting  damage  is
also dependant on the size of the blast.  Also, if your ship's shields
are up, a high-speed shield control is used to quickly lower and  then
restore  the shields during the fire.  This procedure consumes another
200 units of ship energy.  The weapons officer on board your ship will
cancel  all  phaser  blasts directed against friendly ships, bases, or
planets.  Firing phasers (or getting hit by phasers) puts you  on  red
alert.    NOTE:    Although   phasers   can   damage  enemy  planetary
installations (BUILDs), they can NOT destroy the planet itself.

Examples:

PH 12 32        Phaser target at sector 12-32.
PH A 12 32      Equivalent to "PH 12 32".
PH R 2 -3       Phaser target at sector 12-32, if your location is
                10-35.
PH C BUZZARD    Phaser the Buzzard (if in range).
PH C B          Same as PH C BUZZARD (ship names can be abbreviated to
                1 character).
PH 300 12 32    Phaser target at sector 12-32, using 300 units of
                energy.
.


.PLANETS
List various PLANET information

Syntax:  PLanets [<keywords>]
List location and number of  builds  for  all  known  planets,  and  a
summary of planets within a specified range or the entire galaxy.  The
default range is 10 sectors, and the default side is every side.   See
the  help  for  LIST  for  more  information  and  the complete set of
keywords that can be used to modify PLANETS output.

Examples:

PL              List all planets within 10 sectors.
PL SUM          Give summary of all planets in game.
PL ALL NEU      List all known neutral planets.
PL ALL CAP      List all known captured planets.
PL ALL 20       List all known planets within a radius of 20 sectors.
.


.POINTS
List POINTS scored so far this game

Syntax:  POints [Me|I|Federation|Human|Empire|Klingon|Romulan|All]

Itemize the current point  breakdown.   Information  can  be  obtained
concerning  the  points scored by your individual ship, your team, the
opposition, the romulans, or any combination of  the  above.   If  the
Romulan  Empire  is not involved in the game, the ROMULAN keyword will
be ignored.

Categories in POINTS breakdown:
- Damage to enemies.
- Enemies destroyed (500 points each).
- Damage to bases.
- Planets captured (100 points each).
- Bases built (1000 points each).
- Romulans damaged/destroyed.
- Stars destroyed (-50 points each).
- Planets destroyed (-100 points each).

- Total points scored.
- Total number of ships commissioned.
- Total score / number of players.
- Total score / stardates.

Examples:

PO              List points for your ship.
PO ME           Equivalent to "PO".
PO KLI FED      List the score of the two teams.
PO ALL          List all the scoring information available.
.


.QUIT
QUIT the game

Syntax:  Quit

Quit the game before  normal  end  of  execution  and  return  to  the
monitor.   Your  ship  is  released  for use by another player, you're
chalked up as just one more casualty, and you can't CONTINUE the game.
If  you  want  to  rejoin the game, you'll have to wait 2 minutes, and
then either START or RUN the game.  If  you  want  to  exit  the  game
temporarily  (to  answer  SENDS,  etc.),  type  ^C (CTL-C), and you'll
usually be able to CONTINUE.  NOTE:  If you're under  red  alert,  you
won't  be  able  to  ^C  out of the game;  you'll have to use the QUIT
command.
.


.RADIO
Turn sub-space RADIO on or off, or
set to ignore or restore communications from individual ships

Syntax:  RAdio ON|OFf  or  RAdio Gag|Ungag <ship name>

Turn your ship's sub-space radio on or off, thus  controlling  whether
or not you'll receive any messages from other ships or your bases;  or
suppress or restore messages originating from specific ships.

Examples:

RA ON           Turn sub-space radio ON.
RA OFF          Turn sub-space radio OFF.
RA G L          Suppress all radio messages sent by the Lexington.
RA U W          Allow radio messages sent by the Wolf to be received.
.


.REPAIR
REPAIR device damage

Syntax:  REpair [<units>]

Repair damaged ship devices.  If a ship suffers a critical  hit  to  a
device,  REPAIR can be used to restore the device to full (or partial)
working order.  A REPAIR removes the specified units  of  damage  from
each damaged device, in addition to the normal repair rate of 30 units
per turn.  If the ship is DOCKED, the pause  time  for  the  specified
REPAIR  is  reduced  by  half  of that needed while in flight.  If the
repair size is not specified, REPAIR defaults to a 4 second repair (50
units + 50 more if docked).  REPAIR does NOT reduce the SHIP damage.

Examples:

RE 100          Remove up to 100 units of device damage.
RE              Same as "RE 100" if DOCKED, else same as "RE 50".
.


.SCAN
Full range SCAN

Syntax:  SCan [Up|Down|Right|Left|Corner] [<range>|<vr><hr>] [W]

Display a selected portion of the nearby universe.   If  no  range  is
specified,  SCAN  defaults  to a square scan range of ten sectors from
the present ship location.  The keywords UP, DOWN,  RIGHT,  LEFT,  and
CORNER  modify  this  to include only the part of this original square
specified (relative to the  ship).   The  maximum  scan  range  is  10
sectors,  and  larger  specified ranges are reduced to this value.  If
individual vertical and horizontal ranges are specified, the  scanning
field will be shaped accordingly.  The WARNING keyword if added to the
end of a SCAN command string will flag the empty sectors within  range
of  an enemy base or planet with !'s instead of .'s.  The SCAN symbols
and their meanings are:

E,F,I,L,N,S,T,V,Y Federation warships
B,C,D,G,H,J,M,P,W Empire warships
        ~~        Romulan warship
        []        Federation starbase
        ()        Empire starbase
         @        Neutral planet
        +@        Federation planet
        -@        Empire planet
         *        Star
                  Black hole
         .        Empty sector
         !        Empty sector within range of enemy port (only when
                  using WARNING keyword)

Examples:

  SC              Scan universe within a radius 10 sectors.
  SC 10           Equivalent to "SC".
  SC 13           Equivalent to "SC 10" or "SC".
  SC 4            Scan universe within 4 sectors.
  SC 4 4          Equivalent to "SC 4".
  SC 2 8          Scan up to 5 rows and 17 columns, centered on the
                  present ship location.
  SC U 4 7        Show only upper half of normal "SC 4 7" scan.
  SC C -5 -5      Scan the region bounded by the present ship location
                  and the location (-5,-5) sectors away (puts ship in
                  upper right corner of the scan).
  SC W            Same as "SC", plus shows danger zones around enemy
                  bases and planets.
.


.SET
SET input and output parameters

Syntax:  SEt <keyword> <value>

Keyword Value    Description
------- -----    -----------
Name    name     Change name (shows in USERS).
Output  Long     Default.  Use longest output format.
        Medium   Use medium output format.
        Short    Use short (cryptic) output format.
Scan    Long     Default.  Use long format scans.
        Short    Use 1 character symbols instead of 2.
Prompt  Normal   Default.  Use "COMMAND:  " prompt.
        Informative Use "> " for prompt.  Precede the ">" with:
                 S if shields are down or < 10%.
                 E if ship energy < 1000 (yellow alert).
                 D if ship damage > 2000.
                 nL if life support is critically damaged (n stardates
                 of reserves).
Ttytype CRT, ADM-3a, ADM-2, SOROC, BEEHIVE, ACT-IV, ACT-V, VT05, VT06,
                 VT50, VT52, VT100
                 Tells DECWAR the TTY type so that it can do rubout, R
                 and U properly
OCdef   Absolute Default.  Display all coordinates in absolute format
                 (vpos-hpos).
        Relative Display coordinates relative to your location
                 (dv,dh).
        Both     Display coordinates in both absolute and relative
                 form.
Icdef   Absolute Default.  All input coordinates default to absolute.
        Relative Input coordinates default to relative.

Examples:

SE PR I         Switch to informative prompt.
SE OU S         Set output format to short.
SE N THOR       Change your name in USERS to THOR.
.


.SHIELDS
SHIELD control

Syntax:  SHields Up|Down  or  SHields Transfer <energy>

Raise or lower ship shields,  or  transfer  energy  between  ship  and
shield  energy  reserves.   Raising shields consumes 100 units of ship
energy, lowering them or transfering energy is "free".  NOTE:   Shield
condition  is displayed as +n% for shields up, n% of full strength, or
-n%, for shields down, n% of full strength.

Examples:

SH U            Raise shields.
SH D            Lower shields.
SH T 500        Transfer 500 units of energy TO shields
SH T -500       Transfer 500 units of energy FROM shields
.


.SRSCAN
Short Range SCAN

Syntax:  SRscan [Up|Down|Right|Left|Corner] [<range>|<vr><hr>] [W]

Equivalent to SCAN, but with a default scan range of 7  sectors.   For
complete information on sensor scans, see the help on SCAN.
.


.STATUS
Show ship STATUS

Syntax:
STatus [Condition|Location|Torpedoes|Energy|Damage|Shields|Radio]

Show the current  stardate,  plus  the  status  of  any  of  the  ship
attributes:   ship  condition, location, number of torps, ship energy,
ship damage, shield energy, and radio condition.  Ship  condition  can
be green, yellow (low on energy), or red (in battle).  Radio condition
is either on or off.
Examples:

ST              Give full status report.
ST T            Report how many torpedos remain on board.
ST E D SH       Report the ship energy, the ship damage, and the
                shield condition (energy, %, up/down).
ST L            Report the current ship location.
.


.SUMMARY
Give SUMMARY on number of ships, bases, and planets

Syntax:  SUmmary [<keywords>]

Give any of the information available from the LIST command, but  give
only  a summary by default.  See the help on LIST for more information
and the complete set of keywords that can be used  to  modify  SUMMARY
output.

Examples:

SUM             Tell how many ships, bases, and planets are in the
                game (broken down into friendly, enemy, and neutral
                categories).
SUM EN          Tell how many enemies are in the game (number of
                Romulans, enemy ships, enemy bases, and enemy
                planets).

.TARGETS
List information on TARGETS

Syntax:  TArgets [<keywords>]

Primarily for locating targets during battle, when a SCAN would be too
time  consuming.   List location and shield percent of any enemy ship,
base, or planet in range;  name of any enemy ship in  game  (including
the  Romulan);   or  location  and number of builds of any known enemy
planet.  TARGETS is equivalent to a LIST command with a default  range
of 10 sectors and a default side of enemy.

Examples:

TA              List all targets within 10 sectors.
TA 10           Equivalent to "TA".
TA 5            List all targets within 5 sectors.
.


.TELL
TELL another ship something using the sub-space radio

Syntax:    TEll    All|FEderation|HUman|EMpire|Klingon|ENemy|FRiendly|
<ship names>;<msg>

Send messages to one or several of the players currently in the  game,
with  no  range limitation.  Players who have turned their radios off,
or have a critically damaged sub-space radio can not be sent to.   The
TELL command can not be repeated using the ESCAPE key (no junk mail!).
Examples:

TE V;Hello!     Send "Hello!" to the Vulcan.
TE KL;DROP DEAD Send "DROP DEAD" to all Klingons.
TE V,E;HELP ME  Send "HELP ME" to the Vulcan and Excalibur.
.


.TIME
List various TIMEs

Syntax:  TIme

List time since game started;  time since your ship entered the  game;
run  time  for your job so far this game;  total run time since login;
and current time of day.
.


.TORPEDOES
Fire photon TORPEDO burst

Syntax:
TOrpedo [Absolute|Relative|Computed] n <v1><h1> [<v2><h2> [<v3><h3>]]

A photon torpedo is aimed along a path in  physical  space,  thus  any
object  lying along its path will intercept the torpedo.  One, two, or
three torpedoes may be fired with one command, and the  torpedoes  may
be  individually targeted, or fired at a common location.  The minimum
range of a torpedo is 8 sectors,  but  some  will  travel  10  sectors
before  self-destructing.  Torpedoes may be deflected from the desired
track by a number of different factors, including your  ship's  shield
strength,  computer  and torpedo tube damage, and torpedo misfires.  A
torpedo misfire also aborts the remainder of the burst, and  sometimes
damages  the  torpedo  tubes as well.  Torpedoes can cause stars to go
nova, and can also destroy planets (if no enemy  installations  remain
intact).   "Accidental"  hits on friendly ships, bases, or planets are
automatically neutralized.  A  torpedo  burst  uses  no  ship  energy.
Firing torpedoes (or getting hit by one) puts you on red alert.

Examples:

TO 1 12 24        Fire one torpedo at sector 12-24.
TO 3 12 24        Fire three torpedoes at sector 12-24.
TO 3 6 7 8 7 9 12 Fire one torpedo at sector 6-7, one at 8-7, and one
                  at 9-12.
TO 3 12 24 13 39  Fire one torpedo at sector 12-24, and two at sector
                  13-39.
TO A 3 12 24      Equivalent to "TO 3 12 24".
TO R 2 2 -5       Fire two torpedoes at sector 22-25, assuming your
                  location is 20-30.
TO C 3 BUZZARD    Fire three torpedoes at the Buzzard.
TO C 1 E          Fire one torpedo at the Excalibur.
.


.TRACTOR
TRACTOR beam

Syntax:  TRactor <ship name>  or  TRactor Off
Tow another ship of the same team.  The two ships must be  located  in
adjacent sectors and both ships must have their shields lowered.  Once
such a beam is applied, either ship can pull the other behind it using
warp  or impulse engines.  Energy consumption for the towing ship is 3
times the normal rate for movement with the shields  down.   The  ship
being  towed will end the move trailing the lead ship.  If either ship
raises deflector shields, the tractor beam is automatically cut.   The
tractor beam will also be broken if either ship is hit by a torpedo or
damaged by a nova.

Examples:

TR              Break any existing tractor beam.
TR OFF          Equivalent to "TR".
TR B            Apply tractor beam to the Buzzard.
.


.TYPE
TYPE game, input, and output settings

Syntax:  TYpe OPtion|OUtput

Type the current game OPTION and OUTPUT settings.
The OPTION settings are:
- The version number and date of implementation,
- Whether there are Romulans in the game,
- and whether there are Black Holes in the game.
The OUTPUT settings are:
- SHORT, MEDIUM, or LONG output,
- NORMAL or INFORMATIVE command prompt,
- SHORT or LONG sensor scans,
- ABSOLUTE or RELATIVE default for coordinate input,
- ABSOLUTE, RELATIVE, or BOTH for coordinate output,
- and the current TTYTYPE.

Examples:

TY OP           List the option settings.
TY OU           List the output settings.
.


.USERS
List USERS

Syntax:  Users

List all ships currently in the game.  Include ship name, captain (may
be  changed  by SET NAME), TTY speed, PPN, TTY number, and job number.
If the output format is set to medium or short, omit the TTY  and  job
numbers.  If the output format is set to short, omit the TTY speed and
PPN (include only the ship name and captain).

