   
  
  
  
                      UPDATES TO INSTRUCTIONS OF
                            STARTREK
                        FOR DEC. 1980 VERSION 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
A. CHANGES IN PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS
   --------------------------------
 
1. Your ship will NOT automatically dock when you enter a sector
   adjacent to a Starbase. The program will instead ask you
   if you wish to dock.
  
2. Default Mission Rank is maximum allowed for player, rather than
   random. See information on Service Record and Promotions.
  
3. Self-Destruction also requires the player's password to be entered
   besides the previous confirmation.
  
4. The Target Calculator will compute the bearing & distance from
   your current position to Sector 5, 5 of the target quadrant if
   only a Quadrant target is specified. It currently calculates
   them to your same Sector location in the target quadrant. Since
   moving with the calculated settings sometimes misses the target
   by one sector, if you started in a corner, then you might end up
   in the wrong Quadrant with fatal results. This modification
   should be installed by 15 Dec. 1980.
  
5. All shields being penetrated by an enemy hit does not necessarily
   mean that your ship is destroyed. Your ship can survive small hits
   without total destruction (hits < 100 units). If the hit exceeds
   your total shield strength by more than 25 units, then severe
   damage (to more than 1 system) and casualties will result.
  
6. Each prisoner delivered to Starbase increases the player's 
   efficiency rating by a factor of 0.0005 (+0.05%) instead of
   0.001 (0.1%).
  
   
B. NEW FEATURES
   ------------
  
1. Service Record - the program keeps a record for each player
   of the game, starting them out with easy games (Rank 1) and
   promoting to the next higher Rank when deserved. Each player
   has their own password kept on file to permit validation of
   identity. A fuller explanation of the Service Record, Ranks and
   Promotion criteria can be obtained from the data file:
  [100,100]STARTREK.SFA
  
2. Auto Mine Retrieval Sequencer - this is an option of the MINE
   Command, and permits the retrieval of mines previously laid
   in the Quadrant. It asks you how many mines are to be retrieved
   ("ALL" or number), and will then automatically control the
   Tractor Beam & Transporters in turn to draw in & bring aboard
   the number of mines specified. Since then enemy can shoot during
   this command (possibly several times), take care in using this
   while in Condition RED.
   
 
  
   
  
  
  
3. Automatic Backup - for non-AMES players, an automatic game backup is 
   provided. This is necessary because of the tendancy of terminals 
   connected by 300 baud telephone lines to lose the carrier signal 
   and the game. The game can be resumed by answering "Y" to the 
   quiry  wanting to resume a previously saved game. Use the name of 
   of "BACKUP.###" to resume the game, where ### is the 3-digit 
   mission sequence number of the lost game.
  
4. Maximum Strength Shields Configuration - this is a new option in
   Shield Control, which is the same as Battle Entry Configuration,
   except that the power is distributed evenly amongst the shields,
   instead of doubling the front shield at expense of the rear one.
 
5. Towed Vessel Delivery - you no longer have to dock with a Starbase
   in order to deliver a vessel in tow. If you move adjacent to a base,
   and refuse the chance to dock, you will be asked if you want to 
   deliver towed vessel. Prisoner transfer is also done.
  
6. Maneuvering Engines - if you want to just turn the ship, or dock
   from a sector adjacent to base, your ship will use maneuvering engines
   rather than impulse engines. Maneuvering engines can never be damaged.
 
7. The following should be added to the GENERAL NOTES of the instructions.
   Part c) is a new feature:
 
   5. Intruders
      --------
        There are 3 sources of intruders (which can be either Romulan or
   Klingon):
   a) Agents that have hidden aboard during docking
   b) Escaped prisoners - anytme you have prisoners aboard, one may
      escape.
   c) Agents beamed aboard (for Ranks >3) - if an enemy vessel is within
      2 sectors of your ship, and your defensive shield facing it is
      down, then it may beam an agent aboard to wreak havoc. Romulan
      ships that are invisible are almost certain to do this.
 
  
8. Link from Target Calculator to Navigation Control - if the Target
   Calculator of the Ship's Computer is used, then you are given the
   option of having the calculated bearing and distance used as the 
   Navigation Setting. If answered affirmatively, then the values will be
   transfered directly to Navigation Control, and the ship moved
   (assuming the calculated values were valid).
  
9. Maximum Security Deck - this is an option of Ship's Internal Security,
   and permits you to designate one deck to have maximum security at the
   expense of the other decks. If you outguess the intruder and he goes
   onto such a deck, then it is very likely that he'll be caught, or at
   least will not be able to sabotage. This option is suggested for use
   to protect a deck with vulnerable important systems (eg. Primary Life
   Support) which is close to the intruder's last position.
 
     If there are any other changes between the current version (Dec) of
   STARTREK and the older instructions (STARTREK.INS), please let me
   know, because I may have overlooked some. Leave a message for me
   using: MAIL SORENSEN.
