NOTICE TEXTE n° 1 (10.1 Ko)
STARION
1. INTRODUCTION
STARION is a multi-dimensional 243-zone space-time travel simulation requiring
reflex skills, analytical powers, stamina and a keen sense of adventure.
The game utilises the most advanced vector graphics system ever developed for
a home computer and will run on any Amstrad CPC 464 or 664. Control may be by
either the keyboard or joystick.
2. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the cassette in the tape deck and ensure that it is fully rewound.
2. Press the CTRL key and the small ENTER key simultaneously.
3. Press PLAY on the tape deck.
4. The game will now load and run automatically.
5. In the unlikely event of a loading error, please rewind the tape slightly
and press play. If errors persist your tape deck may need re-aligning.
6. In the most unlikely event of a genuine fault, please return the complete
package to Melbourne House Publishers at the nearest to you of the addresses
shown. We will gladly replace it. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE PLACE OF
PURCHASE. (This notice does not affect your statutory rights.)
3. SCENARIO
The year is 2010 and your name is Starion. Fresh out of Space Academy, you have
been selected as their brightest pupil to pilot the world’s first timeship, the
S.S. Stardate. Your mission: to boldly go back in time and correct the
devastation wrought in the Space-time continuum by evil aliens from all the
other worlds that have achieved time travel before you.
As you progress through the game, your ability as a pilot increases. You are
rewarded with promotion through the ranks from Novice to Supreme Commander. If
and when you finally reach ‘Event Zero’ before the beginning of time (event
one), then you become the earliest thing to exist and must by default assume
the ultimate title of CREATOR of all that follows.
4. CONTROLS
The main controls for your ship are as follows:
Bank left: I Accelerate: E
Bank right: P Decelerate: Q
Dive: W Fire laser: N
Climb: C
In addition the following controls may be useful:
Target sights on/off: T
Sound on/off: S
Hold action/continue: H
Status report: R
Abort Game: ESCAPE
You may also select your own choice of control keys or joystick.
5. THE NATURE OF SPACE-TIME . . .
The space-time continuum is constructed of 3 ‘time blocks’ and each time block
is a 3x3 array of ‘time grids’. Each time grid is a 3x3 arrangement of time
zones. Taking into account the 3 dimensions of space itself, there are thus 243
time zones in 8 dimensions.
Each time zone represents the state of the observable universe during a given
year in earth history. The time-travelling aliens have wrought havoc on your
past by removing items of historical significance from their correct time zone
to one of the eight neighbouring time-zones in the local time grid, by means of
their heavily-armed timeships.
6. THIS IS WHAT YOU DO . . .
To save the universe from chaotic collapse you must proceed as follows . . .
Engage and destroy the enemy ship in your time zone by space to space combat.
The dead alien’s cargo will materialise in the form of an alphabetical letter.
Collect this letter by coming to a complete halt in its centre. It will be
stowed in your hold and attacks will continue until you have destroyed the
enemy fleet and collected all the letters.
The on-ship computer will now ask you to unscramble the letters to identify
the original cargo dislodged in time by the enemy. Having done this, you must
locate the entrance to a time warp and fly into it. The time-grid will be
displayed. Now decide which of the eight neighbouring time zones is the year in
which your cargo belongs.
The jump is made and you appear in a new time-zone. Your first task is to
land on earth (fly straight into it) and see if your cargo will solve the
historical problem. If you have the correct cargo, then it will be ejected,
your oxygen and fuel will be replenished and you may do battle with a new breed
of enemy for the next item.
If you have jumped to the wrong time zone, then you will still have to
destroy enough ships, mines and enemy missiles to liberate sufficient energy to
create a new time warp, but no enemy cargo will appear. Only then will you be
able to escape, still carrying the same cargo.
Once you have corrected history in all nine zones in the time-grid, the time
warp formed after the next battle will take you to one of the eight
neighbouring time-grids in the current time-block. You must take the first
letter of each of the nine items you have moved and unscramble THESE to form a
password, which, when entered into the flight computer will convince it that
you are capable of inter-grid time travel.
Having completed all nine time-grids in the current block, you must
unscramble the initial letters of the nine grid passwords to form the password
for inter-block time travel down the next time warp. At this stage just one
third of history has been corrected.
When all three time blocks (and hence all 27 time-grids and all 243 time
zones) have been corrected, you will have three inter-block passwords. Take the
first and last letters of each, unscramble them, and you will have the six
letter master password which will permit exit from the space-time continuum.
You will then yourself become event zero, and have achieved the title of
CREATOR
7. RANKINGS
Your achievements for mankind are rewarded with ascending rank as follows:
ACHIEVEMENTS: RANK:
None Novice
One complete time zone Chronotourist
Line of 3 time zones Trizoner
One complete time-grid Grid Master
Line of 3 time grids Triple Grid Master
One complete time block Space Admiral
Two complete blocks Supreme Commander
Three blocks and Event Zero CREATOR
8. INSTRUMENTS
Looking from left to right at your instrument panel, you will see: the
speedometer, measuring the magnitude of your velocity. Next, the hull
thermometer. This registers higher at high speeds, and the hull is also heated
by excessive laser fire.
Next there is a display of the letters in your cargo hold, followed by the
essential biplanar scanners, which provide all-round detection.
The first (X-Z) scanner gives a view around you in the horizontal plane in
which you are flying. You are in the centre and flying ‘up’ the screen, so an
enemy a long way to your left and behind would be in the bottom-left corner of
the display.
The second (Y-Z) scanner lets you know how far above or below you the enemy
is, by providing a view around you in the vertical plane, in which you are
flying at centre towards the right. Thus an enemy ahead and above would be
towards the top-right corner of the scanner.
Enemies are indicated by plus (+) signs, their missiles and mines by dots
(.), while everything else is indicated with minus (–) signs. With practice you
will become skilful enough to locate anything anywhere in 3-D space just by
glancing at the scanners.
Adjacent to the scanners you will see a set of pitch/yaw/roll indicators, and
above them a calendar giving the year of the current time-zone. The final two
gauges give your fuel (hydrox) and oxygen levels, and below them you will find
a display of the remaining hulls on your ship.
Your ship is a multi-hulled vessel, and impacts with mines, rocks and
missiles will increase the outer hull temperature. The more potent weapons will
destroy a hull completely.
9. PLAYING TIPS
As with most arcade games, your ability to control the S.S. Stardate, your
combat skills, and your sense of position will improve with practice.
Rocks, binary rocks and other space debris will not be destroyed by laser
fire, so you must avoid them.
As your historical knowledge grows, you will soon be able to take the fastest
route around each time-grid, in nine steps, thereby gaining points for
conserved fuel and oxygen. You will also gain points for destroying enemy
ships, mines and missiles.
10. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
STARION is the result of over nine months of intensive programming by David
Webb, a nineteen year-old undergraduate in Mathematics at Exeter College,
Oxford. Originally written for the ZX Spectrum, STARION was converted to run on
the Amstrad CPC 464 and CPC 664 by the author himself. He is also the author of
two books on the ZX Spectrum; ‘Supercharge Your Spectrum’ and ‘Advanced
Spectrum Machine Language’.
Enjoy these other great titles from Melbourne House
SOFTWARE
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THE HOBBIT
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MORDON’S QUEST
“Brilliant new follow-up to Classic Adventure”
BOOKS
AMSTRAD GAMES BOOK
“Thirty great games for your Amstrad”
WRITING ADVENTURE GAMES ON THE AMSTRAD
“An indispensable aid for the adventure enthusiast”
Program copyright © David Webb 1985
Cover illustration by Ian McCausland
Cassette duplication by Ablex Audio Video
Production by Cosprint Limited
Published by
Melbourne House
Castle Yard House, Castle Yard,
Richmond TW10 6TF
United Kingdom
70 Park Street, South Melbourne, 3205,
Australia