------------------------------------------------------------------------ VvV VvV OoOoOoO IiIiIiI dD VvV VvV Oo oO Ii dD VvV VvV Oo oO Ii dD VvV VvV Oo oO Ii DdDdDdD VvV VvV Oo oO Ii Dd dD Vv vV Oo oO Ii Dd dD Vv OoOoOoO IiIiIiI dDdDdD ISSUE 4 DECEMBER 6th 1993 EDITOR Phil Bird Submissions, comments, letters etc to se1pb@dmu.ac.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to VOId this issue centres around a FRONTIER or ELITE 2, since most people have undoubtfully got this super new game there are two fabulous articles about how to play and how to win at frontier. I hope you find both of them useful. VOId will soon be sending out a short questionnaire, we would be grateful if you could fill it out and return it post haste. Hope you enjoy this issue and christmas, Phil ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Frontier Tutorial ----------------- 1. First take a look at the system you're in. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Select the Galactic Map icon (F2). Ross 154 is in the middle, highlighted in green. 2. Select Data icon (F6), and your system will be shown. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Two bodies from Ross 154 is Aster. Below Aster is Merlin. o Select Economy icon (F7). Major exports are animal meat and liquid oxygene. o Select Political icon (F8). This system is federation control, so it is safe. 3. Find place to sell gods. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Go back to the grid by selecting Galactic icon (F6). o Use cursor keys to move map until Bernards star. (look up and right). Gets highlighted when in middle. o Select Data icon (F6). Click on planets until space station orbiting Birminghamworld (Boston Base) gets visible. o Repeat two last actions under part 2. o You'll see that liquid oxygene and animal meat are imports. o You can see the orbits of the system bodies using the Orbital Map icon (F10), and you can zoom in/out using F7 and F8. Left mousebutton centers the screen to the desired planet. 4. Buying gods ---------------------------------------------------------------------- o Select Communication icon (F4). Choose Stockmarket. o Locate animal meat, then buy one tonne. 5. Now, go to Bernards star system ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Go to Frontview by using icon F1. o Select Communication icon (F4) and select Launch Request. o When cleared, select Flight Control icon (F7). o Tip up the nose of the ship by moving the mouse backwards while holding the right mousebutton. o Hold return key to build up boost. o Leave atmosphere. 6. Make hyperspace jump ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Use Galactic Map icon (F2) and make sure Bernards Star is in the middle (green). o Return to View mode (F1), then activate hyperspace drive (F8). After jump, hold return key to build up boost. It's important to leave the hyperspace cloud (F1 to view cloud), since it attracts pirates. o Select Identification icon (F10) which will overlay names on all system bodies (planets). 7. Fly to Birminghamworld using the autopilot ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o Look at system structure using Galactic Map icon (F2), and then the Current Sytem Map icon (F2) to view orbital map of current system. o Zoom (F7) until you can see Birminghamworld clearly. o Centre world with right mousebutton. o When you can see the space station (Boston Base) move the mouse while holding down the right mousebutton so that you can see the space station clearly. o Set up destination for the autopilot using Target icon (F10). o Return to View Mode (F1). o Engage autopilot using F7, until autopilot symbol is shown on the console. o Speed up travelling time using the "video button" gadgets. o Have a space cigar ( or Milkyway Havanna :-) until the autopilot docks the ship for you. o Sell gods using F4. 8. BlaBlahBla and so on.. --------------------------------------------------------------------- o Stop it! Flight Controls --------------- A or mouse forwards + RMB - Dive Z or mouse backwards + RMB - Pull up < or mouse left + RMB - Bank left > or mouse right + RMB - Bank right ENTER - Increase power R.SHIFT - Decrease power F1-F10 - Same as icons 1-10 SPACE - Fire weapon ESC - Configuration panel -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This article contains a quick start method and additional notes for FRONTIER or elite 2 This quick start (as opposed to the manual version) will make you lots of money It was devised by the Red Circle and is all well and good unless you want to be in the Imperial military. First things First: 1. Buy the game its fucking amazing. 2. Read the other docs by the RC 3. Most importantly dont forget to play Frontier through the night and lokking like shit in the morning. Not only is this not good for your health but it also means that you get to fuck up your mind with the tiny text font. But what the fuck! its good innit? The Quick(ish) start guide. Destined to make you fame and fortune unless you die. Firstly pick the Ross 154 starting position. This will put you in a position where the most hostile enemy is yourself. Press F4 Pick the stockyard. Click on the down arrow until you see Hydrogen fuel, buy as much as possible. Press F4 again. Go to the Bulitin Board. Go right to the bottom, and click on the message `SHIP REQUIRED. Payment of c520 (c=credits) for a ship to take a small package to the Fomalhaut system' Click on the small box next to it. You can if you like ask for more money or a permit but it is not needed Click on `OK - Agreed' Then Hang up. Next go up to the FEDERAL MILITARY message. Click on the little box next to it. Well, as your going to the Fomalhult system any way, why not kill two birds with one stone and accept the delivery misson they are offering. As you will see they have a strict policy and dont fuck about. Accept the misson. Hang up. [N.B. always hang up as sometimes the Bulitin boards crash.] Press F4 again. Pick Launch Request option. Launch by pressing F7 Point the nose of the ship in the air and hit the thruster (return) RETURN is set thrust faster R.SHIFT is set thrust slower/backwords Thrust until you reach 12000 Meters. This is the Altitude in which Hyperspace is permitted. Press F2. Move the cursor keys around until you find the Lacaille (Down and right) system. When you have a hyperspace lock the system will have a green halo about it. Press F1 to get to the forward view. Now on the 8th icon along you have a hyper space option. DO IT! You will find your self (unless you have a mis-jump, but thats unlikely in a recently serviced ship like yours) now in the Lacaille system. This place is a dump lets get out of here. Press F2 Move up and left with the cursor keys (if you find you have rotated this map then the button c sets it back to normallity) to the Fomahult system. FRONT VIEW. HYPERSPACE. You are now in the fomahult system. The place you can make some serious money from. Oaky, press F2 twice and you will have a green screen displaying the current system, yes I could go in to detail about how to use this and what different things do but we here just dont have the time. Now if you have explored your icons already you will know that there are only a few places in this system you can dock at. To make it easy we will pick a space station. There are loads of places all off the Gas giant Fomahult 4, but those are difficult to get to sometimes due to your hyperspace entrance to the system in relation to the gravitational pull of different planets. So instead we will pick a nice vacation ground called Conversion. On this menu F7 and F8 zoom in and out respectivley. By holding down the right mouse button and moving the mouse the system moves also. Rotate it until you see Conversion and zoom in. Now this Could take bloody ages so it is time to use the function turbo zoom. by double clicking on this icon you are hurled to as close as possible to your selected target. If you havent clicked on Conversion then you will be looking at the star of the system. Hold down on zoom out F8 and you will see some light green orbital lines come in to view and on the third one out will be Conversion. Click on it and it will Auto center. Double click zoom in and then zoom out from conversion to find the orbiting station, Dobson Terminal. Now F10 is the autopilot locking system, so get the space station into view (it doesnt matter how close as long as you can see the words) and click f10 then on a space just before the D of Dobson. This will give you a lock. Phew. Okay now you have a lock get back to the front view. F7 is the autopliot/manual/engines off icon so click it around until you get the autopilot on. Now the autopilot is engaged and as the game runs in real time it takes literaly days to travel accros even small areas of space. To aid us in our quest a stardreamer option is available. Basically the stardreamer controls speed up time. Above the first few icons is a small console. This is the stardreamer control. From left to right the options are: Stop/pause: this also gives you a options screen which is easy to work out. It has options to turn off stars and detail control, all of these speed up the game when down to their lowest setting. Play Obvious realy. Play x 10 Play x 100 Play x 1000 Play x 10000 So Play is normal time. Not if you want to hang around for years I seriously suggest pressing the fastest time option, of course you do get attacked alot, but that is a by product, as you are beginner then I doubt iff you will have hundreds of ships on your ass. So, your in the Fomalhult system, on autopilot, heading to Dobson Terminal on maximum time x 10000 mode. The distancing will be displayed in AU (Astronmical UNITS) and Kilometers. When you get really close your ship will automatically ask for docking permission. Unless your a lover of art then speed up the time to max to dock quickly. Enter the Bulitin Board and wait a bit, after a while you will recive a promotion form the FEDERATION and some cash from the bimbo. Now you have cash you can retire! Well not really just over 800 credits is enough to let you retire after trading. HOW TO MAKE LOADS BY TRADING. Okay you are the proud owner of an Eagle long range fighter, which is just a flashy name for shitty. You really do have very little cargo space in the Eagle so it is Important to get as much profit as possible into your flying feces. >From where you are the easiest profit to get is to trade robots on a Fomalhult to CD 37 (just right of Fomahult). You can now buy 1 tonne of robots and trade back with Fomahult. To make extra money, buy the time you have reached Fomahult before selling the robots on the stockmarket try the Bulitin Board. Quite often you can find some loony willing to buy robots off you for around 2000 credits. Doing this often gets you cash quick and sharpish! TIPS TIPS TIPS TIPS TIPS TIPS TITS TIPS TAPS TIPS TIPS TIPS TOPS **************************************************************** The above method also works on Narcotics rather well but has the down side of you getting busted SOMETIMES. Sometimes you get away with it some times you dont. On the scanner the colors corespond with the weight of the ship/object BLUE 1 - 15T GREEN 16 - 31T MAGENTA 32 - 63T RED 64 - 111T ORANGE 112 - 159T YELLOW 160 - 207T GREY 208 - 299T WHITE 300T+ Check the file entitled FTRDOCS.LHA for ship specification. What the fuck is a Plasma Accelerator??? Well is you have the space to fit one in your ship then you must be good. The official manual version of this weapon is These are very large weapons, usually carried by large naval crusiers and battle stations, and are sometimes carried by large trading ships and passenger liners in the more dangerous regions of space. They are used in the same way as lasers and take up a gun mounting. After firing, they take a few seconds to recharge. Two sizes are commonly available, imagin- atively named `large` and `small`. Even a small plasma acelerator will destroy a well armed hundred tonne ship in single shot. The larger version has been known to be used as a planetary assult weapon, destroying selected areas of cities from orbit. This has a devestating effect on the local population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting trough the atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometers, and will deafen anyone unprotected in the vicinity. Thats one killer fucking weapon, Imagine it any bastard messes with you you blow them away.KAZAZOOM!!! The missiles that are availible only work if you first lock on to the target. You do this by simple using the pointer on the normal view screen and clicking on your target. The missiles work only if your target doesnt have an ECM (they have a 100km range). The smart missiles overide normal ECM systems but not the naval versions and has a greater explosive power. The nave grade missiles explode BIG TIME and are immune to any known ECM system. This information below is confidential to workers of the FONTIER game so thats why the RC is going to tell you lot. The Mirage ship is a beast of a machine. It is not mentioned in the manual the reason for this is beacuse it is practicaly imposible to get hold of. you may ask your self why this ship is so special. Well heres why... Firstly the name of Mirage didnt come up whilst BIG DAVE BRABEN was shaving oh no. The name is related to the specs of the ship. Basically unless you want to do the following you will never find her. 1. You need to be of ELITE STATUS for starters. 2. Have credits will travel, and travel you must for she is at the outer rim .... somewhere!! 3. Once found to fly her you need three things: A: A top rating in the Empire (PRINCE) After that,at one point you will be approched by the flagship of the Empire. The big honcho gives you the message that he requires a mercenary for a right hand man. I.E YOU. B: A USER IDENT from the SIRIUS corporation only able to purchase from the MD of SIRUS. Fuck knows how you get this couldnt read the memo, sorry. C: Military Fuel buy fuckload, tonnes and tonnes and tonnes and tonnes and ton...... Forget this. I'm not looking for this thing any body that finds it shout out. I'm quite happy with my Panther and my DEADLY rating. and besides the Empire wouldnt even talk to me as I'm a captain in the FEDS. While Im babeling about rateings I might as well tell you: FEDERATION None Private Corporal Sergeant Sergeant-Major Major Colonel Lieutenant Lieutenant Commander Captain Commodore Rear Admiral Admiral IMERIAL Outsider Serf Master Sir Squire Lord Baron Viscount Count Earl Marquis Duke Prince