Copyright Frontier Developments Ltd
Welcome to the manual! ( in case this is
the first page you have turned to).
While Faulcon de Lacy do not condone offensive combat, it is often unavoidable. The best defence is always to run away if at all possible (though many cultures reject this as "cowardly"). Combat is very dangerous, and rarely ends up without expensive repairs being necessary.
Weapons (like missiles) may be controlled via the Weapon Control Panel of your ship, which may be selected by clicking on the scanner area with the left mouse button, or pressing the F5 key. This display replaces the scanner display (if fitted). The scanner may be restored by clicking on the area again (away from any icons) or by pressing F5. It should be borne in mind that keyboard shortcuts to the Weapon Control Panel icons can still be used even if the Control Panel is not currently selected.
As additional weapons and equipment are fitted to your ship, their icons appear along the bottom of the panel. The icon boxes will remain blank until you have obtained the equipment. As you buy missiles and mines, they will be illustrated next to the icon boxes as shown above. It is recommended that you read the equipment list in the Shipyard section on page + for more technical information before buying anything.
Targeting is used for both long range navigation (See Navigation and Flight page +) and combat. One target can be set at a time.
1. Using the screen in front, rear or external view mode (see the Icons section, page + if you are not clear about this), click on the centre of the ship to be targeted.
2. If you are in external or turret view a sight on the target will appear together with the range.
3. If you are in front or rear views you will be presented with the Targeting Tunnel on your headup display. This is displayed as a series of contracting squares along the path to the target,and looks like a tunnel. The range of the target is given in Astronomical Units (AU) or kilometres (km).
In order to pursue the ship you fly down the tunnel. As you get closer to the target the squares will be shown closer together, thus the squares will come towards you faster. If you are approaching a stationary target then ideally the squares should pass at a constant rate, as you slow down on the final approach.
4. If the target goes off the screen, an arrow will indicate the direction in which it lies, or, if it is behind your ship, "target behind" will show.
5. To deselect the target, click on a blank area that is not a potential target.
6. You may also select another target at any time by clicking on another object.
Some pilots may find the 'tunnel' an annoyance. If you are one of these refer to the Preferences sheet supplied separately from this manual.
Quite often, the best form of defence is attack, hence Faulcon de Lacy do provide what may be considered offensive weapons. It should be made clear that they should only be used in a defensive capacity against an attacker - Faulcon de Lacy in no way condone any other use.
One laser (or other gun) can be mounted at the front of your ship and, for ships with a rear mounting, one at the rear. Some larger ships are fitted with turrets, which can each take a single weapon. There is a wide range to choose from (see the Shipyard section page +), though the full range will only be available at the biggest shipyards. It is rumoured that the military of both sides have developed additional weapons for their own use, but this is usually denied.
A Pulse Laser fires a single high energy laser pulse about once a second, while a Beam Laser fires a continuous beam, so is far more devastating.
Lasers are fired by pressing both mouse buttons together, the spacebar on the keyboard or the fire
button on the joystick. The front
mounted laser will fire if you are in front view mode (View icon (F1) ), the rear laser if in rear view mode, and
the appropriate turret laser if in a turret view mode. If you are in external
view, then the front laser will be used, irrespective of any other lasers
fitted.
Even small lasers are reasonably effective up to 10km range, but their effectiveness decreases with distance, as the beam spreads slightly. It is recommended that you get your shots in at as short a range as possible, for maximum efficiency.
Beware of laser reflections from certain types of surface, especially when at a glancing angle. Though the beam may have lost much of its energy it can still cause serious damage. There are also words that the Imperial Navy are developing reflective armour, which reflects much of a laser's energy back along the incoming path, though this is strongly denied.
It is quite common for lasers to overheat, particularly with more excitable pilots and with the higher power beam lasers. It is unlikely you will do your laser any damage by this as it is protected by an automatic cut-out to prevent it burning out, but it may stop working for a few seconds.
This reduces the problem of lasers overheating at that vital moment. It supplements the built-in cooling system of your currently selected laser, causing it to cool more rapidly. It does not affect Plasma Accelerators.
If you want a quiet life, be careful who or what you use as target practice. When the time comes to use one of these devices:
1. Arm the missile of your choice by
clicking on one of the missile icons .
The console will show the type of missile or mine you have armed. You can arm
only one missile at a time, so if you click again on a different missile, you
will be arming that one and disarming the previous one.
2. A
Fire icon also appears. Clicking on this or
pressing the M key on the keyboard
fires the armed missile at your target, but it is important to remember that
you can only fire if a target has been selected.
3. Disarming is simply achieved by clicking on the missile in question or clicking on an another weapon.
All types of missile will home in on their selected target as rapidly as their incredible 65g acceleration ZX34 Short-Burn engine will allow. Nevertheless they have limited fuel (enough for about one minute of flight) so pilots do sometimes evade them. It is best to fire the missile from as close to the target as you dare, ideally while facing it. If the target is behind, the missile will turn around, but this will waste precious flight time, and give the target ship more time to use ECM if it has it. The missile will detonate on hitting any solid object (including the ship that fired it) but will attempt to avoid such non-target objects if possible. It does not need to hit the target in order to detonate - it may detonate in close proximity and do almost as much damage. Due to an international treaty it will also detonate when it runs out of fuel. A small village was once destroyed by a missile which had been flying through space for months, following the battle in which it was fired.
Mines operate just like missiles, but without drive systems. They need to have an assigned target since they also will detonate in the proximity of that target without necessarily hitting it. Mines are also susceptible to detonation by ECM. Dummy Mines are a relatively recent innovation, and still contain machinery internally in order to fool radar scans, hence their weight. They are also visually indistinguishable from normal mines so, although they are safe to scoop back up again, beware of accidentally scooping a live mine instead, as the scoop mechanism will cause it to detonate.
Generally only of use against smaller
ships. This causes the main reactors of all small ships' drive systems (within
a range of about 100km) to resonate and overload. It is linked to the drive of
the ship using it, so will not cause that to detonate. Operated with the Energy Bomb icon on the Weapon Control Panel, or from the
keyboard with the B key.
These are very large weapons, usually carried by large naval cruisers and battlestations, 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, but because of their size they cannot be fitted in a turret. After firing, they take a few seconds to recharge. Two sizes are commonly available, imaginatively named "Large" and "Small". Even a Small Plasma Accelerator will destroy a well armed hundred tonne ship with a single shot. The large version has been known to be used as a planetary assault weapon, destroying selected areas of cities from orbit. This has a devastating effect on the local population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting through the atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometres, and will deafen anyone unprotected in the vicinity.
This destroys all active Mines and Homing
Missiles in the vicinity (within about 100km). It is operated with the ECM icon from the Weapon Control Panel, or with the E key from the keyboard. Do not be
alarmed if it causes interference on your main display.
A superior version of the standard ECM
system, which can also destroy Smart Missiles, and has a greater range (about
200km). This may also cause interference on your main display. This is operated
with the Naval ECM icon from the Weapon Control Panel, or with the E key. If both ECM systems are fitted,
then Naval ECM is used in preference. The only slight advantage in having both
systems fitted is that if the Naval ECM breaks down or is destroyed, then you
can use the standard unit.
All hulls have an automatic sealing system, fitted as standard, thanks to Faulcon Hermeseal. It is comprised of two separate layers of resin under high pressure in the hull.When the layers are breached the substances expand and mix to form a very durable foam-like patch. This prevents the whole hull being explosively decompressed from a single shot.
This gradually completely reverses hull damage, but it is so big that only larger ships can have one fitted. See the Shipyard section on page +.
This will protect against energetic weapons like lasers and missiles. It is not much good with collisions. If a ship that has a Shield Generator is hit by a weapon, the field will glow in a colour depending on the strength of the shield. At full charge, the field will glow a bluish white but will progress through to yellow, orange and finally red as it is discharged. While the shield is active, no damage will get through to the hull. If your ship has shields, they work automatically and the percentage of the charge remaining, if not 100%, will be indicated on the top left of the screen. More than one Shield Generator may be fitted to a ship at once, and their shielding effect is additive.
This large unit increases the rate that all Shield Generators currently fitted to your ship recharge. Only recommended for larger ships with a large number of Shield Generators, because of its size.
It is vital to know what your enemy is up to, so you can avoid getting into combat with them. There are several different ways of doing this.
This device, usually provided as standard by Faulcon de Lacy, shows the relative positions of ships and other objects in your vicinity. The holographic display shows the other objects as coloured blobs above or below the plane of your ship, with a coloured line drawn to that plane. The plane of your ship is shown as a red circle with a grid on it (seen in perspective when viewed from the pilot's seat), with two lines drawn on it to show the extremity of your front view.
A ship below, behind A ship above, slightly in front
and to the left and to the right
This provides you with additional information about your current target, such as the number of Shield Generators it has fitted, their current charge level, and the ship's maximum hyperspace range. It will also check if the ship matches any on the Wanted Criminals list, and if so will show any bounty that is offered. This bounty will be paid into your account automatically, when the destruction of the ship is recorded by your onboard computer. No bounty will be paid for a ship if the Radar Mapper has not first identified it, since proof of identity is needed. To operate the Radar Mapper:
1. Make sure you are in View mode by using
the View icon (F1) .
2. Target a ship by clicking on it using the left mouse button. If the selected target is not a ship then no information will be shown.
3. Select the Radar Mapper icon on the Weapons Control Panel and information
will be displayed at the top right of the headup display on your target until
the Radar Mapper is deselected.
4. To deselect this facility, use the icon again.
5. To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no potential target.
This device is commonly used by pirates to identify the destination of their quarry, and also by police forces and bounty hunters. If your ship has a greater hyperspace range than the one you are chasing (use the Radar Mapper and your Ship Equipment Inventory page to determine this), then you will arrive at the destination before them.
It gives their hyperspace destination and the approximate Galactic Mean Time and date at which they will arrive.
1. Make sure you are in View mode by using
the View icon (F1) .
2. Target a hyperspace remnant by clicking on it using the left mouse button. If the selected target is not a hyperspace remnant then no information will be shown.
3. Select the Hyperspace Cloud Analyser icon on the Weapons Control Panel and information
will be displayed at the top right of the headup display until the Hyperspace Cloud
Analyser is deselected.
4. To deselect this facility, use the icon again.
5. To deselect the target, click away from the ship where there is no potential target.
6. To follow the ship, use the Galactic Map icon (F2) to jump to the same destination (see
Navigation section page +). As long as you enter hyperspace not too long after
your quarry then you will leave hyperspace at a similar position.
7. Once out of hyperspace, use the Stardreamer Time Control (See Navigation section on page +) to wait until the likely time of arrival of your quarry. The Hyperspace Cloud Analyser information is quite accurate, so if the predicted time has been exceeded by about a minute, then your quarry will not arrive. They must have mis-jumped (whether intentionally or not) and there is no way you can find them.
While docked, you may wish to find out
information about the other ships currently in dock with you. To do this select
the Communication icon (F4) ,
followed by "Traffic Control Services," and then "Ships in
Dock." The list will include neither craft in dry dock nor police and
military ships for security reasons.
A list of scheduled services of passenger liners and freighters (departures and arrivals) for the following week might be of interest depending on your aims. These tend to be big, heavily armed ships and you can get the information by selecting "Traffic Control and Services" as above then "Information on Scheduled Services."
While in flight you can hail other ships
using the Communication icon (F4) .
A range of messages for broadcasting will be presented on your headup display.
For example, you can demand surrender if you are fortunate enough to be in such
a position. If your ship is on the receiving end of aggression you can call for
assistance, but there is a risk. Some pirates listen for a call of distress and
will home in on it like a spider to a fly. If you have broken down the dilemma
is the same, but calling for help may be the only option open to you.
You will discover that there are many bigger and more heavily armed ships than yours and a ship to ship fight may be foolish. Faulcon De Lacey do not advocate illegal evasive measures and feel that going down in a blaze of glory is more memorable for your loved one than a prison sentence. If posthumous praise is not appealing, an escape capsule could be your answer.
An escape capsule is not fitted as standard
and needs to be obtained from the Shipyard (page +). It is not a capsule as
such but is a modification that allows your cockpit section to break off as a
separate craft, unfortunately leaving any crew members, passengers and cargo
behind. It flies to the nearest starport under a cut down autopilot, and can be
used only once. For this reason, it comes with an insurance policy which is
automatically cashed in for a basic Eagle Long Range Fighter to replace your
abandoned ship. The capsule has no weapons or hyperspace facility. You may ask
why your enemy isn't going to shoot at you. It is considered to be extremely
bad form to shoot at escape capsules because they are much too easy a target,
and most pilots realise that some day they may need to use one. It has been
known though, that some pilots are not bothered by image and will pick you off
anyway. Another problem is ships scooping up escape capsules and selling the
occupant into slavery. This is severely frowned upon by both the Elite
Federation of Pilots and the Federation itself. To release the capsule, you
select the Escape Capsule icon on the Weapons Control Panel, or use the X key on the keyboard.
Jumping into hyperpace is often sufficient to evade pirates, but a pirate with a fast ship may use their Hyperspace Cloud Analyser to chase you into hyperspace and, if they have a faster ship, may even arrive at your destination before you do.
You may notice others committing offences in order to remain alive and we feel compelled to explain their erroneous behaviour in order to discourage you from copying them. One tactic is the highly risky Hyperspace Mis-jump and this can be found in the Navigation and Flight section page +. Another is to jettison cargo in the hope that any ship following will give up the chase in order to scoop it up. This is explained in the Trade section on page +. Remember - it is illegal to jettison any cargo.
Your rating as a pilot is displayed if you
use the Inventory icon (F3) ,
and cycle through to "Commander Profile". You are given a rating by
the Elite Federation of Pilots which is calculated from the number and type of
kills recorded by the onboard computer. For example, shooting up a heavily
armed ship will amass a large number of points. Many have disapproved of using
kills in order to calculate this rating as it can lead to illegality. In older
times much store was set by this as you had to be able to fight to survive, so
shooting down others was seen as a mark of skill and bravery. Great respect is
still held for the rating in the outer systems, where the way of life still
reflects that of the past of the inner, now more civilised, systems. For
historical reasons therefore, the method of rating has been preserved. The
categories are as follows, in order of merit:
If homicide is not your scene, medals are awarded for particularly heroic deeds by the Federation or the Empire. They include the humble Certificate of Valour and the highly respected Imperial Celestial Warrior medal. These are also shown on the Commander Profile page of the Inventory.
Both the Federation and the Empire give military ranks for services rendered. An individual can gradually progress up the ranks even from purely mercenary missions, receiving promotions after sustained loyal service. Usually these ranks are mutually exclusive as each of the superpowers does not tolerate its officers working for the other power (though work for the independent worlds is usually allowed).
Before you start shooting at everything that moves in order to improve your rating, consider your legal status. Data is collected by the three police forces: The Federal Security Service (of the Federation), the Imperial Guard (of the Empire) and Interpol (that of the Independent Systems). The latter was set up after the Federation and Empire became established as superpowers, and the world leaders that wished to remain free of both got together and decided to set up their own police force. This was largely to avoid the independent worlds becoming a dumping ground for criminals. Remember, what you do and who you work for will almost certainly be noticed by someone.