The BIRDMEN GUIDE to the GALAXY

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 0. Introduction
 1. The Birdmen: an Analysis
      1.1 Strong points
      1.2 Weak Points
      1.3 How to overcome your weak points
      1.4 Birdmen DOs
      1.5 Birdmen DON'Ts
 2. Playing the Birdmen
      2.1 Your game
      2.2 Your ships
      2.3 More on Scouts
 3. About Super Spy
      3.1 The ship mission
      3.2 Notes about the spy info
      3.3 Advanced Super Spy
      3.4 Using (Advanced) Super Spy
 4. Useful host settings
      4.1 Cloaked ships attack
      4.2 Cloak Prevent Damage
      4.3 Odds of cloak failure
      4.4 Privateer rob cloaked ships
      4.5 Cloak fuel burn per 100 kT
      4.6 Cloaked mine odds
      4.7 Ground attack ratio
      4.8 Free fighters
      4.8 Engine Shield Bonus
 5. Interacting with races
      5.1 Useful Allies
      5.2 Useful Ships
      5.3 Trading your ships
 6. Eliminating other races
      6.1 Dealing with Lokis
      6.2 Dealing with Glory Devices
      6.3 Notes on the Federation
      6.4 Dealing with the Lizards
      6.5 Dealing with the Privateers
      6.6 Dealing with the Cyborg
      6.7 Dealing with the Crystal People
      6.8 Dealing with the Empire
      6.9 Dealing with the Robots
      6.10 Notes on the Rebels
      6.11 Dealing with the Colonies
 7. Sneaky Combat Tactics
      7.1 Towing ships
      7.2 Creative use of the NUK FC
      7.3 Ambush
      7.4 Carriers and your Starbases
      7.5 Glory Devices
      7.6 Freighter Hunting
      7.7 Conquering planets
      7.8 Cloaked ships attack
      7.9 Cloak Prevent Damage
      7.10 Steal minerals from a planet with a
Starbase
      7.11 Using (Moving) Minefields
      7.12 Using good baits
      7.13 Cloaking your entire empire
      7.14 Enemy starbases
      7.15 Cloaking all your ships
      7.16 Super Spy bug in host.exe
 8. More than host alone
      8.1 PHost
      8.2 RacePlus
      8.3 Borders
      8.4 FHost
      8.5 Nemesis
      8.6 Starbase+
      8.7 Tachyon
      8.8 Jumpgate
      8.9 Portal
      8.10 Tantalus Machine
      8.11 Alternative Shiplists
      8.12 AHost
      8.13 The Killing Floor (TKF)
 9. More information
     9.1 Romulans in VGA-Planets
     9.2 Romulans in Star Trek
10. About this guide
     10.1 Credits
     10.2 Questions
     10.3 Additions
     10.4 Updates
     10.5 Complaints
     10.6 Distribution 
11. Famous last words


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The Guide and its History 
------------------------- 
The idea of compiling a Birdmen FAQ was developed in the high-days of the 
Galactic Guilds. The initial idea was to create a file that should be the 
first help for newbie Birdmen players and that should answer their first 
questions, and by doing so removing some of the workload from the feathered 
shoulders of the Birdmen Guild Master.

However it was not until six months after the sudden extermination of the 
immortal Guilds by evil forces in the Battle of Krell that I, Alistair 
MacBird, started writing this guide to help the early Birds through the first 
stages of their existence.

The opinions about the Birdmen are quite in contradiction. Some will say it's 
a perfect race to start with while others will tell you it's a race for 
experienced players. The truth is always simple: you can play any race you 
want as long as you know how. That's where the Guide comes in.


The Quest through the Galaxy 
---------------------------- 
At 35% of the current size of the Guide I realised that the Galaxy was too 
large - there were just too many dimensions I didn't know (enough) about to 
get all important information covered. Messages were sent on several 
bandwidths, reaching out to the edges of the Galaxy searching for those 
Birdmen Admirals operating in the outer (unknown) dimensions.


The High Council
----------------
And thus the Council of Twelve was formed. Twelve of the most experienced
Admirals became Member of the High Council of the Birdmen and contributed
their knowledge of the outer dimensions and their experience in Birdmen
strategy to this evident act of Birdmen superiority: The Birdmen Guide to the
Galaxy. Some of their individual contributions are marked [x].


The Guide and Beyond
--------------------
The Guide and the memory of the Council of Twelve will probably live
forever in this Galaxy. The ten Counsellors will return to their own
dimensions to continue doing whatever they did before they founded the High
Council - increasing their knowledge, improving their strategy, enlarging the
Birdmen Empire and spreading the Birdmen Doctrine among the worlds.
The Counsellors may or may not be reached again using the spaceways I used to
contact them - it all depends on the interstellar rifts, but then, maybe
another experienced Birdmen Admiral may decloak his/her flagship near your
residence.


One thing for sure: the Counsellors might get lost in the outer dimensions,
the Guide may get obsolete by the invention of newer technology, but the
race of the Birdmen will never get exterminated.


Sailing off to the edge of our Empire,



Alistair MacBird of the clan MacBird,
Founder of the Council of Twelve