(FIGURE 1. (Front view.))
_ _
Thumb button: |@| +-----------------+ |@| Thumb button:
Missiles. | |_____| }-----------{ |_____| | Torpedoes.
Trigger button: | |-----| )Plasma Bolt( |-----| | Trigger button:
Lasers. |_| | }-----------{ | |_| Plasma Ray.
+-----------------+
(FIGURE 2. (Side view, left grip.))
_ /\ /\
/| |] <--Thumb button. / / \ \
Trigger--> /_| | / / \ \
| | / / \ \
|_| \/ (Aiming down.) \/ (Aiming up.)
(FIGURE 3. (Front view in a steep left turn desperately in need of a paint program rendering.))
/\
\@\
\ \
/\ /\ \
/ \/ /\/
/ \/
/ /\ \
/ /B/ /
/ /P/ /
\ \/ /
\ /
/\ /\ /
\@\/ /\/
\ \/
\ \
\/
The foot pedal is usable during times of separation from
the docking port on the ship and during later stages where the
player's role of defender changes. It's purpose is for use as a
throttle control during flight. When the player presses forward
on it, the Gunnery Pod's aft thrusters
fire, giving a forward motion to the pod. When the player let's
up on the peddle, the pod slows down. And when the foot pedal
returns to it's original position, the pod will eventually stop
after all forward momentum is lost. If the pedal is rocked
towards the player, then Fore thrusters will fire and the pod
will be pushed backwards. This pedal does nothing while parked in
the ship's docking ring.
Each of the five buttons on the controller operate a
different weapon. Why five, you may ask? One reason is because in
the first game, there was an assortment of four weapons for the
weapons officer to use. And the fifth one (mounted in the center)
primes and fires the Plasma Bolt.
Required to punch a hole into the
electro-chemical barrier that surround each solar system.
Even though this weapon is ready to fire at the start of the
game, it will always be used to punch a hole in that shield.
However, in most missions, it will be possible to prime and fire
the weapon once more. In later missions, maybe even twice. This
is due to the process required to load the weapon, a slow
leaching off of the already over-taxed power generators. The
weapon's batteries leach power for
over five minutes before the weapon can possibly function. Then,
when fired, it gather's up all power available into a sort of
Ball Lightning and flings it toward's the target sighted by the
weapons officer (player). This weapon's best secondary use is
against the pirate's biggest threat, a
ship called a Star Crusher. More on
this ship's configuration later. Each of the other weapons are
suited to deal with the different kinds of enemies and their
varying technologies. The Missiles are
designed to penetrate shields surrounding the target and deliver
the war head's explosion against the hull of the enemy's ship.
Missiles are accessed via the left
thumb button. Torpedoes are another
form of physical attack, designed to rip apart the physical armor
on the target's hull, then explode in an attempt to cause
structural failure. Though, Torpedoes
are ineffective against ships equipped with shielding devices.
These are fired using the right thumb button. Next, comes the
Lasers. Quick flashes of hot, tight
beams of light are used to try to melt armor and body panels off
of enemy targets. Most of the pirate's
fleet are somewhat susceptible to this form of attack, due to the
weakness of shielding devices. They can't mask out light.
Lasers are operated by pressing the
left trigger finger. And finally, come the
Plasma Rays. The weaker cousin to a
Plasma Bolt, Rays operate in quite the
same way. This form of attack is an attempt to short out all
electrical equipment aboard the pirate's
ship. If a ship has shields up and running at full strength,
Plasma Rays will be ineffective.
Though, armor only and shield damaged foes are an easy target to
attack with these little shockers. Plasma
Rays are fired with the right trigger finger.
Each weapon system has a tri-light LED designating it's
current status. Lasers, Missiles,
Torpedoes, and Plasma Rays have a panel centered on the dash
board. A green light indicates the weapon is on-line and
functioning. Yellow indicates reduced effectiveness due to
damage. Red indicates that repairs are needed before the weapon
is usable. If no light can be seen, then weapon is either off
line due to the power crisis, or weapon has been completely
destroyed. The Plasma Bolt's tri-light
system is inside the clear button. The button usually remains
dark. But, when the button is pressed, one of three colors will
light up. Red indicates not usable, yellow means recharging, and
green means ready. If the yellow light illuminates at time of
press, then the weapon has just been primed. If green, then a
three-second countdown will occur before the weapon fires. And
when it does, it will shoot the bolt in the general direction
that the cross hairs are aimed. This weapon is accessible only
when docked on board the freighter.
When the player moves the controller to a point farther
than the cross hairs will go, then the
Gunnery Pod will swivel if attached to
the ship's port or fly in the direction pointed if space born
with thrusters alone or attached to a Combat Rig.
(FIGURE 4. (Interior of Cabinet in Text Graphics.))
=============================================================================
(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)
(*) (*) ^ Upper Lighting Bar. ^ (*) (*)
(*) (*)
/-------------------------------------------\
/-------/ /V\ . . . \-------\
/--+--/ . \ / . /o\ . \--+--\
| Frnd . . \ / |
| Omga Cls. . Unkn . |
| . . (Main Screen using a wide view trick.) No Lock |
| . | . |
| { | } . /X\ |
| . . ------+------ . \ / . |
| . { | } . . FOE |
| . | . <--> |
| /-------------------------------------------\ -<-Lock->- |
| /-------/ +---------+ +---BOW---+ +---------+ \-------\ .|
/--+--/ | | | | | | . | . | |msls=OK | \--+--\
| \--|--/ | |----+===*| |lsrs=OK |
|PSI |5 CO| | . | .| |shld=Low |
+---------+ +--STERN--+ +---------+
________________Communications____3-D radar_____Gunnery Pod__________________
Dash +-----+ o Torpedoes data screen o +-+-+ o
Board. |Pt/Dk| o Missiles=() Torpedoes=() o |-O-| o
o +-----+ o Lasers=() Plasma Ray=() o +-+-+
____Part/Dock/Start________Weapons Operations LED's.______________S.A.L.______
button.
_ _
Thumb button:-->|@| +-----------------+ |@|<--Thumb button:
Missiles. | |_____| }-----------{ |_____| | Torpedoes.
Trigger button: | |-----| )Plasma Bolt( |-----| | Trigger button:
Lasers. |_| | }-----------{ | |_| Plasma Ray.
+-----------------+
+-----+
| |
| |
/-----+ +-----\
/ \
/ \
/ (Player's Chair.) \
/ \
/ \
/ \
| |
| |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|-----------------------------|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Base|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+--------------| of |--------------+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|##############|Chair|##############|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|#Single Swivel| | Foot Pedal.##|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|##############| |##############|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+--------------| |--------------+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~(Floor Decorations.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=============================================================================