                             GALACTIC  CONQUEST                 68024.095FALC
                                   v5.10
                             by Jason Sinclair
                              & Joshua Shelton
                             J Computing, Inc.
                             ******************
                         ***SHAREWARE VERSION!!!***
          =========================================================


To run this game, type "STARTSW" at the drive prompt.

                        ---REQUIREMENTS TO PLAY---
                
                 Color display (VGA minimum)
                 Moderately-Fast processor recommended 
                   (at least 386...WILL work on slower machines)
                 Following files:
                        STARTSW.BAT
                        GALCONSW.TXT
                        GALCONSW.EXE
                        GCTTLSW.EXE
                        GCINITSW.EXE
                        GCFONT.COM
                        REGISTER.FRM
                        GCENDSW.EXE <--(NEW PROGRAM!)
                 Plenty of caffeinated drinks and
                  high-sugar content snacks  (OPTIONAL but recommended)
                 Lots of luck...

        Welcome to Galactic Conquest.  If you've ever wanted to be what
every super-villain worth his salt has wanted for millenia, then you've
hit the right button.  This program gives you the chance to conquer the
entire galaxy, without leaving your chair.  It is up to you to out-smart
the opponent, whether computer or human.  Send forth immense armadas to
squash the enemy like the bugs they are, or do nothing and hope to God
that mother nature hates them worse then she hates you (Face it, weathermen
normally couldn't predict a 100% chance of photon-storms...).  You start
out with one planet, some production (# ships made per each year), and
a one-year head-start against the computer.

        Program Specs, Info, and Useless Trivia:

        # Players: 1 to 2                Graphics: Text (for now...)
        Language : Turbo Pascal v7.0     Sound   : Speaker only
        Length   : Over **4000** lines   Colors  : 16
      
        Number of Computer Strategies as of v5.10 : 09
        Number of orders (Max) to any one planet   : 150 (includes you & comp)
        Types of games/scenarios:                  : 01 (2 in REGISTERED)
      
        AVERAGE Playing Time: 3 to 6 hours
        Load/Save Games?    : Yes (infinite)
        Sound Toggle?       : Yes
        Change options
         during game?       : Yes

                        
                        -------INSTRUCTIONS--------
        This game is simple, but not so simple.  It is easy to play, but
harder to master.

        To install, copy all zipped up files (see listing above) to the same
subdirectory, and run STARTSW.BAT
        
        When you start, you are asked for a name, preferably your LAST name.
However, fictional names are also good, such as "DARKLORD" and "DEATHBRINGER".
You are then asked for a rank, which suggests military rank.  Make up one, or
use a true military rank (i.e.  General, Admiral, Ensign, Commander, Rogue,
and Super-God are good ones...).  You will then meet your computer opponent
and then tell the computer how many years long the war will last.  
        Instead of asking how much production you wanted in your galaxy, the
creation of a galaxy has gotten easier.  Now, difficulty levels have been
established for the game.  There are 3 in the shareware version, and 5
in the registered...  the chart below represents the shareware levels of
difficulty.  The term "Galaxy Production", refers to the total production of 
ALL the planets in the galaxy.  The lower the number, the easier the game 
in some respects, but also the more boring (personal opinion).  The higher, 
the harder but the more interesting the war.  Some estimations of playing 
times and difficulty ranges are as follows:

     Lvl   Galaxy Production     Skill Level        Est'd Time to Finish
     -------------------------------------------------------------------
      1       50 to  74          Thumb-sucker           1 to 2 hours    
      2       75 to  99          Easy                   2 to 4 hours     
      3      100 to 125          Normal                 3 to 7 hours

     As you can see, there is variety... If you had a galaxy with 115 total
production (Galaxy Production), then you'd be playing a pretty typical game.
If your galaxy had a total of 51 Galaxy Production, then you're in for quite
a snoozer...
        The above times are just to conquer all 26 planets from the 
computer!!  They do NOT take into account the time spent battling 
the other players, novas, or power outages... <g>

        The computer will then generate a random map of the galaxy, color-
coding your home planet (you start with one).  The computer as of v4.99 now
puts all the homeworlds in random quadrants of the screen (previously, each
player's homeplanet was stuck in a specific area of the screen to assure that
they were far enough apart from each other).  However, one drawback to this,
ESPECIALLY TO COMPUTERS UNDER 486's, is that the speed of map generation
drops TREMEMDOUSLY with each additional player.  I've found that most maps
and computers handle 1 and 2 players fine.  Choose the map you want and 
continue.  The war will then begin...

        You are shown the status screen, which shows rows of information:

                            PLNT  OWNR  PROD  SHPS
                            A     1    10    207

        The PLNT is the planet name (letters A-Z).  The OWNR is the owner of
the planet, in which you will only see YOUR planets.  PROD is the production 
of the planet.  Generally, the number is between 0 and 9 but every now and 
then you will see numbers as high as 30 in the registered version.  SHPS are 
the total amount of ships you have on the planet at the start of the year.  
THEY DO NOT CHANGE AS YOU GIVE ORDERS, you must look at your Ship Logs 
(explained later) to watch the decrease in your fleet, or press F2 and view 
your current inventory.

        Underneath, you will see the TOTALS of your fleets.  The total #
of planets, production, average production per planet, and total ships of 
all planets (NOT including ones in transit).

        You then see the main menu.  You have 10 commands that are generally
used throughout the war.  These are described in detail below:

       f1 (ATTACK) -  Use to send ships from a planet you own to any planet
                      in the galaxy.  If the destination is an enemy planet
                      then the ships will be treated as fighters.  If you
                      send them to another one of your planets, they are
                      considered reinforcements to that planet.  YOU DO
                      NOT NEED TO PRESS ENTER AFTER THE NAME OF THE PLANET
                      THAT YOU ENTER!  Type the # of ships you wish to send 
                      OR type A or ALL to send ALL of that planets ships to
                      another planet.  You may also hit ESC without
                      typing anything to abort attack mode at the first
                      planet name's prompt.  As of v4.99, you can now see
                      the amount of ships you are sending.  This was origin-
                      ally put as secretive due to the strategic nature of
                      the game.

f2 (FUNCTION MENU) -  All other commands on the main screen have been set up
                      in this seperate menu, for orginizational reasons...

                      The following commands are in the function menu:

                        *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

   > TACTICAL DISPLAY - REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!

   > STARSCAN DISPLAY - The most important command aside from attacking.  
                        This brings up a report of your planets and if 
                        they are being attacked any time soon.  
                        If so, you will see something like:

                                 PLT   FLTS  SHPS
                                 K      4    37

                        The K is the name of the planet.  The 4 is the
                        number of fleets attacking that planet... The 37 
                        is the TOTAL # of ships attacking.  The fleets
                        normally do not attack all at the same time, but the
                        possibility exists.  These readings are color-coded
                        with the legend at the top of the readout.  Below
                        is a listing of the approximate chance (per color)
                        that your fleet (your planet) will be lost...
                        
                                 COLOR           % CHANCE of DEFEAT

                                 Green               0% -  5%
                                Yellow               6% - 30%    
                                 Brown              31% - 70%
                              Dark Red              71% - 95%
                             Light Red              96% - 99%
                                 White              **100!%**
                        
                        If it blinks, you're in DEEP trouble, 
                        and should consider major reinforcements...CHECK 
                        OFTEN!  If it's WHITE, this means there are not 
                        only enemy attacks coming, but there are no ships
                        AND no production on that planet!

   > COMMAND SUMMARY  - Brings up a log of all fleets sent out, what their
                        destinations are, how many ships in each fleet, 
                        and how long until they reach their destination.
                        In this mode, you may also change the destinations
                        of fleets by entering the number of the order you
                        wish to change at the prompt.  When changing order
                        destinations, time is added to the flight plan of
                        the fleet, so in essence, the fleet flies to the
                        old planet, then the new destination.  IF YOU CHANGE
                        AN ATTACKING FLEET'S ORDERS, THE ATTACKING FLEET
                        WILL *NOT* ATTACK THE ORIGINAL PLANET, AND IT WILL
                        NOT BE ATTACKED BY THE ORIGINAL PLANET!

   > LATEST SHIP LOGS-  Brings up a log of all the planets in the galaxy.
                        If explored or contacted (other than probe), will
                        tell last reading of number of ships on the surface
                        of the planet.  If it novaed, it will say so.  This
                        log also keeps track and automatically adds on any
                        and all enemy reinforcements to planets.  The
                        color coding is explained at the bottom of that
                        screen.

   > PROBE HISTORY   -  REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!

   > CURR. INVENTORY -  Prints an updated list of the number of ships you
                        have REMAINING on each planet AFTER the orders you 
                        have made for the current year.

   > LAUNCH PROBE    -  REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!
                
   > DISTANCES/RANGES-  REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!

   >CHANGE NAME/RANK -  Allows you to enter a new name, rank, and/or color.  
                        Hit <ENTER> without typing anything at the 
                        NEW NAME prompt to skip to the colors.  Hit <ENTER> 
                        at the NEW RANK prompt to keep the rank the same.

   >CHANGE TIME LIMIT-  REGISTERED VERSION ONLY!!

   >SOUND TOGGLE     -  Toggles sound effects on or off.  Great for
                        Libraries, late-night games, or Computer
                        teachers that don't like sound effects... :)

   >SURRENDER FRM WAR-  This allows players that want to leave in the middle
                        of the game to do so without destroying EVERYONE'S
                        hard work.  When a player surrenders, there is no
                        reversal process...thus the player had better be
                        sure that they wish to surrender.  If verified that
                        the player DOES wish to surrender, then their PLANETS
                        AND ORDERS are *ALL* reassigned to other players!
                        *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

(continued commands from MAIN menu...)

     f10(END TURN) - Ends your turn for that year of the war.

    altS(SAVE GAME)- Type in the NAME of the game ONLY, NO EXTENSION.
                     If you wish to use the name of a game already in
                     existance (or save the current game over itself),
                     you may.  ***WARNING, IT WILL _NOT_ PROMPT YOU
                     TO CONFIRM OVERWRITES!***

    altQ(QUIT GAME)- Completely ends the game.  A "safety" has been added
                     to this command, so that you must verify that you
                     wish to end the game.  The ENTIRE game quits, regardless
                     of which player chooses the command.  After verification
                     you will be asked if you wish to see the scores of all
                     players.  "Y" will show all planets, production, planet-
                     ary fleets, averages, and player tallies for the war up
                     to that point.  A "N" will clear the screen and end the
                     game.

        There is no set strategy for winning the game, for there are endless
possibilities for winning....OR losing...


                        ---MOTHER NATURE'S WEAPONS---

        As I mentioned earlier, mother nature is fighting as well.  There
are 4 types of phenomenons that can hurt, or help, your side of the war:

        1.) PHOTON STORM - Destroys 1-100% (at least one ship unless
                           planet is barren) of ships on ground.  Normally
                           Mother Nature is considerate to wipe out only
                           a third to one-half the ships on the planet,
                           but you know Mother Nature's sense of humor...
                           If it destroys ZERO ships, then you know that
                           the planet is completely barren.  The reason
                           it still reports these is to alert you where
                           photon storms are during that particular year.
                           There is a 1.0% chance per planet per year that
                           a Photon Storm will develop.

        2.) BLACK HOLE   - Destroys some of your fleet while in transit
                           to a planet.  Most of the time it only takes
                           a few of 'em, but every now and then...SLURP!!
                           These have a reputation of being quite cruel at
                           times you REALLY don't need them.
                           There is a 1.0% chance per order that a black
                           hole will munch it up for lunch.

        3.) NOVA         - Not exactly a nice way to end your existance,
                           this is mother nature's way of saying
                           "I don't like you."  This destroys ALL ships 
                           AND PRODUCTION on the planet, as well as the
                           planet itself.  Like I said, not nice...
                           The only good things about them are that they
                           help immensely if the enemy gets hit by one, and
                           that they rarely occur, averaging about 4 per
                           100 years.  But, sometimes there aren't ANY
                           during a war, and I've seen 10 during a 200 year
                           war... most unpredictable...  If you have any
                           orders to a planet that novas, you are given a
                           chance to reroute them, so if more than 1 person
                           is playing, tell the other players to turn
                           around before you re-route them...
                           There is a 0.2% chance per planet per year of
                           a nova frying your planet to a miserable cinder.
        

                --- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS/PROBLEMS ---

        Q: The computer won't accept my input sometimes.
        A: There are certain areas that, when a key that isn't recognized
           as a valid input is hit, the computer will move the cursor down
           a line and stay there.  Just retype your answer and the question
           or whatnot will be repeated.  A drawback to Pascal...but, hey! 
           There are SOOOOO many advantages... :)

        Q: Why does the game lock up?  (Versions v4.9 and below)
        A: In all versions prior to v4.90, there was a bug in the distance
           finder where distances would come out as staggeringly high 
           numbers.  The computer would then try to accept that distance
           (somewhere over 15 billion years...like it was measuring the
           REAL distance to another planet in another galaxy) and lock up.
           The only suggeston I can give is to try a newer version, even
           though that bug rarely occurred...  As of version 4.91 the bug
           seemed to have been eliminated, and in the last 100 tests the
           bug has not shown up.

        Q: I just can't seem to get anywhere on this game...do you have
           any tips?
        A: See the next section...

        Q: Sometimes, some of my ships in orders just disappears!!
        A: This pain-in-the-@$! bug has caused more trouble than you could
           imagine.  I hope to have finally killed, maimed, squashed, buried,
           trampled, discumbobulated, and otherwise destroyed it.  If not, 
           PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!

        Q: I have a monochrome monitor and when your program runs, it
           scrambles my screen up or locks my system.  What's wrong?
        A: Monochrome screens (and I believe any system < VGA) will do
           this because of the font.  The font requires VGA or above.

        Q: Does the computer cheat??
        A: No.  Some people may have the idea that it looks at your planets
           while you play.  It does not.  It keeps track of human player
           statistics much the same way you keep track of the computer's.
           And, no...it doesn't throw battles OR keep you from winning.

        Q: Why in the heck did you put novas into this game?
        A: If you can't orbit with the big dogs, you're gonna burn, burn,
           burn...

        Q: How much memory do I need to play Galactic Conquest?
        A: The beauty of this game is that, in all it's complexity and
           with all of it's features and bells and whistles, it only takes
           conventional memory.

        Q: Are there any cheats for Galactic Conquest?
        A: Yes there is...you have to type in a certain name and rank.
           It gives your homeworld 100 production...  Let's just say
           the name and rank are important to jet designers...

        Q: Have you tried using memory nodes with this program?
        A: Next question PLEASE!!

        Q: Are there any ways to tell which AI's the computer is thinking
           of using?
        A: See below.  (Winning Tips From The Programmers)

        Q: Are you going to convert this to graphics?
        A: Josh and I have been trying to do so for some time, but Pascal
           and Graphics just don't get along too well.  I might try it in
           C++ when I learn it.  Until then, the new font, and any of it's
           upgrades, will be the best we can do for now...

        Q: How do I get the registered version of this program?
        A: Contact me at any of the below addresses, or if you have a
           CompuServe address, you can now register it online.  I will send
           you a copy A.S.A.P.

        Q: Can I be a Beta Tester for your company? (J Computing)
        A: YES!  We are always searching for more beta testers...
           If interested, or you have any questions, contact me
           at any of the below addresses.
        

                 --- WINNING TIPS FROM THE PROGRAMMERS ---

        Most TO-FROM galactic domination games basically pit you against
a computer foe that is doomed from the first turn.  Not so in this game...
I've personally added new Computer Strategies to make the game not only
more challenging, but more realistic.  Face it, most computers aren't gonna
let you walk all over them.  These strategies allow the computer to fight
just like you!  They can send scouts, they can reroute orders, and they can
also form armadas to send out after YOUR planets.  These strategies make the
computer ruthless and cold, so don't think for one minute this game is
child's play.  Even the debugging teams have trouble beating the computer!!
        If you get a LOT of attacks to the same planet in a SHORT amount of
time, watch for an armada coming your way...  It's up to you to keep the
computer fooled, and fooling it's intelligence operatives and scouts will
keep you on your toes at the VERY least.
        ALWAYS check your orders and your starscan.  When playing against
another player, you may wish to keep an eye on your tactical display.  If
you REALLY wanna be scrutinous, use your probes on enemy planets often.
        Use the ship logs to keep track of ship tallies on enemy planets.
These ship logs automatically keep track of computer reinforcements, and 
are now color coded so you can keep track of suspicious numbers...  HOWEVER,
once you attack a planet, the number it prints will always reflect the latest
ship tally on your latest attack, and will add reinforcements to that number.
Send a scout to any suspicious planets to make certain...
        Remember to keep an eye on your starscan, and may the best side cream
the other one!!

                     
                     ---CHANGES SINCE LAST VERSION---

        The last public release of Galactic Conquest was v5.00.
        The last Beta Release was v5.10, Beta Release 8 (T062596H).
        Added dedication to one of our own...Specialist John E. Shaffer,
Ohio Army National Guard (OHARNG), who is fighting over in Bosnia...keep him
in your prayers...
        Made the ending of the game its own seperate program, so there's
some more tidbits at the end.  However, this will change soon once Josh and
I decide a better ending sequence for the game.
        The difficulty levels are a DEFINITE newby, and much improved over
the original way... check the Instructions Section for more info.
        When the computer sent out armadas, it never subtracted the ships
it sent from its planetary reserves, resulting in HUGE amounts of ships.
That has been fixed.  Sorry for the unnecessary frustration...
        As usual, I've tweaked and played with the colors.  Now almost
every function in the game is fleet-color-coordinated...
        During battles, ships do not go down by 1 per hit, but are taken out
in massive groups accompanied by a new explosion sound.
        The Starscan Report does a nifty pre-scan sequence now, just before
it prints its report.
        During the production modifications, the total changes for the year
and game are now printed at the bottom of the screen.  There was a stupid
bug in that too, now fixed <crossing fingers>.
        The total galaxy production is no longer displayed.


                       ---UPCOMING HOPEFUL CHANGES---
        Josh and I are always finding SOMETHING to toy around with...that's
what makes this game so fun...get your mind out of the gutter...
        Still working on a way to make it possible to change orders WITHOUT
adding time onto the ETA.  Josh continues to test out possible new AI
algorithms (Man is this guy ever CRUEL!!  <grin>).  
        New Meteorological Mayhem is in the works...any ideas you all have
would be appreciated.  I've got 3 or 4 ideas on the board for that area.
        Also on the boards is an option to destroy the planet you are on,
a Planetary Self-Destruct Button, so to speak.
        Also, a possible (but still in it's baby stages) idea is to add
a Morale to each planetary fleet and to the overall fleet.  This would, in
essence, take over the production changes.  Sitting on your duff could cost
you plenty!!!!

                            --- SPECIAL NOTE ---
        This program was created out of a love for my favorite hobby
(need you ask what?).  The only way I know what needs fixing is by
testing it either myself and with the debugging team, or from comments
from others playing it around the country.  I've already received many
comments and even some praises from individuals that have tried this game.
It can only get better if YOU tell me how and what to do!!  If you find a bug
in the LATEST RELEASED VERSION of a SHAREWARE RELEASE of Galactic Conquest,
and you inform me (by mail, or whatnot) of the bug, and it is corrected, I
will send you a FREE copy of the Registered Version (latest available), and
add your name to the secondary group of Beta Testers.  (Your name will be
in lights... <g>).  All the more incentive, eh?
        
                         ---IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS---

        I am continuing to revise this game, adding things here and
there, changing colors, etc.  If you encounter an error (prints it on the
screen something like "Runtime Error 141 at 0000:2A36"...WRITE IT DOWN AND
LET ME KNOW!!! Also, if you have any constructive comments, ideas for 
changing or adding to the program, or ideas about a NEW program, send me 
a note and I'll get in touch with you ASAP.  My address for mail is:

              Jason Sinclair
              (J Computing, Inc.)
              612 West 8th Street
              Marysville, Ohio 43040-1427
        
        or E-Mail me at the following: 

              Monolith BBS 
              (preferably in conference J Computing <area 3>,
               but any conference will do)
              (online 24 hours...call (513)-644-1219...2400 to 28.8)

              Oakwood BBS (any conference)
              (online 24 hours, 6 nodes: (513)-642-4449...2400 to 28.8)

              CompuServe Address : 103036,2550

              Internet Address: JASON.SINCLAIR@OAKPHOTO.COM

              Atheneum BBS (any conference)
              (online 24 hours...call (513)-642-1995...2400 to 28.8)


        You may also contact Joshua Shelton in the same conferences
        or at the following addresses:  (Not on CompuServe...)

              Joshua Shelton
              18020 Bear Swamp Road
              Marysville, Oh 43040

              Internet Address: JOSH.SHELTON@OAKPHOTO.COM


                   ***SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING***

                    Beta Testers-   William C. Bard      
                                     Jack Carpenter
                                     Derek Dehart
                                     Eric Doebert
                                     Brian N. Hankey
                                     Wayne Honaker        
                                     Jon Humble           
                                     Matt Morrow
                                     "Agent" Rausch       
                                     John Shaffer         
                                     Joshua Shelton       
                                     Jamey Sinclair       
                                     Jason Sinclair                                        
                                     Eric K. Smith
                                     Kelli Smith
                                     Steven Smith
                                     Chris Widman


                    Monolith BBS
                    Oakwood BBS
                    CompuServe
                    Borland International (makers of Turbo Pascal)
                    My parents for putting up with me being up until
                     5am every morning to test this...
                    YOU for playing this game and sampling all
                     this hard work and effort.
                    Anyone else I forgot (Feel free to add your name here)

        If you haven't already registered this game...PLEASE DO SO!!
        Any contributions are welcome and VERY much appreciated!!.

        Thank you for your time, and I hope to keep up the good
        work!  *YOU* make this the game that it is!!

       ** ** ** Enuf sentimental stuff....go kick some butt!! ** ** **

          J Computing: Redefining the Boundaries of Imagination!!
