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- QUICK START TUTORIAL 1.1
-
- If you're having trouble getting your first colony started, follow the
- steps in this tutorial to build a stable foundation for a colony on a
- Mars class planet. The saved Outpost game, TUTOR.OPS, is an example
- generated by following the steps in this tutorial. If you wish, you
- can also load this saved game and play starting from Turn 81.
-
- NOTE: Since you will be playing a dynamic simulation game, the
- numbers given in the reports in this tutorial may vary when compared
- to the numbers you get when playing the actual game. Deaths and
- other results will also vary, so the numbers given in this tutorial
- should be taken as a guideline only.
-
- Also keep in mind that there are differences between the CD and
- Floppy versions of OUTPOST. If you see a reference to a sound in
- this tutorial that you aren't hearing in the Floppy version of the
- game, that's because it isn't there.
-
- PREPARATION FOR YOUR JOURNEY
-
- * This game assumes a chosen difficulty level of EASY.
-
- * The first probes (VLBI) were targeted on Sigma Draconis and Alpha
- Centauri B.
-
- * Ship Configuration: Colonists 200, Food 16, Life Support 12, Colonist
- Landers 4, Cargo Landers 2, Seed Factories 2, Tokamak Reactor 1, Solar
- Power Satellite 1, Solar Receiver Array 1, Geological Probe 1, Weather
- Satellite 1, Interstellar Probe 1, Communications Satellite 1, Orbital
- Observer Satellite 1, ULBI Probes 0.
-
- * VLBI probe data regarding star system Sigma Draconis:
-
- Spectral Class: G9
- Distance (light years): 18.2
- Mass: 0.82
- Travel Time: 92.76
- Probability of "habitable" planets: 0.036
-
- * Interstellar Launch System - Press the Launch Probe button. As the
- other buttons highlight, press them in sequence. Do the same with the
- Launch Starship button sequence. In the CD version, when you click on
- two of the Launch Starship buttons, the sounds you hear are portions
- of a NASA recording made of the communications between the ground and
- capsule during the launch of Freedom 7.
-
- * Interstellar probe data on the fourth planet in the Sigma Draconis star
- system. (Clicking on each planet in the display gives you the statistics
- on that planet. When you're ready to select a planet, click on the Select
- button at the bottom of the display.)
-
- (As a familiar reference point for these number entries, Earth = 1.0)
-
- Equatorial Diameter: 0.53 (6,794 km)
- Mass: 0.11
- Rotation Period: 24.62 hours
- Surface Gravity: 0.38
- Mean Distance (in Astronomical Units, AU) from the primary star: 1.52
- Solar Energy Received: 0.44
- Approximate Mean Temperature (Centigrade): -23 (average)
- Escape Velocity (km/second): 5.02
- Principal atmospheric gases: Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen
-
- Of the available planets, the fourth planet looked best because its
- equatorial diameter was about half that of Earth's diameter, the rotation
- period was about the same as Earth's, the solar energy received by the
- planet was good enough to get some use out of the solar power satellite
- packed for the trip, there was a trace of an atmosphere, and the
- approximate mean temperature was the mildest of the planets in the
- Sigma Draconis system.
-
- ON ARRIVAL AT THE NEW PLANET
-
- * Entering orbit around the chosen planet, the Orbital Launch System
- appears. Additional entries on the planet information section refer to
- "Estimated number of mining sites: Unknown," and "Maximum digging
- depth: Unknown." Launching the geological probe to fill in that
- information, tells you that there were an estimated 30 mining sites and
- a digging depth of four levels.
-
- Having launched all other satellites, finish by launching the seed factory.
-
- * The planet display window appeared, identifying it as Sigma Draconis 4.
- Stop the rotation of the planet by clicking on the center button at the
- bottom of the window, then look at different landing sites by clicking on
- the little squares on the planet's surface (you can view a maximum of 4
- landing sites at once).
-
- To evaluate each landing site map, right click on the site map, then choose
- Tools and Elevation Map from the menu. Black areas = Clear terrain, Red
- areas = Rough terrain, Green areas = Hostile terrain, Yellow-Green area =
- Impassable terrain, Bright Red diamonds on the map indicate potential
- mining locations.
-
- If you don't see enough black terrain on the site map, right click on the
- site map, then choose System and Close to close that site map. When
- you find a site map you like, close the others, then left click on a black
- area near one or more red diamonds. The large, diamond-shaped tile
- map should show a lot of clear terrain, which you can check by right
- clicking on the tile map and reading the terrain type message. If you're
- near a mine, you may see the red mining beacon on the tile map.
-
- Left click on the chrome ball AI icon in the lower left corner of the
- game screen. Press the FEATURE NAMING button, then press the NAME SITE
- button. Enter the name you'd like for your site map, such as "Vulcan's
- Forge" in the sample game, and click OK. Do the same for NAME COLONY
- later in the game once the colony has gotten started.
-
- * Place the seed factory by left clicking on it in the top center tile
- selector window, moving the clear diamond cursor to a location on the tile
- map that's at least two spaces away from a red mining beacon, and left
- clicking the cursor on that location. If you're successful, a landing
- marker appears.
- Run one turn by left clicking on the planet/moon icon in the lower right
- hand corner of the screen. Turn "001" will appear under this "completed
- turn" planet icon.
-
- At this point, it's a good idea to SAVE the game, just in case you want
- to start over again without going all the way back to the probe launching
- and ship configuration screens.
-
- ON THE PLANET
-
- * You should now see the seed lander on the tile map in place of the
- landing marker. The seed lander is surrounded by four tube sections
- and four "under construction" tiles (buildings). A left click on each
- construction tile tells you the building type, status, and the number of
- turns until the structure is completed. The seed units will finish building
- in this order: Power, Smelter, Robot Factory, Command Facility.
-
- Before running a second turn, place a robominer on a mining beacon
- (left click on the tile map scrolling arrows to move around, or hold
- down the Shift key while you click on a scrolling arrow to jump five
- spaces in your chosen direction).
-
- Still before you run a second turn, place a robodozer at a tube opening
- and a robodigger at another tube opening. The empty tile selector
- window now says, "None Available." Run 1 turn, and the robodozer
- will reappear in the tile selector window because it is finished bulldozing
- the terrain tile where you had it assigned.
-
- The idea is to keep your robodozers dozing, your robodiggers digging,
- and your robominers mining, as you run turns to complete new structures,
- so place the robodozer next to another tube opening and run another turn.
- Place the dozer again next to some terrain that has already been bulldozed
- and run another turn.
-
- The completed seed power unit will appear in place of its construction tile.
- A left click on the power unit will show you its report: staff status is
- full because it's automated, the product is power, the production level is
- 50 units per turn. The "Resources" button is shaded out so that you can't
- push it because this facility is automated and draws no resources.
-
- As you build your seed factory, you may notice a dark blue triangle on
- the site map. This is the rebel colony and you will only see it if you
- have an Orbital Observer satellite in orbit.
-
- Place a dozer, run a turn, place a dozer, run a turn. Follow this pattern
- two more times and the air shaft cap will appear where the robodigger
- was working. The robodigger is available again, so it appears back in
- the tile selector window.
-
- If you left click on the air shaft cap, you will descend to your first
- underground (UG) level. You can see which level you're on by the
- level indicator at the left of the tile map, which now says "Level 1."
- The lower portion of the air shaft and the underground terrain tiles
- immediately surrounding it are visible. The extra tiles are visible
- because the robodigger excavated a one tile area around the base of
- the air shaft to allow for tube connections. There are no terrain tiles
- visible around the mine shaft because the robominer builds an enclosed
- shaft that has no need of tube connections.
-
- In a normal game, this would be a good time to place your robodigger
- on an air shaft to create a second underground level. If you do this
- while underground structures are all connected to the air shaft, you
- would disconnect the air and power underground for several turns, which
- could be very distressing to your colonists.
-
- Place a robodozer beside an air shaft tube connector opening. Place a
- robodigger on an underground terrain tile between the air shaft and the
- invisible terrain that surrounds it. When you place the robodigger, you
- get a control interface:
-
- SELECT DIG DIRECTION
-
- New Level
- + DOWN (this is the default)
-
- This Level
- + NORTH + SOUTH
- + EAST + WEST
-
- + SET + CANCEL
- +SELF-DESTRUCT
-
- Choose a direction toward one of the invisible areas next to the location
- where you've placed the robodigger, then click on SET. The robodigger
- appears and starts working.
-
- Also place a robominer on the mine shaft that is visible at this level
- (scroll to it with the arrows if necessary).
-
- * Run one turn and you'll be on Turn 9. You'll see that the robodigger's
- UG work area has appeared. Run one turn and place a robodozer, then
- run two turns, place a robodozer beside an already dozed tile, and run
- two more turns. (If you wish, you can run multiple turns by pressing
- the F5 key, entering the number of turns you'd like to run, and clicking
- on RUN.)
-
- On Turn 15, the mine shaft reappears and the next mine level is available
- (level 2). Right click off to the side of the tile map, select "Level,"
- then "Underground 2" to see the new level. (You can also press the ALT
- and 2 keys simultaneously to change the view to level 2.) Place the
- robominer on the level 2 mine shaft, run one turn, right click off the
- tile map, select "Level," then "Surface" (or use ALT 0 to reach the
- surface using your keyboard).
-
- * Turn 16. The seed complex, which includes the Command Center,
- is finished building. Left click on the seed robot factory to see this
- report:
-
- FACTORY SUMMARY
-
- NAME: Factory #
- PRODUCT: "None"
- PROD. LVL: 0/0 (zero produced per zero turns since no product set)
- STAFF STATUS: Full (automated)
- FUNCTIONAL STATUS: Operational (otherwise would say "idle")
- BREAKDOWN STATUS: 0/0
- RESOURCE STATUS: Stocked
-
- + MASTER + NEEDS
- +OK + CANCEL
-
- Master = Master Factory Report
- Needs = Seed Factory Structure Summary
- Cancel = exit this report
- OK = set production and exit this report
-
- Left click on the down arrow beside the PRODUCT entry, then select
- "Dozer." These are all your options:
-
- None
- Digger
- Dozer
- Miner
- Pause
-
- Click on OK to set production and exit this report. Run one turn.
-
- * Turn 17. Cargo Lander, Colonist Lander, and Robodigger are now all
- available in the tile selector window. Select Cargo Lander and place
- within 5 spaces of seed on terrain that is out of the way (diagonal to seed
- robot factory, for example) and that has not been bulldozed yet (it's okay
- to land on bulldozed terrain, but it's not necessary). The landing marker
- appears.
-
- Choose the Colonist Landers and place them the same way. Run 1 turn. In
- the CD version, you see the Colonist Lander leave the starship (if the
- CD animations are turned on) and hear Neil Armstrong's "small step"
- speech from the Apollo 11 moon landing. This is where you'll usually
- get a message that says "Colony 1 has lost 1 colonist(s)," but this
- may vary when you play the game.
-
- The LIST button on the tile selector window can be selected to switch
- from the graphics mode of the tile selector to the text list of available
- structures and robots.
-
- The tile selector only shows currently available robots and structures that
- can be built with the currently available numbers of people, power, and
- smelted resources.
-
- Choose an Agricultural Dome and place it beside a tube opening on a
- bulldozed tile. A construction tile appears on the map. A left click on
- the construction tile shows 5 turns are needed to complete it. If you push
- the report's "RESOURCES" button, you'll see that the "Resources Needed"
- list entries are all green and available. Red entries would indicate
- resources currently unavailable on that turn. Click OK to close the report.
-
- Place a tube intersection between any structure or tube and the next
- bulldozed terrain tile you'd like to build on. Run 1 turn.
-
- The "Colony has lost 1 colonist(s)" message at this point is a death
- due to old age and the stress of living on a new planet.
-
- * Turn 19. Click on the Command tile to get the Executive Summary
- Report. (The CHAP also shows this report when it is built.) Power,
- Population, Residences, Atmosphere, Food, Mining, Luxury, and
- Morale levels are all shown in this report, which is your best source
- of information.
-
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT
-
- POWER
- # 1
- In Use: 9
- Total: 50
- Remaining: 41
-
- POPULATION
- Total:98
-
- POPULATION DETAILS:
- Employment
- Workforce: 78
- Unemployed: 74
-
- Population Groups:
- Infants: 0
- Students: 20
- Workers: 40
- Scientists: 38
- Retired: 0
-
- RESIDENTIAL STATUS
- # of Structures: 0
- Percent Occupied: 0%
-
- ATMOSPHERE
- Status: None
- CHAP Capacity: None
- Terraforming: None
-
- FOOD
- # of Agri Domes: 1
- Total Per turn: 0
- Total in storage: 0
-
- MINING
- # of Active Mines: 0 (the top of the shaft isn't finished)
- Smelted totals: 0
- Raw totals: 135
-
- LUXURY
- # of Factories: 0
- Total in Storage: 0
-
- MORALE
- Current: 562
- Last Turn: 581
-
- Right now, population and morale numbers are the most important.
- Morale dropped from 600 to 562. You need to slow down the decline.
- There are 0 Residential units because everyone is stuffed in the
- Command Facility.
-
- Click on the air shaft cap to reach UG level 1. Place a dozer and a
- digger. Run one turn. You should now be on Turn 20. There are only
- tubes in the tile selector window due to resource limitations and the
- construction of your Agricultural Dome. All the robots are working.
- Run six turns while dozing and while connecting tubes to the base
- of the air shaft.
-
- * Turn 26. Return to the surface and see the finished Agri Dome.
- Place a CHAP on bulldozed terrain at the tube opening adjacent.
- Run one turn and place a dozer. Click on the mine shaft top to
- see the "Mining Summary."
-
- Name: Mine #10
- Resources Found: All
- Ore in Storage: 285
- Functional Status: Operational
- Breakdown Status: 0/0
- Number of Levels: 3
- Ore Output: 45/1
- Total # of Mines: 1
-
- + NEEDS + OK + RESOURCES
-
- In this case, the Resources button shows that zero resources are stored
- at this mine.
-
- Clicking on Needs, then Resources, shows the mine's operating
- requirements of Power 5 and People 1. Both are green so everything
- is okay. Red would mean something is missing.
-
- While at the mine shaft, use ALT 3 or one of the other methods to
- descend to the lowest current mine level. Place a robominer on the
- shaft, ALT 1 to reach level 1, select UG Residential from the tile
- selector window, and place on bulldozed terrain beside a tube opening.
- Run one turn.
-
- * Turn 28. On the surface, run four turns to build the CHAP. The
- Residential unit will also finish. You need the CHAP for air, Residential
- units for space and morale improvement, and the Agri Domes to make
- food and morale improvements.
-
- * EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT (Turn 32)
- These are some of the items that have changed in the report:
-
- POPULATION 94
-
- Employment:
- Workforce: 74
- Unemployed: 67
- Infants: 0
- Students: 20
- Workers: 40
- Scientists: 34
- Retired: 0
-
- (4 scientists have died.)
-
- RESIDENTIAL
- # 1
- Percent Occupied: 376% (anything above 200% is a problem for
- morale. You need more residential units.)
-
- ATMOSPHERE
- CHAP capacity: full (operating)
-
- FOOD
- # 1
- Per Turn: 10 (you can feed 100 people per turn per Agri. Dome)
- Stored: 10
-
- MINING
- # of Mines: 1
- Smelted: 0
- Raw: 567 (you need to build a storage tank)
-
- Morale: 340 current (still falling due to harsh conditions on new planet)
- 353 last
-
- Place a storage tank, and run 3 turns to move the internal truck from
- the mine to the smelter. (You won't see it moving, but it's moving.)
- Now resources show up in the storage tanks.
-
- * Turn 35. On the Executive Report, Mining now shows 100 smelted, 467 raw.
- Morale is currently 301 and was at 314 on the last turn.
-
- On UG level 1 - place a Residential unit, dozer, digger, and a tube. Run
- two turns, doze, run one turn, Residential unit appears on Turn 38.
-
- EXECUTIVE REPORT
-
- POPULATION 106
- Workforce: 72
- Unemployed: 64
- Infants: 14
- Students: 20
- Workers: 20
- Scientists: 52
- Retired: 0
-
- RESIDENTIAL
- # 2
- Percent Occupied: 212% (You need more residential units. Over 200%
- occupancy brings down morale.)
-
- MINING
- # 1
- Smelted: 322
- Raw: 430
-
- Morale: 275 (the morale drop is slowing.)
- Last 277
-
- * UG level 1 - place residential, run one turn, place a dozer, run two turns.
-
- Surface - place a warehouse, run two turns, place a dozer, run one turn.
-
- "WAREHOUSE SUMMARY" report shows:
- 4 dozers (total of 12 mass units of storage in warehouse)
-
- EXECUTIVE REPORT (Turn 44)
-
- POPULATION 100
- Workforce: 66
- Unemployed: 56
- Infants: 14
- Students: 20
- Workers: 20
- Scientists: 46
- Retired: 0
-
- RESIDENTIAL
- # 3
- Occ %: 133 (it's below 200%, so people will be happier now)
-
- MINING
- # 1 (still just one mine)
- Smelted: 560
- Raw: 490
-
- Morale 283
- Last: 280 (The tide has turned and morale is rising!)
-
- * Place a Robot Command unit, run one turn, doze, run one turn, doze,
- run one turn, Robot command appears. If you click on Robot command
- to see its report, you can see that you now control one robot in addition
- to your original three (the first three will never show up in this report
- because they're independent of Robot command).
-
- REMEMBER, EACH ROBOT COMMAND FACILITY CAN OPERATE
- 10 ROBOTS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN BUILT AND STORED IN A
- WAREHOUSE.
-
- Select a red diamond mine site on the site map, place a robominer,
- return to your colony by clicking on the light blue square on the site map.
-
- * Turn 47. UG level 1- place tube, place digger, run one turn.
-
- * Turn 48. Surface - place dozer, run one, place tube, place Agri Dome,
- place 4 dozers, run one turn, place 5 dozers, reset seed robot factory
- to produce miners. Now at Turn 50.
-
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT (Turn 50)
-
- POPULATION 115
- Workforce 84
- Unemployed 71
- Infants 31
- Students 0
- Workers 39
- Scientists 45
- Retired 0
-
- RESIDENTIAL
- # 3
- % Occ: 153%
-
- FOOD
- # 2 (1 Agri Dome still under construction)
- Per turn: 10
- Storage: 10
-
- MINING
- # 1
- Smelted: 805
- Raw: 536
-
- MORALE
- 301 now
- 298 last turn
-
- * Run one turn, 1 colonist lost. The Population report shows:
-
- POPULATION 114
- Infants 31
- Students 0
- Workers 39
- Scientists 44
- Retired 0
-
- In a previous game, 4 colonists died at this point. The report showed
- only that 2 died (apparently 1 infant and 1 scientist). Why was that?
- The colony actually lost 3 infants, 1 scientist, and had 2 births.
-
- Surface - Place 5 dozers, run one turn, place 6 dozers, run one turn,
- place 6 dozers, run one turn, second Agri Dome finished on Turn 54.
-
- Surface - Place a tube, place a SPEW facility.
-
- UG level 1 - place 6 dozers, run two turns, 6 dozers, run two turns,
- 6 dozers, run two turns, place a robominer on new level 1 shaft,
- start new surface mine with a robominer on a red mining beacon.
-
- * Turn 61. Place 6 UG dozers, run one turn.
-
- * Turn 62. SPEW finished surface - place tube and storage tank.
- Click on the storage tank to see what it contains:
-
- First Storage Tank
-
- Metal A 81
- Metal B 60
- Metal C 40
- Metal D 57
- Prec A 70
- Prec B 66
- Min A 125
- Min B 150
- Min C 84
- Fusion A 52
- Fusion B 106
- Fusion C 94
-
- TOTAL 985, REMAINING (space) 15
-
- Place 6 dozers, run two turns, #2 Storage Tank finished. MPG = 6.
-
- * Turn 64. UG level 1 - place 2 tubes, place 2 residential units,
- place 6 dozers, place 1 digger, run two turns.
-
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY REPORT (Turn 66)
-
- POPULATION 123
- Workforce 77
- Unemployed 58
- Infants 46
- Students 0
- Workers 36
- Scientists 41
- Retired 0
-
-
- RESIDENTIAL
- # 5 (They like it best when there are 25 people or less in
- Occ 98% each residential unit.)
-
- FOOD
- # 2 (Still only two Agri. Domes, sufficient to feed 200
- Per 20 per turn.)
- Storage 116
-
- MINING
- # 2
- Smelted 1144
- Raw 566
-
- Morale 367 (And still climbing.)
- 362 last
-
- Run two turns, UG level 1 mine shaft reappears.
- UG level 2 - place robominer.
-
- * Turn 69. MPG = 25. Place first UG laboratory on UG level 1,
- place 6 dozers, run two turns.
-
- * Turn 70.
-
- POWER
- # 1 (still running off Seed factory power)
- In Use: 48
- Total: 50
- Remaining: 2 (however, will need more power soon)
-
- Place Solar Receiver Array, run four turns, solar array finished.
-
- * Turn 74.
- Now let's just check those numbers on the Executive Summary again.
-
- POWER
- # 2
- In Use: 43
- Total: 1050
- Remaining: 1007
-
- POPULATION 137
- Workforce 77
- Unemployed 58
- Infants 60
- Students 0
- Workers 36
- Scientists 41
- Retired 0
-
- FOOD
- # 2
- Per: 20
- Storage: 171
-
- MINING
- # 3 (a new mine level has just been completed)
- Smelted: 1487
- Raw: 550
-
- MORALE 410
- 406 last turn
-
- SPEW storage of MPG = 50
-
- Note that morale is still on a gradual, steady climb. The danger zone
- for morale is when it drops below 200 for extended periods, since this
- is when your colonists may decide to start defecting to the rebel colony.
- If you can keep your morale over 800, the rebel colonists will start
- defecting to your colony, increasing your available workforce. This
- current morale level of 410 is well within the safe zone, but Parks,
- more Residential units, benevolent Police stations, Recreational
- facilities, and other buildings can have a stronger positive impact on
- morale when you need it. There are also lines of research that have
- a positive effect on morale.
-
- UG level 1 - start robominer working on a new level of an existing
- mine shaft (as explained previously).
-
- OPERATING YOUR LABS
-
- Set the completed lab facility to do research by clicking on the lab to
- generate the Laboratory Summary. Click on the RESEARCH TOPIC
- button to select the line of research you want your scientists to follow.
-
- If you click on the COLOR LEGEND button, you'll see an explanation
- of the color codes used in the research tree. Notice that the APPLIED
- RESEARCH category, which is at the currently displayed top level of
- the research tree, is green. The green category means that research has
- been completed at that current level, but that there may be more research
- to do that follows it. You can see this now by clicking on APPLIED
- RESEARCH to see the next level of the tree beneath it. Now click on
- COMPUTER SCIENCE, then ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
-
- This is the end of the current tree branch, and it's a good subject to
- study now because it's the fastest way to arrive at the ability to build
- a Hot Lab for dangerous research. To get your lab ready to start this
- research on the next turn, click on the STUDY button at the left of the
- research tree window.
-
- Notice that the Progress Meter is currently dark. When you start making
- some progress in your current research effort, a line of rats will start
- appearing here to give you a general idea of how much progress you're
- making toward a new discovery or new line of research.
-
- Click on OK to close the Laboratory Summary report, run one turn to
- start your lab research. If you check the lab report now, you'll see your
- current research topic listed along with the fact that the lab is
- "Operational." When this research is finished, the lab will go "Idle"
- until you assign it to do new research. It may also go idle when you
- don't have enough scientists, which may mean that you need to build
- a university, or that you have to wait for your children to age enough
- to go to work. Of course, a lab can also go idle when there aren't
- enough resources to keep the lab operating.
-
- * Turn 75. 6 tubes laid to provide bypass for the collapse of the seed
- complex units at turn 150. Dozed a cargo lander because it was in the
- way of one of the tubes. As with any of the other buildings, the material
- from the dozed cargo lander will be recycled because a SPEW is
- operating in the colony.
-
- THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MENU
-
- The AI icon is located in the lower left corner of your screen. Left click
- on it once to open the AI menu. Some events may seem rather mysterious
- unless you stay aware of the News Briefs as they are generated by events
- in your colony. The News Brief button is shaded when there isn't any
- news. When you click on the News Brief button, you'll see the current
- news brief. If you close the news brief and there's more news to be seen,
- the button will remain highlighted to prompt you to read it.
-
- The AI menu also gives you the ability to name your planet, your landing
- site, and your colony. The Master Reports button lets you keep an eye
- on your factories, labs, and executive summary report from one location.
- The Evacuation Order is always available, but only needed when an
- alert warns you of an impending disaster. The Panic button has no real
- purpose other than to give you something to press when you're starting
- to get hysterical. The Help button gives you access to the Help system.
-
- The Launch Order button is not used to order lunch, but it will become
- active when you have done all of the research and construction necessary
- to put a new starship in orbit and make it available for a new colonization
- mission that will end the game. You don't have to end the game when
- this happens, but it gives you a convenient ending point if you want one.
-
- When you're ready to close the AI menu, click on the CANCEL button
- at the bottom of the menu.
-
- THE SAVED GAME
-
- The saved Outpost game, TUTOR.OPS, is an example generated by following
- the steps in this tutorial. If you wish, you can also load this saved
- game and play it starting from Turn 81.
-
- SUGGESTIONS BEYOND TURN 81
-
- To continue the game from this point, here are some general suggestions:
-
- * When your population approaches 300, build a third Agricultural
- Dome to feed them. If they start dying from starvation, the oldest
- people tend to die first, which removes your Retired people, then
- your Scientists, then your Workers, then Students, until all you
- have left are your Infants, who absolutely refuse to do any work.
-
- * If your Residential Occupancy is 200% or higher, you need more
- Residential units, otherwise the overcrowding will impact your morale.
-
- * Gradually add more laboratories. If you have more than one, assign
- at least one of them to Basic Research. When you have a Hot Lab built,
- work on the different aspects of Nanotechnology research (you have to
- figure out the details) so that you can eventually build a Nanotechnology
- Facility. Full research into Nanotech 1 and Nanotech 2 will be necessary.
-
- MORE ABOUT RESEARCHING NANOTECHNOLOGY
-
- Along the way, you may also have to bulldoze extra structures in your
- colony to generate MPG, which will fill in for any resource shortages
- that may show up from mining. When you build a Nanotech Facility,
- you will no longer require mined resources unless your Nanotech Facility
- explodes (this is most common on Medium and Difficult levels of game
- play). Even with a Nanotech Facility, you will still be required to
- produce power and people to keep the colony operating. Due to the
- chance of explosion, build your Nanotech Facility at least two spaces
- away from any other structures (except for the tube connection, of course).
-
- AROUND 110 TO 130 TURNS WITH THIS SAVE GAME
-
- Allow time, people, and resources to build a new smelter before your
- seed smelter collapses at Turn 150. One smelter will serve your needs
- for a long time unless something horrible happens to it.
-
- MORE STORAGE
-
- Build a third Storage Tank when the first two are nearing their storage
- limits. Keep an eye on your storage tanks occasionally so that you don't
- have resources backing up at the mines or the smelter due to a lack of
- storage in your colony.
-
- GROW SLOWLY
-
- Remember that a conservative approach to construction and maintenance
- of your colony, as demonstrated in this tutorial, is the safest method of
- expansion. Your resource and population limitations effectively serve
- as your budget in this game. You won't be able to build rapidly until
- you've created a nanotechnology facility and no longer need concern
- yourself with mining limitations. One SPEW facility per colony will
- help you by recycling sewage and bulldozed buildings. Remember that
- mined resources have limits, as they do here on Earth.
-
- ***********************************************
-