#### ##### #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # ### ### # ##### # # # # # # #### ##### #### # Galactic Empire Control Panel V1.14 Copyright (c) 1991-1995 by Dave Walton All Rights Reserved ----===[ * ]===---- Programming by Dave Walton Documentation by Steven Wells and Dave Walton What is GECP and who needs it? In short, it is a front-end for Galactic Empire that aids the avid player with navigation and combat. It simply is a must for anyone that takes Galactic Empire seriously. "Picture this. I'm cruising around warp 6 towards my unsuspecting target. As I approach, I drop to impulse and the shields automatically raise. My scanners update constantly to show my target's course. Seconds later, I scan as my ship automatically sends a volley of missiles, re-shields and re-cloaks all in one fluid motion. Next!" -- Commander Shadow of The Scarlet Brotherhood (Keith Johnson) Please bear in mind though that the many features of GECP are there to enhance a player's existing skills. They are not intended to replace the human player with a robot. Do not overly rely on GECP; it is only as good as the player using it. GALACTIC EMPIRE VERSIONS SUPPORTED: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This version of GECP was written for and tested extensively on the various 3.xx versions of Galactic Empire for The Major BBS. Specifically, it has been tested with versions 3.0a through 3.2d. It will probably work with other future versions of Galactic Empire, 3.2 and beyond; however, no guarantees are implied or stated. Since any Sysop who is running Galactic Empire also has the ability to make certain modifications to the game, GECP may have problems with a particular installation of the game, including the tested versions. Please note that there was a change in the Shield command in Galactic Empire V3.0c. Since GECP V1.14 uses the new version of that command, your shields may behave erratically in earlier versions of Galactic Empire. If you are playing versions 3.0a or 3.0b of Galactic Empire, encourage your Sysop to upgrade to a newer version, since those versions were just for testing anyway. Also, the Cloak command changed in Galactic Empire V3.2d. Since GECP V1.14 uses the new command format, your cloaking devices on earlier versions of Galactic Empire may be affected as well. DISCLAIMER: ~~~~~~~~~~~ The author assumes no liability for damages resulting from the use or misuse of this software, even if the damage results from defects in this software, and makes no representations concerning the merchantability of this software or its suitability for any specific purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty of any kind. The author may be contacted in one of the following ways: US Mail: Dave Walton 499 Albacete Drive Vacaville, CA 95688 Phone: (707)451-2269 Internet: walton@community.net TABLE OF CONTENTS: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GALACTIC EMPIRE VERSIONS SUPPORTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 INSTALLATION AND USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CONTROL PANEL LAYOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 COMMAND REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NAVIGATION AND MOVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 COMBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 CREATING MACROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 ADDITIONAL FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 HINTS FOR SUCCESSFULLY USING GECP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 INSTALLATION AND USE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Because of the amount of information that must be presented, GECP V1.14 requires either EGA or VGA for display. It will not run on a CGA or older display. The files of this version of GECP for Galactic Empire V3.x have been named "GE3CP" to distinguish them from earlier versions for Galactic Empire V2.x. GECP may be run either from the DOS prompt or as an external protocol with most telecommunications packages. To run from the command line, simply shell out of your terminal program and execute with the command: GE3CP p a$
i Where is the number of the serial port your modem is on (required),
is the base address of that port in hexadecimal (optional), and is the IRQ number of that port (optional). The parameters may appear in any order, upper or lower case. EXAMPLES: If your modem is on com 1, to run GECP simply enter the following: GE3CP p1 If you have your modem on com 4 using IRQ 5, you can run GECP with: GE3CP p4 i5 And if your modem is on com 2 with a base address of 3f8h and IRQ 2: GE3CP p2 a$3f8 i2 To run GECP from within a terminal program as an external protocol, create a batch file with the appropriate command line switch(es) as above, then follow the terminal program's instructions for installation of external protocols. Galactic Empire has a number of variables that may be changed from game to game to keep it challenging. In order to account for this, GECP has a number of settings that may need to be changed from their defaults so that it will function properly. These settings must be altered while GECP is running and may be accessed by pressing CTRL-2. For more information and possible settings, please refer to the QUICK COMMAND REFERENCE section of this document. All commands and features listed within this document are restricted to Sysop or registered users after a 15 minute test period, unless otherwise noted. You enter your registration code while running GECP. This is done by typing CTRL-2 and answering the appropriate prompt with your code. When GECP is run, all commands and features will be available for use for a 15 minute test period, after which the advanced features will become locked, unless the current user is registered or a Sysop. An unregistered user must exit and re-run GECP to regain use of those features. After that test period, the restricted commands will remain LOCKED until the program verifies that the current User-ID is either SYSOP or a registered user. That check is made as you enter your ship. If, for some reason, you have entered the game before running GECP, you may initiate the User-ID check with the Galactic Empire "WHO" command. To exit GECP, simply type -X then Y. GECP supports the new SCANFULL ON and SCANNAMES ON settings in Galactic Empire V3.x. However, for best results, SCANHOME should be set to OFF. SCANHOME ON will function, but will clutter your terminal window. It is important that you keep your screen width setting on the BBS at 80 columns. This is because the BBS has a word wrap feature that is based on your setting for screen width. If you change that setting, messages sent to you will be wrapped differently, causing GECP to have difficulty in properly interpreting the information. Needless to say, this could cost you your ship. WARNING: The communications library used in this (and earlier) versions of GECP appears to have difficulty with high-speed communications. At port speeds higher than 9600 bps, it will occasionally stop receiving data from the modem. Outgoing commands are still sent, but you will be completely blind. Your only recourse at that point is to exit GECP. The next major rewrite of GECP will use a different communications library, but I felt it was better to release this version with this known (and easily avoidable) bug than to hold up the release any longer. In short: Regardless of your connection speed to the host computer, your modem and computer MUST NOT be communicating with each other at more than 9600 bps! CONTROL PANEL LAYOUT: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Following is an ASCII mock-up of a typical GECP screen. It is NOT identical to the real screen as it is shortened and does not show any data. It is merely provided to familiarize you with the names of the areas that will be referenced in this manual. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+----+ | | | | | | | S | | | | t | | | | a | | | | t | | | | u | | | | s | | Scan Window | Enemy Ship Information Window | | | | | W | | | | i | | | | n | | | | d | | | | o | | | | w | | | | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+----+ | | | Status Window | | | | | +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Terminal Window (EGA = 18 lines, VGA = 25 lines) +----------------------------- Ship Type and Name -----------------------------+ | > Text Entry Window | +------------------------------ Commander's Name ------------------------------+ COMMAND REFERENCE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Note: All commands marked with "*" are available to unregistered users. The rest are reserved for Sysop and registered users only, after a 15 minute test period.) * CTRL-2 Configuration and registration. Allows you to configure GECP to account for possible Galactic Empire configurations. The following is a list of the questions you are asked during configuration, and an explanation of each one. The default answer will be either in square brackets or an upper case letter in parenthesis. Maximum X or Y Coordinate: [#####] This is asking for the largest sector number in the current game. Among other things, GECP uses this value to warn you before you hit the edge of the galaxy. The current setting is displayed in the brackets and will be kept by simply hitting ENTER. If you are unsure of the size of the galaxy, enter the largest possible value, 32000. Number of closest ships to scan with Alt-U: (1-26) [##] When you hit Alt-U, GECP will scan this many ships, starting with ship A. The current setting is displayed in the brackets and will be kept by simply hitting ENTER. Default delay for mines: (1-50) [##] This is the value for the mine delay (Alt-K,D) that GECP is set to when it starts up. The current setting is displayed in the brackets and will be kept by simply hitting ENTER. Flux loading for missiles: (1-50000) [#####] This is the energy load used when firing missiles (Alt-M). The current setting is displayed in the brackets and will be kept by simply hitting ENTER. Enable Sound: (Y/n) Do you want sound effects? The current setting is shown as a capital letter in the parenthesis and is retained by hitting ENTER. Enter Registration Codes? (y/N) Do you want to enter a new registration code? The default is always No. If you answer yes, you will see: Change which code? [None] Which code (on the displayed list) do you want to change? The default is always None. If you change a code, you will be prompted: New Registration Code: New User ID: * ESC Multi-purpose abort. Clears text entry window, aborts multi- keystroke commands and aborts control panel setting changes. ALT-A Set autopilot. Requires second keystroke plus new setting. B - Set BearingLok angle. Will set ship's heading to put a scanned ship or planet at this relative bearing. H - Set desired heading. Maintains ship's course on this heading. S - Set destination sector. "Z" will set it to Neutral Zone. Flys ship to this sector and stops. W - Set desired speed. X - Turn off B, H, and S. * ALT-B Repeat last command typed. If the command ends with "^M", it is sent immmediately as an instant macro. Otherwise, the command is placed in the text entry window. The easiest way to add "^M" to a command is to hit Ctrl-ENTER. ALT-C Toggle cloaking, if available on your ship. When cloaking is engaged, the "Clk" indicator is lit up. If the cloaking device has a charging period, the indicator will light as soon as it starts charging. ALT-D Launch decoys. Deploys three decoys. If your ship is cloaked, it will drop out of cloak, launch the decoys, then re-cloak. ALT-E --- Reserved for future use --- ALT-F Load a new flux pod, if you have one. ALT-G --- Reserved for future use --- ALT-H Arm hyperphasers. Automatically scans selected target ship, fires, then disarms. Should no target be available when armed, hyperphasers will continue to seek a lock whenever the user scans (using ALT-L). Hyperphasers will fire at the next ship scanned (Don't scan a friend while armed!) Type ALT-H again to disarm hyperphasers without firing. When hyperphasers are armed, the "Hyp" indicator is lit up. To prevent damage to your ship, this command is disabled in the Neutral Zone (sector 0 0). ALT-I Toggle desired speed between impulse 0 and impulse 99. ALT-J Drop off a jammer, if you have one. If your ship is cloaked, it will drop out of cloak, launch the jammer, then re-cloak. * ALT-K Change a setting. Requires second keystroke plus new setting. D - Set delay to use when dropping mines. (1-50 centocks) P - Set planet for scanning or orbiting. (1 through 9) S - Set spread for phasers. (0 through 5) T - Set target ship for fire control lock. (A-Z, or Spc) Entering a space for the target letter will clear the Fire Control Lock. L - Toggle saving incoming text to a log file (GE3CP.LOG). To abort setting change, press ESC. * ALT-L Scan current target ship. (See Alt-K, T) ALT-M Arm missiles. Automatically scans selected target ship and, if it locks, loads a fresh flux pod and fires three missiles with the loading specified in Config (CTRL-2) at your hapless enemy, then disarms and raises shields. Should no target be available when armed, missiles will continue to seek a lock whenever the user scans (using ALT-L). Missiles will attempt to fire at the selected target ship the next time ANY ship is scanned, so don't scan any ship other than your target with missiles armed. (This is to try to deal with a cloaked enemy.) Type ALT-M again to disarm missiles without firing. If cloak is currently engaged and a lock occurs, the cloaking is lowered, missiles fired as above, and shields and cloak restored. When missiles are armed, the "Mis" indicator is lit up. To prevent damage to your ship, this command is disabled in the Neutral Zone (sector 0 0). CAUTION: This command automatically uses one flux pod each time it finds a target, whether or not you are able to fire missiles. Make sure that your victim is within range! ALT-N Drop a mine, using the preset delay time (Alt-K, D). The default value for the delay is set in Config (Ctrl-2). If cloaking is currently engaged, the cloak is lowered, a mine dropped as above, and the cloak restored. To prevent damage to your ship, this command is disabled in the Neutral Zone (sector 0 0). * ALT-O Orbit selected planet and toggle auto-orbit setting. When Auto-orbit is on, the "Orb" indicator is lit up. NOTE: Auto-orbit will ALWAYS attempt to engage when approaching the escape horizon, regardless of the setting. However, it may not engage in time to save you. DO NOT depend upon it if you value your ships. ALT-P Arm phasers. Automatically scans selected target ship, fires with selected phaser spread (Alt-K,S), then disarms and raises shields. Should no target be available when armed, phasers will continue to seek a lock whenever the user scans (using ALT-L). Phasers will fire at the next ship scanned (Don't scan a friend while armed!) Type ALT-P again to disarm phasers without firing. If cloak is currently engaged and a lock occurs, the cloak is lowered, phasers fired as above, and shields and cloak restored. When phasers are armed, the "Pha" indicator is lit up. To prevent damage to your ship, this command is disabled in the Neutral Zone (sector 0 0). * ALT-Q Scan selected planet. (See Alt-K, P) ALT-R Generate ship report. Requires second keystroke. A - Accounting report. I - Inventory report. N - Navigational report. S - Systems report. ALT-S Toggle shields. Shields are automatically raised when leaving warp space to guarantee fastest possible protection. When shields are raised, the "Shld" indicator is lit up. ALT-T Fire torpedoes. Automatically fires three torpedoes at selected target ship, then raises shields. If cloaking is currently engaged, the cloak is lowered, torpedoes fired as above, and shields and cloak restored. To prevent damage to your ship, this command is disabled in the Neutral Zone (sector 0 0). * ALT-U Scan the nearest ships to you. The number of ships scanned is set in the configuration screen (Ctrl-2). Actually, that's not quite what this really does. Since GE 3.x only assigns ship letters when you do a SCAN RANGE command (based on their distance from you), this command shows you the ships that were closest to you at the time of your last SCAN RANGE. Things might have changed since then. Also, any ship that has come into range since that last SCAN RANGE will not have any letter assigned to it and thus won't show up with this command. * ALT-V View help screen for GECP. Press any key to return to game. ALT-W Toggles desired speed between warp 1 and warp 0. * ALT-X Exit GECP. Requests if you really wish to quit. Pressing "Y" exits, any other key returns to the game. ALT-Y Communications. Clears text window and asks which channel you wish to send a message on (A, B, or C). Simply begin typing message to send on default channel of A. ALT-Z Drop off a zipper, if you have one. If your ship is cloaked, it will drop out of cloak, launch the zipper, then re-cloak. * CTRL-S Xoff. Pauses incoming text. * CTRL-Q Xon. Restores incoming text. * ALT-1 Scan range 1. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-2 Scan range 2. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-3 Scan range 3. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-4 Scan range 4. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-5 Scan range 5. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-6 Scan range 6. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-7 Scan range 7. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-8 Scan range 8. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-9 Scan range 9. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-0 Sector scan. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-- Scan long range. Restores previous scan if available and updates. * ALT-= --- Reserved for future use --- * F1..F10 Macros as defined in lines 1-10 of GE3CP.KEY SHIFT-F1..SHIFT-F10 Macros as defined in lines 13-22 of GE3CP.KEY CTRL-F1..CTRLF10 Macros as defined in lines 25-34 of GE3CP.KEY ALT-F1..ALT-F10 Macros as defined in lines 37-46 of GE3CP.KEY * CTRL-ENTER Carriage return. Adds a "^M" to contents of text entry window to automatically send a carriage return. Useful when combined with ALT-B to create instant macros. * SHIFT-TAB Back-tab 4 spaces in the text entry window (if there are 4 spaces to back up). NAVIGATION AND MOVEMENT: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Acceleration and deceleration are made easier through the use of a throttle control. By pressing INSERT, your speed is increased. This function will allow you to accelerate from a standstill through impulse 99 (in increments of 11) and into warp (in increments of 1) simply through repeated key presses. In a similar fashion, deceleration is achieved by pressing DELETE. This will allow you to reduce your speed from warp (in increments of 1) into impulse (in increments of 11) down to a full stop. Turning may now be done using the keypad. Simply press the key according to the direction you wish to travel. Below is a chart to simplify this process. Note that with heading autopilot off, settings are increased or decreased from the current heading; whereas if heading autopilot is on, the autopilot is set to a new heading. With heading autopilot OFF With heading autopilot ON 0 0 -45 | +45 315 | 45 \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / 7 8 9 7 8 9 -90 ----- 4 * 6 ----- +90 270 ----- 4 * 6 ----- 90 1 2 3 1 2 3 / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ -135 | +135 225 | 135 +180 180 More precise turning may also be accomplished by simply pressing CTRL and the direction you wish to adjust. Below are charts to simplify this process. With heading autopilot OFF With heading autopilot ON -1 +1 -1 +1 \ / \ / \ / \ / 7 * 9 7 * 9 -15 ----- 4 * 6 ----- +15 -15 ----- 4 * 6 ----- +15 1 * 3 1 * 3 / \ / \ / \ / \ -30 +30 -30 +30 Auto-pilot has a number of options which can be engaged. They may be used for long hauls in freighters or to head for a certain sector. Setting a bearing lock (using ALT-A then B) will maneuver your ship to constantly keep your scanned target (either a planet or ship) at a certain relative bearing. Setting a heading (using ALT-A then H) will cause your course to be locked at a certain heading. Setting a destination sector (using ALT-A then S) will put your ship in control of navigation. GECP will calculate the most direct route to your destination and will steer your ship to it. Once your ship has arrived, it will come to a halt and await further navigation orders. Entering "Z" for the sector will send your ship to the Neutral Zone. Setting a speed (using ALT-A then W) will cause your ship to alter its current speed to comply with your new orders. To clear your auto-pilot, simply press ALT-A then X. This clears all values for bearing lock, heading and sector destination. When you enter the gravity pull of a planet, GECP will attempt to auto-orbit that planet if the planet number is the same as the selected planet and auto-orbit is turned on. Auto-orbit is toggled with ALT-O, which also issues an orbit command. The "Orb" indicator is lit up if auto-orbit is engaged. To leave orbit, you must turn auto-orbit off to prevent an automatic re-orbit. If you enter the gravity pull of a planet other than the currently selected planet or approach the escape horizon of ANY planet, GECP will select that planet as the current planet, engage auto-orbit, and send an orbit command. However, because of potential command delays in Galactic Empire, this is extremely risky, especially in ships with limited maneuverability. DO NOT rely entirely upon it if you value your ships! Auto-orbit is automatically turned on as you leave warp space to provide the best chance for protection in the event you drop out of warp in close proximity to a planet. COMBAT: ~~~~~~~ The main reason most people use GECP is for its simplification of combat. Selectable targeting on the fly and automatic target lock capability aid the skilled Galactic Empire player and add a degree of precision and ability lacking in simple macros. In addition, its automatic defense activation is a boon in any fire-fight. To use torpedoes, simply set a target ship (using ALT-K then T) and then fire (using ALT-T). This will fire a volley of three torpedoes. You may fire off several volleys in quick succession by repeatedly hitting ALT-T. To use phasers, you must be stationary or flying under impulse power. Set a target ship (using ALT-K then T) and fire (using ALT-P). If your target ship is within scanner range, the phasers will lock on its bearing and fire. If the selected target ship is not within scanner range, the phasers will not fire but will remain armed. They will attempt to achieve a bearing lock each time you scan (using ALT-L) and fire at the next ship scanned. Pressing ALT-P a second time will disarm the phasers without firing. To use hyper-phasers, you must be flying under warp power. Set a target ship (using ALT-K then T) and fire (using ALT-H). If your target ship is within scanner range, the hyper-phasers will automatically lock on its bearing and fire. If the ship is not within scanner range, the phasers will not fire but will remain armed. They will attempt to achieve a bearing lock each time you scan (using ALT-L) and fire at the next ship scanned. Pressing ALT-H a second time will disarm the hyper-phasers without firing. To use missiles, set a target ship (using ALT-K then T) and fire (using ALT-M). If your target ship is within scanner range, a volley of three missiles will be fired, with the flux load specified in Config (CTRL-2). If the ship is not within scanner range, the missiles will not fire but will remain armed. They will attempt to fire at the selected target ship the next time any ship is scanned. Pressing ALT-M a second time will disarm the missiles without firing. CAUTION: This command can waste flux pods! Any time it attempts to fire missiles, it will use a flux pod. This will occur even if no missiles are fired because your target is out of missile range or cloaked (and you accidently scanned a different ship), or if your ship doesn't have missiles onboard. It will even waste your flux if your ship doesn't have missile capability. Don't get careless with this command! To use mines, simply set a delay time (using ALT-K then D) and then drop the mine (using ALT-N). This will drop one mine, with the preset delay. You may drop off several mines in quick succession by repeatedly hitting ALT-N. Shields are engaged whenever your ship drops from warp to impulse. They are dectivated and re-engaged automatically when a firing action is taken to minimize the possibility of enemy fire sneaking through your defenses when in combat. To engage or disengage shields at any time, simply type ALT-S. Cloak is engaged by typing ALT-C. It is automatically deactivated and re-engaged when firing offensive weapons and decoys to provide the fullest coverage possible. Decoys may be released by pressing ALT-D. This will deploy three decoys. If cloak is active, it will drop cloak, fire decoys, then re-cloak. Jammers may be released by pressing ALT-J. This will deploy one jammer. If cloak is active, it will drop cloak, launch a jammer, then re-cloak. Zippers may be released by pressing ALT-Z. This will deploy one zipper. If cloak is active, it will drop cloak, launch a zipper, then re-cloak. All weapons systems are locked out while in the Neutral Zone to prevent any painful self-inflicted damages. CREATING MACROS: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is room for forty user-definable macros using your function keys. Simply use your favorite ASCII editor to change the contents of GE3CP.KEY, the file that contains the necessary information about macros. Place one macro on each line. Leave lines 11, 12, 23, 24, 35, 36, 47, and 48 blank until I figure out how to use the F11 and F12 keys. Placing "^M" at any point in the macro will cause a carriage return to be inserted at that point when the macro is sent. To create macros that are sent without waiting for a carriage return, add a "^M" to the end. They will then be sent directly to your modem; otherwise, the text will be placed in the text entry box. Following is the format for GE3CP.KEY. NOTE: If you define non-contiguous macros, you MUST leave the appropriate lines blank. Maximum macro length is 127 characters. Lines 1-10 F1..F10 Lines 13-22 SHIFT-F1..SHIFT-F10 Lines 25-34 CTRL-F1..CTRL-F10 Lines 37-46 ALT-F1..ALT-F10 MESSAGES: ~~~~~~~~~ Sending messages in Galactic Empire is somewhat cumbersome as you must type SEND and then specify the channel that you wish to send a message on. GECP simplifies this process somewhat. To send a message, simply type ALT-Y and input the channel you wish to broadcast on, then enter your message as normal in the text window. The default setting is for channel A, so if you wish to send on A, simply start typing your message after typing ALT-Y. ADDITIONAL FEATURES: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GECP will load flux whenever power is lost or approaches a critical level (5000 power units). To ensure a steady supply of power, you are advised to check your ship's status (using ALT-R then S) occasionally so that GECP may monitor your power levels more accurately. DO NOT rely upon automatic flux loading if you value your ships! NOTE: This feature isn't terribly important now that GE V3.x automatically loads flux pods for you. However, be advised that while GE V3.0l and above will load flux when power drops below 5000, earlier versions wait until it drops to 2000. Power levels that low will cause your cloaking device to fail. So if you are playing GE versions earlier than 3.0l, you should hit ALT-R,S regularly while cloaked to avoid becoming unexpectedly visible. If shields or cloak fail due to loss of power, GECP will load a new flux pod and re-raise the shields or cloak. Also, if you are unable to fire hyper-phasers due to low power levels, GECP will load a new flux pod to enable you to re-issue the fire command if you so desire. Hitting the barrier around the galaxy will cause damage to your ship and drop you in a random sector, possibly surrounded by enemies. GECP takes two steps to minimize the obvious dangers involved. First, when you enter a sector that is adjacent to the galaxy border the current sector will blink and GECP will beep to warn you. Second, if you DO hit the barrier, GECP will automatically send REPORT NAV to determine your current location, heading and speed, and SCAN LONG to give you a view of the ships around you. With these aids you will have a much better chance of surviving that unfortunate turn of events. In the event that you go through a wormhole, GECP will automatically send REPORT NAV and SCAN LONG to enable you to quickly regain your bearings. HINTS FOR SUCCESSFULLY USING GECP: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Make good use of your scanners. Concentrate on sector, long and range 9. Check your systems and navigation periodically (using both ALT-R then S and ALT-R then N). This is the only way that GECP can check on your status. All relevant data is taken from these scans so this is VERY important. You should do this immediately upon entering Galactic Empire whenever you change ships so that GECP knows your location, heading, and status. GECP does not check your range before loading flux and firing missiles. Make sure you are within range when using missile lock on opponents. Three missiles are fired each time GECP attempts to lock, and one flux pod is loaded to ensure enough energy to fire missiles. Do not set your ship's autopilot to manuever you to a distant sector and leave the room. GECP does not control any offensive or defensive weaponry. This would place you in a very bad situation should someone with bad intentions come across your ship.