STARFLIGHT - THE BOOK Typed by ??? Edited by PARASITE. BY AKILA J. REDMER OF THE STARFLIGHT ALLIANCE. PREFACE WHAT IS STARFLIGHT - Starflight is a Star Trek like space adventure game available for 16 bit computers. It was origianally developed by five men from Binary Systems. They put a total of fifteen man years into the development of this adventure. It is being distributed by Electronic Arts, the leader in quality entertainment software. This game is a must for anyone who enjoys science fiction role playing games. If this is you, go out and buy this product NOW! WHAT IS STARFLIGHT, THE BOOK - This text file that you are reading is a collection of information about the universe and the history of man, that has been compiled by The Starflight Alliance. It by no means should be considered a substitute for the documentation to the game or the cluebook that is available from Electronic Arts. The information in this text file includes, all of the continuum fluxes that we have found, information regarding all of the major artifacts that we know about, information about all of the alien races we know about, everything we know about the Ancients and The Old Empire, and everything we know about the history of the future of man. (That was not a typo!) WHO IS A. J. REDMER - A. J. is the founder of the alliance and the guy who typed this in. He is a former game ports specialist who was vice president of software development of a game ports company that is now based in India. (of all places) He has worked with Electronic Arts, Epyx, Strategic Simulations, Broderbund, Muse, Avalon Hill, Random House, Millekin and several other software publishers. He is currently considering making an Atari St and Amiga version of this product. He's also a pretty nice guy. WHAT IS THE STARFLIGHT ALLIANCE - The Starflight Alliance is currently a group of nine individuals pooling their resources together in order to solve the many mysteries of the universe. Together we have come up with the information following this preface. It is by no means complete. The Starflight Alliance is a member of The Software Review Board. This is the non-pirate information based bulletin board system located in Pleasant Hill, California. You are encouraged to become a member of The Starflight Alliance. All you have to do is contact us at the phone number or mailing address given below. Membership is free. We will validate that you are a legal user of the software product. You need not have sent in your registration card to be validated. You'll then receive an account on The Software Review Board that will allow you to receive and send new information regarding the universe. WHY THIS - There is so much to learn when playing Starflight that we feel it would be beneficial to have an extra source of information available. It is also quite rewarding to talk to others about the mysteries of Starflight's universe. After reading this, we think you'll agree. STARFLIGHT It is the first week of November 4619. You are a human living on a world called Arth. You live there in peace with three other intelligent lifeforms. You never really gave much thought to where you came from or where everybody else came from. In fact, even though you've grown up with a mixture of insect-like creatures, reptilian beings, and photosynthetic plant-like creatures, you've never really thought of them as being any different than you are. You've just graduated as an Interstel captain from New Oxford University at Pelinoriat, Arth. Arth is the second planet in a solar system located at 125,100 on the starmap. One day while you're minding your own business you have the shock of your life. (Later you will grow accustomed to this, because it will happen to you a lot) You receive a transcript from Starport Central and the Director of Interstel. It is a transcript of a meeting that for some reason you didn't manage to attend. The meeting was for starship commander trainess such as yourself. In the transcript you discover that 15 years ago Interstel scientists found a shaft in the crust of the planet that leads to an ancient underground empire. After years of study they conclude that Arth was colonized by a group called Noah 2 that came from Earth. No one knew anything about this before. The scientists also discovered a crytal substance known as endurium in the caves. After careful research they found that this substance can be used to gain the ability to engage in superphotonic (faster than light) space flight. Up until this point in time, no one thought you could travel very far in space. It turns out that five years ago, Interstel built their first ever superphotonic ships and sent out thirteen ships to explore the universe. Only two of them have made it back. The captain of one of those ships was present at the meeting. You are quite suprised to find out that your buddy's and yourself are all from different parts of the universe. It appears that some 2500 years ago there was an intergalactic empire now refered to as the Old Empire. The Humans, the Velox (insectoid), the Thrynn (reptilian), and the Elowan (photosynthetic) were all part of the Empire. Apparently there was some war that caused the fall of the empire. You and your alien friends are a descendant of the Noah 2 colonists that escaped from Earth before it fell to the enemy. Interstel has since built new ships, and you are to command one of them. Your primary mission is to discover more about the origin of the people of Arth. You are, however, sidetracked by various complications in the galaxy. The game starts on January 1, 4620 at the Interstel Starport that is orbiting Arth. Here is where you assemble your crew, buy your supplies, outfit your ship, and receive messages from Interstel. HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR If you look at your starmap, you will find ten large black circles that encompus about two thirds of the universe. These circles are like spheres of influence. Each one is dominated by a specific alien race. Arth itself is not in a circle. The two relatively small circles downspin and coreward of Arth are the home of the Thrynn and the Elowan. The Thrynn are centered at about 130,35 and the Elowan are at about 155,60. Upspin of Arth, the medium sized circle at 140,150 is the home of the Velox. (They were known as the Veloxi during the Old Empire) The tiny circle just coreward of Arth is the domain of the Mechans. They are androids that were built during the Old Empire to establish colony worlds for the Noah expeditions. Upspin and outward of Arth, there is a large circle centered at about 85,140. This is the home land of the Spemin. They are sort of a cross between the Ameoba and dung. They are blobs with tentacles sticking out of then. Just below them is a large circle centered at about 85,60. This area is controlled by the Gazurtoid. They are a water breathing race of squidlike creatures. The circles at the lower left hand corner of the map and the upper left hand corner are both controlled by the Uhleks. There are two other circles on the map. We haven't figured out who controls them, but we think they are also Uhlek territories because the oriental style symbol in them is the same as the Uhlek ones. The coreward part of the map doesn't have any circles, and neither do the humans. That's because it was the battle grounds for some major wars that pretty much wiped out everything there. Earth is also out there. More about the wars later. At this point in time, the only humans known to be in the universe are on Arth. They are probably the least respected race in the galaxy. We really don't have much of a future. In fact many other races appear to be surprised that there are any humans alive at all. (It's pretty depressing, but we think we know what to do to remedy this problem) The following is a historical account of what has happened in the universe leading up to today. This information has been gathered after several hours of playing time by several people. We still have a lot to learn. 2100 - Man discovers Endurium. This is only about 130 years in our real life future. Man appears to be the first to have discovered Endurium. 50 years later we figure out how to use Endurium to fly faster than the speed of light. 2150 - This discovery starts the Empire. We started to colonize the worlds in our general area, 215,86. The Humans are the founders of the empire. 2300 - Man meets the Veloxi. This probably happened because of a flux at 217,80 that goes to 176,123. It's like a highway between Earth and the Velox. These are the first aliens we ever meet. They are probably the ones we were the closest to diplomatically before everyone discovered what worthless pieces of - - - - humans really are. 2650 - A major Endurium find ushers in the golden era. This find is probably the innermost planet of system 180,120. It is near that same flux mensioned above. We call the system The Burke System, because Tim Burke (A member of the Alliance) discovered this planet before we received the cluebook. (By the way, if you discover something new like a flux, colonizable planet, new sentient lifeform, or whatever, you can name it whatever you want and we will officially acknowledge it as such.) This major Endurium find allows us to travel to more parts of the universe. 2675 - The Empire discovers the Spemin. The blob like guys join the Empire. They are real wimps though, and will follow whoever is in power. 2770 - The Empire discovers the Thrynn and the Elowan. Now the Empire is complete. The five races of beings act as one large society. The entire thing is set up by the Humans. This could be considered the height of mankind. 3000 - The first wave starts. Now things get bad. There is a race of beings called the Phlegmak that are based in the Axe Constellation around 230,20. Somewhere else is another race known as the Nomlox. We don't know exactly where they come from, but we think they are from the upper right hand corner of the map. Anyway, the Phlegmak and the Nomlox attack the Empire. More specifically, they attack the Veloxi. This is what is known as the first wave. 3120 - Velox pact of 3120. There are three of us that fight back. (The Velox, the Spemin, and the Humans) As far as we know, the Thrynn and the Elowans were not involved in the war. At the time of the pact, we are very close to the Velox and the Spemin. Although we know of only one specific event, the Humans apparently drop the ball in this war. The Velox and the Spemin apparently do all the fighting and dying. (Especially the Velox) The Velox appear to be a reasonably powerful race. (This information is not correct, see Spemin update) 3260 - The first wave ends. The Velox defeat the Phlegmak at their base in the Axe Constellation. The Phlegmak and the Nomlox are extinct. Somewhere in between the time of the Velox pact and the end of the first wave, a space pirate named Harrison (Yes, he's human) stole the Velox most prize possession. It is the focusing stone that the queen used to communicate with her drones. It is still missing to this day, and the Velox are still irate that it was stolen. This incident had some detrimental effects on the Velox view of humans. This could be the single most important cause of the fall of man. Now everybody in the Empire voices displeasure with human rule. This causes unstability in the Empire. 3400 - The second wave starts. The Uhleks are generally believed to be the most powerful race in the universe. They are extremely violent as are the Gazurtoids. The Gazurtoids have this deep religious belief that all air breathers should be detroyed. They are allies of the Uhleks. Actually they are probably pawns of the Uhleks. The Uhleks and the Gazurtoids together attack the Empire. Now as I mentioned before, the Spemin are wimps. If you check the map, you'll see they're not in good shape in this wave. They therefore defect to the side of the Uhleks and the Gazurtoid. The Empire falls in the second wave mainly because everyone turns against the humans. The humans get slaughtered by the billions. 3450 - Project Noah initiated. At this point in time it is obvious that the Empire is doomed. The people on Earth start to send out colonial expeditions to try to escape from the war. It appears that Earth was the capital of the Empire with a government that represented all the races of the Empire. How we exactly did this is not clear. We think this is when we built the Mechans. The Mechans are androids that seek out colonizable worlds and then build underground cities for the Noah expeditions. They guard the planet until their makers arive. 3454 - Launch of Noah 2 expedition. This is significant for a couple of reasons. We know of nine Noah expeditions that were launched during these dark times. Noah 2 is the only one we know of that successfully managed to escape the clutches of the Uhlek and the Gazurtoid. Another thing is that this is the group that colonized Arth. You are a direct decendant of Noah 2. Another thing to note is that Noah 2 (as probably the others) was made up of Humans, Veloxi, Thrynn, and Elowan. The scientists found the captain's log to Noah 2 in the caves of the underground civilization on Arth. (Note also that because the Spemin defected to the other side, they are not a part of the colonial group.) These colonies were formed underground, probably to hide from the Uhleks. During this time, the colonists lose all contact with the rest of the universe. 3480 - The fall of Earth. This is when Earth falls to the second wave. If you go there now, all you'll find are ruins from the past. 3505 - Bomb hits Arth, creates Southern Hot Zone. This is significant because it forces the colonizers of Arth to live above ground. Now by leaving their underground world behind, the colonists take another step away from the past. 3520 - Arth society collapses and the Dark Years begin. We don't know much about this time except that it is the second of the dark times. The first was the fall of the Empire. For the next thousand years, Arth is in turmoil. All technology is lost. There is no knowledge of the past. 4400 - Arth's new era begins with the new council and the industrial revolution. Now we are coming out of the Dark Years and are well on our way to where we are today. 4500 - We finally rediscover space flight. This is sublight flight, so we can only planet hop in our own solar system. We have no knowledge of whatelse or whoelse is in the universe. 4594 - Discovery of Noah 2 colony and Endurium. This is a major mile stone in our history and only 26 years from now. This is when the scientists discover the ruins of our ancestors below the surface of our planet. They find Endurium there and nineteen years later they rediscover superphotonic flight. This is also when a lot of questions arise about our past and where we come from. 4615 - Now that we have the technology, we send out 13 exploration ships to explore the universe. In the following years they rediscover the Thrynn and Elowan home systems. It is of course a major surprise for the Thrynn and Elowan of Arth to discover they come from somewhere else. 4620 - Now its today. You get your chance to explore the universe. By the way, when you start encountering aliens in space, you are going to find that no one has any respect for the Humans. It's up to you to change all of that. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE ALIENS Humans - There aren't many of us left in the universe. We of course originated from Earth and were wiped out after we apparently betrayed our allies. Actually we're in pretty pitiful shape. Velox - These guys are all male except for their queen. They have six legs or arms depending on how you look at it. They basically resemble man sized grasshoppers. Their home planet is Sphexi. It is the guarded planet in the system 132,165. They are very stuck up. the only way you'll get anywhere with them is to brown nose them. (Be obsequious) They think they are the greatest race in the universe. This turns out to be not uncommon. Remember that they were once your allies. If you play your cards right, you can become very good friends with them. (I am an honorary Veloxi even though I am merely human) They also have a lot of information that they can give you. Thrynn - The Thrynn are scaly creatures with long necks and tails. They are the wheeler-dealers of the galaxy. They seem to know where several inportant artifacts are located. They are always trying to trade with you. Although they pay well, you should consider what items you might need for yourself in the future. Remember that these guys were also members of the Old Empire. You shouldn't make ememies of your old allies. Elowan - The Elowans are plant like creatures. They are very weak as far as physical strength goes. However, they make up for it with tremendous interpersonal skills and excellent learning rates. Thrynn vs. Elowan - For some unexplained reason the Thrynn have always harbored animosity toward the Elowan. In turn the Elowan don't like the Thrynn. Both empires are very close to one another and even overlap in one area. The Thrynn appear to be the aggressors in this relationship. One thing we noticed is that the Elowan homeworld is located virtually in the center of Thrynn space. This leads us to believe that the Thrynn forcibly moved the Elowans out of their territory. When communicating with either of these guys, you can't have a member of the opposing race on board your ship. (More info on this below.) Mechans - The Mechans are only androids. They occupy a small portion of the universe that they are defending for the arrival of a Noah colony that never made it there. They've been waiting for over a thousand years. You can learn a lot about your past from them if you can convince them that you are the Noah group that they are waiting for. Spemin - These blobbies are pathetic. They speak very highly of themselves but they are all talk and no action. They'll give you a lot of crap at first, but if you show them who's boss, you'll get a lot of information from them. Remember (although at times it will be hard) that these guys were your allies in the first wave. If you can establish good relations with them, you will receice a tremendous amount of imformation about your enemies. The Spemin were allies of your enemies in the second wave, and although they claim not to know much, they hold the key to your confronting the Uhleks. Gazurtoid - These guys are squidlike creatures that have no feeling for your kind. They're are two ways to deal with them. If you're in Gazurtoid territory, they will surround you. If you show no aggression and hail them constantly, they might not fire on you. This is important early on in the game, because they can easily destroy your ship. Once you have your ship fully outfitted, you can take them on one on one. But they'll probably attack you in numbers after that. Eventually they'll kill you, but you can take a lot of them with you. Once, you have the cloaking device, you can deal with them easily. The Gazurtoids are allies of the Uhleks. We have not been able to get any information from them. The Spemin tell us that they get along with the Gazurtoids by fooling them into thinking they're water breathers. They do this by communicating with them in pools of water. We don't know how to do that yet. Uhlek - For a good portion of time, the Uhleks are a mystery. All the other races seem to acknowledge that they are the most powerful. Everybody avoids them as much as possible. If you fly into their territories, you will probably be instantly surrounded by a mass of their warships and detroyed with weaponry that far surpasses yours. We have discovered that the Uhleks are in fact just one being. They are controlled by a mind-ganglion planet somewhere in the territories. Most races refer to it as the Uhlek Brain World. We found out from the Spemin where it is and we have since detroyed it. This is pretty much where we are in the adventure. We are now exploring their territories. Phlegmak - They are an extinct race of another time. They attacked the Old Empire in the first wave. Nomlox - They are in the same predicament as the Phlegmak. They were also killed in the wave. The only difference between the two is that we don't know where the Nomlox came from. Minstrels - We are assuming that the creatures that float around in space, especially the coreward regions, are the Minstrels. You can talk to them. They only communicate in riddles and rhyme. They appear to have tremendous knowledge of the universe. Mysterions - We think the large rodnium balls are the Mysterions. We don't know anything about them yet. IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS Black Egg - We have found three so far. They are explosive devices that allow you to blow up planets. Crystal Cone - This device will show you where to land on the Crystal Planet. Crystal Pearl - This is some sort of source of power. If you get into a situation where you are about to be destroyed, it will hyperwarp you out of the area. Crystal Orb - This device will allow you to land on the Crystal Planet. Dodecahedron - This device somehow attracts ships in your area. You will have a lot more encounters with aliens if you have this. Flat Device - For sale at Starport. This object will put a shield around your terrain vehicle that will counter attacks from agressive lifeforms you might run into on the surface of various planets. Red Cylinder - This device is worth its wait in gold. It will help you find all of the other artifacts that you are looking for. It will show you approximately where artifacts are located on various planets. This cuts down significantly on search time. Ring Shaped Device - This device is found on Mars. It supposedly helps you to identify continuum fluxes, but we haven't noticed any difference by having it. Shimmering Ball - This is a cloaking device located in Gazurtoid space. It will work automatically when you're in combat. It will make you extremely powerful, but you have to get through the Gazurtoids to get it. Tesseract - This device double the efficiency of your engines. This is useful early on if you can't afford too much Endurium. Veloxi Focusing Stone - This is the object that Harrison stole. We managed to find it, but haven't been able to return it. It doesn't appear to serve any useful function to us. The Veloxi say that they will reward whoever returns it to them, but they immediately attack us any time we go near them. We think that you will have to timeworp back to the Old Empire with it and return it then. This could conceivably prevent the Fall of Man. Since Man doesn't have much of a future, it might be the logical thing to do. Whining Orb - For sale at Starport. Some sort of communications device. We haven't discovered it's specific use. ARTIFACT SYSTEM PLANET COORDINATES --------------------------------------------------------------------- - Black Egg 145,118 1st 28N x 4E 234,20 2nd 35S x 99E 238,189 3rd 52N x 16W Crystal Cone 20,198 1st 29S x 55W Crystal Pearl 56,144 1st 28N x 13W Crystal Orb 132,165 46N x 14E Dodecahedron 118,146 4th 16S x 20W Red Cylinder 112,200 3rd 59N x 64W Ringed Device 215,186 4th 90N x 0W/E Shimmering Ball 68,66 1st 12N x 32E Tesseract 18,50 5th 15N x 43W Veloxi Focusing Stone 81,98 1st 44S x 137W REVISIONS AND OR UPDATES: SPEMIN UPDATE: It turns out that the Spemin were almost as bad as the Humans back in the Old Empire. They had no real technology when the Humans dicovered them. The Humans taught them pretty much everything. The Spemin became copiers of other races. They would observe other races' technological devices and copy them. They did a poor job of this. Anyway, when they thought they learned enough, they attacked the Empire (The Fools). Shortly after they attacked, the First Wave started. The Phlegmak and the Nomlox attacked the Spemin. At this point, the Spemin pleaded with the Empire to help them defend their land from the attack. Like idiots, we took them back in. This seemed to work because we won the war, but after the First Wave was over, the Spemin attacked the Empire again. Then the Second Wave happened, and the Spemin pleaded for our help again. This time we told them to go - - - - - themselves. They inturn pleaded to the Uhleks and Gazurtoid to join them in the attack. That's why there are no Spemin on Arth and why they know about the Uhleks. THRYNN vs ELOWAN UPDATE: We think we know what the root (excuse the pun.) of the matter is in this conflict. It turns out that the Elowans are born from seeds. They start as plants in the ground and grow head-fruit. When the head-fruit develops, they uproot themselves and become Elowans as we know them. Well it just so happens that head-fruit tastes real good, especially to the Thrynn. It also makes you smarter. I think you can probably figure out the rest. End.