Okay peoples of the living cyberspace, I know what you need. A good heatlthy dose of the Frontier manual. This should explain all those odd little icons and provide you with loads of background. The game Frontier contains three manuals, the manuals itself discribing all the games ins and outs, the gazetter containg a history of man and a lengthly discription of various systems and lastly a book entitled STORIES OF LIFE ON THE FRONTIER which suprisingly enough contains stories of life on the frontier. There is eight of them but I havent read them and dont see a lot of point typing them in. So I wont. Well I might as well start at the top. This text file is the manual basically and the end of each pacge will be identifide buy a big line of stars, like so; *********************************************************** the manual is over 100 pages long and starts with the following page: SUE CRIPPLE AND SNEER SOLICITORS WINDRUSH TOWER.OLYMPUS VILLAGE.MARS.SOL.O/O604 0L1 YOUR REFERENCE: SCS / CPJ-4.1 OUR REFERENCE: CPJ / JJJ-4.1 J.Jameson Jnr 51a, South Dormitory Fish Processing Plant 3142 Sirocco Merlin Ross 154 -1/ORs2a S16 31.12.3199 To whom it may concern It is our duty to inform you of the death of your grandfather, Commander Jameson. The wreakage of his ship was found in the Reidquat system on 11 November 3199. He was presumed killed in combat after a 'misunderstanding' over some stolen goods according to the local press. A last will and testament was prepared on 3 February 3199 and section 4.1 has been circulated to all living grandchildren as instructed by our late client. If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact us. The normal fees of fifty (50) Credits per hour (including service tax) apply. Yours sincerly, ( BIG FLASHY SIGNATURE HERE! ) Mr.Edmond Sneer Ths firm is regulated by the Galatic Law Society in the conduct of Galactic Investment Business ************************************************************ LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT Commander Peter Jameson Section 4.1 A way of life that is very different to the dull, planet-bound existance you have probably led up to now. Its a way of life that I loved and want you to experience. I want you to feel the freedom of flying you own ship and being able to explore the vast galaxy. Whatever you aims in life (I settles with wealth, power and fame) there is an occupation for you. Try your hand at trading, following established trade routes or making your own. May be doing odd jobs is more your style, buzzing from one place to the next, never working for the same person twice. What about mining? Later perhaps. I know that some of you will sucumb to a criminal existance, so I may as well say that piracy, bounty hunting and mercenary work will suit you. I wont tell you to place your allegiance with the Federation, the Empire or the Independants but be careful - they all use you for their own aims. No amount of treties will change the fact that they dislike each other. Space has changed a great deal since I was your age. No, I am not going to harp on about everything being cheaper and friendlier in the past. People were just as bad then as now but we now have better technology and humans have spread further, so there is more scope. Your abilities as a pilot will be tested to the ful, especially in combat, so before you upset any body, get in some practice. I want to give you the best start I can. As there are now so many of you, my resources have been spread thinly. Each of you will recive an Egale Long Range Fighter and one hundred (100) credits. The ship has been delivered to your local starport but the documents are enclosed with this letter. Above all, enjoy yourself and BE WARY! Mortal Press 2/2TX4-LWT ************************************************************* WELCOME! CONGRATULATIONS on buying the Eagle Long Range Fighter, clearly the purchase of a discerning pilot! As you will no doubt have noticed, our continual quest for excellence has resulted in this, the culmination of the search for the most advanced technology and ergonomic design, embodied in one ship. We are proud of the individualistic style married with functional superiority, as we continue the Faulcon De Lacy pedigree. As you are obviously a cut above the common space traveller, the understated styling of the intertior will have impressed you. A dynamic spacehound such as yourself will not have time for the unnecessary frills, so we have syled the interior with the minimum of fuss, just like the exterior. Particulary plasing though, are the lines of the pilot's seat made of revolutionary Silastoplaston, a material that stays dry at all times. It really gives the message that you are in conroll! It feeles as though you are immeresed in water while it protects you from dangerously high acceleration forces. Always mindful of necessity we have included the 1MW phlaschgyt Pluse Laser weapon. The laser is noted for being compact, economical and again understated - the hallmark of this craft. As if that is not enough, we have installed the latest Manolife one man life support system that keeps you cooking at the right temperature and nasty gases at bay. We have been accused of madness for giving away lots more as part of a limited period offer, just look at the specifications list! Whether on the run or just crusing, feel that tight gyroscopic control. You will be so thrilled with the Eagle that you will want purchase accessories, avaliable from all good shipyards. ********************************************************] THE EAGLE LONG RANGE FIGHTER TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS THE HULL A 25 tonne hull capacity. An amazing 15 tonnes of equipment is included in the price leaving you with a 4 tonne capacity cargo bay with one tonne of hydrogen fuel. Dual main thrusters capable of a blistering peak acceleration of 25g or 0 to 1000 kilometers per hour in only 1.13 seconds. FREE! Atmospheric Shielding for heat protection on entering atmospheres. WEAPONARY 1 Megawatt Pulse laser (Front mounting only). 2 Missile Mountings giving you a choice of missiles FREE! not one but TWO KL760 homing misslies. DRIVE Class one Hyperdrive with a range of eight light lears. FREE! 1 tonne of Hydrogen Fuel giving you 8 light years travel. FREE Autopilot. CONTROLS Scanner incorporating the Galactonav System. ENVIRONMENTAL Manolife Life Support System. CONTROL Silastoplaston pilot's seat *************************************************************** FONTIER CONTENTS SECTION ONE: ICONS Using the console to control your ship SECTION TWO: NAVIGATION AND FLIGHT Getting around the galaxy and flying your ship. SECTION THREE: COMBAT Using offensive and defensive equipment. SECTION FOUR: THE SHIPYARD Buying new ships, equipping them, and contacting local police. SECTION FIVE: TRADING Using the stockmarket and the blackmarket. SECTION SIX: MINING Mining asteriods and planets. APPENDIX ONE: SHIPYARD EQUIPMENT A breakdown of all available equipment. APPENDIX TWO: TRADE ITEMS Items you can expect to trade. APPENDIX THREE: AN INTRODUCTORY JOURNEY If you need further guidance before going it alone, this is it. APPENDIX FOUR: THE MECHANICS OF SPACE FLIGHT Technical details not for the faint hearted, by David Braben. APPENDIX FIVE: SHIP IDENTIFICATION Facts and figures about some of the ships you will se and fly. ***************************************************************