Spectrofon #13 12 мая 1995

Игры

Ekspepertiza - a unique game "TAU CETI 3", one of the best its genre.

          EXPERTISE



   Today, this section is devoted to one of the best programs
for "ZX-SPECTRUM" - the beautiful
works of brilliant Pete Cook -
"TAU CETI". In the application, you can discover completely
restored and a Russian language version of the program.
Represents the version prepared by programmers from Perm -
Busygin AV Litvinov and AA
Well, first we recommend to get acquainted with details
this wonderful program.



  Busigin Andrew


          TAU CETI

      special edition


  PETE COOKE + CHRIS NEWCOMBY

       CRL GROUP 1987.

In a distant constellation Tau Ceti
Everything became clear to us.
We sent them, "You it's there?"
And send us back.


                Vladimir Vysotsky.


   These things work aims
to a little more detail
highlight the goal of the game, to familiarize
management and generally promote the wonderful toy "Tau
Ceti ", created a remarkable
British programmer Pete
Cook, who joined him and Chris Newcomb.

   But first about the genre and of itself
version of the game.


   This game is released "CRL Group"
in 1987. The output
was listed: "Special edition", then
there are "special edition", and
on the dashboard has an inscription "TAU CETI III". In addition 
to this, this version works only on computers with 128K of RAM. 
Associated with the LRA large amount of additional

game information, organized as a RAM disk.
It remains only sympathize
owners of 48 x Spectrum,
deprived of their pleasure to play
this great game, but to advise urgently purchase fee
memory expansion, and turn
your PC into a 128-th machine.



  "Tau Ceti" is a precursor to the widely known
game "Academy", and just as exciting and dynamic
she does not agree. Magnificent
sound effects, beautiful graphics insertion, a huge gaming 
space, a wonderful story - all this makes "Tau Ceti" excellent 
space simulator, standing on a par with the famous "Elite".



           *


   So, this whole story began in 2047 with the opening
interstellar drive. Using
as fuel scattered in
outer space, hydrogen, humanity rushed to
stars. The first was
explored and colonized
the nearest star systems.

   In 2050, the first terrestrial
researchers arrived at 4 coming stars of class G: Alpha
Centauri, Tau Ceti, a star
Van-Ma'an and Beta Hydra. Seven
months later the first wave of settlers has reached Tau Ceti 
and began to build a civilization on third planet of this star

system. It was the inhospitable
desert world with a very poor
life. After 40 years in prison
significantly progressed. Taukityane built more than 30 cities,
created a powerful commodity-industrial base, developed robotics
and hydroponics industry.


   Later, in 2150 terrible
disaster struck on the population
four growing colonies. Terrible epidemic - Encke's-syndrome -
swept across the planet.


   Once appeared, invariably fatal disease
spread from city to city, leaving few survivors. When the last
remnants of the colonists, having been defeated in the fight 
against the plague, fled to the planet remains a robotic system 
to support livelihoods. 


   Two years later, on Earth
found a cure for the plague and
communication between her and the two remaining colonies: the 
Alpha Centauri and Beta Hydra resumed. After some time

All radio contact with the most valuable
automatic systems, which remained at Tau Ceti were
interrupted by the fall in
planet of the massive meteorite.



   Soon the survivors are refugees decided to return to their 
planet and rekolonizirovat Tau Ceti and

Star Van Ma'an. In 2164 held the first expedition to re-Tau 
Ceti. Starship logged on and went out into the planetary orbit, 
the shuttle pulled to the planet's surface. A minute later, 
after a happy landing canoe gave a distress signal

then followed by a full
silence.


   The experts concluded that the
robotic security systems by the first colonists embraced the 
fall of the meteorite as the beginning of an enemy invasion

from space. After seven years of
successful recolonization of the Stars
Van Ma'an, was organized
second expedition to Tau Ceti.

There is only one way to stop the defensive systems, without 
destroying all the remaining buildings - to send military 
skimmer to repay the principal nuclear reactor in the capital 
of the world - Tsentralise.



   An experienced pilot is able to
succeed there, where fifty-fail. You were
so stupid that they decided to
become a volunteer.


           *


   So, you've put into the computer
diskette "Tau Ceti", and clicked
the right buttons for launching a toy. Now please be a little
patience and wait until it
loaded. This is a fairly long
story, because you have to
read more and our advertising.
By the way, wash it is not recommended, because even if you
able to do this, you may experience unpleasant excesses
During the game, until reset. Therefore, some time you
will only have to wait until
decoded ad unit, and
then she toys. Shortly before
You get a square menus
of the five options:


    Start Game

    Prehistory

    User

    Dashboard

    Messages from Gal-Corp


   Management is given in the lower
of squares (for the slow-witted explain that the choice of 
options - cursor keys up and down,

download - click "Enter", exit by pressing the "Break").



   So, Lander (special
Shuttle Gal-Corp) take you
on the surface of the third planet
Tau Ceti. By the beginning of your game
skimmer is in its dock (about
than inform the relevant
inscription on the display board
PC) is fully dressed and ready to go. All Galactic Commonwealth 
waits when did you start to exercise

miracles of heroism. But you have not yet
before: a good idea to to start
find out where the steering wheel in
skimmer.


   In fact, the military skimmers
Gal-Corp ... By the way, what
Gal-Corp? And, yes, I remember:
in the late twentieth century, combined three
Monster earth space industry - Russian NGOs
"Energy", coupled with Glavkosmos,
NASA and European Space
Agency - and created something really
quite unthinkable: Galactic cosmic Corporation
research, or abbreviated
Gal-Corp. Newborn Monster
quickly bend under him
all unhappy earth industry, and to justify their
existence, drove in anything
innocent earth mugs learn the terrible depths of the planet
Universe.


   But we digress. So, in fact the military skimmers steering,
as such, does not exist, and
manage them exclusively
Press. By the way, the designers of skimmers were not
so very stupid guys and made it possible to fit
management for a particular pilot.


   Skimmer has two modes -
mode of flight and landing mode. In
Flight mode, you control
skimmer, flying in a small
height, destroying defenses, flying saucers, and
etc. While landing you work with on-board computer, giving him 
his (often very stupid) instructions. With regard to

of the skimmer, then, as it says in the advertisement of the 
manufacturer "This is a powerful and dangerous craft,

to challenge even the
experienced pilot. "Not very
encouraging start - personally I do not
like to respond to the challenges
skimmers and even in the midst of a battle with
several frisbees
or fortresses.



   Skimmer is equipped with a rotary
installation with a single ruby
laser has the ability to cool in the most responsible
moments of the bout with robots, 8
teplonavodyaschimisya missiles and
targeting system, 8 antiraketami, 8 flares, infrared night 
vision systems, radar scanner Hoffman's system with a radius of 
360 °, switchable displays for its four circular view compass 
with automatic pointing to the city center on

buoys beacons, as well as on-board computer to guarantee normal 
operation in any conditions (that would be such a guarantee

I think "PROFI"!)



   The first thing I advise you to engage with the management. 
done it this way: not flying out of the dock, dial inscription 
"Ex." And press "Enter", naturally. You will see a list of 
initial control keys. 

Q to the left;
O to the right;
S cursor up (at planting)

    or acceleration (in flight);
X cursor down, or braking;
Sp. fire, or choice;
V switching screens;
M missile launching;
F trigger flares;
A start antiraket;
H increase in height;
G decrease in height;
J hyperspace;
L landing on the surface;

R report on the status of systems to
   Rabelais and scoring;
I turn on / off infrak
   RAAS SB of the night as
   of.


   Next followed the question, whether the keys are convenient:


   If everything is OK, press
"D" - if not, the "H" and define the button in its own way.


   Well, let's assume that you are familiar with the management 
in flight mode. And now, the management mode of landing. It 
automatically selects board computer after docking skimmer with 
anything, or after landing on the surface of the button "L" 
(land). A list of commands you can get if you type "SIP."

or simply ".."

   At a set of commands can be
use abbreviations, but
they must end with a period.

SERVICE (SE.) - repair, refueling
skimmer, obtaining weapons, flares: It works
only at the docks Support Centers
and dock Lander.

HELP (.) - Displays
list of commands.

EQUIPMENT (RP) - View
available additional equipment.

MANAGEMENT (Simp.) - override keys.

Start (S.) - off the skimmer.


BIBL. - Access to the database
Libraries: only works in
Dock Library.

LOAD - load game postponed
from the disk.

INSPECTION - Inspection of areas around
skimmer.

PLAN (pl.) - Image of the planetary map.

NAME - Enter the name of the pilot

NOV.ZHURNAL - erasing records and
score.

OUTPUT (VYH.) - Quit the game
(After confirmation).



MAGAZINE (Female) - a notebook:
a very useful thing, because allows us to write, in what cities
You've been to, not using
extraneous papers.

Pause - pause the game until you
"Fire".

RAMZAP - persistence
games in memory.

RAMZAGR - loading status of
memory.

REACTOR - entrance into the active zone
central reactor for installation assembled rods.

STUDS - View and assembly halves rods.

REC. - Save the game state
on the disk.
SUNGLASSES - view points earned on the screen of the onboard 
computer. 

SIGHT - inclusion of sight.

UBR.PRITSEL - off sight.

REPORT - analogue keys "R" in flight mode.

WAREHOUSE - obtaining additional equipment.

Wait - wait (five minutes)
typically used to wait for dawn.



      About DASH



   1 - overview screen. It
shows you the surrounding harsh reality third
the planet Tau Ceti, there you will read from the bank 
infornatsiyu data libraries, and so forth.



   2 - the computer screen. It
on-board computer of your skimmer will give you information on 
the status of vehicle systems, various travel reports, etc.

In it, you will be given to him
their orders.


   3 - timer showing
local time. Some taukityanskie
night are approximately equal to the earthly hour.


   4 - sign, indicating a
what screen you see at the moment.


   5 - the city where you are. If the screen is blue, it means
You're in town, and if red, then
You are at the gate.


   6 - compass.


   7 - the screen shows the location of the ship.


   8 - the radar shows all the objects around you.


   9 - window, informing
state of the infrared device
Night Vision (1 - on, 0
- Off), and the number of remaining weapons: missiles, 
antiraket, flares. 


   10 - in the window from top to bottom
show: altitude,
energy security shields, stocks
fuel, the temperature of the laser and
flight speed of the skimmer.


   11 - arrow showing
direction of the city center.


   12 - arrow showing
direction on the space shuttle. Only works in the city
ROME.


   Well, now you almost
know everything about managing a skimmer, and it's time to get 
acquainted with papers from Gal-Corp. They

provides a brief description
cushy job where you're so
rashly volunteered to fly
volunteer.



   What you wrote office?
So, yeah, on this planet is very
short day, approximately
equal to one Earth hour, that
caused, as they explain
rapid rotation of the planet. In addition, the planet is no 
moon, so the offer at night using an infrared device Night 
vision. What else? Many buildings are equipped with docks, 
protected by force shields. Hence, the need to dock with them 
on minimum speed. Planet

covered with a network of lines hyperlinks,
stations are located on the outskirts of
city. Near the station is usually
a handful of jumpers - the local form of life, so it is 
recommended slow down when making

jumps, not to descend on
them after release. Sam jump occurs when you flies to
station and presses on the "J".

   Okay, enough, anyway
anything more clever, these bureaucrats do not come up with ... 
And, here something interesting. Aha, a personal note from the 
charming girl! 


   What she wants from you? Alas!
it only asks you,
order, destroying military targets, you do not to ruin valuable 
buildings, such as mines, industrial complexes, hydroponic 
farming. Offers to remember that each intact building saves 
millions credits in future budgets.



   Well, try to calm
his passion for destruction and
behave good child. As the saying goes, if a woman asks ...



   Now you can run your mission to save the planet
for colonization. Look at the map.


   Typing "PLAN," You can see that
the computer gives you a map of the planet. All of it will not 
fit on the screen to see the details of the plan will have to 
move it back and forth, inducing cross sight on the arrows 
drawn on the lower red stripe, and pressing "fire". You can get 
a close-up, aiming sight on a plate "+" or watch

the entire planet entirely :"-". The "Search" is used to quickly
Search any goroda.Dlya
do this type in its name and
press "Enter". Pointing to the sights
a city and clicking the "fire", you can get on it
useful information.

   The information given in the following form:

Former population.
Main industries:

   light industry;

   high-tech industries;

   mines, the mines;

   food industry.
Approximate level of protection:

        Extras;

        High;

        Average;

        Low.
Station giperpryzhkov other
city.


   Cities on the map connected by lines hyperlinks. This means
that you can get from one
of only one of the neighboring,
it is associated with this line.

   Let's say you can get from Rima
in Heim, if we use the western giperplatformoy, or
Tsentralis if fly south.


   All right, thank you in the dock
Lander has nothing to do. Climb
"START" and flies in the rough
world of the third planet. Look around
around. You are surrounded by mysterious
structure. How do you know what
of them are good and which should
destroy? While no one like to
you do not shoot. The compass direction to the northeast 
choose, you can even just to east, and fly to the reactor

substation. Halfway you attack the flying saucers. Easily deal 
with them, suddenly see how one of the towers

begins to pour out your fire
Laser .. kad

   "Ah!" So this is
Control Tower - comes to
You - The hell it !!!". Debris
brazen buildings fly by
district, and you finally see
reactor substation. Close
sticking some other house, with
blue rhomb shaped marker on the roof. For your information, a 
library and an ignoramus, first shrunken in the skimmer will be

useful place to look.


   Flies in the docking library
(Only with caution, and not fly on your patches zakoulochkam!), 
And to look, that he would write on-board computer.

Now you can get access to
comprehensive database library by typing "BIBLE.

You'll see a menu of four items:
. Kad