www.x2thethreat.com

You can also visit the official forums here and read through questions set by other X2 The Threat players. Here you will also find a multitude of hints and tips to enhance your gaming experience, plus a host of other wide-ranging topics. Please view the Readme file on the game CD for the latest information.

STARTING X2 - THE THREAT

1. From the START Menu, point to Programs, point to EGOSOFT, and then point to X2 - The Threat. 2. At the initial start up screen, you may change some basic settings, such as Screen Resolution and other graphics settings. It is recommended that settings such as AntiAliasing be selected here rather than on your graphics card settings. You will also get the chance to alter some of these from within the game. There is a quick glossary of video hardware terms on page 6. 3. X2 - The Threat. You may skip the opening sequence by pressing [ESC] if you wish.

VIDEO HARDWARE GLOSSARY

Anti-Aliasing: AA is basically a technology employed to smoothen the edges of 3D objects displayed in a higher resolution than the one the picture was rendered in. X2 uses two times (2x) AA that means the resolution is doubled. Many graphic cards allow you to enforce higher levels of AA for all games by changing the settings of the Graphics Driver itself. Beware however that this can significantly slow down the game while not improving the visual quality a great deal in resolutions above 800x600. Real-time shadows: X2 can render shadows for objects dynamically. This means a spaceship for example casts a shadow away from the starlight and even rotating objects project shadows across other objects. This feature is a serious performance drainer and should only be applied on systems with a powerful video card installed (optimum system requirements). Bump mapping: X2 uses multiple layers of high quality bump maps to significantly improve the visual appearance of all objects. Without bump maps the game will look far less detailed. For this reason bump maps are turned ON by default on all graphic cards. Turn this feature off only on low-end graphic cards as a last resort to improve performance! Automatic Quality Control: AQC is a system that attempts to keep the frame rate of the game above a certain minimum by reducing visual quality gradually. Leave AQC turned on unless you have a very high-end system and think X2 is running smooth no matter what is being displayed on the screen. If you are still suffering low frame rates on your machine then for maximum performance while playing the game you should stop any background tasks i.e. virus protection, instant messengers and any other programs that are unnecessary during game play. This may also include active connections to networks and or the Internet.

K L Launch missile Change laser targeting mode.
M Select/cycle missile type

Target Management

E SHIFT L

PG DN END DEL

Target to object under cursor
Toggle enemy mode. Target keys now only cycle enemies. Target to enemy under cursor Cycle target to next / previous ship (hold down for T and E functionality)

HME INS

Cycle target to next / previous station
Cycle target to next / previous enemy

View Controls

F1 F2 F3 F4
Switch active monitor to next cockpit Switch active monitor to target view Activate next monitor
Switch active monitor to external view

Num Num

Look around cockpit or external view, control cursor in sector map
Toggle all monitors on/off
Change camera distance in external view
Cycle through camera modes. Modes are: Manual control of view angle, Cam relative to object, Cinematic flyby, Cinematic static Switch to rear view in external camera mode
Toggle grid projection if installed Change Radar mode
Zoom in (Video Enhancement goggles upgrade required)
Menu Hotkeys (Optional). Also available through main menu
S P F. Sector map Ship info menu Freight menu Pilot information SHIFT , I I

Universe map Comm. menu

Target info menu

Player property menu

Task list / Log
Change laser in bay 1-4 of active turret or cockpit Command wingmen group Command drone group Quit program Options menu

SHIFT SHIFT

SHIFT SHIFT SHIFT
Save game. This only functions in space when you have salvage insurance, which is available only from the Goner temple. Load game Ejects player from ship/enter ship. You must have your intended ship targeted and within range (30 meters) to enter. Recording on / off (3D Video stream) Help window Cycle Radar modes Save screenshot

E R M H

You are free to use any combination of the flight control methods that suit your style best. The following diagrams show the default settings and these may be further configured or adjusted depending on your model(s). Please consult your manufacturers documentation for configuring your input devices. Note that the POV hat can be used to navigate the menus if you have one available. JOYSTICK & MOUSE The Mouse operates in two modes, Normal mode and Menu mode. You can enter the Menu mode by clicking the RMB (right mouse button). Use the Wheel to navigate the menus and the LMB to select. Press the RMB again to exit the current menu and return to the previous menu or, if you wish to exit the menu system altogether, press and HOLD the RMB. Important. While navigating your on-board systems via the menu interfaces, please be aware that your ship is still under your control, either manually or via the AI interface (command console). TerraCorp HQ frowns upon the loss of equipment due to careless piloting.

Print Screen

MAIN MENU
1. Start Starts a new game of X2 - The Threat from the beginning. 2. Load Loads one of your previously saved games. Note: You do have a limited number of save game slots. 3. Simulator The tutorials enable you to jump ahead and experience some of the different features of X2 - The Threat as well as try out some different ships and get used to flying, trading, building and all of the unique features available within the game. The first tutorial is described in detail further on. 4. Intro Replays the introduction that you view the first time you play the game. 5. Options IMPORTANT NOTE: The screen resolution cannot be changed from within the game. If you wish to change the resolution, it should be done at the X2 - The Threat start up menu as described in the Starting The Game For The First Time section. Here you can adjust several settings within the game. Video will allow you to change some of the in-game features such as Bump mapping and Shadows. Sound enables different surround sound and stereo options. Controls enable different control set up options. 6. Movies Here, you can playback movie sequences that you recorded during the game. This is the place to re-live your best capture, or prove to your friends that you really did destroy 20 Khaak ships in 5 minutes! 7. Credits 8. Exit Quits X2 - The Threat and takes you back to your desktop.

COCKPIT

Although the controls of each ship may be positioned in different places to suit the layout of that particular vessel, you will find that the readouts and displays of all Argon vessels to be of a similar design. This may or may not apply to any other ships you may encounter on your travels. The cockpit and associated briefings below are taken from the Argon Discoverer M5 class Scout ship. You are advised to familiarise yourself with the layout of other ships you may acquire before piloting them into hostile situations. Main cockpit view
The image above is the whole of the cockpit in view. Below you will see different parts of this explained in more detail. There are a number of information screens showing various readouts. These have been summarised into the Overlay for ease of reading. You can look around your cockpit using your chosen view method (i.e. num-pad keys or joystick hat switch). Overlay
The overlay will also appear on the screen when in any external view as well as in-cockpit. It can be disabled in the options menu. The overlay can be split down into three distinct areas of data. 1. Communication feed. Situated on the left this is where you will see a textual readout of incoming dialogue. Your on-board systems automatically translate all known species languages. 2. Ship Status. To the right of the communication feed. Shows your ship ID, hull integrity (green), shield strength (blue), speed (yellow) and laser bank energy (red). A red indicator on the (yellow) speed bar shows the speed your ship is trying to attain. You may see a gap between this red indicator and the yellow speed bar while your ship accelerates/decelerates to the selected speed. Laser energy will deplete when the energy-based weapons systems are activated. It will slowly replenish from the main energy core. You will receive an audible warning when your laser energy is low. 3. On the right is the Gravidar/Video feed Orb. This shows the real-time 3-dimensional radar. The Gravidar can be set to varying scan distances as depicted by the five blocked indicators to the top left of the Orb and also to automatic which will change the scan range to suit localised targets. Any incoming video feed will temporarily replace the Gravidar display. The Gravidar will return automatically once the video feed is completed. Target Illumination blank

At the very top of your screen is the target information readout. This shows the current status of your selected target and is similar to your ship status display. Quick reading of this display can be critical in combat. The above image shows a blank target and the one below shows a target selected. Notice the distance from you and ship ID of the selected target along with the speed, energy weapons, shield strength bars and hull are all shown. Target Illumination active 12
HUD The head up display is situated in the middle of your view and has various functions to aid your navigation and combat. The two numbers on the top left are your current speed and selected target speed. Below is an image of an active HUD.
The HUD is active when you have a target selected. The left bar (green) shows the hull integrity of the target and the right bar (blue) shows the shield strength. The number in the top right is the targets current speed and at the bottom is its current distance from your ship. Below is an active HUD tracking an enemy.
When an enemy is targeted the same data appears on the HUD, but this time in red. Also notice that a series of red, decreasing size markers point in the direction of the enemy vessel to aid target acquisition. The target ship is surrounded by the laser-targeting computer indicator (two circles) that calculates where you should fire to hit your foe. This is referred to as leading target acquisition. If you fire where your foe is then your shots will miss, as the enemy will have moved by the time your shots get there. So you need to fire ahead of the target where it will be when your shots arrive. This is what the laser target computer achieves. It can be disabled in the options menu and like most equipment, upgraded. All enemy objects will appear as red in the Gravidar. You can also open multiple mini-monitor views and target them via the function keys (see ship control section) that enable you to track and control many objects and/or targets at once.

TUTORIAL

As a member of TerraCorp you have unlimited access to the Simulation Chamber where you can practice and hone your skills in a variety of combat and non-combat scenarios without risking yourself or your ship for real. You can use these programs as many times as you like although some of the more advanced tutorials will not become available until you have completed the simpler ones. Basic Tutorial - A Walkthrough Welcome to the tutorial section of X2. Here you will be able to practice the most basic of ship controls and progress to managing a large battle fleet and supplying your own factories, as well as trying out some of the ship types available in the X-Universe. You will however have to complete the tutorials in sequence if you wish to see some of the more advanced features available within the game. A true pilot would of course find them out while playing the game for real though, so for now well just talk you through the first tutorial, get you flying and shooting, and let you choose how to progress from there. Players new to the X-Universe may find it useful to keep the control and keyboard map close at hand for this. Dont be over-awed by all the controls at this point though - well just be using some of the most basic ones at this stage. The tutorial we are attempting is the very first one. From the MAIN MENU use the cursor keys to highlight SIMULATOR and hit [RETURN]. Then select TRAINING SIMULATOR LEVEL 1 and finally highlight TRAINING OF BASIC STEERING (it should already be selected by default). Pressing [RETURN] will take you to the first tutorial. Training of Basic Steering This tutorial allows to you become accustomed to the basic flight and weapon controls of your vessel. The ship you will be flying for this exercise is the Boron Mako. The tutorial will start to guide you with both voice and text, and we will follow it here as well. Firstly, lets have another look at the cockpit display and see what the different displays there will tell us about our ship. Note that there are quite a few displays in the cockpit but well just look for the relevant ones for now.

If you look at the above Gravidar, there are several objects in view. The object that has been selected as a target appears brighter than the others do. It also has a line below it. That means that the object is above your current location. There is another object further down and behind the centre, with a line coming out of the top, so this object is both below and behind you. Try playing with the roll keys ([Q] and [W]) as well as the cursor keys, and see how the Gravidar reacts as your ship moves. You should find it easy to move your ship to get an object near to your sights. Now, we want to select that object as a target. Press [T] to target an object near to your sights. Once targeted, you will hear confirmation from the ship computer, and it will also identify what you have targeted. Your target will be a cargo container of some description. If we were playing in a game now, we would normally let rip and give a full blast of the laser - you can do that in a moment. However, this time once you are sure you have the object in your sights, just fire once. You fire your lasers with [CTRL]. 16 If you have hit the target, you will see and hear an explosion. If you missed, line up again and try once more. Now, although cargo containers do not have shields, they are still pretty tough. One shot from your current type of laser wont destroy it. But if you remember our cockpit display guide, you will recall that around your laser sight are indicators showing the strength of your targets shield and hull strength. Check this now, and you will see that the cargo canisters hull has reduced to virtually nothing. Fire another shot and.BOOM! Congratulations - you have just made your first kill! Just be warned, it wont be so easy attacking a fast moving enemy that fires back and has shields. Now, you have the chance to try another laser that is slightly more powerful that the ones you are using now. Well use this laser on the remaining cargo containers. Press [RETURN] to go into the Main Menu. There are a variety of choices here, but the one we are looking for is WEAPONS. Either press [G] or highlight it using the cursor keys and hit [RETURN]. This takes us to the weapons menu. You can see that you have 2
Alpha Impulse Ray Emitters installed at the moment, but there is also 1 more powerful Beta Impulse Ray Emitter sitting there not currently in use. Highlight either one of the Alpha Impulse Ray Emitters and press the [RIGHT] cursor key. The Alpha laser has now been replaced by the Beta laser. Press [RETURN] to confirm the change. If you had pressed the [LEFT] key instead, you would have removed the Alpha laser and left an empty laser bay - not much use in a dogfight! Now you have your new laser installed, press [ESC] until you get back to the cockpit. Now target and destroy the remaining cargo containers. You will see that your new laser has a different colour than before. Well done - now on to the next part. When youre in the X-Universe for real, you wont be shooting valuable cargo. You will instead want to collect it and then sell it on to make money. Piracy, or just collecting cargo left over from another dogfight can be lucrative to the fledgling pilot. So now were going to pick up some cargo instead of destroying it. More cargo canisters have been deployed around you, and one of these has automatically been targeted for you - this is the one we are going to pick up. Manoeuvre your ship until it is in your sights and accelerate towards it. If we do nothing now, the cargo will just impact on our shields and be destroyed. So we need to lower our shields and open our cargo bay doors. We do this by pressing the [O] key just before the cargo is about to hit us. As the cargo bay is opened, you will hear a warning saying that your shields are now down. This is important, as when picking up cargo you are at your most vulnerable. However dont worry about that for now - there are no enemies here.yet! You will receive immediate confirmation of the cargo that you have picked up and your shields are now raised again automatically. OK then, if you think youve mastered this ship, well try another one. Another ship has been prepared for you to fly - this one is a more powerful Argon Nova. Look for it on your Gravidar - it will show up as your own property as a bright green object, unlike the blue asteroids. Fly to within a few hundred metres of this ship and then stop. We now need to get out of our current Boron Mako and get into the Argon Nova. As you progress through the game, you will find that there is some nice equipment you can buy to make this easy (as well as some nice big ships!), but for now as you will find as the game starts, we dont have any of those to use yet. So our solution is to go for a little space walk. To exit your ship, press [SHIFT E]. You have now left your ship, and the new Argon Nova has automatically been targeted for you. The controls for your space suit are exactly the same as your ship, so fly up to the new ship. The space suit has limited oxygen, but as we are only travelling a short distance, we dont need to worry about that for the time being. Once you are within about 30 or 40 metres of the new ship again press [SHIFT E] together. You will now enter the Argon Nova. Congratulations! You have completed the first basic tutorial. The choice is now yours. Will you gain more experience in the other tutorials, or learn as you go along and get stuck into the X-Universe for real? Good luck, pilot!

19 This is a visual impression of all the systems in the Universe that you have visited so far. Like the system display, the Universe map is updated automatically for all areas you have visited so far. You can use the cursor keys to move the map view from system to system or press the first letter of a system name to jump straight there. Information on the selected system is displayed on the left.

COMMAND CONSOLE

This is one of the most powerful functions within X2 - The Threat. Here you will find many features that will allow you to manage your parts of your game. You can choose to default which races are your enemy. The Command Console is accessed from the Main Menu and then pressing [C] or by pressing [SHIFT C] while outside of the menus. Just to get you started though, we're just going to look at the Command section. If you've made your way through the first tutorial yet with the help of the manual, you'll know that flying your ship is pretty easy to get the hang of. After all, space is a big place and there's not much you can bump into.
However, you will of course have to dock at a station, and especially early on in the game, you'll have to do this frequently. It might take you a while to get the hang of it, and even find the station-docking bay! So, by using the Command, Navigation function, you can ask your ship to dock automatically. By selecting Navigation, you will then be presented with a series of options:
You can now give your ship a command. If you have already selected a target, then option 1 will tell your ship to dock with it. Otherwise, option 2 will allow you to pick a station from the map. If you have read the section detailing the keyboard then you will know some of the keyboard short cuts by now. From your cockpit, pressing [S] [C] [1] [1] in sequence will tell your ship to dock at your target. Following this selection, your ship will now start its docking procedure, leaving you free to do other things in the other menus if you need to, such as control other ships and manage factories.
By default every ship you acquire (legally or illegally) will have the basic command console software installed that allows you to navigate your vessels. However, there are various upgrades that can be purchased that will enhance the functionality of the console and enable the automation of your fleet. The following graphics show a ship with the "Trade", "Special" and "Combat" software extensions installed individually. Of course, these upgrades can be all installed together too.

Once an upgrade has been purchased, that vessel will have a collection of sub-commands available as the following examples show. There are two different (I and II) upgrades that can be acquired for your ships that add functionality in each section. For example there is Combat I and Combat II.
Once a combat upgrade has been acquired you can set the intelligence of each weapon point, including missile fire probability, on the ship. Since the larger ships can have many turrets it is entirely possible to establish a mix between missile defence and offensive stature around your vessel. Bear this in mind when you are "shopping" for weapons to mount into your turrets. High powered, slow firing lasers are no match for small nimble fighters and missiles.
You will need to seek out the various upgrades, as not all are necessarily available at the same place.

TRADING

Trading is one of the most important features in the X-Universe and essentially there are two different levels to it. The first level is the easiest and most straightforward, that is buying, transporting and then selling goods at the various stations (at a profit of course!). The next level is buying and managing your own factories, keeping them supplied with their required resources and then selling the finished product to other stations which need it. You may also decide to command other ships in your fleet to go out and trade automatically for you. For now though, we will stick with basic trading. The X Universe Economy The economy in the X-Universe is unique in that it is dynamically priced. What this means literally is that the prices of goods are affected by supply and demand. As an example, if a Solar Power Plant is well stocked with Energy Cells then the selling price will be low - this is the principle of supply. However, if an Ore Mine is low on the Energy Cells that it needs to continue mining and producing Ore, then that factory will pay a premium price for any Energy Cells delivered to it, as the demand is high. If you spot two stations that match this criteria, then congratulations - you have just discovered a profitable trading opportunity. You may find that some sectors have what can be classed as milk runs', that is where there is (nearly) always a profit to be made. Trade routes such as this will be very important to you early in the game as you strive to gain more credits. Later, as you gain more credits, you will find methods and upgrades that will make trading even more profitable and easier. In addition to factories, you will also find Trading Stations scattered around the X-Universe which will buy and sell a limited amount of products at fixed prices. Each race has a hierarchy of goods it manufactures. Some are common across the races and others specific to a race. At the bottom of the pyramid are the widely available raw materials. At the top, the luxury goods and technological systems including weapons with various products in-between. Space is littered with factories producing these goods. Each factory requires one or more resources and they will send their own freight ships to acquire them, at the best possible price/distance/quantity calculated. This means that a factory may send its ships to one supplying factory one trip and another factory on its next trip, even spanning dozens of sectors if required. If the local availability of a product is low, its price will increase and likewise decrease when the quantities are increased through the manufacturing process of each factory, which takes time. As stated, simple monitoring of this dynamic economy can open up profitable trade routes and gaps in the market can be found. However, if you really want to become that business mogul, then you can acquire your very own factories (no limit on number) and deploy these wherever you see fit. These will then automatically fetch resource and manufacture goods using ships you assign to the task and within parameters you set on distance, prices and so forth. With the correct technology you can monitor these factories from afar and communicate with them to alter their settings.

This is an extremely good way to make high long-term profits, although it is not a required route to take and being a successful mogul will bring its own attention from others. So with success you will need to protect your assets accordingly. Choosing, buying and deploying your first factory is an extremely satisfying goal. You will have to decide on what cargo ships to equip it with, fighters, mines, laser towers for defence and set its buying and selling thresholds intelligently so you do not operate at a loss. Of course, all of this requires paying for too, but when setup correctly you will find that your factories can manage themselves leaving you to scoop up the profits to fund your next objective. A Beginner's Guide to Trading You will soon find that there are ships better suited than others to trading (see Vessels section). Some ships cannot trade certain goods due to the size of the cargo. You can discover these within the game - for now we'll just concentrate on how to trade. We're going to buy some Energy Cells from a Solar Power Plant in The Wall and sell them to the Ore Mine in the same sector. Once docked at our chosen Solar Power Plant, the price of the Energy Cells will be revealed to us. We have selected The Wall as there are many Solar Power Plants located there to choose from, it is very close to the start point of the game and it is normally easy to find a well-stocked station filled with cheap Energy Cells. You will soon learn to recognise a specific station from its appearance, and also how it is shown on your Gravidar (a Solar Power Plant shows up there as a large E'). You could also find it useful to look for the rotating station logos advertising their wares. A Solar Power Plant logo looks something like this:
Your ship's computer will tell you once you've targeted and locked on to a Solar Power Plant - you now need to dock there. Once docked, you can select [D] to trade with the station. This will reveal the trade screen as below: 23
You will now be able to see the status of the factory, in terms of how much stock it holds, the selling price, how many units of resources it has, and the buying price of these resources. Without giving too much away, as a guide a good price for purchasing Energy Cells is around 6 - 8 credits per unit. To buy the product, highlight it and then you have several options on how to tell the computer how much you want to buy: 1. Enter the number of units and hit [RETURN]. If you have sufficient credits, the cargo is bought and transferred to your cargo hold 2. Press [END] and then [RETURN]. If you have sufficient credits, and the station has enough of that product, this will fill up your cargo hold to the maximum available 3. Use the [LEFT & RIGHT CURSOR KEYS] to increase or decrease the amount required, and then hit [RETURN] once you have decided. On each option, you will be able to see how your credits are affected. If you refer back to the previous picture, you will see how many credits we have at the start. Now, after our transaction of buying 35 units of Energy Cells, you will see the difference below:

Split Even now the Split still control large areas that used to be territories owned by The Kingdom of Boron. They continue to use the rare Markus space fly as a propulsive system and continue to successfully trade within the Profit Foundation. Whilst relationships between the Foundation Guild and The Profit Guild remain on the surface cordial, relationships between the Split and the other races are constantly degenerating and now border on the edge of war. This is due to both the natural aggression of the Split and their continued exploitation of the Markus Space Fly. Despite being peaceful by nature The Boron are always eager to reclaim their lost territories back and await any opportunity to attack the split. The Argon are suspicious of the Split's supposed friendship with the Xenon. The Split and the Xenon tolerate each other. They have already had one slight war, but at the time as neither of them could see an easy victory or any territorial advantages they came to terms. However this treaty is very shaky and war is expected if their relationship deteriorates any further. The Split maintain a frosty friendship with the Paranid but will never forgive them for not joining with them in the fight against the Xenon. Teladi Most of the races in the X-Universe don't like the Teladi and refer to them as greedy and lazy. Sometimes they are even referred to as stupid, but that is only by races that have never traded with them. The Teladi drive some of the hardest bargains in the X Universe, and always come out of a situation with a profit. This is the reason why certain races have banned the Teladi from trading in their territories or sectors. Hence the Teladi are always on the look out for trading partners. It is believed that they finance many of the pirate operations that operate throughout the X-Universe. Indeed many races think it is no coincidence that their ships have been captured and their high-tech equipment looted by pirates after refusing to trade with the Teladi. Their own technology tends to lag behind the rest of the occupants of the X-Universe but, being Teladi, they would rather buy and trade what they need rather then spend their money in research and development. Hence the Teladi have access to all the high-tech equipment, engines and weapon technology of almost all the other races. 42 Argon Today the Argon Federation is wealthy and encompasses a large number of very different types of planets. Some are hot deserts while others are ice wastes. The planet Argon Prime is heart of the Federation and is the residence of the government and all administration. It is also one of the most exciting planets in the X-Universe. As well as being the home of culture, science and learning, it is also home to the finest entertainment's. As well as housing the finest geodesic holiday homes it also has thousands of bars, restaurants, theatres, casinos, hologramic cinemas, holiday villas, everything in fact that makes it the finest rest and recreation centre in any known universe. The Argon Federation is governed by an elected parliament, with each city colony and space station represented by senators elected by their own people. The leader of the Argon Parliament is called President. Currently this position is held by a male Argon called Frann Herron.

Triplex Scanner The Triplex scanner increases the Gravidar scanner range by a factor of 3. The technology used detects greater variations in the gravitational anomalies that are generated by stations. This information is then processed and fed directly to both the sector map and the Gravidar display. Video Enhancement Goggles Invented by the Argon during the Boron Campaign it allowed their fighter pilots an advantage by being able to spot fighter crafts from long distances. Since then the product has been adapted by the commercial sector and is now widely available in its recent shape fitted specifically to the various races. ORDNANCE Disruptor This weapon is unlike any weapon encountered, developed by Boron Scientists; this weapon fires a steady stream of ion particles in the direction of a ship. Then the stream is ignited. The result is a lightning effect that affects ship systems and shields, while leaving the hull relatively untouched. Although this weapon is new, it has undergone extensive testing to make sure it conforms to Boron standards. Dragonfly Missile The dragonfly class missile is a medium power missile typically used for attacks on medium to large fighter targets. Fighter Drone A fighting drone can be launched against an enemy ship and attacks the target autonomously. High Energy Plasma Throwers The radiation is so dangerous that the weapon had to go through many jazuras of research and development until it could be placed on the market. This was worked around by adding a radiation sink into the weapons main design. Purging the weapon of all excess radiation between shots. Hornet Missile ("Station/Factory Killers") The Hornet Class Missile is the most powerful weapon known today. The gigantic resources needed to produce this monster also make it extremely expensive. The missile works by setting off a small nuclear charge causing a reaction between three differing elements that are then combined on impact to create a large explosion powerful enough to disrupt even the largest shields. The hornet is however the slowest of the known missiles, and is best used against immobile or slow moving targets. Ion Impulse Ray Emitters The Impulse Ray Emitter is one of the oldest energy based weapons around. They require little power to fire and they usually have quite a rapid-fire rate. No one actually knows when the weapon was first developed and they are available in several versions.
Laser Tower A defence installation typically found around stations or factories to help them against invaders. Laser tower Weapon This is the primary high-energy plasma beam that is used in Laser towers. Its main energy systems make this weapon incompatible with large ships for the time being, although scientists are trying to find a way to remedy this situation. Argon scientists first developed this weapon by accident when using a photon enhanced Gamma radiation, which created a beam laser. Mass Driver This weapon is unique in that it is the only type of non-energy based projectile weapon available. It consists of a rapid feed multi barrelled cannon, which is capable of delivering a large number of small projectiles to its target in a short period of time. It inflicts damage not due power of individual projectiles but because of the large numbers of projectiles delivered. Due to the unique nature of this weapon's ammunition it has almost no effect on a ship's shields but instead delivers heavy damage directly to the target's hull. It also causes very little power drain due to the fact that its ammunition supplies all energy requirements. Currently the weapon can only be fitted to Argon and split ships, as they are the only ships that can accommodate the ammunition feed system. The true power of this weapon comes from its ammunition. Mass Driver Ammunition This is special ammunition for use in the Mass Driver. Each projectile is a self contained unit consisting of the projectile itself and a small armour piercing shell which is then encased in a unique crystalline matrix, which allows the shells to pass through ship shields unhindered, by producing a tiny spatial distortion using the shields own energy. This pack contains 200 rounds. Mosquito Missile The Mosquito Missile is the most commonly used light missile in space fight. The main purpose of this weapon is missile defence for craft without a rear gun turret. Excellent for destroying war drones. Because of this, most ships can use this missile. Particle Accelerator Cannons The Paranid and Argon developed the first of its class. The Particles are accelerated to a speed faster than most currently known spacecraft. When they are then polarised and focused into a tight energy pulse. They have been around since the Xenon conflict. Phased Shockwave Generators These weapons were developed in conjunction between the Teladi and Paranid. They work by sending out a phased package, which reacts and expands, creating a shockwave of phased energy. They have many uses including excellent missile defence.

"Keep lean." He was saying as I walked away and headed for the exit to the bar. Outside the metal flooring of the corridor clanged as people walked back and forth trying to avoid each other in the narrow strip. I gave a glance backwards into the bar and the man had already changed tables to seek out his next payment. I laughed. Not for me old man, but for me. I walked down the corridor and joined in the zigzagging routine that accompanied moving around on the station. The music and background noise of the bar beginning to recede as I got farther away until it had gone completely. I recalled the main advice I had gleaned in the bar. Go to "The Wall" and trade energy cells. Always needed, always profit to be made. If you can risk having no weapons then sell what you can and buy another ship. A trading ship, like an Argon Mercury and use both ships to haul freight. Steady profit they said, steady and safe. Must be advice from a Teladi company member. Steady and safe. Maybe going a little further out and looking for escort missions and person transports would suit me better. Go from station to station and scan the boards for lucrative jobs. I had a fast ship and I was a good pilot. I could do that right? The decisions tumbled around in my mind as I made my way to the hangar bay and my ship. [Log from Bret. Prisoner Gamma 76142, Argon Security Establishment, Artur.]
A PIRATE'S LOG "Know your enemy. No better advice I can give than that. Oh, perhaps know your systems too!" The women sat, dressed in the non-conforming uniform of a space traveller. The clothes bearing the marks of a worn existence clung tightly and her half shaven scalp glistened in the star light that made its was through the darkened space screen behind her. Her eyes hidden behind the narrow band of her data feed, she continued the paid for advice. "No point in taking out any ship in the inner systems, where the large capital ships and security patrols roam. A quick rush of blood is usually followed by a quick death. Get out into the lawless worlds; the pirate systems are where the credits can be found. If you can take the heat." "You can take the heat can't you?" She enquired as she leaned sideways and grasped her drink before returning back to her original position. I didn't answer. She continued anyway. "It used to be easy see. Scan a ship and find its cargo was worth a small fortune. You'd always get a cargo ship risking the shortcuts, they never learned. Guess they were just looking for a quick credit like you and I huh?" "Come in fast, from above and behind." she gestured with her hands to show the manoeuvre, ".and then give them a full energy bank. Or if it was one of those wellshielded company ships, hit it with a few missiles first. Some pilots would jump immediately, risking a short walk in space to the nearest station rather than be around for an explosion and then that's it, your ship, all yours. Sure, maybe some of its systems got a little fried during the fight, but empty hulls still command large credits at the shipyards." She leaned backwards, rocking slightly in the chair. "But then the guilds got smart. Those lone, enticing cargo ships employ more defensive measures now. Rear turrets, missiles and fighter drones." She shook her head slowly. "It isn't like it used to be, that's for sure." "Still a life can be made and a good one too! Some pilots will drop some of their freight and run for the nearest gate while you stop to pick it up. Easy credits. Look at me." She raised her arms into the air and stood, swirling around as she did so. "All the comforts that you see before you can be yours." "Pick your targets carefully, do it out of sight and where the scanners can't see." She winked. "Yeah." she paused ".the best advice? Get the right ship for the job. Yes, that's the best advice I can give. Get your own collection and hide them away somewhere discreet. Want to smuggle? Take that fast scout ship, fancy a spot of looting? Heavy fighter. Someone wants to pick a fight?" She laughed out loud before answering her own question. "Take the whole fleet!" The laughter continued. "Get a fleet and a system can be yours, blockade the gates, starve the factories." the voice had risen in tone and volume, ".good luck pirate!" She added as she walked away. I guessed my time was up and I rose from my own seat. I heard her last words as she disappeared out of sight. "You'll need it."

Voice Production: Nils Bote Thomas 'Elf' Buchhorn Marc Braun Weirdoz Localizations - Martin Ruiz -----------------------------
Public Relations: David Blundell

Graphic Design: Rob Pace

SHIP CONTROLS

Most Important Keys

Esc DEL

Previous menu

Exit all menus and return to cockpit instantly

Open command console.

Ship Controls

Ship rotation

Brake to zero speed Open bay door

Ship speed control

Alt Gr
Switch current ship to computer control Strafe movement Command ship to Dock at my target SHIFT P
Activate SETA (time compression) Pause

Boost speed to max

Weapon Controls
LMB Fire lasers of active cockpit or turret
K L Launch missile Change laser targeting mode.
M Select/cycle missile type

Target Management

E SHIFT L

PG DN END DEL

Target to object under cursor
Toggle enemy mode. Target keys now only cycle enemies. Target to enemy under cursor Cycle target to next / previous ship (hold down for T and E functionality)

HME INS

Cycle target to next / previous station
Cycle target to next / previous enemy

View Controls

F1 F2 F3 F4
Switch active monitor to next cockpit Switch active monitor to target view Activate next monitor
Switch active monitor to external view

Num Num

Look around cockpit or external view, control cursor in sector map
Toggle all monitors on/off
Change camera distance in external view
Cycle through camera modes. Modes are: Manual control of view angle, Cam relative to object, Cinematic flyby, Cinematic static Switch to rear view in external camera mode
Toggle grid projection if installed Change Radar mode
Zoom in (Video Enhancement goggles upgrade required)
Menu Hotkeys (Optional). Also available through main menu
S P F. Sector map Ship info menu Freight menu Pilot information SHIFT , I I

Universe map Comm. menu

Target info menu

Player property menu

Task list / Log
Change laser in bay 1-4 of active turret or cockpit Command wingmen group Command drone group Quit program Options menu

SHIFT SHIFT

SHIFT SHIFT SHIFT
Save game. This only functions in space when you have salvage insurance, which is available only from the Goner temple. Load game Ejects player from ship/enter ship. You must have your intended ship targeted and within range (30 meters) to enter. Recording on / off (3D Video stream) Help window Cycle Radar modes Save screenshot

E R M H

You are free to use any combination of the flight control methods that suit your style best. The following diagrams show the default settings and these may be further configured or adjusted depending on your model(s). Please consult your manufacturers documentation for configuring your input devices. Note that the POV hat can be used to navigate the menus if you have one available. JOYSTICK & MOUSE The Mouse operates in two modes, Normal mode and Menu mode. You can enter the Menu mode by clicking the RMB (right mouse button). Use the Wheel to navigate the menus and the LMB to select. Press the RMB again to exit the current menu and return to the previous menu or, if you wish to exit the menu system altogether, press and HOLD the RMB. Important. While navigating your on-board systems via the menu interfaces, please be aware that your ship is still under your control, either manually or via the AI interface (command console). TerraCorp HQ frowns upon the loss of equipment due to careless piloting.

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