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ENEMY STAR : Version 1.0e
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Copyright Owen Thomas 1997-1999
All Rights Reserved.


Contents:

   [1]  DESCRIPTION
   [2]  REQUIREMENTS
   [3]  STARTING ENEMY STAR
   [4]  THE SETUP PROGRAM
   [5]  BACKGROUND
   [6]  PLAYING THE GAME
   [7]  LIST OF NASTIES
   [8]  HINTS
   [9]  COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
  [10]  TECHNICAL SUPPORT
  [11]  CREDITS
  [12]  DISCLAIMER


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[1] DESCRIPTION
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Enemy Star is an arcade game featuring stunning 256-colour raytraced
graphics and 360 degree, full-screen parallax scrolling, all at a
super-smooth 70 frames per second.

Thrust your ship through heavily defended underground caverns, past wind
tunnels, fire-walls and subterranean lakes. Lock onto stolen nuclear pods
with your ship's tractor beam and carry them back to the planet surface
and beyond into hyperspace. And then things really start hotting up...


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[2] REQUIREMENTS
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Enemy Star requires:

 * 486 or faster IBM-compatible PC
 * Colour VGA graphics
 * 8Mb of RAM
 * 8Mb of hard-drive space
 * MS-DOS 5.0 or later
 * Sound Blaster compatible card (optional)

This game will run under Windows 95, but doing so may require a slightly
faster computer - if the animation does not appear completely smooth,
you should try shutting Windows down and running the game from DOS.
Enemy Star must be run in full-screen mode - it is not designed to run
in a window on your desk-top.


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[3] STARTING ENEMY STAR
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To start Enemy Star from DOS:

 1. Switch to the drive where the game is installed (eg. C:).
 2. Move to the sub-directory where the game is installed (eg. CD \ESTAR).
 3. Type ESTAR

Alternatively, you can start Enemy Star with one or more of these switches:

 ESTAR -RESET
 Restores all the option settings (ie. sound, graphics and control) to
 their original state. Always try this switch if you encounter any problems
 which you cannot resolve by other means.

 ESTAR -QUIET
 Disables the sound effects.

 ESTAR -SLOWSHOW
 Displays a "SLOW" warning message in the bottom-right corner of the screen
 whenever your computer is unable to keep up the pace. Use this switch if
 you suspect the game is running slowly. If the message flashes only for
 brief periods, don't worry, but if it stays on, you should consider
 methods of speeding the game up (see Common Problems and Solutions).

 ESTAR -SHOP
 Puts the game into shop display mode. Users will not be able to access the
 Options Menu or put their names in the high score table. Also, if the game
 is left unattended on the main menu for more than 30 seconds, it will
 automatically switch into demo mode. To exit the game, you must hold down
 the F10 key and press ESC while you are on the main menu - attempting to
 exit by the normal method will simply re-start the game.

You can also use the following cheat switches:

 ESTAR -CHEATKEYS
 Enables the cheat keys: F5 to upgrade your weapons; F6 to repair any
 damage to your ship; and F7 to skip the current level.

 ESTAR -LEVEL x
 Starts each game on level x.

 ESTAR -WEAPON x
 Starts each game with the player's weapon at power level x.

 ESTAR -MISSILES x
 Starts each game with the player having x missiles.

It's up to your conscience whether or not you use these cheats, but if you
do, your score will be fixed at zero.


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[4] THE SETUP PROGRAM
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Enemy Star will do a very good job of auto-detecting the sound card
installed in your computer and most users will encounter no problems.
However, if you do, you should run the SETUP program and tell it exactly
what your settings are (you may have to refer to your sound card manual
for some of this information):

 1. Switch to the drive where the game is installed (eg. C:).
 2. Move to the sub-directory where the game is installed (eg. CD \ESTAR).
 3. Type SETUP


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[5] BACKGROUND
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The Empire is under attack. Rebel forces have hijacked government
nuke-pods and secured them deep underground in heavily defended bunkers.
The Emperor has 24 hours to surrender or face the consequences.

Conventional craft are unable to navigate the underground bunkers.
The Empire's only hope is a top secret, highly manoeuvrable assault craft
and YOU are the only qualified pilot.


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[6] PLAYING THE GAME
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The default keys are as follows:

   Left Arrow           Rotate Anti-Clockwise
   Right Arrow          Rotate Clockwise
   Up Arrow             Thrust Forwards
   Ctrl                 Fire
   P                    Pause/Resume
   F1                   Help
   Esc                  Menu

Your mission is to seek out the stolen nukes, lock on to them with the
ship's tractor beam and carry them safely into orbit.

Sound easy? Well the pods are booby-trapped and locking on to them will
trigger a countdown - get out of there before the countdown reaches zero
or you won't live to regret it.

You will also encounter enemy ambushes in hyperspace. You must
eliminate all enemy craft before you can return to the planet surface.

The red bar at the top of the screen shows your shield strength.
Each time you or the pod you are carrying is hit, your shields are
depleted - if they reach zero, you die! Fortunately you have three
lives and you can get extra lives and repair your shields by collecting
power-up gems:

 LIFE POWER-UP
 This is a yellow gem marked with a human figure. It gives one extra life.
 Your lives are indicated by the miniature ships at the top of the screen.

 SHIELD POWER-UP
 This is a white gem marked with a red cross. It will restore up to 50%
 of your shields.

 WEAPON POWER-UP
 This is a red power-up marked with a gun-sight. These gems will boost
 your fire-power.

 SAVE POWER-UP
 This is a green power-up marked with a disk. Collect this gem to save
 your current position.

Sometimes, your path will be blocked by a gate or other obstacle.
These can be opened by shooting a switch, but first you'll have to find it.

If a switch flashes green after you've shot it, the gate will only remain
open for a short period. If the switch turns a steady green (without
flashing), the gate will stay open.

Good luck - you're going to need it!


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[7] LIST OF NASTIES
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MINES
These spiked spheres obstruct your path and explode on contact.
They come in four types:

 STANDARD (GREEN) MINES
 Easily destroyed with a few shots.

 TRIGGER (BLUE) MINES
 Will accelerate towards your ship if shot - get out of the way quickly!

 INDESTRUCTIBLE (BLACK) MINES
 Cannot be shot - you must simply avoid them.

 HOMING (RED) MINES
 If you get too close to these mines, they will lock onto your ship.
 You must avoid them until they self-destruct or hit a wall.
 They can also be shot, but it takes a lot of hits.

STANDARD GUNS
These guns are restricted to either horizontal or vertical firing.

RADAR GUNS
Transmit high-frequency shock-waves capable of inflicting severe damage.
However, the firing pattern is predictable and they are easily destroyed.

TURRET GUNS
These guns will target your ship VERY accurately. Take them out quickly.

SWEEP GUNS
Scatter rapid fire through a 90 degree range.
You'll have to time your attack very carefully to avoid being hit.

CUBOID
Cube shaped patrol droid with a deadly aim.

YELLOW MEANIES
These suicide droids will attempt to ram your ship.

ASTEROIDS
Frequently encountered in hyperspace.
The larger ones will disintegrate into smaller rocks when destroyed.

ZINGERS
Usually encountered in asteroid fields, Zingers move in groups in a
snake-like fashion. Take care to shoot the front or back Zingers first -
if you shoot the middle, you'll be left with two independent chains.

SPI-DROIDS
These spider-like guard droids will home in on your ship VERY quickly.

ROBO-SNAKE
This one takes a LOT of hits to kill.
It will follow your ship so take care not to corner yourself.

SPIKE-BALL
This huge droid hunts it's prey in hyperspace - it's favoured tactic is
to repeatedly chase and then open fire. You'll have to learn when to
fight and when to run if you're going to survive this one.

CLAWS
These tough rebel ships leave a deadly trail of shots in their wake.
You'll have trouble avoiding them, so make their destruction a priority.

BOUNCERS
Fast moving, fast firing guard droids.

GLOBULES
These jelly-like creatures will home in on your ship. The larger ones
will split into smaller versions of themselves when destroyed.

RINGERS
These small droids move in a circular pattern designed to trap your ship.

FLAMER
The ultimate killing machine - armed with two powerful flame throwers,
it will quickly turn your ship to toast if you don't get out of the way.
Once damaged, it's even more dangerous, spewing shots in all directions.


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[8] HINTS
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General suggestions:

 * If you've read the instructions and you still don't understand what
   you're meant to do, just watch the demo - that's what it's there for.

 * Most users find keyboard control easier than using a joystick.

In the subterranean levels:

 * Learning how to control the ship is a large part of the game.
   Most players take about 10 minutes to pick up the basics, but it may
   take an hour or so before you can really throw the ship around at will.
   
   It's a highly manoeuvrable craft and the controls are very sensitive,
   so take things slowly at first. Use the thruster sparingly and keep the
   nose pointing up whenever possible. If you need to move downwards, don't
   turn upside down, just let gravity do the work for you. And if you must
   aim sideways, for example to shoot a switch on the wall, give your craft
   a boost upwards first so you've got plenty of time to stop your fall.

 * If you want to travel against the flow in a wind tunnel (or with the
   flow when you're carrying a nuke-pod), it's important to build up speed
   before entering it.

 * Always plan how you're going to get back to the surface before locking
   on to a nuke-pod. Sometimes it's easier to clear a path to the exit
   first and then go back to collect the pod.

In the hyperspace levels:

 * Try to stay in the centre of the screen.

 * If your ship is hidden off the edge of the screen, don't just hang
   around waiting to be hit - take a chance and just accelerate ANYWHERE.

 * Keep the number of asteroids on the screen to a minimum by picking off
   the larger rocks one at a time: shoot one large rock, shoot all the
   smaller rocks released, and only then shoot the next large rock.

 * Some of the alien craft home in on your ship. You can confuse them by
   moving off one side of the screen and appearing on the other.


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[9] COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
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 * Whatever problem you encounter, if all else fails, you should always try
   re-setting the game with the -RESET switch (type ESTAR -RESET to start).

 * Although the game may run normally under Microsoft Windows 3.1, it is
   not advised. If you have problems getting the sound to work, or if the
   game runs slowly or even halts completely, you should try exiting
   Windows and running the game from DOS (note: this means shutting Windows
   down completely, not just running the game from a DOS session while
   Windows remains in the background).
  
   There should be no problem running Enemy Star under Windows 95 so long
   as you have a reasonably fast computer, but if you do encounter any
   problems, again try shutting Windows down and running the game from DOS.

   Enemy Star must be run in full-screen mode - it is not designed to run
   in a window on your desk-top.

 * If you have a Sound Blaster compatible card, but are unable to get sound
   effects to play or you get a lot of interference on the sound:

   (1) check the sound volume on the Options Menu,
   
   (2) try running the SETUP program to configure your sound card,

   (3) check you're not running the game under Microsoft Windows 3.1,

   (4) if you're running under Windows 95, try shutting Windows down and
       running the game from DOS,

   (5) disconnect any parallel port devices, and

   (6) check you have your sound card drivers installed correctly
       (you will have to refer to your sound card manual for this).

 * If the program locks up or "behaves oddly", there may be a conflict
   with your sound card. Try starting Enemy Star without sound (ie. disable
   sound from within the SETUP program or start the game with the -QUIET
   switch).

 * If the screen does not scroll smoothly, there are two possible causes:

   (1) You've selected "FRAME RATE : SLOW" on the Options menu.
       This should only be necessary if you have a very slow computer.

   (2) The game is running slowly (see below).

 * If the game runs slowly, try the following:

   (1) Reduce the graphical detail via the Options Menu.

   (2) Switch off Joystick Control.

   (3) Use the SETUP program to disable all sound effects.

   (4) Make sure you're not running the game under Windows.

 * If the graphics appear either too dark or very washed out, don't forget
   to try adjusting the settings on your monitor. Different monitors give
   very different results!

 * If you receive a message telling you there is insufficient memory
   available, try booting your computer with a minimum boot disk or modify
   your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files (see your DOS manual for further
   instructions).


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[10] TECHNICAL SUPPORT
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All technical support enquiries regarding this game must be addressed to

   Midas Interactive Entertainment BV
   Ekkersrijt 7318
   5692 HH Son
   Holland

Alternatively, please visit Midas's World Wide Web page at

   www.gamesarena.com


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[11] CREDITS
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DESIGN:             Owen Thomas

PROGRAMMING:        Owen Thomas

ARTWORK:            Owen Thomas

PLAY-TESTING:       Merete Hertzum
                    Ian Thomas
                    Jason Toft
                    Joe LaVerdi
                    Martin Moyse
                    Pete Croft
                    Julian Morris
                    Stephen Kelly
                    Bryan Smith
                    Keif Gwinn
                    Mark Gilman
                    James Answer
                    Dale Wilks
                    Paul Smith-Crallan
                    Charles Pearmain
                    Martin Prescott

SPECIAL THANKS TO:  Anne & Denys
                    The POV-Ray Team
                    Jean-loup Gailly
                    Mark Adler
                    DiamondWare


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[12] DISCLAIMER
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Great care has been taken to ensure this program is virus-free and is
safe for you to use. However, you use this program at your own risk.
We cannot accept responsibility for any damage caused to your computer,
or to any data held on your computer, by the running of this program.

That's the English version - here's the legal stuff:

THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS-IS". NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, ARE MADE AS TO IT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON. WE WILL PROVIDE NO
REMEDY FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING
FROM IT, INCLUDING SUCH FROM NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR BREACH OF
WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, EVEN AFTER NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

