Planetfall (Argus Press)

Type Up by Blughes

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It's not an easy life trying to develop the Galaxy. Since the

wars of Intercession were won we've had a pretty rotten

time trying to build ourselves a civilisation around here.



	No some smart-alec administrators had this flash

idea - take a bunch of the old Starfighter pilots (currently

out of a job) get them a ship - on loan at horrendous

interest rates of course - and set them up as commercial

traders, shuttling around the systems. Bound to improve

dispersion of goods that is, change the who economic

climate it will. We'll get Terran computers shipped across

the Galaxy at very little cost, soon improve the Empire

that will!



	Hah! Typical pen-pushers' garbage! Did no-one tell

him about the pirate ships we haven't caught yet? Or the

magnetic storms left by the Planetkillers? Play havoc with

you navigation they do. It's no joke making a living at this,

I can tell you! Having to argue with smug dealers and sharp

aliens - not to mention the bailiffs come to collect on the

"loads" - is no way for a fighter-pilot to carry on.



Loading: The filename of the program is given on the cassette label and this should be loaded

according to your manufacturer's instructions. If you computer supports two different baud rates

check the label to see which has been used, if no rate is given the default speed has been selected.



Playing the game: Once loaded and run you can start to tackle this game of strategy and skill.

Planetfall is set several decades into the future, a time where there is a vast merchant starfleet

ploughing back and forth between the major star-systems. It is a multi-player game and your sole aim

is to tbe the player with the greatest total assets at the end. The skill lies in making the

decisions on which planet to visit next, what to buy and sell when you get there and the way you

handle your financial reserves.

	The game also includes a further element of skill in the buying and selling process. The

program 'haggles' with you over the price of the goods you are trying to sell and you, in turn, may

haggle over the price asked for the goods that the planet is trying to sell. If you aren't

successful in this you could blow the deal completely or end up either paying more than you ought or

getting less than you expected! It is also very unwise to try to press unwanted merchandise on the

occupants of a planet, try it and see what happens!

	On of the most attractive features of the game is its multiplicity of screen displays. Each of

the 11 screens has a distinct purpose and they are as follows:



1) Initialisation

At the beginning you are offered the option  starting a new game or loading an old one from tape.

When you choose a new game you must enter the number of players, ships and planets. You can also

choose to set a limit to the length of the game at this time and (on some versions) set the sound

level.



2) Map of the Galaxy

This shows the positions of the systems relative to Sol, the home system. Liberties have been taken

with reality, our galaxy is two-dimensional!



3) Commodity prices and travel time display

There is a maximum of 15 star-systems, although you don't need to start with this many. Your ship

can carry six commodities; Uranium, Iron Ore, Machinery, Medical supplies, Computers and Gems. The

display shows, for each star-system in the game, the buying and selling prices of these commodities.

A star-system will either buy or sell a commodity, never both at the same time. The distance from

your current position in the Galaxy to all the other systems is shown, as is a printout of your

current cargo status.



4) Travel printout

This provides an overall schedule for all the players and their various ships. Use it when you are

deciding which star-system to visit next.



5) Trading display

This is the most complex display of the game. Basically, it handles the buying and selling of

commodities once you have achieved 'Planetfall'. At the top of the screen is the elapsed time (real)

the stardate (gametime) and the captain's name. Also in the top portion of the display are the name

of the ship and the star-system you are currently visiting.

	The right-hand side of the screen contains the ship's log, the cargo printout, the cash on

board and the money you have in the bank. It also indicates wether you are in BUY or SELL mode,

don't get confused!

	On the left-hand side of the screen messages will appear as the star-system's dealers bid for

your cargo. Your offers are also displayed here along with other relevant messages.

	Once trading is finished you will be asked which system you wish to travel to next. Pressing X

here will give you the option display or you can simply key the initial letter of the planet you

want to go to. Every so often you will be offered the option to visit the local bank and deposit or

withdraw cash.



6) Bank display

If you choose to visit the local bank you are informed of the amount you have in cash on board the

ship and the amount in the Galactic bank. You can deposit or withdraw money at this stage.



7) Options display

Selected by keying X when you finish trading it offers nine options. These are self-explanatory.



8) Bank statement

This display shows the current financial status of the captains, aggregated across his or her fleet

of trading ships. The amount of cash on board ship and in the bank is shown together with the value

of the cargo at current market prices. This display also forms the basis of the annual report and

the end of game report.



9) New star-system

If you started with less than 15 star-systems you will occasionally 'find' a new star-system. Its

name and position in the galaxy will be displayed.



10) ETA

Once trading is complete and you have selected the star-system you wish to visit next you may find

that you have been delayed for one reason or another. In any event your planetfall ETA will be

displayed.



11) Urgent Message

At unpredictable intervals the screen will clear, revealing a message about an urgent need for some

particular commodity on one of the star-systems. If you have a supply of that commodity you need to

try to get there first, they will pay almost any price for it!



The content of this program, including all instructions, drawings, plans, BASIC and machine code

routines and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein belong to Argus Specialist

Publications Ltd.



All rights conferred by the Law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of

international copyright conventions, are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Ltd

and all copying and reproduction of this product, by whatever means, either electronic or other

media, is expressly forbidden. The prior written consent of the Company is necessary in all cases

and the Company will vigorously and aggressively seek to maintain and protect these rights, in all

circumstances and whatever the reason for the infringement of these rights.



This program is part of the ASP range of software, a catalogue of which can be obtained from the

address below.



ASP is always seeking to expand its range and if you have written any software yourself that you

think might be suitable for inclusion in our future catalogue please do not hesitate to contact us.

We pay commercial rates for all programs published.



ARGUS PRESS SOFTWARE LTD., No. 1 Golden Square, London W1R 3AB

(C) ASP LTD 1983

