MANUAL Linux version by Linux Game Pubiishing LTD Linux Game Pubiishing LTD 17 Rossington Rd Nottingham NG2 4HX Engiand http://www.linuxgamepubiishing.com Windows version by Egosoft Egosoft Heidestrae 4 52146 Wursien Germany http://www.egosoft.com ©2003-2006 Egosoft. Linux version © 2006 Linux Game Pubiishing LTD. Aii rights reserved. Egosoft, the Egosoft Logo, X2 and the X2 iogo are trademarks of Egosoft. Linux Game Pubiishing is a trademark of Linux Game Pubiishing LTD. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvaids. Aii other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. Aii rights reserved. Printed in the UK. 2 Setup & Installation System Requirements. .3 .3 Uninstalling. .3 Starting X2: The Threat. Getting Started. .3 .5 TerraCorp Space-Fleet Pilots Manual .^ Main Menu. .10 Cockpit. Tutorial. .14 Navigation. .18 Command Console. .20 T rading. Combat. Building. .27 .30 Appendices i. Ranks. ii. Vessels. ill. Inhabitants. iv. Equipment & Ordnance V. The Options Menu. vi. Gates. vii. Zuran Time. Tales from the Cosmos A Trader's Log.53 A Pirate's Log.55 Farnham's Legend - Prologue.56 Support Information Technical Support.58 Credits.58 End User License Agreement.59 33 41 44 49 50 SETUP 6 inSTRLLHTIOn System Requirements Pentium 1.2 GHz or better pro( 256 MB RAM 3D Graphics Card with 64MB rr XFree86 version 3.3.x or later OSS Compatible sound card r>VD Rom .4GB Hard disc space ou will then be prompted for install options. ' you have not previously installed the LGP update t efore the initial game installation. This will automate t pplying patches. You may wish to run it occasionally tc his will be installed ocess of finding and :k for updates to X2. Starting X2: The Threat Once you have installed X2, you may play it by selecting your Pr button on your toolbar, and choosing X2: The Threat from the Garni To start the game from the command line, simply type X2 THE THREAT ^J~ Starting The Game ^ -. At the initial start up screen, you may change some basic settings, such as Screen Resolution and other graphics settings. You will also get the chance to alter some of these from within the game. Most of the settings are easy to understand, but some of the graphics options may be unfamiliar to you. 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 smoothly no matter what is being displayed on the Antialiasing: This is a technology to smoothen the edges of 3d objects in a higher resolution than the one the picture is drawn in, but beware, as this can significantly slow down the game while not improving the visual quality much in resolutions above 800x600. Bumpmaps: X2 uses multiple layers of high quality bumpmaps to significantly improve the visual appearance of all objects. Without bumpmaps the game will look far less detailed. Turn this feature off only on low-end graphic cards as a last resort to improve performance! 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 requires a very high performance from your graphics card and should only be turned on if you feel your graphics card is of a high enough quality. MANUAL Getting Started It is recommended that you at least play through the first tutorial whether you are new to the X-Universe or not before progressing into the game proper. There is a step-by-step guide to the first tutorial in the flight manual section. Otherwise pressing START will start a new game from the beginning. If you have a save game, then you should select LOAD instead. From here, you will be taken through the first parts of the story line in X2 - The Threat. You will meet one of the main characters and they will help you to get started. Once you've finished your introduction to the plot, you'll be flying your new ship in no time at all. After launch, you'll also be given further help and information from TerraCorp along with instructions on what to do next, and where to go. From this point on, it's all up to you. You can follow your instructions or go off and do your own thing. Introduction Welcome, space pilot, to TerraCorp. You are now a member of the largest space fleet in the whole of the Argon controlled territories. TerraCorp is a family. Every ship you meet will greet you with the warmth and companionship that only our beloved Corporation can give you. Be sure to act in accordance with company policy and be courteous to your fellow travellers as I am sure they will be to you. Your ship (unless you have documents stating otherwise) belongs to the Corporation. Any damage is to be paid for from your credits. Please keep your vessel, both inside and out, in the condition you received it. You will find in these pages the basic flight controls of your craft that are based upon the "unified flight control" systems of your very own TerraCorp. This enables pilots to easily move from one ship class to another retaining some familiarity with the control mechanisms. There are various technical sections detailing weapon systems, flight control, race history and more to help you in your employment. Read and learn these well for knowledge of the Universe is of great importance, especially if your travels take you outside of Argon controlled space. Good profit to you and in the words of our founder "Never travel empty. A journey without profit is a journey with no purpose." MANUAL Ship Controls Most important keys IfESCi Previous Menu ^30 Command Console Ship controls 0000 Shiprotation 0 @ Ship Rolling in in Ship Speed Control ^ Activate SETA if installed |[-^| Brake to zero speed Boost speed to max ^ Open/Close Bay Door ^ Autopilot I^AyJ strafe Movement if installed |shift| |p| Pause l[sM m Dock at Target Weapon Controls pn Launch Missile ^ Select Missile Type ^ Change Targeting Mode Target Management in Target to object under cursor in Toggle Enemy Mode - Target keys now only cycle enemies Target to enemy under cursor |pG2^ |pG£^ Cycle target to next/previous ship Cycle target to next/previous station |[ INS 1 |[ del! Cycle target to next/previous enemy 0 — Switch ■ to next cockpit ■ to external view X2 THE THREAT |SHI^ 1^ Change radar mode Menu Hotkeys (optional). Also available through main menu im Sector Map Q Universe Map 0 Ship info menu Q Target info menu 0 Freight Menu ^ Comm Menu ITpI Pilot information |[shift| IfTl Task List / Log ^ Property Menu Q 0 0 Change laser in bay 1-4 of active turret or cockpit |[SHIFt| ^ ^ Command wingmen group |SHI^ 0 0 Command drone group |[SHIFt| ^ Quit Program |[SHIFt| Ifol Options Menu |SHI0 Cycle Radar Modes Ifsm0 in Save Game |SHI0 Eject/Re-enter ship Ifsm0 in Recording on/off Ih] HeipWindovi/ |[PRTSC| Save Screenshot MANUAL X2 THE THREAT different features of X2 - The Threat as well as try out some different ships - and get used to flying, trading, building and all o within the game. The first tutorial is described in Replays the introduction that you v This will allow you to adjust several settings within the game. Video you to change some of the in-game features such as Bump map Shadows. Sound enables different surround sound and stereo options, enable different control set up options. IMPORTANT NOTE: The screen resolution cannot be changed from v\ game. If you wish to change the resolution, it should be done at the Threat start up menu as described in the Starting The Game For The F n playback movie sequences that y MANUAL 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 I 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 | ; we'll just talk you through the first tutorial, get you flying and shooting, and let i ! you choose how to progress from there. Players new to the X Universe may find it useful to keep the control and i ^ keyboard map close at hand for this. Don't be over-awed by all the controls at j [ this point though - we'll 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 j ! the cursor keys to highlight SIMULATOR and hit . Then select TRAINING SIMULATOR LEVEL 1 and finally highlight TRAINING OF BASIC STEERING (it should already be selected by default). Pressing [enterI will take you to the I , 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, let's 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 we'll just look for the relevant ones for now. X2 THE THREAT any time, you may stop your snip completely Dy pressing tne l^i key ■ this now to remain stationary. If you missed any rings, turn your ship arc and try again. Weii done! You have just compieted your first smai! step into X-Universe! Now for the next part of the tutoria! - you get to use your weapons for the time. Again, iisten and read carefuiiy, and you wii! see that severa! ct canisters have been scattered around. You now have to destroy them aii. If are reiativeiy inexperienced, then you may wish to try this either with the stationary or moving at a siow speed. You wii! now have to use your radar Gravidar) to iocate these canisters and iine them up in your sights. appears brighter than the others do. It aiso has a beiow it. That means that the object is above ) current iocation. There is another object further d Try piaying with the roi! keys and |3) as weii as cursor keys, and see how the Gravidar reacts as ) ship moves. You shouid find it easy to move your ship to get an object nee your sights. Now, we want to seiect that object as a target. Press 0 to ta an object near to your sights. Once targeted, you wii! hear confirmation f the ship computer, and it wii! aiso identify what you have targeted. Your ta wii! be a cargo container of some description. If we were piaying in a game r we wouid normaiiy iet rip and give a fui! biast of the iaser - you can do that moment. However, this time once you are sure you have the object in i sights, just fire once. You fire your iasers with the |[ctrl| key. If you have hit the target, you wii! see and hear an expiosion. If you mis: iine up again and try once more. Now, aithough cargo containers do not I shieids, they are stii! pretty tough. One shot from your current type of !; won't destroy it. But if you remember our cockpit dispiay guide, you wii! n that around your iaser sight are indicators showing the strength of your tare shieid and hui! strength. Check this now, and you wii! see that the a canister's hui! has reduced to virtuaiiy nothing. Fire another shot and....BO Congratuiations - you have just made your first kiii! Just be warned, it won' so easy attacking a fast moving enemy that fires back and has shieids... Now, you have the chance to try another iaser that is siightiy more powerfu! the ones you are using now. We'i! use this iaser on the remaining cc containers. Press I|enteb| to go into the Main Menu. There are a variety of chc here, but the one we are iooking for is WEAPONS. Either press 0 or highiig using the cursor keys and hit IIentebI . This takes us to the weapons menu, can see that you have 2 Aipha Impuise Ray Emitters instaiied at the mom but there is aiso 1 more powerfu! Beta Impuise Ray Emitter sitting there currentiy in use. Highiight either one of the Aipha Impuise Ray Emitters press 0 on the cursor keys. The Aipha iaser has now been repiaced by Beta laser. Press I|enteb| to confirm the change. If you had pressed the Q 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 back g 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 you're in the X Universe for real, you won't be shooting vaiuable cargo. You wiii 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 iucrative to the fledgiing piiot. So now we're 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 g 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 don't 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 you've mastered this ship, we'll 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. 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 don't need to worry about that for the time being. Once you are within about 30 or 40 metres of the new ship again press I|shift| |[T| together. You will now enter the Argon 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! MANUAL Ily. Of X2 THE THREAT Trading is one of the most important features in the X Universe and essentiaiiy there are two different leveis to it. The first ievel is the easiest and most straightforward, that is buying, transporting and then seiling goods at the various stations (at a profit of course!). The next levei is buying and managing your own factories, keeping them suppiied with their required resources and then seiiing the finished product to other stations which need it. You may also decide to command other ships in your fieet to go out and trade automaticaiiy for you. For now though, we wiii stick with basic trading. The X Universe Economy The economy in the X Universe is unique in that it is dynamicaiiy priced. What this means iiteraily 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. Flowever, 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. Flowever, 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 MANUAL I extremely good way to make high long-term profits, although it is not 3d route to take and being a successful mogul will bring its own I from others. So with success you will need to protect your assets I, buying and deploying your first factory is an extremely satisfying j will have to decide on what cargo ships to equip it with, fighters, aser towers for defence and set its buying and selling thresholds tly so you do not operate at a loss. Of course, all of this requires paying )ut when setup correctly you will find that your factories can manage es leaving you to scoop up the profits to fund your next objective. ;oon find that there are ships better suited than others to trading (see ection). Some ships cannot trade certain goods due to the size of the ou can discover these within the game - for now we'll just concentrate 3 trade. We're going to buy some Energy Cells from a Solar Power Plant all and sell them to the Ore Mine in the same sector. Once docked at 3n Solar Power Plant, the price of the Energy Cells will be revealed to iave selected The Wall as there are many Solar Power Plants located choose from, it is very close to the start point of the game and it is easy to find a well-stocked station filled with cheap Energy Cells. ;oon learn to recognise a specific station from its appearance, and also shown on your Gravidar (a Solar Power Plant shows up there as a large could also find it useful to look for the rotating station logos advertising es. A Solar Power Plant logo looks something like this: 's computer will tell you once you've targeted and locked on to a Solar mt - you now need to dock there. Once docked, you can select Id] to 23 X2 THE THREAT Use the Q and Q keys to increase or decrease the amount required, and then hits 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: NOTE: It is important to remember that you can oniy buy products, and not MANUAL 0 increase or decrease the amount you v\ oking at the picture above, after our trade shows our new account baiance of jl4 credits. We bought 37 units of Energy Ceils at 6 credits and then soid ;m aii for 18 credits. That short trade run gave us a profit of 444 credits, and : oniy started the game with 1,070! If oniy we had found somewhere to buy 3 Energy Ceiis from us for even more... rger, specific transport ships can carry far more and aiso more varieties of -go so you may find that huge profits can be made once you can afford one of we mentioned, the economy in the X universe is dynamic and inter¬ pendant. A shortage of one specific resource can have knock-on effects oughout the whoie universe, especially if it is a base product that all stations luire, such as Energy Cells. There have been many efforts to find a successfu! muia for un-managed profitabie trading, ali resuiting in iittie or no success, e Teiadi are a race driven aimost soieiy by profit and their trading secrets are lii guarded. The Spiit curator of the Profit Guiid, Hut F'Naak did however mmence work on a vaiuabie resource known as the Trading Pyramid, but he s since vanished. Rumours that the Teiadi assassinated him cannot be bstantiated, however the eariy parts of his work stil! exist as shown on the MANUAL "Ah...the clash of shield energy converging as two ships collide and the unmistakeable metallic crunch as the metal bites and you hesitate with your hand over the eject lever. Hoping the engineers remembered to top up your suits oxygen supplies before you launched and the feeling of utter terror when exiting a gate into a combat zone." "No-one hears you scream up here in the void eh? Swamp Feed I I've heard way too many of my friends scream until the vacuum sucks out their breath and the explosion disengages the communication device. Space is a cold and calculating killer. She creeps up on you when you are least aware and bites you hard. A silent, stealthy adversary that is your companion and in the blink of an eye, your enemy." "Then you have the real enemy to contend with too! Ha-ha. Practice makes perfect and never be afraid to run. It's better to talk about your escape than to have others talk about your death." Wherever you go on your travels and adventures you will almost certainly come up against others that want you either dead or at the very least, out of your ship. The further away from the relative safety of the Argon home world and surrounding systems you go, the more dangerous (and lucrative) it becomes. Combat is about reflexes, the reading of the enemy and most of all - knowledge. If you attack a ship that has ten times the shielding and twenty times the firepower, you are likely to lose. Not always it has to be said, but mostly, sure. Five small ships can easily overcome one single ship with five times their force if you do it right and the reverse is also very true. Probably the main decision to be made if you are attacked is whether to defend yourself or run! MANUAL Building There is a very worthwhile "Economic Simulation" available to try at any time ir the simulator. This has no effect on any save games so you can play through i as many times as you like. Although building a trading empire is not a pre requisite to complete the main story line, many players will find it a worthwhili investment of their time and credits as a little time spent building can reap higi rewards and a steady income. Particularly later in the game when your rate o losses may be high and you will need constant re-supply to bankroll your plans whatever those plans may be! We won't tell you what keys to press, as the simulator will teach you all yoi need to know to get you started. Instead we will discuss what we can do, when and how. A FAQ (frequently asked questions) list should assist you as follows. Q: Can I own my own factories? A: Of course. The majority of the factories in the X-Universe produce a single quality product although they may use many resources in order to do this. Then are some exceptions, for example the Shipyards and Trading stations, which sel many different products. Generally, if the factory (aka station) produces : single, quality product, then you can build your own. Q; How do I build a factory? A: Firstly, factories can only be purchased from shipyards and the types sold car I be unique to that particular race and/or shipyard. So you may have to searcl i until you find a supplier of the factory you require. Q: Are they expensive? A: The price varies greatly dependent upon the technology level of that factory e.g. Food factories are much cheaper than Laser Tower factories and the profi I possible also increases. Remember again that the price of a factory may var between races, even if it is of the same type. Q; How do I place them? A: You can only purchase a factory if you have the capability to transport it Shipyard managers are not pleased with using their expensive storage space fo your wares, especially the Teladi. Therefore you must own or hire a TL clas: transporter ship. You can usually find these looking for business in the system: where the shipyards are. Communicate with one and hire them and thei proceed to the shipyard where your (hired) TL can then dock on the externa loading areas. Any factory you then purchase will be automatically loaded inb “I your transport. ■ A hired transport will follow you automatically whereas you will have t( command or pilot your own vessel. A word of caution! Transportation of factorie: isn't free. The TL pilots will charge you for every gate they pass and the price o MANUAL k^: uan i piace my own factories anywhere? A: Just about, yes. A few words of advice though before you place a factory as moving them after is a different proposition altogether. Location, location, location! There is no point in placing a factory producing goods in an area where there is an over-supply already of those goods as you are immediately against the competition (unless this is what you intended of course). Conversely, there is no gain to be made in positioning your factory in an area that does not require what you sell. The stations in the systems you visit will be placed relatively close to each other. There is nothing stopping you placing your factories anywhere in the 3d world. Please bear in mind that your ships need to fetch resources and your customers need to travel to you. This is why most companies place their factories within the confines of the gate grid. It is not however necessary to do so. Be careful of placing your buildings too close to another building as the ships will need to navigate into your landing bay and some of the larger trading vessels can require quite large turning circles. Q; So I purchased and deployed my own factory and I'm on my way to "Mogul" status. But my factory isn't making any money and it flashes yellow in the system map. Heip? A; The yellow flashing is warning you that the factory in question is in need of some attention. It does not signify what, only that something is stopping the factory from operating (note: your property will flash red when under attack). This could be a lack of resources, a lack of credits to purchase resource, a lack of ships to go and fetch/purchase the resource(s) or a combination of any coupled with the fact that the settings you have applied to the factory, for example how many systems you will allow the ships to go searching for resource is one such option, are restraining it. Q: I have transport ships and credits. How do I get my factory to get what it needs? A; Firstly, transfer credits to the factory from your account. Every factory requires a little working capital to buy its resources. You must then assign your transport ship(s) to that factory. This is known as their "home base" and once you have assigned a ship its home base, a whole set of further options will become available in the command console. You can then set each ship to go and fetch the required resources. More than one if you feel the need. Important: Your buildings and ships are under your management and protection. You can purchase fighter craft and "home" them to a base where they will automatically protect it once they arrive there, laser towers and mines for area defence and also assign fighters to protect your trading vessels. What level of protection you supply is dependent on the amount of credits you have available and the location of your assets. Plus of course, up to you. Q; Any help for a budding trader just starting out? A: Sure, try a Wheat farm in the Wall or Crystal Fabrication Plant in Argon Prime. Both of these sectors have the protection of capital patrol ships and have access to a good supply of cheap energy cells. A factory here should be able to trade unmolested (although there is no guarantee that the pirates won't come) and if you stay in close proximity early in its life, you can personally protect it until such a time as you can afford laser towers and fighter patrols. X2 THE THREAT Appendix i. Ranks There are various ranks that can be achieved for proving yourseif both in combat and trading. There are aiso insignia that can be worn on your uniform to show your rank to your feiiow combatants/traders. Although the various races have had and still have to a degree, disputes with one another, they all agree on one thing. Profit. This gave rise to the Foundation and Profit guiids of which the races are a member of one or another. These Guiids meet on a reguiar basis and set minimum and maximum price threshoids on products that aii systems are required to adhere to. In the past, each race utiiised its own different rating systems for its piiots and business moguls and one subject that was finally agreed upon by the Guilds was the adoption of a system similar to that of the Argon. Although there are many ranks available and some insignia may cover more than one rank, the insignia adorned will show others what level of ability they have achieved. The Argon preferred way is to wear the Trade insignia on the left arm and the Combat insignia on the right. Easy to remember as "Right for Fight' you will find that certain jobs available at stations will only be available to pilots with the appropriate skill level. It is illegal in all known space to advertise and actively supply jobs to a lower rank as the localised Guild representative rates jobs before they go on view. It is also highly illegal to wear the insignia or impersonate another pilots higher or Left to right below are the insignia where R achieve and Rank X is the highest. There are this rank in either discipline and any who v utmost respect. 1 is the first ranking you will Y few pilots who have attained r it deserve (and receive) the Tou need to please a race to increase your rank with them and certain jobs or equipment only become available at certain ranks. A bad or low rating means you cannot dock at any of their stations in the whole universe and a really bad rating means that race may attack you on sight. These race rankings are not MANUAL Appendix ii. Vessels There are many vessels that you may encounter, each designed for a specific purpose, although most can be used for any purpose with varying levels of success. Most races designate their ships as belonging to a particular class and all have their own unique versions. A word of advice: The Captains of the larger ships do not see you as something they should avoid. If you get in their way, there is every possibility you will be crushed without a second thought. It depends upon the mood of the Captain at the time and what mission they are currently undertaking. Collisions can also occur if you linger by gates and docking bays. There is steady traffic in many of the Universes systems and they all have business to attend to, just like you! A few words about each race you may encounter and their ship designs. The Argon create the most balanced ships and you can see the Boron influence that mirrors their joint development. When you buy an Argon ship you have a good all-round versatile ship. But as the Argon do not share the peaceful Boron nature they also use, together with the Split, the Gattling gun. The Argon developed this weapon according to old documents and the Split were so impressed they paid immense licence fees for their own manufacture. With the development of the Nova, the successor to the ageing Elite, the Argon were the first race to install a rear turret into a heavy fighter. All other races except the Split followed this new design in due course. The use of technologically advanced shipyards enabled them to strengthen and increase shield capacity, together with engine performance. When in the past you may have laughed about the old Elite, it is a different story now. She is still one of the slowest heavy fighters but her firepower will quickly silence any critics. Similar changes also took place with the Buster and a new type of ship, the Corvette, was also introduced. The Boron The Boron have cooperated in the past very closely with the Argon design engineers even though their aggressive nature was never fully understood by them. Recently they have built a new propulsion system to keep up with the fast Split patrol ships. Parallel to this they developed with their Argon allies, a new laser weapon which simply disables ships systems. Any Split being hit with this new weapon will suffer unspeakable shame, as they will have to be rescued. Hence the history of frequent attacks by the young Split pilots has stopped abruptly. In contrast to Argon ships, the new Boron ships are fast, fairly average armed and weaker shielded. X2 THE THREAT The Paranid The Paranid have always known how to construct good combat ships and they have the most balanced fighting capabilities of all the fleets. But their designers have little imagination and only the required functionality is added to their ships, discarding comfort for more practical means. But if you are looking for a ship to still be intact after a heavy battle, a Paranid ship would make an excellent They also developed the new Wide Laser type that has a larger area of fire. Their engineers had to sell the designs of the Wide Laser to other races during the Pirates, they can rely on their help if attacked. There is currently a rumour of a new Teladi M6 prototype, which is said to be better equipped than anything seen so far. At a secret trial run the Split, when supposedly trying to attack the ship with two of their own M6 class ships were so impressed by it to even forgo their intended and usual ridicule of its snail like speed. The Pirates decided to forgo severai different freighter types in favour of only one type of freighter, which encompasses all the advantages of the old types plus further enhancements and was also easier to build. You must not underestimate these ships as the Pirates recently obtained the plans for the Paranid Wide Lasers and the Boron Ion Lasers to integrate these into their own ships and transform them into formidable ships ideal for capturing. Recent reports of Pirate ambushes have increased where both types of lasers have been used. The Xenon also developed further and still unnoticed by all the other races. Recently you can notice more and more new ships appearing where the Argon design is missing and they seem to be better shielded and faster too. The Xenon, if the robot psychologists are to be believed, seem to be developing more of their own self awareness, consciousness and their own understanding. Whether this development is a step in the right direction is still unsure as the Xenon continue to attack first and don't bother asking questions before or after. The Ship Classes Class: MO Battleship. It is not known if any of these ships remain after the [No images available] Class: Ml Carriers are large ships with formidable shielding, point defences and a large capacity for carrying a number of different smaller ships within their hangars. Crewed by highly trained personnel and Captains chosen for their skill and aggression. Carriers rarely change their direction to avoid smaller ships. Example: Boron Shark factories and stations around the systems. They are mostly hired for a particuiar job and oniy the wealthiest can afford to maintain one for their own uses. Like the Carriers, Destroyers and Corvettes, the TL ciass ships cannot enter the relativeiy small docking bays of stations and ships. They are required to dock at stations that have externai docking facilities, iike the shipyards. Exampie: Spiit Elephant over the Universe ferrying passengers from one place to another. Their development was necessary as the use of the cargo compression technique caused unexpected iong-term physicai damage. Hence the construction of aii passenger transports without the internai compression system. Nevertheless they are still technically superb as the cabins can be changed and merged so they become cargo space instead of passenger cabins. You can now transport passengers and utilise any unused space for the transport of goods. Only the space used for goods will be compressed with cargo compression. The respective equipment differs from race to race. While the Boron like relaxing travel in plush surroundings with bars, projection rooms and discussion forums, Paranid and Argon prefer a more mundane style, whereby Paranid travel in groups of three. In Teladi ships price is important, hence their interiors are very s sparse and cramped. VIPs should not be transported in Teladi TP's. The most luxurious ships are from the Split, who sometimes organise extended hunting S parties in them. Everything is installed in the Split vessels and the owners S continually show off their new modifications to their friends. Example: Paranid Hermes ships that do not fall into a particular class. One such ship is the Goner transport shown below. This ship has no weapons and is the vessel used by the religious Goner to transport their people and "spread the word" across the Universe. You will also encounter Pirate vessels of all types as the pirates use other races ships, modified for there own ends and the wealthy pirate groups even have their own ship designs. Plus the Xenon can still be found in the remotest systems in small numbers. MANUAL Appendix in. Inhabitants The various races that make up the X-Universe's inhabitants come from n areas of space normaiiy iinked by jump gates and have varied and dete backgrounds. Throughout the X Universe the Borons are famous for their wisdom, wealth for the sophistication of their space ships. These ships are a shimmering g coiour with powerfui engines that show a white iight and are among the fa: and most manoeuvrabie ships in the universe. They are also armed with sophisticated weapons and defensive shields and, with the exception of Argon, are the best spacecraft in the universe. Despite being members of the Foundation Guild and holding a strong alli< with the Argon, because of their peaceful nature the Boron are friends t races in the X Universe. They currently hold trading agreements with the the Teladi and the Paranid, however they are still very wary of the Split relationships between the two races are very strained. Despite being called the Kingdom of Boron the Boron race are actually rule an elected government. They do however have a royal family who ac figureheads of the Kingdom State. The current head of this Royal Family is 50-year-old Queen Atreus. Fler husband. King Rolk, was killed in a space cn when it crash landed on a nearby space station, leaving her daughter. Princess Menelaus, as the heir apparent. Despite their many historic disagreements The Paranid are still allied to the and, through their membership of the Profit Guild, the Teladi. In additio being members of the Profit Guild the Paranid allow all other races to ti openly throughout their sectors of space, however relations between the Par 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. Flowever 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 those 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. Flence 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. Flence the Teladi have access to all the high-tech equipment, engines and weapon technology of almost all the other races. MANUAL r Today the Argon Federation is wealthy and encompasses a iarge number of very different types of pianets. Some are hot deserts while others are ice wastes. The pianet Argon Prime is heart of the Federation and is the residence of the government and aii administration. It is aiso one of the most exciting pianets in the X Universe. As weii as being the home of culture, science and iearning, it is aiso home to the finest entertainments. As weii as housing the finest geodesic hoiiday homes it aiso has thousands of bars, restaurants, theatres, casinos, hoiogramic cinemas, holiday viiias, everything in fact that makes it the finest rest and recreation center in any known universe. The Argon Federation is governed by an eiected pariiament, with each city coiony and space station represented by senators eiected by their own peopie. The ieader of the Argon Pariiament is called President. Currentiy this position is heid by a maie Argon caiied Frann Herron. Today throughout the X Universe there is no contact between the Xenon and any other race. The Xenon are not aiiied to any trading organisation, or to either of the Guiids. The do not use the Credit, nor is it known what currency they use. They appear to have no interest in either the technoiogy or the trade of any Despite many attempts to discover it, the iocation of the Xenon home planet is stiii unknown, so is the size of the territory that the Xenon controi. Hence on most star maps possible Xenon sectors are indicated oniy by question marks. Not many ships dare venture into this territory and unfortunateiy those brave enough to do so have never returned. Xenon piiots are very aggressive, their oniy directive is the poiicy - "If it moves shoot it". Their ships are fast, weii protected and heaviiy armed, and their engines give off a distinctive biue after-giow. A special undercover department based at the Argon Federation Space Academy on Argon Prime, has researched the Xenon for many years and are currentiy engaged in cross referencing and documenting aii positive Xenon ship sightings. There is some taik that, sometime in the future, they are pianning to finance an undercover expedition, deep into Xenon territory in an attempt to locate the Xenon home planet. Khaak Currently unknown. Pirates Not a race themselves, but groups of like-minded criminais who specialise in various iilegai activities. They have their own bases, usuaiiy hidden from view and weii defended and most pirate bases have iarge fleets of ships that wiii send out raiding patrois on a reguiar basis. X2 THE THREAT Appendix iv. Equipment and Ordnance There are many items that can be acquired to enhance your fleet and defend your property. Many of these come in different configurations of the same type. For instance there are various levels of each laser weapon type increasing in destructive power with the associated cost and energy drain. Be aware that some technologies are only available from certain areas of space or indeed certain races and you may need to search hard to find the most coveted upgrades. Also remember that you can only dock with races where your standing with them allows it. Being an enemy of a race is not a good thing to do I if you need equipment that only they can supply. Equipment Advanced Satellite: This satellite is the next generation of advanced | communications. It allows for video capture technology, a new feature that was : , developed to keep an eye on stations and ships. This Satellite still has the old . features that allow for navigation and information relay transfer. Best Buys Locator: The best buys locator can help you find the one location in . your current system where you can buy each available product for the lowest j ' price. Very helpful for advanced traders! ' Best Selling Price Locator: This Upgrade can help you find that one location inside your current sector where you can sell each of your trading items for the highest price. Very useful for advanced traders! Boost Extension: The boost extension allows your ship to accelerate with three times its normal acceleration. This extension is essential in some combat situations. Cargo bay extension: Your cargo bay will be extended by a certain amount of cargo units using sub space compression technology. This extension will be more expensive every time you use it because of the increasing complexity of the used technology. MANUAL Cargo Life-support System: This life-support system allows you to transport living creatures, passengers and even slaves in your cargo bay. Command Software (various): This is a software extension for any ship computer. New commands are added to the shipboard computer's command console. Docking computer: This device enables ships to lock on to and decode a space station's guidance beacon. The beacon transmits signals to the ship's docking computer to adjust speed and direction needed to aid the automatic docking process. Duplex Scanner: Research and development of the Gravidar technology has ' resulted in the Duplex Scanner, which increases the scanners range by a factor ! of 2. This enables targets to be acquired at much greater range. Fight Command Software: This is a software extension for any ship computer : j and includes a laser targeting support system. New commands are added to the ‘ ; shipboard computer's command console. ] Freight scanner: Pilots whose spaceships are equipped with a freight scanner ' : can see exactly what is inside other ships they scan. Often pirates abuse this | j scanner before they attack and rob peaceful pilots. , Jump drive: The jump drive is a new development. This ultimate upgrade ' I allows your ship to jump to far distant sectors immediately. To focus on a distant ' jump gate through many different sectors and through many other gates, it ^ • requires additional energy containers for every sector it has to cross. i Mineral Scanner: The mineral scanner is an important add-on for every pilot ' who plans to exploit asteroids for mining. Mounted to a spaceship it adds | j valuable information to the scan results of Asteroids. Mobile Drilling System: The Mobile Drilling System accelerates and emits ‘ I small fast rotating helical particles that drill into rock and use supersonic I resonance to break up the rock. Its effectiveness against other materials is very ^ Navigation Relay Satellite: These satellites transmit all navigational data of ' the system they are installed in, to your ship computer to allow your universe ' map to display online information of all ships and stations. Installing such a satellite is mandatory to control distant systems remotely. i Ore Collector: After Ore has been broken up by a mobile drilling system; the smaller rocks can be brought into the cargo bay using this new device. It works by targeting the smaller rocks with a low powered gravity beam, bringing the ore into the bay ready to be sold. Police license: After buying this license pilots are accepted as police force by all space stations and factories in the given Races' territory. They are automatically paid for the elimination of outlawed ships. Rudder Optimisation: Specialists in rudder control will hand tune your ship's manoeuvrability to make it easier to control allowing for complicated manoeuvres and advanced tactics. Singularity Engine Time Accelerator (SETA): This product is based on the phenomenon of time and space anomaly observed in the presence of singularity. The SETA is an attachment to the ship's normal operational engine, which can, when activated, compress time up to ten fold. Due to the constrains of the space warp it is not possible to alter one's course and velocity due to time compression and the device will be deactivated as soon as any interference to the ship's controls are detected. The invention was clearly made to shorten travel across fast distances. No known side effects exist but they cannot be ruled out. Spacefly Collector: Although illegal, Spacefly collecting has become the most highly paid career in the universe. These small creatures are captured by a high resonance wave of the device, attracting them inside the hold. These space flies are then sold to anyone who will take them, automatically making a profit. This activity is illegal but within pirate communities it has become a way of life. Strafe Drive Extension: This extension allows a ship to steer sidewise without turning, making some advanced steering manoeuvres possible. Trading system extension: Using the trading system extension a pilot can I request detailed price information for all goods without actually docking to a ' factory or space station. This can be very useful for frequent traders Transporter Device: The transporter device is a development based on the i remains of the jump drive first introduced with the Xperimental ship and reverse ^ engineered by the best scientists of all races. Using this device you can get from one ship into another ship within a range of 5km without using your spacesuit. ; Triplex Scanner: The Triplex scanner increases the Gravidar scanner range by I a factor of 3. The technology used detects greater variations in the gravitational anomalies that are generated by stations. This information is then processed j 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 craft from long distances. Since then the product has been adapted by I the commercial sector and is now widely available, with its shape being fitted i specifically to the various races. I Ordnance Dragonfly Missile: The dragonfly class missile is a medium power missile typically used for attacks on medium to large fighter targets. Fighter Drone: A unmanned drone that can be launched against an enemy ship MANUAL High Energy Plasma Throwers: The radiation created by the High Energy Piasma Thrower is so dangerous that the weapon had to go through many jazuras of research and deveiopment until it couid be piaced on the market. This was worked around by adding a radiation sink into the weapons main design. Purging the weapon of aii excess radiation between shots. Hornet Missile: 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. 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. IMo one actually knows when the weapon was first developed and they are available in several versions Ion Disrupter: This weapon is unlike any other 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. Laser tower: A defence installation typically found around stations or factories to help them against invaders. 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 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 to the 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. Each pack contains 200 rounds. X2 THE THREAT I Mosquito Missile: The Mosquito Missile is the most commonly used missile in space fight. The main purpose of this weapon is missile defenc craft without a rear gun turret. Excellent for destroying war drones. Becau this, most ships can use this missiie. Particle Accelerator Cannons: The Paranid and Argon developed the fii its class. The Particles are accelerated to a speed faster than most curr known spacecraft. When they are then polarised and focused into a tight et pulse. They have been around since the Xenon conflict. Phased Shockwave Generators: These weapons were develop< collaboration between the Teladi and Paranid. They work by sending i phased package, which reacts and expands, creating a shockwave of pt energy. They have many uses including excellent missile defence. Photon Pulse Cannons: First developed by Professor Jo Bydnah of the A the Photon Pulse Cannon became a favourite of the argon Military, who ther the original design on to the other races. This type of weapon is extre powerful, and can only be fitted on the larger Capital craft. It works by sei highly charged photon radiation through a series of coils that muitiph charge, creating a very deadly pulse of radiation. Shields: Shields are vital for survival in space. They protect the ship from impacting objects like mini asteroids as well as during fights and are availal 1 MW, 5 MW, 25 MW and 125 MW configurations. Stations, corvettes, destrc battleships carriers and the heavy transporter ships use the iargest powerful shields. The 125 MW Shield Is the most powerful protection known is typicaiiy used onboard big installations and carriers. Silkworm Missile: The Silkworm Missile combines the quantum techn( with a warhead able to destroy even heavily protected targets. This missil be typically used for attacks on large fighters or transports. SQUASH Mine: A very destructive proximity device typically used to pr important strategic locations. Beware: This mine does not have frien( recognition! Wasp Missile: The Wasp Class Missile is a very powerful but still light missile. The Wasp missile Is the first choice of small fighter craft. It is fast accurate and very deadly. Its lethal reputation has even led it to be fitted to some destroyers. If fired in masses, the MANUAL Appendix v. The Options Menu The Options Menu is accessed within the game by pressing ||shift| . This enabies you to change some features of the game as weii as basic management, such as ioad, save and quit the game. Quit Game lfsHiFT] stops the current game and resets back to the main menu. ' Load Game pHiS] im opens the ioad game diaiog box. Save Game lfsHFrl im opens the save game dialog box. Start Video Recorder llsHiril im starts the in-game video recorder, so you can j capture your favorite moments from the game and share them with friends. Piease note that X2 must be instaiied to piayback your movies. Monitor Settings; Monitor Layout enabies you to position your in-game monitor on your screen. • Show Monitor toggies the defauit on and off. Active Monitor enabies you to pick which monitor view you desire. Defauit Externai View Mode aliows you to toggie between Auto and Manual. , j The Manual setting will allow you to rotate the view around your ship using the \ keypad numbers. Monitor Mapping: I This option allows you to select exactly what appears on your monitors when . ' you bring them up. Ship Preferences: SETA Factor allows the increase or decrease of how much SETA actually speeds up relative time. The default setting is 6x and it can be increased to lOx. For players with systems relatively close to the minimum specification, if the game slows whilst SETA is engaged, try reducing the value here. Gravidar View Range changes the scale of the radar in the cockpit. The default setting of Auto will adjust the view according to how close objects are to you. Players managing a large fleet in the same sector or players stuck in very close combat may find changing the values to a fixed range very helpful. Verbose Ship Computer can be toggled to turn off the cockpit voice Menu Shade adjusts the appearance of the menu in game. X2 THE THREAT Appendix vi. Gates The gates in the X-Universe are the "current" means of traversing the universe. They aiiow great distances between star systems to be traveiied at a fraction (seconds) of the time it would take to do this using conventionai means. Nobody knows for sure why they are there or more importantiy, who put them there. They seem to have been left by some ancient civiiisation. There are literaiiy hundreds (if not thousands) of gates and oniy part of these have so far been found and mapped by the current known races. A gate acts as a portal to another gate at another destination. These are not necessariiy "ciose" to each other. For exampie when viewed in the two dimensional plane a sector may appear next to another with adjoining gates, but in reality there could be many star systems in-between. Entering a gate has to be done at a speed that bears an exact calculable equation with the mass of the object. For example a large cargo ship or carrier class military ship has to enter at a very low speed, whereas a small ship can enter faster. Missiles or rockets can enter at full speed if such an event was to happen. Message drones that are minute, near light speed objects are small enough to enter at their full speed. Physically the gates themselves are made up of an unknown material. Many attempts have been made by all races to understand this material but so far it has proven to be impenetrable. The gates "appear" to be indestructible. The races themselves have attached the navigation lights that adorn the gates and these draw power from self-contained solar energy devices. With the creation of the self-contained "jump drive" technology first discovered in the X-Shuttle from Earth it is possible to create a temporary "gate" or "jump tunnel" anywhere in space. Flowever, this device is still required to "lock" on to another gate for the jump to be successful. The ability to create a second temporary jump tunnel at the receiving end has so far proven to be impossible. After years of study (specifically be the Boron Mi Ton) it has been found that the gates emit an amount of negative energy in the opposite direction to the one they are linked to when they are used. This negative energy is countered by the positive energy of the object using the gate (i.e. the ship). All of this energy can be measured and this has been used by various military organisations for a number of years. With the possibility that the gates present (i.e. being able to travel to another sector) it is quite feasible to not only track what "is" happening but also to look back at a system from afar and see what "has" happened in the past. Much like we do today on Earth. We only have the ability to see the universe how it was but in the X-Universe they have not only that ability, but the ability to be there as well. By looking at the same point in space from many different directions and therefore points in time, it is possible to "paint" a picture of what has happened. This is exactly what Mi Ton achieved and his findings showed an increase in negative energy in certain areas that coincided with the gate shift approximately 600 years ago. By studying the current position he comes to the conclusion that another gate shift is imminent and is partially convinced that Earth may once again come within the "loop" that is the X-Universe. Whether any of this will happen or not remains to be seen... MANUAL Appendix vii. Zuran time Zuran Time: The time system of the community of pianets The standardized Zuran time (zt) has oniy been introduced to the Federation recently by the Teladi, in order to make inter-species, mercantiie time comparisons easier. Many regard zt as a totai mess and that it was only a political move for the Federation to let the Teladi have their way regarding zt. On the other hand, others argue, that a common time system was overdue for a long time already, and that zt, albeit being "typical Teladian" does that job very well and is precise. Many, if not all. Argon planets still use the 24h universal time internally. Zt, - however, is commonly accepted when dealing with other species. Space farers, I merchants and the military always use zt. • Zt is officially measured and synchronised by Pulsar correlation, and guaranteed to be precise to a billionth of a Sezura. LEGEND: s/m/h/d/y as in Earth seconds/minutes/hours/days/years Sezura the smallest, mercantile time unit; it equals roughly 1.7 s Mizura 96 Sezuras = 163.2 s = 2.72 m Stazura 96 Mizuras = 15667.2 s = 261.12 m = 4.352 h Tazura 7 Stazuras = 109670.4 s = 1827.84 m = 30.464 h = 1.27 d Wozura 7 Tazuras = 8.89 d Mazura 7 Wozuras = 62.23 d Jazura 8 Mazuras = 56 Wozuras = 392 Tazuras = 497.84 d = 1.36 y j Furthermore, there are various terms used almost exclusively by the Teladi: Quazura 22 Mizuras = 3590.4 s = 59.84 m = curiously enough, this is almost ONE EARTH HOUR. Inzura 8 Mizuras = 1305.6 s = 21.76 m Sun 1 Jazura MANUAL A Trader's log "You should listen to what people tell you. Especially out here in the void. Advice usually costs and if you get it for free, take it. As long as it is free of course. Bars and entertainment rigs, pleasure domes and the many cramped living quarters aboard the manufacturing stations, or "facts" as we call 'em, are the places to keep your wits about you. Take that seat in the corner my friend and keep your back to the wall. With your eyes on the entrance and mind on the exit, your ears alive for information...". The man prodded with his finger. "Hey, you listenin' hotshot?" He stared, one eye half closed and the hand with a fingerless glove retreated back inside his battered grey flight jacket. He laughed and his head jerked backwards in time to his chuckles. "Hehe, yeah sure. I can see that glint in your eye my friend. I had that glint once..." he pointed to his half closed eye "...but too many radiation nebulas and space walks takes it toll eh?" "I've done the LooManckStrat run see." It was a statement. "Not many have run that system, death stalks that place I tell 'ya, death. It sits out there waiting in the tumbling rocks and cover of the nebs, waiting to snatch your cargo friend, waiting to steal your ship and leave you to take your last breath in a suit." His hand was back out and the index finger was wagging up and down in time to his I looked him straight in the one and a half eyes. "But you made it back uh?" I enquired, growing slightly weary of this old man who had invited himself to my table. The truth be told, I was trembling slightly inside. My first foray into the open space lanes was fast approaching and I'd figured that a time spent in the "Travellers Rest" would ease my apprehension. I was wrong. The man leaned forward slightly and gestured me towards him. His voice dropped to a whisper "Keep lean see?" he said. "Don't get greedy. A small ship with tuned engines and a love of being alive. Don't fight when you can run friend." He tapped his nose with the end of the same half gloved finger. "Don't fight when you can run." He repeated and sat back up straight. Sure, I thought. Drop your profits out of the cargo bay and run. Yeah, a long life indeed, I smiled. The old man took that as an agreement with his advice. It wasn't, but it didn't matter. I had no intention of ending up like this old fossil before me, offering advice to some other new recruit in exchange for a drink. No way. I'd dreamed of the stars all right, the nebulae and the twin systems, requesting docking rights in far away outposts. Yeah, I'd dreamed and my dream didn't include a dark stinking bar like this full of cast offs and the search for a few measly credits. I wanted ships. Big ships, lots of ships and I intended to stand on the bridge of my Titan class cruiser and survey those before me. Dreams though eh? Yes, only dreams so far but if you didn't have dreams, something to yearn after and aspire to, what was the point? You may as well go back gravity side and wait for your time. Not me, I had a destiny and I intended to fulfil it. I pressed my credit bank into the chest pin of the man and transferred )ugh credits to keep him happy for i brushed past him. nodded "Keep lean..." He was saying as I waiked 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 giance backwards into the bar and the man had aiready changed tabies to seek out his next payment. I laughed. Not for me old man, not 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 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 MANUAL A Pirates 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 traveiier. The ciothes bearing the marks of a worn existence ciung tightiy and her haif shaven scalp giistened in the star iight 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 "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 well-shielded 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. X2 THE THREAT Farnham's Legend - Prologue The first century of space exploration had closed with nothing more inspiring than a rock cataloguing robot clambering over the surface of Mars and an obsolete space station plunging to a fiery death in the Pacific Ocean. Even the stunning vistas of the Hubble Telescope and its successors inspired nothing more than glossy, coffee table books and exotic screen savers. A controversial but promising experiment in a Finnish lab reducing the apparent weight of an object by 0.2 percent failed to lead to a propulsion breakthrough despite the vast funds spent on further research. Disappointed, the world turned inward to address its mounting environmental problems, entering the final quarter of 21st century bereft of the spirit that had originally driven it onto the pathway to the stars. And there the focus remained until a young genius emerged from the University of Tokyo to rewrite the laws of physics and once again direct the eyes of the species outwards. His name was Ashizana Kazuko, the creator of the first artificial wormhole. The technique used massive amounts of energy and outraged respectable physicists but it worked. Once the breakthrough was made, advance crowded on the heels of advance. First he created a second of the holes in space. Then he linked them to form a gate through the fabric of space/time. Next he transported small objects across the lab. Finally, after carefully moving one gate to Sydney he successfully teleported a rabbit. It emerged shocked but alive to find itself the most famous animal on the planet. Galvanised, humanity returned to the Moon with what was now literally a very small step and this time they did not turn back. A larger gate was shuttled to the orbit of Mars and building on that success the whole solar system was explored. But still the stars lay beyond reach, as a jumpgate was required at each end of a journey. It would take 70 years to deploy one in the next nearest solar system but one was launched towards Alpha Centauri by a world now impatient to open new frontiers. Fortunately the human race did not have to chafe for 3 generations while the new gate sailed towards the nearby star. Informed by the new physics, astronomers discovered many of the objects they had previously classified as black holes displayed all the characteristics of artificial wormholes. Astoundingly, a whole network of jump-gates existed and humanity could tune into it! At last, the way was open to the stars and an exploration mission was hastily assembled. The planetary research vessel Winterblossom, with a 12-person crew of pilots and scientists led by Captain Farnham, set out into the unknown and in two years mapped an extensive system of jumpgates spanning the entire galaxy. They recorded many strange and wonderful sights but the most astounding MANUAL discovery was the absence of intelligent life, ev evolution. It appeared that the unknown deliberately constructed jumpgates only in unini Huge automated ships, equipped with leading edge AI and gifted with the ability to replicate were sent out. Their objective? To prepare this vast reservoir of habitable planets for the arrival of humanity. e Terraformer fleet implemented tl It began as a minor software error but as the Terraformers continued to adapt tc meet new circumstances and build more of themselves it propagated like a virus, cascading through their systems and threatening them with extinction. They fought back but in the process of adjusting their neural nets and software to cope with this threat the unimaginable happened. Now motivated only to survive and expand their creators were now alien and aliens were a threat and an obstacle. Threats must be destroyed and obstacles removed. So began the great and terrible Terraformer War, which caught Humanity unprepared and almost defenceless. Colony after colony were destroyed until the Earth itself lay prostrate and in ruins, its rag tag defences no match for the destructive power of the former servants. The complete destruction of the species was averted only by the inspired actions of a former pirate and smuggler, Nathan R. Gunn. Rallying the small and ill- equipped remnants of the Earth fleet around his own flagship, the Dragonfire, he lured the Terraformers through the jumpgate out of the Sol system in pursuit of his retreating vessels. The remaining survivors destroyed the gate to prevent the Terraformers returning and in doing so slammed the door again on the stars. X2 THE THREAT Support Information Please be sure to read the README document on the game DVD, and revi Frequently Asked Questions on our support web support.linuxgamepublishing.com. Flere you can also check for any u to ensure you have the latest version of the software. You may also launch lgp_update as the user who installed the game to chi product updates, while connected to the Internet. If you are still having problems, please contact our technical support teai information about how to do this is found on the above website. By email, please contact support@iinuxgamepublishing.com and we all we can to resolve your X2 problem. In your email, please inclui following information: Complete product title and version number (found by typing x2 -v) Exact error message (if any) Linux distribution Linux version (found by typing uname -a) Computer processor type and speed (e.g. Athlon64 - l.SGFIz) Video and sound card make and model PHB: Michael Simms Developers: Adam Godley, Joonas Lahtinen, Matthew Powell, Michael Si Production QA: Gareth Bentley Extra Translations: Benjamin Schieder, Palle Raabjerg Additional Artwork: Matthew Cole, Aaron Gyes Special Thanks: Martin Brenner for answering questions with patience, Chester for trying, and John Williams for starting us on the path. Beta Testers: Aaron Gyes (Floam), Adam J Purcell, Alan Luth, Alan Woe Ales K., Alexandra Deac, Bernhard Kuhnel, Bill Patterson, Brandon Beattie Perry, Carsten Ziepke, Christoph Goesgens, Christoph Z., Clayton Cornell Olson, Dave Wickham, Dave Wright, David Losada, David Michael Zakar, Weiss, Dean Gaitanis, Dr A.J. Bleasby, Eric Vogel, Eskild Flustvedt, Fredril Glebov Roman, Flartmut Bauer, Ian Davis, imr, Jakob Schurdak, . Carscadden, Jay Swackhamer, Jeff Craig, Joel Konkle-Parker, Joe MacD John Emhoff, Keith Constable, kratzOO, Kristopher Kersey, Larel Rei Massimiliano, matthew edmunds, Michael Collard, Michael Larabel, M Monreal, Michal Spada, Nathan Parslow, Oleg Bulavsky, Palle Raabjerc Fleldens, Paul Fludson, Rami Saarinen, Ricardo Carvalho, Robert Brian Ronald D. Morley, Ronnie Beck, Sam Lantinga, Scott Call, Stephen J. 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