SERVER INFO Architecture: Sequent Symetry 20 i386 processor. Internet Connection: sh\*t 64k link Server Type: NBR Vanilla2 \(Bronco based\) source. You can send messages to god\! To do so send a message starting with \"GOD\:\"\. For example, \"GOD\: Hey are you listening\!\". MODIFICATIONS: 07/14/93 - NBR server code automatic .motd and key update 07/04/93 - SINL style galaxy .feature and ping support. 06/21/93 - SHORT_PACKAGES and RSA support. RSA Client check: To see which client a player is using send them a '\#'. Thanks to LAB.. $----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | HELP SHEET | A short summary of the game commands | | \(s\)cout \-\- puny, fast, good for high-speed harassment | \(d\)estroyer \-\- ok if you're good at dodging and evading | \(c\)ruiser \-\- the default | \(a\)ssault ship \-\- for planet-killing, 3 armies/kill, tough hulls | \(b\)attleship \-\- tough, powerful, but tricky to maneuver | \(o\)utpost/starbase \-\- only allowed to be run by experienced players | \(g\)alaxy cruiser \-\- only used during chaos play. battleship on steroids | | left, middle, right mouse keys do torps, phasor, and movement, resp. | | 0-9 set warp speed, \) for 10, ! for 11, @ for 12, \% for max, \# for half. | | b : bomb planet B : show galactic info \(two levels\) | c : cloaking C : coup a planet | d : detonate other torpedoes D : detonate my torpedoes | e : docking permission toggle E : emergency distress call | f : launch plasma torpedoes I : extended info on player | h : help window toggle L : list players | i : info on player / planet O : options window | k : set course M : map updates toggle | l : lock onto player / planet N : name mode toggle | o : orbit \(dock at starbase\) P : list planets | p : fire phaser R : repair mode | r : change ship type S : toggle status graph | s : shields toggle T : toggle tractor beam | t : launch torpedoes U : list ranks | u : shields toggle V : show local info \(two levels\) | w : war window toggle ? : message window toggle | x : beam down armies [ : shield down | y : pressor beam toggle ] : shield up | z : beam up armies \* : send in practice robot | ' ' clear windows \+ : put up UDP window | \= : send full update \(udp\) | | Messages : put cursor in lower thin window, type: 0-9a-j for player, t | for team, A for all, F/R/K/O for races. Hit Esc to cancel a message. | | Some clients also use 'm' to start a message without requiring moving | the cursor to the message window. | | Hints : Use guest initially. Hit "B" and "V" twice each, to get planet | resources on tactical and galactic maps. If you get lots of blink, set | updates/second to lower value \('O' to bring up options window\). Click | on updates number until it's correct. Declare peace with everyone. | Watch fuel supply -- orbit a friendly or neutral planet with fuel can. | Avoid chasing ships, it's tough to dodge their fire. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What is Netrek? | | Netrek is a 16-player graphical real-time battle simulation with a | Star Trek theme. The game is divided into two teams of 8 \(or less\), who | dogfight each other and attempt to conquer each other's planets. There | are several different types of ships, from fast, fragile scouts up to | big, slow battleships; this allows a great deal of variance in play | styles. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Hints for Beginners: | Watch your fuel. When you run out, your weapons won't fire, you can't | go very fast to run away, and you'll be helpless. | If you run out of fuel, go orbit a friendly or neutral fuel planet. You | can recognize these by the little fuel can (looks kind of like a square) | on the right side of the planet, assuming your maps show resource | icons on the planets (if not, see Getting Started, above). | Avoid chasing ships, unless you know they are badly damaged or out of | fuel. It's very hard for you to dodge their fire, and very easy for | them to dodge yours. On the other hand, if you can get someone to | chase you, waste them! | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Ignoring Messages | ----------------- | Any player can now ignore any other player. There are three types of | messages, which can be called "All", "Team", and "Indiv". | | To toggle "ignore" status for a player, send that player a message of the | form | | :[a][t][i] | | E.g.: | | K0->R1 :i to ignore messages of the form R1->K0 | K0->R1 :a to ignore messages of the form R1->ALL | K0->R1 :t to ignore messages of the form R1->KLI | K0->R1 :ita to toggle everything | K0->R1 : to see the current "ignore" status | | That player will not receive the message. Instead you will receive a | message telling you what the "ignore" status for that player has been | change to. When that player quits you will stop ignoring that slot. | | To ignore the doosh messages the the server sends to you send yourself :D | Send :D again to turn back on doosh messages. | | E.g: | | K0->K0 :D to ignore/accept doosh messages | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | I would like to change what some of the keys do; for example, I'd | like 't' instead of 'T' to activate my tractor beam. Is there a way | to change this? | | There are two ways: first, do a shift-O. This brings up the options | window. Near the bottom there is a box for 'New keymap entries'. | Move your cursor to this box and type your new keymap entries. The | format is \\, so 'tT' will remap tractor beam to 't'. | | Netrek also recognizes a .xtrekrc file; a 'keymap:' line in there | will allow you to map as many as you want. Format is the same | as above. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | How does the rating/promotion system work? | | Do a shift-I on yourself; you'll see four ratings there, one for planets, | one for bombing, one for offense, and one for defense. The planet, | bombing, and offense ratings are measured in DI/hour; for each planet | you take, army you bomb, and player you kill you get a certain amount | of DI \(which varies depending on the server\)--the average amount per | hour is your rating. Your defense rating is measured in relative | life length: if your average life lasts exactly as long as the | overall average life, your defense rating will be 1.00. If your average | life lasts 80\% as long as the overall average life, your defense rating | will be .8. All these ratings are updated only in t-mode. | | Now do a shift-U. Listed there are the thresholds for each rank. | Your overall rating is your planets\+bombing\+offense. To make a rank, | you need to have the DI required for that rank, and your ratings need | to be above the rating required for that rank \(i.e., to make Admiral, | you need 320 DI and your ratings need to be above 8.0\). You can also | make a ranking by having ratings good enough for a level and *twice* | the DI you would need for the next level \(So you can make Admiral | with ratings of 7.0 and 640 DI\). This equation also works for four times the | DI, so you can also make it with 6.0 ratings and 1280 DI \(which would take | about 200 hours!\). | | On some servers, your defense also needs to be above .8 to advance | past Lt. Commander. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | I keep dying. How can I get better at the game? | | The best way is probably to talk with someone who knows how to play. | There is also an archive of hints and suggestions on how to play | better; read the Netrek Server/FTP list to find out where it is | located. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What is 't-mode'? | | T-mode is short for 'tournament mode.' To keep some integrity in the | database, ratings are calculated only when there are a certain number | of people in the game \(actually, when there are a certain number of | people on two separate teams. On many servers, you need 4 players | on 2 different teams; 4 teams of 2 players won't do it\). When | the game goes into t-mode, there will be a 't' flag in your list | of flags, and there will be a message like "Dan Quayle declares self | as Galactic Emperor and chaos breaks out!" When the game drops out | of t-mode \(because someone quit\), the 't' flag will disappear and | there'll be a "Dan Quayle is locked up and order returns to the galaxy" | message. | | It's generally considered rude to bomb or take planets out of t-mode. | Some servers punish people for trying. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What does DI stand for, anyway? | | Destruction Inflicted. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Getting Started: | When you start playing Xtrek, it's probably best if you use the 'guest' | login handle. | When you first enter the Game, hit the keys 'B' and 'V' twice each. | This makes the planets resources show up on the tactical and | Galactic Maps. | If you are experiencing a lot of 'blink' (uneven screen updates), try | setting your updates/second to a lower value. Do this in the options | window ('O' to bring it up). Click the mouse button on the updates | number until you get the number you want. | Declare peace with everyone (except perhaps the current enemy race). | This way you won't be attacked by neutral planets and robots! | | Set stay peaceful when reborn (in the options window again). This way | you won't have to redo your war settings every time you get shot down. | (----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Comments on ship choice: | | Scouts(SC): These are fast fragile little things. Good if you want to | fly around the galaxy at high speed and get shot down by | the first big ship that gets near. They are very good for | harassing. | | Destroyers(DD): these are similar to scouts but they are a little more | tough and they have slightly more powerful weapons. They | are decent to fight in if you're good at dodging and keeping | larger ships away. | | Assault Ships(AS): These ships are primarily useful in bombing and | capturing planets (something that beginners should do after | mastering the basics). One of their unique features is that | they may carry 3 armies per kill their captain has. Also, | they are very tough to kill because they can take so much hull | damage. You have to plug extra torps into them 'just to be | sure'. They also can cloak fairly cheaply. | | Cruiser(CA): The standard ship. It combines a wide variety of | features. Making it a good all-around ship. It is the default | ship if you don't select one. | | Battleship(BB): This ship is slow and hard to maneuver. However, it | has the most firepower of any normal ship. It is also very | tough. Since it can take a fair amount of damage while still | dishing out a lot, it is very effective for offensive players. | This ship or the Cruiser is recommended for inexperienced | players, since it need not worry so much about evasive | maneuvers when it is in combat. Also, it usually lasts | longer, both in damage and fuel. | | Starbase(SB): These are very powerful and hard to destroy. New players | cannot play these (except on chaos night). Because they | are so powerful, new players should probably avoid getting | in fights with one. It takes several players working together | to destroy one! | <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------