				GRAVITY

LOADING PROBLEMS
Should you experience loading problems with this product, please pop the
faulty disk or disks (hang on to the packaging) into a jiffy bag or padded
envelope and send it to: The Quality Control Manager, Dept GR, Mirrorsoft
Ltd, 118 Southward Street, LONDON SE1 OSW. We will endeavour to provide a
replacement within 28 days of receiving your faulty disk(s). This  in no
way affects your Statutory Rights.

CAUTION!
Diskettes are magnetic media. Do not expose them to x-rays or intense
magnetic fields as the data they hold will be erased. Do not attempt to
'back-up' this data as it may be destroyed in the process. Mirrorsoft
accepts no responsibility for disks damaged as a direct result of 
infringement of copyright.

				2

You had all the time in the universe with a mission to colonize it. But
your time's just run out. Now the Outies are out to play it's got serious.
It's become a mission of...

GRAVITY

In 2320, interstellar travel  has become as commonplace as intercity, and
man's mission to colonize the universe is well underway. But then the
Outies appeared. No-one knew where they came from, but it was obvious what
they were after...energy. And they'd stop at nothing to get it. They  favor
charged Black Holes. And they just turned your latest colony into  one...
It's pay back time. A spiral arm wrestle. But this galaxy's not big enough
for the both of you. Something's got to give. Just make sure it's the
Outies on the receiving end.

				3

			   CONTENTS

LOADING GRAVITY							5
YOUR OBJECTIVE							6
THE ENVIRONMENT							7
CONTROL								7
WHAT'S WHAT (WHERE AND WHY)					8
	MODULES							10-11
SCOUTCRAFT							12-13
EQUIPMENT							17
	STATUS DISPLAY						17
	DAMAGE CONTROL						19
	RADARS							20
	DRIVES							21
	WEAPONRY						23
	DEFENCE							27
	TOOLS							29
WELCOME TO STARCOM!						33
	MISSIONS						34
YOUR SHIP-BOARD COMPUTER					36
COLONIZING							42
	GRAVITIC ENGINEERING					44
	TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT				48
THE GRID: EINSTEIN-MINKOWSKI FOUR-SPACE				48
THE CUBE: THE HOLO TANK (TM)					50
	ORDERS							54
	COMMUNICATION						57
THE  OUTIES							58
KEYBOARD SUMMARY						64
A STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR						73

				4

LOADING GRAVITY

ATARI ST
Disconnect all external peripherals except the monitor or television.
Insert Gravity Disk One into the disk drive and turn on your ST. Gravity
will now load (don't mind the Wyvern). When the title screen appears, wait
for a few seconds until the music plays. You can now sit back and enjoy the
turn or press any key to load the remainder of the main program. When
prompted, eject Gravity Disk One and insert Gravity Disk Two to begin your
mission.

AMIGA
Disconnect all external peripherals except the monitor or television.
Insert the Gravity Disk into the disk drive and turn on  your Amiga.
Gravity will now load (don't mind the Wyvern). When the title screen
appears, wait for a few seconds until the music plays. You can  now sit
back and enjoy the tune or press any key to load the remainder of the
program and begin your mission.

				5

NB! For the purpose of saving your  progress in the event of being unable
to  continue play, we recommend you have a Game Save Disk to hand. Please
ensure it is blank and has been formatted.

YOUR OBJECTIVE
Eradicate the entire Outie fleet...or die trying. The only way of
permanently removing the Outies from the galaxy is to turn their system's 
Black Hole back into a sun and destroy their home base. Preferably before
they turn your sun into a Black Hole...

GAME  OVER
When all your forces are lost at the hands of the Outies or your  home
system's sun is turned into a Black Hole and your home base is
destroyed...that's Game Over.

NB! ATARI ST ONLY...Eject Disk Two and insert Disk One when requested. To
start afresh once the Game Over screen has  been displayed and the title
screen reappears, follow the loading procedure from the relevant point.

				6

THE ENVIRONMENT
Gravity concerns a small fragment of the Milky Galaxy: a Spiral Arm
comprising 128 randomly generated Solar Systems from 65536 permutations.
This  vast system is yours to explore and you'd better. Get out and
colonize as many planets as possible, then use your technologically
developing colonies to  keep track of Outie activity and ultimately trace
its source. The Dateline is January 01, 2321. With the United Nations Scout
Ship Hawking under your direct control, and 15 other Scoutcraft at your
disposal, your mission begins.

CONTROL
The mouse is used extensively, so plug it into its usual hole - ie: Port
Zero (ST) Port One (Amiga). The keyboard also has its uses, mainly as an
alternative to the mouse (see Keyboard Summary).

LET YOUR FINGER DO THE POINTING
The mouse moves the 'handy' pointer around the screen. Use the pointer's
finger as a point of reference. Two quick presses of the left hand mouse
button (ie: a double click) more often than not selects a function.

				7

WHAT'S WHAT (WHERE AND WHY)

PANE SAILING
The Gravity environment is primarily icon-driven through windows. Open a
window by moving the pointer to the relevant icon and double clicking the
left hand mouse button. Close a window by double clicking the left hand
mouse button with the pointer on one of these...

				8

This is often found in the top left hand corner of a window, or failing
that in the center of the panel at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively,
don't bother to close windows - just select another function to close the
one in action.

Should you need to move the window elsewhere on screen, simply touch a
'clean' area of its border with the pointer and press and hold down the
left hand button.

				9

MODULES
A series of Modules are used to make decisions and maintain your existence.
Select a module by

			     (PICTURE)

				10

touching the respective icon with the pointer and double clicking the left
hand mouse button.

			    (PICTURE)

				11

			    SCOUTCRAFT

The United Nations Scout Ship featured in Gravity first entered service in
2116. There have been improvements made since, but all have been minor and
not worthy of mention. The 16 Scoutcraft at your disposal all come
identically equipped it's up to you to improve them where necessary.

			    (PICTURE)

				12

			    FLEET ROLL

Bell						Columbus
Einstein					Euclid
Hawking						Gagarin
Herschel					Lovelace
Magellan					Minkowski
Newton						Podolski
Riemann						Rosen
Sally Ride					Tereshkova

			    (PICTURE)

				13

DIMENSIONS

LENGTH:		1800m
HEIGHT:		500m
WIDTH:		100m

DRIVE

Three Drive Slots are available.

INITIAL CONFIGURATION
SLOT ONE:	ION DRIVE
SLOT TWO:	ORION SYSTEM
SLOT THREE:	EMPTY

WEAPONS
Four Weapons Slots are available the top usually contains an energy weapon,
with missiles often stored in the other three. The contents automatically
shuffle 'down' to Slot One when a weapon is either exhausted or damaged.
Eight spare missiles are proved as standard.

INITIAL CONFIGURATION
SLOT ONE:	NOVA GUN
SLOT TWO:	MISSILE
SLOT THREE:	MISSILE
SLOT FOUR:	MISSILE

DEFENSES
Four Defence Slots are available. As with the weapons, the contents shuffle
'down' to Slot One when a defence system is either exhausted or damaged.

INITIAL CONFIGURATION
SLOT ONE:	DRONE
SLOT TWO:	DRONE
SLOT THREE:	DRONE
SLOT FOUR:	DRONE

				14

COMPUTER
Five key systems are housed here...

COMMUNICATIONS
Prepares and receives Jump Sound transmissions and messages.

NAVIGATION
Calculates Collapsar Jumps and planetary orbits.

DISPLAY
Responsible for creating the strategic and tactical displays, ie: the Holo
Tank (TM), the Grid and Radars.

PROGRAMMING
For Drones, Tools and Missiles.

DAMAGE CONTROL
Provides limited repair to other computer sub-systems.

POWER UNITS
Powered by nuclear fusion.

FUEL TANK
Refuel with hydrogen, either by calling at a colony or skimming a Gas
Giant.

				15

CONTROLLING A SCOUTCRAFT
Move the mouse in the direction you wish the Scoutcraft to face. Depressing
the left hand button activates the Scoutcraft's drive, ie: applies thrust.
Pressing the right hand button activates Weapon Slot One, with Slot Two
activated via the keyboard. Just be careful not to shoot other Terran
Scoutcraft, Drones or even your own missiles! Alternatively, use the
keyboard (for further details see Keyboard Summary).

				16

EQUIPMENT

			    (PICTURE)

STATUS DISPLAY
Shows Ship Time, Real Time, Current Location, Battle Data, Nominal Status,
and Elapsed Time, plus any other relevant information regarding the
Scoutcraft currently under your control. A single click of the left hand
mouse button with the pointer on either of the Computer Display Keyboards
cycles through this information.

SHIP TIME
Shown in hours, minutes, month and year.

				17

REAL TIME
Not real Real Time, as in the Real World, but time relative to StarCom,
also shown in hours, minutes, month and year.

CURRENT LOCATION
The position of the Scoutcraft under your direct control.

BATTLE DATA
Any information regarding damage to the Scoutcraft currently under control.

NOMINAL STATUS
The current status of the Scoutcraft you control shown as a percentage of
full capacity. Remaining fuel is also displayed in lbs.

ELAPSED TIME
This is the real Real Time, shown in seconds, minutes and hours. Just to
let you know how long play's been in progress.

				18

DAMAGE CONTROL

			    (PICTURE)

This rotating three dimensional view of the Scoutcraft you currently
control allows you to see at a glance any damage incurred. All damaged
functions flash red. Non-modular damage is self repairing the replacement
of lost drives,  defenses, weapons and tools on the other hand, is not. The
top slots of these modules are filled by any available back up systems, but
when they run out, it's time to visit your nearest stockist - ie: a colony.

				19

RADARS
A double click of the left mouse button with the pointer on this icon opens
and closes the two radars. Both radars cannot be open at once, which is why
one closes as the other opens.

LONG RANGE RADAR
The shades of color represent differing depths of gravity well. To help you
find your way around, lines emitted from the craft point to stellar or
planetary bodies...

	GREY				SUN
	GREEN				PLANET
	BLUE				SINGULARITY
					(BLACK HOLE)

SHORT RANGE RADAR
Used primarily for combat. The grey plateau represents the immediate
vicinity of Four Space around the Scoutcraft you currently control.

				20

DRIVES
Decide how to drive your Scoutcraft. A choice of five systems are
available. A single click on the drive of your choice puts it in the top
(active slot.)

SHORT RANGE

ION DRIVE
A reaction drive which gives low but constant acceleration by accelerating
particulate matter to close the speed of light. Preferred by many pilots as
a back up drive.

LIGHTSAIL
Less common than Ion Drive as a back up, but has the advantage of requiring
no internal power as its motive force is pressure of the solar wind against
a giant reflective Mylar Sail.

				21

THE BUSSARD RAMJET
Can be found more or less anywhere, which is an indication of its quality.
The Bussard Ramjet uses a large magnetic field to gather hydrogen, which is
then fused and used as a reaction mass.

THE ORION SYSTEM
Detonates small fission bombs some 440 times a second behind a large sprung
plate cum radiation shield which channels the blast to provide thrust.
Looks impressive, too!

GRAVITIC WARPER
Only available from the more technologically advanced colonies. The Warper
is the workhorse of interplanetary travel, and is often backed up by other
systems in case of damage or malfunction. Basically, a difference in
gravitic potential between points in space in front of and behind the
device is created. It then finds itself sitting halfway up the slope of a
gravity well and accelerates down it in free fall. The gravity well moves
with the warper, which means this process may continue indefinitely.

LONG RANGE

COLLAPSAR JUMP
The craft falls into a singularity and continues in a straight line in zero
time until another singularity is reached, whereupon the ship reappears
with the same velocity it originally had. The curvature of space means that
should no other singularity lie on the craft's line of flight, it simply
reappears at the same singularity into which it disappeared. Subsequently,
you ship board computer can calculate the collapsar of origin of any craft
seen emerging from the jump, and you can track the Outies to their home
system.

				22

WEAPONRY

Four types available from two general categories...

ENERGY WEAPONS

LASERS
The least powerful weapon system. Lasers are capable of rapid fire and
extremely useful for close quarters panic action.

NOVA GUN
Another development which wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for
Hawking's Grand Unification of Forces. The Nova Gun is superficially
similar

				23

to a laser, however after a period of time determined by its user, the
energy in the beam forms a quantum black hold which immediately evaporates
and results in an enormous release of energy in a very short period of
time. Keep out of its range!

MESON CANNON
Creates high energy mesons and directs them at targets. The short lives of
mesons are prolonged to precise durations by accelerating them to
relativistic velocities. If the point of decay is forced to occur within a
target vessel,  the result is a high energy explosion and extensive
radiation damage. The nature of the meson means that it passes through all
shields and matter without resistance.

				24

MISSILES
To pick up a missile and place it into an empty Weapons slot, simply point
to the missile icon at the bottom of the window (the quantity available is
shown to the right) and depress and HOLD DOWN the left hand mouse button.

Missiles can be tailored to your specifications. A single click of the left
hand mouse button with the pointer positioned on the missile slot calls up
this diagram, allowing you to tweak the missile.

NB! Not all missiles parts work together, which is why you sometimes can't
select certain items. For example: a Short Burn missile only explodes on
Contact (as opposed to a Timed run).

				25

WARHEAD

FUSION BOMB
Standard high explosive.

SHAFTER
Creates a point of infinite gravitational potential at its point of
detonation. Any matter within the very steep gravity well produced is torn
apart by tidal forces.

DRIVES

SHORT BURN
Limited thrust.

CONSTANT ACCELERATION
The missile thrusts 'til it busts.

GUIDANCE

FREE FLIGHT
The missile travels in the direction it was launched.

HOMING
The missile locks on to the nearest available target and chases it
relentlessly.

DETONATOR

CONTACT
For touch sensitive missiles.

TIMED
Detonates after a period of time.

				26

DEFENCE

DRONES
Small robot craft intended to harass and confuse the enemy. Their behavior
is pre programmed with the Combat Orientated Language (COL) (See
PROGRAMMING DRONES).

DRIVE		ION
WEAPONRY	LASER

To view and select a Drone's available Drone Control Programs, firstly pick
up and place the required Drone icon in the top (active) slot. A single
click of the left hand mouse button calls up the Drone's four program
slots, allowing you to point to the desired DCP and 'activate' it with a
further single click of the left hand mouse button.

				27

BLACK GLOBE GENERATOR
Projects a barrier which absorbs all energy and transfers it to on board
capacitors for storage. The barrier prevents all transit across it, and so
a ship with its Black Globe activated may not manoeuvre, fire its weapons
or communicate. Should the glove overload and the capacitors fail, a large
explosion occurs which almost certainly destroys the ship. A single click
on the left hand mouse button with the pointer on the Defence icon toggles
the Black Globe on and off.

				28

TOOLS
Intelligent machines constructed for the purposes of terraforming and
gravitic engineering. In order to colonize, you need to launch a colony
module, for which this module is required. The display shows three hatch
covers of launch tubes,  with (above) windows displaying the tube's
contents.

TOOLS INVENTORY

			    (PICTURE)

				29

A single clock on 'I' a list of tools available. Top left corner shows how
many modules are available. Move pointer to tool required, and pick it up
by pressing and holding down the left hand mouse button. You can now move
the tool to the required window.

Tools shuffle down to the next tube when a tube is launched or damaged. To
replace a tool, simply pick up the replacement and place it in the tube.
The old tool is then replaced in the stores.

COLONY MODULE
Launch one in the vicinity of a suitable planet to create a colony. Each
Scoutcraft comes initially equipped with four.

CYGNUS
Forms a Collapsar from any sun or Gas Giant. Only one Cygnus is supplied as
standard.

REMOTE ENGINEERING DEVICE
Or RED for short. The Black Hole in the Outies' home system is evaporated
by using an appropriately programmed RED. It's the only programmable
gravitic engineering device, and six of them feature in each Scoutcraft's
basic Tools inventory.

GENESIS
Remote terraforming device which terraforms any Rocky planet. In fact it's
the only tool capable of actually creating a planet, which is why at first
you only have one to play with.

				30

EXAMINING TOOLS

			    (PICTURE)

Open a tube and call up Tool Data Form by double clicking the left hand
mouse button while pointing to a hatch cover for information on the tool
inn the tube selected (for further information regarding the following
terms, see GRAVITIC ENGINEERING).

Only the RED data can be changed - a single - click of the left hand mouse
button while pointing to the arrows either side of the 'No Change' icons
cycles through the data.

				31

			(THIS PAGE IS BLANK)

				32

WELCOME TO STARCOM!
STAR COMmand is your home base - lose it and you lose the game. It's also
the main center of strategy, acting as a form of computer aid by offering
advice in the form of missions. StarCom Activity (ie: the level of its
interaction) is initially set at 50% but if you feel the need you can alter
it to anywhere between 0% (minimum) and 99% (maximum) activity via the
ship's computer (see SHIP BOARD COMPUTER for further details).

With StarCom Activity at maximum, the computer gives orders to your
Scoutcraft fleet. Minimum StarCom Activity means that all orders given are
by you and you alone. Any values in between determine the ratio of computer
and player orders. Whatever the value of StarCom Activity, you are free to
override any computer given orders (see ORDERS for further details).

				33

MISSIONS
No sooner has the game begun than mission details arrive courtesy of
StarCom. To accept the mission, simply get out there and do your stuff (the
destination is automatically set on the ship's computer, and can be viewed
in the HoloTank see HOLOTANK for further details). If, on the other hand,
you want to embark on an alternative mission, access the ship board
computer and simply discard it (for further details, see SHIP BOARD
COMPUTER). Just for the record, StarCom missions include...

EXPLORATION
Discover information about a system, such as the size and types of any
planetary bodies or Outies present.

TERRAFORMING
To prepare the way for colonization by further expeditions, you need to
tidy up the planetary system beforehand by removing problems such as
asteroid belts, and terraforming as many planets as possible for later
colonization.

MILITARY ACTION
Visit an Outie occupied system, either to hassle them or to remove them for
good. This occasionally includes the conversion of Outie-produced
Singularities into more useful suns, and certainly requires plenty of
tactical skill.

COLONY PROTECTION
Protect a convoy of colonists on its journey to the colony worlds, and
maintain interdiction for a time while the colony sets up its defenses.

				34

ROUTE CONSTRUCTION
Some areas of the Spiral Arm are unreachable with the Singularities
available,  which means sending a Scoutcraft through normal space to
establish another Singularity, which may then be used for transport. These
missions take time, and you are advised not to take personal charge.

				35

YOUR SHIP BOARD COMPUTER
A single click of the left hand mouse button while pointing to either
keyboard cycles through the Status Display information. A double click
however opens this window of options.

			    (PICTURE)

DISCS
Load or Save your progress. NB! This option is only available at colonies
of Tech Level 4 and above.

PROGRAM
Determine your Drones' behavior with the Combat Orientated Language.

				36

COMMS
Review orders or restock equipment.

OPTION
Game trimmings.

DISC
When prompted, eject Gravity Disk Two and insert your Game Save Disk. Press
any key to begin. A directory of saved games is shown in the window move
the list up and down by pointing to the respective arrows to the right of
the window and single click the left hand mouse button.

A single click of the left hand mouse button with the pointer on the top
name slot allows you to enter the name of your saved game via the keyboard.
To load or save a game, point to the relevant icon and single click the
left hand mouse button.

				37

COMMS

			    (PICTURE)

ORDERS
View current orders.

DISCARD

			    (PICTURE)

				38

Discard present orders and request more from StarCom by pointing to this
icon and double clicking the left hand mouse button.

RESTOCK
Not only refuels your ship but calls up the colony's stores of Drives,
defenses,  Tools, and Weapons, along with your current equipment status and
bank balance.

The cost of equipment is displayed in the Cost window by pointing to the
item of interest and single clicking the left hand mouse button. Pick up an
item by pointing to it and depressing and holding down the left hand mouse
button. Buy it by moving it to the Store Data window and releasing the
mouse button.

NB! You cannot purchase equipment if you have neither the room to store it
nor the necessary cash (see BUYING EQUIPMENT for further financial
details).

				39

OPTIONS

			    (PICTURE)

BINDINGS
Most of the keys used throughout can be redefined to your requirements (for
a complete list of keys see KEYBOARD SUMMARY). A single click of the left
hand mouse button while pointing to either of the arrows to the right of
the window cycles through the current key definitions.

To redefine the key displayed, simply point to the entry and single click
the left hand mouse button then press the key of your choice.

				40

STARCOM
Alter the degree of autonomy of StarCom, ie: how much of the game strategy
you are allowed to 'oversee'.

ABORT
Start all over again, with all settings reset to default.

NEW GAME
Leave all settings as defined and start afresh.

PROGRAM

		            (PICTURE)

Create Drone Control Programs (see PROGRAMMING DRONES for further details).

				41

COLONIZING
The only place you buy supplies is at a colony. Colonies are also used for
receipt of information and missions, R'n'R and for saving your current
status (NB! This option is only available at colonies of T4 or above).
Obviously,  colonizing is of the essence.

CREATING A COLONY
Before you can dispatch a Scoutcraft on a colonizing mission, you must
first discover or create a suitable planet or planets orbiting a suitable
sun or suns.

GRAVITIC ENGINEERING
Should you come across a body which fails to meet your requirements, simply
transform it. Tools are used to change the three variable characteristics
of stellar and planetary bodies. The greater the change, the more energy is
required and hence more Tools.

Genesis and Cygnus devices perform their respective functions irrespective
of the values detailed below, but neither item is widely available. The
abundant REDs on the other hand are limited to five units of energy for the
purpose of change, which means in some instances you may need more than one
(see TOOLS for further details).

DIAMETER
Altered at a cost of three energy units for every 1000km difference.

				42

BIOSPHERE
The Atmosphere Type and Hydrographic Percentage of Rocky bodies. It only
takes a single unit of energy to effect a change.

COMPOSITION
Stellar and planetary bodies exist in one of the four following states...

HYDROGEN
Suns and Gas Giants.

ROCKY
Earth, Venus, Mars, Asteroids and the like.

NEUTRONIUM
Neutron Stars. Very dense.

SINGULARITY
So dense it doesn't actually exist.

The table below shows the quantity of energy required to convert a body
from one state to another.

Hydrogen To Rocky					2
Rocky To Hydrogen					2
Rocky To Neutronium					10
Neutronium To Rocky					10
Neutronium To Singularity				35
Singularity To Neutronium				35

Once a colony is established, its Technological Level (ie: ability to
restock and equip any Scoutcraft that care to drop in) develops
independently. The greater the number of Terran planets in a sector, the
faster their Tech Level (represented by 'T') advances.

				43

Successful Outie attacks reduce a colony's Tech Level. Once a colony is
lost to the Outies though, that's its lot.

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
A colony's Tech Level develops as follows (available items are highlighted
in bold)...

T3
DRIVES		None
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		None
MISSILE		Drives
TOOLS		None

T4
DRIVES		Orion System
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
TOOLS REDs
		Colony

T5
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Gun
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
TOOLS REDs
		Colony

				44

T6
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
		Light Sail
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Gun
		Meson Cannon
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
		Warheads
TOOLS REDs
		Colony

T7
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
		Light Sail
		Ion Drive
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Gun
		Meson Cannon
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
		Warheads
TOOLS REDs	
		Colony
		Cygnus

T8
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
		Light Sail
		Ion Drive
		Gravitic Warper
DEFENSES	Drones

				45

WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Guns
		Meson Cannon
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
		Warheads
TOOLS REDs
		Colony
		Cygnus
		Genesis

T9
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
		Light Sail
		Ion Drive
		Gravitic Warper
DEFENSES	Drones
WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Gun
		Meson Cannon
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
		Warheads
TOOLS REDs
		Colony
		Cygnus
		Genesis

T10
DRIVES		Orion System
		Bussard Ramjet
		Light Sail
		Ion Drive
		Gravitic Warper
DEFENSES	Drones
		Black Globe

				46

WEAPONS
ENERGY		Lasers
		Nova Gun
		Mesonn Cannon
MISSILE		Drives
		Guidance
		Detonators
		Warheads
TOOLS REDs
		Colony
		Cygnus
		Genesis

				47

THE GRID: EINSTEIN-MINKOWSKI FOUR-SPACE
The active gridwork (or solid contoured plane at the press of the F3 key)
in the center is Einstein-Minkowski Four-Space - your view of the currently
occupied singularity. Also known as The Grid, this scrolling
isometric-perspective view is where the action happens. The plane of the
grid represents the three spatial dimensions (x, y, z),  and the height
represents gravitational potential - and hence time. All suns, planets,
singularities and the like impose their gravity wells on the web of
Four-Space, while spacecraft and other small objects react to gravity

				48

wells and other gravimetric phenomena in terms of Newtonian mechanics.

NB! Due to memory restrictions, the starfield you see here does not appear
on machines with less than 1Mb.

WHAT THE COLORED GRID MEANS
Green Four-Space represents Deep Space, but this and colors of Four-Space
represent the presence of stellar or planetary bodies.

GREEN SUN
Surrounding Four-Space is GREEN in color.

RED SUN
Surrounding Four-Space is RED in color.

TERRAN PLANET
Surrounding Four-Space is CYAN in color.

ROCKY PLANET
Surrounding Four-Space is BROWN in color.

BLUE STAR
Surrounding Four-Space is DARK BLUE in color.

GAS GIANT
Surrounding Four-Space is MAGENTA in color. Gas Giants are used to refuel
Scoutcraft. Simply run through one for approximately 1000lbs of fuel.

				49

THE HOLOTANK
Also affectionately known as The Cube. A strategic display of the spiral
arm of the galaxy you occupy - ie: a form of three-dimensional map.

		            (PICTURE)

ROLL
Rotate Cube about z axis.

MAGNIFY
Concentrates on the area around the red marker.

YAW
Rotate Cube about y axis.

				50

CLOSE
Shut Window

PITCH
Rotate Cube about x axis.

All functions except CLOSE are blue in color, representing one direction of
operation, and orange the other. A single-click of the left hand mouse
button while pointing at the respective icon changes its color and reverses
the direction of operation. Depress and hold down the left hand mouse
button to perform the operation. When the contents of the Cube is
magnified, you may still wish to view your immediate surroundings. Point to
the colored bars at the edges of the Cube and press and hold the left hand
mouse button. You can now slide the bar held and view the surrounding star
field.

STAR SYSTEMS

GREEN
Terran Occupied

RED
Outie Occupied

YELLOW
Unknown OR Unoccupied

CYAN BLIP (TOP LEFT OF STAR)
Singularity & Black Hole Present

				51

SYSTEM DATA
Call up information about a system by pointing to one in the Cube and
double clicking the left hand mouse button.

SHOW SYSTEM
A single click while pointing here calls up further information about the
system.

FLEET DATA FORM
Point to either an Outie or Terran fleet to call up this form.

				52

FLAGSHIP
Transfer direct control to the selected Scoutcraft by pointing here and
single clicking the left hand mouse button. The Scoutcraft then becomes the
Flagship,  with you as Flag Admiral.

A Single click of the left hand mouse button while pointing here reveals
any other fleets at this location either Terran or Outie.

Four colors of marker are used for reference. The first star selected is
highlighted with a red marker. And select a third star and an amber marker
is displayed. Should a fourth star be selected, then the (now) amber marker
on the first selected star disappears, and then priorities of the other two
markers change accordingly - ie: the red marker becomes green and what was
green becomes amber.

				53

A cyan marker shows your home system, while a flashing marker shows that
the Outie home base has been discovered.

CONTROL PANEL
The two pairs of colored buttons to the left of this panel correspond to
the colors of the markers in the Cube. Point to the desired color of
buttons and double click the left hand mouse button to view the names of
the selected stars and the distance between them.

STATUS
Double click the left hand mouse button while pointing here for information
concerning the percentage and Tech Level of Terran and Outie occupation,
along with the number of remaining Scoutcraft.

ORDERS
Double click the left hand mouse button while pointing here to call up the
Order Form and send orders to StarCom to effect.

				54

CARRIAGE RETURN
Send a completed order to StarCom by pointing to this icon and single
clicking the left hand mouse button. Recognition of the message being sent
is displayed in the window at the bottom of the screen.

DELETE
Point here and single click the left hand mouse button to remove the last
word selected.

PROBE
Order StarCom to send a small Probe craft to check for Outie occupation in
a sector. Single click the left hand mouse button with the pointer on PROBE
to call up the 27 sector names. Now point to the desired system and single
click the left hand mouse button to select if (don't forget to select
Carriage Return to send the order).

EXPLORE
Selected as above, but orders StarCom to send a Scoutcraft (which gives
more detailed information than the Probe) to the designated sector.

MOVE
Orders StarCom to move a Scoutcraft to a newly selected star and act on
further orders when it gets there. With MOVE selected, the Scoutcraft is
then directed by using the three buttons wither side of the form which are
colored red, amber and green to correspond with the previously positioned
markers in the Cube. Point to the desired color of box and single click the
left hand mouse button to select the destination. Six further actions are
now displayed point to the one desired and single click the left hand mouse
button to select it.

COLONIZE
colonize any Terran planet in the selected system.

				55

FORM HOLE
Some stars do not have Black Holes, which are needed for Faster Than Light
travel. A complete Move: Form Hole orders a Scoutcraft to travel at sub
light speeds to designated star and create a singularity. Unfortunately,
sub light travel takes years of Real Time!

TERRAFORM
Creates a Terran planet in the designated system.

SKIRMISH
Orders attacks on Outie craft at the selected location. Fortunately
Scoutcraft have the sense to run away when threatened with total
destruction.

CONQUER
Similar in effect to Skirmish, only the Scoutcraft attempt to return the
system to an unoccupied state or die trying.

CONVOY
The only action which requires that at least two stars are selected in the
Cube beforehand. They Convoy command orders StarCom to send a Scoutcraft to
collect colonists from the first named star and transfer them to the
second, in order to colonize, Skirmish or whatever.

NB! A colonization as a result of a Convoy order results in a higher Tech
Level than as the result of a straightforward Move: colonize.

				56

COMMUNICATION
All radio communication is limited to traveling at the speed of light, so
the only practical means of passing information is via Multiple Collapsar
Jumps. Small, missile like craft called Jump Sonds are programmed to
perform a series of Collapsar Jumps, broadcasting messages in specified
systems for reception by any colonies or spacecraft present. But even
Faster Than Light communication takes time, which means that it is possible
for the data displayed in the Holo Tank (TM) to be out of date. Your ship
board computer attempts to extrapolate information held in the HoloTank
(TM), but even so, you may find that seemingly safe missions turn out to be
a little less safe than they look!

				57

THE OUTIES
No one knows from where in hell they came. But it's time they were sent
back... The Outies are unconcerned by the wishes of organic life, and as
such they stop at nothing to get what they want. What they want is energy,
and their favorite means of acquiring it is by harnessing the x-rays
produced by charged Black Holes. Bad news for any life forms in the
vicinity of the sun they choose to turn into a Black Hole, really.

The first Outie sighting was in 2320 in the Canopus Sector, where they
turned Tau Carinae into a Black Hole and consequently wiped out an entire
colony.

+++RESULTS OF ANALYSIS OF OUTIE ACTIVITY+++
Outie technology, particularly in the fields of gravitic engineering and
travel,  isn't as advanced as humanity for example: they don't possess the
Warper. It takes the Outies considerably longer than you to engineer their
systems to suit them.

On entering a new system, the Outies first build a deep space platform from
which further activities within the system take place. They then set about
turning the system's sun into a black hole. This entire process takes in
excess of a year depending on the stellar type with which they deal.

				58

IDENTIFYING OUTIE SPACECRAFT
All Outie ships are powered by Ion Drives, making them slower and less
manoeuvrable than human ships. There are three distinct categories of
craft.

ENGINEER
Not a combat craft. Only serves to convert suns into singularities.

	ARMOUR			Heavy
	WEAPONRY		None
	SPEED			Slow
	MANOEUVRABILITY		Poor

				59

WARSHIPS
There are plenty of them patrolling the Spiral Arm, but when it boils down
to it there are only(!) eight different types.

FIGHTER
Similar to a Terran Drone in every aspect.

	ARMOUR			Good
	WEAPONRY		Lasers
	SPEED			Fair
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Good

DECOY
Looks like a Fighter but only serves to draw fire.

	ARMOUR			None
	WEAPONRY		None
	SPEED			Fair
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Good

KAMIKAZE
Attempts to ram attacking craft.

	ARMOUR			None
	WEAPONRY		None
	SPEED			Fast
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Fair

				60

BOMBER
Aggressive!

	ARMOUR			Heavy
	WEAPONRY		Fusion
				Bombs
	SPEED			Slow
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Poor

SWARMER
Little more than an intelligent missile.

	ARMOUR			None
	WEAPONRY		None
	SPEED			Fast
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Excellent

HEAVYWEIGHT
Basically a very large Fighter.

	ARMOUR			Good
	WEAPONRY		Lasers, 
				Fighters, 
				Decoys
	SPEED			Fair
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Fair

				61

CARRIER
Watch out it carries a squadron of Fighters.

	ARMOUR			Good
	WEAPONRY		Laser, Fighters
	SPEED			Slow
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Poor

NOVA
A very large robot fusion bomb. Avoid!

	ARMOURY			Poor
	WEAPONRY		Itself!
	SPEED			Slow
	MANOEUVERABILITY	Poor

				62

CONTROL/ENGINEERING PLATFORMS
Carry Engineers and Warships and come in four sizes.

C/EP1				C/EP2
CONTENTS			ENGINEERS	2
				WARSHIPS	8
ENGINEERS	1		FIGHTERS	3
WARSHIPS	4		HEAVYWEIGHTS	2
FIGHTERS	3		SWARMERS	1
HEAVYWEIGHTS	1		KAMIKAZES	1

C/EP3				C/EP4

ENGINEERS	4		ENGINEERS	8
WARSHIPS	16		WARSHIPS	32
FIGHTERS	2		FIGHTERS	4
HEAVYWEIGHTS	2		HEAVYWEIGHTS	4
SWARMERS	2		SWARMERS	4
KAMIKAZES	2		KAMIKAZES	4
BOMBERS		2		BOMBERS		4
CARRIERS	2		CARRIERS	4
DECOYS		2		DECOYS		4
NOVAS		2		NOVAS		4

				63

KEYBOARD SUMMARY

F1 OPEN DRIVE WINDOW
F2 OPEN DEFENCE WINDOW
F3 OPEN FOUR-SPACE DISPLAY & TOGGLE
F4 VIEW DAMAGE CONTROL
F5 OPEN WEAPONS WINDOW
F6 OPEN HOLOTANK (TM)
F7 TOGGLE RADAR ON/OFF
F8 OPEN TOOLS WINDOW
F9 ACCESS COMPUTER

HELP TOGGLE MOUSE CONTROL OF SCOUTCRAFT ON/OFF

REDEFINABLE KEYS: DEFAULT SETTINGS

RIGHT SHIP 'Up'/Activate Scoutcraft Drive (Thrust)
CAPS LOCK 'Down'
Z 'Left'/Rotate Scoutcraft Left (Anti-Clockwise)
D Activate Defence
R Recall Drones
T Activate Tool
S Swap Drive
SPACE BAR Activate Weapon Slot One
M Activate Weapon Slot Two
P Pause (Unpause: Press Any Key)

				64

COMBAT ORIENTATED LANGUAGE
COL is an icon driven programming language used to determine the behavior
of Drones. It takes time to master, but it isn't too difficult to learn
especially with the examples provided.

PROGRAMMING DRONES
Having selected the Program icon with a double click of the left hand mouse
button, insert your Game Save Disc and press any key when prompted.

Four Drone Control Programs are supplied as standard - FlyFree, Interdict,
Local,  and KamiKaze. Studying them will give you an idea of how a DCP
works. To call up a DCP into the Program Window, simply point to the
relevant slot (except the red one) in the Storage Window and double click
the left hand mouse button.

STORAGE WINDOW
Displays a directory of your Save Game Disc and is used to load and save
Drone Control Programs.

PROGRAM WINDOW
This is where programs are created.

				65

ICON WINDOW
All command icons are stored here.

DCP
Transfer the Drone Control Program shown in the red slot in the Storage
Window to the Drone number displayed to the right.

Move the Program Window around the DCP to view it. Alternatively, use the
cursor keys.

CLR
Clear the program window of the DCP to allow input of a new program.

A single click of the left hand mouse button while pointing to 'SaveName'
clears this strip and allows you to enter, via the keyboard, the name under
which you wish to save the program to disk. If the program name already
exists on the list, simply move it to the yellow slot and single click the
left mouse button to place it in the red slot.

Shows the number of the DCP-slot ready to receive the DCP shown in the red
slot in the Storage Window. Cycle through the slots by pointing to either
pair of arrows and single clicking the left hand mouse button.

Point here and apply a single click of the left hand mouse button to load
from disk the program in the yellow slot in the Storage Window.

				66

CREATING A PROGRAM
A Drone Control Program is constructed via two windows: Icons and Program.
The icons in the lower window are COL's fundamental commands-by picking
them up and placing them in the Program window, a program is created. An
icon is picked up by pointing to it and pressing and holding down the left
hand mouse button.

As icons are added to the program window, they are connected to previous
icons by a green line to signify the course of program control. However,
when an icon is placed on a previously existing line and the new icon is
inserted on that line, dragging conditional icons (eg: IF) sets up the
course of program control if the condition is fulfilled. Single clicking on
the left hand mouse buttons and holding down the right-hand mouse button
while pointing to an icon in the Program Window allows you to remove and
delete that icon from the window. A double click of the left hand mouse
button while pointing to an icon allows you to set its parameters. Point to
either pair of arrows to the right of the parameters and single click the
left hand mouse button to cycle through them.

NB Although up to four Drone Controls Programs may be held in the ship
board computer's memory, only one may be in use at any time for each Drone.

ICONS
There are 14 commands in the form of icons. A green spot in the top right
hand corner of an icon shows it has variable parameters (shown between
<these brackets>).

				67

ORBIT

ORBIT <object> <distance>

The Drone orbits an object at the chosen radius.

IF

IF <condition parameter> <response>

A conditional command: the Drone acts accordingly if an event occurs, ie:
the existence of an object (be it craft, planetary or stellar body or the
subject of a LOCK), whether an object is close to the Drone (with the same
conditions as an existence), whether is Drone damaged, or a previous LOCK
has failed. The False and N/A parameters should be ignored.

FIRE

FIRE

Having locked onto an object, the Drone fires at it.

HOLD

HOLD <position>

Holds the position [x, y] relative to the LOCK.

				68

APPROACH

APPROACH <object>

Approach a craft, planetary or stellar body or the subject of a LOCK.
Whatever the object, the APPROACH is relative to MODE.

LOCK

LOCK <object>

Lock onto an alien, a planetary or stellar body or a piece of equipment, 
e.g.: a missile.

FLEE

FLEE <object>

Order the Drone to flee from a craft, planetary or stellar body or the
subject of a LOCK.

MODE

MODE <variable>

Determines the flight mode as used by APPROACH. The flight patterns are...

LINE The standard mode of flight.

RT ANGLE

Forces the Drone to move at right angles to the course set by APPROACH.

REVERS

Reverses the Drone's course.

				69

DO

DO <number>

Denotes the beginning of a loop, ie: a sub-section of commands which can be
repeated as often as required.

ENDDO

ENDDO <loop end>

Denotes the end of a loop.

EXIT

EXIT

Exit a loop.

NOP

NOP

Stands for no OPeration and is used primarily to 'waste time'.

				70

GOTO

GOTO

Go to a section of DCP. To determine the destination, simply point to the
GOTO icon and click and hold down the left hand mouse button to move the
blue line around the DCP. When the blue line touches the required position
in the DCP,  release the left hand mouse button.

LAND

LAND <object>

Land on a stellar or planetary body.

				71

DRONE CONTROL PROGRAMS: AN EXAMPLE

KAMIKAZE
Once launched, the Drone is ordered to orbit a singularity at a radius of
+10.

While the Drone orbits the singularity, it's constantly checking for the
existence of an alien of any type.

If no alien is present, the GOTO directs the program back to the beginning,
and the Drone continues to orbit the singularity, constantly checking for
the existence of aliens.

With the presence of an alien detected, the Drone is ordered to lock onto
it.

The Drone is ordered to approach the subject of the lock, ie: the alien.

This GOTO forces the Drone to pursue the alien until contact is
made...hence the title KamiKaze.

				72

A STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ROSS GOODLEY

				73

"I've always been fascinated by the subject of gravity especially with the
rubber sheet model, " confesses Gravity designer and programmer Ross
Goodley. "I wanted to produce an experience based around that, but I also
wanted to write a bigger game which wasn't just a shoot 'em up."

Gravity was around a year or so in the making, with the only major problem
encountered being aesthetic: "I ended up changing the main display about
five times I just didn't like the earlier versions."

Other than Gravity, Ross has written all manner of games for all manner of
home computers,  including the BBC, MSX, Amstrad CPC and now of course the
Atari ST and Amiga. His 16 bit portfolio compresses only his debut
Bombuzal, which he wrote in conjunction with Tony Crowther.

For Ross' next project he's looking to utilize filled vector graphics:
"It's a technique I haven't used that often, but I like it so I want to use
it for something. It's probably going to involve small unit combat in the
same universe as Gravity takes place."

When Ross isn't programming, his choice of leisure software is clear: "I
like interphase, mainly because of the sheet speed of the graphics and the
beautifully implemented map. And Dungeon Master: now that approaches what
I'm looking for in a game!"

				74

A STEP BY STEP START FROM THE AUTHOR

Don't change any options until you are used to getting around.

Wait until an order is given, then head straight for your local singularity
and go to where you were told.

Call up the Cube and see what's happening.

As soon as the Outies start to appear, launch a couple of Drones. In the
meantime, get on with your mission.

Always execute three or four COLONIZE orders.

Remember that Outie expansion is global, so to find their colonies, issue
EXPLORE orders for a sub-sector.

If you are lucky enough to find Outie colonies in the very early stages,
look out for their singularity in the vicinity and turn it into a sun.

GRAVITY (IT'S THE REAL THING)
Of all the universal forces at work, gravity is without doubt the most
attractive. It's just so...fundamental. Not only does it keep you firmly
planted on Earth it's also responsible for holding together the universe!

The Earth is part of a solar system, ie: a system of planets centered
around a sun. This solar system is one of many in our galaxy. And our
galaxy is one of

				75

many in the universe. As you can see, the universe is a very big place much
bigger than you could possibly imagine. It's so big it probably never ends,
and the number of stars and planets it contains is just so vast it doesn't
bear thinking about.

But there's more to the universe than stellar and planetary bodies. Like
Black Holes...

The existence of Black Holes was predicted as early as the 18th century by
French astronomer Pierre Laplace. However it wasn't until earlier this
century that Albert Einstein provided a more definitive source of
information and even then it took significant advances in radio astronomy
in the 1960s and '70s' before skeptics could actually 'see' a Black Hole.
Since then, many scientists have given their two pence worth on the
subject, but perhaps the most significant contribution has come from
Stephen Hawking a man who has arguably done more for the understanding of
gravity than anyone since Einstein.

So what exactly is a Black Hole?

Stars are 'powered' by nuclear 'fuel'. And like all fuel supplies, this
eventually runs out. When this happens, the star undergoes a major change:
its core shrinks, and its outer layers expand to hundreds of times the
star's original size. This temporary state is known as a Red Giant until
the outer layers of gas are ejected and the core settles down as a small
and very dense star called a White Dwarf.

Heavier stars consume more fuel so their stocks deplete faster. They
eventually go through much the same process as above, but from the Red
Giant a Neutron Star is produced. This is even smaller and more dense than
a White Dwarf. In fact a Neutron Star is tiny about 15 miles across and yet
even a drop of matter from it weighs over a million tons!

				76

The death of the heaviest stars form the most dense 'offspring' of all:
Black Holes.

A Black Hole is literally a hole in the fabric of space. And surprisingly
enough, it's black. Not color, simply because it can't be any other color:
a Black Hole has such an immense gravitation that not even light can escape
from it! At a Black Hole's heart lies a Singularity, surrounded by a few
miles of nothing but not nothing as in an empty jar: this is nothing as in
the non-existence of space.

But if this large gravitation is strong enough to stop light in its tracks,
what about time? And where does this hold lead to?

Well, seeing as how the nearest Black Hole isn't anywhere near as close as
your local corner shop (unless your nearest corner shop's 6000 light years,
ie: billions of miles, away), no one's likely to find out what's on the
'other side'. Fortunately, scientists have managed to come up with some
educated guesses, based on astronomy and Einstein's Theory Of Relativity.
They reckon Black Holes can be used to travel: either within our Universe
or, better still, to other Universes. And instantaneously, too.

It's actually been suggested than in a few hundred years man might save
himself a trip by actually making his own Black Holes!

But of course, none of this would be possible without gravity. Sir Isaac
Newton was the first to really notice it, prompting him to 'pass' Newton's
Law Of Gravitation. This states that the force of attraction between two
particles depends on how heavy and how far apart they are.

However in 1915, Albert Einstein took this law several stages further with
his General Theory Of Relativity, which explains why the Universe is the
'shape' it is. He said that the distribution of matter determines the
structure of the

				77

Spacetime Continuum (Albert's four dimensional description of the Universe,
combining the three traditional space dimensions with the dimension of
time). Suddenly gravity became not a force of attraction but a property of
Spacetime. This is best illustrated thus...

Take a large rubber sheet and stretch it out over a horizontal frame: this
represents Spacetime. Now let's add some planets: a few balls of different
sizes and weights. Notice how each ball sinks into the sheet to a different
depth,  depending on it size and weight. Now place a very small, but
extremely heavy object on the rubber sheet so that it stretches the sheet
to an infinite extent without tearing. This represents a Black Hole. Roll a
small ball across the sheet: it's 'attracted' to the others as it rolls
down the slope towards them. This is the principle of General Relativity:
gravity causes Spacetime to warp,  and in turn Spacetime dictates the
behavior of matter. More often than not,  Spacetime is flat, but it becomes
curved near large bodies, thus influencing the movement of the smaller
bodies and time itself. Gravity slows down time.

The best way to illustrate this is to reproduce an experiment first
performed in 1960. Take two identical accurate clocks, synchronize them and
place one on the top floor of a very tall building and one on the ground
floor the clock at the top ticks more slowly as its region of Spacetime is
more strongly curved by gravity.

Now that's gravity!

				78

============================================================================
  DOCS PROVIDED BY RAP AND -+*+-THE SOUTHERN STAR-+*+- for M.A.A.D.                                                               
============================================================================
