Outpost 2 (PC Gaming Walkthrough: http://surf.to/pcga) ------------------------------------------------------- § Author Author: Cam Roth E-Mail: lroth@sk.sympatico.ca Modified: Larian2@hotmail.com § Plymouth Walkthrough *** Mission One * Mission Briefing: Commander: A volcanic eruption is imminent and the lava flow will destroy our colony. We must evacuate immediately. All Evacuation Transports have been loaded to capacity and are ready to leave. Computer projections have generated a list of the materials we need to survive. Quickly gather the remaining vehicles and supplies and rendezvous at the mining beacon northwest of our colony. Check the Specific Objectives for an exact list of what we need. Hurry, Commander. We don't have much time. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 1.This is a 64 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives: Move all units and their cargoes to the mining beacon northwest of the colony 2 Strategies Your vehicles are already loaded with their cargoes, so you will not have to do any docking or loading at all. You just have to move all the vehicles to the mining beacon. Position the mouse in the northwest corner, press and hold the left mouse and drag the mouse pointer to the southeast corner of the map. Release the left mouse button, and all of the vehicles will be selected. Move the cursor (it should be the Move cursor) to the mining beacon and click. Right-click to de- select your vehicles and watch them go. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives All of the following materials must be evacuated, that is, moved to the vicinity of the mining beacon to the northwest of the colony. 1) 6 structure kits (each must be loaded into a ConVec): Basic Lab, Structure Factory, Tokamak, Agridome, Common Ore Smelter, Command Center. 2) 4000 units of Common Metals (loaded into 4 Cargo Trucks). 3) 4000 units of Food (loaded into 4 Cargo Trucks) 4) Colonists (loaded in 3 Evacuation Transports) 5) Other vehicles: Earthworker, 2 Robo-Surveyors, 2 Robo- Miners 2 Strategies: Some of your vehicles are already loaded and ready, others need to be loaded. Find the empty ConVecs and get them to the Structure Factory quickly. While they are going, load two empty Cargo Trucks with food at the Agridome and two with Common Metals at either the Common Ore Smelter or Common Metals Storage Tanks. Once all the structure kits are in ConVecs, drag-select the entire screen (just as in the Easy level) and move the vehicles to the mining beacon. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives All of the following materials must be evacuated, that is, moved to the vicinity of the mining beacon northwest of the colony. 1) 6 structure kits (each must be loaded into a ConVec): Basic Lab, Structure Factory, Tokamak, Agridome, Common Ore Smelter, Command Center. 2) 4000 units of Common Metals (loaded into 4 Cargo Trucks). 3) 4000 units of Food (loaded into 4 Cargo Trucks) 4) Colonists (loaded in 3 Evacuation Transports) 5) Other vehicles: Earthworker, 2 Robo-Surveyors, 2 Robo- Miners 2 Strategies: At the Hard level, none of your vehicles have the cargoes they need, you do not have enough Common Metals in storage or vehicles on the map, and there is a Power shortage as well. First, solve the Power problem. Since the colony is about to be wiped out, you need not worry about Morale, research, or your Colonists' health. Idle all Residences, Labs, Recreation Facilities, and Medical Centers. You must release enough Power to bring your Garages Active. Next, find the Cargo Trucks loaded with the Common Ore. Dock them at the Smelter to make the Common Metals you need. While they are en route, get the vehicles out of storage at the Garages. Load the ConVecs and Cargo Trucks, then drag-select the entire map to select all of your vehicle. Because there is not an Active Robot Command Center, the vehicles will be less intelligent about choosing their route to the mining beacon. They may move close enough to the lava to be destroyed when it surges forward. To avoid this, use waypoints to keep them further south as they make their way across the map. * Research There is no research in this Unit Mission. *** Mission Two * Mission Briefing: Commander: Our scientists have detected more unusual seismic and volcanic activity. We thought New Terra was geologically stable but apparently it is not. More eruptions and quakes are predicted soon. We do not know the cause. Many of our people are exhausted and weak from the evacuation and food supplies are diminishing. We must establish a temporary colony here. To survive we need to grow more food, mine ores to produce more metals, and reconstruct our basic scientific databases from the few computer records we saved in time. More structure kits will be needed before we evacuate again as well. Our people are determined to survive. Morale is steady for now. Check the Specific Objectives for an exact list of what we need. Move quickly Commander. Another eruption could happen at any time. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 2. This is a 64 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 20 Children, 14 Workers, and 6 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Astronomy, Boptronics, Chemistry, Planetary Sciences, and Social Sciences. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least six Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, and one Robo-Surveyor. 2 Strategies: Immediately set five Cargo Trucks on an ore-hauling route between the mine and the smelter. Start the Basic Lab researching. (Since you will have to research every topic available, the order of research does not matter.) Start the Structure Factory building an Agridome kit. Move the two remaining empty Cargo Trucks to the Agridome docks and load them with Food. Keep the Basic Lab researching until all topics have been completed. (A quick way to do this is to press the space bar each time your Savant computer tells you "Research Completed.". This will take you directly to the Lab where you can assign the next topic.) Once you have 5000 units of Common Metals in storage, stop the Cargo Trucks that are hauling ore, and load them with metals. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 20 Children, 14 Workers, and 6 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Astronomy, Boptronics, Chemistry, Planetary Sciences, and Social Sciences. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least six Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, and one Robo-Surveyor. 2 Strategies: Survey the mining beacon to the west. While your Robo-Surveyor is moving, find the ConVec carrying the Common Ore Smelter kit and have it deploy at or near its current location. Build the mine and set an ore-hauling route for the empty Cargo Trucks. As soon as you have enough Common Metals, build a second Agridome. Unload the Common Metals in some of the Cargo Trucks so you can start building the structure kits you need. Use those empty Cargo Trucks to haul more ore. Remember to keep your Basic Lab busy doing research. If you have enough metals in storage near the end of the mission, consider building Common Metals Storage Tanks on the west side of the colony, away from the lava. This will let you load metals at both the Smelter and the Storage Tanks at the end of the mission, avoiding a bottleneck at the Smelter. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 20 Children, 14 Workers, and 6 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Astronomy, Boptronics, Chemistry, Planetary Sciences, and Social Sciences. 3) You must have the following structure kits loaded into ConVecs: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least six Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, and one Robo-Surveyor. 2 Strategies: You must act quickly and precisely here. Immediately deploy your Tokamak where your ConVec starts. Build the Structure Factory on the west side of your base, connected by Tube to your base, but as close as possible to the Mine, and build the Smelter to the west of that. This will minimize the distance your Cargo Trucks must go. You may need to unload all metals and use them for building structure kits. Keep your ConVecs near the Structure Factory to load structure kits as they are completed. Build a second Agridome as soon as possible. If you deploy it between the Smelter and the Mine, the ore-hauling Cargo Trucks will be able to travel across bulldozed terrain, which is faster than driving across the lava field terrain. Start your research early and keep the Lab busy until all topics are finished. Finally, as in the Normal level, you may want to build Storage Tanks on the west side of your colony, so that you may load metals in two places at the end of the mission. * Research On all three levels, you must research all of the topics available. These are: Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Astronomy None 400 5 Basic Astronomy is the study of matter and energy in the universe, particularly the composition and movement of celestial bodies. Prior to our hurried departure, our astronomical database contained a great deal of information on nearby star systems and the local region of space. This database was corrupted and must be rebuilt. Our astronomical database has been rebuilt, giving us increased knowledge of the possible resources and hazards of this part of space. It can provide the basis for future research. Boptronics None 400 5 Basic "Boptronics" refers to hybrid devices and systems which use electronic, biological and optical components. Our colony is entirely dependent on this type of equipment, but our database of boptronic engineering techniques has been damaged. Reassembling this data is a top priority for our survival. Our boptronics database has been restored. We will soon be able to develop new processes, techniques, and devices. Chemistry None 400 5 Basic The science of chemistry investigates the composition and properties of materials. Our databases contained all of Earth's knowledge of chemistry, as well as the results of many experiments carried out since we landed on New Terra; our studies in analytical chemistry, examining the composition of materials in the New Terrestrial soil are particularly valuable. This chemical database must now be rebuilt. The chemical database has been reconstructed, and will provide the foundation of future scientific progress. Planetary Sciences None 400 5 Basic The planetary sciences data bank included studies of the soil, landforms, and atmosphere of New Terra, as well as all geoscientific research done on Earth and the solar system prior to the planet's destruction. Restoration of this database is essential to our continued survival on New Terra. Our planetary sciences database has been reassembled. Social Sciences None 400 5 Basic Our knowledge of psychology, sociology, economics, politics, and the other social sciences enable us to maintain the happiness and productivity of the colonists. We must reconstruct this data to maintain order and civility. Reclamation of the social sciences database is complete. *** Mission Three * Mission Briefing: Commander: Our colony has relocated as far from the quakes and lava as our limited supplies allowed. Our scientists are baffled by the cause of these events but we may have an idea. Satellite images of Eden have revealed shocking data. The colony appears heavily damaged with almost no signs of activity at all. The images show unusual modifications to some structures and vehicles. We are astonished but these modifications appear to be some type of weapons. We must find out what destroyed Eden and if the same fate awaits us. Our scientists believe with more research they can modify existing microwave power transmission technologies to provide us with some protection against Eden's weaponry. In the meantime our current population and knowledge must be expanded to ensure our survival. The new Standard Lab will help us research useful technologies. An active Nursery will allow us to expand our population and decrease infant mortality rates. An active University will allow us to train new workers and scientists. Cybernetic Teleoperation research will allow us to build more vehicles and operate them remotely. Our scientists are concerned about more seismic and volcanic effects. We also have detected unusual atmospheric changes that may produce violent electrical storms. Keep enough Evacuation Transports ready for an emergency. Word of our situation is spreading to the colonists. They are courageous people but their morale is starting to ebb and flow. Do what you can to keep up their spirits. Morale will affect production rates at Factories, Agridomes, and Laboratories. Keeping morale high will also lower the mortality rate and increase the birth rate. Computer projections have mapped out goals to ensure our survival. Check the Specific Objectives for this list. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 3. This is a 64 x 128 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 32 Children, 22 Workers, and 12 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Emergency Response Systems, Health Maintenance, Cybernetic Teleoperation, Focused Microwave Projection*, Mobile Weapons Platform*. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least five Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must build a Vehicle Factory*. 7) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Robo-Surveyor, one Robo-Miner*, three Scouts*, and four Lynx*. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: Start all available Cargo Trucks on an ore-hauling route from the Mine in the northeast to the Smelter. Build the structure kits required by the mission objectives as soon as possible. Train 6 of the 8 available Workers training to be Scientists. Keep an eye on your available Workers - whenever you have some that you do not plan to use for operating structures, convert them into Scientists. Research Environmental Psychology first, then proceed to Health Maintenance, Vulcanology, Emergency Response, Cybernetic Teleoperation, Focused Microwave Projection, and Mobile Weapons Platform in that order. After you have completed the required research, keep your Lab busy researching other topics. Since completed research carries over to the next mission, try to complete as much research as possible. To maximize your research time, delay completion of the mission by loading all of the Cargo Trucks except one. Keep a Cargo Truck on the dock of Storage Tanks (or Agridome), ready to be loaded at the last minute. It is often helpful to build a few extra Cargo Trucks so that they can continue to haul ore while you are doing this. When your structures are damaged by earthquakes, meteors, or storms, repair them as quickly as possible so they will not be destroyed by the next disaster. Idling a structure reduces the damage incurred from disasters. Keep your vehicles out of the way of storms by projecting their path and moving your vehicles as needed. It is very important to keep Morale up. Erect an additional Agridome, Residence and Tokamak as quickly as possible. Build a Medical Center as soon as Health Maintenance research has been completed, and a DIRT as soon as Emergency Response has been researched. This will effectively boost morale and improve the birth and death rates. Most important: If you start to feel like you are being overwhelmed by all of the balls you have to keep in the air, slow down the game speed using the Game Preferences menu. The faster you play the game, the harder it is. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 32 Children, 22 Workers, and 12 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Emergency Response Systems, Health Maintenance, Cybernetic Teleoperations. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least five Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Robo-Surveyor, one Robo-Miner*, two Scouts*, and four Lynx*. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: The quakes at the Normal level are little more intense and the lava flow starts sooner. Make sure you do as much research as time permits. Start the Cargo Trucks on the ore-hauling route to the northwest as soon as possible since that Mine is closest to your smelter. Bulldoze a road to the Mine quickly as well. When the mission starts, your colony is already using most of the Power being generated, so deploy another Tokamak early, before you build many other structures. You may want research Metals Reclamation and build a GORF at some point during the mission. If you find yourself short on metals when the lava starts flowing, you can recycle some structures to make up the difference. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 30 Children, 20 Workers, and 12 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Emergency Response Systems, Health Maintenance. 3) You must have the following structure kits loaded into ConVecs: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least five Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least one Robo-Surveyor, one Robo- Miner, three Scouts, and five Lynx. 2 Strategies: The Hard level of mission three is one of the most difficult in the game. You never seem to have enough Colonists, and the volcanic eruption, storms, and quakes make it a harrowing scenario. At the beginning, focus almost entirely on building your Morale. Do Health Maintenance immediately. This is the only way to keep enough Workers and Scientists alive since your Morale starts at such a poor level that your death rate will be high. Also, do not train all of your Workers into Scientists at the start. Workers contribute twice as much to the birth rate as Scientists. If you convert them, you will not be able to produce enough Children to succeed. You may only have a few Scientists doing research at a time, but getting more Children is the critical challenge. Do the vehicles and weapons research near the very end. Ignore the Mine to the south. Send your Robo-Surveyor, Robo- Miner, and five Cargo Trucks to the northern mining beacon immediately. During the mission, a quake will hit this Mine, severely damaging it. Should it become Disabled, send a ConVec to repair it. Most of the quakes hit to the west of your base, so build to the east. You can move vehicles you do not need to the east side of the map near your base. No quakes hit there. Remember that you can Idle structures to free up Workers to operate other structures. Once your Structure Factory has finished all the kits you need, Idle it to get those Workers into other structures. Keep an eye out for storms. Idle structures in their path to reduce damage, and repair them immediately so later storms or quakes do not finish them off. At the end of the mission, consider building a GORF and recycling unneeded structures to get enough metals. Build Storage Tanks near your Smelter to avoid bottlenecks while loading your Cargo Trucks. * Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Advanced Vehicle Power Plant High-Temperature Superconductivity 1500 10 Std Several of the vehicle models we use are powered by the R-2000 cool-fusion plant. Our work in High-Temperature Superconductivity may be applicable to an improvement of this power plant. The new R-3000 series cool-fusion plant has been installed in all Cargo Trucks, Robo-Dozers, and Earthworkers, replacing the earlier R-2000 model. This application of the High-Temperature Superconductivity technology has increased the speed of these vehicles. Improves speeds of the Cargo Truck, Robo-Dozer, and Earthworker. Cybernetic Teleoperation None 1200 10 Std Prior to the evacuation from our original colony site, Workers remotely operated our vehicles using a technology called Teleoperation. Since the catastrophe, we no longer have enough Workers to Teleoperate our vehicles. The Savant computers at the Command Center have taken on part of this burden, but the job is taxing their capacity. We need a specialized computer vehicle control system. This Cybernetic Teleoperation project should allows us to operate a much larger number of vehicles. Our research has resulted in a specialized variant of the Command Center, with dedicated computers and communications capabilities. In addition, all vehicle designs now include the less expensive Noesis computer, utilizing elements of the Savant technology. This transfers much of the computing burden from the Robot Command Center to the vehicle itself. Allows production of Robot Command Center and Vehicle Factory structure kits at the Structure Factory. Emergency Response Systems None 1000 10 Std Given the new dangers confronting our colony, we need more protection against disaster than our emergency shelters are able to provide. Unfortunately, those colonists trained in emergency response were during the evacuation of Plymouth. This project will develop new methods, tools, and techniques to respond to structural damage. Disaster Instant Response Teams (DIRTs) can reduce damage to structures. Once the DIRT structure has been deployed, DIRT members trained in emergency medical care and structural reinforcement will be on the scene in a matter of seconds. Allows production of DIRT structure kits at the Structure Factory. Environmental Psychology None 800 12 Std Environmental Psychology studies the relationships between human behaviors and the environments in which they occur. The forced evacuation of our old colony site has increased the stress on our Colonists; additional research in this field may help us to create a more supportive environment and improve Morale. Our expanded knowledge of the causes and effects of crowding and environmental and situational stressors has enabled us to redesign our Residences. We can now house more people in the same space, while improving Morale. Increases Residence capacity from 25 to 35 Colonists. Focused Microwave Projection None 1500 12 Std Inter-colonial relations remain poor, making it prudent to develop some kind of defensive capability. Our most promising research path lies in a refinement of the Microwave technology we use for transmitting power from our Tokamaks to the rest of the colony. We have refined the technology used in transmitting power between structures. Our new emitters are capable of projecting a high-intensity beam of microwaves which will inflict heat damage on the target. Makes the Microwave weapon available. Allows production of Guard Post structure kits at the Structure Factory. Health Maintenance None 300 6 Std Although our emergency medical systems are adequate to deal with accidents and disasters, our people are suffering from a lack of regular medical care. We could exploit the vast medical knowledge in our databases to develop a regimen of health maintenance practices. Medical Center personnel are trained in a variety of techniques of preventive medicine as well as the treatment of illness and injury. Each Medical Center can support the health needs of up to 40 Colonists, improving the health and morale of the colony. Allows production of Medical Center structure kits at the Structure Factory. High-Temperature Superconductivity None 1500 10 Std Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electric current with no resistance and extremely low losses. The best superconductive materials we have require an operating temperature of 152 degrees Kelvin (-121 degrees Celsius). Many new applications could be developed with a significant increase in the temperature of superconduction. Our research into High-Temperature Superconductivity has resulted in the discovery of an alloy that is superconducting at 236 degrees Kelvin (-37 degrees Celsius), over 80 degrees higher than previous superconductors, improving Power generation at our Tokamaks. Increases Tokamak Power output from 250 to 300 units. Hydroponic Growing Media None 1000 12 Std Our Agridomes use a variety of methods, including Hydroponics (soilless farming), to fill our Food requirements. Some of our Agricultural Workers have ideas on ways to improve the growing medium in which our Hydroponic crops are grown. By adjusting the nutrients in the liquid in which our hydroponic crops are grown, we have been able to increase production at our Agridomes. Increases Food production from 40 units to 50. Leisure Studies None 600 8 Std Our colonists are asking for additional entertainment options for their off-duty hours. This project proposes to tap the humanities database for possible leisure-time activities. Our leisure studies project has produced a number of activities, for both individuals and groups, that will amuse, entertain, and stimulate our colonists. Recreation facility personnel are trained to organize physical exercise classes, games, and tournaments, and to teach various handicrafts. Allows production of Recreation Facility structure kits at the Structure Factory. Metallogeny None 1500 10 Std Metallogeny is the branch of geology that seeks to define the relationship between the geological history of an area and its mineral deposits. Metallogenic research is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the nature and geological settings of base and precious metal deposits, and to use this understanding to help develop areas of high mineral potential. Our Metallogenic research has developed a new technique of locating and exploiting veins of Ore. This new method has increased Common Ore production. Increases Common Ore Mine yield. Metals Reclamation None 1000 8 Std With our growing needs, we can no longer afford to overlook any possible sources of Metals. A few adaptations to our current Smelter technology may enable us to reclaim some of the materials in structures we no longer need. The Garbage and Ore Recycling Facility (GORF) uses a variant of the hot-cracking technology used at the Common Ore Smelter to extract usable Metals from deconstructed structures, unneeded structure kits, and rubble. Allows production of GORF structure kits at the Structure Factory. Mobile Weapons Platform Cybernetic Teleoperation Focused Microwave Projection 1800 10 Std While our Command Center staff is quite pleased with the new Guard Post structures, they point out that our defenses are rather inflexible, due to their lack of mobility. At their suggestion, our Scientists have outlined a project for developing a mobile weapons platform. The Lynx light combat chassis is a design adapted from existing vehicles. The Lynx includes light armor-plating and a weapons hard point, to which any kind of turret may be attached. Allows production of Lynx at the Vehicle Factory. Vulcanology None 1600 12 Std Recent volcanic activity on New Terra threatens our colony. To protect our colonists, we need to develop a method of predicting eruptions so that we can safely evacuate our colonists. Using data from our planetary sciences database as well as investigations of volcanoes and magma vents here on New Terra, we have developed an early warning system that will accurately predict volcanic eruptions. Our dual-method monitoring system uses seismometers to measure rock movement that may indicate rising magma in the planet's crust and correlation spectrometers that measure sulfur dioxide in plumes rising out of volcanic craters. Gives early warning of volcanic eruptions. *** Mission Four * Mission Briefing: Commander: Some of our scientists have proposed sending in a research group to the devastated Eden site. Whatever destroyed Eden may be a threat to us as well. We have also confirmed our earlier suspicions. Eden was developing weapon systems. These weapons have been deployed in structures and vehicles throughout Eden. One of our scientists has modified several of the scanning devices on our Scout units. Although she declines to give us all the details until she has done "more research" she is very convinced that the data we need will be found at the Advanced Labs in Eden. She also recommends we proceed with our plan under the cover of darkness. Our units must infiltrate the colony and find the Advanced Labs. Move a Scout directly next to the side of the Lab so the Scout can scan the structure for the data. It may take the Scouts some time to locate the information and transmit it back to us. Protect them with Microwave Lynx units. The Labs have sustained heavy damage and may explode spontaneously. If that happens the data will be lost forever. We must hurry. Units we have previously sent into the colony to explore have stopped transmitting after a short time. Oddly, we can still see these units in our satellite images. Be aware of the potential loss of control of the units. Hopefully, our expedition will help answer this mystery. Check the Specific Objectives list for further information. The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 4. This is a 64 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives You must transmit data from each of three Advanced Labs in the old Eden colony site. The labs are located at 46,34, 26,25, and 20,55. 2 Strategies Stay focused on getting the information from the Labs. Attack the enemy Lynx only in the vicinity of your objectives, and attack Guard Posts only when there is no suitable path around them. Keep all your Lynx grouped tightly together to concentrate their firepower, and use them to clear a path for your Scouts. Keep your Scouts close to their escorts, so you always have a defense for them at hand. One route that works well is directly south from the starting position to the Lab at 46,34, then northwest to the lab and 26,25, then south again to the final Lab at 20,55. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives You must transmit data from each of three Advanced Labs in the old Eden colony site. The labs are located at 46,34, 26,25, and 20,55. 2 Strategies Keep your group together and use combined firepower to pick off things in the way. Keep and eye on the Mini-Map and try to avoid the roving patrol of Laser Lynx units. There are several Laser Lynx hiding near the middle of the map. During the mission, these will come out directly after your Scouts. Be ready. Most of the structures are already damaged so you can destroy them with minimal effort to clear a path for your convoy if necessary. Do not spend a lot of time trying to destroy enemy Lynx, Guard Posts, and structures. Your focus is getting to the Labs with the scouts. Sooner or later, your units will become infected and start shooting at you. Your units will take damage when they drive across enemy loading docks (your Savant computer will say "Damage warning!" when this happens). The amount of damage is not high enough to cause concern as long as you keep them moving, but do not stop on a dock. Distract the guarding units near the Labs with one or two Lynx, then quickly send your Scouts in while the shooting is going on. Do not bother trying to preserve all of your units... they won't be coming back anyway. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives You must transmit data from each of three Advanced Labs in the old Eden colony site. The labs are located at 46,34, 26,25, and 20,55. 2 Strategies The key to success here is to remember that you just need to get the Scouts next to the Labs, not level the entire base. Your units will become infected at around time mark 90, so do not waste time on needless firefights. (You can see the current time mark on the Communications/Messages report.) Watch the mini-map and avoid the large patrol going around. The Scout-hunting force of three Laser Lynx, hiding near the center of the map, will come out much sooner on this level so be ready for them or even hunt them down before they move on your Scouts. One successful strategy is to split your forces into four groups on this mission. Send Group One, two Scouts and two Lynx, to the northwest corner of the map. Group Two is a single Scout; send it to the east side of the map. Group Three is 3 or 4 Lynx and 2 Scouts, which should be sent down to the southeast corner. Group Four consists of your remaining Lynx. Once Group Three reaches the southeast corner, move them to the two Garages in the southwest corner and wait. Use waypoints to keep these units out of the Guard Post range. Most of the Guard Posts in the base are connected to the Command Center by tubes, and will therefore do extra damage. While Group Three is moving, head south with a Group Four. Punch your way through by blowing up structures and the one Laser Guard Post in the way, then engage the Laser Lynx guarding the Lab. While the guards are busy, sneak Group Two (the lone Scout) in from the east side. Once the data is transmitted take any surviving Lynx and move to the south edge of the map and then join Group Three. Attack the guards at the Lab in the southwest and send one of the Scouts to the north side of the Lab when they are distracted. When the data is transmitted take all remaining units towards the west side of the map to avoid the Guard Post and head north to the final Lab. Send your Lynx in from the south and the Lynx from Group One from the north. Again, use waypoints to avoid the Guard Posts. While the enemy Lynx are engaged, send in your Scouts from different directions to the sides of the lab. * Research There is no research available in this Unit Mission. *** Mission Five * Mission Briefing: Commander: Much has happened since the expedition to Eden. Increased seismic and volcanic activity has forced us to relocate our colony again. We must build up our colony and expand our research to take care of our people. Our scientists have also analyzed the data we acquired in Eden. The news is grim. A micro-organism that may have been part of Eden's terraforming experiments has spread throughout the region and destroyed the colony. After the resistance we encountered, some of our leaders speculate that the microbe may have been intended as a biological warfare weapon. Regardless of the original intent we do know this: the microbe is lethal to humans. It seems to be bio-engineered to break organic compounds down into their base elements. Some of our brave scientists have already fallen victim to it. We have been able to modify your computer display to show a simulated growth pattern for the microbe. Be watchful for any sign of it. At this point we know of no way to prevent its growth. It is possible that the microbe may continue to consume the entire planet. Some of our scientists have suggested we make plans to begin construction of a new starship and evacuate the planet. Our Council has agreed to a more moderate course of action. We will allocate some resources to research certain topics our scientists suggest, such as the potential uses for the Rare Ores we have found in this area. A robotics specialist has proposed an unusual project for research that he calls "Spiders." We should pursue this topic as well. One more piece of information recovered from Eden will affect our plans. Records show that some people and vehicles escaped the destruction. Eden, in some form, is still alive. We fear some of the people who caused this massive destruction may still be somewhere on New Terra. We must take precautions and protect ourselves. Several proposals for new weapons systems have been submitted. The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon looks especially promising. Computer projections have generated the Specific Objectives list of things we need to accomplish to continue to grow our colony. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 5. This is a 128 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 45 Children, 32 Workers, and 18 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Robot-Assist Mechanic, and, if not researched previously, High-Temperature Superconductivity and Metallogeny. You must also research Independent Turret Power Systems*, Legged Robots*, Rare Ore Processing*, Advanced Combat Chassis*, Electromagnetic Pulsing*, and Rocket Propulsion*. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least four Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals, two Cargo Trucks loaded with Food, and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Rare Metals*. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, one Robo-Surveyor, six Lynx, and four Panthers (at least two of which must be armed with the RPG)*. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: Select all of your Cargo Trucks and start them on an ore-hauling route between the existing Common Ore Mine in the southeast and the Common Ore Smelter. Send your Robo-Surveyor to the mining beacon in the lower middle of the plateau the base is on. Build a Common Ore Mine at that beacon, then build a second Smelter directly north of it. Use your Earthworker to build Tubes connecting the smelter to the rest of the base. Once this is completed, take two of the Cargo Trucks from the first ore-hauling route and set them up going between the new Mine and Smelter. This will give you plenty of Common Metals for the rest of the mission. Start building Lynx immediately. Build as many as you can, starting with Microwave Lynx, and adding Stickyfoam and EMP Lynx when you have completed the required research. Attacks will come from the southeast and the southwest. The more units you have to defend your base, the better. If you decide to build Microwave Guard Posts, build Tubes to the position where they will be placed. Microwave Guard Posts connected to a Command Center do 50 percent more damage than unconnected Guard Posts. (However, StickyFoam and EMP Guard Posts do not receive this bonus.) Start training a new group of Scientists at the very beginning. Research all weapons related technology as quickly as possible, starting with Dissipating Adhesives (at the Standard Lab), and Independent Turret Power Systems and Heat Dissipation Systems (both at the Advanced Lab). As always in Base Missions, you should try to complete as much research as possible. When you research Rare Ore Processing, new mining beacons will appear on the map. Use the one in the southwest, and build your Rare Ore Smelter directly above the Mine. This allows you to use just one or two Cargo Trucks to give you an ample supply of Rare Metals. When you have researched Legged Robots, build your Arachnid Factory as quickly as possible. Spiders are valuable for use with your EMP Lynx and Guard Towers to capture enemy units, but even more important in this mission is their ability to repair damaged structures. When using Lynx or Panthers armed with StickyFoam, try to avoid close contact with enemy units. The StickyFoam units can stick themselves close to enemy tanks, or stick other friendly units close to the enemy with disastrous results. Place the Stickyfoam units in front of a defensive formation, rather than behind one. They can fire over walls, while Eden's Lasers and Rail Guns cannot. Building defensive Walls in short segments can be an effective way of increasing your advantages. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 45 Children, 32 Workers, and 18 Scientists. 2) You must research Robot-Assist Mechanic. 3) You must have the following structure kits in storage at Structure Factory: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least five Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals, three Cargo Trucks loaded with Food, and two Cargo Trucks loaded with Rare Metals. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least five ConVecs, one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, one Robo-Surveyor, and two Spiders. 7) You must have at least six Lynx (at least two of which must be armed with the EMP), and four Panthers (at least two of which must be armed with the RPG). 2 Strategies Build your research up quickly to the Stickyfoam, Rare Ore, EMP and Spiders. You may also want to do MHD Generator early in the mission to get another power source going. Once you research Rare Ore Processing, build your Rare Ore Smelter close to the Mine (as discussed in the Easy level) so you only need one or two Cargo Trucks hauling Rare Ore. Watch for storms, quakes, and meteors. A quake in the north will damage your Tokamak, and a meteor will hit your Command Center, damaging but not destroying it. Repair these before the next storm hits. (Remember that Spiders can repair structures more quickly than ConVecs.) More meteors fall at random locations around the map. The volcano at the northwest will erupt, and the microbe, when it arrives, will come from the southwest. The attacks will come in from the southeast and southwest corners. Build small walls to funnel the enemy toward your Guard Posts. Keep the Stickyfoam units in front of your other units to avoid sticking your own units. Once the enemy tanks are stuck move the StickyFoam units out of the way. Use Spiders and EMPs to capture incoming units. This combination is one of Plymouth's best tactics. In addition to ending Eden's attack, capturing units also helps fulfill the mission's Lynx and Panther objectives without having to use Common or Rare Metals, a double bonus. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 45 Children, 32 Workers, and 18 Scientists. 2) You must research Robot-Assist Mechanic. 3) You must have the following structure kits loaded into ConVecs: Agridome, Command Center, Common Ore Smelter, Structure Factory, Tokamak. 4) You must have at least six Cargo Trucks loaded with Common Metals, three Cargo Trucks loaded with Food, and three Cargo Trucks loaded with Rare Metals. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least one Earthworker, one Robo-Miner, one Robo-Surveyor, and three Spiders. 7) You must have at least eight Lynx (at least three of which must be armed with the EMP), and four Panthers (at least two of which must be armed with the RPG). 2 Strategies Once again, having enough Colonists is a major problem. This time you need more Scientists as well. Early in the mission, you should research Hypnopaedia to reduce training time for Scientists. The attacks are from again from the southern corners. Some units will come from the west with their lights off and attack your mine. Build a Scout early and send it to that corner. Though it may get destroyed, the early warning of the sneak attacks in the dark are worth the cost of the Scout. The rest of the mission is similar to the Normal level, but tougher. Attacks come more frequently with more units. Meteors and storms come more often, and the volcano erupts sooner. * Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Advanced Combat Chassis Rare Ore Processing 2400 12 Adv While the Lynx has generally been a satisfactory design, it has proven to have a short life expectancy in combat. Our defenses require a heavier, more durable combat chassis. The Panther medium combat chassis, based on the same vehicle body as the ConVec and Cargo Truck, is a heavier, better armored defender than its predecessor, the Lynx. Although slower than the Lynx, its greater durability in combat should improve our defenses. Allows production of Panthers at the Vehicle Factory. Automated Diagnostic Examinations Health Maintenance 1000 8 Std The increase in our population is straining the capacity of our Medical Centers. We may be able to increase their capacity by automating some tasks. A new type of robotic medical assistant has been developed which can perform many routine tasks at the Medical Center, allowing the staff to care for more patients. Increases Medical Center capacity to 75 Colonists. DIRT Procedural Review Emergency Response Systems 1800 10 Std As our colony grows, more and more resources must be invested in DIRTs to maintain adequate protection. DIRT members have made several suggestions that may reduce this burden. A review of methods and procedures is in order. Using suggestions made by DIRT members, our emergency response procedures have been improved. Among the improvements are an additional team member, redesigned power-assist armor, and a new type of structural breach patch. Increases DIRT protection capacity to 15 structures; increases DIRT Worker requirement to 3. Dissipating Adhesives None 1600 10 Std One of our researchers, experimenting during his off-duty hours, discovered a peculiar substance: a foam that acted as a powerful adhesive, but evaporated after a short period of time. This is such a fascinating material that we would like to run some experiments on it to find potential applications. StickyFoam is a powerful adhesive foam that evaporates after a short period of time. Our experiments to find a use for StickyFoam were largely unsuccessful, but we have developed the foam into a non- destructive weapon system. Enemy vehicles sprayed with StickyFoam will be immobilized briefly, allowing our units an opportunity to escape or bring up reinforcements. Makes the StickyFoam weapon available. Electromagnetic Pulsing Independent Turret Power Systems 1500 12 Adv Since the early development of atomic weaponry, scientists have known about the disruptive effect of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) on electronic circuitry. Our scientists believe they can use this knowledge to produce a defensive weapons system. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) grenades, fired from Guard Posts or combat chassis, produce a disruption in the power distribution circuitry of all vehicles or structures in range. This will briefly render the target inoperable. Makes the EMP weapon available. Heat Dissipation Systems None 3500 14 Adv Our Microwave weapon systems generate high levels of heat when repeatedly fired in combat, requiring a cooling-off period before they can be fired again. This delay could be shortened by adding a heat dissipation system. Our new weapons turret heat sinks allow these weapons to be fired more quickly. The heat sinks use dichlorodifluoromethane gas as a coolant to prevent weapon overheating. Increases Microwave rate of fire. Hypnopaedia None 1000 10 Std As our research projects become more complex, we need to improve our methods of training scientists. Hypnopaedia, or sleep-learning, is a method we plan to investigate. Our hypnopaedia project has borne limited fruits. Sleep- learning is useful only in reducing the time required for memorization. This is helpful in that a large part of our research training requires knowledge of what types of research are described in our scientific databases. Reduces points required to train Scientists to 4500. Independent Turret Power Systems High-Temperature Superconductivity 2000 12 Adv Our weapons turrets currently feed off the Lynx cool-fusion power plant. Because of the other demands on this power system, the amount of power that is available to the weapon is limited. Our research project will develop an independent power source for weapons turrets. The R-10 cool-fusion power cell, just developed, is a small but powerful generator designed to fit into the weapons turret on our Lynx combat vehicles. This replaces the power feeds from the Lynx' own cool-fusion plant, and makes possible other, more powerful weapons systems. Increases Microwave concussion and penetration damage to 30 each. Lava Defenses Vulcanology 1200 12 Adv Volcanic eruptions continue to pose a substantial danger. We must find some way of routing these lava flows away from the colony. In our search for a way to reduce the threat of volcanic eruptions, we have found a material that can, at least temporarily, resist the intense heat of a lava flow. This material, sprayed on a wall built of heavily-compressed regolith, can delay the approach of lava to our structures, giving us more time to evacuate. Allows Earthworkers to deploy Lava Walls. Legged Robots Independent Turret Power Systems 2400 14 Std As we move into areas with rougher terrain, our robotics staff has proposed research into robots that use legged locomotion rather than wheeled. Robots with legs would be more agile and therefore less affected by terrain than our existing vehicles. Our new 'Arachnid' robotics factory can produce robots that move on legs rather than wheels. These smaller Spider vehicles, incorporating a variant of the R-10 cool-fusion cell developed to power weapons turrets, are inexpensive and agile, and can be used to repair other vehicles and structures. Allows production of Arachnid Factory structure kits at the Structure Factory. Arachnid Factories may build Spiders. Magnetohydrodynamics Rare Ore Processing 2200 12 Std For several years now, New Terra's magnetic field has been in a state of flux. This appears to be a natural process; it is believed to have happened a number of times in Earth's past, though not during recorded history. This is a fascinating opportunity to study a rare geologic phenomenon. Our studies of New Terra's shifting magnetic field have produced a serendipitous side benefit. We have discovered a way to harness the shifts through electromagnetic induction, producing a substantial amount of electrical power. Allows production of MHD Generator structure kits at the Structure Factory. Public Performance Leisure Studies 800 8 Std Many of our colonists have been exploring the entertainment databases brought from Earth during their off-duty hours. Some have proposed putting on dramatic presentations, musical concerts, and similar entertainments as a method of raising morale. Unfortunately, we have no facilities in which such events could be presented. This entertainment facility provides sufficient seating for performances of concerts, plays, poetry readings, and public meetings. Allows production of Forum structure kits at the Structure Factory. Rare Ore Processing Metallogeny 3000 16 Adv Since our arrival on New Terra, we have encountered a number of sites that are rich in rare mineral deposits, but we have had neither applications which called for Rare Metals nor methods of processing these Rare Ores. Now, our scientists have a number of projects they wish to undertake which would require Rare Metals. Rare Metals will be a great asset to us. These metals can be used in several new research projects. Allows production of Rare Ore Smelter and Rare Metals Storage Tanks structure kits at the Structure Factory. Allows Robo-Miners to deploy as Rare Ore Mines. Robo-Miner production cost increases to 700. Recycler Postprocessing Metals Reclamation 1800 10 Std The hot-cracking column used in our GORFs successfully reclaims approximately 50% of the Metals content of materials. We have some theories about a secondary process that can recover additional metals from the remaining slag. Metals recovered through recycling increased. Increases Metals recovered through recycling. Reinforced Vehicle Construction Rare Ore Processing 1600 12 Std The Cargo Truck, and some similar vehicles, have shown themselves to be all too vulnerable to damage from disasters, explosions, and attacks. Through the use of new composite alloys incorporating Rare Metals, we can increase their durability. The durability of these vehicles has been improved through a combination of revised construction and the use of a composite alloy incorporating Rare Metals. Increases Hit Points and changes production costs of ConVecs, Cargo Trucks, and Evacuation Transports. CargoTruck ConVec EvacuationTransport Hit Points 750 375 280 Common Metals cost 500 1000 650 Rare Metals cost 100 150 100 Robot-Assist Mechanic None 800 6 Std Our cybernetics experts have proposed a new robot that can be used in repairing vehicles. Robot-Assist Mechanics, installed at the Garage, are capable of doing most vehicle repairs. Allows production of Garage structure kits at the Structure Factory. Robotic Image Processing None 1600 12 Std The visual recognition systems of our robotic vehicles have a limited useful range, partially due to the limitations of the image processing software. Some of our programmers have a possible solution. Through a combination of improved image processing software and increased zoom telescoping vision systems, the visual recognition range of certain units has been improved. Improves sight ranges of Light Tower (to 9), Guard Post (to 9), and Scout (to 8). Rocket Propulsion Advanced Combat Chassis Independent Turret Power Systems 2000 12 Adv As it begins to appear that the microbe Eden has released will eventually make New Terra uninhabitable, we must begin looking for ways to evacuate the planet. The first step in developing launch capabilities is a research project in rocket propulsion. Our project has prepared the way for the development of a launch facility. As a side benefit, we have used this technology to produce a new defensive system, using Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) to deliver an explosive charge. Makes the RPG weapon available. Seismology None 1700 11 Std Our previous research on the geology of New Terra indicated that the planet was not subject to seismic activity; recent events, however, have changed the situation. Our planetary sciences database shows that seismologists had developed methods of seismic event prediction on Earth; some of these techniques may be adaptable to New Terra. We have developed equipment to detect certain hydrogeochemical early warning signals of seismic events. Among the most reliable indicators are variations in the concentration of radon and carbon dioxide in the molten salts found in deep bore wells or in fumaroles. These warnings should give us some time to idle structures in the vicinity of the epicenter, reducing damage to them. Gives early warning of seismic events. *** Mission Six * Mission Briefing: Commander: Further research from our scientists has brought alarming news. The microbe is spreading more rapidly than we originally thought. Savant projections show that it could consume the entire planet within our lifetime. We do not yet have enough understanding of the microbe to stop it. The decision has been made to begin construction on a starship. This will require a massive effort. The records for the original starship were destroyed in Eden. To help our scientists with their efforts we will be sending an expedition to the nearby crash site of our original starship, the Conestoga, which brought our ancestors to New Terra from Earth. By retrieving key pieces of wreckage we may be able to reverse engineer vital technologies and begin construction of our new starship. Recent encounters with Eden have created a new level of urgency to our plans as well. Having started the destruction of our world, we have no doubt that Eden is aware of the situation and has reached the same conclusion we have. They are clearly concerned with only themselves and they are abandoning us to die in this disaster they have created. We have sent a convoy of Scouts, Cargo Trucks, and armed escorts, including Spiders and some EMP Lynx, to the wreckage site. The Spiders have proven to be a powerful tool in conjunction with the EMP weapon. A Spider can interface with an enemy unit affected by the EMP and reprogram it to follow our commands before the vehicle's computers are completely initialized. We may be able to capture some of Eden's units with this technique. If the useful wreckage pieces have not already been identified, move the Scouts within scanning range of all the wreckage sites. As the parts are identified your computer display will mark their locations. When the components we need are located load them into the Cargo Trucks and return them to the convoy's starting point. Be aware of any Eden units in the area. They may be trying to find the same technology we are. See the Specific Objectives list for additional information. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 6. This is a 128 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up three pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. The pieces are located at 80,43, 38,9, and 21,42. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: Remember: the goal is to collect the wreckage pieces, not wipe out the enemy base. If you can select a route which will avoid enemy units, use it rather than opting for confrontation. Keep your combat units grouped for best effect. If there are only one or two enemies try to capture rather than destroy them. Against larger groups, use the EMP disable them first, then destroy them with your Microwave and RPG units. To take out Guard Towers with minimum loss, attack them with several EMP and RPG vehicles from different directions simultaneously. Use EMPs to disable them and RPGs to destroy them. After you have collected all of the wreckage pieces, try to select a route which will avoid any remaining enemy forces. Use your remaining tanks as a rear guard, protecting your Cargo Trucks at all costs. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up three pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. The pieces are located at 26,8, 84,53, and 21,42. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: The Easy level tips apply here, though you may want to split your convoy into two groups. Move carefully in small steps, rather than ordering a group to move halfway across the map. The faster Spiders and Scouts will arrive before the combat units, and the Scouts and Spiders are unarmed. Try to capture a few of Eden's patrolling units to help you out. Focus on capturing the rear elements of the patrol. If you attack the point units (up front) the other units will roll forward and destroy your Spiders. Be careful of the Eden convoy that comes out when you pick up the wreckage. They will try to pick up any wreckage you have not yet loaded and carry it away. If an Eden Cargo Truck does load wreckage, you may be able to capture it and still finish the mission. One strategy is to locate and mark all three wreckage pieces, then position a Cargo Truck next to each. Grab all three pieces almost simultaneously. You will get attacked by a small group so keep your combat units near the Trucks to guard them as you make your way back to the starting location. Two additional points: First, storms come more frequently at this level than at Easy. When you hear the warning, check to make sure they do not hit your units. Second, you have no ore in storage on this mission so you can't repair vehicles * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up three pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. The pieces may be located at one of these three sets of locations: Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Group I 80,43 38,9 21,42 Group II 26,8 84,53 21,42 Group III 62,2 64,52 26,8 2 Strategies: The Hard level has even more storms than the Normal level. In addition, from time to time Eden Rail Gun Lynx will come out and focus exclusively on your Cargo Trucks. Don't leave them unprotected. These Rail Guns are very good candidates for the EMP/Spider combination. If the Eden convoy finds up a piece before you do, they will load it and leave the map. You must capture it before it exits or you will lose. * Research There is no research available in this Unit Mission. *** Mission Seven * Mission Briefing: Commander: We have made no progress in stopping the microbe. Our biologists are now simply calling it the "Blight." Our focus must be on completing our starship and escaping the planet. Computer projections show that at the current growth rate of the Blight we will barely be able to complete the research, produce enough metals, and build the starship in time. Some of the richest ore deposits on New Terra have either been infected or are now in extremely dangerous volcanic and seismic regions. We must move carefully ahead of the Blight and use all of the available resources possible to survive. Instruments indicate the atmosphere on New Terra is continuing to thicken and our planetary scientists predict more unusual disturbances. New Terra, it seems, is beginning to have weather. We have constructed a special base with some brave volunteers in one of these dangerous areas. This base combines both mining and research facilities in close proximity to make our space program progress more efficiently without jeopardizing the rest of our colony. We must increase our research results and metals production to continue our starship program. We should soon be able to begin sending launch vehicles into orbit and constructing the starship. A few ConVecs and other vehicles are all we can risk in this area. Use the Spiders and EMP's to capture units and reinforce our own defenses to conserve the valuable metals we are producing. Build more vehicles at the Vehicle Factory if you absolutely need them, but you must manage without a Structure Factory. After our last encounter with Eden they must surely suspect our plans. Based on their reaction so far, they will probably try to hinder our efforts. Be prepared for any attacks Eden may launch on our base. Our needs are critical. See the Specific Objectives list for the things we must do to complete our starship in time to save our colony. * The Map: Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 7. This is a 128 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must research: Space Program, and, if not already researched, Dissipating Adhesives. 2) You must have 10000 units of Common Metals and 7500 units of Rare Metals in storage. 2 Strategies: You start the mission with several loaded ConVecs. Build the Arachnid Factory as soon as possible, but wait to build the Guard Posts until you have prepared positions for them by building Tubes to where you want them. You will be facing attacks from the east, southeast, and southwest. Build EMP Lynx and Spiders as soon as possible. Optimally, you should have at least four EMP Lynx and four Spiders at each approach to your base, with a few Stickyfoam and Microwave Lynx as back- up. You should be able to capture at least some of the attackers in each wave. After capturing an enemy unit, immediately repair it at your Garage if necessary. Repair all units as soon as possible after an attack. Try to build sufficient replacements so that damaged units can be pulled back for repair without jeopardizing your defense. ESG units are best used in a running defense firing a barage of mines on the ground in front of advancing enemies, then retreating before they come into firing range. Keep your scientists busy researching all possible topics, starting with those pertaining to increasing mine yields. Start your ore-hauling route between the Common Ore Mine in the southeast and your Common Ore Smelter as quickly as possible, using three of the five Cargo Trucks. Use the other two for a ore- hauling route between the Rare Ore Mine in the northeast and the Rare Ore Smelter. Use Robo-dozers to clear a double wide path between the Mines and their respective Smelters. Building additional Cargo Trucks will increase the rate of production. It is usually a good idea to build a Rare Ore Mine at the center beacon as well. The mining locations further out are very difficult to defend, and are usually more trouble than they are worth. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must research: Space Program, and, if not already researched, Dissipating Adhesives. 2) You must have 10000 units of Common Metals and 10000 units of Rare Metals in storage. 2 Strategies: Capturing units is very important to conserve your metals. Use the EMP's and Spiders as often as possible. Spiders are cheaper to replace than Panthers. A lot of vortexes will appear, but your Mines should be out of the danger area most of the time. Several quakes hit as well. The biggest threat comes from the volcano on the east side of the map. Your Rare Ore Smelter there will be destroyed by lava if you do not finish in time. Do not wait until the last minute to mine Rare Ore. Deploy a Mine at the beacon in the northeast early and have two Cargo Trucks hauling ore from it constantly. Bulldoze a road for them to travel on as well. Don't forget to keep doing research. This is Plymouth's chance to catch up in the arms race and several good new weapons are available for research here, especially the ESG. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must research: Space Program, and, if not already researched, Dissipating Adhesives. 2) You must have 12000 units of Common Metals and 7500 units of Rare Metals in storage. 2 Strategies: The attacks are more frequent and have more units than on the Normal level, so focus on capturing enemy Panthers first. Build one or two Earthworkers to deploy place short Walls along the approaches to funnel them to your "kill zones." Use your Garage to repair anything that gets damaged. Build a Mine on the Rare Ore Beacon to the west of your base and bulldoze roads so your trucks can get back and forth quickly. * Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Advanced Robotic Manipulator Arm Robot-Assist Mechanic 3200 14 Std Certain units, such as the ConVec, use manipulator arms to accomplish complex tasks. Our cybernetic experts have a proposal for improving the flexibility and strength of these manipulator arms. Several small refinements to the manipulator arms of these units, such as reconfigured joints, use of higher tensile strength metals in construction, and a software upgrade, add up to a substantial improvement in the production and repair rates of these units. Improves ConVec, Earthworker, Robo-Dozer, and Garage productivity by 25 percent. (Improves structure kit deployment, Tube and Wall construction, repair, and bulldozing times.) Arachnid Weaponry None 1800 12 Adv The speed and low cost of the Spiders has led some of our Scientists to suggest that we build a second Arachnid model incorporating a weapon system. The Scorpion, armed with a specially-adapted Microwave weapon, is a low-cost, high-mobility combat unit. Groups of Scorpions can quickly overwhelm enemy units. Allows production of Scorpions at the Arachnid Factory. Explosive Charges None 1200 10 Std A simple and inexpensive weapons system could be developed by placing high explosive charges into a weapons turret. Although the vehicle would be destroyed by the detonation, the size of the charge could quickly incapacitate several enemy units at once. The Starflare turret is a large trinitrotoluene (TNT) bomb, which may be placed on the Lynx or Panther combat chassis, or installed into a Guard Post. This high-explosive will damage all units within range. Makes the Starflare weapon available. Forum Reconfiguration Public Performance 600 10 Std Demand for seating at our Forum events is running very high. A reconfiguration of the seating at the Forum would allow us to accommodate more colonists. By redesigning the seats, reconfiguring the seating arrangement, and changing the shape of the stage, we can now accommodate more people at each Forum event. Increases Forum capacity to 100 Colonists. Hot-Cracking Column Efficiency None 1400 14 Std Smelters and GORFs are dependent on hot cracking columns to separate the Metal content of Ores or rubble. This equipment has a very high Power demand. We believe that we may be able to apply our high- temperature superconductive material to some elements of this system and reduce the Power demand. Common Ore Smelter, Rare Ore Smelter, and GORF Power requirements reduced. Reduces Common Ore Smelter, Rare Ore Smelter, and GORF Power requirements to 40 units each. Meteorology None 1600 12 Std Although there have always been electrical discharges in the New Terran atmosphere, the atmosphere's low pressure caused these discharges to be manifested as sudden glows, rather than lightning strikes as on Earth. Now, with the thickening of the atmosphere, dangerous lightning is becoming more of a danger. We need to study these strikes so that we can predict their occurrence and take precautions. We now understand the atmospheric conditions that lead to filimentous, or arc, lightning discharges in the New Terran atmosphere, and can predict their occurrence. On Earth, collisions between water particles of varying sizes caused the build-up of an electrical charge in the atmosphere. Negatively-charged particles in storm clouds were attracted to the positively-charged ground. The process is similar on New Terra, except that instead of water particles colliding, we have dust particles colliding. Gives early warning of electrical storms. Multiple Mine Projectile System None 1800 12 Std A young Scientist interning at a Standard Lab before our last evacuation, read in the historical database about an interesting weapons system used on Earth. The weapon launched a projectile that split into several smaller weapons upon impact. We believe we could develop such a defensive system. Our new ESG weapons launch a single projectile, but on impact it splits into several small mines that are scattered around the impact location. These mines release an electrostatic discharge at the first enemy unit that approaches them. Makes the ESG weapon available. Rare Ore Extraction None 4000 16 Adv Our Rare Ore mining facilities have had only moderate success at finding the best methods of extracting higher grades of Rare Ore. Several proposals have been put forward to improve our efficiency. Our project has met with limited success. We have developed two new processes that determine the Rare Metal content of certain gangue materials, such as quartz, and eliminate specimens containing only trace amounts of Metal. Increases Rare Ore Mine yield by 20 percent. Scout-class Drive Train Refit None 1800 12 Std The Scout, and some similar vehicles, use the G-75 drive train. We have discovered a design flaw in the G-75 that impairs its efficiency. This project would redesign the G-75 to make it more effective. The G-75 drive train used in these three vehicles has been replaced by the G-80 model, which improved vehicle speed through a more efficient transfer of energy from the power plant to the wheels. Improves Scout, Robo-Surveyor, and Lynx speeds. Smelter Postprocessing Recycler Postprocessing 4000 16 Adv The chemical postprocessing technique we developed for improving metals reclamation at the GORF may be adaptable for use at our Common Ore and Rare Ore Smelters. We have successfully adapted the chemical postprocessing treatment used at the GORF to improve the yield of our Smelters. Increases Common Ore Smelter and Rare Ore Smelter production. Metals produced from a truckload of ore will be 20 percent higher than the Yield listed in the Cargo Truck's status display. Space Program None 4000 14 Adv With the discovery that the Blight cannot be stopped, and that New Terra will eventually become uninhabitable, it becomes imperative that we develop a space launch facility as the first step in our evacuation of New Terra. Our space program is underway. As an initial cargo, we have developed the Early Disaster Warning and Resource Detection (EDWARD) satellite. Allows production of Spaceport structure kits at the Structure Factory. Spaceports may build Single-Use Launch Vehicles (SULVs) and the EDWARD Satellite. *** Mission Eight * Mission Briefing: Commander: The attack on our research base has shown that remote bases will be difficult to defend. A centralized colony will not stretch our defensive resources across too large an area. We have established a new location based on this strategy. Further analysis of the Blight has confirmed our deepest fears. It cannot be stopped. New Terra is doomed. To survive we must once again take to the stars. The construction of our starship has become our highest priority. We must build a Spaceport and launch our Skydock to begin construction in orbit. This effort will require large quantities of metals. Our new location is near several potential mining sites that will help in this effort. We believe we can carry about 200 colonists on the starship. Leaving people behind would be another avoidable tragedy for our colony, so be careful managing our population growth. Idle the Nursery and University as needed to slow down the birth rate. We cannot absorb any delays in our starship construction. The Blight is spreading at an increasing rate. We have no margin for error. Do not let any threats from Eden hamper our efforts. Be prepared to defend our base against any incursions. Our schedule is difficult and our needs are great. Check the Specific Objectives list to see what must be accomplished to survive. * The Map Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 8. This map is huge. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 60 Children, 42 Workers, and 23 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics, if not previously completed: Advanced Vehicle Power Plant, Explosive Charges, Reinforced Vehicle Construction. You must also research Dual- Turret Weapons Systems*. 3) You must build an Arachnid Factory and a Spaceport. 4) You must build and launch these starship components: Skydock*, Ion Drive Module*, Fusion Drive Module*, Fueling Systems*. 5) You must have at least 8000 units of Common Metals, 3000 units of Food, and 4000 units of Rare Metals in storage. 6) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 7) You must have at least four EMP Lynx, three Panthers, three Tigers*, and three Spiders. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: The primary challenge in this mission is keeping Morale high while you deal with all of the other colony management and fend off numerous attacks from Eden. Make sure you have enough Residences, Recreation Facilities, Medical Centers, etc. to keep your people happy. Research disaster warning topics (Seismology, Meteorolgy, Severe Storms, etc.) as soon as possible if you have not done so already. Use the warning information to avoid storm and earthquake damage by moving vehicles away from trouble spots, and idling buildings in the path of storms. As always, try to repair any damaged structures as quickly as possible. Having multiple Spiders in your base makes this fairly easy. Build the Agridome kit at the Structure Factory immediately, followed by the Residence kit and the Tokamak kit. Build another Residence kit and deploy it. Try to keep ahead of the demand for Residences and Agridomes. Start ore-hauling routes between the Common Ore Mine to the north of the base and your Common Ore Smelter using five Cargo Trucks, and between the Rare Ore Smelter and the Rare Ore Mine to the east of its location using two Trucks.. Survey and build a Mine at the beacon due south of the base. If necessary, build a second Common Ore Smelter directly above the southern Mine, connected by Tube to the Vehicle Factory. This will let you use two Trucks to supply you with all the Common Ore you need. You can then switch three Trucks from the first Common Ore route to the Rare Ore route. You can also build a Rare Ore Mine and Smelter at the location just outside the southeastern base entrance, but you will need a larger defensive force to protect it. You will be facing attacks from the north and the west. Build EMP Lynx and Spiders as quickly as possible and connect your Microwave and RPG Guard Posts to the base with Tubes immediately. It is worth building a few RPG and EMP guard towers at the northwest entrance to the base area. You can defend from the attacks from the west by assembling a force of tanks just below the mining beacon outside the southeast base entrance. Watch out for storms and vortexes in that area, and earthquakes in the northwest. Attacks from the North give you little warning, so keep a close eye on that area. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 60 Children, 42 Workers, and 23 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics, if not previously completed: Advanced Vehicle Power Plant, Explosive Charges, Reinforced Vehicle Construction. You must also research Dual- Turret Weapons Systems*. 3) You must build and launch these starship components: Skydock, Ion Drive Module, and either the Fusion Drive Module OR the Fueling Systems. 4) You must have at least 10000 units of Common Metals, 4000 units of Food, and 7500 units of Rare Metals in storage. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least six Lynx (at least one with StickyFoam), five Panthers (at least one with RPG), and five Tigers*. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: Many of the strategies from the Easy level will work for the Normal as well. More vortexes and storms will show up and the attacks will be stronger and more frequent. You will also have several small meteors falling in random locations; if they hit a building they will only do minor damage. Getting the buildings up to keep your morale up early is important as well as continuing to do as much research as you can. If you have extra time and enough ore launch an EDWARD satellite to give you more warnings on the disasters. The vortexes show up to the south of your base and shouldn't be much threat to your buildings but keep an eye on any vehicles in that direction, especially trucks on ore hauling routes. To defend your base, you should use plenty of EMPs and Spiders, conserving your metals by capturing enemy units. However, ESG Lynx are a worthwhile investment. Their speed is good, particularly if you do the Scout-class Drive Train Refit research, and they can damage many vehicles at once. On the other hand, the ESG turrets use Rare Metals, so be careful about how many you build. The microbe will approach around time mark 540 as daylight approaches. Be ready to go before then. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 60 Children, 42 Workers, and 23 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics, if not previously completed: Explosive Charges. 3) You must build and launch these starship components: Skydock, Ion Drive Module, and either the Fusion Drive Module OR the Fueling Systems. 4) You must have at least 10000 units of Common Metals, 4000 units of Food, and 8000 units of Rare Metals in storage. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least eight Lynx (at least one with StickyFoam), six Panthers (at least one with RPG), and six Tigers. 2 Strategies: At the Hard level, this is a particularly difficult mission. The frequent attacks, increasing in intensity over time, as well as the locations of the mines and the number of disasters make this very challenging. In addition to the tactics listed above, one of the best defenses is a good offense. Use the ESG Lynx to block drop mines in front of approaching groups and then back it up and drop another round, back it up, etc. Build short walls to funnel the incoming units your kill zones, but do not make the walls too long, or the enemy will shoot through them. Walls are good for slowing vehicles down but will not stop them completely in most cases. Build Tubes out to the two entryways into your base above the desert valley and have your RPG Guard Posts hooked up to them. Use the "group repair" for Spiders to keep these Guard Posts in good condition. Make sure you bulldoze roads to the mines as well. Trying to defend the mines in the lower left can be very difficult because of the distances involved, so using the EMP/Spider combination is crucial here. Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Arachnid Durability Arachnid Weaponry 1800 14 Adv Our Arachnid units, while very useful, are too easily destroyed. This project seeks to increase the survivability of the Arachnids while maintaining their speed and low cost. Our metallurgical staff has devised a lightweight steel alloy, which we are now using in the joint assemblies of our Arachnids. This leg reinforcement, as well as certain structural modifications to the bodies of the Arachnids, has produced a substantial increase in the durability of these units. Increases Spider Hit Points to 125 and Scorpion Hit Points to 150. Disaster-Resistant Housing Environmental Psychology 600 12 Std The increasing frequency and strength of the seismic events and atmospheric disturbances are making our Residence structures dangerous places to be. This project will seek to alter the design of the Residence to make it more able to withstand these dangers. Rather than alter the existing Residence plan, we have designed a new Reinforced Residence, capable of withstanding more serious disaster. The original Residence structure is still available, at lower cost, for use in areas deemed to be less prone to seismic activity. Allows production of Reinforced Residence structure kits at the Structure Factory. Dual-Turret Weapons Systems None 4500 18 Adv One of our research Scientists has proposed doubling the rate of fire of our combat units by installing a dual weapons turret. This may be just the decisive advantage we need to end this destructive conflict. The dual-turret weapons systems are capable of twice the effective rate-of-fire of their single-turret predecessors, but duplicate only 70% of the components, sharing certain support systems. Due to their size, they can only be mounted on the Tiger heavy combat chassis, a tracked vehicle based on the Earthworker and Robo- Dozer designs. Allows production of Tigers at the Vehicle Factory. Efficiency Engineering None 4000 18 Std All of our factories use a similar assembly-line method of production. Some of our factory workers, reading through the databases of industrial engineering techniques from Earth, have proposed a study of our factories, to look for possible increases in manufacturing efficiency. Using time-and-motion analysis of the various production facilities, our researchers developed several new tools and techniques that reduced the production time of all products by 25%. Reduces production time at Android Factory, Spaceport, Structure Factory, and Vehicle Factory by 25 percent. Enhanced Defensive Fortifications None 1800 12 Std With tensions increasing between the two colonies, we must make our defenses as strong as possible, especially as we begin development of our starship. The armor applied to our Guard Posts is now equal to that protecting our most vital structures. Upgrades Guard Post armor to Heavy. Fueling Systems Ion Drive Module 3500 14 Adv Portions of a severely-damaged spacecraft were among the wreckage found at the Conestoga crash site. The ship was known to have carried an emergency refueling unit, designed to scoop hydrogen from the atmosphere of gas giants similar to Jupiter. Should New Terra have been found to be uninhabitable, this "Fuel Shark" would have been able to refuel the Conestoga for travel to another star. The Fueling Systems consist of storage tanks for liquid mercury, used to fuel the Ion Drive, and the Fuel Shark, an autonomous ramscoop vehicle that dives into the outer layers of the planet's atmosphere to gather hydrogen fuel for the Fusion Drive. The Fuel Shark will substantially reduce the number of launches necessary to prepare the starship for flight. Allows production of the Fueling Systems at the Spaceport. Fusion Drive Module Ion Drive Module 3500 14 Adv Some of the wreckage recovered from the starship crash site appears to be part of a fusion motor propulsion system. Further examination of the wreckage will allow us to re-build such a system. Our fusion propulsion system plans are complete. The Fusion Drive Module contains both the fusion motor, used for high- acceleration in-system maneuvering, and the tanks which store the hydrogen fuel used in this motor. Once we have reached interstellar space, this fusion motor will provide power to the Ion Drive. Allows production of the Fusion Drive Module at the Spaceport. High-Powered Explosives Explosive Charges 1800 12 Std The proven effectiveness of the Starflare weapon has led our scientists to propose a more powerful version. We have several formulas for chemical explosives more powerful than trinitrotoluene, but testing is required to determine which is most suitable for use as a reliable weapon. A new explosive material, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), has been developed. PETN is about 1.6 times as powerful as the material used in our Starflare weapons. Our RPG weapons systems have been upgraded to use PETN. Makes the Supernova weapon available. Increases RPG concussion damage to 100 and penetration damage to 45. Ion Drive Module Skydock 3500 14 Adv The ion motor used in the Conestoga was a low-thrust/long- duration system activated once the ship reached interstellar space. The Ion Drive Module contains this interstellar drive as well as supplemental ion and chemical guidance thrusters to be attached to the starship. While the main drive of the Conestoga was a less capable fusion drive, it appears that an improved ion propulsion system was developed shortly before launch and used in some thruster systems. The remains of one of these thrusters has been recovered from the Conestoga crash site. Reverse-engineering this thruster will be a substantial step in developing our evacuation starship. Allows production of the Ion Drive Module at the Spaceport. Multitainment Console Upgrade Leisure Studies 500 10 Std The demands on our Recreation Facilities have grown even as our colony has grown. This project hopes to ease the situation by improving the multitainment consoles so many of our colonists use during their off-duty hours. Our improved Multitainment Consoles are smaller and less expensive, while maintaining their high performance level. The number of units included in the Recreation Facility design has been increased, allowing the facility to serve more colonists. Increases Recreation Facility capacity to 60 Colonists. Reduced Foam Evaporation Dissipating Adhesives 1800 12 Std Although the immobilizing effect of StickyFoam is very useful, its evaporation rate is inconveniently short. We propose to slow the evaporation rate of the Foam by introducing certain chemical stabilizing elements. We have added stabilizers and thickeners to our StickyFoam formula that causes the Foam to evaporate more slowly, without losing its adhesiveness. Increases StickyFoam duration by 50 percent. Reinforced Panther Construction Reinforced Vehicle Construction 1800 10 Adv The composite alloy developed in our Reinforced Vehicle Construction project may be beneficial for our Panther combat chassis as well. A redesign of the Panther using a new composite alloy has increased the durability of this combat chassis. Increases Panther Hit Points to 700. Changes production costs to 300 Common Metals, 150 Rare Metals. Scorpion Power Systems Arachnid Weaponry 1800 14 Adv The weapons on the Scorpion are just not powerful enough. We believe we can increase the amount of damage they do by improving the Scorpion's power system. By installing a slightly larger power system in the Scorpion, we have increased its combat effectiveness substantially. Increases Scorpion penetration damage to 30. Severe Atmospheric Disturbances Meteorology 1600 12 Std The vortexes we have been experiencing are a new phenomenon on New Terra; we must study these severe storms to determine how they are caused and how to predict them. The vortexes start in a manner similar to the 'dust-devils' common on Earth and Mars. Ground-level air, heated by sunlight, rises. Cooler air rushes into the area that the warmer air has left, but from there, the spinning column of air is enhanced and focused by a yet-unknown process which may be electromagnetic in nature. While our understanding is limited, we can now forecast conditions that will lead to their formation, and have developed technologies for early detection. Gives early warning of vortexes. Skydock None 3500 14 Adv We must begin construction of an evacuation starship as soon as possible. The first step is an orbital station from which we can start deploying components of the ship. Our Skydock will function as an orbital command post. In addition to docking facilities for our launch vehicles ferrying components and technicians, it serves as a command and control facility for construction of our evacuation starship. Allows production of the Skydock at the Spaceport. Spider Maintenance Software Revision Legged Robots 1600 10 Std Bugs in the software controlling our Spiders' repair function are impairing its ability to make repairs on structures and vehicles. Although the Spiders are adequately performing this function, we believe we can make some improvements. Spider Maintenance Software version 1.32 has been installed in all Spider units, fixing some inadequacies in the damage diagnostics and repair procedures routines. Improves Spider repair rate 25 percent. *** Mission Nine - * Mission Briefing: Commander: Our situation is desperate. We simply do not have enough expertise in the sciences for building our starship. Any effort we can make to acquire further knowledge in the field is warranted. A second Conestoga wreckage site, located in the Tsiolkovsky Hills, may yield data we need. If necessary, scan all the wreckage sites with a Scout and then load any valuable pieces in Cargo Trucks. Beware of Eden units in the area. Do not let them salvage any parts of the wreckage. If they do, use the EMP and Spider combination to capture the Truck carrying the wreckage before Eden can retreat with it. Return all of the needed parts to the convoy's starting location. The Specific Objectives list may have other useful information. * The Map Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 9. This is a 128 x 128 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up four pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. The pieces are located at 77,118, 105,7, 49,53, and 26,28. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: This mission is similar to mission six, but the enemy units are more aggressive, and after you have retrieved three of the wreckage pieces, they will send out a well armed expedition for the fourth. One effective strategy is to split your units, with the main group retrieving the northern wreckage pieces, while a smaller force with one Cargo Truck waits at the site of the southern piece. After all three northern pieces have been picked up, the larger force guards the returning Trucks, while the southern force picks up the last piece and returns it to the entry point. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up four pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. Each piece is randomly placed in one of several possible locations. Piece Possible Locations I 123,33-100,45-86,78-81,98-107,107-103,117-79,101-86,115 II 43,124-46,84-49,75-42,91-70,75-95,38-93,38-89,34 III 77,19-59,14-105,7-35,13-16,2-68,5-7,13-36,30-59,53-38,49- 23,34-25,31 IV 15,123-16,112-16,101-18,99 2 Strategies: Be aware of the natural disasters that can come in and threaten your convoy. If you destroy too many enemy units they will get reinforcements. Some of those will target your Scouts and Cargo Trucks so be careful about antagonizing them. You are after the wreckage, not a big fight. Use the few Spiders you have carefully. Remember that without metals, and you have none in this mission, they cannot repair your units. If you lose an empty truck, capture one of Eden's, if you still have Spiders and EMPs. Mark all the pieces before you pick them up and protect your Trucks once you do pick them up. When you pick up the last piece, an ambush convoy comes out and goes after your Trucks. Be ready. After you pick up the third piece, an Eden convoy will try to carry off the last piece. If you have not already found it, this is a useful way to find the last piece, but you will have to capture the truck with the wreckage before it leaves the screen. Be careful not to destroy the truck or you will lose the mission. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives You must pick up four pieces of wreckage from the Conestoga. Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. Each piece is randomly placed in one of several possible locations. Piece Possible Locations I 123,33-100,45-86,78-81,98-107,107-103,117-79,103-86,115 II 43,124-46,84-49,75-42,91-70,75-95,38-93,38-89,34 III 77,19-59,14-105,7-35,13-16,2-68,5-7,13-36,30-59,53- 38,49-23,34-25,31 IV 15,123-16,112-16,101-18,99 2 Strategies: Similar to NORMAL, but a little tougher base layout. The mission is also at night so it will be harder to find all the pieces. Keep your long range firepower together (the RPG units) as a group and take out the Guard Posts so your Scouts can drive through without getting hit. Stickyfoam is useful to hit empty Cargo Trucks that you can then easily EMP and capture as well in case you lose your Trucks. * Research There is no research available in this Unit Mission. *** Mission Ten * Mission Briefing: Commander: Our recent expedition to recover wreckage parts was very successful. But it is still not enough. Computer projections show very clearly that our current rate of production is not fast enough compared to the spreading rate of the Blight. Eden's continued assaults are a clear sign of their refusal to negotiate a settlement. Our Council has developed a plan out of our desperation. One of our scientists has suggested we may be able to find some "help" in Eden. We will send in a small raiding party to Eden's base under cover of darkness. Take the Cargo Trucks to their Spaceport and park them alongside the Spaceport to procure any parts of the starship that may be in storage. Take the specially modified Evacuation Transports and "persuade" the scientists working on Eden's starship to join our efforts. They are located at two separate Advanced Labs. Our information source has given us some idea about where they might be, but we may have to search for the Labs once we are there. Move the Evacuation Transports next to the side of the Labs to bring the scientists out. Then return the loaded Cargo Trucks and the Evacuation Transports to the convoy's starting location. Without these scientists our prospects are bleak. We must succeed. The Specific Objectives list has any other information we know at this point. * The Map Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 10. This is a 128 x 128 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives You must capture two groups of Scientists (from two different Advanced Labs), and two starship components (from the Spaceport). Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: While this mission professes limited objectives, good results can be obtained by using all of your forces as an attacking group and flattening the entire base one section at a time. Start by taking out the EMP Guard Posts on the southern entrance of the western wall. Capture several of the ore-hauling Cargo Trucks that pass through that gate. Use the ESG mines to create a kill zone in the entry way, and use a captured Truck as bait. When the defenders chase it, attack them with EMP and RPG units. You should have enough force available to take out or capture all of the main defense force. After the enemy units have been eliminated, destroy the Vehicle Factory and Garages just inside the entryways then proceed to destroy every Factory, Guard Post, and Power source you can reach. Work systematically west to east. Do not waste time destroying Agridomes, Residences, Universities, etc., just destroy their capability to make combat units and Guard Posts. After all Power facilities have been destroyed (including Command Centers), the Guard Posts are Disabled. Once you pick up the starship components and Scientists, you will have to deal with attacks from units Eden had sent out to guard Mines. Make sure you have an adequate rear guard to deal with these attacks from stragglers. An effective way to deal with Guard Posts is a multiple unit attack from several directions with RPG's and EMP's. Captured enemy Trucks can make effective decoy targets to allow your combat units to approach without damage. You will face a final defensive assault after you have "rescued" the second group of scientists. Watch for it and be ready. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives You must capture two groups of Scientists (from two different Advanced Labs), and two starship components (from the Spaceport). Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: The Eden base in the Normal has many more units and tougher Guard Posts in places. Watch for convoys that leave the central base in the middle and drive towards the Mines on the outskirts. There are a lot of EMP and Rail Gun Panthers that can be usefully captured, as well as some Trucks that you can use as bait. The mission is winnable in several ways - you can approach the base from either the upper left corner or lower right corner, or even straight through the front door. You can blast holes in the walls to go through but once a hole is open anybody can go through it... your units or the enemy's. The key to success is to destroy the Vehicle Factories and Garages. If you pick up the starship parts and scientists with these structures still intact you will get swarmed. The computer base does not cheat... it has to follow the same rules as you do. It can have only six vehicles in a Garage and it has to have enough Power and Metals to produce things as well. If you can knock those out it will hamper the defenses of the base. Keep in mind that the Rail Gun is a line-of-sight weapon, but the EMP and RPG are not. If you can get the Rail Gun Tigers on the opposite side of walls or structures from your RPGs you can still pummel them without them being able to return fire. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives You must capture two groups of Scientists (from two different Advanced Labs), and two starship components (from the Spaceport). Once acquired, they must be returned to the convoy's starting location. 2 Strategies: The enemy in the Hard level will not just wait for you to walk in. If you delay for too long Eden will send an attack group out to focus on your Cargo Trucks and Evacuation Transports. The Thor's Hammer weapon can reach over walls (it is not a line- of- sight weapon) so give those units a wide berth. Knocking out some buildings will break the connection with the Command Center and lower the damage that Guard Posts armed with Lasers, Rail Guns, Thor's Hammer or Acid Cloud will do. You do not have to destroy all of the Garages and Factories before you pick up the last load of Scientists, but be ready to make a rapid exit. Keep enough units between the enemy units and the slow Evacuation Transports to protect them while they get back to the starting point but be ready for a group of Eden units that just heads right for the rendezvous point and waits for you. * Research There is no research available in this Unit Mission. *** Mission Eleven * Mission Briefing: Commander: Our Eden "guests" have been convinced to contribute their efforts to our cause. Still, it may not be enough. Our Council has made an offer to Eden to exchange our Gene Bank for more of their starship technology. They have not replied. Information from the Eden scientists indicates that New Terra does not have enough uncontaminated resources left to complete two starships. We expect Eden to make a rescue attempt or perhaps attempt to steal our Gene Bank and halt our starship progress. These assets must be protected. We must also launch more starship components into orbit and protect our Labs and Spaceport. Our latest weapons system, inspired by a chapter of Earth history, may help our defenses against Eden's advanced weaponry. These new weapons are powerful self-destruct turrets. They will destroy any lightly armored units near them and do great damage to even heavily armored units. But obviously they can only be used one time for each unit. A high return for a high price. New defensive weapons projects have been proposed by our scientists as well. Explore as many of these as you can while balancing the other needs of the colony. Our starship program must stay on schedule. Consult the Specific Objectives list for what we must do to survive. * The Map Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 11. This is a 128 x 128 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 80 Children, 48 Workers, and 32 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Rocket Atmospheric Re- entry System, High-Powered Explosives. 3) You must build and launch these starship components: Command Module, Habitat Ring, Stasis Systems. 4) You must have at least 10000 units of Common Metals, 4000 units of Food, and 7500 units of Rare Metals in storage. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least eight Lynx, six Panthers, and four Tigers. 2 Strategies: This mission will require you to mine lots of ore, complete a large amount of research, and defend against very determined adversaries. Start by using all available Cargo Trucks on an ore-hauling route between the Common Ore Mine to the north of the base and the Common Ore Smelter. It is a good idea to build a second Command Center, Common Ore Smelter and Rare Ore Smelter near the Mines on the southern side of the map. The southernmost beacon is a Common Ore Mine. Build a Smelter just above it, with the Command Center immediately above the Smelter. Place the Rare Ore Smelter just above and west of the Rare Ore Mine, and connect it to the new Command Center with Tubes. Establishing this second base will require a convoy with 3 ConVecs, 4 Cargo Trucks, a Robo- Surveyor, two Robo-miners, and about 10 Lynx for defense. You will be facing attacks from the northern and southern edges of the map. Build as many combat units as possible. A combination of EMP Tigers and Spiders will allow you to capture many or most of the attacking units. Use EMP Lynx and RPG Tigers and Lynx to take out any that get past the initial defensive lines. Using captured units for defense allows more resources to be used for the other objectives. Build a line of Guard Posts up the southeastern edge of your base, and connect them with Tubes to maximize their effectiveness. EMPs, RPGs and ESGs in combination seem to be able to stop most attacks. Make sure to repair any damaged Guard Posts after each attack. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 80 Children, 48 Workers, and 32 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Rocket Atmospheric Re- entry System, High-Powered Explosives. 3) You must build and launch at least three starship components. 4) You must have at least 10000 units of Common Metals, 4000 units of Food, and 10000 units of Rare Metals in storage. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least ten Lynx, eight Panthers, and six Tigers. 2 Strategies: For the Normal level, success can be found in starting a remote mining base in the northeast corner of the map. While it is initially a long trip up there, the high yield mines make it worthwhile. Build a Command Center and both kinds of Smelter there, and then deploy Guard Posts connected with Tubes to defend against attacks. Early on you should try to build many EMPs and Spiders, especially EMP Tigers which can fire twice as often as Lynx and Panther turrets. If you can capture Acid Cloud and Thor's Hammer units, you will be much more able to defend against the large waves later. Use groups of Spiders to make field repairs during battle. Some attacks will come from the south, with Eden units that come out of the dark with their lights off. A Light Tower or a Scout is very useful to give you some advanced warning. Numerous vortexes show up - make sure to move any vehicles out of the way. Several meteors will hit your base as well. Repair this damage quickly. The lava will eventually erupt and flow partway down to your base, covering some of the buildings on the lava flow. You should, however, be able to finish before that happens. At about time mark 900 a very large wave of enemies will attack from two directions. This will be very hard to defend against, so your best bet is to try to finish before then. If you cannot, try to have plenty of ESGs to handle the large waves and be ready for units coming in very close to your base to the north. If your population is getting too large, you can Idle the Nursery and University for a short time, but do not forget them. If the population drops quickly, you may not have time to make it up later. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must have a minimum population of 80 Children, 48 Workers, and 32 Scientists. 2) You must research these topics: Rocket Atmospheric Re- entry System, High-Powered Explosives. 3) You must build and launch at least three starship components. 4) You must have at least 10000 units of Common Metals, 4000 units of Food, and 10000 units of Rare Metals in storage. 5) You must have enough Evacuation Transports for your population. 6) You must have at least ten Lynx, eight Panthers, and seven Tigers. 2 Strategies: Most of the tactics listed above work well at the Hard level. The attack waves from the north are very tough, so try to build and defend small base near the beacon in the southeast. The enemy will attack your mines and since they are so far away they are hard to defend. For the first several waves try to capture as many units as possible. Later on when you have met most of your mission objectives and you are just launching starship parts and collecting ore go ahead and work on just destroying many of the incoming waves to protect your base. If the last thing you have to do is meet the Metals requirements, keep a GORF Active and recycle buildings. * Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Advanced Armoring Systems None 3600 16 Adv The technologies developed by our space program have some spinoff applications on New Terra. One of these is an improvement to the armor systems we use on some of our vehicles. Materials research done as part of our space program has resulted in an alloy well suited for use in combat vehicle armor. Upgrades armor of Lynx (to Medium) and Panther (to Heavy). Command Module None 3500 14 Adv Wreckage from the second Conestoga crash site included a remarkably intact section of the ship's command deck. This will speed our development of the command and control systems of the ship. Several dozen Savant computer systems, working in parallel, make up the core of the Command Module. This is the most sophisticated computer system we have ever devised, capable of guidance control, power direction, and self-maintenance, without human intervention, for decades. Allows production of the Command Module at the Spaceport. Extended-Range Projectile Launcher Multiple Mine Projectile System 4500 14 Adv Our after-action equipment performance reports show a weakness in the launch mechanism used in our EMP, ESG, and StickyFoam weapons turrets. Though this weakness does not cause an equipment failure, our engineers would like to revisit the design of this launcher. The redesigned launch mechanism used in both of these weapons has lengthened the maximum range of these weapons. Increases range of EMP (to 7), StickyFoam (to 6), and ESG (to 6). Grenade Loading Mechanism Extended-Range Projectile Launcher 3800 16 Adv Tests of the reloading mechanism in our grenade launching weapons have revealed some potential areas of improvement. The hydraulic grenade loading mechanism used in some of our weapons turrets had been designed to handle ammunition that was much less shock-resistant that those we currently have in use. Increasing the 'rattle' tolerances of the system allows for a faster loading system. Improves EMP and ESG rate of fire. Habitat Ring None 3500 14 Adv Two of the recovered fragments of the Conestoga are from the hull of the habitat ring. They contain large superconductive magnetic coils, which appear to be a kind of radiation shielding system. Before and after our interstellar flight, our colonists will live in the Habitat Ring. These temporary quarters are shielded from radiation and small particle collisions by a magnetic field generated by superconductive coils built into the hull. Allows production of the Habitat Ring at the Spaceport. Meteor Detection None 1700 11 Std After the recent meteorite impacts, our observations have found that more are to come. New Terra is entering a field of debris, probably caused by the collision of two asteroids. We need a way to track this debris so we can have some advance warning of meteorite impacts. Our Skydock facility has been fitted with a series of telescopes to look for incoming meteors. This should give us some warning before they fall. Gives early warning of meteor strikes. Orbital Package None 3500 14 Adv Upon arrival at our new home, we want to deploy a series of satellites and probes that will provide data about the planet and support colony operations. This group of satellites and probes, to be deployed upon reaching our destination planet, includes EDWARD, a communications satellite, a solar power satellite, orbital observers, and several types of atmospheric and geologic probes. Allows production of the Orbital Package at the Spaceport. Rocket Atmospheric Re-entry System None 4500 14 Adv Our SULVs have been designed to launch payloads into orbit, but the only portion which returns to New Terra is the nose cone containing the crew. With some modification, it may be possible to assemble a new model of SULV that can re-enter the atmosphere. Our missile re-entry program has had limited success. We have developed an EMP missile that can be launched at the Eden colony and disable their units in a wide area. However, the modifications allowing the missile to deliver such a payload have restricted its range. The missile cannot reach the current location of the Eden colony, but as the uninfected area of New Terra shrinks, they may come into range. Allows production in Mission Twelve of EMP Missiles at the Spaceport. Sensor Package None 3500 14 Adv A portion of the Conestoga's sensor suite was among the debris retrieved from the second crash site. This appears to have been part of the telemetry system used to monitor the deep-space probes sent out to locate a suitable destination. We believe we can use this as the basis for a similar system. Before we can depart the New Terra system, we must have a destination. Our Sensor Package includes a Nanoprobe launcher, capable of sending thousands of microbe-sized probes toward potentially habitable planets, and a sensor/telemetry system which will evaluate the reports sent back by the Nanoprobes. Allows production of the Sensor Package at the Spaceport. Solar Power None 3200 14 Adv The technology behind solar power has been available for quite some time, the size of the solar collector panels needed to generate a significant amount of power has always been judged prohibitive, especially since our periodic evacuations began. However, with the redevelopment of a space program, it is possible to build a solar collector satellite which beams the energy it collects to a ground- based receiver. The solar power system, comprised of a collector satellite and ground-based receiver, is an inexpensive alternative energy source. The satellite, once in orbit, can be retargeted at a new ground location after an evacuation, and the receivers are much less volatile than our Tokamak fusion reactors. Allows production of the Solar Power Array at the Structure Factory and Solar Power Satellite at the Spaceport. Stasis Systems Habitat Ring Health Maintenance 3500 14 Adv The cold-sleep system used in the 'Conestoga' successfully slowed the metabolic rate of the colonists traveling from Earth to New Terra, but at the cost of shortening their lives once they had arrived. Fortunately, our medical technology has advanced significantly since our arrival, and we believe we now have a method of inducing true suspended animation without the same loss of longevity. The Stasis Systems contain suspended animation chambers for 200 colonists. This module, like the Habitat Ring, is equipped with our superconductive magnetic coil radiation shield system. Allows production of the Stasis Systems at the Spaceport. *** Mission Twelve * Mission Briefing: Commander: The Blight has spread much too quickly. We simply cannot complete our starship before it consumes our buildings, our vehicles... and our people. The ferocity of Eden's last assault has shown they are well beyond reason. This is our darkest hour. The Council has reluctantly authorized our plan of last resort. Recent research has been able to convert our SULV into a ballistic missile carrying an EMP warhead. If we can launch the missile on Eden's site, we may be able to assault the Spaceport in the ensuing chaos and capture their RLV. When the Spaceport is under the EMP effect move a Spider alongside the RLV to capture it. When our own Spaceport is active and the launch pad is empty the captured RLV will land and we can begin to use it. This will allow us to do the final assembly of our starship, launch our supplies, and save our colonists. To slow down any counterattack after the RLV is secured we must destroy the Spaceport and any Vehicle Factories and Garages in Eden. One small glimmer of hope has arisen. Our scientists may have figured out a way to take more people on the starship than we originally thought. Who the passengers will be has yet to be decided. But only if our plan works. The Specific Objectives list shows the details of our battle plan. This is our final hope Commander. Good luck. *The Map Terrain map for Plymouth Mission 12. This is a 256 x 64 map. * Easy Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must capture Eden's RLV. 2) You must build and launch these starship components: Orbital Package, Sensor Package, Phoenix Module. 3) You must launch 10000 units of Common Metals, 10000 units of Food, and 10000 units of Rare Metals to the starship. 4) You must evacuate Eden's Children* and 200 Colonists* to the starship. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: Build Agridomes and Residences early. Build two Agridomes more than are required to feed your current population to accumulate 10000 extra units of food for the starship. Bulldoze a path between each smelter and its respective mine. Start three trucks running each route to accumulate ore. About five trucks running each route seems to provide an adequate ore supply, so build four additional trucks as time permits. You will be facing repeated small attacks from the Eden colony to the west of you. Try to capture as many units as possible, but beware of the Acid Cloud weapon. An Acid Cloud can destroy many spiders with a single shot. You will need to build up an offensive force to capture Eden's RLV. Consider building a second Vehicle Factory to speed production of combat units. Good results can be had from a force of 15 EMP Tigers and 15 RPG Tigers to do most of the fighting, with eight Supernova Lynx to destroy the Vehicle Factories, Garages, etc. About 15 Spiders are sufficient to insure success. A straight frontal attack with half your forces will draw all of the defending tanks to the front wall. Fire an EMP missile into the mass of tanks, and capture as many as you can with Spiders. Use the other half of your forces to destroy enemies you fail to capture. After you have deployed the Phoenix Module, the Rare Ore Storage Module, the Common Ore Storage Module, and the Food Storage Module, a green Evacuation Transport will appear on the plateau to the northwest of your base and drive to your Command Center. This contains the Eden Children. You must build and launch the Children's Evacuation Module to complete the mission. After building and launching the Children's Module, you must build the Colonist Evacuation Module. When you have enough people to fill the module, load it and launch it. The microbe will enter the map around time mark 2000 so you should have plenty of time to finish the mission. * Normal Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must capture Eden's RLV. 2) You must launch 10000 units of Common Metals, 10000 units of Food, and 10000 units of Rare Metals to the starship. 3) You must evacuate Eden's Children* and 200 Colonists* to the starship. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: Beware of the attacks coming from the north and south to harass you. There are many different strategies for winning this mission. It is really just a combination of several of the missions you have done before. Lay waste to the Vehicle Factories and Garages before you steal the RLV and the Eden counterattack will be greatly diminished. Keep in mind that the EMP Missile is useful for not only disabling the Spaceport but it works very well on large formations of vehicles that are sitting still. If you have an EMP Missile and a lot of Spiders ready you can capture many vehicles in a very short amount of time. Usually in this mission a good offense is the best defense. Meet attack waves near the middle of the map, a little bit away from your base. Build wall formations to funnel them into your kill zones. The microbe will come out around time mark 1000. * Hard Level 1 Mission Objectives 1) You must capture Eden's RLV. 2) You must launch 10000 units of Common Metals, 10000 units of Food, and 10000 units of Rare Metals to the starship. 3) You must evacuate Eden's Children* and 200 Colonists* to the starship. Objectives marked with an asterisk (*) are added during the course of the mission as other objectives are achieved. 2 Strategies: See the notes under Normal above. Several enemy waves will approach with lights off under cover of night. Building Light Towers or having Scouts at various places will prevent nasty surprises. The microbe will come out around 1000 and follow the edge of darkness into your base. Make sure you have everything you need before then and that the Children's Evacuation Transport can still make it to your base in time. * Research Topic Predecessor Cost Sci Lab Phoenix Module None 3500 14 Adv Before we land our colonists on the new planet, we must send a lander to prepare the early stages of a colony. We have in our databases portions of the plans for the Seed Factory used on our arrival on New Terra, but they are incomplete and obsolescent. When deployed, this self-contained lander transforms into several of the initial structures and vehicles needed to start a colony. These structures are all capable of operation without human presence, and will give our new home a head start. Allows production of the Phoenix Module at the Spaceport