

Ambient Designs    proprietary                        10 APR 84


                            GAMEFLOW

            Ship Movement and Spacial Representation

SECTOR MAP: In hyperspace the following things are represented on
the screen. They are always on a black background.

  Sectors  - 6(wide) by 5(high) sectors which are 12(wide) by  24 
            (high) pixels each. Sector boundries are not visible.
    Stars - solid circles of 10 by 10 square-pixels in colors of
            red, orange, yellow, white, white-green, white-blue 
            and cyan.
  Nebulae - solid amorphous shapes in dark blue and in various
            sizes. Types consist of gas, magnetic and non-
            distinguishable. Stars within nebulae are not
            visible.
User Ship - a white square-pixel surrounded by a ring of dark red 
            square-pixels.
 Nav Ring - a ring of 16 cyan pixels highlighting the specified
            direction with a yellow pixel.

When hyperspace is entered the heading is initially upwards. 
When in hyperspace movement cannot be halted. You can drop out of 
hyperspace  by 1) hitting the sublight option ,  or 2) having  an 
encounter , or 3) comong to a star system. Movement is at a 
constant rate. Direction is modified by maneuvering with the Nav-
Ring in one of 16 directions. When not maneuvering, movement
occurs on the last heading set. Moving the joystick in 1 of 8
directions rotates the heading pixel around the Nav-Ring in a
counter or clock-wise direction whichever way is shorter.
Pressing the button does nothing. Hitting any key returns you
to the Bridge. The Nav-Ring is only present when maneuvering. 
When the ship icon overlaps a star icon, (either a visible one or 
an invisible one inside a nebulae) or there is an encounter, the 
white outline of a box rapidly fills the screen, starting as a 
dot at the ship, to give the impression of zooming in. The 
interior of the box is dark blue if inside a nebula, otherwise it 
is black. On the screen is now either a tactical map or a system 
map. When the ship hits a continum flux sector the  main-view 
screen rapidly flashes through a series of random colors and the 
ship appears at a rankom sector adjacent to the destination 
sector. At all times the current coordinates are shown above the 
MVS.

TACTICAL MAP: On the tactical screen the following things are 
represented by icons. They are on a dark blue background if 
inside a nebula, otherwise they're on a black background.
    
      Spacedust - random scattering of grey-green pixels
      User Ship - grey directional phalic icon
      Alien Ships, buoys, probes etc. - grey cross icon
      Planet - A solid blue,  white, brown, red, violet, or green 
               circle 50, 100, or 150 square-pixels across.

Control of movement: When the joystick is pushed in one of the 8 
directions, if the ship is pointing in that direction it thrusts 
that way. If the ship is facing another direction it turns 
(clockwise or counter clockwise, whichever is shorter) to that 
direction cycling through the 16 positions. When the joystick 
pressure is released the ship stops turning. It may face (and
shoot) in 16 directions but thrust in only 8. Pressing the button 
fires  the  weapons  when they are armed.  The player's  ship  is 
always  in  the  center of the  screen.  The  encounter  area  is 
216(wide)  by 360(high) pixels.  This leaves a border of one main 
view screen around what is visible.  All encounters start in  the 
visible  portion  of the screen.  When no objects other than  the 
player's  ship are in the encounter area a message to the  effect 
of "We have lost contact" is given and the encounter is ended. If 
an  encounter occurs when a ship is in orbit the ship drops to  a 
tactical map which has a planet in it. The planet may be one of 3 
sizes  and 1 of 6 colors and always has the same  orientation  to 
the  ship initially.   Spacedust doesn't cover the planet.  Ships 
and weapons move OVER the planet,  and it scrolls around and does 
not affect anything.  Whenever an encounter from hyperspace  ends 
the ship is left in the tactical mode. Whenever an encounter from 
a  system  ends the ship is poppepd back up to the system  level. 
When an encounter from orbit ends the ship is also popped back up 
to the system level.    

SYSTEM MAP:
In a system the following things are represented.  The icons  are 
on a dark blue background if in a nebula, otherwise it is black.

The  Star  - A solid circle of 4 by 4 square-pixels (4 wide by  8 
high).  One of seven colors (same as in hyperspace)
   
Planets - are 1 square-pixel and are of one of the following 
colors: 
                1. dk-cyan ... liquid surface
                2. dk-green .. bio-density
                3. white ..... snow/ice planet
                4. dk-red .... lava/molten surface
                5. dk-brown .. any other (rock)
                6. violet .... gas giant

Your ship - A single white flashing pixel

Other ships (bouys etc..) - Single grey pixels

MOVEMENT - Unlike the sector and tactical maps, where there is 
Newtonian movement , on the system map the ship icon (flashing 
pixel) acts like a cursor and moves in 1 of 8 directions. When the 
joystick pressure is released movement ceases. Encounters may
occur on this map which will drop you to the tactical level. 
Weapons may not be fired at this level since no facing is shown.
Also,  everything  is out of range at this level for  sensors  or 
communications.   Hull  temperature is affected by distance  from 
the sun,  and is interpolated from the orbit position/temperature 
table  as  movement  occurs.  The movement rate of  the  ship  is 
affected by its acceleration rate.   When within one square-pixel 
of  a  planet  or sun the option to orbit is  given.  It  is  not 
possible  to crash into anything (planets,sun,other ships).  They 
are  just assumed to not be in the same plane.  The  planets  are 
placed  somewhere randomly in their orbit positions each time the 
system is entered.  Distances from the center pixel are  computed 
as :orbit position (0-10) + 1 times 2 in the X and times 3 in the
Y. The centerpoint is 36,60 so if the X coord. is < 36 subtract 1
from the X distance,  and if the Y coord. is > 60 subtract 1 from 
the  Y distance.  (See the reverse side of the auxilliary  screen 
layout sheet for diagram.)  
