                        STELLAR 7

Typed by FALLEN ANGEL/COPS.  Edited by PARASITE.


INTRO :
Gir Draxon, Supreme Overlord of the evil Arcturan Empire, is preparing to
launch an attack on Earth.  As Commander of Terran Forces assigned to
protect the planet, your mission is to reach the Arcturan star system and
destroy Draxon before he can assemble his forces and capture Earth.

To help combat the powerful Arcturan Armada, Terran High Command has placed
you at the controls of the Raven, Earth's most sophisticated fighting
machine.  From the command seat of the Raven, you must face Arcturan forces
in seven different star systems.  If you sucessfully destroy enough of the
enemy forces in one star system, a Guardian will appear.  If the Guardian is
battled and defeated a Warp Link will appear.  Drive into the Warp Link to
transport yourself into the next star system.  Upon reaching the seventh
system, Arcturus, you must locate and destroy Gir Draxon's flagship.  Should
you succeed, Earth will be saved.  Failure will leave your home planet
defenseless against Draxon's assault and guarantee Earth's destruction!

This manual gives you a complete description of the Raven's awesome power.
Refer to the CAPABILITIES section to learn all about the best technology
that Terran science has to offer.

Also, in the STRATEGIES section, Terran designers and engineers have
prepared a set if valuable hints and tips to help you gain the best use of
the Raven.

The Arcturan Armada contains twelve known enemy vehicles.  You can learn
about each of them by studying the EMEMY FILES section of the manual. These
files contain all of the information Terran High Command has gathered on
each Arcturan vehicle.  You can also get this information on-screen by
selecting BRIEFING from the main menu before you begin your mission.

CONTROLS :
Power Module Activation Keys:
        Inviso Cloak            I
       Jump Thruster            J
             RC Bomb            B
           Cat's Eye            C
          Eel Shield            E
        Super Cannon            S
         MP Thruster            T

        Joystick Button One             Fire Cannon
                  Space Bar             Fire Cannon
        Joystick Button Two             Select Power Module
                        Tab             Select Power Module
      Joystick Both Buttons             Activate Selected Power
                     Return             Activate Selected Power
                        F10             Display Preferences Menu
                         F2             Sound/Music ON/OFF
                      Alt-S             Sound Effects ON/OFF
                      Alt-M             Music ON/OFF
                      Alt-J             Joystick ON/OFF
                      Alt-C             Joystick Calibration
                      Alt-D             Mouse ON/OFF
                          P             Pause ON/OFF
                          Z             Zoom ON/OFF
                        ESC             Abort Mission
                      Alt-Q             Quit to DOS

MENUS :

        BEGIN:
                Starts a mission

        BRIEFING:
                An overview of Draxon's Forces

        PREFERENCES:
                Allows custom tailoring or your mission to suit nearly any
                experience level or machine speed.  The GRAPHIC DETAIL
                slider allows you to turn up & down the level of detail in
                the game.  Use this on slower machines. Difficulty levels
                determine the number of Power Modules present at the
                beginning of game play & scoring.

        SCORES:
                View the top ten Raven Pilots.

        EXIT:
                To DOS.

        RAVEN'S COCKPIT:
                Once in the Raven's cockpit there are several menu options
                available:

                PREFERENCES: Available by pressing F10 key.  The in-game
                version contains controls for sound, music, joystick and
                graphic detail.  This menu can be brought up during a
                mission EXCEPT during story panels and planetary warp.

                EXIT MISSION: Available by pressing ESC key.  Allows abort.

                QUIT GAME: guess...

CAPABILITIES :
The common name for project XCV Agl-2 was originally "The Nighthawk."
However, a bad circuit garbled the Inviso Audio feedback, making the noise
sound more like a raven than a nighthawk.  Everyone involved in the project
began to jokingly refer to it as "The Raven."  The bad circuit was never
replaced, and the new name stuck.

The Raven is equipped with the most advanced technology Terran science has
ever assembled.  The following is a description of the Raven's finer points
and their operation.  This machine is extremely powerful, but it is not
indestructible. The energy reserves must never reach total depletion.
Without power, the Raven's shields will fall and the ship's extremely
delicate hull will be totally vunerable.  One direct hit on the Raven's
unprotected hull and the craft will explode.

The Raven is equipped with the completely redesigned Anti-gravity Generator
(Agrav Generator). The new Agrav design allows the Raven to sustain a
clearance of one-half meter from the ground, permitting the craft to glide
over nearly any surface.  This ability also allows the Raven to carry
heavier defensive weaponry than conventional assult vehicles without a
sacrifice of speed.

THE COCKPIT
   CENTER TOP: The bird glows while cloaking is active.  Flashes to indicate
               impending cloaking activation & deactivation.
   CENTER TOP: Current planetary system shown under the bird.
CENTER SCREEN: Targeting ring.
   LOWER LEFT: Display of:
                 - Current active power (highlighted)
                 - Number of uses remaining for each power (dots in icon).
 LOWER CENTER: Radar screen.
 LOWER CENTER: Energy Level (under radar screen).
  LOWER RIGHT: Game score. (above cannon indicator).
  LOWER RIGHT: Cannon indicator. RED is cannon ready, Blue means reloading.

STANDARD ISSUE

PROTONIC SHIELDS:  Standard issue defensive shields, the Prontonic units are
capable of absorbing almost all forms of energy, including heat, kinetic
energy, and radiation.  They provide protection against shells, lasers, and
high speed collisions.  However, each time the shields are hit or impacted
the system energy depletes slightly.  As stated previously, complete energy
depletion will result in shield failure and complete vulnerability.  The
next hit will be your last.  A warning bell will sound when the energy
levels go citical.

BI-PHASAL THUNDER CANNON:  Standard issue defensive weapon fires shells
armed with limited nuclear warheads.  Each shell is capable of penetrating
.1 meters of armor.  The Cannon's fire rate is 2 shells per volley.  Between
volleys, there is a delay to allow the next 2 shells to be loaded and armed.

RADAR: The Raven is indicated by the stationary dot in the center of the
scope and all scanned objects in front of the Raven will appear relative to
this central dot.  Objects in front of the Raven will appear at the top of
the central dot while objects behind the craft will appear below the central
dot.  The Raven's radar is thermal, motion and electromagnetic sensitive.
It can therefore distingish between land masses, missles and other vehicles.
This also gives the Raven's system an advantage over more traditional radar
detectors in that it cannot be fooled by electromagnetic tricks employed by
cloaking devices.

ZOOM MAGNIFICATION:  This device permits long-range scanning through the
viewscreen.  It is most useful for identifying distant objects.  Note that
Zoom narrows the Raven's field of vision significantly, and should be used
only for short periods of time.

POWER MODULES
Along with a standard weapons and shield system, the Raven is capable of
adapting to any environment by utilizing a modual defensive system in it's
design.  The craft is capable of acquiring and incorporating weapons systems
from a variety of enemy vehicles to strengthen and enhance its own defensive
capabilities.  NOTE: Each Power Module can be immediately activated with its
keyboard hot key.

INVISO CLOAK GENERATOR (Hot Key "I"):
        This device is capable of generating a negative electromagnetic
        field, redering the Raven invisible to all electromagnetic sensory
        devices.  When active, enemy units will be unable to track the
        Raven.  They will, however, have a fix on the Raven's last visible
        location.  Furthermore, the Raven's location will be temporarily
        revealed whenever the cannon is fired.  The Inviso Cloak Indicator
        will begin to blink when invisibility is about to deactivate.

EEL SHIELD (Hot Key "E"):
        Capable of rechanneling an enemy's shield energy back into itself,
        the Eel Shield makes ramming an effective defensive maneuver.  When
        contact is made with an alien craft, their shield is reversed,
        turning the protective field inward, compressing itself and
        destroying the generating vehicle.  Even the most deflective shields
        will buckle after several contacts.

SUPER CANNON (Hot Key "S"):
        Capable of repeated firings without the reload time associated with
        the Bi-Phasal Thunder Cannon, the Super Cannon is capable of
        delivering a rapid fire volley of missles.  Its firepower is also
        more than double that of the Bi-Phasal.

MP THRUSTER (Hot Key "T"):
        The MP Thruster gives a short but powerful forward surge for
        situations when conventional speed will prove insufficient.  NOTE:
        The MP Thruster cannot be used to maneuver in reverse.

CAT'S EYE (Hot Key "C"):
        Though Terran technology is quite advanced, it is theorized that
        cloaking technology is possessed by others.  Therefore, it became
        important to establish a defensive system for such possible
        "invisible threats" and the Cat's Eye was born.  The system uses a
        particle tracking radar to reassemble the scrambled rays left by all
        known cloaking systems.  With the Cat's Eye operational, the Raven's
        pilot will see a computer simulated image of any cloaked vehicle
        within the main viewing screen.

RC BOMB (Hot Key "B"):
        A throwback to ancient land based warfare, the RC Bomb is an advance
        on an old and reliable system.  Small but deadly electrical
        discharge units are released by the Raven's rear deployment panel.
        These units remain inactive until an electrical field interrupts the
        RC Bomb's twelve meter scan radius.  When the perimeter is broken,
        the unit explodes with a concentrated electron polarization beam,
        causing the invader's atomic structure to dramatically shift which
        leads to nuclear explosion.  NOTE: The Raven's electrical field
        pattern has been coded into the memory of all RC Bombs carried
        during your mission.  Therefore, you can never accidentally activate
        a released mine with your own craft.

JUMP THRUSTER (Hot Key "J"):
        The Jump Thruster enables the Raven to complete a sustained vertical
        lift for several seconds, increasing the Agrav Generator's usual
        clearance to several hundred feet.  When activated immediately after
        the MP Thruster, the Jump Thruster can enable the Raven to literally
        "jump" over enemies or obstacles.  NOTE: Directional control will be
        lost while elevated by the Jump Thruster.

ENEMY FILES
In his quest to rule Earth, and everything else he can get his metallic
hands on, Gir Draxon has sent out the most advanced and destructive fighter
craft Terran forces have ever seen.  You will battle with his Arcturan
forces on seven different Star Systems, making your way closer and closer to
Draxon's home world, Arcturus.  Each System holds new dangers, more lethal
enemies and a Planetary Guardian which will have to be defeated before
progression to the next Planetary System will be possible.  Terran
intelligence has been able to gather little information on Draxon's Armada
but what is available is presented to you in the following enemy files.  Use
this information well and know that the fate of the earth lies in your
hands.

Next follows some graphics, but they are all on the breifing screen!

ALLIED FILES
Unique to the Raven is its ability to add on Power Modules that give the
craft expanded powers.  Some modules will be in place at the beginning of
the mission, depending upon difficulty level selection (see below).
Additional modules can be obtained throughout the game by the destruction of
enemy vehicles in groups of three.  The enemies must be of the same type and
must be destroyed sequentially.  When this is accomplished, a Power Module
will be released.  The Raven can collect released modules by simply driving
into them.

The destruction of different enemy groups will yield different Power
Modules.  Following is a listing of available modules, their accompanying
enemy group and the number the Raven begins with for varying difficulty
levels:

                                             INITIAL COUNT/DIFFICULTY LEVEL
POWER MODULE            ENEMY GROUP           EASY    STANDARD    DIFFICULT
Inviso Cloak            Fuel Bay Docking        3        3            3
Jump Thrusters          3 Skimmers              3        1            0
RC Bomb                 3 Seekers               3        1            0
Cat's Eye               3 Stalkers              3        1            0
Super Cannon            3 Assault Tanks         3        1            0
MP Thruster             3 Sandsleds             3        1            0
Eel Shields             3 Prowlers              3        1            0

STRATEGIES
Taking on the Arcturan Armada and winning will take sharp reflexes, quick
thinking, practice, and above all - strategic planning.  The enemies you
will face are unique not only in design and strengths but in intelligence
and tactics.  Each enemy will attack and react differently.  You must become
familiar with their individual attack styles and outsmart your opponent.
Following are a few tips that will get you started.  Use them as building
blocks to develop your own unique game plan and techniques.

*  Keep moving!  Never "sit and spin" while trying to get an enemy into your
   sights.  Always remember that if you are trying to line up an enemy for
   the kill the enemy is probably doing the same thing to you.

*  Never go "face-to-face" with an enemy.  Such linear thinking will make
   you an easy target, placing you in the direct line of fire.

*  Use your weapons if you need them.  Conserving limited powers is only
   effective if you're around to use them (duh).

*  Learn the combinations of ememy destruction associated with the Power
   Modules.  Knowing which vehicles to take out to get a specific power can
   make all the difference in desparate situations.

*  Respect and obey all Humble Guys for they are Gods.

*  Remember the locations of Fuel Bays and don't forget that they cannot be
   docked with when the Raven is cloaked.

*  Look for weaknesses in the Planetary Guardians.  Every Achilles has his
   heel.

*  Learn to "lead" or shoot ahead of an enemy if they are moving rapidly at
   a distance.  Anticipate how long it will take your shell to travel the
   distance of the enemy.  Next, decide where the enemy will be in that
   amount of time and fire at that location.

*  Remember that some enemies are also equipped with cloaking devices.  If
   you can see a vehicle on radar but not through the viewscreen, they're
   cloaked and probably moving in for the kill.

*  Keep in mind that the Raven can hold 3 of any one Power Module at a time.
   Wait to collect released modules is you already have a full supply...
   they will remain floating in the area where released until collected,
   destroyed by cannon fire or left behind after warping to another Star
   System.

*  Remember that the Story Panels which connect Star Systems can be turned
   off (Main menu preferences), skipped (ESC key) or fast forwarded (space
   bar).

*  As a convenience, a Continue feature is available.  When Continue is
   used, you will begin on the same Star System as when your mission ended.
   You will have a full energy supply and the same Power Modules that you
   ended with, but your score will be reset to zero.

   The number of Continues available is dependent upon the difficulty level.
             On EASY level you can continue TWO times.
             On STANDARD level you can continue ONE time.
             On DIFFICULT level Continue is deactivated.

End.
