Playing Netrek
Game
You can fly around and dogfight before your Captains have started a game, but your efforts won't count, except for as good practice.
The game will start as soon as both Captains have completed the steps for Starting a Game.
Everyone will self-destruct. You must re-enter the game immediately, to avoid losing connection to the game computer. You can discuss strategy, etc. After a minute, you will all blow up again. You then re-enter the game to play in earnest.
Once started, the game clock will run automatically until either the
end of period, or a team wins the game.
Playing Field
The top lefthand square is the tactical window. It shows the area in the immediate vicinity of your ship. Your ship is always in the middle of this window.
The top righthand area is the galactic window. It shows a map of the galaxy. There are four empires in the galaxy: Federation, Romulan, Orion, and Klingon.
In this game, Federation are fighting the Romulans. You can fly into Orion and Klingon territory. However, if you have only a small computer screen, you may lose track of where your ship is, as the righthand edge of the galaxy is not visible.
Directly below the tactical window is the dashboard. It provides critical information about the status of your ship.
Below the dashboard, is the player list. This information is not visible on a small computer screen.
Below the galaxy, are message windows. The topmost of these is for important messages from the computer. Below this is the
window for sending messages, and then windows for receiving messages addressed to everyone, to your team and to you personally. On small computer screens, some of the messages will not be visible.
Reading your Dashboard
Entering and Quitting
If you get killed, after a few moments, you can click on your team's square to re-enter the game.
If you wish to quit, click on the Quit COW square instead of re-entering the game. Alternatively, place your cursor in either the tactical window or the galactic window in the playing field, and press the q key.
Flying
- Speed
Press the 1 key, to travel at warp speed one,
press the 2 key, to travel at warp speed two,
press the 3 key, to travel at warp speed three,
... and so on up to warp speed nine.
press the ) key, to travel at warp speed ten,
press the ! key, to travel at warp speed eleven,
press the @ key, to travel at warp speed twelve.
Press the 0 key, that's "zero" not "oh", to stop.
Press the % key, to travel as fast as your ship is able.
- Direction
Move your cursor to the direction you wish to travel, then click the right mouse button. It may take a while for your ship to react, if your are travelling fast.
- Position
You are always in the middle of the tactical window. On the galactic window, you are white.
Shooting
- Torpedoes
Move your cursor to the direction you wish to fire, then click the left mouse button. Alternatively, press the t key.
- Phasers
Move your cursor to the direction you wish to fire, then click the middle mouse button. Alternatively, press both buttons on a two-button mouse, or the p key.
Orbiting a Planet
In either the tactical or galactic window, place your cursor over a planet and press the l key, that's "el" not "one", to lock on to the planet.
Your ship will now head for that planet. When your ship arrives, it will automatically orbit the planet.
To leave orbit, press a speed key.
Bombing
- Identify enemy armies
Bombing an enemy's planet involves destroying any spare armies on that planet.
If the enemy planet shows a ?, it means no one from your team has orbitted that planet. Once orbitted, if a planet has any spare armies, the planet will show a man symbol on the planet.
- Orbit the enemy planet
You need to orbit the enemy planet in order to bomb its armies. Orbitting or being near an enemy planet will cause damage to your ship.
- Bomb the enemy's armies
While orbitting the enemy planet, press the b key, to bomb its armies. When all the spare armies have been bombed, the man symbol on the planet will disappear. The message from the computer, will also tell you that it is ineffective to continue to bombing.
Taking
- Get kills
You cannot carry armies on your ship, unless you have a kill. You get a kill by destroying an enemy ship if your ship survives, or by bombing planets.
When your ship is destroyed, you lose any kills you had. The more kills you have, the more armies you can carry, up to the capacity of your ship.
- Beam up armies
To pick up your own armies, orbit one of your planets that has spare armies, and press the z key.
You can then pick up until you have picked up the maximum you are able to carry, or until your planet runs out of spare armies. Read the computer messages, and your dashboard.
- Beam down armies
To put your armies on an enemy planet, orbit the enemy planet, and press the x key.
If you put down enough armies, you will take (conquer) the planet, and it will change to your team's colour.
Other important commands
- Help
Press the h key to get, or remove, a list of all the commands.
- Shields
Press the s key to raise, or lower, your shields. Travelling with your shields up consumes more fuel, but you are much more vulnerable when your shields are down.
- Cloak
Press the c key to cloak, or uncloak. While cloaked, your ship will not show up on other players' tactical displays. It will show up as a ## on the galactic window. Travelling while cloaked consumes more fuel, and you can't fire torpedoes or phasers.
- Repair
Press the Shift R, that's "capital arr", to speed your ship's repair. Your shift will stop moving, lower its shields, and begin to repair.
Quicker, is to orbit a repair planet, that is, one or your team's planets that has a spanner symbol on it. Quicker still, is to Orbit and Shift R.
If you refit or die and re-enter the game, you get a fully functional ship immediately.
- Refit
There are several different ship types, from quick but fragile, to strong but cumbersome.
If you get killed, instead of clicking on your team's square to re-enter the game, place your cursor over your team's square, and press the ship type you want.
Alternatively, orbit your home planet, press the r key, and then the ship type you want.
Ship types are:
- s scout.
- d destroyer
- c cruiser
- b battleship
- a assault ship
- o starbase
- Information
Place your cursor over a planet or player, then press the i key, that's an "eye", to see information about that planet or player.
Introduction |
Starting a Game | Joining a Team |
Winning