MORPHEUS
(c)1987 Graftgold Ltd.
AUTHOR: Andrew Braybrook (designed and programmed)
Music and Sound Effects: Steve Turner
Additional Graphics: John Cumming
Publisher: Rainbird Software, Telecomsoft (England)
-----------------------------------------------------Revision 2-------
Transcription of the original manual with corrections.
The System Reference Card is provided in a separate set of two JPG files. 

[Manual anonymously transcribed in June 2000]
[Some errors (scientific or otherwise), inconsistencies and duplications of 
text have been eliminated, while some rearrangements have been made to clarify 
certain obscure parts. This text refers to the pictures found in the Reference 
Card in a more precise manner than the original text did. The on-screen 
introduction of the game has been linked to the text.]

CONTENTS

1. Introduction
Author's Introduction
A Quickstart Guide
Loading the Game
High Score Save to Disk
Saving Your Position

2. The Game
Overall Objective
The Scenario
The Importance of Timeslices
Basic Control Modes
Sequence of Play
The Charge Cycle

3. More Detail
Ship Upgrade Facility
Update Ship Options
Objects of the Aither
The Morphai
Score Table

4. Reference Section
Replacement Hulls
Systems
Initial Hull-Mounted Systems
Systems Reference Guide
Brightness Coding
Weapons
Weapons Reference Guide

5. Morpheus - The Program
Pre-game Controls
During Game Controls
High Score Entries
Inter-game Funds
Two Player Strategy
Game Variants

6. Additional Information
Author's Hints and Tips
Credits 

-----------------------------------------------------------
1. INTRODUCTION

Author's Introduction

The Morpheus Project began in December 1986 and was finally completed on 2nd
December 1987. Its development was chronicled in Zzap! 64 as a series of
diaries. The game was designed as a more advanced type of arcade game, 
without the constrictions of an actual coin-op which basically has the
function of getting your money, giving you just enough enjoyment to get you
interested, and then getting rid of you so that it can obtain some more 
money. Morpheus is more of a long-term game, a game that you can return to 
more often. It was never intended to be a simple, fast action game.

It started with an ambition to produce a game system that could allow the 
building of huge spaceships that were functional, with plenty of options open 
to the player on how to design their ship. As you can see from the 
instructions, there is a lot of information associated with this, but it 
doesn't all need to be digested at once. Much of it is reference information 
which is not intended to be read from beginning to end, it's just for looking 
up points of interest as they crop up in the game.

Another ambition was to design a system that could run different life forms 
that would behave as if they were alive, following behavior patterns rather 
than strictly choreographed dance steps. The Morphai as I have called them 
attempt to behave intelligently, they have no wish to be killed, and are not 
suicidal maniacs. They begin in a slightly sleepy state and so are a little 
clumsy at first, but they will quickly become agile, worthy opponents. They 
all show different personalities, some will attempt to escape, some show 
curiosity, some will more blatantly attack. They also react to their 
surroundings, they can be wounded by hitting the ship or by a close shot, and 
will behave quite differently depending on how hurt they are. They also learn, 
and so even though you may meet the same creature again later, it may well 
behave differently. Some even try to impersonate other elements in the game in 
order to escape detection! The names of many of the Morphai, and indeed the 
generic term 'Morphai' are all taken from early Greek Mythology. Morpheus was 
the God of Dreams who would send spirit-like forms, called Morphai, into the 
minds of sleepers.

Although not as fast and immediate as many arcade games, Morpheus is more than 
a five-minute wonder, it will take many plays for you to see even a quarter of 
the things that it can do. Experiment with different tactics and ship 
configurations. I have found this game quite intense at times, much more so 
than you immediately realize, but it's a real feeling of relief to clear 
some of the later levels. Morpheus will therefore tend to offer longer games 
than many, but the total concentration required to play and plan ahead may 
make you want to do something more relaxing afterwards - like hang gliding or 
scrambling! However by the next day you'll be ready to face Morpheus again for 
another battle. Now read the Quickstart Guide, and Press Fire to Play!

------------------------------------------------------------

A Quickstart Guide

This is just a quick guide to help you get into the game. It won't tell you 
how to win but it will allow you to see just a few of the things that Morpheus 
has to offer and lead you into the game without having to plow through all the 
instructions at once.

First things first, load up the game and watch the title's sequence, taking 
note of the nucleus and orbital graphics. If you watch the sequence more than 
once you will notice that there are two different appearances to the orbital, 
and others.

Morpheus is a joystick-only game. The keyboard is not used during the game. 
Press fire to play. The game will start in one player, one joystick, either 
port mode (but it can be set as a two player game). You will see your shiny 
new ship to the middle left of the screen. Don't worry about the ship upgrade 
system as yet, you need to earn some money first by shooting a few things. Do 
as the bottom legend says, and press fire again. You will see a brief display 
of a circle of dots explode from a central star, which is a map of the 
orbital's positions in the combat area, with the nucleus in the middle. It's 
not too important just yet. You will then see your ship leave the docking bay 
between rows of girders before they fade away as you dematerialize ('demat') 
into the combat area, otherwise referred to as the Aither, or Universe.

Your ship has a rear engine section, or station, and a forward plasma beam 
section with a connecting corridor of yellow lights. At launch time you are in 
the forward section as marked by the flashing blue area. You can steer the 
ship by accelerating it in any direction with the joystick. You can also fire 
the plasma beam by jabbing the fire button, do not hold the fire button down 
just yet. If you just bring the ship to a halt for a few moments you will 
probably be met by roaming Morphai of some kind. They won't be too pleased to 
see you and may well start to slowly circle your ship. On early levels they 
will be fairly sleepy and move quite lazily. See if you can move the ship 
around a little and hit them with the plasma beam. Your energy level is shown 
by the speed of rotation of the display in the top half of your ship. It will 
slow down a little if you are hit by bullets or run into the Morphai. The 
display will flash red when it gets below 20% and your ship will be destroyed 
if it reaches zero.

It's time to stop playing sitting ducks and explore a little. Look at the blue 
radar display at the top of the screen. Your position is always at the center 
of the cross-hairs. There should be a single dot to your right, marking the 
position of the nucleus. Start moving slowly towards it. Blundering around at 
full speed will only result in crashing into Morphai. Try to line up the dot 
in the middle of the radar and stop. Even if you can't see the nucleus, you 
can probably hear it. Just make fine adjustments to your position until the 
nucleus appears on the screen. Cute, isn't it? Oh, the bullets. Well, yes 
there are one or two coming out of it. If you hang around long enough you'll 
see your ship destroyed. The nucleus is the villain but it can't be destroyed 
by just wading in with all guns blazing, but there is a way.

By this time you'll probably be starting again after getting too close to the 
nucleus. Don't despair, this time we're going to give it a taste of its own 
medicine. First we have to find an orbital. On level one they appear in a 
single ring around the nucleus, so heading in any direction away from the 
nucleus should bring you to one. Remember, don't drive around too fast as 
you don't want to have to scrape too many squashed Morphai off the windscreen. 
They really are trying to get out of your way.

Try to stop the ship with an orbital in front of it. Use gentle taps of the 
joystick rather than holding it in a direction for too long. Now the fun 
begins, fire the plasma beam at the orbital. With practice this can be done on 
the move. One or more Morphai will exit rapidly from the orbital and what they 
do after that depends on what type they are. Some will attack, some will 
stop and wait, others will run away. Use the plasma beam to destroy them or 
hit the orbital again to produce more Morphai. The orbital will change as it 
is hit until it finally collapses into a neutron dwarf. No more Morphai will 
then be produced from it. On level one, only one orbital needs to be collapsed 
in this way. The radar will turn red as the other orbitals collapse by the 
will of the nucleus. You'll hear when that happens! On later levels you need 
to hit more orbitals to cause this.

Once the right number of orbitals have been collapsed, the nucleus realizes 
that it has been beaten and destroys all the others. You then have about one 
minute to get back to the nucleus. It will release a few 'Bonus Morphai', 
spinning Morpheus symbols. These may be destroyed by any means, but quickly 
otherwise they will self-destruct and you won't receive the 2000 bonus points.

All this activity will leave you running short of energy. Your energy is 
restored full after every completed level, but what you really need is a way 
of keeping the energy level up. It's time to commission a system, i.e. build a 
device that you can fit to the ship that will generate energy for you. 
Provided you have at least 5000 G (Guineas) in the coffers, displayed at the 
top of the screen while docked, you can buy an energy replenishing system, 
called IC4. You'll have to read up on part of the ship update function of 
commissioning a system. You need to select part IC4 in the Commission System 
facility while docked, play the game for about two minutes, then check up on 
it using the Install System facility. If the part is ready, install it on 
your ship. Part IC4 is an inertia converter, which means that it converts your 
movement into energy, so provided you are moving your energy will be 
continually charged up.

If you also now read the 'Basic Control Modes' section you will find out how 
to demat back to base at any time to escape trouble or check on the progress 
of systems or weapons under construction. Later you will find the need for 
extra weapons, larger hulls and other specialized systems that you can 
incorporate into your ship. I don't recommend just reading all the 
instructions at once, try playing the game a little and look things up as you 
need to know about them. The game begins fairly simply and introduces more 
control modes and things to deal with later. Remember that this is not a five-
minute fast arcade shoot-em-up, a good understanding of the spare parts 
catalogues is essential to make real progress, along with developing a 
strategy to deal with the various Morphai that you will encounter.

--------------------------------------End of Quickstart Guide---------------

Loading the Game

Tape
[Nothing out of ordinary except the following:]
...press Play. The game will turbo load in about three minutes. The loading 
screen will appear after about one minute and drop a total of six orbitals 
down each side of the screen. The screen will then go black for about ten 
seconds before Morpheus begins...

Disk
[Ordinary disk loading. The disk version text does not mention the orbitals 
screen of the tape version.]

...Do not remove the master disk once the game has loaded as Morpheus will 
save your high scores to this disk, see below.


High Score Save to Disk

The Disk edition of Morpheus is able to preserve an All-time Heroes (and 
Heroines but the character set is too big to print this on one line, sorry) 
Top Ten on the Morpheus master disk. This table is loaded in as the game is 
initially loaded. In order to keep this table up to date, the Morpheus master 
disk should be left in the drive. Any new entry into the All-time Top Ten will 
result in the table being updated on the disk. If you do not wish the table to 
be updated then you may remove the disk once the game has loaded. Note that 
the game will still attempt to update the table, resulting in the drive LED 
flashing. Do NOT put any other disk in the drive while playing Morpheus, it 
may be overwritten irreparably.


Saving Your Position

Whenever you manage to attain a high score and provided you reach level 
(Aither) eight or above, Morpheus (disk version) will remember the highest 
level (Aither) that you have reached. If you start a new game of Morpheus, you 
will be allowed to start from any level from one up to the highest level that 
you have previously reached. You can alter this level by moving up or left to 
decrease level and down or right to increase level.

Selecting level one will start a normal game but you will begin with any funds 
amassed from a previous game. If you start on any other levels, then Morpheus 
will credit you with a generous amount of guineas for the particular level 
that you are starting on. If you are skilled enough to reach beyond level 
forty (Aither forty) then Morpheus will not allow you to restart at any level 
above forty.

Unfortunately, Morpheus can only remember your highest attained level while 
the computer is on. Only disk users can save their level to disk and this is 
automatically done whenever the high score table is saved.


2. THE GAME

Overall Objective

To build and maintain a ship capable of reaching and destroying Morpheus in 
the final level, level fifty. Points scored are converted to money (Guineas) 
with which to buy larger, better ships, extra onboard systems and better
weapons.


The Scenario

A Aither or Universe is created by The Intelligence from nothing by creating 
two equal and opposite areas of space. These phases are joined only by the 
central nucleus which maintains the Aither by ferrying charge from the 
negative phase through to the positive phase. It then distributes this charge 
around a number of charge orbitals which stabilize the Aither.

The Intelligence is growing stronger and is able to create larger and larger 
Aithers each time. It is learning how to protect the Aither by creating 
Roaming Morphai. The Morphai generated by charge disturbances also learn 
quickly how to defend themselves. Soon the Aithers may grow so large that they 
will expand infinitely. The Intelligence must not be allowed to achieve this.

A commercial operation has been set up to destroy each Aither in turn by 
sending a ship into one or other of the two phases with a view to collapsing 
enough charge orbitals that the nucleus cannot maintain the balance of the 
Aither. The nucleus itself is so active that it cannot be approached while it 
is controlling the Aither without serious damage. Teams of researchers are 
constantly working on systems and weapons to ensure the success of the 
mission. As the Morphai become immune to older weapons, new ones must be 
developed. As systems become unable to cope with the demands of ships under 
heavy attack, new ones must be designed. Being a commercial operation, the 
High Supervisor will only reward results, so your funds allocation is directly 
indexed to your performance. A limited timescale has also been imposed by the 
High Supervisor, the task of destroying the fiftieth Aither must be completed 
by Timeslice fifty or all research into new weapons and systems will cease.


The Importance of Timeslices

Timeslices are a measure of time spent actually in the Aithers or Universes. 
One timeslice is equivalent to about two minutes of play. The weapons and 
systems catalogues show the ten current units available for purchase starting 
with the entry equivalent to the current timeslice. After timeslice fifty (100 
minutes of play) no more entries are added to the catalogues so at timeslice 
sixty there will be no entries available for purchase at all. It is thus 
imperative that the Intelligence is beaten before you run out of new weapons 
and systems. Your old weapons will become obsolete and no more systems can be 
replaced once your order book is fulfilled.


Basic Control Modes

This is an area which begins quite simply and gets more complex as the game 
goes on. Each hull (or ship) has at least two control stations and linking 
corridors between them. Your position within the ship is shown glowing blue 
and you may only move within the ship along the lit corridors.

Each station on the ship has its own major function, which may be firing a 
weapon or dematting back to base, and most allow movement of the ship as well. 
In addition it is also possible to leave the station, travel along the 
corridors and enter another station at any time. The first, smallest hull is 
the simplest. It has a rear engine station and a forward weapon station with a 
single straight corridor between them.

***Forward Weapon Station***
The ship may be steered in any direction by accelerating the ship in the 
direction of the joystick. The main plasma beam can be fired by jabbing the 
fire button. The button should not be held down. The ship may be steered while 
firing. To leave the forward station, press and hold fire, then move the 
joystick in the direction of the exit corridor i.e. to the left. In order not 
to accelerate the ship to the left while doing this, ensure that the fire 
button is held down with the joystick initially centered, then after about 
half a second move the joystick to the left, keeping the button pressed until 
you actually leave the station. This sounds more complex than it is, just 
practice it a few times and it becomes second nature. After launching, you 
begin in the forward weapon station so you will seldom need to leave it with 
the smallest hull.

***Rear Engine Station***
The ship may be steered in any direction by accelerating the ship in the 
direction of the joystick. Press and hold fire with the joystick centered to 
demat back to the base. The button must be held down for nearly one second. To 
leave the station, press and hold fire with the joystick pointing in the 
direction of the exit corridor, i.e. to the right.

***Between Stations***
Hold the joystick in the direction you wish to move along the corridors. If 
you move into a station at the end of a corridor you will automatically be 
locked into it until you wish to leave, always by holding down fire and then 
pointing the joystick in the direction of the exit corridor. Note that the 
ship cannot be steered from the corridors.


Sequence of Play

Before visiting each of the fifty combat areas (Aithers) of Morpheus it is 
possible to access the ship upgrade system. Once you have completed all the 
transactions that you wish to perform it is time for battle. Press fire at 
option one: deploy ship. You will see a map of the charge orbitals expanding 
from the nucleus in the center. Any already collapsed orbitals from a previous 
visit will not be shown. On initial entry to an area all orbitals will be 
active. You will see your ship leave the docking bay and accelerate out of the 
station before dematting in close to the nucleus. You can demat back to base 
at any time to check whether recently commissioned systems and weapons have 
been built or to switch phase, but remember that the shield matrix is switched 
off for dematting so you must allow a short time for the shields to be raised 
to full strength on returning to the combat area.

To destroy the nucleus you must collapse some of the orbitals around it. On 
level one it is only necessary to collapse one orbital. Level two requires 
that two orbitals collapse, and so on up to a maximum of ten orbitals. 
Orbitals are collapsed by draining the positive phase ones of charge or 
overloading the negative ones. The procedure is the same for each, fire the 
forward plasma beam at the orbital. When the required number of orbitals have 
been destroyed the nucleus will shut down the remaining orbitals and has only 
a brief time to live. You have about one minute to locate the nucleus before 
it dies, freeing its life-giving 'Bonus Morphai' which may be destroyed by any 
means for extra points. The empty nucleus shell finally collapses itself and 
you are automatically dematted back to base. If you demat back to base 
yourself after the Aither has died in order to save 'timeslices' you can 
proceed to the next level without trying to get bonus points. This is a key 
strategic decision!


The Charge Cycle

The combat area, or Aither, is split into two halves, the positive phase and 
the negative phase. You can only visit one at a time, which one depends upon 
the amount of positive charge currently on board your ship. These two phases 
mirror each other with the nucleus being the gateway between them. The central 
nucleus is surrounded by over thirty charge orbitals which emerged from it 
when the Aither was created. The orbitals begin in a half-charged state. They 
decay slowly in the Aither, and as they do so they emit a beacon which lasts 
just enough to signal the current state of decay to The Intelligence within 
the nucleus. The beacon then dissolves.

The nucleus contains a supply of charge with which it can recharge the 
orbitals. It also controls two servants, the charge rejuvenators, which can 
carry charge from the nucleus to each of the orbitals in turn. They are 
periodically dispatched to an orbital and on arriving they deposit the charge 
that they are carrying into the orbital, replenishing it. Sometimes, rej-
uvenators cannot resupply orbitals quickly enough and so the orbitals decay 
from 'charge starvation' and hence the nucleus automatically collapses the 
orbitals and shuts itself down. The converse of this, is that rejuvenators can 
become 'too efficient' thus overcharging the orbitals and the nucleus will 
shut itself down once more. An orbital and its mirror-image in the opposite 
phase can be collapsed and destroyed by either draining it of charge or by 
overloading it. However the disturbance caused by the sudden change in its 
charge results in the production of Morphai, the semi-intelligent inhabitants 
of the Aither.


3. MORE DETAILS

Ship Upgrade Facility

While in dock, prior to visiting the combat area, the current hull with all 
added systems and weapons is shown along the legends:

      1. 'Deploy Ship' and 'Press fire to play'.

To enter the combat area just press the fire button. This is just one of eight 
options possible at this stage. To access one of the other options, move the 
joystick down (or up) and flip through the list. Repeated moves of the 
joystick are necessary to do this. 

The other options are:

      2. Replace Hull
      3. Commission System
      4. Install System
      5. Scrap System
      6. Commission Weapon
      7. Install Weapon
      8. Scrap Weapon

As each option appears, a brief summary of that option's situation is 
displayed. This may be just a reminder of that option's function or 
information as to what is available should that option be selected. To select 
an option for more detail move the joystick right (or left). Options two to 
eight contain lists of items. Each list may have one or more entries, or none 
at all. To flip through the entries in a list, move the joystick right (or 
left). To return to the menu list without selecting or changing anything, move 
the joystick up or down. To enter the combat area, keep moving the joystick up 
(or down) until entry one: deploy ship is shown, then press fire.

In summary, pressing fire is always a positive action to play or select an 
item, joystick down (or up) flips between options or quits from an option, and 
joystick right (or left) flips between items in an option.

For a color graphic description see the system reference card, "The Morpheus 
Menu."

Here is a reproduction showing the given example of a game at a certain point 
in the play:

1. Deploy       Press fire to play              |
    Ship                                        |
2. Replace      HL1  HL2  HL3  HL4              |
    Hull                                        |
3. Commission   BA1  VP2  CD2  IC4  CP5  NF6 ...|    THE MORPHEUS MENU
   System                                       |  Move up and down to change
4. Install      IC4  BA1  SG7                   |  between your options back    
   System                                       |  at base. When you have
5. Scrap        IC4  VP2  NF6                   |  selected the option you
   System                                       |  require, use left and right
6. Commission   FW1  FW2  FW3  FW4  RM5  FW6 ...|  to select the item that you
   Weapon                                       |  require.
7. Install      EW7  RF9                        |  (Note the number after the
   Weapon                                       |   system symbol letters, it
8. Scrap        FW1                             |   is the item's timecycle of 
   Weapon                                       |   production - see below)


Update Ship Options

1. Deploy Ship
There are no sub-items in this option, so joystick left or right has no 
effect. This is the option to launch the ship into the combat area, press fire 
to play.

2. Replace Hull
As more systems and weapons are required for survival, it is necessary to 
purchase a larger hull to accomodate them. Use joystick right (or left) to 
peruse the available hulls. Their cost is shown in the bottom legend along 
with their I.D. code. Press fire if you wish to purchase the hull shown, or 
use joystick up or down to return to the menu without selecting a new hull. If 
you attempt to purchase a hull while not having enough cash to do so, credit 
will not be granted, this is strictly a cash-on-delivery transaction. Any 
systems and weapons on your old hull will be automatically placed in your 
order books.

3. Commission System
To purchase a new system, it is necessary to access the system catalogue. Up 
to ten different items may be available for purchase at any one time. Systems 
in the catalogue are identified by a two-letter I.D. code indicating their 
type, followed by a unique catalogue entry number 1-60. The first entry that 
can be viewed corresponds to the current timeslice, so in timeslice one, 
entries 1-10 are available. In timeslice fifteen, entries 15-24 may be 
ordered. Earlier systems have become obsolete and are no longer available, 
usually having been replaced by better later ones. Entries beyond the last 
viewable have yet to be invented!

To see the currently available systems, use joystick right (or left). To buy a 
particular system, flip through the entries until the required one is shown in 
the display box to the right of the ship, then press the fire button. Assuming 
that the cost can be met, the part will be built. It will appear now in the 
Install System list as 'Under Construction'. The system will take a while to 
build and cannot be installed on your ship until it is ready. To return to the 
menu without buying a system, use joystick up or down. Most possible error 
messages are self-explanatory. One limitation is that only twenty systems can 
be in the order book (the Install System list) either under construction or 
ready. Should the message 'Order Book is Full' be displayed when you try to 
buy a system you must install at least one of the queued systems using option 
4 below, then commission the required part again.

4. Install System
Systems newly commissioned move into the order book and may be viewed here. A 
brief summary appears in the bottom legend as this option is selected to tell 
you whether any systems are ready to be installed. To view systems in the 
order book, use joystick right (or left). A system ready for installation will 
display its I.D. code, otherwise it will show 'under construction' and will 
take a while to build. To install a system that is ready, press fire. It will 
be placed in the first available free slot from the back of the current ship. 
Naturally there must be an empty slot in which to install it. To return to the 
menu without installing a system, use joystick up or down. The 20-entry 
limitation discussed in the 'Commissioned System' option still applies so any 
systems transferred from an old hull into a full order book will be lost.

5. Scrap System
As new, better systems become available through time it will sometimes be 
necessary to remove old systems from the hull. Also, spent batteries or shield 
generators may need to be replaced, or systems removed to make way for a 
specialized system. To enter this facility use joystick right (or left). 
Provided there is at least one scrappable system on the hull, an arrow will 
appear pointing to the first system. Use joystick right (or left) to move the 
arrow through the systems until it points to the one that you wish to scrap. 
Note that the system's I.D. code appears in the bottom legend to aid selecting 
the correct one. This facility can thus be used to review the current systems 
on board. To scrap the system currently being pointed to, press the fire 
button. Any system except the energy display may be scrapped. The arrow will 
never point to this. To return to the menu without scrapping a system, use 
joystick up or down.

6. Commission Weapon
To purchase a new weapon, it is necessary to access the weapon catalogue. This 
catalogue is laid out in the same way as the system catalogue (option 3 
above), and the order book has the same limitation in the number of orders 
(20) for weapons as for systems. As time goes by, the Morphai develop an 
immunity to older weapons, you are therefore recommended to purchase the 
latest weapons that you can, i.e. the highest catalogue entries possible, in 
order that they have maximum effect on the Morphai. Using weapons that they 
are fairly immune to will only annoy them! 

7. Install Weapon
Weapons newly commissioned move into the order book and may be viewed there in 
the same way as systems (option 4 above).

Important Note: Additional weapons can only be added onto larger ships. Hulls 
                HL2 to HL4 have extra perpendicular corridors to allow access 
                to these weapons.

8. Scrap Weapon
As for systems, new, better weapons become available and old ones must be 
scrapped. The facility for scrapping weapons works the same way as the one for 
scrapping systems (option 5 above).


Objects of the Aither

Collisions with charged objects, i.e. the nucleus or orbitals causes damage 
only to the ship as it is forcibly repelled by the charge contained within 
them. Watch the introduction of the game to get a visualization of each of the
objects found in a given Aither. Among the objects below the only ones worth 
hitting are the orbitals.

***The nucleus - the center of the Aither, gateway between the two phases and 
controller of all that you see. Impervious to attack. Its 'heartbeat' is 
audible and gets faster the closer you are to it.

***Charge orbital - maintains stability within the Aither, holds charge. 
Impervious to all but plasma beam attack.

***Rejuvenator - carries charge from nucleus to orbitals to replace charge 
lost through natural decay. The carried charge is protected by an energy field 
which renders the rejuvenator invulnerable.

***Beacon - emission from orbital as it decays signalling to the nucleus that 
charge is being lost (or gained in the negative phase). The beacon itself 
dissolves after its message is sent. The Intelligence knows that an orbital 
has been destroyed by the absence of beacon messages.

***Neutron Dwarf - result of destroying a charge orbital. The orbital 
collapses in on itself and shines brightly. They emit no beacon and are 
otherwise inert.


The Morphai

Morphai are the inhabitants of the Aithers, or Universes. They may be attacked 
with the plasma beam, additional weapons, or disruptors. They can be hurt or 
killed by these weapons, depending on how much immunity they have built up. 
Collisions with the ship may also injure or kill them.  

The various strains of Morphai are (all worth hitting):

***Bonus Morphai - held within the nucleus, these are freed as the nucleus 
    dies after all of the orbitals have collapsed. Worth 2000 points.
***Morpheus - God of Dreams (merely one of the Morphai strains. It is not
    The Intelligence... which you will never see!)
***Phobetor - brother of Morpheus.
***Ubique - they are everywhere.
***Phantasus - brother of Morpheus.
***Uridimine - home sweet home. (Details in the System section, ECM's)
***Hypnos - God of Sleep, father of Morpheus.
***Erebos - darkness, son of Chaos.
***Caligo - darkness and fog.
***Nix - the Goddess of Night.
***Kratos - force.
***Keres - executors of the will of the Fates.
***Bia - violence.
***Cautes - a sharp and jagged rock.
***Thanatos - death.
***Tyche - bestower of fortune indiscriminately.

The Morphai awaken slowly from their long sleep, at first unsure of their 
reason for being. Initially slaughtered, the survivors of each strain of 
Morphai grow and learn, returning to destroy those who killed their 
forefathers. They become faster, more agile, learn how to fire, learn how to 
survive, and learn how to kill. Watch the introduction of the game to get a 
visualization of the various strains of Morphai.


Score Table

Points scored for Morphai kills are variable and depend upon the degree of 
difficulty, e.g. a defenseless rock ("Cautes") scores 10 points, but an 
enraged Morpheus scores 250 points. 

***For you to find out the value of each of the strains in general!***

Discharging or overloading an orbital scores second only to destroying the 
Bonus Morphai released by the nucleus once the Aither begins to collapse.

            Morphai        10 - 500 points
            Orbital        500 points
            Bonus Morphai  2000 points


4. REFERENCE SECTION

Replacement Hulls

The four types of hull are available at all times. For convenience however it 
is assumed that a replacement hull of the same type as that in use is not 
required and so is removed from the catalogue. Manual demat to base is 
initiated from the rear station of all hulls, and the charge extraction/ 
deposit plasma beam is fired from the forward station. Damaged systems are 
removed and the hull repaired on return to base. When a new hull is selected 
it is supplied with full main energy banks and all systems and weapons that 
were fitted to the old hull are returned to the order book ready for 
installation on the new hull. The four possible hulls vary in capability and 
are detailed in the following section:

-----------------------------------------------------
Light Hull                    I.D. Code: HL1
                              Initial Cost: 10000 G
                              Classification: Replacement Hull
                              Fixed Systems: 1 - Energy Display
                              Empty System Slots: 1
                              Fixed Weapon: Charge Extraction/Deposit
                                            Plasma Beam, 40% efficiency
                              Empty weapon slots: none
                              Shield Matrix Output: 15 Posimips

The smallest of the hulls, this has no room for extra weapon pod expansion and 
only one slot for system expansion, which is usually an energy replenishing 
device.

--------------------------------------------------------
Medium Hull                   I.D. Code: HL2
                              Initial Cost: 25000 G
                              Classification: Replacement Hull
                              Fixed Systems: 1 - Energy Display
                              Empty System Slots: 3
                              Fixed Weapon: Charge Extraction/Deposit
                                            Plasma Beam, 60% efficiency
                              Empty weapon slots: 2
                              Shield Matrix Output: 30 Posimips

The first hull to offer the possibility of extra weapon pods, this hull is the 
natural choice for a first upgrade. The three empty system slots can be 
configured in a number of ways, allowing at least minor customization. This is 
the first really viable opportunity to install shields on a hull.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Heavy Hull                    I.D. Code: HL3
                              Initial Cost: 75000 G
                              Classification: Replacement Hull
                              Fixed Systems: 1 - Energy Display
                              Empty System Slots: 5
                              Fixed Weapon: Charge Extraction/Deposit
                                            Plasma Beam, 80% efficiency
                              Empty weapon slots: 2
                              Shield Matrix Output: 50 Posimips

A reasonable balance between system flexibility and firepower is offered by 
this hull. The increased shield matrix supported by two shield genrators and 
one shield replenisher keeps the ship fairly well protected, and still leaves 
two free system slots for energy acquisition and maybe a more specialized 
system. Additionally two weapon pods may be incorporated for extra firepower.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Deluxe Hull                   I.D. Code: HL4
                              Initial Cost: 150000 G
                              Classification: Replacement Hull
                              Fixed Systems: 1 - Energy Display
                              Empty System Slots: 7
                              Fixed Weapon: Charge Extraction/Deposit
                                            Plasma Beam, 100% efficiency
                              Empty weapon slots: 4
                              Shield Matrix Output: 65 Posimips

The largest available hull offering maximum system configuration 
possibilities. The increased hull size has allowed fitting extra shield matrix 
units for a very high protective force field. The plasma beam has also been 
perfected and offers 100% efficiency. Fitting extra weapon pods is recommended 
for extra protection should the shields ever collapse to help prevent damage 
to the vulnerable systems on board.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Systems    

Systems are available through the process of commissioning a unit by paying 
the asking price and installing that unit into the current ship once it has 
been built. Systems are all referenced by a two-character I.D. code indicating 
their nature of operation, followed by a one or two digit catalogue entry 
number.

[See system reference card "Morpheus Systems" for a picture of each system.]

Initial Hull-Mounted Systems

The systems that come readily attached to each hull are listed in the 
following section. 'First catalogue entry' refers to the first timeslice the 
system is available.

----------------------------------------------------------
Main Energy Bank              I.D. Code: ES
Status Display                First catalogue entry: supplied with hull
                              Initial Cost: free
                              Classification: Combat Aid

The main energy banks are the most important item on the ship. The energy they 
contain is used to run many onboard systems, all the weapons, and ultimately 
keep the ship alive. If the energy banks are drained completely the ship can 
no longer exist in the Aither and will 'wink out'. Since hits on an unshielded 
ship by projectiles or lifeforms will cause energy to be lost it is imperative 
that a close watch be kept on the energy level. The energy level is shown by 
the speed of the two rotating elements, the higher the level, the faster they 
move. In addition, the display will flash red with an accompanying warning 
sound should the level drop below 20%.

[See system reference card "Energy Acquisition & Usage" for a graphic 
description of the relation between the main energy banks and the IC, SC and 
BA systems below.]

-----------------------------------------------------------
Medium Range Radar            I.D. Code: MR
                              First catalogue entry: supplied with hull
                              Initial cost: free
                              Classification: Combat Aid

To aid charge orbital location a medium range radar is supplied with each 
hull. It shows only charged objects, namely orbitals and the nucleus. Provided 
that at least one charge orbital exists somewhere (not necessarily in radar 
display range) the radar will appear blue. As the Aither collapses and the 
orbitals are ordered to self-destruct by the nucleus then the radar will only 
show the nucleus, and will change to a brighter red display to indicate this. 
Diagonal cross-hairs show the center of the radar and thus any radar trace at 
the center should be in view or very close to the ship. The radar has a high-
retention slow-update display as the radar takes time to track each charge 
orbital. For best results it is recommended to stop the ship and wait for 
about one second to obtain a static radar display.
-------------------------------------------------------

Systems Reference Guide

The different systems available for purchase are listed in the following 
section. 'First catalogue entry' refers to the first timeslice the 
system is available.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Inertia Converter             I.D. Code: IC
                              First catalogue entry: 4
                              Initial cost: 5000 G
                              Classification: Energy Replenisher

One of the earliest developments into the generation of useable energy was the 
Conversion of Inertia Project. The inertia produced by a large hull moving at 
high speed is so high that the requirements of this device cause virtually no 
drop in performance of the ship. Early units did not have a particularly fast 
rate of energy production but later ones were more efficient than the first 
solar cells, which eventually caused the demise of the inertia converter. Note 
that for the inertia converter to work properly it is necessary for the ship 
to be moving at a minimum of 50% speed.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Solar Cells                   I.D. Code: SC
                              First catalogue entry: 20
                              Initial cost: 5000 G
                              Classification: Energy Replenisher

Development of the solar cell began in timeslice five as the need for a 
constant energy supply became clear. The research was carried out by the 
Pearce Barratt Conglomerate (PBC) which had a prototype running as early as 
timeslice seven. Using a vast bank of photon coupling devices a steady, albeit 
small flow of energy is produced. Early units took virtually a whole timeslice 
to construct and deliver and were not particularly efficient, producing far 
less energy than inertia converters of equivalent times. Their advantage is, 
of course, that the flow of energy is constant. Production of these devices 
ceased when the much more efficient Anderson Mega-Cells took over the market 
at around timeslice forty (see below).

--------------------------------------------------------
Energy Batteries              I.D. Code: BA
                              First catalogue entry: 1
                              Initial cost: 5000 G
                              Classification: Energy Storage

Auxiliary energy supply had long been a requirement of commercial freighters 
and the energy battery was the first Space product of PBC. The accompanying 
integrated controller draws energy from the main energy banks into a 
partially-full battery provided the main banks are at least half full. Should 
the main banks run lower than 50% the battery will begin to drain at a steady 
rate.

Early batteries had a capacity of just under half the maximum carried on a 
commercial hull. They may be used in multiples or in conjunction with other 
energy storage and replenishing devices. Batteries are all supplied in a 
fully-charged state. Their advantage over energy replenishing devices is that 
they are fairly simple and thus much quicker to build. Production of these 
devices ceased shortly after the introduction of another Anderson product, the 
high energy battery.

--------------------------------------------------------
High Energy Batteries         I.D. Code: HB
                              First catalogue entry: 23
                              Initial Cost: 7500 G
                              Classification: Energy Storage

The High Energy battery was developed after calls for greater quantities of 
backup energy. Early standard batteries were unable to hold large enough 
quantities to justify carrying them at all. Many ships were destroyed through 
reliance on energy replenishers alone. The initial production batteries were 
costly but could hold about 75% of the capacity of a main energy bank. Towards 
the end of their development they could hold a full energy bank. The energy 
flow rate of these batteries is considerably higher than standard batteries 
although they function in a similar manner.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Remote Drone Locator          I.D. Code: DL
                              First catalogue entry: 9
                              Initial cost: 3000 G
                              Classification: Combat Aid

Almost immediately after remote drones (I.D. code: RM - see Weapons section) 
came into operation it was clear that a high loss rate was occurring due to 
their relatively short range of control. This sonar-related device was 
produced to give the user some audio indication of the drone's distance from 
its landing and control pad should it leave visual range. The sonar 'blip' 
bounces off the drone and the delay between the original signal and the 
returning echo gives an indication of its distance. Drone locators remained in 
production most of the time, getting cheaper and faster to build.

------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Counter Measures   I.D. Code: EC
system (ECM)                  First catalogue entry: 14
                              Initial cost: 10000 G
                              Classification: Combat Aid

'Uridimines' (one of the Morphai strains) have become a hazard, first 
appearing in Aither Nine fitted with a homing device. A few seconds after 
launch, they scan the area for alien matter and lock onto it. Once locked they 
pursue their target relentlessly. The ECM unit attempts to confuse this lock-
on of mines by emitting constant electromagnetic signals, producing false 
'ghost' images. If successful, the mine will follow a random pattern. Early 
units proved about 35% successful on their own but may be combined for more 
effective results. The ECM unit is imported and so only takes a short time to 
assemble from its modular components before it is ready for fitting. The unit 
is nearly always available although supply can be a little erratic at times. 
The import taxes on this unit make it somewhat expensive for what it is.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Charge to Energy Converter    I.D. Code: CE
                              First catalogue entry: 49
                              Initial cost: 20000 G
                              Classification: Energy Replenisher

Almost too late a better understanding of charge allowed the production of 
this charge to energy converter. Its benefits are two-fold:

1) charge carried is absorbed allowing more to be extracted,
2) energy is supplied at a high rate, equivalent to that of an Anderson Mega-
   Cell at first, later versions surpassed it.

The mirror effect of the negative phase actually causes the production of 
charge AND the generation of energy so the unit functions equally well in 
either phase. The one disadvantage of this device is that it does require some 
charge in order to function.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Mega Solar Cell               I.D. Code: MS
                              First catalogue entry: 41
                              Initial cost: 7500 G
                              Classification: Energy Replenisher

Produced as the need for faster energy recovery grew, the Anderson Mega-Cell, 
as it is commonly known, doubled the rate of photon-energy conversion. The 
device quickly became popular and ultimately caused the demise of the PBC 
solar cell. The main improvements made to the device were in speeding up its 
production time rather than improving its performance greatly.

------------------------------------------------------------
Emergency Demat Unit          I.D. Code: ED
                              First catalogue entry: 8
                              Initial cost: 10000 G
                              Classification: Combat Aid

This device acts as a safety valve and cuts in automatically if the main 
energy bank falls below a preset level, usually around 20%. In this event the 
demat unit is automatically activated causing an immediate return to base. 
Additionally the unit supplies a brief surge of energy to the main banks to 
ensure that they can handle any immediate power requirements. This instant 
surge is however sufficient to ensure the total burn-out of the device. This 
makes it a run-once system. In the event of multiple ED units being fitted, a 
crisis situation should only cause one unit to kick in. The power surge being 
immediate will prevent subsequent units from detecting low energy.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Nucleus Finder                I.D. Code: NF
                              First catalogue entry: 6
                              Initial cost: 1000 G
                              Classification: Navigation Aid

Collecting a good harvest of 'Bonus Morphai' requires fast and accurate 
locating of the nucleus once the Aither begins to collapse. This simple device 
is an eight-directional indicator enabling easy navigation to the nucleus. 
These devices are available at almost any time. The direction to the nucleus 
is indicated by the flashing element of the display.

--------------------------------------------------------------
View Port                     I.D. Code: VP
                              First catalogue entry: 2
                              Initial cost: 200 G
                              Classification: Embellishment

A once-in-a-lifetime never-to-be-repeated offer of this modern sleek 
observation port. Improve your ship now, be the envy of all your friends. Last 
few days, only limited stocks remain. You won't be disappointed. So read the 
sales brochure in the final days of the House of Glass double glazing sale. 
This is a simple observation port to seat up to twenty people. It allows all-
round vision for astronomical or sight-seeing purposes. It serves very little 
purpose in a combat situation, and as soon as this was realized, production 
ceased.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Charge Proximity Indicator    I.D. Code: CP
                              First catalogue entry: 5
                              Initial cost: 3000 G
                              Classification: Navigation Aid

The charge proximity detector picks up the interference waveform present at 
all concentrated areas of charge, namely the nucleus and the charge orbitals. 
It can detect positive or negative charge activity. The indicator tower on the 
device will glow if charge is detected close by. The use of this unit is 
limited as its function is largely duplicated by the medium-range radar 
supplied with all ships, although the C.P.I. reacts much faster.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Charge Display Unit           I.D. Code: CD
                              First catalogue entry: 3
                              Initial cost: 2500 G
                              Classification: Combat Aid

The current charge being held in the ship's charge banks can be seen by 
fitting one of these handy devices. The amount carried is proportional to the 
brightness of the display, and is color-coded. See the section on 'Brightness 
Coding' below for more details. If the charge bank is less than half full at 
deployment time, the ship will demat into the positive phase to collect more 
charge. More than half full will cause entry into the negative phase to 
discharge it. This display unit is useful during combat for selecting the best 
time to demat back in order to switch phase.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Shield Generator              I.D. Code: SG
                              First catalogue entry: 7
                              Initial cost: 4000 G
                              Classification: Defense System

Shield generators are the first line of defense for any ship under attack. A 
defensive shield can be projected around the ship by its inbuilt shield matrix 
provided it is fed by one or more shield generators. The strength and size of 
the matrix depends upon the hull size. Shield power is drawn from all shield 
generators on board, which behave as batteries. An individual shield 
generator's strength is indicated by its color, again using 'Brightness 
Coding'. Early shield generators have a relatively low capacity and so will 
never show fully bright. Once completely used a shield generator becomes 
useless unless a shield replenisher is fitted, otherwise it must be replaced. 
New shields are installed fully charged. Note that the shield matrix is 
discharged during demat so on arriving at the combat area the generators will 
begin to build up the matrix at the cost of some of each generator's power. 
This build-up could take a few seconds. The shield power lost during discharge 
of the matrix is not recoverable. Shield generators may be 'ganged up' for 
faster shield matrix recovery in the event of attack.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Shield Replenisher            I.D. Code: SR
                              First catalogue entry: 16
                              Initial cost: 10000 G
                              Classification: Defense System

The long-waited energy to shield power converter. Provided the main energy 
banks are at least half full the replenisher will draw energy and produce 
shield power, which will be fed to any available shield generators requiring 
power. One replenisher can supply one generator at a time, two can recharge 
two generators simultaneously. The replenisher shuts itself down automatically 
once all shield generators are fully charged. the replenisher is a necessary 
complement to a ship fitted with shield generators, although early units 
caused quite a heavy drain on the main energy banks. Later models are 
considerably more efficient.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Shield Display Indicator      I.D. Code: SD
                              First catalogue entry: 10
                              Initial cost: 1000 G
                              Classification: Combat Aid

This device gives a 'brightness-coded' display of the overall strength of the 
ship's shield matrix. All the shield generators fitted to the ship that have 
power feed it into the primary shield matrix which actually creates the 
protective force field. The status of the matrix is displayed by this unit. 
The matrix is activated after demat into the combat area and will begin to 
draw power from all shield generators onboard. It takes a few seconds to reach 
full strength. This is shown by the indicator going through its brightness 
sequence until it reaches the matrix maximum. Larger hulls have a greater 
shield potential. Any hit to the shields usually causes the destruction of 
whatever hit them, and also causes a drop in the matrix output, which is 
recovered by taking further power from the shield generators. These behave 
like batteries and will be discharged eventually. They display black when they 
get very low on power. Shield generators can only be recovered by fitting at 
least one shield replenisher, which converts energy from the main banks. 

[See system reference card for a "Shield Protection" graphical description of 
the relation between the main energy banks and systems SR and SG.]


**************************************************************************
Brightness Coding       I.D. codes: SG, SD and CD.

The following onboard systems use a color-coded display as their output:

                    Shield Generators (SG)
                    Shield Display Indicator (SD)
                    Charge Display Unit (CD)

Their output is a color in a series of colors which have been arranged in 
order of brightness to ensure that they can be read in a monochrome situation. 
The colors displayed are listed here:

    Status                 Color             Brightness
   --------               --------           ----------
    100%      
                           White              Brightest
                           Yellow
                           Cyan
                           Green
     50%                  
                           Purple
                           Red
                           Blue
                           Black               Darkest
      0%                        
**************************************************************************


Weapons

Additional weapons are available to be commissioned for future installation on 
all hulls except HL1, which is too small to accomodate them. Weapons come in 
three basic classes:

        1) fixed position weapons,
        2) remote control drones,
        3) disruptors.

Note that with fixed position weapons, you will only see a small jet of flame 
burst out of the gun barrel fired. A bullet will still fire across the screen 
(and harm anything in its path) but it travels so fast that it cannot be seen. 
The three weapon classes will now be explained in details:

------------------------------------------------------------
Directable-fire Weapons Stations      ID codes: FW, EW and EF.

These weapons are directable weapons, i.e. the direction of fire is controlled 
by the joystick direction at the time of firing. The ship may be steered in 
any direction by accelerating the ship in the direction of the joystick. The 
weapon may be fired by jabbing the fire button. It will fire in the direction 
of the joystick, unless it is centered, in which case it will fire in the same 
direction as it previously fired, initially set to forwards. The four-way guns 
cannot fire diagonally but will fire in a 'best-guess' direction if diagonal 
is selected, see the reference card diagram referred to below. To avoid 
conflict between movement of ship and firing, the ship movement control will 
not respond for a very short time after firing. This reduces the chances of 
firing at a target and rapidly chasing after the bullet fired.

[See system reference card "Weapons" for pictures of fixed weapons and 
diagrams of their controls.]

To leave the weapon station, as with leaving any station, press and hold fire, 
then point the joystick in the direction of the exit corridor, either up or 
down. To avoid accelerating the ship when leaving, always press the button 
before pointing the joystick.

---------------------------------------------------------------
The Remote Drone        ID codes: RM and DL.

Being maneuverable in its own right, the remote drone's station is the only 
one from which the main ship cannot be steered. The joystick instead controls 
the drone's movement. The drone on the landing pad is automatically launched 
as you enter the station. It will then hover above the pad. It may be steered 
using the joystick and has an operating range of about four screen-widths in 
any direction. Naturally it is impractical to fly the drone blind, beyond 
visible range, but due to its large turning circle at high speed it is often 
necessary to temporarily lose sight of it. The drone locator (I.D. code DL) is 
a useful tool for judging the drone's distance from the ship. Should the drone 
stray beyond its operating range, contact will be permanently lost. In this 
case the landing pad remains empty and the main ship may be steered from his 
station.

The remote drone may carry any weapon unit from the simple four-way guns to 
the simultaneous eight-way weapons. Control of these weapons is exactly as if 
they were mounted in their own station. The remote drone is fitted with the 
weapon immediately following its own entry in the weapon catalogue. Each 
remote drone is controlled from its own landing pad and must be landed only on 
this pad. Position the drone over the pad so that the glowing blue indicator 
can be seen through the hole in the center of the drone. Press and hold the 
fire button until you hear the hiss of the drone's landing thrusters, about 
half a second. Then move the joystick in the direction of the exit corridor. 
This is exactly the same procedure as for leaving any other station.

It is also possible to land the remote but remain in control of its weaponry. 
This is a hybrid control mode in that it behaves as a normal weapon except 
that steering the ship (or the drone) is not possible. This has the advantage 
that if the ship is stationary to start with, it will never drift, it becomes 
a solid platform. To enter this mode, land the drone as above but keep the 
joystick centered, then release the button when you hear the drone settle on 
the pad. To leave this mode, just exit the station by again holding down the 
fire button and pointing the joystick in the direction of the exit corridor.

You may also leave the landing pad station while the remote drone is still in 
flight. Use the usual method to leave while the drone is not above the pad. It 
will glide to a halt relative to the ship, although the ship and drone may be 
moving. Re-entering the landing pad will resume control of the drone. Note 
that steering the ship while a drone is active may cause it to stray outside 
its sphere of operation and become lost.

It is not possible to have two remote drones active at one time. Entering a 
second drone's station while the first is still active will allow control of 
the main ship as if it is a normal station. However, should the first drone 
become lost, the second will immediately lift off and steering of the ship 
will switch to controlling the remote instead.

[See system reference card "Remote Drones" for a picture of such mobile 
weapons.]

------------------------------------------------------------
Non-directable-fire Weapon Stations     ID codes: RF, RE, SF and SE.

These more advanced weapon units do not require to be given a direction to 
fire in as they will fire in all possible directions, either sequentially or 
simultaneously. The ship may be steered in any direction by accelerating the 
ship in the direction of the joystick. Jab the fire button to fire the weapon, 
do not hold the button down. The weapon will either fire immediately in all 
its possible directions or release a series of bullets, clockwise or anti-
clockwise, until each gun port has fired once. Joystick direction has no 
effect on the guns. To leave the weapon station, as with leaving any station, 
press and hold fire, then point the joystick in the direction of the exit 
corridor, either up or down. To avoid accelerating the ship when leaving, 
always press the button before pointing the joystick.

[System reference card does not show these weapons.]

--------------------------------------------------------------
Disrupter Station       ID code: DR.

The disrupter is a slow build-up, mass devastation weapon. It will affect any 
Morphai in visible range. Since it takes a while in accumulating sufficient 
energy to fire, and because this may be a large quantity of energy, it is 
possible to abort firing during the build-up with no loss of energy. The ship 
may be steered in any direction by accelerating the ship in the direction of 
the joystick. To build-up and fire the disrupter it is necessary to press and 
hold fire with the joystick centered for the entire duration of the builtd-up 
until it either fires or aborts due to insufficient energy. To abort firing 
manually, either release fire or move the joystick in any direction. To leave 
the weapon station do as for leaving the other stations.

[System reference card does not show these weapons.]

----------------------------------------------------------

Weapons Reference Guide

The different weapons available are listed in the following section. 'First 
catalogue entry' refers to the first timeslice the weapon is available.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Four-way Directable      I.D. Code: FW
                         First catalogue entry: 1
                         Initial cost: 2500 G
                         Classification: Fixed weapon

The first weapons built were of the four-way only firing type. Although 
relatively fast to build and deliver, these units began with very slow reload 
times and were fairly inefficient due to their four direction limitation. The 
last FW weapon is catalogue entry FW24. Development by this time had reached 
the stage of very fast reload times and they could be built very quickly as 
the manufacturers were only too glad to clear stocks of parts before the 
takeover of the eight-way weapons was complete.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Eight-way Directable    I.D. Code: EW
                        First catalogue entry: 7
                        Initial cost: 2500 G
                        Classification: Fixed weapon

Eight-way weapons were the logical extension of their clumsy four-way 
predecessors. Early units were hindered by slow reload times but eight-way 
units remained in production until development was cancelled and the catalogue 
closed after timeslice sixty.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Four-way Rapid Fire     I.D. Code: RF
                        First catalogue entry: 9
                        Initial cost: 4000 G
                        Classification: Fixed weapon

To extend the life of the four-way weapons by a few timeslices a simple 
sequencer was built into them, along with extra cooling systems to allow all 
four gun-ports to fire in quick succession. Having fired all four gun ports 
the reload time is naturally slow in comparison to single shot weapons.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Eight-way Rapid Fire     I.D. Code: RE
                         First catalogue entry: 22
                         Initial cost: 20000 G
                         Classification: Fixed weapon

The eight-way rapid fire series of weapons began with similar problems to the 
RF series with appalingly slow reload times as all eight gun ports required 
cooling and recharging before another sequence of fire was possible.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Extended Angle Fire,    I.D. Code: EF
Directable              First catalogue entry: 30
                        Initial cost: 3000 G
                        Classification: Fixed weapon

A breakthrough in cooling system technology allowed the simultaneous firing of 
three out of eight gun ports. Priority is given to the primary selected 
direction of fire with the ports to either side also being triggered. This 
provides very good coverage of fire, especially at close range. Further 
development eventually led to the simultaneous eight-way weapons.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Simultaneous Four-way    I.D. Code: SF
                         First catalogue entry: 17
                         Initial cost: 30000 G
                         Classification: Fixed weapon

The simultaneous four-way weapons had a very brief history, only two catalogue 
entries existed, SF17 and SF25. They were both prohibitively expensive for a 
limited direction weapon and although SF25 was a considerably better weapon, 
both suffered from lengthy reload times.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Simultaneous Eight-way   I.D. Code: SE
                         First catalogue entry: 48
                         Initial cost 20000 G
                         Classification: Fixed weapon

The ultimate in fixed weapon design, this was the logical conclusion to the 
development of the RE series. Reload times had been reduced considerably by 
the time SE48 was designed and although slower than conventional EW weapons of 
the time, they were considered fast enough. The all-round coverage that they 
provided far outweighed any arguments against them.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Remote Drones           I.D. Code: RM
                        First catalogue entry: 5
                        Initial cost: 10000 G
                        Classification: Mobile Weapon Platform

The development of the remote drone was begun as the need for a mobile weapons 
system was realized. This stemmed from the limitation of fire coverage of a 
fixed weapon and the relative immobility of a large ship. The drone is little 
more than a remote-controlled shell built around a standard weapon unit. The 
weapon actually fitted is the catalogue entry following the entry for the 
drone, e.g. drone RM34 is fitted with weapon SE35. The cost of the weapon is 
included in the price of the drone. The drone has a limited operating range 
from the ship but it does still function outside visible range. If it strays 
beyond this limit it is lost. Control is administered from the landing pad 
that the remote was launched from. To recover it, the drone must be landed on 
its own pad, although it may be left in flight while other operations are 
carried out. Note that this is best done while the main ship is stationary as 
otherwise the drone will continue to drift at the launched speed once 
released. This is due to nothing more complex than the law of inertia. Due to 
control signal interference, only one remote drone may be in operation at 
once, although more than one may be carried on the ship.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Disrupters              I.D. Code: DR
                        First catalogue entry: 11
                        Initial cost: 25000 G
                        Classification: Global Effect Weapon

The disrupter will affect all projectiles and Morphai within the local area of 
the ship. Depending upon their immunity to it, they may only react against it 
rather than being destroyed. The disrupter requires a very large quantity of 
energy from the main banks to fire and should not be used if energy is running 
low. The sequence of firing is as follows:

     1) a request to build up and fire is received,
     2) the energy necessary for firing is slowly allocated from the main 
        banks,
     3) the request to build up must be continuous until all the energy 
        required to fire has been allocated, which may take a couple of 
        seconds,
     4) upon successful build up, the energy is used for a short burst of 
        global disruption,
     5) the weapon may then take three or four seconds to recycle before 
        build-up can begin again.

If the request to fire is cancelled at any time during build-up, or if 
insufficient energy is available, all allocated energy is freed and returned 
to the main banks immediately.
----------------------------------------------------------------


5. MORPHEUS - THE PROGRAM

Pre-Game Controls

During the titles sequence it is possible to moderate the forthcoming game and 
the music volume using the function keys as follows:

F1 -   One player, one joystick, either port. A joystick symbol appears next  
       to the 'Player 1' legend.
F2 -   Two players, sharing one joystick, either port. A joystick symbol  
       appears next to the 'Player 2' legend.
F3 -   Two players, two joysticks, player one in port 1. Joystick symbols  
       appear next to both 'Player X' legends.
F5 -   Music volume louder.
F6 -   Music volume quieter.
F7 -   Zero inter-game funds.
F8 -   Restore inter-game funds.

Press and hold down RUN/STOP and then tap the RESTORE key - Return to BASIC. 
This allows you to reset the machine without switching off or using a reset 
button. Note that the RUN/STOP and RESTORE keys, when pressed together, will 
still reset the machine during the game. Be careful not to press them by 
accident - there is no going back!

Press fire on either joystick to play. The game shuffles the Morphai 
inhabitants for the first eight levels on each game, thus you may meet any one 
of eight different adversaries on level one.


During Game Controls

All game functions can be carried out from the joystick. In addition the game 
may be paused by pressing RUN/STOP on its own. To resume the game, press 
RUN/STOP again or press fire. To quit the game and return to the titles 
screen, press 'Q' while paused. Also, when you are paused, you can press and 
hold down RUN/STOP and then tap the RESTORE key to reset the machine to BASIC.


High Score Entries

Morpheus has two high score tables, a Todays Top Ten, and an All-time Top Ten. 
In the tape edition of Morpheus these tables will always be the same since the 
All-time table is not saved. Should you attain a high score, Morpheus will 
skip through the entries that you have overtaken and allow you to enter three 
initials. Change the letters to those required using the joystick, then press 
fire to select them. Morpheus remembers the initials for both players in a 
two-player game, and the disk edition will preserve them along with the All-
time Top Ten if this table is altered and saved to disk. Players may input 
their initials for the Today's Top Ten, and the entered initials are copied 
for entry into the All-time table. 


Inter-Game Funds

For greater between-game continuity, any funds still unspent upon the ship's 
demise are preserved and available at the start of the next game. This value 
is displayed between the scores during the titles sequence. There is a maximum 
value that can be carried across however, so any funds above this ceiling will 
be lost. It is not always desirable to start with funds, for example, if two 
players wish to start from the same financial state to see how far they can 
get. Thus there is a key to press zeroing this value if desired, see 'Pre-game 
Controls'.


Two Player Strategy

When two players are playing, they take alternate visits to the combat area 
and share the same funds. The current player has the joystick symbol next to 
the 'Player X' legend. Either player (or both in two joystick mode) may 
operate the ship upgrade system, as indicated by a joystick symbol next to 
both legends. Players should combine their efforts to defeat Morpheus.


Game Variants

Although Morpheus loads into a C128 in C64 mode, it can take advantage of its 
surroundings. On a C128, Morpheus is able to generate 15% more Morphai at no 
extra cost. The PAL (European) tape edition is unable to operate properly on 
an NTSC (USA) C64 as its demands on the CPU are too high, but will operate in 
a slightly cut-down form on an NTSC C128. The disk edition of Morpheus will 
operate on either NTSC or PAL machines, configuring itself for optimum 
operation on the host machine.


6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Author's Hints and Tips

The ship's energy is the key to survival. Try to ensure that you always have 
at least one energy replenishing device on board and another one in the order 
book at all times.

When attempting to locate an orbital, just stop nearby and wait until it 
releases a beacon, you should hear it and then see it, giving you a pointer to 
the exact location of the orbital.

Early Morphai strains may attempt to escape rather than fight, you should give 
chase rather than let them run away. Points are valuable as they are converted 
into funds, and it takes a lot of Morphai to pay for an Inertia Converter.

Always attempt to get back to the nucleus as the last orbital collapses, a lot 
of points can be gained by destroying the Bonus Morphai. Beware of roaming 
Morphai still. It is essential to have an awareness of what is just off screen 
around you. Morphai can follow you from off screen and then take you by 
surprise as you stop at the next orbital. Just because you can't currently see 
them doesn't mean that they aren't there.

A battery unit takes a relatively short time to build and is thus a quick 
supply of small quantities of energy for emergency use.

Using at least one shield generator is the only way of protecting the onboard 
systems effectively. On large hulls try to always have weapons fitted, even if 
they are obsolete, they will cushion you against bullets and maybe prevent 
unnecessary system destruction.

The rear system slots are safest. Since new systems are assigned to the 
rearmost slots first, your most valuable systems should be installed first.

Fit a nucleus finder (NF) device if you're having difficulty locating the 
nucleus after it shuts down. Get used to not straying too far from it and 
noting its approximate direction as you destroy the orbitals.

Upgrade to a larger ship fairly quickly, the larger the hull, the more 
efficient it is. If you are in real dire straits with low energy and no energy 
systems in the order book ready, new hulls are supplied with full energy 
banks, and are immediately available. Drastic, but it is a way out!

All the ships are very fast for covering huge distances, but it is not 
advisable to use all this speed all the time, especially when not flying 
forwards. The Morphai, who will try desperately to get out of your way, really 
are not fast enough to clear your path. While appreciating that you get points 
for killing them with this method, it does little for your overall shield or 
energy status.

If you are using additional weapons a lot, keep them up to date. Nothing 
annoys a Morphai more than shooting at it with a pea-shooter, which is what 
older weapons become to them as they develop immunity. They also begin to 
build up a resistance to the plasma beam in time, so you will definitely need 
extra weapons.

Flying a remote drone tends to confuse the Morphai a little, they are slightly 
unsure of what to attack first, so get out there and dogfight with them.

The Morphai do get more vicious the longer you take to clear a level, so be 
quick!

Credits

[Summarized at the head of this document]



-END-
 
 