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Enter a
universe of epic space adventure! Master combat with
hundreds of ships and thousands of weapons. You will
clash with dark and mysterious enemy races. Engage in
missions to help a crumbling republic, and restore
peace to the Galaxy.
Download Epoch Star |
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Getting Started
To
continue your game with the ship you used during your
last instance of Epoch Star, choose the Continue
button.
If you wish to load any ship that has already been
created, click the Load Ship button.
Click the Erase button to permanently
remove any ship that you have previously created.
To create a new ships and crew, select the New Ship
button. You will then enter the Create Ship Screen.
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Create Ship Screen:
If
you choose the New Ship button on the opening
menu you will enter the Create Ship Screen. This
will first prompt you to enter the name you wish to call
your ship.
After entering your name, you will then be prompted to
create/design your brand new vessel. Select between the
four available ship classes (Miner, Mercenary, Bounty
Hunter, and Pirate*), each with a unique experience and
style of game play. You will even have the opportunity
to change the color of your vessel, via the Color
Selection sliders.
*Pirate Ships are
available for play only in the full version of Epoch
Star
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Crew
[Stat] Points:
You are
initially given 5 crew points to allot in any way you
choose. As you proceed through the game of Epoch Star,
you will be awarded one additional crew point for
every level you gain. You will gain a level every time
you gain a sufficient amount of experience by
either finishing missions, or destroying enemy vessels.
Crew points are like statistic points in other
RPG's [i.e. attack, defense, speed], and effect your
vessel in the following manner:
Engineering:
determines the recharge rate of your energy bar.
Tactical: affects the
amount of damage you do when attacking.
Navigation: increases your
speed when traveling through space.
Communication: decreases
the cost of purchased items, while increasing the price
that you sell items at.
Science: affects the
recharge rate of your shields, and ability to equip
certain weapons
Once you have
selected your ship, and decided upon the allotment of
crew points, click the Done button to begin
playing Epoch Star!
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Controls:
Summary for Mouse:
Left Click: Moves Ships Toward Cursor
Right Click: Fires Weapons Toward Cursor
Middle Click: Locks Ship weapons on target.
Mouse Wheel: Zooms in and out.
Summary for Keyboard:
SPACE BAR: Locks Ship weapons on closest enemy target.
CTRL Key: Locks weapons on target
ESCAPE Key: Options Menu
W-Key: Cycles Through Equipped Weapons
+/- Keys: Zoom in and out
F1-F10 Keys: Selects Designated Weapon
The Mouse:
In EpochStar, the mouse is the most important
tool for navigating your vessel. It allows you to move
your ship, fire weapons, and even lock upon visible
targets.
When on the main screen, simply Left Click to wherever you want to
go. You ship will automatically accelerate to that
direction. Your ship will continue to accelerate until
either it reaches your engine’s maximum velocity, or it
runs out of fuel.
Right Clicking on the main screen will cause your vessel to fire
whatever weapon is currently loaded. Holding down the
right click will cause your ship to fire repeatedly
until you either release the right mouse button, or you
run out of ammo/energy.
Middle Clicking while the cursor is over any object in the game
will “lock on” to that object as a target. Once you have
left clicked over an object, a picture and
specifications of that object will appear on the View
Screen, and your vessel will be able to both fire upon
this target and view its remaining hit points without
manually highlighting it with the cursor. In other
words, this frees up your ability to move with the
cursor, without having the constantly aim at what you
want to shoot.
Note: Both “targeting other vessels”
and “the View Screen” will be discussed further and in
greater detail in the subsequent pages of this manual.
The Keyboard:
The Keyboard is another invaluable tool for
playing Epoch Star. Not only does it assist you in
navigating your ship and switching weapons, but it also
allows you to access some of Epoch Star’s in-game menus.
Pressing the CTRL KEY while piloting your vessel will have an
identical effect to clicking the Middle Mouse Button.
While your cursor is overtop of a desired target,
pressing the CTRL KEY allow you to lock onto that
target, both loading its picture to the View Screen and
displaying to you its remaining Hit Points.
Pressing the SPACE BAR while piloting your vessel will lock your
weapons system on the closest enemy target in the
current system.
The W Key will allow the user to toggle through his/her list of
active weapons, allowing you to change your strategy for
attack while in active game play. Only weapons that are
currently equipped will be cycled through this list.
The F1-F10 Keys are vital for those who desire fast-paced
interaction with their weapons systems. Pressing these
keys will automatically activate a specific weapon.
These keys activate the weapon in the order they appear
in your cargo. In other words, F1 activates the first
weapon, F2 the second and so forth. This feature allows
you to access directly the weapon you want to use
without using the W key to cycle through them.
Pressing the ESCAPE KEY during Epoch Star game play will bring up
the Options Menu. From here, you may adjust graphical
displays, or exit the game. Clicking on the Main Menu
key will return you to the Epoch Star start screen.
Click on the X-tab in the top-right corner of the menu
to exit the menu. |
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The Minimap:
The Minimap allows you to view all objects in the current star
system simultaneously. Minerals, planets, enemy ships,
star bases, wormholes, and your current position will
all be displayed in the bottom right corner of the
screen. As the objects change positions in the star
system, so will there respective positions on the
Minimap. The following colors provide a Legend for the
user to understand exactly what object is where:
Green- Friendly
Vessels
Red- Enemy Vessels
White- Wormholes and starbases
Gold - Minerals |
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Ship Displays:
Your Ship Displays provide you, the pilot, with a graphical view of
your current ship statistics.
Ammo: Displays your vessel’s remaining amount of Ammunition,
which is consumed when firing certain ship’s weapons.
Once this is completely exhausted, your vessel will no
longer be able to fire a weapon requiring ammo. Ammo
does not replenish automatically, and must be refilled
by purchasing additional Ammunition at a Starbase.
Energy:
Displays your vessel’s remaining amount of Energy, or
Power, which is consumed during the firing of
Energy-Based Weapons systems. Your Energy will slowly
recharge once used, the speed of which depends upon your
crew’s science statistics, and the engine you have
equipped.
Shields: Displays your vessel’s remaining Shield Strength,
which is diminished as your vessel takes damage. Your
Shields are your first line of defense, and must be
completely exhausted before your vessel takes Physical,
Armor and Hit Point, damage. Shields, like Energy, will
slowly recharge at a rate determined by your crew’s
science statistics, and the type a shield you have
equipped.
Armor: Displays your vessel’s remaining Armor Strength,
which is diminished once your vessel’s Shields have been
exhausted. This is your vessel’s second line of defense,
but—unlike Shields and Energy—very few types of armor
plating will recharge once diminished. You must return
to a Starbase, and purchase additional armor, if you
wish to repair your vessel.
Structure: Displays your vessel’s
remaining amount of Hit Points, which is diminished once
your both your vessel’s Armor and Shields have been
exhausted. Like Armor, Hit Points will not replenish
until you return to a Starbase, and purchase additional
repairs. It is imperative that the user understands that
his/her vessel will be destroyed once its Hit Points
have been completely diminished.
Fuel:
Displays your vessel’s remaining amount of Fuel, which
is consumed for your ship’s propulsion. You, as captain
of your vessel, must pay very close attention to this
particular gauge, for fuel does not replenish
automatically, and must be purchased separately at a
Starbase. Once your vessel’s fuel supply has been
completely exhausted, your ships will crawl at a greatly
reduced speed and maneuverability, and will be a much
more likely target for dangerous, enemy vessels—so it is
recommended that you purchase fuel at every encounter
with a Starbase.
Cargo: Display’s your vessel’s
remaining amount of cargo space, which is reduced every
time your vessel comes into contact with minerals. It is
important to understand that this gauge displays the
amount of cargo space that is currently being used—not
the amount of space that is left available. In other
words, when this gauge is green, your cargo is full, and
you should return to the Starbase to sell it before
pursuing more minerals.
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Indicators:
Lock Direction Indicator: This indicator is a red and white arrow
next to your ship that points in the direction of the
currently targeted object.
Mission Object Indicator: This indicator consists of four arrows
that flash green and gold and circle the object that is
critical to the current mission task. |
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Collecting Compounds:
There are several types of collectable resources in Epoch Star—each
with a distinguishing credit value that corresponds with
how rare of a material it is. Once these compounds have
been collected, they may be sold at any Starbase for
credits. The following compounds are in Epoch Star:
Common: 1 credit
Uncommon: 5 credits
Rare: 10 credits
Exotic: 20 credits
It is important to note that your vessel, depending on its size and
class, has a limited amount of cargo space. To ensure
that you don't waste time blowing up asteroids for
hours--and then not being able to collect the
bounty--keep a close eye on your Cargo meter (more
information in "Ship Displays"), and make frequent
returns to any nearby Starbases. Compounds can be found
in nebulas, or after destroying asteroids or enemy
ships. |
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Credits:
Credits are the universal currency of Epoch Star. Though minerals
in your vessel’s cargo may be lost if your vessel is
destroyed, Credits will remain yours to be used until
spent. Credits may be used to purchase fuel, ammunition,
weapons, armor—even additional vessels—at any Starbase
(though some Starbases may house different arsenals to
choose from). |
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Jump Gates:
Jump Gates are the universal facilitator of interstellar travel.
When a ship flies into a Jump Gate they are instantly
transported to the system on the other side of the Gate. |
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The Starbase Menu:
While playing Epoch
Star, you will make repeated "pit-stops" at your local Starbase. From here, you will be able to refuel, repair
your vesesl, restock on ammunition, sell your cargo for
credits, read over current missions, purchase additional
weapons/armor/shields/engines for your vessel--even
upgrade to an entirely new vessel altogether! To leave
this menu, simply click the "Launch" button, at the top
of the list, located on the upper left-hand side of the
screen. |
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The Arms Dealer:
At the Arms Dealer Menu, you may
refuel your vessel, refill your weapon’s ammo, sell the
compounds you have gathered, and purchase additional
devices to further assist you during game play.
Selling your Cargo:
To sell your vessel's
cargo, click the "Sell" button located under the text
“Sell Compounds” towards the bottom center of the Arms
Dealer screen. You may sell any devices your ship is
carrying. To do this, drag the device from the ship, and
drop it to the control labeled “To sell devices drop
them here.” Your credits will increase in relation to
the value of the item. To purchase a device, drag the
device from the right side of the screen, to the ship on
the left side of the screen. You’re credits will
decrease by the amount indicated by the price of the
device. If you wish to view the stats of the device,
including the price, move your mouse cursor over the
device you wish to view, and stats will appear in the
window located in the bottom right corner of the screen.
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The Status Screen:
The
Status screen can be reached at any time during game
play. Simply click the "Status" button located at the
bottom of the screen, or pressing the “s” key on your
keyboard. From here, you may equip/un-equip any devices,
such as your vessel's weapons, armor, shields and
engines, or just check up on the current manifest of
your ship's cargo, or your crew’s skill level.
In addition, if
your crew has increased in skill, the Status screen
allows you to increase your skill level in the 5 crew
skill categories. To equip any items you may have
unarmed, click and drag the item in the “Unarmed
Devices” section and drag it onto the appropriate box on
the ship above it. If you wish to un-equip a weapon or
device and place it in your ship’s storage, simply drag
the item from the ship onto the “Unarmed Devices”
section located below the ship. If you hover you mouse
cursor over any device on this screen, the device stats
will appear in a window located at the bottom left of
the screen. |
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The Galaxy Screen:
The
“Galaxy Screen” can be reached by clicking the “Galaxy”
button on the “Console Screen”. The “Galaxy Screen” is a
map of the galaxy, outlining the Star Systems that your
ship may travel to, as well as how to travel to them.
The gold lines represent “Jump Gates” that can be taken
between systems. Two systems joined by these lines can
be traversed by traveling through jump gates located in
the system. |
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The Mission Screen:
The
“Mission Screen” displays current and completed
missions. If the Mission has been completed, a
debriefing is included on the Mission Screen. |