Rebelstar II: Alien Encounter

By Julian Gollop (1988)

Introduction

Rebelstar is threatened by an alien race which has established itself on the nearby planet of Thray 6. The Rebelstar Raiders must eliminate the alien menace, particularly the alien queen which produces eggs for new colonies. Capturing alien eggs is vital for developing future methods of combating the aliens' expansion. However, there is only limited time before the Raiders escape shuttle takes off. This mission if fraught with danger in a hostile alien environment. Be sure to succeed.

Playing The Game

There are two sides in Rebelstar II. The Raiders are attacking the alien base and the Aliens are defending. In the one player game you control the Raiders and the computer controls the Aliens. Each side consists of a certain number of soldiers, collectively known as units. Each unit is allocated a number of 'action points' each turn, which are expended by performing all actions, such as movement or firing.

The Raiders have the first turn. They must break into the alien base and capture the eggs. The Aliens must defend their home.

There are three basic control modes in Rebelstar II; Cursor mode, Select mode and Fire mode.

Direction Keys

Cursor Mode

Cursor movement: Use the direction keys to move the cursor around the map. The map will scroll when you move the cursor to the edge of the map window.

S - Select a unit under the cursor for movement and other actions. The computer will change to select mode, shown by a flashing unit.

0 - End turn. Control is passed to the other player, or the computer in the one player game.

I - Display information on a unit under the cursor

N - Go to next unit

Select Mode

In this mode the direction keys are used to move the selected unit. Other controls are as follows:

F - Enter fire mode. This is only possible if the unit is carrying a ranged combat weapon

M - Drop the object in use

P - Pick up an object

O - Change the object in use. Units can carry more than one object, but only one object can be 'in use' at any one time

L - Load weapon. The unit must have a weapon in use and be carrying the correct ammunition

Fire Mode

When you select fire mode the map will change to display only things which block the line of fire. Units will change to a round blob. The aiming cursor is moved using the direction keys.

When you fire a weapon there are three different types of shot you can make:

1 - Fire an aimed shot. Accurate, but consumes many action points

2 - Fire a snap shot. Less accurate than an aimed shot but much quicker

U - Set opportunity fire. This is a special form of fire which is not taken immediately, but is 'activated' during the opponents turn. The shot will be fired if an enemy unit moves in the line of fire you have set between your unit and the aiming cursor.

The following ammunition is required for each weapon:

Damage, Destructing And Wounding

When a shot hits a unit it may cause damage, wounding or death. Each hit will inflict a random number of damage points depending on the power of the weapon being used and the distance the weapon is fired. Damaged units have their action point allowance reduced.

Using Objects

Certain objects have special uses in the game. When you want to use an object on something you must have the object in use and then move into the unit or terrain.

Guide To Playing The Game

Victory is determined by victory points. At the end of the game the side with the most victory points is the winner.

Victory points are awarded to the Raiders as follows:

Victory points are awarded to the Aliens as follows:

The Raiders' escape shuttle will land at the end of game turn 15 close to the alien fortress. The Raiders must attempt to board the shuttle by the end of game turn 26 when the shuttle is due to take off. The game ends if all the Raiders are eliminated, or if 26 game turns have elapsed.