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Choose the Difficulty
There are four skill levels. At Level 10 you start the game with 10 enemy targets and 400 units of energy; enemies start at opposite sides of the map, torpedoes deal light damage, and you can't hyperwarp if you lack sufficient energy. At Level 20 you have 20 enemy targets and 600 energy units, and enemy torpedoes deal heavy damage. At Level 30 you have 30 enemy targets and 800 energy units; enemies can start anywhere on the map and your ship will explode if you hyperwarp with insufficient energy. At Level 40 you have 40 enemy targets and 900 energy units.
Enemy Speed
The more enemy ships there are, the slower they move. At the easiest difficulty level, Level 10, enemies move one sector every 30 seconds or so. At the highest level, Level 40, they move one sector every 70 seconds.
Photon Torpedoes
Enemy ships appear as dots in the Attack Computer Display. Target a dot with your target marker to lock on photon torpedos. To ensure a hit, fire your torpedoes when the target marker turns from blue to red and you hear a short, high-pitched tone.
Protect the Starbase
The starbase is where you refuel and repair your ship so make protecting it a top priority. If enemy ships manage to occupy a starbase, you only have 30 seconds to wipe out all the ships before the starbase is destroyed.
Conserve Energy
When your energy falls below 100 units, your target marker shuts off and if a ship's energy runs out complete it will blow up, so conserve energy whenever possible. Avoid being hit by enemy fire and asteroids, both of which drain energy. Never let your energy fall low enough that you don't have enough to hyperwarp to the starbase to refuel.
Energy Tips while Hyperwarping
Hyperwarping uses more energy across long distances, so it's better to make a series of small warps to reach your destination rather than one large warp. Turn off the Attack Computer and shields while hyperwarping to conserve about 1.5 units of energy per second.
Hyperwarping Dangers
In the easiest two difficulty levels, Level 10 and Level 20, the computer prevents your ship from hyperwarping if you lack sufficient energy. At Level 30 and Level 40 it's up to you to monitor your energy level. If you attempt to hyperwarp with insufficient energy, your ship will blow up.
Recharge Sparingly
Warp back to the starbase to refuel energy and repair damaged engines, shields and photon torpedoes, but not too often -- if you recharge more than seven times, the base will explode.
Damage Warnings
When shields are engaged, the screen is blue. When they are down or destroyed, the screen is black. If your ship is hit while the screen is black it will blow up, so warp immediately to a starbase for repairs.
Game Ranks
When you beat the game you are assigned a rank and star rating based on performance. To get a better rank, finish the game on a higher difficulty level, use less energy and make fewer visits to the starbase.