

       Galactic Spy for VGA Planets Version 1.12

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What is Galactic Spy?
=====================

Galactic Spy will help your game of VGA Planets 3.0 by
providing you with an easy way to record enemy ships'
locations so they can continue to be tracked even when they
leave your race's short-range scan area.  Your short-range
scan area is the area that can be immediately scanned by
your ships and planets.  There is also a long-range scan,
which is can set from VGA Planets' HCONFIG.  In the long-
range scan area, you can see the positions of enemy ships,
but only know their mass and the race that owns them.

NOTE: Galactic Spy will accurately record every known enemy
      ship in its scan range, but in order to view it, you
      must register Galactic Spy.

Before I wrote Galactic Spy, I felt I should write down the
positions of enemy ships at every turn, then compare them 
with the next turn, and in that way, predict their destination.  
I started to do that a few times, but it was just too much to 
write down every turn.  So I wrote Galactic Spy to read enemy 
ship locations and save them, then update them at every turn.
That way, I could keep an up-to-date listing of every enemy
ship I had ever encountered, their current location or their
last known location.

When an enemy ship enters you're short-range scan area
(configured in HCONFIG), your scanners determine much more 
about enemy ships, such as the type of ship, course, and speed.
So, even if the enemy ship leaves the short-range scan area,
Galactic Spy will still remember its ship type.  You can
also print a complete listing of Galactic Spy's tracking
database to your printer.  In VGA Planets, you can only
view an enemy ship if it is within the 160 LY "box" around 
the planet or ship that is conducting the scan.  Most of
the time, HOST sends information about ships beyond that
area, which you can not access from within PLANETS.EXE.
Galactic Spy breaks that barrier.

Galactic Spy can also tell you what enemy ships are hiding 
behind nearby planets, provided your game is using a Host 
version earlier than version 3.12.  In this case, Galactic 
Spy will show you every ship behind nearby planets, even if 
they are cloaked!  This information could be invaluable 
to any player.  For instance, in the game I was participating 
in while I wrote Galactic Spy, my ships were converging on a 
Cyborg-held planet.  When Galactic Spy ran for the first time, 
I was shocked to learn their were five Cyborg warships waiting 
for me.  I had anticipated only 1 lightly armed warship, but 
these 5 ships were reasonably powerful.  It allowed me to rethink 
my strategy.  Without Galactic Spy, it could have been disasterous.

Galactic Spy also has an alternative scoring method to that
of VGA Planets. VGA Planets scores based on sheer numbers.
This is somewhat misleading as to which race really has the
advantage, since 90 KT scouts are counted the same as 900 KT
battleships.  Galactic Spy shows you two scores: Total
Strength and Technology.  The total strength of opposing
fleets is calculated based on a fleet's average hull mass,
beam weapons, torpedo tubes and fighter bays, and of course,
how many they own.  Planets, starbases and freighters are
not considered, since they can actually through off the
score.  Technology estimates a race's overall technological
achievements, based on the tech level of their ships.  I
often worried about my ability to compete with other
players, but Galactic Spy assures me whether or not my
technology is up to galactic standards.  These scoring
methods will at first be somewhat inaccurate.  Of course,
your own race's scores will be reflected perfectly because
Galactic Spy is aware of all your ships.  Galactic Spy can
only score other races based on the ships in its memory or
database.  Scores become increasingly accurate as a race
nears the "front lines", your borders.  Also, a race's
scores will not be displayed until you come within fairly
close range of at least one of their ships.


Installation:
=============

Before you install, you must have the following:

         * Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1
         * Visual Basic Runtime DLL (VBRUN200.DLL)
           VBRUN200.DLL is available from many
           BBSs as VBRUN200.ZIP.

When you first run Galactic Spy, you will need to enter the
full path to your main VGA Planets directory and the 
directory with your game files.  Galactic Spy supports up to 
10 different games of VGA Planets.  You can add a game to 
Galactic Spy by selecting the <Add Game> option from the 
<Setup> menu.  You can remove the current game by selecting 
<End Game>.  If at any time you wish to change the main path
to your VGA Planets data files, choose <Set Path>.


Galactic Spy needs the following VGA Planets data files:

          VGA Planets main dir:           Game dir:

            HULLSPEC.DAT                  SHIPxx.DAT
            XYPLAN.DAT                    SHIPXYxx.DAT
            RACE.NM                       GENxx.DAT
            PLANET.NM                     TARGETxx.DAT

If you are missing any of these files, Galactic Spy will not
run.


How to use Galactic Spy:
========================

Once you have setup the first game, you will be presented
with Galactic Spy's scan.  These are the ships your race's
scanners have detected, with varying degrees of accuracy.
You can format the list many different ways by adjusting the
combo boxes above the ship listing.  After each turn, you
should select <Update database> from the <Database> menu to
save the current information to disk for a more accurate
analysis in future turns, or you can select <Auto-update>
from the same menu if you want Galactic Spy to update the
database automatically every time you run it.  Normally, 
Galactic Spy's database will be loaded every time you run it, 
showing you ships it has recorded in the past.  You can view 
only those ships viewable in the current turn by unchecking 
<Include database> from the <Database> menu.  You can filter 
out any combination of races from the <Races> option in the 
<View> Menu.  Also from the <View> menu, you can select 
<Combat Strength> to see Galactic Spy's analysis of enemy fleet
strength and technology.

You can view the specifications of each ship in Galactic
Spy's ship listing by double-clicking or pressing <ENTER>
on the entry.  NOTE: If the currently displayed ship was
destroyed or left your scan range, the last known location
will be displayed.  The turn number in which the ship was
last recorded will appear below Location.  You can double 
check this by unchecking <Include Database> under the 
<Database> menu, which will show you only ships that are in
the current turn's scan.  If the ship does not appear, 
then odds are it was destroyed or left your long-range scan 
area.


The Receiving End: How to hide your ships from Galactic Spy:
============================================================

The best way to defeat Galactic Spy is to use VGA Planets Host 
version 3.12 or later.  This version fixes the bug that allows 
Galactic Spy to detect these ships.

If you are playing a game with an older version of Host,
there is a way you can hide your ships from Galactic Spy.  
Galactic Spy can only detect cloaked ships when they are 
orbiting planets.  The best way to hide the locations of 
your cloaked ships is not to put them around planets.  Try 
stationing them a few light years away from the planet 
(but outside the planet's gravity well).  Also, be aware 
that your opponents could be using Galactic Spy, and plan 
your strategy accordingly.



Troubleshooting:
================

  
* Text in ship list is not aligned with combo boxes at top.  

  Under large font modes supported by many video cards, the alignment
  of each columns may be off.  This does not affect the operation of
  Galactic Spy.

* I get an error when I click on the Info menu item.  

  For best operation of Galactic Spy and Windows, your Windows directory
  should be in your DOS path.  If you are not sure, check your AUTOEXEC.BAT
  to see if your Windows directory is listed in the PATH= section.  Add
  it if it is not listed.

* I get a "This program requires Microsoft Windows" error.

  This program requires Microsoft Windows.

* I get a "Missing one of its components" error.

  You need to put VBRUN200.DLL in the Windows \SYSTEM directory.

* Something wierd happened. 

  Please send me E-Mail or call my BBS.  My Internet and Compuserve 
  addresses and my BBS phone number are listed below.


The Future of Galactic Spy:
===========================

I am currently working on a complete rewrite of the program, called
"VGA WarRoom" which will have a great deal of enhancements over Galactic
Spy.  It will also be written for the MS-DOS environment and it will be 
smarter than ever.  Here are some of the features I plan to add to WAR:
 

         * Map-centered database: In addition to the text listing,
           a full-view map of the galaxy will graphically pinpoint
           the locations of enemy ships, mines, and planets.

         * WAR will automatically plot the location of enemy and 
           friendly mine fields and planets as your ships scan them,                        
           so you no longer have to write it down!
 
         * WAR will have a course tracking feature that graphically shows
           the course of every enemy ship within your scan range, as  
           well as its course history over any number of turns.

         * You will be able to zoom in on any ship or planet for a more 
           detailed view. 

         * When your fleet destroys an enemy ship, it will be 
           automatically removed from the database, and the ship
           that dealt the final blow will receive a "Kill Point"
           Some of your starship crews will become aces or even aces
           aces of aces!             

         * You will be able to manually edit VGA WarRoom's database
           to comphensate for what VGA WarRoom doesn't know, but you              
           do know.

         * WAR will graphically display your ship's range with a circle
           on the map, incorporating factors such as fuel, engine
           tech level, and mass.

         * There will be an "Alliance" feature that will allow you to
           merge your WAR database with those of your allies and vice
           versa.

         * WAR will include a comprehensive set of calculators for 
           determining defense of planets, ship combat results,
           tax rates, etc.

         * You will be able to print out the map (just like you have
           it formatted on the screen!) as well as planet, base, and
           starship specifications, in a customizable layout.

         * You will be able to run VGA Planets, run UNPACK and MAKETURN
           from inside VGA WarRoom.  

         * You can record a message database and VCR tapes for your 
           viewing enjoyment at any point in the future!


Ideas:
======
 
I am making a list of ideas for VGA WarRoom.  Many of the above are 
ideas were submitted by users of VGA WarRoom.  I can't think of
everything (I have my own style of playing the game, so I may never 
think of something you could really use in the program), so I encourage
anyone who has an idea to contact me via my Compuserve or Internet
addresses, or by calling my BBS.  The more ideas I have, the better
the new version will be, and the more fun VGA Planets will be!


Registration:
=============

If you find Galactic Spy useful in helping you to play our favorite 
game, VGA Planets, please register.  By registering, Galactic Spy will 
most reliably detect enemy ships, and you will receive early registration 
credit for Galactic Spy 2.0.  By registering, your registration code will 
register all future versions of Galactic Spy should they become available.  
You can register by filling out the registration form (REGISTER.TXT)
and sending $5 to:

                     Karl Eric Beisel
                     1965 Fountainbrook Ct.
                     Woodbridge, VA  22192

If you wish to contact me about bug reports/suggestions,
here are several ways you can contact me:

                     BBS:  (703) 491-2272
              VirtualNET:  1@1703014
                Internet:  kbeisel@mason1.gmu.edu
              Compuserve:  73223,612

I will always upload the latest version of Galactic Spy to
Tim Continuum (209) 877-4921.  If for any reason it is not
posted immediately, please call my BBS (listed above), where
I can gaurantee the latest version.


Compatibilty Issues:
====================

I have confirmed Galactic Spy works with VGA Planets' Host
versions 3.0 - 3.12d.  All 3.x data files should work, but 
I can not gaurantee it. I will try to keep Galactic Spy compatible
with changes in the VGA Planets data files, but then again,
anything can happen.

If you come accross any problems, please contact me.


Legal Stuff:
============

There are no warranties, explicit or implied, but there is a money-back 
gaurantee, if for some reason you are unhappy with your registered version 
of Galactic Spy.  Again, contact me with complaints. (I hope there are 
none!).

VGA Planets is a trademark of Tim Wisseman.
Galactic Spy, (C) 1993 Karl Eric Beisel.
