From: mcn@cwru.edu (Michael C. Neuman)
Subject: Answer to 'What is netrek?' (was Re: New version of Netrek for the NeXT!)
Reply-To: mcn@b62103.student.cwru.edu
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 22:09:17 GMT

In article <4183@ucsbcsl.ucsb.edu> doug@foxtrot.ccmrc.ucsb.edu (Douglas Scott)  
writes:
>Is there a real man page for x11netrek out there?  I didnt see one in the
>archive.  Is it in with the source code?  I just want to find out more about
>what to expect.

  This isn't a man page, but it's a description of what netrek is... It comes  
from the FAQ for the newsgroup rec.games.netrek.


1) What is Netrek?

 Netrek is a 16-player graphical real-time battle simulation with a 
Star Trek theme.  The game is divided into two teams of 8 (or less), who
dogfight each other and attempt to conquer each other's planets.  There
are several different types of ships, from fast, fragile scouts up to
big, slow battleships; this allows a great deal of variance in play
styles.

2) It sounds interesting; how do I get started?

 First, you need to get a client binary for your machine; read the 
Netrek Server/FTP List (which is usually posted along with this FAQ
list) to find an FTP site.  The client should run on anything that
runs X Windows, although the slower your machine is, the harder it's
going to be to play.  Slow networks are even harder to play with.

Once you have the binary, rename it to something logical like 'netrek'
and run it with 'netrek -h <hostname> -p <port>'.  Read the Netrek Server/
FTP List to find a server near you; the nearer, the better.

[...]
4) I've seen a game called Nettrek for the Macintosh; is that the same
thing as Netrek?

 No.  Nettrek is in the same family as Netrek (it's unclear which was
created first), but it's not the same game.  It runs over Appletalk
and doesn't have a whole lot of complexity.  If you're interested in it, 
the original version can be found in most net archive sites that support
Mac games.  The most recent version is a commercial program called
"Nettrek 3.0 - The Real Version," and is published by Premiere Technology,
Inc.


5) Can I play Netrek on my Mac/IBM PC/Amiga?

 Probably not.  If you aren't connected directly to the net via
ethernet card, you can't.  If you ARE connected via ethernet but
aren't running X windows, you have a chance--there are ports for 
the Mac and the Amiga in the works, but nothing has yet been released.
If you're running Unix and X windows, you should be able to compile
the source and it should work, emphasis on the 'should.'
[...]

8) I compiled the client source, but every time I try to connect to a server
   it kicks me out or tells me that I'm using an illegal binary.  What 
   gives?

 It's possible to modify the client source to do lots of tedious tasks
(like aiming, dodging, that sort of thing) for you.  Since this gives
you a big advantage over a mere human, netrek has a way of knowing whether
you have a client that was compiled by the netrek Gods or by you.  If
you compiled it, netrek will assume it's a robot.  Check the netrek 
Server/FTP list for robot hours of the servers; sometimes they're legal,
sometimes they aren't.  If you're not interested in playing
a modified binary, get one of the pre-compiled binaries available 
at any of the FTP sites. .
[...]

10) OK, the game runs fine and I found a server and logged in.  Now
what do I do?

The first thing you should do is bring up your message window (by
hitting '?') and your player list (by hitting 'L').  Pressing a number
key chooses your warp speed.  The left mouse button fires torpedos at
your cursor, the middle mouse button fires phasers at your cursor, and 
the right mouse button turns your ship towards your cursor.  Hitting
'h' will bring up a help window with a list of basic commands.


11) When I'm playing the game, people keep sending messages to me.  How do
I talk back to them?

On the bottom right-hand side of your main window you'll see two 
long boxes.  The top one is where messages like "Not enough fuel for
phaser" come up just before you die.  The bottom one is the one you
use to talk to people.  Move your cursor down there and type a character
to choose who to send the message to: 'A' for ALL, the capitalized 
team letter for the team (i.e., 'F' for Federation), or the player
number for a message to a single player (i.e., 'c' to send to Rc).
Type your message and hit enter when you're done.  Don't do this in
combat.


12) I would like to change what some of the keys do; for example, I'd
like 't' instead of 'T' to activate my tractor beam.  Is there a way
to change this?

There are two ways: first, do a shift-O.  This brings up the options
window.  Near the bottom there is a box for 'New keymap entries'.  
Move your cursor to this box and type your new keymap entries.  The
format is <newchar><oldchar>, so 'tT' will remap tractor beam to 't'.

Netrek also recognizes a .xtrekrc file; a 'keymap:' line in there 
will allow you to map as many as you want.  Format is the same
as above.


13) How does the rating/promotion system work?

 Do a shift-I on yourself; you'll see four ratings there, one for planets,
one for bombing, one for offense, and one for defense.  The planet, 
bombing, and offense ratings are measured in DI/hour; for each planet
you take, army you bomb, and player you kill you get a certain amount
of DI (which varies depending on the server)--the average amount per
hour is your rating.  Your defense rating is measured in relative
life length: if your average life lasts exactly as long as the 
overall average life, your defense rating will be 1.00.  If your average
life lasts 80% as long as the overall average life, your defense rating
will be .8.  All these ratings are updated only in t-mode.

 Now do a shift-U.  Listed there are the thresholds for each rank.  
Your overall rating is your planets+bombing+offense.  To make a rank,
you need to have the DI required for that rank, and your ratings need
to be above the rating required for that rank (i.e., to make Admiral,
you need 320 DI and your ratings need to be above 8.0).  You can also
make a ranking by having ratings good enough for a level and *twice*
the DI you would need for the next level (So you can make Admiral 
with ratings of 7.0 and 640 DI).  This equation is recursive, so you
can also make it with 6.0 ratings and 1280 DI (which would take about 
200 hours!).

 On most servers, your defense also needs to be above .8 to advance
past Lt. Commander.  


13) I keep dying.  How can I get better at the game?

 The best way is probably to talk with someone who knows how to play.
There is also an archive of hints and suggestions on how to play 
better; read the Netrek Server/FTP list to find out where it is
located.


14) What is 't-mode'?

 T-mode is short for 'tournament mode.'  To keep some integrity in the
database, ratings are calculated only when there are a certain number
of people in the game (actually, when there are a certain number of
people on two separate teams.  On many servers, you need 4 players
on 2 different teams; 4 teams of 2 players won't do it).  When 
the game goes into t-mode, there will be a 't' flag in your list
of flags, and there will be a message like "Dan Quayle declares self
as Galactic Emperor and chaos breaks out!"  When the game drops out
of t-mode (because someone quit), the 't' flag will disappear and
there'll be a "Dan Quayle is locked up and order returns to the galaxy"
message.  

 It's generally considered rude to bomb or take planets out of t-mode.
Some servers punish people for trying.

============

  Remember, the designated site for NeXT netrek stuff is:
b62103.student.cwru.edu:/pub/games/netrek

--
Mike Neuman                mcn@b62103.student.cwru.edu
			   NeXTmail accepted!!!
"To make a machine that will be proud of us." - Thinking Machine's motto

Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.misc