User Guide

CONTROLLING SOCIETY
CHAPTER 5
111
projects early in the process, and best not to switch at all, unless you must. If
“Blind Research” has been selected, then no research is lost.
DESIGN WORKSHOP U
This option leads to the Design Workshop. It is fully described under
Designing Units, p. 81.
DATALINKS 1
Datalinks are the essential depository of information about Planet, the fac-
tions, technology, facilities and Secret Projects, and the fundamental concepts
behind Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri.
REPORT READOUTS
The next eight options on the HQ
menu are your report readouts. They
contain an abundance of information
about your current status in the game.
Each of the report screens has a
D
ATALINKS button to open the
Datalinks, and a
CANCEL button to close
the screen. Also, along the bottom of
each report screen is a line of icon but-
tons, each one of which takes you directly to one of the other report screens.
(The button for the current screen is highlighted.)
In the center of each screen (near the game year) is a large colored icon that
represents your faction. Next to it may be a series of smaller, monochrome
icons. These icons represent other factions whose Report Readouts you have
access to. You can gain access to another faction’s report screens either by
placing an infiltrator in the faction (either through probe team action — see
Probe Teams, p. 133 — by becoming Planetary Governor, or by constructing
the Empath Guild Secret Project) or by forming a Pact Brotherhood with a fac-
Base Ops Alpha Centauri Score
Labs Satellite Screen
Energy Banks Military Command Nexus
Secret Projects