User Guide

GETTING AROUND
The first things you have to learn, in order to establish your faction, are how
to interpret the map and how to move around.
The main map, which occupies the top two-thirds of the screen, is your play-
ing surface. At Planetfall (when your faction first arrives on Planet, and when
the game begins), the vast bulk of the map is either indistinct or totally black
(depending on how you set the Unity Survey option; see Game Rules, p. 197).
You have to move units around and explore to find out exactly what your sur-
roundings are.
The simplest way to move a unit is with the numeric
keypad.
The direction in which the keypad arrow points corre-
sponds directly to the direction the unit moves, so that
8 on the numeric keypad moves you one square to
the north, while 3 moves you one square to the
southeast.
It is also possible to set units to undertake longer,
multi-turn journeys without further orders, or
even to have them decide for themselves what
actions to take. These options are described
under the Action Menu (p. 92).
Continual movement c+arrow key
If you want a unit to move continually in a single direction, use this command.
The unit continues in the specified direction until it can no longer proceed,
due to coastlines or enemy units. The unit’s commander may route around
small obstacles like fungus and small bodies of water.
WELCOME TO ALPHA CENTAURI
CHAPTER 2
20