M E G A T R A V E L L E R I (The Zhodani Conspiracy) (Microprose) INTRODUCTION Mega Traveller 1 is set in a star system called the Spinward Marches. The Zhodani, a war-like race from another system, are planning a major invasion, which you must thwart by finding the renegade executive who has been smuggling supplies to these aliens. GENERAL TIPS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Minimum attributes should be: Strength, 10; Dexterity, 8; Endurance, 9; Intelligence, 8; Intelligence & Education, 7 (Education determines the number of skills you can have); Social Standing, 8. Scouts have the best set of skills in space, flight and combat, as well as best cash benefits. When discharged, a Scout also gets extra skill points. The next best service is the Navy. You need one character from the Merchants, with at least a Level 4 in Trading. You also need at least one character from the Army for Medical skill. The extra skills most valuable are: ATV, Bribery, Communication, Energy Weapons, Engineering, Grav Vehicle, Heavy Weapons, Laser Weapons, Navigation, Pilot, Spinal Weapons, Stealth, Tactics, Trade and Turret Weapons. As you use any skill it will increase. You also need Medical Training and a TL12 medical kit as soon as possible (give it to your character with the highest Medical Skill). You need at least two people with Medical Skill, in case one is killed or disabled; more is better. WEAPONS, ARMOUR & ARTIFACTS You can get better weapons and armour at shops in the Northeast grav city in Efate; rent a grav unit to reach it. Get battle armour if you can afford it. Scoop up the weapons lying around after a battle and sell them. If one of your characters is killed, recover his gear. One of the best tactics is to attack with a combination of grenades and neural pistols. There are various Law Levels for each port. Keep your major weapon in the second slot, and it will be overlooked. Armour and weapon shops are in: Arrica * Boughene * Efate Ilantir Ilun * Iroth * Memorb Pixie Pocoon Sino * Streech Stur Yres Armour shops (without weaponry) are in: Louzy * Menorb Uayke * (Those marked '*' offer the best gear) You should also investigate the two tents on Louzy, one North of the starport, the other East of it. There is a wrecked starship Southwest of the Iroth Starport and another Southwest of Uayke. There is a maze in the mountains East of Sino, and a cave Northwest of the starport in Streech (it is not necessary to enter these to complete the game). MAKING MONEY You need one million credits to upgrade the ship Lenara gave you so it can make a Number 2 jump. If one of your characters has a Gambling Skill of 5 or 6, go to the casino. He can break the bank, leave and come back later for more money. There is also a casino in the grav city. You can get a lot of money doing this. You can also earn extra money by carrying water from Efate (sold for 50 credits per unit) to Louzy for 3,390 credits per unit. You can earn rewards by collecting the dog tags of ten specific assassins and taking them to the Imperial Base at Alell: Amrhein Alazar..............(with Vicktor) Katerenya Viridion..........(on Iroth) Gainus Ozar.................(Boughene) Andolus Zelexian............(Louzy) Fallous Cepholon............(Pixie) Maximillian Martis..........(Chiros) Rhevah Hamache..............(Ilun) Szen Sanai..................(Efate) Bolo........................(Yres) Demetrieye Jannev...........(Arrica) PLANETARY NOTES (Planets not listed here offer little or nothing of value) Efate.......Sell starrogite and diamonds in museum; find emeralds near Northern mountains. Stor........Sell reptile hides in library, coynes in museum. Ilun........Sell emeralds in Sart City. Alell.......Sell gold pendants in bar; take dog tags to Imperial Security. Iroth.......Sell gold statues and muskets in museum, fishing net on island to South; get survival kit in bar. Louzy.......Sell Asymuth and heirloom in bar; defeat terrorists for monetary reward. Quam........Kill lord of village to East. Get holy item. Ilantir.....Sell hieroglyphics in museum. Uayke.......Sell ruby necklace in museum; get package from lady in bar and take to man in hotel. Sino........Excellent artifacts in Eastern maze; good place to buy armour. Yres........Sell diamonds in museum; many mines here. Boughene....Sell gold pendants to girl near Northern farm; Vicktor and Alazar are here. TRADING TIPS Various items can be sold on each planet. You can sell the following items as you pick them up: Amethysts, Aslan heirloom, coynes, desert survival kit, dust spice, electronic fishing net, emeralds, groatle fur, hieroglyphics, Hive dagger, power pick, psionic power helmet, religious idol, reptile hides, ruby necklace, soil sampler and Solaman musket. You'll find about 50 other items; look, get and sell them when you have the chance. WALKTHROUGH EFATE: THE QUEST COMMENCES Initially focus on getting money. There are some emeralds lying on the ground in the mountains North of Efate Starport. The grenade launcher rogue you will encounter has a pendant you can sell to a man in the bar at Grav City for 15,000 credits. There are some rubies lying on the floor in the bottom room of the Starfarer's Home. In the museum there are two men: one wants any starrogite for 20,000 credits, the other pays 15,000 for diamonds. OUTFITTING THE INTERLOPER You will need these programs: Target T to fire lasers, Launch L to launch the ship, Jump2 J2 to make a jump 1 or 2, Navigation N to make a jump, and Manoeuvre M to manoeuvre. You will also need a fuel scoop and a fuel purification plant (these enable you to refuel at a gas planet). BOUGHENE & THE PASSCARD Your first trip will be to Boughene to find Dr.Arik Toryan. Go to the Super Nova Bar, where you will receive a message from Vicktor to meet him North of the airport. Get a lot of ammunition, then SAVE at the starport. You must kill him to get his passcard. He will tell you where to find Arik. Break your group behind a rock and use only one character at a time. Change the active character before he is killed and use another. Also remember that grenades are good, and radioactive ones even better. After the battle you will find Amrhein Alaza dead. Get his dog tag (worth 250,000 credits if taken to the base at Alell). There are sapphires and gems on the ground Southeast of the starport. In the research station here are three people with passcards, and a speed healing drug on the floor. Sell all unnecessary loot except electronic parts (you will be going back to Efate shortly) and sell the 50 credit parts for 2,200 credits each. DR.ARIK TORYAN When you reach Neaera, where Vicktor said Dr.Arik Toryan was located, SAVE at the starport. As you leave, you will be attacked by a robot. Ignore all attackers and head for the building. If Vicktor's passcard is in the leader's first slot, you can pass through the doors. Take the first right door, then the next left door, which is the Southeast room. Kill the man there, and take his key and a gold statue. Leave the room, go SOUTH to the stairs, use the key and take the stairs to the basement. Break your party behind the stair wall, where you must kill three of the four men. One has a very deadly TL12 plasma gun, the other a submachine gun, the third is unarmed and the fourth is Arik. You have only five minutes from the first attack, or all will be moved to Chiros, then to a cave on Streech. Arik will give you a complete seal for your half seal. Give this seal to the clerk at the Starfarer's Home at Yres. The clerk at Yres will give you a decoding key. From there you must go to Akarates where Lenara is awaiting you with instructions to return to Efate. EFATE AND KIEFER SAVE at the starport, then go to the government warehouse. First sell all your goods. Buy ammunition and an electric lantern, at least one bomb and other weapons. The government warehouse is located in the city. When you enter the second room, turn on the lantern and kill all the men. Blow the door to the South section and you will find Kiefer. Kill him. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *