How Do I Play?


 this is the most common question I get. Let me try and point out general
 concepts and viewpoints of the game and it's interface.


Turn Based:
   Starfall is a turn based game, that means while its your turn
you can take all the time you want to look at things, and decide plans of
action.  you start out after creating your game with your desired
parameters. The new player will have a Home Quadrant generated.
the first thing to do is to explore your home quadrant...  I suggest the new
player familiarizes himmself with the View Quadrants option, available
from the Main Menu, as well as many sub menus,(see about View Quadrants.)
this function allows the player to point and click on various locations,
and browse through the Solar Systems, Starfalls, and or Fleets that may
be there.  There are 2 Phases to each players turn, Ordering, is when you
allocate your resourses, and the turn itself when you plot and execute your
Strategies.




Passive Mode:


   Starfall is normally played in a passive mode, that is nothing happens till
you say so. as I mentioned above your turn, is your turn.




OK but still, What Do I Do?


    what you will want to look for in the begining of the game are sites to
explore for new planets and starfalls, you get more Resourses for finding
and Colonising new Solar Systems, (see About Explorations.)  if you plan
your pattern of exploration carefully one can find up to 8 Solar Systems
in a quadrant.


What the Heck Is a Quadrant?


    oh yeah, I forgot about that! a Quadrant is a collection of thirty six
Hex's. Hex's are the smallest unit of space considered in the game.
3.3 Light Years in diameter. A fleet of ships travelling near the
speed of Light could cross approximately 3 hex's in 10 years. 10 years
is the time scale of one turn.   Hence a quadrant is an arbitrary limit, on
normal near light speed travel, that is, if a given fleet was to cross from
one side of a quadrant to the other, the men aboard might be getting old
and or dieing.   Although crossing Quadrant boundaries is allowed in the
game, (as an optional rule,) (its a great sneak attack tactic,)
Quadrants form the basic building blocks of your empire.


I Didn't Get That, What Do You Mean?


    OK, all resourse from one quadrant can be added together,
so instead of building a lot of little cheap ships, one at each
planet, you may be able to build one nice ship at one planet in your
Home Quadrant.  in addition, once you've found tha maximimum number
of planets in your Home Quadrant, you may find a starfall to an
unexplored quadrant. Since Starfalls allow instantaneous travel,
from one quadrant to another, ( one way travel,)    resourse
from your home quadrant may be added to resourses you may gather in your
new quadrant. In this way, you can increase your resourses and power in
specific areas of space.


So Big Deal, I Could Just the Same, Build In Seperate Places and Combine
the Ships Later!   Whats So Great About That?:


     Good Question, and you are right, except for the Technological
Advancement effect.  in addition to pooling resourses, planets can share
new technology amongst all the planets in a quadrant.  all secondary, and
tertiary, etc. quadrants down your starfall paths, can share in the
technology cornucopia.  This is a simplistic explanation, but keep in mind
that a tech advancement for a quadrant will increase the resourse of all
planets included in its border by 2, So, if you have a quadrant of 6 planets
and you gain a technological advancement there. you will gain 2 x 6 = 12
resourses for that quadrant as long as you hold those planets. a quadrant
with 7 planets however would go up 2 x 7 =14 resourses.  keep in mind that
these resourse are pooled along your StarFall links.


Wait!  You Mean that the More Planets in a Quadrant, the Better your Tech?


    Yes.




Woah this is Heavy!   and this Effect is Propogated down your
Chain of Quadrants?:


    Yes.


It sounds Awesome! Wheres the Catch?:


    Your Enemies.  the game supports up to 4 human players, with
an additional Computer Opponent optional.  they can do all the same stuff
you can, and some of them may well be better at it than you.


Hey! a Challenge!


   yep, in addition the Starfalls that you build your empire upon may
not be stable.  there are a fixed number of them and as that limit
is approached the chance of a known and trusted StarFall to implode
increases.  so an established quadrant may find itself marooned
until new pathways are opened.