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Star Control II Guide
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Star Control II Walkthrough v1.28
Written by Shiver
[]------------- Table of Contents --------------------------------------------[]
-.-.-.- 1.01 - Introduction
-.-.-.- 1.02 - The Controls
-.-.-.- 1.03 - Gameplay Tips
--- The Walkthrough
-.-.-.- 2.01 - Welcome to Earth
-.-.-.- 2.02 - Early Mining
-.-.-.- 2.03 - Visiting the Pkunk
-.-.-.- 2.04 - Rallying Cry
-.-.-.- 2.05 - Thanks, Delta Tauri!
-.-.-.- 2.06 - The Twilight Zone
-.-.-.- 2.07 - Unfriendly Reception
-.-.-.- 2.08 - Slylandro Self-Destruct Code
-.-.-.- 2.09 - Talking Pet Turns Rabid
-.-.-.- 2.10 - Creating the Ultimate Flagship
-.-.-.- 2.11 - VUX Petting Zoo
-.-.-.- 2.12 - Subduing the Thraddash
-.-.-.- 2.13 - Yehat Revolution
-.-.-.- 2.14 - Repairing the Ultron
-.-.-.- 2.15 - The Syreen-Mycon Conflict
-.-.-.- 2.16 - Finale
--- Afterword
[]------------- 1.01 - Introduction ------------------------------------------[]
As a kid I played through more games across different platforms than I care to
remember. Among these, Star Control 2 was my favorite by a mile. Even after more
than a decade from its release, I have not played another game with dialogue and
story as unique and memorable. Seeing that there there was no full walkthrough
for my favorite game anywhere on the internet, I sat down and produced this
guide.
In case you don’t already know, there’s a perfectly legitimate freeware version
of Star Control 2 that plays the same as the original, but for legal reasons is
titled "The Ur-Quan Masters" (abbreviated as UQM). This guide is written based
on UQM, not the old DOS version of Star Control 2. UQM can be downloaded from
this website: http://sc2.sourceforge.net/
The walkthrough has long, detailed sections that can lead you from beginning to
end without any real planning on your part. The longer sections of it are
followed by brief summaries for your convenience. If you’re new to the game
or just plain terrible at it and want to be led straight through, I recommend
keeping this guide open while you play and alternating between it and the game.
Or better yet, print the whole thing out. Star Control 2 is not completely
linear so you don’t have to follow the order of events as I have listed them to
beat the game, but this way works well.
This guide was originally submited to GameFAQs on October 8th, 2004. I have
altered it many times and no longer feel the need to annotate every last change.
Any given website may host this guide. I do not need to be contacted regarding
this.
[]------------- 1.02 - The Controls ------------------------------------------[]
The mouse is not used in this game. Everything is performed on the keyboard.
[IN FLIGHT]
Accelerate ---------------------------- Up Arrow
Rotate clockwise ---------------------- Right Arrow
Rotate counter-clockwise -------------- Left Arrow
Open menu ----------------------------- Spacebar
[MENU]
Change highlighted item --------------- Arrow Keys
Access highlighted item --------------- Enter
Back/Cancel --------------------------- Spacebar
[STAR MAP]
Move cursor --------------------------- Arrow Keys
Zoom In ------------------------------- Plus ( + )
Zoom Out ------------------------------ Minus ( - )
*Search by star name ------------------ Slash ( / )
Select destination -------------------- Enter
Close star map ------------------------ Spacebar
[CONVERSATION]
Fast forward dialogue ----------------- Right Arrow
Rewind dialogue ----------------------- Left Arrow
Cycle through dialogue options -------- Up & Down Arrows
Say something ------------------------- Enter
View summary of conversation ---------- Spacebar
[PLANET LANDER SEQUENCE]
Accelerate ---------------------------- Up Arrow
Rotate clockwise ---------------------- Right Arrow
Rotate counter-clockwise -------------- Left Arrow
Fire stun gun ------------------------- R-Shift
Return to flagship -------------------- Escape
[COMBAT]
Accelerate ---------------------------- Up Arrow
Rotate clockwise ---------------------- Right Arrow
Rotate counter-clockwise -------------- Left Arrow
Primary weapon ------------------------ R-Shift
Secondary weapon ---------------------- R-Ctrl
**Flee -------------------------------- Escape
[ANYWHERE]
F1 ------------------------------------ Pause
F10 ----------------------------------- Opens quit menu
*You will have to type in the constellation you're looking for. A neat feature
nonetheless.
**Fleeing from combat has a few complications to it, all of which are covered
in the next section.
[]------------- 1.03 - Gameplay Tips -----------------------------------------[]
--------[Saving/Loading]
Above all, SAVE YOUR GAME OFTEN. There are dozens of dangerous places I could
tell you to save your game within the walkthrough, but I leave that for you to
figure out. If your planet lander kicks the bucket, it’s time to load. Lose any
escort vessels early on? Load. Have you angered a normally friendly species into
attacking you? Definitely load.
--------[Hyperspace]
In hyperspace, time elapses quickly and hostile ships prowl about so DO NOT just
sit out there or wander aimlessly. As soon as you enter hyperspace, always open
up a menu. This pauses the game. You’ll usually travel by opening up the star
map, choosing your destination, and letting auto pilot get there for you. If a
ship looks like its going to intercept you, you’ll need to manually steer out of
the way and pilot yourself until you’re in the clear again.
--------[Flagship and Fleet Modification]
When you reconfigure your flagship and fleet, it’s worth noting that you buy and
sell for equal value of RUs. This is because the star base isn’t trying to
profit off you. Since you don’t lose any RUs from buying and selling parts, you
should experiment with the setup until you’ve got things just the way you want
them. Regardless of whether you follow the walkthrough or not, upgrading thrust
modules and turning jets (your flagship's speed, basically) should be one of
your first priorities.
--------[Fuel]
Buy lots of fuel and always keep a careful eye on how much you’ve got. That huge
ship you’re flying chugs fuel like you wouldn’t believe while moving through
hyperspace. Notice on the star map how there’s a highlighted area around your
present location? That’s how far you can get with your current fuel. I wouldn’t
try flying out that far, however, as you need enough to get back to Earth. If
that’s not bad enough, landing on planets takes a small cut of fuel. For this
reason, you want to make as few trips to the surface of any given planet as
possible. Fortunately, there are multiple sources from which you can obtain
fuel. These will make your life a little easier.
--------[Minerals]
You can carry minerals off planets with your planet lander and trade them in at
the star base for RUs. Most of your resources will be acquired through this
process. Here is a list of each of the mineral types:
[COMMON]
Color: Turquoise.
Value: 1 RU each. Completely useless.
[CORROSIVE]
Color: Dark Red.
Value: 2 RUs each. Completely useless.
[BASE METAL]
Color: Grey.
Value: 3 RUs each. Not very good.
[NOBLE GAS]
Color: Blue.
Value: 4 RUs each. Worth it.
[RARE EARTH]
Color: Green.
Value: 5 RUs each. Worth it.
[PRECIOUS METAL]
Color: Yellow.
Value: 6 RUs each. Scoop up every last one you see.
[RADIOACTIVE]
Color: Orange.
Value: 8 RUs each. Scoop up every last one you see.
[EXOTIC]
Color: Pink.
Value: 25 RUs each. Jackpot!
When you enter a system on a mining mission, you’ll want to check almost every
single moon and planet. Gas giants and grey worlds will never have valuable
minerals, so skip them. Orange and yellow worlds on the other hand are almost
always loaded with nice stuff.
Each planet has a set of statistics. Before you try landing, the ones you should
really pay attention to are Temperature, Weather, and Tectonics. It is these
things that damage your lander. Until you've acquired special lander upgrades,
do not land on a planet if...
* It has a temperature that goes beyond 400 degrees.
* It has a weather rating higher than "4".
* It has a tectonics rating higher than "5".
* It has more than one element near the above limits. Example: 320 temperature,
3 weather, 4 tectonics.
Don’t shoot minerals when you go planet crawling, that ruins them. If your
lander's storage bay is 99% full, don't pick up a gigantic deposit. You'll
only receive a fraction of it due to cargo limits, and the mineral will
disappear for good. This is a limitation of the game that you've just got to
work around.
--------[Alien Lifeforms]
Many planets have little critters running around on the surface. Some of them
can attack and destroy your lander, but typically they aren't that great of a
danger. The lander's stun ray can put these into suspended animation and store
them aboard your ship just like with minerals. Why bother with all these
animals? Melnorme credit, as mentioned below.
--------[Melnorme Trade Vessels]
You can meet these guys very early in the game by going to any of the supergiant
stars and searching around for a circular grey ship that wanders around. In
exchange for data on alien lifeforms and rainbow worlds, these guys will sell
you fuel, upgrades for your flagship, and information. It is nearly impossible
to win the game without their assistance. If you don't plan on using the
walkthrough, many of their hints will help tremendously if you write down or
memorize what they tell you.
--------[Rainbow Worlds]
There are a few bright, multi-colored planets scattered across space. Viewed
from a distance, these appear as simple yellow planets orbiting very close to a
star system's sun. Just for finding one of these, the Melnorme will grant you a
large amount of credit next time they see you.
--------[Alien Homeworlds]
Never attack an alien homeworld. These are guarded by an infinite number of
ships. If you visit such a place and fall under attack, flee. There is one
exception to this in the game, but the opposition will specifically mention that
they're sending ten ships at you.
--------[Diplomacy]
If you encounter an alien fleet and have the choice of conversing or attacking,
always converse. Every species in the game (including the ones that hate you!)
can give away useful information. Also, this should go without saying, but try
not to piss off aliens if you can help it. Even the friendly races will attack
you if you’re rude enough.
If you’re not using the walkthrough you should play with paper and a pen nearby.
When someone mentions a set of coordinates or specific location, make a note of
that.
--------[Combat]
Combat in this game is always a series of one-on-one duels. When it begins, you
pick one of your ships to go up against one of theirs. The winner of that
match-up has to continue fighting enemy reinforcements until it retreats or dies
horribly. Because the fights must be one-on-one, strength does not necessarily
lie in numbers. One powerful ship will do you more good than twelve weak ones.
Fighting in this game takes practice and good reflexes, but the most critical
aspect of it is which ship you choose to fight with. For instance, if you send
a Zoq-Fot-Pik Stinger against a Yehat Terminator, that Stinger is going to get
pulverized no matter how good you are.
If you find yourself getting killed over and over, you may need to learn the
controls better. Another possibilty is that you're going up against an enemy
that is too strong for you at the moment. The best thing to do if you're getting
beat down is to go into Star Control's combat simulator and practice various
ship match-ups.
During combat there are always five asteroids and one planet that appear
seemingly at random. The asteroids are harmless, but crashing into the planet
damages you heavily. If you fly right by the planet, however, you'll send your
ship sailing at a higher speed. Turning your thrusters on will decrease your
extra speed back down to normal, so let the momentum carry you if you want to
take advantage of this effect. This maneuver has been dubbed the "Gravity Whip".
--------[Retreating]
Retreating is a story game trick so this doesn’t apply to Super Melee at all. As
soon as you’ve worked out a deal with Hayes at the star base near the start
he’ll install a warp unit onto your ship, and at that point this section
applies. Near the very end of the game the warp unit is removed again so be
mindful of that.
If you want to run from a battle, you’ll need to have your precursor vessel out
in combat and hit Escape. When you do this, your ship will freeze in place, lose
its ability to attack and flash for 5.5 seconds. This can be very dangerous;
whoever you’re fighting will try to get in some free shots before you get away.
The best time to retreat is immediately after you destroy an enemy ship because
of the "victory dance" each ship does when it wins a duel. This will cut the
time you are vulnerable to the next enemy down to almost nothing. If you’re
fighting a particularly slow enemy, just get far away before you start the warp
sequence and you should be okay. It costs 5 fuel to pull your fleet away.
The warp unit also allows for tactical withdrawals. What this means is that if
you hit escape while an escort is fighting it will do the same flashy thing the
flagship does to retreat. When it has escaped, you get to pick another ship to
fight in its place. When used correctly, this is critical for keeping your fleet
intact during a big fight. Thankfully, a tactical withdrawal does not cost you
any fuel.
--------[The Cyborg Setting]
Cyborg is an option within the main game that makes the computer fight battles
for you. You still choose which ship fights and tell it when to retreat, but
that’s about it. The three settings make the fights go at regular, double, and
quadruple speed. At the highest setting, you don’t even see the fight occurring.
Do not confuse this setting for an "I win" button. It is not. A live player with
a small amount of practice under their belt can get a lot more mileage out of
their ships than the cyborg can.
--------[Time Limit]
There is a time limit but it’s not too bad if you know what you’re doing. From
the start of the game of February 17, 2155, you have four years until something
very bad starts to happen. By the last quarter of the year 2159, the game will
be over. There’s an event you can trigger that pushes this time limit back a
year to 2160. The biggest drain on time within the game is hyperspace travel by
far. With that in mind, try to make long distance travel as efficient as
possible.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| The Walkthrough |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
[]------------- 2.01 - Welcome to Earth --------------------------------------[]
You will probably want to change the name of your captain (which is you) and
flagship. Open the menu, go into "Game", then "Settings" to get to where you can
change these. If you’re not very creative, go with your last name and call the
ship something like "Excalibur" or "Tugboat". At the beginning, your ship has
very few thrust and turning modules, so expect flight to be a little wonky for
the time being.
Now head for Earth. When you get near, an automated drone will approach and
broadcast a message. Regardless of what it says, don’t panic - you haven't
screwed up yet.
The Earth is surrounded by a huge red force field for some reason, so go to the
star base orbiting it instead. The nice fellow who answers your transmission,
Commander Hayes, needs you to pick up some radioactives. He suggests you go to
Mercury for this. Do so. Take care to avoid earthquakes and hot-spots when you
touch down on the surface. Pick up every mineral deposit you can find.
Go back to the star base. As far as conversation with Hayes goes, you can say
pretty much anything without repercussion so go with whatever suits you best.
Supposedly there’s a hostile fleet on the face of the moon and you’re supposed
to prove yourself to him by destroying it. Go there and land on the surface.
You can shoot the harmless little droids wandering around, but there’s no
need to. Head for the abandoned installation.
Having checked the moon, return to the star base. That drone you encountered
earlier has brought back a damaged Ilwrath Avenger which will engage you in
combat regardless of what you say to it. Either of the two ships you have can
bring it down, but it’s better to use the little cruiser. The procedure for this
fight is simple: turn and face the Avenger, then fire off two missiles. If for
some reason you start a little too close to the enemy, accelerate away from him
before you turn and fire.
The star base will be your center of operations from this point on. Hayes will
be much more willing to answer questions now and I suggest you take advantage
of that if you don’t already know the story. Once you’ve done that, trade in the
minerals you picked up. Go ahead and buy yourself a little more fuel, then
attach a few extra thrust modules and turning jets.
Go to pluto and land. Pick up the little pink mineral. It’s classified as an
exotic, so even a few of these are worth a lot. Now head over to the ship that’s
landed in the corner. He’ll inflict some damage on your lander before opening a
transmission. Say hi to Fwiffo!
There are two ways you can handle this conversation: patiently listen to
Fwiffo’s life story and get him to join you, or become angry and attack him. If
you have the attention span required to appreciate this guide, you’ll probably
find the conversation interesting anyway so do the former. His Spathi Eluder
vessel really comes in handy throughout the game.
It’s time to clean out the system. Pick up every last mineral deposit on the
following worlds:
--- Earth's moon "Luna"
--- Mars
--- Jupiter’s moons "Io" and "Europa"
--- Saturn’s moon "Titan"
--- Neptune’s moon "Triton"
Return to the starbase. Exchange your minerals then get your precursor vessel
set up with the following parts:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules (+9)
--- 4 Turning jets (+2)
--- 0 Ion bolt guns (-1)
--- 1 Fuel tank (Refuel)
--- 1 Crew pod (Restaff)
--- 2 Storage bays (+1)
Notice that your main vessel is now completely unarmed. This is intentional.
With all those thrust modules you are in little danger of being caught so you
don’t even have to worry about combat for the moment.
Now you’re set to head out into hyperspace. There’s no special button for that,
you just need to fly far out of the system.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Go to the star base orbiting Earth. |
| |
| Mine all of mercury. |
| |
| Land on the moon and check the abandoned structure. |
| |
| Return to base and kill an Ilwrath with your Earthling Cruiser. |
| |
| Go to Pluto and get Fwiffo on your side. |
| |
| Mine Luna, Triton, Titan, Io, Europa and Mars. |
| |
| Fly back to base to get your flagship and fleet reconfigured. |
| |
| Leave the solar system. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Can I just leave the system at the start of the game and not bother
with this part?
A: Yes, but don’t expect to get very far. You’re slow, without decent
firepower, and the Slylandro Probes are going to spawn 50 times more often than
if you had actually followed the plot.
Q: Do I need to keep the Earthling Cruiser?
A: To be honest, no. But there are a few enemies it's good against later in the
game, so I like to hold on to it.
Q: I want to deploy the Earthling Cruiser against X ship. How exactly
should I use it?
A:
o---------- The Earthling Cruiser ---------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ This is a slow, long ranged ship so you'll usually want to try and keep away \
\ from your opponent above all else. While doing this, turn and fire nuclear /
/ missiles at the enemy with the primary fire button. The Cruiser also has a \
\ point-defense laser, but its usefulness is limited. Hold down secondary fire /
/ to use it. The point-defense laser will automatically chip away at a nearby \
\ opponent and can even shoot down asteroids and some enemy projectiles. If /
/ there's nothing nearby, turning the laser on will have no effect. \
\ /
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
[]------------- 2.02 - Early Mining ------------------------------------------[]
Be aware that anywhere in hyperspace Slylandro Probes can appear and try to
chase you down. All ships appear as black dots, but the Slylandro are the
fastest. It’s entirely random when they show up so you have two ways of dealing
with them right now:
1) Learn to shoot them down with either the Earthling Cruiser or Spathi
Eluder. While possible, this is not recommended.
2) When the combat screen appears, choose the flagship and start the escape
sequence immediately. You'll lose roughly 10 crew members in damage before you
get away, which is not all that bad.
You will be able to kill Probes properly not too long from now.
A good move at this point would be to mine all of the Centauri stars since
they’re nearby and have plenty of good minerals. Start by setting a course in
the star map for Delta Centauri. Yes, that's Ilwrath territory. Ilwrath are
slow so you should have no trouble avoiding them.
From now on you’re going to be more picky about what minerals you gather.
Commons (Turquoise), Corrosives (Deep Red), and Base Metals (Grey) are nothing
but dead weight, so avoid them. If you end up getting any by accident, go into
the cargo menu and dump them out by hitting "Enter" over the highlighted
mineral type.
Mine the following worlds:
--- Delta Centauri VI
--- Delta Centauri V
--- Delta Centauri IV
Head over to planet II’s moon (Delta Centauri II-A). Why look, this planet has
radioactives AND weird critters on it! You’ll want to capture everything on the
map. This can be dangerous but it’s worth it. Land near the very top or bottom
of the planet and just camp out waiting for giant killer bees. Be patient, they
will go after you eventually. After you’ve stunned and captured 6 swarms, you’re
safe to roam the area. Stay out of earthquakes and don’t bump into the big
honkin’ beasts you see ambling about and you’ll be fine. Travel around picking
up minerals and capturing the other life forms. To be more efficient, don’t take
off again until you’ve filled both the mineral and critter cargo bays. This
planet should take four trips or so.
That’s all for that system. The other Centauri stars are slim pickings, so I'll
go over this quick:
--- Beta Centauri I-C
--- Beta Centauri III-C
--- Zeta Centauri I
--- Zeta Centauri I-B
--- Zeta Centauri I-C
--- Epsilon Centauri I
Go next to Alpha Centauri. It has several rich planets, but none of them are
safe to land on. There is a ship you want to meet in this system so scour the
area until you see him.
This is a Melnorme trade vessel you've bumped into, so be nice. Once
introductions are over, offer to sell information on alien life forms. Using the
credits he gives you, buy two technology upgrades. Use all remaining credits
to buy fuel.
One last planet before you're done:
--- Gamma Centauri I.
That's all the mining you need to do right now. Go back to the star base at Sol.
Exchange your minerals and set your flagship up like so:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets (+4)
--- 2 Fuel tanks (+1, Refuel)
--- 1 Crew pod (Restaff)
--- 3 Storage bays (+1)
Now that your flagship's flying capabilities are maxed out, flight should be
much more pleasant.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Watch out for Slylandro Probes and Ilwrath patrols. Flee if caught. |
| |
| Mine Delta Centauri VI, V, IV and IIA. |
| |
| Mine Beta Centauri I-C and III-C. |
| |
| Mine Zeta Centauri I-B and I-C. |
| |
| Mine Epsilon Centauri I. |
| |
| Visit the Melnorme at Alpha Centauri and get two tech upgrades along with |
| some fuel. |
| |
| Mine Gamma Centauri I. |
| |
| Return to Sol. Sell what you've acquired, make upgrades, refuel and restaff. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Why are you telling me to flee from Ilwrath ships? The Spathi Eluder
I've got can beat them easily.
A: That's true, but it takes a long time. Fighting the Ilwrath is usually a
drawn out game of cat 'n mouse what with the cloaking devices they use. If you
know how to fight those ships and have the patience for it, be my guest.
Q: I have a sizable amount of extra RUs from that trip even after
buying everything you've listed. What else should I buy?
A: If you find yourself with a big surplus of RUs, spend it on whatever you
want. But if your funds are too low to buy required parts later on, be prepared
to sell these extra things.
[]------------- 2.03 - Visiting the Pkunk ------------------------------------[]
Both Hayes and the Avenger captain you killed off hint that the Ilwrath are
currently preying on another species. These aliens have a sphere of influence
that crosses over the very bottom part of Ilwrath territory. So the best way to
make contact with this species is to fly to a point down from the Ilwrath sphere
without crossing into it and wait for someone in hyperspace to intercept you.
Do just that.
As you can see, the Pkunk are a little goofy but they mean well. Notice how the
guy you talked to was even nice enough to direct you to his homeworld! Head
straight there. As soon as you open communications, they will give you a
Clear Spindle artifact. What's it do? You'll find out eventually. Be polite and
ask for their help. They won't make a formal alliance, but they'll give you four
of their vessels. If you want to, talk to Pkunk patrol fleets and the homeworld
itself again if you want to learn more about them, but their advice has little
practical use.
Mine the following on your way back to Sol:
--- Gamma Krueger III
--- Delta Krueger I-B
--- Delta Krueger I-C
--- Eta Giclas II
--- Alpha Giglas VII-B
That's enough mining for what you need. Return to the star base to trade in
minerals and examine the Clear Spindle. The technicians here won't know what to
make of it. Now sell all four Pkunk Fury's and get your flagship set up to meet
these specifications:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets
--- 2 Fusion blasters in front (+2)
--- 2 Dynamo units (+2)
--- 2 Fuel tanks (Refuel)
--- 1 Crew pod (Restaff)
--- 3 Storage bays
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Avoid Slylandro Probes and Ilwrath. |
| |
| Make contact with the Pkunk just below Ilwrath territory. |
| |
| Proceed to their homeworld, then mine planet III. |
| |
| Mine Delta Krueger I-B and I-C, Eta Giclas II, and Alpha Giclas VII-B. |
| |
| Return to Sol. Exchange minerals and reconfigure your fleet. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Why not use the Pkunk ships at all?
A: The Fury is one of the most difficult ships to play effectively. If you've
taught yourself how to do this, odds are you've already beaten the game and
don't really need this guide. However, you will see more of these ships near the
end of the game for a special purpose.
[]------------- 2.04 - Rallying Cry ------------------------------------------[]
With the newly acquired fusion blasters you put in, your Precursor ship is now
able to shoot down Slylandro Probes. When you engage one of them from now on,
fly close to the probe, face towards it and rapidly press the fire button.
You will fire in triple bursts that cover a lot of space, so you don't need to
be terribly precise. Unless you completely miss and empty your battery, the
Probe will fall to pieces without inflicting much harm on you. This is by far
the easiest way to fight Probes, so even after you acquire better escorts you
should always use the flagship against this enemy.
At this point in the game, Hayes will have already mentioned that someone or
something is broadcasting a signal from the nearby Rigel system, so that's where
you're going next. If for some reason he hasn't, go there anyway. When you get
there, find the lone ship meandering around and talk to it. The Zoq-Fot-Pik
scout will tell you all about their species and request that you visit their
homeworld.
If you look at the star map, you'll notice the Zoq-Fot-Pik are a long distance
away and the Spathi are directly between you and them. The Spathi avoid violence
at all costs, so it's probably safe to visit them. Fly into their territory and
chat with one of their patrols. After doing so, travel to the Spathi homeworld
of Epsilon Gruis I-A.
Apparently the Spathi are all living on their homeworld's moon because deadly
predators they call "The Evil Ones" have invaded the homeworld itself. They
say they will ally with you if you can get rid of these. So fly over planet I
and land on it. As long as you don't drive right into one of the creatures, they
remain completely docile. I suspect these things are in hibernation at the
moment. Capture all of them, then go back to the moon. The Spathi high council
needs a little time to determine if you're telling the truth, so fly away from
the moon, then come back.
Upon your return, the Spathi council isn't too keen on living up to their end of
the bargain, but they'll reluctantly make an alliance with you when you point
out that you still have the Evil Ones alive in suspended animation. Spathi
patrols and the Spathi high council will now be willing to provide a lot of
information, some of which is useful.
With that detour out of the way, head for Alpha Tucanae I. Be aware that the
fleets around Zoq-Fot-Pik territory are none other than the dreaded Ur-Quan. Do
not run into them under any circumstances. There's a lot of them, but they're
slow. When you arrive, the Zoq-Fot-Pik will gladly join up with you. To be
honest, they need your help more than you need theirs. They don't have a lot of
information except that two powerful species battle around their territory.
Before you leave, mine these planets:
--- Alpha Tucanae I-A
--- Alpha Tucanae III
Go back to the star base at Sol for refueling. If for some reason you run out
of fuel before getting there, the Melnorme will approach you after you've been
stranded in hyperspace for a few days. You should have enough spare credits with
them to afford the fuel to get back home.
The wonderful ship you're flying was built originally on Vela I. Well, let's go
back there and see how the nice research team you left behind is doing. Find the
supergiant star "Zeeman", and zoom in on it until you see the small yellow star
beside it. Set a course for it. When you arrive at the planet, you're in for a
bit of a surprise. Confront the battleship you see around the planet.
This Ur-Quan Dreadnought is more than a match for your flagship at the moment,
but your Spathi Eluder can kill it if flown correctly. If you're not yet adept
at melee, this will take a couple tries. Stay clear of the fighters it launches
at you at all times. Fly in and out of the Dreadnought's range to get a feel for
how far its fusion cannon can reach. Once you're familiar with how it fights,
use the technique below.
o---------- The Spathi Eluder -------------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ Use this maneuver to attack: fly straight at your opponent, then before you \
\ enter their weapon range (or get too close for comfort if you're fighting a /
/ long-ranged enemy), swing around and drop a few guided bombs as you fly \
\ away. Repeat these bombing runs until your opponent explodes. This is the /
/ ideal way to use this ship. The primary gun on the Spathi Eluder is \
\ mostly useless. /
/ \
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
If you asked the Spathi High Council enough questions, they'll have told you
that their neighbors, the Androsynth have somehow been replaced by a species
called the "Orz". If you're really curious as to what happened to the
Androsynth, check their homeworld of Eta Vulpeculae II. Anyway, try and meet an
Orz fleet around the nearby Vulpeculae stars.
Weird as they may seem, they're friendly. Notice that if you mention the
Androsynth, the Orz will tense up and tell you not to bring the subject up
again. Take that advice - ask too many questions about the Androsynth and the
Orz will turn hostile. Regardless of that, try and make an alliance
with them.
Orz space is absolutely loaded with good minerals and also has a few critters.
Scour the following worlds:
--- Zeta Vulpeculae VII
--- Zeta Vulpecuale VI
--- Zeta Vulpecuale III-A
--- Zeta Vulpeculae V-A
--- Zeta Vulpeculae V-C
--- Zeta Vulpeculae V-D
--- Delta Vulpeculae VIII
--- Delta Vulpeculae III
--- Delta Vulpeculae II-C
II-C is under guard by the Orz. If you made an alliance with them like I asked
you to, you should have no trouble getting clearance to land from them. While
you mine the planet, make sure you pick up the artifact there too. The Orz don't
mind if you take it.
Before returning to Sol, go to the nearby gas giant of Alpha Vulpeculae and find
a Melnorme trader. Buy two technology upgrades but no fuel.
Head back to Sol. Drop off your cargo, then buy another Spathi Eluder and two of
the new Orz Nemesis vessels. Get a refill on crew and fuel as well.
o---------- The Orz Nemesis ---------------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ To use the Orz's most dangerous weapon, hold down the special key and press \
\ fire. This launches an Orz Space Marine which tries to board the enemy ship /
/ and kill everyone inside - and they're pretty good at it! This trick needs \
\ both keys because the Orz actually have three abilities: fire cannon, rotate /
/ cannon, and launch a marine. To turn the cannon, hold special and press the \
\ left or right arrow keys. The cannon is best left facing forward in most /
/ situations, but you can do a weaker imitation of "Spathi-Fu" if you turn the \
\ cannon backwards and fight like that. In most situations, it's bad to launch /
/ a pack of marines all at once because then they will be flying at the enemy \
\ all from the same direction, making them easy to run away from or shoot /
/ down. I prefer to launch two, fly somewhere different, launch another pair, \
\ and repeat until the enemy has been slaughtered. If you think you can do /
/ this without getting hit, fly by the enemy for a brief period and pound them \
\ with your cannon to get in a little extra damage. /
/ \
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Make contact with the Zoq-Fot-Pik scout at Rigel. |
| |
| Acquaint yourself with the Spathi, then go to their homeworld of Epsilon |
| Gruis I-A. Remove the "Evil Ones" from the face of planet I, then make an |
| alliance. |
| |
| Carefully make your way to Alpha Tucanae I. Seal another alliance, then mine |
| I-A and III of this system. |
| |
| Return to Sol for refueling. |
| |
| Go to Vela I and defeat an Ur-Quan Dreadnought. |
| |
| Seek out the Orz, near the Vulpeculae constellation. Ally with them. |
| |
| Mine Zeta Vulpeculae VII, VI, V-A, V-C, V-D and III-A, Delta Vulpeculae |
| VIII, III and II-C. Don't forget to pick up the Taalo device on that last |
| one. |
| |
| Buy two tech upgrades from the Melnorme. |
| |
| Go back to Sol again. Add escorts to your fleet, refuel and restaff. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: So what really happened to the Androsynth?
A: It should be obvious, but the Orz (or something closely tied to them) wiped
them all out. So sorry. If it's of any consolation, know that the Androsynth
were jerks anyway.
Q: Why not use any Zoq-Fot-Pik Stingers?
A: Stingers are pretty crappy for the most part. No point in using them when
you've got Spathi and Orz around.
[]------------- 2.05 - Thanks, Delta Tauri! ----------------------------------[]
Time for a mining detour. Fly over to Delta Tauri (above Ilwrath territory) and
mine these planets:
--- Delta Tauri VII
--- Delta Tauri IV
--- Delta Tauri III
--- Delta Tauri II
--- Delta Tauri I
Refit your flagship into this:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets
--- 2 Fusion blasters in front
--- 3 Dynamo units (+1)
--- 3 Fuel tanks (+1, Refuel)
--- 2 Full crew pods (+1, Restaff)
--- 3 Storage bays
This is the second-richest star system in the game. You should have plenty of
RUs to spare after this.
[]------------- 2.06 - The Twilight Zone -------------------------------------[]
Around this point in the game, the Zoq-Fot-Pik fall under attack. Hayes should
have already mentioned this to you unless you've been following my instructions
faster than I performed them myself. If that's the case, let your ship sit out
for week of game time or something and check back.
Head for Alpha Tucanae I, obviously. Again, don't run into any patrols around
there. You could probably survive a tangle with multiple Ur-Quan at this point,
but you're better off keeping a low profile.
When you get there, you'll meet a weird new strain of Ur-Quan. This so-called
Kohr-Ah will challenge you right away to a fight. The best ship to use against
him is a Spathi. You'll want to use the same "Spathi-Fu" strategy you did
against the Ur-Quan Dreadnought from before, except this enemy will be a lot
harder since the spinning blades he launches at you have a very long reach. When
you win, go into Menu, Manifest, and Roster to transfer crew from the flagship
to the Eluder you just used so it's at full crew again. From now on, always
replace lost crew in your escorts after a battle.
Instead of going back to Earth, fly into that clump of stars which includes the
Orionis constellation (Up + left of your position on the star map) since that's
where the Umgah are. Don't collide with any Ur-Quan or Kohr-Ah patrols on your
way out. Meet up with another wandering fleet once you get to the right place.
When you do, ask them to "reveal your secrets" and they'll tell you about a
crashed Ur-Quan Dreadnought in Alpha Pavonis. Now try to get them to ally with
you.
Okay, that didn't go so well. You'll have to fight multiple Umgah Drones now.
Drones are slow and easy to destroy, but they can extend an anti-matter cone
in front of their ship that can really bite into you if you end up in it. Also,
they can zip backwards extremely fast in short bursts and will try to maneuver
so that you end up in their cone of death. They're pretty good at it, so expect
to take some damage against these guys eventually. The best way to kill an Umgah
is with your Spathi Eluders using the usual technique, but Orz work well here
too.
IMPORTANT: If the escort you're using ends up at half crew or less, withdraw it
immediately after you beat your current opponent. Remember this from now on.
Now that you have the Umgah on your star map, head for Alpha Pavonis. It's a
green star up + left of Umgah territory. The planets in this system are all a
little bit too hot to mine safely, so just cut to Planet VII and rush your
lander over to the crashed Dreadnought. The Warp Pod on the ship is still
intact, so the lander team decides to bring it with you.
Your next stop is Beta Pegasi. Check Planet I but don't land on it. Scanning
this planet will do you good with the Melnorme later.
There's a small blot of hyperspace I want you to camp out in for a while nearby.
Fly close to Gamma Circini (it's down from your current star map position) and
stay put for a while. There's a dimensional portal that opens during on 17th of
every month and lasts about three days. While you're waiting for that, there's
a good chance you'll encounter an Arilou fleet. They're friendly, so don't
worry about it. Once the portal opens, charge right in.
Okay, this is a little weird. Open the star map. There's a batch of portals
around that are all titled "Unknown", but there's a much larger portal separate
from the rest that's far above. That's where you wanna go. This is the Arilou
homeworld. Other than trying to attack them, you should run through every
coversation option the game gives you. They will tell you to pick up a Warp Pod
so that they can make you something useful. When you show them that you already
have it, they'll make you a Portal Spawner. That's all you need from them, so
say goodbye.
Quasispace is basically a short-cut dimension to help you get to places faster
and with less fuel use. You want to get to Sol, so take the portal that has
is located at 506 x 474. You won't end up in Sol, but this is close enough.
Actually, while you're out here you should intercept the Pkunk fleet. They're
trying to meet up with the Yehat, which is a tragic mistake. Tell them your
Ouija Board is acting up and the goofy birds will turn right around and head
back to their home stars. These guys won't listen to reason so this is the only
way.
When you finally return to the star base, Hayes will tell you a dozen different
things and three Arilou Skiffs will join your party. The hyperspace fluctuations
he mentions are just the Pkunk fleet, so don't worry about that. Sell all your
Zoq-Fot-Pik and Arilou ships, they aren't needed. The only thing you need now is
crew and fuel, so refill those.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Travel to the Zoq-Fot-Pik homeworld to help defend it. |
| |
| Acquaint yourself with the Umgah. |
| |
| Pick up a Warp Pod from Alpha Pavonis VII. |
| |
| Find a rainbow world on Beta Pegasi I. |
| |
| Go through a dimensional portal near Gamma Circini, then make your way to |
| the Arilou homeworld. Obtain the Portal Spawner from them. |
| |
| Enter the quasispace portal that sends you close to Sol. |
| |
| Persuade the Pkunk to delay their journey to Yehat space. |
| |
| Return to Sol to refuel and restaff your fleet. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: While I was off doing your crap the Spathi disappeared off the map.
What's going on?
A: This will be investigated next, but you should know that there's no way to
prevent them from doing this.
Q: Why are you selling all the Arilou ships?
A: Arilou Skiffs are powerful, but you need to be extremely skilled to get any
mileage out of them. They only have 6 crew, so they die far too easily for
general use. If you *really* want to, go ahead and hold on to one of their
ships.
[]------------- 2.07 - Unfriendly Reception ----------------------------------[]
The first thing you should do is head for Epsilon Gruis and see what's going on
with the Spathi. Observe the slave shield around the home planet, then land on
the nearby moon. Pick up the exotic mineral and the Hyperwave Caster planted
on the surface.
Let's go visit the VUX. They're down + right of Orz space, so hang around there
until one of their patrols confronts you. If you try to reason with the VUX
captain, he'll tell you most VUX despise humans with one exception -- their
greatest admiral named ZEX. That's the only useful info VUX patrols will ever
give you, so end the conversation. And with that, you've got another battle to
wade through. VUX Intruders are pathetically slow and only harmful at close
range so the Spathi, Orz and Earthling ships all work well here.
Now head right of VUX territory for a ways into that big clump of stars which
includes the Scorpii and Copernicus constellations and wait for a hyperspace
bubble. Not only are these Mycon hostile, they can't make any sense. But unlike
the VUX, they know how to put up a good fight. Orz are the best choice, but the
Earthling Cruiser can also cover your back if you get really desperate. Stay
clear of their huge plasma bursts and attack with your long range weapons.
You'll probably have to switch in a different ship after you win a bout or two,
so be ready for that.
Go to the clump of stars below the VUX sphere of influence and look for a
patrol. The first group of Yehat you meet will not attack, but half of the
encounters with them afterwards will be hostile so watch out for that. Try to
pressure the Yehat captain you meet into helping you. He won't, but he'll refuse
to fight you even though they're all under orders to do so.
Visit the system Zeta Sextantis while you're out here. It's in the lower part of
VUX space. The first planet next to the sun is another Rainbow World. It's safe
on the surface so go ahead and mine it.
Next stop: Delta Gorno. Since that's not near anything of importance, the
coordinates are 290 x 026. This is the Shofixti home system. Almost every source
of information in the game will tell you they're dead, but that's not quite
accurate. Scour this system until you encounter a lone Scout. Unfortunately,
this ship's sensors are so badly damaged that the pilot thinks you're an
Ur-Quan! Instead of reasoning with him like you've been doing with everyone
else for the entire game, insult him. When battle ensues, pick the flagship and
flee. Go back and insult him again. Repeat this until he realizes you can't be
an Ur-Quan, as Ur-Quan never cuss people out like that! Once he acknowledges who
you are, he'll become more friendly. Unfortunately there's not much the old
Shofixti can do to help so leave him alone for now and enter hyperspace.
Open the Devices menu and use the Umgah Caster. This gets the attention of the
Melnorme, so sit and wait for them to arrive. When he shows up, exchange all the
stuff you've picked up. Get a full refueling, then purchase as many
technological upgrades as you can get.
Go back to Sol. Drop off the scant few minerals you've picked up and ask Hayes
to analyze the Umgah Caster. Afterwards, set your flagship up like this:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets
--- 2 Fusion blasters in front
--- 3 Dynamo units
--- 0 Fuel tanks (-3)
--- 2 Advanced fuel tanks (+2, Fill)
--- 2 Crew pods (Restaff)
--- 3 Storage bays
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Investigate Epsilon Gruis I-A. |
| |
| Find the VUX. |
| |
| Meet the Mycon. |
| |
| Confront the Yehat. |
| |
| Mine the Rainbow World of Zeta Sextantis I. |
| |
| Seek out the last Shofixti at Delta Gorno. Do not harm him under any |
| circumstance. Get him on your side. |
| |
| Buy tech upgrades and fuel from the Melnorme. |
| |
| Return to Sol to refuel and restaff your fleet. |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: You said the Earthling ship was good against VUX, but those things
crucify Earthlings when I try it in Super Melee! What gives?
A: The VUX have a special ability that lets them start right next to an opponent
every battle they jump into. This gives the VUX an edge against Earthlings and
many other ships in the Melee simulator, but they don't have this trait in the
main game. I assume the VUX warp ability was removed from Star Control's main
game because it was too cruel a surprise for casual gamers.
Q: What happens if the Shofixti captain dies?
A: His twin brother shows up in the system a month later, giving you a second
chance to save their species.
[]-------------- 2.08 - Slylandro Self-Destruct Code -------------------------[]
About time you shut these things up, eh? Go out into hyperspace and use your
Portal Spawner to enter quasispace. Take the portal at 520 x 514. Go to
Beta Corvi, which is slightly up + right of your position. Fly right into planet
IV. Yes, I do mean that red gas giant.
Against all odds, the Slylandro themselves are actually quite friendly. They've
got a ton of conversation lines for you, so you might be here a while.
Eventually you'll end up with something you can transmit during conversation
every time you meet a probe that kills them instantly. Fly away from the planet
for a day of game time, then return and Slylandro will tell you they've cooked
up a way to wipe out all of their probes. The presence of these horrible little
monsters will decline rapidly from this point on.
[]-------------- 2.09 - Talking Pet Turns Rabid ------------------------------[]
The Arilou said they had obtained one of the Ur-Quan's Talking Pets, but gave it
to the Umgah. The Umgah in turn noticed the creature was capable of sentience,
so they began messing with its genetic code. By now the creature has regained
concious thought so it may be able to help you bring down the Ur-Quan. From
where you are now, fly into Umgah space and meet another of their patrols.
Ask them what they've been up to, and how the talking pet is doing. Apparently,
"IT DIED". The Umgah aren't feeling too well at the moment. Amazingly, if you
say goodbye they'll let you go in peace, so do that. For those of you not
following the guide step by step, you must have the Taalo Device for this next
part! If you do not, pick it up on Delta Vulpeculae II-C from the Orz. Assuming
that you do have the Taalo Device, the next step is to go to Beta Orionis I.
The talking pet answers your transmission and tells you to go away. Ask it
questions until he gets mad and orders a batch of ten Umgah drones to attack
you. This is what we've been keeping two Spathi Eluders for. Use one to kill
as many Umgah as possible, then withdraw. Do the same with the second. If you
haven't won yet, bring in your Orz ships and then finally the flagship as a last
resort.
After the battle the Dnyarri will plead for his life and offer to help you
against the Ur-Quan. You will need his help to win the game, so accept. He
will trick you into taking him even if you refuse, so it's a non-issue, really.
He'll make himself a nest in an empty storage room on board and you'll be able
to speak to him at any time via the Devices menu.
Return to the Umgah homeworld where you will receive a hero's welcome for
freeing them from Dnyarri mind control. Regardless of whether you respond
modestly or arrogantly, you'll end up with 1,000 credits worth of bio data.
They'll be happy to answer any questions you ask, but when you try to leave
the Umgah once again turn hostile and try to kill you. They also give you four
of their ships. Don't ask why, the Umgah are just weird. This next fleet they
send after you is infinite. Retreat.
Head down from Umgah space so they aren't following you and give your Hyperwave
Caster a toot. When the Melnorme trader arrives, exchange the Bio data and
purchase all remaining tech upgrades available and get some more fuel.
Go back to Earth. Whether you use quasispace portal 506 x 474 or fly back
the casual way doesn't matter. Analyze the Dnyarri along with the probe
self-destruct code. Replace lost crew and sell those awful Umgah ships that
tagged along. Go out into hyperspace and call the Melnorme over with your Umgah
Caster for refueling.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Fly to Umgah space and converse with one of their patrols. |
| |
| Go to Beta Orionis I, defeat the large Umgah fleet and capture the |
| Talking Pet. |
| |
| Re-establish communications with Beta Orionis I to receive a reward of Bio |
| data. Flee when the Umgah attack again. |
| |
| Leave Umgah space and get in touch with the Melnorme for fuel and |
| technology. |
| |
| Return to the star base to fix up your fleet once again. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
[]-------------- 2.10 - Creating the Ultimate Flagship -----------------------[]
Take a look at the Pkunk fleet on your map. Have they started migrating again?
If so, intercept them and say that it's bad luck to travel right now because
it's during the month of the swollen moon. Go to the Pkunk home planet of Gamma
Krueger I to get four more Pkunk Furys. Even if the fleet is absent, the
homeworld will be repopulated if it's returning. Typically the homeworld won't
give you ships when you arrive because they have something or other they want to
tell you. So leave and return to the planet as many times as necessary until
they give you ships.
It's time to mine Alpha Centauri. With all these funky lander upgrades, this
should be child's play now. Mine these planets:
---Alpha Centauri VIII
---Alpha Centauri III
Then head back to Sol. Exchange the minerals and scrap the Pkunk ships, then
adjust the modules on your flagship into this:
--- 1 Planet lander
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets
--- 0 Fusion blasters (-2)
--- 2 Hellbore cannons in front (+2)
--- 2 Automated tracking systems (+2)
--- 3 Dynamo units
--- 4 Shiva furnaces (+4)
--- 2 Advanced fuel tanks (Refill)
--- 2 Crew pods (Restaff)
--- 1 Storage bay (-2)
From now on, try to buy your fuel from the Melnorme and not the starbase unless
you want to do some more mining.
Q: If shiva furnaces are better than dynamo units, why are you using
both?
A: They do different things. Dynamo units make your battery recharge rate
faster, such as one battery point recovered every two seconds instead of one
every three seconds. Shiva furnaces give the recharge intervals more power, but
they will still happen at the same speed. It's pointless to buy more than three
dynamo units since more than that has no effect. In other words, the best way to
go about buying battery modules is to get three dynamo units plus however many
shiva furnaces you can conveniently fit.
Q: You don't like point-defense lasers much, do you?
A: No, I don't. They have extremely limited use. If you're wondering what they
do, they're functionally the same thing as the Earthling Cruiser's secondary
ability. Adding multiple point-defense lasers increases the damage, but does not
protect you from most enemy projectiles. I have tried using six lasers at once
to see if point defense could shoot down Ur-Quan fusion blasts. It doesn't work.
So if you must use one of these, use only one.
[]-------------- 2.11 - VUX Petting Zoo --------------------------------------[]
The VUX said one of their generals actually liked humans, so let's meet him. ZEX
is on Alpha Cerenkov I. When you get there, he'll reveal that he has a dozen
Shofixti females in stasis and that you're no doubt after them. Make chit-chat
with him, then suggest that you'll go get a certain creature for his personal
zoo if he'll give the Shofixti to you. The hint about where it's at that he
gives is odd, but simple. I'll repeat it for you:
"It basks in yellow light within the constellation Linch-Nas-Ploh. We have
translated 'Linch-Nas-Ploh' to mean approximately 'the long, thin creature who
has swallowed the huge beast.'"
There's a constellation that looks just like this called "Lyncis" in the
upper middle of the map. So the critter would have to be on one of the three
yellow stars within that. I'm sure you're not reading this guide for riddles so
I'll just tell you where it is. Leave the system and use your Portal Spawner.
Enter quasispace portal 448 x 504. Go to Delta Lyncis I. Hunt and trap all
the life forms on this planet. The creature ZEX is after kind of looks like an
evil green head and moves really fast. If you have all the lander upgrades he's
not that hard to bring down.
Once you've got all those critters, leave the system and enter quasispace
again. Take portal 516 x 466 to get as close to VUX space as any of the
portals can take you, then return to Alpha Cerenkov I.
No matter what you argue, ZEX will manage to have you send the beast to him
before the Shofixti maidens are even moved from containment. Not only does ZEX
not follow through with his half of the bargain, but he decides to go after you
with his fleet. Fortunately for you, the idiot VUX don't have a cage that
can securely contain the creature you just sent so it breaks free and kills
everyone, saving you the trouble. Go down to the surface of the now vacant
planet and capture all creatures, then pick up the maidens.
Set a course for Delta Gorno. The Scout from before should still be here, so
track him down and give him the maidens. He'll thank you profusely then leave
the system. Don't worry, you'll hear from these guys again a while later.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Meet Admiral ZEX on Alpha Cerenkov I. |
| |
| Go to Delta Lyncis I and capture all lifeforms there. |
| |
| Return to Alpha Cerenkov I. Take the Shofixti Maidens off the surface of the |
| planet. |
| |
| Bring the Shofixti Maidens to the Shofixti captain in Delta Gorno. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
[]-------------- 2.12 - Subduing the Thraddash -------------------------------[]
You're probably a little low on fuel, so leave the system and use the Umgah
Caster to draw out the Melnorme. Exchange your most recent batch of biological
data, then get a full refuel.
Use your Portal Spawner, then enter quasispace portal 476 x 458. Check your
star map. Sucky spot, huh? That's as close to Thraddash space as any quasispace
portal is going to take us. Head up + left into the clump of stars that contains
the Apodis constellation and wait for a hyperspace patrol.
The Thraddash are not friendly, but unlike most hostiles they will give you an
honest answer to every question you ask. The objective here is to obtain an
artifact called the Aqua Helix on Zeta Draconis I. The Thraddash keep it under
guard by an infinite fleet, so taking it by force is out of the question. There
are three ways to get the artifact:
1) Manipulate the Ilwrath and Thraddash into going to war. Since they are of
equal power and ferocity, this ensures the annihilation of both species. You're
going to end up doing this later no matter what, but it takes a long time for
them to kill each other so this is out of the question right now.
2) Convince the Thraddash to attack the Kohr-Ah in an effort to impress their
Ur-Quan masters. While they're gone, steal the artifact. This is the quickest
and easiest route, but where's the fun in that? If you don't feel like fighting,
do this by chatting with any of the patrols until the suggestion comes up.
3) Start killing Thraddash fleets left and right. After you've crushed about 25
of their ships, they will be very impressed that such a small group of ships
could decimate them so efficiently and declare you their "Great Teacher". This
will result in some funny dialogue and you can land on Zeta Draconis I freely,
but they will hate you for taking the artifact and turn hostile towards you
again. When you become their teacher, it's worth visiting a few of their patrols
to see what they say to you.
When fighting Thraddash, do not chase them around! Stay put, turn to keep your
gun on them, and fire when they come to you. The Thraddash blaster weapon is so
weak it doesn't really matter if you take a few hits from it. The afterburner
flame jets on the other hand hurt like hell, so holding position is a must. Your
Earthling ship is the best at this, with the Orz being a decent alternative.
Spathi are a poor choice here. The flagship can also slice through Thraddash
with ease.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Call the Melnorme over for refueling. |
| |
| Take quasispace portal 476.0, 458.0, then fly into the Apodis star cluster |
| to meet the Thraddash. |
| |
| Kill 25 Thraddash ships over the course of many battles. |
| |
| Pick up the Aqua Helix on Zeta Draconis I. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: What happens if the Thraddash attack the Kohr-Ah?
A: The Kohr-Ah obliterate most of the Thraddash starfleet in a couple weeks
without taking any noticeable losses, then the Thraddash retreat back to their
home stars humiliated. Not much of a surprise, really.
Q: Can I buy Thraddash Torches for my fleet when they become my
"students"?
A: Yep, and they're pretty good against the AI in this game if you weave around
in front of the enemy leaving after-burner flame trails. As soon as you've
stolen the Aqua Helix, the Torches abandon you so it's really not worth it.
[]-------------- 2.13 - Yehat Revolution -------------------------------------[]
Take quasispace portal 506 x 474 then fly back to Sol. The Pkunk may be heading
for Yehat space again, but this time let them go. Even after that diversion with
the Thraddash, odds are the Shofixti have not yet returned to the star base. So
call in the Melnorme for fuel out in hyperspace and wait 10 days of game time
afterwards. If the Shofixti still haven't appeared when you talk to Hayes again,
wait ten more days in hyperspace. It shouldn't take too long.
Once they've returned, buy a Shofixti Scout and re-crew everything. The Scout is
weak and expendable, but you're not bringing this along for combat purposes. Now
that you have it, fly into Yehat space and meet one of their patrols. Show them
the Shofixti ship, and watch the Yehat captain flip out. After that, the Yehat
will split into two factions. The majority of them will try to kill you, the
rest will donate ships if you ask. Yehat Terminators, while powerful, are best
left in the hands of an expert so I won't ask you to use them. You should meet
with one of the rebel groups anyway, if only for conversation.
You'll most likely end up in a fight against the particularly deadly Yehat
loyalists. The ultimate flagship (if you have it) can wipe them out if you get
in range and empty your whole battery into them. Orz can also do the job, but
almost every other ship you have at this point stands no chance. Even with the
recommended ships these guys are pretty brutal due to their shields. Feel free
to run from them when you meet them.
Go back to the starbase. Sell the Shofixti and Yehat ships then replace crew. Go
out into hyperspace for another Melnorme fuel call.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Pass time until Hayes says the Shofixti have returned. |
| |
| Buy a Shofixti Scout. |
| |
| Go into Yehat territory and find one of the patrols. Show them the Scout. |
| |
| Go around meeting Yehat fleets until you find a group of rebels. Talk to |
| them and obtain four of their ships. |
| |
| Return to the star base. Refit your fleet. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Can I keep the Scout?
A: Yes, but it's not going to win you any battles.
Q: Can I keep a Terminator or two?
A: Since you don't need the RUs, go ahead. You'll find that the Utwig ships you
get later can do everything the Yehat do, only better.
Q: Uh, aren't you forgetting about the Pkunk?
A: Now that the Yehat revolution has started it's okay to let the Pkunk meet
their siblings.
Q: In my game the Pkunk made it to the Yehat before the revolution.
Are they screwed?
A: No. You'll see the Pkunk later as long as the Yehat have their civil war.
[]-------------- 2.14 - Repairing the Ultron ---------------------------------[]
Go out into hyperspace, use your Portal Spawner and enter quasispace portal
530 x 528. Fly around the Aquarii stars and as usual, wait for a patrol to
intercept you.
Say "hi" to the Utwig. Talk with their captain as much as you want, then head
over to the Beta Librae system left of Utwig territory. Intercept one of the
fleets here, or just go straight to planet I to meet the Supox. These are the
Utwig's sidekicks, I guess. They'll give you the Ultron, the device the Utwig
are whining about so much. To repair the Ultron you'll need three things: the
Clear Spindle, the Aqua Helix, and the Rosy Sphere. You should already have two
of those. To get the last one you have a little more work to do.
Take quasispace portal 516 x 466. You will need two Mycon Egg Cases. These
can be found on the first worlds of both Gamma Brahe and Beta Copernicus. The
Egg Case will be somewhat difficult to find on a map since base metal deposits
and the Egg Cases look similar. The difference is that artifacts are always
square, while deposits are circular.
After retrieving the Mycon Egg Cases, take them back to the Starbase at Sol
and ask Commander Hayes to have them analyzed. You need to do this to open up
an upcoming bit of dialogue.
Head for Epsilon Scorpii I and ask the Mycon at the homeworld about the
shattered worlds. It's critical that you do this to unlock another important
conversation piece later on. Because the Mycon are jerks, they'll attack you
when you try to leave. This is a homeworld, so flee instead of fighting them.
Take quasispace portal 488 x 538. Go to Zeta Persei. Meet a Druuge fleet here,
then make your way to planet I. You can make a lot of different deals with these
traders, but ultimately there's only one worth making. Offer to sell a
Mycon Egg Case to them, and they'll ask if you want the Rosy Sphere for it
instead of the usual Druuge Mauler ship. Accept. Most other deals with the
Druuge involve selling your crew to them as slaves or giving up insanely
valuable tools for a few of their moderately useful ships. You need that other
Egg Case you picked up, so don't sell them that. This late in the game you have
no need of their services, so cut communications with the Druuge.
You now have all the items needed to repair the Ultron. Use all three of them
and the device will be fixed automatically. Believe it or not, the Utwig aren't
lying to you when they say this device is special. If you need proof that it
actually does something, take it over to the star base and ask Hayes to perform
tests on it. Otherwise, take quasispace portal 530 x 528 and give the Ultron
to any passing Utwig fleet. Both the Supox and Utwig will become your allies at
this point and they'll send their fleets at the Kohr-Ah to wreck havoc on them.
Unlike the Thraddash, these two species will manage to do some degree of damage
to the Kohr-Ah fleet before retreating.
The Utwig also said they have a gift for you on Zeta Hyades VI-B, so go there
next. A Druuge fleet has already arrived to take whatever it is the Utwig have
promised you. The Druuge will try and persuade you to let them have it.
Naturally, you should tell them to screw off. They'll attack.
Druuge Maulers have incredible range and firepower, and when they fire it sends
their ship reeling backwards. While they can shoot very far, their weapon is
not very accurate over a long distance. Spathi Eluders have no chance
whatsoever against Druuge, but your Earthling Cruister can dominate them with
ease. Orz can also do a pretty good job if used right - drop a couple Marines in
the Mauler's path, then when it lauches itself away from them, fly around to the
opposite side and deploy another pair to cut the Druuge off. The key here is to
keep your distance from the Mauler so they can't land a decent hit on you while
launching missiles or marines.
You now have a really huge bomb. Whatever you do, don't go into the menu and try
to activate it. Go back to Sol and buy two Utwig Jugger ships. Refill your crew
and fuel once again. While you're here, make sure you ask Hayes to analyze the
artifacts you've picked up.
o---------- The Utwig Jugger --------------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ Hold down the secondary button to activate the absorption field on this \
\ ship. While this device is on, you are impervious to almost all forms of /
/ attack. This will slowly drain the battery down to nothing. The Utwig \
\ battery starts halfway full every battle and does NOT regenerate. Once it /
/ runs out, that's the end of it. Fortunately, whenever the field absorbs an \
\ attack, the battery gets a boost. Effective use of this ship involves timing /
/ the "block" to match enemy attacks perfectly. Hold down the primary button \
\ to unleash rapid energy bursts directly in front of you. The guns on this /
/ ship do not drain your battery at all, but you can't fire while blocking. \
\ The Jugger makes for a wide target and flies at only an average speed. /
/ Despite that, this is one of the deadliest ships in the game. \
\ /
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Quasispace to the upper-right corner. |
| |
| Meet the Utwig, then the Supox. Get the broken Ultron from the Supox. |
| |
| Quasispace to Mycon space, then get Mycon Egg Cases from Gamma Brahe I and |
| Beta Copernicus I. |
| |
| Inquire about the shattered worlds at Epsilon Scorpii I. |
| |
| Quasispace to Zeta Persei I and trade a Mycon Egg Case to the Druuge for a |
| Rosy Sphere. |
| |
| Put the parts together, then give the Perfect Ultron to the Utwig. |
| |
| Go to Zeta Hyades VI-B. Defeat the Druuge fleet you meet there. |
| |
| Quasispace back to Sol. Buy two Utwig Juggers, then refuel. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Crewmen are pretty cheap, are you sure I can't trade some of them for
stuff with the Druuge?
A: You can, but don't. Hayes will hear about what you did, yell at you, and crew
will become a lot more expensive afterwards. If you must trade with the Druuge,
do it by selling items to them instead.
Q: The Druuge offered to sell me a Glowing Rod and/or Wimbli's Trident.
What do those do?
A: Nothing. They're worthless, don't buy them.
Q: How can I get the Druuge to sell me stuff again? They hate me now.
A: They will attack you on sight after you acquire the Utwig Bomb. This cannot
be reversed and you absolutely do need that bomb.
Q: Should I get a Supox Blade?
A: If you want. If you use one, make sure you don't get too caught up using that
sideways/backwards thrust ability. It will hurt you more than help most of the
time unless you've got a lot of practice with it.
[]-------------- 2.15 - The Syreen-Mycon Conflict ----------------------------[]
Okay, see the huge Ur-Quan sphere of influence? Find a little blue star that's
just outside on its lower left edge called Betelgeuse. Fly there. Go to the
first planet's star base to meet another former ally species, the Syreen. Say
whatever you want to Talana, she is not easily offended.
Talk to her enough and the option to talk about the Mycon "Deep Children" will
appear. This is of course assuming you had the Mycon Egg Cases analyzed at
the Starbase and then asked the Mycon at Epsilon Scorpii I about the
significance of the shattered worlds in their space. If the option doesn't come
up, go do that now.
She'll give you a shuttle full of Syreen captains and send you to find
the vault holding their ships. Simply put, it's on Epsilon Camelopardalis I-A.
If you bump into any Ur-Quan or Kohr-Ah on the way, use your Utwig ships to
stomp all over them. The key to winning an Ur-Quan or Kohr-Ah vs. Utwig fight
is to get in their face and keep the absorption field up most of the time,
dropping shields occasionally to fire back in short bursts.
When you get back to the Syreen star base, you can simply leave for the next
task or you can say "What about us?" to Talana and get an implied sex scene with
her. Do whichever.
This next part many people have problems with, and it's because they assume the
world which the Mycon refer to as their "special place" is their homeworld. It
is not. The Mycon homeworld is, once again, Epsilon Scorpii I. Go there and tell
them about the world in the Organon system. Over the next few weeks the Mycon
will send their fleet over there, and half of it will be destroyed before they
abort their mission and flee back to their native area.
The "special place" just so happens to hold an item you dearly need. Go there,
to Beta Brahe I. Now that you've tricked the Mycon into sending their fleet to
Organon, there are only five Podships guarding this planet. Use your Utwig ships
to decimate them. If you end up unlucky, fall back on the Orz. Once that's over
with, land and grab the Sun Device.
Fly back to Betelgeuse, but don't enter the system. Wait for the Mycon fleet to
get trashed before you talk to Talana again, otherwise she won't have much to
say to you. Talk to her afterwards to gain an official alliance.
Go back to Sol. Restaff, refuel.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Go to Betelgeuse I's star base to make contact with the Syreen. |
| |
| Tell the Syreen about the Mycon Deep Children. |
| |
| Go to Epsilon Camelopardalis I-A and open the vault of Syreen Penetrator |
| ships. |
| |
| Return to the star base at Betelgeuse. |
| |
| Go to Epsilon Scorpii I and tell the Mycon of Organon. |
| |
| While the Mycon are gone, attack the guardians at Beta Brahe I and take the |
| Sun Device. |
| |
| Leave Mycon space and wait for the Syreen trap to play out. |
| |
| Gain an alliance with the Syreen at Betelgeuse. |
| |
| Return to Sol for refueling. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: What happens if I stay in the Organon system during this event?
A: Nothing. You aren't actually supposed to be anywhere near there when it
happens.
Q: Can I put a Syreen ship in my fleet?
A: Don't bother. The only ships you'll be fighting against after this stage of
the game are going to be Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah, which Syreen is terrible against.
[]-------------- 2.16 - Finale -----------------------------------------------[]
There's one last species around to ask for help and we're going to go
meet them. Unfortunately, they're in the middle of Ilwrath space under guard by
an infinite number of Avengers. Go to Alpha Tauri, the hidden Ilwrath home
system.
When you get there, use your Umgah Caster. You'll automatically set the thing up
to impersonate their gods Dogar and Kazon. During this conversation, you can
even tell the Ilwrath to rename themselves the Dillrats, but sadly this change
doesn't show up on the star map or anything drastic like that. Anyway, order
them to "SEEK NEW PREY" and they'll leave our next destination open for your
interference.
That destination is Procyon II. The star base around this planet is completely
vacant when you check it, so approach the planet itself and use the 'Caster.
When you're done talking to the Chmmr, what you must do next should be apparent:
use the Sun Device.
Once you've gone through all the dialogue and end up back at Sol, you'll need
to set up your flagship again:
-- 11 Thrust modules
--- 8 Turning jets
--- 2 Advanced fuel tanks (Fill)
--- 2 Crew pods (Staff)
You won't be using it for combat so there doesn't need to be much on board.
There are a lot of different ships you can bring along here, but I suggest
this: Sell all your old escorts and bring along nine Chmmr Avatars. Avatars are
not the best choice against what you'll face, but they're just too cool to not
use. It may sound strange, but a few empty ship slots will make the coming
battle easier.
o---------- The Chmmr Avatar --------------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ The Chmmr Avatar can obliterate most enemies without much effort while \
\ taking minimal damage. It has three satellites orbiting it that /
/ automatically fire on nearby enemy ships as well as incoming projectiles. \
\ When you hold down the primary fire button, a stream of energy will reach /
/ out about as far as the length of the Avatar and do massive damage to \
\ anything caught in it. The secondary function is a tractor beam that drags /
/ in enemy ships for the kill. All you have to do when using this vessel is to \
\ fly straight at your opponent, hold down the tractor beam to bring it in /
/ faster, then hold down the fire button to shred it to atoms. You are not \
\ manueverable enough to dodge enemy fire, don't even try. When it comes to /
/ fighting enemies faster than you, wait for them to fly close before you turn \
\ on the tractor beam or else you'll waste your battery. /
/ \
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Take quasispace portal 520 x 540. The system the Ur-Quan hide their trophy
battleship--your last destination--is Delta Crateris.
When you enter the system, talk to the Dnyarri. He will at last make himself
useful by telepathically forcing the thousands of Ur-Quan ships flying around
into leaving the system. Approach the red planet they were circling. The ship
still has three of both Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah guardians around, but they're
not much. For once, don't bother withdrawing any of your escorts. Let your
Chmmr companions fight this out to the death.
If you did all of the Yehat sub-plot, Pkunk and Yehat ships will fill all of the
empty slots you have after that last fight as reinforcements. The ones that
really matter are the Pkunk -- they're so fast the Sa-Matra's passive defense
systems can't even catch them! Almost every other ship will get mowed down fast,
so stick to Pkunk here.
o---------- The Pkunk Fury ----------------------------------------------------o
\ /
/ This effete, flowery looking thing is actually the fastest known ship in \
\ space. The primary fire button will cause it to shoot out metal bits at a /
/ very short range to the left, right and front of the ship. If you turn in \
\ place while firing you'll shower a small circular area around you with /
/ gunfire and create a rather pretty looking pattern while doing so. Attacking \
\ drains the Fury's battery quickly and that power reserve does not regenerate /
/ by normal means. You will need to hold down the secondary button to make the \
\ Pkunk crew recharge the ship's power supply with their minds while sending /
/ out rude transmissions to the enemy ship. The fast battery drain and slow \
\ recharge rate force this ship to make multiple attack runs against enemies. /
/ When destroyed, the Fury has a 50% chance of reviving with full crew to \
\ fight again. /
/ \
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
The Sa-Matra launches two defense mechanisms: gravity balls and plasma balls.
The gravity balls do little damage, but when you collide with them they send
you reeling into the distance. The plasma balls are much faster and tear right
through you doing large amounts of damage. Once all the shields are down, the
Sa-Matra stops launching projectiles but you still need to destroy what's
already out there before you bring in the now helpless flagship.
What you want to do here is use a Pkunk Fury to fly by the Sa-Matra's shield
generators and pelt them with a sideways attack, recover energy, and repeat.
You will have to do this many, many times to wear the ship down. Even with the
Pkunk this is going to involve a little fancy footwork, so stay on your toes.
Once the generators are all down, let your current Pkunk vessel be destroyed
seeing as how a full warp sequence is impossible to survive. Bring in Chmmr
and Yehat ships to sweep up the remaining obstacles with their superior
weaponry. When the coast is clear, call in your flagship and fly it into the
large gap in the Sa-Matra's protective barrier.
That's that, you've beaten the game! If you're playing on UQM version 0.4 or
higher, you should have the ending video, out-takes and credits kick in.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Summary: |
| |
| Go to Alpha Tauri. Use your Hyperwave Caster to order the Ilwrath to seek |
| out new prey. |
| |
| Go to Procyon II. Use your Hyperwave Caster to talk to the inhabitants below |
| the slave shield. |
| |
| Use the Sun Device to draw out the Chmmr. |
| |
| Refit your flagship and fleet for the final battle. |
| |
| Go to Delta Crateris. Speak to the Dnyarri when you get there. |
| |
| Kill the Sa-Matra's protectors. |
| |
| Destroy the Sa-Matra. |
| |
| Enjoy the ending. |
| |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Q: Can I bring something to the final battle other than Chmmr Avatars?
A: Yes, go ahead and bring anything you can kill Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah with if you
want. A much smaller number of Spathi or Utwig would be the most devastating.
Again I must stress the importance of leaving some of your fleet open for Yehat
and Pkunk reinforcements.
Q: That sure was fun, but I wish I hadn't spoiled the game by using your
walkthrough! How do I erase my memory so I can play it again for real?
A: Uh, that's a little hard for me to solve. Don't touch the game for 2-10
years, then go back and play it again. You won't remember where stuff is.
Q: Is there anything in the game that you missed during the walkthrough?
A: A few things, but they are minor.
I avoided using many of the ships available in the game and left no advice on
the ones I didn't use.
I did not find all the rainbow worlds as there was no need for additional
Melnorme credits. Rainbow worlds appear as the first planet in these systems:
--- Alpha Andromedae
--- Beta Leporis
--- Beta Pegasi
--- Epsilon Draconis
--- Epsilon Lipi
--- Gamma Aquarii
--- Gamma Kepler
--- Gamma Reticuli
--- Groombridge
--- Zeta Sextantis
I only picked up two of the Mycon Egg shells on Beta Copernicus and Gamma Brahe.
The third one is on Gamma Scorpii. This could be used to buy a Druuge Mauler.
There is also a Burvix Caster on Arcturus I-A. This performs the same function
as the Umgah Caster, but the Druuge are eager to buy only this one from you in
exchange for a free fuel refill. Sounds like a gyp? It's supposed to be, but
here's a way to turn that around on them:
A popular prank to pull on the Druuge is to equip every slot of your flagship
with High Efficiency Fuel Systems which you leave empty except for 25 fuel. Use
the Portal Spawner and take quasispace portal 488 x 538, then proceed to the
Druuge homeworld of Zeta Persei I. When you sell the Burvix Caster, they will
have to give you just under 1,600 units of fuel to keep their end of the
bargain! The reaction you get for this is hilarious, and you can sell all that
fuel back at Sol for more RUs than you'll ever know what to do with for the rest
of the game.
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Afterword |
o------------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Thanks to Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III for making this fantastic game. It was
cool of them to release the source code to the public, which is why you can now
play Star Control 2 for free. This gesture also goes out to those that put in
the hours to make The Ur-Quan Masters what it is.
People who’ve assisted me in putting this monstrosity together:
Stefan Elliot - Helped tweak the content early on, giving me an idea of how to
proceed while making it.
John Szczepaniak - Sent me WinSyntax, the program I made this guide with.
Tore Aune Fjellstad - Beta tested the guide, pointed out a couple of glaring
errors that would have made me look bad.
|