SUNDOG HINTS. Original author unknown. * marks comments by Alex Leavans ** marks remarks by Bruce Webster, author of the original Sundog Edited into shape from BIX messages by Neil Harris. 1. Character Generation If you are going to make a try for solving Sundog, it's best to create a new character. When buying abilities, take a lot of Charisma and Luck...it helps when avoiding the 'nasties' who plague the game. ** Actually, I prefer a high Dexterity--it'll help you with both space and ground combat. I usually set it at 70-75, Charisma at 60-65, and the rest in the 50-60 range. 2. Use of Shunts To conserve as many of your hard-earned credits as possible, replace all the missing or broken pieces in your ship as possible with shunts. Certain pieces are un-shuntable, so some purchasing is necessary. * I have to disagree. To get maximum performance, you want all the parts in your ship to be of the highest quality. If you make do with shunts, you're going to be in a much tougher situation if you need to run or fight. ** Use shunts. (Snicker) Do it. I dare you to. It's a great way to commit suicide. Point 1: each system has functions that disappear as it takes damage and the overall level of the system drops. Using shunts pushes you towards those lower levels. Point 2: shunts are less than stable. Want to see something interesting? Take a particular system (such as ship's guns) and load it up entirely with shunts (except, of course, for the control nodes). Buy some cargo (so you'll be attacked), lift off, start a sub-light move to the opposite side of the solar system, then run back to the guns repair bay and wait for a pirate attack. Then watch what happens. _That'll_ cure you of overusing shunts. 3. Auxiliary fuel Now, fill up on fuel and repair your ship, but don't buy auxiliary fuel, as this will take up space in your cargo hold. ** On the contrary, if you're a novice and not good at defending yourself against pirates, you should _always_ buy aux fuel. It cuts into your profits, true, but it beats the heck out of losing several thousand credits' worth of ship's parts or just plain losing. _I_ still buy aux fuel a lot, _especially_ if I'm going into dangerous territory, such as Woremed (see below). 4. Money in the bank Take out all your money from the Bank. * I disagree. Take MOST of your money out of the bank (at least on Jondd, but leave a couple of credits in the bank. ** I disagree. If you're going to a specific system, use the Transfer function to move lots of cash there. But avoid carrying large sums of cash any longer than you have to. Few things more aggravating than withdrawing 50K credits from the bank and immediately running into muggers who don't buy the "Claim no cash" ploy. Buy a lot of extra food (don't over-do it though) and store it throughout the numerous lockers aboard your ship. 5. Weaponry * One of the first purchases you should make is a shield and a scattergun. And, like it says in the ad, "Don't leave home without them". ** Better yet--at least, at first--buy two or three shields (since you can get them most anywhere) and forget the scattergun. Two shields in good shape will let you outrun just about any group of attackers. Be aware that each shield can only take so many hits, just as a scattergun has only so many shots. A stinger is harder to use, but it never runs out of shots. 6. Fly to Woromed Now you should Warp over to Woremed, where they have the best illegal equipment credits can buy. If you don't know how to warp yet, then don't use these hints...get familiar with the game first. ** Actually, the best system to do wheeling and dealing in is Glory, since (1) it has three planets to work with, and (2) it has a high law level, so pirate attacks are less common than in other systems. ** A simple hints: if you're going to Woremed, *don't* carry cargo. It's one of the nastier system around. Just take (or transfer) some cash, go there, buy what you need, and leave. 7. What to buy on Woromed Once on Woremed, peek in the Bank and see if there is any more dough stashed there...a litle more money couldn't hurt. Find a bar, and ask the bartender for Information about Buying a Cloaker and then a Ground Scanner. Replace a Cryofuse in the force shield with the Cloaker, and replace a Scanner in Pilotage with the Ground Scanner. The Ground scanner lets you see a few cities missing from your maps as well as land directly at them (rather than having to drive around in your little land cruiser, ne' pod), and the Cloaker makes you invisible when the cloaker is activated. ** I seldom buy a cloaker; I prefer concentrators and autoslews, so that I can entertain myself with blowing the pirates away. Better use of fuel, though you do run the risk of damage. * Another device that you will want to have is a DeCloaker. This negates the effects of other people's (namely pirates) cloakers. This device is available in a bar in the city of Banville (which is the religious colony that you are supplying.) You'll have to wait until the colony gets sufficiently developed for the bar to appear (it's the purple building that looks kinda like a moldy moon pie...), but once it does, buy that DeCloaker! The DeCloaker replaces a j-junc module in the tactical display. * A second note: I've found that it's a really useful idea to buy TWO of each of the items-->ground scanner, cloaker, and decloaker. Install one of each of the devices where they belong (don't worry about putting them in wrong, they won't fit anywhere except where they're supposed to go). Now put your spares in the parts locker. This will save your buns at some future date when a pirate blows out one of your hard to obtain and very expensive parts. And believe me, it's gonna happen. It's better to spend credits NOW, when you're in the right spot, and can get what you need, than be stuck later, without what you need. ** (Snicker) Ever noticed how often those special, illegal, expensive components seem to blow when you're attacked? A real shame, isn't it? I not only keep spares, I take the darned things out when they're not in use. Why risk a ground scanner during an in-system transit? You can *always* land at the starport, plug the GS back in, then go to the city of your choice. 8. Explore the planet Start your wheelings and dealings on Woremed...might as well, since you happen to be there already. Buy as much as you can, and fly to another city by selecting Navigate and choosing City To City. Sell, everything you have, because this is the only way for you to get credits to finance your mission. (Of course, the old capitalistic creed applies--buy low and sell high!) Check to see if the warehouse has any Cryogens, and take note of whatever else is there too. Don't buy any goods now, but collect the Cryogens and take them back to Jondd. One of your last actions should be to to pick up all the cash that is left on Woremed...there are other means of banking, but direct cash transactions are easier and less bothersome. ** Don't take all the cash; it's usually a good idea to leave a little on each system for emergencies. And the best way to get it back to Jondd is to use the TRANSFER function at the Uniteller. If you don't take your dough with you, then you won't have anything at all back on Jondd. REMEMBER! When you buy or sell something at the exchange, the cash is deposited to the bank, and NOT to you personally. So be sure and withdraw all your cash before you leave! * Be careful, though! Carrying large amounts of cash on you is a good way to attract muggers! If you get the little blue box that shows someone is approaching you, run for it! You have better than a 50% chance of getting away. I have never met anyone yet in those encounters that meant me any good. (Mind you, some of them didn't actually do me any harm, but...). If you get stopped by muggers, bluff. Claim no cash. About 2/3rds of the time, this works, and you get left alone. If they attack, run for it. That's what you bought your shield for. (It only takes a limited number of hits, though, so be careful not to get complacent). If there are only a few of them, you can choose to duke it out. This is where a scattergun becomes important. A stinger won't do much of anything. A scattergun will level your attackers much more easily. Search your attackers, as they will sometimes be carrying things of value. ** A scattergun only has 7 shots, while a stinger has an unlimited number. If you want to go picking fights, the best combo is two shields, a scattergun, and a stinger. Keep the scattergun in your hand (upper right location); when it runs out, it'll automatically switch to your stinger. 9. Back to Jondd Once you get back to Jondd, buy a LOT of food, which you will need while travelling in the wilderness. Leave Drahew, and hunt around for 'The Lost Colony', known as Banville Center. Once found, your Ground Scanner will store its position in memory, and you will be able to land there directly. Visit their warehouse, and find out which goods they need. Remember to store your cryogens there, too. From here on, it's just a matter of finding where the goods Banville Center needs are. Just keep flying around picking up credits and the needed goods. 10. Evading Pirates However, a certain 'low class' element also roams the spaceways...pirates! When faced with pirates (you will hear the alarm, believe me) select Tactical. The least damaging (to you) method of dealing with the buccaneers of the spaceways is to wait for them to close in (your ship is moving...remember that) and try to Communicate. Refuse to deal with them, and Bluff. This usually doesn't work, so if not, select Cloaker from the menu, which will make you effectively invisible. When the pirates reach the center of the screen, they will warp off; now shut off the Cloaker as fast as possible...its a real gas guzzler. The pirates will leave you alone if your cargo hold is empty, or carrying cryogens. * Also, remember: while you're in sublight, from planet to warp point or vice versa, your warp drives can be charging. This means that once you hit the warp point, you can just blast off, leaving the pirates in the dust. ** Actually, if you want to really be tricky, you can fully charge your warp engines while sitting on the ground--then run over to the fuel depot and "top off" your tanks. Also, did you know that you can warp any time after leaving orbit? That little number in the upper left corner of the pilotage shows you the probability of making a successful warp at that moment. If it works, you arrive at your target system, but your location will vary to either side of where you were at when you jumped, with a greater variation for being more "in-system". If it doesn't work, you have to select a destination and start the warp engines charging all over again. * With the cloaker on, some pirates will wander off of your tactical display. A good rule of thumb is, if you can't see them, they can't see you. Some pirates (most notably the larger vessels) will NOT go away. They will fly right up to you and stay on you. AS LONG AS YOU HAVE YOUR CLOAKER ON, THEY WON'T FIRE. This makes for some interesting situations, when you're low on fuel, and coming up on a planet... * Because the only time you can get nailed by pirates is while moving planet to planet or warp point, choose your warp points with care. Use the maps, and figure out EXACTLY where you want to go to. Then pick the shortest route.... ** Different systems have different law levels. The lower the law level in the system, the greater the probability of being attacked (on the ground or in space). In a system with a low law level (like Woremed), you want to either avoid carrying cargo or choose the most direct route possible. In a system with a high law level (like Glory), it's not so critical to be direct. Also, in a multi-planet system, you can use the planets as stepping stones. 11. Fighting Pirates If you are the more agressive type, and hate to see these pirates walk all over you, then you'll want to pick up on Woremed a Concentrator and an Autoslew. * The concentrator is available at the same bar(s) on Woremed that all the other stuff is. I STILL haven't found an Autoslew. Put the Concentrator in your gun panel, and the Autoslew in the tactical panel. However, pirates don't work alone as a rule, but you do...they have the advantage on number, so don't push your luck. If you feel like a fight once in a while, then go ahead, but don't make it a habit (unless you happen to be Buck Rogers, Luke Skywalker, or Han Solo). ** Heck, I _like_ fighting pirates. In a number of systems, you can get bounties (of up to 5000 Cr) for blowing a pirate away. Better yet, cargo will often be detected in the wreckage, and you can use the tractor beam to bring it into the pod...*if* you have a free slot. If you don't, you can always jettison what's there, but you don't have long to make that decision, and you won't know 'til you bring it on board what you've got. ** By the way, as you destroy or chase off pirates in a given system, you gain a "reputation" which makes them less likely to attack you. ** If you want to fight, this is also a good time to pop a dexboost. That'll up your DX to 100 (temporarily) and make it easier to hit those suckers. Weapons preference is a matter of personal choice; I prefer lasers and have enough experience (I wrote the $*#&$ code) with it to defend myself. 13. Shields * It also takes a couple of seconds for your shields to charge--so when you're flying in space with valuable cargo, first thing to do, after you've selected your sublight destination (and possibly warp point), is to put up those shields! ** A waste of fuel. I usually don't put up my shields until I hear the alarm or see the attack indicator (upper left corner of the pilotage) turn red. If I'm feeling nervous, I'll sit in the TACTICAL display, in the SHIELDS menu, ready to hit the SHIELDS FULL button should I be attacked. Sometimes, though, I won't even put up the shields until *after* I've done a COMM with the pirates. 14. Colonies & Trade Goods (see list at end of article) * One thing is almost certain--if you need it for the colony, then you won't be able to buy it on Jondd. ** Actually, in a given game, each planet has a list of supply and demand values for all the trade goods--and no planet has (to my recollection) all of them available. Supply and demand is modelled on a city-by-city basis, but each city tends to recover towards the planetary levels. There are 18 different sets of values, and they are randomly distributed among the planets at the start of a new game. For that matter, more often than not, you can complete the first phase of construction in Banville without ever leaving Jondd (or, at least, without leaving the system). Which, of course, is a great way to eat up your "seed" money. ** Each solar system has three levels: law, tech, and wealth. Law affects frequency of attack (in space and on the ground) and also affects what illegal items are available in bars. Note, though, that it is possible to be offered, say, a ground scanner on Jondd by someone in the street. However, you have to be willing to endure beggars and muggers for quite a while to find something like that. ** The tech level affects the price of tech-based trade goods (I leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out which goods are tech-based). It also affects the range of ship's parts available in the stores. ** The wealth level has a general impact on the price of goods but that's just one in a series of factors determining what the cost of a particular cargo is (along with supply, demand, quality, tech level, and whether or not you're in a starport). Want a measure of a system's wealth level? Buy a glass of ale and look at the price. ** For those of you who thought you were going nuts: yes, some of the planets actually move during the course of the game. 15. Needs and the Pod * Make your list of items currently needed by the colony. Fly around Jondd to the various cities, and if you see something at a good price, BUY IT. You don't know when (or if) you'll see it again. First thing to do is store it in the pod. If it won't fit because you've already got stuff there, store it in the warehouse, and come back for it after you've dropped off your current load. If the various cities on Jondd don't have what you need, the next alternative is to try Heavy. This is a local flight, but don't let that fool you--pirates are as ready to hassle you here as anywhere. A good strategy is to fly to Heavy, pick up one of the items you need, which will fill one space in your pod's cargo bay. Use the other space for a load of fuel. Fill up your ship at the spaceport, so that what you have is a full tank, and then a reserve tank (in the pod). (By the way, I assume you've bought a cloaker...) Now, fly back to Jondd. It's almost certain that a pirate is gonna bother you. The reason for the extra fuel, is so that when you hit 'Cloak' you don't have to worry about being stranded in space, out of fuel. (Which will make you a sitting and very dead duck). Leave your cloaker on until you hit Jondd, then simply go to Navigate, and land at the colony. Don't bother turning off your shields or cloaker--the landing sequence will do that automatically. The key issue is to avoid getting hit by the pirates--so leave your shields up! * When buying things at the exchange, don't necessarily buy something the first time you see it. Quite often the same item, but of varying quality, will be offered for sale more than once. When buying for yourself, (i.e., to make a profit), buy the highest quality available (I generally don't buy below a 'C'). When buying for the colony, buy the LOWEST grade of merchandise possible. [I try not buy above a 'E']. (They will accept anything, and what's the point of paying 10,000 credits for grade 'A' gems/crystals, when you can buy grade 'G' for 3500 and keep the extra 6500 yourself?). Anyway, at any given exchange at any given time there are only about 8 or 10 things that are for sale, and they cycle through the list. Don't be scared about missing something, and so buying it the first time you see it. Often, the same item (different grade) will come up a few items later, so cycle through everything before you make your purchases. This can often save you credits! 16. Hints & Tips * The only safe places to sleep are a hotel, your ship, and your pod. Sleeping in a bar is a good way to get robbed of everything on you! Your pod, also, can be ransacked. This may happen if you park it on the street, or in an unguarded parking space. Guarded parking lots (the ones with spaces and a little white guard building) are safe. * There will be certain planetary systems that you can't get to, initially. THIS IS NOT A BUG IN THE GAME. There is a way to solve this problem. But it will cost you money, a lot of money. In sum, 200,000 credits. So DON'T get to the end of the game with a small amount of money, because you will NEED lots of capital to finish the game. So sharpen up those trade skills! ** For those of you wonder how the score is calculated and what it means: don't ask me. That was added for the ST version, and I haven't figured it out, either. List of Cities and Trade Goods: (*=Starport) SYSTEM PLANET CITY TRADE GOODS Jondd Jondd Drahew* Antimatter Oddburg Art Objects Esposito Biochips Darvilton Cadcams Dramming Chronographs Heavy Lightning* Clothing Ft.Ligon Comgear Ft.Savon Droids Lafser Tcana Ifwerl/Tennow* Exotic Metals Storel Fruits/Vegetables Glory GloryI Lagosal* Furs/Silks Abran Gems/Crystals Abundan Gold Paran Grains/Cereals Corian Handweapons GloryII Fielno* Meats Gennewa Nullgravs Jemba/Loth Organics GloryIII Dark* Pharmaceuticals Shoot Shoot Shoothan* Radioactives Knuth Rare Earths Temlonton Seeds/Sprouts Waslat Spices/Herbs New Shoot New Shoot N'Waslat* Silichips New Tenal Stock Embryos Wildera Stimulants N.Shooth Sunsuns Tram'el Synthesizers Edrired Wood/Fibers Hell Sheol* KolManDaa Kala Man* Daa New Davya Chalne'ij Sosai D'helro N'ljones* J'behjon N'kander Woremed W'orrad Sheshco* Aylika Zadansa Alram Jadul Krakorus Malesti* Illdono Pelako D'esgid Ferr Ferr Ferring* Lonax Barnum Bantin Ferrwyck Industron* The Mines Snowball Icebox* Enlie Enliah Plepa* Tuie Hepah Hepah Arlenair* Velanie Essoit e your buns at some future date when a pirate blows out one of your hard to obtain and very expe X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X Another file downloaded from: The NIRVANAnet(tm) Seven & the Temple of the Screaming Electron Taipan Enigma 510/935-5845 Burn This Flag Zardoz 408/363-9766 realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510/527-1662 Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 801/278-2699 The New Dork Sublime Biffnix 415/864-DORK The Shrine Rif Raf 206/794-6674 Planet Mirth Simon Jester 510/786-6560 "Raw Data for Raw Nerves" X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X