v1.01, 6 February 2005

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           Battlecruiser 3000AD Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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CONTENTS

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1. Preface
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- 1.1 Credits and Legal
- 1.2 Version
- 1.3 Notes
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2. Introduction
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- 2.1 What is the game?
- 2.2 Who developed Battlecruiser 3000AD?
- 2.3 What are the minimum requirements?
- 2.4 What different versions are there? How can I tell what version I have?
- 2.5 Where can I get the game, patches and manual?
- 2.6 Why so many versions? Did it really take ten years to develop? Tell me
some history...
- 2.7 What about the flame war?
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3. Tutorial
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- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Interface familiarisation
- 3.3 Basic navigation and flight
- 3.4 Logistics
- 3.5 Basic combat
- 3.6 Fleet operations
- 3.7 Shuttles and cargo
- 3.8 Trading
- 3.9 Planetary operations
- 3.10 Station capture
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4. Gameplay
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4.1 Flight
- 4.1.1 Is there a map showing all flux field links?
- 4.1.2 Are there any hidden planets?
- 4.1.3 Can I automatically plot a route via flux fields?
- 4.1.4 Why am I stuck in space? How do I leave nullspace?
- 4.1.5 How much fuel is used by hyperspace jumps?
- 4.1.6 I ran out of fuel and have lost control of my ship. What can I do?
- 4.1.7 Do afterburners and retrorockets use extra fuel?
- 4.1.8 How do I orbit a planet? What's ORBSCAN?
- 4.1.9 Can I stop my autopilot bumping into other ships?
4.2 Space Operations
- 4.2.1 Why can't I manually aim turrets upwards?
- 4.2.2 Can I completely destroy stations and ODSs?
- 4.2.3 What does the Minelay order do?
- 4.2.4 Do AI ships break the speed limit?
- 4.2.5 Can I capture enemy ships? Can I beam troops onto them?
- 4.2.6 Why does Fleet Command and Control not work?
- 4.2.7 When using Fleet Command and Control I ordered a ship to return to a
station. Why can I not re-launch it?
4.3 Crew and Support Craft
- 4.3.1 How can I stop intruders stealing shuttles and interceptors?
- 4.3.2 What does the airlock do?
- 4.3.3 How do I raise crew AI level?
- 4.3.4 Why don't my crew stay off-duty when I tell them to rest?
- 4.3.5 Why won't my crew leave the galley?
- 4.3.6 Why don't the deploy and collect orders work when issued from the
Tactical Launch Menu?
- 4.3.7 Why does my shuttle not deploy the ATV?
- 4.3.8 How do I replace a destroyed mining drone?
- 4.3.9 Can I buy a new ship?
- 4.3.10 How do I recover a support craft that is so damaged it cannot move?
- 4.3.11 Why do support craft not recharge?
- 4.3.12 How do I switch between interceptor pilot seats?
4.4 Cargo and Trade
- 4.4.1 How do I find things in Debris Fields?
- 4.4.2 Can I sell or hide illegal items?
- 4.4.3 How are trade prices calculated?
- 4.4.4 How do I steal cargo or artifacts?
- 4.4.5 Can I unload all my mining drones whilst in station?
4.5 Planetary Operations
- 4.5.1 Why do my Battlecruiser's sensors not work correctly close to the
surface?
- 4.5.2 Where are the starbases?
- 4.5.3 Can I dock at starbases?
- 4.5.4 How can I move a waypoint which has been placed below ground?
- 4.5.5 Why don't my OTS weapons hit?
- 4.5.6 How can I assure I make planet-fall on the light side of the planet?
4.6 Other
- 4.6.1 Can I communicate with other races?
- 4.6.2 Why does the game start on the 4th April?
- 4.6.3 Can violations be cleared?
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5. Techniques and Strategies
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- 5.1 Fast flight
- 5.2 Remote piloting
- 5.3 Battlecruiser or Interceptors...?
- 5.4 Battlecruiser combat
- 5.5 Destroying capital ships
- 5.6 Interceptor combat
- 5.7 Starstation attack
- 5.8 Ground attack
- 5.9 Mining
- 5.10 Trading
- 5.11 Salvage
- 5.12 Crew
- 5.13 Advancing time
- 5.14 Upgrades
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6. Advanced Campaign
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6.1 Introduction
- 6.1.1 Terminology and campaign structure
- 6.1.2 Objectives and rewards
- 6.1.3 Artifacts and upgrades
- 6.1.4 The AI problem
- 6.1.5 General notes
6.2 TOD1 M1/5 - Diplomatic Escort (Majoris)
- 6.2.1 Overview
- 6.2.2 Events
- 6.2.3 Artifact: Hyperion Subspace Device
- 6.2.4 Strategy
6.3 TOD1 M2/5 - Diplomatic Security (Majoris)
- 6.3.1 Overview
- 6.3.2 Events
- 6.3.3 Strategy
6.4 TOD1 M3/5 - Diplomatic Escort (Majoris)
- 6.4.1 Overview
- 6.4.2 Events
- 6.4.3 Strategy
6.5 TOD1 M4/5 - Operation Hostile Takeover (Zerin)
- 6.5.1 Overview
- 6.5.2 Events
- 6.5.3 Strategy
- 6.5.4 Fleet Command and Control
6.6 TOD1 M5/5 - Operation Grab (DaisyMae)
- 6.5.1 Overview
- 6.5.2 Events
- 6.5.3 Strategy
- 6.5.4 Artifact: Tacyon Anagram Shield
- 6.5.5 Artifact: Celestial Orb
6.7 TOD2 M1/5 - Tactical Operation (Empirian Raiders)
- 6.7.1 Overview
- 6.7.2 Events
- 6.7.3 Strategy
6.8 TOD2 M2/5 - Evacuation (Starball)
- 6.8.1 Overview
- 6.8.2 Events
- 6.8.3 Strategy
- 6.8.4 Why does the Vagrant not appear?
6.9 TOD2 M3/5 - Hostage Rescue (Pixan)
- 6.9.1 Overview
- 6.9.2 Events
- 6.9.3 Strategy
6.10 TOD2 M4/5 - Operation Star Strike (Sygan)
- 6.10.1 Overview
- 6.10.2 Events
- 6.10.3 Why didn't I get Fleet Command and Control?
- 6.10.4 Strategy
6.11 TOD2 M5/5 - Operation Ghosthunt (Reingard)
- 6.11.1 Overview
- 6.11.2 Events
- 6.11.3 Strategy
- 6.11.4 Artifact: Enhanced Nav Module
6.12 TOD3 M1/5 - Planetary Strike (Moon)
- 6.12.1 Overview
- 6.12.2 Events
- 6.12.3 Strategy
6.13 TOD3 M2/5 - Search and Destroy (Covert Fleet)
- 6.13.1 Overview
- 6.13.2 Events
- 6.13.3 Strategy
- 6.13.4 Artifact: Karanian Mark IV Reactor
6.14 TOD3 M3/5 - Tactical Strike (Antis)
- 6.14.1 Overview
- 6.14.2 Events
- 6.14.3 Strategy
- 6.14.4 Artifact: Trans-Matrix Cloaking Device
6.15 TOD3 M4/5 - Defense Shield (Starpath)
- 6.15.1 Overview
- 6.15.2 Events
- 6.15.3 Strategy
6.16 TOD3 M5/5 - Tactical Escort (Falkerie)
- 6.16.1 Overview
- 6.16.2 Events
- 6.16.3 Strategy
- 6.16.4 Artifact: Phased Array Ion Disruptor
- 6.16.5 Artifact: Just Another Cyborg
6.17 TOD4 M1/1 - Tactical Strike (Gammulan)
- 6.17.1 Overview
- 6.17.2 Events
- 6.17.3 Strategy
- 6.17.4 Artifacts: RANDOM and RANDOM Decoder
- 6.17.5 What now?
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7. Xtreme Carnage
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- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Level 1: Fighter Intercept
- 7.3 Level 2: Fighter Intercept
- 7.4 Level 3: Transport Attack
- 7.5 Level 4: Cruiser Strike
- 7.6 Level 5: Deep Strike
- 7.7 Level 6: Tactical Support
- 7.8 Level 7: Tactical Strike
- 7.9 Level 8: Fleet Intercept
- 7.10 Level 9: Command Intercept
- 7.11 Level 10: Final Conflict
- 7.12 Bonus Level
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8. Editing and Cheating
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- 8.1 How do I cheat?
- 8.2 How do I install custom scripts?
- 8.3 What's the GBS?
- 8.4 Got any GBS tips?
- 8.5 Can I play without enemies?
- 8.6 Can I play as an Insurgent? Are there other ACMs?
- 8.7 Can I change the player's ship type?
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9. Technical Issues
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- 9.1 Have you got any tips getting BC3K to run under Windows ME, 2000 or XP?
- 9.2 Why does the freeware version ask for the CD? Why is it running in debug
mode?
- 9.3 Why does the freeware version installer try to install the game to the
wrong hard drive?
- 9.4 After installing the game all I see is a black screen. What's the
problem?
- 9.5 Why does BC3K start to run slowly or suffer frame rate reduction at
certain points in the game?
- 9.6 Why does the game crash on or after saving, particularly during the ACM?
- 9.7 Can I change the resolution?
- 9.8 What does CRTL+A do? Why can't I speed up the game?
- 9.9 Why can't I find bases on planets?
- 9.10 Why do my crew get stuck on decks?
- 9.11 I ordered my shuttle to tow my battlecruiser and now the battlecruiser
has disappeared. Why?
- 9.12 How do I backup or copy a save game?
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Appendices
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- A. Acronyms
- B. Hidden Flux Field Links


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1. PREFACE

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1.1 Credits and Legal

This FAQ was written by Tim Howgego (also known as timski), copyright 2002-
2005, unless otherwise stated. Errors and suggestions related to the content
of this document should be reported to tim (at) capsu (dot) org. Please put
"BC3K" somewhere in the email subject field. This FAQ draws on material posted
on usenet (primarily comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic and alt.games.bc3000ad ),
the official site http://www.3000ad.com/ , fan sites including several that
are no longer online, and many of the gaming sites that have carried
editorials on the game over the years - contributors are noted with the
relevant text.

You may copy and repost this FAQ, but the content of the document, including
the credits, must remain unchanged. Informing the author that you are hosting
it is appreciated, but not mandatory. Ensuring you host the most recent
version is also appreciated, but not mandatory. Intending hosts should be
aware that very little has ever been written about BC3K that didn't upset
someone - this is "a game" like no other. If converting from text to HTML,
please note the use of fixed width text in diagrams and greater/less-than
characters. Battlecruiser 3000AD copyright 1989-2000 3000AD, Inc. All rights
reserved. 3000AD, Battlecruiser 3000AD, Battlecruiser 3020AD, Battlecruiser
Millennium, GALCOM, Galactic Command, Xtreme Carnage, VRnGine, ACM, AILOG,
SCI-LINK, game characters and associated logos are the copyright properties of
3000AD, Inc. 3000AD, Battlecruiser 3000AD, GALCOM, Xtreme Carnage and
associated logos are the trademark properties of 3000AD, Inc. Other trademarks
and copyright are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
This is not an official FAQ. It is not endorsed or authorised by the game's
developer or publishers; although Derek did say, "wow, that looks like a lotta
work! Good job!" The author is not affiliated to the game's developer or
publishers.

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1.2 Version

This is version 1.01, 6 February 2005. Added some new XP-installation tips,
and corrected dead URLs. Much like the game, this FAQ will never be truly
finished. The tutorial and walkthroughs should be complete. I think the most
commonly asked questions are answered, but inevitably a few grey areas remain.

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1.3 Notes

This FAQ is written for Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.09. This is the final version
of "Battlecruiser 3000AD" (BC3K, sometimes Battlecruiser Legacy), and
represents three years worth of patching from the first release. This FAQ does
not cover Battlecruiser-anything-else (Millennium, Generations, Online, the
other online, 3020AD, Redemption, 3030AD, 3050AD, Battlecruiser Commander,
Strike Pak, Skirmish Pak, Battle Zone, Tactical Engagement, Tactical Command,
Project ABC, etc - at the time of writing only the first one exists as a
stand-alone title - all the others were ideas, working titles, or test code).
Earlier versions of Battlecruiser 3000AD are similar to v2.09, but with
important differences. Early releases (Take Two's North America 1996 v1.0 and
GameTek's European 1997 v1.01C4) were regarded by some as unplayable, missed
certain features, and were poorly documented. Later releases prior to v2.08
(the early 1998 free v1.01D7C and Interplay's late 1998 United States re-
release v2.0) are playable, but omit a few features. This FAQ does not aim to
repeat information given in the documentation accompanying v2.08/9 in the form
it is originally given, and does not aim to fill the large gaps in the release
documentation. Similarly it does not address questions related to the plethora
of bugs and missing features in the earlier versions. Although certain
information may be of use to anyone playing an earlier version, I strongly
recommend you download current documentation, patches, and/or the entire game,
and play with that instead.

BC3K was (is) possibly the most complex thing ever conceived as a computer
game. It attempted to create a hybrid of multiple 1980s and 90s space
combat/sim/strategy game styles - open-ended Elite, mission/pilot orientated
Wing Commander and similar, capital ship-level Privateer, strategic Carrier
Command, strategic ground battles, first person shooter, roleplay... That mix
of play-styles, learning curve "that makes the North Slope of Everest look
like a bunny hill" (Dean Gordon, writing for GamesDomain), and an "un-manual"
(Tom Liam McDonald, writing for GameSpot) left many hard-core gamers lost. As
Chuck Smith comments: "You might also like playing the 'game' within the game:
trying to figure out how to play." It attempted to generate the kind of
persistent universe that a decade later is technologically difficult. Much of
its alleged underlying technology was questioned by some writers. For example
its much-hyped "Neural Net" AI was brought into question by Tom Liam McDonald
and Keith Zabalaoui's article, "The Neural Net that Wasn't - The Quest for
Artifical Intelligence in Battlecruiser 3000 AD" published in Boot magazine,
March 1997. While BC3K contains a campaign (storyline/mission) mode, this does
not meld seamlessly with the persistent universe in the way most players
expect. Global events occur regardless of how the player performs their
missions. To quote the v2.0 3rd edition manual: "Nothing you do affects the
grand scheme of things nor does the world revolve around your existence." All
these factors were frustrated (something of an understatement) by the fact
that upon release the game did not work.

Aside from its initial un-play-ability, the design of BC3K (and more recently
the Battlecruiser series as a whole) continues to spark debate. In the eyes of
many, there is no game here at all: BC3K is simply a universe simulation
devoid of gameplay. Some are critical of how the features are implemented - to
quote CNET Gamecenter (upon awarding BC3K the title 2nd Worst Game of All Time
in October 2000), "the game itself redefined the term nonintuitive." Others
conclude the game tries to do too much and consequently fails to do any one
thing well. And then some players enjoy it.

The topic "BC3K FAQ" has a history all of its own, related to the long-running
lack-of-manual-saga. Kyle Reed started writing a BC3K FAQ as early as 1995,
but appears to have lost interest upon release, and I have not found any text.
Developer Derek Smart issued the first official FAQ in November 1996
(available here, http://dlh.net/cheats/pc/english/battlecruiser+3000+a.d./ ),
although it is primarily a guide to avoiding bugs and missing features. The
FAQ evolved into a technical FAQ, with no gameplay content. As far as I am
aware, the only 'fan' based work is by Nai-Chi Lee (
http://follies.werewolves.org/archives/1Humor/BC3Kfaq.txt ) - although that
has little to do with the game, see What about the flame war? below.

The manual had a somewhat mythical, highly contentious status for many months
following release. 80-85,000 manuals were printed in November 1995 but
superseded by an extra year of development. Mark Seremet, then Take 2
president, writes (on AOL): "The game has actually gone through 2 other manual
prints. We were unable to complete the product and, thus, the manual fell
victim to vaporware." The second unreleased manual was a "Systems Handbook"
printed for the anticipated January 1996 release. Take 2 offered to distribute
these in October 1996. DreamsRyou leaked an electronic copy of the manuscript
at this time, much to Smart's displeasure. On the manual Take 2 shipped with
the game, Smart writes (usenet, December 1996): "The pamphlet that was out was
courtesy of Tom Rigas (Take2 producer). The first time I ever saw the 'manual'
was THREE weeks after the game shipped." Mark Seremet had directly
contradicted this on AOL forums, sparking a very public breakdown in relations
between developer and publisher (see Why so many versions? Did it really take
ten years to develop? Tell me some history... below). The (lack of)
documentation became a focus for much of the bitter dispute surrounding the
release of BC3K.

Smart had requested the help of fans in producing a manual immediately
following release (source - AOL postings), but later preferred to write it
himself. Take 2 includes a file "walkthru.txt" in some later versions,
intended as a quick-start guide. GameTek included a tutorial for the first ACM
mission at the start of their manual, which is something that the later Smart
manuals avoid. Usenet posts of the time suggest that these were entirely
written by GameTek, however much of the other text is shared with the Smart
manuals. The later are structured like operating manuals, rather than guides.
Smart's first full (albeit 'preview') manual was released with v1.01D7C, late
in 1997. The v1.01D7C manual includes a blank page titled "Appendix F
Walkthru", with a small note indicating the page is being worked on. By the
time the final series of (complete) manuals appeared, the walkthrough appendix
had been dropped. By November 1998 a tutorial was Derek Smart's "top priority
- I have attempted to do one but the game is so deep that a half-assed one
won't do." At the start of 1999 a short file emerged containing about 30 tips,
not structured as a tutorial. The tips file never developed further, and
eventually disappeared from the documentation. In January 2000 the planned
tutorial for BC3K was finally dropped in favour of a future tutorial for
Battlecruiser Millennium. Daniel Moritz part-wrote an in-game training script
for BC3K, but it was not completed, and I cannot find a copy of it.

Several internet sites claim to be selling a strategy guide for BC3K called
"Battlecruiser 3000AD official GALCOM technical papers". Ed Dille, the
'author', informs me that Prima Publishing cancelled project shortly after
BC3K was released, and the book was never published. Dille's company (Fog
Studios) had a promotional relationship with the game's developer for the two
years prior to release.

BC3K is hard to research. A lot has been written about the game, but very
little transpires to relate to BC3K v2.09. Usenet archives are full of posts
about 'the game' (for example, alt.games.bc3000ad alone has 24,000 threads
archived by Dejanews/Google), but to quote Pat Lundrigan (in 1997), "I think
I've read a couple a hundred posts about BC3K and maybe two were about game
play".

So, why am I writing this? Some have questioned my insanity, but... BC3K is a
fascinating bit of software. Intriguing in concept; almost impenetrable in
practice. Where most games will occasionally stump players in the minutiae of
gameplay, BC3K stumps them at every turn. What little knowledge that does
exist is fast disappearing, and very soon BC3K will mean nothing more than its
development history, which is close to a legend already. As a set of operating
instructions, the final manual is in many ways excellent. But BC3K is still in
dire need of a guide to play, to complement those operating instructions. That
is primarily what this FAQ aims to provide. It fails, of course. All it does
is help expose what lies under that impenetrability. You will still need to
try and find a game down there yourself.

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==============================================================================

2. INTRODUCTION

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2.1 What is the game?

The term "the game" has several different meanings in the context of
Battlecruiser 3000AD: (1) The software as variously released, patched, and re-
released, played either as a game or a game of trying to understand the game
(this is the main focus of this FAQ). (2) The design idea behind the game -
what it could be rather than what it actually is. (3) The development history,
hype and associated vapourware status of BC3K, and later internet/usenet
flamewars centred around developer Derek Smart (see What about the flame war?
below). The core game (first meaning) gives the player command of a starship
(battlecruiser), fully crewed and equipped, and leaves them in a relatively
hostile galaxy to do more or less whatever they want. BC3K is as much about
strategic command and management of the ship's resources, as it is about
flying around responding to events. BC3K has spawned several other titles in
the series, including Battlecruiser Millennium.

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2.2 Who developed Battlecruiser 3000AD?

BC3K was primarily developed by Derek Smart and his company, 3000AD Inc.,
based in Florida, United States. Various other people and organisations have
had an influence on certain parts of the game's code over its development
history - see Why so many versions? Did it really take ten years to develop?
Tell me some history... below.

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2.3 What are the minimum requirements?

The original (Take 2) release version was touted as: Pentium 60MHz, DOS 5.0 or
Windows 95, 8MB RAM, 50MB hard disk space, 2x CD-ROM, SVGA Graphics Card. The
slightly later GameTek version simply specifies any Pentium Processor, but my
personal experience of trying to play it with a Pentium 100 suggested greater
processing power was needed - indeed the game is capable of heating up a
Pentium 500, so the more processing power, the better. The v2.0 minimum
requirements are: Pentium 166, Windows 95/98, any 2D video graphics card with
2MB memory [some sources advise 4MB] (optional 3DFX Voodoo based card), 165MB
hard drive space, 2x MPC-11 compliant CD-ROM, 16MB RAM, mouse and sound card.
Pentium 200+, 32MB RAM, and joystick are recommended. Windows ME, 2000 and XP
are not supported, with mixed results reported by those attempting to run BC3K
using these operating systems - tips are contained in the Technical Issues
section below. An OS/2 version of BC3K was considered as early as 1996, but I
have no evidence it was produced.

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2.4 What different versions are there? How can I tell what version I have?

The main release versions are as follows:

- Demo v1.0, 1992. This was previewed in Computer Games Strategy Plus #18, May
1992. Possibly not released publicly at the time, but was re-released by Smart
around 1998.
- Demo v1.01/v2.0/v3.0 (varies by source), 1993. Public freeware release. Demo
versions include basic space simulation, document but often note as "inactive"
certain battlecruiser management features, and seem to omit strategic or
ground operation aspects completely.
- v1.0, October 1996, published by Take 2 in North America, although a few
copies found their way to other countries. Silver boxed, with 30 page manual,
and widely regarded as unplayable.
- v1.01C4 (also v1.01R4C?), March 1997, published by GameTek in United
Kingdom. Subsequently released to other European countries with translated
manuals, but no in-game translation. Silver boxed with a small fighter graphic
on the front, with 80 page manual and keyboard reference card.
- Demo v1.01C5 (?), May 1997 (?), released on the cover disc of Computer
Gaming World. Unconfirmed limitations: "Free Flight, Xtreme Carnage and 1 ACM
mission all taking place in only two space regions containing up to 4
planets."
- v1.01D7C (also v1.97?), February 1998, free version (commonly without
opening video), which featured on several video game magazine cover disks. The
v1.01D7C patch was originally completed in November 1997 but the release of
the free version was delayed due to legal action involving Take 2. The free
version can only be patched to v1.04B (for 3DFX cards only). A CD containing
v1.01D7C was also sold via the internet.
- v2.00, December 1998, published by Interplay in North America as a budget
title, alongside a Star Trek game. 40 page printed manual, with the rest on
the CD. This is sometimes referred to as the Developer's or Deluxe edition, or
version v1.1. Around this time $10 CD upgrades from v1.x to v2.x were
available via the internet, but these were discontinued during 1999.
- Demo v2.0, May 1999 and January 2000. The first is based on v2.00, the
second on v2.09. Unknown limitations.
- v2.07/2.08, 1999, published by Interplay in North America. Packaging
identical to v2.00 - from the technical FAQ: "Though the box may say v2.0, it
may contain v2.07 because the game has had several manufacturing runs."
- v2.08, October 1999, published by GT Interactive in Europe. Dark blue box
with watercolour picture of battlecruiser, and 142 page manual with appendices
on CD. Included Map Pak.
- v2.08, March 2000, published by Jack Of All Games in Oceania.
- v2.09, July 2001, freeware internet release. Contained everything, including
modifications and game-builder script.

Various patches were written in-between these releases - precise details of
which are no longer particularly relevant. 3DFX support was first added to the
game by patch v1.03E, March 1998. The last major v1.x patch was 1.08B, July
1998, although a series of 1.09 patches ending in v1.09D were released late in
1998 to preview v2.0 features. The last v2.x patch was v2.09, January 2000.
v1.x are primarily DOS based, v2.x only run from Windows (albeit essentially
still looking like DOS based). While in space, CTRL+V will display the current
version number.

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2.5 Where can I get the game, patches and manual?

The final (v2.09) version is available as freeware from several sites
including http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=2754 ,
http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?file=62798 and
http://downloads.gameplanet.co.nz/dl.dyn/Files/2780.html . The file is about
135MB. You should also apply the patch available here, http://www.the-
underdogs.org/games/b/bc3000adv2/files/bc3000adv2-fix.zip or
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/60000/62988.shtml , which removes the CD check
when running without debug mode and fixes a glitch in the opening animation
sequence. This freeware version defaults to debug mode - in order to play the
game fully, use the previous patch and then launch the game with debug mode
off. See Why does the freeware version ask for the CD? Why is it running in
debug mode? below for further explanation.

The final set of manuals (including appendices) can be downloaded here,
http://www.3000ad.com/downloads/bc3k.shtml , along with patches from v2.00 and
v2.07 (North America re-releases) to v2.08, v2.08 (re-release elsewhere) to
v2.09 (final), and a compendium of modifications, cheats and editing tools.
Patches need to be applied in order. There are no patches from 1.x to v2.x
available. A few games sites have some older patches in their archives, for
example http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battlecruiser3000ad/downloads.html