A few of the highlights of Manifest Destiny include:

• Customize your race to fit your playing style, choosing from a large number of options. Each player's race will have different strengths and weaknesses, depending on their design. Be sure to exploit those weaknesses, but watch out for those strengths!
• An immense research tree, from fire all the way to fusion power, and beyond! You begin as a caveman. Can you become the leader in world technology?
• Personalize the playing map by naming areas under your control (Sherwood Forest, anyone?).
• Combat units which are designed by you using whatever technologies are available at that time. Need archers? Design an infantry unit with bow and arrows. Need even more range? How does a bazooka sound?
• Found your own cities, or conquer the opponents' cities to add to your expanding empire. A city's production, defense, and other aspects can be improved by building structures as your technology levels permit. Need ships? Build a port. Need to store excess resources? Build a warehouse.
• Each city has its own history which is tracked for you as the game progresses, chronicaling all the important events since its founding.
• Click here for a more comprehensive list of features.

0.1 - What does this FAQ cover?
This FAQ covers questions that arise about the game and the group itself. It is NOT a substitute for a manual, and it is most certainly NOT a strategy guide.

0.2 - Where can I find this FAQ?
This FAQ will be posted Every Now And Then to alt.games.mdestiny, and will (Ron willing) be available at http://www.rjcyberware.com, the game's official website.


Section 1; What is Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny is a game of Exploration, Expansion, Exploitation, and Extermination (of your neighbors) - a 4X game. A player starts the game as the head of a band of peoples recently emerging as a sentient life form. Little does he know, other players are in the exact same situation -- and only one empire will be able to rule the planet.

1.1 - Where can I find Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny is not yet released, but the current alpha/beta is available at http://www.rjcyberware.com.

1.2 - How do I play Manifest Destiny against other people?
Multipleyer gameplay involves one host (who may or may not be playing), and many players. The host is first responsible for creating the game and recruiting players. The players first must send the host their race files, which are saved as .rce files in the Manifest Destiny directory. The usual method of transportation is by email (as an attachment), although the host can use whatever method he wants. The host then creates the game (though the New Game panel) with the players' race files. On his machine are then generated (gamename).hst and (gamename).p01-p(numberofplayers). The .hst file is a host file and should stay on his computer, but the .p files are Player files -- the host sends the .p files to the respective players, who open them. The players then open their .p file and play their turns. When finished, they save their orders, which creats a .s(player#) file and a .h(pl#) on their computer. The .s is a Save file which contains the orders and is sent back to the host, and the .h file is a History file, which remains on the computer. The host receives the .s files and generates the turn.

1.3 - What's so special about Manifest Destiny?
Manifest Destiny is quite unlike any other Civ-genre game. Most notably, it features a spherical world, point-based movement, and complete unit and race design. Civilization, on the other hand, features a flat/doughnut world, tile-based movement, and zero race/unit design. We feel that these added features add a couple dimensions to the tactical and strategic game options.

1.4 - What games inspired Manifest Destiny?
The two games that inspired Manifest Destiny the most were Stars! and Civilization, mostly in that order. Manifest Destiny owes an awful lot of it's design, most notably point-based fleet movement and the unit design process, to Stars! (created by the fine folks at Mare Crisium, www.crisium.com). Manifest Destiny owes its setting to the classic Civ titles.

1.5 - When's Manifest Destiny being released?
Ron could tell you, but then he'd have to kill you - and he'd still be off by at least 6 months.


Section 2; What is this forum?
2.1 - What is this message board?
This is a newsgroup, not a message board. This newsgroup is for the purpose of discussing the game Manifest Destiny and related issues.

2.2 - What's a newsgroup?
Newsgroups are the original internet peer-to-peer device. Any message you send from your computer is distributed to other hosts, who in turn distribute to other hosts - it will eventually get to the host that I, for example use. Because of the peering, please note that there will be a delay between your posting and the message getting anywhere; don't post if you need a reply in the next minute. Propagation delays of up to a day or two are not unheard of.

2.3 - Where can I get this newsgroup?
Most obviously, your Internet Service Provider should have a newsgroup host. If it doesn't, you can get this newsgroup through DejaNews, which has recently been bought out by Google [and as of this writing we're still waiting for them to come completely online]. Ask your ISP for instructions on how to set up newsgroup reading.

2.4 - H0W D0 Y00 L1K3 My 31331 P0ST?!
Oh, god no! PLEASE DO NOT USE HTML IN YOUR POSTS!!! It is rather obnoxious, and a large number of newsgroup readers do not support HTML. Please turn it off in your client.

2.5 - What can we discuss in this newsgroup?
Manifest Destiny - the game RJCyberware - the company --- and anything related to the above. Please do not deliberately start tremendously off-topic posts, but the occasional bit of off-topicness is just fine and adds life to a newsgroup. Please do not, however, start or continue flame wars; discussion of individual readers is (under most circumstances) NOT appropriate.

2.6 - Who is this Ron Hiler guy?
He's the guy behind Manifest Destiny -- his word on the game is essentially law. Pay attention to him.