Lost game of 11+ years ago

[Rubes]

Hey everyone...

Sorry I neglected to check back after posting last time. Nice to see the conversation about the game continue! I can hardly believe people still want to play it.

I should be able to provide unlock codes for anyone interested. I can't go back and remove the unlocking system, or create a single unlocking code -- mostly because the locking system was coded by another group and I was just using it. But I still have the program that generates unlocking codes, so I'd be willing to give away codes to whomever needs one.

I probably won't be checking back here often, so if you would like a code, contact me by email at: slcrubes at gmail dot com.

For those of you interested in seeing what I've been up to lately, come visit me at The Monk's Brew. Love to have you drop by.

 

[Mac-Biodiesel]

Ahh, nostalgia is great! I've just been replaying this game the past couple of nights. I think over the years I've gotten wiser in the ways of games, because I'm discovering things about it that I never realized, even though I read through the manual somewhat. Like, I discovered how to actually activate the power-ups you get through the Mat-Trans, and that the Computer actually has a use - to tell you what those powerups do!

Speaking of which, the manual says the computer has that information, but in actuality, the computer only describes the powerups if you have them onboard your ship. I found that a bit annoying, so I created a list of all the powerups I could think of and their descriptions (if not obvious and I could find them). Did I miss anything?

Tech 				Effect 

Antimatter Torpedoes		More destructive, but you can hold half as many. Not effective against category IV shields.
Dynatron Laser Adaption		Mod to laser that uses energy from the couplings to decay cosmic rays into a stream of unstable, high-energy dynatrons, which can have a potent destructive effect on the target. However, the stream is susceptible to shields geared toward high-energy weapons.
Gravitic Globe Shields		Links to pre-existing shield, using its energy to generate a gravitic field around the ship which drains convetional or high-energy weapons of their effectiveness. In effect, the gravity field causes weapons to disperse their energy while attempting to pass through the shield.
Hyperspace JumpGenerator	Instant jump to any sector - AWESOME!
Laser Coupling Supercooler	Laser recharges faster
Magnetic Crystal Shields (MACS)	Shields for high-energy or alternative energy weapons
Particle Decay Laser		Very destructive, except against Particle Decay SHIELDS
Particle Decay Shields		Bypass existing shields to protect from particle weapons.  Handles positive, negative, and neutral energy.  Also can be effective against some alternative energy weapons
Particle Target Scanner		Scans some ships whose hulls are refractory to conventional scanners
Phase-Shift Cloaking Device	Cloak when shields aren't up
Plasma Defense Shield		Unique shield mechanism consists of a double "walled" electromagentic bubble whcih contains a laer of charged plasma in between. Conventional weapons which stirke the field are dampened by the plasma layer, reducing their effectiveness, while weapons utilizing alternative forms of energy are disrupted and/or dissipated.
Power Shield Channels		Less energy to use shields
Shield Energy Enhancer		Increase max shields
Shield Regeneration Module	Shields regen faster
SuperCrystal Power Source 	More energy available
Torpedo Holding Units (2x/3x)	Double/Triple torpedo capacity
Torpedo Regeneration Kit	*Slowly* regain torps
Tractor Beam Scrambler		Not always effective
Triple Torpedo Firing Tubes	Spread-fire of torps
WarpCoil Supercharger		Increase top warp speed
X-ray Laser Mechanism		Advanced laser weapon links to main laser to modify the enrgy output as it passes from the couplings. Firing a beam in the x-ray band of the sprecturm, it is effective against defenses designed to work against convetional or high energy impacts, but can be neutralized easily by alternative enrgy shields such as the MACS.

--Edit: Added a couple more and filled in missing descriptions.