ARVOCH ALLIANCE INSTRUCTIONS

This document includes instructions for installation and gameplay. It is recommended that you read this entire document before playing the game to ensure system compatibility, optimal performance, and to learn the basics of playing the game. To view the keyboard quick reference image, click here (you may want to print this image for reference). To view the game's official website, click here. To start the game, double click on the Arvoch Alliance icon ( ) that is located on your desktop after running the installer.

- Section Quick Links - System Requirements Installation and Setup Getting Started Options
Gameplay and Menus
Ranks and Medals
Menu and Message Controls
Navigation and Tactical Consoles
Flying in Space
Gravity and Planetary Flight
Landing and Docking
Heads-Up-Display and Cockpit
Targeting and Ordering
Primary and Secondary Weapons
Subsystem Damage and Targeting
Multiplayer
Technical Notes/Known Issues

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

System Requirements | Minimum | Recommended
--- | --- | ---
Operating System | Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor | 2.0 GHz AMD/Intel | 2.4 GHz or faster multi-core AMD/Intel
Video Card | 128 MB DirectX compatible * | 512 MB or more DirectX compatible **
RAM | 1.5 GB | 2 GB or more
Hard Drive Space | 750 MB | 1 GB or more
Internet/Network for multiplayer | 128K DSL | 512K DSL or LAN ***

* Dedicated video memory exclusively, shared memory is not supported.
** Recommended for High and Ultra detail settings, shader model 2.0 minimum.
*** Recommended for hosting multiplayer sessions with more than a few players.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

To install Arvoch Alliance, run the ARVOCH_ALLIANCE.EXE program available from the game's website. The program will guide the installation and install an icon to your desktop (labeled Arvoch Alliance). The installation program will also update the game if an older version is already installed in the same folder (the default installation folder is \sw3dg\ArvochAlliance on the same drive where Windows is installed). This way, you can update the game to a newer version by running the latest installation program while also keeping your settings and profiles.
Double click the icon to start the game. The first time you run the game, you will be prompted to enter your pilot's callsign. When entering your callsign, choose a name you wish to use for both single player and multiplayer. You can change it later without losing your stats with the 'Rename' option in the pilot manager. Your single player and multiplayer performance will then be tracked using your callsign. You can manage up to 99 separate pilot profiles for the game. It is recommended that you back up your pilot profiles occasionally in case you need to restore them or want to transfer them to a different computer. Pilot profiles are saved under the filenames pilotX.sw where X is a number from 0 to 98 representing each profile slot in the Pilot Manager menu.
Once you enter the callsign, the next screen will be the main menu. Use the mouse pointer to select menu options. If a game controller is detected, you can also select Configure Controls from the Options menu to select the buttons and axis controls you want to use with the game (see the Options section below for instructions on configuring a game controller). If no game controller is detected, the default flight control will be set to the mouse. If you use the mouse for flight control, the wheel will control your throttle (if available) while button one will fire your primary weapons and button two will fire your secondary weapons.

GETTING STARTED

From the main menu, you can select a gameplay mode, change game options, or enter the pilot manager. The pilot manager lets you load, create, rename, and delete saved profiles. It also lets you preview information about each saved profile, including mission progress, rank, and medals. Single player (selected by clicking on the 'Launch' button in the main menu) will let you play the game alone with computer controlled ships while Multiplayer lets you connect to other players via the Internet or a LAN. Multiplayer includes both human controlled ships and computer controlled ships. There are 3 single player modes available: Continue Campaign, Custom Campaign, and Instant Action. Continue Campaign lets you play the game's default single player campaign. Custom Campaign lets you play a player designed campaign. And Instant Action will generate a battle scenario randomly for you. Multiplayer lets you join other players cooperatively in the default campaign or engage in dogfights and team-vs-teams battles. See the multiplayer section below for more information.
Interactive training is available and provides basic instruction on controlling your ship, managing the tactical console, navigating, using the targeting and weapon systems, issuing orders to ships under your command, descending into planets, and landing in carriers. It is highly recommended that you complete the training mode before starting either the single player or multiplayer mode. You can skip training stages by pressing the Enter key or recall previous stages by pressing Alt-Enter.

O P T I O N S

To set up the game for your computer's configuration or to customize your controller settings, simply click on OPTIONS in the main menu. You can fine-tune the game's settings for audio, video, detail, and other miscellaneous options. Here are the various options that you can select in the menu:
Video/Effects:
- RESOLUTION - Arvoch Alliance supports a variety of screen resolutions, including both traditional ratios and widescreen ratios. The game will automatically detect which resolutions your system supports. When set to 'Optimized', the game will use your desktop resolution by default. If you select a resolution lower than your desktop resolution, the game window may not fill the entire screen or it may appear blurry/stretched. It's generally best to run the game in the Optimized resolution mode unless you need to run the game in a resolution that is different than your desktop. Resolutions below 1024X768 are not recommended due to loss of detail and clarity.
- FONT MODE - You can select which font the game uses with this option. The 'Classic' mode provides an original SW3DG font while the 'Standard' mode provides a more futuristic font.
- BACKGROUND NEBULA - Some players might prefer a more ordinary looking space background with just stars, so you can turn the background nebula on and off with this option.
- STAR DETAIL - Lets you adjust the background star appearance. If you are running in a low resolution without anti-aliasing enabled, you may want to change this setting to low to reduce background sparkle/shimmering. High is the default setting and provides a detail level that works well with high resolutions.
- 3D COCKPIT - You have the option of turning on or off the 3D cockpit. Some players may prefer to filter out the cockpit, leaving only the HUD and displays visible in a fixed position. When the 3D cockpit is turned off, the three lower displays will be rendered as part of the stationary HUD. This may also help boost performance slightly on slower systems as it does reduce the scene's polygon count.
- SHADERS - This lets you select the level of detail for shaders. 'Off' disables all shader effects, which may improve performance and/or provide compatibility with older systems. 'Limited' or 'Full' can be selected to enable the shader effects.
- GRAPHICS DETAIL - This option lets you adjust the level of detail for several general graphics elements that have a significant impact on framerate performance:
- High - Maximum details. Explosions are rendered in full detail with frequent fire trails and smoke. This mode generally needs a fairly powerful system to run at framerates above around 20-30.
- Medium - Moderate details. Explosions are rendered without fire trails and smoke effects. This mode should work well with many moderate system configurations.
- Low - Minimum details. This mode should work well on many low performance systems. Minimum system requirements listed above are still recommended for playable performance.
- PLANET DETAIL - This option lets you adjust the level of detail for several planetary graphics elements that have a significant impact on framerate performance:
- Ultra - Maximum details. Planets are rendered with full detail. Terrain includes an additional layer of high resolution detail mapping. Water effects include dynamic cube mapping and terrain mesh detail scales to its highest level. This mode generally requires a powerful system to run at framerates above around 20-30.
- High - High details. Planet terrain mesh detail scales to a high level and water effects also include dynamic cube mapping. Detail mapping is reduced to one layer. This mode generally needs a fairly powerful system to run at framerates above around 20-30.
- Medium - Moderate details. Planet terrain is limited to medium detail, a static cube map is used for water effects, and other details are reduced. This mode should work well with many moderate system configurations.
- Low - Minimum details. Only a basic texture is rendered for planet surfaces and mesh detail is low. Water is rendered with just a basic texture. This mode should work well on many low performance systems. Minimum system requirements listed above are still recommended for playable performance.
- SCREEN MODE - This option offers four modes, Optimized (WM), Optimized (WM) Max VSync, Locked (FS), and Locked (FS) Max VSync mode. The Optimized modes run in a window and are generally considered the best modes to run the game in. The locked modes force the game to run in a full screen mode, regardless of what resolution you select. The Optimized modes let you see any Windows dialogue boxes that might open and supports alt-tab to toggle between the game and other applications. Running the game in a Locked mode may cause unpredictable behavior if alt-tab is used, but can allow the game to run in a lower resolution in full screen (although the performance benefit will likely be minimal compared to the Optimized modes running at a higher resolution). The Max VSync options remove the framerate limit so the game can run at framerates up to the refresh rate.
Audio:
- MUSIC - This option lets you turn the music on or off. If you select 'On', a 'Volume' option will appear that will let you adjust the volume as desired.
- IN-GAME VOICES - In game voices are optional. If you would rather not have radio chatter, turn this option off. This setting also effects in-game voice chat in multiplayer.
- EFFECTS VOLUME - Lets you adjust the volume level of the in-game sounds.
Control:
- CONTROL TYPE - You will notice several modes for controlling the ship. Here are the various settings and the recommended uses:
- KEYBOARD - Uses arrow keys for ship control. Best for players who want to use the keyboard only or do not have a game controller connected to their computer. Some form of mouse control would still be recommended though, see below.
- MOUSE DIRECTION NORMAL - This lets you use the mouse as if it were a joystick. If you move the mouse in a particular direction, the game will respond by how far the mouse is moved. Once you stop moving the mouse, the game will re-center the movement, just as if a joystick control was centered. This option works well with laptop touch stick mouse controls. A sensitivity control option will appear when either this or the REVERSE Y mode are selected.
- MOUSE DIRECTION REVERSE Y - This reverses the direction on the Y axis channel. In the NORMAL mode, moving the mouse/touch stick down lifts the nose of your ship as though you were pulling back on a joystick. REVERSE Y will change this control so that moving the mouse/touch stick down will drop the nose of your ship and moving the control up will lift the nose of your ship.
- MOUSE POINT - This option lets you move the ship with a mouse pointer. You can place the pointer in a certain position and the ship will continue moving in a direction until you center the pointer. This option works well for players familiar with mouse pointer control. An adjustable deadzone/sensitivity option will appear when this control mode is selected. You can also fine tune the sensitivity setting further by editing the first line of the file in the game's default installation directory entitled mdeadzone.cfg. A value of 1.0 will give you a very wide deadzone/low sensitivity, a value of 4.0 will be the default setting which is a small deadzone and moderate sensitivity. Values above 4.0 up to 10.0 will offer an extremely small deadzone and high sensitivity.
- JOYSTICK - This option uses the default game controller for ship movement. The controller that is listed first in your Windows game controller's list will usually be the default controller for the game. It is recommended that you enable a joystick as the default game controller for this option. If you would like to use multiple control devices, see the Technical Notes section below.
- SENSITIVITY - Selects the stick sensitivity. Some controllers may cause undesired sudden movements in gameplay. To reduce the effect of this problem, you can decrease the sensitivity setting. For digital controllers with optical ('no contact') technology precision you may want to set this option to HIGH as that setting will provide maximum responsiveness.
- DEADZONE - When the joystick or mouse point control mode is selected, this option will appear. It lets you expand the deadzone, or central response area for your game controller. If unwanted yaw, pitch, or roll rotation occurs when you center your controller, increasing this setting will help prevent the problem.
- JOYSTICK HAT - You can set the HAT option to ON, STRAFE, PAN, or OFF. When set to ON, the HAT allows you to control the pilots viewing direction (up, left, right, and rear views), if your controller is equipped with a HAT option. When set to STRAFE, the HAT will control your vertical and horizontal strafe thrusters. When set to PAN, the HAT will control the pilot viewing direction by panning. The PAN mode does not auto-center itself like the ON mode does when you center the HAT, so you will need to manually re-center the viewing direction. The HAT can also be used to pan around your ship in the second external view mode.
- 3D HEAD TRACKING - This option enables support for the TrackIR view control system, which will let you control the pilot's view by turning your head.
Updates:
- CHECK FOR UPDATES - This option will periodically check for updates to the game when set to ON.
- CONFIGURE CONTROLS - This menu lets you customize the functions of your controller's buttons, keyboard, and flight axis controls. You can click on the 'Click here to configure joystick axis controls' option to assign axis channels on your controller to the various flight controls. The flight axis settings will appear with each available input channel you can use to control your ship. Follow the instructions to set a particular axis channel to control each flight rotation. If your controller doesn't support a particular control, simply select NO AXIS and use the keyboard or mouse option for the control. The input can be reversed for any configured axis channel by clicking on 'Invert' to the right of the signal indicator. An 'X' will appear in the box next to the word 'Invert' when active. The throttle axis will also have an 'Afterburner' option next to its signal indicator, which when enabled will let you activate the afterburner when the throttle axis is moved to its near maximum limit.
The keyboard/button configuration menu option lets you quickly locate the function of a particular controller button by simply pressing the desired button on the controller (the button number will show at the bottom and a green box will appear next to the button control, if it is mapped to a function). Not all available functions are mapped by default, some are optional and can be assigned to new/different keys or with control devices that have additional available buttons. To assign a button or key to a function, simply click on the function you wish to change. The game will prompt you to press the button or key that you want to bind to the function. Once you press the desired button/key, it will be assigned to the selected function. Any adjustments you make are saved. If there is a conflict caused by one button or key being assigned to two functions, the game will solve the conflict for you automatically by swapping the function's old button or key with the conflicting one. You can also clear the assigned key or button with the options near the bottom of the screen. You may want to test each button to verify what it controls before exiting the menu. A few keys (such as the escape key) are locked and can't be altered, but you can change nearly any other key function as desired. For joysticks and game controllers, Arvoch Alliance supports up to 32 controller buttons.
Both the axis menu and key/button menu also let you change the current device in case you have more than one game controller connected to your computer. Use the left and right arrows at the top to change the control device while you are mapping axis channels or buttons. To test which device is currently active, simply press buttons on it or move it around to observe which input signals are responding. You can select a different device while you are mapping controls, so you can bind each function to a different device as desired. The game supports up to 10 control devices simultaneously. The first seven axis channels available in the menu are matched with the device you select, channels 8-10 use a separate input system that provides additional input options for some devices. You can manually control input selection for channels 8-10 using the method explained in the technical notes section below.

GAMEPLAY AND MENUS

In the main menu, clicking on 'Launch' will activate the 'Continue Campaign', 'Custom Campaign', and 'Instant Action' buttons. Click on 'Continue Campaign' to begin the game's default mission sequence. Once the loading cycle is complete, the briefing and loadout menu will appear which provides the details of your current mission, squadron configuration, and the weapon/equipment loadout for your ship:
The briefing menu will present the mission parameters in individual stages. You can scroll through the stages by using the left and right arrow keys on the lower left display. You can also optionally mute the briefing voice, if desired. The specifications of the mission will appear on the lower right display and includes the estimated number of hostile ships you can expect to encounter, number of allied ships in the area, the primary objective of the mission, and the location. The middle display provides a rotating 3D map of the mission sector and includes buttons as the top of the display that you can use to go back and play missions you've completed previously. Click on the 'Ship/Loadout' button on the bottom of the middle display to view the configuration of your ship and the ship assignments for each member of your flight group.
The Ship/Loadout menu displays your current ship and its weapon/equipment loadout on the left side of the middle display. Your ship's specifications are shown on the lower right display. You can select and load/unload various weapons and equipment items using the options available on the middle and left displays. Weapons are divided into three categories, Particle Cannons, Beam Cannons, and Missiles. Generally speaking, you'll always want to be carrying all three types of weapons. All onboard items share a common hardpoint resource limit that is specific to each ship and is indicated by the 'Capacity' bar graph in the middle display. The hardpoint/capacity limit determines how many items you can install onto your current ship and it is divided into separate categories for missiles, equipment items, and shield cores. Each missile and equipment item uses one hardpoint slot each while shield cores use a hardpoint slot for each class level.
To unload a missile, click on the 'Unload' option displayed next to the weapon you want to remove. This will free up an installation hardpoint you can use to install a new missile type onto. To install a new missile type, simply activate the missile list by clicking on the 'Missiles' button on the lower left display. Then drag and drop the weapon onto your ship icon in the middle display. You can also optionally quick load a missile by just clicking on it. If there is room for the weapon, it will be installed onto the first available hardpoint. You can unload an equipment item and install a different one the same way. Shield cores can simply be selected from the menu since there is only one item slot available in that category. Even though installation hardpoints are limited by their respective categories, you can still unload items in one category to free up space for a different category. You will need to balance the loadout for most of the ships you fly for the role needed to complete the required mission objective and the capacity limits the ship offers.
The ship assignments for your squadron are displayed on the right side of the middle display under the 'Squadrons' heading. Your flight group is divded into individual squadrons starting with Alpha and ending with Epsilon. Your position in the flight group is generally always 'Alpha 1' which is the upper left ship icon. However, your position may vary while playing the campaign cooperatively in multiplayer. The flight leader/host is assigned to Alpha 1 in the multiplayer mode while other players are assigned other squadron slots. To select a ship in your flight group, simply click on the icon. You can select either the upper left icon or the icon under the 'Flight Lead' heading to select your own ship. A rotating 3D model of the ship will appear in the lower left part of the middle display and you can change the assigned ship for that pilot by dragging and dropping a ship from the list on the far right display onto the flight group area of the middle display. The pilot's icon will then be updated with the new selected ship. You can't change the weapon and equipment configuration for a ship you are not flying, each pilot in the flight group is in control of their own individual loadout, but you can assign a different ship to each pilot to help formulate an optimal group of ships for the current mission.
If you want to restore the default weapon/equipment loadout and squadron configuration for the mission, simply return to the briefing menu and use the left and right arrow keys at the top of the middle display to reselect the mission. Some missions may require you to use a specific configuration and for those missions, you won't be able to change the loadout or ship assignments.
Once you have reviewed the mission details and configured your ship and squadron, click on the 'LAUNCH' button on the lower right display to begin.

RANKS AND MEDALS

As you progress through the game, you will be promoted up the chain of command and will receive medals. Here is an image showing the various ranks and medals available in Arvoch Alliance:

MENU AND MESSAGE CONTROLS

All in-game menus can be managed with the mouse. If you've selected joystick or keyboard flight control, move the mouse to make the pointer appear. When a console or other menu is open, simply move the pointer to the option you want and left mouse click. The mouse pointer has two modes for these options, flight mode and selection mode. The first image below is the flight mode and the second in the selection mode:
Flight Mode Selection Mode
While in flight mode, the pointer is used for controlling the ship (if using the Mouse Point flight control mode), selecting targets, and selecting options on the HUD. To select a target, simply left click on it when it's in your forward view. HUD options are displayed at the top center of the screen. You can open the navigation or tactical console as well as activate the autopilot and formation functions. You can also access the target menu and order menu to issue commands to ships in your flight group. Hold the pointer over a HUD option to display its description. If you're using a mouse flight control mode and don't want to change direction when clicking on a console button or targeting a ship, hold down the ALT key to temporarily disable flight control response.
When the navigation or tactical console is opened, the pointer switches to selection mode. Simply left click on an option to select it. When a console is closed, the mouse returns to flight mode.
Your ship will display warnings, activity prompts, and other information in white text on the left side of your HUD. This information can help guide you with important information, alert you to a problem, or prompt you when an activity occurs. Multiplayer text chat messages will also be displayed using the same system. If a series of messages appears, it may obscure your forward view slightly. If this happens and you want to remove messages, simply press the numpad / key to remove one message at a time. If you miss a message, you can retrieve old messages by holding down the ALT key and then pressing the numpad / key. You can clear the screen of all messages by pressing the default numpad * key.
You can also use the controls to the left of the messages. The message controls will appear any time a message appears. If no messages are visible, you can bring up the message controls by moving the mouse to the upper left corner of the screen. If you are using a mouse flight control mode, you'll need to hold the ALT key to bypass flight control. Once the pointer is near the top left of the screen, the controls will appear along with the last logged message and the mouse pointer will change from the flight control mode to the selection mode. To remove the message and controls, simply move the pointer away from the controls until it changes back to the flight control pointer, when the last message fades away, the controls will also disappear. Here are details on each of the control options:
This button works just like the numpad * key to clear all messages from the screen and it will also remove the controls from view. However, if you do not move the mouse pointer away from the controls within about a second, the last remaining message will continue to be displayed. Once you move the mouse pointer away from the controls, the last message will eventually fade away and the controls will disappear from view. You can reduce the number of displayed lines of text to 3 total by holding the ALT key and click on this button. The reduced text mode will also remove some of the control buttons. Simply ALT click on the button again to restore the full text display mode.
This button works like a 'Page Up' key. It will scroll through the history of logged messages 20 lines at a time.
This button scrolls through the history of logged messages 1 line at a time (same as ALT-Numpad /).
This is the scroll bar. This control gives you quick access to the entire message log from oldest to newest, just left click anywhere on the bar and hold down the button, then move the bar to scroll through the messages.
This button scrolls ahead 1 line at a time (same as Numpad /).
This button works like a 'Page Down' key. It will scroll ahead 20 lines at a time until the last group of 20 message lines are visible. You can trim away any remaining messages by using the 1 line button above.
In multiplayer, this button is available and lets you select the voice chat mode. Voice chat lets you talk with other players in multiplayer using a microphone. The 'Sector' mode lets you broadcast to all other players in the same sector. The 'Clan Only' mode keeps your broadcast private and only players with the same clan ID tag in their callsigns will hear you.

NAVIGATION AND TACTICAL CONSOLES

Your ship is equipped with 2 main system consoles for navigation and monitoring mission conditions/parameters. You can use the F1 and F3 keys to open the consoles (F2 activates the jump drive), or use the mouse to click on a console button at the top of the HUD (remember that holding ALT down will temporarily disable mouse flight control when using a mouse flight control mode). To close a console, press the same F key or mouse click on the X at the top right of the console display. Here is a description of each console:
- Navigation Console (default F1 key and first console button): Lets you quickly determine your position in a sector and also select navigation points for traveling to different areas in space or to direct ships in your flight group under your command. Use the mouse pointer to select a navigation point, engage the jump drive (using the 'LAUNCH' button), or to highlight a coordinate option. For the navigation map, the game's universe is divided into cube sections called sectors. Each sector consists of 200,000 units of width, height, and depth using X, Y, and Z values as coordinates inside each sector. The center of each sector box is 0,0,0 XYZ, left of center will be -X,0,0, right of center will be +X,0,0. In the TOP VIEW mode (the default mode when opening the Nav console), up from center on the map will be 0,0,+Z, down from center will be 0,0,-Z. So the far left of the sector will be at X -100000 and the far right of the sector will be at X 100000 (200,000 units total with a range of 0 to -/+100,000 units in any direction from coordinates 0,0,0). The Y coordinate is the 'height' position and you can adjust that with the REAR VIEW option. When the TOP VIEW is displayed, a green arrow will indicate your current position in the sector box and it will point in the direction you are heading. There is also a 3D MAP mode which lets you move the map around in a 3D mode with the mouse (just click on the map and hold the mouse button down while moving the mouse around). Your direction is displayed on the compass at the top of the screen. 0, or virtual 'North', is moving forward/positive on the Z axis. 180 is moving backwards/negative on the Z axis. 90 and 270 are negative and positive on the X axis respectively. Pitch determines your direction on the Y axis, below 0 is negative, above is positive. Pitch is indicated by the ladder displayed with the gunsight in the middle of the screen.
You can manually enter coordinates or use the pointer to select coordinates by clicking on a point on the map. Once you select a navigation point, a yellow X will mark the spot on the map and your radar will indicate the direction you need to turn to face the point you selected. You can select a navigation point directly to an object in space by right clicking on its icon on the map. This option will set the X, Y, and Z position to the object for you automatically. Keep in mind that selecting a jump/navigation point on the system map with left click only sets the X and Z coordinates, since the map displays data in 2 dimensions. So if an object is above or below the arrival position vertically, you may need to adjust the Y coordinate value to fine tune your navigation position. To select a Y position, click on REAR VIEW to view the map from behind, or click on the 'Y:' entry box at the top of the display and manually enter a value.
Your jump drive can be used for long distance travel. However, each time you use the jump drive, it needs to cool down before it can be used again. It's best to use the jump drive only when needed, such as for an escape or to quickly reach a waypoint. Also, be careful not to fly outside of the mission sector as your ship will self-destruct if you attempt to run away beyond the sector your mission takes place in.
The AUTOPILOT option is available to the left of the map which lets the computer fly your ship to a selected navigation point at cruise speed. The default ALT-F key combination will also activate the AUTOPILOT mode. You can also activate the autopilot with the HUD option when the navigation console is not open. You can change your navigation waypoint with the AUTOPILOT active to plot a course around a planet or other object in space. Using the Navigation system will take some practice, so you may want to spend some time and fuel to practice using it. In multiplayer, the TRANSMIT POS option will appear, which lets you broadcast your position to other players with a text message. Click on SET LOC to set the navigation point to your current location. Click on PING to broadcast your position to other ships in the area using a visual marker on the nav map. This can be useful in multiplayer when you want to locate other members of your clan/squad that are in the same sector. Other players will see your position appear on their nav map as a green box.
Your navigation system will display objects in space that are detectable on sensors. The default text mode will display details about an object when you hold the mouse pointer over its corresponding icon on the nav map. Click on TEXT ON to display text details for all nearby objects on the map. In this mode, location details about the object are displayed below each object's icon. Some of the text may overlap, making it difficult to read. To reduce this problem, you can click on the text mode button (default setting is 'All') to display text for specific object types only. Flipping the map with the REAR VIEW option can also make viewing description text easier.
- Tactical Console (default F3 key and second console button): This console provides important information about all ships in the area that are within sensor range, commands they have been issued, mission parameters, your ship's configuration and inventory, and available formation options.
Ships are displayed on the left side of the console when either the 'Ship Status' or the 'Ship Orders' mode is active (each mode's button will be white when that mode is active). In the 'Ship Status' mode, each ship's current missile count, subsystem damage, hull damage, and shield status is displayed. In the 'Ship Orders' mode, the ship's current command directive is displayed in place of the missile count and subsystem damage. The top 20 ships listed represent each member of your flight group. Your ship is not listed, so Alpha 2 starts with the number 2 ship on the list and continues through Epsilon 4 with the number 20 ship on the list. In campaign, custom campaign, or instant action mode, you can click on one of the first 20 ships on the list to select that ship for issuing an order to. This can be significantly faster than selecting a ship through the order selection menu when you are trying to single out an individual ship for a command. If you click on a ship from 21 to 48 on the list, your targeting system will switch to tracking the selected ship. In Dogfight and Team-vs-Team multiplayer modes, clicking on any ship on the list will target that ship.
The 'Mission Specs' option lets you view the briefing and specifications (if available) for the current mission. If the mission offers a multi-stage briefing, you can scroll through the various stages of the briefing with the left and right arrow keys.
The Formation Type options let you change the shape of the formation for all of the ships in your flight group. In multiplayer, only the flight leader/host can issue formation orders to AI controlled ships in the flight group.

FLYING IN SPACE

Your ship is controlled by 2 main engine outlets and 8 maneuvering thrusters mounted on the hull. All of them are managed by an inertial dampening system (IDS) to help simplify the complexities of space flight. The IDS computer will automatically activate each thruster as needed and modulate the control to keep the ship moving in the direction it is facing. Sharper turns at higher speeds will require longer adjustments before the ship's course is adjusted for the new heading. If you want to bypass the system at any point, simply press the inertial system on/off key (default space bar). You will then continue in the last direction you were headed until you re-engage the system or manually alter course using the maneuvering thruster controls. For main engine control, the IDS throttle scale is also adjustable (using the default numpad 7 and 9 keys) and the current scale factor is displayed next to the 'IDS' indicator on your ship's status display (ranging from X1 to X5).
When the IDS is off, you can manually control each thruster. This can be helpful in combat when you want to drift/slide while firing at a target. High speed drifting can make you a hard target to hit. Arvoch Alliance also lets you control all maneuvering thrusters variably, if the control device you are using supports enough axis channels. When performing maneuvers, you will need to plan your course objective in advance, to avoid sliding into objects in space or reducing your speed to low levels that could potentially make you more vulnerable.
The engine outlets provide main thrust for moving forward and in reverse while the maneuvering thrusters provide rotational and strafe control. The engines offer two modes of power, cruise (also referred to as 'military burn') and afterburner. At cruise, the engines will provide a similar level of thrust as the maneuvering thrusters and offer the most fuel efficient maneuvering mode. At afterburner, the engines will burn a lot of fuel in exchange for rapid acceleration and deceleration (including reverse thrust).
In space, there is no atmosphere to provide lift, friction, and drag. An object can simply drift indefinitely once speed is imparted to it. If a ship is travelling forward and turns right 90 degrees, it will still drift in the original direction it was headed due to inertia. If its original forward velocity was 1000 MPS, it will be drifting to the left at about 1000 MPS when it turns right 90 degrees and its forward velocity will drop to 0.

GRAVITY AND PLANETARY FLIGHT

The IDS system isn't able to compensate for strong gravity fields, so you may need to engage the main engine and/or maintain a certain velocity to evade such gravitational forces. The gravity gauge on the lower left cockpit display will indicate how much force gravity is imparting on your ship's movement. The higher the value on the gauge, the more your ship is being moved by gravity. In planet atmospheres, you can offset the force of gravity by flying fast enough to generate lift. Once you are flying fast enough to counteract the effects of gravity, the gauge will display 0, indicating your ship is not being effected by the pull of gravity from the planet. Maintaining moderate forward velocity is especially important in planetary atmospheres where flying too slowly can result in flight instability and dangerous drops in altitude. The ships in Arvoch Alliance are optimized for space flight and don't handle very well in planet atmospheres. Avoid making rapid maneuvers which can result in loss of speed and keep your altitude high until you're close to a ground target. You'll want to be ready to escape back into space if attacked.
Another important consideration when flying in planet atmospheres is flying at high speed. If you enter an atmosphere too quickly, your shields won't be able to keep up with the friction generated by the descent. Once your shields fail, your hull will begin to sustain direct damage. To avoid such damage, it's generally best to keep your speed below about 1500. However, there can be times when an emergency descent is required or you need to escape at dangerous speeds. There are several techniques you can use to stay safe. First, if you are descending at high velocity, pitch your spacecraft up so that the bottom surface faces the planet and your forward velocity is reduced to a safe value. This will result in rapid deceleration as soon as your ship hits the atmosphere due to the much greater resistance/friction caused by the broader surface area of the bottom of your ship. The duration of the burn will be much shorter this way, generally allowing your shields to maintain their protection for the reduced burn time until your ship decelerates to a safe speed. You can also boost power to your shield arrays for added protection and longer burn times. This option can also help you if you need to escape from a planet atmosphere at high speed. Be sure to transfer shield energy to your forward array as needed if the indicator reaches critical.

LANDING AND DOCKING

At the end of a mission and when you want to repair, refuel, and reload, you'll need to land at a carrier. In multiplayer dogfight and Team-vs-Teams modes, you'll need to dock at a station to repair, refuel, and reload. For carrier landing, simply fly into the hangar at the front of the ship and come to a complete stop. The carrier won't be able to repair, refuel, and reload your ship unless you are stationary. If a mission has been completed successfully, landing on a carrier will end the mission and you'll advance to the briefing for the next mission. For station docking, simply fly into an available entrance and come to a complete stop near the center pylon inside the station. For carriers, landing lights will flash in front the ship as you approach to help guide you to the hangar. If your approach is correct, docking boxes will appear green. If your approach is at an incorrect angle, the docking boxes will appear red. For stations, docking lights will appear in a circle around the central pylon.

HEADS-UP-DISPLAY AND COCKPIT

A - Ship status and loadout display B - 3D radar display C - Vertical and horizontal slide indicators D - Missile lock indicator E - Target status and direction display
F - Heading indicator and console control buttons
G - Inbound missile alert indicator
H - Navigation and waypoint direction indicators
I - Gunsight, auto-aiming boundary, and warning indicators
J - Mouse Pointer
K - Inbound missile direction indicator
L - Current target (can be red, yellow, or green)
M - Friendly level ship direction indicator
N - Moderate level ship direction indicator
O - Hostile level ship direction indicator
P - Incoming message audio display
Q - Messages and controls
R - Mission time clock, ship squadron position and kill tracker
S - Squadron status display

The radar screen on your Heads-Up-Display shows information in 3D. To face a target or other indicated object, you must align the corresponding radar blip with the light blue box in the middle. The ship you currently have targeted will have a highlight box around its corresponding radar blip. If the blip is large, the target/object is behind you, if small, it's in front. Radar blips are also color coded to indicate the threat levels of nearby ships. When red blips appear on the radar, a warning sound will help bring the threat to your attention. Blue blips indicate stations and carriers, medium yellow blips with brackets indicate inbound missiles, and purple blips indicate unknown or miscellaneous objects. The blips include an attached line that points away from the center of the radar sphere, which helps you determine if an object is behind or ahead of you. Imagine viewing the combat area from above and slightly behind, that is the perspective of the radar. Once you've learned how to interpret the radar screen, you will be able to quickly determine the exact direction a ship is at.
When flying in space, it's important to maintain situation awareness and the 3D radar combined with other information displayed on the HUD will provide the information you need to make good decisions. Learn to use the target display options and HUD directional indicators so you can make quick and effective decisions. Also, watch the vertical and horizontal speed indicators to monitor the level of sliding you are at. When performing turn and pitch changes, it takes time before your maneuvering thrusters can adjust your actual flight course to the direction you are facing. Watching the horizontal and vertical speed indicators along with visual awareness can help you prevent a slide into an asteroid or other ship.
Other important items to watch for on the HUD and cockpit displays include your warning indicators, energy and shield levels, speed, and target direction arrow. After a few flights, you should become familiar with the position of each of these items so you will be able to react accordingly. Keeping your shield levels high will help prevent specific system failures caused by direct hull impacts from enemy fire. You can also boost power to both main energy systems on your ship. Energy based weapons and your jump drive system share a common power source, boosting power to them provides faster recharging and lets you fire more rounds. Boosting power to your shield system will increase its ability to resist weapon impacts and improve its recharge time.
Use the inbound missile direction and range indicators along with the 3D radar to track the range and direction of incoming enemy missiles. When a missile gets dangerously close, the proximity alarm will sound which is the best time to launch countermeasures. It usually takes 3-5 units of countermeasures to effectively evade a missile, so you will usually want to hold the countermeasure button down when the proximity alarm activates. How you use countermeasures is critical to their effectiveness. CM's are basically an ECM type device that drops behind and below your ship slightly. Missiles will usually travel fast enough to get very close to you before the CM's can trick them into exploding. It usually takes 3-5 CM's to bombard a missile with enough radiation/energy to get it to explode before it hits you. CM's can point their focused energy signals at any missile in a 360 degree range, but they need time for their beam of energy to cut through a missile. If a missile is heading straight for you and you're moving forward at it, then you're leaving less time for the CM's to work. Best advice in that situation is to launch the CM's early (before the proximity alarm rings) to give 3-5 units enough time to hit the missile with focused energy and cause it to explode before it hits you. Cutting your engines can reduce your heat signature, improving the effectiveness of the countermeasures. You can also turn away from an incoming missile to gain more time to evade.
Looking around is an important aspect of staying aware of the situation around you. Even though the 3D radar provides instant direction information, quickly looking around can give you additional visual details on the heading and distance of ships around you. If you're not currently attacking a ship, it's a good time to look around a bit and make sure no ships are trying to sneak up behind you. Using the padlock view (default ALT-V) can help in visually keeping track of a target in your forward view. Using the manual cockpit view controls (with the Insert, Home, Page Up, and End keys or the joystick HAT if available) to look left, right, up, and behind are generally considered the best way to maintain situation awareness in combat. You can also pan around the cockpit using the ALT key in conjunction with each of the main view control keys (or with the joystick HAT when set to the 'Pan' mode), simply center the view to automatically return to looking directly ahead.

TARGETING AND ORDERING

To target a ship, simply click on it with the mouse pointer when it's in your forward visual range. You can also use the T key to target the next ship in sequence or R to target the nearest ship. To target the next hostile ship, use ALT-T. To target the nearest hostile ship, use ALT-R. The target's damage, orientation, velocity, and range will be indicated on the lower right cockpit display. The default target display mode shows the damage levels of the ship being tracked. Each of the ship's components will be colored coded based on levels of damage. If the component is gray, it has sustained little or no damage. If a component is yellow, it has sustained moderate damage and if it is red, it has sustained critical damage. You can press the default U key to target specific main subsystems and view the percentage of damage (see the SUBSYSTEM DAMAGE AND TARGETING section below for more information). Press the default G key to switch to the list mode which displays up to 10 ships in the area sorted by distance. The ship you are currently tracking will be highlighted by brackets. You can switch back to the target status modes by pressing the default G key again.
When engaging a hostile ship in combat, keep an eye on the target status display and direction indicator. The shield array levels of your target are indicated in the middle of the target status display. The hull damage level of the target you are tracking is shown as a yellow bar at the lower right of the target status display. As your target takes damage, the yellow bar will reduce in size and a green bar will begin to appear behind it. The more green that is visible, the lower the hull level of your target. Once the target is destroyed, your HUD will automatically track the next closest ship. If there are hostiles in the area, the HUD will automatically track the next closest hostile ship.
The 'Target' menu option in the upper left side of the HUD lets you target a ship several different ways (as mentioned above, key and buttons options are also available for quick access). Click on 'Nearest Ship' to target the nearest ship to you. Click on 'Nearest Hostile' to target the closest hostile ship. If no hostiles are nearby, the nearest ship will be targeted. Click on 'Next Ship' to target the next ship in the tactical console list. Click on 'Next Hostile' to target the next hostile ship in the tactical console list. Click on 'Gunsight' to target a ship inside the gunsight.
The 'Order' menu lets you select ships and issue commands (again, key and button controls are also available for quick access). You can select a squadron and a specific ship to issue a command to or give a global order when the 'All' option is highlighted. 'Form Up' will direct the ships under your command to join formation with you using the current formation type specified in the tactical console. 'Defend Me' will direct ships to protect you from the closest hostile attacking you. 'Attack Hostiles' will direct ships to attack the nearest hostiles to their locations. 'Attack Target' will direct ships to attack the ship you currently have targeted. 'Repair/Reload' will direct ships to return to the carrier (or station in multiplayer) to repair, reload, and refuel. They will return to formation with you once they have completed all three. 'Hold at Nav' will direct ships to fly to the navigation point you currently have selected and stay at that location until you give further orders. You can change the navigation point at any time and the ships will fly to the new navigation point you select.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY WEAPONS

To obtain a missile lock, keep the target inside the outer gunsight boundary until the target box secures a lock. When you are within missile range and have acquired a missile lock, the indicator will switch to the target lock indicator (a rotating box will display around the target direction indicator). The distance the lock will be obtained will vary depending on which secondary weapons you are currently carrying. Once locked, the target can move anywhere in your forward visible range and still remain locked. If the target leaves your view or reaches a distance beyond your missile's range, the lock will be lost. When you are in gun range, the target lead indicator will appear which will help you aim manually. When the lead indicator appears and the MDTS (multi-directional targeting system) is active, the target must be in the outer circle of your gunsight to automatically fire towards the lead indicator. The MDTS helps simplify aiming your guns at a moving target, although at greater ranges, its accuracy won't be as high since a target will be able to maneuver out of the way of your gunfire at longer distances. You can turn off the auto-aiming MDTS system if you want to try and fire your weapons manually. The weapon system will also fire beam weapons directly at the target whether the MDTS is on or off. Since they move at the speed of light, beam weapons do not need to lead the target to hit it and they must 'harmonize' at the point of impact to inflict significant damage.

SUBSYSTEM DAMAGE AND TARGETING

When your ship takes damage due to weapon impacts that your shields can't protect you from (due to low energy), a system may be damaged. There are 3 main systems on your ship that can be damaged. The first is navigation, which can effect your radar and target direction pointer. The next is your weapon system, which can effect how often you can fire both primary and secondary weapons. The last is your engine management system, which can effect your speed. When each system is damaged, a warning indicator will appear on the HUD next to your gunsight and the level of damage will be displayed in percentage on your ship status display. If you have a repair system installed, it will begin repairing the damaged systems and any hull damage automatically. A good place to hide for repairs is inside a nebula cloud where sensor range in limited. If you haven't installed a repair system, then you will need to dock at a station or planet city to perform repairs, which will require a fee for the repairs and possibly a docking fee if the system has moderate or hostile reputation level.
You can also target the subsystems of other ships (using the default U key). However, on small ships it's difficult to hit specific subsystems due to their speed and maneuverability, so targeting subsystems for small ships is best used for monitoring their status. For larger capital ships, you can effectively aim at a subsystem to disable or disarm them. However, such damage will be temporary until the ship is able to repair its subsystems. If your target status display is set to the default damage mode, you'll see a small white highlight box indicating the location of the subsystem being targeted. The damage mode also indicates the level of damage for each of the target's subsystems using three colors, gray for little or no damage, yellow for moderate damage, and red for critical damage. The percentage of damage for the targeted subsystem is indicated at the lower left of the target display.

M U L T I P L A Y E R

- AS WITH MANY GAMES, USING SOME ROUTERS AND FIREWALLS CAN INTERFERE WITH THE MULTIPLAYER SYSTEM. REFER TO THE FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION) SECTION AT THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Getting Started
Multiplayer in Arvoch Alliance features both human and computer controlled ships. Up to 24 human players can join together in each hosted game. You can join together for cooperative and PvP objectives (including both dogfight and team-vs-team modes). You can play online or over a LAN (Local Area Network).
Playing Arvoch Alliance Over the Internet
Arvoch Alliance allows you to quickly locate active multiplayer games over the Internet. After you click on MULTIPLAYER, the first menu that appears will display HOST/JOIN IP, FIND INTERNET GAMES, and EXIT. Click on FIND INTERNET GAMES if you'd like to join an Internet multiplayer game hosted by someone else. If there are any active public games, they will be displayed in the middle of the menu. Simply click on a game to join one. If the connection is successful, other players will receive a text message that you are joining the game. If the game is in mission, you will join with a default ship and weapon loadout. The host can exit back to the main menu when desired to allow all players to set up their own configurations.
Hosting a Game or Connecting with Just an IP Address
There are two ways to host a multiplayer session. You can host privately by not listing your game publically. When hosting this way, other players can connect to your session via direct IP. You also have the option to list your game publically. You will need to make sure your enter both your local LAN IP address and your external internet IP address to host this way as well as properly configuring your router to accept outside connections to your system.
To host a multiplayer session, make sure your Internet or LAN connection is active, then click on HOST/JOIN IP. The current local IP address will be displayed, use backspace to delete digits if you want to use a different address. If you want to host an internet game, enter your current internet IP address in the entry field below the Local/Join IP address. Once you've entered the IP address(es) you want to use, press enter or click CONNECT to start. Players that join the game you host will need to enter the same internet IP address. If you're hosting a LAN game, then they'll need to enter the local address you selected. If you are hosting an internet game using a router or firewall, ports 28888 (TCP) and 28889 (UDP) need to be available to the game so other players can join.
Once you've pressed enter or clicked on CONNECT, the game will ask if you want to host or join a game. There can be only one host per game, it is recommended that the host use the system with the fastest connection. You can check the option to list your game publically on the SW3DG listing system (make sure your connection is properly configured before using this option). You can also change the maximum number of players, if desired. If you're using a slower computer and/or have a slower internet connection, you may want to limit the maximum numbers of players to 4 or 8 to help prevent lag and performance problems. If you have a high end computer with a fast internet connection or LAN, you may be able to host games with up to 12 or more players. Click on HOST to start the game when you've finished selecting the gameplay options. Entering the wrong IP address(es) will mean no one will be able to join your game, so verify the IP address(es) carefully before connecting. Also, some firewalls and routers may block other players from joining, in which case, you may need to change settings or your connection configuration.
Be aware that disabling a firewall, placing a computer in the DMZ, or opening ports can result in lower security for your network/internet connection. By disabling such security measures, it's possible for someone to break into your network and cause harm to your computer and/or obtain personal information from your computer. If you choose to disable your network security measures, you do so at your own risk. The most secure way to play multiplayer games is through a wired LAN (local area network) and NOT a wireless one.
During gameplay, press and hold the tilde key (~) to show the IP address of the game and a list of the current players. The Scroll Lock key can also be used for keyboards that may not have a tilde key available. The ping rate for your system will also be displayed at the top right. The frames-per-second and ping rates for other players in the game will be displayed on the left of each player's name. If a player has a low framerate (perhaps 15 or less) or a high ping rate (consistently above 200), they may experience lag and jumpy object movement in the game. If a player is the host, their ping rate will be 0 for themself and appear as '---' to other players. If the ping rate stays at '---' for a player who is not the host, they may have a rate around or above 450. If players are complaining about lag problems, the host can kick a player with a high ping rate and/or low frames-per-second (see the host options section below). If a connected player returns a frames-per-second value, but the update rate continues to show '---', then their connection/system may not be able to keep up with the resource needs of the game causing their ping rate to be too high. Player names are also color coded yellow or red if their framerate performance drops below optimal.
You can send text messages to all other players in the game by pressing ENTER, typing the message, then pressing ENTER again to send. You can also send a private message to the ship you're targeting by pressing ALT-ENTER before typing your message.
Voice chat is also available and lets you talk with other players using your computer's mic. To send a voice message, hold the default NUMPAD-. (decimal/period) key and talk into your computer's mic. Release the key to stop broadcasting. There are two voice chat modes you can select using the chat mode button at the bottom of the message box. The 'Sector' mode lets you send voice messages to all other players in the same sector. The 'Clan Only' mode only sends voice messages to other players with the same clan ID tag in their callsigns (see below for more details on Clan ID tags/labels). If you want to mute a specific player, hold the player list key (default tilde key [~] or Scroll Lock), then click on the voice chat button next to their name on the player list. The voice chat button will turn red and display an X when a player is muted. If desired, you can also turn off all incoming voice chat by changing the 'In-Game Voices' setting to 'Off' in the Options menu. Voice chat uses significantly more bandwidth than text chat, so if connection speeds are limited and/or performance problems occur, players may want to limit their chatter.
There are also multiplayer game control commands that can be given during gameplay (they must be entered using the in-game text chat option, not an exit menu or restore chatbox). The host can kick a player from the game by typing <servcomm>kick and then the number of the player to kick (no spaces). Again, you can press the tilde key (~) to view the player list and the number of each player is displayed at the left of their callsign. The host can also adjust the minimum update exchange rate for all players. To do this, type <servcomm>setupdate and then the minimum speed for sending a packet in milliseconds. The default setting is 100 and you can adjust this rate to a value between 90 and 200 (90 will send approximately 11 packets per second, if the connected players are using fast computers and connections, while 200 will send approximately 5 packets per second). If gameplay lags for one or more players, the host may want to increase the exchange rate to a higher value.

MULTIPLAYER MODES AND OPTIONS

For the 'Campaign (Coop)' multiplayer mode, clients are linked to the host for the campaign. Their progress is not saved due to the ability of clients to link into any mission in the campaign at any time with any host. Instead, the host is the controller for the campaign and will save mission progress locally only. Clients will then advance in the campaign as directed by the host. Mission rank credit is still earned for all players. Human players fill in the squadron slots normally filled by AI controlled ships in single player.
The 'Dogfight' mode is a battle for survival where every player is against every other player. All players will appear as hostile to each other and the host can include AI ships for added challenge and bigger battles. One station is placed nearby for players to use for repairing, refueling, and reloading.
The 'Squadrons' mode is a team-vs-team battle where each player can choose either the green or red team to be on. Each team gets their own station on each side of the combat zone.
The 'Strike' mode is also a team-vs-team battle where players can choose which team to be on and each team gets a command capital ship. The first team to destroy the opposing team's command ship wins. Teams must balance their strategies between defending their command ship and attacking the opposing team's ship.
The host can limit the time for any non-campaign multiplayer mode or end the game when a certain number of kills is reached by one player. Various location can also be selected by the host including open space, an asteroid field, nebula cloud (limiting sensor range), energy cloud (preventing secondary weapon locks and limiting sensor range), near a star with a high gravity field, or near a planet atmosphere.
In the Dogfight, Squadrons, and Strike modes, the host can fill in available player slots with AI controlled ships for larger battles. If new players join, they will replace AI controlled ships when they join the game.

TECHNICAL NOTES / KNOWN ISSUES

REFER TO THE FAQ SECTION AT THE WEBSITE FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS.
- Arvoch Alliance supports multiple control devices. On some systems, you may want to customize the names of the devices listed in the Configure Controls menu. To change the names of the listed devices, open the sticklist.sw file in a text editor and adjust each entry as desired. Next time you launch the game, the device names will appear as listed in that file.
- For multiple control devices, you can also select different input signals for channels 8-10 if the default settings fail to detect the device you want to use. By default, axis channels 1-7 are bound to the device you select in the Configure Controls menu and channels 8-10 are secondary using an alternate input system. This can be useful if your using a device that does not return a signal on one or more of the device bound axis channels. To change the device assignment for channels 8-10, create a text file in the game's folder named device2set.txt and in the first line enter the number of the device you want to use. The value may need to be different than the selected device for the other set of axis channels.
- Performance problems can occur on systems with limited video memory, low system resources, and/or slow CPU. Turning off the 3D cockpit and/or reducing details can improve performance during gameplay. If your computer has trouble keeping up with the resource requirements of this game (freezing, closing to the desktop, error messages, audio stuttering, slow mouse response, etc), make sure you are running the game by itself without any other unnecessary software running in the background. If the game exits during the loading stage, try reducing the 'Planet Detail' setting in the Options menu to 'Medium' or 'Low. Driver updates for your system's audio and video devices can also help performance and reliability problems.
- The game may display an error message about not being able to activate/set a selected resolution. To force the game to use a set resolution, right mouse click on the game's desktop icon, then click on Properties, then at the end of the line of text next to 'Target:' (which usually reads c:\sw3dg\ArvochAlliance\ArvochAlliance.EXE) add -mode1 or -mode2 (make sure to include a space between the EXE and the -mode text) and relaunch the game. This will force the game to run at 1024X768 in either a windowed mode or full screen. You can then access the main menu and change the resolution setting as desired, then remove the text above and try again. The game also supports manually entering resolutions in the configuration file (SW.CFG). To do this, simply open the file in a text editor and change the first line to indicate the resolution you want, example: 1280X1024 (the X must be capitalized). For some resolutions, the game may select the closest matching compatible resolution.
- If you want to change the location for where the game stores pilot profiles and other game files, simply create a text file in the game's installation directory (usually C:\sw3dg\ArvochAlliance) named savedir.txt and in the first line, enter the drive letter and folder name where you want the game data files to be kept. Example: C:\Users\Username\ArvochAlliance The game will automatically add the \sw3dg\ArvochAlliance text to the line you enter, so you don't need to include it. Make sure to copy/move the original files to the new location to keep your settings and pilot profiles.
- Some keyboards may not support the tilde key input for the status key. The scroll lock key can also be used and you can also customize the key. Create a text file in the game's folder (usually C:\sw3dg\ArvochAlliance) with the filename statkey.txt and in the first line, enter the 'scancode' number of the key you want to use. A list of the scancodes for each key is available at this link.

CREDITS

Being an independent developer, my resources are very limited. This project reached completion with the help from several outside sources listed below:
Thanks to Rich Douglas for creating the amazing music in the game.
Thanks to Cleber de Mattos Casali for his work on the MultiJoy controller system.
Thanks to Tore Subasi for creating several of the models used in the game.
Thanks to Jim Burridge for his help in solving several shader issues.
Thanks to Paul Johnston for the DBPro collision system.
Thanks to Carlos Wilkes for his atmosphere shader.
Thanks to Ryan Anderson, Chris & Alex Burch, Mark & Randee Mcburney, Chris & Erin Kim, and Mara Fullbright for donating some of the speech for the game.
Thanks to those of you who helped beta test the game.
And to the players... I appreciate your patience and understanding when it took so long for one person to create media and program this project. I truly hope that all of you enjoy playing Arvoch Alliance!