Navigating The Map. This tutorial introduces you to the Outpost 2 interface.
1 - Start Outpost 2.
2 - At the Main Menu, click TUTORIALS.
3 - The Tutorials dialog box will appear on your screen. In the list box, select Tutorial 1 - Navigating the Map then click START.
4 - After the game loads, it should appear as in the picture below.
5 - At any time, you may pause the game by pressing <Ctrl+P> or the <Pause> key on your keyboard. Press <Ctrl+P> or <Pause> again to resume your game.
6 - During the game, your Savant computer voice will inform you of your colony’s status. You may disregard these messages during this tutorial.
7 - The largest of the four parts of the game window is called the Detail Pane. Move your mouse around in the Detail Pane. In the Status Bar, located directly below the Detail Pane, you will see the coordinates change as you move your cursor. These coordinates are given in an X,Y format. On this map, the upper left corner is 1,1 and the lower right corner is 64,63.
8 - Look at the area in the upper right corner of the screen. This is the Mini-Map Pane. Notice the three blue dots and the white rectangle. The blue dots represent structures or vehicles belonging to the blue player (which, in this tutorial, is you). The rectangle indicates the area of the game map currently shown in the Detail Pane.
9 - Move your cursor all the way to the top, bottom, or either side of your screen. Notice the Detail Pane scrolling until you reach the edge of the map. The rectangle in the Mini-Map has also moved to the edge of the min map
10 - In the lower right corner of the screen is the Command Pane. Information about your colony, your structures, and your vehicles can be displayed here. Right now, it shows you the Mission Objectives display for this mission; because this is a tutorial, this display reads Please see the Outpost 2 manual for instructions on this tutorial.
11 - Move your cursor into the Mini-Map area and left-click. Notice that the rectangle jumps to where you clicked and the Detail Pane is now showing that location on the map as well. Left-clicking in the Mini-Map is the fastest way to move the Detail Pane around on large maps.
12 - Three small buttons are at the top of the Mini-Map.
The + button will zoom in on the Mini-Map only.
The - button will zoom out.
The third button switches between the Terrain view and the Tactical view . Left-click these buttons a few times to see their effects.
13 - Right-click in the Mini-Map several times. The Mini-Map buttons will move to the different edges of the map and then toggle off. Right-click again to bring the buttons back to the top of the Mini-Map.
14 - Move your cursor into the rectangle in the Mini-Map, then press and hold the left mouse button. Notice the rectangle turns light blue while you have the mouse button held down. Now drag the rectangle around inside the Mini-Map and watch the Detail Pane map scroll as well. This is another quick way to move around the map.
15 - Left-click on or near the blue dot in the center of the Mini-Map. You should see a structure in the Detail Pane. Move your cursor over the top of the structure, but do NOT click it. After a moment, a gray outline will appear around the structure, some text identifying the structure will pop up over it, and a green bar will appear above it. (The green bar shows the relative structural integrity of the building.) These items are the Unit ID indicator. Left-clicking the structure will select it. If no structures or vehicles are currently selected you can identify any vehicle or structure on the map by using this “cursor rollover” technique.
16 - You may have noticed the left and right sides of the map are darker than the center. This is the effect of night and day in Outpost 2. In many missions, this area of darkness will slowly move from left to right across the map. Find the Light Tower near the left side of the map at coordinates 5,38. Notice the difference between the darkness and the area that is lit surrounding the Light Tower. All Active structures have their lights on.
17 - Move to the Tokamak near the center of your map at 33,25. Center it in the Detail Pane and press the <+> key on your keyboard (NOT the Mini-Map) twice. This zooms in the Detail Pane, allowing you to see the details on some structures a little more closely. It is also useful for finding vehicles parked behind tall structures. To zoom out to normal view, press ↔ twice.
18 - While the Tokamak is in the Detail Pane, press <Ctrl+F5>. This “bookmarks” this location on the map for easy reference later.
19 - Scroll the Detail Pane to the Common Ore Mine near the right of the map, at 51,35. When the Common Ore Mine is in the Detail Pane, bookmark this area by pressing <Ctrl+F6>.
20 - Press <F5> to go back to the Tokamak. Press <F6> to go back to the Common Ore Mine. You can place bookmarks this way for keys from <F5> through <F12>.
21 - Press <F5> to see the Tokamak in the Detail Pane. Move the cursor over the structure and left-click. It is now selected. This is indicated by the white outline around the structure and the green bar above it. (The difference between this and the cursor rollover effect is that the outline is white when a structure is selected, and no identifying text appears over the structure.)
22 - Look at the Command Pane. It now shows more detailed information about your Tokamak. You may see details in the Command Pane for any of your vehicles or structures by selecting them in the Detail Pane.
23 - Press <F6> to go to the bookmark near your Common Ore Mine. Note that in the Command Pane your Tokamak is still selected, even though it is no longer showing in the Detail Pane. Vehicles and structures do NOT have to be in your Detail Pane to remain selected.
24 - With your cursor in the Detail Pane, right-click. This will “de-select” your current selection. Notice that the Command Pane is blank except for your colony logo in the background. Now move the cursor over the Common Ore Mine and keep it there until the rollover text appears. Rollover text appears only when you do not currently have a selected structure or vehicle.
25 - Press <Tab> several times. The first press selects a structure, and each subsequent press proceeds through the rest of your structures. Press <Shift+Tab> to go backward through the list.
26 - Between the Mini-Map and the Command Pane, there is a row of six buttons. (These will be described in Tutorial 3.) Click the right-most button. This is the Game Options button.
27 - On the Game Options menu, click END MISSION.
28 - The Game End: Single Player menu gives you three choices to end this tutorial. RESTART MISSION will reset the tutorial to the beginning. Click BACK TO MAIN MENU if you want to continue playing Outpost 2, in either another tutorial or an actual game. Click EXIT OUTPOST 2 if you are finished playing for now.
This is the end of Tutorial 1.