outpost_2:outpost_2_manual:tutorial_3 [Outpost Universe Wiki]

This tutorial introduces you to some of the uses of the Command Pane and the Status Bar.

1 - Start Tutorial 3 - Reports and Information.

2 - Between the Mini-Map and the Command Pane is a row of six buttons. These are the Report display buttons. From left to right they are the Factories, Labs, Resources, Communications, and Space reports, and the Game Options menu.

3 - Each of these buttons also has a shortcut key on your keyboard. Move your cursor over each one; the Status Bar indicates the function of each button. The red-highlighted letter in the Status Bar is the keyboard shortcut for that report.

4 - Move your cursor over the left-most button (it looks like a gear). The Status Bar shows this is the Factories report. Click the button, or press <F>.

5 - The Command Pane shows the Factories report. This lists all your factory structures. In this tutorial you have only a Structure Factory. The status of the factory is listed below its name; in this case, the Structure Factory is producing nothing.

6 - Click the words Structure Factory, then click DETAILS. This will instantly select the factory and center it in the Detail Pane. (You may also double-click the factory in the Factories report to achieve the same result.) This is a convenient way to jump immediately to a factory that needs attention when you have several factories in a large colony.

7 - Move your cursor to the button to the right of the Factories report button (it looks like a microscope). The Status Bar shows this is the Labs report. Click the button, or press <L>.

8 - The Command Pane shows the Labs report, which is similar to the Factories report. All of your labs and their status, including their current research project, are listed here.

9 - Double-click the Basic Lab listing to select the lab and center it in the Detail Pane.

10 - Click the button to the right of the Labs report button (it looks like a loaded mining cart) or press <R> to see the Resources report.

11 - This report is a summary of more detailed reports on each Resource: Colonists, Morale, Power, Food, Common Metals, and, when available, Rare Metals. Click any of these items, then click DETAILS to call up the more detailed report. (You may also double-click any of these items to get the more detailed report.)

12 - Each of these reports has a keyboard shortcut as well. These are:
<Alt+C>Colonists
<Alt+M>Morale
<Alt+P>Power
<Alt+F>Food
<Alt+N>Common Metals
<Alt+R>Rare Metals (when available)

13 - From each sub-report, click the SUMMARY button at the bottom of the Command Pane to return to the Resources report (or press <R>).

14 - Click the button that looks like a satellite dish or press <C> to see the Communications report. This is a log of the most recent messages that you received from your Savant computer during gameplay. (In multiplayer games, the log also contains chat messages sent to you by other players.) Each message is also marked with a time-stamp for when it arrived. If the message log has more messages than can be seen on one screen, the up and down arrows below the message log can scroll through them. You can also press the <Page Up> and <Page Down> keys to do the same thing.

15 - Messages that have a specific building or location linked to them may be double-clicked to jump right to that location. Early in this tutorial was a report of seismic activity. Double-click on this message: DANGER: Quake detected at 10,10. The Detail Pane will jump to where the epicenter of the quake struck.

16 - Click the button to the right of the Communications report button (it looks like a starship) or press for the Space report. This report lists all the satellites you have in orbit. After your colony develops the Spaceport structure, a button on this report will show you a list of all the Starship components you have researched or deployed. Parts listed in red have been researched, but not yet deployed. Parts that are listed in green have already been deployed.

17 - Click the right-most button (it looks like the Sierra logo) or press <G> for the Game Options menu.

18 - The most frequent choice you will make here is probably MISSION OBJECTIVES. Click this button to see the objectives. Objectives that are not completed are listed in red text; completed objectives are listed in green. This sub-report also has a shortcut available at all times; <Alt+O> will bring this screen up immediately.

19 - The Status Bar is at the bottom of your screen. The top bar gives you information: map coordinates while your cursor is over the Detail Pane, and “hotkeys” when your cursor is over a button. Action prompts for certain commands also appear here.

20 - The bottom bar shows incoming messages from your Savant computer and from other players during multiplayer games.

21 - To the right of the Status Bar is your metals supply. Currently you have 9000 Common Metals in storage.

This is the end of Tutorial 3.