Psi 5 Trading Company - Extracted and compiled by Underdogs for Home of the Underdogs, http://www.theunderdogs.

org

You are about to command your ship through one of the great edge-of-your seat adventures of the 35th
Century. Summon your management skills and man the bridge. The physical and economic survival of
the Psi 5 Trading Company is in your hands.
You must first choose your cargo and course through the Parvin Frontier. Then select the best crew
possible from a cast of human and nonhuman characters. As you take command of your space freighter
on its perilous voyage, your challenge will be to command the mission by successfully managing your
resources and allocating task assignments to your crew.

TO START THE GAME

For Commodore 64/128:
1.Turn off your Commodore 64 or 128 and remove all cartridges.
2.Connect your joystick to port 2.
3.Turn on your Commodore 64 or 128, disk drive and monitor.
4.After the red "busy" light on the disk drive goes off, Insert the Psi 5 disk into the disk drive with the
label side up and close the disk drive door.
5. Type: LOAD "*". 8. 1 and press RETURN.
For Apple II:
1.Insert the Psi 5 disk into the disk drive with the label side up and close the disk drive door.
2.Turn on your Apple Computer.

TO PAUSE THE GAME

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (1 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]
 Psi 5 Trading Company

For Commodore 64/128: Press the RUN STOP key.

For Apple II: Press the ESC key.
Press return or fire button to continue.

CONTROLS
In general, all game options may be selected by using the joystick or keyboard. Using the joystick, move
the highlighting or cursor to the appropriate place and press the fire button. You can also (optionally)
make your selection from the keyboard by pressing the key corresponding to the first letter (or number)
of the desired command.
Note: The function keys on the Commodore or direction keys on the Apple act as joystick control:
Commodore Joystick Equivalent Apple
Fl fire button up arrow
F5 move left left arrow
F7 move right right arrow

COURSE SELECTION
The display of possible courses will include their distance, cargo and reward/payment for completion.
The larger rewards indicate greater risk, difficulty, danger and challenge in nature of your cargo. You
must arrive at your destination within a reasonable length of time.
To select your course, use the joystick and fire button (left = up, right = down) or enter the course
number on the keyboard.

CREW SELECTION
In addition to the control console which you operate as captain, your space freighter has been retrofitted
for five other departments scattered throughout its creaking hull. These are: Weapons, Scanning,
Navigation, Engineering and Repair.
You must carefully select your crew from thirty potential candidates-five groups of six individuals
trained in each department specialty. These "assorted beings" consist of humanoids, aliens and
vaccdroids, each with different backgrounds, skills, personalities and reactions under stress.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (2 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

The six candidates for a department position will be displayed. To examine the resume for any
individual, type the first letter of the character's name or move the joystick and select by pressing the fire
button. Once selected, the candidate's resume will be displayed for your scrutiny. The two options
presented at the bottom of the screen will be "Welcome (name) to the Crew" or "Exit". The options may
be selected by using the Joystick or typing W or E. "Welcome. . . " hires this person to fill the department
position and the candidates for the next department will be displayed. "Exit" returns to the same
department to allow You to examine the resumes of other candidates.

TO PLAY
After the last department crew member is selected, You will be prompted to remove the disk and flip it
over to reinsert with the back side up. Then press the the RETURN key or fire button to continue.
Play takes place with you (the Captain) sitting at the communications console. The ship's view of space
will be displayed on the left console screen and the communications screen on the right will display the
department crew member with whom you are interacting at any given time. There will also be indicators
on the console showing weapons, motion, speed and pending messages.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (3 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

The initial command options (main menu) may be selected via keyboard or joystick and include the
ability to acknowledge pending messages (communications) from any department or interact with any
specific department. In general, when you select a department, you can examine the status of department
activities or make (ask assignments/commands by removing, adding, or reprioritizing the list of functions
to be performed by that crew member. Because time is money and you are in the freight business, we
suggest the first command you give is to tell the Navigator to accelerate the ship to a given speed. If you
(the Captain) don't issue specific orders, the crew persons in Repair, Weapons, and Scanning will
eventually get bored and start performing tasks on their own. The detailed command options for each
department are described below. Note: Selecting "?" on any department command line will display
pending messages.
Note: A quick exit out of any department can be taken by pressing the CLR/HOME key for Commodore
or =+ key for Apple.

WEAPONS DEPARTMENT
http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (4 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]
 Psi 5 Trading Company

Status: Display statistics of past performance (i.e., number of shots and kills). Through this you can
learn how effective the weapons specialist (crew member) is with each weapon.
Display: Show the activity list (assignments) for the weapons specialist to perform. The information
includes the type of weapon, number of shots, target (indicated by scanning ID). priority and status of
weapons/target.
Cancel: Removes a weapons command from the list.
Rank: Reprioritizes the weapons list.
Fire: adds a command to the weapons list.

SCANNING DEPARTMENT
The general function is to identify and keep track of other vehicles in space.
Status: Assigns ID letter to a new object in space and adds it to the end of the list. As time progresses.
more of the following information is gathered regarding a target:
❍ Blinking Activity Character

❍ o)) blinking symbol appears if this object is being examined.

❍ (o) blinking bullseye appears if Weapons Department has outstanding orders for this target.

❍ the class (of people)

❍ type (friend or foe)

❍ locked on to continue tracking (L)

❍ position of object in space (P. O.)

Position (PO) In Range Out of Range

Fore (in front) Fi Fo
Aft(behind) Ai Ao
Port (left) Pi Po
Starboard (right) Si So

Display: This is a prioritized list of what the scanner crew person is to do (examine). The information
shows damage to the target ship and recommended weapon to use.
Cancel: Removes an action item from the list.
Rank: Reprioritizes the list.
Examine: Adds a target to the list to be examined.
Note: Before the Weapons Department can fire upon a target, the Scanning Department must examine
the target long enough to get a lock on it. Continued examination will determine class and damage and
suggest a weapon. This is done by adding the target to the scanning list at a high priority and waiting to
give the scanning crew member enough time to fill in the appropriate data.

NAVIGATION DEPARTMENT

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (5 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

In this department, the crew member can fly a specific course/speed and control evasive maneuvering.
Status: This displays course description which includes shortest path, medium deviation to
port/starboard, and full port/starboard circumvention. It also shows estimated time of arrival (ETA), risk
factor, requested speed, current speed and evasive maneuvering. INF (Information) scanner must be
operational for RSK (Risk) column to operate. For RETA (relative estimated time of arrival):
- means early.
+ means late.
Display: Shows prioritized list of possible courses.
Cancel: Eliminates evasive maneuvering.
Rank: Selects course,
Accel: Sets speed and allows selection of standard or evasive maneuvering.

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
This department is responsible for managing and allocating power oriented devices that can be
controlled. Different sections of the ship can be shut down to conserve energy (i.e., the port shields can
be turned off it the pirates are on the starboard side). Defensive weapons such as shields require a set
amount of energy just to be turned on (in operation). They can deflect an enemy shot by countering it
with an equal amount of energy which is drawn from reserve battery power (if the charge is sufficient).
Note that engine power consumption is variable, depending on actual speed.
Status: This displays the Device ID, a description of it, and its enabled state. The device types include
shields, weapons, Information Scanner and two batteries.
Display: Show classes of power, power drain, level of activation (yes, no, partial).
Rank: Prioritizes devices in relationship to available power and thus determines which devices are on,
partially on (subject to "Brown Outs") and off. As an example, if in Navigation the speed requested = 5
but the current speed = 4. it is because the engines are only partially on (at a lower priority on the list).
Cancel and Enable: Unlike corresponding commands in other departments which act upon the
"Display" list, these cancel or enable devices on the status list. This will cause a corresponding change of
status to RqC (Request cancel) or RqE (Request enable) for pending requests.

REPAIR DEPARTMENT
This department is responsible for repairing damaged devices on the ship. There are three forms of
damage to a device:
1. It can still operate (at a higher power consumption),
2. The damage can be repaired.
3. The device is destroyed/dead and cannot be repaired.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (6 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

The repair person is assisted by a number of robodroids. When one of them is re-allocated or completes a
task, they won't be immediately available. It will take some time for them to return to the department, get
tools, assignments and instructions before they can begin their next task. The robodroids can have the
following status:
1. Active - available to work.
2. Damaged - will become an item to be repaired.
3. Dead - Can never be reactivated.
Looting Note: If your ship is helpless (where engines, shields and weapons are not functioning), the
pirates can board your vessel and start looting. You will slowly lose your cargo until one of the above
items is repaired.
Status: The first number on the first line indicates the number of robodroids ready for assignment. The
second number indicates total robodroids available, although some may be broken, in transit, or working
on a job. This lists up to the first 16 items to be repaired and includes ID, description, ETR (estimated
time of repair) and items being worked on currently (indicated by *). A blinking check mark appears
before the item ID if a repair order has been given to fix the device.
Display: Shows what is currently being repaired (up to 8 items) and how many robodrolds are working
on it (and the number of them assigned to work on it).
Cancel: Removes an item from the repair list.
Rank: Reprioritizes the repair list.
Assign: Adds an item to be repaired (and number of robodroids to work on it) to the repair list.

TO RESTART
Selecting the QUIT function from the main rnenu allows you to restart the game with the existing course
and crew selection.

SUGGESTED TRAINING MISSION

As an introduction to the game to gain familiarity with the functions and better understand the
interrelationship between departments, try the following procedure for your first mission.
1. Select the ENGINEERING department and prioritize the ships power classes to shields, weapons,
charge shield battery, scanners. engines. and charge emergency battery using DISPLAY and
several RANK commands.
2. Select the NAVIGATION department and accelerate the ship to speed 1 using the ACCELERATE
command.
3. Select the SCANNING department and get a status report by using the STATUS command.
4. Watch scanning status until the first unknown vehicle is detected.
5. Select NAVIGATION and use ACCELERATE to stop the ship.
6. Select SCANNING and use EXAMINE to get detailed information on the first vehicle.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (7 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

7. Use scanning DISPLAY to watch for class of vehicle, damage, and suggested weapon to be filled
in.
8. Do a STATUS command.
9. Select WEAPONS and FIRE AT-WILL at the target using the suggested weapon.
10. Experiment with STATUS and DISPLAY functions within both the SCANNING and WEAPONS
departments.
11. After the target is destroyed, repeat steps 2 through 7 and remember: use the run/stop key to pause
the game so you can catch your breath and gather your thoughts. To continue playing, any key will
start up the game,
12. Select ENGINEERING and turn some shields off using STATUS and CANCEL.
13. Select WEAPONS and FIRE one shot at a target, This will make them mad, even if they are
normally friendly.
14. Select REPAIR and get a STATUS report. Observe entries being added as hostile targets shoot at
your ship.
15. ASSIGN one robodroid each to fix several items. Flip back and forth between STATUS and
DISPLAY.
16. When you have had enough, select ENGINEERING and use STATUS and several ENABLE
commands to turn the shields back on.
17. Complete the repairs, start the ship moving. experiment, and enjoy!

Galactic Greetings,
Playing the role of Captain on a space frieghter full of unknown people, enemies, and equipment can be
intimidating. The best way to become familiar and successful is to imagine yourself actually as the
captain and put yourself in the game.
Your duties as captain require you to investigate and monitor the different crew members and
departments often. Working too long in one department, while ignoring some others can lead to your
downfall. A wise strategy is to load up your repair, scanning, and weapons officers with several tasks.
This will insure they will stay productive while you are busy elsewhere; One powerful capability of the
ship's computer is to monitor one department's STATUS or DISPLAY while giving commands in
another.
Here are some playing hints on a department basis:
Weapons: Confirm targets to be hostile (foes) or known enemies before shooting normally peaceful
ships.
Scanning: Examine any new targets as quickly as possible.
Navigation: Be sure to monitor the RISK column on the STATUS report. Change course to avoid
overwhelming odds, but not as often to delay reaching your destination.
Engineering: Pick power priorities to match your strategy. Consider turning off (CANCEL) power to
individual items to increase your power management options.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (8 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]

 Psi 5 Trading Company

Repair: Be sure to fix mission critical components as soon as possible (such as cargo support devices,
life support systems, and power reactors). Fix other items as to best serve your strategy. If damage seems
out of your control, it is often wise to stop the ship, divert power to shields and weapons, and fight
between repairs.
Many actions depend on the Psi 5 ship to be in working order. If something appears not to be working,
check the Engineering STATUS and DISPLAY, the Repair STATUS, and ACKNOWLEDGE messages
to gain clues to possible causes.
We have given you enough information to be well on your way. We have purposely not given you every
gruesome detail, because there is fun in learning by using your mind, imagination. common sense, and by
experimenting.
I wish you the best of luck on your perilous mission and may the winds of Xaldur be in your favor!
It was not easy to fit the entire 35th Century on two sides of a floppy disk. Please let me know how you
like the Psi 5 Trading Company and what aspects you enjoy the most. You can write to me at
Accolade Inc.
20863 Stevens Creek
Blvd., B-5/E. Cupertino, CA 95014.
Sincerely,
Admiral Mike Lorenzen
Star Base 27 Command
Mike Lorenzen is the designer of GOLF for Atari VCS And Atari TEXT EDITOR (MEDIT) for Atari
400/800. He also co-designed Atari's CIRCUS for the VCS and HOME FILING MASTER for Atari
400/800. Mike also designed Activision's OINK for Atari VCS and adapted Activision's PITFALL II for
Atari 400/800 and 5200.
Atari VCS, Atari 400/800, Atari 5200, Golf, Atari Text Editor, Circus, and Home Filing Master are
trademarks of Atari Corp.
Oink! and Pitfall II are trademarks of Activision Inc.

http://rthr.trap.cx/doclib/psi5/ (9 of 9) [7/11/2000 2:58:25 PM]