Section 1:
Account
Creation
Account Creation is probably the easiest part of Yap. J Click the Create a New Account link on the main login page below the login form, and fill out the form. You MUST ENTER A VALID EMAIL. Your email and password will be kept private, and will not be viewed by the administration unless a look must be taken at your account for some reason. You are only allowed one account in Yap, additional accounts will be removed if they are played.
If you have a problem where immediately after logging in when you push the Play link you just go back to the main page, try switching to Netscape. Internet Explorer has some strange cookie problems that seem to only affect certain machines with certain versions of IE. That is all I know at this time and there really isn’t much I can do, but switching browsers seems to work just fine.
Authorization
(note: authorization may not be used, depending on when you signed up)
You need to authorize your account upon your first login. After creating an account, login with the user and password you selected. You will be given a prompt to type in your authorization code, do so. If its the proper code, your account will be authorized. Your authorization code is sent to your email address along with your user and password, which is why you need that valid email.
Login
Logging in is easy. Type in user and password, and you’re set. A few possible problems you might have with login, and some fixes…
Here are just a few of the very simplest game functions. Some are nearly self-explanitory, and as you play the game you will use these automatically without thinking.
1. Moving: In the middle of your screen, near the top, you will see the words Sector Warps and then a bunch of numbers. These are the sectors next to yours that you can move to. Click on one to go there. Your ship and every ship in it’s fleet will move to that sector. More on fleets in a little bit.. Also, the universe map is priceless. Click on the universe map on the right to see a map on the universe, so you know where you are going. The sector you are in is in the middle of your screen, you can’t miss it. Moving costs 1 turn per ship per sector moved. Some upgrades may change this.
2. Navigation: Navigation is another form of movement. Navigation draws a straight path from where you are to the sector you would like to go to, so you use less turns overall. Navigation takes too much time to be used for single sector hops, but if you are traveling across the galaxy you will want to use it. To use the Navigation, click the Navigation link on the main screen in the middle. Then enter the number of the sector you would like to navigate to and click Engage Computer. The next page will tell you how many turns you will use and will verify your destination sector. Just click Yes to continue.
3. Commanding Ships: The ship you are commanding is the ship that everything you do revolves around. When you buy goods or equipment, this is the ship that is affected. The ship you are commanding appears on the left, and will not appear in the center. You can see your ship’s stats on the left. To change your command ship, you must buy another one(see below). Then, in the main view your ship will show up near the top. Click the button that says Command(near where Examine shows up for enemy ships), and there you go! You can also command ships through your Personal Info page that is linked on the right.
4. Adding Ships to your Fleet: Adding ships to your fleet is very important. Ships in your fleet will move with you, and you can use features with the fleet such as BuyAll, SellAll, AttackAll, FillAll, and more(see later sections). Adding a ship to your fleet is easy. Once you have bought a ship, it will appear with an “Add to Fleet” link next to it. Click that link, and tada! That ship is in your fleet! You know a ship is in your fleet if the link says “Remove from Fleet.”
5. Buying/Selling Goods: There are ports scattered around the universe where you can buy or sell goods. Every port has a number. Ports will appear as a link below where the sector warps are, and will say Port 1 or Port 22 or something like that. To buy something from the port, click on it, and then click the Buy button next to a good. Type in how many you want in the next screen and then click Buy again. If you have enough cash and room on your ship, then the transaction will take place. More on ports in Section 2.
6. Buying Equipment and Weapons: Equipment and weapons can be bought in sector #1, and possibly in other locations around the universe as well. Equipment and Weapons shops show up under the Sector Stations tab with ports. Click on one to go to the shop. For equipment, select the equipment type(shields, armor, drones), and then type in the number. For weapons, click on the weapon you wish to buy. Prices are posted for all goods.
7. Buying Ships: Ships can be bought at the ship shop in sector #1, and at any other ship shops scattered around the universe. Simply click on the ship you want. The Ship Information link is a good one to follow for new players. More info later for the pre-equipped ships.