End Game

Although Begin is meant to be played for the sheer fun of interstellar combat, many people are concerned with the evaluation they receive at the end of the game. This section of the manual explains how the game decides to end and how your evaluation is determined.

Determining When to End

As of version V1.65 of Begin, there are only three conditions that will cause the end of the simulation. The first condition is the player issuing the "quit" command. The second condition is the death of the player. The final condition is the death of all opposing enemy vessels. These are the only conditions that will end the game.

Scoring

Scoring (your evaluation) is determined by the relative condition of your ships versus the enemy ships. This is then multiplied by the odds that were determined at the beginning of the simulation. The highest possible score is obtained by a game with high odds against the player, combined with the death of all enemy vessels. It does not matter to the score if the enemy vessel is blown up or has a crew of zero. Both add the same to your score.

The odds are determined by a formula that totals up the offensive and defensive strength of a ship and arrives at a single number. You can receive a negative score if you do not do well or allow an inferior force to damage your ships. A negative score indicates that you performed worse that the odds at the beginning of the game indicated.

The highest theoretical score in Begin changes from version to version. It is possible to score in the hundreds, however, by playing a weak single ship against a large fleet of powerful enemy ships. Of course, you have to win in order to get this high score.