Ascendancy is a 4X science fiction turn-based strategy computer game for DOS. It was released in
1995 by The Logic Factory. The game allows you to decide who to play as from a variety of alien species, all with unique evolutionary traits and personalities, in a galactic struggle to try and become the dominant life force, so that you might ascend, or evolve into a higher form of existence. It is your job to further develop the industrial, technological, and social growth of your chosen civilization through such acts as exploration and colonization of other planets and solar systems, construction both on the surface of planets and in orbit, and research.

The primary concern of technology in the game is spaceship-related, although it also concerns new methods of planetary defense and development. As such, the design of spaceships for your civilization to travel the galaxy in is fairly complex, by 1995 standards. One must create engines, generators, weapon systems, a sufficient hull, an orbital shipyard (ships in the game cannot break through the atmosphere; they instead launch colonization or invasion pods at planets), and a special starlane drive, in order to travel between solar systems.
(Wikipedia)

CHEATS

Use a text editor to create a dummy file named "nougat.lf" in the game folder. Enter one of the following codes at the indicated screen during to activate the corresponding cheat function. Once cheat mode is enabled, highlight a ship to view its power, moves, and integrity attributes.

Codes

Complete current project (Planet map) - I

Advance current project one day (Planet map) - N

Maximum planet population (Planet map) - O

Bring alien colony under your control (Planet map) - R

Add 1 to maximum population (Planet map) - Shift + M

Create colony on uninhabited planet (Planet map) - T

Finish current project (Research) - C

Gain all research (Research) - D

Click view controls to forget all research (Research) - F

Play as various species (Star map) - 1 - 7

View starlanes, planets (Star map) - 8

Toggle technology stealing (Star map) - Alt + E

View galaxy status (Star map) - C

View all starlanes (Star map) - L

View all stars (Star map) - S

Display coordinates (Any) - Alt + D

Display debug window (Any) - Alt + W

Display mouse movement stats (Any) - Alt + F

Save screen in .GIF format (Any) - Alt + G


For those who want to see it again, here is the intro: