764 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
764 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
Getting started
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Hardware and Software Requirements 1
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Installation and Configuration 1
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Game Files 1
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Sound Blaster Support Files 2
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Graphics Driver Files 3
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Creating a new character
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Character Types 4
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Human 4
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Elf 4
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Dwarf 5
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Wizard 5
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Archer 5
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Fighter 5
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Character Attributes 6
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Strength 6
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Speed 7
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Aim 7
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Dexterity 7
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I.Q. 7
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Power 7
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Hit Points 7
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Armor Class 7
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Playing the game
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Gaining Experience 8
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Interacting with other characters 8
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Regular 8
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Merchant 8
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Civilian 9
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Bartender 9
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Healer 9
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Teller 9
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Trainer 9
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Beggar 9
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Questor 9
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Guard 9
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Moving Around 10
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The party's spokesbeing 10
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Talking to other characters 11
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Saving, Restoring and Restarting a game 11
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Quick Reference Card
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Single Letter Commands 12
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Function_Keys 12
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D C G A M E S
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Version 4.0
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PLAYER'S USER GUIDE
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(c) DC Software, 1989-1995
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7908 Kettlewood Court
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Plano TX 75025
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214-491-1579 Getting started
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Hardware and Software Requirements
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This system requires a 386SX or better processor, as well as a
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VGA or SuperVGA graphics card. It will use extended or expanded
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memory if available, but it is not required at this time.
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You should try to make as much conventional memory available as
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possible. Use the MS-DOS 'MEM' command to find out how much
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conventional memory you have. It should be close to 600KB at
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least.
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The game system will also support the a Sound Blaster and AdLib
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compatible card for voice and music playback. It will recognize
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the equipment and use it automatically.
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If you have a Sound Blaster compatible card, you can help the
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system determine how it is configured if you have a line like
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the following in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
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SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 T3
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The actual values on the right side of BLASTER= depend on your
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configuration and should have been set when you installed your
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card.
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Installation and Configuration
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This game is probably packaged into one or more ZIP files. You
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will need to extract the contents of some or all of these ZIP
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files into a single directory in order to play the game. The
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following files should be present:
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FILES Description
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WORLD*.* World Landscaping files
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WORLDO*.* World Object and Character files
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*.PCX Graphics images.
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*.SCO Compiled script objects.
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*.SCR Script sources (may not be present, it's up to the game
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developer!)
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*.DTA Various binary data files
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DCCTOKEN.DAT Game's tokens and associated codes.
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*.VOC, *.CMF Miscellaneous Voice and Music files.
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*.RSC Archived voices for the game's characters.
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Graphics Driver Files
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In addition to the above, you should have the following files in
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your game directory:
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DCFONTS.7X5 Graphics font file. Same file for all graphics
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modes.
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DCOBJECT.mde Object graphics blocks for mode 'mde' from table
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above.
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DCPEOPLE.mde Character graphics blocks for given mode.
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DCBLOCKn.mde (n = 0 to 9) Landscaping graphics blocks for given
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mode.
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DCSYSTEM.mde System graphics blocks for given mode.
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Where '.mde' is one of the following:
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Mode Resolution Colors Description
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VHI 640x480 16 VGA high resolution (recommended for VGA)
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VLO 320x200 256 VGA ow resolution (second best)
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VH1 640x480 256 SVGA high resolution (best option!)
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VH2 800x600 256 XVGA high resolution (memory hog, but wow!)
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VH3 1024x768 256 UVGA high resolution (super wow!)
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Note that the following modes are now obsolete: CLO, CHI, ELO,
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EHI, MGA and TDY.
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In addition to the above, you should have an executable file
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(usually called DCPLAY.EXE, but it may have been renamed for
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your game), as well as documentation files (*.TXT, *.DOC,
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READ.ME, etc.).
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Note that the following files are NOT part of the game itself.
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They are saved game files and may be erased if they are present
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in your original delivery:
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PARTY.DTA - Holds the initial character creation right after
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you've gone through the game's initialization sequence. If this
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file is present, the game driver skips the initialization and
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goes right into the game itself.
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SAV*.* - Holds saved instances of the game files. These files
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should NOT be part of the distribution. Note that the game
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system can handle up to 1000 saved games. The current game is
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stored as SAV*.000 (or slot zero), while your saved games are
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stored as SAV*.nnn where nnn is a number between 001 and 999. STARTING A GAME
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To start playing from the very beginning, type the following:
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C:\> cd \mygame
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C:\mygame> dir SAV*.*
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C:\mygame> dir party.dta
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If you find any files above, the game has already started, so
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you should consider if you need to delete them or keep going.
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To start the game playing type:
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C:\mygame> dcplay
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Creating a new character
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When you start an adventure, the game designer may have chosen
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to create the player character for you, but most likely you will
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be allowed to create your own. If the game driver detects that
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the player character has not been fully created, you will be
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presented with a screen in which you may select your character's
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type, name and attributes.
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Character Classes
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When choosing a character class, you should consider the special
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attributes and restrictions (if any) that the character class
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has. In the default configuration for DCGAMES, a Fighter cannot
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use any magical items, but can use any weapon, armor or shield.
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A Wizard on the other hand, cannot use weapons very effectively,
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but instead must use it's Power and intelligence to overcome
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obstacles. In the end, it becomes a matter of preference. Do you
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prefer the powerful fighter, able to wield mighty weapons into
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battle, conquering all by a combination of skill and strength,
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or do you prefer to be a magic user, using your mind instead of
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your muscle.
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The standard DCGAMES environment includes the following
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character classes, which differ mostly in their abilities and
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attributes.
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Human
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Human beings have no special abilities, but neither are they
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restricted in the kind of weapons, armor or shields that they
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can use. While they can't cast magic spells (no power), they can
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use any magical item.
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Elf
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These creatures are not very strong. They can not wear or wield
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heavy equipment, but they can cast magic spells, recovering
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their power faster than wizards. However they gain power very
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slowly as they gain experience.
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Dwarf
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These cave dwellers tend to be small in stature, but very strong
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and agile. They cannot use missile weapons or shields, nor cast
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spells.
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Wizard
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A wizard is a being born with natural magical abilities. Their
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high I.Q. let's them gain Power points very fast as they gain
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experience and advance to higher levels. Unfortunately, they are
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not very good with weapons, and can only use one-handed, blunt
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or edged weapons (no missile weapons). This means that in hand
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to hand combat they are likely to be killed. They can't use any
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kind of shields, as it would hinder their ability to cast
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spells, and can only use very light armor.
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Archer
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An archer is a highly trained fighter, whose training has
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focused on missile weapons, concentrating on Aim and Speed
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rather than Strength and Dexterity. Armed with a good missile
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weapon, they can be very effective in a fight. They can only use
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light armor and cannot use shields.
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Fighter
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A fighter is a human being that has trained extensively in the
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use of heavy weaponry. They are very strong and agile, and have
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learned to rely on their skills. A good fighter knows he/she can
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count on their weapons and their own skills at all times. They
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have a deep contempt of magical items (other than magical
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weapons), and will never use any magical item (like rings,
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amulets, gems, scrolls or staffs).
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If you are given the opportunity to create your character, you
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will be able to allocate some points to your different
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attributes. What attributes you assign these points to depends
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on the character class you choose.
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Character Attributes
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All characters have attributes such as strength, speed, I.Q.,
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etc. Some attributes are more important than others, and
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different character types have different attribute requirements.
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For example, a Fighter has no need for a high I.Q., strength is
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their primary need. On the other side, a Wizard has no need for
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strength and needs all the I.Q. it can get.
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When a character's attributes exceed a certain value, the
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character will get additional effect when using the attribute.
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For example, a very strong person will do extra damage points
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when using contact weapons, and will be able to carry heavier
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things than normal for that character class.
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The following table describes the "additional effect" of a high
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attribute:
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Attribute Value Effect
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Less than 9 May reduce effectiveness
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9 to 15 No special effect
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16 to 18 +1 effect
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19 to 20 +2 effect
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21 to 30 +3 effect
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31 to 40 +4 effect
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41 to 50 +5 effect... (and so on)
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There are ten (10) character attributes:
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Strength
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In hand-to-hand combat, you will do more damage when using
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contact weapons. You will also be able to carry 10 additional
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pounds for each "additional effect" point.
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Speed
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Speed is important in a battle, as it may allow you to strike
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more than once per round. If your speed exceeds that of your
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current foe by more than 10 points, you will be able to strike
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twice. If it exceeds it by more than 20 points you will be able
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to strike 3 times.
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Aim
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Aim betters your chance of hitting a target with a missile
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weapon. It doesn't affect hand-to-hand combat. In general, you
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can expect to hit a target about 1 out of 2 times. An additional
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point from aim will better the chances to 2 out of 3 another
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point will make it 5 out of 6, and any more points will always
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hit.
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Dexterity
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This attribute is important in combat, as it helps in avoiding
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getting hit! It also helps to avoid traps when you try to break
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the lock in a chest or door.
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A character with dexterity under 9 might have trouble using
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weapons, and might harm him/her-self during combat.
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I.Q.
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A wizard's I.Q. will help him/her gain extra power when promoted
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to a new level. A wizard with a low I.Q. might actually loose
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Power when promoted to a new level!
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Power
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A magic user (Wizard or Elf) consumes POWER points when casting
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a spell. Power is replenished with time and rest.
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Hit Points
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This is the amount of damage that a player can take before
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dying. Note that a player with only 1 h.p. is unconscious. Extra
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hit points are earned when you are promoted to a new level.
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Armor Class
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This attribute depends on the armor you are wearing, as well as
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the magical items and/or spells that may protect you at any
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given time. The higher your a.c. the less damage you suffer
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after being hit.
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Luck
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Increases your chances of opening locked doors, avoiding traps,
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etc.
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Charisma
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May get you better deals when trading, etc.
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Playing the game
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Gaining Experience
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When you play the game, you will get experience points for every
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point of damage done to a monster during battle. You will also
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get experience and a monetary reward for performing services for
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other characters (quests). The game designer may have added
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other ways of obtaining experience, such as completing certain
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tasks, or entering a certain place, etc.
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As your experience accumulates, you will be automatically
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advanced to a new level. Every time you advance you will
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receive additional hit points as well as some additional points
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in one or more attributes, depending on your character's type:
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Type Gains attribute points for
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Human Strength
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Elf Power (very slowly)
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Dwarf Strength and Dexterity
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Archer Aim and Speed
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Wizard Power
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Fighter Strength
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Interacting with other characters
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You will encounter many different characters during the course
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of your adventures. The character class will direct a
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character's actions to a great extent. The following are the
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standard classes of characters, but remember each character is
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an individual, and the following is just the expected behavior
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for a character of any given class.
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Regular
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This is someone that might be interested in joining your party.
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Talk to them before you ask them to join your group. Once they
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join, if you ask them to leave you have to share your gold with
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them and they take any item they are carrying with them. There
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is a maximum of 6 characters in a single party, so choose your
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companions well. Use the Vacate command to ask a character to
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leave your group.
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Merchant
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Merchants buy and sell items. Their merchandise varies a lot,
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but they usually concentrate on certain 'types' of items like
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weapons, armor, food, magic potions, magical items, etc.
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Merchants will usually buy only items of a type similar to the
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merchandize they carry. For example, an armorer (sells armor,
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shields, etc.) would not be interested in buying a Magic Book.
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Civilian
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This character will not usually join in your adventure. You can
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talk to it, but that's about it.
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Bartender
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The bartender at the local pub is a good source of information,
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but drinking in excess will get you no where.
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Healer
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Can heal your wounds, cure your poisoning, resurrect your dead
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and remove cursed items (for a price, of course).
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Teller
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These person can usually give you a good lead, but their words
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may be cryptic and usually expensive.
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Trainer
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Your character's can train to gain Strength, Dexterity, Aim or
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I.Q. This is an expensive but quick way of building your
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character's attributes.
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Beggar
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While most beggars are worthless scum, and will try to steal
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your money, beggars have been known to give good tips when
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treated right.
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Questor
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This person will give you a quest. If you accept, you will have
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to go and get a specific object, for which the questor will pay
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well. Finishing a quest will also give you additional experience.
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A questor may also ask you to find and bring a person. This
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normally implies a rescue mission.
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Guard
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A guard will not let you approach the door or passage it is
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guarding. Talking to them can lead to a fight, unless you are
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prepared to give it the password required. Some guards have been
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known to take bribes.
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Moving Around
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You move around by using the arrow keys (up, down, left, right)
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or the key pad (make sure NUMLOCK is NOT set). When you see a
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town or an entrance or exit, press the 'E' key to Enter or Exit
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through the door.
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Time passes every time you move. Your characters consume energy
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and eat when they need to automatically out of the group's food
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supply. If you run out of food they will go hungry and will
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starve to dead eventually, so load up on food if you are going
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away from civilized areas for an extended period of time.
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Poison will also take it's toll on a character, so be careful
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and carry some potions if you can find them. They can usually
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be bought in the towns.
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When the characters get tired, they must sleep to recover. An
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exhausted character will start loosing hit points as they move
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around, so find a safe place and rest there.
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Hit points are regained every two steps (if you're healthy and
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well fed).
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A character's attributes may be modified by artificial means.
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The modification may be temporary or permanent depending on how
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it was obtained. Temporary modifications will go away when you
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rest and must be re-invoked when you wake up.
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Some magical items may have a limited number of uses, so you
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should remove them before you sleep. Otherwise, their effect
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will be re-invoked when you wake up, using a charge
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unnecessarily.
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If monsters appear while camping out, you may not have regained
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all of your hit points, and the monsters will have the
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initiative (first strike) because they caught you unprepared for
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battle.
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The party's spokesbeing
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To set or change the party's "primary" character, type the
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number of the character (1 through 6).
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If you want to see the statistics on the entire group, press 0.
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The primary character remains selected and is highlighted on the
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screen.
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Commands like Get, Drop, Wield, Remove, Talk, etc., are always
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performed by the primary character. Thus, if you talk to a
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merchant, and buy something, it will be placed in the primary
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character's back pack.
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Food and Gold are the general exception. They are always shared
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by the entire party. If a food item is put in the backpack, it
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probably means that it's not regular food! Some food has been
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known to have strange effects (one of which is poisoning!).
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||
Talking to other characters
|
||
|
||
When talking to other characters, you can use "keywords" to
|
||
conduct a conversation. Most characters will respond to keywords
|
||
like Hello, Name, Job, Join, Bye, etc. The conversation may
|
||
reveal other keywords, which in turn may lead to more.
|
||
|
||
Some characters will show you a menu from which you may interact
|
||
with it. If the character is interested in idle chat, you will
|
||
see a 'Talk' option in the menu, otherwise, the character is
|
||
interested only in doing business.
|
||
|
||
If there is a price associated with an option (such as buying an
|
||
item), it will be shown to the right of the menu entry in either
|
||
gold pieces (GP) or silver pieces (SP). Remember that there are
|
||
10 silver pieces in every gold piece.
|
||
|
||
Saving, Restoring and Restarting a game
|
||
|
||
Saving the game often is highly recommended. You can save up to
|
||
999 copies of the game (in slots 1 to 999).
|
||
|
||
If you need to stop playing, press F10 to suspend the game. The
|
||
current game is always saved in slot 0. When you come back, the
|
||
game will continue where you left off.
|
||
|
||
To go back to a saved game (restore) press F4 and indicate the
|
||
slot number that you want to load.
|
||
|
||
Should you want to restart the game from the very beginning,
|
||
press F6.
|
||
|
||
If you choose any of the above option by mistake, press <ESC> to
|
||
return to the game.
|
||
|
||
Quick Reference Card
|
||
|
||
Mouse Interface
|
||
|
||
Button Window Items Action
|
||
|
||
R World vehicle, door, chest, sign Use
|
||
|
||
R World NPC Talk to
|
||
|
||
R World Anything else Get
|
||
|
||
L World Any object or npc Look
|
||
|
||
R Menu menu option Select Option
|
||
|
||
R ICON BAR Variable. Look at the icon's picture for a clue.
|
||
|
||
R Group Stats Individual Player Display Stats
|
||
|
||
R Player Stats Worn/Wielded Item Remove
|
||
|
||
R Player Stats Backpack Item Wear/Wield
|
||
|
||
R Player Stats Anywhere Else Display Group
|
||
|
||
L Player Stats Any item Worn/Wielded/Backpack Look at it.
|
||
|
||
Single Letter Commands
|
||
|
||
0 - Show party summary stats.
|
||
|
||
1-6 - Select's primary character.
|
||
|
||
A - Attack a group of monsters.
|
||
|
||
C - Camp Out. Rest for a little while.
|
||
|
||
D - Drop an object from your back pack.
|
||
|
||
E - Enter or Exit another world.
|
||
|
||
G - Get object you are standing on or next to you.
|
||
|
||
I - Inventory. Look's in your backpack.
|
||
|
||
L - Look. To examine something closely.
|
||
|
||
N - iNvoke a magic scroll or a gem.
|
||
|
||
Q - Quaff (eat or drink something in your backpack).
|
||
|
||
R - Remove weapon, armor, shield, ring, amulet or staff.
|
||
|
||
S - Spell. Cast a magic spell (Wizards and Elves only).
|
||
|
||
T - Talk to other characters.
|
||
|
||
U - Use object.
|
||
|
||
V - Vacate. Let someone out of your party.
|
||
|
||
W - Wield or Wear weapon, shield, armor, ring, etc.
|
||
|
||
X - eXit a vehicle or dismount.
|
||
|
||
Z - Zap a monster with a magical staff.
|
||
|
||
Function Keys
|
||
|
||
F1 - HELP
|
||
|
||
F2 - To SAVE the current game.
|
||
|
||
F3 - Toggle Sound/Music On/Off
|
||
|
||
F4 - To RESTORE a saved game.
|
||
|
||
F6 - To RESTART a game from scratch.
|
||
|
||
F10 - Save game to slot 0 and return to DOS.
|
||
|
||
ESC - Cancel last operation. During a battle, stop fighting
|
||
mode and
|
||
|
||
try to escape.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|