The Other Thing/The Other Thing.iso/AFTERLIFE/TUTORIAL.TXT

Text File | 1996-01-22 | 15KB | 261 lines

CHAPTER ONE: A GREETING

    Hi.

    Welcome to the Official Cheesy Demo Version of AFTERLIFE, the game which
 will someday be known as "The Final Word in Sim Games...Literally."  Sadly, all you
 can play right now is this teeny lil' demo, with its crippled buttons,
 sparse sound effects, unpolished AI, and devastatingly evil bugs, but what do you expect
 for free?

CHAPTER TWO:  THE GOAL

    The goal of AFTERLIFE is simple:  Punish the Damned, Reward the Blessed,
 Reincarnate everyone who wants to go back, and try to turn a profit.

    How do you do that?  I'm glad you asked...

CHAPTER THREE:  THE BIG PICTURE

    If you look closely at your screen, you'll notice two planes floating in space.
 The one with all the blue rivers is Heaven; the one with all the red rivers is Hell.
 In between the two planes is a tiny little planet.  On that planet is a population of
 humanoid aliens, a population that has begun to believe in the AFTERLIFE.

     When these aliens (we call them "Ethically Mature Biological Organisms", or "EMBOs")
 die, their essences, their "Stuff Of Unending Life" (or "SOULs"), drift towards the nearest
 available Afterlife, seeking their Eternal Rewards.  Luckily for you, your little slices of
 Heaven and Hell are remarkably close to the planet.  If you can meet the various expectations
 of these SOULs, the Powers That Be (your enigmatic bosses) will pay you many Pennies From Heaven
 for your efforts.
CHAPTER FOUR:  GATES

    The first thing you'll want to do as Demiurge of this planet's Afterlife is build a GATE.

    When a SOUL first arrives in Heaven or Hell, it must "check-in" at a GATE before travelling on
 to its expected Reward and/or Punishment.  Once the SOUL's sins/virtues have been tallied by
 one of the GATE's demonic/angelic caseworkers, the GATE opens, the SOUL walks through, and the
 Powers That Be give you a couple of Pennies From Heaven for "processing" the SOUL.

    To build a GATE, left-click on the GATE Button on your Remote Control (It's on the third row down, on the left.
 A further aside:  If you right-click on just about any of the buttons, a little window will pop up,
 telling you what the button's function is.).  A window will pop up, showing you a variety of GATES
 you can choose from.  Highlight the GATE you'd like to build, and left-click your mouse.  The window
 will close, and the display at the top of your Remote Control will reflect that your are now "ZONING: GATES."
 If you move your mouse around, you'll notice that your cursor looks like a gate, and that a 3x3 shadow
 is following your cursor all over the place.

    Zoom in a couple of magnification levels (the ZOOM IN/OUT Buttons are the "magnifying glasses" buttons
 in the center of your Remote Control), and scroll to a relatively empty part of Heaven or Hell
 (it doesn't matter which realm you start in).  Move your mouse until you've found an empty spot for
 your GATE, left-click your mouse button, and let go.  If you've done everything right, you should
 see your brand new GATE, ready to receive fresh SOULs.
CHAPTER FIVE:  ROADS

    Now that you've built a GATE, it's time to lay down some ROADS.

    In order to get from place to place in the Afterlife, SOULs must walk.  In order to walk,
 they need ROADs.

    Let's build a ROAD leading outward from your GATE.  Left-click on the ROAD Button on your
 Remote Control (it's just to the right of the GATE Button), and let go.  The display on top
 of the Remote will now reflect that you're "ZONING: ROADS."  Now, scroll up to where you built
 your GATE.  Find an empty piece of astral territory right next to the GATE, and left-click your
 mouse, but don't let go.  With the mouse-button still down, drag your cursor around; a road-shaped
 shadow will follow your cursor.  When you've gotten a road shape you can live with, let go of the
 mouse button.  Now you've got a road!

CHAPTER SIX:  REWARDING AND PUNISHING

    Now that you've built a GATE and some ROAD, it's time to get about that actual business of
 Rewarding and Punishing.

    When a SOUL enters the Afterlife, it expects to be Rewarded or Punished, based on its individual
 beliefs about the nature of the Afterlife.  The Rewarding and Punishing takes place in what are
 called "FATE STRUCTURES," 'cause that's where SOULs meet their eternal "Fate."  To build a FATE
 STRUCTURE, you must first decide what sort of FATE STRUCTURE you want, then designate (or "zone")
 an empty patch of your Afterlife for that types of FATE STRUCTURE.

    In Hell, there are eight types of FATE STRUCTURES:
ENVY PUNISHMENTS
AVARICE PUNISHMENTS
GLUTTONY PUNISHMENTS
SLOTH PUNISHMENTS
LUST PUNISHMENTS
WRATH PUNISHMENTS
PRIDE PUNISHMENTS, and
GENERIC PUNISHMENTS

    In Heaven, there are eight types of FATE STRUCTURES:
CONTENTMENT REWARDS
CHARITY REWARDS
TEMPERANCE REWARDS
DILIGENCE REWARDS
CHASTITY REWARDS
PEACEFULNESS REWARDS
HUMILITY REWARDS, and
GENERIC REWARDS

    Let's do some zoning.  Left-click on the GENERIC ZONING Button on your Remote Control (it's on the second
 row down, on the right, and it's rainbow-colored), and let go.  The display on your Remote will now
 reflect the fact that you're "ZONING: GENERIC."  Scroll to where you've put down your GATE and ROAD, and
 find a nice empty piece of astral real estate next to your ROAD.  Left-click where you want to start zoning,
 but don't let go of the mouse button.  Drag your cursor around; a grey rectangle should follow your cursor
 wherever it goes.  Move your cursor around until you got a 3x3 rectangle next your road (it doesn't have to be 3x3,
 but that's a pleasant size), and let go of your mouse button.  You should now see a bunch of rainbow-colored
 tiles next to your ROAD.  Congratulations, you've just successfully Zoned for GENERIC REWARDS (or PUNISHMENTS,
 as the case may be).

    If you've been following the Tutorial diligently, you've got a GATE, some ROAD leading out from that GATE,
 and some GENERIC Zones...and nothing's happening.  That's because we've started the game with the clock turned
 off for your convenience.  Left-click on the "Global" menu at the top of your screen, and select the "Tempo"
 option.  A sub-menu will pop up, with the "Divine Intervention" option checked off.  Select the "Demonic Speed"
 option, and wait a few seconds.  Soon, various structures will begin to burble into existence.  (For future
 reference, you can pause/unpause the game by hitting your <space> bar.)

CHAPTER SEVEN:  LOST SOULS

    After a while, you may begin to notice colored "spikes" emanating from your ROAD.  These are LOST SOUL SPIKES,
 and they're a bad thing.  They signify that one or more SOULs haven't found what they're looking for in your
 Afterlife, and have moved on to other Afterlifes that can meet their needs.  Each time you lose a SOUL,
 the Powers That Be take back the Pennies they gave you when that SOUL entered your GATE, and also tack on a
 substantial "Penny Penalty" for early withdrawal.  If you lose too many SOULs, you could lose all your Pennies,
 so it's extremely important to eliminate LOST SOUL SPIKES whenever you see them.

    How do you eliminate them?  Actually, it's pretty easy.  Take a look at one of your LOST SOUL SPIKES.
  There's probably a colored ball on top of it.  The color of the ball tells you which type of FATE STRUCTURE
 the SOULs couldn't find when they became LOST SOULs (each type of FATE STRUCTURE is color-coded: ENVY and
 CONTENTMENT STRUCTURES are green, AVARICE and CHARITY are yellow, etc.).  The quickest way to accommodate
 the needs of those LOST SOULs is to click on the similarly-colored FATE STRUCTURE Button near the top of your
 Remote Control, and "zone" for that type of structure near where the SOULs are being lost.  In other words,
 zone orange for an orange spike, purple for a purple spike, and so on.

    If, after a few years, you're still getting more LOST SOUL SPIKES than you think you deserve, you might
 want to check to make sure that all of your ROADS are completely connected to each other.  Remember,  ROADS
are the ONLY things SOULs can walk on.
CHAPTER EIGHT:  REINCARNATION BASICS

    Once you're happy with your zoning, you might want to try your hand at managing reincarnation.

    (This'll take a few pages to explain, so you may want to hit your <space> bar now...)

    Many SOULs believe in reincarnation, so it's your responsibility to make sure that they properly
 reincarnate back to the planet.  Reincarnation is accomplished by transporting SOULs into KARMA PORTALs,
 which hover in a "Karma Plane" halfway between Heaven and Hell.

    If you Zoom Out a couple of levels and look at your Afterlife, you'll notice several large, pale
 rocks with pinkish nimbuses floating around them.  These are KARMA PORTALS, floating between Heaven and Hell,
 waiting for SOULs to pass throught their transdimensional membrane for reincarnation.  Zoom In on one of
 the Karma Portals, then scroll straight up to Heaven.  Soon, you'll see what looks like a couple of trees
 holding up a nexus of swirling blue energy.  This is a KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR, and it's holding the KARMA PORTAL
 in place.  Now scroll straight down, past the KARMA PORTAL, until you're in Hell, and you see a big claw-like
 thingamabob with swirling red energies in it.  This is Hell's version of a KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR, and it's
 also holding that KARMA PORTAL in place.

    You may be wondering:  "How do I get my SOULs all the way from Heaven/Hell down/up to these Karma Portals?"
 Good question; here's the answer.  Left-click on the KARMA STATION Button (it's just to the right of the ROAD Button).  A window will pop up, offering
 you several KARMA STATIONS to choose from.  Pick one.  Scroll to an empty spot next to your ROAD
 (most structures need to be near a ROAD, so that SOULs can walk to them).
 Click on that empty spot, and let go.  A darkened, 3x3 building should appear next to your ROAD.  This
 is a KARMA STATION ANCHOR.  Now, scroll straight up (or down if you're in Heaven) until you see a building that
 looks like the one you selected when you clicked the KARMA STATION Button.  This is your KARMA STATION.
 SOULs who wish to reincarnate will walk into your KARMA STATION ANCHOR, and be levitated upward (or downward,
 if the ANCHOR is in Heaven) to your KARMA STATION.

    Now, we've successfully gotten your SOULs to a KARMA STATION, but how do we get them from the KARMA STATION
 to a KARMA PORTAL, so that they can reincarnate?  Well, obviously, we need some KARMA TRACK, to
 connect the KARMA STATION to the KARMA PORTAL.  Left-click on the KARMA TRACK Button
 (it's just to the right of the KARMA STATION Button).  Now, scroll over to your KARMA STATION ANCHOR, and find
 an empty spot right next to the anchor.  Left-click on that spot, hold down the mouse button, and drag
 the mouse around as if you were building ROADS.  If you can see a KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR, try to drag the shadow
 all the way up to the side of the KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR, then let go of the button.  With luck, a blue
 shimmering path will lead all the way from the side of your KARMA STATION ANCHOR to a KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR;
 if not, you may have to run several pieces of KARMA TRACK in a row to join the KARMA STATION ANCHOR to the
 KARMA PORTAL ANCHOR.  You'll know when you've connected your PORTAL and STATION ANCHORS, because your KARMA STATION
 ANCHOR will suddenly light up.

    If you scroll up (or down) to your KARMA STATION, and hit the <space> bar to turn on the clock, you'll
 begin to notice little KARMA VEHICLES emerging from your KARMA STATIONS, whizzing down your KARMA TRACK,
 and disappearing in your KARMA PORTALS.  Congratulations, you've begun taking care of Hell's (or Heaven's)
 reincarnation needs!
CHAPTER NINE:  OTHER STUFF

    With the first three rows of buttons on the Remote Control, you can master the basic tasks of AFTERLIFE:
 Rewarding, Punishing, and Reincarnating.  Of course, there are a lot of other things you can try, including:

The MICROVIEW Button ('m'): Turns your cursor into a magnifying glass.  Click the magnifying glass on a
 building, and all kinds of intersting information about that building will pop up.

The NUKE Button ('x'):    Sometimes the only way to correct a mistake is to blow it up.

The GRAPHVIEW Button ('d'): Brings up a window with all sorts of useuful graphs that tell you things like,
 for instance, how full your FATE STRUCTURES are.

The MAPVIEW Button : Brings up a tiny, overhead map of either Heaven or Hell, with various functions.

The TOPIA Button ('c'):  Your "workforce" is comprised of Demons and Angels.  Like all employees, they must be
 paid.  Like all employess, they demand higher salaries when they have to commute.  Build 'em a TOPIA, so
 they have someplace to live.

The TRAINING CENTER Button:  Better yet, train your own Angels and Demons from SOULs who happen to
 be wandering by.  Place a TRAINING CENTER in the middle of your Afterlife, and watch your labor costs
 drop through the floor!

The SOULVIEW Button ('i'):  Go into SOULVIEW mode, and click on a FATE STRUCTURE.  Gape at the face of
 an individual SOUL, plucked from the Great Beyond for your amusement!"

The BAD THINGS Menu:  Unleash one of four calamities on your unsuspecting Afterlife!

CHAPTER TEN:  THINGS YOU CAN'T DO

   Here are a whole host of cool things that won't be able to do/get/see in this Cheesy Demo,
 but will be made totally available in the Spiffy Release Version of AFTERLIFE:

MORE COOL DISASTERS: Like the Hell In a Handbasket, the Paradise Pair of Dice, and the nerve-jangling Disco Inferno!

REAL, IN-PROGRAM HELP:  Aria Goodhalo and Jasper Wormsworth, your angelic and demonic majordomos, will
 talk you through the basics of the game, and lend you a hand every now and then.  Just imagine, no
 more cheesy text tutorials!

THE PLANETVIEW: Wield your influence on the planet!  Make SOULs more evil!

RADICAL REWARD STRUCTURES: Receive strange and wondrous buildings for each major population milestone!

LIMBO BARS: Stave off those LOST SOUL SPIKES with a well-placed bar!

AD INFINITUM SIPHONS:  Learn the secrets of Infinitum, and use them to evolve your FATE STRUCTURES to greater heights!

PENNY BANKS:  Take out a few loans to keep your Afterlife running!

PORTS:  Ferry SOULs to and fro across the unswimmable rivers of Heaven and Hell!

OMNIBOLGES and LOVE DOMES:  When you reach 1 Billion SOULs, you'll get to start building some VERY big, VERY cool, FATE STRUCTURES!