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From aggedor.rmit.EDU.AU!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!uunet!mozz.unh.edu!kepler.unh.edu!ss1 Wed Sep 14 16:35:44 1994
Path: aggedor.rmit.EDU.AU!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!uunet!mozz.unh.edu!kepler.unh.edu!ss1
From: ss1@kepler.unh.edu (The Rink)
Newsgroups: alt.games.apogee,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc
Subject: Apogee FAQ v0.3 (repost [correctly this time, I hope])
Date: 8 Sep 1994 22:19:02 GMT
Organization: University of New Hampshire - Durham, NH USA
Lines: 1494
Message-ID: <34o2km$pte@mozz.unh.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: kepler.unh.edu
Xref: aggedor.rmit.EDU.AU alt.games.apogee:25 comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action:43804 comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc:23295
My first attempt at posting this didn't seem to work. Some places got only
the first half of it; others didn't get it at all. So here's my second
attempt at posting this...
-----------------------------begin original post-------------------------
This is sort of a pre-release of the new Official Apogee FAQ. It is the first
public release of the FAQ, and is complete save for a handful of cheats and
other things I hope to put in here soon. Version 1.0 will contain the COMPLETE
guide to Apogee game cheats (among numerous other things). This version
contains all cheats except for Mystic Towers, Hocus Pocus, Arctic Adventure,
and some of Bio Menace's tech parameters.
Cheats aside, this still has almost all you'd ever want to know about Apogee.
Joe Siegler has authorized it to be called the "Official" Apogee FAQ; he has
also provided a wealth of information that has not previously been available
to those outside of Apogee.
So, without further ado:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
T h e ___ " O f f i c i a l "
/ _ \ _ __ ___ __ _ ___ ___
| |_| | '_ \ / _ \ / _` |/ _ \/ _ \
| _ | |_) | (_) | (_| | __/ __/
|_| |_| .__/ \___/ \__, |\___|\___| F A Q
|_| |___/ Version 0.3
Current as of September 7, 1994
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Contents:
[1] Introduction
[1.1] A word from me
[1.2] Obtaining the latest version of the FAQ
[1.2.1] Revision History
[1.3] Obtaining other Apogee-related FAQs
[1.4] What is Apogee?
[1.5] How Apogee markets its games
[1.6] Apogee's internet mailing list
[1.7] Apogee's staff
[2] Historical Information
[2.1] What is Apogee's relationship with id?
[2.2] What awards has Apogee won?
[2.3] History of specific games
[2.3.1] Keen
[2.3.2] Wolfenstein 3d
[3] Games Lists
[3.1] What games are currently available from Apogee?
[3.2] What combination deals does Apogee offer?
[3.3] What upgrade patches are currently available?
[3.4] What slide shows are currently available from Apogee?
[2.5] What are upcoming releases from Apogee?
[3.6] What Apogee games are no longer supported?
[3.7] Which of Apogee's games are good?
[4] Obtaining the Games
[4.1] The Shareware Episodes
[4.1.1] Software Creations BBS
[4.1.2] Anonymous FTP
[4.1.3] CompuSERVE
[4.1.4] America On-Line
[4.1.5] Fidonet
[4.2] The Registered Episodes
[4.2.1] Ordering information
[4.2.2] Software Creations BBS
[5] Troubleshooting
[5.1] Things to try first
[5.2] Recommended system configuration
[5.3] Setting the BLASTER environment variable
[5.4] Drive compression programs
[5.5] By game
[6] Cheats
[6.1] Overview
[6.2] What's that about cows and monkeys in Raptor?
[6.3] Complete Cheat List
[7] Contacting Apogee
[7.1] Through internet
[7.2] By phone
[7.3] By fax
[7.4] By snail mail
[8] Credits
[9] Dopefish and Friends
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Legal Quagmire: This FAQ is copyright (c) 1994 by Samuel Stoddard. No part
of this FAQ may be distributed unless it remains intact, with all credits,
attributions, and other miscellaneous praises to myself preserved. You may keep
as many copies of this FAQ as you like, on whatever and however many different
mediums that you like, and you can even read more than one copy at one time.
There's a whole lot of trademarks in here that are acknowledged implicitly even
if they aren't acknowledged explicitly in the following statement: I hereby
explicitly acknowledge the following trademarks: Apogee, id, XenoPhage, Wacky
Wheels, Mystic Towers, Hocus Pocus, Raptor, Blake Stone, Duke Nukem,
Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and all the other trademarks in here. All the trademarks
that are not explicitly explicitly acknowledged are implicitly acknowledged as
explicitly acknowledged trademarks. All trademarks (including, but not limited
to, those that are explicitly acknowledged, those that are implicitly
acknowledged as explicitly acknowledged, and those that are explicitly
implicitly acknowledged) are also implicitly acknowledged here to boot. Also,
the header for this FAQ was done with the aid of "Figlet". Finally, I take no
responsibility whatsoever for anything that happens as a result of this FAQ's
existence. Except for the good things.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[1] Introduction
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[1.1] A word from me
Who am I? I'm just another Apogee fan, the primary difference between you and
me being that I'm the one flaunting my vast sea of Apogee knowledge. I don't
guarantee that all or even any of the facts in this FAQ are true, but I try to
make this as informative and truthful a document as I humanly can without
playing hookey from work or school. (I do have priorities, after all.) If you
have some tidbits of information, or, heck, a whole flood of information
tidbits, let me know and I'll put it in the FAQ along with your name in the
credits. The best way to reach me is through the internet. Try these
addresses in this order: ss1@christa.unh.edu, stoddard@ctron.com.
[1.2] Obtaining the latest version of the FAQ
There are a few ways to get the latest copy:
- Through Usenet: I will try to post it in alt.games.apogee once
every two weeks, and in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc and
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action once every month.
- Email: write me at ss1@kepler.unh.edu or stoddard@ctron.com.
[1.2.1] Revision History
The revision history of this FAQ is as follows:
Version 0.3 - First public release. The first batch of Joe Siegler's
additional information incorporated.
Version 0.2 - Minor changes made before Joe Siegler's response.
Version 0.1 - Sent to Joe Siegler for suggestions and corrections.
[1.3] Obtaining other Apogee-related FAQs
Several FAQs about individual Apogee games are available. A list,
with instructions for obtaining the latest versions, follows:
Game Maintainer How To Get It
---- ---------- -------------
Rise of the Triad Rylan Hilman Send mail to rhilman@oasis.rain.com
Wolfenstein 3D Stanley Stasiak FTP to ftp.cc.umanitoba, and download
/wolf3d/wolf3d.faq
Commander Keen Bill Amon Send mail to wamon@mbunix.mitre.org
[1.4] What is Apogee?
Apogee is a games distributor for PC games of many sorts. It is a diverse
gaming company, contributing to several different genres of games. While much
of what Apogee publishes are games written primarily by other companies, such
as Cygnus or Argo, Apogee writes their own games as well. Apogee's staff
includes an array of talented programmers, artists, and musicians. For many
years now, Apogee has been among the leading shareware games companies for the
PC and compatible market.
[1.5] How Apogee markets its games
In 1987, Apogee came up with a unique method of marketing their games. Since
then, other shareware companies have adopted their strategy. Their scheme is
this: each game they produce is divided into three to four, sometimes even
six, episodes. The first episode is free. It can be downloaded from
CompuServe, BBS's, or the Internet, or bought in a store that distributes
shareware games for disk copying charges. You can distribute the shareware
episode to your friends yourself, if you like, provided you leave all the
original files intact.
If you like the shareware episode of a game, Apogee requires that you register
it. This is the normal rule regarding shareware. Upon registration, you will
receive the complete game.
Apogee uses this marketing scheme so that people can have a good idea about
the game they are buying before they put their cash on the line.
[1.6] Apogee's internet mailing list
Apogee has an Internet mailing list. Whenever new games or slide shows are
released (or other important information), Apogee sends the information out in
a mailing. If you would like to be on this mailing list, contact Joe Siegler
<joe.siegler@swcbbs.com> to sign up. It is free of charge.
[1.7] Apogee's staff
Scott Miller - President, Co-owner
George Broussard - Executive VP, Co-owner
Steven Blackburn - VP Operations
Tom Hall - Creative Director
Greg Malone - Creative Director
Dennis Scarff - Vice President, World Operations
Joe Siegler - On-Line Support Manager & Technical Support
Kevin Green - Customer Support Supervisor & Technical Support
Dan Linton - SysOp/Owner of Software Creation BBS
Lee Jackson - Technical Support
Steve Quarrella - Technical Support
Joe Selinske - Technical Support
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[2] Historical Information
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[2.1] What is Apogee's relationship with id?
Apogee Software and id Software are completely different companies. I believe
most of the id guys are former employees of Softdisk, who decided to do their
own thing. They wrote the legendary Commander Keen series and Wolfenstein 3-D,
which were *distributed* by Apogee. So if you play these games, you will see
both Apogee's and id's labels.
Then, id wrote Doom. They decided to publish this (and all future id
releases) themselves, instead of going through Apogee, FormGen, or others.
There was no "divorce" between id and Apogee. They just parted ways
peacefully, and employees of both get together regularly. Some people still
falsely believe that Doom is an Apogee game. It's not! It's by id and only
id. Apogee has nothing to do with it. Nowhere in DOOM will you find any
reference to Apogee.
Also, Apogee is significantly bigger than id. They work on twenty-some games
at a time, including those it distributes for other companies. id consists of
a relatively small crew of programmers, and, for the most part, work on a
single game at a time.
Keen 6 and Spear of Destiny were written by id and distributed through FormGen.
Apogee resells these games and will provide tech support for them if you
bought them through Apogee. As for Doom, Apogee does not even resell this,
and thus, will not provide tech support for it.
As a final note of confusion, Apogee and id are both situated in Texas, just
down the road from each other.
[2.2] What awards has Apogee won?
Apogee has won over a hundred national and international awards -- far too
many to list here -- but here are some of the highlights:
Commander Keen - Best Entertainment Software - 1992
Commander Keen - Best Overall - 1992
Math Rescue - Best Education Software - 1993
Wolfenstein 3D - Best Entertainment Software - 1993
Wolfenstein 3D - Best New Home, Hobby, Entertainment - 1993
Wolfenstein 3D - Best Overall, People's Choice - 1993
[2.3] History of specific games
[2.3.1] Keen
Joe Siegler's explanation of the history of the Keen series:
Here's a short history of the Commander Keen games. First, I'll list
all the games and their titles. All of them were written by id
Software.
1) Marooned on Mars ---\
2) The Earth Explodes | ---> Invasion of the Vorticons
3) Keen Must Die ---/
3.5) Keen Dreams
4) Secret of the Oracle --\__ Goodbye Galaxy
5) The Armageddon Machine --/
6) Aliens Ate My Babysitter
Episodes 1-3 are collectively called "Invasion of the Vorticons",
and are published by Apogee Software. This series of Commander Keen
was released on December 14th, 1990, according to Tom Hall, Apogee's
Creative Director, and at the time, Creative Director of id Software.
Episodes 4 & 5 are collectively called "Goodbye Galaxy", and are also
published by Apogee Software. This series of Commander Keen was
released somewhere around June of 1991. There was also a special CGA
edition of Keens 4-5 made. The game is functionally exactly the same
as the standard EGA version of the game, but the graphics are in CGA.
Episode 6 is a "stand alone" game, and is entitled "Aliens Ate my
Babysitter". This episode of Keen is distributed by FormGen. It is
commercial software, and is available at your local software store
(such as CompUSA). This is also sold by Apogee, but Apogee only
resells this product, we don't actually distribute it. FormGen also
decided to put off-disk copy protection on the full version of this
game. Furthermore, FormGen also has a playable 3 level commercial
demo available for perusal before purchase. Apogee Software sells a
version of Keen 6 in CGA. I do not know if FormGen sells the CGA
version of Keen 6 in the stores; it may only be available from Apogee
Software. Check with FormGen for more details.
Keen Dreams has kind of an interesting story. This is referred to as
the "Lost Episode" of Commander Keen. I like to think of it as "Keen
Episode 3.5". The reason for that is that Keen Dreams falls in between
Vorticons and Galaxy, both in terms of technology and storyline.
Before the id guys actually formed id, the majority of them worked at
Softdisk, a computer software publisher in Shreveport, LA. The
founding members of id Software left Softdisk to do the Vorticons
series of Keen for Apogee Software. However, they were contractually
obligated to deliver another game to Softdisk, and since development
had started on the Galaxy series, they threw together a Keen game for
Softdisk, and Keen Dreams was born. This game is not sold by Apogee
Software, nor does Apogee have anything at all to do with it. You'd
need to contact Softdisk for any further information regarding Keen
Dreams.
Episodes 1, 3.5, 4, and the 3 level demo for Episode 6 are
the only ones that you are legally allowed to upload and download
anywhere. Episodes 2,3,5, and the full version of Episode 6 are
commercial software, and should not appear on any BBS, online service,
or should otherwise be sold except for authorized sellers of the
games.
Here are the BBS filenames as currently available from Apogee for the
various Keen games from Apogee.
Keen 1 -> #1KEEN.ZIP
Keen 4 -> #4KEEN.ZIP
Keen 4 -> #4KEENC.ZIP (Special CGA Version)
I've seen the 3 level Aliens Demo available with the filename
#6K-DEMO.ZIP. I've seen Keen Dreams available with the filename
KDREAMS.ZIP. However, neither of these are Apogee products, and I
cannot vouch for the files' names.
If you played Keen 5, there was a screen that said something to the
effect of "Join us in December 1992 for the greatest Keen adventure
yet". There was a picture of Keen smiling, with a Santa Claus hat on.
At the time, id Software was intending to do a third series of
Commander Keen, tentatively entitled "Commander Keen: The Universe is
Toast". However, other projects came up (Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of
Destiny, and later, Doom). At this time, there is no development
going on in the Commander Keen department. There will eventually be
more Commander Keen games by Apogee Software. However, even if the
work were to commence on the game TODAY, it would still take about 12
months to see the light of day. The earliest development could start
on this game would be early in 1995, so I would not look for any new
Commander Keen games before the Spring of 1996.
[2.3.2] Wolfenstein 3d
Joe Siegler's explanation of the history of the Wolfenstein series:
On May 5, 1992, Apogee Software released the shareware episode of
Wolfenstein 3D, and has been distributing it in the shareware market
since then. Apogee is the official distributor of Wolfenstein 3D's
original 6 episodes in the shareware market.
Somewhere around September of 1992, FormGen Corp released Spear of
Destiny. This is a retail sequel to Wolfenstein 3D. This game
consisted of one episode with 20 levels. It has some new wall
art, a couple of new objects, and new boss creatures. This game
is essentially the same as Wolf3D generally, but is completely
new in the level design aspect. This game is available in stores
like CompUSA. Apogee also resells this product, but is not
responsible for the distribution of it. Apogee has to buy it from
FormGen like any other store would. There is a 2 level playable demo
floating around for Spear of Destiny. It's the same first two levels
that appear in the full version of the game. This is not shareware.
Commercial demos are for the most part non-interactive. This one *IS*
interactive, and since it bears a close resemblance to Wolfenstein 3D,
which is shareware, the SOD demo is frequently mistaken for being
shareware, which it is not.
There have been numerous editors and extra levels appear for both
Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny. In regards to Wolf3D, Apogee
respectfully requests that you not make or distribute any editor/extra
level/add on that will modify the shareware episode. If you choose to
do this, please make these items for the registered version only; and
be aware that Apogee cannot support user created items.
Somewhere in mid/late 1993, id Software decided that they were going
to publish these same 6 original episodes in the retail market.
These are the same 6 episodes that Apogee had been selling since May
of 1992. Since Apogee was at that time not set up for retail
distribution, id Software went with another company, and that company
is GT Software. This package is available in CompUSA, and contains
the same 6 episodes that Apogee is the distributor of. Apogee has
absolutely nothing at all to do with this product. The GT Software
version of Wolfenstein 3D is totally a GT deal. Apogee has no control
over the packaging, the quality control, or the price.
In May of 1994, FormGen Corporation released an update to Spear of
Destiny. I do not remember the exact title offhand, but it's
something like "Spear of Destiny Missions 2 & 3". This is an add-on
to Spear of Destiny, and has some new level graphics, some differently
colored actors, but is essentially more levels for Spear of Destiny.
This extra version (The extra episodes are called "Return to Danger",
and "Ultimate Challenge") does require that you have the first Spear
of Destiny game (The original 6 Apogee Wolf episodes are not required).
Apogee Software has absolutely nothing to do with this prodct. We do
not sell it, and we do not support it. This is a FormGen deal completely.
id Software released a version of Wolfenstein 3D for the Super
Nintendo somewhere around Jan/Feb of 1994. This was published through
a company called "Imagineer". Due to Nintendo restrictions, some of
the cooler elements had to be removed. These were, 1) All Nazi
references, 2) The dogs (with rats), and 3) No Blood (replaced with
sweat). This is still a cool game, considering what it's programmed
for. Also, id Software is currently developing a version of
Wolfenstein 3D for the Atari Jaguar. I have no information as to when
it will be released, or who is publishing it. You'd need to ask id
Software about this. Apogee has nothing to do with the SNES version,
and I'd wager that Apogee will have nothing to do with the Jaguar
version, either when released.
The premiere issue of Game Developer's Magazine stated that Apogee
Software was working on a game called "Wolfenstein 3D: Part II", which
was to be a totally new game, with completely new actors, and totally
new everything; the only thing the same being the title Wolfenstein
3D. This information is incorrect; there is no such title under
production at either Apogee or id Software.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[3] Games Lists
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please note that this information is constantly changing, especially when new
games are added to the list of Apogee products. Please note that some of the
information given here could become out of date. I'll try to keep everything
current, but no guarantees.
[3.1] What games are currently available from Apogee?
A list of Apogee games follows. The filename given is the file - on CompuServe,
BBS's, and the Internet -- which contains the first episode of each game. Note
that on the Internet, the filenames do not contain the leading '#' mark.
The price given is the cost of the _complete_ game with all episodes. The "Ep"
field contains the number of episodes in the complete version. The "Ver." field
contains the latest version number of the game. "Gra" is the best graphics
mode that the game utilizes.
Name Genre Filename Price Ep Ver. Gra
---- ----- ------------ ------ -- ---- ---
Mystic Towers 3D Puzzle #1MYSTIC.ZIP $24.95 6 1.1 VGA
Hocus Pocus Platform #1HOCUS.ZIP $24.95 4 1.0 VGA
Raptor: Call of the Shadows Shooter #1RAP11.ZIP $34.95 3 1.1 VGA
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold 3D Action #1BS21.ZIP $59.95 6 2.1 VGA
Duke Nukem II Platform #4DUKE.ZIP $34.95 4 1.0 VGA
Halloween Harry Platform #1HH12.ZIP $29.95 4 1.2 VGA
Wolfenstein 3D 3D Action #1WOLF14.ZIP $49.95 6 1.4 VGA
Bio Menace Platform #1BIO11.ZIP $29.95 3 1.1 EGA
Monster Bash Platform #1BASH21.ZIP $34.95 3 2.1 EGA
Commander Keen: Vorticons Platform #1KEEN.ZIP $29.95 3 1.31 EGA
Commander Keen: Galaxy Platform #4KEEN.ZIP $34.95 2 1.4 EGA*
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure Platform #1COSMO.ZIP $34.95 3 1.2 EGA
Duke Nukem I Platform #1DUKE.ZIP $29.95 3 2.0 EGA
Major Stryker Shooter #1MAJR14.ZIP $29.95 3 1.4 EGA
Crystal Caves Platform #1CRYSTL.ZIP $29.95 3 1.0 EGA
Secret Agent Platform #1AGENT.ZIP $29.95 3 1.0 EGA
Math Rescue Edu-Game #1MATH.ZIP $29.95 3 2.0 EGA
Word Rescue Edu-Game #1RESCUE.ZIP $29.95 3 2.0 EGA
Dark Ages Platform #1DARK.ZIP $29.95 3 1.0 EGA
Paganitzu Puzzle #1PAGA.ZIP $29.95 3 1.02 EGA*
Pharaoh's Tomb Platform #1PTOMB.ZIP $24.95 4 3.0 CGA
Arctic Adventure Platform #1ARCTIC.ZIP $24.95 4 2.0 CGA
Monuments of Mars Platform #1MARS.ZIP $24.95 4 1.0 CGA
The Kroz Series Puzzle #1KROZ.ZIP $24.95 7 1.0 TEXT
Spear of Destiny 3D Action $34.95 1 1.4 VGA
Commander Keen: Aliens Ate My BabySitter Platform $34.95 1 1.4 EGA*
Note: Spear of Destiny and Aliens Ate My Babysitter are commercial pieces of
software by FormGen Corporation. id Software wrote both of them, and
FormGen distributes them. Apogee only resells these titles. There are
demos available from FormGen for these games, but they are not Apogee
titles, and Apogee does not distribute the demos for these games.
* - There is an optional CGA mode in Paganitzu. There are CGA versions of
Keen 4-6.
[3.2] What combination deals does Apogee offer?
Combo Name Games in Combo Price Save
---------- -------------- ------ ----
Blast'em Raptor & Major Stryker $49.95 $15
Blake/Wolf3D Blake Stone, Wolf3D, Wolf Hint Book $89.95 $30
Duke Duke Nukem I & Duke Nukem II $39.95 $25
Duke/Cosmo Duke Nukem I, Duke Nukem II, Cosmo $59.95 $35
Combat Duke II, Halloween Harry, Bio Menace $59.95 $35
Action Secret Agent, Crystal Caves, Dark Ages $49.95 $40
Kid Word Rescue & Math Rescue $39.95 $20
Keen Vort/Galaxy Keen Vorticons & Goodbye Galaxy $49.95 $15
Keen Galaxy/Aliens Keen Goodbye Galaxy & Aliens Ate... $59.95 $10*
Keen Fun Pack Keen Vorticons, Galaxy, & Aliens $69.95 $30
Action CGA Keen Galaxy CGA & Monuments of Mars $39.95 $20
Adventure CGA Pharaoh's Tomb & Arctic Adventure $34.95 $15
* - There is also a CGA version of this combo available.
[3.3] What upgrade patches are currently available?
These are upgrades available on CompuServe, BBS's, and the Internet only; if
you need an upgrade that isn't listed, call Apogee. The "S/R" field
says whether the patch is for the shareware or registered version of the game.
If it's for the registered version, the form NReg means that it is the upgrade
patch for the registered N-episode version.
Filename Game S/R From To
-------- ---- --- ---- ---
rappat-r.zip Raptor Reg 1.0 1.1
rappat-s.zip Raptor SW 1.0 1.1
bs21pat6.zip Blake Stone Reg 2.0 2.1
bspatch6.zip Blake Stone Reg 1.0 2.0
[3.4] What slide shows are currently available?
Filename Graph Game
-------- ----- ----
#1xp-pix.zip VGA XenoPhage
#1rotpix.zip VGA Rise of the Triad
#1ww-pix.zip VGA Wacky Wheels
#1mt-pix.zip VGA Mystic Towers (plus some of ROTT and Ruins)
#1hp-pix.zip VGA Hocus Pocus
#1rappix.zip VGA Raptor
#1bspix3.zip VGA Blake Stone
#4dn-pix.zip VGA Duke Nukem II
#1hhpix2.zip VGA Halloween Harry
#1bm-pix.zip EGA Bio Menace
#1mb-pix.zip EGA Monster Bash
[3.5] What are Apogee's upcoming releases?
Game Genre Release Date
---- ----- ------------
Wacky Wheels Auto Racing September 1994
Rise of the Triad 3D Action October 1994
Blake Stone: Planet Strike 3D Action Fall 1994
Stargunner Shooter Fall/Winter 1994
Boppin Puzzle Fall/Winter 1994
Realms of Chaos Platform Winter 1994
Tom, Dick, and Harry Platform 1stQ/1995
Monster Bash VGA Platform 1stQ/1995
XenoPhage Fighting 1995
Please note that these games may change their names before release, and that
these released dates are ESTIMATES. They are VERY HIGHLY subject to change.
[3.6] What Apogee games are no longer supported?
Apogee no longer takes orders, technical calls, or any other form of support
for the following games: The Thor Trilogy, SuperNova, Beyond the Titanic, Word
Whiz, and Trivia Whiz. Apogee retains the copyright on these games, but not
much else.
There are three games that Apogee does not distribute, sell, or register
anymore. These three are Jumpman Lives!, Star Trek Trivia, and Star Trek:TNG
Trivia. Apogee retains no copyright on these, and requests that the shareware
episodes (if they exist) on any Apogee site be removed from distribution.
[3.7] Which of Apogee's games are good?
What follows is my own personal evaluation of each game, based on several
different things. The last evaluation for each game is an overall rating. It
is not an average of the other ratings; instead, it correlates to how much I
like and play the game personally. I try to make the ratings fairly objective,
compensating as best I can for any personal bias. Ratings are given on a scale
of 1 to 5. A rating of 2.5 is a mediocre rating. Anything less constitutes
substandard quality. A rating of 3 would probably only impress fans of the
genre (or games in general). A rating of 4 means excellent. A rating of 5
does not mean perfect (in the computer gaming world, perfection is never
achieved, for somebody always comes out with a game that's one step better),
but it does mean you're nuts if you don't love it.
For the "graphics" field, a letter precedes each rating, which indicates
whether the game's best video mode is (T)ext, (C)GA, (E)GA, (V)GA, or (S)VGA.
Just because a game uses a higher video mode than another does not mean that it
will get a higher rating; for instance, I've seen many EGA games with more
impressive graphics than other VGA games. The "enemies" field rates how
unique, challenging, well-animated, and interesting your enemies are. Some
games do not have monsters or enemies, and thus, do not have a rating under
this field. The "level" field rates the thought that went into the design
of the levels. Level design also has an indirect impact on the gameplay.
The "overall" field is not an average of the previous four ratings, but
rather a rating of how lastingly enjoyable the game is to play. "Gameplay"
has a strong influence on this rating.
If I've left a field blank, it's because I don't feel adequately qualified to
make a judgment. The games at the end are ones I played only briefly and could
not make an "overall" judgment.
One final note: in Joe Siegler's words, "Ultimately, you, the reader are the
only person who can make up your own mind about whether a game is good.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is the enjoyment factor of
computer games. Only you can decide whether you'll like our games or not."
Name Graphics Sound Enemies Level Gameplay Overall
---- -------- ----- ------- ----- -------- -------
Spear of Destiny V 4 4 4 4.5 5 5
Wolfenstein 3D V 4 4 4 4 5 5
Raptor: Call of the Shadows V 5 5 2.5 4 4.5 5
Duke Nukem I E 2.5 2.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold V 4 3.5 4 3.5 4 4
Duke Nukem II V 4.5 4.5 5 4 3.5 4
Halloween Harry V 4.5 4 4 3 4
Bio Menace E 2.5 2 4 4 3.5 3.5
Crystal Caves E 2 3.5 4.5 3.5 3.5
Cmdr Keen: Goodbye Galaxy E 3.5 3 3 3.5 3.5 3.5
Cmdr Keen: Aliens Ate... E 3.5 3 3 3.5 3.5 3.5
Monster Bash E 2.5 3 4.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure E 3 2 3 4 3 3
Cmdr Keen: Vorticons E 1.5 1.5 2 2.5 3 3
Word Rescue E 2 3 3.5 3 3
Math Rescue E 2 3 3.5 3 3
Paganitzu E 1 2.5 N/A 3 3 3
Hocus Pocus V 4.5 3.5 2 1.5 2 2.5
Arctic Adventure C 1 1 1.5 3.5 3 2.5
Dark Ages E 1.5 1.5 2 2 2.5 2
Monuments of Mars C 1 1 1.5 2.5 2.5 2
Pharaoh's Tomb C 1 1 1.5 2.5 2.5 2
Secret Agent E 2 1.5 1.5
Major Stryker E 3 2.5
Mystic Towers V 2.5 2.5
Kingdom of Kroz T 1
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[4] Obtaining the Games
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[4.1] The Shareware Episodes
[4.1.1] Software Creations BBS
Apogee's home BBS is the Software Creation BBS. There are over a hundred
lines. The numbers are:
(508) 365-2359 2400 baud
(508) 368-7036 @ 9600-14.4k v.32bis
(508) 365-4035 @ 28.8k v.fc / v.34
[4.1.2] Anonymous FTP
The official FTP site for Apogee is ftp.uml.edu. uml has several mirror sites
which can be used in the event that uml is down or too crowded. Mirrors are
generally updated on a daily basis. A list of sites follows:
Site Name Directory Notes
--------- --------- -----
ftp.uml.edu /msdos/Games/Apogee the official site
ftp.ulowell.edu /msdos/Games/Apogee uml mirror
ftp.uwp.edu /pub/games/uml uml mirror
wuarchive.wustl.edu /systems/msdos/msdos-games uml mirror
src.doc.ic.ac.uk /computing/systems/ibmpc/ uml mirror
msdos-games/Games
ftp.uni-paderborn.de /pcsoft/msdos/games uml mirror
ftp.sun.ac.za /pub/msdos/uml uml mirror
nctuccca.edu.tw /Ulowell/msdos uml mirror
ftp.cdrom.com /.3/games/Games/Apogee
ftp.cdrom.com /.3/games/historic/msdos/* older games
ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca /wolf3d Wolf3d stuff
ftp.uwp.edu /pub/games/id Keen/Wolf3d stuff
wuarchive.wustl.edu /pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/games/Apogee user-supported
[4.1.3] CompuSERVE
Type "GO APOGEE" at a ! prompt.
[4.1.4] America On-Line
Use the keyword "APOGEE" to go to Apogee's forum.
[4.1.5] Fidonet
If you are a Fidonet SysOp, you can get Apogee's games on the Fido Filebone.
Talk to your local filebone hub about the four Apogee areas. See FILEBONE.NA
for more information.
[4.2] The Registered Episodes
The registered versions of the software are the complete versions, and, as
they are not shareware, cannot legally exist on public BBS's or FTP sites. The
registered versions of the software must be purchased directly from Apogee or
from one of Apogee's dealers.
In many of Apogee's newer games, a DEALERS.EXE executable is archived with the
game. This is an executable readme containing a list of the foreign dealers
that sell Apogee's software.
[4.2.1] Ordering information
To order directly from Apogee, call 1-800-APOGEE1. The line is open 24 hours
a day. They'll need to know what disk size you desire, the best graphics mode
you are able to run (CGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA), and whether you have an XT, 286,
386, 486, or Pentium. Note that some games have minimum CPU and graphics
requirements. Also note that Apogee's VGA games come only on high density
disks.
Use the ORDER.FRM file, which comes with virtually all of Apogee's games, if
you want to send in an order by mail. Send it to:
Apogee Software, Ltd.
P.O. Box 496389,
Garland TX 75049-6389
Or, you can fax a copy of your order to (214) 278-4670. Please include a
return fax number if you make use of this facility.
[4.2.2] Software Creations BBS
By October 1994, you will be able to download the full registered versions
of any Apogee game by using a credit card for payment. (Apogee will mail
you the game manual and catalog, which you will receive a few days later.)
See section 3.1.1 for information on calling Software Creations.
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[5] Troubleshooting
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[5.1] Things to try first
If you have a program with an Apogee game not starting correctly, there are a
few things you should try first. The most common startup error is that there
is not enough memory to load the game. There are a few methods of freeing up
RAM. First, try removing any TSRs that you do not need, such as unneeded
drivers, virus scanners (only if necessary!), etc. If you don't plan on using
the mouse for the game, you can unload the mouse from memory. Then try to
start the game again. You can also try booting "clean". With MS-DOS 6.0 or
greater, you can do this by holding down either the shift key or F5 while the
system is booting. This causes your autoexec.bat and config.sys files to be
bypassed.
If the problem is EMS/XMS memory, then perhaps your memory manager (EMM386,
QEMM386, etc) is either set incorrectly or is incompatible with the game. Try
removing the memory manager altogether, first, since this seems to fix most
problems Apogee games have with EMS/XMS memory.
Barring all, read the directions; that's what I always say. Apogee usually
includes an executable help" readme file with all their later games. (The
filename is in the form XXXXHELP.EXE.) Run this; detailed troubleshooting
instructions are usually included in this file. There are plans underway
to make a file available on-line which will contain all the current versions
of the tech support files in them.
Also, you may want to check the cheats section of this FAQ, as, for some
games, it lists several technical support parameters you can pass to the
game. Sometimes this fixes problems with certain pieces of hardware.
If you've tried everything and still can't get an Apogee game to work
correctly, Apogee's technical support line is (214) 278-5655. It is open
from 8am-6pm.
[5.2] Recommended system configuration
If your game still isn't up and running, even after reading all the docs
that came with the game, and you are reasonable sure it is your system's
configuration at fault, you might want to try comparing your autoexec.bat and
config.sys files with those given below. If you have MS-DOS 6.0 or greater,
Apogee recommends creating a multi-boot option for Apogee. If you do this,
the following commands should go there. This is _without_ any drive
compression programs installed; you'll need to add the necessary commands if
you have a drive compression program. (See the next section for more details
about this.)
Note that some of these commands probably require at least MS-DOS 5.0 or
greater.
----------
config.sys
----------
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30
STACKS=9,256
FCBS=16,0
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /e:750 /p
------------
autoexec.bat
------------
@ECHO OFF
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 T1 (make sure to alter for your computer)
PATH C:\;C;\DOS
MOUSE (if you play with a mouse; otherwise it's not necessary)
NOTE #1: Apogee does not recommend using disk caching programs such as
SMARTDRV. Apogee's games have their own caching routines, and
other disk caching programs may even cause the game to slow down.
NOTE #2: You will need to insert the proper "SET BLASTER" line on your
computer, or the appropriate sound card drivers you need.
[5.3] Setting the BLASTER environment variable
If you are having problems with your soundblaster, it could be because the
BLASTER environment variable is not set correctly. Check to make sure that
you have the appropriate SET BLASTER command in your autoexec.bat file.
A sample SET BLASTER command follows:
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T3
| | | | | |
| | | | | |______ Type of Card
| | | | |_________ DMA Channel
| | | |___________ Interrupt
| | |________________ Port Address
| |_______________________ Environment Variable
|____________________________ DOS Command
NOTE: There can be no spaces between the word BLASTER and the equal
sign (=). If you have a space in there, your system will read it
incorrectly, and it will not be recognized by Apogee games.
Consult your card manual for information on how to tell at what
settings your card is set. The information *is* important, so it's
recommended that you know precisely what the settings are. If you
are using a card that emulates the Soundblaster, you should check your
card's manual on how to set the card for Soundblaster emulation.
Port address is almost always 220. Unless you've changed it, it's a
safe bet that your card is set at 220.
The interrupt varies from system to system. Apogee's games prior to
Raptor do not support IRQs higher than 7. Starting with Raptor,
Apogee's sound code supports the higher IRQs. IRQ 2 is not recommended,
as it may cause problems.
The DMA channel is almost always 1 by default. DMA conflicts are the
cause of several problems. If you get lockups with an Apogee game
that has digitized sounds, try turning off the digitized sounds and
running it again. If it works, then you have a DMA conflict. Adjust
the DMA on your sound card, then reflect said change the BLASTER
environment variable.
The type of card is either 1 or 3 if you do not have a genuine Soundblaster.
Try 1 first; if it doesn't work, try 3. If you have a genuine Soundblaster,
use 1 or 3 for a plain Soundblaster, 2 or 4 for a Soundblaster Pro, or
6 or a Soundblaster 16. If it's an older card, choose the lower number
(1 or 2).
[5.4] Drive compression programs
As mentioned before, Apogee has run tests on its full product line with MS-DOS
6.22's DriveSpace compression program. All games save Monster Bash, which
suffered a slowdown, worked fine. If you are having problems with DriveSpace,
try using the system configuration recommended above, with the addition line:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DRVSPACE.SYS /MOVE
....appended to the end of the config.sys file. Also, Apogee's games have
been tested on Stacker v3.1 and v4.0 and work fine on both. Naturally,
you will need appropriate Stacker commands in the config.sys and/or
autoexec.bat files.
[5.5] By game
This section contains some common problems, and their solutions, for specific
Apogee games. In addition to perusing this section, you might want to look
at the cheats section; technical support parameters are listed there also,
which may help to fix your problem.
[Raptor]
Problem: I'm using a joystick, and I can't move down.
Solution: You're most likely running Raptor v1.0. Upgrade to the latest
version.
Problem: Raptor locks on me sometimes.
Solution: Are you using an 8-bit SoundBlaster? Apogee is currently working on
Raptor v1.2, which fixes this problem. It will be released shortly;
sit tight until the patch comes out. In the meantime, use Adlib; it
won't sound as good, but it will work.
Problem: I can't save or load games.
Solution: Increase the value "files" is set to in your config.sys. Note that
if you booted clean, this would have been bypassed.
Problem: My mouse won't go over the entire screen, only in a corner.
Solution: This is usually due to an old version of your mouse driver. Check
with the mouse manufacturer to see if a more recent version is
available.
[Duke Nukem II]
Problem: Certain levels lock on me.
Solution: There's no good solution for this yet. It's a sprite problem,
and Apogee isn't really sure how to fix. You could try rebooting,
and trying the level again. If the problem persists, then playing
on a lower difficulty level might help.
[Monster Bash]
Problem: Rock monsters freeze in place.
Solution: You're running an old version of Monster Bash. Get the most recent
version, which is v2.1.
Problem: I can't get by the dragon in Episode 1 Level 4 no matter what I do.
Solution: The correct way by is to crawl until you're past him. If this does
not work, and he still wakes up, you have an old version. Get the
current version, which is v2.1.
Problem: In episode 3, I can take the broom and, in one place, fly off the
top of the screen. Then the game crashes.
Solution: Don't go up there; there's nothing of value there.
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[6] Cheats
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[6.1] Overview
Apogee has almost always made a point of putting cheats in their games, both
documented and undocumented. In their later games, however, these cheats are
only available in the registered versions of the games. From 1987 to
around May 1993, Apogee games came with a hint sheet, which often contained
cheats in them. From May 1993 to December 1993, Apogee games were shipped
with a XXXXHINT.EXE file, which had the same text as the old hint sheets.
Beginning in 1994, the XXXXHINT.EXE files are done away with too; the
information is now contained in the actual game manuals.
The cheats listed in section [6.3] are subdivided by category. The customer
cheats are the cheats listed in the hint sheet, hint file, or game manual
that comes with the game. Some of the games also have a debugging mode, which
is not generally documented. Their original purpose is to aid in the beta
testing of the game. Lots of times, however, the debugging mode is left
intact, available for the regular game-player to use. Finally, there are
technical support parameters, which are not really cheats, but are used to
correct some technical problems.
[6.2] What's that about cows and monkeys in Raptor?
Raptor was written by Cygnus, and it seems to be a birthday present to
themselves. Whenever Raptor is started when your system's clock matches the
birthday of one of the people at Cygnus (there are six or seven or so), then
Raptor behaves a little strangely. First, the Apogee logo is displayed, but
not with Apogee's trademark music. Instead, you hear the Cygnus folks,
sounding a little tipsy, humming the Apogee theme music themselves. In
addition, some of the Raptor levels contain enemies that don't normally appear
such as monkeys who throw coconuts at you, raptor dinosaurs scurrying across
he screen, and cows with machine guns concealed beneath their hides. Most of
these peculiar enemies appear on the first mission of the game, and they are
invariably difficult to kill.
Finally, when you exit the game, you get to hear the member of Cygnus whose
birthday it is, give an impersonation of a monkey. This might consist of
hooting or screeching sounds, or simply an eloquent rendering of the word
"monkey."
Now the reason this section is in with the cheats is because there is a way,
beyond setting the system time to a particular birthday, of getting the
monkeys and raptors and cows to fight you. When the screen comes up where you
must choose a sector to fly, flip the switch at the bottom center of the screen
by clicking on it with the mouse. It should darken. This activates the three
lights to the right of this switch. In version 1.0 of Raptor, you should turn
on the first and third lights; in version 1.1 of Raptor, you should turn all
three lights on. Then you can select a sector or "auto-pilot" and fly the
level. You'll know the cheat worked if you hear a static-like sound. All
levels have some new enemy that appears by using this cheat, though sometimes
they are small and inconspicuous. Besides monkeys, cows, and raptors, there
are: the ship from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the ship from Space 1999, a woman
sunbathing on a roof, and other miscellaneous things.
[6.3] Complete Cheat List
This section contains a variety of cheats from various Apogee games.
Actually, in the words of Joe Siegler, it's "the first comprehensive cheat
[list] ever published for all Apogee titles."
Note that while the customer cheat keys are officially supported by Apogee,
the debug keys are not. If you use the debug keys, Apogee cannot provide
any support, since this alters game performance to a state where their
standard support comments and issues might not apply. In short, neither
Apogee or I can be held responsible for damage caused by usage of the debug
keys. (Though, as a word of reassurance, I have never heard of such a thing
happening.)
[Raptor: Call of the Shadows]
+ Customer Cheat - The backspace key will restore all your energy and give you
a death ray, at the cost of all your money. This will only
work in the registered version.
+ Debug mode - Set the environment variable "S_HOST" to the value "CASTLE" at
the DOS prompt by typing "SET S_HOST=CASTLE". (It must be in caps) Then,
when you play Raptor, you become completely invincible, and have all the
weapons at your disposal.
+ Warp - There is a level warp built into the game, so you can see any level
you want at any time. What you need to do is to get to the screen where
you see the level selection (Bravo Sector, etc...). The warp combination is
a 2 key entry. The keys are not to be pressed at the same time.
Key 1 - Z, X, or Y (Z is Episode 1, X is Episode 2, and Y is Episode 3)
Key 2 - Any key between Q and O on the keyboard. Q is Level 1, and O is
Level 9.
This works in both the shareware and registered versions. However, if you
try and warp to a registered episode from the shareware version, it will
crash the game.
+ Other notes - With a hex editor, change bytes 27h and 28h of a Raptor saved
game file (char????.fil) to the value FF. When you load this saved game,
you'll have a few million dollars to spend on equipment. If you don't have a
hex editor, there are some programs available that do this for you. RapCheat
is one; RapCash is another. Both should be available at ftp.uwp.edu under
the directory /pub/msdos/games/romulus/cheats. Some people have reported
problems using RapCash; I don't know if these problems have been fixed since
or not.
+ Birthday Mode - As mentioned above, the "Birthday Mode" will automatically
put you into "Battle Cow" mode, and it will also play the goofy Apogee theme
song. To get it, change the system's date to the birthday of one of the
Cygnus programmers. Known dates at this time are May 16 and August 28. Any
year should be OK, as long as it's not in the past. You can also get "Battle
Cow" mode by darkening the switch on the "choose sector" screen, and turning
on all three lights on the right (for v1.0, don't turn on the middle light).
You don't get the goofy Apogee theme song if you do it this way, however.
[Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Planet Strike]
+ Customer Cheat - [J] [A] [M] [Enter] - These keys are to be pressed one at a
time. When all are pressed, the message "Now you're
Jammin'" appears, and you will be given all keys, and you
will get 100% health. Your score will also be taken to 0.
This will only work on the registered version of the game.
+ Debug Mode - Command Line Parameters
POWERBALL - Enables debug keys. Requires the [LSHIFT] & [RSHIFT] to be
held down during the JAM Logo intro. You must keep holding
these keys until the PC-13 Screen is loaded. You will hear
a "ching" sound during the intro when Debug Mode has been
successfully enabled. The "ching" sound will only happen if you
have a sound card. If you have a PC Speaker, you won't hear this.
TICS - Display TIC INFO in score area.
MUSIC - Enable music test mode: [backspace] [arrows] changes music.
RADAR - Displays a rotating overhead view during gameplay. Please note
that this *REALLY* slows the game down, to the point of being
unplayable.
These cheat keys can be use during gameplay only if you invoked
the program with the "powerball" parameter:
[backspace] W - Warp to level (SHIFT-W loads the DEFAULT MAP)
[backspace] D - Player invisible (dumb objects)
[backspace] G - God mode
[backspace] I - Item cheat
[backspace] M - Memory info
[backspace] P - Pause screen
[backspace] Q - Fast quit
[backspace] A - Add Actors to AutoMapper.
[backspace] U - Unlock all floors
[backspace] O - Show hidden walls on auto mapper
[backspace] E - Quick Win Mission
[backspace] B - Border color
[backspace] C - Count objects
[backspace] F - Facing spot
[backspace] H - Hurt self (only if not in God mode)
[backspace] S - Slow motion
[backspace] V - Extra VBLS
[backspace] HOME - Dec sky color (if ceiling textures are OFF)
[backspace] PGUP - Inc sky color (if ceiling textures are OFF)
[backspace] END - Dec ground color (if ground textures are OFF)
[backspace] PGDN - Inc ground color (if ground textures are OFF)
[backspace] + - Add shading depth (if textures are OFF)
[backspace] - - Dec shading depth (if textures are OFF)
[backspace] ] - Inc shading drop off (if textures are OFF)
[backspace] [ - Dec shading drop off (if textures are OFF)
[shift] [tab] - Show Full automap containing all live actors.
These cheat keys can be used during gameplay:
[6] [7] - Collect all bonus items (gold, ammo, health, etc.)
[7] [8] - Kill all actors.
[6] [8] - Collect all bonus items and kill all actors.
+ Tech Support Command Line Parameters - These aren't really debug codes, or
cheats, either. They're in here for Apogee's Tech Support to use in
assisting customers who might be having problems running the game.
VERSION - Display version information.
SYSTEM - Display system information.
HIDDENCARD - Disable checking for video card.
NOJOYS - Disable checking for joysticks.
NOMOUSE - Disable checking for mouse.
NOMAIN - Disable checking for main memory.
NOEMS - Disable checking for EMS memory.
NOXMS - Disable checking for XMS memory.
NOAL - Disable checking for AdLib.
NOSB - Disable checking for Sound Blaster.
NOPRO - Disable checking for Sound Blaster Pro.
NOSS - Disable checking for Sound Source.
SST - Disable checking for Tandy Sound Source.
SS1 - Disable checking for Sound Source on LPT1.
SS2 - Disable checking for Sound Source on LPT2.
SS3 - Disable checking for Sound Source on LPT3.
NO386 - Disable checking for 386.
ENABLEGP - Enables NoteBook GamePort checking (This will do bad things if
you try it on an Acer)
[Duke Nukem II]
+ Customer Cheat - For the registered version only, the following two codes
can be typed in during gameplay. Please note that all
three letters have to be pressed at the same time.
[E] [A] [T] - health is restored to maximum, but score is reset to zero
[N] [U] [K] - get a random weapon, plus all inventory required to finish
the current level
[Wolfenstein 3D / Spear of Destiny]
+ Customer Cheat - Pressing [I] [L] [M] all at the same time, will give you
both keys, and will give you 100% health. It will also
take your score to zero. This cheat will work in both the
shareware and the registered version.
+ Debug mode
The debug mode is activated with a different command line parameter
depending on what version of the game you have.
v1.0 -> -next
Once in the game, press Ctrl-Alt-Enter to activate.
v1.1+ -> -goobers
Once in the game, press LShift-Alt-Backspace to activate.
Spear -> -debugmode
Once in the game, press LShift-Alt-Backspace to activate.
Once activated, these are the keys you can use.
[tab] q - Quit
[tab] w - Warp to level xx
[tab] e - Exit to next level
[tab] t - Debug info in memory
[tab] i - Free items
[tab] o - Map of level
[tab] s - Slow motion
[tab] f - Position info
[tab] g - God mode (no damage)
[tab] h - Hurt yourself
[tab] x - Extra stuff (???)
[tab] c - Statistics
[tab] v - Increase/decrease game speed
[tab] b - Change border color
[tab] n - No clipping (walk through walls)
This does not work in the registered version of Wolf3D. This mode
causes really bad things to happen to the game, and it can even
corrupt your copy of the game, which is why it was taken out.
[tab] m - Memory map
+ Tech Support Command Line Parameters are the same as in Blake Stone, except
VERSION, SYSTEM, and ENABLEGP do nothing in Wolf3D.
+ Note 1: If you press [B] [A] [T] all at once, you'll get a message wondering
why you're trying to cheat, since this is the old Keen Galaxy cheat
code.
+ Note 2: For Spear only, if you do nothing in the game for 30 seconds, BJ will
either cross his eyes or stick his tongue out at you. It happens
really quickly, so you have to watch carefully.
[Halloween Harry]
+ Customer Cheat - Pressing [B] [I] [G] all at the same time will give you full
health and jetpack power.
+ Tech Parameter - Pressing these four keys at the same time will show you the
coordinates you are at on the level. This serves no real
function on it's own, but it is used by Apogee's Game Hint
Line sometimes to locate a player in a level. The keys are
[Ctrl] [Alt] [RShift] [F12]
[Bio Menace]
+ Customer Cheat - [C] [A] [T] - During gameplay, you can press these three
letters at the same time, and you will receive the machine
gun, 99 ammo, & 99 grenades. This works only in the
registered version.
+ Tech Support Command Line Parameters -
NOJOYS - Disable joystick detection
NOMOUSE - Disable mouse detection
+ Other Notes - The following secret weapons are available in both the
shareware and registered versions:
Super Plasma Bolt - hold the up arrow until you hear a charge sound,
then hit fire; this causes one hit point of damage
Fireball Attack - turn left and right 6 or 7 times in succession,
then hit fire
Electron Shield - turn left and right 6 or 7 times in succession,
then hit the jump key
Invincibility Burst - hold the up arrow until you hear a charge sound,
then hit the down arrow
[Monster Bash]
+ Customer Cheat - In the registered version only, you can press the [Z] and
[F10] keys down simultaneously to receive five lives. Hold
down [Z] first; since the [F10] key, by itself, has meaning
in the game, the cheat won't work if you push both down at
the same time and the [F10] is the first to register.
[Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons]
+ Customer Cheat - Either of these cheats will work with either the shareware
or registered versions of the game. The key combinations
need to be pressed at the same time.
[C] [T] [SpaceBar] - Gives Pogostick, all Keycards, and full Ammo
[Shift] [Tab] - Passes through unplayed level on world map
+ Debug mode - Pressing all three of these at the same time will put you in
God mode, and will give you a "jump cheat", which means when
you press "jump", you fly. [G] [O] [D]
[Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy and Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter]
+ Customer Cheat - Pressing the [B] [A] [T] keys all at once will give you 99
shots, an extra life, and all the gems. This does not work
on early versions of Aliens Ate My Babysitter.
+ Debug Mode - Pressing [A] [2] [Enter] all at once will activate debug mode.
Once activated, these keys will perform the following functions:
[F10] [G] God Mode
[F10] [I] Free Items
[F10] [J] Jump Cheat (Note that you will not be able to jump
down while the jump cheat is activated)
[F10] [N] No Clipping (Be careful. If you fall off the bottom
of the level, you'll die, even if you
are in God Mode.)
[F10] [Y] View Hidden Areas in the level.
[F10] [B] Set border color (1-15)
[F10] [C] Show number of active/inactive objects in the level
[F10] [D] Record a demo
[F10] [E] End the current level
[F10] [M] Display memory usage
[F10] [S] Slow motion
[F10] [T] Sprite test
[F10] [V] Add 0-8 VBLs
[F10] [W] Warp to any level
[F10] [Y] Reveal hidden areas
[Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure]
+ Customer Cheat - [C] [0] [F10] Pressing all three keys down simultaneously
to receive full health and a full supply of
bombs.
+ Debug mode - [Tab] [F12] [Del] - Pressing all three activates Debug Mode.
Once activated, pressing these combinations
of keys (at the same time) will do...
[F10] [G] - God mode
[F10] [W] - Warp
[Duke Nukem I]
+ Customer Cheat - Pressing [Bksp] & [PgDn] at the same time will give you all
keys, and full gun power. This can be used in either the
shareware or registered version of the game.
+ Debug mode - To activate, you must enter "asp" on the command line, and it
must be in lower case. Once activated, and inside the game, you
press these key combinations. All must be pressed
simultaneously.
[G] [O] [D] - Full health & all items
[G] [O] [W] - Level Warp. This isn't a real warp, it will
just take you to the next level. You need to
keep on using it to progress through the levels.
[Major Stryker]
+ Customer Cheat - The cheats here are a bit more complicated than in other
games. There is a two step procedure to active the cheat
mode. (This cheat mode only works in the registered
version. It does nothing in the shareware version.)
Step 1 - Type [C] [H] [E] [A] [T] at the Main Title Screen.
All keys need to be pressed one at a time. When
you get it, you'll see the message that says "Cheat
Active (it really isn't yet).
Step 2 - During the game, hold down the [BackSpace] key, and
then press the [H] & [S] keys at the same time.
When you are successful, you'll see a message that
says "Cheat Mode On" (it is now).
Once activated, you can press these keys to activate various
options. Please note that you must HOLD DOWN the [Tab] key
first before pressing the others, or it won't work.
[Tab] [O] - Fire Options
[Tab] [R] - Rapid Fire
[Tab] [S] - Shield Options
[Crystal Caves]
+ Customer Cheat - All keys need to be pressed at the same time.
[X] [T] [R] [A] - Gives you max ammo
[N] [E] [X] [T] - Lets you warp to any level
+ Debug mode - Pressing [Z] [E] [U] [S] all at the same time will put you into
God mode, and will let you activate the other debug mode key,
which is [G]. Pressing that will reverse the gravity in the
game.
[Secret Agent]
+ Customer Cheat - Pressing these key combinations at the same time will
activate the functions listed. This will work with either
the shareware or registered versions of the game.
[U] [V] [K] - Gives you 25 Ammo
[Z] [G] [I] - Gives you the disk and a dynamite
+ Debug Mode - Pressing these key combinations at the same time will activate
the functions listed. This will work with either the shareware
or registered versions of the game.
[P] [J] [X] - God Mode
[B] [O] [N] [D] - Warp
[Math Rescue]
+ Customer Cheat - These cheats will work in either the shareware or the
registered versions of the game. Key combinations have to
be pressed at the same time.
[E] [L] [M] - Gives you lids and slime
[P] [A] [M] - Level Warp. When you hit this combination,
the game will freeze. Press a number here,
and you will be taken to that level. You
will not be able to see the number when you
are typing it.
+ Tech Parameter - Pressing the [+] or [-] keys will speed up or slow down the
game appropriately.
[Word Rescue]
+ Customer Cheat - These will work with either the shareware or registered
versions of the game.
[L] [Z] - Warp. When you type this, the screen will
freeze. Enter the level number you want to go
to. You will not be able to see the number when
you are typing it.
[P] [S] - Gives you slime.
[Escape] - Will skip the finish of the key sequence.
[Dark Ages]
+ Customer Cheats - Any of these cheats will work with either the shareware
or registered version of the game.
[F10] - Activate Cheat Mode
[Bksp] - Extra health with 5 coins
[+] - Automatic Firing
[Paganitzu]
+ Customer Cheat - To active the cheat mode, you need to be at the game menu
screen. When you are there, press these three keys at the
same time [Ctrl] [A] [L], and you will be taken to another
screen where you can enter a number. The numbers you can
enter and their functions are listed below, and they will
work with either the shareware or registered versions of
the game.
325 - Gives you 99 lives
589 - Goes right to the ending game sequence
822 - Double Point Value
7xx - Level Warp where xx is the level to warp to
642 - God Mode on
643 - God Mode off
[Pharaoh's Tomb]
+ Customer Cheat - When the scroll lock is on, the grey plus key will advance
you through the levels. This will work on both the
shareware and registered versions of the game.
[Monuments of Mars]
+ Customer Cheat - To activate the cheat mode, you need to press [CapsLock],
and then press the combination of [Shift] & [.]. Once
you've done that, you can press [PgDn] to advance a level.
This will work in either the shareware or registered
versions of the game.
[The Kroz Series]
+ Customer Cheat - To activate the cheat mode, you need to press either [!] or
[x]. This depends on which version you're playing, so you
will need to try both to see which works on what you have.
Once activated, you can use these keystrokes for cheats:
[Shift] [9] then right arrow - Go to the next level
[Shift] [0] will give you free items
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[7] Contacting Apogee
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[7.1] Through internet
You can contact an Apogee representative from the internet by e-mailing
joe.siegler@swcbbs.com.
[7.2] By phone
Apogee's technical support line is (214) 278-5655. It is open from 8am-6pm
Central Time on Mondays through Friday. It is also closed for major national
holidays, and on the weekends.
[7.3] By fax
Apogee's fax number is (214) 278-4670. Include a return fax number.
[7.4] By snail mail
Send mail to:
Apogee Software, Ltd.
POB 496389
Garland, TX 75049-6389
United States of America
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[8] Credits
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In no particular order, thanks to:
- To Scott Symes <symes@lfs.loral.com> for forwarding information about
the relationship between Apogee and id.
- To QUAKE <decerman@ouray.denver.colorado.edu> for writing said information.
- To Mike Vasconcellos <mikev@netcom.com> for Apogee game lists.
- To Audry A. DeLisle <rad@crl.com> for information regarding MS-DOS 6.22's
DriveSpace program, Apogee's recommended system configuration for it,
Apogee games lists, and combination deal offers.
- To Bill Amon <wamon@mbunix.mitre.org> for Keen cheats.
- To Rylan Hilman <hilman@ichips.intel.com> for more Keen cheats.
- To Stanley Stasiak <stasiak@tartarus.uwa.edu.au> for the Wolf3d FAQ.
- To Diane Winters <diane@netcom.com> for several cheats.
- To Joe Siegler <joe.siegler@swcbbs.com> for a whole lotta stuff.
Apologies if I missed anyone.
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[9] Dopefish and Friends
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"YYAAAAAAAAAAAA...HA...HA...HA...HOOOOEEYY!!!" -- Goofy
"Yabba dabba doo!!" -- Fred Flintstone
"Habba, habba, ha-hhhhhaaaaa...." -- Jackie Gleason
"Ahweehrwyyhwhryrhwwehrwehrwrhwherr...." -- Dick Van Dyke, "Mary Poppins"
"Yerhudurdhrrdrhudrtdhtudhrtduhtddhrtur...." -- Sebastian, "Little Mermaid"
"Belch." -- Dopefish, "Siegler's Sig"
--------------------------------
| _|\_ |
| \ / \ Pisces Swimeatus |
| |>< |> OO The Dopefish |
| / \___/UU |
--------------------------------
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--
"My *very* expensive internally cached Quantum hard-drive decided to write its
entire just-tested-memory (full of 5A hex) to the FAT, thus giving me about
250 files with cross-links to cluster 23130 (5A5A) -- incredible how much you
can spend to destroy data with original flare." -- sauron@magister.apana.org.au