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1995-11-25
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Operation Blue Sunrise
written by
Colin Campbell
(c) 1990/1991 All Rights Reserved
Documents & Instructions
for
Version 3.00(PD)
released, Sept 1992
Set-Up Required
===============
To run this adventure game you will need the following equipment:-
- Atari STFM/E (1 MEG or higher)
- Double Sided Disk Drive
- Colour TV or Colour Monitor
- Blank Disk for position saves
Files on the Disk
=================
There are quite a few files on this disk, most of which are needed to run the
game:
SUNRISE.PRG \
SUNRISE.DAT \_ This is the main set, all of which need to be in the root
SUNRISE.NEO / directory of this disk.
SUNRISE.CIP /
README.DOC \
BEGINNER.DOC \_ these are all the document files.
VERSION.DOC /
REGISTER.DOC /
TERMINAL.TOS - this is a sub-program that may be needed to find additional
information for progress within the adventure. Please take
note that the running of this program requires a saved
position file to be in the root directory. This file will be
altered upon exit from TERMINAL.TOS so that the game will
recognise that you have been there.
SEE LATER FOR MORE INFORMATION.
HELP.TOS - this program will allow you to get help with some of the
puzzles. Unregistered users will only be able to get vague
help with some of the puzzles.
SEE LATER FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Loading The Game
================
Simply double-click on the SUNRISE.PRG file and the game will then simply load
in. You will be warned if your machine hasn't enough memory to run the
game and you will then need to rush out and buy an upgrade if you wish to
play it.
By holding down both <shift> keys as SUNRISE.PRG loads, the screen, and the
game will be in 60hz (NTSC) mode. This is useful if you are finding it hard
on the eyes in 80 column mode and don't want to play it in 40 column mode.
If you can't see a loading screen within 30 seconds then you've got a faulty
disk. Please return it to where it was purchased. If you wish, you can return
it to me but please fill in the registration form and enclose a cheque to the
value given in the form made payable to "Colin Campbell". This will register
you as an official player as well as a fully-working copy of the game and a
fully operational version of HELP.TOS.
Previous Versions
=================
Versions 2.08 and 2.08b were released into the public domain in December of
1990. Both versions were a sample of the final game (which is on this disk)
but version 2.08 had a few crippling bugs that crept in during the copying
procedure. Version 2.08b was okay, as far as I know.
Rough Guide to The Game
=======================
In this adventure you can choose to be male or female. This choice will change
most of the responses you will get to your inputs, and, more interestingly, it
changes what you can do in certain circumstances. This means that thereare two
different ways of completing the adventure. You get twice the enjoyment out of
it and the feminists remove their death threats. Although there has, to my
knowledge, been one other male/female adventure I think that this sort of
thing has a great future ahead of it.
Another little item that I have put into this opus is that of time. The game
operates with a clock and you will find this on the status bar. The status
bar? Well, the bar can be found on the top of the screen (it is inverted and
thus is easily noticeable!) and it shows the following things:
- A short description of where you are.
- The day.
- The time.
Certain things will happen at certain times and therefore it is up to you to
keep appointments etc. with the character you meet. I think that this adds a
little more atmosphere to the whole game. I will see what you think.
I shall not go over the plot again mainly because it is all covered in
the adventure itself. You must find out what you are supposed to do by
playing it! I have, however, a few little hints and tips for you to try out :-
- If it ain't nailed down then take it!
- Don't try and put any pianos in your pocket!
- Try talking to characters (more on this later in this epic .DOC file)
- Make a map if you want (I couldn't care less if you did or didn't).
- Remember the film 'Alien' (i.e. don't be a stupid prat!).
- Examine everything! (I mean everything! Almost everything you can see can
be examined - this isn't like one of those unfriendly adventures that you
can buy !!!!!)
- Laugh at the jokes (or else!)
- Many of the problems can be solved in more than one way!
- Ignore any spelling mistakes (if there are any)
- There are NO bugs, only undocumented features!
The adventure understands quite a few verbs (unlike some adventures I could
mention) and if you want a list of them then type LIST VERBS when playing and
you'll get them. The help function is quite erratic at times so I wouldn't
bother using it, except in the beginning sections. As a free tip, you can
always try to get help from the characters that you will meet - but not
everybody is actually on your side!
Here are a few of the more unusual commands :-
DISKSAVE - saves your position to disk (wow!)
DISKLOAD - loads your position from disk (coo!)
RAMSAVE - saves your position in the memory.
RAMLOAD - loads your position from memory.
T - changes the text size.
OOPS - go back a few turns.
You are able to get a full list of these commands by typing SYSTEM at the
prompt when playing the game.
Just in case you are wondering about the first two unusual commands and
thinking "I wonder why SAVE and LOAD are not mentioned?" I would like to
mention that you can indeed use SAVE,LOAD,RESTORE etc instead of DISKSAVE and
DISKLOAD. I was intending to use LOAD for a different purpose during the
design stage of the game and even though I scrapped the idea the commands
still stuck.
Before I go on,I'd just like to mention that I really advise you to keep the
text in the default size. Because there is so much text (especially on
the location descriptions) if you change the size of it then you will miss
most of the prose I have kindly typed in over the months. There is also the
slight bug in STAC that messes up the text if it is in low resolution - in
other words use it in the default size because it looks better!
Limitations of Parser
=====================
This game understands the usual verbs and things (except for the exceptions
mentioned above) but there are a few tricky things that you must know about
before playing. STAC, as good as it is, does not have any allocations for
adjectives and therefore I have had to use the adverbs to compensate. This
means that you cannot use the noun 'IT' to refer to certain things,e.g.:
"a piece of metal" must be addressed "metal" *
"a grey folder" must be addressed "grey folder"
"a small door" must be addressed "small door"
"a door" must be addressed "door" *
* represents the 'IT' function will work.
Basically if there are more than one of the basic noun (e.g., a small DOOR and
a purple DOOR) in the same location then you must use its full description.
The same goes for objects. With objects, however, you may think that there
is only one of a certain object but just because you only have one doesn't
mean that there aren't any others. I would, therefore, advise you to always
type in the full description for objects.
If a command you try to enter does not work then please try using the full
description of the object/person etc.
Apart from those limitations, the parser accepts quite a varied list of
commands. For example:
- Get the device then turn it on.
- Examine Mr Kabuye then ask him about the desk.
- Shout at secretary then examine her.
- Open the PC and put the batteries into it.
The parser accepts most accepted abbreviations and a few more besides.The list
below shows the more usual commands and their abbreviations:-
LOOK - L
EXAMINE - EXAM or X or even EX if you want.
RAMSAVE - RS
RAMLOAD - RL
AGAIN - A
WAIT - WA or Z or <ESC>
TEXTSIZE - T
If you are a newcomer to the glorious world of adventures and you don't have
a clue what it is all about then quit out of this document by pressing the
Q key (or <CONTROL> C if you want) then double click on the file called
BEGINNER.DOC for more information about adventures and stuff.
Talking to Characters
=====================
Yes, here we are. During the adventure you will find that there are quite
a few 'people' wandering around. I have called them the grandiose title of
"Roving Intelligences (RI's for short). You may well wish to talk to them -
you should, if you wish to complete the game. To do so you must use a
certain format This is the format :-
ASK <name> ABOUT <subject> - this performs a large amount of the
character interaction in the game.
and
ASK <name> ABOUT <name> - gather information on people (and what the
characters think about each other) like this!
and
TELL <name> ABOUT <name> - allows you to empart knowledge of a
particular person to another person.
and
TELL <name> ABOUT <subject> - allows you to tell people about a certain
object, place or occasio - provided you know
about it.
Some examples of the above now follow :-
- ASK POLICEMAN ABOUT CRIMINAL
- ASK MICHAEL DOUGLAS ABOUT LIFT
- TELL RIPLEY ABOUT CREATURE
- TELL INSPECTOR ABOUT THEFT
A word of note about character interaction. Do not attempt to use nouns IT,
HIM or HER with respect to characters when talking to them. Due to my method
of interaction it will not always work! You can, of course, use EXAMINE HER or
HIT HIM WITH SHOVEL in the game provided you have previously referred to the
character by their true name, e.g:
ASK POLICEMAN ABOUT CRIMINAL followed by EXAMINE HIM will not work because the
last noun referred to was the CRIMINAL.
HIT CRIMINAL followed by SEARCH HIM will work.
Quite a few of the puzzles in the game require lots of interaction. If you are
a bit stuck and can't seem to solve a problem with the objects you have on you
then try solving it by talking to characters etc. because one character may
have the object you are looking for (or allow you to complete the puzzle in a
different way than you first thought.
If you don't bother to use the characters then I can assure you that you will
not get very far.
I found it far too complicated and,frankly,not worthwhile to use any other way
of communicating with characters. The way I have chosen is ,by far, the most
friendly method - at least,I think so. If you think different then please
write and rant away at me. If you are a programmer (on the STAC system)
and you have sucessfully implemented a different approach to character
interaction then I especially want to hear from you!!!
Additional Programs
===================
Mentioned at the start of this document were the files entitled TERMINAL.TOS
and HELP.TOS. This section will deal with these two programs in greater depth.
1) HELP.TOS
After running this program from the desktop you will be confronted by
a picture of a portable computer that looks somewhat like a ZX80 with a built-
in screen. After pressing a key to continue you will be asked to enter your
name and identification code. You will only know the ID code if you are a
registered player. If you enter your ID code incorrectly then you will be
forced to watch some "merciless" advertising. After that you can use the
program for help.
Simply type in the help code that you get by typing HELP within Sunrise itself
and you will be asked what level of clue you wish to see. Registered players
can choose from the entire range of clues, from obscure to complete solutions,
while unregistered players can only choose the obscure option.
The clue will then appear and the program will then ask for another help code.
To quit this program simply type QUIT or Q.
2) TERMINAL.TOS
During your playing of Blue Sunrise you will, perhaps, come across a situation
where you have found a computer terminal and want to use it. The game will
tell you to use TERMINAL.TOS instead. Remember to save your position to disk,
quit the adventure and double click on TERMINAL.TOS
Upon running, the program will show a list of saved position files that it
has found in the root directory of the disk. It is vital, therefore, that you
copy TERMINAL.TOS to your saved position disk before running. Type in the name
of the saved position that you wish to use to allow the program to continue.
Please note that you MUST use the saved position file that was saved from
within Sunrise at the point where you tried to use the terminal.
The computer "terminal" featured in the program is modeled, somewhat loosely,
upon a real-life mainframe. Anybody who has used a computer of this sort will
not have much trouble getting things to work. For the inexperienced, there is
enough help available on-line to get you going.
Please remember that you must already have "discovered" your login code AND
password before you can use TERMINAL.TOS.
Once you're finished with this program, typing QUIT will return you to the
desktop.
Important: The saved position file will be altered upon exit IF you have found
the necessary information from within the terminal. Please use this
file to restore your position from within Blue Sunrise.
Notes to the Adventure
======================
Just before I finish the main game instructions I would just like to mention a
few things that I have forgotten to include in the above bits (sorry!)
1) Puzzles:
If you are reading this before playing the game I must stress that the first
part of the adventure is very easy. The system will not allow you to kill
yourself (not much, anyway) and it will prevent you from doing things that are
obviously stupid.You should,however,not rush through the first part but take
your time and examine everything along the way. This will give you
greater enjoyment. There are a few extra things you can do in part one that
can affect where you are able to go in the other parts,so keep your eyes open!
The second and third parts are much more of a challenge. I have
tried to create some new puzzles for you but you may find one or
two rather easy. It all depends on how experienced you are.
A few of the problems are going to cause you major headaches but don't give up
too soon.
Many of the puzzles in the game change depending on what sex you are so if you
decide to "have a go at playing the opposite sex" and find certain things not
the same as you experienced during the first time round then you'll just have
to battle your way through the puzzles again. This way, you get 2 adventures
in one (and this is not including the different ways to complete the game).
Since the game was originally designed to be played by all ST owners I have
kept the original sections of the game the same. However, I found that the
game would me much better suited to 1MEG machines and therefore I decided to
not split the game up.
2) Text:
I must stress again that you really must play this game in the text default
size. Please don't change it! You will miss a lot of loveliness! If you
find that the text is hard on the eyes then invest in a
colour monitor or something. I am not prepared to cut the game into 3 or more
sections so that 512K users can load it as this will reduce the game's quality
and playability.
3) Characters:
I have tried hard to include proper 'people' in this game who walk around the
place and interact with everything. I have had enormous problems in getting
these characters to work properly and I hope that all of the bugs have been
ironed out ok. If you find anything going completely bonkers then it will be a
bug and I would like you to tell me about it. Those of you who report bugs
etc. will get your names mentioned on my next EPIC document file.
As a bit of a final boast, I have written many special routines that cover a
multitude of adventure aspects. The clock routine in this game was knocked up
in about thirty minutes and works well within the design limits. The Roving
Intelligence routines, although a bit scrambled took more time. Although not
used in this particular adventure of mine, I have compiled a substantial
combat routine that is very easy to use. I shall endevour to use this routine
in my next mamoth adventure.
Legal Footnote.
===============
The files comprising Operation Blue Sunrise (viz., SUNRISE.PRG
SUNRISE.DAT SUNRISE.NEO SUNRISE.CIP README.DOC BEGINNER.DOC
VERSION.DOC REGISTER.DOC HELP.TOS and TERMINAL.TOS) are the sole copy-
right of Colin Campbell and may not be sold for profit, nor separated
or altered in any way or used, or included, with any other software.
The author (Colin Campbell) can not be held responsible or liable in any
way for any damage (direct or indirect) that may be caused from the
use/misuse of this software.
This software is released as shareware, and the usual conditions apply: If you
wish to play the game after a 30 day trial period then you are required to
register... please read the document file called REGISTER.DOC for details. The
registration fee isn't that much and seeing as how much you will enjoy playing
the game, is it too much to ask of you? I thought not.
The characters in this adventure game are completely fictitious and any
resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Colin Campbell
21 Aldbury Mews
Edmonton
London
N9 9JD
Bug Hunters
===========
As promised there now follows a list of people who have contributed to the
debugging of this gloriously huge adventure:-
- Me (obviously). 96%
- Graham Galbraith. 2.5%
- Kev "Dead or Alive..?" Davis. 1.5%
If you wish to star in this wonderful list then get in touch....
Write Yer Own Adventures!
=========================
Don't you just hate the way adventures are treated in the large magazines?
Makes me sick to see the glorious world of adventures squeezed into a mere
couple of pages. What I would like to see is atleast 8 pages completely
dedicated to adventures each month.
If you have ever wished that you could write a good adventure but haven't,for
some reason,then listen up! Everything has to start small,even with me,and the
best thing I can suggest is to buy an adventure creation utility (like STAC
from Incentive or wait for the much better ST version of PAW from Gilsoft to
come out) and start small. If the game is total crap then so what? You will
learn something about The Art every time you try. Eventually, you will have
your masterpiece. Try it! My adventures (along with my rating of them) are
as follows:
Sword 0 stars Quill - Spectrum 4 days
House Mouse 2 stars Quill - Spectrum 8 days
Skool Quest 3 stars Quill - Spectrum 3 weeks
Warp Factor One 5 stars Quill - Spectrum 6 weeks
Mazra City (The
Final Countdown) 9 stars PAW - Spectrum 128K 13 weeks
Twilight of the
Gods 16 stars PAW - Spectrum 128K 22 weeks
Operation:Blue
Sunrise 30 stars STAC - Atari ST (1MEG) 18 months
Well, I hope that I have given you something to think about. If I haven't
then you are probably lost to the Sun (and its spawn) newspaper already. Any
views on this? Simply write to me.
This must be the End
====================
That is enough of the blurb! (are you still awake?). Here is my address and
phone number that you may wish to use (to send me money, death threats, bombs,
insults, jokes, love letters, bananas, anything whatsoever.....) :-
Colin Campbell,
21, Aldbury Mews
Edmonton } mark your envelopes with this address (it helps!)
London
N9 9JD.
If you want a reply then I'd be grateful for a S.A.E. although if you are the
only person writing to me, or if you flatter me enough, then I'd probably
answer you if you didn't enclose a S.A.E. (generosity or what?)
My telephone number,for those of you who can't write,or who wish to hear my
wonderful voice,or for beautiful women begging for a date, my body, a signed
photo etc. etc. etc. :-
(081) 346 3982 - preferably at weekends.
Programs, Data files, Pictures, Sound effects and all Text is Copyright (C)
1990/1991/1992/1993 by Creative Insanity. All Rights Reserved.
Finito ! (as Mussolini didn't say)