Secret Service 56b/SSERVCD_56B.bin/Sinclair/Games/information/SkoolDaze.txt

Text File | 1998-02-02 | 18KB | 472 lines

THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE

SKOOLDAZE

PUBLISHER
Microsphere

AUTHOR
Unknown, but a husband and wife team of ex-teachers.

YEAR
1984

CATEGORY
Odd. Kind of an arcade adventure.

DESCRIPTION
Run around the school, attending lessons and fighting with your
mates whilst trying to prise the combination for the school safe
out of the teachers in order to steal you report card!

CONTROLS
Best played from keyboard as there are loads of keys, but it also
supports Kempston, Sinclair and Cursor joysticks for movement
only.

Q - Up
A - Down
O - Left
P - Right
(Holding CAPS SHIFT with any of these makes Eric run,
alternatively you can use the cursor keys for the same effect).

M or 0 - Fire catapult
H - Hit
S - Sit/Stand
J - Jump


INSTRUCTIONS
You are Eric, a troublesome schoolboy, and your task is to steal
your report card out of the school safe in the staff room so that
you don't get into trouble! To do this, you must collect the
combination letters for the safe and write them on a blackboard
- not such an easy task seeing as one letter of the four letter
combination is held by each of the teachers in the school. In
order to get them to tell you their letter, you must make all of
the shield scattered around the school flash by hitting them or
firing your catapult at them. Once all the shields are flashing,
knocking the teachers over with your catapult will cause them to
tell you their letter of the combination. All except old Mr
Creak, that is, who is so old he cannot be trusted to remember
his letter. It has been hypnotically implanted in his mind and
he will only remember it when he sees the number of the year that
he was born!

To make things even harder, the school is teaming with kids and
teachers and you are expected to attend lessons! Einstein is a
swot and will tell on you if you do anything naughty, Angelface
is a bully and will try and get you into trouble, and Boy Wander
is a harmless rogue who loves to write on blackboards! Do
anything wrong or be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you
will be given lines! Collect over 10000 lines and you will be
expelled from school!

Some shields are easy to reach, but others will require you to
invent more ingenious methods of making them flash. Once you have
your report, the chase isn't over as the flashing shields attract
the attention of the teacher's to your crime! This means that you
must then turn them all off again in order to complete the year!
And then there's next year....!


INLAY CARD TEXT
In the role of our hero, Eric (or any other name you decide to
call him and the rest of the cast), you know that inside the
staffroom safe are kept the school reports.  And, being Eric, you
realise that you must at all costs remove your report before it
comes to the attention of the Headmaster.

The combination to the safe consists of four letters, each master
knowing one letter and the Headmaster's letter always coming
first.  To get hold of the combination, you first have to hit all
the shields hanging on the school walls.  Trouble is, this isn't
as easy as it looks.  Some of them can be hit by jumping up.
Others are more difficult.  You could try and hit a shield by
bouncing a pellet off a master's head whilst he is sitting on the
ground.  Or, being Eric, you may decide to knock over one of t
he boys and, whilst he's flattened, clamber up on him so that you
can jump higher.

OK.  So all the shields are flashing wildly, disorientating the
poor masters.  Knock them over now and, before they can stop
themselves, they'll reveal their letter of the code.  All except
for the history master, of course, who because of his great age
and poor eyesight can't be trusted to remember.  His letter has
been implanted into his mind hypnotically.  To make him reveal
it, you must find out the year he was born (which, in case you
were wondering, changes each game).  Then, creep into a room
before he gets there and, if the board is clean, write it on the
blackboard.  When he goes into that room and sees his birthdate
he will, as if by post-hypnotic suggestion, give away his letter.

Now that you know all the letters of the combination, all you
have to do is work out which order they go in.  You know that the
Headmaster's letter is always first, but as for the other three
.... you'll just have to try the various possibilities.  Find a
clean blackboard and write out a combination.

Rush back to the staffroom and jump up to reach the safe with
your hand.  If nothing happens, then the combination must be
wrong, so you'd better find another clean blackboard and try a
different one.

With the safe open, your troubles still aren't over, as the
flashing shields are rather a giveaway.  To stop them flashing,
you now have to hit all of them again.

Done it?  Congratulations!  You are now allowed, along with all
your friends, to move on to the next class at school.  But
remember, there will be reports at the end of this term .....


School Rules
-----------
Boys shall attend lessons as shown in the timetable at the bottom
of the screen.  (Remember that because you cheated in the exams
last year, you always go to the same lessons as the swot.)

Boys do not score points by attending lessons, but may be given
lines if caught in the wrong place.

Boys who acquire over 10,000 lines shall be expelled immediately
from the school.

Boys are not allowed to enter the staffroom or the Headmaster's
study.  Take care.

At playtime, boys are supposed to be playing and not in any of
the classrooms.

Boys shall not hit their schoolmates.

Boys shall not fire catapults.

Boys are expected to walk quietly in the corridors - they are not
for running or sitting in.

School dinners are compulsory.

Boys will be neat and polite at all times.


The Keys
--------
O or 5 - left
P or 8 - right
Q or 7- upstairs in the direction you are moving
A or 6- downstairs in the direction you are moving

(If CAPS SHIFT (SHIFT on most modern keyboards) is pressed at the
same time as O, P, Q or A, this will result in fast movement in
that direction.)

Other keys to perform specific actions are:
S - sit/stand
H - hit
W - write (on blackboard)
J or L - jump or leap
0 or  F - fire catapult


Joysticks
---------
Joysticks can also be used.  With a joystick, the directions and
firing of the catapult are selected from the joystick, but the
keyboard must still be used for the other actions.

You select the type of joystick at the same time as giving names
to the cast.  So, when you see the prompt "Do you want to change
names?" reply Y, and when the list of options appears, reply:

N - to use the keyboard
K - for Kempston
I - for Sinclair Interface 2
C - for cursor keys type joystick


Scoring
-------
Hitting the shields - score depends on difficulty
Hitting all 15 shields - scores a bonus
Opening the safe after getting the combination - scores a bonus
Hitting the shields after opening the safe - score depends on
difficulty
Lines given to the swot or bully - their lines add to your score
Hitting the bully by punching him or with a catapult - if you
dare!


CHEATS
To get maximum fun out of this you shouldn't really cheat, but
here are some tips that I've worked out after many (MANY) years
of playing!

Battles - you need these to find the last combination letter.
They are -

1066    Hastings
1265    Evesham
1314    Bannockburn
1346    Crecy
1356    Poitiers
1403    Shrewsbury
1415    Agincourt
1485    Bosworth
1513    Flodden
1571    Lepanto
1014    Clontarf
1685    Sedgemoor
1746    Culloden
1775    Lexington
1781    York town
1805    Trafalgar
1815    Waterloo
1812    Borodino
1836    San Jacinto
1863    Gettysburg
1854    Balaclava

General Tips -
When told to go to REVISION, you should be in the area where the
bookcases are - next to the reading room.

At DINNER, you should be in front of the benches on the ground
floor, where you start the game.

At PLAYTIME, you can be anywhere apart from inside a classroom
or office.

When you have a lesson in the map room, sit in a chair near the
door. As the teacher comes past you, stand up and walk slowly
forwards with him towards the map. Make sure you never walk past
him. When he turns around to face the class, keep walking until
you are behind him. You can now turn around and fire catapults
at the class without being seen and given lines!

The shields in the exam room can be reached by bashing kinds and
jumping on top of them. The two nearest the blackboard are easier
to get by bouncing catapult pellets off the teacher's head. The
shields on the lower level can only be hit by bouncing pellets
off the heads of the teachers, apart from the far left and far
right shields which can be shot from half way up the stairs.

If you get a special (a little kid comes up to you and tells you
something which you must press U to understand), follow this
guide.

ANGELFACE HAS MUMPS:
Hide in the exam room, near the blackboard until break is over.
Angelface never comes in here.

EINSTEIN IS GOING TO TELL ON YOU:
Einstein hangs around on the fire escape at the upper far right
of the map until the little kid finishes speaking. As soon as the
kid says "press U if you understand", press U and leg it to the
fire escape. Stop Einstein from getting to the head's office
before the end of break by hitting him or getting him with the
catapult repeatedly so that he falls down. It's better to get a
few lines this way than the 5000 you get if he makes it!

PEASHOOTER ON THE FIRE ESCAPE:
Mr Wacker starts at his office (the upper far left room) and
works his way to the fire escape. Do the same as above, press U
and quickly run to the office. As Wacker starts off, keep a
little behind him and repeatedly shoot him with the catapult,
knocking him down. You should be able to delay him until the end
of break.

ANY OF THESE:
If you CAN'T stop any of these happening, try to put as much
distance between yourself and Mr Wacker as possible. Shooting him
to the ground makes him unable to catch you and you can then run
past him. Always run, as Wacker moves much more quickly when he's
chasing you! If you manage to survive until the end of break
without being given lines, Mr Wacker will magically forget all
about it!

To find out the last digit of the combination lock, you must find
out what year Mr Creak was born. Do this by attending his history
lessons and listening to the questions and answers that he and
Einstein give.  Once you know what happened in the year he was
born, you can use the table above to work out the year. Write
this on a CLEAN blackboard and when he next enters the room and
sees it he will reveal his combination letter. Note that you MUST
be there to see it, if you aren't he'll just clean the board.

Once you have all four letters of the combination, you must write
them on a CLEAN(!!!) blackboard. The headmaster's letter always
comes first, but the other three could be in any combination.
Once written, go and jump at the safe in the staffroom. If
nothing happens, you'll have to find another clean board and try
again with a different combination.

If after all this you really feel like you MUST cheat, use the
multiface to enter POKE 30464,201 to stop you being expelled once
you have over 10000 lines. But it'll spoil the game. :)

SEQUELS/PREQUELS
Back to Skool, also by Microsphere. Just as good, if not better
than Skooldaze.  Contact Sam Cruise was in a similar style,
although not strictly a sequel.

SCORES RECEIVED
Don't know offhand, but very high! Both Skooldaze and Back to
Skool are regarded as all-time classic Spectrum games.

URL
Skooldaze can be found at
ftp://ftp.dcc.uchile.cl:/pub/OS/sinclair/snapshots/s/skooldaz.zip
and Back to Skool can be found at
ftp://ftp.dcc.uchile.cl:/pub/OS/sinclair/snapshots/s/skool2.zip
ftp://akira.uc3m.es/pub/sinclair/games/s/skooldaze.zip
ftp://ftp.gui.uva.es/pub/sinclair/games/s/skooldaze.zip


GENERAL FACTS
Both Skool games were written by teachers, and it shows!

Both games also feature a novel idea - you can change the names
of all the characters. Ideal for using the names of your own
school friends and teachers.

NOTES
Even today, there are no other games quite like Skooldaze and
Back to Skool. Skooldaze is fast and addictive, and has stood up
well against the test of time. Playing it today in 1996, it seems
just as original and fun as it did in 1984. Even the graphics are
still great! A truly classic piece of Speccy game history!

                      SKOOL DAZE - ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                           TYPED BY VAXALON 1993
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 SKOOL DAZE

  In the role of our hero Eric (or any other name you decide to call him and
 the rest of the cast), you know that inside the staffroom safe are kept the
 school reports. And, being Eric, you realize that you must at all costs
 remove your report before it comes to the attension of the Headmaster.

  The combination to the safe consists of four letters, each master knowing
 one letter and the Headmaster's letter always coming first. To get hold of
 the combination, you first have to hit all the shields hanging on the
 schools walls. Trouble is, this isn't as easy as it looks. Some of them
 can be hit by jumping up. Others are more difficult. You could try to hit
 a shield by bouncing a pellet off a masters head whilst he is sitting on the
 ground. Or, being Eric, you may decide to knock over one of the boys and,
 whilst he's flattened, clamber up on him so that you can jump higher.

  O.K so all the shields are flashing wildly, disorientating the poor
 masters. Knock them over now and, before they can stop themselves, they'll
 reveal their letter of the code. All except for the history master,
 of course, who because of his great age and poor eyesight can't be trusted
 to remember. His letter has been implanted into his mind hypnotically.
 To make him reveal it, you must first find out the year he was born (which,
 in case you are wondering, changes each game). Then, creep into a room
 before he gets there and, if the board is clean, write it on the blackboard.
 When he goes into that room and sees his birthdate he will, as if by
 post-hypnotic suggestion, give away his letter.

  Now that you know all the letters of the combination, all you have to do is
 work out which order they go in. You know that the Headmaster's letter is
 always first, but as for the other three... you'll just have to try the
 various possibilities. Find a clean blackboard and write out a combination.

  Rush back to the staffroom and jump up to reach the safe with your hand.
 If nothing happens, then the combination must be wrong, so you'd better find
 another clean blackboard and try a different one.

  With the safe open, your troubles still aren't over, as the flashing
 shields are rather a giveaway. To stop them flashing, you now have to hit
 all of them again.

  Done it? Congratulations! You are now allowed, along with all your friends,
 to move on to the next class at school. But remember, there will be reports
 at the end of this term....


 SCHOOL RULES

  Boys shall attend lessons as shown in the timetable at the bottom of the
 screen. (Remember that because you cheated in the exams last year, you
 always go to the same lessons as the swot.)

  Boys do not score points by attending lessons, but may be given lines if
 caught in the wrong place.

  Boys who acquire over 10,000 lines shall be expelled immediately from the
 school.

  Boys are not allowed to enter the staffroom or the Headmaster's study.
 Take care.

  At playtime, boys are supposed to be playing and not in any of the
 classrooms.

  Boys shall not hit their schoolmates.

  Boys shall not fire catapults.

  Boys are expecting to walk quietly in the corridors - they are not for
 running or sitting in.

  School dinners are compulsory.

  Boys will be neat and polite at all times.

 THE KEYS

  Cursor keys - right
              - left
              - upstairs in the direction you are moving.
              - downstairs in the direction you are moving.
     also - O - left
            P - right
            Q - upstairs in the direction you are moving.
            A - downstairs in the direction you are moving.

  (IF CAPS SHIFT is pressed at the same time as O, P, Q or A this will
 result in fast movement in that direction.)

  Other keys to perform specific actions are:

      S - sit/stand
      H - hit
      W - write
 J or L - jump or leap
 0 or F - fire

 JOYSTICKS

  Joysticks can also be used. With a joystick, the directions and firing
 of the catapult are selected from the joystick, but the keyboard must still
 be used for the other actions.

  You select the type of joystick at the same time as giving names to the
 cast. SO, when you see the prompt "Do you want to change names?" reply Y,
 and when the list of options appears, reply:

  N - to use the keyboard
  K - for kempston
  I - for sinclair interface 2
  C - for cursor keys type joystick

 SCORING

  Hitting the shields - score depends on difficulty.

  Hitting all 15 shields - scores a bonus.

  Opening the safe after getting the combination - scores a bonus.

  Hitting the shields after opening the safe - score depends on difficulty.

  Lines given to the swot or bully - their lines add to your score.

  Hitting the bully by punching him or with a catapult - if you dare!

  Alternative Software 1988