Talisman of the Ancients¢------------------------¢¢by Ken Newman [72437, 1275]¢¢Atari 8-bit Documentation Nov 88¢¢Talisman is a D&D-type role-playing¢game for the Atari 8-bit computers. It¢is written entirely in 6502 assembler.¢It is a very large and complex game but¢command response is very fast. It uses¢relatively simple character graphics¢(mode 2 and 0) but the number and¢complexity of magic items, monsters,¢etc. makes it a very elaborate and¢challenging game.¢¢Talisman is Shareware - it is not¢Public Domain. I have spent a huge¢amount of time developing this program¢only to have the Atari 8-bit market dry¢up. Therefore I have decided to give¢the Atari SIG on Compuserve a chance to¢prove that the Atari 8-bit market is¢NOT dead - please support my efforts by¢sending a check for whatever you feel¢the game is worth. I suggest $10 (US or¢Cdn, have to give Canadians a break!)¢The address is¢¢Ken Newman¢2350 Dundas St. W.¢Apt 1012¢Toronto, Ont Canada¢M6P 4B1¢¢¢Talisman may be freely distributed,¢copied, etc. as long as it remains in¢the original ARC file form (with this¢documentation) and is not modified in¢any way whatsoever. Anyone receiving a¢copy of Talisman must play by the¢Shareware rules and send a donation to¢the above address - this includes¢members of user groups etc.¢¢Setting up game disk¢¢Talisman currently runs only on the¢Atari 400/800/XL/XE with at least 48K¢and a disk drive. Do not write-protect¢the game disk - it saves a high-score¢table in the last few sectors of the¢disk.¢¢Storyline¢¢The talisman is a magical ornament used¢by the Elder Council to repel evil¢forces and protect the inhabitants of¢all the lands. Such is its power that¢it alone prevents the forces of¢Darkness from entering the mortal¢plane. It was inevitable therefore that¢agents of these forces would find a way¢to steal the Talisman, plunging the¢people into great danger. This is the¢fate that has befallen all mortals. ¢The Talisman was taken and as a cruel¢joke was placed deep inside a vast¢dungeon by evil sorcerors. The dungeon¢was populated by the most horrible¢collection of monsters, apparitions and¢devious traps imaginable. Dozens of the¢best warriors have entered the dungeon¢and never returned. The challenge that¢awaits is to enter the dungeon, find¢the Talisman, and escape with your¢life. As reward the victorious warrior¢will live like a king for the rest of¢his life.¢¢Gameplay¢¢Success in the game is based on a¢combination of using hand weapons,¢having good armor, and proper use of¢magical items. Magic plays a vital part¢in winning, and there is a very large¢variety of magic items available. The¢dungeon is divided into many levels,¢and connecting each level is a¢staircase which must be found. Each¢level is in turn composed of a number¢of rooms of varying sizes and a network¢of passages connecting them. Some rooms¢are well lit, others are quite dark,¢however you have a lamp that will allow¢you to see at least your immediate¢surroundings. Monsters and traps can¢appear anywhere, and each monster has¢different powers and strengths; all¢should be approached with caution until¢familiar with the game. (Some should be¢avoided at any time!)¢Monsters appear as upper case letters¢(A-Z); they get worse the further you¢go into the dungeon.¢The screen shows an overhead view of¢the level around the current room.¢Everything is indicated by some kind of¢character or icon; the characters are¢described below.¢¢# - passage between rooms¢+ - door into a room¢. - floor¢man icon - player¢^ - trap¢stair icon - staircase¢* - gold¢bottle icon - magic potion¢scroll icon - magic scroll¢food icon - food¢sword icon - weapon¢shield icon - armor¢talisman - Talisman of the Ancients¢ring icon - magic ring¢/ - magic wand or staff¢- - room wall¢| - room wall¢¢¢There are a large number of keyboard¢commands used to move around, use¢items, etc in the dungeon. These¢commands are as follows:¢¢h - move left¢j - move down¢k - move up¢l - move right¢y - move up and left¢u - move up and right¢b - move down and left¢n - move down and right¢Q - quit/restart the game.¢> - go down a staircase¢< - go up a staircase (must have¢Talisman!)¢s - search for hidden things¢. - rest (do nothing)¢ctrl-R - redisplay last message at top¢of screen¢i - show inventory of items carried¢d - drop an item¢c - call or name an object¢ctrl-K - toggle keyclick (XL/XE only)¢q - quaff (drink) a potion¢r - read a scroll¢W - wear a suit of armor¢T - take off your armor¢w - wield a new weapon¢P - put on a magic ring¢R - remove a magic ring¢ctrl-A - toggle auto-scrolling¢e - eat some food¢v - program version message¢f - fire an object (requires wielding¢correct weapon)¢^ - identify previously found trap in a¢direction¢z - zap a magic wand or staff in a¢direction¢¢¢In addition, a joystick in port 1 can¢be used to scroll around the entire¢level, to see where you should go next,¢see where you've been already, etc. The¢joystick button centers your on-screen¢character again for convenience.¢¢You will occasionally find valuable¢items on the dungeon floor that were¢dropped by less fortunate warriors¢before you when they perished. Also¢some monsters carry items which they¢will drop if they are killed.¢Initially many items are unknown to¢you; you can either experiment with¢them and possibly waste their power or¢maybe you can find a magical item that¢identifies them for you. Beware - many¢items have a detrimental effect or¢carry a curse, and can be very¢dangerous at the wrong moment. Also a¢great deal of gold is rumoured to be¢strewn about the dungeon, to entice¢unwary warriors.¢¢Talisman is a non-real-time game; the¢game proceeds in turns, i.e. while you¢pause, nothing goes on around you. ¢When in danger, stop, check your¢inventory, and decide what to do. It is¢a combination strategy, role-playing,¢adventure game, and it will take many¢plays to become adept at it.¢¢Hints¢¢- The dungeon is regenerated every time¢you play; it is never the same twice!¢Forget about mapping it.¢- The Talisman is rumoured to be over¢25 levels down into the dungeon.¢- When at an apparent dead end, or in a¢room with no exits, use the "s"¢(search) key. There are actually some¢real dead ends!¢Also if you can't find the stairs, you¢probably missed a secret door that can¢be found by searching. All levels have¢exactly one staircase and it is always¢reachable. The search key only works in¢the squares immediately around you, so¢move as you search.¢- Conserve food, some things make you¢hungry faster. You can die from hunger.¢Search rooms efficiently, without¢wasting too many moves.¢
