101 OnLy ThE BeSt GaMeS 6/101 OnLy ThE BeSt GaMeS 6.iso/stratgy/arena2/arena2.txt

Text File | 1996-04-22 | 12.1 KB | 299 lines

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   NOTE:  The word file ARENA2.DOC is more up to date than this!!

   CONTENTS:

   1--Copyright stuff

   2--Command summary

   3--Options

   4--Taking a turn

   5--Spells

   6--Terrain

   7--Hints

   8--Registering


   1.  COPYRIGHT STUFF

        ARENA 2, the game, and all it's graphics files are Copyright 1996
        Benjamin Peterson.  The sound files and font are not copyrighted.


   2.  Command Summary

        For quick reference:

        Keypad: Moves and selects an adjacent square for monster creation.

        S: Brings up the spell selection menu when a creature has spells.

        F: Fires, when a creature can do so.

        T: Takes off, fo a flying creature.

        SPACE: Ends a creature's turn.

        ESC: Ends the game, and quits from spell selection.

        The mouse:

        RIGHTCLICK shows what side the pieces are on.
        LEFTCLICK zooms back to the piece being moved.
        or:
        LEFTCLICK selects a square when aiming a spell or missile
        or:
        LEFTCLICK selects a spell, attempting to make a real monster if it
                is a creation spell
        RIGHTCLICK selects a spell, making an illusory monster if it is a
                creation spell.

   3. OPTIONS

        Press 'B' on the title screen to be given the options screen.  Once
        set, the options are saved and the next game will have the same
        options unless they are changed.

        There are four wizards.  Each can be controlled by the CPU, control-
        led by a human, or not present.  Click on the top of the wizard's
        little box to cycle through these possibilities.

        Normally, the 'TYPE' of each wizard should be 'WIZARD'.  However,
        other types are available, and can be cycled through by clicking
        on 'TYPE'.  The other types start with armies, but have limited
        spells; for instance, 'CRUSADER' gives an army of benevolent
        beings, but only a few spells.

        Click on 'NAME' to set the name; press return after typing the name
        in.

        The 'SIZE' option controls the dimensions of the Arena.
        The 'FAIRNESS' option, if set to equal, ensures that all wizards of
        type 'WIZARD' get the same spells.

        'Soundblaster' should be obvious.
        'Statistics mode' causes only graphs to be displayed.  It only works
        if there are no human wizards.  It's not really useful, but I like
        watching it.
        'Speed' is there mostly so that the action can be accelerated if there
        are a lot of CPU wizards.

   4. TAKING A TURN

        Your aim is to kill other wizards and avoid being killed.  To this
        end, you have a number of spells chosen at random.  Some of these
        create other beings to help you, some blow things up, and some are
        more subtle.
        Players take it in turns to move.  Currently, each player's pieces
        move in a fixed order, always starting with the wizard. This may
        change in later versions.

        While moving a piece, the keypad causes it to physically move, and
        the space bar causes it to end it's move, moving the cursor to the
        next piece.  The upper information panel on the right describes
        the current piece; the lower one describes whatever is under the
        cursor.  You can move the cursor around, and press the left button
        to return to the current piece.

        If 'F' or 'T' should be pressed (and the piece can fire or fly -- the
        upper panel describes it's abilities) the cursor will become
        crosshairs.  Left click to select somewhere to fly to or fire at.

        If 'S' is pressed, a list of the creature's spells will appear in
        the upper panel.  The lower one will contain a very short description
        of the current spell.  Left clicking on a spell causes a 'real'
        version of the spell to be cast; right clicking causes an
        'illusory' version.

        Play continues until either 1 or 0 wizards remain alive.  At the
        end, some graphs are shown describing the course of the game.

   5.  MONSTERS

        All monsters have the following characteristics:

        ATTACK: Attacking power.
        DEFEND: Defending power.
        ALIVENESS: Can be alive, undead, or shade.  Undead monsters can
                   not be hit by alive ones (except wizards).  Shades can't
                   do anything at all, except block the enemy's line of
                   sight... but they can be brought back to life...
                   All undead are evil.
        REALNESS: See under 'SPELLS'.
        FLIGHT:  Indicated by a wing icon.  Press 'T' to take off.
        MAGIC:  Indicated by a book icon.  Press 'S' to cast spells.
        PROJECTILES:  Indicated by an arrow icon and 2 numbers, which
                      represent the number of shots that can be fired per
                      turn, and the range.  Monsters may fire arrows,
                      psychic rays or fireballs.  Fireballs are much
                      more useful than the others.
        MOVEMENT:  Number of moves the monster can perform per turn.
        ALIGNMENT:  Affects susceptibility to some spells.  Also, Mirkwoods
                    never attack evil monsters.


   6.  SPELLS

        Right, two VERY important principles: Alignment and Illusions.

        Your alignment, when you are selecting a spell, is indicated
        roughly by the coloured bar over the spell list.  You become
        more evil by casting evil spells, which are red in the spell
        list, and more good by casting good spells which are green.
        Some spells are neutral and make no difference.
        The more evil you are, the harder it is to call a good monster
        and vice versa.  Thus, if you have a 'Red Dragon' spell, which
        has a very low success rate, you should call all your evil
        monsters, and cast as many other evil spells as you can, before
        you attempt to call the dragon.

        If you rightclick on a 'Call' spell, the monster will ALWAYS
        appear.  However, it will be an illusion.  Illusions behave
        exactly like real monsters, except that they can be destroyed
        by the 'True Sight' spell.  There is thus a good deal of bluffing
        involved between players.

        Different spells have different ranges; 'Call' spells are cast
        at an adjacent square selected with the keypad, while most
        others are aimed with the mouse.  Here is a discussion of
        particular spells:

        TRUE SIGHT:  Can be aimed anywhere.  Unique in that casting it
        does not use it up.  Destroys illusions.  This is the most-used
        spell.

        CALL whatever:  Calls the appropriate monster.  The little number
        in brackets in the panel under the spell list is the difficulty
        of the monster.  Difficulty is also affected by the alignment of
        the caster; it's virtually impossible to call a Gold Dragon unless
        you are VERY good already.

        CREATE whatever:  Lets you cover 5 squares, that you can see, and
        that are within a certain range, with a certain terrain type.  It
        continues showing the 'target sight' cursor until 5 squares have
        been covered.  Can affect your alignment.

        HASTE/STRENGTH/WEAKNESS/FLY/MAGIC BOW/HEROISM/SHIELD:  change
        certain properties of the monster they are cast on, e.g. FLY gives
        it the ability to fly.  Don't underestimate these, especially not
        heroism; it's much easier to create something weak and then cast
        a few of these on it than to keep trying to create a dragon.  These
        spells don't affect your alignment.

        CURSE/BLESS/BLAST:  Can be fired anywhere, and completely destroy
        the contents of the square they are fired at EXCEPT that good
        things are immune to BLESS, evil things are immune to CURSE, and
        BLAST fails about 2/3 of the time.

        MAGIC ARROW/PSYCHIC RAY/FIREBALL:  Fire magical equivalents of the
        three projectile weapons.  They all have a range of five, and will
        make you slightly more evil.  They are listed here in ascending
        order of destructiveness.

        MIRROR: Makes an illusory copy of the caster.

        CLONE: 2/3 chance of making a clone (loyal to the caster) of
        whatever it is aimed at.

        CHARM:  This has no range requirement but DOES require line of
        sight.  It has a 2/3 chance of changing the loyalty of the target
        to that of the caster.

        POLYMORPH:  Randomly polymorphs the target.  You can polymorph
        yourself, but not the other wizards.

        RAISE DEAD:  Cast this on a shade, and the shade will become an
        undead version of it's old self, loyal to you.

        EARTHQUAKE/MANA STORM/SHOCKWAVE:  The three powerful combat spells.
        Generally very dangerous to your own side, since they affect more
        than one square.  They make you evil.

        CREATE FOREST:  Makes you more good, and covers a wide area with
        trees.

        BENEVOLENCE/MALEVOLENCE:  Change your alignment -- useful when you're
        going for that hard-to-get real dragon.  Also slightly improve the
        stats of good and evil creatures respectively.


  7.  TERRAIN

        The terrain types are:

        GROUND:  plain ole ground.

        GRASS:  you can't see through this. Otherwise it's like ground.
                It has a tendency to catch fire, and it also grows
                gradually unless it is burnt.

        FIRE:  Spreads through grass.  May start at any time.  It burns
                pieces next to it, so avoid it!  Fireballs start fires.

        WALLS:  Look like little buildings.  Pieces cannot go on to walls
                unless the wall is owned by the same wizard as the piece.
                Not very important, really.

        TREES:  Very important.  When in a tree, you are invulnerable.  The
                enemy have to knock the tree down before they can kill you.

        MIRKWOODS:  Evil trees that attack non-evil pieces when they can.

        CRATERS:  Do nothing.  Just decorative.

  8.  HINTS

        --Cast your 'Call' spells in a sensible order, working up to the more
        powerful and difficult ones.

        --Use Gift to give, say, Earthquake to a piece and then send the
        piece forward to use it, thus keeping your wizard safe.

        --Put your archers and other long-range pieces in trees, so that
        they can snipe at the enemy without being shot themselves.

        --Use grass to advance against enemy archers -- they can't see you
        when you're behind it.

        --Sidhe and Ghosts are very useful and fairly easy to create.

        --Dont cast your Heroism spells (and other spells such as Strength)
        on your very best pieces; the enemy might just Blast or Charm them
        and you'll regret it.  It's better to use them to make mediocre
        pieces into killing machines.

  9. REGISTERING

        Send 15 UK pounds or 25 US dollars to:

        Benjamin Peterson,
        12, Vereker Road,
        London W14 9JR,
        ENGLAND

        There's more talk of this in the ARENA2.DOC file.  Hardly matters,
        though... either I get no money or I spend 5 hours a day at the
        'foreign currency' window... there must be a better way to do this
        bit :P

        I am:

        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]