CBM Funet Archive/cbm-funet-archive-2003.iso/cbm/c64/games/Tomb.lzh/tomb.doc

Text File | 1993-11-12 | 8KB | 195 lines

Escape from Tiamat's Tomb
Documentation for playing
By   Tiamat   Kam'en'ehar
Release 2.0


Chapter 0................Escape from Tiamat's Tomb
Chapter 1................Game documentation
Chapter 2................Game concept and notes
Chapter 3................Copyright information
Chapter 4................Release 2.0

                             CHAPTER ZERO

     Escape from Tiamat's Tomb, if in its original archive packet without
modifications, should include 71 files:

"a"                 The map of the Tomb
"runme"             Introductory file
"chrgen"            A character generator
"tomb.doc"          This file
"doc reader"        A sequential file reader
"tiamat's tomb"     The game program
"title screen"      A simple opening graphic

     And 64 assorted files with names ranging from " 11" to "Merlin". These
are the monsters and characters you will meet in the game. The game crashes
if it tries to access a character that isn't there, so please leave them all
on the disk.

     The map, "a" is similarly important. If deleted, the game will not work
properly (although it may not crash).

                             CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Exploration

     The display gives you an overhead view of the square your
character occupies and the eight surrounding squares. The ijkm keys move you,
and the cursor keys will do the same job. The map is intended to
represent a system of tunnels. Use your imagination.

     Some things you will find:

     {CBM-+} Solid wall
     {CBM-B} Door
     {SHIFT-+} Citadel
     {CBM-R} Rest stop
     $ Equipment shop
     ? Unknown

1.2 Combat

    At first, many of the monsters you meet will be far more powerful
than you. Use discretion. The swords have a range of 1, the sling a range of
3, and the crossbow a range of 6. The crossbow is the most damaging nonmagic
weapon.

     When striking, you must tell the computer which of your foes you wish
to try to hit, by number. For example, if you are fighting three orcs and you
opt to take a swing with your battle axe, you must specify if you wish to
strike at #1, #2, or #3. Keep track of which ones are dead or go after them
in numeric order, or you will find yourself killing the same orcs over and
over again (which the game allows; you automatically kill any dead body you
attack - cool, huh?). There is never an opponent #0, so don't attack him. You
can switch weapons in combat with the (U)se command. Enter the name of the
weapon to which you would like to switch, and the computer will give it to
you. Remember that the sling and the crossbow use ammunition.

     The most powerful magic weapon is the fire wand. It has limitless
charges and good range, also, so don't hesitate to use it.

     Experience is based on the power of the monster. Regenerating creatures
are worth far more than simple humanoid club-swingers. Monsters are
limitless, but the characters are dead when dead. So to speak.

1.3 Conversation

     You can't win the game by fighting alone. Believe me, short of going in
and re-writing the game, there is no way to win by simply attacking endlessly
and cleaning out zombie's pockets.

     All of the thing you meet can talk. From Minax to the skeletons,
everyone can speak. Some monsters and characters only know useless chatter,
some know important clues, some drone on with absurd riddles that may or may
not contain useful information inside them. The central part of the game lies
in the talking routines, in getting obscure clues fom various foes before
combat and trying to link them to reality.

     Every monster has its own greetings. Most greetings are short, but
reflect the creature's intelligence. Smarter monsters use complete sentences
with good spelling. Every monster also has a clue about the "exit", and every
monster also has a self-description, which can be read be re-entering the
monster's name. Unfortunately, the cluewords are case-sensitive and I really
didn't stick to a set of rules on when to use Uppercase/lowercase and when to
just use lowercase. As a general rule, and a general rule only, use
uppercase/lowercase only when typing in someone's name. For example, to ask
about "Merlin", spell it just like that. But when asking about the "Eternal
Sword", switch to using all-lowercase, "eternal sword". Every monster also
knows more cluewords and responses, but the cluewords vary, so you'll have to
experiment. To be annoying, I have a lot of them refer you to other people
or places.

1.4 Winning the Game

     To win the game, you must reach the exit and pass through it.
Unfortunately, it is a) hidden, b) well-guarded, and c) locked up tight. Good
luck.

                             CHAPTER TWO

     The concept of the game was I wanted a BIG game, one to rival
mega-wonders of the universe like Ultima VII. Ha ha. But seriously, one of
the things I found kind of sad about Ultima IV, the only Ultima game I ever
played and my favourite computer game yet, was that you couldn't talk to the
monsters. I didn't neccesarily want them to say anything useful, I just
wanted to hear their outlook on life. Some monsters, obvioulsy, would not be
really suitable to an in-depth discourse, like, say, the Headless (remember
them?).

     So in my game, I decided, I wanted everybody to talk. And they all do,
all sixty-four of them. It took forever to put all the bozos on disk, I had
to make up sixty-four witty greetings, sixty-four pompous self-descriptions,
sixty-four exit clues, and hundereds of additional strings of text. Well,
heck, let's face it, it was an enormous ridiculously pointless task, but
someone had to find a way to kill time while waiting for a carrier connect
signal.

     I spent little time on the rest of the program. The graphics are about
as crude as graphics go, the combat routines are exceedingly simple, the
whole program stinks big time, but I got what I really wanted: the game tells
a story. It doesn't rival the Ultima story or anything, but it's a start.
Please have fun.

                             CHAPTER THREE

     This game was written and designed by Tiamat Kam'en'ehar, and is
copyright (c) 1993 by Tiamat Kam'en'ehar, all rights reserved. This game is
released to the public domain.

     For sourcecode so you can modify it, programmer's docs so you can cheat,
a character editor for godlike power, a map printer to aid in wandering
around lost, copy of the monster editor, etc., send $5 to Tiamat Kam'en'ehar,
2155 NW Flanders #16, Portland, OR, 97210.

     I plan on writing a sequel, Escape from Tiamat's Island. I expect it
will have music, slightly better graphics, more monsters, and a bigger map.
Yeah, all this and PD, too.

     Whaddaya want for nothing?


                             CHAPTER FOUR

     After letting a few copies out for playtesting, it became apparent that
I had to make a new version. I can't imagine who added all the bugs people
found, but sure enough, somebody, while I wasn't looking, had enfused my game
with errors and omissions! Shocking, but true.

     In this release, I have taken a few suggestions of the playtesters and
added them into the game and expanded slightly on the game. Hope those of you
who already bothered to play it once find the new additions worth getting
into...

     I've started work on the sequel. Slow going, but it should be a strong
improvement over this one. :)









     This document was written by Tiamat Kam'en'ehar using Novaterm's text
editor. Thanks to Nick Rossi for providing an excellent text editor with his
program! Thanks to Gavin Anderson for all his encouragement and advice.
Thanks to Cassidy Martinez for her spelling corrections and playtesting.
Thanks to Anthony Strickland and Gary Driggs for their playtesting and
suggestions, and all the free beer. :)
     Special thanks to God for creating the world and to LL Cool J for some
def jams. Stay outtah trouble, everyone.