PC Gamer 2.6/1996-07_Disc_2.6.bin/rpg/xcelsior/refman.txt

Text File | 1994-04-18 | 27KB | 609 lines

                                  EXCELSIOR
                             Phase One: Lysandia












                           Player Reference Manual


























                               Castle Software













Excelsior Phase One: Lysandia
By Daniel Berke and Matthew Engle
Reference Manual Edition 2.0
(C) Copyright 1994 by Daniel Berke and Matthew Engle
All Rights Reserved.


CASTLE SOFTWARE PROVIDES THIS SOFTWARE "AS-IS" AND DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES,
WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  NEITHER CASTLE
SOFTWARE, DANIEL BERKE, MATTHEW ENGLE, NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED
IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, LOSS OF PROFIT, DATA OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, OR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR OTHER SIMILAR CLAIMS.  THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE
BEARS ALL THE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.  SOME
STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF THE LIMIT OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL
OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.


                              TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview                                                         2
Installing Excelsior
     System Requirements                                         3
     Installation Instructions                                   3
     SoundBlaster Sound Support                                  3
     Compatibility Notes for OS/2 Users                          3
     Troubleshooting                                             4
Game Startup                                                     5
Character Creation                                               6
Resuming Games                                                   8
Playing Excelsior                                                9
Commands
     Movement                                                    10
     Action Commands                                             10
     Special Commands                                            13


2

                                OVERVIEW


Excelsior is a role playing game (RPG) designed for one player.  It was
designed in the tradition of many other RPGs that have been available for
computers since the early eighties.  If you are familiar with RPGs, you may
choose to skip ahead to the installation instructions.  For those who are not
familiar with RPGs, the idea is simple.  An RPG places you in the role of a
person in a fantasy land with a task to complete.  At the beginning of the
game, you get to design your character by defining his or her physical and
mental attributes.  Your character is then placed in the fantasy world - a
world filled with monsters, magic, ordinary people, and all sorts of other
wondrous things.  Your goal will be described to you at the outset of the
game, and it is up to you to figure out how to achieve it.  You communicate
with the people in the game, gather clues, and perform tasks which draw you
closer and closer to your final goal.  In addition, as you progress, your
character develops both physically and mentally.  In the end, if you have
prepared well, you will achieve your ultimate goal and bring your quest to
completion.


3
                           INSTALLING EXCELSIOR


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Excelsior requires an IBM PC with the following minimum hardware:

    1.    A hard drive with 4.5 megabytes of free space
    2.    VGA graphics
    3.    640k of RAM

In addition, Excelsior supports the use of SoundBlaster sound cards.


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
Excelsior is supplied in a self-extracting archive.  All that is necessary to
run Excelsior is to create a directory on the hard drive (normally called EX),
and decompress the files.  The easiest way to do this is as follows:

    Step 1:   Create the EX directory on your hard drive.
    Step 2:   Copy all the files from the source disk to the EX directory.
    Step 3:   Switch to the EX directory on the hard drive.
    Step 4:   Uncompress the files by typing EXLSIOR.

When the process is finished, Excelsior will be set up completely and ready to
play by typing EX.  If for some reason you have difficulty in setting up the
game, please contact Castle Software for assistance.


SOUNDBLASTER SOUND SUPPORT
To enable SoundBlaster sound in Excelsior, you must use the CT-VOICE.DRV
driver file which is supplied with the SoundBlaster card.  Excelsior needs
access to this file, which can be done one of two ways.  The simplest option
is to copy this file into the Excelsior game directory.  Your other option is
to provide the path to this file through the use of the SOUND environment
variable set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  (Note that the default SOUND path is
not to the directory in which CT-VOICE.DRV was placed by the Sound-Blaster
installation software.)

To configure Excelsior for use with a SoundBlaster, you need to set the
address and IRQ which your card uses.  To do this, run Excelsior with the -sb
option.  For example, if your card is at address 220h and on IRQ 5, type
"EX -sb220,5"  to configure the game.  This only needs to be done once; the
values are automatically set the next time you run the game.

COMPATIBILITY NOTES FOR OS/2 USERS
There are three issues which OS/2 users must be aware of when they run
Excelsior in a virtual DOS session.

        1.      Excelsior must be run in a full screen DOS window.
        2.      The PC speaker sound effects may not function properly.  On
                some systems, the entire machine may lock up, while on others,
                the sound simply distorts.  As a result, we do not guarantee
                that these sounds will work while running under OS/2.
        3.      When using a SoundBlaster card if the sound effects sound
                scratchy or completely garbled, exit the current DOS session
                and open a new one.  If this does not work, end any other
                programs running concurrently and open a new DOS session.

4

TROUBLESHOOTING
Problems with running Excelsior generally are related to either sound or
expanded memory (EMS) support.

If you are experiencing problems with SoundBlaster sound, first be certain
that the CT-VOICE.DRV driver file is installed as discussed earlier and the
address and IRQ are properly set.  In addition, verify that sound is enabled
in the Game Setup menu (press Alt-G while playing).  OS/2 users who are
having trouble with sound should refer to the above section on OS/2
compatibility issues.

If you have an expanded memory manager installed (such as EMM386, QEMM, etc.),
Excelsior will detect and attempt to use up to 1.5 megabytes of expanded
memory (EMS).  This memory used for various game data which would otherwise
be read off of disk, such as SoundBlaster sound.  As a result, you should
notice a significant increase in game speed when using EMS.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, various other programs which you may be
running (such as disk compressors and other TSR programs) may also be
attempting to use EMS.  Sometimes this can cause conflicts, which leads to
unpredictable behavior.  If you experience any "lockups" or other bizarre
problems while running Excelsior, we suggest that you disable EMS.  This can
be done by using the -e option at the command line.  Run Excelsior by typing
"EX -e" to disable EMS use.  If this does not solve the problem, please
contact Castle Software so that we may diagnose the problem.


5

                                GAME STARTUP


To run Excelsior, type "EX" at the DOS prompt.  The title screen will be
displayed.  Upon pressing a key, the main menu will appear.  At this point,
you have four choices:

              (C)     Continue your adventure
              (S)     Start a new adventure
              (D)     Display the credits
              (Q)     Quit to DOS

Pressing "C" will resume a game already in progress.  This is the option which
you will be selecting once you have created a character.  See the section on
Resuming Games for more details.

Pressing "S" will allow you to create a character for use in the game.  Refer
to the section on Character Creation for the details of this process.

Pressing "D" will give a complete list of those who worked on Excelsior.

Pressing "Q" will end the game and return you to the DOS prompt.



6

                            CHARACTER CREATION


Excelsior provides you with a large number of options when creating a
character.  As a result, the process must be done carefully in order to tailor
your character to fit your wishes.  It is strongly suggested that you read
through the Fixer's Handbook before beginning the creation.  (If possible,
read it as you go through the process.)  Excelsior characters are complex and
to optimize your abilities, you will want to understand the differences
between all the choices you are presented.  This information can only be found
in the Fixer's Handbook, as much of it takes place "behind the scenes" and
does not have a noticeable on-screen effect during character creation.

To start working on your character, press "S" at the main menu.  This will
bring up a blank character screen.  The initial values for your primary and
secondary attributes are shown.  These will change as you develop your
character.

The first step is to give your character a name.  Enter a name less than
fifteen letters long at the prompt.  When done, press Enter.

The next step is to assign a race to your character.  The different races are
discussed in the Fixer's Handbook.  Use the arrow keys to highlight the race
of your choice.  Press Enter when that race is highlighted to select it.
After selecting your race, take note of your attribute values.  Some races
have implicit bonuses and penalties as part of their nature.  These
adjustments should be apparent to you from reading the Fixer's Handbook.

Next, you must select a gender.  This is generally male or female, but a few
races offer the option of sexless.  As with race, your gender may affect
different attributes.

The next step in creating your character is to adjust your primary attributes.
This is where you can tailor your character to your liking, from mindless
brute to frail wizard, or anything in between.  These three attributes affect
different abilities your character will have during the game, and ultimately
will be used to determine which class your character qualifies for.  Again, a
complete discussion of how the primary (and secondary) attributes affect you
is detailed in the Fixer's Handbook.

Before you begin adjusting your attributes, take note of their current values.
These are the lowest values to which they may be set.  For example, if your
dexterity is 13, you can increase and decrease it at will, but you can not
decrease it below 13.  This holds for all attributes.  In addition, the
maximum for any one primary attribute is 50.

You are given 30 points to divide up among your primary attributes.  On the
right side of the screen you will see a window with options to increment and
decrement each of the three attributes.  Select an action and press Enter to
perform it.  You can add and subtract points at will, there is no set order.

7

Feel free to experiment.  When you are confident with your distribution, press
Escape.  This will end the selection process.  Be sure to use all 30 points;
there is no reason not to.  You can not "save" some for use later.  If you
only use 28 of the 30 points, the two you don't use will be lost for good.

The secondary attributes are similarly adjusted.  However, you are only given
five points to distribute.  This is because the maximum value in any one of
the secondary attributes is ten.  Distribute all five points in a similar
fashion as you did for the primary attributes, and press Escape when you are
finished.

The next step in creating your character is to select a class.  There are
thirteen classes from which you may be allowed to select.  However, most
classes have certain minimum requirements in order for you to qualify.  These
are hinted at in the Fixer's Handbook.  Most of these limitations are based on
common sense: if you have a strength of 15, don't plan on being a warrior.
Only the classes you qualify for (based on your six attributes) are displayed.
Make your selection by highlighting your choice and pressing Enter.

The next step is to select skills for your character.  There are twelve
possible skills, and you may choose two skills to start with.  This may not
seem fair, but note that during the course of your adventure, you will have
the opportunity to learn all of the remaining skills.

It is likely that your character will initially start with one skill already
learned.  This is because certain skills are implied by being a certain class.
For example, a mage by definition is a magic user.  Therefore, the magic skill
is already learned.  After you have chosen your two skills, press Escape.

The final step in creating your character is to adjust your alignment.  The
ramifications of this are discussed in the Fixer's Handbook.  Please note that
certain classes have alignment limits.  For example, you can not have a purely
good assassin.  These limits are discussed in the Handbook.  If you attempt to
set your alignment to an disallowed value, you will be told so and asked to
readjust it.

To adjust your alignment, a scale will appear on the screen.  The left end
represents evil (red) and the right end represents good (green).  The initial
setting is in the middle, or neutral (white).  Use the arrow keys to shift the
scale to the desired alignment and press Enter to select it.

Finally, the game will ask you if you are satisfied with your character.  If
you are happy with your character, type "Y".  Answering "N" will discard your
character and return you to the main menu.

Once you have created your character, the introductory text will be displayed.
After you have read it, the game will begin.  Your character will be given a
small initial amount of gold and food.  At this point, you should seek out the
nearest town and equip yourself for your adventure.  After that, you're on
your own.  Good luck!


8

                               RESUMING GAMES


When you press "C" at the main menu, you will be presented with a list of
games you have saved.  Enter the number of the game which you wish to restore.
The game will be loaded and your current status will be exactly as it had been
when you saved it.  You can now continue playing from the point at which you
had previously left off.


9

                             PLAYING EXCELSIOR


The game screen in Excelsior is divided into three windows.  The large window
in the upper left portion of the screen is the map window.  This is where the
terrain map is displayed, as well as the detailed player status screen and any
long passages of text.

To the right of the game window is the status window.  During the normal
course of the game, this window displays your vital statistics such as hit
points, magic points, food, gold, readied weapon(s), and worn armor.

Hit points and magic points are displayed as a fraction.  The first number
represents your current value, while the second number represents the maximum
value attainable.  Under normal conditions, these values are displayed in
white.  If the current value of your hit points or magic points is less than
20% of its respective maximum, the value is displayed in yellow.  If the
current value is less than 10% of its maximum, it is displayed in red.
Furthermore, if your character is diseased, the hit point value blinks in
green.

If you are carrying less than 100 units of food, the food value is displayed
in red.  If your food reaches zero, the value begins blinking, denoting that
you are starving.

In the middle of the status window is a list of readied weapons.  Your current
weapons are always displayed.  If you are using a missile weapon, the number
of arrows or quarrels you have is also displayed.

Below the weapon list is a list of all armor currently worn.  Below this is
your armor class, which is a gauge of how well protected you are.  A zero
represents no protection, while higher numbers denote higher levels of
protection.  Your armor class can also be affected by spells and potions for
short periods of time.

Often when speaking to other people in the game you will be asked to make a
decision.  This could be a simple yes or no, or a choice from a merchant's
inventory list.  When this happens, a highlighted bar will appear over the top
choice.  Using the arrow keys, position the bar over your selection and press
Enter.  In all situations, pressing Escape will answer the question in the
negative (or select nothing from a list).

The window at the bottom of the screen is the command window.  This window
displays the results of each command you execute.  For things simple as
movement, it merely displays the direction in which you are moving.  However,
in cases such as talking to other people, most dialogue which takes place is
displayed here.  Any time the text takes up more than one screen, an arrow
will appear signifying that there is more text and the game is awaiting a
keypress.

On some occasions you will be asked to answer a question or provide a password
to someone.  This too is done in the command window.  When this situation
arises, simply type in your response and press Enter.

10

                                  COMMANDS

There are many commands in Excelsior, each one representing a particular
action which you can perform.  Before introducing the command set, a few words
should be said about the concept of directional specification.

For many commands, in addition to specifying the command itself, a direction
also needs to be specified.  For example, when attacking, in addition to
invoking the attack command, it is necessary to specify the direction in which
you wish to attack.  Commands that require a direction prompt you with a
red question mark ("?") in the command window.  To specify a direction, press
any of the valid direction keys.  Pressing Escape will abort the command.


MOVEMENT
Moving around the land of Excelsior is simple.  The screen is laid out in
typical map style with north at the top of the screen.  To move around, the
mouse or keyboard is used.  If you are using the mouse, simply hold down the
left button with the cursor positioned in the general direction in which you
wish to travel.  If you are more comfortable using the keyboard, you can use
either the cluster of arrow keys or the numeric keypad (be sure NUM LOCK is
off).  The advantage to using the keypad is that it allows you to move along
the off-cardinal directions (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast).  In
addition to movement, these same keys are used to specify directions for
commands which require a directional specification.


ACTION COMMANDS
The following is a complete list of the keys used in the game to perform the
different available actions.  Note that almost all keys are abbreviations for
the command, which makes the command set very simple to remember.

A - Attack
Attack allows you to strike at another person or monster.  Upon invoking the
attack command, you will first be told which weapon you are attacking with and
then you will be prompted for a direction.  In cases where you have two
weapons readied, you will need to specify two directions, one for each weapon.

B - Board or exit a ship or horse
Board allows you to get on or off of a ship or to mount or dismount a horse.
There are certain restrictions to this command.  For example, you can't board
a ship while on horseback.

C - Cast a spell
The cast command is used to invoke spells.  When you type the cast command,
you will be prompted for the spell name.  Each spell has a two-letter ab-
breviation which you must type at this time.  If the spell name is invalid (or
you press Escape), the command will be aborted.  If you enter a valid spell
name, one of two things will happen.  If the spell requires a direction (as is
the case for most offensive spells), you will be prompted for a direction,
just like in the attack command.  If the spell does not need any further
information besides the name, it will be cast.  See the Fixer's Handbook for
more information about the various spells in the game.

11

D - Drop an item
The drop command is used to discard an item in your backpack.  When you invoke
the drop command, a list of the items you presently have in your backpack is
displayed in the status window.  Select the item to drop, and then specify a
direction in which to drop it.  Note that weapons and armor must be removed
before they can be dropped.

E - Enter structure or use ladder
The enter command allows you to enter a building or dungeon.  To perform this,
you must be standing on the structure which you want to enter.  In a dungeon
or keep, if you are standing on a ladder, the enter command causes you to
climb either up or down.

F - Fire a ship's catapult
Every ship is equipped with a catapult used for defense.  If you are on board
a ship, this command will initiate an attack using this catapult.  You may
still use your normal weapons to attack by using the attack command.

G - Get an item
The get command is the opposite of the drop command.  It allows you to pick up
an object and add it to your backpack (assuming you have room).  To get an
item, invoke the command while standing next to the item and specify the
direction in which the item is located.  Note that since each "tile" can hold
two items, if there are two items in the specified direction, you must specify
which one.  This is done by pressing the right arrow to pick up the object on
the right side of the tile, and the left arrow to pick up the object on the
left.  If there is only one object in the tile, this step is not necessary.

H - Help
This item brings up a screen which lists all of the game commands for easy
reference.

I - Inspect your surroundings
The inspect command is used to more thoroughly search an object for any
special characteristics.  For example, you could inspect a wall looking for a
secret door.  Inspect also allows you to read signs.  Inspect requires a
direction.

K - Close a door
The close command simply closes the door in the direction you specify.

L - Look around
The look command is used to identify terrain and/or objects.  It merely tells
you what you see on the surface; no in depth searching is performed.  For
example, if you look at a wall, look will respond with "You see a wall", while
to search the wall for a possible secret door, you must use inspect.  Look
requires a direction.

12

O - Open a door
Open allows you to open a door in the specified direction.  This command will
fail if the door is locked or already open.

P - Pick a lock
Use the pick lock command to attempt (by less than legitimate means) to unlock
a locked door.  To do this requires a skeleton key, which is lost after use.
Your success at picking locks depends on your dexterity, among other things.
The pick command requires a direction.

R - Ready a weapon
The ready weapon command allows you to select your weapon(s).  The ready
weapon command will list all the weapons in your backpack which you can use.
This takes into account any limitations imposed by the weapons (such as a
minimum strength requirement).  If your current readied weapon must be un-
readied before using the new one (for example, unreadying a two-handed
weapon), it is done automatically.  By selecting "None", you unready all
readied weapons.

S - Swim
The swim command is used for crossing short distances of water.  Needless to
say, you must know how to swim to use this command.  Swim needs to be told the
direction in which you wish to swim.  Note that you can swim as long as you
want, but after a certain amount of time without resting on land, you begin to
drown.

T - Talk to someone
The talk command allows you to communicate with the person in the specified
direction.  You are able to speak with people who are not only adjacent to
you, but also one tile away (such as the case when you must speak over a
counter to a merchant).  The variety of interactions you can have depends on
the person you are speaking with.  In the case of a merchant, his or her
inventory list will appear in the status window for you to select from.  Any
item which you cannot use (such as a weapon you are too weak to wield) will
appear in red.

U - Use an item
The use command lets you use an item in your backpack.  This is used with
things such as torches, shovels, potions, etc.  Some objects will require a
direction (such as digging with a shovel).

W - Wear armor
The wear armor command is similar to the ready weapon command.  It displays a
list of items which you may wear, taking into account any requirements
(strength, etc.) imposed by the item.  You may also remove currently worn
armor with this command.

13

SPECIAL COMMANDS
There are several special commands which deal with more functional aspects of
the game:

Space - Pass time
Pressing the space bar causes one turn to pass.  Since time does not elapse in
the game until you make a move, this is useful if you want to wait for some-
thing to happen.

F1 - Player status
Pressing the F1 key brings up the player status screens.  These screens
display your character's attributes and skills, the contents of your backpack
(items you can't use are named in red), in addition to any "special" items you
have, and spells in your spellbook.  Spells currently active are highlighted
in yellow.

Alt-G - Game controls
The game control menu allows you to set various game parameters such as the
display time between messages which appear in the command window, sound
effects (on or off), mouse control (on or off), and the frequency of auto-
saves.

Alt-S - Save game
This command allows you to save your game.  The game will prompt you for a
game number from zero to nine, or press Escape to abort the process.  You may
enter a short description of the save position for reference.  You can then
restore the game using the Alt-R (restore) command.

Alt-R - Restore game
The restore command allows you to load previously saved games.  This is done
by typing in the number of the game you wish to restore, or by pressing Escape
to abort the process.  If the restore is successful, the new game is loaded
and you continue from where you left off.

Alt-X - Exit to DOS
This command exits you to DOS.  If you want to continue playing later from
your current position, you must save your game previous to quitting, since it
is not done automatically.