Welcome to Last Call!

NOTE: This help document is located in the Help folder and can be viewed without starting Last Call. To do this, open the file "index.htm" using your web-browser. This document is also available in PDF, MS WORD, Plain Text, and RTF formats. To access these files, open the Help folder and then select the "Help File in Other Formats" folder.

INTRODUCTION

Goal of the Game

The goal of Last Call is to earn tips. To earn tips, you must mix drinks quickly and accurately, as well as deal with your customers. Drinks range in difficulty from the no-brainer vodka shot, to the Alabama Slammer. Last Call features twenty patrons, each with distinct personalities and quirks. As with life, there are other more subtle goals. These will become more apparent as you play and enjoy Last Call.

Shifts

Your evening is divided into "shifts" or "levels." Last Call features over a dozen levels. Each level sports progressively harder recipes, and customers become more impatient. Successfully completing a level takes you to the Bonus Free Shot Round, which tests how quickly you can serve simple shots. If you manage to keep up, you will earn great money and learn the location of ingredients.

Later shifts feature harder recipes, new outrageous customers, and over-the-top antics. In the unlimited Drink Specials Mode you can practice any recipe and earn tips while learning the location of all the ingredients and tools.

Mixing Drinks

As the Last Call bartender you have a full bar at your disposal. To master the game you must learn a number of bartending techniques, as well as some popular and not-so-popular recipes. Level One begins with easy drinks and sufficient time to consult the recipe book. Hone your skills early – you will need the speed.

Dealing with Customers

Managing your customers is a big part of bartending. By using the buttons on the bottom of the screen, you may interact with your customers – carding, flirting, taking their order, serving their drink, handing them drink tickets, and bouncing. The vibe is in your hands. As the night progresses, your crowd will get rowdier and more interesting. Remember, above all, to card your customers and don’t serve anyone under 21. It is the law. Also, just because someone is of legal age doesn’t mean you should serve him or her. Serving someone who is noticeably drunk and incapacitated is also against the law.

Have fun!

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Macintosh

Mac OS 7.6, 8, 8.5, or 9

Power PC 603e 180 MHz or faster (604e 200 recommended)

32 MB Free RAM (48 MB recommended)

8X CD or Faster

640 x 480 monitor in thousands of colors, or better

QuickTime™ 3.0 or higher (optional)

PC

Windows® 95/98

Pentium-166 MHz (Pentium-200 recommended)

32 MB RAM

6x CD or Faster

640 x 480 monitor in thousands of colors, or better

Windows-compatible Sound and Video Card

DirectX 5 or higher (optional)

QuickTime™ 3.0 or higher (optional)

Installation and Preferences Folder

Last Call is designed to run from the CD-ROM drive. There is no installation required.

Last Call will automatically create a Preferences folder called "Last Call" on your hard drive. This folder holds the Last Call game preferences, a high score chart, and any saved game files you’ve stored. On the Macintosh, this folder is located inside the System Preferences folder. Under Windows, it is located under the Windows System folder. Last Call does not use or alter the Windows Registry file.

Optional Downloads

QuickTime™ (Mac or Windows)

If you have QuickTime 3.0 or higher installed, you will see an opening video before the game. If you don’t have QuickTime installed you will see a montage instead. Visit the following URL to download the latest version of QuickTime:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

DirectX (Windows only)

Last Call has very rich sound design, with up to 7 audio tracks playing simultaneously. For optimal sound performance under Windows, install DirectX 5.0 or higher (which includes DirectSound). Most Windows systems already have DirectSound installed. Last Call works well on Windows systems both with and without DirectSound. If you experience lags in sound performance and do not have DirectSound installed, download the installer from the URL below.

http://www.microsoft.com/directX/

Screen Resolution

On Windows-based PCs that support switching the monitor resolution on the fly, you will be asked if you want to change the screen resolution to 640 X 480. Select "Don’t Change" to leave your monitor resolution unchanged. When learning the recipes, it is helpful to leave the monitor at a higher resolution so that you can position Last Call’s movable recipe book outside the game window (so that it doesn’t obstruct your view of the bar or the customers). If you would instead like to play Last Call "full screen," select "Change" to switch your monitor to 640 X 480. (Your original screen resolution will be restored when exiting Last Call.) If you don’t want to be asked again in the future, select "Don’t Ask Again", in which case you will need to set the screen resolution manually if desired. Delete the LastCall.PRF file from the Preferences Folder described earlier to reactivate this feature.

On the Macintosh, the screen resolution can be set manually using the Monitors & Sound control panel.

Color Depth

Last Call is designed to run in thousands or millions of colors (16-bit or 32-bit color, sometimes called "high color" or "true color." If using only 256 colors (8-bit color) the interface won’t look very aesthetically pleasing. In that case, Last Call will ask you whether it should set your monitor to a higher color depth.

STARTING LAST CALL

Last Call will run automatically when you insert the CD-ROM if you have Auto-Run enabled. If not, follow the directions below to start the game manually.

Auto-Run Enabled

Auto-Run Disabled

The game will not run without the original CD in your CD-ROM drive.

NOTE: We recommend that you QUIT ALL OTHER OPEN APPLICATIONS before running Last Call. Last Call is a very rich multimedia simulation. It will perform better if more RAM is available.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Contact Information

Please consult the Troubleshooting section of the Read-Me file on the CD-ROM or http://www.lastcallgame.com before contacting technical support at support@ssi.teksupport.com or 1-303-739-4020.

If You Have Trouble Starting the Game under Windows

In some rare cases, the Last Call Bartending Game will not be able to start up due to missing files on some older Windows systems. If you receive an error dialog that says something like "This Application Requires the Shockwave Player" when attempting to start Last Call, you should cancel the error dialog and then run the Runtime installer provided in the Support folder to remedy the problem. You do NOT need to download and install Shockwave to run the game.

STARTING A NEW GAME

The Main Menu

There are numerous options available from the main menu screen:

1. New Game - start a new game
2. Drink Specials - practice mode for mixing drinks
3. Free Shots - practice mode for learning the location of bar items
4. Load Game - retrieve a saved game
5. Options - configure user preferences
6. High Scores - show the high score chart
7. Help - leads to an abbreviated on-line Help
8. Last Call Cats - credits
9. Last Call Online - launches your browser and sends you to http://www.lastcallgame.com.
10. Quit - exits the program

Starting a New Game

1. Choose "New Game" from the main menu
2. Enter your name and select a gender
3. Hit the "Play Game" button to continue
4. Read the instructions and click forward to reach the bar interface

MIXING DRINKS

Mixing Introduction

Mixing drinks is not rocket science. Drinks are predominantly made in one of five ways:

1. Pour liquor directly into glass with no ice
2. Pour liquor and mixer into glass - do not stir
3. Stir liquors and mixers directly in glass on bar top
4. Pour liquors and mixers into shaker or mixing glass, then stir or shake, and strain into glass
5. Blend liquors and mixers in the blender, and pour into glass

Master these techniques, use tricks to remember recipes, and serve with a smile. To play Last Call, you will need to learn the following:

Choosing An Active Customer

The Last Call bar has three seats: left, middle, and right. When customers approach the bar, you will notice a red laser dot on the edge of the bar-top. The position of this dot shows which customer is "active". The dot itself is not "clickable," it is merely an indicator.

In the example above, the customer in position three (right) is "active". Certain actions in the game will only apply only to the customer that is active. They are:

1. Serving a drink
2. Taking an order
3. Bouncing
4. Handing out drink tickets
5. Charming a customer

NOTE: Last Call will intelligently make the correct customer active in most situations. For example, after you’ve served a drink or bounced a customer, another customer at the bar will automatically become active.

You can use the following methods to manually control which customer is active:

1. Click on the customer
2. Press 1, 2, or 3 for left, middle, and right positions respectively
3. Press the Tab key to cycle through the present customers from left to right
4. Click on the customer’s name in the recipe book.
5. Place a glass in front of a customer.
6. Pour into a glass in front of a customer.

Picking Up, Pouring, and Putting Down Bottles

To pick up and pour from a bottle:

1. Click once to pick up the bottle.
2. Move the bottle to desired vessel (drinking glass, mixing glass, shaker, or blender). You must drag a drinking glass (see below) to the bar top before pouring into it. You can pour into the mixing vessels while they are below the bar top (in their original places).
3. As you drag a bottle around the screen, it will tilt noticeably when it is close enough to a vessel to be poured. If the bottle disappears when you click, then you weren’t close enough to the glass. (If you accidentally drop a bottle, hit the SPACE bar again to pick it up automatically.) The mixing glass, shaker, and blender can be picked up so that you can pour their contents into a glass on the bar top as well.
4. To pour, click and hold until the bottle flips up. As in a real bar, the bottles have "pour tops" that pour at a constant rate even when tilted upside down. Keep holding the mouse down until the desired amount of the ingredient is dispensed. Consult the Pour Meter and the Contents List to see how much you’ve poured into the glass. See ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’ for useful shortcuts.
5. Release the mouse button to stop pouring.
6. To "drop" the bottle, press the SPACE bar, or move the bottle away from any pourable vessel and click. All bottles and tools automatically return to their original positions when dropped.

Picking Up, Placing, Emptying and Removing Glasses

Last Call features the most popular bar glasses: Cocktail, Shot, Highball, Old Fashioned, and Collins. Glasses at your local bar may differ slightly with respect to capacity and shape. Your supply of glasses is kept on the left side of the bar, just below the bar top (near the bourbon and whiskey)

If you are unsure which glass is which, move the mouse over a glass and pause briefly; the name of the glass will appear in a yellow box.

To place a glass on the bar, pick it up from below the bar, position it on the bar top in front of the customer you wish to serve, then click again to drop it. The glass will snap into place. Each patron has a distinct position from which they drink, so don’t be confused if it snaps to a position a little off-center.

If a glass is empty you can remove it from the bar-top by returning it to the glass rack, or by picking it up and pressing the space bar.

TO empty the contents of the active glass and remove it from the bar top, press the EMPTY BUTTON or hit the "E" key.

Tools, Key Ingredients, and the "X" Bottle

Last Call features the essential bartending tools, easy access to key ingredients, and a unique feature called the X Bottle, which allows the bartender to assign rarely used ingredients to any bottle in the bar. The following table describes the bar tool. If a keyboard shortcut is listed as "ALT/OPTION" that mean you should hold do the Alt key under Windows or the Option key on the Mac. Likewise CTRL/COMMAND means that the Ctrl keystroke is for Windows users and the COMMAND keystroke is for Macintosh users.

Key Ingredients
	ICE is an important part of most drinks. A bartender scoops ice into a Shaker or Mixing Glass to chill ingredients. When ice is scooped directly into a glass, the drink is being served "on the rocks". To dispense ice, click once on the ice scoop (located directly above the tip register) to pick it up. Position the scoop over the desired vessel. The scoop will tilt slightly when it is positioned properly. Click and hold to fill the vessel with ice. Release the mouse button to stop scooping. Return the scoop to its place in the bar by either pressing the space bar, or moving it back to its place and clicking the mouse button again. HINT: The ice scoop can also be picked up by pressing the "I" key.
	The SODA GUN dispenses a number of commonly used ingredients through a single dispenser. To select an ingredient, you may do one of the following: 1. Use keystrokes (see Soda Gun keystrokes) 2. Press "J" to access the full graphical menu 3. Click and hold on the soda gun to access the full graphical menu (double-clicking also brings up this menu). 4. ALT/OPTION CLICK on the soda gun to access the quick menu. To dispense the ingredient, move the soda gun into position over the desired vessel. Click and hold to begin pouring. Release the mouse button to stop pouring. Return the Soda Gun to its place at the bar by either pressing the space bar, or moving it back to its position and clicking the mouse button again. HINT: You will be alerted when a recipe calls for any soda gun ingredient that you haven’t used yet. You can turn the Soda Gun reminders on and off under the Options screen.
	GARNISHES are used to decorate a drink and add extra flavor. The Last Call garnish tray has five of the most popular garnishes. To garnish a glass: Click once on a garnish to pick it up Move the mouse to the center of the glass Click again to add garnish Certain drinks call for a TWIST. Lemon and Lime Twists are added using any of the following methods: Click and hold on the lemon wedge or lime wedge until the yellow tooltip changes to "Lemon Twist" or "Lime Twist". It will be treated as a twist when dropped on a glass. ALT/OPTION CLICK on the lemon wedge or lime wedge to pick up a twist. It will be treated as a twist when dropped on a glass. Pick up an ordinary lemon or lime wedge, drag it to a glass, and ALT/OPTION CLICK to dispense it as a twist instead of a wedge. HINT: Twists look like an ordinary lemon or lime while dragging them with the mouse. After being added to a drink, twists are small and may be difficult to see at the bottom of a glass. Consult the Contents List adjacent to the Pour Meter for a display of the contents of the active glass. It will list any garnish including a twist.
	BEER bottles are stored on ice below the blender and to the right of the triple sec bottle. To place a beer on the bar, pick it up from below the bar, position it on the bar top in front of the customer you wish to serve, then click again to drop it. The beer bottle will snap into place.

BUTTON OVERVIEW

Buttons at Bottom of Bar

The buttons at the base of screen are used primarily to interact with customers and open the recipe book.

	To set the vibe, call up the JUKE BOX. Make a selection from the listed songs and set the volume. Patrons may dance if they like the song! Mute the sound track for better performance on slower machines
	Before you take a customer’s order, you will have to card them. Click on the CHECK ID button to card a customer. To make the ID disappear, click on the ID card. Watch out! We mix up the IDs so you have to keep your eyes open. Once you have carded a customer, you will not be expected to card them again on repeat visits later in the game. Once the customer has been carded, you may take their drink order if they are over 21. If you take someone’s order who is underage, you lose!
	CHARMING and flirting with customers is a big part of bartending. Depending on the customer’s sexual persuasion, satisfaction level, and level of impatience, your attempts to charm someone may not be successful. To charm a customer, click on the Smiley Face.
	To take a drink order, click on the TAKE ORDER button. The customer will ask for a drink. If you forget their order don’t fret. You can always click on the button again to hear them repeat their order, or you can check under the blue tab in the recipe book for the current recipes on order.
	Once you’re ready to serve the drink, press the SERVE button. The drink will be served to the active customer. Until you earn your first tip, customers will wait at the bar indefinitely for you to hit the Serve button. After that, customers will leave once they get impatient. Before leaving, a customer will drink whatever is in the glass even if you don’t hit the serve button (assuming you’ve taken their order first). At least that way you have a chance at a partial tip!
	Everyone likes a FREE DRINK. Most bars allow the bartender to "comp" customers. A "comp" is a free drink. At Last Call, you are allowed a certain number of DRINK TICKETS for each level. Hand out too many, and the cost of the drink is deducted from your total tips. To hand out a drink ticket, click on the Drink Ticket button. Note: The mayor of New York recently prohibited bars in New York City from conducting free drink promotions.
	When you are starting out, you will have to consult the RECIPE BOOK. Don’t worry; almost all bartenders keep a recipe book behind the bar. However, as the game progresses, you will be penalized for checking the book. To open the recipe book, click on the Recipe Book button, or press "R". The recipe book shows the instructions for the active customer’s drink order. If there are other customers at the bar who have ordered, their names will also be listed. You can check these recipes by clicking on the Customer’s Name. Some recipe descriptions are longer than the space provided, so you may need to scroll down to read the whole recipe. As you get the hang of the game, you might want to try clicking on QUICK VIEW in the Recipe Book window. Quick View lists just ingredients and quantities, and adjusts its size automatically. To see the recipe for a different customer, make that customer active. To return to Full View, click the blue "Recipes" tab. Close the recipe book by clicking the [eXit] button in the upper right. During normal game play, the red A-Z tab lets you view any recipe in the book. Hint – there is no need to use the A-Z tab for recipes currently on order. Using the blue Recipes tab is faster. A-Z Tab, Normal Gameplay In Drink Specials mode, use the A-Z tab to select the recipe you would like to practice. A-Z Tab – Drink Specials
	The heart-shaped button in the lower right corner is your TOUGH LOVE button. Tough Love calls Arbus, Last Call’s trusted bouncer. Arbus shows the active customer to the door. Bouncing customers is fun, so we let you bounce customers without consequences. In a real bar, you will get slapped with a lawsuit if you aren’t careful. So, bounce to your heart’s content, but remember, give Arbus a rest occasionally.

Buttons at Left Side of Bar

	To empty the current glass, the shaker, mixing glass, and blender, click on the EMPTY button.
	When in doubt, consult the HELP window. Both rollover and full text help is available. Rollover help shows details on each item in the bar as the mouse passes over it. Full Text help gives game play tips. You can toggle between rollover help and the list of help topics by clicking the yellow "Help" tab in the recipe book window.
	GAME OPTIONS. Adjust volume levels for Music, Sound Effects, Customer Dialogue, and set the following help options: The manager will occasionally make comments regarding your game. As you get better, you will probably want to mute the manager by deselecting the "Play Manager Advice Sounds" checkbox. Moving the mouse over a bar item will immediately cause its name to appear in a yellow box if the "Show Bar Item Names Immediately" checkbox is selected. If it is deselected, you must hold the mouse over an object for about a second to see the bar item name. Use the "H" key to change this option during game play. When a recipe contains an ingredient found on the soda gun that you haven’t used before, an alert dialogue will appear. To disable this feature, or to turn the option back on after "shutting it up", check the "Alert me to Soda Gun Ingredients" checkbox. Similarly, the user is warned when a recipe contains a new special liquor not found in the main bar. To disable this feature, or to turn the option back on after "shutting it up", check the "Alert me to Hidden Liquors" checkbox. To return options to their default settings, click on "Default" in the lower right hand corner of the Options screen (not shown above).

Buttons at Right Side of Bar

DRINK SPECIALS MODE

Introduction

The Drink Specials Mode is a great way to learn how to make drinks. You can test out your choice of recipes on willing (but not always polite) customers. To access the drink specials mode click on the Drink Specials link from the Main Menu.

Picking A Drink

First, the customer will approach the bar. Check the customer’s ID and press the Take Order button. The recipe book will open to the red A-Z tab.

Select any recipe from the alphabetical listing. If the customer orders the selected drink in the game, they will order the drink verbally. If not, a dialogue box will appear with the drink order. Click on OK to continue.

Serving the Drink

Mix the customer’s drink and press the Serve button. They will tip according to your mixing accuracy. The tips in Drink Special Mode are similar to those received on Level 1 one of the game. Tips increase as the levels progress, so don’t be surprised if your tips are substantially lower in the Drink Specials mode.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

The following keyboard shortcuts can be used to pick up items or perform certain functions quickly. CTRL – PC / COMMAND – MAC means that on the PC use the CTRL key and on the Mac, use the COMMAND key.

Ingredients

CTRL – PC / COMMAND - MAC

Garnishes

CTRL – PC / COMMAND - MAC

Tools

Soda Gun

Volume

Button Bar and Patrons

Windows and Help

Tip Register and Progress Meter

Pouring and Animation

TIPS AND HINTS

1. The SPACE BAR, "I", and "M" keys can make your life much easier. Once you feel comfortable with the interface, try using these keystrokes for speed.
2. Similarly, use the soda gun shortcut keys to save time.
3. Use the Quick View feature on the recipe book once you feel comfortable with mixing drinks. You will be able to see more of the action and keep better track of your customers.
4. It is possible to card customers while they are approaching the bar. You will find this VERY useful in later levels.
5. Use the ALT/OPTION key to speed up pouring. You can pour very quickly, but risk overfilling the vessel. Use Shift-click to pour in single increments.
6. Add milk to fruity ingredients for a surprise. There are many other hidden surprises (Easter Eggs). Have fun finding them!
7. Ice goes first. Don’t dispense soda gun ingredients (except sour mix) into the shaker.
8. Press "Q" for abbreviated pouring animations. The 12 frame bottle animation is replaced with a 2 frame animation.
9. It is often helpful to place a glass on the bar top first, this way you will be reminded which orders are pending.
10. You can click on the name of an ingredient in the current recipe in the Recipe window to pick up that ingredient automatically (although it may be hidden behind the recipe window until you move the mouse away from the Recipe window). Try this technique when using Quick View mode!
11. See http://www.lastcallgame.com for more game play tips and fun!

FAQ

An up-to-date FAQ can be found online at http://www.lastcallgame.com/lastcall/faq.htm

DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE

Mothers Against Drunk Driving – http://www.madd.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information – http://www.health.org

Alcoholics Anonymous – http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.com