Vicarious Visions, Inc. README for "DARK ANGAEL(TM)" Shareware v 1.0 for WINDOWS 95 9/22/97 I. INTRODUCTION Thank you for checking out the Dark Angael shareware demo! This README file contains detailed information on system requirements, single player game information, multiplayer game information, setup, troubleshooting, ordering information and copyright notice. ****BUY DARK ANGAEL. IT'S A COOL GAME.**** ****WE SPENT A _REALLY_ LONG TIME MAKING IT.**** *****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.**** A) Story/Description: It was a Time of Myths. It was a Time of Legends. It was a Time of ever- growing Chaos. The screams of the forsaken echoed throughout the Cathedral of Avalon. Creatures of unimaginable horror rose from their nightmares. Apocalype was but a single moment away. But in that single moment, a savior arose. She came with a vengeance, destroying all that stood in her path, knowing it would lead her to a final battle against Chaos himself. Her name is Carina, the Dark Angael. Dark Angael is a side-scrolling action/adventure game, rich in both story and intensity. Featuring 360 degree aiming, more than two dozen interconnected single player levels (full version), and eight multiplayer Deathmatch arenas (full version), Dark Angael brings an epic saga to the genre of fast-action platform games... B) System Requirements: DARK ANGAEL CD-ROM WINDOWS 95 DirectX version 3 or higher* 100MHz Pentium(R) Required; 133MHz Pentium(R) or faster Recommended 16MB RAM Required; 20MB RAM Recommended Minimal Installation requires 80MB hard disk space Full Installation requires 105MB hard disk space 2X CD-ROM drive or faster SVGA monitor/Local Bus or PCI Video, 640 x 480. Sound Card * If you do not have DirectX installed on your system, you can find it on the DOWNLOADS page at WWW.VVISIONS.COM. c) Startup Launch Pad: If you are reading this, you have successfully gone through the installation program. The Launchpad that is invoked when clicking on the Dark Angael icon will give you the following options: * Play Dark Angael Shareware: Launches the game * Uninstall Dark Angael Shareware: If you wish to remove the game from your hard drive, choose this option. * View README file: View this README file. * Exit to Windows: Closes the launch program and returns to your desktop. d) Main Menu The main menu screen will appear after you start the game. It can also be accessed during the game by pressing the ESC key, or when Carina dies. You can choose your options by moving the mouse over the various amulets on screen. The function of each amulet is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Click on the appropriate amulet for your desired action. i.e. Click on the Start New Game amulet to begin a new single player game. Options in the main menu include: * Start a New Game (Single Player) * Return to Game * Load a Saved Game * Change Difficulty Setting * Change Gamma Correction * Keyboard/Network Setup (you can launch a multiplayer game from here) * View Game Information * Sound Setup * Quit Dark Angael e) Game Controls - Mouse Controls: In Dark Angael, moving the mouse moves the cross-hairs to target enemies. Left Mouse Button: Fires current weapon in direction of cross-hairs. Right Mouse Button: Activates current Superpower, if any. You must have enough Superpower Energy to be able to use current power. - Keyboard Controls: In Dark Angael, the keyboard is used to move Carina. In non-weapons mode, when she puts her gun away, Carina is much more maneuverable and can perform some acrobatic moves. The default keys are listed below. They can be changed in the Main Menu: [LEFT] - Move Left [RIGHT] - Move Right [UP] - Jump/Climb Up [DOWN] - Action (Enter, Climb Down, Use Lever or Mechanism, Use Inventory Object, Enter a door/corridor) [HOME] - Flip Left (NON-WEAPONS MODE ONLY] [PGUP] - Flip Right (NON-WEAPONS MODE ONLY) [INSERT] - Toggle between Weapons/Non-Weapons Mode [END] - Cycle through available weapons [PGDN] - Cycle through available superpowers [DEL] - Duck [P] - Pause game [T] - Talk to a character [H] - Use Holy Water on Carina [1]-[4] - Select weapon [5]-[9] - Select superpower [ESC] - Return to Main Menu [F2] - Take a screenshot [F5] - Save a game in progress ****BUY DARK ANGAEL. IT'S A COOL GAME.**** ****WE SPENT A _REALLY_ LONG TIME MAKING IT.**** *****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.**** II. MULTIPLAYER GAME To play a multiplayer Deathmatch game, you must click on the "Keyboard and Network" amulet found on the Main Menu screen. You will be asked to choose between "Keyboard Setup" or "Play Net Game." Click on "Play Net Game." The game window will be minimized, and you will be presented with a standard Windows dialog box marked "Dark Angael Network Setup." Note that in the shareware demo there is only ONE deathmatch arena that can be played. The full game contains EIGHT playable deathmatch arenas. A) Dark Angael Deathmatch DA Deathmatch is quite different from the single player game. We have fine tuned the use of weapons, superpowers, and the level design to a multiplayer environment. FLYING POWER - All players have "flying boots" as a default superpower during Deathmatch. It will drain your superpower energy when in use, but should be frequently used to out-maneuver opponents. Be careful - some levels have areas that are NO FLY ZONES. Indication of such will be made on the to Status Bar when the flying power is unusable. SPLASH DAMAGE - In Deathmatch, the Dart Launcher inflicts "splash damage". This means if you shoot darts at someone and are too close when it explodes, you too will take some damage. The amount of damage will be based on your proximity to the blast source. NOTE: This is only present in Deathmatch. The single player game does not have splash damage. B) Establishing a Multiplayer Connection There are four ways to setup a multiplayer game with Dark Angael: *TCP/IP Connection (up to 8 players on a local network or Internet) *IPX Connection (up to 8 players on a local network) *Modem Connection (2 players) *Serial Cable Connection (2 players) TCP/IP CONNECTION- If you select TCP/IP, you will be asked to enter an IP Address or a Host Name for the Host computer. Once connected, you will be able to choose the available game session that is setup on the host. IPX CONNECTION - Only for local area networks, if you select an IPX Connection, the program will seek out all other machines that are running IPX and report back with the Host machine and the available game session. MODEM CONNECTION - We recommend 28.8k Modems or higher for optimal game performance. If you select this connection, and you wish to Host, you will be presented with an "Answer Box". When your opponent rings through to join a game, click on the "Answer" button to establish a connection. You can also configure your modem from here. If you wish to join a game rather than host, you will be presented with a "Connection Box". You will need to enter the phone number and then click "Connect". You can also configure your modem from here. Choose the game session, and click "NEXT" to enter the Chat Window. SERIAL CONNECTION - If you have a serial cable connection between two machines and wish to host or join, you will need to enter your Serial Settings. Once finished, click on "OK" to establish the connection. Choose the game session, and click "NEXT" to enter the Chat Window. C) Chat Window Once connected to a game session, you will be presented with a chat window, list of all players (each name assigned a color), and the Kill Limit. The Kill Limit is the number of player kills one must make to win the game in progress. The default is 25. The Host may change it to any value. You can chat with connected players using the text chat window while you wait for remaining players to connect. The Host may press the "Start" button to begin the game when everyone is ready. When the game starts, it will load the level. Once the Kill Limit is reached, the game will end. The final Kill scores for each player will be displayed and the game will return you to Windows. ****BUY DARK ANGAEL. IT'S A COOL GAME.**** ****WE SPENT A _REALLY_ LONG TIME MAKING IT.**** *****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.**** III. TROUBLESHOOTING A) Performance Dark Angael performs best when it is the only application running on your system. We suggest that you quit all other applications before playing the game. Items that may be running in the background such as screen savers may interrupt game play. We suggest that you disable these items before playing the game. B) Windows NT(R) Vicarious Visions does not provide technical support for use of Dark Angael under Windows NT. C) DirectX Drivers Dark Angael requires DirectX 3 or higher to run. If you do not have DirectX installed you can find it at the Vicarious Visions website at: WWW.VVISIONS.COM on the DOWNLOADS page. ****BUY DARK ANGAEL. IT'S A COOL GAME.**** ****WE SPENT A _REALLY_ LONG TIME MAKING IT.**** *****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.**** IV. ORDER INFORMATION The full version of Dark Angael is available for a limited time for just $35 + S/H. To Order Dark Angael you can do any of the following: a) CALL TOLL FREE - 1 (800) 404-2024 - For U.S. residents. International Orders can call: (716) 559-1833 b) Order Online at WWW.VVISIONS.COM c) Fax or Standard Mail in your order. See the Company Store section of WWW.VVISIONS.COM for more details. ****BUY DARK ANGAEL. IT'S A COOL GAME.**** ****WE SPENT A _REALLY_ LONG TIME MAKING IT.**** *****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.**** V. COPYRIGHT NOTICE/WARRANTY Copyright (C) 1997 Vicarious Visions, Inc. Dark Angael and Vicarious Visions are trademarks of Vicarious Visions, Inc. All rights reserved. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ****WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS FILE?**** ****PLAY THE DEMO! IT'S MORE FUN.**** ****THEN BUY THE FULL GAME. IT'S EVEN BETTER.**** ****THIS IS NOT A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE.****