PC Gamer 1999 December/CD-Gamer_1999-12_03_cd.bin/Games/DarkSton/data/ReadMe.txt

Text File | 1999-09-02 | 14KB | 287 lines

DARKSTONE Demo 1.0

ATTENTION: IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE DEMO, MUSIC AND VOICES HAVE BEEN
COMPRESSED.  THIS MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE QUALITY, HOWEVER THE QUALITY OF RETAIL
VERSION REMAINS EXCELLENT.

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THE FULL VERSION OF DARKSTONE INCLUDES:

*  More than 100 evil creatures based on 30 character types
*  32 levels of dungeons
*  More than 200 enemies and interactive characters
*  8 playable characters (male or female) based on four castes -- warrior, thief,
   magician or monk.
*  Simultaneous control of 2 characters
*  More than 30 types of weapons; many of which hace multiple variations.
*  A Random Quest Generator that ensures maximu playability -- you get new maps and new
   quests each time you play.

This demo is deep and will give you a taste of what the full game has to offer. If you
want to find out more about Darkstone, visit www.godgames.com


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.  BEGINNING YOUR QUEST
II.  GAMEPLAY
III.  SYSTEM REQUIRMENTS
IV.  HOT KEYS AND COMMANDS
V.  TECHNICAL NOTES

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I.   BEGINNING YOUR QUEST


CASTES AND CHARACTERISTICS:

To play the game you have to choose one from several characters belonging to
different castes (Warriors, Wizards, Thieves, Priests).
The caste your character belongs to determines his strengths and weaknesses.
For example, the Warrior's main asset is his physical strength, whereas the
Wizard relies more on his extensive knowledge of magic. Therefore, the former
would overwhelm his opponent best in direct combat, while the latter would rather
keep his distance and cast spells.

These various attributes are integrated into the game by defining, at the start
of the game, a set of four characteristics (strength, vitality, dexterity and magic).
Each of these characteristics is allotted a number of points, which varies depending
on the caste. The higher the number of points allotted to the characteristic, the
greater the influence this characteristic will have on the character's actions.

EXPERIENCE LEVEL:

Your character also has another very important attribute: experience level.
Your hero starts the game with very little experience. He has been well trained, but
is a beginner in the field. So his experience level starts at level1. But as your character
takes on opponents, his experience level will rise.

LIFE, MANA, AND FOOD:

Your characters also have another three attributes, which have to be closely
monitored during the game. These are their life level (vital energy), mana level
(magic power used for casting spells) and food level (physical energy).

THE TOWN:

You begin the game in the town, which is a populated area harbouring no
enemies. You will meet various people who are likely to help you in your quest. You
can buy and sell arms in the town, as well as magic spell books, scrolls, potions and
food. You will have to discern how best to spend your money to ensure that you are fully
prepared when the time for battle comes.

WHAT NEXT?

Once you have been around the town you should explore other different lands
and discover the entrances to various shady places (dungeons, cellars, caves). You
should speak to the local people, fight monsters, gather and use various objects
(weapons, scrolls, gold pieces, food etc.). Ultimately, you may succeed in completing
your quest.

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II.    GAMEPLAY


ENGAGING IN COMBAT:

You are likely to encounter numerous ruthless enemies on your journey. You
should, therefore, choose your weapons wisely. Some types of weapon, such
as swords, are intended for close combat, whereas others, such as bows, are
intended for ranged attacks. Different weapons affect different creates differently.
For example, bows have relatively little effect on Skeletons, while crushing weapons
like the mace inflict much greater dammage.  Choosing the right weapons to deal with
the creatures threatening you means that you have already achieved your first milestone
on the path to victory.

HOW SPELLS WORK:

The scrolls that you acquire during your adventure will enable you to cast a
spell, just once. They don't use up mana. You prepare a spell by right
clicking on the scroll (in the bag or on the belt). The mouse cursor will
then change shape. You then select an enemy, object or place and left click to cast
the spell.

Alternatively, there are magic spell books that provide you with the opportunity
to learn spells, and therefore, be able to use them all the time. These spells use up
mana and require different levels of knowledge. The higher the level, the more
powerful the spell is. It may also have several variants. To attain a greater level of
knowledge, your character must ensure he has a high enough magic level, find
another copy of the spell book and re-read it.
When you find a spell book, put it in the inventory and right click on it if you
wish to read it. The spell associated with this spell book will then feature in the
Book of Spells. You should use it when you feel it is appropriate and as often as you
wish, providing you have sufficient mana.

EQUIPMENT, WEAPONS, AND ARMOR:

You will find numerous different types of weapons and protection (helmets,
armour, amulets, rings etc.) during your journey through the dungeons. You can also
buy them in the Town and at various stages throughout the game.
The basic types of equipment have particular features (amount of damage inflicted on
enemy, level of protection, durability etc.) and this information is displayed in the
description box, which appears when you point at these objects.
You should, however, bear in mind that these objects don't last forever; they
eventually wear out and break. If the icon for any of these objects is highlighted in
red at the bottom left or right of the screen, this means that the item will soon be
destroyed. You should get it repaired by the blacksmith to make it as good as new,
or you should use the "Repair" skill, if you have acquired it. The more skilled you are
at it, the better your repair will be.
You can also get the blacksmith to enhance these objectsÆ features, but this
will result in a loss of durability points.

USING SKILLS:

Skills can be purchased from Master Dalsin in the town. There are a whole
range of skills and attributes that can serve your character well once he has
developed them.
The skill level ranges from 1 to 10. The higher the figure, the more competent
your character is in that particular skill and the more effective it will be.
When you are learning a skill, its name appears in the Skills window, which is
displayed by right clicking on the "Skills" button in the interface bar.
Some skills are latent (i.e. hidden). Once your character has acquired them you
don't have to actively apply them as they are controlled automatically. When a
skill displayed in the list is latent, you cannot select it when you place the mouse
cursor on it.  If you wish to use the other skills available, left click on the
"Skills" button to display the list of skills and scroll down the list and select
the relevant skill, then right click on the object or character you wish to allocate
the skill to. Skills don't use up mana.

PLAYING WITH TWO CHARACTERS:

In DARKSTONE you have the option to play with two characters at the same
time, but only in Single Player, not Multi Player. One of the characters is
controlled by you, the other by your computer. This companion can watch your back for
you, fight side by side with you and accompany you everywhere, unless you ask him to wait
at a specific place for you ("chain link" button). If you wish to swith the character you
are controlling, simply click on his portrait, or hit the PgUp/PgDn keys.  It is crucial
that you learn to use your two characters effectively to succeed in your quest.

MULTIPLAYER OPTIONS:

In Multiplayer mode you can control only one character, but the objective of
the game still remains the same: to re-create the Time Orb and overcome
Draak. At the beginning of a multiplayer game, one player should be made game
master. He is responsible for starting the "session" and can allow other player to join
in the game.  The saved multiplayer game resides on the host's computer and can be restarted
at any time by loading it just like you would load a Single Player game.

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III.    SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS


Minimum configuration
Operating system         Windows« 95 or 98
Processor type and frequency     Pentium« 233MHz MMX (or equivalent)
Video card              4MB Direct3D accelerator card
Mode                  65536 colours [16-bit]
Free hard disk space          170MB
RAM                 32MB
CD-ROM drive              8x speed with a Windows« 95/98 CD-ROM driver
DirectX              DirectX6.1 or later; DirectX Media
Input devices              Keyboard, mouse

Recommended configuration
Operating system         Windows 95 or 98
Processor type and frequency     Pentium II 350MHz (or equivalent)
Video card             4MB 3D AGP or 8MB Direct3D PCI compatible accelerator card
Free hard disk space         380MB
RAM                 64MB
CD-ROM drive             8x speed with a Windows 95/98 CD-ROM driver
DirectX              DirectX6.1 or later; DirectX Media
Input devices             Keyboard, mouse

Multiplayer mode
For 2 to 4 players
 Via LAN: IPX (recommended) or TCP/IP
 Via Internet: TCP/IP (recommended) or IPX via KALI

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IV.    HOT KEYS AND COMMANDS


NOTE!  ALL KEYBOARD KEYS ARE REMAPPABLE IN THE KEYBOARD.INI FILE IN THE

Mouse
Left button:             Movement, action (including, speaking, picking up objects), attack
Left button + CTRL:         Change character's speed (walking/running)
Left button + SHIFT:         Attack without moving
Right button:             Cast a spell (clicking on target), activate an object, reading letters or spell books

Keyboard
1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 7 and 8     Select a stored spell or skill
B                 Book of spells
ENTER                 Open message window (in Multiplayer mode only)
ESC                 Display or quit main menu
SPACEBAR             Return quickly to the game and close all menus
F1, F2, F3 and F4         Use objects on the first character's Belt (if playing with two characters)
F5, F6, F7 and F8         Use objects on the second character's Belt (this applies to the first character if playing with one character)

F9                 Default camera mode
F10                 Camera top down mode
F11                 TRACKING 1 camera mode
F12                 TRACKING 2 camera mode
ARROW KEYS LEFT/RIGHT         Camera rotation
ARROW KEYS UP/DOWN         Camera zoom in/out
F                 Automatic/manual combat mode
G                 Enable/disable solo mode
H                 Display history of current adventure
I                 Inventory
L                 List of places visited
TAB                 Display or quit map (Num Lock OFF)
Page Up             Change character
Page Down             Change character
Numeric keypad 4 and 6         Rotation (Num Lock OFF)
Numeric keypad 8 and 2         Zoom (Num Lock OFF)
Q                 Quick save
R                 Enter rest mode
BACKSPACE             Run or walk
S                 List available spells
SHIFT + ARROW KEYS
LEFT/RIGHT/UP/DOWN         Scroll through map when displayed
SHIFT + selected spell         Save spell
CTRL+ ENTER             Enter guild code
T                 Open/close the Skills list
+/ -                 Adjusts brightness of Map

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V.     TECHNICAL NOTES


* You should have DirectX 6.1 installed before starting the game.

* If you have a secondary video card in your computer it will automatically be used by default. If you want
the primary card to be used change the option in the configuration menu. If the system jams, delete the file
Darkstone\config\option.txt, and restart the game.

* If you wish to find the default configuration settings delete the file Darkstone\config\option.txt, and
restart the game.

* If, when in multi-player mode, you wish to use the TCP/IP protocol on the Internet, you can display your
IP address by connecting to the Internet, starting the game and press the "A" key. You can also select
Start/Run and type WINIPCFG and confirm. A window will appear displaying your IP address.

* If you notice that the game's performance has been deteriorating, you can disable the options in the
configuration menu. You can also reduce the window size by pressing SHIFT+F9.

* It is recommended that you disable screensavers during the game, restrict the number of programs open in
the Taskbar and resident programs. You may also wish to defragment your hard disk

* If your computer has a TNT chipset-based card you may have to change the text alignment option in the card
properties menu to 7.

* When Darkstone is uninstalled the games and characters you have saved will not be deleted. If you need space
on your hard disk and the game has not started you can delete all the temporary files in the Darkstone/temp
directory.

* If you have a 3-button mouse with a wheel, you can use the middle button to display the list of available
spells and the wheel to scroll through the pre-recorded spells.

* If the message: "Duplicate objects detected and removed" is displayed, this means that an object has been
duplicated. Only one copy of the object will be kept.