You drop your tools and rush back to the farmhouse to get your dagger. Another orc raid. Your whole life has been spent defending your farm and your cattle from orc raids. Orcs have been around since Greyor broke the world into two continents. They seem almost common place, or they did at one time. For almost a year now, these raids have become near fierce battles. Each time the orcs come in greater numbers and each time they are more daring. At one time, merely the presence of an armed human would send them fleeing, but now they stand and fight to the death.
"Hurry up! It looks to be a big group this time!"
"I'm on my way!" you shout as you grab your foot-long dagger and rush out the door to confront the raging beasts.
"Five of them, just over that hill," you father explains while pointing with his wood axe.
"Not too bad, we can handle five."
The orcs rush over the hill and the two of you charge, trying to meet them as far as possible from the farmhouse where your mother and sister are hiding.
The impact of your charge sets the orcs off balance. With a quick swing, your father reduces one of the foul creatures by a head. Your swipe cuts an orc deep in the arm. It screams and staggers away. A moment later and the two of you even the odds.
Suddenly, a human scream pierces the air. You turn just in time to see a second raiding party crash through the door of your farmhouse. This was a trap! With utter horror, you see an orc exit with your sister's limp body slung over his shoulder. Your father, terrified, turns and runs toward the house. He never gets there. With his back turned, he is easily taken down by a marauding orc.
"Nooo!" you cry while fatally stabbing the orc in facing you. With the opening in front of you, you dash for a small grove of trees about a quarter mile away. The orcs put up a token chase, then turn back to their victory feast. Well hidden in the trees, you sink down and faint from fear and exertion.
* * *
You place the first shovel-full of dirt over your father's corpse. He now lies next to your mother and sister. You cover his face first, the empty sockets of where his eyes were clawed out being harder to bear than the jagged hole in his torso that used to house his vital organs. What they did to your mother and sister was a thousand times worse.
No tears in your eyes, though you feel like you could cry for eternity. All that is there is a cold, dark hatred and a desire for revenge. Greyor's evil magic has ruined your family and your life. There is no reason to remain at the farm.
You finish the graves, throw down the shovel, and without a last look, head north in the direction of Meadow. You have a few gold pieces left, hidden by your father under the floorboards. The orcs had not found them. With these you will begin your quest.
The birds chirp playfully, yet the wind blows cold, and Meadow is visible in the distance.
Requirements and Loading
The requirements for Dark Ages are few, but very important. While, DA can run on all computers, at least a 33 mhz processor is recommended. The monitor must support 320x200 resolution, 256-color vga. These requirements are usually not a problem.
What is most likely to cause a problem is the background music. To run sound in Dark Ages, you must have the SBMIDI driver loaded. It comes with the program, however, it may not work on all computers. Furthermore, if you do not have a SoundBlaster or compatible sound card, you will not be able to run sound. A special file has been provided for computers without sound support, with details explained below.
Dark Ages is being distributed as a ZIP file to conserve space and reduce downloading times. In order for the game to run properly, it must be UNZIPped with its files in the proper directories. To do so, use the -d flag when unzipping or select restore original directories (or other such feature) if you are using a Windows unzipping program.
In case of an accident, the below files must be in these directories:
All .MON files must be in a directory called GRAPHICS
All .SPR and .IMX files must be in a directory called SPRITES
All .MAP files must be in a directory called MAPS
All .MID files must be in a directory called SOUND
All .SAV files must be in a directory called SAVES
All other files must be in the parent directory. This directory may have any name.
To run Dark Ages with sound support, simply run the DARKAGES.BAT file. Running the game from the DARKAGES.EXE file will produce an error.
If you do not have sound support, run the NOSOUND.EXE file.
Getting Started
Dark Ages is a relatively simple game to get started and caught up in.
Basic Keyboard Commands:
"H" - Help menu. This lists all the below commands when in the game.
<Space> - This is the primary interaction button. Use this to initiate conversation with other people. It also is used for special commands when applicable.
"S" - Save game. This key works at any time except in battle to save your progress.
"L" - Load game. Loads a game at anytime except in battle.
"C" - Cast a spell. This is used to cast a spell while in towns or outside.
"Z" - Player statistics. This menu lists your strength, experience, level, gold, spells learned, and items you are carrying.
Player Statistics:
Strength - Measures how strong the player is. This affects the number of hit points the player has and how much damage he can do in battle.
Dexterity - Measure of quickness and accuracy. Affects the chance of hitting a creature in battle.
Wisdom - The more of this the player has, the more magical power he has. Vital when casting spells.
Hit Points - The amount of life left in the player. When this reaches zero, the player dies. Increases with strength.
Magic Points - The amount of astral power the player has. When this becomes low, the player may not be able to cast certain spells. Increases with Wisdom.
Player Interaction
Conversations
Conversations are simple. Most of the populace in the game will speak to you with a simple press of the <Space> bar while standing next to them. Some people may even have a lot to say and you can continue an extended dialogue with them.
Dialogue is important in Dark Ages. While most people just go about their business, some are quite helpful in your quest. It is a good idea to speak to everyone and decide for yourself which information is useful.
Shops
A very important part of the game is interaction with shopkeepers. This enables the player to purchase weapons and armor, learn spells, or find a place to rest when weary. The three types of shops found in the game are listed below:
Inn - The inn is probably the most important shop in the game. It is here where the player may rent a room to rest, recover from wounds, and regenerate magical powers.
Magic - The magic shop is essential in learning the magical arts. The player may purchase magical spells here.
Weapons/Armor - These shops are by far the most abundant in the game. They provide dozens of items for fighting and protection.
Battle
Battle occurs in dungeons and the outer world. Random attacks by the creatures that roam the land can happen at any time. Here is how to survive such attacks.
The battle screen displays the monster's name, what he looks like and the player statistics such as health and magical power.
The player has three options in battle:
Attack - You strike out with all your might, hoping to injure the beast. Success is based on your hit percent, determined by your dexterity.
Cast a Spell - If brute force doesn't work, perhaps some of the arcane arts will. However, you must be wary of your remaining magical power.
Run - When all else fails, just turn tail and run like hell.
Unless you manage to run away, the creature gets a chance to return the attack. You can see how the battle is progressing by watching the creature. As the wounds you inflict increase, the creature may begin to bleed.
Battle ends when either you or the creature are dead or you run away. If you win the battle you will be awarded experience points and gold. If you acquire enough experience points over several battles, you advance to the next level.
Spells
Level 1: Heal. MP=2 Minor healing spell.
Level 2: Burn. MP=5 Causes minor burns to foes.
Level 3: Great Heal. MP=7 Moderate healing spell.
Level 4: Blindness. MP=5 Causes creature to lose sight of you. Hit probability of foe is reduced to 1/3 of normal.
Level 5: Firebomb. MP=10 Shoots a moderate sized fireball at the enemy.
Level 6: Massive Heal. MP=12 Major healing spell.
Level 7: Acid Rain. MP=18 Showers the enemy with burning water.
Level 9: Full Heal. MP=20 Restores all lost hit points.
Level 10: Death. MP=30 May cause foe to keel over and die.
Level 11: Travel MP=15 Allows travel to any city in the game.
Hints
Be sure to gain plenty of experience levels before exploring dungeons.
Buy the strongest weapons and armor as soon as possible.
Use the multiple saved game feature and save often.
Blindness is a very useful spell in battle.
Talk to all people in the game.
Reserve you magic points for emergencies when exploring dungeons. They may be the only thing that keeps you alive.
Beginner's Walkthrough
WARNING!!! This section gives solutions to the first part of the game. It is solely for the purpose of getting people started until they get used to the style of game play. If you wish to discover this part of the game on your own, read no further.
You begin the game outside of the first town, Meadow. No monsters will attack you at this point, so feel free to wander and explore. There is not much to see yet, so enter the town.
The first thing to do is talk to the tavernkeeper. Tavernkeepers usually hear useful information. Be sure to get every last bit from him.
You discover that you need to build a bridge to get across the river to the next town. Talk to Reyd in the center of town. He is a carpenter who can build the bridge.
Reyd would like to build the bridge, but he doesn't have the key to his supply shed. Mert, his assistant, was the last to have it. Speak to Mert by the Inn.
Mert lost the key somewhere in the park. Speak to Emma, the girl in the park, to find out where it is.
Emma tells you Tyren has it. He spends all of his time in the tavern. Go there and speak to him.
Tyren has the key, but wants you to buy him ale first. Since you can't buy ale yourself, you need someone else to do it. Lotar is willing, but only after you gain a few experience levels and prove yourself a man. From here, go to the weapon/armor shop and buy a club and a tunic.
You are now ready for battle. Go outside a walk around until you get attacked by an orc. Fight him in battle. Continue doing so until you reach LEVEL 3. Watch your hit points. If, while gaining levels, your hit points drop too low, enter Meadow and spend a night at the inn to heal. After attaining LEVEL 3, visit Lotar. He will buy you the ale. Give it to Tyren and receive the key. Give the key to Reyd.
The next time you leave the city a bridge will be built and you can cross the river to the next town. Congratulations! You completed the first mini-quest. Good luck with the rest of the game!
