Loadstar 128 #12/q12.d81/t.knight's quest

Text File | 1990-01-01 | 25.1 KB | 443 lines

                         K N I G H T ' S    Q U E S T

                                by Jon Mattson

     Welcome to Camelot!

     Actually, welcome to an infinite number of fantasy universes, with more
than enough dragons to slay, distressed damsels to save, and brother knights
to battle or avenge for even the most jaded armchair adventurer.  In short,
you will find herein all of the trappings of Arthurian legend -- from
wizards plotting cryptic destinies to enchanted knights driven to mad
rebellion -- if not Arthur, himself.

     KNIGHT'S QUEST is a one- or two-player split-screen game which makes
full use of the 128's 80-column screen, musical capabilities, extra memory
and increased speed.  Beyond that, defining KQ is difficult.  It is a
role-playing game (RPG), in so much as each player creates a knight
character and uses this persona to explore a brave new world, but it is
geared towards a shorter playing time than your average fantasy epic (3 to 5
hours or thereabouts).  On the other hand, especially with two players, it
is a sort of 'computer boardgame', with a loose competition arising to see
who can complete his final Quest first and most bravely -- a sort of
Arthurian Monopoly, with the stakes being honour and valour instead of
money.  KQ rises over either type of game, however, in that it uses
artificial intelligence to build an infinite number of worlds to use for
your 'game boards'.

     A quick history should also make the thrust of the game more evident.
KQ began as a double experiment.  First of all, I wanted to create a fantasy
RPG which made full and colorful use of the 80-column screen, since none yet
existed (to the best of my knowledge).  What better way to take advantage of
the extra screen space than to allow two people to play at the same time?
This quest ultimately resulted in the RPG/arcader, LABYRINTH, which appeared
on LS128 #11, but I felt that I had still only scratched the surface of
something bigger.

     The second experiment began when my wife and I were pondering the
drawbacks of commercial RPGs.  Non-computer RPG fans ourselves, we fell in
love with the computer equivalent at first... but soon found that it was a
short-lived infatuation.  Oh, there are still a few that excite the old
interest (ULTIMA 4 and 5, by Origin, come to mind), but, for the most part,
we got tired of the 'hack-n-slash' nature of the computer versions.  Then,
too, each adventure seemed to take an disproportionate amount of time, and,
once it was finished (or had been surrendered), the game gathered dust.

     We decided that there had to be a way to design a game in which the
computer would act somewhat like a human gamemaster.  This 'model RPG' would
be played in just a few hours and have indefinite replay value.  Combat,
although an integral part of the game, would have to be cut back a bit in
favour of real 'sub-quests' with attainable (and occasionally non-violent)
goals.  To this list, I added the practical criteria that the game had to
fit into the 128's relatively limited memory and require minimal disk access
once the session was underway (KNIGHTS OF LEGEND, also by Origin, almost
lost me on this point).

     A pretty tall order, but my old love of Arthurian legend pointed me in
the right direction.  Those who have read the various tales of Camelot will
know that they are composed, to a large degree, of a multitude of quests
undertaken by the Knights of the Round Table.  Adapting this idea to the
computer was a bit tricky but not impossible, and the result is, I believe,
relatively unique.  The genre also allowed me to make KQ two games in one:
in addition to an RPG, it also has a very thorough joust simulator, allowing
for individual duels and full tournaments.  But more on that later...

     The rest of this article will concentrate on the game-oriented points
of KQ -- how to interact with the system.  Although you will find many hints
and tips, you will not see any hard, fast information concerning the world
itself.  I might have trouble with that, even if I tried: some aspects of
world building are in the 'hands' of YOUR computer.  If you are a fan of
Arthurian legend, you will recognize many familiar themes, although you will
never meet Arthur or Lancelot herein (this is your unique world, after all).
 If not, don't worry about it.  This is a game of exploration -- so start
exploring!


THE GOAL
--------
     You can have many entertaining sessions of KQ just exploring the worlds
your computer builds.  Ultimately, however, you may want to pursue the 'end
game' Quest.  In the capital city (which you will have to find yourself)
resides the High King of the continent, who oversees the four lesser Kings.
He is growing old and seeks a champion -- the epitome of knightly conduct
and valour.  He who proves himself worthy of this honour will also claim the
throne when the High King dies, for he has left no heir.  To this end, the
wizard, Morgan, has begun searching for likely candidates, and it is up to
you to prove that YOU are the one he is looking for by gaining fame and
prowess during your adventuring career.

SETTING UP
----------
     When you first run the program, the title screen will give you three
options (other than quitting): world building, game setup and game play.
For your first session, this is also the logical order for you to make your
choices: you cannot play the game until you have created at least one world
and designed your character(s).  So, your first session should go something
like this:

     1) Build a world:  All you have to do here is pick the option and name
the resulting world -- the computer does everything else.  This procedure
takes a few minutes, but the computer will keep you appraised of its
progress.  It will also allow you to take a quick tour to familiarize
yourself with the land.  Make sure that you have a disk with some empty
space on it to save the creation.

     2) Game Setup:  This allows you to pick which world to explore, decide
whether 1 or 2 people will be involved and make your character(s), using the
procedure explained in the program.  The computer also generates all
non-player characters at this point and does a few other game-related tasks.
Make sure that you have a disk with some empty space to save the results --
preferably the same disk which contains the world in question.  You will
have to give the saved game a name for reference purposes.

     3) Game Play:  Now that you have a world and one or more saved
characters, you can actually play the game.  In the future, when you want to
continue a saved game, just pick this option.

Some things to keep in mind during setup:

     1)  More than one saved game can use the same world, even
simultaneously: data subject to change is retained with the 'saved game'
file, not the 'world' files.  Thus, if you get particularly fond of one
world, you can keep using it indefinitely.

     2) Three files will be created using the above procedure, two world
files and the saved game: KQM.'world', KQC.'world' and KQS.'saved game'.
When referring to each file, only use the actual 'world' or 'saved game'
name, not the prefix.  The computer will add the prefix as required.

     3)  It is a good idea to keep all three related files on the same disk.
 They will use up no more than 30 blocks, total, so many games can be saved
on one disk, perhaps even with a copy of the program itself.  Do NOT use
your LS128 disk for this purposea

     4)  For simplicity's sake, I usually use the same name for the 'world'
and the 'saved game' files, as long as the world isn't being used for more
than one game.  In any event, you will have to remember the 'save name' to
re-access the game, but you will not have to remember the 'world' name,
since it is retained in the 'saved game' file.


PLAYING THE GAME
----------------
     KQ is played using the joysticks.  Keyboard access is limited to only
two generic commands (see below), since keyboard control does not allow
simultaneous two-player action.  The Port 1 joystick tends to scramble
keyboard input, in any event.  Player 1 uses the Port 2 joystick, since this
is the easiest (= fastest) one for the program to access in the single
player game.  In the two player game, player 2 uses the Port 1 joystick.

     Virtually all game functions use a pop-up menu system: just move the
joystick up or down to move the highlight bar and make your choice.  Yes or
No questions use a different system: tap the joystick in any direction to
toggle between Yes and No.  When numbers are requested, simply pull down to
increase the number or push up to decrease it.  In all cases, pressing the
fire button makes your final choice.  Similarly, virtually all text pauses
can be shortened simply by tapping the button.  This process very soon
becomes second nature.

     During non-combat portions of the game, pressing the INST/DEL key will
toggle the music on and off.  Pressing RETURN will call up a simplified map
of the continent, showing only the villages, castles and player locations,
so that you can figure out where you are and where you are going.  The map
can be shown entirely west-east but only in quarters north-south, so the
number keys let you view each section (1 is the very top, 4 is the very
bottom).  If you want a more exact, topographical map, just press the
Up-Arrow key and the terrain will be displayed (this takes a few moments).
This is mentioned on the map screen, so don't worry about remembering it for
now.

     When the game begins, the main screen will appear.  It is split into
two areas, one for each player, with a central message box that applies to
both players near the top.  This latter box keeps you appraised of the time
(hour, date and year), the location of any upcoming tournaments/festivals,
and current events which apply to the world at large.

     Each player's screen section contains a map, showing his current
location, and numerous other pieces of information:

Terrain:  A small picture and a verbal cue describe the terrain around you.
If you are in a village or castle, its name will be noted.  Some types of
terrain are harder to traverse, requiring more than one 'joystick push': if
you are exploring such an area, a 'Slow Travel' message will also appear.

Injury & Fatigue:  Adventuring is hard work.  As you travel (especially in
heavy armour) and perform other physically tiring tasks, you will grow
fatigued, and your small heart-shaped 'endurance' symbol will gradually
shift from green to yellow to red.  At a state of virtual collapse it
flashes dark cyan (a suitably deathly color).  Combat and other dangerous
events can have a similarly disturbing effect on your 'body' symbol, in the
form of injuries.  Running out of 'endurance' is a dangerous nuisance and
can prevent further movement until you have rested; running out of 'body' is
usually lethal...

Steed:  Assuming that you have a faithful destrier (you start with one),
this heart-shaped symbol keeps you appraised of its combined 'endurance' and
'body'.  Running your horse into the ground is a quick way to lose it -- in
which case, the symbol will disappear altogether.  A horse is required if
you plan to do any jousting; it also shares most of the fatigue loss from
travel.

Honour & Valour:  These are the traits you are striving to improve to win
the game.  Honour starts off at an average level and can drop towards darker
colours or rise towards lighter ones.  Valour starts at the bottom and can
only go up.  If and when both symbols turn white, you can consider yourself
a true champion and should go see Morgan at the capital city.  Honour also
affects how other people react to you: it is your reputation as a hero (or
anti-hero...).  Valour also affects combat: as you become more experienced,
you will naturally become a more deadly adversary.  There is actually a
third, related trait which is not visible: your skill at the joust can
increase through experience, making you a better jouster; however this has
no other affect on the game.

Equipment:  This includes gold, magic potions and 'heavy metal': your
weapon, armour and shield.  At the beginning of the game, you have no
potions and minimal gold; however, you are well-equipped with a broadsword,
shield and platemail armour.  You can carry only one shield at a time;
however, you can stow away one of EACH type of armour and weapon -- if you
find or buy others.  Naturally, you can only wear one type of armour at a
time and wield only one weapon, so these are the ones which appear on the
screen.  The Weapon, Armour and Sheath/Unsheath commands allow you to switch
between different pieces of equipment if extras are carried (not a bad idea,
since those in use can be damaged).

Lady:  At the beginning of the game, this area will be blank.  Should you
eventually find a lady to champion, her name will appear here.  This is as
good a time as any to add a related sidenote: Yes, this game is somewhat
chauvinistic, because the genre it simulates is chauvinistic.  Players are
assumed to be male knights and are likely to end up saving distressed
damsels.  Adding female player characters would not only have complicated
the already very complicated encounter programming but also would have been
completely out of keeping with the genre.  For those die-hard feminists out
there, I can only offer this as an explanation and apology.

     At the beginning of the game, each player will start at his home
castle, ready for adventure.  To set off, simply push the joystick in the
direction you wish to move.  As long as at least one player does anything
(whether it be moving or even just sleeping), time will slowly tick by.  To
perform other actions, press the fire button and a command menu will appear.
 This will allow you to rest, quaff magic potions, switch weapons/armour and
so on.  Three commands should be noted in particular, as their uses may not
be obvious at first glance:

Search:  Some quests will have an obvious target; for example, if your King
asks you to escort him to Carradyne, you can't very well miss the city when
you arrive.  On the other hand, finding a band of brigands in a dense forest
near Wellscroft may require a lot more sleuthing.  If you can't seem to find
the target of your Quest, try Searching the area -- more than once, if
necessary.

Enter:  This allows you to enter a village or castle and check out what it
has to offer.  This will call up another menu of shops and such, which may
vary from town to town.

Leave:  This is used to quit and save the game.  In the two-player version,
both players must agree to quit.

     As you travel the countryside, you will encounter various non-player
characters of many different species.  Some will be hostile and a battle may
result.  Again, the menu system controls all of your character's actions and
most choices are obvious.  A few worth examining:

Charge, Attack, Defend:  All of these do the same thing: make a physical
attack against your enemy using whatever weapon is in hand.  However, a
Charge concentrates on offense, increasing your chance of hitting and being
hit, and a Defend concentrates on defense, decreasing your chance of hitting
and being hit.  You will have to learn when to use each strategy yourself.

Sheath/Unsheath:  Combat moves too quickly for you to switch weapons using
one action.  You must first Sheath your weapon in hand, then Unsheath your
new one.  Note that you cannot change your armour during combat at all (for
obvious reasons).

     Not all encountered beings will attack you; in fact, many will wish to
converse with you and/or aid you in your travels.  This is really the heart
of the game, since meeting such beings will be your best way of hearing news
and learning of Quests to pursue.

     Quests are the key to winning the game.  It is quite possible to gain
honour by slaying monsters and even easier to gain valour in this manner --
but that's the slowest (and least interesting) way.  The better way is to
pursue Quests as they arise, thus gaining whatever glory fate hands you
along the way, PLUS the fame of completing a dangerous adventure at the end
of the trip.  Some encountered beings, as well as the tavern keeper, your
Lady and the High King, can tell you of a Quest, and you must then decide
whether or not to pursue it.  Usually, you can have only one Quest at a
time, so taking up a new one causes the loss of the old one (with a possible
reduction in honour).  Most Quests will require you to travel to some
location and perform one or more deeds of bravery or compassion.  Beyond
that...  Well, you'll see for yourself.

JOUSTING
--------
     When you encounter other knights (including the other player), a joust
may result.  To joust, you must have a horse, a shield and some sort of
heavy armour (chain or plate).  If you are missing any of these items, you
will have to battle on foot or -- at a tournament -- hope that you can find
a sponsor.  Some jousts will be friendly; the Knights of the Quest (i.e. the
players), in particular, are under vow not to seriously injure each others.
In such cases, blunt lances, designed to break, are used and most damage
caused will be to endurance only.  Other jousts will be outrance -- that is,
fought with sharpened weapons to do as much damage as possible.

     In either case, the procedure is the same.  The screen will clear to
show a side view of the knights charging at each other.  Below this, the
screen is split into two areas, one for each combatant, showing his foe's
front view and his own list of defensive choices.  As the knights charge
together, you must pick an offense and a defense.  Move your joystick up or
down to pick your defense: the small shield beside the list will move in a
corresponding manner to indicate your choice.  Press fire and move the
joystick in the appropriate direction to move the point of your lance around
your opponent's picture and pick a target.  Will you aim squarely at his
shield, in hopes of unhorsing him, or try for a tricky helm hit, in hopes of
knocking off his crest?  Your choice will depend in part on what you are
trying to accomplish: injure your foe or look impressive (it is possible to
do both if you're good).  But the choices must be made quickly, since the
knights rush together in mere moments.

     As you jiggle your shield and lance around, you will notice a small
square light appear beside your foe's picture.  This is a purely artificial
means for the program to tell you what your character would be able to feel
on his own: how good or bad your offensive/defensive combination is, purely
with regards to your own movements (not what your foe is doing).  Obviously,
aiming your lance to the far right while leaning to the far left is going to
require some difficult contortions.  If the light turns red, you are going
about things the hard way; as it shifts closer to green or -- best of all --
light cyan, your combination becomes more logical.  In game terms, this
indicates whether you are looking at a bonus or penalty to your chance of
hitting.  Of course, some tricky shots are a good idea when you get more
skilled and can afford the penalty: leaning far to the right, away from your
foe, also makes it harder for him to hit you.

     A joust may require only one pass or several, depending on the results
and the situation.  In combat, a joust generally ends when someone hits the
ground or is otherwise incapacitated.  In a tournament, it may end when a
crest is ripped off or three lances are broken, as long as the attacker does
not, himself, get unhorsed.  If both are unhorsed in a tournament, they must
usually try again.

     Speaking of tournaments...  To enter one, you must be present at the
city sponsoring the event when the festival begins.  Tournaments are a great
way to earn honour and jousting skill quickly -- as long as you make a good
showing -- so try not to miss them.  When the tournament begins, you will be
asked whether you wish to view all jousts or just those involving Knights of
the Quest (i.e. the players).  Viewing all jousts can be fun and gives you a
chance to size up the opposition, but it also makes for a very long session
(more than half an hour in extreme cases).  Viewing only those involving the
players isn't as visually interesting, but it does give you a quick text
account of each match so that you know what is going on.

     Next, you will be given a perusal of the Lists -- all of the knights
who have chosen to appear at the tournament.  This also indicates each one's
home city and gives a verbal cue as to his reputation.  Once you have
finished studying this, the actual tournament will begin.  Each knight, in
turn, will be asked to challenge one foe of his choice, and a normal joust
(with blunt lances) will result.  Each knight can be involved in up to 5
jousts, or 7 at the High King's tournament, as long as he isn't disgraced or
carried off the field, wounded beyond immediate recovery.  When a round goes
by where every knight has chosen or been forced to pass, the tournament is
over, and winner is announced.  Actually, all three top positions are worth
having, and anyone who makes a good showing may earn some honour.

     Your strategy in tournament jousting will probably be different from
that in real combat.  Here, you wish to avoid injuring your foe severely,
and tactics such as knocking off a foe's crest become much more meaningful.
Of course, unhorsing your foe is still your best bet to gain glory.  As a
matter of interest, the rules for the joust are derived, in part, from John
Piptoft's scoring system of 1466:

     1) Knights shall ride against each other and break three lances or else
unhorse an opponent or else strike an opponent's crest before the contest is
concluded.
     2) Unhorsing an opponent while retaining one's own seat is the highest
point scored, with the contestant unhorsing the greatest number being
declared the winner.
     3) Otherwise, he who strikes the crest of the helm the most times while
retaining his seat is declared the winner.
     4) Otherwise, he who breaks the greatest number of lances is declared
the winner.
     5) Any knight striking the barrier or his opponent's saddle shall lose
one lance from his total score.
     6) Any knight doing unnecessary injury to a brother knight shall lose
three lances from his total score.
     7) Any knight striking his foe's horse is expelled from the Lists in
dishonour.

     By the way, if this whole section has you completely baffled by now,
don't worry.  The jousting system is actually quite intuitive, and it will
all make a lot more sense when you play the game.  Don't expect to win any
tournaments at the beginning, though: both you and your character are going
to have to gain some experience before you have a chance at unhorsing the
kingdom's Knights of Quality.


HINTS, TIPS & FINAL NOTES
-------------------------
     What, you say, that's it for the explanation?!  Yes, I'm afraid so.  I
have barely skimmed the tip of the iceberg, but if I were to go into more
detail, I could easily fill this disk side with the article alone.  Besides,
that would spoil all of your fun in finding out things for yourself.  What I
can do, though, is give you a few points to consider:

     1) Wealth is not a big factor in this game; after all, you start with
just about the best equipment available.  But it has its advantages.  As
soon as you can afford it, purchase spare armour and weaponry -- unless, of
course, you can appropriate it from a foe.  There ARE ways to lose the gear
you are actually using, so the wise knight keeps replacements on hand, even
if they are of inferior quality.

     2) Keep in mind that wearing heavy armour makes movement almost as
tiring for you as for your steed.  When you are in a hurry, you might wish
to switch to leather armour (or none at all): your steed will still be
weighed down, but at least you won't be.  Of course, your armour isn't much
use when it isn't worn, so you will have to decide whether speed or safety
are your priorities at the moment.

     3) The program keeps accurate track of time in every sense -- day,
night and seasons.  This will most certainly affect your ability to travel
and function effectively, so keep that in mind.  A quick jaunt in the summer
can turn into a perilous journey during the dead of winter, when storms are
frequent.  Also remember that time is passing while you are in a city: the
program will keep you appraised of this when it becomes relevant.  In the
two-player game, your character will sometimes go into "rest mode" when you
did not choose the sleep option: this means that he is busy in some other
manner and gives the other player a chance to catch up.  Generally the
reason will be obvious -- the most common is spending extensive time in a
city.

     4) You may have noticed one task during the world creation process
which has not been mentioned here at all: Mapping Faerie.  Sounds
intriguing, doesn't it?  I'll let you find out yourself what this is all
about; suffice to say that the computer creates not one world but two...

     5) The key to winning the game, when all is said and done, is to act
the part of a true knight.  Leap into battle indiscriminately, loot
innocents and stir up trouble for the kingdom, and you will soon earn a
richly deserved reward at the hands of an avenging 'brother' knight.  Slay
only your direst foes, perform compassionate deeds and wreath your name in
honour, and you will have the High King's gratitude -- perhaps even his
throne.

JM
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