Quenzar's Caverns Version 1.5 Copyright 1993 Pulse Ventures Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Please read the tutorial.txt file too for quick instructions on using Quenzar. TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= 1. RUN TIME REQUIREMENTS 2. INTRODUCTION 3. WHAT'S NEW 4. QUENZAR'S CAVERNS AS SHAREWARE 5. PRODUCT DISCLAIMER 6. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 7. DISTRIBUTION REGULATIONS 1. RUN TIME REQUIREMENTS Quenzar's Caverns requires Windows For WorkGroups, or Windows 3.1+, a VGA graphics adaptor, and a mouse. Turn on sound if you have a sound card or a sound driver for your PC Speaker. The game runs best on a 386DX33 or better machine with at least 4 megabytes of memory. In addition, this game requires the VBRUN300.DLL to run as it is a Visual Basic program. 2. INTRODUCTION Quenzar's Caverns is a low-cost, Windows, dungeon adventure game that combines elements of text and action games in a graphical format. Each game is randomly generated for continued challenge and can be replayed. The game involves combat with monsters, avoiding traps, negotiation, and equipment to be found and used. Careful management of your resources is required to finish the game. The game is designed to be played in under an hour once you are experienced. There are basic and advanced skill levels. 3. WHAT'S NEW There are a number of BIG improvements in version 1.5 over 1.2: 1. There is now the imicon monster type that disguises itself as furniture. 2. Monster abilities have been slightly adjusted. 3. *INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT. Added in the USE button to the user interface so you can use an item from the main Dungeon Grid screen instead of having to goto inventory. You still need an empty inventory space to be able to use an item this way. 4. *INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT. Many of the popup message boxes have been eliminated and the messages now display in the Action Log list box which you can scroll through. This speeds game play up considerably. 5. Quenzar can now cast magical spells when he fights you so magical protection is more useful at the end. 6. *SOUND EFFECTS ADDED. There are now sound effects for combat, movement, the Slithering Horror, and victory. 7. Two rooms of disorientation have been added in to confuse your movement. The compass of guiding counteracts this. 8. Registered users get a blast spell that is handy in combat in pinch. 9. Double clicking on an item in the inventory list will use it. 10. You can now play Quenzar with just the keyboard. Use the ALT key to get to the menus and command buttons. Movement can be done using the ALT + arrow keys. 11. Monster critical hits do not happen as often any more. 12.*SAVE SETUP. Your setup now saves in a ini file in the windows directory! 13. Title bar now indicates the basic or advanced game you are playing. 14.*INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT. When using or unusing items, the message boxes have been removed and now show up in a log text box at the bottom of the inventory dialog. 15.*A quickstart tutorial has been included. Inexperienced players should read this file first. There are a number of improvements in version 1.2 over 1.1: 1. There are 4 more monster types. 2. Additional graphics of monsters and end-graphics. 3. Monster strengths and attributes have been better tuned. 4. Monsters can have special abilities now. For example, bats are hard to hit because they are small and fly around, vampires can permanently drain your strength, medusas can turn you to stone, and black hounds can breath fire. 5. New weapons, and more consistent weapon damage values. Polearms now do more damage. 6. New magic items to use. Three magical amulets, a magic helmet, and a pack which allows you to carry more. 7. Items in your inventory are now numbered to let you know how many items you are carrying. 8. Clicking on a visited room box on the map will show you the contents of that room. 9. Each game is now assigned a game number! Each game number can be replayed so favourite dungeons can be used more than once. 10. A setup dialog has been added to allow the user to choose either the advanced or basic game, enter their name, and to randomize which magical items appear in the game. This replaces the large number of menu picks in the last version and makes the game play more consistent. 11. There are two less trapped rooms making your life a little easier. 12. A magical healing spirit has been added into the game who will heal you in exchange for gold, giving you something else to spend your hard earned money on. 13. Improved help file and details about the game describing the monsters. 14. The combat system was rewritten to support extra capabilities, and to report on CRITICAL HITS. KNOWN BUGS a. Bugs relating to the end-screen bitmaps appearing blocky in 1.0 are fixed. However, in some screen resolutions and font sizes, the bitmaps still appear too small. If the bitmaps do not size right, set your graphics card to small fonts. b. Rarely, an item name might be missing the first character in your inventory list, but this is harmless as it is a display problem that disappears on screen refresh. 4. QUENZAR'S CAVERNS AS SHAREWARE Quenzar's Caverns is marketed as shareware and is not free. The concept of shareware allows users a chance to try software before buying it. After a trial period of two weeks, but more often dictated by conscience, continued use of a shareware program expects you to register it. If you enjoy playing this program please register it, as it encourages me to continue to develop low cost, interesting games that might not otherwise see daylight. Registration information is contained in the program under the About menu option of Quenzar's Caverns. Additionally, there is a short registration form included as a text file called register.txt. Pulse Ventures Ltd. has copyrighted Quenzar's Caverns, and retains all rights to it, with a few specific exceptions stated in the section DISTRIBUTION REGULATIONS. 5. PRODUCT DISCLAIMER Users of Quenzar's Caverns must accept this disclaimer of warranty: QUENZAR'S CAVERNS IS SUPPLIED AS IS BY PULSE VENTURES LTD. PULSE VENTURES LIMITED DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EPPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. PULSE VENTURES LTD. ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF QUENZAR'S CAVERNS. 6. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Quenzar's Caverns files can be installed in any directory. The original Quenzar's Caverns is an archived .ZIP file. Simply copy the archived file to the desired directory and unarchive it there. Once all the files are in the appropriate directory, Quenzar's Caverns can be installed in a Windows Program Manager application group. A new program item can be created in a group by: * Make sure you are in the Program Manager Dialog. The caption at the top of the dialog should read "Program Manager". * Click on the File menu from the Program Manager's menu bar. * Click "New..." from the File menu. * Select the Program Item radio button and click on the OK button. * A new dialog box appears, so click on the Browse button. * This brings up a common dialog box titled "Browse". * Find the directory you left the Quenzar files in by using the Directories list box, and clicking on the correct directory. Make sure you are on the right disk drive. * Once you have the right directory, you should click on the QUENZAR.EXE program file to highlight it. * Press the OK button again, and again on the next screen, and you have installed Quenzar. Quenzar's Caverns can now be started like any other Windows application. NOTE: double clicking on the program name from the File Manager also will run Quenzar.exe. 7. DISTRIBUTION REGULATIONS Pulse Ventures Ltd., specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the Quenzar's Caverns game package, with the following restrictions below. If you do not follow the restrictions, then distribution is not permitted. * The Quenzar's Caverns game package must be distributed complete and UNMODIFIED from its original form. The complete game package is defined as the files listed in the PACKLST.TXT file. * The Quenzar's Caverns package including all related program files and documentation files cannot be modified in any way. * Quenzar's Caverns must be clearly identified as SHAREWARE. * Shareware Distributors and BBS(s) must inform any recipients in advance that their handling fee does not cover the payment for the Registration Fee for Quenzar's Caverns. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved to Pulse Ventures Ltd. Pulse Ventures Ltd. 1118 - 17th Ave., NW Calgary, AB Canada T2M-0P6 * Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks. Visual Basic, and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.