Merciful 1/Merciful - Disc 1.iso/software/m/mind_shadow/mindshadow.dms/in.adf/txt

Text File | 1985-10-26 | 8.0 KB | 269 lines

Welcome to the world of Illustrated
Text Adventures.  This "living"
introduction will teach you the basics.
The rest is up to you.

Press any key to advance each page or
hit "Q" to play MINDSHADOW(tm).

The objective and the setting of this
particular adventure can be found on
the package and the enclosed
instruction card.

Please read that first.
@WHAT IS AN ILLUSTRATED TEXT ADVENTURE?
---------------------------------------

To play this adventure you must become
the character in the story.  Given the
objective of the adventure, you must
explore the various game locations
searching for clues to help you in
your quest.  To progress, however, you
will be required to solve a series of
logical puzzles.

But first, here are a few words on how
to communicate with the computer.
@TALKING TO THE COMPUTER
------------------------

The computer is your eyes, ears, nose,
voice, hands, and legs.  You tell it
what you want it to do by typing in
commands.  Commands involve the use of
a verb and a noun such as "TALK TO MAN"
or "GET CAN".

In this adventure the computer
understands many different commands.
Not only does it recognize a large
variety of verb and noun pairs, it will
also understand abbreviated text such
as the following:

GIVE PEN TO TEACHER.
GET VASE AND TABLE.
@ABBREVIATIONS AND THE PERIOD
-----------------------------

To move from one location to the next
you must give the computer a direction
to go.  To help we have simplified
the process.

You can abbreviate and bunch
directional commands.  To go north,
north, and east just type, "N.N.E."
and you will be instantly placed in the
last location you requested.
@GET ALL OR DROP ALL
--------------------

You can use these commands to pick up
everything in a location or drop all
that you are carrying.  To check what
you are carrying, type "I" for
inventory.

SAVE GAME
---------

This feature is important because you
may frequently be "killed" or caught
in an impossible situation. By saving
your game occassionally, you do not
have to replay the entire adventure
every time you get in trouble.
@

To save a game type "SAVE GAME".  When
prompted, type the number under which
you want the current game to be saved.

To load an old game, type "LOAD GAME".
When prompted, type the number of the
game you want loaded.
@To be successful at Illustrated Text
Adventures, you must take chances.
Make sure you "Examine" and attempt to
"Take" everything.  Pay close attention
to each picture to see things not
described in text.  Also read the text
portions carefully; the descriptions of
locations and items can be of critical
importance.  Remember, some of the most
important items may seem insignificant.

In addition, the proper use of an item
may not be easily understandable.
Therefore, you must be willing to
experiment.  But as long as you save
the game before taking a chance you can
reload the game and try again no matter
what the result.
@COMMANDS:
----------

Below is a listing of key commands.
Those with a parentheses can be
abbreviated by using the first letter
of the command:

(N)ORTH (U)P    (F)ORWARD
(S)OUTH (D)OWN  (B)ACKWARD
(E)AST  (R)IGHT (I)NVENTORY
(W)EST  (L)EFT   GO

EXAMINE  DROP  PUSH  INSERT
TAKE     READ  OPEN  CLOSE
GET      TURN  TALK

The parser will understand a variety of
synonyms for these and  other commands,
but we don't want to give too much
away.
@SAMPLE PUZZLE
--------------

Now that you have been introduced to
the basics of Illustrated Text
Adventures, here is a sample puzzle
to work with.

Say your objective is to rescue the
kidnapped daughter of a wealthy steel
magnate. Your only clue is to go to the
bar in town.
@You are in a bar. The bartender is
busy cleaning a glass.

There is a long piece of rope here.

Since the computer is your hands, legs,
eyes, ears, and voice, you must type in
what you want done.  If you type "TALK
TO BARTENDER" he will respond "The
island will give you the information
you seek."  You may tell the computer
to "GET THE ROPE".

To leave the bar you must give it a
direction.  Type "S" to go south.  In
most cases, the computer will have you
face north whenever you enter a
location.  Keep this in mind as you
draw your own maps of the adventure.
@You are in the town square near the
hardware store.

In this case, if you "EXAMINE STORES"
the reply will be "You see nothing
unusual."  However, if you "EXAMINE
THE HARDWARE STORE" the reply is "There
is a pile of wood here."  Since this is
a different reply from "You see nothing
unusual," you should investigate
further.
@If you try to "GET WOOD" the reply is
"It is far too heavy to lift."
However, if you "EXAMINE WOOD", the
reply is "There is an axe here."  When
you type "GET AXE", the computer will
take the axe.
@You are on the outskirts of town on a
deserted beach with trees and an ocean
around you.

Examine your surroundings. If you type
"EXAMINE TREES" the reply is "The trees
are somewhat skinny, but are straight
and sturdy."  If you "EXAMINE OCEAN",
the reply is "You see a small island in
the distance."  If you "EXAMINE BEACH",
the reply is "You see nothing unusual."

Since the bartender told you that
information you need is on the island,
you could try to "SWIM TO THE ISLAND".
The response would be "As you start to
swim out to the island you realize it
is much farther out than you originally
thought.  Exhausted, you sink to the
bottom of the ocean.  It seems the game
has ended.  Would you like to try
again (Y/N)."
@That is obviously the wrong response.
If you had said "EXAMINE ISLAND", the
response might have been "Upon closer
inspection you notice the island is
quite far out.  Much too far to swim."
@Try another solution to this puzzle.
You may remember that you have an axe
and the trees are not very thick.
You could "CHOP TREES". The response is
"You cut down several long, straight
trees."  You have some rope, so you may
try to build a raft.  When you type
"TIE TREES TOGETHER", the response is
"Tying the cut trees together, you
fashion a respectable looking raft."
If you then "SAIL" or "FLOAT TO
ISLAND", the response is "You float
uneventfully to the island."
@You have now completed the sample
puzzle and are ready to take on a
full-fledged adventure.  There are,
however, a few final points to keep
in mind.

Try to keep commands as simple as
possible.  Try "TALK TO BARTENDER"
instead of "CONVERSE WITH THE GENTLEMAN
TENDING THE BAR". Also, if a command
doesn't work or is not understood, try
rephrasing it before moving on to
something else.
@Given the difficult nature of some of
the puzzles in the adventure, try a
variety of approaches to each problem.
But remember to save your game before
trying something which could cause an
abrupt end to the game.  If you run
into too much trouble just write us at
the address shown on your instruction
card. We will send you a hint sheet to
get you through the rough spots.
@Should you get stuck in a particular
spot you may call on our help
character, named the Condor.  However,
you may only call on him three times in
any one game.  To do so, type in
"HELP ME CONDOR".
@Greetings, featherless cyborg.  I am
the Condor, rarest of birds, most
recent in a line of bird-kings
stretching back to the stone age.

But megalosaurus, mastodon, even the
great wooly mammoth are long gone.
Legendary bird-kings have been forced
to find jobs in the exciting,
fast-growing field of computers.
Jeebs, my servant and ally, hands me a
Kleenex, which I daub at my visionary
red eyes and great hooked beak...

"Upon American land," Jeebs reminds me,
"no wings cast a larger shadow."  It's
true.  I am mythical, clairvoyant and
dispense wisdom like a fennel seed.
So, bicameral brain, call the Condor,
but only when you are truly buffaloed.
Otherwise...
@^