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D C - W O R L D WORLD BUILDER'S USER'S GUIDE Version 1.30 - Apr 1991 copyright (c) 1989 - 1991 DC Software 6705 Laramie Dr. Plano, Texas 75023 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1.0 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2 Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2.0 The Graphics System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3.0 Creating an Adventure Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3.1 Setting things up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3.2 Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3.3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.4 The DCWORLD screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.5 The Data Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.6 The FIRST world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 World's TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 World's NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 World's SIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 World's LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 World's EDGE DOOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.7 Landscaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.8 Doors to other worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.9 Furnishing a world.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.10 Testing your game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.11 Types of Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.12 Creating objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.13 Creating Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Character Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Character Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Character Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A P P E N D I X Landscape Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Object Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Character Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Character Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Adventure's Introductory Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.0 Introduction 1.1 General Information The DC Software Graphics Adventure Game Builder is a tool that will allow you to create graphics adventure games with a minimum effort and time. You can create scenarios (worlds, cities, castles, dungeons, etc), and populate them with monsters, merchants, and all kinds of beings as well as a wide variety of objects like weapons, armor, shields, amulets, potions, treasures, vehicles, etc. Each adventure can consist of up to 1000 settings, each of them having over up to 500 objects and monsters. The adventures created can be run on any graphics device available, be it CGA, EGA, VGA or even TANDY color graphics. The ShareWare version comes with CGA support only, but the registered version will automatically run at the highest resolution and use the maximum number of colors available for some impressive graphics. This is the only graphics adventure game builder available to the public, either commercially or under the ShareWare or Public Domain distribution systems (as far as I know). 1.2 Hardware Requirements The system will run on any IBM-PC compatible computer with 384K or more of memory. A very large world, with a large number of objects and running on high resolution VGA may require 512K or even 640K, but I have yet to run into this problem. While it's easy to run the system from a diskette, a hard disk is recommended. Speed is never a problem. The program will perform quite well on an old 4.77MHz PC. 2.0 The Graphics System The adventures created with this system will take from 100KB to 200KB of disk space and can easily fit in a 360KB diskette. The graphics files, however, take up a lot more space. The ShareWare version of the system comes with support for CGA low resolution only, and takes up very little additional space, but some of the higher resolutions that come with the registered version will require a hard disk or high capacity diskette drive. ----------------- GRAPHICS HARDWARE SUPPORT ---------------- Resolution Description Colors Code Disk Space ---------- ---------------------- ------ ---- ----------- 320 x 200 CGA low resolution 4 -CLO + 80KB 640 x 200 CGA high resolution 2 -CHI + 165KB 320 x 200 MCGA low resolution 16 -MGA + 110KB 640 x 200 EGA low resolution 16 -ELO + 230KB 320 x 200 VGA low resolution 256 -VLO + 140KB 640 x 480 VGA high resolution 16 -VHI + 530KB 320 x 200 TANDY's low resolution 16 -TDY + 110KB You can run both DCWORLD and DCPLAY with under 384K of RAM free, leaving plenty of space for any TSR's or device drivers you need on your computer. There is only a 64K difference in the amount of memory required for a CGA low resolution system and the what is needed by VGA high resolution. Of course, if you create very large worlds, you may need a bit more memory. When running a program, you may specify the graphics resolution you want to use by typing in the graphics code from the table above. If you don't specify any resolution, the game will try for the resolution with the most number of colors and highest pixel resolution. If the graphics blocks for that resolution are not found, the program will print a message and stop. Example: DCWORLD -VLO The above example will run DCWORLD with VGA 320x200 256-color graphics. Page 2 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder 3.0 Creating an Adventure Game 3.1 Setting things up Every different adventure game will require it's own directory on your hard disk. (Or a separate diskette, if you don't have a hard disk). To create and change to a new directory, type: MD \newgame CD \newgame Copy the following files to the directory or diskette where you want to create the game: DCWORLD.EXE - The world builder. DCPLAY.EXE - The adventure game player. DCFONTS.7x5 - Contains the graphics font. DCBLOCKS.xxx - Graphics Landscaping Blocks. DCOBJECT.xxx Graphics Objects and Characters. Copy only the DCBLOCKS and DCOBJECT files for the graphics resolution that you want to use to develop the adventure. The xxx in the name is the same as the CODE in the table on the previous section. NOTE: If you have the ShareWare distribution archive DCGAMES.ZIP, you can extract the needed files using PKUNZIP(tm) from PKWare. The DCWORLD.EXE program is contained in BUILDER.ZIP (inside the DCGAMES.ZIP), and DCPLAY.EXE is in PLAYER.ZIP. The GRAPHICS.ZIP archive co contains the CGA Low Resolution graphics blocks and the EXAMPLE.ZIP file contains an example adventure game. 3.2 Before you start Before you start, write down (or just think about) the purpose of the game you want to create. It might be to defeat a villain, rescue some princess, maybe find some object. Or how about all of the above? Whatever the main goal of the adventure, you will have the opportunity to build smaller "mini-adventures" into the larger game. Dungeons to be explored, quests to be solved, foes to be defeated. Their main purpose will be to give the adventurer something interesting to do while gaining experience, gathering DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 3 a team, collecting information and tools needed to reach the main goal. I strongly recommend that you try playing the example adventure game that comes with the system. It's a very small adventure, but it will show most of the available features. Then it will be easier for you to create your own, because you will know what the end product will look like (more or less). You should try to have the following ready before you start: o A rough (very rough) sketch of the main world map. Mark all main locations, like castles, cities, dungeons, etc. You'll be refining this sketch as you go. o A rough idea about the purpose of the game. You should have some basic story line. Don't get bogged down. You don't have to have the whole story down pat before you start building the adventure. Go ahead and "design as you go..". o A printed copy of the documentation. This is an absolute requirement. You won't get very far with out it. If you register your copy, you will get a printed copy of the documentation. o The most complicated part is keeping track of the names. Did I call that place "Joe's Pub" or was it "Joe's Cafe"? A good pencil and paper are indispensable tools. Page 4 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder 3.3 Getting Started To begin creating the adventure, type: DCWORLD [-mode] <enter> The 'mode' is one of CLO, CHI, TDY, ELO, EHI, VLO or VHI. Note that the ShareWare version of the software only supports the CLO (CGA low resolution) graphics mode. 3.4 The DCWORLD screen The screen should look like this: +----------------------------------------+------+ ! Current Landscape Block ! -- ! ! ----------------------->! |xx| ! ! ! -- ! ! ! ! ! A VIEW of the world you are building ! ! ! ! ! ! -- ! ! ! | |<-- Graphics Cursor ! ! ! -- ! ! ! ! ! +----------------------------------------+------+ ! ! ! The TEXT area. ! ! ! +-----------------------------------------------+ The world VIEW area shows a 24 blocks wide by 11 blocks high "window" into the world. The window in the playing program is 18 by 11, so that is the smallest world size, but you can make them as big as your memory will allow. NOTE: Changing the size of a world will destroy it's contents, so make sure you make it big enough the first time!. The Current Landscape Block is the graphics block that would be inserted at the current Graphics Cursor position. Pressing "+" and "-" will change the current landscape block. A complete list of all graphics blocks and their density can be found in the appendix. The TEXT area shows the current's world size, name and index number. Worlds are numbered 0 through 999, with world 0 being the world where you start your adventure. It also shows the list of valid commands. DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 5 3.5 The Data Screens Some of the commands will clear the graphics screen and allow you to enter data on a text window. After you finish entering the data, the graphics screen will be restored. As a general rule, you can use the arrow keys to move from one field to another in a text window. Use the "+" and "-" keys to increase or decrease any number, or to select from a fixed set of choices. When you are asked for a NAME, you can type up to 15 characters. 3.6 The FIRST world Worlds are numbered from 0 to 999. The first world (# 0) is where the adventure begins, and should be either the OUTDOORS (planet surface) or the home of the adventurer. For this example, it will be the OUTDOORS. This type of world should normally be quite large (at least 100 by 60), most of it being water (oceans) with at least one large continent and lot's of islands. When you first run DCWORLD, it will create the first world with a size of 18 by 11 and fill it with grass. The first thing to do is to change the world's size and give it a name! Press F2 to modify the world's Name, Type, Size, etc. When you are finished, press F10 to return to the world's graphics view. Note that the screen used to modify a world's general information also shows all currently defined doors for that world. A world can have up to 16 doors to other worlds. The following items can be specified for each world: World's TYPE The type of the world affects how the game is played. The following types of worlds can be created: o OUTDOORS This is a true WORLD. If you travel long enough in any direction, you will return to your original point of departure. World # 0 is normally the only OUTDOORS world. Random monsters appear in the wilds and while traveling in the ocean. Page 6 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder o BIG CITY and/or SMALL TOWN Walking to the edge of this world will take you OUT of it through the EDGE door. This is normally the door that you entered from. See the discussion of EDGE door below. No random monsters appear inside a city or town. Right now there is no difference between a SMALL TOWN and a BIG CITY. In the future, there might be some. Also, taking money found in cities and towns will eventually (i.e. in a future release) put the local police on your tail. o DUNGEON This is an underground cavern. Random monsters are different. Lot's of skeletons, rats, snakes and some dragons too. If you reach the edge of the dungeon, you will "wrap" in the same way that you do OUTSIDE. To prevent this from happening, make sure the EDGE of the dungeon is not reachable! Of course, you may WANT the wrap around effect, but it's up to you. o HIDEOUT Currently no different than a CITY or TOWN. However, it may later have special features that distinguish it from a normal place. This is a good place to put "specialty" stores. No random monsters will appear. Walking of the edge is the same as for CITIES and TOWNS. o HOUSES and CASTLES No random monsters will appear in a HOUSE or CASTLE. Walking of the edge is the same as for CITIES, TOWNS and HIDEOUTS. There are no other special features. In houses and castles you are allowed to take anything that's loose. To prevent an object from being taken, make it very heavy and the player will be unable to carry it! o ARENA A special kind of world. Every time you enter, you will encounter a monster. This is a good place to get experience. The monsters do not have any treasure because they are previously "caught" and brought to the arena. DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 7 o END GAME When a character enters this world, he/she has won the game! World's NAME You can type a name (up to 15 characters, including spaces) for every world. The message "Welcome to xxx" is displayed every time you enter a world. World's SIZE You can use the +/- key to change the horizontal and vertical (X and Y) size of the world. A large world is about 100 squares on wide and about 60 squares high. The smallest world allowable is 18 by 11 which is the size of the player's VIEW window. World's LEVEL The world's level is the level that the party leader (the player) must have before being is allowed to enter a world. You may want to restrict access to a world until an adventurer has gained enough experience to be able to survive it. When the adventurer's level is lower that the required one, a message is printed saying something like "You'd better not... It looks dangerous.." World's EDGE DOOR The EDGE DOOR is a door to be taken when you "walk of the edge" of a world. It is meaningless in an OUTDOORS type of world, because you "wrap" around the edge of the world. For other worlds, like CITIES, etc, walking of the edge should return you to the world you came from (the OUTDOORS for example). 3.7 Landscaping The single graphics block on the upper, right corner of the graphics screen shows the current landscaping block. Press the + and - keys to scroll through all landscape blocks. For the OUTDOORS world, press the + key until you are looking at the WATER graphics block. Then press the F9 key to "flood" the world with water. Page 8 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Now press the - key until you get to the "grass" block. You may use the arrow keys to move around, pressing INSert to add a grassy block to the new world. You can create islands and continents. Pressing the SPACE key will set a DRAW mode, where moving will automatically insert the current graphics block. Pressing SPACE again set's the mode to MOVE, which means you can move the cursor without changing the graphics screen. Practice a bit by creating a world with some islands, trees, shrubs, and some castles, houses and villages here and there. 3.8 Doors to other worlds A world may have up to 16 doors leading to other worlds (or to other places in the same world). Doors are numbered 0 through 15 and are usually placed (opened) right over the graphics of a city, town, castle, cave entrance, or a ladder or other item that looks like it might lead to a different setting. Move the cursor over to the place where the adventure begins. This is usually right over a castle, house or village. At this point, press O to open a door. The program will ask you for some information. You should open door 0, leading to door 0 in world 1. What this means, is that if the adventurer moves over to this spot, and presses E (for ENTER), he will enter world 1 through door 0 in that world (wherever that door happens to be on world 1). Remember that when the adventure starts for the first time, the adventurer will be positioned at door 0 in world 0. Since we created a door to another world, let's create that other world.. Place the cursor over the door and press E (for ENTER). You are now looking at world 1. Again, it starts out as a small world, but can be changed to any size. This particular world is the adventurer's home (in this example). You may leave the world at it's minimum size, and just create some walls, furniture and miscellaneous objects. Then move the cursor over by a spot just outside the house's door, and create door 0 at that spot. Press O, to open door 0, to door 0 in world 0 (where we just came from). Now press E to enter the door, and you should be transferred to the original world at the spot where the other door was opened. Remember that each world can have up to 16 doors, and each door lead go to any world (including the same one you are in), and any door in that world. DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 9 If for some reason you want the adventure to start with the player at some spot where there is no 'world' to go to, just open door 0, to door 0 in world 0. Entering this door will lead back to the same place! WARNING: If the destination door is not defined in the destination world, the adventurer will be transferred to the UPPER/LEFT corner (coordinates 0,0) in the destination world. 3.9 Furnishing a world.. Furniture, walls, windows and other items are provided as part of the general landscaping graphics blocks. They are used to create cities, houses, bars, etc. Look at the sample adventure for some ideas. 3.10 Testing your game At any time you may want to run the player program (DCPLAY.EXE) to test what you have created so far. The original files are never modified by the game player, so there is no risk involved, nor do you have to make a separate copy of the game to test with. At any time, if you want to remove the playing copy (or copies) of the game, just delete files SAV*.* in the game's directory, AS WELL AS THE FILE PARTY.DTA!!! (This file contains the chara- cter you created when you started to play). 3.11 Types of Magic There are two types of magic. Type 1 is a "personal" kind of magic. It has an immediate effect on the user. Effects are CURE, HEAL, POISON, RESTORE, Increase STRENGTH, DEXTERITY, SPEED, AIM, Armor Class, Hit Points, IQ or POWER. The increase in attributes may be temporary (will last until the next time the player sleeps or camp's out). The effect can also be permanent. Type 2 magic has an "external" effect. Known effects are DUPLICATE OBJECT, EXIT FROM UNDERGROUND CAVERNS, RESURRECT, EAVESDROP, LOCATE DOORS, KILL MONSTER, CONFUSE MONSTER, SCARE MONSTER, DAMAGE MONSTER, PARALYZE MONSTER, RECHARGE MAGICAL ITEM, FLOAT OBJECT, ANALYZE OBJECT and VIEW. Some spells can only be cast during battles (and viceversa) Page 10 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder 3.12 Creating objects There are many types of objects, and each of them has unique attributes and characteristics that differentiates it from other objects of the same type. All objects have a NAME (up to 15 characters), a VALUE (what you would BUY it for), a WEIGHT (character's have a limit to the weight they can carry), and a TYPE (for example, some items may have a magical effect, and the TYPE would be the type of effect they have!). Please note that the VALUE field is specified in SILVER PIECES, and that 10 silver pieces (sp) make 1 gold piece (gp). Thus, if something is worth 3 gold pieces, then it should have a value of 30 sp. The following weights have special meaning: Weight Message printed when the player tries to get it. ------ ------------------------------------------------- 999 The <object> is much to heavy. 998 The <object> can't be moved. 997 Why would you want to take the <object> with you? In addition to the above, an object can have special attributes. For example, a WEAPON has 'Number of Hands Needed', 'Range', 'Damage' and 'Ammunition'. Objects are differentiated by the combined effect of their attributes. The following two objects are both weapons, but very different: Field Object 1 Object 2 ------------- ------------------ ------------------- Name: Knife Laser Gun Weight: 1 lb. 2 lb. Value: 1 silver pieces. 2000 gold pieces. Type: EDGED MISSILE Hands Needed: 1 1 Range: 1 square 15 squares Damage: 1 HP. 30 HP. Ammunition: n/a (Ruby PAK). The following are the graphic blocks available to represent the different objects, and their special characteristics. When creating an object, you can always press the F2 key to get a list of pre-defined objects. You can use the predefined object, DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 11 or modify it to fit your special needs. In any case, it's usually a good way to start. o FOOD A single unit of food will last for 255 steps. Some food can have a special effect (type 1 magic). You specify the # of Units affected, as well as whether the effect is temporary or permanent. o WEAPONS Weapons can be BLUNT, EDGED, MISSILE or MAGICAL. You specify the number of hands needed (1 or 2), the range (in squares), the damage done (in HP units) and the type of ammunition needed (if any). See the player's guide for restrictions on the type of weapons that can be used by the different character classes. o AMMUNITION A weapon may need some kind of ammunition. The Ammo Code for the weapon should match the Ammo Type. The count is the number of rounds available. The ammunition may have poison, or do extra damage above the normal damage caused by the weapon. For example, poison arrows, or explosive bullets, as opposed to normal arrows or bullets. o ARMOR Armor can increase a character's "Armor Class". The higher this number, the better protected you will be against hits. Some characters can't use armor, while others have a limit on the weight of the armor they can use. See the player's guide for restrictions on the type of armor that can be used by the different character classes. o SHIELDS A shield works just like armor, but it requires a free hand. Some characters can't use shields at all. See the player's guide for restrictions on the type of shields that can be used by the different character classes. o AMULETS and RINGS Magical amulets and rings can be worn by anyone. They have a limited number of charges (uses), and their effect (Type 1 Magic), which can be temporary or permanent. Page 12 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder o POTIONS Magical potions can have type 1 magical effects. They can be used only once, and may have temporary or permanent effect. o SCROLLS Magical scrolls can be invoked only once. They have type 2 magical effects. o STAFFS A magical staff requires a free hand to wield, but can cast a type 2 spell. They have a limited number of charges. o CHESTS A chest can contain gold (it's value). If the value is 0, then the chest will contain a random number of gold pieces that is related to the player's current hit points. Chests can be locked, and the locks can be trapped. The traps can be poison or bombs. If Lock Code of a chest is non-zero, then the chest is locked, and must be opened using a key with a matching Key Code. The lock can also be broken, but you run the risk of setting off a trap (if any). o KEYS A key can open a locked chest or door. The Key Code should match the Lock Code in the chest. Doors always use a Key Code of 0. o GEMS A Gem can be invoked for type 1 magical effect. It's effect may be temporary or permanent. A gem has a limited number of charges (uses). o BOOKS A book has a block of text (up to 16 lines) associated with it. The text is displayed when a character "looks" at the book. o GOLD SACKS A gold sack will contain an amount of gold. o TORCHES and LANTERNS DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 13 Torches and Lanterns are meant to be used in dark places. Since light and darkness is not currently implemented, there is no real need for torches and lanterns. In the future, there will be, so plan to make these available (say by a local merchant in some small town). o ROPE and HOOKS Needed for climbing. (Not currently implemented) o MIRRORS The graphics block for this item is 'kinda-cute', but I have yet to find a use for it. Suggestions are welcome. o SIGNS Signs have a block of text associated with them (16 lines). A sign can hang from a wall or stand on the floor. The text is displayed when the player looks at it. o VEHICLES Some vehicles allow you to travel faster and easier. Horses, Camels and Cars allow you to ride over small rivers with no problem. Skiffs and Rafts will help in rivers and low water. Sea worthy ships are available, as well as flying carpets and air planes. There are vehicle graphics for SPACE SHUTTLES, SPACE SHIPS and UFO but they are not currently in use. Page 14 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder 3.13 Creating Characters You can populate your worlds with all kinds of characters. Each character created has it's own unique characteristics, which vary depending on the character's type, class and statistics. To create a character, you press 'C'. Character Types When you define a character, you get to choose the TYPE of character. This identifies the graphics block that represents the character during play. Character Types are roughly grouped into three sets, but you should note that the TYPE defines only the graphics block used to represent the character in the game. The CLASS (covered later) defines how the character reacts and interacts with the player. Thus, you can have a Troll be the local bartender instead of a monster. Just remember that anything you do should make sense to the players, or they will quickly loose interest in the game. o Main character types Human, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard, Archer, Fighter. The adventurer can choose to be one of these. These graphic blocks all carry weapons, and are intended (but not forced) to be adventurers, guards, etc. o Civilians Civilian, Lord, King, Thief, Lady, Queen, Farmer, little girl, little boy, doctor, musician, beggar. These character graphic blocks are intended to populate the scenarios. It doesn't make sense to have a beggar be an adventurer and join your party. Again, no restrictions are placed on the adventure builder. o Monsters Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Skeletons, Gouls, Zombies, Giants, Golems, Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Deamons, Spiders, Snakes, Rats, Small Bats, Giant Bats, Lizard Men, Lizard Men, Ghosts, Evil Heads, Fire Element, Ice Element, Earth Element, DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 15 Darkness, Swamp worm, Sea Serpents, Hydra, Man o'War, Water Sprites, Water Dragon, Water Element, Electric Storm, Pirate's Ship. These character graphic blocks are intended for monsters. In some cases, you may want to use them for something else. For instance, the sample adventure game that comes with this system has a SNAKE that is a 'civilian' type. This snake will give you a clue if you ask the right question. The guards to the bad guy's castle are DEAMONS. If you want to get real fancy, (for example), you might have a ghost town, where all regular civilians are skeletons, gouls, zombies or ghosts. Character Classes While a character's TYPE defines how it looks, it's CLASS defines how it reacts and interacts with the player. Character classes are Adventurer, Civilian, Monster, Merchant, Healer, Teller, Quester, Trainer, Beggar, Guard, Off-Duty Guard and Prisoner. o Civilian Civilians have a block of text, where the first 8 characters in each line are a "keyword". During conversation, when the player "mentions" the keyword, the civilian will respond with the text on the rest of the line. You can "lead" the player in a conversation by bringing up new "keywords" in your reply lines. Each civilian will also respond to the topic NAME by giving it's actual name. There are 3 predefined greetings and 3 predefined defaults. One will be selected randomly when needed. IF the FIRST line has a topic of HELLO, then that line is the character's greeting (displayed when you first start talking. It's a good opportunity to give the initial clue to lead the conversation into any direction you want. IF the SECOND line has a topic of DEFAULT, then rest of it is added to the three predefined 'remarks' used when the player mentions a topic that the character knows nothing about. Example: "Hello Greetings, stranger. Are you here for the festival?" Page 16 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder "FestivalIt's been cancelled.. Because of the King.. " "King Well, we can't celebrate with the King missing! " "Missing Ask the Mayor.. He's in Joe's Pub.. " o Adventurer An adventurer is very similar to a civilian, except that it will join the players party if asked to. If the adventurer is over 3 levels higher than the player's character, it will refuse to join the party until they gain more experience. By the same token, if the main player is over 6 levels higher than the character, it will decline to join. The adventurer's GOLD and FOOD gets added to the group when it joins, but the adventurer will take it's share of the party's gold when it leaves the party. There is a limit of 6 characters in a party. When a character leaves the party, it's current statistics get saved (in case it joins again). The system can save up to 16 different characters (besides the ones in the party). o Monster A MONSTER class character will attack upon sight. Monsters never surrender and always fight to the dead. In dungeons and outdoors, random monsters are generated to loosely match the size and experience of the party. Note that a monster's TYPE doesn't have to be one of the monster types above. An ELF TYPE can represent a monster, the same way an ORC could be an adventurer and join the party. The $$$$ amount is the amount of gold carried by the monster's leader. The COUNT is the number of monsters in the encounter. You can specify a different character TYPE for the followers. Each follower will carry about 1/2 the GOLD that the leader carries, and will have about 1/2 the statistics. o Merchant A merchant buys and sells items. Used items are bought at 1/2 price. Their inventory is in their backpack. (see the section on character statistics), and they never run out of any particular item. o Bartender DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 17 A bartender will sell beer. If a player drinks two beers, and then tips the bartender, it will get one HINT (selected at random out of the global pool of hints). If a player drinks more than two beers, it becomes drunk, and may even get intoxicated, requiring the attentions of a Healer. The $$$$ amount indicates the cost of 1 beer. A normal tip is about 10 percent of the cost of 1 beer. o Healer A healer will (for a price) cure poisoning, heal wounds, resurrect the dead and remove cursed items. The $$$$ amount indicates the approximate charge for it's services. The actual prices are random. o Teller A teller will (for a $$$$ amount) print it's related TEXT. No keywords are needed, for no conversation takes place. If the player pays the teller's fee, the exact contents of it's four text lines are printed. Empty lines are not printed. o Quester A quester will ask the player to find and bring an item or person. The names of the items or persons to be found are the names of the items in the quester's backpack. The value of each item in the backpack is the reward to be given to the party when the item or person is delivered. When a person is supposed to be the object of a quest, it should be able to JOIN the party when found. When the quest is finished, the person will automatically leave the party and become a simple civilian (see the Needs Rescue or Prisoner below). The four lines of text have special meaning for a quester. Line 1 is the "greeting" asking "do you want a quest?". Line 2 is the quest line. Place the characters '%s' somewhere in the line to display the name of the item that is being requested. You may also display the amount the quester will pay for the item. Place the characters '%ld' somewhere AFTER the '%s' in the line. Line 3 is the "Well done" line. It get's displayed when the player brings the item or person requested to the quester. Place the characters '%ld' somewhere in the line to display the amount of GOLD being paid for the item (i.e. the reward). Page 18 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Line 4 is the "Sorry, I have no more quests" message. The following is the "standard" questor's text: "Are you in need of a quest? " "Bring me a %s. I'll pay %ld in gold.. " "Excellent.. Here is $%ld for your troubles.." "Sorry. I have no more quests for you. " o Beggar A beggar is a special character type. It will ask for some money. If you give it some, it might give you a clue. If you don't, it will try to steal some. Line 1 is the "greeting", and lines 2 through 16 are the possible comments that the beggar may make if given a tip. Only one of these lines would be printed. Example: "Can you spare some change for a hungry person? " "The Lords of the court might have quests for you! " "I really appreciate it. May your quest be successful." "Ah.. I shall remember your generosity.. Thank you! " o Trainer A trainer can increase a player's Strength, Dexterity, Aim or I.Q. This is an EXPENSIVE way of increasing one's attributes. The normal way is to adventure and gain experience. This may be needed to correct an imbalance in a character's statistics. The $$$$ amount is an approximate amount to be charged. Cost varies from time to time, as well as type of training. o Guard A player can not walk past a Guard. Talking to the guard, a player can either leave, fight (very dangerous), attempt to bribe the guard, or give a password that the guard will accept and let the player through. The $$$$ amount is the amount of gold that the guard will take as a bribe. A zero amount indicates that the guard cannot be bribed. Line 1 is the greeting, line 2 is printed when you decide to leave, line 3 is printed when the guard accepts a bribe, and line 4 contains the password (first eight characters) and the text to be printed if the right password is given (rest of the line). DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 19 The following is the default text for a guard. "Halt! State your business or leave immediately! " "And don't come back! " "I guess we can arrange something.. " "Secret You may pass.. " o Guard(off duty) An off-duty guard will ignore the player. Any guard accepting a bribe or being given the right password will immediately go 'off-duty', and ignore the player. o Needs Rescue (or prisoner) A prisoner is a special kind of civilian. It will join you when asked, regardless of your current experience level. (An adventurer won't join you if there is a very large difference in experience between itself and the player's group. Another difference is that when the player leaves the group, it's type changes to 'Civilian' and the TEXT block is incremented by one, thus changing the conversation that could be had with this person. Thus, if the player's quest is to rescue someone, this person will be of type "Needs Rescue", with a block of text (Say #9) like: "Hello Am I glad to see you.. Will you help me? " "Default I need a weapon and help getting out of here!" "Help I'm a prisoner here.. We must escape.. " "Join Thanks.. My uncle will reward you.. " When the rescued person leaves the party (either through the Vacate command or by finishing a quest), it's type will change to civilian and the text block will be incremented to #10, which should contain something like: "Hello Hello! Did I thank you for rescuing me? " "Default It's sure good to be free.. You were saying.." "Join Sorry, I've had my fill of adventure.. " "Money Didn't my uncle give you a reward? Hmmm.. " Character Statistics Any individual character that you define, has a "statistics" record. The statistics record specifies the character's attributes (Level, Experience, Hit Points, Dexterity, etc) as well as the items being worn (armor, weapons, shields, rings, amulets, etc) and the items being carried (the backpack). Page 20 DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Many characters can share common statistics, or you can define a statistics record for a specific character. Many statistic records are predefined in the system. Statistics record 0 is the 'starting' statistics for the player's character. The default for this record is a Level 1 player, carrying a Knife and 100 gold pieces. Statistics records 1 through 15 are used to store the characters that leave the player's party. They are inaccessible from the world builder. Records 16 through 32 are contain generic statistics that can be used to rapidly build up your population. You can add your own statistics records (from position 33 through 255). You would normally add a record for each unique individual that can join the party, for specialty merchants whose backpacks contain unique items to be purshased by the adventurers, and for questers, whose packs contain the item's or person's being quested. The following is a list of all predefined Statistics Records: Record Description ------ -------------------------------------------------- 0 The INITIAL stats and items for the player. 1 (to 15) used to save players that leave the party. 16 An entry level person. Usually a civilian. 17 A mid-level fighter. 18 An experienced fighter. 19 A professional guard. Very tough. 20 A small monster. 21 A medium monster. 22 A big monster. 23 A Pirate's Ship (See NOTE below). 24 Merchant's Wares: Normal Weapons 25 Merchant's Wares: Magical Weapons 26 Merchant's Wares: Normal Armor 27 Merchant's Wares: Magical Armor 28 Merchant's Wares: Normal Food Stuffs 29 Merchant's Wares: Exotic (Magical) Food 30 Merchant's Wares: Magic Potions 31 Merchant's Wares: Magic Rings 32 Merchant's Wares: Magic Staffs A pirate ship's statistics is special in that the backpack contains a full SHIP, to be left when the pirates are killed! Whenever a monster dies, the contents of it's backpack remain, as well as some random items like gold, rings, amulets, potions and staffs. You may modify the pre-defined statistics if you want to. Once the adventure is created, they become an integral part of it. DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page 21 A P P E N D I X Landscape Blocks The following is a complete list of pre-defined landscaping blocks. GRASS BRICK WALL DOOR SWAMP WINDOW ON BRICK WALL LOCKED DOOR SAND BRICK FIREPLACE HIDDEN DOOR (brick) GRAVEL DOOR LADDER (up) LOCKED DOOR SHRUB LADDER (down) HIDDEN DOOR (stone) SMALL TREE LARGE TREE TABLE (left) COUNTER TOP (left) FOREST TABLE (center) COUNTER TOP (center) FOREST2 TABLE (right) COUNTER TOP (right) CACTUS COUNTER TOP (top) MOUNTAIN STONE WALL COUNTER TOP (center) MOUNTAIN WINDOW ON STONE WALL COUNTER TOP (bottom) CAVE IN MOUNTAIN STONE FIREPLACE CAVE IN GRASS BEER KEG (left) BLUE ROCKS TORCH (left) BEER KEG (right) WHITE ROCKS TORCH (right) WATER FOUNTAIN VEGETABLE GARDEN DEEP WATER CHAIR FENCE (HORIZONTAL) SHALLOW WATER CHAIR FENCE (VERTICAL) RIVER WATER CHAIR HORIZONTAL BRIDGE CHAIR VERTICAL BRIDGE FLOOR TILES HUT FLOOR TILES LARGE HOUSE FLOOR TILES SMALL HOUSE PLANT (in POT) SMALL VILLAGE FULL LENGTH MIRROR SMALL TOWN CHEST (left) LARGE TOWN CHEST (right) CASTLE (left) BED (left) CASTLE (center) BED (right) CASTLE (right) SMALL TABLE SMALL CASTLE 1 SMALL CASTLE 2 Note that a hidden door looks like a wall. When it is found, it will change to a locked door. When the door is unlocked, it will change to an unlocked door. Characters can walk through unlocked doors. Object Blocks The following objects have been predefined and have graphics blocks to represent them. This list is easily extendible. See "Creating Objects" for a more complete description of each type of object and it's properties. BLOCK TYPE SPECIAL PROPERTIES ---------- ----------------------------------------------- FOOD Type 1 Magical Effect WEAPON # of hands, range, damage and Ammo Type AMMO Ammo Code and Extra Damage or Poisoning. ARMOR armor class, can be cursed SHIELD armor class, # of hands, can be cursed AMULET Type 1 Magic, # of charges, units and duration. RING Type 1 Magic, # of charges, units and duration. POTION Type 1 Magic, units and duration SCROLL Type 2 Magic, range STAFF Type 2 Magic, # of charges and range. CHEST Lock Type, Trapped? Damage or Poison. KEYS Key Type (Matches Lock Type) GEMS Type 1 Magic, # of charges, units, duration BOOK Text GOLDSACK no special attributes TORCH no special attributes LANTERN no special attributes ROPE no special attributes HOOKS no special attributes MIRROR no special attributes SIGN1 Text SIGN2 Text SIGN3 Text VEHICLES Horse, Camel, Car, Magic Carpet, Helicopter, Airplane, Raft, Skiff, Sail Boat, Small Ship, Large Ship. The Space Shuttle, Space Ship, and U.F.O. types are not implemented. Note that DURATION is either 0 (Temporary) or 1 (Permanent). Also, a cursed armor or shield will remove all Armor Class points. The item cannot be removed except by a healer or the Remove Cursed Item spell. Page ii DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Character Blocks These blocks represent the "type" of a creature. That is, the graphics block that will be used to represent that creature. The "class" of the creature is an entire different matter. (See next section) REGULARS MONSTERS MORE MONSTERS ---------------- ---------------- ---------------- HUMAN ORCS GHOSTS ELF GOBLINS EVIL HEADS DWARF TROLLS FIRE ELEMENT WIZARD SKELETONS ICE ELEMENT ARCHER GOULS EARTH ELEMENT FIGHTER ZOMBIES EVIL DARKNESS CIVILIAN GIANTS SWAMP WORM LORD GOLEMS KING FIRE DRAGONS SEA MONSTERS THIEF ICE DRAGONS ---------------- LADY DAEMONS SEA SERPENTS QUEEN SPIDER HYDRA FARMER SNAKES MAN O'WAR GIRL RATS WATER SPRITES BOY SMALL BATS WATER DRAGON DOCTOR GIANT BATS WATER ELEMENT MUSICIAN LIZARD MEN ELECTRIC STORM BEGGAR DRAGON MEN PIRATE'S SHIP DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page iii Character Classes Any of the above character type's can assume any of the following character classes. Thus it is possible to have a "swamp worm" be the local bartender. (Although it might look mighty funny!) CHARACTER CLASS DESCRIPTION ---------------- ----------------------------------------- ADVENTURER This is someone who might Join the party! MONSTER Usually monsters, but can by any type. MERCHANT Will Buy and/or Sell any item. BARTENDER Sells drinks and rumors (for a good tip) HEALER Cures, Heals, Resurrects and remove curses CIVILIAN Regular folk. Might talk to you. TELLER Will read your fortune. Very limited. QUESTOR Will give you quests and pay well! BEGGAR Begs for money. Good source of rumors. TRAINER Expensive way of increasing attributes. GUARD You can fight, bribe or give the password. OFF DUTY GUARD A guard that won't try to stop you! PRISONER A civilian that need's to be rescued! Page iv DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Adventure's Introductory Text The introduction to the adventure is one of the most important "mood" setting tools you can have. Using any text editor, you can create a file (called WORLD.TXT) that explains the premisses for the adventure!. Use up to 80 characters per line. The text will be displayed in pages, with the user being asked to press <SPACE> before each of the pages scrolls of the screen. If you put the word PAGE at the beginning of a line, the display will stop a this point and ask for the <SPACE>. Example: Welcome to the xyz adventure game. You are about to start on a journey that will... . . PAGE <- This makes the text display pause . . More lines of text . . DCWORLD - World and Adventure Builder Page v