Amiga ACS 1998 #6/amigaacscoverdisc1998-061998.iso/games/commercialdemos/geneticspecies/manual/english.txt

Text File | 1998-06-08 | 27KB | 742 lines

VULCAN SOFTWARE LIMITED
in association with
MARBLE EYES
presents

G E N E T I C  S P E C I E S
Amiga CDRom


INSTALLING TO HARD DRIVE
------------------------
Genetic Species runs perfectly from the CD and does not require Hard Drive
installation, but you will need to install various library files from the
'Install' directory depending on your individual computer set-up.


GRAPHICS CARD OWNERS
--------------------
If you have a Graphics Card you should install the RTG system.
This will place various files in your libs directory on your hard drive
and when initiating Genetic Species allow you to choose various screen
modes from the RTG requester.


AHI SOUND SUPPORT
-----------------
Genetic Species utilises the AHI sound system allowing multiple channel and
stereo sound effects (even without a Sound Card) this should be installed
before starting Genetic Species.


PICASSO 96 OWNERS
-----------------
If you have a Picasso Graphics Board there is a full installation program
which will place the needed libraries onto your hard drive.
Having a Picasso board you will more than likely have the needed files so
check that this is not an older version than your current one.


CD MUSIC
--------
Genetic Species contains superb CD Music which is played throughout the
game, to get the best out of this Audio treat make sure your CDRom line
outs are connected to a good stereo system and that the volume is high!

Genetic Species also uses the Amigas Audio outputs for all in-game sound
effects.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS
-----------------
When you have successfully installed the various library files you will
then be able to run Genetic Species by double clicking on it's icon on
the CD.

First up is the Credit sequence, this is our chance to let you know who all
the 'hard working people' are, who spent many sleepless nights to bring you
Genetic Species. To skip the credit sequence simply press your LMB.

Now sit back and marvel at the incredible 3D rendered intro animation, this
sets the mood for what is about to follow and gives you an insight into the
current situation in the Genetic Species world. You can terminate the intro
animation by clicking any mouse button.

Please note that the intro Animation does not utilise Graphics Cards.


CONFIGURATION
-------------
After the intro sequences the first thing you will see is the options
screen. Using the arrow keys and the return key on the keyboard you can
configure Genetic Species to best suit your Amiga's set-up.

You have many options available that alter the way Genetic Species works.

You can alter many elements from, screen size, sound set-up, detail level
and control methods. Depending on your Amiga set-up you will soon find the
right balance to make sure Genetic Species performs at the best possible
speed and clarity for your system.

If the frame rate is an important factor when choosing your settings, you
can type `framecount` as a level code which will show the frame counter on
the screen during play.

Once happy with your preference setting you can save them to hard disk so
the next time you play Genetic Species it will already be set-up to your
desired configuration.

When finished in the options Screen simply choose 'Disconnect' to start
playing Genetic Species.


CONFIGURATION SETTINGS IN DETAIL
--------------------------------

Window Size

Controls the size of the visible playing area, this setting has the
greatest influence on game speed.

Floor & Ceiling Detail Mapping

The floor and ceiling detail level can be set to high, low or turned off
completely, the low detail setting produces a 10-20% increase in speed over
the high setting.

Luminance Factor

Is everything too bright in the darkness of your tomb or are those sun
reflexes blotting out everything on the monitor?
Boost or reduce brightness here.

Audio On/Off

If you wish to change AHI mode, you must turn off Audio, exit the menu,
enter the Audio menu again, and turn on Audio. An AHI requester will pop
up, allowing you to choose a new mode or different mixing frequencies.
Note: Turning off Audio can also speed up the game by 8-20%.

Channels

Depending on the AHI mode used, up to 16 channels of sound effects are
allowed.  We recommend using the AHI mode "Paula: DMA 8 bit stereo" for
best performance on Amigas lacking sound card, however you will be
limited to 4 channels.

Volume

Boost the volume to balance Amiga Audio and CD music. Please note that
extreme boosting may cause sound distortion.

Player Control

Here you may select your favourite key settings for controlling the
BioShifter.

Mouse Control

Enable/Disable Mouse - Doesn't need explanation, does it?

Sensitivity Factor

Some mice are more sensitive than others, use this setting to control how
fast the BioShifter turns when moving your mouse.

Control Method

Moving the mouse to the left will turn the BioShifter clockwise. If this
doesn't seem logical to you, change this setting to invert the direction.

Multitasking On/Off

If you need to keep you operating system and programs running keep the
switch on. Turning off multitasking will freeze all programs increasing the
game speed by 3-4%. Turning it on will restore your system.

Buffering

Really mega-advanced setting for those GFX card users whose GFX card works
best with single buffering.
On AGA systems you should always use double buffering!

GfxMode

A feature for GFX card owners; with this switch you may force Genetic
Species to bypass RTG, utilising AGA. It has no effect on AGA only systems.

Language Options

Choose your favourite language here, thanks to the A.T.O.

CD Music On/Off

If your CD-ROM drive misbehaves, try turning off the CD music.

Ammo Display On/Off

Are those awesome transparent ammo counters and health bars annoying you? Turn them off here.

Difficulty Normal/Easy

This setting controls the damage factor of the game. Chicken players will
choose the easy setting and real hard nut people should choose Normal.


BACKGROUND HISTORY
------------------
Since the beginning of the 21st century, Multi and Trans-National
corporations had been gaining power.

By the end of the century, global security, commerce and science were in
the hands of a few hundred people. Industrial complexes and research
stations had been established in space and on the moon, where research
would never be impeded by environmental or ethical concerns.

Due to rife competition and security of research, all employees of the
corporations were implanted with artificial control mechanisms to ensure
complete loyalty. Competing freely, conflicts among the corporations
frequently sparked local wars, fought anywhere in the Solar system,
including Earth. As a result the rest of the human race was held hostage.

As the 22nd century began, an underground alliance had been established
among countries which were secretly seeking to undermine corporate power.
This alliance was known as the Counter Force Alliance (C.F.A.) yet their
strength was inadequate in the face of corporate power, and nothing could
be accomplished until something tipped the balance of power.

This happened in 2208.


PRESENT DAY
(C.F.A. Internal Memo)
----------------------
Apparently the Nepentian Research Labs on the far side of the Magnus Crater
was seized by an unknown force. Observations suggested intense ground
battles within the vicinity of the base, involving at least three
corporations. Two days ago the battles seemed to diminish, yet we have
been unable to identify which corporation came out victorious, if any.

Throughout the day we have tracked military shuttles shipping troops and
cargo from the remaining lunar facility, the Cantex Supply Station.

Sources have informed us that the destination was the Atlas Mining Asteroid
orbiting the moon.


Atlas Mining Asteroid
---------------------
The Atlas Mining Asteroid is currently being converted into a regular
space fortress armed with high energy space weapons. Whatever purpose this
conversion serves is unknown but we suspect it might become a threat to
Earth. The recent alliance between the remaining military corporations, the
Nepentian Defence Triad and Lantaz Milsec, (to whom the destroyed lunar
bases belonged) suggests knowledge of an impending disaster.

Yesterday, 2 out of 3 lunar military bases were vaporised in what looked
like accidents involving stockpiled nuclear weapons but we suspect they
were self-destruct actions aimed at an unknown enemy aggressor.

We desperately need information on the current situation!


Begin C.F.A. Transmission
-------------------------
For some years, within the many corporation complexes, we have been
planting prototypes of the 'BioShifter'. This mobile device is capable of
taking control of Humans, Cyborgs and Droids through their electronic
implants.

We have just activated of one of the BioShifters within the Cantex Supply
Station, where the bulk of the troops and supplies are being launched
into space.

Lets hope we get the information we need.

End Transmission


BIOSHIFTER INITIALISATION
-------------------------
You are the first BioShifter to be activated in the Cantex Supply Station.

Once your mounted cameras are activated the distorted image clarifies to
present your environment as a 3D 'first person' perspective view.


MISSION OBJECTIVES
------------------
The plot progression of Genetic Species is Bilinear, this means that you
will have to accomplish various missions before you can progress to later
levels, the way you go about accomplishing your missions is entirely up to
you. Pay close attention to your mission briefings and be alert at all
times and take nothing for granted.


YOUR SURROUNDINGS
-----------------
The 3D environment is presented in glorious texture mapped and light
sourced style instantly allowing you to get a real feel for your
surroundings.

The levels in Genetic Species are broken down into further platforms and
each platform is connected by lift terminals which you can access freely.

This design is very useful for leaving entire sections quickly in the case
of level destruction or in situations where enemy numbers are outrageously
out of balance.


FURNITURE & PROPS
-----------------
Throughout the levels you will come across many interactive Furnishings
such as Doors and Cupboards which can be opened and closed, although some
need to be unlocked first by means of 'switches or key cards'.

Computer Terminals can be found at various stages in the levels which
allows control over the In-Game configurations.

There are also hidden BioShifters which are only visible to you and have
been planted by the C.F.A. Activate them (by walking over them) and they
will record your current position. This is really useful if you find
yourself `dead` as you will now be allowed to restart from the last
recorded position.

As well as secret passages and many other architectural oddities there
will be various items and objects ranging from exploding barrels, to
energy vortex's, some should be left well alone where others like the
Vortex's can be entered to allow re-topping of energy levels.

Most other items can either be operated, picked up or destroyed but act
wisely as many items can help your missions immensely.


CHARACTERS
----------
There are many interesting and frightening enemies within Genetic Species
ranging from Engineers to Face huggers, each enemy is unique and has
his or her own abilities, weaknesses and weapons, each posing a
different threat.


ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
-----------------------
This text has been written to give the player of Genetic Species an
insight into the Artificial Intelligence Structures and resistance's of
enemy units to allow a proper and a more balanced challenge.

Many hours have been spent to develop the AI structures which define the
personality and behaviour of the creatures in different situations.

When initialising a level all enemies are set to a `Prowl` mode as a
default, in this mode the enemies wander freely around the level area,
searching for intruders. If the player makes any kind of noise,
like firing a weapon within hearing range, the enemy will notice and while
calculating the easiest route to the origin of the noise and move closer
to investigate. Generally, doors are not a problem to enemies, as long
as they can be opened and/or unlocked by the current enemy type.

When the player is in combat, some enemies tend to shout for help and
thereby draw all security units from a variant radius into the battle
field, unless the security units are already in `Guard` mode.

When the player appears in the enemy's line of view, the enemy will decide
what to do considering levels of aggression, health, damage taken, amount
of friends available and the distance to the player.

Unless the enemy is mortally wounded or just a plain coward, he will go
into `Attack` mode where his purpose is to get within range of you
and kill you.

If you escape out of sight and don't make any noise, the enemy will
continue to follow you in the direction it last physically saw you were
heading in. It creates a visual reference (known as a patch) to your last
visible position.

This `patch` might change position whilst the enemy is hunting you down,
but when it reaches a dead-end it will start backtracking to the original
position of the `patch` and then branch out in other areas to see if it
can track you down further.

Occasionally the enemy might decide to retreat, panicking and running away
in the opposite direction of your location, it might be a good idea to
terminate fleeing enemies as they tend to gossip about your location to
other enemy comrades. However you should be aware that the enemies will
attack you violently if they have no alternative route away from you.

Keep this in mind before chasing the refugee into a dead-end.

As mentioned before some units are guarding important areas of the game.
They have a completely different behaviour list, which make them very loyal
to their post. However it is possible to set off alarms, which will
distract them and make them move away from their assignment but they
are always very aggressive when you invade their space.


ENEMY INFORMATION
-----------------

Security Soldier

An ordinary corporation security soldier wearing a light ergo suit which is
capable of resisting a few direct hits. Security soldiers prowl the
corridors of the base, gunning down intruders with their .44 pistols and
they never stop to ask questions first. Their implants are of a low grade
and they are vulnerable to probe attacks.

Security Officer

High rank Security Officers are tougher, quicker and meaner than ordinary
soldiers. They wear upgraded ergo suits and carry the .44 automatic gun.
Their implants are simplistic to preserve human intelligence and
initiative. Important rooms are often only accessible to Security Officers.

Cyber Scout

The echelon of the automated defence forces. Hovering a few feet above the
ground they are a deadly foe in deserted corridors due to their speed.
The little human flesh and brain that remains is hidden within a steel
case. Their implants are protected by extra circuitry, making it difficult
to take them over without killing them.

Face Hugger

This genetically engineered creature has no official name. We believe it
is a new prototype war-unit escaped from some laboratory, and apparently
capable of breeding without artificial support. Being the perfect base
invader it is extremely fast and its spitting of acid creates a very
dangerous entity. They have no implants but their genetic control
mechanisms are very vulnerable to entity takeovers.

Engineer

Otherwise know as the `Dirt Rats`, The Engineers keep the bases running,
they wear no armour and their implants are primitive, but simply spotting
an intruder is enough to bring them to a blood frenzy. If you get too
close, he will try to chop you to pieces with his fire axe, show him mercy
and kill him. Engineers are also needed to access some systems.

Commander

The commanding officer of the base is the toughest and most dangerous
human you will come across. He throws lethal grenades at intruders.
Some restricted areas are only accessible by the commander or someone
carrying a commander access card.

Zombie

Zombies are the victims of evil Genetic experiments. Dragging their rotting
limbs along, they are slow but also hard to kill. Silenced guns are not
very powerful but zombies will happily keep shooting at you forever.
Their implants have difficulty controlling the damaged brains and taking
them over is often the easiest way to give them eternal peace.

Gel Man

Little know information on this abdominal creature but the Gel Man is
another genetic creation designed for environments with extreme pressures.

Mantis

Little is know about these creatures.
They seem to boast some kind of Psi-weapon.

Mechanoid

Strong defensive units carrying lethal flechette guns. 90% of their bodies
have been mechanised and armoured to take a phenomenal amount of damage.
Their implants are strong, and a PPD attack without stunning will leave
them severely damaged. Notice that they are limited to warfare and cannot
handle delicate objects such as keycards or small weapons.

Scientist

The science personnel of the laboratories. They wear no armour and carry
weak weapons. Their implants are not designed to repulse a probe attack so
they can easily be taken over. Some areas are only accessible to
scientists.

StormTrooper

Aggressive commando troopers, specially trained to locate and kill
intruders. The standard weapon is the laser rifle which they will happily
use to snipe on you. Their armour is light to allow maximum mobility and
their implants are medium grade.

Chameleon Soldier

The skin of the chameleon man has been altered to camouflage the body.
This works best when he is standing still, only when shooting and getting
hit will the camouflage field disrupt to show the puny human inside.
The high speed assault rifle carried by chameleon soldiers is too dangerous
to ignore, so don't. The implants will yield to persistent attacks.

Wolfhead

This biped killing machine is one of the most dangerous units around.
Mounted on the left arm is a rocket launcher. You guessed it, Rocket
launchers are bad for your health. Some units come with a Vulcan minigun
instead. The controlling implants of this unit will only disable if
stunned.

Space Pilot

When not piloting space ships, the pilots are in an understandably bad
mood. The Space Pilot carries a grenade launcher which fires stun grenades
capable of putting even the biggest brute to sleep. The clumsy space suit
puts some restraint on his mobility, but protects against vacuum and probe
attacks.

Battle Cyborg

Battle Cyborgs are enhanced, heavily armoured humans capable of high speed.
They carry flame throwers for toasting enemies. Due to the exposed upper
body, the implants are weak compared to the durability of the body.


BIOSHIFTER SHIFTER CONTROL
--------------------------
Being a mobile BioShifter, you have the ability to travel in any
direction, Forwards, Backwards, Sideways and Rotating, you can also
walk, run, look behind you, operate equipment and terminals, open doors,
pickup objects and fire weapons.


PORTABLE PROBE DEVICE (P.P.D.)
------------------------------
The BioShifter has an in-built Portable Probe Device (P.P.D.) which can
be used for two distinct purposes.

The first function is to enable you to see what the future holds.
The minute you have launched the probe you will then see 'what it sees'
through the use of an in-built micro camera (The Third Eye).

You can steer the P.P.D. as it journeys forwards by using the arrow keys to
guide it around corners and down corridors (this is very useful if you are
running low on stamina and want to know what is up ahead). The probe will
only last for around 5 seconds before transmission is terminated or will
cease to function prematurely if it hits a wall or door. Please note that
while you are controlling the P.P.D. your un-defended host body is
vulnerable to enemy attacks.


P.P.D. USED FOR ENTITY TAKE OVER
--------------------------------
The second function of the P.P.D. is the most important and an integral
element for success in your missions.

If you have previously Stunned a character (See Stunning) then you can
guide the probe straight into that stunned 'Character'. If successful then
your Bio programs will initiate a Cerebral Cortex intrusion through the
Entities Identification implant and your life force will absorb into that
'Character' allowing you to 'control' and to become that 'Character' for
the duration of your life.

The sequence is fast and violent but once successful you should be able to
catch a glimpse of your former hosts body falling to the floor as your
perspective changes.

Taking over other characters is vital to some missions, for example you
might have to become an Engineer to operate a particular piece of machinery
or perhaps a Scientist to gain access to secured Scientific labs or even
a Face Hugger to allow fast 'close to floor' escape from a scary situation.


PICKING UP OBJECTS & WEAPONS
----------------------------
You have the ability to hold up to 3 items (objects or weapons) which
can be accessed during play by pressing the appropriate
function keys F1, F2 or F3.

Your default weapon always resides in the F1 position.

Whenever you run over an item (that can be picked up) it will
automatically fill one of your empty slots, if all slots are filled and
you wish to exchange one of your current items for a newly found item,
then simply stand over the newly found item and press either F2 or F3
to make the exchange.

You can also get information on your active object or weapon by pressing
and holding down the help key on the keyboard.


WEAPONS
-------
The weapon arsenal in Genetic Species is one of the most brutal any Amiga
game has ever seen, ranging from Electric drills, Grenade launchers to
Rocket Launchers, you will never be helpless when faced against incredible
odds. When you take over certain characters you automatically have access
to their weapon but many weapons are also littered around the locations.

Bare in mind that the ability to use certain weapons is only allowed by
certain characters so be careful to choose wisely when taking over
another entity.


WEAPONS IN DETAIL
-----------------
There are many weapons available in Genetic Species but here is a
brief list of the most common ones.

MINI GUN
Ammotype: BULLETS
Mounted - Extreme Shot Rate - Noisy

44 PISTOL
Ammotype: SLUGS
Medium Shot Rate - Standard Issue - Much Ammo - Noisy

FLECHETTE
Ammotype: METAL SLIVERS
Medium Range - High Lethality - High Shot Rate - Little Ammo

TAZER
Ammotype: ELECTRIC CHARGES
Plentiful Ammo - Low Range - Stun Capability - Silent

FLAME THROWER
Ammotype: GASOLINE
Mounted - Medium Velocity - Low Range - Lots Of Ammo

FIRE AXE
Close Combat - Unlimited Use

SILENCED PISTOL
Ammotype: SLUGS
Much Ammo - Silent

LASER MINE
Ammotype: EXPLOSIVES
Manual Deployment - Extreme Lethal - Movement Sensor

STUN LAUNCHER
Ammotype: STUN GRENADES
Minimal Shot Rate - Low Velocity - Low Range - Stun Capability

LASER RIFLE
Ammotype: PHOTONS
Instant Hit - Medium Range - Long Reload Time

PLASMA GUN
Ammotype: PLASMA BOLTS
Medium Velocity - Medium Shot Rate

INDUSTRIAL DRILL
Ammotype: Nuclear Driven Battery
Close Combat - The Most Deadly Weapon

ROCKET LAUNCHER
Ammotype: EXPLOSIVES
Mounted - High Lethality - Little Ammo

ASSAULT RIFLE
Ammotype: BULLETS
High Shot Rate - High Velocity

HAND GRENADE
Ammotype: GRENADES
Slow Shot Rate - High Lethality


AMMUNITION
----------
The blood of a Weapon! You'll soon learn that no matter how good a weapon
is, it is useless without ammunition. Ammunition can be collected
throughout the levels but conserve your need for wasting it as there's
nothing worse than being caught in a corridor with 6 fully armed Droids
approaching with only one bullet left! Best use it on yourself! :)

Some weapons (like the Fire Axe) have unlimited Ammunition.


STUNNING CHARACTERS
-------------------
There are special Stun weapons available, these give off sharp
concentrated electric energy bursts or stun smoke and when used
properly will stun almost all living entities.

Sometimes the stunned Entities appearance turns a frosty blue colour as
their cells temporarily solidify but in all successful stuns the character
remains motionless, although the stunned state is only temporary it should
give you enough time to launch the P.P.D. for take-over or at least run
away.

Some smaller weapons can also stun characters but are not so reliable.


PORTABLE MAP
------------
To help you keep track of your virtual location you are also equipped with
a portable map device, this can be activated or deactivated by a press of a
button and also scaled to fill all your display or part of your display.

There is also the ability to set the luminance controls so it can be dimmed
into your view to allow continuous play whilst map reading.
However the maps should only be used as a rough guide to your location as
the data may be somewhat outdated and not reveal all secret locations.


HINTS AND TIPS
--------------
You never know what can happen in Genetic Species, some puzzles are
devious and not everything should be destroyed or blown away, look out
for secret passage ways and rooms and always make sure you are the
correct character for the task ahead. Good Luck!


DEFAULT KEYBOARD CONTROLS
-------------------------
Arrow Left   - Rotate Left
Arrow Right  - Rotate Right
Arrow Up     - Walk Forwards
Arrow Down   - Walk Backwards

<            - Side Step Left
>            - Side Step Right

Side Stepping can also be achieved by holding down the Right Amiga Key
whilst pressing the Left and Right Arrow Keys.

Space Bar    - Operate Doors, Switches, Terminals & Lifts
Right Alt    - Fire Your Weapon
Right Shift  - Run (Must use arrow keys)

Help         - Will give you information on the active Weapon.
Del          - Portable Probe Device Initiation
Esc          - Force the BioShifter to eject from the host body.
BackSlash    - Look Behind you (eeek!)

Caps Lock    - Toggle Map Display
Numeric '+'  - Enlarge Map
Numeric '-'  - Shrink Map
Ctrl and '+' - Increase Map Luminance
Ctrl and '-' - Decrease Map Luminance

F1 to F3     - Choose Weapon or Object you are carrying.

Esc and ~    - Quick Exit


MOUSE CONTROL
-------------
If you have chosen the mouse as your primary input device then you can
rotate a full 360 degrees by moving the mouse left and right.
The Mouse Buttons available (RMB, MMB, LMB) are 100% customisable and
can be set for either, firing, walking, running or strafe etc.
Note: all keys can also be used when using the Mouse.


FINALLY
-------
We hope you enjoy Genetic Species as much as we have enjoyed making it.

To keep up to date with future enhancements and information, please visit
the Vulcan Website
www.vulcan.co.uk
and the Genetic Species Developers Page
www.marble-eyes.dk

LOOK OUT FOR THE GENETIC SPECIES LEVEL CREATOR CDRom COMING SOON

Genetic Species CDRom
copyright 1998 Vulcan Software Ltd & Marble Eyes. All rights Reserved.