Amiga Games: Greatest Hits 1996/Amiga Games: Greatest Hits 1996.iso/spiele/publicdomain/azalta/docs/guide.doc

Text File | 1992-11-09 | 47KB | 1,021 lines

                           * AZALTA *

               -----------------------------------
              -          PLAYER'S GUIDE           -
               -----------------------------------

       Copyright 1996 PsychoSoft Ent.  All Rights Reserved.



     System Requirements:

     1 Meg RAM
     Mouse
     Hard Drive Recommended


     Introduction

     Azalta is an adventure/role-playing game. But unlike most
other games of this type, Azalta is much more than a simple
single adventure; it is an entire game system with endless
adventures, an infinite number of large worlds to explore,
hundreds of puzzles to solve, creatures to meet, and items to
find -- you can even create your own worlds/creatures/items! If
you have played other adventure/role-playing computer games
before, you won't find this one difficult to learn (in fact, you
could probably play it without reading any of this guide). Even
if you haven't, you shouldn't have any problem with Azalta --
it's quite simple and straightforward.


     Installation

     Since you are reading this file now, you have probably
already installed Azalta. To install Azalta and all its necessary
files, simply copy the AZALTA.LHA file to your hard drive's main
directory (or your games directory, etc), and type "lha x azalta".
A directory called "AZALTA" will then be created and all the game's
files and subdirectories will be placed there. The game requires no
other files or libraries.
     After unarchiving the program with "lha", you must also add the
following two lines to one of your startup files (ie. "startup-
sequence" or "user-startup"):

     assign azgame: hd0:Azalta
     assign azdata: hd0:Azalta\Module

     This example is assuming your hard drive is labeled "hd0:" -- just
assign "azgame:" to wherever the "GData" and "Parties" files are
stored, and assign "azdata:" to wherever the adventure module files
("Data1", "Data2", etc, and "LOC") are stored. Azalta will then be
ready to play.
     In the AZALTA directory, there should be the game program
itself (AZALTA), a data file (GDATA), and also three subdirectories:
DOCS, which contains the documents (including this one); MODULE, which
contains all the files for the current adventure module you are
playing; and PARTIES, which is empty at first, but will be where your
party files (saved games) are stored.

     (NOTE: Azalta may also be played quite comfortably from floppy
disks. You MAY be able to fit all files onto one disk, but this will
depend on the size of the adventure module you are playing. You must
also make sure you have enough space for your party files. To play
Azalta from two floppy disks, simply place the entire "Module"
directory and its contents onto the second disk, then assign "azdata:"
to that disk. Simply put, you may place the files anywhere you want,
provided that "azgame:" points to where "GData" and "Parties" are kept,
and "azdata:" points to the "Module" directory.)


     Your First Game - Creating a New Party

     Before you jump in and start playing the game, you must
first create your "party". This is a simple task that will only take a
moment to do.
     First of all, run the AZALTA program (by either double-clicking on
its icon at the Workbench or typing its name at the AmigaDOS prompt).
After the title screens pass, you will be presented with the Party File
Requester. This is where you choose which party file to use, and also
where you will create new parties. To create your first party, enter
the name you wish to call your party in the Name box, then click the
"New Party" button (you may choose to give your party a name like
"killers" or "questers", etc, or you may simply want to use your own
name). The name you give your party will stay the same from now on; to
continue playing Azalta at a later date using the same party, you
would simply click on the name in the Party File List and then click
the "Load" button. After your party file is created, it is stored in
the AZALTA\PARTIES directory. You (and others) may create as many
parties as you wish.
     Your party consists of four "characters" -- the people you
will use to adventure with. These characters are created
according to your preferences; you choose their race, class, sex,
and give them each a name. Each of these choices are quite
important and will greatly influence what role your characters
will play in your party.
     In a few moments you should see a prompt for you to chose the
race of your first character. It should say "Human" at first. If
you wish to change this, use the left and right cursor/arrow keys
to move through the list of available races. See the "RACES.DOC"
file to learn about the specific differences between each race.
When you are satisfied with your choice, press the enter key to
accept the selection. (You may also use the mouse; click on the arrow
buttons to select, then on the name to accept.)
     Next you will be asked to choose your character's "class", or
type. A character's class determines what abilities and skills
he/she will have -- for a complete listing of all the classes
with full details, again, see the "RACES.DOC" file. When you have
made your choice, press enter to continue.
     Next you must decide whether your character will be male or
female. The choice you make here does not make a huge difference,
but being male may sometimes give a character a slight advantage
in strength, and being female may sometimes give a character a
slight advantage in dexterity (being a bit smaller and harder to
hit). Press "m" for male, or "f" for female.
     Last of all, you must give your character a suitable name.
This may be up to thirteen letters long. Type it in and press
enter.
     Your first character is now created. The screen will clear
and you will now repeat the above process to create the second
character in your party, then the third and fourth.
     Your party is now created. The next time you want to play
Azalta using this party, click on the name of your party in the Party
File Requester and then click the "Load" button, as described above.


     Starting out

     You will now proceed into the game itself. You will first be
shown a short message, which you should read. Press a key to
continue -- and there you are. You should see the four characters
of your party all standing there, ready for action (if you are
playing the included adventure "The Cult of the Raven", they will
be at the gates of the town called "Haana").
     Use the cursor keys to make your characters walk around. At
first you will be controlling character #1; to change to another
character, press one of the four keys from F1-F4. Using these
switching keys it is possible to send each of your characters to
a different place at the same time. This can be useful to "split
up and search", for example. You will also give your characters
commands by pressing the alphabet keys -- "A" for attack, "T" for
talk, for example. (See below to learn all the Azalta commands
for controlling your characters -- the "Help" key will list the
alphabetic commands on the screen.)
     Each of your characters starts out with some food and a bit
of money (gold coins), but no weapons or armor. Before you go
outside and start battling the forces of evil, you better get
them to buy some (see below to read how shops work). You'll have
to be thrifty with your spending though, and choose items that
are not too costly for now. You will also need to "wear" or
"wield" your new items to use them in battle.
     After visiting the shops and buying any items you need, you
will want to save your game. If you don't save your game and your
party is suddenly attacked and killed, you will have to re-buy
your items the next time you play. To save, leave the town by
walking south from the town gates (all characters must be at the
exit), and when outdoors press "z" to save and continue playing,
or simply re-enter the town by pressing "e" (the game is
automatically saved whenever your party enters a location).
     When you play for a little while and start to win some
battles, find some gold, etc, you will want to upgrade your
weapons and armor, get your magic-users to learn some spells, and
do other such actions to make your party harder to defeat.
Dungeons are a good place to find gold and other treasure, as
well as build up your party's experience (hint: there is a
dungeon south-west of Haana, past a small river). Be careful when
first starting out!


     The Main Screen

     The main display in Azalta is very simple. The majority of
the screen is taken up by the "main window". This is where all
the action takes place. Below it, in the lower right-hand corner
of the screen, is the "message window". The message window is
where any important text is displayed during the game. Commands
you enter show up here, as do various other bits of relevant
information. Above the message window are a few buttons: identify
creature, save game, party formation, quit and save, volume, and
screen to back.
     The remainder of the screen is taken up by the four
"character information boxes" in the lower left. These are also
important to watch; they give you current information on each of
the four characters in your party. Each box contains a
character's name and two (or one) colored bars; one red, one
blue. The red bar is the character's "Life Bar". It goes up or
down according to how badly wounded the character is -- if it is
full to the right, he/she is in great shape, but if it is almost
down to nothing, he/she is at death's door. The blue bar is the
character's "Magic Bar". It works just like the Life Bar, but
instead shows you how much magic power the character has at the
moment. If the character is not a magic-user, this bar will not
register.
     The character's displayed name is also important -- it
changes color to indicate certain conditions. If it is white, the
character is fine. If it is red however, there is a problem --
he/she is probably poisoned, diseased, starving, or has some
other ailment (check his/her status screen to see the cause). If
the name is displayed turquoise, the character is temporarily
incapacitated (asleep, frozen, etc). If the name is darkened, the
character is dead.
     Other conditions affecting your characters may also be shown
in their information box by an inner colored box surrounding the
character's name. This is usually for temporary magical powers
your characters may attain (invisibility, for example). You will
learn to recognize the meaning of the colors on your own.
     Instead of using key presses, you may also click on your character
boxes; left-click to select, right-click to view the character's status
screen.
     Finally, when indoors (or in a battle), a small green arrow
at the right of the character information boxes indicates which
of the four characters is currently being controlled by you. A
skull and crossbones symbol will appear in its place for dead
characters.


     The Character Status Screen

     This screen (reached by pressing either the "i" key or F6-
F9) lists all of a character's attributes in detail, as well as
any items he/she may be carrying. Most of this information is
straightforward, but a few terms which may be confusing to
beginners are described below.
     "Level: #" -- This number is the character's current
experience level. It is an approximate measure of how powerful
the character is. More skills are available to high-level
characters.
     "XP: #" -- This number shows the amount of experience points
your character has. Experience points are earned every time an
enemy is slain, a spell is cast, etc, and are a gauge of how
experienced the character is. Experience must be gained in order
to advance experience levels. Note: XP are lost when an evil act
is done, such as killing an innocent person. Also, 10 XP are lost
every time an outdoor battle is fled from.
     "Next: #" -- This displays the amount of experience points
that your character must have to reach the next experience level.
When "XP" reaches "Next", the character advances one level.
     "LifePoints #/#" -- This shows the character's current LP as
compared to his/her maximum LP. When you are hurt in battle, this
will go down. If this ever reaches 0, your character will die.
The maximum LP is determined by the character's experience level.
     "MagicPoints #/#" -- Same as above, but for MP. A character
uses MP to cast spells, etc.
     "Strength #" -- Your character's strength rating determines
how much damage he/she can do in battle with melee (hand-to-hand)
weapons. Fighter-type characters usually have a higher strength
than other character types.
     "Dexterity #" -- Your character's dexterity rating affects
how well he/she can dodge blows, and also how accurately he/she
can wield weapons (especially missile (firing) weapons). Thief-
type characters usually have a higher dexterity than others.
     "Intelligence #" -- If your character has a high
intelligence rating, he/she is likely to be good at using magic
(and also resisting evil magic) and other such knowledge-
intensive skills. Wizard-type characters usually excel in
intelligence.
     The two boxes near the top center of the screen show what
weapon/armor your character is currently wielding/wearing
(indicated by the small sword and shield symbols next to them).
The eight boxes below them are for holding other items, and these
are shown in different colors: blue if the item is a weapon,
green if it is a piece of armor, and brown for other item types.
     The amount of gold, food and keys your character is carrying
is also shown on this screen. The maximum amount of food rations
and keys is 250. The maximum amount of gold that may be carried
is 65535 coins.
     The lower right corner of the status screen, which is
usually empty, may sometimes display one or more words alerting
you to your character's condition. You may see words here like
"Starving", "Cursed", "Asleep", "Poisoned", etc.
     When at the status screen, pressing an "F#" key (F6-F9) for
a different character will go directly to their screen --
pressing any other key will exit.


     Travelling Outdoors

     When travelling outdoors, your party moves as a group. Each
space on the map represents one mile. Time moves faster in this
mode, so your characters' food supply is consumed more quickly,
poison works faster, etc.
     There are several different types of terrain outdoors,
including forests, grasslands, mountains and so on; many of these
will slow down your party's progress at varying rates, and some
will block your path entirely.
     When using commands outdoors, you will usually be asked to
enter the specific character (1-4) you wish to execute the
action. This also goes for certain spells cast outdoors.
     As your party travels (outdoors or in), your characters' LP
and MP will always slowly be going up ("time heals all wounds"),
unless they are inflicted with some sort of disease, etc.


     Travelling Indoors

     When your party is inside a location, things are slightly
different. Areas are arranged as "rooms" rather than as one large
map; to move from one room to the next you simply walk your
character out the side of the screen. Each space on the screen is
equal to five feet, and each character moves independently of one
another -- this means they can split up and search a location
separately, or stick together for safety.
     A "cursor" box surrounds your currently selected character.
This is the character you are currently using to move and execute
commands with. When one or more enemies are in the room where
more than one of your characters are, your characters must take
turns moving -- when they are done, the enemies each make a move,
and so on. When there are no enemies, each character may move as
many spaces as you want.
     There are several special types of objects indoors aside
from simple terrains. There are ladders and staircases -- when
standing on one of these, your character may travel up and/or
down (depending on which type of ladder/staircase it is) a floor
when you press the "+" or the "-" keys, respectively. There are
doors which may be opened with the "O" key, some of which are
locked and must be unlocked with a suitable key by using the "K"
key. Secret doors also may exist in a room -- these are
completely indistinguishable from the walls to the untrained eye.
If you have a skilled thief-type character with the skill "Find"
you may spot them with this, or you may simply try each section
of wall by bumping into it -- the latter guarantees you will find
the door, but it takes longer. There are also levers or buttons -
- walk into these to activate them, if you dare. Sometimes there
are even traps hidden in the floor which are activated when your
characters step on them ("Find" will also uncover these). Some
walls may also be activated by pushing them, and some may be
moved or even destroyed. Some may even have unknown magical
properties.


     Shops

     Most towns and cities in Azalta have at least one shop which
will offer your characters goods or services of some kind in
exchange for money. Some common types of shops are the General
Store (which sells food rations), the Weapon Shop, the Armor
Shop, and the Tavern. These are essential for survival, so you
may want to remember where the best shops are, and who has the
best prices and selection.
     Shops work using a simple "menu" system by printing text in
the main window and/or the lower command window. You are usually
presented with several numbered choices on the screen; just press
the number of the selection you wish to make. Often you will also
be asked for a yes or no answer; here you may press either "y" or
"n" to reply.
     When a shop offers your character a list of items to
purchase, the color of each item's name and price is significant:
if the item NAME is displayed in red, that particular item can
not be used by your character (usually because of his/her class
restrictions -- he/she can still buy it, however); if the item's
PRICE is red, your character does not have enough money to buy it
(try "joining" your party's gold).
     Many shops will also buy second-hand items, but don't expect
to get full value for what you sell -- shopkeepers can be very
stingy.
     Most shopkeepers are also knowledgeable enough in their
field that they are able to identify an item for you (for a fee,
of course). This is useful when your characters find an item of
unknown powers. With this service, the shopkeeper tells you
everything important about your item: how powerful it is, how it
can be used, any special magical powers it might have, etc.
     Taverns can also be a good place to visit. Aside from ale,
they are useful for obtaining information -- some of it valuable,
some of it ... utterly worthless. Barkeepers are vast storehouses
of rumors and gossip. Try tipping them a little extra (or a lot
extra) next time you buy a cup of ale.


     Magic Ships

     If your party is lucky enough to own one, a magic ship may
be summoned at any time by using the "Summon Boat" command. To do
this, your party must be outdoors and standing next to open
water. Your ship will magically appear, and your party will
automatically board it. The "b" key accomplishes this. To exit
your ship, press "b" again (must be next to solid land).
     If you wish to list your ship's statistics at any time,
press the "F10" key.
     (Note: There are many different types of ships available;
each has it's own set of attributes, and may have a certain
number of cannons mounted on it for battle. However, in this
version of Azalta, 1.01, no ship-battle situations have been
implemented yet. I originally planned to have enemy pirate ships,
etc, and to have a player-vs-player nautical battle mode. Maybe
in the future. - C.A.S.)


     Food

     Always be sure to carry enough food rations. Starving to
death is a nasty way to go.
     If you can't afford to buy food (or just can't find a shop),
you can kill certain animals (like pigs and deer, for example)
for meat (unless your character is a vegetarian, of course), but
if the animals are owned by someone else you better be careful.
Killing a farmer's stock is not recommended.
     You food supply will slowly go down throughout the game as
your characters eat it. If a character's supply reaches zero,
he/she will begin to starve; instead of losing food rations each
day, LifePoints will be drained. This will go on until either the
character finds food, or he/she dies. Using the "Make Camp"
command can often keep starving characters alive long enough to
get to the nearest town.


     Magic

     Many character classes are able to use magic spells to
assist them (and others) in their adventures. These characters
are often referred to as "magic-users". A high-level magic-user
is probably the most powerful character possible.
     Magic-users use what are called "MagicPoints" (or "MP") to
power their spells. MP are constantly generated by the power of
the magic-user's mind, but are used up with each spell cast. The
more powerful the spell is, the more MP it will require.
     When casting certain spells on other creatures, the caster's
intelligence must be equal to or higher than that of the target
creature if it is to have any effect. For example, a first-level
wizard could never hope to successfully cast a "control" spell on
a wise old red dragon.
     Before a magic spell may be cast, it must first be learned
by the caster. A beginning magic-user knows no spells at all.
Spells may be learned from another magic-user who knows the
spell; such a person can be found in almost any good magic shop.
The magic-user must have enough intelligence to be able to learn
any given spell. Once a spell is learned it can be used an
infinite amount of times.
     And keep in mind, the power of magic is a very strange and
often unpredictable force. It can sometimes affect things very
strangely.


     Casting Spells

     Once a spell is learned by a character, he/she may begin
casting it. It will never "run out". However, to cast the spell,
the character must have enough MagicPoints. This minimum MP
required varies from spell to spell.
     To cast a spell, press "C" for the Cast command. The message
window will then prompt you for the number of the spell you would
like to cast (see the CHARTS.DOC file or the SPELLS.DOC file for
a complete listing); enter the number and press the enter key.
     Some spells will then require that you select a target.
There are three different ways in which a target may be selected:
"any", where the mouse is used to click anywhere on the main
screen; "missile", where a direction must be entered for the
"projectile" to be fired (as in the Attack command, diagonals may
be used); and "touch", where the target creature/object must be
directly beside the casting character (uses the same directions
as missile spells, with the addition of the "5" key, which causes
the caster to touch him/herself as the target of the spell).
     For many spells, you can also control the amount of extra
power spent. For example, with the Fireball spell, this means
that your character can cast a small fireball or an enormous
fireball, depending on how much MP you want to spend, and on how
strong the creature you are attacking is. This is very useful --
you wouldn't want to waste a huge Fireball on a tiny insect, and
likewise, if you were facing a very nasty creature you would want
to do as much damage to it as possible with a more powerful
spell. To control this power output, hold down the spacebar -- the
power will begin to build (you will notice your character's Magic Bar
begin to drop). When the desired amount of power is used, release the
spacebar to stop and cast the spell.
     Some spells will not work on certain creatures or objects.
Some examples: most Undead creatures cannot be Controlled, nor
can creatures that have no mind; ghosts normally will not be
harmed by Fireballs and other such "physical" spells; fire spells
will not harm creatures who live in extreme heat, etc.


     Extra Skills

     Some character classes have one or more "extra skills" which
often come in very handy during an adventure. When a character is
just starting out, these skills will usually be quite undeveloped
and hard to use successfully. However, every time the character
goes up an experience level, the skills get slightly easier to
use. Also, every time an extra skill is used successfully, the
character receives extra experience points as a reward.
     If an extra skill is used unsuccessfully, there is a penalty
-- so be careful when your character is just starting out. For
example, if you try to rob someone and fail, they will probably
punch you in the face!
     Currently, these skills are (in order of difficulty, from
easiest to most difficult):

     Pick Lock: Used to unlock a door when you have no key.

     Rob: Used to snatch gold coins from an unsuspecting person.

     Find: This skill is used to reveal any traps, secret doors,
etc that might be hidden in a room. The higher the level the user
is, the better the chance is that a given trap will be found. If
there is more than one trap in a room, often only a portion of
them will be found -- repeated use of this skill may eventually
find them all. Just because this skill didn't reveal anything in
a room doesn't mean there's nothing there! (unless your character
is at very high experience level).

     Disable: When the location of a trap is known (usually by
the use of the Find skill), this skill may be used to render it
useless. The user will attempt to use his/her technical knowledge
and dismantle the trap's mechanism, thereby making it safe to
pass. Be careful -- if done badly, the trap will trigger!

     Conceal: This skill allows the user to hide from his/her
enemies, even when standing in the middle of a well-lit room. In
effect, he/she becomes totally invisible to onlookers -- he/she
may then walk undetected amongst his foes. Practiced originally
by the mystic Ninja, this is a most difficult feat to accomplish.
The amount of time that the user can keep up this illusion also
depends on the character's experience level.


     Monsters

     Monsters are by far the most troublesome beings in Azalta --
 especially the ones that are out to kill you.
     There is an enormous variety of monsters in the worlds of
Azalta. Some are friendly; most are hostile. Some are
pathetically weak; others are extremely powerful, and deadly.
     Just like your characters, monsters may also have various
special skills or abilities. The best way to learn these is from
experience. For example, some creatures might have the ability to
turn invisible at will, and some might be able to regenerate
LifePoints at a much faster rate. Many intelligent creatures also
have the capacity to use magic spells.
     Different types of monsters also behave in different ways.
They may rush at you and attack, or they may play it safe, or
simply run away. Some creatures are more interested in
possessions than fighting; they may pick things up, or they may
even steal things directly from your characters' packs. Hungry
monsters may try to steal food. Sometimes monsters even have
petty quarrels with their own kind.
     Some creatures have tasty (or not so tasty) edible flesh,
like deer or pigs, for example. These can be a cheap source of
food, so you should be sure to pick them up -- unless you decide
your characters are vegetarians.
     When most monsters attack and hit your characters, they will
drain LifePoints. However, there are some creatures that drain
strength, intelligence, or other attributes instead. Be very
careful when facing these -- if a monster keeps hitting but
doesn't seem to be doing any damage, it may be draining something
else (or it may simply be to weak to harm you). Check your
characters' status screens.
     Beware of Undead creatures (the living dead -- skeletons,
zombies, etc) -- if one of your characters is killed by one,
their dead body instantly becomes one!


     Fighting

     Of course, the best way to get rid of all those attacking
monsters is to fight back. You may fight battles outdoors (when
monsters attack you) or indoors -- both types of battles are
basically the same. Your characters and the enemy creatures all
take turns moving, attacking, etc, until one side eventually
wins.
     When travelling outdoors, you will often be attacked by
creatures who are waiting in ambush. These battles end when
either you vanquish all of the attackers, or you flee (by exiting
the screen). Each character loses 10 XP every time he/she flees a
battle, but it is still sometimes the wisest move to make --
better to lose 10 XP than lose your life! Your enemies may also
flee a battle.
     The 'A' key is for the Attack command, the most important
command in battles (see the a-z commands list for more info).
Your characters may attack with either melee weapons (hand-to-
hand, close-range), such as swords or clubs, or with missile
weapons (fired, long-range), like bows or darts. When using the
attack command, you enter the direction you wish to attack in the
same as you would with other commands (talk, etc) -- but here you
may also use the diagonal directions (7, 9, 1, and 3 on the
number keypad at the right side of the keyboard).
     When you select a direction, your character will swing/fire
the weapon, and you will then be told whether the attack resulted
in a hit or a miss. If it was a hit, you will be told how much
damage was done to the enemy (in LP). If the damage reads "0" it
is likely that you need a better weapon to harm the creature --
it may have tough armor, or may be very fast and hard to hit.
     Wearing the proper armor is at least as important as weapon
choice in a battle situation. Spending a bit more money when
purchasing your characters' armor is always a wise move; having
good armor often saves lives.
     The most important aspect of all when battling is strategy.
Don't just rush in and start swinging! (although sometimes this
works well -- "a good offence is the best defence", as the saying
goes). Try to position your characters for optimal effect; keep
your weakest characters out of harm's way and put your toughest
up front. Experience will teach you what works and what doesn't.
     Since fighting is what normally gives characters the most
experience points (and thus lets them advance levels faster), you
should try to give each of your characters a chance to do a
little butt-kicking, and not just use your strongest fighter all
the time. For example, try to let that sissy sage of yours finish
off a few monsters now and then with his magic missile spell.
Share the XP, and your party will advance as a whole.


     Travelling to Other Worlds

     If you are a registered user, you will become what is called
a "Traveller". Only travellers can play other adventure modules
in Azalta. A registered traveller's party(s) can travel back and
forth between worlds an infinite amount of times. Your characters
can also take all their possessions with them (items, gold, etc).
This ability will allow your characters to become very powerful.
     If you wish, you may also create your own custom worlds for
your or others' parties to journey into, containing monsters,
items, and locations of your own invention. You may even wish to
release the worlds you create as Shareware and make a few
dollars!
     See the end of this document for information on how to
register and join "The Azalta Club". Also read the ORDER.FRM
file.


     Saving Your Game

     Pressing the "z" key saves your party's current position and
the status and inventory of each character in it ("q" will save
and also quit the game). Game saves can only be done when your
party is outdoors. You should save your game often, especially
after you achieve something important or win a difficult battle.
If you don't, the next time your party dies you will have to play
that part of the game over again. Saving your game also lets you
continue from that spot the next time you turn on your computer
and play Azalta.
     Frequent game saving is good, but just remember that there
may be times when you WON'T want to save it. For example, if you
save your game while your party is lost in the desert and down to
their last bit of food (ie. you are going to die), every time you
restore your game you will be facing this same death. If you
can't find a way out of that situation, you're stuck. It is
sometimes better to simply die and restore to an older position.
So don't save just as your party is about to die! And remember --
the game is automatically saved upon entering a location.


     Dying

     If a character's LP level reaches zero at some point, the
character dies. This is not a good thing. But unlike in real
life, an untimely death in the world of Azalta can usually be
remedied. You have a few options:
     You could continue adventuring with the remaining characters
in your party. They will keep the dead character's body and items
with them. You could then try and find a "healer" shop -- the
priests there will then resurrect your dead friend ... for a fee.
This is usually fairly expensive, but the cost depends on the
experience level the deceased was at at the time of death.
     Or, if you happen to have a powerful magic-user in your
party (and he/she is still alive), you could cast the "resurrect"
spell on the dead character yourself. This is the nicest choice,
but unfortunately is just not possible for low-level characters.
     What you could also do is restore your game at the last
saved spot (by pressing the TAB key). This is probably what
you'll want to do most of the time. Just remember to save you
game often!
     If all four of your characters should die, the game is over.
You have the option to either quit or to restore your party from
the last place your game was saved (the same as pressing TAB).



Keyboard Command Descriptions

     For quick reference, you may wish to print out the "Azalta
Quick-Charts" file included, which lists all spells and command
keys.
     Many commands need additional input, such as a direction for
Attack or Talk, for example; when a direction is needed, an arrow
symbol is displayed in the text window.


Cursor Keys..............Walk N, S, E, or W

'+' (plus sign)..........Go up stairs/ladder

'-' (minus sign).........Go down stairs/ladder

Space, or '5'............Wait and do nothing


F1-F4....................Switch to Character 1-4

F6-F9....................Stats for Character 1-4

F10......................Ship Stats (If Owned)

Help.....................Help (A-Z Command List)


'?'......................Identify Creature (with mouse)

TAB......................Restore from Last Save

Esc......................Commit Suicide



'A'......................Attack

     Used to attack a person or creature with the weapon your
character is currently holding. This command will ask you for a
direction; you may use the cursor keys to enter any of the four
normal directions, and you may also use the diagonals on the
number/cursor pad to attack diagonally (this is very useful). To
attack a creature with a hand-to-hand (melee) weapon your
character must be standing right next to it. Missile weapons
(like a crossbow) may be fired from a distance, and may be fired
over top of most low objects (not walls, although magic can make
it possible), or through certain objects (like a gate).
     After you choose a direction and your attack is made, the
message window will report either a "hit" or a "miss". If you
manage to hit the enemy, you will usually see a number which
tells you exactly how much damage you did (in LifePoints). If
this number is 0, your weapon may not be strong enough to get
through the creature's armor. If the number happens to be bright
red (as opposed to dark red), this means that the creature you
are attacking is now severely wounded and is near death. Some
creatures are magical and may only be damaged by a magical
weapon.

'B'......................Summon Boat

     If your party owns a magic ship, it can be summoned with
this command. You must be standing at the water's edge. This
command will also cause your party to exit the boat when you want
to get off (must be next to land).

'C'......................Cast Spell

     Makes a magic-using character cast a magic spell. See the
SPELLS.DOC file to learn more about the many available spells.

'D'......................Discard Item

     Throws away a character's unwanted item. You can not get
back what you discard, so use this command with caution.

'E'......................Enter Location

     Used to enter a village, castle, dungeon, or other such
location when outdoors. The game is automatically saved when a
location is entered.

'F'......................Fish

     When in a boat, this command lets your party try their hand
at fishing. If you catch anything, it will be added to the
characters' food supply. Caution: dangling bait in the water can
also attract other less desirable sea creatures.

'G'......................Get

     Used to pick up a chest or item when a character is
positioned on top of such an object.

'H'......................Hand Equipment

     Used to pass things back and forth between your characters.
This command will ask you which character you want to hand
from/to, then will prompt you to press one of "I, G, F, K". These
letters mean Item, Gold, Food, and Keys, respectively. Choose
which you want them to hand, and you will then be prompted for an
amount (up to 9999 at a time), or in the case of handing an item,
you will be asked to select an item number from the character's
inventory (1-8, "L" shows a list). When indoors, the two
characters you choose must be in the same room (although you may
hand things to/from a dead character at any time).

'I'......................Inventory

     Shows a character's status screen. Same as using F5-F8.

'J'......................Join Gold

     Causes all four characters to group their gold together and
give it all to one character to use. When indoors, this will only
affect the characters who are in the room, and will also affect
dead characters.

'K'......................Use Key

     Used to unlock (or lock) a door. The key will disappear when
used.

'L'......................Look at Crystal Compass

     Your party carries a magical "Crystal Compass" with them at
all times. This device will always point in the direction of the
"Great Underground Crystal" -- an immense crystal formation
several miles below the world's crust which holds vast magical
energy. Travellers of all types use this crystal to navigate. If
you follow the arrow on a crystal compass it will lead you
directly to the Great Crystal.

'M'......................Make Camp

     This lets your party attempt to get a day's rest and allows
your characters to heal wounds and regain magic power (depending
on how well they sleep). They will try to scrounge up a meal for
the night, too, if they are starving. May be used outdoors only,
on suitable terrain. Be careful though; you may be ambushed in
this prone state.

'N'......................kNown Spells

     List all spells that are known to a character. Pressing the
spacebar will flip through multiple pages (if that many spells
exist); pressing any other key will exit.

'O'......................Open Door

     Opens a closed door, unless it is locked. Will also close an
opened door.

'P'......................Party Formation

     When your party is attacked outdoors, they are arranged in a
set battle-formation. This command lets you change that
formation. A good formation can mean the difference between
winning and losing a tough battle. To use, arrange your
characters by moving them around and using the F1-F4 keys to
switch between them, then press the spacebar to accept the
formation you have created. This formation will be saved in your
party file the next time you save your game.

'Q'......................Quit & Save

     Saves party's current location and characters' stats and
exits the game. Must be outdoors.

'R'......................Remove Armor/Weapon

     Used to remove the armor or weapon that a character is
currently wearing/wielding. The removed item will be placed in
the character's pack. Press "A" for armor or "W" for weapon.

'S'......................Search

     Used to search the floor area a character is standing on for
items that may be hidden and not yet visible.

'T'......................Talk

     Used to talk to people up to ten feet (two spaces) away. A
direction must be entered (diagonals are not allowed). This
command is also used to read things, such as signs etc. You may
talk overtop of most objects (such as tables or chairs) and
through some (like doors), but not past most solid walls.

'U'......................Use Item

     Uses an item's special ability or magical power, if it has
one. This command will prompt you to press one of "W, A, 1-8, L",
meaning Weapon, Armor, other held items, or List all items,
respectively. Some items may only be used by certain people, or
only in certain places. In very rare cases, using a magical item
may have different consequences in worlds other than the one it
was created in.

'V'......................Volume On/Off

     Toggles the music and sound effects on/off.

'W'......................Wear/Wield

     Used to make a character wear a piece of armor or wield a
weapon from his/her pack. If an armor/weapon is already being
worn/wielded, it will trade positions with the new item.

'X'......................Xtra Skills

     Uses one of a character's special "extra skills", if the
character has any. You may select one of "P, R, F, D, C", which
stand for Pick, Rob, Find, Disable, and Conceal, respectively.

'Y'......................Yell

     Does just what it says.

'Z'......................Save and Continue

     Saves your party's current position and stats and lets you
continue playing.



Credits

Game design, programming, graphics, music and sound effects all
by Clint Sinclair.

"The Cult of the Raven" adventure module also by Clint Sinclair.

Thanks to: Danny Sinclair, Aaron Arndt, "Quetzal" Bradley.



REGISTERING - "THE AZALTA CLUB"

     Yes, Azalta is shareware. If you keep it for more than ten
days, you must register. When you register, you become a member
of "The Azalta Club".

     There are three registration levels to choose from:

     "Traveller" -- $15

     In addition to the full Azalta game system and the "Cult of
the Raven" module, you get the traveller program which instantly
turns your parties into multi-world travellers, and allows you to
play as many adventure modules as you want.

     "Creator" -- $30

     You get the entire Azalta Creator package which includes all
the editor programs (Monster Editor, World Editor, etc) allowing
you to create and edit your own adventure modules, invent your
own items, monsters and traps, draw your own graphics (if you
wish), and then release your adventures to the general public.
You will be an Official Azalta Creator. You could create amazing
monsters, the weapons of your dreams, magic items of incredible
power, even build a fortress for your characters to live in.
Absolutely no knowledge of programming is required; you use the
mouse in a point-and-click environment to create new adventures
or edit others' existing ones. Pass your adventures on for your
friends to play -- you may even wish to release them as shareware
and try to make a bit of money from them! You could quite easily
create better adventures than "The Cult of the Raven". Your
adventures will be placed on The Modules List (if you wish) so
other players know they exist. Created adventures will run on
both MS-DOS and Amiga computers. Also includes same software as
Traveller package.

     "Source" -- $50

     In addition to all the software in the above package, you
get all the Azalta source code, which is in 'C' Language. You get
absolutely everything.


     All prices are in U.S. dollars. See the file ORDER.FRM for
ordering information.

     Members of The Azalta Club are also able to compete with
each other to see who has the most powerful party/characters in
the world. Three lists will be available via USENET, FTP, etc,
which skilled players may want to try and get on: The Champions
List (the top ten most powerful characters); The Best Adventurers
List (the top ten parties with most adventures completed); and
The Masters' List (a list of all characters who have attained the
status of Master). Also available is The Module List, a list of
all available adventure modules.

     This is version 1.01 of Azalta. Depending on how many people
register the game, later versions with more features may be
released soon -- most notably, a multiplayer game where two or
more players can battle each other, party vs party, winner take
all....

     You are encouraged to copy Azalta and pass it on to friends
(you may NOT copy the programs you receive when you register!).
However, you may only pass on the original archive with ALL files
included.

     If you have any questions, comments, bug reports, etc, you
may contact us by e-mail at:

[e-mail]

Or, if you wish, you may write to us at the address below. We
will be more than happy to reply!

                         PsychoSoft Ent.
                         3992-B Bow Rd.
                         Victoria, BC
                         V8N 3B1  CANADA


CREDIT CARD ORDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For your convenience we have contracted NorthStar Solutions to process
any orders that you wish to place with your valid Visa or Mastercard.
They may be contacted (for orders ONLY) via any of the following
methods:

Voice:   1-800-699-6395  - 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard
                           Time. (Calls from the U.S. only.)

         1-803-699-6395  - 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard
                           Time.

FAX:     [phone]  - 24 hours. International orders encouraged.


E-MAIL:   America Online: STARMAIL
          CompuServe:     71561.2751
          Internet:       [e-mail]

Regardless of how you order, please have the following information
ready:

1. The program and version number (Azalta, version 1.0) you are
   registering,
2. Which Azalta package you want (Traveller, Creator, or Source),
3. Your computer system type (MS-DOS or Amiga),
4. Where the latest version should be mailed,
5. Your Visa or MasterCard # and its expiration date,
6. Your drive type (3.5" hi-density or low-density, or 5.25"
hi-density).

IMPORTANT: NorthStar processes registrations only -- please contact the
author for any product support. E-Mailed and FAXed registrations are
encouraged, but all registrations are very much appreciated!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------