You are now in the ComputerWrist Help section. The ComputerWrist is here to help you use Commander Keen in the way that you wish. First, you need to know how to look at this Help article.
Use the arrow keys to page forward and backward in the Help. When you are done reading the text, press Esc.
Press the right arrow key now to go on.
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^c9COMPUTERWRIST MAIN MENU
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There are eight choices in the Main Menu. They are: New Game, Load Game, Save Game, Configure, Return to Demo, End Game, Play Paddle War and Quit. The currently selected item will be highlighted, and there will be a flashing dot beside it. Items you cannot select will have an "X" by them.
Use the arrow keys to move to the item you wish to select, then press Enter to choose that item.
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Let's look at each of the sections in order.
^c4NEW GAME
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You can choose to start a new game in easy, normal, or hard modes. These determine how many creatures will be against you, and how many shots you get for each Neural Stunner collected.
If you are in the middle of a game and haven't saved it, starting a new game will wipe out that old game forever. You will be asked for confirmation if you try to do this.
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^c4LOAD GAME
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If you have saved a game previously, load game will allow you to load it in and play it. If you haven't saved a game (basically when you first get the game), the Load option will not be available.
^c4SAVE GAME
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You may save up to six different games. You can't save a game until you start one, of course. You can name them whatever you wish. Use the arrows to move to an available spot and type in a name. Press Enter to save the game. Then press ESC to return to the Main Menu.
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^c4CONFIGURE MENU
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This menu provides sound options, control options, and game parameters you can change.
Choices for Sound Effects are no sound effects, PC Speaker sound effects, and Adlib/Sound Blaster sound effects.
Choices for Music are none or Adlib/Sound Blaster.
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^c4OPTIONS
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You can choose whether you want to see the score box in the corner of the screen as you play. It is nice to have there, but it can block your view sometimes! And on slower systems, removing the score box is a very good idea.
The second item in the Options menu is SVGA Compatibility. If you have an SVGA card, you can turn compatibility mode on so your card will work with Keen.
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^c4OPTIONS (cont'd.)
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The third item is Two-Button Firing. If you use a joystick, firing with the keyboard can be a pain. Two-Button Firing is an option that will fire your Stunner if both buttons are down. This can make high pogo jumps more difficult, but it is okay once you get used to it.
You can use keyboard or joystick control. If you choose keyboard, you can redefine the control keys. If you choose joystick one or two, follow the prompts for joystick calibration. The current control mode is at the bottom of the menu window.
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^c4RETURN TO GAME
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If you went to the ComputerWrist from a game, this option will get back to the action.
^c4END GAME
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If you want to end your current game for whatever reason, this option will allow you to. The demo will be shown again.
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^c4PADDLE WAR
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While Commander Keen was busy constructing his ComputerWrist, he decided to put a simple paddle game on his ComputerWrist. He just finished "Paddle War" by the time he heard the Shikadi's message. He'll probably get to other games later.
^c4QUIT
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Quit, for lack of a better word, quits.
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^c9NOTE TO SUPER VGA OWNERS
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If you own a Speedstar VGA card or other non-100% compatible SVGA card, you'll need to type "KEEN4 /COMP" on the command line, instead of just "KEEN4." This should fix all your problems. An alternate method is choosing Configure, then Options, then SVGA Compatibility in the ComputerWrist menu.
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^c4OTHER NEAT-O COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS
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When some documentation tells you to type more than just the name of the program you want to run (like we did above), those extra bits are called "command line parameters." This is a fancy term for extra information you can give the program when you run it. Normally, you will never have to type these. If the program is having trouble with your hardware, try the appropriate parameter.
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Here are some command line parameters that work with Commander Keen:
KEEN4 /NOAL (No AdLib or Sound Blaster detection.)
KEEN4 /NOSB (No Sound Blaster detection.)
KEEN4 /NOJOYS (Tell program to ignore joystick.)
KEEN4 /NOMOUSE (Tell program to ignore mouse.)
KEEN4 /HIDDENCARD (Overrides video card detection if the program seems to be detecting your video card incorrectly and not letting you play.)
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^C2CONCLUSION
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Now go explore the Control Panel, and have fun playing "Secret of the Oracle"!
