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1991-08-28
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JACARANDA JIM
-------------
Version 2.30
Howdy! And congratulations (it says here..) on acquiring
yourself a copy of JACARANDA JIM. In this adventure you can
expect three things; Excitement, Intrigue, and two broken
promises..
Everything you ever wanted to know about
JACARANDA JIM but were too afraid to ask
----------------------------------------
1. This is a shareware or user-supported adventure game.
Whilst I retain copyright to the program I am perfectly
happy for you to give copies of JACARANDA JIM to your
friends, colleagues, bulletin boards and user groups provided
no profit is made at my expense and the files are not
tampered with in any way.
It is possible that you received this adventure
from a shareware library or public domain group. Money you
may have paid to these groups is NOT passed on to the
author of the software, you have merely paid for the media
(ie the disk, or modem connect charge) on which the
software is contained. The fee shareware companies charge
for their services should be minimal.
If you find yourself enjoying JACARANDA JIM please
consider registration. Registration entitles you to a 5¼
inch disk containing the very latest version of JACARANDA
JIM, detailed maps of Ibberspleen IV, help and program
updates.
The registration charges are shown in the main program.
Please note that for a 3½ inch disk update it is necessary to
add £1 to the appropriate registration fee.
2. The character of Alan the Gribbley is based upon someone I
once knew - although not really qualifying to be described
as a "person". He was a failed accountant with vaguely
homicidal tendencies. Yes, he did have a beard, did hum
smugly, and did have a copy of PC Tools Deluxe. Thankfully
I have not had the pleasure of bumping into this gentleman for
some time now, though I can still feel the bruises from his
infamous "I can kill a cow with my bare hands in 157
different ways" demonstration. If I were you I'd follow my
example and just not have anything to do with bearded men..
they're bad news.
If you are ever in a Guildford pub and you see a man in a
stripey jumper.. just be careful.
3. An adventure such as JACARANDA JIM will expect you to enter a
wide variety of commands such as "GO NORTH", "ASK ERNIE
ABOUT HIS NOSE", "PUSH THE PINK BUTTON WITH THE CUCUMBER",
"DUFF HIM UP", and "GET ALL". As you can see it is a
good idea to think of any command by the phrase "I would
like to.."
For example, you might decide "I would like to GO NORTH", and
so all you would have to do is type in "GO NORTH".
Similarly the thought "I would like to TAKE THE TAPE" could
be entered as just "TAKE THE TAPE".
All of these "commands" are entered at the > prompt.
A wide vocabulary is understood by the adventure.
Obviously if I were to list all the words understood by
JACARANDA JIM many of the puzzles would be given away, but
here are a few that might come in useful...
SAY, HIT, ATTACK, GO, WALK, SHOUT, ASK, LIST, INVENTORY,
EXAMINE, LOOK, SCORE, GIVE, PULL, PUSH, HELP, WEAR, GET, DROP,
WAVE, CLIMB, EAT, and so on...
All in all the parser for JACARANDA JIM is quite strong
and should not give you too much trouble.
4. The "LIST" and "INVENTORY" commands will tell you which
objects you are carrying at any one time.
As well as this the up and down arrows on the keyboard scroll
through the last 10 commands you have entered. This can be
very helpful if you are a slower typist.
5. At any time during the adventure's proceedings you can "SAVE"
your position on disk. This is a particularly good idea
if you're about to do something really daft like jumping
off the top of a double-decker bus.. not that there are any
in JACARANDA JIM. When you do fail miserably at whatever
ridiculous activity tickled your fancy you can always
restore your old position with the "LOAD" or "RESTORE"
command.
6. In moments of extreme emergency you may just wish to quit this
program. Earlier versions of this program required the user
(thats you by the way) to type "QUIT" at the prompt. However,
this proved too difficult for some people and so you now have
three ways of quitting:
i. Type "QUIT" at the prompt.
ii. Pressing ESCape. Often accompanied by screams of "Oh my
gawd how on earth did all these words get on my telly".
iii. Pressing F10.
Other useful abbreviations can be used by poor typists, or the
plain lazy:
X for EXAMINE object/thing/person
L for LOOK
I for INVENTORY of objects carried
Frequently used directions like NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, UP
and DOWN can be abbreviated to N, S, E, W, U and D
respectively.
Once you have already referred to a person by name you
can generally refer to them again by using the words "HIM"
or "HER". An example follows (user input is shown in upper
case):
> EXAMINE ALAN
Alan is very handsome and sports a fine beard of
tickertape and banana peel. He raises a distinguished
eyebrow and blows me a discrete kiss.
> ASK HIM ABOUT HIS BEARD
Alan winks, "It was given to me by the Wild Women of
the Hills. I had to give them a teapot first mind
you".
A similar approach can be taken when referring to objects
which can be carried. For example,
> TAKE KEY
Okay. I have taken the gold key.
> EXAMINE IT
(the gold key)
The gold key glistens in my hand. A length of seaweed
clings bravely onto it.
> ASK ALAN ABOUT IT
(the gold key)
Alan takes a look at the key in my hand. "Mmmm
seaweed!", exclaims the Gribbley, "That'll look
mighty fine in my beard". He snatches the gold key
off me.
> HIT HIM ON THE NOSE
Oof! Alan begins to cry, I apologise for my cruel
behaviour by kneeing him in the stomach..
7. A recent survey conducted by Miss Sian Kentrolle of Houston,
Texas came to the conclusion that 98% of those who
registered their copy of JACARANDA JIM with the author went
on to have a life of eternal bliss, untold riches, and no
Gloria Hunniford. All for a fiver.. Huh! Such a simple act,
for such fulfilment..
8. Seriously folks, I need your money. In return I can
promise you detailed maps, free updates and all that
jazz. Upon registration you will be sent a 5¼ inch disk
containing the very latest version of JACARANDA JIM. I will
also mow your lawn, fix your plumbing, and be your
ever-loving honey-bun till the end of time. Well,
possibly. Please note that if you require a 3½ inch disk of
JACARANDA JIM for your computer you should add £1 to the
appropriate registration fee.
Registration fees and details are shown in the main program.
9. If you DON'T register you're going to keep getting
crummy two elastic bands and a tube of toothpaste
software. You'll only have yourself to blame. I will
personally see to it that a smaller African republic comes
round your house next Wednesday and mortars your shed
into smithereens. It makes sense to register shareware
software.
Registration details are included in the program. Type
"HELP" if you're not sure. Okay? Ta.
10. Finally, many players of JACARANDA JIM ask me what the point
of the game is. Do you have to discover the secret of the
Wild Women's teapot, uncover a vast treasure hoard or
simply get a nice haircut for less than two bob? Well,
just as in life the final objective of JACARANDA JIM is a
mystery. However, it just might be a good idea to escape
from Ibberspleen IV, and continue your journey back home to
Earth..
Be seeing you
Graham Cluley