Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/games/rogue.zip/ROGUE.DOC

Text File | 1986-01-16 | 11KB | 186 lines

ROGUE.EXE is copyrighted by EPYX Software. I have not seen their doc, but this
file will list some of the undocumented commands I have discovered by
playing with the game briefly.  F-1 will give you the help function. Capitol
S will save and exit.

The game is more sophisticated than it first appears.  Each game is radically
different from another.  All clues change with each game.  All maps are
different, and it appears that a level map is generated only when you first
enter the staircase.  Some games have a lot of mazes, and others have none.

The only way you will get to higher levels consistently is to save the game
as you go along.  To restore the previous save, type   ROGUE/R  and the
game will look for a ROGUE.SAV file to restore.  Once that file is restored,
it is erased.  So, to defeat the erase, you need to make a copy of that save
before you restore.  Try   COPY  ROGUE.SAV  ROGUE1.SAV  to make a spare
copy. Then do the reverse to restore your spare copy: COPY ROGUE1.SAV ROGUE.SAV
before you try to restore the game.

You must watch your hits and strength at the bottom of the screen. Each time
you are hit by a monster the game subtracts from your hit total. When
you run out of hits, good-bye game. You start the game with 12 hit points,
and as you are promoted by defeating creatures (watch bottom right corner
for your experience level and bottom left corner for the game level) the
game gives you bigger cushions (around 49 points at experience level 12,
and 72 points around level 19.)  But not to worry, because as you go deeper
and deeper into the game the monsters get nastier, and whack off larger
numbers of hit points.

You W)ield weapons and if you have a mace you simply run into the creature
(using cursor keys).  It is not documented in the help file,  but
to use a bow or crossbow, you W)ield the appropriate weapon and hit the '+'
key.  The game asks for a direction, which you indicate with an arrow key.
Then you must select what to throw with.  You select darts, arrows or
crossbow bolts, as appropriate.  If you miss you can pick up the fallen
arrows, if you survive the encounter.  You can throw daggers, darts and
weapons even, without wielding any specific weapon.  It appears that the
weapon of choice is the two-handed sword, the next choice would be the long
sword, and then the mace.  If you acquire the stealth ring early on, then
the weapon of choice might be the short bow.  Swords are definitely better
in handling many monsters than is the mace (default weapon).  Some weapons
have a curse and you cannot drop them without a remove curse scroll.

You can hit the period key (wait key) to regain hit points faster.
You recover hit points over time, more quickly as you gain experience
points. It takes about nine moves to recover one lost hit point at the
lower levels, and about 1 point per every move at higher levels.

Identify scrolls should be saved to identify rings, wands and staffs. You
can figure out what is in flasks by trying them.  The only dangerous flask
is blindness, and it lasts for only about 50 moves. Blindness can be cured
by healing and extra healing potions.  Teleport rings are bad news and should
be immediately discarded, as you will teleport around that level very
quickly and very depressingly.  Rings and armor are often cursed and cannot
be removed once tried on.  Once cursed, only a remove curse scroll will help.

The other scrolls do various things (or do nothing)
then ask you to name the scroll.  For example as you read the scroll it will
say "your hands turn red, what do you want to call this?" so you say something
like "redhands" and later discover you have fire hot hands until you finish
the next encounter with a creature. The game remembers things you have named
or otherwise discovered, and the next time it will say you have found a
'redhands' scroll.  You can use F-5 to rename things you are familiar with.
The game distinguishes these by saying the scroll is "called" some name
the next time you find a similar scroll.

You z)ap with wands and staffs, and as you do that, you discover how they
work if you have not identified them with an identify scroll. Generally
wands and staffs are important to reach the higher levels and should be
saved only for emergencies with the most difficult monsters, or when you
are about to depart the game due to lack of hit points or strength.
You find teleport staffs which teleport the creature to another part
of the current level (but not for long!), fire staffs and cold staffs.
They generally have only a limited number of charges, so use them wisely.
The identify scrolls tell you how many charges are there initially, and
your f7 key tells you how many charges left after you have identified it.

You will stumble onto sleep traps, bear traps, etc. which are thereafter
identified with a diamond.  The trap will hold you for one to five moves.

The game tells you when you are hungry by flashing a temporary sign on
the top of the screen and then turning on a hungry sign down where the
caps lock indicator normally is.  You should e)at then, and only then, as
you will faint from loss of food, if you go without food for too long.
If possible find food scrolls should be saved for these emergencies.

Any weapon will improve in quality if you find Enchant Weapon scrolls.
Only the weapon you are presently wielding will improve with this scroll.
Watch F-7 key to see improvements in the weapon strength level.

WEAPONS:  Mace, long sword, short bow, arrow, dagger, two handed sword
dart, crossbow, crossbow bolt, and spear.

ARMOR:  Leather armor, ring mail, studded leather armor, scale mail,
chain mail, splint mail, banded main and plate mail (generally in order
of increasing strength, but you have to put them on to see the strength
level. Leather armor is level 3 at a minimum (can be more) and is the only
armor not affected by the Aquator. If you find a Maintain Armor Ring,
and find Splinted, Banded or Plate mail, you can increase the strength
up to level 10 or so with Armor Enchanter Scrolls (the scroll works on
any type of armor). Otherwise wear plain Leather Armor above level 8.

SCROLLS (15):                          POTIONS (14):
===============                        =============
Growling Noise:    FOOD DETECTION      Can't Move:     PARALYSIS (Temporary)
Armor Glows:       ENCHANT ARMOR       Feel Better:    EXTRA HEALING (restore)
Humming Noise:     AGGRAVATE MONSTERS  Begin to Feel Better: HEALING (+ Hits)
Hands Glow Red:    MONSTER CONFUSION   Feel Stronger:  GAIN STRENGTH(+Strength)
Somebody Watching: REMOVE CURSE        Tasted Great:   RESTORE STRENGTH (+Str)
You Fall Asleep:   SLEEP               Feeling Very Sick Now: POISON(Not Fatal)
You Teleport:      TELEPORTATION       Whats Going On: CONFUSION (Momentary)
Mace Glows Blue:   ENCHANT WEAPON      Cloak of Darkness: BLINDNESS (temporary)
Mace Gives Flash:  VORPALIZE WEAPON    Mango Juice:    SEE INVISIBLE MONSTERS
Maniacal Laughter: SCARE MONSTER       More Skillful:  GAIN ONE SKILL LEVEL
Map Appears:       MAGIC MAPPING       Monsters ID:    MONSTER DETECTION
Nothing on it:     BLANK PAPER         Magic ID:       MAGIC DETECTION
Nothing on it:     MONSTER ID          Speed Up:       HASTE SELF
As You Read It Vanishes: HOLD MONSTER  Quench Thirst:  THIRST QUENCHING
As You Read It Vanishes: CREATE MONSTER    Note: Blindness is cured by Healing
  Note: Enchant means enhance                    and Extra Healing Potions

WANDS & STAFFS (14):                   RINGS (14):
===================                    ==========
DRAIN LIFE (from monsters)             RING OF DEXTERITY + or - levels
SLOW MONSTER (Make monster sluggish)   AGGRAVATE MONSTERS (Bad News)
HASTE MONSTER (Make monster faster)    SLOW DOWN DIGESTION (eat less)
MAGIC MISSLE (rocket launcher)         STEALTH (Ninja ring)
LIGHTENING  (zap!)                     SUSTAIN STRENGTH (Against Rattlers, etc)
WAND OF LIGHT (see dark room)          MAINTAIN ARMOR (Against Agitator)
TELEPORT AWAY (elsewhere same level)   TELEPORTATION (Bad News!! Avoid it!!)
TELEPORT TO                            SEE INVISIBLE (invisible monsters)
POLYMORPH (Metamorphize monster)       SEARCHING (see invisible traps 1 space
CANCELLATION                           ADD STRENGTH (+ or -)             away)
NOTHING (walking stick)                PROTECTION (+ or -)against some monsters
FIRE (dangerous fire bolts)            ADORNMENT (Ring has no powers)
COLD (freezing)                        REGENERATION
STRIKING (extra hitting power)         INCREASE DAMAGE (+ or -)
(Note: charges vary with each game)

              POINTS
MONSTERS (26): KILL COMMENTS:
=============  ==== ==================================
AQUATOR         23  Can't hurt but saps Armor strength
BAT              1  Easy but pesky
CENTAUR         17  Hard
DRAGON         ???  Very Very Hard
EMU              3  Easy
VENUS FLYTRAP  108  Pretty Hard
GRIFFIN       2020  Almost Sure Death
HOBGOBLIN        3  Easy
ICE MONSTER      5  Easy
JABBERWOCK     ???  Almost Sure Death
KESTRAL          2  Easy
LEPRECHAUN      12  Steals some money unless you kill it
MEDUSA         220  Very Hard (confusing gaze: hit her first)
NYMPH           39  Steals something valuable unless you kill it
ORC              5  Easy
PHANTOM        136  Very Hard: Invisible without special ring or potion
QUAGGA          34  Hard
RATTLESNAKE      9  Deducts from your strength when it bites you in leg
SNAKE            2  Easy but pesky
TROLL          122  Hard
UR-VILE        206  Very Hard
VAMPIRE        378  Deducts from strength and very hard to defeat
WRAITH          59  Deducts from experience (lose experience levels)
XEROC               Hard
YETI            53  Hard
ZOMBIE           7  Easy

At the higher levels you run into some really strong monsters, like Jabberwock,
Dragon, and Griffin, which appear invincible without special scrolls, rings,
potions, wands or staffs.  Note that you can quaff a potion in the middle of
a fight to regain hit points and/or strength.  Whether you will have the
appropriate wands, staffs, scrolls, etc. depends on luck in getting them, and
skill in using them appropriately. Other monsters which appear invincible at
lower levels are handily defeated at higher levels, like Trolls, Ur-viles
and the like.  Even benign monsters are rough if you are low on hit points.

TRAPS:
Trapdoor       Drops you down to the next level
Beartrap       Holds you for 5 turns (hope no monster is near by)
Sleeping Gas   Knocks you out for one or more turns
Arrow Trap     Shoots an arrow
Teleport Trap  Sends you somewhere else on the same level
Poison Dart    Not deadly but take their toll
Wierd Trap     Who knows?