Jason Aller Floppy Collection/244.img/TTRAP.ZIP/TTRAP.DOC

Text File | 1990-06-05 | 19KB | 399 lines

                           Treasure Trap



Introduction
Treasure Trap plunges you into the hostile undersea environment of the deep
sea treasure diver.  You've located the wreck of the gold-laden Esmeralda,
and donned the brass diving helmet and canvas suit that keep you alive at 50
fathoms.  Making your way through a broken bulkhead door, you enter the
sunken wreck and immediately spot the glint of gold.  You also notice the
variety of creatures that protect the long-lost treasure.

Treasure Trap tests your reflexes as you dodge poisonous stingrays,
voracious crabs and other dangerous citizens of the deep.  Fast reflexes
however, are only one part of the game.  As you explore the more than 100
rooms, you'll discover a delightful collection of puzzling situations that
require strategic planning and quick decision-making.  Only the talented
player who can handle both aspects will secceed.

Commercial divers often note that they are the only "brass collar" workers
in the world.  Now you can join them.


Your Goal
While staying alive is your primary concern, you've been hired to salvage
the gold from the watery grave of the Esmeralda.  It's easy to pick up the
gold, all you have to do is touch it.  The game will keep track of all the
gold you've collected, and even tell you how long it took you to gather it.
Sounds easy, but it isn't.

If you can find and collect the gold from every room, escape a final
surprise and reach the surface, you become one of the world's richest
individuals.  You'll be able to afford the swimming pool you always wanted,
buy the house of your dreams or captain the yacht of your most outrageous
fantasy.


Your Strategy
Attitude can mean the difference between a successful hunt and a dismal
failure.  The successful player will realize that it can be best to forget
the conventional approach and attempt the unusual.  If a particulary
difficult puzzle stumps you after repeated attempts, leave the room and come
back later.  A little experience can go a long way.

You can assume that every creature you meet wants to make you the main
course in their next meal.  That does not mean however, that some of the
swimming creatures cannot be helpful.  In fact, in many cases they are vital
links to the treasure.


The Play Screen
Gold Counter--This digital readout shows the number of gold bars you have
found and salvaged.  You have the option of saving the game when you collect
multiples of 50 pieces of gold.  It's a good idea to save the game whenever
you can; it prevents having to start over at the beginning after losing you
five lives.  You must play a game from beginning to end (not a restarted
game) to be registered on the high score table.

Friendly Fish--Friendly fish you collect are stored in this glass bubble
until you cal them into action.  You are awarded a friendly fish for each 80
pieces of gold.  When released, this fish easts every harmful object in your
room.  Press the <S> key to release a fish.

Fish Counter--This digital readout shows the number of friendly fish you
possess.

Gold Spout--When you pick up gold bars, molten gold pours out.

Gold Indicator--A flahing "G" means uncollected gold is still in the
displayed room.

Lives Counter--This digital readout shows the number of lives you have left.
You start each game with six lives.  Once the counter reaches zero, you
start a new game.  You can restore games that are saved to disk by pressing
the <L> key at any time.  You will receive an extra life when you collect
200 pieces of gold.

Life Force--This animated figure moves until you run out of air.

Air Supply--Keep a close eye on this bar guage, it shows how much air you
have left.  When the color slides to the bottom of the guage, you lose a
life.  You can pick up bottles of compressed air to replenish your air
supply.


Movement
You can move in four directions in Treasure Trap; Northwest, Northeast,
Southwest and Southeast.  In addition, you can jump straight up and in any
one of the four directions.

Joystick
To move, simply push the joystick in the corresponding direction.  To jump
straight up in the air, press the jump button.  To jump in a specific
direction, puch the jump button while moving or jump and then press the
joystick in the appropriate direction.

Keyboard
The following diagram illustrates the keys assigned by the programmers to
the five basic movements.  They can be changed.  To move, press and hold the
corresponding key.  To stop, let up the key.  To jump in a specific
direction, press the jump key, then press the appropriate movement key.


Defining the Keyboard
While Treasure Trap comes with predefined keyboard assignments for all of
the movement and controls in the game, you can redefine those keys to your
personal preference.  The following procedure is used to change the default
keyboard assignments.
         1.  When the Tresure Trap title screen is displayed, press <R> to
             access the keyboard reassignment panel.
         2.  The screen is divided int three columns:  Control, Current Key
             and New Key.  The first control displayed, labeled North, is
             shown in the left "Control" column.  The key that is currently
             used to control that movement, Right Arrow, is displayed in the
             middle column.
         3.  If you want to change the control of the movement, press the
             key you would like to replace it with.  That key will be shown
             in the "New Key" column.  If you want to keep the current key
             active, press <ESC>.
         4.  A new control key is displayed.  Repeat step 3 until you have
             completed the entire list of control keys.  Once the entire
             list of keys is displayed, follow the onscreen prompts,
             pressing <R> if you want to change any of your selections, or
             any other key to accept the key assignments listed.


Doors/Keys
You enter new rooms in the Esmeralda by walking through bulkhead doors.  In
most cases, you enter a door automatically by moving the diver into the
doorway.  In some instances however, you will discover locked doors that
cannot be entered without a key.  Locked doors are identified by a "key"
symbol above the doorway.

Before you can enter a locked door, you must possess the key that matches
the symbol above the doorway.  You will find keys scattered throughout the
rooms in Treasure Trap.  If you possess the key that matches the symbol
above a locked doorway, you can enter that door by moving the diver into the
doorway.

You can possess only three keys at one time.  They are stored on the key
rack on the lower left side of the screen.  Since you can possess only
three, you must decide which keys to keep and which to discard.

To pick up a key, use the <JUMP> key to land on top of the key and press the
<PICKUP/DISCARD> key.  Press the key at any time to discard a key that's in
your key rack.


The Game Map
When the "M" is flashing in the upper left corner of the screen (at the
beginning of each room), you can access the game map by pressing <M>.  A
grid is displayed, with every room you have entered revealed.  The border
around the room you are in is flashing.  You cannot see into the rooms you
have not yet entered.

Each room is numbered to help you keep track of your progress and make notes
concerning the location of keys you have noticed or air bottles you might
need later.  You can scroll across the map using the arrow keys or joystick.

To exit the game map screen, press the joystick fire button.


Save/Restore Game
You can save the current game to disk whenever you have collected a multiple
of 50 pieces of gold.  The Divers Merit list is displayed automatically if
you have reached your goal in one of the 12 fastest times.  Enter your name
and press Enter/Fire to add your name to the list.  The save game munu is
then shown.  Follow the on-screen prompts to save your game to disk.  Note:
You must have a blank disk ready to save high scores and games.

You can restore a game that has been saved to disk from the opening screen
of the game or by pressing <L> at any time.  Follow the on-screen prompts to
save.


Moveable Objects
The rooms of the Esmeralda are littered with the barrels, crates, blocks,
tables and chairs that were sent to the bottom with the rest of the ship.
These objects and many more can be moved around to help you reach high
places of divert the paths of swimming creatures in a particularly tough
situation.

You move objects by puching against them as you walk around the rooms.
Since you can't pull or grab any of these objects, you have to keep them
away from corners and walls where they can easily become stuck.  Objects
revert to their original position when you reenter a room.

The tides and currents of the Pacific will move some of the objects around
without you help.  Floating objects can help you get to places that would
normally be out of reach.


Your Air Supply
Nothing is more precious to a diver than air.  The diver in Treasure Trap
carries only two bottles of compressed air--Hardly enough to complete a
day's work at 50 fathoms.  Luckily, the dive master foresaw the problem, and
on the first dive of the day scattered reserve bottles throughout the rooms
on the Esmeralda.

The air gauge on the right side of the screen is the most improtant display
on you screen.  It's the only one that actually controls your life.  Let the
air run out, and you'll quickly become food for the crabs and fish.

You can replenish your air supply by picking up air tanks you find in the
ship.  If you touch one of these bottles, you automatically pick it up and
attach it to your helment.

Use caution when adding new tanks to your air supply.  If more than half of
your air remains when you pick a new bottle, you've also gathered big
trouble.  The excess air will blow up your suit like a balloon and your
movements become relatively uncontrollable.


The High Score/Fastest Time Tables
If you have attained one of the 12 top scores in Treasure Trapk, you can
enter your name on the Diver's Merit List of high scores at the end of the
game.  Just type in your character name and press Enter/Fire to log your
name onto the list.

When you have collected a multiple of 50 pieces of gold, the Divers Merit
List of fastest times is displayed.  If you have achieved one of the 12
fastest times, you can enter your name and press Enter/Fire to add your name
to the list.

Follow the onscreen prompts after these tables are displayed to save the
high-scores to disk.  Note:  You must have a formatted blank disk ready for
saved games and scores.  Do not save games to your game disk.


Quuickstart
The following procedures guides you through the first room of the Esmeralda.
It will teach you many of the basic movements and controls you will use
throughout the game.  If you lose a life during this section, just start
over.

         1.  Once the opening sequence has run, (you can skip the intro by
             holding down the left mouse button) the credits screen is
             displayed.  Press the left mouse button or joystick fire button
             to load the game.
         2.  After loading, answer "N" (No) when asked whether you want to
             load a game from the old high score disk.  Press any key to
             access the first room in the game.  Ignore the option of
             redefining your keys or loading a saved game for now.
         3.  The diver is located in front of the upper level door on the
             left side of the room.  If you look closely, you can see his
             exhaust bubbles floating toward the surface.
         4.  Make sure the crab and sea urchin are out of your way, then
             move <NE>.
         5.  Experiment with the movement controls while dodging the bubbles
             and creatures that can take yur life.  Make your way to the
             wooden crate with the gold bar on top of it.
         6.  Press the <JUMP> key or button and quickly move in the
             direction of the box.  You should be standing on top of the
             box.  If you aren't, keep trying until you've landed on the
             box.
         7.  Move until you have stepped on the gold.  The gold will
             disappear and the counter will read "1".
         8.  Move off the box and jump onto the orange round-shaped key in
             the center of the room.  Notice that this is an exact replica
             of the keys above all the doors.
         9.  Prss the <D> key to pick up the key.  The key is now on the
             rack on the lower left side of the screen.  You will see
             another key in the room.  Move around and pick up the key.
        10.  Move to one of the doors.  Since you possess the round key that
             matches the one above the door, the door opens and you enter
             the next room.
        11.  You're on your own now.  It won't get any easier.


Inhabitants of Esmeralda
Many aquatic creatures have taken up residence in the Esmeralda since an
explosion sent it to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  In addition, the ship
is the resting place of a fortune in gold bars and a number of objects that
you will need to locate and acquire to continue your search.

Sea Anemones
These poisonous creatures received their name from their resemblance to a
flower called the anemone.  Deadly to a treasure diver, the anemone
paralyzes anything it strikes, and then drags the victim into its mouth
opening.
Often called the sea flower, the anemone is not very mobile.  You will find
these brightly colored members of the jellyfish and coral family in many of
the rooms in the Esmeralda.

Air Tanks
You carry a limited supply of air on your search through the cabins of this
sunken ship.  While hard-hat divers normally breathe using an air hose, the
sharp edges of the ripped metal of the Esmeralda would quickly cut any hose.
Instead, you carry two of these tanks on you back as you explore the ship.
Your air supply is limited, and doesn't really provide the time you need to
fully gather all the gold.  The dive master however, made a preliminary dive
and scattered emergency bottles of air throughout the ship.
When your air supply is running low (indicated by the air gauge on the right
side of screen), you must find one of these tanks.  Just walk up and touch
the bottle, and you automatically receive additional air supplies.  Do not
pick up additional air supply is below 50 percent.  If you have to much air,
the excess blows your suit up like a balloon and you will have difficulty
moving for a short period.

Bubbles
While the Esmeralda's main cargo was gold, barrels of an unknown substance
were also carried.  The first divers on the wreck discovered that time and
pressure ruptured many of the barrels resulting in the release of bubbles
which are deadly to a diver clad only in a canvas suit.
The bubbles continually rise and fall in the rooms of the ship and must be
avoided.  You can watch the shadows they cast to determine where they will
fall.

Crabs
These crustaceans are fast and nasty.  When they scurry into a solid object
like a wall, they'll usually turn to the right.  If they his a corner or get
stuck in a doorway, it's hard to tell which way they'll go.

Electric Eels
They look like green snakes, but these slender amphibians can shock the life
out of you.  They're faster than most of the swimming creatures you'll see,
but they always swim in a straight line and are easy to avoid.

Smart Fish
You automatically catch one of these fish whenver you reach a multiple of 80
bars of gold.  They're stored in the small glass aquarium on the lower left
side of the screen.  A counter, also on the lower left, tells how many of
these fish you have collected.
These red snappers are your friends, but the rest of the creatures in the
wreck are acard to death of them.  When you press the <S> key, a friendly
fish will swin into the room you're in and swallow up everything that can
harm you.

Gold
These gleaming bars of gold are the reason you came to this fish infested
wreck.  If you figure out the puzzles, you can touch the gold and and it to
your salvaged items.  The number of bars you find will be added to the gold
counter on the left side of the screen.  When the "G" in gold is flashing,
there is gold in te current room that hasn't been collected.

Hammerhead Sharks
These voracious sharks are easily recognized with their hammer-shaped head.
Easily the fasest of the creatures you might encounter, the hammerhead shark
could move in any direction.  Don't turn your back on this beast, or it
could be the last turn you ever make.

Jellyfish
These graceful swimmers look pretty harmless, but their tentacles are packed
with a dangerous poison.  They ususlly move up and down, but on occaission
they'll hover right over your head and prevent you from jumping.
Jellyfish that are moving straight up and down cast a shadow that can be
helpful in determinging their positioin and avoiding their touch.

Keys
They might not look like keys but they'll open locked doors on the
Esmeralda.  Found on the decks and crated of the ship, each key is a
different color and shape.  If you possess the key that matches the one
above a door, you'll be able to enter.  You pick up a key by jumping on top
of if and pressing <D>.

Octupi
As dangerous as they are ugly, the octopus can grab on with a suction-like
grip and hold you captive until you die.  They usually move to the left when
they run into an object.

Pirhana
The tooth-filled grins of these quick fish are misleading.  Don't hesitate
to run away when you see them coming.  Pirhana will travel individually or
in small schools and can swin in all directions.

Starfish
While they don't moe much in real life, the starfish on the Esmeralda
slither across the floor.  Unwary divers end up in Davy Jones locker if they
don't watch their step.
Starfish always travel alone and usually turn to the left when they his a
wall or immovable object.

Stingrays
The flapping wings on these graceful swimmers are beautiful, but don't get
too close.  Some of them will let you stand on their back, but the pointed
tail can sting fast and is as deadly as it is painful.  This is on of the
ony creatures that swims at different depths in Treasure Trap.

Whirlpools
It looks like a whirling dervish as it bounces around the decks of the
Esmeralda, and it's just as dangerous.  If a whirlpool sucks you in there's
no escape.  You won't die, but you'll be transported to a new nocation.
Good luck in finding you way back.
You'll never be able to anticipate the moves of the these screaming vortexes
of water, so don't even try.  Jst stay out of the way.

All finished, so have fun.