A MESS O'TROUBLE (32-bit Edition)- Copyright 1994-96 Ray R. Dunakin III
This complex game took over 1000 hours to create. It is shareware. If you like it, please send $10 (U.S.) to:
Ray Dunakin Please include the version number,
4665 Huggins St. and your disk requirements
San Diego CA 92122 (DS/DD or High Density)
If you register, you will receive complete instructions, hints and a map. If you would like a copy of my previous game "Another Fine Mess", please include an additional $15.
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EMAIL: RayDunakin@aol.com
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Distributing this game: You are encouraged to upload this game to any Net site, online service, or local BBS that does not have the latest version, as long as ALL the files are included. (The game file, the sound library, and this READ ME document.) Give a copy to a friend!
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IMPORTANT: All version since 1.4.32 are now 32-bit compatible! This means it is no longer necessary to turn of 32-bit addressing when using System 7. A Mess O'Trouble will now run on ANY Mac!
HOWEVER, on PowerMacs and AV Macs the sounds probably will NOT play. This is due to differences in the sound hardware in those machines. You can still play the game as long as you pay close attention to the text so you won't miss any clues.
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On all Macs:
-- If you use "chimes" on your Mac's clock, you must switch off the chimes.
-- Sound Manager 3.0 may cause the sound to be choppy at times.
-- Playing the game while another program is in the background may also cause choppy sounds. A program called Kaboom! which plays sounds while you are using your Mac can cause this game to freeze.
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VERSION 1.6 INFO: In this version I added several more hints to some of the tougher puzzles. Also, if you enter "help" at a place where you are having trouble, you MIGHT get an extra hint. But not always.
VERSION 1.7: I added a couple of special "fix it" codes to help people who have gotten stuck. (If you think you're stuck, let me know, and I'll either give you a clue or give you the special code to get unstuck.)
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OPENING SAVED GAMES: In some cases you can open a saved game by double-clicking on it. However, sometimes this results in the loss of sounds. If you can't open a saved game by double clicking, or you experience a loss of sound, you must boot up A Mess O'Trouble, then CLOSE the new game (not quit) and open the saved game from the File menu.
"A Mess O'Trouble" is multi-layered, with plots and sub-plots, and puzzles inside of puzzles. But it is also non-linear -- that is, you don't have to finish one area before moving on to the next. Like real life, you can move freely, discovering as you go. As you move through the worlds of the Maze, you will become involved in a number of complex storylines.
You have two player characters to choose from, Fearless Frank or Daredevil Dawn. Some of the puzzles have different solutions for each character, so if you like you can play the game twice, once as Frank and once as Dawn, and face some new challenges.
Here are some things you NEED TO KNOW:
TAKE NOTES!!! This is a very complex game, and you must find and piece together many clues to solve the puzzles you will encounter. Since many of the clues will only be given once, or may take a lot of time to find, you don't want to forget them. Taking notes is the only way to insure that you will remember when the time comes to put these clues to use.
EATING, DRINKING, SLEEPING: You begin your journey with only food, water, a flashlight and $10 worth of "Raybucks", the only form of currency accepted by merchants in the Maze. You must eat, drink and sleep from time to time. If you get too hungry or thirsty, you will be given a warning. When given a warning you have 12 scene moves to go before starving or dying of thirst.
SAVING YOUR GAME: This game is much less "fatal" than my previous game. There are only a few places where you could be "killed", and there will always be some kind of clue warning you to be careful. If you pay attention to clues and be careful you should be able to play the entire game without dying once. However, to be safe you should always SAVE YOUR GAME frequently!
SEARCHING: Search every scene. And just because you've searched a scene once doesn't mean you shouldn't search it again later. After all, things may have changed since you were last there. Click on objects to examine them, to open secret panels, or to find hidden clues and objects.
ALWAYS READ THE TEXT and pay close attention to clues. (This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how often people fail to read the text and then miss important clues.) The view shown for each scene may face a different direction than the last. The scene description tells you which way you are facing. Pay attention to this and you won't get lost.
TALKING: You should talk to EVERYONE you meet. To do this, just enter "TALK" (or "INFO"). You can talk to each character more than once, they may have more to say. Even after running out of information once, a character may have something new to tell you later in the game. Some characters may talk to you first. Just answer the questions and respond appropriately. After they've finished you might be able to TALK to them for additional info. Use GIVE or OFFER if you want to give something to someone.
IMPORTANT: When you are talking to a character, and must answer "No", enter the entire word, not just "N". The program reads that as North, and may move you in that direction, breaking the chain of the conversation.
The flashlight works automatically. When you enter a scene that has no light source, your flashlight will "dispel the darkness". But if your batteries are dead the scene will be black, and you can't search or get a scene description. If you have the extra batteries, just enter "USE BATTERIES".
PICKING UP OBJECTS: The standard command to pick things up is "GET". Just enter GET followed by the name of the object you want to pick up. You can usually pick things up by clicking on them, however there are many times when you must specifically use the GET command, usually when the object you want to pick up is something uncommon or not directly visible. ("TAKE" will also work.)
LOOK: Use the Look command to get a description of the scene. You can and should look UNDER beds or other furnishings, out windows, in holes or pipes, or anywhere else that seems appropriate.
ACTIONS: If you want to use an object, just enter USE followed by the name of the object. However, at times you must use a more specific command. Sometimes you can link the command, to use an object with another object or thing. Just say "Use (name of object) with (name of second object)".
If you want to break something, just say HIT or BREAK followed by the name of the object you want to break. At times you may be asked for more specific directions.
Use the Weapons menu to attack another character. DO NOT use the weapons menu if you want to shoot an object. Enter "SHOOT" followed by the name of the object.
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IMPORTANT: You can often manipulate objects in the game. By this I mean, you can MOVE, PUSH, PULL, or TURN an object. For instance, "MOVE CABINET" or "TURN KNOB". And you might have to do one movement, followed by a different movement.
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CHECK YOUR SPELLING! I've tried to include common misspellings in the command vocabulary, but obviously I can't get them all. If you try something that you think should work, but only get the "Huh?" or "What?" response, make sure you haven't mispelled anything. Also, you might have to word it differently.
JUMP DOORS: Jump Doors allow you to make a one-way trip to another area or world in the Maze. Unstable Jump Doors flicker when opened, and send the player to a random location. When using an unstable Jump Door, you may pass through one or more blacked-out scenes. This is normal.
If you need more hints or have any comments, look for A Mess O'Trouble in the Adventure Games folder on America Online, or send me e-mail. My email address is RayDunakin@aol.com. Please support shareware by sending in the registration fee.
Also, you can upload A Mess O'Trouble to your local bulletin board. If you like this game, post a message telling people about it! Spread the word!
