After you select NEW from the menubar to begin a new game, the next step is to create a commando character to play in the game. This character is the person you pretend to be during your adventures inside the game world of DoomsDay 2000.
Your character is given a set of attributes (such as Strength) that will be used in determining success or failure in the various activities you attempt to perform. The importance of a particular attribute will vary depending on what is being done and the situation at hand. For example, you may find yourself unable to pick up an especially heavy object because your strength attribute is too low for that task. Attribute values can increase and decrease during the course of a game. In general, you should strive to increase your character's attributes as much as possible.
When beginning a new game, it is important to consider which attributes you would like to have at a high value to start with, and reject the selections of offered attributes until you are satisfied. For players just learning how to play, it is suggested that characters be declined until one is offered with a Dexterity (DEX) in the range of 16 to 18, with a Constitution (CON) of at least 12, and a Strength (STR) of at least 10. By emphasizing dexterity in this way, you will tend to increase your initial chances of survival; please note though, that given the inherent complexities of the game, a high dexterity alone does not ensure success.
You can ensure that the above minimums are offered during the attribute selection phase by specifying a Difficulty Level of Beginner in the Preferences window; refer to Tailoring the Game for details. As you become more familiar with the game you may choose to emphasize a different set of attributes, with a different set of preferred starting ranges. You may also then wish to set the difficulty level to one of the other settings, such as Normal.
ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTIONS:
The character window information described below is arranged to provide a logical progression for conveying the information, rather than following the order given in the actual window.
EPS Experience
Experience points are accumulated as you accomplish certain tasks and slay all sorts of horrid little (and not so little) monstrosities that are running around loose in the game. As your experience grows so does your overall skill Level. Characters start with zero experience points.
LEV Level
This is the overall skill level of your character, which primarily governs combat ability. Your level goes up as you achieve specific amounts of Experience points. The higher your level, the better are your basic combat skills, and the higher the likelihood of being able to accomplishing various tasks. Characters start at Level 1. The number of experience points required to reach a given level is something to be discovered during play. Higher levels require correspondingly higher experience points, with level advancement slowing over time as the quantity of experience points needed to achieve the next level increases.
HP Hit Points
This is a quantitative measure of how much damage your character can take before dying. Hit points increase as your skill Level increases, decrease as you are injured, and are restored as you rest to heal. If you are injured both your current hit points and the hit points you have when fully healed are shown to give you an idea of how seriously you are hurt; the format is "current / maximum". New characters begin with hit points in the range of 1 to 18, and increase by 1 to 18 for each advance in skill level.
The Constitution attribute influences the actual value by which hit points change across levels by adding or subtracting from your hit points; in general, high Constitution attributes provide bonuses, and low ones yield penalties.
STR Strength
Strength determines how much equipment you can carry in your inventory, the amount of physical damage that you can inflict, and how far you can throw an object. New characters begin with strength in the range of 1 to 18. For players unfamiliar with the game it is suggested that you initially select characters with a strength of at least 10.
DEX Dexterity
Dexterity is a factor in determining success or failure in a combat situation, in avoiding a fall, picking locks, disabling traps, and so forth. New characters begin with dexterity in the range of 1 to 18. For players unfamiliar with the game it is suggested that characters be selected with a dexterity of at least 16.
SPD Speed
Speed is the basis for determining your ability to outrun the badguys. A character begins with speed in the range of 1 to 18. There are special instances where an enhancement to speed may enable you to do extra actions; for example, when trading blows with a badguy the two of you alternate attacking each other, but with enhanced speed you may be able to strike twice for each of his single attacks.
INT Intelligence
Intelligence represents reasoning and learning ability, and influences your ability to discover (or not discover) secret passages and traps, and identifying the nature of strange devices whose function you do not yet understand. Characters begin with intelligence in the range of 1 to 18.
WIS Wisdom
Wisdom spans judgement, intuition, and will power. It influences your ability to avoid falls, and (together with INT), contributes to your ability to discover (or not discover) secret passages, traps, and in identifying the nature of strange devices. It is also the basis for determining resistance to various mind–altering attacks and happenstances. New characters begin with wisdom in the range of 1 to 18.
CON Constitution
Constitution is a basis for modifying your Hit Points as you advance in skill Level, and also governs your ability to survive the effects of various harmful substances. New characters begin with constitution in the range of 1 to 18. For players unfamiliar with the game it is suggested that characters with a constitution of at least 12 be selected.
CHR Charisma
Charisma is used to determine how various creatures react to your presence and activities. Each new character begins with charisma in the range of 1 to 18.
The following information will be displayed with your attributes in the CHARACTER window and will also be updated during the course of the game.
Name Captain Hazard
This is the name of your character. You may change the name as desired by means of a command in the PREFERENCES window. Changing the name of your character also changes the names of the corresponding character file and folder. The default is Captain Hazard.
AC Armor Class
The higher the number, the better you are protected from physical harm. Each new character begins with an armor class of 0.
WC Weapon Class
The higher the number, the better your chances are for hitting something with what ever weapon you are currently using; it is not necessarily an indication of how much damage can be inflicted. This indicator applies only to the currently wielded weapon (refer to the WIELD command for details). Characters begin with a weapon class appropriate for their initial equipment.
WT Weight
This reflects the total weight of the items you are currently carrying. Your typical carrying capacity is your Strength times 10 units, so you can carry 100 units of weight with a strength of 10. An asterisk (*) is displayed adjacent to the weight value when you are carrying enough to be "overburdened", in which case some activities may then be more difficult than normal to accomplish, and others may even be risky.
Region
This identifies the area within the game that you are currently exploring.
Penalty, Bonus, Score
These identify your success in playing the game; refer to the section on Scoring for further details.
Actions
The majority of the things you do in DoomsDay 2000 result in the passage of time within the game, and as time elapses the content of the game world is updated to reflect that fact. For example, if you decide to pick up an object from the floor, that action takes one unit of game time. As you finish that action, the game world is then updated ... perhaps with something horrible suddenly pouncing upon you from out of the darkness.
You do things by issuing commands, which take place in response to your clicking on a button or pressing a keyboard key. Commands that result in the passage of time are referred to as "actions". Most of these actions take a single time unit (such as firing a weapon or taking a step forward), and some (such as REST) can take multiple time units with the game world being updated after each time unit.
There are also things that you can do which do not result in time elapsing, and you can perform as many of these as you like without causing the game world to be updated. An example of this type of non–action command is LOOK which is used to glance down a hallway, and another is HELP for getting help on various aspects of the game. You can also sit and review this player's guide without game time passing.
Refer to the Commands section which describes alternative ways of using the keyboard and mouse to specify commands that have multiple steps. Detailed command descriptions are found in the Detailed Command Descriptions section of this document.
Movement
You can move your character around in the game world by several different methods. These methods can be used individually or in combination as desired. The basic directions in which you can move are the standard primary compass directions (north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest, and north), as well as up and down. Movement can be done on a step by step basis, or by running. Each step taken, whether walking or running, is an action and takes one unit of game time. The area around your character is revealed as you proceed with your explorations.
It is important to understand that issuing step–by–step movement commands, however quickly, is not running. Just because you hit the keyboard key lightening fast, or your finger blurs when clicking on a movement button, does not mean your character has a better chance of outrunning what ever is chasing you. You must explicitly issue one of the RUN commands to be running and thus (perhaps) have a possible speed advantage over pursuers. Also, running is halted whenever you are attacked, or whenever you encounter an object along the way; the TOGGLE command can be used to ignore objects while running.
While running, right–angle (90°) corners are typically "cut" (not stepped into) if they have been previously revealed; i.e. diagonal movement that skips the actual corner location.
If you attempt to move into a location that is already occupied by some other creature your action is assumed to be an attack and hand–to–hand combat ensues; refer to the Combat section for further details.
COMPASS BUTTONS:
Using the Mouse you can click on the appropriate compass direction buttons in the BUTTON window to step in the desired direction; Click on N for north, NE for northeast, and so forth.
Clicking on RUN will highlight that button until you click on it again. While RUN is highlighted, you will run in the direction you specify when clicking on compass buttons (or when map–clicking). The compass buttons can also be used to specify a direction in response to various command prompts.
MAP CLICKING:
You may click directly on the gameboard map display to move around. When this mode is activated the mouse cursor is shown as a pointing finger, rather than as an arrow. Map clicking functions are available for both the regular map display as well as for the ZOOM window (which shows a condensed view of the entire area currently being explored); see the ZOOM window explanation in the Windows section.
• Click on a space adjacent to your character's figure to step to that location.
• Click on a previously explored location some distance from your character to run to that place, subject to the following rules:
∆ Your character will be running the entire distance and will stop upon reaching the specified destination, or if attacked somewhere in between; encountered objects are ignored.
∆ Known traps are avoided. A trap is "known" if it is visually revealed, or if it is found via use of the Search command but is currently covered by something, or was once revealed but is now covered.
∆ An attempt is made to avoid pits and closed doors. They become valid areas for travel if there is no other alternative; for a closed door your movement is stopped at the threshold – just open the door and then reclick on your destination.
∆ If there is a choice between taking a route blocked by a creature, and a longer route that is unobstructed, then the longer route will be taken.
∆ Unexplored territory can not be traversed this way, but you are allowed to click on the edge of unexplored areas as a means of facilitating exploration into the unknown.
∆ Path analysis occurs after each step to take advantage of topology changes as they occur; so you might start running north, then turn around and head in a different direction, if the path ahead of you suddenly became blocked by an obstruction.
• Click on your current location to perform a single brief search of both your current location and the locations immediately adjacent to your character's figure; search repeatedly for a more thorough inspection. Careful ... click too fast and it will be a double–click!
• Click on a location adjacent to your character in response to prompts for an adjacent location or a direction. For example, to open a nearby door click on OPEN, then click on the door. And to look down a corridor click on LOOK, then click in the appropriate adjacent location along the corridor. These same commands can of course be accomplished by using the appropriate compass buttons or keyboard directional commands, rather than clicking on the map to indicate the direction.
• Option–click (click the mouse button while holding down the OPTION key) on an adjacent location to run in that direction, turning right–angle corners as they are found and stopping on objects when encountered.
It is possible that an endless cycle may occur while running, such that your character simply moves back and forth in response to other things shifting back and forth as they block and unblock a route ... when this happens just click the mouse or press a keyboard key to stop.
Double–clicking (clicking the mouse button rapidly twice) on the map has the following functions:
• If you double–click in your current location and it contains a way up or down you travel up or down accordingly. If movement in both directions is possible you are prompted for further clarification.
• Double–clicking on an adjacent location containing a door or container causes that door or container to be opened or closed as appropriate; the same holds for double–clicking on your current location when it holds a container, with clarification being requested if there is also a possibility of movement up or down.
• A double–click in any other instance is handled as Option–click; i.e. you simply run in the appropriate direction, turning corners as required and stopping on objects when encountered.
The double–click time interval is governed by your Control Panel setting; to modify the speed, select CONTROL PANEL from the Apple menubar item, select the MOUSE accessory, and then select the desired Double–Click Speed option.
The mouse cursor shown during map clicking is a hand with a pointing finger. If the internal logic of the game decides to perform a noticeable amount of computation, the hand will become a clenched fist to indicate that you must wait until the finger is extended again before doing further map clicking.
KEYBOARD MOVEMENT:
Both the main keyboard and the keypad provide commands for moving your character around in the game, as an alternative to using the Mouse. Movement is accomplished by either taking a single step, or by running. The available commands are given below. Most require a single key stroke, some require a pair of key strokes. In the table below, <dir> indicates that you supply a lowercase direction keystroke (e.g. 'l'), and <DIR> indicates that you supply an uppercase direction keystroke (e.g. 'L').
Direction Main Keypad Description
NORTH k 8 Move one space toward the north.
NORTHEAST u 9 Move one space toward the northeast.
EAST l 6 Move one space toward the east.
SOUTHEAST n 3 Move one space toward the southeast.
SOUTH j 2 Move one space toward the south.
SOUTHWEST b 1 Move one space toward the southwest.
WEST h 4 Move one space toward the west.
NORTHWEST y 7 Move one space toward the northwest.
HERE SPACE 5 Wait where you are.
UP < Climb up from the current location.
DOWN > Climb down from the current location.
RUN <DIR> .<dir> Run in the specified direction, turning 90°
corners as appropriate; corners are "cut"
(not stepped into) if fully known.
RUN WITH ;<dir> ;<dir> Run in the specified direction, turning 90°
CORNERS corners as appropriate. Corners are not cut.
Combat
If you attempt to move into a location that is already occupied by some other creature your action is assumed to be an attack, and hand–to–hand combat ensues. Hand–to–hand combat can also be initiated by issuing an ATTACK command while your character is in a location adjacent to the victim, and then indicating the appropriate direction.
Attacks are assumed to be with your currently wielded weapon; to wield a specific weapon use the WIELD command, which takes one unit of game time. If you aren't wielding anything, then your attack is bare–handed. Sometimes you will see your figure do a karate kick instead. This is for visual interest only – the attack is still processed using the wielded weapon, or bare–handed, which ever is appropriate. The STATUS window identifies the currently wielded and reserved weapons, as does the INVENTORY window.
Depending on your combat abilities, your attack will either be successful, ineffective (e.g. a glancing blow), or a complete miss. Then, of course, it's the badguy's turn ...
Keep an eye on the MESSAGES window – it provides a blow–by–blow description of what is taking place; also watch your hit points and/or the Health Indicator ... if you have sounds enabled (see Tailoring the Game) you will also get audible cues on what is happening. If you hear things like oof! uh! Ahh!!!, that's your character getting hurt!
SETTING UP FOR COMBAT:
To use one of your weapons in a combat situation (for example, bashing a giant spider with a length of rusty pipe) you must be "wielding" that item. If that item is really a collection of items, only one of them is actually being used. In hand–to–hand combat you are assumed to be attacking with your currently wielded weapon; if you aren't wielding anything, then your attack is bare–handed ... which is not necessarily a bright thing to do. Use the WIELD command to select the weapon to be wielded; e.g. click on the WIELD button and then click on the desired inventory item. You need not wield an item (or have it in reserve) to throw, put, or drop it. To shoot a weapon, it must be wielded.
A second item can be optionally held in "reserve". You can then quickly swap your wielded weapon for your reserve, and vice versa. Use the RESERVE command to specify the item to be held in reserve. Use the EXCHANGE command to swap between the wielded and reserved items; the advantage to this command is that this exchange does not count as an action.
The INVENTORY and STATUS windows both identify the wielded and reserved items. If those windows are not currently visible, press the "/" key
to provide this information – it does not count as an action.
Inventory Management
As you wander around you will no doubt begin to collect things that you find along the way. This stuff is held in your "inventory", which can be thought of as a logical backpack. You may add and remove equipment as you wish, although you may encounter limitations as to weight and number of manageable items; refer to the Strength description in the Character Attributes section for details on how much you can carry.
The INVENTORY window shows what is currently in your inventory. It also provides qualifiers such as Wielded, Open, and Worn to indicate any special status.
To select a specific inventory item you may either click on the inventory item using the mouse, or enter the appropriate identifier from the keyboard. For example, to throw a Rock: click on THROW, click on the Rock inventory item (or press the letter code for the Rock), then specify the direction in which it should be thrown.
The presence or absence of letter code identifiers in the INVENTORY window is determined by the INVENTORY IDS preference setting in the PREFERENCES window; refer the Tailoring the Game section for further details.
REARRANGING YOUR EQUIPMENT:
You can rearrange the ordering of items in your inventory by Option–clicking (click the mouse button while holding down the Option key). First you Option–click on the item to be moved, then (after scrolling the window to the desired view) you click on the new inventory location. The item in that location, and all subsequent items, are scrolled downward to permit the requested insertion.
SPECIFYING SPECIFIC QUANTITIES:
At the base of the INVENTORY window display is an editable field titled "Item quantity". You can use this field to specify how many of a particular item you wish to manipulate; the default is typically to use the entire collection.
For example, suppose you want to drop five of the fifteen Rocks (item 'a') you are currently carrying: (1) click on the Rocks in your inventory (note the quantity field is defaulted to "all"), (2) click on the item quantity area and enter 5 from the keyboard, then (3) click on the DROP command button or select DROP from the COMMANDS window. Voila! You just dropped five Rocks. Alternatively you could (1) click on the quantity field and enter a number, (2) click on the Rocks, and then (3) click on DROP.
And of course you can enter the entire command sequence from the keyboard by pressing d5a and ignore the mouse clicking aspects all together. Refer to the Commands section for further details on command entry alternatives.
CONTAINER INVENTORIES:
When retrieving something from a container, the container's inventory is displayed and you may click on it to select items, or enter the appropriate identifiers from the keyboard. The inventory remains visible until you explicitly conclude the GET command by clicking the Done button at the base of the container inventory window, pressing CANCEL, or by retrieving the last item. This allows you to retrieve multiple objects with a minimum amount of interaction. Each takes one unit of time.
You can retrieve a subset of a particular item (e.g. 5 of 10 Rocks) by first specifying a quantity from the keyboard before identifying the item to be taken, or by setting the appropriate value in the "Item quantity" field at the base of the INVENTORY window prior to identifying the item.
Use the PUT INVENTORY command to place an item in a container that you are carrying, and use GET INVENTORY to retrieve equipment from inventory containers.
SPECIAL SHORTCUTS:
• Double–clicking on an inventory item is the same as issuing an INSPECT command and then specifying that same item; i.e. it's a quick way to examine an inventory item. This is an action which takes one unit of time.
This does not apply to container inventories. To examine an item held in a container, you must first remove it from that container (click on GET INVENTORY).
Using a Mouse
If you prefer, you can play DoomsDay 2000 and hardly ever have to use the keyboard (the typical exception is entering numeric quantities). This style of play tends to be a little bit slower in terms of user interaction since most people can strike keys faster than they can move a mouse and click buttons, however it is generally easier since it avoids having to remember a large number of command keystroke combinations. The complete set of commands is offered in multiple ways, providing you the flexibility to interact with the game in a way that feels best:
• A button window that contains the most frequently used commands.
• Map clicking that covers the most common terrain oriented commands. Refer to the Movement section for further details.
• A pull down Commands menu strip from the menubar; heirarchical defaults are marked with a diamond symbol.
• A pop up command menu that is invoked by means of Command–click; hold down the Command key and depress the mouse button, a pop up menu of commands will appear, at which point you slide the cursor until the desired command is highlighted, then release the mouse button. Releasing the mouse button when the cursor is away from the pop up menu will abort this command activity. Heirarchical defaults are marked with a diamond symbol.
• A scrollable COMMANDS window that (most likely for large screen monitors) can be made visible, enlarged, and positioned for easy single–click access.
Should you desire, a combination style that mixes mouse and keyboard use can also be adopted. To play with a primarily Mouse orientation, enable that option as a preference; see the section on Tailoring for details. Mouse oriented play is the default.
To simplify interaction, by minimizing the number of mouse clicks required, most windows are considered "active" at all times, even though their title bars may not be highlighted. For example, you need not click on the button window to make it "active" before clicking on a specific button; just click on the desired button. Similarly, when a command sequence leads you to selecting an inventory item, just click on the desired inventory item – you need not issue an extra click to first make that window "active" by clicking on the window.
As you click commands, the MESSAGES window will be updated with prompting information. Prompting text will either be bolded or highlighted in blue to indicate that a further response is expected.
Click the CANCEL button to abort a command sequence before it has been completely entered. For the keyboard press the CLEAR key, Control–z, Command–., or the ESC key.
SPECIAL SHORTCUTS:
• Click on your current location to perform a single brief SEARCH; search repeatedly for a more thorough inspection. This is an action which takes one unit of time.
• Double–clicking on an inventory item is the same as issuing an INSPECT command and then specifying that same item. This is an action which takes one unit of time.
• Double–clicking on an adjacent location containing a door or container causes that door or container to be opened or closed as appropriate; the same holds for clicking on your current location when it holds a container, with clarification being requested if there is also a possibility of movement up or down. This is an action which takes one unit of time. Also double–click to climb up or down.
DoomsDay 2000 has many of the standard Macintosh window and control features such as zoom boxes, resizing boxes, and slide bars for lists. It is assumed that you are already familiar with how to use them, so for further information on these areas you are encouraged to refer to the appropriate Macintosh user manuals.
Using the Keyboard
If you prefer, you can play DoomsDay 2000 and never have to use the mouse. This style of play tends to be a bit more complicated since there is a large collection of command keystroke combinations to remember, but the tradeoff is that actual play may tend to move along a little faster. If desired, a combination style can be adopted that mixes mouse and keyboard use. To play with a primarily keyboard orientation, enable that option as a preference; see the section on Tailoring for details. A mouse oriented style is the default. See also KEYBOARD MOVEMENT in the Movement section.
Press the CLEAR key, Control–z, Command–., or the ESC key to abort a command sequence before it has been completely entered. For the mouse, click the CANCEL button. As you enter command keystrokes, the MESSAGES window will be updated with prompting information. Prompting text will either be bolded or highlighted in blue to indicate that a further response is expected.
