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1993-01-09
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ADVENTIONS
presents
Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme
Copyright (C) 1993 by David M. Baggett
All rights reserved
Difficulty Rating:
At Witt's End (7/10)
INTRODUCTION
"Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme" is an interactive
novel. You control the main character and determine the plot of the
story through your actions. If you're familiar with this kind of
game, we're sure you'll find "Unnkulian Unventure II" to be as good
as any you've played before. If you're new to interactive fiction,
read the companion file GENERAL.DOC before playing; it'll tell you
everything you need to know to get going with your new game.
ADVENTIONS AND YOU!
This game is distributed by ADVENTIONS, but it is shareware.
Please register if you like it and would like to receive game hints
and maps. To register, send US$10 to:
ADVENTIONS
PO Box 851
Columbia, MD 21044 USA
Please write "UU2 registration" on the outside of the envelope to
ensure rapid processing of your registration. Make checks payable to
David M. Baggett (not ADVENTIONS). You do not need to include a
letter with your check/money order/etc, but be sure you enclose a
note with your address on it if it's not on the payment.
If you want to report a bug or typo, be sure to include the
version number of the copy you are playing, as well as the
configuration of the machine you are running it on.
ADVENTIONS has many other games available, including further
adventures in the ongoing Unnkulian saga. Send a self-addressed,
stamped envelope to the address above for a current catalog of our
releases, or drop us email online:
Compuserve: 76440,2671
GEnie: ADVENTIONS
Internet: dmb@ai.mit.edu
or on the following BBS's:
FANTAZIA (410) 521-5636 (8N1)
High Energy BBS (415) 493-2420 (8N1)
PLEASE DO YOUR PART
Most game companies have abandoned interactive fiction because it
isn't profitable enough. We think that interactive novels are
exciting and important elements of the gaming world that offer
possibilities currently impossible to explore in graphics-oriented
settings. We spend as much time on our games as "normal" authors
spend on novels. Please support us to help keep the interactive
fiction genre alive. Thanks!
ABOUT THE GAME
D. A. Leary's "Unnkulian Underworld: The Unknown Unventure" set
the stage for top-quality shareware interactive fiction in the 90's.
Continuing the tradition of 80's adventure games, Leary took a fresh
look at the computer adventure "formula," in some cases turning it on
its ear. While intending to parody the Zorks and Colossal Caves
we're all familiar with, Leary managed to create a lore (hilarious as
it is) that stands on its own.
In "Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme," I've tired to
preserve the essential elements that made Leary's game so much fun:
the sense of humor and the puzzles that hark back to the "golden era"
of interactive fiction (yet sometimes go directly against the veteran
gamer's instincts), but most of all the witty irreverence. I've also
tried to add to the mythos, and in some cases give earlier
ambiguities my own interpretation while at the same time opening up
new questions for exploration in "Unnkulian Unventure III".
Though "Unnkulian Unventure II" is an outgrowth of "Unnkulian
Underworld: The Unknown Unventure," it is more challenging than its
predecessor. The later puzzles are quite difficult, and will require
more time and experience to solve. As a result, I strongly recommend
that you solve the first adventure before playing this one,
particularly since some of the new puzzles are thematically related
to puzzles in the first game.
I have tried to make the geography of the new scenario as
realistic as possible. To this end, almost everything mentioned in
the description of a place can be (and, to ensure steady progress,
should be) examined using the "examine" or "x" command. There are
passages, objects, and clues throughout the game that can only be
discovered by careful reading and examining.
"Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme" has a vocabulary of
nearly 1100 words. It has over 90 distinct locations, 64 carryable
objects, and hundreds of "decorations". Trying something silly will
often reward you with an equivalently off-the-wall message, so by all
means do weird things if you're looking for a laugh.
One design philosophy that pervades the "Unnkulian Unventure"
series is that the game should have some eventual goal, and that
points are awarded as progress towards that goal is made. This
represents a substantial departure from the traditional "treasure
hunt" approach found in early interactive fiction, where points are
awarded when the player discovers exotic items and fabulous riches.
What this means to you, the player, is that if you get points for
doing something, then you know that that action is in some way
necessary to complete the game. It is impossible to solve the game
without getting the maximum possible points. Knowing this will give
you clues as to which objects and locations are crucial to solving
the game and which are potential red herrings.
Another thing to keep in mind is the UNDO command: it can save you
the trouble of replaying the whole game when you've made a fatal
mistake. Don't forget about the save and restore commands either;
there's a limit to the number of commands you can undo.
I hope you'll have as much fun playing "Unnkulian Unventure II" as
I did playing Leary's "Unnkulian Underworld: The Unknown Unventure".
I look forward to hearing any comments you have about the game.
Dave Baggett
Columbia, Maryland
July 11, 1991
(Updated January 8, 1993)
TADS, THE TEXT ADVENTURE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM
We write our games with Text Adventure Development System, or
TADS, which is a programming tool designed for writing text
adventures. TADS is available as shareware, so you may be able to
obtain TADS from the same place you found "Unnkulian Unventure II".
For more information about TADS, please contact Michael J. Roberts at:
High Energy Software
P.O. Box 50422
Palo Alto, CA 94303
or call the High Energy BBS. (We think it's a happening place!) Set
your modem to 14,400bps (or any lower speed), N-8-1, and dial
415-493-2420. The BBS is open to the public -- you don't need to be
a registered user of any High Energy products to access the system.
High Energy can also be reached by electronic mail through selected
on-line services:
CompuServe: User ID 73737,417
GEnie: Mail Name M.ROBERTS10
Internet users can send electronic mail through CompuServe, and High
Energy can reply to Internet addresses. Send mail to
73737.417@compuserve.com (note that the comma in the CompuServe
address becomes a period for Internet users).