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T H E P I T v4.17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLAYERS MANUAL Written by James Berry Copyright 1990-95 by MIDAS TOUCH SOFTWARE, all rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Introduction - Pg. 3 The Screen - Pg. 5 Main Menu - Pg. 8 Weapon/Arms Shop - Pg. 10 Buy Menu - Pg. 10 Healing Shop - Pg. 11 Tavern - Pg. 11 Magic Shop - Pg. 11 Gambling Hall - Pg. 12 Arena (THE PIT) - Pg. 13 Battle Menu - Pg. 14 2 Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to The Pit 4.17, the latest release from Midas Touch Software. This document has been prepared with the new player in mind. It explains step by step by step how to play, with special attention to new features introduced in this version. Game Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Regal City had a problem. Thieves and vagrants owned the streets, tormenting honest merchants and ambushing visitors. And if that weren't bad enough, those few honest citizens that could swing swords were teaming up into gangs of vigilantes, adding to the violence. In a fit of desperation, King Reginald Hornbluff cleared out the dust and debris from the town square and constructed a huge arena. Then, he issued an invitation for the thieves and vigilantes to meet in the town square to settle their differences publicly. This appealed to the egos of both groups; they agreed to appear. On the night of the big event, the stands were packed with innocent townspeople wanting revenge. King Hornbluff was not a stupid man, he charged the townspeople 3 gold pieces a head to watch the fight and sold sausages and beer at an outrageous markup. The first battle between the thieves and the vigilantes was bloody, violent, and extremely profitable. So profitable in fact, Hornbluff scheduled a rematch. As time passed, the duels in the arena became more and more popular. Young men who would have turned to thievery now became gladiators, earning fame, glory, and no small amount of gold. Hornbluff sent his men to capture monsters from the surrounding territory to challenge these warriors. Today Regal City is a legend. Warriors come from all around for a chance at honor, glory, and a quick buck. Hornbluff's Arena, known simply as THE PIT, features battles between some of the strangest and most powerful creatures in the land. Rumor has it that even the Gods themselves will visit to smash foolish mortals wishing to challenge them. These fights are profitable, but usually very short. 3 And that's where you come in: a lowly farmer's boy ready to seek his fortune in Regal City. You've done odd jobs along the way, sweeping stables and tending livestock, and you've saved every penny for a sword and armor once you get there. Maybe one day you'll become one of the true legends, an Immortal. Or perhaps just a dark spot on the floor to be swept away with the sawdust. Either way, it's in your hands. 4 Screen Layout ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The basic screen of The Pit is divided into 3 basic areas. The Player Information Box, the Visual Display Area, and the Command List. Occasionally the game will you use pop up windows to display information. For example, selecting the Healing Shop will pop-up a window from which you can purchase healing. Player Information Box ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the upper left corner of the screen is the Player Information Box. It looks like this: YOU JOHN DOE HAND WEAPON Hands RANGE WEAPON None ARMOR Loin Cloth PROJECTILES None HEALTH 20( 20) LEVEL 1 SCORE 000000000 ATTKS/PHASE 1 WINS 0 LOSSES 0 WIN RATIO 0.00% GOLD IN HAND 00000000 GOLD PIECES GOLD IN BANK 00000000 GOLD PIECES Each line tells you something about your character's capabilities: Hand Weapon ~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the weapon you use at close range. You can only have one hand weapon at a time. Range Weapon ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is your long range weapon. You can only have one of these also. Armor ~~~~~ This is the type of armor your character has to protect him from attack. Better types of armor offer better protection. Projectiles ~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the number of arrows or other projectiles you currently have on you. Remember, when you're out of projectiles, you can't use your ranged weapon. 5 Health ~~~~~~ When opponents hit you they do damage and subtract from your health. When your health is 0, then you're character is dead. The number in parenthesis is the total amount of health your character has when he is fully healed. The number outside of parenthesis is your current health. Level ~~~~~ Your level in the game reflects your power level in relation to all the other players. The higher the better. It is adjusted by your score, which is raised by killing monsters and other players. Score ~~~~~ This is your total score in the game. The higher your score, the higher your level. It is increased by killing monsters and other players. The amount of gold and magic you have does not affect your score. Attks/Phase ~~~~~~~~~~~ This number determines how many times you can attack per phase of combat, and how many times you can move. It increases as you go up levels. Wins ~~~~ The game keeps track of how many times you win at combat. It helps determine your place in the rank listing. Losses ~~~~~~ And of course, it also keeps track of how many combats you loose. Win Ratio ~~~~~~~~~ This is a percentage based on your wins and losses, it's a good way to tell how well you're doing in the game. If you have a low ratio, you may consider fighting weaker opponents to boost it. Gold in Hand ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the amount of gold you're carrying. Be sure to put it in the bank before you exit the game, or an opponent that kills you can take it. Gold In Bank ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the amount of gold you have safe in the bank. 6 Visual Display Area ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section shows you graphically what's going on in the game. It has displays for all of the various places you can go. 7 MAIN MENU ~~~~~~~~~ <W> Weapons Shop: This command takes you to the weapons shop where you can buy and sell weapons and armor of all kinds. <*> Healer: This command can save your life. When your health is low just go visit the healer to be restored. But, as we all know, doctor's don't work cheap. <T> Tavern This command takes you to the Tavern where an intrepid young adventurer can get drunk, lucky, beaten and robbed all in the same place. Strange and wonderful things happen in the tavern, if you think dodging thieves is worth it. <M> Magic Shop This is where the truly wealthy can buy magic items. <A> Arena This letter takes you into The Pit itself. <G> Gambling It's almost as easy to lose money in gambling hall as it is in the Tavern, but you'll have a lot more fun in the process. <C> Challenge/View The most popular option in The Pit. Remember you can only challenge one player per game. It's always a good idea to <V> View a player before you take him on. <!> Multiline Chat When you enter this area you can chat with all of the other players that are in THE PIT. And if you have the nerve, you can challenge them to a little bit of one-on-one combat. <L> Log of Day This option lets you see who has been killing who for the past couple of days. <S> Suicide An option for the truly desperate. Any character truly disgusted with his station in life may choose to end it with this command. <+> Deposit It's always best to put your gold in the bank before you quit the game. If you are defeated with gold in your hand, your opponent can take it. <-> Withdraw You'll need to have your gold in hand before you try and spend it at any of the various locations. 8 <O> Options This lets you change optional info about your character and configure the game to your personal taste. Instructions This command pops up the context-sensitive help screens. 9 SUBMENUS Weapons/Arms Shop ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <H> Buy Hand Weapon <R> Buy Ranged Weapon Buy Projectiles Just select the appropriate letter for the item you want to buy, and you'll end up in the Buy Menu. Just arrow down to the item you want to buy and press to purchase it or <H> to haggle for a lower price. You can only attempt to haggle three times before the storekeeper kicks you out. <S> Sell Hand Weapon <M> Sell Missle Weapon <D> Sell Defense These commands let you trade in your equipment for gold. Pressing the appropriate letter will pop up the sell window where you will be offered a price for your item. You can <A> Accept, <R> Refuse, or <H> Haggle for a higher price. Instructions This command replaces the top half of your screen with the context-sensitive help screens. <+> Deposit Gold This command is provided so you can put your gold away after your purchases. <-> Withdraw Gold This command lets you take old gold from the bank without leaving the shop. Storekeeper courtesy. Buy Menu ~~~~~~~~ This menu comes up whenever you choose to buy an item. Just arrow to the appropriate item and press and the gold will automatically be subtracted from your account. You can also press <H> to try for a lower price. If you haggle more than three times the storekeeper will kick you out. 10 Healing Shop ~~~~~~~~~~~~ <A> All Wounds This command will restore your character to full Health. Make sure you have enough gold in hand to cover it. (S) Some Wounds This command will give you an input space at the top of the healer's pop up window asking how much you would like to have healed. It also shows the maximum number of points you can afford to restore. Poison Cured Obviously, this command cures you of being poisoned. <D> Disease Cured This one cures you of having a disease. Blindness Cured And this one cures your blindness. <H> Healing Potion Just to make things a little easier in a tough battle, buy a healing potion and take a swig when you need it. Tavern ~~~~~~ This area is meant to be explored. Just have a few drinks and wait for the excitement. One hint: When someone tries to steal from you, you will see a rapidly moving bar appear on the screen. Your objective is to press any key at the exact moment the moving bar meets the yellow line. If you time it just right, you can catch the thief before he robs you. Good Luck! Magic Shop ~~~~~~~~~~ This area has a miser of a salesman who has a cache of magic items to sell. You can choose to buy, sell, or identify magic items. And he will even give you details about your weapons for free. 11 Gambling Hall ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Occasionally, after a long day of violence and gore, characters may feel lucky. The Gambling Hall lets you risk a few of your hard-earned gold pieces on games of chance. You can choose between: <J> Blackjack 5 Card Stud Poker <R> Roulette <C> Craps <O> One Arm Bandit (Slot Machines). The program follows typical casino rules for these games. Just remember, the odds are always with the house. 12 Arena ~~~~~ This is it. The Arena. The Pit itself. When you enter, the first thing you'll need to do is choose your opponent. Here are the types of opponents, listed in order of difficulty: This listing may vary depending on how your sysop has edited THE PIT. <A> Trainees Warriors <C> Humanoid Monsters <D> Veterans <E> Creatures <F> Undead Monsters <G> Elven Warriors <H> Sorcerers Heroes <J> Random Encounters <K> Elementals <L> Norse Gods This listing is editable by the SYSOP, so it may differ depending on which BBS you are on. You also have some other options in The Arena. <+> Deposit Gold This lets you store your gold safely for your next of kin. <-> Withdraw Gold You can also take out gold should you need it. <*> Visit Healer This takes you to the Healer Submenu (See Above), so you can heal yourself up and get back in the action. <O> Change Options This lets you change optional info about your character and configure the game to your personal taste. 13 Battle Menu ~~~~~~~~~~~ Once you choose an opponent, the Visual Display Area will show you a graphic of the Arena placing you and your opponent in relation to one another. IMPORTANT: Be sure your Number Lock is turned ON before you enter combat or you will have a very short career. Use the Arrow Keys to maneuver your figure around the screen. If a fight is too much for you, try to maneuver your figure to the door. If you make it out, you forfeit the battle, but you will survive. In combat, you have three options: <A> Attack with Hand Weapon You must be in the space right beside an opponent to attack him with a hand weapon. This command will first ask you what direction you want to attack. Just indicate the proper direction with your Arrow Keys. The results of your actions will appear in the Upper Right Hand corner of the screen above the Battle Display. <F> Fire Range Weapon You must be in a straight line from your opponent to use this option successfully. This command will ask you whatdirection you want to fire. Just use the arrow keys to indicate the proper direction and it will fire a missile in the right direction. You must be close enough to your opponent for your weapon to hit him. If you are right next to your opponent, he will automatically block your shot. Beg for Mercy A desperate option for when you find yourself outclassed. You can only beg for mercy BEFORE you have attacked your opponent. After you've tried to hurt him, it's too late. If it doesn't work the first time, just keep trying and hope for the best. Some opponents are more likely to give mercy than others. 14