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SCARY2.DOC
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1995-02-20
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SCARYFISH VERSION 2
INSTRUCTIONS
ScaryFish Version 2 is an exciting multi-species fishing game for
1-4 players. The game is extremely realistic except for the lack
of mosquitoes, jet skis, pollution, overfishing, or looney
activists. Anglers will appreciate the realism, but you can
enjoy the game even if you never fish in real life. The game
simulates the excitement of exploring a world filled with fishing
holes, choosing presentations, casting, anticipating the bite or
strike of a fish, and fighting fish once they are hooked. The
game has a variety of options for where you fish, mode of play,
and presentation including rod and reel, line, bait/lures, and
accessories. The multi-species aspect of the game makes it
extremely exciting and suspenseful; you never know what species
will bite your line next. You might be innocently fishing for
Bluegill or Crappie when suddenly... a huge Catfish or Gar runs
off with your line! Or you might be fishing for Bass, fighting
what you think is a trophy Largemouth, but when you land the fish
it turns out to be a Carp! As you play the game a number of
humorous mishaps might occur such as tipping the boat or catching
something that isn't even a fish!
You can run this game over and over without mastering it or
getting tired of it. The results will be different every time
you play since as in real life, luck is a factor along with
skill, strategy, patience, and reflexes.
If you're new to this game, see the paragraphs "Getting Started"
and "A Few Hints" later in this file.
_________________________________________________________________
Configuration Menu
This lets you change and save preferred settings for graphics,
text colors, sound, etc. Usually the default settings will be
fine and some values can be changed elsewhere in the program.
When you leave this menu the program will ask if you want to
save your custom settings; if you say Y the program will save
a file called SCARY2.CFG and load these settings as the default
every time you start the game. The information in SCARY2.CFG is
separate from the user-created worlds so type N if you added a
user-created world.
-Graphics Display
The program will detect the best graphics driver supported by the
game. Typically you will want the default display, so just press
<Enter> at the opening prompt. However, sometimes you might want
to override the default setting. For example, if a memory error
occurs for VGA, you can move down to EGA or CGA. If you have
VGA/EGA and want to play the game at lightning speed, you can
move to CGA. If the game lists Text/AN as the default and your
machine can support any of the listed graphics modes, select the
desired mode (load an emulator first if necessary). If all else
fails, the game is still enjoyable in the Text/Alphanumeric mode.
Note: If you have VGA, don't be surprised if the graphics look
more like EGA when moving around in a world; that is intentional
for the smoothest animation.
-Text
Choose between 16 colors, black & white, or b&w high intensity.
-Sound
Turn it off if you are running the game at work and don't want
the boss to hear the sound at the beginning of sessions.
-Show Rod After Cast
If you have a slow machine (under 20 MHz), you might prefer to
set this to "No" if rod animation is slow on your machine.
-Toggle S-O-A-LCR Fish Alarm
Only matters if you own a state-of-the-art depthfinder.
-Add User-Created World
Lets registered users access worlds created with the Make Your
Own Worlds Utility. You can access up to 16 worlds at a time
per ScaryFish directory. User worlds are stored in the file
USRWRLDS.SF2. In theory you have access to an unlimited number
of worlds as users of the Make Your Own Worlds Utility put some
of their worlds in public domain, freeware, shareware, etc.
_________________________________________________________________
The "Screensaver"
Some people pay $30 or more for tropical fish aquarium screen-
saver programs. This game includes a "screensaver" simulating a
deep 10000 gallon tank filled with the types of fish pursued by
anglers. This feature cycles through twelve different species
distributions, showing each set of fish for about a minute. The
individual fish will be different each time you view the
"screensaver". The fish have different sizes for a given
species; occasionally a real "lunker" will appear! Press any
key to move from the "screensaver" to the main menu.
_________________________________________________________________
Create New Character
You must have a player character before playing the game. If
running from a floppy drive, be sure the disk is not write-
protected. At the prompt, type the name for your character (the
first 8 letters/digits must be unique for each player character).
The game keeps track of population dynamics for each character,
so one person's fishing success will not be lessened as a result
of another person "fishing out" several holes. Each character is
given an extremely generous initial endowment including a rod and
reel, the necessary tackle to begin fishing, assorted bait and
lures, and a large sum of money for future purchases at the
stores. You can access characters from different disks or
directories by specifying a path such as 'A:\' or 'C:\GAMES\'.
_________________________________________________________________
Visit Store
After you select the "Visit Store" option, the game will ask for
a character name. Each world has its own store. You will get to
shop at the store for the world at which your character currently
resides (you begin at City Bait & Tackle). Buying stuff at the
stores can be a lot of fun and is a good outlet for "tackle-
holism". There are nine categories of item:
Bait: worms, minnows, etc. Buy a lot since it gets used quickly!
Line: available in different line tests
Lures: many different artifical lures are available
Misc: hooks, sinkers, bobbers, leaders, and other useful items
Motors: let you move around faster in water
Rods: each rod has a recommended line range. Choose between
casting or spinning depending on the type of reels you use.
Reels: each reel has a recommended line range. Use spinning
reels with spinning rods; use baitcast and spincast reels
with casting rods.
Trips: tickets to fish at other worlds. Local Bass Lakes and
Medium-Sized River are shareware worlds. You can buy
tickets to the "*" worlds, but you won't be able to use
them until you register. Some are one-time trips (Local
Bass Lakes and Medium-Sized River) which send you back to
the "base" world, while others (Minnesota Lakes, Ozark/
Mid-South Reservoir) are trips to "base" worlds which let
you stay as long as you want.
Note: User-created worlds are handled a bit differently
than PMP Software worlds. For user-created worlds, you
don't buy trip tickets. Instead, you purchase the trip
right before you move to the world. The program will
tell you the cost of the trip and whether the world is
a base world. See "Add User-Created World" for how to
load them.
Visual Aids: Polarized glasses let you see deeper in the water.
LCRs (fishfinders) let you see what's underwater.
If an item isn't available at a given store, it will be listed
as "Not Available"; you must go to another world's store to
obtain that item. Some items are available only at registered
user stores but wouldn't be very useful at the shareware worlds.
Don't worry about spending too much money at the stores, since
you get monetary rewards for your fishing success in the game.
The "Visit Store" option from the main menu only lets you visit
stores at the "base" worlds. To visit a store at a non-base
world, select the "Visit Local Store" option from "Go Fishin'".
_________________________________________________________________
View Records
The game maintains a list of records including biggest fish, most
points, most fish, and other categories. If you do well in the
game you might set some new records. "The Top 20" shows the
heaviest fish caught in the game. Getting a "Biggest Of A
Species" record is a challenge, especially the #1 fish (the world
record in real life). "Most Points" is the best measure of
success in the game. The "IFGA" records honor the biggest fish
for a given line class. You might dread the possibility of
setting one of the "Records You Won't Brag About!"
_________________________________________________________________
Registration Info
This lets you know how to register and get full enjoyment from
the game. Send a filled-out printout of the file ORDER.FRM
with payment to the author to receive the benefits of registra-
tion including access to more worlds, species, and tackle, a
hardcopy user manual, and notification of major updates. With
the release of the Make Your Own Worlds Utility in mid-1994,
registered users in theory have access to an unlimited number
of worlds!
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Go Fishin'
Modes of Play and Tournament Options
The game has two main modes of play: the "relaxing" mode for 1
player, and the competitive tournament mode for 1-4 players.
Both modes let you choose the length of the session (1-4 hours).
The "relaxing" mode has few rules, but the tournament mode has a
variety of options. You can choose which species count: all
species, black bass, or custom (over 2 billion combinations).
Distribution of winnings can be proportional based on the
relative success of the players, or winner-takes-all. For daily
limits and minimum length limits, you can choose between no
limits, suggested limits, or custom limits. If daily limits
exist, you can decide whether to allow culling (replacing the
smallest fish in a limit catch as opposed to deciding whether a
fish counts right when you catch it). Scoring can be determined
by most points (the best measure of success) or by most pounds.
Each player can contribute to a "pot" for highest score, most
fish, or biggest fish of the session.
_________________________________________________________________
Getting Started
Once you create a character, you can play the game. To fish at
a world other than City Park Lake, go to the store and purchase a
trip to another world. Registered users can fish at any world
for which the player has a ticket. Non-registered users can fish
at Local Bass Lakes or Medium-Sized River if the player has a
ticket. Players can fish at City Park Lake at no charge. Once
you choose the world and the game accepts your choice, you will
be asked the length of the session: 1-4 hours. Under the default
settings a game will last about 15 minutes (real life) for each
session hour for each player.
Here are some suggestions on what to buy the first time your
character goes to the store:
-at least one $5 trip (Local Bass Lakes or Medium-Sized River)
-a rod other than the "El Cheapo"
-some more line (maybe 3 units of 100 feet, 8 or 10 LB test)
-some more bait and maybe a few lures
_________________________________________________________________
Moving Around In The World
You will move around in the world to reach the fishing holes.
Each hole is marked with a big 'X'; just move to an X square and
the game will ask if you want to fish there at that time. Some
holes are accessible by land while others must be reached by
boat. Here are the key controls:
Cursor/Arrow keys: move in direction of arrow. If you make a bad
move, the term "cursor" might have a double meaning!
E/e: Enter boat if on same square as boat / Exit boat if in still
water
m: turn Motor on/off (if you have one)
Spacebar: Get global coordinates if you have a coordinate finder.
S/s: toggle Sound on or off
F10 or D: End the session in relaxing mode
"weigh-in" in tournament mode
F1: Help (shows these controls)
The worlds contain many terrain types including forest, grass,
still water, flowing water, and various obstacles. Moving takes
a different amount of time for each terrain; for example, you'll
move faster on roads than through forests. In moving water, your
time will vary depending upon whether you move with or against
the flow. The amount of time you have left appears to the right
of the display of terrains. When playing in the tournament mode,
be sure to make it back to the starting point before time runs
out; you are charged 500 points per minute late and disqualified
if over 15 minutes late!
The game will let you know if you can't move somewhere. Some
terrain is impassible in all situations (hills & cliffs), some
terrain requires a boat, and some requires being on foot. Don't
run your boat over water obstacles such as logs or rocks. You
are allowed three such klutzy moves before the possibility of an
"incident" exists.
_________________________________________________________________
When At A Fishing Hole
Once you reach a fishing hole and decide to fish, you'll see the
close-up terrain of the hole. If you reach the hole by boat,
you'll be in the middle; if you reach the hole by foot, you'll be
at the edge from which you arrived. At a hole you have the
following options:
New Rig: lets you choose which rod, reel, line, bait/lure, and
accessories to use. Changing your rig will cause a
slight time deduction.
Move within hole: lets you move within the hole; similar to
moving in the worlds. When at a hole, the
current does not push you.
Cast: Use the arrow keys to select where you want to cast, as if
you were fishing there in real life. Some people might
cast to structure such as a log or rocks, others might fish
the edge of strong current, and others might cast to water
of a given depth. Move the cursor where you think the fish
are, and press <Enter> when at the desired spot. The game
doesn't make you control the rod and reel movements of
casting.
The accuracy of your cast is based on the rod and reel you use,
the weight of your rig, and the distance of the cast. Mismatched
tackle could result in an errant cast. Insufficient weight could
have the cast fall short, so a bobber or sinker is often
necessary when using natural bait. Spinning tackle is best at
casting light rigs.
Change Speedup Factor: You can speed up the time between bites,
but the faster the speedup factor, the shorter the bites
last. Default is 4.
Exit Hole: puts you back in the main world.
_________________________________________________________________
After Making A Cast - Screen Display
The screen will show the water as if you were to the upper left
of the screen just out of view. Each hole has a value for water
clarity; you can see a certain distance down into the water.
Sometimes you can see the bottom, and often you can see some of
the fish at the hole. If you make an extremely long cast, a
vertical bar will split the screen so you can view the water
where your rig is. Your bait/lure is represented by an X-crossed
rectangle. If you use a bobber, you can see it (unless a big
fish has pulled it out of view or you put on too much weight
causing it to sink).
After Making A Cast - Controls
<Enter>: Reel in one turn of the handle (different amount of line
per reel)
Spacebar: Set the hook; do this when you get a bite
A-Z, a-z (any letter key): put reel on freespool
Alt-A: disable/enable Antireverse; rarely used
Alt-S: Set rod down; some people think this increases the number
of fish that bite; don't let a big fish pull your rod in!
Alt-D: show Depthfinder Display (LCR) / stop showing it
Alt-F: Toggle Fish Alarm if you have a State-O-The-Art LCR
Alt-R: show Rod / stop showing it (rod animation slow on very
slow machines)
right/left arrow: adjust drag up/down 1%
up/down arrow: adjust drag up/down 5%
Esc: Reel in all the way and return to options for at a hole
F1: Help (shows these controls)
When using natural bait, you can either still-fish (not reel in)
or use a retrieve. If you use lures and want anything to bite,
have some type of retrieve. Each time you press <Enter> you
crank the reel once. Some people use a steady retrive while
others use start-and-stop or jigging retrieves.
When a fish bites or strikes, the chance you feel the hit depends
on the line test, the rod sensitivity, and the speed of the
current. When the word "BITE" appears or you hear a tone
representing the size of the bite, press the spacebar to set the
hook. You might be too late, you might be fast enough but fail
to set the hook, or you might successfully hook the fish. Your
chance of setting the hook depends on such factors as the species
of the fish biting, rod quality, and bait/lure used.
_________________________________________________________________
Fighting a Fish
Once you hook a fish, keep an eye on three values to the right of
the screen:
Force On Line: Try not to let the force exceed the line's
breaking strength!
Line Out: To land a fish, you must tire him out and bring this
value to 0.
Drag: The left value is the dial setting which you control
(20-100); the right one is the effective setting. Pressing
a freespool or antireverse key can lower the effective
setting below 20 for emergencies. A stuck drag has an
effective setting of 100.
Use the same keys as above ('After making a cast - Controls').
Pressing the spacebar increases pressure on the fish and raises
the rod tip. Pressing the <Enter> key lowers the rod tip and
reels in line if possible. The arrow keys modify the drag. When
you hook a huge fish and the force on line skyrockets, you'll
understand why 26 keys activate the freespool! With big fish or
light line, you might not be able to reel in much line until the
fish tires. Just as in real life, it takes practice to land
large fish.
If you land the fish, you will see a report of the species,
length, weight, and point value. If you're playing in
tournament mode with daily limits and no culling allowed, you
will have to decide whether to count the fish as part of your
limit. The fish are released immediately after being caught.
________________________________________________________________
End Of Session
When time is up or all player(s) have quit, the game will report
session statistics, fees such as late penalties and motor costs,
and broken records. For each player, the computer will report
detailed stats on fish caught for the session. You can save a
printable report if desired (each report has a unique filename).
The computer will report player earnings and any tournament
winners or pot values. If running from a floppy drive, keep the
disk in because the game will save the progress of the
character(s).
________________________________________________________________
A Few Hints
Natural bait (worm, minnow, etc) usually produces faster action
than artificial lures. However, bait gets lost quickly.
Unless you know what you're doing, don't hold down keys or press
a bunch of keys in advance, since the program maintains the
buffer for keys pressed.
When moving around in a long stretch of similar-looking terrain,
it might seem as if you're not moving, but you are still moving
unless given a message to the contrary.
If you fish at the same hole over and over again, you might
temporarily fish it out. Don't worry if action seems to have
terminated, since the holes will recover over time. Go to a
variety of holes; registered users have access to many more holes
and are therefore less likely to fish them out.
When fishing at night, add to the realism by turning down the
contrast or brightness of your monitor!
Register to get access to more holes, more hints, and many other
benefits.
_________________________________________________________________
The Registered User Worlds
Basic registration gives you access to six huge additional
worlds with well over 120 new holes. Here is a short
description:
Mississippi River (base world): A huge river with good numbers
of panfish and catfish (including flatheads and blues), sur-
prisingly good bass fishing, and many other species including
drum, walleye, and white bass. Includes main channel areas,
backwaters, wingdams, and tailwaters. No barges or pollution!
Ozark/Mid-South Reservoir (base world): A highland/hill-land
reservoir like Lake Of The Ozarks or Dale Hollow. Over two
dozen species including all species of bass (LM, SM, spotted,
striped, white, & rock), panfish, and catfish. Includes a main
reservoir area, a trout park, and fantastic tailwater holes.
Minnesota Lakes (base world): A group of northern lakes with
many species of gamefish including large- and smallmouth bass,
walleye, northern pike, maybe even muskellunge. Includes a
wide variety of habitat ranging from barren rocky areas to
weedy swamps. Crystal-clear water lets you see fish way down!
Medium-Sized River II: Another stretch of the "Medium-Sized
River", about 30 miles downstream from the shareware stretch.
Contains higher concentrations of "big water" species. Load
this one as a user-created world.
In addition, two "mystery" worlds exist. These worlds are
located in pristine wilderness areas and provide some of the
game's best fishing. Most of the salmonoid (trout or salmon)
holes are located at these worlds. Most people opt for the
maximum session length at these worlds.
_____________________________________________________________
The Sequel Worlds! Over 120 holes at six new worlds, requires
ScaryFish 2.1 or later and must be registered to access them:
Stocked Reservoir - A sizable impoundment stocked with many
species. Includes islands, a spillway, and streams with a
number of trout holes. An instance of this world is included
as a sample file with the Make Your Own Worlds Utility.
Appalachian Stream - Treacherous rapids, rough terrain, and
great smallmouth and trout fishing. Empties into a TVA
reservoir with several diverse fishing holes.
Wisconsin Wilderness - A huge north central world with a
diversity of habitat. Contains a fictional stretch of Lake
Michigan, streams, lakes, and flowages. The diverse fishery
includes excellent opportunities for trout, salmon, and musky.
Gulf Coast - One of the "scariest" worlds to date, this enormous
world contains both fresh- and saltwater species. Includes
inshore saltwater areas, a river and delta, tidal bays, and a
large freshwater bayou.
The Sequel Worlds also have two "mystery" worlds.
