LSD Docs/LSD Docs.iso/FILEZ/lsdspr06.dms/lsdspr06.adf/tai-pan.doc.pp/tai-pan.doc

Text File | 1990-09-07 | 16KB | 321 lines

                 SOFTWARE presents yet another DR.J doc

                                TAI-PAN


PLAYING THE GAME

The year is 1841, and traders are sailing the waters of the far east in
search of wealth beyond their wildest dreams.  The Chinese call these
men Tai-Pan--Supreme Leaders--and the greatest of them is THE TAI-PAN.
Your goal is to become the TAI-PAN, but it won't be easy.  You've been
stranded in a foreign port with no ship, no crew, and no money...not
even enough to buy yourself a decent meal at the inn.  Luckily, you
stumble across a benefactor who agrees to a short-term loan.  You
quickly buy a ship, hire a crew, purchase goods and supplies, and set
sail, looking for profit and adventure. Threatened by typhoons and
pirates at sea, you finally arrive in port to do a little honest
trading...only to be swindled out of all your money by the proprietor
of the local gambling den!  Looks like you'll have to turn to pirating
yourself, or at least smuggling; Jin-qua wants his money back in six
months, and you know he means business.  You'll have to be clever (and
ruthless) to succeed in this world of unscrupulous traders and
cutthroats. Acquire wealth and status as you strive to become the most
power Merchant Prince of the all:  THE TAI-PAN.

GAME CONTROL

When the title screen appears, you will be asked to select either a
joystick or a mouse as your control device.  Press 1 (for mouse) or 2
(for joystick) to make your selection.  If using a mouse, the left
button is your fire button.  Adjust the volume using the volume control
on your monitor.

TOWN

You enter the game penniless...no money, no ships, no assets.  You
begin in town and must wander around, looking for a friendly benefactor
who will lend you $300,000; enough to buy and equip a ship, get a crew,
and purchase goods to trade.  The money lent to you must be repaid
within 6 months, or your benefactor loses face...and you lose your
head.

The screen consists of a game area on top with icons shown below.  Move
your control forward, back, left or right to move in the corresponding
direction.  To enter a building, position yourself slightly to the
right of the doorway and move your control forward.  Press the space
bar to move to the icon selection area (mouse users may also use the
right button to do this).

Use the control to center the "hook" over the icon you want.  (NOTE:
the tip of the hook must be in the center of the icon.)  Press the fire
button to select that icon.  Press the space bar to return to the game
without making a selection.  Once business has been transacted, press
the fire button to go back outside.

Press F1 to view two status "scrolls":  press once to check your
current supply of money and goods; press again to see the date, number
of weapons, crew and rations.  Press again to return to the game.  Press
F2 to see a list of current market prices.  Press again to return to
the game.

SHIP
Once you have raised a loan, you must go to the Bank and buy a ship.
You will be given three choices:
Lorcha    $150,000.  A smuggler's ship (fast).  Cargo space=10 units, 2
          cannons, 7 crew (minimum).
Clipper   $250,000.  A standard trader's ship (moderate speed).  Cargo
          space=30 units, 4 cannons, 12 crew (minimum).
Frigate   $400,000.  A gunship, used by pirates (slow).  Cargo space=30
          units, 8 cannons, 24 crew (minimum).

Your choice of ship should be determined by the type of activity you
plan to pursue.  If you want to smuggle contraband, then the swift
Lorcha is your best choice.  If you wish to trade peacefully (apart
from the odd indescretion), you should choose the Clipper. If you
decide to try your hand at pirating you'll need the extra fire power
of the Frigate.

CREW

After purchasing your ship, you must get a crew.  Crew members can
either be hired (from the Inn), or press-ganged (if you want to
conserve money).  A paid crew is liable to be more loyal to you than a
forced crew.  To be successful at press-ganging you should use a
truncheon (you'll find one on the road), and only attempt it on
exhausted men or drunks.  Press-ganged men will be taken to your ship
automatically, provided you don't already have a full crew.  If you
attempt to press-gang a fit man he will probably fight back or call the
Bannermen, and you'll end up spending 30 days in jail.  If you're
arrested three times you'll be beheaded.

CARGO

Once your crew has been assembled you must buy provisions, arms, and
trade goods at various locations around town.  Since everything you
buy will take up cargo space, make your purchases wisely.  Buying 10
rolls of silk might seem like a good idea in Canton, but try feeding
your crew with it two weeks out to sea!

SAILING
When your cargo hold is full you must find your ship and set sail.
once on board, point your ship out to sea and raise your sails;  with
any luck the wind will be at your back.  If you had the foresight to
purchase a map and a telescope in town, you may select these icons to
help you locate your position and scan the horizon for other ships.

Your ship's forward movement is controlled entirely by wind and sail
height, and you cannot sail backwards or sideways.  Moving your
control left will make the ship turn counterclockwise; moving it right
will make it turn clockwise.  By alternating these movements you can
control the direction your ship will sail.  If you accidentally sail
too close to land your sails will be automatically lowered.  To get
back out to sea you must point your ship directly away form the land
and raise your sails again.

The screen consists of a game area on top with icons shown below.
Joystick users should press the fire button to move to the icon
selection area; mouse users must press the right mouse button.
NOTE:  The right-most icon shows current wind direction and cannot be
selected on the ST.

Use the mouse or joystick to center the "hook" over the icon you want
and press the fire button quickly to select that icon.  Press fire
again to return to the game area.

FOOD SUPPLIES

Sailors eat a lot, and your crew is no exception.  They will expect to
be fed throughout the journey, so make sure you have enough rations on
hand to last a while. After selection the FEED CREW icon you will be
presented with a menu listing your current food stocks and crew
numbers; choose the level of rations you wish to issue.  To maintain
stamina levels your crew should be fully fed.  If you have
underestimated your travelling time it may be necessary to give reduced
rations towards the end of a journey; however, a hungry crew is more
likely to mutiny.  Since food has a tendency to spoil quickly at sea,
leftover rations are thrown overboard at the end of each journey. Don't
forget to re-stock your supply before you leave port.

SHIPPING ROUTES

Shipping Routes are marked on the map; using them allows you to reach
your destination more quickly. You may only access a shipping route if
there are no storms or other ships in the area.  When you cross an
available route you will be shown your location on the map and given
the choice of sailing in either direction.  Press the fire button when
the direction you want to take is flashing.  Note whether the route
follows the coast or crosses the sea.  Routes along the coast are
slower, but safer (there's less chance of meeting pirates). If you wish
to trade further afield you'll have to accept the dangers of the open
sea.

On shipping routes, speed is controlled by sail height only.  The
weather becomes a factor at certain times of the year, so check the
calendar before choosing your course.  When following a shipping route,
time passes more quickly; if the weather changes or a ship enters the
area, you will be returned to real time.  To leave a shipping route,
exit the MAP option.

ISLANDS

Sail into islands to deposit contraband that may not be accepted in
certain ports.  You may also meet smugglers there to arrange larger
deals.

COMBAT AND BOARDING

For well-established traders with a streak of larceny, pirating offers
the chance of quick--if risky--profits.  If your lookout spots a likely
target ship in the vicinity, prepare for battle!

Select the COMBAT icon to attack; in a moment you'll be given a view of
the enemy ship from behind one of your cannons.  If you have more than
one cannon on a side, move the control left or right to choose the
cannon you wish to fire.  Moving forward or back controls the elevation
of the selected cannon.  When your target is in the line of fire, press
the fire button to shoot.  As this shot travels you will be able to
prepare a second cannon (if you have another on that side) for a
breadside of cannon fire.  If the ship moves out of range, press the
ESC key to return to the sailing screen so you can maneuver back into
firing range.  Select the COMBAT icon once more to resume the attack.

Try not to destroy the enemy ship; if you are successful in taking it
over it will be added to your fleet.  You can board the vessel once it
stops of its own accord or is dasabled.  When preparing to board, press
the ESC key to return to the sailing screen so you can maneuver your
ship alongside.  To board the enemy ship, move to the icon selection
area and center the "hook" over the BOARDING icon; then press the fire
button quickly to select that icon.  (If you aren't close enough,
selection this icon will have no effect.)

BATTLE

In battle, you have your choice of two weapons:  a sword or a musket.
Swords cannot be lost and are best for hand-to-hand combat; muskets are
good for long-range attacks and can be used as long as there is musket
shot.

During a fight, each crew member of the opposing ship is representative
of that ship's crew.  Similarly, you represent the members of your
crew. As you fight you will lose stamina (represented by the bar on
the screen); if you have not fed your men properly it will show in
their stamina ratings.  Each time the stamina runs out you lose a life.
Lose too many lives and you will be unable to sail your own ship.  Kill
too many crew members from the opposing ship and there may not be
enough left to sail that ship for you.  It pays to be merciful...a
captured crew will be loyal to you if you spare their lives!

When you capture a ship intact, its assets and worth become your
property and you may command it to go to port. (A ship sent to port may
be lost in bad weather or attacked by another ship--a risk you have to
take.)  If you have severly damaged the ship or killed too many crew
members for it to sail, you may still offload the cargo (and anything
else you can carry) onto your ship.

You also run the risk of being attacked by other ships; they can shoot
at you, or pull alongside and attempt to board.  During an attack you
must try to kill as many of the enemy as possible.  Eliminate a major
part of their crew and they will be repelled and leave.  Let them
overrun your ship, and you've had it.  If you have only one ship the
game will end; if you own more than one ship a random element ofluck
("Joss") will decide whether you survive...or not.

Press the space bar to move to the icon selection area.  Use the mouse
or joystick to center the "hook" over the icon you want and press the
fire button to select that icon (you must have bought swords, muskets
and ammunition in town).  Press the fire button to use the weapon you
select. Move your man around by moving your control device forward,
back, left or right.  If by some stroke of bad luck you are being
defeated on an enemy ship, you can abandon the attack and retreat to
your own ship by selecting the ABANDON BATTLE icon.

PORT

To enter a port, sail into any one of the harbors you see on the
screen. Once in port you must find the warehouse and bank to trade the
goods and ships you have acquired on your voyage.  If you have more
than one ship in port, you will be able to choose the ship you wish to
sail next and send the others out to sea on your behalf.  They will
trade in legitimate cargo and their purchases and sales will be debited
and credited to your account.  Even if you do not send the ships to
sea, their crews will continue to cost you wages and food...so send
them out to earn their keep!

GAMBLING

While in town you may stumble across a gambling den.  The game
represents a race between 6 mythical Chinese beings:  Deer, Horse,
Fish, Cow, Sheep and Dragon.  Tiles at the top of the screen will rotate
and stop randomly.  Each time they stop a tile is added to one of the
creatures' stacks.  Odds are given on each of the creatures gaining
enough tiles to win the race.  The first stack to reach 10 tiles wins.

When you enter the den you will be asked if you wish to play;  if you
agree, you will be asked to place a bet and choose a creature.  After
making your selections, press fire to start the race.  Winnings are
credited to your account. If you agree to another game you will be
asked to choose again.  If you decline you will be placed outside the
building.

SMUGGLERS

You may discover a smugglers' den, or be approached by smugglers within
the towns. Smuggling and trading in contraband is very dangerous, but
also very profitable.  If the police catch you with contraband you
will be imprisoned and your goods forfeited.  Smugglers prices for
buying and selling will vary at each port.  You can look up the going
rate for contraband by pressing F2.

STATUS

When you end the game (either by choice or by getting killed or press-
ganged), you will be informed of your final status.  This is determined
by your assets at the time:
   Slave-Drunk-Bankrupt-Peasant-Cabin Boy-Oarsman (below $100,000)
   Rigger ($100,000)-Deckhand ($150,000)-Lookout ($200,000)
   Steersman ($300,000)-Cadet ($350,000)-2nd Mate ($400,000)
   1st Mate ($500,000)-Captain ($600,000)-Shipowner ($750,000)
   Trader ($1,000,000)-Merchant ($2,000,000)
   Master Merchant ($4,000,000)-Merchant Prince ($5,000,000)
                         TAI-PAN ($6,000,000)


SAVING A GAME

Select the SAVE/LOAD icon; you will then be given the option of
choosing Save, Load or Cancel.  Highlight your choice and follow the on-
screen instructions.  (You must have a formatted disk available to
save a game.)  To load a saved game, select the SAVE/LOAD icon and
follow the on-screen instructions.

PLAYING HINTS

1.  Your first ship should be a Lorcha; otherwise you will be unable to
    buy goods to trade, and your only alternative would be pirating.
2.  If you do not purchase a map and a telescope, certain options will
    not be open to you and sailing will be difficult.
3.  If you decide to partake of the port delights, remember that
    getting drunk or exhausted makes you susceptible to press-ganging
    (which would end the game)>
4.  By mapping the layout of each port, you'll be able to find your way
    around more easily on your next visit.
5.  To be able to save a game, you must be in port.
6.  At the beginning there will be quite a few ships in your vicinity;
    this will affect your ability to take shipping routes, and increase
    the likelihood of combat.
7.  At certain points in the game you will need to answer questions:
    You will use either the keyboard or your control device to answer,
    depending on the format of the question.  When using the keyboard,
    type Y or N (for yes or not), or type in an amount; then press
    Return. When using your control device, highlight the option you
    want and press the fire button.
8.  Depending on choices you make, Tai-Pan can be played as a game of
    trading, adventure, or fast-paced action...or a combination of all
    three.