Dafydd Oswyn Jones TY Gwyn Uchaf, LLanllyfni, Penygroes, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, North Wales, (how did you guess?) LL54 6DH. Greetings to the readme for The Nose Of The Beholder. First of all I must apologize for the truly terrible state of the graffix in the game. Since it has come to my attention tht I am to computer graphics what military music is to the modern pop scene (I've seen better on a Spectrum). Yet even the terrible sights that are about to greet you took me a lot of time. I own an A1200\030 with 16Mb RAM, hard drive + CD-ROM. The game requires just under 2Megs of memory to run (my fault) and I have no idea at all how it will run on any other type of machine. Anyway NOTB is my first proper attempt at programming. I don't actually know how long it has taken for me to write it sinceI tended to spend perhaps two or three hours a day for a few days then leave it for weeks before getting up enought interest to do a little more. But a guess would leave me at around 200+ hours altogether. It sounds like a long time but I had almost no knowledge of programming and absolutely none about Blitz Basic. Worst memory - Spending about an hour at a friends house(whose fault it was that I started to learn Blitz) trying to work out how you loaded in a sound sample and then played it. - The Blitz manual is that terrible and gives very little in the way of any indication of how to use the language!! This is a first person perspective 'Dungeon Master' type game using the flick-foreward style of moving around an underground cavern type thing which is inhabitted by evil looking black ghosty things which you have to kill whilst trying to find your way to the outside. (I had also drawn what were supposed to be walking skeletons as monsters but they turned out more like huge marshmallow chunks and so were dropped form the cast.) So the idea is to walk through the two large levels searching for the ladder ever leading upwards. Note that you cannot go down a ladder to the previous level. You can collect trasure along the way and find new and more powerful weapons to fight with and armour to defend your cast of characters, of which there are four (characters). NOTE..... WHEN GOING THROUGH THE INSTRUCTIONS IT IS PROBABLY BETTER TO HAVE THE GAME RUNNING BEFORE YOU SINCE I DON'T HAVE ANY PICTURES WITH WHICH TO HELP THE DESCRIPTION ..... The beginning..... When you load the program from Workbench (loading from disk could take a long time) after the drive stops reading the titlescreen should appear and two options. 1 Create Party - This allows you to 'customise' your party and select the type of characters that you want along with their stats. 2 Load Party - On the other hand and you just want to get into the game click on this and it will give you a pre-defined party with which to play around with. (There are no loading or saving options in the game itself though.) If you click on this then go to the section 2. SECTION 1 If you click on the 'Create Party' button on the titlescreen then you will be brought to a new screen in which you can edit most things about your party. The main screen is dominated by 4 numbered boxes top left. They were supposed to hold character portraits of all of the characters but due to such abysmal drawing skills they were mercifully left out. Other than that they do nothing. Below the box is a button 'Accept Party'. Click on this only when you have finished editing your party and are ready to enter the dungeon. On the top right of the screen is the name of the currently selected character whose stats you're looking at.(Hinted at by large lettering 'Name'). Again does nothin else. I had thought of being able to change the names of the characters but I had too much fun with the 'Blitzfonts' command and scrapped the idea. Directly below and slightly left of the name box is the 'Class' box. The two arrows inside this box cunningly allow you to change the selected province of your selected character. .Warrior - High in life points (LP.) but rather low in the old magic (Mg.). Also has highest skill and armor modifiers(I think) .Adventurer - Jack of all trades. Not as strong as a warrior but has greater magical abilities. .Assassin - Not as strong as the Adventurer but makes up for it in other areas. .Magician - If you hadn't guessed this character class is the most gifted in the mystical arts of magic but suffers greatest from the lack of strength and combat ability. To the right of the 'Class' box is the character scroll box whereby clicking on the two arrows inside will change the current character accordingly . (Note again the lack of a character portrait.) Below that box is the collection of stats for the character. a. LP - life points are a measure of how much 'damage' your character can take before dying. Be careful because if this reaches 0 then the character is dead and there ain't no coming back from the grave. b. ST - Ameasure of the character's Stamina level although the game takes no of it so you can ignore. c. MG - Not the car. But rather a measure of you'r characters finely tuned magic casting abilities. Different characters gain access to spells at different levels but even a warrior will eventually gain the first level spell. d. AR - The level of defense the character possesses. A highr number indicates more difficult to hit. Differen armour and clothing can affect this vale greatly. e. SK - A measure of the character's skill at arms. Higher = more likely to hit that monster.(monsters have different levels of skill also). f. EXP- How much experience the character has. The more experience the harder the character is to kill. Gain more by slaughtering the monsters provided and your character will improve. Finnally at the very bottom right of the screen is the 'ROLL' button which when clicked will change the stats of the character within random ranges dependent on the class of the character. SECTION 2 The main game screen. The actual game window on the top left is where you see the action that goes on and what the current party leader can see. In this 3d(ish) view of the dungeon you can drop items onto the floor or pick an item up by clicking in the bottom left\right of the screen. A maximum of 6 items can be on any one side of that particular square in the dungeon and you will not be allowed toplace more than the six down. You would have to use another square. Note .. you cannot throw anything in the gamescreen. Click on the switches on doors to open or close them(brownish boxes about half way up the frame). When you find the ladder that takes you up to the next level (and yes it is a ladder) click on the wall section when you are standing and directly facing it to go onward. Also in the case of hidden passageways wall-tapping can be used to find them. Below the game area is a compass-type implementwhich allows you to keep track of the direction you are facing and is also cunningly disguised as a map when you RMB it.(Right Mouse Button Click on the button). This will take you to a different screen with a map of all of the currently mapped areas (the program automaps wherever any character moves). LMB to leave ( Left Mouse Button Click ). Even lower on the screen are the six directional arrows which are the same function as many other games - turn left, move foreward, turn right, move left, move backwards, sidestep right. Lmb on any of these will move the current party in the chosen direction. Alternativelyyou can use the 7,8,9,4,5,6 numbers on the keypad. Next along is the spellbook type box still below the main game area. Along the top of this box is a row of numbers rating from 1>6. These represent the level of the spell the currently selected character could cast. If that level of spell is available to that character then it's name along with the cost to cast will be displayed in the box beneath the numbers. To actually cast a spell simply click on the name of the spell you wish to cast and if the character has enough magic you'll see the effect in the game screen. You can change the character you wish to cast a spell by clicking LMB on that characters name icon. (explained next) Each of your characters have a name icon to the right of the main game screen. LMB click on any of teh character's names will cause that character to become the selected spellcaster for the party and the spell box will show the spell that character could cast. Click on another character's name and you change the caster. An RMB click on any character's name will cause you to bring up the inventory screen for the character see Secrion 3. When a character is dead the name is blanked out though you can still enter the inventory screen to pilfer the valuables. Each character also has two hands in which they are able to carry items which they wish to use such as weapons, shields, spells, food or vials which characters can start off with or find in the dungeons.(Red vials are Skill potions.) Items can be placed or removed from the hands of characters by LMB clicking. If the mouse pointer is an icon for an item and the character already holds an item then they are swapped else the new item is dropped into the hands of the character or removed. Thus items can be swapped with other characters, but only if the characters are in the same square as each other. (explained in section 3 In order to use the items in the characters' hands RMB click on the hand and weapons will be swung, food and vials consummed and scrolls cast(only in the hands of wizards!). There are also maps of the levels somewhere around. Use them and your map for the level becomes complete. Another feature available on the character's hands is the 'Special Click'. Hit both left and right mouse buttons together on a hand will cause one of the following - (Foregot to mention that each character has two slots which are the scabbard slots on the inventory screen and on the main screen the current party leader (explained later) scabbards are shown on the bottom left near the spell box and the bottom right, near the edge of the screen. These represent the characters swordbelt(ish) where it is possible for a character to carry two weapons or shields. These are sheathed and therefore leaves the characters hand free. But they are there to stop having to scrabble around for a weapon should a monster appear from nowhere and attack you unprepared. Therefore provided a weapon or armour is held in the scabbard then the 'Special Click' can be used to retrieve it quickly. Only weapns or a shield can be placed in a scabbard.) a. If the hand you special'd is empty and the corresponding scabbard on that character holds a weapon then the character will draw the weapon ready for combat. If the character is actually carrying something in that hand then it will be dropped onto the floor and can be picked up after the fight is finished. Note even if the item in the hand was a weapon already it would be dropped and the new one takes it's place b. If the hand holds a weapon and you 'special' it then if the scabbard of the character is empty then the weapon will be placed into there for later retrieval. Useful if you want to eat something and get the weapon back immeadietly. Above the top two character names and below the bottom two character names there are a number of small squares. These tell you which character is placed where in the standing order of the party. If the character is currently at that location, and also what the character is doing(sort of). Not all of the boxes may be on all of the time! The first of these boxes is a box with the number of the character inside. This box has three different appearances : 1. Yellow-The character is in the same square as the current party's set of eyes. Because it is possible to split the characters up into different groups and order them off on their own it is this icon that shows if the character is there. Note if a character is not at the current square then you have no acces to that characters items! 2. Blue- The box turns blue when the character is not present in the current square. 3. Greyed-In the middle of changing the position the character has in the party lineup. If you LMB the box then you are selecting that character to be the party leader which means that you will be seeing the dungeon from the point of view of that character. LMB on another character gives you different vision if that char is at a different location. You can tell who the current leader is by looking for the box with 'L' inside which is right next to the character number. You can only have one leader at a time. If you RMB the box then it will turn grey and then yu can swap the position of two characters in the ranks by RMB on the number of the character it is that you wish to change positions. Monsters can only hit characters in the front rank unless both are either dead or at a different location so it is possible to shield the weaker characters. That is if the monster attacks from the front. If you 'Special' the number box then you put the character to rest for a while. Resting allows a character to recover lost life and magic. Other sources are food and water and potions. Another 'Special' will wake the character up. You can tell if the character is resting because another box with an 'R' appears next to where the Leader icon would be. To wake up the character simply 'Special' the numbered box again. Where the rest box appears other letters can also be seen 'E' for explore. 'M' for moving on autoroute. 'G' for guard mode. Explained in section 4. Finally on the game screen are a collection of four boxes center bottom of the screen. These represent the current leaders belt pouch. In these four boxes a character can hold most types of items dependent on size and use. Restricions are that weapons, even daggers cannot be held and large sized items such as suits of armour cannot be placed into them either. Only the belt pouch of the current leader is shown. The only other things on the screen are the stats for the characters which have already been described. SECTION 3 A RMB click on a character's name will bring you to the inventory screen. This is where you can have a look at what you're carrying. Note that when in the inventory screen all action in the game pauses until you return to it. Firstly on the top left of the screen is the characters name. LMB on this and you will return to the main game. In the box where the name is contained are a number of icons. Most of which will be empty at the start. These represent the body of the character. Indicating the clothing,rings,armour,scabbards,necklaces and feet. Only the correct type of item can be placed into these boxes. Starting at the bottom are the feet where boots can be placed. Next up legs where armoured leggins can be worn. Higher to the torso suits of armour. Then the head for helmets. Above and to the right a slot for necklaces. The lowest four slots in the same box indicate rings and above them going left to right are : left scabbard, Wrists, hands(gauntlets and gloves) and far right the right scabbard. Below the body box is another containing four icons. These are the belt pouch icons where items are restricted to non-weapons and no large items. (Useful for food and extra spell scrolls.) To the right of the belt icons are two rows of icons and two large boxes. The two large boxes represent the hands of the character and show the items in full size. The first two icons in the highest line are the only two slots where large items can be held in the backpack.(It's a bit unrealistic in some games where you walk around carrying huge chests filled with swords and in another chest lie ten full suits of armour). The following six icons are capable of holding any items as long as they are not big(no suits of armour or big swords). The bottom row of icons are for holding small items only. Such as golden coins or food or rings. In the box above the backpack are a list of the character's names. LMB on that character's name will change the inventory to that of the selected one's. But no items can be transferred tis way.(No sneaky way of giving items to characters that are at other locations of the map.) The box to the left of the character names was to be a portrait. Which is why it's empty. Above the character names is an icon to view the map. LMB to view and LMB to return to the inventory screen. The remaining icon is the 'ORDERS' icon which takes you to another screen. SECTION 4 At first this screen was only to test the QAMIGA command in Blitz to load in a picture without losing everything done before going back to the operating system. It sort of grew along the way. This is the orderring screen where it is made possible to give some basic commands to the chatacters and split the team up or join other people together. Right. Top left again is the name of the current character. RMB on the name to return to the inventory screen. To the right of the characters name is the character's number box and below it if the character is the leader or in a certain mode e.g. resting. Below these are the characters basic stats. Below the stats are the four numbered boxes for each character. Yellow =present, Blue = not. LMB click on the number boxes to select that character. Below them is the 'EXIT' icon to return to the inventory screen. The 'JOIN' icon at the bottom right is the icon which allows a char to change party and move either alone or in a smaller group. The join icon affects only the selected character. At the top right of the screen are a vertical row of numbers 1>4 in green. These represent a different party. The yellow numbers alongside the green numbers indicate who is in which party. A yellow 1,2 next to a green 3 says that characters 1+2 are together in party #3. A party can consist of only 1 character. To change the party of a character LMB on 'JOIN' then LMB on any of the green party icons and the character will join that one. RMB cancells before actual swap. there are four icons below the party icons REST, GUARD, EXPLORE, MOVE. These are used with the 'ORDER' icon. LMB on order then LMB on any of the four modes changes tha actions of the selected character. 1. REST - Tell the character to sleep and rest to gain back lost energy. 2. GUARD - Tells the character to hold it's position on the map and will defend itself if attacked by a monster. Useful for holding a section of corridor. If the characters hands do not hold a weapon but one is carried in the scabbard then the character will automatically draw the weapon for self-defense. 3. EXPLORE-This order tells a character to set off alone and explore the direct vicinity. This is a good way to map unknown areas of dungeon. As in guard mode the character will defend itself in the case of attack. Note the character will not go through closed doors and when it can not detect an unexplored area will revert to guard mode and Iv'e only given the most basic of intelligence to the character. Also when looking through the eyes of a character in explore mode the actual screen display doesn't update when the character moves. This problem is caused because this mode was another afterthought and originally there was not going to be a way of splitting the party up. 4. MOVE - Allows you to order the character to move in a mapped route through the dungeon. You enter the route via another mapping screen which appears when you press the MOVE button. SECTION 5 Yes I'm afraid these are even more awesome graphics. This screen also came as an afterthought. It allows you to give a character a set of route instructions to follow. The largest portion of the screen is the map of the level. All mapped regions will be seen here. Note that you can only move characters on autoroute through the dungeon if the area of the level has already been explored. First button on the left 'EXIT' LMB leaves and goes back to the previous screen without affecting the character at all. The four directional arrows allow you to indicate which direction the characters next movement is to be. Cannot move onto a closed door or into a wall section. There is a maximum of 25 movements for the character(seemed like a nice number). The character's current position is indicated by a small cross and the movements of the character in yellow dots. When you've given all of the movements you want click on the 'DONE' icon. The 'DONE' icon far right is the icon used to finish the movement sequence. It returns you to the orderring screen and the charcaters path is stored and will be followed one square at a time once back in main game screen. FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS ? The best point is that it is incredibly easy to develop new dungeons. It takes a bit of time but other than that simple. It is also simple to add new monsters or items to the list. But should more levels need to be written it would be better to load in the data from disk rather than including it in the main prog. Also should anyone decide that they can draw better(who can't) then just replace your own pictures with mine. As long as they're left in the same position on the screen then it would be alright.(A good way of changing the names of the characters.) Unfortunately this game is the product of a lot of bad programming. The Blitz manual does not describe very well how to use procedures and statements so mine is a cluster of gosubs and goto's. A mistake never to repeated again. (But I probably will anyway.) Also when I started all I had in mind was to write a program where it was going to be possible to walk around in a small maze and then I kept adding to it. This program is largely un-optimized but if re-written from scratch then it would run a lot smoother and faster. Every once in a while the program also seemed to like to crash for no apparent reason. It was a problem with the sprites in blitz but I think it's sorted now. Should I ever get the urge to write Nose2 then inclusions will be switches that do things other than open doors. Traps st in the maze. Puzzles. Speech for the characters(maybe). Also next time in 256 color AGA (maybe not). Anyway my next game will be a DuneII\Supremacy or a Supremacy\Carthage style game where red indistinguishable blobs fight blue indistinguishable blobs for planets that look like marshmallows. THE END