@database Legend.guide
$VER: The Legend of the Elves User Guide v1.5 HD (27/7/99)
(C) Copyright 1999 Peter Armann
AUTHOR Peter Armann
@index main

@node main "The Legend of the Elves - User Guide"

@{b}@{u}@{i}The Legend of the Elves v1.5@{ui} - User Guide@{uu}@{ub}
@{i}Hard Drive Version@{ui}

 @{" Introduction              " link intro}  @{" Requirements              " link require}

 @{FG Shine}Running the Game@{FG Text}
 @{" Installation              " link install}  @{" Playing with Floppy Disks " link floppy}

 @{FG Shine}Playing the Game@{FG Text}
 @{" The Playing Screen        " link play}  @{" Using the Control System  " link using}
 @{" Controlling Eric          " link control}  @{" Verb Summary              " link verb}
 @{" Talking to Characters     " link talking}  @{" The Map                   " link map}
 @{" Load/Save Game Functions  " link load}  @{" Other In-Game Functions   " link function}

 @{FG Shine}Problems whilst Running/Playing the Game@{FG Text}
 @{" Memory Problems           " link memory}  @{" Technical Problems        " link other}
 @{" Memory Fragmentation      " link fragment}  @{" Other Problems            " link other2}

 @{" In Conclusion             " link conclude}  @{" The Authors               " link authors} 


@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is ©1999 Peter Armann

@endnode


@node intro "Introduction"

@{u}@{b}Introduction@{uu}@{ub}

If you didn't download @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} from the 
official web site, please register at @{b}http://www.ericelf.freeserve.co.uk/@{ub}
Registration is @{b}FREE@{ub} and gives you the chance to tell me what you think 
about the game, report any bugs or technical problems you may be 
having running the game.

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is an adventure game in the style of 
@{i}Monkey Island@{ui} 1+2 or @{i}Simon the Sorcerer@{ui}. There are 
a few differences in the control mechanism however, so you should 
read these instructions before playing the game.

In @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}, you play the part of Eric, a 
young Elf who lives with his parents in a small house on Corvée 
Island. At the start of the game, Eric discovers something which will 
make him embark on an extremely serious and desperate adventure.

The game was originally written to be split into two parts, the 
storyline of each part taking place on a different island. 
Unfortunately, development of the game has ceased at the end of Part 
One, and so you can only play the part of the game which takes place 
on Corvée Island. This should not, however, decrease your enjoyment  
of the game.

During the game, Cut Scenes, where you do not control what happens, 
keep the plot going, showing you what is happening elsewhere (or to 
Eric himself!) The Cut Scenes involving Eric are not very long and so 
cannot be skipped. However, those which start with an "Meanwhile..." 
screen can be skipped by pressing the Escape key or holding down both 
mouse buttons while the "Meanwhile..." screen is displayed. The 
Introduction can also be skipped by pressing the Escape key on the 
keyboard. @{b}NOTE:@{ub} If you press ESC during the Introduction, 
the sequence will not end until the credit which is currently being 
shown is removed from the screen. 
 
This game was created using @{i}AMOS Professional@{ui}

@{b}Quick Version History@{ub}
v1.5 - Control System Update - Can now use RMB to select a default 
       verb for a particular object on-screen (see
       @{" Using the Control System " link using} for more details).
     - Fixed a couple of minor bugs.
     - Now automatically assigns Eric: to PROGDIR: if necessary.
     - Improved end sequence.
     - Can now clear the dialogue line by pressing the "." key.
     - Can increase or decrease the dialogue line speed by pressing 
       the "+" or "-" keys.
     - Now saves current @{" music on/off " link function} setting with save games.
     - Added simple @{" Save/Load " link load} progress bars.
     - Fixed 'Look at Stairs' bug in Eric's house.
     - Added error checking for walking routine which allows you to 
       save you game before the game exits if Eric gets 'stuck' 
       (previously the game would simply exit with no explanation why).
     - Added error checking to @{" Save/Load " link load} routines.
     - Fixed bug with @{" Save/Load " link load} routines which stopped you
       from saving over 20 games.
v1.4 - Fixed various bugs concerning game logic.
v1.3 - Fixed bug concerning using objects at the Ghost Train.
     - No longer exits if it can't find the savegame directory. The 
       directory is now created instead.
v1.2 - Fixed bug concerning interacting with objects at the Ghost 
       Train.
v1.1 - Fixed bug concerning carrying the maximum number of objects 
       (which has been increased to 18).
v1.0 - Original Release (appeared on Amiga Format CD40).

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This software is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either
expressed or implied. By using it, you agree to accept the entire risk
as to the quality and performance of the program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

@endnode


@node require "Requirements"

@{u}@{b}Requirements@{uu}@{ub}

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} can be run on any PAL Amiga with 
WB1.3 or above. However, it does require 2Mb of Chip Memory as a 
minimum. To play the game comfortably, we recommend at least 4Mb 
(including 2Mb Chip).

To install the game, you must have the Amiga @{i}Installer@{ui}
program, obtainable from Aminet (@{b}util/misc/Installer-43.3.lha@{ub}), 
installed in your search path (usually C:).

The game has been tested on the following systems:
- Amiga 500+, OS3.1, 2Mb Chip Memory, 8Mb Fast Memory, Floppy 
  Disk and Hard Drive Systems 
- Amiga 500+, OS3.1, 2Mb Chip Memory, Floppy Disk
- Amiga 500+, OS2.04, 2Mb Chip Memory, Floppy Disk

@endnode


@node install "Installation"

@{u}@{b}Installation@{uu}@{ub}

You must install @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} Hard Drive Version 
to a Hard Drive. You will need just over 2Mb of free hard disk space 
to install @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}. Simply boot your Amiga 
as usual, unpack the archive if necessary, and double click the icon 
labelled "Install". The installer uses the Amiga @{i}Installer@{ui} 
program which must be installed in your search path (usually in C:) 
for the Install script to launch. (@{i}Installer@{ui} is not supplied 
with this archive, so you must obtain it from Aminet 
(@{b}util/misc/Installer-43.3.lha@{ub}) or a similar source if you do 
not already have the program on your Hard Drive.) Once running, 
simply follow the instructions to install the game. Click the Help 
button if you don't understand anything. 

Click @{" here " system "Execute GuideInstall"} to start the Installer.

If you want to move the game directory at a later date, simply move 
the whole directory to its new location. 

@endnode


@node floppy "Playing with Floppy Disks"

@{u}@{b}Playing with Floppy Disks@{uu}@{ub}

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} Hard Drive Version cannot be 
played from floppy disks. Please download the DMS archives from 
the web site (@{b}http://www.ericelf.freeserve.co.uk/@{ub}) to play 
from Floppy Disk.

@endnode


@node play "The Playing Screen"

@{u}@{b}The Playing Screen@{uu}@{ub}

Click @{" here " system "C/IffView Example1.iff"} for a diagram of the Playing Screen

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is controlled using the mouse only. 
The mouse controls the cross hair pointer which is used to select 
objects and actions on the screen. The playing screen is split into 
two main parts; The Playing Area (showing Eric's current location) 
and the Control Panel (containing the Verbs and Inventory). 

The majority of the screen is taken up by the Playing Area - this is 
where you see where Eric is and where the game takes place. Below 
the Playing Area is the Sentence Line where sentences are formed to 
control Eric. Below the Sentence Line is the Control Panel. The 
Control Panel contains the actions (verbs) which are used to control 
Eric (such as Pick Up, Look At etc.) and the Inventory Boxes which 
show what Eric is carrying. Eric can carry a maximum of 18 items at 
any one time. The arrows at the side of the Inventory Boxes are used 
to navigate around the inventory (you can only see 6 of the 18 
inventory boxes available at any one time) 

See @{" Using the Control System " link using} for more information.

@endnode


@node using "Using the Control System"

@{b}@{u}Using the Control System@{ub}@{uu}

When you place the mouse pointer over a verb in the Control Panel, it 
lights up. Click once with the left mouse button to select it.

When you place the mouse pointer over an area of the Playing Area 
which contains an object which may be useful, the following will 
happen:
(i)  Its name will appear in the Sentence Line, along with the 
     current verb (eg. Walk To (object), Talk To (object)). If you 
     click the left mouse button, the sentence in the Sentence Line  
     will change colour, showing that the mouse click has been 
     registered. If another object/item is required, the colour of 
     the sentence will return to normal, showing that you should 
     select something else before the sentence will be carried out.
(ii) A verb will be highlighted in the Control Panel. This is the 
     default verb for the object ('Look At' for most objects and 
     'Talk To' for other characters). To use this verb with the 
     object, click the right mouse button. The sentence in the 
     Sentence Line will change colour. Eric will then carry out the 
     appropriate action as if you had manually selected the action.

When you place the mouse pointer over the arrows next to the Inventory
Boxes, they will only be highlighted if they are available to use.

@endnode


@node control "Controlling Eric"

@{b}@{u}Controlling Eric@{ub}@{uu}

You use the verbs contained in the Control Panel to control Eric. 
There are 7 verbs in total: 

- @{b}Walk To@{ub} (this is the default action which is activated
  whenever you move the mouse pointer over an area of the screen 
  with a name) Walking to certain paths takes you to the @{" Map " link map}
- @{b}Pick Up@{ub} (used to make Eric pick up objects)
- @{b}Use@{ub} (used to make Eric use or open objects both in the 
  current location and also those that he is carrying in his 
  inventory)
- @{b}Look At@{ub} (used to look at objects around Eric and also 
  those in his inventory)
- @{b}Talk To@{ub} (used to @{" talk to the other characters " link talking} in the game)
- @{b}Give@{ub} (used to give objects in your inventory to characters 
  in the game)
- @{b}Throw@{ub} (used to throw objects in your inventory at other 
  people or objects around you)

To activate a verb, click on it once with the left mouse button. To 
walk to an object, make sure that no other verb is activated (if 
there is a verb selected, click on any free part of the screen) 
and click on the object where you want to walk to.

@{b}NOTE:@{ub} You cannot walk to any part of the Playing Area. You 
must walk to a specific object. eg. Walk to Door; Walk to Mat


To look at any item in your inventory, make sure that you do not have 
a verb selected in the Control Panel then click on the item with the 
left mouse button and Eric will tell you about it.

Each verb needs more information before a sentence can be formed in 
the Sentence Line. For example, if you want to look at something on 
the playing area, you must click "Look At" with the left mouse button 
and then click on what you want to look at. The sentence line shows 
the sentence that you have formed: eg. "Look at Television". Eric 
will then walk to the object which you want to look at (if he is not 
already there) and then tell you about it. Other verbs such as "Give" 
require two pieces of information. For example, to give an item 
in your inventory to a character on the screen, select "Give" with 
the left mouse button ('Give' appears in the sentence line), then 
select which item you want to give (The words 'Give (item) to' appear 
in the Sentence Line) and finally select who you want to give the 
item to (The sentence 'Give (item) to (character)' appears in the 
Sentence Line) In this way, you can tell Eric exactly what you want 
him to do.

@{b}NOTE:@{ub} Once you have given a verb all the information that it 
needs to work, you cannot 'cancel' it. You will only regain control 
of Eric when he has completed the action.
e.g. If you select "Walk To Front Door", you must wait until Eric has 
walked to the front door before you can do anything else.

A summary of all of the verbs and how to use them is shown on 
the @{" Verb Summary " link verb} page.

@endnode


@node verb "Verb Summary"

@{b}@{u}Verb Summary@{ub}@{uu}

Below is a summary of all of the verbs in the game.
@{FG Shine}Highlighted Text@{FG Text} shows the text which will appear in the Sentence Line.

(object) means the object which you have clicked on in the Playing 
Area
(item) means the item in the inventory which you have clicked on

- @{b}Walk To@{ub} Select the object you want to walk to 
  @{FG Shine}"Walk to (object)"@{FG Text} (Walking to certain paths takes you to the @{" Map " link map})
- @{b}Pick Up@{ub} Select the object you want to pick up
  @{FG Shine}"Pick up (object)"@{FG Text}
- @{b}Use@{ub} Select the object you want to use or open
  @{FG Shine}"Use (object)"@{FG Text} 
  @{b}OR@{ub}
  Select the item in your inventory that you want to use with 
  something else and then select the object/item in your inventory 
  that you want to use it with. 
  @{FG Shine}"Use (item) with (object/item)"@{FG Text}
- @{b}Look At@{ub} Select the object on the playing screen or in your 
  inventory that you want to Look At
  @{FG Shine}"Look at (object/item)"@{FG Text}
- @{b}Talk To@{ub} Select the character or thing you want to Talk To 
  @{FG Shine}"Talk To (object)"@{FG Text}
- @{b}Give@{ub} Select the item in your inventory that you want to 
  give away and then the character that you want to give it to.
  @{FG Shine}"Give (item) to (object)"@{FG Text}
- @{b}Throw@{ub} Select the item in your inventory that you want to 
  throw and then the object that you want to throw it at. 
  @{FG Shine}"Throw (item) at (object)"@{FG Text} 

@endnode


@node map "The Map"

@{b}@{u}The Map@{ub}@{uu}

Certain paths in the game lead Eric to a map of the island that he 
is on. This allows you to quickly go to any location on the island. 
Simply click on the location that you want to go to with the left 
mouse button.

Click @{" here " system "C/IffView Example2.iff"} for an example of a Map Screen.

@endnode


@node talking "Talking to Other Characters"

@{u}@{b}Talking to Other Characters@{uu}@{ub}

There are many characters in @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} that you
can talk to. Sometimes, they may not want to have a conversation with 
you but most of them will. When you initiate a conversation with a 
character, the Control Panel will be overwritten by a choice of 
sentences for Eric to say. Simply select which sentence you want Eric 
to say with the left mouse button, and Eric will proceed to say this 
sentence. The choice of sentences will change as the conversation 
continues.

Sometimes, you can have a conversation with a character and then talk 
to them again later when your choice of sentences may have changed. 
You shouldn't think that once you have spoken to a character, you 
won't need to talk to them again. They may provide some important 
clues the next time around!

Click @{" here " system "C/IffView Example3.iff"} for a diagram of the Conversation Panel.

@endnode


@node load "Load/Save Game Functions"

@{u}@{b}Load/Save Game Functions@{uu}@{ub}

You can save your game so that you can later continue with it. You 
can save a maximum of 30 games. 

To save your game, press the "s" button. Either select, with the left 
mouse button, a previously saved game that you want to overwrite or 
select the first available slot (the slot numbers are highlighted as 
you move the mouse pointer over them to show which slots are 
available to save your game to). Type or edit the name of your save 
game and then press Enter. Your game will be saved (a progress bar
shows how long it will take).

@{b}NOTE:@{ub} Current @{" music on/off " link function} and @{" dialogue line speed " link function} settings are saved 
with your save game.

To reload a previously saved game, press the "l" button. Select the 
saved game that you want to load with the left mouse button and your 
game will load (a progress bar shows how long it will take).

@{b}NOTE:@{ub} The Load and Save game functions do not work on the Map screen
or during Cut Scenes.

@endnode


@node function "Other In-game Functions"

@{u}@{b}Other In-game Functions@{uu}@{ub}

- Press the "." key to clear the current dialogue line.
- Press the "+" or "-" keys to increase or decrease the dialogue line 
  speed (from 1 to 16, default 6).
- Press the "m" key to turn in-game music on/off (the key acts as a 
  toggle switch).
- Press the "f" key to show your current Free Memory.
- Press the "v" key to show @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} Version Information 
  and Copyright notices.
- Press the "q" key to Quit the game (you will be asked if you are sure 
  that you want to do so).

@{b}NOTE:@{ub} The above functions do not work during Cut Scenes (or any
time when you do not have control of Eric).

@endnode


@node memory "Memory Problems"

@{u}@{b}Memory Problems@{uu}@{ub}

Although @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} does not need huge amounts 
of memory, it does require at least 2Mb of free memory. However, 
problems sometimes do occur during the game if your memory is 
limited. 4Mb of memory is recommended of which 2Mb must be Chip Ram. 
If you only have 2Mb of memory in total and run into problems running 
the game, follow the advice below, trying each step at a time.

- Disable all programs running in the background (such as those 
  launched in your user-startup file and those in the WBStartup 
  directory)
- Disable all external disk drives
- Download the DMS version from the web site and play the game from 
  floppy disks only

@endnode


@node other "Technical Problems"

@{u}@{b}Technical Problems@{uu}@{ub}

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is written in @{i}Amos Professional@{ui}.
I have found this system to usually be stable. 

However, during the development of @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}, 
we did have many problems with unexplained crashes. It seems that 
these problems have been eliminated by rewriting certain parts of the 
program (which for no reason caused the game to crash regularly). 
However, if you do have unexplained crashes, they could be caused by:

- Programs running in the background. Disable all programs in your 
  WBStartup drawer and/or user-startup file and try again.
- Accelerator cards. I have heard that Amos is not compatible with 
  some accelerator cards. As I do not have one myself, I cannot test 
  this. If the game crashes, and you don't think it is a memory 
  problem, try disabling your accelerator card.
- Other peripherals. Try disabling floppy drives, CD ROM drives etc.
- Memory Fragmentation. See @{" Memory Fragmentation " link fragment}

If you still have problems, either fill in the registration form at 
@{b}http://www.ericelf.freeserve.co.uk/@{ub} and state the problem you are
having in the relevent field, or e-mail me at @{b}eric@ericelf.freeserve.co.uk@{ub}

@endnode


@node other2 "Other Problems"

@{u}@{b}Other Problems@{uu}@{ub}

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is not an extremely difficult game. 
However, if you do have problems, help is at hand. There is a 
special section on the web site with hints and tips as well as a 
complete solution to the game if you get really stuck. All of the 
problems can be thought through quite easily as they are all logical.

Do not be afraid to do anything in @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}. 
You cannot die! If you're not sure about something, simply save your 
game first. (See @{" Load/Save Game Functions " link load} for more details.)

@endnode


@node fragment "Memory Fragmentation"

@{u}@{b}Memory Fragmentation@{uu}@{ub}

If you are still having problems, it could be due to Memory 
Fragmentation. This is not really due to a lack of memory, although 
Amigas with less memory will be prone to this problem.

Try pressing the "f" button to display memory usage if you suffer 
from regular crashes whilst playing the game. If the amount of free
Chip memory is still above 524288 bytes (0.5Mb) then it is unlikely 
to be a lack of memory causing the crashes but memory fragmentation. 
If this seems to be the cause, try saving your game regularly, 
resetting your Amiga, reloading the game from the start and then 
laoding in your saved game. This allows the game to be continued 
without any fragmented memory.

@endnode


@node conclude "In Conclusion"

@{u}@{b}In Conclusion@{uu}@{ub}

We hope that you enjoy playing @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}. It 
has taken many years to complete just Part One. When I first played 
@{i}The Secret of Monkey Island@{ui}, I couldn't believe how good it 
was. Ever since then, I've always wanted to make an adventure game in 
the same style. This is it! Unfortunately, this game is obviously no 
way near as good as @{i}Monkey Island@{ui}, but we hope that it is 
still an enjoyable game to play. I am extremely proud of some parts 
of my code, especially the whole control system, and so I hope you 
like it too.

If you would like to design some better icons (MagicWB / NewIcons / 
Iconographics etc.) for the game, e-mail me at
@{b}eric@ericelf.freeserve.co.uk@{ub} and I will be pleased to put 
them on the web site. Icons should be relevant and, if possible, 
designed in both high and medium resolution versions.

If you have any problems running the game, please consult the web 
site for @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} at @{b}http://www.ericelf.freeserve.co.uk/@{ub}.
If this does not offer any help to your problem, please follow the
instructions given on the @{" Technical Problems " link other} page to 
contact me.

@endnode


@node authors "Authors"

@{u}@{b}Authors@{uu}@{ub}

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui} is a joint venture of Peter Armann 
and Gary Walkden. All Programming Code and Music was written by Peter 
Armann and all Graphics were designed and drawn by Gary Walkden.

@{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}, and all accompanying files 
(except IFFView program and readme file) are ©1999 Peter Armann. All 
rights reserved. The files contained herein are freely distributable, 
as long as they are not separated or modified in any way.

Please tell me beforehand if you plan to put @{i}The Legend of the Elves@{ui}
on a compilation CD (except Aminet CDs) or magazine coverdisks / CDs, 
by contacting me at the e-mail address below.

This User Guide was written by Peter Armann.

Contact: @{b}eric@ericelf.freeserve.co.uk@{ub}

@endnode