Part 3 - Free games instructions. ========================================== *************************************** * PART 3 - FREE GAMES INSTRUCTIONS * *************************************** EMULATE! GAMES PACK 2 Welcome to Emulate! Games Pack Number 2. There's certainly some great games for you to play in this months pack. First we start off with the epic Bards Tale. A massive 17-level RPG with 80 spells for you to learn. We also have two exclusive games for you to play, which have never been seen before! Firstly, there is "Join the Jet Set" By Richard Hallas. A JSW game, worthy of Matt Smith himself! And secondly, we feature a pre-release version of Street Hawk. Both this and the actual release are included here for you to compare. If these weren't enough, we also have the follow-up to last months Wally game - Everyones A Wally. Adventure fans have a double helping with the two- part "Loads of Midnight" and also the excellent Zenobi game "Retarded Creatures and Caverns" Also featured in this months editions is another massive POKES list, this time in a database fromat compiled by Hynek Med (xmedhO2@drson.vse.cz) There is also a special program called SPECTEST, created by our own techincal editor to use with your Emulator. See Technical section for more details. Have fun and ENJOY THE PROGRAMS!! ========================================== ========================================== THE BARDS TALE The Bards Tale is the first in a series of Tales Of The Unknown, set in the city of Skara Brae which is threatened by an evil mage called Mangar. OBJECTIVE Your most important goal is to find Mangar and "persuade" him to release the once harmonious city from his evil control. Your second goal is to develop characters who are capable of surviving the layer of obstacles, mazes and evil henchmen who protect Mangar. Your third goal is to explore the entire world of The Bards Tale . There are numerous goodies, puzzles and special places in the city such as the legendary catacombs or the walled off towers. HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER 1. While in Adventurers guild, select a race. 2. Characters attribute numbers are displayed. 3. If you are satisfied with the "roll of the dice", choose a character class, then name this character. If you are not satisfied "re-roll the dice". 4. After being named, the character will be saved to disc or tape, ready to adventure. USING THE PRE-BUILT PARTY For your convenience, you will find a pre-built party already waiting for you when you enter the guild for the first time. The party is called A-Team. They are even outfitted with weapons and armour. CHARACTERS RACES - There are 7 different races which a character can be: HUMAN - While being of hardier stock, this character is nonetheless like you or me. ELF - The elf is slight of build, though taller than a human and very inclined to magic. DWARF - Short, stout, very strong and healthy though not too intelligent, they make superb fighters. HOBBIT - Being nimble and dexterous and smaller than dwarves, they make excellent rogues. HALF-ELF - Slightly bigger and stronger than an elf, though not as magical, makes half-elves good all rounders. HALF-ORC - Although not as despicable as his orc parent, this large strong goblin like creature, is no beauty. GNOME - These short tempered creatures are similar to dwarves, though more inclined to magic. CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES Each character you create has 5 attributes which define his physical and mental prowess. These attributes are assigned a random value from 1 to 18 (18 being the best). For each race there is a lowest possible number for each attribute and high attribute scores will give characters an edge. STRENGTH (ST) - Affects the amount of damage a character does in hand to hand combat. INTELLIGENCE (IQ) - A high IQ gives Mages bonus spell points. DEXTERITY (DX) - A high DX makes characters harder to hit and helps them strike the first blow in combat. CONSTITUTION (CN) - A very healthy character (ie, a high CN) gets bonus hit points and thus is harder to kill. LUCK (LK) - A lucky character will be more likely to avoid nasty traps, evil magic and the like. OTHER CHARACTER STATISTICS ARMOUR CLASS (AC) - Gives the level of protection a character has from physical attack and ranges from 10 (totally unprotected) to -10 (called LO) HIT POINTS (HITS) - Measures how much damage a character can take before he dies. CONDITION (COND) - Shows the characters present number of hit points. SPELL POINTS (SpPt) - Shows current spell point status. A characters maximum spell points are listed in his view character mode. EXPERIENCE POINTS - Measures how much experience a character has gained is his profession. The higher the number the better the character. GOLD - The unit of currency in this world. The more you have, the better. LEVEL (LV 1) - A measure of acheivement within a characters class. LV 1 is a novice and LV 13 would be a master. New levels are awarded by the review board based on the characters experience points and new levels generally mean increased attribute scores, hit points, spell points among others. SPELL LEVELS (e.g. MAGI 3) - Shows the highest level spells a character can cast (There are 7 levels of magic spells for each of the 4 mage classes). A new spell level is awarded every other experience level, i.e. LV 1 Magician has MAGI 1, at LV 3 he has MAGI 2 until at LV13 he has MAGI 7 and can go no further. ITEMS - These fall into 10 catagories: Weapons; shields, armour, helms; gloves; musical instruments; figurines; rings; wands and miscellaneous. Only 1 item of each type can be equipped at one time. CHARACTER CLASSES There are 10 different character classes, but only the first 8 can be seleceted for a newly generated character. WARRIOR - Can use nearly every weapon there is and for every four levels of experience after the first they get an extra attack in combat. PALADIN - Fighters sword to fight evil and uphold honour and purity, they can use most weapons even some that no other fighters can. They get multiple attacks at higher levels and have an increased resistance to evil magic. ROGUE - A professional thief who can search for traps and disarm them. He is only so so in combat and prefers to hide in the shadows. HUNTER - Can use most weapons and has the unique ability (which grows with experience) to strike a critical hit, instantly killing an opponent. MONK - Trained to fight without weapons or armour, is an almost inhuman fighting machine at higher levels. BARD - Bards were once warriors now turned wandering minstrel, although they can still use most weapons, they do not get multiple attacks. Bards have 6 magical tunes which can be long lasting and continue to play even if other songs were played during combat. Or the songs can be abbreviated for use in combat and thus have different effects than the longer versions. These short songs will only last for one round of fighting. Only one song can be played at a time (by any bard) and if a second is played, the first will end. A bard can play as many songs as he has expereince levels before his throat becomes dry. Then its off to a tavern for a drink to rejuvenate his voice. CONJURER - Deals in the physical craetion of real things like fire, light or healing. MAGICIAN - Deals with magic as it affects physical objects like enchanting a sword or making armour stronger. SORCERER - Deals with the creation and manipulation of illusion. This class is unavailable to newly created characters. WIZARD - Deals with the summoning and control of supernatural creatures from the negative plane. This class is unavailable to newly created characters. THE COMBAT SYSTEM The Bards Tale is a game of fighting, its the only way to build experience. Fortunately, Magar and his minions are very evil, so kill them if you can. At the outset of combat a list of foes is given broken down into the number of foes in each group. The maximum is four groups with 99 monsters per group. Combat is divided into a series of rounds. At the start of each round, each character decides what action he will undertake, unless, of course, your party runs away. These options are as follows: ATTACK FOES - To physically assault foes in the first or second group of monsters. PARTY ATTACK - Assault another member of the party, including special members. DEFEND - Do not attack which reduces the chance of being hit. USE AN ITEM - Uses an item held in the characters inventory and currently equipped. BARD SONG - Bards can play a short song to aid the party during the combat. CAST A SPELL - The spell code must be entered and a target identified. HIDE IN SHADOWS - A rogue can try to avoid combat altogether by hiding. The first 3 characters in your party can be attacked physically by monsters and can attack back. The last 3 can only be strucj by magic and can only attack back with magic. The first 2 groups of monstersare the only monsters who can attack or be attacked physically. The most dextourous characters or monsters usually make the first strike, but luck, character level and character class also affect this. At the end of a combat round, dead monsters are removed and dead characters are shuffled to the back fo your party. Treasure and experience points are split equally among the battles survivorsonce all your foes are defeated. SPECIAL MEMBERS The special slot (marked S) is for monsters who can join your party either by introducing themselves to the party or by being created/summoned by magic. Specials cannot be controlled, but they will fight for you until killed (or disbelieved if an illusion). PLACES Use your map to guide you around Skara Brae UNMARKED BUILDINGS Most building are unmarked, but some of them are inhabited by evil creatures. So kick in a few doors and find them. When you exit a building, it will be directly behind you. THE ADVENTURERS GUILD The Guild is where all the adventures begin and where you form a party. GARTHS EQUIPMENT SHOPPE Is where characters acn buy, sell or identify items and pool all the gold to buy expensive items. Unique items, found in dungeons, remain in Garths possession only until they are sold unlike toher items of which he has an unlimited supply. THE REVIEW BOARD Upon your request in person, the board will determine whether that character has enough experience points for advancement to higher levels. The Board teaches new spells to mages who qualify for higher spell levels, but charges for this training. You will have to do a bit of exploring to find the Review Board, and its closed at night. TAVERNS These are the Bards favourite place for gossip and refreshment. Theres even a tavern named after him. ROSCOES ENERGY EMPORIUM If you need your spell points in a hurry, see Roscoe. But be prepared for electrifyingly high fees. TEMPLES Temples are divine places of complete healing and resurrection but only at a price. DUNGEON DELVING "Dungeon" refers to and indoor labyrinth from towers to catacombs with a varied number of levels for each. You can go up or down to levels via stairways, portals and teleportation. Stairways are not visible from a distance unlike portals (which are holes in the floor or ceiling). You will not fall through a portal by standing on it, you must command a character to do so. If he jumps down a portal he will take damage unless he is using a teleportation spell. The only way to go up a portal is by levitation. The location of dungeon entrances are well kept secrets, but there are plenty of hints in Skara Brae. THE MAGIC SYSTEM Magic is power, though it is not always necessary or wise to rely on magic, because magic is by no means foolproof. There are some places where magic never functions, and some monsters who are highly resistant to spells. If your party has wandered into an anti-magic zone, all residual spells, except light spells, are cancelled. Residual spells keep working for more than just an instant and most cause a graphic symbol to appear on the screen, to keep the player aware that the duration has yet to expire. All spells have a point cost and the mage casting them expends some of his internal energy. This enegry is replenished in direct sunlight and may be regenerated at Roscoes Energy Emporium or in special regeneration zones. To cast a spell, type in the 4-letter code which is a rough abbreviation of the spell name. There are magical items hidden in the dungeons and carried by the monsters of the Bards Tale and the most powerful are secreted in the most challenging dungeons and are guarded by ferocious monsters. When you win one, you should be very proud. CHANGING CLASS Mages who have attained at least the third level in one mage class, may then change to another. If a mage changes class, his experience points are reset to zero, but he retains all his hit points, spell points and magic knowledge. He can no longer progress in the old mage class nor may he rejoin it. A mage can become a Conjurer, Magician or Sorcerer as a second class and he can become anything as a third class. A mage who has knowledge of all 7 spell levels in all four classes is called an Archmage. The most powerful being in the world of The Bards Tale. BARD SONGS 1.FALKENTYNES FURY Increases the damage your party will do in combat. 2.THE SEEKERS BALLAD Produces light when exploring. Increases the partys chance of hitting a foe with a weapon during combat. 3.WAYLANDS WATCH Calms your foes, making them do less damage in combat. 4.BADHR KILNFEST Heals the Bards wounds while travelling. Heals the partys wounds during combat. 5.THE TRAVELLERS TUNE Makes the party more dexterous thus more difficult to hit. 6.LUCKLARAN Sets up a partial anti-magic field, giving the party better protection against spells. *** THE SPELL BOOK *** CONJURER SPELLS Level 1 MAFL 2 VIEW MEDIUM MAGE FLAME - A small mobile "torch" will appear and flot above the spell caster as he travels. ARFI 3 1 Foe --- ARC FIRE - A fan of blue flames jets from the casters fingers, doing 1-4 hits of damage, times the casters level, to a selected opponent. SOSH 3 SELF COMBAT SORCERER SHIELD - The mage is protected by an invisible "shield" turning aside many blows that would otherwise hit him. TRZP 2 30` --- TRAP ZAP - Disarms any trap, including traps on chests, within 30 feet, in the direction the mage is facing. Level 2 FRFO 3 GROUP COMBAT FREEZE FOES - Binds your enemies in magical force, slowing them down and making them easier to hit. MACO 3 --- MEDIUM KIELS MAGIC COMPASS - A compass of shimmering magelight appears above the party and shows the direction they face. BASK 4 CHAR COMBAT BATTLESKILL - Increases one of your party members skill with weapons, increasing the accuracy and ferocity of his attacks. WOHL 4 CHAR --- WORD OF HEALING - With the utterance of a single word, the mage cures a party member of minor wounds, healing 2-8 points of damage. Level 3 MAST 5 GROUP --- ARCYNES MAGESTAR - A bright flare ignites in front of a group of your enemies, temporarily blinding them and causing them to miss the next combat round. LERE 5 VIEW LONG LESSER REVELATION - An extended "Mage Flame" spell that also reveals secret doors. LEVI 4 PARTY SHORT LEVITATION - Partially nullifies gravity causing the party to float over traps, or up or down through portals.