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The Project 64 etext of the Alcazar help file. Original Windows(R)
help file obtained from the Activision C64 15 Pack was supplied by
Fandango. Converted by the Basic Bombardier. Some of the information
in this etext is assumed to be close enough to the original hardcopy
version until an orginal can be converted, which is likely to be
called ALCAZ10B.TXT.

ALCAZ10A.TXT, November 1996, etext #99

Due to a tracking error, this document was numbered 18 from March 1996
but has been reassigned a new document number without changing the
file name.

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Alcazar

Contents

 General Description   [ 1.0 ]
 How To Play           [ 2.0 ]
 Scoring               [ 3.0 ]
 Hints                 [ 4.0 ]
 Game History          [ 5.0 ]



[ 1.0 ] General Description

The country is covered with castles and curios, with bridges and
carpets that fly. And there's no way around it. Your destination is on
the other side.

What perils lurk in these mysterious castles? Which path is quick and
sure?

With map in hand, you'll dare across, collecting the tools you'll need.
Tools to master that grandest of castles, the lure, the dream, the
goal...the legendary keep, Alcazar.

Unexpected.

At every corner. With every step. You strain your eyes and ears.
Through endless castles and countless chambers. Where is the jeweled
throne? You search. But only find - what you least expect.

Hundreds of years ago, massive fortified palaces were built in Spain.
Built to withstand the most unbearable siege. With defenses that have
become, frankly, legendary.

And the grandest castle of them all was Alcazar. Said to contain the
riches of a dozen rulers, folklore also whispered of fantastical
demons and unimaginable peril.

Today, Alcazar still stands. Overlooking a forbidden land, it lures
and tempts. The forgotten Moorish stronghold, its drawbridge down and
its treasure yet untouched, dares to be awakened.

But first, even to reach its entrance, you will need to venture
through a broad countryside of ancient castles. Each one harbors
within its confines fire-breathing griffins, saber-swinging guards,
bottomless shafts, and much more.

Through over twenty castles with hundreds of rooms, you will be driven
to call upon every ounce of strength and intellect you possess. To
decipher both visual and unique audio clues. To discover valuable
tools. To simply - survive.

With each step you take. Look. Listen. Remember. One corner of one
corridor of one castle alone may present: several doors, an annoying
fly, a smudged pawprint, a flickering flame, and more.

How you react to any one of those may mean the difference between
recovering riches or resurrecting a rather vicious castle inhabitant.

So, use your wits and all your senses. Get to know the items you'll
encounter along the way. Commit them to memory. Tread softly. And
expect the worst.



[ 2.0 ] How to Play

Basics

How to Start

Press F1 to start the game. If you would like to change the difficulty
setting, press F3.



Overview

Get to know the items listed here. Commit them to memory. Tread softly.
And expect the worst.

Tracks. Discover paw prints and rest assured there's danger nearby.

Tarantula. Very slow, but also very deadly. Exercise extreme caution
when in their presence.

The Ring. Can dispatch a genie or empower a carpet to fly you over a
lake. It's a significant find.

Water! Not the thirst-quenching variety but the kind you cast into a
genie's face to do more than insult.

The Revolver. Don't hesitate. All nasty beasts and guards fall prey to
your trusty gun.

Torches. Torches illuminate in more ways than one. Changes in color
warn you to watch your step.

The Rope. Quite handy when it comes to crossing a raging river with a
broken-down bridge. Also can be used to silence a pesky fly.

Ancient Acid. Think of it as bleach. And the best way to remove nasty
oily demons from castle floors.

A Persian Carpet. Some rugs are harmless. Others have a mind all their
own and can whisk you to who-knows-where.

The Map. Obviously you can't get where you're going unless you know
where you are. Heed your map at all possible times.

Oil. This oil is quite combustible. When tossed into the mouth of a
fire-breathing demon, it's also quite effective.

The Keys. Keys can free reinforcements but are often attached to the
belts of grisly Moorish warriors.

The Fly. Will obscure all audible warnings until you silence its
annoying drone.



The Task At Hand

You are an explorer moving through a countryside of castles, en route
to Alcazar. Along the way, you must gather the implements needed for a
successful journey. Your goal is to enter Alcazar, find your way to
its crown room and reach its fabled throne - but not while a demon is
chasing you.



Getting Started

To select the difficulty level, press the F3 key until the level you
wish to play is displayed.

 Level 1 - Beginner
 Level 2 - Intermediate
 Level 3 - Advanced
 Level 4 - Expert

To begin the adventure, press F1 after selecting difficulty level.

To play the same difficulty level after an adventure has ended, press
F5.

To play a different difficulty level after an adventure has ended,
press F7.

To pause the adventure at any time, press the Pause button. To resume
the action, press it again.

Alcazar has a built-in screen saver, which will black out the game if
you press the Down cursor key. To resume playing, press the Down
cursor key again.

If none of the controls are activated for some time, your screen will
black out. Press the End key to resume the adventure.



Pathways to Adventure

The first thing you'll see is a large strategy map. It displays a
countryside dotted with castles connected by paths. Your explorer is
represented on the map as a flashing dot. You'll enter the country on
the left side and move toward Alcazar, the largest castle, on the
right. Plan your route wisely. This map changes with each new game and
can be referred to often.

The first thing you'll do is move the white dot on the map screen into
one of the castles. You will immediately see your explorer standing in
the corridor of that castle. Now, you can move through the castle
finding tools and fighting demons.



Controls

To move your explorer, move joystick left, right, forward, or back.

To pick up an item, simply walk over it. If you walk over an object
while your hand and pockets are full, the new object will be switched
with the object in your hand. If you don't want the new object, just
repeat the process.

To switch things from pocket to hand, press and release the joystick
button.

To refer to the large map, press and hold the joystick button. (This
won't work when a demon is on screen.)

To throw or fire an item in your hand, press and hold the joystick
button then move the joystick in the desired direction. To fire
multiple shots, move the joystick repeatedly in the desired direction.



Castles

All castles are two stories high, except for Alcazar, which has three
stories.

To enter a castle, simply follow a pathway which leads into it.

Upon entering, the screen displays a top-down view of the room you've
just stepped into. It changes as you move from room to room.

The three squares at the top left of the screen display the contents
of your pockets; to their right, a fourth square displays what you are
holding in your hand.

The line-up at the upper right represents the number of explorers in
reserve; the explorer at the extreme right of this line-up represents
the one currently in use. The number at the lower left displays the
number of doorways you've passed through.

After you've defeated the first required demon, a small map of the
castle you are in appears at screen bottom. The square on the left
represents the first floor, the square on the right represents the
second; the blinking blue circle shows where you are in the castle,
and the rooms you've entered are shown in white.

Shortcuts to Alcazar can be used only if you have certain implements:
A raft is required to cross the lake; a ring is required to use either
of the two flying carpets (represented by a white square to the left
of a black square); a rope is required to cross either of the two
broken bridges (represented by a suspension-like bridge broken in
half). If you possess the required object, just touching a shortcut
will set it into motion.



Contents of Castles

The contents of a castle are indicated by its color. Its most sought-
after object (underlined below) is always guarded by that castle's
major demon (also underlined). Guns, oil, water, bleach, and raw meat
are scattered randomly throughout the castles. However, they will be
in larger supply in the castles mentioned below.

 Castle Color | Contents       | Demons
 -------------+----------------+-------------------------------------
 Blue         | rope, guns     | tigers, griffin, tarantulas, flies
 -------------+----------------+-------------------------------------
 Purple       | ring, oil      | oilmoebas, guard, tarantulas, flies
 -------------+----------------+-------------------------------------
 Red          | raft, water    | griffins, genie, tarantulas, flies
 -------------+----------------+-------------------------------------
 Black        | extra explorer | guards, tiger, oilmoeba,
              | in dungeon     | tarantulas, flies
 -------------+----------------+-------------------------------------
 Alcazar      | throne in      | genies, tiger, oilmoeba, griffin,
              | crown room     | tarantulas, flies

Visual and audible warnings are given when danger is nearby. Avoid a
confrontation or gather the proper defense.

 Demons & Dangers | Warning                  | Defense
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 tiger            | paw prints on the floor  | three bullets
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 griffin          | raspy breathing sound    | oil or six bullets
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 oilmoeba         | black slime on the floor | bleach or five bullets
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 guard            | tinkling sound of keys   | four bullets
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 genie            | genie jar on floor       | water or 6 bullets or
                  |                          | ring
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 tarantula        | no warning, but are slow | one bullet or the raft
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 flies            | loud buzzing sound       | one bullet or the rope
                  | (obscures other audible  |
                  | warnings!)               |
 -----------------+--------------------------+-----------------------
 bottomless shaft | very dark flames on wall | do not enter
                  | torches                  |

NOTE: Audible clues are not immediately heard while you are moving.
Thus, it is advisable to stop for a moment upon entering a room, in
order to hear the warning sounds as soon as possible.

Another warning: Your relative health is indicated by the color of the
explorer's hair. Black is healthy, light red is injured, purple is
critical and red means you're close to 'extinction'. Another few bites
from a demon and you've had it. Renew your strength by leaving the
castle!

Another defense: The raw meat scattered about is laced with
tranquilizers. All demons (except flies) will be stunned for ten
seconds when you toss them this handy between-meal snack. Tigers,
however, will not take the raw meat while they are chasing you. Hence,
you must toss it to them from an adjoining room.

More about demons. All demons (except flies and tarantulas) will lie
in wait until they see or hear you. Shooting a gun, bumping into a
genie jar, or using your keys will attract the demons in adjacent
rooms. If a demon is chasing you, try to leave a room before he enters
it. Doing so will end the chase. Demons will return to a castle when
you enter any other castle, but the useful objects are never restocked
during a game.

Dungeons, shafts, and Persian rugs. Dungeons are found in the black
castle and in Alcazar. They can be entered through a hallway or a
locked gate (the latter requiring a set of keys in your hand). Once
inside a dungeon, rescue the explorer by touching him, and receive an
extra life.

Bottomless shafts are scattered throughout the castles. Falls therein
are fatal. Bottomless pits are smaller and, if you're careful, you can
walk around them.

Persian rugs are also scattered about. Some are harmless, while others
are deranged flying carpets that will whisk you (or a demon) to a
random room in the same castle. Additionally, a floor-sized flying
carpet lies in every castle without a dungeon or crown room. Since it
covers the entire floor, all visual warnings are also covered. You can
tip-toe around this carpet. Flying carpets will never drop you into a
shaft but they may deposit you inside a dungeon or into a room with a
demon.



Difficulty Levels

Level 1 - Beginner. Start with five explorers and three guns. No raw
meat, small pits or rafts in castles. Dungeon keys are obtained from
guards or genies. Castle floor plans appear upon destroying the first
demon.

Level 2 - Intermediate. Start with four explorers and two guns. No raw
meat or small pits. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards or genies.
Floor plans appear upon destroying the first demon.

Level 3 - Advanced. Start with two explorers and one gun. All items
present. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards only. Floor plans
appear after destroying a guard or genie.

Level 4 - Expert. Start with one explorer and one gun. All items
present. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards only. Floor plans
appear after destroying a genie. Fewer guns and one additional major
demon are in each castle.

Demons move faster at the higher difficulty levels.



A Final, Important Fact

You can effectively shoot or throw things into adjoining rooms. If you
think a demon is in the next room, you needn't risk your life by
entering it! Just fire the required defense through the door, and you
will hit the demon. This works just dandy if you're using a one-piece
defense. However, if you are firing a series of bullets into an
adjoining room, be prepared: While you're shooting, the demon will run
out, into your room. So, stand against the farthest wall and shoot
quickly.



Words to the Wise

To succeed, you must be able to predict which rooms contain demons.
The best method is to draw two floor plan maps - one for the small
castles (all basically the same) and one for Alcazar. Become adept at
correlating these floor plans with the warning signs you see and hear
along the way.

Learn how to give demons the shaft! You can stand on the farthest edge
of a bottomless shaft and shoot into the adjoining room. When the
demon runs out toward you, he'll fall to the depths. It's a great move
when you're down to one bullet. (Unfortunately a guard will take his
keys with him.) Demons can also be tricked onto flying carpets, though
you won't know where they'll turn up later. Neither of these tricks
works with genies, flies, or tarantulas (they'll fly up or spin a web).


Plan ahead! Know where you're going and carry only what you'll need.
Enter Alcazar with a bucket of water to survive the first genie and,
in level 3 and 4, bring keys, too, since there are no guards in
Alcazar.

Use the strategy map to note where a castle's entrances/exits are.
Remember that some are on the first floor and some are on the second.



Joystick

Move your character up, down, left, right or diagonally using the
joystick. The weapons and ammunition you are carrying are shown in the
yellow boxes along the top of the screen. The weapon you are currently
holding is in the rightmost box. To cycle through weapons, press the
joystick button. To fire (or throw) the current weapon, hold the
joystick button and move the joystick in the direction you wish to
fire.



[ 3.0 ] Scoring

To win, you must reach Alcazar's Jeweled Throne while there are no
enemies following you. There are no points for "almost winning."



[ 4.0 ] Hints

Tom Loughry, Designer and Programmer

"I like to use magic carpets to get rid of creatures. The idea is
this: stand on one side of the room, across from the critter, and fire
your gun to get its attention. When it comes to attack you, it walks
across the carpet and - presto - no more creature!"

"You can also tiptoe into the rooms with bottomless pits and do the
same. The problem with this is that genies, of course, don't die in
the pit, so you have to be careful. Use the location of jars as your
clue for the genies."

"Another use of the carpets is if you get 'blocked' - that is, if you
don't have enough bullets and your path is covered with critters. You
can use a magic carpet to take you back to try again. The problem is
that sometimes it zaps you into a room with a genie - OOPS."



[ 5.0 ] Game History

Tom Loughry, Designer and Programmer

"The idea [for Alcazar was to write a] puzzle game with bursts of very
rapid action. You'd need to consider what your options were - and
there are a lot of clues in this game. If you're careful, you can know
what's in the next room even before you enter. The goal is to consider
what your plan of action is and then do it in a flurry of activity.
Personally, I always preferred the puzzle aspects to action in most of
my games. If you were cautious, you could always solve the puzzle."

"What I wanted to achieve in Alcazar was the connectivity and maze
characteristics of a multiplicity of rooms, and a castle environment
fit that requirement. From that start, you derive the hazards and
meanies. So the environment came from the design element of a
puzzle/fighting/maze game."

"I often used a mix of audio and video clues in my games. It's easy to
rush into things with visual clues, but with audio, you need to
physically stop and listen." Another great example of this in one of
Tom's games was "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for the Intellivision.
That was my game. Again, it really stressed audible as well as visible
cues."

"In fact, the intense activity is one of the reasons I didn't do
Beamrider - Dave [Rolfe] did. I can enjoy both styles - action and
puzzle - but I prefer the puzzles. I also did a game called The
Dreadnaught Factor, which is an action-oriented game. But when I play
Dreadnaught, I prefer to plan where I want to be and what I want to
accomplish on this pass before I launch into it. Then I can blaze a
path with that goal in mind - either to accomplish some task or to set
myself up for the next pass. The thing was that Beamrider and
Dreadnaught Factor were both ready to be programmed at the same time,
and Dave and I had to decide who was going to do which. I liked
Dreadnaught a little more, so I did that one, and Dave liked Beamrider,
so he did that one."

"The best way to do game design is to do at least six designs for
every game you plan on doing. Each design was individual so it wasn't
like we'd just pick the elements we liked from each one and come up
with the final product. Not every game you think of is a good one, so
you pick the best idea to actually do. Then, when that game is done,
you usually do a whole different design or crystallization, rather
than just using the designs you had already done."

Although one-person development teams were becoming less and less
common during the time period, Tom "did the audio, the graphics -
everything. Alcazar was originally meant for the Colecovision. The
Colecovision had 16 K on their cartridges. When I ported it to the
Commodore, I didn't add too much. I believe it ended up being about 18
K on the C64. I think the entire port took about 2 months."

Tom recently completed work on PGA Tour Golf for Electronic Arts. He
is currently working on a brand new game design for EA, which Tom
informs us "is something like the 17th product of my career. I lost
count a while back...".

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End of the Project 64 etext of the Alcazar help file.

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