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The Project 64 etext of the unofficial Adventure Construction Set
instructions. Converted to etext by anonymous, supplied by "Frank"
Jeno E. Kontros <jeno@kontr.uzhgorod.ua>, the Non Stop Cracker.  Some
of the information in this etext is assumed to be close enough to the
original hardcopy version until an original can be converted, which is
likely to be called ACS10B.TXT.

ACS10A.TXT, September 1996, etext #84.

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*                  ADVENTURE CONSTRUCTION SET                   *
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1.  MAKING  AN  ADVENTURE  will  need  your  ACS disk and a blank
disk  (or  one  which  you  will  no  longer need). Boot your ACS
disk   and  select  "Make  an  Adventure  Disk."  Then  use  your
controller  (joystick,  keyboard  or  mouse)  to  move the cursor
down  and  into  the name of the adventure you want (either "Land
of  Adventuria"  or  "Rivers  of Light") and press the button (or
space bar).

"The  Land  of  Adventuria"  contains  a  "How  to Play" tutorial
adventure  plus  6  other  mini-adventures. "Rivers of Light", is
a  large,  complex  adventure  designed to delight even t he most
experienced  adventurer.  (It  was  built  entirely with the same
ACS  system  you  have, by the way. Except it was not done with a
pirated copy! !.)

Creating  an  adventure  disk  may  require several disk swaps if
you  do  not  have 2 disk drives. Follow the instructions as they
appear.  When  the  process  is  complete  use  the controller to
move the cursor up to EXIT, and press the button as prompted.


2.  CREATING  A  CHARACTER  -  Select  "Play  an Adventure," then
press  the  button  as  prompted.  Select  "Create  a New Player"
when  it  appears  (by  pressing  the button while that option is
highlighted),   and   continue  to  follow  the  prompts.  When a
character   picture   appears,  move  the  controller  (joystick,
mouse,  or  keyboard  arrows) right and left to look at different
picture  choices,  and  press  the  button  to select the one you
want. Then type in a name and press the button once more.

Up  to  4  characters  can  play  at once. And since players take
turns  moving,  all  four  can be controlled from the same input.
More  information  about  adding  people  to the adventure can be
found farther down the doc.


3.   READING   THE   ON-SCREEN   STATUS  REPORTS  -  Once  you've
selected  a  character,  the  display  will  change.  You'll find
your  character  standing  somewhere in the adventure you chose .
If  you  chose  "Land  of  Adventuria"  your  character  will  be
standing  just  above  a  castle  in  a valley between 2 mountain
ranges.  The  castle  marks t he entrance into a simple adventure
called "How to Play."


4.  MOVING  YOUR  CHARACTER  -  To  move your character, move the
controller  in  the  direction  you want the character to go. The
bar  on  the  left  side  of  the  screen  will shorten with each
move.  When  the  bar  is  gone,  that  character's turn is over.
(The  bar  will  also  shorten  gradually even if you don't move.
Time  passes  as  you  play,  and  you  aren't  given  forever to
decide what to do.)

If  you  try  to  move  onto  a  square which contains impossible
terrain   (mountains,   for   instance)   or  an  obstacle,  your
character  won't  move  and  your  movement  bar won't change. If
you  try  to  move  onto  an object which you can pick up, you'll
be  told  the  name  of the object you are adding to your list of
possessions  and  you'll  be  prompted  to  press  the butt on to
continue.  If  you  try  to  move  into a creature and you have a
melee  weapon  (like  a  knife, a sword or a club), a battle will
be   initiated.   The  computer  will  give  you  a  blow-by-blow
account  of  the  battle,  prompting you to press "!" button when
necessary.

If  there's  only  one  character  in  the  game and there are no
computer  controlled  creatures  on  the  screen,  that character
may  move  again  when  the movement bar reappears. If others are
playing  or  if  there are creatures in the room, each will get a
turn   be  fore  the  first  character  moves  again.  (Note:  If
different   players   are   simultaneously   exploring  different
regions,  each  will  be given several turns each time his or her
turn comes around.)


5.  EXPLORING  THE  WORLD  OF  AN ADVENTURE - As you move, you'll
see  more  map  scroll  into  view.  The main map of an adventure
can  cover  an  area 40 squares by 40 squares but only a 10 by 10
area can be seen at once.

Scattered  about  on  the  main  map  are  "doors"  into  regions
within  the  map,  like  the  castle that leads to " How to Play"
in  the  "Land  of Adventuria". The Land of Adventuria contains 7
such regions, one for each of the 7 mini-adventures.

A  region  can  itself  contain  up  to  16 different rooms. When
you  move  into  rooms,  new  area  does  not  scroll  into view.
Instead,  when  you  move  onto a door that leads to another room
(or  another  region  or  even back to the main map,) the picture
of  the  new  location completely replaces the picture of the old
one.


6.  THINGS  YOU  CAN  DO  DURING  YOUR  TURN  - If you press your
button   when  it's  your  turn,  a  menu  containing  additional
options  will  appear  in  the  message bar. To select one of the
options,  use  your  control  to  move  the highlight to it, then
press the butt on.



SUMMARY OF PLAYER OPTIONS

This  section  describes  actions  a  player/character  can  take
during  a  turn.  To  produce  the menu containing these options,
press  the  button.  To  select an option, move the highlight bar
to  it  then  press  the  button again and follow the prompts, if
any, as they appear.


MOVE  -  Select  this  to  remove  the  menu so you can move your
character.

REST  -  Select  this  to attempt to restore some Life Force into
a wounded character.

FIRE   -   Select  this  to  use  a  missile  weapon  (if  you're
carrying one) like a bow, rifle, grenade, etc.

USE OBJECT  - Select this to use a magic object you are carrying.
Magic   objects  always  work,  but  some  magic  items  must  be
dropped instead of used to be activated.

DROP  OBJECT  -  Select  this  when you want to drop a possession
to  see  if  it's  magic  or  to  put  it  on a particular square
you're  adjacent  to,  or  when  you simply want to stop carrying
something.  If  you  use the option on the main map, whatever you
drop will be lost forever from that adventure.

USE  POWER  -  Select  this  when  you  want  to cast a spell you
possess.  The  greater  your  character's  Power, the greater the
chance  that  spells  will  work.  Note:  be  careful with spells
which  banish  creatures.  A  banished  creature  takes  all  its
possessions  with  it,  so  don't  banish  the  creature who just
stole the key you need to get into the next room.


NEW  WEAPON  -  Select  this  so  you  can  ready a weapon you're
carrying  for  use.  (Note:  Picking  up  a  weapon automatically
readies it.)

NEW  ARMOR  -  Select  this  to  put on or ready a piece of armor
you're carrying.

PROFILE  -  Select  this  to  look  at your character's rating in
the  categories  described  in  the next sect ion and to see your
possessions.


ADD  SOMEONE  -  Select  this  to  add  another  character to the
adventure.  (Up  to  4  can  play  at  once. ) The character will
come  onto  the  map  at  the  same  place  the  first  one  did,
regardless  of  when  the  new  character  begins playing. If you
choose  to  add  a  character  from another ACS adventure, you'll
be  prompted  through  the  necessary  steps.  The character will
come  with  its  traits  and skills intact, but it will keep none
of its possessions.

RETIRE  -  Select  this  to  save your character for later use or
to remove a character from an adventure altogether.

SAVE  GAME  -  Select  this  to save an adventure in progress but
continue playing.

IMPORTANT!  If  your  character  should  happen to fall victim to
a  powerful  monster  of  deadly  trap, all is not lost. You will
be  given  the  opportunity to resume the game at the point where
you   last   used  "SAVE  GAME".  "SAVE  GAME"  is  automatically
invoked when you enter or leave a region.


SUMMARY OF TRAITS AND SKILLS

In  the  course  of  an  adventure  the  numbers  will  change to
reflect  the  outcome  of  battles.  To  see your ratings, select
profile  from  the  menu. (A mark like this "®!®" next to a trait
in  your  profile  signifies  a  higher  than  average rating for
that  item.  A  similar  mark pointing downward signifies a lower
than average rating.)

THE  TRAITS  The  maximum  possible  number  for  each  trait  is
shown  in  parentheses  following  the  trait description. Normal
starting  range  is  90 to 11 for all traits except Speed. Normal
starting range for speed is 6 to 7.

SPEED  -  How  far  an  individual  can move each turn. Speed may
be  permanently  increased  and  decreased  by  magic  spells. An
individual's  movement  range  can  be  decreased  by  trying  to
carry  too  much  weight  and  by being adjacent to an individual
who   is   aggressive   and   not  friendly.  Movement  range  is
indicated  by  the  rising  bar  on  the left side of the screen.
(Maximum of 15.)

LIFE  FORCE  AND  CONSTITUTION  - Life Force (shown by the rising
bar  on  the  .k!Qside of the screen) is an individual's physical
durability.  Blows  received  from  an  enemy in battle sub tract
from  an  individual's  Life  Force  as  does being the victim of
certain  spells.  Being  the  'victim' of other spells can add to
Life  Force.  When  Life  Force  goes  to  0, an individual dies.
(Maximum of 63 for Life Force and 31 for Constitution.)

Constitution   is  an  individual's  natural  capacity  for  Life
Force.  For  new  characters,  initial  Life Force is al ways the
same  as  Constitution.  Wounded  individuals  may  restore  lost
Life  Force  up  to  the limit of their Constitution by using the
"REST"  option.  If  they do not rest, their lost Life Force will
return,  but  it  will  take 6 times as long to do so. Characters
whose  Life  Force  is greater than their Constitution will fight
better.

POWER  AND  WISDOM  -  Blows  received  from  an  enemy in battle
also  reduce  an  individual's  Power. So does using magic spells
and  objects,  and  being  the  victim  of certain spells you may
encounter.  Other  spells  may  increase  Power.  The  higher  an
individual's  Power  rating,  the  greater  the  chance  that the
spells  he  casts  will  succeed.  Individuals  with higher Power
ratings  also  fight  better than those with lower ones, and they
are more resistant to battle damage.


Power  is  not  stable.  On each turn, an individual's Power will
increase  or  decrease  by a small amount in the direction of the
individual's  Wisdom  rating.  Thus  Wisdom  is  an  individual's
natural  spell  casting  ability,  toward  which  his  Power will
always  end.  Wisdom  also  helps an individual make better deals
when  selling  items  to  a  store. (Maximum of 127 for Power and
31 for Wisdom.)

STRENGTH   -  Swords,  treasures,  armor,  gold,  etc.  all  have
weight,  An  individual's  strength determines how much weight he
can  carry  without  being  slowed  down. If you notice a decline
in  your  movement  bar,  yet  have  not  been  the  victim  of a
"reduce   speed"   spell   and  are  not  standing  next  to  any
aggressive  unfriendliness,  chances  are  that  you're trying to
carry  too  much  stuff.  You  need to drop some things or find a
magic  bag  or  horse  or  some  other  means of carrying more we
ight.   If   you  are  wounded,  your  ability  to  carry  things
declines. I t returns as you heal. (Maximum of 31)


SIZE   -   Larger   individuals   make  more  powerful  fighters.
Smaller  individuals  dodge  and  parry  better.  Size  cannot be
changed,   so   take  note  of  what  it  tells  you  about  your
character's   limits   and   plan   your   strategy  accordingly.
(Maximum of 31.)

DEXTERITY  -  When  the  battles  start,  dexterity comes in very
handy.  Like  size,  high  dexterity increases the force of blows
that  land.  Further,  it  increases the likelihood of landing an
unusually  powerful.  It  also  helps determine how many blows an
individual  can  get in and how many shots he, she, or it can get
off. (Maximum of 31.)


THE   SKILLS.  In  calculating  the  effects  of  a  battle,  the
program  considers  the  weapons  and  armor  being  used and the
Skills,  Power  and  Life  Force of the combatants. (Some weapons
and  armor  ARE  better  than  others.  If  you'd  swear you were
doing  better  before  you  started  using  that shield or sword,
maybe  you  should  leave  it  behind for some other poor soul to
find.)

To  determine  the  likelihood  that  you 'll hit the mark with a
long-range  weapon  like  a bow, ACS looks at your MISSILE SKILL.
To  determine  the  probability that you were able to ge t out of
the  way  of  a  shot  from such a weapon, it looks at your DODGE
SKILL.

For  gauging  the  accuracy  of your blown in close range fights,
ACS  looks  at  your  MELEE  SKILL.  To  determine the likelihood
that  you  were  able  to  meet  an  opposing  blow with your own
close  range  weapon,  it looks at your PARRY SKILL (provided you
had your weapon readied, of course).

ARMOR   SKILL  lets  you  overcome  the  disadvantages  of  armor
(because   it  tends  to  make  you  clumsy,  armor  reduces  the
accuracy  of  your  blows)  without  giving up the advantages (it
absorbs some percentage of blows from the enemy).

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End of the Project 64 etext of the unofficial Adventure Construction
Set instructions.

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