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The Project 64 etext of the ~The Eidolon manual (Atari Version)~,
Transcribed by Chris Chiesa <lvt-cfc@servtech.com>, Retrieved from
Morbid Guy's Atari 8-bit Manual Archive
http://www.best.com/~morbid/manuals/eidolon.txt

EIDOLO10.TXT, September 1997, etext #293#

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[ illustration - looking up at dark figure silhouetted in doorway at
top of stairs; dusty, cobwebby desk and stuff in bottom foreground...
caption - "Alone at the bottom of a narrow stairway, in a deserted
mansion at the edge of town, you come upon an ancient mystery - and
the beginning of a strange new adventure... ]

The Agon Mansion

More than a hundred years ago, the eccentric scientist and inventor
Dr.  Josef Vincent Agon lived here -- a recluse who shut himself up
behind the locked iron gates and the tall shuttered windows of the
great Victorian mansion.  In his studies of the powers of the human
mind, Agon distinguished himself as one of the world's greatest
scientists.  But the nature of the experiments conducted in this
mansion remains a mysterious secret.  Was he exploring the powers of
the mind... or the powerful and dangerous forces of the occult?  Was
he a genius... or a madman?

No one ever knew. Agon disappeared without a trace.  His relatives
closed the mansion, and it has remained locked and deserted.

Until now.

For tonight, walking nearby, you discover to your surprise that the
iron gate stands ajar.  Curious, you push the gate open and cross the
front path. As you touch the brass knob, the door yawns open with the
groan of rusty hinges.

At the end of the front hallway you discover a secret passageway.  A
mysterious glow emanates from below -- a pale, haunting light that
draws you, almost against your will.  Step by step you descend the
long, narrow stairs, where no one has ventured in over a hundred
years...

Dr. Agon's laboratory!

Among the dusty equipment stands a mirror, aglow with pale light.  A
fantastic machine faces the mirror, a device that looks as if it may
have been designed for travel -- but what kind of travel?  THe ornate
timepiece in the center of its control panel is frozen in time, both
hands at twelve o'clock.

On a small writing desk nearby, you discover an old leatherbound
diary.  Perhaps this will explain the mysterious device.  Breathless
with curiosity, you begin to read the yellowed pages....


April 21, 1850

My hands still tremble with excitement as I write these words.  For
today I have tested "The Eidolon" -- the device that represents the
sum of a lifetime's research into the mystical powers of mind.
Whether I have failed or triumphed I cannot say.  I can only describe
the strange mysteries I have seen.

Seated in the Eidolon, with the power reserve at its peak, I pressed
the trigger at the side of the main operating lever.  Across the room
I had set up a mirror to view whatever changes might occur during the
experiment.  To my surprise, the mirror itself began to glow.  The
light grew brighter and more inviting until it seemed to envelop the
room.  I found myself within the light, transported by it, until
suddenly I seemed to enter a mysterious landscape -- a series of
cavens that opened in many directions.

Strange glowing spheres of energy -- some red, some blue, some green
or gold -- rushed past.  I hardly knew whether to dodge or chase them!
Then the strangest vision occurred: a statue of a troll-like creature
appeared, then came to life and began to walk towards me.  No sooner
had this curious apparition appeared than I found myself back in the
laboratory, the power reserve of the Eidolon abruptly depleted.

Have I discovered some alternate mystical world that coexists with our
own?  Or have I inadvertently _created_ some new and frightening world
by unleashing the powers of nightmare and fantasy?

Tonight I am exhausted.  But tomorrow, with the Eidolon's power
reserves replenished, I shall attempt to find out.


April 22, 1850

I have no explanations for the mysteries I have encountered.  The
Eidolon was designed to tap the limitless energies of the mind.
Instead, I find myself transported into a world of vast strangeness
inhabited by creatures of the most extraordinary kind.  Are they
simply the shadows of the mind made substantial?  Or are they denizens
of a world as real as our own, but made up of energies and forces of a
very different nature?

For now, I can only describe these strange inhabitants.  I have
attempted a few rough sketches of those I have encountered.

[ illustration: short, squatty humanoid troll/devil w/horns on head,
pot belly, three fingers/toes on each limb, and a general look of
power and mischief ]

Most frequently I have seen these troll-like inhabitants, who seem
quite content to let me pass.  But I must be careful not to touch
them, lest they drain the Eidolon's power reserve.

[ illustration: short, squatty "baby dragon"-looking critter ]

The Biter Bird is quite different.  These creatures attack without
provocation -- although once or twice I have managed to scare them
away.


[ illustration: top, front, and side "technical drawings" of The
Eidolon (NO callouts of components etc. -- just pretty pictures ]

[ illustration: six-legged, four-body-segmented insectoid with
helicopter blades (!) ]

This creature, the Rotofly, is less dangerous than annoying.  I have
found that they scare easily -- all I have to do is approach one and
it gets out of the way.  But no sooner do I turn around than I find it
behind me, still whirring and hovering.

These various inhabitants appear to be attracted to the power of the
Eidolon.  Indeed, they seem almost to feed off the Eidolon's energy.
Thus, if one touches the device, the power is depleted and I am
transported back to my laboratory.


May 1, 1850

I have begun to investigate the strange physical nature of the spheres
of energy.  Their colors appear to indicate something of the type
andlevel of their energy:

RED: The red fireballs are the most destructive.  When a red fireball
   strikes the Eidolon, its destructive energy drains the device's
   power qreserves.  When I launch a red fireball at one of the
   underground inhabitants, the creature is thrown backwards by the
   impact, its powers weakened.  The effect is only temporary,
   however, for the creature soon recovers and attacks with renewed
   vigor.

GOLD: Gold fireballs, rather than endangering the Eidolon, actually
   recharge its power reserve.  I have encountered them at irregular
   intervals throughout the caves - fireballs the same color as the
   Eidolon, suspended in the air.  To tap their energy, I must simply
   approach and collect them.

BLUE: These fireballs have the astounding power to alter the flow of
   time.  When I have managed to catch one, the Eidolon's clock
   suddenly lights up with blue energy, and I gain time to explore the
   caves.  The Eidolon itself can also generate blue fireballs, which
   have an even more amazing effect.  Creatures struck by a blue
   fireball immediately freeze in their tracks.  The effect lasts only
   a short time -- although long enough, perhaps, to deal with
   troublesome creatures.

GREEN: Green fireballs have the most extraordinary power to transform
   one creature into another.  When an inhabitant of the caverns is
   struck by a green fireball, it instantly changes into a creature of
   a different shape!  There is no way to know whether the new
   creature will be more or less dangerous than the one before.

Although the Eidolon is capable of generating fireballs exactly like
those that course through the caverns, the process quickly drains the
device's power reserves.  But I have learned that I can target and
capture the energy of the fireballs -- with the exception of the
destructive red fireballs, to be sure -- and thereby recahrge the
Eidolon's power reserve.

[ illustration: screen-shot from the game; Eidolon control-panel, with
callouts:

A: (upper-left "C...H" meter) : Proximity Meter -- Shows how close
    you are to the dragon.
B: (upper-right "-...+" meter) : Energy Meter -- Shows your energy
    reserve.
C: (central clock : Time Clock -- Shows remaining time in fractions
    of a minute.
D: (leftmost of two lower-right cirles-with-numbers-in-them) : Time
    Counter -- Shows whole minutes left.
E: (rightmost of two lower-right circles-with-numbers-in-them) :
    Level Counter -- Shows which level you are on.
F: (small circles to upper AND lower, left AND right, of central
    clock) : Fireball Indicators -- Shows which colors are
    available; flashing indicator shows which color is selected.
G: (lower-left bank of three diamond shapes) : PowerJewels --
    Indicators glow when jewels have been collected.
H: (outer rim (?) of central clock) : Direction Indicator -- Shows
    which direction you are facing.
]


May 14, 1850

Today, I encountered a creature I have never seen before.  When I
directed a red fireball at this guardian of the caverns, the creature
disappeared -- and in its place, a mysterious glowing jewel of energy
appeared.  I collected the jewel and stored it in the Eidolon.
Exactly what it is or how it functions I don't yet know.

[ illustration: The Dragon ... well, it's a dragon...! ]


May 21, 1850

There are mysteries within mysteries in the world I have discovered.
Having reached the end of the cavern, I came upon a stone statue of a
dragon.  The statue was protected by a mystical barrier of energy,
shimmering red.  All my attempts to breach the barrier so far have
failed...


May 25, 1850

I have discovered a way to capture red fireballs!  Launching a red
fireball at another causes their energies to combine to form a gold
fireball which is then safe to capture.  In general, fireballs of
equal energy will combine, but higher energies always absorb lower
energies.

One by one I have gathered up the mysterious glowing jewels of energy,
until I now possess three of them -- red, green, and blue.  Today, as
I approached the statue of the dragon at the end of the cavern, I
tried ramming the barrier.  Suddenly it glowed red, my red jewel
vanished, and the barrier of mystical energy dissolved!  The dragon
was awakened.  In a moment its furious attack depleted the reserves of
the Eidolon, and I found myself back in the laboratory.

Tomorrow I shall confront the dragon again...


May 27, 1850

Again I faced the dragon.  With all the energy I had left, I attempted
to subdue the writhing creature with fireballs.  I tried every
combination of red, green, blue, and gold.  Suddenly the energy from
one of the spheres I fired overwhelmed the creature.

In that instant I experienced a great surge of energy, not unlike the
flash of light that occurs each time I enter the mystical realm, and I
was transported into another level.  Before me stretched caverns even
more twisted and maze-like than before, with fireballs even more
numerous than before, and strange new creatures.  I shall attempt to
describe them.

[ illustration: globular creature with suction-cup/hose-like snout,
and side and tail fins/wings]  These odd inhabitants, which I call
Puffer Birds, have the ability to catch the glowing spheres of energy
and blow them back.

[ illustration: two-toed/fingered humanoid insectoid]  This is a Grep.
The Grep is extraordinarily curioius and alert.  It is best to remain
perfectly still when one approaches, for they frighten quite easily,
and they can be very unpredictable.

[ illustration: one-eyed, four-fingered, no-toed, pot-bellied humanoid
(head is the single eye, on a long neck) ]  This odd apparition, which
I call the Bottleneck, is one of the more dangerous guardians of the
underground caverns.   There are ways to maneuver the Eidolon around a
Bottleneck, but it isn't always easy.


June 2, 1850

It has been more than five weeks since I first tested the Eidolon.

The mystical world is composed of many levels, each a maze of caverns.
The caverns become more twisted and complicated the deeper I go.  The
entrance to each level is defended by a fierce dragon.  No two dragons
are alike.  Each has its own vulnerabilities, which I must discover in
order to pass.

Each level has its own guardians as well, strange creatures that hoard
the glowing jewels of energy.  Only with the power of these brilliant
jewels have I been able to breach the mystical barriers that protect
the dragons.

So far I have counted five levels.  If my suspicions are correct,
there will be seven levels -- seven the mystical number.  Past the
seventh level, who knows what awaits!


June 13, 1850

Last night, I had a strange vision -- half dream, half fantasy.  I
imagined I had made it through the seventh level, past the final
guardians.  Suddenly, against an immense and limitless sky, I beheld a
many-headed dragon more fearful than anything I have encountered.

With the light of morning, the vision lingers, too vivid and haunting
ot be dismissed.

As I face the unkonwn at each level, I find myself less afraid.  It is
as if, in confronting these fierce guardians, I am confronting my own
fears.  Today I intend to set out to discover once and for all the
great secret so fiercely guarded by the dragons.   My excitement
combines with a strange sense of dread, for each time I venture into
the mystical realm, I find it harder to return to the real world.
Something irresistable and compelling awaits me.  I have no choice but
to follow, wherever it may lead....


QUICK START

Loading Instructions

Set up your computer as shown in owner's manual.  Turn on drive and
TV.  Plug joystick into first port.  (Commodore 128: set system to
Commodore 64 Mode.)  Insert game diskette with the label for your
computer facing up and turn on your computer.   Atari: the program
will autoload.  Commodore 64/128: type LOAD "*",8,1 and press RETURN.

Commodore 64/128 with Epyx Fast Load (TM) Cartridge.  Turn computer
off.  Insert Fast Load Cartridge into the cartridge slot and turn
computer on.  Hold down Commodore (C=) key and press RUN/STOP key to
load game.


1. Begin Game.  Press the red button on the joystick or Atari: press
   START.  Commodore 64/128: press FL.

2. Move Through The Caverns.  Push joystick in desired direction:
   forward, backward, left or right.

3. Shoot Fireballs.  First choose the color of fireball b pressing 1
   Red, 2 Gold, 3 Green, or 4 Blue.  To fire, press the red button on
   the joystick.

4. Capture Fireballs.  Approach fireballs, centering them in the
   diamond-shaped cursor, and press the SPACE BAR.

5. Collect Jewels. Approach jewels, centering them in the
   diamond-shaped cursor, and press the SPACE BAR.

6. Release Jewels.  Approach the dragon barrier.  If you have the
   correct jewel, the barrier will dissolve; if not, the barrier will
   glow the color of the jewel you need.

7. Pause and Restart Game.  Pause - Press P.  Restart - Atari: While
   paused, press RETURN.  Commodore 64/128: Press RESTORE.

8. Reboot Game.  Atari: Press SYSTEM RESET.


Hints

Red fireballs are deadly!  To avoid them, try to move out of their way
or shoot a fireball at them to discharge their energy.

When you have defeated the guardians and collected as many of the
jewels as you can before your time runs out, approach the energy
barrier in front of the dragon.  When you have defeated the dragon,
the gate behind him will open and you may proceed to the next level.

To replenish the Eidolon's energy reserves, capture as many gold
fireballs as you can.

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End Project 64 etext The Eidolon manual.

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