@style (spacing 1) @title [SEASTALKER(tm) MANUAL] @center [MANUAL FOR SEASTALKER(tm)] @center (Comments to Stu Galley) @chapter (INTRODUCTION) Welcome to the world of Infocom Young Adventures -- a world where: @begin (itemize) you become the hero or heroine in a story, you can use your own thinking and imagination to guide that story from start to finish, you can meet other people, who may help you or not, and you can go to new places, figure out mysteries and puzzles, and fight against monsters or enemies. @end (itemize) In SEASTALKER, you become a young inventor working in your father's business. Your newest invention is a small submarine that has only two seats inside, for you and your pal Tip. The submarine can dive deeply into the sea to capture plants and animals for you to study. But you will have to use it to save your undersea scientific station from a sea monster that is attacking it! @heading (RULES AND STRATEGIES) When you play SEASTALKER, the story goes on only from the time you hit the RETURN (or ENTER) key until you see the prompt ">". You could imagine a clock that ticks once for each sentence you type, and the story continues only at each tick. Nothing happens in the story from the time you see the prompt ">" until you hit the RETURN (or ENTER) key. You can think and plan your moves as slowly and carefully as you want. SEASTALKER keeps track of your score and gives you points when it thinks you have done something "right." You can try to get a perfect score if you want, but you should also try to guide the story to an ending that you like and to have fun along the way. One way to move from place to place in the story is to type "GO TO [a place]" -- that means to type the words "GO TO" and then the name of the place where you want to go. You can find the names of places by looking at the maps in your SEASTALKER package. If you don't want to miss anything on the way to another place, you can go toward it one place at a time, by typing the compass direction in which you want to go each turn. The main compass directions are "NORTH", "EAST", "SOUTH", and "WEST", and the ones in between are "NORTHEAST", "SOUTHEAST", "SOUTHWEST", and "NORTHWEST." Most players like to type these shorter words instead: "N", "E", "S", "W", "NE", "SE", "SW", and "NW." Sometimes you can use "UP" or "DOWN" ("U" or "D" for short) or "IN" or "OUT." Whenever you go into a place, SEASTALKER tells you the name of the place. It displays the name of the place, in parentheses, like "(lab center)". As you explore the different places in SEASTALKER, you should read carefully what the program displays and get to know the places you visit. You don't need to walk around or turn around within a place; anything you can see there is always within your reach, unless you are sitting or lying down or hiding. When you enter a place for the first time, SEASTALKER normally displays the name of the place and all about what you can see there. When you return to that place again, SEASTALKER normally displays only the name of the place and the names of interesting things there. If you want SEASTALKER to display all about a place every time you go there, not just the first time, type the command "VERBOSE" instead of a sentence. If you want SEASTALKER to go back to normal, type the command "BRIEF" instead of a sentence. If you want SEASTALKER to display only the name of a place and not to tell you what's there, even the very first time you go there, type the command "SUPERBRIEF" instead of a sentence. SUPERBRIEF mode is really only for Young Adventurers who already know their way around the story. (When you are in SUPERBRIEF mode, you can still type "LOOK" or "L", and SEASTALKER will describe the place you are in and the things there.) @heading (CONCEPTS FOR EXPLORING) One main idea of Young Adventure stories is to solve puzzles. You should think of a locked door or an unfriendly creature in the story not as an obstacle but as a puzzle that you need to solve. Sometimes the best way to solve a puzzle is to find something that appears in the story, take it with you, and then use it in the right way. Here are some ways that things in the story behave: @U(Containers): Some things are containers that can hold other things. You can open or close some containers, like a box. Other containers are always open, like a bowl. Other containers are transparent, like a glass box, and you can see inside them even when they are closed. Other things have a surface, like a table, and you can put things on them. All containers can hold a certain amount and no more, like a small box. Some things are big, and some are little. Here is an example to show how a container works: @begin (example) >OPEN THE TINY BOX Opening the tiny box reveals an ID amulet. >PUT THE DIARY IN THE TINY BOX There's no room. >TAKE THE AMULET You are now holding the ID amulet. >LOOK IN THE BOX It's empty. @end (example) @U(People): You can talk to the other people in SEASTALKER. (For details, see the section later in this manual called "Typing to SEASTALKER.") Most other people will be glad to help you by doing what you tell them to. Some other people may be unfriendly or too busy to help, or they may think that you are an enemy. Here is an example of dealing with a person: @begin (example) Tip is standing here, chewing his gum. >TIP, FOLLOW ME "I'm already following you, Sheila." >SOUTH (south tank area) Tip follows you into the south tank area. >ASK TIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM Tip says, "I don't know anything about it, Sheila." @end (example) @heading (LOADING "SEASTALKER") Now that you know something about the world of Young Adventure, it's time to try "booting" your diskette in order to load the program. To load SEASTALKER, follow the instructions on the Reference Card in your SEASTALKER package. First the program will ask you for your first and last name, so it can use them in the story. Then it will display the title of the story, followed by the first bit of action and a description of the place where the story begins. Finally, the prompt ">" will appear. When you have finished reading this manual, you will be ready to play SEASTALKER. When you see the prompt ">", SEASTALKER is waiting for you to type in your instructions. When you have finished that, press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. The program will respond, and another prompt will appear. Here is a quick exercise to help you get used to SEASTALKER. After you read the beginning of the story, type this sentence after the prompt ">": @begin (example) GO EAST @end (example) and then press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. SEASTALKER will respond by describing the place that you went: @begin (example) (east part) You are standing in the east part of your lab. A doorway leads out past the Electrical Power Panel via a short corridor to the office of your lab aide. A telephone and intercom sit on your desk. Tip is off to the west. There's a Microwave Security Scanner here. There's a desk here. @end (example) Now try typing: @begin (example) TURN ON THE SCANNER @end (example) After you press the RETURN (or ENTER) key, the program will respond: @begin (example) No beep occurs. Scanner displays: NO INTRUDER PRESENT ON GROUNDS. @end (example) You can explore the area around the lab, if you want; there's a map in your SEASTALKER package to help you. But soon, events in the story may make you want to get involved in it. You should read the rest of this manual first. @heading (TYPING TO "SEASTALKER") When you play any Young Adventure story, you type your sentences in plain English each time you see the prompt ">". You can pretend that all your sentences begin with "I want to...", but you should not actually type those words. You can use words like "THE" if you want, and you can use capital letters if you want; the program doesn't care either way. When you have finished typing a sentence, press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. Then the program will respond, telling you if what you want to do is possible at this point in the story, and what happens next. SEASTALKER looks only at the first six letters of each long word you type, and it ignores any letters after that. So, the words "ELECTRic" and "ELECTRonic" would look like the same word to SEASTALKER. SEASTALKER understands many different kinds of sentences. Here are some examples, using things or situations that may not actually occur in the story: @begin (example) TAKE THE MIKE PUT ON THE AMULET PICK UP THE CATALYST CAPSULE DROP IT GO OUT DROP THE MIKE ONTO THE WORKBENCH WALK NORTH WEST SW GET IN THE SUBMARINE PUSH THE JOYSTICK EAST EXAMINE THE DEPTH FINDER SHOOT THE MONSTER WITH THE DART LOOK AT THE SONARSCOPE LOOK UNDER THE WORKBENCH LOOK BEHIND THE COMPUTESTOR AIM SEARCH BEAM TO STARBOARD QUESTION TIP @end (example) You can use more than one noun for a "direct object" or "indirect object" with some verbs, if you separate the nouns by the word "AND" or by a comma. For example: @begin (example) DROP THE MIKE AND THE NOTEBOOK TAKE BLACK BOX, OXYGEN GEAR, AND UNIVERSAL TOOL PUT THE DIARY AND THE PHOTO IN THE LOCKER @end (example) You can put more than one sentence on one input line, if you separate them by the word "THEN" or by a period. You don't need a period at the end of an input line. For example, you could type all these sentences on one input line, before pressing the RETURN (or ENTER) key: @begin (example) READ THE SIGN. OPEN THE HATCH. GO THROUGH IT. @end (example) There are @U(only three) kinds of questions that SEASTALKER understands: "WHAT IS [something]", "WHO IS [someone]", and "WHERE IS [something]." (You can probably guess that you don't type a question as if it started with "I want to...") You can type a question mark at the end of a question if you want, but the program doesn't care. For example: @begin (example) WHERE IS TIP? WHO IS AMY. WHAT IS A DEPTH FINDER @end (example) You will meet other people as you play SEASTALKER. You can "talk" to these people by typing their name, then a comma, then whatever you want to say to them. For example: @begin (example) MARV, WHERE IS THE SONAR EQUIPMENT TIP, FOLLOW ME ZOE, KILL THE MONSTER MICK, GO TO THE AIRLOCK THEN FIX THE SUBMARINE AMY, WAIT HERE @end (example) If you forget to type the person's name first, SEASTALKER will sometimes assume that you meant to talk to the same person again, or to the only other person in the same place with you. When it does this, it will tell you. For example: @begin (example) >ASK ABOUT THE MONSTER (said to Tip) "You know as much about it as I do." @end (example) SEASTALKER tries to guess what you really mean if you don't give enough information. For example, if you type that you want to do something, but not what to do it with, SEASTALKER may decide that there was only one possible thing you could have meant. When it does this, it will tell you. For example: @begin (example) >UNLOCK THE DOOR (with the key) The door is now unlocked. >GET OUT (out of the Ultramarine Bioceptor) (airlock) @end (example) If you try to use something that you need to be holding, but you forgot to pick it up first, SEASTALKER will pick it up for you. For example: @begin (example) >LOOK You are in the library. There is a book here. >READ THE BOOK (taken) The book is far too long to read it all now. >INVENTORY You are carrying: a book @end (example) If SEASTALKER thinks that your sentence could have more than one meaning, it will ask what you really meant. You can answer it by typing just the missing information; you don't have to type the whole sentence again. For example: @begin (example) >PUT THE RELAY What do you want to put the relay in? >THE EMPTY SPACE It fits! >OPEN THE HATCH Which hatch do you mean, the entry hatch or the access hatch? >ENTRY O.K. @end (example) SEASTALKER uses many words that it will not recognize in your sentences. For example, you might see "Sunlight shimmers across the dusty cobwebs." in the description of a place. However, if the program doesn't recognize the words "SUNLIGHT" or "COBWEBS" in your sentence, then you know that you don't need the sunlight and cobwebs to finish the story; they are in the description only to make the story more interesting. SEASTALKER recognizes nearly all the words that you are likely to type, over 700 of them. If SEASTALKER doesn't know a word that you want to use, or any word that means the same thing, you are almost certainly trying the wrong way to solve a puzzle. SEASTALKER will complain to you if you type a sentence that confuses it completely. (The end of this manual has an explanation of these complaints.) After it complains, SEASTALKER will ignore the rest of your input line. SEASTALKER will also ignore the rest of the sentences you typed on one line if something really important happens in the story, since you may want to change your mind about what to do next. @heading (TIPS FOR NEW PLAYERS) Many things that you discover in the story are important, because they give you clues about the puzzles you must solve. You should examine or read everything that seems important to you. Even silly or dangerous actions may give you clues; they can even be fun. Besides, you can always start the story over again, or you can save your place first. (There is a section later in this manual about starting over and saving your place.) Here's a silly example: @begin (example) >GIVE THE MAGIC GERANIUM TO THE MONSTER For a moment, the monster thinks about eating the geranium instead of you. But then it decides not to, and it comes closer and closer to you. @end (example) Here you have learned something about what the monster does not like to eat, and you have a clue that giving something else (maybe that yellow "goo" you are carrying?) to it would work better. There are many possible ways to get to the end of SEASTALKER. Some puzzles that you find along the way may have more than one solution, and you may not need to solve others at all. Sometimes solving a puzzle one way will make it harder to solve another, and sometimes it will make it easier. Many people like to play SEASTALKER with another person. One person may find a puzzle hard while another may find it easy, so two or more players often can have more fun than one player alone. You can use the maps that came with your SEASTALKER package to help you move from place to place. Remember that there are eight compass directions, not counting "IN" and "OUT". If you get stuck, you can order a booklet of hints from Infocom by filling out and mailing in the "Bilk and Wheedle" flyer in your SEASTALKER package. If you read the sample transcript in the next section, you should get a feeling for how Young Adventure stories are played. @heading (SAMPLE STORY TRANSCRIPT) This transcript is not from SEASTALKER, but it does show most of the usual things that you can do while playing. It shows several simple puzzles and their solutions, and it should give the new player a good idea of how an interactive text adventure story works. @begin (example) [to be supplied] @end (example) @heading (SAVING, RESTORING, RESTARTING, AND QUITTING) If you want to stop playing, and you don't care about saving your place for another time, type the command "QUIT." Just to be sure, SEASTALKER will ask you if you really want to leave the story, and you should type "YES." If you want to start over from the beginning of the story, type the command "RESTART." Once again, SEASTALKER will ask to make sure that this is really what you want to do. If you want to stop playing for now, but continue from this same place at another time, type the command "SAVE." Since it takes many hours to finish SEASTALKER, you will probably not finish it in one sitting. By using the "SAVE" command, you can continue playing at a later time without having to start over from the beginning, just as you can put a bookmark in a book you are reading. The "SAVE" command makes a "snapshot" of your place in the story on another diskette. If you are a cautious or careful player, you may want to save your place before you try something dangerous or tricky. Then you can return to the same place, even if you have gotten "killed" or lost since then. To save your place in the story, just type "SAVE" after the prompt ">" and then follow the instructions on your Reference Card. Remember that most computers need a diskette for storage that has been initialized ("formatted") before you start the story. Remember also that you may not be able to use that diskette for anything else. To continue playing from any place where you used the "SAVE" command, just type "RESTORE" after the prompt ">" and follow the instructions on your Reference Card. Then you can continue playing from the place where you used the "SAVE" command. You can type "LOOK" to get a description of where you are. You can use "RESTORE" on any "snapshot" you have made whenever you want. @heading (IMPORTANT COMMANDS) You can type a command to SEASTALKER instead of a sentence. Some commands give you information and others let you start or stop the story. Some of these commands were also explained earlier in this manual. You can use these commands again and again, as you wish. Some commands count as a turn, and the story will go on, while others do not. "BRIEF" commands SEASTALKER to display all about a place or thing only the first time you see it. This is the way it works when the story begins. "DIAGNOSE" commands SEASTALKER to give you a brief report about your medical condition. "INVENTORY" or "I" commands SEASTALKER to display a list of all the things that you are carrying or wearing. "LOOK" or "L" commands SEASTALKER to describe the place you are in. "QUIT" or "Q" allows you to quit playing. If you want to quit for now, but continue from this same place at another time, use the "SAVE" command. "RELEASE" tells you the Release number and the Serial number of your copy of SEASTALKER. "RESTART" stops the story and starts over from the beginning. "RESTORE" lets you continue playing from any place where you used the "SAVE" command. "SAVE" lets you stop playing for now, but continue from this same place at another time, by making a "snapshot" on your storage diskette. "SCORE" tells your current score and a rank based on it. "SCRIPT" commands your printer to start making a transcript of the story as you play. Your Reference Card tells if you can use this feature. "SUPERBRIEF" commands SEASTALKER to display only the name of a place, even the first time you see it. "UNSCRIPT" commands your printer to stop making a transcript. "VERBOSE" commands SEASTALKER to display all about a place or thing every time you see it. "WAIT" or "Z" causes time in the story to pass. Normally, between your input lines, nothing happens in the story. You could leave the computer, travel around the world underwater for a year, and return to the story to find that nothing has changed. You can use the "WAIT" command to make time pass in the story without doing anything, if you are waiting for a person to arrive, waiting for something to happen, and so on. @heading (USEFUL VERBS) Here is a list of some of the verbs that SEASTALKER understands. Remember that you can use prepositions with these verbs; for example, "LOOK" can become "LOOK INSIDE", "LOOK BEHIND", "LOOK UNDER", "LOOK THROUGH", "LOOK AT", and so on. @begin (example) ASK ATTACK BOARD BURN CLIMB CLOSE COUNT CROSS CUT DESTROY DIG DISEMBARK DRINK DROP EAT ENTER EXAMINE EXIT EXTINGUISH FILL FIND FLY FOLLOW GIVE HELLO JUMP KICK KILL KISS KNOCK LAUNCH LIE LIGHT LISTEN LOCK LOOK LOWER MOVE OPEN POINT POUR PULL PUSH PUT RAISE REACH READ SEARCH SHAKE SHOOT SHOW SLEEP SLIDE SMELL SPRAY STAND SWIM TAKE TELL THROW TIE TOUCH TURN UNLOCK UNTIE WAKE WALK WAVE @end (example) @heading ("SEASTALKER" COMPLAINTS) SEASTALKER will complain to you if you type a sentence that confuses it completely. Here is a list of some of these complaints: I DON'T KNOW THE WORD "[your word]".@* The word you typed is not in the program's list of words. Sometimes you can use another word that means the same thing. If not, SEASTALKER probably can't understand what you're trying to do. YOU CAN'T USE THE WORD "[your word]" IN THAT WAY.@* The program knows the word you typed, but it couldn't understand the word in the way that you used it, usually because the program knows the word as a different part of speech. For example, if you typed "PRESS THE LOWER BUTTON", you used "LOWER" as an adjective, but the program might recognize it only as a verb. I COULDN'T FIND A VERB IN THAT SENTENCE!@* Unless you are answering a question, each sentence must have a verb (or a command) in it somewhere. I COULDN'T FIND ENOUGH NOUNS IN THAT SENTENCE!@* SEASTALKER expected a noun and couldn't find one. This usually means that your sentence was not complete, such as "PUT THE LAMP IN THE." I FOUND TOO MANY NOUNS IN THAT SENTENCE!@* A valid SEASTALKER sentence has no more than two "objects." They are called the "direct object" and the "indirect object." For example, there are too many objects in "PUT THE SOUP IN THE BOWL WITH THE SPOON." BE SPECIFIC: WHAT THING DO YOU WANT TO [your verb]?@* You used the word "HIM" or "HER" or "IT", but SEASTALKER didn't know what you meant. You should answer by typing the name of the person or thing you meant. I BEG YOUR PARDON?@* SEASTALKER thinks that you didn't type anything after the prompt ">" and before hitting the RETURN (or ENTER) key. YOU CAN'T SEE ANY [thing] HERE!@* The thing in your sentence was not visible. It might be somewhere else, inside a container, and so on. THE OTHER THING(S) THAT YOU MENTIONED ISN'T (AREN'T) HERE.@* You used two or more nouns in the same sentence, and at least one of them wasn't visible. YOU CAN'T GO THAT WAY.@* There was no way to go in the direction you tried. YOU CAN'T USE MULTIPLE (IN)DIRECT OBJECTS WITH "[your verb]".@* You can use more than one "object" only with certain verbs, like "TAKE", "DROP", and "PUT". (This means nouns or noun phrases separated by the word "AND" or a comma). You can't use more than one object with most verbs, like "ATTACK", so you can't "ATTACK THE MONSTER AND THE ENEMY." I ASSUME YOU MEAN THE [thing].@* You typed a word that the program knows as an adjective, like "BLUE," without a noun, but it knew what you meant anyway. It's just telling you what noun it thinks you meant. USE FIGURES FOR NUMBERS, FOR EXAMPLE "10."@* The program found a number word in your sentence, like "TEN," but it understands only figures, like "10." PLEASE USE UNITS WITH NUMBERS.@* The program found a number in your sentence without any units to tell what the number means. Use a word after the number like "METERS" or "TURNS". SORRY, BUT ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE. PLEASE REPHRASE THAT OR TRY SOMETHING ELSE.@* The program thought your sentence was nonsense, such as "GIVE HIM WITH TOOL." Or it didn't understand the syntax of your sentence, such as "SMELL UNDER THE ROCK." Try typing the sentence in a different way. @heading (SENTENCE SYNTAX) A valid SEASTALKER sentence should start with a verb or a command (such as "SCORE"). If you use multiple nouns for one "object", you must separate them by the word "AND" or by a comma. If you type several sentences on one input line, you must separate them by a period or by the word "THEN". You don't need a period at the end of an input line. You can ask @U(only three) kinds of questions: "WHO", "WHERE" and "WHAT". The short way to type compass directions is "N", "E", "S", "W", "NE", "SE", "SW", and "NW." The short way to type "UP" and "DOWN" is "U" and "D." Other short words include "L" for "LOOK", "I" for "INVENTORY", and "Z" for "WAIT." @heading (COMMAND SUMMARY) You can type these commands when the prompt ">" has appeared on the screen. For an explanation of these commands, see the section called "Important Commands" earlier in this manual. @begin (example) BRIEF DIAGNOSE INVENTORY (or I) LOOK (or L) QUIT (or Q) RELEASE RESTART RESTORE SAVE SCORE SCRIPT SUPERBRIEF UNSCRIPT VERBOSE WAIT @end (example) @heading (WE'RE NEVER SATISFIED) Here at the Cambridge chapter of the Young Adventure Story Writers Club, we take great pride in the quality of our work. Even after our stories are in your hands, we still want to make them better. Your comments are important. No matter how much testing we do, it seems that there are "bugs" that never crawl into view until thousands of you begin typing all those millions of sentences into the program. If you find a "bug", or if you think the program should recognize your favorite word or sentence, or if you found a certain puzzle too hard or too easy, or if you'd just like to tell us what you thought of the story, then write to us! We love an excuse to stop working and fool around for a while, and a letter from you would be just such an excuse! Write to: @begin (example) Infocom, Inc. Department J 55 Wheeler street Cambridge, Mass. 02138 @end (example) You can call the Infocom Technical Support Team to report "bugs" and technical problems at (617) 576-3190. If your diskette fails within 90 days after purchase, we will replace it free of charge. Otherwise, we will replace it for a fee of $5.00. Please mail us your registration card if you'd like to be on our mailing list and receive our newsletter. @heading (OPERATING CONTROLS) If the Ultramarine Bioceptor (UB) operated like a real submarine, you would need a long training period just to learn how to operate it before you could enjoy playing this game! Instead of travelling in a straight line in any direction you want, the UB moves from square to square like a chess queen. The UB's squares are rather large, 500 meters on a side. And since the UB is a submarine that can go down and up under water ("DIVE" and "SURFACE"), it uses a grid of squares for each depth. To keep it simple, the UB goes up or down only in steps of 5 meters, and it goes only one step up or down for each square that it moves side-to-side. You can pilot the UB using its four controls: @begin (itemize) The THROTTLE controls how fast the UB travels. You can set it to one of several different speeds, corresponding to moving a certain number of squares per turn: (0) standing still, (1) slow, (2) cruise, or (3) high speed. The FORWARD/REVERSE LEVER controls whether the UB moves forward or backward. You can switch from one to the other only when the UB is standing still. If you enter the Aquadome going forward, you have to back out, and vice versa. The JOYSTICK turns the UB to face one of the compass directions: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, or northwest. (If you have a joystick on your computer, and if it's the right kind of computer, then you can use your joystick instead of the UB's!) The DEPTH CONTROL directs the UB's automatic guidance system to keep a certain depth below the surface of the water. You can set it to any multiple of 5 meters within the sub's operating range. When you set it to a new target depth, the UB automatically adjusts its buoyancy and diving planes so it will approach the target depth. It will change depth by 5 meters each time it moves one square horizontally. If the throttle is set to "standing still," so that the UB isn't moving horizontally, then it will go straight up or straight down, 5 meters per turn. When it reaches target depth, it will automatically level out and stay at that depth, assuming that it doesn't run into anything. The AUTO PILOT can handle all these controls automatically, except the throttle. @end (itemize)