738 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
738 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
@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)
|