Shadowlands Typed by Keith The Lamer. Greetings to Peter Perfect & Maid Marian of C.K.C. Shadowlands: The Fall Of Koranos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deep in the heart of the Shadowlands, wrapped in dungeons and bathed in temples, sat the Overlord, and all the land that his dark eyes surveyed belonged to him. From the melancholy orchards at Randril to the grand mazes of Sunassi, this was the realm of the Overlord. From the point where the sky meets the sea to the tips of the Gurangas mountains, he was lord of all. The dark lord surveyed his realm, and he hungered for more. Tianna awoke at eight, and, surfacing from her dreams, she turned her head on her pillow to gaze upon the sleeping body of Vashnar. His smooth breath and calm face pleased her. Vashnar had been despondent of late, and when he was angry he was so much more a warrior, and so much less a prince. Rumours had reached the palace of great movements beyond the mountains, in the sombre realms. Some of the more foolhardy adventurers of the village had talked of venturing north through the mountain paths, into the Shadowlands, to investigate, but Vashnar had forbidden any to venture there, and none doubted the wisdom of Vashnar. Tianna looked from the windows to the river of Caval, the river of eternity, whose song played through the village, and whose waters, it was said, gave energy to the strong of heart. Her gaze turned up from the river, to the giant form of Holias, largest of the Gurangas mountains, and there she saw a sight that chilled her. An army, a mass, a deluge of people, moving slowly down the mountain like a black stain. She took a trembling breath, and turned to wake the warrior prince. Fortimer had also seen the dark army. From his farm at the foot of the mountains it now seemed awesome to him, immense and unending, wrapping the landscape like a wave of death. His daughter came to him as he sat at the edge of his farm and watched them. Sapphire was eleven years old and already had all her mother's wisdom weaved into her face. She spoke little, preferring to observe, and on the rare occasions she did speak, her voice was small and light, like birdsong. Fortimer looked at her - his child, his line, his blood - and pride welled within him with every breath she took. She spoke to him, and her words cut him in twain. "Daddy, are they going to hurt us!" Fortimer felt tears well up in his eyes. An hour later he and his family were slain. They were the first victims in the fall of Koranos. From Vashnar's Address To The Army Of Koranos: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This day sees Koranos face its bitterest test. The dark hand of the Overlord extends its grasp in our direction, and we in turn must face ourselves, and the courage that makes us men. Many of you have fought with me before, at the fields of Magellin, and at the Llinor Pass: on those days we did not fail - though the enemy seemed more mighty than the gods - and thus shall it be today. "I do not attempt to mislead you, my people. There will be much bloodshed in our lands today. But by the spirit which guides the Caval we shall be sure none of our deaths shall be without purpose, and none of us shall battle without honour. "We ride to the defence of Koranos, which has fed us and housed us for five generations. We ride so that this city may host many hundreds of generations for all of time. We ride with our hearts held high, and we ride with right on our side, so we cannot fail." As the army moved out of the main square, smoke was seen on the horizon. Vashnar cursed under his breath, for he knew that the fire was Fortimer's farm, and he knew that for all his fine words, he was still mortal, and his life was as temporary as a harvest fire, and as transient as the beauty of a rose. Battle was joined five miles after the army crossed the Caval. From nowhere they seemed to come, as if dropped from the sky by some mighty fist. The Annubi, the Valkyrie, the Minotaurs, and the Undead. All these were in the first rank of the Overlord's armies, and though the men of Koranos fought well, they were crushed by the size of the dark one's hoards. Vashnar saw his cousin, Ulun, gorged on the horns of a minotaur, his quartered body thrown to the Hell Hounds who ripped the still screaming tongue from his mouth. Durranon, the captain of the guard, was consumed in one of the hail of fireballs poured upon the armies. Through the smoke and heat Vashnar made out the form of Keenan, his bravest Paladin, approaching him. "Vashnar, warrior prince, you must flee this place. We are defeated. You must not die: you must go, and take the name of Koranos with you. Maybe one day it will be safe to return here and make Koranos anew. Return to your palace, take Tianna and head south, away from the Shadowlands. Do not let our deaths be for naught my prince." Vashnar turned and drove his horse west, back across the Caval, to the village. Keenan rode back into the fray, to die in defence of his lord. Rats and scorpions ran through the streets of the village, snakes climbed the walls of every house. The stench of burning flesh hung in the air, and though he could not yet see it, Vashnar knew that the palace was the same. Tianna lay naked on the floor of the bedroom, clutching her stomach and sobbing. As he turned her over Vashnar could see that she had been violated and branded by one of the Incendera, the "burning men" of legend who lived in the Shadowlands. He wrapped her in sheets and carried her in his arms to his horse. As they rode south, to follow the river, the blood from her wounds stained the sheets. By the time they reached the banks of the Caval, she was dead. Vashnar dismounted, and lay Tianna's body on the ground. He knelt over the body and began to weep. "A curse on you Overlord. By all that is good and pure in this woman i swear i shall not rest until i have revenge on you." Vashnar lit the sheets that wrapped his lover, and stood silently by her flames. For what seemed like days he watched her body give its spirit to the skies and the land. Then he turned, and headed northwards, following the river. And his eyes were like pinpricks in steel, and his frown was as stern as the clouds. Three miles Vashnar travelled before he saw three horsemen approach from the north. His heart froze as he saw that they were servants of the Overlord, dark knights on skeletal steeds. The undead come in many forms, but surely the most terrible is that of a skeleton, a rotted human corpse, with its flesh long since consumed and two empty bottomless holes for eyes. The fixed grin of the jawbone presented a bitter irony to the warrior. He smiled and dismounted. "Who dares to stand before us!", said a cold voice from deep within the lead skeleton's robes. "Who asks!", replied Vashnar. "I am Cthul Tol Anuin. Overlord of the Shadowlands. Keeper of the Grim Mask of Gythdor. Your new lord and master." "And i am Vashnar Herenil, son of King Herenil of the Harbour Lands, bearer of the Staff of Remiros. I challenge your leadership, Cthul Tol. I have cursed you on the banks of the River Caval, and i shall destroy you." "I laugh at your curse, warrior prince, and at your sacred river. Your river flows northwards into my realm son of Kings, and it is there that your bones shall rot when you die." "I am not afraid of you." "Then we are well matched, Prince Vashnar, for i am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of you at all." A shooting pain ran up Vashnar's left side, and he felt the warm ooze of his own blood on his thigh. He looked down to his side to see the end of a spear jutting from the right side of his stomach. Then the pain began. Immeasurable pain, as his kidneys and intestines and skin and bones and blood all screamed for help to his mind. And the scream of his body passed from his brain to his mouth. And Vashnar screamed, a primal scream, and through the layers of pain Vashnar was aware that the spear was being twisted and moved, gouging up through his back, and then, finally, withdrawn. He stumbled back, clutching his stomach, and saw the standing form of a skeleton, the spear still in its hand. The grin of the jaw-bone smiled down at him, and the empty eyes called to him, and Vashnar saw himself on the ground with the skeleton standing beside him, and as he began to rise further and further upwards, he saw the skeleton kick his lifeless body into the River Caval. He turned away, towards the sky, where the arms of the earth mother offered to wrap him up and hold him, and he smiled. "That's the dream!, said Nanock. "The same every night for the past four days", replied Helver. "Strange." They were sitting in one of the many taverns in the City of Aquanor, capital of the Harbour Lands. The tavern was small but friendly, and many adventurers came to swap stories and drink ale. Tonight the tavern was packed, and all the talk was of Helver's dream, of the fall of Koranos, of the death of Prince Vashnar, and of why nearly a third of the adventuring community had experienced the very same dream every night for the past four days. "It has to be a call for help. It has to be," proclaimed Rathor, a powerful cleric whose experience demanded that his words be taken seriously. "You want my guess, the prince is dead and the palace hasn't told the people yet." "Maybe the palace doesn't know yet", interjected Helver. "It's fourteen days' ride to Koranos, and what if he only died four days ago! That would seem likely. Surely we should seek an audience with the King, even if only to warn him about the dream." "If the dream has affected so many of us, i should imagine there are many in the King's direct service who have also received it. The King already knows: if he didn't, he wouldn't be King." "Then what do we do, pack our bags and ride north for sixteen days on the strength of a shared dream! It could be a trap. Stranger things have been known." "I would like to speak please", came a soft voice from the back, and when the adventurers turned they beheld a bright white light, and in the centre of that light was the spirit of a small girl, who bore infinite wisdom in her face. The room parted and slowly she moved, silently, suspended in the air, to the front of the room. And then she spoke, and her voice was like birdsong: "I am Sapphire of Koranos, brought here by the power of the River Caval, to summon you to the aid of Vashnar Herenil, slain by the Overlord of the Shadowlands, and who lives yet in spirit. Through the power of the River Caval, the River of Eternity, and through the power of a curse, made by Vashnar at the side of his lover, his spirit shall not rest until the Overlord is slain." "That could take a long time", whispered Nanock to Helver. The light moved towards him. "That, Nanock of Duannar, is why the curser is often the cursed. Many of you will have already received messages telling of the fall of Koranos, and of the death of Vashnar. Vashnar asks four of the noblest warriors to become bearers for his spirit and guidance, and to venture into the Shadowlands to retrieve his bones, and to exact his vengeance on Cthul Tol Anuin. Do you accept!" "And what about afterwards!", asked Rathor, "When this task is done! How are we to be rewarded! How is the spirit of Vashnar to leave our bodies and reward us!" "In the inner sanctum of the Shadowlands", the spirit whispered, "past the dungeons and temples, past the undead and the dogs of hell, beyond the mazes and the pyramids, lies the Overlord's dark temple, and in this temple there is an altar of regeneration. It is thus that the Overlord has held his reign for so long. Place the bones of Vashnar upon the altar, take the key held by the Overlord, and return Vashnar to life. Then you will see reward from this warrior prince. Reward such as you have never known." "I'm convinced", said Nanock. "How will we know if we've been chosen!" "You will know", breathed Sapphire, and vanished as silently as she had arrived. The banks of the river Caval were lined from the entrance into the Shadowlands to the burned out husk that was once Koranos. Many people ventured to the Caval that day, some out of loyalty to the once and future warrior prince, some out of more material motives, and many out of curiosity, but none expected the events of the afternoon. As the sun began to be eclipsed by Holias, largest of the Gurangas mountains, the sky began to darken and a rumbling began from deep in the earth. The River Caval began to moan, and its moans were the cries of loss, the moans of those whose lives are taken as they follow their hearts, and the tears of those who mourn the loss of an innocent. And the river began to flow faster, and began to foam and wave, and burst its banks, and all those who were touched by the waters were frozen. And those who tried to flee were also caught by the waters, and soon, all stood silent and frozen. Nanock felt a presence deep within him, searching him, sensing everything about him, and then, as quickly as the sensation had appeared, it vanished, and the waters began to recede to the river, and the sky began to grow lighter, and the people began to move. And everyone who was present left the place immediately, and in silence. When asked afterwards no-one could report why they had left so quickly. Roaming homewards, to new adventures, to lovers, battles or children and families, all left the banks of the River Caval. All, that is, except four adventurers, chosen by Vashnar Herenil, Warrior Prince of Koranos, to be his avengers, and his deliverers. Amiga & Atari ST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Switch the computer on and insert disk 1 in the internal drive. The game will boot automatically and you will be prompted when to insert disk 2. Dual disk drive owners may utilise both drives. NOTE: To save a game, a blank unformatted disk is required to be inserted in any drive. Entering The Shadowlands ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shadowlands is a challenging and absorbing RPG (Role Playing Game) but thanks to its advanced interface design it's extremely easy to play. The quest may take you months, but the controls will be at your fingertips after only a few minutes. Shadowlands is choc-a-bloc with traps, adversaries and conundrums. Your objective is to guide your Four Warriors through these obstacles to confront The Keeper - the Undead Guardian of Your Physical Self. Defeat him and you can undergo the process of reintegration, uniting your physical and spiritual selves in the process of Self Realisation. Remember: the Spirit may be Willing, but the Flesh is Extremely Weak! A. Starting Options ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When first starting the game you are presented with three options - GENERATE CHARACTERS, QUICK START or LOAD A SAVED GAME. 1. GENERATE CHARACTERS When you begin Shadowland for the first time, you will need to create your party of warriors. These four physical beings will be your eyes, ears, hands and feet - they are the means by which your Spiritual Self can interact with the Physical World and, by eventually retrieving your body from the Undead, complete the game. Clicking on the (1) icon will invoke the Generate Characters screen. Along the bottom of the display are four character portraits and you use these to determine the appearance and characteristics of your Warriors. Initially, the left hand character is highlighted (with a border around its portrait), ready for you to edit. You can edit any of the characters at any time on this screen by first clicking on one of these portraits. A) CHANGE CHARACTER APPEARANCE The currently selected character's face is copied to the larger portrait window at the left of the screen. To the right of this portrait are four small icons for hair, eyes, nose and mouth. Successively clicking on any one of these small icons will cycle through the available features for that character. You can customise any of the characters in this fashion. B) CHANGE CHARACTER NAME You can also name the currently selected character - the cursor can be seen in the panel beneath the four bar charts at the top right of the display. Type the desired name for your character and press RETURN. The name will appear beneath the portrait of the character at the bottom of the screen. C) CHANGE CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES In common with other Role Playing Games, each Warrior has a set of attributes that determine how he or she performs during the game. In Shadowlands, characters start with a certain amount of points relating to their STRENGTH, COMBAT ability, MAGIK level, and HEALTH. The program automatically assigns initial values for these attributes for each character, indicated by the length of the bars beside each attribute - the longer the bar, the more points the character has. However, you can alter these if you want to adjust the balance of skills within your party. It would be too easy, however, if you could simply make one character extremely strong and another a powerful magician from the beginning. Instead, you click on the CHANCE CARD (labelled with a ? at the top of the screen) to reshuffle the attribute values for each character until you are satisfied. When you're happy with a character's appearance, name and attributes, just move on to the next one by clicking on its portrait at the bottom of the screen. When you've edited all the Warriors, click on the ENTER THE SHADOWLANDS swords icon to begin the game. You will be prompted to enter the Shadowlands data disk. ?) INFORMATION Don't forget that a character's attributes will change during the game as he or she grows in experience. !) WARNING You are advised to save your game when you first enter the Shadowlands. If you die without previously saving your characters, you will need to re-edit your party before restarting. 2. QUICK START You don't have to create a party of characters yourself: the program will do it for you if you prefer - just select this option. However, you are advised to create your own team if you are seriously committed to completing the game as the automatic team selection may not come up with a set of characters ideally balanced for your playing style. 3. LOAD SAVED GAME If you have already played the game on a previous occasion and wish to recommence from the position you saved, select this option. You will find yourself where you left off, with the characters in the same status. B. Playing The Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once you have entered the game, you will receive a reminder to save your characters if they are newly created. You are strongly advised to do so, as new characters are particularly vulnerable and cannot be resurrected except by use of the LOAD SAVED GAME option. The screen is your window onto the gameworld, presenting your environment in isometric 3D style. Portraits of the Four Warriors are overlaid on it along the bottom of the display. The game is mouse operated and you use the portraits of your Warriors to issue commands which they will then carry out within the gameworld. In general, these commands are issued by using the left mouse button to click upon a part of one of the portraits location in the gameworld. Full details of the command sequences are given below. Note that each warrior can only carry out a command involving objects or destinations that he can actually see - that is, objects or destinations that are within his RANGE OF VISION. This range is dependent on distance and intervening obstacles (e.g. walls). The range of vision of a character is indicated for you by the mouse pointer. When an action has been selected, the pointer shows as a POINTING HAND icon when you are within the character's range of vision and as an ARROWHEAD when it is outside this range. The arrowhead can only be used on the portraits. For example, click on the Red Warrior's {extreme left portrait) LEFT leg - which is the extended leg on the RIGHT when viewed from your position. This invokes the 'walk to' command. Now move the mouse pointer across the screen and select a location where the mouse pointer icon shows as a pointing hand. Click the left mouse button again and the Warrior will walk to that location. All actions in the game can be accomplished in this manner. In addition, the portraits also give access to information (INVENTORY) screens about each warrior - move the mouse pointer over another portrait and click the RIGHT mouse button. The inventory screen for that character will now be displayed (but note that game time continues to pass in this mode - important to remember if you're involved in combat). The inventory screen is described elsewhere in this manual. To return to the action screen, just click again on the right hand mouse button. !) WARNING In this manual whenever we refer to the RIGHT or LEFT part of a portrait, we are referring to it from YOUR point of view, NOT the character's. ?) INFORMATION Using The Mouse - The mouse is used in two ways in Shadowlands: to select icons/objects by clicking on them, and for certain other actions by 'dragging': SELECTING ICONS/OBJECTS - To select an icon or object, move the mouse pointer so that it is positioned over the icon or object and click (depress and release) the left mouse button. DRAGGING - Some more advanced control techniques involve 'dragging' - place the mouse pointer over the location you want, press and hold the left mouse button. Now slowly move the mouse in the required direction, whilst still holding the left mouse button down. BUTTONS - The left mouse button is used to select actions, icons, objects and locations. The right mouse button in Shadowlands is used to switch between the game screen and the inventory screen whilst the pointer is over the required character's portrait, and alternatively to centre on the current character if the pointer is away from the portaits. 1. THE PORTRAITS: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These represent your four warriors and are colour coded to help you match each portrait with the warrior on-screen it refers to. The portraits serve two principal functions: First, they enable you to issue commands to the warriors. Commands are issued to one character at a time by clicking on a part of the character's anatomy. Full instructions on this are given later... Secondly, they give you information about the Four Warriors, in particular their health and their position in the gameworld. The position is indicated by the appearance of the portrait (see USING THE PORTRAITS below). The health status of a character is indicated by a horizontal bar graph at the base of each portrait. ?) INFORMATION The layout of the portraits may be changed by means of the LAYOUT control (the ESCAPE key). A) USING THE PORTRAITS At any one time, the portraits may be in one of four conditions: 1) Action Portrait - In this mode, the character is shown as an outline of his body, split into arms, legs and head. If he is carrying an object in his right hand, this is shown also. This mode is used for issuing commands to the relevant warrior. 2) Facial Portrait - When you see only a warrior's face, that means he or she is currently out of the visible range of the currently selected character. For example, when you begin the game, click on the left hand (red) warrior's right leg and continuously walk him diagonally down the road to the left. As each of the other characters in turn falls out of the red character's range of vision, his portrait icon will be replaced with a facial representation. 3) Reversed Portrait - If a character has his/her back to you, that means he/she is not only out of sight of the currently selected character, but is on another level of the game. 4) Skull - SKULLS commemorate those Warriors who are no longer with us. ?) INFORMATION Clicking on a SKULL portrait of a dead Warrior will show the location of the body (this may be carried by another character). You cannot issue commands to a dead Warrior! 2. ISSUING COMMANDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Commands may be issued to one character at a time, although other characters may still be engaged in tasks from earlier commands, providing a "multitasking" command structure. To issue a command to a warrior you must first click on their portrait - the screen will move to their current location, and their portrait will become an ACTION PORTRAIT (if it is not already). The state of the other character portraits may change at this time, showing their position relative to the current character. Warriors within visible range of the current character will have their ACTION PORTRAITS displayed; out of visible range characters will have FACIAL PORTRAITS, or they will have REVERSED PORTRAITS if they are on a different level altogether. Actually issuing commands is simple. All you have to do is click on the appropriate part of the body to perform the action. There are five body areas available for this purpose and, as you will see, the control possibilities are quite logical. The head controls eating and reading, the feet control the two types of walking and so on... A) ACTION HAND This is always the LEFT hand, I.E. It is actually on the left side as you look at the Action Portrait and could therefore be said to be the Warrior's right hand. The action hand is used for hand to hand combat. Additionally, if an object is held in this hand, the action hand is selected to USE it. Arrows that appear above and below the object enable other objects in the character's inventory to be cycled through, placing each in turn in the hand without having to use the inventory screen. B) TRANSIT HAND This is always the RIGHT hand as viewed from your point of view. This hand is used for COLLECTING, DROPPING, THROWING, and OPERATING. Note that the Transit hand always remains free of objects, even if you have just used it to pick something up (see collecting objects in the COMMAND SEQUENCES section below). Objects picked up are immediately transferred to the Action Hand. The only objects related to the Transit hand are SHIELDS - these are worn on the Transit ARM and are accessed only on the inventory screen. C) WALK LEG This is always the RIGHT leg. I.E. On the right side as you look at the Action Portrait. It's only use is to walk the character from one position to another. D) LEAD LEG This is always the LEFT leg as you look at the Action Portrait. This leg has the same function as the WALK leg, except that when selected it cause's other characters in the selected warrior's range of vision to follow him wherever he goes. This command is therefore used to form a SQUAD and a formation that the characters involved adopt is dictated by the SQUAD FORMATION option, which is discussed in the INVENTORY SCREEN section. E) HEAD There's only one of these for each character! It's used for READING and EATING. ?) INFORMATION There are more complex operations possible that may involve your warriors in interaction with other objects or characters. These are accomplished by a mixture of commands - throwing an object, for example, requires that you click on the object,both hands, and the destination. 3. COMMAND SEQUENCES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A) WALKING Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. Click on the Walk leg. Click on the screen position you wish him to walk to, within his visible range (i.e. with HAND pointer). Dragging the pointer will cause the character to follow. B) LEAD SQUAD Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. Click on the Lead leg. Click on the screen position you wish him to lead to. The character will walk to the position, with other members of his squad accompanying him in the currently selected formation, dictated by the Chess Boards (see the INVENTORY SCREEN section). Characters out of visible range will not join the squad. C) EATING AND DRINKING Each character will require food and water as time progresses. To replenish these: a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Click on his Head icon. c) Move the HAND POINTER (which means that food must be in visible range) over the food item you wish to consume until it flashes, then click on it. The character will walk over, collect and eat this item. Drinking directly from fountains is achieved the same way. To consume items already held, a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Place the food item in the Action hand (using scroll arrows if necessary). c) Click on the food item. d) Click on the head icon. The character will eat the item he is holding. Drinking from containers is achieved the same way. Filling these objects is simply a case of USING them on the fountain. (Additionally, food and drink items may be consumed by use of the mouth icon on the inventory screen). D) READING To read a message, a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Select the head icon. c) Highlight the notice you wish him to read with the HAND POINTER and select it (must be within visible range). The character will walk over and the message will be read. Click Left mouse button to clear the message. Note that it is impossible to read signs in the dark. E) COLLECTING To collect an object within range of the character, a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Select the Transit hand. c) Highlight and select the object in the game world. The character will walk over and pick-up the object. It will be placed in his Action hand and will occupy one slot in his inventory. If the character already has a full inventory, he will swap the item with whichever item was already in his Action hand. F) DROPPING AND THROWING To drop an item, a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Place the item to be dropped in the Action hand by use of scroll arrows if necessary. c) Select the item. d) Select the Transit hand. e) Select the position where you wish him to drop the item using the HAND POINTER. If the position is very close to the character, he will simply walk over and drop the item. If the position is further, he will throw the item. Note that a Warrior will always attempt to throw an object to the exact position you indicate; however if he is too weak or the object is too heavy, it may not quite reach. G) OPERATING To operate switches and buttons, a) Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. b) Select the Transit hand. c) Highlight and select the desired object. The character will walk over and operate the device, i.e. push button, pull lever. Some devices are operated by means of weight on floor switches; others are operated by light, darkness or other factors. You will have to experiment! H) USING OBJECTS Any object currently held in the ACTION hand can be used on another object by first clicking on the object held and then on the second object. Most objects have specific uses, and may only be effective if used in the correct way and as a general rule the game will make it apparent which uses an object has. For Example 1) KEYS These only work in locks - if you have selected the key for use, you will only be able to operate it on locks. If the key is still held after performing this action, then the key does not fit that particular lock. 2) COINS These operate coin slots. Several coins may be required. If the wrong type of coin is being used and does not fit, then the coin will remain in the character's hand. 3) FLASKS Flasks work on fountains - they will fill. ?) INFORMATION If you attempt a nonsense use, e.g. USE key on FOUNTAIN, you will find it impossible to highlight the fountain whilst trying to use the key. 4. INVENTORY SCREEN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking the right mouse button on a portrait will switch the view to that character's inventory screen. This screen is divided into 5 areas. A) BACKPACK ITEMS These are 16 slots in the top left hand area of the screen. Each slot may contain a representation of a single object in your inventory (i.e. carried by the warrior). Objects may be picked up and placed into other empty slots by clicking them, or exchanged by clicking over another item. You may sometimes wish to do this so that certain objects are placed in sequence in the action hand during play. The item currently held in the character's Action hand is in a special slot to the right below the scales, where additional information about the item is displayed and access to the magik system (see the section on MAGIK) is allowed. B) CHARACTER STATISTICS In the centre of the screen, below the panel showing the currently held object (if any) you will see a list of five attribute values followed by three bar charts. Here you can check up on your character's status. COMBAT LEVEL - This will grow with experience. Characters generally start at level one or two. MAGIK LEVEL - As Combat above but related to Magik power. STRENGTH - The first figure indicates your current rating; the second indicates the maximum rating potential for the character. HEALTH - If a character's health reaches zero, he will die. His health suffers if he is thirsty, starving, injured or overburdened with items. The second figure indicates the maximum rating potential for that character. ARMOUR - Indicates the degree of protection currently enjoyed by the character. FOOD (barchart) - You should keep a careful eye on this. Once a character's food level becomes critical he will starve and his health will deteriorate. WATER (barchart) - As for food, but replenished through drinking. FORCE (barchart) - Particularly important for Magik and in particular the charging of spells. See the MAGIK section for more information. C) CHARACTER PORTRAITS On the right of the screen, these allow you to examine other characters' inventories without returning to the main screen. Clicking on the name of the appropriate portrait will display the relevant screen. If characters are standing close to each other, then it is possible to "hand" items between them on this screen - you must be able to access their slots (i.e. their boxes must be highlighted and showing the figure rather than the face only) in order to do this, therefore the characters must be standing quite close to each other. The arrows allow you to cycle through the objects in characters' inventories. To move an object from one character to another, 'pick up' the object by clicking on it, move it over the inventory slot of the other character then 'drop it' by clicking on the left hand mouse button. Additionally, the Transit arm of the character in each portrait has a special inventory slot which may be given a shield type when collected. This will provide limited damage protection and may only be done on the inventory screen. D) THE CHESS BOARDS Shadowlands offers a party of four characters and each character can either operate alone or as a SQUAD in the company of others. Furthermore, your party can split into two squads with each one led by a different character. A squad will form whenever you use the LEAD command (see the COMMANDS section) - who joins it and what formation they take up is determined by using the chessboards on the Inventory screen. You can store up to five squad formations and setups using the function (Formation) keys 1 to 5. They come with default settings: to edit them, simply click on the required Formation number above the chess boards and proceed as follows: To create a single squad with all four players, use the left hand chess board. Click on any of the pawns (each of which represents one of the warriors - the colour codes used are the same as elsewhere) and move it to the desired square on the board. Repeat this process with all four characters until the pawns are in the correct positions relative to each other for your desired squad formation. Now, whenever you use the Lead command and this Formation number is selected, the warriors will take up the positions as indicated. To split the party into two squads, proceed as above but choose which warriors you wish to work together and then transfer them to the right hand chessboard, leaving the other(s) behind to form the alternative squad. For example, if you place the red and green warriors in the right hand chessboard, then subsequently invoking the LEAD command on either of these will cause the other to join him (assuming they are in sight of each other) and take up the appropriate position relative to his companion. You can of course alter the relative positions during play using the function keys. E) SLEEP, EAT, SAVE In the centre of the screen at the bottom are icons for Sleeping (an eye), Eating (a mouth) and Save or Load Game (a disk). 1) SLEEP Click on the eye icon to send that particular character to sleep. His energies will replenish much faster whilst sleeping, although he will be prone to being attacked. To wake-up a character, simply issue a new command from his action portrait on the main game screen. 2) EAT Getting a character to eat may be done in several different ways: a) On the main game screen, click on the head of the character and then on the food item in the game world (the item will flash when the hand pointer is correctly positioned over it). b) Click on the food item when it is being held, then on the head icon. c) Carry the item from a character's inventory slot on the inventory screen and drop it onto the mouth icon. 3) SAVE GAME Click on the disk and then follow the instructions. You may format a blank disk from here if you do not have one prepared. !) WARNING DO NOT SAVE OR FORMAT ONTO YOUR GAME DISKS, ALWAYS HAVE A FRESH DISK READY. 5. LIGHT ~~~~~~~~ Shadowlands features PHOTOSCAPE, a new realtime system which realistically light all areas of the game world, casting shadows and creating an unparalleled sense of atmosphere. The lighting in the game is of importance for several reasons. Many objects, traps and adversaries are difficult to see without proper illumination - as in real life, you will miss important details or make mistakes if you cannot see properly. In addition, light plays an active role in many of the areas that you will find yourself in - it may affect the behaviour of traps and of creatures. Used wisely, however, it can be turned to your advantage. Many objects and events create light - torches, explosions, magikal items, spells and even some creatures. a) USING TORCHES Torches vary in their power and will gradually burn down. If you find a lit torch which you wish to keep for later use, extinguish it and place it in a backpack. You can also place a lit torch in your backpack (where it will be held in a special carrier outside the pack, designed especially for this purpose). This has the advantage of generating light but freeing the Action Hand for other uses. Used in this way, the torch will occupy a normal inventory slot on the inventory screen. Any character generating light either from a torch or through the use of magik has a flame icon in the top right corner of his Action Portrait, informing you at a glance who in a party is responsible for the current illumination. 1) Placing A Torch On A Wall It is possible to place torches on walls - DROP the torch on the wall position whilst standing very close. 2) Lighting Torches Select the portrait of the character you wish to control. Place the unlit torch in his Action hand. Click and HOLD on the torch for 2 seconds. It will burst into flame. 3) Extinguishing Torches This is done in exactly the same way as lighting torches: place the torch in the Action hand, click and hold on the torch for 2 seconds, and it will go out. 6. WEAPONS ~~~~~~~~~~ There are a variety of weapons in SHADOWLANDS and there are two ways of using them: GENERAL and SPECIFIC. With the general method, you select a weapon and destination (see below). Anyone who comes between your warrior and that destination is liable to get attacked. On the other hand, specific use involves targetting a particular ADVERSARY, following which your warrior will concentrate on that enemy, fighting to the death (or until called off). a) GENERAL USE OF A WEAPON Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. Select the weapon. Select the position in the game world where you wish the weapon to be used (within visible range). If the weapon is a hand weapon (e.g. axe, sword) the character will walk over to that position and use the weapon on any enemy who obstructs him. This is particularly good in a "free-for-all" fight - the weapon will be used on anybody getting in the way. It is also good when trying to escape from adversaries and clear your way to an exit. In the case of a launched weapon (e.g. bow), the character will fire off one round at the target location. b) SPECIFIC USE OF A WEAPON Select the portrait of the character you wish to command. Select the weapon. Highlight and select the base of the adversary in the game world on which you wish the weapon to be used (within visible range). If the object is a held weapon, the character will pursue the adversary and will fight to the death (unless ordered away). If the object is a launched weapon, he will fire off a stream of attacks until the weapon is depleted or the target is dead. ?) INFORMATION Any combination of weapons and modes of use are allowed - three characters could be firing SPECIFIC aimed weapons at one adversay, whilst another uses a GENERAL held weapon on the same (or different) adversary. 7. MAGIK ~~~~~~~~ Spells are found as parchments around the Shadowlands and may have various effects and alignments. When a spell is used, the parchment's MAGIK FORCE is drained to a certain degree and ultimately can become depleted. You can also find spellbooks within the Shadowlands. Each of these contains room for six spell pages and parchments may be placed and carried in these books. If a book is used rather than an individual parchment, then the spells contained within the book will be cast one after the other in page order. Combine and order your spells for maximum effect - a good sequence of offensive spells can subdue even the most powerful opponent. a) USING SPELLS To use a spell, hold the spell parchment in the Action hand, select it, then highlight the target for the spell in the game world using the hand pointer. Some spells (e.g. Light) need to be targetted on a member of your team. b) RECHARGING SPELLS Many objects in the SHADOWLANDS world have a level of enchantment or MAGIKFORCE. This force is an energy contained within them, which controls how effective an object is - a sword with a MAGIKFORCE of 67 is more effective than one with an MF of 12. An apple with an MF of 34 is more nutritious than one with an MF of 4. Your characters will have varying degrees of skill at absorbing MF energy from objects. This energy is absorbed into their bodies (the amount is indicated by the FORCE bar on the inventory screen) and may then be transferred into magik spells to recharge them. The Laws of Enchantment state that this energy can only be absorbed from objects (not charged into them) and only put into spells (not absorbed from them). This means that objects from which the MF has been absorbed will become less effective and cannot be recharged. It also means that, as spells are used throughout the game, the total Magik Force in the Shadowlands becomes dissipated and material objects will gradually become more and more useless as they are drained of their MF. To transfer MF from an object to a spell or spellbook, go to the inventory screen. Place an enchanted object (i.e. one with a Magik Force value, e.g. bread) in the "held" inventory slot (below the scales). You will see below how much magik force it contains. Click on the scales and absorb as much energy as required. Remove the object and place the spell or spellbook in the "held" slot. Click on the scales to charge the spell up as required. If a book is charged, then the MF is equally distributed among the pages. ?) INFORMATION More advanced magik users will be able to use the transfer process more efficiently than novices. 8. TEN GAMEPLAY TIPS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0) Conserve light power, it is a valuable commodity. 1) Keep an eye on food and water levels. 2) Read all the signs. 3) Pick group formations appropriate for the characters and conditions - do not place poorly shielded characters right at the forefront of the action, and keep characters with launched weapons away so that they may be used most effectively. 4) In combat try to "gang-up" on particularly powerful adversaries - they will be less efficient when fighting several attacking characters at once. Then move on as a group to the next adversary - "one-on-one" combat may be fairer, but not nearly as effective! 5) Place spells in books in strategic order, so that they will work in conjunction with each other for maximum effect. Also organise books with certain spell types - place healing spells together in one volume, and give this to your best Priest as a "First-Aid" kit if required. 6) Beware of adversaries who have magik spells of their own. 7) Study the game world carefully - you may be able to spot valuable clues in adjacent areas you have not yet encountered. Forewarned is forearmed. 8) Watch out for objects which are enchanted with magikforce - they are sources of pure magik power for your spells. 9) Take nothing for granted. 9. CONTROL SUMMARY SHEET: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEFT MOUSE BUTTON - Used to select an icon, object or position. RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON - Used to switch between the game world and warrior inventory screens. Can also be used to centre the game world display on the current earrior. FUNCTION KEYS 1-5 - Used to select formations 1 to 5. ESCAPE KEY - Used to change the layout of your warriors' portraits. PAUSE/UNPAUSE GAME - Depress H.