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|                             RUNCIBAL QUEST 2.0                             |
|                      COPYRIGHT (C) 1992 Timothy H. Ward                    |
|                                                                            |
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                                Runcibal Quest
                            By Tim Ward, Nov 1992.
                          Copyright (C) 1992 Tim Ward
                               v2.0 Nov 19992


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is Shareware?

Some people are confused over the distinction between commercial software,
shareware, and public domain software.  Shareware, unlike public domain
software, is ***NOT*** free. However, unlike commercial software, you, the
user gets to try it first and decide if you like it.  If you continue to
use shareware software after an initial evaluation period (length typically
varies from author to author), you are expected to register.  Various authors
have different expectations from their users.  Some suggest registration,
others require it.
    Shareware is not really a type of software, but really a different
approach to software distribution.  All types of programs are available as
shareware; the quality does vary, but in many cases shareware is better than
its commercial counterparts.  In some cases, a shareware program may be the
only one available to meet a particular need.

Distribution:

Runcibal Quest v 2.0 is released as shareware.  This means that you are free
to copy and distribute it to others under the following terms:

    1) The package must be complete, and contain all files listed
       in the PACKING.LST file.
    2) Commercial duplicators may not charge more than $5 per copy,
       unless otherwise authorized directly by the author.
    3) The author retains copyright: you may not alter the software
       or distribute altered versions.

You may evaluate Runcibal Quest for a 30-day period. If you still 
use Runcibal Quest after this, you are expected to send a registration fee.
This provision pertains to individual users only.

Commercial users must, after the thirty day period (A) register the software,
(B) discontinue use of the software.




1

Users of Runcibal Quest  must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"Runcibal Quest is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-
quential, which may result from the use of or inability to use Runcibal Quest."

      Runcibal Quest is NOT public domain software. If you use it, please     
      send a registration of $20 (individual) or $35 (organization) to me  
                 Tim Ward, c/o The Enchanter's Lair





What are adventure games?

Back in the mists of history, when giant dinosaurs ruled the earth, with
names like 360, PDP, etc., the wizards assigned to tend the dinosaurs
occasionally got very bored.  For amusement they created fantasy
worlds out of really nasty programming languages, sometimes just to find
out the best way to do something in a particular language, sometimes in
spite of the languages.

Text vs Graphics:

There are many reasons to write a primarily text-based game.  Many of
the people who would play them are the same who would prefer to read a
book rather than be brainwashed by a television. Text programs can be
relatively compact compared to the Megabytes upon Megabytes of disk
space required by many modern graphics-based games.  As the adage goes,
"a picture's worth 10K words", and it's sometimes better to describe the
thing you're looking at in a few sentences, rather than filling up yet
more disk space.

Some Design Philosophy:

Runcibal Quest v 2.0 is based on a text-based adventure game that was
completed in 1987.  The original Runcibal Quest was written in yet-another
proprietary form of interpreted BASIC that ran on a small microcomputer,
and only just fit into its 32K memory.

    When converting to the PC version, Micr*soft QuickBASIC was chosen
as the implementation language.  The original code could be ported with
fewer modifications than rewriting for PASCAL, (and looking at how bloated
PASCAL can get these days (ie Borland)), while QuickBASIC provided a good,
flexible way to implement structured design.  Runcibal Quest 2.0 retains
much of the original design (with numerous additions), but provides a
richer context and a familiar menu interface system.


2

    The main game is written in QuickBASIC, with numerous calls to
an assembly-language toolkit for file and video routines, and one or two
routines that were really just much more efficient in C.

    By the time I had completed most of the interface routines, Micros*ft
was around to announcing VisualBASIC. After already going in and coding my
own set of general-purpose interface routines, I felt it better to stick to
These designs.

    Runcibal Quest was supposed to work on a diverse range of MS-DOS
machines.  Most people have faster machines these days, but Runcibal Quest
will perform fairly well on an old XT with a monochrome monitor.
(most development was on such a machine)

    The way to do this seemed too be by keeping as much as possible
resident in the main memory, minimizing use of disk files, and going ahead
and performing direct video output.  This means that Runcibal Quest does
not like being run in less than a full-screen window (But Runcy Quest 2.5W,
reconfigured with VisualBASIC for Windows should fix that problem).

    By June 1992, I had a working mini-model of Runcibal Quest, and
after expanding the source code, I realized a problem. A big problem.
I knew there must be a size limitation on the EXE files that QuickBASIC
makes, but I was alarmed when I ran straight into it.
    Since June, I've been correcting bugs, doing some minor tweaks to
the game play, and fighting a constant battle with QuickBASIC, trying to
avoid the now all-too-familiar memory complaints (why can't I make a 470K
executable if I want to??)  I can't afford the professional BASIC system,
so I've been trying to squeeze as much out of QuickBASIC as I can.
Some elements that I would have liked to include have been sacrificed.

What is Runcibal Quest?

    Runcibal Quest is a shareware (told you that already), text-based
(should have been able to guess that one) adventure game.  In it, you
are a student at a private English boarding school, located in a medium-
sized industrial city.  Set in the mid 1980s, the goal of the game is to
gain entrance into Runcibal's nightclub.

How do I do that?
 
    That is what you have to discover.  A hint: pacifists, fascists,
and those with respect for authority figures may find this game repulsive.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Look and Feel: (or wot it does, wot u do)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Starting the game:
 
        1) DOS prompt
            enter "RUNCY" <-
        2) Windows
            click the Runcibal Quest Icon.
        3) Other
            ?????


3





    Runcy Quest should start up and prepare itself (if the cursor just sits
    there blinking, give it a chance to get going)

        A loading screen appears, depending on the graphics/monitor combination
    of your computer.  This can be disabled.

        The following screen appears, indicating the start of a new game, with
    everything reset to where it should be:

Ŀ
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
              What is your Name :                                             
                                                                              
              What is your favorite colour :                                  
                                                                              
              Sex ? (M/F)                                                     
                                                                              
              Enter A Magic Number :                                          
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              


    Runcibal Quest wants to get some important information from you:

    Another requirement for the game, a user name.

    Favorite colour.  Most colours are recognised ie "RED","BLUE-VIOLET"

    Sex.  "M" or "F".  Very important for the game play.

    Magic Number (optional) : used in determining game play (I won't tell you
    where, though...)

Assuming you provided information to the machine's satisfaction, the animated
main title screen should appear:



4



                      K A W O N K   A D V E N T U R E S
                       P R O U D L Y   P R E S E N T S

                     
                                                      
                                                        
                                                        
                                     
                                                      
                                                      
                                                    
                                                      
                           

                            
                                       
                                                    
                        

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 
    At this point, simply hit any key to begin the game.

    The screen during the game looks something like:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Location : The Close
 Strength =  78          Score =  3               Cash =  5
-----------------------------------------------------------
You feel alright.

You are on the Close. Off to the East is the School Field Puntabout

North to The Close                     East to School Field House
West to The Gym                        Northwest to THE RED AREA

You can see :
Bramvell










Command ?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



5


Runcibal Quest informs you of your present location and status at the top,
with a narrative description of the location following.

Next follow the direction that you can go in order to reach other places.
These are based on the 8-direction compass, with Up and Down added.

After this is a listing of all the "stuff" that you can see. In keeping to the
tradition of adventure games, I should call them "objects," but some people
might get confused/annoyed/angry/resentful/homicidal, if I mention "object" and
"BASIC" in the same paragraph.

"Stuff" in this case refers both to "Creatures" and "physical junk."
"Creature" may be monsters such as Trolls, Rabid beasties, etc, or people.
"Physical junk" are things you'll need to complete the game (or survive).
examples of "physical junk" include nasal hairs, adhesive-backed warts, and
polyvinyl-chloride garden furniture.

"Stuff" remembers where it last was, and has many varied properties (ie- edible
stuff Vs Non-edible stuff), and its description may change from time to time
(Not sudden transmutation, mind you, not big vans that convert into killer
androids at the flick of the wrist.)

Lastly, the unfortunate player is prompted for their next action.
There is no time limit here, you can go away and come back in four hours,
and everything should be the same (see info on screen blanking)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                the parser:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Given more space, I would have made the command system much more extensive
For commands to the game, the processor has been simplified:

    1) Junk characters are ignored.
    2) Sentences processed quickly and correctly usually have the structure:

    Verb Noun -  Verb is an action, Noun is an type of Stuff

    Verb junkwords Noun - junkwords are ignored.

"Stuff" consisting of multiple words (ie "box of matches") is recognised by
almost any correctly spelt words in the name, provided it contains the last
word.  For example, "matches" will be recognised, "box of" will not.

        When specifying an object, "ALL","EVERYONE", etc. may be used in
most sentence structures.  What happens though, may not be what you expect.
Most commands have abbreviations ie "N" = "NORTH", "U" = "USE"



6


There are often several different ways to say the same thing
If told that you can go North to Location X, all these will work

        "Go North"
        "North"
        "Go to Location X"
        "Move X"
        ...u.s.w.....

In addition, many actions of the same type are recognised as meaning the same:
The parser probably doesn't care if you want to "SMASH" something rather than
"DESTROY" it, the effect should be the same (this does not necessarily resemble
reality.)


When in doubt about a command, try it and see what happens.  Remember though,
it's easier to understand if the action consists of a one-word verb at the
start of the sentence, with any subject at the end of the sentence.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                The Menu Bar:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A pull-down menu system was sloppily glued on top of the standard command-line
parser.  This makes some things quicker.

To invoke, hit the [f1] function key, and the menu bar should appear:

FileOptionsHelp

As you notice, there are three submenus.  Hit "F","O","H", or the [Esc] key
to exit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                The File Menu:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invoked by selecting F from the menu bar, or [Alt][F] (might not work on all
systems)  Comments are shown here to the right for assistance.

FileOptionsHelp
 ͻ
  Save Game F4    (Saves the game using the last specified name)
  Save As         (Saves the game with explicit naming :)
  Load Game       (Recall a previously saved game)
  New game        (Start again and lose any changes made)
 Ķ
  Pause Game      {simply invokes the screen blanker}
 Ķ
  Dos Shell       (Invokes a secondary DOS command processor)
  Reboot          {DON'T DO THIS UNLESS YOU *REALLY* WANT TO}
  Quit            (Exit the game without saving)
  Exit with Save  (Save with last-used name, then exit)
 ͼ


7

Runcibal Quest allows you to specify a name of up to 8 characters each time you
save the game.  All game data files have the extension .RGD
("Runcibal Game Data").  It's best NOT to change these files, you may make
them unusable.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                The Options Menu:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Controls other aspects of the game. Shown below, with notes.

FileOptionsHelp
                          ͻ
                           Sound & Music:  OFF        
{See later note}           BossScreen   :  Default    
{See later note}           Monitor Type :  Monochrome 
                          Ķ
                           Play level   :  Normal     
                                           Fair play  
                          Ķ
                           Return to Game             
                          ͼ

The Bosscreen selection determines which screen is displayed when the emergency
[f10] key is hit.

The Monitor type does not change for MDA/Herkules type displays, but for most
other can be toggled between "Colour" and "Greyscale".  See which you prefer.

Play mode may or may not change during the game.

One option is not listed on this menu - Delay.
To change the delay on messages, animation, etc. enter the Delay command at the
Runcy Quest Command ? prompt, followed by a number from 1 - 400 (normally 36 or
54), the number given divided by two is how long in 1/18ths of a second that
messages pause for.  ie (36 = 1 second delay).

Many of these can be changed using the environment variables or the command-
line switches.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              The Help Menu:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Looks like this:

FileOptionsHelp
                                                         ͻ
(Gives further examples of valid verbs)                   Command Examples    
(A grossly simplified outline)                            Game Overview       
{Available to Registered users only}                      Specific Hint    F5 
                                                         Ķ
                                                          About               
                                                         ͼ



8


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Command-Line Parameters
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Normally, when starting Runcibal Quest, you would simply enter

RUNCY           from the DOS prompt; however, you can specify some switches
                on the same line ("The DOS command line") that affect the game.

                    Command Line Parameters ::

  /S     Sound and Music OFF                 (Default :on)
  /A     Alternate Emergency Screen          (F10 key)
  /L     No initial loading music, but sound on

  /M     Force monochrome display mode       (Default :Autodetect)
  /C     Force Colour display mode           (Default :Autodetect)
  /G     Use colour adaptor with mono        [For greyscale displays]
  /O     Override parameters set in environment
                                (Default: Environment + Command Line)

If you wanted to play the game with no sound, start it with "RUNCY /S" instead.
Runcibal Quest normally will try to guess what type of display you have, but
there may be times when you will want to force the display mode by using the
/M or /C switches (We can't figure out the difference between a Greyscale
display such as mono VGA and a real colour display ..yet..)

Runcibal Quest also allows you to set options in the "DOS environment".
It looks for the variable "RUNCYCMD".
If from the DOS prompt you enter SET RUNCYCMD=/S, there is no need to specify
the /S switch when typing RUNCY to start. (To view the current environment,
simply enter the command SET at the DOS prompt).  For those of you who often
do this sort of thing with other software packages, you can go ahead and put
the SET command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If this makes no sense to you at
all, I suggest you look up "Environment" or "SET" in your DOS manual.

    Oh, by the way, using the /? switch gives a display like the one above.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Redirecting Output
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
       
        If you don't know what this means, don't worry. If you do, don't
even bother trying, because it won't work to a file, and I'm not sure why you
would want to send it to the printer (Use the [PrtScr] key!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Undocumented features
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

        There are some undocumented features that have a good purpose.
Anything that you think is a program bug is probably an undocumented feature ;)



9

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Speed Keys, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  [f1]   Pop up the Bar Menu
  [f3]   Repeat last command (cannot edit)
  [f4]   Save game with last used name
  [f5]   {for Registered copies only}
  [f10]  Pop-up the emergency Bosscreen, which looks like you're doing
         something more meaningful than playing games.

  [Alt][F]  File Menu
  [Alt][O]  Options Menu
  [Alt][H]  Help Menu


        Other commands at the Runcy Quest "Command ?" prompt:

        DELAY n     n is a number 1-200, normally 36 or 54
        TIME        shows elapsed time


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              SCREEN Blanking
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If you don't touch the keyboard for a magical period of time,
Runcibal Quest will automatically blank the screen for you.
This will not damage your monitor in any way; it is meant to protect
your monitor - I've seen enough monitors with characters permanently etched
into the phosphor coating to really dislike this sort of thing.

        To continue playing the game, simply hit another key, and the
        display will automagically reappear.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        
        If  you recieved Runcibal Quest in an arcived format, you'll need the
appropriate utility to uncompress the files.  I strongly reccomend that if you
install it onto a hard disk drive, that you put it in a seperate subdirectory
called RUNCY or something like that.  The porgram gets easily confused when
it can't find the files it wants, and starts searching your floppy drives.

        If you play the game, please send in the registration form.
I've already made an editor program for the game which I'm considering
sending to the people who bother to register.

        Some of you may have seen another stupid program by Kawonk,
the DOR directory lister. So farm at least one company bothered to register
it, now I've added support for extended NOS file attributes.

        Incidentally, this document was composed with the standard DOS 5.0
        editor and WordStar.



                                =========================>Tim Ward.