NOTICE TEXTE n° 1 (14.07 Ko)
The Dragontorc of Avalon
for the Amstrad CPC464 and CPC664
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the World of Adventure Movies. If you are familiar with the Amstrad
Computer then load the game and start playing. You will probably soon master
the keyboard/joystick controls but if you have difficulty refer to the relevant
section of the Detailed Instructions.
DRAGONTORC is inhabited by a cascade of people and creatures for you to meet
and match - Werewolves in Wolfwood, Wraiths in the Cursed Crypt, Dwarfs on
Dreamdown and Bats in Hellsmouth Caverns. It will probably take you several
hours of play before you meet them all. Good luck!
Hints to Get You Started
You start off in Wispwood with the spells MOVE, SERVANT and BANE at your
command. To select a spell use Up or Down to wind the scroll. When the arrow
indicates the spell you need, press Fire once to select it and a second time to
activate it.
Notice that it is Maroc's astral projection which moves away - his body is left
behind. We suggest that you take the Seal of Merlyn (use SERVANT) because
you'll need it later on. The Wispwood is inhabited by Wisps and Elves. You can
sample the arcade style features of Dragontorc by selecting BANE and attacking
the Wisps but be careful of your energy level.
Explore the wood to collect the MISSILE spell, the sickle, the herb and other
items. Find the stone slab lying in the forest and use the Seal to get under it
and into the Lost Vaults of Locris. Attack the Skeletons in the vaults with
MISSILE - collecting further spells as you go. When you have completed Wispwood
and the Vaults you'll get a message from Merlyn telling you where to go next.
Hints for Experienced Games Players
1) Dragontorc is a whole new world of experience. There are peoples and
creatures who have lives of their own. How you deal with them is crucial to
your progress.
2) The characters of the other creatures will change as you progress depending
on how you treat them. You may be able to win over the most dastardly enemies
if you try hard enough - but you may get killed off several times in the
process.
3) You can select the MOVE spell very quickly by hitting Left or Right whilst
in "scroll" mode.
4) Other creatures are often unfriendly and may try to kill you. You will have
to overpower them. Some, like the Elves, are fairly harmless. If you trade with
them you will win their confidence and they will become more useful to you.
5) Each stone circle is a separate explorable area. Some circles have
underground levels which are accessible through trapdoors etc.
6) If you are killed you return to the beginning of your current area.
7) Leylines connect each area - mark them on the map as you discover them.
8) Make a note of Merlyn's messages as they appear because they usually only
appear once.
9) Your score increases as you discover objects or spells, when you defeat
enemies or unlock doors etc.
10) Your current rank is displayed posthumously when you are killed.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS
This game has a number of features that you may not have previously encountered
and though you will quickly become accustomed to them, these detailed
instructions are necessarily lengthy. If you get stuck you are advised to read
the relevant instructions carefully.
Basic Control
The controls for Dragontorc are very straightforward - Up, Down, Left, Right
and Fire. You are asked to select your keyboard/joystick preference before the
game begins.
No other commands are necessary during play although SHIFT P and SHIFT O pause
and unpause the game respectively and SHIFT S and SHIFT L can be used to save
the current position and load it at a later date.
Loading a New Game
If you have a joystick plug it into the socket at the rear of your Amstrad.
Place the cassette in the player, rewind if necessary and press the Play
button. Press CTRL and the small ENTER key at the same time. Wait a few minutes
for the game to load and follow the instructions displayed on the screen.
Winding the Scroll
When Dragontorc has loaded and the initial screens are completed you will be
presented with a view of a forest clearing with a pathway on the right hand
side. Maroc sits cross-legged in the centre and a large scroll is displayed at
the bottom of the screen on which the words MOVE, SERVANT and BANE are written
(these are spells). A large arrow points to the spell which will be selected
when the 'fire' button is pressed. Moving the joystick up or down scrolls the
list of spells slowly at first, then quickly. To scroll very slowly, just
repeatedly touch the joystick up or down and the scroll will move one position
at a time. When you have many spells it is best to fast scroll until you see
the spell you need and then stop. Adjust up or down by the one touch method
until the arrow points to the right place.
Selecting the MOVE spell
To move, first align the MOVE spell with the arrow. Press the Fire button once
and the scroll changes to display MOVE in the top left of the scroll - this is
the spell you have selected. Three M's to the right of MOVE tell you you have
three or more uses of the spell left. On the far right is a staff - this is the
carrier of the MOVE spell and you will notice that Maroc is carrying a staff in
his right hand. Underneath is the phrase 'project thy soul' which is a clue to
the effect of the MOVE spell.
Press the Fire button again and the staff on the scroll will flash. This tells
you that the MOVE spell is now activated. Pressing the Fire button again
de-activates the spell and the scroll returns.
There is a second, emergency, method for selecting MOVE. Deselect your current
spell by pressing Fire and hit Left or Right. Move is selected immediately.
Try selecting and deselecting MOVE by either method a few times. When you have
finished make sure the staff on the scroll is flashing.
Energy Level
Across the bottom of the scroll is a flame. This is a display of the energy you
have left. The longer the flame the more your energy.
Moving Around
You can use the keyboard or joystick (depending on which was originally
selected) to move the wizard around. Notice the wizard cannot pass through the
trees but he can move down the gravel paths (represented by dots on the
"ground") to an adjacent location.
Explore the Wispwood Forest. There are magic items for you to collect by moving
Maroc so that he passes over them. You will encounter Wisps and Elves as you
move around.
Below the Forest are the Lost Vaults of Locris. Each location in the Lost
Vaults is separated by a door. To open the door take Maroc (the wizard) up to
the door knob and the door will open. Now take Maroc through the door. This
operation will take a little practice but you will soon master it.
Collecting Spells
If Maroc collects a magic item the demon at the top of the screen flashes. When
this occurs, turn off the MOVE spell by pressing the Fire button. You will
usually see that a new spell has been added to your Spell List. Sometimes you
will collect a duplicate of a spell which you already have in which case your
Spell List will be unchanged. However you will now be able to use the spell
more times. For example if you collect more than one copy of the MISSILE spell
you will be able to fire it more times before it becomes exhausted.
The SERVANT Spell
The SERVANT spell gives you control of a sprite who can pick objects up, give
them to you or to other characters by way of trade, take things from your sack,
throw objects, hit things with objects, etc. He is moved with the control keys
or joystick. He cannot release an object unless he is switched off by moving
him off the bottom of the screen, or unless Maroc or someone else takes the
object. The name of the object appears on the scroll.
The sack on Maroc's back can hold a small number of objects. When you have
collected a few objects using the SERVANT and placed them in the sack, find a
quiet place and experiment taking things from the sack and replacing them. When
taking an object from the sack steer it away from Maroc or he will take it back
again. You will be able to use the SERVANT to look through the objects in the
sack by moving the sprite to and from the sack.
Exploring Dragontorc
As you move about you will encounter various people and creatures, some
friendly who may help you, some unfriendly and dangerous. If they attack you
they will drain your energy. You can deal with them by attacking with a spell
or object, running away and escaping through a leyline, frightening them, or
making friends with them. They may have objects to give you or they may steal
objects from the place you are in. You may be able to trade with them.
Dragontorc is very complex. There are over 250 rooms, forest clearings, caves,
crypts and stone circles to explore, connected by magical leylines. Just like
an ordinary adventure you must do the correct sequence of things to progress in
the game. Here are some clues to help you:
* Many significant objects are coloured differently from the location in which
they are found.
* Some exits are locked and you must find the key.
* Some exits are invisible until you solve a problem.
* There are some spells and objects to help you maintain your energy as you
penetrate deeper, and also to return you close to your previous position if
you are destroyed.
* Merlyn will give you instructions whenever he can. This will usually be when
you find an artifact with energy - enabling him to transmit his thoughts to
you. His instructions will appear on the scroll and you will need to write
them down as they may only appear once.
Making a Map
If you wish to pause to make a map or for any other reason press the SHIFT P
key to pause the game and the SHIFT O to unpause it.
Each stone circle on the map is the location of a separate explorable area. A
separate map can be made for each area. Some areas have underground levels that
overlap the ground level requiring two maps. As you discover leylines mark them
in on the map of Britain.
Spell Display
At the top of the spell display is the spell name which is a clue to the
spell's use, and a number of magic tokens. This part of the scroll is replaced
by the name of the area whenever you arrive at somewhere new.
Magic Tokens
The number of tokens indicates how many more times the spell may be used. When
there are three tokens, the spell may be used three or more times more. When
only two tokens appear it warns that you can only use the spell twice more. On
the spell's last use, one token is displayed.
Background Spells e.g. BANE
Background spells when activated last until you switch them off. You are
allowed to select another spell while these spells are running, for instance,
you can MOVE whilst UNSEEN. When activated, the spell list is displayed. The
background spell name, shown on the small scroll on the bottom right of the
screen, reminds you that you have a backgound spell running. Energy used by the
spell will be deducted every few seconds. To turn background spells off,
reselect the spell and press Fire.
Foreground Spells e.g. ENERGISE
These have an instant effect when activated after which the spell scroll is
redisplayed.
Cursor Spells e.g. SERVANT
These display some form of object whilst active and the object can be directed
with the keyboard controls or joystick. To switch the spell off, press Fire or
move the object off the bottom of the screen.
Missile Spells e.g. "MISSILE"
These are rather like cursor spells. The spell energy is fired from Maroc to
the cursor by pressing Fire and switches off automatically after firing. The
spell may also be switched off without firing by moving the cursor off the
bottom of the screen.
Scoring
A digital score is updated every time you acquire spells, useful objects,
defeat enemies, unlock doors etc. Each time your energy is depleted and you
return to the first clearing your current rank is displayed. In this game Maroc
starts as a Magician. There are eight ranks he can master, each divided into
eight stages:
STAGES RANKS
Apprentice Magician
Minor Sage
Lesser Lore Master
Learned Warlock
Master Wizard
Chief Sorceror
High Guardian of Lore
Supreme Lore Lord
You start the game as an Apprentice Magician. It is not possible to go down a
rank in this game.
Saving and Loading the Current Position
The game may be saved in its current state at any time by pressing SHIFT P to
pause the game, placing a blank cassette in your recorder and pressing SHIFT S.
On completion, or if an error is detected or ESC is pressed, press SHIFT O to
restart the game.
A previously saved position can be reloaded by first loading the original
"Dragontorc" cassette and then pressing SHIFT L and loading the cassette on
which you saved your previous game. If an error is detected or ESC is pressed
then the game resets for you to try again.
© Copyright. Hewson Consultants Ltd. 1985
The programs and data on this cassette are copyright and may not be reproduced
in part or in whole by any means without the written permission of Hewson
Consultants Ltd. All rights reserved. No responsibility is accepted for any
errors.
Our policy is one of constant improvement. Therefore we reserve the right to
modify any product without notice.
Other programs for Amstrad computers from Hewson Consultants:
Technician Ted CPC464 only £7.95
Heathrow International
Air Traffic Control CPC464/664 £7.95
Fantasia Diamond CPC464/664 £7.95
ZAPP Z80 Assembly
Programming Package CPC464/664 £14.95
Hewson Consultants Ltd
Hewson House
56B Milton Trading Estate
Milton
ABINGDON
Oxon. OX14 4RX.
NOTICE TEXTE n° 2 (6.98 Ko)
The Dragontorc of Avalon
When sons of Troy did win this land
There lived a mighty king called Bran.
He carved a realm from shore to shore,
Strong in peace and feared in war.
But all things change. All men must die
As times and seasons pass us by.
So he summoned to his side
The Lords of Lore from far and wide
And bade them forge for his weak son
The Dragontorc of Avalon.
With utmost skill ne'er since displayed
The Dragontorc was wrought as bade
And when Bran's mighty soul did pass
To dwell within the Isle of Glass
A powerful force he gave his son:
The Dragontorc of Avalon.
But power strong is power to heal
And power same the strength to kill.
His mortal mind could not restrain
The Lore of ages in his brain.
A tyrant king in torment spread
His bitter reign of fear and dread.
The supreme lorelord tried in vain
To seize the torc, now Halgar's Bane.
Scattered remnants of the wise
Did seek to mend the Land's demise.
Far from the Orient they brought
The Crystal Gem of Antithought.
While the King in torment slept
Into his room the Lore Lords crept.
When crystal touched, all power gone,
They stole the Torc of Avalon.
But as they gazed upon the Torc
The sleeper stirred and then awoke.
The King's hand reached in action swift
And grasped the Torc, that deadly gift.
A grim faced warrior drew his blade
And with a mighty blow he made
A rift between the hand and arm,
The Torc fell down amidst alarm.
The hand with power lit up the gloom
And crawled in terror from the room.
Although the Lore Lords searched around
That living hand was never found.
The Torc could never be unmade
Lest all the power of magic fade.
So from the Dragontorc they cast
Five crowns for sons of Royal caste
And carefully they did divide
The realm that each might rule in pride.
The Torc of Power must ne'er be one -
The Dragontorc of Avalon.
_ v _
_ /o\ /o\ _
/o\\ _|_ //o\
\ / o\ /
> ===| |=== <
/ \___/ \
\o// | \\o/
\o/ \o/
^
Scenario
Many years have passed since Maroc vanquished the Lord of Chaos and banished
him from his earthly realm, freeing the soul entombed within the spell of
Avalon Wraithbane. The Rod of Power and the Servant Ring are Maroc's only
reminders of this terrible encounter. Long he has wandered, avoiding the
affairs of men, living the life of a nomad in the great forests where the old
magic still lingers.
The fragile peace of Britain had been threatened by many dark forces ever
since the last legions of Rome left to shore up their crumbling empire.
Vortigern, Lord of the Five Kingdoms of Britain struggled to hold his Lands
united in the face of the onslaught of the barbarian nations who were sweeping
across the North Sea from the troubled plains of Europe. In desperation he
employed a Saxon army, recruited from the very forces of his enemies, to guard
the eastern shores.
For several years the Saxons fiercely defended the British realm, but Morag
the Shapeshifter, Witch Queen of the North, was twisting their hearts, weaving
webs of treachery and deceit. At a great feast given by the Saxons for
Vortigern and his warrior lords, the hosts turned and treacherously murdered
the king and his followers. The night of the long knives threw the five
kingdoms into turmoil and the Saxons prepared to conquer them each in turn.
Morag the Shape-shifter cared not for Britons or Saxons. Her purpose was to
recover the five crowns made for the legendary Dragontorc of Avalon, so that
she might remake the Torc of Power. She rejoiced when her evil plan succeeded
in giving her the first part, Vortigern's crown, the Crown of Dumnovia.
One night, not long after the night of the long knives, Maroc sat gazing
into the glowing embers of his camp fire, hypnotised by the dancing patterns as
the cold night wind fanned the ashes. As he watched a strange numbness overcame
him and he felt touched by some magical presence which faded away as quickly as
it had come. He started thinking he had heard a voice but no-one emerged from
the gloom. He lay down to sleep but he was restless and could not settle,
feeling as if someone or something were trying to break into his consciousness.
In the cold hours before the dawn, he surrendered to the alien disturbance,
packed his sack and started walking.
For many days and nights he travelled, sleeping and restling little. The
giddy alien sensation grew each day. He did not know why or where he was going.
He travelled until he came to a clearing deep within a great forest. He sensed
power emanating from an old tree stump. It was hollow, filled with the sodden
leaves of Autumn. He dug amongst the leaves and his hand touched metal, not
cool dead metal, but warm vibrating steel with the unmistakable energy of
magic. He stared at the artifact he had been drawn to and trembled. It was the
great seal of Merlyn, last of the Lore Lords, guardian of the Dragon heir.
As he peered into the emblem of the great Dragon, the power passed through
his shaking arm, stirring his nerves until it seemed as if he were floating on
a bed of warm air. Again he heard a voice. This time it was recognizable, but
faint. It was the voice of Merlyn, his old tutor.
"Maroc, at last... you are the only one who can help me... listen..." He
told Maroc the terrible deeds of Morag, concluding. "For many years I have been
her prisoner." Merlyn's voice was weak and his last words as it faded to a
murmer were, "Seek the Ley Rod..." Maroc could hear only the rustling of the
leaves. He shivered, suddenly aware of the cold damp air. His knees weakened
and he slumped to the ground. As he lay recovering, he wondered what lay before
him.