PASSENGERS ON THE WIND Once, there were two little girls who were as alike as two peas in a pod. The youngest was called Agnes. Her father, Simon de Roselande didn't want to burden himself with her in the court where he was getting over the loss of his wife, in the company of his eldest son, Benoît, aged thirty-two. Agnes was placed in the hands of the governess who had been left in charge of the family estate. Agnes wouldn't have been able to suffer her father's absence if, before dying, Madame de Roselande hadn't made him promise to welcome and bring up an orphaned child of the gentry, a companion for Agnes. She resembled Agnes in an unbelievable way and was called Isabeau de Marnaye. They became inseparable and took advantage of their likeness to deceive the governess. When the governess died, Monsieur de Roselande decided that he would take back the two girls in order to take care of their education personally. In order to deceive their father, the two little girls decided to swap dresses. This time, it was fatal. The father didn't recognise his daughter and had her educated at a convent, while he took Isabeau, henceforth fortunate and noble, with him. Surprised by Agnes' attitude, insisting on her true identity, the Mother Superior wrote to Monsieur de Roselande. The reply was as follows : "Little Isabeau is very affected by the death of her governess and found the separation from Agnes terrible. What's more, my daughter told me that, for some time, Isabeau has suffered from certain identity problems. I beg you to treat her leniently and I'm sure that you know how to keep such rebelliousness under control". Isabeau, (now called Agnes) overcome with remorse, gets permission to take "her sister" back home with her. For five long years, Agnes had waited for the moment where she would finally be able to make "Agnes" pay the price of her betrayed childhood. For "Agnes'" fourteenth birthday, a great dance was organised by Monsieur de Roselande. On seeing "Isabeau", Benoît invites her to his appartment where he takes advantage of her. The next day, "Isabeau" says to her sister : "Benoît is leaving in three days and must choose between taking us with him or appearing in court for this act he has committed". It is in this way that the two sisters leave. At the time of the naval combat against the English, "Agnes" dies. Isa, Hoel, a young Breton sailor and the Doctor on board, Saint-Quentin, are the only survivors. Isa falls in love with Hoel who, himself, isn't indifferent to the young girl's charms. Saint-Quentin knowing the true identity of Isa, will not give up until her nobility and fortune is given back to her. Taken in by the English, the three friends arrive at Portsmouth. Isa is freed by the British Authorities and obtains a residence permit. Unfortunately, it isn't the same for her friends who join about nine hundred war prisoners on a horrible pontoon. Isa then becomes a private French tutor to Mary, daughter of Mr. Hereford. She is expecting a child by John Smolett, one of the pontoon's guards who will help Isa communicate with Hoel ... PASSENGERS ON THE WIND after François Bourgeon There are sagas which cannot be told, they must be lived. Inspired by the comic strips of the same name, the software for PASSENGERS ON THE WIND is one of these sagas. The action, risks and humour make up the basic ingredients for this breathtaking and exciting adventure. You play the parts, each in turn, of the daring heroine in search of an ideal, Hoel, a courageous and loving Breton sailor, or more than fifteen other baroque characters living towards the end of the eighteenth century : a surgeon to the Royal Family, a philosophical black slave, an enterprising libertine, a shy sub-lieutenant... You will discover fear when combatting the cannon on board the FOUDROYANT, vessel in the service of the King of France. You will learn the mysteries of voodoo on meeting King Kpengla who reigns supreme over the Dahomey and when faring the big game in the Savannah. You foil the political and amorous schemes of grasping unscrupulous men. You are both the director and actors of destiny : you mastermind the progress of the adventure, then you suffer the consequences as the character. A thousand mishaps in search of the truth, that is what the invitation to travel with the PASSENGERS ON THE WIND offers you. Impassioned by the story and the game, the software writers have added exceptional quality graphics reproducing, stroke by stroke, those of François Bourgeon. When the Savannah, the sea or the characters appear on the screen, you live moments of poetry and wonder. Be careful and keep a clear head, beauty can be fatal. 3.000,000 copies have been sold all over the world. PASSENGERS ON THE WIND promises a software revolution, the revolution of the film in which you are the hero. THE STORY The adventure takes place on the eve of the French Revolution, in the troubled district of the Triangular Commerce, that is the slave trade between the shores of Brittany, America and Africa. Hoel, Breton sailor for his country, flees France when unjustly accused of murder. He is accompanied by Isa, an adventuress who turns out to be a countess whose title has been usurped. In order for one to regain his honour and the other her title, they travel through this strange world at the end of the eighteenth century. From ports in Brittany to African shores, the PASSENGERS ON THE WIND encounter different cultures and face a thousand dangers in quest of their truth. THE AUTHOR François Bourgeon is one of the masters of the modern comic strip. PASSENGERS ON THE WIND, his masterpiece, received the most prestigious reward possible for comic strips : the GRAND PRIX DU SALON D'ANGOULEME. The critics hailed the perfection of the script and the accuracy of the strokes which combine to captivate the reader and lead a new dimension to the comic strip. François Bourgeon only agreed to have his work transformed into software on the condition that spirit and wording of the story were scrupulously respected. The software writers worked with the same strictness and exactitude as that Breton, magical designer and free spirit of the world of make-believe. THE SOFTWARE The resume of the first volume of the comic strip which accompanies the software will allow you to discover the main characters and situations. The programme transfers you into the master of destiny of the heroes : you direct them all so that each attains their objective ; One by one, Isa, Hoel or any other character in the story, you choose and then decide for them and direct their lives. You can play more than fifteen different personalities and discover hundreds of directions, places and events. You control everything simply by moving the joystick or using the keyboard and also benefit without any pressure, from enjoyment of the game and the exceptional graphics. PRINCIPLE OF THE GAME You are both the director and heroes of the game. The screen is divided into three main sections : - a graphic section where the action takes place. (You are the director) ; - character symbols showing you the character you are playing ; - texts from which you decide on the action. graphic part _____________________________________________/____________ | / | | | | | | | | | | | | | |__________________________________________________________| _____________ _________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-| |-| PASSENGERS ON THE WIND | | | | | | | |___________|^| |_\_________________________^_____________| | \ | ^ zone 1 zone 2 Text | Character symbol The game is split into ten episodes which you will discover as the game progresses. A main scene comes up for every episode and just by confirmation you can access the characters you wish to play. For example, in scene 1 you confirm : a) two women on the right of the graphic section to access the character symbols for Isa and Mary, b) the pontoon, to access Hoel and John. When this first search is over, you do not use the graphic section again. The character you are playing appears in a window on the lower LHS (character symbol). To change it you just position the cursor on the arrow (zone 1) and confirm : you will see another character appear. The text you see appear by confirming the characters shows what they are thinking or saying. Sometimes, this text leads you to make a decision. You then have the choice between several possibilities which appear on the screen in another colour. In select decisions, position the cursor on zone 2 and make them file past by confirming. Do not forget that you can change characters at any time. One last thing, the character reaction time sometimes plays a role in the unfolding of the game. The action also evolves by itself. So you can confirm the attitude of a character if its decisions suit you. You confirm by actioning the character concerned a second time ; it could be that the character progresses in reasoning or words. You control the action by making the characters' decisions for them and as spectator and director you watch its evolution thereby determining your action. No image is free. AIM OF THE GAME So as not to reveal too much about the game, it is absolutely essential to read resume of Volume 1 of the comic strip. Here are some excerpts/frames : [Excerpt from comic strip] I/ AMSTRAD A/CONFIGURATION PASSENGERS ON THE WIND is compatible with micro-computers Amstrad CPC 464, 664 (cassette and disk versions) and Amstrad CPC 6128 (disk version only). B/ LOADING AND START UP Before use, ensure that all accessories are correctly connected (video, joystick, disk drive, tape recorder...) 1 - DISK VERSION : Connect the central unit. Type in | CPM (to get |, press keys SHIFT and @ simultaneously). 2 - CASSETTE VERSION : First use : The game is made up of ten episodes numbered 0-9. It is possible that you may need to go directly to a certain episode, especially if you have a saved "situation". In this case, we advise you to locate the episodes by noting the number on the counter. Steps to follow : Ensure that the cassette is rewound to the beginning of cassette 1, side B. Set the counter on zero. Press the PLAY key. Type CAT and press ENTER. Every time the computer locates an episode, note the counter number. Do the same on both sides of cassette 2. After this, you will be able to find the episode again more easily thanks to this number. This procedure is only necessary for the first time. Loading the game : Connect the central unit. Insert cassette 1 in the recorder, side A facing upwards. On Amstrad CPC 664 only, type | TAPE (To get |, press SHIFT key and @ simultaneously). Then on Amstrad CPC 464 and 664, press CTRL and ENTER (numeric keypad) at the same time. Press PLAY on the tape-recorder. C/ SAVING THE GAME So as not to have to re-start the game at the beginning every time, it is possible to save the situation in progress. For this, get a blank (VENDOR for Amstrad CPC 464, CPC 664, CPC 6128) formatted disk ( or a blank cassette), which we shall call the "situation" disk (cassette). Steps to follow : At any time during the game, Press the S key ; - disk version : Insert the "situation" disk in the drive ;(For Amstrad CPC 464, 664, 6128, press the spacebar to get the catalog). Give a code between 0 and 9. When the save is over, replace the "situation" disk with the game disk. - tape version : Insert the "situation" cassette in the drive. Give a code between 0 and 9. When the save is over, replace the "situation" cassette with the cassette that you are using. D/ LOADING A "SITUATION" At the beginning, in the middle or even at the end of the game, you can take advantage of your previous experience by loading a "situation". Steps to follow : Press the C key. - disk version : Insert the "situation" disk. For Amstrad CPC 464, 664, 6128, press the space bar to get the catalog). Give your code. After loading, insert the game disk in place of the "situation" disk. - cassette version : Insert the "situation" cassette. Press PLAY on the tape-recorder. Give your code. After loading, insert the cassette that you are using unless the program asks you to load a specific episode. E/ COMMANDS The game is played entirely with a joystick or a keyboard. The movements are very simple : just move the cursor directing the joystick or with the arrowed keys on the keyboard. Confirmation is made by pressing on the ACTION button on the joystick or pressing the spacebar on the keyboard. If you come to a standstill at any time during the game, press ESC in order to re-start the episode in progress. II/ ATARI 520 ST AND 1040 ST A/CONFIGURATION PASSENGERS ON THE WIND is compatible with micro-computers Atari 520 ST and 1040 ST with a disk drive and a colour monitor. B/ LOADING AND START UP Connect the central unit. Insert the disk in the drive. Tap (or click) symbol A twice. Then tap (or click) the symbol LPDV.PRG twice. C/ SAVING THE GAME Same instructions as for the AMSTRAD CPC 6128. D/ LOADING A "SITUATION" Same instructions as for the AMSTRAD CPC 6128. E/ COMMANDS Same commands as for the AMSTRAD CPC 6128. Press ESC to go back to the last situation. III/ IBM PC and COMPATIBLES A/ CONFIGURATION PASSENGERS ON THE WIND is compatible with micro-computers IBM PC and COMPATIBLES with a disk drive. B/ LOADING AND START UP Connect the central unit. Load the D.O.S. Insert the disk in the disk drive. Type in LPDV and press RETURN. C/ SAVING THE GAME Same instructions as for the AMSTRAD CPC 464, CPC 664, disk version. D/ LOADING A "SITUATION" Same instructions as for the AMSTRAD CPC 464, CPC 664, disk version. E/ COMMANDS Same commands as for the AMSTRAD CPC 464, CPC 664, disk version. Press ESC to end your game. Confirm by pressing Y (Yes). Press F2 to stop the music, press it again to start the music.