/********************************************************************** The following text originally appeared in the pages of the ERIC THE * UNREADY game manual. * **********************************************************************/ What Is A LEGEND Adventure Game? In an adventure game from Legend, you become the main character in an evolving story that takes place in a world populated with interesting people, places, and things. You see this world through your main character's eyes, and you play the game by directing his actions. Like a book or a movie, the story unfolds as you travel from location to location, encountering situations which require action on your part. You can think of each of these situations as a puzzle. The key to solving these puzzles will often be creative thinking and clever use of objects you have picked up in your travels. You will get points as you solve puzzles, and your score will help you monitor your progress. Throughout the game the richly textured graphics, prose, sound effects and music will draw you into a spellbinding adventure that could only be brought to you by the master storytellers of Legend Entertainment Company. =========================================================================== Technical Support How to reach us on-line CompuServe Game Publisher's Forum type GO GAMEPUB, Section 7 E-Mail 72662.1021 America On-Line Legend Entr Internet E-Mail 7266.1021@CompuServe.COM How to reach us by phone (NO HINTS WILL BE GIVEN ON THIS NUMBER) From the continental U.S. call toll free 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays EST/EDT 1-800-658-8891 From Canada, and other locations 703-222-8515 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays EST/EDT Hint Information 24-Hour Hint Line From the continental U.S. 1-900-PRO-KLUE (1-900-776-5583 $.75 for the first minute, $.50 for each minute thereafter) Hint books are available - call 1-800-658-8891 or 703-222-8515 to order ($9.95 + shipping/handling) Executive Offices (Please do not call this number for technical assistance or hint information) Legend Entertainment Company P.O. Box 10810 14200 Park Meadow Drive Chantilly, Virginia 22021 703-222-8500 ============================================================================ Table of Contents Section *Introduction ..................................................... 1 *Installation and Start-up ........................................ 2 *Quick Start: Playing the Game .................................... 3 Configuration Options ............................................. 4 Music and Sound ................................................... 5 Introduction to the Game Interface ................................ 6 Playing the Game With a Mouse ..................................... 7 Playing Without a Mouse ........................................... 8 Save, Restore, and Quit ........................................... 9 Talking to the Game ...............................................10 *Helpful Hints ....................................................11 *Things to Try at the Start of the Game ...........................12 Game Commands and their Abbreviations .............................13 About the Author ..................................................14 Credits ...........................................................15 Help! Troubleshooting and Technical Assistance ....................16 Creating a Boot Floppy ............................................17 Legal Stuff .......................................................18 Even if you are an experienced adventure game player who thinks that instruction manuals are best used as confetti at sporting events, you should still read the sections with names in bold for valuable information about this game. SECTION 1 - Introduction to ERIC THE UNREADY ========================================================================== Eric The Unready has some new features that make playing the game easier than ever, especially if you are using a mouse. First of all, talking to the characters is a snap. A simple double-click on the person in the picture window will bring up a list of questions you can ask. Click on one of these and the character's response will appear. You can achieve the same effect without a mouse by typing . This will bring up the list of questions, which you can then move through by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. When the question you wish to ask is highlighted, press . Secondly, virtually every input you need to solve this game can be made with a mouse from the main screen. The verb menu has been revised so that the first page will always include a verb that can be used to solve the puzzle. In addition, all of the important non-inventory items are shown in the picture window, and the object menu has been shortened as well. The result is that you no longer need to scroll down through menus to build your commands. Finally, if you would like to bypass the game introduction or other non-interactive scenes, press . You can also use the spacebar during these scenes to make the messages go by faster. We hope you enjoy playing Eric the Unready. We love to hear from the people who play our games, so if you have any suggestions or comments, please drop us a line at the address at the front of this manual. SECTION 2 - Installation and Startup ========================================================================== The CD-ROM version of Eric The Unready requires an IBM compatible computer with an 80286 processor or better, 640K of memory, MS-DOS version 5.0 or above, a VGA or Super VGA graphics card, a CD-ROM drive, and a hard drive. You will need about 3,000,000 bytes of free space on your hard drive in order to install and play the game. If you plan on creating any SAVE files you must choose at least the minimum install option when installing the game. The installation process is quite simple: 1. Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive. 2. Go into DOS (bring up the > prompt on the screen). 3. Switch your DOS prompt to the drive letter for the CD- ROM drive. You can do this by typing the CD-ROM drive letter followed by a colon, then pressing the key. For example, if your CD-ROM drive is set up as drive D:, type D:. 4. Type INSTALL to run the installation program. 5. Follow the installation instructions on the screen. The installation program will create a file named LEGEND.BAT in the directory you specified on the hard disk. To start the game, switch directories to your game directory and type LEGEND . Before playing the game, make sure that your mouse driver is loaded. You should also make sure you have enough free memory to load and play the game in the selected graphics mode. Here is a quick guide to how much memory is needed for the two most popular graphics modes: 1. If you specified 256 color Super VGA as your desired graphics mode, then you need a minimum of 614,400 bytes of free memory. If you have less than this, the game may run just fine, but you might experience a few minor problems with the way some of the pictures are displayed. If you have less than 593,920 bytes free, you will lose some major features (like UNDO) and you may not hear all of the music. 2. If you selected regular VGA graphics, then you need at least 570,000 bytes free to play the game. To check your available memory with DOS 5.0 or 6.0 type MEM ; you should see: 614400 largest executable program size With other versions of DOS type CHKDSK ; you should see: 614400 bytes free SECTION 3 - Quick Start: Playing The Game ========================================================================== To bypass the introductory "movie" or any other non-interactive scene in the game, press ESCAPE. If you are a fast reader and the game displays messages too slowly for you during these scenes, press the space bar when you are ready to move to the next message. Like other Legend adventure game products, Eric the Unready features a very flexible game interface that you can customize. You can use the mouse to interact with the picture, build game commands, and customize the game interface (using the buttons in the upper left hand corner of the screen). You can also enter game commands by typing them in at the command line. You are in control and can decide what works best for you. Using the mouse you can: 1. Talk to characters by double-clicking on them. 2. Move from place to place by clicking on the compass rose. 3. Single-click on an object in a picture to look at it and double-click on an object to take it, open or close it, etc. 4. Select a verb from the verb menu and then click on an object in a picture to apply the verb to it. 5. Build complex commands quickly from the verb, object, and preposition menus. (Single-click selects the word, double-click finishes the command.) You can start typing at any point, and the words you type will appear on the command line. You will be entering game commands, combinations of words that tell the main character in the game what to do at each turn (e.g. EXAMINE THE ROPE, TAKE THE ROPE, PUT EGG IN BACKPACK, TALK TO HOWARD, etc.) Press the key to execute the command. If you do not have a mouse, you can simulate one by pressing. This puts a cursor on the screen which you can move around using the arrow keys. "Click" by pressing and "double-click" by pressing . Again, if you do not have a mouse, there is yet another fast way to build commands using the keyboard. Press again to begin using this feature. Then use the arrow keys to move the highlight bar back and forth between the menus, press the space bar to select a word, and press to execute your command. SECTION 4 - Configuration Options ========================================================================== If you choose a complete install of the game to your hard drive you can use the following configuration options. If you wish to override any of the defaults for the game configuration, you may type one or more of the following options, separated by spaces, after typing ERIC on the MS-DOS command line: VGA Makes the game display VGA graphics. EGA Makes the game display EGA graphics. SVGA Makes the game display Super VGA graphics. XMOUSE Overrides the default Microsoft mouse driver. Use when you have a mouse that is not Microsoft compatible. ADLIB Causes music to be played through an AdLib Music Synthesizer Card. BLASTER Causes music to be played through a Sound Blaster card. You may set the IRQ number and I/O address for your Sound Blaster card by typing: ERIC BLASTER . MT32 Causes music to be played on a Roland MT-32 (or compatible) sound module. You may set the IRQ number and I/O address for your MIDI interface by typing: GATE MT32 . NOCYCLE Disables color cycling animation for computers with EGA and VGA adapters and color monitors. REAL Disables AdLib, Sound Blaster, and Roland music and plays RealSound sound effects through the PC's internal speaker. NOREAL Disables RealSound sound effects. So, for example, if you have a VGA graphics adapter, a Sound Blaster sound board on IRQ 9, and you want to see EGA pictures and play RealSound sound effects through your sound card, you would type ERIC EGA BLASTER 9 at the MS-DOS system prompt. The XMOUSE parameter is used for mouse drivers that are not Microsoft compatible. If your mouse is not responding or the software is behaving erratically (e.g. the mouse cursor is "eating" the graphics),then you may want to start the game by typing ERIC XMOUSE to override the default. If you choose a partial install of the game to your hard drive and for example you wanted to use the XMOUSE command and you are playing in the Super VGA mode, you would type the following at the game prompt: C:\ERIC>ERIC XGA XMOUSE -pd:\ERIC\ In the parameter example shown above, d refers to your CD-ROM drive. Refer to the next section, Music And Sound, for more information on music card and sound module configuration. SECTION 5 - Music And Sound ========================================================================== Eric The Unready supports the following music and sound effect technologies: RealSound (TM) AdLib Music Synthesizer Card Creative Labs' Sound Blaster Roland MT-32 and compatible MIDI sound modules including Roland's MT-100, CM-32L, and LAPC-1 RealSound sound effects will be played through the PC's internal speaker if you do not have an AdLib or Sound Blaster card. REALSOUND (TM) If your machine has a built in speaker, you will hear sound effects through RealSound(TM) technology even if you do not have a sound card. RealSound is a Patent Pending technological breakthrough and is compatible with virtually all currently available machines. If your machine beeps when you turn it on, it is compatible with RealSound. Unfortunately, RealSound does not support voice. ROLAND MT-32, MT-100, CM-32L, AND LAPC-1 OWNERS To use your MIDI sound module, make sure your equipment is configured as described below and as illustrated on the accompanying diagram. LAPC-1 owners may ignore items 1, 2, and 3. 1. A PC to MIDI Interface card is installed in your PC. 2. The PC to MIDI Interface card is connected to an MPU-401 or compatible MIDI Interface or MIDI Processing Unit. 3. A MIDI cable is connected from a MIDI OUT connector on the MIDI Interface to the MIDI IN connector on your sound module. 4. The audio output jacks on your sound module are connected to the audio input jacks on your amplifier or stereo. 5. One or two speakers are attached to the speaker connectors on your amplifier or stereo. If you are having trouble getting your Roland sound module to operate, the difficulty can probably be traced to one of two sources. First, you may have two cards in your computer that are set to the same IRQ. If this is the case, you can change the IRQ value for one of the cards by using the card's jumpers or switches (although some cards do not allow this). Consult the manual that came with your MIDI interface. The second possibility is that your MIDI interface may be set to an IRQ other than the default value of 2 and/or an I/O address other than 330. In this case, you must specify the appropriate IRQ value and/or I/O address in the command line when you start the game. For example, to use a MIDI interface card set to operate on IRQ 5 and I/O address 300, you should start the game by typing: ERIC MT32 5 300. _____ | o | ============ | O |---------- | -------- | :_____: | | | | | _____ | | -------- | SPEAKERS | o |_____.. | ================== | O | | | <-speaker | IBM PC | :_____: | | wires - | | | | | ================== | | | | | | midi audio audio | | | .-----------. cable .---------- cables in_______ | | |.____ | o o o-----------o o o o--------o< o----- | | ^ | |^ o--------o o_______| :___________| |.__________: :_________| midi out midi in MPU-401 ROLAND SOUND AMPLIFIER (OR COMPATIBLE) MODULE OR STEREO MIDI Wiring Diagram for Roland MT-32, MT-100, and CM-32L SECTION 6 - Introduction to the Game Interface ========================================================================= To install and start up the game, see the Installation section. When the game begins, you will see the title screen, followed by the introduction sequence. You can hit at any time to skip the introduction. The game will then ask you if you wish to restore to a previously saved position. After the introduction sequence, the main interface screen will appear. While there are many alternate screen interfaces for various activities, you will spend the most time interacting with the screen. GRAPHICS WINDOW This window can contain one of the following: A picture of your location Your inventory (what you are wearing and carrying) Your status (score, number of turns taken, etc.) A verbal description of your surroundings A map COMMAND BUTTONS Many of these buttons have function key equivalents. See the information on function keys on for more details. HELP Displays a help screen HALF Removes the menus, making more room for text ERASE Removes the last word from the command line DO Executes the command on the command line PICTURE Displays a picture in the graphics window STATUS Displays your score and status in the graphics window INVENTORY Displays your inventory in the graphics window LOOK Puts a verbal description of your surroundings in the graphics window MAP Displays a map of your immediate environment, centered on your current location. COMPASS ROSE AND DIRECTION BUTTONS If you have a mouse, you can move around by clicking on the various points of the compass rose and the IN, OUT, UP, and DOWN buttons. Legitimate exits from your current location are always highlighted. VERB MENU The verb menu contains every verb you need to play the game. The game will recognize other verbs as well, but you will have to type them in. The first page of the verb menu will always include a verb that will solve the puzzle. The remainder of the verbs are listed alphabetically. PREPOSITION MENU After you select a verb, the verb menu is replaced with a preposition menu. The amazing thing is that the game will display only those prepositions that you can use with the verb you have selected. Voila! No more pesky parser errors. OBJECT MENU This menu contains the most important things that you see from your current location. If you want to refer to other objects in the game, you must type them in. HIGHLIGHT BAR This is a highlighted bar you can move up and down to select the next word you want to place on the command line. ELEVATOR BOXES Clicking on these boxes and dragging them down is a fast way to move through the menus. Clicking in the column above or below the box will cause rapid movement up or down the menu. Clicking on the arrows at the top or bottom of the column will move the highlight bar up or down one entry in the menu. Note that the elevator boxes are only displayed when there are too many words to display at once. STORY WINDOW This is the window where the story text appears. If the window fills with words and you see "MORE" at the bottom, press any key or click the mouse button and the rest of the message will appear. If you would like to expand the size of the window and you do not mind sacrificing the menus, press for a half screen or for a full screen of text. If you would like to see the text displayed before the picture is updated, then type the command TEXTFIRST. To switch back to the default of pictures first type PICFIRST. COMMAND LINE All your commands will appear on this line, whether you enter them by typing, selecting from the menu, or clicking on the compass rose or graphics window. STATUS LINE This shows your location and the local time of day. SECTION 7 - Playing The Game With A Mouse ========================================================================== If you have a mouse, playing this game is simplicity itself. While you are using the main interface, you can do all of the following by pointing and clicking: MOVE AROUND from place to place by single-clicking on the compass rose or the directional buttons next to it. Legitimate exits from your current location are always highlighted. Double-clicking on an exit that is pictured in the graphics window will move you through that exit. EXAMINE objects by single-clicking on them in the graphics window. Take them by double-clicking. TALK TO characters you meet in the game by double-clicking on them in the graphics window. CUSTOMIZE the interface by clicking on the command buttons in the upper left hand corner of the screen. You can build game commands using the menus on the left hand side of the screen or you can type them in directly. If you choose to type, you will see the words that you type appear on the command line in the story window on the screen. Press to execute a command. For more on how to build commands, read the next two paragraphs and refer to the sections entitled Talking to the Game, and Game Commands and their Abbreviations. At several points in the game you will find yourself interacting with different screen interfaces including a raft control panel and some "games-within-a-game." To operate the raft, simply click on a succession of spots to "lead" the raft to its destination. Click only on the open waterways or on the islands themselves. Clicking on the destination alone will not cause the raft to travel there. You must make a series of clicks to lead the raft through the twists and turns of the swamp's waterways. BUILDING COMMANDS WITH THE MENUS A single-click on a word in the verb menu will place that word on the command line. The verb menu will then be replaced by a preposition menu that lists the prepositions you may use with the verb you have selected. At this point you can select one of those prepositions, select a word from the object menu, or execute your command by clicking on the DO button. Naturally, we have built in some short-cuts. If you know prior to clicking on a word that it will be the last word in your command, you can double-click on it and your command will be executed. Or, if you've already clicked on the last word in your command and you do not want to move the mouse up to the DO button, just double-click on the last word and the command will be executed. Another short-cut is to select a verb from the menu and then single-click on an object in the picture in the graphics window. FINDING WORDS QUICKLY Because the menus sometimes contain many words, we have also included a few short-cuts for getting to words that are not currently displayed on the menu. You can click in the grey area to the right of each menu to rapidly move up or down in that menu. (If there is no grey area, the entire menu is visible.) You can click on the "elevator box" in the column to the right of each menu and drag the box up or down while keeping the mouse button depressed. An even faster method is to hold down the key on the keyboard and then press the first letter of the word you want. The highlight bar will then jump to the first word starting with that letter. You can also use the and keys on the keyboard to jump to the top or the bottom of the list, or the and keys to move quickly up or down the list. NOTES To remove the last word from the command line, click on ERASE. Double-clicking on an object in the graphics window is intended to "do the obvious thing" with that object. For example, climb stairs, eat food, turn off lamp, etc. If you are using the mouse and you want to type, go ahead. However, once you have begun typing on the command line, you cannot go back to using the mouse until that command has been executed or erased. If you select a noun as the first word in your sentence, the game assumes you are trying to speak to that person or thing, and therefore it adds a comma after the word. (For example, SAILOR, GIVE ME THE ROPE.) If you definitely do not want to use the menus, press and they will go away, creating more room for text. If you want to return to the golden years of adventuring, press for the all-text look. SECTION 8 - Playing Without A Mouse ========================================================================== EMULATING THE MOUSE If you do not have a mouse, there are still quick and easy ways to build commands from the menus on the main interface without typing. To do this, first press the key. When you do, a mouse cursor will appear on your screen. You can move this cursor around by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Then you can "click" by hitting , and "double-click" by hitting . This will let you do all the things mentioned in the previous section, Playing the Game With a Mouse. USING THE MENUS If you do not want to use the method outlined above, pressing the key again will give you yet another alternative. This puts a highlight bar over the first word in the verb menu. You can move this bar back and forth between menus (and up and down within one) by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Once you have highlighted the word you wish to select, hitting the space bar will place that word on the command line. After you have finished building your command, hitting will execute it. ALTERNATE SCREEN INTERFACES You will encounter a number of screen interfaces during game play. While these interfaces are graphical in nature, they are easy to use with the keyboard. You can use the "mouse emulator" to steer the mouse cursor around the screen and press to "click" on buttons. TYPING If you like to type, go ahead. No matter what method you have been using to place words on the command line, you can start typing at any time. The cursor will appear on the command line and you can type in your commands. Press to execute a command. FUNCTION KEYS You can use function keys to customize the interface as follows: Displays the help screen Returns the menus to the screen if they are not there Removes the menus and creates more room for text Puts you into full-screen text mode Displays a picture in the graphics window Displays the map in the graphics window Puts your inventory in the graphics window Puts a verbal description of your surroundings in the graphics window Status mode SECTION 9 - Save, Restore, and Quit ========================================================================== If you have chosen at least the minimum install to your hard drive you can access the SAVE feature. Once you have begun the game, you can use the SAVE command whenever you want to store everything you have done so far. SAVE allows you to define a point to which you can return if you are "killed" or if you just want to turn off your computer for a while. When you type SAVE (or when you select it from the verb menu), you will be asked to name the SAVE file. Choose a name that will remind you of where you are, like "After First Day" or "Solved Book Puzzle." The description of the saved game can have up to 33 characters in it. In the course of playing this game, you may create up to 128 simultaneous SAVE files. You can delete SAVE files by pressing when the highlight bar is positioned over the name of the saved game. If you pick the name of an already existing file when you save, the original file will be erased and the new file of that name will take its place. You can edit an existing description by moving the highlight bar to the appropriate line and pressing the space bar or single-clicking on the description if you have a mouse. or a double-click will save your current game with the new description in a new SAVE file. When you are ready to return to a place you have saved, type RESTORE (or select it from the verb menu). As a reminder, a list of your previously saved files will appear in the RESTORE window. When the game asks you for a SAVE file description, move the highlight bar to the description you want and press or type in a new description. If you type in the beginning of a valid description and hit , the game will automatically match it and fill in the rest of the characters. Once you have entered a valid description, you will be returned to the spot you left as if you had never been away. You will have the same score, inventory, status, etc. that you had when you left. If you want to stop playing, use the QUIT command. However, if you quit without making a SAVE file, you will have to start from the beginning of the game the next time you play. SECTION 10 - Talking To The Game ========================================================================== You "talk" to Eric The Unready by telling the game what you want Eric to do during each turn. You do this by typing your input on the keyboard, or by clicking the mouse on the menus, the compass rose, or the pictures (See Introduction to the Game Interface and Playing the Game With a Mouse.) Your simplest inputs will be directions -- moving around from place to place: >NORTH >DOWN >SW Equally simple are inputs which are just verbs: >SCREAM >DANCE Let's get a bit more complicated, and add some nouns (or, if you combine them with adjectives, noun phrases). >TAKE THE COCONUT >READ SPELL BOOK >EXAMINE BARN >KISS THE PIG (Note that you can use articles like "the" or "a" if you wish, but most people just omit them to save time.) Shall we add a dash of prepositions? >SIT DOWN >DIVE INTO THE POOL >SHOOT CROSSBOW AT TREE Take a deep breath. So far, the noun phrases we have looked at have all been the direct object of the sentence. Now we are going to throw in a second noun phrase, the indirect object! >GIVE TICKET TO LAUNDRY MAN >BUY ROCK FROM FRAN >POUR WATER ON GROUND >GIVE APPLE TO MAN Sorry, it is time to introduce some mind-boggling complicated concepts. You can include several inputs after a single prompt, as long as you separate them by a period or by the word "then": >SIT AT TABLE, ORDER RED WINE >OPEN REFRIGERATOR THEN TAKE PITCHER OF SANGRIA You can also use pronouns: >PICK UP SEASHELL. THROW IT IN THE OCEAN >EXAMINE LILY. KISS HER. GIVE HER THE TOWEL >HIT THE KNIGHTS. FOLLOW THEM You can use multiple objects with certain verbs (like TAKE and DROP) as long as you separate the noun phrases with a comma or the word "and." You can even use the amazingly useful word "all": >TAKE THE STARFISH AND BEACH UMBRELLA >DROP HOT FUDGE, ICE CREAM SCOOP, CHERRY >TAKE ALL >GIVE ALL SEAHORSES TO THE SEA KING You will probably want to fortify yourself with some good strong scotch before moving on to the next area: talking to characters in the game. This can be useful if you want to ask a character for some information: >ASK WAITER FOR BOURBON >BELLHOP, PICK UP THE SUITCASE >TELL HERBIE ABOUT THE HAMMER >ASK VALERIE ABOUT RUBBER SHEETS >ASK THE BLONDE ABOUT HERSELF SECTION 11 - Helpful Hints ========================================================================== Here are ten pieces of advice for novices (or even for old pros who are just plain stuck): 1. Crime pays. TAKE everything that isn't nailed down. 2. Keep your eyes open. EXAMINE things that you come across; you'll get extra tidbits of info. 3. Two heads are better than one. Play with a friend, relative, spouse, lover, etc. Even your pet cat may think of something you've overlooked. 4. Jesus saves. And so do all the apostles, when they're playing a game as dangerous as Eric The Unready! SAVE early, SAVE often. 5. If at first you don't succeed.... If you get stuck at some point, do not go away mad, just go away! Come back later with a fresh mind. 6. Draw a map. Although there's an on-screen map, your hand-drawn map can include other information, such as what things are found where. 7. We didn't create this manual to support our local printer. Read all the documentation, especially the sample transcript. 8. Take it slow. Read ALL the text and examine all the pictures carefully. 9. Try weird stuff. Sometimes trying wacky things will pay off with a clue; at the least, you'll probably uncover some wacky responses! 10. It never hurts to ask. Many computer magazines and bulletin boards will run tips and hints for Eric The Unready...especially if you ask! SECTION 12 - Things To Try at the Start of the Game ========================================================================== If you are really stuck on how to get started, try these sixteen inputs right from the start of the game: >TALK TO FARMER >EXAMINE BARN >WEST >OPEN CHEST >LOOK AT BOTTLE >TAKE ALL >EAST >TALK TO FARMER >ENTER PRIVY >TAKE NEWSPAPER >READ IT >TIE ROPE TO HOOK >DOWN >EXAMINE PIG >GIVE HOG-WILD TO PIG >UP Note that these are not necessarily the correct first sixteen inputs. Many other inputs are possible during the first sixteen turns. SECTION 13 - Game Commands and their Abbreviations ========================================================================== Many of the game commands below have function key or command button equivalents. These are listed in parentheses after the description of the command. In addition, many game commands have single key equivalents. AGAIN (G) Repeats your last command. BRIEF Tells the game to give you the normal level of descriptiveness, in which you see a full description of a place only the first time you go there. On subsequent visits to the location, you will not get a description, although you can always get one by saying >LOOK (or by playing with the graphics screen in LOOK mode). (See also VERBOSE). CREDITS Displays a list of everyone who worked on Eric The Unready and what they did. FULL MODE Removes the menus, compass rose, and graphics window, leaving you with a full screen of text. HALF MODE Removes the menus, but still displays the compass rose and the graphics window. ( key) (HALF button) INVENTORY (I) Tells you what your character is carrying. LOOK (L) Will give you a full description of your current location. This is always a good thing to try if you do not know what else to do. LOOK MODE Displays a verbal description of your surroundings in the graphics window. ( key) (LOOK button) MENU MODE Restores the menus to the screen if you have removed them previously. ( key) (MENU button) MUSIC OFF Turns off the music. (To turn off the sound effects, use SOUND OFF.) MUSIC ON Turns the music back on. NOTIFY Normally, the game will tell you when your score changes. If you do not want to be bothered, NOTIFY will turn off this feature. And, if you change your mind, NOTIFY will turn it back on. OOPS (O) If you mistype a word, use OOPS instead of retyping the entire input. For example, if you type >TAKE BOK, and the game responds, "I do not know the word 'BOK'," you would simply type OOPS BOOK. Naturally, you menu users will never need to use OOPS. PICFIRST Displays room pictures before room descriptions. PICTURE MODE Restores the picture to the graphics window. ( key) (PICTURE button) QUIT (Q) Tells the game "Hey, I'm outta here!" You might want to SAVE first. RESTART Starts the game over. Again, you might want to SAVE first. RESTORE Brings you back to any point in the game where you have previously saved. SAVE Creates a file which the RESTORE command can use to return you to this point in the story. You should SAVE now and then, and especially before trying dangerous things like >ATTACK SCORPION WITH BARE HANDS SCRIPT Sends all the text output of the game into the specified file, which you can then read, print, edit, delete, etc. SOUND OFF Turns off the sound effects. (To turn off the music, however, type MUSIC OFF.) SOUND ON Turns the sound effects back on. STATUS Gives you your score, the number of turns you have taken, and whether you are playing in BRIEF or VERBOSE. STATUS MODE Displays your status in the graphics window. ( key) TEXTFIRST Displays room descriptions before room pictures. UNDO Probably the single most useful thing ever conceived of in all of recorded human history. UNDO simply takes you back one turn, undoing the effects of your last move. UNSCRIPT Stops sending the text output to a file. VERBOSE Puts you in the level of maximum location descriptions; you will get a full description of your location every single time you enter it. (See also BRIEF). VERSION Gives you the release number of your copy of Eric The Unready, as well as some legal stuff. VOLUME # If you have a sound card or sound module, the VOLUME command, followed by a number from 1-10, allows you to control the volume of the game's music. This command has no effect on the volume level of the RealSound sound effects. WAIT (Z) Your character will just stand around while time passes in the story. You can also enter commands like >WAIT 45 MINUTES or >WAIT 3 HOURS. ABBREVIATIONS A-You would think this would be the abbreviation for AGAIN, wouldn't you. Well, you would be wrong. If that were the case, then a simple input like >GIVE A DOG A BONE would turn into the nightmarish GIVE (AGAIN) DOG (AGAIN) BONE. Consequently, we treat "a" as an article rather than an abbreviation, and shorten AGAIN to G. D - down E - east G - again I - inventory L - look N - north O - oops Q - quit S - south T - time U - up W - west X - examine Y - yes Z - wait NW - northwest NE - northeast SE - southeast SW - southwest SECTION 14 - About The Author ========================================================================== Bob Bates lives in a mud hut on the outskirts of a small English village. The only villager who owns a complete set of encyclopedias, Bob entertains the local children with myths and legends drawn from ancient Druid tales. Although Bob currently wastes a good four hours a night sleeping, he remains convinced that with practice, he can eliminate the need for sleep completely and devote his energies to yard work. Subsisting entirely on Classic Coke and Snickers bars, Bob has somehow managed to produce these other games: Sherlock! The Riddle of the Crown Jewels Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur Timequest SECTION 15 - Credits ========================================================================== Game Design and Writing......................................... Bob Bates Computer Illustrations........................ Tanya Isaacson, Paul Mock, Kathleen Bober, Timothy Knepp, Bob Lynch, Chris Grandstaff, Mark Poesch and Glen Dahlgren Music....................................... Glen Dahlgren and Arfing Dog Adlib Transcription and Sound Effects....................... Glen Dahlgren Additional Programming & Special Effects.......................Duane Beck, Glen Dahlgren and Mark Poesch System Architecture...............................Duane Beck and Bob Bates System Programming..................Duane Beck, Mark Poesch, Glen Dahlgren Graphics Programming...........................................Mark Poesch Music Programming..............................Michael Lindner, Duane Beck Package Design and Production Coordination....................Peggy Oriani Cover Illustration.......................................... Boris Vallejo Bug System Coordination......................................Rosie Freeman Testing..........................................Ed Storozuk, Alyssa Verdu, Barb DeFilippo, Jeff Sissler Steve Meretzky and Michael Lindner Producers.................................. Michael Verdu and Glen Dahlgren SECTION 16 - Help! Troubleshooting and Technical Assistance ========================================================================== Some common problems and their solutions are described in this section. If your problem is not addressed, first make a boot disk by exactly following the instructions in the next section. If this does not solve your problem, please call our Technical Support Department at one of the numbers listed in the front of this manual for specific help. When calling Technical Support please have information available about your system configuration, DOS version, type of graphics adapter card, and sound card. It is most helpful if you are at your computer when you call so that we can walk you through the problem. If you would like game hints, callers within the continental U.S. may call our 24-hour automated hint line at 1-900-PRO-KLUE (1- 900-776-5583). You can order a hint book ($9.95 plus shipping and handling) by calling 1-800-658-8891, or 703-222-8515 (NO HINTS WILL BE GIVEN ON THESE NUMBERS). You might also try dialing with a modem into one of the on-line services where you can talk to real live gamers who have probably been stuck at the same place you are. If you are a member of CompuServe, type the command GO GAMCPUB at any ! prompt to get to Legend Entertainment's support area (Section 7), or contact our Customer Support Department at ID 72662,1021. - I've got an MT-32 and do not hear any music If you have a Roland MT-32 (or compatible) sound module and you are not hearing any music, rerun the install program from the ERIC directory and choose the correct option. To start the game, from the game directory (C:\ERIC>) type LEGEND . If you are still not hearing any music, the difficulty can probably be traced to one of two sources: 1. You may have two cards in your computer that are set to the same IRQ. If this is the case, change the IRQ value for one of the cards by using the card's jumpers or switches. Some cards may not allow this. Consult the manual for the card for more details. 2. Your MIDI interface may be set to an IRQ or an I/O address other than the default values of 2 and 330, respectively. In this case, you must specify the appropriate IRQ value or I/O address in the command line when you start up the game. To change the IRQ or I/O address run the INSTALL program from the Eric directory (C:\ERIC) and select the Change Configuration Option. -Problems with Super VGA graphics We hope the new 256 color Super VGA graphics add to your adventuring experience. If you have trouble with your graphics card, please check your graphics card manual to verify the following: 1. Your graphics card is based on one of the following Chip Sets: - Tseng 3000 - Paradise - Tseng 4000 - Video 7 - ATI 2. Your graphics card supports the VESA standard 3. Your graphics card has at least 512K of VIDEO MEMORY If your system meets requirements (1) or (2), and (3), and you are still unable to run the game successfully using the 256 color mode, please contact Technical Support. NOTE: You can run the program GXTEST.EXE in the \STUFF directory on the CD-ROM to check your graphics capabilities. -The game crashes near the beginning If you get a crash when you start up the game, make sure you have taken all of your TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs out of RAM. You need at least 580,000 bytes of free memory to avoid low memory problems. To solve this problem, follow the instructions in the next section entitled, Creating a Boot Floppy. -The mouse cursor isn't anywhere to be seen If the mouse doesn't seem to be working, make sure you install the mouse driver before you start up the game. You can usually accomplish this by typing MOUSE from the MS-DOS prompt. If you get a "Bad command or file name" error, find out where the mouse driver lives on the disk or consult the documentation that came with your mouse and its driver software. -I start the game, play for a few turns and then the program "goes to lunch" If the game hangs in the first few rooms and you have a Sound Blaster or compatible card, you most likely have an IRQ conflict. You should check the IRQ and address information for your card and change the configuration using the INSTALL program. -I've never had a problem like this before... Don't panic, chances are you are getting interference from a forgotten TSR. Turn to the next section and create a boot floppy by following the instructions exactly. If you are still having problems, please call our Technical Support Department at one of the numbers listed at the front of this manual. SECTION 17 - Creating a Boot Disk ========================================================================== CD-ROM Version If you are suffering from problems that you cannot explain, the procedures outlined here will allow you to boot your machine from a clean system boot disk, uncluttered by autoloading TSRs, device drivers, and complicated CONFIG.SYS files. The following instructions describe how to look at the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files on your C: drive. We recommend that first, you make a back up copy of both your CONFIG.SYS and your AUTOEXEC.BAT. For specific instructions on how to do this, consult your DOS manual. At your C:> prompt: 1. Input to view this file. 2. Write down the DEVICE= or DEVICEHIGH= line that references the CD-ROM driver. It may look like this: DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\DD250.SYS /D:MSCD001 /C:00 /M:20 /I:5 /P:340 3. Input to view this file. 4. Write down the line that contains the MOUSE driver. It may look like this: LOADHIGH C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM. The mouse driver path may also be defined in other ways including: C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM C:\WINDOWS\MOUSE.COM C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM LMOUSE.COM MOUSE.EXE MOUSE.COM 5. Write down the line that contains the MSCDEX drivers. It may look like the following: LOADHIGH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /M:10 /E /L:D Please note that designates the CD-ROM drive letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive. If you are unclear which lines pertain to your CD-ROM drive, consult your CD-ROM manual. To create a boot disk, follow these instructions carefully: 1. Find a blank disk for your A: drive. 2. Insert the blank disk in the A: drive and close the drive door. 3. Type DIR A: . 4. If you see any files listed, you need to go back to step 1 because the disk is not blank and if you continue from here you will wipe out everything on the disk. 5. Type FORMAT A: /S . 6. Type N when DOS asks if you want to format another disk. 7. Type DIR A: . 8. You should see COMMAND COM listed in the newly formatted disk's directory. (If you do not, type COPY C:\COMMAND.COM A: , otherwise skip this step.) DO NOT EDIT THE CONFIG.SYS & AUTOEXEC.BAT ON YOUR HARD DRIVE. 9. Type A: . 10. Type COPY CON CONFIG.SYS ; the DOS prompt is now gone, but the cursor is still there. 11. Type the following exactly as you see it below. In the space provided, make sure you insert the CD-ROM line that you wrote down earlier. device=c:\dos\himem.sys device=c:\dos\emm386.exe ram dos=high,umb files=20 buffers=20 device= 12. Hold down the key and hit the letter Z once, . 13. Type A: . 14. Type COPY CON AUTOEXEC.BAT ; DOS prompt is now gone, but the cursor is still there. 15. Type the following exactly as you see it. In the appropriate spaces, make sure you insert the mouse line and the CD-ROM line that you wrote down earlier. @echo off prompt $p$g path=c:\dos c:\ c:\ (i.e. c:\\MSCDEX.EXE/..) 16. Hold down the key and hit the letter Z once, . 17. Reboot your machine with the disk still in the drive. When the boot process is complete: 1. Type C: . 2. Type CD ERIC . 3. Type the appropriate command as listed in Configuration Options. If you have any further trouble, please call Technical Support at one of the numbers listed at the front of this manual. SECTION 18 - Legal Stuff ========================================================================== We appreciate your purchasing a license to use our product, and we want you to feel good about that purchase. Unfortunately, our lawyers have forced us to put some rather obnoxious verbiage here. Fortunately, all of our competition puts the same stuff in their manuals. Some of the things written below may appear to be outrageous and unconscionable. But then, so are our lawyers. (Q. Why can't lawyers go to the beach? A: The cats keep trying to cover them up.) 1. Limited Warranty. This manual and the related software product are sold "AS IS," without warranty as to their performance. Wait a minute! You mean that if the program does not have a happy ending, I do not get my money back? ... Yes. We have probably already spent your money to keep our programmers in pizza anyway. Here comes some more legalese to try to nail down that concept. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the computer software program is assumed by the user. However, Legend Entertainment Company warrants for a period of 90 days to the original purchaser that the medium on which the software is recorded is free from defects in material and workmanship. If during that period ending 90 days from purchase a defect should become apparent, return the disk to Legend or your dealer and Legend will replace the disk without charge to you. Your sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a defect is expressly limited to replacement of the disk as provided above. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. (NOTE: After the warranty period, a defective disk may be returned to us with a check or money order for $7.50 U. S. and we will replace it.) THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE IN LIEU OF ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN NO EVENT SHALL LEGEND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY OR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OR PRODUCTION OF THIS COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAM BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF USE OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ANY BREACH OF THE WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. For example, you may be playing our game when a friend passing by is distracted by some of the graphics. He walks into a floor lamp. The lamp falls over, scaring your cat. The cat streaks from the room, upsetting a heater which sets some curtains afire. Unfortunately, it is a windy day and the fire is soon out of control. Three days later Chicago is still ablaze. If we took out an insurance policy against such remote contingencies, we'd have to charge $1599.99 for the game, and you would not be reading this lame copy. Anyway, we do not assume liability for things like this, even if the city is a small one like Muleshoe, Texas. 2. Copyright. This manual and the related software product are copyright (C), 1992, by Legend Entertainment Company. All rights are reserved. This document may not, in whole or part, be copied, reproduced, plagiarized, or otherwise ripped off without our express consent (which we are not going to give). The money you spent on this product purchased a license to use it (check your other software; almost no software is sold these days). The scope of the license is to make such copies as are reasonably necessary for your personal use. You do not have the right to give copies to your friends (or enemies). Unreasonable copying and/or distributing of this product is a violation of law. The U. S. Copyright Act provides for statutory damages of up to $50,000 for willful infringement of a copyright. Giving copies of our software to your friends is an infringement. GOTCHA! Now that you know that unauthorized copying is an infringement, if you do so it will be willful, and you can be nailed for some big bucks if we catch you. 3. Other Copyright and Trademark Notices. "Legend Entertainment" is a registered trademark of Legend Entertainment Company. "AdLib Music Synthesizer Card" is a trademark of AdLib Inc. "Sound Blaster" is a trademark of Creative Labs, Inc. "RealSound" is a trademark of RealSound, Incorporated. Part of the software on your disks which implements the RealSound music is Copyright (C), 1990, by RealSound, Incorporated. All rights reserved by RealSound. MIDI Interface Toolkit Copyright (C), 1987 and 1989, by MusicQuest, Inc. All rights reserved by MusicQuest. "MT-32," "MT-100," "CM-32L," and "LAPC-1" are trademarks of Roland Corporation. "Sherlock! The Riddle of the Crown Jewels," and "Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur" are trademarks of Infocom, Inc. "CompuServe" is a trademark of CompuServe Incorporated. "GEnie" is a trademark of General Electric Information Services Company. "IBM" is a trademark of IBM Corporation. "Microsoft" is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Portions of the game code are Copyright (C), 1988-1990 by Genus Microprogramming, Incorporated. (C) 1992 Legend Entertainment Company All Rights Reserved