INTERPHASE Doc by The Alien of The Pompey Pirates... extracted from Sewer Docs by Underdogs for Home of the Underdogs, http://www.theunderdogs.org The story so far... In tomorrow's almost wholly automated world, the employment-starved population is fed by the leisure industry. Gone are today's more traditional pursuits though. Music, cinema, the theatre - even video games - are joys of the past. The entertainment medium of the future is DreamTracks: recorded patterns of pure imagination produced by Dreamers. Visit foreign lands, planets or solar systems from the comfort of your own armchair. Smell, touch, taste, hear... LIVE the dreams of others imaginative enough to produce them. Others like Chad, a successful Dreamer whose career was about to rocket... until he discovered that his latest Track had been laced with deadly subliminal images capable of destroying the minds of anyone who experiences it. Horrified by the possibility of even greater global vegetation, Chad sets out to destroy the Master Track from the DreamTrack Corporation's Security building. HOW TO PLAY To minimize the risk of being caught, Kaf-E's gone in on her own. Taking the role of Chad, it's up to you to guide Kaf-E safely through the complex security system to the top of the building. Once at the top she must collect the correct DreamTrack from the vaults before making her way back down through the building to the exit. The Screen Thanks to an interface between man and machine known as the Interphase, Chad can influence the building's electronics with his mind, and subsequently tap the security system for information essential to ensuring Kaf-E's safety. The Interphase also allows Chad to intercept any messages from Kaf-E. Chad's viewpoint of the computer is represented by an abstract three- dimensional environment, and this is where the action occurs. Kaf-E's plight on the other hand, is shown on a two- dimensional blueprint of the building's floors. The blueprint for each of the 12 floors is shown only when a floor is reached, so you can't find out what's in store on later levels until you get there! Access and assess each blueprint, making careful note of the security systems present, and determine a safe route to the lift for Kaf-E to follow before attempting to disable any security 'obstacles' in the 3D environment. 3D DISPLAY Inside the computer, abstract three-dimensional objects relate to those shown on the two-dimensional blueprint. The two different states and relevant information is accessed through the blueprint (MAP) screen. Top left is shown game time, top right is your energy level. This is reduced when you collide with the floor, objects, the enemy or it's firepower. Energy is replenished by either entering a Power System or better still, by flying under red arches. To continually gain energy, try this: once you successfully fly under an arch DO NOT change your course at all. The layers wrap around, ie: the level is repeated infinitely in all directions, so you will soon fly under the arch again. Bottom left is the Message Received window which flashes whenever Kaf-E needs to talk. She transmits information whenever she encounters an obstacle. Press the right-hand mouse button on the message screen to get the message up quickly without having to wait for the typing... Above that is the layer of the floor you are on. In the 3D environment, each of the buiding's 12 floors is split into eight layers - this number lets you know which layer you are on. To move from one layer to another, fly through the Communication Holes (coloured squares or gaps) marked on the floor and ceiling. NB: some layers do not feature Communication Holes on the ceiling. Should you pass through the floor of such a layer and wish to return, keep flying down through the Holes in the floor, until you reach the required layer again. To the right of the message window and layer indicator is the Radar screen. This doesn't show your position, but the whereabouts of the enemy (small dots) and the Generators (large dots) out of which they appear. To the right of the radar are a row of function icons only available in Pointer Mode. Game Over The game is over when either Chad's energy runs out (thus severing the Interphase link and condemning Kaf-E to certain death) or he's de-Kaf-E-nated (!), ie: she is caught by a Security Droid or electrocuted on a high voltage floor. Tunnels The building's floors are connected by tunnels, through which Chad travels at a constant speed. Follow the Guide and avoid the walls and Data Lines which horizontally and vertically cross the tunnel. The entrance to the next level is at the end of the tunnel - fly into it. Moving in the 3D Environment Move the mouse left or right to bank in the respective directions. Move up to dive and down to raise. Pressing the left-hand mouse button activates functions, eg: cannon-fire. To change speed, hold down the right-hand mouse button and move the mouse up or down. Locating and destroying obstacles Enter the map screen and select the object you intend to destroy. Rather than fly around attempting to locate this object, use the NAVigational COMputer. Click on NAV to lock-on to the object. When the NAVCOM LOCKED message is given, exit to the 3D world and, following the arrows displayed in the centre of the screen, locate the object. Use a missile to destroy it and leave a wireframe shell. Missiles Whereas the cannons only destroy certain small objects, the missiles destroy EVERYTHING. Having select missiles, press the left-hand mouse button when the cursor is over a target. When LOCKED appears, press the button again to lauch the missile. Don't fire again- your cannon fire will destroy the missile! Tractor Device Allows you to pick up objects and move them elsewhere. Select tractor, click left button on an object to pick it up. Release the button to drop the object. Useful for holding elusive drones in place while you hit them with a missile... Docking Device Allows you to enter certain objects and influence them from within, for example, you can affect the orientation of turntables. Blueprint map This is where the strategic side of the game takes place. The blueprint shows the layout of all the corridors, rooms, doors and other security devices present on the current floor. Examine it carefully - important clues are often hidden. Hold down the left-hand butt -on and move the mouse to scroll the map. Press the left-hand button once to centralise the map there. Press the right- hand button to centralise on Kaf-E. So you know what to look for in the 3D environment, click on an object in the map and then click INFO. It's 3D representation is then shown. Kaf-E appears as a triangle with a circle in the middle, security droids are triangles with circles at the top. Turntables are circles with a single line inside them. A droid entering it exits in the direction of the line. Kaf-E will stop and ask the way. To turn a turntable, dock with it and press the left-hand button for each turn you want it to make. To make Kaf-E continue in the same direction, enter and exit the turntable (right-hand button exits) without changing it's direction. Cameras often activate security droids. Destroy the camera to turn it off. Pressure pads also activate security droids. Electrified floors are fatal to the touch, but are deactivated after being used once. So direct a droid onto it, and then Kaf-E can cross safely! Workshops are there so you can clone any object you have accidentally destroyed. Dock with it and use the right-hand button to choose an object and eject it. Now exit and use the tractor beam to take the object to the wireframe remains of the one you destroyed. Position it as accurately as you can and release it. The Defence Systems Generators produce security droids for Chad to deal with. The most common droids are airborne fighters, groundbased drones and unicycling frogs (!). Destroy a generator and then destroy it's offspring for a quiet time... for a while at least. QUICK START: HOW TO COMPLETE FLOOR ONE Successfully negotiate the tunnel. Enter the MAP. Centre on Kaf-E, wait for her to send a message. Read the MESSage. Enter the map. Zoom in to the top right-hand corner of the map. Note that the camera is ON. Click on the camera and select INFO so you know what to look for. Exit back to the map. Click on NAV to receive the NAVCOM LOCKED message. Exit to the 3D world. Follow the arrows and destroy the camera. Enter the map again. The camera should now be OFF. Now for the door... Centre on Kaf-E. She's behind a closed door, so lock onto the door, follow the arrows and destroy that too. Kaf-E will now walk down the corridor, past the deactivated camera and then past an activated camera. This activates a security droid, but don't despair- Kaf-E narrowly misses it at the junction. Now destroy the door barring Kaf-E's entrance to the Clearance area, then destroy the door to the lift room. Wait for Kaf-E to reach the lift, then lock onto that, seek it out and fly through the iris SLOWLY. If you go too fast, you'll miss it. You're now on floor two! Pointer Mode Hold both mouse buttons down or press SPACE. Now select the function icon you require. Using the Keyboard T Activate tractor beam (TRK) D Activate docking mode (DCK) B Enter blueprint map mode (MAP) M Message screen (MES) ENTER/RETURN Activate missile mode (missile icon) A Acknowledge message- switch off alarm tone P Pause- any key to unpause 8 Forward view 6 Right view 4 Left view 2 Rear view SHIFT+ESC Abort game Game Save/Load Save/load is only possible in the tunnel section. Press SPACE, select LOAD or SAVE and click OK. CANC is to cancel the load/save. Save on a blank disk- and don't use the disk for anything else! Only one save can be stored on a disk. TIP Save your progress at the start of a tunnel. If you get to the end without losing much energy, save it again just before you enter the iris. If you do badly, load back the previous position! ut and fly through the iris SLOWLY. If you go too fast, you'll miss it. You're now on floor two! Pointer Mode Hold both mouse buttons down or press SPACE. Now select the function icon you require. Using the Keyboard T Activate tractor beam (TRK) D Activate docking mode (DCK) B Enter blueprint map mode (MAP) M Message screen (MES) ENTER/RETURN Activate missile mode (missile icon) A Acknowledge message- switch off alarm tone P Pause- any key to unpause 8 Forward view 6 Right view 4 Left view 2 Rear view SHIFT+ESC Abort game *** THE END ***