
Dungeoneers Player's Guide
By Andrew Brault (c) 1998

http://www.tiac.net/users/ajb/dungeoneers/index.html
E-mail: ajb@tiac.net


        OVERVIEW
        --------

Dungeoneers is an adventure game for the PalmPilot handheld computer.
You will explore huge caverns, looking for weapons, devices, and other
items to help you defend yourself against the roaming nasties.  Along
the way, you will find stores which will sell you anything from
commodities such as energy, to exotic devices, to upgrades for your
personal explorer vehicle.  Mineral ore can be found scattered around
the caverns and refined into valuable chips.  You must manage your
resources carefully and plan ahead to succeed.  Many surprises await
you as you explore the vast expanses of underground caverns!


        REQUIREMENTS
        ------------

You need a PalmPilot with about 95k of free RAM.  You can still
play with only around 75k of free RAM, but you will not be able
to save your game without at least 95k.

This game may not run on the older Pilot 1000/5000 models because
of certain restrictions in their system software.  Pilot 1000/5000
models which have been upgrades to PalmOS 2.0 or higher should run
this game without problems.

This game will run fine on the new PalmIII devices.  It will also
run in the Palm OS Emulator (with the appropriate ROM), but you
will get a couple of initial warning messages which can be safely
ignored.


        SHAREWARE NOTICE
        ----------------

Dungeoneers is being sold as a shareware product.  In the unregistered
version, you will not be able to travel beyond level 3 of the caverns.
The registered version removes this restriction.  The unregistered
version should provide enough material for you to evaluate whether to
buy the full registered version ($15 US).

You can register this product by sending a check or money
order to me directly (US currency only, please), or via the
PilotGear web site, which can process phone, fax, and online
credit card orders as well.

If you want to send a check or money order to me directly,
my postal address is:

        Andrew Brault
        6 Condy Rd.
        Peterborough, NH 03458

If you send a check, please specify whether you would like
to be e-mailed the registered version (be sure to include an
e-mail address!) or if you would like the program on a floppy
disk (specify format).  Add $5 for diskette orders to cover
the cost of the floppy disk and disk mailer.

To order through the PilotGear web site, go to:
        http://www.pilotgear.com

and search for the name Dungeoneers.  You can then order
on-line.  Alternatively, you can order by phone through
PilotGear at: (817)-461-3480 or by fax at: (817)-461-3482.
If you have any questions about registering, e-mail me
at: ajb@tiac.net

You can always get the most recent version of this game
(and my other software) at my WWW site:
        http://www.tiac.net/users/ajb/index.html

Thanks for supporting the Shareware concept!


        GETTING STARTED
        ---------------

This program comes in two parts: PART1.PRC and PART2.PDB.  You
must install both.  You can install the files using the Palm Install
Tool program that came with your PalmPilot.  Once installed, the game
will appear in the application launcher screen.

The game can be driven either from the pushbuttons or with the
stylus.  By default, the keys are set up as follows:

        Date book    -  move left
        Address      -  move right
        To Do List   -  action key
        Memo Pad     -  cancel key or pass a turn
        Up key       -  move up
        Down key     -  move down

You may customize these key settings via the "Set Up Keys" option
on the title screen.

You may switch between stylus and button input at will.  To make
a selection using the buttons, move the selection highlight and
then press the "action" key (the To Do List key, by default).
To make a selection using the stylus, tap on the selection you want.

After starting Dungeoneers, you should select the "Instructions"
option to get a brief overview of the game.  Tap the screen or
press a button to proceed from each screen.

NOTE: You may save your position and quit at any time by tapping
the "Applications" button in the silkscreen area.  This will take
you back to the main application launcher.  None of the other
silkscreen buttons (or the Graffiti area) will have an effect
during game play.

If the greyscale shades are too light or too dark, you may either
use the contrast knob on your Palm Pilot to adjust the overall
screen contrast, or select the "Adjust Colors" option from the
title screen.  In the Adjust Colors screen, you can tap on the
arrows to make the colors lighter or darker.  To go back to the
title screen, press the "cancel" key (Memo Pad key by default),
or tap on an empty part of the screen.

When you are finished setting up, select "Start Game" from the
title screen.  You must then choose an exploration vehicle to
"pilot".  Beginners should select the Stinger vehicle (the one
in the center).  If you want a harder challenge, you can select
one of the other vehicles.  During the game, you may have a
chance to take control of other vehicles, including ones not
on this list.

After making your selection you will be presented with a
shareware notice.  Then you must wait a short amount of time
(15 seconds or so) for the first dungeon level to be created.
Note that this delay is _not_ a shareware "annoyware" delay.


        EXPLORING THE DUNGEON
        ---------------------

After the delay, you will find the vehicle you selected in the
center of the screen.  Your "map" of your surroundings extends
for a ways in each direction, and as you explore by moving
around, more of the dungeon is revealed.  You can move by using
the up, down, left, and right buttons, or by tapping the stylus
above, below, or to the left or right of your vehicle.

The dungeons are randomly generated, so you will never play
the same level twice!

You may come across many different things in your explorations.
Treasures and other goodies may be acquired by moving atop them.
Some treasures will be picked up automatically, giving you a
message such as "Found 5 chips!" in the status line at the
bottom of the screen.  Other treasures require that you pick
them up explicitly (because they may not in fact be beneficial).
To do this, press the action key or tap the stylus on your
vehicle.  A menu will pop up, and you should select "Pick Up"
to pick up the object you are standing upon.

Sometimes you will encounter enemy vehicles, which will often
chase you and try to attack you.  You can fire back at them by
facing them and then choosing "Attack" from the pop-up menu
given by pressing the action key (or tapping on your vehicle).
Alternatively, you can tap on the name of your armed weapon
(below the main map view) to fire.  The status line at the
bottom of the screen will give you a blow-by-blow account of
the battle.  Each successful hit will decrease the hull (armor)
value of the ship that was hit.  When the hull reaches 0, the
ship is destroyed.  You can repair your hull by visiting the
repair shop at a shipyard.

Fighting enemies requires a certain amount of strategy.  You
should try to get in the first attack by using the "Rotate"
and "pass" functions.  Rotate is a choice in the action menu
(described below), and choosing "pass" by pressing the Cancel
button or tapping on the right edge of the screen will pass
one turn.

By selecting "Inventory" from the pop-up menu, you can manage
the devices carried by your vehicle.  Initially, you begin with
one weapon (a M2 laser for the beginner's Stinger ship) and one
other free gift which varies from game to game.  The number of
item cells shown (5 for the Stinger) indicates the maximum
number of devices you may own at a time.

By selecting a device and pressing the action key (or tapping
on it), you can bring up a short menu containing the following
options:

        Use     -  attempt to apply the device, or arm it
                   (put it into use) if it is a weapon

        Drop    -  drop it on the ground beneath you

        Destroy -  remove it from the game entirely; used
                   for worthless or harmful items

At the bottom of the screen is a short synopsis of the
selected device and an appraisal of it's value (in chips).

To get out of the inventory screen and back to the main game,
either press the cancel key or tap on the bottom area of the
screen (or on the small "Back" button).


        THE GOAL OF THE GAME
        --------------------

The goal is to locate the huge diamond at the bottom of the
caverns, rumored to be somewhere below level 10.  Then you must
find a way to escape with your treasure.  As the difficulty
increases the further down you go, you must build up your strength
at each step of the way.

On each level there are one or more exits to the next level.
These exits appear as downward-pointing arrows.  Your goal on
each level is to collect as much treasure as possible, find
stores and purchase equipment, and then descend to the next
level.


        VEHICLE STATUS
        --------------

Along the right side of the screen are five boxes indicating
the status of your vehicle.  From top to bottom, they indicate:

        Hull:   The strength of your vehicle's hull.
                Attacks from nasties damage your hull.
                When this value reaches 0, your vehicle
                is destroyed.  Certain stores will
                repair your vehicle (for a price).
                Each kind of vehicle has a maximum hull
                value which may be increased by purchasing
                upgrades at stores.

        Ener:   The amount of energy you are carrying.
                Energy is used when firing weapons and
                when using certain devices.  You may find
                energy cells scattered around the caverns
                or left behind by destroyed enemies.  Each
                vehicle has a maximum energy capacity,
                which may be increased by purchasing
                upgrades at stores.  If you go over this
                capacity you will be told "Can't Carry"
                when you try to pick up more energy.
                You start the game with half your maximum
                energy capacity.

        Chip:   The number of crystite chips you are
                carrying.  Chips are used as money for
                purchasing items at stores.  You may carry
                up to 2000 of these.

        Ore:    The number of ore units you are carrying.
                Ore can be traded for other commodities at
                certain shops.  The maximum number of ore
                units you may carry is shown by your "Hold"
                value (next).

        Hold:   The maximum number of ore units your ship
                can carry.  Some shops sell hold expansion
                units which will allow you to carry more.

Below the 5 status boxes are two boxes labeled X and Y.  These
give a continual readout of your current position within the
dungeon, as a navigational aid.


        THE ACTION MENU
        ---------------

By pressing the Action key or tapping on the picture of your
vehicle, you can bring up the Action menu.  It contains the
following choices:

        Attack - fire your currently armed weapon in the
                 direction you are facing.

        Inventory - bring up the inventory management screen.

        Rotate - change the facing of your vehicle; this takes
                 no game time, so you can rotate and attack an
                 enemy in the same turn.  After selecting this
                 option, press (or tap) in the direction you
                 want to turn.

        Pick Up - pick up the device you are standing on (if any).

        Options - bring up a list of game options (see below).

Note that you can cancel out of this menu (or any other menu) by
tapping outside the menu itself.


        THE OPTIONS SCREEN
        ------------------

By choosing "Options" from the Action menu, you will get the
following list of options:

        Continue game - leave the options screen

        Restart game - quit, and go back to the title screen

        Adjust colors - adjust the greyscale shades

        Set up keys - change the meanings of the keys

        Save and Quit - save your position and leave the game

        Quit - leave the game without saving


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
----------------

Many thanks to the authors of Dolphin Smalltalk
(http://www.object-arts.com), without which this project
would not have been possible.  In addition, thanks to those
who helped beta test.  Many refinements and bug fixes in
the game are due to them:

Earl R. Wilkie <ewilkie@prodigy.net>
David M. Putzolu <dputzolu@teleport.com>
Duane Hentrich <dhentric@systems.dhl.com>
J. Carter <jcarter@law.uoregon.edu>
Rick Culler <rick.culler.jr@mci2000.com>
Yeechang Lee <ylee@watsun.cc.columbia.edu>
Tim Gonsalves <westerle@earthling.net>
Julie Strietelmeier <julies@iquest.net>
Ed Garbacz <uegarbac@mcs.drexel.edu>
M. V. Inocencio <inocencio@mudtroll.com>


I hope you enjoy this game.  Please e-mail any comments or
questions to me at: ajb@tiac.net

Don't forget to register!

---
Andrew Brault
