The Quest for the Time-bird manual
THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD I - INTRODUCTION Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this computer game THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD is a marvellous saga whose principal ingredients are action, danger, suspense, fantasy and magic. In an unknown world, at a time when wizards and witches cast their magic spells, you play a series of roles: ROXANNA: Daughter of Mara the Witch(and perhaps of Bragon the Knight). Her mother has given her the task of completing the quest. Her weapon is a scorching whip, woven from the hide of s Borak slain by Bragon. BRAGON THE KNIGHT: This most valorous and experienced of all knights has been living quitly on his eastate for many years. Only the arrival of Roxanna and an interest in the Quest can persuade him to return to a life of danger and mortal combat. With him goes his trusty war-axe, the Reaper. Roxanna and Bragon will become acquainted with Bulrog and the Unknown knight. They may very well accompany you if you wish it. In the farm-house, Mara explains your task to you. Listen well, For each detail has its importance. 9 days remain for you to complete the Quest. II - THE GAME SYSTEM The Quest For Time-Bird is played (using the mouse) by clicking on pictures, texts and icons. Conventions: - The cursor is a small symbol on the screen. You move it round the screen by moving your mouse. - Clicking means placing the cursor on the picture, text or icon of your choice and pressing the left button of your mouse. Pressing the right button you get some information. In THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD, the cursor can have different aspects: - most of the time, the cursor ir represented by Roxanna's FURRY (little animal with long tail); - sometimes the cursor transforms itself into 4 arrows. This means that by clicking on this spot you accede to another picture; - finally, in order to confirm certain actions (that you get with the icons), the cursor will take the shape of the corresponding icon. III - THE MAP OF THE WORLD OF AKBAR Use this map to choose the area (the Land or Kingdom) where you wish to send the group of characters. Each time you leave a Land, you will be invited to choose a new destination. Place the cursor so that the Narrator's stick points to the desired Land. Click once (left mouse button), and the group sets off. Every territory crossed is announced in the window on top of the map. Then proceed the same way again to arrive to the city symbolized by a white circle. To enter the city move your group and the stick ontp the white circle then press the left mouse button. You can only accede to territories whose name figure on the map (In the program the names are in English). NO MAN'S LAND When the group moves from one place to another, it crosses territories (no man's land) where it may meet other living beings you can comunicate with. To act, click with the left mouse button on the hero of your choice. The hero goes towards the character. Then the action icons (see explanation below) will be at your disposal. Choose an action, then click on the character. Whilst meeting a character you're not able to return to the Narrator mode. IV - THE LANDS 1. Screen Description Each Land is a territory that may be explored by the group during the Quest. On the screen, you will see a large background picture. Smaller pictures, icons and texts will be superimposed on this background. If only the background picture appears, your group is symbolized by a circle. Click on the left mouse button on the place, where you want your heroes to go. The Background Picture In this picture, you will sometimes see people or animals that you can communicate with or act upon in other ways. You can search through the picture to discover a certain number of objects. To do this, position the cursor on the spot you want to search through and press the left mouse button. If an object appears, it will join the other objects that you possess already. Illustrations These vignettes are superimposed on the background whenever an event takes place. These illustrations can represent one or several people and animals that you can talk to or otherwise act upon. You can seach the illustration for objects. Texts You will often see a text window, Its function is to tell you what's happening and ask you what you'd like to do next (background colour blue). To answer, you must choose one of the sentences which will turn white when the cursor is positioned on them. From time to time, a character from the story will speak. His or her head will appear in the text window (background colour orange). The Group To make the "group" window appear, press the right mouse button. Use this window to select one of the characters present. When the group is complete, you'llsee the four characters in this window. If one of the characters doesn't appear in the window, that means he or she has gone, or is dead. The Icons They symbolize the different actions you may choose. "THE LIPS".........................speak "THE FIST".........................attack "THE DISK".........................load/save the current game "THE HEART"........................charm "THE DINNER".......................food Information Window To get information about individualsin the group, this is what you do: - move the cursor onto the character in the group window - then click the right mouse button. An information window will be displayed, telling you about the character. If the group has collected a number of objects during its travels, those objects will also appear in the information window. Their names will appear when you place the cursor on them. 2.ACTIONS Movements Of The Group In A Territory When you have arrived in a territory, you can indicate to the group where to go to (in the background picture). Just move the FURRY cursor and click on the destination spot. SPEAK - CHARM - ATTACK Here is the way to use these three actions: - click on the character who is to act (in the Group window or in a illustration) - click on the action icon of your choice - click on the character you wish to act upon, in the background picture or in an illustration. FOOD - click on the character who is going to act (in Group window or in an illustration) - click on the FEED icon. - The Information window will display; click on the desired food. Give An Object - place the cursor on a character (in the Group window or in an illustration) - click the left mouse button - click on the object in the Information window - click on the character who is to receive the object, in the background picture or in an illustration. 3.SAVING YOUR GAME AND LOADING AN OLD GAME You don't have to start at the beginning of the adventure every time you want to play THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD. You can save a game you've started and load that same game next time you play, so you can pick up from where you left off. Saving the current game: - make sure you've got a clean formatted disk, which we'll call the "save disk" - click on the "disk" icon - follow screen instructions. Loading a saved game: - have your "save disk" handy - click on the "disk" icon - follow screen instructions. HOW TO SUCCEED IN THE QUEST It is not an uncommon sight to find adventuregame players sat in front of their screen hopelessly stuck! But why? Several factors contribute tothis unhappy state of affairs. Sometimes the situation requires a weird if not downright illogical solution, others must be played by typing in orders, and most of them feature a bewildering array of icons. The end result is that many players give up and grab their joysticks for a quick "Blast'em out" action game, just to work off some of the frustration! INFOGRAMES has designed this Quest for all those people who want to PLAY. Whether you are new to adventure-gaming or a hardened veteran, this game was made specially for you. You'll find it adapts perfectly to your style of play. If you like a "friendly" level of difficulty, no problem. Looking for a tough challenge? You got it! You choose and ENJOY. THE BEGINNER: You can wander from one module to another, admiring he beatiful scenery, soaking up the atmosphere and getting to know the characters. Take time to try out the various options. You'll soon notice the differences between the Marches (lands) of the world of AKBAR. Gradually, as time passes (and we wish you many hours of enchantment in the Quest), you'll gather the elements MARA needs for her incantation. Our advice to beginners is to avoid going direcly to the GAPING LANDS or the SAND LIPS. The THOUSAND GREENS is a good place to start. THE EXPERIENCED PLAYER: Anywhere is a good place to begin. You will soon discover that while the game's heroes can do the same things, it's advisable to choose the most appropriate character for a given situation. For Example: THE UNKNOWN KNIGHT isn't the best choice when it comes to battling mighty enemies annd fearsome monsters! BRAGON shouldn't be expected to take care of every danger; losing him recklessly could complicate matters considerably! ROXANNA should be kept clear of utterly desperate situations, otherwise her mother MARA will react strongly. Having mastered the most judicious use of your heroes, you will begin to gather the various elements required by MARA. However there is one more obstacle facing you: TIME. Remember, 9 days is all you have to succeed in your Quest. THE EXPERT: Don't forget that time is limited. How fast can you finish the Quest? Why not try playing with just three heroes, then two? Can one hero manage the Quest alone? Each player will discover that many solutions are possible. Remember that playing a second time with exactly the same set of actions won't necessarily lead to success! AKBAR is a living world where the same actions don't always have the same results. You'll find out! *** END OF MANUAL ***
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