Mission: Mainframe manual
- Mission: Mainframe
- manual
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*** CONFIDENTIAL BRIEFING ***
Sometime in the recent past, a well known corporation was beset
with a frightful disaster. It seems that on a dark, stormy night
an electrical disturbance produced a tremendous power surge in the
corporation's new 30-story office complex. The damage was minor,
except in one area. The logic in the main computer, which controls
almost every aspect of the company's operation, was put in complete
disarray.
From that time on, the computer took on a rather sinister
disposition toward those who used it. First, the computer gained
control over the Computer Operator. Then, it began to influence
the other employees. Soon the corporation's normal operation came
to a halt and a cry went out for someone, anyone, to rescue them
from the grasp of the diabolical mainframe.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the
Mainframe, defeat the Operator, and return to the Lobby alive.
Copyright (C) 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 by
Jerry Plemons & Brian Shankman
Page 1
Š OBJECT OF THE MISSION
The computer mainframe is located somewhere on floor 27-30.
The Computer Operator moves it each time you begin a new mission.
Once you locate the mainframe, you must return to the Lobby alive
to inform the service technician where to find it. The malevolent
Operator guards the mainframe jealously. You must overcome him in
order to get to the mainframe. The Operator is powerful and resist
your attempts, but he can be overcome by your resourcefulness.
Before you can go up to floor 27-30, you must get past the
employees guarding the elevator on floors 10 and 20. To go beyond
floor 10, you will need PASS KEY which can be found on one of the
floors 7-10. You will have to convince the person in charge of the
PASS KEY that you really need one!
To get beyond floor 20, you will need a SECURITY CLEARANCE.
This can be found on one of the floors 17-20, again, guarded by
some trusted employee. Once you have a SECURITY CLEARANCE, you can
proceed to any floor in the building.
CREATING YOUR IDENTITY:
Once you begin your mission, you will need to create a
character. The instructions for your character identity are in the
Mission Program. You begin by choosing a name for your character
of eight (8) letters or less. Then you may choose one of the four
(4) character types. Each type has slightly different attributes.
COMMANDO: Has more strength and stamina.
SECRET AGENT: Has high intelligence and wisdom.
DETECTIVE: Has higher dexterity.
PRIVATE EYE: Has greater stamina and personality.
As your character gains experience, his/her statistics will
also increase. As in character type selection, the increase is
determined by the basic attributes of the character.
After selecting a character type, you may select a level of
playing difficulty:
1. Beginner's Level
2. Takes some Thinking
3. Somewhat Difficult
4. Professional Player
The level of play determines how much information is displayed
in the floor plan during your travels in the building. The higher
levels of difficulty present less information.
Page 2
Š Once you have selected a playing level, the Mission Program
will generate a set of statistics for each major attribute. The
display will look like this:
Strength: 20
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 21
Stamina: 15
Dexterity: 17
Personality: 15
Type Y to accept or RETURN to roll again:
If you are not satisfied with the statistics generated, you may
continue pressing RETURN for another set until you get a set you
like. Then, type Y to accept.
After your character is created, you will be taken to the
Mission Display and Lobby. The screen will look like this:
BRIAN the DETECTIVE Grade: 1 (Age: 18) Version 3.2 Difficulty 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Strength: 20 | | Floor 0
Intelligence: 18 | | Account: 50000
Wisdom: 21 | | Junk Food: 1
Stamina: 15 | >>> LOBBY <<< | Offense: 0
Dexterity: 17 | | Defense: 0
Personality: 15 | | Chips: 0
Power Level: 100 | | Bytes: 0
Plans: 1/1 | | Exp to go: 2000
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Vending Machines 4. Health Club
2. The Library 5. Power & Plans
3. Office Supplies 6. Elevator
Option:
-----STRATEGIES------------------*--------------------SUPPLIES-----
The Mission Display keeps a continuously updated record of your
character's attributes and other vital statistics. The Stats which
most affect your survivability are on the left. As you deal with
various employees throughout the mission, your grade will go up.
Your stats will also increase based on your character type.
However, there is a limit of 999 for any one statistic.
The statistics on the right side of the screen display some
additional important information. When the computer took over, the
conventional monetary system was replaced. Purchases now require
Chips and Bytes rather than dollars and cents. Bytes in Account,
indicate the amount you have to spend on Junk Food, Strategies, and
Office Supplies.
Page 3
Š Offense and defense are added to the display when you purchase
supplies in the Office Supply Store or find them during your walks
through the building. Offense and defense assist you in dealing
with reluctant employees you encounter.
As you walk through the building, you will find Chips and
Bytes. When you return to the Lobby, these will be automatically
deposited to your Bytes in Account.
When you begin your mission, you already have some experience
in dealing with difficult matters. The "Experience to go:" display
(2000) is reduced by a certain amount each time you successfully
deal with an employee. When this value reaches zero (0), you will
advance one Grade and the "Experience to go:" is re-calculated for
the next Grade Level.
You may save your character and stats on disk so you can play
at a later time by pressing the ESC key while in the Lobby. You
can only save your character and stats from the Lobby.
LOBBY & STORES:
1. Vending Machines 4. Health Club
2. The Library 5. Power & Plans
3. Office Supplies 6. Elevator
Option:
The stores are invaluable resources to you. You will need to
use them frequently. The employees no longer come to the lobby, so
you need not worry about your safety there. These stores provide
the following:
Vending Machines: Junk Food can be purchased here. You need to
have at least one unit on hand while exploring
the building, or you will starve to death.
The Library: The Library provides a wealth of Strategies to
assist you in encounters with the building's
occupants. Of course, there is a small charge
for these.
Office Supplies: Office Supplies add to your Offense and Defense
in dealing with employees you meet. You may buy
some items in the store; however, you will find
many more valuable items on the upper floors.
You may elect to sell some of these items at the
store. Also, the store manager will tell you
what each item's offense and defense is. Pricing
will vary depending on your Personality.
Health Club: Working out in the Health Club will allow you
to increase your stats. The club is not cheap
and the higher your stat is, the more difficult
it is to raise.
Page 4
Š Power & Plans: You can renew your Power Level and Plans here
if you have not done so in the building. You
should keep your Power Level at 100%. Plans are
needed to use the Strategies you buy in the
Library.
ELEVATOR:
The Elevator allows you to leave the Lobby and enter the
Building's upper floors. When you select Elevator, you will be
asked FLOOR PLEASE? Type the number of the floor you want and
press RETURN. The Elevator will take you to that floor provided
you have the proper clearance. When you arrive at your
destination, the center of the Mission Display will change to:
Location ^ 5,5
* ELEVATOR *
Option:
There are 64 rooms on each floor of the building. The room at
the far northwest (upper left) is room 1,1. The southwest corner
is 8,1. The northeast corner is 1,8 and the southeast corner is
8,8. On each floor the Elevator is at 5,5. When you want to
change floors or return to the lobby, go to Location 5,5 and type
the + key to call the elevator. Enter a floor number or L for Lobby
and press RETURN.
When you reach a floor (other than the Lobby), you may continue
in the direction indicated (Location ^) or change direction by
pressing the appropriate CURSOR key. You will advance one room
(step) at a time in the new direction. If you walk too far, you
will bump into a wall. Each bump slightly lowers your Power Level.
ENCOUNTERS:
You will encounter many hazards in your search for the
mainframe. The computer has complete reign over the building's
environmental control system. Each room has vents for this purpose
and it is possible to be sucked into the ventilation system, placed
on another floor, and suffer some loss of Power Level.
During your walk, you may also find unguarded file cabinets
which contain Chips and Bytes. They may also contain valuable
office supplies or beverages. Beware! Some of these file cabinets
are trapped and require high dexterity to open them safely. When
you encounter a file, the Display will show:
You found a File!
1. Break it open
2. Disarm & open
3. Inspect it
4. Leave it
Option:
Page 5
Š You found a File!
1. Break it open
2. Disarm & open
3. Inspect it
4. Leave it
Option:
You may sustain damage or even die from trapped files. If
you "inspect" the file and the report is Looks Safe, then you may
open the file safely. When you Disarm & Open a trapped file, you
may get less Chips & Bytes than you would by breaking it open. But
breaking it open causes more damage to your power level. Files are
also more dangerous on higher floors, but those files can contain
more Chips & Bytes.
Some of the file cabinets are guarded by employees. You will
have to convince these folks that you need the file's contents more
than they do to get the treasures!
BEVERAGES:
While walking through a room, you may see this display:
You found a beverage!
1. Drink it
2. Leave it
3. Sip it
Option:
If you Sip it, you use one (1) Junk Food unit. If the beverage
Tastes Delicious, it may add to one of your stats. It may also make
you Drunk! You'll have to walk it off or sober up using your Junk
Food by R(enewing). When Drunk, you'll have difficulty going in the
direction you want. If it Tastes Terrible, it will lower a stat if
you drink it. Sometimes Sip tells you that the value of the bever-
age is UNKNOWN. Poison Juice will kill you if you drink it, and
lower your Power Level if you Sip it.
ITEMS:
You may also see this display:
You found an item!
1. Take it
2. Leave it
Option:
These items are Office Supplies which may add to or subtract
from your Offense and Defense. There are 36 items. Most are good
items and will add to your Offense and Defense. A few are bad. If
you have the Analyze strategy and sufficient Wisdom you can analyze
the item before picking it up to determine if it is good or bad. If
you are already carrying 6 items, you must drop one to take
another. You cannot drop a bad item. You must return to the
Office Supply Store in the Lobby and pay the owner to take it from
you.
Page 6
Š EMPLOYEES:
Sometimes (all too often) you will encounter one or more
employees guarding a file cabinet or just fending for themselves.
You have several options at your command. Typing a question
mark (?) when you encounter an employee will display:
D(eal), B(attle), S(trategy), T(rick), E(vade), P(hone)
D = Deal. Make a deal with the employee. You can barter Bytes,
Junk Food, or Office Supplies.
B = Battle. You get 10 rounds of fighting unless the employee
hits you. Then it stops and waits for your next option.
S = Strategy. This option allows you to use one of the Strategies
you bought in the Library.
T = Trick. You may attempt to trick the employee. Trick depends
on your intelligence and the employee's intelligence.
E = Evade. If you have greater dexterity than the employee, you
may be able to evade them. Of course you do not get any Chips
or Bytes, or items they may be guarding. If you return to that
room, an employee will still be there. Its easier to evade
when the lights are out.
P = Phone. You can try the phone to distract the employee. Since
it is a pay phone you must have some Bytes to make the call.
There are 24 different types of employees. You will discover
the best way to deal with each type as you explore the building.
The more difficult employees appear only on the upper floors of the
building.
A few employees have the following added characteristics:
CURSING - can lower any stat or increase your age.
MANGLING - can destroy an Office Supply.
SCROZZLING - can destroy any of your Strategies.
TELEPORTING - can transfer you to another location.
STEALING - can steal some of your chips & bytes.
Even though some employees can do these things, they can still
be dealt with using the normal encounter resources or by one of the
Strategies.
Page 7
Š STRATEGIES:
A Strategy will usually take care of the employee on the first
or second try if you have chosen the correct Strategy for that
employee and your stats enable you to use it. Each Strategy has
some probability of failure, depending on the strategy and certain
other traits. Incidentally, these Strategies are rather worn and
may disintegrate in your hands during use if your dexterity is not
high enough.
You must own a Strategy to use it. These are available at the
Library. They will cost you something, depending on your Person-
ality, so its a good idea to build up your bank account to get the
more powerful Strategies. When you encounter an employee and want
to use a Strategy, type S at the option. Typing a question mark (?)
will display:
A(nalyze), B(luff), C(onfuse), D(ecoy), F(latter), H(ypnotize)
Simply type the first letter of the Strategy you want to use.
There are six Strategies you can use. The more expensive the
Strategy is, the more effective it will be (if your stats permit).
Some of the cheaper strategies will not work at all on certain
employees. There is one exception. The A(nalyze) Strategy will work
on all employees, but you must have high Wisdom to use it. The
A(nalyze) Strategy informs you of the employees capabilities:
LEV: 5 DEX: 25 STR: 45 INT: 32 EXPER: 1000
This tells you the Level (how tough they are), Dexterity (how
quick they are), Strength (another measure of difficulty), Intel-
ligence (how hard they will be to trick), and EXPER (the amount
your "Experience to go:" will be reduced).
Strategies use up your plans. A(nalyze) takes 1, B(luff) takes
2, and so on up to 6 for H(ypnotize). You may renew your Plans by
typing R(enew) at any location except an encounter or in the Lobby.
When you R(enew) at a non-encounter location, you will see:
1. Renew Power
2. Renew Plans
3. Renew Both to Maximum
Option:
Selecting 1 will display the number of Power units you can
renew. Selecting 2 will display the number of Plans you can renew.
Selecting 3 automatically renews both power and plans to their max-
imum values. If you are drunk, a fourth option, "Sober Up (takes x
food)" appears. Be careful not to use up all your food! Power and
Plans are renewed with Junk Food while in the building and with
Bytes from your Account when in the Lobby.
Page 8
Š LIGHTS OUT:
Perodically, the lights will go out and you will not be able to
see at all. You must light a match to see your way to the Elevator
and go to the Lobby or the Fuse Box (designated by an "F" in
Difficulty 1). At the Fuse Box, pressing "F" will turn the lights
back on. Matches are obtained from some employees you overcome. Few
employees carry matches nowdays.
-*-*- Tips for Mission Success -*-*-
Start your mission on the lower floors until your character's
stats increase. Don't go to a floor number much larger than your
Grade until your stats allow you to do so safely.
Always keep your Junk Food at a maximum, as it is useful in
renewing Power and Plans in the Building. Be careful not to use it
all, or you will starve to death. Each step you take consumes a
small amount of Junk Food.
When making a "Deal" with an employee, remember that the max-
imum amount needed for success is the difference between the
employee's intelligence and your personality times 1000 bytes. Food
is worth 200 bytes each when dealing, and most office supplies can
be dealt successfully, except bad items.
The PASS KEY, SECURITY CLEARANCE, and MAINFRAME are all placed
on specific floors and in specific rooms when your character is
created. They will remain in place until you find them. If you
decide not to pick one up when you find it, it will be ramdomly
placed elsewhere in the building.
If you E(vade) to avoid an employee, you might stay alive, but
that might be the employee with the PASS KEY or SECURITY CLEARANCE.
If a T(rick), E(vade), or P(hone) does not work on the first
try against an employee, you can try again. Sometimes it takes
several attempts.
-*- COMMAND SUMMARY -*-
Commands available in the Lobby:
Type a number (1-6), R(eplot), F1(sound) or ESC for the Index
Commands available in the Building (floors 1-30):
Cursor Keys, R(enew), F(use), F1(sound), M(atch)
Commands available at the Elevator:
+ Key then: L for Lobby or floor number.
Cursor Keys, R(enew), F(use) F1(sound), M(atch)
Commands available at an encounter:
D(eal), B(attle), S(trategy), T(rick), E(vade), P(hone)
Commands to use a Strategy: S for Strategy then:
A(nalyze), B(luff), C(onfuse), D(ecoy), F(latter), H(ypnotize)
Page 9
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