Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation manual
Welcome to Vampyr: The Talisman of Invocation, an adventure
game set in the world of Quilinor. Here, the monsters are very
nasty, the merchants very stingy, and the citizens are just a bit
crazy. You, as an adventurer, must travel throughout this world
to save all these creatures from a certain destruction. It might
appear to be a typical task on the surface, but be assured, it's
not an easy one.
Requirements: EGA video adapter w/ 256K & 640X200X16 res.
At least 256K of system memory
12 mhz for optimum preformance (optional)
LISENSE
By using this product, you are accepting a number of licensing
terms.
1) No one may modify Vampyr: The Talisman of Invocation for any
reason, in any way, including but not limited to decompiling,
recompiling, patching, and disassembling.
2) Vampyr: The Talisman of Invocation must be copied in unmodified
form and distributed with all of its files together.
3) No copying fee of any type may be charged other than basic
fees for the cost of the copying medium.
4) The authors of Vampyr: The Talisman of Invocation are not
liable for any damages to hardware or software with the use
of this program.
INSTALLATION
360K floppy: Copy the files from ZIP files 1 and 2 to two
different disks and you are all set.
720K+ floppy: Copy the files from both ZIP files to one single
disk and run from there.
Hard disk: Copy the files from both ZIP files to a subdirectory
on your hard drive and run from there.
GETTING STARTED
To start the game, run VAMPYR.EXE. There are two parameters
that can be used on the command line:
S -- No sound.
Q -- Skip the opening screen entirely and go straight to the
game.
For example, type "vampyr s q" at the DOS prompt to start Vampyr
right away and without sound.
QUICK REFERENCE
MAIN COMMANDS
(A)ttack --- Attack a living creature.
(C)limb --- Climb city walls or fences.
(E)nter --- Enter a structure.
(G)et --- Get chest.
(I)nspect --- Inspect weapons and armors.
(K)limb --- Climb up or down staircases.
(L)ook --- Look at a living creature or signs.
(M)agic --- Cast miscellaneous magic spells.
(O)ld Game --- Reload the old saved game.
(P)ick --- Pick pockets.
(Q)uit --- Quit the game.
(R)est --- Make camp and rest.
(S)ave --- Save the game.
(T)alk --- Talk to a living creature.
(U)nlock --- Pick locks.
(Z)tats --- (1) Look at player's stats and equipments.
(2) Swap or drop equipments.
Cursor Keys --- Move the player around.
RETURN --- Pass a turn.
Ctrl-C --- Clear the text window.
Ctrl-P --- Turn on/off perception check.
Ctrl-S --- Turn on/off sound.
COMBAT COMMANDS
(C)ast --- Cast offensive/defensive magic spells.
(F)ire --- Fire a missile weapon.
(S)wap --- Swap weapons.
Cursor Keys --- Move/attack.
RETURN --- Pass a turn.
Ctrl-C --- Clear the text window.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The programmers of Vampyr, Victor Shao and Brian Weston, are
your everyday typical high school seniors from West Springfield
High School in the lovely state of Virginia. Well, perhaps not
all that typical. Brian is a night-owl who goes to sleep at 5 in
the morning and wakes up at 2 in the afternoon. Victor, on the
other hand, gets straight A's, goes to math team meets, and is a
computer fanatic who knows his PC inside-out. However, they do
have one thing in common: they hate programming. Nevertheless,
they utilized their ingenuity and wrote Vampyr together. It took
them and a couple of other helpers exactly two months to finish
this project. When it was all done, they both went to sleep for
8 hours to celebrate.
MISC. STUFF
Vampyr: The Talisman of Invocation is distributed as public
domain software, meaning that the authors do not expect anything
in return. We did it mainly because we wanted to prove to
ourselves that we are capable of doing some bigtime programming
if we put our minds to it. However, please consider the fact
that we worked on this project day and night throughout the entire
summer of 1989 to get it finished. It has been extremely hellish
for both of us. You would not believe how long it took us to debug
some of the bugs. And then there is college. We are both pressed
for money to finance our higher educations. Well, I suppose that
brings me to my point, which I'm sure you've guessed already. We
would really, and I mean REALLY, appreciate it if all you nice
people out there who find this program entertaining would send us
a little contribution. It would tell us that our programming was
appreciated and well worth the sleepless nights. It would also
help us defeat the rising cost of college tuitions. Please send
us whatever you can to the following addresses:
Victor H. Shao Brian J. Weston
8902 Spur Rd., 6941 Cottontail Ct.,
Springfield, VA 22153 Springfield, VA 22153
Remember, whatever you send to one person, you should also send
to the other. We worked on this together, and we deserve an
equal share of the booty.
With a contribution of $10 ($5 for each) or more, you will receive
the complete document of this game. A contribution of $20 ($10 each)
will bring you the complete document AND the hint book. Wow! What a
bargain!
Also, if you have any comments or you've discovered a bug, please
write to us and tell us about them. Who knows... if we receive
enough support and, ahem, money, we might even make Vampyr II!
CREDITS
Programmers : Brian Weston, Victor Shao
World Creation : Alex Moffett
Basic Game Design : Erik Naylor
Graphic Artist : Brian Weston
Music and Sound : Victor Shao
Documentation : Victor Shao
Document Illustrations : Matt Sickle
Beta-testing : Dana Krupa
Special thanks to everyone who has given Victor and Brian ideas,
help, and support for the game. Couldn't have done it without
ya!
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