********* Welcome to Project 64! The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8- bit computers on the part of the general population. Extensive efforts were made to preserve the contents of the original document. However, certain portions, such as diagrams, program listings, and indexes may have been either altered or sacrificed due to the limitations of plain vanilla text. Diagrams may have been eliminated where ASCII-art was not feasible. Program listings may be missing display codes where substitutions were not possible. Tables of contents and indexes may have been changed from page number references to section number references. Please accept our apologies for these limitations, alterations, and possible omissions. Document names are limited to the 8.3 file convention of DOS. The first characters of the file name are an abbreviation of the original document name. The version number of the etext follows next. After that a letter may appear to indicate the particular source of the document. Finally, the document is given a .TXT extension. The author(s) of the original document and members of Project 64 make no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this material for any purpose. This etext is provided "as-is". Please refer to the warantee of the original document, if any, that may included in this etext. No other warantees, express or implied, are made to you as to the etext or any medium it may be on. Neither the author(s) nor the members of Project 64 will assume liability for damages either from the direct or indirect use of this etext or from the distribution of or modification to this etext. ********* The Project 64 etext of the Alcazar help file. Original Windows(R) help file obtained from the Activision C64 15 Pack was supplied by Fandango. Converted by the Basic Bombardier. Some of the information in this etext is assumed to be close enough to the original hardcopy version until an orginal can be converted, which is likely to be called ALCAZ10B.TXT. ALCAZ10A.TXT, November 1996, etext #99 Due to a tracking error, this document was numbered 18 from March 1996 but has been reassigned a new document number without changing the file name. ********* Alcazar Contents General Description [ 1.0 ] How To Play [ 2.0 ] Scoring [ 3.0 ] Hints [ 4.0 ] Game History [ 5.0 ] [ 1.0 ] General Description The country is covered with castles and curios, with bridges and carpets that fly. And there's no way around it. Your destination is on the other side. What perils lurk in these mysterious castles? Which path is quick and sure? With map in hand, you'll dare across, collecting the tools you'll need. Tools to master that grandest of castles, the lure, the dream, the goal...the legendary keep, Alcazar. Unexpected. At every corner. With every step. You strain your eyes and ears. Through endless castles and countless chambers. Where is the jeweled throne? You search. But only find - what you least expect. Hundreds of years ago, massive fortified palaces were built in Spain. Built to withstand the most unbearable siege. With defenses that have become, frankly, legendary. And the grandest castle of them all was Alcazar. Said to contain the riches of a dozen rulers, folklore also whispered of fantastical demons and unimaginable peril. Today, Alcazar still stands. Overlooking a forbidden land, it lures and tempts. The forgotten Moorish stronghold, its drawbridge down and its treasure yet untouched, dares to be awakened. But first, even to reach its entrance, you will need to venture through a broad countryside of ancient castles. Each one harbors within its confines fire-breathing griffins, saber-swinging guards, bottomless shafts, and much more. Through over twenty castles with hundreds of rooms, you will be driven to call upon every ounce of strength and intellect you possess. To decipher both visual and unique audio clues. To discover valuable tools. To simply - survive. With each step you take. Look. Listen. Remember. One corner of one corridor of one castle alone may present: several doors, an annoying fly, a smudged pawprint, a flickering flame, and more. How you react to any one of those may mean the difference between recovering riches or resurrecting a rather vicious castle inhabitant. So, use your wits and all your senses. Get to know the items you'll encounter along the way. Commit them to memory. Tread softly. And expect the worst. [ 2.0 ] How to Play Basics How to Start Press F1 to start the game. If you would like to change the difficulty setting, press F3. Overview Get to know the items listed here. Commit them to memory. Tread softly. And expect the worst. Tracks. Discover paw prints and rest assured there's danger nearby. Tarantula. Very slow, but also very deadly. Exercise extreme caution when in their presence. The Ring. Can dispatch a genie or empower a carpet to fly you over a lake. It's a significant find. Water! Not the thirst-quenching variety but the kind you cast into a genie's face to do more than insult. The Revolver. Don't hesitate. All nasty beasts and guards fall prey to your trusty gun. Torches. Torches illuminate in more ways than one. Changes in color warn you to watch your step. The Rope. Quite handy when it comes to crossing a raging river with a broken-down bridge. Also can be used to silence a pesky fly. Ancient Acid. Think of it as bleach. And the best way to remove nasty oily demons from castle floors. A Persian Carpet. Some rugs are harmless. Others have a mind all their own and can whisk you to who-knows-where. The Map. Obviously you can't get where you're going unless you know where you are. Heed your map at all possible times. Oil. This oil is quite combustible. When tossed into the mouth of a fire-breathing demon, it's also quite effective. The Keys. Keys can free reinforcements but are often attached to the belts of grisly Moorish warriors. The Fly. Will obscure all audible warnings until you silence its annoying drone. The Task At Hand You are an explorer moving through a countryside of castles, en route to Alcazar. Along the way, you must gather the implements needed for a successful journey. Your goal is to enter Alcazar, find your way to its crown room and reach its fabled throne - but not while a demon is chasing you. Getting Started To select the difficulty level, press the F3 key until the level you wish to play is displayed. Level 1 - Beginner Level 2 - Intermediate Level 3 - Advanced Level 4 - Expert To begin the adventure, press F1 after selecting difficulty level. To play the same difficulty level after an adventure has ended, press F5. To play a different difficulty level after an adventure has ended, press F7. To pause the adventure at any time, press the Pause button. To resume the action, press it again. Alcazar has a built-in screen saver, which will black out the game if you press the Down cursor key. To resume playing, press the Down cursor key again. If none of the controls are activated for some time, your screen will black out. Press the End key to resume the adventure. Pathways to Adventure The first thing you'll see is a large strategy map. It displays a countryside dotted with castles connected by paths. Your explorer is represented on the map as a flashing dot. You'll enter the country on the left side and move toward Alcazar, the largest castle, on the right. Plan your route wisely. This map changes with each new game and can be referred to often. The first thing you'll do is move the white dot on the map screen into one of the castles. You will immediately see your explorer standing in the corridor of that castle. Now, you can move through the castle finding tools and fighting demons. Controls To move your explorer, move joystick left, right, forward, or back. To pick up an item, simply walk over it. If you walk over an object while your hand and pockets are full, the new object will be switched with the object in your hand. If you don't want the new object, just repeat the process. To switch things from pocket to hand, press and release the joystick button. To refer to the large map, press and hold the joystick button. (This won't work when a demon is on screen.) To throw or fire an item in your hand, press and hold the joystick button then move the joystick in the desired direction. To fire multiple shots, move the joystick repeatedly in the desired direction. Castles All castles are two stories high, except for Alcazar, which has three stories. To enter a castle, simply follow a pathway which leads into it. Upon entering, the screen displays a top-down view of the room you've just stepped into. It changes as you move from room to room. The three squares at the top left of the screen display the contents of your pockets; to their right, a fourth square displays what you are holding in your hand. The line-up at the upper right represents the number of explorers in reserve; the explorer at the extreme right of this line-up represents the one currently in use. The number at the lower left displays the number of doorways you've passed through. After you've defeated the first required demon, a small map of the castle you are in appears at screen bottom. The square on the left represents the first floor, the square on the right represents the second; the blinking blue circle shows where you are in the castle, and the rooms you've entered are shown in white. Shortcuts to Alcazar can be used only if you have certain implements: A raft is required to cross the lake; a ring is required to use either of the two flying carpets (represented by a white square to the left of a black square); a rope is required to cross either of the two broken bridges (represented by a suspension-like bridge broken in half). If you possess the required object, just touching a shortcut will set it into motion. Contents of Castles The contents of a castle are indicated by its color. Its most sought- after object (underlined below) is always guarded by that castle's major demon (also underlined). Guns, oil, water, bleach, and raw meat are scattered randomly throughout the castles. However, they will be in larger supply in the castles mentioned below. Castle Color | Contents | Demons -------------+----------------+------------------------------------- Blue | rope, guns | tigers, griffin, tarantulas, flies -------------+----------------+------------------------------------- Purple | ring, oil | oilmoebas, guard, tarantulas, flies -------------+----------------+------------------------------------- Red | raft, water | griffins, genie, tarantulas, flies -------------+----------------+------------------------------------- Black | extra explorer | guards, tiger, oilmoeba, | in dungeon | tarantulas, flies -------------+----------------+------------------------------------- Alcazar | throne in | genies, tiger, oilmoeba, griffin, | crown room | tarantulas, flies Visual and audible warnings are given when danger is nearby. Avoid a confrontation or gather the proper defense. Demons & Dangers | Warning | Defense -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- tiger | paw prints on the floor | three bullets -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- griffin | raspy breathing sound | oil or six bullets -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- oilmoeba | black slime on the floor | bleach or five bullets -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- guard | tinkling sound of keys | four bullets -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- genie | genie jar on floor | water or 6 bullets or | | ring -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- tarantula | no warning, but are slow | one bullet or the raft -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- flies | loud buzzing sound | one bullet or the rope | (obscures other audible | | warnings!) | -----------------+--------------------------+----------------------- bottomless shaft | very dark flames on wall | do not enter | torches | NOTE: Audible clues are not immediately heard while you are moving. Thus, it is advisable to stop for a moment upon entering a room, in order to hear the warning sounds as soon as possible. Another warning: Your relative health is indicated by the color of the explorer's hair. Black is healthy, light red is injured, purple is critical and red means you're close to 'extinction'. Another few bites from a demon and you've had it. Renew your strength by leaving the castle! Another defense: The raw meat scattered about is laced with tranquilizers. All demons (except flies) will be stunned for ten seconds when you toss them this handy between-meal snack. Tigers, however, will not take the raw meat while they are chasing you. Hence, you must toss it to them from an adjoining room. More about demons. All demons (except flies and tarantulas) will lie in wait until they see or hear you. Shooting a gun, bumping into a genie jar, or using your keys will attract the demons in adjacent rooms. If a demon is chasing you, try to leave a room before he enters it. Doing so will end the chase. Demons will return to a castle when you enter any other castle, but the useful objects are never restocked during a game. Dungeons, shafts, and Persian rugs. Dungeons are found in the black castle and in Alcazar. They can be entered through a hallway or a locked gate (the latter requiring a set of keys in your hand). Once inside a dungeon, rescue the explorer by touching him, and receive an extra life. Bottomless shafts are scattered throughout the castles. Falls therein are fatal. Bottomless pits are smaller and, if you're careful, you can walk around them. Persian rugs are also scattered about. Some are harmless, while others are deranged flying carpets that will whisk you (or a demon) to a random room in the same castle. Additionally, a floor-sized flying carpet lies in every castle without a dungeon or crown room. Since it covers the entire floor, all visual warnings are also covered. You can tip-toe around this carpet. Flying carpets will never drop you into a shaft but they may deposit you inside a dungeon or into a room with a demon. Difficulty Levels Level 1 - Beginner. Start with five explorers and three guns. No raw meat, small pits or rafts in castles. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards or genies. Castle floor plans appear upon destroying the first demon. Level 2 - Intermediate. Start with four explorers and two guns. No raw meat or small pits. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards or genies. Floor plans appear upon destroying the first demon. Level 3 - Advanced. Start with two explorers and one gun. All items present. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards only. Floor plans appear after destroying a guard or genie. Level 4 - Expert. Start with one explorer and one gun. All items present. Dungeon keys are obtained from guards only. Floor plans appear after destroying a genie. Fewer guns and one additional major demon are in each castle. Demons move faster at the higher difficulty levels. A Final, Important Fact You can effectively shoot or throw things into adjoining rooms. If you think a demon is in the next room, you needn't risk your life by entering it! Just fire the required defense through the door, and you will hit the demon. This works just dandy if you're using a one-piece defense. However, if you are firing a series of bullets into an adjoining room, be prepared: While you're shooting, the demon will run out, into your room. So, stand against the farthest wall and shoot quickly. Words to the Wise To succeed, you must be able to predict which rooms contain demons. The best method is to draw two floor plan maps - one for the small castles (all basically the same) and one for Alcazar. Become adept at correlating these floor plans with the warning signs you see and hear along the way. Learn how to give demons the shaft! You can stand on the farthest edge of a bottomless shaft and shoot into the adjoining room. When the demon runs out toward you, he'll fall to the depths. It's a great move when you're down to one bullet. (Unfortunately a guard will take his keys with him.) Demons can also be tricked onto flying carpets, though you won't know where they'll turn up later. Neither of these tricks works with genies, flies, or tarantulas (they'll fly up or spin a web). Plan ahead! Know where you're going and carry only what you'll need. Enter Alcazar with a bucket of water to survive the first genie and, in level 3 and 4, bring keys, too, since there are no guards in Alcazar. Use the strategy map to note where a castle's entrances/exits are. Remember that some are on the first floor and some are on the second. Joystick Move your character up, down, left, right or diagonally using the joystick. The weapons and ammunition you are carrying are shown in the yellow boxes along the top of the screen. The weapon you are currently holding is in the rightmost box. To cycle through weapons, press the joystick button. To fire (or throw) the current weapon, hold the joystick button and move the joystick in the direction you wish to fire. [ 3.0 ] Scoring To win, you must reach Alcazar's Jeweled Throne while there are no enemies following you. There are no points for "almost winning." [ 4.0 ] Hints Tom Loughry, Designer and Programmer "I like to use magic carpets to get rid of creatures. The idea is this: stand on one side of the room, across from the critter, and fire your gun to get its attention. When it comes to attack you, it walks across the carpet and - presto - no more creature!" "You can also tiptoe into the rooms with bottomless pits and do the same. The problem with this is that genies, of course, don't die in the pit, so you have to be careful. Use the location of jars as your clue for the genies." "Another use of the carpets is if you get 'blocked' - that is, if you don't have enough bullets and your path is covered with critters. You can use a magic carpet to take you back to try again. The problem is that sometimes it zaps you into a room with a genie - OOPS." [ 5.0 ] Game History Tom Loughry, Designer and Programmer "The idea [for Alcazar was to write a] puzzle game with bursts of very rapid action. You'd need to consider what your options were - and there are a lot of clues in this game. If you're careful, you can know what's in the next room even before you enter. The goal is to consider what your plan of action is and then do it in a flurry of activity. Personally, I always preferred the puzzle aspects to action in most of my games. If you were cautious, you could always solve the puzzle." "What I wanted to achieve in Alcazar was the connectivity and maze characteristics of a multiplicity of rooms, and a castle environment fit that requirement. From that start, you derive the hazards and meanies. So the environment came from the design element of a puzzle/fighting/maze game." "I often used a mix of audio and video clues in my games. It's easy to rush into things with visual clues, but with audio, you need to physically stop and listen." Another great example of this in one of Tom's games was "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for the Intellivision. That was my game. Again, it really stressed audible as well as visible cues." "In fact, the intense activity is one of the reasons I didn't do Beamrider - Dave [Rolfe] did. I can enjoy both styles - action and puzzle - but I prefer the puzzles. I also did a game called The Dreadnaught Factor, which is an action-oriented game. But when I play Dreadnaught, I prefer to plan where I want to be and what I want to accomplish on this pass before I launch into it. Then I can blaze a path with that goal in mind - either to accomplish some task or to set myself up for the next pass. The thing was that Beamrider and Dreadnaught Factor were both ready to be programmed at the same time, and Dave and I had to decide who was going to do which. I liked Dreadnaught a little more, so I did that one, and Dave liked Beamrider, so he did that one." "The best way to do game design is to do at least six designs for every game you plan on doing. Each design was individual so it wasn't like we'd just pick the elements we liked from each one and come up with the final product. Not every game you think of is a good one, so you pick the best idea to actually do. Then, when that game is done, you usually do a whole different design or crystallization, rather than just using the designs you had already done." Although one-person development teams were becoming less and less common during the time period, Tom "did the audio, the graphics - everything. Alcazar was originally meant for the Colecovision. The Colecovision had 16 K on their cartridges. When I ported it to the Commodore, I didn't add too much. I believe it ended up being about 18 K on the C64. I think the entire port took about 2 months." Tom recently completed work on PGA Tour Golf for Electronic Arts. He is currently working on a brand new game design for EA, which Tom informs us "is something like the 17th product of my career. I lost count a while back...". ********* End of the Project 64 etext of the Alcazar help file. *********