alphaman-src/ALPHAMAN.FAQ.txt

AlphaMan FAQ                                        updated:  August 1995
Most recent version: 1.1

Please direct all questions and suggestions to Jeff Olson:  
Jeffrey Olson
214 E. Sherwin Dr.
Urbana, IL  61801  USA
76473.225@compuserve.com.


RELEASE INFORMATION  ------------------------------------------------------
February 1995   AlphaMan 1.0 released.  Shareware by Jeff Olson.
March 1995      AlphaMan 1.01 released.
  Improvements:  Made food somewhat more plentiful.  Added a "fast fight" 
  mode to bypass spacebar presses during combat.  Added an Easy and a 
  Moderately Easy level of difficulty to assist beginners.  Fixed an 
  annoying quirk of superglue traps.
April 1995      AlphaMan 1.02 released.
  Improvements:  Fixed bug that could crash game when character's hunger
  went from "Very Hungry" to "Famished".  Made Invisibility, Quills and
  Heightened Endurance somewhat more powerful to balance them out.
May 1995        AlphaMan 1.03 released.
  Improvements:  Fixed saved filename convention to properly handle odd
  characters such as ? and + in character's name.
June 1995       AlphaMan 1.1 released.
  Improvements:  Game now remembers recent castle and lair levels, so
  remapping is no longer necessary.  For example, most dropped items will
  still be there when character returns to a place already visited.
  Now separate "Halls of the Dead" for the different difficulty level. 
  Now an experience bonus at the end of the game for each "subquest"
  successfully completed, an additional bonus if the game was won, and a
  further bonus if it was won in a short amount of time.
  The Main Map key (F5) now shows regions where you've visited (useful for
  looking for Monoliths).
  Several new devices have been added.
  ** There is a known bug with version 1.1:  if you teleport out of a castle
     and then re-enter it without first entering a different castle, peculiar
     things may happen when you go up/down stairs.  This is related to the
     castle level saving.  It should never crash your computer, however.


WHAT IS ALPHAMAN?  --------------------------------------------------------
   AlphaMan (Copyright (c) 1995 Jeffrey R. Olson) is an adventure game set
on Earth in the future, following a nuclear disaster.  You will take the role
of a mutated human who is struggling to save the planet from annihilation.
You will be pitted against hideously mutated plants and animals, traps and
snares of all sorts, and several varied adversaries whom you will have to
defeat in order to complete your mission.  At your disposal are a broad
variety of technological relics and mutated substances which you will acquire
along the way, as well as your own powers and guile.  AlphaMan has occasional
humorous twists, and uses colorful text-based graphics in the spirit of Rogue
or NetHack.  Requires 640K, color.  AlphaMan is loosely based on Gamma World
by James Ward of TSR Hobbies.


WHERE CAN ALPHAMAN BE FOUND?  ---------------------------------------------
   The current release of AlphaMan (currently 1.1) can be found via FTP at 
ftp.win.tue.nl         in  /pub/games/alphaman.  
   The most recent major update (currently 1.1) can likely be found at
ftp.dungeon.com        in  /pub/msdos/games/Misc,
ftp.indirect.com       in  /pub/software/games,
ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de  in  /.4.1/vol4/ms-dos/games/roleplay,
ftp.funet.fi           in  /pub/msdos/games/rpg.


WHAT DO THE CHARACTER STATS MEAN?  ----------------------------------------
   Your character will have six basic personal attributes:  Strength
(physical power), Dexterity (agility and quickness), Constitution (fortitude
and health), Radiation Resistance (susceptibility to radiation), Mental
Resistance (susceptibility to mental attacks) and Intelligence (learning
ability).  These characteristics generally are in the range 3-18 (higher is
"better"), but some mutations, devices, etc. can raise or lower these.  Your
characteristics may increase with time as you gain experience as well.
   There is no limit to how high your stats can go.  I have had characters
finish the game with a Strength of 38, a Dexterity of 36, and no stat below
18.  I've also finished the game (and won) with a Dexterity of -1.
   Your character also has Hit Points.  These reveal to how much damage you
can sustain before dying.  You lose hit points as you are damaged by attacks
from creatures, falling into pits, etc.  You heal hit points back over time,
and some devices and substances will heal you faster.  In addition, you will
gain more hit points as you become a more experienced adventurer.


HOW DO THE MUTATIONS WORK?  -----------------------------------------------
   A character has a physical and a mental mutation.  The following is a
list of all mutations currently implemented, and a brief overview of their
usefulness.  A more detailed description is given in the spoiler file
alphaman.spl

Physical mutations:
Electrical Generation:  usable every few rounds, this attack causes
   electrical damage to any creature touching you during the round used.
   The damage done is significant, but not all creatures need to touch you
   to hurt you!
Heightened Dexterity:  this mutation raises your dexterity to 19-23,
   subject to reduction by encumbrance in the usual way.
Heightened Strength:  this mutation raises your strength to 19-23,
  subject to reduction by fatigue in the usual way.
Heightened Vision:  allows you to see long distances, to see invisible
   creatures, to search more effectively, and to hit more often in combat.
Tough Exoskeleton:  lowers your armor class, making you harder to hit in
   combat and reducing your damage sustained.  It encumbers you slightly.
Sonic Attack:  usable every 12 rounds, this does burning damage to
   all nearby creatures not protected from heat.
Blood Structure Change:  raises your constitution to 19-23, making you
   more robust and giving you more hit points and poison resistance.
Reflective Skin:  raises your radiation resistance to 19-23, and makes you
   more resistant to lasers and heat.  You take only 1/2 damage from laser
   attacks, and 2/3 damage from heat attacks.
Laser Generation:  usable every 13 rounds, this attack does laser damage
   to a selected target if it successfully hits.  It does substantial damage.
Heightened Endurance:  you tire much less easily and regain lost hit points
   more rapidly, and you can sustain a much longer duration underwater.  You
   cas also carry twice the weight before becoming encumbered.
Foul Musk:  usable every 14 rounds, you cause nearby creatures to
   get sick and flee for a variable duration of time.
Acidic Saliva:  usable every 8 rounds, this attack causes acid damage to a
   selected target if you successfully hit.  It is easier to hit at close
   range.  This does appreciable damage.
Poison Claws:  you cause poison damage to a selected target if a successful
   hit is scored.  You can inject poison every 5 rounds.
Heightened Speed:  usable about every 30 rounds, you can double your speed
   for 10-20 rounds, allowing you extra attacks or movement.  This mutation
   may be too powerful in its present form!
Radiation Generation:  usable every 15 rounds, you can generate a beam of
   radiation capable of damaging creatures in line with a selected target.
Quills:  these provide protection by causing damage to any creature touching
   you.  You can also shoot them at an opponent every few rounds.
Tenticles:  you can entwine a selected target and cause constriction damage
  every round.  While constricting, you are able to do other things.  If you
  move, you will release your tenticles.

Mental mutations:
Military Genius:  you are a natural soldier, hitting more often and
   doing more damage than normal mutants.
Scientific Genius:  your intelligence is raised to 19-23, and you can
   construct new tech devices with parts and energy salvaged by dismanteling
   old ones.  You can only make devices which you have seen before and figured
   out, and often must try several times before you figure out how to make the 
   desired device.
Heightened Willpower:  your mental resistance is raised to 19-23, and you
   are able to temporarily raise all your stats and your hit points.
Mental Blast:  usable every 12 rounds, you can attempt to overload the
   mental synapses of a selected opponent to do damage.  This attack does
   substantial damage, but some of the more dangerous critters (for example, 
   most of the molds and funguses) resist mental attacks.
Teleportation:  you can mentally transport yourself short or long distances.
   You must be rested to teleport, and it can only be used infrequently.
Mental Healing:  you can heal yourself at a rate of 3 hit points / round.
   You must sit motionless to do this, however, and it is tiring.  It is
   nice to be able to enter unfamiliar situations with maximum hits, though.
Force Field:  while activated, you take reduced damage (typically
   2/3 normal) from all attacks.  It is tiring to use, however.
Molecular Disruption:  usable every 12 rounds, this mental assault can
   totally destroy creatures or other objects at which it is targeted.
   Useful for going through walls.
Life Leech:  you can steal hit points from nearby monsters and add
   them to your own.  This is usable every 4 rounds.
Invisibility:  you can mentally bend light rays around you, which makes you
   difficult to see and less susceptible to lasers.  Lasts about 12 rounds.
   You are also less susceptible to blindness attacks.
Cryogenics:  you can mentally freeze an opponent, doing progressively
   more damage as the opponent freezes. It is usable every 3 rounds.
   Damage increases exponentially, doing 1d6, 2d6, 4d6, 8d6 etc. on
   progressive "hits", so it is extremely useful against powerful opponents.
Hypnosis:  you can put opponents to sleep by a sheer force of will.  This
   ability is usable every 3 rounds.
Psychokinesis:  you are able to disrupt matter to create grenade-like
   explosions.  This ability is tiring, and can only be used every 15 rounds.


WHAT USE ARE TECH DEVICES?  -----------------------------------------------
  As a character progress, (s)he will accumulate technological relics which
can be extremely useful.  AlphaMan includes over 125 different devices,
including tech weapons like the Laser Pistol, Flamethrower, etc., various
grenades, vehicles like the Hovercraft or Golf Cart, protective suits like
the Radiation Suit or the Bulletproof Vest, and a myriad of miscellaneous
gadgets.
   Many devices one can find are truly useless, such as the Toaster or
Leafblower.  Some have more subtle uses.  A Microwave Oven, for example,
can prematurely ripen berries (see below).  A Home Movie Projector will
put critters to sleep.  Some devices can be dangerous to use, like the
Porta-Potty or the Kevorkian Machine.  Some devices are of obvious use, such
as the Medkit, which will restore lost hit points and remove the detrimental
effects of poison.  One particularly useful device is the Microcomputer (or
the Computer Workstation) which can be used to reveal a variety of
information about weapons, berries, devices, creatures, etc.
  A section describing the usefulness of each tech device is included in the
spoiler file alphaman.spl


WHAT USE ARE BERRIES?  ----------------------------------------------------
  Mutated berries provide a variety of effects, and can be eaten or thrown
depending on the type of berry.  AlphaMan includes over 30 different types of
berries which do things like turn you invisible if eaten, heal lost hit
points, explode, etc.  What a particular berry will do is generally not known
until that particular type of berry has been eaten (or a Chemical Analyzer
has been used on it), so some dangerous eating experimentation must generally
be done.  Some berries, if thrown at other creatures, will reveal their
nature that way (you may, for example, toughen the skin of the creature or
turn it invisible).
  You can occasionally find nectar or extract as well (or make it from a
berry using a Still);  these are more potent versions of berries.  The
usefulness of each berry is described in the spoiler file alphaman.spl.


WHICH WEAPONS/ARMOR ARE BEST?  --------------------------------------------
See the spoiler file alphaman.spl for the complete details of the base damage
and to hit bonus for each weapon, armor and shield.  The following is a list,
in increasing order of quality, of all weapons, armor and shields.

Dagger               Shuriken           Heavy Fur              Small Wooden
Club                 Dart               Cured Hides            Large Wooden
Pitchfork            Throwing Axe       Ringmail               Small Metal
Hand Axe             Arrow              Chainmail              Large Metal
Mace                 Javelin            Fiberglass             Small Titanium
Short Sword          Wab Boomerang      Plastic                Large Titanium
Flail                Lawn Dart          Titanium Chainmail     Small Duralloy
Long Sword           Spear              Platemail              Large Duralloy
Halberd              Titanium Dart      Titanium Platemail
Titanium Dagger      Titanium Javelin   Duralloy Chainmail
Titanium Sword       Duralloy Arrow     Duralloy Platemail
Titanium Axe         Duralloy Spear
Duralloy Pitchfork
Duralloy Sword    


ELVIS, GILLIGAN, ETC  -----------------------------------------------------
  Your overall mission is to save the world from the Grinch and his nerve
toxin.  You must complete a series of missions in order to accomplish this
goal.  You will usually need to visit 5 different castles in order to
properly equip yourself.  Note that you DO NOT need to visit these castles
in any particular order, despite the suggestions of the Tape Recorders you'll
find along the way.  
You'll need the following items: 
1.  A map from the Munsters in order to locate the Grinch's hidden castle.
2.  Buzz Aldrin's Space Suit to protect yourself from the radiation which
    protects the Grinch's castle.
3.  Elvis' Blue Suede Shoes so you can cross the bottomless chasm that 
    surrounds the Grinch's castle.
4.  Donald Trump's Presidential ID card to get through the locked door into
    the castle.
5.  Gilligan's Keptibora serum to protect yourself from the nerve toxin which
    permeates the Grinch's castle.
Each castle has its own traps and tricks.  See the spoiler file for more
information about the castles.


WHY ELVIS, GILLIGAN, ETC?  ------------------------------------------------
  AlphaMan has a deliberate lighthearted feel to it.  The bizarre and
peculiar cast of special characters was chosen, in part, to poke fun at
the more banal aspects of Americana.  Elvis is a (living?) icon, a national
treasure.  No one in my generation could have missed the appeal of Gilligan
and the castaways, or the Munsters, save for those few with progressive,
left-wing, hand-wringing parents who forbade the watching of TV.  And who
hasn't asked him/herself the question "Whatever became of Buzz Aldrin, second
man on the moon"?


WHAT NEXT?  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  I am working on a SuperVGA game in the same genre as AlphaMan, but which
will have a more serious and long-term mission.  I hope to have it available
within 6-9 months, and will send the shareware version to everyone who has
registered AlphaMan.