TIMES OF LORE Origin After loading you will be asked to choose and save your character. Please remember to have a blank tape ready to do this. In future playing sessions you can either load the character creation side of the tape, to choose a new character, or you may load the game side of the tape straight away in the normal manner which will skip the introductory title screens. ALL AMSTRAD / SPECTRUM GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS Times of Lore can be played either by having a joystick plugged in or you can use the keys which are: Q - up O - left P - right A - down 0 - fire Space bar activates the gauntlet, on Icon menu, for both sets of controls. When you stay at an Inn and save the game the computer will ask you to insert a game tape. This needs to be a blank tape to save your character and not the original Times of Lore game tape. When you load a game from the control panel, this is also the tape you need to load. Read the story carefully and follow the directions at the end to choose your character in the game. If you choose the Knight, your shining armour of polished steel plate will keep you strong and mighty in battle. Or if the Valkyrie's life appeals to you, quickness and agility will keep your foes dodging for their lives. Though the Barbarian's loin cloth is not the most impenetrable of armour his sheer brute strength will ensure that the protection of more conventional apparel is never missed. Playing Times of Lore The top half of the game screen is the view window, and your character is always shown in the center of this window. Movement to the north, south, east and west is accomplished by simply moving the joystick in the direction you wish to go. When you press the space bar you'll see a glowing hand appear in the lower screen window. Use the joystick to move the hand to point to any of the command options. People will stop moving once you enter this command mode (although monsters suffer no such restriction). You can then move the hand to the symbol for the action you wish to perform and press the joystick button to execute the command. Or you can press the space bar again to abort your action and go back to the normal movement mode. Starting from the leftmost symbol, the commands represented by the different icons are as follows: TALK - Use the mouth icon to strike up a conversation with another character in the game. The person you wish to talk to must either be right next to you or very close by; shouting in public places is considered rude. See CONVERSATION for more information. EXAMINE - Occasionally you'll want to examine a nearby object to identity it or perhaps take a closer look at something you're carrying. The eye works on special items such as scrolls, potions, and one-of-a-kind artifacts and it also enables you to search nearby for things not immediately visible. INVENTORY - The pouch displays a list of the items you are carrying as well as how much money and food you have. DROP - You can only carry a limited number of objects. If your pouch is full, you will need to drop things that are no longer useful before you can acquire new items and treasures. TAKE - Use this command to pick up gold, food, treasure, and other assorted items that may be found after battles or encountered while exploring cities and dungeons. USE - This command allows you to drink a potion, cast a spell from a scroll or otherwise make use of something you're carrying. OFFER - Attempt to hand an object to a nearby person. If the person has no use for that particular item, he or she will probably accept it anyway as a token of good will. GAME OPTIONS - This command gives you the following options: Symbol will differ for non-C64 versions. SCORE allows you to see your current score, which is increased by killing monsters and solving quests. LOAD GAME allows you to restore the previously saved game (see CONVERSATION for more information). PAUSE GAME allows you to pause the game until the joystick button is pressed. Some commands in the game may ask you to choose which object or person you wish to deal with. For instance, if you activate the DROP command, a list of your DROPable items will appear, along with a cursor bar at the top. Now you can either press the space bar to abort the command, or use the joystick-controlled cursor to select an item to be dropped. Conversation Many of the inhabitants of Albareth's towns and cities can offer you advice or assistance in your travels, and some may even send you on great quests of valour and fortune. To speak with a villager press the space bar and select the TALK symbol with the joystick and button. A menu of conversation options will appear. Characters may initiate conversation with you as well. When someone asks you a question, the TALK command will be activated in anticipation of your reply. It is the established custom in the Kingdom of Albareth to greet one's acquaintances with a cheery "Nice weather we're having!" or perhaps, "I hope all is well with you." To hail a wayfarer in such a manner choose the START CHITCHAT option. Before long you will notice that such a casual greeting is likely to set the mood for the exchange of a word or two of friendly gossip, or even the imparting of vital knowledge. ASK QUESTION, the second choice on the menu, allows you to pose a specific question to your acquaintance. After selecting this option, the desired question must be chosen from a list of subjects that your currently "know about" in the game. You can always ask about RUMOURS, but the person you are talking to may or may not be able to answer your query meaningfully. The list of other subjects you may ask about is made up of important "key words" from prior conversations. Whenever a person mentions a matter of obvious weight a soft bell will sound and that subject will be added to your characters list of "known" question topics. Some people. depending on the situation, may have additional options in their conversation menus. Innkeepers, for example, have much more to offer than the standard fare of pleasantries. If you have the money to spend, they will give you a chance to replenish your provisions or check into their hostel fora good night's rest. When you ask for lodging at an inn, your character's current position and status in the game is saved to disk. The next time you boot up the game, you will begin play in that same inn with all your possessions and "key words" intact. It is usually a good idea to check into an inn at the end of a long journey or after you've accomplished a difficult or dangerous task. During game play you may revert to your last saved position by activating the GAME OPTIONS icon and selecting the Load game option. You should make a habit of chatting with everyone you meet in the cities and outposts of Albareth, king and knave alike. Subtle, but important, events in the game can be triggered by talking with some major figures, and vital key words may be lost by neglecting to save the game before ending a session of play. All conversation and other game messages will appear in the message window near the bottom of the screen. When the lower-right corner of this window appears to fold up, this means there is more text for you to read. Press the joystick button to continue reading. Combat To attack, move your character to face a nearby enemy and press the joystick button. During the daylight hours in fortified towns and most of the more civilized villages, you will rarely encounter any of the wandering monsters that plague the countryside. Until you are certain of an approaching person's intent, stay your arms. Besides, attempting to take over cities by slaughtering the peasants is one sure way to be ostracized from society. When you venture out into the world, though, it's a different story. Creatures ranging from ordinary brigands to supernatural specters will confront you, turning a simple journey from one town to the next into a deadly challenge. Don't hesitate to attack. The following is a list of the characters you are likely to encounter in Albareth: Guard - The Guards in castles and larger cities are brawny sorts, armed to the teeth. You'll have no trouble with these mercenaries, as long as you stay on their good side. Peasant - Albareth's humble, cheerful peasants are the lifeblood of the kingdom's towns and cities. Talk to everyone you meet - the common folk usually welcome the chance to share their folklore and companionship. Innkeeper - The inn-keepers of Albareth can be very accommodating, especially when you're in need of a stiff drink or a quick game-save. Rogue - Archers of lethal skill, these cloaked highwaymen are the nightmare of every tradesman and caravan leader. Beware, for in these troubled times many strong men have joined their ranks. Orc - In the not-too-distant past, these unwashed, pig-visaged barbarians were seldom encountered outside their territories in the northern mountains, but in recent times, the hated Orcs have begun to invade Albareth's forests. They have since become the nightmare of every traveller and caravan scout. Not in Spectrum & Amstrad versions. Skeleton - The living Skeletons that haunt the land, viciously hurling their daggers at wayfarers, are said to be magically animated by malevolent wizards to seek to spread disorder and evil throughout the kingdom. Skeletons are formidable opponents in battle, for they feel neither pain nor mercy. Ghost - Shades of evil men and monsters once slain in battle, Ghosts can be the most difficult to overcome of all dark creatures ... they have more to prove! Slime - No one knows the origin of this hideous creature. Though unarmed, this creeping fungus can still pose a deadly threat to careless adventurers. A Slime creeps along dungeon walls toward its enemies. secreting a corrosive fluid that turns swords and daggers into tasty hors d'oeuvres. Then it goes after its main course. Cleric - The good Clerics of Albareth are renowned for their devotion to the preservation and sanctity of life, while the evil ones tend to attack first and ask for donations later. Not in Spectrum & Amstrad versions. Survival Be sure to keep an eye on the candle in the lower right part of your screen. The candle will burn down as you grow weak from battle wounds or lack of food. If the flame ever goes out, your character will die, and you will have to start over from your last saved position. Sleeping at an inn will restore your health. Standing still to rest in a safe place will also restore your strength, although it will be long in returning. Certain magical items can help as well. Don't be afraid to experiment with the effects of various potions. Treasure Monsters sometimes carry assorted and sundry treasures, which they will readily give to you as long as you kill them first. Gold, food, magic potions, and scrolls may be found lying about in the bloody aftermath of a battle. A peculiar property of magical treasures is that only one scroll or potion of each kind can be carried at a time. This means that if you're carrying a blue potion you won't run across any more blue potions until after you drink the one you've got. Some of these arcane items are very hard to come by so you should always use discretion when employing their effects Leaving Home In your first glimpse of the rich and vast kingdom of Albareth, your character is standing in an upper-story guest chamber of Eralan's renowned frothing Slosh Tavern. For now, try taking the stairs down to the tavern's common room. Walk over to the counter between the barkeep's ale kegs and the massive stone fireplace. Is someone talking to you? Take the time to chat with everyone in sight and be patient. Often, a person who has something interesting to say may prefer not to share it all with you at once. Even in the mornings the Frothing Slosh is a busy place, and who knows? One of the motley crowd of customers might just have some business for a young and enterprising adventurer such as yourself!