A Night At The Museum Forever

	
Version 1.0
A Text Adventure Developed With The TADS Authoring System
Written By: Chris Angelini
(This game is copyright, 1995. All rights reserved and all that.)

(1.0) WELCOME!

 

		And a great big thanks for playing this game! This archive should contain 
		the following: a TADS run-time file; these documents; a cheat file. If any
		of these are missing, please contact me at cangelin@uoguelph.ca (if you are
		responding before 1997, that is. I can't guarantee that I'll still be there
		afterwards).
	
(2.0) THE OBJECT OF THE GAME

  

		Most of this is explained in the game's introduction. However...
  You are 
		a trouble consultant, who's mission is to enter an ancient artifact and 
		return...alive. This artifact is a museum which was left behind by an Ancient 
		race, that once ruled the stars. The artifacts which the museum contains were 
		pulled from various time zones; and that is the entire problem. Those who have 
		entered the museum do not fall victim to traps...but to time paradox.
  There 
		is a single, diamond ring in the museum. Can you get it, and leave without 
		succumbing to paradox? Good luck, and godspeed.
		
(3.0) COMMANDS

  


		You control this game through normal, English sentences. The game responds 
		with text as a result of your commands. That's why this is called Interactive 
		Fiction.
  The most basic commands are directional Commands. These tell the 
		game which direction you want to move. In an amazing yet brilliant move, early 
		text adventures used the cardinal compass directions for their directional 
		commands...and the trend stuck. Typing North, South, East, or West will move 
		your character in that direction (these can be shortened to N, S, E, or W).
  
		You will have to manipulate objects in this game as well. These are implemented 
		through a verb-noun combination. As an example, you might type: GET THE WRENCH 
		(assuming there was a wrench in the area, and assuming that you wanted to get 
		it!). GET is the verb, and WRENCH is the noun.
  This can be expanded. For 
		instance, let's assume that now there is a nut that has to be turned, and you 
		have deduced that it should be turned with the wrench. You could type: TURN 
		THE NUT WITH THE WRENCH.
  The game is much dumber than you are, unfortunately 
		(or fortunately, if you're thinking of HAL-9000). Its vocabulary is limited. 
		Therefore, if one command doesn't work, try another. Attempted to EXCAVATE DIRT 
		might make more sense to the computer as DIG DIRT. I've tried to use common 
		words (so you won't find EXCAVATE as a command, unless DIG also worked in its 
		place).
  As stated, the computer will respond to your commands through text. 
		Usually, it will tell you something (for instance, when you got the wrench, it 
		might say TAKEN). On the other hand, you may have done something that it didn't 
		recognise. It may say I DON'T UNDERSTAND, or something similar. These are all 
		in plain English, so you will know for sure, what your command has done.
  
		You can also do things to things, for instance - LOOK UNDER THE COUCH, or LOOK 
		IN THE CUPBOARD.

		
(3.1) TYPES OF COMMANDS

  

		Here are some possible verbs that you can use. Remember, this list is by no 
		means exhaustive. Other commands may exist to be used. Also, some of these may 
		not be recognised by the program.

	
		
		GET		
		TAKE		
		DROP		
		LISTEN

	
		SMELL	
		PUT		
		LOOK		
		SAY

	
		TURN		
		PULL		
		OPEN		
		CLOSE

	
		READ		
		GO		
		LIGHT	
		WEAR

	
		REMOVE	
		LIGHT	
		RING		
		EAT

	
		JUMP

		
(3.2) SPECIAL COMMANDS

  

		INVENTORY (or 'I') - This command will list everything in your possession.

  
		SCORE - This command tells you your current score and rank.

  
		SAVE - Saves the game.

  
		RESTORE - Restores as saved game.

  
		RESTART - Starts the game over from scratch.

  
		QUIT - Ends the game.

  
		UNDO - Undoes the last move. Helpful if you just insulted a rather large, 
			rather nasty dragon, who behaved rather predictably.

			
(4.0) HINTS

  

		There should be a solution file included in this game. I suggest that you do 
		not use it, as half of the fun is in discovering how to solve the puzzles. 
		Here are some general hints, to help you do just that.

		
		-Examine everything. EXAMINE <object> should be the first thing you do when you 
		encounter something new. 
		
		-Examine the text. Not everything that's important will be obvious. Read  		the text carefully for clues as to what to do next.

 		
 		-Think about the situation. One of the biggest problems that people have with 
 		text adventures is that they must be thought about carefully. Modern graphic 
 		games are almost instinctively intuitive - by looking at pictures, you can get 
 		a grasp on the situation. Not so in text adventures. Try to figure out what 
 		the main goal of the game is, and work from there. Once you've got the main 
 		goal, try to see what the sub-goals are. Is there a door that needs to be 
 		opened? Maybe you have to find a key. Finding the key may be a sub-goal in 
 		and of itself.

 		
 		-Map. Mapping the area will keep you from getting lost, or backtracking.

 		
 		-Take notes. Write down what everyone says, everything does, or what you find. 
 		Often, when first encountering something, its use may not be clear. But through 
 		further adventuring, something may give you a clue as to its use. Notes might 
 		help you make connections more easily.

 		
 		-Get some rest. ;-> If you've been working on a game all night, your brain may 
 		be stuck. Get some sleep, read a book. Your subconscious may solve the problem 
 		for you!

 		
(5.0) Legal Stuff

  

		This game is protected under international copyright. Therefore, it is mine. 
		You are, however, allowed to copy it, make copies for friends, and distribute 
		it to other people, with some exceptions.
		
		-Exception #1: You may NOT charge money for this game when you give it to 
		someone else. It has to be free. You are allowed to charge for the price of 
		the disk that you put it on, or other _reasonable_ copying fees (but see #2).

		
		-Exception #2: This game may not be included in a collection, or sold by 
		Share-ware vending companies without my express permission. Sorry guys, if you 
		want it, you have to ask.

		
		-Exception #3: This game must be distributed intact. That means that it must 
		contain the document you are reading, the cheat file, and the main game program.

		
		-Exception #4: All of these materials must remain unmodified. Don't change the
		game or the doc file. If you've got a great idea, or a bug report, send it to 
		(cangelin@uoguelph.ca).

		
(6.0) OTHER STUFF

  

		Enjoy the game! Its free, so your financial obligations to me have ended before 
		they even started. I do ask that if you like the game, and you have a few 
		moments, please drop me a line. Either email me at (cangelin@uoguelph.ca), or 
		write:

	
		
		Chris Angelini
	
		PO Box 21
	
		Maidstone, 
		Ontario
	
		NOR 1K0
	
		CANADA

  
		
		I'd love to hear from you. If you think this game is absolutely marvellous, 
		and cannot go without financial transactions (ha! fat chance!), then make a 
		donation to your favourite charity. For fun, try having your cat or dog make 
		the donation. In person.

		
(7.0) THAT'S IT

  

		That's it! Go play the game already!

		
		
Chris Angelini
August 22, 1995
(Read Superguy!)