

  Robert J. Deutsch
  1152 N. 14th St.
  Allentown, PA            
  18102
  Net: madman6@ix.netcom.com
                   

                    *** WELCOME TO MORBIUS' ISTHMUS! ***                
                 A World-Simulation RPG by Robert J. Deutsch

                       
                      SYSTEM NOTES, PLAYER'S GUIDE
                   For: Morbius' Isthmus (Version 1.0)
                        

                        SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

  You will need at least a 386SX PC compatible machine with 16mhz speed,
MS-DOS 5.0, and 2 megabytes RAM. Recommended is a 486+ but it
is alright on a 386SX/16. Installing a drive CACHE is also recommended.

      ************ FINE TUNING FOR YOUR SYSTEM  *********************
  You can adjust several speed factors such as how fast monsters and
people walk when the hero is walking or standing still as well
as the speed at which torches flicker and clocks tick, etc. This can
be very important if you are running a fast machine like a 66 or Pentium.
  
  When in the game, press SHIFT plus the _ underline key.
  You will see three numbers, like maybe 3000,8,8  You can enter
  new ones. Here are a few examples:

Good numbers for a 386SX/16 are:  1100,2,4     (Enter with commas)
Good numbers for a 486DX/33 are:  2000,8,8     (Enter with commas)
Good numbers for a 486SX/50 are:  3000,12,12   (Enter with commas)
Good numbers for a 66/Pentium  :  9000,11,11?  11000,13,13? Varies.
  (This can vary on different machines. All values can be in the
   range of 1-32000 for a wide range of optimization.)

  The first number is a ratio that controls how fast people and monsters
will move in RELATION to your character -- when he is walking as opposed to
standing still. The goal is to enter some number between about 1-32000
so that people walk at the same speed whether you are walking or standing.

   You can determine an accurate value by watching as NPC's
walk nearby. Walk a bit, stop, walk again. The NPC's should continue at
the same pace, whether you are walking or standing still. If not, try
a higher or lower value. Lower values speed them up. Higher values
slow them down.

   The second number controls the speed of moving things, like torches,
waterfalls, blinking things, etc.  Use the above reference to
modify it, probably a value between 2 and 100 or so. Higher if needed.

  The third number is for the various grandfather clocks you will find.
Again, experiment with values between 2-100. They will not affect the actual
time in the game, but merely adjust the realism of the tick and pendulum
for different machines. This number is usually close to the things number.
Walk near a clock and watch it's tick. Try different numbers until it
goes at a realistic speed.

  The installed program will require about 2.5 megabytes of hard drive space.
It has been tested with everything except hard disk compression
utilities. Although it might work, we would recommend not to use a disk
compression utility. It will also help speed the game. You should also
exit WINDOWS because sometimes the game can conflict with Windows.
Run it from the DOS prompt, exited from windows. The game CAN run in
Win3.1 or Win95, but if you experience wierds slurs in the speaker and
slow-ups, its best to exit windows, or if in Win95, re-start it in
the true DOS mode.

           MORBIUS' ISTHMUS -- The Story so far...

  A long time ago, legend says an alien from the stars visited some people
living in a dormant volcano. That was generations ago. Lately there has
been a strange unrest growing amongst the people in this underland world.

  Does it signify the return of the alien, whom legend calls: Morbius?
Or is something more evil invading the dungeon? Thrust here by a mystery
which you hope to be a dream, YOU must confront the truth in mankind's
first contact with an alien entity from the stars!


                          *** PLAYGUIDE ***

            ***MAKE SURE THE CAPS AND NUMLOCK KEYS ARE ON!***

  Just run the file MORBI to begin the game!  You'll see other EXE's in
the list, but it'll crash if you don't run only MORBI to play. You'll
need to be in the right directory, for example:
CD C:\MYSTUFF\DOWNLOAD (ENTER) or whatever, then type
MORBI or run MORBI.EXE from Win3.1's file/run menu, or Win95's start.
  Again, if you hear wierd sounds and slow-ups, get into DOS.

  When you are done looking at the title screen, tap any key. You will be
taken to the main menu. When first running the game, you should select V for
view introduction. It tells about the mountain and why you're here. When
it is done, you will be back at the menu.

  Now select S to start a new game. If you type Q for quest onward
by mistake, it could crash until you have a SAVEd game.

  After the game loads, you will see a viewport where the hero has
arrived. Everything happens in this viewport. Underneath is his statistics
and a quick-list of commands. The stats line contains the following:

  LEV:1   HP:65   HM:65   EXP:0   MANA:15   AC:0   ATC:0   AMMO:0   GOLD:5

 These are abbreviations for: Level, Hit Points, Hitpoints Maximum,
Experience, Mana Points, Armor Class, Attack Class, Amount of Ammo,
and Amount of Gold.
  
  Level is an over-all indicator of how powerful you are. It also controls
how many hitpoints you have, as well as mana.
   
  Hit points are your current energy. It will go down in combat, but can be
restored by sleeping (if you have food in your pack), or by magical means.
You can also restore a bit by eating. In the jungle dungeon area, you can
eat as much as you want from the trees. You will also find nourishing
berries in the game.

  Hitmax is controlled by level. It shows the maximum hit points you can
have. This also can be modified by magical means, and will rise as your
level rises. You will discover early in the game how to move up levels.

  Experience is an over-all measure of how much you have accomplished.

  Mana is like hit points, but determines how much magical energy you
have for casting spells. It will go up when you rest to a maximum
determined by level, or can be adjusted with certain herbs you will find
in your quest.  It will always restore to full when you sleep at an Inn.

  Armor Class is a value from 0-15, with 15 the strongest. It determines
how much you will resist enemy blows, and is determined by what type of
helm, shield and armor you are wearing. Some people claim there is magical
armor, but most Arms Masters regard this as hogwash, since it supposedly
raises one's AC to 18.

  Attack Class determines how powerful your current weapon is, and gives an
indication of how hard you will hit an enemy. Many variables in combat can
modify this somewhat.

  Ammunition shows how many projectiles you have for a ranged weapon. These
are kept in a seperate quiver, and will not clutter your inventory pack.

  Gold is how many gold pieces you have in your purse, also seperate from
the main inventory pack.


                          *** COMMANDS ***

  The keyboard inputs are very intuitive and easy to use. They are
all highlighted at the bottom of the screen.

  Please remember to keep NUM and CAPS lock ON. At every step of
every command, a display line will appear at the bottom of the screen
listing available options. We firmly believe the player should have it easy
with inputting commands, and save his problem solving for the quest!

  Movement is controlled with the KEYPAD arrow keys. For now, you can move
in four directions. In COMBAT, however, you can ATTACK in all eight, using
keys 7,9,1 and 3 as well as 4,6,8 and 2. (See addendum)

  L-Look: When tapped, you'll see a red cursor. Move it with the same arrows
as for walking. The cursor will move all over the screen. Tap L again to get
a description of anything in the land.

  Remember to LOOK in open chests, and BLOODSPLATS if you kill a monster.
Many neat items are found in this manner! This is also needed to LOOK
in a hole you may have dug for treasure.

  G-Get: When tapped, you'll be asked to enter a direction. Simply tap an
arrow keypad key. If you have room in your inventory, and are next to
the item, you'll pick it up and it will be in your inventory.

  This is also true of getting things from open chests, cabinets, and other
containers, as well as any holes you might dig with your shovel.

  T-Talk: This works just like get, but move next to a person beforehand.
You will enter talk mode and see a nice portrait of the person.

    Ask his NAME or JOB, and BYE to exit. Tapping ENTER with no
input will work the same as BYE.
    
  Many words will be seen in RED highlight, and later in your quest
you'll find even more words that the people can talk about. Just type
what you see hilighted in RED, or any special topics you might learn
from others. NPC interaction is an important part of this game. For
example, all characters respond to NAME or JOB, but someone may say:

"Be sure to ask Hector about the GEM". (gem will be in red) - Later, if
you meet Hector, you could ask him about GEM even if it is not
highlighted in red. (Perhaps it's a secret clue or something!)
Remember, each red highlight is all you need. For example, if
MAGIC SCROLL is highlighted, you type MAGIC SCROLL, not: TELL ME ABOUT
THE MAGIC SCROLL. No periods or punctuation is needed.

   U-Use: This is the do it all command. You can open chests, close them,
open and close doors, sit on certain chairs, throw switches on and off,
pick fruit from trees and bushes, get bones from a skeleton, dig holes,
read books and scrolls, and even climb up glaciers! (With the right tool
readied.) Using items on land asks you to then enter a direction.  In your
inventory, some items, like a watch or sextant, get used right away by
moving the cursor over the item and tapping 'U'.

  But if an item in your inventory needs to act upon something on the land,
you will be prompted. We made it easy to do! Just tap the direction of
what you want to USE it on when asked.

  Items in hand, like a shovel, are used immediately, without needing
to open your pack. For example, if you have a SHOVEL armed in your hand
where you usually hold a weapon, you can USE the ground in front of you
to dig a hole, then LOOK inside! It's very realistic! The 'use' command
will always attempt to use what ever you have in hand. If nothing is in
your hand, it means bare hands. See inventory about putting things on.
  An armed grappler hook will allow you to USE the icy land before you
to climb glaciers, etc.

   A-Attack: Weapon readied in hand, you approach a monster, or he
you. Hit A for Attack. You'll see a printout on the screen bottom as to what
you are attacking with. Just tap in a direction of which way you're
attacking, and whamo! Your heroic senses will also detect how many
hit points the monster has. Remember, you can attack in all eight directions,
and there are also some ranged weapons. (Just tap in the direction of the
distant monster.) And don't forget that these monsters fight back! If the
screen flashes red, it means you're going critical, so move away quick!
                               
   I-Inventory Control:
  When tapped, your inventory will open, graphically displaying your items.
A little pointer will appear, which looks much like a professor at a school
would use. Again using the arrow keypad, move it around. You will also see
a new list of options appear at the screen bottom. Move the rod over an
item to select it. The SELECTED item is what the following commands will
act upon. You'll see this list when in inventory:

      L-Look: Describes the item currently pointed to.

      U-Uses the item.  (Watches, sextants, keys, read book, etc.)

      D-Drops the item. Get near any open chest. (Baldwin doesn't like
                        to litter!) You'll need to be east, west, north
                        or south of the chest to drop things, and the
                        chest must be empty. I guess Lord Baldwin could
                        only afford small chests! <G>

      P-Put on items -- When selected, you'll be asked Helm, Shield
                        Weapon, Armor. Just tap in the first letter.
                        If you already have something there being
                        worn, the items will automatically switch
                        places. Really! Remember, the item going ON
                        is the one over which you currently have the
                        cursor. Use this to 'arm' shovels, etc, too.
                        An item like a shovel will go in the weapon
                        hand so select 'W'.

      T-Take off armor -Like above, but will remove the item as long
                        as there's a blank spot in your backpack. Since
                        items switch automatically if something is
                        already worn, you don't really need this,
                        but it's nice to have anyway. After all, you
                        won't want to be wearing 100 pounds of armor
                        while visiting the girls of level six! The rod
                        cursor can be anywhere in the pack to do this.

      ESC -Key         -Close your backpack.


                        *** OTHER COMMANDS ***
                               
   S-Savegame: Saves your current game progress.

   R-Restore : Restores a previous savegame.

  This will happen automatically whenever you begin play with
(Q)uest Onward from the menu screen when you begin a play session,
if you have a saved game. Please don't (Q)uest onward without first
saving a game, or it'll crash and you'll need to start your quest over!

   Y-Yell: You will learn many magic spells from Leomund. They are words
shouted in a deep, resonant voice, and will burn some mana. After you
tap Y for yell, just enter one of these words.

  For a list of spells and their words, USE the spellbook that Leomund
will give you. Talking with Leomund you'll learn everything you need
to know about spells. You will also find that the herbalist on Level One
knows much about herbal magic. Magic is endless in this game! Remember,
LOOK and USE are two different things. If you L for LOOK at a book, it
will simply say you see a book. To READ the book means to USE it.

   Q-Quit: When you are done adventuring, use this command to exit the game.
Be sure to save your current game first, as it does not automatically save.

                           *** ADDENDUM ***
NEW features in this version!
-FULL save/load game feature is very Fast!
-Detailed overhad map now available all the time! Type 'M'.
-B for Blink command allows you to teleport to any level!
-Online help (this document), when you type H for HELP.
-Improved prompts and highlighted commands for easier play.
-New monster artificial intelligence! Watch out for the spirit demons!
-You may now also use the ARROW keys for ALL functions!

This SHAREWARE version allows you to explore quite a bit of the huge
land, about one third. The rest of the quest is inexpensive at $14.
Registrations in check or MO can be sent to:

      Robert J. Deutsch
      1152 N. 14th St.
      Allentown, PA
      18102            

 If you have any questions regarding any of these games,
feel free to contact me at my net id of madman6@ix.netcom.com
or write the above address.

       But wait...

  You may ask, why register something like this at all? What will the result
be of registering above and beyond getting the full game? Well, we need
some newer equipment for what we're >CURRENTLY< working on, to complete it.
  I've included some early snaps from...IT...

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  If you have a PAINT program, or a picture viewer program that supports
256 colors, fire it up and get into the directory where MORBIUS resides.
  Look for six files with a .PCX extension. Banco!


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