Realms of Reality

              o-                                                   -o
              o- -o                                                 o- -o
              o- -o                                                 o- -o
              o- -o        R E A L M S   O F   R E A L I T Y        o- -o
              o- -o                                                 o- -o
              o- -o            (c) 1995  Robert  Megicks            o- -o
              o- -o                    (20/1/95)                    o- -o
              o- -o                                                 o- -o
              o- -o              Program/Graphics/Audio             o- -o
              o- -o                        by                       o- -o
              o- -o                  Robert Megicks                 o- -o
              o- -o                                                 o- -o
              o-                                                   -o -o




  

 
 o-CONTENTS: -o                         screens away    
        
      WELCOME:             
            About Realms Of Reality           1   
            Who Can Write One?                3
            The Need For Speed!               5
            Programs Under Development        6

      HOW TO PLAY:
            Install                           7
            Dual Character Concept            7
            How To Swap Between Characters    8
            Inactive Combat                   9
            Viewing Your Inventory            9
            Objects                           10
            Exchanging Objects                10
            Using objects                     11
            Scrolls                           11
            Stairs                            12
            Creatures                         12 

              
                        o-    W  E  L  C  O  M  E  -o
                             ----------------               
                          
o-ABOUT REALMS OF REALITY:-o
     Welcome to REALMS OF REALITY a game that  has taken me the last 
     two years to write,a game that I thought would be to  ambitious 
     for a single programmer like myself to write.

     I must  admit that  when I first  started writing  this program
     I didn't  have the slightest idea of what I was getting into.It
     wasn't until  I had worked  nearly an entire  year on the  main
     game structure did I actually stop and sit down and contemplate
     on exactly what amount of graphical work I needed  to undertake
     to  complete  what I had  already  started. Unfortunately I was 
     coming to the conclusion  that if I couldn't find  somebody who
     was a competent artist then I would have to totally abandon the
     entire  project and  literally scrap  the work I had  spent the
     previous year writing. I must admit there were  many times when
     I thought about calling it a bad experience and just formatting
     the blasted disks and going back to living a normal life! 


       
     Fortunatly common sense  prevailed and the  result is what you
     see today.
    
     Unfortunately I was one of many people who thought that planning
     all the steps involved in writing any game before actually writ-
     ing it was a total waste of time.This I believe was clearly one
     of the main reasons why I was nearly overwhelmed by work that I
     never dreamed would be needed when I started. Anyone who thinks
     that writing a game similar  to REALMS OF REALITY just involves
     the game itself  would be fooled just like I was two years ago.
     Lucky for  me I'm self-employed  so I was able to  take quite a
     few extended  holidays and the odd long weekend to allow myself
     to just sit down and concentrate on those programs that were so
     important in completing REALMS.

     GRABBER PRG.  This  was  one  of the  most important  and  most 
     difficult that  I have ever written, because without  it REALMS
     would never have been possible. what it does is convert graphic
     images from a standard  format into a special format that could
     be understood and manipulated by the main REALMS prog. This  

 

     program alone took more than a month to write!

     GAME EDITOR  Writing REALMS without an scrolling editor is like 
     designing a  ballpoint pen without ink!  How I managed  without 
     this program for  so long can  only be  thought of as a miracle.
     This editor was  not difficult to write but just keep taking up  
     time which I wanted  to spend on REALM. The new Version  editor  
     now allows me to change the level while I'm actully playing and 
     exploring it,so I can see what it'looks like immediatly!
  
 
o-WHO CAN WRITE ONE?:-o     
     I believe that  this type of  program can be written by anybody 
     who has a good understanding of STOS Basic and has the time and
     patience to see it to the end. When I started writing this game
     I had  no thoughts  about releasing  it on a  cover disk. All I 
     wanted to do  was write a small program that would  allow me to
     roam  around a  small  maze that  was  created  by me. The only
     problem was I keep on adding other details  like doors and pits,

 
     and before I knew it I was spending all my spare time trying to
     get  the game  completed before  somebody  else wrote  the same 
     thing in STOS  before I did. I was probaly  the only  ST FORMAT
     reader  who actually  dreaded reading  my magazine just in case
     somebody had.
     
     Hopefully this program  will encourage a lot of people to start
     using STOS for  this type of game. I think it would  be a great 
     shame if people just avoid STOS because it's a Basic language.


     I believe  that this  program demonstrates  very well the  fact     
     that STOS is far from being a sub-standard language and is more 
     than capable of being  a good engine for fast quality  games. I 
     would like to think that this program  would put an end to some
     critics who  say  STOS is  far to  slow to  be thought of  as a 
     serious  programming language, but such people  are very  short
     sighted and will do nothing but criticise whatever people write.



  
o-THE NEED FOR SPEED!-o
     
     It may also surprise many people to learn that this game is not
     compiled each  time I needed to test it, as the program is more
     than  playable without  being compiled. In  fact many  routines
     needed to  be slowed  down after  it was compiled  because they 
     were simply to fast!.
     
     Average screen update rate = 6 FPS 
     Average moves capable per min = 175
   
     No add on extensions have been used in the writing of this game
     which proves  that  STOS is fast  even without them. Although I 
     admit that some of the extensions would  have greatly increased
     it's speed.





 
o-FUTURE PROGRAMS:-o
     I have another project under development  which takes the REALM 
     engine far  beyond anything it's  done so far. Its  called 'THE  
     OUTER QUADRANT' and it has the ability to display up FOUR times
     the amount of graphical detail than is currently possible  with
     REALMS.In fact the gameplay and setting will be totally differ-
     ent to that found in REALM.I have yet to decide if this game is
     a worthwhile commitment, as it's future  really depends  on the
     response and donations I get from users of REALM. 
     
     Also,if there's  anybody out there  who can draw and has a good 
     understanding of STOS Basic and wants to help in completing the 
     new project (if it goes ahead) then send me a disk with some of
     your OWN Graphical work, plus a few details about yourself  and 
     maybe you might be the UNFORTUNATE person I select!(If you send
     in a disk  and wish to have  it returned then please  enclose a 
     pre paid/self addressed package.

     The file 'QUAD_EXA.PC1' in the BOOT.INF directory is a snapshot
     shot of what sort of stage the program was when I last saw it.  

 
                    o-     H O W   T O   P L A Y   -o
                          ---------------------

o-INSTALL:-o
     Realm.Prg  can be  installed and  executed from  any drive. The 
     Drive which is used for Game Saves/Loads is determined by which 
     drive file  is found  in the 'BOOT.INF'  Folder. If for example
     you copy  'SAVE=B' from the 'DRIVES'  folder to the  'BOOT.INF' 
     folder then it will use drive 'B' as the Save /Load destination.
     If more  than one  of these  files is  found in the ' BOOT.INF' 
     folder then the first drive file found will be used.
      

 o-HOW THE 'DUAL CHARACTER CONCEPT' WORKS:-o
     Normally, R P G's  only allow you  to explore  with a  party of 
     characters  providing they all  occupy the same square. This is
     where REALMS OF REALITY differs,as your two characters need not 
     occupy the same square,but can be split up to explore different
     parts of the level. When this happens you end up with two types 
     of character and these are an 'ACTIVE'character and an INACTIVE
     character. The ACTIVE character is  the one who's view  you see 

 
     through the window. Therefore any actions  that you do with the
     mouse pointer, like opening doors, picking up  objects, is what
     your ACTIVE  character is doing. Your INACTIVE character  would
     therefore be the character who you see in the Viewing window if 
     he were to stand in front of your ACTIVE character.
   
     Normally  only your  ACTIVE character  will move  when  roaming 
     through the  dungeon, this is  normally of  little use  as this
     would require you to alternate between  your characters to keep
     them  within a  short distance  of each other. If you therefore
     select 'DUAL' then your INACTIVE character  will follow in  the
     footsteps of your  ACTIVE character, this will  continue  until
     'SINGLE' is selected. DUAL can only be selected if both charac-
     ters are on the same square.


o-HOW TO SWAP BETWEEN YOUR CHARACTERS:-o
    To change your INACTIVE character to become the ACTIVE character
    all you need to do is press the spacebar. This will also work if
    you are viewing your ACTIVE character's inventory.              

 
o-INACTIVE COMBAT:-o
    As your characters can be in two  different places at once it is 
    necessary for your INACTIVE character to be able to  defend him-
    self if confronted by other  creatures.This is where  the COMBAT
    menu comes in, as it  tells your INACTIVE  character what  to do 
    like  cast a  spell or  use a hand  weapon ect. First go to  the
    inventory  screen of  the character  who's combat  you  wish  to
    change and click on 'COMBAT'.Then choose one of the seven avail-
    able slots,then  select what action you  want your character  to
    perform. Either select  a weapon by  clicking on your characters
    left hand,or select a spell from the spell book(bottom right). 


o-INVENTORY:-o
    Clicking on  the right mouse  button will display all the inven-
    tory  of your  ACTIVE character. To view  the inventory  of your
    INACTIVE character you will need to press the spacebar to change 
    your INACTIVE character to become your ACTIVE character.        

 
 
o-OBJECTS:-o
     There are over One Hundred  different object that  can be found
     in REALMS OF REALITY and these  objects can of course be picked
     up,stored,thrown and used in many ways.


o-EXCHANGING OBJECTS:-o
     Providing your INACTIVE character is on screen  in front of you
     and has enough room for this object to be stored in his Inven-
     tory, then simply  click on the  character's upper body ( as if
     you were going to throw it). If your INACTIVE character already
     has an object in his move hand  then that object will  be place
     in a  spare slot in  his backpack. Should the  object  you wish
     to  pass fail to  be exchanged, then this  means that no  space
     could be found to store the item.
         
     If 'DUAL' is selected  then objects  in hands  can be exchanged 
     freely between the two characters. If 'SINGLE' is selected then
     only objects can be placed or  taken from the character  who is
     being moved(ACTIVE).   

 
o-USING OBJECTS:-o
     The types  of weapon  and armour  your  character  can use  all 
     depend on his class and the amount of experience which has been
     gained during his quest. If an object is to heavy to be used by
     your character then the hand holding the object will be either
     surrounded by a red box,or the object will be shaded.

o-SCROLLS:-o
     A Wizard or Priest must first  learn a spell before he can cast
     it. This is  done by clicking on  the small scroll icon in  the 
     characters  inventory screen  with the  scroll to learn. If the 
     spell  is beyond  the ability of  the character then  the spell
     will not be learnt. A Fighter who has not gained any experience 
     as a Priest or Wizard will not be able to learn any spells.

     More information concerning  character types will  be available 
     with a  Character Editor  which can be used  to create your own
     characters for use  in the completed levels. These will be made
     available on a cover disk soon. 




 
o-STAIRS:-o
    Stairs  can only be  traversed if  both characters  are together
    ('DUAL'is selected). The only exception here is when one of your 
    characters is dead.
      
o-CREATURES:-o 
    There are wide variety of creatures in REALM,although only a few
    will be  found in the demo  levels due to disk space. It must be
    remembered that not  all creatures are hostile, as some will run
    away if approached. This really  depends on the  creature itself,
    not its type or breed. You will also notice that  some creatures
    have objects in their possession,these creatures will have to be
    killed if you want the object they carry.Also some creatures can 
    open and close doors, so beware!

  
    Any comments or suggestions concerning this program will be more 
    than welcomed, so please send your letters to the address at the
    end of this file,which will then be quickly forwarded to me. 

 

    If you  find this  game enjoyable  to play  and wish  to support
    future levels, then please send an affordable donation in either
    a Cheque or Money order. ( Please don't send  coins through  the 
    post as the Post Office do tend to  get a bit  ratty about coins
    jamming up their sorting machines!)
  
    Please remember that this game has taken two long years to write,
    and Software can only be written if there is enough support from
    the people who use it.
   
    GOOD LUCK!
    
 
    Robert Megicks
    302 Rayleigh Rd
    Thundersley
    Benfleet 
    Essex     SS7 3XB
    England  
  



    This program can only be  distributed providing  the distributor
    complies with the following conditions.

    1. All files  are supplied  in their original condition  and are 
       not modified in any way.
 
    2. No other software can  accompany the same disk on which it is 
       supplied.(except with written permission from the author) 
           
    3. No charge should be made for this software except for postage.