[SPACE II - manual, and text from the back-cover of the software packaging.] Interactive Fantasies SPACE II (c) 1979 David G. Mullich, Steven W. Pederson, and Sherwin A. Steffin This companion to the original package of multi-scenario games provides more unique adventures into the distant future. The games are fully compatible with character text files from the original SPACE, yet all you need for play is contained in this package. CHARACTERS builds your files as you enlist in space services, SHAMAN launches your career as a religious practitioner on an untamed planet while the risks and joys of mind-expanding drugs await the character in the Zintarian colony of the game PSYCHODELIA. For Apple II and II-plus computers. Requires 48k, Disk II. Developed exclusively by: Edu-Ware Services, Inc. 28035 Dorothy Drive P.O. Box 22222 Agoura, CA 91301 (213) 706-0661 (c) Copyright 1979. All Rights Reserved. Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Introduction ============ SPACE, the authors believe, is something rather unique to the field of Micro-Computers. What makes it unique? Here are some of the differences between SPACE, and many of the other fine games you have had an opportunity to play: 1. SPACE is a multi scenario game. Predicated on a projection of real life situations in a time in the far distant future, it develops, the authors believe, some plausible situations in which the user might conceivably find him/herself. To the degree allowed by the capabilities of the computer, and the skills of the authors, we have endeavored to make each of the scenarios contingent upon potentially real variations in human skills, and the impact of situations over which we have little knowledge, and even less control. 2. The results of later games are contingent on earlier games. Put another way, our past comes back to haunt us in unexpected ways. While not every variable impacts on every game, all variables come into play in one or more of the games. Variable development is cumulative throughout play of the games. 3. Risk/Benefit is part of every game. Just as in real life, we assess the decisions we make based upon our judgement of the risks and the benefits, so too, is this the case with each of the SPACE games. Players have a number of options which may be judged for both their positive values, and the risks they entail. 4. Randomness is a part of every move. While most of us believe that we have control over our own destinies, there are a few among us who assert that they have total control over their lives. Illness, accident, loss of income, are all a part of our lives over which we have little, if any, control. And, as this is the case in real life, so too, is randomness a determinant in each of the games of SPACE. 5. Information is deliberately imprecise. While it would certainly be possible to describe all of the games' possible permutations, we have chosen to leave much of this discovery to the player. After all, none of us have perfect information on which to base real life decisions, and yet we nonetheless are required to make them each day of our lives. The authors sought to replicate this condition within each of the games. 6. Winning is in the eyes of the player. In most games with which we are familiar, the goals of the game are explicit. Other than the goal of simply staying alive, other goals are set individually by the player; for some the gathering of wealth is central to the way the game is played; to others, showing their skills as warriors will be the reason for playing to a conclusion. Thoughtful construction of various characters, and their control throughout the games, as well as the sequence of games selected, will serve to enhance the achievement of individual goals. 7. Exit points exist for some of the games. Typically, a game has to be finished before the computer is powered down for the night. This is not the case with the SPACE series. Since some game outcomes are committed to text file, some of the games allow players to resume where they left off. Characters and Scenarios ======================== The SPACE series relies on the creation of a number of characters by the player, which are then played through each of the scenarios, or games. Thus, the human player creates one or more characters which represent him throughout play. Each character created has a set of attributes. These attributes, over which the human player has some control, can be divided into several broad categories: 1. Basic Attributes All of us are born with, or grow into certain attributes which can serve to quantitatively describe our characteristics. Strength, endurance, dexterity, IQ, social status, and education all may be explicitly described. Yet in most cases are essentially beyond our direct control. 2. Physical and Psychological Attributes Having been endowed with some hereditary traits, our development throughout our lives depends upon both genetic makeup, and environmental setting. As is the case in real life, players have the opportunity to make some modifications in the physical, and psychological characteristics of their characters, attempting to maximize the characters' attributes for most effective coping with the requirements of the games in which they are participants. 3. Skill Development During their stay in the service, characters are given the opportunity to develop specific skills. Some of these are applicable only in context of military life while others are applied in civilian occupations. Players should give close attention to the skills developed for their characters, since these will impact on the character's performance within the games. 4. Economic Factors While one measure of the human condition is change, it also seems apparent that a constant of human society is out reliance on an economic framework to oil the societal machine. To the best of the authors' beliefs this condition will prevail into the distant future of man's spread throughout the galaxy. The acquisition of money, and its use is thus seen in each of the games, and is central in some. 5. Interpreting Attribute, Skill, and Economic Variables A. Attributes are valued from 2 to 12. A "2" is indicative of an almost total absence of the quality being rated. A "12" implies the maximum possible for the attribute. An intelligence of "6" translates to an IQ of 100. Each increment of intelligence by 1 equals 10 IQ points with the Standard Deviation of 1.5. B. There are 6 physical health variables which are calculated from other factors within the program. Narrative statements accompany each of these numeric quantities, which range from 1 (pathology of that system) to 4 (system in good health). C. Personality attributes are calculated by the program, and are displayed as narrative statements within the program. These attributes have both direct and hidden effects within all of the programs. They are only indirectly modifiable by the player. D. Skill Ratings. On initial entry, characters are seen as not possessing any skills. All skills at entry are rated as a "0". A rating of "1" implies initial training having been completed. A "2" puts the character at readiness to instruct others in the skill. A "3" is a consultant to instructors, while a "4" and above is a Master at that skill. E. Financial Acquisitions. With the shift from an Earth-bound, to a galaxy-wide culture, money is now standardized to the Galactic Credit (GCR) being the normal unit of exchange. Players are cautioned not to attempt to equate the values of this form of exchange with the current U.S. Dollar, which totally collapsed in the Great Depression of 1996. F. Age. Characters initiate play at age 18. During various games, age increments a year at a time. Players should be aware that the average life span has been extended to well over 100 years, calculated Earth Standard. Rejuvenation after extensive aging and cloning after death are well established, if expensive, life extension methods. Scenario Notes ============== CHARACTERS Every Earth citizen, having reached age 18, faces a term of service in one of the Galactic Federation's Military Services. Citizens may attempt to enlist in the service of their choice, or failing that, will be drafted to that service having a need for their abilities. As the player develops the character throughout this game, there are many options for having a whole group of characters with different characteristics which best suit them for their roles in later games. Many players of epoch games report that they become attached to characters they have created, even when those characters are somewhat inadequate for the tasks that face them. The authors have made provision for a wide range of attributes being carried forward by characters into the other games, but truly inadequate characters will be killed by the computer before much time is spent on developing them. Since the rigors of combat training do pose real risks, players should be aware that continual exposure of the character to these risks may result in death or disabling injury to the character that the Player has labored long to build. At the end of this game, each character is committed to a permanent, locked, essentially unmodifiable (by the Player), text file. This file is the basis for the action of the character throughout the rest of the games. File access is by imputting the name of the character when prompted. PSYCHODELIA After playing through some of the SPACE scenarios, the player may wish to ascertain a character's growth and development and consequently modify his attributes. A unique approach to this lies in PSYCHODELIA. The scenario places the character in the Zintarian colony, homeworld of the Galaxy's supply of recreational drugs. Here, mind-expanding substances are sold in "shooting galleries," much in the same manner as alcholic beverages are sold in bars today. While the character is free to purchase an drug that is on the menu, he does so at his own risk; each has the potential for great risks and great benefits to the character. Due to constantly shifting political factors in the High Galactic Government, the legality of the Zintarian lifestyle changes with the wind. The one standing law in the colony is that all patrons must have free access to a Medical Scanner upon request so that they will be forewarned of a decline in their own health. The Drugs --------- The six drugs on the menu vary in experience requirements, potentcy, price, and properties. Each drug increments or decrements certain mental and physical attributes of the characters: the total effect involves such factors as age, tolerance, previous drug useage, and physical and mental dependence. It is up to the player to determine the exact nature of a drug through experimentation, knowledge of the character, and clues provided by the program. One major clue is in the form of a two word hallucination. The first word describes the character's emotional state, while the last describes either his/her mental state or a skill acquired by the character in a previous game. Such clues are instrumental in determining whether the situation being experienced is real or merely a side effect of a drug. Correct evaluation of the true nature of the situation may be critical at times when the consequences are perilous. When a drug wears off, the character will lapse into a mental state ranging anywhere from a coma to cosmic consciousness (it has been rumored that some drug users have come into contact with supernatural beings while in "cosmic consciousness"). Medical Scanner --------------- The Medical Scanner, selection 7 on the menu, evaluates the character's physical and mental status. Note that the Medical Scanner measures only the character's temporary, not permanent, state. For example, if a character started with 100% endurance and later is measured to have 30% endurance, his permanent endurance may not really be so low, but certainly will be lower that what he started out with. Ending the Game --------------- The game is ended by selection item 8 on the menu, "Come Down and Go Home." The character's tab is paid off and his attributes updated at this point. Drug experience is not accumulated from game to game. SHAMAN Unlike many other games in the SPACE series, SHAMAN is not played for material benefits. The character assumes the role of a shaman, a primitive religious practitioner, who is set down upon an untamed planet. Travelling from town to town in his ATV, he seeks to convert the natives to the one true faith by using his wits and abilities. Since this game may be quite involved and extended for many hours of play, provisions are made to stop at almost any point in the game to resume at a later time from where you exited. Starting the Game ----------------- At the start of each game, the program asks if this is a new or old game. If new, a planet of forests, mountains, shrines and towns is randomly constructed, and the character is placed outside of the spaceport, and assigned the rank of Witch Doctor. The character starts with GCR 2500 and 5000 units of fuel. If this is the continuation of an old game, the program begins at the point where it last ended with that character. The ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) ----------------------------- The ATV is used for quickly getting from place to place on the planet. Steering is controlled with paddle 0, direction being displayed by the compass in the lower right hand corner of the ATV control console. Paddle 1 controls the throttle, which ranges in value from 1 to 5. The throttle regulates speed and fuel consumption. The ATV control console also displays the date, fuel remaining, the terrain being crossed, and location (the planet is divided into 9 x 9 grids, each grid being subdivided into 9 x 9 sectors). To stop the vehicle, simply strike any key on the keyboard. Once out of the vehicle, you may then walk north, east, west, or south to the nearest town, shrine, holy mountain, spaceport, or back to the ATV. By striking the "Q" key when asked for the direction to travel, the status of the game is saved onto the disk, and you may later start the game at that point. Towns ----- There are four horticultural, three warrior, and three industrial societies on the planet. In each town you may attend the seminary, go to the market, build temples, and administer the necessary skills for being a shaman at the cost of time. At the market, the character may purchase supplies and religious accessories. Constructing temples will increase the character's status in the town but decrease the weight of his coin purse. Administering the faith through the use of black and white magic, sacrifices, drugs, calendric rituals, preaching, and consulting oracles will affect his popularity, political influence, and believability depending upon the wisdom and timing of his selections. The last three variables determine the size of his contributions and the number of disciples gathered. Rank increases with every additional twenty-five disciples. Shrines ------- To enter a shrine, you must have the rank of priest. There, keys for entering the holy mountain may be obtained by combatting the guardian of the shrine. The Holy Mountain ----------------- You must be a high priest possessing three keys to seek an audience with the Lord of Many Worlds and receive any gifts that he might bestow upon you. The Spaceport ------------- To properly end the game and update the character's file, you must enter the spaceport. Starship passage costs GCR 500. As a reward for your devotion, you will receive one-tenth of whatever funds remain. Getting Into SPACE II ===================== For all of its complexity, SPACE II is an extraordinarily easy game to initiate. To play, simply boot the game disk and follow the screen prompts which appear in inverse. There are a couple of logistical facts which you should know: 1. In order to accomodate players without Applesoft ROM cards or II-plus computers, disk Applesoft is included with the SPACE II game. This leaves limited room remaining for character files. Those who do not need the diskette Applesoft should delete it from their disk. 2. Because of the limited space for character storage players will find it advantageous to store their many characters on a seperate diskette. 3. Using a seperate disk for character files is fairly straight forward if these procedures are used. In Characters, leave the game disk in the drive until the character is "ready to enter civilian life." Then insert the character file disk. (Characters is actually four games chained together.) In each of the other scenarios, run the game from the game disk until you are asked to input the character's name. At this point, insert the character disk. [Back-cover] SPACE II Venture into the distant future...A strangely altered society populates this galactic expanse, and penetrates to the dim edges of the Universe. SPACE II, and Interactive Fantasy, takes you there. This unique system, the sequel to the epic SPACE, provides multi-faceted simulations of human life in an interstellar environment, both perilous and baffling. The player first constructs several characters (or imputs them from the original SPACE files), giving each a distinct physical and psychological makeup. The computer will display personality traits as narrative, while skills and physiology are scaled numerically. The player calculates each character's ability to meet impending challenges. The system generates a permanent, locked text file which forms the locus of a character's actions throughout the scenarios. Careful selection of game sequence and characters will prove rewarding. But remember, randomness is a prime determinant. A player may see myrid options before you, but can you assess the benefits and risks wisely? Two intricate scenarios comprise SPACE II: PSYCHODELIA - A character enters a world where mind expanding substances are sold in the "shooting galleries" of Psychodelia. Potentcy? Tolerance? Physical/mental dependence? Limitations? Hazards? The player must determine a drug's exact nature through experimentation, knowledge of the character, and the clues which the computer provides. SHAMAN - A professional religious practitioner is set down in the midst of an untamed planet. Traveling from one town to the next, the Shaman lures native converts by administrating magic, sacrifices, calendric rituals, oracular prophesy, and fire-and-brimestone sermons. Enjoy. This system's complexity allows play to extend over several sessions.