Alive Software Presents ... A N I M A L Q U E S T (tm) INDEX 1.................. INTRODUCTION 2.................. WARRANTY 3.................. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS 4.................. GAME OPERATION 5.................. SPECIAL NOTES FOR SHAREARE VERSION 1. INTRODUCTION Welcome, you are about to experience nature through an animal's eyes. Animal Quest is a fun game for any age. First you select an animal and then you try to cross your habitat collecting energy tokens by capturing your prey while avoiding predators and outsmarting competitors. Animal Quest is a never ending adventure in the fascinating world of Nature. All animals are placed randomly at different screens so that each game is unique and unpredictable, challenging you every time. Animal Quest is also a realistic simulation of food chain Ecology. The rules of the game are based on factual prey and predator relationships. A truly Educational game that balances gaming with learning. To play the game you must first learn who is the prey and who are the predators. Animal Quest features four different animal games to choose from: Forest, Ocean, Jungle animals and Young lion. It includes three difficulty levels, each providing increasingly more challenging games, score-keeping, on-line help, easy Icon-based input and extensive information on each animal and plant. Animal Quest is distributed as Shareware: if you like the program and wish to receive the latest version of the full series including the additional games, sound effects and graphics, please use ORDER.TXT to order it. Feel free to pass this program around to friends and relatives, as long as all of the files are included in the distributed disk and are not altered in any way. If you are a vendor and plan to distribute this program, please read file VENDINFO.DIZ and LICENSE.TXT. The source code, object code, library images and manuals on paper or on disk, are (C) Copyright 1992-96 by Alive Software. Game concept by Nancy Ayash. Programming, graphics and sound by Bill Dedes. 2. WARRANTY ANIMAL QUEST IS PROVIDED "AS-IS", NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE AS TO IT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON. WE WILL PROVIDE NO REMEDY FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM IT, INCLUDING SUCH FROM NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, EVEN AFTER NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Page 1 of 4 3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS REQUIRES: PC 386 or higher with 512K of memory and a VGA or EGA card. OPTIONAL: * Microsoft Mouse or compatible. * Sound Effects support for AdLib, SoundBlaster compatibles and the internal PC speaker. 4. GAME OPERATION 4.1 SETUPAQ Run SETUPAQ.EXE only if you wish to change the game settings. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight, press ENTER to accept a change, press ESC to cancel an entry. * Select a sound device: no sound, PC speaker or SoundBlaster card. * Select a music option: no music, PC music or AdLib/SoundBlaster. * Select a pointing device option, Mouse or Keyboard. * Finally select Save Setup. This will create a configuration file named AQ.CFG The purpose of AQ.CFG is to simply save the above selected preferences for future executions of the program. From then on simply type AQ to start the game. 4.2 GENERAL OPERATION --------- Keyboard: Use the Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys to move around --------- and press or to accept selections. Mouse : To select an option just point the mouse cursor on it and --------- click. -------- TO START To start the game just type AQ and press -------- Then you will see the opening screen and hear the music theme. You may press a key or press a mouse button to skip through it next time. Then select one of the three habitats. Now you are ready to play. --------- NEW GAME Then you select which animal you like from three levels --------- of difficulty. 1. Easy Level: These animals are strong or fast predators and therefore they have few or no enemies. In this level just follow, your hunting instincts. This level is recommended for young children or beginners. 2. Medium Level: These animals are mini predators with some enemies and competitors, so it takes logic and thinking to stay alive. 3. Difficult Level: These animals are at the bottom of the Food chain and therefore constantly fighting for survival. Try this Level for a real Challenging game, you are neither strong nor fast. Your only weapons are your intelligence and your luck. Page 2 of 4 4.3 CONTROLS :--------------: : QUESTIONMARK : On-line help explaining the game and operation. :-F1-----------: :--------------: Food Chain information about animals and plants. : CHAIN : Select this option and point at any animal on the :-F2-----------: board to learn about its prey and predators. :--------------: Facts about animals, plants or places of the current : ZOOM LENS : game habitat. Exploring facts about the animals is :-F3-----------: essential for learning and playing the game. :--------------: : MUSIC NOTES : Turns the sound ON or OFF, if sound was activated :-F5-----------: to begin with. :--------------: Turns the Grid ON or OFF. When the Grid is ON the : FENCE : game plays like a board game, so you can focus on the :-F6-----------: logic. When it is OFF the game plays faster. :--------------: : THUNDERBOLT : Breaks the current game and starts a new one. :-F10----------: :--------------: : STOP SIGN : Quits the game and exits to the system. :-ESC----------: 4.4 THE AIM OF THE GAME Select your favorite animals and try to survive, capture as many prey animals as you can while avoiding your predators. Every time you capture an animal you get energy tokens ( Calories ) . When you are captured by a predator you lose twenty energy tokens, so the only penalty is that your final score will not be as high. You move from Left to Right. When you reach the end of a screen you move to the next one. There is a total of twelve screens to cross. In the last screen your family will be waiting for you and the highest score is recorded. SCORING : Your current Score is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The accumulated energy tokens stack up until you have collected over 50, then you are fully "energized" and can move diagonally as well, thus surprising your prey or escaping your enemies more easily. TIPS: don't overlook the importance of the "skip a turn" option. Use it whenever you are stuck or when any other move will result in your capture. To "skip a turn", when using the keyboard: press , when using the mouse: click on your animal itself. If a predator blocks your path, get close enough, so when it follows you, you try to lead it away from the path, turn around and escape. If more than one predators are near by, try to distract them one at a time. Page 3 of 4 4.5 ANIMAL QUEST's GAME PHILOSOPHY * Redeeming value: you play and learn facts about basic Ecology. It encourages further reading on Nature and animals. * Positive and Socially responsible: depicts conflict but no violence. You identify with the animal's struggle to survive by selecting any animal you wish. * Great use of graphics and sound to create the illusion of life. * Challenges your logic skills, not your mechanical reflexes. * A game for any age, select a level according to your capability. 5 SPECIAL NOTES FOR SHAREARE VERSION This Shareware evaluation version includes only the Forest animals. You can order the full program which includes all four games: 1. OCEAN ANIMALS: Dive into the unexplored waters of Australia. An Exotic world of fascinating and unusal marine animals awaits you. Pick a playful Blue Dolphin or a Great White Shark, meet the peculiar Clownfish, Seals, Angelfish, Swordfish, Viperfish, Seahorses and many other creatures. 2. JUNGLE ANIMALS: Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards rule the Jungle, but watch out from the poisonous spear of the Pygmy. Elephants, Warthogs, Gorillas and many more. Experience the sounds and sights of the Tropical Savvana. 3. FOREST ANIMALS: The Latest version of the Northern Forest animals. 4. YOUNG LION: As a young lion you will try to escape the deadly hyenas. * Print ORDER.TXT and mail, fax or phone your order today and get the rest of the series, another free game, our catalog, updates and technical support. * When you order from Alive Software you will also get more FREE Shareware, our catalog, newsletter, new product announcements and low cost updates. * Registered users Get TECHNICAL support through phone, mail, fax or E-mail. For more information run program ALIVECAT.EXE, our catalog containing detailed descriptions of our programs. For Information on how to contact us or on how to Order, print or list and fill ORDER.TXT form and mail, fax or phone your order today. Page 4 of 4