Basic playing Instructions for Dungeons of Daggorath
- by Mr. Reaper 9-17-2003

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For PC-Port specific instructions and technical stuff, view the readme.txt file.

If you wish to view the full playing instructions (*recommended*), try a 
web search. There is a lot interesting information in the full manual, plus the
background story, which will help put you in the proper wizard-slaying mood.
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======
Basics
======

Well, you know how it goes... Some darn evil Wizard has moved in to the Dungeons
under Daggorath Mountains, and is generally becoming a nuisance to the
neighboring town, what with the cursing of the land and the summoning of all
kinds of nasty monsters and all. So you've decided to take it upon yourself to
save the town, because you have some hero complex or whatever, and you would do
anything to impress the wenches. Ok, what do you want? Go find the full version
if you want it to sound dramatic... I'm trying to be brief here.

After you start the game, you will be able to view a short demo in which you can
see a few of the things you might face in the dungeon.

Press any key to start the game. You will be transported into the dungeon and
will be equipped with a PINE TORCH and a WOODEN SWORD in your backpack.

(If at any time you want to exit the game, use the ESCAPE key.)

You can see your status bar along the screen, with your heartbeat indicator in
the middle. The left and right sides will display what you are carrying in your
left and right hands (they will both be EMPTY when you start). The screen will
be completely dark, because you haven't lit your TORCH yet... 

Your HEARTBEAT indicates how healthy and rested you are. Your heart will beat
faster as you suffer damage, or strain yourself physically. Any kind of physical
activity can tax your heart, such as moving around wile carrying a heavy load of
items, making attacks, or suffering attacks from monsters. If your heartbeat
becomes too fast, you can lose consciousness or die. Standing still, when you
can, will allow you to rest and slow your heartbeat down, and recover from damage.

As you kill monsters, your heart will grow stronger. As you descend into deeper
levels of the dungeon, you will face far mightier creatures... The magical
forces around you will become thicker and the air will become thinner the deeper
you descend, making even moving around more difficult....
Don't climb down to a deeper level until you are sure you are ready!


========
Commands
========

To preform an action, you have to type in a command, and then press ENTER.
Most commands can be abbreviated with one or two letters to replace each word.
Each word on the same line has to be separated by a space.

Many commands also require you to supply an item name.
(items are described further down)


COMMAND                                                            ABBREVIATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOVE           (take one step forward)                                   M
MOVE BACK      (take one step backward)                                 M B
MOVE RIGHT     (sidestep to the right)                                  M R
MOVE LEFT      (sidestep to the left)                                   M L

TURN LEFT      (turn to face your left)                                 T L
TURN RIGHT     (turn to face your right)                                T R
TURN AROUND    (turn completely around)                                 T A

CLIMB UP       (climb up a ladder to the previous level)                C U
CLIMB DOWN     (climb down a hole or ladder to the next level)          C D

EXAMINE  (lists the things in your backpack and on the floor near you)   E
LOOK     (go to dungeon view again after using the EXAMINE command)      L 

GET LEFT item    (picks an item up off the floor, into your empty left  G L item
GET RIGHT item    or right hand. You must specify the item to get)      G R item

DROP LEFT      (drop the item from your left or right hand              D L
DROP RIGHT      onto the floor)                                         D R

PULL LEFT item    (pull an item out of your backpack, into your empty   P L item
PULL RIGHT item    right or left hand. You must specify what item)      P R item

STOW LEFT        (place the item from your left or right hand           S L
STOW RIGHT        into your backpack)                                   S R

ATTACK LEFT      (attack using the object you are holding in your       A L
ATTACK RIGHT      left or right hand)                                   A R

USE LEFT     (use the item in your left or right hand. This is only     U L
USE RIGHT     applied to a TORCH, FLASK, or SCROLL.)                    U R

REVEAL LEFT      (attempt to discover the true nature of the item       R L
REVEAL RIGHT      in your left or right hand.)                          R R

INCANT word   (attempt to activate the power of a RING by INCANTing     I word
               it with the correct magical word.)                    


ZSAVE name    (save your game, optionally with a specific name)         
ZLOAD name    (load a saved game. you can specify which one to load, by name)
              (read the section below for full description of saving/loading)


ITEMS
=====

There are several classes of items you may find in the dungeon. Among each item
class, there are also different types.... When you first find an item, you will
know what class the item is, but not it's specific type (the Evil Wizard has
used magic to hide many things in the dungeon). To determine the item's type,
you must use the REVEAL command while holding the item in your hand. Items that
have not been properly REVEALed will not function correctly. You often won't be
able to successfully REVEAL an item when you first find it - try REVEALing it
again later, after you have gained strength.

Each item is listed with it's full name, and the shortest abbreviation you can
use to specify that item. When specifying an item, you can either use it's
generic class, such as SWORD, or you can name a specific type, such as
WOODEN SWORD. Using the generic form will cause a command to be preformed on the
nearest item of that class... for example, if there were both a a WOODEN SWORD
and an IRON SWORD on the ground, the command GET RIGHT SWORD would just grab the
nearest one... Whereas GET RIGHT IRON SWORD would grab the nearest IRON SWORD.


-----
TORCH
T
-----
You need a lit torch to be able to see in the dungeon. Further, you will need a
magical torch to be able to see many hidden things... Some magical monsters are
invisible under normal light, and some walls are illusions, which can only be
detected under magical light. As your torch grows dim, it will be harder to hit
monsters when you attack... To light a torch, hold it in your hand and USE it.
This will light it and mount it on your backpack, leaving your hand free.
When using the EXAMINE command, your currently lit TORCH will be highlighted.

PINE TORCH  - Provides basic lighting in the dungeon. Burns for 15 minutes.
P T

LUNAR TORCH - A bright torch that casts some magical light, lasting 30 minutes.
LU T

SOLAR TORCH - Very magical. Allows everything to be seen clearly for 60 minutes.
SO T


-----
SWORD
SW
-----
You need a sword in hand to effectively attack a monster. Some very strong
monsters are resistant to non-magical attacks; some are even completely immune.

WOODEN SWORD - This is what you start out with. I guess the town you are trying
W SW           to save is REALLY poor, and couldn't afford to equip you with a 
               proper sword, so they just gave you a sharp stick...

IRON SWORD   - Much better than the wooden one, but still non-magical. You'll
IR SW          definitely want to find one before venturing far into the dungeon.

ELVISH SWORD - A very powerful magical sword. Only the strongest of warriors
EL SW          is able to wield this awesome weapon, but even then, attacking
               with this magical blade will cause quite a strain on your heart.


------
SHIELD
SH
------
Carrying a shield in your hand can help deflect the force of a monster's attack.
If you find yourself without a sword, you can also attack with a shield.
Attacking with any other normal item is no better than using your empty hand...

LEATHER SHIELD - A standard, small shield.
LE SH

BRONZE SHIELD  - A tougher, metal shield.
B SH

MITHRIL SHIELD - A magical, shield very good at blocking enemy attacks.
M SH             It can also be used quite well as a weapon, which will
                 even inflict some magical damage. Because of this, it's
                 probably even more effective than the IRON SWORD as a weapon.


-----
FLASK
F
-----
There are various types of FLASKs you may find in the dungeon. The effects of
these magical potions will be left for you to discover on your own. Be careful
drinking FLASKs randomly; although some can greatly aid you, others may contain
deadly poison. To drink the contents of a FLASK, hold it in your hand and USE it.

HALE FLASK
H F

ABYE FLASK
A F

THEWS FLASK
TH F


------
SCROLL
SC
------
You may also find magical SCROLLs within the dungeon. 
After you have REVEALed these, they can be quite helpful.
To activate a SCROLL, hold it in your hand and USE it.

VISION SCROLL
VI SC

SEER SCROLL
SE SC


----
RING
R
----
Hidden within the dungeon, you my find rings of great power. These rings contain
potent attack magic. They are used by holding them in your hand, and ATTACKing
with them as a weapon. Using one of these will put a great strain on your heart,
but will cause tremendous damage to your enemy. Before you can release their
power though, you will need to determine the proper INCANTation for each ring...
Attacking with a RING that has not been properly INCANTed will do no more
damage than a bare fist attack.

After you are able to REVEAL a ring, it's name may give you a clue to the 
magical word you will need to INCANT in order to activate the RING's power. 

As an example, if you found a RING, then REVEAL it to be a STONE RING, you might
be able to INCANT it with the magic word 'EARTHQUAKE' (by holding the RING in
your hand, and using the command: INCANT EARTHQUAKE). The RING would then become
a powerful EARTHQUAKE RING that you could use as a devastating weapon. However,
a RING's power is not limitless, and after being used a few times, the RING will
become completely drained of power, and revert to a non-magical GOLD RING.

You must use your wits to determine the correct magical words to INCANT
each ring with. This is the most vital part in completing your quest,
for even the evil Wizard derives his power from a RING...

GOLD RING
G R


========
Monsters
========

Monsters? We got monsters. We got Vipers, Spiders, Evil Knights, Smiling Blobs,
Stone Giants, Scorpions, Wraiths, and Galdrogs. Each monster will make its own
sound. Learning these sounds will help you determine what might be coming from
around the corner, and how far away it is, according to how loud the sound is.

As a general rule, the bigger the monster, the faster you should run. Some
creatures are deceptively powerful for their size though... And don't be fooled
by similar-looking monsters you encounter on deeper levels of the dungeon. Just
because you could easily defeat that Stone Giant from the last level, doesn't
mean his better-equiped cousin from the next level won't be able to easily stomp
you into pudding. You will just have to learn some things from experience
(and by 'experience', I mean 'dying a lot').

Monsters will stalk you through the hallways, and will stop to pick up items
from the floor. When you kill a monster, it will drop any items it was carrying.
When you and a monster are standing in the same square, it will attack you. You
will know when a monster hits you, because it will hurt a lot. What are you
gonna do, cry about it? A better idea would be to ATTACK the monster, and then
quickly run away before it can attack you back.

Each monster you defeat will make you stronger. You will be able to deal more
damage and withstand more attacks as you grow in power. If the big, bad monsters
are beating you up, just go take out your frustrations on the smaller, wimpy
monsters.... Build up those muscles picking on the weenies, and then go back and
kick sand in the faces of those bigger monsters, just like in those old
comic book advertisements. 

There are ladders in the dungeon you can use to climb up a level, but for some
reason, that really cheeses off the Wizard, and he will summon some really nasty
monsters to come get you if you decide to climb up to a previous level. Coward.

Also, before you ever get to the real Wizard, you will have to defeat a Demon
that looks like the Wizard. The Demon is also wearing the Wizard's clothes.
I don't even want to know how that happened.


======
SAVING
======

You can save your game by typing in ZSAVE and pressing ENTER. This will save to
the default file name. Typing in ZLOAD will load from this file. ZSAVEing again
like this will overwrite your previous save game. You can specify a different
file name by adding the name after ZSAVE or ZLOAD. The name can be only one word
(no spaces) and can have only letters (no numbers).



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Ok, I could probably go on, but I was TRYING to be brief.... :D
I really do reccomend finding and reading over the full manaul.

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