DWC
***
Deranged Wizard's Castle
Release 1.1
(4-12-2005)

An all-ASCII adventure
loosely based on the game
"Castle Adventure" by Kevin Bales (a.k.a "The Golden Wombat").

Created by 
John N. Engelmann

Tested by
Robert Hess
Christopher Sebasta
Tyler Palmisano
Chad Pitchford
Ryan Gross
Jeremy Ward
Emily Gonzales

DWC is freeware.

Questions? Comments? Problems?
Write to jonathanchrist@sectionz.com.



Requirements
************
-PC with DOS version 5.0 or higher
-CGA graphics card or better
-Color monitor
-Minimum processor speed of 12 Mhz
-The file QBASIC.EXE

If using Windows, full-screen mode (rather than windowed) is recommended. Errors in Windows' text-mode emulation may occur when in windowed mode.



VERSION HISTORY
***************
(Jargon internal to the program is used in some lines below so as not to turn this list of bug fixes into a series of spoilers.)

1.1 (4-12-2005):
-Slowed down game speed slightly to make game more fair, to increase visibility of animations, and to maintain the feel the game had on the first computer it was developed on (an 8088 running at 9.54 Mhz)
-Opening a locked door with a command no longer prints a message saying "it can't be done" (paraphrased) in the middle of the screen after opening the door
-Corrected formatting problem with messages that appear when hitting enemies
-Severely reduced HITS bonus when DWC6.BAS CHAINs back to DWC2.BAS
-Adjusted entry #401 of ROOMS.DA4 so that it would be possible to exit the room via method "R" rather than returning to the same room
-Updated the descriptions of the enemy in entry #364 of ROOMS.DA2 to match her/his current real-life attributes
-Changed the description of item #5 to make it more correct grammatically
-Changed DWC1.DAT entries #6 and #35-#40 to indicate that a bug occurred when they are accessed
-Corrected description of item #34
-When message is displayed shortly after line #891 in DWC3.BAS, "[press key]" is now erased from the screen after player presses a key
-Fixed the conditional involving a random number after line #9001 in DWC3.BAS so that the negative outcome is possible
-Fixed response to item #26 in sub ID of DWC3.BAS
-Fixed response to items #27-34 in sub ID of DWC3.BAS
-Corrected DWC3.BAS so that the merchant does not offer a different list of wares when in room #33
-Error no longer occurs in DWC4.BAS when sounds have been disabled
-"Do you want to leave the castle?" prompt now requires player to either press "Y" or "N". This prevents flickering of prompt window when player holds down arrow key.
-Updated author's e-mail address.
-Added "Emily Gonzales" to list of testers.

1.01 (11-24-2002):
-Correction made in the "Known Bugs" section of README.TXT.
-Need for file "grafx.dat" eliminated.

1.0 (11-21-2002):
Project started in c. 1993. Thousands of hours of repetitive work by an ultra-amateur programmer who has little if any talent for programming. An ever-evolving kilodimensional spaghetti program which defines the word "convoluted". At least 10 beta releases, not all which were actually released (i.e., given to anyone). Differences between these releases were never recorded.



KNOWN BUGS
**********
Too many to list. If the game crashes and you find yourself in QBasic's program editor, hit ALT, F, and X to exit DWC.



THE STORY
*********
A generation ago, King Zidjilan ruled Lomano city from a great castle. However, the castle was haunted.  The king beleived that if the castle was filled with confusing mazes and secret passages, the castle would not attract as many monsters and demons.  So, the king hired several wizards to design and magically build complicated mazes throughout the castle.

When the wizards finished their job, they left town.  Unfortunately, the wizards did too good a job.  For it was then impossible to get to many of the places in the castle easily or safely. The king and queen both died by falling into pits that were part of the mazes. The death of the king caused an uproar in the city.

Then, all of a sudden, the city was attacked by skilled, heavily-armed warriors.  These warriors were the best in the land.  Even the city's well-trained knights were no match for them.  Every resident of Lomano city was slaughtered.  The castle never was guarded, so the warriors entered the castle with ease.  They asked the castle workers where the treasury had been stored. The workers did not know at all, since they were never told themselves. So, the warriors locked the workers in the castle cellar to starve to death.  

Next, the warriors searched for the treasury.  All but one of them, a deranged man, died looking for it.  This remaining warrior was also a wizard. He did not find any money or treasures, but he did find the secret to returning the castle back to normal.  To this day, he remains well-hidden in the castle, protecting the secret.  He also waits for a bold adventurer to discover him and accept his final challenge.


  
OBJECT
******

The object of the game is to find your way through the castle by carefully walking through mazes, defeating monsters, and interacting with your surroundings, and to then find the warrior and to defeat him.  You will have won when you have returned the castle back to normal.



HOW TO BEGIN
************

Run "dwc.bat" from the dos prompt.

Start by creating a new player. You must write down or remember the name you give the player, because the name also functions as a sort of password for every time that you want to continue that player's game.



PLAYING THE GAME
****************

To walk, press the appropriate key on the numeric keypad (Num Lock must be off). Example: press 6 to go right, 4 to go left, and so on.  Many times you will see small squares of wall that touch at their corners.  You can go between these corners by going diagonally (pressing 7, 9, 1, or 3) through them. Keep in mind that you lose some strength for every space that you move.

If your strength falls to a low level, you may wish to temporarily leave the castle.  When you leave the castle, it gives you rest, and some of your strength will be replenished if you are feeling particularly weak (to leave the castle, go back out of an entrance). Food items (bread and meat) are scattered throughout the castle--these will provide a great deal more strength than leaving the castle to take a rest.

If you want to do something besides walk around or battle,  you must type it in.

The castle is not laid out simply.  Some rooms overlap.  From others you can go to a faraway room.  Still others repeat a sequence of rooms.  Also, the castle is filled with stairways and magical portals called warps.  Keep in mind that the stairways don't necessarily go one floor directly above you.  To help with visualizing where you are in the castle, the floors have differently colored walls.
    

ENEMIES
*******
Many types of monsters and demons are scattered throughout the castle.  You don't need a weapon to battle them, but if you want to do anything more than swat flies, you had better get a weapon. To use your fist, or your weapon if you have one, hit F1.  You will strike whatever you are facing.  You can only strike so quickly, so pace yourself.

You will at some point encounter flies in the castle. These annoying but weak bugs can block your way and take off a little strength.  



THE MERCHANT
************

The merchant is a wizard who teleports himself around the castle, looking for someone who would like to buy some of his merchandise.  He sells several items and also some secrets that can help you, especially if you're "stuck". He also would like to buy any posessions you might want to sell.  To buy something from or sell something to the merchant, or both, walk into him.



BOMBS
*****

Occasionally, you will find a bomb lying around.  Also, when you defeat an enemy, a bomb will sometimes appear.  These are very weak bombs that explode when dropped or thrown against something. Bombs have several uses. They can clear away walls made out of brittle bricks. They can also stun enemies - when a bomb explodes, nearby enemies become temporarily paralyzed.  Note that some walls will reappear later on when cleared away by a bomb. 



TREASURE TROVES
***************

Many treasure troves are located in hidden places in the castle. These are rooms filled with coins, gems, and treasure chests.  If you find a treasure trove, be sure to get all the money before leaving the room. Any money you missed will disappear once you leave the room.



Difficulty level #2 and #3
**************************

These levels are for more skilled players.  Among the challenges they offer are tougher mazes, tougher enemies, and more flies.  Also, if you are on difficulty level #2 or #3, you must gather up the riches in a treasure trove as fast as possible; otherwise, treasure-guarding gnomes will chase and attack you.

What are the benefits of choosing harder difficulty levels?  On level #2, your final score is doubled, and on level #3, it is quadrupled!



Other items found in the castle
*******************************

To get an item that can be picked up, simply walk or run into it.

Two types of food are scattered throughout the castle: bread, which replaces some lost energy, and meat, which replaces more energy than bread.

Money comes in three forms: coins (worth $1), gems (worth roughly a dozen coins), and treasure chests (worth a lot of money).

Keys open locked doors. Each key goes to one specific door.

Other things that can be picked up, such as trinkets and magic wands, appear in the game as yellow dots. You find out what they are when you pick them up.

Pits are irksome obstacles. If you walk into one, you fall in and lose some strength.  You can climb back out, tho.

Magic arrows are also obstacles. You can only go through them in the direction that they point.

A list of these items and more can be seen on-screen. Choose "View castle items" from the main menu.



Typed-in commands
*****************

When you want to do something other than walk or use a weapon, you must type it in. Keep in mind that the computer has a very limited vocabulary.  If you get the following response when you enter a
request:

 ????

then the computer didn't recognize a word or some of the words you used.

A listing of most commands:

QUIT - This allows you to return to the menu from most points in the game. Note that this will not save your game to disk--you need to exit the castle in order to save your game.

SEE or LOOK AT - These allow you to get a description of whatever you specify. For example, if you type "LOOK AT THE WALL" you will get a description of the walls in the room you're in.

ITEMS or INVENTORY - These will display a list of items that you own.

FACE - Changes the direction that you are facing.  Examples: "FACE WEST", "FACE NORTHEAST"

DROP - Allows you to get rid of something that you are carrying. 

BOMB - Detonates a bomb if you have one.

THROW - Throws an item or a bomb.

GET - Gets an item that is not displayed on screen.

PUT - Puts an item somewhere other than on the floor.

WAVE - Waves or brandishes an item.

PULL - Manipulates a semi-fixed object.



THREE TIPS FOR SUCCESS
**********************
1. Look at everything
2. Try everything
3. Buy secrets from the merchant



GOOD LUCK!!!