Knight Orc

KNIGHT ORC

by Level 9 Computing



Loading Instructions and Gameplay Guide



Introduction



In a hole in a mound there lived an orc. Not a clear, dry sandy hole with only

spiders to catch and eat, nor yet a comfortable hobbit-hole. It was an

orc-hole, and that means a dirty, clammy, wet hole filled with bits of worms

and a putrid smell.



It had a perfectly round garbage heap, blocking the doorway, with a slimy

yellow blob in the exact middle for spitting practice. The doorway opened

onto a sewer-shaped hall - a deeply unpleasant tunnel filled with smoke,

with secret panels, and floors snared and pitted, provided with treacherous

chairs and lots and lots of booby traps - the orc was fond of visitors.



But what is an orc? Orcs are not seen much nowadays, since they are shy of

human beings. They are a pungent people, little bigger than overweight

elves, with the charisma of blow flies and the appetite of gannets. Orcs have

little or no magic, except a rudimentary skill with knives and strangling

cords and, in short, they are evil little pits.



This ore was unusually ugly, even for an orc. His name was Gringleguts.



Grindleguts had lived in the neighbourhood of The Mountain for about a year

and most people considered him two steps lower than a tapeworm, not only

because of the smell and the plague, but because he kept eating their

household pets.



Knight Orc follows on from the events described in "The Sign of The Orc".

Grindleguts has been volunteered as their champion by the other orcs, while

in a drunken stupor, and tied to a horse so that he won't escape, or fall off,

before the joust. Your first task, as the orc in question, is to live long enough

to escape over the viaduct to Orc Mountain.



Good luck, Grindleguts. You're going to need it ...!





Loading Instructions



Cassette users: To remove a cassette from the box, firmly press the top of

the cassette label inwards, and the cassette will pop out.



Remember to always have a blank cassette or a formatted disc at hand to save

your game position on. See section 6 of Game Instructions for more

information about saving and restoring your game position.



Each version of Knight Orc has a Menu program, which will instruct you in

the further loading of the game (if necessary). Simply refer to the table

below, and select the appropriate loading instructions:



MACHINE DISC CASSETTE TAPE



Amiga Insert game disc at the

Workbench prompt



Amstrad CPC 464/664/6128 RUN"MENU" Disc users type |TAPE

To load game type RUN""

Amstrad PCW Load CP/M and type

MENU



Apple II/IIe/IIc/IIGS Insert disc in drive and

turn computer on



Atari ST Insert disc in drive and

turn computer on



Atari 130XE/800XL* Hold START & OPTION Hold START & OPTION while

while turning computer while turning computer on.

on. Start tape and press RETURN.



Commodore 64 LOAD"MENU",8,1 Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP

and start tape.



IBM PC and compatibles Load MS-DOS and type

MENU



Macintosh/Macintosh Plus Double-click the menu

icon.



MSX 64k RUN "CAS:"



Spectrum 48k LOAD "" and start tape



Spectrum 128/Plus2/Plus3 Enter BASIC and type Switch computer on, and

LOAD "MENU" press ENTER



* 8-bit Atari users should turn off the machine and remove all cartridges

before loading.





Loading Advice



If you're having any problems loading Knight Orc into your computer, then

try the following...



Cassette



1. Try the other side of the cassette.

2. Load another game from cassette that you know works correctly, to

check that everything is connected correctly.

3. Vary the volume and tone settings on the recorder if you are able to.

4. Clean and demagnetise the recorder (following the maker's instructions).

5. Try another cassette recorder if possible.



Disc



1. Try again from the very beginning. Remove all discs and turn the computer

off completely and back on again.

2. Is the disc the right way up? (This applies especially to Amstrads).

3. Load another game from disc to check that everything is connected correctly.

4. Have you added any non-standard or peculiar hardware to the computer?

5. Clean the drive (following the manufacturer's instructions).



Guarantee (What to do if the program doesn't work!)



If you have no success in getting the program to run correctly, return it to

Rainbird (or Firebird in the United States) without our packaging, and we'll

replace it (if you're returning a disc, make sure it's safely packed!). Please

include a short letter telling us exactly what the problem is, and what

equipment your computer system comprises of.





Game Instructions - Commands



Knight Orc understands a wide range of commands in plain English, from

simple one or two word instructions up to complex multiple sentences.

This chapter is split into sections describing ways in which to communicate

with the program.



1. Movement



To move around The Land, use the following commands:



Word Abbrv. Word Abbrv.

NORTH N NORTHEAST NE

EAST E NORTHWEST NW

SOUTH S SOUTHEAST SE

WEST W SOUTHWEST SW

UP U DOWN D

INSIDE IN OUTSIDE OUT

CLIMB - JUMP -

CROSS -



These commands take you to an adjacent location. Use the EXITS command

if you want to know which directions are allowed (when EXITS lead in "all

directions" this means the eight main compass directions: N, NE, E, SE, S,

SW, W and NW).



To save time, and so you don't need to draw a map, Knight Orc provides the

commands below:



FOLLOW <person> (e.g. FOLLOW INNKEEPER). Try to stay close to

someone, moving when they do. Other people can be

ordered to follow you as well, see section iii. However,

they can sometimes get left a little way behind, because

even the most loyal follower will not obey you 100% of

the time. Either wait for them, or command them to

move to the destination with you following them.



GO TO <place> (e.g. GO TO CASTLE or GO TO WELL). The program

works out the sequence of short moves needed to

reach your destination (e.g. OUT, NE, N, NE, IN) and

carries them out.



RUN TO <place> (e.g. RUN TO INN). This is like GO TO, but does not

print the descriptions of the places you run through.



FIND <object> (e.g. FIND GOAT). Again, this works like GO TO and

takes you to the place where the object is. Note that

you can FIND just about anything, including people,

moving objects and things inside containers.



Of course, there is not much that the program can do if you try to FIND

something that does not currently exist. Or if the way to your destination is

blocked (for example, there is a Thorn Hedge around the tower). In such

cases, the program does the best it can.





2. Actions



The majority of commands that you will use are actions, such as opening

doors, stealing treasure and hitting dumb animals. Here are some examples:



Command Comment

GET THE KNIFE Take a stabbing weapon for later use

EXAMINE KNIFE Stare closely at a tin-plated object

TIE THE CORD TO THE ROPE Fasten one thing to another

PUT MOUSE IN THE SACK Best place for it, if you ask me

EAT THE RAT PIE Delicious

REMOVE THE TETHER Untie something or take it from a container

PUT KEY UNDER THE MAT I bet you've always wanted to do this

WEAR THE HELMET Avoid headaches later on

OPEN THE CHEST There may be treasure inside it

KICK THE FROG It's smaller than you



To save typing, commands can refer to more than one object, e.g:



EXAMINE THE HORSE, KNIGHT AND LANCE

TAKE THE CLOAK AND THE KNIFE



Knight Orc understands the following collective nouns:



ALL, EVERYTHING, EVERYBODY, TREASURE, WEAPONS and CLOTHES



Thus, you can enter things like:



GIVE THE TREASURE TO THE INNKEEPER

TAKE ALL THE CLOTHES

EXAMINE EVERYBODY



Exceptions are also understood, for example:



TAKE EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE MAT

DROP ALL THE TREASURE BUT THE GOLD BRICK AND THE GOLD FISH



And you can refer to the last mentioned thing as HIM, HER or IT, e.g:



TAKE THE AXE

EXAMINE IT

THROW IT AT THE GREEN KNIGHT

STEAL THE COIN AND PUT IT IN THE BUCKET



You can type several commands on one line, using punctuation or AND to

separate them if you like, though this is not usually needed, e.g:



N NE NE CROSS (Though RUN TO PLACE is better)

OPEN DOOR. GO IN AND TAKE EVERYTHING



Using the fun range of command features allows you to enter near-English

sentences of considerable complexity. More important, it means the game is

more likely to understand what you mean.



3. Talking to Other Characters



Orcs are not known for their small-talk and much prefer action to words,

especially when that action is mindless, violent and aimed at someone

smaller than them. So conversation is limited in this game.



People can be asked about things, and a few of them may even answer you.

One in particular is a mine of information. For example:



HERMIT, TELL ME ABOUT THE KNIFE

TROLL, TELL ME ABOUT THE RING



People can be commanded to do the same sort of thing that you can do

yourself, using the full range of commands. Denzyl is the only person who

will obey without being recruited and I leave it to you to work out how to

make other people and creatures follow your commands. Remember that

you can't finish the game without help. Example commands are:



DENZYL, FOLLOW ME



DENZYL, FIND THE WELL, TAKE EVERYTHING, FIND ME, GIVE

EVERYTHING TO ME



DRAGON, FLY SOUTH AND KILL GROK THEN FOLLOW ME



In some other adventure games, when you give someone a command, they go

off and do whatever it was while you have to stand there and wait. Knight

Orc is somewhat more realistic.



If you tell Denzyl, "DENZYL, GET THE FISH, FIND ME AND GIVE THE FISH

TO ME, he will head off to find it - moving roughly once for every move you

make. Then you can get on with solving other puzzles, doing whatever you

like, while Denzyl carries out his task. Eventually he will wander back and

hand over the fish.



By the end of the game, you may well have acquired a lot of followers, and

they can all be given orders to carry out at the same time. For example, if you

want a simultaneous attack on the vampire, you might enter commands as

follows:



TROLL, WAIT 2, IN, KILL VAMPIRE

MOUSE, WAIT 1, IN, KILL VAMPIRE

IN, KILL VAMPIRE



Needless to say, a lot of puzzles in the later stages of Knight Orc require

co-operation between creatures.





4. High Level Commands



Knight Orc provides a number of powerful multi-stage commands, where you

enter a single command such as 'RUN TO THE TOWER' and the program

carries it out in stages. (The idea is that it is easier to enter one command

than a lot of little ones.) Most of these have already been described above,

and the full list is:



FOLLOW <creature> Try to stay with someone. STOP FOLLOWING later.

GO TO <place> Go to the place (the program works out the route).

RUN TO <place> As "GO TO", without printing location descriptions.

FIND <object> GO TO where an object is.

KILL <creature> Hit and/or pursue creature in a fight-to-the-death.

WAIT FOR <creature> Wait until the creature arrives.

WAIT FOR <number> Wait for the specified number of 'turns'.

WAIT UNTIL <time> (Use the TIME command to learn the current time).



If something unforeseen happens, these commands can be paused by pressing

SPACE. The program will ask if you want to continue: Press Y or N for yes or

no.





5. Magic



Magic works in the Knight Orc world and there are twenty-one spells to

learn. You'll be able to learn them in later stages of the game and will have to

know every spell in order to finish.



To learn a spell, you just need to see or hear its name. To use it, once learnt,

enter CAST <spellname>, or CAST <spellname> AT <target>. E.g:



CAST GLOW

CAST FIREBALL AT DRAGON

CAST LOCATE AT RING



The functions of the spells are fairly obvious from their names and the rest is

up to you!



& Special Commands



Knight orc provides a number of general purpose commands:



INVENTORY (INV) What are you carrying? (Try EXAMINE ME, too.)

SCore How badly are you doing?

AGAIN (A) Repeat the last command

HELP This sometimes gives you a clue.

QUIT Stop the game.

BRIEF Don't report unnecessary text. e.g: exits and shouting.

VERBOSE Report text in full.



Several commands are provided to control the adventure system, rather than

to make progress in solving the game, and these are described below.



Please note that some of these facilities marked with an asterisk are not

provided on some smaller computers and that the best way to find if a

command is present in the version of Knight Orc for your micro, is to try it.



* WORDS Turn off the pictures.

* PICTURES Turn them back on again.

* OOPS Restore the position as it was before you last moved.

OOPS (or UNDO) is a very useful command and, on larger

machines, it can be used several times in succession to

step backwards through the game.

SAVE Stores the game position on cassette or disc. Insert a

formatted disc, or start a blank cassette before using

this command. (Commodore 64 users may specify

whether to save to cassette or disc by adding ,1 to the

filename for tape, or ,8 for disc). When the SAVE has

finished, stop the tape, or replace the Knight Orc game

disc in the drive, as appropriate.

RESTore Loads a previously SAVEd position from cassette or

disc. Enter RESTore and then answer YES as

confirmation. To restore from tape, rewind the

cassette on which the position was SAVEd and start it

on PLAY (if the cassette doesn't move, press ENTER or

RETURN). To restore from disc, put the disc on which

the position was saved in the drive, before using

RESTore. If you are asked for a filename or

equivalent, enter whatever you called the position when

it was SAVEd. When the RESTore has finished, stop

the tape, or replace the Knight Orc disc in the drive, as

appropriate.

* RAM SAVE Saves the game position in memory. This is quicker

than saving on tape or disc, but the data is not as

permanent and will be lost if the computer is turned off

or reset.

* RAM RESTore Loads a previously RAM SAVEd position.



Note: OOPS, SAVE, RESTore, RAM SAVE and RAM RESTore can also be entered

in response to a YES/NO question. For example, if you have just been

killed in the game and the program is asking if you want to play again,

you can use one of them to return to a previous position instead.



Picture Moving



On computers such as the Amiga, Macintosh. and Atari ST, the mouse can be

used to move the picture up and down - allowing you to choose how much

text is visible below it. Disc versions on some other computers, e.g the

Commodore 64, control this feature by means of the up and down cursor

(arrow) keys.



Command Editor



Some of the machines with larger memories provide a command line editor

which keeps a copy of your previous commands and lets you edit and

re-enter them. The command editor is controlled by the cursor keys, delete

and backspace, and works in insert mode. Press cursor-up to display your

previous commands: the other details are best learnt by trying it.





Game Details



Knight Orc is a single game, with three sections, and you must start with

part one, Loosed Orc, and solve this before proceeding. The computer will

display instructions on how to do this, when the time comes.



Parts two and three, A Kind of Magic and Hordes of the Mountain King, are

linked together, and you can move freely from one to the other.



Scoring



Loosed Orc

The idea is to learn the adventure system and tie ropes together to make a

single rope, long enough to use in crossing the chasm. You score points

according to its size.



A Kind of Magic and Hordes of the Mountain King

Learn magic, recruit followers and escape. You score points for each spell

learnt, each follower recruited (providing they have powers which

complement, rather than duplicate your own), plus bonuses for solving the

final stage of the game.





Hints



When adventurers recognise an orc, they attack.



You are not likely to win many fair fights. Why not run away, or distract your

opponent, or cheat in some other way.



You can't take it with you (usually), so it's better to be poor than dead.





Are you really stuck? Take a hint from us...



Blocked by the thorn hedge? Infuriated by the Hermit? Can't recruit the

helpers you KNOW are needed to complete this game? Don't despair!

Although Rainbird brings you the most fiendishly devised adventures, we've

got a heart (who writes this stuff?), so if you are really stuck trying to solve a

seemingly unsolvable problem, fill in the Hint Request Form provided with

this package.



Credits



Idea, design and text Pete Austin

Game programming Mike Austin

Adventure System Mike and Nick Austin and John Jones Steele

Map and Testing Andrew Deeley

Testing Paul Coppins

Original Paintings Godfrey Dowson

Additional artwork Nell Strudwick and Stuart Lee

Poster Paul Human



With thanks to all at Rainbird (and the Dragon, Mouse and Troll) without

whom this game could not have been completed.