Short: Cliff Diver: Investigator For Hire (AGT) Author: Patrick Farley Uploader: Bill Hoggett (mas supplies easynet co uk) Type: game/text Requires: an AGT interpreter (e.g. AGiliTy) Architecture: generic ºÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸º º³ Cliff Diver: Investigator For Hire ³º ºÆÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵º º³úùúùú Crime to the Ninth Power úùúùú³º ºÆÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵º º³ ðð Game Data Copyright (c) 1991 ð𠳺 º³ Game Data Author: Patrick Farley ³º The Private Investigator's Handbook Section 1: Introductions are in order. Hello, my name is Patrick Farley. I wish to welcome you to this, my first attempt at computerized interactive fiction; an adventure novel entitled, "Crime to the Ninth Power." In this game, you'll be introduced to a char- acter named Cliff Diver; a private investigator living and working in San Francisco. I hope you and your friends will enjoy playing this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you. Section 2: Any questions? Yes sir. What type of system is required to run your adventure? Cliff Diver is designed to be run on an IBM PC-compatable computer with at least 384 K of memory, MS-DOS 2.1 or later, and at least 1 disk drive. The system doesn't require any advanced graphics and will adjust its output to best suit whatever monitor you choose. So how do I go about introducing Cliff Diver to my computer? Because it's constantly active and able to provide increased access time, a hard disk installation is recommended. If your system hasn't been outfitted with a hard disk drive, the program can be run from a single floppy disk. Please consult your DOS manual for procedures used in creating and maintain- ing hard disk directories and for the correct form of DOS's COPY or DISKCOPY command that's appropriate for your particular system. The following files are required for running Cliff Diver (approx. 70k) CLIFF .D$$ Encrypted game data CLIFF .DA1 CLIFF .DA2 CLIFF .DA3 CLIFF .DA4 CLIFF .DA5 CLIFF .INS A few notes on the game (this file can be printed) CLIFF .TTL The game's title in billboard format Well after doing all that, how do I run Cliff Diver? NOTE FOR AMIGA OWNERS: Download the AGiliTy AGT interpreter and read the instructions that come with that to play this game. This file was written mainly for PC users. If you've installed the program to a hard disk, move to the sub-directory containing the Cliff Diver files. Once there, run the batch file by enter- ing CLIFF [return]. The file calls the runtime program and the game, as they say, will be underway. Floppy disk users can simply insert the disk into an appropriate drive and run the batch file above. The game will appear sluggish while it's reading in information from the "on-demand" floppy drive. I've heard the word "shareware" quite a bit these days. What is that? Shareware's copyrighted software distributed at minimal cost. Because you can "try before you buy", it's easy to find programs that fit your needs. Shareware authors release their programs with an element of trust, expec- ting payment if the program's used regularly. Because expensive marketing costs are eliminated, you'll wind up saving money with Shareware instead of commercial software. Sounds like a good idea. How do I go about registering my copy? At the end of this document is a registration form designed to simplify the task of registering. There is a reason I produced this form the way I did. When a customer sends me registration, I send them a thank-you letter. It's one thing to send a letter to a wrong address, it's quite another thing to spell the person's name incorrectly. That's the reason for the ONE PRINTED LETTER PER SQUARE format. Your information is entered into my customer database. And before you turn up your nose and roundfile this and my form, let me assure you that I will not release your name to any marketing firm. You will not receive a mailer for photo processing or catalogs schleping the latest yuppie gadgets. Uh-huh. So you're saying there are benefits to my registration? If you should find yourself in a spot you can't get out of, you can write to me for assistance. You can also request printed maps of the adventure. You can also-- No wait, I don't want to reveal that just yet. It's enough to say that there's something on the back burner that will prove to be of interest to Cliff Diver's fans, but only those who have registered. Excuse me, sir. You say your adventure takes place in San Francisco. Should I be familar with that city before I play this? I had several maps of the city to refer to while I was writing this so I could make reference to streets and landmarks. I'm not sure if any build- ing I wrote into the game is standing at the address or location I gave. In fact, I should be telling you that... ANY SIMILARITY TO ANY PERSON, LIVING OR DEAD, OR TO ANY BUILDING OR LANDMARK, PAST OR PRESENT, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PURELY COINCIDENTAL. (phew!) I hope that clears that up. Knowing your way around would certainly be an advantage in playing my game. Cliff may talk about something down by the waterfront, and you may remember driving along the waterfront. But as to going there and trying to find the building Cliff mentioned, I don't think you'll have a lot of luck. I think that about covers any questions. If you have any others, please write to me. Right now I want to move on to... Section 3: Acknowledging those people who helped me produce this game. It's traditional for an author to dedicate his first work to his mother. So, Dorothy, thank you for having faith in me and for silently telling me, "Don't give up. You can do it." I also wish to thank... The Staff at Softworks: David Malmberg along with his partner Mark Welch, produced the Adventure Game Toolkit. Their compiler sweated out the pro- gram for me, taking all my descriptive files and producing the necessary game files. A note of thanks goes to... Charles Viescas, my part-time logic consultant, who helped me get Cliff over a number of difficult logic hurdles. And, finally... Phil Staudinger; my close friend and game beta-tester, who was always there and asking, "Why does that do this when I do that?" I would also like to thank you, but, of course I can't do that just yet. I hope I'll be able to very soon. I welcome letters from users, whether they're registered or not (the users, of course, not the-- never mind). My mailing address is: Patrick Farley 1751 13th Street Los Osos, CA. 93402 Please be sure to include: ATTN: Cliff Diver Oh, one more thing. A note of special interest to Adventure Game Toolkit programmers and AGT text adventure players. Traditionally, adventure games created under AGT were run in their final state by a runtime engine called RUN. The syntax RUN reflected a fantasy adventure format that featured you, the player, directing you, the char- acter. Responses to commands such as GET THE BOOK would be, "You get the book." or "You do not see a book." Creatures encountered (and attacked) during the course of a game (ie Dragons, Orcs, Elves, etc.) would die in horrible agony and disappear in huge puffs of foul green or orange smoke. I chose not to write adventure fantasy, but reality. The problem was that the syntax was etched in stone and couldn't be changed. Writing to Soft- works, I explained my problems to David, who took an interest in this new adventure angle. With David's permission and my trusty editor, I sat down to change RUN's syntax from one of YDY, or You Directing You, to YDSE, or You Directing Someone Else. I altered the way AGT speaks. It still plays the way it always did. Oh, I did soften the way things die. In reality, death wouldn't occur in a puff of smoke. Sending the changes to AGT, David verified them, re-compiled the files and christened the new format IRUN. This is the runtime program I've included with Cliff Diver. If you understand that Cliff's talking to you while you are directing him by remote computer control, you should have no problems. If you do have problems, write to me. I can recommend someone who'll help you for just $45 down and $45 dollar an hour - no house calls or multiple personalities, please. Patrick Farley 1751 13th. Street Los Osos, CA 93402 Thank you. Your support of Shareware programming is appreciated.