Allure-0.4.12: GameDefinition/PLAYING.md
Playing Allure of the Stars
===========================
Playing Allure of the Stars involves walking around an abandoned
Solar System space-ship, alone or in a party of trusted crew-members,
setting up ambushes, hiding in shadow, covering tracks,
breaking through to deeper spaceship decks, bumping into
hostile intruders, doors and walls, gathering technical resources
and making creative use of them. The bloodthirsty alien monsters
and their horrible minions do the same, intelligence allowing,
while tirelessly chasing the stranded heroes by smell and sight.
Once the few basic command keys and on-screen symbols are learned,
mastery and enjoyment of the game is the matter of tactical skill
and literary imagination. To be honest, a lot of imagination is required
at this stage, but the game is already playable and winnable.
The game also features experimental multiplayer cooperative and competitive
modes, but they are troublesome to play with the shared-screen
and shared-keyboard interface available at this time.
Contributions welcome.
Terrain
-------
The heroes are marked on the map with symbols `@` and `1` through `9`.
Their goal is to explore an old, gigantic, once luxurious space liner,
battle the horrors within, gather as much gold and precious gems
as possible, and escape to tell the tale. The spaceship, in the campaign
game mode, consists of many levels covered with varying terrain
of the following basic kinds.
terrain type on-screen symbol
floor .
wall #
rock or tree O
cache &
stairs up <
stairs down >
open door '
closed door +
The game world is persistent, i.e., every time the player visits a level
during a single game, the level layout is the same.
Keys
----
You move throughout the level using the numerical keypad or
the vi text editor keys (also known as "Rogue-like keys").
7 8 9 y k u
\|/ \|/
4-5-6 h-.-l
/|\ /|\
1 2 3 b j n
`SHIFT` (or `CTRL`) and a movement key make the current party leader
(and currently selected party members, if any) run in the indicated
direction, until anything of interest is spotted.
The `5` and `.` keys consume a turn and make you brace for combat,
which confers a chance to block blows for the remainder of the turn.
In targeting mode the same keys move the targeting cursor.
Melee, searching for secret doors and opening closed doors
can be done by bumping into a monster, a wall and a door, respectively.
Few commands other than movement are necessary for casual play.
Some are provided only as building blocks for more complex convenience
commands, e.g., the autoexplore command (key `X`) could be defined
by the player as a macro using `BACKSPACE`, `CTRL-?`, `CTRL-;` and `P`.
Below are the remaining keys for movement and terrain alteration.
keys command
< ascend a level
CTRL-< ascend 10 levels
> descend a level
CTRL-> descend 10 levels
CTRL-; make one step towards the target
; go to target for 100 steps
x explore the closest unknown spot
X autoexplore 100 times
R rest (wait 100 times)
c close door
Inventory and items-related keys are as follows. The `a` and `f` commands
are generalized versions the other item manipulation commands, offering
a wider default item choice.
keys command
I display inventory
g and , get an object
d drop an object
q quaff drink
r read tablet
a apply consumable
t throw projectile
z zap mechanism
f fling missile
To make a ranged attack, as in the last few commands above,
you need to set your target first (however, initial target is set
automatically as soon as a monster comes into view). Once in targeting mode,
you can move the targeting cursor with arrow keys and switch focus
among enemies with `*` (or among friends and enemies, depending
on targeting mode set by `/`). The details of the shared cursor position
and of the personal target are described at the bottom of the screen.
All targeting keys are listed below.
keys command
* target enemy
/ cycle targeting mode
+ swerve targeting line
- unswerve targeting line
BACKSPACE clear target/cursor
CTRL-? target the closest unknown spot
CTRL-I target the closest item
CTRL-{ target the closest stairs up
CTRL-} target the closest stairs down
Assorted remaining keys and commands follow.
keys command
? display help
D display player diary
T mark suspect terrain
V mark visible area
S mark smell
TAB cycle among party members on the level
SHIFT-TAB cycle among party members in the dungeon
= select (or deselect) a party member
_ deselect (or select) all on the level
p play back last keys
P play back last keys 100 times
CTRL-p play back last keys 1000 times
' start recording a macro
SPACE clear messages
ESC cancel action
RET accept choice
0--9 pick a new hero leader anywhere in the dungeon
Commands for saving and exiting the current game, starting a new game, etc.,
are listed in the Main Menu, brought up by the `ESC` key.
All but the campaign and skirmish game modes are experimental
and feature multiple human or computer players (allied or not).
Game difficulty setting affects hitpoints at birth for any actors
of any UI-using faction.
keys command
CTRL-x save and exit
CTRL-r new campaign game
CTRL-k new skirmish game
CTRL-v new PvP game
CTRL-o new Coop game
CTRL-e new defense game
CTRL-d cycle next game difficulty
There are also some debug, testing and cheat options and game modes
that can be specified on the command line when starting the game server.
Use at your own peril! :) Of these, you may find the screensaver modes
the least spoilery and the most fun, e.g.:
Allure --newGame --noMore --maxFps 45 --savePrefix test --gameMode testCampaign --difficulty 1
Monsters
--------
Heroes are not alone in the spaceship. Monsters roam the dark halls
and crawl from damp air-ducts day and night. While heroes pay attention
to all other party members and take care to move one at a time,
monsters don't care about each other and all move at once,
sometimes brutally colliding by accident.
When the hero bumps into a monster or a monster attacks the hero,
melee combat occurs. The best weapon carried by each opponent
is taken into account for calculating bonus damage. The total damage
the current hero can potentially inflict is displayed at the bottom
of the screen. The total damage potential of a monster may change
as it finds and picks up new weapons. Heroes and monsters running into
one another (with the `SHIFT` key) do not inflict damage, but change places.
This gives the opponent a free blow, but can improve the tactical situation
or aid escape.
Throwing weapons at targets wounds them, consuming the weapon in the process.
You may throw any object in your possession (press `?` to choose
an object and press it again for a non-standard choice) or on the floor
(press `-`). Only objects of a few kinds inflict any damage.
Whenever the monster's or hero's hit points reach zero, the combatant dies.
When the last hero dies, the game ends.
On Winning and Dying
--------------------
You win the game if you escape the spaceship alive (or eliminate
all opposition, in some game modes). Your score is
the sum of all gold you've plundered plus 100 gold grains for each gem.
Only the loot in possession of the party members on the current level
counts (the rest of the party is considered MIA).
If all heroes die, your score is halved and only the treasure carried
by the last standing hero counts. You are free to start again
from a different entrance to the spaceship, but all your previous wealth
is gone and fresh, undaunted enemies bar your way.