Allure-0.5.0.0: GameDefinition/PLAYING.md
Playing Allure of the Stars
===========================
Your party of trusted crew-members is about to test their fortune
by exploring an abandoned Solar System passenger cruiser.
You are going to set up ambushes for it's feral denizens, hide in shadows,
cover tracks, bump into unspeakable horrors, hidden mechanisms
and astounding technical treasures and make creative use of it all.
The mysterious inhabitants of the gigantic spaceship are bound
to welcome intruders with bloody surprises of their own.
As soon as you turn your back in fear, expect to be chased tirelessly
throughout all the decks, by sight, sound and smell.
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 of game development, but the game is already playable
and winnable. Contributions are welcome.
Heroes
------
The heroes are marked on the map with symbols `@` and `1` through `9`.
Their goal is to explore a warped, old, once luxurious space liner,
battle the horrors within, gather as much gold and precious gems
as possible, and escape to tell the tale.
The currently chosen party leader is highlighted on the screen
and his attributes are displayed at the bottommost status line,
which in its most complex form may look as follows.
*@12 Adventurer 4d1+5% Calm: 20/60 HP: 33/50 Target: basilisk [**__]
The line starts with the list of party members (unless there's only one member)
and the shortened name of the team. Clicking on the list selects heroes and
the selected run together when `:` or `SHIFT`-left mouse button is pressed.
Then comes the damage of the highest damage dice weapon the leader can use,
then his current and maximum Calm (composure, focus, attentiveness), then
his current and maximum HP (hit points, health). At the end, the personal
target of the leader is described, in this case a basilisk monster,
with hit points drawn as a bar. Weapon damage and other item stats
are displayed using the dice notation `XdY`, which means X rolls
of Y-sided dice. A variant denoted `XdsY` is additionally
scaled by the level depth in proportion to the maximal spaceship depth.
You can read more about combat resolution in section Monsters below.
The second status line describes the current level in relation
to the party.
5 Lofty hall [33% seen] X-hair: exact spot (71,12) p15 l10
First comes the depth of the current level and its name.
Then the percentage of its explorable tiles already seen by the heroes.
The 'X-hair' (meaning 'crosshair') is the common focus of the whole party,
denoted on the map by a white box and manipulated with movement keys
in aiming mode. At the end of the status line comes the length of the shortest
path from the leader to the crosshair position and the straight-line distance
between the two points.
Spaceship
---------
The spaceship and other scenario locations consist of one or many
levels or decks and each deck consists of a large number of tiles.
The basic tile kinds are as follows.
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 deck
during a single game, its layout is the same.
Commands
--------
You walk throughout a level using the left mouse button or the numeric
keypad (left diagram) or its compact laptop replacement (middle)
or Vi text editor keys (right, also known as "Rogue-like keys",
which have to be enabled in config.ui.ini).
7 8 9 7 8 9 y k u
\|/ \|/ \|/
4-5-6 u-i-o h-.-l
/|\ /|\ /|\
1 2 3 j k l b j n
In aiming mode (`KEYPAD_*` or `\`) the same keys (or the middle and right
mouse buttons) move the crosshair (the white box). In normal mode,
`SHIFT` (or `CTRL`) and a movement key make the current party leader
run in the indicated direction, until anything of interest is spotted.
The `5` keypad key and the `i` and `.` keys consume a turn and make you
brace for combat, which reduces any damage taken for a turn and makes it
impossible for foes to displace you. You displace enemies or friends
by bumping into them with `SHIFT` (or `CTRL`).
Melee, searching for secret doors, looting and opening closed doors
can be done by bumping into a monster, a wall and a door, respectively.
Few commands other than movement, 'g'etting an item from the floor,
'a'pplying an item and 'f'linging an item are necessary for casual play.
Some are provided only as specialized versions of the more general
commands or as building blocks for more complex convenience macros.
E.g., the autoexplore command (key `X`) could be defined
by the player as a macro using `CTRL-?`, `CTRL-.` and `V`.
The following minimal command set lets you accomplish almost anything
in the game, though not necessarily with the fewest number of keystrokes.
The full list of commands can be seen in the in-game help accessible
from the Main Menu.
keys command
< ascend a level
> descend a level
c close door
E manage equipment of the leader
g or , get items
a apply consumable
f fling projectile
+ swerve the aiming line
D display player diary
T toggle suspect terrain display
SHIFT-TAB cycle among all party members
ESC cancel action, open Main Menu
The only activity not possible with the commands above is the management
of non-leader party members. You don't need it, unless your non-leader actors
can move or fire opportunistically (via innate skills or rare equipment).
If really needed, you can manually set party tactics with `CTRL-T`
and you can assign individual targets to party members using the aiming
and targeting commands listed below.
keys command
KEYPAD_* or \ aim at an enemy
KEYPAD_/ or | cycle aiming styles
+ swerve the aiming line
- unswerve the aiming line
CTRL-? set crosshair to the closest unknown spot
CTRL-I set crosshair to the closest item
CTRL-{ set crosshair to the closest stairs up
CTRL-} set crosshair to the closest stairs down
BACKSPACE reset target/crosshair
RET or INSERT accept target/choice
For ranged attacks, setting the crosshair or individual targets
beforehand is not mandatory, because the crosshair is set automatically
as soon as a monster comes into view and can still be adjusted while
in the missile choice menu. However, if you want to assign persistent
personal targets or just inspect the level map closely, you can enter
the detailed aiming mode with the right mouse button or with
the `*` keypad key that selects enemies or the `/` keypad key that
marks a tile. You can move the aiming crosshair with direction keys
and assign a personal target to the leader with `RET`.
The details of the shared crosshair position and of the personal target
are described in the status lines at the bottom of the screen.
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.
Game difficulty setting affects hitpoints at birth for any actors
of any UI-using faction. For a person new to roguelikes, the Raid scenario
offers a gentle introduction. The subsequent game modes gradually introduce
squad combat, stealth, opportunity fire, asymmetric battles and more.
Monsters
--------
Heroes are not alone in the spaceship. Monstrosities, natural
and out of this world, 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. 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. In some circumstances actors are immune to the displacing,
e.g., when both parties form a continuous front-line.
In melee combat, the best equipped weapon (or the best fighting organ)
of each opponent is taken into account for determining the damage
and any extra effects of the blow. If a recharged weapon with a non-trivial
effect is in the equipment, it is preferred for combat. Otherwise combat
involves the weapon with the highest raw damage dice (the same as displayed
at bottommost status line).
To determine the damage dealt, the outcome of the weapon's damage dice roll
is multiplied by the melee damage bonus (summed from the equipped items
of the attacker) minus the melee armor modifier of the defender.
Regardless of the calculation, each attack inflicts at least 1 damage.
The current leader's melee bonus, armor modifier and other detailed
stats can be viewed via the `!` command.
In ranged combat, the missile is assumed to be attacking the defender
in melee, using itself as the weapon, but the ranged damage bonus
and the ranged armor modifier are taken into account for calculations.
You may propel any item in your equipment, inventory pack and on the ground
(by default you are offered only the appropriate items; press `?`
to cycle item menu modes). Only items of a few kinds inflict any damage,
but some have other effects, beneficial, detrimental or mixed.
Whenever the monster's or hero's hit points reach zero, the combatant dies.
When the last hero dies, the scenario ends in defeat.
On Winning and Dying
--------------------
You win the scenario if you escape the spaceship alive or, in scenarios with
no exit locations, if you eliminate all opposition. In the former case,
your score is based on the gold and precious gems you've plundered.
In the latter case, your score is based on the number of turns you spent
overcoming your foes (the quicker the victory, the better; the slower
the demise, the better). Bonus points, based on the number of heroes lost,
are awarded if you win.
When all your heroes fall, you are going to invariably see a new foolhardy
party of adventurers clamoring to be led into the spaceship. They start
their conquest from a new entrance, with no experience and no equipment,
and new, undaunted enemies bar their way. Lead the new hopeful explorers
to fame, wealth and glory!