1999-20-06
Welcome to the
ALTERNATE REALITY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ version 1.05
-covering everything about and around the games-
by Robert Hagenström
robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se
Alternate Reality: The City and Alternate Reality: The Dungeon
are copyright Philip Price.
Alternate Reality is a registered trademark (in the United States)
of Paradise Programming, Inc.
CONTENTS
--------
1. Revision History
2. Introduction
2.1 What is AR?
2.1.1 What is The City?
2.1.2 What is The Dungeon?
2.2 About the authors of the games
2.3 The history of the games
2.4 The complete plans for AR
3. Playing the games
3.1 General tips for The City
3.1.1 Combat, experience and levels
3.1.2 List of monsters
3.2 General tips for The Dungeon
3.2.1 Walkthrough for The Dungeon
3.3 Using Emulators to play the games
3.3.1 About TOS rom images
3.3.2 Regarding disk images
3.3.3 Rundowns on the different emulators
4. Items, locations and other things
4.1 Items in The City
4.1.1 Clothes
4.1.2 Food and Drinks
4.1.3 Weapons and Armour
4.1.4 Treasure
4.2 Items in The Dungeon
4.2.1 Treasure
4.2.2 One-of-a-kind Items
4.3 Establishments in The City
4.3.1 Taverns
4.3.2 Inns
4.3.3 Banks
4.3.4 Guilds
4.3.5 Healers
4.3.6 Smithies
4.3.7 Shops
4.3.8 Other locations
4.4 Locations in The Dungeon
4.4.1 Guilds
4.4.2 Fountains
4.4.3 Transporters
4.4.4 Other Special Locations
4.4.5 Special Areas
5. Secrets and cheats
5.1 Secret Codes in The City
5.2 Secret Codes in The Dungeon
5.2.1 Secret Items in The Dungeon
5.3 Cheating with the Emulators
5.3.1 Manipulating The City
5.3.2 Manipulating The Dungeon
6. Miscellanious AR questions
6.1 What or who is Xebec?
6.2 What are the Deathtraps?
6.3 What is this 'secret area' in The City?
6.4 How do you kill the Great Wyrm?
6.5 What can I do about the Devourer?
6.6 I remember FBI Agents in The Dungeon?
6.7 What does 'you are TOAST level 1.1' mean in The Dungeon?
6.8 What is this AMP engine?
6.9 What AR artifacts exists?
6.10 Are there any AR-like games today?
7. Other sources of AR information
7.1 The Alternate Reality Mailing List
7.2 #alternate-reality on IRC
8. Appendix
8.1 Reference card for The City
8.2 Reference card for The Dungeon
8.3 The letter from Trilog
9. Special Thanks & Credits
10. Last Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. REVISION HISTORY
You can always get the latest version of this FAQ at it's home location at:
http://user.tninet.se/~lan3180/alternate-reality/
v1.05 21/04/99 Updated the emulation review section with the new WinUAE release.
v1.04 31/01/99 * New mailing list email, and corrected majordomo-command errors.
* Added preliminary memory locations for The City.
* Added price list for food and drinks for all Taverns (City).
* Removed all the NEW: tags (since they weren't new anymore).
v1.03 20/11/98 Had an extensive online chat session with the man, Philip Price himself
and was able to update several sections! Search for NEW: to find them.
v1.02 01/11/98 Found that all the Transporter coordinates were reversed and fixed it.
v1.01 30/08/98 Removed a huge Dungeon spoiler, got a new provider and put the FAQ online!
v1.0 16/08/98 Finally! All (well, almost all anyway) sections are in place! More soon...
v0.9f 16/05/98 Uploaded a preliminary update due to the long wait for a final version.
v0.9e 06/05/98 New sections and new and more detailed lists.
v0.9d 22/04/98 Spellchecked the entire FAQ and made minor updates here and there.
v0.9c 21/04/98 Rewrote some old item/location lists and added some new ones.
v0.9b 19/04/98 Added some notices and requests for info where it was needed.
v0.9a 03/03/98 Added preliminary lists of all items found in The City.
v0.8b 20/02/98 Added new PacifiST and City 1.2 info, check it out!
v0.8a 05/02/98 Added two new sections describing in detail The City and The Dungeon.
v0.7a 04/02/98 Finished the emulator section with Atari ST, C64 and Apple II emus.
v0.6a 08/01/98 * Added reviews for some Amiga emulators.
* Waiting for new version of PacifiST to review (along with WinSTon).
* Waiting for info on a possible working AR C64 disk image!
v0.5a 10/12/97 I cleared up a serious problem regarding Emus, and rewrote some reviews.
v0.4b 09/12/97 Corrected and updated some information on Xl-it and Rainbow.
v0.4a 04/12/97 Added some Atari 8-bit Emulator information.
v0.3a 26/11/97 General Tips sections complete, solution for The Dungeon was added.
v0.2a 20/11/97 Some articles are added and the structure is touched up a bit.
v0.1a 16/11/97 Work on the FAQ begins, structure is laid out, not much information wise.
2. INTRODUCTION
Right, here's the part where I present some vague history behind this FAQ and some other
meaningless mumbo-jumbo (ie. this part is completely optional to read):
In 1993, when my school got it's first Internet connection, I decided that I wanted to create
a homepage. But I didn't want to put up some informative nonsense about myself, my pet or my
family and other similar hugely interesting stuff. So I considered other things. I wanted to
have a page that would be informative to others, but still fun for me to work with; pherhaps
something to do with some hobby of mine, or something similar. I tried a page about music and
Terry Pratchett books, but those never got off my local harddrive. Then I considered doing
something about the Ultima games, something with alot of my own artwork in it, but I soon found
out that I knew way too little about those games compared to what was already availible on the
web. I think it wasn't until I found my first Atari emulator that I remembered that 'gee, I
know a hell of a lot about The City and The Dungeon', and there sure wasn't any Alternate
Reality pages out there that I had found, so that was what I was going to do.
The page started off as a black and white little affair, with only a few tips and some hand
drawn maps. Then I got contacted by Gary Gilbertson (who gave me Philip Price's email address,
whom I actually had to look up in the manual to understant who he was the first time) and also
Ken Jordan. They were extremely helpfull and very nice to me in their letters (hough I
occasionally got a little carried away with my questions to them, which I still get
sometimes). Anyway, the page now took off as The Original Alternate Reality Homepage, in full
color and with new material from Philip Price and new music from Gary Gilbertson, and graphics
and info from Ken Jordan (and Dan Pinal also). Soon, I began hearing from fans too (more
frequently than before) and I could even say that we had something of an active AR community
going on there for awhile, which is still going strong, I might happily add.
In 1996 however, my highschool days were over and the swedish airforce had found a place for me.
I no longer had as much time to maintain the page, and the whole AR thing was no longer just
about the games, but about the emulators, the mailing list, irc, the new ARO game and lots of
stuff around other things too (and the fan mail was increasing, with lots of questions now,
since the emulators had gotten so good that more and more people found the games playable on
them). So I decided to write an FAQ. It took some time after the decision to actually get it
going (I hadn't done anything like it before), but I was determined that all questions would be
answered so I could get back to playing around with my page again. So, how did I do?
2.1 WHAT IS AR?
Alternate Reality (or AR, for short) is a Computer Role Playing Game concept by Philip
Price. The first, out of a series of totally seven planned games, was released in 1985
as a 1st person 3d non-linear CRPG. The AR concept is to have a virtual place to entertain
yourself in and explore, which should be as true to real life as possible.
2.1.1 WHAT IS THE CITY?
Alternate Reality: The City, is the first ever released AR game. It was released in 1985
for the Atari 8-bit line of computers, and it was entirely coded by Philip Price; with
music by Gary Gilbertson and graphics by Craig Skinner.
The City was an incredible piece of code, stretching the 48k availible to a maximum. It
featured a smooth scrolling 3d graphics engine (using a mirror effect to reduce load; it
only rendered the objects above the horizon, then mirrored them to the rest of the screen,
which is also what's causing some of the strange effects seen in some emulators today),
and luscious 4 channel sound (using a music engine called AMP, Advanced Music Processor,
which could tie events to sound, letting Gary Gilbertson compose lyrics which got highlited
at the correct notes, something unique for a game, even today).
4 channel sound was another thing unique for the Atari; the C64 had only three channels
and so did the Atari ST (it wasn't until the Amiga and PC that four and more channels
were availible again), but that was not all. The famous room with the spinning stats featured
an incredible amount of 63 colors on screen at once (4 colors per line), compared to the
8 colors which were normal at the time (in game graphics had roughly 45 colors depending
on what time of day it was and special locations could have over 50, and through a palette
shift, establishments gained night and day pictures too). Needles to say, these effects
weren't easily acquired, and most were lost in the translations to other systems (which
weren't done by Philip Price).
All this and we haven't even begun talking about gameplay! The City was the heavy weight
champion of features. You character had 6 different stats plus a number of hidden ones
which all had an impact on how well your character survived in The City. In addition, your
character had several different conditions he could be in; he/she could get a number of
different diseases (which acted differently, had different incubation times and were given
by different monsters), curses (which could be removed at guilds) and one could even get
the character drunk (which had various funny effects).
As the hours went by, the sun moved accordingly in the sky, and then things would gradually
get darker. It could start raining and you could hear the wind blowing, at various strengths,
around the corners (which also made your character go freezing, if you didn't have proper
clothing on). There was even a transparency effect on the sun and the rain, created by
switching frames at a very high speed creating a transparent color illusion.
There were also alot of places to visit, ranging from Taverns (which all featured
their individual songs with lyrics, individual menus with prices varying from tavern to
tavern, and other specialities and suprises which would show up from time to time) to
Banks (where you could deposite an amount of money for interest, and depending on how high
interest rate you chose, the risk of the bank getting robbed also increased). And then
there was those cursed doctors who never were in.
Alot of different monsters also showed up all the time, all with their own graphics
and a small tune to give you a clue wether they were evil or not (the game featured about
50 different monsters). These monsters sometimes had treasure, ranging from the standard
money and jewelry, to Potions and magical weapons or armour which couldn't be found in
shops.
It was a wonderfull place to explore, even though it didn't have any quests at this stage.
Then of course came the 16-bit versions for Atari ST and Amiga, which had even more
features, like spell casting and the ability to finally join the guilds (though some
strategical features of Philip Price's combat system were mysteriously dropped).
2.1.2 WHAT IS THE DUNGEON?
Alternate Reality: The Dungeon revised the way we percieved AR. The cold and very real
world of The City was replaced with the (strangely) brighter and somewhat more cheerfull
The Dungeon. We now had a mission and a goal to look forward to, and twice the size of
The City to explore, and a dozen of new locations to visit.
No longer was there a need for the mirrored 3d effect from The City to create the wall
graphics; The Dungeon was rendered with an incredible new sharpness (again, looking more
like a cartoon, than the gritty and realistic City graphics). It featured details such as
small windows in the doors, archways to cross under and new and amazing textures to be found
in secret places of The Dungeon (such as Egyptian drawings in hidden tombs and icicles in a
beautiful Crystal Cavern).
The menu systems and other interactive aspects were also 'cleaned up' and made more user-
friendly. Disk swapping was decreased and the game could take advantage of the new 128k systems
to lessen the swapping and loading even more.
The hidden real world details of The City now became very real, as every item you picked
up now had weight, and you got very tired very fast if you carried too much (and sometimes
you even got immobilized). Diseases, curses and poisons rained down on you, but also new
and exotic weapons and items were introduced (among others, a whole range of exotic asian
weapons).
Combat, although featuring a similar simplified system like the 16-bit versions of The City,
was also taken to a new height, were you could face multiple enemies, each with their own
set of inventory items they could use. Some could even call for help or had other
specialities (like Gnomes who you could peacefully talk to, and who then suddenly hit you
for fun). You could also be struck down (and then rise again), get stunned (and become
unable to act for a turn or two) or your weapon could be hurled from your grasp. And monsters
could of course also be struck down or stunned (giving you time to either aim or charge).
Interaction was also improved; you could now give items to those in need, and get response
from them, just as you could ask others for clues, and buy services from a few (some times,
if you were in need, you could even get help from other monsters).
Alignment was also refined, where every monster now could be either evil, netral or good.
New ways of improving alignment was also introduced, and it was no longer just down to
what monster you killed or didn't kill.
Guild wars was also introduced in a small way; when you joined a guild, you instantly
became enemy with another opposite guild, who's members would taunt you in combat
(though, of course, you also gained you fellow guild members as allies).
An interesting point to be made is that while most of the songs in The City was about
wanting to go home, the songs of The Dungeon were more relaxed and invited you to
enjoy and explore while you were there, creating yet another gap between the harshness
of The City and more adventure friendly place of The Dungeon.
All in all, The Dungeon has an incredible amount of depth and detail, and I could easily
dare to say that both the Alternate Reality games probably are the most detail filled games
ever, since even today, more than 10 years after it's initial release, people (including
me) are discovering new hidden secrets, things, features and aspects that nobody has
discovered before.
2.2 ABOUT THE AUTHORS OF THE GAMES
Philip Price and Gary Gilbertson created the Alternate Reality concept back in 1984.
They had done one other game together earlier, The Tail of Beta Lyrae, and had plans for one
other; F.A.C.E of The Galaxy (though Philip Price had made other software and unpublished
games earlier, and the AMP engine which Gary Gilbertson used to create music for games for
another company called Datamost). They both lived in Hawaii and created their games under
the name Paradise Programming.
After 1986, when the AR escapades with Datasoft ended, Philip Price went to work on the B2
Stealth Bomber for the US Airforce, and Gary Gilberston toured with various bands on Hawaii
(along with Chuck Berry amongst others).
The other two main authors, Ken Jordan and Dan Pinal, who did most of the work on The
Dungeon for Datasoft back in 1985, now work together at a company called Mass Media.
(A interesting point to be made, is that one of the artists on Alternate Reality: The Dungeon,
Bonita Long-Hemsath, today makes art for the beautiful Might and Magic games from New World
Computing.)
2.3 THE HISTORY OF THE GAMES
The first AR game was Alternate Reality: The City for the Atari 8-bit line of computers,
released early in 1985. It was a result from a joint effort by publisher company Datasoft
and Paradise Programming (Philip Price and Gary Gilbertson). However, due to unfortunate
events, Philip Price did not receive any royalties, and was forced to leave Datasoft to
seek an income elsewhere.
Philip Price left much of his concept and ideas behind to Gary Gilbertson, so that Ken Jordan
and Dan Pinal (employed by Datasoft, which also by this time, went by the name
Intellicreations) were able to continue the series, and release Alternate Reality:
The Dungeon for the Atari 8-bits (and also Commodore 64 amongst other formats, together
with a C64 conversion of The City) in the late 1985.
By this time, Datasoft was bought by Software Toolworks, which resulted in Ken Jordan and Dan
Pinal having to work on AR on their free time. Plans for the third installment, Alternate
Reality: Arena, were made and they got as far as an 80% complete version of The Dungeon
for the Amiga, when they suddenly both got layed off.
Thus the only games that ever made it to the public of the original Alternate Reality
game series were the following:
Alternate Reality: The City for the Atari 8-bit computers
Commodore 64 port of The City
Apple II port of The City (?? version)
Machintosh port of The City (?? version)
Atari ST version of The City (16-bit version)
Amiga version of The City (16-bit version)
PC port by The City (not made by any of the original authors) (16-bit version)
Alternate Reality: The Dungeon for the Atari 8-bit computers
Commodore 64/128 port of The Dungeon
Apple II port of The Dungeon
2.4 THE COMPLETE PLANS FOR AR
Even though not all of the planned games were ever released, many people remember vaguely
about the other games since they were mentioned alot in the documentation for The City and
The Dungeon. So I've obtained a complete rundown on these games written by Philip Price,
(parts which are from previously confidential material), so you can really know what they
were going to be about:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue Jan 02, 1990
from Philip Price
Okay since I am a notorious procastinator. I will give a brief outline of
what was the main parts of AR as originally conceived.
The idea behind AR was a place to entertain but also to enlighten/educate
oneself. I desired to have as realistic of a world possible, but still a world
that was filled with the unknown. I knew I couldn't do it in one product so I
plan to develope it through a series.
City/Dungeon (Something originally planned as one)
You are thrust into a new enviroment and have to first learn to survive.
You have to learn to discern to a certain degree. Free will is of course
permitted, monsters and people react to your moral decision. Traps are laid
both physical, mental and moral. Multiple ways to resolve problems are
avaiable. The first clues to why things are the way they are are given.
[Further details on the clues I will disclose further in this letter].
Arena
Original game would be patched to add slaver bands (you could be shang-hi'ed
into the arena amongst other ways in). [Original game meaning City/Dungeon].
The arena would permit combatting your characters against other peoples
characters or against computer run characters. The ultimate goal if you had
been abducted would be to regain your freedom, if you are free then it
would be to gain nobility and a title. A choice would be given if this was
accomplished that would retire that character to a life of luxury [and
boredom].
Palace
Palace intrigue and the ability to modify the city layout. You could climb
the ladder to greater power and responsibility, wielding it as you saw best or
worst. Again if you climbed to the pinnacle you had a option to retire the
character to a life of luxury, power and the thrill of trying to stay one step
ahead of future wouldbe kings.
(To become king you have to defeat the current king which at first is a
computer character, though once overthrown or disposed/killed/poisoned etc. it
would be someone else, possible a player character [retired].)
Wilderness
The wilderness would be the start of a pilgrimage to find the
truth of AR. There would be traps, tricks to waylay the adventure and to turn
him from his or hers true quest.
Revelation
Hidden in the depths of a cave behind the immense waterfall that
can be seen even from the city is a metallic door requiring a pass card to
enter. Once open it reveals corridors gleaming with technology far beyond our
own. Further investigation reveals a room that has immense windows/portals and
a view, a view into space.
Destiny
Fighting with high tech equipment (from both revelation, destiny and
if you run into the aliens that politically are friendly to you plight, the
weapons the riddler has from the dungeon). Searching further this immense ship
you discover a chamber filled with metal cocoons. Using wit and knowledge gain
through other locations you decipher the controls and the display. You learn
that these cocoons hold bodies, the bodies of all of those captured. The
machines keep the bodies physically alive and fit, but imprisoned. The minds
of those entrapped are tapped and fed with images. The ships computer can even
permit the images to interact with solid/material components of the ship. You
are an image. What is reality? You body lies in a cocoon. Your mind sees what
the image sees. What is a soul? What is experience? You experience, you feel
what this image you have been controlling since you kidnapping feels. Again
there are choices to make. In the end you are left with many choices, continue
to live in you image body, a nearly immortal life, but knowning that these
aliens have done this to you and can watch, feel, experience whatever you do
whenever they want. You are their entertainment. They have become jadded by
luxury, power and knowledge and use lesser beings to regain some of the
passions of life. You can cut off this channel, though they may also destroy
the ship, or earth. You can escape in a smaller ship than the entertainment
world and go back to earth (hoping to evade the future capture ships these
beings send to gain more 'entertainment'. You could destroy the planet [and
hope that they are not a multiplanet race] You can take the entertainment
world (that was orbitting the alien's planet) and bring it back to earth to let
the scientist learn from it [and hope the aliens don't trace it]. You could
blackmail the aliens. You could sell out humanity. You could try to bluff
them. There are many choices, life isn't easy and some of the most important
decision are the hardest to find a best answer in.
There were other details I haven't gotten into here (Like a lot of the fun
things to do in each scenerio other than the main plots). And there were/are a
lot of little details to be left until the scenerio each were to be produced.
But from this you can see the main plot and the main suprises that were
originally planned.
Take Care,
Phil P.S.
I think I have mentioned this before... For Atari 8 bit City owners if you
type fiat as you character name (while holding down the control key) you get
into another menu which allows some game changes. The only command I remeber
from it allows changing the speed of the numbers spinning by before you walk
through the portal. The command is cela saute aux yeux. I hope I spelled that
right.
Acrinimiril's gate was a portal into a true parallel universe. Acrinimiril
was/is a being from another universe, who had a habit of adventuring/travelling
into many dimensions and universes and getting himself into heaps of trouble.
He was a complete unknown to the aliens and caused them all sorts of problems.
For one since he wasn't run from the computer, he was not traceable. Also he had
a lot of experience in these situations. Unfortunantly he wasn't always very
bright about keeping a low enough profile. And after killing an alien (and
getting it's passcard) the aliens were then able to trace him and finally entrap
him for further study. Not all aliens were for this 'entertainment', and there
was planned to have ways to resolve the ultimate questions through interaction
with these aliens also. And it was also was going to be allowed to go through
acrinimirils gate into other universes at destiny's end.
----------------------------------------------------- End of Phil's message
Advantages of having City Disk and Quest Logic within Dungeon
- IN WHOLE OR PART... NOT FOR AR NEWSLETTER USE -
It is our intention to allow people to play the Dungeon without owning the
City. However, it is also our intention to make owning the City an extremely
advantegous to seccess and enjoyment of the AR series. To this end, the
Dungeon shall have the following "goal/reward" features.
Life in the Dungeon will be very difficult for characters created in the
Dungeon. To truly make progress one should introduce an experienced
character from the City.
As we discussed, the Dungeon will be more goal or quest oriented. You must
make it to the forth level of the Dungeon, along the way encountering the
various "one time only" monsters and of coarse finding the special treasure
rooms. In the forth level of the Dungeon you will encounter one of the
actual Aliens. Now Aliens carry a type of beam weapon that is more than a
match for anything you might have. Consequently, the encounter will end
with your demise.
There will be, however, a way to change this rather dim scenario. Be sure
to find ALL the "one time only" treasure rooms. Be sure to defeat all the
"one time only" monsters. Doing this will trigger the possibility to
acquire a rather unusual object, "...lest with you've brought that which to
come...". The item is a Portal Acces Card (PAC). This card will be in the
possession of a very special Wizard* somewhere on the forth level. After
rescueing him/doing him a favor, he will offer you a choice of rewards. All
of the choises save one will be of obvious value, (gold - jewels etc.).
The unusual choice will be a white plastic like card. Those that choose
the white card will find they possess a modified "PAC", the best ticket
available to Revelation. Now, it will be possible to obtain a PAC in the
Wilderness. The advantage, however, of securing the Dungeon PAC is this:
It has been modified to jam the Alien Security Systems Entity Monitering
capabilities. With this card in your possession, you can not be
electronically tracked by Alien Security. Knowing this, you can see how
your encounter with the Alien at the far reaches of level four could be
different. Alien Security would be unable to alert him of you approach. You
would have the element od suprise working for you and this time you may well
survive the encounter. Once the Alien's out of the way, further exploration
will lead you to a doorway at the end of a hall. Passing through this door
you will be asked to insert: "the REVELATION DISK".
Passing into REVELATION from the Wilderness is easier than from the Dungeon.
The Dungeon entrance connects to a maintenance area of the Alien's ship.
It is always crowses; encounters are frequent and death is common.
The Wilderness on the other hand has a portal that connects to a part of the
ship that is rarely used and out of the way. This gives the character a
chance to orient himself and possibly find the tools necessary for survival
in this realm. If he has added advantage of the Dungeon PAC... well he'll
have it just that much easier. However, as explained on the block diagrams,
the entrance to Revelation will be advantegous later in the series.
*VERY SPECIAL WIZARD
The Wizard's name is Acrinimiril. Those with extensive knowledge of Xebec
will recognize the name as the same given to a gate on the NW quadrant.
The significance of... the events leading to... etc. will be explained soon.
---
Entries pertaining to the "Acrinimiril affair" as logged by:
The ASSISTANT to the SPECIAL AGENT in CHARGE [EED][8944839]
XEBEC SECURITY
1400 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
<<<<< I have just been notified by Dungeon Four Maintenance
Techinician [3257858], that the fatally injured body of Equipment
Designer [3292000], has been located in the system. Awaiting
Furhter information. >>>>>.....[EED].............................
1423 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
<<<<< The Death of Equipment Designer [3292000], has been
confirmed. The cause of death has been attributed to spell
casting. [3292000] was most likely killed by a character in the
system. Having the computer reconstruct area traffic during the
period and from there will plot the whereabouts of the killer.
As [3292000]'s PAC has not been found, I am posting double guards
at all Dungeon Portals. >>>>>.....[EED]..........................
1655 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
<<<<< Completed interview of Dungeon Four Maintenance
Techinician [3257858]. He informed me that [3292000] was play
existing as a champion in the system. I'm also told that the PAC
he carried was modified with a sensor jammer. This explains why
the recent computer report did not even show [3292000] to be in
the area. I must now assume the killer is in possession of a so-
to-speak cloaking device. Security has been notified to program a
map/scan/plot of singular character death activity. If i cannot
scan for this killer pherhaps I can plot his movements by the
deaths of his victims. >>>>>.....[EED]...........................
2000 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
The computer has failed to turn up any prime suspects in the
[3292000] killing. I have ordered the sensor cross check
monitering of all traffic in or out of the Fourth Level. I am
proceeding on the assumption that our killer has yet to leave the
area. A similar sensor cross check has been ordered for traffic
in and out of the Sanctuary on Level Four. >>>>>.....[EED].......
2345 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
I have just been informed that a Wizard has entered the Level
Four Sanctuary without sensor confirmation. His present
geographic location has been fed to the computer for entity
analysis. This is no doubt our killer, I have requested further
instructions from XEBEC COMMAND. >>>>>.....[EED].................
2351 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
I've been ordered, {XCO-MAC213\RN4321}, by XEBEC COMMAND to
terminate the killer Wizard and recover the modified PAC as soon
as he leaves Sancturary. >>>>>.....[EED].........................
2353 day3 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
Results of computer analysis indicate Wixard in question is not
of this system. Word of this and the complete analysis have been
sent to XEBEC COMMAND. Termination order {XCO-MAC213\RN4321}
has been recalled... will continue monitor suspect.
0028 day4 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
Received word from XEBEC COMMAND that the Wizard'c Character name
is Acriminiril. He first became in the system of the CAROLINUS.
COMMAND is unsure as to how he managed to appear in the XEBEC
system. COMMAND also indicates that his being of elsewhere is
what made sensor scan impossible and sees no reason to belive he
is [3292000]'s killer. While COMMAND checks with the CAROLINUS,
I've been ordered, {XCO-MAC213\RRN4324}, to dispatch a
Securityman with a GLFU, (Geographic Location Freeze Unit), to
Level Four. After Acrinimiril clears the vicinity of the
Sanctuary, the Srcurityman is to follow him until he moves to a
low traffic area. At such time he is to activate the unit and
maintain Acrinimiril in "geofreeze" until COMMAND can confer
with the CAROLINUS. >>>>>.....[EED]..............................
1211 day4 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
Acrinimiril has left Sancturay and is on the move. Securityman
[3256679], disguised as a Mage is following Acrinimiril awaiting
the order to engage the GLFU. >>>>>.....[EED]....................
1248 day4 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
As of this moment Acrinimiril is in "geofreeze" on level Four at
location =d4-28|05=. The search for [3292000]'s killer
continues. >>>>>.....[EED].......................................
1700 day4 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
Guard post on Acrinimiril reports he's retained his ability to
speak although deep in "geofreeze". Curious. Have dispatched a
team to Sanctuary on Level One to conduct sensor cross check on
traffic there. It would appear our killer is moving back toward
the City. >>>>>.....[EED]........................................
=================================================================
The SPECIAL AGENT'S Log contained many more entries over the
day and a half period covered above. Had he known what
ultimately would happen in the Acrinimiril affair, he probably
would have started his report with the the following entry that
had appeared a couple of days erlier.
=================================================================
1631 day2 THE LAST FALL shipyear 39 >>>>>........................
Sensors indicate the first humanoids from the Planet Earth, (1186)
are starting to move into Level Four of the Dungeon.
=========
Acrinimiril's Own Story
It is true, I am not of Xebec. I became here, after I became elsewhere.
I see, however, no reason to dwell on the before. Xebec is the now and
the now must be your concern.
To recount my experiences in the city streets of Xebec would be of
little value. I would comment, however, it was during this time I realised
that when I became here my powers were greater than when I became elsewhere.
As soon as I found the way I entered the Dungeon. It was there, while on
the fourth level, that I first saw the creatures that control the here.
Now, as time passed I came to realize I had a power unlike anyone of Xebec.
These creatures acted as though they where totally unaware of my presence.
I'd watch as other life forms would attempt to sneak up behind a creature;
at the last moment the creature would spin around and terminate the
attacker with a kind of pulsing light weapon. They had no chance at all.
At first, I too though myself to be at the mercy of these creatues.
Then I had a near encounter with one where it should have sensed my approach.
I had just rounded a corner and there one was. It was looking in the other
direction, cut I was very close... I could've touched the thing. I did not belong
here and apparently these creatures sensors are not programmed to pick
me up. They have to actually see me to sense my presence.
Although I found it comforting to ponder this nre hypothesis,
I could see no reason for testing it.
Days later I came upon a most unusual situation. I saw a Champion appearing
to carry a conversation with one of the controller creatures. He was obviously
unafraid and made no attempt to escape. Stranger yet, the controller
creature kept his weapon harnessed. Having encountered numerous Champions,
I decided to follow this one after the meeting came to an end.
I had followed him for a good distance when my curiosity could stand no more.
I had to talk to this humanoid. Quickening my pace to close in on his
position, I called to him. To my suprise he swung around and came at me with
his sword raised high. I dearly wanted to speak with him, but I was not going
to die trying. When it was over I stood over his lifeless body whishing our
encounter had been friendly. I decided to search him for clues.
To my amazement he had no money at all. Here he was in the 4th level without a
copper piece to his name. then I found a most curious object. A flat white
card about half the size of a humanoid hand. It was unlike anything I'd ever
seen. I put it with my things and prepared to remover the champion's
headgear. The wearing of jeweled earring was not an uncommon practise
and I'd yet to find anything of value to this character.
As I pulled the helmet from his head I jumped back in suprise.
You see, inside this champion's armor was a controller creature.
Instantly my mind filled with answers to why this so-called Champion was
speaking with an Alien and why he refused my frienfly advances.
Such thoughts, however lasted for mere seconds. They were quickly
replaced with the reakization that this deed would not go unnoticed.
I sprang to my feet and began to quickly move of the scene.
I wanted to put as much distance possible between me and the...
As I neared the stairway up to Level Three rational thought began to return.
I knew I would need to seek the Sanctuary soon. Eventually the effects
of weariness catch up with everyone. I would have to woek my way to
Sanctuary on Level One or remain here on Four. I reasoned that if they had
the power to find me, they would find me on One just as easy as on Four.
As I turned to leave, I noticed two mages appearing ro rake up guard on each side
of the stairway. I would have though nothing of it except that one rarely
sees Mages moving about in pairs and I'd never heard of them being employed
as guards.
About four hours had passed before I rounded a corner and stood at the
entrance to Level Four Sanctuary. As I opened the door the sound
of story telling and laughter filled my ears.
Blending into the crowded room I could feel tension leaving my body.
I really did feel safe here. It really felt like Sanctuary.
After resting a number of hours I moved back through the noisy main hall.
Nothing had changed, it was as though the same party was in progress.
I left Sanctuary telling myself thegreat truths would be found by probing
deeper into Dungeon. The events of yesterday should be forgotten.
I... I can speak, but I cannot... seem to move. A mage has put some kind
of spell on me. I don't un-der-stand. He is nearby holding some kind
of box. He won't... speak to me. I can't move.
I've lost track of time, Occasionally the Mage seems to leave. Just when
I think he is gone for good, he reappears. I have to come to the conclusion
that my predicament is the work of the controller creatures.
Nothing else makes any sense at all. I am totally helpless in a kind of
cage that is exactly one square building unit in size. My jailer has made
no move to touch me. In fact he has gone out of his way to prevent anyone from
touching me. He has not attempted to search me for treasure... nothing!
This has got to be some sort of punishment for killing that controller.
I have a plan for escape. Should a character pass by during the time the
controller is gone, I will plead with them to try and touch me.
I have the feeling that once the cell membrane is penetrated it will
collapse. I wait patiently for my escape. I will offer a rich reward for
helping me escape. I wait patiently. I'll give them anything I have.
I wait...
3. PLAYING THE GAMES
Alot of detailed instructions and very good tips can be found in the Manuals for
The City and The Dungeon and the Guidebooks for The City and The Dungeon (availible
transcribed at http://user.tninet.se/~lan3180/alternate-reality/). The following information
will deal mainly with issues that are not mentioned in either the manuals or the guidebooks.
3.1 GENERAL TIPS FOR THE CITY
The City is a very hard game. You should back up your character disk as described in
the manuals and cluebooks very often, (in the beginning, backing up after each succesfull
combat is a very good and safe thing to do), so you don't loose your character. Let's start
from the very beginning:
When you are at the portal with the spinning stats, there are some things you should know
in order to figure out what stats you want to keep an eye on. Naturally, Hit Points should
always be a priority, even though these increases alot with levels, since you tend to take
alot of damage on early levels too. Anything (and this goes for all stats) under 10 is not
very good. Strength increases with combat, and you will do alot of that, so if you want,
you can chance skipping a few points there. If you want to buy a dagger or something, you
should try to keep you money above about 150 coppers too.
After you have passed through the portal, a number of hidden stats will also be set. The
physical speed can immideately be found out by visiting The Blue Wizards guild at 18E, 47N
(they will raise your Speed by 1 and also tell you how much you've got). Noticeability can
also be figured out by the number of monster encounters you receive. If these are painfully
high, you probably have a high noticeability too. There is also a stealth stat which
determines wether you can suprise a monster or not. This will have to be estimated in
the same way as the noticeability (and though it can be increased at Assassins Guild at 55E,
2N, they don't tell you how much it is).
There are also two hidden stats that start with set numbers. The Alignment stat, which
starts at 128 (0 being evil, and 255 being good) and the Treasure Finding stat which
starts at 0. You can, however, find treasure anyway, so don't worry. Also, according to
the cluebooks, the treasure stat can only be raised by potions, after wich it decreases
as normal when you have found treasure. I don't know how gaining levels affect this stat
(alignment does not go up with levels).
So, now you are in The City of Xebec's demise. Anything can happen now. If you want buy
that dagger, find your way to Occum's Weaponsmiths at 19E, 32N, as your chance to find one
at an affordable price is highest there (haggle if you want to, but he will throw you out
if you make an "outrageous offer").
Have in mind wether you want to play evil or good; there is NO way in The City to increase
you alignment once you've commited an evil act. Killing Commoners is evil, but they are easy
prey in the beginning and have more money than some other monsters (see the Cluebook for
a list of evil monsters, and note the music for unlisted ones). Muggers are easy prey
for good characters in the beginning, having around 13 Hit Points and giving about
75 Experience. Also, if you dare to venture out at night, Gremlins are just as easy (if not
easier) and almost always carry treasure. Beware for Thieves or Cutthroats though, and
Warriors or Knights who will kill you at an instant (and rob you and then kill you if you
try to run away).
As you will notice, money is vital. The cheapest place to sleep is Sleeping Dragon Inn at
60E, 6N where the common floor costs 5 coppers. And at The Tavern (20E, 62N accesible
through the far northwest city wall) you can even get free water, which actually costs a
couple of coppers in other taverns. Food packets and Water flasks are sold randomly at the
taverns across town, and are consumed automatically in The City.
The Cluebooks also warns you about entering Banks after year one. This is a known bug. The code
lacks a line which stops the banks from counting months after the year ends, so what happens
is that the game calculates interest (and failures) for months 12-255 until it reaches
month 0 again (which is quite alot of calculations for an Atari computer). So either,
if you're extremely lucky, you will have received 243 months of rent, or more likely, your
accounts have failed and you've lost all your money (ie. it's best to withdraw all your money
in the month of Lights).
A final note: As stated in the cluebook, if you disengage from a monster, it may steal from
you. However, what it doesn't say is that EVERYONE will steal from you. No matter what
monster it is, there is a very good chance that it will take you money! (Trust me, I've
seen Commoners, Ghosts and even Knights steal, and the first thing they nag is all your
gems and jewelry.) Food packets and water flasks can also be stolen, in addition to
valuables.
3.1.1 COMBAT, EXPERIENCE AND LEVELS
In addition to what has been said in the general tips, and what is written in the cluebook
and manual, there are some hidden features which has been, until now, undocumented.
Some of the more experienced players may know that a character's strength may increase
during a fight. The secret behind this feature has now been revealed and it is startling.
The strength increase is infact a part of what may be the first ever skill based character
improvement system in a computer role playing game!
Here is how the system works. Every time you carry out a succesfull roll on a "skill"
(attacks, trick or charm) you get an increase of 1/255 of a full stat point. Get 255
more succesfull rolls and you get the full one point increase of your stat. This works
for attack, lunge, parry, which increases strength; trick, which increases intelligence;
and charm which increases charisma.
Another thing with combat is the disengaged and engaged menus. Engaging doesn't count as
an evil act, and if you want to stay good, you must take the first hit before attacking,
something which you can't always afford. And when you encounter good monster, do watch
those menus as the L key can be both (L)eave and (L)unge and pressing that last key by
mistake can produce very frightening effects if you encounter the wrong monster.
Another important factor is experience. The exact way in which you acquire experience is
the following. You get 1 experience for each 1 point of damage you inflict on an opponent.
You get a (fixed?) amount of experience for killing your opponent. You get 1 point of
experience for each Silver and 10 points for each Gold you find (finding Coppers doesn't
earn you any Experience Points). You get 120 experience for finding a Potion, 255 for each
Jewel and 128 points for each Gem. There doesn't seem to be any experience given for finding
weapons and armor (even magical ones).
I have tried to put together a chart describing level gains and experience points, however,
this has been done by trial & terror so these are only estimated numbers (there may be
a difference on +/- 100 experience points).
Level Experience
1 250
2 500
3 1,200
4 2,400
5 4,700
6 9,300
I will fill this table in with more numbers as my character grows in strength.
3.1.2 LIST OF MONSTERS IN THE CITY
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE: *********************************************************************
Monsters have a number of abilities tied to them: Day or night appearences, good or evil,
chance of treasure, amount of experience and hit points, attack strength and so on. The
exact value, or nature, of these abilities are currently unknown, and though research is
being made, progress may be slow. If you think you posess enough knowledge to be of
assistance, please contact robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se
*******************************************************************************************
Monsters and their attacks:
Wizard Novice Archmage Mage
a weak spell
a spell
a enchantation
a strong spell
a dazzling spell
a over-powering spell
Giant Rat
it's foaming teeth (rabies)
it's yellow claws
Giant Wolf
it's sharp teeth (rabies)
it's claws
Night Stalker
it's claws
it's blood sucking fangs (-2 strength)
Specter
moans
janges invisible chains
festering touch
soul wrenching grasp (LEVEL DRAIN!!!)
Apprentice Acolyte
weak spell
spell
Merchant Courier
long dagger
short sword
Gremlin
it's claws
it's teeth
Black Slime
acidic slime
corrosive goo
nauseating gunk (slimed)
Skeleton
sickle
Imp
it's claws
it's poisoned tail
Wraith
crushing blow
bone-chilling scream
Brown Mold
burst of spores
Zombie
loses piece of flesh
strangle hold (gangrene)
Ghoul
claw (gangrene?)
sword
Assasin Weapnsmaster
poisoned shri-ken
strangling wire
poisoned dagger
nanchucks
longsword
sword
Troll
large knurly club
claw
teeth
IT REGENERATED (regenerates)
Ghost
let's out a heart-breaking moan
bolt of lightning
bone chilling touch
Orc
short wavy sword
Small Green Dragon
it's claws
it's teeth
it's tail
a scorching breath of fire
Guard
greatsword
Dwarf
sharpsword
Gnoll
a dagger
Master Thief Brigand Mugger Thief Cutthroat Robber
sword
switchblade
shortsword
dagger
Pauper
bare hands
Nobleman
magical sword
Commoner
dagger
Hobbit
shortsword
Giant
war hammer
Goblin
siletto
shortsword
Champion Gladiator Fighter Warrior Swordsman Knight
sword
longsword
greatsword
3.2 GENERAL TIPS FOR THE DUNGEON
The Dungeon is, IMHO much easier than The City. First of all, you get much higher stats in
the beginning of the game. Second, there is a newbie area where you start with virtually
no dangerous monsters at all. Third, if you know where to go, you can find killer weapons
right from the beginning.
The money is also of less importance here, since food packets and water flasks are cheap at
the Damon and Phytias Shoppe (46E, 59N) and you can offer any amount of coppers you wish
at the Reatreat (55E, 60N) for a cheap rest. (You can also sell loot from monsters at the
Dwarven Smithy on the second floor, but be sure you have joined a Guild first to get rid of
any curses the items may bestow upon you.)
There is also another great thing in The Dungeon, namely Crystals and Wands! A Healing Wand
is worth it's weight in gold, since it heals more efficiently than any healing spell, and
never fails. Wands uses Crystals which can be found on Humunculi and Dragons (and others),
or they can be spawned by The Star (which 20 Crystals for each card). Also, by comparison,
if you charge your Guild Ring with a Crystal (which gives you 10 Charges, just enough for
a Healing spell) you'll get about 10 Hit Points (or a backfire) compared to the Healing Wands
40 or so (no backfire, though it'll break if you run out of Crystals).
One of the easiest ways to get a good start is to buy a torch at the D & P, wield it as a
primary weapon and then make you way southeast to the secret area containing the Razor Ice
(61E, 23N) which is one of the best weapons in the game, making both Sharp and Cold (magical)
damage. And if you make it back to the Well Lighted Area (watch out for disease spreading rats
in the sewers on the way) you can kill almost anything (including the Wraith at 60E, 58N which
will be affected by the cold damage). Also, if you unequip Razor Ice and enter the room at
51E, 59N you'll encounter a Doppleganger, which you then can defeat by readying the sword in
the middle of combat (since the Doppleganger will then still use his bare hands).
A difference from The City here, is that you don't get much by slaying Paupers or
Apprentices, compared to the Commoners in The City (if you want to play Evil that is). Paupers
will fight for their lives, and can be very tough (also watch out for the Shaolin Monks which
looks like paupers but who "strikes with a hardened fist"), and Apprentices carry only cursed
weapons which you shouldn't pick up until you have joined a Guild.
Another difference in combat is also the Experience distribution system, which only gives you
half of the dealt damage in Experience Points, rather than The City's full.
Also, don't kill Healers when playing Evil. There are only three wandering Healers in the
entire game. There is a freelancing one and there are two employed by the Physicians Guild
(working day and night shifts). If you kill them you will get Assassins after you with
messages like "greeting from a friend". Heirophant Cards will still work though.
You have probably noticed by now that alignment affects more things in The Dungeon than in
The City. You can lower your alignment in the usual manner, but there are also a number of
ways to raise it. Praying the Chapel raises your alignment by 1 (works once every 24 hrs),
yielding passage for Knights raises it by 1 (until they start yielding for you), and
giving money to a Pauper also raises your alignment by 1 (but only when you get the message
"Bless your kind, sir!").
If you could manage to become incredibly good (it is unconfirmed, but you probably needed
255 in Alignment), you would then be invited to the Chapel Sanctuary where you were offered
free food and sleep, and also got a weapon called ST. Percival's Mace and the spell Dispel
Evil worth 50% (note that you can only use the mace if you remain good, otherwise it will
scream at you ("I was meant for better than you!") and drain your Hit Points).
In The Dungeon, luckily, monsters act a bit (okie, they act a hell of a lot) more
intelligent than in The City. Only certain monsters steal from you here, and it is also
monsters you expect to be stealing that does it. A note of warning though: If you get
anything stolen, or even if you drop anything (if your weapon is hurled from your grasp)
during combat, and the foe escapes, it will be lost! The only way to retrieve it will be
if you are lucky enough to find a Master Thief who carries the item.
Finally, if you have gained a few levels, you could try this tip for loads of experience:
Encounter a Flame Demon (Sword of Demons), Vampire (Unholy Sword) or Liche (Sceptre of Chaos)
and pick up it's respective special weapon after defeating them. It will scream at you
("Miserable do-gooder, you shall pay!") and drain your Hit Points, but it will also summon new
demons/vampires/liches very, very frequently. This is a great way to get alot of experience,
but prepare for furious combat, especially if you stole the Sword of Demons since the Flame
Demons call for more help almost all the time during combat (though a standard Flame Demon
attack of 4 demons give you a good 1,000 Experience Points, and you generally only have to
fire away two sets of Cold Blasts to calm them down). Also beware of the Vampires, since they
are extremely hard.
3.2.1 WALKTHROUGH FOR THE DUNGEON
General Notes
All the quests are acquired by tossing atleast 5 gold pieces into the
flames of the Oracle. You should do this between every quest.
Quest One
You must find a Master Thief and slay him (Master Thieves are often found as
wandering monsters). Take the Silver Key you loot from his body and go to the
Palace on level one. Find the Prison (hidden door from the Sewers) and free
the prisoner. Accept the spell he offers to learn you (not a must, but it's
good). Take the Staff Piece he offers you. You'll be teleported to the Puzzle
of the Three Doors. Go middle, left, left, middle, middle. Find Acrinimiril's
Tomb and give the Staffpiece to him.
Quest Two
There are two ways to solve this quest:
1) Go to the Troll King or the Goblin King and fight them. Take their
two ring halves and go to the Dwarven Smithy at level two. Take the
reforged ring to the Oracle and toss it into the flames.
2) Go to the Troll King or the Goblin King and fight one of them. Take
his ring half and offer it to the other king. Fight the king. You can
now loot the reforged ring of the dead king's body and toss it into
the flames of the Oracle.
Quest Three
There are several ways to solve this Quest:
1) Find the Shrine of Monsters on level one and defeat the 3 Wraiths.
Get Morgana's Tiara. Go to the Hall of Mirrors on level two and offer
Morgana's Tiara to the Clothes Horse. Get the Mirrored Shield.
2) Go to Damon & Phytias Shoppe and buy a Heavy Leather Jacket or a
Flowing Purple Cape. Wear it. Go to the Clothes Horse and trade
it for the Mirrored Shield.
Quest Four
Go to the River Stonz at midnight and offer the Ferryman two coppers.
Kill the seven knights on the other side. Visit the Undead King and you'll
receive the second Staffpiece. Take the Staffpiece to Acrinimiril.
Quest Five
Go to the Fearsome Gargoyle on level three (the Riddler). Answer his
questions as following: Shipwreck, Oracle, Bloodstone and Shingor (the last
answer isn't necessary, it's actually to complete a Wilderness quest).
You'll be teleported to the Basilisk. Kill it with your bare hands and
use the Mirrored Shield as protection. Give the Bloodstone to the Dragon
(or kill him) to get the last Staffpiece. Take the Staffpiece to Acrinimiril
and get the PAC Card. Go do Death's Door and use the PAC Card to enter level
four. Use the Mirrored Shield in the Alien Control Room and you have
completed the game!
3.3 USING EMULATORS TO PLAY THE GAMES
This has become more and more popular lately, and for some, it is the only way in fact,
to be able to experience the old classic versions of the Alternate Reality games again.
However, the road to nostalgia is filled with hazards that one has to overcome. Hopefully,
this section will clear some of the problems out.
3.3.1 ABOUT THE TOS ROM IMAGES
These are the ones that cause most of the trouble. They are files that contain dumps of
the operating system rom chips of a computer, and they are highly copyrighted, even if
the computer isn't sold anymore and even if the company who made the computer doesn't exist
(I believe a patent lasts 50 years or something if not renewed).
So, the only way you legally can own a TOS rom image, is by owning it's correspondant
computer too (or if you have purchased the rom separately).
However, one can then debate wether emulators (which mostly are freeware) are legal or not too,
since they use the copyrighted processes from those very same computers.
Most of the times, you will find the roms somewhere near (probably linked) the homepage
of the emulator you want to try out, but beware of asking the emulator authors about them;
that is to break an unwritten law on the internet, and can have horrible consequences.
3.3.2 ABOUT DISK IMAGES
Disk images are files that contain dumps of real disks from other computers. If they
contain copyrighted material, such as a comercial game for example, they should be
considered illegal too, if you do not own that game.
However, Philip Price, the copyright holder of the Alternate Reality series has granted
free distribution of all versions of the original two AR games. That means that anyone can
enjoy them for free. But original copies, manuals and such, still may hold a certain affection
and nostalgic value. Disk images of the original Alternate Reality games are therefor not
illegal to possess even if you do not own the real game.
You will find Alternate Reality disk images for all of the below mentioned emulators at
ftp.ksk.sala.se/pub/ar/ (this archive contains atleast one copy of both AR games for every
system they were every made for or ported to).
3.3.3 RUNDOWNS ON ALL THE EMULATORS
These emulator reviews are mostly from Windows 95 versions, since they are generally easier to
use (and if you know how to use a Dos emulator, you probably don't need to read these reviews
and tips anyway). I know that these are not _ALL_ the emus out there; I have ignored some
(like, Xformer 98, which costs money and doesn't work anyway, and Gemulator 98, since that also
costs money and even needs hardware to run). If you have any comments or corrections, please
don't hesitate to mail me!
Also note that the emu scene is constantly changing very fast and I can't possibly keep up with
reviewing every new version of all the emulators that all these wonderfull programmers keeps
producing.
XL-IT 0.18/0.20 (ftp://ftp.ksk.sala.se/pub/ar/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. Place TOS rom files in the Xl-it directory. If you have a joystick, make
sure you calibrate it (in the menus of the emulator) before the first time you try to start
a game.
To play The City with Xl-it 0.18, you must first make a little configuration change to get
it running. Go to the Enviroments menu and make sure that 130XE mode and Basic Cart is off
and set the old 800 mode to on (this will change the "please insert disk" font to the basic
font the first time prompted, but more importantly, it will accept the disk you insert,
rather than crash). The old 800 mode has to load to memory a few more times than 130XE
mode, but it's more stable with Xl-it.
Xl-it version 0.20 can, however, handle The City with 130XE mode, but it is known, in
The Dungeon atleast, to occasionally crash entire Character disks, rendering them forever
unusable with any emulator!
Identify what disk and side each Disk image represents and make yourself comfortable with
the diskswapping in the emu (there are shortcut keys). When everything is set, press Alt-E
or choose Emulate from the options menu. F3 (Start) skips the introduction, and F8 gets you
back to the menus. Please note that if you chose to leave Basic Cart on (in the Enviroments)
you must hold down the F1 (Option) key when you boot the game, just like on a real Atari.
Xl-it is all in all a very good Dos emulator, and has the undoubtedly best sound emulation
of all the other emus. Xl-it is also quite fast and displays very accurate graphics
(although at a resolution which cripples the screen) and crashes very seldom. Xl-it,
however, won't be updated anytime soon, so you'll have to take it as it is (still one of the
best though).
RAINBOW 1.36 (http://www.shenleyfields.demon.co.uk/rainbow.html)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. Remember to place the TOS roms in it's directory (and see the manual for
proper naming of the roms). Rainbow is only availble free as a limited shareware version
(the full featured one costs $33) and it's Windows 95 or Mac only.
As always, make yourself comfortable with which Disk image represents which disk and what
side. After launch, you have to choose a disk for drive 1 (drive 2 doesn't work in the
shareware version) and then reboot the Atari to get The City or The Dungeon going.
Everything is done from the menus.
There are very little configurations to choose between, which is good. However, almost
none of them are availible in the demo version, which is bad. Sound is also disabled,
except for some samples of the Atari's disk drive loading (which are quite charming, but
also serve as an indication of what's currently happening).
Rainbow is limited in that way that it doesn't save Disk images automatically (nor is
there a choise to do so) so for each time you switch disks, you have to choose Save Image
manually for it to write to the Disk image. This doesn't work in the shareware version,
and has the effect that you can't enter any shops or other establishments in The City
(since, there's a terrible lot of diskswapping, during which the game apparently saves some
info on the disks), nor can you save your character, rendering that game unplayable with
this emulator.
Another bug comes directly upon launch of The Dungeon, where is locks up into an eternal
loop at the cracked intro screen.
All in all, Rainbow has great potential, but locks everything neatly away in the shareware
version. Rainbow is the fastest emulator I've tried, (with some clever frame skipping) and
easily the easiest and slickest one to use.
Thanks to Chris Lam, I can now also happily report that the full version of Rainbow works
perfectly with The City! It is also damn fast, so you might consider slowing it down by
displaying some more frames. Also, when you are loading the main section of the game, it
keeps asking for Disk 2 side 1, even if it's inserted into a drive, but just keep pressing
Start (F3, and be patient) and it'll eventually load (another fun thing is that if you
keep pressing Start at the copyright screen in the beginning, you can skip both the intro
and the loading sequence). And, as it always seems to be with the 8-bit City, the keyboard
sensitivity isn't the greatest.
Since you can use both disk drives now, you can finally have Disk 2 side 1 in drive 1 and
Disk 2 side 2 in drive 2 to be able to enter shops (and make sure you don't switch any of
them without saving, otherwise you'll get thrown out again!) Also, when you want to exit a
Bank, please note that the "joystick down" key is Keypad 5 (with Numlock On). You also get
splendid sound (though somewhat more mellow compared to a real Atari) and if you just
remember to save your Character Disk manually BEFORE you switch disks and AFTER you've
saved, you'll be fine!
ATARI800WIN 2.1 (http://www.concentric.net/~Twist/atari800win/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. I'm happy to be able to report that the menus have been cleaned up and the
amount of setting you have to configure in order to get it running properly has been cut down
from previous versions!
This emulator has alot of settings, too many in fact, which was one of the shortcomings and
reasons to avoid it in previous versions. However, things are better in this new release, but
you still need to familarize yourself amongst the menus for awhile before you can start the
emulation (there should really be a 'simple mode' and an 'advanced mode', but pherhaps there
will be). Also, you should know that this emulator is a win32 port of a dos version, something
which also was very visible before (mostly taken care of now, though).
Inserting disks can be done by pressing Ctrl- F1 to F8 for the drive you want to use and
choosing the Disk image file (original idea by me, actually). If you want to use, for
example, four drives in The Dungeon, make sure to enable them before you start the emulation.
Also, press Shift - F5 to reboot the computer with the new disk and note that F4 is Start in
this emulator. Atari800Win also saves disk images on the fly as you would expect (ie. it
handles just like a real Atari).
This is also the first release in which both games (The City and The Dungeon) works fine.
In previous versions of Atari800win, you couldn't pass the Stats portal, since the Spacebar
didn't work in that screen, and if you loaded a game, the movement keys (IJKL) wouldn't function
properly (the joystick would work, however). I have also not been able to recreate the
DirectSound crashes which were very common in previous versions.
Atari800win doesn't set any speed records, however. It is noticably the slowest Atari emulator,
both in-game and when loading. You can run the emu at full speed (F8), but then you loose
sound (I don't know if there's a frameskip option hidden somewhere amongst the menus). Also,
there isn't any indication of wether the emulator loads from a disk or not (no graphical led
and no sound), nor is there any sound when a key is pressed (which was the case on the original
Atari). Also, note that Atari800win saves all it's configurations in the Windows 95 registry
instead of a .cfg file, so make sure you delete all it's entries there if you want to
uninstall it.
So, all in all sound is good, the graphics are very good (no garbled graphics in the stats
screens, but the mirrored mountains are still there), and speed is as we discussed earlier.
By the release of version 2.1 Atari800win has now taken the lead position amongst Atari
emulators (even surpassing Rainbow, despite of it's speed problems), so when you have either
ignored, or set all the options and learned the short-cut keys, this emulator may very well
become a worthy successor to Xl-it.
WinUAE 0.8.8 Release 2 (http://www.codepoet.com/UAE/)
Download the emulator and run the install file, but DON'T refer to it's manual for details!
The history of UAE is not a pretty one (UAE originally stood for the Unusable Amiga Emulator).
It is originally a Unix build which was converted to both Dos and Windows. This means that
(as with most Unix software) it wouldn't know the concept of being 'user-friendly' even if it
jumped up and bit it in it's rear end, but it gets the job done. Fortunately, in the newest
versions, it's Unix heritage has been masked quite well, so you won't have to use the manual
too much, nor dabble with any command line options.
Since the Amiga is apparently, even by today's standards, a very complicated machine, with
custom chips and stuff, emulating it isn't easy. However, UAE does a pretty good job with it.
Graphics are mostly glitch free, and sound has finally been optimized (atleast it sounds good
on my P2 266), though not always synchronized.
Mouse support and joystick support is also easy to use and it works good (though with Alternate
Reality, you will only be using the keyboard).
You should know that the Amiga version of AR features relatively unique versions of The City's
soundtrack; unlike the Atari ST version (the other emulated 16-bit format), all 4 channels has
been retained from the original soundtrack, and samples are being used to produce the sound,
creating (together with the new 'mixes') a rather new experience.
Unfortunately, since a couple of versions back, a bug called the 'stretched gui bug' has
been introduced into this emulator which I still suffer from. This means that you will get a
ridicously large window on your desktop, with either a very small picture in (although a
correctly displayed one), or you a terribly stretched picture, no matter what resolution you
select (even the fullscreen options suffer from a similar fate).
All in all, the emulator is rather good, the GUI is coming along fine and the speed is almost
acceptible.
FELLOW 0.32a (http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Peaks/5244/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. Remember to put the TOS roms into the directory of the emulator.
It is important to choose a resolution you like in this emulator, since this emulator
produces alot of varied results when displaying different resolutions (sometimes stretching
and sometimes slowing down and so on). Choosing a resolution is accomplished by navigating
it's very easy to use menu system, which is one of the strong points of this emulator.
It has alot of options, some pherhaps obscure to a person who doesn't know that much about
an Amiga, but most of those options can be left alone. Look out for the LED display option
though, as that may crash the emulator if you mess with it too much (you can choose where
you want to see a disk drive indicator which is normally displayed on screen, but can also
be placed on the PC keyboard LEDs). The LED display is otherwise also a very good thing
about this emu (though it doesn't always show up in some resolutions) as it generally shows
you wether the emulator is reading from a disk or not. Another option which you must change,
it seems, would be to add 1mb of Fast Memory in order to get AR running.
Since this emulator emulates the Amiga, only The City is availible, and in it's 16-bit
incarnation (jobs availible, guilds joinable, spells, but simplified combat), and this
version also features two additional tavern songs (Ganthem and an unidentified one).
Playing The City with this emulator works perfectly, saving and all, the graphics are
glitch free (you might want to set frameskip to 1/2 though) and the music is perfect!
Finally, I encountered a curious bug while testing the emulator; all the Stats were 00 in
the portal room, but looked fully normal in the game. While fun, it may cripple play a bit.
PACIFIST (http://www.pacifist.fatal-design.com/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. Remember to put a TOS rom into the directory of the emulator (and there
are alot of different versions of these) and if you don't use a launcher program, remember
to change the path to your roms in the pacifist.ini file!
When you start the emulator you'll end up in the monitor (no, your head will not smash into
your monitor; it's a screen with a command prompt which is called the "monitor"). From here,
you type in different commands for what you want to to, eg. "g" for go and "x" for exit. But
first, you should insert a disk image into your virtual Atari ST. Do that by pressing F12 and
follow the onscreen instructions (look at the bottom right hand corner for the keyboard
commands, and the disk image you want to insert would be the AR one).
NOTE: If you are using version 1.2 of The City, you must insert that disk image into both
drives, or PacifiST will crash (I'm sorry, but I don't know why). You can however, later
switch disk when the game wants you to without the emu crashing.
Now you are almost ready to go, but first, hit F1 to ensure that you have "line" screen
emulation (check the upper left hand part of the monitor). This is to get correct colors
when you later run The City.
If you are playing with the newly releazed Klaupazius version 2.0 of The City (the trained
version), disregard the below sets of instructions; the game runs fine (although
a section of The City which is normally unavailible is opened in this version).
Right, press "g" to start the emulation and watch a wonderfull blue screen appear. Then
watch it go black. And black it stays. Time to hit tilde (the key above tab ~) and enter
the monitor again. Try to press Ctrl-T a couple of times and you should see the
emulator step through some addresses and then suddenly come to a loop.
This loop is what causes all trouble and needs to be eliminated. The loop should be at
address 00C204 (00EE7C if you are using version 2.0, but then you must make sure you are
using TOS 2.06 also), so enter "nop C204 1" to get rid of it. Press "g" again, and voila,
life is good.
So, is it worth all trouble? Yes, I think it is. PacifiST is a very good emulator with
extremely good sound and Alternate Reality: The City for the Atari ST is very faithfull
to the Atari 8-bit version, but of course, with all the 16-bit features, such as jobs and
the ability to join guilds, in place. The Atari ST only has three channels of music,
however, but all the songs from the 8-bit version is there, including encounter music,
secret door music and palace famfares and arena fights! There's also the lack of need to
constantly change disks, as with the 8-bit version of The City.
Also, if you are using the untrained version 2.0 of The City (should work with any TOS rom)
the game will think you are running a pirated copy of it, and therefor will treat you in that
way. That is, your character becomes extremely evil and you won't be able to enter any taverns
or save the game. Sneaky? Oh, yes indeed!
NEWS FLASH: PacifiST is a emulator that is constantly being updated (version 0.48 at the
time of writing), and the latest addition of new features is a command that lets you save
the state of emulation and load it at any given time! And this is good news, since it
completely removes the need for hacking the game every time you want to load it (untrained
version only), as demonstrated above and even removes the need for a character disk!
To save, simply type "fz x y" in the monitor, where x is the name of the file (standard 8
characters max, no spaces) and y is a description (more characters and space are allowed!).
Later, to load your saved game, just insert the disk into the emulator and type "uz x" to
restore the emulator to exact state as you left it in the last time!
WinSTon 0.0005 (http://winston.fatal-design.com/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. Remember to put the TOS roms into the directory of the emulator.
Now this is as easy as it gets. WinSTon must be the slickest thing the emulation scene has
ever seen, it's simply gorgeous!
When you load it up, you get a perfect, small, easy-to-handle window, that's extremely cute
(it even looks like an Atari ST).
Simply press F12 and click on the first drive and select the file you want to insert into
it, then click the reset button and off you go!
Note the blinking led, and you can rezise the window to any size too!
Okie, so does it run AR? No. But don't worry, it's only version 0.0005 yet, and still, it
looks extremely promising even at this early stage, so I recommend you to stay tuned for
updates on this one (also, it only accepts TOS 1.0 at this point too...).
FRODO 4.1a (http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/FRMain.html)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installation for each
individual system. This emulator comes with it's own TOS roms.
Since the version I tried was a Win 95 app, it was a whizz to configure and load. In fact,
the only thing you need to configure is personal stuff, like wether you want fullscreen
or not (and it's all reachable from standard windows menus).
There are then several number of ways to get a game running. You could use standard C64
commands, but Frodo also has a set of very nifty built in features. For example, Ctrl-D
lists the content of an inserted disk image, and F7 loads up the first program from that
disk it finds (you still need to type "run" for that command though).
Even though this is a brilliant emulator, complete with full sid emulation and everything,
it does not run AR. Atleast not the disk images I'm in possesion of. And this will not
change, I have been told. Alteast not until someone figures out a way to get around the
way The Dungeon addresses the disk drive with the built in monitor, like in the Atari ST
version.
APPLEWIN ?? (ftp.ksk.sala.se/pub/ar/)
Download the emulator and refer to it's manual for details on installtion for each
individual system. This emulator comes with it's own TOS roms.
This is a very easy to use emulator. Simply click on the disk icon and enter what disks
you want in what drive and the click on the Apple logo and off you go.
However, there isn't very much to look at. Sure, both The City and The Dungeon runs fine,
you can save your character and all, but there's only four colors, and one channel of
sound. And no, that's not the emulator's fault; that's about all the Apple II had.
What's funny, though, is that even the color blur of a TV is emulated.
All in all, it's a very good emulator, easy to use, runs everything, fast, with sound,
perfect. A Note if you want to uninstall it, though: It saves some of it's preferences in
the windows registry, which need to be removed in case of a manual uninstall.
4. ITEMS, LOCATIONS AND OTHER THINGS
Since The City didn't have any quests or defined goals, other than to stay alive, you might
think that there wasn't much to do. But you are so wrong. Staying alive was enough to keep
you occupied for a very long time. And it's items, treasure, locations, secrets and details
made it a very worthwhile experience.
4.1 ITEMS IN THE CITY
Items were a very treasured thing in The City, indeed. Without clothing, you would freeze;
without food and water, you would go hungry and starve; without weapons, you were an easy
target for thieves; and without money, you mostly couldn't get any of these things.
4.1.1 CLOTHES
One of the first things you'll notice in The City is that you will get cold quite fast
if you don't buy any proper clothing. Apart from that, it is still unknown exactly what
the effect is, apart from a certain dapper value which apparently increases your status.
Here is a list of all the different selections:
Quality Color Fabric Articles
Cheap Black Dragonskin Blouse
Simple Blue Fur-lined Breechcloth
Fine Brown Linen Cloak
Gold Satin Dress
Green Silk Hat
Maroon Wool Jerkin
Orange <blank> Pants
Pink Raincoat
Plaid Robe
Purple Scarf
Red Shirt
Silver Skirt
Striped Socks
White Tie
Yellow Toga
Vest
4.1.2 FOOD AND DRINKS
Also, one of the first things you'll notice in The City, is that some of your characters
will get hungry and thirsty very, very fast, and if you leave them that way, their stats
will deteriorate quickly.
Food can be very expensive and not very satisfying if you aren't carefull. The Official
Cluebook has some very good tips that teaches you the ways of the Taverns.
In addition, I can say from experience, that it is going to take alot of money (from an
initial point of view) if you want to build up a safety buffer of food packets, since the
characters tends to eat them whenever he feels for a snack, and if you don't have enough,
it can be hard to find a Tavern which carries them at the time.
In the list below, every meal has a price for every tavern. Please note, however, that I
have not seen each and every one of those meals in all of the taverns, so they may not
be availible there (such prices are calculated, but hopefully accurate).
Check 4.3.1 for complete Tavern names and locations (prices are in coppers):
Food/Drink Tail Mom Tavern Tears Stop LLoyd Hunter
Ale 6 4 2 5 3 3 4
Beer 4 3 1 3 2 2 2
Grape Juice 6 4 2 5 3 3 4
Grog 4 3 1 3 2 2 2
Milk 4 3 1 3 2 2 2
Mineral Water 4 3 1 3 2 2 2
Orange Juice 6 4 2 5 3 3 4
Sasperilla 6 4 2 5 3 3 4
Spirits 10 8 4 9 6 5 7
Water 2 1 0 1 1 1 1
Water Flask 10 8 4 9 6 5 7
Wine 8 6 3 7 4 4 5
Apple Pie 24 19 9 21 14 12 16
Bagel 12 8 4 10 7 6 8
Bowl of Chili 20 16 8 18 12 10 14
Block of Cheese 30 24 12 27 18 15 21
Bowl of Fruit 50 40 20 45 30 25 35
Chokolate Cake 20 16 8 18 12 10 14
Crayfish 80 64 32 72 48 40 56
Filet of Beef 140 112 56 126 84 70 98
Food Packet 50 40 20 45 30 25 35
Fried Chicken 100 80 40 90 60 50 70
Gruel 8 6 3 7 4 4 5
Ham 120 96 48 108 72 60 84
Lamb 112 89 44 98 67 56 70
Lasagna 60 48 24 54 36 30 42
Leg of Dragon 600 480 240 540 360 300 420
Leg of Lamb 160 128 64 144 96 80 112
Lemon Pie 24 19 9 21 14 12 16
Loaf of Bread 16 12 6 14 9 8 10
Lobster 200 160 80 180 120 100 140
Pasta 60 48 24 54 36 30 42
Pemmican 40 32 16 36 24 20 28
Plate of greens 36 28 14 30 21 18 25
Pork Ribs 60 48 24 54 36 30 42
Rack of Lamb 80 64 32 72 48 40 56
Ragu of beef 66 52 26 59 39 33 46
Ragu of Dragon 100 80 40 90 60 50 70
Roast Beef 100 80 40 90 60 50 70
Roast Chicken 50 40 20 45 30 25 35
Roast Dragon 300 240 120 270 180 150 210
Sandwich 20 16 8 18 12 10 14
Smoked Fish 50 40 20 45 30 25 35
Vegetable Soup 10 8 4 9 6 5 7
The Dancing Nymph Tavern has the exact same prices as Mom's Bar.
The Black Devil Tavern has the exact same prices as The Happy Hunter Tavern.
The Flaming Dragon Tavern and The Screaming Siren Tavern
has the exact same prices as the Last Stop.
PLEASE NOTE: None of the Taverns with entrance fees has been covered yet.
4.1.3 WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
Tools of vital importance if you wish to defeat your foes. And there will be foes.
If you are lucky, you will find a good weapon or armor after combat, though, depending on
what character you use, such treasure is very rare. Take note of the Cluebook's notes on
weapon, combat and smithies. In addition, Occum's Weaponsmiths (19E, 31N) usually carries
a cheap dagger in the beginning which is always a good start.
Here is a list of all the different weapons and armour:
Weapons Armor Shields
Battle Axe Banded Armor Shield
Battle Hammer Chain Mail Small Shield
Dagger Leather Armor Spiked Shield
Flail Padded Armor Tower Shield
Long Sword Plated Armor
Short Sword Scale Mail
Stilleto Splint Armor
Sword Studded Leather
War Net
Whip
4.1.4 TREASURE
As the cluebooks tells, you'r ability to find treasure in The City relies on luck,
the hidden treasure finding stat and the type of monster you encounter.
A good way to find treasure in the beginning are by way of killing muggers, and,
if you dare to venture out at night, Gremlins. Gremlins are very weak and almost
always carry some sort of treasure.
Listed below are weapons and armor, both mundane and magical, which can be found after
combat. But you will also be able to find money (gold, silver and copper), precious
stones (gems and jewels which can be appraised at banks) and potions (see the Official
Cluebook for a very good rundown on those).
The Crystal Plate and the Magical Flamesword, which can only be found as Treasure (ie. not
availible in any shops) are considered to be, by far, the best equipment in the game.
Crystal Plate Magical Flamesword Magical Tower Shield
Elfin Chain Magical Battleaxe Magical War Net
Plate Mail Magical Battlehammer Magical Spiked Shield
Banded Armor Magical Flail Magical Shield
Chain Mail Magical Whip Magical Small Shield
Splint Mail Magical Longsword
Scale Mail Magical Sword
Ring Mail Magical Shortsword
Studded Leather Magical Stilleto
Leather Armor Magical Dagger
Padded Armor
4.2 ITEMS IN THE DUNGEON
Sequels are usually better (hopefully) than their predecessors, and atleast for the items
and the inventory, this is true for the Alternate Reality games. All items in The Dungeon
have a set weight, and the inventory is much easier to manage.
Even though The City has many more shops than The Dungeon, and pherhaps just because of
that, items tend to be more easy to come by, and there are certainly more varied ways to
get them. For example, if you join a Guild, fellow guild members will, if you are short on
a vital item, hand you one, or, you can sometimes find special items lying on the floor in
special areas (one of the best weapons in the game, for example, is Razor Ice which is located
but a short walk from your starting point).
Also, another important factor in The Dungeon is that you can sell the items you find,
which you couldn't in The City. This is great in the beginning, if you have joined a Guild,
since you can then go and remove any curse that the weapon has, and then use the stairway
(49E, 46N) near the Well-lit area to reach the Dwarven Smithy (17E, 24N), and then sell the
items for money!
Food and water is also managed in an easier way, being almost always availible at the
Damon & Phtyias Shoppe (46E, 59N) (whereas in The City, you had to chase Taverns which
could supply them), and since they are vital when you plan on making long journeys, you can
choose when to consume them manually. The same goes for torches (also a very vital thing in
the beginning of the game).
4.2.1 TREASURE
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE: *********************************************************************
This area is currently under construction. As each monster in The Dungeon can carry both
standard items (food, money etc.), special items (as mentioned in the Cluebook) and also
has it's own items, this list will narrow it down to the last option (like the Water Sprite's
Trident for example). As there are alot of monsters in The Dungeon, as with The City, work
in progress is slow. Anyone who feels that they possess information that they think would be
a valuable contribution to this section, please contact me at robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se
*******************************************************************************************
4.2.2 ONE-OF-A-KIND ITEMS
These are the true treasures of The Dungeon. A real pain to find, if you don't know where
to look (since there are rarely clues to where to find most of them), but a salvation when
you find them.
The abilites of these items are as varied as they are numerous. The Cluebook for The
Dungeon contains very good descriptions of these items, with the exeption that Melvin's
Helm actually increases damage done to your head, and that the Bolt Gun is missing.
Here are the locations of all the one-of-a-kind items:
Name Locations
Crossbow [03] 6E, 62N Level 1
Thunder Quarrels [10] 11E, 62N "
Whetstone 31E, 62N "
Golden Apple 31E, 59N "
Staff of Amber 11E, 36N "
Six Pack [6] 17E, 48N "
Lodestone 38E, 57N "
Page of Cups 62E, 56N "
Winged Sandals 47E, 45N "
Morgana's Tiara 44E, 45N "
Helm of Light 41E, 45N "
Truesilver Coat 42E, 38N "
Potion of Restoration 45E, 38N "
The Star (card) 48E, 38N "
Sword of the Adept 3E, 23N "
Amethyst Rod 3E, 15N "
Saurian Brandy 9E, 8N "
Map Stone 59E, 28N "
Razor Ice 60E, 23N "
Blue Pearl Dagger 48E, 25N "
Crystal Breastplate 8E, 23N Level 2
Death (card) 19E, 5N "
Robin's Hood 0E, 14N "
Flame Quarrels [10] 4E, 10N Level 3
Junai's Sword 9E, 0N "
Iron Palm Salve 9E, 3N "
Melvin's Helm 5E, 5N Room of Confusion
Cloak of Levitation 19E, 29N Level 2
Beam Weapon [99] 2E, 0N Level 4
Gauss Riftle [99] 33E, 62N Level 1
Solar Suit 36E, 62N "
See section 5.2.1 on how to acquire the last two items.
4.3 ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE CITY
What other game let you, on a cool but clear night, wander around a city, from tavern to
tavern, and listen and be entertained by good music and dancing and drink from the local
establishment's selection of beverages, and even become a bit drunk.
No other game offered such a widespread selection of shops and inns, and no other game
ever have had such a level of interactivity as The City had (and no other game succeeded
to appeal to one's vanity as The City; why, if not only to get that expensive Fine Gold
Dragonskin Raincoat, do you continue to play the game as a Level 13 character).
Maps to pinpoint these locations, are at http://user.tninet.se/~lan3180/alternate-reality/
and they are dumps from the original source code so they are 100% accurate! (Even showing
certain areas in The City which can't be accesed in a normal game.)
4.3.1 TAVERNS
The Tavern, along with the Smithy, was the peak of the games interactivity. Each Tavern
had different opening times, different menus (that changed from time to time) and
different prices. On top of that, they served different appetizers and had different
music playing too, along with some random events that occasionally occured.
The cluebook has some notes on taverns, which you should read. Also, when you entered a
tavern you got some choises on where to sit. These were as follows. If you wanted to
sit at the bar, you got to listen to the band (and watch the various events that could
occur around that), and from time to time, strangers would wander in whom you could
interact with. If you chose to sit at a table, you still got the band playing, but you
wouldn't be disturbed by anyone entering the tavern. And finally, in the private booth,
you were isolated from both the music playing and any wandering strangers.
Here is the list of all the tavern names and locations:
Name Location Opening hours Membership fee
Flaming Dragon Tavern 60E, 2N
Misty Mountain Tavern 1E, 54N 11:00-03:00 3,000
Screaming Siren Bar 44E, 9N 16:00-04:00
Happy Hunter Rest Stop 7E, 24N 00:00-08:00
Dancing Nymph Tavern 41E, 34N 16:00-08:00
The Club 33E, 53N 18:00-23:00 1,500
Black Devil Tavern 32E, 19N 00:00-06:00
(Lost Oasis) Tavern 20E, 62N
Last Stop 52E, 56N
Tail of the Dog 39E, 29N
Club Babalyon 57N, 33E 10:00-05:00 50,000
Lost Tears Tavern 13E, 12N
Mom's Bar 5E, 35N
Lusty Lloyds 60E, 30N
4.3.2 INNS
The Inns were the only means of sleep you had in The City. And sleep you needed, since the
character realistically got tired if he stayed awake for long times. More importantly, it
was also the easiest way to recover lost Hit Points. This was also the only way to check
the time in the 8-bit version of The City.
As with everything in The City, you had alot of options here. In this case, the options
were where you would sleep and for how long, and depending on what you chose, you got
various healing bonuses.
There are two tables here, one with locations, and one with prices (and the prices of
lodging doesn't change from time to time):
Name Location
Green Boar Inn 9E, 19N
Lazy Griffin Inn 33E, 52N
Sleeping Dragon Inn 60E, 6N
Travellers Inn 31E, 25N
Midnight Inn 32E, 23N
Warriors Retreat Inn 28E, 54N
Royal Resort 31E, 3N
Sleep Green Lazy Dragon Travel Midnigt Warrior Royal
the common area floor 10 16 5 60 30 7 80
a Bed with no bath 20 32 10 120 60 15 160
a Bed with common bath 30 48 15 180 90 22 240
a Room, with common bath 40 64 20 240 120 30 320
a Room with bath 50 80 25 300 150 37 400
a Premium Room 100 160 50 600 300 75 800
a Deluxe Room 200 320 100 1,200 600 150 1,600
a Small Suite 400 640 200 2,400 1,200 300 3,200
a Suite 800 1,280 400 4,800 2,400 600 6,400
Out BEST Suite 1,600 2,560 800 9,600 4,800 1,200 12,800
4.3.3 BANKS
The banking system in The City is a very advanced one. They provide you with interest and
also a risque of account failures. A low risk account has a 0.6% interest per day, and a
0.1% failure risk per day, medium risk has 1.3% interest and 1.0% failures, and high risk
has 3.2% interest and a 3.3% account failure risk per day.
To keep track of things, The City lets you view your balance, your interest rate and even
the account failure history of the bank, whenever you want. You can also appraise gems and
jewelry for a small fee, and then sell them (but always get a second opinion since jewelry,
while more expensive to appraise, can give you up to 100 gold).
Name Location Opening Hours
Grams Gold Exchange 2E, 61N ??
Granite Bank 38E, 27N ??
First City Bank 30E, 6N ??
4.3.4 GUILDS
As you probably know, the Guilds award you a bonus the first time you enter them. This
can, if you want, be seen as the game's first and only quest; to get all the knowledge
the Guilds has to offer.
Also, ignore the highlighted option to join the guild. That only works in the 16-bit
versions of the game, not in the 8-bit (an option which, together with the two hidden
guilds, would be enabled and opened up with The Arena).
Name Location Increase Remove Curse
Thieves Guild 43E, 34N Skill 9,000
Blue Wizards Guild 18E, 47N Physical Speed 3,000
Light Wizards Guild 2E, 4N Wisdom 2,700
Green Wizards Academy 11E, 42N Stamina 3,000
Red Wizards University 47E, 14N Strength 3,000
Dark Wizards Guild 33E, 21N Charisma 3,100
Star Wizards Guild 27E, 11N Hit Points + Strength 2,000
Wizards of Chaos Guild 50E, 59N Charisma 4,000
Wizards of Law Guild 61E, 49N Wisdom 3,800
Guild of Order 57E, 49N Intelligence 4,000
Physicians Guild 5E, 14N Hit Points 7,000
Assassins Guild 55E, 2N Suprise Attacks 11,000
Mercenary Guild 32E, 55N Strength 12,000
Power Wizard Institute 25E, 44N Stamina 2,500
The last two Guilds are not normally availible in the game.
4.3.5 HEALERS
Healers doesn't seem to have any fixed opening times, but rather they come and go as they
please (that is, the cursed doctor is never there when you need him). Neither do they seem
to have any fixed prices on their services, rather prices on cleansing diseases or curing
poisons can range from anything from 200 to 800 (they also increase after purchase).
If you chose to remove a disease and exit and find that the Diseased! text is still
there, don't panic; it will wear of in a few minutes.
Diagnose can only be chosen after you have gotten a disease warning, and it's only effect
is that it names your ailment.
Name Location Opening Hours Prices
One Way Soothers 29E, 29N Random? Random?
Alpha Omega Healers 4E, 19N Random? Random?
4.3.6 SMITHIES
The Smithy is the most complex character in the whole game. All is not known about the smithy,
but atleast we know that he has a memory of you, he knows wether you're good or evil and there
seems to be a intricate system for haggling with him (it is also possible, but I don't know for
certain, that your Intelligence or Charisma may go up if you make a good deal, and that he may
increase his prices if he doesn't like you).
Name Location Opening Hours
Occums Weaponsmiths 19E, 32N 05:00-21:59
Sharp Weaponsmiths 54E, 9N 04:00-20:59
Knights Armorers 50E, 35N 11:00-15:59
Best Armorers 32E, 27N 08:00-19:59
4.3.7 SHOPS
While the Shops had one (or maybe two) major functions, namely providing clothing to keep
you warm (or providing outrageous outfitts to milk you of money), and of course letting
you have the compass for 5 silvers, it is still unknown if there were other purposes.
Clothing are rumored to have a 'dapper' effect, which would affect the way that other
citizens viewed you, but no hard facts has ever been revealed about this.
Name Location Opening Hours
Best Bargain Store 35E, 30N 09:00-22:00
Honest Trader 35E, 24N 08:00-22:00
Exclusive Outfitters 21E, 43N 11:00-16:00
Smiley's Shop 25E, 15N 08:00-21:00
Sunset Market 33E, 55N 09:00-20:00
Warrior's Supplies 26E, 59N 05:00-18:00
Ono Goods 9E, 37N 09:00-18:00
Adventurers Outfitters 3E, 12N 08:00-20:00
Da Place (north) 60E, 61N 08:00-18:00
General Store 55E, 17N 05:00-00:00
Merchants Grotto 52E, 9N 04:00-20:00
Pauline's Emporium 46E, 37N 11:00-17:00
Betelguese Sales 38E, 56N 03:00-23:00
Da Place (south) 19E, 5N 08:00-18:00
Grubron Imports 0E, 13N 10:00-15:00
4.3.8 OTHER LOCATIONS
When The City was made, it was made with the intention that The Arena and The Wilderness
would be released. However, since this didn't happen, alot of features in the game never
got any use. That is the case with these locations, as in the game, they are all (except
for the Floating Gate of course) "closed by order of The Palace". However, it is fun to
see that they are there and to think of what could have been.
Name Location
House of Ill-Repute 42E, 35N
Acrinimirils Gate 31E, 36N
Floating Gate 35E, 27N
Maximum Casino 39E, 36N
Jacks Fitness Academy 54E, 4N
Davids Weapons Trainers 23E, 47N
Armstrong Builders 25E, 50N
Apollo Trainers 26E, 46N
The last three trainers are not normally availible in the game.
Grogs Weapons Trainers Not on the map
Flash Weapons Trainers Not on the map
4.4 LOCATIONS IN THE DUNGEON
Whereas The City didn't have any of it's special locations implemented (they were all 'closed
by the order of the Palace'), The Dungeon had dozens of them! It took some time to find them
all, but luckily, most of them had clues which pointed you in the right direction in one way
or another.
4.4.1 GUILDS
There were two kinds of Guilds in The Dungeon; Good guilds and Evil guilds. These Guilds were
often at war with each other, so if you joined one guild, you instantly made enemies with
another (if you didn't use the Ace of Cups, that is). But you also made friends in your Guild,
who could come and help you in The Dungeon if you were ever in need (to give you torches,
timepieces, compasses, food, water, money or even advice). You also got a Guild Locker, which
acted as the eqvivalent of a City Bank, but without any risk of it being robbed. The most
important thing, however, was the Guild Ring, in which you stored the spell points needed to
cast the spells the guild would offer to learn you. But you didn't always have to rely on your
Guild to recharge the ring or train you in Spell Casting; you could use Crystals for that and
whenever you cast a spell, there was a chance that it's success rate would increase a bit.
To replenish your Guild Ring by using Crystals, simply press U to Use and select your Guild
Ring; 1 Crystal will be drawn from your inventory and become [10] Guild Ring charges.
Name Location
Wizards of Chaos Guild 50E, 59N
Wizards of Law Guild 62E, 49N
Guild of Order 58E, 49N
Thieves Guild 44E, 33N
Light Wizards Guild 2E, 4N
Dark Wizards Guild 33E, 21N
Paladins Guild 2E, 26N Level 2
Mercenaries Guild 8E, 12N Level 2
4.4.2 FOUNTAINS
The Fountains in The Dungeon provided you with a small safety buffer if you couldn't reach The
Well Lighted Area. They were strategically placed, since on Level 2, you probably don't want to
waste time to go up to the Well Lit Arean to find a healer to cure your diseases, and on Level
3, having gotten that far, you probably are quite tired already getting there.
Fountain
Cure Wounds 14E, 10N Level 1
Cure Diseases 24E, 15N Level 2
Cure Fatigue 15E, 1N Level 3
4.4.3 TRANSPORTERS
This may be something that is unknown to many, but if mastered, it can be a great way to
travel in The Dungeon. There are alot of different transporters scattered around. Some will
transport you to places where you will find interesting things, and some may transport you
into near certain death.
Here is a list of all transporters, including from where and to where they take you.
Location Destination
56E, 48N 43E, 35N Level 1
54E, 48N 43E, 32N Level 1
56E, 42N 24E, 4N Level 1
46E, 36N 18E, 22N Level 1
5E, 47N 58E, 58N Level 1
9E, 17N 54E, 56N Level 1
15E, 21N Level 2 60E, 56N Level 1
7E, 19N Level 2 11E, 21N Level 2
11E, 3N Level 3 0E, 3N Room of C
2E, 2N Room of C 13E, 0N Level 3
Blink Mines 18E, 22N Level 1
Elevator Buttons (2E, 5N Level 4)
Blue 45E, 41N Level 1
Red 31E, 22N Level 2
Green 9E, 3N Level 3
Ozob's Door Puzzle is not listed here. See the Solution to The Dungeon for details on that.
4.4.4 LIST OF LOCATIONS
The locations in The Dungeon can roughly be placed in two categories. Either they were hidden
shops with special items or services on sale, or they had something to do with a Quest in the
game. No matter what category the location belonged to, though, they were both widely spread
out in the game. Each location also featured it's unique graphics, though not all locations
were blessed with music (visit http://user.tninet.se/~lan3180/alternate-reality/ for a
screenshot of each location).
Here is a list of all the special locations in The Dungeon with a short description.
Name Location Short Description
Damon & Pythias Shoppe 46E, 59N Buy rations, etc. Watch Omar's math abilities
The Retreat 55E, 60N Sleep for any amount of coppers (optimal: 36)
Der Rathskeller Bar & Grille 60E, 61N Eat food and interact with other visitors
Palace Prison 59E, 36N Free Ozob with Silver Key and learn Temporal Fugue
The Chapel 27E, 55N Pray for alignment and consult with priest
The Chapel Sanctuary 31E, 54N Get free lodging and food (S:T Percival's Mace & a Spell)
Gram's Gold Exchange Vault 2E, 61N Option to steal money and bribe guards
Goblin King's Palace 2E, 49N Battle the Goblin King for a Ring half
Acrinimiril's Tomb 31E, 36N Bring the three staff pieces and get rewards
First City Bank Vault 30E, 6N Option to steal money and bribe guards
Oracle of Wisdom 35E, 27N Get quests and enlightment for gold coins
Weapon Enchantress 45E, 2N Enchant your items with magical powers
Troll King's Palace 56E, 6N Battle the Goblin King for a Ring half
Dwarven Smithy 16E, 24N Buy and sell weapons and armor (and order custom items)
Lucky's Potion Brewery 7E, 6N Buy potions and try experimental brews
Undead King's Palace 13E, 5N Get the staff piece from the Undead King
River Crossing 28E, 12N Pay 2 coppers at midnight to pass (or go downstream)
Clothes Horse's Room 26E, 23N Exchange fancy clothing for the Mirrored Shield
Great Dragon's Lair 3E, 1N Battle the Wyrm or get him the Bloodstone
Fearsome Gargoyle 2E, 5N Answer the Riddlers questions and receive clues
Death's Door 8E, 7N Use the PAC card to get to Level 4
Alien Control Room 6E, 4N Use the Mirrored Shield to avoid the Alien's laser
Elevator 2E, 5N Take the Elevator to all the different levels
ACRINIMIRIL'S TOMB DETAILS
Acrinimiril's Tomb is the place the main quest in The Dungeon evolves around. It is the place
where the spirit of the wizard Acrinimiril is trapped (see section 2.4 for his own story).
However, due to the huge spoiler an exact description of this place, and the events which occur
here would be, (as if the tips that are already here aren't enough) you will have to uncover
it's secrets by yourself!
UNDEAD KING'S PALACE DETAILS
A visit to the Undead King's Palace is also a part of one of the main quests in The Dungeon,
however the journey is filled with dangers as you must traverse both the River Styx and
pass the test of the Seven Undead Knights. Once there, though, you will be rewarded with a
great clue and insight to the mechanics of the alien world of Alternate Reality:
[His exact words as they appear in the game:]
Long ago, on a distant soil,
The Keepers came. What became of
my home, I know not. I awoke in
a strange world. In it were some
like myself, but most were strange
creatures. Many among us forsook the
Way of Knowledge and became sloth,
turning to thievery and murder for
their daily bread. Only I and seven
others remaied True. We learned to
look behind the mask of this world,
and to see The Keepers, who brought
us here to quarrel and fight amongst
ourselves for their amusement. We
taught others our knowledge and stole
the weapons of light from The Keepers.
A great battle was made; but in the
end, we were defeated.
Lest our dreams or home and freedom
die with us on this alien soil,
The Seven took an oath so strong
that it bound them beyond death:
We shall avait the one that will have
the strength to carry on our hope.
You are that one,
Other than the gifts that you have
received from The Seven, I can only
offer you a portion of the staff of
Acrinimiril. The Keepers consider
Acirnimiril mad and are not
aware of his true knowledge.
Seek this knowledge!
FEARSOME GARGOYLE DETAILS
This is the most mysterious character in the whole of Alternate Reality. Originally rumored to
be a friendly alien of some sort, nobody really knows what he is after, or how he really looks
like. In The Dungeon will toy with you and test you with his tricky riddles and do put your
mind into it, because he will have to patience with those who are foolish enough to not
think twice before answering:
[His exact words as they appear in the game:]
A creature old and dark I be;
Thou must be quick to get by me.
If thou'rt wise, 'tis for me to see;
Thou shalt answer my riddles three.
The first is simple--should take no time;
All thou must do is end my rhyme:
Not man nor beast met his demise
(To thee I'm sure 'tis no suprise);
A cruel fate ended it's trek;
Now thou stand'st 'neath a great _________
The first one was was but children's play;
Two more before thou'rt on thy way.
Goblin and Troll, with vilest kings;
Each side has only half of a ring;
Both sides want to possess the whole;
To rule the entire realm's the goal;
If thou should'st get the cursed thing,
There's just one place to cast the ring.
Raven--Writing Desk; Lion--Honey;
Wisdom's gift is more than money.
Not far from here's an evil wyrm,
Whose roar can make the boldest squirm;
He toys with those he likes the best,
And sends them on a fearfull quest;
Treasure he offers - gems and gold -
but his heart's desire must be told.
A beast with fangs and fearsome gaze
Whose hide will stop the keenest blades;
All forms of magic it withstands,
Yet thou might conquer with bare hands.
---
What is my name?
Greetings !
I have a weapon and ammo here for you.
You need them to get past the sentries.
Meet me in your true form on the bridge.
---
The last text section above here wasn't really meant for The Dungeon, but rather was planned
to be revealed in The Wilderness, where apparently a clue to his name would be given. However,
since The Dungeon was the last game released, Datasoft was kind enough to release the name to
those who wanted to solve it, which is: SHINGOR (it has been said that this name is a play with
the name of the Riddler character from the Batman TV series...)
4.4.5 SPECIAL AREAS
Not only were there special locations in The Dungeon with it's special location graphics,
but there where also whole special areas with special graphics and monsters and other things
which affected you in various ways when you entered them (one being the Crystal Caverns with
it's beautifull textures and archways, where the Ice Devils lured and in which you could get
cold and catch the Crystal Doom disease, but which held the Crystal Plate as a reward deep
within a central chamber).
Here is a list of all these special areas with a small description and a rough location:
Name Location Notes
The Well Lit Area Level 1, NE No need for torches, easy monsters, many paupers
The City's sewers Level 1, Edges Disease spreading Rats and food consuming Molds
Pythonesses' Maze Level 1, Center Where you can find the Oracle
Goblins' Demense Level 1, NW Lots of Goblins to fight
Troll's Demense Level 1, SE Lots of Trolls to fight
Taurean Maze Level 1, SW Many fixed monster encounters
The Loop ???
Ozob's Door Puzzle Level 1, NW A Teleporter behind every door
The mausoleum Level 1, NW Undead creatures, Tomb of Acrinimiril
Shrine of Monsters Level 1, NE Special monster and treasure in every room
The blink minefield Level 1, SW Lots of teleporters, to 22E, 18N in Taurean Maze
The Hall of Arches ???
Cult Room Level 1, SE Special symbol on the map, Blue Pearl Dagger
Pelinor's Puzzle ???
The Hall of Mirrors Level 2, E Many Dopplegangers, Clothes Horse
The Crystal Caverns Level 2, W Ice Demons and the Crystal Doom disease
The Hall of the Adept Level 2, E Egyptian hieroglyfs and a pyramid painting
The River Stonz Level 2, S Unreachable area, River Crossing
Realm of the Undead Level 2, SE Many undead creatures, egyptian hieroglyfs
Mordred's Maze Level 2, SW Lots of ghosts and dark passageways
The hot area Level 3, S Many Small Dragons, very warm, very smelly
The Gauntlet Level 3, Center Monster in every room, Death's Door at end
The Room of Confusion RoC Special area outside any normal map, Basilisk
SHRINE OF MONSTERS DETAILS
The Shrine of Monsters is a special area south, southwest of the Well Lighted Area
(main entrance is at 48E, 41N). It contains rooms, secured in various ways in which there
are monsters who will give you treasure if you defeat them. Here is a list of the different
room's contents:
Location Door Monster Treasure
41E, 44N Locked 4 Flame Demons Helm of Light
44E, 44N Bolted 3 Wraiths Morgana's Tiara
47E, 44N Enchanted Valkyrie Winged Sandals
41E, 38N Locked 8 Dwarves Truesilver Coat
44E, 38N Bolted Great Naga Potion of Restoration
47E, 38N Enchanted Lich The Star (card)
5. SECRETS AND CHEATS
Now, with this FAQ you really should have gotten enough tips to not have to resolve to
cheating. But also, since this is a FAQ it should contain every little detail about the
games, and since cheating is one of those details, well, here you go!
5.1 SECRET CODES IN THE CITY
Philip Price is a man who is known to not be fond of cheating in computer games, atleast,
not without a negative effect for every positive one. So, there are some codes in The City
which can be entered, but exactly what they do is unknown (even to Philip Price himself at
this day).
Well, by entering your Character's name as "fiat" with the CTRL key pressed down you get
the question "What is Reality?"
The following are the various answers and their cryptic effects:
cela saute aux yeux - To be outside of time is to be unchangable.
sempiternal - The gift of life is thru love.
Master of Chronos - Hail Master of Chronos! But power is fleeting.
unseen - That which is invisible is real
If you type an answer incorrectly, you get a message saying "The laws are as they were".
5.2 SECRET CODES IN THE DUNGEON
Of course, The Dungeon also had it's share of codes, but also some cheats (Ken Jordan and
Dan Pinal were apparently a bit more liberal with cheat codes). But another thing was also
introduced; due to the increased size of the game, and the increased size of the code, the
gamers were able to exploit some bugs the programmers didn't think of!
There is also a debugger option in The Dungeon, which is supposedly initiated with the
name 'Adept-1', but I haven't gotten it to work yet.
THE GUILD CODE
This cheat is activated by entering one of the guilds and typing '666' with the keyboard.
You will get a very large amount of Hit Points, but you will also become extremely evil
in the game.
TACTICAL NUKE SPELL
This powerfull cheat is activated by going to a Stairwell and typing '853-1212'. This will
get you a Spell in your spell inventory called Tac Nuke (at 95%) which will make about
1,000 Hit Points of damage to a multiple amount of monsters.
The number is an old telephone number to Datasoft which was printed on The Dungeon box.
If you are going to try the cheat on an emulator, make you you have the 'dash' key correct
before you type it in the stairwell (make a test type in the name character screen).
GOLDEN APPLE TRICK
This cheat is funny in that way that it requires you to be faster than the computer itself
(and believe me it worked on a real Atari 130 XE atleast). Go to the Golden Apple and get to
the menu which gives you the option to get it. Press Y immideately followed by D. This will
get you the apple and open the Drop Item menu. You can now scroll through your items, and
if you were fast enough, you will discover the Golden Apple. Now choose to drop it. You
will still have the Hit Point bonus gained, and you will now also be able to get the Apple
again, with the bonus, the many times as you like (as long as you are fast enough).
STAT SPELLS CHEAT
This is executed by learning a spell in one of the Guilds which raises one of your stats
(also make sure you have learned the maximum amount of spells your mind can hold at your
present level). Go outside the Guild and cast the spell so it takes effect at raises one
of your stats. Then, while the spell is still in effect, quickly go inside the Guild and
choose to learn a spell (either one is fine) and then unlearn the Stat raising Spell that
you just cast. The effect of the spell will then become permanent, and you can do it over
and over again the many times as you like.
ITEM EFFECT CHEAT
This cheat works in a similar way as with the Stat Spells cheat. Equip a one-of-a-kind item
that has a special effect (like the Winged Sandals or the Helm of Light), and then enter
the Dwarven Smithy on level 2. Now try to sell him the item you just equipped, and he'll
refuse. However, he will have removed them item from use and placed it back into your
inventory, but, the effect will still be there, and it will be permanent. This cheat can
also be done over an over again (try giving the Iron Palm Salve to the Smithy again and again
and watch your Bare Hand Damage become greater than even the damage from a Custom Weapon!).
5.2.1 SECRET ITEMS IN THE DUNGEON
There are two items in the game to which there aren't any clues to be found, and still,
there are persons who has been able to figure out the way to access them. I am, of course,
talking about the infamous Solar Suit and Gauss Riftle, and here is the proper way to
access them:
Go and fetch the Amethyst Rod at 3E, 15N which is able to open any door in the game (except
Death's Door, of course). Then make your way down to Level 2, to the Hall of the Adept, and
position yourself in the alcove with the painting of the purple pyramid at 28E, 17N. Face
the northern wall and use the Amethyst Rod and you will be teleported to the end of the
long corridor at 32E, 62N on Level 1 (behind the teleporter which previously hindered your
path there), and there you will find something which looks like evidence of a small battle
(and some disgusting remains which could be an alien) and finally, a Solar Suit and a Gauss
Riftle [95].
The reasons for these weapons being so mysterious and secret in The Dungeon, were that they
weren't meant to be discovered until the release of The Wilderness (which we are all still
waiting for)...
5.3 CHEATING WITH THE EMULATORS
For this, you have to use the Xl-it emulator which's monitor enables you to change the
values in any memory position. You change the value of a memory position with the :
command. It looks something like > : [memory pos to change] [value to change it to].
You can also, for example, directly type : 6345 f f f f for 3,855 Hit Points, or directly
type : 6313 od 16 to go to the Shrine of Monsters (Dungeon), as each following value is
assigned to the next memory position.
5.3.1 MANIPULATING THE CITY
Below is an preliminary list of memory positions in The City. Note that you shold change
all three stat position for the entire stat to change. Stats are believe to be in the
following order: Displayed, Natural, Effective (current).
According to Philip Price, the displayed-only stat exists so that a person can be deluded,
so de thinks he is strong, but really isn't (could be caused by potions etc.) The opposite
could be true too, he feels he is weak, but really isn't.
Memory Starting What is modified
Location Value Range+ (Notes)
8924 23 West-East Location (nw corner=00,00)
8925 24 North-South Location (nw corner=00,00)
892e RND STR (displayed)
895f RND STR
8960 RND STR
8937 RND INT (displayed)
8938 RND INT
8939 RND INT
8940 RND WIS (displayed)
8941 RND WIS
8942 RND WIS
8949 RND SKL (displayed)
894a RND SKL
894b RND SKL
8952 RND STA (displayed)
8953 RND STA
8954 RND STA
895b RND CHR (displayed)
895c RND CHR
895d RND CHR
8964 5 6 ??
8aa6 00 Experience 16777215+
8aa7 00 Experience 65535+
8aa8 00 Experience 256+
8aa9 00 Experience 000+
8ab8 00 Hit Points Current 256+
8ab9 RND Hit Points Current 000+
8abc 00 Hit Points Maximum 256+
8abd RND Hit Points Maximum 000+
8ac0 00 Gold - 256+
8ac1 00 Gold - 000+
8ac4 00 Silver - 256+
8ac5 00 Silver - 000+
8ac8 00 Copper - 256+
8ac9 RND Copper - 000+
5.3.2 MANIPULATING THE DUNGEON
Below here is a very comprehensive list of all the different locations including
all the fixed encounters. There is also a list for stats and valuables which can
be altered in the same way as the rest.
Memory locations for
6313 X Position
6314 Y Position
6315 Dungeon Level
The Dungeon Levels can be given the following values:
1.1 = 0
1.2 = 1
1.3 = 2
1.4 = 3
2.0 = 4
3.0 = 5
4.0 = 6
Room of Confusion (RoC) = 5
Values which can be given to the X and Y positions (note the Level):
X Y Level Name
10 10 1.1 Stairwell
11 0F 1.1 6 Pack
6 0E 1.1 message (A dirty sign reads: "Goblins only!")
1B 7 1.1 message (A sign above the door says:
"Welcome to the Chapel. Please come in!")
1A 1B 1.1 message (You stand before an elaborate door.)
2 2 1.1 Grahm's Gold Exchange
2 0E 1.1 Goblin King's Palace
1F 1B 1.1 Tomb of Acrinimiril
1B 8 1.1 Chapel
1C 8 1.1 Chapel
1F 8 1.1 Chapel Sanctuary
1F 1 1.1 Whetstone
6 1 1.1 Crossbow [03]
0B 1 1.1 Thunder Quarrels [10]
0B 1B 1.1 Vampire
1F 4 1.1 Golden Apple
1B 1B 1.2 Palace Prison
12 3 1.2 Dungeon Entrance
7 9 1.2 Devourer
11 11 1.2 Stairwell
13 4 1.2 Doppleganger
0F 4 1.2 message (A sign on the door reads: "The Damon & Phytias Shoppe")
16 3 1.2 message (A sign above the door reads: "The Retreat")
1C 3 1.2 message (A sign reads: "Der Rathskeller Bar & Grille")
0D 16 1.2 message (A plaque reads: "Shrine of monsters")
3 1E 1.2 message (The rune of the all-knowing eye is upon the door.)
14 16 1.2 Entrance to Palace
0C 1E 1.2 Theives Guild
12 4 1.2 Wizards of Chaos Guild
1E 0E 1.2 Wizards of Law Guild
1A 0E 1.2 Wizards of Order Guild
0E 4 1.2 Damon & Pythias Shoppe
1C 2 1.2 Der Rathskeller's Bar and Grille
17 3 1.2 The Retreat
0F 19 1.2 Lich
0F 13 1.2 Valkyrie
0C 19 1.2 Great Naga
0C 13 1.2 3 Wraiths
9 13 1.2 4 Flame Demons
9 19 1.2 8 Dwarves
16 5 1.2 8 Homonculi
1A 6 1.2 8 Skeletons
1C 5 1.2 Wraith
10 20 1.2 The Star (card)
0F 12 1.2 Winged Sandals
0C 19 1.2 Potion of Restoration
0C 12 1.2 Morgana's Tiara
9 12 1.2 Helm of Light
0A 19 1.2 Truesilver Coat
1E 7 1.2 Page of Cups Card
6 6 1.2 Lodestone
1 1 1.2 Gauss Rifle [95]
4 1 1.2 Solar Suite
0E 14 1.3 Fountain (Hit Points)
0E 16 1.3 Fountain (Hit Points)
0D 15 1.3 Fountain (Hit Points)
0F 15 1.3 Fountain (Hit Points)
12 7 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
7 10 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
6 0B 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
19 0 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
15 9 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
12 0B 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
13 0D 1.3 creature (taurean maze)
9 25 1.3 Saurian Brandy
0B 0A 1.3 message (Writing scrawled on the ground reads: "GO BACK!")
7 0 1.3 message (Scratchings on the wall read: "THERE IS NO ESCAPE")
10 9 1.3 message (A red arrow on the ground points east.)
0E 13 1.3 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
0E 17 1.3 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
0C 15 1.3 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
10 15 1.3 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
0 1F 1.3 message (Glowing letters float in midair: "SEEK THE LIGHT")
1 1F 1.3 message (Glowing letters float in midair: "SEEK THE LIGHT")
1 12 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1 13 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1 14 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1 15 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1 16 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1 17 1.3 message (You hear the crackle of electricity.)
1E 19 1.3 Bank Vault
2 1B 1.3 Wizards of Light Guild
3 8 1.3 Sword of the Adept
3 10 1.3 Amethyst Rod
0D 1D 1.4 Enchantress
1B 1E 1.4 Dungeon Entrance
0D 1C 1.4 message (Glowing letters on the door proclaim: "Enchantress")
14 19 1.4 message (A crooked sign says: "TROLLS ONLY")
1 1F 1.4 message (Black letters hovering slowly say: "THE SHADOW WILL HIDE THEE")
18 19 1.4 Troll King's Palace
1 0A 1.4 Wizards of Darkness Guild
3 4 1.4 The Oracle of Wisdom
4 19 1.4 Phoenix
1D 8 1.4 Razor Ice
10 6 1.4 Blue Pearl Dagger
1B 3 1.4 Map Stone
12 7 2.0 Dwarven Smithy
10 7 2.0 Dwarven Smithy
0 1 2.0 Stairway
1F 0 2.0 Stairway
1F 1F 2.0 Stairway
0 1F 2.0 Stairway
11 0C 2.0 Stairway (to 03)
0F 7 2.0 message (Carved above the doorway are the words: "Fine Weapons & Armor")
13 7 2.0 message (Carved above the doorway are the words: "Fine Weapons & Armor")
7 18 2.0 message (An arrow painted on the floow points south.)
19 0E 2.0 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
17 10 2.0 message (You hear the sound of running water.)
1C 0E 2.0 message (On the wall is a paiting of a purple pyramid.)
1C 12 2.0 message (A skull hangs from the ceiling above the door.)
0B 1F 2.0 Entrance to Wilderness
1D 13 2.0 River Crossing
1A 8 2.0 Clothes Horse's Room
7 19 2.0 Lucky's Potion Brewery
19 0F 2.0 Fountain - Disease
18 10 2.0 Fountain - Disease
8 13 2.0 Mercinaries Guild
2 5 2.0 Paladin's Guild
6 0 2.0 Arena Entrance
15 15 2.0 Undead Warrior
13 15 2.0 Undead Warrior
11 15 2.0 Undead Warrior
11 17 2.0 Undead Warrior
11 19 2.0 Undead Warrior
0F 19 2.0 Undead Warrior
0D 19 2.0 Undead Warrior
0D 1A 2.0 Undead King's Palace
11 1 2.0 Vampire
1B 9 2.0 Whirlwind
13 2 2.0 Cloak of Levitation
8 8 2.0 Crystal Breastplate
0 11 2.0 Robin's Hood
13 1A 2.0 Death (card)
0A 3 3.0 Stairwell
0A 4 3.0 Stairwell
0B 7 3.0 creature... (gauntlet)
0C 8 3.0 creature... (gauntlet)
0C 0A 3.0 creature... (gauntlet)
0B 9 3.0 creature... (gauntlet)
0A 9 3.0 creature... (gauntlet)
1 9 3.0 message (Writing on the wall says: "BEWARE OF THE DRAGON!")
9 7 3.0 message (Writing carved into the door reads: "GAUNTLET DO NOT ENTER")
7 0C 3.0 message (The stench is becoming unbearable.)
0F 0E 3.0 Fountain (fatigue)
2 0A 3.0 Gargoyle
3 0E 3.0 Great Dragon's Lair
8 8 3.0 Death's Door
0E 0D 3.0 Unblinking Basilisk
0A 8 3.0 Doppleganger
9 0F 3.0 Junia's Sword
9 0C 3.0 Iron Palm Salve
4 5 3.0 Flame Quarrels [10]
4 0 4.0 Entrance to Destiny
6 3 4.0 Alien Control Room
5 2 4.0 Alien Control Room
2 2 4.0 Elevator
2 7 4.0 Beam Weapon [25]
5 10 RoC Melvin's Helm
Note that Locations are listed, one for each entrance. You also may have to
turn in the square you're standing to make the effect of teleporting active.
Here is a list of other memory locations which can be changed:
(Note that the current value can't be above the maximum value.)
633D Experience Current 16777215
633E Experience Current 65535
633F Experience Current 255
6340 Experience Current 0
6341 Experience Needed 16777215
6342 Experience Needed 65535
6343 Experience Needed 255
6344 Experience Needed 0
6345 Hit Points Current 255
6346 Hit Points Current 0
6347 Hit Points maximum 255
6348 Hit Points Maximum 0
6349 Stamina Current
634A Stamina Maximum
6351 Charisma Current
6352 Charisma Maximum
6359 Strength Current
635A Strength Maximum
6361 Intelligence Current
6362 Intelligence Maximum
6369 Wisdom Current
636A Wisdom Maximum
6371 Skill Current
6372 Skill Maximum
6379 Physical Speed Current
637A Physical Speed Maximum
6381 Noticability? Current?
6382 Noticability? Maximum? (starts at 127)
6385 alignment current?
6386 alignment maximum?
63B1 Gold 255
63B2 Gold 0
63B3 Silver 255
63B4 Silver 0
63B5 Copper 255
63B6 Copper 0
63B7 Gems 255
63B8 Gems 0
63B9 Jewels 255
63BA Jewels 0
63BB Food Packets 255
63BC Water Packets 255
63BE Crystals 255
63BF Keys 255
63C0 Compasses 255
63C1 Timepieces 255
63CC Level (unconfirmed)
6. MISCELLANIOUS AR QUESTIONS
Pherhaps, this is really what an FAQ should be about; answering those small questions that
has been nagging you for all these years. Well, if you have any additional one's which
aren't answered anywhere else in this FAQ, please feel free to mail me at
robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se !
6.1 WHAT OR WHO IS XEBEC?
Alternate Reality: The City takes place in a large city called The City of Xebec's Demise.
The exact meaning of Xebec is never revealed though, and neither in The Dungeon (the
intention was, however, to do reveal it in a later episode).
Even though we don't exactly know, there are still clues to be found. If you look up the
word 'Xebec' in a dictionary, you'll find something like: ['zi:bek] n sea, a mediterranean
ship with three masts.
This could either mean that the city was named Xebec in order to honour one of the Alien's
lost flagships or the like, or it could even be possible that The City of Xebec's demise is
located on a ship of some sort, named Xebec. It is still unknown.
6.2 WHAT ARE THE DEATHTRAPS?
The deathtraps refer to two rooms in The City located at 41E, 4N and 47E, 6N. These rooms
have one-way secret entrances into them (through the east wall, and the west,
respectively), but no way of getting out other than to turn off the game and kill your
character.
Rather de-dramatizing, Philip Price has actually confessed that the Deathtraps were made
by mistake! Apparently some of The City was made with a 2d "bird's eye view" map editor
controlled with a joystick, and at some point the joystick was hit at the wrong moment,
causing these entrances (the deathtraps) which then slipped out unnoticed on the released
version.
6.3 WHAT IS THIS 'SECRET AREA' IN THE CITY?
The secret area is the are immideately east of the Arena, which isn't normally accessible
through the game, and has only been found out by dumping the map data from the disk images
of the game. It contains three additional trainers (see section 4.3.8, but all are,
naturally, closed) and two additional guilds (see section 4.3.4 for details) which are
fully operational (making the total amount of guilds, yes, 14).
The trainers were most likely meant to be used in the Arena expanision disk, and the secret
area was probably going to be opened with it, or pherhaps accessible through it.
It is also interesting that there are an additional two trainers in the code on the disks
of The City which can't be found anywhere on the map.
6.4 HOW DO YOU KILL THE GREAT WYRM?
First of all, if you want to play a good character, be aware that attacking the Great Wyrm
is an evil act. Also, if you decide to do fight him, he has around 3,000 Hit Points, is
pretty immune to magic and can whop you with about 100 Hit Points a round (if he doesn't
use his death magic, or breath that is, which is does even more). A good strategy is to use
alot of Temporal Fugue (learned by Ozob, in the Palace Prison at 59E, 36N) which will increase
the hit on your weapon and sometimes lets make additional attacks too. When you do defeat him,
you will however, gain 35,000 Experience Points, and have the option to loot his lair (and also
sell his body for 500 Gold in Der Rathskeller Bar & Grille).
There are a number of strategies on how to loot his lair. One thing is to join a Guild
near the lair (the Guilds on Level 2 would be the obvious choice then) and only get Gold and
Gems or Jewels and run to the safe and deposit it (obviously, copper and silver weights too
much compared to the values of the others). His lair will eventually be cleaned out (there are
other in The Dungeon too, remember?) but you will most likely, not have any financial problems
in any near future.
6.5 WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE DEVOURER?
The Devourer is one of the most famous (and feared) creatures in The Dungeon. It is also one
of the most amusing, if you know it's story. You WILL get a visit by the Devourer if you
carry too much different stuff (depending on how much spells you have and how much items
are laying around in The Dungeon, it'll take about four or five full iventory screens).
He will consume your things when you do encounter him, he will begin with the heaviest item
first (and avoiding the one-of-a-kind items until last). Some things can however sometimes
be retrieved from Master Thieves if you ever encounter one after having an encounter with
the Devourer. The best way to deal with Devourers is, in my experience by using the
Temporal Fugue spell.
Dan Pinal and Ken Jordan implemented the Devourer to deal with a memory problem they
encountered. Since each item in The Dungeon (spells are also a kind of item) have alot of
different properties, such as damage, weight and so on, it was quite memory consuming for
a 48k or 128k computer. So, in order to limit the number of items that was in play at all
times they invented the Devourer and made him come visit players with too much memory
consuming items and lighten their load, and also the load on the memory.
6.6 I REMEMBER FBI AGENTS SOMEWHERE IN THE DUNGEON?
Yes, you are correct, there were two FBI Agents in The Dungeon. They were a part of the
copyprotection in the game, although a bug in the initial shipping version made them
pop up a bit too often (every time you tried to transfer characters from The City
actually; it apparently had something to do with floppy drives, and especially if you
only had one drive). This was, however, fixed in version 2.0.
The FBI Agents struck you with "the long arm of the law" and there was no way to beat them.
6.7 WHAT DOES 'YOU ARE TOAST LEVEL 1.1' MEAN IN THE DUNGEON?
That is a Debug Message. As described by Ken Jordan, every square in The Dungeon was checked
by testers to make sure that the player couldn't get into an area he wasn't supposed to be in
(ie. an area which isn't a part of the game). If you have encountered such an area, you have
found a small glitch in the game which the testers missed and if you can't get out of it, you
will have to switch off the computer and get another save and go from there.
6.8 WHAT IS THIS AMP ENGINE?
The AMP engine is what controlls all the sound of the Alternate Reality games. It stands
for Advanced Music Processor, and was created by Philip Price for Gary Gilbertson so that
he could add lyrics to his music. The engine could also be used to trigger events in the
game, using the music, but alot of those effects never got to be used.
There exists a number of demos of various versions of the AMP engine (which can be
downloaded as disk images from ftp.ksk.sala.se/pub/ar/) where, amongst other tunes, there
is a selection from something called F.A.C.E of the Galaxy, which was a planned, but
unreleased space combat and trading simulation game by Philip Price and Gary Gilbertson
(where they planned to have a fully alive universe, in which the player could interact and
affect various events).
One thing which Gary Gilbertson also did to improve his music, which had nothing to do with
the engine though, was to insert small variations into all the notes, making the sound become
less static and sound more natural and 'hand made'.
Also, if you try to boot The City with Disk 1 Side 2, you'll see a special message from Philip
Price with more details about the special things which where used for the game:
Alternate Reality Designed & Programmed by Philip Price
P.O. BOX 2634 KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII 96745-2634 Music (All
are Original Scores) Composed by Gary Gilbertson Using
AMP 11.3 AMP 11.3 (Advanced Music Processor) was Designed
& Programmed by Philip Price Phil's AR System Structure...
(c)1985 100% Machine Language/Custom Operating System
with software Banked memory (disk and RAM based)/Custom
Interrupt Driven Sio with 2 voice music carry-over/Advanced
Music Processor 11.3 with songbooks, tunes and 2&4 voice
masked operation/Animation Frame Processor/Advanced Screen
Processor/Three Dimensional Object Manipulaor/Multi-process
Time slotted Queue/Multi-staged Booter and system
validator/128-color Graphics via Interrupts/Multi-Process
Interrupt router/Custom Crytographic Daga Storage (A easily
breakable simple Block Chained, multi-encryption cipher using
pre-generated primary keys, with formula and keys in
minimumally secured memory and disk) Program created on...
Atari 800, 800xl, 1200xl with TRAK drives and a modified 800
with LE high speed drives with these utilities of mine: PICTURE
CUTTER, WALL MAKER, MAPMAKER with MAP PRINTER, PICTURE PAINTER,
52K SWITCH, and CUSTOM MAKRO LIBRARY. and these programs
MICROPAINTER -DATASOFT INC. DOS 2.0, FIXDMP & AMAC -ATARI INC.
THE NEXT STEP -ONLINE SYSTEMS OSS/A+ 2.10 -OPTIMIZED SYSTEM SOFTWARE
6502 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE ROUTINES -LEVENTHALL/SEVILLE
CRYPTOGRAPHY -DR. CARL MEYER ATARI OS RV A SOURCE DE RE
ATARI TECH USER NOTES 1200XL OS MANUAL My thanks to Gary for his
patience and faith in the project and fantastic music, Craig for
his beautiful pictures, all who buy this game, and God my father,
Jesus Christ my savior, and the Holy Spirit my comforter.
---
After this text there appears some strange characters. However, these are just some garbled
characters that made it into the string, and no secret message (apparently, the string length
is wrong somewhere in the code). The only known secret message in The City are the symbols
that appear after the Death theme has played, which apparently is meant to give you clues to
what would happen with your body after the character had died.
6.9 WHAT AR ARTIFACTS EXIST?
I guess that the games themselves are artifacts today, if their boxes and documentation are
intact that is. The box was interesting for both games, since it's front could fold open to
reveal a set of screenshots and some text. Both games also contained a cartoon style drawn
map of it's respective playfield (The Dungeon also contained a letter from 'Trilog', which
is transcribed in the appendix). The Official Adventurer's Survival Handbooks for both
games (8-bit and 16-bit versions of The City Handbook exists) should pherhaps be considered
even rarer.
Datasoft also had posters of both games (probably mainly for display in stores, but you
could order them too; they were standard size). Apart from that, if anyone knows any other
official items that were availible back then, please let me know!
[The author of this FAQ posseses all the items mentioned above, except a City poster and
an intact Dungeon box, so if you have any of those items, or want information about the
ones I have, please mail robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se ]
It has also been confirmed by Philip Price himself that the original Atari 8-bit source code
for The City still exists! It's apparently stored on 5'25" floppies (condition unknown),
boxed up in Philip Price's garage. However, the source will no be released since Alternate
Reality is still copyrighted, and because Philip Price doesn't want all secrets to be found
out definetly (wouldn't be any fun, would it).
6.10 ARE THERE ANY AR-LIKE GAMES TODAY?
That, of course, depends. If you mean a 1st person CRPG, the answer is yes. But if you are
looking for something as complete and deep as AR, not a chance! There has been some attempts
(Legends of Valour was amongst the first) but all of them has had alot of shortcomings.
ISHAR
As with all Silmarillion games, the graphics are beautifull on all three of the games in
this series. However, Silmarillion is also known for not having pherhaps the best though
out control systems at all times. Still, since these games are availible on budget on the
PC (check emu sites for the ST and Amiga versions) they are worth checking out for a quick
romp (if you have your computer set up for DOS though, since they can otherwise generate
some problems, being this old). Ishar 3 also features some photorealistic graphics and
party members with an opinion (they vote for or against your decisions). All game feature
outdoors locations (cities and wilderness) and there's even a tree-city in Ishar 2!
BLOODWYCH
This game is only availible for ST and Amiga (with a level disk too). What makes this game
worth mentioning is, amongst other things, the way you choose party members. There's a
ritual in the beginning of the game where you have to walk around trying to persuade a
bunch of people to join you. Another great novelty (and a one-timer so far) is a split
screen two player mode! However, I can't imagine anyone surviving in that mode for very
long since food ran out on about the second level even in single player mode. It is also
quite easy to map this game; it's indoors only and it has alot of markings on the walls and
you always know that a stone wall is 1 square thick and a wooden wall always has a room on
the other side.
WIZARDY
This is one of the longest CRPG epics in gaming history. It's currently up to the seventh
episode (depending on how you count). It starts from Wizardry 1, in CGA and carries on
to Wizardry 7 with VGA (or the GOLD version for Windows 95 with SVGA) and the latest one,
which is un-numbered: Wizardry Nemesis. You play with several party members here too. There
are alot of stats and the game in general is quite detailed in the way you expect a
standard CRPG to be. However, all the games (except for Nemesis maybe) are hard, damn hard.
Wizardry is a classic, though pherhaps not so famous in all circles, but well worth
playing.
DUNGEON MASTER
This is the game that really refined the way all CRPG games were to look like for a long
time after it's release. Dungeon Master was the most impressive game of it's time, using
incredible graphics and horrifying sound in a way nobody had before. Before this, you
were mostly forced to picture the world before you, but now it was presented to you in a
very real way. You could hear the footsteps of approaching monsters, light faded into pitch
black when your torch went out, and your characters needed sleep, food and water regularly.
The interface was also just as revolutionary, as everything was but a click away. It was
so slick that you hardly noticed it at all, just the way it should be. The game is
availible for ST, Amiga and PC, where the PC is the best version (it has the upper edge on
sound, and a 'knock' feature for detecting secret walls) and I truly recommend to track a
copy down as soon as possible for this game is still extremely playable, and pherhaps
always will be! Chaos Strikes Back level disks are also availible on ST and Amiga (with a long
intro on the Amiga), and also Dungeon Master 2 (PC, DOS, VGA) which added an original shopping
system and changing weather for it's outdoor sequences, but it never were as good as the first.
MIGHT & MAGIC
Currently, there exists 6 episodes of this great game series. The Might and Magic universe
has a special mood which no other CRPG has. The way it is played, with small quests for
special skills, and small monster hideouts and treasure spread out in it's lands, is
unique and very enchanting. All the episodes exist for PC and all are truly recommended to
play (except pherhaps the first, which is CGA and may be difficult to get running properly
on a modern PC). From episode 3 and onward, the game changed pace a bit, and became very
graphical (as mentioned before, The Dungeon artist Bonita Long-Hemsath is the leading
artist behind all the M & M games), but retained most of it's traditinal play systems.
Might and Magic 3 was absolutely one of the most graphical games of it's time, with lush
256 color graphics, and M & M 4 and 5 added even more graphical features (like gatekeepers
for the special locations) and larger and more fantastical monster designs. For each of
these games there exists a 300+ page cluebook if you get stuck (but they really aren't that
hard in that way). This is yet another gaming experience which I truly recommend!
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
The first AD & D game which wasn't like SSI's goldbox series. It takes it's inspiration
(and everything else) directly from Dungeon Master, and adds a Forgotten Realms theme to
it, plus 256 color VGA graphics for the PC version (Amiga versions exists too) and a couple
of the best soundtracks ever in a CRPG (both EOB 1 and 2 had great midi, although it wasn't
much of it). Both games has great introductions (where EOB 2 really excells in it's VGA
representations). However, the 3rd incarnation is very poor (pherhaps because Westwood, who did
the first two, left and did Lands of Lore instead) and should be avoided. Since the games are
SSI and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons games they are widely availible in various collections on
a budget price setting, which they are well worth.
LANDS OF LORE
Lands of Lore was originally meant to be Eye of the Beholder 3, but Westwood jumped off the
boat and pursued their own path to establish creative freedom. The result was, as with
Westwoods other titles at that time (Legends of Kyrandia, Dune 2) a game with the most
beautifull graphics and animation of it's time (believe me, their palette is simply
enchanting). Lands of Lore also builds on Dungeon Master's way of play, but takes it a
couple of steps further by adding more fluid animation and more character interaction,
coupled with alot of special quests and locations. This PC title should also be availible
on budget (or from Westwood directly) and is very well worth playing, if not atleast to
compare it to Dungeon Master too see what have been so brilliantly evolved from the
original creation. (Lands of Lore 2, though sadly falls short of all expectations, and it
seems that Westwood hasn't learned anything for the upcoming third incarnation.)
BARD'S TALE
The original episode of this series was a higly entertaining title for the Atari ST (where
the best version exists). It also took place in a single city (named Skara Brae) as The City
did, but here you had a party and you weren't abducted. It featured different professions for
your characters and a very complex magic system, with different guilds and short key
phrases for all the different spells. It was also quite a hard game, where some dungeons
and towers were a nightmare of mazes. Bard's Tale 2 and 3 took the game further, and out
of the city, but never (as it usually happens) gained the popularity or retained the magic
of the original game. The sequels are also availible for PC (EGA).
THE ELDER SCROLLS
These games are quite new from Bethesda. Currently, three titles exist: Arena, Daggerfall
and Battlespire, and a fourth is on it's way. The vision for this game is not as much
Dungeon Master as it is Alternate Reality. This must me one of the most faithfull and
promising attempt to recreate the detail levels of The City. However, it fails due to the
amount of bugs that litter all the titles, and it's interface which cripples play (and alot
of other features which are really puzzling in the way the creators have thought them out,
such as not being able to sleep in a bolted shut room with a monster on the other side of
the wall, no matter how tired ot hurt you are). Another thing which would generally speak
for a game, is size. Both Arena and Daggerfall are huge, but they are too huge for the
design decisions of that game (for example, quests are carried out across nations, and
there actually doesn't exist any roaming monsters in the landscapes). Dungeons are also
a nightmare of complexity and size, and the automap more than often only confuses it. The
deathblow to these games, though, is an entirely different factor. Namely, the creators
have choosen to randomize just about everything (shop names, city layout, dungeon layout,
items, quests, the lot). The good side of this is that you never play the same game twice,
though with the size of the playfield, that shouldn't have to be a problem, since you can
never ever explore every dungeon. The bad side is that you never get really into the game,
never get to know any places or characters, and it feels like the authors just didn't care
for you or anything else. Bottom line, this still is the closest thing to AR yet, so either
you have to live with all it's shortcomings, or go back to the emulators (or choose another
from the bunch of good games here).
OTHER GAMES
Other games of note are Knightmare on the ST and Amiga, based on a fantasy themed TV games
show, and Black Crypt, which was made to be an Eye of the Beholder beater on the Amiga.
Legend of Faerghail by Thalion is also an example, and the latest attempt at a Dungeon
Master clone is currently Stonekeep for PC which features pre-rendered fullscreen graphics.
7. OTHER SOURCES OF AR INFORMATION
Apart from my homepage (http://user.tninet.se/~lan3180/alternate-reality/) there are alot of
more fan homepages which have various information and other contents on them (see the links
section in the above url). But the internet isn't all web. Currently, AR forums exists on
a mailing list and irc also. See below for the latest details.
7.1 THE ALTERNATE REALITY MAILING LIST
The initiative taker of the Alternate Reality Mailing list was Matt Roller, who also hosted
it on a server in his college for a year. The current host of the list is named Sean Noble,
and he made sure that the list got a permanent address!
To enroll to the List: Mail majordomo@dataintoaction.com with an empthy subject, but with the
text 'subscribe arlist' in the body (without the quotes).
To mail to the List: Drop a mail to arlist@dataintoaction.com
To reply to the List: Choose Reply-All on a message from the list or change the -To address to
arlist@dataintoaction.com
To quit from the List: Mail majordomo@dataintoaction.com with an empthy subject, and with the
text 'unsubscribe arlist' in the body (without the quotes). PLEASE DON'T
TRY TO UNSUBSCRIBE TO THE ARLIST EMAIL, ALWAYS USE MAJORDOMO!
7.2 #ALTERNATE-REALITY ON IRC
If you are familiar with Internet Relay Chat (which I won't go into here, but you would try
www.mirc.co.uk for details), you could log onto an Efnet server and join the channel
#alternate-reality.
At present, the activity is not very high (usually maximum of 3-4 people at the same time,
out of a current total frequent visitor base of about 7 or 8 different people) but it is
great for a quick chat, or the latest news if anyone is logged in (don't try to talk to
TheCity though, since he's a bot, if he's logged on).
8. APPENDIX
For those of you who doesn't remember the keys or the ways to correctly save and backup
games in Alternate Reality, in addition to the manuals that are availible on the homepage,
I've taken the liberty to also transcribe the reference cards.
8.1 REFERENCE CARD FOR THE CITY
Alternate Reality
The City
Programmed by Philip Price
Microscreen Art by Craig Skinner
Music by Gary Gilbertson
Documentation by Kathi B. Tremblay
Here's how to use your Atari computer to enter Alternate Reality. Read the Guidebook
before loading the game. It has information you'll need in The City.
Requirements
* Atari 400/800/XL series computer (48K)
* Compatible disk drives (1 or 2)
* TV or video monitor
* Joystick
* Blank, formatted disk (Character Disk-Optional)
* Alternate Reality - The City game diskettes (2)
Note: Do not Write Protect the game disks or your Character Disk. It's a good idea
to make backup copies before you load the game. You can make copies of both
sides of Disk 2 and Side 2 och Disk 1. An elementary copy program is inlcuded
on Disk 2. Turn off your computer. Insert Disk 2 (either side) into the disk drive
and close the door. Turn on the computer. Follow the prompts. You can also use
this copy program to backup your Character Disk.
Getting Started
1. Turn off the computer and connect a joystick.
2. Place Disk 1, Side 1 in the drive (with two drives, place Disk 2, Side 1 in the
second drive). Turn on the drive and the computer. If the wrong disk is in the
drive, the game asks for the correct one. With two drives, the game checks both
drives for the correct disk.
3. When the game is loaded, follow the prompts.
4. Once you've familiar with the game, press Start to bypass the opening scenario.
This takes you directly to the Character Decision menu.
Note: If you have two drives, you can acoid turning disks over during gameplay. When
the game asks for Side 2 of Disk 2, put your backup copy of Disk 2, Side 2
in the first drive. Leave Disk 2, Side 1 in the second drive.
Character Decision
The Character Decision menu offers four options:
Hit N to become a new person
Hit E to resume an existing one
Hit I to initialize a Character Disk
Hit T for a temporary character
Press I to initialize a disk to use as a Character Disk. As prompted, remove the
Alternate Reality disk from the drive and insert a blank, formatted disk. Press any key
to continue. Note: Initializing doesn't format the disk. It simply prepares the disk
for use as a Character Disk. See you Atari user's guide for formatting instructions.
Press N to create a character. Press Return. As prompted, type a Character name
(up to 31 letters, including Secret Name) and press Return. The next prompt is Verify
your name. Type the name again and press Return. You're prompted to remove the AR
disk and insert a Character Disk. You can store up to four character on a Character Dis,
but you can only play with one at a time.
To prevent anyone else from using your character, use the Control key for a
Secret Name. Example: You want a character named Morag with the Secret Name,
Morag Giant. When promted to name your character, type Morag. Press Control and
type Giant. Press Return. Only Morag appears on the screen. Verify the full name when
prompred, pressing Control again for the Secret part. To access this character, type the full
name, using the Control key for the Secret Name. Secret letters can be used before, after,
or within a character's name, or for the entire name (up to 31 letters).
Press T for a temporary character. Follow the prompts, pressing Return after each
response. You can't save this character, but it's usefull for getting into the game quickly
to look around and get the feel of the game.
Press E if you already have a character from a previous venture into AR. At
the prompt, rype the ID number corresponding to the name you're using. Type the name
(when prompted) and press Return. To return to the Character Decision menu, press Return
instead of typing a name.
If you make the wrong selection from the Character Decision meny, press the
Option key instead of typing a name. If you make an error when typing a character name,
hit Return when the program asks you to verify the name.
After selecting from the Character Decision menu, you're at the door to enter The City.
To Save A Character
Save your character when you're ready to stop playing. Press S. You're prompted to
remove the AR disk, insert the Character Disk, and press Start. To play again, reload,
select the saved character from the Character Decision menu, and the game resumes at
the point stopped.
Note: Save the character to disk or you'll lose it when you turn off the computer.
Compass
Finding your way around The City is simplified by use of a compass, availible for
purchase at most Shops in The City. If you buy a compass, press the Select key until you
see it. The direction you're heading will always be the topmost on the compass (the arrow
always points North):
N E W S
^ |
W | E N<--S S-->N E | W
| v
S W E N
Joystic Control
The Joystick controls physical movement.
* Enter The City i nthe beginning scene by pushing up on the joystick.
* Move Forward by pushing up on the joystick.
* Move Back by pulling down on the joystick.
* To Turn Right or Left, press the Fire button while pushing the joystick to right
or left.
* To Enter a shop or store, push up on the joystick. Follow the prompts. Pull down
on the joystick to Exit. It's possible to back through a doorway.
Keyboard Control
To play without a joystick, use the keyboard commands shown in the diagram below.
Note: You must use a joystick to exit Banks and some other establishments.
I
^
|
J<- ->L
|
v
K
* Press I to enter The City in the beginning scene.
* To enter a shop or store, press I. Follow the prompts.
You also use the keyboard to interact with business establishments, review and posi-
tion your belongings, and during Encounters.
* A Menu at the bottom of the screen displays your options. Each option has a
flashing letter or number. To choose, press the appropriate flashing character. In
some situations, there is no flashing character. Either hit any key or answer Yes or
No, where appropriate.
* Press the Select key to get a full account of your condition. Repeat until you've
seen all the information and are back in normal operating mode.
* Defend yourself with either hand in an Encounter. Press U to switch hands.
* Press R to ready a weapon for use. Follow the prompts.
* Press D to Drop items. This is usually done to make rooms for new acquisitions,
since how much you can carry is limited.
* Press U to Use Potions in your possession. You can't Use Potions during an
Encounter.
* Press P to pause the game. Press P again to resume play.
* Press S to save a character. Follow the prompts.
Datasoft
19808 NORDHOFF PLACE, CHATSWORTH, CA 91311
ATARI IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ATARI COMPUTER, INC.
DATASOFT IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF INTELLICREATIONS, INC.
ALTERNATE REALITY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF PARADISE PROGRAMMING, INC.
(c) 1985 INTELLICREATIONS, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PRINTED IN USA
8.2 REFERENCE CARD FOR THE DUNGEON
ALTERNATE REALITY (R)
The Dungeon
Designed and Programmed by Dan Pinal and Ken Jordan
Original Concept by Philip Price
Graphics by Steve Hofmann & Bonita Reid
Music by Gary Gilbertson
Documentation by Kathi B. Tremblay & Thomas J. Clement
Illustrations by Thomas J. Clement
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Here's how you use your Atari computer to enter The Dungeon. Read the Dungeo Guide
before loading the game (yes, even if you've already played The City!); it has vital
information for survival in The Dungeon.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Requirements
* Atari home computer * The Dungeon game disks (3)
* Compatible disk drives (1-4) * Blank disk (Character Disk)
* Video monitor or TV * City Character Disk (optional)
* Joystick (optional)
NOTE: Do Not Write-Protect The Character Disk!!!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Getting Started
1. Turn off the computer, remove any cartridges, and connect a Joystick, if
desired. Turn on the monitor or TV and disk drives.
2. Insert Disk 1, Side 1 into Drive 1, close the door, and turn on the computer.
3. Once you're familiar with the opening sequence, hold down the START key to
bypass it and go directly to the Character Decision menu.
4. When the game is loaded, follow the prompts.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Backing Up
Disk 2, Side 1 contains a copy program you can use for backing up your Character
Disk and all sides of the game disks except Disk 1, Side 1 (play with the backups
and keep the original in a safe place).
To use the copy program, turn off the computer, remove any cartridges, insert
Disk 2, Side 1 into the drive, and turn on the computer. The screen looks like this:
Verify
Format
Source Drive = 1
Destination Drive = 1
Press RETURN to Start.
Press V to turn Verify OFF or ON (the program runs faster with Verify OFF).
Press F to turn Format OFF or ON (use Format if you're copying onto an
unformatted disk). Press S to select which drive you're using for your original
disk; press D to designate the drive your backup disk is in. To start copying,
press RETURN and follow the prompts.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Character Decision
The Character Decision menu offers four options:
Hit N to become a new person
Hit E to resume an existing one
Hit T to transfer a City Character
Hit U for character utilities
Press N to create a Character. You get a prompt that says "NOTE: IF YOU
WISH TO KEEP THIS CHARACTER, YOU MUST HAVE A DUNGEON
CHARACTER DISK READY WITH FEWER THAN 4 CHARACTERS ON
IT."
If you don't have a Dungeon Character Disk prepared, or if your only
Character Disk already has four Characters saved on it, press ESC. This
takes you back to the Character Decision menu. Press U to create a blank
Character Disk (explained below).
If you have a Character Disk ready, type a name when you see the prompt
"ENTER NAME:". The name must begin with a letter, not a number!
Press E if you already have a Character from a previous venture into The Dungeon.
Follow the prompts.
Press T if you have a City Character you want to bring into The Dungeon. Make
sure your City Character was saves in front of one of the two Dungeon
entrances before you try to bring it into The Dungeon (see the Dungeon
Guide for information on Dungeon entrances). You can't enter The
Dungeon if you're Diseased or Poisoned.
Press U to get a selection of Character Utilities:
(1) Create a blank Character Disk formats a disk you can use as a
Character Disk.
(2) Remove a Character gets rid of any undesireable Character.
Make your selection and follow the prompts.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Corrections
If you make an error in any selections (in Character Decision or anytime during the
game), press the ESC key to halt the process and go back to your current Menu.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To Enter the Portal
After you've created a new Character, you're taken to The Dungeon Portal. To
enter, press the SPACE BAR (this sets your Stats) and follow the prompts.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To Save a Character
Save you Character when you're ready to stop playing or when you've built it up
to a level you want to keep. Press S and follow the prompts. Note: You can only
save a Character while walking around The Dungeon (not during Encounters, while
in buildings, etc.).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To Resurrect a Lost Character
When a Character that you've saved and reloaded into the game dies, it's not really
dead (The Dungeon is nice that way). Instead, it's only "Lost". To restore your
Lost Character, select E and load it the same way you'd load any other Character.
You'll be transported to the NE Dungeon entrance. Of course, the Character is
now minus a Stat point (the price of resurrection).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Compass
It's a lot easier to find your way around
The Dungeon if you have a Compass
(availible at the D & P or, if you're
lucky, in Treasure). When you own
a Compass, it's visible on the left of
your screen. North is always at
the top of the Compass; the arrow
points in the direction you're heading.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Joystick Control
The joystick controls physical movement. Make sure it's in Port 1. Move forward
by pushing Up on the Joystick, backward by pulling Down. Turn left or right by
pushing the Joystick Left or Right. One of the four red arrows at the right of
the screen lights up, showing you which direction you're heading.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Time Indicator
A symbol just under the word "Stats:" at the top left of
your screen, is in constant motion when time is passing.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Hit Points
Hit Points are displayed as "Hit Points =" or "Hit Points :". When you see
the "=", your Hit Points are at their maximum level. the ":" means you've lost Hit
Points and need rest or healing.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Keyboard Control
You can move around The Dungeon using the Keyboard instead of a Joystick. Move
forward by pressing I, backward by pressing K. Use J to turn left and L to turn
right. One of the four arrows at the right of the screen lights up, showing you
which direction you're heading.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Other Important Information
When you're walking along Dungeon corridors (exploring), text at the bottom of
the screen shows you which level you're on and how many Food Packets, Torches,
and Water Flasks you have. It also lets you know if you're hungry, thirsty,
Diseased, Cursed, etc.
To get information about other things you're carrying, as well as what Curses and
Diseases you have, etc., press , (comma) and . (period) or START and
SELECT.
During an Encounter or any other interaction, if you lose sight of the main menu,
just press the SPACE BAR to get back to it.
Below is a list of options you can use in The Dungeon:
C Cast a Spell (only during Encounters or when exploring);
D Drop an item (only during Encounters or when exploring);
E Examine Spells or items (check your Inventory);
U Use an item (you can't light a Torch, use a Timepiece, or eat and drink
during an Encounter);
P Pause the game (this suspends all time and activity; press any key to
continue);
G Get an item you've dropped or discovered (you can't pick up anything
during combat);
S Save a game (only when exploring);
Q Quit a game without saving it.
Press the ESC key to get out of an option after you've selected it. Example:
You selected C to cast a Spell, then decide you don't want to cast a Spell
after all; just press the ESC key and you'll be back where you were before you
tried to cast the Spell.
Datasoft
19808 Nordhoff Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Computer, Inc.
Alternate Reality is a registered trademark of Paradise Programming, Inc.
Datasoft is a registered trademark of Intellicreations, Inc.
(c) 1987 Intellicreations, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.
8.3 THE LETTER FROM TRILOG
Day27, Month of Sowing.
Year 5 Since Abduction
Greetings Fellow Travellers:
I am Trilog. I was kidnapped from my home several years ago
and left in this alien place. I understand that I am one of the
few who survived the arduous encounters of The City of Xebec's
Demise. Having gained strength, wisdom, and courage there, I
decided to venture into the dank depths of the cavernous world
beneath The City: The Dungeon.
Though I made extensive plans before descending into the
Dungeon, I was not totally prepared for what befell me. As I write
this, I have already been faced with sould-shaking encounters,
monstrous foes, and unnatural perils. The lower I travel into
the Dungeon's darkness, the more alone I feel. Solitude weights on me
and Death dogs my heels: it lurks in the shadows, waiting for me.
Yet, I've come too far to quit now. Along with the danger
comes the strength drawn from simply surviving: from hard fought
adventures; from battles won!
I trust this map will be found by others like me. I cannot
mark my exact course of travel, I'm afraid, because there are evil
enemies who might also find this map and use it to hunt me down.
There are several places marked on the map where you will
be met with baffling and fearsome quests. But don't lose heart!
I've lived through many of these and am confident that these
quests will one day provide me with the solution to my ultimate
goal(and undoubtedly yours)... Escape from Alternate Realilty and
the return to my beloved Earth! Good luck. And if I have been
fortunate, pherhaps you and I will one day meet and share stories
of The Dungeon.
Fare Thee Well,
Trilog
9. SPECIAL THANKS & CREDITS
I would like to thank everyone who has read this FAQ, visited my page or ever played the
Alternate Reality games. You have made this more worthwhile and more fun than I ever could
imagine a small webpage could produce.
The following is a following is a list of names (in alphabetical order) of people who have
helped me over the years, and to whom I'm most gratefull to! Special thanks to everyone who
has contributed with their knowledge and hard work to this FAQ.
Mark Devlin
Marc G. Frank
Gary Gilbertson
J.F. Goodwin
Ken Jordan
Ronald A. Laski Jr.
Wayne Myers
Sean Noble
Jim Norris
Dan Pinal
Philip Price
Matt Roller
Mark Wieczorek
RegisMeek
If your name (and I am, unfortunately, known to not have the greatest of memories when it
comes to names) doesn't appear here and you think it should, please contact me right away
at robert.hagenstrom@ebox.tninet.se !
10. LAST NOTES
I would like to make one last comment. During all these years with Alternate Reality, no matter
who I talked to, everyone who ever had played the game still thinks it is the best CRPG game
ever and they are usually very determined about that. I don't know if it was the timing of the
game or what it was, but it gave you an experience that was so completely unique that no other
game since it has even come close (though the original Dungeon Master wasn't far away there
for awhile).
Again, I would like to thank Philip Price for bringing it, and much joy, to us.
Yours Sincerely, Robert Hagenström
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END ?