Equin Adventures!    
By David Fillion, DXF Games
Copyrighted 2003 (2006) USA
Version 1.2

Visit the DXF Games website today!
http://www.sitesled.com/members/del_duio/index.html

Contact me at: DXFgames@rock.com


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NOTE: On 11/29/04 I changed the way Equin moves around from number keys to arrow keys. Bien!
      On 5/26/06 I fixed a slight bug with the last dungeon's background music. Gotta' love it.

KNOWN BUGS & OTHER FUN THINGS!

      Double enemy bug- Sometimes you'll have 2 enemies in the same area. This isn't supposed
                        to happen and strange things occur because of it. You'll get points
                        for killing it though.

      Sound Effects bug- Every now and then when it rains the sound effects won't play
                        correctly. This corrects itself when the rain stops, or you enter 
                        a new area or go inside a house.

      Transition bug- Sometimes when you leave the current area you'll appear on the same 
                      side of the area you're going to. Example: You leave the play area on 
                      the right, and when you re-appear you're in the next area over on the 
                      right side instead of the left.

Then again, you may not get any of these. This is what gives a game character, right? =)


-----------------------------------

FORWARD:

Hello and thank you for your interest in this game!
I've recently (as of May 2006) started putting my old games I made in Visual Basic 6 up
on yonder internet. I never thought it'd be possible back in the 'day, but here we are!
Equin Adventures is the first of my Equin Trilogy- It's sequel "Equin Village" is also
available at my DXF Games website. Should you ever have any questions about any of my games,
feel free to send me an e-mail or drop a line to me at the DXF Games webpage itself.


-----------------------------------
Table of Contents:

1.) Story
2.) Controls
3.) Stats
4.) Items
5.) Breakables
6.) The Map

-----------------------------------

1. STORY

	You are Equin, the strongest and most skilled hunter of your 
village. One day while you were away an ancient ghost of pure evil,
named Kul destroyed your home and kidnapped your brother, Serkious! He
had his most loyal and vile minions with him, the Shadow Demons. Kul
and his demons can fly, and they flew away with Serkious to a frozen
wasteland known only to your tribe as the "Far North". Inaccessable by
foot or boat, the Far North can only be reached by touching a magical
Ruinstone. 

	You begin the game in the vast and treacherous Black Woods, 
where your kind make their homes and livings by hunting animals and 
large beasts. Search for a way to get to the Far North, and finally,
your brother too!

-----------------------------------

2. CONTROLS

	The keyboard controls are very simple for EQUIN ADVENTURES!


    (ARROW KEYS) = move Equin around.

    (SPACE BAR)    =  attack with your sword in the direction you
                      are facing currently. 
                      
         
        You can also use the mouse pointer (Which looks like a little
    mushroom with an arrow on it) to do some things.

    (Click on)
    
    CLOSED MAP     = View your map of the Black Woods or Underground. 
		     All areas that you have already explored will be
                     visible to you. The game will automatically pause while you check
		     your map.

		     NOTE: Some areas are unchartable and your map
		     will become useless.
		     
     OPEN MAP      = Close the MAP and return to the game. The game
		     will unpause also.

  ANY STATUS ICON  = This will give a brief explanation of what each
       		     status icon represents to you.

     ANY ITEM      = This will give you the item's description.


  ANY SPACE ON THE
    GAME SCREEN    = This will give a brief description of what is
		     occupying that space. (i.e, Tree, Table, etc..)

		     NOTE: If it is raining you won't be able to get
		           a good look at an area.


     NEW GAME      = This will create a brand new randomized game for
		     you to enjoy. WARNING! Only one game can exist at
		     one time, so selecting this option will also 
		     delete any previous game and saved files!

    SAVE GAME    =   Use this option to save your game. You will save 
		     all of your current stats like Health, Strength, 
		     Gold, Points, and the position that you are in the
		     world. Your explored areas of the Black Woods will
		     also be saved.

                     NOTE: Your game will be AUTOMATICALLY SAVED whenever
		     you get an item from a treasure chest like a KEY or
		     SWORD PIECE.

    LOAD GAME    =   Use this option to continue the game from exactly
		     where you saved it last. You will start with all
		     the items, gold, and stats that you had when you 
		     saved the game.

		     IMPORTANT NOTE: All changes to an area like killing
		     enemies, breaking objects, and obtaining treasures
		     are permanent to your game world! If you make one
		     of these changes and then get killed BEFORE you
		     save your game, you CANNOT start the area over!
		     
		     Example:

		        Equin is low on life, so he breaks 3 barrels 
		     but then gets killed before saving. When the
		     game is loaded back, Those 3 barrels are still
		     destroyed and can never come back this game.


    PAUSE     =      This will PAUSE your game. By selecting this
	             option again, you will UNPAUSE your game and
		     resume play.

    EXIT      =      Select this to quit Equin Adventures


-----------------------------------


3. STATS

		     Here are a listing of the five basic statistics
		in Equin Adventures:



   HEALTH     =      Your life energy and power. The higher, the better.
		You start the game with 10. When your health is 3 or
                lower, your health icon will flash to warn you. If it 
		reaches 0, you die.

   STRENGTH   =      This is your raw physical strength. You need some
		strength in order to break objects and perform critical
		attacks against enemies. If you remain still for awhile
		you will slowly regain your strength. You start the game
		with 20. When it falls below 5 your strength icon will 
		flash to warn you.

   BONUS      =     These are  sepcial points that you can get by either
		killing enemies or discovering secret places or areas.
		When you get 100 bonus points, your bonus icon will 
		flash and you will lose NO STRENGTH when you break any
		objects! In addition, you'll also do double damage against
                your enemies! This bonus effect will remain with you until 
		you are hurt by an enemy or quit the game. 

                NOTE: You will still lose strength if you perform a
		critical attack against an enemy though.

   GOLD COINS =     This represents the amount of gold coins (money) 
		that Equin is carrying. You can use these coins to buy
		items and tools from a SHOP. You can carry a maximum
		of 200 gold coins with you at any one time. 

		NOTE: If you find the GREEN BAG, you can carry up to 500 coins.


 ENEMY HEALTH =     If there is an enemy in the same area as you this
		will show you how much health he has left. An important
		thing to know is that enemies will heal themselves to
		full health if you leave the area, so finish them off
		quickly if possible.



-----------------------------------


4.) ITEMS	During your adventure you will find or purchase many 
		items that you will use to help you out.


     KEYS   =   There are certain magical keys that allow you to open
		colored doors. These are intregal to the game and 3
		of them are scattered throughout the Black Woods.

 SWORD PIECES = These are the shattered remains of the Shadow Sword.
		Kul gave his 3 top henchmen, the Black Knights, one
		piece each to safeguard from you. When all 3 pieces
		are found, you will assemble the weapon and use it
		for yourself!

 HUNTER SWORD = This is the sword that you start out with and will use
		for most of your travels. It is an excellent blade and
		can break most objects you find.

		Hunter Sword:
		Damage: 1 - 3
		Speed:  Normal swing
		Critical: 5% chance of double damage

 SHADOW SWORD = This is the legendary ancient sword that Kul broke into
		3 pieces and gave to his Black Knights. It is the only
		weapon that can harm him or his Shadow Demons.

		Shadow Sword:
		Damage: 2 - 4
		Speed: Fast swing
		Critical: 10% chance of double damage
		Special Power: Increased damage when used in dark
			       places like indoors or underground.


 (WEAPON NOTE:) If you attack an enemy while its back is towards you,
		you will get a +1 damage bonus.


    SHIELD    = This is a special shield that's painted in traditional
		hunter's colors. It is a very useful item to have for
		defense, as it allows you to have a chance to block
		an enemy's attack from hurting you. To increase the 
		chance of a block, face your enemy while you fight!

    TORCH     = A great item that will allow you to see far in dark
		areas like underground or in dungeons. It will be lit
		automatically when you enter such an area and can be
		re-used for the entire game.

    GLOVE     = A magical silver glove that once belonged to a great
		hero. It's said that whoever wears it will lose less
		strength when they break an object. As if this were
		not great enough, one's strength recovers much faster
		when resting.

		Effect: -1 to Strength loss when you break an object.
			Strength recovery much faster when resting.

  FISH BOOK   = Some powerful person placed great enchantments on this
		book, and those who read its pages can actually swim
		in most bodies of deep water like ponds and lakes.

		NOTE: Some shallow water and rivers you cannot enter.


 HERO MEDAL   = This is a hard to find item that once belonged to Drell,
		the famous hero. It increases your attack and defensive powers.
		
		Effects:
		   (ATTACK POWER)
			Adds +2 damage to enemies.
			Adds +5% chance of a critical attack.
			You can stab through a PLATER's head armor now!

		   (DEFENSE POWER)
			Subtracts -1 damage done to you by enemies.
			If you have the shield, your chance to
			   block an attack is better.


 CRYSTAL BALL = A hard to find item, it will allow you to see where
		all secret areas and objects are. When you are near a secret
		area, the Crystal Ball will flash.

	        NOTE: Heavy rain will interfere with the crystal's powers.
		      When the rain stops, the crystal will work again.


 MAGIC SHIRT  = This shirt is said to have been made from the same material
                as a Shadow Demon's cloak. If you wear it, your defensive powers
		will increase substantially. This special item cannot be bought
		at any store- you must find it for yourself.

		Effects:
		   (DEFENSE POWER)
			Subtracts -3 damage done to you by enemies.
			If you have the shield, your chance to 
			   block an attack is better.
			Equin's shirt and pants will appear blue when it is on.


  GREEN BAG   = If you get this, you can hold 500 maximum coins instead of
		200 normally.


  SYMBOL OF
    LIFE      = This is a magic symbol that increases your maximum
		Health force by +1. It will also restore your health
		to full.

  SYMBOL OF
  STRENGTH    = This is a magic symbol that increases your maximum
		Strength by +5. It will also restore your strength to
		full power.

    COINS     = You'll get between 1 and 5 gold coins.

  WHITE BAG   = There's even more gold coins in this sack.

   GOLD BAG   = These are very rare, but contain the most coins of all!


     FOOD     = A tasty chicken leg. This will restore some Health.

 POWER POTION = This blue liquid will restore 15 points of Strength.

    APPLES    = These grow on some trees. These will restore a lot of Health.
		Cut down the tree to get them.

  BLUEBERRIES = These grow on some plants. Both your Health and Strength will
		be returned to full strength when you eat them. Cut
		down the plant to get them.

-----------------------------------

5.) BREAKABLES

		This is the term used for any object in the game that
	can be destroyed by hitting it with your sword. All breakables
	require a certain amount of strength to break. Be careful not
	to waste precious strength!


     TREES   =  Although a nature lover, Equin must do whatever he can
		to save his brother. Sometimes secret areas are hidden
		under trees.
		Strength to Break: 6

		NOTE: The trees around the border of an area will never
		contain a secret place so don't bother with them.


     PLANTS  =  These are large plants that live both above and below
		the ground.
		Strength to Break: 2


      LOGS   =  Fallen branches and pieces of mighty trees.
		Strength to Break: 4


     CRATES  =  Small wooden boxes used by people to store small items.
		Strength to Break: 2


    BARRELS  =  These are large sturdy oaken barrels.
		Strength to Break: 3


NOTE: There are also many other objects that may be able to be 
      broken- find out for yourself!


-----------------------------------


6.)  THE MAP


	Just a few quick notes on your map. First, it only shows the
 areas that you have already been to. You will have the ability to copy
 down any area in the Black Woods or its secret underground areas. Some
 areas however, like the three main key dungeons and the Far North, are
 considered unchartable and make your map useless. Your explored areas
 will be saved when you save your game.


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7.) THE WEATHER

	
	Most of the time it is clear and sunny outside, but there is 
always a small chance that it will rain. When it does, your SWORD will
become wet and less effective. The downpour will also hamper your 
sight and you cannot inspect things more closely by clicking on them.
Lastly, the rain interferes with the power of the CRYSTAL BALL, making
it useless until the rain stops.

	(OFFENSIVE PENALTY)
	When raining, all attacks receive a -1 damage penalty. 

		

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 Thanks guys, check out this game's sequel Equin Village too. It's a lot different but 
I like it!

-Dave
