Hi! This is our entry into the X2FTP programming contest. It is called "Society 9" and hopefully it will be a contender for the top prize. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: You must unzip society.zip with the -d option as follows: pkunzip -d society.zip If not, certain directories won't be created and the game will not run. To play type: society ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Society 9 is still very much in it's beta stage, and as a beta it still contains a number of things that aren't finished. However, you can still explore many parts of the island and interact with it's inhabitants. Right now most of the inhabitants are hostile, but as we finish the game the amount of friendlies will increase. The sound in the game is targeted at a standard 8-bit Soundblaster (or compatable) card. If the game crashes unexpectedly on you, it's probably due to a sound card problem. In that case, run the game with the -NOSOUND option and everything should be fine...you just won't be able to hear things. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The controls for Society 9 are as follows: Arrow keys control movement Left Shift - Runs T (or space) - Takes things...your feet must be touching the object to take. E (or X) - Examines or enters things. You must be facing the object. Z - Uses the currently held weapon. I - Inventory. Brings up a list of items currently held. It has a submenu: U - Uses the selected item (ie read scroll, drink potion) D - Drops the selected item ------------------------------------------------------------------ The three status bars on the bottom left are as follows: Life - Your general hitpoints. Once there gone you're dead. Save often! Strength - Your strength. The more you run/fight the more you'll use. It helps to have alot when in battle, as it will increase the damage you do to enemies. It recharges slowly with time. Weaponry - Your level of combat readiness. You are much more likely to hit an enemy when this bar is full. During battle it decreases due to exhaustion. It recharges fairly quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The plot of the game unfolds as you play, so I'll leave that up to you to discover. Have fun and thanks for playing! Jason Leighton leighton@pxsoftware.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special thanks go to Ethan Brodsky for his SB code, and to The Audio Solution for MIDPAK!!!