'ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY Demo with 3Dfx Support'
Version 1.1
November 24th, 1997
(C) Blue Byte 1997
-------------------
VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
To: MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS
While Blue Byte invites individuals to make use of this demo, any magazines
wishing to include the demo on their own publication as a promotion may ONLY
do so having FIRST attained written permission.
USA/Canada:
Samantha Flint - PR Manager
flint@bluebyte.com
UK Territories:
Matt Broughton - PR Manager
broughton@bluebyte.co.uk
Blue Byte will pursue any unauthorized reproductions or uses of this demo to
the fullest extent of the law.
Thanks for your cooperation,
Blue Byte Software
-------------------
Introduction
============
Welcome to the ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY 3Dfx Demo. This demo allows you to play
15 minutes each of four different Instant Action levels, experiencing the
unique and immersive underwater world of the ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY universe.
Minimum Configuration
=====================
486DX4/100 with PCI Bus
Graphics card (with VESA-UNIVBE support)
8 megs of RAM
22 megs of hard drive space
*Note: With this configuration it is recommended to choose Half-line mode
and flat shading in the Options / VGFX menu within the game.
Recommended Configuration
=========================
Pentium 90
2 MB VRAM Graphics card
32 megs of RAM
16 bit Sound card
3Dfx video card
Starting the Demo (non-3Dfx owners)
===================================
Windows '95 Users:
Go to the folder where you unzipped the demo and double-click on the 'Ad.exe'
file. After reading the legal screens, click on the 'Instant Action' option and
select one of the 4 different levels.
DOS Users:
Go into the folder where you unzipped the demo and type: Ad. After reading the
legal screens, click on the 'Instant Action' option and select one of the 4
different levels.
Starting the Demo (3Dfx owners)
===============================
Windows '95 Users:
Go to the folder where you unzipped the demo and double-click on the 'Ad3dfx.exe'
file. After reading the legal screens, click on the 'Instant Action' option and
select one of the 4 different levels.
DOS Users:
Go into the folder where you unzipped the demo and type: Ad3Dfx. After reading
the legal screens, click on the 'Instant Action' option and select one of the 4
different levels.
3Dfx Voodoo Rush Owners
=======================
If you get the message 'Voodoo Graphics card not found' you need to replace
the 'glide2x.ovl' file in your AD directory with the one we've placed in the
VRUSH folder. Simply go into the VRUSH folder and copy the file, then place
it your main AD directory. (It'll ask you to delete the current version, which
is fine.)
Sound Card Issues
=================
If you don't hear any sound, run the 'setsound.bat' program (by double-clicking
it in Windows 95 or typing: setsound in the proper DOS folder).
Controlling the Ship
====================
After reading the mission objective, the cockpit of your ship will appear. To
get a better range of vision, press "Q". This will activate your active sonar,
which allows you to detect potential enemies at a greater distance, while risking
detection yourself. Use the joystick to change direction and the "A" and "Z"
keys for moving forward and backward. Releasing the keys will decelerate. To
maintain a constant cruising speed use "S" and "X", "C" will deactivate
cruising. To get a detailed list of all keyboard controls, press "H" when in the
cockpit view.
General Tips and Hints
======================
* ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY is not a flight simulator, though there are some
similarities. The most important difference is that a boat moves much more
sluggishly than a plane. If you go into a curve at high speed, your boat is
going to drift sideways for a while, before moving in the new direction.
Moreover, a boat is subject to underwater currents which can occasionally be
very strong. Torpedoes too, can be affected.
* The best way to achieve a quick turn while moving forward is to put the
rudder to the side and press "Z".
* Currents are signaled by a current symbol which appears in the cockpit
window. When it starts blinking you are in a strong current which is affecting
your ship. Observe the air bubbles to ascertain where the current is coming
from.
* Check your depth. The upper water layers are polluted by nuclear waste, down
to about 100 m depth. If you notice a radioactivity symbol, make sure you
dive.
* In the center at the bottom you see a representation of your vicinity. You
are the yellow band. Green bands are friendly units, red bands are known
enemies. Amber areas are buildings. Strong currents will be shown as a blue
area.
* In the center at the top you have the weapons monitor. This gives you an
idea about your weapons. For details, check the table "Keyboard assignment".
* When you've targeted an enemy, press "L" for "Lock" (or the second button on
your joystick). This will lock your target systems to the enemy and direct the
firing mechanism. Remote controlled torpedoes "know" what the target is,
remember your onboard cannon can only fire straight ahead. Be careful to
always shoot towards the red crosshairs. This is your reference point, since
some time will elapse before your weapons can reach the target.
* The rest of the displays do not need much explanation, or their description
would go beyond the scope of this short introduction. We should mention one
other display; it indicates the energy level of the onboard cannon (the
vertical band on the right). Its energy is enough for a few short, extremely
quick rounds, after which it needs re-charging. A short pause will re-charge
the battery.
Hints & Tricks
==============
* Enemy bombers are extremely dangerous and loaded with gun towers. Keep cool
and stay distant.
* Fight tanks from behind...
* You can't be located by enemies with a passive sonar (yellow symbol) if you
are very quiet (switch off sonar and stop your engine).
Thrustmaster F16 FLCS Owners
============================
In the DEV folder within the AD folder is a configuration file for the
Thrustmaster F16 FLCS.
Graphics Cards and VESA Driver Issues (DOS Users):
==================================================
ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY supports the VESA VBE standard for supporting SVGA graphics.
Many SVGA graphics cards are directly VESA VBE-compatible. If you should have
problems with your graphics card, you can take the following measures:
-If you have received a VESA VBE driver with your graphics card, install it and
then try to start the game. Many VESA VBE drivers can be installed directly
under DOS. Follow the instructions in the manual of your graphics card.
-If your graphics card is not directly VESA-compatible or you do not possess a
corresponding VESA driver, then you still may be able to use a VESA driver from
third-party manufacturers (i.e. the UNIVBE program from the SciTech Software Co.
Web site: http://www.scitechsoft.com).
Low Memory PCs and Boot Disks (DOS Users):
==========================================
- If you have problems, create a boot diskette without EMM386.EXE so that only
XMS storage is available. You can create this through the DOS command "SYS,"
followed by the letter of the drive. Try to remove all the drivers except for
CD-ROM, the mouse and VESA drivers, in order to gain more memory. By using the
DOS command "MEM," you can get information about the current memory configuration
at any time. If you want to find out which driver uses how much storage, type
"MEM/C."
This is how the "config.sys" and "autoexec.bat" files should look on the boot
diskette:
(config.sys)
C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
!This is where your CD-ROM driver
has to be installed (look in your
standard configuration).
(autoexec.bat)
! This is where your CD-ROM driver
has to be installed (look in your
standard configuration)
C:\DOS\MOUSE
(Your mouse driver may be located
in another directory
Technical Data
==============
MASSIVE Animation CODEC:
Performance data of the compression procedure for representing video data
for the minimal configuration (486/100, double-speed CD ROM):
- 10 frames per second at 640x240 SVGA with simultaneous replay of stereo
digital audio data with 8 bit / 22kHz
MASSIVE GUI:
- HI-Color / Hires - windowing system / (640x480 pixel / 65536 colors)
MASSIVE Dialog Engine:
- Character linking through messaging system
- Dialog branching depending on user input
MASSIVE 3D Engine:
Currently implemented features:
- HI-Color / Hires - vector graphics system (640x480 pixels / 65536 colors)
- different shading models (none, flat, gouraud)
- Half-line-/ Full-line-display (half-line-mode / full-line-mode)
- any number of light sources
- any number of (diffuse) shadows
- Depth shading
- Polygon depth sorting
- Perspective correction of polygon textures (distortion-free textures)
MASSIVE AI Engine:
- Motion simulation of enemy objects on the basis of the laws of physics
- Current effects
- Influence of mass
- Current fields exist
- visual, passive and active location systems
Other Technical Tips
====================
- By pressing ALT-F5, you can switch back and forth between FULL LINE, HALF
LINE and optimized HALF LINE. The HALF LINE and the optimized HALF LINE are
especially useful with slow processors and/or slower graphics card.
- By pressing ALT-F6, you can switch the PERSPECTIVE CORRECTION on and off.
On slow computers, having the correction turned off brings advantages in speed.
- On a 486 computer, you should select the following options for combat
(vector graphics):
1. perspective correction=OFF
2. shading=FLAT
3. number of channels (music = 4)
4. cockpit=ON or OFF AND SMALL
- If you encounter problems with the CauseWay DosExtender, then you can try
starting ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY with the DOS4GW DosExtender as well. To do this,
start up the ADD4G.EXE program.
- If an overflow error occurs when starting up ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY, the cause
can lie in an old mouse driver. Please use an up-to-date Microsoft-compatible
mouse driver.
- If the mouse moving very slowly, again this can lie in the mouse driver. Here
too, it helps to use a newer Microsoft mouse driver.
- ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY uses the 16-bit high-color mode of your graphics card.
Should your graphics card not support this mode, you will receive a corresponding
error message.
- To achieve optimum performance, your system should be configured as follows:
- DOS mode
- VESA 2.0-compatible graphics card
- 16 MB RAM (32 MB for 3Dfx users)
Full Version Features
=====================
The Story:
- 4 power blocks
- approx. 60 different underwater stations
- approx. 130 rooms with sound and dialogues
- approx. 100 characters throughout AQUA
- approx. 30 story films with full sound
- approx. 60 flight arrivals from stations
The Missions:
- approx. 70 vector graphics missions
- approx. 26 3D torpedoes (rendered, illuminated)
- approx. 30 3D ships (rendered, illuminated)
- approx. 10 3D weapon types (rendered, illuminated)
- approx. 20 explosion types
- approx. 30 3D buildings (small, medium, gigantic)
- approx. 5 big battle ships
- Mines, buoys, alga, plants, bubbles....etc.
- 4 player ships (with realistic cockpits)
- external views
- camera views
* ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY takes place in a densely packed and immensely fascinating
underwater world in the not too distant future.
* This underwater world, by the name of AQUA, is populated by various groups
and power blocks, inspired by existing political and religious groups.
* The geological aspects of the world's oceans were carefully researched and
integrated into the scenarios. This includes, for example, natural resources,
geological features (hot springs off the Galapagos islands - hot vents),
currents (Gulf of Mexico), ocean depths, structure of the ocean floor,
seaquake areas, shelves and continental slopes.
* Engulfed in a dense and thrilling background story with more than 100
different characters, scattered around the entire deep sea world, the player
takes on the role of a mercenary of AQUA.
* In order to affirm their position in AQUA, players must acquaint themselves
with the existing structures and power struggles, the various relevant and
irrelevant places and personalities, thus enabling them to accept missions,
to develop their skills and to penetrate further and further into the story
of AQUA.
* The player becomes totally absorbed in the game world, thanks to the
detailed, atmospheric graphic representation of 60 different underwater
stations as well as freighters and cruisers with a variety of rooms and
people.
* The story which the player experiences and develops is accompanied by
approx. 30 film sequences with full environmental sound effects and speech.
* The missions the player accepts lead to real-time missions which are
represented by means of sophisticated 3 D techniques. This part of the game
is an optimal mixture of simulation and action (physical simulation of the
motion of all swimming and drifting objects, action-oriented missions, full
stereo sound, HI-Color (64535 colors), HI-Res., rendered 3 D objects, etc.).
(see Technical data below).
Storyline
=========
"In the second decade of the 21st century man began to construct stations in
the deep sea in order to replenish the dwindling supply of raw materials.
Before long a veritable race started, involving all major cultures of the
earth. But even the enormous resources of the sea could not satisfy their
greed. In a series of wars, mankind destroyed any hope of sensible
communication and over time the basis for survival on the planet's surface.
When the earth had finally become uninhabitable, the last humans fled into the
depths, to shelter from the radioactivity that had killed all higher lifeforms
on the earth's surface. All that remained there was a desert, and the poorest
of the poor awaiting their inevitable demise - those that had not been able to
afford the entrance fee to the underwater world. Humanity then sank into a
long phase of darkness, devoid of any history. Meanwhile, a 40 m deep crust
formed on the water surface, consisting of dead organic tissue, the so-called
POM layer. And yet, once more, one last time, after centuries, mankind awoke
to new life, the only life in a dead world. This world is man's creation. And
he named it AQUA!"
Game Description
================
All activity takes place under water. The human population lives in gigantic
cities under the sea. Amazingly, the old power blocks have reformed, more or
less unchanged, over the centuries. There are the waterlands of the democratic
Atlantic Federation, those of the Arabic Clansunion who invest their wealth
accumulated through commerce in the development of a marvelous architecture,
and the Russian-Japanese Shogunate, a type of monarchy. In addition a number
of anarchic societies have evolved - and of course there are pirates.
Between gigantic so-called jump stars ships commute, 500 meters long, at a
speed of 900 km/h . They belong to EnTrOx, a company that has a monopoly on
transportation and on the supply of breathing gas. Without it, the whole of
AQUA would cease to exist.
This is the year 2661, the year of the 600th anniversary of the Atlantic
Federation's ocean settlements. A seemingly small light in AQUA is the
mercenary EMERALD "Deadeye" FLINT. Once among the best pilots in AQUA, he's
been having a tough time ever since the power blocks established a more or
less stable peace. He's been keeping himself above water (so to speak) by
doing odd jobs here and there. But one of these jobs goes terribly wrong. A
female pirate he knows by the name of HONG LONG, attacks the sulfur transport
ship which FLINT is supposed to protect. The freighter is captured and FLINT
only just manages to save his skin.
This is the point at which YOU take over the role of EMERALD "Deadeye" FLINT.
The point at which you'll have to learn what it means to be a mercenary and to
earn a living by going into battle. It is also the point at which you are
still blissfully unaware that you are in the middle of what will turn out to
be the biggest adventure of your time. For, after centuries, the surface takes
revenge. You might as well believe that this enemy has NOTHING human about it
any more.
This is "ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY". A game which requires more than a good grip on
the joystick. You'll encounter more than 100 characters throughout the
underwater world of AQUA. Friends, foes and business partners. And you'll need
to find out which is which.
Clearly, the game is mainly a combat simulation. Battle through 60 missions,
displayed with one of the most sophisticated 3 D engines of our time, with a
resolution of 640 x 480 pixel (Hi res.) and 65,536 colors (High Color). In
your cockpit you are helped by a voxel representation of your environment,
intuitive instrument controls and information from your talking onboard
computer.
20-25 highly individually programmed combat units make sure that boredom
doesn't creep in.
And if you need a break, enjoy a little expedition to view the breathtaking
views of the AQUA underwater scenery. If the enemy will let you.
Ordering the Full Version
=========================
If you've enjoyed the demo, you can order the full version for a special low
price of $9.99 (plus shipping). Give us a call at (847) 995-9981 between 8:30
AM and 5 PM Central Time, or contact us at our website:
http://www.bluebyte.com
*Note: This offer is ONLY valid for U.S. residents.
=========================
Contacting Us
=============
If you have any questions about ARCHIMEDEAN DYNASTY, the best way to contact our
tech support representatives is by email at:
hotline@bluebyte.com
Or you can call us at:
U.S. - (847) 995-9981 between 8:30 AM and 5 PM
Central Time
U.K. - +44 (0) 1604 259090 between 2 PM and 6 PM
U.K. Time
Germany - +49 (0) 208 450 29 between 3 PM and 7 PM
Mon-Thur and between 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM on
Friday.
For the quickest results, make sure to email or write down
your hardware system information including: make of PC,
installed sound cards, graphics cards, amount of RAM, and
any additional hardware. Software information is also
helpful, in case we need to analyze driver problems.
You can also checkout the Massive's home page at:
http://www.massive.de
Have Fun!
BLUE BYTE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGAL:
SOFTWARE USE, LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE
This special preview version of Archimedean Dynasty (the "Software") is
intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainement use. You
may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software, except as
permitted by law. Blue Byte Software GmbH retain all rights and title in the
Software including all intellectual property rights embodied therein and
derivatives thereof. You are granted a revocable, nonassignable limited
license to create derivative works on this Software solely for your own
personal noncommercial home entertainment use and may publicly display such
derivative works to the extent specifically authorized by Blue Byte in
writing. A copy of this authorization, if any, will be provided on Blue Byte's
WWW site. The Software, including, without limitation, all code, data
structures, characters, images, sounds, text, screens, game play, derivative
works and all other elements of the Software may not be copied (except as
provided below), resold, rented, leased, distributed (electronically or
otherwise), used on a pay-per-play coin-op or other for-charge basis, or for
any commercial purpose. You may make copies of the Software for your personal
noncommercial home entertainment use and to give to friends or acquaintances
on a no cost noncommercial basis. This limted right to copy the Software
expressley excludes any copying or distribution of the Software on a
commercial basis, including without limitation, bundling the product with any
other product or service and any give away of the Software in connection with
another product or service. Any permissions granted herein are provided on a
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