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     |E |5Brainware|E                 ^1 Flag Talk |E                  |5Brainware|E 
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^Cby
^CJohn Besnard

        The colorful flags that hang from the masts of ships are not there
     for decoration.  They are used to send messages.  The International
     Flag Code has a different flag for every letter of the alphabet.
     In addition to representing a single letter, each flag can also convey
     a special message.  For instance, the "O" flag means MAN OVERBOARD.
     The ship flies the "D" flag if it is having DIFFICULTY STEERING.

        Each ship carries a code book that explains the flags in seven
     languages -- English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian,
     and Spanish.  With the code book, any captain can understand messages
     sent to his ship.

        You can learn the International Flag Code by playing FLAG TALK.
     If you are a member of the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, you may be able
     to earn a merit badge in communications.

     ^1HOW TO PLAY
        The FLAG TALK game has four different playing modes:

        1. LOOK       - Flags are displayed in a random order.  After each
                        flag is displayed, the letter corresponding to the
                        flag is displayed.  Just sit back and watch and
                        learn those flags.

        2. TYPE       - This is a learning mode where you control which
                        flags are displayed.  Type a letter of the
                        alphabet, and the matching flag will appear.

        3. SPEED TEST - When you think you have learned the flag codes
                        fairly well, test your skills using this mode.
                        A flag for each letter in the alphabet will appear
                        in a random order.  Try to type in the matching
                        letter as fast as possible.

                        When you have gotten all of the flags correct, the
                        timer displayed on the screen will stop so that
                        you'll know your final test time.

        4. MESSAGES   - Now that you know the international flags, it's
                        time to use them for their intended purpose
                        -- communication!  Try your skill at deciphering
                        the encoded messages.

        The game begins in LOOK mode.  Press <F4> to change to a new mode.


     ^1ACTIVE KEYS
        The following keys control game actions:

            <F1>  - Display HELP screens.

            <F2>  - Load a new coded message FILE.

            <F3>  - Toggle the SOUND and speech on or off.

            <F4>  - Change the playing MODE.

            <ESC> - Exit a menu without change or QUIT the program.

            <+>   - Increase the display speed when in the LOOK mode.

            <->   - Decrease the display speed when in the LOOK mode.


     ^1USING A MOUSE
        If you are using a mouse, the cursor on the screen looks like a
     small flag. If it were real, you could use it to signal passing ships.
     It's not real, so use it to select the function key options.  Place
     the flag cursor on the desired function key at the top of the screen
     and click it to activate.  You may also use the mouse to answer yes
     and no questions.  The left button is YES.  The right button is NO.


     ^1CREATE YOUR OWN PUZZLE FILES
        Maybe you think our coded messages are dull.  Don't just sit there.
     Make up your own puzzle files.  Using your favorite editor, create
     FILENAME.FLG and enter your own secret messages.  Now you'll have new
     files that can be used to test the decoding skills of your friends.

        The following restrictions apply when editing your puzzle file:

            1. Your puzzle file must have the .FLG extension.
            2. The file you create must be in simple ASCII text.
            3. Your secret message must be less than 45 characters
               including spaces.
            4. Your secret message may only contain the following:
                    letters           - A through Z
                    apostrophes       - (')
                    commas            - (,)
                    periods           - (.)
                    blanks            - ( )
                    dashes            - (-)
                    question marks    - (?)
                    exclamation marks - (!)
            5. The response to the message must be less than 70 characters.
            6. The message and the response must be on the same line
               separated by a slash (/).
            7. The last line of the file must be an asterisk (*).
            8. The complete puzzle file cannot be longer than 1500 bytes.


     ^1OUTSIDE OF BBD
        To run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0,
           type ^1FLAGTALK^0.

        To run this program in ^1SILENT^0 mode,
           type ^1FLAGTALK S^0.

        If this BEZ game is crashing on your system, it may have something
     to do with the way the mouse is detected.  Try running the game in
     ^1NO MOUSE^0 mode (whether you have a mouse or not), and see if the
     game will run correctly.

        To run this program in ^1NO MOUSE^0 mode,
           type ^1FLAGTALK NM^0.

        To run this program in both modes,
           type ^1FLAGTALK S NM^0  or  ^1FLAGTALK NM S^0.

        Disk files this program uses:
^FFLAGTALK.EXE
^F  SHAPES.BEZ
^F   ALPHA.BEZ
^F     BEZ.SEZ
^F       *.FLG
