THE SENTINEL
Firebird 1987

In a strange universe of 10,000 worlds, where the only force is pure energy, a lone Synthoid 
does battle against the SENTINEL and her agents, the SENTRIES.

You control the Synthoid in his attempt to dethrone the SENTINEL as ruler of each of the 
10,000 worlds.

As you move about the individual landscapes, avoiding the withering stare of the SENTINEL and 
the SENTRIES, you must gain a position from where you can destroy the SENTINEL; her energy 
becomes yours and the landscape is complete.

Drawing on your remaining energy, you must now Hyperspace to a new world where a fresh 
challenge awaits - only 9,999 worlds to go and victory will be yours.

GETTING STARTED

The SENTINEL will auto-boot once the disk (single-sided) is inserted into the disk drive and 
the machine reset.

It is compatible with colour monitors only.

Upon loading being complete, the title screen will be displayed. Pressing either the mouse 
buttons or any key will access the Landscape Selection Screen.

Each landscape, except the first, is reached via an 8-digit code. We will deal with how the 
codes work later in the manual. For now, just press the RETURN key and a representation of 
the first landscape will appear before you. This representation gives you your first 
information about the landscape that awaits. You will be able to get an idea of the terrain 
involved in the landscape: hills, valleys, plains, chasms and so on. It will also show you 
how many SENTINELS and SENTRIES there are. Have a good look, as this is all the information 
that you will get.

The screen will be prompting you to press any key, so press any key. You are now in the 
landscape.

MOUSE CONTROLS

Taking hold of the mouse, press the left-hand button and a cursor will appear on the screen. 
This cursor is your means of control and movement. We will now get used to its functions and 
their implementation.

Move the mouse to the right and the cursor will cross the screen in that direction. When the 
cursor approaches the edge of the screen your Synthoid will turn in that direction. Now move 
the cursor to the left of the screen and let the Synthoid turn to the left and you will have 
returned to the view that you began with.

Now move the cursor to the right of the screen and leave it there. The view will now pan round 
and will keep on doing so until the cursor is centred. If you let the view move 32 times then 
you will have returned to the starting point.

Now start moving the cursor to the top and bottom of the screen, so that your view pans 
upwards and downwards. If you leave the view panning, either upwards or downwards, you will 
eventually reach a point beyond which you can look no further, the point which is almost 
vertical, either upwards or downwards. You will know if panning has stopped by looking at the 
cursor, whilst panning is taking place the cursor will flash. If it is not flashing, then the 
view is stable.

By moving the cursor to the one of the corners of the screen, you will be able to achieve 
diagonal pan. The screen does not scroll in a diagonal fashion, rather it moves the view 
first on the horizontal plane then on the vertical, to achieve a diagonal effect.

So now that you have discovered the principles of viewing the landscape, spend some time 
getting used to the mouse and changing the viewpoint of your Synthoid, as speed will become 
an integral part of the game-play.

THE FUN STARTS HERE

Now that you have become used to looking around you, we will start to discover how to move 
within the landscape, how to create and absorb.

The SENTINEL is a game of energy, and the units of energy that exist within the landscape 
have a variety of forms.

One unit is represented by a tree and this is the building block upon which the rest of the 
game takes place.

While you were looking around, you will have seen that there are many trees within the 
landscape. These are for you to take to build up your supply of energy. We shall start by 
absorbing a tree.

You may have noticed that below and to the right of the starting view (the view that you get 
on first arriving in the landscape) there is a tree. You should move three times diagonally 
and twice down, from the starting view, to look at the square on which the tree is standing. 
Ensure that the cursor is over the square on which the tree stands and press the left-hand 
button. You will see the tree disappear before your eyes.

The tree, or at least the energy, still exists. If you look to the small figures above the 
screen, you will notice that there are currently three small Synthoids and a boulder (an 
inverted U). If you noticed this section before, you will remember that there was a small 
tree where the boulder now is. This is because every object within the landscape has an 
energy value. These values are as follows:

1 Unit = a Tree and a Meanie
2 Units = a Boulder
3 Units = a Synthoid and a SENTRY
4 Units = a SENTINEL

(By now you will have heard a clunking sound, and possibly seen the box at the top left corner 
of the screen fill with static. This means that the SENTINEL is scanning you and absorbing your 
energy. This is because the action of absorbing or creating anything will start the SENTINEL 
turning. If this has happened, then you will probably have died. Don't worry about this at 
present, we'll get on to keeping you alive a little later).

Now that you have absorbed an object, it is time to create an object. From the starting 
position, look around the landscape until you find a square that doesn't have anything on it. 
Then, with the cursor on the target square, press the 'T' on the keyboard of your computer and 
a tree will appear. You will notice that your energy indicator has dropped by 1 unit (i.e. a 
tree). Now absorb the tree by pressing the left-hand button of the mouse. Having done that, 
press the key 'B' on the keyboard. This time a boulder will appear. Absorb the boulder as you 
would a tree, and press the key 'R'. You will now see a Synthoid appear. You are almost there.

By now you will have died, so start again and use the techniques that you have learnt to start 
moving about the landscape.

From the starting view, turn to a position from where you can see a square, as before, and with 
the cursor on the chosen square, press the key 'R'. As before a Synthoid will appear. Now press 
the right-hand button of the mouse. For a moment the screen will turn blue and you will hear a 
five note tune. When the screen comes back, you will notice that things look a bit different - 
the reason is that you have transferred into the second Synthoid!

When the transfer is complete you will be looking back at your old Synthoid. Absorb it as you 
would a tree and your energy level should be the same as before you moved into a new Synthoid.

Now to put the technique to real use.

From the starting position, find a square as before and create a boulder. Then, with the cursor 
still on the square, press the key 'R'. You will see that a Synthoid has now been created on top
of the boulder. Press the left-hand button of the mouse and you will have transferred into the 
second Synthoid, but, because you are also standing on a boulder, your position in the 
landscape will be higher.

Because of this higher position you will now be able to see much more in the landscape; more 
trees to absorb, more squares to move to. You have now embarked on a unique gaming experience.

MAKING IT WORK

The SENTINEL is a complex, yet simple game. By now you should be able to absorb and create 
objects, although you will probably have died many times. Now to deal with staying alive.

As was mentioned earlier, when you make any kind of move other than panning, the SENTINEL, and 
SENTRIES if they are there, will start turning to look at you. Their movement is akin to that 
of a lighthouse beam, turning steadily in one direction (either clockwise or anticlockwise). 
Should their view look upon ANYTHING that has an energy value that is greater than one, then, 
through the same process of absorption that you used, they will break down the object into 
single energy units (a SENTINEL cannot store energy as you can).

So, to stay alive, your first aim is to avoid the SENTINEL's gaze. There is no substitute for 
experience, but follow these guidelines and you should get to grips with things pretty quickly:

i) Always make sure you know in which direction the SENTINEL is turning, so that without 
looking at it you can anticipate when the withering stare will reach you, and react accordingly.

ii) Keep on the move, as it doesn't take the SENTINEL long to turn full circle.

iii) When you move, always try to create a boulder and a Synthoid, so that every time you move 
you will gain height and therefore your options will increase.

iv) To absorb the SENTINEL, as with any other object, you MUST be able to place your cursor on 
the square on which she stands, so gaining height is of prime importance to completion of a landscape.

v) If you find yourself being scanned by the SENTINEL, DON'T PANIC! Energy will be taken from 
you a unit at a time, and you may find that you have just enough time to create another 
Synthoid and move to a position of safety. If you feel that you don't have enough time to move, 
then there is one last way - HYPERSPACE. By pressing the key 'H' you will be transported to 
another, almost random point in the landscape to try again, at an energy loss of three units 
(this is because of the loss of your previous Synthoid). If you have less than 3 units left 
then Hyperspacing means suicide. The 'almost' random nature of the move is because the new 
position that you are moved to will only be on the same level of terrain or below. Beware: you 
may end up in a position from which you cannot move any further. If this is the case then 
suicide is probably the only option.

vi) Absorb as many trees as you can, and always reabsorb your old boulders and Synthoids. Gain 
as much energy as possible.

vii) Rather than panning all the time, you con turn through 180 degrees by pressing the key 
'U' (a U-turn).

viii) You can hide from the gaze of the SENTINEL, either behind parts of the landscape, or 
behind trees. If the SENTINEL can't see you, he will just keep turning.

This raises another aspect of the game - the Meanies.

Meanies are created by the SENTINEL or SENTRIES when they have spotted a Synthoid but cannot 
see the square on which he is standing to absorb him. The SENTINEL or SENTRY will look for a 
nearby tree and will transform the tree into a Meanie. The Meanie will then swiftly rotate 
until he can see the Synthoid and, hopefully, the square on which he is standing. If this is 
the case then you will be Hyperspaced. There is nothing you can do, other than absorb the 
Meanine before he looks at you, or move out of the way. If you don't have enough energy to 
Hyperspace, then the Meanie will destroy you.

You will know if the SENTINEL or a SENTRY can see you in this way when the scanning box (top 
right) is only half-ful I of static, consequently this is known as a half scan.

ix) Energy in the landscape is static and, though it can be absorbed and distributed, cannot 
be either created or destroyed. If a SENTINEL breaks down a boulder and a Synthoid for example, 
the energy will not disappear, rather it will be redistributed as five trees elsewhere in the 
landscape.

x) As long as you have enough energy, you can place as many boulders as you like on top of 
each other, with a Synthoid on top. You can use this technique to dominate the landscape more 
quickly, but beware; if you are scanned whilst on top of such a stack you will almost certainly 
lose a lot of energy.

xi) There is a 'help' feature that can be used at any stage of the game that serves to give you 
an idea of where you are in the landscape. First, ensure that your Synthoid is looking into the 
sky, then press the 'HELP' key. This has the effect of giving you a view of the landscape from 
the position in the sky which you looked towards. This also acts as a pause facility and can be 
very useful in providing you with valuable information about the landscape.

These are the basic techniques to playing SENTINEL; you'll probably discover your own as your 
experience of the game develops.

ONE POINT IS LEFT - HOW TO WIN!

Your object is to absorb the SENTINEL and any SENTRIES that may exist.

Having done this, you must place yourself on top of the SENTINEL's tower and then, satisfied 
with your achievement, press the Hyperspace key. After a few short seconds, you will be given 
an eight digit code to a further landscape. WRITE IT DOWN and make sure you don't make a 
mistake!

This is your only means of getting to any other landscape than #0000, and as such acts as a 
game save. When you load the game you can get to any landscape you wish, as long as you have 
the correct code.

The way it works is as follows; When you are on top of the SENTINEL's tower and you 
'Hyperspace', the programme calculates how much energy you have left (three units are taken 
away for the Hyperspace) and gives you the code for the landscape that corresponds to your 
remaining energy. So, if you have just finished landscape #25 with 15 units remaining, you will 
be given the code to landscape #37 (25 + 15 - 3 = 37). Keep going like this, recording all your 
codes, all the way to #10,000!

It is worth remembering that once the final SENTINEL is absorbed, then nothing else within the 
landscape can be absorbed. However, you can still distribute energy, so you can chose the next 
landscape that you go to. Say you have just finished landscape #25 with 15 units remaining, 
rather than hyperspacing immediately, creating one tree will leave you with 14 units, giving 
you the code to landscape #36. You can use this technique if you are having problems with a 
specific landscape.

Supposing that landscape #37 is very difficult (no landscape is impossible), you could return 
to #25, complete it again and try to end up with the code to another landscape, possibly higher 
than #37.
