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               PLEASE READ THIS *BEFORE* YOU PLAY WATERQUEST!!
               -----------------------------------------------
                It can save you the time and hastle of trying
                 to figure out how to run and play the game.

               Prowler Productions: http://www.prowler-pro.com/

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* For FULL instructions, run "README.EXE" or simply view the MANUAL.DOC text
  file. It contains the game's story, play instructions, monster detail, and
  other information useful in playing the game (original game instructions).

* Run "WQ1.BAT" to begin the game. You might need to EDIT the WQ1.BAT file to
  change the value of "slowdown" (explained later), or to use QBASIC from a
  specific location. If you don't have QuickBASIC (or QBASIC), you can get
  it directly from Microsoft (or from your Windows 95 CD) explained later.

* To start a new game, and to CONTINUE a game after you die, use [F6] at the
  title screen. [F1]-[F5] at the title screen are used to load prior saves.

* To exit while playing, use [F9]. To toggle music on/off, use [F5].

* To toggle screen-scrolling off (while playing- makes it faster) use [F6].

* While playing, use "-" (minus key) to slow down the speed. You may have to
  press it dozens of times since the increment is small. A better way is to
  use the SLOWDOWN utility included (see WQ1.BAT, and the information below).

* To move Prince Ralum, simply press an arrow key once. Tap it a second time
  to cause him to stop. Holding it down might cause choppy/jerky movement,
  since you're just dealing with the standard Keyboard buffer.

* Until you find protective items, monster hits take away *2* (of your 4)
  hearts. Get hit twice, and you're dead. Figure out how to avoid or kill
  monsters to stay alive, and return to a "SAVE" hut whenever possible.

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WaterQuest requires QuickBASIC (QB.EXE) or QBasic (QBASIC.EXE). Windows no
longer comes with this BASIC interpreter program, but you may be able to find
it on your Windows CD in an "admin/OLDDOS" folder. Currently, it can also be
downloaded from Microsoft's web site here:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/products/windows/windows95/cdromextras/otherutilities/

Grab the file "olddos.exe" and save it to a temporary directory. When you run
it, you'll get a self-extractor which will basically unzip several old DOS
files in the same directory. All you will need is QBASIC.EXE. Copy this into
your WaterQuest directory. You may put it elsewhere, but you'll need to
modify the "WQ1.BAT" file, OR make sure you put it somewhere in the PATH,
such as c:\windows\command. The other files included in the OLDDOS archive
aren't necessary to play this - just QBASIC.EXE.

I wish I could distribute QBASIC.EXE with WaterQuest. If I could, I would,
but Microsoft's distribution/copyright policy prevents this. For more info,
see the "QBASIC" section at their page here:

http://www.microsoft.com/permission/copyrgt/cop-soft.htm

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This game was written to run correctly on a 286/20Mhz. Yes, that's right. It
was written for a computer that is long since dead. But, have no fear. There
are TWO ways you can still play it correctly, without the little man running
from edge to edge in the blink of an eye, making any chance of controlling
him impossible.

First, there is a built-in lag feature. Once you start the game, then load a
save (or [F6] to start/continue), you'll see Prince Ralum standing there.
Use the [-] (minus key) repeatedly to slow down the game. You may need to tap
it several times to reduce play to a normal, decent speed. Move Prince Ralum
around the screen to test the speed, and adjust it up or down (+/-).

*** A BETTER WAY ***

Utilities like "Mo'Slo" can be used to slow down your machine to a 20Mhz
equivalent. I've included a freeware utility called "SLOWDOWN.COM" (see
SLOWDOWN.DOC for complete details). At a DOS prompt, simply type
SLOWDOWN /S:# where "#" is a delay factor. For example, to slow down my
233Mhz machine to emulate 20Mhz, I do this:

SLOWDOWN /S:240

Now, the speed number you use may be higher or lower. You can experiment with
different speed settings, and SLOWDOWN will report to you the MHz "speed"
that you're now emulating. Try for a speed around 16Mhz-25Mhz if possible,
although you may want to play faster or slower depending on your preference.

You can also add/modify the "SLOWDOWN" command in WQ1.BAT to start with the
correct speed each time. This will making launching WaterQuest an effortless
task, and you'll play at the correct speed each time. If the game still plays
too fast, you can adjust it while playing by using the [-] (minus) key.

Now, if you reboot into DOS mode to play, you may not need SLOWDOWN at all.
If so, emulating a 20Mhz machine will probably be much too slow. Try higher
numbers for SLOWDOWN, until you get a good, playable speed.

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   Sunday, July 8th, 2001 ----

This game was written over 10 years ago. It's very very outdated, but great
for nostalgia since it's one of the first completed IBM/PC games I created!
This is a big, difficult, impressive EGA video RPG/Adventure game, and it's
the first time it's actually been released to the public. For the past 10
years, it's simply been sitting on a diskette, unused and unplayed! Even now,
so many years later, I'm still impressed by this game. There are lots of
items to find, small quests, different monsters, cool (if simple) tile
graphics, and more. Pretty cool for a game from early 1991!

Originally, I didn't want to change anything. However, a couple things did
crop up in testing (10 years later, now) that I felt should be fixed. So,
although this is *ALMOST* the original, untouched WaterQuest, I did make a
few very minor changes to fix gameplay in a few key spots.

This was the first installment of what was to be a shareware Trilogy. A
partial version of each segment would be available for free, and players
could purchase the full game for a small fee. This, sadly, never happened.
Now, 10 years later, as I read through the story (README.EXE), I almost wish
I hadn't let this game collect dust - I wish I had finished the rest of the
trilogy, instead of just the first episode. Who knows - it's a cool story -
maybe I'll create Legend 2 and 3 in a little more modern format! :)

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I've developed bigger and better games since the days of WaterQuest. Check
out some of my other games (some old, some a little newer). Perhaps the
best DOS-based game I created (Lunatix: The Insanity Circle) is a large, fun,
free, challenging adventure game for download at the same web site:

http://www.prowler-pro.com/n-e-ware/gamezips/

Check out my browser-based multiplayer RPG's Lunatix Online and StarLock:

http://www.lunatix-online.com/
http://www.prowler-pro.com/starlock/

Check out some of the TRS-80/COCO games I wrote even years BEFORE WaterQuest:

http://www.prowler-pro.com/coco/

And, most importantly, check out the Prowler Productions home page, where I
post news about current projects:

http://www.prowler-pro.com/

I've even created a ZZT module, several Dink Smallwood D-Mods, and a couple
useful CGI web scripts (a chat room and a poll script, both in Perl).

To contact me via email with comments or questions:

wyndo@prowler-pro.com

Keep in mind that I'm usually VERY busy. Although I try to answer all email,
I can't assist you in learning to program. Unless I find the time to try my
luck in WaterQuest, I probably won't be much help with game hints either. :(
If you'd like to create a walkthrough, or make a screenshot-based map or
something, I'll gladly post the info and/or a link to that page on my games
download page. :) Maybe one of these days, I'll even create one myself! :)
