


            You are
          now_entering
       _____;_l_____
      J  Abura Tan  }    Website: http://aburatan.sourceforge.net/
     :_____________;       email: michaelblackney@hotmail.com
          .;  [ Version
    __.,;,].,],._  0.94       copyright Michael Blackney 2001-2004


 Quick Start Guide:
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  The golden rule: 
    Golden (yellow) messages deserve your attention.
    They  are  there  to  help  you and each message will only appear once
    per game. (If you miss one, press 'P' to review recent messages.)

  Top 5 Keys: 
    'i'   - Inventory
    ','   - Pick Up
    't'   - Target (use to fire ranged weapons)
    'Esc' - Save game and exit to menu
    '?'   - Help

  The other rule:
    Your character is depicted by the '@' sign.  Players who aren't
    used to this should read the Introduction below.


 Introduction:
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Abura  Tan  is  an adventure game and a dungeon crawl. Your task is to
  build  up  a  character  through  adventure  and  to ultimately save the
  world.  It's that simple.
    Permanent  death  ('permadeath') is an important feature of Abura Tan.
  If  your character dies during the course of your adventure you will not
  have  the  option  to  reload at an earlier point.  Because the gameplay
  balance  accounts for permadeath,  backing up saved games will spoil the
  game for you and is therefore not recommended.

    As  the  game  is  still  in mid-stages of development you may find it
  somewhat lacking a purpose.  There is currently no way to win, though if 
  you are looking to have a bit of fun, here are some tips:
  - Try out each character class to see which one you like most.
  - Locate a town, marked (in this release) as colored locations in
    the 'M'ap view.
  - Chat with the locals, or start a fight to inherit some items.
  - Try chatting with non-humans too. (Certain skills may help here.)
  - Visit the sewers beneath the town for more item types.
  - Try to find a kaleidoscope and 'a'pply it!


 Display:
 ~~~~~~~~~
    The  display  in Abura Tan is comprised of three sections: the message
  bar, the map and the status bar.
    The message  bar  displays  the most  recent messages,  and  will give
  you  a  -more-  prompt  when  the  messages  will not all fit within the
  allotted space.
    The  map  displays the action in the game.  Your character is depicted
  by  an  amphora  ('@'  symbol)  by default, and the cursor should always
  trace  the  location  of your character.  Many other symbols are used to
  identify  item,  creature  and terrain types.  Letters and numbers often
  represent  creatures,  animals  and  monsters,  while punctuation almost
  exclusively  represents  items  and  terrain.  Familiarise yourself with 
  the '/' look command and try to use it regularly while you learn.
   The  status  bar  displays  your  character  name,  skill  class, vital
  statistics and (on larger screens) location, game time and date.

  Status Bar Example:
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   Hector the Mechanic  Crd:5 Per:5 Str:6 Tuf:6 Wil:5 Kno:5 Con:5 Spd:5
    HP: 13/17   Def:14[5]  Exp: 2/13
   A Town                                     January 17, 1885  5:16am
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

  This  status  bar  example  gives  the  particulars of a character named
  Hector who is most able in mechanics.
  Beside  his name is the character's vital statistics.  The abbreviations
  are, in order: Coordination, Perception, Strength, Toughness, Willpower,
  Knowledge, Concentration and Speed.

    Coordination
      Coordination  represents  your  dexterity  and  agility.  It affects
      the  likelihood  of  you  landing  blows  in  melee  combat and when
      throwing items.

    Perception
      Perception denotes your awareness and influences your ability to hit 
      with ranged weapons.

    Strength
      How   physically  powerful  you  are.   Your  carrying  capacity  is
      proportional  to  your strength, as is the amount of damage you deal
      in melee combat.

    Toughness
      Toughness  is  your  physical  hardiness  and  resilience to natural
      injury.   Toughness  is  also  an  indication of your stamina - long 
      distance runners have high toughness.

    Willpower
      A measure of your charisma and strength of mind, willpower
      represents your powers of persuasion and ability to bear the
      presence of ancient horror.

    Knowledge
      Knowledge combines formal education and natural smarts.  Many skills
      require  knowledge; your rate of learning new skills is proportional
      to your this attribute.

    Concentration
      Concentration  is different from the other statistics in that it can
      be  considered a pool from which you can draw points and assign them
      to  specific  tasks  on  which  you  wish  to  focus.  Points can be
      allocated to certain skills - Awareness and Stealth - to boost their
      reflexive  ability,  or  can  be  assigned  to  maintaining focus on
      spells.
      Be  aware,  however,  that  your general ability may suffer due to a
      lack of concentration if you invest too many points on other tasks.

    Speed
      Your  speed indicates how much game-time it will take to perform all
      actions.  Speed is often reduced when you are burdened by equipment.

  The   next  status  line  displays  your  Hit  Points,  Defence  rating,
  Experience  and  additional  status  information  such  as your level of
  hunger and burden.

    Hit Points
      The  hit  points  display  comprises  two  numbers: your current and
      maximum  hit  points.   These  numbers  indicate how near death your
      character  is,  with  death  occurring  when your current hit points
      reach zero or below.

    Defence
      You  are  protected from physical injury through evasion and armour.
      Your   defence   rating   displays   your  evasion  score  then,  in
      parentheses,  your  armour  class.  Evasion ability can be increased
      with  coordination  or  certain skills.  Your armour class is gained
      through  any  equipment  you  wear  that  has  protective  value and
      increased while wielding items that can act as a shield.

    Experience
      As your character adventures and learns about the world of Abura Tan
      they will gain experience points and reach new levels of experience.
      The  status  bar  shows  your  experience level and total experience
      points.   When  you  reach  a new experience level you will have the
      opportunity  to  increase your skills and sometimes to increase your
      vital statistics.  You will also gain an increased hit point maximum
      to reflect your increased confidence and resolve.

  On  displays  of 25-lines or more you will also be able to see the third
  status  line with your location and the time (if your character can tell
  the time) and date.

 Items:
 ~~~~~~~
    In  the  long  adventure ahead you will need to rely on more than your
  character's wit and brawn.  There are a large number of useful items
  in Abura Tan and your knowledge of their use will become an important
  asset.

    Melee Weapons
      Your  adventure  will  lead  you into hostile territories where your
      safety  may  be  only  purchased  with  your prowess in hand-to-hand
      combat.  
      Details:
        When  used  in  close combat, Melee Weapons make your attacks more
        deadly.  Weapons deliver various forms of damage to your opponents
        so  you  should  choose  carefully  which weapons you wish to use.
        To  use  a Melee Weapon, wield it or wear it.  If you wield one or
        more  Melee  Weapons  you  will  automatically  use  them when you
        attack.  If  you  do not wield a Melee Weapon, you can attack with
        worn Melee Weapons (such as spiked gloves)

    Ranged Weapons
      Some  foes  are  too  deadly to be approached and must be dispatched
      from  a safe distance.  Unfortunately, Ranged weapons always require
      ammunition,  which  is  costly  and  a  burden  to  carry  in  large
      quantities.
      Details:
        Ranged  Weapons must be worn or wielded to be fired.  If you wield
        one  or  more  Ranged Weapons you will automatically use them when
        you  target  an  enemy for a ranged attack.  If you do not wield a
        Ranged  Weapon,  you  can  attack with worn Melee Weapons (such as
        wrist-bows)

    Clothing
      Not  only  is  clothing essential to counter harsh climatic effects,
      our  choice  in  clothing  says  a  lot  about our social status and
      sophistication.
      Details:
        Clothing  can  easily  provide  protection  from the cold, but the
        occasional  item  of  Clothing  will  afford  additional benefits.
        These items include protective armour and coverings to protect the
        eyes,  nose  and mouth; elegant, stylish garments that may help to
        improve  the  wearer's  image;  and thoughtfully camouflaged items
        that help hide the wearer.

    Books
      In  Abura  Tan  knowledge  and  skill  is gained through experience,
      however  the  discerning  adventurer knows that one can gain an edge
      over  their  competitors  by  always keeping a reference text handy.
      Details:
        Reading  Books  gives  you a temporary boost to skill levels.  The
        skill  increase is a fixed bonus that varies between Books.  Books
        can  only  be  of  benefit while the knowledge within exceeds your
        current  ability  in  the  relevant  skill;  Some  Books also have
        prerequisite  skill  levels  that must be attained before the Book
        can be of assistance.

 Keys:
 ~~~~~~
   Cursor keys - Move the player character.
   h,j,k,l,y,u,b,n - Move the player character.

   m Move - Move repeatedly in a given direction.
   o Open - Open something.
   c Close - Close something.
   a Apply - Apply a tool.
   t Target - Fire a wielded missile weapon.
   v Volley - Throw an item.
   f Fight - Attack something.
   K Kick - Kick something.
   B Build - Improve weapons by combining them with items.
   i Inventory - Access items in the inventory.
   ; Load - Add to the contents of an item.
   : Unload - Remove the contents of an item.
   w Wield - Assign an item to be held in the hands.
   x Switch - Swap primary and secondary weapons.
   W Wear - Put on clothing or apparel.
   T Take Off - Remove clothing or apparel.
   , Pick Up - Pick up an item from the floor.
   d Drop - Drop an item on the floor.
   D Drop Multiple - Drop multiple items on the floor.
   e Eat - Eat something.
   q Quaff - Drink something.
   r Read - Read something (usually a book)
   C Chat - Talk to others.
   U Disarm Trap - Attempt to disarm a trap.
   s Search - Search for secret doors and traps.
   S Skills - Activate a skill.
   M Map - View the wilderness map.
   / Look - Identify characters on the screen.
   L Look Around - Describe the immediate area.
   > Descend - Descend a staircase; Select the ground.
   < Ascend - Ascend a staircase.
   . Self - Stand still; Select yourself.
   R Rest - Remain still for a short while.
   Q Quit Game - Stop playing and write game data to disk.
   ? Help - Use the help system.
   P Messages - View recent messages.

   F7  Save text screenshot   
   F8  Save HTML screenshot

 Control:
 ~~~~~~~~~
    COMBAT
  Walk  into  a monster to engage it in close combat.  Your character will
  attack  with  any  items  wielded.   If  you  wield  two  weapons  while
  attacking an enemy the primary weapon will gain your strength bonus.

    RANGED COMBAT
  Use  the  targeting  mode  ('t')  to fire guns and bows.  Ranged weapons
  all  have  an  ammunition  capacity,  which  is the amount of ammunition
  that  can  be  stored inside the weapon.  The exception to this is bows,
  which  have  an  effective  capacity  of  one  (when  they have an arrow
  nocked).
  If  your  weapon  runs  out  of  ammunition and you are wearing a quiver
  or  bandolier  loaded  with  appropriate  ammunition,  your  weapon will
  automatically  be  reloaded.   Otherwise,  press ';' to reload from your
  inventory.

    TRAPS
  You  can  untrap  and  open  traps  while  you  are  stuck  in  them  by
  pressing '>' when asked for a direction to untrap.

    INVENTORY
  When in the inventory menu:
   - Select  an  item and press 'Enter' for a short context menu where you
     can 'd'rop the item, etc.
   - Press Tab to cycle between Inventory, Equipped and Wielded menus.

    FLUID COLLECTION
  Pressing  ','  when there are no items at your feet will let you collect
  'fluids'  (water,  snow, dirt and even grass) if you have a container to
  put it in.

 Troubleshooting:
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Windows  95  users  will  probably find this release does not run very
  well  and  often  crashes  early  in the game.  This is because of a bug
  with  mysterious  properties.   If  you  can  provide  any   information
  about  your  Win  95  system and exactly when the crashes occur, I would
  be incredibly grateful.

    If  the  game  quits  whenever  you try to begin a new character, make
  sure  that  the  directory  that  the  game  is  installed  in  has  the 
  following subdirectories:
        save/
        shots/

  If  these  directories  exist,  you  may  have  an  error  with the file
  "saveinfo.dat".  Try deleting this file.

    If  you  still  cannot  get  the game to run correctly, please send an
  email to michaelblackney@hotmail.com
  Please include the following information:

    Your system specifications (if known): RAM, free hard disk space
    Your operating system
    Your sister's phone number
    And where you downloaded the binary
     (unless you compiled the game yourself)

=[EOF]====================================================================