WESTFRONT PC: The Trials of Guilder
VERSION 6.50b
July 31, 1999

=======================================================================
DISCLAIMER: Westfront PC is an extremely addictive, warped text
adventure from the mind of a complete lunatic (Me). Expect difficult
puzzles, tenacious monsters, and in depth game play lasting for several
hundred hours. You've been warned...

This text file is VERY long (about 16 pages). If you wish to read it
in it's entirety without becoming bored, only read what you need to
from the 'CONTENTS' section listed below. Thanks.
=======================================================================

CONTENTS
========
Getting Started -
0.9 Version notes
1.0 What is "Westfront PC"?
1.1 What's the point of "Westfront PC"?
1.2 What do I need to run "Westfront PC"?
1.3 What files are included?
1.4 Is this game really free?
1.5 What is a Text Adventure? (newbies only)

Game play -
2.0 How do I move around?
2.1 Which commands work (and don't)?
2.2 How do I pick up items?
2.3 How do I use items?
2.4 How do I buy and sell?
2.5 How do I kill monsters?
2.6 How do I gain a level?
2.7 What are skills? How do I learn them?
2.8 How do I cast spells?
2.9 How do I buy drinks? What does 'praying' do?

Quests-
3.0 How many quests are there?
3.1 Which quests should I do first?
3.2 Are there any hidden quests?
3.3 Does your level affect quest completion?

Miscellaneous-
4.0 What penalties involve being killed?
4.1 What exactly is "Purgatory"?
4.2 How do I get out of "Purgatory"?
4.3 How do I get the wolf to join my party?
4.4 How do I get the warrior to join my party?
4.5 How do I avoid the thief?
4.6 How do I avoid Inspector Funkydog?
4.7 What happens if I answer Funkydog's questions incorrectly?
4.8 Can Inspector Funkydog be killed?

Closing-
5.0 Known Bugs in the game
5.1 Final thoughts

=======================================================================
GETTING STARTED (Sections 0.9-1.5)
=======================================================================
0.9 - Version notes

The following is reprinted from the original text file...

This is Version 6.50b. For future updates to this game, please check 
out my web site at:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Screen/9699/westfront.html

SPECIAL VERSION 6.50b NOTES

This version of Westfront PC allows the user to have a password 
protection scheme applied to his/her character. After entering in
your character's name, enter in a password up to 16 characters long.

Then the next time you want to play your saved game, enter in your
name and then the password you chose.

ALSO...

If you're playing a saved game character from previous
versions (prior to 5.87), your character will be
automatically updated. (skip this next part then)

If you're playing a character from the non-password protected
Westfront PC (versions after 5.72 but before this one), you can
still use your character with these modifications:

1) Go into any text editor and load up your character's file (it ends
   with a .sav extension).

2) Scroll down all the way until you reach the end. You should see
   the last line with a number if you haven't used this character in
   version 6.50b before.

3) Right below the last line displayed, enter in a password up 
   to 16 characters long, and tack on the letters 'xyz'. Make sure this 
   word begins on the very next line and is also indented one space like 
   the rest of the jibberish you see.

4) Now, save this file again, making sure to overwrite your old
   character file.

You now should be able to play characters made from 5.72 on! :)

Oh, and by the way, don't use this to cheat by snagging someone else's
character when they aren't looking!

=======================================================================
1.0 - What is Westfront PC?

Westfront PC is a text adventure in the style of Zork, Collasal Caves,
and the original Adventure. If you have played text adventures before
then you should feel right at home. If not, jump to Section 1.5.

Westfront PC has 817 rooms to explore. There are 93 monsters
you can fight, bribe, steal from, or otherwise harass. :) I won't tell
you how many items (i.e. weapons, armor) there are. That is something 
you'll have to discover on your own!

=======================================================================
1.1 - What's the point of Westfront PC?

The point of Westfront PC is to complete various tasks (called 'Quests') 
in order to win the game. They are posted on a bulletin board in the 
village guild. To read the quests, type 'read board' while in the 
guild room.

Some of these quests can be completed ahead of schedule, depending on 
where you are in the game. It is better, however, to complete them
one by one.

=======================================================================
1.2 - What do I need to run Westfront PC?

Obviously, you need a computer (doh!). But seriously, all you'll really
need is a setup at or above the following:

286 Computer at 8 Mhz or faster
640KB of RAM (even 256KB will work)
620KB of free disk space (that's like 3/5 of 1 MB!)
DOS 5.0 or higher and/or Windows 

=======================================================================
1.3 - What files are included?

You should have 11 files total after unzipping WFPC.ZIP:

   Filename              What it is                   Needed by
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
   wf.exe                 Main program                module2.exe
   module2.exe            Main module                 wf.exe
   wf.dat                 Data file                   wf.exe, module2.exe
   wf.ico                 Desktop Icon                  --
   wf.scn                 Title screen                wf.exe
   wf.txt                 Help file                     --
   prices.txt             Price file                  wf.exe
   score.dat              Score file                  wf.exe, module2.exe
   hiscore.dat            High scores file            wf.exe, module2.exe
   dungeon.lst            High score list             wf.exe
   file_id.diz            Short text file               --
=======================================================================
1.4 - Is this game really free?

Yes. At the top of the old version of this text file was the
following message: 

This game is freeware. Feel free to distribute it, make changes, or otherwise
abuse it. This game was completed on March 26, 1998.

So,yes, it is freeware. Being as such, I retain all rights to this
program as granted to me by it's creation. However, as the above
reads ("Feel free to distribute it"), you may distribute this 
game to anyone who wants to try it out *providing* you DO NOT
change anything within the program itself, this text file, 
or anything else included in this package.  

=======================================================================
1.4.1 - What's new in this version?

Good question. :) Actually, a few minor bugs have been fixed. Also, your
armor can now *RUST*, so it's a good idea to visit the shop and
'shine armor'. You cannot drop or remove rusted armor (it sort of
sticks to your person). The cost is 1500 gold coins. An alternative
to visiting the shop is learning the 'dispell' skill.

=======================================================================
1.5 - What is a Text Adventure?

This section is for people who have never played a text adventure
before. So if you have, please skip on to Section 2.0 for information
on game play.

A text adventure is so called because it is a game without graphics
and uses only text to represent the game world. So in a sense, it's
like a very large novel. However, unlike a novel, you are free
to make choices within the game that can lead to unexpected and
sometimes exciting problems. 

Like the main character, you are involved in a plot with a number
of different people, objects, and locations. As the story progresses,
you are able to find out exactly how these people interact with
their environment and what their relationship is to you.

That being said, a text adventure can be simplified by stating that
you are the central character in this 'novel' and your actions (or even
inactions) may directly or indirectly influence other characters.

The goal of any text adventure is to solve what are called 'puzzles'.
A puzzle is defined as any obstacle that hinders your progress in
finishing the game. Each puzzle should be designed to be fair, but
challenging enough to not make it child's play.

For directions on how to play a text adventure, please skip to 
Section 2.0, down below.

=======================================================================
GAME PLAY (Sections 2.0-2.9)
=======================================================================
2.0 - How do I move around?

The first thing you need to know is how to move around in the
game environment. Westfront PC uses and understands what are called
"logical" directions (or 'Compass' directions). A 'logical' direction
is any direction that moves you in one of six places:

Compass           Logical           Command        What it does
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
North             Forward              n           Moves one room north
South            Backward              s           Moves one room south
East               Right               e           Moves one room east
West               Left                w           Moves one room west
Up                  Up                 u           Moves one room up
Down               Down                d           Moves one room down

Earlier text adventures made moving a bit tedious. You had to type
commands like 'GO NORTH' or 'ENTER CAVE' in order for the game to
understand what you were trying to do.

Westfront PC is a bit easier than that. Instead of 'GO NORTH', you
merely have type 'n' for north. 'ENTER CAVE' has been simplified
to 'enter'. If there are multiple objects in the room you can
enter, the program will prompt you to enter in the one desired.

=======================================================================
2.1 - Which commands work (and don't)?

First off, a little note about how commands work. The player enters
in a one or two word "sentence" consisting of a verb followed by a
noun. If the game doesn't understand a command, it will respond 
typically with the phrase "Huh? I don't understand your command." 
If the verb or noun is not understood it will say "Huh? Check 
your noun." (or verb)

Recent versions of Westfront PC allow multiple commands
per line. The maximum is four. An example of this would
be:

<verb#1><noun#1> [and,then] <verb#2><noun#2>

How it works:
(examples)

GET BAG AND GO WEST 
(this will work)
GO SOUTH THEN KILL DEMON
(this will also work)
EXAMINE DFGGFHGF AND GET FGHGFHG
(the parser will stop executing the command after it
 determines that "DFGGFHGF" is not a valid noun).

Note that multiple articles such as "and then" are
not permitted. If you must use an article, please
use only one (i.e. "and","then","in" or "from").

Most commands are self-explanatory:

Example              Result
----------------------------------------------------
GET BAG              Bag is taken (if there)
LIGHT TORCH          Torch lit 
KILL THIEF           Thief is attacked by player

However, a few commands need explanations... 

PUT
---
Put is used to place an object you are carrying inside of
a bag (you must be carrying the bag). "Put" has a usage as follows:

put <item> in bag

where <item> is any valid object you are CARRYING (that means you
cannot be wielding or wearing the object). You cannot put an object in
anything other than the bag.

GET
---
Get is used to pick up an object. The object can be in the room
or inside of a bag (you must be carrying the bag).

"Get" has multiple uses. 

   (1) The first is: 

       get <item>

This should be obvious. You can get an item that is in the room. 

   (2) The second usage is: 

       get <item> from bag

This works the opposite way as "put <item> in bag". 

   (3) The final usage is: 

       get all

This should also be obvious, where you pick up everything you can 
possibly carry in a room.

All other commands are either two word (wield,unwield,wear,remove,etc) 
or one word (inventory,load,save,n,s,e,w,u,d,etc). Most should be self-
explanatory. For a list of commands during game play, enter "help" 
anytime at the prompt.

=======================================================================
2.2 - How do I pick up items?

General: To pick up an item, enter 'get <item>'. The object (providing
you can carry it) will be then placed in your inventory (type 'i').

Detailed: See the previous Section (2.1) on command usage.

=======================================================================
2.3 - How do I use items?

Items can be manipulated in a number of different ways. The most
obvious ones are 'get' and 'drop'. 'Drop' works in the reverse way
as 'get'. 

Less obvious ways of manipulating objects include:

Wielding an object ('wield <item>')
Wearing an object  ('wear <item>')
Using an object    ('use <item>')
Buying an object   ('buy <item>') - * Must be in village shop
Selling an object  ('sell <item>') - * Must be in village shop

For a complete list of commands during game play, enter 'help' at the
command prompt.

=======================================================================
2.4 - How do I buy and sell?

In order to 'buy' and 'sell' anything, you must be inside the
village shop. There are several shops located throughout the game,
and they all work in virtually the same way (some don't have the
'assess' command). While in the shop, you should type 'list' 
to see what's in stock.

To 'buy' an item, use the following command syntax:

buy <item>

where <item> is anything located in the shop's inventory. Anything
that cannot be purchased will be displayed in dark grey upon
typing 'list'. The 'map' is the only item that is free 
of charge.

Buying an item will place the item in your inventory (providing you
can carry it). The appropriate gold will then be deducted from your
total.  

'Sell' works in much the same way:

sell <item>

where <item> is anything located in your inventory. You cannot
sell anything that is currently being worn or wielded. The Clerk
will give you one-half the shop's list price on the item.

=======================================================================
2.5 - How do I kill monsters?

In order to succeed in Westfront PC, you have to kill monsters at
some point in time. Simply avoiding them will do you no good. Each
monster has special abilities that allow it to be a challenge during
combat. And every monster eventually revives.

Killing monsters is easier than one might think.
To kill a monster, use the following command syntax:

kill <monster>

where <monster> is the name of a monster. The monster *must* be
located within the same room as your character, or an error message
will be displayed.

It is to your advantage to 'wield' a weapon before you fight. Also,
you must learn the 'fighting' skill first before you can kill anything.
Go to the church in the first town and type 'learn fighting' to learn
that skill. Skills will be discussed later on.

=======================================================================
2.6 - How do I gain a level?

Gaining levels not only increases your experience points, but can
also raise both your maximum hit points and your magic points. Since
survival is key, it is advised that you gain as many levels as possible
before finishing the later quests.

In order to gain a level, you must kill monsters. Killing monsters
is a somewhat difficult task, especially at lower levels. Fortunately,
there is a tavern in each town which provides drinks that heal you
a pre-determined amount. For directions on how to buy drinks at 
the tavern, please skip to Section 2.9.

Also, the bodyguard Faldor can gain levels! You'll need to find both
the rope and grappler hook to climb up a tree in the forest south of
the first town. When you do, you'll find a Hobbit (hopefully) in the
upstairs hut. To talk to him, type 'say hello' at the prompt.

=======================================================================
2.7 - What are skills? How do I learn them?

'Skills' are special abilities that allow your character to perform
specific actions. Without any skills, your character would just
wonder around and not be able to do anything. So it is to your
advantage to learn as many skills as possible.

There are 4 skills total that you must learn. They include:

Skill            Cost              What it does
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting         100 coins          Allows you to fight
Magic            200 coins          Allows spell casting*
Assess           1000 coins         Shows monster's condition
Power Up         2000 coins         Gives you full hit points

* - Requires the 'spellbook' to cast spells.    

Skills are learned be typing 'learn' while in the village church. To
see what skills you already have, you can also type 'skills' while
inside the church.

=======================================================================
2.8 - How do I cast spells?

Spell casting is a special ability which allows the player to
do a variety of otherwise impossible actions. Spells are very
powerful and require the use of a 'spellbook'. Not all spells
can be used on monsters, while others can only be used on the
player. Spells can ONLY be used during combat.

During combat, you have a menu entitled:

(F)ight, (C)ast, (R)un?_

To cast a spell, type 'c' and then press enter. If you have a 
spellbook, another menu should appear such as follows:

Spells you can cast:

1. Heal

Enter spell:

At the above prompt, you would enter '1'. The success or failure
rate of a spell is as follows:

Spell           Success rate           What it does           Damage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fireball                 40%-45%       Casts a fireball        24-40 
Heal                     45-50         Heals player            hp varies
Tornado                  40-45%        Launches a tornado      13-117
Sleep                    20-25%        Puts monster to sleep    --
Rain                     25-30%        Rains fireballs         20-???
Earthquake               20-25%        Swallows monster        Death
Health                   30-33%        Heals player            Full hp            
??                       35-40%        ??                      50-???
??                       18-22%        ??                      Death

=======================================================================
2.9 - How do I buy drinks? What does 'praying' do?

Buying Drinks
-------------

It is essential to buy drinks from the tavern when at all possible.
Doing so should insure your survival in Westfront PC. 

To buy drinks, you must be inside the tavern in any town. Once there,
type 'list' to see what the tavern sells. You should see the following
menu items displayed:

(1) Gin and Tonic  (+10 hp,+ 5 mp)     25 coins
(2) Vodka Lovers   (+45 hp,+20 mp)     75 coins
(3) Wizard's Potion(+75 hp,+35 mp)    250 coins
(4) Drunk's delight(+250 hp,+100 mp)  575 coins
(5) Nirvana Trip   (+500 hp,+250 mp)  700 coins
(6) Food           (600 moves)         80 coins
(7) Water          (400 moves)         70 coins
Enter selection (1-7),'0' for no sale or (99) - What can I afford?_

You have several options here. You can enter in numbers 1-7 to buy
a drink; '0' to abort the sale; and '99' to see what you can currently
afford (works the same way as 'list' command in shop). Don't forget
to press the 'enter' key after each number.

Praying
-------
                        
The only drawback to buying drinks is that they cost alot of money.
Early on in the game, it is obvious that you probably won't have
enough to purchase even the cheapest of drinks. The only way to
solve this is to use a special command in the village church
entitled 'pray'.

'Pray'ing allows the player to gain full hit points AND full magic
points with no deduction in gold. However, 'pray'ing does not
work after level 4.

=======================================================================
QUESTS (Sections 3.0-3.3)
=======================================================================
3.0 - How many quests are there?

This game has 20 quests that you must complete (in order) to win
Westfront PC. They are posted on a bulletin board in the village
guild. Type 'read board' to read the bulletin board.

Some of these quests can be completed ahead of schedule, depending on 
where you are in the game. My only regret is that I couldn't have 
added more.

=======================================================================
3.1 - Which quests should I do first?

The first one. :)

Just kidding...

Do whichever quest you feel you can handle first. Be advised, however,
that some quests must be completed in sequential order for the next
one to work.

=======================================================================
3.2 - Are there any hidden quests?

I can't tell you. :) Doing so would spoil the fun of finding them.

=======================================================================
3.3 - Does your level affect quest completion?

No. Your level does not affect what's quest you can or cannot
complete. It is advised, however, that you are a high level before
you complete the higher numbered quests.

=======================================================================
MISCELLANEOUS (Sections 4.0-4.9)
=======================================================================
4.0 - What penalties involve being killed?

The following was taken from the old text file:

PENALTIES AND PURGATORY

Early on in Westfront's development, I decided to just end the game if
a player died. All he/she would have to do is restart the game from
where it was last saved. No more...

Now if the player dies, they remain in purgatory until they can find
a way out. Also, all their gold is taken away but their equipment and
items remain with them.

You have to find a way out before you can 'return' to life. Try
examining the room description for clues.

=======================================================================
4.1 - What exactly is purgatory?

'Purgatory' is a special place of limbo that is neither alive nor
dead. I guess you could say you can't do much, but you aren't dead
either so count your blessings. There is only one way out of
Purgatory.

=======================================================================
4.2 - How do I get out of purgatory?

In order to get out of purgatory, you must read the room description
very carefully. There is a clue as to how to get out contained within
the description. 

=======================================================================
4.3 - How do I get the wolf to join my party?

The wolf is a feisty little bugger! :) If you think like a wolf, you
should be able to figure it out. It involves the 'give' command in
the same usage as put ('give <item> to wolf').

=======================================================================
4.4 - How do I get the warrior to join my party?

(See above). Except remember that humans are greedy.

=======================================================================
4.5 - How do I avoid the thief?

Answer: You can't. The thief will wander around randomly and occasionally
will steal from you. The best way to avoid the thief is to stay in one
place for an extended period of time. To get back what he stole, kill
the thief.

=======================================================================
4.6 - How do I avoid Inspector Funkydog?

Answer: You can't. Inspector Funkydog is a relentless detective. Until
he finds his suspect, you can be sure he'll nab you by mistake. Just
answer his questions truthfully and he'll probably let you off easy.

=======================================================================
4.7 - What happens if you answer Funkydog's questions incorrectly?

Answer: He handcuffs you and halls you away to the dungeon. You lose
everything you are carrying and all of your gold as well. It's a 
hefty penalty, so don't answer incorrectly. :)

=======================================================================
4.8 - Can Inspector Funkydog be killed?

Answer: No. Although he moves around similar to the thief, he is not
an actual monster in the game. 

=======================================================================
4.9 - Hints and tips

Below is a short hints and tips list to help get you started. It is
reprinted from the original text file.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Here are some secrets to get you started:

1) There is a church in the first town that will allow you to 'pray'. By
doing this you regain lost hit points and magic points.

2) Armor is important. Without it, you will perish very quickly.

3) Examine everything! Some clues are hidden in the meanings of words
in the room descriptions.

4) There is a barbarian in the second town who will allow you to 'train'
with him. You gain experience towards your next level and he even is nice
enough to pay you money for your troubles. Don't worry, you don't actually
die (even though it says you do). You are dropped down to 1 hp. :)

5) There is a wolf that will fight alongside you, but you must appease him
first before he joins your party.

6) There is also a mythical beast who can help you.

7) The Jester cannot be killed. 

8) There's a special 'reward' for people who kill over 50 monsters. :)

=======================================================================
CLOSING (Sections 5.0-5.1)
=======================================================================
5.0 - Known bugs in the game

A few known errors and/or quirks that you should be aware of:

1) Almost everything described within the room descriptions, although
present, cannot be examined. This is because I was limited by program
space and was forced to throw out any misc. stuff that might have
prevented me from finishing the game. Sorry, but when I get around
to programming this game in a language other than cobol, this will
remain as such.

2) There is a cabin in the forest that lets you go down twice to return
to the exact place you entered. Normally, this is not possible, esp.
in real life, but it was put in place to confuse the player.

3) All Westfront PC versions from 5.66 to 5.70c contained an error
which made loading a saved game after depositing gold in your piggy
bank impossible. This has been fixed in versions from 5.71 on. Sorry
for the inconvenience.

That's about all I know. If you have any more that you find, please
e-mail me:dunric@yahoo.com

=======================================================================
5.1 - Final thoughts

I spell certain words in specific ways. Words like 'amoung' and
'chourus' are spelled that way to give the game an old english-style
in spelling. 

Also, because the program seems to be finicky about commas in .dat 
files, I had to take out all appropriate commas in the room desc-
riptions. So if you write and complain about the grammar, I'll 
have to throw 1.44MB floppy disks like a frisbee at your 
cat. Consider yourself warned! :)

Please feel free to pass on any bugs,errors, additions, modifications, 
or any other helpful advice or suggestions to me at the following 
e-mail address:

dunric@yahoo.com

Thanks! I hope you enjoy playing Westfront PC.

Regards,

Dunric
dunric@yahoo.com
July 31, 1999.

 

