Creature

1989 Actionware

Manual
Distress calls received from deep space report hostile alien life forms, and you are the only space security captain within range. A spaceship, a space station and a lunar base have been attacked and only you can save them from complete destruction. As you make your journey towards them, you wonder what you're up against. Are you prepared to battle vicious beastoids, alien attack-droids, and deadly acid leaks on your own? Unfortunately, that's the way it has to be. Nearing the first ship, your heart races, beating faster and harder with each passing moment. Before losing contact, the message stated that a reactor was set to self-destruct to prevent the ship from falling into alien hands. Where is the reactor? And how soon will it go off? These are just a few of the uncertainties, for what you are really up against is still a mystery. Rumors describe an unstoppable beast that lurks within the walls of the space station. This may turn out to be your worst (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? nightmare, for it is... C R E A T U R E ATTENTION For those who can't control the urge to play Creature without reading the manual be advised that your goal to destroy the Mother Creature will take more than just shooting everything that moves. Briefly, you must go to the ship, get important material, disarm the nuclear reactor and then put the explosives in the teleporter room on the moon. Good Luck!!! REMEMBER If all else fails, read this manual. Quick References ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Complete descriptions of the following are referenced in this manual, they are repeated here for quick reference. (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? Space Bar............Toggle Pause on/off. ESC Key..............Stops game and brings you back from control panel screen to start again. A....................To AIM (Calibrate) your gun from control panel screen. 1 or 2...............To select which gun to AIM (Calibrate). M....................Fire Master (Smart Bomb) Arrow Keys...........To control your flight using the Space Jet. Left Mouse Button....Fire phaser. Right Mouse Button...Change direction. Important Notices ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MEMORY REQUIREMENTS. Creature requires 512K of memory. Additional sound effects and enhanced graphics are automatically available in 1 meg machines. DISK DRIVES. Each floppy disk drive or hard disk you have requires (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? some of the computer's memory. Creature will work in a 512K AMIGA with up to two drives connected. If you have more drives you may find you need to remove the additional drives. If you have a hard drive with 512K and multiple partitions, you may also run out of memory. DEMO MODE. A continuous demo starts from the Creature title screen when no input is sensed for approximately 30 seconds. If the demo mode begins, just press the gun trigger or left mouse button to begin. SKIPPING THE INTRO. Once you have seen the introduction sequence, you may skip it by hitting the left mouse button, or pulling the phaser gun trigger. PAUSE. to start. To pause the game hit the keyboard's "Space Bar", hit again

HIGH SCORE TABLE. Creature lets you save the top players. If the disk is write protected, the top players will be saved only for the playing session. If the disk is write enabled, the top players scores are saved to disk for future reference. (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)?

GUN USERS. The Actionware Phaser gun makes games very unique. Capone, POW, and SideShow are perfect examples. Creature also makes use of the gun. DUAL GUN USERS. Creature allow users with 2 phaser guns and the dual gun interface to play simultaneously like previous gun games Capone and POW. See directions for proper connection of the dual gun interface. SOUND EFFECTS. For best results connect your AMIGA to a Stereo System with good bass response and pump up the volume. AMIGA Loading Instructions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) Turn on your AMIGA and monitor in the normal manner. Insert Creature disk ORBIT1 into the internal drive (df0:) when the display prompts for a WORKBENCH disk, AMIGA 1000 users must insert the KickStart disk first. 2) Using your mouse move the pointer to the Program Disk Icon and double (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? click. When the Creature icon appears double-click on it and the program will begin. 3) Choosing your weapon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Assuming you have your gun or mouse connected as indicated elsewhere in this manual, the program detects your weapon at the Creature Title Screen. Press the left mouse button or pull the gun trigger to select mouse or gun respectively. Note: You will be required to insert the ORBIT 2 disk. convenience you will no longer need the ORBIT 1 disk. For your

Mouse users skip to instruction 6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4) 1 or 2 Gun Players (Not available in Mouse Mode) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Only users with 2 Phaser Guns and the Dual Gun interface can play Creature with a partner simultaneously. To select this mode, using a gun shoot at the PLAYER 2 area on the control panel. Shoot again to toggle back to single player/ (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? 5) AIMING (GUNSIGHT CALIBRATION) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the control panel screen press the letter "A" (not the AMIGA key). The aiming screen will appear. Aim your gun at the center of the crosshairs, then press (and hold) the gun trigger. The shot will follow your gun's aim. Repeatedly strike the arrow keys to align your shot. Note: we say repeatedly because the increments of movement are small. Don't be worried if your gun shots jump around; this movement is normal. When your sights are calibrated, hit the SPACE BAR to continue. If you are using two guns with the DUAL GUN INTERFACE, each player will have the opportunity to aim (calibrate) his or her gun sights seperately by pressing the 1 or 2 key to select either gun. 6) Select Destination ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After you have selected a destination, you will be asked to consult your codewheel. (Not anymore, this sucker has been cracked) HARD DISK INSTALLATION (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The program SETUP located on the Orbit 1 disk moves Creature to a hard disk. With disk ORBIT 1 inserted in DF0:. From the CLI type SETUP or from the WORKBENCH double click on the SETUP icon. Under the SETUP menu select INSTALL, you will be prompted for the proper action to perform. YOUR MISSION ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Responding to the distress call, you hurry to save a spaceship, a space station, and the lunar base that have become infested with Creatures. Armed only with your light phaser gun, you make your way onto the ship. Finding nothing valuable, the Creature has abandoned the ship, but it left behind its own guard dogs, beastoids that fire weapons to protect their evil master. You must survive their attack to find life sustaining supplies and the key needed to disarm the reactor. Upon retrieving these important supplies, you must quickly leave the ship and return to the docking bay to get back to your own spaceship and begin the short ride to the terror-filled space station. You quickly realize that your stay on the space station will not be (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? pleasant, for the danger here is much greater and your task more lifethreatening. You must gather more essential supplies, but more importantly, you must disarm the reactor before it self-destructs. You

have the key, but where is the reactor? No one said these missions were easy! What makes your job so difficult are the surprises the aliens left behind: alien attack-droids, acid leaks, and more vicious beastoids. Once you've succeeded in disarming the reactor, you must survive long enough to make your way back out. As you head towards the underground station, you realize that you have yet to see the Creature. It doesn't take much common sense to figure out where it's hiding and that worries you. How much worse can it get? When you land on the planet's surface, you are relieved to see that a space-scooter has been left behind. You cautiously board the scooter and begin your descent down the shaft and towards the lunar base. After fighting your way down the shaft and along the tunnel, you reach the base itself, where you finally encounter the dreaded Creature. You quickly realize that your worst fears were nothing compared to reality. The Creature can't be killed! Your light phaser can only stun it! Repeat hits will prolong its dormant state, but that won't make your job easy. Ward off the aliens' attack while looking for (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? more provisions and the explosives needed to destroy the transportation unit that the Creature will otherwise use to send for more of his own kind. Place the explosives by the unit and set the timer. However, there will be Queen Creatures lurking in many of the store rooms that will try to prevent you from collecting the items you need. If you can, make it back to the moon's surface with your supplies and your mission will be declared victorious! (Piece of cake). The Scoreboard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the top of the screen is located a box which indicates important supply levels. The levels are Energy 1, Energy 2, Distance, Damage, Air and Fuel. A solid green line means a full supply, but as the supply id depleted, it begins to turn red becoming a solid red line on empty. Keep an eye on those because if vital supplies such as air or damage reach a full red line your mission will come to a quick end. ENERGY 1 and 2 refers to the charge left on your light phaser. Replenish your supply by finding energy hidden on board the ships. DISTANCE indicates how far away you are from exits. It is also used as you are traveling through the shaft and the tunnel. It shows (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? relatively how far you have gone through the shaft or tunnel and how much farther there is to the end. DAMAGE level indicates how badly you have been hurt. Being hit by the beastoids' and the Creature's missiles, the droids' plasma bolts, and the acid drips will increase your damage level and it may become great enough to kill you. Your damage level will decrease slowly over time if you protect yourself well enough to heal. AIR supply is measured by this level indicator. You must find oxygen to stay alive long enough to finish your mission! FUEL is almost as crucial as oxygen for the completion of your mission. You may not be able to leave the ships without finding more fuel because you will use up your own fuel supply each time you travel between ships. The CLONE indicator tells you how many lives you have left. Upon hearing the distress call, you started making clones of yourself realizing that you needed all the help you could get. By the time you reached the first ship, the cloning devices on your ship had only made 2 clones. Thus, you begin the game with 3 lives. Each time you are killed, a new clone boards the ship to continue your mission. Additional clones of yourself are produced each time you get 15,000 (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? points. The CLOCK is a timer that lets you know how long you have been on your mission. The clock is crucial when you are on the space station because it tells you how much longer you have before the reactor self-destructs! On the lunar base the clock begins to count down once you have placed the bomb, giving you just minutes to get more energy and get out! The MAP window shows the route you have taken on the ship. You are indicated by a red dot which moves as you do trailing a green line showing your course. This is especially helpful when you make your way back out of the ships. The MASER BOMBS indicates the number of masers (smart bombs) available. A Maser destroys all harmful creatures except the Mother. Strike the "M" key on the keyboard to activate. OBJECT POINTS COMMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Creature 0 Your shots only stun it. Acid pools 100 Nasty, they damage you. Green Beastoids 150 (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? Baby Creature 200 Nasty, they suck your blood. Green Creature Missiles 200 Kill you immediately. Beastoids' Missiles 200 Acid Drips 200 Droids' Plasma Bolts 200 Alien Attack-Droids 250 Requires multiple hits.

Tentacles 500 Disarming Reactor 500 Queen Creature 1000 Destroying Teleportation Unit 1000 Cat -5,000 Girl -5,000

Shot when vertical. Must shoot in heart many times. Don't hit an innocent cat. Be careful!

Hit the PHASER GLOBE whenever possible. This will give your mouse or gun 100 rapid fire shots (like a machine gun). This can come in very handy. Hit the MEDIC DROID whenever possible. you have sustained. This will repair damage that

(Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? CONTROLLING YOUR MOVEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The person in the spacesuit is you. You will automatically walk forward, turning around at dead ends, as well as automatically retrieve supplies from open doors and perform other necessary tasks such as disarming the reactor and placing the explosives by the teleportation unit. You as a player need to do nothing to stimulate these actions. Controlling your movement depends on your weapon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MOUSE USERS. Press the right button of the mouse to turn yourself around (left button is used for shooting). GUN USERS. Change your direction by firing at the bottom of the scoreboard. Firing your gun or mouse is also required to go up and down ladders as well as to open doors. While you are facing a ladder, fire at its base to go down it or fire at its top to go up. You may also change direction while on the ladder. (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? Hints 1. Don't waste bullets. 2. Don't waste time, the more time you take gives the Creatures more time to multiply. 3. Be careful at what you are shooting at. There are both good and bad objects to hit. 4. When you find yourself blinking, you cannot die, take advantage of your omnipotence. 5. Don't let the Beastoids or Creatures get you, they will tear you to shreds. Putting Yourself in Space (The Death Scene) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have made it possible for you to actually put yourself, a friend, or enemy into the Creature Dieing scene. It requires you to paint or digitize yourself using a paint program or a digitizer/camera. It also requires some skill. Here's how: Before making any changes, be sure to backup your disks! (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? There are 3 important files located on the Orbit 1 disk. TEMPLATE.IFF. This file contains the proper palette and size requirements. PLAYER.IFF. This file is the graphic before being attached. SKULL.IFF. This is the graphic after being attached. 1) Use your paint program to load in the TEMPLATE.IFF from Orbit 1. 2) Draw the image you want into the indicated area in the template. The image can be anything you want as long as it fits within the boundaries. 3) IMPORTANT !!! Save only the image youve just painted (not the entire picture) as a brush (not a picture) with the name "PLAYER.IFF". In Deluxe Paint for example, you would capture the image using the BRUSH SELECTOR gadget in the toolbox then save it as a brush. 4) Repeat this again for the "after" graphic and save as (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? "SKULL.IFF". 5) Exit your paint program and return to the CLI or WORKBENCH. 6) With disk Orbit 1 inserted in DF0: from the CLI type SETUP. From the WORKBENCH double click on the SETUP icon. 7) Under the INTERACTOR menu there is ADD PLAYER, ADD SKULL, REMOVE PLAYER, REMOVE SKULL, HARDDISK/FLOPPY (Floppy is

default). 8) To add the new Player Face select ADD PLAYER. The program will look into the current directory for the file PLAYER.IFF and install it in the the game. 9) ADD SKULL installs the Skull face. 10) REMOVE PLAYER, restores the default Player face. 11) REMOVE SKULL, restores the default Skull face. (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? 12) Select QUIT to exit the program. IMPORTANT: We at Actionware think we are breaking new ground in offering this unique ability. We suggest only users familiar with a paint program and manipulating disk files should try this. If you have difficulty, we suggest you consult your local dealer whom we rely on to support our products. Amiga 500 Light Gun Users ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Port 1. Connect Light Gun Here Port 0. Connect Mouse Here Amiga 1000 Light Gun Users ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Port 1. Connect Mouse Here Port 0. Connect Light Gun Here Amiga 2000 Light Gun Users (Pause)...More(y/n/ns)? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Port 1. Connect Light Gun Here Port 0. Connect Mouse Here --Presented by P A R A N O I M I A

For more Amiga documents, visit www.lemonamiga.com