WarWizard(TM) 2 Documentation
(C) COPYRIGHT 1996 MicroGenesis(TM)

Overview of MicroGenesis

     MicroGenesis is currently a team of two programmers, three artists, and a sound 
engineer.  Our first product was the computer role-playing game WarWizard (the demo we 
are submitting is the sequel).  WarWizard was originally programmed for the Amiga and 
intended to be a commercial product.  The significant decline of the Amiga market several 
years back, however, forced us to release WarWizard as shareware.  Recently, we ported it 
to the IBM PC and compatibles, after which it was awarded four out of five stars by Ziff-
Davis Interactive and is available for download on Compuserve, America Online, Prodigy, 
and the Internet.  With WarWizard 2 as our flagship commercial product, our hope is to 
become a small but growing and successful games development house. 

Overview of WarWizard

WarWizard is a classic-style computer role-playing-game (CRPG).  If comparisons are to be 
made, I would consider it within the Dark Sun or Ultima 7 genre.   Some notable 
differences, however, are as follows:  superior resolution, better realism, more advanced 
non-player character artificial intelligence, an easier to use interface, and greater detail 
and number of features.  In designing WarWizard, we examined the positive and negative 
feedback regarding our previous shareware CRPG, studied virtually every review of a 
CRPG in the major games magazines, conducted polls on the Internet, and finally 
incorporated our own unique ideas. 

Installing the Demo

The WarWizard demo requires the following:  8 megabytes of RAM, a VESA compliant 
Super VGA graphics card, approximately 8 megabytes of free hard drive space, and a 386 
or better.  We strongly recommend at least a 486DX2 66mhz machine with local bus 
graphics.  WarWizard uses 640x480x256 graphics, so if your graphics card requires that 
you load a VESA driver first (some do, some don't), please do so.   Next, create a directory 
on your hard drive, go to that directory, copy the .zip file to that directory, and use 
pkunzip to install WarWizard.  Please make sure that pkunzip is in your path and that 
your computer meets the requirements.  Then enter WW2 to run the demo.  If you have 
any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us:  our email address is 
bmcquaid@cts.com.

How to Play

When the game appears on your screen, please take a moment to examine it.

The top right box depicts the time of day.  There are 18 periods, each representing noon, 
midnight, or some time in between.

Underneath the time box is the character information box.  The image on the left informs 
you as to which member in your party you are examining (currently it is yourself, in that 
you are alone).  The portrait image on the right changes as your status does, eg. healthy, 
poisoned, asleep, dead, etc.   In between is a plaque which displays the character's name. 
The number to the left of the scale is the maximum weight you can carry based on your 
strength, and to the right is the total weight you are currently carrying.  Under that is the 
total food and total gold.  The gauge at the bottom is your level of fatigue.

Next on the way down are eight buttons which bring up what we call sub-screens.  The 
first and default is the body, followed by hands, status, combat, magic, camp, transact, 
and notes.  Each sub-screen is displayed underneath these buttons and will be explained 
in either the current features or future features section.

On the bottom left of the screen is the target box.  This displays information unique to 
whatever is currently targeted, such as a door, a sword, another character, etc.  If you hit 
the letter 'm', it will toggle between the target box and tactical box.  The tactical allows 
you to see even farther than what you can in the main view.  You may click and drag 
within this box to move the main view around as well.

On the bottom right is the scroll box, which displays messages to you like 'the door is 
closed' or 'you cannot walk through the wall.'  It keeps track of the last 80 messages and 
you may scroll through them by clicking on the top and bottom portions of the scroll.  
Using the left mouse button brings you one line up or down, while the right brings you all 
the way to the top or bottom.  The most recent message is white in color and the 
remainder red.

Now that you are familiar with the screen's layout, try clicking on a few things, such as 
the grass surrounding you or even yourself in the center of the view.  Next try walking 
around using the arrow keys or the numeric keypad -- you may move north, south, east, 
west and diagonally.  

The mouse interface, which uses both the left and right mouse buttons, has a common 
theme to it.  The left mouse button selects or targets, while the right uses, searches, or 
talks to.  For example, if you right click on a door it will close or open, a light will turn on 
or off, a sword will attack, a chest or bag will open and close.  Right click on a person and 
if he is dead you will search him, but if alive you will talk to him.  Let's say you wanted to 
attack a person -- first you would target him with the left button and then you would right 
click on the weapon you wanted to use on him.  If you wish to open a locked door and 
happen to possess the correct key, first left click on the door and then right click on the 
key.  Finally, to move something, you left click, hold down, and drag and drop.

Demo Highlights

There are a few things in the demo which we really encourage you to try:

1. Look for some people/creatures to join your party.  Not everyone will join, but there are 
a few who are fun to try out.  For instance, head to the cemetery, click on one of the dogs 
or bats and then hit the 'j' key.  Then go to the combat sub-screen (click on the little 
sword button) and try moving your party members around.  Also, walk around a few 
obstacles or through an area that forces your party to travel single-file.

2. While you are in the cemetery, explore the crypts and find a stairway down to a little 
dungeon.  It's a nice way to find treasure and at the same time a bit of combat.

3. Head to the center of the palace, which is in the center of the castle.  There you will find 
the king and queen.  Just for fun, try to kill either of the regents and watch how their 
guards react.   If you'd like to survive a bit longer, turn on cheat mode (hit shift-i).

4. To the north-east of the shops is an area we call the arena, where various conjurers 
have practiced their art.  You'll find all sorts of exotic beings, including rock giants and 
elementals.

Current Features in the Demo 

Doing Business
When you enter a merchant's shop, for instance the weaponsmith or the alchemist, you'll 
usually find a set of tables on which are the items for sale.  To purchase an item, simply 
drag it to your backpack.  A window will appear displaying the merchant's price, to which 
you can respond by accepting, declining, or stealing.  By the way, if you steal and his 
guard is present, be prepared for conflict.  To sell an item, drag and drop it onto the 
merchant himself.  He will then offer you the value of the item.  Note also that if you 
attempt to take something that belongs to a person who is not a merchant, you only have 
the option of returning it or stealing.

Combat
For the demo, combat is only real time.  The finished version will allow the player to select 
his preference:  real time or turn-based.  In either case, the player controls the 
WarWizard, and the computer will control your opponents as well as your party members. 
 Preferences as to how your party members will do battle will be selected in the combat 
sub-screen.  To attack a character, select him (left click) and then use a weapon you have 
wielded (right click).  If you are in range and hit him, a small image will appear for a 
moment indicating how much damage was done as well as to where the damage was 
done.

Items & Containers
Some items can be picked up and carried, while others cannot.  Chests, crates, bags, 
quivers, etc. can be opened by using them (right click).  Some items can only be used if 
possessed by the player, or wielded.  Also, while you can select (left click) on any item you 
can see, you may only pick one up if you are next to it.

NPC AI
The intelligence of the characters and creatures in WarWizard who are not under your 
control is very sophisticated.  They are controlled by a scripting language, and each NPC 
can have a variable number of commands.  For instance, a merchant can have a set of 
commands that tell him to get up in the morning, leave his house, lock his door, head to 
his place of business, open the door, await business, etc.  These commands are controlled 
by the time of day as well as other conditions.  Also, each NPC has the intelligence to find 
his way around objects and people.

Darkness and Visibility
Unlike many CRPGs, our use of both darkness and visibility stresses realism, which we 
feel creates more challenging and intriguing game play.  Darkness is usually handled by 
dimming the palette, which really minimally changes the gaming environment.  In 
WarWizard, you cannot see into a dark area at all.  Torches, lanterns, and other light 
sources have differing ranges.  Exploring a dungeon can be much more terrifying, in that 
you know a spectre might hiding in the darkened corner that your candle's light cannot 
reach.  Visibility is also more realistic and adds to the fun of exploring.  In the more recent 
Ultimas, once you've entered a house, the roof disappears on all the neighboring houses 
as well.  Dark Sun is even more extreme -- you have your own personal spy satellite that 
allows you to scroll throughout the area whether you've been there or not.  WarWizard is 
different, in that what you can see is based on line of sight.  If there is a wall in your way, 
the other side  remains a mystery until you've found a way around it.  

Building your Party
To demonstrate the idea behind party members, target a character (left click on him), and 
hit the 'j' key.  If that character is willing to join your party, he will do so.  If not, you will 
be informed by a message in the scroll box.  Please click on the combat sub-screen icon 
(the sword) and drag and drop your party members around.  When the game is complete, 
the player will ask a character to join by transacting with him.

Loading/Saving/Exiting Games
If you want to save or load a game in the demo, hit 'S' or 'L' respectively.  To quit back to 
DOS, hit 'q'.  In the finished product, you will have the option the save and load multiple 
games as well as enter a description of that saved game.

Sub-screens

Body
The body sub-screen has many stone boxes.  The five on the top will represent those 
spells you currently have memorized.  The remainder indicate what you are wearing and 
carrying.  Each body location is depicted, as well as your backpack which can carry up to 
eight items.  When you find an item, for instance a dagger, left click on it in the view, hold 
down, drag it to one of your hands, and then let go.  You are now wielding a wicked blade! 
 Please note that it will not allow you to put a helmet on your foot or some such, and will 
also not allow you to wield both a two-handed weapon and a one-handed simultaneously.

Hands
The hands sub-screen in similar to the body, except it depicts the fingers and allows you 
to place rings on them.  Rings of invisibility, protection, fireballs, etc. can be found.

Status
The status sub-screen displays the character's attributes (strength, dexterity, etc.) at the 
top.  In the center, hit points by body location are shown.  What you wear protects a 
particular body location, and both you and your enemies can choose to where they wish 
to do damage (for the demo this is random).  If one of your hands reaches zero, you will 
not be able to use a weapon it holds, and if your legs reach zero you will be unable to 
walk.  Anywhere else, and you are dead.  An axe and shield are also present, displaying 
your attack mode and armor class, which are the bonuses you receive based on 
attributes, spells, etc. when you attack or defend.  Last is a space where books will 
appear, indicating those languages you learn during your adventure.  The more you know, 
the more varied the creatures will be with whom you may speak.

Combat
The combat screen currently depicts nine stone boxes with you at the center.  When other 
characters join your party they will appear in one of the remaining free slots.   You may 
rearrange the position of both you and your party members by dragging and dropping 
with the left mouse button.   There will be additional features on this sub-screen, which 
are explained in the future features section.
 
Future Features in the Finished Product

Sound
We have a license to use the HMI Sound Operating System, and the finished product will 
contain both digital samples as well as several original MIDI soundtracks written 
exclusively for the game.  The HMI library supports virtually all the major sound cards, 
including Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, ProAudio Spectrum 16, GUS, etc.

Auto-mapping
Mapping will have two aspects in WarWizard.  First, as in most modern CRPGs, the game 
records where you have been and allows you to view a map depicting this.  Another less 
common feature of WarWizard are cartographer shops.  There you can purchase maps of 
regions you have never been to and view them.  And as a time-saver, you will be able to 
click on an explored section of a map and go there.  Time is accelerated and will only be 
interrupted if you run across something important or are attacked en route.  This allows 
for a large world to explore but at the same time removes the tediousness of walking 
across that empty desert yet again.  Also, the player will be able to attach small notes to 
specific locations on a map, e.g. 'all the goblins live here'.  Some of the programming is in 
place, so you can view a portion of the auto-mapping by pressing 'M'.  This will bring up a 
small screen over the view.  Next press '/' to view where you have been in this region and 
'?' to view the entire region (as if you had purchased a full map).

Enchanted Items
Items, such as weapons, can be mundane, or cast spells, or offer special protection 
against dragons, and so on.  These special abilities can only be identified by the correct 
spell, or by taking this item to an enchanter who specializes in identifying magical objects.

Beds & Chairs
Currently, if you place your character on a bed or chair, he will simply walk on it or 
behind it.  The finished version will change the image of the character so that he appears 
to be laying down or sitting.

Sub-screens

Combat
The combat sub-screen will contain several controls, including the body location of a 
target you prefer to hit, and the ability to give orders to your party members.  Basically, 
any setting related to combat will be here.

Magic
The magic sub-screen will allow you to do several things.  If you find or purchase a new 
spell, it will almost always be in the form of a scroll.  This sub-screen allows you to 
inscribe these scrolls into your magic book.  You may then flip through your book, viewing 
all of your spells and information describing them.  Lastly, while camping, you will be able 
to drag a spell from your book to one of the five slots at the top of sub-screen, thereby 
memorizing them (they are then ready to cast).

Camp
Camping allows your party to rest, lowering their level of fatigue.  Spells may be 
memorized, party members can hunt for food, guards can be put on watch, etc.

Transact
We plan on taking an unusual and powerful approach to talking to others.  Instead of 
having several predefined questions appear on the screen, we will allow the player to type 
in questions.  This will be run through a parser similar to the old Zork games, and the 
character will answer accordingly.  To remove the hassle of typing 'what is your name' a 
million times, the transact sub-screen will allow the player to enter and save his ten most 
commonly asked questions and assign them to a function key. 

Notes
This sub-screen allows the player to save notes.  They can either be typed in, or pasted in 
from the scroll box or even from the transact window that appears when you are 
conversing with someone.  Instead of scribbling down clues and such on a note pad, the 
player simply views the notes sub-screen, which will also will have a word search feature. 
 Also, game saving, loading, and exiting functions will be accessible here.

Beyond the Finished Game

In developing WarWizard, we thought a lot about where games development is now and 
where it is going.  We purposefully kept the graphics and sound calls separate, 
anticipating porting to Win95 using the Games SDK as well as any other viable platform 
in the future.  Also, many of the hooks necessary to make WarWizard a multiplayer game 
(network and/or modem) are already in place.  The core engine is very flexible, so much so 
that we anticipate using it or an enhanced version in future games.
 



 

 


