Alivesoft
Presents ... A N I M A L Q U E S T (tm)
Welcome, you are about to experience nature through an animal's eyes.
Animal Quest is a fun game for any age. First you select what animal you
would like to become and then you try to cross your habitat collecting as
many energy tokens as possible by capturing your prey while avoiding your
predators and outsmarting your competitors.
Animal Quest is a never ending adventure in the fascinating world of
Nature. All animals are placed randomly at different screens so that
each game is unique and unpredictable, challenging you every time.
Animal Quest is also a realistic simulation of food chain Ecology. The
rules of the game are based on factual prey and predator
relationships. A truly Educational game that balances gaming with
learning. To play the game you must first learn who is your prey and
who are your predators.
Animal Quest features four different animal games to choose from:
Forest animals, Ocean animals, Jungle animals and young lions vs hyenas.
It includes three difficulty levels to choose from, each providing
increasingly more challenging games, score-keeping, on-line help, easy
Icon-based input and extensive information on each animal and plant.
INDEX
1.................. DISCLAIMER & LIMITED WARRANTY
2.................. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
3.................. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS
4.................. GAME OPERATION
5.................. DOCUMENTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1. DISCLAIMER & LIMITED WARRANTY
This program is provided "as is" and it is without warranty of any
kind that it will work correctly in all situations. No liability
shall be assumed for direct or consequential damage caused by the
use of this software. Defective media returned by the purchaser
within thirty days after the date of purchase will be replaced free
of charge, provided that the returned media has not been subjected
to misuse or damage.
2. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Your copy of ANIMAL QUEST is licensed for use on a single computer
system only. You may make archival copies of the program for the
sole purpose of backing-up and protecting your investment from loss.
Any commercial use of the program without prior written permission
from the author is prohibited. The source code, object code, library
images and manuals on paper or on disk, are (C) Copyright 1991-96 by
Alivesoft. Game concept by Nancy Ayash. Programming, graphics
and sound by Bill Dedes.
Page 1 of 4
3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND OPTIONS
REQUIRES: PC 386+ compatible with 640K memory and a VGA or EGA card.
Will work under DOS or MS Windows.
OPTIONAL: Microsoft Mouse or compatible.
Sound Effect support for SoundBlaster compatibles and
the PC internal speaker.
4. GAME OPERATION
4.1 CFG_AQ
Run CFG_AQ.EXE only if you wish to change the game settings. Use
the arrow keys to move the highlight, press ENTER to accept a
change, press ESC to cancel an entry.
* Select a sound device: no sound, PC speaker or SoundBlaster card.
* Select a music option: no music, PC music or SoundBlaster.
* Select a pointing device option, Mouse or Keyboard.
* Finally select Save Setup. This will create a configuration file
named AQ.CFG The purpose of AQ.CFG is to simply save the above
selected preferences for future executions of the program. From
then on simply type AQ <Enter> to start the game.
4.2 GENERAL OPERATION
---------
Keyboard: Use the Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys to move around
--------- and press <Enter> or <Spacebar> to accept selections.
Mouse : To select an option just point the mouse cursor on it and
--------- click.
--------
TO START To start the game just type AQ and press <Enter>
-------- Then you will see the opening screen and hear the music theme.
You may press a key or press a mouse button to skip through it next time.
Then select one of the three habitats. Now you are ready to play.
----------
NEW GAME Then you select which animal you like from three levels
---------- of difficulty.
1. Easy Level: These animals are strong or fast predators and therefore
they have few or no enemies. In this level just follow, your hunting
instincts. This level is recommended for young children or beginners.
2. Medium Level: These animals are mini predators with some enemies
and competitors, so it takes logic and thinking to stay alive.
3. Difficult Level: These animals are at the bottom of the Food chain
and therefore constantly fighting for survival. Try this Level for a
real Challenging game, you are neither strong nor fast. Your only
weapons are your intelligence and your luck.
Page 2 of 4
4.3 CONTROLS
:--------------:
: QUESTIONMARK : On-line help explaining the game and operation.
:-F1-----------:
:--------------: Food Chain information about animals and plants.
: CHAIN : Select this option and point at any animal on the
:-F2-----------: board to learn about its prey and predators.
:--------------: Facts about animals, plants or places of the current
: ZOOM LENS : game habitat. Exploring facts about the animals is
:-F3-----------: essential for learning and playing the game.
:--------------:
: MUSIC NOTES : Turns the sound ON or OFF, if sound was activated
:-F5-----------: to begin with.
:--------------: Turns the Grid ON or OFF. When the Grid is ON the
: FENCE : game plays like a board game, so you can focus on the
:-F6-----------: logic. When it is OFF the game plays faster.
:--------------:
: THUNDERBOLT : Breaks the current game and starts a new one.
:-F10----------:
:--------------:
: STOP SIGN : Quits the game and exits to the system.
:-ESC----------:
4.4 THE AIM OF THE GAME
Become one of your favorite animals and try to survive, capture as many
prey animals as you can while avoiding your predators. Every time you
capture an animal you get energy tokens ( Calories ) . When you are
captured by a predator you lose twenty energy tokens, so the only
penalty is that your final score will not be as high. You move from West
to East. When you reach the end of a screen you move to the next one.
There is a total of twelve screens to cross. In the last screen your
family will be waiting for you and the highest score is recorded in the
Hall Of Fame.
SCORING : Your current Score is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
The accumulated energy tokens stack up until you have collected over 50,
then you are fully "energized" and can move diagonally as well, thus
surprising your prey or escaping your enemies more easily.
TIPS: don't overlook the importance of the "skip a turn" option. Use it
whenever you are stuck or when any other move will result in your
capture. To "skip a turn", when using the keyboard: press <Spacebar>,
when using the mouse: click on your animal itself.
If a predator blocks your path, get close enough, so when it follows
you, you try to lead it away from the path, turn around and escape. If
more than one predators are near by, try to distract them one at a time.
Page 3 of 4
4.5 ANIMAL QUEST's GAME PHILOSOPHY
* Redeeming value: you play and learn facts about basic Ecology. It
encourages further reading on Nature and animals.
* Positive and Socially responsible: depicts conflict but no violence.
You identify with the animal's struggle to survive by selecting any
animal you wish.
* Great use of graphics and sound to create the illusion of life.
* Challenges your logic skills, not your mechanical reflexes.
* A game for any age, select a level according to your capability.
Page 4 of 4
