Shadowrun Instruction Manual
0
Code:Shadowrun SNS-WR-USA SHADOWRUN INSTRUCTION MANUAL _______________________________________________________ SHADOWRUN Psst... hey, chummer--need a little extra cred? There's always room for another runner in the sprawl, but only experts need apply. It's a nasty world out there and Shadowrunner wannabes are just waitin' ta get geeked. Still interested? Then stick around--things are just about ta heat up, and there's plenty of nuyen waitin' where the action is. Welcome to the streets of Seattle, more than 50 years into the future. A lot has changed in the last half-century. Most of it for the worst. Arcologies the size of small cities house the giant Megacorps and their employees, who, for the most part, live a pretty safe and routine life. The real action takes place on the streets below--in the shadows. For the right amount of nuyen, you can buy adventurers-for-hire, called Shadowrunners, to do anything. The Shadowrunners range from cutting-edge cyborgs to spell-casting mages, some of whom aren't even human. In fact, Metahumans have played a huge part in this world since the "awakening" years ago, when magical beings such as elves, trolls, dwarves, and orcs began to resurface after lying dormant for centuries. All this results in a constant struggle between magic and technology, a balance that the world desperately fights to maintain. In Shadowrun, you take the role of Jake Armatage, a runner with amnesia who must put the pieces of his own mystery together to stay alive. You'll find help along the way, but never put your trust in anyone--you never can tell who's a;ready been bought and paid for. 1 ______________________________________________________ CONTENTS Starting the Game 3 Name of Controller Parts 3 Game Controls Summary 4 Main Game Menu 5 Playing Shadowrun 7 Status Screen 11 Inventory Sub-Menus 14 Using Weapons and Armor 16 Combat and Shadowrunners 18 Party Status Screen 22 Using Your Magic 23 Skills 25 Resting and Regaining Strength 27 Spending Karma 28 Dialogue Windows 29 Keywords 30 Using the Vidphone 31 The Matrix 32 How to Play the Matrix Game 34 2 _____________________________________________________ STARTING THE GAME 1. Turn off your Super Nintendo Entertainmeny System by sliding the POWER bar away from the Game Pak slot. Plug a game controller into your system. 2. Insert the Shadowrun Game Pak, label facing front, in the system slot. 3. Turn on the system by sliding the POWER bar toward the Game Pak slot. 4. When the title screen appears, you may either wait for the background story to appear, or press START to access the MAIN GAME MENU. NAMES OF CONTROLLER PARTS L BUTTON SELECT R BUTTON X BUTTON | BUTTON | / Control Pad | / | / A BUTTON UP __\__======_______________/_________________======__/__/ / \ / / /\ / \_ / ( ) / \ Control / | | / / \ Pad -------- == == / / / / ( ) ( ) | LEFT | |_| \ / / / / | | \ / \ \ | ( ) / \ / \ _______________\________ | \ / \ / \/ \ \ | \ / \___/__________/\ \ \___|_____\___/ / \ \ | \ / \ \ | \ Control Control Pad START Y BUTTON B BUTTON Pad RIGHT BUTTON LEFT 3 ______________________________________________________ GAME CONTROLS SUMMARY CONTROL PAD * Moves your character in eight directions * Positions the ACTION GLOVE, the MAGIC GLOVE and the CROSS-HAIR. * Positions selection arrow beside options on all game menus. X BUTTON * Brings up the SPELL GLOVE while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. * Casts the currently selected spell where SPELL GLOVE is pointed. Y BUTTON * Directly brings up the ITEMS INVENTORY sub-menu on the STATUS SCREEN. A BUTTON * Brings up the weapon CROSS-HAIR while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. * Fires the currently selected weapon at the target in the CROSS-HAIR. B BUTTON * Brings up the ACTION GLOVE while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. * Activates currently selected action from the ITEM ACTION window. LEFT BUTTON * Directly activates EXAMINE action where the ACTION GLOVE is pointed. * SHORTCUT: Flips to the previous page of KEYWORDS while viewing the VOCABULARY INVENTORY sub-menu. RIGHT BUTTON * Directly activates OPEN on the door the ACTION GLOVE is pointing to. * SHORTCUT: Flips to the next page of KEYWORDS while viewing the VOCABULARY INVENTORY sub-menu. START BUTTON * Press to bring up the STATUS SCREEN while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. * Selects options while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN and OPTIONS screens. SELECT BUTTON * Brings up the PARTY STATUS SCREEN while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. 4 _____________________________________________________ MAIN GAME MENU START NEW GAME To start a new game, use the CONTROL PAD to choose START NEW GAME from the TITLE SCREEN and press the START BUTTON. START SAVED GAME Shadowrun has a battery back-up allowing you to save up to two games at one time. To start from a saved game, choose START SAVED GAME and press the START BUTTON to bring up the RESUME SAVED GAME SCREEN. Now choose your saved game using the Control Pad and press the B BUTTON to begin play on that game. If there is no SAVED GAME stored in a save game slot, the text will appear dim. If there is a SAVED GAME stored in the slots, that game will appear highlighted. OPTIONS Under OPTIONS, you can program your control pad settings and background sound effects, and choose to play in stereo or monophonic sound. CONTROL TYPE : A/B Use this option to select your control type: * CONTROL TYPE A: Left, Right, Up, Down on the CONTROL PAD moves your character diagonally on the screen. * CONTROL TYPE B: Diagonal on the CONTROL PAD moves your character diagonally on the screen. 5 ____________________________________________________ STEREOPHONIC /MONOPHONIC Use this option to select STEREO or MONO sound output. You only need to select MONOPHONIC if your Super Nintendo Entertainment System has a stereo video connector and your TV or monitor only has a mono connector. B.G. MUSIC : FULL / EVENT / OFF The following is a list of the available background music settings you have to choose from. * FULL: Background music plays at all times * EVENT: Background music only plays during important events, or when you talk to certain people. * OFF: No background music plays. * EXIT: EXITS back to the TITLE SCREEN 6 ___________________________________________________ PLAYING SHADOWRUN Wednesday, 8:45 a.m. Officially you don't exist. You awake--head throbbing-- in a body drawer at the city morgue. Disoriented and confused...you've got to pull it together and unravel a deadly puzzle of mystery, murder and mayhem. You alone can shatter the Megaplexes with the data locked inside your brain. Survival depends on your wits and your wayward companions. But only high-caliber firepower can help you avoid a return trip to the morgue. MAIN GAME SCREEN The MAIN GAME SCREEN is where all the action takes place. Moving Use the CONTROL PAD to move along streets, through doorways, down stairs, and into buildings and rooms. Tags The TAG BOX appears in the lower right corner of the screen to identify the item or character your ACTION GLOVE, SPELL GLOVE or CROSS HAIR is positioned on. In order for an action or spell to have any effect, the TAG BOX for the item or character must appear. 7 ____________________________________________________ Action Glove This yellow glove is used to identify the specific characters and items you wish to examine, talk to, pick-up or manipulate in some way. To bring up the ACTION GLOVE, press the B BUTTON. To cancel the ACTION GLOVE, press the B BUTTON again. Spell Glove This gray glove is used to target the character or area you want to cast a spell on. To bring up the SPELL GLOVE, press the X BUTTON. To cast the currently selected spell, press the X BUTTON again. If you do not have magic or do not have a spell selected, the message 'NO SPELL SELECTED' will appear. Press the X BUTTON again to remove this message and continue. (see page 23 for more information on how to use magic). Cross-Hair The CROSS-HAIR is used to target enemies when firing a weapon. To bring up the CROSS-HAIR, press the A BUTTON. (See page 16 for more information on how to use weapons) 8 __________________________________________________ ITEM ACTION WINDOW The ITEM ACTION WINDOW contains various verb commands you can use with specific characters or items. Doors Many of the people and items in Shadowrun can be found behind closed doors. To open a door, press the B BUTTON to bring up the ACTION GLOVE, position it over the door until the tag box appears, then press the B BUTTON again to bring up the ITEM ACTION WINDOW. Now select OPEN from the ITEM ACTION WINDOW to open the door. LOCKED DOORS require that you find the correct key to open them. Once you have a key, you can bring up your ITEMS INVENTORY, choose the key and use it on the door. Items In order to complete your quest successfully, you will need to pick up and use the various items you find along your way. To EXAMINE and PICKUP an item, call up the ACTION GLOVE and position it over the item, press the B BUTTON to bring up the ITEM ACTION window, choose the appropriate action word, then press the B BUTTON to enter that command. Money (Nuyen) To buy the various weapons and items, and to hire the necessary people to complete your quest, you will need to gather a lot of cash. Nuyen, the currency of the day, can be found in many places, for example when an enemy is defeated, in many cases they will leave behind nuyen which you can pick up using the ACTION GLOVE. 9 ____________________________________________________ BUYING AND SELLING ITEMS In order to improve your chances of survival, you will need to take advantage of any items that are up for sale. Should you find an interest in an item, you can EXAMINE it from the ITEM ACTION window to learn more about it before buying. To buy an item, you have to ASK ABOUT... something in your VOCABULARY INVENTORY in order for the seller to offer you the item for sale. When someone offers you an item, they will ask you whether you want to buy it. To buy the item, choose YES from the YES/NO requester box and press the B BUTTON. To sell an item to a buyer, bring up the ITEM ACTION window, choose GIVE from the ITEM ACTION window and then move the ACTION GLOVE over the character you wish to sell the item to. If the character agrees to buy it from you, he/she will offer you money for it. This amount is not negotiable. To sell the item choose YES from the YES/NO requestor box and press the B BUTTON. People There are many characters in the game you should talk to. Some won't give you the time of day, while others will provide you with very important clues (see TALKING TO PEOPLE on page 30). Life Meter Located in the top right corner of the screen is your LIFE METER. The length of this meter is equal to your BODY level. The BODY level dictates the maximum STAMINA points the player can have. The LIFE METER shows the amount of STAMINA POINTS you have remaining. Each time you suffer a hit from an enemy, you lose STAMINA POINTS. When your STAMINA POINTS fall to 0, you will lose your life. For an exact count of how many STAMINA POINTS you have remaining, press the START BUTTON from the MAIN GAME SCREEN to bring up the STATUS SCREEN or the SELECT BUTTON to bring up thr PARTY STATUS SCREEN. 10 _____________________________________________ STATUS SCREEN When you press the START BUTTON, the STATUS SCREEN appears. The STATUS SCREEN shows your condition and allows you to access your various inventory items. The main area of the screen lists your ATTRIBUTE LEVELS, the amount of KARMA and MONEY you have, and which SPELL, WEAPON and ARMOR you are currently using (if any). All INVENTORY items are accessed through the INVENTORY menu. To access an INVENTORY sub-menu, use the CONTROL PAD to move the arrow to the sub-menu you want to view and press the START BUTTON. The INVENTORY sub-menu will appear listing all the items you have for the category you chose. If no items exist in the Inventory sub-menu, the arrow will automatically return to EXIT. To select an item in the INVENTORY sub-menu, use the same procedure described above. To EXIT the STATUS SCREEN and return to the MAIN GAME SCREEN, choose EXIT from the STATUS SCREEN menu or press SELECT to abort out of the STATUS SCREEN. The following is a list of various items in your Inventory. BODY Ranges from Level 0 - 20. Begins on Level 3. The maximum number of STAMINA points you can have is controlled by your BODY level. For example, if you have BODY strength of 7, you can regenerate your STAMINA to a maximum of 70 points. 11 __________________________________________________ STAMINA is the number of hits you can take. Each hit you suffer takes off varying number of STAMINA points. When your STAMINA reaches 0, you will lose your life. MAGIC Ranges from 0 - 20. Begins on level 0. The maximum number of SPELL POINTS you can have is controlled by your MAGIC level. For example, if you have MAGIC of 8, you can regenerate your SPELL POINTS to a maximum of 80 points. SPELL POINTS are used to cast magic. Even if you have spells, you must have enough SPELL POINTS in order to cast a spell. STRENGTH Ranges from 0 - 6. Begins on level 0. Your STRENGTH level controls which WEAPONS and ARMOR you are able to use. Although you can carry any type of WEAPON or piece of ARMOR, you can only USE a WEAPON or WEAR a type of ARMOR if you have the strength to do so. The various WEAPONS and ARMOR you can obtain and the STRENGTH they require to be used are listed on page 21. CHARISMA Ranges from 0 - 6. Begins on level 3. Your CHARISMA level controls how many Shadowrunners you can have working for you at any one time. At the maximum level of 6, you can hire up to three Shadowrunners to help you on a run. KARMA Karma is magical energy you can spend in order to upgrade your attribute and skill levels. MONEY (NUYEN) This shows the amount of money you currently hold. This money is shown as nuyen, the currency in the year 2050. (See Page 9 for information on how to collect money). 12 ____________________________________________________ SPELL This shows the spell currently selected. WEAPON This shows the weapon you are currently using. ARMOR This shows the armor you are currently wearing. For ARMOR to be effective, you must wear (or USE it, as described in the next section) it and not just carry it in your ITEMS INVENTORY. 13 ________________________________________________ INVENTORY SUB-MENUS The sub-menus in the STATUS SCREEN provide access to information regarding the various items you are carrying. These sub-menus are divided into the following INVENTORY menus. ITEMS MENU The ITEMS INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the items you have acquired during the game. Depending on the item, you can either EXAMINE, GIVE or USE it by calling up the ITEM ACTION WINDOW and selecting the corresponding verb. MAGIC MENU The MAGIC INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the magic spells you have learned during the game. The LEVEL of each spell is listed to the right of the spell. The number of SPELL POINTS required to cast the spell is indicated in brackets. From this menu, you can choose your default spell assigned to the X BUTTON. 14 ____________________________________________________ WEAPON MENU The WEAPONS INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the weapons you are currently carrying. (See page 17 for weapons detail.) ARMOR MENU The ARMOR INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the armor you are currently carrying. (See page 17 for armor details.) SKILLS MENU The SKILLS INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the skills you have learned during the game. The level of experience for each level is listed alongside each skill. (Increasing the level of a spell increases its power or the period it stays sctive, and increases the number of spell points it takes to cast the spell. You begin the game with level 1 FIREARMS and COMPUTER skills). You cannot choose skills from the SKILLS INVENTORY sub-menu. All skills are active as soon as you learn them. But, you can improve your skills by spending Karma in the SLEEP MENU (for more information see SPENDING KARMA on page 28). CYBER INVENTORY The CYBER INVENTORY sub-menu lists all the cyber equipmeny you are currently carrying. You cannot choose cyber items from the CYBER INVENTORY sub-menu. All cyber equipment is operational at all times from the moment you have it fitted. 15 ___________________________________________________ USING WEAPONS AND ARMOR USING YOUR FIREPOWER To use a weapon, first select it from the WEAPON INVENTORY sub-menu in the STATUS SCREEN. To fire a weapon, press the A BUTTON to bring up the CROSS-HAIR, position it over the enemy so that their TAG BOX appears and repeatedly press the fire BUTTON. Your weapons (apart from grenades) have unlimited ammunition. You can find a wide array of weapons and armor, each with its own advantages. You can carry any weapon or armor in the ITEMS INVENTORY at any time, although you will not be able to use it until their STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE is equal to or greater than your STRENGTH required of the item. USING YOUR ARMOR To use a piece of ARMOR, you must select it from the ARMOR INVENTORY SUB-MENU in the STATUS SCREEN. The ARMOR currently in use (if any) is shown on the MAIN STATUS SCREEN next to ARMOR. To wear a piece of ARMOR, choose it from the ARMOR INVENTORY and press the START BUTTON. When you select a WEAPON or piece of ARMOR, it will automatically replace any WEAPON or ARMOR previously in use. The WEAPON or ARMOR previously in use can be selected again from the appropriate STATUS SCREEN SUB-MENU. 16 ________________________________________________ It is essential you become well armed and well protected in order to attack and defend against the many enemies you will encounter in the world of 2050. Wearing suitable ARMOR can significantly reduce the number of hits you suffer. The following is a list of the various weapons/armor and their corresponding strength levels. WEAPON NAME STRENGTH ARMOR STRENGTH Zip gun 1 Leather Jacket 1 Beretta 101T Pistol 1 Mesh jacket 2 Colt American L36 1 Bullet Proof Vest 3 Pistol 1 Full Concealable 4 Grenade 1 Partial Body Suit 5 Ares Viper Heavy Pistol 2 Full Body Suit 6 Fichetti Light Pistol 3 Uzi III SMG 4 Defiance T-250 Shotgun 4 Ruger Warhawk Pistol 4 HK227 Assualt Rifle 5 AS& Assualt Cannon 6 17 _________________________________________________ COMBAT AND SHADOWRUNNERS A vital part of surviving in Shadowrun is performing well in combat. Although certain hazards exist almost on every street corner, when there is a Shadowrun to be performed, you will need more than just the fire-power--you will need the help of Shadowrunners. SHOOTING INNOCENT PEOPLE You should contain your attacks to combat situations. If you shoot characters that are not posing a threat to you, your spirit guide will warn you. If you continue shooting innocent people, an additional message will appear and one point of Karma (if you have any Karma) will be deducted. SHADOWRUNNERS There are three typoes of 'Shadowrunners' ready for hire--each with his own size, strengths and weaknesses. Mercenaries Mercenaries are always ready for combat and they're usually well armed and wearing some decent armor. Deckers Deckers are primarily useful in handling trips into the Matrix. They also usually carry a firearm and armor. Magic Users Magic users rarely carry a firearm--they cast POWERORBS by default. With Magic Users, you can tap into their SPELL POINTS and SPELL INVENTORY and cast some spells they may not have the knowledge or SPELL POINTS to use. 18 __________________________________________________ HIRING SHADOWRUNNERS To hire a Shadowrunner, you must obtain and use KEYWORDS in your VOCABULARY INVENTORY in order to ask them to join you. Once a Shadowrunner has agreed to come on a run with you, they will follow you just about anywhere. There are certain places however, where Shadowrunners will not enter, preferring to stand outside and stand guard for you. When a Shadowrunner leaves, he'll indicate that he's fulfilled his contact and disapear. He'll return to where he was first hired, where you can then re-hire him if you need to. CONTROLLING YOUR RUNNERS IN COMBAT When you first enter a screen containing combat, the Shadowrunners will spread out and take up vantage points. They will also decide on which enemy they will target and begin firing. While in combat, you can control your actions, and those of the Shadowrunners you have hired. Although each Shadowrunner has artificial intelligence controlling where they will stand, who they will attack and with what weapon, you are able to force your Shadowrunner to perform in a certain way. To control a Shadowrunner, press the B BUTTON, move the ACTION GLOVE over the character you wish to control and press the B BUTTON again. An ITEM ACTION window will appear allowing you to perform the following actions. EXAMINE Allows you to examine the Shadowrunner's STATUS SCREEN. This screen looks similar to your screen, although each Shadowrunner is different. Some may not be carrying weapons. You are also able to look at the SKILLS and CYBER menus of your Shadowrunners in order to learn their strengths and weaknesses. 19 _________________________________________________ TALK To talk to a Shadowrunner, point to them witb the ACTION GLOVE, choose TALK from the ITEM ACTION window and press the B BUTTON. TARGET To make a Shadowrunner TARGET a specific enemy, choose the Shadowrunner that you require, choose TARGET from his ITEM ACTION window and then move the ACTION GLOVE over the enemy you wish them to target and press the B BUTTON. This option only appears in the middle of a combat situation. TARGET allows you to force a Shadowrunner to target a specific enemy. This is useful if more than one enemy appears on the screen and the one chosen by the Shadowrunner is not the most dangerous one. The Shadowrunner with the most lethal weapons of anybody in the party, so that it would be more useful to have them attack and defeat the enemy causing the most damage to your party sooner, rather than having your best Shadowrunner attack the weaker enemies. MOVE TO To MOVE a Shadowrunner to a specific location, choose the Shadowrunner you require, choose MOVE TO in his ITEM ACTION window and then move the ACTION GLOVE to the position you want them to MOVE TO and press the ... This option only appears in the middle of a combat situation. MOVE TO allows you to reposition the location of a Shadowrunner on screen. Although Shadowrunners take up vantage points when there is combat on the screen, you may wish to move them out of your way or move them to somewhere where they are not a visable target to the enemy. By moving them, you may either cause them to change who they TARGET since they may be moved closer to another enemy, or they may be moved out of the enemies' sight so that they do not suffer as much damage. 20 _________________________________________________ GIVING WEAPONS AND ARMOR TO YOUR SHADOWRUNNERS As you improve your weapons and armor in later levels, you may decide that instead of trading it in, you'd prefer to give it to some of your Shadowrunners who need it. By providing a Shadowrunner with a gun or piece of armor that is better than the one they had, you can decrease your combat time and reduce the amount of healing or resting required to keep that Shadowrunner alive. You must be sure however, that the Shadowrunner you wish to give the item to has the strength to use it. HEALING RUNNERS Just as you will lose HIT POINTS during COMBAT, so will your Shadowrunners. After each major combat, you will need to chack your STAMINA level, and that of each of your Shadowrunners, to ensure they can stay alive through another combat situation. To check the status of each of your Shadowrunners individually, you can move the ACTION GLOVE over them and choose EXAMINE from the ITEM ACTION window, or you can view a summary of all the members of your party including your character by using the PARTY STATUS SCREEN. If a Shadowrunner's STAMINA POINTS are close to zero, you may want to increase them by HEALING the Shadowrunner. This can be done either through magic or a magic user that was hired. YOu may have to go through long combat situations where you might not find a bed or be able to return to one. In this event, it is sometimes wise to hire a good magic user who has HIGHER MAGIC ability in order to HEAL your party SLAP PATCHES can also be used to HEAL your party although these must be bought and cannot be regenerated like SPELL POINTS. 21 _____________________________________________________ PARTY STATUS SCREEN To bring up the PARTY STATUS screen, press SELECT while on the MAIN GAME SCREEN. When you've hired some Shadowrunners, the PARTY STATUS screen can save you time by allowing you to view the STAMINA POINTS and SPELL POINTS for all your party members including your own character. Your Shadowrunners will be listed in the order in which they are following you. If a Shadowrunner is defeated, the space they occupied in the list will be erased and filled by the remaining Shadowrunners. The PARTY STATUS screen should be checked after combat situations in case any member of your party is close to losing all his STAMINA POINTS and is in need of HEALING or REST. In order to check your own character's STAMINA and SPELL POINTS, you may also call up the PARTY STATUS screen when you don't have any Shadowrunners hired. 22 _________________________________________________ USING YOUR MAGIC CASTING SPELLS You begin the game without any magical ability. Once you have met the demands of your spirit guide, you will then be granted magic and be able to learn different spells. Your spirit guide will also provide you with clues as to what talisman items are required for each spell. Spells can only be learned once you have collected the talismans required to cast them. You must then return to your spirit guide with the items in order to be granted the spell. When you first learn one of the six spells available, it will appear in your MAGIC INVENTORY sub-menu. Next to each spell is the level of the spell and the number of SPELL POINTS it takes to cast the SPELL. Attempting to cast a spell when you have insuffecient SPELL POINTS will result in the message 'Not enough spell points' appearing. The level of a spell is increased by spending Karma (see SPENDING KARMA on page 28). To cast a spell, press the X BUTTON to bring up the SPELL GLOVE, position it over the enemy so that the tag box appears, and press the X BUTTON again. The same procedure can be followed to cast a protective spell on yourself or one of your Shadowrun party. 23 ___________________________________________________ The following is a list of various Magic Spells you can obtain. Heal Cures 5 hit points of STAMINA per level. Armor Armor protects you against damage. The time and level depends on the level of the spell. You can only have four ARMOR spells active at one time. Invisibility The Invisibility spell enables you to become invisible so you cannot be tracked by enemies (but you can still be hit). The duration of the INVISIBILITY depends on the level of the spell. Powerball Powerball is a form of firepower. The strength of the Powerball depends on the level of the spell. Summon Spirit Summons a servant of your spirit guide who will attack all enemies on the screen. The strength of the attack depends on the level of the spell. This spell does not need to be targeted at an enemy since it attacks all enemies on the screen. You can only cast one SUMMON SPIRIT spell at a time. Freeze This spell freezes an enemy in a cocoon of ice. The duration of the freeze depends on the level of the spell. You can only have four FREEZE spells active at one time. SPELL LIMITATIONS You cannot cast an offensive spell on a character that is not an enemy. Other magic users, however, do not have this limitation since they are not under the guidance of your spirit. COMBINING You can combine magic spells for greater effect--you may decide to use a FREEZE spell on an enemy before attacking them with an offensive spell such as a POWERBALL or a weapon. 24 __________________________________________________ SKILLS You can learn and improve your skills so you can meet your quest. You begin the game with two skills (Firearms and Computer), both at level 1 experience. When a new skill is learned, it begins at level 1, but can be raised up to Level 6 using Karma (see Spending Karma on page 28). The following are the skills you can learn: LEADERSHIP In order for the Shadowrunners you hire to stay with you through the dangerous times, you will need to be a good leader. Shadowrunners will fight more adversaries nefore terminating their contract if you have good leadership skills. Once the Shadowrunner leaves, he/she will tell you they've had enough and return to the point where you hired them. NEOGOTIATION The better you are at NEOGOTIATION, the less you will have to pay for most things in Shadowrun, including the hiring fees of Shadowrunners. No haggling is involved in NEOGOTIATION. If you have this skill, the prices for items for hire contracts offered to you will be automatically discounted. 25 ___________________________________________________ COMPUTER The higher your COMPUTER SKILL the less STAMINA you lose when attacked by an IC within the Matrix. When combating an IC in the Matrix, a higher COMPUTER SKILL also increases your chances of defeating the IC (see MATRIX on page 32). You begin the game with COMPUTER SKILL at level 1. FIREARMS Firearms allows you to defeat enemies quciker and therefore spend less time in combat where you can lose STAMINA. The higher your FIREARMS SKILL, the more accurate your aim is when shooting enemies. Your FIREARMS SKILL will begin at level 1 and can range from up to 16. 26 _______________________________________________ RESTING AND REGAINING STRENGTH Scattered throughout the city are beds that you can use to rest and regain your strength. You can also save a game while you rest. To use a bed, walk over to it, position the CATION GLOVE over it and press the B BUTTON. Choose USE from the ITEM ACTION window and press the B BUTTON again and you will climb into the bed. SLEEP MENU Each time you rest in a bed, the SLEEP MENU will appear. While resting, you can save your current progress in the game, SPEND KARMA or select 'Exit' to replenish your STAMINA POINTS and SPELL POINTS and continue gameplay. Resting also replenishes the STAMINA POINTS and SPELL POINTS of any Shadowrunners you currently have hired. DAVING A GAME To save a game, select 'SAVE GAME' from the SLEEP MENU, then choose the save game slot under which you want to save your game and press the B BUTTON. The save-game slots are called GAME 1 and GAME 2. You will hear a beep to indicate that your game has been saved. 27 _________________________________________________ SPENDING KARMA Karma is obtained after defeating a certain number of enemies. The more difficult the enemies, the faster Karma will be awarded. If you select 'USE KARMA' from the SLEEP MENU, you will be taken to the KARMA INVENTORY screen. This screen allows you to allocate any Karma you have been awarded during play to increase your ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS and MAGIC levels. The amount of Karma you have is displayed on the top left of your KARMA INVENTORY. To allocate Karma, use the CONTROL PAD to point to either ATTRIBUTE, SKILLS or MAGIC and press the START BUTTON. A sub-menu will appear on the right listing the various ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS or MAGIC SPELLS you are able to increase the level of. Use the CONTROL PAD to choose one and press the START BUTTON to increase it by one level. Karma will be automatically deducted. The higher the level you wish to increase something, the more Karma points it will cost to increase it by a level. For example, if your current FIREARMS skill under the ATTRIBUTES menu is 10, it will cost you 10 Karma points to increase your FIREARMS skill to level 11. 28 _________________________________________________ DIALOGUE WINDOWS In order to learn about your past and survive your future, you will need to talk to different characters along your quest. While some people will talk to you automatically, in most cases you will have to make the first move. To talk to another character, point to them with the ACTION GLOVE and then press the B BUTTON. Now choose 'TALK' from the ITEM ACTION window and you will be presented with DIALOGUE WINDOWS. The screen divides into two areas. The top half contains a picture of the person you are talking to and their dialogue lines. The bottom half of the screen contains a your picture and your available dialogue options. 29 ___________________________________________________ KEYWORDS As you progress through the game, you will collect many KEYWORDS. KEYWORDS are specific words you will need to ask characters about in order to gain insight into various puzzles in the game. When you collect more that the VOCABULARY INVENTORY can display at one time, an arrow will appear to indicate that there are more words than can be displayed in the window. Instead of scrolling through the window with the pointer, you are able to flip between pages of KEYWORDS by using the LEFT and RIGHT BUTTONS. The RIGHT BUTTON displays the next window of KEYWORDS, while the LEFT BUTTON displays the previous window. TALKING TO PEOPLE When you first talk to a person and the DIALOGUE WINDOW appears, the character will greet you with an opening remark. You may then choose TALK from the available options. This provides you with further dialogue lines which are usually general in nature. You should study both of these as they may provide KEYWORDS that you can ask this or other characters about. To ask the character about something specific, you should choose a word from your VOCABULARY INVENTORY. To choose a KEYWORD to ask a character about, choose ASK ABOUT ... from your available options. Your VOCABULARY INVENTORY sub-menu will then appear. Use UP and DOWN on the CONTROL PAD to move through the alphabetically sorted KEYWORDS. When you are pointing at the KEYWORD you want to ASK ABOUT..., press the B BUTTON. 30 ______________________________________________________ USING THE VIDPHONE Early in the game you will need to find a credstick. You must use the CREDSTICK on the VIDPHONE in order to operate it. When using the credstick on the VIDPHONES found in various locations, you are also able to use the DIALOGUE WINDOWS to talk to the character. These work in exactly the same way as when talking to someone standing close to your character. To use the VIDPHONE, move your ACTION GLOVE over it and press the B BUTTON. Then choose USE from the ACTION WINDOW. If you have any phone numbers in your dialling directory, these will appear in a DIALLING DIRECTORY WINDOW. Choose the number you want to dial by using UP or DOWN on the CONTROL PAD and press the B BUTTON to begin dialling. If the person you are calling answers, the DIALOGUE WINDOWS will automatically appear. 31 ____________________________________________________ THE MATRIX In order to successfully complete your quest, you must master the vast global communications grid known as the Matrix. Cyberspace, as it is called by those who have been there, allows the user to walk around the vast communicatons lines without ever leaving their bodies. To do this, they must 'Jack-In' to an appropriate point using the right equipment. A person who jacks-In to the Matrix is known as a 'decker'. Jacking in to the Matrix allows you to open locked electronic doors, download valuable information and transfer money onto your own credstick. THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT To Jack-In, you must first be fitted with a DATAJACK. This thin wire linked to the users brain, is used to send sensory information to and from the Matrix. Although it is always dangerous jacking into the Matrix, it is especially so if done directly with a DATAJACK. The user therefore will need a cyberdeck. A Cyberdeck (Matrix Imaging Cybernetic Interface Device) sits between your DATAJACK and the Matrix. Although similar to a 20th century keyboard, a cyberdeck is much more complex. It projects the users persona into the Matrix, allowing them to take on a certain form. Whe you jack-in to the Matrix, you will appear as a miniature version of yourself. 32 ____________________________________________________ The Cyberdeck also carries the programs used to attack and defend against ICE (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics), and has storage capacity to hold any information downloaded from the grid. JACK-IN POINTS To Jack-In to the Matrix, you will need a suitable entry point. In Shadowrun, this is any computer terminal that is linked to the GRID. LAYOUT OF THE MATRIX When you have successfully jacked-in, your persona (a smaller representation of your character) will appear standing next to a representation of the terminal they jacked-in from. The Matrix will appear as one or more areas of tiles joined by DATALINES. Your persona is able to travel along these DATALINES to get to other areas. The bottom left corner of the screen contains two status bars. The top bar indicates your current STAMINA level. If this level drops to nothing while in the Matrix, you will be 'dumped' from the Matrix and immediately lose your life. The bottom bar indicates your STORAGE CAPACITY. When this bar reaches full, you will not be able to download any more data from a DATASTORE, although you will still be able to attack IC's and CPU's. Any attempt to download further data when your storage is full will result in the message 'ERROR: OUT OF STORAGE.' NODES To get to the areas containing the DATASTORES and CPU's which you are after, you must travel along the DATALINES. At various points along a DATALINE, and especially at junctions, you will cross a NODE. In most cases, you will be able to just pass through a NODE without any problem. Sometimes, however, a NODE may be locked requiring a password to let you through. In order to be allowed through, you will need to fin the passwords for these NODES. These can be found by jacking in through other terminals and from other characters. Once you have a PASSWORD, it is stored in your ITEMS INVENTORY as an item. Next time you pass through a locked NODE, if you have the right PASSWORD in your ITEMS INVENTORY, you can pass right through. 33 __________________________________________________ HOW TO PLAY THE MATRIX GAME When you arrive on a tiled area, you should move carefully. Although these areas contain the DATASTORES and CPU's which you are after, they also contain hidden IC's (Intrustion Countermeasure Electronics). These IC's are implemented by the owners of the area you have accessed to protect their data and computer systems from theft and sabotage. ATTACKING IC'S To successfully cross these areas, you will have to avoid these IC's or destroy them. In some cases, you will have no choice but to destroy them an IC in order to proceed. Fortunately your cyberdeck is running a trace program for narrowing down the location of these. When you stand on a tile, the program scans the surrounding eight tiles for these programs. If any IC's are detected, a message appears in the top left corner warning you of the number it has found. As you move through the area, by monitoring these messages, you can deduce the possible locations of an IC and either avoid them or attack them. To attack an IC, face the tile you think the IC is on and press the B BUTTON. If there is no IC present on that tile, combat will fail. You will lose STAMINA points and the message 'COMBAT FAILED' will appear in the top left corner. The amount of STAMINA points you will lose depends on your COMPUTER SKILL level. It is therefore not good strategy to regularly attack tiles which do not contain IC's. If an IC is present and COMBAT succeeds, the IC will explode and the message 'COMBAT SUCCESSFUL' will appear. You will then be able to walk over the tile without suffering damage. 34 __________________________________________________ If you walk onto a tile containing an IC without destroying it first, you will lose STAMINA and be thrown back onto the tile you came from. You should improve your COMPUTER SKILL level as you progress through the game since the IC's you will encounter later in the game will be of a higher strength. Attacking an IC of greater strength may take more combat attempts to defeat and will cause you to lose more STAMINA POINTS for each unsuccessful attempt. DOWNLOADING INFORMATION FROM DATASTORES To gain valuable information and money to help you on your quest, you should try to download information from DATASTORES. DATASTORES are represented as WHITE BLOCKS in the Matrix. Once you have fought your way next to a DATASTORE, tirn your persona to face it and press the A BUTTON. The information will be downloaded to your storage and the DATASTORE will change in appearance to a transparent block. When you JACK-OUT of the Matrix, windows will appear to tell you what you downloaded. Not all DATASTORES contain valuable data and information. The following are the types of things you can find in DATASTORES. Passwords In certain areas of the Matrix, you will find areas locked off by password protected NODES. To get past these NODES, you will need PASSWORDS which can either be found on people or within the Matrix. Datafiles Datafiles containing valuable information are stored in your ITEMS INVENTORY so that you can examine them whenever you want. All DATAFILES have a DF prefix and include the filename as well. Accounts Since money is held purely as data, financial accounts containing Nuyen can be transferred to your credstick. Any Nuyen you download is automatically reflected in your character's STATUS SCREEN. 35 ____________________________________________________ Trash Data This is data of no meaning or value to you. Therefore, when you JACK-OUT of the Matrix, it is automatically discarded. COMBATTING CPU'S CPU's control certain systems and are vital to your character's progression through the game--attacking a CPU can open electronic doors and elevators and turn off alarm systems and other security devices, Some CPU's are linked to the IC's protecting them. Therefore, successfully attacking them causes all hidden IC's on the area to be detonated. The area is therefore made safe. Attacking a CPU is done by turning your persona to face them and pressing the B BUTTON. JACKING OUT OF THE MATRIX Jacking out of the Matrix can be done at any time or location while in the grid. To jack out, press the X BUTTON. Your programs will be terminated and you will reappear standing next to the terminal you jacked in from. 36 _____________________________________________________ Data East USA Inc. 1850 Little Orchard St. San Jose, CA 95125 Tel: 408/286-7074 (C) 1993 Data East USA, Inc. PRINTED IN JAPAN
Reply With Quote
