TASS TIMES in TONETOWN (TM)

THE BOOK

Tass Times in Tonetown was created by Interplay Productions. Designed
by Brainwave Creations. Produced by Pam Levins. Directed by Brian
Fargo. Graphics by Todd Canasta and Curt Toumanian. Music and sound
effects by Dave Warhol and Russell Lieblich. Programming by William
Heineman, Steve Nielsen, Jay Patel, and Troy P. Worrell. Special
thanks to R. S. F. Lehrberg. Tonetown Times by Paula Polley. Tass
Times in Tonetown: The Book by Steven Young.



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(C) 1986 Activision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Amiga, Kickstart, and Workbench are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Ltd.
Apple is a registered trademark and Macintosh is a trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc. Atari is a registered trademark and ST is a trademark
of Atari Corp. Commodore 64 and 128 are trademarks of Commodore
Electronics, Ltd. IBM is a registered trademark and IBM PC and PCjr
are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp. Tandy is a
registered trademark of Tandy Corp.



CONTENTS

Are You Tass? Are You Tone? 1
Let the Tass Times Roll 2
Tonetown Travel, Tonetown Talk [ 3 ]
[ Getting Around Town 3A ]
[ The Talk of the Town and
Other Tass Pastimes 3B ]
Evil Lurks [ 4 ]
If You're Called Out of Town [ 5 ]
Function Key Shortcuts [ 6 ]
Getting the Lowdown in Tonetown [ 7 ]
[ Warrantee 8 ]



[ Section 1 ] ARE YOU TASS? ARE YOU TONE?

Are You Tass? Are You Tone?
Somebody's vanished -- through a hoop -- into the unknown.
Or have you been here before, under a triangular moon?
Do you wear a Troppo look or is it Jonboi Waltune?

Sleuth out the cabin. The clues may unjar you.
Where the Dogwonder leads leaping -- will you follow?
The mystery unravels in a different dimension,
But your guide by your side is none other than "The Legend."

Tonetown is hometown if you're ultra plus chic.
In need of some styling? Just visit the 'Tique.
Bangle up some hooplets, lay down some picks,
Jump on a jumpsuit, then to Freddie's for kicks.

But wait -- read the Times -- enigma on enigma.
The truth? Wrapped in darkness. Something to dig for.
And evil lurks -- snarly, underworldly-wise,
Three ways times three ways he plots your demise.

So get to unriddling, stop fiddling around.
If you're here as a tourist, Tonetown's not your town --
If you loop through the hoop, you must loop it alone.
Are You Tass? Are You Tone?



[ Section 2 ] LET THE TASS TIMES ROLL

Here's how to load Tass Times in Tonetown into your computer.

Amiga (TM) Computers
1. Turn on your computer and monitor.
2. When so instructed, insert the Kickstart (TM) (version 1.1)
diskette in your disk drive.
3. When instructed to insert the Workbench (TM) diskette in
your disk drive, insert the Tass Times diskette.

Apple (R) II Series Computers
1. If you have one, connect a joystick or mouse to your
computer.
2. Insert the Tass Times diskette in your disk drive, label
side up.
3. Turn on your computer and monitor.
4. When instructed to do so, remove the diskette from your disk
drive and re-insert it, label side down, then press RETURN.

Apple Macintosh (TM) Computers
1. Insert the Tass Times diskette in your disk drive, label
side up.
2. Turn on your computer.

Atari (R) ST (TM) Computers
1. Turn on your computer and monitor.
2. Insert the Tass Times diskette number 1 in disk drive A,
label side up. If you have two disk drives, insert diskette
number 2 in drive B. Open (click twice on) file drawer A.
3. After the diskette loads, click twice on TASS.PRG.
4. If you have only one drive, exchange diskette number 2 for
number 1 when instructed to do so.

Commodore 64 (TM) and 128 (TM) Computers
1. Plug a joystick into port 2 of your computer.
2. Turn on your computer, disk drive, and monitor or TV.
3. If you have a Commodore 128, type GO64 and press RETURN.
When the prompt ARE YOU SURE? appears, type Y and press
RETURN.
4. Insert the Tass Times diskette in your disk drive, label
side up. Type LOAD "*",8,1 and press RETURN.
5. When instructed to do so, remove the diskette from your disk
drive and re-insert it, label side down, then press RETURN.

IBM (R) PC (TM), PCjr (TM), Tandy (R) 1000, and Compatible Computers
1. Connect a joystick or mouse, if you have one, to your
computer.
2. Insert the Tass Times diskette in your disk drive and turn
on (or reset) your computer and TV or monitor.

Following the title and credit screens, press any key to start the
game

If you're resuming the adventure at some point where you left off
previously, see "Saving and Loading the Adventure" [ Section 5 ].



[ Section 3 ] TONETOWN TRAVEL, TONETOWN TALK

To travel, talk to people, and solve the mystery in Tass Times, you
use your computer keyboard and -- if you have one -- a joystick or
mouse to enter commands.

Each screen of the adventure is arranged like the one shown here, with
a few slight variations on some computers. The elements shown are
explained in detail in the following pages.

For saving and loading games in progress (the words Save and Load do
not appear on all computers).

Command icons:

{diagram of the screen}
[top line]: Command line
[text under scene]: The story
[box in upper right corner]: Inventory box.
[arrows below]: Compass (UP and DN not on all computers)
[RETURN]: Equivalent to pressing RETURN on the keyboard
(not on all computers)
[mouth]: Talk to
[hand holding object]: Get
[hand with picks]: Buy
[hand releasing object]: Drop
[people talking]: Tell me about
[glove marked KO]: Hit
[man opening door]: Enter
[eye]: Look at

If you have a joystick or mouse: In the information that follows,
"click on" means "place the cursor over the object or icon on the
screen and press the joystick or mouse button" (the left mouse button
on Atari ST and Amiga computers). Also, if the word Return appears on
your screen, you may click on it as an equivalent to pressing RETURN
(or Enter) on your keyboard.

Because of the many types of mouse and joystick available, it's
impossible to describe the exact use of each type in Tass Times. The
descriptions that follow are based on the most commonly used types. If
yours differ, a quick test of your joystick or mouse with Tass Times
should give you a good idea of how to use it in Tonetown.

If you don't have a joystick or mouse, read the information in this
book for joystick and mouse operations anyway. It may offer you some
valuable clues -- or at least some ideas for getting at some valuable
clues.

When you're using the keyboard, whatever you type appears on the
command line on the screen.

To erase or "edit" part or all of a command line, use the Delete,
Backspace, or horizontal arrow keys, depending on which computer
you're using.

End every command you type in by pressing RETURN (on your keyboard it
may be labeled Return or Enter). If you have a joystick or mouse and
the word Return appears on your screen, you may also click on the word
to end your command.

Remember that the key words in your command are the verbs, nouns, and
prepositions -- for example, TALK TO MAN or CLIMB UP LADDER.

When you combine more than one action in a single command -- for
example, CLIMB UP LADDER AND TALK TO CREATURE -- keep in mind that the
actions will be performed separately, not simultaneously. In other
words, if you climb the ladder and the creature pushes you off, you
may not get a chance to talk to him -- ever.

If you type in a command and don't get any action, try using different
words to express what you want to do. Especially when you're around
the people of Tonetown, you'll find that they can be a little finicky
about certain matters of style and etiquette.

You can use the function keys on your computer as "shortcuts" on a few
important commands; see [ Section 6 ].



[ Section 3A ] GETTING AROUND TOWN

With a joystick or mouse, you can move in any direction simply by
clicking on the corresponding point of the on-screen compass: North,
South, East, and West. If you want to climb up something or descend,
you can click on UP and DN if these appear on your compass.

With the keyboard, you can type the first letter of the direction you
want to go, then press RETURN.

On Amiga, Atari ST, IBM, Tandy, and compatible computers, you can also
use the directional arrow keys -- up, down, right, and left -- to move
north, south, east, and west, respectively.

If you like, you can make one long move over several directions by
typing in a series of directions, separating them with periods, before
pressing RETURN. For example, you might type N.E.N. to move north,
then east, then north again. During such a series of moves, you won't
miss -- or avoid -- whatever might happen to you while moving in any
one of the specified directions.

If you want to climb up something or descend, and UP and DN do not
appear on your compass, you must type what you want to do from the
keyboard.



[ Section 3B ] THE TALK OF THE TOWN AND OTHER TASS PASTIMES

With a joystick or mouse, you can use the command icons to talk to
characters and perform other common actions. Simply click on the icon
for the action you want to perform. In some cases you can then click
on the object or person you want to act on or talk to; in other cases
you may find that you have to type in the name of the object or person
from the keyboard, then press RETURN.

If you don't have a joystick or mouse, read the following information
about the icons anyway. Each one stands for an action verb that you'll
probably want to use often in your commands (see "Function Key
Shortcuts" on [ Section 6 ]). Also, the various ways the icons can be
used may give you some ideas for making your trip to Tonetown more
tass.

Here are some tips and special notes on using the icons.

[hand holding object] Get. Use this to place items that you want or
think you may need in your inventory. For example, there are clues to
be gathered, special items that may come in handy later on, and things
that will help you "fit in" in Tonetown.

In some cases you can click on the Get icon, then click on the thing
you want in the scene on the screen; in other cases you may find that
you have to type the name of the object from the keyboard -- for
example, when the object is not visible on the screen. And of course
there may be some things that you just can't take with you.

One special use of the Get icon: you can click on it twice to collect
everything in a scene. Typing GET ALL from the keyboard will also do
the trick.

[hand releasing object]: Drop. The opposite of the Get icon, this
removes items from your inventory. Just as with the Get icon, you may
be able to click on the item you want to remove, or you may have to
type its name from the keyboard; and you can click twice on the Drop
icon (or type DROP ALL from the keyboard) to remove everything from
your inventory.

As you'll see, your inventory is just like any piece of luggage: it
can't hold everything. When your cup runneth over and you want to add
something to it, you'll have to drop something first.

[glove marked KO]: Hit. When nothing but force will do, click on this
to strike a blow -- to another character or to an object -- then click
on the poor creature or thing you want to hit or type its name from
the keyboard.

[eye]: Look at. Click on this for a detailed description of someone or
something that interests you, then click on the object of your
interest or type its name from the keyboard.

One special use of the Look icon: you can click on it twice for a
description of the entire scene on the screen.

[mouth]: Talk to. Use this icon to start a conversation with somebody,
then click on the person you want to talk to or type his or her name
from the keyboard -- if you know it. Some Tonetownians are particular
about being addressed by name. So get to know who's who. The local
newspaper is a good source of information.

[hand with money]: Buy. Yes, there are things to buy in Tonetown, even
though the coin of the realm may seem a bit strange to you. Use this
icon in the usual way: click on it, then click on the object you want
to buy or type its name from the keyboard. Anything you buy goes into
your inventory.

[people talking]: Tell me about. Once you're involved in a
conversation with someone, you can ask him or her to tell you about --
well, anything or anybody you see (or have seen) on the screen.
Although of course Tonetownians are just like most folks in at least
one respect: not everybody knows everything about everything and
everybody.

[man opening door]: Enter. Click on this to go through a door, into a
building, or wherever you want to go -- if you're sure you want to go
there, that is -- then specify where "there" is by clicking on it or
typing its name from the keyboard.

TALKING TO PEOPLE WITH THE KEYBOARD. Again, Tonetownians can be very
particular about being addressed by name. If you want to have a
pleasant (and informative) conversation with someone, you must start
your statements with the name of the person you're talking to -- for
example, CHAZ TELL ME ABOUT THE BOOK.



[ Section 4 ] EVIL LURKS

Not everything that goes down in Tonetown is totally tass. In fact,
there's a good chance -- make that several good chances -- that you'll
find yourself pushing up the moonflowerets before you have a chance to
say "Jamac's Salon." In which case you'll have to start all over again.


You may not be able to avoid taking a fall or two or nine, but you can
avoid the frustration of having to start over every time. When you
sense danger, type QUICKSAVE and press RETURN before making another
move. This will store your progress so far. If you then meet your
demise, type Y, then type QUICKLOAD and press RETURN to resume play
where you were when you got dusted.

You can make a QUICKSAVE and QUICKLOAD even quicker -- see "Function
Key Shortcuts" [ in Section 6 ].



[ Section 5 ] IF YOU'RE CALLED OUT OF TOWN

If you wish to stop play while in the middle, you can save your
progress so that you can pick up where you left off at a later time.
You can save at least eight separate games on most systems, assigning
each one a number.

The words Save and Load appear automatically in the upper-left portion
of the screen in Commodore 64/128, Apple II, and Macintosh versions.
Simply use your mouse, joystick, or keyboard to carry out the command.
Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC/PCjr, and Tandy 1000 users must first place
the cursor above the picture.

TO SAVE A GAME WITH A JOYSTICK OR MOUSE, click on the word Save with
the joystick or mouse button (the right mouse button on Amiga and
Atari ST computers) and hold the button down. Holding the button down,
use the joystick or mouse to "pull down" the Save menu and highlight a
game number for the game to be saved, then release the button.

TO SAVE A GAME WITH THE KEYBOARD, type SAVE GAME and press RETURN,
then follow the instructions on the screen for assigning a number to
the game you're saving.

TO LOAD A GAME WITH THE JOYSTICK OR MOUSE, click on the word Load with
the joystick or mouse button (the right mouse button on Amiga and
Atari ST computers) and hold the button down. Holding the button down,
use the joystick or mouse to "pull down" the Load menu and highlight a
game number for the game to be loaded, then release the button.

TO LOAD A GAME WITH THE KEYBOARD, type LOAD GAME and press RETURN,
then follow the instructions on the screen for specifying the number
of the game you want to load.



[ Section 6 ] FUNCTION KEY SHORTCUTS

If your computer has function keys, you can use them as handy shortcut
to several common commands.

Amiga, Atari ST, IBM, Tandy, and compatible computers have 10 function
keys; if you have a PCjr, you must hold down the Fn key while pressing
the corresponding number key, 1-10. With Apple II computers, you must
hold down the SHIFT key while pressing the corresponding number key,
1-9. Commodore 64 and 128 computers feature function keys 1-8. The
Macintosh does not have function keys.

FUNCTION KEY COMMAND
1 Save game
2 Load game
3 Repeat last command
4 Tell me about
5 Drop
6 Get all
7 QUICKSAVE
8 QUICKLOAD
9 Talk to
10 Look at



[ Section 7 ] GETTING THE LOWDOWN IN TONETOWN

To solve the mystery -- and have an ultra-tass time while you're at it
-- take some tips from the great investigative reporters, canine and
otherwise.

* Be curious. Look at everything, and don't forget to look inside
things. Talk to everyone.

* Write things down -- good reporters take notes. Drawing a map of
Tonetown and environs isn't a bad idea, either -- it might come in
handy if you want to backtrack or move fast from one place to another.

* Place as many things as you can in your inventory, whether you can
just pick them up or have to buy them. There's no telling what you
might need later on.

* Read the Tonetown Times cover to cover -- it contains a wealth of
information on the local scene, and you might just pick up a tidbit or
two that will be crucial down the line.

* Take chances. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained -- and
with the QUICKSAVE option (see [ Sections 4 and 6 ]), you don't even
have that much to lose.



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This warranty is limited to the recording medium containing the
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