Time Bandit

Treasures, Adventures, and Treachery Too

"Time was running out! It does, you know, even for time
travellers. I ran through the crumbling halls of a forgotten castle, the
musty grip of ancient, medieval air tight in my gasping throat. I had been
running for what seemed to be an eternity. Running from hideous beasts
from the darkest of legends.

"I already had one of the great Keys in hand, its reassuring edge
gouging flesh in the strength of my grip.

"My final goal was painfully close, but so were the razor claws of
the shambling nightmares in my pursuit. I could not pause for an instant
in defense, for an even deadlier foe was tracing my path through the
winding halls. He would surely find me if I lingered an instant longer.

"I turned the final corner, diving toward the last Lock blocking my
escape. I anticipated the rainbow flash of time displacement and the heavy
smell of ozone soon to be my reward. But with a terror that no mortal may
ever know, I saw another Bandit emerging from the doorway ahead: my partner
in Time! We'd had disagreements in the past (the present and future as
well), but I felt sure that I'd finally run out of time.

"Leaving barely a heartbeat's time to consider my fate, he fired.
The resounding blast of impact rockets split the fabric of space, racking
my body with pain and the sure knowledge of slow disintegration. But I
endured, steadied myself, and fired back. My missiles roared with untamed
energy, bouncing off walls and crackling the air, a few to rest hungrily
upon his armor. When the smoke cleared, I was alone. As for my partner,
nothing but his shadow remained.

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"Stumbling forward, I inserted the great Key into the Lock. I
stepped into the Way Out, returning home at last. But at the Timegates
there can be no rest. Great wealth and adventure are scattered throughout
the lands, but only for those willing to seize it! Where next? Ghost
Town? Omega Complex? Walking quickly through the maze of portals, I chose
one and entered, welcoming my next adventure..."

TIME BANDIT

The Arcade Adventure

We dedicate this program to the spirit of the challenger:

To those who seek their limits and strive to reach farther. To those who
go up against the odds and win out through persistence. To those who test
themselves against their hopes and yet find time enough to dream.

Bill and I (the authors) offer the labor of these last seven months in the
hope of reaching just a few true "challengers". When rough times tempted
us with shortcuts and compromises, we couldn't see fit to give any less
than you would. Time Bandit has definitely challenged us. It is now our
turn to challenge you.

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION

In the time it takes to create a work of this magnitude, we have collected
many debts on many levels. From the landlord to the play-testers, we
recognize your patience and thank you for all your help.

One individual in particular merits special credit: Kevin Potts had been
with us since the beginning, devoting endless hours to play-testing,
helpful suggestions, and overall moral support. Kevin also designed both
the Sphinxes, and put the high-score on the disk.

ABOUT PROTECTION

We're truly sorry that it's become necessary for us to copy protect this
program. We know what an inconvenience protection poses for making
personal back-ups, but software piracy poses a greater threat to Bill and
me.

If the disk becomes defective within 30 days of purchase, return it to
MichTron for a free replacement. Any time thereafter, replacements will be
subject to a $5.00 service charge.

Time Bandit is only the first of the projects we have planned for the Atari
ST. Whether bigger and better things are yet to come depends on the stand
that you, the Atari users, take on helping us protect our software.

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WHY MICRODEAL?

Some of you will remember Time Bandit was originally produced and
distributed by MichTron for several computers. So why the name change?
With the growing size of MichTron, we felt the need to separate our
Application software and our Game software. That is why MicroDeal (the
games division of MichTron), was created. We decided that Time Bandit,
when released for the Amiga, should be released with the MicroDeal name.
It's still the same great game, just distributed under another name.

INTRODUCTION

Time Bandit adds the elements of a text adventure to the environment of an
arcade game, embracing two different playing systems that had remained
separated in the past.

Time Bandit is primarily an arcade game: designed by game players for game
players. We've tried to include colorful, detailed graphics, fast,
responsive action, and an endless variety of screens and levels. You'll
find everything from frenzied shoot-em-ups to a lively dot-eating game.

Some of the lands contain text-adventure messages. In these lands, we test
not only your arcade skills, but your logic and wit as well. You must
answer riddles, manipulate items, and solve the mystery enshrouding the
land.

We've strived for an overall design that is original enough to be
entertaining, and complex enough to be stimulating. We can only hope that
the end product of our labors will be as enjoyable for you to play and
explore as it was for us to create.

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ACTIVATING YOUR TIME MACHINE
(Requirements & Loading Instructions)

Time Bandit runs on the Amiga, making extensive use of the machine's
special color graphics. A television or color monitor is required. A
precision joystick is highly recommended for this type of game, though
keyboard controls can be used. In the Dual-Player Mode however, at least
one joystick is required.

Follow this procedure to load the program:

1. Turn on the computer.

2. Boot your machine with KickStart if it is needed.

3. When the machine asks for Workbench, place the Time Bandit master in
drive DF0.

4. If you have KickStart in ROM, then simply place the Time Bandit master
in drive DF0 when you turn the machine on.

5. The program will start automatically.

Since Time Bandit saves the high scores to the disk, you should leave the
program disk in Drive DF0 during play.

BEGINNING THE JOURNEY

The Title Page appears when the program starts. This page lets you set the
controllers used in the game. To change the controller for Bandit One,
press F1 until the desired device (Keyboard, Joystick 1, or Joystick 2) is
displayed. Press F2 to change Bandit Two's controller.

You can start a game by pressing 1 for a one-player game or 2 for a two
player game. Any other key advances you to the High-Scores page.

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The High-Scores Page displays the permanent and daily high-scores. For the
complete record of the adventures of any Time-lord, press the function key
(F1-F6) corresponding to the score you wish to see.

Press 1 or 2 to start a game, or any other key to return to the Title page.

The Demo begins automatically if a game is not started. The Demo takes the
Bandit through all the lands. Watching it may give you some valuable
pointers on playing the starting levels. Press Q to quit the Demo and
return to the Title Page.

TRAVEL

You begin each leg of your adventure from the Timegates. You move the
Bandit across the landscape, firing missiles. The landscape is dotted with
landmarks, each representing a Gate to a different time and place. By
moving onto one of these Gates, you will be transported to a new land. The
new playing field will appear, along with the name of the land, and each
Bandit's special information (score, life level, etc.).

Some lands feature special objects:

One-way doors allow you to pass only in a certain direction. They are
shown as green arrows pointing in the way you can pass.

Ladders and pits give you access to upper and lower areas. Red, pulsing
transporter disks are used to transport yourself to other sections of the
land.

You may encounter other oddities in some lands, but we'll let those come as
surprises...

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OBJECTIVES

Once you have entered a new land, you are trapped! In order to escape, you
must use the pulsating Keys (worth 150 cubits) to open the pulsating Locks
(worth 250 cubits). When you pick up a Key, it will appear beneath your
score. You can then open any Lock. You can carry only one Key at a time,
and it only opens the first Lock you touch. When all the locks are opened,
you can reach the Way Out. You will then be returned to the Timegates to
choose another land.

Collect the various treasures along your journey. The first treasure in
each land is worth 100 cubits, the second 200, the next 300, and so on and
on!

Shooting the Evil Guardians (anything that moves!) is always fun. Not only
do they crackle and sizzle, but depending on your degree of bravery
(Manner), you will be awarded up to 50 cubits bounty! Fast action and
heroic efforts are well rewarded. Your current Manner and bounty value are
shown beneath your score.

Regeneration is vital to the Bandit's survival. You receive one extra life
level for every 1000 cubits you earn.

Each land in the Timegates has 16 different levels: four major phases (1 to
4), each with four sub-levels (A to D). Each time you re-enter a land, you
advance to the next level. As your skill increases, you will be able to go
farther into each land, seeing new areas, creatures, and situations appear.
The name of the land and the current level are displayed on the bottom of
the screen as you play.

It is the ultimate goal of the Bandit (and the ultimate challenge from us)
to conquer the game: defeat phase 4D (the sixteenth level) of each land,
find all the Great Artifacts, and reach...whatever happens at The End.

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HAZARDS

A large and colorful array of creatures will assail you on your adventures.
They enter the lands by way of Portals located generously about each land.
Portals appear as magic pentagrams, crossbones, and white transporters.
Before a creature emerges, you may notice strange activity inside the
Portal. Beware running over it! A creature may ambush you!

You begin your venture as a stout Bandit with 10 life levels, but if any of
the Evil Guardians touch you, you lose one life level. If you are hit when
your life level (displayed beneath your score) is empty, you are DEAD!

ADVENTURES

Some lands contain mysteries which must be solved in order to claim some
special reward or escape from the land. Scrolls, books, and signs may
contain valuable clues. The Bandit can read them simply by moving over
them. Other objects might include items which you can pick up, carry.

Occasionally, the Bandit will be asked to answer a question or decide on
some action. If you wish to exit a message without inputting anything,
press your fire button (Escape if using the keyboard). To answer, just
type in your response and press Return. You should generally follow one of
these examples:

Verb/Noun format for actions--
"You see a hammer lying next ot a box. Command?"
GET HAMMER Return
OPEN BOX Return

Direct format for specific questions--
"Do you accept the King's quest?"
YES Return
"The guard asks, 'Who sent you?'"
KING QUARK Return

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Some hints: The verbs GET and USE are the basis of many commands. If one
command doesn't work, try restating it in a number of different ways.
Don't hesitate to write down notes and special codes. Read everything
very carefully; subtle clues and changing text are easy to overlook.

DUAL PLAYER MODE AND "SHADOWS"

When you select a Two-Bandit game, two people can play at the same time.
Both will be playing int he same land, but each will have his OWN viewing
screen. Bandit One is dressed in yellow, and his viewing screen is located
in the upper left of the screen. Bandit Two is dressed in light blue,
with his playing screen in the upper right. You can work together against
the Evil Guardians, or shoot it out between yourselves! But if one Bandit
dies, it isn't necessarily the first Bandit.

The first Bandit to die will return as a Shadow! The Shadow can haunt the
other Bandit, aiding or hindering his progress, depending on how
mischievous the Shadow feels (highly dependent on the circumstances of his
death). The Shadow can shoot creatures (and the other Bandit) and steal
treasure, though his score will never advance. The Shadow is temporarily
stunned when hit by a creature or shot by the Time Bandit.

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CONTROLS

Keyboard Arrow Keys: Move your Bandit in the desired direction. Pressing
more than one key causes diagonal movement.

Spacebar: Fires a missile in the direction your Bandit is facing.

Escape: Exits adventure messages.

Optional Controls--

Joystick: Moves your Bandit in the desired direction. Use the fire button
to fire a missile or exit adventure messages.

P: Activates your unlimited Timestop Spell. Press the Space-bar to resume
normal play.

Volume (on monitor): Controls the loudness of game

One useful game technique is The Pivot. This allows you to stand in a
single spot and fire missiles in different directions. To execute The
pivot, move the Bandit into the desired place and stop moving. Then simply
hold the fire button down and turn in the directions you wish to spray with
your missiles. To continue moving, release the fire button.

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DOCS PROVIDED BY -+*+-THE SOUTHERN STAR-+*+- for M.A.A.D.
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