Alternate Reality: The City

MAPS

Notes:

1. These maps were made from the ST version of the game but should be OK with the Amiga version.
2. The dungeon is unavailable without the add-on dungeon disk.

Map Legend

City Map NW

City Map NE

City Map SW

City Map SE

TIPS

Save your character often to a separate backup disk!

Use a fast copy utility, DO NOT use the backup utility that comes with the game.

Copy your character to several disks when:

• You have many potions or,
• You are about to increase a level. Enter the game with each of these disks, keeping notes on what potions you found or what stats were increased. Use the best of the ones you tried, or re-copy and try again!

Avoid Brown Mould, Black Slime, and Giant Rats as often as possible until you are either rich and can afford trips to the healers, or can defeat these monsters. Tricking them is a successful means of defeating these disease giving creatures IF you have high enough intelligence.

Do not carry more food, water, gold and gems then you really need to. Excess weight will cause your character to become weary sooner and reduce your adventuring time between stops at the inns.

Do not bother to examine or taste potions, just sip. Avoid too many protection potions as this will cause your character to crash.

While still a lower level character, avoid being out at night or in the rain.

When you find a weapon, always equip it as a secondary weapon in case it is cursed.

Alternate Reality begins with the first of six scenarios in The City. Your character, after escaping from the spaceship in which he was abducted from his home, will find himself facing the Floating Gate in the City Square. Your character will have 3 packets of food, 3 flasks of water and some money. Although food and water will always be of concern in this game, you need not worry about them at this time but you do need a weapon.

To the north and south of this position are shops. To the west is a smithy; and to the east, one of the three banks. Near the bank there is a tavern, and near the smithy there is an inn. Turn to the west and enter the smithy. Make an offer on a dagger of slightly under whatever your character was given at the start of the game. If the smithy will not accept this offer, try making an offer on a stiletto.

Once armed, you are prepared as a beginning character to take on The City. The City is primarily a game of mapping and building your character for the scenarios that are supposed to follow.

Although the city square is reputed to be one of the safest parts of town, it is not the cheapest; and you will need to find cheaper inns and taverns in order to survive the initial development of your character.

In The City there are:

7 inns
14 taverns
3 banks
15 shops
4 smithies
2 healers
12 guilds

Inns provide a safe place for your character to rest and regain hit points. Inns will also allow you to check the time.

Taverns supply food and water. Food packets and water flasks are never offered for sale at the same time.

Banks will allow you to deposit your money in three types of accounts with increasing risk. They will also purchase gems and jewels.

Shops sell a wide variety of clothing which is of little importance in this first scenario. Shops also sell compasses for 5 silver pieces.

Smithies sell armour and weapons. As with the shops, prices vary and few items are cheap.

There are two healers. Healers can serve a variety of purposes, but are most useful for curing disease.

LOCATIONS

There are 12 guilds in The City. In this first scenario your character may not join the guilds, but they still have their usefulness. Your first visit to a guild will improve one of your stats or your chances of surviving. Guilds can also remove curses from weapons and armour. Prices for these services vary from guild to guild.

The map for The City is 64 squares by 64 squares. Square 1,1 is in the southwestern corner. When I give locations, I will be giving first the number of squares north on the map, the second number will be the number of squares east on the map. When I give the location of a place, the coordinates listed will be those of the actual place. If you must enter from a specific direction, and it is not an obvious door, these directions will be listed after the coordinates.

INNS

More hit restoring benefits seems to be gained by renting a room with a bath, but this is not a universal rule. Let your purse and needs decide.

TAVERNS

Food packets and/or Pemmican will never be offered at the same time as water flasks. Menus change hourly. It is easiest to find food on even hours, and water on odd. This is not universally true, but a good guide. Almost all taverns sell food at midnight.

BANKS

Banks that offer higher interest for your deposits are more likely to have bank failures.

SHOPS

Shops carry a wide variety of clothing which has no importance in THE CITY, but will become important in THE DUNGEON. Shops have different hours. All shops sell compasses for 5 silver.

SMITHIES

Smithies have different hours. Goods and prices may change but almost everything is expensive.

HEALERS

Healers tend to be open for business on Odd hours. Repeated visits in one day will cause prices to increase.

GUILDS

Guilds will raise your stats on your first visit to them. Guilds can remove curses from armour and weapons. Costs vary from guild to guild, prices can be as low as 2,000 or as high as 11,000 coppers.

POTIONS

Potions can be helpful or harmful. The higher your wisdom and intelligence the more easily you will be able to identify the potions. Some potions such as Fleetness, Protection +1, and Protection +2 have a greater frequency of occurrence than do the others. Which potion you receive is randomly decided by the program when you un-seal the potion.

You can increase your control over potions by saving them, saving your character, making backup copies, re-entering the game and trying them. If you are not satisfied with the potions you can then restore and try again. Treasure Finding will greatly increase your ability to find money, potions and weapons!