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**            DISTRESS: Version 1.7 Information and Instructions           **
**                      Written by Mike Snyder (C) 2005                    **
**                                                                         **
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    "Covegn is dead. Huchess is unconscious. Strange sounds and stranger
    visions fill the desert night. The pod is a metal slag, and rescue
    seems unlikely. Something in the darkness comes closer. You may be
    stranded light-years from home, but you are not alone."


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                         (( TABLE OF CONTENTS ))

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           (1) About DISTRESS

           (2) Playing Interactive Fiction

           (3) Credits and Thanks


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                     (( SECTION 1: About DISTRESS ))

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This is the competition version of Distress, entered in the 2005 (the 11th
Annual) Interactive Fiction Competition. This version includes:

    distress.hex - The main game file. This is what you will run.
    distress.txt - This "readme" file -- some intro information.
    distress.sol - The complete solution to DISTRESS, in 3 forms.
    DISTRESS     - A resource file, containing the title logo.

To play, you will need to install the Hugo Engine (and then, you'll be
able to play other Hugo games). A list of links to Hugo downloads, initially
swiped from Greg Boettcher's "Spring Thing" page, can be found here:

    http://www.sidneymerk.com/hugofree.shtml

In-game hints are available, although the ability isn't enabled until you
have typed HELP at least once. Then, you can use HINT or HINT (object).
Some additional information is also available using the ABOUT command.

My website and email address (for Interactive Fiction) are:

   http://www.sidneymerk.com  --  [email protected]

I would appreciate feedback! After you have played the game -- even if it's
during the competition voting period (October 1st to November 15th, 2005)
please send me an email to let me know your thoughts. The absolute worst
thing for comp authors is to be in the dark for six fulls weeks. Nothing in
the rules prevent judges from giving us a heads up on what to expect. :)

If you don't use the walkthrough during play, I would recommend checking it
out at least after you finish. You probably don't have the ".sol" extension
mapped to your text editor (which is kind of the point -- you won't open it
by accident). Just open your favorite text viewer/editor, and then open the
walkthrough that way. "Distress.sol" is just a plain text file.


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              (( SECTION 2: Playing Interactive Fiction ))

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If you are not already familiar with Interactive Fiction, it's surprising
that you have chosen DISTRESS as your first game. However, here are a few
general pointers, to prod you along.

Commands generally take one of three forms -- a verb alone, or a verb and
an object, or a verb with an object and subject. Articles such as "the" or
"a" aren't required, nor are adjectives, but adjectives are often useful
to distinguish between two similar things.

Here's a random sampling of some things you may try in Interactive Fiction.
Your options are by no means limited just to these things. Most games will
implement special actions needed to solve certain puzzles. The idea is to
tell the game what you intend to do, and hope that it understands.

   GET KEY... or TAKE KEY FROM MAILBOX.
   REMOVE HAT... or TAKE OFF HAT.
   JUMP... or JUMP OVER STREAM... or JUMP INTO BOAT.
   SCRAPE BREAD... or SCRAPE BREAD WITH KNIFE.
   GO SOUTH... GO NORTH... or simply S... N...
   ENTER BUILDING... or GO INTO BUILDING
   TAKE INVENTORY... or INV... or simply I.
   LOOK AT TABLE... or X TABLE... or LOOK UNDER TABLE.
   TURN ON COMPUTER... or SWITCH COMPUTER ON.
   IN (to enter something)... OUT (to exit something).
   PUSH CART... PULL ROPE...
   TALK TO ROGER... or ASK ROGER ABOUT JESSICA.

In order to be more precise about your intentions, modern IF usually
requires complete thoughts and complete words. If your last experience with
text adventures was from the mid 1980's, and especially if you played a lot
of hobbyist games, you'll find that today's IF won't often understand
"DRO KEY HOL" as a substitue for "DROP KEY INTO HOLE." Of course, it's
not normally necessary to get too verbose in the other direction -- you may
not have to "DROP THE SMALL BRASS KEY INTO THE DEEP DARK HOLE" -- but you
probably could!

Some conventions of IF can also be useful:

   ABOUT... Display the "about" information for the game.
   HELP... Ask the game for tips or hints about playing.
   UNDO... Take back the last action performed.
   SAVE... Save your game, so you can re-load it later in this version.
   RESTORE... Load a saved game, if the save was made in this version.
   OOPS... Fix a typo in the previous command line (see below).
   LOOK... When used without an object, will re-display the room.

X is short for "examine" -- you can "x" or "look at" much of what the
game describes to you. In fact, it's usually vital that you do.

Use "OOPS" or "O" to correct a mistake in the prior command. For example:

   >PUT EGGS IN BAKET
   You see no "baket" here.

   >OOPS basket
   You place the painted eggs safely into the easter basket.

Pronouns usually work, if you have just referenced something. For example,
if you GET BOOK, you can usually follow this with READ IT. Or, TALK TO
MARIE followed by ASK HER ABOUT COFFEE.

You can sometimes reference certain things at the same time. For instance
GET BOOK AND KEYS... or DROP ALL BUT LETTER... or GET ALL... or DROP ALL.

Commands separated by THEN or a period can be done at once. To save time
in performing a series of commands, you could specify (as an example)
"N. N. E. S." (without the quotes) to go north, north again, east, south.
You might also GET BOOK THEN READ IT to specify two actions at once.


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                   (( SECTION 3: Credits and Thanks ))

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First, a *BIG* thank-you to my wife! Without her encouragement and support,
I probably would not have finished DISTRESS. More amazing is the fact that
our newborn turns one month old as of the competition submission deadline.
This game was started and finished with her understanding and assistance.

Next, I want to thank my beta-testers! Their feedback, advice, and even the
brutal criticism has made this a game far better than it might have been.
If flaws still exist -- technical *or* design -- it's my fault, not theirs.

    Greg Boettcher, Kevin Venzke, Ray Rantala, Drew Mochak, Zach Flynn,
    William Head, James Cunningham, Robert Fogt, Ramona & Anna White.

It's in no small way that I also owe thanks to Kent Tessman, for creating
Hugo to begin with, and for being an occasional resource when I've had
questions or stumbled upon weird quirks. The Hugo Book is a life-saver!

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