LIONHEART  Lionheart by Jury Horneman "Let me go, you dogs!" Valdyn cursed as the jailers dragged him through the marble corridors of the palace. Only two days ago he had been gambling in the Bloodied Claw, his favourite inn, when the royal guards had entered and arrested him. He'd been rotting away in a foul-smelling cell ever since, only coming out for some air and a beating once a day. He'd had more than enough of this. Yes, he had done some things which the law frowned upon, but so had every other cut-throat in the Claw, and many times worse as well. But the soldiers had just marched in, put him in chains and dragged him off to the palace, kicking and hissing. At least they hadn't returned unharmed. Valdyn had managed to make them regret coming before they had beaten him unconscious. He noticed that he was being taken through ever richer parts of the palace, and once again he wondered why he had been arrested. They stopped before a huge door flanked by fierce-looking guards. He was handed over and the jailers left. The guards eyed him suspiciously, whiskers quivering, as Valdyn drew himself up to his full height and gave them a cold stare. One of them walked to the door and knocked. "Enter," said a voice almost immediately. The guard opened the heavy door and looked threateningly at Valdyn, who cast one last disdainful look at him and walked proudly through the doorway. He entered a small, but richly decorated audience chamber. An ornamented throne stood on a low dais on the other side of the room. On the throne sat a grey-whiskered man. Valdyn looked more closely. It was the king himself! Valdyn had only seen him on special occasions, such as the Showing Festival, which would be in three days. Now Valdyn knew he was in trouble! The king cleared his throat and said : "You are Valdyn." Valdyn nodded. "You are called 'Lionheart , the king continued, "because of your reckless courage and your fierceness." He chuckled. "How appropriate." Valdyn frowned. What did this man want of him ? Although he had broken the laws often enough, he had never acted directly against the monarchy. "Do you know about the Lionheart, Valdyn ?" Valdyn hesitated. This had to be some kind of trick. Everyone knew about the holy jewel, from which he himself had gotten his nick-name. Hadn't the king said so himself just now ? "Of course," replied Valdyn. "My Lord," he added as an afterthought. The king frowned. "And you know what's going to happen in three days time ?" "The Showing Festival ?" Valdyn frowned. What game was this ? Was he being blamed for some kind of crime he didn't know about ? "You have to show the Lionheart to your people." "To prove my divine right to rule, yes." The king looked pensively at a beautiful fresco which covered the entire wall on his right, depicting one of his ancestors in a heroic battle. After some time, Valdyn started to clear his throat when the , king suddenly turned to him. "The Lionheart has been stolen." Valdyn was shocked despite himself. The Lionheart was the holiest relic of his people, the centre of their religion. It was reputedly impossible to steal. "How was it done ? Who did it ?" The king stared somberly at him. "It was done by master thieves. No others could have disarmed all the traps. They must have been accompanied by a mage as well, since all the magical protectors were removed. They knew exactly what to expect." "You mean they had help from the inside." The king nodded. "As to who did it, we have reason to believe that the thieves were sent by Norka." Valdyn widened his eyes in wonder. "Why would he do that ? I thought he was happy in his wilderness." "No more. Reports reached us saying that he was creating an army. We sent some emissaries with messages of peace, and they told us that Norka has built a flying castle, and a fleet of air-ships. The last information that reached us is that he is building a giant fortress near our border and has amassed a huge army. That was two months ago." The king sighed. "We sent more spies and emissaries, but they never returned." "Why don't you just send in an army ?" The king frowned. "Even if we could match Norka's strength, which we no longer can, for such an affair I would need divine blessing, and thus I would have to show the Lionheart." Valdyn thought about this. He still had no idea why he had been summoned. He looked at the king. "Why are you telling me this ?" The king calmly looked back at him. Then he said : "I want you to bring back the Lionheart before the Festival begins." Valdyn's mouth fell open. Then he started laughing. He just couldn't stop. Tears ran down his face. After some time he managed to regain control of himself, and he looked at the king who looked back with a disgruntled expression on his face. "I am glad you are amused. Now, I won't be so foolish as to assume that you will do it out of loyalty to your rightful king. You probably know that arch-chancellor Nargle craves the throne, and would have deposed me already if it weren't for the Lionheart. I suspect he is the one who helped the thieves. I don't think he would make a very good king. But that is of no matter to you. I hereby offer you a rich reward if you return." Valdyn wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Why me ?" The king frowned even deeper. "Believe me, I would rather have sent one of my trusted veterans as well. At least they would have done it for free." He sighed deeply. "The high priest has asked the gods. It is your destiny to retrieve the Lionheart." He paused. "Did you really think your nick-name is a coincidence ?" Valdyn was serious now. Destined by the gods ? "I am sorry, my Lord," he said bowing, "but if the things I have heard about Norkas country are true, and if what you say is true as well, there is no reward in the world that could make me go there." "How about your life ?" Valdyn stood straight again. The king seemed completely serious. "You have seen my dungeons. Would you like to see my torture chambers ?" Valdyn swallowed. He had heard stories about the king's torture chambers. The torturers were unmatched in dedication and attention to detail. The king smiled at his unease. "Do not worry, you won't go to Norka unprepared. We have a small dragon for you. You can fly straight to Norka's flying castle. Also, the high priest will imbue you with magical powers, increasing your resistance to pain and damage, and allowing you to regenerate should you be killed." Valdyn still didn't know what to say. He had planned to lead his easy life of drinking, fighting and robbing forever. Now this. The king coughed. "There is one more reason for you to go. Don't you have a relationship with a girl called Ilene ?" Valdyn nodded, suddenly scared. What did Ilene have to with this ? He never took her with him. She was too... innocent for his kind of work. "What does Ilene have to do with this ?" The king hesitated. "Apparently she was praying in the Temple's entrance chamber the night the Lionheart was stolen." Valdyn gasped. Not Ilene I "Is she dead ? Did they kill her ?" "No. They turned her to stone." Valdyn covered his eyes with his hands. No I "Can it be cured ?" His voice trembled. "Yes. She was petrified by a dart dipped in a very rare poison which can only be found in Norka's country. If there is a cure, there would be the place to look." Valdyn removed his hands and gazed at the king. He no longer stood proudly. The threat of anarchy, of torture, and now what they had done to Ilene. He had to go. The king saw his decision. "Very well," he said. "Come. You will be escorted to the temple. There you can prepare for your quest." VIRUS WARNING Original LIONHEART diskettes supplied by us are guaranteed virus-free. To protect the program from virus damage you should first switch off the computer and all peripherals (second disk drive, monitor, etc.) for at least 30 seconds each time you load the program. This is the only way to ensure that there is no virus held in the computer's memory. Thalion Software GmbH cannot accept any responsibility under the guarantee for damage to or corruption of the program or data either in whole or in part due to the effects of a virus or the use of anti-Virus software. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS To run LIONHEART you need a Commodore Amiga 500, 500 Plus, 600, 1200, 2000 or 3000 computer with at least 1 MB of RAM. If you want to install the game on your hard-disk, you will need a minimum of 1.5 MB of RAM. Any extra memory available will be used, as will faster processors on turbo cards! Check that the original diskettes are write-protected (the write protect hole must be open). The program is not copy-protected and can be installed on most hard-disks. It is therefore advisable either to make a working copy of the original or install the program on the hard-disk. Please follow the procedure explained under the Virus Warning above. To install the program on the hard-disk, boot your machine in the normal way and insert the LIONHEART Diskette 1 into the DFO: drive. In Workbench, open the diskette icon and double-click on the installation procedure. Follow the instructions on the screen. Please note that the program cannot be installed on a small number of hard-disks. The reasons for this are: - The hard-disk driver is installed in Chip-RAM, not in Fast-RAM. - The hard-disk driver uses the blitter. - The hard-disk driver uses unusual interrupts. These drivers are the exception. If you have a hard-disk with a driver which falls into one of the above categories, you will probably not be able to install LIONHEART on it. To run the program from the hard-disk, double-click on the LIONHEART icon in the installed directory. The following should be noted when installating onto the hard-disk of any computers not equipped with Fast-Ram, i.e. the A600HD, with only 2 MB of Chip-RAM: Each time you load the start-up program for the first time, it will carry out a reset. This allocates the available Chip-Ram. It is then neccessary to do a restart and load the game itself. To run the program from the working copy, switch off the computer and the peripherals. Insert Diskette 1 of the game into the internal drive (DFOi), then switch on your monitor and computer again. The program will load and start automatically. INTRO You are at the first level if the intro appears on the screen on loading. To stop the Intro, press the fire button on your joystick. MAIN MENU From the main menu you can start the game, select various options, look at the instructions, or, if you loaded the program from the hard-disk, you can go back to the Workbench. From the main menu you only need diskette 2, unless you want to see the lntro, in which case you will need diskette 1. Start game Once you have selected your options in the Introduction, you're ready to go on the Quest for Lionheart. Options Difficulty Set the difficulty level to Normal or Hard - Weaklings are not catered for. Joystick You can install joysticks equipped with two electrically independent buttons. Soundtest Music 00 switches the sound off. The other values provide various different sound-tracks. Done Returns you to the main menu. Introduction Starts the "Intro" again. Quit Returns you to the Workbench. The game ends. This menu is only available if LlONHEART is installed on a hard-disk and your computer has at least 1.8 MB of RAM. CONTROLS Valdyn is controlled by the joystick connected to the second socket on your computer. Joystick Right Valdyn goes right Joystick Left Valdyn goes left Joystick Up Valdyn jumps up Joystick Down Valdyn ducks Joystick Up and Right Valdyn jumps to the right Joystick Up and Left Valdyn jumps to the left The Jump function is proportionally controlled; push the stick up a little and Valdyn only does a little jump. Push it up further and Valdyn jumps as high and far as he can. The fire button has a special function. Press and hold the fire button Valdyn draws his sword Release the fire button Valdyn sheathes his sword Please note that Valdyn sheathes his sword as soon as you let go of the fire button and that he only draws his sword and goes "En Garde" when you press the fire button, i.e. he does not lunge. With the Fire Button depressed: Joystick Right Horizontal thrust of the sword to the right Joystick Left Horizontal thrust of the sword to the left Joystick Up Sword thrusts upwards at an angle Joystick Down Valdyn ducks Crouched, with the Fire Button depressed: Joystick Right Kick to the right Joystick Left Kick to the left Joystick Up Valdyn stands up Valdyn can climb along or hang on to certain ropes and ledges and can balance on or walk along the ropes. To do this, make him jump onto the rope or the ledge. To fight when he is hanging, press the fire button. If you use a joystick with two electrically independent firing buttons, the first button (often referred to as fire button A or 1) is used for "drawing the weapon" and the second (fire button B or 2) is used for "jumping". Proportionally controlled jumping is then controlled with fire button 2. The battle strike The most effective method of attack Valdyn knows is the battle strike. For this, pull the stick down during the jump and press the fire button. You must press the fire button several times to strike repeatedly. In addition, use the following keys on the keyboard: [P] To pause the game [Esc] To interrupt the game Confirm at the prompt by pressing [Esc] again if you wish to end the game. Pressing any other key returns you to the game. [I] Background colour interlace mode on/off. DISPLAYS During the game certain details are displayed at the top of the screen. At the left-hand side are two rows of hearts shown in three different conditions. The number of bright red hearts shows the total energy of one of Valdyn's lives. If Valdyn makes contact with an opponent, one of the bright red heart turns dark red. The total number of bright red and dark red hearts shows the maximum energy of Valdyn on one level. Hearts which are only shown in outline are inactive. Further details are given under "BONUS POINTS, Energy Crystals" and "Energy Drinks". Next to the hearts is the display of the energy crystals already collected, which you need to increase Valdyn's energy. Next to the crystal display is a sword indicating a value. Valdyn may find various different swords along his way. The striking power of the sword is shown here. The number of lives remaining for Valdyn is shown at the far right. He loses one of his lives when the last bright red heart turns dark red. Various special actions are displayed in the top right-hand corner of the screen: - If you need to change the diskette, an animated diskette symbol appears showing the number of the diskette required. - In many cases disk access is shown by a rotating disc symbol. - Pauses are indicated by the pause symbol. - A warning message appears if you wish to end the game (by pressing [Esc]). BONUS POINTS Energy Crystals Collect all the energy crystals you can find. When you have the requisite number, the active heart count increases by one, i.e. one of the inactive hearts is activated. Energy Drinks There are two different sizes of phials containing energy drinks to be found on the levels. The small phials regenerate one of the dark red hearts, and turn it bright red. The large phials regenerate all the active dark red hearts so that maximum life energy is again available to Valdyn. All the active hearts turn back to bright red. Life Spheres In a few areas you will find glowing life spheres which give Valdyn another new life. The display at the top right on the screen is increased by one. Swords Valdyn starts his search armed only with a simple sword. Look around carefully - you will find much better and more powerful weapons along the way. Keep an eye on the sword display on the screen. TIPS Familiarise yourself with the controls. Practice all the movements and battle strikes before you go searching for Lionheart. You should especially practice the battle strike jump: many of your opponents can be destroyed with this in one single hit! To repeat the battle strike several times you need only press the fire button again whilst pulling down on the joystick. If Valdyn hits his opponent, Valdyn is catapulted upwards. On each level there are hidden things which make the task easier for you. On most levels there is also a secret area which is very carefully concealed. If you cannot progress on one level, search through the previous levels in case you missed the bonus points which would make it easier for you to progress. Note that Valdyn always runs faster up or down slopes. This fact can be used to make him jump further. Valdyn is a member of the Cat People race. If he has to cross a river or get through a flooded passageway you must remember that he cannot swim. For this reason, it is essential that you always keep his head above water. Many of the platforms Valdyn must stand on during his travels can be made to move like swings. Pull the joystick down during the swing to increase its movement. Move the joystick up to decrease the amount of swing. By the way... In modus "HARD" you will not only be attacked by harder enemies; we also changed the levels itself. That means, that you have got actually two games in one. CREDITS Game Design: Erik Simon Graphics: Henk Nieborg Sound: Matthias Steinwachs Programming: Erwin Kloibhofer, Michael Bittner Story: Jurie Horneman Original Instructions: Harald Uenzelmann Title illustration: Dieter Rottermund Testers: Karsten Koper. Matthias Rieke, Manfred Renz Project Manager: Erik Simon Special thanks to Wolfgang Breyha and Reinhardt Franz Copyright (c) 1992: Thalion Software All rights reserved.