Virgin HEIMDALL Adventure Of One Bad Viking Instruction Manual

Virgin HEIMDALL Adventure Of One Bad Viking

Preface

One question which the Vikings asked was “Where do the men who inhabit the Earth come from?” This was answered by Snorri Sturluson the great Icelandic scholar and historian – One day Odin, the god of the skies, was walking along the seashore with his two brothers, when they came across two pieces of driftwood in the likeness of man and woman. Odin gave them life and soul, the second god gave them understanding and feeling, and the third gave speech, hearing and sight. After the gods had created mankind, they gave them a place to live.

The Vikings perception of the earth was as a flat disc surrounded by a vast ocean. The land on the outer shores of the ocean was inhabited by the giants and called Utgard. In the center of the World disc was a land called Midgar where mankind would live. Finally the gods built their own land, a high citadel set in the center of Midgar called Asgard. Asgard was fortified by a great wall and connected to the earth by a great rainbow bridge called Bifrost. Although the World was perceived as a disc, it did have three levels, Asgard at the highest level, Midgard in the middle and beneath that, Utgard.

All three levels of the World were held together by Yggdrasil, the World Tree, a great Ash tree. This tree was the center of the universe, where each day the gods sat in council. The branches of the tree reached the sky and its roots spread into all of the worlds. At the base of the tree was the Well of Fate, the source of all wisdom, tended by three Norns, giant maidens, who lived in the clouds above the rain- bow bridge. It was the Norns who decided the fate of all mankind, including the gods. Yggdrasail was inhibited by an eagle on its topmost branches, who was at war with Nidhogg the serpent who gnawed away at the roots of the tree. The whole fabric of the universe was held together by Yggdrasail, but the great tree was under terrible strain, despite constant sprinkling of the healing water from the Well of Fate. The World itself was doomed from the moment it was created when the seeds of destruction were sown. The doom of the gods was spelled out in Ragnarok, the period when confusion and ruin would fall upon the World and the gods would assemble on the final battlefield…

Introduction

In ages past, Odin the God King of all Valhalla and Asgard created from nothing the Viking Deople shaped in the form of the Gods (a bit smaller though) he found pleasure in their appearance. But looking around he saw that there wasn’t enough room for them in Valhalla, so…

Loading Instructions

Commodore Amiga

HEIMDALL requires an Amiga with at least 1 meg of RAM and a joystick.

1. Turn off your computer.
2. Plug the mouse into port 1 and a joystick into port 2.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Insert the Amiga KICKSTART disk into the disk drive. (Amiga 1000 only).
5. When the “Workbench” icon appears, insert HEIMDALL Disk 0. The game will load and run automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions.

NOTE: The Amiga version of HEIMDALL can be used with up to three floppy disk drives, i.e. an Amiga A500 with up to two external drives connected.

IBM PC and 100% Compatibles

HEIMDALL requires an IBM compatible computer with at least 640k of memory, a hard disk drive, and an EGA or VGA compatible video card.
We recommend that you have a Microsoft™ compatible mouse or an analogue joystick, a Roland™, Adlib™, or Soundblaster soundcard.

Installing onto a hard disk

1. Boot your computer with DOS.
2. Insert HEIMDALL Disk 1 into drive A or B.
3. Type “A:” ог “B:” (whichever drive you put your disk in) and press RETURN.
4. Type “INSTALL” and press Return.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Playing HEIMDALL from a hard disk

1. Boot your computer with DOS.
2. Type “C:” (if your hard disk isn’t C: enter the correct letter).
3. Type \HEIMDALL and press Return.

Setup Screen

• Change to the directory where the Heimdall files are located, e.g., CD HEIMDALL.
• Then type SETUP and press RETURN. From this setup screen, you can select the Video mode, Control method, type of sound, language of on-screen text, etc.

Disk Protection

• Always keep your HEIMDALL disks write-protected.
• This will prevent accidental loss of data and prevent viruses from infecting your disks.

Playing HEIMDALL

When HEIMDALL has loaded, you will be presented with an Options screen comprising of three boxes. You will be asked to select from one of the following:

1. Load a saved game.
2. Play HEIMDALL without Attribute scoring section.
3. Play HEIMDALL with Attribute scoring section.

If you select (1), you will be asked to insert the disk containing your saved game into the disk drive of your computer.

If you select (2), you will go directly to the Character selection screen, and will have been given an attribute score of 50%. This means that you will only be able to choose from the first half of the available crew. The second half of the crew includes some powerful characters, therefore, we recommend that you try to attain a high attribute score. If you select (3), you will go directly to the first of the Attribute scoring sections, the Ax Throwing.

HEIMDALL is divided into two distinct parts. The first part centers around Heimdall as a young boy and the tests he must take to gain respect as a Viking warrior from his fellow villagers…

Part 1

This part of the game is used to determine your attribute score. This score is needed for two reasons. First, to determine your personal attributes which will be divided between several categories includ- ing: Strength, Agility, Health,, etc. Second to allow you to select your team of followers. You must select five additional crew members to accompany you on your quest, picked from a selection of up to 30 depending on your score in this stage of the game. For example, you may only have a choice of 21 because your score is too low to see all 30. The means of scoring your attributes is set in a three stage test as follows.

Ax Throwing Contest

Heimdall finds himself caught up in something he doesn’t under- stand until the village elders take him to one side and explain that the boy which legends speak of is actually him. You have been given ten axes with which to cut off the eight pig-tails of Helga the barmaid. Unfortunately as this is your first venture into the village inn, the strong ale his affected your eye-sight and the steadiness of your hand. This section finishes when you have used all of your ten axes or when you have successfully cut off all eight pig- tails. Your rating will depend on the accuracy of your throwing.

Pig Chasing

After leaving the village inn still under the influence of the strong ale, you are taken to the local pig farm where you have been told to go and catch one of the pigs. To make your task even more difficult, the pig has been greased so that it can escape from your grip. You have very little time in which to catch the pig. The time is indicated by the spinning ax at the bottom of the screen. When this ax reaches the right-hand side of the screen, the game will end. Beware, if you corner the pig, it will wait and then suddenly charge and knock you over, wasting valuable time. Your score in this section is determined by your speed in catching the pig.

Boat Fighting Test

You have now been taken down to the harbor where all of the Viking longboats are moored. On one of the boats is a sack containing a hoard of gold coins. You are eager to recover these coins so you have jumped onto the longboat containing the coins. To collect them you must run from the starting point to the left where the sack is tied to the bow of the boat. However, to reach the sack, you must fight your way past several armed guards and then return with the sack to your starting point. This section is played against the clock, the timer represented by the spinning ax at the bottom of the screen moving from left to right. Your score in this section depends on how quickly you can recover the sack of coins. It will end when you are knocked overboard, hit by one of the guards, when the timer runs out or when you successfully recover the coins.

The Main Game

After gaining your attribute scores in Part 1 you will begin Part 2, the main game where you control Heimdall in his quest. The age of Ragnarok is almost here; as the chosen one it is up to you to explore the World of the Vikings. You will search, explore, fight and solve puzzles in search for the God’s weapons.

The weapons in question are:

1. Thor’s Hammer
2. Frey’s Spear
3. Odin’s Sword.

These form the major quests of the game. However, several sub- quests along the way will need to be solved before you reach each end of level item.

Selecting your crew

Before your quest begins, you will be asked to select your crew from a number of characters determined by your success in Stage 1. Among these people will be members of various professions: warriors, wizards, thieves, shipwrights, rangers, etc. However, on screen all characters who have the ability to fight will be represented by the warrior graphic. The rest will be represented by the wizards graphic.

The World Maps

Choosing Party to take to an Island

Then you travel to an island only 3 people can go, whilst the remaining 3 (or dead characters) stay on the boat. To select the three characters that you wish to take, simply click on the character’s picture with the left mouse button. This will highlight his “items” box indicating that he has been chosen. If you select more than three characters, one of the selected ones will be cleared, leaving only three highlighted. If less than 3 are selected, the computer will automatically pick the first available character to make up your full comple- ment. To de-select a character click on his portrait with the right mouse button.

The Items Screen

The Items Screen is accessed by clicking on the Helmet icon from the map, screen or by pressing “I” at any time during the game. The screen shows the characters that you have picked to go with you on your quest. Underneath their pictures are the items that they are carrying. The arrows next to the items are used to view items that are not shown in the box.

If you access the Items Screen from your boat (i.e. from the World map) any dead characters will have their pictures and names shaded out. You will still be able to take and give items to them but you will not be able to take them to an island with you until they have been resurrected. If you access the Items Screen from an island, any characters that have been left on the boat will be totally shaded out, preventing you from giving/taking objects from them. If a character that is with the party has been killed during your trip to the island he will be shown as half shaded, as above, and you will still be able to give/take items from him.

Here is a summary of the commands available from this screen:

USE

To use an item simply select it by clicking on it and then click on the “USE” icon. You will then be told whether or not the item is usable. If it is a usable item but you are at the incorrect location for its use you will be informed as such. If you are at the correct location, you will return to the game and see the affects of your command. An example of the use command is unlocking doors. Simply stand in front of a locked door, go into the Items Screen and select “USE”. It will then return to the game. If it is the correct key, it will unlock the door, or alternatively, it will inform you that the key is incorrect.

EXAMINE

To examine an item, simply select it and click on “EXAMINE”. You will then be given a brief description of the item. If the item is a spell scroll and the character who examines it has insufficient runelore to decipher the spell (see the section on Using Spells) it will display the scroll as a set of runes. If you decipher the scroll it will be translated.

DISTRIBUTE

To move an item from one character to another, you must select the item to move, click on “Distribute” and click on the character you wish to give it to. If the character receiving the item has enough spare slots he will be given the item, alternatively you will be informed that he cannot carry any more.

DISCARD

• To remove an item, select it and click on DISCARD, you will then be asked if you are sure.
• If you say YES the item will be removed. If you discard an item it will be lost forever, so be careful to discard important items needed to complete your tasks.

EAT

• To eat or drink an item repeat the procedure as above. If the item is inedible (i.e. an Ax), you will be told that the item cannot be eaten.
• If it is edible, the bonuses will be added to your stats and the item will be removed from the list.

GIVE

• The process for giving an item is exactly the same as USING an item.

USE SPELL

If you try to use a combat only spell from the Items Screen you will be informed that you cannot do so. If the spell that you cast is one that needs to be cast on a character simply select the spell, click on “USE SPELL” and then click on the character that you wish to cast it upon. If the spell is one used for getting past obstacles and solving puzzles, you will return to the game and the affects of the spell will be executed.

SAVE/LOAD Game

To save the game you first need a blank formatted disk. Put this disk into the drive as prompted and then click on OK. You will not be asked for a filename and if the disk is one that has already been used before for saving a game, the previously saved game will be de- stroyed. If you wish to have more than one game saved, you must use a separate disk for each one. To load the game click on the icon and then follow the prompts. The game will then be restored to the saved point.

N.B. Save/Load game can only be done from your boat (i.e. World map).

TEXT STATS

This will display character attributes in text form. The attributes displayed are:

1. Level…The character’s current level (max 8)
2. Hit …. current health/maximum health
3. Str..Strength (max 99)
4. Dex.. Dexterity (max 99)
5. Lk ..Luck (max 99)
6. RI… …Runelore (max 99)
7. Хр. .. Character current experience points

Press left mouse button to return to item display.

BAR STATS

• This will display the character stats (except experience and level) in bar chart form.
• The descriptions are as above. For health, if the bar is at the top it means that the character is at his current maximum NOT at 99.
• Press left mouse button to return to item display.

EXIT

• This will return you to either World map or game depending on where you called the Items Screen from.

The Combat Screen

When combat is initiated or when you walk to within the vicinity of one of the many guards, a screen will come up showing your opponent and information relating to your opponent such as: health, strength, etc. Information relating to characters in your party, their health and the weapons that they are carrying will also be shown.

HEALTH

The health of your opponent is shown as a bar of blood on the left hand side next to his picture. The health of the characters in your party is shown above their name panel. When the bar reaches the bottom, that person is dead. If it is your opponent who dies, combat is over and you can search for treasure. Ifit is one of your party who dies, his panel will be shaded over and he can take no further part in the game until resurrected. Combat continues until either your opponent is dead, all your party is dead or you have run away.

ITEMS/WEAPONS

The center panel shows the weapons and spells that the currently selected player can use. The main name panel above the items shows the name of the currently selected character. Each character can automatically use his fists. Any swords axes or daggers are shown with the appropriate icon. Any spells that the character is carrying that cannot be cast by him or have not been deciphered will not be displayed as they are of no use. To see if the character is carrying more items than those displayed, click on the arrow next to the main name panel. To select a different character you must click on his name/health panel. The center panel will display his items as above.

FIGHTING

Your opponent will attack you at his own pace, so once combat has started you have four possible options:

1. RUN: Click on this icon to attempt to run away. You will not be able to run away from all of your opponents. This will depend on your rating compared to theirs.
2. DEFEND: If your opponent has begun his attack, you will have a certain amount of time to block it (the time will depend on the strength of your opponent). If you click on the defend icon quickly enough, you will be successful in blocking your opponents strike. As your opponents become more powerful, you will need to react more quickly in pressing the defend icon to block the strike successfully.
3. ATTACK: To attack the opponent with your fists or a weapon you must select the weapon to use and then click on the attack icon. However, if you time your attack more carefully you will have a better chance of striking. This is done by clicking on the attack icon whilst your opponent is starting his attack against you. He will be open to attack for the first few moments of his strike so if you attack during this time you will almost certainly hit him.
4. SPELL: To cast a spell, click on the spell that you wish to cast and then click on the Spell icon. If the spell is an attack spell the spell will be cast against your opponent in the same fashion as a weapon attack. If the spell is a defensive spell, such as “Wall of Energy” which makes you invulnerable for a while, an icon will appear in the box above your energy bar showing that the spell is active. Even though you will still be hit during combat, no energy will be lost while the spell is active. Once the spell has run out combat will continue as normal. If the spell is one that is cast on a party member, you must first click on the spell icon and then click on the panel of the character you wish to cast the spell on. An example of this type of spell is “Energy Replenish (1)”.

DEATH

• If all of your party is wiped out, then the game is over.
• If you are successful in defeating your opponent you will be able to search his remains for treasure, and will be notified of each item that is found and given the option to take it or leave it. You may return to the main game.

Using Spells

A character’s magic ability is determined by his RUNELORE rating. This is a value from 0 to 99 (0 being no magic ability, 99 being maximum). Each character can increase this score by special potions, level advancement, etc. Each spell has it’s own runelore rating which determines the runelore a character needs to be able to decipher and cast it. For example the spell “Detect Traps” requires a runelore of 10 to decipher/cast it, so if a character with a runelore less than 10 tries to decipher the scroll containing the spell, he will only be shown the runes. If his runelore is sufficient the scroll will be translated and you will be able to cast it. Once a scroll has been translated it still may only be cast by somebody with sufficient runelore ability.

Spells come in three categories:

1. Combat only – can only be used when engaged in combat.
2. Rooms only (Via the Items Screen) – can only be used when in one of the rooms i.e. Disarm Traps etc.
3. Usable in BOTH the above – For example “Energy Replenish (1)’ which restores the energy of one character.

Chest Traps

• During the game you will encounter a number of chests. These chests sometimes contain useful items such as gold or scrolls. However, it may be a trap.
• When you approach a chest you will be asked if you wish to open it, if you select “yes” you will then be asked if you wish to cast a “Disarm
• Trap” spell on it. If you have sufficient RUNELORE and a “Disarm
• Trap” spell you will be able to cast the spell to disarm any traps related to the chest. If you do not have sufficient RUNELORE or are not in possession of a ‘Disarm Trap’ spell, then you will be told so.
• If there was no trap related to this chest, then the “Disarm Trap” spell will have been wasted.
• If the chest does contain a trap and is opened without being disarmed, the trap will be activated and the chest will then be opened.

Controls

• You will need both a joystick and a mouse connected to your computer (with the exception of the PC version).
• We recommend that the mouse be used for all controls in the main game with the exception of controlling HEIMDALL.

Ax Throwing Section Controls

• Use the joystick to move the cursor around the screen. Press the fire button to release the ax.

Pig Chasing Controls

• All of your movement is controlled by the joystick. When you think that you are in a position to be able to grab the pig, press fire on the joystick and you will dive towards it.

Boat Fighting Controls

Use the joystick to point Heimdall in the direction you wish to move or hit. If there is a guard in front of you in the direction you are facing, you will hit him with your sword when you press the fire button. If there is a guard in front of you, then you will jump in the direction you are facing when you press the fire button.

Character Selection Screen Controls

• To select between the available characters, use the mouse to move the pointer over the grey arrow icons and press the left mouse button.
• The available characters will be shown in the box to the right of the arrows, along with their name. In the box below you are shown how many more crew members you need to choose to make up the full complement of six. The boxes at the bottom of the screen show the current character’s statistics.
• When you have chosen the sixth crew member, the next part of the game will load automatically.

Map Screen Controls

All movement on the map screen is controlled by the mouse. To move from island to island, move the pointer over the boat icon at the righthand side of the screen, and press the left mouse button. Once you have clicked on the boat icon you will be asked to choose the island you wish to sail to. Move the pointer over the island you wish to sail to and press the left mouse button. If you travel to an island which is further away than the number of days food your boat is carrying, you will lose energy during the journey. You will not know how much energy you have lost until you have arrived at your destination.

If you have a navigator amongst your crew, he will warn you if your are likely to lose energy during the trip. Some islands are simply too far away and if you click on one of these, you will be told that it is impossible to travel there. When you leave an island, an icon in the shape of a Viking helmet will be placed on the island to indicate that you have been there.

Items Screen Controls

• All movements around the Items Screen are controlled by the mouse.
• To select an option move the pointer over the required icon and press the left mouse button. See the section headed “THE ITEMS SCREEN” for further details of the options on this screen.

The Main Game Controls

In addition to controlling Heimdall, you can also select one of the other five characters in your crew to control at any time. Once you are in the main game, use the cursor keys to move Heimdall around the screen. (Pressing two cursor keys simultaneously moves diagonally). There are also a few controls on the keyboard which are used:

• F1

• F2: Select character to control.

• F3

• M: Sound Effects On/Off.
  

• Q: Quit

• I: Go to the Items Screen.

• P: Pause On/Off.
  

• F: Turn footsteps On/Off.

• Return: Select item screen.

• Space Bar: Activate option.

• Y: Yes

• N: No (in response to questions).

• ESC:  Exit to DOS.

During subgames the following controls are used (mouse control does not operate):

Mouse Controls

• Moving the mouse will rotate the chosen character on the spot. Press and hold down the left mouse button to move the character in the direction he is facing.
• Pressing the Right Button selects the Item Screen. The Left Button activates Options.

Combat Screen Controls

• When combat is initiated, you will go to the combat screen, where the movement of the sword icon is controlled by the mouse. For further information on this section see “The Combat Screen”.

Shop Screen Controls

On each level one of the islands contains a shop. The shop is found by entering a certain hut in one of the villages. Once inside the shop you will be shown a screen with your currently selected character displayed in the top left corner. You can change the character by clicking on the left and right arrows below the character’s name. In the box below this is a list of the items carried by the selected character. Below that is a box showing how much gold the character is carrying. Below that is a list of the options available, these are:

• BUY: to buy an item from the shop, click on the chosen item from the list in the center of the main screen and click on the BUY icon.
• SELL: to sell an item you are already carrying to the shop- keeper, click on the item you wish to sell from your item list, then click on the SELL icon. The chosen item will be removed from your list.
• EXAMINE: If you click on an item in the list in the center of the screen and then click on the EXAMINE icon you will be given a brief description of that item.
• POOL GOLD: The gold being carried by the party on the island can be pooled together and will all be given to the cur- rently selected character if you click on the POOL GOLD icon.
• EXIT: To leave the shop click on the EXIT icon.

CREDITS

DEVELOPER CREDITS

PUBLISHER CREDITS

Heimdall is a trademark of Virgin Games, Inc. and Core Design, Ltd.
©1992 Virgin Games, Inc. and Core Design, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Virgin is a registered trademark of Virgin Enterprises, Ltd.
Virgin Games, Inc. 18061 Fitch Ave., Irvine, CA 92714

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