K N I G H T ' S Q U E S T
by Jon Mattson
Welcome to Camelot!
Actually, welcome to an infinite number of fantasy universes, with m
ore
than enough dragons to slay, distressed damsels to save, and brother knig
hts
to battle or avenge for even the most jaded armchair adventurer. In shor
t,
you will find herein all of the trappings of Arthurian legend -- from
wizards plotting cryptic destinies to enchanted knights driven to mad
rebellion -- if not Arthur, himself.
KNIGHT'S QUEST is a one- or two-player split-screen game which makes
full use of the 128's 80-column screen, musical capabilities, extra memor
y
and increased speed. Beyond that, defining KQ is difficult. It is a
role-playing game (RPG), in so much as each player creates a knight
character and uses this persona to explore a brave new world, but it is
geared towards a shorter playing time than your average fantasy epic (3 t
o 5
hours or thereabouts). On the other hand, especially with two players, i
t
is a sort of 'computer boardgame', with a loose competition arising to se
e
who can complete his final Quest first and most bravely -- a sort of
Arthurian Monopoly, with the stakes being honour and valour instead of
money. KQ rises over either type of game, however, in that it uses
artificial intelligence to build an infinite number of worlds to use for
your 'game boards'.
A quick history should also make the thrust of the game more evident
.
KQ began as a double experiment. First of all, I wanted to create a fant
asy
RPG which made full and colorful use of the 80-column screen, since none
yet
existed (to the best of my knowledge). What better way to take advantage
of
the extra screen space than to allow two people to play at the same time?
This quest ultimately resulted in the RPG/arcader, LABYRINTH, which appea
red
on LS128 #11, but I felt that I had still only scratched the surface of
something bigger.
The second experiment began when my wife and I were pondering the
drawbacks of commercial RPGs. Non-computer RPG fans ourselves, we fell i
n
love with the computer equivalent at first... but soon found that it was
a
short-lived infatuation. Oh, there are still a few that excite the old
interest (ULTIMA 4 and 5, by Origin, come to mind), but, for the most par
t,
we got tired of the 'hack-n-slash' nature of the computer versions. Then
,
too, each adventure seemed to take an disproportionate amount of time, an
d,
once it was finished (or had been surrendered), the game gathered dust.
We decided that there had to be a way to design a game in which the
computer would act somewhat like a human gamemaster. This 'model RPG' wo
uld
be played in just a few hours and have indefinite replay value. Combat,
although an integral part of the game, would have to be cut back a bit in
favour of real 'sub-quests' with attainable (and occasionally non-violent
)
goals. To this list, I added the practical criteria that the game had to
fit into the 128's relatively limited memory and require minimal disk acc
ess
once the session was underway (KNIGHTS OF LEGEND, also by Origin, almost
lost me on this point).
A pretty tall order, but my old love of Arthurian legend pointed me
in
the right direction. Those who have read the various tales of Camelot wi
ll
know that they are composed, to a large degree, of a multitude of quests
undertaken by the Knights of the Round Table. Adapting this idea to the
computer was a bit tricky but not impossible, and the result is, I believ
e,
relatively unique. The genre also allowed me to make KQ two games in one
:
in addition to an RPG, it also has a very thorough joust simulator, allow
ing
for individual duels and full tournaments. But more on that later...
The rest of this article will concentrate on the game-oriented point
s
of KQ -- how to interact with the system. Although you will find many hi
nts
and tips, you will not see any hard, fast information concerning the worl
d
itself. I might have trouble with that, even if I tried: some aspects of
world building are in the 'hands' of YOUR computer. If you are a fan of
Arthurian legend, you will recognize many familiar themes, although you w
ill
never meet Arthur or Lancelot herein (this is your unique world, after al
l).
If not, don't worry about it. This is a game of exploration -- so start
exploring!
THE GOAL
--------
You can have many entertaining sessions of KQ just exploring the wor
lds
your computer builds. Ultimately, however, you may want to pursue the 'e
nd
game' Quest. In the capital city (which you will have to find yourself)
resides the High King of the continent, who oversees the four lesser King
s.
He is growing old and seeks a champion -- the epitome of knightly conduct
and valour. He who proves himself worthy of this honour will also claim
the
throne when the High King dies, for he has left no heir. To this end, th
e
wizard, Morgan, has begun searching for likely candidates, and it is up t
o
you to prove that YOU are the one he is looking for by gaining fame and
prowess during your adventuring career.
SETTING UP
----------
When you first run the program, the title screen will give you three
options (other than quitting): world building, game setup and game play.
For your first session, this is also the logical order for you to make yo
ur
choices: you cannot play the game until you have created at least one wor
ld
and designed your character(s). So, your first session should go somethi
ng
like this:
1) Build a world: All you have to do here is pick the option and na
me
the resulting world -- the computer does everything else. This procedure
takes a few minutes, but the computer will keep you appraised of its
progress. It will also allow you to take a quick tour to familiarize
yourself with the land. Make sure that you have a disk with some empty
space on it to save the creation.
2) Game Setup: This allows you to pick which world to explore, deci
de
whether 1 or 2 people will be involved and make your character(s), using
the
procedure explained in the program. The computer also generates all
non-player characters at this point and does a few other game-related tas
ks.
Make sure that you have a disk with some empty space to save the results
--
preferably the same disk which contains the world in question. You will
have to give the saved game a name for reference purposes.
3) Game Play: Now that you have a world and one or more saved
characters, you can actually play the game. In the future, when you want
to
continue a saved game, just pick this option.
Some things to keep in mind during setup:
1) More than one saved game can use the same world, even
simultaneously: data subject to change is retained with the 'saved game'
file, not the 'world' files. Thus, if you get particularly fond of one
world, you can keep using it indefinitely.
2) Three files will be created using the above procedure, two world
files and the saved game: KQM.'world', KQC.'world' and KQS.'saved game'.
When referring to each file, only use the actual 'world' or 'saved game'
name, not the prefix. The computer will add the prefix as required.
3) It is a good idea to keep all three related files on the same di
sk.
They will use up no more than 30 blocks, total, so many games can be sav
ed
on one disk, perhaps even with a copy of the program itself. Do NOT use
your LS128 disk for this purposea
4) For simplicity's sake, I usually use the same name for the 'worl
d'
and the 'saved game' files, as long as the world isn't being used for mor
e
than one game. In any event, you will have to remember the 'save name' t
o
re-access the game, but you will not have to remember the 'world' name,
since it is retained in the 'saved game' file.
PLAYING THE GAME
----------------
KQ is played using the joysticks. Keyboard access is limited to onl
y
two generic commands (see below), since keyboard control does not allow
simultaneous two-player action. The Port 1 joystick tends to scramble
keyboard input, in any event. Player 1 uses the Port 2 joystick, since t
his
is the easiest (= fastest) one for the program to access in the single
player game. In the two player game, player 2 uses the Port 1 joystick.
Virtually all game functions use a pop-up menu system: just move the
joystick up or down to move the highlight bar and make your choice. Yes
or
No questions use a different system: tap the joystick in any direction to
toggle between Yes and No. When numbers are requested, simply pull down
to
increase the number or push up to decrease it. In all cases, pressing th
e
fire button makes your final choice. Similarly, virtually all text pause
s
can be shortened simply by tapping the button. This process very soon
becomes second nature.
During non-combat portions of the game, pressing the INST/DEL key wi
ll
toggle the music on and off. Pressing RETURN will call up a simplified m
ap
of the continent, showing only the villages, castles and player locations
,
so that you can figure out where you are and where you are going. The ma
p
can be shown entirely west-east but only in quarters north-south, so the
number keys let you view each section (1 is the very top, 4 is the very
bottom). If you want a more exact, topographical map, just press the
Up-Arrow key and the terrain will be displayed (this takes a few moments)
.
This is mentioned on the map screen, so don't worry about remembering it
for
now.
When the game begins, the main screen will appear. It is split into
two areas, one for each player, with a central message box that applies t
o
both players near the top. This latter box keeps you appraised of the ti
me
(hour, date and year), the location of any upcoming tournaments/festivals
,
and current events which apply to the world at large.
Each player's screen section contains a map, showing his current
location, and numerous other pieces of information:
Terrain: A small picture and a verbal cue describe the terrain around yo
u.
If you are in a village or castle, its name will be noted. Some types of
terrain are harder to traverse, requiring more than one 'joystick push':
if
you are exploring such an area, a 'Slow Travel' message will also appear.
Injury & Fatigue: Adventuring is hard work. As you travel (especially i
n
heavy armour) and perform other physically tiring tasks, you will grow
fatigued, and your small heart-shaped 'endurance' symbol will gradually
shift from green to yellow to red. At a state of virtual collapse it
flashes dark cyan (a suitably deathly color). Combat and other dangerous
events can have a similarly disturbing effect on your 'body' symbol, in t
he
form of injuries. Running out of 'endurance' is a dangerous nuisance and
can prevent further movement until you have rested; running out of 'body'
is
usually lethal...
Steed: Assuming that you have a faithful destrier (you start with one),
this heart-shaped symbol keeps you appraised of its combined 'endurance'
and
'body'. Running your horse into the ground is a quick way to lose it --
in
which case, the symbol will disappear altogether. A horse is required if
you plan to do any jousting; it also shares most of the fatigue loss from
travel.
Honour & Valour: These are the traits you are striving to improve to win
the game. Honour starts off at an average level and can drop towards dar
ker
colours or rise towards lighter ones. Valour starts at the bottom and ca
n
only go up. If and when both symbols turn white, you can consider yourse
lf
a true champion and should go see Morgan at the capital city. Honour als
o
affects how other people react to you: it is your reputation as a hero (o
r
anti-hero...). Valour also affects combat: as you become more experience
d,
you will naturally become a more deadly adversary. There is actually a
third, related trait which is not visible: your skill at the joust can
increase through experience, making you a better jouster; however this ha
s
no other affect on the game.
Equipment: This includes gold, magic potions and 'heavy metal': your
weapon, armour and shield. At the beginning of the game, you have no
potions and minimal gold; however, you are well-equipped with a broadswor
d,
shield and platemail armour. You can carry only one shield at a time;
however, you can stow away one of EACH type of armour and weapon -- if yo
u
find or buy others. Naturally, you can only wear one type of armour at a
time and wield only one weapon, so these are the ones which appear on the
screen. The Weapon, Armour and Sheath/Unsheath commands allow you to swi
tch
between different pieces of equipment if extras are carried (not a bad id
ea,
since those in use can be damaged).
Lady: At the beginning of the game, this area will be blank. Should you
eventually find a lady to champion, her name will appear here. This is a
s
good a time as any to add a related sidenote: Yes, this game is somewhat
chauvinistic, because the genre it simulates is chauvinistic. Players ar
e
assumed to be male knights and are likely to end up saving distressed
damsels. Adding female player characters would not only have complicated
the already very complicated encounter programming but also would have be
en
completely out of keeping with the genre. For those die-hard feminists o
ut
there, I can only offer this as an explanation and apology.
At the beginning of the game, each player will start at his home
castle, ready for adventure. To set off, simply push the joystick in the
direction you wish to move. As long as at least one player does anything
(whether it be moving or even just sleeping), time will slowly tick by.
To
perform other actions, press the fire button and a command menu will appe
ar.
This will allow you to rest, quaff magic potions, switch weapons/armour
and
so on. Three commands should be noted in particular, as their uses may n
ot
be obvious at first glance:
Search: Some quests will have an obvious target; for example, if your Ki
ng
asks you to escort him to Carradyne, you can't very well miss the city wh
en
you arrive. On the other hand, finding a band of brigands in a dense for
est
near Wellscroft may require a lot more sleuthing. If you can't seem to f
ind
the target of your Quest, try Searching the area -- more than once, if
necessary.
Enter: This allows you to enter a village or castle and check out what i
t
has to offer. This will call up another menu of shops and such, which ma
y
vary from town to town.
Leave: This is used to quit and save the game. In the two-player versio
n,
both players must agree to quit.
As you travel the countryside, you will encounter various non-player
characters of many different species. Some will be hostile and a battle
may
result. Again, the menu system controls all of your character's actions
and
most choices are obvious. A few worth examining:
Charge, Attack, Defend: All of these do the same thing: make a physical
attack against your enemy using whatever weapon is in hand. However, a
Charge concentrates on offense, increasing your chance of hitting and bei
ng
hit, and a Defend concentrates on defense, decreasing your chance of hitt
ing
and being hit. You will have to learn when to use each strategy yourself
.
Sheath/Unsheath: Combat moves too quickly for you to switch weapons usin
g
one action. You must first Sheath your weapon in hand, then Unsheath you
r
new one. Note that you cannot change your armour during combat at all (f
or
obvious reasons).
Not all encountered beings will attack you; in fact, many will wish
to
converse with you and/or aid you in your travels. This is really the hea
rt
of the game, since meeting such beings will be your best way of hearing n
ews
and learning of Quests to pursue.
Quests are the key to winning the game. It is quite possible to gai
n
honour by slaying monsters and even easier to gain valour in this manner
--
but that's the slowest (and least interesting) way. The better way is to
pursue Quests as they arise, thus gaining whatever glory fate hands you
along the way, PLUS the fame of completing a dangerous adventure at the e
nd
of the trip. Some encountered beings, as well as the tavern keeper, your
Lady and the High King, can tell you of a Quest, and you must then decide
whether or not to pursue it. Usually, you can have only one Quest at a
time, so taking up a new one causes the loss of the old one (with a possi
ble
reduction in honour). Most Quests will require you to travel to some
location and perform one or more deeds of bravery or compassion. Beyond
that... Well, you'll see for yourself.
JOUSTING
--------
When you encounter other knights (including the other player), a jou
st
may result. To joust, you must have a horse, a shield and some sort of
heavy armour (chain or plate). If you are missing any of these items, yo
u
will have to battle on foot or -- at a tournament -- hope that you can fi
nd
a sponsor. Some jousts will be friendly; the Knights of the Quest (i.e.
the
players), in particular, are under vow not to seriously injure each other
s.
In such cases, blunt lances, designed to break, are used and most damage
caused will be to endurance only. Other jousts will be outrance -- that
is,
fought with sharpened weapons to do as much damage as possible.
In either case, the procedure is the same. The screen will clear to
show a side view of the knights charging at each other. Below this, the
screen is split into two areas, one for each combatant, showing his foe's
front view and his own list of defensive choices. As the knights charge
together, you must pick an offense and a defense. Move your joystick up
or
down to pick your defense: the small shield beside the list will move in
a
corresponding manner to indicate your choice. Press fire and move the
joystick in the appropriate direction to move the point of your lance aro
und
your opponent's picture and pick a target. Will you aim squarely at his
shield, in hopes of unhorsing him, or try for a tricky helm hit, in hopes
of
knocking off his crest? Your choice will depend in part on what you are
trying to accomplish: injure your foe or look impressive (it is possible
to
do both if you're good). But the choices must be made quickly, since the
knights rush together in mere moments.
As you jiggle your shield and lance around, you will notice a small
square light appear beside your foe's picture. This is a purely artifici
al
means for the program to tell you what your character would be able to fe
el
on his own: how good or bad your offensive/defensive combination is, pure
ly
with regards to your own movements (not what your foe is doing). Obvious
ly,
aiming your lance to the far right while leaning to the far left is going
to
require some difficult contortions. If the light turns red, you are goin
g
about things the hard way; as it shifts closer to green or -- best of all
--
light cyan, your combination becomes more logical. In game terms, this
indicates whether you are looking at a bonus or penalty to your chance of
hitting. Of course, some tricky shots are a good idea when you get more
skilled and can afford the penalty: leaning far to the right, away from y
our
foe, also makes it harder for him to hit you.
A joust may require only one pass or several, depending on the resul
ts
and the situation. In combat, a joust generally ends when someone hits t
he
ground or is otherwise incapacitated. In a tournament, it may end when a
crest is ripped off or three lances are broken, as long as the attacker d
oes
not, himself, get unhorsed. If both are unhorsed in a tournament, they m
ust
usually try again.
Speaking of tournaments... To enter one, you must be present at the
city sponsoring the event when the festival begins. Tournaments are a gr
eat
way to earn honour and jousting skill quickly -- as long as you make a go
od
showing -- so try not to miss them. When the tournament begins, you will
be
asked whether you wish to view all jousts or just those involving Knights
of
the Quest (i.e. the players). Viewing all jousts can be fun and gives yo
u a
chance to size up the opposition, but it also makes for a very long sessi
on
(more than half an hour in extreme cases). Viewing only those involving
the
players isn't as visually interesting, but it does give you a quick text
account of each match so that you know what is going on.
Next, you will be given a perusal of the Lists -- all of the knights
who have chosen to appear at the tournament. This also indicates each on
e's
home city and gives a verbal cue as to his reputation. Once you have
finished studying this, the actual tournament will begin. Each knight, i
n
turn, will be asked to challenge one foe of his choice, and a normal jous
t
(with blunt lances) will result. Each knight can be involved in up to 5
jousts, or 7 at the High King's tournament, as long as he isn't disgraced
or
carried off the field, wounded beyond immediate recovery. When a round g
oes
by where every knight has chosen or been forced to pass, the tournament i
s
over, and winner is announced. Actually, all three top positions are wor
th
having, and anyone who makes a good showing may earn some honour.
Your strategy in tournament jousting will probably be different from
that in real combat. Here, you wish to avoid injuring your foe severely,
and tactics such as knocking off a foe's crest become much more meaningfu
l.
Of course, unhorsing your foe is still your best bet to gain glory. As a
matter of interest, the rules for the joust are derived, in part, from Jo
hn
Piptoft's scoring system of 1466:
1) Knights shall ride against each other and break three lances or e
lse
unhorse an opponent or else strike an opponent's crest before the contest
is
concluded.
2) Unhorsing an opponent while retaining one's own seat is the highe
st
point scored, with the contestant unhorsing the greatest number being
declared the winner.
3) Otherwise, he who strikes the crest of the helm the most times wh
ile
retaining his seat is declared the winner.
4) Otherwise, he who breaks the greatest number of lances is declare
d
the winner.
5) Any knight striking the barrier or his opponent's saddle shall lo
se
one lance from his total score.
6) Any knight doing unnecessary injury to a brother knight shall los
e
three lances from his total score.
7) Any knight striking his foe's horse is expelled from the Lists in
dishonour.
By the way, if this whole section has you completely baffled by now,
don't worry. The jousting system is actually quite intuitive, and it wil
l
all make a lot more sense when you play the game. Don't expect to win an
y
tournaments at the beginning, though: both you and your character are goi
ng
to have to gain some experience before you have a chance at unhorsing the
kingdom's Knights of Quality.
HINTS, TIPS & FINAL NOTES
-------------------------
What, you say, that's it for the explanation?! Yes, I'm afraid so.
I
have barely skimmed the tip of the iceberg, but if I were to go into more
detail, I could easily fill this disk side with the article alone. Besid
es,
that would spoil all of your fun in finding out things for yourself. Wha
t I
can do, though, is give you a few points to consider:
1) Wealth is not a big factor in this game; after all, you start wit
h
just about the best equipment available. But it has its advantages. As
soon as you can afford it, purchase spare armour and weaponry -- unless,
of
course, you can appropriate it from a foe. There ARE ways to lose the ge
ar
you are actually using, so the wise knight keeps replacements on hand, ev
en
if they are of inferior quality.
2) Keep in mind that wearing heavy armour makes movement almost as
tiring for you as for your steed. When you are in a hurry, you might wis
h
to switch to leather armour (or none at all): your steed will still be
weighed down, but at least you won't be. Of course, your armour isn't mu
ch
use when it isn't worn, so you will have to decide whether speed or safet
y
are your priorities at the moment.
3) The program keeps accurate track of time in every sense -- day,
night and seasons. This will most certainly affect your ability to trave
l
and function effectively, so keep that in mind. A quick jaunt in the sum
mer
can turn into a perilous journey during the dead of winter, when storms a
re
frequent. Also remember that time is passing while you are in a city: th
e
program will keep you appraised of this when it becomes relevant. In the
two-player game, your character will sometimes go into "rest mode" when y
ou
did not choose the sleep option: this means that he is busy in some other
manner and gives the other player a chance to catch up. Generally the
reason will be obvious -- the most common is spending extensive time in a
city.
4) You may have noticed one task during the world creation process
which has not been mentioned here at all: Mapping Faerie. Sounds
intriguing, doesn't it? I'll let you find out yourself what this is all
about; suffice to say that the computer creates not one world but two...
5) The key to winning the game, when all is said and done, is to act
the part of a true knight. Leap into battle indiscriminately, loot
innocents and stir up trouble for the kingdom, and you will soon earn a
richly deserved reward at the hands of an avenging 'brother' knight. Sla
y
only your direst foes, perform compassionate deeds and wreath your name i
n
honour, and you will have the High King's gratitude -- perhaps even his
throne.
JM
**** End of Text ****
