Development:Hired Guns/Document Library

This is a sub-page of Development:Hired Guns.

Document Library

In the folder "Unused" there is an archive called Docs.lha. This contains a large amount of documents and correspondance about Hired Guns, the programmer Scott Johnston, and Psygnosis/DMA Design. These are divided into three folders/categories, with a few files at the top level directory:

ASCII

This directory contains pure text files:

AboutGameSystem.txt - A brief summary of the game's intended systems including its interface and gameplay mechanics. This seems to have been written before the game was started or in the early stages of development, and hints at more traditional RPG mechanics such as different characters having different "skills". It also lists a "resting" mechanic where the character's window in-game blacks out (leaving them vulnerable) and they regain heath. This is of course not present in the final game with medical kits needed to heal injured characters. This document seems to correspond with the build of the game previewed in Amiga Power Issue 16, which has the Rest tab visible in-game.

Welcome to Hired Guns, the first true 3D adventure & combat system
featuring four independently contorolled characters.



Up to four humans can compete each taking control of a character
(hereafter referred to as a "mercenary"). The screen is quatered
giving each mercenary their own first-person perpective view.

In one player mode the user controls all the mercenaries via the
mouse.

In two player mode, both users have a mouse and control two
mercenaries each.

With three players only three mercenaries are shown, with four
players there are four mercenaries.

With three or four players the users can select from ten control
configurations.



The game system works as follows...

   From when the game is first booted up...

	1. Front end menus
		User can select to start a new game or continue an old one.
		Number of players are selected and control methods chosen.

	2. Character selection
		From a scrolling display of the available mercenaries, four
		must be chosen (except when in three player mode).

	3. World map
		A window on entire playing area can be scrolled to reveal a
		mountainous planet suface with signs of industial activity.
		From the partys current location the players work their way
		across the map from location to loaction to achieve their
		goal. Each location must be played out in the game itself.

	4. Location intro
		When a location is chosen an atmospheric HAM picture is
		displayed with atmospheric music to introduce the place about
		to be explored.

The game is now started proper. The screen displays 4 windows, one for each
mercenary.

Each mercenary has access to five information panels, only one of
which can be viewed at a time.

Panels are accessed from labelled tabs displayed along the top of
each window.



Screen #1 : Perspective View



The user will spend most of his/her time controlling the mercenary
from this panel. The movement, combat and interaction with the
environment are done on this panel.

The panel itself shows the view from waist level in the direction
the mercenary is facing.

An original feature is that each mercenary can see the levels
directly above and below his position. Thus permiting a mercenary
to look down into a pit or chasm.



Screen #2: Inventory



The user can manipulate and reorganise the items that the 
mercenaries are carrying. From a scrolling list of items each 
mercenary can have one active item selected (show on the right with 
a short description). The active item the the one that the 
mercenary is holding and ready to use. This may be a key, food, 
weapon, etc.



Screen #3: Overhead Map



Each mercenary has access to a digital terrain map scanned by 
previous explorers. It shows the general features of the landscape 
and building interiors. It's display is filled in as the mercenary 
moves around. The map shows a plan view of the current elevation in 
which the mercenary is situated.



Screen #4: Statistics



The information on this panel shows as follows...



	Name			Gender

	Class		Race



	Fitness		(0=dead)

		A mercenaries general well-being and wounds.

	Physique

		Measure of strength and stamina

	Intelligence

	Weapon Skill

	Level

		A measure of a mercenaries success in their chosen skills



Screen #5: Rest



When this panel is active the mercenary is resting. Only in this
state can a mercenary recover Fitness. A mercenaries view is 
blacked out while resting, so it is recommended that players should 
only rest their mercenaries in secure positions - preferably 
indoors.

DevelopmentHistory.txt - An incomplete overview of Johnston's career in game development and the trials and tribulations of creating Hired Guns. Starts in October 1990 and ends halfway through development in May 1992.

Development History



October '90



My first big commercial game was started whilst at college. Because it
was my first, all the groundwork had to be before my efforts would even
resemble a game. Stuff like sprite, blitter and sound routines.



November '90



DMA lend me an Amiga 3000 to develop the game with at home (isn't
Workbench 2.0 just great).

After a month one player can move around a simple maze. At this time
the graphical effects are decidedly Dungeon-Master-ish. The upper and
lower levels are not visible when walking about and the graphics are a
bit dodgy (crap).



December '90 - January '91



Spent some time drawing some stone blocks for the walls in 32 colours.

The game now has four players (this was easy thanks to some
forethought with the games internal structure). Players can see upper
and lower levels as well as each other. At this time instead of having
figures for other players we had digitised heads of guys in the
office!



February '91



We have water. Unfortuneatly my nice 32 colour stone walls have to be
axed down to 16 colours to accommodate the water in the palette. The
first style of front-end was tacked on. Late in this month the
pushable blocks are put in.



March '91 - May '91



Total redraw of all the graphics, version two of the front end and
buttons on the wall. The water movement was extremely hungry on cpu
time and took an age to calculate - another re-write. I was a bit
ambitious with the old water algorithm, it tried to simulate real
water sloshing about in a room or moat. Because the whole map (12167
locations) could theoretically need to be processed, it made the game
run at a snails pace.



June '91



Successfully graduated from college and started working on Hired Guns
full time. I could now share some of the graphics workload with Graeme
Anderson. at this point the players characters are changed to figures
and the game expands from a maze game into a full blown computer
role-playing game.



July '91 - September '91



After completing some othe short term projects work starts on getting
some items that players can pick up and use into the game. During this
time there are severe memory problems (and I mean SEVERE). It is
decided that the game will require one megabyte of ram to run. My
brother gets underway on the music front. We decide to use Music-X and
MED 3 to compose the music. Scanning through the MED docs I discovered
that the music playback routines are freely distibuteably.



October '91



Version 3 of the front end done, this time in hires interlace. Dave
starts complaining about the time spent on the front-end. Work is
started on the map editor. I decide to write it in C and run it
outside the game with a decent windows and icons look (ie use the
workbench 2 library routines for everything). I could have embedded a
map editor into the game but with some many paramters and interaction
it would be a mammoth task. Instead I grapple with the smaller mammoth
task of writing it in C.



November '91



"When will the game be finished?" they ask, " Two months" I reply.
This month is spent writing the map editor.



December '91



The map editor is extremely complexed, its not bad programming, just
so many things for the map editor to have to edit!

The fourth and final version of the front-end is written over
christmas. This one looks much nicer. Note the rocky pattern used on
the menus; does it remind you of the pattern for the menu screen in
Lemmings? It should, because I generated then both thanks to good old
Hi-Soft Basic.

Steve Hammond is working on the manual and background story. Hopefully
the end result should be a reasonably thick, ring bound colour manual.


January '92



This month is spent drawing stairs and doors. A little preliminary
work is done for the world-map selections screen and some ideas for
the character selection. Dave Osborne starts working on the graphics
full time, he does a new graphics style this month.



Febuary '92 - April '92



Thats the world-map, character selection, map introduction, and
company logos done. Everything but the game itself is basically
finished. New disk routines are slotted in as well as a better data
compression routine. It is decided to make the game hard disk
installable. So I will have to make the game more friendly with
regards to AmigaDos. After a quick programming binge at home I write a
hard disk installation utility. Its quite nice and very easy to use so
I decide to document it and put it in the public domain.
I am told that we can have up to 35 full colour pages in the manual.

May '92



There are now teleportation fields and item descriptions in the
inventory scxeen. The music is fairly coming along so I put what there
is in the game. All I need now are some sound effects for in the game,
oh well .... time for a good audio sampler and Audiomaster.

"When will the game be finished?" they ask,"Two months." I reply.

Encyclopedia.txt - "Hired Guns Encyclopedia". This contains the item description texts from the game. This is an early version that seems to have been created around the time of the games' demo. It has the same longer versions of many item descriptions (e.g. the Mounted Minigun) as the demo, but oddly features some descriptions that didn't make it into the demo (such as for the Staff weapon). Some are even extended here, like the description for the Hammer. There are a lot of typos/spelling mistakes in the document, but some of these are different from those exhibited in the demo, so possibly they were a result of the text being re-typed into the actual game files rather than copy and pasted.

Hired Guns Encyclopedia

1-111 Descriptions for inclusion in the game, 40 words each.

001	Disruptor Cannon

This is the most powerful man portable weapons it is possible to 
aquire.  Although rate of fire is low, the damage from a shot is 
immense.  Use of energy is very heavy as well.

002	Rocket Launcher

006	Beam Rifle

The Beam Rifle is based around the energy transitions in the Ultra
Violet range.  The result is a high energy beam which can do
considerable damage to unprotected targets.

009	Flamer Junior

This is a handheld flamethrower which is fired by a fuel pack consisting
of a special mix of chemicals, designed for high energy output.

012	Mini Gun

Vehicle mountable weapon with a high rate of fire.  This weapon is a
military grade device and as such is not to be made avaialble to civil
personnel.

013	Auto Gun

This has a substatial rate of fire.  It is a good general purpose weapon.

016	Smith & Wesson 29

The highest quality handgun available.  The genuine item is imported
only from Earth.  It is much sought after and much immitated.

017	Shotgun

Low rate of fire but potentially high damage.  Accurate aiming not
required.

019	Blaster 52-C

A very nasty gun that operates at wavelengths designed to vaporise
water molecules. such as found in organic substances such as people.
It has gained a bad reputation.

021	Sonic Stunner

Operates at ultrasonic frequencies designed to incapacitate humans by
interfering with the balance systems in the human ear.

022	Small Remains

Analysis indicates organic traces, carbon and 23% unidentified
molecular substances.

023	Banana

A fruit, grown in special conditions.  Grown by several plantations
under license from the Banana Corp. who hold the patents.

027	Hammer

Tool used in low level construction.  Also capable of being used as an
imrovised weapon.  Tesseract authorities contol movement of
hammers, where a valid reason for purchase must be presented.

028	Whisky

Alchoholic drink.  Whisky is becoming rarer since the severing of ties
with Earth.  Substitues have been developed but none even remotely
compare with the Scottish originals.

031	Brick

Bricks are the main construction item for buildings where metals are in
short supply or plastics are too expensive to form.  They come in a
variety of sizes.  There is no standard for brick size.

032	Broken Bottle

The disadvantage of Bottle glass is that is is very brittle compared to
more modern glass.  It may shatter and leave a sharp and dangerous
edge.

033	Staff

Finely crafted single piece of wood.

038	.44 AET

AET Ammunition transfers nearly all of its kinetic energy to the target and is therefore
particularly deadly.  .44 is a less common format than most so suffers from a higher
cost.

039	.44 THV

040	9mm AET

The common 9mm Ammunition format is available in AET format which delivers a
higher percentage of its energy to the target's bodythan most other ammo types.

045	18 Bore HE Slug

Shotgun ammunition.  This variant contains a single "warhead" in stead of pellets.  It
comprises a shaped high explosive charge.  It can be used against light-armoured
vehicles.

046	18 Bore Rifled Slug

This is another in the "single projectile" class than excludes multiple pellets.  The
ammo is a depleted uranium core which provides good penetration characteristics
and is "rifled" to provide spin and therfore accuracy.

047	9mm THV

The 9mm THV is infamous for having a single supplier and a thus a problem that the 
manufacturing tolerances are slighlty too great.  It means that occasionally a batch 
will be very slightly too large for the weapon, although some firearms can cope. 

048	.38 UPBI

Very expensive and exclusive ammunition that is only used by the UPBI itself.  It is
difficult to obtain and expensive even when a supplier can be found.

049	1kA Charge

A 1 Kilo Amp charge with standard AA terminal connectors for energy weapons.
Recommended for pulse lasers and proton emitters but not plasma generators.

050	A 3kA Charge

A 3 kilo amp charge fitted with stadard CC terminal connectors for energy weapons.
Please ensure correct polarity settings.  Not applicable for auto-source configured
weapons.

051	6kA Charge

Although 6 kilo amp charges can be used for hand weapons they are more 
commonly intended for vehicle mounted weapons.

055	Cheese

Cheese subsitute is a highly nourishing food substance, enriched with 
vitamins.  It was developed for extended space missions where quality 
of nutrition was important.

056	Bottle

Bottles are created from common silicate fired to high temperature 
which produces glass.  Bottle glass has cheapness as the main 
prerequisite.

057	Apple

Common fruit.  Apples are easily grown and thus exempt from the 
Patents and Licensing Act of 2609.

061	Rations 1

Rations concentrated to level 1.  These are tasteless but adequate 
fare.  They contain everything the body requires (except water) to 
sustain it.

062	Rations 2

Rations concentrated to level 2.  These are much the same as rations 1 
but for several energy enhancing features.

063	Rations 3

Rations concentrated to level 3 plus additional chemical and organic 
components to boost health beyond normal endurance.  These are 
only safe in normal doses.  Persistent use causes damage.

065	Syringe

Battlefield drug to temporarily improve physical abilities.  Also available 
illegally in some cities.

078	Digital Camcorder

This is a favourite for journalists as it allows the recording of footage 
which it is possible to prove is untampered with.

HiredGunsEndText.txt - End sequence epilogue text for each character. This seems to be identical to what is used in the final game.

Hired Guns - What they did next.

Rorian

Rorian kept a low profile after the Graveyard mission and instructed everyone else to
do the same. They took him at his word - to varying degrees. He returned to New
Europe, driven by a wish to see his home city again. It was vastly different to what
he remembered.

Desverger

Although Desverger kept going on new missions, he returned to the Assassin's trade
in between. Gradually he became more notorious until he was even more well
known than Rorian - a fact that pleased him greatly. With that infamy under his belt
he considered his obligations to Rorian to have ended.

Jennillee Freymon

No medical practise would employ Jennillee because of her associations with the
team, which she was unable to hide. With some reluctance she accepted that she
would always be with them.

CIM

CIM remained with the team for many years and was constantly upgraded by them to
the point where he became self-aware. Using this new status as an individual he
elected to depart them altogether. He was lost track of soon after.

Cheule Siygess

Cheule always had her own agenda which was quite disticnct from the team's own
priorities. She tried to organize a trip back to Earth with her own resourceds - a most
difficult task. Whatever her personal mission was, it was important enough for her to
spend four years on the voyage. She was asked outright what this was but still
refused to answer. The look on her face suggested that the entire star system would
know all too soon.

Clavius

With his extensive knowledge of the star system and the people in it, Clavius
decided that - given his story telling ability - it was time to write the definitive history
of Luyten.

Katrina Homez

Katrina took a couple of years away from the team in order to try and find her real
identity. During the course of her investigation she did indeed find out who she really
was; a field reporter called Alicia Morrel - and uncovered something about her past
as a reporter that was even more astonishing...

Kiurcher

Kiurcher never found the life extension that he sought so badly. In the years to follow
he grew increasingly superstituous. This culminated in a prophecy that gave the
exact place and time of his death. Although the prophet was bogus, he nevertheless
believes this implicity and his behaviour has grown ever more abberant.

Bonden Spey

Bonden decided to remain on Graveyard. The continent they explored was only one
of seven. He felt that Government influence would not extend to the other side of the
planet. Jared Rhine was known to be living on the far side of Graveyard, so Bonden
sought him out as he was perhaps the greatest living authority on the devices known
as Psi-Amps. Jared proved most helpful and when he died of old age in 2723,
Bonden was able to continue his work. The origin of the devices, though, was to
forever elude him.

CIM-Lite

CIM-Lite passed through many owners and at each stage was modified a bit. With
the passage of time, he came to have nothing in common with his original design.
He was eventually destroyed in a future war that was even greater than the one
between Luyten and Laicalle.

Miyriel Torre

The attraction of being a mercenary sooned soon paled for Miyriel. She got bored
and went to seek greater experiences. Often saying that life was not exciting
enough, the entire star system was to have a trauma by the end of the decade that
even Miyriel couldn't get bored with. While it lasted anyway.

Adele Reannon

With the help of some contacts, Adele adopted a new identity and tried to settle into
a normal life. The attractions of Municipal Benefit soon paled against the earnings to
be made from illegal activities. Adele began selling her expertise in security systems
to anyone who could pay. Whether they were seeking better security or seeking to
break security, the money was the same.

LoadingText - An early version of the level description texts shown on the static screens. However, these are totally different! What is interesting is that each level has a "Map" text that is similar to the ones in use in the final game summarising each location, but also has a "There" text - it seems these are the beginnings of the final games' Worldmap and Descriptive texts. There are 41 levels described here, double what was included in the final game.

Text for In Game Use for loading pictures



Map Location



01	Dropzone 1

Map

One of the remarkable natural features of Graveyard, these
"standing stones" have not in fact been built by an ancient
race, but are giant crystals formed by geological processes.

There

The effect of standing next to one of these stones is eerie.
There is no pattern to them, no obvious order, large ones
and smaller one, even irregular shapes.  Many local legends
have arisen even in Graveyard's short history.

02	Cavern

Map

A network of caverns and tunnels that have been naturally
formed by the action of tides and glaciers in the remote
past when Graveyard possessed natural water of its own.

There

If this was formed by water, there is no lack of evidence
for it.  A jagged ridge shows that an earthquake must have
changed the course of an underground river because the
entire area is waterlogged, although much remains passable.

03	Waterfall Cave Network

Map

There is a small observatory still used occasionally, which
overlooks the third largest waterfall on the planet.  Third
largest by height, but largest by volume of water.

There

Over the years, the water has eaten away at the rock wall
to form a system of tunnels which have been extended
artificially by use of mining equipment in search of ore.
The search doesn't seem to have been successful.

04	Forest Island

Map

With water levels being so variable there are few permanent
islands.  This is the exception, being almost in the shape
of a rough dome and having a thick covering of forest.

There

The island consists mainly of rock up to the high water
mark where vegetation and forest cover all the remaining
space thickly.  The introduction of plaht life has helped
to prevent further erosion.

05	Island Laboratory

Map

With enormous tides being caused by Yalhoth, an island must
be over a certain size to avoid being swamped entirely.
This is one such island.

There

A flat, low lying building sits on the highest point of the
island, coloured a drab grey and with few distinguishing
features.  Its surface is only broken by the presence of
a single entrance.  There is not even a sign of any kind.

06	Sea Port

Map

The most economical surface tranport ever invented, if time
is not critical, is the cargo ship.  From places like this
sea port, goods of all kinds are taken all over the planet.

There

If this is a sea port then it cannot be a busy one.  Only
a few small ships float in the harbour whose purpose cannot
be easily determined.  Beyond that lie the lights of what
looks like another enclosed community.  Safe from the day.

07	Tomb Vaults

Map

This Tomb Vault was not even given a name as it was filled
so quickly after completion that another one had to be
started.  It mainly contains war victims.

There

There are constant reminders of the nature of the dead.
Victims of the War that claimed so many lives on both
sides including the rendering of an entire planet
uninhabitable by chemical weapons.

08	Dropzone 2

Map

Civilisation hasn't reclaimed ALL the planet, though.  Even
today there are tracts of land in which vegetation simply
refuses to take hold.  Such small mini-deserts are numerous

There

This mini-desert reinforces the fact that the terraforming
of Graveyard still has a long way to go before people could
possibly survive without the help of a lot of technology.
Only patches of ground hold any life at all.

09	Agriplex Hydoponic Facility

Map

Agricultural Facility.  Even with as small a population as
Graveyard it is still impractical to import foodstuffs from
anywhere else in the system. It has to be grown right here.

There

The fields of green form a checkerboard pattern from this
close range.  Half of the fields are actually in the water
to enable all kinds of food production, both from land and
from sea.  Buildings are at the corner of each field.

10	Enclosed City of Ghule

Map

The City of Ghule could almost be called the capital city
of Graveyard.  Certainly it has the largest population and
most of the wealth, but it does not aspire to such status.

There

The City is enclosed in a vast dome to protect against long
term exposure to the occasionally hostile weather and the
higher background radiation of Graveyard. Numerous airlocks
are set into the rim of the dome but only one is accessible

11	Temple of Duone

Map

Called M'aziir Diy Allogh, literally Dwelling Place of the
Chosen, this religious building is known more often simply
as the Temple of Duone.

There

The temple is unlike anything that may be found back on the
capital world, seemingly contructed entirely from squares
of rock of varying tones and shades.  These are arranged to
forms patterns, easily missed because of their subtlty.

12	Forest

Map

It is not generally known that forests such as this can
provide almost as much oxygen as a terraforming facility
for a fraction of the cost.

There

In among the familiar imported trees that might be seen
on New Europe or Tessaract there are some strange breeds
that defy immediate description.  They might just be a rare
species or something entirely new.

13	Laboratory

Map

Not listed.  There is no entry for the location you have
specified.  Please ensure you have an updated version of
the map Software from your nearest planetary dealer.

There

It's obvious why nothing was listed in the digital map.
Whoever built this place intended it to remain a secret.
The building is half buried into the landscape and
surrounded with as much forest as possible, for concealment

14	Tomb of Horazim

Map
Tomb of Horazim.  This is a comparatively recently built
structure which houses Horazim, who was the founder of the
Duone religion, or at least its chief proponent.

There

There is an Egyptian quality to the massive stone structure
that sits atop a small rise.  Horazim must have either had
great respect to have a Tomb such as this all to himself or
created a lot of suffering for its constuction.

15	Construction Yards

Map

Construction yards.  With its experience in colonising a
hostile planet, Graveyard now manufactures equipment
designed purely to tame planets.  The market is falling.

There

The scene beneath is like the hollowed out bed of a lake,
dried and filled with a bewildering array of machinery. All
kinds of euipment are visible including some of the largest
pieces of hardware ever seen.

16	Sensor Array

Map

Sensor Array.  This is a combination of military defence
radar systems and normal scanners for civilian traffic.
They are designed to cope with interference from Yalhoth.

There

A cluster of dishes marks the point where the main sensor
array begins.  Numerous small dishes and other types of
sensor are scattered in seemingly random order but are
actually making best use of the surface terrain.

17	Refinery

Map

Although there is no oil on Graveyard, there are plenty of
mineral deposits and ores which get processed at this
refinery site.

There

The refinery take up a lot of ground space and rises an
equal amount into the air.  It is in the form of a cube
composed of piping and tanks with a swarm of trucks taking
the finished product to unknown destinations.

18	Shuttle Bay Launch Pad

Map

The Shuttle Bay Launchpad is the jumping off point to the
rest of the system.  All space going traffic is directed
here, or directed to the other side of the planet.

There

There are a number of landing pads and a few structures but
no spacecraft. The facilities are capable of handling craft
up to several hundred tonnes in weight.  For what is really
a spaceport, it is not heavily travelled.

19	Cave Network

Map

These hollow underground passages seem to be the result of
violent volcanic activity long in the past.  Pockets of gas
were trapped when the magma solidified. Erosion did the rest

There

The landscape is dangerous. It is littered with small holes
that lead down into a system of holes and layered tunnels.
It is easily possible for the unwary to fall into one of
these because they are so well hidden by the undergrowth.

20	Old Fortress

Map

The Old Fortress was one of the original habitations of
the colonisers and many myths and local legends have sprung
up concerning it even in this techological age.

There

Perhaps its just a peculiarity of the terrain, or the shape
of the run down building or any of a number of things, but
the broken shapes of building in front seem haunted.  Not
literally, of course.  If a place deserved to be haunted...

21	Terraforming Installation

Map

This is one of the terraforming installations dotted around
the planet.  Most were closed due to lack of funding but a
handful are still run to keep the air breathable.

There

It is very noisy here.  Raw atmosphere is sucked into vast
inlets where the giant machine filters out harmful gases
and spews oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide high into the
air via an array of enormous towers.

22	Observatory

Map

Traditional sciences haven't been neglected on Graveyard.
This observatory is the only one of its kind on the planet
which looks at the sky in optical wavelengths.

There

Although astronomy is a traditional science, the observatory
that has been built here is not a traditional dome design.
Despite observing in normal light, some strange results have
been recorded over the last few years.

23	Base Defence Lasers

Map

Planetary defence lasers.  These were installed on most
habitable planets with a population as a result of the
last war where they proved to be invaluable.

There

The lasers haven't been used in a long time.  The guide
tracks that the turrets move on are rusted but still
usable.  In addition there is visible the launching tubes
of surface to orbit missiles.  The support base is below.

24	Transmitter Station

Map

The main communications array is based here at the highest
point of the mountain for powerful transmissions to the
other habitable worlds in the system.

There

The most prominent feature is undoubtedly the main dish
which needs to be powerful enough to reach as far as
Tesseract.  Occasionally Yalhoth blocks the transmission
path and Graveyard becomes effectively isolated.

25	Barracks

Map

From close orbit, this patch of ground looks merely
discolored but is in fact grazing land for the indigenous
domesticated animals.

There

No building was indicated on the maps but there is clearly
a complex on this site.  Its purpose is unclear, but there
are rows and rows of windows as if intended to house a lot
of people. The austere design makes a holiday camp unlikely

26	Fusion Reactor

Map

There major power supply after hydro electric progress was
halted due to cost.  The nuclear power station is one of
only two on the planet and the one here is the larger.

There

Absolutely nothing is visible on the surface except a
service elevator which itself is surrounded by electricity
pylons reaching across the landscape.  A neatly maintained
fence sections off the area.  Danger signs are posted.

27  Not listed

Map

There is nothing here except rocky terrain covered in the
plant life introduced here by the colonists.  Originally
this was to be the site of a waste disposal facility.

There

A scan reveals a large volume of moving air coming from a
wall of vegetation.  On inspection it turns out to be the
mouth of a cave system so large that it has its own weather
patterns and a squall.  It narrows far towards the back.

28	Engineering Workshop

Map

Essentially the Engineering Workshop functions as a repair
centre as well as for the creation of new items of
machinery and tools.

There

The term "Workshop" is a bit of a misnomer, as there are a
collection of large buildings which form a cohesive whole
and are collectively called The Workshop.  It is the single
largest employer on the planet.

29	Stores

Map

The Stores are not merely a collection of containers, but
a set of storage tanks as well with facilities to stockpile
almost anything in excellent safety.

There

The Stores look like a deck of cards on a massive scale.
Each layer is the storage for a different class of material
or product and the whole thing is interspersed with
corridors ans walkways.

30	Control Centre

Map

Every terraformed planet has an operations control and
Graveyard is no exception.  After the withdrawal of funding
such a facility is often unnecessary.

There

This has the distinction of being the tallest building on
Graveyard despite being a meagre ten storeys.  In keeping
with 'traditional' architecture, the natural landscape
surrounding it is almost the original grassland.

31	Hostages

Map

Hermetic Shelter.  With the experience of the last war it
was essential to have the equivalent of a nuclear shelter
except this has to protect against much worse dangers.

There

A monorail link seems to join the surface part of the
shelter from every corner.  A complex airlocking system on
the top provides the first line of defense against nuclear
bacterial and chemical hazards.

32	Mining Facility

Map

The mining site/quarry is the only man-made structure
visible from orbit.  Terraforming construction devices
require an enormous amount of raw material from here.

There

If it were any larger, the far side of the quarry would
stretch over the horizon.  Equally sizeable machines
dig ore from the ground and transport it miles away to
be processed.

33	Graveyard Tombsville

Map

Tombsville is the largest of the tomb sites on the planet
where people all over the system wish to be preserved for
ever. It is a romantic alternative to a simple home burial.

There

There is not much to see on the surface.  The idea was to
preserve people which is achieved by hi tech mummification
and then they are placed in a reserved spot in one of the
enormous hollowed out caverns to rest for ever.

34	Marshalling Yards

Map

Although the rail and monorail system is in its infancy,
the hub of the network already exists and it is right here
next to the coast.

There

Multiple tracks stretch off into the distance, around hills
through ravines, past mountains.  The centre of the entire
rail system covers a lot of ground, although there seems
not to be as many trains as might be expected.

35	Water Purification Plant

Map

Water Purification Plant.  The initially simple terraforming
created a lot of pollutants.  Although there was no native
life to threaten, it needed to be purified for humans.

There

As with most places, even though automatics are used, people
are normally needed.  This is the case here where a small
community has built up around the plant, providing work for
as many as possible.  Even the repair droids need repaired.

36	Coastal Village

Map

The village of Marheyar deals with the transport of goods
from this part of the planet to the other side where there
is not so much land area, and is therefore poorer.

There

The container ships are small by absolute standards, but do
serve the meagre needs of the opposite hemisphere.  Most of
the space by the coastline is occupied by loading and
unloading equipment.

37	Forest

Map

This forest was planted as a source of raw materials for
building without having to go to the expense of importing
plastics.  With no oil deposits, no plastic can be made.

There

The trees are arranged in regular patterns, row after row
of trees that are all the same type, all the same age.  It
is almost like an abstract sculpture on a vast scale.  The
area is sealed off with heavy duty wire fencing.

38	Dropzone 3

Map

A planet that was originally a ball of rock wouldn't be
expected to have beauty spots, but thanks to mankind and
his inventive mind, such beautiful landscape is plentiful.

There

Even the dropship seems to make a restful scene against the
scenery.  As yet there is little to disturb the silence
which makes the setting almost surreal.  On most other
places there is at least birdsong.  Not so here.

39	Crashed Spacecraft

Map

This marshland is the crash site of a spacecraft, Freedom
Seven, in the early days of the colonisaton of Graveyard.
The victims became the first to be buried in Tombsville.

There

The crashed craft looks very old and covered in vegetation.
Only some of it is actually above the surface of the swamp
and the rest remains buried enigmatically beneath where
anything could be lurking in the murky depths.

40	Beach

Map

The massive tides generated by Yalhoth have given rise to
huges beaches.  Were it not for the raw atmosphere and the
less than appealing name, Graveyard might be a tourist trap

There

The beach is very clean with no litter and virtually no
driftwood.  Marine life is also notably absent with no
seaweed to speak of.  Perhaps in the future a hotel might
be built to make use of the view.

41	Desalination Plant

Map

The Desalination and Bottling Plant provides most of the
drinking water for this area of Graveyard and for export
to other planets in the system where it is in demand.

There

The Plant basically consists of a mass of intersecting and
twisting pipes surrounding a set of containers.  It has its
own minature harbour where ships can dock to take water to
places that are no connected via a piping network.

PhraseText.txt - An early collection of in-game dialogue. Consists of both random phrases that could be spoken by the characters as per the final game, but also plot specific dialogue for the levels defined in "LoadingText". These two files show a very different and more set-piece and story led game than the final release. There is also lots of cringeworthy "wacky" dialogue planned for a cheat mode that thankfully was not used (Star Trek and Monty Python references, how original and hilarious!).

Things for characters to say:

Scientific Star Trek type away team things:


------------------------------------------------------------------

Plot Points:
(* When friends are on there way *)

We have to guide them in with the ILS, that's the Instrument Landing System.

C'mon, let's meet them at the landing field.

We don't have much time.

They'll be blasted out the sky unless we shut down the defence lasers!

====Upon seeing government forces====

That was a shock troop!
What are they doing here?

I thought Graveyard was an independent state.  What's the government doing here?
Let's just not run into them again, ok?


====Upon finding the genetic experimentation====


====Upon discovering the set up====


------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheat Mode Bad type things:

Phrases:

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Go ahead punk, make my day.

Grave world, Grave world, party time, excellent.

DMA Design doesn't pay enough.

I hope we're insured against violent death.

Are you into kinky sex?

Well I'm glad the Thatcher government is out.

I hope there's no Tories in the group, I'd hate to have to serrate their kidneys.

I'll be back.

For a good time call Yalhoth 555-1234.

This is a Killemall 2000, the most powerful handgun in the known Universe.

Did I fire 193 shots, or was it only 192?

I have to tell you.....I'm pregnant!

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit.  It's the only way to be sure.

Goddamn, this planet really sucks.

I hate to say this but I think we're all trapped inside a computer.

Sometimes you just gotta swear:  Fuck.  Yeah!  That was gratuitous.

Mini Conversations:

I was in Dundee once.
That's 12 light years away isn't it?
Not any more.
Why's that?
It got nuked into the stratosphere.

Aaaaargh, festering alien hell fiends, eat molten death.
Hey calm down and take your pills.

I heard that Psygnosis released a game that was playable once.
What?!  You must be drunk or insane!

We'll be fine because Baldric has a cunning plan.

Eat shit and die alien slime.

I never wanted to be a mercenary you know, I wanted to be an accountant.

Did you know I can recite ALL the Monty Python sketches and do all the voices?

That was a government troop!
Well, I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.
Hah!  Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!  Our chief weapon is surprise,
surprise and fear.  Two weapons...

I'm afraid it's back to normal listening to Russell's crap.

Ahead warp factor nine.

Wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble wibble.....

President Bush is a bit anti-green dont you think?

President Bush is a despoiler of worlds!!!
Yeah, he'd better not try to fuck up Graveyard!
Or turn Earth into one.
Well, he DID die 500 years ago...
Maybe he's a zombie.

Poll Tax people are the absolute soulless scum bastards of humanity.
Death by slow torture is f-a-a-a-a-r to easy for them.  Especially the Monifieth ones.

The opinions of the characters are beyond the author's control.

Let's spread Discordiansim throughout the Galaxy!!!

Reg smokes 'em because he's incredibly fat and stupid.

If everyone in the universe died horribly within seconds of each other, so that
their entrails formed a large smear across every planet...
Then United Colours of Benetton would use it in an advert, yes.

I feel like mindlessly shooting everything in sight.
We ARE in a viscious game after all.  Mary Whitehouse take note.  Or rather don't.

Other companies pale before the might of DMA Design.  Not.

============================================================================
Phrases based on location

01	Dropzone One  --------------------------------------------------------

I never realised there was so much plant life.
It was introduced by the colonists.

I don't anticipate any problems.

If we get separated, rendezvous just ahead of the target site.

There's a lower than normal oxygen content in the air so don't exert yourself
if you can help it.

Hmm.  Trace gases.  Carcinogenic.  We should be ok if we're not here too long.

Won't the Dropship be easy to spot?
Nah.  It's easily concealed.  Modern technology.

This certainly makes a change from the dull concrete of New Europe.

Remember, short, controlled bursts.
Was that from a book?
Pocket Survival Guide.

02	Cavern  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ugh.  The humidity's stifling.
You'll get used to it.

If anybody gets a respiratory problem, they can drop out.

 Did anybody study Graveyard's history.
Graveyard hasn't GOT any history.
I mean natural history.  Is this cavern natural?
Looks that way.

What exactly are we looking for here?
Anything at all.  Who knows what great stuff we'll find.

Remind me to take some holiday snaps next time we're here.

03	Waterfall Cave Network  --------------------------------------------------------

There must be hundreds of connections between caves that we haven't found.

I wonder what happened to the guys back on Freewill?
Late as ever.  They'll just miss out on the reward, that's all.

Remind me again.  How much are we being paid?
Do you want yours in local currency, New Europe Dollars or Rare Earth Elements?
I'll take the gold bullion thanks very much...

04	Forest Island  ------------------------------------------------------------------

Now THAT is difficult terrain!

If anyone has hayfever, you're about to be very unhappy...

I don't recognise some of these trees.  Some are familiar but...
Evergreen types.  That looks like a mixture of types.  A crossbreed.

Do they modify trees to fit the environment?
I think so.  Genetic laws don't apply to plant life.  Not recently anyway.

It's a pity that not ALL forest creatures are cute and furry.  That
would sure save on the ammo.

05 Lab  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems to be a laboratory of some kind.
Nothing wrong with that.
No, but...just a feeling.

The electronic lock wasn't very effective was it?
They could have done with Adele's lock.
Yeah, but where would that leave us?
Out in the cold!!

What do you suppose they're researching?
Cold cures, better tasting chocolate, who knows?

Local communications will be very difficult because of Yalhoth so stay close.

06	Port  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you catch the name of this place?
'Fraid not.

Where are all the civilians?

There's not meant to be many people here but I didn't expect NOBODY here.

I guess nobody could be bothered coming out on a lovely day like this.

Personally I'd have rather stayed on Freewill.

07	Tomb Vaults  ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you want to be buried here when you die?
I'll give it a miss actually.

It's a bit disgusting really.  Who'd want to be mummified?
Rich people, religious people...they're all crazy.

What about you?  Want to be a mummy?
I don't plan on dying at all.
Nobody does.

This would make a great tourist trap.
It already is.
What?!  That's sick!

These were victims from the Big War.  Does anybody suppose they're still
contaminated?  Anybody...?

08	Dropzone 2  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope we've got enough water if THIS is going to be normal.
Relax.  Graveyard doesn't have salt water, just fresh.
Only further inland, though.  The seas are salt.

Doesn't beat some of the BIG deserts.
Yeah.  I heard Earth is a big desert anyway.

What's the air like?  Breathable I hope.
Didn't you read the mission brief?
Not too closely.

Atmosphere's fine.  Nothing toxic in the air.  We'll live.

09	Hydroponic Farm  ---------------------------------------------------------------

I never thought about where food came from before.
It's pretty disgusting before it's been processed.

It's a lot of ground to cover, so let's make this quick.

Just time for a bite to eat?
You go ahead.  I wont be covering your back, though.
I suppose you're right.

Do they have any animals here or is it all vegetables?
It's mostly synthetic.  No creatures.

I didn't believe anybody could make a profit out of this.
Being a farmer or being a mercenary?
Both.

10	Enclosed City of Ghule  --------------------------------------------------------

They obviously think being outside is dangerous.
Being anywhere is dangerous, or hadn't you noticed.

Where is everybody?
Must be a bank holiday, no?
Or Siesta time.

Are you reading anything?

I don't think much of their air-cycling system.

There isn't enough litter for this to be a REAL city.  Now take Cordiandis...

11	Temple of Duone  ---------------------------------------------------------------

Remember, no desecration.  These religious guys believe in what they do.
More fool them.

Nice architecture though.  The designer must have made a lot of money.

I wish there was a Music Radio Station nearby.
What?  So your headphones could give away our position?

12	Forest  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most of the things we'll find will be larger than we are.

Try and keep out of trouble.

It's a pity Yalhoth isn't going to rise, it's a lovely sight later in the year.
We'll just make do with the stars.
Yeah and the other points of light that happen to be satellites.
Or warships.
Optimist.

13	Lab  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone for a spot of industrial espionage?
Yeah?  Who'd we sell it to?  The Government?
Hey, it was a joke.

What would a small colony want with  a lab like this?

The Government is involved in a big way.  I recognise their style.

Those things were designed to fight!  They're genetically engineered.
That's illegal.
So tell THEM that.

This is even worse.  We were never meant to get out of here.  The Government
cant afford to let us live now.

What do you think?  The creatures are artificial?
I believe so.

Aren't gentic experiments illegal?
They have been for the past 100 years.

A case of modified genetic material!  This'll make excellent evidence.

I'm afraid the government is doing some rather nasty things down here.
They're covering it up as well.
We have to expose this.

Perhaps we should record something as well.


14	Tomb of Horazim  ---------------------------------------------------------------

Where's the head guy?

So that's Horazim.  Think he'd fetch a good price?
Don't be ridiculous.
Just a thought.

These religious guys, they'll have a 'bodyguard' for the afterlife surely?
No worse than the things we've already seen.

How soon can we leave?  I don't want to end up being cursed.

15	Construction Yards  ------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, it doesn't really compare to the yards on Tesseract.  You need special clearance
to get there you know.

What are you going to do after this job?
Who knows.  Catch a transport back to Earth maybe.
Earth?  You must be driven by a mania!

This is making me uneasy.  I don't like it.
You and me both.

16	Sensor Array  ------------------------------------------------------------------

Expect some interference from the scanners.  They're really powerful.

If we could shut them down, it would be safer for our launch out of here.

17	Refinery  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

I can still smell that stuff from here.  Haven't they heard of filters?

Pollution's within safe levels.  We won't need to wear masks or anything.

What are they doing here?
Ores, minerals, the usual industrial stuff.  Turn it into a product.

18	Shuttle Bay Launch Pad  --------------------------------------------------------

There's nothing we can steal is there?  No ships or anything?
None.  Guess it isn't a popular place.

Any chance of patching into the communication system?

19 	Cave Network  ------------------------------------------------------------------

Wooah.  Is that an earthquake?
A Graveyardquake you mean?
I felt it too.
More like an explosion...

I can't raise the Dropship on the comms!
Must be interference from the cave walls.
No, it should still be possible.  What's happened?

20	Old Fortress  ------------------------------------------------------------------

There could be a lot of interesting stuff lying about.

21	Terraforming Installation  -----------------------------------------------------

We should have brought everybody along.  Four isn't nearly enough.

22 	Observatory  -------------------------------------------------------------------

I used to have a telescope when I was a kid.  Doesn't compare to this one though.

Maybe we'll find the secrets of the Universe here!
Don't be ridiculous.

If we don't find anybody here then we can assume it's just a staff holiday, right?

23	Base Defence Lasers  -----------------------------------------------------------

We'll have to close the Base Defence Lasers down.

24 	Transmitter Station  -----------------------------------------------------------

Listen:  Luckily Yalhoth is on the other side of the planet, so we have a clear
transmission path to New Europe.

Broadcast the evidence.  There's some groups out there who'd love to see this.

People need to be told what's going on here.

25 	Barracks  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

I half expect this place to be the worst of the lot.

There might be an armoury somewhere in the complex.
You'd expect something like that.

I didn't know Graveyard had a standing army.
It doesn't.
So what are all these troops doing here?

26	Fusion Reactor  ----------------------------------------------------------------

Total output of the reactor is in the gigawatt range.  Impressive.

We could strike a blow for freedom if we, y'know, overloaded the reactor.
Can't do that.  There are still innocent people here.

27	Cave  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Claustrophobia anyone?
I knew someone who did suffer from that, years ago.
That's nothing, some people have Space Syndrome - claustrophobia AND agaraphobia!



28	Engineering Workshop  ----------------------------------------------------------

There ought to be a few interesting things here.

This is a lot of ground to cover.  Don't hang about.

29	Stores  -------------------------------------------------------------------------

This ought to prove to be something of an Alladin's cave.
Who?
Character from Earth lore.

We should be able to replenish stores here.  They seem to have everything.

Keep a look out for ammunition.

30	Control Centre  -----------------------------------------------------------------

What's this place for anyway?
Beats me.

If this is the control centre, we could effectively take over the planet.
Uh uh, FAR too heavily guarded.

31	Hostages  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nearly there.

Should be somewhere around here...

Don't bother taking any prisoners.

Stay sharp.

Nothing.  Not a thing!  Are these the right co-ordinates?
To the nearest metre.
So where are they?
I think we're in trouble.

The infra red shows no-one has been here for at least several days.
That means...am I getting this right?
Yeah.  We've been set up.

Those double crossing...

32	Mining Facility  --------------------------------------------------------------

What ARE all these creatures running about?
Who cares?  Just shoot them.

33 	Graveyard Tombesville  --------------------------------------------------------

Touch nothing!

This place gives me the creeps.

At least we can be reasonably sure it ISN'T haunted.
I wouldn't even bet on that.

34 	Marshalling Yards  -----------------------------------------------------------

35	Water Purification Plant  -----------------------------------------------------

If anybody wants to stock up on water, this is the place to do it.

36	Coastal Village  ---------------------------------------------------------------

37	Forest  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

38	Dropzone 3  --------------------------------------------------------------------

39	Crashed Spacecraft  ------------------------------------------------------------

These things never did work too well.
They got replaced by the Farnham Class 3 didn't they?
Some of them anyway.

I wonder who the pilot was?  I bet Clavius never did anything like that.

I'd have thought this thing would be stripped clean now.
No-one comes here.  Given the choice would you?
No...but...
So stop griping.

40	Beach  -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you brought your shades!

All we need now is a sea serpent or two.

Did Graveyard ever have any native life?
No.  It was a ball of rock.
I think they should have colonised Hell.  Yalhoth's other large moon.
"Welcome to Hell..."  I like that.

There won't be much call for surfing even if this IS a beach, no?

41	Desalination Plant  ------------------------------------------------------------

They extract the salt from the water then pump it to be purified somewhere else.  In
other words, don't drink anything.

-----------------------------------------------
Insert these someplace:



Stay sharp.

Stay frosty and alert.

I think we have a problem.

I NEVER saw anything like THAT thing before.
Sure isn't a native.

<disasters>!  Now all we need is a volcano and a few earthquakes to round it off!

Psionics.txt - A list of Psi Amp descriptions. All the ones listed match what is in the game. However, the descriptions here say exactly what each one does and gives a numerical scale of power for e.g. destructive Psi Amps. Also says what some spells like Miracle actually do, when this is deliberately kept a secret in the game (it "casts [a] random psionic effect" by the way).

;item 81 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"FIREBALL~~~~~"
	level 5

	one strength 2 fireball fired outwards in front of caster

;item 82 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"INFERNO~~~~~~"
	level 6

	one strength 4 fireball fired outwards in front of caster

;item 83 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"BLAST~~~~~~~~"
	level 7

	four strength 2 fireballs fired outwards in four directions from
	caster

;item 84 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"DEVASTATE~~~~"
	level 8

	four strength 4 fireballs fired outwards in four directions from
	caster

;item 85 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"FIRESHIELD~~~"
	level 6

	protects caster from all fire damage (fireballs) for one minute
	only quarter of damage actually taken

;item 86 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"SHIELD~~~~~~~"
	level 7

	protects caster from all missile damage (guns) for one minute
	only quarter of damage actually taken

;item 87 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"GRANITE STR.~"
	level 5

	adds 50% onto casters physique for one minute

;item 88 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"TITANIUM STR."
	level 7

	adds 100% onto casters physique for one minute

;item 89 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"WALL~~~~~~~~~"
	level 6

	a replusion field is created in front of caster (permanent until
	players leave map)

;item 90 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"BANISH WALL~~"
	level 6

        a repulsion field is removed from front of caster

;item 91 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"BRIDGE~~~~~~~"
	level 7

	a floating platform will be created in front of caster (permanent
	until players leave map)

;item 92 :
	not used

;item 93 :
	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"FEATHER~~~~~~"
	level 8

	inventory weighs nothing for four minutes

;item 94 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"SONIC BLAST~~"
	level 6

	wounds all in vicinity of caster (7*7*7 block cube), except caster
	damage=20000 (no damage to inventories)

;item 95 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"SHOCK BLAST~~"
	level 7

	as sonic blast but twice as powerfull

;item 96 :
	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"GILLS~~~~~~~~"
	level 5

	caster can breathe underwater for four minutes

;item 97 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"PART WAVES~~~"
	level 7

	makes tunnel through water in front of caster (no limit to length of
	tunnel)

;item 98 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"QUENCH~~~~~~~"
	level 4

	create drink beside caster from water (caster must be in underwater)

;item 99 :
	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"WATERTIGHT~~~"
	level 5

	casters inventory is waterproof for four minutes

;item 100 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"ELECTRIFY~~~~"
	level 5

	fires electric arc outwards in front of caster
	damage=10000 (no damage to inventories)

;item 101 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"LIGHTNING~~~~"
	level 6

	as electrify but three times as powerfull

;item 102 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"FRY~~~~~~~~~~"
	level 7

	as electrify but six times as powerfull

;item 103 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"FARSIGHT~~~~~"
	level 5

	fills in current level on casters D.T.S.

;item 104 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"TELEPORT~~~~~"
	level 8

	caster is 'instantaneously' moved to a random location
	on the current map

;item 105 :
	not used

;item 106 :
	not used

;item 107 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"HEAL~~~~~~~~~"
	level 6

	caster recovers all lost fitness

;item 108 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"TRANSMUTE~~~~"
	level 4

	casters current item selected in inventory is turned into food

;item 109 :
DONE	"PSIONIC AMP.~"
	"MIRACLE~~~~~~"
	level 7

	casts random psionic effect

FinalCopy

A selection of files in Amiga FinalCopy/FinalWriter format. These are mostly longer correspondence or design documents/manuals, and comprise the most interesting documents included with the development files.

256Gfx - A rough project plan including time frames for redrawing all in-game graphics in Hired Guns to the new 256 colours standard as supported by the AGA chipset. This document is dated 16th August 1993, and doesn't mention explicitly the CD32 beyond the fact the project is for AGA Amigas.

CD32Enhancements - Dated December 1993, this outlines what would go into the CD32 release of the game, promising "8 new levels" and the ability to use the level editor to create new levels for the game, as long as the player had a disk drive. The CD32 could be expanded to have peripherals such as a floppy disk drive, but the number of users who would have these would have been extremely small.

ACcomplaint - Now this is a spicy one. A complaint letter written to the magazine Amiga Computing following their review of Hired Guns where it was dismissed with a mediocre score of 66%. The argument being here that the review was necessarily and unfairly based on an early build of the game and not the final finished one. It clearly had the desired effect, as the magazine promptly re-reviewed the finished game, this time giving it a whopping 91% and a lavish two page spread.

complaint_other_mags - A follow-up to the above letter to magazines other than Amiga Computing complaining about them trying to review the demo version of the game and how that was just not cricket, dammit.

BugsFixed - A list of bugs fixed in various parts of the game, ranging from typos to major bugs in game levels. What's most interesting about this is it's a report from the 26th November 1993 - i.e. several months after the retail game was released. It seems this is the list of bugs fixed by the 39.26 OCS version of the game, as this still has the password protection system in it. Bug fixes listed:

*Password protection for "declination of star 200" did not accept printed figure.
*Text in time out message was garbled.
*Item at end of teleport maze in "Log entry 8: Unlisted" level during campaign game was corrupted.
*DTS range to exit in "Log entry 4: Temple" during campaign game was wrong.
*"Log entry 20: Desalination Plant" was impossible without spare "Bridge" psi-amp
*DTS range to exit in "Log entry 20: Urban Development" during campaign game was wrong.
*Spelling mistake in "Log entry 8: Unlisted" level intro during campaign game
*Spelling mistake on credits screen
*Dead end on "Log entry 9: Tomb"
*Second mouse pointer would flicker and disappear

Cheats - Dated 28th September 1993. This is a document containing the three well known cheats for the game (type in 'Amiga', 'Christina', or 'Applegate' for various effects) that was presumably released to magazines at the time. The most interesting part is how this details precisely what each cheat does, which was usually only paraphrased in most games magazines of the time.

Controls - Dated 30th June 1993. A lengthy document detailing not only all control methods available (including the obscure ability to use hacked Sega Megadrive pads in the game), but also clarification on some gameplay mechanics such as the character's stats. Most of this information was not included in the retail game manual. Parts of this document are included in the Readme on the game's Demo disk.

Cover.fc - A response to what the cover art of the game should look like. Included in the document is a simple two colour outline of what was actually the final game art saying it looked good. There is also line art of a second cover design that was not used and the suggestion to use the Hired Guns logo from this version on the top artwork. It seems this request was ignored. There is also a suggestion for the text of the computer requirements sticker on the box.

Credits - Does what it says on the tin. This particular revision does not seem to have been used anywhere as it differs in format to what is in the manual and actual game. Parts of it seem to have been used in the Demo.

Customise - Dated 25th June 1993. This is a set of instructions on how to use the character creator software that shipped with the retail game to import your own player character graphics into the game.

DesignGFX - A letter to whomever was writing the manual correcting some information and telling them to take their own screenshots to illustrate many in-game elements. Also references the Items.ilbm file found in the top level of this archive for use as illustrations of in-game items.

HGDemo - The manual that is included as a text file with the demo of the game. The document here lists this version as Release 0.7 Version 37.15, dated 23rd January 1993. However this is otherwise exactly the same as what is included with the official demo, which brands itself as version 37.14 throughout. The instructions on the public demo are dated 5th January 1993, so it's likely this was document really was created for some other internal demo or preview version of the same maps.

HGDemoReply - A letter to someone who liked the demo thanking them for their encouraging praise. It references the fact the demo was on Amiga Format Coverdisk 44.

HGDemoReply2 - Another letter replying to someone who liked the Amiga Format demo.

HGFeatures - Blurb going over the game's features, number of players, length of game, etc.

HGItems - A list of all items in the game, detailing each item's stats (weight, magazine capacity if a weapon, etc). Does not have item descriptions. Dated 11 January 1994, so oddly this was from the final month of the AGA version's development.

HGoptions - Dated 21st April 1993. Short document listing the different ambient background sounds and graphic tilesets available to choose for a level in the game's editor.

HGquestionnaire - Dated 13th January 1993. Same as the previous questionnaire in the top level directory. Asks for feedback on the demo build 37.14

HGschedule - Estimated schedule for completion of final parts of the game. Dated 11th January 1993. According to this everything should have been done by March 13th. This is interesting because the Amiga Format demo includes a message that states the full game would be available in March 1993 as well - presumably based on this assessment.

Label.fc - While this initially looks like a floppy disk label, it appears to actually be a mock up of the system requirements sticker for the game's box, informing potential buyers on what platform the game is for and RAM requirements, etc.

Maggie1 - A letter discussing what the packaging of the game should be like. The description of what the box could be like is not much like the final game (it's suggested as being a distressed metallic surface somewhat like the final game, but in olive drab and with a picture of an alien landscape on it). There are also some pretty extravagant ideas for in the box goodies including spare disk labels to stick on the player's own floppy save disks, and even a free parallel port joystick adapter for four players! This is also possibly the first mention of the AGA version (although the letter is not dated), as it discusses the possibility of an A1200 version with only redrawn graphics released as a future two disk expansion.

MasterTest - appears to be identical to "256Gfx" - laying out the timeline for the graphical overhaul needed for an AGA version of the game.

Objective - Dated 4th May 1993. The basic plot of the game written as it would appear in the manual for the game. From later letters it seems this particular document was created to send to magazine journalists to act as a temporary manual. This is the revised plot where the objective is to blow up key locations on the planet rather than rescuing hostages.

Objective.fc - The basic plot for Short action/training missions. They're a simulation, you see. This was used in the instructions file on the Demo disk.

PCsound - Dated 13th September 1993. Instructions for how the horrible sound effects in the PC port should work be programmed to work on different sound hardware.

Playtesters - Dated 9th September 1993. Contains instructions for playtesters of foreign language versions of the game to look out for certain bugs/be aware of known issues. This includes the incredible sentence "Game crashes when viewing the 'Banana' in the French version".

Preview - A letter to the magazine Amiga Power detailing a preview version of the game. Includes a note that 75% of the game's levels have been removed to stop journos leaking the game. The letter also mentions that some of the above documentation such as the Objective files detailed previously would have been included with it, so these instructions were written to send to journalists.

Scenario.FC - The story so far for the game. This seems to be an early version and different from what is included in the final game manual. At this stage it still features the original game plot (that appears to be a phoney pretence based on unused dialogue files) that the team must rescue hostages on the planet. This was used verbatim in the demo instructions (see HGDemo above).

StaffMaps - Dated 29th April 1993. A list of the game's maps at this point in time. Interestingly it lists all campaign maps as finished, and lists most of the Short action maps as still underway. Included in the list is Action1 that was abandoned and used as a test map, and some recognisable ones such as "Jarrys". It also does NOT list anything to do with the cut maps, unfortunately. It also lists who made each map.

Tesseract.FC - A brief piece of further backstory for the training missions. This is used as the backstory for the Demo, included in HGDemo above.

TestReply - A form for playtesters to report bugs found in the game.

Translation.fc - Surprisingly interesting list of clarifications of things in the game to aid foreign translations. While these are only answers to questions that are not included, it features revealing information such as the idea behind each short action level and why they are named as they are, and lots of lore clarifications on things that are never outright stated in the game or its surrounding documentation. For example, it amusingly it states that the "THV" in the THV ammunition found in the game is "unknown" and "merely techno jargon".

Hints

Files related to a walkthrough that was sent to Amiga Format for their Coverdisk demo of the game. This was published mostly verbatim in Amiga Format issue 45.

Figure1-5.ilbm - Maps and diagrams of parts of the level showing the optimum solution for each part. Also includes

Levels.ilbm - A neat exploded view of each floor of the map

MapKey.ilbm - Key to the symbols used in the Figure graphics

HGSolution.ascii - Walkthrough as an ascii text file

HGSolution.FC - Walkthrough in FinalCopy/FinalWriter format. This has the diagrams embedded in it showing what to do.

Development:Hired Guns/Document Library

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