DAWN OF DARKNESS(tm) DEMO
VERSION 042399.246 BETA


All software and data constituting the Dawn of Darkness(tm) beta demo are copyright (c) 1999 Ward Six Entertainment, Inc.  All rights reserved.

This software is provided "as is" with no warranty expressed or implied.  Ward Six Entertainment, Inc. is not liable for direct or indirect damages incurred through the installation and use of this software.  Use at your own risk.

The user (whosoever installs the files contained herein) is granted a free license to distribute, in whole and unmodified, the files required for the Dawn of Darkness(tm) demo via the internet or other media so long as it's not for profit of any sort. Commercial distribution of this software and its data requires prior written consent from Ward Six Entertainment, Inc.

This demo is distributed with absolutely no material from the Quake II(tm) CDROM and does not infringe on any EULA terms set forth by id Software, Inc.  Quake II(tm) is a trademark of id Software, Inc.

Dawn of Darkness(tm) is not supported or endorsed by id Software, Inc.



INSTALLING

This demo requires 21 megabytes of free space on your harddrive.  Double click on the Zip file and indicate the Quake II directory's location on your harddrive as the destination (for example, C:\QUAKE2).  Unzip the files into the Quake2 directory.  Make sure "Use folder names" is checked so that it will create the proper directory structure.

If everything went right, you will have a new directory called QUAKE2\ROARKE.

UNINSTALLING

Simply delete the QUAKE2\ROARKE directory.

RUNNING THE DEMO

If all files installed correctly, there should be a QUAKE2\ROARKE\DOD.BAT file.  Double click this file to start the demo.  If you would like to create a shortcut to the file, an icon is included (QUAKE2\ROARKE\DOD.ICO).

SETTING UP

We recommend using a resolution of at least 648x480 because the text boxes will cover most of the screen at lower resolutions.

The demo provides a default configuration, but you may want to alter the controls and hardware settings to better suit your preferences. This is done via the menus that exist in Quake II, but there are a few new commands that you might like to bind differently than how we suggest.  For a list of these commands, see the CONTROLS section of this document.

If you encounter video or other problems, ask on the messageboard (http://www.DawnOfDarkness.com/board), and we will attempt to help you solve them.  If you get no answer within a day or so, you can email support@DawnOfDarkness.com.  We will get to each request in the order it is received, so please be patient for a reply.

CONTROLS

This does not constitute a comprehensive listing of commands, only those that may not be familiar to players of the original Quake II.

ACTIVATE
SPACE
One of the most common commands, and one of the most diverse.  It can be used to open doors, converse, take items, search dead bodies, flip switches, push buttons, move levers, and use items in conjunction with the environment (such as filling a bowl with water).  It is the general key to press when in doubt.

+ATTACK
Left Mouse Button
CONTROL
Primary attack.  For the shovel, this will dig.  For most other weapons, this is a simple matter of clicking the mouse.  For the dagger or sword, an alternate control system exists.

In order to attack with the dagger or sword, you must hold down the mouse button and then move the mouse in the direction you would like to move the weapon.  This invokes various attacks explained further in the WEAPONS section.  At first, it is awkward, but soon it will be much more intuitive than clicking the mouse.

+SEC_ATTACK
Middle Mouse Button
/
Secondary attack (if available), block with the sword, load cannonball for cannons, or attack with the shovel.  For weapons with multiple ammo types, this will cycle the current ammo to the next type.

CURE
H
Attempts to optimally use healing items without requiring you to use the inventory menu.  Note that this command will not use a healing item if using it will waste some of the healing.

For example, if you have 80 Life (of 100 max) and a health flask will give you 30 points of Life (10 over max), CURE will not use the health flask since it could be wasteful.  This is to reduce the chance that you waste a powerful healing item when only a small amount of healing is required.

In the instance that you want to use a healing item even though it won't be used optimally, you will need to utilize the inventory features.

INVEN
TAB
Calls up the inventory menu, showing a horizontal list of the items you currently have.  Use INVNEXT and INVPREV to navigate the menu, and use ACTIVATE to call up a submenu for an item.

Once the submenu is active, select an option with INVNEXT and INVPREV, and confirm your selection with ACTIVATE.

INVUSE
ENTER
Use the current item you are "holding."  This item is indicated by an icon on the right side of the screen.  You can cycle through the inventory items with the INVNEXT and INVPREV keys.

INVNEXT
]
RIGHTARROW
Cycle to the next inventory item, next menu option, or next conversation option.

INVPREV
[
LEFTARROW
Cycle to the previous inventory item, previous menu option, or previous conversation option.

DISARM
G
Put away the current weapon, leaving you unarmed.

WEAPONS

Note that only three weapons appear in the demo:  Dagger, Bow, and Ancestral Sword.

DAGGER
SLASH
JAB
PUNCH
A powerful weapon against low-level foes.  Very fast.  But ineffective against heavily armored opponents.

Perform the SLASH by holding the +ATTACK button/key and moving the mouse from left to right.  With a rhythmic pattern you can maintain this fast slashing and lay waste to anyone in the way.

Perform the JAB by holding the +ATTACK button/key and moving the mouse up or down.  Enemies who are well protected against SLASHing might not be so protected from a JAB since it is a puncturing attack rather than a cutting attack.

There's nothing so satisfying as finishing off an enemy with a PUNCH.  Press the +SEC_ATTACK key to perform this maneuver.

BOW
ARROW
FIRE ARROW
The bow is quiet and fast, which is great for sniping.

Loaded with a normal ARROW, the bow will be effective against low level enemies.  The longer you hold the +ATTACK button/key, the more tension you apply to the release, and thus more damage is inflicted.

FIRE ARROWs are not available in this demo.

ANCESTRAL SWORD
BLOCK
SLASH
THRUST
CHOP
JUMP-CHOP COMBO
DECAPITATION
The ANCESTRAL SWORD is perhaps the mightiest of the weapons, and it's Roarke's trademark weapon.  It is capable of many attacks and usually can severely damage all enemies.  Certain very powerful enemies will not succumb to it as easily, but that is a rare case indeed.

Press the +SEC_ATTACK key (and optionally hold it) to BLOCK melee attacks.  This isn't effective against magical or projectile attacks.

The SLASH is the weakest of the attacks, but the quickest.  Similar to the DAGGER, the SLASH can be very deadly in coordinated hands.  Finding that rhythm is one of the challenges to becoming an expert swordsman.  Press and hold the +ATTACK button/key while moving the mouse from left to right.

The THRUST is a puncturing attack, similar to the JAB of the DAGGER.  Press and hold the +ATTACK button/key while moving the mouse up to THRUST.  It is somewhat slow, but has good reach and moderately powerful damage.

The CHOP is a devastating attack that is, however, very slow.  It can dispatch low level enemies in a single strike.  Press and hold the +ATTACK button/key and move the mouse down.

The JUMP-CHOP COMBO is somewhat rare, but will instantly kill low and mid-level enemies.  It is extremely powerful, but somewhat difficult to perform: press and hold the +ATTACK button/key and move the mouse down while simultaneously jumping.  This probably won't be easy until you are proficient with the other maneuvers of swordplay.

DECAPITATION, as its name implies, kills enemies instantly.  But only human and half-human enemies can be DECAPITATED. This maneuver requires that you first attain BLOODLUST MODE.  This is similar to going berserk on the battlefield.

The damage you inflict with the sword is compounded over time and if you inflict enough within a short time, you will notice the Wolf icon in the upper-right of the screen begin to change.  Once the Wolf is blood red, you will hear the sound of BLOODLUST and all attacks with the ANCESTRAL SWORD will do extra damage.  It will also allow you to perform DECAPITATIONS!

While in BLOODLUST MODE, aim the ANCESTRAL SWORD at the head of your enemy and SLASH.  With some luck, you will see the head go flying and the body fall limply to the ground in a spray of gore.


GETTING STARTED

Dawn of Darkness is not a typical Quake II mod.  You will need to alter your mindset to play it.  Don't approach it as if the goal is to kill everything.  The fact is that such a strategy will sometimes end up in failure.  While you are not limited to doing things any one way, there is definitely a path of least resistance, and it usually involves conversing with inhabitants to figure out how to avoid pitfalls and solve puzzles.

So go ahead and kill everyone, the innocent and enemy alike, the first time you play.  It's fun!  But then try again and talk a little bit to discover what to do next.  If you find yourself stuck, talk to people you've already spoken with again.  Most people have more than one thing to say, especially after puzzles are solved.  Pay attention to who is in charge and who has been the most helpful, because often they will be helpful in many ways.

THE STORY

If you do not know the backstory of the game, here we include it for your convenience.  Note that you can find it online, with some illustrations, at http://www.DawnOfDarkness.com/story.html. 

Roarke was once the greatest fighter in Lucitania, feared by all and honored as the King's personal champion. Hundreds fell to his sword and graceful, unconquerable battle prowess. Single-handedly, Roarke had turned the tide of many battles and rallied the Lucitanian troops to victory against countless foes.

But his days of bloodshed and glory came to an abrupt end when he finally faced the legacy of his actions. During many battles, he had felt hesitance to carry out some of the King's orders. He had sensed a change in motive, that somehow he was part of a machine of dishonorable destruction. Roarke's namesake as a merciless butcher, in his mind, was reserved only for those who deserved to be butchered. Spending long nights alone in reflection, he wondered if what he was doing was right anymore. His conclusion was realized during an insurgence elimination strike.

As Roarke strode triumphantly among the fresh piles of corpses in the village he and his battalion of elite troops had just quieted, he caught sight of a small girl kneeling over one of the corpses, weeping. Roarke stared, horror dawning upon him. He had just killed her father in cold blood for no reason other than command of the King and a misplaced sense of duty to his warmongering ancestors. These poor villagers had done nothing wrong except disobeying policies the King had put in place.  Such things often resulted in swift death, Roarke and his men being the means to that end.

Finally and suddenly, Roarke's growing misgivings were proven justified. He was no longer a revered hero. He was merely a tool of the King, a highly paid bully in a heartless militia. He thought back to the past, the fierce battles defending his homeland from invaders and saw how times had changed. No longer was he fighting an honorable battle; it was an abominable, ruthless slaughter against Lucitania's own people. They had no hope to stand up against the King's mighty army-- and no reason to need to.

It seemed the King had become like the barbarians that had once made attempts on the Lucitanian borders. The supreme, unquestionable power over the land the King wielded-- that Roarke and those he commanded as their General had won-- had twisted him into a savage tyrant.

Unable to bear the mounting guilt while standing amid the stench of blood and death, Roarke grabbed the sobbing girl and ran off, swearing to never kill again. He would adopt the girl called Sylmaril and live a quiet life away from the delusions of kings, emperors, and egomaniacal politics.

The years passed and his name became a legend throughout the world. The King sent many messages, begging Roarke the Merciless to return to service, promising lands and unimaginable wealth. But no one could find him. He had disappeared to a new life.

Lucitania became a somber, corrupt place. The citizens were unhappy, the army became weak and unfocused. Far in the East, in the Cheitan Empire, dark forces rose to challenge Lucitania's dominance. Formed from the vilest of mercenaries and criminals, the undead, demons bound by magic, and assisted by machinery never seen before, the unholy armada spread across the kingdoms like a deadly plague. It's spearhead was a mighty siege engine, called the Death Engine, capable of hurling huge molten boulders for great distances, breaching any defenses it encountered.

 Those that were consumed by the armada's advance and lived were enslaved, forced to work in mines which provided ore to power the deadly new machines and the new Cheitan citadel, called Adhad-Algal, which had risen near the Lucitanian border as an ominous symbol of the doom that was soon to befall all the known lands.

Months later, the Cheitan armada was past the great wall that surrounded Lucitania's eastern flank. It came upon the outer villages, seizing all property and enslaving all the citizens. In one such village, Roarke was found living as a humble fisherman, along with his young daughter, Sylmaril. His captors recognized him immediately, despite his ragged appearance, and quickly sent word to the Cheitan Sultan, Malek Taus, that they had stumbled upon Lucitania's greatest champion. This surely was a sign that they were destined for victory!

Roarke was cast into a prison to await transport back to Adhad-Algal as a prize for the Sultan. He had sworn to never kill again, but the lust for blood was rising in him and would not be denied. They had kidnapped Sylmaril and ransacked his home. Perhaps soon Roarke the Merciless will emerge once more to seek vengeance against those who have shattered his new life.

THE REAL THING

If you enjoy this one level demo, you will certainly enjoy the other 15 levels that are not included here.  Follow Roarke's quest to find his daughter and end the invasion.  Meet the unholy demons face to face in heated combat with a total of seven weapons (eight if you count the shovel).  Journey from Manawyd to the border river all the way to the heart of Cheitan-the mighty citadel!

The full version of Dawn of Darkness will be available at select retail locations in Europe and the United States.  It will also be available through various online retailers for convenient internet shopping.

So douse the lights and treat yourself to the wicked joys of playing Dawn of Darkness!



WARD SIX ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
http://www.WardSix.com
http://www.DawnOfDarkness.com


