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THE SIMPSONS: BART'S HOUSE OF WEIRDNESS DOCS
by Konami
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A LOOK AT "BART'S HOUSE OF WEIRDNESS"
by Dr. Marvin Monroe
When I was asked if I would be interested in writing an introduction to
the manual for this game, my first question was, "How much money?" once
satisfied with the answer, I began to struggle with the complex issues
raised by the advent of the video game. I believe video games are a popular
outlet for the species of homo sapiens in this the latter part of the 20th
century, and I welcome the forum presented to me. It's high time we took a
scholarly approach to these matters.
In general, the use of software for amusement reflects back through time.
It is, if you will, on par with the use of Pogo Sticks in the middle of
this century, or even further back, the game of "Pull the tail of the
jackal" that was popular among young mail children during the reign of
Ramses III in ancient Egypt. In fact, studies show that there is a release
of tension related to playing video games and their ilk that coincides with
the pre-Jungian studies of subliminal dream states as interpreted through
non-mandatory living activities. What this means in layman's terms, is that
people do it for fun.
My own pet theory is that the use of a joystick for entertainment
purposes is a regression to the pry-civilized state of humankind when
hunter/gatherers relied on clubbed weapons in order to meet the daily
challenge of procuring food and of keeping that food away from others. Over
the millennia, as the acquisition of such needs decreased in difficulty,
the necessity for venting negative impulses through strenuous activities
was relieved only at the risk of offending the predominant social mores of
the times. To put it simply, it was no longer acceptable to bonk your
neighbor over the head with a club if you felt irritated. Man was forced to
rely upon increasingly abstract ways of bonking others over the head: the
catapult, the poisoned arrow, nuclear weaponry, etc. Now, as we approach a
new century, civilized man is once again able to grab a clubbed instrument
(e.g. the joystick) and -- thanks to the miracle of software such as this
-- "bonk" the head of those he finds irritating.
And I might add, there is plenty in this game with which to be irritated.
There are space aliens (representing man's alienation from the group as
stressed in the individuality-focused society of today), hideous mutant
bugs (representing a separation from the natural environment of our
ancestors), toxic waste (representing man's fear of the consequences of
this own creation, nuclear power), toxic waste (see previous) and brutal
security guards (representing brutal security guards).
Then there is young Master Simpson.
I have worked with Bart on a few occasions and I must tell you...
actually, I can't tell you. It would be unethical to reveal what is
discussed in our sessions. But I can tell you what I've learned from this
game. The focus here is on Bart, as well it should be. Bart needs to feel
at the center of events in order to bolster his own emotional sense of
self-worth. At the same time, his relationship to his father is one of
cautious respect. While openly, Bart may appear to harbor feelings of
disdain and shame with regard to Homer, there is no question in my mind
that the boy knows a meal-ticket when he sees one.
Therefore, it follows that in Bart's desperate search to compensate for
the shortcomings of, and at the same time to break free of his ultimate
dependency on, his father, what we find is a boy who wants to be regarded
as a pillar of the community. He wants to be looked up to as a hero and
role model. He wants glory, fame, and status. Yet he doesn't want to work
for it.
"Bart's House of Weirdness" is a subconscious interpretation of reality
as Bart would like it to be. It presents him with the opportunity to
project the hero/conqueror role on his own persona, thereby regaling
himself to the status of World Savior.
In closing, I would like to point out that the elements found in this
game are, in most cases, a social commentary of the state of our culture as
seen through the eyes of a child of the Nuclear Age. You may wish to ask
yourself, "What do the glowing rats in the basement symbolize in my
relationship to the environment?" Or you may ask, "Is there a lesson to be
learned from Bart's rooftop battles with evil squirrels and angry hornets?"
I have no answer to these questions. But if you enjoyed this small
dissertation, you may wish to read my other best-selling writings:
* OEDIPUS SCHMEDIPUS!
A collection of humorous limericks from the psychiatric world
* ANALY-SIZE
Twelve steps to a harder body through the Freudian workout
* WALK A MILE IN MY WEEJUNS
An autobiography on an eminent psychiatrist
* DYSFUNCTION IS AN ELEVEN-LETTER WORD
Thank you
Dr. Marvin Monroe, Phd.D.
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PART 1 - INSTALLING AND LOADING
Note: Make back-up copies of all disks. Use these if playing from disk.
For help, consult your DOS manual.
FLOPPY DISK USERS (1.2M & 1.44M versions only)
1. Place Disk 1 into the appropriate floppy drive (A: or B:) of your
computer
2. Move to the DOS prompt for the corresponding drive. You do this by
typing "a:" or "b:" and pressing the Enter key.
3. From the DOS prompt, type "setup"
4. The Setup Menu has options which allow you to configure the game for
your system. Use the arrow keys to move the highlighted option until
your Video Mode is highlighted. Press the Spacebar to select that
option.
5. Repeat for Sound Mode.
HARD DISK USERS
1. Follow the same directions for steps 1-5 above.
2. After selecting the sound and video modes, select "Install to hard
drive" from the Setup Menu.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Press Enter to finish Setup. (NOTE:
Exit the setup screen with the disk still in the drive.)
-> You must run Setup for sound and video before installing to hard drive
or the proper files will not be saved on your hard drive.
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PART 2 - STARTING THE GAME
1. Go to the directory containing the files for the game.
2. Type "S"
THE INTRODUCTION
The game opens with an introduction scene. This looks like the TV show,
but you probably know that.
You'll find out that you can press the Spacebar to skip through the
opening introduction. After that, you'll find yourself at the Password
screen, then Bart's room. Bart has been grounded by his parents. Bummer,
man.
THE PASSWORD
Never mind.
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PART 3 - PLAYING BART'S HOUSE OF WEIRDNESS
Being grounded isn't the worse thing in the world. It's not as bad as,
say, having to write "I will not do that thing with my tongue" on the
blackboard 500 times. And when you've got an imagination like Bart does,
then staying entertained isn't a problem. In fact, Bart has some daydreams
that seem pretty real. Sometimes Bart battles space aliens, or dreams that
he confronts Itchy and Scratchy! Bart can also stay busy by sneaking out
the window on adventures, or go exploring in the attic and basement. When
he's done with all that, Bart can begin his greatest mission, saving his
hero, Krusty the Clown, from Sideshow Bob!
You will guide Bart high and low through Springfield, searching for cool
items that will help Bart solve that ultimate adventure. We can't keep a
secret, Bart has to get these three items:
* cool shoes
* cool shades
* cool hat
When Bart has all the cool items (and has completed all the missions), he
can enter Krusty's Jungle Land.
BART'S BEDROOM - MOVING AROUND AND PLAYING WITH STUFF
Okay, so being grounded isn't great, but there are ways to stay amused.
You can play with some cool stuff, like the Talking Krusty the Clown doll,
or the headphones on the desk. Really, try it. Just use the joystick (or
arrow keys) to move Bart.
KEY KEYBOARD COMMANDS:
(Ctrl+K) activates the keyboard,
(Ctrl+J) activates the joystick,
(Ctrl+P) pauses the game.
Give it a try. See? Move Bart over by the right side of the desk. Then
face the desk and press the fire button on the joystick or Enter). You
should see a menu appear on the screen that lets you select a song to play.
Move up and down the menus by moving the joystick. If you have a sound card
in your computer you're in for a real treat. If you don't have one of those
sound cards, we pity you.
Back to the bedroom. Try the Sideshow Bob punching bag, Go ahead, walk up
to it and take a few swings...
LOADING AND SAVING YOUR GAME
If you walk back to Bart's dresser, you will notice that one top drawer
is open and one is closed. If you stand in front of the open drawer on the
left and press the fire button (or Enter) you can load a saved game.
If you stand in front of the closed dresser drawer and press the fire
button (or Enter), then you can save your game to that point. Note: The
only time you can save a game is from Bart's room.
GAME UTILITIES
If you press the (F10) key on your keyboard, you get the game utilities
that allow you to:
* Turn the music on/off
* turn sound effects on/off
* configure a joystick
* switch between hard/normal game, or
* Quit the game
Use the joystick or arrows to scroll between choices. Enter or the fire
button to accept choices, and (F10) to leave the menu. To exit without
changing anything, press (ESC).
LEAVING BART'S ROOM
You can go in three directions from Bart's room:
* Closet door
* Hall door
* Window
Altogether there are six adventures which Bart can go on, if playing with
the Talking Krusty doll gets old.
THE STATUS BOX
This might be a good time to discuss the stuff on the bottom of the
screen. What you see on the top part of your screen is the main window.
It's where you see all of the action taking place. The bottom part of the
screen is what we'll call the Status Box. It has a few different elements.
From left to right they are:
Lives Remaining (number in upper left) -- Shows you how many lives you
have remaining. You start the game with three. The game ends when you have
zero. You can probably figure out the ones in-between.
Bart Cool-Item Indicator (small picture of Bart) -- When Bart gets a cool
item, it shows up in this picture of Bart.
Cool-O-Meter (gauge from Un-cool to Cool) -- This measures Bart's
coolness. When everything is going well, Bart's cool. If he gets swatted
around by space aliens or bugged by bugs, that's uncool. It works against
him by lowering his cool rating. With a zero cool rating, you're toast. On
the other hand, Bart can raise his level of coolness by finishing a level,
finding donuts, or jumping on mushrooms.
Points (top half of status bar to right of Cool-O-Meter) -- You can earn
points for doing things like finding coins, defeating aliens, earning cool
items, etc. The idea is to get points. LOTS of points. Sure, the object is
to rescue Krusty, but anyone can do that. The thing that will really
impress your friends is the number of points you can rack up while you
rescue Krusty. After all, you're Bart. You're a Simpson. It's not like your
life is ever going to amount to anything anyway, so you might as well try
to get a lot of points in the game. A whole lotta points.
Screen Number -- This little box below the points will display a screen
number. It makes it easier for you to map out the route Bart is taking on
his adventures.
Weapon (top) (to right of points) -- With this weapon Bart shoots
something and can destroy it. It may take more than one shot for big
targets. The weapon will operate with the post button of your joystick (or
Spacebar). You start out with the Burp Gun, but you can also find other
weapons. To the right of the weapon picture is a picture of the type of
ammo you have. It may be standard Burp Balls, or something else for a
different weapon.
Weapon (bottom) -- This weapon, if you earn it, will be either the Spray
Paint or Water Balloons. To use the current weapon, press both joystick
buttons at the same time. (Keyboard users: press Space+Enter.)
Number of Shots Left -- Shows the number of shots left.
Adventure Objective (far right) -- This will show you what you need to
find to complete the adventure. For example, in Bart's Room it says "Have
Fun!" That means your objective in Bart's Room is to have fun. Another
example is the Space Mutants adventure. There you will see a picture of a
cookbook. Your goal, then, is to find the cookbook.
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THE ADVENTURES
THE QUEST FOR MAGGIE'S BALL
Look high and low through the rooftops and sewers of Springfield. Why?
Because Bart is a loving brother who wants to keep his baby sister happy by
recovering her missing red ball. It's also a great excuse to get out of
mowing the lawn, and possible earn a cool item.
"I WANNA GO TO THE MOVIES"
There is nothing a kid likes better than checking out a flick on a rainy
day. Of course, it isn't raining, but that's no excuse to miss a good
movie. All you have to do is help Bart get enough cash-ola to get a ticket.
Visiting the Burn's estate and the Shopping Mall should get you the 5 coins
you need. Remember: going through the Burn's estate could involve a wild
goose chase.
GRAVE DANGER IN THE BASEMENT
Glowing rats, Ms. Botz the Baby-sitter Bandit, and ferocious earthworms.
What more do you want in a computer game? Keep your eye out for a blank
space and ask yourself "What would Bart do here?"
THE SECRET OF THE ATTIC
There's lots of cool stuff in the Simpsons' attic, man. Check out the
moose head if you want to lift your spirits, but defeating the spider is
the final key.
SPACE MUTANT MADNESS
Beware! There are more man eating aliens then you can shake a Burp Gun
at, and the future of the planet rests in Bart's hands.
TOO MUCH T.V.
Hey, man, Bart can't really be in the Itchy and Scratchy Show, because
it's just TV. But if this is just a dream, why can't Bart wake up? It will
take a lot of skill to reach your goal here!
ADVENTURES IN KRUSTYLAND
Find Krusty. 'Nuff said.
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SPECIAL ITEMS
Spray Paint (looks like spray paint) -- Comes in handy for handling big
targets and writing messages on walls.
Water Balloons (sack w/ string) -- This'll slow down a charging Doberman.
Maybe.
Burp Gun (looks like gun) -- A kid couldn't take on the world without
one!
Dart Gun (dart over gun) -- Better range than a Burp Gun, but it's no
slingshot.
Slingshot (looks like slingshot) -- It is a slingshot
Burp Balls (looks like two bullseyes) -- Self explanatory.
Super Burp Balls (looks like big bullseye) -- You'll need them to defeat
Sideshow Bob.
Mutant Gun (looks like 8 arm spiral) -- What other purpose would a Mutant
Gun serve than to shoot Mutants?
Rocks (look like pile of 6 rocks) -- Great ammo for the slingshot, man!
Doughnut -- Grab this handy, nutritious, vitamin-packed snack for a quick
pick-me-up between meals.
Extra Life (little Bart head) -- Next time someone says "Get a life,
wimp" you can reply: "Already did, log-brain."
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INSTANT REPLAY
There aren't many things more enjoyable than taping your favorite episode
of a TV show and replaying it on video over and over. Now you can do the
same thing with Bart's House of Weirdness! To run the VCR during the game,
press the (TAB) key. Here are the Instant Replay controls:
(F1) = Cue forward
(F2) = Cue backward
(F3) = Stop
(F4) = Pause
(F5) = Fast Forward
(F6) = Play
(F7) = Rewind
(F8) = One frame forward
(F9) = One frame backward
Shift+S = Save replay to play during introduction
(ESC) = Return to game
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THE SIMPSONS:
BART'S HOUSE OF WEIRDNESS
Developed for Konami, Inc.
by Distinctive Software Inc.
Development Producer: Rory Armes
Associate Producer: Mark Flitman (Konami)
Design: Ken Lam
Athena Bax
Alan Stewart
Rory Armes
Anthony Gurr
Programming: Ken Lam
Alan Stewart
Anthony Gurr
Art: Athena Bax
Sound & Music: Dan Scott
Traz Damji
Mike Sokyrka
Brian Plank
Kris Hatlelid
Quality Assurance: David Hards
Ivan Allan
Jeff Parr
Beta Testing: Mike Gallo (Konami)
Manual Written & Designed by: Kevin O'Donohue (Konami)
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JOYSTICK CONTROLS
There are two types of joystick configurations you can use when you play
Bart's House of Weirdness. The regular joystick is better for shooting, and
the alternate joystick is better for jumping. If you have trouble with a
certain segment of the game, don't have a cow. Just experiment with the two
joystick configurations to see if it helps.
To switch between configurations, press (F9).
BUTTOM BUTTON PUSHED TOP BUTTON PUSHED BOTH BUTTONS PUSHED
Jump |jump | jump shoot | shoot| shoot turn | N/A | turn
left | up | right up left | up | up right left | | right
-----+-----+------ --------+------+--------- -----+-----+------
jump | jump| jump shoot | shoot| shoot walk | N/A | walk
left | |right left | | right left | | right
-----+-----+------ --------+------+--------- -----+-----+------
duck | duck| duck shoot | shoot| shoot turn | N/A | turn
| | down | down | down left | | right
REGULAR JOYSTICK CONFIGURATION (BETTER FOR SHOOTING)
You can use the keypad or arrow keys to simulate the joystick directions.
Enter = Joystick button 1 = fire weapon 1
Space = Joystick button 2 = jump (regular) or weapon 2 (alternate)
(CTRL+J) = Joystick on/calibrartion
(CTRL+K) = Keyboard on/joystick off
(CTRL+P) = Pause game
(CTRL+Q) = Quit game
(F9) = Regular/alternate joystick
BUTTOM BUTTON PUSHED TOP BUTTON PUSHED BOTH BUTTONS PUSHED
shoot|shoot| shoot jump | jump | jump jump | jump| jump
up | up | up left | | right left | | right
-----+-----+------ --------+------+-------- ------+-----+------
shoot|shoot| shoot 2nd weap| 2nd |2nd weap walk | N/A | walk
left | | right left |weapon| right left | | right
-----+-----+------ --------+------+-------- ------+-----+------
shoot|shoot| shoot duck | duck | duck duck | duck| duck
down| down| down | | | |
ALTERNATE JOYSTICK CONFIGURATION (BETTER FOR JUMPING)
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Ugh, well I tell ya, TransAtlantic FAX is NOT very fast, and it sure as
hell is a mess and a half to read!
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/\
/\ /\/ /
\// \/ Docs keyed by The Ghost Wind
/ /\ \ -*- THE DREAM TEAM -*-
/ /\/\/
\/
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SUPPORT THE COMPANIES THAT RELEASE QUALITY SOFTWARE!
If you enjoy playing this game, buy the original.
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