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from: the Asimov collection HOW TO SOLVE ... -=> QUESTRON <=- ... BY : COPY/CAT - */HI-RES<>HIJACKERS/* THANX : SORCEROR, CRACKER JACK, NINJA QUESTRON IS ESSENTIALLY ULTIMA 1.5 OR SO. IT IS A LITTLE FASTER THAN ULTIMA I, AND HAS NICER GRAPHICS. IT IS NOT NEAR THE MACHINE LANGUAGE SPEED OF EITHER OF THE TWO LATTER ULTIMAS. IT IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN ALL THREE. THE OBJECT OF QUESTRON IS TO KILL MANTOR, THE EVIL WIZARD. YOU ARE AIDED BY MESRON, THE GOOD WIZARD. THERE ARE NO LEVELS IN QUESTRON. YOU MOVE UP BY RANKS, FROM SERF THROUGH KNIGHT. HERE IS HOW TO WIN QUESTRON STEP-BY-STEP: 1] BEFORE EVEN MAKING A CHARACTER, GET A MAP OF BOTH CONTINENTS. TO DO THIS, YOU MUST BREAK INTO R-DOS AND LOAD IN THE PICTURES. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS IS WITH "RINGSIDE SEAT", WHICH HAS R-DOS ON IT, AND ALLOWS YOU TO CTRL-C OUT OF IT. JUST BOOT IT UP, AND AFTER THE DOS LOADS IN, HIT CTRL-C. THEN INSERT QUESTRON DISK 1 AND TYPE '&CAT', WHICH DOES AN R-DOS DIRECTORY. THEN TYPE '&RECALL "CONT ONE-PIC", 16384. THIS LOADS IN THE FIRST PIC ONTO HI-RES PAGE 2. THEN BOOT ANY SLAVE DISK, AND TYPE 'BSAVE QPIC1, A$4000,L$1FF8'. THEN DUMP IT ON YOUR PRINTER. DO THE SAME WITH THE SECOND PICTURE, ALTHOUGH YOU WON'T NEED IT FOR A WHILE. 2] NOW YOU JUST NEED TO GET TO THE RANK OF KNIGHT. YOU'LL HAVE TO GO AROUND BLOWING EVERYTHING AWAY AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. GO TO A TOWN AND BUY THE BEST ARMOR AND WEAPONS YOU CAN AFFORD. THEN FIGHT YOUR WAY TO OTHER TOWNS, UPGRADING YOUR WEAPONS AND ARMOR AS YOU GO. BE SURE TO GET FOOD EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. TO ADD A LITTLE SPICE TO THE GAME, GO TO THE SWAMP AND OCEAN CATHEDRALS. AT THE SWAMP ONE, YOU CAN PLAY A GAME OF SKEET AND GAIN DEXTERITY. AT THE OCEAN POINT ONE YOU CAN GET A MAGIC FLUTE WHICH WILL GRANT YOU CERTAIN WISHES. ANOTHER FUN THING TO DO IS TO GAMBLE. THE BEST PLACE TO GAMBLE IS NOT "GAMBLERS GROTTO". AT THE SMALLER TOWNS, YOU CAN WIN BIG WITHOUT HAVING TO KILL A TON OF GUARDS ON THE WAY OUT. ANYWAYS, EVERY TIME THE GAME SAYS "MESRON WANTS TO SEE YOU", THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE GAINED A RANK. MESRON IS IN THE CASTLE, WHICH IS ON A SMALL MOUNTAIN-SURROUNDED PENINSULA NEAR THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CONTINENT. ENTER IT, AND GO EAST UNTIL YOU GET TO A LARGE CORRIDOR. SOON YOU WILL FIND A ONE-BLOCK CORRIDOR LEADING TO THE NORTH. THIS GOES TO MESRON. (S)PEAK TO HIM, AND HE WILL RAISE YOUR RANK. AFTER A FEW PROMOTIONS, HE WILL TELL YOU TO BECOME THE BEST WARRIOR IN THE LAND. TO DO THIS, YOU MUST STEAL THE SILVER TRUMPET FROM THIS CASTLE. TO DO THAT, YOU MUST GET ALL THE KEYS. YOU WILL SEE NUMEROUS WHITE AND BLUE THINGS, WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CHESTS. BEFORE OPENING ONE, BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOME MAGIC POWDER, WHICH MESRON SHOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU. BY SPRINKLING SOME, YOU WILL SLOW DOWN THE GUARDS, ALLOWING YOU TO OPEN ALL THE CHESTS MORE EASILY. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF HIT POINTS, THOUGH. TO GET MORE HIT POINTS YOU MUST MAKE DONATIONS TO CATHEDRALS. THEN GO TO THE CROSS AND CLAIM YOUR VIALS. DRINK THEM FOR MORE POINTS. WHEN RAIDING THE CASTLE, BE SURE TO OPEN ALL CHESTS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT ARE SURROUNDED BY FANCY ORNAMENTS ETC. THEY USUALLY HOLD A KEY OR THE SILVER TRUMPET INSIDE. ALSO, TRY EXPLORING THE REST OF THE CASTLE BY USING THE KEYS. YOU WILL FIND A PRINCESS WHO ADDS TO YOUR CHARISMA AND SOME OTHER GUY WHO ADDS TO YOUR STRENGTH. ONCE YOU HAVE STOLEN THE TRUMPET, RETURN TO MESRON AND HE WILL KNIGHT YOU. NOW YOU ARE READY FOR THE BIG PART OF THE GAME. 3] HEAD TO THE TOP OF THE CONTINENT, WHERE THE FOG IS. HOLD THE TRUMPET AND (O)PERATE IT WHENEVER YOU ARE ON FOG. THEN CONTINUE ONWARD UNTIL YOU GET TO THE HIDDEN PORT. ENTER AND BUY A CLIPPER (2000+ GOLD). NOW YOU ARE READY TO SET SAIL FOR THE OTHER, EVIL CONTINENT. JUST KEEP SAILING IN ONE DIRECTION UNTIL IT ASKS YOU TO SWITCH DISKS. 4] THE EVIL CONTINENT IS FULL OF NASTY MONSTERS WHO DO MUCH MORE DAMAGE THAN THOSE ON CONTINENT ONE. YOU CANNOT GET HIT POINT VIALS, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CATHEDRALS. TO GET MORE HIT POINTS, ENTER ONE OF THE SIX TOWNS AND (S)PEAK TO THE MAGIC SHOP OWNER. NUMBER 6 WILL GET YOU HIT POINTS. BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE ALMOST 20,000 HIT POINTS. IF NOT, GET MORE GOLD AND BUY THEM. THEN GET ABOUT 10,000 GOLD TO BUY SOME SPELLS. TO BE PREPARED FOR THE DUNGEONS, YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST. BUY AT LEAST THREE CUTLASSES, A ROPE AND SPIKES, 50 MAGIC MISSILES, 50 FIREBALLS, 10 STONE SPELLS, 10 ARMOR ENHANCEMENT SPELLS, AND 5 PASS WALLS. ALSO, BE READY TO CHEAT. USE AN OLD MONITOR OR RAMCARD EMULATOR (AS DESCRIBED IN MY BASICS OF BASIC CRACKING I). PLAY NORMALLY, BUT WHEN YOU GET TOO LOW ON HIT POINTS, BREAK INTO THE MONITOR, HIT "D6:00", CTRL-C <CR>, "HP=20000", "HGR", AND "GOTO 10". OBVIOUSLY, YOU COULD CHEAT A LOT MORE, BUT THAT'S FOR YOU TO FIGURE OUT. ENTER "MOUNTAIN CATACOMBS" (CENTER OF CONTINENT), AND FIGHT YOUR WAY DOWN TO THE (HOLY SHIT!) EIGHTH LEVEL. THERE YOU WILL FIND ONLY ONE WAY TO GO, SO FOLLOW IT ALL THE WAY. AT THE END THERE WILL BE A SAFE. TURN AROUND AND OPEN IT AND YOU WILL FIND AN IRON KEY. NOW YOU HAVE TO FIGHT YOUR WAY BACK UP. 5] IF YOU'RE SICK OF DUNGEONS, JUST WAIT. WITH THE IRON KEY, YOU CAN ENTER "DUNGEON OF DEATH" (BOTTOM RIGHT OF CONTINENT). AGAIN FIGHT YOUR WAY DOWN TO THE EIGHTH LEVEL (EVEN HARDER), AND FIND THE SAFE. OPENING THIS ONE WILL REVEAL A DIAMOND RING. THIS ALLOWS YOU TO ENTER -GULP- MANTOR'S MOUNTAIN! GETTING OUT OF THIS DUNGEON MAY BE EASIER THAN THE FIRST, IF YOU CAN FIND A CERTAIN CHUTE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FIRST LEVEL. 6] MANTOR'S MOUNTAIN IS MORE THAN TWICE AS DEEP AS THE OTHER TWO. TO BE PREPARED, BUY 100 FIREBALLS, 100 MAGIC MISSILES, 50 STONE SPELLS, 50 ARMOR ENHANCEMENT SPELLS, AND 5 PASS WALL SPELLS. ONCE AGAIN, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE BOTTOM. ONCE AT THE 16TH LEVEL, YOU WILL FIND AN ALMOST ENDLESS ONSLAUGHT OF MONSTERS. SO AS SOON AS YOU KILL ONE, MOVE FORWARD TO TAKE ITS PLACE. WHEN YOU'RE DONE KILLING ALL THOSE, YOU SHOULD FIND A NEARBY CHUTE. THE 17TH LEVEL OF THIS DUNGEON IS SIMILAR TO THE 8TH OF "MOUNTAIN CATACOMBS". THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO GO, SO YOU CAN'T GET LOST. AFTER A LONG WHILE, SOME MONSTER WILL OFFER TO SHOW YOU THE WAY TO THE SAFE FOR ALMOST ALL YOUR GOLD. GIVE IT TO HIM! GO THROUGH THE DOOR AND THE SAFE WILL BE THERE WAITING FOR YOU. AFTER YOU OPEN IT IT WILL DISAPPEAR, AND LEAVE A PIT. NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO HIT <RESET> AND GIVE YOURSELF 20,000 HIT POINTS UNLESS YOU HAVE AT LEAST 15,000 AT THIS TIME ANYWAYS. WHEN READY, HIT (C) TO CLIMB DOWN. 7] YOU WILL WIND UP IN MANTOR'S CASTLE WHICH IS FULL OF GUARDS. DO NOT BOTHER SPRINKLING ANY POWDER; IT DOESN'T WORK. KILL ALL THE GUARDS, AND FIND THE TWO ORANGE DOORS. USE (H) TO HOLD YOUR GOLD KEY, AND (O)PERATE IT TO OPEN THE LEFT DOOR. WHEN IT'S OPEN, HOLD YOUR TRUMPET. MANTOR WILL START TO ATTACK YOU. JUST KEEP HEADING TO THE LEFT, AND WHEN YOU GET RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, (O)PERATE IT. AN IMAGE OF MESRON WILL APPEAR, AND TELL YOU THAT HE GAVE YOU THE ANSWER. THE ONLY REAL OBJECT THAT MESRON GAVE YOU WAS THE MAGIC POWDER, SO HOLD AND OPERATE THAT. MANTOR WILL DIE, LEAVING A MAGIC BOOK OF SPELLS. GO DIRECTLY EAST TO THE OTHER ORANGE DOOR, THEN HOLD AND OPERATE THE GOLD KEY. THE DOOR WILL OPEN. GO DOWN TO THE MACHINE, THEN HOLD AND OPERATE THE MAGIC BOOK OF SPELLS. BOOM! THE LAND OF QUESTRON IS SAVED. NOW TO GET YOUR AWARD. GO BACK TO WHERE MANTOR WAS, THEN OPERATE THE BOOK AGAIN. YOU WILL WIND UP ON TOP OF MESRON'S CASTLE. ENTER THAT, AND GO TO THE KING'S CHAMBERS. THE REST WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.