This guide is somewhat outdated but we have nothing better so here it goes. PRIME - Space Hulk Nethackish Roguelike Swagger Cyborg Ninja Mutant Zombie from Hell. INTRODUCTION PRIME is a science fiction "roguelike" adventure game in which the intrepid hero -- you! -- explores a derelict space hulk in search of the fabled "Bizarro Orgasmatron", rumored to be the most powerful artifact in the galaxy and the only hope of saving the universe from an unknown doom. PRIME is intended for an immature audience, and contains foul language and probably some fart jokes. If it were a movie, it would be rated PG-13 and would have gone straight to video. The game is free and frankly, you're getting what you paid for!. If you like it best way to reach developers is by emailing them (addresses at the bottom of this file) or by posting at forums at the Temple of the Roguelike located at http://roguetemple.com/forums/ CUT THE CRAP, HOW DO I PLAY? PRIME plays a lot like other roguelike games, and care was taken to use many of the same interface commands as Nethack so it should feel familiar to many people. You may select key map similar to other well known roguelike game. Upon first run you will be asked to make choice. Let's take a typical PRIME screen: ############ eit_cyrus ##### #..........# Private +...###..........#############+### XL 1:264 #...'.'..........'.......+.......# #...#####'################.......# Str 18 Int 8 #...# #.# Con 14 Wis 8 #...# #.# Agi 9 Cha 14 #...# #.# Dex 13 ##### #.# #.# Speed -50 ##'###### ####### Armor 13 #.......# #F...x# HitPts 12(12) #....{..# #.....# Energy 198(100) #.......# #....=# $5 =87 #.......# ##@#### Sore #.......# #########'#### #.......#####............# #.......+...'.....>......# #############...........b# ############## Space Base 1 You hit the grid bug. The grid bug is derezzed! Most of the screen is filled with a map of the current level. This map is bordered on the bottom by a message window, and on the right by a status display. Here is a partial key to explain some of the symbols on the map (more details below) : @ - you, the strapping space hero x - a grid bug (a scary monster that wants to kill you) + - a closed door > - a staircase leading down { - a churning vat of ... something! = - an ammunition clip The status window displays up-to-microsecond tactical information about your character's condition, professional standing, and sex life: eit_cyrus <-- your character's name (defaults to UNIX username). Private <-- professional rank. XL 1:264 <-- experience level and experience points (XP). It takes 1000 XP to gain a level in your profession. Str 18 Int 8 <-- abilities: Strength, Constitution, Agility, Dexterity Con 14 Wis 8 Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Agi 9 Cha 14 Dex 13 Speed -50 <-- speed (+100 is double speed, -100 is half speed) Armor 13 <-- armor rating (higher is better) HitPts 12(12) <-- hit points / max hit points Energy 198(100) <-- energy / energy capacity $5 =87 <-- buckazoids Sore <-- various temporary conditions will be listed in this space. Space Base 1 <-- level of the hulk that you're exploring It is presumed that you are already familiar with RPG concepts such as hit points, experience levels, and armor class. If not, go read up on wikipedia or something. THE HERO PRIME is like most RPGs in that the hero chooses a character role. Press while in profession selection screen to learn about the choices. Some professions are just plain more difficult than others. Probably the best roles for beginners are the Space Marine and the Software Engineer. ABILITIES Your starting abilities are chosen at random, and modified according to your profession. I suppose you could keep restarting until you get a character with nice stats, but that makes you a weenie. Besides, you'll get chances to improve them during the game (for example, you can increase an ability every fourth level you gain). If an ability drops to zero, you die. An average person's abilities are around 10. You'd expect a real space hero to have all 20's or better, wouldn't you? Too bad that so far your character is only a would-be hero. SKILLS Your character uses a variety of skills while adventuring. Your proficiency rating in a skill is computed by adding the number of "ranks" you have in that skill to a modifier computed from the skill's key ability. You earn a certain number of skill ranks every time you gain a level, which you can distribute as you wish. THE MAZE Graphics, shmaphics! These ASCII symbols are all you need to understand what's going on: . The floor. The dot helps you count squares, I guess. A blank space represents either an area you haven't explored or a part of the maze that isn't lit up. # A wall. You can't walk through it. ^ A trap. Try not to fall in/set it off. { A vat full of radioactive sludge. You're not really going to drink from it, are you? Gross! + A closed door. Or a bionic implant. You know, the great thing about the future is you don't have to undergo surgery to install a cranial implant, it just kinda tunnels its way into your brain in like two seconds! ' An open door. Did I mention that some doors are automatic, just like at the grocery store? There are also locked doors that you need an appropriate keycard to open (or you could just kick it down). Also, there could be SEKRIT DOORS! $ Some money. The almighty buckazoid can get you all kinds of nifty things. Don't spend it all in one place. * An energy cell. Used by various devices such as geiger counters and motion trackers. It's also ammunition for energy weapons such as laser pistols and phasers. ) A weapon. Hopefully it's a rocket launcher, but probably it's a rusty laser pistol. = Some ammunition, such as bullets, railgun slugs, or shotgun shells. [ A piece of clothing. You can wear up to five articles at once: a jumpsuit, a suit of armor, a helmet, some eyegear, and a belt. ! A canister. It could contain something tasty or it might be deadly raygun fuel. There's more than one way to find out. ? A floppy disk. There are all kinds of useful programs on these. You did find a computer, right? / A ray gun. Its function depends on what kind of fuel was loaded into it. ( A tool or useful item. Make sure you have plenty of energy cells. & A broken device. Usually a busted up droid. @ The hero. Don't get too attached, because the poor fuck will probably get wasted by a redshirt any minute now. A-Z,a-z A monster. Kill it before it kills you. You can always use the look command (type '/') to find out what a character on the map represents. This can often give you additional helpful information such as what kind of weapon a monster is wielding. THE COMMANDS 7 8 9 You can move around using the numeric keypad. \|/ 4-@-6 If you type the '5' or 'g' key, followed by a direction key, /|\ you will continue moving in that direction until you reach a 1 2 3 wall or something interesting. y k u If you are an old geezer playing on a VAX machine or something, \|/ you'll probably want to use the vi/Nethack-style movement keys, h-@-l which you can enable from the options menu (type 'O'). Shift+ /|\ these keys (YUHJKLBN) will cause you to move in that direction b j n until something interesting is found. The '<' and '>' keys are for moving up and down, respectively. That's how you can climb staircases. These same movement keys will be used when you are asked to specify a direction (for example, when aiming a raygun). In such situations you can aim at yourself, if you want, by using the '.' key. To fight a monster in melee combat, just walk into it. You will attack with whatever weapon you are currently wielding. No point in listing all commands here. Access them from in-game by pressing question mark. Many commands will prompt you to choose an object from your inventory to use - just type the letter of the appropriate item. A list of the likely item letters will be displayed, and you can press '?' to expand that list into a menu with descriptions for those items. In some cases, you can press '*' to select an object from a menu of your entire inventory. Also, some commands allow you specify an item count by typing numbers in the inventory prompts and menus. For example, you could type the key sequence "d14b" to drop 14 of item b. Type '-' at such a prompt to select nothing; for example type "w-" to wield no weapon, and fight with your bare hands. MUTANT POWERS If your character has any mutant powers, you'll be able to zap them with the 'Z' command. This will bring up a menu listing all your powers and your chances of successfully using each one. This chance depends on several factors such as your charisma score, your character level, the level of the power, and your skill. Also, wearing certain equipment (particularly cranium implants) hampers your aura and interferes with your psionic ability. When you attempt to use a power, your charisma will be temporarily reduced according to the level of the power. Your charisma will regenerate on its own, or you can hurry the process using certain items. Most mutant powers cause one-time effects, but some powers such as X-Ray Vision will be maintained until you deactivate them. Charisma spent on these persistant powers won't be restored while they are still in use. How do you gain new mutant powers? You'll have to figure that out for yourself! ENERGY Much of the high-tech equipment is powered by electric energy. There are two sources of energy: energy cells and power plants. Energy cells are essentially batteries - each one contains a single charge and when it is expended, the hero discards it. Power plants have a energy reservoir that is automatically recharged over time. Whenever you use a weapon or other item that needs energy, it will automatic- ally be drawn from one of these sources. Some tools that you activate will continuously draw energy, so make sure you keep an eye on your power level! ITEMS An important part of PRIME is collecting and identifying useful items. The function of objects such as floppy disks and ray guns is unknown until you identify them somehow. Until you've identified these items, all you will have to go by is the label or description (for example, "a floppy disk labeled XERTH Q3"). Any two objects in the game with the same label or description will be of the same type, but these assignments are randomized every time you start a new game. Wouldn't be any fun, otherwise, right? There are a number of ways to identify items. The simplest and most dangerous method is just use it and see what happens. If the effect is obvious (and you don't die in the process), PRIME will automatically remember it so that next time you encounter a similer object you'll know what it is. If the effect is unclear, you will be given an opportunity to provide your own description for the object (just as if you had typed 'N' to use the Name command) as a helpful note (for example, "a canister called This smells good"). Weapons and armor can have program enhancements that make them more effective. The degree of enhancement is denoted by a number, which indicates the degree to which your ability to hit and damage with a weapon is improved, or the degree to which your armor rating is improved with an item of clothing. For example, a +2 suit of armor will give you an extra two points of armor rating. Sometimes enhancement number can be negative, which results in a detrimental effect. Some of the objects you find in the game have been optimized by clever programming wizards, while others are riddled with bugs. Optimized equipment generally works better, while buggy equipment tends not to function very well and can have all kinds of unpleasant side effects. Buggy weapons will become glued to your hands, and it is impossible to take off buggy clothing and armor through normal means. If you know the quality of an item, it will be denoted in the description as "buggy", "debugged", or "optimized". Try to get your hands on a computer and some of floppy disks of identify to help determine the nature of your equipment or try asking Melnorme for some favors. HAPPY ZAPPING! The document is incomplete and some parts are outdated but not horribly so. PRIME is changing too fast right now and not unlike some other software documentation tends to lag badly behind. Please send bug reports and feedback to us at psiweapon@gmail.com and michal@kast.net.pl!