#CREDITS

Design - Simon Knight & Eric Matthews
Original Code - Steve Cargill and Mike Montgomery
Cd32 conversion and additions- Mike Montgomery
Graphic Design - Dan Malone & Herman Serrano
In-game Music & SFX - Richard Joseph.
Project Management - Graeme Boxall

{} 1993, 1994 The Bitmap Brothers
@WELCOME

Welcome to The Chaos Engine. This manual has been produced to
ensure that you get the very best out of this product. If you have
any problems with the product please contact:-

Customer Support TCE CD32,
Renegade,
Unit C1L Metropolitan Wharf,
Wapping Wall,
LONDON
E1 9SS

@THE OPTIONS SCREENS

A short introductory sequence will set the scene. Once it's been
shown, the Options Screen is presented:

SELECT NEW GAME

You can have a Party made up of one or two human players. A single
human-controlled Character won't fight alone - the computer -
controlled companion sees to that. The action's not as competitive without a second human player, but it's no less frenetic.
@ENTER PASSWORD

Passwords are given at key points during play. They contain
details of your characters' performance and position and will save you the bother of playing through the early stages again (you
may have missed some of the hidden delights, so it's up to you).
When you register a valid Password, play will begin from where
the Password was given. Move the highlight over the desired
letter, number or symbol with the directional button on the
game controller. Press the fire button to select the highlighted
letter, number or symbol.
@HIRING CHARACTERS

There are six Characters available for hire, but only two can join
the Party. Check out the Reports before you hire a Character. Player1 has first choice of the Characters to play. If a second human
player is not involved, Player 1 must also choose which Character
is to be controlled by the computer. Otherwise, Player 2 may choosea Character to play. Move the directional button in any direction
to move the highlight from Character to Character. The left
side of the screen will show details of the highlighted Character
Press the fire button to hire the highlighted Character (his
portrait will disappear from the selection and appear in one of
the windows above).

@When both Characters have been chosen, the EXIT button
will be highlighted. Press the fire button to leave this screen
and begin play.

CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES

The Characters have their own Special Abilities and Weapons. Theircharacteristics are determined by four variable Attributes:
Skill,Stamina, Speed and Wisdom. Attributes are boosted by
spending Cash in the Character Equip Screen. Stamina (in the
form of Food) can also be acquired during play.
The Character's Attribute ratings are shown in bar form.
The current potential is determined by the Skill rating.

@SKILL is perhaps the most important Attribute. It's a form of
overall rating which affects all Attributes and determines
when PowerUps and Special Abilities will become available.

STAMINA is the Character's life force. When this runs out, he's
dead.

SPEED is how fast the Character can move. Surprised?

WISDOM only applies to computer-controlled Characters as it
determines their ability to play.
@CONTROLLING A CHARACTER

It's simple. The directional button is used to move him in any one
of the eight directions. For a more precise control the left and
right special feature bars can be used to one step the character
left or right. A single press of the fire button shoots a
Character's Weapon in the direction he's facing. Pressing the
blue button will activate the Special Ability held, providing
you have special power. You will hear "SPECIAL ACTIVATED!~
when this happens.
@WEAPONS

Each Character has a different weapon with different attributesThese attributes can be changed by collecting or purchasing
Power-Ups. Depending on the character, these may increase the
number of shots fired, the damage they do, whether they travel
through monsters and the spread of fire. As this happens the
characters shots will change colour to give you an indication
that they have increased in power. Your objective is to turn
all of your characters shots red.
@SPECIAL ABILITIES

Equipment with unique qualities. There are many different
Special Abilities to be bought in The Chaos Engine, but none
of the Characters gets to use them all.
When a character has more than one special ability in his
inventory, you may change between them by pressing the Green
button to rotate through the specials that he has available.
When Player 2 is controlled by the computer his Special Abilities
can be used by Player 1. To do this the player must press the
Green & the Yellow button together to Swap the special with the
CCP. Pressing the Yellow button will cycle through the special
abilities held by the CCP.
@Special Abilities also appear as you play - simply walk into one
to activate it. And don't worry about shooting Special Abilities
by mistake - they are indestructible.

SPECIAL POWER$6160062

These allow you to use your characters special ability. You can
carry up to six at any time. They can either be purchased in the
Character equip screen or collected during the game by walking
over them.
In a one player game you may use Player 2's special power store as a
reserve which provides you with an extra 6 storage.
@WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE IN PLAY

PLAYFIELD

It scrolls, that's to say, as the Characters move around the scenerythe screen follows to keep up with them. When a computer-
controlled Character is left behind, off screen, he will be
teleported to the vicinity of Player 1's Character approximately
three seconds after he was lost. When two human players are
involved, the scrolling is averaged between them so an element
of co-operation is required to move on. OK?
@NODES (AND HOW TO ACTIVATE ONE)$4310006



Shoot the Node until its casing explodes and it's activated. You
will hear "NODE ACTIVATED!~ when you - no! - activate a Node.
When enough Nodes have been activated the Exit to the next Level
will open (You will hear "EXIT OPEN!~). Go for it, unless you
feel hard enough to hang around and explore the Level further.
"LEVEL COMPLETE!~ you will hear when you pass through the Exit.
Now, some Levels have more than one Exit. The Node Counter on the
Status Panel at the bottom of the screen shows the number of
Nodes to activate before an Exit will open.

@If an Exit is open and yet there are still Nodes to activate, that
means an alternative Exit exists. Activate the remaining Nodes
and find it - it will take you to a more advantageous position on
the next Level.

TREASURE$1130072

Or Cash. Dead Monsters drop two different values of coinage, and
there are often half a dozen or so different types of Treasure left
lying around on each Level. Pick 'em up quick before they disappear.Treasure is added to the Party Kitty, ready to be distributed
between the Characters when the Level's completed.

@SILVER KEYS$5140007

Affect the scenery in some way so as to allow progress, for
example, by destroying trees or creating steps. They can also
reveal objects and treasure. Silver Keys are essential to
completing Levels.

GOLD KEYS$3125105

Affect the scenery in some way so as to reveal secret hidden areas
full of Treasure, or reveal objects. Gold Keys are not essential to
completing Levels, but greedy people can't do without 'em. I know.

@FOOD$2080005

It comes in tins and provides extra Stamina for anyone.

DEATH ZONE TOKEN$0190062

When a Character touches this, it disappears (you will hear
"PLAYERS SAVED!~). The status of both Characters at that point hasbeen noted. Now, if one player's Character dies, he will be returnedto the action with his recorded status - but only after the live
Character finds another Death Zone Token, or he dies or reaches the
end of the Level. And, of course, provided the Characters have
lives remaining.

@MONSTERS

"All of them hold Treasures which they leave behind when they arekilled. Pick `em up to increase the Party Kitty.~ There are about
seven or eight different types of Monster in a World, and it often
takes more than a single Shot to kill the blighters.

Some Monsters spit or shoot deadly projectiles with varying
degrees of accuracy. Some Monsters run after Characters. Some
Monsters protect items of interest. Some Monsters appear from
Generators (a few well-placed Shots or Keys will stop a
Generator from generating Monsters).

@THE BONUS SCREEN

The Bonus screen is displayed when a Level is completed. You can seewhether you did all you could do within the Level. And the Party
Kitty - all that Treasure you collected during the Level... That
gets split between the Party according to how well the
Characters performed.
In a one player game, all the cash that has been collected is split
equally between the two characters automatically.
The column down the centre of the screen shows small pictures
(Icons) representing the six most important elements of a Level,
with the Level Total to the far left. You can see how the two
Characters performed individually and as a Party.

@If either of the characters has run out of lives the remaining
member of the Party is given the chance to buy a life for him afterevery Bonus Screen. The dead character will pay, providing he has
enough money, if not the remaining character must make up the
difference. In a two player game you are given the option to
answer NO, move the directional button left or right to highlightthe required option and then press the fire button to select the
highlighted option. In a one player game you MUST buy the other
player a life.


@EQUIPPING CHARACTERS

The Character Equip Screen is presented after every second and
fourth Level in a World. Here you can use the Cash acquired during
play to purchase equipment and boost a Character's Attributes.
The right side of the screen shows the Items for sale. The left
side of the screen shows the current status of the Character.
Player 1's Character gets to spend his personal allowance first.
If a second human player is not involved, Player 1 must also equip
the CCP. Otherwise, Player 2's Character is equipped by
the second player.

@Move the directional button any direction to move the highlight
from Item to Item. Press the fire button to buy the highlighted
Item (your Cash Balance will be reduced accordingly). Once a SpecialAbility has been purchased it will be moved into your inventory onthe left side of the screen, highlight it and press fire to select it
for use during the next level. When you have finished equipping
your Character, move the highlight to the EXIT button and press
the fire button.
If you choose the ALL function, the computer will take one look at
your Character's Cash situation and then select the most desirableAttributes for him. It will not purchase Power-Ups, Special
Abilities or Special Power

@Skill controls what can be purchased for your character at
anytime. As skill is purchased you will notice that various thingsbecome available. The current maximum (brown bar) of your other
attributes will increase allowing you to increase their current
level (green bar). Power-Ups and different special abilities will
also become available at certain skill levels. Note that as skill
is an overall rating for your character it means that this level
can only be increased once you have also increased all the other
attributes and purchased Power-Ups and abilities.

@At the end of each World, when the Party has finished buying
equipment, a Password will be given.  Write it down, it holds
details of the Party's performance.  When you next load The Chaos
Engine you can register this Password and begin play from where
the Password was given. Please note that a password given
during a one player game will only restore a one player game and
vice versa.

                                                              --ooOoo--%
