 R H Y G A R   II: Leaps of Faith

    by Bongo79 for EleKtroSOFT Interactive

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The Story so Far....

	It all started so innocently. Perhaps, had I been quicker to realize the full truth about what had been happening in my own backyard, so to speak, the world and the Breaker might be having an easier time of it right now.

	Much as I disagreed with Themlin, Marlen and Dale, the fact remains that their untimely demise at Serpentsway Tower has struck a harsh blow to worldwide morale. They all speak of such a dark power that can kill THREE wizards! All of them attribute this to General Algar Draco, an obscure ex-military officer from Dock, grown to become a mighty commander, determined to bend the world to his will.... or break it trying.

	However, from what I have heard from young Rhygar Borne's reports as to the incidents at Watch Tower in North Fabuliana, even Algar Draco may not be the ultimate threat, in the end. He does exhibit magical ablities not seen in millenia, and yet he poses a deadly threat. His attempt to disturb what I believe to be the selfsame force that consumed the formerly great Ollar the Architect in a search for greater magical powers is disquieting.

	As is the fact that he may have succeeded.

	This has prompted me to quickly return south to Axan Castle, there to discuss war plans with Rhyga Borne, Rhygar's father, the King of Fabuliana and the most stubborn man I have ever met. His insistence on Rhygar ascending the throne to become King caused the young adventurer to flee north... an event that was actually desirable when the lad prevented the release of the force from beneath Watch Tower and saved the life of one of our most valuable assets, Commander Aisha McLanden, perhaps the greatest military genius since time long forgotten, on a par with Algar Draco. She is my right hand in the war currently ravaging the continent of Mudgol, although she is a bit too headstrong for her own good. 

	In fact, the war ravaging Mudgol is the focus behind the current journey of Rhygar and Aisha. Imoxal Cutter, Rhygar's best friend in all the world, and Captain Rooke of the Dock Defense Force have been preparing for a great war in Dock, as Algar's scheming aide Gules Krynn prepares his forces to invade the walled city. Rhygar and Aisha have decided to slip silently out of Tree Top in the north, leaving operations there to aid Imoxal in the battle planning, as Algar seems to have lost all interest in Fabuliana.

	Things seem to be proceeding at a rate now beyond anything I could ever do to halt it. Even I am being swept along by the course of history, and I must do my best to shift it to the path I desire.

	If I cannot, may the world forgive us all.

						-Orion Magus
				Former member of Wizard's Council

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

How to Play

Rhygar has three distinct modes of play: Close-Up, Map, and RPG Battle. 

Close Up: Where almost all of the game's action takes place. Rhygar fights, talks, explores and wins treasure in this mode. The battle interface is different in this game than in others, since Rhygar fights with a sword rather than projectile weapons. Enemies change their character from time to time, meaning that when their appearance alters, Rhygar should not attack! Also, be cautious when approaching an enemy- they can steal gems, health and possibly even poison you!

These are the enemies you'll find....

Bats: These creatures flit around and bite you. Somewhat dumb, don't try to avoid your attack.

Lawless: Criminals all. They run around with crossbows and daggers, shooting at you at first and then getting in close and stabbing you. They steal gems when they get in close... watch out. 

Orcs: They only inhabit the Gem Dungeons. They fight with axes, and will attack until dead.

Ravens: Ravens are cunning little creatures. They attack, but fly away to avoid your counterattacks. They have an annoying peck attack, and can do some serious damage.

Vampires: They look like regular bats... but they can change into human form and attack. Can't be killed while in human form. They're slower and smarter than regular bats.

Serpent Troops: The soldiers of the Serpent Army. They fight with bows and deadly longswords. Watch out... they're smart.

Followers: The monks of the Temple of the Spirits. They fight with maces and are cunning. Try to avoid fighting them if you can possibly help it.


Map: Here, a large overview of the land is shown, allowing you to traverse long distances. In Rhygar: Leaps of Faith, the land area has doubled from The Search, providing with even more to explore. Places marked with a box are inacsessible to entry at the current time, while passages marked with an "X" show the points where you should enter to advance the story. Caution should be taken in these, though... explore everywhere around these places first, you may not be able to return!

RPG Mode: One of the more interesting features of this game (although not now, with thousands of games involving RPG engines out on the market.) The Rhygar RPG Engine is quite a bit different, however, rather like the Chrono Trigger one in the way it retains the background settings. There are two main sword maneuvers in Rhygar 2- the slash, an overhand attack which always hits, or the Swipe, a sweeping blade motion which doesn't always work but does a lot of damage when it does. One major improvement of this game's RPG engine over the one in Rhygar 1 is the fact that the "command window" automatically pops up, so that you don't have to mess with pressing objects.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Registration

Everybody hates this part, but in Rhygar 2, it's pretty darned painless. Just send an e-mail telling about what you thought of Leaps of Faith, and you'll get the Registered stuff, including:

-The EXPANDED Guide to Fabuliana! Now with info on the new lands!
-The Map of Rhygar's World! Redone with actual screen shots and in more detail than the original!
-The Cheater's Guide to Fabuliana Second Edition! A walkthrough of Leaps of Faith, you filthy cheater.
-An awesome midi file of "The Rhygar Theme", one of the songs from the game!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

EleKtroSOFT

Yes, we've moved. While The Search came out under the Bongosoft label, Bongosoft slowly dissolved, meaning that I brought Rhygar under the wing of EleKtroSOFT Interactive, who I've been workng with on the Sundering (the third installment in the astounding Gladiator Trilogy. Go get Gladiator and Knight's Saga NOW!). Everything is excellent over here, so I'm not displeased at all. At any rate, my point (and I do have one) is this list of stuff coming out from ESI.
Enjoy!

BTW, visit our website at http://members.aol.com/elektrosft/ to get most of this!

* Rhygar 1: The Search
  	A new version, out under the ESI banner. Nifty, and even a few new little Easter Eggs. Check it out!
* Gladiator
	The classic game which kicked off ESI, by Cliff Hensley. Check it out, the story'll sweep you away!
* Knight's Saga
	Sequel to Gladiator, and the ground-breaking game that catapulted ESI to the head of the ZZT RPG business. An even more complex plot, complete with revamped graphics and more. Get it now! (Plus, my name is in the credits. Heh heh.)
* The Sundering
	The final installment in the Gladiator Trilogy, and I say the best. I did some of the graphics and programming for this, But Cliff Hensley's dynamic plotting make this one of the great RPGs of ZZT. Get it Third Quarter '97!
* Ashen
	By the splendiferous Todd Hoffenburg, this is one RPG for ZZT you will NOT want to miss. He's keeping it pretty well under wraps, so that's all I can tell without having to kill you....
* Dark Vengeance
	Cliff Hensley's dark side revealed in this gritty little adventure story set in modern times with an modern hit man turned vampire. Features some dynamic plotting (but you expcet that from Cliff) and astoundipatin' graphics! Be on the lookout!

Alright, that's a wrap. And finally, off in the wild blue yonder...

Rhygar 3: Keeper of the Flame

To anyone who thought that Rhygars 1 and 2 hit the top of the mark in dynamic, rich scripting....

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

About twice the size of Rhygar 1, this game will blow the lid off of everything! Secrets are revealed left and right, and everything goes crashing down as a token force of brave heroes is all that holds the world together. Has to be played to be believed! Coming 1998.....

For more information on Rhygar and my other projects, you can also go to my personal home page at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/5231. It's no longer being updated, but it does have some pertinent information...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

NAME THE MONSTER CONTEST!!!

So you want to get your mark in on Rhygar 3, right? Here's the deal... in both the Rhygar games, there's been a Gem Dungeon with 8 levels (1-5 having been mapped out thus far.) In Rhygar 3, the secret Master Monster of Level 8 will be revealed.

And that's where you come in. Send a description of what you think the monster should be (complete with name) to Bongo79@aol.com. I'll take the best one (in my opinion) and put it in Rhygar 3, with your name in the credits!

Here's the parameters....

* Nobody we've seen before. (I have plans for all of these guys.)
* Nothing that ZZT can't do.
* Nothing stolen from other games. (And I'll know, trust me.)
* Nothing anachronistic. (as in not relevant to the world of Rhygar, such as Barney or The Rampaging ZZT Newbie or suchlike stuff.)

Be creative, and good luck!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

CREDITS

Programmer: John Thornton
Music: Cliff Hensley
Graphics: John Thornton
Story: John Thornton
Original Concept: John Thornton, Matt Badenhop
Beta Testing: DarkMage90, NivekG666, Fragmentiz, JHayfield, LHS13, Deadfiles, DeerEvets2, Chronos30, Goodness18, Gameboy83, LordKadro4, Jaguar314, THMILES

Special Thanx to:

Tim Sweeney for starting it all
Greg Janson for STK and a legacy to live up to: hope college treats 	you well!
Matt Williams for Color Toolbox
Scott Hammack for making us all die laughing
Barney9651 for x e n o g e n e s i s
Monthigos and Legendd for Sivion: it'll rock the world!
Cliff Hensley for taking me in after the death of Bongosoft! 
The whole EleKtroSFT crowd

And YOU for playing!






















Using anything from Rhygar without my permission means you can't think of anythng original yourself, ya leech. =7 