Benefactor Typed by Belgarath The Story So Far... The Milky Way glides across the midnight sky on Lullyat like a powder paint picture. The triple moons ride high into the dark sky in the space of five dazzling minutes and then gently fall to ground, leaving a shower of star light in their wake. It's a sight that the happy people of Lullyat, called by most of the people in that part of the galaxy the 'Merry Men', find extremely pleasant. They find it pleasant for two reasons. 1. It looks nice 2. They find everything pleasant. In fact their love of everything led more or less directly to the development of their protective rainbow which fills the Lullyatian daytime sky with a span of heart-rending beauty. This rainbow is generated by an amazing machine which was invented by the Merry-Men themselves. It creates the rainbow which controls the climate that stimulates the minds of the Merry Men which has allowed the people of Lullyat to develop into the most capable thinkers and happiest people in the entire universe. It was on one particularly merry day that the people of Lullyat invited the people of their neighbouring planet, Minniat, for a tour of their planet. And being such a caring and happy people, they showed them all the wonders of Lullyat - including the Rainbow Temple where the magnificent Rainbow machine was housed. The dignitaries from Minniat looked at it and thought one single, unanimous thought. "We want it." And so, by the cover of darkness, they positioned a large spaceship over the temple, lifted off the roof and stole the machine. They even stole the Merry Men that guarded it and imprisoned them on the six moons that orbit Minniat, guarding them with some of their favourite pets. Meanwhile back on Planet Lullyat, the rest of the Merry Men didn't know what had happened, apart from the fact that their machine had been stolen and their friends, kidnapped. But then one day, some of the kidnapped Merry Men escaped, returned to their planet and sent an emergency S.O.S. message off into deep space, as their only hope of rescuing their friends and their wonderful Rainbow Machine. And that's why the Merry Men were so fortunate when Ben E. Factor (aka the Benefactor) picked up their emergency message floating through space and raced to their rescue. Now as luck would have it Mr Factor was not your typical intergalactic commuter, jetting home after a mind-numbingly dull day at the office. No indeedy. Instead he was your typical hard-as-crushed carbon ex-space marine graduate from the elite Megascrotum Academy, situated at the heart of the Van Damme nebula. Ben was trained in all the most vicious and deadly killing arts under the sun as well as graduating summa cum laude in 'survival' techniques (it's rumoured that he completed his dissertation in a six week stint on the infamous Strontium Dustbowl - his sole provisions being paper, pen and a Chilean Nose Flute). In the ranks of chisel-jawed, washboard-stomached, high pain-thresholded heroes the Benefactor is numero uno. So why is he a nomadic loner instead of a duty marine, touring the Universe, meeting interesting people and killing them? Because he has - in military terms - a fatal flaw: a conscience. The Benefactor would rather help people than blast them into their component atoms. So he bought himself out of the Marines and now tours the universe, meets interesting people and helps them. which is all very well for the Lullyatian Merry Men. They have a problem. The Benefactor is the solution. Their message to him read: Merry Men imprisoned... Rainbow Machine captured... Planet doomed... need help. Can the Benefactor help? You bet he can... Loading Instructions 1. Turn off your computer for at least 30 seconds. 2. Insert disk 1 into the internal disk drive & turn on the computer. 3. If a second disk drive is available, insert disk 2. 4. Follow all on-screen instructions. Main Menu 1. Play Game Select Easy, Normal or Hard mode. Normal mode is the default mode. (in 'Easy' mode enemy damage is reduced; in 'Hard' mode, energy will not be 'topped up' after each level but you do score more points). Also in 'Hard' mode you'll face more alien creatures. 2. Enter Password After completing a level, a password will be displayed. Enter the password here to return to that level when beginning a new game. 3. Load Extra Levels This will allow you to access subsequent data disks that will hopefully be forthcoming. Game Objectives On each level, there is at least one Merry Man who has been captured by the evil Minniatians. You'll find him waiting there patiently in his prison cell. Therefore your objective is to release the Merry Men on that level and help them make their way to the Beam Station from where they can make their escape and from where you can make your way to the next level. However, things are never that easy. Each level is simply brimming over with cunning traps and the pets of the Minniatians who'll eat you as soon as look at you. Your job as The Benefactor is to overcome these problems and rescue the Merry Men. Merry Men But the Merry Men aren't there just to be rescued. When they are released from their cells, they are incredibly thankful and will try to help you in any way they can. For example, you may find yourself stuck as to how to achieve an aim. Well think on - can the Merry Men help you out? If you give them an object or tool, or if you give one a leg up onto a ledge, then perhaps they can achieve something Ben can't. Just remember to keep your brain in gear, not just your trigger finger! Sometimes you'll find however, that Merry Men who are not subjected to the effects of the rainbow machine can lose their colour. When this happens, they lose their spirit and become evil. These black and white Merry Men can be very destructive and, when free, will destroy anything in their way. To stop them, they must be recolourized using a filled colouring machine. So beware! black and white Merry Men can ruin The Benefactor's rescue attempt. They must be protected from themselves at all costs. Controlling The Benefactor Benefactor is controlled by using a joystick in port 2 of your Amiga. The following diagrams display all the moves available throughout the game. Movement Without Fire (All the movements below can be found by simply moving the joystick in the direction shown) Up Jump straight up Climbs up if below platform Grabs bars etc. If on bar, pulls up legs Climbs up ladders Up/Right Short jump right (grabs ropes etc.) Right Walk/run right Down/Right Rolls right Down Lie down Climb down ladder Down/Left Roll left Left Walk/run left Up/Left Short jump left Movement With Fire Button Pressed (Press the fire button and move the joystick in the appropriate direction to achieve these moves) Up Jump straight up Up/Right Short Jump Right (Grabs ropes etc.) Right Long jump right Down/Right Rolls right Down Drops held objects Down/Left Rolls left Left Long jump left Up/Left Short jump left No Direction Find hidden entrances Toggle between held object and close object Pick up Merry Man Pull lever/switch If Carrying Merry Man (the following moves can be attained by carrying a Merry Man and moving the joystick in the required direction) Up Throws Merry Man onto platform if present If no platform, short jump upwards Right Walk/run right Left Walk/run left No Direction With Fire Drops Merry Men facing away from Ben Keyboard Controls: Escape: Exit current level (use when stuck) M: View map (scroll around level using joystick, a magnifying glass icon will show in the top left corner) P: Pause game To return to normal play from the 'pause' mode or the 'view map' mode, press the 'pause' or 'view map' key again; or press the joystick button. The Scanner At the bottom of the screen, a scanner will allow you to watch the whole play-area in a very small scale (1:16) at all times. It shows both the contours of the level and the position of the Merry Men. The White dot represents the benefactor himself, the yellow dots represent the Merry Men - if a yellow dot is blinking on and off, this means that this Merry Man must be helped first, or is waiting for another Merry Man to do something special to help him. Pick-ups Pick-ups are found scattered throughout the game and can help Ben in releasing the Merry Men if he uses them in the right way. The list below identifies a number of the more common objects although there are many more to be found - but it's up to you to figure out what the others are for yourself. Golden Key Opens the cell of the happy jumping Merry Man. Silver Key Unlocks a door that will transport you across the level. Colour Can Refills the colour machine with rainbow powder. First Aid Box Restores lost energy Jewels Will earn you a little extra on the side! Weight Makes evil Merry Men turn around. Besides, it's a good thing to stand on. Axe Give one to a Merry Man and he'll use it to clear a path for you. Levers Levers are found across the moons of Minniat. The only way to discover what the lever does is to pull it and see because they are used for so many things. Cogwheel Allows the Merry Men to fix broken things or construct new ones. If the Merry Men need a Cogwheel and walk over one, they will automatically pick it up. Playing Hints . If you're carrying a golden key, check the scanner - for dots jumping up and down - that shows you which Merry Man the key corresponds to. . Don't forget to use the View Map (activated by the 'M' key) to help you as the levels become harder. . Wherever possible use the somersault instead of the short diagonal jump. . There's always a way to avoid an alien - try to roll under it or observe its movement patterns for a while. Perseverance will pay off. . When faced with special pieces of machinery, use common sense to figure out the appropriate joystick movement. First try a short jump upwards or simply press the joystick button, since those moves won't affect the Benefactor's position horizontally. . Don't use up your 'First Aid' too early, especially if playing in 'Hard' mode. . A quick and safe way to pick up Merry Men is to stand slightly ahead of them whilst holding down the joystick button. . To save time on levels containing evil merry men, simply pick one up and face him in the direction of a wall - he'll stupidly walk all the way towards it before turning round. . Remember that if the Merry Men you're carrying is carrying something himself, you will retain the object when you release him (if you are not already carrying something else in your hands). If you don't, for any reason, take the object, the Merry Man will drop it by the beamer when exiting the level. . Ben will go out of his way to help others, even if it means jumping off high platforms and losing energy in the process - sometimes those kinds of jumps will be essential to completing a level. . Good Merry Men will not willingly hurt themselves, for example, jumping off high platforms. . Evil Merry Men will happily cause havoc by pulling levers and doing other harmful stuff - you can sometimes use this to your advantage if your path is blocked. . When you begin a level, you'll be facing the correct direction to begin to solve it (well, almost all of the time.) Typed by Belgarath