Quote from: aldemist on Sat, 22 Aug 2009, 05:56Quote from: Trevor87Here is the game manual:
http://hotud.artfulgamer.com/files/game/b/batreturns/batreturns.txt
i got "403 Forbidden" when i try to access this link. is there something wrong with the link?
That's very strange. I hope not to break any of the rules of the forum by posting the content of that .txt file:
Welcome back to Gotham City
Batman Returns for the PC uses a new concept called Directorial action. The premise is that Batman possesses intelligence and knows what to do in certain situations. For you, the gameplayer, it means that you don`t have to direct his every move. For example, if Batman is attacked he will defend himself, even if you do nothing. You can, however, control the fierceness of his
retaliation, and direct him to use specific weapons. In the movement mode, you can select the location you want to move Batman to, and he will get there in the most efficient manner.
The game uses a basic point-and-click interface throughout the game. ( We recommend you become familiar with handling the mouse before you begin.) The cursor will highlight available options. The left mouse button will be used to select the option.
Batman Returns takes place over a period of nine nights. As you know, Batman is primarily a nocturnal being. He prefers night mainly because he knows that is when his enemies-- which means anyone who chooses to ignore the law or thinks they are above the law-- are at work. For these reasons, Batman operates only 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.. Each night begins in the Batcave and the end of each night Batman automatically returns to the Batcave.
The object of the game is to prevent The Penguin from becoming the mayor of Gotham City. Of cource, when you spoil his political ambitions, he will try to destroy city. You can stop him.
You MUST stop him...
Getting started
After the title sequence the game begins in the Batcave, a hidden fortress far below Wayne Manor. There are four options available for you. The cursor will be highlighted when moved over an available option. ( The cursor highlight occurs when the Batman logo changes from yellow to orange.)
The four available options in the Batcave are vault (with the utility belt computer), the master computer, the garage and Wayne Manor.
The vault option
Bruce Wayne has spent a considerable amount of money developing these hightech weapons and the mysterious suit of armor which he dons as Batman. He knows that he cannot risk letting any of his equipment get into the wrong hands. For that reason he and his trusted butler Alfred are diligent in their security efforts. The suits of armor and high-tech weapons are therefore stored in an impenetrable vault.
The armored costumes
Inside the vault are two of Batman`s costumes (he is wearing the third). These suits of armor are made from an advanced blend of synthetic materials that surpass the Kevlar used in bullet-proof vests in terms of both flexibility and resistance to penetration. When the cursor is moved over one of the
costumes, a window will pop-up giving the offensive and defensive ratings of each. All armored suits start out the same, but their ratings are reduced with the wear and tear of combat and use.
Clicking on a suit with the left mouse button will cause it to disappear as Batman puts it on and be replaced by the one Batman was wearing.
The utility belt
It doesn`t help to have a lot of great weapons if you have no place to put them. The utility belt worn by Batman serves this purpose faithfully. It can hold up to eight items. Some of the items are reusable, some aren`t. It is stored in the vault and re-stocked with the utility belt computer.
The following is a list of special weapons available to Batman before heading out into the night. To load an item onto the utility belt, point to the name and click the left mouse button.
* Grapple gun - allows Batman to climb straight up. Reusable.
* Gauntlet - fires two grapples in opposite directions for sliding down. Reusable.
* Batrope - used to swing from one location to another. Reusable.
* Lock pick - opens doors, windows, drawers. Reusable.
* Standard Batarang - Batman`s version of boomerang. One use per fight.
* Bolo Batarang - trips and entraps victims. One use per fight.
* Sonic Batarang - stuns foes with sound waves. One use per fight.
* Smoke bomb - creates smoke in a small area. One use per item carried.
* Knockout gas - incapacitates foes. One use per item carried.
* Scanner - makes an electronic copy of documents, photos, etc. Reusable.
The utility belt as a control panel
In many scenes the utility belt is used as a control panel interface. It provides easy acces to Batman`s weapons, and has controlbuttons to allow you to direct Batman. The command buttons change depending on the mode you are in.
There are two command buttons which are usually present on the utility belt: an escape [ESC] button at the left (which pauses the game and takes you to a load / save game menu) and a Batmobile button at the right which causes Batman to return immediately to the Batmobile.
The master computer
The master computer shows a bank of computer and video monitors. The cursor will highlight which monitors you can activate during Batman`s investigation. A small message bar at the bottom of the screen indicates the name of the monitor. Activating a monitor produces a fullscreen close-up with a menu for that particular monitor. The five active monitors are:
* News broadcast - This allows Batman to view the news of Gotham City. A red light flashes to indicate that an important story is being broadcast.
* Video - Used to view any videotapes collected by Batman. "Transmit" video will send pirate broadcast over airwaves.
* Evidence - This monitor is used to enter new evidence into the computer, and to view existing evidence and make extrapolations based on the evidence.
* Game options - Allows the player to turn sound and music on or off.
* Biographical database - This monitor has four sections containing information about various people: city officials, business leaders, known criminals and persons to watch section of the database is dynamic - it changes as new events occur.
The garage
Selecting the garage puts Batman in the Batmobile.
Wayne Manor
Selecting Wayne Manor allows you to advance to the next night immediately. Think of it as sending Batman to sleep for the day, returning again for the day, returning again for a new evening of crime-fighting.
Speed-up hint:
Press the left mouse button to move Batman to a location in the batcave, then immediately press and hold down the right mouse button. This allows you to skip the animation of Batman moving around the Batcave.
Moving around Gotham City
Batman has two ways to get around the city; on foot or in the Batmobile.
The Batmobile
When you send Batman to the Batmobile, you will see an interior shot of the Batmobile`s cockpit. Batman knows how to drive, so you don`t have to worry about that, but you will notice two important pieces of equipment - the video monitor and the navigational computer. Both are activated by the cursor, just as you did in the Batcave. The video monitor is linked with the news monitor in the Batcave. It allows Batman to keep up with events that are reported while he is traveling. Placing the cursor on a location causes the name to appear. Clicking the left mouse button sends Batman to that location. The navigational computer displays a map of Gotham City. Available locations are displayed in red. The map is dynamic - as Batman learns more information, new locations are available for him to drive to.
Travel on foot
Batman often finds it is better to patrol the city on foot. To travel the streets and rooftops, move your cursor around. Look for highlighted areas of the screen to discover which locations Batman can move to. Click the mouse button and Batman will go to new location in the most efficient manner(grapple, fly, etc). Batman likes to scout a scene from above when he arrives at a location. He will go from the Batmobile to the rooftops, if he has the right utilities. The utility belt will be on the screen during these scenes. It
serves as a control panel, as mentioned earlier. Specific utilities may be selected for travel or the control buttons may be used. There are three specific buttons which control travel.
* ROOF button takes Batman to the rooftops when he is on the ground.
* STREET button takes Batman to the streets when he is on the rooftops.
* BATMOBILE sends Batman to the Batmobile to drive to a new location.
If a utility icon is dimmed, that option is currently unavailable. If the gauntlet, grapple or rope are on the utility belt, you can click on them to initiate a move without specifying a destination.
Searching for clues
This mode is engaged whenever Batman enters a location where he can search for clues - interior locations and ground level locations. The combat mode is also active in these locations. It will be covered in the next section.
Searching
The cursor will highlight areas of a location that can be searched by Batman. Clicking on a highlighted area will cause a close-up view of the area to appear on your screen. Any evidence or clues present at that time will be shown on the close-up. Items that Batman can collect will be highlighted by a cursor.
Clicking on that item causes a window to pop-up with a brief description of the item. The utility belt will display three buttons.
* The TAKE button allows Batman to pick up the item and take it with him.
* The LEAVE button tells Batman to leave the item where it is.
* The SCAN button (if Batman brought his scanner) makes an electronic copy of scannable items. A scan can also be conducted by selecting the scanner from utility belt.
To leave a close-up view, point the cursor to a highlighted bottom corner of the screen (this takes you back to a normal view) or select the Batmobile icon on the utility belt.
Meeting the enemy in combat
When confronted by a foe, Batman will automatically fight him or her. You do not direct Batman`s specific combat moves, but you do control the intensity of the fight. Use the combat buttons - which are on the utility belt control panel - to instruct Batman to fight EASY, NORMAL or FIERCE.
* FIERCE instructs Batman to attack aggressively, but at the cost of expending additional energy.
* NORMAL is the regular style of Batman`s fighting, which is still far superior to most enemies he will encounter.
* EASY will cause Batman to be more defensive and try to conserve energy.
Of course, at any time during the a battle you can select a weapon from the utility belt. Simply click on the weapon and Batman will do the rest.
Batman`s strength will decrease as he expends energy and gets hit. The offensive and defensive capabilities of his armor decrease through use as well.
If his strength gets dangerously low, the buckle of the utility belt will flash red as a warning. To escape, select the Batmobile button.
Interrogating a fallen foe
When Batman has overcome certain thugs (members of the Red Triangle Circus Gang) he may get a chance to interrogate them. A pop-up window will offer Batman a chance to direct questions at the unfortunate creeps. Use the mouse to point to the preferred options on the screen. Batman will be
able to ask questions from three categories, such as leader, identification or explanation. On the last two days he has only two types of question from which choose - location and plans. (These categories will become clear as you play, but we don`t want to give too much away here!) If Batman disables an enemy, he can conduct an interrogation. If he knocks out the enemy, he can`t.
Vignettes
At various times during the game there will be a series of still pictures with accompanying text. These vignettes convey information and move the story along. Vignette pictures change automatically, but:
* You can move from one picture to the next with the left mouse button.
As time passes...
As mentioned previosly, Batman is active from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Each night begins in the Batcave, and at the end of every night Batman will return to the Batcave. A time line running through the game will determine when places are opened or occupied, when evidence can be found in a given location, and where characters will be. Game time is proportional to real time, with specific durations of time elapsed for driving between locations in the Batmobile or for events shown in the vingettes. In most cases, when the utility belt control panel is on the screen there will be a TIME button available. To see what time it is in Gotham City, select the TIME button. A clock will
appear for several seconds. A small clock is built into each newcast monitor for additional information.
Save and load game features
The game options menu is available by pressing the [ESC] key at any time during the game or click on the ESC button on the utility belt - except during the fight scenes. The game is placed in pause mode when you select this menu. To make a selection, point and click the left mouse button on the desired option.
* Return to game - returns you to the game in progress.
* Exit to DOS - takes you out of the game and back to the DOS screen.
* Advance hour - moves the game clock ahead one hour every time you select this option.
* Save game - click on one of the 20 spots and type in a brief description. You may enter a name up to 30 characters long. You can delete a line by using the delete key and re-typing a new name.
* Load game - pick one of your saved games and click the left mouse button. You will return to the game at that point.
* New game - start all over from the begining.
If you wish to cancel your selection and return to the main menu, press ESC key.
Troubleshooting guide
Begining you the simple pleasures of Batman Returns takes a complex program. It asks a lot of your computer. One of the frequent problems many of todays computer systems run into is memory allocation. When you try to run a complex program you may recieve messages telling you that your PC doesn`t have enough memory. If this happens, don`t panic! Here are some steps to help you troubleshoot your problem.
Check available memory
If the program fails to run, you must check your available memory. The amount you need free to run Batman Returns is 580,000 available bytes.
Install the mouse driver!
If you use a boot disk with this game, don`t forget that you must install your mouse driver before you enter the game itself. Because the mouse is required to operate the game, you will be unable to move around the screens or activate any controlbuttons if you don`t install the mouse driver before you play.
If you are using a product that compresses your hard drive (such as Stacker, Double Disk or others) and are the above steps haven`t helped, then there may be compatibility problems between our product and the compression program. To determine if there is a conflict, try putting the game on an uncompressed hard drive.
HAVE A NICE GAME PLAYING!
