Time Machine
============
"Professor Potts?"
"Yes!" you swing round curious to see who was calling your name.
Big and ugly.
Threatening, dangerous.
"No! Not the machine..."
And as the terrorists' bomb ignites and blasts, scattering thousands
of fragments into the unsuspecting sky; you fall, tumbling and
tumbling into a vortex of historical visions.
Falling ... Falling ... Then ... it stops .........
Stranded in a prehistoric time, the sudden realisation of the
challenge before you chills your bones. The only way to return
to your time zone is to create your own and Man's future.
You must manipulate history and use your ingenuity to overcome
the environments and creatures you will encounter.
Hitch a ride from a pterodactyl, stop the baboons from turning blue,
make friends with stone-age man and invent the wheel!
With your resourcefulness and nerve tested to the full, can you
stop the bomb attack and rescue the time machine, now 10 million
years in the future?
SCENARIO
Professor Potts is o recluse scientist who has a pet obsession - travelling
through time and space. He is toll, awkward and gangly. He has a shock of
untidy hair and wears a lab coat and goggles.
Our hero, Potts, is working on his time machine outside his laboratory when
there is a terrorist attack. Suddenly, an explosive device hits the time
machine and the vital accelerator crystal (a rare carbon that is only formed
at extreme heat and pressure) is destroyed, throwing him into a time warp.
The future has happened, leaving him trapped in prehistoric times...
GAMEPLAY
You take the part of Potts, and must manipulate history from prehistoric
times to the present day.
To return to your own time zone you must first create your own future by
interfering with evolution. In order to survive you must also protect the
environment and man's forebears. Your final goal is to stop the bomb attack
and rescue the time machine, now 10 million years in the future.
Creation and Maintenance of Time zones
You must perform certain tasks in each zone to initiate the creation of the
next time zone, eg. cooling and worming of the planet, finding oil and
stone wheel...
Previous zones will continue to evolve on their own and be changed by their
inhabitants. This may, in turn, alter events in subsequent zones. You must
therefore maintain the course of evolution of earlier zones, e.g. protect
your forebears and keep them worm or you too will become extinct!
Evolution
Events in a zone will evolve in subsequent zones, e.g. a seed planted in one
zone may grow into a tree in a later zone, which may itself be used later.
You must help evolution!
Travelling in TIME and SPACE
You are able to travel back and forth in time between existing time zones.
You are also able to travel both in time and space using your limited number
of reusable travel Pods. You may place these pods at strategic points, so
that you can teleport yourself and any movable object in your vicinity, to
them as and when required.
Weapons
The only weapon available to you is the limited burst of electrical discharge
from your controller device. Use this discharge to stun creatures and dislodge
objects. If you overuse your device then you have to wait for it to recharge.
Look Window
As you move around, any objects that you can manipulate will appear in the
display window. Some of these objects can be picked up, carried and/or
transported.
LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
COMMODORE AMIGA & ATARI ST
Switch on computer and insert game disc (On Amiga 1000 'kickstart'
must be used first).
COMMODORE C64 DISC
Insert game disc in drive. Type LOAD"*",8,1 and press RETURN.
COMMODORE C64 CASSETTE
Insert cassette in Datacorder. Hold down SHIFT and press RUN/STOP.
COMMODORE C128
Type GO64 and press RETURN. When prompted, type Y followed by RETURN.
Now follow the relevant C64 instructions.
SPECTRUM CASSETTE
If available, use TAPE LOADER. Otherwise type LOAD"" then press ENTER.
Press play on tape recorder.
AMSTRAD CASSETTE
Press CTRL and the small ENTER key. Press play on the tape recorder.
AMSTRAD DISC
Insert game disc in drive. Type RUN"DISC and press ENTER.
LOADING DIFFICULTIES
We are always seeking to improve the quality of our product range, and
have developed high standards of quality control to bring you this product.
If you do experience any difficulties whilst loading, it is likely to be a
fault other than with the game itself. We therefore suggest that you switch
the computer off and repeat the loading instructions carefully, checking
that you are using the correct set of instructions for your computer and
software. If you still have problems, consult the user handbook that
accompanied your computer or consult your software dealer for advice. In
the case of continued difficulty, if you have checked all the hardware for
possible faults, please return the game to THE PLACE OF PURCHASE.
CONSUMER ENQUIRIES/TECHNICAL SUPPORT
(0734)311666
ACTIVISION (UK) LTD
BLAKE HOUSE, MANOR FARM ROAD,
READING, BERKSHIRE, RG2 0JN
CONTROLS
All version of the game may be controlled using a joystick as follows:
Without Fire Button Pressed
Walk up steep diagonal
in direction faced
Walk up and left | Walk up and right
\ | /
\ | /
\|/
Walk left ---*--- Walk right
/|\
/ | \
/ | \
Walk down and to left | Walk down to right
Walk down steep diagonal
in direction faced
With Fire Button Pressed
Jump
Jump Jump
\ | /
\ | /
\|/
Jump ---*--- Jump
/|\
/ | \
Jump / | \ Jump
Croutch/pick up object
Fire Button Alone: Firm Beam / Release Object
Or Commodore 64/128, Spectrum and Amstrad owners may use the following keys:
Q UP
A DOWN
O LEFT
P RIGHT
SPACE FIRE
ADDITIONAL KEYBOARD CONTROLS
COMMODORE AMIGA / ATARI ST / AMSTRAD CPC
F1 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 1
F2 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 2 Depending on your
F3 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 3 position relative
F4 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 4 to that pod.
1-5 Beam to time zone 1-5 if active
ESC Pause game
Q New game (whilst in pause mode)
F1O Toggle sound effects/music (Amiga and Atari versions only)
COMMODORE 64
F1 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 1
F3 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 2 Depending on your
F5 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 3 position relative
F7 Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 4 to that pod.
1-5 Beam to time zone 1-5 if active
RUN/STP Pause game
Q New game (whilst in pause mode)
SPECTRUM
V Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 1
B Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 2 Depending on your
N Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 3 position relative
M Pick Up/Drop/Beam to Travel Pod 4 to that pod.
1-5 Beam to time zone 1-5 if active
SYM/SHIFT Pause game
Q New game (whilst in pause mode)
CREDITS
Game Design: Vivid Image and Lisa Wand
All Coding, Graphics and Music: Vivid Image
Amiga/ST Coding: Jason Perkins
C64 Coding: Nick Jones
Spectrum/Amstrad Coding: Rafaelle Cecco
Graphics: Hugh Riley
Additional Graphics: Dokk and Shaun McClure
Amiga/ST/C64 Music: Wally Beben
Production: Colin Fuidge
Testing: Dave Cummins
Copyright 1990 Vivid Image Developments Ltd. All rights reserved.