Arena: Light and Darkness


Preliminary Documentation: v1.2


Welcome to Arena!

Inspired by Anne Westfall’s Archon, EmperoR Studios is proud to present the ultimate battle of light against darkness for your Palm-OS device!

Please note that Arena is still under development, so, from time to time, you may check our website for updates. History.html holds the changes over the last release.





You can reach us at info@emperor-studios.de
or on our website at: www.emperor-studios.de

About EmperoR Studios


EmperoR Studios is a new company dedicated to delivering high quality entertainment software to handheld devices.

Arena is our first title and we have big plans for the future including a sequel to Arena (codename: "total f*#!#ng armageddon") and a truly innovative action adventure (no name yet). Please support the development of Arena and our forthcoming titles with your online registration at www.palmgear.com! (Please contact us for other methods of payment than credit card.)
Within one week after your purchase you'll receive a confirmation email from us (not from PalmGear) saying that you've been added to our customer database. If not, then please contact us to ensure that you don't miss our support.



In the trial version of Arena a friend of yours called Bilbo appears after several turns. Bilbo eats all the enemy pawns making you win the game. The full version comes without Bilbo. Registered users who bought the full version get free updates automatically by email.





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Introduction

A magical medieval playing field, rendered on the landscape of an overgrown chessboard, looms before you. Within this mystical area are phoenixes, golems, wizards. Like magical beings, their powers change as they move from square to square. When two opponents meet, the board explodes into a battlefield.

Your pieces use their awesome powers to fight banshees, goblins, and sorceresses. They cast spells and missiles; they pummel, pierce, and throw flames. They even take on each other's shapes and characteristics. You will need all your skill, dexterity, and wisdom to control and guide your side.

Your magic rises and ebbs with the board's luminosity cycle. As the light changes, so does your power. You must race against time and use your strength effectively.

Arena is a contest of action and strategy between opposing forces wrought from myth and legend. The Light Side and the Dark Side are equal in force, balanced in strength. Though they are not identical, their goals are the same. Each side exists to conquer, by eliminating all of the opposing pieces or controlling the five power points.


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You are about to engage in the ultimate battle of the universe -- the eternal struggle between Light and Darkness. Within your power rests the future of the world as we know it. Which side will you be on? Who will be your opponent? Which side will make the first move?


It's an even contest to begin with. The Light Side and the Dark Side start out with the same number of warriors from myths and legends, balanced in strength, though not identical. Their aim, however, is identical: the conquest of the five "power points" or the elimination of the opposite side.

System Requirements


Any palm os device with os v2 and roughly 85kb free space.

Playing the Game


Arena is played on two screens: the strategy screen and the combat screen. On the strategy screen, you and your opponent take turns maneuvering your regiments of different mythical and legendary creatures into squares on the board. Whenever you place a creature on a square already occupied by one of your opponent's creatures, you'll have to fight for it.

From here the struggle shifts temporarily to the combat screen. This is a one-on-one combat zone, where opponents fight for their lives. Whichever creature wins the battle wins control of the square.

The game is over when either side controls the five flashing "power points" on the board or destroys all the opponent's forces.

Strategy Screen


On the strategy screen, you move your creatures on the chessboard. You can select and deselect them with your pen. Creatures can move in three ways: on the ground, in the air, or via beaming. Ground movers cannot move through occupied squares. Fliers are restricted only in their destination. Only the Wizard and the Sorceress can beam. The computer will tell you how you can move when you select a creature.

You can move a creature only as far as its range allows in any direction or combination of directions. The creature can stop on any square not already occupied by one of its allies.


Creatures on the Light Side are harder to defeat on light squares than on dark ones; and Dark Side creature are harder to defeat on dark squares than on light ones. Watch the shades of the squares. Some squares' shading changes throughout the game.

On the strategy screen there is a "M"enu button in the upper right corner that opens the main menu from which you may choose to restart the game, view credits or change preferences.
The "i" button underneath shows information about the selected pawn.
The spell-button (lightning bolt) can only be activated, if a spellcaster is selected. It opens a menu from which you may choose the spell you'd like to cast.
The heart stands for you taking your turn, the digits stand for the computer taking his turn.
The sword (light) and the snake (dark) symbolize the party that is moving.



If you select to change preferences from the main menu, you'll be able to turn the sound on or off by tapping the according button (default is off). The greyscale settings can be altered by tapping on the buttons next to Grey1 and Grey2. The key configuration for the combat sequences can be altered with "Change Keys" and then pressing the prompted keys. Default looks like this:

Left Right Up Fire --
Down


Combat Screen


In the combat zone, you maneuver your creature in eight directions by pressing the palm’s keys at the bottom of the device. The "Fire"-key activates the creature’s weapon.

Timing is important here. Don't just fire away. Each creature needs time to ready its weapon between attacks.

The candles at either end of the arena indicate the current lifespan of the two battling creatures. If a creature's candle burns down, that creature is destroyed.



The Opposing Forces


In Arena, there are two regiments of 18, with eight different types of creatures in each regiment. None of yours is identical to any of the creatures on the other side. Each creature has its own characteristics -- its own rules for maneuvering and its own fighting style. To win this struggle, get to know each creature well, so that you can plan your strategy wisely.




Magic Spells


Only the Wizard and the Sorceress can cast magic spells, and they cannot cast the same spell twice in one game. Cast spells from the strategy screen when it's your turn to move. If the spellcaster is selected, the lightning bolt-button on the right side of the screen will pop up a window from which a spell can be chosen.

You cannot cast a spell against power points or creatures sitting on them. Each time the Wizard or Sorceress casts a spell, the creature becomes weaker and less able to defend itself against attack.


Teleport


The Teleport spell moves any of your creatures any distance from one square to another. You cannot move an opponent's creature or an imprisoned creature, move onto a square occupied by one of your own creatures, or move onto or off a power point.

Heal


The Heal spell instantly heals any creature's wounds. You cannot heal a creature resting on a power point.

Shift Time


Shift Time reverses the flow of time (reversing how squares' shading changes)

Exchange


Exchange causes any two creatures to trade places. Neither creature can be imprisoned or on a power point.

Imprison

The Imprison spell prevents a creature from leaving the square temporarily, although it can continue to fight its attackers in the combat zone. Prisoners cannot cast spells. Creatures on power points cannot be imprisoned. Dark Side creatures remain imprisoned until squares whose shades change are black; Light Side creatures remain imprisoned until the squares become white.

Revive

The Revive spell restores a creature previously lost in action. One of the squares next to your Wizard or Sorceress must be vacant, and you must place the revived creatures onto one of these squares.

Summon Bilbo

Summon Bilbo calls your friend Bilbo into battle. He''ll help you defeat an enemy pawn vanishing when the battle is over.


Scoring


Whoever controls the five flashing power points or destroys all the opponent's forces wins the game



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Parts of this product were taken from Anne Westfall’s Archon. Unfortunately, we have been unable to make contact with the original authors. Please let us know, if you have information on how to reach them.

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