erebus instructions

If the performance of the game seems too slow, or the game is failing to run properly, then try disabling "Lighting Effects" (from the main menu, go to Options).

If the game fails to run, or has problems, please try the following:

There are some known issues:

The main menu has options to start the game or load a previously saved game, or set some options. The available options are:

• Master Volume - For music and sound effects. Note this option is not available on Android - on Android devices, you can change the volume at any time using the volume controls on your device.
• Music Volume, Effects Volume - You can also control the relative volume of music and sound effects (this option is available on Android).
• Lighting - If enabled, a lighting effect surrounds your player. If you get poor performance, try disabling this option.

You can also select "Online help" to launch this website in your browser.

When starting the game, you also have various choices:

Click "Start game", then click "Next" (accepting the default options) until the game starts. After the game loads, you'll be shown details of your first quest: to kill all the goblins in the dungeon.

To move your character, click where you want to move to (either with the mouse, or touch for touchscreens). You can scroll the view around by clicking/touching and dragging (also on PCs, you can scroll by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen).

Move your character to the right, to the crossroads, and you will soon be attacked by a goblin! To fight, click/touch on the goblin.

Towards the top left will be displayed your portrait, and a green bar indicating your health. When you are attacking an enemy, next to this will be displayed the name of the enemy, and a red bar indicating its health.

Hopefully you will be able to defeat the goblin, which will then leave behind some gold to pick up. Enemies may be carrying gold and/or items, which they leave behind when they die. To pick up gold or an item, simply click/touch to move over the item, then click/touch on the item to pick it up.

Now explore the rest of the dungeon, and kill all remaining goblins! If your health becomes low, you should rest. You can rest by clicking on the Rest button on the left of the screen, when not near enemies, and this will restore your health. If you encounter doors, click/touch on them to open the door. You will be told when you have completed the quest. When this is so, return to where you started, and exit through the door that was to the left. You can do this by click/touching to move to the door, then click/touch to exit.

This should be enough information to get you started, but it is recommended to read the rest of the instructions here!

As explained in "Quickstart", you can move your character around by click/touching where you want to move to. You can also click/touch and drag to move the view around. On PCs you can also scroll by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen.

You can zoom in and out by using the "zoom" gesture on multitouch touchpads or multitouch touchscreens (or see the zoom in and out GUI buttons, below).

There are various other controls:

• Attack an enemy - Click on the enemy. If you have a ranged weapon, you will be able to shoot enemies from a distance.
• Talking to an NPC - For friendly NPCs, you can click on them to talk to them. Some NPCs will be traders or shopkeepers, and talking to them will allow you to buy and sell items.
• Opening a door - Walk up near to the door, then click on the door. Some doors will "open" simply by disappearing and letting you walk through the door. Other doors are "exits", and clicking on them will take you to a different location. Some doors may be locked, and can only be opened if you have the correct key. To leave the dungeon, click on the exit that was near where you started. You can leave the dungeon at any time, including before completing the quest - if the quest isn't yet completed, you will be allowed to rest, healing your wounds, as well as being able to spend money in shops, before returning to the dungeon to complete your quest. Also note that for random dungeons, you will be given the choice of exiting the dungeon by clicking on the "up" stairs on any level, allowing you the ability to quickly exit the dungeon without going up every previous level (when you return to the dungeon, you'll return to the same level that you left on).
• Interacting with scenery / opening containers - You can try interacting with any scenery by walking up to it and clicking on it. For example, clicking on a treasure chest will reveal any times inside it. Other kinds of scenery may show you a set of options when you click on them.
• Picking up items - Click on the items when you are standing near to them. Note that at the moment you don't get a choice if there is more than one - so click repeatedly to pick them all up, then drop any that you don't want (see below).

Erebus can also be controlled via a keyboard:

• Move with the arrow keys, or W/A/S/D (use combinations to move diagonally), or the numeric keypad.
• Action - Press space or return/enter for a generic action, which will be: attack or talk to an NPC in front of you (or otherwise attack the nearest enemy in the direction you are facing if you are armed with a ranged weapon); open a door in front of you; interact with scenery (or open a container) in front of you, or picking up items at your feet.
• Force pick up - You can also pick up items at your feet by pressing "U" (normally pressing space/enter will work, but not if there's also something in front to interact with).
• Target/Next enemy - Press 'N' to "target" an NPC, or cycle through the visible enemies (targetting controls which enemy you are attacking - particularly useful when using a ranged weapon, with keyboard control).

There is a row of GUI button icons towards the top-right, providing the following controls (in order, left-to-right):

• Turbo (shortcut 'T') - This is a toggle button. When enabled, the game time progresses twice as fast. This can be useful when travelling along long passageways that you've already explored.
• Quicksave (shortut 'F5') - Quick-saves the current game under the name "quicksave.xml". This option is not available in "Permadeath" mode.
• Target/Next enemy - Targets an enemy (so you will attack, moving towards the enemy if necessary), or cycles through the enemies if one is already targetted. Can be useful on touchscreens if you are having difficulty picking which enemy to attack.
• Zoom out (shortcut '<') - Zooms the display out.
• Zoom in (shortcut '>') - Zooms the display in.
• Centre (shortcut 'C') - Centres the display on the player.

There are further controls and information that can be accessed from the buttons on the left hand side (or via a keyboard shortcut):

This shows your character's current statistics, which indicate how good you are at various activities, as well as your current health, and experience:

• Fighting Prowess (FP) - How skilled your character is in hand-to-hand combat. Some weapons may increase or decrease your FP; being unarmed also reduces your FP.
• Bow Skill (BS) - How skilled your character is at firing bows and using other ranged weapons.
• Strength (S) - How strong your character is. Stronger characters are able to inflict stronger blows on their enemies. They can also carry more items. Some weapons and armour may have a minimum strength required for their use.
• Attacks (A) - A greater value means a faster rate of attack.
• Mind (M) - Used for magic attacks and defence. Some spells only cause harm to the target if the spellcaster wins a Mind roll against the target. The chance of success depends on how the two characters' Mind statistic compares. It is also used instead of Fighting Prowess when fighting enemies in hand-to-hand combat that can only be harmed by magic weapons.
• Dexterity (D) - How good your character is at avoiding traps, and avoiding being hit by arrows or other ranged weapons. Characters with a D higher than their FP are also harder to hit in hand-to-hand combat.
• Bravery (B) - Some enemies (such as the undead) cause terror. This may cause you to be temporarily paralysed from fear when you encounter them. A higher bravery score reduces the chance of this happening. (For enemies, having a lower Bravery means they are more likely to flee when sufficiently injured.)
• Speed (Sp) - How fast your character moves.
• Health (H) - Your current health and "maximum" health. Your health can never exceed the maximum value (though the maximum value will increase as your character becomes more experienced). If your health reaches 0, you are dead.
• Level - Your character's experience level. This will increase every so often when you receive enough XP (see below). Every time it increases, some of your character's stats will increase. You will be given a choice of 2 statistics to increase. Your Speed and Health will also increase with every level.
• XP - Your current XP, and how many are needed to progress to the next Level. You receive XP by various actions, such as killing enemies, unlocking doors, completing sub-quests.

This window displays the items that you are carrying. You can filter the list by selecting the options along the top (e.g., to only display weapons, click "Wpns"). The window also displays how much gold you have, and the current weight in the format "current weight / maximum weight". If the current weight exceeds the maximum weight you can carry, you must drop some items before you can move.

To do more with a particular item, select the item by clicking it. You can then:

• Drop the item, by clicking "Drop Item" at the bottom.
• Read more information on the item, by clicking "Info" at the bottom.

There are also special types of items: weapons, armour and shields.

Weapons are used in combat. Your current weapon, if any, is indicated with "[Current Weapon]". To use a different weapon, select it then click "Arm Weapon". You can also disarm the current weapon by selecting it and clicking "Disarm Weapon". If you have no weapon armed you will fight with your fists, though this is not recommended.

Characters must have an appropriate skill to effectively use a weapon, otherwise their FP (or BS, for ranged weapons) is reduced to a base level.

Different weapons have different amounts of damage, which you can see by selecting the "Info" option. Damage is given in a format of rolling dice, as: "X"D"Y" + "Z", where "X" is the number of dice thrown, "Y" is the type of dice ("Y" equal to 10 means a D10, i.e., a 10 sided die with numbers 1 to 10), "Z" is the number added to the value. So "2D10 + 1" means roll two D10s, add the results, and add 1. "3D6 - 1" means roll three D6s, add the results, and subtract 1.

Some weapons are "ranged" (e.g., bows) which means you can use them from a distance. They also need ammunition (e.g., arrows are needed for bows) which are stored as a separate item.

Some weapons have a minimum strength (see "Info") - if your strength is not high enough, you will be unable to fight with this weapon!

Armour is worn to protect you in combat, reducing the damage you take. Similar to with weapons, the currently worn armour is indicated with "[Current Armour]", and you can change into new armour by selecting it, and clicking "Wear Armour" (or "Take Off Armour" to take it off).

Characters must have an appropriate skill to effectively wear armour, otherwise the amount of protection is reduced. Also for medium or heavy armour, unskilled players will have their FP, BS and D reduced.

Some armour types have a minimum strength (see "Info") - if your strength is not high enough, you will be unable to move with this armour!

Shields may also be used, but not if you are using a two-handed weapon. To use a shield, select the shield and click "Arm Shield" (or "Disarm Shield" to stop using it). A shield will provide you with extra protection in combat.

Some other kinds of items may allow additional options - e.g., potions allowing you the option to drink them.

Displays details of your quest.

Pauses the game. To unpause, click anywhere. Note that the game also pauses when the window is deactivated, so again click anywhere to unpause.

Rest until you have recovered your health. You can't rest if enemies are nearby. In some locations, there may be a risk of being woken by a wandering monster!

This offers the following options:

• Quit game - Quits the current game. Make sure you save the game first if you don't want to lose it!
• Save game - Saves the current game under a filename of your choosing (or overwrite an existing one). A default filename is provided consisting of the current date and time. As with resting, you cannot save the game if enemies are nearby. Note that the game will be automatically saved when you move from one location to another, under "autosave.xml" (except on Symbian).
• Minimise to desktop - Minimizes the game window. Click on the Erebus taskbar icon to return to the game (Windows and Linux only).
• Back to game - Don't do anything, and return to the game.

As explained above, you can leave the dungeon at any time by clicking on the exit near where you started (or the "up" stairs of any level, for random dungeons). This will heal your wounds (as with resting). You can also visit various shops to buy items with your gold, and sell any items you found that you don't want. Note that the sale price of items will always be less than the purchase price!

If you haven't completed your quest yet, you can click "Continue your Quest" to return to the dungeon where you left it, to complete your quest. If you had completed the quest, then you can click "Start next Quest" to start the next quest.

If you are on the last quest, and have completed it, then leaving the dungeon means you have completed the game! Note that currently Erebus is a work in progress, and more quests will be added in future versions. If you have a save game file, this should be compatible with future versions (note that changes to the quest you are currently playing will not take effect on any existing save game files, to avoid risk of incompatibilities, but you should be able to move onto any new quests that have been added).

There are many dangerous enemies you may meet during your adventures:

Goblins. These are small, foul creatures. Whilst one of the weaker races of evil, they are still able to overpower less experienced adventurers, and can be deadly in numbers. Whilst many goblins form their own tribes, others are found enslaved by larger creatures such as Orcs.

Hobgoblins. These are believed to be a repulsive cross between Goblins and Orcs, and are less common than either of those creatures. They look similar to Goblins, but are stronger opponents.

Orcs. These are the most common enemy to civilised societies. Large and brutish, they are physically stronger than many humans. They mostly dwell underground in caves and dungeons, but can be found in the wilderness. They typically live and travel in packs. They usually keep away from human settlements, instead only attacking travellers and adventurers, but they are most dangerous when well trained and organised into armies.

Trolls. These are huge, stupid creatures, but have great strength and make strong opponents. They have the special ability to regenerate their health, even when engaged in combat, which can make them particularly hard to kill.

Wyverns. Winged reptiles. These fast flying animals are often hostile.

Zombies. These unnatural beings are rotting corpses of the recently deceased, animated back to life by magical means. These undead creatures move slowly, but are strong opponents. They are also ridden with disease, which can be caught by those they strike. If you are infected with disease, this will reduce your Fighting Prowess and Strength by 1. This can only be cured with a Cure Disease potion.

Skeletons. These terrifying undead creatures are created by necromancers, often to acts as their servants, as guardians, or even form massive armies. Arrows are not very effective against skeletons.

Crypt Stalkers. These skeletons are named for their association with guarding valuable crypts. However in fact they may be found guarding other locations, or just wandering underground. They are stronger than normal skeletons.

Death Warriors. These skeletons are highly trained in combat.

Liches. Evil sorcerors may use their magic powers upon death to keep themselves in a state in between life and death. Their skeletal remains reanimate in order to form undead skeletal sorcerors.

Shadows. These undead beings are ghostly creatures, trapped on this earthly plane. These evil creatures were once people. Now, they can only be seen by their shadows, and they can be harmed only by magical weapons.

Wraiths. Those who are especially evil during their lives may, upon death, remain on this plane in the form of undead wraiths. These powerful creatures may only be harmed by magical weapons.

Fire Ants. Huge ants, usually that live underground. They are fast moving, and covered with a toughened shell. Beware when you kill them, as they explode upon dying!

Giant Spiders. Some species of spider can grow to a size larger than a human. They may be found underground, or in some parts of the wilderness. They also have the ability to cause temporary paralysis on a successful hit, due to their poisonous bite!

Death Spiders. These are a particularly terrifying form of giant spider, with a greater chance of causing paralysis, and induce a greater level of fear in their opponents.

Minotaurs. The head of bull with the body of a human, these creatures are presumably created through magical means or perhaps other experimentation.

Currently your player cannot use magic (though this will be added in later versions), but you will encounter some enemies that can cast spells. The existing magic system is fairly simple, though the following spells are currently implemented:

Acid Strike. The spell causes a jet of acid to be sprayed at the target, causing 2D20 damage (reduced by armour or shield).

Agony. The spell uses the caster's psychic energy, directed at the unfortunate recipient, causing great pain - and 2D20 damage (with no defence from armour or shield). The effects can be avoided with a successful Mind test.

Fire Bolt. The spellcaster shoots forth a bolt of fire at the target, causing 2D10 damage (a shield reduces damage, armour has no effect).

Heal. This spell heals the recipient, causing wounds to magically close up, bruises to disappear, fractured bones to be mended and so on, restoring 4D6 health points.

Paralyse. If the recipient fails a Mind test, then he or she is gripped with feelings of terror and dread, and unable to move, for 10 seconds.

On non-mobile platforms, Erebus can be run in windowed mode by running from the command line with the argument "-windowed". E.g., on Windows, run with: erebus.exe -windowed

You can also set the folder for where data will be loaded from, e.g., on Linux: ./erebus -datafolder=/home/my_user/Documents/erebussrc/

Please contact me at mark DOT harman DOT apps AT gmail DOT com .

If you are reporting a bug, if possible please send me:

• Any reported error messages.
• The "log.txt" file. This can be found:
  • For Windows, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\erebus (or on Windows XP, "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\erebus").
  • For Linux, it should be in $HOME/.local/share/data/erebus (in Ubuntu, make sure View->Show Hidden Files is selected). If not, try looking for an erebus/ folder somewhere in your home folder.
  • For Android, it's located in the folder Android/data/net.sourceforge.erebusrpg/files/. You can view with a file explorer app, or access by connecting your phone/tablet to a PC. If you can't see the folder, try rebooting your phone before connecting to your PC.
  • For Symbian it's located in the folder private/2006dbd2 on the drive that you installed the game on. Seeing this folder is a bit tricky, as it's hidden when viewing on the phone. You can access by connecting your phone to a PC and selecting "mass storage" to view the drives (though this may only be possible if you've installed to an external SD card).
  The log file is overwritten each time you run the game, so you'll have to take a copy straight away - although note that the last-but-one game log will be available under "log_old.txt"; in the case of assertion failures, it will also be copied to "log_assertion_failure.txt".
• If under Linux and no log.txt file is generated, try running erebus from a Terminal window, and note if that gives any error messages.
• A description of what happened, and what steps you took that resulted in the bug.
• Does the bug happen every time?
• A save game file, if relevant. This is located in the savegames/ folder, in the same location as the log.txt file.
• Any details of your system may also be helpful, e.g.: operating system and version, CPU, graphics card, Direct X version if relevant, make/model of smartphone/tablet if relevant.

If you would like to contribute to Erebus, there are various ways you can help:

• Graphics artists - More graphics would be useful to have. Examples include NPCs (animated enemies, static NPCs, and portraits), scenery, items, images to illustrate game messages, and documentation artwork. Please contact me if you want info on the expected graphics/animation formats, or what sort of images would be useful.
• Musicians - I have someone working on background music for the game, but more sound effects are also welcome!
• Porting - Feel free to port Erebus to other platforms - it should be easy to port to any OS that supports Qt. If code changes are required, if you send me the files I can integrate them into the main source (please check the Git repository on Sourceforge for the latest version to work with).
• Tell people about it! - If you like the game, then please feel free to tell other people about it, on your blog/Twitter/website/etc :) Feel free to link with the following HTML code (or just do a plain text link if you prefer): <a href="http://erebusrpg.sourceforge.net/"> <img src="http://erebusrpg.sourceforge.net/erebus_logo1.png" title="erebus"> </a>
• Give me a rating :) (If downloading from an appropriate hosting site with ratings.)
• Videos - videos of the gameplay (e.g., on YouTube) would be useful to have, partly to help raise awareness, and also to act as gameplay tutorials.