05/02/11
BUG FIX - The file "Gunhold.png" was missing from the first release.  It was only needed for one of the useless "Easter egg" scenes, but still.  Natch.  There was also a bug in the "2000 AD mansion" area, which is another useless Easter egg scene.  This bug has also been fixx0red.

04/12/10
***** TO LOOK NICE, THIS TEXT FILE DESIRES A TRUE-TYPE FONT.


                   - -+ -+- -+@({ The Longing Ribbon })@+- -+- +- -
                  ==================================================
                                     by  Gibmaker
                           http://sqentropy.dyndns.org/~sej
                                    ejh2o@yahoo.com

  This game was made in Don Miguel's RPG Maker 2000.
	http://rpgmaker2000.narod.ru

  *Solicited Art*
    ChaosSeven
    NightSystem
    Draakje

  *Unsolicited Art*
    rpg2knet.com   RPGenius  Britt Brady  Duo
    Roco           Mac       Zensumi      and many many anonymous
    SirRubyKnight  Dajhail   LinoG

  *Music Sources*
    Sonarrat Citalis   Ruth Crawford
    Evan Evans         Charles Ives
    Soundtracks: Gunman Chronicles  Half-Life
                 Max Payne          Quake
                 Unreal Tournament

  *Other Audio Sources*
    www.hollywoodedge.com        System Shock 2
    static.arttoday.com/sounds   RTP
    www.stonewashed.net          Sweet Half-Life (a sweet mod)
    www.sounddogs.com

  *Thanks to*
    Angelycia      Dantallagre
    Chris Wilson   Athaleon


This text file assumes a basic understanding of the workings of RPGMaker2K games and will
concentrate only on the stuff that's new and different.  If you do not have a basic
understanding of RPGMaker2K games, it's pretty freaking simple: Arrow Keys, Enter, Escape.
Yeah!!!  Also, F12 quits very quickly.

I will avoid riffing on the story here.  I insist you play the game to learn the story!



 INSTALLATION
==============

1) Unzip the zip file to a folder of your choice.  (I don't like the Install programs that the editor creates so I've just zipped the whole thing in working order.)

2) Run RPG_RT.exe to play.  You don't need to have the editor installed.

3) Mail me a $50 bill.



 CONTROLS
==========

  Arrow keys    - Move				F4  - Toggle window/fullscreen
  Space / Enter - Use/Select			F12 - Quit to menu at any time
  Esc / Z       - Cancel/Open Menu



 NIFTY NEW FEATURES
====================

Either read this section or just figure it out as you play it.

 Character Upgrade System
--------------------------

This game doesn't use the traditional experience system for upgrading your character.  You
get no EXP points from battles.  When you start the game, Jeannine's stats will be minimal
- 1 HP, 0 MP, 100% attack, 0% defense, 0% agility, and no techniques.  However, you can
immediately start to improve her in the following ways:

 * "Power-up Art"

     Scattered all through the house are tons of paintings and bookshelves.  Be sure to
     check every one of them in every room you can access; some of the paintings will
     increase your HP (by 3), and some of the bookshelves will increase your MP (by 5).
     And note that every time you start a new chapter, all the power-up art is redistributed
     so you can check everything again.

     Note: You may be tempted to put off checking for power-ups until you've explored the
           entirety of any particular area; this is a bad idea, since you might unexpectedly
           trigger an event that makes it impossible to return later.

 * Sinks

     Every time Jeannine encounters a sink she can access a special upgrade menu.  Each sink
     can only be used once per chapter, but (if they can be accessed) they can be used again
     each time you enter a new chapter.  The upgrade menu has the following options:

     Upgrade Stats:      Takes you to a menu where you can upgrade your Attack, Defense and
                         Agility stats.

     Upgrade Techniques: Takes you to a menu where you can learn new techniques and upgrade
                         aspects of techniques you've all ready learned.  Note that some
                         options in this menu aren't available until later in the game.

     +10 Max HP:         Increases your Max HP by 10 points.

     +10 Max MP:         Increases your Max MP by 10 points.

     Note: Like power-up art, use sinks as soon as you have access to them, otherwise you
           might find yourself unexpectedly unable to return to the area where they were.

 * Weapons

     As for weapons: for the most part, there is no player control over whether or not you
     are carrying a weapon at any point in the game; it's determined by the story.  So don't
     kick yourself if you wind up in a dungeon with just your fists; the difficulty of
     battles has been massaged accordingly.

NOTE #1: If you're all a-fret over starting the game with 1 HP, don't worry; the first
         battle in the game isn't for a while. So you have plenty of time to beef up your
         stats, provided you check through every area carefully.

NOTE #2: These upgrades apply ONLY to Jeannine; all the other characters have fixed stats.



 Custom Menu
-------------

It's impossible to access the regular RPG2K menus in this game.  Pressing Esc takes you to a
comparatively minimal menu screen where you'll see the following selections:

 * View Stats/Techniques

     This option will display a series of screens describing your character's current stats.
     Note that these screens are for informational purposes only; you can't make any changes
     from them.

     SCREEN 1 - HP:      The maximum amount of HP that Jeannine can have in battles.
                MP:      Max amount of MP in battles.  (Note that you start all battles with
                         your maximum HP and MP, regardless of how much you had left at
                         the end of the previous battle.)
                Attack:  This stat starts at 100% and you can increase it to a maximum of
                         200%.  It is a factor applied to all of Jeannine's attacks in the
                         game, including offensive techniques.
                Defense: Starts at 0% and can be increased to 50%.  It is a factor by which
                         damage done to Jeannine is reduced.
                Agility: Starts at 0% and can be increased to 50%.  This is the likelihood
                         that Jeannine will dodge an attack.  It also decreases the odds of
                         an enemy dodging; increase it to the maximum, and the enemies will
                         never dodge.

     SCREEN 2 - Baseline Technique Cost:
                         This is how many MP points techniques will cost. All techniques
                         cost the same amount, except ...

                         Exception #1: When you have two or more offensive techniques
                         available to you, the weakest one will cost the baseline cost, and
                         more powerful ones will cost increasing factors of it, in
                         proportion to how much damage they do.

                         Exception #2: "Rage" attacks are a special kind of attack that cost
                         consistantly 5 MP.  This is a very small cost, as Rage attacks
                         drain HP in place of MP.

                This screen will have additional information on it as you learn new
                techniques.

     SCREEN 3 - What you are carrying:

                If Jeannine is carrying any items or weapons at the moment, they will be
                listed here.  Again, this screen is for informational purposes only; you
                can't "use" items from this screen.  Weapons are automatically equipped if
                you have them.  If you have a key, use locked doors as normal and you will
                unlock them if you can.

 * View Random Painting/Citation

     This useless option displays a random selection from the "power-up art" in the game,
     along with credit to the original artist (if known).

 * End Game

     Choose to leave.



 Battles
---------

This game uses a custom Chrono-Trigger-style battle system.  You will know a battle has
begun when any characters you control freeze and some small status bars appear on the screen
over their heads.

HP BARS - The large bars on top indicate how much health your characters have left.

MP BARS - The smaller bars under the HP Bars indicate how much energy your characters have
          left for performing special techniques.  Your characters regain a small amount of
          MP every turn, up to their maximum.

*NOTE* This game uses a system of MP spending that is slightly different than most games.
       Although different techniques have different MP costs, ALL your techniques are
       available to you as long as you have at least a little bit of MP.  HOWEVER, you CAN
       go into MP overkill, which is when your MP drops below zero, and then you will only
       be able to use your standard attack until your MP recovers to above zero.

ALLY TARGET - The gray square indicates which character you are currently attacking for.

ENEMY TARGET - The red square indicates which enemy you will attack.


The battle process is as follows:

1. For Jeannine, if she has any MP left, select from the menu if you would like to use a
   special technique this turn.  If she has no MP left, a standard attack is
   automatically selected; skip to step 2.

2. Now the red enemy target will be active.  If there is more than one enemy present, use
   the arrow keys to move the target onto the enemy you wish to attack, then press ENTER.

3. If Jeannine has a companion, repeat steps 1 and 2 for him/her.

You can press ESC at any point to go back a step if you change your mind.

4. The round is carried out; Jeannine always attacks first, then the first enemy, then
   Jeannine's companion (if she has one at the moment), and then the remaining enemies.
   Damage is dealt on the spot.

When the battle is over, the status bars will disappear and you'll regain control of your
character on the map.

Please note the following:

- No hero may reach zero health at any time, even if there is more than one hero in your
  group.  IF ANY HERO REACHES ZERO HEALTH, IT IS GAME OVER FOR YOU, MISSY!!

- On the plus side, your party is fully recovered after each battle. You start every battle
  with max HP and MP.



 Secret Stuff
==============

If battles are too hard: Press ESC to bring up the menu, choose "End Game", and then choose "No".  Without taking a step on the map, do that two more times.  You should hear a message.  Now, before every battle, you will be given the option to skip the battle.  Also you have the option for a free upgrade by looking at your stats in the game menu.

After encountering Luke on the stairs in chapter II, go to the dining room.

While holding the bag of coffee beans (in the kitchen in chapter III) look at your inventory repeatedly.

If Jeannine isn't powerful enough for you: in the inner cave in chapter III (where the chest is), before Sara arrives and before discovering the chest, walk left around the small pond as far as you can go, face up, and press Enter.

In chapter 4, before following your friends south down the lane to the road, find the strange arrangement of three windows just to the east of the front door, and use the wall in the middle of them.

To view Draakje's character sketches: After finding the key in the piano in chapter V, go to the south suite and look at the picture on the far right (just below the bathroom).  Then look at the wide picture just to the left of it.  And then go into Luke's room and out the door to the balcony.

After finding the SECOND key in chapter V, go to the very back of the property behind the house.

After defeating the boat at the beginning of chapter VI, go back down the ladder.

After defeating the final boss, leave the inner cave, then go back in.



 Media Credit
==============

Commissioned art:

     Car Sprites:      NightSystem
     Game Over screen: ChaoSeven

Playtesters:

     Angelycia		Draakje
     Ataramos		Guilen
     Athaleon		Syrlantar
     ChaoSeven		Viktrux
     Chris Wilson	Zuca Treangeli
     Dantallagre

Giving proper credit for all the media I used in this game, particularly graphics, is near
impossible really.  Tons of the graphics were either downloaded from rpg2knet with the
creator listed as "Unknown", or else I found them in other people's RPGs, the authors of
which didn't keep track of credit either.  But just for kicks, here's a record I've tried to
keep of most of the time:

     Duo S - squirrel@rpg2knet.com - SF1
     SirRubyKnight - Daltonhouse
     Mac
     LinoG for the blob face.
     Sweet Half-Life: SEkaos
     Facesets (redraws of RTP): Unknown
     FireCrack BattleBackground (adapted by me into a Panorama): Zensumi
     "Illussky" Panorama: from Angels of Exodus
     Shrine tilesets: from Dragon Destiny and Dawn of Darkness
     "thin_horizons" Panorama: by LinoG
     "darksky_atnight" Panorama: LinoG
     OhNo sound: from Half-Life
     Blood sprites (used in tileset): from Half-Life
     Jeannine's Trenchcoat: Britt Brady
     Some Sound Effects: http://www.hollywoodedge.com
     Chest Sprite: RPGenius
     Rusty: Alanis' body
     Doors: Dajhail
     Sound effects: http://static.arttoday.com/sounds/Household/
     Sound effects: http://www.stonewashed.net/sfx.html
     "Groovy" sound effect: Evil Dead 2

Music Sources:

Ambience2		- System Shock 2
Ambience3		- Ichiyanagi Cloud Atlas; recorded by Sonarrat
Ambience4		- System Shock 2
Catacombs		- Gunman Chronicles soundtrack
Crawford1               - Ruth Crawford, "Three Chants for Women's Chorus" (1930)
Crawford2               - Ruth Crawford, "Music for Small Orchestra" (1926)
EverybodyDance		- Don Hertzfeldt; "Rejected"
Ep2_Prologue		- Max Payne soundtrack
FutureMurder_BackAlley  - Evan Evans, "Future Murder" soundtrack
FutureMurder_EndCredits - Evan Evans, "Future Murder" soundtrack
Hyakugojyuuichi         - Lemon Demon (Niel Cicierega)
Ives4-2                 - Ives' Symphony No 4 Mvt 2 (1912-25)
Quake			- Quake soundtrack, by Trent Reznor
Reconstruct		- UT2004 CBP2 soundtrack
Seeker                  - Unreal Tournament
Seeker2			- Unreal Tournament
TestChamber		- Half-Life soundtrack
Tripfall_PizzaBoy       - Evan Evans, "Tripfall" soundtrack

Other audio sources:   System Shock 2, Gunman Chronicles, Hollywood Edge, Water Wars,
                       Half-Life, "Sweet Half-Life" (a mod), Fantasy Legends, RPG Maker RTP

Power-up Art: Kafka, Franz; "The Metamorphosis"
              Keneally, Thomas; "Office of Innocence" (2003)
              Michaels, Anne; "Fugitive Pieces" (1996)
              Congreve, William; "The Way of the World"
              Bradbury, Ray; "Fahrenheit 451"
              Benn, Aphra; "The Rover"
              Mann, Klaus; "The Pious Dance"
              Ibsen, Henrik; "A Doll House"
              Brook, Peter; "The Empty Space"
              Weiss, Peter; "Marat-Sade"
              Kalidasa; 'Shakuntala", or The Fatal Ring
              Racine, Jean; "Phaedra"
              Smedley, Agnes; "Daughter of Earth"
              van Goethe, Johann; "Faust part 1"
              Gozzi, Carlo; "The King Stag"
              Shepard, Roger N.; "Mind Sights"
              Broudy, Harry S.; "Paradox and Promise"

              France; "Bar at the Folies Bergere"
              Gainsborough; "The Blue Boy"
              Flemish; "Peonies"
              Palo Alto Street Painting; "Reading Dragon"
              De Hooch; "Woman Peeling Apples with Child"
              Bata Shanren; "Lotus"
              Photograph portrait of Ruth Crawford
              John De-Stefano; "The Journey"
              Diego Rivera; "El Matematico"
              Koshi Rikdo; "Excel and Menchi"
              omegadragon3000; "View from our planet 3"
              www.austinexplorer.com; Photo of Deep Eddy House
              France; "Napoleon on the Battlefield"
              England; "Little Red Riding Hood"
              Michelangelo; "Saint with Instruments of Torture" (detail from Vatican)
              Candace Pike; "Zombified"
              Flemish; "Fruit and Flowers"
              Various photos by me
              de Cherico; "The Disquieting Muses"
              Hans Holbein; "Henry VIII"
              ChaoSeven; "ChaoSketch"
              Velasquez; "Venus at her Mirror"
              M.C. Escher; "Relativity"
              Gericault, "White Horse"
              Draakje; "Ghosthunter"
              Louis de Nain, "Child Angels and Christ"
              Xu Beihong; "A Painting of Three Horses"
              Turner; "The Fighting Termeraire"
              Blake; "Great Red Dragon"
              England; "Angel Faces"
              Roger N. Sheperd; "I Think, Therefore I Amble"
              England; "Girl with Lambs"
              "Virgin and Child with St. Anne and John the Baptist"
              Renoir; "Girl in Blue Hat"
              Kings Royal Imports; "Spirit Dragon Aigeanne"
              ChaoSeven; "That Which Cannot Be Depicted, Only Seen"
              Flemish; "Flowers with Butterfly"
              Roger N. Shepard; "Bot Appetit"
              Michelangelo; "Virgin Mary" (detail from Vatican)              
              Black Dragon Society; "The Spirit Dragon"
              Giacometti; "Dog"



That's the end of the .txt file!  If you've read through it all from start to finish before
beginning the game, let it be known that you are exceptionally square, or else the game
failed to run and you are bored and disappointed, in which case e-mail me at ejh2o@yahoo.com.