Beginner's Guide

Connecting to TerraFirmA First Steps Communication Aim of the Game What are Quests?

Character Statistics About Credit and Stores What are Pits for? What is Roguestuff? What is a Reset?

You use a type of protocol or program called "telnet" to connect to TerraFirmA. For more detailed information about connecting read the How To Connect page.

When you first connect to TerraFirmA you will be asked for a character name, now's the time to decide what you want to be known as in the game. Be as inventive as you like. If, after entering your chosen name for the first time you are asked for a password (rather than a message asking you to confirm your new character name) then this name is already being used by somebody else and you must choose another. As a general rule try and use a name of at least four characters, three letters is the absolute shortest. Next you will be asked to choose a password, then asked to re-type it to ensure it was entered correctly. The last thing to do is choose which sex you wish your character to be. Then that's it, you're in, Welcome to TerraFirmA!

Initial problems logging in can be due to any of several common things:

• There are problems somewhere in the Internet between your connection and TerraFirmA
• TerraFirmA is very occasionally closed for essential maintenance, in which case you should see a brief message when you connect.
• Your terminal software isn't set up correctly, usually the problems are with carriage returns/line feeds and local echo. Unfortunately, trial and error with your program settings is the easiest cure.

For more extensive help with telnet and connecting, read the How To Connect page.

When you log in successfully you will see the TerraFirmA title screen, after which is displayed the description of the location where you are in the game. The first few times you play you will start in a special introductory area. This area is specially designed to introduce beginners to the game. One of the first things you might try is turning on colour by typing colour. Your software must be capable of emulating ANSI colour to use this feature.

The first command to try is look, this displays a description of the location where you are. The main directions to move in are the four points of the compass plus up and down, and the commands can be abbreviated to just the first letter, i.e. N, E, S, W, U, D.

Locations often contain items, which can be examined to gain information and clues. So if the description says there is a sign in that location you could type: examine sign or simply ex sign.

It is a good idea to have a look through the introduction area of the game as this will help you get a feel for the place and the basic commands. There is also a complete system of help for each command. Type help on its own to list the basic commands, help <command> gives details of most commands. More general information is in a series of files listed by simply typing info, then chosen with info <topic>. You can also read most of these "info" files on the web site.

The next thing to try is to see who else is in TerraFirmA with you. There are two basic commands to list who else is playing at the moment:
 

who

This will list all the players and visible Untouchables on the game, along with their titles. Titles usually just indicate a players level but higher players can alter their titles to whatever they like.

users

This will list all the players and visible Untouchables on the game, showing you just their character name without the title. This list is sometimes a little less confusing than who.

As well as players there are also non-playing characters, also called "mobiles". There are hundreds of characters all over TerraFirmA who perform their own tasks. Some will ignore you while others will attack you. You even have to co-operate with some mobiles to perform quests. Some mobiles are good and others are evil. Killing a good mobile will make your attitude nasty or evil while killing an evil mobile will have the opposite effect.

The command you use to communicate with others depends on who exactly you would like to communicate with, there are four basic commands:
 

say <message>

This message will be heard by anyone in the same location as you. Typing look will show you if there are people in the same location as you.

tell <person> <message>

This command allows you to send a message to anyone anywhere on the whole game. It will only be heard by you and the recipient. You can also use the player's name to tell, ie: instead of typing tell guest <message> you can use guest <message>

shout <ssage>

This command will send a message to everyone playing the game at the moment. Please don't overuse this command as some people don't like to listen to others shouting their conversations, use tell instead.

wish <message>

this command will send a message to any Untouchables (wizards/admins) on the game, whether visible or not. Try using this when you are stuck and have tried every other option. Like shout, however, don't overuse this command.

The overall aim is to achieve enough experience points and bank enough credits to reach Apprentice Untouchable by solving puzzles (quests) all around the game. The prize for completing this ominous task is to become a priviledged Untouchable member of the game. Experience can be gained in two ways. The best (and fastest) way is by solving quests, but experience can also be gained from killing mobiles and completing short "tasks" you'll find posted on boards around the game. Credit can be gained by killing mobiles, selling items or pitting items. As you become more experienced and accumulate more credits in your bank account, your level (or standing) in the TerraFirmA will rise, your strength will increase and you will have more powers and more magical abilities.

A quest is, in essence, a large puzzle that needs to be solved by completing a series of smaller puzzles. These quests are normally located in one area but can require the player tracking all over the game to solve them. Quests involve a theme and there is usually a story associated with them. For example, the Sherwood quest in TerraFirmA involves rescuing Maid Marian. As the player enters the Sherwood area, clues will indicate what is needed from them. By following the clues and dealing with the various mobiles in the zone, the player can build up a solution to the quest.

You can find out about quests by typing QINFO. More information is available about individual quests by typing, for example, QINFO SHERWOOD. The QINFO files are also available here at the web site. Also, By checking INFO MAP the user can find where many of the quests are based. Check out different maps of TerraFirmA in the maps section of the guide area.

When you want to find out more about yourself you can type SCORE or SC. This shows you your current status and score in the game. PROGRESS is also helpful. Use EQUIPMENT in the game to find out the status of worn and wielded items and BODY to give you an overall view of your armour. Examples of the output of these commands are shown below.

TerraFirmA>score
== Score =======================================================================
Name       : Nobody
Born       : Wed Dec 16 21:24:39 1998  |  Logins      : 1
Rank       : Beginner                  |  Level       : 1
Health     : Exceptional               |  Strength    : 58/58
Quests     : Elementary                |  Experience  : 0
Credit     : Poor                      |  Credits     : 0
Wimpy      : Cautious                  |  Flee Below  : 18
================================================================================

TerraFirmA>equip
== Equipment ==================================================================
 Item              Where                Condition          Rating
 ----------------- -------------------- ------------------ -------------------
 Rogueblade        Wielded              Indefinable        Awesome
 Roguesuit         Worn on body         Indefinable        Awesome
===============================================================================
You are equipped with 2 items.

TerraFirmA>prog
== Progress ====================================================================
Name              : Nobody
Connection Time   : 33 minutes, 57 seconds
Credit Gained     : 0 Banked
Experience gained : 0 Experience
Next Level Exp    : 235
Next Level Credit : 0
Player Kills      : 0 (total to date 0)
Mobile Kills      : 0 (total to date 0)
Deaths            : 0 (total to date 0)
================================================================================

TerraFirmA>body
== Body =======================================================================
          .---.                                                 .---.
         / o o \   Head:Basic               Hair:Basic         /|||||\
         \_   _/   Eyes:Basic               Ears:Basic        (|||||||)
           | |     Face:Basic               Neck:Basic           | |
     .-;`---v---`;-.                                       .-;`-------`;-.
    /  |    :    |  \   Lapel:Basic     Shoul:Basic       /  |         |  \
   |   |:::::::::|   |  Chest:Basic      Back:Basic      |   |         |   |
   ;--'\    :    /\--;   Body:Awesome                    ;--'\         /\--;
   |  | > __:__ < |  |                                   |  | > _____ < |  |
   |--| /   ^   \ |--|           Waist:Basic             |--| /       \ |--|
   \  /|    _    |\  /            Arms:Basic             \  /|    _    |\  /
   ||| |   | |   | |||          Wrists:Basic             ||| |   | |   | |||
   ''' |   | |   | '''           Hands:Basic             ``` |   | |   | ```
       |   | |   |             Fingers:Basic                 |   | |   |
        \_ | | _/                                             \_ | | _/
        <_ > < _>                 Legs:Basic                  <_ > < _>
        |  | |  |                                             |  | |  |
        |  | |  |                                             |  | |  |
       _\  | |  /_                                           _\  | |  /_
      /____/ \____\               Feet:Basic                /____/ \____\
===============================================================================

All over TerraFirmA there are objects which can be of use to the player. These can be used for various tasks including being involved in a quest. They can also be worn or used as a weapon depending on the object. Certain objects can possess magical qualities by being charged with a spell or protected by magic, or it could be required as a components for a spell. If an object can be worn then the player types wear <object> or just wear all. If an object can be used as a weapon then the player types wield <object>.

Damage is the power of the weapon that the player is wielding (weapons must be wielded to cause damage to mobiles) and this can range from Poor all the way up to Awesome. The most common damage is Good. Armour is what the player is wearing and this is a cumlination of the items worn. Some wearable items hold no armour value and they all can only be worn in particular parts of the body. Again, the most common Armour is Good. The command BODY, as mentioned above, will give you an overall view of where and how much you're protected. Read INFO EQUIPMENT in the game for an explanation of conditions and ratings.

In a fight a player will automatically flee if the strength goes below what is called your "wimpy" level. This ensures a player does not fight to the death and lose valuable experience. Getting killed in a fight will mean losing the most amount of experience that is possible to lose (check INFO FIGHTING for the amount. An average wimpy level is about 20 and it you can set yours by typing CHANGE WIMPY ME <number>.

If a player types EX ME or INV they get their description (if they've entered one by typing CHANGE DESCR, and a list of objects in their possession (as shown below). This consists of credit they are carrying, objects worn, and objects being carried.

You are holding :
    A collection of 94 credits.
You are wearing :
    A futuristic combatsuit.
    A small red napkin.
You are carrying :
    A large black metal albion sword. <wielded>
    An amber firestone, twinkling in the light.
    A small purple arrow with two feathers missing.

Also, all objects have a size and the limit a player can carry varies according to their level. Type SIZE to see how much you are carrying versus how much you are able to and SIZE ALL to see individual sizes of your possessions. Objects can be put into containers, such as a backpack or sack, to increase the number of objects one can carry.

Credit is money in TerraFirmA. It can be collected by a player and deposited into or withdrawn from banks. As well as counting towards your level, credits can be used to buy items from the stores. A player might also use credits to pay "tollkeeper" mobiles which are found in various places in the game, or to buy quest hints from one of the Bards. Many of the mobiles carry credit and when they are killed they drop the credit they are carrying. Picking up the credit adds to the amount of credits you carry with you. You should deposit credits in a bank before quitting each session.

There are stores and banks located throughout TerraFirmA. Each store has a storekeeper who sells or buys objects depending on their worth. The storekeeper will only sell objects if the player is carrying enough credit. Objects can also be traded if they are equally valued and repaired if they are damaged. In the MAGIC STORE manned by the MAGE, from whom you can buy spell scrolls, recharge your magic items or find out the magical properties of an item. (Check out INFO STORE, INFO BANK and INFO MAGIC for more in the game).

Objects are scattered throughout TerraFirmA and are also carried by mobiles. They have a size and a value. The size of the object will influence what a player carries but not its value. The value of an object varies according to the number of players in the game at the time. Objects can be dropped into the pits to quickly increase a player's bank account (called "pitting"). At RESET time players are asked to pit their objects so they are credited for their value.

TerraFirmA has a policy of offering new players equipment to get them started on the game. This is a GIFT and not a right. Untouchables are able to supply the lowest level players with an excellent weapon and some good strong armour once they are out of the introductory area. These items, 'rogueblade' and 'roguesuit', give new characters a helping hand to explore. Therefore, use your time with the free equipment wisely!

Under no circumstances should a player wish for these items. It may be appropriate to ask for them, however repeated requests can annoy Untouchables.

A reset is a rejuvenation of an area of TerraFirmA, so all mobiles and objects are put back to their original positions and quests linked to that area can be done again.