¤Hardware/Requirements¤
I use my own computer for the basis of the minimum requirements, I wouldn't worry too much performance wise if your cpu isn't up to par.
-Pentium II 333 mhz cpu (also tested on a 2.66ghz P4 CPU)-Windows 98 (also tested on WinXP)-68 MB of free hard drive space-An internet connection of 56k (for multiplayer, and Broadband for best results)-Visual Basic 6.0 Runtime Files-A resolution of 1024 x 768 or greater (tested on a 1400 x 1050 resolution)¤Getting Started¤ (The Menu, Quick Start)
• Click on that icon to register yourself as a TLDH player (you won't be able to do anything in the game until you register).
• Just one click to Load a previously saved game.
• Click on this to Save your progress.
• Click on this to edit your deck in the Deck Editor.
• Click on this to Visit the store and purchase new starters and booster packs (The contents of the store changes once you buy your first starter deck).
• Click on this to start multiplayer mode.
• This icon with tell you some info about the game.
• Click on that to view a message about the instructions.
• This bar shows whether or not your online, you need to be online in order to participate in multiplayer mode.The actions described above can also be accessed in the menu above and some actions (like starting a single player game) can only be accessed in the menu
Quick Start - Some steps to quickly starting a battle from the first time you open the game
1. Setup the data files go to File > Options.
2. Register your name in the game.
3. Buy some cards in the store.
4. Open the deck editor and visit your inventory to open the packs.
5. Sell off the cards you don't want in the main deck editor window then buy new packs.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 as necessary.
7. Use the Auto Register to setup a deck template.
8. Modify your deck as you see fit (I'd really spend some time on this part or the cpu will beat you easily).
9. Click on the Register button to Register your deck.
10. Exit the deck editor.
11. Select Game > Arcade Mode to start a battle.If you are loading a saved game then you only need to do steps 8 - 11
¤Deck Editor¤ (Editor, Inventory, Auto Register)
Editor - The deck editor is where you manage, create and register a deck.
• The image of a selected card is shown here
• Card Info appears here.
• This is where your current deck that will be used in the game appears right-clicking will bring up an option where you can remove the card from the deck, double-clicking has the same effect.
• Here is the inventory of every card in your possession (minus the ones that are in your deck) right-clicking will bring up a menu with 3 options. Add Card will add a card to the deck, Sell Card will sell the card at value = Card Worth and Sell Set will sell all the cards in the set for a total of (card value * quantity) or Set Worth.
• These tabs I call ''Stress Tabs'' when you amass huge amounts of cards you don't want to have to look through them all when you want to add them to your deck, the stress tabs saves you the stress of having to do all of that, all you do is click on one and the editor will only display cards of that type. Simply click all cards to view all the cards in your inventory again.
• Nothing special here just your game stats.Notice the 3 buttons under your deck inventory (Register/Unregister, Reset Deck & Deck Count)
The Register Button prepares your deck by making sure it meets the following criteria: Atleast 50 cards in deck but no more than 150, and no more than 4 cards of of any type except for faith cards. Once your deck is ok then you can play. Unregistering allows your deck to be editable again.
The Reset Deck Button resets your deck to default status (for recompiling a template in the Auto Register).
The Count Cards Button gives you a count of the number of cards in your deck.
Inventory - The inventory is where you open the packs of cards purchased from the store
Simply double click on a Pack Name to open the pack and recieve your cards
Auto Register - Creates a Template Deck to help you construct your own deck
• For the filtering options just check in the boxes for the cards you want included in your template deck.
• AI Options are here, Random Selection means that when the AR is deciding which card will ultimately go to the template it builds a list of all the possible choices and when random selection is chosen the picking process is random. When random selection is not chosen the first card in the list is automatically picked... confused? Well I am too. Filter Based Ratio Means that the faith ratio becomes X to Y where X is the # of types of cards included in the filtering options and Y is a user defined number (default is 4)
• Advanced options well they're not really advanced I just needed something to call em' and ''Advanced'' seemed pretty good at the time... anyway the Faith Ratio shows how many faith cards will be distributed in the template deck based on how many other cards are put in the deck. Heres an example lets say the Faith Ratio is X to Y (1 to 4 = default) this means that for every Y cards the AR puts into the template deck it will put in X random faith cards. The deck quantity can be set to any number from 50 to 150 and it represents how many cards the AR will try to attempt to put into the template.
• Flags - more often than not the AR will generate flags some serious, some not just click on them to get a description on whats going on. Even if you have serious flags you can still get a template deck so I wouldn't worry too much about the flags.
• Here is a listing of all the cards the AR has put into your template deck.Click on the Compile button once you get all your options straight and it will begin to compile a template, the process can take a few seconds. Once compile finishes click the Apply button to apply the result deck to your own deck so you can make further changes.
¤The Cards¤ (Physical Aspect, Card Types, Glyph Types, Card Abilities)
• The Card's image is shown here.
• The Card's name is shown here.
• This is the strength of the card followed by the card's Hit Points, when they reach 0 the card dies and goes to the graveyard. Some cards will display * / * it is advised to read the card's info which should tell you the values of what the wildcards are. Also you may see cards with something like +1 +2 these cards can be referred to as ''Power Ups'' and can be used to power-up creature cards.
• Indicated is the FAITH needed in order to put the card into play, the symbol also indicates the type of faith (Fire, Ice, Holy, Justice, Shadow, Harvest, Jolt) needed if you don't see a symbol next to the number then you can assume that you don't need a specific type of faith to put the card into play.
• The symbol in the lower right corner shows what series the card is from.
All of the cards can be catorgorized into the following sets
- Class: Class cards are any cards that fall under the basic generic level of infantry. They are very similar to monster cards and are contained in glyphs.
- Faith: Faith cards are used as a medium for summoning and casting spells, all cards except for lands require faith to use.
- Monster: Monsters like classes are contained in glyphs and will most likely be the main force for your deck.
- Auratech: These are cards that can be used to enhance the abilities of cards with the auratech ability.
- Magitech: These are cards that can be used to enhance the abilities of cards with the magitech ability.
- Artifact: Various machines and items that contain special properties.
- Summon: these cards enhance the ability of cards with the summon ability.
- Bionic: these cards can enhance a mech's ability.
- Lands: Cards that are rich in faith. Unlike the faith cards that will only add 1 point to your pool, lands usually add anywhere from 3-5 points.
- Enchantment: Enchantment cards can be used to put a wide variety of effects on a card or player.
- Dance: These cards enhance a card's dancing ability.
- Trap: Trap cards can do some nasty things to a player that isn't expecting them (Author's note: I added in traps at the last minute thats why there are so few of them now)So how do I get cards? probably a question on your mind. Just click on the store icon or Deck > Store and buy them. The first time you start you will only be able to buy a starter deck but once you buy one, return to the store and the rest of the inventory will be unlocked
¤ChiNET¤*Comming Soon*¤The Playing Field¤ (Field Detail, The Rules)
Field Detail - This is where the battling takes place.
• This is where all the chat messages appear. The CPU's moves are also logged here
• Type here to send a message to the chat box
• Card info appears here, you can click on any card on the field or in your deck hand and you will be able to see that cards info (Author's note: You won't be able to see your opponent's card info. I thought it'd be more interesting like that.)
• This is the field, this is where you play all your monster cards and stuff. You can hover over a card to see it's stats.
• This is where you can change the field background, Red Nebulus is the default.
• Random options that have to do with field/game functionality they're not all that important.
• The zoom feature it allows you to make the field smaller and you can see more of the field at one time. the cards in your deck hand will also become smaller to make placement easier on a zoomed field (Author's note: Shout out to Greg English for this idea and help with the implementation.)
• Click on the card to draw from your deck. you can only draw cards if it is your turn and if your hand isn't full
• This is where all the cards in your hand are shown. For faith cards you just need to dragdrop into the faith pool, to play a monster/class card just dragdrop the card onto the field. some cards have abilities where all you need to do is just right click in order to invoke the ability usually those cards are the kind that affect the player directly or affect a number of cards at once. Finally to discard a card from your hand just double click on it.
• Thats's your life bar, it shows how much LP (Life Points) you have left. When it reaches 0 it's game over buddy.
• The end phase button is used to end your turn after you've finished making your plays.
• The forfiet button forfiets the game, it means you automatically loose.
• The faith pool shows how much faith you've accumulated, faith is necessary for summoning monsters and casting spells.One more thig I almost forgot to mention see on the playing field there are some spots that are "Hot Spots" and placing a card on them can have one of the following effects.
Power Up - If the faith of the card matches the faith of the powe rup then the card it was placed on gains HP & STR.
Bonus - If your card is on a bonus spot and remains there until you win then you recieve a bonus which can be either more cash or more points.
Trap Cards - These are nasty, traps can do alot of mean things to you, if you have enough faith you can avoid the trap.
The Rules - Rules and regulations for the game
1. The idea of the game is to get your opponent's LP(Life Points) to 0 by using the cards in your deck, at the same time your opponent is trying to get your LP to 0 using the same methods.
2. A player can have no more than 5 cards in the deckhand at one time.
3. You can place as many cards on the field as long as your faith holds out.
4. There is no limit to the amount of faith you can add to your pool in one turn. Faith does not run out when you use it, your faith will be replenished at the beginning of your turn
5 . Monster Cards can not attack on the same turn as they are brought into play.
6 . You can only draw one card at a time.
7 . The game ends when you run out of LP or when you run out of cards.
8 . Players can not make any moves during the opponent's turn phase.
9 . A Monster card that recieves lethal damage and is not in defense mode gets destroyed and any extra damage is carried on to the player controlling the card.
10 . Damage that monsters recieve during a turn will not be repaired.
11 . Monsters destroyed while in defense mode will not recieve carryon damage penalty.¤Tips¤
Here are some tips to help you get started with the game.- Deck creation is the most important part of the game I suggest you spend some time and put thought into deck creation.
- Don't include too many faith types in your deck I suggest using no more than 3 types, 2 would be optimal for example a Fire/Ice deck or a Holy/Shadow deck.
- A mistake is to overload your deck with faith cards sure it's nice to have a abundance of faith at your disposal but if all your drawing is faith cards and no monsters then your in trouble.
- Try to keep a nice range of weak to powerful monsters in your deck. Keep only strong monsters in your deck and you run the risk of not being able to summon monsters when you need them. Keep only weak monsters and you'll be swamped when your opponent brings out the big guns.
- Flying cards are good to use for protection as well as attacking.. be sure to put a few flying monsters in your deck. Also be sure to keep a few cards in your deck to that you can use to deal with flying cards... like cards that cast the binding effect or cards that can destroy monsters.
- Sure having as many cards as you can hold reduces the chance that you'll run out of cards and suffer a humiliating loss but you'll have alot of trouble drawing the cards you'll need.. it's something to think about.
Let me know if you guys come up with any other tips I'll give you credit for the tip.
¤FAQ¤
A Collection Of Frequently Asked Questions, I'll add more when I get them.
Q. When the game starts I can't see my deck & hand, whats the problem?
A. It's probably your resolution, you can use the game's scroll bars to manuver the windows around. I was developing the program under a 1400 x 1050 screen resolution therefor I had alot of space to play it. if your having problems seeing everything then I suggest increasing your screen's resolution until I can figure something else out. *Edit* I Changed the sizing of the playing field, everything should be ok now.Q. Is there anyway to make my deck & hand smaller?
A. Yes the form is sizeable, simply resize it to your desired size.
Q. I'm getting an msvbvm60.dll error what do I do?
A. Download the vb 6 runtimes, they're in the download section.Q. The CPU's LP is 0 and nothing happened, What do I do?
A. Just click on End Phase in the deck hand to end your turn.Q. How many cards does this game have?
A. I lost count somewhere around 540. *EDIT* Actually I Recently did a count and the exact number is 540Q. Why won't any cards show?
A. You have to make sure you have unzipped the ForeverSet.zip in the graphics directory of the game.¤Known Problems¤
Yea I'll admit it sometimes when I release something I'm fully aware that theres problems with said program so instead of ignoring the problems until someone says something the following are problems that for whatever reason I could not fix and I decided to leave in anyway for you all to deal with until I could fix them.
- The Auto-Register does not include artifact cards. (I dunno whats up with this but it's not a crucial problem so I'll worry about that later) Also the auto register isn't that smart either some day I'd like to enhance the AI and maybe make it fully capable of creating a registered deck sutiable for a player's use.
- There maybe some problems with some of the enhancer cards (auratech summon enchantment etc...) I dunno I never tested every single card so just keep that in mind.
- Theres a slim very slim chance that the AI may lock up IN THEORY!!! I haven't experienced it in the hundreds of times I've messed with the program, but based on thought It's a possible occurance.- Like I said not all aspects/situations that the program generates have been tested.. I try to test as much as I can.
- I've found a problem with the game not distributing 5 cards in the deckhand when the game first starts, no Idea whats wrong, I'll fix it when I find what the problem is.
- Theres also a problem with cards not showing when you draw them from your deck... I've experienced the problem myself and I can say that I have no clue whats wrong, the best I can figure is that maybe one of the cards in the game is problematic when it's added to a deck but I'm not sure and I'm definately not going to check all 500+ cards to make sure they work, it would be not only a waste of time but I don't have enough patience for it either... Maybe I'll inadvertantly fix it. (Author's note: I'm almost positive that this is related to the problem above)
- Spelling Error, Forfeit is spelt wrong, I never clamed to be a god spellar.
¤Credits¤ *UNDER CONSTRUCTION*
Beta Testers
James (zX_Storm)
Greg English
All you guys who Participate in the Public Beta Test, ThanksOutside Sources
Gareth Long's Encyclopedia Of Monsters -I went here for some research on monsters
3DCafe - A nice site for freeware models
